Live(ish) report - Celebrity Apex - Greece - 9/4/21

[Miaminice]

Celebrity Apex 2021 - Greece - Day 2
A good breakfast is the only thing justifying the forced ending of a good night´s sleep... and maybe going on a cruise also counts 😉.
The hotel offered a tasty buffet with ample choice. Knowing what we´ll be in for the next two weeks, we tried to resist as well as we could.
Before we left the hotel to buy some sunscreen at a drugstore close to Syntagma Square, we did a Covid selftest - just to be on the safe side.

 

 

Online we had pre-arranged to be picked up by a taxi at 10:40am. At 10:30am the phone rang and the front desk informed us that our cab was there already.
Within not even 25 minutes the friendly driver took us to the port of Piraeus and dropped us off right at the terminal. A convenience costing only EUR 19.
At the terminal the code for the Covid test was required first. We had received it after entering the necessary data a week or so before, after Celebrity had informed us about the procedure by email.
A quick nasal swab and then we were asked to wait in the big air-conditioned tent in front of the terminal building for about 15 minutes until our number came up on a screen.
A sticker confirmed our negative result and we moved on into the terminal. Our papers were checked against our passports, our carry on x-rayed - and that was it. On to the ship... what a beautiful sight.

 

On board we were welcomed by the friendly staff of Celebrity who seemed even more friendly than usual - if that is at all possible. The information that we could already proceed to our stateroom was the icing on the cake - at 11:36am.

 

 

We had originally booked a regular Infinite Veranda stateroom. Although we are huge fans of Aqua class and Blu we think that it´s not a must on E class. The regular four dining rooms are fabulous. However, for around $130 on the MoveUp program it was a no-brainer.

When we first boarded Edge two years ago we said: "we are in love". Our impression on Apex confirmed the feeling. She is a gorgeous ship!

We went to the Oceanview Cafe first. The usually busy place was empty - and when I say empty, I mean empty. The food, however, was delicious. The Asian selection, the Indian selection, the made to order Caesar Salad, the sea food Paella - oh my, we are back.!

 

 

Al Bacio was next for a coffee. We did have tears in our eyes…

 

Our clothes quickly found their way into their hiding places for the next week after lunch, before we expolred and enjoyed the Rooftop Garden with a drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boy oh boy... it´s time for dinner soon. A cruise can be stressfull...
Dinner in Blu was a feast and the service unbelievable. Birgit´s glass of Malbec never stood a chance to show its bottom empty. She keeps saying: "I only had one glass!".

 

Sail aways was at 8:30pm and we watched Athens fade away from the Magic Carpet.
It´s so good to be back!!!

 

 

 

 

[AZCruisergirl]

These are awesome photos. Thank you so much for your postings. We have to wait until next April for Apex TA, but I am thinking we may just have to do something sooner.

[Silkroad]

@MiaminiceIt's wonderful to see you writing a new live review. Wishing you a lovely cruise. Bon voyage!

[FunCruiser56]

thanks for the beautiful pictures of the ship and also food at Blu.  We don't sail till March so I will enjoy your cruise through your report.

Happy Sailing

[hcat]

Have a wonderful cruise..thanks for sharing!

[micheleg]

Great pics!  What capacity is the ship sailing at?  It looks empty.  We can't wait for April!  Have a wonderful cruise!

[Shadow9612]

@Miaminice Amazing pictures-thank you.

 

Where was this one from:

[Cachecara]

Continue to have a beautiful, healthy cruise.  Looks wonderful. 

[Ken the cruiser]

We just got off the Edge last week and already can’t wait for our next cruise on the Apex in November. The Edge class ships are truly in their own class and I know you’re going to have a wonder cruise!! 😎

 

[Miaminice]

2 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

@Miaminice Amazing pictures-thank you.

