How's the Pizza on Apex?

[leangranflor]

19 hours ago, D C said:

Celebrity's pizza is very good, and the oceanview cafe pizza is almost identical to the normal Princess pizza.  Princess does step it up a notch with the pizza In Alfredo's, their pizza restaurant. 

Thank you! Hope to sea you soon 🍴🍕 

[karmamule]

We’ll be boarding Apex tomorrow and are looking forward to trying the pizza for ourselves! 😊

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, karmamule said:

We’ll be boarding Apex tomorrow and are looking forward to trying the pizza for ourselves! 😊

SInce your from Boston I can say it ain't like Santarpios, but it definitely isn't horrible

[karmamule]

2 hours ago, LGW59 said:

SInce your from Boston I can say it ain't like Santarpios, but it definitely isn't horrible

Back in the 90s I worked near the North End and sometimes we’d go to the original location for Pizzeria Regina and it was always 50/50 whether the pizza would come out burned and mediocre or absolute perfection. They had big bottles of olive oil with bulbs of garlic and other herbs floating in them and you could pour that over your pizza.
 

As I read what I just typed I’m surprised I’m still alive after eating that so frequently. 😄

[Cap_D]

Just shared a pizza with my family on Apex.  Excellent thin crust, made in small batches.  Very tasty.  As good or better than many similar pizzas on land.

[AF-1]

I ordered a whole pep pizza on Apex in March and it was very good.  I also had slices; but like the who pizza better because it comes fresh from the oven

[sdnich]

And for anyone gluten-free just off the edge they will make you a gluten-free pizza fresh and generally give you the whole pizza! My DH did a few late night walks down to get pizza to bring back to the room!! I thought it was pretty good! 

[NutsAboutGolf]

48 minutes ago, sdnich said:

And for anyone gluten-free just off the edge they will make you a gluten-free pizza fresh and generally give you the whole pizza! My DH did a few late night walks down to get pizza to bring back to the room!! I thought it was pretty good! 

 

If you ask for a whole pizza they'll give it to you as long as you're willing to wait

[sdnich]

8 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

If you ask for a whole pizza they'll give it to you as long as you're willing to wait

Good things come to those who wait 😉

[keesar]

I found the pizza to be edible.  The sauce was bland.  What helped were the pepper flakes and the grated parmesan cheese that you could add to the pizza.  Much better choices of foods available at the buffet.  

 

The biggest hit at the pizza station were the garlic sticks.  Very good!

[Cap_D]

Fully agree waiting for a pizza is well worth it, and its not an imposition on the pizzamakers.  Knowing about dough, the lizza dough is likely using a 00 flour, no additives, and has been consistent throughout the cruise.  With spices added to taste, it would be hard to find a better pizza at sea and most land restaurants.  Can't emphasize enough how it's not Vegas buffet, cruiseship pizza or pretend.  It's legitimately good. 

[D C]

On 4/7/2023 at 11:58 PM, Cap_D said:

Fully agree waiting for a pizza is well worth it, and its not an imposition on the pizzamakers.  Knowing about dough, the lizza dough is likely using a 00 flour, no additives, and has been consistent throughout the cruise.  With spices added to taste, it would be hard to find a better pizza at sea and most land restaurants.  Can't emphasize enough how it's not Vegas buffet, cruiseship pizza or pretend.  It's legitimately good. 

Had a conversation with the chef responsible for the entirety of the Oceanview Cafe on the Infinity last Nov while waiting on a made to order pizza.  Turns out that he actually owns a pizzeria in Argentina that his wife runs in his absence,and he's rather passionate about pizza.  I didn't pry into the recipe (unfortunately) but it was certainly good stuff. 

 

(I make something around 150 pizzas per year at home using a variety of flours and have a dedicated pizza oven.  Celebrity certainly makes good pizza!) 

