“LIVE” from Apex, December 2nd-First Celeb to the Carib Sailing!

[niksmom630]

Greetings from onboard United flight 592 from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale! 

 

“niksmom630” here, a.k.a. Chris, about to kick off my 2nd review on the Celebrity board. As my signature discloses, I’ve primarily sailed Royal for the last few decades, but sailed on my first Celebrity cruise from Rome to the Greek Isles in 2022 on the Edge. It was amazing trip, and sold me on sailing the brand, and the Edge class in the future 

 

 

Santorini is stunning by the way. Definitely a stop to add to one’s bucket list 💕

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[countess5]

Jumping on board to follow your cruise.  We have sailed Apex and all other Edge ships, this winter Ascent.

 

Love Greece and especially Santorini!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Cheers! 

[niksmom630]

When the alarm went off at 3:45 am, I was really regretting booking such an early flight. 
 

but the weather in Chicago in December is unpredictable so we always fly in a day early and leave as many back up flight options as possible between boarding. 
 

breakfast of champions….  

 

 

our itinerary for this sailing….Puerto Plata is also a first for us 

 

[niksmom630]

7 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Jumping on board to follow your cruise.  We have sailed Apex and all other Edge ships, this winter Ascent.

 

Love Greece and especially Santorini!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Cheers! 

thanks! We are on Ascent next November! 

[hcat]

We are booked for Jan 2024. o  Ascent.. a diff itin..but  also booked on APEX  Dec 2024...Have been on Edge and Beyond...

 

We will be following!

 

 Bon Voyage!

Edited December 1, 2023 by hcat

[niksmom630]

The Edge was the first of several “bucket” list sailings for me, post retirement. It was a gorgeous ship but with such a port intensive itinerary, I felt like I didn’t have much time to enjoy it. 
 

next up was Spain and Portugal on the Infinity in spring of  2023. Obviously a much older ship, but I was pleasantly surprised. The crew was fabulous, and I knew there would be more Celebrity sailings in my future. 😊 

 

it’s always hard saying goodbye to our fur buddies. They were blissfully unaware of our impending departure last night. 
 

 

 

its all fun and games til the suitcases roll past….

 

 

 

[lola2013]

Good morning from rainy Schaumburg!  
I’ll be on that same UA flight next Thursday from ORD and boarding Apex when you depart on Saturday, 12/9!  It’s like we are the same person 🤗.  
I’ve also sailed Edge and chose this Apex itinerary since my first stop is Key West and that will be a first for me.

I look forward to your review.

Bon Voyage.

Susan 😎

Edited December 1, 2023 by lola2013

[niksmom630]

5 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Good morning from rainy Schaumburg!  
I’ll be on that same UA flight next Thursday from ORD and boarding Apex when you depart on Saturday, 12/9!  It’s like we are the same person 🤗.  
I’ve also sailed Edge and chose this Apex itinerary since my first stop is Key West and that will be a first for me.

I look forward to your review.

Bon Voyage.

Susan 😎

haha! We are your neighbors to the west just outside Hoffman Estates! Key West is super fun. 🥳 we like Irish Kevin’s ☘️
 

 

[lola2013]

2 minutes ago, niksmom630 said:

haha! We are your neighbors to the west just outside Hoffman Estates! Key West is super fun. 🥳 we like Irish Kevin’s ☘️
 

 

Close to South Barrington?  I work at the Arboretum!

[niksmom630]

19 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Close to South Barrington?  I work at the Arboretum!

yes, I am there often actually 🤑 we are the same person 😂

[kellyco]

We are also from the suburbs and have followed your reports on the Royal boards. Looking forward to this as we will take our first Celebrity cruise on Beyond in May. 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Following as well! Hope you enjoy a wonderful sailing! And your pups are super cute! 🐕 🛳️ 🥂 

[music]

 I have friends on the Ascent now for the inaugural naming ceremony!

I am also from Chicago, I was in Rogers Park, but moved north to Deerfield. My next cruise on Celebrity is to Hawaii in April, can't wait!

Edited December 1, 2023 by music

[niksmom630]

24 minutes ago, music said:

 I have friends on the Ascent now for the inaugural naming ceremony!

