carolina_yankee

Since I am a new cruiser to Celebrity after five cruises on Disney, I want to share a first-timer’s impressions in the context of having a Disney baseline. I will add my voice to the endless debates of Edge Class, Infinite Verandahs, and “declining standards.” We are very pleased and impressed, so far! I hope this is “live” from here to Saturday, now that I have time to catch up! I’ll answer what questions I have, but vacation does take a top priority! Why this cruise? Our best friends are celebrating their 10th anniversary and we were their sponsors at their wedding so they asked us to join them. I have looked at Celebrity for years and had already decided it would be my first post-Disney ocean cruise, then Pandemic. Then this opportunity came up. Our friends chose the Apex and wanted a Caribbean itinerary. They wanted to enjoy the ship so didn’t really care about the ports. We had done the Western itinerary on the Disney Magic, but this one added Belize City, Costa Maya, and George Town to Cozumel so we decided to give it a shot. Our friends really wanted the Beyond, but the timing didn’t work. So, Apex it is. They wanted Infinite Verandahs, and we both wanted Aqua Class. We chose connecting rooms, 12171 and 12169. We booked late, so those were our only connecting options. First learning: In the future I don’t think connecting cabins matter for an Infinite Verandah. It kind of made sense on the Magic since the balconies could be joined. Not so much here. That would have given us the flexibility to both have beds closer to the bath than the IV. More on learnings later. On to the “live report.” Pre-Boarding: We flew into FLL from EWR on Friday. Instead of being delayed by Nicole remnants, we were delayed by a flat tire on the plane. So, as soon as we boarded, we deplaned and hung at the gate for an hour while the changed the tire pretty much the same way they would on a car. Then we re-boarded and were off. We landed only about 50 minutes late. As we boarded, I said to DH, “Therapy and meds are great. I’m not the least bit stressed!” Woman in front of us turned and said, “Tried that, didn’t work.” She was arriving two days early for the Constellation. After years of being in the in the 1+ day early club, I’m thinking about upgrading to the 2+ day early arrival club. We stayed at Riverside on Las Olas. Our friends live in Fort Lauderdale and took us out to a wonderful dinner at Blue Moon on the Intercoastal Waterway. The meal and service were great. Riverside is a nice location, and we got a great price, but we essentially just slept there and had a great breakfast. I would probably look for some place a little less expensive if we weren’t going to take full advantage of the area. Taxi from airport got lost on way to Riverside due to Las Olas construction. Lyft from Riverside to the port knew exactly what to do. Port Everglades & Embarkation First, Terminal 25 is WAY away from everybody else! There was a huge backup at security to get into the port. We had an 11 am arrival time. Celebrity emailed us to say that due to clearances they were asking everybody to arrive an hour later. Since checkout time was 11, that’s when we left the hotel. We finally got to Terminal 25 and handed over the luggage at 11:40. Boarding had already begun and we were on the ship by Noon. Board was way more efficient and pleasant than any Disney embarkation we have ever had (Port Canaveral, New York, Miami). As soon as we boarded we we to our muster station and checked in since we had done the videos in the app that morning. There were no health checks of any kind. We had even completed our health clearances weeks earlier (uploaded vaccine information) and did not have to answer any last minute questions. Our friends could not complete the health questionnaire until that morning. Interesting. We like Disney’s embarkation day buffet so we headed to OceanView expecting shrimp and crab legs galore. Not a one in sight! Just the same lunch buffet as the following days. We did appreciate the diversity of options otherwise, but there was much disappointment about the lack of shellfish. OceanView is a little less chaotic than Disney’s Cabanas buffet and the pizza is significantly better. After exploring the ship a bit to get our bearings, we did sail away on our IV. As a photographer, I really dislike the inability to get a good forward view in the Edge-class design, and the outdoor aft views were full. We met our stateroom attendant - he was very good at introducing himself and seeing if we had special requests. I like that he gave us a number to reach him if we need him. Disney does not do that. He has paid attention to our schedule and generally services the room the second we are out. Specialty Dining - Rooftop Terrace Grill Our friends really wanted to dine there. We all agreed the setting was lovely and the food was passible to awful. Well, I say we all agreed. When discussing our opinions this AM, our friend’s wife said, “I like my food!” She had the ribs and was very happy. The burger was bland and whole uninteresting for an up charge. The filet was OK, but not great. So, the reviews are right, it seems. Some hate Rooftop, some love it. I wish we had done the Steakhouse instead. Our friend said reviewers thought it wasn’t that great. Well, I convinced her she must have confused the two locations as I’ve read good reviews about the steakhouse! DH and I saw the Aretha Franklin Tribute show with Charity Lockheart in the Theater and loved it. Our friends hung out in Eden and saw the aerialists and loved them. Before bed, we notice one of Disney’s trips shadowing us - probably asking where we were. It was morning, and it was evening, thus endeth the first day. Next Day - Breakfast Buffet, Art Tour, General Relaxation, Dinner at Normandie. I like to drop photos inline with the text. If that’s possible here, I welcome the instructions!

