Celebrity Apex Cruise Ship: Cabins, Dining and Verdict

Celebrity Apex is the most important Celebrity ship for many UK passengers because it combines the full Edge Series design with regular Southampton departures. It is a premium resort ship rather than a floating amusement park: polished, visually impressive and particularly strong for couples, adult families and first-time cruisers who want good food and a sophisticated atmosphere. Its main weakness is not service or hardware. It is that the cabin product most widely sold as a veranda is not a conventional balcony.

The right Apex booking starts with three questions. Are you comfortable with an Infinite Veranda? Does the itinerary justify a large modern ship? Will you use drinks, Wi-Fi, AquaClass or Retreat benefits enough to pay for them? Get those decisions right and Apex is one of the best no-fly premium ships available. Get them wrong and the holiday can feel expensive despite the ship itself being excellent.

CruisePing verdict

The strongest current no-fly Celebrity choice for UK passengers who want the modern Edge experience, provided they choose the veranda type carefully.

Celebrity Apex at a glance

Cruise line	Celebrity Cruises
Ship class	Edge Series
Entered service	2020
Latest major update	Current Edge Series design; no major rebuild is needed to explain the present ship
Gross tonnage	130,818 GT
Length	1,004 ft
Guest capacity	2,910 at double occupancy
Passenger decks	14 passenger decks
Balcony design	Infinite Verandas dominate standard veranda inventory; Sunset Verandas and selected porthole verandas provide true outdoor balconies
Included dining	Four main restaurants, Oceanview Café, Mast Grill and selected casual venues
Alternative / speciality dining	Fine Cut Steakhouse, Eden Restaurant, Raw on 5, Le Grand Bistro / Le Petit Chef and Rooftop Garden Grill
Swimming pools	Main outdoor Resort Deck pool plus the adults-only indoor Solarium pool
Hot tubs / whirlpools	Outdoor whirlpools and hot tubs around the principal pool and Solarium areas
Signature facilities	Magic Carpet, Eden, Rooftop Garden, Grand Plaza and The Club
Children's facilities	Camp at Sea and teen programming, but no water slides or theme-park attractions
UK departures	Regular Southampton programme to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Atlantic routes

Best suited to

Couples, adult families and premium first-timers who want a modern ship from Southampton, appreciate strong dining and do not need theme-park attractions. It is particularly good for longer itineraries with several sea days.

Think carefully if

Passengers who insist on a conventional balcony but book an Infinite Veranda, families driven by water-park hardware, or travellers who want a small ship and minimal walking.

The booking decision

Apex is the safest Celebrity recommendation from Southampton for passengers who want the line’s modern identity. It gives you a genuinely different ship rather than a slightly smarter version of a mainstream vessel. The strongest reasons to book are the quality of the public spaces, the range of included dining and the ease of starting the holiday without an airport.

The reason to hesitate is cabin preference. A passenger who wants to sit outside while a partner sleeps, read on a permanently open balcony or leave wet outdoor gear beyond a glass door may dislike an Infinite Veranda. A Deluxe Porthole View with Veranda or Sunset Veranda can solve that problem, but availability and pricing vary. Do not allow a booking engine to make this decision for you.

Southampton deployment and itinerary fit

Apex is especially well suited to longer Southampton itineraries where sea days allow the ship to earn its premium. Norwegian fjords, Iceland, the Canaries, western Mediterranean routes and Atlantic repositioning all give different tests of the design. The enclosed Solarium, Eden and Grand Plaza make the ship usable in cool or wet weather, while the Rooftop Garden and resort deck are more rewarding in sun.

For a port-heavy seven-night itinerary, compare the price carefully with a smaller or cheaper ship because you may spend little time using Apex’s venues. For a 12- to 14-night journey with several sea days, the multiple dining rooms, quiet lounges and entertainment become more valuable. The ship is not merely transport on those sailings. It is part of the destination experience.

Design, layout and navigation

Apex is organised around a series of destination spaces rather than one enormous indoor promenade. The Grand Plaza is the social centre, with the Martini Bar and surrounding restaurants. Eden occupies the aft of the ship across several levels and works as a lounge, performance setting and dining venue. The Rooftop Garden provides a relaxed outdoor alternative to the main pool deck. This disperses passengers effectively, although popular events can still create localised crowding.

