Apex review Jan 13-20, 2024

[CruiserKris34]

So many people on here have helped me out with questions over the years, so I would like to pay back with this review & answer any questions.  We are empty nesters in our 50's with 9 cruises under our belt (Royal, Holland, Celebrity). We prefer Celebrity over Royal because we don't need all of the kid stuff.  We went on Holland a year ago & prefer Celebrity for a lot of reasons.  We were on Apex 2 years ago.  I did notice a small decline in the food quality at the buffet & the number of stations that were opened, but not a huge deal for me.

 

Loved:

Staff - they are amazing.  I do not think I encountered even one negative person.  They SPOIL you!

Efficiency - they know how to move people! Never a long line (Embarkation, Debarkation, specialty coffee at buffet, shows, MDR, etc.)

Cleanliness - the ship is spotless.  There is usually an attendant in the restrooms cleaning up. 

Cabin - shower was good size & great pressure. 

Pool - love the HUGE, main pool with waiters always going by to take your order or sometimes brought trays of drink of the day!

Excursion at St. Martin - beach/lunch.  We were supposed to go to Wai Plage, but went to KKO which was WONDERFUL!

Classic Drink Package - NO MORE signing for drinks, unlike 2 years ago.  Only sign if an upcharge.  

Luggage Valet - worth the $29/each.  Bags go directly to your home airport. 

Buffet - breakfast was the best (creamy scrambled eggs, bacon, potato cakes).  Fruit was GREAT.

 

Needed Improvement:

Rooftop Grill - the only specialty restaurant we did. Ribeye was OK. Mac/Cheese & Cookie were good. Wings had too much dry rub. Dry caesar salad. Slow service.

APP - messaging did not always work & I kept getting an error.  I even went to help desk but no help.

Cabin - NO plug in on one side of the bed!  Really?!  We all have phones to charge at night.  

Pools - they really needs steps into the pool (instead of just a ladder).  I saw some older people struggling to get out.

Desserts - I thought they were disappointing.

 

Tips:

Public restrooms.  They are available if the "bolt" looking thing is vertical. People were so confused lol.

Shady hang out area - as you look at the pool bar, go up the steps on the left.  Nice, cushy chairs to relax in.

Eden - some cool chairs at the very back of the ship to hang out or read in.

Donuts - they only had them on the buffet on the last day, but you can find them at Cafe Al Bacio.......amazing!

Day 1 - you can leave your big suitcase with the porters outside & take your smaller carry-on to the cabin, even if they are still cleaning.

APP - there were some really good things with the APP, like if you were hungry at odd time, click "Hungry Now?" lol.  Also, good to check your charges or control stateroom lights & temp.  I could not get my phone to open the door, even after visiting Help desk & guest services. 

 

Overall, we had a GREAT time & don't sweat the small stuff.  Hope this helps!  Let me know if questions.  Kris

 

[Crazy planning mom]

Great review.  I appreciate the tips.  Sailing on the Apex next month.

[theopup]

Thanks we will be on Apex soon, and it will be our first Edge Class experience.

 

Appreciate your comments

[granger]

The phone by the bed has a charging point.

[CruiserKris34]

2 hours ago, granger said:

The phone by the bed has a charging point.

The phone & the charging was both on one side of the bed, thus nothing for me LOL.

[CruisinRoxy]

Heading to Fort Lauderdale to board the Apex next Thursday! Can’t wait!

Edited January 23 by CruisinRoxy

[psternklar]

31 minutes ago, CruisinRoxy said:

Heading to Fort Lauderdale to board the Apex next Thursday! Can’t wait!

DW and I as well!  maybe not, Saturday is our day.

Edited January 23 by psternklar

[CruisinRoxy]

2 hours ago, psternklar said:

DW and I as well!  maybe not, Saturday is our day.

Yep Saturday! Flying down to FLL two days prior.  Can’t wait to get out of this never ending Blizzard we’ve had for a week!  

