kwokpot

Day 6 Reykjavik port day, Afternoon Quick update, more disaster. Our 12 noon tour guide never showed up. Luckily another driver from the same company who was picking up passengers for the same tour, stayed with us for 15 minutes while on the phone with his company trying to help us (there's another couple from the Apex that's having the same issue with this tour company both with the same morning tour and the rebooked afternoon tour. ). We're on his van now. We'll see how it goes. Edit: Do not book with Your Day tours or Artic Adventures, who is the company actually doing the tour. They are both incompetent.

Day 6 Reykjavik port day, Morning OH NO, OUR TOUR BUS DIDN'T WAIT FOR US😥 It's 10:50am and we're back on the ship for a late brunch before the buffet closes. Then back to the room to freshen up before meeting our REVISED Golden Circle tour. Let's backtrack to 6:00am. We wake up for some room service coffee and breakfast before our 8:00am Golden Circle tour ( booked on our own ). To be honest, I try to eat healthy for all meals and it's hard to do that with a standard continental breakfast offerings. While the ship does offer hot breakfast via room service it's for a fee and I'm not interested in paying for oatmeal and a hard boiled egg because I don't want to walk to to the buffet. We get ready and proceed to deck 4 to the disembarkation area. Its too early to queue up to disembark so we just wait lingering around. At 7:50am they allowed a line to form to disembark. It's 8:10 and no movement. I receive a call on my mobile phone and it's the tour company asking where we are. I alert them that our ship hasn't released passengers yet. They ask us when we will be there and we say we're not sure. They said ok. Not a good sign. It's 8:20 and we're disembarking the ship. I receive a phone call and it's the tour company alerting is that they tour bus couldn't wait any longer and has left. It seems that we were the only ones on this small group tour from the Apex and there was the Queen Victoria that was already docked and this tour must have picked people up from that ship and were only waiting for us (we explicitly stated in multiple emails that we were on the Apex). They said they can offer us a full refund with no penalty or can accommodate us on a shorter afternoon tour that leaves at 12 noon. We took the latter option. Since we were literally walking off the ship we decided to take the free city center shuttle and go to the cathedral. I'll detail that on the next post.

Day 5 Isafjordur port day, Morning and Afternoon We had dinner reservations at Tuscan today for 7:30pm which gave us some time after returning from our tour to relax a bit in our room. Tuscan was not crowded at all and we were seated right away. For starters l had the pumpkin salad and my husband had the mesculn greens. our entrees were the Beef Bourguignon and salmon. We both enjoyed our entrees. Our most recent Celebrity cruise was last February on the Solstice from LA. We both agree that overall the MDR food quality on the Apex exceeded that on the solstice. Dinner pacing was perfect with the two courses taking 40 minutes in total from sitting down. We were going to see about dessert but I wanted to see if we could make the 8:30pm show at The Club so we hurried out and made way to The Club. I've seen other shows in The Club before but never Caravan. The setup for the shows here resembles a cabaret environment. We were able to to get two easy chair seats in the 2nd row on the bar side of the stage/dance floor. Overall the show, which lasted about 30 minutes, was just OK. I felt the sound system was way too loud and distorted the voices. I've seen a Jazz revue show on another E-Class ship that was much better. This particular show was a bit frantic. After the show we went to our usual coffee place, Cafe Al Bacio, for after show coffee and dessert. Someone here on Cruise Critic asked about getting decaf coffee at Bacio which I wasn't sure about so I ordered a decaf Americano. It was excellent! Strong, full bodied without being bitter and just the right ratio of espresso and hot water for a satisfying decaf coffee. Tonight Deck 4cwas less hectic than on Chic night. We stayed a little while to enjoy our coffee and then went to our room to prepare for bed and a early morning for our next port stop, Reykjavik.