The ship is long, and repeated journeys between a forward cabin, Eden and the theatre add up. Choose a midship cabin if mobility or fatigue matters. The lifts can become busy after shows and when excursions return. Stairs are often faster for one or two decks, but that is not a realistic solution for every passenger. The best navigation habit is to use the Celebrity app and deck plans before the first evening rather than wandering through cabin corridors.

Infinite Veranda versus real balcony

The Infinite Veranda extends the cabin to a floor-to-ceiling window. Press a control and the upper half lowers, while an internal set of folding doors can separate the seating area from the rest of the room. The advantages are extra usable space, excellent light and an ocean view in poor weather. The disadvantages are that opening the window affects the room temperature, the outdoor feeling is limited, and the bridge may lock the system during rain, high wind or port operations.

A true balcony category is better for passengers who value a separate outdoor platform. Sunset Verandas at the aft offer conventional space and wake views but involve long walks and can cost more. Deluxe Porthole View with Veranda cabins have a traditional balcony recessed into the hull, offering shelter but a more enclosed outlook. Suites use a range of balcony designs. Inspect the deck plan and photographs of the exact category rather than accepting a generic veranda description.

Inside, ocean-view and solo cabins

Inside cabins can be good value on cool-weather routes if the ship’s public rooms become your living space. Ocean-view cabins suit passengers who want natural light without paying the veranda premium. Apex also has solo accommodation, but a single cabin is not automatically the cheapest option. Compare the total price with promotions on double rooms, then consider storage and bed size rather than focusing only on the absence of a supplement.

Cabin location deserves more attention than grade. Avoid being directly beneath the pool deck, gym, Oceanview Café or late-night venues if noise sensitivity matters. A cabin near the forward lifts is convenient for the theatre and spa; aft locations suit Eden and the buffet. Midship is the strongest all-round choice for reduced walking and motion.

Included dining on Apex

Apex divides the main restaurant into Cosmopolitan, Cyprus, Normandie and Tuscan. Each has a core shared menu and a smaller selection linked to its theme. This provides variety without forcing passengers into speciality dining. Flexible dining is useful, but peak times can still produce waits. Reserve important evenings in advance and remain willing to use another main room when the first choice is busy.

Oceanview Café is a large, bright buffet with strong choice, while Mast Grill handles simple poolside food. Eden Café adds a useful lighter daytime option on selected schedules. The included food is sufficient for a full cruise. The main risk is assuming that four dining rooms mean four entirely separate menus, then feeling disappointed by the overlap.

Speciality dining: where the money is best spent

Fine Cut Steakhouse is a clear choice for a conventional celebration meal. Raw on 5 suits seafood and sushi preferences. Le Grand Bistro and Le Petit Chef combine French-influenced food with a more theatrical presentation. Eden Restaurant is the most distinctive setting because the food and aft-facing room feel tied to the ship’s design.

Buy selectively. A package can reduce the unit cost but also creates pressure to dine away from already good included restaurants. On a port-intensive itinerary, one speciality evening may be enough. On a long sailing, two or three well-chosen bookings add variety without turning the holiday into an upsell exercise.

Bars, drinks and Wi-Fi

The Martini Bar is central, busy and entertaining. Eden, the Sunset Bar, Craft Social and the Magic Carpet offer different moods. The best bar is often the one nearest your evening route rather than the most photographed venue. Sunset Bar is excellent in suitable weather, while Eden is more dependable on a cold North Atlantic day.

All Included currently bundles the Classic Drinks Package and Basic Wi-Fi, while gratuities for onboard staff remain separate. Price the upgrade against your actual habits. A passenger who drinks speciality coffee, bottled water, wine and cocktails every day can justify it more easily than someone who spends most days ashore. Premium Wi-Fi matters for video calls or multiple devices, but basic access may be enough for messaging and light browsing.

