SV on Apex or S2 on Edge?

[mafig]

Which would you pick?  Those 4 dining rooms look appealing.  The Sunset balconies are on Deck 9, 10, and 11.

 

There's a $1400 (for two) difference between the two.

[jelayne]

Tough choice.  The S2 balconies are smaller than the  SV balconies. S2 gives you the Retreat.

 

Have you been on a E class ship before, how long is the cruise?  If it is your first E class in addition to the 4 MDRs which are excellent there is Eden ( breakfast & lunch $0).  Le Grand Bistro for lunch $20 but worth every cent.  Great art, something new around every corner.  

The S2 gives you the Retreat, the SunDeck & Lounge are great.  We spent a lot of time there on our last cruises.  We are not big fans of Luminae and its limited menu so we go to one of the MDRs a few evenings. 
If you haven’t  been on a E class then you may find yourself spending all your time in the Retreat and possibly not experiencing the rest of the ship. 

Can’t go wrong with either one.

[mafig]

Haven't been on E class.  We did have Edge S2 booked in March of 2020 and that was cancelled.  

We were going to get our feet wet again by going on Brilliance out of Tampa, but we just cancelled that.  

 To answer your other question, both Edge and Apex would be 7 day cruises.

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by mafig

[mafig]

When we were in the Yacht Club on MSC we did, indeed spend most of our time there (with the exception of the casino and occasional show).  However, the main area of their ships have a very different vibe than Celebrity.

I'm afraid I will miss the front lounge area on the ship, though if we go with the SV.

[Croooser]

One consideration. Suites and AQ seem to be selling mostly full especially with move up program. So, Luminae and Blue may be more crowded. Will undoubtedly vary by sailing but worth checking out if that matters.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Croooser

[kwokpot]

Are either sailings with Always Included? Are you a sun person that enjoys sitting out on the decks in a quiet area? Do you prefer spending time away from the crowds, such as it is, in more private areas? I think the decision process all boils down to whether the Retreat areas and the additional pampering are important to you. If those extras are of no value then the choice is easy. 

[terrydtx]

The Retreat on E Class ships are amazing, we have 39 days booked in Sky Suites on the Apex and Edge in next 2 years.

[Ken the cruiser]

We were in a S2 sky suite on our Edge B3B in Aug and a SV on the Apex B2B in Nov.

 

For us, there is plenty of room in the SV, so cabin size is not an issue. However, the larger aft-facing SV balcony is definitely better than the balcony that comes with the S2 sky suite. Eating in Luminae is nice, but so is being able to choose between the different MDRs, each of which offers tasty food as well.

 

So for us, as we really don’t use the Retreat Lounge or Retreat Sundeck, the price point becomes the next issue. Hence, from now on we’ll be booking a SV the next time we book a cruise on any E class ship.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[mafig]

Are all the SV balconies the same size.  I seem to recall they are not, and I wrote down the decks in order of size "somewhere" but I can't seem to find it.  

 Can Ken the cruiser or someone else help me out?  If I'm going for a SV because of the larger balcony I do want the largest one I can get.😮

[mafig]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

 Do you prefer spending time away from the crowds, such as it is, in more private areas? I think the decision process all boils down to whether the Retreat areas and the additional pampering are important to you. 

Yes....and no...lol.  There are certain cruise lines where we feel we always need to book a suite.

Celebrity is not one of them.  The only thing holding me back a bit is not having that forward lounge area.  We always spend some time there after breakfast on sea days.  However, Eden may (or may not) be a good substitute.🤔

[Ken the cruiser]

30 minutes ago, mafig said:

Are all the SV balconies the same size.  I seem to recall they are not, and I wrote down the decks in order of size "somewhere" but I can't seem to find it.  

 Can Ken the cruiser or someone else help me out?  If I'm going for a SV because of the larger balcony I do want the largest one I can get.😮

We’re finding if we book an aft-facing SV cabin on an E class ship, the closer to the center the better. Why? Because the back of the ship is slightly rounded allowing the cabins located in the center a little more size as well as privacy. The same goes for aft-facing AQ cabins on M class ships.
 

My suggestion is for you to pull up the deck plan of the ship you’re considering and look at the aft design. Also, check out some aft photos of the ship to give you a better feel for where the cabins you’re considering fit in with the others around it. Also, check to see what spaces are above and below you.
 

However, if I recall from my searches for corner aft-facing sky suites on S class ships, you don’t want the SS cabins on deck 6 because the balconies are much smaller than those on deck 7 and above. 
 

Hope this helps.

 

BTW if you want to reference someone specific in a post, just enter an @ followed by the person’s handle. If you do it correctly, it will look like this - @Ken the cruiser 😎

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, mafig said:

Yes....and no...lol.  There are certain cruise lines where we feel we always need to book a suite.

Celebrity is not one of them.  The only thing holding me back a bit is not having that forward lounge area.  We always spend some time there after breakfast on sea days.  However, Eden may (or may not) be a good substitute.🤔

We are just the opposite.  The  Retreat is something no other mainstream cruise line comes close to matching,  so we only book suites with them. Other cruise line suites are not worth wasting the extra cost on, unless we just want more space in our cabin. For example, a Signature Suites on HAL is a bigger cabin with no amenities and a Grand Suite on RCL is a bigger cabin with very few amenities, nothing like what we get with a Sky Suite Retreat cabin.

Edited January 10, 2022 by terrydtx

[as3369]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We are just the opposite.  The  Retreat is something no other mainstream cruise line comes close to matching,  so we only book suites with them. Other cruise line suites are not worth wasting the extra cost on, unless we just want more space in our cabin. For example, a Signature Suites on HAL is a bigger cabin with no amenities and a Grand Suite on RCL is a bigger cabin with very few amenities, nothing like what we get with a Sky Suite Retreat cabin.

Have you ever experienced a Star Class Suite on RCL?  We booked a Grand loft suite for a TA next October, which includes a Genie (Butler) and alot of perks.