Day 5 Isafjordur port day, Morning and Afternoon Today is a tender port and we were already in position when I woke up at 8:00am. We have a short afternoon tour so there was no need to rush off early in the morning. We went up to breakfast at the buffet and thankfully it wasn't a madhouse like it was for the Akureyri port day. We must be one lucky cruiseship, another outstanding sunny day, no rain, and in the upper 50s. I missed my gym workout yesterday so after a short post breakfast rest I made my way to the gym for a workout before lunch and our tour. The gym was mostly empty so it was a joy working out without a crowd. Back to the room for a quick shower and then to the buffet for lunch. I've been enjoying the Indian selections for lunch in the Oceanview Cafe. The food quality has been consistently good and there's always a varied selection. There's a daily Indian and Mexican section along with a pasta bar and an area with two daily vegan choices. I haven't tried the pizza yet so that will have to on the menu. Our tour is scheduled for 1:30pm so we made our way to the tenders just before 1:00 so we wouldn't be late. The E-Class ships have really rethought the whole tendering process from the ship's lower decks to the Magic Carpet platform used to transfer from ship to tender boats to the tender boats themselves. They are the most luxurious tender boats you will ever ride on with individual padded seats and AC inside. Via Cruise Critic we're joining a private tour organized by a guest to see the Dynjandi Falls. There's 18 of us in a private 19 person extended van. The falls are an hour away and the tour is basically going to the falls, seeing them and walking around, and coming back to the ship. Having said that this tour is a must see. The falls are spectacular but equally beautiful is the ride going and returning from the falls. In other words the journey is part of the tour. The vistas are just breathtaking as you see how tall the mountains are. We actually cross several fjords via long tunnels, one of them only one lane for two way traffic in the tunnel (don't ask me how that works, I was in the back seat and I didn't want to know; it was on pitch dark from the van windows!) You also drive past farms and there are sheep grazing for miles and miles. When you arrive at the falls there's toilet facilities but that's about it. There's a short paved walkway to the smaller lower falls but to access the main falls pathways they're unpaved and very rocky. Those that have problems walking and are unsteady on their feet should stay in the paved lower walkways. You can clearly see the main falls so you won't be missing a thing. You would need 90 minutes to really enjoy all the views of the falls and have a leisurely hike to the top, appreciate the views, and hike back down. Having said that we had 45 minutes and I made it 2/3 ways up the paths. Someone in our tour bus made it to the top, but I didn't feel the need to rush up just to say I made it. After the falls we made it back to catch a 4:30pm tender back on the boat. FYI, as we drove back to the Port we basically went through the town of Isafjordur and unlike Akureyri there's really nothing to see in this town. PXL_20230711_150310013.mp4

I requested a decaf Americano tonight and it was excellent! Full bodied and strong, not bitter nor watered down. Perfect ratio of espresso to water.

It's funny you should ask this. Usually at home we drink decaf after dinner since we try to buy decaf coffees that are still full bodied. Many times decaf is an inferior blend when you order it in most restaurants. I'll check for you tonight, and if they do maybe I'll try it.

Day 4 Akureyri port day, Evening I talked about the ebb and flow of ship passengers last night and tonight is no different except it was the exact opposite. We had a 7pm reservation at the Cyprus dining room and it was pretty empty despite all aboard being 7:30. What was strange when we looked at the menu was it was slightly different than what the Celebrity app had shown. Gone was the Sea Bass entree. No issues, we both found something else to eat. I started with the Cyprus special pasta as an appetizer and ordered the Saganaki cheese to share, while my husband had a salad. We then both had the Cyprus special short ribs. Everything tasted very good, the special pasta is made a Greek way using milk instead of water. The gravy in the short ribs was rich and flavorful, with different spices than American style short ribs preparation. Although the dining room was quite empty the pacing of the courses was a bit more leisurely which honestly I preferred. We finished off with the Cyprus special dessert, Galakatoboureko (no, I don't try to pronounce it). The three courses took about an hour, whereas on a previous night it was a bit hurried at forty minutes. We proceeded to Cafe Al Bacio for after dinner coffee and tea. This becomes a regular habit, especially on E-Class ships. Detractors complain that Cafe Al Bacio on E-Class ships are noisy since it's completely open to the Grand Plaza and Martini Bar. And for this reason it is why we love being there. We enjoy getting seats facing the walkway and Grand Plaza. Here we enjoy people watching, listening to the music being played at the Grand Plaza, and gazing at the beautiful interior design elements of the E-Class ships. We have the dance band Essence playing and the main vocalist is excellent! We stayed at Al Bacio for over an hour and we were going to get seats for the late show of the headliner Uptown but my husband decided he wanted to gamble instead and I kinda felt a bit tired so casino for him and back to the room for me to relax and enjoy the views of cruising the fjord from our IV window. As I said earlier I never feel I'm 'missing out' on anything. Pictured below the Cyprus dining room special pasta and short ribs entrees.

