Just of Apex-Is This the Golden Age of Cruising?

[Miaminice]

@zamgwar

we were on the same cruise and I completely agree!

Fantastic ship, amazing crew, amazing cruise…

[Miaminice]

On 9/17/2021 at 1:42 AM, AndyB said:

 

Could you share some details on your Viator excursions?  Which sights on which Islands?  Anything a newbie to Greece should know about them?  (planning for Edge Italy, Greece and Turkey next year) - thanks!!

maybe our report from the same cruise gives you some ideas…

 

[AndyB]

On 9/17/2021 at 9:16 AM, zamgwar said:

Love to. Pre Cruise In Athens 8 of us booked a private tour thru viator, with a customized agenda. 
 

...
 

Both tours were highlights of our trip and well worth it. Both buses were Late Model Mercedes Mini Buses. Moving as a small group, with an itinerary we choose, was worth its weight in Gold.

 

John

Office of Satisfied Customers

The Zamgwar Institute 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for the detailed descriptions!

[CalTexCruiser]

Mass market cruise ship without the masses, but with all the bells and whistles of the mass market cruise ship, sounds like a dream.

 

The cruise lines are trying to attract the millennials and GenXers, and apparently their marketing surveys tell them the older style small ships are not attractive to the next generation of cruisers.

 

New ships are trending more "edgy" (no pun intended), such as the Edge class ships, Virgin Voyages ships, and even the NCL Prima.

[phoenix_dream]

10 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Or you just need to accept the new direction and sail EDGE, APEX and BEYOND.  Or another line.

We'll see - maybe I will like Apex more than I think I might.  But I really love the S and M class ships and hate to see them pushed to the back of the line so to speak.  Not ready to jump from Celebrity yet, although that doesn't mean I can't be frustrated with how things are going in some respects.  It's still a great time onboard and I love the staff.

 

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

We'll see - maybe I will like Apex more than I think I might.  But I really love the S and M class ships and hate to see them pushed to the back of the line so to speak.  Not ready to jump from Celebrity yet, although that doesn't mean I can't be frustrated with how things are going in some respects.  It's still a great time onboard and I love the staff.

 

S-Class is my favorite by far and I enjoy M-Class too but find it a bit limited in offerings such as specialty dining.  I have sailed on EDGE and enjoyed it but did not do the infinite veranda thing.  Stayed in a suite.

[CruiserFromSC]

On 9/17/2021 at 11:46 AM, zamgwar said:

Traveling at this time certainly not for everyone.  For us, however, the time on board the ship was the best of our 20 plus cruises. It was as good as it gets. Having private shore excursions was much more enjoyable (to us) than traveling in large groups on buses. 
 

Everyone we met at poolside or at the bars seem to feel the same way about the experience on this ship.

 

Was it a pain to have all the proper forms and tests to get aboard?  Yes . Was it riskier to travel? Yes. Was 2020 the worst year ever, yes.

 
Did celebrity do everything possible to keep passengers and crew safe? I believe so.

 

Do we wish everything would go back to like it was pre-pandemic? Who wouldn’t???

 

Would everyone in my group (all mid 60s-70) do it again for another experience like this? In a heartbeat. I was a bright spot in what has been some bleak years. We are already booked again.

 

One of the performers on the ship was actually a former student of mine and ate with us three times. The crew is allowed off everywhere but Mykonos. They all 100% vaxed and tested weekly.

 

The week we were on the ship, there was even crew private excursion to the beach on Rhodes and once a week spa night for different portions of crew, depending on ship capacity.

 

I have to again stress there are many who wouldn’t and shouldn’t cruise at this time. For those who do however, (in my opinion) the on board cruise experience will never be matched again.

 
John

office of Next Cruise Already Booked

The Zamgwar Institute 

I know that this post was several months ago, but I was wondering if you could expand on the requirements to be tested prior to re-entry to US.  Did you get tested on Celebrity before debarkation?  We’re  not scheduled until next September but was just wondering the procedures to fly back to US with the understanding that many things can’t change by then.  Thanks!

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 9/14/2021 at 2:50 PM, zamgwar said:

There is nothing that can compare to spending time with friends. Everything else is icing on the cake. We spent three days in Athens and seven nights on the Apex with longtime friends.

 

On this adventure, however, the icing on the cake was delicious. 

 

For us at least, The ship and service were unmatched compared to all previous cruises. Traveling with only 900 guests on a ship that normally carries 3000, meant empty poolside chairs on sea days, elegantly prepared dishes, seats at the martini bar and incomparable attention from the staff.

Having nearly 20 cruises under our belts, Apex is possibly the best designed ship we’ve ever been on, as well as one of the most beautiful. It’s public spaces are full of artistic eye candy. The cabins are not claustrophobic and have plenty of storage. We chose an aft sunset balcony cabin. These are the only ACTUAL balconies on the ship. The majority of balconies are similar to river cruise balconies, with full drop down windows.

 

We found the the food and service in the main dining rooms to be exceptionally good. The specialty restaurants were outstanding. While the steakhouse was great, Eden is possibly the best meal we have ever eaten in on a ship, and one of the best we’ve eaten anywhere.

 

The Celebrity Apex entertainment sets a high bar for the industry. Incredibly Creative production shows take place in an amazing theater. They perform mostly to a live orchestra rather than a backing track. The house band is amazing, and we particularly enjoyed them on Jazz Night and Motown night. Additionally there is live music everywhere, and I mean everywhere. 

In general things “Back in the Day” were back again on Apex

 

We booked private shore excursions with Viator which kept us ahead of any crowds and took us to places we might have missed. We have used them before and would not hesitate to use them again. The exception was Mykonos, where we were required to book a ship’s excursion, due to Covid restrictions. We chose the beach excursion, which while pricey exceeded our expectations. 

We did upgrade to a premium beverage package and found it well worth it. It came with a $300 shipboard credit which paid for our shore excursion. Topshelf liquor and a free shore excursion was a no brainer.

 

Finally, in all my life, I have never gotten in and out of JFK airport so effortlessly. 

 

I believe for all its complications, the pandemic has brought about the golden age of cruising. For the brave and the careful, who are not put off by needing to be vaccinated or wear a mask, it doesn’t get better than this.

 

John

office of perfect Martinis

the zamgwar institute 

 

 

[TennesseeNationVol]

DH and I look forward to the Apex Jan ‘22. We are pretty excited! We also look forward to comparing Apex to Eden, which we’ve cruised on twice.