Know Before You Go! Where to Dine on Celebrity ApexAfter being onboard the stunning Celebrity Apex from March 11th through 18th, 2023, I've provided a detailed review below of the many exclusive Celebrity Cruises dining experiences we enjoyed. You'll find an honest account, tips, and dining pictorials of various food items and menus of the restaurants on Celebrity Apex. Starting with the suite lounge at Port Everglades Terminal 25 before you even get on the ship, you'll want to try all of the dining options on the beautiful Celebrity Apex. The restaurants on Celebrity Apex featured below include Luminae, The Retreat Deck, The Retreat Lounge, Craft Social, Dinner on the Edge (Magic Carpet Experience), Fine Cut Steakhouse, Rooftop Garden Grill, Cafe al Bacio, Raw on 5, and the infamous and delicious Oceanview Cafe. Let's get on board! Port Everglades Terminal 25If you have the opportunity to enjoy a suite in The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises, you are in for a treat! You'll start out with a very easy and personal boarding experience in the Terminal 25 suite lounge at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Not only are there comfortable lounge chairs and tables, but you'll also find a terrific spread of savory and sweet snacks, along with sodas, water, coffee and tea. It's a truly luxurious experience and the best way to start off your Celebrity Cruises vacation in suite style. LuminaeWe stayed in The Retreat so our assigned restaurant was Luminae. After looking back, besides from a few really special experiences, I probably would suggest to use Luminae every night. It's truly a specialty restaurant among itself. The Sommelier was top-notch and did a perfect job matching savory and sweet food selections with wines. You'll find the complete menus by clicking here. See below for a few of the choices you'll find. Breakfast at Luminae Amuse Bouche at Dinner Appetizers in Luminae Entrees in Luminae Desserts in Luminae A Few Favorite Cocktails and Dessert Wines at Luminae The Retreat DeckLunch is available poolside on Celebrity Cruises' The Retreat Deck during specific hours. From the Retreat Deck pool menu, I would recommend the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. The Caesar Salad Dressing on Celebrity Cruises is one of my favorites on land or sea. However, drinks are available pretty much all of the time. You can order them at the bar or they will come and find you anywhere you choose to lounge. Also, in the mornings, they often come around The Retreat Deck with fresh fruit skewers (usually around 10:30 AM) and in the afternoon (usually around 2:30 PM) they'll arrive with a small cup of gelato. We loved the Butter Pecan and Pistachio flavors. Amazing! Pro Tip Not to eat, but you'll find complementary various strengths (30 SPF and 50 SPF) of sunscreen, aloe vera after-sun, and even SPF-40 sunglasses on The Retreat Deck. They provide small, eco-friendly cardboard dishes to dispense the products in to apply at your seat. Plus, don't forget an icy cold towel to cool off. The Retreat LoungeOur family always enjoys The Retreat Lounge throughout the cruise. We tend to meet and gather here prior to dinner for a cocktail and hors devours. Look out for special events that might happen here during your cruise. We enjoyed live entertainment and a Senior Office Meet and Greet. On Celebrity Apex The Retreat Lounge, you'll find a Bartender, as well as a few Retreat Attendants to serve you drinks, snacks, tea, and more. You'll also find the Celebrity Cruises Retreat Concierges here. If you have any kind of an issue or question (i.e., dining, onboard charges) during your cruise, they are more than willing to spend the time with you to figure it out. Your butler can do this too. If you aren't sure what a butler can do, see here for some great and unique ideas. Craft SocialCraft Social is a casual and fun spot with an amazing selection of bar food, draft and bottled beers, and wines, all while watching sports or other popular events on the many televisions. Craft Social is one of only two spots onboard Celebrity Apex where they serve a selection of draft beer. The other is at The Sunset Bar. Pro Tip Craft Social on Celebrity Apex is a very small space, so you'll want to get there during an off time to secure a seat. Dinner on the Edge (Magic Carpet Experience)One of the best experiences onboard! If you have the opportunity to dine on the Magic Carpet Dinner on the Edge, I highly recommend it. The only downfall is that you will not know which night this will happen until you are on board. If you already have a Celebrity Cruises specialty restaurant or excursion planned (if a port at night) you will need to change it at the last minute and a substitution unfortunately may not be available. But you won't be sorry! Between the view, the service, and delicious food, Dinner on the Edge on the Magic Carpet was a highlight of our cruise. As you are dining on the tangerine Magic Carpet at Dinner on the Edge, all of your photos will have a mysterious orange glow about them. You'll notice this on my photos below, but that's what makes it fun! We found out only once onboard Celebrity Apex that our Dinner on the Edge was scheduled for the fourth night of Tortola. This was surprising because