Travel Diary: Celebrity Apex Cruise 2021

The hot question on many people's minds right now: what is it like to cruise in 2021? I went on a cruise recently and wanted to recount my experience to hopefully answer any questions and set minds at ease.

Taking a cruise from the United States right now is surprisingly easy. Since we left from and returned back to the United States, we were not required to have a negative test to re-enter the country, a very nice benefit. This was also a unique cruise that was only two days to nowhere, intended for people to simply check out the new ship. Adults were required to be fully vaccinated and we had to get a rapid COVID test two days prior to sailing. We were also required to complete a health questionnaire one day prior to our departure.

On boarding day, with our passport, vaccine card and negative test results in hand, the boarding process was very easy. Celebrity offers an app that allows you to store your boarding pass and information to have it readily accessible. At the port, there are quite a number of people to direct you and make sure you have everything required. Our documents were checked and scanned three different times, but it was quick and easy. We were on board the ship within about 10 minutes of arriving at the port. Masks were not required on board this sailing as there were no children and all adults had to be vaccinated and tested.

Celebrity’s Apex is a new ship that was set to launch in March of 2020 but was stalled with the onset of the pandemic, so it debuted in the fall of 2021. It has very sleek and elegant décor, with the most up-to-date and modern amenities. Our cabin had an infinity balcony, which means the window goes up and down, so you can make the balcony a part of your stateroom making it feel much larger.

Ships are not sailing at full capacity at this time, so the staff to guest ratio is quite impressive. There were no long waits for drinks or food, dining is available anytime and you can make reservations through the Celebrity app. The Apex has four main dining rooms, each with its own unique menu along with the classics offered at all of them. There are also several specialty restaurants available for an added fee. The food was excellent throughout the duration of our cruise. The entertainment was also great, they had a featured show called Rockamentary, which was a rock show with great music performed live and a large wrap-around screen showing famous music moments like Woodstock, Elton John's early days, the Beatles etc. The ship also had a very nice spa, shopping, and activities.

Cruising overall was easy to overcome fears of all the protocols in place for COVID and it was really enjoyable to get back to sailing. I would highly recommend going to anyone considering cruising, I actually feel cruising is actually one of the easiest and safest ways to travel right now.