BeachTunes

Hello! 

We are still kicking tires trying to figure out which cruise to book in March 2023. We had our eyes set on an Apex cruise but I just spied a nice itinerary on the Millennium for half the price! Both cruises are in Aqua Class. We have been on M-Class and S-Class ships before and enjoyed them both. I really wanted to try the "new ship" Edge-Class experience but the pricing on this particular M-Class cruise is almost a no-brainer. It would allow us to bid more on a MoveUp to a suite, potentially! (I know, I know, no guarantees with Move Up Bids! LOL!)

So having rambled on here's my question: If I were to book online today or tomorrow, could I transfer my booking to my travel agent later/before final payment? I ask because I believe she is away this week. She always makes herself available so I could reach out to her even though she's on vacation. I just thought if I can book it on the website and not hassle her while she is enjoying her time off, then great! If not, all good. 🙂 

Thanks to you all, as always, for your insight! Happy Holiday Season, everyone!

Thank you both @TravelingCircusof5 and @Jeremiah1212! Both very interesting perspectives. 

I think if the SV was less than Aqua class, it would be an easier decision. It turns out that even regular verandah IV staterooms are almost as much as Aqua class! So it's definitely down to the SV at a higher price or Aqua... Not a bad problem to have to solve! LOL! 

Thank you for your feedback @wineoclock and @Cruise a holic! It is appreciated. 

A proper balcony definitely is something we have enjoyed during our previous cruises. 

Now a new question has popped up! The only available SV for our preferred dates is on Deck 12 right below the Sunset Bar. I fear that stateroom would suffer from noise from above. Any thoughts on this location are welcome. Thanks! 

11 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I wouldn't expect real changes to the Apex.  Celebrity has been renaming cabin categories and that created a need to different deck plans.

None if the beverage packages cover alcoholic drinks from Room Service.  
 

The SV vs Aq is really what is important to you access to spa and Blu or a real balcony.

Thank you very much jelayne! Your answers are very helpful. 

And good point about SV vs Aqua! As for the real balcony vs Blu, I think if they were the same price, I'd lean toward the SV on Edge class (given 4 different MDR vibes to try) but given that the SV is currently $500 more per week than Aqua, we could spend that the difference on specialty dining and an excursion and still have Blu/Spa benefits. 🙂

Hello From Chilly Canada! 

So the mission to book a 2023 Caribbean Apex cruise continues... It's going to happen eventually! LOL! I'm admit I over-research vacations so please forgive my many random and long-winded questions! For reference, we have cruised on Celebrity twice: Once aboard the Reflection in Aqua back in 2014 and then in a Sky Suite on the Summit in 2015. We enjoyed both experiences for different reasons. Those cruises seem like eons ago and so much has changed! We have since cruised with Crystal three times and on the Paul Gaugin in Tahiti. We think we will enjoy returning to Celebrity and can't wait to experience Eden, the new shows and the E-class decor and innovations.

On with my questions...

1. Sunset Veranda vs Aqua: I know 50% will go with SV and the other half will vote for Aqua! Haha! Here's the dilemma: Right now, there is one last SV available on deck 12 that is pricing out to be $250 per person more than Aqua class! That seems odd to me but I guess it's a supply and demand thing. With that in mind, is the SV with its "proper" balcony really worth $500 Canadian more for a week over Aqua? (Again, I expect a mixed bag of answers but am curious to hear everyone's thoughts! We loved Blu during our previous X cruises, especially for breakfast and did use the thermal spa on sea days.)

2. Does anyone have recent Aqua Class Room Service Menu photos to share here? And if we have the Premium Beverage Package, is room service wine and beer included? (Trying to decide how many of the allowed bottles of wine to bother schlepping on board! LOL!)

3. The Apex deck plans on Celebrity's website show two options: One through to April of 2023 and then a second one from April 2023 onwards. I can't seem to see what is different. Again, just curious if the ship will be going through dry dock and would love to know what changes will be made. If it's something really groundbreaking - like moving the cabanas around to actually face the pool and not a busy walkway - then it might merit booking after those changes. We booked an Alcove one day on the Reflection and it was glorious. I can't say I'm jazzed about spending $150 for a lounger that faces the Magic Carpet, which also has couches at no charge! 😉

If you've read this far, then I send you a virtual high five! Thanks in advance for everyone's input. I know these are really petty questions and feel blessed to be in a position to book a cruise at all. 