Day 4 - Akureyri port day, Afternoon I would like to preface this section by saying that my husband and I are less is more kind of people, so we don't have to be out touring the minute the gangway goes down and be the last ones back on. The same goes for onboard activities. As we all know part of the allure of a cruise vacation is the ability to do as much OR as little as you want, and you can switch that up at a moments notice. Try doing that on a fully escorted land tour! With that said we left the ship about 11:30 to walk around the town on our own. Having never done this itinerary before but having done a Norwegian Fjords cruise last summer we came prepared with rain jackets, puffy coats, knit caps, gloves, etc. The great thing was today's forecast was sunny with highs in the mid 60s! It was in the high 50's when we left the ship and immediately in the shadow of the ship it was a little breezy so we put on our coats. Five minutes later in the bright sunshine we took them off. We did have long sleeve pullovers and they were just five walking around. Parked perpendicular to the Apex was the MSC Preziosa, about the same size as the Apex. The buildings in town had a simple and clean designs and reminded me of Norwegian or Finnish architecture. We walked to the town square and through the main street which was lined with shops, restaurants, and bars. Our destination was the church and botanical garden. The main staircase to the church was under reconstruction so you had to walk around it via one of the main streets. We took pictures of the exterior but didn't go in because of an entrance fee (yes, sometimes were cheap like that). We then made our way to the botanical garden. On Google maps it doesn't seem much of anything but it was a major surprise and I give it a big thumbs up as a do not miss attraction(and it's FREE). What's nice about it is the various shaded pathways through large trees and varied elevations which made for interesting walks among beautiful plantings, flowers, shrubbery, fountains, and ponds. Some unique flowers of beautiful colors. Loved it! Along the way to and from the botanical gardens are beautiful historic homes built in the 1910's, church's and other public buildings. It was enjoyable just to meander around enjoying the sights. We spent about 2 hours out and then made it back to the ship for lunch at the buffet. Today there was roast chicken and it was excellent! Juicy and full of flavor! A takeaway coffee from Segundo Bacio and back to our cabin to enjoy coffee while looking out our IV window and take in the scenery. Then a nap before dinner.

Day 4 - Akureyri port day, Morning It's 8:30am and yes, the IV cabin is a great choice for a cold weather itinerary. I woke up and was able to walk right over from the bed to the chair by the window in my underwear and watch the sailing through the Eyjafjordur to Akureyri. The big panoramic window provides the views without opening the window. At 9:15 we finally make our to the buffet for breakfast and while we knew it would be busy it was worse than we expected. Despite the buffet itself being large and airy it was a mass of people and a bit too chaotic to manage before our first cup of coffee. Being Elite+ we decided to go to Le Grand Bistro for the Captain's Club coffee lounge casual/continental breakfast. We were so glad that we did. There were only three other occupied tables and with the windows facing the city of Akureyri and the mountains behind it was a calm, quiet breakfast. The only issue is the limited menu. On the Apex there's no buffet set-up like some other ships, it's ordered from servers from a handful of set choices. I had the ultimate platter which is a mini bagel with lox and European style cold cuts and cheese platter and my husband ordered the lox and bagel platter and a fruit platter. We both had lattes and a second round of Americanos. Just the right amount of food without the craziness. When we finished we decided to go back to our room and relax a bit before disembarking to do our own walkabout in the town of Akureyri. We are in port from 10-8 so no rush to get off.

Yes you can make ore cruise reservations for the whole cruise.

Oh my. Sending get well soon wishes to Norris. Thank you for the update.

I would have said something to the offender.

Day 3 - Evening I always find it interesting the ebb and flow of cruise passengers on the ship when it's a set number of people for the whole journey. Since tonight was Chic Night every passenger was out and about. We had dinner in Normandie tonight and the dining room was the busiest of the three nights. I enjoyed the baked Brie and the duck was tender and not chewy or rubbery. My husband was happy with his Caesar salad and salmon. We had our coffee at Cafe Al Bacio and it seemed the whole ship was on Deck 5. As the early show in the Theater let out there were waves and waves of guests passing by the Cafe. It was crowded but fun people watching. The Grand Plaza was also packed with people. We went to tonight's late show, the first production show of the cruise called Crystallize. It's your basic singing, dancing, and acrobatics but here it's enhanced with electric violin performances and the visual displays on the immense video screen backdrops. Some acts were stronger than others but overall we enjoyed the show. Edit: It's 12:38am and we're in bed watching Shark Tank and the Midnight Sun is out full force. We should go to bed so we're refreshed for our first Iceland port of Akureyri. Last photo is an unedited photo of the Midnight Sun from our IV cabin.

