NCHPcruiser

I’m with lorimay on this.   No one really cares where anybody sleeps.  

I think you will all be able to board together, just not everyone through the Suite line.    From reports/reviews that I have read recently, many people are arriving earlier than the stated time and are not experiencing long wait times.  But who knows what your experience might be with increasing occupancy.  

12 hours ago, Poconolady said:

Has anyone heard about Apex Mar 19 sailing?

We are also on this sailing and have not been notified of the change although we expected it and assumed it might simply be an extra sea day.   I had noticed a few days ago that in my cruise planner Grand Cayman was no longer listed although if you were to book the cruise on the Celebrity website this morning Grand Cayman is still listed on the itinerary.   

I should have mentioned in my previous post that our favorite cabin has been the Celebrity Suite on the Millennium.   The space is great and unlike CS’s on S class ships there is an actual dining table which we made good use of.    It was definitely dated when we sailed in the CS on Millennium but from the YouTube video I just watched  it looks great now!   I hope you and your daughter love it!  She is going to be spoiled!    

I’ll also mention a thread I started on the RCCL forum asking for recommendations as to which ship/suite’s we should book when we take our granddaughter (who we are raising) on her first cruise.   I had assumed RC would be a better fit and was very surprised when overwhelmingly we were told to stick with Celebrity.   That will not be a problem to us!  

We are in a CS on our Apex cruise leaving FL March 19 and I can’t wait!  

Looking forward to another of your great reviews.  Your daughter is a cutie and hopefully she will love cruising as much as you do!  I’m betting she will.    This thread will help tide me over until our cruise in less than three weeks!  

We have also had good luck having our butler bring a snack occasionally.  We are always careful to let him know ahead of time on days we do NOT want him to bring anything.  

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Currently check in is available at 45 days prior to cruise but in the past when activating a ship that has not been in service it was further delayed.

Check in for our upcoming Apex cruise (3/19) was not available until exactly 30 days prior.   Maybe it’s different for different sailings?  

The Apex and Edge are currently using Terminal 25.  I’ll find out next month about a suite lounge but hopefully someone else might chime in so I’ll know what to expect.  I do know that there is a separate suite entrance to the left of the main entrance at T 25 (from another thread).

For our March 19th Apex sailing we were able to checking-in and print docs as of 2/17, 30 days prior to sail date.  

For us it would hands down be the Celebrity Suite!  I love an aft facing cabin but the CS’s on the M class suites are the best of the entire Celebrity fleet (although the bathroom is not ideal).   It is well laid out and larger than Celebrity suites on S & E ships. 

6 minutes ago, RichYak said:

For Terminal 25 there is a separate entrance to the left of the main entrance. I'm not sure which terminal Apex typically uses.

Thank you!  According to the Port Everglades website Apex also uses Terminal 25.  

We will be boarding the Apex in three weeks in FLL.   From the outside of the embarkation building is there a separate entrance for suite guests or should we just look for a separate line once we are in the building?   Thanks!  

I bypass the champagne being passed on trays at embarkation and head to the Martini bar or Retreat (depending on cruise) and get the best available champagne.    After reading the thread a couple of month ago about favorite Celebrity drinks I now have a list to choose from as to what my second drink will be!  

I’m on this sailing as well.  Good luck getting everything sorted out as soon as possible.  The lead up time to a cruise should be about excitement, not frustration!  

My guess is Celebrity doesn’t yet know if they will sail to Grand Cayman in March or April.    The temporary ban on cruise ships was extended until February 28th so hopefully they will decide soon if will be extended once more.     It is on our Apex 3/19 itinerary.  

Never had a problem with mine.  You should be fine.   

Drinks:  Included 

Specialty Dining:   Sky Suite-none are included so that’s when you would purchasing a dining package.  Luminae is quite good though and much, much better than RCL’s suite restaurant.   On a 12 or 13 night cruise though we would also try the specialty restaurants.  

                                Penthouse Suite-unlimited specialty dining is included. (Unlimited specialty is included in Royal Suites and above.) 

Tips:  Included with both suites.  Many (us included) tip extra (generally at the end of the cruise) for service that has exceeded the expected basic level.  To us this means extra service from anyone on the ship from  Butlers, Retreat concierge, bartenders or bathroom attendants, etc.  

Private Shore excursions:  We usually book private shore excursions on our own.  I have read several reviews where people have used Celebrity to book these though, especially in ports where only Celebrity tours were permitted.  The cost posted, at least to me, seemed excessive and probably closer to 50-100% more than if booked personally.  If this were the only way off the ship without doing a large tour, we might consider it.   The Retreat concierge would probably be the person to talk with to arrange this (though I could be wrong).

Mask:  No longer required on the ship except in the casino and Theater.   

I hope you enjoy your first Celebrity cruises!

You will most likely be able to get reservations once onboard.  As soon as you embark go to any specialty restaurant.  They should be able to make reservations for you at any restaurant.   You may need to be flexible about your time but certainly should find something earlier than 9 pm.    No available reservations online two months prior to sailing  is typical but reservations are available.  

From experience, in your situation, I would simply walk off with my luggage if I was physically able to do so.   I would do anything to speed things up just case something happened (delay opening the doors as mentioned by another poster).   

It is included just with a limit.  We love Raw on 5!  

There is absolutely no cruise I like better than one in the Mediterranean however the summer will be brutally hot!  We’ve done three Med cruises, all in September, and it’s STILL really hot.  So  it would be Norway for me.  

When considering the price of a PH suite I am very surprised a butler (or PRH) would discourage the occupants from any request (although I am sure it happened).    If you request something and it is within their means to accommodate that request, that’s what they should do.  

We have never needed to pre-book either and have always walked in without a wait.  

The way people actually dress at dinner is much less casual than on luxury cruise lines (my only experience being on Crystal).  My husband does occasionally wear a jacket to dinner, but he is in the minority and he NEVER packs a tux anymore.  It is rare to see an evening gown anymore although you’ll see many cocktail dresses on evening chic nights.  

During the day, for the most part, I don’t think the way people dress on Celebrity is all that different than luxury lines.   

1 minute ago, micmacmissy said:

 

This is good to know!  I *detest* the chair hog game.  I don't need to be right near the pool - just need a good comfy nook to relax in!  On our past Celebrity cruises, we really liked the solarium too.

You should have no problem finding a quiet comfortable lounger in the Retreat area, we never did and the ship was at capacity.  Occasionally we did get adjacent loungers by the pool but not often.  We really enjoy the solarium too.