So many people on here have helped me out with questions over the years, so I would like to pay back with this review & answer any questions. We are empty nesters in our 50's with 9 cruises under our belt (Royal, Holland, Celebrity). We prefer Celebrity over Royal because we don't need all of the kid stuff. We went on Holland a year ago & prefer Celebrity for a lot of reasons. We were on Apex 2 years ago. I did notice a small decline in the food quality at the buffet & the number of stations that were opened, but not a huge deal for me.
Loved:
Staff - they are amazing. I do not think I encountered even one negative person. They SPOIL you!
Efficiency - they know how to move people! Never a long line (Embarkation, Debarkation, specialty coffee at buffet, shows, MDR, etc.)
Cleanliness - the ship is spotless. There is usually an attendant in the restrooms cleaning up.
Cabin - shower was good size & great pressure.
Pool - love the HUGE, main pool with waiters always going by to take your order or sometimes brought trays of drink of the day!
Excursion at St. Martin - beach/lunch. We were supposed to go to Wai Plage, but went to KKO which was WONDERFUL!
Classic Drink Package - NO MORE signing for drinks, unlike 2 years ago. Only sign if an upcharge.
Luggage Valet - worth the $29/each. Bags go directly to your home airport.
Buffet - breakfast was the best (creamy scrambled eggs, bacon, potato cakes). Fruit was GREAT.
Needed Improvement:
Rooftop Grill - the only specialty restaurant we did. Ribeye was OK. Mac/Cheese & Cookie were good. Wings had too much dry rub. Dry caesar salad. Slow service.
APP - messaging did not always work & I kept getting an error. I even went to help desk but no help.
Cabin - NO plug in on one side of the bed! Really?! We all have phones to charge at night.
Pools - they really needs steps into the pool (instead of just a ladder). I saw some older people struggling to get out.
Desserts - I thought they were disappointing.
Tips:
Public restrooms. They are available if the "bolt" looking thing is vertical. People were so confused lol.
Shady hang out area - as you look at the pool bar, go up the steps on the left. Nice, cushy chairs to relax in.
Eden - some cool chairs at the very back of the ship to hang out or read in.
Donuts - they only had them on the buffet on the last day, but you can find them at Cafe Al Bacio.......amazing!
Day 1 - you can leave your big suitcase with the porters outside & take your smaller carry-on to the cabin, even if they are still cleaning.
APP - there were some really good things with the APP, like if you were hungry at odd time, click "Hungry Now?" lol. Also, good to check your charges or control stateroom lights & temp. I could not get my phone to open the door, even after visiting Help desk & guest services.
Overall, we had a GREAT time & don't sweat the small stuff. Hope this helps! Let me know if questions. Kris