Exceptional Cruise (Aside from the weather)

Celebrity Apex Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 9
Helpful Votes: 145

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Celebrity Apex

11 Night Iceland & Ireland (Southampton Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 27, 2024

Ship: Celebrity Apex

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6221

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Great cruise to some very different ports. Make sure you prepare for the weather, it's often cold and rainy in the summer (even more than I had expected), but that didn't prevent it from being a great trip.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Quick and painless. Took the train into Southampton, quick taxi ride to the terminal, and onto the ship in less than 15 minutes.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Food on Celebrity is always well above average. You really don't need to do speciality dining if you don't want to as the MDR food is of high quality. That being said, the speciality restaurants are exceptional quality and worth it. Even the buffet is better quality than most.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Activities are a bit limited, but they tend to be fun. Many of those listed in the daily program are shopping, spa, fitness, etc, so its misleading aren't there aren't a lot of more general things to do.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Shows were great. They have a show or entertainer in the theater every night of the cruise. Their "Beyond the Podium" guest speakers are always informative and give you some great information about the places you are visiting.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Another area Celebrity shines. The staff in the MDR got to know me by name quickly, greeting me as I arrived and being very personable and attentive. Officers are friendly and always tend to be visible in the public areas of the ship. Never have an issue getting servers for drinks as they have plenty.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Very nice ship, third time I have sailed on the Apex.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Solo balcony, it's adequate, but the storage space is limited for clothing. The "obstructed view" is simply the lifeboats, and you can see over them, so I don't find it to be an issue.

Ship tip

Get to shows early

Ports of call

Southampton (London), England

4 out of 5
Didn't visit Southampton, but did do an excursion post-cruise to Windsor Castle that had a drop-off at Heathrow. Didn't have nearly enough time to spend there, but it was good for the time available.

Cobh (Cork), Ireland

5 out of 5
Took an excursion to Killarney National Park and Muckross House. Had time to visit a couple of towns during the trip, definitely a good sampling.

Reykjavik, Iceland

5 out of 5
Took an excursion that visited a waterfall, followed by a geyser and finishing up with a Geothermal power plant. Good variety.

Isafjordur, Iceland

4 out of 5
Small village with limited offerings. This was the first visit there by the Apex and it is the largest ship that has been to the port. Did an excursion that was a walking tour of the town which was interesting, and nicely finished up at the one brewery in town and included a sampling of local beers.

Akureyri, Iceland

5 out of 5
Took an excursion that went to a waterfall, steam vents, volcanic formations, and a few other areas. It was a long tour, but it was interesting.

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland

4 out of 5
No excursions offered were of much interest, either by the cruise line or other companies, so I walked around town on my own. They have a few shops and an old church worth visiting. There are quite a few historic sites in the area if you can manage to set up a way to get to them.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Quick and easy, off the ship in no time.

Traveler Photos

Muckross House in Killarney Cathedral in Kirkwall Waterfall
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6 Comments

deconz     4 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Ladyjunecliff     5 months ago

Fantastic cruise/itinerary! Awesome!

knifejunky     5 months ago

13 cruises in and the apex remains one of our favorites. Great ship!!

HeavySeas     5 months ago

Awesome......thanks for sharing your cruise experience and glad you enjoyed your cruise

cruising2004     5 months ago

Fantastic detailed review! Glad you had a wonderful time.

javawoody     5 months ago

Appreciate the write up

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