Live-ish from Apex 3/23/24 to 3/30/24

[BadgerFBFan2]

Going to try to do a review on the celebrity Apex. We’ve been on a few cruises, (see signature line), so we’re not newbies when it comes to cruises. 

Trip from Milwaukee was easy through Atlanta to FLL. Stayed at the Bahia Mar. To make a long story short, our stay and interaction with the front desk was not a great experience. I had booked online using my Hilton Honors number. Wife said “we have points between your number and mine to pay for one night”, so we called Hilton, transferred my points to her HH account, booked a new reservation under her account, and I canceled the reservation I had made (yes, I have the cancellation email under my name and HH number). Went to check out and was billed for 2 nights. Somehow they canceled my wife’s reservation as a no-show and checked us in under my “cancelled” reservation. So now I have to deal with Hilton when we get home. I don’t recommend the Bahia Mar.

Anyways, had a great dinner at Serafina on the Water Thursday night. Italian restaurant, beautiful evening. Friday woke up to rain and wind. Ended up canceling an e-bike tour we had scheduled due to the impending rain. So we napped most of the day. Went to dinner at The Boatyard. Had been there before. Was good (not great). Break in the rain and wind, so wife decided we could walk back (2 miles, she in heels).

Saturday morning was pouring rain and was trying to get the bill with Hilton straightened out as the Uber driver pulled up. Was thinking this trip was doomed. But once we got to the cruise terminal everything turned around, staff was wonderful (we’re in a Magic Carpet Sky suite), and we had hope our vacation was going to be better. More in a while…

[granger]

23 minutes ago, BadgerFBFan2 said:

 

Going to try to do a review on the celebrity Apex. We’ve been on a few cruises, (see signature line), so we’re not newbies when it comes to cruises. 

Trip from Milwaukee was easy through Atlanta to FLL. Stayed at the Bahia Mar. To make a long story short, our stay and interaction with the front desk was not a great experience. I had booked online using my Hilton Honors number. Wife said “we have points between your number and mine to pay for one night”, so we called Hilton, transferred my points to her HH account, booked a new reservation under her account, and I canceled the reservation I had made (yes, I have the cancellation email under my name and HH number). Went to check out and was billed for 2 nights. Somehow they canceled my wife’s reservation as a no-show and checked us in under my “cancelled” reservation. So now I have to deal with Hilton when we get home. I don’t recommend the Bahia Mar.

Anyways, had a great dinner at Serafina on the Water Thursday night. Italian restaurant, beautiful evening. Friday woke up to rain and wind. Ended up canceling an e-bike tour we had scheduled due to the impending rain. So we napped most of the day. Went to dinner at The Boatyard. Had been there before. Was good (not great). Break in the rain and wind, so wife decided we could walk back (2 miles, she in heels).

Saturday morning was pouring rain and was trying to get the bill with Hilton straightened out as the Uber driver pulled up. Was thinking this trip was doomed. But once we got to the cruise terminal everything turned around, staff was wonderful (we’re in a Magic Carpet Sky suite), and we had hope our vacation was going to be better. More in a while…

We are also in a Magic Carpet Sky Suit same cruise Deck 9.

[hcat]

looking forward to your APEX  review.. we are booked  on her for 1/25 in an SV

[Lena11033]

Looking forward to your review, I have Apex booked twice this year - one in a solo cabin and one in a SV

[BadgerFBFan2]

So, I’m going to emphasize that these are just personal observations and experiences. Your experiences may be different from mine.

