MS Celebrity APEX: The „Wow-Ship“ is a work of art on the high seas

You can find all the photos of MS Celebrity APEX under Views of Celebrity APEX.

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The trees are taking a bow today. And the palm trees of the Warnemünde beach bar as well: The wind is strong – almost stormy – as MS Celebrity APEX enters the harbour of the Baltic Sea metropolis. Warnemünde is known as the maritime gateway to Berlin, the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany.

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Those who want to visit it and come by ship do so from Warnemünde.
Today, I would rather hover over the sea and enjoy some excellent food at the same time – for SHIPS@SEA, this wish comes true to some extent today, when I get up close and personal with the „Magic Carpet“. This feature, visible from afar, is the impressive unique selling point of the still young EDGE class of Celebrity Cruises, along with the eye-catching funnel and the striking bow. So far, this class consists of the eponymous Celebrity EDGE, the latest Celebrity BEYOND and MS Celebrity APEX, which I will be reviewing from dawn to dusk today: Most of the guests have travelled to Berlin and so the big ship is almost „passenger-less“ when I go on board in the morning. Perfect, then, to take a look around in peace and tranquillity. And there is plenty to look at – let’s go!

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Lots of crew – lots of space

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All clear on deck! Wherever I go, there is plenty of space. And not only today, when most of the guests are on shore excursions. Even when they populate the ship again in the evening, this is hardly noticeable, there is so much space on board the Celebrity APEX.

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But in this context, respect must be paid to the crew: Where there is a lot of space, there is also a lot to do. After all, everything should look its best. And preferably always. That’s why all day, almost all the time, I see someone vacuuming, mopping, cleaning windows, polishing, tidying up or repairing something if necessary. In principle, it never happens that you don’t see a crew member somewhere. And that’s how it looks on board APEX: everything shines and glitters in the best light. All crew members seem to be on their toes, greet each other in a friendly manner and have a smile on their lips. A wow ship with a wow crew….

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Art is what appeals

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There are supposed to be over 4000 art objects on board. I haven’t counted them and sometimes it’s not quite clear what belongs to „art“ and what does not. Does the graffiti on the walls of the entrance area or below the funnel belong to „art“? Is it the playfully presented naked steel plates of the ship’s hull? But certainly the many pictures, statues, specially designed corridors, sculptures or lamps. Art is what you like. I didn’t like everything – and I don’t have to. But a lot of it blends very harmoniously with the attractively designed rooms of the ship to form a wonderful unit that wants to be unconventional and cosy. And this has been achieved in every case.

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Where there is nothing

Nowhere. The answer is quite simple. From deck 2 all the way up to deck 16, there is so much on over 300m of ship that it is impossible to mention everything. One can only imagine how enormous the culinary logistics alone are: There are restaurants, cafés and bars everywhere. You really don’t have to go hungry! There are 15 restaurants alone, each offering its own concept.

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The buffet offer is already very attractive, but one of the main restaurants like the „Tuscan“ is also convincing all along the line.

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If all this is not enough for you, you can visit the Eden Restaurant at the stern for an additional charge of about $120 per person. Here you can enjoy the best cuisine on the ship with the best view. Wow! The salad alone is impressive in its presentation and of course all the other courses are in no way inferior.

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Like the light attracts the moth, the Café al Bacio cake selection attracts me. Who can say „no“ to this selection? Not me. And this offer is also included in the cruise price.

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A green ship – in many respects

What does APEX have in common with used cooking oils? From summer 2023, a lot! As Celebrity Cruises announced in a press release, APEX is testing the use of more sustainable biofuel this season: „“The novel biofuel blend consists of recyclable raw materials such as used cooking oils and fats, among others, and is expected to emit significantly less CO2 emissions“. This green and sustainable approach is very welcome.

But Celebrity is not only breaking new ground here – things are also „green“ on board. The APEX seems to me almost like a floating greenhouse, as there are not only an above-average number of green plants to discover, but they are all natural. Wow – that impresses me a lot! From mosses to palms to countless climbing and potted plants, everything can be found. With such a large collection of plants, MS Celebrity APEX probably has a gardener on the crew list – but I didn’t see him with his watering can today…

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Magic Carpet – known on all seas

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In the meantime, the floating carpet is known around the world’s oceans. There are only three of them (so far). Visually alone, it stands out from afar – and its luminous colour does the rest. In Warnemünde it stays on deck 15 and from up here I can enjoy an impressive view over the Baltic Sea coast. Its further use is versatile: whether as a location for a private reception, as a restaurant option, as a lounge bar or quite practically as a tender platform – this place is something very special.

