Nov 6 Apex B2B East-West Caribbean Cruise

[LadyDivot]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Yes, it was called Rail and Sail and my DW said it was about $200 pp. No meal was included, but there was an open bar with a wide variety of drinks on both the rail and sail portions of the excursion.

I was intrigued by the note Celebrity provided saying that St. Kitts government approved excursions are okay to use while on the island. That certainly adds a layer of complexity of what to do! While you were on a Celebrity excursion, did you go through the area where you can find the approved excursions? Easy to find which are legit? I'm a planner so I'm not sure my type A self will be able to wait, but as I said above, I'm very intrigued! Many thanks for your excellent info.

 

Pam

 

[susiesan]

Pam, so you are saying St. Kitts is now available to tour without a Celebrity excursion? That info is not on the web site yet.

[RedneckBob]

On 11/8/2021 at 8:26 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

I’ll probably have to wait until we get midway through the next leg before I’ll be able to give you any estimates on that cruise.
 

Here are some figures though. Maximum dual occupancy is 2,910 passengers. But, they currently have deck 6 assigned as the quarantine deck for new crew while they go through the clearance protocols. Deck 6 has 186 cabins or can accommodate 372 passengers. So the most passengers that can be on the Apex until deck 6 is reopened is 2,538. I know it doesn’t help answer your question, but thought I’d just add that so you know. 

Hi Ken the cruiser, 
 

Hope your internet is working better than at the start. Just off the Equinox and 65% of Deck 6 was also used to quarantine the new crew. I walked the deck and saw the tables outside the cabin doors some with notes that said, “need more rice” or “need more chicken”. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

25 minutes ago, LadyDivot said:

I was intrigued by the note Celebrity provided saying that St. Kitts government approved excursions are okay to use while on the island. That certainly adds a layer of complexity of what to do! While you were on a Celebrity excursion, did you go through the area where you can find the approved excursions? Easy to find which are legit? I'm a planner so I'm not sure my type A self will be able to wait, but as I said above, I'm very intrigued! Many thanks for your excellent info.

 

Pam

Hi Pam,

 

No, we were only focused on where to line up before they escorted us to our bus. But, I don’t believe we would have even been allowed to go off the ship if we hadn’t already secured an “authorized local agent or taxi to go ashore at Saint Kitts”.
 

However, I would imagine you should be able to find an “authorized local agent or taxi” in advance by researching the more reputable travel agencies you can find on the internet which provide excursion services in St Kitts.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

10 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Pam, so you are saying St. Kitts is now available to tour without a Celebrity excursion? That info is not on the web site yet.

Here’s what’s listed in Celebrity Today.

 

[susiesan]

Ken, I read on the St. Kitts tourism website that as of Nov. 2 vaccinated pax can go ashore and tour with a government approved tour company. There are 30 or so tour choices showing, some are the ones Celebrity is offering at a markup.

https://www.stkittstourism.kn/activities/excursions

[Ken the cruiser]

27 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Ken, I read on the St. Kitts tourism website that as of Nov. 2 vaccinated pax can go ashore and tour with a government approved tour company. There are 30 or so tour choices showing, some are the ones Celebrity is offering at a markup.

https://www.stkittstourism.kn/activities/excursions

Thanks. This should help @LadyDivotfind an appropriately approved private excursion prior to arriving on her cruise if she doesn’t want to book one of Celebrity’s.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[MarKay525]

Ken - thank you so much for taking the time to share your cruise. What a fantastic itinerary you have for your B2B - much better that what we'll have next year on Apex.

 

Hope the Rock n Roll production show is still playing in a year - that is our kind of music!

 

We will be in a SV for the 2nd leg of our trip with the bed next to the bath like yours. I'm a bit concerned about the clearance for the closet with that arrangement. Would you be able to post a photo that shows the space between the bed and the wall please.

 

Thank you - Kay

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, MarKay525 said:

Ken - thank you so much for taking the time to share your cruise. What a fantastic itinerary you have for your B2B - much better that what we'll have next year on Apex.

 

Hope the Rock n Roll production show is still playing in a year - that is our kind of music!

 

We will be in a SV for the 2nd leg of our trip with the bed next to the bath like yours. I'm a bit concerned about the clearance for the closet with that arrangement. Would you be able to post a photo that shows the space between the bed and the wall please.

 

Thank you - Kay

Hi Kay,

 

Here you go!

 

[LadyDivot]

6 hours ago, susiesan said:

Ken, I read on the St. Kitts tourism website that as of Nov. 2 vaccinated pax can go ashore and tour with a government approved tour company. There are 30 or so tour choices showing, some are the ones Celebrity is offering at a markup.

https://www.stkittstourism.kn/activities/excursions

Perfect! Thank you, Susiesan and Ken! If we have to use Celebrity excursions, we'll do it, but if we've got options, I prefer to work with local excursion providers when and where I can. This give us options. Yay!