According to our app, we’ve completed the Health Questionnaire and are good to go - did that when checking in a few weeks ago. Our friends, same vaccination status, aren’t allowed to complete the health questions until day before sailing. Weird.

Interestingly, FLL has not announced any closures yet. Same for MIA. The announced closures are for MCO and smaller airports in the central Eastern portion of the state.

Just to add, there are evacuation orders for Palm Beach north, but it’s the barrier islands and for people living in trailers, etc. - the kind of places that a Hurricane or Tornado says, “Those are easy! Let me at ‘em!”

The Thursday arrivals are going to be very risky. We have an 11:00 am flight of EWR to FLL on Friday, so I’m hoping all will be good by then - we will definitely be flying over the thing though. It really is only supposed to be a very low-grade Hurricane - barely 75 mph and not not for long. In the grand scheme of things, that shouldn’t be too problematic but flooding could be an issue and it would definitely shut down air travel. For those landing North of Fort Lauderdale (Jacksonville, Orlando), Friday could be a problem as could be plane changes in Atlanta on Friday/Saturday, depending on track and how long the TS force winds keep up. If they don’t close the interstates, we can drive in plenty of time. It’s the closing of the interstates I worry about since the storm will be covering Georgia/Carolinas during the time we’d need to drive through. I suppose I-85/I-75 would be an option but not a happy one. But I WILL BE ON THE APEX COME SATURDAY!

One one cruise, a British couple had a two-top next to our four-top. It was a Disney cruise so we had lots of Disney discussion to break the ice, but we did talk about Brexit and the royal family. As an American, I knew I really couldn’t have an opinion on Brexit that mattered, so I enjoyed hearing their viewpoints and learning why it was a big issue for them. They disagreed so I got to hear both sides. I love deep and serious conversations. I have zero patience with uninformed nonsense or obnoxiousness. I’m also fine with chatty “how was your day in pot?” And general travel/where are you from topics. Right now, we are set for late dining and our TA request an 8 person table - I’m not sure I’m up for that, but would love to hear people’s opinions on best table size for a couple. I’m more concerned about being the lost couple amongst others and figure a six top would be better for interaction, but only if it’s three couples. We may also end up switching to any time if that becomes available so could have more two-tops, but if Cunard cruisers are generally interesting people and good conversationalists, I would be up for it.

Is packing and unpacking included or an add-on? That alone might be worth the cost of an upgrade for someone who never really expects to sail in the Grills otherwise! I hate packing.

Around here, restaurant burgers are 8 to 10 ounces, which is ridiculous - but lets them charge for it, too. I like a good 4-6 oz burger, so I wouldn’t mind the quarter pounder. More than that and it will interfere with the evening meals! Less than that, and it’s really a snack, but not a healthy one.

We’re on the same cruise and have the same question!

