Which ship would you chose... Apex or Reflection?

[graphicguy]

Depends on what you're looking for.  If you want Celebrity's best ship, it's the APEX, and it's not even close.  If the Sky Suite experience takes precedence, I'd do the S1 on the Reflection.

[Moby Jones]

1 hour ago, crusinthrough said:

Thank you for all the replies.  I was expecting more votes for Apex because it's newer but replies are fairly equal between the two.  

 

I know it's hard to compare two different stateroom categories.  The AQ class price  is the same on both ships with the Elevate package.  However, for some reason a suite on the Reflection was a small upgrade, which made the decision harder.  

 

I'll probably go with Reflection since she departs on a Sunday.  I can save a vacation day with a pre cruise stay on a Sat vs a Friday.  

I sailed in a SS on back to backs in February / March and a SS onboard Reflection last month. 

Apex was a significantly better experience, not because they ship was newer but because they had more experienced crew aboard. Reflection was a bit meh after experiencing such good service aboard Apex so recently. The Luminae and shore excursions team were a real let down to be honest. 

However I think I'd still pick a Reflection sky suite over an IV cabin....

[BettyCruiser]

Reflection with a real balcony. 
 

also a real martini bar and lawn club grill

 

but I will admit I’m not a fan of the sunset bar.

[DogLover]

You will get so, so many differing opinions on this. Folks that are committed to the latest and greatest will tell you to choose the Apex. Others (such as myself) who prefer the S class ships (even without a Revolution) will suggest you choose the Reflection.

 

I can't tell you which to select. That said, I will say our March 2022 sailing on the Reflection in suite class was exceptional. We truly enjoyed the "old" Michaels Club concept and Luminae. We prefer the extra touches that suite sailing on Celebrity provides.

 

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your cruise!

[the_dylaness]

On 6/18/2022 at 4:25 AM, crusinthrough said:

 I found ridiculously low single fares on both in Dec.  

 

The Apex is a AQ stateroom.  For $200 more I can get a S1 suite (deck 12 not corner) on the Reflection.  A Caribbean itinerary on both and I've been to all islands except Key West, which is on Apex's itinerary.  Airfare and pre hotel are comparable.  I've been on Equinox and Edge but not the Reflection or Apex.  I prefer bar options  on S Class but like the new stateroom decor and technology on the E Class.  

 

The Reflection not being Revolutionized is giving me pause.     

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't sailed Apex but beware the aft SS on any of the S-class ships that are underneath the Oceanview Cafe outdoor dining area... around 545-6am when they start dragging the chairs out, that's your wake up call!  Ask me how I know 😞 

[terrydtx]

25 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

 

Haven't sailed Apex but beware the aft SS on any of the S-class ships that are underneath the Oceanview Cafe outdoor dining area... around 545-6am when they start dragging the chairs out, that's your wake up call!  Ask me how I know 😞 

Yes you are right, that is why we book farther forward under the pool. However in our 12 deck aft facing SS last year on the Equinox we never heard a sound from the deck above.

 

On E class we prefer the 10th deck forward, you just take the stairs or elevator straight up to all of the Retreat facilities, Luminae, Retreat Lounge and Retreat sun deck.

Edited June 19, 2022 by terrydtx

[crusinthrough]

On 6/18/2022 at 12:09 PM, terrydtx said:

We booked our August 5th Sky Suite on the Reflection when Celebrity had a great sale promo back in January. We are on the 12th deck midship and out cost was only $4108pp for 10 days and that was the all included rate at that time. Today that same cabin costs about $1400pp more because they are almost sold out.

 

At the time we booked, the S1 Sky Suite was only $300pp more than  Aqua Class on the 12th deck with the Indulge package added.  I have to admit we got a great deal back in January.

The S1 is significantly higher now.  I may have gotten lucky.  I caught the price around 12 AM, which is  when I find the most deals. 

On 6/19/2022 at 3:38 PM, the_dylaness said:

 

Haven't sailed Apex but beware the aft SS on any of the S-class ships that are underneath the Oceanview Cafe outdoor dining area... around 545-6am when they start dragging the chairs out, that's your wake up call!  Ask me how I know 😞 

Been there and done that with a deck 12 aft corner on the Edge.  The worst experience ever.  The noise above was all day.  Hard to believe these rooms cost more.  You couldn't give me a cabin for free under the Oceanview Cafe again.  

