Bimmer 09 sails APEX to Iceland June 2023

[montythecat]

Additional sailaways. :

 

Stockholm (my favourite)

Istanbul

and

dear old Southampton isn’t too bad.

[MisterMet]

On 6/21/2023 at 6:47 AM, Bimmer09 said:

Come gather 'round people wherever you roam...

It's jet-lagged Norris here, not awash in cheap grog from the rum barrel but awash in memories from our 4th Celebrity cruise. If ye'd sit a spell I'll tell ye a tale!

As usual in my Gentleman's Seafaring Journals there will be some "pirate speak" born from my love of the sea and my late dad, a ship's captain.

There will be a lot of APEX and the ports she sailed to.

There will be a lot of FOOD PORN and I'm not talking bole weevils in the ship's biscuits.

There will be PHOTOS (in color!) galore and videos too.

There will be hidden SONG LYRICS. Guess the song and you could win FABULOUS PRIZES- like this Broyhill 5 piece dinette set! (not pictured)

There will be MUSINGS on the Celebrity product and life in general.

There will, as always, be a CYBER BAR where you can drink anything you want but most of the top shelf stuff is gone (Mea Culpa)

There will be a lot of pics from AMSTERDAM (love at first sight)

 

Here, shipmates, is our Itinerary...

Day 1, June 3 Fly to Amsterdam from Chicago O'Hare airport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bless me barnacles-that's a lot of places!

We flew home yesterday .....

 

Yippee buddy!   Can’t wait for all of this!

Edited June 23, 2023 by MisterMet

[Bimmer09]

35 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Agree --- Iain and I both worked there and feel very comfortable and safe there regardless the time of day.  

 

If you are a foodie you will have to try the restaurant SENSES that we dined at.   Truly one of the best dinners I have ever had.

Jim, I am aware of Senses since you ate there but got the impression it's a tasting menu place where the chef decides what you'll eat that night. I would never order like that as I know what I like to eat and unless he's the Amazing Kreskin he wouldn't have a clue. If he knew I was from Northern Ireland he could guess potatoes and I'd be happy with a big plate of boiled potatoes and lots of butter but that stops way short of Haute Cuisine (except for me)

The restaurant we did eat at was the 5 Flies. They had a tasting menu-not for us. The people at the next table had it and the waiter would tell them what was coming next. I saw raised eyebrows when he left. We eat at a range of restaurants from Popeye's Chicken to Foie Gras in a Michelin Star joint. I've eaten venison in a restaurant with Alain Ducasse at the helm (sublime) and in the vaunted 11 Madison, NYC (amazing) I also love fish and chips from a pub in London. Pretty easy to please but I make the choice. 

I would also never do a wine pairing for the same reason. No sommelier knows my tastes and if one gave me a sweet Riesling I would just pour it into the nearest potted plant and those are never far away in Fine Dining thankfully.

Cheers Jim!

Norris

[hcat]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:47 AM, Bimmer09 said:

                                         The Five Flies 

I know from experience that some restaurants can guarantee (at least) 5 flies hovering over your plate as you eat but this isn't one of them.It was Rick Steves recommendation and Carol has a Master's Degree in Rick Steves Studies which has served her well in the modern world-a lot more than my Degree in Mesopotamian sheep grazing. That hasn't opened many doors for me, just like the algebra, trigonometry and Latin I took in high school.

Before we left Chicago we had our hotel, museum entrances, tram transport including a free canal cruise, opera tickets and a reservation in the 5 Flies for our first dinner of the vacation.

We used Google maps on my iPhone (Carol can tell you which model as I apparently got it wrong-but it's one that fits on my belt and not so large it sticks up out of my back pocket)

We arrived 5 minutes late after trying to figure out why location services had us walking up the middle of the Singel canal, on the water!

The exterior

 

It's 5, 400 year old houses linked together in a warren of rooms. I asked for a particular room. A sign on the black door asks you to enter through the alley...

 

We stepped back in time. Just ahead of us were 5 gentlemen, one of whom  had eaten here before and wanted to share the experience. Alas, the waiter couldn't seat them as a group as they didn't have a reservation. They left and four of the friends put that black trashcan in the photo above over their friend's head like a dunce's cap. All good fun. We did have our reservation and the pics online did it justice...

We had a table for two by a window onto the street

 

I love movies set in Medieval times-all that M'lady, Sir Knight, serving wenches, toothless hags and Kings eating whole chickens before a roaring fire. No I wouldn't want o have been born back then- the bathrooms were a joke compared to today and the hairdressers had no finesse- just stick a bowl on the customer's head and hack it with a knife. No fades, no layering, buzz-cuts out of the question. Strewth! and Gadzooks!

