Celebrity Apex Review – The Ports of Call

Celebrity Apex stopped at four ports on our cruise – Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The only place we hadn’t visited before was Belize, so we booked a shore excursion on that island. I looked forward to shopping in the ports this time more than seeing the sites.

Key West

Having visited Key West numerous times, we strolled off the ship and roamed around Front St. and Duval. I picked up a few essentials at a CVS store. We found a Key West Aloe store and I bought hand creams and shower gel. It was very hot outside. I ate a super sweet, chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick. Who can go to Key West without eating Key lime pie? We were back onboard Celebrity Apex in time for lunch. If you visit this port and have never been here before, I suggest you do the Conch Train Tour. Otherwise, you can see the historic sites, stroll along the waterfront, and try the various restaurants.

Belize

We took the two-hour city tour in an air-conditioned bus for our shore excursion. At first, we drove along the coastline. Then we went inland and wove through the streets. We visited the rich side of town and then the more common side, noting a distinct difference. We also passed grocery and furniture and hardware stores, gas stations, and other commercial sites. Stray dogs roamed the streets that definitely had a third-world country vibe. The guide mentioned that the highest elevation was 4000 feet. They produce shade-grown coffee, and Mayan cacao farmers make chocolate. They also grow sugar cane on this island and make rum. We stopped at a rum factory store and at the Belize sign along the way.

Shopping by the port terminal was the best bet. There are plenty of shops and a couple of restaurants for lunch. The recommended Wet Lizard was crowded so we ate at a different restaurant with a water view. We bought bags of ground coffee and chocolate bars, which cost six to seven dollars apiece depending on the store. No gift boxes of fancy chocolates as I’d expected. It was fun shopping here for souvenirs.

Cozumel

Cozumel is one of my favorite shopping ports. We’ve been to Tulum and done the Mayan ruins, so we don’t have any need to go there again. We have shopped downtown and at their various docks, so nowadays we just shop around the port. These complexes have more than enough stores to keep you busy. We ate lunch in Margaritaville with our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock.

Grand Cayman

We’ve also seen the sites at Grand Cayman and spent time on their famous beach, so this time we tendered into town and walked around the main shopping street which didn’t take too long. We headed back to the ship for lunch.

Celebrity Apex Ports of Call Western Caribbean #cruising #CelebrityCruises Click To Tweet

This concludes my journal of our voyage on Celebrity Apex! I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos and descriptions. We’re ready to book the next trip!

Celebrity Apex Review – The Food

The food is the best part of a cruise. You can eat all day if you want. On Celebrity Apex, you’re assigned one of four main dining rooms – Cosmopolitan, Tuscan, Normandie or Cyprus. Each one has some specialty dining items. You have to make a reservation to switch and inform your waiter. The menu has a number of regular dishes and only a small selection of new items each evening. We did not like this lack of variation. It was more fun when you stay in the same dining room and get a different themed menu each night. Specialty dining cost $60+ to eat dinner in the steakhouse, sushi restaurant, raw bar seafood place, Bistro, and others. We ate breakfast and lunch at the Oceanview Cafe. You could also get burgers, hot dogs, turkey burgers and fries at the Mast Grill between the Solarium and outdoor pool. This site had soft cream as well. You could get regular ice cream at a station in the buffet and also pizza at the rear. Lighter options were available at the Eden and Spa cafés. Here are some of the different dining rooms. Our dinner companions were my cousins Janice Sklar and David Sklar and friends Ann Meier, Pat Babcock and Jacki Beirne.

This beautiful restaurant was for more exclusive passengers:

Breakfast was our favorite meal. Everything you could want to eat for this meal was available. I had smoked salmon every day. My husband enjoyed the herring. You could have eggs made your way, omelets, or eggs benedict. Or hard boiled eggs were offered, albeit with shells on. There was French toast, pancakes, waffles, muffins and Danish, fruits, potatoes, breakfast meats, and more.