[Salt Lifer]

Typically I won't eat pizza on a cruise.  My philosophy is I pay a lot of money for the cruise food experience (I am a foodie) and no way will I waste calories on pizza when there are so many other choices!  With that said, the pizza was so good on Apex last year that I had a slice of two nearly every day!!!

 

My husband has celiacs and said the gluten free option was pretty good, too.  

[Cap_D]

2 hours ago, D C said:

(I make something around 150 pizzas per year at home using a variety of flours and have a dedicated pizza oven.  Celebrity certainly makes good pizza!) 

Same, including using a selection of flours, cheese, and tomatoes.  We've used any number of recipes, including success with recipes from Brian Lagerstrom (who may have something in common with this Board, see https://www.youtube.com/@BrianLagerstrom/community).

 

And, while I don't cruise for pizza, pizza is hard to resist sampling.  So, we appreciate it was well worth it. 

 

On Apex in Luminae, pizza is a feature of the kids menu (as it was in 2022 on Edge).  The head waiter personally obtains the made to order pizza from the OVC and delivers it to the table with a smile.  Happy child, and parents.  Despite the distance, it was piping hot, crispy where it should have been, and perfect in every way.  Meanwhile mom and dad were able to order from the main menu, and sample the pizza.  Can't say enough good things about how that works out well, and helps make the trip for a family with a young traveler that just wants a "good" pizza.  Yes, it was arguably an expensive pizza, but no more or less than had we been anywhere else for 7 days and 8 nights, and we still had the main Luminae dining room menu and everything that comes with it.  (Portion sizes were consistent with April 2022, and execution was as good or better in some respects).  

 

@leangranflor we looked for you at the OVC and were told you were at the Stir Fry station.  We didn't find you, but appreciate the original postings.  We hope your contract is going well, and if you're still onboard please share with current pizza guys that it was well worth writing about on this website.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Cap_D

[leangranflor]

Hola, this is leandro. I speak on behalf of the OVC team and am grateful for all of you writing comments here. Please keep it coming! 

 

Yes, pizza guys will be notified on writing in this topic as well. With my 1st contract everything is so overwhelming yet So far so good! I am helping out sometime in the stirfry section also but I am mostly inside the kitchen running pick ups for the daily. 

 

It was a long time replying in the comment section but i noticed all was talking about the queue line

Pizza had quite some changes, before twas rolled with pin but now handmade... Thank you for waiting for whoever is in queue. 

[DJLDRUMS]

On 1/7/2022 at 12:48 PM, LGW59 said:

Growing up in Boston, and eating pizza in the North End, pizza on a cruise ship does NOT compute, IMHO

The European restaurant on Hanover St. in the North End of Boston....they made a fantastic pizza years and years ago ! They'd still be there today if it wasn't for the owners avoiding paying the taxes resulting in Income Tax Evasion.

[dacsmom]

Pizza on the Edge last month was outstanding. Probably the best on any ship so far.

[rj59]

Princess beats all others, with a dedicated pizza restaurant on their newer ships that serves a variety of fresh pies. I was disappointed with pizza on Solstice, stale and bland usually, but then there's such a good variety of Indian and other foods I preferred that pizza simply isn't that appealing there. Apex did it better, I think because there was a larger crowd, so they were constantly putting out fresh pizza of different types, which makes all the difference, getting it when it's hot. Since it's hidden at the back of the buffet, a lot of people don't realize that it stays open late, so it's a good place for a snack and to find seats at crowded buffet times. I actually helped as an unofficial advisor to the first Ukrainian pizza delivery service when I worked at the US Embassy in Kyiv in 1993, since nobody there at the time had tasted Italian or American real pizza, and I went to the first Pizza Hut in Moscow in 1991, one nicer side of the restaurant for those paying in dollars and a side with worse pizza and service for those paying in rubles. 

[DebInAntigua]

If you are in a suite on APEX, can you ask the butler to deliver a fresh late night pizza to your cabin?