The ms Celebrity Apex. (Photo courtesy Celebrity Cruises)
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We made a 4 days taster cruise on the Celebrity Apex to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge (although is really for Brugge). We opted for a short one as the feedback we had googled was very mixed, so why invest in a longer cruise if you are not sure?  We had done a short cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse when that ship was new and on the Celebrity Silhouette (7 day charter music cruise). So we were very interested to see what the next generation of Celebrity ships had to offer. We had the impression that Celebrity is trying to become more prominent in the British cruise market and the best way to get the Brits out is to do taster cruises. Company’s such as Cunard, P&O and Ambassador offer them several times a year.
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The ship has Malta Registration. Originally dreamt up by the company so it could conduct legal weddings on board.

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Pertinent Information:
Built in 2018/2019 and came in service after the pandemic in 2021.
It carries a maximum of 3405 guests and 1320 crew.
With a tonnage of 130,818  it gives a space ratio of 38.5
This cruise we had on board 3002 guests (according to the captain) of which 2500 British. (according to the Cruise director).
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This space ratio of 38.5 is a bit misleading as it counts all the spaces including the many restaurants (which space is only used a few hours a day) and the very large penthouses, So this cruise, with 3000 guests milling around, was very crowded  in the public areas. Especially around the Grand Plaza were most of the drink and food outlets are located as well as the shops and the casino.
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The Magic Carpet “elevator” lounge.

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Its most outstanding feature of the ship  is the elevator bar outside the hull, called the Magic Carpet (although it has no carpet on the deck) on the starboard side. It also doubles up as a tender platform when the ship is at anchor and is a bar or sometimes a restaurant for the rest of the time, providing a scenic view point while hanging outside of the ship.
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Condition of the ship: Excellent. Well maintained, no rust and everything worked.
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Glare factor: (my little way of testing if all crew smiles and greet you by looking each crew member straight in the face)   80%.
Only the technical staff failed here and some of the officers who went for lunch sb. aft in the Cafe.  Not bad for a big ship.
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These are the “Baristas” in the Coffee and Cake Cafe “La Bacio”. The crew on boards seemed genuinely happy and we never had any bad service in the public areas.

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Star Rating:  As it is comparable to Holland America and Cunard it should generate a Five Star. But as the public room density not much better than Ambassador which is a three star company, I can not get very much higher than a 4+.
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The funnel of the Apex is in the form of an X, referring to the days that the company was called Chandris Cruises which is spelled with an X in Greek. It came forth out of the emigrant carrier days and then in 1990 revamped itself into a 5 star cruise company by building three new ships.

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Day One: 23 August 2024
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We arrived at 12.00 for a 13.00 embarkation scheduled and which such a large ships we were expecting to stand in line, hence we were early. It looked like that everybody had come even earlier and had gone on board already as there was hardly anybody in the terminal. As we had filled everything out on line, including passport photos, boarding was a breeze. Security was the usual Southampton setup with friendly security people but with very little knowledge. (They still cannot identify non ferrous metals, so belt and watch still had to come off and also my straw hat)
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The “Tuscan” restaurant, the larger tables are more in the middle lane.

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Then a quick stop at the check-in, where a lady swiped the passport, compared the pass photo with the one uploaded and off we went. 15 minutes later we were in the cabin. Then off to lunch as we were in the Concierge Class and we were offered lunch in the Tuscan Restaurant. (According to the mobile phone App, open until 13.30, according to the daily program until 14.00 hrs.)  As everybody seemed to have boarded early the place was already full but there were still enough seats available as long as you were willing to share a big table.
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The Grand Plaza. Very nice room but all the glass around it and reflective ceiling made it very noisy. This photo was taken early on a port morning.

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Then we did a walk around, important for me, as it it gives me a feeling of “how the ship flows”. Places to have a drink are all centered around the deck 4 and 3 deck Atrium, where the “best of England” were already having drinks, so the sounds of the DJ where drowned out by all the talking. Hopefully we can find a quiet bar somewhere. It looked there was one at the Garden of Eden, but at this time it was full of families.
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The hallways are fairly small. When the cabin steward trolleys are out, it is impossible for wheel chairs to get by, and results in much maneuvering by the stewards to make it happen.

