Bimmer 09 sails APEX to Iceland June 2023

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, jwlane said:

Think of where this is located---Deck 3.  There are cabins (with windows) on the outer "hull" (check the deck plans).  The "heavy glass" are mirrors---look carefully, one can see the reflected image.  It's a great illusion.

I stand corrected.   When I look at the deckplans I can understand.      Silly me I never new there were rooms on deck 3.

 

[Bimmer09]

As we were getting out of the  Ford Transit bus I asked Bjorgvin if he knew where the "3 D Crosswalk " was. He was unaware of it. Here's what I was talking about

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Dynjandi was a good excursion!

A very natural tourist site without camel rides, hair braiding, exotic carpet sales and most importantly no monkeys that snatch your sunglasses and eat them. It wasn't sunny anyway.

 

Before tendering back to the Apex we shopped for a fridge magnet. There was a pop up stall on the dock but nothing that said Isafjordur so we got a generic one which was cool and fun.

The tender crew were dismantling the dockside set- up. Last tender was 5 pm.

 

We entered the ship via Destination Gateway 

 

 

Not the usual cramped corridor to the outside of the hull

 

 

(area also used when docked in Reykjavik when appropriate for tide level) Deck 2

[jwlane]

2 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

area also used when docked in Reykjavik 

Seems like I remember Park West displaying in that area also.

[Bimmer09]

We were back on the ship and hungry at a time when the buffet pickings are slim but there were hot dogs and burgers to be had.

 

They kept the rolls wrapped in a napkin on a steam tray which dried them out to a consistency of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Room temperature would be better.

 

Back to 8310 as we (and I don't mean Carol and I) lifted the anchor and set sail for Reykjavik.

"I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute" said I and lay down on the comfy bed in street clothes.

 

I woke at 5 a.m the next morning, Carol at 7 as she had sat up to read for a couple hours. No dinner, no show.

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

6 minutes ago, jwlane said:

Seems like I remember Park West displaying in that area also.

Indeed!

Edited June 28, 2023 by Bimmer09
speling

[TenneSea]

The food looks amazing.

 

The ship interior decor (public areas), UG.

 

The stateroom is nice, bathroom is beautiful.

[Bimmer09]

Reykjavik today at 8 a.m and an overnight stay. Sunday June 11.

I'm up at 5 a.m and ready for some coffee in the buffet on 14.

 

 

 A great place to watch the world go by

 

 I'll be back soon no doubt for a second cup of coffee.

 

To deck 5 and land in sight as I enjoy my coffee

iPhone photos

 

 

 

The plants in and outside Eden are live. Today I see a two man team watering them from big tanks on wheels.

 

 

Time for more coffee and a walk through the buffet

[Bimmer09]

I'll break my personal rule which is "thou shalt not publish a photo that isn't in perfect focus" here...and I will return to the buffet later in the cruise to make amends. It's early morning and I've only had 11 hours sleep is my excuse.

 

 

 

 

Choices- the biggest assortment of foods from around the World appear in an X buffet. You won't see them in this batch of photos but lunch is an extravaganza.

 

 

 

 

Out of focus ham-carved to order

 

 

Just trying to make you hungry with suggestive titles

 

 

Nice warm plates

 

 

and cloth napkins enfolding your flatware

 

 

and cool people who work hard to keep the trays filled and offer service

 

 

Spreads for the breads

 

 

 

 

 

 

More coffee then a camera walk 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

Mont Blanc

 

 

 

 

Cyprus Restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, TenneSea said:

The food looks amazing.

 

The ship interior decor (public areas), UG.

 

The stateroom is nice, bathroom is beautiful.

Any room (s) in particular that looks "UG"?

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Some shopping ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't buy anything so I left my shopping basket back

[Jasperdo]

16 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Bus window shots are dedicated to Jasperdo who likes the see the non-touristy stuff, as do I

Thanks for the excellent video. When traveling in a foreign country I'm just as fascinated by gas stations, road signs and grocery stores as I am by waterfalls. I'm strange that way.

[Bimmer09]

1 minute ago, Jasperdo said:

Thanks for the excellent video. When traveling in a foreign country I'm just as fascinated by gas stations, road signs and grocery stores as I am by waterfalls. I'm strange that way.

I feel exactly the same way. It's what the locals live with each day that is really interesting besides the tourist monuments. Supermarkets are particularly interesting but no time on this trip to step into one.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Reykjavik first sight

 

 

 

 

 

 We go ashore at noon for a 6 hour excursion to The Golden Circle

[soozles]

Maybe a random question, but we’re on a similar itinerary in august and have a tour booked with BS tours as well… did you tip the guides? And did you change currency before leaving home, or can you tip via venmo? I recall the wife saying we can pay via venmo or PayPal for the tour. 

[Bimmer09]

56 minutes ago, soozles said:

Maybe a random question, but we’re on a similar itinerary in august and have a tour booked with BS tours as well… did you tip the guides? And did you change currency before leaving home, or can you tip via venmo? I recall the wife saying we can pay via venmo or PayPal for the tour. 

We gave Euros but Venmo would be better and inline with BS preference. Most folks didn't tip as (perhaps) it is not an Icelander expectation. If you wanted ISK (local currency) then an ATM would be the way to go.

You will love Iceland. So different.

Norris

[HBE4]

7 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Dynjandi was a good excursion!

A very natural tourist site without camel rides, hair braiding, exotic carpet sales and most importantly no monkeys that snatch your sunglasses and eat them. It wasn't sunny anyway.

 

 

 

This waterfall looks like an optical illusion  Much taller than it appears and the massive amount of water from the upper falls seems to just disappear when looking at the meager amount of water on the lower falls.

