LIVE Apex Suite Review 2/25-3/4: Love in the Time of Relaxed Luxury

[miched]

I cringe every time I hear that song “We are the Champions” because  of the following.  Living near Detroit  we  Detroit Lion fans.   At every home game they play that song over the PA win or lose and for the most part it is losing.  Whoever is in charge needs to get realistic.  The lions are only champions of being the worse NFL franchise.   They are one of the 4 teams to have never played in the Super Bowl.  
 

Basically I hope they don’t win for a very long time as I would like  to see them win a Super Bowl before I die.   

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 

Edited March 6, 2023 by miched

[tcmagnum]

On 3/5/2023 at 1:09 AM, GenerationX said:

Guys, I have no words for how our travel evening has gone. Actually I take that back, I have 2 words: travel insurance. Highly recommend.

 

Because of all our travel plans this year, in January I bought an annual travel insurance policy for a little over $500 total that covers me, Jeremy and Gen Z, not only for international medical but also for covered reason trip cancelation and expenses of trip interruptions just like this one .  Thanks to insurance, I should be fully reimbursed for our very last minute stay at the Hilton Blue Lagoon at the airport. 

I also decided to take out an annual travel insurance policy (already had two cruises booked and a long Vegas weekend booked and at least one more vacation to come).

It was cheaper to do the annual policy than it was for each trip.

Sorry to hear about your issues, but glad you had travel insurance to help with the extra cost.

[Beachlover1989]

Can't wait to follow along on your next LIVE.  Can you remind us when your upcoming cruises are?

[GenerationX]

On 3/5/2023 at 3:31 AM, WNCtourist said:

I have had more cancelled and delayed flights for mechanical issues on AA than all other airlines combined. And I typically fly on Delta! Hope you get much needed rest and have a better day tomorrow.

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one! 
 

I used to fly southwest direct to FLL to avoid all this, but since the pandemic they’ve drastically reduced the number of STL to FLL direct flights and jacked the prices so much that flying first class on AA sometimes is not that much more.  

[GenerationX]

On 3/5/2023 at 12:56 PM, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Food looks great Charla. Curious what champagne you are drinking? (We had not so good luck by the glass last 2 cruises in luminae.)

Safe travels home today!

It was a bottle of Veuve yellow label that we got complimentary with our cabana rental. I too found the by the glass bubbly offerings a bit disappointing on this cruise. I miss the days when at least a decent Chandon was readily available. 

[GenerationX]

Hello CC!

 

After a busy first few days back in reality, coming back to finish my review of our Apex sailing.  If my notes are correct, what I had left to share was A Tale of Two Dinners: Eden and Raw on 5.

 

I made our Eden reservation online pre-cruise and again was glad that I did because I heard that for our sailing, by the second day of the cruise Eden was completely booked up.  This makes sense to me as on every E-class ship, Eden has consistently been one of my favorite dining experiences of the trip.  We started with 2 of my favorite dishes from Eden on Beyond: the Bazaar Bowl and the Risotto.  For dinner Jeremy had the lamb and I had the lobster casserole (made with fresh Canadian lobster and a sweet creamy corn puree) that I will never leave an E-class ship without eating at least once.  Jeremy wasn’t feeling chocolate for dessert so we split the strawberry delight.  It was good, but I really like the chocolate tart with cardamom ice cream so much better.  Oh well, to be consumed on my next solo cruise (See? This is why we should also book solo trips, ladies.)  Service and timing of courses was perfect.  I noticed that while the restaurant was fully booked up, only about half the tables in the room were full.  It seems like Eden is a venue where Celebrity is being very mindful of not allowing more guests to be seated than the current kitchen and front of house staffing can accommodate without lowering standards.

 

Now, the latest chapter in my saga to try and get into Raw on 5…

 

I was drinking wine that evening but Jeremy tried two of the cocktails on the menu and only drank a few sips of each.  He said they were both way too heavy on the sake.

 

Service was very good and after being seated we were given complimentary edamame which I didn’t receive on Edge or Beyond.  I booked this dinner primarily because my husband is a sashimi addict and I really wanted him to try the imperial seafood tower that Red and I loved on Beyond.  When it came time for dinner, my teammate completely bailed on me and said he was still a little full from tea time and didn’t think he could manage to help me eat enough of the seafood tower to justify the $90 cost, and asserted that we should get a few smaller things.  (And they say marriage is for better or worse.  Likely story.  Almost a week later and I’m still salty about this.  No amount of Effy jewelry buys forgiveness for coming between me and a seafood tower.)

