Bob_KY

As a Followup….we didn’t dine at Luminae nearly enough on our Dec 2022 10N Edge sailing…..We dined there maybe 2 times for dinner and 2 times for lunch. And it was at the end of the sailing. The food at Luminae was AMAZING!!! We so regretted that we neglected it in favor of Specialty Restaurant dining. We will not make that mistake again.

Just to add another point of data to all this - We signed up late (October) for a GTY JS on Allure for 12/11/22. We got a RoyalUp offer for a GS, OS, and the Crown Loft (L1?) a few days after signup. I made just above the minimum bids (that were admittedly high since they we so late) on all three, with an extra $200 laid on the Crown Loft. 
We had no room assignment at all until last night, when the RoyalUp went through, and we were assigned a Crown Loft and had won the bid. So, we off to the races in an L1 suite (first time for one of those) for about 1/2 overall prices of what they had been asking this late before sailing. I'm going to call it a win! 🙂

I just received the most unbelievable RU offers (21 Jan 23, 8 night Southern Caribbean on EX).  Never have I seen a bid for the Royal Suite LESS than for a JS !!
I am currently in a 4B (Oceanview Balcony) and this is a completely comped casino cruise - so my current cruise fare for this is $-0-.
My bid minimums are:
JS - $135 PP
GS - $170 PP
2 BR GS - $320 PP
OS - $90 PP
RS - $105 PP
Now, I fully realize that the chances of the RS RU are -0- since there's just the one and it's booked and it's past final payment date....but wow !  Never seen a min bid that low for a RS !!  There are also -0- JS showing available, which tends to explain why that one is relatively high compared to some of the other, higher level suites, which have very good availability at the moment.
There are currently 9 OS available, 4 2BR GS and 10+ GS.  That $90 OS min looks pretty good !  
I bid on all of the offers with a very aggressive bid on the OS.  Since my current cruise fare was $0, I can afford to bid quite a bit on this RU offer and still come out waaay ahead.
All of this coming from someone who has NEVER won a RU bid !  Wish me luck !
 

Last sea day on Millennium and for Cruisellama a review of Tuscan Specialty restaurant for lunch. First, there are twoTuscan lunch services on sea days. One is a compacted regular dinner menu at $25pp. Second is the sea food special that features Lobster Thermadore and Cococonut Shrimp. Branzino and a red snapper are on the menu too. That one is $40pp.
I would call the specialty dining up-charge worth it for the Tuscan Sea Food special. We had the coconut shrimp and lobster thermadore - dishes prepared as we would not get them in local restaurants ashore. Started with bread basket with fresh basil and olive oil, baked scallops, very nice, and a watermelon and feta cheese salad - a Celebrity fave of mine. The main courses were shrimp and lobster prepared in a heavy sauce with lots of cream and butter. You cannot go wrong with those ingredients appropriately seasoned. The coconut shrimp had a distinct yet subtle coconut flavor. The lobster, more of a subtle mushroom flavored sauce. Both excellent. I paired my lobster thermadore with a Pinot Noir (Cherry Pie). My wife likes reds and is not particular; she had a cab with her coconut shrimp  - Conundrum and if you're not familiar it is really good and a pretty good copy of the much more expensive Caymus wines. There were two sides served with the mains - au gratin potatoes and a baked cauliflower also in a cheese sauce. Dessert was an English Trifle (a cake/custard sort of thing) one banana one strawberry.
Table service was attentive as is the case in the specialty restaurants where the guest to wait staff ratio is much better than in the mains. Never a dirty plate or empty glass. The food, service and presentation were of very high quality and worth the up-charge of $40.  Now specifically to Cruisellema's observation. You are correct there are some Tuscan improvements/upgrades but these are not as extensive as elsewhere. Here they cut some corners. The area of the ship the Tuscan is in was formerly the Olympia. That was before all the classic cruise liner themed restaurants on the Century and Millennium class ships were eliminated in 2016 and replaced with Tuscan Grill. Not a popular change at all. The old area that contained the Olympia area was cut in half so the Tuscan is smaller and a bit more intimate. The ceiling of the Olympia remains. That's about all that's left of some of the beautifully displayed artifacts of this cruise ship of the golden age. So, the furniture is getting a bit worn ("tired") as Cruisellama noted. The entrance is upgraded and the Tuscan area has a much different design. It's fine and doesn't distract from the excellent dining experience for the Seafood themed Tuscan lunch. Can't speak for the dinner or other sea day Tuscan lunch experiences. I think in general, the Tuscan has not been particularly popular but no question Celebrity has tried. The seafood menu is an example and it is good.