Cheers!

@Kelownadon I believe the poster didn't share the website as doing so would violate Cruise Critic rules. (I may be mistaken.)

5 hours ago, Mark_T said:

The wording is clear, it is bottles not volume that is the limit.

 

I would happily argue if they tried to deny 2 bottles per person, I would not try to defend multiple smaller bottles as that is not what the rules state.

Thank you for the clarification! Definitely don't want to rock the boat (literally and figuratively) so we'll stick with 2 x 750ml bottles per person. 

@George C Thank you for asking this question as I will be wondering about this when we hopefully return to Celebrity in 2023. 

Another question... Is it a strict 2 bottles per person as in the standard 2 x 750ml total per person? For example, would 3 x 250ml bottles count as 1 x 750ml bottle? Or would 1 x 250ml bottle = 1 of the 4 total bottles allowed?

I ask because a local winery in our region produces these cute little 250ml aluminum bottles of wine that travel well. 

They're not the most fancy of varietals but they're great for keeping in the mini fridge and because they're metal they won't break in transit. We do plan on having the Premium Beverage Package so these would be to keep in our stateroom to enjoy while getting ready for dinner. We know we can purchase wine during our pre-cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale too so no worries either way! Just curious and don't want to cause an unnecessary kerfuffle when boarding! LOL!

Cheers!🍷

19 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

These endless so called "Sales" are all so fake and misleading. I looked at all 4 of our future booked cruises and in every case this "sale" would cost more than what I'm already booked. My 2, January 2024, cruises of Australia and NZ this "sale" is $2000 each more in cost.  I love Celebrity but these sale offerings are misleading and never real sales.

I agree! It's rather annoying. It's just not cruise lines that do this either. Land-based tour operators are notorious for inflating brochure rates to be able to say they're offering limited time "specials" of 75% off. We stayed at a Sandals resort last year and if we'd payed the "full" catalogue price we would have spent over $30,000 Canadian for a week. LOL! If I had spare $30,000 kicking around to spend on a week in the sun, it definitely wouldn't be in a 300 square-foot room at an all-inclusive mass market chain! 😉 (We have enjoyed our Sandals and Celebrity vacations, though, sales tactics aside.)

Having said that, does anyone want to speculate on what Celebrity will do for Boxing Day? Would I be dreaming to think that maybe prices will be better then for a March 2023 Apex cruise? 

@What A MarketThank you for the Caravan recommendation. It's on our list! 🙂

@michedOh yes, we will definitely allocate some time for some bar hopping entertainment! LOL

@carolina_yankeeThanks so much for sharing your experience here and also for "live aboard" thread. Can't wait to check out that fabulous theatre. How cool that the Captain was so supportive the on board talent. Love it!

@NashnaThe Tree of Life looks so innovative. I know there are some YouTube videos featuring clips from the show but I'm refraining from watching them in order to be amazed and surprised when we get to see it in real life!

Glad to hear the innovative theatre design works well! As someone who has been a stage performer,  I can't wait to experience it first hand! 

Going back to my original question, what are your favourite shows on The Apex? 😊

@Vickmar: Glad to hear you enjoyed the entertainment aboard The Apex. Music to my ears! 🙂

Hello!

My husband and I are quite close to booking a March 2023 cruise aboard the Apex. It looks like such a beautiful ship! 

We tend to try to go to at least a few evening shows while cruising. It looks like most of the shows are either musical reviews or "cirque" type performances. I see Celebrity also brings in guest musicians, singers and comedians, which is nice. 

Shows that have piqued my interest include:

Caravan (In The Club)

Tree of Life (In The Theatre)

Night of Dreams (Eden)

Silent Disco (We've experienced this before and it's always a riot!)

I also read about some sort of year-round New Year's Eve party in Eden? That could be amusing! 

Looking to hear what everyone's "must see" shows are on board the Apex! I'm also curious to hear about the game show type events in The Club!

I realize that entertainment preferences are very subjective. For reference, we're in our late 40s/early 50s. I happen to be a singer myself, not that I'm overly critical. I like pretty much all types music - especially jazz and Motown - but especially appreciate when the style of music matches the venue/vibe/time of day. (So many venues both at sea and on land get that horribly wrong! LOL!)

Thank you! 🙂

@Nashna: Thank you for sharing your MoveUp experience. It certainly wouldn't make sense to move up to a suite at those prices! Enjoy your your countdown to January 11th! 

