Bimmer 09 sails APEX to Iceland June 2023

[Bimmer09]

 

iPhone photos

 

It's Monday afternoon and the next time we see land it will be Wednesday morning and the land will be familiar to me-Northern Ireland and Belfast.

[bobmacliberty]

57 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Being interested in photography I follow some pro photography vloggers and most have made the trip to Iceland and come away with photos that show a land like no other.

 

Would one of those photographers be Peter McKinnon?  He's taken some amazing Iceland photos.

[Crumbled]

As a Norn Irish girl, I'm looking forward to seeing the city through your lens! Funnily enough I saw your Apex sailing going up Belfast lough that evening, and was very excited to see it as I was off the Edge only four days previously. Hopefully you enjoyed your visit back after all those years. Thanks for the very entertaining commentary and beautiful photos so far.

[hcat]

On 6/25/2023 at 7:20 PM, Bimmer09 said:

We went to a show after our Tuscan dinner

 

(the only room pic I took at dinner)

There are restrooms outside Tuscan opposite this art

 

 

We stopped to check out the Martini Bar where some Officers were preparing to pour some cocktails 

 

 

 

 

We moved on to catch the show

 

 

Carol might tell you about the show-it was a loud and incoherent "story" (not) about a woman who plays electric violin, sometimes on a trapeze (as we all do) while a couple of fine ladies sing very loudly but in tune, some rock songs and dancers show their stuff.  High energy plus colorful visuals.

 

 

 

 

 

iPhone photos 

electric violin..sacrilage!

[Bimmer09]

3 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Would one of those photographers be Peter McKinnon?  He's taken some amazing Iceland photos.

• Yes indeed. Mainly Mads Peter Iversen from Denmark, Andrew Marr, Attilio Ruffo.

Thanks for the comment/question.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, Crumbled said:

As a Norn Irish girl, I'm looking forward to seeing the city through your lens! Funnily enough I saw your Apex sailing going up Belfast lough that evening, and was very excited to see it as I was off the Edge only four days previously. Hopefully you enjoyed your visit back after all those years. Thanks for the very entertaining commentary and beautiful photos so far.

Alas, I spent no time in Belfast besides getting out of the docks. My day was spent with friends and family on the Ards Peninsula. 

Glad to see you enjoying the story!

Thanks for the comment!

Norris from Portavogie

 

[Bimmer09]

[Bimmer09]

It didn't take long to sail away from Reykjavik and be upon the cold grey sea again. We took naps.

We didn't miss dinner.

 

Normandie again and we requested the same wait team as before

 

Carol's notes just call it "tinned soup"

 

The excellent baked Brie for me-I miss it!

 

The ingredients on Carol's plate need no introduction. There's that scoop of Institutional Mash

 

Again I substituted fries for the mash but the mash came anyway. After the meal he was back in the kitchen.

No complaints regarding the quality of the steak. Tasty and cooked to medium as requested.

 

We saw the table next to us get a dessert which piqued our interest. It was apparently from the Kids Menu (saw few of those on this trip-if any). We both had to have it.

Chocolate Mousse!

 

Another good meal on board. Budi is one of those efficient but loose waiters who can talk easily and is witty. Knows the menu and is always offering suggestions to get you to eat more, LOL.

Seems to be passionate about food. I hope you may get to meet him on one of your X sailings.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

The clocks go forward an hour tonight as we head towards Northern Ireland. Tomorrow we will have to have a face to face with N. I immigration Officers who flew to Reykjavik to join us.

 

We skip the late show which is The Tree of Life which we have seen before Carol tells me.

Bed at 11.

 

Next morning June 13 I follow my usual routine. There's no land to photograph today so the camera may get a rest.

One thing lacking so far has been sunrises and sunsets (plus darkness and stars). I'm on deck around 6 a.m.

 

 

 

 

 A few things I noticed during my short visit to Iceland, compared to the USA;

Very few people walking dogs

Very few people out running

No cars vibrating due to the volume of the rattling distorting speakers

No speeding cars

No homeless people sleeping in doorways or on the street

No begging

No litter

 

As it's a sea day we can breakfast at the quiet relaxed Eden cafe. Carol reminded me to tell you that it has tables and chairs outside (starboard) for more clement weather.