I went to the Captain's Club to ask about the dining policy and it wasn't a productive discussion since all they did was confirm what's being done on the Apex and couldn't speak to any other E-Class ship nor to any corporate change regarding E-Class set dining policies.

Day 3 - Morning We have an Infinite Veranda cabin and waking up this morning we were greeted with sunshine and a view of the passing Faroe Islands. Breakfast was our usual in the buffet followed by a visit to Cafe Al Bacio for more coffee and/or tea and enjoying the views out the window. Taking a walk around the ship I was astounded that the weather was picture perfect, so much so that people were out sunning in bathing suits and in the main pool outside. Mind you, tomorrow we dock at Akureyri, Iceland. Our forecast tomorrow is for partly sunny sky's with the high temp of 63 degrees and NO RAIN!!! Not wanting to waste such beautiful outdoor weather I spent the last 90 minutes before lunch at the Resort Deck albeit in regular clothes rather than swimwear. The temperature was probably in the mid 60s so perfect in the sun but a bit nippy if you're in the shade.

We currently having anytime dining in which I made pre-cruise reservations and so far there hasn't been any issues. My post is more about surveying whether set seating is or isn't available currently on the various E-Class ships. I am surprised you had an issue with getting set early seating,which you confirmed pre-cruise, on an S-Class ship .

This thread may be opening a can of worms but it's a necessary discussion since it's an important topic that impacts the guest experience. To recap starting last Fall there seemed to be a change on E-Class ships where there were no longer set early or late seating for dinner. When the Edge debuted in winter of 2018 if you booked early or late seating you would receive a card in your cabin on embarkation day telling you which dining room and table you have been assigned to for you early or late dinner. That's how it was done for the Edge and Apex until the Beyond started their Caribbean sailings last October, 2022. We were on the Beyond with my parents who booked early seating but when they embarked there was no table assignment card and speaking with various ship staff they were informed that set early and late seatings were eliminated. Now you just go when you want to eat to any of the three dining rooms. Here on Cruise Critic it was determined that this dining change also occurred on the Edge and Apex. There were many threads discussing this issue and it caused much worry and dismay, mostly because Celebrity declined to alert their guests of the change. Now it seems the change has been reversed, at least on the Apex. What about the Edge and Beyond? Photos below of the current Apex daily planner facilities hours and a photo of the original Edge ship set late dining assignment card from 2018.

Apex facilities hours - Sea day Edit: In posting this I noticed that there seems to be set early and late seatings, which runs counter to what was started this past Fall on all E-Class ships. I'll enquire further about this to get the full story. TBH I find this whole situation annoying when they change the dining times situation back and forth. You either have set seating or you don't. If the changes are temporary, which I can understand, COMMUNICATE to the guests this is the case.

Trip itinerary Note the time changes and which days are Chic Nights

She is not. She's at Arizona State University for her Masters degree and will also pursue a Doctorate too.

If you're asking about the Rotterdam street trams yes, there were places to put luggage and it was much easier to manage the luggage on the tram than on the Amsterdam/Netherlands train system cars. You're supposed to activate the transit card when you board and disembark at a machine that's located near the tram doors. There's a ticket person onboard who will verify your transit card is valid.

Day 2 - Evening Entertainment After dinner we went to Cafe Al Bacio for coffee and to relax and wait for the late show in The Theater. The staff at the cafe are all very nice and the coffees are always well prepared. You can hear the entertainment from the Grand Plaza which was just fine with us. We headed to The Theater right as the doors opened at 9:00(show is at 9:30). Tonight's show is "All Hail The Queen" Charity Lockhart sings Aretha Franklin. This may not be a popular opinion but I found her show tedious. She has a beautiful voice but her show was 55 minutes long and she sang for 30 minutes of it. Her rendition of Over the Rainbow was overly flourished and my husband called it schmaltzy. Sometimes less is more and more is too much. Although Chic Night is tomorrow (we have 2 seadays before our 1st port) the Captain's welcome aboard was tonight before Charity's show.

You are correct about that!

I have been on the Beyond and on the Reflection in Aqua Class. They're totally different. I don't necessarily think Blu is nicer on the S-Class than the Beyond.

The first two Edge Class ships have the same issue with views from Blu being blocked by a lifeboat. This was remedied on the Beyond and Ascent. So sailing on the Apex in AQ will be the exact same experience as on the Edge.