Lunches included light fare in the Eden and Spa cafes, a full international buffet at the Oceanview Cafe, pizza, or the Mast Grill with burgers and hot dogs. And the desserts! Here are some, but we’ll get to the rest later.

Day 1 Dinner at Cyprus

Greek Appetizers
Braised Lamb Shank
Greek Custard (like Crème Brulee)
Apple Pie a la Mode

Day 2 Dinner at Cyprus

Shrimp Cocktail
Braised Short Ribs
Sacher Torte with Vanilla Ice Cream

Day 3 (Belize) Dinner at Normandie

The lighting where we sat was dark and the service very slow. But I enjoyed my meal of melted Brie, seared duck breast, and apple crumble a la mode.

Day 4 Dinner (Cozumel)

Pumpkin Salad
Eggplant Bruschetta
Turkey Parmesan with Spaghetti
Cherries Jubilee

Day 5 Dinner (Grand Cayman)

Caesar Salad
Beef Short Ribs
Chocolate Lava Cake

Day 6 Dinner (Second Dressy Night)

Shrimp Cocktail
Lobster Tail with Rice and Broccoli
Leg of Lamb
Baked Alaska

If this isn’t enough, these amazing desserts were on display at the lunch buffet near the end of the cruise. Cut up slices were served upon request.

Celebrity Apex Review - The Food #foodie #cruising Click To Tweet

Are you hungry now?

Celebrity Apex Review – The Ship Part Two

Each day, our newsletter listed tons of activities that you could do on board Celebrity Apex. But some were lacking that you could find on other ships. There wasn’t any bingo, which is a big draw elsewhere. No cooking classes that we would have enjoyed. You could do arts and crafts, take dance classes, go to the art auctions, or attend various seminars but nothing to do with culture or history. Even the Destination Talk was lacking. It showed the highlights of each port and gave important information but there wasn’t any colorful display of what you could buy with giveaways, shopping recommendations, maps or coupons.

ENTERTAINMENT

The evening entertainment was excellent. We enjoyed the production shows the best. The Tree of Life reminded us of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The theme appeared to be changing seasons. The singers and dancers wore street clothes, which didn’t impress us as much as the spectacular special effects and the huge movie screen with changing scenery in the background.

We liked the Crystallize show better with its superb aerialists. The theater itself is in the round, a new concept on a cruise ship. You have a good view from nearly anywhere with no columns obstructing the line of site. However, seating was limited, and you had to arrive at least twenty minutes early to guarantee a space. The second-floor seating, so I was told, was for higher tier guests. Showtimes were 7pm and 9 pm. Being early risers, we never made the additional late-night shows.

We particularly enjoyed the pianist who gave a concert one night. Accompanied by the ship’s orchestra, he played variations of popular movie themes. He ended with The Mandalorian, a Star Wars TV show that we watch. There were also a violinist and a guitarist on board, both of them talented professionals.

CAPTAIN’S CLUB

As repeat cruisers at Elite level, we enjoyed certain benefits. Aside from the free bag of laundry and Internet minutes, these included free drinks from 5 to 7 every evening except embarkation. We could get them at any lounge but not in the restaurants. We shared the same status as our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock, so it was fun to meet them at each event.

The Welcome party at Eden included an aerialist performing a sample of their show. We didn’t sign up in time for the Backstage Tour, so we missed that one. We did attend the Senior Officer’s Party where servers brought around drinks and appetizers. Below is the ship’s captain.

The Music & Mixology event was fun and unusual. A talented bartender juggled his wares as he mixed three drinks. If I recall, they were a Manhattan, Mai Tai, and Spiced Pimms.

A Wine Tasting was held in the Tuscan Restaurant. I took a photo of the bottles since we were not given printouts of the wines with room for notes as in the past.

In the mornings from 8 to 10am in the Bistro lounge, we could get a free Mimosa, Bloody Mary or Bellini along with a choice of light menu items. I liked the fruit and chocolate croissants.

