Over the years I have been on many ship visits and I always love stepping on one that I haven’t been on before. I have been on my own trips with Celebrity Cruises, but I had never experienced their new Edge-class of ships. I must admit, I was really excited to see the difference between what I had experienced before.
Wow – Celebrity Apex is genuinely the most beautiful ship I have ever seen! My first thought as we stepped on was how much space there was. Straight away we were into the very impressive Grand Plaza. There was no one sitting in there when we arrived but by the end of the visit it had opened up into a bustling area that really came alive. We walked straight through to my favourite area of the ship, Eden. What an incredibly clever use of space! It really has something for everyone. A space to escape and read a book, enjoy some theatrical meals in the open plan kitchen, grab a bite to eat in the cafe or just sit in one of the many styles of chair and enjoy the breathtaking sea views!
After a quick tour of Eden and stopping for a coffee whilst taking in all the sites, we went straight to look at some of the staterooms before guests started arriving. We were lucky enough to be taken to the Iconic Suite. The suite takes up half of the area sticking out near the Bridge. You have the same view as the captain, a huge open plan living/dining area, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a hot tub and ample space on your own private outdoor area and even a Peloton bike overlooking the ocean!
When you book any suite on Celebrity Apex, you get all of the facilities of The Retreat. You have access to the retreat Lounge, your own pool and sundeck area, plus your own restaurant Luminae. We all agreed it really felt like a small ship within a ship. I can see why the suites are so popular. When the Edge-class of ships were first launched, they were the first to feature the Infinite Veranda staterooms, I have always wanted to see how they compare to a traditional Balcony stateroom. When we first stepped into the stateroom, my first thought was how much bigger and brighter it felt. You have a floor to ceiling window at the end of the space. At the touch of a button, the top window moves down to replicate a traditional balcony. You have folding doors that you can choose to have open or closed. The space and feel was amazing.
After looking at the beautiful Sky Suites, we then headed down to the Spa. There was already a queue of guests who had just arrived onboard waiting to book in their spa treatments and I can see why they are so popular. There is a huge space with multiple treatment rooms and the amazing Persian Garden area with the heated thermal beds. If you are in an Aquaclass stateroom or suite, you have free unlimited access to this area.
On the other Celebrity ships I have been on, I have always loved the real grass areas on the top deck. I knew the Edge-class ships didn’t have this area so I was intrigued to see what had replaced it. The rooftop Garden and Sunset Bar areas are an amazing alternative and the use of the space is very clever. Sometimes you want to sit in the sun and relax without being on a sun lounger, this area is the perfect space for that. There is a huge TV which can show films or the latest sports game. I could imagine sitting there with a cocktail, sailing away from the days port with some background music.
Another area that really impressed me was the Magic Carpet. When you first see the ship, you can’t miss the huge orange area that looks like it is suspended in the air. The restaurant/bar area can move up and down the decks depending on the itinerary for that day. The cleverest part is that it can move right down to the bottom and the tender boats can ‘attach’ themselves to the Magic Carpet which stabilises the transfer from ship to Tender. I have previously cruised to Guernsey twice and both times the sea has been too rough to use the tender boats over. This wouldn’t happen on the Edge-class ships!
We then started looking around the restaurants. The buffet, as always caters for everyone and again, it had a lovely feeling of a wide open space. Instead of a large 2-3 storey dining room, they have split the ‘main dining’ option into 4 beautiful modern restaurants. You can dine in one or choose to try them all. The Classic menu will stay the same every night in all 4 restaurants. The main menu will alternate every night. In addition to this, each restaurant will have its own signature dishes so you can always try something different. Every day the menus are loaded onto the App so while you are enjoying the rest of the ship, you can look and choose where and what you would like to have that evening.
I was pleased to see that Celebrity have included Le Petit Chef onboard. This has always been my favourite speciality restaurant. If you go onboard, you must try it! On Apex it shares its space with the Grand Bistro. The menu will alternate between the Grand Bistro and Le Petit Chef. After all the walking and touring. We then sat down in Normandie to enjoy a beautiful 3 course lunch. We all agreed the food was incredible and it reminded me why I love Celebrity Cruises so much. The service, ship and food are an absolute treat and I can’t wait to step back onboard!