@drakes2: We're in the Clarkson/Lorne Park area! 🙂

@drakes2: That does look lovely! There is something special about sitting on the balcony taking in the views and sea-scented air! Also, we're "neighbours"! I think my profile says Toronto but we're actually in Mississauga! 🙂

@someguyfl: Very interesting info! Your algorithm analysis makes perfect sense. Funny enough, flight upgrade bids do not, it seems. We bid on a business class upgrade for a 5 hour flight a few months ago and was rejected. When we went to checkin online, we were offered to upgrade for $100 p/p less than what we bid! The airline's loss was our gain! 🙂 

@LB_NJ: Yes, good point! We should book what we know what we'll be happy with. There's no guarantee we'll receive a MoveUp offer. Now I'm flipping back and thinking about Aqua so we have the best of all dining options. 

@wineoclock: The SV category was not available a few days ago but one opened up yesterday. It's currently priced at $200 more per person than Aqua! I know those proper aft balconies are coveted, but not sure I'd want to spend that much without any other extra perks.

At the moment regular IV cabins are only about $100 less per person than Concierge and Concierge is only around $350 less than Aqua. Aqua is looking more appealing all the time... 

Thanks so much everyone! 

@jelayne: Thank you for your input! I'm thinking it may not make financial sense to spend more on Aqua based on the many opinions here, especially considering we plan to go to at least 2 specialty restaurants for dinner. This is a good problem to have to solve! 😉

@zanderblue: Thank you so much for sharing your experience with MoveUp pricing. While I know it will vary from cruise to cruise, it is helpful having some ballpark figures in mind.

And yes, no matter where we end up on board, I know we'll love the Apex! I can't wait to cruise again. We have enjoyed a few land-based vacations over the past year but there is something magical about being at sea!

@Miaminice: Thank you very much for your insight! I truly appreciate it! I do agree that the value of Aqua/BLU on such a short cruise with 4 fabulous MDRS is indeed a different calculation. Also wonderful to hear that Anytime Dining is now across the board on Edge class ships. Music to my ears! 🙂 

Hello from Canada!

We are seasoned cruisers considering a return to Celebrity. This is after a 7-year Celebrity hiatus thanks in part to the pandemic but also having discovered other lines pre-pandemic.

A little about us for context: 

Pre-pandemic my husband and I found ourselves in a pattern of doing one cruise vacation a year plus one or two land-based trips. Between 2014 and 2019 we enjoyed 6 cruises together: 2 x Celebrity (1 in Aqua on The Reflection/1 in a Suite on The Summit), 1 x Paul Gaugin (Life changing! Do it!), and 3 x Crystal which was our preferred line until they ceased operations. We know Crystal has been purchased and a revamp is on the horizon. In the meantime, Celebrity is calling us back! We loved Crystal for its refinement, crew, service, piano bar, cuisine and itineraries. Looking back and ahead, we feel Celebrity would still be a great fit as we enjoyed the food, entertainment, crew and ship design. 

We're now looking at a 7-night March 2023 Caribbean itinerary on the Apex. It features two ports and one country we haven't visited which appeals to us. Plus, I'm also loving everything I've been reading and watching online about the Apex and Edge class of ships. I must try Eden, Le Petit Chef and chill on that Rooftop Garden and Magic Carpet! I'm also not opposed to testing out the infamous IV staterooms! LOL!

On to my dilemma. (In other words, please convince me to book *something*.)

Upon looking at pricing, a standard balcony room plus the three main perks is coming in almost as much as our last Crystal cruise in 2019. (I know, I know! Inflation!) Our interest is still piqued because as mentioned, the Apex's dining and entertainment (along with the itinerary) are alluring.

Right now Concierge class rooms are about at par with other "IV" balcony rooms, perks included. For about $1000 Canadian more, we can move up to Aqua Class, which we experienced on the Reflection when she was only a year old. Sky Suites are pricing out at over $13,000 CAD right now. No, thank you!  However, I would like to potentially bid on a suite via MoveUp if the opportunity arises and the "Price is Right"!

I'm being ridiculously obsessive about all of this so I appreciate anyone who's still reading right now. Here goes:

AQUA PROS:

-BLU (Especially for breakfast)

-Anytime dining (Beneficial especially should we choose to use the 4 MDRs)

-Thermal Spa (Would likely use it twice during the week, at most)

-Bottle of Bubbly (Worth what? $20?)