We appreciated our benefits and felt as though our loyalty was properly recognized. This was a fun part of the trip.

Celebrity Apex Ship Review Part Two #cruising #CelebrityCruises Click To Tweet

Coming Next: The Food and the Ports of Call

Celebrity Apex Review – The Ship Part One

Celebrity Apex has an ultra-modern design with eclectic art works scattered throughout the ship. It has sweeping upward ramps and a movable bar on the side of the ship and potted plants in areas such as the Rooftop Garden and the Eden Lounge. One modern technology I appreciated was the lack of handles on restroom doors that opened with a wave of your hand. Here are random scenes throughout the ship:

Pools

Deck 14 holds the main pool and the solarium, which was my favorite since it’s covered. In between the two is a grill where you can get hot dogs, burgers including a turkey burger, and fries. The grill also has a soft ice cream dispenser. The spa café is at the rear of the solarium. Here you can get light snacks and cold drinks or coffee.

Shops

If you like expensive brand-name merchandise such as Coach, Cartier, and Mont Blanc, you’ll be happy. Effy Jewelers are on board but there’s no fun selection of fashion jewelry like on other ships or dressy tops or sweaters. The resort clothing is bland and so are the logo souvenirs including tee shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, mugs, etc. We’ve had better shops on other ships. Even the liquor store had big bottles, nothing small, no gift packs of little bottles or even gift boxes or bars of chocolate. There were the usual rum cakes at 2 boxes for $35 and no Caribbean rum balls. So while there were a number of shops to browse in, not many held our interest. There were also no blow-out sales like on other ships.

Bars

We missed having a selection of lounges midship compared to our past cruises. No wine bar, bellini or champagne bar. The martini bar on Deck 3 of the grand plaza had a band or guitarist and was always lively, although the side walls are painted black and there’s no view of the ocean from there. Here’s the sweeping grand chandelier.

Midship on Deck 4 is a coffee bar where I believe you could order drinks in the evening. Specialty coffees here cost money, but the pastries are free. This large area has seating with a view. Opposite on Decks 4 and 5 were the Bistro and the Steakhouse, respectively. These specialty (meaning additional cost) restaurants took up space that could have been nice lounges. We missed having a piano bar, a quiet spot where you could sit and get drinks and chat with soft background music.

The Club is on Deck 4 next to the theater. No windows here so you feel closed in. This is the spot for game shows and other special events. The Casino is midship so again you lose space there that could have been a nice lounge. The Craft Social bar is adjacent, between the casino and bistro, but it’s relatively small and more like a sports bar.

Then there’s the bar that goes up and down the ship’s side. This was parked in place for most of the cruise. We were told it would only move twice during the week and you needed a reservation. Otherwise, it served as a lounge with a view if you could find a seat but wasn’t as cozy as other settings.

Celebrity Apex Review - The Ship Part One #cruising #CelebrityCruises Click To Tweet

Coming Next: The Ship Part Two, then Food and Ports of Call

Celebrity Apex Review – Embarkation

We cruised for 7 nights on Celebrity Cruises to Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman Island. The weather in April was perfect and we had smooth sailing.

Let’s start our trip review with the Celebrity Apex. Here we are on the way to Port Everglades from the Park ’N Go lot on Eller Drive. On the same shuttle were our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock. Embarkation went smoothly and soon we could access our cabins to dump our luggage inside.

OUR CABIN

We had an Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda on Deck 7. The beds were comfortable and so were the bedding and pillows. A wide-screen TV was mounted on the wall opposite our beds. The room also held a good size couch, writing desk with chair, and three-drawer dresser. A mini-fridge held liquor, wine, and Cola available for an extra fee. Large bottles of spring water are also in the room but they cost money. It’s easier to take your own bottle from home and refill it at a water station. You are allowed to bring water bottles or soda cans, however much you can hand carry onto the ship.

