Apex Live — July 31

[What A Market]

Kicking off my own live thread for this nine day sailing taking us from Rotterdam and ending in Amsterdam. This is basically a Norwegian fjord cruise. This is my third time on the Apex, but first time with a European itinerary. My previous two cruises on the Apex were both Caribbean island cruises.  The Apex has also been the only E class ship I’ve been on. I’m a fan of the ship and all its stylish glam.  I’ve never been on a ship of this size for a European cruise, so I’m going to be interested to see what it’s like for our stops in some of the smaller Norwegian ports.

 

DW and I starting our journey a few days early in order to acclimate to the time change from Arizona to Europe. We flew out yesterday on British Air non-stop to London.  Very nice flight, and flying in BA’s upgraded business class seat is a real treat. But the ordeal of this overnight flight is hard on the body and mind, particularly for Heidi (the DW/SO) who needs a solid eight to nine hours of sleep every night to feel normal. 

 

Upon arrival at Heathrow, we took the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington station and then grabbed a cab to our hotel — the Marriott Bankside. We are here for a couple of nights and then flying directly to Rotterdam for a one night stay before boarding the Apex on July 31.  This cruise was originally scheduled to start in Amsterdam, but due to port constraints (discussed elsewhere on CC), the ship’s embarkation was moved to Rotterdam.  We’ve been to Amsterdam several times so we didn’t mind the move to Rotterdam.  A number of my soon to be fellow passengers were not so pleased as many/most had plans to be in Amsterdam early and were then scrambling to arrange transportation to Rotterdam.

 

Looking forward to posting Live. I’ve attempted several live threads before. Some successful with numerous posts. Some unsuccessful as I neglected to routinely post. Happy for answer questions and engage in lively debate on all topics (well almost all topics…. Lol).  Here’s some random photos of the start of the journey — BA flight, on the Heathrow Express, dinner at Sticky Mango in London (highly recommend), and unique cocktail to end the day from the hotel’s bartender (his own off menu creation).

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by What A Market

[C4HCG]

You’ve picked a lovely hotel in a great location. Any plans whilst in London? 

[dock]

Enjoy. Looking forward to following.

On our first E class in Feb’24.

 

[Jim_Iain]

Looking forward to following along.   Great start to you vacation.

 

[scrapcreator]

We’ll be joining you onboard. We’ve been in Amsterdam since Wednesday morning, a direct flight with KLM from Los Angeles.

[mac_tlc]

Just did the fjords last month.. will be following along!
 

mac_tlc

[What A Market]

Long full day in London yesterday with no particular agenda.  We’ve been here a dozen times for pleasure and work, but never tire of spending time in this vibrant city. From our hotel we are a short walk from the Tate Museum, so a return visit there was in order. The hotel concierge recommended we visit the Borough Market — London’s oldest open air market.  It was amazing. An absolute crush of locals sampling all the food stalls. We spent several hours here doing the same.  If you’ve never been on your trips to London, put it on your agenda. Planning your first trip — same!  I’m definitely returning!

 

Then it was off to some pubs for some local beers (and Ciders for Heidi, who is Coeliac/gluten free).  Highlight of the beers sampled was the Beavertown pale ale. Light, refreshing and perfect for a summer day. The pint glass is wild! (Photo attached in separate post.) The founder of this brewery is Robert Plant’s son.  Love that.

 

Some other photos from the day to follow.

Then a post coming from yesterday evenings fun.

 

[What A Market]

Here’s the photos

[What A Market]

And more

Damn, deleting some photos. They’re attaching upside down. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by What A Market

[Trixie21]

34 minutes ago, What A Market said:

Long full day in London yesterday with no particular agenda.  We’ve been here a dozen times for pleasure and work, but never tire of spending time in this vibrant city. From our hotel we are a short walk from the Tate Museum, so a return visit there was in order. The hotel concierge recommended we visit the Borough Market — London’s oldest open air market.  It was amazing. An absolute crush of locals sampling all the food stalls. We spent several hours here doing the same.  If you’ve never been on your trips to London, put it on your agenda. Planning your first trip — same!  I’m definitely returning!

 

Then it was off to some pubs for some local beers (and Ciders for Heidi, who is Coeliac/gluten free).  Highlight of the beers sampled was the Beavertown pale ale. Light, refreshing and perfect for a summer day. The pint glass is wild! (Photo attached in separate post.) The founder of this brewery is Robert Plant’s son.  Love that.

 

Some other photos from the day to follow.

Then a post coming from yesterday evenings fun.

 

I was already following your live thread as we are considering booking Apex. Its of even more interest now that I see your wife is celiac - my wife is also. Interested to see how your wifes food experience ismon the Apex.