Before the food I'll show you some of the other parts of the  restaurant

 

 

 

 

The waiter's station

 

 

Here's some food

My Dutch shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were tiny and not the giants I am used to-even smaller than cruise ship prawn cocktails. Tasted a bit of the "bottom of the harbor" which oysters remind me of. It had orange segments which helped with my vitamin C intake.

 

Carol's Herring tartare was brought to the table by Rafael our waiter. Raised eyebrows from me.

Carol gave me a forkful and it was pretty edible. She loved it and kudos to her for bravely ordering it. 

 

The salt and pepper and the table candle

 

My beef tenderloin with roast potato and kohlrabi

 

Carol's fish of the day- pan-seared North Sea perch of the gods, with white asparagus, a bed of mashed potato, fennel and fresh garden peas. A superb dish!

 

OMG! My dessert. Arretjes cake with orange ganache and caramel icing 

 

and Carol's pretty plate with Advocaat panna cotta (the clog), ice cream, stroopwaffle and a chocolate fly.

 

Yowsa! In celebratory vacation mood I enjoyed a glass of whiskey from my homeland- Jameson's. In Northern Ireland I've heard that parents have to assign their male children by age 3 to a particular brand. My parents chose wisely. My eternal thanks.

 

A splendid dinner !

https://www.vijffvlieghen.nl/en/

 

Norris

Bravo.. Thanks for great photos. .and the usual Bimmer pithy commentary

 

what a lovely place to dine..

[Bimmer09]

21 minutes ago, expattraveler said:

Norris, as always great review.

Thank you for the kind words.

I take my hat off to Mammoet for their heavy lifting fame and expertise. I didn't realize that was the Bollard I was admiring as we sailed by.

Thanks for the link!

Norris

[MisterMet]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:05 AM, Bimmer09 said:

                                RADISSON BLU HOTEL

                                              (Off to a shaky start...)

We had originally booked a Marriott in a less desirable location (too far from the canals we love) so Carol found this hotel from a shortlist I had given her. The hotel had sent her an email offering early check-in (11 a.m vs 3 p.m) for 39 Euro (@ $43). We'll take it was the response. Their response was "this offer not available".

 

We brought our bags into the large reception area where there was one receptionist at the time. She reminded me of a Brit pop singer and when she spoke I realized it must be Bitchy Spice .

"We'd like to check in"

Passport! (no welcome or how was your flight from Chicago ?) You have to pay now!

(Huh?) That was unexpected. Oh well.

"Can we check in now (11 a.m) and pay the fee?"

No.

"Can we leave our luggage?"

Yes.

"Could you text us when a room is ready?"

No, we don't do that. You can come back around 2.30 and see if your room is ready then.

(Oh gee, thanks!)

 

Here are a few pics of the hotel....

 

It's the one to the left of the bridge. The tree covers our eventual room. Next to the tiny red car are 2 coffeeshops. The hotel is unique in that the reception, bar, restaurant and most rooms are on the opposite side of the street and the two buildings are linked by a carpeted tunnel. That's not the same as carpal tunnel syndrome. 

 

Later that evening the reception area on the other side of the street from our Canal View Room

 

 

 

24 hour drinks center we didn't use

 

 

The 4 windows above the black door (which doesn't open except in emergencies) would be ours

 

 

Now the view from our room

 

So we have 4 hours to kill before we get our room keys and 5 minutes walk away is a cafe I saw on one of the many Amsterdam walking videos. Carol was gung-ho when she saw the video and with good reason. We'll go there next for some lunch....

Hungry?

Norris

Bitchy Spice?  Too funny!

[hcat]

all caught up and craving MORE!

[Bimmer09]

Sail away video. 4 minutes and 14 seconds of your life...poof! up in smoke. Ship nerds/crane geeks only.

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Carol's notes say 2 hours before we cleared Rotterdam and were in the North Sea where the cold wind waited on us and the Sunset Bar lost its customers. The Rooftop Garden Grill wasn't even listed as an option for a week or more.

 

We were heading North West (ish) towards an island whose name makes grown men shiver at the thought...ICEland. Ice in my drink is fine. 

For this cruise I packed things I normally don't-neck to toe thermal underwear and hiking boots plus a Polar jacket for the Chicago winter/Iceland summer. I even had a pair of camera gloves which have fingertips on hinges for twiddling the dials.

The Apex is not a cold weather ship unless you get all the Kelly Hoppen pillows together and make a bonfire on deck 15. The wind howls down its open decks. The glass wind barriers have 4 inch gaps between the panels so the wind just cruises on through only with greater force as it's pushed through a narrower aperture and concentrated. It finds that top button of your shirt that you left undone to look cool and goes straight down into your shirt. It goes up your pants leg and stays there. 