 

We ended up having the chicken gyoza which was pretty good and the calamari which was massively over cooked.  Jeremy then got a plate of sashimi which he said was better than he’s had on Sushi on 5 on S and M class and I tried the curry udon soup.  Just my personal opinion, a cruise line who makes soups as amazing as the pork ramen and shrimp tempura udon in Sushi on 5 should be embarrassed to be putting out that curry udon thing.  I’m not sure how, but it managed to be both spicy and bland at the same time and the pieces of chicken at the ends of each side were like chewing rubber.  I quickly decided that I wouldn’t be spending much more time with that soup and ordered a shrimp tempura roll which was really good and kept me from going away hungry.  We may have just caught the chef on a bad night, but I don’t know that going forward Raw on 5 will be at the top of my specialty dining must do’s list, unless I want to just grab a quick sushi roll (or that awesome kakiage that they have in Raw on Beyond) for lunch.  

 

Now having said that, I have already made my husband sign a contract that I drafted up on the flight back to STL agreeing that when we are on Beyond in October, he will commit to full partnership on the endeavor of tackling the imperial seafood tower.  I’ll accept no further regressions.  We’re in this together for heaven’s sake.

 

Soon to come, a quick post on final impressions of Apex and future cruise plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[miched]

Curious about the desert issue in Eden.  Why did you have to share one?  Is there only one per table?   Why couldn’t you order the chocolate one you wanted and your husband what he wanted?  🤷‍♂️

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[asnaleah]

I need to sign up for Charla’s food photo class!

[Visitors4]

Charla, our dining experience at Raw on 5 on the Beyond was below expectations. The seafood on the small tower was very, very small in size, overcooked and lacked flavor and sweetness. The sushi was bland. Maybe it was an off night for the quality of the seafood used in the dishes. Like you, Raw on 5 likely won't be a must do in our future cruises. I provided this feedback in our post-cruise survey. Eden was delicious! 

[aml3679]

Enjoying 

 

following

 

we are in a suite in November 

 

your daughter is pretty 

[GenerationX]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:17 PM, terrydtx said:

Charla, loving your live from blog. We will be on the Apex in September and in a Sky suite. Last year on the Reflection I was able to get Macallan 12-year-old scotch and it was in the Premium drinks package. From the list of premium spirts this year I do not see this, can you ask if possible, to see if it is available on the Apex?  Thank you in advance.

 

Just realized that I forgot to get back to you on this, so sorry!
 

I did show this picture to a bartender in Eden and he said that they “sometimes” have this bottle stocked in Eden, Craft Social and/or the Retreat lounge, but I got the impression that it’s not stocked generously or consistently.  
 

When I was in a royal suite on Silhouette I remember when the shoreside concierge reached out about the spirits bottles for our room she was quick to warn that supply issues were making spirits availability onboard somewhat random.

[GenerationX]

On 3/3/2023 at 2:37 PM, sdnich said:

I am curious with you having access to the retreat deck why you would rent a Cabana ? We have rented one for our edge cruise in a couple weeks but we don’t have a  beverage package so we’re doing it for the bottle of vodka and the beers and waters .But also to have a nice place to sit without having to deal with the chairhogs! 
Would you rent one again on another cruise? And I know they are different ships but I’m curious how many split cabanas they had I know on the edge there’s only six cabanas. ??

I am very sorry that your cruise is coming to an end. But it looks like you’ve had an amazing time 🛳🥂

Yes! Even when sailing in a suite I do try to get a cabana for one sea day on E class if I’ve got the OBC to spend. The main pool deck and retreat deck tend to be really packed on sea days and it can be hard to find a seat, especially in shade if you get there later in the morning, so the cabana gives me a guaranteed shady spot with quick drink service from the cabana butlers.  I also know I won’t lose my seat if I head off to a wine tasting or the spa for an hour and want to come back to poolside lounging afterwards.
 

Also, the cabana comes with a complimentary bottle of Veuve, which I usually end up buying at some point in the cruise anyway (and pay not much less for than the cost of the split cabana).  This past cruise we just drank the beers included with the cabana and had the butlers bring us cocktails (we had the beverage package so no charge) then we took our champagne bottle back to the room unopened and had it as our bottle with dinner that night.

[GenerationX]

On 3/4/2023 at 11:10 AM, KKB said:

Sounds wonderful! Safe travels home.

So did you get Jeremy added to your April cruise?

 
Unfortunately he won’t be joining in April. He decided he wanted to save the vacation time in case we want to spend some extra time before/after October cruise in Rome. As much as I’ll miss him in April, I can’t fault that judgement call one bit!