Enjoy,  and thanks for taking the time to do this !

[What A Market]

Sitting in London City Airport for quick flight to Rotterdam.

And dang it, flight delayed an hour.

Oh well, I’ll sit here and post some more.

 

[countess5]

Enjoy your trip! Will be following along.

 

We just returned from England. Spent 14 days sailing the Mediterranean then back to Southampton to go up to Wigginton just outside of London for 10 days visiting friends.

We actually lived the local life! Small village with a great pub. If you try another beer try Side Pocket. A local beer from Tring.

 

British Airways Business class is outstanding! Wouldn’t fly to Europe any other way.

 

We sailed Apex this past winter in the Caribbean and enjoyed it. We love the Edge class.

 

Cheers!  

[countess5]

2 minutes ago, What A Market said:

Sitting in London City Airport for quick flight to Rotterdam.

And dang it, flight delayed an hour.

Oh well, I’ll sit here and post some more.

 

Looks like no other local beer since you are heading out. Next time.

 

Cheers! 

[horseymike]

Have a great trip ⛴️. Thanks for sharing with us.

[What A Market]

8 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

I was already following your live thread as we are considering booking Apex. Its of even more interest now that I see your wife is celiac - my wife is also. Interested to see how your wifes food experience ismon the Apex.

Enjoy,  and thanks for taking the time to do this !

We’ve cruised quite a bit on Celebrity.  Also Oceania a lot.

Two cruises on Apex post-Covid.

 

Both Celebrity and Oceania do a great job with gluten free. Heidi is very very careful, and I think she would say that she’s never been contaminated. Oceania makes you pre- order your dinner the evening before, which she’s not a fan of. Celebrity’s buffet is more clearly marked for gf items.  

 

[What A Market]

Hello Rotterdam!

[irvington]

Looking forward to reading this since we will be on Apex in a few weeks. Thanks!

[ElmaLee]

5 hours ago, What A Market said:

Here’s the photos

Beavertown Neck Oil is nice!

[theopup]

Looking forward to following along. Love the Borough Market, were there last fall and will be in London agin November, so will definitely be stopping by there again.

 

Also looking at a Caribbean cruise in February on the Apex.

 

Enjoy,

[What A Market]

Good morning from a very overcast, rainy, and blustery Rotterdam.

No matter though, it’s BOARDING DAY.

Hard to believe it’s finally here!

[What A Market]

Going backwards in time — Day 2 London continued

 

The afternoon and evening of Day 2 contained way more walking, drinking, and eating. And a pop up concert thrown in just for the heck of it.  Dinner was planned near Covent Gardens, so we headed off to the other side of the Thames with a walk toward the London Eye.  The walking path on both sides of the Thames were full of people out enjoying the beautiful afternoon.  

 

Not having a particular destination in mind, I pointed us in the general direction of the British Museum and Trafalgar Square.  That’s when we stumbled onto a concert.  The group playing were four old dudes. And man, they were awesome — playing a mix of jazz, rock, and R&B. We stayed for about an hour listening to their entire set.  

 

There was still time for pub stop before dinner so I pointed us in general direction of our restaurant for the evening and that’s when we bumped into an amazing find — Mr. Fogg’s Society of Exploration.  Definitely not a pub, but rather a crazy over the top cocktail bar dedicated to the travels of Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg. 

 

And then it was time for dinner.  I chose a restaurant called Rules.  One, because online reviews said they did a great job with gluten free. Their claim to fame is being London’s oldest restaurant. A beautiful, old school formal approach to dining. I’m a big fan of that style. You don’t see it much anymore. The oysters from the Island of Jersey were a revelation.  The lamb was probably some of the best I’ve ever had.

[What A Market]

On board!

 

Loads of people standing in the rain with their baggage. Unfortunately the porters don’t take bags immediately from you as you arrive. You get in line with your bags and at one single point you hand off your bags to porters. 
 

No signage outside for the Retreat guests. Fortunately, their were a couple of people yelling for Retreat guests and getting you situated in a specific line. 
 

Very very fast (and dry) after that for the rest of the check in and boarding process. 

[What A Market]

First photos from the suite. 
Very unique chair in the foreground and elaborate clothes hanger (with its own TV) in the background. 🤣

[Provence55always]

Looking forward to following along…..we have friends onboard in an Aqua Suite.  We were supposed to join them but unfortunately family commitments got in the way. You have also given me lots of ideas for our next trip to London. Wishing you a great cruise.

[What A Market]

Can’t wait to sit in my hanging chair while in heavy seas in the North Sea!