Pools, Solarium and weather

The main outdoor pool and Resort Deck look impressive, but Southampton itineraries expose the limits of outdoor hardware. Wind and cool temperatures can make loungers plentiful for the wrong reason. The adults-only Solarium is therefore one of Apex’s most valuable features. It provides a covered pool, hot tubs and a calm environment that remains useful when northern weather turns.

On warm Mediterranean sailings, shade becomes the issue instead. Popular loungers fill early on sea days. The Rooftop Garden offers another outdoor retreat but is not a substitute for poolside shade. Choose the ship for its total indoor-outdoor balance, not just the publicity photographs of the resort deck.

Entertainment and nightlife

Apex offers large theatre productions, live music, game shows, silent discos, club events and performances in Eden. The programme is broad enough for a long cruise but does not turn the ship into a round-the-clock party. The Club can be lively late at night, while the Grand Plaza provides a more social cocktail-led evening.

Eden performances divide opinion because the venue combines circulation, seating and staged activity. Arrive early when an event matters. Theatre sightlines are generally good, but popular shows still require timing. The strongest evenings often mix one scheduled performance with informal live music rather than trying to attend every event.

Families and teenagers

Camp at Sea provides organised activities for children and a separate teen programme. Apex works well for families whose children enjoy clubs, food and ports. It is not the right ship for a family expecting water slides, climbing walls or a large arcade. The atmosphere is calmer, and the adult spaces remain central to the design.

Search cabins using the correct number of guests because occupancy varies by category. A room that appears available for two may not be released for three or four. Sofa-bed arrangements reduce floor space, and Infinite Veranda cabins do not provide a separate outdoor escape when children are asleep. Connecting rooms can be a more comfortable solution if the budget allows.

AquaClass and The Retreat

AquaClass adds Blu dining, access to the thermal suite and wellness-related benefits. On Apex, this is a meaningful upgrade for passengers who will use the spa and prefer a smaller restaurant. It is not a substitute for The Retreat and does not include the suite-only lounge and sundeck.

The Retreat brings Luminae, exclusive spaces, suite service and Premium Drinks and Wi-Fi. It can reduce the sense of crowding on a full ship. The value is strongest on sea-day-heavy itineraries and for passengers who regularly use Luminae. A modest Sky Suite can sometimes be the rational luxury upgrade. A very expensive suite is harder to justify when the ports, rather than the ship, dominate the holiday.

Accessibility and walking distance

Apex is modern and generally accessible, but size remains a physical fact. Adapted cabins should be booked through the proper process. Passengers using mobility aids must confirm storage and transfer requirements, especially on tender ports. Midship cabin selection can remove a large amount of daily walking, while relying on lifts at peak times requires patience.

Recurring complaints and how to avoid them

Infinite Veranda disappointment: book a true balcony category if separation from the cabin is essential.
Queues around peak dining: reserve important meals and remain flexible about which main restaurant you use.
Long walks: choose midship rather than chasing a slightly better view at the extreme aft or bow.
Outdoor spaces underused in poor weather: value the Solarium, Eden and indoor venues when comparing a northern itinerary.
Unexpected total cost: add gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and planned dining before comparing Apex with P&O, Princess or Cunard.

Celebrity Apex booking checklist

Confirm the exact veranda type and view obstruction.
Map the cabin against lifts, pool deck, theatre, Eden and buffet.
Compare Cruise Only with All Included per person.
Add current daily gratuities and planned extras to the total.
Reserve only the speciality restaurants that genuinely add value.
For northern routes, assess indoor space rather than judging the ship by sunny deck photographs.
For families, verify occupancy and sleeping arrangements before paying the deposit.

Final Celebrity Apex verdict

Celebrity Apex is one of the strongest premium ships available from Southampton. Its modern public spaces, dining range and all-weather interior make it a convincing choice for long European and Atlantic itineraries. The ship is large but rarely feels like a theme park, and it gives UK passengers an accessible way to experience Celebrity’s newest design generation.

Book it for the ship as well as the itinerary, but choose the cabin with unusual care. The Infinite Veranda is clever, not universally better. A well-located cabin, realistic package calculation and selective speciality dining turn Apex into a polished holiday. A careless veranda assumption can dominate the experience for the wrong reason.

Celebrity Apex Cruise Ship