mtnlvr53

We were on the Apex for 23 days last fall. I would classify dress as a bit dressy in the main dining room (or Blu). Men in slacks or dressy jeans and a collared shirt or sweater with some sport coats and women in dresses or nice pants and a pretty top or sweater/jacket.  On Chic night the dress went from fancy dresses for the ladies and tuxedos for some of the men to dress not that unsimilar to every other night. So, I would say that as long as you are clean, in decent long pants or skirt you will be fine. 

I would say definitely not as casual as the Caribbean or Alaska.

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.

40 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I find it rather amusing that after four ships in over five years we STILL are having this debate. 

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

6 hours ago, zitsky said:

@gold1953 My reason would be not being sure I’m getting the right figures to change my booking.  But I am not sure how I can be certain if the TA is giving me the right story.

 

@WrittenOnYourHeart I chose a non refundable deposit which I’ve done several times.  So I don’t think I can cancel.

 

If I can save 50% I think we would choose to do it.

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

On 3/7/2024 at 11:38 AM, Kittybay13 said:

Our friends had an Oceanview Balcony (one of the few cabins that looks like an Oceanview but has a typical door going out to an alcove balcony) and they had zero noise.

 

I think it is the new style veranda windows and the doors that go with them, coupled with the ceiling tiles.  But I haven't heard about this issue on the Apex or Edge.

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. 

9 hours ago, calicakes said:

Yeah, thats a good point.  I booked with a well known cruise TA.  Who by the way, just provided me with my cancellation notice after I asked about 5x.  I needed that notice for the insurance. 

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

2 hours ago, cannuck1 said:

The noise issue caused us great stress!

We complained and they responded in a timely manner. They removed a number

or ceiling tiles and that seemed to work. It was am 11 day cruise and the first two nights

were brutal. After the maintenance  staff did their thing we had seven days with no issues,

The noise issue returned on the last two nights .

The noise seemed to be related to the sea swells. The room number was 8214 and it was

a magic carpet sky suite.

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.

On 3/3/2024 at 9:42 AM, beachhouse said:

I am on Celebrity Beyond now. The rumors of creaking and popping and sounds like the cabin is falling apart are a TRUE: I read the reviews before booking this ship and ignored all the people complaining about the noises.

there are other cruisers experiencing this also and the deck level doesn't seem to matter.

it is so bad there is NO SLEEP to be had on this ship. I have been on 15+ cruises and realize this is a ship but no other ship has been like this.  I will NEVER sail on this ship again. Celebrity has had 1-2 years to correct this problem and have ignored it.

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. 
 

On 12/11/2023 at 10:09 PM, sandbug2 said:

My sister and I are trying Aqua class for the first time.  She is great, however, at meals we like to meet others and have a different conversation for a bit.  Does Blu have tables where you can join others like the MDR?

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

10 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

Great fun. Here are some of my pieces I've made.

Wow! Very impressive! Love the jellyfish!

My experience in Blu on the (2) cruises that I've been in Aqua class was very good. I liked being able to eat a sit down breakfast especially on sea days.  I liked the fact that the hostess and the Maitre d  knew my name, not only when I walked in the restaurant but when they saw me on the ship in other locations.

I have food allergies and celiac disease I found them to be much more accommodating on adjusting the menu for me to meet my dietary requirements if there wasn't anything I liked on the menu that was shown as gluten free. They also went to the other dining rooms if there was something that I wanted from their menu. Our Mediterranean/Transatlantic cruise had no coconut macaroons: my personal favorite on Celebrity cruises. After 15 days of being told "maybe tomorrow"  I mentioned it to the maitre d he said," I'll get them", and sure enough they were my dessert that evening and he even sent another 4 to our room.

When I first went to the Aqua Class room, I told my husband I didn't think it was worth the extra, but after the excellent service, I''ll have to think twice about the extra cost because from a dietary perspective it definitely was worth the extra.

My experience at Rooftop Grill on the Reflection was great. I told the waiter I am Celiac and he made sure the cooks knew and brought me a dessert from the MDR since there wasn't anything I could eat on their dessert menu.  He was a gem of a waiter and could teach others how to take care of customers. 

6 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

I meant to say the meatballs are gluten free!  If it bothered you maybe it was cross contaminated with something gluten.  I have had the gf pasta, meat sauce and meatballs on a few cruises and I have not gotten sick.  Sorry you had a bad experience 

Really? Wonder what else I could have gotten into. I'll have to be sure to ask about them on our next cruise. I like meatballs :)!

12 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

The meatballs are gluten, or at least they were in October!  

Yeah, I know: totally my fault. I asked for a gluten free sauce and he pointed to the meatball sauce and I think it was just a miscommunication. MY fault for thinking 'oh, I;ll just pick off the meatballs". I clearly wasn't thinking but I did it and paid the price. Just stupid on my part because I know better-maybe vacation brain?

I had a very positive experience on the Reflection in January. We were in the Aqua class rooms and the Matre d there was wonderful. He always asked me the night before what I would like to eat and managed to surprise me a couple of times with a dessert that I didn't expect.  The OVC manager made sure my omelets were made in a clean pan and told the cooks that I was celiac so that the utensils were changed. They make your pizza in separate pan so you have to wait for it (but I was happy that they were careful).  Our experience on the Rooftop garden grill was amazing. They brought me creme brule from the main dining room, made a gluten free flatbread and the waiter even told my husband to keep his "gluten fingers" off my food. I accidentally gluten myself really by not being clear to the chef about what pasta sauce I wanted on my gluten free pasta. Without thinking, I picked off the meatballs and ate the pasta (rookie mistake) about halfway through I was shaking my head over how stupid I had been. 

I thought the desserts were pretty good and the Cafe el Bacio's coconut macaroons are amazing and worth waiting for if no other desserts look good.

I think if you are clear to the server and the Matre d you can do very well without getting glutened.

Oh, there are separate gluten free toasters for toast in the AM.

I also brought gluten free oatmeal packets for breakfast. You can add fruit, nuts, etc to jazz it up. I also brought a couple of bagels but didn't really feel like I needed them.

Some of the biggest complaints in January were on the Edge class ships. We were on the Reflection and the selections were cut down from pre-pandemic they were fine. We didn't eat there every night but when we did there wasn't a problem finding a good meal. (And I am a Celiac so no gluten)

I was wondering if the food has improved on the Edge class for the buffet. We like eating there sometimes because it is casual and quick. We will be on Apex for 22 days so I'm hoping it has improved from January.

Thanks!

Janet

I'm confused about the pre-existing condition exclusion. 

When your are of Medicare age it's unlikely that you are without some type of pre-existing condition/s. I know the BEST thing to do is purchase your insurance within two weeks of booking. But we cancelled a cruise and booked a different cruise. The carrier let us move the insurance onto the new cruise. The initial insurance was purchased before the 14 days, so no pre-existing exclusion. But does it still? 

If not, where can I find medical only for any potential flare up of a pre-existing condition while on the cruise? Of course having coverage for the cruise cancellation would be nice but the potentially devastating financial issue would be needing care, a lot of it, while on the ship. 

Thanks for any input. Since Medicare doesn't pay for foreign treatment, it has to be primary medical insurance. (at least I think so)

Janet

Thanks this is a great reference!