This was our first Transatlantic, second time on the Apex and over 10th time on Celebrity. The ship is beautiful, huge and was crowded all the time. In that regard, we were so happy that we booked a sky suite. The retreat was our haven on all sea days, and for pre dinner drinks, and afternoon snacks. But for those in a suite, your "butler" with a new title, is now a cabin attendant with a fancy title. The Head Butler introduced himself the first day and we never saw him again in all the 13 days on board. the Retreat staff make up for that though. The captain was outstanding.

It was also pretty obvious that Celebrity is cutting back on staff, food quality and choice. Staff reductions were most obvious at the buffet where tables were left with dirty dishes for long periods of time and finding a staff person to clean a table when you found one was dismal. Luminae service was fantastic (well if you found and stuck with a great waiter like we did - NINO), but the inconsistency in food choice and quality was disappointing. How one day you can have a fantastic meal and the next, you end up eating appetizers because none of the entrees were appealing (and I am not fussy). And portion sizes were ridiculous.

One area where the Apex shines was the entertainment. The guest performers that were brought in were fantastic. Read more