[psternklar]

2 hours ago, CruisinRoxy said:

Yep Saturday! Flying down to FLL two days prior.  Can’t wait to get out of this never ending Blizzard we’ve had for a week!  

Safe travels!  Can not wait....

[Airportlimbo]

Did you have a white party up on the pool deck? 

[dlh015]

On 1/22/2024 at 7:35 AM, theopup said:

Thanks we will be on Apex soon, and it will be our first Edge Class experience.

 

Appreciate your comments

Same here! April can't come soon enough!

[CruiserKris34]

23 hours ago, Airportlimbo said:

Did you have a white party up on the pool deck? 

No, I did not see or hear of a white party (or any party) on the deck.

[4Nathan]

Thank you for the review.  My first Celebrity cruise is the first week of April - didn’t realize this was the Easter weekend as we hope to escape all the kiddos on Royal.  How did you find the noise level around the pool, at the Martini bar, in shows etc? Was it difficult finding loungers in the solarium on sea days? Did the staff assist with removing towels on vacant chairs? Was there a scheduled family time for the solarium ?  Thank you!

 

 

 

[CruiserKris34]

9 hours ago, 4Nathan said:

Thank you for the review.  My first Celebrity cruise is the first week of April - didn’t realize this was the Easter weekend as we hope to escape all the kiddos on Royal.  How did you find the noise level around the pool, at the Martini bar, in shows etc? Was it difficult finding loungers in the solarium on sea days? Did the staff assist with removing towels on vacant chairs? Was there a scheduled family time for the solarium ?  Thank you!

 

 

 

You will love it!  The pool was not too noisy.  There was music in the background and some games by the staff.  I found it mostly relaxing. The solarium looked to be kid-free & was much quieter & great cushions on the loungers.  We were in the Martini bar one night and did NOT find it hard to hear each other. On sea days, the loungers did get mostly all saved by 8 am. I did not look in the solarium since we sat outside mostly.  I did not see any staff removing towels if there were personal items. I'm not sure about the family time in the solarium. 

[madmedic]

Are there steps into the solarium pool? Thinking of travelling with less able parents. Also are there any decks that are not accessible by lift? 

[jelayne]

On 1/23/2024 at 1:19 PM, CruiserKris34 said:

The phone & the charging was both on one side of the bed, thus nothing for me LOL.

There are 2 more charging ports in the white box above the minibar.

[CruiserKris34]

35 minutes ago, jelayne said:

There are 2 more charging ports in the white box above the minibar.

Yes, true.  I just like to charge my phone at night and have it next to me.  

[horseymike]

Very concise review, my favorite.

Glad you had a good time, thanks for sharing your experiences with us all.

[Dancing Shoes]

Sailed on Apex last April.  We liked this ship and would definitely sail again.  Thanks for the review.

[Dancing Shoes]

On 1/25/2024 at 6:42 PM, CruiserKris34 said:

You will love it!  The pool was not too noisy.  There was music in the background and some games by the staff.  I found it mostly relaxing. The solarium looked to be kid-free & was much quieter & great cushions on the loungers.  We were in the Martini bar one night and did NOT find it hard to hear each other. On sea days, the loungers did get mostly all saved by 8 am. I did not look in the solarium since we sat outside mostly.  I did not see any staff removing towels if there were personal items. I'm not sure about the family time in the solarium. 

They will remove stuff if asked.  We did and finally got somewhere to sit.

[CruiserKris34]

5 hours ago, madmedic said:

Are there steps into the solarium pool? Thinking of travelling with less able parents. Also are there any decks that are not accessible by lift? 

In the solarium pool, I saw someone getting out with a ladder, so I do not think there are steps.  However, I did not get in that pool, so I am not 100% sure.  Maybe someone else can chime in to verify.  I'm pretty sure that all decks were listed in the elevator, but again, not 100%, so someone can confirm.    

[Peteymil]

On 1/23/2024 at 7:04 PM, Airportlimbo said:

Did you have a white party up on the pool deck? 

We were on for 2 weeks in December and did not have a white party.