I usually just had a pastry and a bowl of yoghurt and granola with fruit but today I ordered a panini with egg and cheese.

I think it also had bacon but alas was served in ciabatta bread, my least favorite as it is as dry as dust but not as tasty. If you look at it you will see the texture is the same as drywall and the chew is the same. On my next E Class cruise I may bring my own bread. When you order they give you a pager and it didn't take more than about 5 minutes. There's a machine with juices and coffee and tea and there are just a few diners there. I wish they would open it everyday.

 

We went to Tuscan afterwards as we, deck 8, had the 9 -11 window, to present our Passports to N I Immigration. When the officer saw mine he smiled "from Portavogie huh?" Aye! "Welcome home" Portavogie is known for its seafood, particularly its prawns.

 

 

[foodsvcmgr]

Great review and photos.

Last in Iceland in 1985 and interested to go again.

Your food photos from both MDR and Buffet looks very appetizing and not particularly downgraded from what I recall on Celebrity pre pandemic.

Is E-class food different or superior to what I can expect on Eclipse this coming January?

[Bimmer09]

Carol loves her relaxing sea days and is Gung-Ho to do a Transatlantic crossing.  I am Mr Port excursion or at least going ashore to eat some local food with a sea view. It's a sea day and so all the rooms/shops/Casino are open and not a good time to photograph them as there are people within going about their business.

So a sea day for me is defined by my meals- the breakfast, lunch and dinner none of which I choose to miss.

Lunch was the buffet where Carol's notes say she had the made to order stir fry and I had a hot dog, fries and some Italian items- I remember lasagne but nothing else. I didn't even photograph those dishes so was obviously in a sea-day funk. It's not so bad when I am in the Caribbean or Med where I can sit out in the warmth chatting to a new friend and supping some beers but there's not yet any warmth so the outer decks are unpopulated. I do recall our lunch desserts..

 

 

I only remember the late afternoon for the fact that we were in our cabin and Carol streamed  a Netflix show called Chef's Table on our TV on the wall (Samsung). The wi-fi spend was worth the money. 

 

With the Premium wi-fi we could also check our Petcube app. That's an app that lets us look at our cat camera at home in Chicago, 4,000 miles away. It is motion sensitive with sound and trained on the food and water bowls for the 2 cats we left behind. When they eat it records a 32 second video as long as they are moving in front of it and shows the time of day. We have a cat sitter who visits every day we are gone , to feed them and scoop their litter boxes. She pets and brushes them and takes pics which she sends to us in a daily email.

Rudolfo and Mimi

 

This is our longest ever cruise at 12 days plus 4 Amsterdam days but we feel they are well looked after while we are gone.

[Bimmer09]

17 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Great review and photos.

Last in Iceland in 1985 and interested to go again.

Your food photos from both MDR and Buffet looks very appetizing and not particularly downgraded from what I recall on Celebrity pre pandemic.

Is E-class food different or superior to what I can expect on Eclipse this coming January?

It has been 4 years since we sailed our last X-Silly to Norway 2019 and I'd say it has improved. If the quality has been cut back since Covid I wouldn't know for sure but to me, this time on Apex I would look forward to our MDR meals. On Silly they were just there for the taking.Tuscan was the only one we didn't return to. The others Cyprus, Normandie (the best) and Cosmopolitan were serving dishes much better in flavor, imagination and plating than our last Princess cruise in December 2022 and we had been happy with the Princess dinners until then. The MDR food on Apex was almost at the Azamara level but we haven't sailed Az since October 2021 so might be on a par now.

 

We have always tipped our hats to Murano, Luminae, Blu and the Lawn Club Grill on X. Eden on this sailing blew them all into the weeds/seaweed. I'd also say that service was at a level we hadn't seen on X until now.

Hope this helps,

Norris, thanking you for the question and the compliments!

