APEX of our year, 12/3 — 12/10/22

[barbeyg]

3 hours ago, txtechmk said:

I'm enjoying reading your review.  We were on the Apex last summer and loved every minute!  We ate breakfast in the Luminae every morning except one.  I love being waited on and eating leisurely. I found the breakfasts to be outstanding.  I'm not a fan of the Oceanview Cafe and waiting in line for eggs and then trying to find a seat, but that's just me.  Celebrity and the Retreat has really spoiled me.......

I prefer a sit down breakfast as well.  We had a couple of quick lunches at Oceanview, and a couple of pizza snacks, but otherwise, there are too many great restaurants to enjoy. 🙂

 

I agree about the Luminae breakfasts. Will def enjoy on our cruises that are ahead. 

[barbeyg]

Thanks to all who have participated in this review.  🙂 I appreciate it.

 

We received our disembarkation information in the cabin the last day (hiss, boo!).  We opted to walk off with our luggage since we had a 12 hour drive ahead of us.  This is the last one-day drive home for us, if we are driving to port.  Going forward, we will split that into two days.  In retirement, we may just meander home by way of Destin. 😁  Looking forward to those days. 
 

We met in Fine Cut Steakhouse, to be escorted off the ship. Quickly thru Customs, and in the car within 10 minutes.  Couldn’t have been easier. 

 

 

 

[barbeyg]

Final musings, and comparing Celebrity with RCI:

 

Small touches:  Some of the little touches Celebrity Apex includes are really very, very nice.  The cold, wet towels available after boarding (and available on the dock at ports) are really appreciated.  The cards left in the cubbyhole at our door, reminding us of reservations we had for paid events and specialty restaurants was thoughtful.  The chocolates on our pillows each night made us smile.  Not having to checkout towels at the pools was a nice touch as well.

 

Service:  We have received excellent service from both RCI and Celebrity now.  Celebrity takes it one small step further, and almost all employees onboard Apex cheerfully greeted us as we passed in the hallway.  

 

Entertainment:  Entertainment is subjective, and this is only our opinion. We have enjoyed entertainment on both lines, but RCI has the edge here. Some of that is because of the many venues on the large Oasis class vessels.  There is also more live entertainment on RCI.  Celebrity Apex supplemented live music with DJs.  That said, I really enjoyed the live entertainment in the Grand Plaza on Apex.  It was yet another example of Celebrity bringing people together in community. 

 

Food:  The food onboard Apex was outstanding.  We didn’t have enough time to try the dining rooms, but did eat at the Rooftop Grill, the Grand Bistro for lunch, Le Petit Chef, Eden and of course, Luminae.  Ken doesn’t like buffets, but we ate at the Oceanview Cafe twice (pizza snacks two other times), and Ken really enjoyed it.  The pizza there is the best we have had at sea.  While we enjoy RCI specialty restaurants and Coastal Kitchen, there is simply no comparison between the two.  Celebrity wins this one, hands down.

 

Some friends onboard asked me to compare RCI and Celebrity foods, from the perspective of someone that has sailed suite class on both lines.  Food is very subjective, but following is our take.  On RCI, you have the main dining restaurants, then Coastal Kitchen (suite restaurant) is a step up, and the specialty restaurants are yet another step up from Coastal Kitchen. For a couple of meals, Coastal Kitchen is at the top with the specialty restaurants.  

 

On Celebrity Apex, you have the main dining restaurants. Take a step up from there, and you are at the level of the specialty restaurants.  One more step up is Luminae.  Eden ranks very close to Luminae, and some other meals at the specialty restaurants are very close as well.  But, for the most part, to us, Luminae is the top.  

 

If you prefer simpler meals, or are not an adventurous eater, Luminae may not appeal to you.  The nice thing, on both lines, is that there is something for everyone.  

 

Vibe onboard:  this is an area we really can’t compare the two lines on.  We love RCI for the high energy, fun atmosphere, for the sheer variety of things to do onboard.  With Celebrity, we loved the opportunity to slow down and relax, to rejuvenate from a difficult work year.  We adored the Martini Bar!  And yes, there were plenty fun things to do onboard Apex, it was just lower key, and more relaxed.   

 

We enjoy both lines, for the completely different vibes, and plan to continue to cruise both.  As a matter of fact. I just booked Edge for the 2024 12-night Vancouver to HI.  I love that there are three overnights on HI islands. Gives us time to explore more.

[barbeyg]

Day 1, Celebrity Today

 

 

 

[MLP12]

On 12/12/2022 at 5:40 PM, barbeyg said:

We ate in the Oceanview Cafe several times.  Ken does not like buffets, and we usually pass on the Windjammer on RCI, because there is nothing that stands out enough for him to eat the buffet.  Celebrity is definitely a step up with their buffet, and we grabbed several quick meals at Oceanview, including the pizza in the restaurant that is directly behind Oceanview, aft on the ship. This was the best pizza we have had at sea.  And the pizza restaurant is open when the buffet restaurant is not. 
 

One day, I grabbed a cake dessert that was infused with some kind of liquor, maybe rum? Anywho, this cake tasted like pure rum, so strong that I could not eat it. It was dripping with rum. 😂 I told Ken that whoever made it must have forgotten they had already poured rum over the cake, and poured more.  Ken liked it though, and finished it for me. 🤭 That was the only food item I tried onboard and couldn’t eat it.

