Celebrity Apex

The 2020-built/2021-inaugurated Celebrity Apex cruise ship (initially named "Celebrity Beyond") is the second of five EDGE-class passenger liners, following Celebrity Edge (2018) and preceding Celebrity Beyond (2022), Celebrity Ascent (2023), and Celebrity Xcel (2025).

The vessel (IMO number 9838383) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 215105000) and registered in Valletta.

History - construction and ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as Greece-based Chandris Line (operational 1974-1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with "Celebrity Cruises Ltd" to form "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" (RCCL). The "X" on ship funnels represents the Greek letter chi, symbolizing "Chandris."

Signature features of Celebrity Cruises ships include aft glass-walled dining rooms, specialty dining venues, bars and lounges, spacious atriums, numerous balcony staterooms, expansive sundecks with swimming pools, The Retreat (an adults-only sundeck with full-size pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, and full bar service), Rooftop Terrace (a top-deck lounge, restaurant, and cinema), a large spa with thermal suites, and premium retail shops offering top-brand merchandise.

The 2,900-passenger Celebrity Apex is the second of four newbuilds launched under Celebrity Cruises' "Project Edge." These vessels are larger than the Millennium-class but smaller than the Solstice-class, offering "small-ship itineraries with large-ship amenities," destination-rich experiences, and iconic maritime design.

Decks and Cabins

Most Celebrity Apex staterooms feature balconies. There are also several wheelchair-accessible cabins. Of the 1,467 total staterooms, 918 are Edge Staterooms with Infinite Verandas, and 176 are suites. All staterooms include keyless entry technology via smartphones, in addition to standard keycards and RFID wristbands.

The ship has 15 decks, 14 of which are accessible to passengers, with 10 decks featuring cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Celebrity Apex offers 4 main dining rooms (Cosmopolitan, Cyprus, Normandie, Tuscan) and 6 specialty restaurants new to Celebrity Cruises. In total, the ship has 15 dining venues and cafes, and 12 bars and lounges.

Guests in AquaClass staterooms or Suites dine at Blu Restaurant, offering light, spa-inspired meals. The exclusive Luminae Restaurant, branded "Luminae at The Retreat," is part of the Suite Class complex "The Retreat." Suite passengers can also choose from the four main dining rooms. These complimentary MDRs feature menus inspired by cruise destinations, regional wines, themed cocktails, locally sourced ingredients, rotating Signature dinner menus, and a Classic menu. Each table is attended by dedicated waitstaff (sommelier, assistant waiter, head waiter). While passengers are assigned to one MDR, they may request to dine in the others.

"Celebrity Select Dining," the flexible dining option, is now called "Celebrity Select Dining Plus." Guests can reserve dinner times at any MDR or dine on a walk-in basis.

Complimentary dining venues include Oceanview Cafe (with live cooking and a bakery), Mast Grill (poolside), Spa Cafe & Juice Bar (healthy options), and Eden Cafe (breakfast and lunch). There are also two outdoor alfresco areas.

The ship has 11 bars and lounges, including Eden Lounge, Cafe al Bacio, The Club, Sunset Bar, Theatre Bar, Casino Bar, Martini Bar, Pool Bar, Il Secondo Bacio, The Retreat Pool Bar, and The Retreat Lounge.

Specialty dining (with surcharge) includes Qsine (USD 45 pp), Tuscan Grill (Italian steakhouse, USD 45 pp), Murano (French cuisine, USD 45 pp), Lawn Club Grill (DIY steaks, USD 40 pp), Bistro on 5 (creperie, USD 10 pp), and The Porch (paninis, USD 5 pp). At Qsine, orders are placed via iPads, with food delivered accordingly.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Lawn Deck features real grass and plenty of sun loungers, creating a relaxing atmosphere. The Celebrity iLounge provides Apple product sales and tutorials. AquaSpa Cafe is ideal for a healthy lunch after spa treatments.

Sky Observation Lounge features live music at sunset, while Fortune’s Casino offers gaming entertainment.

The Virtual Concierge app allows guests to make dinner and spa reservations, order drinks, request room service, and more. Sensors track guest locations to enhance service delivery.

Edge-Class ships feature the fleet’s most advanced Theater Lounge, spanning three decks and offering the largest number of shows and performers on any premium cruise ship.