 

Pam

 

[LadyDivot]

6 hours ago, susiesan said:

Pam, so you are saying St. Kitts is now available to tour without a Celebrity excursion? That info is not on the web site yet.

Susiesan - you found the info on the St. Kitts tourism site, so this is probably not valuable any more, but please see post #13 in this thread to see the doc that I referred to previously. 

 

Pam

 

[MarKay525]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Hi Kay,

 

Here you go!

 

Thank you!!

Assuming those are closet doors on the far left, I may have to scale back my packing - it looks small. Kay

[Ken the cruiser]

We continued on with a fun Wednesday evening by going to Le Petit Chef, watching the evening show Tree of Life in the main theater and then Night of Dreams over in the Eden!! Wow, has Eden expanded its offerings when compared to when we were on the Edge back in August!! All for the good we might add! 😎

 

Springtime in Le Petit Chef

 

 

Night of Dreams in Eden is basically a show with all of the Alice in Wonderland characters, which I may add was totally different cast than the production cast we see in the main theater. 
 

[dazey]

We sail on Apex in a week or so and I have a few questions if I may:

1.  Must one wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking?

2.  Is there a way to enter Eden from Deck 6 without having to walk to the elevator/stairwell? I thought I recall hearing of a "secret" way of accessing Eden from Deck 6.

3.  Noted that Deck 6 has been used for quarantine new crew.  We are on Deck 6 and am a bit concerned about being on that deck with new crew being quarantined.

 

Any answers are appreciated.

[Ken the cruiser]

9 hours ago, MarKay525 said:

Thank you!!

Assuming those are closet doors on the far left, I may have to scale back my packing - it looks small. Kay

It comes with 2 stalls, 23 hangers and 3 drawers plus the 3 long drawers across from the sofa next to the fridge. Not a lot of space, but enough for us. But then we have also used the laundry services twice.

[Ken the cruiser]

25 minutes ago, dazey said:

We sail on Apex in a week or so and I have a few questions if I may:

1.  Must one wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking?

2.  Is there a way to enter Eden from Deck 6 without having to walk to the elevator/stairwell? I thought I recall hearing of a "secret" way of accessing Eden from Deck 6.

3.  Noted that Deck 6 has been used for quarantine new crew.  We are on Deck 6 and am a bit concerned about being on that deck with new crew being quarantined.

 

Any answers are appreciated.

1. No. The only time you need to where a mask is when you’re in port and you want to leave the ship.

 

2. Deck 6 has been sealed off as it’s the quarantine deck for new crew members. But there could be. If so, we haven’t found it. You can also enter Eden from the outside on deck 5 which has a partial promenade walking area along most of the ship.

 

3. My guess is if there are passenger cabins available on deck 6, which it sounds like there are on the opposite end from where we saw the closed doors, I’m sure you will be totally safe. I would assume the crew would access their cabin/hallway area through the crew area entrances into the hallway rather from the passenger area hallway entrances you will be accessing through. Celebrity is super cautious when it comes to managing their C19 protocols. 
 

Hope this helps. 😎

 

[cruising sister]

We will be on Apex in January. I am trying to find out if you can order off MDR menu in Blu. Thanks for doing review. 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, cruising sister said:

We will be on Apex in January. I am trying to find out if you can order off MDR menu in Blu. Thanks for doing review. 

Unfortunately I have no idea. Maybe someone who is knowledgeable in this area will share some of their insights with you on the thread.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, cruising sister said:

We will be on Apex in January. I am trying to find out if you can order off MDR menu in Blu. Thanks for doing review. 

From other threads I have read you can in Blu because it is on the 5th deck and close enough to the MDR restaurants kitchens, however not in Luminae because it is on the 12th deck and too far removed from the MDR kitchens.

[graphicguy]

Yay Ken.  I just found this.  So glad I did, and so happy to see you're back on the water.  Loving your review so far.

 

Thanks!

[Ken the cruiser]

46 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Yay Ken.  I just found this.  So glad I did, and so happy to see you're back on the water.  Loving your review so far.

 

Thanks!

Hey there!  I have to admit, it’s been fun quietly comparing the Edge and the Apex. Both our nice ships, but it definitely appears Celebrity has definitely learned what needed a little tweaking on the Edge and appears to have applied some of those tweaks to the Apex. I have to admit Eden’s menu on the Apex far surpasses what we experienced on the Edge. We also like that the step down from the cabin bathroom to the main floor is only about an inch now versus the 4-5” like on most ships to include the Edge. 
 