I did find the F&B manager and his assistant outside the entrance to the theater. When I asked (careful not to complain) about circulating bar staff I did not get the line, "we are trending to self service." In fact, they were very forthright about working out staffing issues as Celebrity gets back up to hosting ship's at capacity. There is no intention to not have circulating bar servers. In the interim wait staff are being instructed to ask if the guest would like a beverage from the bar. It seems that message may not be getting through to wait staff. Was told, "we will fix this" ..... and I got a bottle of Champagne in my room thanking us for letting them know. Classic Celebrity.

We will eat lunch in Tuscan tomorrow. I'll report back after that.
I'll try to track down the Food and Beverage manager and ask about the lack of circulating bar staff. In the Ocean View Cafe, there is a walk up wine and beer service. There were two bar staff (in sommelier uniforms). For other alcoholic beverages to be consumed in the Ocean View the Sunset bar was it. Except for that first day right after boarding, it was easy to get a beverage in either of those two bars.

Apex arrived in Fort Lauderdale this morning and I'm back home. Couple of post cruise observations:
Celebrity introduced a new cast and a new show called Crystalize on our last day before Fort Lauderdale. I had mentioned that I didn't like the "in the round " stage in the main theater. Well, that was stupidly wrong. Saw two current (Tree of Life and Rockumentary) and one brand new (Crystalize) shows that optimize the stage and take full advantage of the lighting and backgrounds that are very high tech. The visual presentation is very high quality and engaging.
Also regarding Apex entertainment, it took a step up from the unpopular Edge entertainment in Eden (production cast members dressed up and floating around you while you ate in the Eden restaurant or sat at the adjoining bar. They are now doing a series of 30 minute short shows with specific dancers and vocalists that do these productions in Eden and The Club. The theme of the show in Eden was an Alice in Wonderland short called Night of Dreams. If you sit at the edge of the performance area you are right on top of the show and have a close-up clear view of the dancers, acrobats and aerialists that are performing it. Stunning costumes, dance, aerial routines and vocals. The short in The Club is called Caravan and features more acrobatics and aerialists. Very cool.
Debarking somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 guests should be easy. It was. The crew also had to pass through immigration. This was done starting at 5am and finished up by 7am with everyone returning to the ship. Guests could debark at 7:30 if they carried their own luggage off. After that, it was by luggage tag number. We were off the ship by 8:20 and at home by 9:05. We live in Coconut Creek just a shade north of Fort Lauderdale and Port Everglades. It's a 20 minute Uber ride. The terminal at the port uses facial recognition technology to clear you through immigration. You show your passport, get a photo and you're done. Remember long lines to clear C&I? Gone. Of course there was one ship - us - with few guests. I suspect it may be a little harder as cruising ramps back up. Cruising now is the best!
Overall, the crossing on Apex was most excellent. We like the shows and food so our cruising days are filled with these. We don't gamble so no casinos for us although they are busy in the evenings. We eat breakfast and lunch in the Ocean View Cafe (buffet style). The food choices there are astonishingly varied and too numerous to go through them but you will find something new that you like, every day. Presentation is very appealing and the chefs take a lot of pride in that. No specialty dining this cruise. We think the main dining room and Ocean View food is so good and it's good enough for us. We dined in the evenings after cocktails at the Eden bar in the Cosmopolitan. We sought out our waiter from a previous Apex cruise and found him (Joel from Peru). He's an eight year veteran and knows his way around a formal dining table. New menu each night of signature dishes specific to each of the four main dining rooms. The rest are called classics and these are the same in each restaurant.
We ate in Normandy, one of the complimentary main restaurants, once. The waiter offered us a dish that was not on the menu - a bone in filet of beef. I have no doubt the kitchen had extra cuts of this high quality beef that would normally be offered and served at Fine Cuts on Five - a specialty steakhouse restaurant. Fabulous.
The ship grew on me as time passed. Not an Edge fan after our intial sailing on that new ship a year or so ago. I carried that attitude to Apex. It was undeserved. I grumbled in a post above on day 6 of this 14n sailing. Over the following 8d, there were just too many things that we fell into a routine with - exercise in the morning, alternating a light breakfast and heavier late lunch with a full breakfast and a light lunch, cocktails at Eden, a show, then dinner. Never worrying about keeping your house clean, making beds, doing laundry, preparing meals. I napped when I felt like it. Watched a lot of good movies in our cabin. It's a great life! I could have easily kept going on Apex with this routine. 