Embarkation was a breeze. We had filled everything out online prior to our trip, had downloaded the app, etc. so we were prepared. Our scheduled embarkation was noon, but we arrived a little early. Everyone at Terminal 25 was so kind and welcoming. After a brief check in, we were escorted up to the suites lounge. Beverages and appetizers were waiting for us. After a few minutes, we were taking my favorite walk of all. Up the ramp and onto the ship. She is beautiful. Modern, sleek, sexy. Just like my wife. 😉 Stopped in our room, dropped off our carry on and backpacks and made a bee line to Luminae for lunch. A Cobb salad for me, which was delicious. Wife had the lobster roll, which was small but also delicious. We then made our way to the Retreat deck, since it had finally stopped raining. The bartender there was Ajay. Great guy, welcoming smile, and very quickly knew us by name. Please make sure you show these hard working people how much you appreciate them. We try to tip additionally when warranted. He definitely earned our appreciation and respect. After dinner in Luminae (cod for me, seafood ravioli for my wife),we went to the show in the theater- comedian Louis Ramey. He was probably the best comedian we’ve seen on a cruise ship. Some very funny bits on kids, some of his worst gigs, etc. Went to bed early. Now might be a good time to describe ourselves. I’m 62, wife is 61. At home, I’m a ridiculous early riser (4:30am). Wife usually stays up a bit later than I, but we both crashed the first night at 8:30pm, woke up at 7:30am. Wow. 😮 No better sleeping than at sea! 
So, day 2 at sea (today), we got up and went to Luminae for breakfast. I had the eggs Benedict (ok, not spectacular), and wife had egg white spinach wrap (which I thought was good to very good). Went for a walk on the walking track (4.5 laps = 1 mile, and according to my Apple Watch, I walked 9.51 miles as of right now).

After our walk, we went to the Retreat Deck and got drinks and enjoyed the sun. Had lunch there (split a very good burger and fries and a Caesar salad). After a nap or two, we had reservations at Fine Cut, the steak house. Service seemed a bit off, as was the meal. Wife’s steak was ordered medium rare, was more like medium to medium well. Mushrooms she ordered came out cold. We casually mentioned this to the waiter, and to his credit he immediately tried to make it right. We were a little tight on time, and we really didn’t want anything. Just wanted to give a little feedback-you can’t fix something if you don’t know something isn’t right. The manager came by and again we said we didn’t want anything but to give some feedback. She was very gracious and gave us her card. We’ve had some great meals at Fine Cut in the past, and will continue to go there on our next cruise.

The show tonight was a musician/comedian - Tommy Green, Jr. Sang, played a variety of instruments. He had a pretty funny bit where he pulled a gentleman (name was Mayer) out of the crowd, had him sing his wife’s name (Macy) which he put it on a loop, and then sang a song using the loop recording he made while Mayer pantomimed to his wife. While Tommy didn’t have a great voice, he was entertaining and energetic.

That’s it for now. Tomorrow we get to San Juan at about 3:30pm, leave at 10pm. We have a bunch of things scheduled on board tomorrow. I’ll try to keep up with this little review as much as possible.

[mac_tlc]

Thanks for the review. 
 

We enjoyed Tommy Green Jr on Beyond last month, and also had a “meh” experience at Fine Cut. Do I see a trend? 
 

mac_tlc

[BadgerFBFan2]

8 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Thanks for the review. 
 

We enjoyed Tommy Green Jr on Beyond last month, and also had a “meh” experience at Fine Cut. Do I see a trend? 
 

mac_tlc

Not sure if it’s a trend or not. Again, the important thing here is that they immediately tried to make it right (unlike our experience in FLL - see original post). I appreciated that.

[hcat]

So far this is a very helpful review..even though we won't be in a suite.

 

We had a very good experience at Fine Cut..1st night on ASCENT but have no need to return. Same for Rooftop.. very nice but once was enough.

 

  On APEX , we hope to  book EDEN, Raw on 5,  and  the Bistro if it serves dinner or a late lunch meal without  Le Petit Chef.... and see what other ideas come from this review and others.   So far X is only offering packages ahead of time for APEX but it's early!

 

Being in a SV we have the 4 mdrs so we will pick a fav and use that as our main dinner base...either Tuscan or Cyprus..the smaller ones.

 

Hoping to hear more about the set shows, as solo entertainers change over time..

 

 

[BadgerFBFan2]

29 minutes ago, hcat said:

So far this is a very helpful review..even though we won't be in a suite.

 

We had a very good experience at Fine Cut..1st night on ASCENT but have no need to return. Same for Rooftop.. very nice but once was enough.

 

  On APEX , we hope to  book EDEN, Raw on 5,  and  the Bistro if it serves dinner or a late lunch meal without  Le Petit Chef.... and see what other ideas come from this review and others.   So far X is only offering packages ahead of time for APEX but it's early!

