We sail on Apex at the end of March in a Celebrity Suite in the Retreat. While we sailed on Carnival and Disney when we were younger and had kids with us, the rest of our comparatively meager cruising has been on Celebrity. The vibe (demographic) matches us perfectly and has never disappointed us. Thanks for the review and pumping up our eagerness to sail once again.
Thanks for this video! I love how you laid it out and with all the pics and videos attached. Can't wait to see the food one to come. We are sailing Apex in April, our first Celebrity, and this video has made me so excited!
My sister and I have just returned from a seven night cruise onboard Celebrity Edge. Your observations are spot on. Service is excellent. Food is amazing. We stayed in a Sky Suite and used Blu for breakfast for five mornings as we found service in Luminae a bit slower and there isn’t much difference in the food offering. We did dine in the Steakhouse and we were surprised when both our ribeye steaks arrived medium to well when we had ordered medium rare. But the team exchanged no quibble. We also dined in Eden where we had the tasting menu with wine pairing and in my opinion is on a par with one star Michelin restaurants.
Thank you for posting the comprehensive review. We are in our 40’s with teenagers and have only cruised a handful of times…..We didnt really know anything about cruising but because of the cruise schedule during school holidays, the first 3 times were on Celebrity. The food is really good, the service was great, interesting food and drinks to try (like cocktail of the day), the staff was wonderful….if we asked for a recommendation between two menu items….they would insist to bring both to try for both adults and the kids. We are world travelers and like different cultures and foods and the celebrity experience allowed us to relax, unwind, enjoy good food and drink. This summer, we did a Cunard transatlantic…….UGH! The Cunard food was the worst food…disgusting…(and so many people rave about it online!!!) and we had a difficult time even getting cokes from the bar….the staff was so put out AND we had the premium drink package……. It was so disappointing. We ended up ordering spaghetti and sandwiches for room service after the second night….even the kids are asking to go back to celebrity next time for the food, service, staff, and experience. Your review helps confirm that we didnt imagine it all…. :)
Enjoyed the video. Very informative. We are sailing on the Apex in late March, and I was happy to see that it got such a good review. Looking forward to seeing th future videos.
I cruised on The Edge last September and I’m doing a Holiday cruise on the Apex in 18 days. If the Apex is anything like the Edge it will be a fantastic cruise. I’ll get back with you after my cruise and let you know if the Apex is as wonderful as The Edge, and I’m pretty sure it will be. Thank you for all your great reviews.
Thoroughly enjoyed your video. We cruise on the Apex starting on the 12th, so was very informative. I have heard others say the same about the internet.
I will anxiously await your further reviews on food and the sky suite. We look forward to our 12-day British Aisle cruise in May in a sky suite. A first for us. I subscribed as I appreciate your perspective, being in the same basic demographic. I would appreciate your views on embarkation and debarkation, since Retreat guests are to have and enhanced experience in those areas.
I am pretty sure you are going to love the ship and the 12-day British Isles itinerary is a great one. You will have plenty of time to explore all of the great venues onboard.
I have cruised on Edge twice - once in 2019 transatlantic FLL to Southampton and Oct 2021 FLL RT. I love the ship and all the areas you covered however, we have experienced the seating in Eden and other areas to be somewhat uncomfortable. We will be on the Apex June RT AMS to Ireland and Iceland and then Edge in oct this year rome to FLL. Thank you for your insights.
"X", Cebrety logo is homage to Chandris written in Greek which would be spelled Xandris. Makes sense to me 😉 We haven't sailed on the Apex yet (Spring 2024) but I do find the ceilings seem low compared to our cruising - a senior couple - NCL, Princess and MSC and I really don't get the deck numbering: most lines start on deck 4 or five for tending. I don't get starting at 2, but that's me. What do you mean by "every guest receives" a Classic Drink Package? We have not opted for any drink package because it is cost prohibitive for our consumption ability. This is the most expensive Wi-Fi on the seas, in my opinion, and I've heard it isn't even reliable; so when we cross the Atlantic, I'll be going dark until I can find free Wi-Fi on land.
