Dave Judy

Perfect Idea ! Hang out right there on the railing - unobstructed view ! We always hang out on the fringes of the crowd so we can get to the Pirate 🏴‍☠️ Buffet in Cabanas after the Fireworks 💥 before the crowds hit.

We were just at The Baths in January as part of a Celebrity cruise excursion from Tortola. We are going back to Tortola in July with our teen age grandkids as part of a Disney cruise and are determined to take them to The Baths on our own without signing up for an excursion. Have read about Speedy’s and Sensations Ferry trips… Obviously, a little afraid of “Missing the Boat…” back from Virgin Gorda. Please alleviate my anxiety.

Absolutely. Just hang around at the Fringes of the crowd. Fireworks don’t start until after the show.

Totally agree with Texter2, try to get a 7 day or longer cruise. We have been on both Celebrity and Disney ships. The Disney Vibe is amazing for adults of all age. Disney cruises cost a bit more, but the quality of the experience is so worth it. We are retired and have been on over 10 Disney cruises. Don’t worry about the ports, the journey on the ship is the best part. Consider joining one of the Disney Cruise groups on Facebook. They provide a wealth of information and tips.

1. I should know this… Is Check-in for Port Arrival Time PAT 30 days prior to sailing ? 2. The day after PIF is when activity bookings, Palo, etc open for Platinum guests ? Im having a Senior moment… Thanks !

OMG… never mind…

Tortola has an amazing excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda. Google it and see the pictures. Lots of crawling around and under big boulders - Your 11 year old will thank you later.

We have been on 11 Disney cruises- only one on the Dream, the other ten have been on the Magic and the Wonder - all for seven nights or longer. You will have an amazing time on the Wonder. Enjoy!

We were just on the Apex in Tortola and did the afternoon trip to The Baths. It was an amazing excursion.

Clearly, I meant on 25% of offerings were available. Very slim pickings.

We were on the Apex at the end of January. There have been changes to food since beginning of 2023. Not always excited about menus in the 4 MDRs, we chose to eat in OVC 2 nights, and almost a 3rd. While OVC at lunch is pretty bountiful, the dinner buffets are scaled back close to 75%. We were fortunate that the Pasta Bar was open and got a great meal on two evenings. The atmosphere is very laid back. On the 3rd night, we walked through and decided the options just were not there, so we went to one of the MDRs.

On the Apex two weeks ago. Just asked my wife about the butter with the Lobster as I thought she’d made a similar comment. She affirmed that she was shocked why the drawn butter was so salty.

We boarded the Apex last week in Port Everglades and we’re allowed to bring on 12 cans of Diet Coke. No problem 😉

Texter2 That was our experience. First night, slamming doors, booming noises (thought it was waves crashing on the bow) and ladies talking loudly (where did that come from?) late at night. Next time, we had it figured out and asked to talk directly with the Hotel Manager as we had met her earlier under positive circumstances. We got assurances and a surprise FCC. But, that still didn’t fix it. Because you can’t see them or “wind” your window down, the location really was quite the mystery. Glad we could solve it for you. Won’t book that location again.

No, I have not seen that in the 4 main dining rooms. Each have three specialties + three offered in all 4 + three specials for that night alone - technically a “choice” of nine different entrées but not quite the reality… For the good steaks 🥩 they want you to got to their “Pay to Play” Steakhouse - sorry, I forget the name. I’ve actually had COVID three times, twice off a ship and she twice, but this time the strain has really knocked her for a loop. In time, she’ll bounce back.

And thank you all for the responses. We are Go Go retirees trying to pack in lots of travel on sea and on land. We spend modestly and our expectations are always low key. As former school administrators, we always try to focus on the positive and deal with problems in a deliberate way.

We were on the ship with you and I totally concur with your findings. We ate at the dinner buffet on two nights and the Pasta Bar saved the day for us.

