Are the TripAdvisor reviews on the Apex justified

[mauimary]

I am in the class that takes Trip Advisor with a grain of salt.  I feel that the folks who write the bad reviews are more inclined to spend the energy to  report back their negative experiences. Some folks are just difficult to please in general. They can also be mad and have an ax to grind. 
 

For example hotels are rated all over the board on TA. Hotels that we have found quite lovely are slammed due to one fact or another.  
 

I rarely ever  consult TA because I believe I can get all the info I need right here on CC.  I trust CC to give me much more objective info. I use the Port Boards for info on hotels and tours.  
 

Everyone needs to do their own research so they are informed consumers. There is a cruiseline for everyone and you just need to figure out which one is the one for you. Where you feel comfortable.  I know those that haven’t done their research and end up in an IV and very disappointed. On the Edge Class we book two years out to get the stateroom we want.  We were also actually very surprised when we had an IV stateroom we ended up liking it.  This was on the Beyond Transatlantic. The weather was not conducive to a balcony so we saved a lot.  

[billc23]

16 hours ago, Qofhearts said:

Can anyone recommend an alternative company for a high quality cruise company and ship. We are novices to cruising so going into this quite blind. We have a medium to higher budget but really want to enjoy the quality of good food, a beautiful ship and good all round European cruise experience for the end of September early October this year.  

If you are considering booking a suite - aka the Retreat - take a look at the luxury lines like Seabourn, Silversea, and Regent. 

[gfkcruiser]

16 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

We took a Mediterranean cruise on the Apex in a sunset veranda cabin and I would rate the total cruise experience a 10/10. There are, however, plenty of people who do not like the infinite verandas on the new ships so they ***** and complain about everything as a result. We will try an infinite veranda on a transatlantic cruise in October. Hopefully we will like it. 

After the SV you may be disappointed.  Have sailed in both and in a suite on edge class.  No more IV for me.  The “veranda” space on the IV is so small and the bifold door cuts into the space when not in use.  The SV was great with the extra space where the IV space would be. 

[Dr. Cocktail]

17 hours ago, Qofhearts said:

I asked a question about the drink packages as we are about to confirm our booking on the Apex, really appreciate your replies and knowledge. Thank you. 
My husband just read the the reviews on Tripadvisor and we feel we have dodged a bullet as they are awful. Can anyone recommend an alternative company for a high quality cruise company and ship. We are novices to cruising so going into this quite blind. We have a medium to higher budget but really want to enjoy the quality of good food, a beautiful ship and good all round European cruise experience for the end of September early October this year.  
We so disappointed about reading these reviews, as I thought after reading the cruise critic ones and watching many YouTube video experiences  I’d made a great choice 

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

I'm rolling my eyes at the dissing of TripAdvisor as they're the parent company of Cruise Critic!

 

In fact, I'd be tempted to trust them more as you're not getting the input of "true believers" here who will accept no criticism of their favourite product.

 

On my recent Apex sailing to Norway I found the ship to be noisy and crowded with basically no "enclosed" lounges to have a quiet drink. The main dining room food and service were mediocre to frequently poor and only occasionally good. Our only decent meals were in Eden.

 

The Oceanview Cafe is a madhouse and finding a table during peak times is kind of ridiculous.

 

I am not new to Celebrity and have over 250 nights sailed.

 

I will agree with the luxury lines listed here but will add my new favourite, Explora Journeys. They are having some pretty decent promotions and it really is what I feel that a luxury cruise should be.

[NMTraveller]

17 hours ago, Boku said:

I have no experience of Apex but I do know that TripAdvisor reviews are, invariably, not to be trusted.

And which site do you use to select the best hotel or cruise?

Edited July 17 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

 

[PTC DAWG]

10 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

And which site do you use to select the best hotel or cruise?

Trip advisor was wanting me to log in with Google or Facebook the other day when I was looking for hotels in the NC mountains, not doing that. 
 

I take reviews on here pretty seriously re ships..you can tell what most want out of a cruise..