[Lena11033]

2 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

 
Unfortunately he won’t be joining in April. He decided he wanted to save the vacation time in case we want to spend some extra time before/after October cruise in Rome. As much as I’ll miss him in April, I can’t fault that judgement call one bit!

 

I think that makes sense, Rome you need some time for. 

[GenerationX]

On 3/4/2023 at 3:45 PM, 39august said:

You must have docked at Crown Bay in St. T. But I don't recall a bar in a windmill there. Were you away from the port?

Hmmm, I know we were docked right next to the US district court building (sorry these are the types of landmarks I notice).  I’m pretty sure the bar was still within the port area. It was only about a 5 minute walk from where the catamaran dropped us back off next to the ship. Maybe it’s fairly new?

[GenerationX]

On 3/9/2023 at 8:13 PM, miched said:

Curious about the desert issue in Eden.  Why did you have to share one?  Is there only one per table?   Why couldn’t you order the chocolate one you wanted and your husband what he wanted?  🤷‍♂️

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Oh you can definitely order as many desserts as you like!  We were just getting full by the time we got to dessert and had agreed to just split one dessert so as not to waste food. Since it was his first time at Eden, I gave Jeremy the honor of choosing.

[GenerationX]

Final Thoughts on our Apex Cruise:

 

Overall, Jeremy and I had a wonderful trip and made some amazing new memories together.  

 

While there were a few misses here and there, for the most part the food, drinks and service all week were very good.  

 

In spite of the wifi difficulties that I’ve now had when docked in the area on two different ships and wifi platforms, I think the Virgin Islands are fast becoming my favorite Caribbean ports.  Incredible scenery, friendly, welcoming locals and stiff rum cocktails seem to abound. 

 

As we were coming down the gangway at the end of the cruise, I asked Jeremy what he thought of his first E-class cruise and he said he thinks he likes it best of all of the Celebrity ships.

 

For me, having sailed on all 3 E-class ships now, I still feel like S-class and E-class are apples and oranges.  Each have pros and cons and features the other doesn’t that make me excited to sail on them.  

 

I still think Beyond is my favorite of the E- class ships from a ship design and features perspective.  However service on Apex was definitely a bit better.  To be fair though, I was in Aqua class on Beyond, so it’s not exactly comparing apples to apples (sorry lots of fruit references in this post).  

 

I WILL have a chance to check out the service in suite class on Beyond very soon though, which brings me to future cruise plans.

 

Disclaimer:  In the next few months, you guys may get tired of the sound of my voice.

 

It’s a good thing that I finally finished the last of my unpacking and post-cruise laundry over the weekend, because in just 4 days, Gen Z and I will be flying to LA to spend her spring break on a 7 night Cabo cruise on Solstice!

 

After that, I was supposed to be staying on land till mid-summer, but as mentioned earlier, I grabbed a too good to pass up deal on a solo sky suite sailing on Beyond at the beginning of April.

 

Next up, in early July, I’ll be switching lines (and CC boards for review posting) as Gen Z and I sail for 7 nights in the Yacht Club on MSC Seascape.

 

Once we return, the rest of summer and early fall will be spent saving up spending money and practicing my Italian in preparation for Jeremy and I’s big bucket list trip to spend 10 nights exploring the Mediterranean on Beyond.

 

As always thank you to everyone who followed along and who shared their own tips and info.  

 

I have a couple of busy days left at the office but then for anyone interested keep an eye out for the start of a live review of Pacific coast sailing on Solstice!
 

 

[bunnyette]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

Oh you can definitely order as many desserts as you like!  We were just getting full by the time we got to dessert and had agreed to just split one dessert so as not to waste food. Since it was his first time at Eden, I gave Jeremy the honor of choosing.

You’re a very good wife and deserve an expensive trinket for your generosity 🤪

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Just realized that I forgot to get back to you on this, so sorry!
 

I did show this picture to a bartender in Eden and he said that they “sometimes” have this bottle stocked in Eden, Craft Social and/or the Retreat lounge, but I got the impression that it’s not stocked generously or consistently.  
 

When I was in a royal suite on Silhouette I remember when the shoreside concierge reached out about the spirits bottles for our room she was quick to warn that supply issues were making spirits availability onboard somewhat random.

Thank you so much for checking, hopefully they will have it in the Retreat Lounge when i board in September. 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Thank you for sharing your cruises with all of us!

[sdnich]

Thank you for your review!! We just got off the Solstice on Saturday and will be heading to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow to get on the Edge on Friday.I will be following along .

I am glad we booked 2 nights in Eden already!! I am looking forward to the lobster dish!!