A set of double paneled doors pushed open to a patio that was all enclosed. A huge floor to ceiling picture window gives a great view. You can open the top window if you want to hear the swoosh of the waves or catch a sea breeze. We enjoyed the patio with the windows closed, the a/c on, and the panoramic view. Two chairs and a small table completed the décor. A window screen raises or lowers with the push of a button.

The bathroom had adequate storage space. The shower was large enough for us to move around and it had a grab bar. Inside were dispensers with liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner. The soap was somewhat slow to dispense, so I’d suggest bringing your own bar soap and a travel-sized shower gel. Lotion and hand soap were provided. Boxes of tissues are in the bathroom. A nightlight under the counter in the bathroom goes on automatically.

We couldn’t fit our suitcases under the bed, so we stuck one in the closet, another on the patio, and the rest in a niche in the room. There were plenty of hangars in our shared closet. Our cabin steward cleaned the room in the morning and did evening service while we were at dinner. A wrapped chocolate awaited us on our pillow each night, but no fancy towel designs like in the past.

After settling in, we ran up to the buffet on Deck 14 to grab lunch and then explored the ship until we sailed away.

Celebrity Apex Review - Embarkation Day #cruising #Caribbean Click To Tweet

Coming Next: The Ship

Cozumel

Cozumel, Mexico

Ships can dock at several different piers in Cozumel. Our pier had a concrete shopping center with a wide variety of native goods, jewelry, and liquor. We passed on catching a taxi into town or doing a shore excursion, having been here before. Instead, we spent several hours browsing the port shops and buying some beautiful woven blankets.

We ate lunch at Senor Frogs by the water, enjoying Bahama Mamas and splitting a beef fajita. The food was good and the rum was plentiful. By the time we boarded the ship, we were both ready for a nap.

Cozumel has beautiful crystal-clear water that is perfect for water sport enthusiasts. As Floridians with our own swimming pool and beaches, we chose to go shopping instead. Besides, we’re coming back here in February on the conference cruise sponsored by Florida Romance Writers.

And so ends our cruise aboard the Celebrity Equinox. I hope you’ve enjoyed my journal entries.

Booklovers Bench, Dec. 1 – 18

Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench

Save

Grand Cayman – Pedro St. James

Grand Cayman – Pedro St. James

The entrance to this historic estate takes you through a gift shop. From here, we entered a theater and watched a multi-media presentation relating the history of the estate. It was quite interesting, especially the part where a daughter of the owner was killed during a lightning storm. She and her younger brother were fetching rain water in a bucket at the bottom of the stairs when she was struck and killed. The brother was knocked unconscious but survived. Thunder and flashing lights accompanied the tale. No ghost stories here, according to our local guide. Later fire destroyed much of the estate. It was reincarnated as a castle, and now has been restored to its original design.

The original structure was built by slaves. It’s a beautiful place with covered porches, slate stone flooring, mahogany furnishings, and thick stone outer walls. Wood shutters shade the windows and keep the interior cool. Mosquito netting on the beds was essential.

After viewing the building, we were led inside a café where we received tea and cakes. I liked the moist coconut cake better than the dense carrot cake and bread pudding.

We headed back to the ship from here. By now it was two o’clock. The last tender left at three, so we peeked quickly inside the shops at the port and then departed the island.

See All Photos Here

Next Port: Cozumel, Mexico

Booklovers Bench, Dec. 1 – 18

Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench

Save

Grand Cayman – Botanical Gardens

We tendered into town on this island. Several gift shops selling souvenirs and craft items along with a café are located at the pier. Clean restrooms are available here, too. Outside the gates, you can find jewelry stores and other upscale shops plus a Margaritaville restaurant. We took an air-conditioned bus tour to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens, which inhabits 65 acres. It took us about forty minutes to get there. We saw expensive homes, including a multi-million dollar mansion owned by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

We passed a beautiful modern school, shopping strips, gas stations, and more wealthy homes. At the garden, labels defined the trees and plants in sectioned areas. It could have taken us all day to view the various displays. Our local guide took us down the sandy paths and described the plants.

