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I really like ‘retreat host’ better than butler. Celebrity has returned to calling them butlers, and that sounds stuffy, which Rajeev was not! lol And that’s how they know?! Thanks for the heads up. 😁

Day 4

Day 3

It was not difficult to find a chair at the main pool. I think our cruise was 80% full. As hard as it would be to choose, since several were really good, I have to give Eden the edge. We have it booked twice for our 9 night next year. 🙂

The food is mostly self serve. There are sandwich, stir fry and pasta stations, where those are prepped/served, and some items are in individual containers, but the rest is self-serve. We always carry hand sanitizer with us to clean our hands when we arrive at the table before eating, and of course wash before going into the buffet. We have done that for years, if attending buffets.

Day 2

Day 1, Celebrity Today

Final musings, and comparing Celebrity with RCI: Small touches: Some of the little touches Celebrity Apex includes are really very, very nice. The cold, wet towels available after boarding (and available on the dock at ports) are really appreciated. The cards left in the cubbyhole at our door, reminding us of reservations we had for paid events and specialty restaurants was thoughtful. The chocolates on our pillows each night made us smile. Not having to checkout towels at the pools was a nice touch as well. Service: We have received excellent service from both RCI and Celebrity now. Celebrity takes it one small step further, and almost all employees onboard Apex cheerfully greeted us as we passed in the hallway. Entertainment: Entertainment is subjective, and this is only our opinion. We have enjoyed entertainment on both lines, but RCI has the edge here. Some of that is because of the many venues on the large Oasis class vessels. There is also more live entertainment on RCI. Celebrity Apex supplemented live music with DJs. That said, I really enjoyed the live entertainment in the Grand Plaza on Apex. It was yet another example of Celebrity bringing people together in community. Food: The food onboard Apex was outstanding. We didn’t have enough time to try the dining rooms, but did eat at the Rooftop Grill, the Grand Bistro for lunch, Le Petit Chef, Eden and of course, Luminae. Ken doesn’t like buffets, but we ate at the Oceanview Cafe twice (pizza snacks two other times), and Ken really enjoyed it. The pizza there is the best we have had at sea. While we enjoy RCI specialty restaurants and Coastal Kitchen, there is simply no comparison between the two. Celebrity wins this one, hands down. Some friends onboard asked me to compare RCI and Celebrity foods, from the perspective of someone that has sailed suite class on both lines. Food is very subjective, but following is our take. On RCI, you have the main dining restaurants, then Coastal Kitchen (suite restaurant) is a step up, and the specialty restaurants are yet another step up from Coastal Kitchen. For a couple of meals, Coastal Kitchen is at the top with the specialty restaurants. On Celebrity Apex, you have the main dining restaurants. Take a step up from there, and you are at the level of the specialty restaurants. One more step up is Luminae. Eden ranks very close to Luminae, and some other meals at the specialty restaurants are very close as well. But, for the most part, to us, Luminae is the top. If you prefer simpler meals, or are not an adventurous eater, Luminae may not appeal to you. The nice thing, on both lines, is that there is something for everyone. Vibe onboard: this is an area we really can’t compare the two lines on. We love RCI for the high energy, fun atmosphere, for the sheer variety of things to do onboard. With Celebrity, we loved the opportunity to slow down and relax, to rejuvenate from a difficult work year. We adored the Martini Bar! And yes, there were plenty fun things to do onboard Apex, it was just lower key, and more relaxed. We enjoy both lines, for the completely different vibes, and plan to continue to cruise both. As a matter of fact. I just booked Edge for the 2024 12-night Vancouver to HI. I love that there are three overnights on HI islands. Gives us time to explore more.

Thanks to all who have participated in this review. 🙂 I appreciate it. We received our disembarkation information in the cabin the last day (hiss, boo!). We opted to walk off with our luggage since we had a 12 hour drive ahead of us. This is the last one-day drive home for us, if we are driving to port. Going forward, we will split that into two days. In retirement, we may just meander home by way of Destin. 😁 Looking forward to those days. We met in Fine Cut Steakhouse, to be escorted off the ship. Quickly thru Customs, and in the car within 10 minutes. Couldn’t have been easier.

I prefer a sit down breakfast as well. We had a couple of quick lunches at Oceanview, and a couple of pizza snacks, but otherwise, there are too many great restaurants to enjoy. 🙂 I agree about the Luminae breakfasts. Will def enjoy on our cruises that are ahead.

We fell in love with this town some 25 years ago. When we relocated to TN 17 years ago, we decided to buy there. We still love living here. And I am familiar with Johnson City too. When we relocated to TN, we drove all over the place, and settled for the greater Knoxville area, so we could be close to the Smokies. 🙂

We live in a little town called Maryville, outside the city limits, with an awesome view of the Chilhowee Mountain (Foothills Parkway). Are we neighbors? 😀

Yes, this is Luminae. There is breakfast available every day in Luminae. There is lunch available at sea days in Luminae, or a limited menu on the suite pool deck while in port. 🙂

Wow, I’m really sorry to hear that. 😕 What a real shame. We were on deck 10, and had no sound issues where we were located, right off the rear elevator area. Can you share where you were so others know?