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Then back to the cabin which was promised to be ready by 14.00 hrs. There was no announcement that the cabins were ready as is the case with some other lines, so we just had to assume that it was, There was a daily program, there was some other information but the cabin had not been cleaned properly except from making the bed.
Cabin 11 147. We found old sandwiches in the fridge from the day before and the kettle still full of water. (The fridge is normally the domain of the bar staff so the cabin stewardess had most likely had not even checked it).  Storage space is enough for 7 days if you do not bring jackets and formal wear.  For us enough for a 4 day cruise but not enough if you dress up and do 7 or 14 days.
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Our cabin.   The small table with the chair can pushed in if you like for more room to walk around the bed. It would have been nice if there would have been some extra storage space above the bed. There is plenty of room for a few cabinets. (photo picked from the internet as I do not have a wide angle on the camera)

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Then we found out that the best way to communicate with the cabin stewardess was to phone her but that is not explained on her business card in the cabin. We had bathrobes (one with broken loops for the belt and for hanging it up) but no slippers. You get a Celebrity carry bag but you have to find it in the wardrobe. It is not put ready for display on the bed. The wardrobe had some wooden hangers but mainly a large array of wire hangers, which we assumed were left behind each time the bath robes were changed as each arrived hanging on 2 wire hangers.  I took them all out, left them on the bed, and by the evening they were gone.  The safe is very small, it just takes a wallet, no space for a tablet or an 11 inch laptop which is now more or less standard on most ships.
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When we were on the Celebrity Epic, the cabin had oodles of storage space. As those cabins had been designed by 3 lady designers so plenty of drawers and plenty of shelving. It looked like that for this class the male designers had taken over again. Leading to the observation that anything over a 14 day cruise, would make the Ladies very unhappy. There was also no washing line, to rinse out underwear etc as is normally the case.
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Also there are no hooks on the walls to hang coats when you come back from the shore side.  Luckily we carry magnetic hooks with us as most ships walls are made of some sort of metal under the decorative coating.
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Our own wall hooks to hang our coats

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This is not a cruise ship as it is generally understood. It is leaning closer to a resort setup with a multitude of restaurants, of which 5 are free and a hamburger stand The others you have to pay for or are restricted to other cabin classes.  Although you get a daily program, it is wise to use the App so you do not miss anything., as things do change during the day. What is offered is heavily skewed towards on board revenue.
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As we are in the Concierge class, which is sort of a mid level standard accommodation,  were promised, as part of the package a bottle of free sparking wine. But it was not waiting for us. A card in the cabin indicated you had to arrange delivery through the cabin stewardess but not telling us how to do that. By phone I suppose…………….
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So we phoned Guest services and were advised that we had to make arrangements with the cabin steward but there was nobody around. So we asked if it could be delivered straight away to the cabin so we could have a sail away drink while sitting on our “Infinity balcony”. (*) That was possible. Time 17.15. for an 18.00 sailing. We also asked for  the “Daily  Delectable Delights” that were part of the package,  which we assumed were some sort of chocolates or canape’s. Very nice to go with the sail away drink. Not possible, starting tomorrow, as the cabin stewards are busy with luggage.  (This was then probably also the reason why there was no meet & great when we came to the cabin).   So is our boarding day then not part of the cruise ??? We had arranged (when booking) for a 20.30 dinner only to find in the cabin a note saying that for one night we had to have dinner at 18.15 in the Tuscan restaurant. So no time for cocktails at our regular time. We had to go early into the ship.
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The enclosed balcony with the top part window that opens. By using the buttons on the left you can open and close the top part and also lower a night black out screen from the top.

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 The balcony of the cabin, is an enclosed one, with a split window from underdecks (top) to the deck (bottom). Hence the name “Infinite” as the view was not blocked by a railing. But as the window could be opened halfway, there was still a bar / edge of the window running across. It could be opened by pushing a button and a sign indicated that if suddenly bad weather arrived, the bridge could close it. For the night an electric operated  dark-out screen can be lowered from the top.
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The ship has a 2nd show lounge, which is ls also used as a disco in the evening and cruise staff activities during the day.

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When leaving the cabin for cocktails, we bumped into the stewardess who said she would deliver the bottle of bubbly later. So the communication with Guest services/concierge about the ASAP promise  had not gotten through. When coming back at 23.00 hrs. we found the bottle in the cabin standing on the vanity desk but not in a champagne bucket.  (There is a normal ice bucket in the cabin, which gets filled, on request and a large ice bucket for champagne which is hidden in the small stool). Obviously the cruise only starts tomorrow.
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Another view of the Tuscan restaurant, with one of the large tables. As this was a 4 day taster cruise, many larger family’s had taken the opportunity to take a cruise for family celebrations and these tables were in high demand in all restaurants.

