We decided more last minute to do a Thanksgiving cruise as plans changed. The Apex sails out of Ft. Lauderdale so for us it was a 10 min uber drive to the port. No flying during Covid was a big plus. We had to get tested two days prior, I got us the home proctored test that Celebrity sells on their website. It was pretty easy and convenient.

Boarding was the quickest ever for a cruise. We were in the Retreat Sky suite with the retreat perks and had a separate check in and walked on the ship at 11 am ! The room wasn't ready but we were able to drop off our carry on and explore the ship . The Seapass cards are in the cabin mail slots so you will have to grab those to get into the Retreat areas. The Seapass card has to be held on the retreat door lock reader for a GOOD 3 Sec. to open the door! We initially thought the card wasn't working! The Retreat Lounge is gorgeous ! We did a few cocktails there on multiple port departures. The staff is friendly and they have premium liquor and wines. The Retreat sundeck has its own pool area and was only busy on sea days. The Luminae Thanksgiving Turkey was amazing as were all the meals we had there. They are closed on port days for lunch so when we got back from exploring the ports the only option was the buffet or a pay specialty restaurant for lunch ! We did the grill on the rooftop excellent! Le Bistro was excellent and the dinner projection show was cute on the plates. raw on 5 was delicious, we didn't go to the Steakhouse because we got Filet in Luminae included! Now lets talk about Eden, the space seems under utilized. Some people loved it others not so much. I am in the not so much category. The furniture is too low to the ground so unless you are a kid it is not comfortable! The restaurant had some good items on the menu but the whole nature concept didn't really work with the dishes, the flavors didn't blend together. W also did the Magic Carpet dinner which was awesome! The spa was nice shout out to Baby who did an amazing job! The spa wet area you will need a pass or stay in Aqua Class. The fitness center was clean and new and never really crowded. The bars were always busy especially the Martini Bar in the center of the ship which seemed to be where we always met up with friends. Shopping was nice with some high end stores. Casino was always busy but clean . Speaking of clean our room attendant Rubi was amazing! Also our Retreat host Milan was the best!! Hopefully you will get him on another cruise. The ports were all ones we had been to prior so we did quick excursions, the train ride was nice in st kitts .

The shows were amazing and the theater is huge! Overall this was a nice cruise I did notice the regular pool deck was packed on sea days so if you are not in the Retreat get down there early! Everyone seemed happy to be back on a ship and in a good mood! Our sky suite was in the front corner of the magic carpet sky suites and had a huge balcony and window. Would highly recommend these sky suites !