chicagopaul Posted January 15, 2022 #1 Share Posted January 15, 2022 So I definitely cannot compete with Bennybrun! That live review for the last Apex cruise was completely fantastic. Edward was reading it everyday prior to us leaving for Fort Lauderdale. The info was amazing so thank you! I'm not going to attempt to do my usual blog of posting every single nuance. But I am still going to post daily and hopefully we don't have any login issues this time around! Also I will be posting a lot more on social media (pictures and video) and that will probably be the easiest way to follow me. Find me on Instagram under PaulKBlackburn If you find a profile with pictures of martinis and cruises you know you found the right one. Originally we were not planning to go on the Apex. We were booked on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas. We were going on that ship because our friends were going. They ended up getting covid and had to cancel so we decided to cancel that cruise and jump on the Apex for the same dates instead. This time around we are staying in a concierge class stateroom (C2). We are on deck 11 and are relatively mid ship. Our cost was $4,300 total which is the indulge package (Premium drink package, etc). We moved a on board future booking we had to book this cruise 1 week out. We have $750 OBC from Celebrity and an additional $275 OBC from our TA. We purchased a 5 night dining package. Tonight we have Eden booked and are planning Fine Cut Steakhouse for tomorrow night. We did go to the retreat and try to see if we could get an upgrade. We were told the suites were sold out (I know that's not true). But they said they'd call us if something opens up. We will see. We're already unpacked in our room so unless it is a crazy deal we don't plan to move. That would cut into our drinking time! Pre-Cruise We flew down 2 days early on Southwest. We were slightly delayed due to weather in north Florida but we made up the time in the air and the flight was really pleasant actually. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric in Las Olas. 100 times better than the Hyatt Centric in South Beach. We had a nice balcony and while we didn't have a view we had enough space and the hotel was in great shape with a very nice lobby bar and solid staff. It is not right by the beach but we love Las Olas and the restaurant and bar scene. The Happy Hours can't be beat!! I was highly impressed with all the bartenders and servers we had while in Fort Lauderdale. Truly stellar service each place we went to and very happy staff who wanted to be exactly where they were. Love that! Boarding Boarding was easy! It was definitely busier than when we boarded the Reflection at the end of November. We had to wait around 10 minutes or so after check in to board (roughly 11:10am I think it was) and then we were good to go! Onboard So far so good! We've already met some bartenders we've cruised with before. Ran into someone who follows me on instagram and have chatted with nice people. So far so good! This is only our second time on an Edge class ship. I am a HUGE fan of the S Class ships (my personal favorite) but the aesthetics of this ship are truly beautiful. The storage in the room looks small but we actually made everything fit and found it plentiful and we do over pack! I just wish we had a little more hanging space! I'll do my best to check in and post stories of people we meet and post some food photos. I'll definitely be posting a lot to my Instagram story so that will be the easiest way to follow along: PaulKBlackburn Cheers Everyone! 21 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silkismom Posted January 15, 2022 #2 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Yay, my new morning read. Lately most have been about people surviving isolation, please stay healthy, I want to hear about everything else. Enjoy!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 15, 2022 #3 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Have a great cruise!! I take it the indoor mask mandate is still in place unless you are eating or drinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mac_tlc Posted January 15, 2022 #4 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Following along. We are on the 1/29 sailing with the same itinerary. Although there has been no official cancellation of San Juan on our sailing, at least not yet. mac_tlc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted January 15, 2022 #5 Share Posted January 15, 2022 (edited) Looking forward to reading... your adventures are always entertaining... have fun! Edited January 15, 2022 by Rocky4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h20cruzer Posted January 15, 2022 #6 Share Posted January 15, 2022 So glad you are posting, saw your pic last night at the bar , went to Cruise Critic and nothing. I will be glad to hear your opinions of the Apex, like you S class still my favorite. Norma 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lola2013 Posted January 15, 2022 #7 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Hope you both have a fantastic cruise. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lastdance Posted January 16, 2022 #8 Share Posted January 16, 2022 So...love to read your reviews. Hoping you time onboard is full of fun and energy, but also a little relaxful too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironore88 Posted January 16, 2022 #9 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Looking forward to your updates....have a fabulous cruise. Btw, I will now follow you on Instagram as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorris53 Posted January 16, 2022 #10 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Hi ChicagoPaul, we are doing a b2b in 3 weeks on Apex. What did you do about your covid test? Did you have it before going to Ft Lauderdale or get it there? We're coming a few days early and will have to get a test before boarding. anyone else that tested in Ft Lauderdale ideas would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggieq Posted January 16, 2022 #11 Share Posted January 16, 2022 So excited! Thank you for doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted January 16, 2022 #12 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Yippee! Followed Benny & now you...hopefully dear mac in a couple weeks. Hoping we will still be on the Apex March 12! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise kitty Posted January 16, 2022 #13 Share Posted January 16, 2022 following along here & on the IG 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenvCruiser Posted January 16, 2022 #14 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Bon Voyage. We are eagerly awaiting your posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raudacruise Posted January 16, 2022 #15 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Woo hoo!🍸 So excited to follow a new chicagopaul voyage. Always a treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvbvi Posted January 16, 2022 #16 Share Posted January 16, 2022 The Edge was wonderful, looking forward to our Apex cruise. Do you know how many people are on your sailing this week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeryn2014 Posted January 16, 2022 #17 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Have a great cruise. Was on Edge in September and it was fantastic. Only 900 passengers. Beautiful. Hope your cruise is just as wonderful 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlanders Posted January 16, 2022 #18 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Did they have a special discount on day 1 for specialty restaurants, 50% off? They used to have first day specials. We are on apex Jan 29th. Just planning ahead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMC Posted January 16, 2022 #19 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Have a wonderful cruise; looking forward to following along as I anticipate our B2B in March! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiojohn Posted January 16, 2022 #20 Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said: Have a great cruise!! I take it the indoor mask mandate is still in place unless you are eating or drinking? Yes mask mandate is in effect for this cruise. We have not seen anyone without masks when inside. But outside masks are not required. Watching NFL games outside on the big screen on the Roof Top Garden is fantastic. Second game currently chilly. Edited January 16, 2022 by ohiojohn 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packerpegster Posted January 16, 2022 #21 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Chicago Paul…❤️Love your posts!! Yea!!! Have a great voyage!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserMickey Posted January 16, 2022 #22 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Yay! I just saw your story on Instagram and immediately stopped by here to see if you were doing a Live thread again. Bon Voyage! We were supposed to be on the Reflection this week, so I am extremely jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachlover1989 Posted January 16, 2022 #23 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Another CHICAGOPAUL LIVE thread!!! YAY!!! Love following your cruises and all of the good info you give! Did you book the restaurants you wanted ahead of time when you bought the Dining Package? TIA! Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxo Posted January 16, 2022 #24 Share Posted January 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Aeryn2014 said: Have a great cruise. Was on Edge in September and it was fantastic. Only 900 passengers. Beautiful. Hope your cruise is just as wonderful We were, too. Fantastic cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie.1008 Posted January 16, 2022 #25 Share Posted January 16, 2022 So happy to follow along again. We were in a SV on the Apex in November. We loved the four dining rooms and didn’t go to all the specialty restaurants. We did enjoy rooftop dining and lunch at grand bistro. Cheers, Heather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now