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Service in the Tuscan was friendly and to the point. The Tuscan is supposed to be an Italian flavor restaurant but it has all the general courses on the menu, which are also served in the other 3 free restaurants, with the option for 4 Italian dishes. (The rest is the normal stuff, steak, union soup, Caesar salad etc.) Wine service was fast, we had the full package, and so were the courses. Nice thing is you get a bucket with several variations of bread on the table, instead of just the one roll on the side.
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Starter = escargot (very good), union soup (bit salty) and then the main course= spaghetti carabonara, although  it was not spaghetti but a form of penne. The problem was that there was no bacon at all in the dish and the penne was not at “all dente” but undercooked.  The waiter to offer to get it replaced but at that moment the table next to us was served the same undercooked carbonara without the bacon. So asking for a fresh portion had not much use as it would have come from the same pan.
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Theatre stage from the top with a large LED screen.

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Then it was off to the show, with an English singer. Not our style but the majority of the audience liked it, those who did not  just walked out. The problem is that the guests also kept walking in and out during the show, (to go to the toilet or to get a drink) and then the rest had to getup and down from their chairs to let them through. Sight lines are good as long as you are taller then 5.6 so you can look over the person in front of you. If not, then you have find a (aisle) seat which is not obscured by somebody who is taller than 5.6. The seats at the first 10 rows do not have that problem as they look up to the key hole shaped stage.
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The view of the Theatre from the stage. We found that the best place to sit was on the light brown rows near the steps. But for that you have to be early.

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After the show we walked through the ship again, with not an empty seat to be found. (And this with a full theatre and full restaurants). Because nearly all ceilings (except in
the Eden Garden Room) are of reflective material it makes the public rooms very noisy.
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We hoped for a quiet drink in the Eden but when getting there at 21.30 all seats were already taken by people waiting for the 23.00 hr. show, to be performed by two singing cast members.
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The Craft & Social Bar on Deck 4 portside. We managed to get in on a port day when it was quiet just after opening time.

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The only bar where you have a large selection of special beers and whiskies  is the Craft & Social Bar. Which doubles up as a sports bar. It only has a limited amount of seats, so most of the time you have to find a seat out in the three level atrium / Grand Plaza. TV’s are on silent mode as you cannot hear them anyway due to the noise from the Grand Plaza. This is a loud ship.
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Another photo of the Plaza taken. There is some more space for seats here and there. And on this cruise they could have used them if they had been available.

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One thing I liked very much and was done very well was the Safety Drill. On the interactive TV and on the phone App.  Watch the safety video and then do a quick walk to your muster station where there is crew all afternoon to check you off. As long as you show up before sailing time, all is well in the world. No idea what happens if you don’t. The crew in attendance had not idea when I asked.  What I had never seen before, and what is very good, is the separate Safety Video for children. It is not in done in grown up, talk down way (so no belittling), but with two cartoon characters to keep the children’s attention while going through the sequence. Compliments,
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Day 02: 24 Aug. 2024  At Sea.
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We had ordered room service and for the Concierge Class the Continental Breakfast is included. For a full English breakfast you have to pay. There is then a cover charge is$ 12,– per person.  The continental consists out of Danish pastries, bagels and other bread, fruit, yoghurt and marmelade. It is quite basic.
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When it arrived, nicely on time, the union bagel  was a plain one, had no hole in it and was dry. The fruit yoghurt ordered was delivered as plain yoghurt and the Danish pastry was dried out. Only good thing was the fruit, which was plenty full and large in size. We had left a “Deep sleep” sign on the door, so the room service steward phoned first to make sure that we were up. Nice gesture and better than with some other (and also more upscale) cruise lines, where room service directly barges in after a quick and tentative knock on the door.
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Then we went and visited the Concierge as we are part of the Concierge class. They have an office tucked away on  behind the Showroom (Theatre). We went to find out how it worked with the “Daily  Delectable Delights” and how getting our sparking wine served properly. We were advised it could be fruit but also something else. (It turned out to be fruit for the next three days)
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The bottle of bubbly had arrived last night but without glasses and without an ice bucket, so the concierge was going to correct that.  Then we further enquired about these nibbles and it turned out that they arrive between 3 and 5 pm. in the afternoon. We were advised  that if it was something fresh, then you better make sure that you eat it otherwise “it might be taken away again”. Luckily we arrived by circumstance at our cabin just when the goodies were arriving . So now we have to make sure that the plate is not taken away after 5 pm.
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We also found out that coffee sachets and tea bags are also only supplied on request. Putting the vanity cover and pillows back over the bed, for daytime was missed one day.  It seems that we had to ask for everything just to get the basic service that is included in the cruise package. We had the same thing on Silver Seas so maybe “on request” is a corporate thing as Silver Sea is a subsidiary of Celebrity.
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This is a view of the “Normandie” one of the 4 free restaurants on board. It was not our favourite as it had not much atmosphere but it had some French dishes on the menu