[Silkroad]

Beautiful fur babies🙂 Mimi is a ringer for an adorable stray my mom took in when we children found her in a field. Mom named her Annabelle. She loved wrapping herself around our necks😂 It must have looked hilarious to see skinny little kids wandering about with a purring cat on their shoulders.

I hope you’ll give a transatlantic crossing a go. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed ours. In fact, we have another booked for next April. The mix of sea days and port days is very relaxing, though I will say we’ve been lucky to have mostly good weather. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Silkroad

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Bimmer09 said:

Carol loves her relaxing sea days and is Gung-Ho to do a Transatlantic crossing.  I am Mr Port excursion or at least going ashore to eat some local food with a sea view. It's a sea day and so all the rooms/shops/Casino are open and not a good time to photograph them as there are people within going about their business.

So a sea day for me is defined by my meals- the breakfast, lunch and dinner none of which I choose to miss.

Lunch was the buffet where Carol's notes say she had the made to order stir fry and I had a hot dog, fries and some Italian items- I remember lasagne but nothing else. I didn't even photograph those dishes so was obviously in a sea-day funk. It's not so bad when I am in the Caribbean or Med where I can sit out in the warmth chatting to a new friend and supping some beers but there's not yet any warmth so the outer decks are unpopulated. I do recall our lunch desserts..

 

 

I only remember the late afternoon for the fact that we were in our cabin and Carol streamed  a Netflix show called Chef's Table on our TV on the wall (Samsung). The wi-fi spend was worth the money. 

 

With the Premium wi-fi we could also check our Petcube app. That's an app that lets us look at our cat camera at home in Chicago, 4,000 miles away. It is motion sensitive with sound and trained on the food and water bowls for the 2 cats we left behind. When they eat it records a 32 second video as long as they are moving in front of it and shows the time of day. We have a cat sitter who visits every day we are gone , to feed them and scoop their litter boxes. She pets and brushes them and takes pics which she sends to us in a daily email.

Rudolfo and Mimi

 

This is our longest ever cruise at 12 days plus 4 Amsterdam days but we feel they are well looked after while we are gone.

i would  find it difficult to leave them!  But they seem to have made it thru!

so beautiful!

[emdmistycc]

So enjoying your review. First timer here.

love the pics of your cats….gorgeous!

 

Elaine

[Bimmer09]

Odds and ends

Before our sea day dinner photos some odds and ends photos from today. A cool windy sea day means everyone's inside.

Those that are outside, like me briefly at Sunset Bar are keeping warm with exercise...

 

Take note if you are into Pickleball. Deck 15 aft in the Rooftop Garden. You've already seen the table tennis on this deck and of course the jogging track. I'd seen the Captain getting in a few laps up there.

 

There are only two banks of elevators. 6 cars Fwd and 6 Aft and they light up red or green when they arrive. They tell you visually what's on each deck and announce the deck that they're stopping on. 

 

The restrooms are always clean in my experience and have motion sensor door openers rather than handles. A little decor like you might have at home..

 

A choice of paper or cloth towels is a nice touch

 

Motion sensor soap and water dispensers on the huge sinks

 

[Bimmer09]

Dinner in Cyprus

 

Same wait team as before on embarkation day

 

Carol had a baby mizuna salad. First time I had heard of such a thing.

 

Predictable Norris and his shrimp cocktail

 

Carol tried the yummy short ribs on olive oil potatoes which I had on Day 1

 

We enjoy German food on our many vacations there and I cook veal schnitzels at home. I had a pork one tonight. A good dish!

 

Carol enjoyed a chocolate mousse (from the Kids menu). Already shown, while my heart leapt a the sight of a chocolate eclair on the written page. Gimme gimme gimme!

 

I should have ordered 6...note to self

You will NOT go hungry on the Apex!

 

[Bimmer09]

Our entertainment tonight is Phil Tag, a stand-up comedian we have seen on various cruise ships over the years. Guaranteed chuckles. A quick wit.

 

 

Introduced by Shawna and I hoped for a quick intro but she talked for almost 8 minutes and I was video taping. I got 8 minutes of her and 8 of Phil and have been unable to load it into YouTube (been trying for the past hour) but the file is corrupted. If it does work in a day or two I'll show it. For now it's a no-go.

