Rare NMTraveller Posted July 18 #51 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 9 hours 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% I would agree with the rankings ... The higher ranked ships get ranked higher on our boards also. Edited July 18 by NMTraveller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liao Posted July 18 #52 Share Posted July 18 9 hours 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% Very interesting indeed. Makes me feel like I made the right decision for the cruise that I canceled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted July 18 #53 Share Posted July 18 7 hours ago, George C said: Sailing in suites makes a big difference, sailing in upper suites even more . Outdoor retreat makes a huge difference to me on E class. Thanks George. I was trying to be polite and not disparage E-Class but for us We will probably never sail E-Class again and have shifted 80+% bookings away from Celebrity. We each enjoying cruising in a different manner and we never use the Outdoor Retreat Area and find the Luminae experience boring, repetitive and limited. For those that sail occasionally I'm sure this isn't an issue, but when we have sailed Celebrity for 10-12 weeks a year they got old quickly and I totally loose my appetite for the same ol things. At least on M and S class ships you have the ability to order from MDR. Many nights there's nothing on the Luminae that interests us. We use to fall back on the Petite Filet on the kids menu but they have recently even eliminated this. Don't get me wrong many of the Maitre'D have been beyond accommodating and encourage us to order the night before from MDR, Blu and even offered to cook things special off menu. Maybe we just need a change for a couple years and will be back as a dedicated Celebrity cruiser. When I look at the Menus on Cunard, Ponant, Oceania, Silversea and Regent SS I just lust for such a menu on Celebrity --- but when I read their forums I hear the same complaints: Decreased Food Qualilty, Cut-backs and "Things aren't the way the use to be". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted July 18 #54 Share Posted July 18 On 7/16/2024 at 1:16 PM, d9704011 said: If Tripadvisor doesn't give you a 'feel good', go here.... evidently a source you trust! https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/celebrity/celebrity-apex Editor Review a 5 out of 5. If that was true, I'm not sure why anyone would book a Regent Sailing when X is rated the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted July 18 #55 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 8 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said: Editor Review a 5 out of 5. If that was true, I'm not sure why anyone would book a Regent Sailing when X is rated the best Likely as true as the Tripadvisor reviews and ratings. Since the poster came to Cruise Critic looking for advice, he/she ought to have full faith in the CC Editor review(s). Oh.... 5/5 doesn't necessarily mean 'the best'; after all, the CC Editor review wasn't a comparison between ships. Edited July 18 by d9704011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liao Posted July 18 #56 Share Posted July 18 2 hours ago, d9704011 said: Likely as true as the Tripadvisor reviews and ratings. Since the poster came to Cruise Critic looking for advice, he/she ought to have full faith in the CC Editor review(s). Oh.... 5/5 doesn't necessarily mean 'the best'; after all, the CC Editor review wasn't a comparison between ships. And aren’t those reviews based on travel agent/press first looky loos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted July 18 #57 Share Posted July 18 I see so many people saying Blu tables are closer together than the MDR tables, but in my experience, they're ALL close depending on where you are seated. I've been in multiple MDRs where there was literally only a bread plate's worth of space between the tables and yet in other areas of the same MDR there was more space (Looking at you MDRs on Edge Class). Likewise in Blu there were some tables that were further apart. It depends on where in the dining room you're seated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted July 18 #58 Share Posted July 18 The Blu tables are too close ... One of the reasons why I choose specialty. Why can't Blu be special? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liao Posted July 18 #59 Share Posted July 18 1 hour ago, NMTraveller said: The Blu tables are too close ... One of the reasons why I choose specialty. Why can't Blu be special? Luminae on EClass are way too close as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted July 18 #60 Share Posted July 18 2 minutes ago, Liao said: Luminae on EClass are way too close as well. I like E class because of outdoor retreat and the entertainment, Luminae is disappointing compared to my normal M class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted July 18 #61 Share Posted July 18 3 hours ago, Liao said: And aren’t those reviews based on travel agent/press first looky loos? Probably. Me personally, I'd trust those reviews about as much as Trip Advisor reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted July 19 #62 Share Posted July 19 On 7/16/2024 at 7:06 PM, Qofhearts said: Thank you everyone for your replies. Having never cruised before I spent a few days searching quite obsessively and thought I’d found us a great ship with the bonus of a perfect itinerary. It is very narrow minded of us to be steered away by a batch of random reviews. It just unnerved us as it’s a milestone birthday and wedding anniversary treat to each other so wanted to find something special. I’ll take a breath, a further look into others but I feel we may now, after all your advice go with the Apex. Many of your comments hit home with a common sense wake-up call. Much appreciated I just sailed her last November (inside room) and the trip was great. I have learned that much of our own experiences come down to our own expectations