There is a small historic house on the grounds, and a gift shop that sells souvenirs and refreshments. We got stuck there when our bus broke down, and we had to wait twenty minutes or so for a replacement.

This tranquil nature park is well worth the drive if you’re looking for something new to do during a repeat island visit.

See All Photos Here

Next Port: Grand Cayman- Pedro St. James

Holiday Glitz Contest, Dec. 2 – 12

LAST DAY! Enter Here to win a silver evening bag or one of two runners-up prizes – a Diamonds International charm bracelet. U.S. residents only.

Booklovers Bench, Dec. 1 – 18

Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench

Save

Cartagena, Columbia – Day 2

Cartagena, Columbia – Day 2
Celebrity Cruises

Our second day in Cartagena, we were determined to head back to the Dungeons and shop the arcades. Our tour guide from the day before had offered to take a group into town, but we missed the ride. So we caught a taxi with another couple and split the twenty dollar fee. The driver dropped us off in the Old City but couldn’t tell us where to find the Dungeons. We noted our location so we could head back there for pickup and refused his offer to wait for us, or to come back at a specific time. We figured it wouldn’t be hard to flag another taxi in the same place.

We’d obtained a shopping map from the ship, but the streets were not labeled correctly or with any detail, and it only pointed out the ship’s recommended stores. We found these okay, but they weren’t where we wanted to go. Nobody seemed to understand when we asked about the Dungeons, or else they pointed vaguely and said the arcades were blocks away. We strolled along the streets, admiring the architecture and the wares sold by the street vendors.

We peeked inside a cathedral that was crowded on this Sunday morning. Many patrons sat in the pews. We saw the famous clock tower.

We climbed the wall and admired the view. The ancient wall is an attraction in itself.

By now we were hot and tired. We trudged back to our place of origin. Buses sat waiting for their groups, but we spied only one lone taxi. The driver didn’t speak English and shook his head at my gestures. He must have been waiting on a return fare. It looked as though other cabs were driving by another section. Maybe we could hail one there. But the streets were flooded from recent rains, and it didn’t take long for us to realize that getting over to that spot would be difficult. Plus the cabs were zooming past as though already occupied.

Maybe we could find another place by the wall where there was a taxi stand. We wound through the streets, sweat dripping down our faces. Feeling lost and on the verge of collapse from heat exhaustion, I wondered what would happen if we needed medical assistance in this foreign place. We stopped passersby to inquire about a taxi, but no one spoke English. Overheated and panting, I feared we wouldn’t make it back to the ship.

Shoving aside a sense of panic, I staggered onward. As though by divine providence, I saw the familiar and very welcome face of our tour guide from the day before. He must have dropped off his load of tourists there and was hanging around waiting for their return. I waved to him. He recognized me and waved back. As we approached, I said we were ready to go back to the ship. He offered to take us to the Dungeons, but I didn’t care at that point. We followed him on a fifteen to twenty minute hike through the maze of streets to another section by the wall. Here he got us a cab and negotiated with the driver on our behalf. Greatly relieved, we dove inside the air-conditioned interior and settled back in our seats. The fare was supposed to be $15 for the two of us, but when I handed the driver my $20, he nodded and kept it. I was so glad to be back at the ship that I let it go.

A shuttle ran between the end of the pier and our ship. We gladly climbed aboard. Once back in our cabin, I rinsed my face with cold water. My complexion was red as a beet. We’re Floridians, so our sweat glands had done their jobs, but all the walking in the high heat defeated even us. Truly our guardian angels were watching over us that day to bring the tour guide our way.