 

[CruzeQueen2]

On 6/23/2023 at 10:06 AM, Bimmer09 said:

                                   APEX

We checked in at 12.30 and were onboard by 1 p.m. Cabins were ready by 1.30 and we found our way to 8310 all the way back at the stern a couple floors above Eden. We booked an SV (Sunset Verandah) which has a door to a short corridor shared with 8308 a Sunset Sky Suite. Quiet but you can hear people in the cabin next door (8312) talking when in the 8310 bathroom.

Designed by British designer Kelly Hoppen whose favorite color is beige/blah and who has a fetish regarding toss pillows in profusion. I tossed most of them.

 

 

 The room is well designed when it comes to storage except half the wardrobe is too short to hang pants (mine) by their bottoms using the crocodile clips provided so they have to hang folded in half. First world problem and no biggie. Our clothes including Polar jackets for Iceland (there's a clue to the climate in the name) were stuffed in. Lots of drawer space and desk-top space. There's a white box on the desk to charge things designed by someone who never charged things in a  ship's cabin (close but no cigar) but luckily another charging place by the starboard side of the bed where my Canon battery chargers fit. USB sockets in the white box got plenty of use. No major complaints about the cabin. Nice job.

 

Top marks for the bathroom!

 

 Superb spacious shower with its clamshell door which stays closed. No water gets spilled. Great pressure, temperature controls. Decent towels. No plumbing issues for 12 days. No bar soap (bring from home) just pumps with bath gel, shampoo and conditioner of unknown origin.

 

Space, space and more space. Sink long enough to bath a baby in or for passengers with giant hands and hot dog fingers.

 

The balcony didn't get a lot of use in Iceland but fab in the UK and for the sunny sailaway from Rotterdam.

 

 

A small home that served us well for 12 days. 

As is her custom Carol uses Clorox wipes to clean the surfaces one touches- handles, faucets, phones etc before unpacking. I get out of her way for a short while.

Norris

Hot dog fingers. EEAA. May I play along? LOVE this report so much. @Bimmer09

Thank you for the entertaining stories.

[Bimmer09]

 Cosmopolitan Breakfast

An early morning indulgence and pampering by welcoming staff. Something we have missed since returning to the Real World.

While Carol enjoys fruit plates and pastries I enjoy my Kelloggs Frosties. Tony the Tiger says "They're grrrrrreat!" and I agree.

We're fond of the build your own omelet. Carol has also caught the corned beef hash fever.

 

I, being British, supplement with baked beans

 

Ready for a long afternoon on a tour bus.

[Bimmer09]

Memories of Isafjordur

We have our generic Iceland fridge magnet

 

and from Carol's phone-last night's sunset at 1.07 a.m and sunrise at 1.55 . 48 minutes of "darkness" 

 

Today it will be 40F on our excursion so all my layers go on plus my hiking boots for rough terrain (really not needed) I carry an umbrella in my camera backpack. I'll show you all the gear I carry later.

[TenneSea]

6 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Any room (s) in particular that looks "UG"?

Norris

I think the green and blue creatures are borderline strange.  Just some of the color combinations are a little jarring, just personal taste.   It's not the usual ship design, that's for sure.  The staterooms are very nice.

[Bimmer09]

3 minutes ago, TenneSea said:

I think the green and blue creatures are borderline strange.  Just some of the color combinations are a little jarring, just personal taste.   It's not the usual ship design, that's for sure.  The staterooms are very nice.

It's not the usual ship design-that's a fact and a big part of why I like it. Thinking outside of the box.

I don't like all of the art but art is subjective. X is always trying new things but have the basics-food, service, entertainment, cabins under control and following this trip we will consider X more than we have done in the past when choosing a cruise.

I don't trust the home office when it comes to pricing- the Beverage package fake list prices left a bad taste in my mouth around Memorial Day- reminds me of my years with Macy's marking things up to MSRP then taking a markdown to the only price it will sell on a given day.

On Sunday we were considering booking a Beyond cruise to Turkey and Greece for October 2024- now they are keeping her in the Caribbean and that cruise to Turkey is gone.

Bah Humbug!

Norris

 

[TenneSea]

6 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

It's not the usual ship design-that's a fact and a big part of why I like it. Thinking outside of the box.

I don't like all of the art but art is subjective. X is always trying new things but have the basics-food, service, entertainment, cabins under control and following this trip we will consider X more than we have done in the past when choosing a cruise.

I don't trust the home office when it comes to pricing- the Beverage package fake list prices left a bad taste in my mouth around Memorial Day- reminds me of my years with Macy's marking things up to MSRP then taking a markdown to the only price it will sell on a given day.

On Sunday we were considering booking a Beyond cruise to Turkey and Greece for October 2024- now they are keeping her in the Caribbean and that cruise to Turkey is gone.

Bah Humbug!

Norris

 

Yes, totally subjective.  I think most cruise lines are resorting to more tricks than usual - trying to get back some of the loss from covid.  We're headed to Norway in August on Sky Princess and it's the 1st cruise we've been on since the shut down.  So excited.  We're spending 9 days in England after the cruise, my 1st trip to England. Trip of a lifetime!  I've scoured your review of your trip to Norway (on the Silhouette, I believe) for every tip I could squeeze out of it to make our August adventure as smooth as possible.  I do appreciate the effort you put into these travel-logs.

[Bimmer09]

Before the Golden Circle tour I have time to wander and take some more pics. That's the benefit of waking at 5 a.m and having no commitments until noon.

We have an familiar aft parked behind us

 

 

The Solarium on deck 14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Private Cabanas" for a fee.

 

 

Table tennis, deck 15 Port

 

 

 

We bought the Premium Wi Fi package ($506) and it was really good compared to what we are used to at sea.

 

Going home