The app and the website are in disagreement over the existence of Sunset Grill, but both still show the booking. I just can’t cancel or modify the booking ont he app, while I can for the other specialty dining, which made me think something was up. As long as we can get into someplace at the last minute (Steakhouse, or another specialty dining), I’ll be fine. I want to see the 9:00 show, too, so timing is important! I would laugh mightily (but only on the inside) if it were canceled and all we could get was Steakhouse as the replacement. I want to try it, but they think it will bad and claim they’ve read bad reviews. We’re giving them Eden another night, too, as well as Le Petite Chef, so we’re not stiffing them. I’m sure they’ll work with us if there is an issue. I’ll be sure to report back! (Assuming reliable internet.)

Hah! We booked this exact cabin on the Apex for our 11/12 embarkation! It’s a connecting room with #12171, in which our friends are booked. You can see in the attached map that the connecting door would be on the wall that does not have the bathrooms. You can also see the indentation close to the verandah which is where the headboard goes. Thus, the bed faces after and is next the IV. We had deep discussions on this because our friends have motion sickness issues (generally controlled by wristbands for sea-sickness) and prefer facing the direction the ship is traveling. I would prefer the sitting area being closer to the verandah but their motion issues trumped my wants.

If one is in a real pinch and traveling within the next two weeks, one can make an appointment at a passport agency to get the passport. There are agencies scattered around the country. I had a friend last year who discovered one week before this trip that his passport expired. He hoped for an appointment in Philadelphia where he could drive, but the closest place available was Buffalo, so he flew up the day before, got his passport the next morning, flew back the next afternoon and then flew to Mexico four days later. His wife started talking to him again halfway through vacation. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html

Good to know. Thanks!

A Google search only turn up this thread as the source of the information. I can see cruises skipping Belize in the near time as cleanup continues. It all depends on infrastructure and staffing. I can see some sites being closed or understaffed as employees cover the damage in their own homes. The school apparently lost most of its roof so child care is an issue. Belize Zoo sustained a lot of damage. I don’t think Celebrity has excursions there but most 3rd party booking sites do. At any rate, it is an interesting question that no one seems to know the answer to for now. We are schedule for Belize on 11/ 15 and hadn’t booked anything. We planned a bit of walk in town to see the museum and the Cathedral if the weather was nice but that’s about it. Personally, I wouldn’t mind a sea day. I think Jamaica would be the only port alternative since Belize is between Costa Maya and Cozumel on our itinerary.

COVID still carries a risk of getting very serious very fast. They don’t want to deal with a possible need for medical evacuation when it’s not really possible. However, I would think trip insurance would cover most of the costs of being dropped off in the Azores. My plan would cover the physician’s ordered medical rest for up to seven days and costs for rearranged travel due to trip interruption as well as any medical charges. These things aren’t draconian. They are necessary precautions to protect both the ship and the individual. I also understand why they won’t let an individual sign a waiver. It’s not just the risk to the individual, but the risk to those caring for the individual should things head South as well as tying up their time and resources, which would potentially hinder the care provided for the routine cruise maladies. Paxlovid is not a fail-safe and can cause rebound COVID. It also might not even be effective against the newest variants. People hate hearing this - but COVID is not a personal, private issue. People with COVID affect themselves and everyone around them. A ship, for all of modern technology and comfort, still has limited resources and sea voyages across vast bodies of water are not places where emergency help can be quickly sought. And the Azores is hardly an underdeveloped backwater. It would be very easy to get both quality medical care and flights back home.

I was more interested in the steakhouse but our friends were more interested in the Roof Top Grille. Their anniversary, their choice. But we did all agree on Raw on 5 for another night, so that’s booked! As long as RTG still exists we’ll have four specialty dinners and three complimentary dinners on our first Celebrity cruise. It will be fun to compare and contrast. All of this came up because I was looking to see if there was a nearby place for drink service if I hang out on the Roof Top Garden area. From the map, it didn’t look like it, so I started checking the location of teach of the dining and bar/lounge venues to see what might be near by. That’s when I discovered RTG dropped off the list on the app.