 

Being in a SV we have the 4 mdrs so we will pick a fav and use that as our main dinner base...either Tuscan or Cyprus..the smaller ones.

 

Hoping to hear more about the set shows, as solo entertainers change over time..

 

 

 

Wife and I consider ourselves amateur foodies. Back home (Milwaukee area), there are some amazing chefs (James Beard award nominees). So we’re a bit spoiled. We thought Eden was good, and the setting at back of the ship (wake view is the best view) is spectacular. Service is always excellent, which to us makes up 50% of the experience. Have not done Raw on 5 or Le Petite - yet. Might try to get into Le Petite before the end of the cruise. If we do I will certainly post our thoughts.

 

 

Edited March 25 by BadgerFBFan2

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, BadgerFBFan2 said:

Not sure if it’s a trend or not. Again, the important thing here is that they immediately tried to make it right (unlike our experience in FLL - see original post). I appreciated that.

That is so true. S@$& is going to happen, it’s how they react that makes the difference. Our waiter and the manager offered to replace our meal but by that time we were done.  
 

mac_tlc

[Havin'fun]

Thanks for taking us along - looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

[TheHawk1]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

So far this is a very helpful review..even though we won't be in a suite.

 

We had a very good experience at Fine Cut..1st night on ASCENT but have no need to return. Same for Rooftop.. very nice but once was enough.

 

  On APEX , we hope to  book EDEN, Raw on 5,  and  the Bistro if it serves dinner or a late lunch meal without  Le Petit Chef.... and see what other ideas come from this review and others.   So far X is only offering packages ahead of time for APEX but it's early!

 

Being in a SV we have the 4 mdrs so we will pick a fav and use that as our main dinner base...either Tuscan or Cyprus..the smaller ones.

 

Hoping to hear more about the set shows, as solo entertainers change over time..

 

 

Just off Apex a few weeks ago and of the 4 MDRs, we enjoyed Cyprus the most, in terms of great service and quiet atmosphere.  Though Normandie has some of the best specialty menu items.  Also did Eden for dinner on the last night and it was, of course, the best meal of the entire cruise.

[hcat]

10 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

Just off Apex a few weeks ago and of the 4 MDRs, we enjoyed Cyprus the most, in terms of great service and quiet atmosphere.  Though Normandie has some of the best specialty menu items.  Also did Eden for dinner on the last night and it was, of course, the best meal of the entire cruise.

thanks for confirming  that we have a good plan.. Does Apex have a World Class Bar?  or anything unuque compared to EDGE?

[BadgerFBFan2]

There isn’t a World Class Bar on the Apex; it is on the Beyond.

[BadgerFBFan2]

Day 3. The best of both worlds. Mostly a day at Sea, and then a port late in the afternoon (San Juan). Got to sleep late then went to Blu for breakfast. Wife and I both had an egg white omelettj that was very good. In my opinion, breakfast in Blu was excellent. Love the vibe. Deep blue against white backdrops, with texture and dimension. Food tends to be on the healthier side (but I still had my thin crispy bacon-yum!). 

Wife talk to me into doing a morning stretch class. This 62-year-old body doesn’t bend very well. But I gave it a try and hung in there. After stretch we played trivia. Failed miserably. 🤣 

Was going to do the putting challenge but a huge crowd showed up and we wanted some sun. So up to the Retreat deck.

Now I’m usually the pessimist between my wife and me. We had left the Retreat deck for the putting challenge, and as we headed back she was sure we would never find two lounge chairs. But I was optimistic. As we got to the front of the deck, a lovely couple appeared to be leaving, so I asked them if we could have their chairs. Of course they said yes. Wife gave me a dirty look. Chairs secured.

Once again a burger, chicken Caesar salad, and shrimp cocktail for lunch should tide us over till our tour in San Juan. Old San Juan: Culinary, Cocktails, and History. You had me at cocktails.

San Juan and  Puerto Rico hold a special place in our hearts. We were married at Dorado Beach back in 1996, next to crashing waves and swaying palm trees, and it’s always great to get back to where we started our journey together.