And were not even in Iceland yet! 

I thought of Captain Oates and his fate in Antarctica....

Norris aka "Mr Toasty"

[RichYak]

50 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

it's a tasting menu place where the chef decides what you'll eat that night. I would never order like that as I know what I like to eat

This reminds me of a very expensive meal I had once with my former business partner and our wives. Truffles were the theme of the tasting menu complete with a wine pairing for each course. To the best of my recollection, the courses were quite good as were the wines. That is, until dessert. Truffle ice cream simply doesn't work. It's a shame that after all these years, that's the part of the meal that I remember the best (or the worst as it were).

 

Anyway, that's the end of my banter for now. Please carry on.

[MisterMet]

8 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Carol's notes say 2 hours before we cleared Rotterdam and were in the North Sea where the cold wind waited on us and the Sunset Bar lost its customers. The Rooftop Garden Grill wasn't even listed as an option for a week or more.

 

We were heading North West (ish) towards an island whose name makes grown men shiver at the thought...ICEland. Ice in my drink is fine. 

For this cruise I packed things I normally don't-neck to toe thermal underwear and hiking boots plus a Polar jacket for the Chicago winter/Iceland summer. I even had a pair of camera gloves which have fingertips on hinges for twiddling the dials.

The Apex is not a cold weather ship unless you get all the Kelly Hoppen pillows together and make a bonfire on deck 15. The wind howls down its open decks. The glass wind barriers have 4 inch gaps between the panels so the wind just cruises on through only with greater force as it's pushed through a narrower aperture and concentrated. It finds that top button of your shirt that you left undone to look cool and goes straight down into your shirt. It goes up your pants leg and stays there. 

And were not even in Iceland yet! 

I thought of Captain Oates and his fate in Antarctica....

Norris aka "Mr Toasty"

“The Apex is not a cold weather ship unless you get all the Kelly Hoppen pillows together and make a bonfire on deck 15. ”.
 

A bit too many of them eh?

[Bimmer09]

1 minute ago, MisterMet said:

“The Apex is not a cold weather ship unless you get all the Kelly Hoppen pillows together and make a bonfire on deck 15. ”.
 

A bit too many of them eh?

There are 6 of them on the bed, plus 4 pillows that belong on the bed. Multiply by the number of beds- say 1500. That's 9,000 pillows without a purpose and each one flammable if the ship catches fire. I'd say a controlled burn now (s'mores opportunity!) would kill two birds with one stone.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

15 minutes ago, RichYak said:

This reminds me of a very expensive meal I had once with my former business partner and our wives. Truffles were the theme of the tasting menu complete with a wine pairing for each course. To the best of my recollection, the courses were quite good as were the wines. That is, until dessert. Truffle ice cream simply doesn't work. It's a shame that after all these years, that's the part of the meal that I remember the best (or the worst as it were).

 

Anyway, that's the end of my banter for now. Please carry on.

Chefs tend to get carried away with their ingredients -"what I have for you tonight is truffles 3 ways"

to which my response would be "and what I have for you, if it tastes crap, is a punch in the face three ways". They might re-think. 

There are many fine flavors of ice cream although vanilla, chocolate and strawberry still top the polls. I can't imagine truffle ice cream joining them. I'm sure  liver ice cream is on a menu somewhere. We just have to find the chef making it and pummel him mercilessly...

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We enjoyed our long sailaway but felt we needed to push our 7.30 dinner reservation at Cyprus back an hour.

3 months before I had gone through our planner on line and it asked me to select my dinners and I did for 11 of the nights. They all had disappeared when I went in to change one a week later. What was the point?

I did make a reservation in Eden for two people (us!) and by gum they immediately charged  it to our Visa. Who else charges for a meal you won't eat for 3 months? How much in debt is RCI/X?

Maybe Chicago is different but here we reserve a table. A week later we go to the restaurant. They cook us some food then after we have eaten it they bring a piece of paper with the number of dollars we owe them written on it. We get out the Visa then add on 20% because the restaurant wants us to beef up the waiter's low wages.

Pay for the food then eat it 3 months later?? 

Anyway I went down to Cyrus to change the reservation, being a good citizen, and the hostess said "Just come whenever you want".

Norris

 

[MisterMet]

21 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

There are 6 of them on the bed, plus 4 pillows that belong on the bed. Multiply by the number of beds- say 1500. That's 9,000 pillows without a purpose and each one flammable if the ship catches fire. I'd say a controlled burn now (s'mores opportunity!) would kill two birds with one stone.

Norris

Makes sense to me Mr. Toasty!  Totally understand though.  I wonder who decided that pillows needed to go from function to decoration?  I'm starting to sound like Andy Rooney.  Enjoying your gig as always my friend.