It’s not my favorite booking of the specialties, but our friends are celebrating their anniversary this cruise so they got to pick opening night dining on us. Another reason I don’t want it to go kerplop! I just checked the website and the venue shows and is available for bookings. It’s just weird that it disappeared from the app! Cruising is an adventure . . .

Preparing for our November 12 embarkation on the Apex, I noticed that Rooftop Grill disappeared from the list of restaurants. Also, while we have a reservation for dinner there on our first night and it still shows in our calendar, clicking on it creates a pop window saying to call Celebrity to make any changes or for more information. Assuming the reservation is good, I don’t need to call Celebrity, but I’m curious why the venue seems to have disappeared from the listed dining in the App? And my biggest concern - I don’t want to show up to a closed venue and get shut out of dinner because everything else is booked up!

I have seen this in some resort hotels, and I believe Disney (resorts, not cruise) as well - they will put daily holds for incurred charges and then do a full charge at the end, so they even warned you that you had to have twice the needed credit limit available. I think it eventually got ironed out, and this was three years ago with Disney, so they may have changed, too. At the very least, transparency is required. Once I got annoyed enough that I simply put cash down each day before the hold was processed so they would have to deal with the cash and the staffing to process it.

OK, so if it is insurance - let’s ponder why Celebrity has no upper age restrictions for excursions to Mayan pyramids that include hours of walking over uneven ground and the option to even climb up some of the pyramids (depends on the tour). Yet, they offer an excursion with a 45 minute stroll through a level botanical garden and kick out the over ‘70s. Maybe the answer is different countries. Ok, then why does Celebrity offer excursions int he same country that include SCUBA, or bicycling, or snorkeling, or other more strenuous physical activities without an upper age limit? And we’re talking about an excursion that doesn’t have the age limits on other cruise lines. And yes, I’m annoyed. And here’s why - the cost is similar whether it’s Celebrity or direct with the vendor, and it’s a tender port so I don’t get the coordinated tender privileges as those taking the Celebrity excursion do, so it’s more effort on my part with no cost savings. There is no *rational* reason for this, which is why it is annoying. Will it ruin the cruise? No. Will it ruin the port? No. My suspicion is that going directly with the vendor will mean a much better experience over all. But does Celebrity get off the hook? No. When people do their internet research prior to booking cruises or planning trips, they should know that this is a possibility.

So why do i get to book the same excursion for my husband and I through the same 3rd party vendor via Viator? They can claim insurance all they want - other cruise lines with the same excursion don’t have an age limit. I honestly think somebody coded it wrong in their computer system and nobody wants to do the legwork to figure it out.

Hmm. While the excursion through to the Pacific sounds good and theory, it sounds risking in practice based on weather and numbers. I suspect a full transit till indeed be in order if the Pacific locks are more impressive! The concept of the a lock itself isn’t that impressive to me - I’ve been through plenty on river cruises. It’s the scope and history and of the Panama Canal locks that impress me, plus any local scenery.

We have a non-refundable $1000 deposit on another line for 2024. I simply took out trip insurance for the $1000 cost and will up the value when we get close to the cruise. We have enough control over our schedules that any cancellation would either be refunded because the cruise company canceled or our trip insurance would cover do to illness/injury/work demands. I wanted to wait to book but my desired cabins were disappearing. (Small river cruise.)

We ran into that for a Grand Cayman excursion. Age limit is 70 for a stroll through botanical gardens. Fought with Celebrity and they wouldn’t budge. So, we booked through Viator. Same vendor. Go figure. I don’t buy the insurance excuse since the vendor is the same. I’ve resigned myself to chalking it up as “some things are simply stupid.”

Sure, but i don’t care. Staff are compensated with the assumption that gratuities will cover part of their total pay. It has to be gotten one way or another. I would prefer no gratuities expected at all, which, in a sense, this fee or gratuity add-on take care of. In many countries servers do not need gratuities to be give good service.