We just got off the Apex on Saturday, jumped in our car and drove 1,000 miles home. This was our third trip on the Apex, our first being in October, 2021 on the inaugural WBTA - where Celebrity added Many “Bells and Whistles” for their triumphant entry into the U.S. cruise market. Nothing can ever compare to that nearly perfect journey… Below is our subjective review of this latest Apex cruise. Ship: The Apex is a new and grand ship with beauty and surprises around every corner. Everything still sparkles. We are moderate spenders, and in the past, had IV staterooms on the higher decks - the size of which we enjoyed. This time, we went with a cheaper Ocean View room at the very bow of the ship; room 8101. Dimensions were nearly 8’ x ‘30, with the ceiling slowly tapering to a huge 6’ oval window looking out over the bow. The room size was amazing and very comfortable. One of the biggest negatives of our cruise was that there was an, unknown to us, outside crew deck lounge area hidden 2 stories down. Unfortunately, a handful of rude crew would be talking and yelling late into the night - the last evening at 2:00 am. Food: In short, yes it has changed quite a bit, even since our Baltic cruise on Apex last Summer. 1. There are no longer “desirable” cuts of meat (Tenderloin, Strip steak, Prime Rib) available in the Four main dining rooms. The closest I got was Filet en Croute in Normandy. Throughout the main dining rooms, there are all kinds of combinations of choices, but many didn’t sound appealing or when ordered tasted all that special. Yes, they have Lobster night and really do charge $16.95 for the second tail. Of course, I ordered two meals, one being lobster and gave that tail to my wife. She ate half and gave me the rest - it really wasn’t all that special (we save our lobster mania for our trips to Maine). Kudos to all of the serving staff, their hard work and friendly demeanor was easy to notice, but dinners dragged between courses due to what I believe was fewer kitchen and prep staff. 2. Oceanview Cafe is still excellent for breakfast! I have noticed fewer choices that I like at lunch compared to the past, but was always able to find plenty to fill me up. The big cutbacks at dinner in OV are very noticeable ! Because of the slow service and lack of choices in MDRooms, we chose to eat dinner twice at OV. It’s fair to say that less than a quarter of the stations were open and with very lacking choices - we are not critical or fussy eaters. The Pasta Bar was open, thank goodness. We would have had a third dinner, but walked through and saw the Pasta Bar was closed. There were easily 100 diners each time we were there. Celebrity really needs to recalibrate this venue to serve as a viable alternative. Ports: Old San Juan, Tortola, Basseterre/Nevis/St. Kitts 1. We love Old San Juan, but the 3:30pm port arrival and 4:00pm all ashore left us scrambling to get to Castillo del Morro before the 5:00 pm closing and 6:00 sunset. We understand the long journey from Ft. Lauderdale, but wish there was another way to get more available daytime in this beautiful port. 2. Tortola - we missed out on this port last year during Omicron and were excited to make it. Our afternoon Celebrity excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda was one of the highlights of the trip. 3. B/N/StK - were here on a previous cruise and enjoyed our excursion to the Brimstone Hill Fortress, otherwise not a very exciting port. Wish the dates were flipped with Old San Juan. Entertainment: Yes, the Theater is state of the art, the back screen is amazing and we did enjoy the three stage productions. We had seen them before, but really appreciate all the efforts that go into making these shows happen. The casts were changing (one rotating off after five months) and you could feel the catharsis after their final act… BTW, Rockumentary is an amazing Rock celebration, but it was loud! Had this Baby Boomer wishing he had hearing aids that could be turned off. Our entertainment highlight was Guitarist Charlie from Wales. He did simple 45 minute sets in the lesser venues, our favorite being in Eden. He was a one man show with his guitar and harmonica playing everything from Old English folk songs to Sinatra, Dylan, and Johnny Cash. Highly talented, he was all alone on his small stage and gave 100% on every performance. He was our favorite and hope to see him for years to come. Passengers: Cruising is back and the ship was packed. We cruised nearly ten times with Celebrity and Disney cruise lines during COVID and got spoiled with 30- 40% occupancy rates… Still can’t get a good answer on size for this cruise, thinking it was at least 75% or higher. You could still get a seat in OV or theater if reasonable in your expectations, but again, there were problems with the 4 main dining rooms. We had “Anytime Dining” and the Reservation system did not appear to work (if you tried to use the app), sometimes longer waits, even if we just went to a different dining room. There were clearly tables available, I believe that Celebrity is still trying to figure out staffing ratios. Negatives: 1. COVID protocols have changed. Not as much attempt to sanitize, limit elevator capacity, or encourage masking in tight places For American society (us included) COVID “no longer exists” as we are learning to live with each mutation. We are Vaxxed to the Max and my wife tested positive in her room the day of departure after a seven night cruise (don’t tell me it was the flight down - we drove our car). We get it, we took the risk and have both had COVID twice before. Frankly, I’m glad it wasn’t Norovirus - Now there’s a tough one. 2. Previously mentioned the outdoor crew lounge area below room 8101. Yes, we called security and even met with hotel manager, even got compensation. It took us a few days to even figure it out as the area is below us and we couldn’t see the noisemakers. It just leaves a really bad taste that a few callous and rude staff ruin it for passengers like us who take pains not to make noise or disturb our passenger neighbors. Even with our preemptive work, someone woke me up at 2:00 am our last night. Positives: 1. Hey, it was a cruise ! We got away from the Cold Winter and apparently a Polar Vortex. 2. The sky, the ocean, the palm trees in port - all beautiful. I have a special place outside of the theater on deck 5 where I spent hours watching the flying fish. Something magical about that. 3. Our large Oceanview Stateroom, loved the big shower with the curved glass door - and our Room Steward, Jarot who really took care of us. 4. While the food wasn’t perfect, I still never had to cook! 5. Guitarist Charlie !

Boarding Apex tomorrow, what is the Terminal Number please. Does it work well with the Palm parking garage ? Big Thanks !

I can carry on a 12 pack of Diet Coke ?

I thought Celebrity Apex was in Tortola on a Tuesday, 1/31 .

If the Celebrity excursion is 4 hours long, how much time “At” The Baths including the hiking down and up from the beach?

My turn to LOL… DW and I had 80 years between us on the educator continuum (Kindergarten - middle school - principal- adjunct faculty). Fortunate to raise children, college, get some $ in 401, and finally get to spend our retirement $. Excited every time we get a veranda room, cause most times it’s OV and we’re still excited just to be on a ship 🚢. But still like to hear about everyone’s cruising experiences…

Have been on Celebrity before and always with a Classic Beverage package, “Just show my card and never worry about the cost…” Always drank Diest Coke, “cheap” beer and wine. We are only on this upcoming cruise because we got an incredible deal on a “Cruise Only” package. We each have $100 OBC. 1. We give them the card each time and the price + gratuity is deducted from our accounts? 2. How do we track the OBC deductions? 3. I’ll round up and say I can get “cheap” beer and wine for around $10… How much is a Diet Coke? Is it the same with dinner in the various dining rooms? Big Thanks in advance on this…

Will Celebrity allow us to bring a 12 pack onboard with our carry on?