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Let us entertain you

As soon as I enter „The Theatre“ at the bow, those three letters come to mind again and my mouth forms them into a „wow“. Not only the pure dimensions are impressive, but also the quality of the shows. Of course there are other alternatives – just to name a few: „The Club“ offers more dancing and singing, as does the Martini Bar, which has great acoustics.

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Let us brand you – the distinctive shopping experience

What would a ship of this size and quality be without numerous shopping facilities? Of course: not a real ship. Shops of earlier ship classes were a bit more „basic“ and in department stores‘ style with many shipping company brand products and all kinds of offers. APEX, on the other hand, takes many brands with it and so boutiques by Cartier, Bvlgari, Mont Blanc and a few others attract the favour of the spending-minded cruisers.

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Who is APEX for? The target group question

Although there are separate childcare facilities for the youngest guests aged 03-12 years in „The Camp“, families are not particularly in focus. There are no separate children’s rates – kids usually pay the regular rate for a third or fourth person in a cabin, no matter how old they are. So you won’t find any water slides or climbing parks on board either. The target group is mainly couples or single travellers who belong to the „bestagers“ – 45 years upwards with a focus on 55+ I would say. The Edge class is a class of ship for connoisseurs who are happy to do without hustle and bustle and „action“.

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The question of cabins – what level of service do you prefer?

Of course – there are also (a few) inside cabins on board. But I am told that these are booked last. The suites and the cabins of the so-called „Aqua-Class“ are booked first. Depending on the cabin category, there are special areas or restaurants to which you have access that you might otherwise not have. There is a certain „class society“ on board. For example, the outdoor area „The Retreat“ is reserved for suite guests. In the suites, it does not matter which category you book: a butler service is always included. Guests of the Aquaclass also have access to the special restaurant „Blu“ – you can’t get in here otherwise.

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But one thing is always the same: whether it’s an infinity cabin, an inside cabin or a suite – the cabins are designed in an extremely high-quality and appealing way so that you will certainly feel comfortable in each one.

SHIPS@SEA Résumé

APEX convinces me through and through. Visually – quite clearly – she is a giant of the seas. But a beautiful giant. In my eyes, this is helped by the fact that the exterior of the ship is not dominated by endless balconies. The infinity windows are much more pleasing and incidentally give the cabins a better feeling of space than on comparable ships with balcony cabins.

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The interior of the ship is tastefully, comfortably and in many cases attractively green. The real plants are a surprise in many places on APEX and do a lot for the overall experience. APEX can be seen as a work of art, and it is. For me personally, there is sometimes a little too much of it when you turn a corner and something twinkles back at you. A little less chichi might have been more.

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The pool area has a little room for improvement: the main pool has impressive dimensions – here you can really swim and be active. This is flanked by two so-called champagne whirlpools, which offer an impressive panorama. A real infinity pool, on the other hand, is missing – Celebrity has probably noticed this, too, and so there is one on the BEYOND and also on the soon to be newest ship of the ASCENT.

Culinary-wise, there is nothing lacking on board: no matter if buffet, burger-mast-grill, inclusive-restaurant or the fine-dining-option against additional payment: there is simply very tasty food. The kitchen with its chefs delivers great cinema on board – that alone is worth a trip.
Not quite as tasty are the additional costs: Celebrity recently increased the „gratuities“ in July. In one of the standard cabins, a daily „tip“ of $18 per person is now charged to the on-board account – in Aqua-Class cabins and suites even more. The service charge for drinks or the spa also adds 18% to the bill. A men’s haircut without „trimmings“ already costs 59$ – I tried it out and the result is definitely worth seeing…

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Whether you want to float over the sea on the Magic Carpet or prefer to discover the world in a classic way on the deck planks – with APEX, every journey becomes a successful work of art. The Celebrity ASCENT, the newest ship of the Edge class, will join the fleet at the end of 2023 and will certainly inspire me no less than the wonderful APEX.

MS Celebrity APEX: Cruisers of the world take a look again! 😉

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SHIPS@SEA travelled to Celebrity APEX at the invitation of Celebrity Cruises and with the kind support of the agency Global Spot Munich.

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