Live from Apex 11/26-12/3

[Ben100014]

Hi all,

 

I’m going to write and contribute to this as I get the energy to, so bear with me. I was reading on the Captain’s Club Facebook page a very controversial post by someone who is on the ship presently ALREADY saying it was the worst cruise they had ever been on-5 hours in.

 

I’m not that quick to jump to final judgment, but here is what I will say-are we on the same ship?

 

Embarkation, as always, was smooth for The Retreat, as X has this down to a science at this point. 15 minutes from pier to ship, with a stop in the lounge for some food. (we hadn’t eaten all day) Luminae Lunch, although slow because of the embarkation day rush, was good. Dinner was incredible, with one of the best waiters we’ve had on any line. Our Butler, Gene, has always been visible thus far and active in accommodating us. The concierge team was excellent and prompt in addressing all matters we had upon boarding. The service in general, as expected from X, is phenomenal.

 

And this ship-let me tell you as someone who has never been on an Edge-class-WOW. X has outdone themselves, this truly is a floating work of art and very well thought out.

 

The food has been absolutely incredible so far-superior to the Silversea cruise we were on in August, and better than anything we’ve had on NCL, RCL, and so far, other X cruises. We ate at Eden tonight and WOW-what an unexpected surprise. We didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being excellent service and food, although our eyes ended up being bigger than our stomachs!

 

The theater entertainment is TBD, but the singer last night was amazing, and Shawna is always a hoot as CD. 

 

Hope to keep you updated! Please post with any questions you may have.

 

-Ben sailing from Key West

Edited November 28, 2022 by Ben100014

[blade3]

Looking forward to your thoughts as we're on Apex 1/7.

Edited November 28, 2022 by blade3

[Tak8]

Enjoy.  Can't wait to read more.  I'll be on Apex in May.  

 

I'll be interested in your take of the main restaurants and if you had a favorite.

[Lastdance]

We certainly love our b2b/TA just two weeks ago.  Even though we both caught Covid, the med team was wonderful, along with everything else onboard.  Everyone on Apex(crew) was doing his/her very best, even though they all had to have masks on for the TA.  I believe that was a great call by the captain, as we actually tested ourselves for covid before calling medical.  It was a good thing we did, as our situation was quite unique, as things progressed.  It was great to know that the Apex Family was excellent at handling our situation.  There is even a concierge for Covid, but so many, like myself, really don't have symptoms.  Kuddos to Apex!

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy Apex!

Edited November 28, 2022 by Lastdance

[SbbquilterUT]

1 hour ago, Tak8 said:

Enjoy.  Can't wait to read more.  I'll be on Apex in May.  

 

I'll be interested in your take of the main restaurants and if you had a favorite.

We sailed her for 3 weeks in August and had a great time.  We ate in all the restaurants then settled on Normandy and Cosmopolitan usually, but you can ask for the menu for any of the restaurants as they share a kitchen and you can eat off any no matter the dining room are in.  

[jelayne]

We loved the Apex, then we got on the Beyond and it was even better. 
 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Susanb10567]

Following along…we are scheduled to board the Apex on 12/3…can’t wait..

[Basil52]

Home from a recent cruise on the Apex.  Making my own coffee and breakfast this morning was sad.  LOL

 

So, we were booked in AquaClass for the week and loved it!  Blu was an amazing restaurant and we were thankful for the more intimate dining experience and excellent service.  The food was amazing. We did order an entree off one of the main dining menus one evening (prime rib)  and the process was seamless. Dining at Eden one evening was an incredible experience!  We had a table in clear view of the open kitchen and it was so fun to watch the magic happening.  We did appreciate a tip - we waited to make the reservation to Eden once we boarded the ship and had the guest services folks verify which evening they would be serving lobster.   If you can, do try to have dinner at Eden - it was a very memorable experience.  

 

The entertainment on the ship was okay.....an amazing singer that performed twice, a very funny comic who performed many times, a dance/singing troupe that was incredible.  

