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CHICAGOPAUL - LIVE on the Celebrity Apex! January 15th

chicagopaul

By chicagopaul,
in Celebrity Cruises

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

Posted
Posted

So I definitely cannot compete with Bennybrun! That live review for the last Apex cruise was completely fantastic. Edward was reading it everyday prior to us leaving for Fort Lauderdale. The info was amazing so thank you! I'm not going to attempt to do my usual blog of posting every single nuance. But I am still going to post daily and hopefully we don't have any login issues this time around! 

 

Also I will be posting a lot more on social media (pictures and video) and that will probably be the easiest way to follow me. Find me on Instagram under PaulKBlackburn If you find a profile with pictures of martinis and cruises you know you found the right one. 

 

Originally we were not planning to go on the Apex. We were booked on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas. We were going on that ship because our friends were going. They ended up getting covid and had to cancel so we decided to cancel that cruise and jump on the Apex for the same dates instead. 

 

This time around we are staying in a concierge class stateroom (C2). We are on deck 11 and are relatively mid ship. Our cost was $4,300 total which is the indulge package (Premium drink package, etc). We moved a on board future booking we had to book this cruise 1 week out. We have $750 OBC from Celebrity and an additional $275 OBC from our TA. 

 

We purchased a 5 night dining package. Tonight we have Eden booked and are planning Fine Cut Steakhouse for tomorrow night. 

 

We did go to the retreat and try to see if we could get an upgrade. We were told the suites were sold out (I know that's not true). But they said they'd call us if something opens up. We will see. We're already unpacked in our room so unless it is a crazy deal we don't plan to move. That would cut into our drinking time! 

 

Pre-Cruise

 

We flew down 2 days early on Southwest. We were slightly delayed due to weather in north Florida but we made up the time in the air and the flight was really pleasant actually. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric in Las Olas. 100 times better than the Hyatt Centric in South Beach. We had a nice balcony and while we didn't have a view we had enough space and the hotel was in great shape with a very nice lobby bar and solid staff. It is not right by the beach but we love Las Olas and the restaurant and bar scene. The Happy Hours can't be beat!! 

 

I was highly impressed with all the bartenders and servers we had while in Fort Lauderdale. Truly stellar service each place we went to and very happy staff who wanted to be exactly where they were. Love that!

 

Boarding

 

Boarding was easy! It was definitely busier than when we boarded the Reflection at the end of November. We had to wait around 10 minutes or so after check in to board (roughly 11:10am I think it was) and then we were good to go! 

 

Onboard 

 

So far so good! We've already met some bartenders we've cruised with before. Ran into someone who follows me on instagram and have chatted with nice people. So far so good! 

 

This is only our second time on an Edge class ship. I am a HUGE fan of the S Class ships (my personal favorite) but the aesthetics of this ship are truly beautiful. The storage in the room looks small but we actually made everything fit and found it plentiful and we do over pack! I just wish we had a little more hanging space! 

 

I'll do my best to check in and post stories of people we meet and post some food photos. I'll definitely be posting a lot to my Instagram story so that will be the easiest way to follow along: PaulKBlackburn 

 

Cheers Everyone! 

 

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bmorris53

bmorris53

Posted
Posted

Hi ChicagoPaul,  we are doing a b2b in 3 weeks on Apex.  What did you do about your covid test?  Did you have it before going to Ft Lauderdale or get it there?  We're coming a few days early and will have to get a test before boarding.  

anyone else that tested in Ft Lauderdale ideas would be appreciated.

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ohiojohn

ohiojohn

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Have a great cruise!! I take it the indoor mask mandate is still in place unless you are eating or drinking?

Yes mask mandate is in effect for this cruise.  We have not seen anyone without masks when inside.  But outside masks are not required.  Watching NFL games outside  on the big screen on the Roof Top Garden is fantastic.  Second game currently chilly.

Edited by ohiojohn
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