Once we’d recovered, we took the shuttle back to the entrance and shopped in the spacious, air-conditioned gift shop where they sell emerald jewelry, native crafts, coffee, candy, and more. Outside, the port area is attractively landscaped with birds on display. You can catch a taxi out front. Just remember to arrange for pickup if you go touring on your own.

After having been so stressed out, overheated, and dehydrated, I succumbed to a scratchy sore throat. This was the beginning of a cold which my husband caught from me. No doubt our resistance wore down that day, but we learned a lesson. Columbia isn’t like the Caribbean islands where people speak English and you can easily hire a cab. Nonetheless, Cartagena’s Old City is a beautiful place with flowers and ironwork on second-story balconies and romantic carriage rides. Visions of Romancing the Stone will play in your head. But now I understand how the heroine felt when she got lost on the wrong bus.

See All Photos Here

Next Port: Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Holiday Glitz Contest, Dec. 2 – 12

Enter Here to win a silver evening bag or one of two runners-up prizes – a Diamonds International charm bracelet. U.S. residents only.

Booklovers Bench, Dec. 1 – 18

Enter Here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench

Save

Cartagena, Columbia – Day 1

Cartagena, Columbia – Day 1
Celebrity Equinox

Cartagena is a cosmopolitan city with skyscrapers in the new city and Spanish Colonial architecture in the walled old town. We came into the port where massive cranes showed a bustling cargo operation. Across the water is the modern cityscape, impressive in its sun-bathed brilliance.

Our air-conditioned bus tour took us through city streets and up a hill with winding hairpin curves to the highest point in the city. Ten crosses along the way marked the road for drivers. At the top is La Popa Monastery, now a tourist attraction. Built in the 1500s, it serves as a museum to the past. Outside the entry gate are vendors hawking their wares. These natives can be very persistent, and you are expected to haggle for a good price.

Once past the gate, we entered a brick plaza. Our guide took us into the building. Inside was a two-story courtyard like the one at Vizcaya in Miami. We viewed the Chapel with its wooden pews and enormous gold ornament on the dais.

Outside, we took photos of the panoramic view. You could see the city and the sea beyond.

From here we drove downhill and toward the old town, where we stopped to view Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. This is the largest fort South America. It’s fully intact and very formidable. If you were marched inside as a prisoner, likely you weren’t coming out. It reminded me of the Count of Monte Cristo’s story. This was like something you’d see in a movie. We didn’t go inside on our tour, but it would have been a very interesting excursion. Vendors hounded us again, selling costume jewelry, leather belts, handbags, colorful paintings, hats, sunglasses, and tacky souvenirs.

Next we entered the walled city. This was the first time I’d actually been inside a city with an ancient stone wall fully functional with ramparts and all. We had a quick stop at the Dungeons that are now shopping arcades with 23 enclosed stalls. We’d barely time to look around at the leather goods, souvenirs, coffee beans, woven hammocks, linen tablecloths, tee shirts, hats, mugs, and jewelry. Here it would have been nice to have an hour or two to shop instead of twenty minutes.

Then we joined our guide in a walking tour of the Old City. It’s a maze of streets, lined by vendors selling more of the above. We saw fruit carts loaded with mangos, peeled pineapple wedges, bananas, and coconuts. Food vendors sold fried corn cakes.

At the Emerald Museum, we went inside for a quick tour. According to our guide, Columbia has three main exports: coffee, emeralds, and a third item not mentionable. We all laughed at that remark, knowing what he meant. I enjoyed the displays in the museum, but this part ended in a rushed visit to an adjacent gift shop. Then we emerged into the bright sunshine to carry on.

Next we went inside the Naval Museum, where we browsed among interesting displays relating to the region’s history. A folkloric show was performed for our benefit. This lasted about ten minutes, and we each received a bottle of water for refreshment. While I liked seeing the museum, this part I’d give up in favor of more shopping time at the arcades. Restrooms were available here, at the monastery, and by the Dungeons. We vowed to return ourselves to the arcades tomorrow. This was an excellent tour, covering many of the city highlights.