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Then at 11.15am we were invited to the “Captains Club Party ” in the Eden Lounge which is basically the party for repeat passengers. When walking in there were two lines of 4 stripe officers standing on either side, happily nodding to us. Captain was nowhere to be seen but popped up 15 minutes later when he had to start his speech. The free drinks worked well and later also the nibbles. The top repeater was introduced with 4000+ points which equated to 55 or more cruises. I do not how that works, as 55 short cruises could be of the same length as 2 world cruises, so I was expecting the number of days to be announced. The lady in question got flowers and a bottle of the house sparking wine (same stuff that we got in the cabin as part of the package) which was in my opinion a bit meager for achieving 55 cruises.
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When walking aft to the Eden room you have to walk through a rather surreal walkway with silver walls. Although most art has a descriptive plaque with it, I could not find one for this one, so I have no idea what this is supposed to be ? Celebrity in winter time ?

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With his speech over the captain tried to disappear again, only to be stopped by children in the scavenger hunt. Visiting the Eden lounge was on the list. First they were kept out because of the party but then near the end of party they managed to corner the Old Man. It was advertised that we would meet the Captain and the Sr. officers, but this a bit much of an announcement with the captain walking away and the none of the Sr. Officers coming over for a chat, unless first addressed by a guest.
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This is the restaurant “Blu”. It is for the guests who travel in the “Aqua Class”. There are two more of these restaurants, reserved for guests for the higher classed cabins.

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The dresscode for tonight (although Celebrity claims there is no sort of formal whatsoever) was Evening Chic. where everybody is encouraged to dress up in a range  going from real formal to designer jeans. The result was that in the ship we saw some guests (not many) dressed in full formal gear, sitting next to slobs in shorts and T shirts. As we were advised that there was no formal during the voyage, we did not pack for it. So we had to make do with what we had brought. Luckily as I always wear jackets in the evening, it was not so difficult. Lesley always wears some sort of designer clothing so we still looked better than the majority. We tried to find a place for a pre dinner cocktail but all places that had entertainment and/ or were the bars were open had wall to wall noise (especially again the Grand Plaza) were completely full with no empty seat insight. I do not know how it is with a full house of Americans but with 2500 Brits on board there is not enough cocktail capacity whatsoever.
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The “Cosmopolitan Restaurant”. located on Deck 4 aft. On the opposite side the the “Cyprus” and a deck below, next to each other the “Tuscan” and the “Normandie”

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We choose the Cosmopolitan Restaurant tonight, mainly because there was no waiting line and it still had tables for 2. We had a stroke of luck here as the table next to us, was talkative and the 2 waiters went beyond to being just being “friendly serving machines”.
Main waiter was Jay from the Philippines who turned out to be a walking comedian while a good waiter at the same time. The moment he felt that we were open to his sense of humour, we and the neighbouring tables were kept entertained with funny remarks and observations while he also kept up the pace with quality serving. His sidekick was Djordi from Indonesia. It turned out that he was from Bali and his real name was Putu. He was well impressed that I then complimented him on being Mr. I Putu, oldest son. He had taking on the nickname Djordi as he was a fan of Newcastle United and Newcastle is in Geordi land.
The naming system in Bali follows a set pattern: (both male and female)
1st. child Putu or Gede
2nd. child Made, or Kadek
3rd. child Komang
4th. child Ketut
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Jay was proud that he spoke languages, which included a smattering of Dutch so he found himself being examined by a real Dutchman. Then he said that he also spoke German but when I switched to German it quickly became apparent that his German vocabulary was limited to one word : “Bundesliga” which is the name for the national football league in Germany. We then decided that this word was going to be the top secret code word, to be spoken to be allowed, to sit at one of his tables. The ladies at the table next to us were in hysterics about this all going on. So he kept it up.
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Dynamic waiting duo Djordi and Jay with my Lord & Master: Lesley

