Apex vs Reflection?

[sunshinegirl89]

We (myself, DH, DD20 and DS18) recently cruised on the Apex (Dec 16-23).  It was our first non-Disney cruise with our kids, and DH and mine's first on Celebrity since our honeymoon in 1998.  We enjoyed the Apex very much, especially the entertainment, stateroom (except the infinite verandah- wasn't a fan), and pool area. We decided to book another Celebrity cruise while onboard, and after looking at options for early January '25, decided on the Reflection to the ABC islands.  We would have loved to sail on Apex again, but the itineraries were not desirable for us. Differences we've noted so far: actual verandahs (pro), having same waitstaff all trip (pro), only one main dining room (con), older ship/outdated decor (con).  Can anyone chime in on what else we can expect?  Thank you.

[39august]

I believe all S class ships have two main dining rooms.  The shows will not be as spectacular as the theater is not equipped like the E class theaters. There is a bow facing large lounge with windows about  3/4 of the way around for great views on deck 14.

[tomcruiser1234]

We will be on the Apex in 15 days.  I plan to report back. 

 

We’re really comfortable with The S class ships so this will be a learning curve for us. 30 Celebrity cruises and never on an Edge Class yet. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I prefer Reflection over the Apex , 

the outside area at OVC is about twice the size on the Reflection 

The Reflection was just a much more comfortable ship than the Apex

 

 

[jelayne]

Reflection has 1 MDR with 2 floors.  There are less menu options on any non E class ship. The 4 MDRs on E class ship each have a 3 "exclusive" starters, 3 "excluisive" entrees" and 1"exclusive"   all available in any of the 4 MDR plus the everyday classic items and the daily rotating menu.  ( pro for E class)

 

Eden & the Club provide more options for shows and entertainment in the evening. 

Eden also adds to the dining options for breakfast and lunch and a great place to enjoy the view of the wake. (pro for E class)

 

I prefer the pool area on the E class better, pool is larger ( or seems to be) and the loungers in the water are enjoyable. (pro for E class)

 

The Martini bar on E class is smaller so less bar seating ( pro for S class).

 

Walking track on S class runs through the area where loungers are and if frequently blocked by lounge chairs placed on the track.  E class track is over 2 levels and goes by less used areas so rarely any obstruction to negotiate. (pro for E class)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12 by jelayne
addition

[jelayne]

12 minutes ago, tomcruiser1234 said:

We will be on the Apex in 15 days.  I plan to report back. 

 

We’re really comfortable with The S class ships so this will be a learning curve for us. 30 Celebrity cruises and never on an Edge Class yet. 

We really liked the Apex but then the Beyond came along and it is even better.  The Sunset bar is amazing the Martini bar has more bar seating the the Apex.  If you are in a suite Luminae is larger with more windows and the Retreat Sun Deck is 2 levels so more shady areas.

 

Be sure to check out the Eden Cafe for breakfast or lunch.

Have a great cruise!

[cbfb]

We just got off Beyond. It is definitely amazing but we are now looking at the Reflection which we have sailed 4 times.

 

I like the martini bar better on the S class ships and the sunset bar on the reflection is amazing. It was very nice on Beyond but the smoking area had all the shade and the best seating IMO. I wasn’t a fan of the  layout of the martini bar on Beyond at all. But service was amazing. 

 

We love the Lawn Club Grill and Murano on reflection. I’m sure the specialty restaurants are good, if not great, on Beyond, although we didn’t like the French lunch cafe, but the prices are ridiculous. 
 

I also like having the same waitstaff in the dining room. We love AC and Blu so we are looking at that to book.  Besides having a traditional balcony the price is much cheaper than E class. Just my opinion but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed on any of the celebrity ships. 

[cinderellen]

We’ve sailed on both the Apex and most recently, the Reflection. Both are beautiful ships but we really love the Solstice class of ships. The Apex is flashy and sexy. The Reflection is classy and homey. We also like the flow of the Reflection. Our accessible cabin was very forward but once we came down to deck 5, it was easy to navigate back towards Blu. On the Apex it was like a maze. Not to mention trying to navigate the ridiculous hallway of mirrors and figurines that lead to Blu and Eden while on a scooter. 

[hcat]

We are among those who will finish up E Class..(minus XL),  and then return to S Class..for  various reasons..Balc, diff restaurant choices, nicer thermal suite, ..something old will once again  feel new!  

 

We also dislike the dark passages to BLU and EDEN...dangerous to those with low vision and no real value to us as art!

Edited January 13 by hcat

[NMTraveller]

4 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I prefer Reflection over the Apex , 

the outside area at OVC is about twice the size on the Reflection 

The Reflection was just a much more comfortable ship than the Apex

 

 

This.

 

S class also has the Sky Lounge.

[zitsky]

I’ve been on Beyond, Sky suite and Eclipse, Aqua.  I prefer S class or anything with traditional balcony.  I prefer Murano and Tuscan to Le Voyage although my husband got tired of Murano after two visits.  Mostly ate in Blu.

[sunshinegirl89]

Thanks, everyone!  Sounds like we made a good choice with Reflection.  

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, sunshinegirl89 said:

Thanks, everyone!  Sounds like we made a good choice with Reflection.  

Before my Eclipse sailing I thought, it can’t be better than a new ship, Beyond, right?  Well I think I prefer the non Edge aka older ships.

 

I liked that there was a lot of storage in our Aqua room versus the renovated Millie Sky Suite we’re on next.  At least it seems that way.

 

And I think we preferred the restaurants on the Eclipse.

 

[imlulu]

We have not been on an Edge class ship. We just got off the same cruise you are considering yesterday. The Reflection for its age is in very good shape. There were lots of deck chairs throughout the day. At around 4 the outside decks and solarium were pretty much empty. We had the whirlpools to ourselves most days starting at that time in solarium. The food except for desserts and overall service were very good.  What we didn’t like:  the gym(way too hot), walking track location, excursions were not great in choice, and the entertainment was terrible in our opinion.  It was an older crowd, but most likely due to length of cruise and time of year. We have adult kids and wouldn’t recommend this ship for young adults. Happy sailing either way! 

Edited January 15 by imlulu

[Mirage]

Just off Apex a week ago. Was on Reflection in 2023. As others have stated there both great ships, certainly differences, yet do not see either one would hold a reason to not sail on her.

 

Enjoy Reflection.

 

Mirage