 

Re Apex and the original query, I would sail her anytime, but I do prefer the updates on Beyond and Ascent. 

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Trip advisor was wanting me to log in with Google or Facebook the other day when I was looking for hotels in the NC mountains, not doing that. 
 

I take reviews on here pretty seriously re ships..you can tell what most want out of a cruise..

 

Re Apex and the original query, I would sail her anytime, but I do prefer the updates on Beyond and Ascent. 

You don't have to login to TripAdvisor.  It is only a suggestion.  I never do.

[Markanddonna]

We were on the Apex in May on a TA. It was okay. The passengers, like on most TAs, skewed older- average maybe 75, the food was mediocre, the crew was excellent and we enjoyed our cabin. The entertainment was mediocre. We have about 30 cruises under our belts and many TAs.

[BigAl94]

55 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

On my recent Apex sailing to Norway I found the ship to be noisy and crowded with basically no "enclosed" lounges to have a quiet drink. The main dining room food and service were mediocre to frequently poor and only occasionally good. Our only decent meals were in Eden.

 

The Oceanview Cafe is a madhouse and finding a table during peak times is kind of ridiculous.

I am currently on Apex and agree totally with your comments with the exception of the food and service which has been consistently fantastic. Bit too much of a party vibe for my age and nowhere to escape from it.

[miched]

We were at a hotel and talking to the manager about some of the bad reviews.  He said it is a game by some to write bad reviews because they know that the company will reimburse them plus maybe some other perks doing so.   He said that he companies are getting wise to those that do that and are starting to eliminate that policy.  
 

You can sometimes see the same happening on board a ship.  You get the complainers that are playing their little game of complaining to get something for free.  
 

A host told me about one couple that complained about every thing and made a scene every where they went doing so.  The captain had enough and kicked them off at the next port.  They got reimbursed for the cruise, were banned from X and had to find and pay their own passage home.   I don’t think she was making this up just to tell a story. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[canderson]

16 hours ago, Liao said:

I am not a Celebrity loyalist or cheerleader.  I did just look at the TA reviews for Apex, and on the main page from a total of 92 reviews, it shows:

 

excellent/very good: 55%

Average: 15%

Poor/Terrible: 25%

 

... My own personal expereince with Trip Advisor reviews is mixed at best. 

 

Wouldn't have considered TripAdvisor for this purpose myself, but I must say, the difference in the reviews of the various Celebrity ships is interesting:

 

The following, in order of Excellent / Very Good / Average / Poor / Terrible / (count) are what I found (I did not include the Xpedition ships). Granted, these reviews are over the entire lifetime of each ship, and may have drifted as the ships aged.

 

Here's hoping the formatting holds together:

 

5 4 3 2 1       Exc Vgood Avg Poor Terr   Avg Millenium 68 25 17 10 11   4.0 % 52% 19% 13% 8% 8%     Infinity 54 25 29 22 14   3.6 % 38% 17% 20% 15% 10%     Summit 86 50 17 14 18   3.9 % 46% 27% 9% 8% 10%     Constellation 34 36 23 17 11   3.5 % 28% 30% 19% 14% 9%                     Solstice 116 36 31 19 18   4.0 % 53% 16% 14% 9% 8%     Equinox 109 36 29 18 11   4.1 % 54% 18% 14% 9% 5%     Eclipse 102 38 26 20 18   3.9 % 50% 19% 13% 10% 9%     Silhouette 116 59 43 13 14   4.0 % 47% 24% 18% 5% 6%     Reflection 100 34 21 11 15   4.1 % 55% 19% 12% 6% 8%                     Edge 141 47 41 24 28   3.9 % 50% 17% 15% 9% 10%     Apex 41 15 14 10 12   3.7 % 45% 16% 15% 11% 13%     Beyond 20 11 11 4 7   3.6 % 38% 21% 21% 8% 13%     Ascent 11 5 3 1 2   4.0 % 50% 23% 14% 5% 9%

[Jim_Iain]

You may be better off looking at some of the reviews in the Celebrity Review section or read some of the live reviews here on Cruise Critic.  The advantage of the live posts is that you can ask specific questions regarding the class of cabin you plan on booking, itinerary and items of interest.  