I have watched 4 of your videos and I like your balanced and very objective reviews. Just have a comment : can you in a future review dedicate a segment on accessible staterooms at all levels (particularly balcony, acqua class and suites). My travel companion is fully paraplegic and use oxygen 24/7, I will like to see a video of fully accessible cabins and accessible support provided by Celebrity from assistance during the reservation process to life on board their ships to transfers, to excursions. I will highly appreciate it.
So you had Sky suite, maybe you got better service because you were in a special suite and not like one of the low cost cabins? Do you think service would be as good?
The service throughout the ship will not depend on the category of stateroom (restaurants, bars, etc.). The only additional service you will receive as a suite guest will come from your butler, who can make dinner reservations for you, book shore excursions, and other tasks.
Liked your review of this ship. We will be sailing on Apex next month - just curious as to your recommendations on embarkation day first meal - we're in aft balcony, so no specialty restaurants in our package, but looking at options other than the buffet for first day.
Ann, we ate at Oceanview Cafe (buffet) for our first lunch after embarkation. We had dinner at Eden, but that is only because it was the only night we could get a reservation. I don't think there are any bad choices.
Fantastic video! One question: what was the brand of Riesling you said you really enjoyed on the ship? I love Riesling wines and my hubby and I are considering going on the Apex this year. Thanks again for such a fantastic, thorough video.
@@CruiseReport thank you so much! We ended up booking our next cruise on the Equinox because of the timing, but Apex is definitely on our list of ships to go on as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to having this Riesling.
@cruise report would you say the amenities in retreat are worth the upgrade to a suite? We are booked in aqua class in April and debating trying to upgrade.
The only way to know is to go to the Celebrity website and get a quote. The prices change rapidly from day to day and from one sailing date to the next.
Celebrity does not offer free wifi drink packages and gratuity in the price of the basic package. We were not even offered those things when I booked through celebrity. I realized I need to add it now. And we even have to add a non alcoholic package because we don’t drink and regular drinks are not included at the restaurants. Only the buffet.
It’s hard to take you as an expert on anything when you mispronounce the word chi (Greek letter X) right off the bat… it’s not chee but rather kai, and represents the Greek letter at the beginning of the Chrandris Group’s name spelled in their native Greek. I’m going to assume you didn’t bother to do a quick Google search on the matter.
I just returned home April 15th (2023) from a 7 day cruise on Celebrity Apex which is an elegant, peaceful & beautiful high end ship! Three ports were visited: San Juan, PR; Tortola, BVI & St Kitts, West Indies ---> LOVED ALL OF THEM!!! After docking at 3:30 PM, we walked around Old San Juan near the port. We took no excursions on San Juan as we arrived late. I have been to SJ before and had already visited El Cristobal Fort & El Morro then both are highly recommended as excursions. In Tortola, we took the Town & Country Tour including one hour at Cane Garden Bay Beach, then we returned going around Tortola from another direction (3.5 hrs). We saw amazing views of Roadtown & our ship, plus many jaw dropping views of various islands & landscapes. Our driver & tour guide was Kumba and he was fantastic. St Kitts was our third island, where Century Apex & three other ships docked, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, a Carnival ship & Marella Explorer 2. Needless to say, the area outside the gate was crowded with people milling about trying to find their line for the booked excursions. Royal Carribean passengers were most numerous as their ship was huge. We took the "Scenic island cruise and beach tour" (3.5 hrs). A boat took us away from the pier and we viewed several islands at a leisurely pace while heading toward the most beautiful view in the distance, the island of Nevis. We had one hour to enjoy Lime Beach (part of Pinney's beach) near the Marriott Hotel. Then qe returned by boat to the marina. The ship Celebrity Apex was *ASTONISHING*. The Theater entertainment was *PHENOMENAL* with singing, dancing, & acrobatics included in highly creative programs!!! Also, individual singers on specific nights were extraordinairily talented!!! Everything was memorable about the Celebrity Apex! Not enough space here nor enough time to describe what was so great & why it was so memorable & enjoyable!
