The Traveling Blogcrastinator: To the Apex

February 25-26, 2023

On Saturday we boarded the Celebrity Apex. By the time we had finished the boarding process and made our way to our stateroom, I had forgotten my intention to photograph our room before it got cluttered up with our stuff. I’ll try to do it before the end of the cruise.

View of Port Everglades area from our balcony on the Apex. Open drawbridge in center, Sky Princess on left.

Apex is one of the newer and larger Celebrity ships. It belongs to the “Edge Class,” which means it has one of those giant orange platforms on the side that can move up and down. So, that’s where I will start.

The platform is called the “Magic Carpet.” While sailing it is usually kept at Level 14. But it is moved down to Level 4 or 5 in the evening. Its primary function is as a bar, though dinner is occasionally served there. It can also be used for boarding tenders when the ship is not docked. Passengers are not permitted to ride on it when it is moving.

It’s a pretty cool place for a drink. There are glass panels about 4 feet high around three sides and it is open to the air above that, so you really feel like you are on a balcony. It is much nicer than I expected it to be.

The yellow circle indicates our stateroom. You can see the Magic Carpet on the starboard side. The angle from which this photo was taken seems to have caused a bit of foreshortening, which makes the Magic Carpet look much smaller than it is.

The ship is stunning. The design is very contemporary and innovative, but also (usually) relaxing. The colors are calming and there are lots of plants. We managed to get a few good shots on embarkation day before the ship got too full of people.

There are some “cabanas” right alongside the space the Magic Carpet occupies when it is on 14. This area makes me feel like I’m inside a shark’s mouth - so maybe not relaxing, but definitely interesting.

One of the things you need to do shortly after your initial boarding is check in at your muster station - the place you are supposed to go to in the event of an emergency. On the way to ours, we passed through a weird mirrored passageway with bizarre sculptures and ethereal music.

Crew members waited outside our muster station to check us in. I had to make an extra effort to suppress the urge to stroke those ostrich feathers.

Eden is a multi-level space in the back of the ship. It includes a bar, a cafe, a restaurant, a dance floor and a music venue.

It’s got a lot of places where you can just sit and watch the ocean. Or you can face inward and feel like you are in a garden.

The figure looking into Eden through a window is an art installation

Evening Activities

On the first evening we went to see a comedian named Corey Rodriguez. He was very good at capturing the silly things couples do - for example, when a husband falls asleep watching TV, then wakes up and denies having been asleep.

On the second evening we went to a production show called Tree of Life. It had singing and dancing and some acrobatics. It was underwhelming, IMHO.

The 1%

After an informal survey, I have determined that we are among the 1%. That is the 1% (or fewer) of passengers onboard who wear masks. For the crew it is maybe 2%.

We take our masks off when we are eating/drinking, when we are outdoors, and (of course) when we are in our stateroom. We eat lunch outdoors every day. (The weather has been great.)

Balconies

We have an aft balcony. Celebrity calls it a “Sunset Balcony.” It is a good-sized balcony, with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. It is a traditional form of balcony, accessed through a sliding glass door.

Our view

The Edge Class ships have relatively few traditional balconies. Celebrity has come up with a new idea, which they have dubbed the “Infinite Balcony.” Most of the cabins on a ship are found along the sides of the ship, and on the Edge Class ships most of these port and starboard cabins are Infinite Balcony cabins. Essentially, your balcony is inside your cabin. The outside wall is a large window. The top half of the window can slide down and that’s supposed to make you feel like you are on a balcony. I’m not buying it. What I hear is that some people really like these cabins, and some people HATE them. I think I would hate to have one.