When the Celebrity Apex sails into Southampton this March she will become the first brand new luxury cruise ship to be launched in the UK in a decade. This ship takes modern cruising to yet another whole new level, with the very latest culinary, spa and wellness trends, and progressive entertainment offerings. The ship is in the final construction stages at the Chantiers de L’Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, reports Michael Flood.
The latest ship to join Celebrity Cruises’ 14-ship fleet is 129,500 tons over 16 decks and a capacity for 2,910 guests in 1,467 staterooms. Total crew numbers 1,319 from 69 countries. Once again Celebrity Cruises has created new standards in luxury cruising.
The industry-leading, first-in-class Celebrity Edge has received more than 50 awards and was crowned one of TIME Magazine’s 2019 World’s Greatest Places. It impressed the world with its innovative outward-facing design and visionary spaces created by world-renowned designers.
Celebrity Apex encores the transformational look and feel of its sister ship with such distinctive features as the floating Magic Carpet cantilevered off the ship’s side, inviting guests to eat, drink and soar over the sea up to deck 16; The Retreat, the all-exclusive experience for all suite guests; dramatically expanded staterooms with Infinite Verandas; soothing indoor and outdoor garden escapes; magnificent two-story Edge Villas with their own private terrace and plunge pool; and high-style spaces throughout public areas, keeping focus on the contemporary design elements that are a highlight of the Edge series of ships.
It then adds new luxury features and experiences guaranteed to make Celebrity Apex the industry’s ‘it’ ship, including:
New culinary venues, menus and programming
- An array of new firsts in beauty, fitness, and wellness
- Sweeping changes to The Theatre with state-of-the-art technology taking centre stage in three all-new production shows to captivate audiences.
- New Eden experiences, transforming the breathtaking Eden venue into a myriad of moods.
The Magic Carpet
There is a range of world-class restaurants that will cater for all guests’ tastes, with a total of 29 district and food beverage outlets with 12 bars and lounges, together with seven speciality restaurants, four complimentary dining venues, four main dining restaurants, and two exclusive restaurants – one for The Retreat and one for Aqua Class guests.
“Celebrity Edge changed the cruise industry and raised the standard for modern luxury vacations,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and Chief Executive, Celebrity Cruises. “Celebrity Apex – the second ship in our revolutionary Edge series – goes even further. It takes every onboard experience to the very peak of what’s possible at sea.”
Already renowned as the industry’s leading culinary brand, Celebrity further enhances its culinary palate on Celebrity Apex with evolved concepts, new delicacies and new menu offerings from Celebrity’s Michelin-starred Chef Cornelius Gallagher, including:
- CraftSocial Bar – This relaxed, casual bar space, will offer draft cocktails, wines on tap and more than 50 of the world’s rarest craft beers served by a certified beer sommelier. Menu items will include contemporary comfort food cuisine such as mac and brie, Kobe beef sliders, crispy chicken sliders and meat and cheese boards. Large-screen TVs will air live sporting events.
- A new 3-D digital animation dining experience at Le Grand Bistro – Celebrity Edge’s first-at-sea digitally animated menu by Le Petit Chef will offer a new animated story on Celebrity Apex, enhanced by new menu creations from Chef Gallagher. A fusion of entertainment and dining, the menu offers such dishes as spring pea soup, King Crab farfalle pasta and filet mignon, while diners enjoy a story that chronicles the life adventures of Le Petit Chef who meets the girl of his dreams at age 12.
- A new Eden dining experience – This remarkable three-story indoor natural Wonderland, with sweeping panoramic, outward facing windows will feature an extraordinary culinary journey of new flavour-forward a la carte appetisers, entrees and desserts with ingredients sourced from local farms and fisheries in the lower-level restaurant. A sampling of new menu items includes fresh roasted Spanish prawns with melted peppers; cured fresh chorizo; slow-cooked shellfish broth with parsley, garlic, shallots and maldon sea salt from England; pastrami with Devonshire Dijon mustard emulsion, mashed potatoes cooked in duck fat; and crispy rye bread sautéed in butter and melted raclette cheese.
Cafe al Bacio
In addition, new menu items have been created for Raw on 5, Magic Carpet, Fine Cut Steakhouse, Rooftop Garden Grill, and the four main restaurants on Celebrity Apex: Cosmopolitan, Cyprus, Normandie, and Tuscan.
Celebrity Apex debuts exciting new entertainment offerings, including three new stage shows in The Theatre; an intimate cabaret show in The Club; along with a variety of themed experiences and activities throughout the ship.
Celebrity Apex debuts this spring with a mini-season of five sailings to European destinations, including the Norwegian Fjords, the northern coasts of Spain and Portugal, and a new 10-night Capital Cities Cruise with visits to iconic cities including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo and Paris.
After Celebrity Apex’s Northern Europe mini-season, the ship will spend the rest of its inaugural summer sailing seven- to 12-night itineraries in the Mediterranean, with visits to bucket-list destinations such as Lisbon, Portugal; Istanbul; Monte Carlo; Cannes, France; and more, before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale in November for a winter season of week-long Caribbean sailings. Celebrity Edge will also sail the Mediterranean from April to October 2020, and the Caribbean from November 2020 to April 2021.
