A friend gives Celebrity APEX raves
I have written about how excited I am to sail on the Celebrity APEX out of Barcelona in October. So it was great to hear a first-hand report from someone who has just returned from sailing to the Greek Islands out of Athens on the APEX. His comments made me even more eager to board the ship.
Clearly the pandemic has had a great impact on cruising. Starting up again is not easy. So I was lucky to be introduced to Ed Allemand by a mutual friend in Chicago. Ed told me he has been sailing since 1966 when he was a student on many different ships. He has been lucky to have sailed on some of the most famous of the ships that crossed the Atlantic including the France, the United States, and a host of Cunard ships. So when he said to me “I might have some perspective when I talk about ships” I believed him. Then he told me “Without any exaggeration the APEX and the whole experience was very, very good and my partner and I had a wonderful time”
Ed and his partner traveled to Athens, Greece on American Airlines and spent three days there before boarding the ship. They stayed at the Grande Bretagne and he raved about the food, the service and the rooftop restaurant with its spectacular view of the Acropolis.
On day three he planned to board the Celebrity APEX at noon. He felt boarding was handled really well and in the usual way. Taking a picture, registering a credit card and passport on the Celebrity App. There was also a health survey you had to fill out 24 hours ahead of boarding. Then if you had all this in place and on your phone, at the dock you were asked to show your vaccination card. Only fully vaccinated passengers and fully vaccinated crew were allowed on the ship. Once he had shown all this information he and his partner were ushered to a nearby facility for a covid test. He got his results in less than thirty minutes and as he tested negative was allowed to board. He said there were plenty of Celebrity staff available at all times to speed the process and when he boarded he was treated like an honored guest.
He was told there were 750 passengers on his cruise and 900 staff. About one quarter of the passenger capacity of the ship. He was also told they were going to sail that way for the next two trips just to ensure everything was totally safe and comfortable for crew and passengers. On his cruise passengers and crew did wear masks throughout the trip and there was social distancing. Again Ed felt it was just a matter of being extra safe and making everyone feel comfortable which he said he did the entire cruise.
Once on the ship he walked around and found it absolutely beautiful in every way. Plenty of comfortable lounge seating and the activity areas were great. All dining venues (including the very large buffet) were open. He went to one of the specialty restaurants and it was superb. Ed reported all the food was excellent and he and his partner had great room service breakfasts delivered every morning. He felt the cabin was very, very nice (his words) and the cabin steward excellent.
Ed was impressed that Celebrity sponsored a great event for gay PRIDE with a parade and party and he and others, including the crew, danced until the wee hours of the night. He said the entertainment as a whole “knocked my sox off.” The soloists and show casts were all British. He said the theatre is technically dazzling and productions were of Broadway or Westend quality; not just your usual cruise ship Las Vegas style fare.
The excursions were all well planned and you could take one or head out on your own. He reported Mykonos was wide open. To re-board you just needed your keycard.
For Americans who needed a covid test within three days of flying home Celebrity arranged to provide the test onboard before disembarking. All-in-all Ed felt the new Celebrity APEX met all his expectations and is a grand addition to the Celebrity fleet. I can’t wait to board APEX October 10th for my transatlantic voyage.