Thanks. 🙂 There were still a few martinis left that I wanted to try as well. Guess I will have to try them the next time. With RCI, for years it has more than satisfied what we are looking for in a vacation. And the benefit of the loyalty program fit our lifestyle the best of any loyalty program. When our son was younger, it fit the bill for family. He loved the kids program, and so did we. We had to ‘force’ him to check in with us daily when he was a teen. 🤣 We love the look of the RCI ships (as we do Celebrity now), and how the ships are designed to disburse people so you don’t have to feel crowded. We love the fun activities and shows. The ice shows, the dive shows and the Broadway shows are our favorites. RCI is tops for entertainment, and has lots of venues for live music. I like that if I want to be adventurous, I can zip line, or do laser tag, or try a dry slide down multiple decks. 😂. We also love the private island CocoCay, and especially the upscale Beach Club. I also am very partial to Central Park, and enjoying a drink in the evening there, while listening to a guitarist or pianist. Such a beautiful place to hang out. We chose Celebrity because now that we are almost Diamond+ with RCI, we are locked in with benefits there, so wanted to try this line that has been beckoning to us for a while now. 😁 We will be sailing both going forward. Have a great TA! Our first retirement cruise will be a TA.

I will try to finish my last few posts tomorrow evening, and over the next couple of days, post all the daily Celebrity Today newsletters. Have to prep for work tomorrow. 😭 Have a great evening!

And last, but certainly not least, were the desserts. Ken chose the Aztecs Chocolate Pie. I requested the Lemon Meyer Tart. Ken loved his dessert, and I still want another lemon tart! It was the best dessert I had onboard, and that was a very high bar, let me tell you!

Ken ordered the Branzino in Crispy Bread, a great main course. I opted for the Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole, which was everything I imagined it would be.

Aww, thank you! ❤️ It was a great one!

We saved Eden for our next to last night aboard. We knew it would be a great dinner, when we were seated at the wake of the ship. 🙂 We love a wake view! Our waiter was very entertaining, and asked us about our likes/dislikes. I mentioned that I’m a Cajun girl, so enjoy food filled with flavor. Cajun food is not necessarily spicy, though it can be. We just love to flavor our food, using all the spices at our disposal. 🙂 We both ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake appetizer, and it was excellent. I did take a small bite before remembering to take a pic, so excuse the smeared sauce at the top. And that glass apple you see at the top right is the Forbidden drink, which tastes like apple pie. The shrimp you can barely see (which I forgot to take a pic of) is the Pan Roasted Carabinero Shrimp that the waiter brought us because I mentioned I’m Cajun. It was outstanding as well.

We ate in the Oceanview Cafe several times. Ken does not like buffets, and we usually pass on the Windjammer on RCI, because there is nothing that stands out enough for him to eat the buffet. Celebrity is definitely a step up with their buffet, and we grabbed several quick meals at Oceanview, including the pizza in the restaurant that is directly behind Oceanview, aft on the ship. This was the best pizza we have had at sea. And the pizza restaurant is open when the buffet restaurant is not. One day, I grabbed a cake dessert that was infused with some kind of liquor, maybe rum? Anywho, this cake tasted like pure rum, so strong that I could not eat it. It was dripping with rum. 😂 I told Ken that whoever made it must have forgotten they had already poured rum over the cake, and poured more. Ken liked it though, and finished it for me. 🤭 That was the only food item I tried onboard and couldn’t eat it. Another day, there were some wonderful cakes out for lunch dessert. We both enjoyed the carrot cake.

We had dinner at Le Petit Chef for my birthday. I completely forgot to take any photos. However, we had the menu that included Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (over feta) and this tomato tart was over-the-top! I don’t eat tomatoes often, and this was SO bursting with flavor that I ate it all. Ken could tell you I normally would never eat that much of a dish with tomatoes as the main ingredient. We then had Poached Shrimp and Persian Cucumber Salad, followed Braised Short Rib of Beef, finishing up with Strawberry Chantilly Napoleon. All were excellent. I thought that Le Petit Chef would be a one-and-done for me. Cute and fun, but for some reason I thought this meal wouldn’t compare to the other meals. The manager of the dinner came around to thank each of us for attending, and she was touched when I told her this meal rivaled Luminae. Which it did. We will attend Le Petit Chef again.

We both finished with the Ricotta Cheesecake. So pretty and tasty!

For our mains, Ken again went with the recommendation of our waiter, and he chose the Peppered Tuna with potato purée, spinach and pinot noir sauce. He normally doesn’t choose tuna, but this was amazing! I chose Citrus and Chili Braised Short Ribs with pickled chilis and steamed rice buns. After seeing a serving of this go by, I asked the waiter to please give me only one piece of short rib, since the plate normally comes with two. So, when you look at the picture, imagine twice as much meat. I still had enough to share a bit with Ken.

One other night, I remembered to take photos of an entire meal at Luminae. So, I guess that was two afternoons we didn’t spend time at the Martini Bar. 😂 For appetizers, Ken chose Grilled Mediterranean Octopus with crispy prosciutto, potatoes and smoked paprika. Because I am not that adventurous, I chose Chicken Liver Custard with pickled turnips and sourdough toast. We had to get extra toast for Ken to enjoy some of my tasty app, and surprisingly, I tasted his and it was excellent!