The Theater has seven stage areas—three large and four smaller. Its main stage extends into the audience and features rotating platforms, spiral staircases, synchronized projection screens, video mapping, and rigging for aerial acts. Five new productions include: "A Hot Summer Night’s Dream" (with acrobatics), "The Jewelry Box" (technology-focused), "Kaleidoscope" (music and dance), and two Headliner Residency shows – "Get Up" and "The Purpose."

The Club is a dual-purpose venue with a large dance floor, stage, giant LED screen, and two bars. It hosts daily games and activities and transforms into the 1920s-themed nightclub "Undercover at The Club" by night. Attractions include aerial saxophone performances, the Andromeda body scanner, and the Hypno Cam Experience (a dance party with shared photos displayed on the LED screen).

The Kids Club offers the "Camp at Sea" program with over 500 free activities. Teen and youth zones, named "The Basement," are new fleet features.

Rooftop Garden is a top-deck bar, dining, and entertainment venue with events like the Rooftop Concert Series, Garden Cinema, and Taste of Film experiences. It is served by the Rooftop Garden Grill.

In 2023, Celebrity introduced pickleball courts fleetwide. Equipment is provided free of charge, with separate playtimes for adults and families (kids 6+). On EDGE-class ships, pickleball is played at the Rooftop Garden.

Grand Plaza

Grand Plaza is the ship's central space, spanning three decks midship. Designed by Jouin Manku Studio, it blends modern design with inspiration from classic Transatlantic liners.

The centerpiece is The Chandelier, a five-level art installation above the Martini Bar made of 765 blades illuminated with color-changing LED lights. It weighs 7 tons.

Grand Plaza houses several specialty restaurants—Fine Cut Steakhouse and Raw on 5 (Deck 5), Le Grand Bistro and Cafe al Bacio (Deck 4), and Grand Plaza Cafe (Deck 3)—as well as Italian piazza-style spaces. At its center (Deck 3) is the Martini Bar. Its surrounding mesh screens feature over 13,500 leather, fabric, and metal art pieces.

The cafes are ideal for coffee breaks, teas, and pre-dinner cocktails, accompanied by live entertainment. At night, the Grand Plaza becomes a vibrant social hub.

By day, "Le Grand Bistro" (Deck 4) operates as a French patisserie. In the evening, it transforms into "Le Petite Chef," a 3D dining experience developed with TableMation Studios and Skullmapping. Prices are USD 25 pp (Le Grand Bistro) and USD 55 pp (Le Petite Chef).

Celebrity Apex features new menus by 3-star Michelin chef Cornelius Gallagher. The ship also debuts the fleet’s first Craft Social Bar, offering premium wines by the glass, a large cocktail selection, and 50+ craft beers. Certified beer sommeliers serve the venue.

Eden Lounge

Eden is a three-deck venue (aft on decks 4–6) offering music, dining, and immersive entertainment. Measuring 10,439 m³ (368,640 ft³) and spanning 1,175 m² (12,650 ft²), it features alfresco areas and panoramic ocean views.

The venue combines light lunches, five-course dinners, wine tastings, performances, lectures, and promotional events. In the evening, it becomes "Eve at Eden," featuring provocative entertainment blending art, dining, and nightlife.

Eden Restaurant offers a two-hour, three-course dining experience with live entertainment. Eden Bar serves handcrafted cocktails and small plates.

A 90-meter (295-foot) ramp wraps around the lounge, offering sweeping views. Interiors, including the "Library of Plants" and hanging plant pillars, were designed by Patricia Urquiola. Lounge design is by Scott Butler (Wilson Butler Architects). Evening programming is by NYC-based Variety Worldwide.

"The Meeting Place" conference center (183 m² / 1,970 ft²), designed by Wilson Butler Architects, features AV tech, flexible seating, a private office, mobile bars, and a fully equipped pantry.

Magic Carpet ("outdoor elevator lounge")

Celebrity Apex's standout feature is the Magic Carpet, a tennis court-sized, cantilevered glass platform that travels vertically between decks.

Mounted starboard, this open-air venue includes lounge seating, a full bar, and a stage for live music. Depending on its deck location, it changes function.

Passengers cannot ride the Magic Carpet as an elevator. It is locked at each location, allowing safe boarding. Some furniture is fixed to remain secure during transitions.