Thank you for an excellent review! I would like to add one comment about Celebrity competitors. You mentioned Princess and HAL - and I completely agree. But then you also mentioned Oceania and Viking being in the same category. Those two line are in a completely different league. They are somewhere between Celebrity/Princess (premium) and Seabourn/Silversea (Ultra luxury), but I think Oceania and Viking are closer to ultra luxury than to premium. You cannot really compare 3,000+ passengers ships with 700-1,200 ships. Otherwise I agree with all other comments in your review.
We know you didn't pay for the upgrade, but we are curious about how much it would have cost if you had to pay for the sky suite. Thanks, God Bless and stay safe!
It is impossible to say because I think Celebrity sells the upgrades based on capacity. We were originally booked in an AquaClass Stateroom and that is the highest category next to a Sky Suite. I can only assume that the cost to upgrade from AquaClass is less than it would be from, say, an Interior stateroom. That said, I have heard that others upgraded to the Sky Suite for about $1,000/pp and maybe even less. You can bid on an upgrade before sailing through the Celebrity Move Up website and they will tell you what your odds are of getting the upgrade. We were going to do this, but because we were a guest of the cruise line, they would not give us access to the Move Up auction. The other way is to wait until you are onboard the ship, then go to Guest Services and inquire about an upgrade.
![Tee Grizzley - Blow for Blow (feat. J. Cole) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wNLN5xsx5dc/mqdefault.jpg)
We sail on Apex at the end of March in a Celebrity Suite in the Retreat. While we sailed on Carnival and Disney when we were younger and had kids with us, the rest of our comparatively meager cruising has been on Celebrity. The vibe (demographic) matches us perfectly and has never disappointed us. Thanks for the review and pumping up our eagerness to sail once again.
Thanks for this video! I love how you laid it out and with all the pics and videos attached. Can't wait to see the food one to come. We are sailing Apex in April, our first Celebrity, and this video has made me so excited!
You will love it.
My sister and I have just returned from a seven night cruise onboard Celebrity Edge. Your observations are spot on. Service is excellent. Food is amazing. We stayed in a Sky Suite and used Blu for breakfast for five mornings as we found service in Luminae a bit slower and there isn’t much difference in the food offering. We did dine in the Steakhouse and we were surprised when both our ribeye steaks arrived medium to well when we had ordered medium rare. But the team exchanged no quibble. We also dined in Eden where we had the tasting menu with wine pairing and in my opinion is on a par with one star Michelin restaurants.
Thank you for posting the comprehensive review. We are in our 40’s with teenagers and have only cruised a handful of times…..We didnt really know anything about cruising but because of the cruise schedule during school holidays, the first 3 times were on Celebrity. The food is really good, the service was great, interesting food and drinks to try (like cocktail of the day), the staff was wonderful….if we asked for a recommendation between two menu items….they would insist to bring both to try for both adults and the kids. We are world travelers and like different cultures and foods and the celebrity experience allowed us to relax, unwind, enjoy good food and drink. This summer, we did a Cunard transatlantic…….UGH! The Cunard food was the worst food…disgusting…(and so many people rave about it online!!!) and we had a difficult time even getting cokes from the bar….the staff was so put out AND we had the premium drink package……. It was so disappointing. We ended up ordering spaghetti and sandwiches for room service after the second night….even the kids are asking to go back to celebrity next time for the food, service, staff, and experience. Your review helps confirm that we didnt imagine it all…. :)
We sail on her August 1, 2022 to Iceland and Ireland..Can't wait. Finally, no trampoline parks and water slides
You will love her!
Brian how waz it
@@MuscularDUDE fantastic.
@@Bchams2012 I'm so excited I have it booked for February of next year
Enjoyed the video. Very informative. We are sailing on the Apex in late March, and I was happy to see that it got such a good review. Looking forward to seeing th future videos.
I cruised on The Edge last September and I’m doing a Holiday cruise on the Apex in 18 days. If the Apex is anything like the Edge it will be a fantastic cruise. I’ll get back with you after my cruise and let you know if the Apex is as wonderful as The Edge, and I’m pretty sure it will be. Thank you for all your great reviews.
I am betting you will love it. A really beautiful ship.
Thoroughly enjoyed your video. We cruise on the Apex starting on the 12th, so was very informative. I have heard others say the same about the internet.
Thank you for the review! We will be on Apex in 22 days
Well done. I love the way you explain everything so clear. You got yourself a new subscriber. Greetings from Belgium - Europe.
