I Am A Celebrity!: Back on Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Apex - April 2023

IN APRIL of 2023, we embarked on a cruise originating in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and sailing to Iceland, and then back to Ireland and England, with our good friends and now frequent traveling companions, Bruce and Joyce. It was our second extended trip together, and our first cruise together. It was also our second voyage on the Celebrity Apex.

Rotterdam Centraal Train Station

THE APEX is the second ship in Celebrity's Edge class ships. Celebrity took an interesting (and in our view very positive) approach to the Edge class ships, focusing on design, rather than increasing size and capacity. The ships are only very slightly physically larger than the older, Millenium class ships which were themselves a more traditional approach with larger capacity along with more modern touches. The oldest class of ships are the Solstice Class, which are smaller, and though older, have all now been updated since the introduction of the Edge Class. We have sailed on all 3 classes and there is not much - in our view - not to like about any of them. But with a passenger capacity of something under 2,500 passengers, we think both the Millenium and the newer Edge Class ships are right in the "sweet spot." Large enough to offer a variety of amenities and enough people to be somewhat anonymous without being over-crowded. The Edge class has focused on creating unique and roomy feeling spaces on the ship, as well as a newer, and more current approach to their main dining room concept. Rather than one huge dining room, the Edge class ships are divided into 4 smaller and more intimate dining rooms, each with its own (Italian, French, Greek and Cosmopolitan) theme, but lots of flexibility in ordering food from any of the restaurants. We sailed again on the Apex for a third time on December 30, 2023, in the Caribbean. We have become comfortable with this line of ships, which includes the Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent, and - coming in 2025 - the XCell (purportedly the final ship in the class). While we have not been on Beyond or the brand-new Ascent, we know they have minor changes and "upgrades," but are all essentially the same design.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

AS COMFORTABLE as these Edge class ships are for us, we were excited to introduce Bruce and Joyce to the Apex. And by and large, it was the hit we hoped for. There was only one downside, which can be attributed to our (poor?) planning and not to anything about the ship. Iceland and the North Sea in April can be described in the context of cruising with one word: COLD! As we finished up the cruise in a somewhat warmer Dover and then ultimately, Rotterdam, my wife and I agreed that this was our last "cold weather" cruise. We did do the Baltic a year prior, in September, but that wasn't really cold at that time of year. Nothing like this one. We may have had two decently warm, sunny days on the ship - the sail-away, which was only a couple hours and the final day from Dover up to Rotterdam. Because Bruce and I both enjoy our cigars, we spent way too much time bundled up in the (thankfully at least partially sheltered - but still outdoors and susceptible to the wind) cigar smoking area, in winter clothes and blankets. That is just not our idea of a "fun cruise." But otherwise, the Apex did not disappoint.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

AS WE commonly do, we arrived in Amsterdam a couple days prior to our cruise departure. Bruce and Joyce, who were coming from their summer home in Michigan, traveled ahead of us and spent a week in Amsterdam and then Rotterdam. Having somewhat recently spent a fair amount of time in Amsterdam on two different occasions we decided on this trip to arrive just one day before our sailing (something we strongly recommend for all sailings in order to give yourself some "cushion" for airline cancellations and other unforeseen complications). Sometime after we had booked and planned the cruise, Celebrity announced a significant change in the itinerary. We would now be sailing out of Rotterdam, rather than Amsterdam. As you can imagine, there was a lot of angst expended on the Facebook pages and Cruise Critic site about this change. For us it wasn't a big deal. Even though Rotterdam is a bit further than downtown Amsterdam from Schipol Airport, which serves the entire major metropolitan area, including both Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the difference in train time is only a matter of a few minutes. We know that there are those who commute regularly back and forth. We booked a hotel in Rotterdam and planned to jump on the train from the airport for the short (around 30 minute) ride to the main train station in Rotterdam. Our hotel was only a couple blocks away.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

REMEMBER MY comment above about "unforeseen complications?" For fun, anxiety-free travel we have learned that you need to plan ahead, but also have a "plan B" mentality and be able to "roll with things." Easier in some cases than others, but it has certainly helped us enjoy our traveling. We had purchased one-way train tickets on-line prior to our arrival. The fare is actually quite reasonable (I think, less than 40 euros each). We have grown to appreciate the really good public transportation systems throughout Europe. But we haven't quite gotten to the point where our failure to anticipate a strike or other outage doesn't throw us for a loop. When we arrived, the trains were down all over Amsterdam. It didn't look like things were going to improve that day. We were going to take an Uber, but a very friendly woman at in the airport hallway told us we would have better luck with a taxi, and the cost would be essentially the same: very expensive due to circumstances. But we had a guy to meet for a walking tour of Rotterdam, so we anted up and taxied to our Rotterdam Hotel. Fortunately for us, Bruce and Joyce had arrived the day before, and we could put our luggage in their room, and freshen up before heading to the train station to meet our local guide.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

You have to have a "Plan B" mentality when you travel

THE CHANGE to Rotterdam, as I mentioned, was something we not only took in stride, but actually welcomed, as it would give us a chance to see yet another city we had never visited. And we have been so glad we did so. Rotterdam is, for lack of a better vocabulary on my part, just a very "cool" city. The residents consider themselves the "blue-collar" counterpart to the more upscale Amsterdam. Surprisingly to me, there is not a huge difference between the two cities, with Amsterdam just under 825,000 and Rotterdam just under 625,000 residents. And there was - to us at least - a surprising amount of history surrounding Rotterdam, including it being the city (rather than Amsterdam) to suffer bombardment by the Nazi army during the war.