 

Another day, there were some wonderful cakes out for lunch dessert.  We both enjoyed the carrot cake. 

 

 

Are they still serving the food to you in the buffet vs. people helping themselves?

 

[MLP12]

If you could only choose one of the specialty restaurants, which one would you choose?  Also, was it difficult to find a chair at the main pool ?

[barbeyg]

Day 2

 

 

 

 

[barbeyg]

1 minute ago, MLP12 said:

Are they still serving the food to you in the buffet vs. people helping themselves?

 

The food is mostly self serve.  There are sandwich, stir fry and pasta stations, where those are prepped/served, and some items are in individual containers, but the rest is self-serve.  We always carry hand sanitizer with us to clean our hands when we arrive at the table before eating, and of course wash before going into the buffet.  We have done that for years, if attending buffets. 

[barbeyg]

4 minutes ago, MLP12 said:

If you could only choose one of the specialty restaurants, which one would you choose?  Also, was it difficult to find a chair at the main pool ?

It was not difficult to find a chair at the main pool. I think our cruise was 80% full.  As hard as it would be to choose, since several were really good, I have to give Eden the edge.  We have it booked twice for our 9 night next year. 🙂

[barbeyg]

Day 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zdad59]

Really enjoyed your review.   We were in our first suite on Apex in April.   A Magic Carpet suite.    Your review brought back all the memories.

 

I was always freaked out that our retreat host was always waiting for us at our cabin when we came back from excursions.    We realized after a bit that he got a text when we scanned our sea pass cards to get back on the ship.   The attentive service was awesome though.

[barbeyg]

Day 4

 

 

 

 

[barbeyg]

5 minutes ago, zdad59 said:

Really enjoyed your review.   We were in our first suite on Apex in April.   A Magic Carpet suite.    Your review brought back all the memories.

 

I was always freaked out that our retreat host was always waiting for us at our cabin when we came back from excursions.    We realized after a bit that he got a text when we scanned our sea pass cards to get back on the ship.   The attentive service was awesome though.

I really like ‘retreat host’ better than butler.  Celebrity has returned to calling them butlers, and that sounds stuffy, which Rajeev was not! lol

 

And that’s how they know?! Thanks for the heads up. 😁

[chrtay1]

Hi,

 

We are on Apex on January 14 for our 25th Anniversary plus 2 years 🙂  I was told by a friend that the Martini Bar was always hopping and it was difficult to find a spot.  Did you sit at the bar and also, was there a good time to go where you could find a spot?

Thanks,

Chris

[barbeyg]

Day 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

[barbeyg]

1 minute ago, chrtay1 said:

Hi,

 

We are on Apex on January 14 for our 25th Anniversary plus 2 years 🙂  I was told by a friend that the Martini Bar was always hopping and it was difficult to find a spot.  Did you sit at the bar and also, was there a good time to go where you could find a spot?

Thanks,

Chris

If you show up at night and expect to find seats at the bar, you may not be able to. Sit at a table nearby, and when seats open up, grab one.  There are always tables opening up nearby in that bar area.

 

We would dress for dinner, and go there first before dinner, and always found a seat at the bar. We went one sea day afternoon, and had a great time with others at the bar for 3 hours! lol
 

Go early and enjoy would be my recommendation. 😁

[barbeyg]

Day 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chrtay1]

8 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

If you show up at night and expect to find seats at the bar, you may not be able to. Sit at a table nearby, and when seats open up, grab one.  There are always tables opening up nearby in that bar area.

 

We would dress for dinner, and go there first before dinner, and always found a seat at the bar. We went one sea day afternoon, and had a great time with others at the bar for 3 hours! lol
 

Go early and enjoy would be my recommendation. 😁

Thanks for the quick response!

[barbeyg]

And last but not least, Day 7.  Thanks for joining me on this voyage. 🙂

 

 

 

 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, barbeyg said:

Final musings, and comparing Celebrity with RCI:

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. 🍷

[dlh015]

One of the best 'Live' reviews I've had the pleasure to follow!!  Thank you!!

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, barbeyg said:

And last but not least, Day 7.  Thanks for joining me on this voyage. 🙂

 

 

 

 

Well done, thank you!

[BonTexasNY]

On 12/12/2022 at 5:09 PM, barbeyg said:

And last, but certainly not least, were the desserts. Ken chose the Aztecs Chocolate Pie.  I requested the Lemon Meyer Tart.  Ken loved his dessert, and I still want another lemon tart!  It was the best dessert I had onboard, and that was a very high bar, let me tell you!

 

 

Wonderful review and those desserts!  I am sitting here salivating.

[barbeyg]

7 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

Wonderful review and those desserts!  I am sitting here salivating.

Me too, all over again! 😁

[MLP12]

12 hours ago, barbeyg said:

The food is mostly self serve.  There are sandwich, stir fry and pasta stations, where those are prepped/served, and some items are in individual containers, but the rest is self-serve.  We always carry hand sanitizer with us to clean our hands when we arrive at the table before eating, and of course wash before going into the buffet.  We have done that for years, if attending buffets. 

The hand sanitizer is a great idea.  I always wash before going inside, but then you have to touch all of the serving utensils, which kind of defeats the purpose.