XuGator

Easy walk on sidewalk the entire way. Did this last week

Uber was 44 bucks from AMS to cruise port (next to movenpick). Had a car within 5 minutes of requesting from the AMS pickup location right outside the doors. I struggle to see why people are prearranging rides here. Uber is cheaper and more convenient. 

Uber works so well in Amsterdam and is cheaper than taxi service. Prearranging is way too much work as Ubers are everywhere. We used Uber about 10 times last week in Amsterdam and never waited more than 5 minutes for a ride. Save your time , stress and money and just use Uber. 

The thought of washing underwear and socks in the sink is kind of disgusting to me. Seems like the best option would be to just pack essentials and most important items in carry on luggage and then check a bag also, almost assuming it would get lost and chances are you will get everything. If your checked bag does get lost then you have everything that everyone else on here who has said it is doable with carry only has anyways and you can see what it’s like. 

4 hours ago, justcrusn said:

I would choose reflection.

I do not like apex, so have not sailed it, nor plans to.

our all time favorite ship is silhouette, then reflection.

(we were married aboard reflection) but that isn’t a a

factor here. 
just not a fan of edge/apex and all the “eden sillyness” etc.

The bow just looks backwards to me and don’t get me started on that orange monstrosity hanging off one side…..

anyway REFLECTION.

So you have never been on it but don’t like it?  The orange monstrosity is not only a really cool bar but also serves as a great tender platform in many ports that gets you on and off the ship faster and more efficiently.  Yet another thing the edge class does better. 

1 hour ago, Luvcrusn said:

I'm one who prefers S-class to E-class and I like newer model cars. What I don't care for on E-class  are Infinite Verandahs which aren't true verandahs, but are rather like sitting in front of an open (sometimes) window on uncomfortable furniture with no functional table and no footrests. I also don't care for the AC shutting off and heating up the cabin when one of us is in the cabin trying to get dressed and the other is sitting on the "verandah" with the window open. I also don't care for it when one of us wakes up during the night and wants to sit "outside" and read while the other is sleeping. The window opening makes too much noise and wakes the sleeping partner and the AC shuts down. I still won't like it in 5 years but I will like the new model cars.

I don’t disagree with that point about the verandas , especially if you spend a lot of time out there but the OP asked Apex or Reflection and the Apex is superior in many more ways in our opinion. To each his own but after sailing the Apex and Edge twice , it was really tough to go back to the S class. The S class ships definitely feel dated and don’t think we would even consider M class at this point anymore.  I listed a bunch of improvements above but it’s pretty much everywhere. Nicer and bigger gym , better sunset bar , rooftop garden , Eden , 4 main dining restaurants all with unique character to them. I really don’t get the attachment to the S class. Maybe there is some sentimental love because that is what most people are most familiar but that will fade.  I’m sure there are people who prefer M over S also but I am certain S is overwhelmingly preferred over M by the masses and am 100% Edge class will be preferred over S.  So E > S > M

The theater is state of the art compared to S class ships with the round stage , incredible acoustics and screens.  It’s like watching a cirque de solei show on a ship. The ocean view cafe is laid out so much better with higher ceilings and more open in general.  The pools have all been updated with jacuzzis on the jogging track and the staterooms are all modernized with nicer bathrooms and storage configuration. It’s more open and brighter.  Sure there are things we like about the S class ships also but when comparing the 2 , there really isn’t much of a comparison.  The people who are hung up on the S class are like the ones who  dislike the newer model cars when they come out and say the older one is better but in 5 years they look back and realize how dated the older one is and how much better the new and improved one actually is. 

Apex.  Better ship in almost every single way. There is a reason celebrity looks at what people like and what works and improves on it. Ships don’t regress like some people seem to want to believe. Apex has better pool area, better staterooms , better restaurants,much better oceanview cafe, better common areas , much better theater etc. Just an all around better ship

On 5/24/2022 at 9:57 AM, mickeysgal said:

We are also on Apex Aug 1- we just switched to this sailing and are struggling to find excursions. 
 

Watch the times for private tours we arrive at 10:00 am into Belfast and many of the tours I’ve been researching need more time than we have in Belfast.

Are you on the Roll Call?  

