This was our first Celebrity experience, but we're seasoned cruisers (mostly on HAL). We'll give Celebrity another try because we selected this ship and we knew it was an older ship. The itinerary would have been great to experience because I had never been to Catalina OR Victoria, BC. We were really looking for to both! We understand things happen.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very friendly staff at the port / swift embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food in the MDR on the first night was great! But then I feel like it went from "great" to usual cruise food...hit and miss. There was a mix up with our table too. The welcome card in our cabin on the 1st night had a different table number than what the MDR had. It caused a delay, but nothing too serious. The two-top table my husband and I requested was just a few inches away from the two tables on either side (literally about 3 or 4 inches). We did not enjoy that aspect. We DID enjoy Sushi on 5 for a specialty meal and we had lots of delicious coffee and treats at Cafe al Bacio. One thing I made a mistake with was buying the Classic Drink package. So many offerings are drinks on the Premium package. I ordered a $5 peach mule (non-alcohol) at the Sunset Bar and was told it was a Premium item.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Limited outdoor activities due to high winds (not Celebrity's fault). We like simply things like walking the fitness track, taking strolls on outside decks, sitting in loungers taking in the view, etc. Due to high winds, we were trapped inside the boat. We had a balcony, but the view's not the same.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We only attended two shows, and we enjoyed them both - 1) the comedian 2) Cheaza. Cheaza was excellent! In general - and maybe it's my age - but I didn't feel the music that the DJ played in the afternoon matched the ship's demographic. It was loud, obnoxious music that just took over the mid ship open spaces. It drove us away.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room steward, Gede, did a good job! Overall, most of the staff were friendly and helpful, but not all. I think it's just a sign of the times...good help is hard to find. I didn't feel the staff exuded much personality and I felt some were just downright miserable. It's a tough job so I don't want to be too negative.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Small, clean ship that was easy to navigate. My biggest issue was the size of the Sunset Bar, which is the only area to sit that's outside in the very back of the ship, thus less windy. The space is very small! People would get those tables in the AM and park there all day. I love the back of the ship! This ship didn't hit the mark for me on this one point. Finally, the hot tubs (I believe all of them) do not have Jacuzzi jets so you're just sitting in hot water, which was not as good for me personally.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Ok, buckle up...please tell me if I am wrong here...we booked this cruise through Celebrity over a year in advance. We requested a balcony cabin with 0% obstructed view. When we stepped out on the balcony on embarkation day, there was a painter's ladder at the end of our rail on the left side. When I sought assistance with this at guest services, we were told that our cabin was 0% obstructed view b/c you could look straight ahead with nothing blocking the view (we just couldn't see anything but ugly metal if we looked slightly to the left!). I was very disappointed in this. Also, the TV didn't work, which is not normally something I would care about, but with extra sea days due to lost port time, we would have enjoyed a TV. And finally, the shower didn't drain properly (so you're standing in ?? while you're in the shower). Other than that, I was happy with the cabin.
We stayed in Long Beach the night before the cruise and enjoyed good food and good views. Our hotel, Hyatt Regency Long Beach, was close enough to walk to restaurants, shops, and waterfront.
Sorry you were disappointed with your cabin. A working TV is important. Were they able to fix it? We had high winds for a few days on our cruise and I know what you mean about missing the deck walks on those days. Appreciate your details. We loved the Apex.
Thank you for sharing. I too was on this same cruise and had the same issue of the shower filling with water. We had to put extra towels down to catch the water from the shower door. The staff, comedian and Italian performer were great and enjoyable. A big thank you to the captain and staff for the very windy sea days experienced on this cruise
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