Any thoughts on the Beyond ? Loyal Royal fan, but considering Celebrity is from the same company looking to give it a try.
Thank you.
@@vincentvandamme722 We would love to sail on Beyond. That will probably be our next Celebrity cruise.
So glad you guys enjoyed the ship. We loved the ship as well. Cannot wait to sail in Beyond next year. Thanks for another great video.
I hope we get the opportunity to sail on Beyond.
Hi there, Do you know if there is Pickleball on the ship?
You know, if there is, I do not recall seeing it.
I will anxiously await your further reviews on food and the sky suite. We look forward to our 12-day British Aisle cruise in May in a sky suite. A first for us. I subscribed as I appreciate your perspective, being in the same basic demographic. I would appreciate your views on embarkation and debarkation, since Retreat guests are to have and enhanced experience in those areas.
I am pretty sure you are going to love the ship and the 12-day British Isles itinerary is a great one. You will have plenty of time to explore all of the great venues onboard.
I have cruised on Edge twice - once in 2019 transatlantic FLL to Southampton and Oct 2021 FLL RT. I love the ship and all the areas you covered however, we have experienced the seating in Eden and other areas to be somewhat uncomfortable. We will be on the Apex June RT AMS to Ireland and Iceland and then Edge in oct this year rome to FLL. Thank you for your insights.
"X", Cebrety logo is homage to Chandris written in Greek which would be spelled Xandris. Makes sense to me 😉 We haven't sailed on the Apex yet (Spring 2024) but I do find the ceilings seem low compared to our cruising - a senior couple - NCL, Princess and MSC and I really don't get the deck numbering: most lines start on deck 4 or five for tending. I don't get starting at 2, but that's me. What do you mean by "every guest receives" a Classic Drink Package? We have not opted for any drink package because it is cost prohibitive for our consumption ability. This is the most expensive Wi-Fi on the seas, in my opinion, and I've heard it isn't even reliable; so when we cross the Atlantic, I'll be going dark until I can find free Wi-Fi on land.
Celebrity has recently changed their policy on included drink packages moving forward so make sure to check their website for details.
We're very excited to try Celebrity and got a great deal for about the same we're used to paying on the other three.
I have watched 4 of your videos and I like your balanced and very objective reviews.
Just have a comment : can you in a future review dedicate a segment on accessible staterooms at all levels (particularly balcony, acqua class and suites). My travel companion is fully paraplegic and use oxygen 24/7, I will like to see a video of fully accessible cabins and accessible support provided by Celebrity from assistance during the reservation process to life on board their ships to transfers, to excursions.
I will highly appreciate it.
Great review. It was a perfect cruise, but thank you for sharing the wi-fi was horrific!!!!
So you had Sky suite, maybe you got better service because you were in a special suite and not like one of the low cost cabins? Do you think service would be as good?
The service throughout the ship will not depend on the category of stateroom (restaurants, bars, etc.). The only additional service you will receive as a suite guest will come from your butler, who can make dinner reservations for you, book shore excursions, and other tasks.
Liked your review of this ship. We will be sailing on Apex next month - just curious as to your recommendations on embarkation day first meal - we're in aft balcony, so no specialty restaurants in our package, but looking at options other than the buffet for first day.
Ann, we ate at Oceanview Cafe (buffet) for our first lunch after embarkation. We had dinner at Eden, but that is only because it was the only night we could get a reservation. I don't think there are any bad choices.
Thank you for the review, do you know which line is sailing Mediterranean.."""
Fantastic video! One question: what was the brand of Riesling you said you really enjoyed on the ship? I love Riesling wines and my hubby and I are considering going on the Apex this year. Thanks again for such a fantastic, thorough video.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this. The Reisling was Selbach.
@@CruiseReport thank you so much! We ended up booking our next cruise on the Equinox because of the timing, but Apex is definitely on our list of ships to go on as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to having this Riesling.
@cruise report would you say the amenities in retreat are worth the upgrade to a suite?
We are booked in aqua class in April and debating trying to upgrade.
Absolutely.
Are Prices of the 7-day cruise Top Secret? How much would it cost a traveller?
