State-of-the-art Apex offers lovely cruise of Greek islands even in COVID-19 era

Celebrity ship puts the delights in the details

The new Celebrity Apex is defined by its tangerine-colored Magic Carpet, a cantilevered open-air deck that raises and lowers between decks on the ship’s starboard side. (Courtesy of Celebrity)

Cruising in the time of COVID-19 requires courage and patience. But as ships again set sail for test cruises, some extraordinary experiences and bargains are part of the equation.

It is said that the Chinese character for adversity is similar to the one for opportunity. If that’s true, the attitude you pack as cruising reopens after an almost two-year pause is a key component to a successful trip.

I’m just back from sailing in the Greek Islands aboard Celebrity Apex, one of a pair of new Edge-class cruise ships debuting since the novel coronavirus pandemic began. I found Celebrity met the challenge to protect its passengers as COVID-19 numbers quickly changed. Safety is paramount with Celebrity, and my friend and I felt safe on our cruise.

Days before our departure on July 24 from Athens, a port call for Cyprus was cancelled as COVID cases spread, and Dubrovnik was added as a port. And shore time on the island of Mykonos was revised to permit visits only with the ship’s organized shore excursions.

Climate issues since have added to the challenges of the itinerary as the typically hot, dry and breezy summer in the Greek islands has seen August temperatures above 100 degrees, as well as spreading wildfires.

On our voyage, the Apex — built to accommodate almost 3,000 passengers on a vessel soaring 16 decks above the sea — sailed with just 600 guests and the same number of staff and crew. As a result, the experience was like a private sailing, with social distancing a natural result. It’s a gorgeous ship, cleverly designed to make the best use of every space.

Stylish details aboard the Apex include walkways such as this on-deck passage between outdoor lounging areas. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

Air conditioning, perhaps set for a greater number of passengers, often was too chilly for our skimpy summer attire, so our sweaters got regular use when we were out and about on the Apex.

Masks were mandated in all indoor spaces, including the spacious two-level theater, and almost everyone on board was fully vaccinated. Vaccination proof was required by both the cruise line and the nation of Greece before arrival. I got my card laminated.

Temperatures were taken and a nose-swab COVID test was done before we could board. We’d completed paperwork emailed to us before our cruise to make the process go quickly, but we nevertheless missed the “welcome aboard” lunch while waiting for the test results.

Before our United Airlines boarding passes were issued for our return home, a U.S. requirement for a negative COVID test was provided without charge by the cruise line on our last full day aboard.

The ship and its design deliver on a promise to make the sea a greater part of the daily experience. For instance, Eden, one of eight specialty restaurants, is flooded with light from three stories of windows at the ship’s rear, or aft, end, which keep hundreds of plants and flowers thriving. We loved watching the wake of the huge ship as it cruised at 22 knots through the Ionian Sea.

It was hypnotic to watch the wake on the Ionian Sea while dining at Eden as the Apex it cruised toward another port. (Janet Podolak)

We had a Sky Suite, one of 146 spaces mid-ship with large verandas jutting out over the sea. Reached by floor-to-ceiling glass doors, our large Sky Suite veranda was furnished with two loungers, a pair of chairs and a table. As suite guests, we had 24-hour access to the Retreat Lounge and its spaces.

Our suite’s large veranda overlooked the sea most days, but here the view is of the departure gate in Athens. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

One afternoon, I dozed away my jet lag on one of the lounges, lulled by languid sounds of the sea even seven decks above it.

Inside, another table in front of a pillow-clad sofa, served as a place for the cheese, crackers and sliced meats delivered each afternoon and for breakfasts on mornings we chose room service. Our butler, Nemanja, also known as our Personal Retreat Host, took care of every detail with style, even including champagne for our departure toasts.

Room-service breakfast one morning included this stylish fruit plate and an assortment of still-warm croissants. (Janet Podolak)

The 176 suites on Apex include two-bedroom spaces and those that span two decks. Larger than many homes, the 1,892-square-foot Iconic Suite, which sleeps six and is just above the captain’s view, has two floors of panoramic windows, a plunge pool and unlimited specialty dining. Single-person staterooms, a rarity afloat, are ideal for individual members of extended families and those who travel alone.

Three swimming pools, including a lap pool and our private Retreat Pool with a trio of lounge chairs suspended above it, beckoned for whatever water experience we desired. Sturdy Plexiglas line deck rails to tame winds at sea and keep passengers unruffled.

Rolled towels perched on lounges around the pool indicate the chairs are unoccupied and available — a thoughtful pool deck feature I’d not seen on other cruise lines.

A champagne toast at the rail of our Sky Suite marked our Apex departure from Athens. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

Ideal for families, more than 300 staterooms may be connected with each other. Suites afford access to specific specialty restaurants, a dedicated pool and sundeck and the Retreat Lounge, with 24-hour hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a concierge.

Those in Spa Suites, for instance, dine at the spectacular Blu restaurant, with its crystal-blue decor and healthy cuisine, while we had access to Luminae, which turned out to be our favorite dining option. Its cuisine, which changes daily, inspired and directed by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, Celebrity’s global culinary brand ambassador, has its own kitchen for individual preparation of dishes as they are ordered.

The ship’s stunning specialty restaurants include Blu, with its blue-crystal decor and dishes prepared for healthy dining. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

We soon discovered for ourselves why Celebrity has become renowned for its fine dining. Four regular restaurants and a handful of smaller specialty spaces provide the widest possible variety of cuisines.

The Magic Carpet, a free-floating deck cantilevered over the sea, changes its starboard side location between decks to become an open-air cocktail lounge, an upscale dining room or gangway for those boarding tenders going ashore. The tangerine-framed space sometimes serves as an extension to the pool deck or the Raw on Five sushi bar and already is becoming known for its sunset views. It’s always mid-ship, but cruisers can find its location posted in elevators.

Evening entertainment in the two-level theater included a dazzling Cirque du Soleil-style aerial show framed around live music from a talented violinist who also took flight. Except for that show and despite the tantalizing descriptions in the nightly Today schedule, we saved our energies for the shore excursions.

The 9:30 p.m. show in the ship’s two-level theater included an aerial performance accompanied by live music. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

On shore excursion days, we enjoyed breakfast in our suite, so lovely it was hard to leave. We had so much closet and drawer space that we didn’t use it all.

The bathroom, which included a long trough-like shared sink and a lighted makeup table opposite with plenty of cubbies for storage, was dominated by the step-in shower-tub. It reminded me of a car wash for humans, with an overhead drench shower, a hand-held shower and three separate horizontal sprays, all controlled with central faucets that were genius in their design. A separate small room housed the toilet. Shelves had lips to keep things in place if seas were rough.

Our suite’s bathroom included a large mirrored dressing table and bathtub shower combo with five different shower heads. (Courtesy of Cathryn Knezevich)

But they never were. Our suite’s mid-ship location was ideal for stability, but the Ionian, Adriatic and Aegean seas, all large bays of the Mediterranean Sea, were smooth as glass for the entire voyage.