 

Where was this one from:

Spa area 

[Berlin Bear]

Really enjoying your Reisebericht! We haven’t managed a Celebrity cruise for a little while now - had to cancel 2 cruises in 2019 for health reasons and Celebrity cancelled our 2020 Australia/NZ cruise for the obvious reasons. But we have managed 4 cruises with Mein Schiff over the past year, including the Greek trip you wrote so well about last September/October. I was cruising and reading at the same time 😄. Carry on having a good time!

[little britain]

Sorry not to meet you yet! 

[Shadow9612]

7 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Spa area 

Ahhh - thank you. 

 

It reminds me of the library on S class 🙂

[Miaminice]

@Berlin Bear

Thanks! Yes, we did that one cruise on MS when nothing else was available. It was nice, however, it was our first and last. Just not our thing… Rather went on some land to trips since then.

[txtechmk]

Love all your photos!  Thanks for posting.  We will be on the Apex in May, so I'm following along....

 

[Miaminice]

Celebrity Apex 2021 - Greece - Day 3 - Mykonos
Usually Mykonos is one of those places best experienced by just wandering around, absorbing the sights, colors and picture post card images of the typical Greek island. Well, usually... Currently you can only leave the ship with a booked excursion. 

Although we are not really fans of such tours, we bit the bullet and booked a tour of ancient Delos. Since we hadn´t been to Delos before, we thought we´d make the best of the situation.
Unfortunaly this meant getting up early as the meeting time was at 7:30am already. Still enough time to have a Muesli and my beloved Egg Benedict before.

 

The tour started by taking a water bus from the new port to the old port from where we continued to Delos by ferry boat.
Mykonos was windy as usual, so the sea was a bit choppy. We, however, enjoyed the 45 minute ride. 

 

 

On Delos our guide took us through the different areas of Apollo´s mythological birthplace. Remains of shops, houses, theaters and market places of a city and culture that thrived thousands of years ago. A city rich and flourishing due to its slave trade and declared “the most sacred of all islands” in all of Ancient Greece in the third century BC until abandoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By 1pm we were back on the ship and had a nice lunch at the Ocenview Cafe. Food on Apex really is delicious.

 

 

Birgit went to soak up some sun and I sorted our photos before we attended the Captains Club Meeting at Eden. 
Some of you asked and I can now tell you: Our Captain is Panagiotis Skylogiannis and someone said there are around 900 passengers on board.

 

 

When it was time for dinner we felt that we couldn´t possibly eat again. But as Birgit put it, we didn´t want to hurt the chef´s feelings - so off we went to Blu.
Our lovely server Emilia brought me one of the signature starters of Normandie restaurant which I remembered from our cruise on Edge - the Baked Brie Cheese. A glazed duck breast followed - yummy!

 

 

We actually wanted to look into the theater to take a peek at the show "Tree of Life" but decided that we´d follow the call of our comfortable bed instead.
So good night!

[Miaminice]

Food choices on Apex
Before our daily recap gets too food dominated, I thought I’d post this separately. Apex offers an endless choice of great venues. The Eden Café and its outside space is one of them. Made to order wraps and sandwiches, Muesli, Quinoa bowls - another tough challenge. And it’s a little hidden gem providing the opportunity for a quiet breakfast. So here we go… no words required 😁

 

[nast]

Which company did you use for your pre-arranged transport from hotel to port? 

 

[Miaminice]

8 minutes ago, nast said:

Which company did you use for your pre-arranged transport from hotel to port? 

 

Athens MyTransfer… not the other way around! That’s another company 😁

[mchell810]

What lovely pictures at Delos.  I've always thought I'd give it a pass, figuring I'd have my full of ancient ruins in Athens and other port stops; now I have to consider it for my 2023 trip. 

[CAVE MAN]

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful photos!!!!! So enjoying them!! We are on the Apex the 10th of October, and seeing your pictures, makes it that more exciting!!! 

Hope you make many wonderful memories!!

[madmaxsmom]

Thanks for posting all this wonderful information...we are on the Apex in a few weeks and have been debating booking the Delos excursion.  Sounds like it's an interesting way to spend the morning.