and for me it would take a lot to call anything out. My cruise was a B2B and the Apex was followed by the Reflection and that is an older ship that many say even worse things about given how it would be aging but I loved that cruise too. My only reflective thoughts on the two cruises due to them being B2B and easy to compare is that I felt the Reflection to be more cozy feeling. The Edge class ships are classy and beautiful and modern and the art around the ships is next level. Don't get too lost in reviews, or look for your fears there. I tend to do that too, I will read 20 great reviews and think ok that's the one and then read a bad one and it will take me down. For someone that's never cruised it can be overwhelming but I can tell you I've not been on a bad cruise and there have been some where the crew could have used some TLC. I have not sailed Europe so cannot speak to any Celebrity ship there but I will say that one factor for sure would be size of ship if you have any tender ports as the more passengers the more 'fun' sharing tenders. Celebrity ships are not the biggest out there so I would expect this would not be the nightmare one might face on some other ships. Maybe some higher cost cruises are among your choices which I could not speak to .. stupid budget restrictions though I expect I would not like them anyway as they would not be my style 🍻 Oh and I'm sailing Apex again March 2025 🙂 They cannot wait to get finally sail an Edge class ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix_dream Posted July 19 #63 Share Posted July 19 I've sailed Apex twice, and have another scheduled for February. Is she my favorite Celebrity ship? Not by a long shot (although she does have my favorite production show). I would not sail in anything but a suite as I love a real balcony. The Retreat areas are lovely. Don't like the Martini Bar on this ship due to the design. E class IMHO is louder, more vibrant, more crowded than M and S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cangelmd Posted July 19 #64 Share Posted July 19 On 7/16/2024 at 5:06 PM, Qofhearts said: Thank you everyone for your replies. Having never cruised before I spent a few days searching quite obsessively and thought I’d found us a great ship with the bonus of a perfect itinerary. It is very narrow minded of us to be steered away by a batch of random reviews. It just unnerved us as it’s a milestone birthday and wedding anniversary treat to each other so wanted to find something special. I’ll take a breath, a further look into others but I feel we may now, after all your advice go with the Apex. Many of your comments hit home with a common sense wake-up call. Much appreciated Hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy every minute. some “reality” checks about cruising, particularly food and activities. 1) the first evening is always chaotic for the dining room, doesn’t matter what cruise line or which dining room, give the staff about 24 hours and things will greatly even themselves out. Don’t be shy about going to the maitre d stand after and make reservations for the next night if you were happy with your table location and service. Or since it’s Apex, be sure to try all 4 dining rooms. 2) About food, cruise lines that follow the USCG? Public health guidelines (virtually all lines that ever dock in the US), have a lot of constraints on how they obtain, store and prepare food, so the quality is never that of a true fine dining experience on land.. Simple example, almost all the steaks are frozen, as is the seafood. I have had many excellent meals onboard - Eden is a not to be missed gem - but even the original Eden menu was not equal to a land based fine dining experience, just really, really close. 3) And speaking of Eden and the original menu, Covid has hit cruiselines super hard and be aware, when you read reviews, that food, service, wine availability are not what they were even 5 or 6 years ago. What service industry in your everyday life is the same as it was in 2018-19? Some people writing reviews really bemoan the drops in service for sure and those changes are very real (I think a lot of decline is based on the lines taking advantage of Covid excuse to make money saving cutbacks) but you as a new cruiser will probably not even notice what has changed, the core experience is still relaxing and satisfying. 4) There are all kinds of cruisers, and all kinds of vacationers and it honestly takes about 3 cruises on at least 2 different lines to identify what you really like and don’t like and what your priorities are. You may just not like cruising. So relax and try to do the one or 2 things that sound truly amazing, and don’t sweat all the other stuff. Just be sure to devote at least a couple hours wandering around Apex, she’s a beauty. And, please, don’t be the lady that walked past me on the next to last day of the cruise, walked into Eden and said ‘has this been here the whole time?!’, just don’t be that person. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted July 19 #65 Share Posted July 19 49 minutes ago, cangelmd said: And, please, don’t be the lady that walked past me on the next to last day of the cruise, walked into Eden and said ‘has this been here the whole time?!’, just don’t be that person. 😂🤫 Shhh ... big secret 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisinShips Posted July 19 #66 Share Posted July 19 FWIW, we sailed on the Apex for the first time in February, and while on board, booked the same cabin for the same time next year. Great ship and crew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billc23 Posted July 19 #67 Share Posted July 19 4 hours ago, poffles said: I just sailed her last November (inside room) and the trip was great. I have learned that much of our own experiences come down to our own expectations Key point. If one pays a large premium for Blu or the Retreat they are more likely to be disappointed because of higher expectations. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now