we would be at sea. I had wrongly assumed that it would be held the first port day of San Juan since we were docked until late night. Dinner reservations for the Magic Carpet were assigned to everyone at 7:00 PM. We had a party of six and they generously gave us 3 of everything to easily share between our table-mates. Fine Cut SteakhouseIt may not be a popular opinion, but as much as I had wanted to like it, Fine Cut Steakhouse was not one of my favorites. I didn't think the service was spectacular and the steaks didn't have much taste. The only piece of meat that was a hit in my family was the Prime Rib my son ordered. I was truly disappointed afterwards because I had originally also ordered it, but I somehow let the waiter talk me out of it. You'll find the complete menu by clicking here. Rooftop Garden GrillA really delicious meal with outdoor seating, The Rooftop Garden Grill is a fun experience. The food is unique to traditional Celebrity Cruises food, but that's a good thing! It's casual (although disappointing they still require long pants for men, it can get quite hot outside on the top deck of the ship) with typically American-style food. However, not all choices at Rooftop Garden on Celebrity Apex are going to be fan favorites. Our party of six found the burgers to be a top pick, although the ribs were dry and flavorless. For dessert, it's tough to choose between the warm cookie and Mason Jar S'mores. So why not get them both?! You'll find the complete menu by clicking here.
Cafe al BacioDid you know they have cocktails at Cafe al Bacio on Celebrity Cruises? They are perfect to go with the complimentary pastries, cakes, and cookies. Pro Tip You'll notice below that all of the treats around the Celebrity Cruises ship are labeled if they contain nuts, gluten-free, etc. for those who are cruising with food allergies. Raw on FiveWe ate at Raw on Five twice for lunch throughout our Celebrity Apex 7-night cruise, so you know it must be good. There is an a la carte charge for everything. Although, the beverages and cocktails are still under your beverage package, if you have one. The fresh seafood tower is pricey, but it well worth it. I'm still amazed how Celebrity Cruises keeps the quality up on fresh seafood for the entire length of the cruise. I ate oysters almost every other day and they were impeccably fresh and delicious. You'll find the complete menu of Raw on Five by clicking here. Oceanview CafeWe dined at the Oceanview Cafe on occasion and didn't find anything lacking. The quality and selection of the food is wonderful. For lunch, they offer an international station where they feature a country's traditional cuisine. I once filled a plate with Fish and Chips, and Shepard's Pie - can you guess which country was this day? It was delicious! Spectacular desserts are offered throughout the day. Our Celebrity Apex cruise was over March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, and the Oceanview Cafe did a phenomenal job making green treats. I'd also suggest to not miss Celebrity Cruises' pizza. They are constantly making it fresh and it's hot, cheesy, and crispy. They even offer a variety with a gluten-free crust. Have you cruised with Celebrity Cruises on Celebrity Apex yet? I'd love to hear what your favorite restaurants are! UPDATE: Even more restaurants are found on Celebrity Beyond! Make sure to see the updated Celebrity Edge Class Dining section and explore these new hot spots.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
My Virtual Vacations BlogAbout the AuthorThanks for cruising by! Along with creating this website and blog, I work in an office full-time and as a mom to two energetic young men. With our family's busy work and school schedule, we look forward to traveling during holidays. Although it seems that our family can never agree on anything, we do when it comes to vacations. We typically travel on cruises or stay at luxury hotels while enjoying upscale dining, beautiful decor, excellent service, and spacious accommodations. However, we still need family friendly and comfortable! When we are not traveling, I enjoy dining out locally, as well as cooking and baking in my own kitchen.
Virtually escape and start planning your next luxurious cruise vacation on land or sea with My Virtual Vacations. Contact me for any specific questions or recommendations. And don't forget to keep checking back for the latest blog posts and information. There are always more family vacations in our future!
About the PhotosOur beautiful photographs are creatively captured by my talented freelance husband/photographer located in Baltimore, MD. Click here to explore more of his work.
Free Download!Categories
All
Up Next...There is no stopping us! We immensely enjoyed our first Aqua Class experience on Celebrity Equinox this past spring.
I'm THRILLED to announce that we will be enjoying Celebrity Beyond this summer! We'll be staying in The Retreat and looking forward to sharing this experience so that you might consider in a suite one day too.
We also have a land vacation planned in Boca Raton, Florida this summer, our happy place! If you have suggestions of places My Virtual Vacations would love, reach out to us on our Submission Form. We are always looking for new spots to feature!
|