[DCPIV]

I'd say you made a good choice (not that you had a bad one to make).  We were on Reflection in February, and she was in great shape. 

 

We actually prefer Michael's over the revolutionized Retreat Lounge.  Both have their good points and shortcomings, but I'll take Michael's at least eight times out of ten.  We also couldn't care less about a Retreat sundeck.  We enjoyed the Sunset Bar very much, but it could use more shade.

 

We didn't have the service issues others mentioned, but February was a lifetime ago in the cruising world.

[jagoffee]

15 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

The S1 is significantly higher now.  I may have gotten lucky.  I caught the price around 12 AM, which is  when I find the most deals. 

Been there and done that with a deck 12 aft corner on the Edge.  The worst experience ever.  The noise above was all day.  Hard to believe these rooms cost more.  You couldn't give me a cabin for free under the Oceanview Cafe again.  

Congratulations on your good luck. Enjoy

[rollie]

On 6/18/2022 at 6:26 AM, Redtravel said:

Key West closed to all large ships.  Likely that you won’t go there on any Celebrity ship.  

Not true, we were there this past May on Equinox. 

[D C]

Reflection. Hands down the winner.  

[XuGator]

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

Edited June 22, 2022 by XuGator

[the_dylaness]

2 hours ago, XuGator said:

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

Not challenging you but curious to know what is better… please elaborate!

[XuGator]

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. 

[justcrusn]

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.

[Luvcrusn]

2 hours ago, XuGator said:

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. 

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.

[XuGator]

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

[XuGator]

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. 

Edited June 23, 2022 by XuGator

[chromered7]

The E class ships look wonderful but we don’t like not having a “real” balcony so it would have to Reflection. We are counting down the days  for our July cruise on Reflection and this time we are in an aft suite and we cannot wait .

[terrydtx]

Since we prefer booking Sky Suites which on the E Class ships have traditional balconies,  we prefer the E Class ships but also love the S Class. The E's have the Retreat facilities that were designed and built as such, not refurbished older non Retreat venues. Three of our five future  cruises are on the Apex and Edge, the other two are on the Reflection and Equinox all in the Retreat. After seeing the IV cabins on the Edge there is no way we would ever book one. I am one who likes to get up early and sit out on my open balcony watching the world and sea go by, while my wife sleeps in, something I wouldn't be able to do with IV.

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I have cruised aboard both ships in the Caribbean recently: the Celebrity Reflection in February 2022 and the Celebrity Apex in April 2022. I sailed on both cruises solo and had a standard veranda stateroom on Deck 7 on the Reflection and one of the "porthole" veranda staterooms on Deck 7 forward on the Apex (thus, I had a traditional veranda rather than one of the infinite verandas).

 

I greatly enjoyed both ships. The Reflection is in excellent shape even though it has not received the major refurbishment. On the Apex, I really liked the modern design of the ship and trying the different restaurants. I had dinner in a different restaurant each night (the four traditional dining rooms and three specialty restaurants). I liked the Apex better than I expected. Choosing between these two ships is difficult, but I would probably pick the Apex. 

 

Celebrity has been providing incredible deals for solo travelers recently. I am currently booked solo on the Celebrity Infinity for September 2022 (AquaClass so that I can try Blu) and the Celebrity Beyond for February 2023 (Concierge Class). 

 

Chuck

[D C]

12 hours ago, XuGator said:

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

Having been on the Edge and Reflection within a couple of months earlier this year, I am of the opposite opinion:

The Reflection gym is a much better layout with better equipment

The Reflection Sunset Bar blows away the Edge with actual shade for guests and crew

The Reflection Lawn Club Grille is shaded and out of the wind and weather, unlike the Edge.  

 

 

[Big_G]

We're booked on Apex but haven't sailed an E Class yet. We just like the value of the Retreat on all 3 classes. We're booked on Apex, Millennium, and Equinox for December, February, and May. We have Royal booked too but even though we've spent more time on Royal, Celebrity is pulling us away.