More later.

[Texed]

Thanks for posting.  😊

[hcat]

I am looking forward to your  post about the Old San Juan Culinary tour..

 

Aside from the food and bevs, is there alot of walking involved?

 

OSJ can be hilly with cobblestones and don't want to risk stumbling!

[CruisinRoxy]

Looking forward to the rest of your review. And I’m jealous! We were on Apex in February and loved it so much we booked another cruise on her same time, same stateroom but on starboard side rather than port.  We loved the entertainment so much! Saw a Tommy Green as well, he has so much energy! But we really loved the production shows! See them if you can.  Those young entertainers - the singers and dancers- are so talented! And the Apex Orchestra!  Wow! Can’t wait to go back!  Enjoy! 

[BadgerFBFan2]

8 minutes ago, CruisinRoxy said:

Looking forward to the rest of your review. And I’m jealous! We were on Apex in February and loved it so much we booked another cruise on her same time, same stateroom but on starboard side rather than port.  We loved the entertainment so much! Saw a Tommy Green as well, he has so much energy! But we really loved the production shows! See them if you can.  Those young entertainers - the singers and dancers- are so talented! And the Apex Orchestra!  Wow! Can’t wait to go back!  Enjoy! 

Heard that the show Rockumentary is not to be missed. Looking forward to it!

[BadgerFBFan2]

17 minutes ago, hcat said:

I am looking forward to your  post about the Old San Juan Culinary tour..

 

Aside from the food and bevs, is there alot of walking involved?

 

OSJ can be hilly with cobblestones and don't want to risk stumbling!

Will let everyone know what it was like as far as walking, food, and beverage wise. 🍻

[Ryan_R]

This is great. Thanks for posting. Enjoying the daily updates. I'll be on the Apex 4/20-27 on the same itinerary. 

[BadgerFBFan2]

So, just got back from our Small Group: Old San Juan, Culinary, Cocktails, and History tour. To address @hcat question, if you have any mobility issues, you may want to consider another tour. This tour involves walking through the streets of Old San Juan, and there are some steep streets and hills (think San Francisco). It rained most of the tour, and it could cause some problems for someone with mobility issues. Probably walked 2 miles on hilly streets with brick streets (mostly on sidewalks but sometimes on the brick streets).

Our tour guide was Gia. While she said English wasn’t her first language, she was GREAT. Very enthusiastic, passionate about her city and country, so knowledgeable of both the history and cuisine of San Juan. First stop we had a beef and rice dish. The beef was like a roast that was incredibly tender and seasoned so it melted in your mouth. So much flavor! Next stop was a local small bar that served a lavender rum drink. Refreshing and delicious! Next was a small brew pub that served up a 4 flight beer tasting along with chicken skewers with a guava sauce and a hot sauce that I loved. Final stop was a place that served up the best pina coladas I’ve had in a long time, as well as mofongo and flan for dessert. Pina coladas were so good that the entire group ordered another one. Really enjoyed the tour and met some great people! That’s why I love cruising so much.

Tomorrow is St. Maarten. We’re doing the America’s Cup Sailing Regatta. We’ve done this twice before, and looking forward to it again. More tomorrow. Thanks for coming along for the ride with us!

[Cruisebird]

Following along. We are on the transatlantic in a month. Have you attended any of the other entertainment? We loved the impromptu cirque style shows in the smaller venue.

[hcat]

Great review of the OSJ Culinary excursion..thank you.   I agree we would have to pass on this one..despite the good food, drink and guide. 

 

Over the years we have walked  many miles up and down those hilly   cobblestone streets...plus the forts etc. And have also donned rain ponchos...

 

 We are still avid walkers and bike riders, but now prefer more level pathways.  Fear of falling...just not worth it!..

Edited March 27 by hcat

[BadgerFBFan2]

3 hours ago, Cruisebird said:

Following along. We are on the transatlantic in a month. Have you attended any of the other entertainment? We loved the impromptu cirque style shows in the smaller venue.

Saw that tonight in The Club. We thought the men were better than the women vocally. The acrobatics were really good!