I'm aboard this sailing. We're currently ported in Gran Canaria, having started in Barcelona and porting in Alicante, Cartegena and Cadiz. This is day 6, we have one more port call in Tenerife on day 7 (tomorrow) then a 7d transatlantic crossing ending up in Fort Lauderdale when Apex will cruise this winter in the Caribbean . There are around 1300 guests - US passport holders only. European pass port holders can't get into the US so, can't sail on this crossing. I am told that the last three Apex sailings from Piraeus all had less than 1000 passengers due to poor sales.
I originally booked this cruise in 2019. It was L&S'ed from '20 to 2021. I've lost count of how many times the dates and itineraries were changed on this sailing.... .something like 6 or 7X.  Required patience and flexibility. Had tours scheduled with local vendors (Tours by Locals) in Seville (Cadiz) Gran Canaria and Tenerife that I had to cancel after we had already boarded. Celebrity mandated only ship's tours in all but Alicante and Cartegena. The reason for that as closely as I can determine was based on the cruise immediately preceding this one and sailing from Piraeus to the Greek Isles. This sailing experienced 5 positive COVID cases early on in the cruise -those infected - all Europeans - most likely became so while traveling to Athens. Celebrity sent all five home and identified 56 contacts among passengers and crew. These were quarantined and tested (2X, 4d apart) and none of them were positive on either test.
It's likely this experience prompted Celebrity to impose additional COVID mitigation measures on this Apex sailing. Masks were required indoors except when eating or drinking or in your cabin. Tours were restricted...... you had to stay with the group, no shopping or dining. We took a ship's tour in Cadiz that included a Flamenco performance. Strangely, two tour bus loads of guests (around 60 guests) were crammed into a very small venue with poor ventilation and masks not required. That process was a serious compromise of the mitigation measures that Celebrity imposed on Apex for this sailing. Frustrating...... and these are company, ship specific imposed measures. They aren't coming from local or national health authorities. Also, and I posted about this up thread, he local or national health authorities. The Flamenco performance made all of these inconveniences worth it all risks considered. I'm not sure Celebrity condoned the large number of guests in a small venue but will ask this question of the Shore Excursion manager.
The indoor mask requirement and the tour restrictions stand out as major inconveniences but understandable given Celebrity's pursuit of a zero COVID outbreaks goal. One can argue that none of these restrictions were sensible given Spain's low viral prevalence and high vax rates. I'm not allowing myself to get worked up about it. We're cruising on Apex.
I'm not a big Edge class fan. The Apex build tried to overcome some of the Edge issues. Most of these were behind the scenes stuff that involved placement of serving stations and storage. Apex also changed some of the seating in Eden. The Club - a small performance venue - is functionally inadequate. Sight lines are poor unless you are seated right next to the small stage area. I don't like the "in the round" set-up in the main theater but that's my problem.
I think my wife would disagree but I've heard some grumbling from crew - at least the ones in contact with guests. I rarely hear this from Celebrity crew and never from officers. The first one I heard was the quarantining of crew from the incident I mentioned above that lasted 10d and during which 2 AG tests were conducted before they were released back to work. Other general complaints include being on the ship for 5.5 months without being allowed to get off the ship (there are exceptions). Compared to our recent Apex sailing out of Piraeus in early August, the crew friendliness and willingness to engage with guests, truly genuine, we experienced on that sailing, there seems to be less of that on this sailing 2.5 months later. Crew not as happy and buoyant. I get that. 
These are minor nits but nonetheless make me think less of Edge class ships compared to Millennium and Solstice class ships. Given the option to sail from Fort Lauderdale between Apex and Equinox, both home ported there this winter, I'll chose Equinox every time. Price would also dictate my choice. Apex doesn't sell well and discounted fares are common.  I'd book Apex for the right discounted fare. Also, and I mentioned this up thread, travel in Europe during COVID is tricky. You need to do a lot of pre-cruise work and planning to make sure you are in compliance with the COVID regulations for the airline you travel to Eruope on and the countries you visit for anything other than transit. The EU has recommended to member states is to not accept the CDC record of vaccination as proof of it. Too many forgeries. You'll need a digital COVID certificate with a valid QR code to move freely within the Schengen region. I applied for an received a Swiss COVID Certificate. If you don't have a digital COVID Certificate with a QR code, you can still travel in Europe, you just have to get tested every 2-5d depending on the country's COVID rules.
Any questions on this sailing just ask.  
    

Shoot I was hoping the ELITE benefits would be better I'm just about to do an 11 night Celebrity to New Zealand next year so
was hoping for some extras - at least Laundry for that length will be good.

You can make them embarkation day.   Luminae will be open for lunch.   Just tell the maitre'd when you go for lunch.   (Or give him/her a card with your preferences (incl stateroom) when you enter).  We used to make reservations, then found it easier to just float.  Never had an issue getting in.