 

We rented a car on Tortolla and that was a very fun day!  The island was easy to navigate (even driving on the left) and getting up into the mountains was fun with phenomenal views!    St. Kitts was amazing as well....we did take the van/train excursion.  The van tour with Shawn was great.  The island is steeped in history and he was very knowledgeable and funny!  The train was so-so....very noisy, could not hear the tour guide (she was on the upper level), and the train was very rocky and rolly.  We did provide feedback to Celebrity and they very nicely credited us for the excursion.   Something we never expected them to do, however, they were very accommodating.  In hindsight, we do wish that we rented a car on St. Kitts as well....the roads are great!    San Juan was, well, San Juan.  I didn't get off the ship, and my husband did just to walk around and stretch his legs.   We have been there before so we were not too eager to explore further.  

 

Regarding activities on the ship - nothing too spectacular.   Would have enjoyed more lectures/educational programs for these two 60 somethings!   The best activity was a risotto making demonstration in Eden.  Led by their very talented executive chef, it was the highlight of my week on board the Apex.  

 

Did attempt to get my hair done in the salon.  It was a huge disappointment!  They ran out of hair products (volume mousse, etc.) .  Didn't realize it until they washed my hair so I was committed.  Ugh.  I have straight hair and need some volume products to give it some oomph!  Sadly, it was not a good situation. 

 

All in all, it was a very relaxing cruise.  We did do a bit of swaying while on the boat....the seas were a tad rough.  Seemed like it was like that the entire week.  Nothing too bad, however, be prepared.  We wore our wrist sea bands the entire time.  

[Susanb10567]

Thanks for sharing your review…we are getting ready to board on 12/3..glad you had a nice cruise..

 

interesting what you said about the salon …I have an appointment there for a blowout and now I’m considering canceling it…I guess they didn’t warn you about the lack of products before they started…hopefully they get a delivery soon

 

[hmorrow]

Don't miss Eden. It was amazing. We went twice on our trans atl.

The OP post, that you referred to, was sad. I'd never get off on day two, due to a bad dinner on day one.

I think his main problem was, that his luggage was lost, and he had no clothes.....jmho

[Ben100014]

21 hours ago, Tak8 said:

Enjoy.  Can't wait to read more.  I'll be on Apex in May.  

 

I'll be interested in your take of the main restaurants and if you had a favorite.

Can’t say I’ll have any opinion of the mains other than the buffet, as we’ll primarily be eating at Luminae/Specialty dining, but I shall provide feedback if able!

[Ben100014]

7 hours ago, hmorrow said:

Don't miss Eden. It was amazing. We went twice on our trans atl.

The OP post, that you referred to, was sad. I'd never get off on day two, due to a bad dinner on day one.

I think his main problem was, that his luggage was lost, and he had no clothes.....jmho

Eden WAS amazing! Truly a gem and definitely worth a specialty dining package for that. 
 

I didn’t see his luggage was lost; that’s definitely a real issue, but hardly the entire fault of the ship. I suspect that’s what probably soured his attitude. 

[Ben100014]

Enjoying a Pina Colada (virgin) on the Retreat Sundeck as I write a little update here.

 

Spent a relaxed day at sea yesterday chatting with some fascinating folks in the Solarium hot tub. At 27, it’s always interesting to listen to the stories of others as they share their experiences in life, past cruises, world events, and so on. Had a nice photo shoot afterwards with my family  for evening chic night. My mother had a very large brain tumor removed last year which left her deaf in one ear, and forced her to re-learn how to walk, talk, and eat. She still has some lingering disabling effects from it, so we were happy she was well enough to want to take a photo shoot, and that her smile was recovered enough for her to be comfortable enough for one.

 

We didn’t get to be seated with our wonderful waitress, Wilda, at Luminae last night, although she did come to check on us which was above and beyond. The dinner last night was just OK-was discussing with other cruisers last night how we generally prefer the food in Blu over Luminae. Don’t get me wrong, Luminae is wonderful, but the food seems, I don’t know, a bit gaudy for my taste? Maybe it’s just me. 
 