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Later on we were approached by the section maître asking if we wanted to return tomorrow night to the same table at the same time. It turned out that they were trying to lock-in as many people at different times to keep the gaps down and the waiting times limited. We said not really as we wanted to try the menus for all 4 restaurants, but it turned out that the standard menu is the same in all 4, with a few extra dishes.
 French: Normandie restaurant.
General: Cosmopolitan restaurant (rack of lamb is cosmopolitan), Tuscan: Italian restaurant (spaghetti)
 Cyprus: Mediterranean restaurant (couscous).
We could order each menu from all restaurants as it came all from the same kitchen. So we said yes also because we now knew the top secret password to get the same table again.
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Shops on board. The retail area is very extensive and with a large section of upscale jewellery and clothing. Mere mortals like us, took advantage of the reasonable Duty free liquor prices.

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After dinner and before the show we had another walk through the ship and the shops. Ordered our duty free liquor (2 liters of Grey Goose vodka for US 60,— = we had to spend our on board credit somehow) and then went to the show.
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This was a Cast show  called “Crystalize” which is a combination of song and dance, acrobatics and a light show with 15 stage members. With only some small (light tube) props but the led screen behind the stage made up for what was lacking in stage sets.  This was good, this was VERY good, so they rightfully got a standing ovation at the end from everybody. We were in about 20 minutes before the start to get a seat with un-obstructed view lines. The cruise director showed up in a kilt. And he said he could wear one because his middle name was Buchannan, although he was born and raised in the suburbs of London with no clan attachment what so ever. I remembered this Clan Tartan as being very vibrant and his was not.  I looked it up later and it turned out that he was wearing the more subdued “hunting” variation, But at least he was historically correct.
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After the show we make around through the ship again to see if there was a nice place for a drink. But everywhere there was wall to wall noise (They even combined disco with bingo……………….) and no seat in sight. The only quiet place is around the guest services desk in the pocket book exchange corner. …………….. I love books but not at 23.00 hrs. in the evening without a glass of wine.

The book exchange corner opposite the Guest Services Desk on Deck 3

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The ship does not have a library, only a pocket change corner. Which was used as books appeared and disappeared during the next three days. But it is only a very small exchange for such a large ship.
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The ship also does not have Crows nest/ Observatory for drinks as the forward part of that deck is taken over by the two largest suites on board.  So I am not that greatly impressed by the design of the ship.
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For those who want to walk there is a jogging/walking track on Deck 14  which loops around the pool area and the Roof top café.  it is a nice idea to split the track up in fast and slow, but I wonder if it works as a lot of “walkers” tend to walk as a couple and the path is not wide enough for that.

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One deck lower is the Fitness gym, which has a fabulous view, but I do not understand why these gyms (on any ship) have to have such a prime spot while they could be on the side and such a prime location could be used by a revenue generating bar and lounge area. With the shortage of public space, as seen during this cruise, it would have been full  and the bar would have  done very well in sales.
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25 August 2024 Rotterdam.
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It was interesting to note yesterday that different locations gave different arrival times. Varying from 08.00, 09.00 and 10.00 hrs. But the old man on the tannoy gave the official arrival time 03.15 at the pilot station and docked by 06.30 for a 07.00 arrival. And so he did, and docked nose in. I will never know the answer but docking nose in at Rotterdam is unusual. It is normal that you always try to dock nose out so in case of a problem, you can just scoot out of the port. Especially in Rotterdam where a large ship, (like the 1000 feet Apex) needs to steam astern for half a mile and then turn with its stern into the Waalhaven to get around. But we were nose in and in the afternoon we saw sailors painting the starboard hull, so maybe the staff captain prevailed on the captain to do so. The ship was not on shore power and that was a bit of a disappointment as the locals in the surrounding skyscrapers are not happy with smoke coming out of the funnels.
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Another Restaurant with a cover charge called “Raw on 5”, meaning that this is a fish restaurant with a lot of Sushi. (But I also saw them doing a sort of “Fish and Chips”.

