Celebrity Apex may be the second arrival in a new line of ships from Celebrity Cruises, but it packs a number of firsts. And there are so many attractions on board that even in a week, you might not experience all of the possibilities in this innovative ship.
Here are some must-dos to discover if you’re cruising on Celebrity ’s newest Edge-class ship:
Lounging in a corner of Celebrity Apex–Photo by Wallace Immen
1) Artistic whimsey in unexpected places
A sculpture doing a headstand in a stairway, 3D silhouettes dancing in front of multi-hued waterfalls, or a great wall of decorated China. There’s a visual surprise at every turn. Celebrity is investing millions in artworks on this ship and fleet-mates Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Beyond. You never know where you might find an intriguing installation or series of photographs that will catch your fancy.
One sculpture that seemed puzzling at first looks like a throne-shaped coral tree in a corridor on the way to a zone called Eden. When seated or reclining on it, though, the fiberglass seat and and arms make it a perfect posing perch for catching a graceful selfie.
2) The luxurious tender experience
Want a comfy quiet place to settle in while you wait for the next shuttle to shore? Want a mimosa or cooling juice after you’ve explored an island? The Apex Magic Carpet platform on the side of the ship that lowers to sea level to become a dock on days when the Apex is using tenders to go ashore like nothing you’ve ever experienced. Where on most ships, the waiting area for a tender is a cramped utility space with a tiny doorway , the Apex’s spacious, furnished platform can handle two tenders at once to save waiting time and it’s surrounded by a vast carpeted lounge with a full service bar.
The space-age tenders are a whole new definition of plush, as well. They feature fold-down padded seats that would be do a limousine proud. The boats are opulent compared to the lifeboats of old, fitted out with teak floors, big picture windows and plenty of room to get in and out comfortably.
3) Craft Social—a sophisticated take on a sports bar
We all know the sports bar cliché of the long narrow room lined with flat screens showing everything from football to darts tournaments somewhere in the world. The Craft Social serves the same function but the space more resembles a cozy den or a country pub with well upholstered chairs and banquettes, where TVs display the action but don’t dominate.
The craft specialties include tasting flights of an international menu of rare craft beers, beers, wines and spirits and comfort food snacks like wings and sliders. You’ll want to pop in here even when a team you know isn’t playing.
4) Le Grand Bistro, with an amusing twist
It feels like a boulangerie in France with its wall of fresh baked boules and baguettes. It’s open for breakfast and the menu for lunch includes sandwiches and burgers but can include pate or escargot. In the evening it’s time for bistro favorites like steak frites or trout Grenobloise.
But there’s another evening option: a separate room known as Le Petit Chef, which will fascinate you even if you’re not a kid. Artists of Skullmapping™ presented by TableMation™ have created a play with foods. Their quite realistic looking 3D table animations follow four cartoon mini-chefs from Italy, Spain, France, and Japan as they whimsically whip up specialty dishes from their home lands, and seemingly serve them up on your plate. It comes with a $55 cover charge, but it’s an unforgettable experience–especially for kids.
5) Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria
This comfortable coffee house with impeccable service located on Deck 4 regularly draws a crowd as the place for a morning or afternoon coffee and snack. It has some of the most incredibly friendly baristas on land or sea and comfortable seating if you choose to drink in rather than take out.
Specialty coffees are priced at about what they’d cost at name brand coffee chains ashore, but they’re included if you have a Celebrity beverage packages. Nice thing is that all of the delectable pastries are complimentary and change throughout the day. And the place is open for desserts and gelatos until midnight. Unfair.
6) Eden –a hideaway nightclub
First you have to find it. It’s tucked away in a corridor you may not find in your first couple of days on the ship. But once you do, you’ll probably want to come back. The barkeeps in this nightclub inspired by discos and ballrooms are inspired by the cocktail shaking and flipping made famous by the film Cocktail. They can whip up multiple cocktails at a time while juggling shakers and other tools of the trade. The ambience is mellow for pre-dinner cocktails with a lounge guitarist and heats up after dinner with a full club band.
7) Eden restaurant shifts its concept
This gourmet restaurant is hidden away on the level below the Eden bar and reservations have become the most coveted on the ship. It’s been tweaked quite a bit from the original version on Celebrity Edge. Where Eden has a set tasting menu and a kind of floor show of entertainment, on Celebrity Apex things are more about dining and the menu is a la carte with entrée size portions. The selections are inspired by Spain, Italy and France and artistically presented. A little known fact is Eden restaurant also makes incredible cinnamon buns for breakfast on sea days.
8) The comforts of The Retreat
Yes, booking a Retreat-category suite is in the splurge category, but if you’re looking to celebrate getting back to cruising, this would be an excellent reason to justify a splurge. The Retreat is a ship within a ship, following the formula pioneered by Norwegian Cruise Line’s Haven and MSC Cruise’s Yacht Club,
Those in the upscale Retreat suites have exclusive access to club-like deck zones on the forward end of the ship. It includes an exclusive restaurant, Luminae, and a welcoming lounge that offers cocktails, coffees and teas. There’s even a cooling zone that wafts chilled breezes onto guests in the heat of the afternoon. And of course, the Retreat suites are expansive and individually decorated.
Even if you’re not luxuriating on Deck 12, the gallery of incredible photographs along the corridors is worth a walk to view the collection.
9) Virtual balconies with a real advantage
For those in balcony staterooms, there’s more usable space thanks to a design hat makes the balcony area a part of the room. The design is not technically a surprise, because virtual balconies were introduced on sister sip Celebrity Edge. Yet these ingenious innovations are extremely practical. Hitting a button on the wall raises or lower the glass wall so you can get as much open air feel and sunlight on the terrace as you want. Meanwhile, you can close the window and still use the space no matter what the weather outside.
10) Those Champagne hot tubs
It may be just me, but the hot tubs that perch in giant Champagne flutes are one of the more ingenious and amusingly tongue in cheek features of any cruise ship pool deck. You don’t get the effect unless you’re looking at it from across the deck, but it gives a whole new meaning to a glass of bubbly.
Story by Wallace Immen
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