But with 1,850 passengers on this cruise and 1,900 scheduled for the next leg versus the 900 we experienced on the Edge in August, we’re finding those quiet spots can be a little elusive, but we’re finding it doable. 😎

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Hey there!  I have to admit, it’s been fun quietly comparing the Edge and the Apex. Both our nice ships, but it definitely appears Celebrity has definitely learned what needed a little tweaking on the Edge and appears to have applied some of those tweaks to the Apex. I have to admit Eden’s menu on the Apex far surpasses what we experienced on the Edge. We also like that the step down from the cabin bathroom to the main floor is only about an inch now versus the 4-5” like on most ships to include the Edge. 
 

But with 1,850 passengers on this cruise and 1,900 scheduled for the next leg versus the 900 we experienced on the Edge in August, we’re finding those quiet spots can be a little elusive, but we’re finding it doable. 😎

 

Good to know.  The GF and I were perusing the Apex last night for sailings next month.  She's all about doing compare and contrast with the Retreat vs Veranda.  Love me some Retreat.  But, if the price delta isn't too wide, I'd shoot for the Retreat, again.

 

So, looks like the Veranda's are running right around $3K.  the Retreat Sky Suites are running about $5K.  But, the Sky suites include $600 in OBC, Streaming internet, Premium Drinks and tips.  So, that delta shrinks quite a bit.  

 

I don't know how much the Premium drinks and Streaming internet upgrade costs would be for a Veranda.

 

I was actually looking at a solo Veranda, but apparently you actually can't have 2 passengers in a solo....LOL!  Plus, it looks like those categories all are obstructed views (which defeats the purpose of having a Veranda).

 

Your balcony is quite nice, too.

 

Again, can't wait to read more about your cruise!!!!!!

[Ken the cruiser]

8 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Good to know.  The GF and I were perusing the Apex last night for sailings next month.  She's all about doing compare and contrast with the Retreat vs Veranda.  Love me some Retreat.  But, if the price delta isn't too wide, I'd shoot for the Retreat, again.

 

So, looks like the Veranda's are running right around $3K.  the Retreat Sky Suites are running about $5K.  But, the Sky suites include $600 in OBC, Streaming internet, Premium Drinks and tips.  So, that delta shrinks quite a bit.  

 

I don't know how much the Premium drinks and Streaming internet upgrade costs would be for a Veranda.

 

I was actually looking at a solo Veranda, but apparently you actually can't have 2 passengers in a solo....LOL!  Plus, it looks like those categories all are obstructed views (which defeats the purpose of having a Veranda).

 

Your balcony is quite nice, too.

 

Again, can't wait to read more about your cruise!!!!!!

I have to admit, we are enjoying our aft-facing veranda cabin especially on sea days and port sailaways!

Edited November 11, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[jman101]

On 11/7/2021 at 9:00 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

I just checked and we were able to see the menus associated with the restaurants on some of our future cruises on the Celebrity App. Just pull up your future Edge or Apex cruise on your Celebrity App, go to Dining and then select the restaurant your interested in. The complete menu should pop up for you. Easy peasy. 

Wow, thank you Ken! I didn't know you could see the menu's. With our sailing on 12.4 I can obsess with what I will be eating! Thanks again!

[terrydtx]

34 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Good to know.  The GF and I were perusing the Apex last night for sailings next month.  She's all about doing compare and contrast with the Retreat vs Veranda.  Love me some Retreat.  But, if the price delta isn't too wide, I'd shoot for the Retreat, again.

 

So, looks like the Veranda's are running right around $3K.  the Retreat Sky Suites are running about $5K.  But, the Sky suites include $600 in OBC, Streaming internet, Premium Drinks and tips.  So, that delta shrinks quite a bit.  

 

I don't know how much the Premium drinks and Streaming internet upgrade costs would be for a Veranda.

 

I was actually looking at a solo Veranda, but apparently you actually can't have 2 passengers in a solo....LOL!  Plus, it looks like those categories all are obstructed views (which defeats the purpose of having a Veranda).

 

Your balcony is quite nice, too.

 

Again, can't wait to read more about your cruise!!!!!!

In suites you get a real verandah, not a sunroom with a window that opens.  To us that is a huge plus for a Sky Suite over a Verandah cabin.  The new Beyond has made some more positive changes over the Edge and Apex, the biggest being the new location of the Luminae, it is on the 16th deck in the very front with a forward view instead of the port side on deck 12. Now decks 15, Retreat Lounge, 16 Luminae and 17, Retreat Deck are almost exclusively for the Retreat guests. The Beyond will be taking the Retreat experience a whole step forward, IMO. I look forward to booking her in the future.

Edited November 11, 2021 by terrydtx