 

Reviewers are often more prone to post negative reviews as oppose to complimentary reviews.     As a matter of fact after 25 years sailing Celebrity I have never left a review of any of the ships or cruise lines.

 

I spent over 2 months on Apex over the past year and can say she is a lovely ship and has a great Captain and crew.     The E-Class ships are state of the art and for us we much prefer the older S-Class.   That is not a negative slam of Apex but our personal preferences for a smaller quieter cruise experience.    It is also biased as we only travel in Upper Suites.   

 

Another really good place for advise are the Roll Calls for specific cruises where you can ask others questions that may help you.

 

[mnocket]

19 hours ago, Qofhearts said:

Can anyone recommend an alternative company for a high quality cruise company and ship.

Here's a rather high-level summary of the different categories of cruise lines from mass-market to ultra-luxury. As in most things in life, you do tend to get what you pay for.  

Exploring Cruise Line Categories: From Mass-Market to Ultra-Luxury - Sophisticated Travel

 

And here's a very brief summary of the best-known (to Americans) cruise lines.

Cruise ship guide: 20 popular lines explained - The Points Guy

 

I hope this helps. 

 

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

You don't have to login to TripAdvisor.  It is only a suggestion.  I never do.

I must have missed the option not to,  was on their app on my iPad, I have never logged in either..

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, BigAl94 said:

I am currently on Apex and agree totally with your comments with the exception of the food and service which has been consistently fantastic. Bit too much of a party vibe for my age and nowhere to escape from it.

I hope the Beyond is lively on my Sept ABC cruise..

[Markanddonna]

I don't consider any review or comment unless I know the type of cabin they booked. Many excellent reviews are from upper level cabins that have access to a special dining room. Their food might be excellent while the mdr is average. You set yourself up for disappointment unless you are aware of these not so subtle differences.

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Wouldn't have considered TripAdvisor for this purpose myself, but I must say, the difference in the reviews of the various Celebrity ships is interesting:

 

The following, in order of Excellent / Very Good / Average / Poor / Terrible / (count) are what I found (I did not include the Xpedition ships). Granted, these reviews are over the entire lifetime of each ship, and may have drifted as the ships aged.

 

Here's hoping the formatting holds together:

 

5 4 3 2 1       Exc Vgood Avg Poor Terr   Avg Millenium 68 25 17 10 11   4.0 % 52% 19% 13% 8% 8%     Infinity 54 25 29 22 14   3.6 % 38% 17% 20% 15% 10%     Summit 86 50 17 14 18   3.9 % 46% 27% 9% 8% 10%     Constellation 34 36 23 17 11   3.5 % 28% 30% 19% 14% 9%                     Solstice 116 36 31 19 18   4.0 % 53% 16% 14% 9% 8%     Equinox 109 36 29 18 11   4.1 % 54% 18% 14% 9% 5%     Eclipse 102 38 26 20 18   3.9 % 50% 19% 13% 10% 9%     Silhouette 116 59 43 13 14   4.0 % 47% 24% 18% 5% 6%     Reflection 100 34 21 11 15   4.1 % 55% 19% 12% 6% 8%                     Edge 141 47 41 24 28   3.9 % 50% 17% 15% 9% 10%     Apex 41 15 14 10 12   3.7 % 45% 16% 15% 11% 13%     Beyond 20 11 11 4 7   3.6 % 38% 21% 21% 8% 13%     Ascent 11 5 3 1 2   4.0 % 50% 23% 14% 5% 9%

Interestng.... Solstice with higher numbers....Which I completely agree with.

[George C]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

You may be better off looking at some of the reviews in the Celebrity Review section or read some of the live reviews here on Cruise Critic.  The advantage of the live posts is that you can ask specific questions regarding the class of cabin you plan on booking, itinerary and items of interest.  