The entertainment was fun last night (Tree of Life). Can’t get over how amazing the theater is. My parents went on the backstage tour and said the large LED screen cost over $15 million. Truly a spectacle. 

 

Today, just chilling on the ship, and likely will be tomorrow as well for Cozumel. Had a great workout in the gym (best gym at sea IMHO, save for maybe Virgin from what I hear). Also had a light lunch at the aqua spa cafe but probably blowing it with this pina colada LOL. Oh well, it’s vacation!

 

Trying Le Petite Chef tonight, so we’ll see how that is!

 

(also want to issue a correction-our wonderful butler’s name is Dean, not Gene!)

 

-Ben vegging in Belize City

[Basil52]

On 11/28/2022 at 9:39 AM, Susanb10567 said:

Thanks for sharing your review…we are getting ready to board on 12/3..glad you had a nice cruise..

 

interesting what you said about the salon …I have an appointment there for a blowout and now I’m considering canceling it…I guess they didn’t warn you about the lack of products before they started…hopefully they get a delivery soon

 

Yes, do check before they have you in the shampoo bowl about having adequate products to do your hair. I didn't even think I had to ask before he started working on my hair.  The salon did credit me for a portion of the price....    

 

We did enjoy lunch almost every day while at sea in the spa cafe....very nice light lunch.  I chose the spinach salad and. quinoa salad and so good!  

[ace123]

Really appreciate your taking the time to share your vacation.

I'll be going on this itinerary on Apex soon. 

On which day is the first formal dinner? Is it on Day 3 at sea?

I have selected first seating for dinner. 

I noticed there are 4 MDRs with slightly different menus.

Do I rotate among them during the 7 nights? How do I get the same server?

Thanks a lot.

[MLP12]

On 11/27/2022 at 8:31 PM, blade3 said:

Looking forward to your thoughts as we're on Apex 1/7.

We will be on Apex the 7th also!  

 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 11/30/2022 at 10:01 AM, ace123 said:

Do I rotate among them during the 7 nights? How do I get the same server?

 

Do you have a set dining time? In that case you'll be assigned to one MDR and the same table (I think).

 

If you have Select, you can make reservations ahead of time. If you want the same server, you'd need to pick the same time for the same MDR and ask the first day if you can be in the same section if not at the same table.

 

Otherwise, you can make reservations for whichever of the MDRs you want - but you won't have the same servers.

[STLCRUISIN]

We have found from sailing a b2b on Edge last month that the hostess in each of the 4 dining rooms generally tries to seat you in the same area, with the same server, as in your past visit. Out of the 24 nights we spend on Edge I'd say we had the same servers about 60% of the time. On nights where we didn't it was because their section was full.

[Ben100014]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:01 AM, ace123 said:

Really appreciate your taking the time to share your vacation.

I'll be going on this itinerary on Apex soon. 

On which day is the first formal dinner? Is it on Day 3 at sea?

I have selected first seating for dinner. 

I noticed there are 4 MDRs with slightly different menus.

Do I rotate among them during the 7 nights? How do I get the same server?

Thanks a lot.

 

My pleasure! First formal night is the first night at sea. I am not sure about the MDR questions, though I do not think you would be able to get the same server rotating around. You are certainly allowed to rotate them all 7 nights.

[kwokpot]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:22 PM, Ben100014 said:

Had a great workout in the gym (best gym at sea IMHO, save for maybe Virgin from what I hear).

Nope, surprisingly the gym on the Scarlett Lady is only OK and the gyms on the Celebrity's S and E class are much nicer!

Best cruiseship gyms: Royal's Oasis Class & Anthem Class;NCL Epic;Celebrity E-Class

[Gracie115]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:22 PM, Ben100014 said:

 .

 

We didn’t get to be seated with our wonderful waitress, Wilda, at Luminae last night, although she did come to check on us which was above and beyond. 

 

 

 

Pretty sure you are talking about Wida, not Wilda in Luminae, she was wonderful on the TA a few weeks ago, along with Marcus from Brazil.  We were lucky to be seated in their section for every meal except one breakfast.  

