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We were told the canapes were no longer served on the Apex. The pillow choices were nice, I got a really good one 🙂 You should have gotten your choice of several "health items" I got the weighted blanket and really like having a cover without having to get under the bed covers. We like the usage of the Spa facilities and sat on the heated chairs and watched the ocean go by every day. You can also use the saunas, showers, mineral room, etc. included with your room fee. We cruised when you still got the beverage package included, sadly that and the gratuities have been dropped from Aqua class. I did like Blu, the service was definitely personalized and the food was good. the Maitre 'd was top notch and the hostess greeted us by name every day.

It is definitely walk in and you will be seated. I know that before we travelled I was a bit concerned because all of the MDR seemed to require reservations. (Most of the MDR locations, on the Apex anyway, let you walk in without a reservation.) What is interesting is that many people come the same time every day, so we often sat by, or near the same people every day. They are very accommodating and even brought food from the MDR to me. That may be because I have food allergies and sometimes there was nothing on the Blu menu that I could eat.

I've tried booking flights for our January ABC cruise. The flights are open but I get all the way through the booking and keep getting an error message. I've tried for the last 3 days. Anyone else experiencing this right now or am I just the lucky one? Thanks Janet

My husband definitely wore jeans to Blu on our transatlantic 2023 and there was no problems whatsoever.

We didn't get left behind but we were on a Celebrity Tour in Avignon, France going to Pope's Palace and the tour left a couple behind. The guide tried to find them but to no avail and we took off on the bus. The trip back to the ship was several miles(I want to say almost 1 hour) so it wasn't all that likely that they took a cab back after we left... I always wondered if they made it back to the ship on their own or if they got left behind.

Me, too. And can't you close the doors and the A/C stays on even with the window open? The thing we didn't like (once we got the windows fixed to stop the noise) was where the windoow"rail" is. With the small-ish chairs the window rail is right at eye level if you want to sit instead of stand at the rail. I wish it was curtains rather than the blinds so you could open the curtains a bit in the am to see when the sun is coming up. It just feels really closed in with the dark blinds. But, hey, that's just me... Did I still have fun? Yes. Would I book one again? Yes

My TA group bookings have a refundable deposit (part of the group perks) so that's worth checking out. Aqua class rooms have been ridiculously expensive recently particularly in view of the removal of the free (included) classic beverage package. I asked my TA why that was and she said she thought it was because Blu had become very popular and people wanted that class because of it so they don't seem to mind not having the bev package. So check to see if your Aqua class pricing included the beverage package. That could make a difference.

We have cruised on both but the Eclipse was pre-Covid. The crew was super friendly and I liked the glass blowing experience. We had a Concierge cabin that was a bit noisy- I wish I could remember the cabin number. But our parents had a regular balcony cabin with a larger veranda and it was quiet as can be. Our waiter in the main dining room was amazing. The Reflection we were in a Aqua class room and it was very nice. The Blu staff was very accommodating, and the food was very good. The overall staff wasn't quite as friendly (but it was post Covid so it's likely somewhat due to that.) I also LOVED the Lawn club grill; so much that we ate there twice. I am celiac and can't eat gluten and the waiters went above and beyond to be sure my food was gluten free. They went to the main dining room to get me dessert because their menu had nothing gluten free. I would definitely sail on both again. (actually, we have a cruise booked on the Reflection for the ABC islands) Janet

I mentioned before: we had a problem on the Apex in an Aqua room. It was the infinite veranda doors/windows that was causing all the problems.

Really, really sad that you missed it. But I read somewhere that they count on your spending considerable $$ once you are on the ship: drinks, spa, specialty dining, shore excursions, etc. They lost all of that income by you not being there. Sort of the same reason solo cruisers can't pay for a "phantom roommate": not really fair in many ways but a bit understandable because you didn't fulfill your contract through no fault of your own. Again, really sorry that you missed this amazing trip. Hopefully you can go on another occasion. If you've got the time, I recommend a land sea trip. I wish Celebrity had them for more than Alaska. We did Princess and it was great: Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Aborigine tribe, and Sydney: great quick visit of Australia with more time in each location than a normal cruise stop. '

We have used them in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen. We bought the tickets online directly from the bus Co so we didn't need cash on the street and saved a ton from the cruise ship price (which I think is completely ridiculous unless you are a long way from the first stop). They worked well and we were able to get off and on at several stops and still got back to the ship in plenty of time

I had wondered about the magic carpet sky suite. We almost booked there but my husband didn't like the idea that the "carpet" would be going by our room. We had our problem with an Aqua Suite room on the 9th floor aft. I had trouble sleeping too because it was just so constant but they did get it fixed. My original post said the problem started with the doors, which was also true but we had our window get stuck open twice-once when they took control and were cleaning. We got a bit of a shower in that one. It was kind of funny but sad, considering it is a relatively new ship. Ours was a B2B Mediterranean/transatlantic. It would have been horrible if it had continued the whole way. Turns out the window was slightly off the track and it was kind of a major issue to get it back on track. Having Aqua class came in handy because we just took off for the Spa and camped out there until it was done.

We were on the Apex and suffered a similar fate. What we ultimately found after a couple of window malfunctions is that the creaking was coming from the infinite veranda. The doors were slightly off the rails and the "balcony door" were likewise a bit out of whack.(one door actually fell off the track into my husbands hands) Once maintenance fixed those issues we had quiet sailing the balance of the trip My opinion was that the windows/infinite verandas seemed like a good idea but they have bugs that I don't think the ship designers really thought through and as the ships age the noises will become more regular.

Our experience on the Apex is that the tables (2 tops) are relatively close. They frequently set you in the same space every evening/breakfast. The good news is if you like your neighbors you are close enough to have friendly conversation but not so close that you absolutely HAVE to. Because of this they have the same waiter assigned to you every night. So they know what you like to drink and if you like dessert, I have dietary restrictions (celiac and no shellfish) and they were VERY accommodating: offering to specially prepare food if you order the night before or to bring in food from any other the other dining rooms (not Luminae). If you don't show up they do get a bit concerned: are you okay? Was the food not to your liking, etc. They also said hello and called you by name both in the restaurant or in the halls or other venues. So, if you like that personal service, it might very well be worth the extra that it costs you. Oh, I also liked the breakfast on sea days or days where you don't have early excursions. Very relaxing and tasty since it is prepared for you. (And since they started charging for room service it is an added perk) Janet

My husband I both did it and would sign up again if it was on a ship we were sailing. A great souvenir. 0