I am also from Chicago, I was in Rogers Park, but moved north to Deerfield. My next cruise on Celebrity is to Hawaii in April, can't wait!

small world, I also grew up in the city in Rogers Park! ☺️ we were on Farwell near Clark St.
 

Hawaii sounds amazing. That’s also a bucket list trip of mine 

[niksmom630]

Our go to hotel in FFL has primarily been the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, but my SIL has stayed at the Riverside Hotel on Los Olas and recommended it. 
 

Their room is apparently quite nice and has a balcony and view of the water. Ours has a window and view of the parking lot. 😜 

 

the bathroom is….. well akin to a service station, but with a shower. Room aside, not sure I’d recommend this place for a few reasons. 
 

Some pluses but mostly minuses….

 

 

sadly, the “wall conditioner” was not working, so we were assigned another room. 
 

 

The new king room is even smaller than the last, with an oddly shaped bathroom with a door that opens out into the room. I’m 5 feet tall and when seated on the commode, my knees are barely 2 inches from the wall. No more room photos. It’s too depressing. I’ve settled in by the pool, which incidentally is across the street. Strike 2. 

 

 

 

[lola2013]

51 minutes ago, music said:

 I have friends on the Ascent now for the inaugural naming ceremony!

I am also from Chicago, I was in Rogers Park, but moved north to Deerfield. My next cruise on Celebrity is to Hawaii in April, can't wait!

My friends and I sailed on Solstice around Hawaii and across to Vancouver…great trip!

I started in Bridgeport, moved to Des Plaines and ultimately Schaumburg.  The world is getting smaller 🤗

[niksmom630]

The “restaurant” is also across the street.

 

decent bar type food and nice views if you can get a table outside 

 

 

 

 

 

 No chance of this happening ….😳 

 

 

Pool

 

[niksmom630]

Took a stroll down Los Olas, which is hopping on Friday night. That would be a plus for this hotel….lots of dining options… we opted for appetizers and a few beverages….

 

 

Stopped by the front desk to inquire about port transportation options. We had planned on just grabbing an Uber, but there are 7 of us, so it would have been two. Arranged a shuttle for 12 pp, 10 am pick up. Review to follow 😉 

 

trying my best to stay awake 😵😵‍💫 was feeling really proud of myself til I realized it’s only 7:30 pm cst 🤦🏼‍♀️ will probably be strolling the property at 4 am now…. 

another plus for this property….🙄

 

literally right across the hall….😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bjahil47]

Following along!  We were at a few of these ports on our Equinox cruise in October.  We also have a place in St. Maarten and have been going for years.

 

We stayed at Riverside a few years ago and did not care for it.  
 

Enjoy your cruise!

[abbydancer2003]

I'm in.  We are doing our first time on the Apex, two weeks after you, with the same itinerary.

 

Sorry the hotel is such a disappointment.  I guess it's one night and now you know not to go back.

[hcat]

does anyone know if Embassy suites has been refurbed yet!  It was badly in need during our latest stsy and they said  a big refurb was planned.  We like the location and service given,  but our rm was  very dated, dusty, broken furniture...bthrm old..

 

staying in Dania at a Wyndham property  for our Jan cruise...something different.

 

Happy Cruising!

[CardowMD]

Just stayed at Embassy suites last Saturday prior to Ascent 3 night. No the rooms have not been renovated. . They have 2 mock up renovated rooms(not for viewing by guests)  but got mixed reports as to whether they have started renovation on 12th floor. One employee said it was completed, other said not started any work yet.

[niksmom630]

6 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I'm in.  We are doing our first time on the Apex, two weeks after you, with the same itinerary.

 

Sorry the hotel is such a disappointment.  I guess it's one night and now you know not to go back.

yes! The good news is I was able to cancel our room post cruise, and switch over to the Hilton! 😊

[parrothead33]

Have a great cruise.

[niksmom630]

Breakfast was moderately priced by Fort Lauderdale standards

 

 

way too much food….😜

 

 

spied with my little eye an Italian bakery across the street from the restaurant…