Are you excited? Are you ready for a great vacation? Do you know who @twangster really is, because we'd like to know

We did a 12 night on the Equinox in March of this year. Did an 11 day on her back in 2017.  Was impressed with her back in '17. Not so much this time even though we were Elite this time. The entertainment and activities were bland and so was the food.  The service was nothing special like it was the first time. They also seemed to be short staffed. So it may have been they were just getting going again after covid.
That was our first cruise since before the Covid thing. We sailed on the Oasis twice, the last time in December of 2021 with our adult children (pre Christmas cruises in Dec tend to be cheaper and less crowded).  Frankly we were looking for something to do on the Equinox, not so on the Oasis what with the Board walk, central park etc, etc. 
We've been on X three times this year. The cruises were excellent, the ships mediocre. The other two cruises were on the Summit. The second Summit 12 night cruise was no better than the first. We wouldn't have picked the Summit the second time but for the itinerary which we booked 2 years before. 
Going back to Royal next year, though neither booked cruise are on an Oasis class due to the itinerary. If we want bland, we'll sail on a cheap non Oasis class Royal cruise. (which is what we are doing in early Dec of this year and Feb of next) To us it's all about the itinerary and the cost. If we find a good itinerary at a good price...we're gone. No such thing as a bad cruise.
Bottom line...try Equinox to see how you like it. Every cruise is different based on time of year, length, itinerary, cabin, etc, etc.

Roatán, by far. 

One reinforcing comment to @Swar and @OCSC Mike - Girdwood was fantastic.  A must is dinner at 7 Glaciers Restaurant.  Did landtour out of Anchorage combined with the southbound on the Radiance.  @AshleyDillo, same cruise? (July 4, 2014)
BTW, get reservations for 7 Glaciers early.  

Apex:  18-25 March 2023.
First Celebrity Cruise.  We are looking forward to the new experience. 
Beyond ship obvious differences, we are curious about Diamond versus Elite status.  Also, Sky Suite versus Celebrity Suite perks.  We like the  "Celebrity Suite" layout which seems very similar to an Oasis class Grand Suite.  
We like the itinerary: Belize, Cozumel,  Key West, and Grand Cayman. 

Apex:  18-25 March 2023.
First Celebrity Cruise.  We are looking forward to the new experience. 
Beyond ship obvious differences, we are curious about Diamond versus Elite status.  Also, Sky Suite versus Celebrity Suite perks.  We like the  "Celebrity Suite" layout which seems very similar to an Oasis class Grand Suite.  
We like the itinerary: Belize, Cozumel,  Key West, and Grand Cayman. 

The biggest perk I've gotten is saving thousands of dollars over multiple cruises due to the diligence of the MEI agents (yay @michelle). The onboard credit and such are nice, but at the end of the day, I want someone who can be reached quickly, can solve the problems encountered, coordinate between me and family members booking other cabins, and basically just make the entire experience better. I never had good luck with TAs before, since I usually spend hours looking for exactly the cruise I want, the cabin I want, etc. and often found myself more knowledgeable than the local TAs (in Colorado). But I find handing it over to an MEI TA makes for a wonderful experience because they give advice on things I didn't know or missed, watch for the better deals, and can get me repriced, etc. Definitely worth giving up a couple hundred dollars of an onboard credit gimmick for lesser service.

Another plug for Michelle.  She makes things easy. 🙂

I used to use someone at cruise.com and recently switched to Michelle at MEI (she's great!).  The difference is that the big boys may give some discounts (due to group rates) and throw in gratuities.  But their service sucks! (it was always tough for me to reach them).  MEI is a bit smaller and doesn't give the perks of the big boys but their service is fantastic.

MEI Travel is the sponsor of this blog. If you visit the main RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com website you can fill out a form on the right side of the main page to have an agent assigned to you. No charge and no obligation to use them, but I've had great experiences with them!

My favorite is the Courtyard Dania Beach. It has absolutely nothing close by but has cheap parking and SAS will transport me too and from. 

I’m not so sure.  The PR would truly suck for the cruise line(s) if someone could verify that they tested positive and then the cruise line refused to refund their money, basically forcing them to cruise with COVID.  “Don’t ask, don’t tell” ?  Absolutely !  But forcing pax to cruise knowing they are positive would be a real PR nightmare,I would guess.

I just hope people dont bellyache on message boards when they feel like they contracted covid onboard. Covid is everywhere and can be contracted anywhere anytime. People assume some level of risk when they decide to cruise to begin with. My point is, i hope that if cases go up on ships, it doesnt lead to a reversal of these positive steps royal has now taken. 

My kindle and chromebook - everything else I keep a duplicate supply that can be packed well in advance. (i.e. hair dryer, toiletries, make-up, chargers, first aid kit, etc.)
My duplicate items stay in a drawer specifically designated for travel. This ensures that I don't forget anything. Plus, it makes packing quicker and stress free!

My shaving kit since it’s about the last thing I use.  All our SetSail pass, Covid cards, Covid test and itinerary going in a folder that we make up as soon as we book the cruise.  That folder and passports go into a backpack.