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On on our second day we did not order breakfast but had all the fruit that had accumulated in the cabin. We had complained yesterday to concierge services about not everything  that was promised being in the cabin.  So a large fruit plate had arrived yesterday afternoon as an apology (On top of the Daily Delight also being a fruit plate). As we are eating too much anyway, this will help will to keep the weight down. Then it was time to go ashore. About 10 minute walk from the ship (away from the walk to downtown) is a large supermarket from the Dutch “Jumbo” chain and so we had the chance to stack up on Dutch liquorice, DE coffee and a few other things including Raisin Buns which for some reason are much juicier in Holland than in England. (If you can get them at all in the UK)
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The Roof top cinema and  Rooftop Grill (service charge) opposite.

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Upon return we found the ship about half empty so we had the chance for another good look around, found a hamburger bar that was not on the App ( and which also had a soft ice machine) and the Sunset Bar on the top deck aft which we had not seen yet. It was open but much too cold/windy to have a drink. The Indian bar tender was not a happy camper and was half hiding in the lobby behind the bar to stay out of the cold wind and only popped out when he saw a potential customer. Together with the EDEN Lounge there is a lot of real green on board and the ship has an real gardener on board looking at it.
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Deck 14. Roof top gardens at the rooftop grill.

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Then we hoped to have a drink on “the magic carpet” that elevator bar that goes up and down on the starboard side of the ship and is used as tender platform when at anchor. But half the area was closed off for maintenance and although it has a ceiling/roof, the sun comes in unabated, so unless you apply a lot of sun screen it is not the place to be on a sunny day. Thus back to the Hamburger bar, no waiting lines here, and had a quick hamburger and soft ice. Very good.
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The pool deck in front of the funnel.  Behind where the photo was taken there is also an (adult) covered pool called the Solarium.

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Then to the “Ocean View Cafe” which is at other company’s is called the Food Court or Lido Restaurant. The word Cafe gives the idea that it is a small space but it is huge. Yesterday while at sea we could not find a space to sit, as it was choc-a- block during opening hours but today it was still full but with here and there an empty seat. Again too small if you take into account the British penchant for going for a 2nd cup of tea after lunch and then sit there for another hour. (Celebrity has signs on the tables asking to leave when done…., but do not try to get between a Brit and his/her cup of tea and a second one)
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A view of the serving stations at the Ocean View Cafe. This photo was taken just before opening.

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But the food court serving area is large with various counters and stations, part self service, part served, with a large selection in Tastes from around the world.  We have now seen several of them on various companies, large and small  (Holland America, Cunard, Fred Olsen, Ambassador, Saga) and this one was by far the best, so far.
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Now this I really liked. Hand wash station at the entrance to the Ocean View Cafe. There was also a Lady permanently on duty to give a disinfectant squirt for your hands before walking in. Unfortunately it was shocking to see how many guests ignored both the the hand wash station and the Lady. And then they all complain later when the ships are getting Norovirus.

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From there back into the ship as Lesley wanted to compare prices for next year. Celebrity does not do brochures anymore, just fact sheets noting the cruise and the basic price and then you have to scan a QR code on your phone for details.  But we came by the Cafe Bianco, which is a coffee shop with free cakes. Coffees and teas are $ 6,– with unlimited cakes and cookies. As the place was half empty we grabbed the chance as yesterday it was chaos. Within 5 minutes we had a Barista chatting to us, as she wanted  to find out if she could pay with dollars when going ashore. Answer no. In the same way as you cannot pay with Euros in the US, you also cannot pay with Dollars in Europe. With the exception of the high end shops in the center of the major cities. But not in Dutch surburbia. You either pin (which is a sort of debit card system run by the Dutch National bank, where nearly each Dutch person has an account) or you pay cash. Credit cards are not accepted in regular supermarkets and shops. (The Dutch collectively refuse to pay the high costs CC’s charge to the shops etc.) But our Barista was happy to know, that if she got here next time  she could travel from the end of the pier with the Metro into downtown for just one 1 euro (or 8 euro for a day card for the whole city system)
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The Eden Room and below the Eden Restaurant (has a cover charge) this photo was take in the morning of the Repeat guest party after most people had left.

