Apex 7/3/21 - First time on an Edge-class Ship - Some Thoughts

[grandgeezer]

9 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

 

From what I've seen, 3-6 months from the sailing date you can book most sailings with the cheaper "cruise only" rate.  So it technically doesn't "screw over" Elites, rather it only screws over Elite who want to book super early.

The seven day cruises I looked at the cruise only rate was only $200 p.p. If you take the tips of $101 per person out of it since it's included in the AI rate, you are paying about $14 p.p. per day for the classic drink package and the internet. They are billions of dollars in debt, why would they do that? They wouldn't. There's probably a couple of hundred dollars extra built into the base rate. We only drink 2-3 drinks a day, so the Elite perks work for us. Don't waste your time talking about soda, water, etc, that's just an excuse to justify getting your moneys worth. Also, as far as not have to worry about spending too much money on drinks, if money is that tight, maybe you should reevaluate your spending.

So yes, they are screwing over the Elites.

[Cruisernewbie44]

Were you able to talk to anyone who was staying in a single IV room?   I am anxious to hear what people think of it.  The idea of a singles cabin (even if only glorified OV) was the appeal for me.  Booked for next June Norwegian Fjiords cruise

[Ocdublin]

Just curious did the Oceanview have pizza?  And was the Mast Grill open for hamburgers at pool area.  Some things should not change!!!  Thanks

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, Ocdublin said:

Just curious did the Oceanview have pizza?  And was the Mast Grill open for hamburgers at pool area.  Some things should not change!!!  Thanks

On the Edge class ships the buffet has a separate area for pizza towards the rear of the buffet and not in the main central food area. It can be easily missed.

[Daleed77]

18 hours ago, Ocdublin said:

Just curious did the Oceanview have pizza?  And was the Mast Grill open for hamburgers at pool area.  Some things should not change!!!  Thanks

The Mast Grill had hamburgers and hotdogs. I was never a fan of the hamburgers until this cruise. I had two and they were delicious! I think the burger patty was a better quality. Or they were always pretty fresh since there was no one on the ship!? 
 

As reported above, the pizza was in the rear of the oceanview. 

Edited July 11, 2021 by Daleed77

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, Daleed77 said:

The Mast Grill had hamburgers and hotdogs. I was never a fan of the hamburgers until this cruise. I had two and they were delicious! I think the burger patty was a better quality. Or they were always pretty fresh since there was no one on the ship!? 
 

As reported above, the pizza was in the rear of the oceanview. 

 

Thanks!  Any other dining highlights and any dish recommendations?

[Daleed77]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Thanks!  Any other dining highlights and any dish recommendations?

The food was generally better on this cruise for me. The main dining highlight was dinner at Eden. Specifically, the beef short rib appetizer was the best thing I had on the cruise. We didn’t initially order it, but the server insisted that we try it and brought it for us to share. The lobster entree at Eden was real lobster and very good. The hubby got the Bronzino with crispy bread and thought it was outstanding. I only got a bite of it! 
 

At Oceanview, the grilled meats were all very good. I had some lamb chops that surprised me. The Indian food is always good. Of course, the Greek food was nice too. The chicken shwama was very flavorful. However, the octopus was not good, which surprised me. 
 

I only had one dessert at Bacio, lemon pie, and it was great. All of their desserts looked better than I remembered. If we had more sea days, I would have gone back for more. 
 

D
 

 

[hcat]

Thanks for a helpful  review.

 

We were not huge fans of the IV cabin in AQ  class on EDGE but it did include access to the pvt thermal  spa area which was very nice..salt room, steam and sauna rms,  heated loungers, etc 

 

BLU  was disappointing on EDGE due to its location, lack of view, acoustics and slow kitchen..( on a fully booked cruise). 

 

On a subsequent  EDGE cruise we much preferred our Sunset Veranda cabin with a true balc and large cabin, along with the 4 mdr plan..all  were excellent ! Favorites were Tuscan and Cyprus.

 

Enjoyed the artwork on EDGE  and might book APEX to see what is new!

Sorry OP did not like some of it.

 

For now, we are hoping our Reflection cruise is still a go in January 2021.

[Daleed77]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

Thanks for a helpful  review.

 

We were not huge fans of the IV cabin in AQ  class on EDGE but it did include access to the pvt thermal  spa area which was very nice..salt room, steam and sauna rms,  heated loungers, etc 

 

BLU  was disappointing on EDGE due to its location, lack of view, acoustics and slow kitchen..( on a fully booked cruise). 

 

On a subsequent  EDGE cruise we much preferred our Sunset Veranda cabin with a true balc and large cabin, along with the 4 mdr plan..all  were excellent ! Favorites were Tuscan and Cyprus.

 

Enjoyed the artwork on EDGE  and might book APEX to see what is new!

Sorry OP did not like some of it.

 

For now, we are hoping our Reflection cruise is still a go in January 2021.

 

I really enjoy the artwork that Celebrity chooses for their ships. I wouldn’t want all of it in my house, but I appreciate how it all works with the ship. For Apex, the only piece(s) I thought didn’t work was the mural on the outside of the upper deck. It just didn’t seem like it fit with the ship or the brand/theme. 
 

By the way, my favorite pieces were the Tom Otterness sculptures that used to be on the Summit. I know he’s a bit controversial, but it added some unique whimsy to the ship. I was sad when they were removed. 
 

D

[Lastdance]

I actually read on a FB page that a customer would rather be in an IV than a suite due to the small pole she saw in a photo of the balcony of an S2.  Really?  To each his/her own.  She added that her IV veranda was larger.  Wow, but glad she is in love with the IV cabins.  Just maybe she had never been on the ship and the photos were skewed.

 

For me it is all about the S1 corner aft cabins, with second choice going to the SV's.  I am a balcony girl...the wind blowing in my hair and watching the wake...paradise!

Edited July 11, 2021 by Lastdance

[NutsAboutGolf]

21 hours ago, Daleed77 said:

The Mast Grill had hamburgers and hotdogs. I was never a fan of the hamburgers until this cruise. I had two and they were delicious! I think the burger patty was a better quality. Or they were always pretty fresh since there was no one on the ship!? 
 

As reported above, the pizza was in the rear of the oceanview. 

 

Outstanding, thanks!  Hope you don't mind me quoting you, when you were disembarking, at the terminal, did you recall workers not allowing more than one bag on the escalator?  It used to be like that but I'm curious if this is still the case as I have an early flight booked.

[Nado44]

Was Persian Gardens open and accessible to Aqua pax? Were the steam and sauna spaces available for use? Thanks for your detailed review.

[NMTraveller]

There are only so many aft verandas and suites.  I would suspect that after most have sailed E-class they will become a highly sought after and difficult to book item.

Edited July 12, 2021 by NMTraveller

[PTC DAWG]

Nice fair review by the OP….nice to see Celebrity did something for her..above and beyond. 

[Daleed77]

On 7/12/2021 at 9:37 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Outstanding, thanks!  Hope you don't mind me quoting you, when you were disembarking, at the terminal, did you recall workers not allowing more than one bag on the escalator?  It used to be like that but I'm curious if this is still the case as I have an early flight booked.

There was no escalator in the terminal we used. We walked off on the ground. Crossed the pavement and were in the terminal building. It was all on ground level. 

[Daleed77]

22 hours ago, Nado44 said:

Was Persian Gardens open and accessible to Aqua pax? Were the steam and sauna spaces available for use? Thanks for your detailed review.

It was open. You needed to make an appointment in order to keep the numbers down. It wasn’t an issue on this cruise.