The only way to know is to go to the Celebrity website and get a quote. The prices change rapidly from day to day and from one sailing date to the next.
Celebrity does not offer free wifi drink packages and gratuity in the price of the basic package. We were not even offered those things when I booked through celebrity. I realized I need to add it now. And we even have to add a non alcoholic package because we don’t drink and regular drinks are not included at the restaurants. Only the buffet.
This review should be called “Mansplaining Celebrity Cruises”.
Your video is very nice!! You should use a service such as P R O M O S M.
It’s hard to take you as an expert on anything when you mispronounce the word chi (Greek letter X) right off the bat… it’s not chee but rather kai, and represents the Greek letter at the beginning of the Chrandris Group’s name spelled in their native Greek. I’m going to assume you didn’t bother to do a quick Google search on the matter.
I have experts like you. I don't need Google.
I just returned home April 15th (2023) from a 7 day cruise on Celebrity Apex which is an elegant, peaceful & beautiful high end ship! Three ports were visited: San Juan, PR; Tortola, BVI & St Kitts, West Indies ---> LOVED ALL OF THEM!!!
After docking at 3:30 PM, we walked around Old San Juan near the port. We took no excursions on San Juan as we arrived late. I have been to SJ before and had already visited El Cristobal Fort & El Morro then both are highly recommended as excursions. In Tortola, we took the Town & Country Tour including one hour at Cane Garden Bay Beach, then we returned going around Tortola from another direction (3.5 hrs). We saw amazing views of Roadtown & our ship, plus many jaw dropping views of various islands & landscapes. Our driver & tour guide was Kumba and he was fantastic. St Kitts was our third island, where Century Apex & three other ships docked, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, a Carnival ship & Marella Explorer 2. Needless to say, the area outside the gate was crowded with people milling about trying to find their line for the booked excursions. Royal Carribean passengers were most numerous as their ship was huge. We took the "Scenic island cruise and beach tour" (3.5 hrs). A boat took us away from the pier and we viewed several islands at a leisurely pace while heading toward the most beautiful view in the distance, the island of Nevis. We had one hour to enjoy Lime Beach (part of Pinney's beach) near the Marriott Hotel. Then qe returned by boat to the marina.
The ship Celebrity Apex was *ASTONISHING*. The Theater entertainment was *PHENOMENAL* with singing, dancing, & acrobatics included in highly creative programs!!! Also, individual singers on specific nights were extraordinairily talented!!! Everything was memorable about the Celebrity Apex! Not enough space here nor enough time to describe what was so great & why it was so memorable & enjoyable!
Thank you for an excellent review!
I would like to add one comment about Celebrity competitors.
You mentioned Princess and HAL - and I completely agree. But then you also mentioned Oceania and Viking being in the same category. Those two line are in a completely different league. They are somewhere between Celebrity/Princess (premium) and Seabourn/Silversea (Ultra luxury), but I think Oceania and Viking are closer to ultra luxury than to premium.
You cannot really compare 3,000+ passengers ships with 700-1,200 ships.
Otherwise I agree with all other comments in your review.
I definitely agree that Viking is a different animal altogether. I mentioned Oceania because it is Norwegians mid-level premium line.
@@CruiseReport do you have any reviews of Oceania?
@@Steadyoptions We have not been on Oceania since 2003. I am hoping we can get on this year.
We know you didn't pay for the upgrade, but we are curious about how much it would have cost if you had to pay for the sky suite. Thanks, God Bless and stay safe!
It is impossible to say because I think Celebrity sells the upgrades based on capacity. We were originally booked in an AquaClass Stateroom and that is the highest category next to a Sky Suite. I can only assume that the cost to upgrade from AquaClass is less than it would be from, say, an Interior stateroom. That said, I have heard that others upgraded to the Sky Suite for about $1,000/pp and maybe even less. You can bid on an upgrade before sailing through the Celebrity Move Up website and they will tell you what your odds are of getting the upgrade. We were going to do this, but because we were a guest of the cruise line, they would not give us access to the Move Up auction. The other way is to wait until you are onboard the ship, then go to Guest Services and inquire about an upgrade.
Excelent video and review
Thank you