 

Reviewers are often more prone to post negative reviews as oppose to complimentary reviews.     As a matter of fact after 25 years sailing Celebrity I have never left a review of any of the ships or cruise lines.

 

I spent over 2 months on Apex over the past year and can say she is a lovely ship and has a great Captain and crew.     The E-Class ships are state of the art and for us we much prefer the older S-Class.   That is not a negative slam of Apex but our personal preferences for a smaller quieter cruise experience.    It is also biased as we only travel in Upper Suites.   

 

Another really good place for advise are the Roll Calls for specific cruises where you can ask others questions that may help you.

 

Sailing in suites makes a big difference, sailing in upper suites even more . Outdoor retreat makes a huge difference to me on E class. 

[sun bum]

I think my signature line says it all. We only book Celebrity. 

Edited July 17 by sun bum

[doghog]

22 hours ago, Qofhearts said:

I asked a question about the drink packages as we are about to confirm our booking on the Apex, really appreciate your replies and knowledge. Thank you. 
My husband just read the the reviews on Tripadvisor and we feel we have dodged a bullet as they are awful. Can anyone recommend an alternative company for a high quality cruise company and ship. We are novices to cruising so going into this quite blind. We have a medium to higher budget but really want to enjoy the quality of good food, a beautiful ship and good all round European cruise experience for the end of September early October this year.  
We so disappointed about reading these reviews, as I thought after reading the cruise critic ones and watching many YouTube video experiences  I’d made a great choice 

 

I like reading and respect others opinions, but... I don't select our cruises based on others opinions, experiences. Positive or negative for ship, cruise line, itinerary, ect. We've cruised the Apex before in a DPV and liked everything about the ship. Of course that is my opinion and not a suggestion or recommendation. We like all three class of Celebrity ships. Looking forward to our September Edge cruise. 

Edited July 17 by doghog

[Boku]

20 hours ago, gordylad said:

is any cruise review really justified......after all its only the OPINION of the people doing the review.......we have stopped reading reviews of movies and tv shows as we find that when we actually watch them they are pretty good

Thats what a review is, its a person's opinion.

[Mike981]

When I check reviews for most anything, I start in the middle. For example if you can pick 1-5 stars, five being the best, I will click on the three star ratings. It gives a good middle of the road start to understanding peoples feelings, then I will move around to other ratings. I have done this for years and it does help. BUT, the more you check reviews the better you get at understanding how they work and how to decipher them.

 

FWIW, Amazon reviews can be tough. They bundle like products together from multiple sellers so they are not true reviews (you don't know where/whom your item is coming from). One seller could be legit and they are mixed in with ten other counterfeit sellers. Or, they have bundled reviews for a product that has multiple features depending on what model you purchase. If the reviewer doesn't state that in the review, you don't know what they are talking about.

[mauimary]

Many of us do not sail in suites, we eat our meals in the main dining room.  We have been cruising for over 20+ years   We have been in a suite twice and that’s only because we needed the extra room with two children with us.
 We are just as happy in a regular balcony stateroom. Even the IV on the Edge Class.  Last time we cruised we were in  Aqua.  Actually did not really enjoy the smaller dining venue Blu as the menu was not the type of food we like. It was far too fussy. Too many seafood dishes for our liking on the menu.   We also did not like being at a table only a few inches from the table next to us so we moved to the Main Dining room. 
 

We find we do not need a suite to be happy and prefer having all those extra $$$ to spend on excursions.  It’s all an indiv choice. I just hate for new cruisers to feel like they need to be in a suite to have a good experience. 

[homedepot124]

We have been on Apex twice, most recently in March of this year.  Food was very good both in the Cosmopolitan MDR and the Ocean View.  We are not big fans of the infinite balconies - basically just an outside room with a window that opens.  Next time I would just book a regular outside room and not spend the extra money for an infinite balcony.