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In the evening  we went to  The Eden for cocktails; the name a reference to the “Garden of Eden” as it is full of plants and related.
When we left the cabin we saw rows and rows of room service plates in the hallway. Those returning from shore having decided to test room service to the max. And for the ship at $ 11.50 a delivery is a good earner for the company. But that gave us the hope that Eden would not be full, even with a Duo playing, and we were right. There were ample seats until 18.30 when it slowly started to fill up. The duo finished shortly after but were going to return. Normally during the day, if you can find a seat, there is a waiter hovering nearby in no time.
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Not so now. 18.00 is crew dinner time, change of shift and thus all the men ventured to the bar themselves to get drinks. Luckily there were 3 efficient bartenders in action. The two waiters were busy with clearing tables of those who had come in at 17.00 hrs. (Dining rooms open at 18.15 hrs.)   But the view was good and the scenery of Rotterdam port interesting. We were docked bow in and thus the stern was abeam of Hotel New York, the old Holland America head office where in 1981, I started my career. In 1983 the left over of Holland America disappeared to the suburbs. Then there were squatters (nice squatters as they did not trash anything) but eventually it became a successful hotel and restaurant.
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Dancing in the rain on the Rotterdam pier, Wilhelminakade in front of Hotel New York. this photo was taken through the glass of the aft (large) window of the Eden lounge.

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There was a party outside and the hotel had laid out a dancefloor and couples were dancing, while refreshments were produced from a Heineken Push Bike. Even during a short rain fall it did not deter them from continuing to dance and it was funny to see a guy with a squeezy broom zigzagging between the dancers trying to keep the floor dry.
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We ended up in the Cosmopolitan restaurant  again as the 2nd maître had confirmed a table for us for at 19.00 hrs. and the promise that we could order from the menu from the “Cyprus” restaurant next door.  That turned out not to be necessary as the menu had changed sufficiently to find something new. I ended up with a vegetarian Tikka Masala, based on potatoes, which was amazingly good so I was glad to have done the experiment. Lesley ordered liver and onions, which is a sort of going ” down memory lane” as her generation of British were raised on it.  Dynamic and Comic duo Jay & Djordi (I Putu) were on a roll again but for less audience as Room Service had left its mark on the number of tables occupied.
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We decided for a walkaround after dinner but even with the taking the Room Service factor in consideration, all the Bars in and around the Grand Plaza were packed again with wall to wall noise. We decided not to go to the show which had a singer/comedian whose claim to fame was having won the Golden buzzer with “Britain Got Talent”. We heard the next morning that he had been very good with a solid show. The singer comedian from the first night had been programmed to the Club (Night Club) to do sing-a-long. Tomorrow night is the 2nd cast show which we hope will be as good as the one from last night.
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25 August 2024 Zeebrugge.
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The ship docked around 07.30 to facilitate the tours to Brugge. Company’s such as Saga, Fred Olsen and Cunard organise a shuttle to the town of nearby Blankenbergen, either to enjoy the resort or take the train to Brugge but Celebrity does not provide shuttles. The port itself laid on a shuttle for euro 25,– to Brugge, buy tickets on the pier, but the ship was not involved. The port does run a shuttle to the dock gate all day  from where you can do it yourself- option is to take the tram (street car for American readers) which runs along the whole Belgian coast from the Dutch border to the French border. You buy a ticket on the tram and that is it. Cash euros required. But you see all the Belgian coastal towns and the rows and rows of apartment buildings along the coast. Many of these apartment buildings have shops and restaurants under them on the ground floor so it can be a good day out.
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The covered pool or “Solarium” on Deck 14. This photo was taken early in the morning in port. Full house.

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Having been to Zeebrugge and Brugge many a time, we decided to stay on board. Lesley wanted her daily CSI series fix and I wanted to go around taking photos of the ship. But first we wanted to have a drink on the magic carpet, That orange contraption that hangs outside the ship on the starboard side. Same as yesterday, one half was closed for maintenance but the other half was open and we had a drink overlooking part of the port. There were expensive cars stored for import on the dock and its where the Belgian Navy has it head quarters. In port 3 mine sweepers and 2 coastal patrol vessels. Belgian has the largest navy in the world, which is true if you take into consideration that it is the only navy in the world who can provide a vessel to protect each mile of its coast line.
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Celebrity also has a children’s program with two lounges tucked away on Deck 2 near the ships hospital.  This is the teens which was empty on a port day, and then there is a space for 4 to 12 (or similar ages) which had a group of small girls all fully engrossed in a movie called “Frozen”.

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So I went around and took photos of all the public areas and some art as well. The result of which you see scattered through this review. I innocently walked into the crew service corridor on deck 2 behind the children’s “Basement ” for activities for the non toddlers. I stepped in and I was quickly pushed out again by a 1.5 striper from the Beverage dept. VERY VERY good. Each company orders its crew to make sure guests stay out of the crew areas but there are not many crew who either bother or have the guts to do it. Especially if the person acts if he/she belongs there, something I am very good at. But I got kicked out, so kudos to the trainer who trained the crew.
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With Led screens and good lighting you can put a lounge in flames. This show was called “Rockumentary” a tribute to the most well known rock groups and singers. Nice thing was that everybody was encouraged to take photos and videos of the show, while on most other ships there is always a stern warning not to do so.