-Nicer Bathroom

-Cabin Availability - More midship options now

-Potentially lower MoveUp pricing bids to a Suite? (Asking for a friend! LOL!)

AQUA CONS:

-Almost $1000 CAD more than concierge

-The 4 MDRS look great. Do we need BLU? (We enjoyed the option on our two previous Celebrity cruises.)

-We may only use the Thermal Spa area once.

-Plan to dine at least 2-3 times in Specialty Restaurants.

CONCIERGE PROS:

-Savings of $1000 CAD 

-Embarkation Lunch (We would try to go to Le Grand Bistro otherwise.)

-Could bid on a MoveUp to Aqua or Suite stateroom and potentially break even?

-Pretty much the same space as an Aqua cabin

CONCIERGE CONS:

-Cabin Availability - Less options at the moment. Most are on deck 12 under deck 14 or beside "bump out" suites.

-Right now only set dining times are available. We prefer Select. 

-No access to BLU (With the intent to book Eden, Le Petit Chef and maybe Raw on 5, BLU may not be needed?)

So having dumped all of the above into this already busy forum, and if you're still reading, what would one recommend we do? Options are:

A. Book Aqua (Wistfully hoping that we get a decently priced MoveUp bid to a suite but spending more upfront!)

B. Book Concierge (Forfeiting BLU, The Thermal Spa and having to adhere to a fixed dining time but saving a nice chunk of change! And still hoping my odds for a suite upgrade are possible and remotely reasonable.)

Tall order, I know. And yes, I'm usually this long-winded. Thank me later if/when we book and we share a trip report! 😉 Kudos to everyone here for your wealth of info. I'm here because of YOUR input!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Thank you boilermaker 330 for starting this thread and thanks to PelicanLvr for the insight! We are also trying to decide which Vatican Tour to do in July. The Pristine Sistine tour with Walks of Italy sounds perfect! 🙂 Safe and happy travels to all! 

I have had a similar experience attempting to book lunch at Shellona, which I understand is a popular spot on Shell Beach as it is the only restaurant on the beach within easy walking distance to Gustavia. Meanwhile, I reached out to Nikki Beach in St Jean over the summer and received a reply that reservations for the 2019 winter season open up on October 25th. 

My guess is that Shellona may be closed for the off season. Many establishments on small Caribbean islands close between July/August and late autumn so owners and staff can get a break when tourism is less busy. Then again, it's also entirely possible that their reservation system is less than ideal. LOL!

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy! I see you'll be sailing on the Crystal Symphony. We will be in St Barts via the Crystal Serenity in December. Wishing you a wonderful journey! 

4 hours ago, reedprincess said:

It very much depends on what you end up doing. 

If you stay in the immediate area and go to Vigie Beach, eat at the boardwalk. All local east, the fish or stewed beef or lamb meals are great 

If Pigeon Island, Jambe Des Bois. Outstanding local eats and unique architecture.

If Rodney Bay, try Spinnaker's or head upstairs to JQ Mall and get one of the plate lunches from the food court.  Or hit  up Marie on the beach for her excellent rotis (west Indian burritos so to speak, shell wrapped around curried chicken or beef, chickpeas, potato).

Thank you yet again! Everything sounds delicious. We LOVE roti! Thanks again for your input. I'm confident we will have a fantastic time on St Lucia during our short visit. 🙂

Thank you reedprincess! It is appreciated! 🙂 

In addition to your TripAdvisor suggestions, do you have any nice restaurant recommendations for lunch? We like almost everything. It could be a funky beach bar or a nicer establishment. Something with an authentic St Lucian flair would likely be ideal. Thanks again! 

Greetings!

We are soon to book a cruise that will be in St Lucia in December for only 6 hours between noon and 6pm. Seems like a very short time to enjoy this beautiful island! We were there in 2015 and did Spencer Ambrose's Sugar Beach tour. We rented upgraded loungers from the hotel and had an excellent day on the beach and in the water snorkelling. It doesn't sound like we will have enough time to repeat this experience. 

Does anyone have any ideas for how to spend just 6 hours on this stunning island? We enjoy the beach but have not seen St Lucia by land so we are open to suggestions. A short catamaran tour could be fun... I will be able to look into the ship's excursions (Crystal Serenity) once we officially book this voyage but thought I'd gather some ideas in the meantime. 

Thank you in advance, everyone!