[renebfl]

We also just got off the Apex yesterday.  We had an infinity balcony, ate at Eden(our only specialty restaurant), ate at the other MDR restarants and ate at the buffet every lunch.  Truthfully, we didnt enjoy Edens's food as much as we had anticipated.  Friends had the steak and I had the lobster along with the crab cake.  My friends  thought  the steak wasnot  any better than ones they had in the MDR.  My lobster was great, but so was the lobster tail I had on the last formal night. My crab cake was one of the best I have had.   We always enjoy the specialty restaurants on our cruises, but the food in the MDRs was so fabulous, I do not see the need to spend the extra money.  Service in all places was impecable.  We did miss not having the same servers every night, but we really enjoyed switching restaurants with the different menus.  The most pleasant surprise, was the quality of food and choices during the lunch buffet.  I have never thought in my 35 cruises, i would rate the lunch buffet as a "10", until I went on the Apex.  Highlights included a canolli dessert  buffet,a carving station with winter squashes carved to your liking, sugar covered rolls on the breakfast buffet that topped even the best donuts I have eaten, and a station the would cook fish as you watch, on the last day. (  The tuna was amazing cooked rare)    The only lack luster dining was the dinner buffet that we only experienced once since we ate so much during the lunch.  Another note, we will never get the infinity balcony again.  It was a glorified picture window with a balcony price.

[Ben100014]

6 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

Pretty sure you are talking about Wida, not Wilda in Luminae, she was wonderful on the TA a few weeks ago, along with Marcus from Brazil.  We were lucky to be seated in their section for every meal except one breakfast.  

Yes, thank you-Wida AND Marcus were fantastic. I’m not sure why I got so many names wrong this cruise! 

[Ben100014]

5 hours ago, renebfl said:

We also just got off the Apex yesterday.  We had an infinity balcony, ate at Eden(our only specialty restaurant), ate at the other MDR restarants and ate at the buffet every lunch.  Truthfully, we didnt enjoy Edens's food as much as we had anticipated.  Friends had the steak and I had the lobster along with the crab cake.  My friends  thought  the steak wasnot  any better than ones they had in the MDR.  My lobster was great, but so was the lobster tail I had on the last formal night. My crab cake was one of the best I have had.   We always enjoy the specialty restaurants on our cruises, but the food in the MDRs was so fabulous, I do not see the need to spend the extra money.  Service in all places was impecable.  We did miss not having the same servers every night, but we really enjoyed switching restaurants with the different menus.  The most pleasant surprise, was the quality of food and choices during the lunch buffet.  I have never thought in my 35 cruises, i would rate the lunch buffet as a "10", until I went on the Apex.  Highlights included a canolli dessert  buffet,a carving station with winter squashes carved to your liking, sugar covered rolls on the breakfast buffet that topped even the best donuts I have eaten, and a station the would cook fish as you watch, on the last day. (  The tuna was amazing cooked rare)    The only lack luster dining was the dinner buffet that we only experienced once since we ate so much during the lunch.  Another note, we will never get the infinity balcony again.  It was a glorified picture window with a balcony price.

Thank you for sharing! Agree the buffet was the best we’ve had on any cruise. X food quality only seems to have improved with time. Not a single bad meal, though we were not always pleased with the selection in Luminae. Ideally, we would sail in Suites and eat at Blu for every meal. For whatever reason, the cuisine in Blu is more to our liking. 

[Basil52]

On 11/30/2022 at 10:01 AM, ace123 said:

Really appreciate your taking the time to share your vacation.

I'll be going on this itinerary on Apex soon. 

On which day is the first formal dinner? Is it on Day 3 at sea?

I have selected first seating for dinner. 

I noticed there are 4 MDRs with slightly different menus.

Do I rotate among them during the 7 nights? How do I get the same server?

Thanks a lot.

On our Apex experience, the "Evening Chic" dinners were on Day 2 and Day 6.   The lobster tails on Day 6 were amazing, btw.   We were in AquaClass and didn't dine at the MDR, so I can't offer any advice on the MDR.  Hope you enjoy your cruise!