By: Maria O’Boyle
When I began looking for a spring break vacation, I had one, and only one, goal in mind – relaxation. My husband and I decided on a Caribbean cruise. We had previously been on a few Caribbean cruises, and most were wonderful. However, our last cruise had been a nightmare, so we were looking for a cruise line with a good reputation, and good reviews. After a few days research – thank you YouTube – we chose Celebrity Cruise Line, Celebrity Apex. (Granted with the expert guidance of a Royal Carriage Vacations travel agent, their expertise will save you days of research as they can guide you to the best itinerary and ship for you and your travel party within minutes! And they provide free onboard credit for you to use during your sailing!) The ship and the amenities seemed to be exactly what we wanted.
Our entire experience was all we wanted and more! Beginning with the smoothest, fastest embarkation known to mankind. We arrived at Port Everglades two hours before our scheduled boarding time and were greeted by pleasant, efficient porters and cruise line employees. We walked through the terminal, boarded the ship, and accessed our cabin all more than hour before our scheduled boarding time.
Ahhh, the cabin… beautiful, roomy, loads of storage, USB ports, and electrical outlets. Our cabin had an “Infinite Veranda” which afforded us what felt like a much larger cabin. This balcony has a large window that goes up and down. Leaving the window closed and the balcony doors open affords an additional 12-15 feet of living space. The bathroom was also roomy with a good-sized shower that had great water pressure! The king size bed and pillows were very comfortable.
The Apex itself is a beautiful ship. The overall setup is the same as most cruise ships: entertainment venues are forward, main dining rooms are aft, with shopping, casino, more bars and restaurants between. I was really struck by the artwork. It is amazing. There are large, very interesting photographs hanging all over the ship and there are sculptures found in unexpected places. The decorating is simply magnificent.
There are four main dining rooms, each with a different theme. Cosmopolitan: Globally-inspired; Normandie: French-inspired; Cyprus: Mediterranean-inspired; Tuscan: Italian-inspired. Each dining room serves its own menu every night, and if you can’t find something you like on the chosen dining room’s menu, you are welcome to ask for items from the other dining rooms. We ate in each of these dining rooms; the food in each is delicious and the wait staff are very attentive and helpful. And of course, The Oceanview Café which is the buffet. There is also a pizza station, a grill area that serves burgers, hotdogs, fries and onion rings, and ice cream/gelato place, and a specialty coffee/tea/pastry place.
There are also a few specialty restaurants available for an extra fee. Fine Cut Steakhouse; Raw on 5: raw bar, sushi, and other seafood; Eden, where the menu is described as modern, and Le Grand Bistro which I will discuss in more detail. We had dinner in Eden one evening. There is a modern twist on foods such as crab cakes, risotto, and filet mignon with some molecular gastronomy. The food here was fantastic, and I would have dinner here again in a heartbeat, but I would go back purely for the atmosphere. The walls are covered with live plants, there is live entertainment, and the entire area is just breathtaking. So, let’s talk about Le Grand Bistro. For lunch, Le Grand Bistro serves small plates, salads, sandwiches, and Plats du Jour. For dinner, the restaurant features “Le Petit Chef”. This is a prix fixe menu prepared on your table by an animated chef! Whoever came up with this concept deserves some sort of award. The entire experience was amazing, and I enjoyed this meal more than any other I ate that week.
One night we booked a specialty dinner on the ship’s Magic Carpet – a bar and dining room that extends from the side of the ship. When not occupied, the Magic Carpet can move up and down several decks. Having dinner there during sunset was amazing! The menu for two included a charcuterie board, a caprese salad, a seafood platter (consisting of shrimp, king crab legs, a split lobster tail, and mussels), the entrée was two lobster tails, two pieces of beautifully cooked branzino, Chateau Briand, and roasted vegetables, followed by a dessert plate.
We pre-booked a couple’s hot stone massage at the spa; I used our onboard credit. The spa itself is amazing! The general reception area and the designated waiting area are comfortable and beautifully appointed. The staff are fantastic! The massage was wonderful and relaxing. I also had four acupuncture appointments at the spa. I had never had acupuncture before. The doctor was compassionate and friendly. I had been suffering from some foot pain and the sessions made the pain more manageable. I highly recommend using the spa on a port day when most passengers are off the ship when it is easier to get an appointment and more relaxing.
When we have returned from previous cruises, someone would invariably ask about some activity or location on the ship they had experienced but that we did not even know existed. Not this time! I did not leave the ship between embarkation and disembarkation. We saw and did almost everything available on the Celebrity Apex. We played trivia, we played bingo, we went to dance classes, indoor archery, and street curling. We picked up daily puzzles and went to adult coloring. We collected “gems” for a complimentary locket that is in each cabin at check in. We checked out the art throughout the ship, and the art gallery. We found a rubber ducky! We went to silent meditation and yoga. We drank specialty coffees and ate decadent desserts. We went to karaoke and silent discos. Other activities that are available, but we did not have time to participate in are origami class, sketch classes with the resident artist, bocce, pickleball, and a putting contest.
The Cruise Director and the activities staff are second to none. By the second day of the cruise, most knew us by name, and considering there were more than 3,000 passengers, that’s impressive! The entertainment is wonderful, and there is something for everyone: stage shows, musical reviews, piano players, lounge singers. The level of talent and production are extremely high. There is a chandelier light show at the Martini Bar that includes bartenders tossing and flipping all sorts of bar equipment.
The solarium(adults only) and main pool are very spacious and beautiful! Both are larger than what we have experienced on other cruise ships.
Our vacation on the Celebrity Apex was everything we wanted, and more! When you are ready for a great cruise vacation on a beautiful ship, I highly recommend Celebrity Cruises and the Apex.
Celebrity Apex will be sure to give you the relaxing, entertaining getaway you are looking for! And why not receive onboard credit from your Royal Carriage Vacations travel agent that you can use towards spa treatments, port adventures, souvenirs, and more just by booking with us and receiving our free travel planning services! Our Royal Carriage Vacations Travel Professionals are looking forward to providing a FREE, no-obligation quote today!