Suffice it to say our faces were soaked in tears of laughter and we slapped our knees a lot.

 

[Bimmer09]

                            At last!! A sunset

 

Tomorrow-Belfast!

[Bimmer09]

Wednesday June 14 2023. A day I had been looking forward to since booking this cruise way back when. We have no ship's excursions booked today even though Belfast had the most excursions to offer and many-particularly the Game of Thrones ones were long sold out.

 

Today's "excursion" would be my idea. We are meeting friends and family here and will visit places meaningful to me and known to those we are meeting.

 

We have a personal driver for the day-someone I have known and stayed in touch with since we met in 1957. We shared a desk in Primary/Elementary school and later went to the same High School. We sat together on the 45 minute bus ride there and back through lovely countryside on the beautiful Ards Peninsula. We went our seperate ways in 1968 but met up in New York in 1990 and Cape Cod in 92 and later at his home on Bedfordshire, England in 1994 which was the last time we met. 29 years had passed since but we've kept in touch via email and FB. He's Billy and the one on the right in this photo.

 We will be in County Down all day and then be returned to the dock in time for sailaway.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Bimmer09
Capitalization

[Jasperdo]

51 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

He's Billy and the one on the right in this photo.

You forgot to mention who the bloke on the left was;-)

53 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite!

[Bimmer09]

June 14 and I got my morning coffee from the buffet on 14 as usual but instead of seeking shelter on deck 5 by Eden I stayed on deck 14/15 as there was sunshine and warmth for the first time since Rotterdam. I love this art work between the buffet and the pool deck...

 

 

The orange color is the smoke from the funnel. My first sighting of land...

 

 

Looking East

 

 

As you sail from the North on this route you will first see Scotland to the East then Northern Ireland to the West. You can see both at once. Fast ferries cross between the two.

 

The tall chimney I instantly recognize as Ballylumford Power Station near Larne

 

 It's gas powered now but in the 1960s my dad used to deliver coal in his ship, part of the John Kelly Fleet of the time

 

I went on some of his voyages to England-Liverpool and Preston most frequently during my school summer holidays. Ballylumford only once to unload.

 

It can supply half of the country's power needs.

 

more county Antrim coast shots

 

 

 

 

Carrickfergus Castle dead center in this next shot at sea level. Click to magnify then click again.

 

 

more...

[Bimmer09]

 A better shot of the castle

 

 

now entering Belfast harbor

 

 

Cave Hill in the distance

 

 

 

 

Mein Schiff 3 is the cruise ship

 

 

The familiar Harland and Wolff cranes (H & W)

 

 

Apex is turning to face out to the sea again

 

 

 docked.

[Bimmer09]

We had breakfast in Cosmopolitan between Carrickfergus and Belfast harbor.

So simple, so perfect. My Frosties

 

My omelet, corned beef hash and hash brown set me up for the day

 

Carol's waffles and hash brown

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Billy was already on the dock, watching us berth. I had told him we would meet at 10.30 half an hour after mooring but he's like me-that meant 9.30 latest! ABE... A Always, B Be, E Early!

He texted me a pic to show he was in position. Cars can get close to the ship here.

 

I waved to him from the Sunset Bar once I saw him standing by his red Audi A1. We came off soon after 10 and in the meantime he changed his clothes...

 

Yes, he's a lifelong (since age 10) Beatles fan, even more rabid than I am. Starting with the Please Please Me album he would come to my home on the harbor and we'd sing along (loudly) with the record. I took the John part and he the Paul. We sang with sweat pouring down our young faces. My interest lessened with the White album.

He met Carol for the first time.

In his car he had a cooler full of N Irish drinks and snacks. Needless to say conversation was animated as there was much catching up and Carol had a new voice to add.

We were leaving Belfast and heading to Newtownards 10 miles away, over the hills on narrow roads with beautiful vistas. There awaited local residents my sister Joyce and her husband Tim, just returned from seeing their daughter and her family during a month's stay in Bangkok.