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26. August 2024 Going home.
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Our disembarkation time (delivered on the App) was 08.30. There were announcements  and so we walked off at that time and it went very smoothly. By 09.30 we had retrieved our car from the hotel and where on our way home.
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All through the ship there is art. Some very large pieces and some very quirky. We came across this one in the smoking area outside the Eden. It is called “Looking Beyond” by Joaquin Vila. As it was raining the crew had put a warning out for the slippery deck and by creating a kneeling figure it looks like it that the artist was anticipating this.

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So what is our verdict:
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Plusses:
1. Very fast and easy embarkation process (as long as you have uploaded all your information and pass photo).
2. Best food quality and selection of any self service restaurant experienced so far.
3. Best revue shows seen so far. (2nd and last night)
4.Well maintained ship.
5. Good safety video, especially for the children.
6. Two outstanding waiters Jay and Geordi. The others were good as well, but did not have or showed much personality.
I liked the “maintenance” sign put up when the sailors were working.
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And another one on Deck 14 at the roof top grill entrance. This is by another Spanish artist called Jaume Plensa and the sculpture is called “Duality”

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Minuses:
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1. Why is service limited to the cabin, on the first afternoon and evening ? Celebrity sells is as if it is a four night cruise, so is it not reasonable to expect that service as promised starts after arrival ?
Why can the sparking wine not be ready on arrival as is the case with all other companies.  Why do the “delectable delights” only start the next day ? Why is everything “on request” if you are entitled to it ?
2. Cabin not clean and note complete upon entering (after 2 pm)
3. Cabin not enough storage space, safe too small and no washing line in the bathroom. Not hooks on the wall to hanf our coats.
4. Not enough sitting areas in public spaces and wall to wall noise.
5. No library.
6. No crowsnest, or top lounge overlooking the bow,
7.  I liked the craft bar for its good selection of various beers but it is too small. As as it doubles up as a Sport bar, there weree men hanging around watching the football/ cricket and taking up seats  for would be customers.
8. Photo cost. It was $ 24.99 for one photo of 8 x 10. We had on board credit so we got the welcome on board photo but it was a bit  pricey  for such a small photo..
9. Deplorable Room service continental breakfast quality.
10. Coffee and Tea sachet in the cabin not automatically replaced but on “Request”.
11. Formal or no formal is a product decision…….. but calling it “Evening Chic” so anything goes is a bit much.
12. Dinner, being promised dinner at 20.30 and then booked the first night at 18.15 hrs. The cruise only seems to start the next day.
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Will we be back ???. We will monitor the comments on line but if the ship is so busy that we cannot find a  seat when we want….. No way.
But we will miss the Cast shows though.
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The only seat that was nearly always available was this piece of art (with a nice Lady sitting on it) outside the “EDEN lounge ” entrance. It is called “Empower Flower” and made of fiberglass by the Brazilian artist Ruben Robierb.

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Funny1: The shops announce that there is a “Captains Clearance” every morning at 10 am. with discounted merchandise.  And it was in the program for each day. But in port the shops are closed due to customs regulations. It must have made the Captain very happy as he did not have to do the “Captains Clearance” each day,. You would think that some bright thinker looking after the daily program / app would catch that.
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Maintenance in progress sign. It reads: “Deck therapy in session. It is so high maintenance”

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Funny 2: I liked the maintenance sign used by the sailors carrying out maintenance. It generates a smile which takes the immediate annoyance away and this looks so much better.

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Very nice touch 1:  In the lifts / elevators there is a display indicating on which deck the gangway is located when in port.
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Gangway on Deck 4. Very handy for disembarkation if you have missed the announcement.

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Very nice touch 2:   lifejackets for the children to go into the pool. I did not see a life guard on duty but the jackets were free to take. (I wonder how many the loose after after a cruise. During my sailing days we always lost quite a few children’s lifejackets taken home as “souvenir” by families with a boat at home)
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Lifejacket station for children outside the Self Service Restaurant.

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Very nice touch 3: This pops up on your TV when you return to the cabin before going to bed.

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