Not on a roll call yet but I am pretty sure we might try and book a private Game of Thrones tour while in Belfast. While we are not hardcore fans of the show, we both enjoyed it and the some of the private tours from Belfast hit a lot of the stops from the show as well as a few hours at Giants Causeway as well. It seems to encompass much more of the north eastern coast + Giants Causeway. Just trying to narrow down the exact provider who can fit this all in an 8 hr window

On 5/12/2022 at 5:54 PM, Fly and Sail said:

Glad I bought in at $17 when stocks bottomed out. While this is a significant drop it's not the end of the world. I see the realistic value of RCL stock in a post-Covid world around $120-140. YMMV

Never got to 17 during Covid.   19.25 was the low 

Upgrading to premium is one of the best values within celebrity. For a negligible amount you get top shelf liquor , higher end wines , all the fresh juices and smoothies at the juice bars , vitamin water and the good regular water like Evian. Classic gets you the crap in the aluminum cans.  All the martinis at the martini bar. We recoup the premium upgrade on day 1 of every cruise. Absolutely worth it 

2 minutes ago, Kimboriffic said:

There are several pharmacies in Ravenna that offer testing but would rather use the Emed Binax kit. Are we sure these can be used to get on a cruise ship in Italy? ???? The wording is so confusing on the  RCCL web site. I have been on hold for 2 hours to ask this question. Since Italy has no test requirements to enter the country, I assume we only need to satisfy Royal Carribean.

Yes you can definitely use the emed to board the ship and you need one to get back to the US (as of now)

Retreat wasnt worth it for us. Luminae is good but gets redundant and its nice to try all the main dining rooms on E-class as well. They are all neat and have their own character. The food is actually really good in these as well. The retreat pool we found rather boring also. It depends on what you like to do I guess. If you want to relax and read a book then the retreat pool is nice but all the energy and entertainment is at the regular pool.

Less than 24 hours for both our sailings in March and April. Celebrity is pretty fast with this. 

Apex - August 1st.  We dragged our feet also and now 25% of the excursions are sold out. A lot of the Icelandic glacier ones are gone , the Ireland castles , giants causeway - all sold out. 

Anyone have any good recommendations for companies? Our ship docks here in August and all of the ship sponsored excursions are sold out. Thank you

14 hours ago, TeeRick said:

It is very rare to see anybody with a mask these days where I live in PA.  Except hospitals and medical offices.  The risk  (and concern) about catching COVID is very low and our community transmission is low.  If I become unlucky at home and catch a mild case, no big deal. 

 

However catching COVID and testing positive on a ship is actually a big deal, even if very mild or asymptomatic.  It is not about the disease itself, but the onerous practices on board.  In August/Sept this year we are doing a 12 night Iceland cruise out of Southampton.  My absolute biggest concern is testing positive at the end of the cruise and not being able to board a flight back to the USA.  I have almost no concerns otherwise.

US requirement will be long gone by then. Guaranteed. 

We are spending 3 nights before the cruise in Amsterdam so don’t really need the extra night after.    I appreciate all the comments and might try to find a later flight after 2 or 3pm to be safe. 

7 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

They still rate the ships based on their protocols and the number of positive cases on board for cases for the public's knowledge. It's a voluntary program.  https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

 

Lets not pretend this is not tapering off. Numbers are down, hospitalizations are down, countries around the globe are dropping requirements left and right,  mask mandates are getting eliminated. This is not ramping up like some people on these boards want you to believe. We have had 3 cruises in the past 2 months and absolutely zero issues and 99% of people didn't wear a mask ever.

6 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

I guess you all know so much more than anyone associated with making the decisions that are there to protect everyone, including physicians, the CDC, the insurance companies you want to cover every eventuality...  With such superlative knowledge, you should have all the factors that must be considered laid at your feet and then you make the decisions...and let's see, to make it interesting, let the consequences come out of your own pockets. Then tell us how absurd and ridiculous you think it all is.

The CDC dropped the covid risk advisory for cruise ships over a month ago.

Celebrity should offer a rapid test to their guests and print their results for them before disembarkation. Even if we had to pay for it, that's much better than just offering an emed test that we could have just brought ourselves anyway.

Has anyone taken the emed test with the telehealth rep using ship wifi? In our experience on both Edge and Apex in the past month, the ship wifi seems somewhat unreliable. We have only had the basic surf package so I imagine we would need to premium option for this but wanted to see what other experiences have been for people who needed to do this before flying back to the United States. Thanks

Disembarking the Apex on August 13th in Amsterdam and the ship is slated to arrive in port around 6am. Does anyone have any advice or expertise on what would be a comfortable departure time for a flight? There seem to be a lot of options around 11 or 12. Is that cutting it too close?

On 4/25/2022 at 12:05 PM, tinaincc said:

This is absurd. Thanks for sharing. I will be sure to bring my medicine cabinet on my next trip.

This is total nonsense.  We sailed on Edge In March and Apex last week and bought allergy medicine both times on board and didnt have an issue. This guy must have been showing obvious signs of illness, he wasn't directed to test just because he bought medicine.

I didn’t mention the 4/9 sailing. That was 2 weeks ago.