[Miaminice]

Thank you for your comments! Sorry if I am a bit slow in keeping up with my posts. Using CC and uploading photos with the ship‘s internet is a pain…

 

More soon!

[Miaminice]

Celebrity Apex 2021 - Greece - Day 4 - Rhodes
Rhodes is another perfect example of a port where you can spend a brilliant day without booking a tour. As you can see on the first image, 
everything is right there in front of the ship. Go out and explore, go with the flow. I can highly recommend the website of Tom´s Port Guide which provides a walking tour map - it’s been a great help when we were in Rhodes for the first time many years ago.

 

 

So our plan of the day was not to have a plan... We had the delicious breakfast at Eden Café that we already told you about and then headed out sometimes later in the morning.

As always we went to the right following the bay. The boats selling sponges and shells are a feast of color and a perfect photo opportunity along the way.

 

 

 

We passed the many excursion boats and walked to the old Mandraki harbour. The entrance of the port is framed by two columns, home to two statues of deer named Elefos and Elafina - the emblem of Rhodes. It is said that they mark the footprints of the ancient Colossus of Rhodes.

 

We walked back and entered the bright white cupola of the Nea Agora (New Market). Once a fish market, it is now a bazar and home to restaurants and shops.

 

 

 

 

Leaving the market through the side exit, we followed the city wall back towards one of the gates. In a niche of the wall we found a little stall selling fresh juice and decided to sit down in what felt like a small courtyard. Some basic tables and chairs, shaded by a roof of parasols and decorated with some plants along the background of the city wall made it feel cozy and welcoming.

 

 

The lady owner was very friendly and when we got talking, she recomended us to do the 30 minute walk throught the medieval moat starting just around the corner.
Since we hadn´t done that before we decided to try it. After just a few minutes we were happy we did. Walking in the moat litterally provided a new perspective. When we looked down into the moat on our previous trips we thought: it´s big. Now, looking up at the canyons of thick stone walls, it was impressive and gave us an idea how impenetrable it was. I wouldn´t want to be the knight in shining armor trying to get up there. We were already sweating in shorts and T-shirts without anyone shooting arrows at us or trying to hit us with boulders 😁.

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the moat we entered the city wall.

 

 

I won´t mention the different points of interest and, because of the lack of better words, just quote what I read about Rhodes Town: “an intricate network of busy little commercial streets delightfully alternating with quiet alleys, walls, towers, fountains and domes and minarets of Ottoman mosques, in what is a very much alive town consistently dwelt in over the last two thousand years.”
While you really can’t get lost in the old town, we´d encourage you to lose yourselves in the alleys and to explore. And don´t forget to have a "Mythos" or a good Greek lunch in one of the tavernas.

 

 

 

 

We didn´t forget and had lunch on the roof terrace of Archipelagos restaurant overlooking Hippocrates Square. 
 

 

 

 

Continuing our walk, we eventually reached the imposing Palace of the Grand Master. From there the Street of the Knights leads down the hill. The street is lined by the inns of the different nationalities of the Knights of the Order of St. John who once ruled Rhodes Town and is one of the best preserved medieval streets in Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking the streets of Rhodes and the area around the palace feels like time travel. And time does travel fast. So we went back to the ship and spent the rest of the afternoon on board. 

It was Chic night so we dressed up and enjoyed another fantastic meal in Blu. Although the shows on board are obviously really good, Birgit and I rarely go to see them. We really really enjoyed the peace and quiet in Cafe al Bacio instead - only interrupted by the refreshing and genuine laughter of the waitress - her bright eyes smiling at us above her face mask. This is cruising for us… and we have missed it sooo much.

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Miaminice

[little britain]

On 9/6/2021 at 12:18 PM, nast said:

Which company did you use for your pre-arranged transport from hotel to port? 

 

€13.14 in an Uber ( which was a yellow cab) as an alternative