Cube Houses - Rotterdam, Netherlands

ONE OF the things that Rotterdam is known for is its unique and often modern architecture, interspersed among more classic buildings. I enjoyed seeing - and of course photographing - their unique bridges, as well as some very interesting and unusual buildings (like the cube houses).

Rotterdam, Netherlands

ROTTERDAM ALSO has a robust food culture. After our walking tour, we returned to our hotel and checked in. We met up with Bruce and Joyce for our second scheduled "food" and culture tour of the day. It was a fun time, starting in the rather famous Markthal food market, a short tram ride from the hotel. Over the years, we have come to love these food tours. We usually get a little feel for local customs and culture, like where folks gather for appetizers and drinks after work, and popular lunch and breakfast establishments. In the Markthal, we tried Bitterballen, a Dutch meatball (with various ground meats, depending on who makes them) breaded and fried, tasted some local artisan cheeses, candies, and other regional items. We ate Kibbeling (pieces of white fish deep fried, with fries), and herring. We also had fresh made, warm, Stroopwaffels, a sweet, tasty, but very rich, delicacy. I liked it all and would heartily recommend a stop (plan for some time) at Markthal to eat. While you are there, it will be impossible to admire the amazing architecture of the facility; essentially a very large tunnel. Having flown in that day, it was a long one for us, and we retired to the hotel after our tour.

Markthal Food Market - Rotterdam, Netherlands

THE NEXT day, we would have a leisurely morning. I found a nice coffee shop just 1/2 block from our hotel. When I tried to pay with some euros from my pocket, I was informed that they were cashless only. This appears to be prevalent in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Everything has gone cashless, including the trams and most retail establishments. Jolting to an old-timer like me who remembers the days before ATM's. 😃 Eventually, we mustered around and found a taxi to take us to the Rotterdam Cruise port. Having cruised on the Apex out of Amsterdam just a few months prior, we were spoiled. The Amsterdam cruise terminal is just one tram stop from the main Amsterdam rail station (walking distance). We stayed in the Amsterdam Movenpick Hotel, immediately adjacent to the port terminal, for 3 days before our cruise. On the day of our cruise, we checked out, walked out the front door and about 100 feet down the sidewalk and back in the entrance to the cruise terminal. Boarding was quick, easy and efficient. Rotterdam was an unknown to us. It turned out to be just as modern and efficient as Amsterdam, and our boarding process was quick and painless. As an aside (and I assume other cruise lines have gone this direction too - though to our chagrin and surprise, the high - end Oceania Cruise that past January, with a quarter of the passengers, was the most inefficient and frustrating boarding process we have had since our very first cruise), Celebrity now boards by "appointment." You are given a time (30-minute window) to board. We have found this very efficient. The last 3 Celebrity Cruises I have taken have had me boarded in 5-10 minutes!

The first "skyscraper" in Europe - Rotterdam, Netherlands

ANOTHER THING Celebrity has started doing which we really like is putting our cruise cards ("sea pass") in the slot outside our stateroom door. No more waiting for an announcement that your rooms are ready. They ask you to go to your stateroom, get your sea pass, drop your carry-on luggage and then get back out on the ship in case your steward is not completely done preparing the room. Again, it feels very efficient to us. A third thing most of the cruise lines are doing now is using an "app" for much of the processes that used to be done in person. One of them is the mandatory life-preserver drill where we used to go to our muster station and sit for about 45 minutes while they got set up for and conducted the drill and other introductory issues. Now, you go through a relatively quick process on the app, and then visit the muster station, where they swipe your sea pass and you are done. Ready to cruise!

Nieuwe Waterweg - Rotterdam, Netherlands

I DID one thing poorly on our last Apex sail-away out of Amsterdam. Both Amsterdam and Rotterdam are well inland of the North Sea, where the ship go in and out. In both cases the ships must sail out a narrow waterway (in Rotterdam, it is the "Nieuwe Waterweg"). From the Rotterdam berth, it was just over 10 miles. In Amsterdam, it is almost double that distance. And along that route, with the great, high perspective of the cruise ship upper deck, there are some pretty cool sights and photographic opportunities. I was "socializing," and hadn't really planned any photography for the Amsterdam sail-away. In hindsight, I soon realized that was a mistake and I missed some great photographs. I was determined that that wouldn't happen this time and was ready with my camera. I am happy that I was. I made some good shots, and along the way, we were treated to yet more of the unique architecture that seems prevalent in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam, Netherlands from the Apex upper deck - Nieuwe Waterweg

IT WAS a perfect, warm (but not hot) sunny summer afternoon. Until we reached the mouth of the waterway and started into the North Sea. A cold wind blew at us from the north, as we turned up into the North Sea, bound for Iceland. It would be the last day I would characterize as "warm and sunny" for most of the balance of the cruise.