[dlh015]

Thank you for sharing your various sojourns on this amazing cruise! I am a first-time viewer of your posts and I must say it was time well spent. All the best! 

[Bimmer09]

8 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

Thank you for sharing your various sojourns on this amazing cruise! I am a first-time viewer of your posts and I must say it was time well spent. All the best! 

Thank you and I am glad you are enjoying the read. I've written about 20 long reviews in this vein on CC since 2011, so none of our cruises pass into the mists of time or are forgotten (by us). 

We don't cruise a lot and likely never will as we love land vacations too much but when we do Carol takes the notes and I take the pics and  the cruises don't become mental mush as a result.

I'm trying to sell my CC reviews to the Smithsonian  but they are telling me money's a "bit tight" right now...

I can wait.

Norris

[Altamar]

Enjoying every word, thanks.

[RichYak]

57 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Carol takes the notes and I take the pics

Team work makes the dream work!

[Walt fan]

I am laughing at numerous things including all of those pillows on your bed; and all the pillows all over the ship; geez. And your wonderful references to tipping the porter so your luggage doesn't fall in the brink. Wonderful. I have to comment that my dear DIL loved sweet wines when I first met her; I quickly taught her the ways of a beautiful cab. She now cannot stand sweet wines, smart woman. Carry on with your amazing photos and banter. 

[Bimmer09]

 

Our first "MDR" dinner-one of the 4 smaller rooms that set the E Class apart . This is the Mediterranean influenced one. We were seated right near the back.

 

 

Nice room as are all 4. Not busy this late.

 

 

Sommelier- good and didn't have to wait long to meet him. I got a glass of a Kendall Jackson  cabernet sauvignon @$13 per glass. A generous pour once I have done my tasting technique learned in a recent visit to a stellar vineyard in San Gimignano, Italy. I of course held it up to the light-nice color. Then a swish to breathe air into the grapes but I swished too vigorously and some of the wine splashed on the ceiling.I told them to have it cleaned and send me the bill. It had a good nose. A small sampling, rinsed back and forth behind the front teeth to gauge the tannins.  I would have drank it straight from the bottle of course but was trying to appear like a sophisticated world traveler. A good drop and I would (and did) order it again. And again.

 

Classy menu cover

 

 

 

Enough tempting choices.

Carol loves a wedge salad!

 

She also loves Butternut squash soup

 

My mezze plate was crippled by cold (fridge cold) pita bread, some inauthentic dips but was rescued by a few white anchovies (which I crave) and a nice grape leaf. Swing and a miss.

 

Carol's braised lamb shank hit the spot for flavor. Good dish!

 

My Cypriot short ribs with olive oil potatoes was a tasty plate

 

Strawberry angel food cake for Carol. A nice finish to a good meal.

 

 

A yummy tiramisu for me, Bowl licked clean.

 

Our assistant waiter began a theme for the week of asking for camera advice when he saw the Canon on the table and I was as helpful as I could be. I don't use that camera for food photos-that's what the iPhone is for.

 

 

 

Norris

Edited June 24, 2023 by Bimmer09
cold Icelandic wind

[Bimmer09]

A good first dinner. We have to put the clocks back one hour tonight as we head NW. We decide not to go to the Welcome Show if that's what it is. The theater is "all the way forward" and we are all the way aft. There is no moving walkway and although these boots are made for walking' the feet inside them need a rest.

Bed by 11 pm. North Sea swell  makes falling asleep easy.

Goodnight y'all!

Norris

[clanger]

Nancy Sinatra

[Happiest when cruising]

5 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

We enjoyed our long sailaway but felt we needed to push our 7.30 dinner reservation at Cyprus back an hour.

3 months before I had gone through our planner on line and it asked me to select my dinners and I did for 11 of the nights. They all had disappeared when I went in to change one a week later. What was the point?

I did make a reservation in Eden for two people (us!) and by gum they immediately charged  it to our Visa. Who else charges for a meal you won't eat for 3 months? How much in debt is RCI/X?

Maybe Chicago is different but here we reserve a table. A week later we go to the restaurant. They cook us some food then after we have eaten it they bring a piece of paper with the number of dollars we owe them written on it. We get out the Visa then add on 20% because the restaurant wants us to beef up the waiter's low wages.

Pay for the food then eat it 3 months later?? 

Anyway I went down to Cyrus to change the reservation, being a good citizen, and the hostess said "Just come whenever you want".

Norris

 

You pay for the speciality dinner venues on Princess, if you reserve online before you board. 
if you have it included as part of a package, sometimes the dinner credits don’t work and you have to pay upfront and get refunded onboard. 
 

[perfect match]

16 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

A Night at the Opera

Album by Queen reference or literally your night at the opera? 😀