The venue’s function varies by deck:

• Deck 16 – transforms into a specialty restaurant for "Dinner on the Edge," an alfresco dining experience.
• Deck 14 – extends the pool deck, offering additional seating and live music.
• Deck 5 – serves as an outdoor dining extension to the main restaurant.
• Deck 2 – becomes part of the Destination Gateway, supporting tender operations via luxurious "Edge Launches." This embarkation area features LCD screens, AC, 130 seats, and destination highlights.

"Destination Gateway" serves as the embarkation point when Magic Carpet is docked at Deck 2.

The daily Magic Carpet schedule is posted onboard.

Itineraries

Celebrity Apex's current cruise itinerary program includes summer Mediterranean roundtrips from its homeport in Barcelona, Spain, and winter Caribbean roundtrips from Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA), with Transatlantic repositioning voyages between Europe and the USA. From Fort Lauderdale, Apex sails to ports in the Western Caribbean (Mexico, Key West FL, Grand Cayman) and Eastern Caribbean (Puerto Rico, St. Thomas USVI, St. Kitts).

Originally (prior to the 2020 cancellations), the ship was scheduled to homeport in Southampton, England. A short pre-naming voyage for travel agents was planned for April 2020. From Southampton, a mini-season of five roundtrip cruises was scheduled, visiting ports in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean on 7- and 10-day itineraries. The ship was then to reposition to the Mediterranean, homeporting in Barcelona and Civitavecchia-Rome, with 7-, 10-, and 12-day itineraries during her European maiden season.

Four extended Celebrity Apex itineraries were also added to the 2020 European program, featuring ports in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

• Two 11-night "Greece, Malta and Turkey" cruises from Civitavecchia visited Istanbul, Kusadasi, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus-Athens, Valletta (Malta), and Barcelona. The 10-night version included Barcelona, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Athens, Naples, and Rome.
• The 11-night "Spain, France and Italian Riviera" roundtrip from Barcelona visited Marseille, Monte Carlo, Nice, Santa Margherita, Rome, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia.

Following her planned inauguration in Southampton, Apex was set to sail a mini-season of five European cruises to the Norwegian Fjords and Iberia. The 10-night "Baltic Capitals" itinerary included Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Le Havre-Paris. A summer Mediterranean season followed with 7- to 12-night voyages.

Bookings for Celebrity Apex’s 2020 program opened on November 29, 2018. Promotional offers for travel agencies included half-price fares for the second guest, up to GBP 700 savings per person, and free drink packages.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Apex’s inaugural cruise was rescheduled multiple times—April 1, May 20, June 13, September 16, October 10, November 5, and December 5—all eventually canceled. The Maiden Voyage was ultimately set for January 2, 2021, on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise ("Mexico, Key West and Grand Cayman") from Fort Lauderdale. For details on these cancellations, visit the ship's Wiki section.

In late March 2021, Celebrity revised Apex’s deployment for an inaugural European season in the Eastern Mediterranean (Aegean Sea). The summer 2021 program (June 19 through September 25) featured two 7-day roundtrip itineraries from Piraeus-Athens, Greece:

• The "Greek Islands and Cyprus" itinerary visited Rhodes, Santorini, and Limassol, Cyprus.
• The "Greek Islands and Israel" itinerary included Santorini, Rhodes, and Haifa, Israel (gateway to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv).

Bookings for the updated 2021 itineraries opened on March 30, 2021.

In November 2022, Celebrity announced that during summer 2024 (May through November), Celebrity Apex will be homeported in Southampton, England, replacing fleetmate Celebrity Silhouette. The ship will operate 4- to 13-night roundtrip cruises from the UK.

The vessel (Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard/hull number K34) has a volume of 130,818 GT, DWT of 9,000 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.2 m. The powerplant is based on Wartsila marine diesel engines (models 8L46F, 12V46F, 12V32E) with a combined power output of 55 MW. The registered shipowner is CELEBRITY APEX INC, and the managing company is CELEBRITY CRUISES INC.

EDGE-Class Celebrity ships were designed through an exclusive partnership with Nate Berkus, a US interior designer who founded his own firm at age 24. The construction of Celebrity Apex began on July 23, 2018, with the steel-cutting ceremony at Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard (St Nazaire, STX France). The event was attended by Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises), her management team, and Laurent Castaing (General Manager of the shipyard).

In September 2018, it was announced that the ship would be christened in Southampton, England. The keel-laying ceremony took place on October 31, 2018, attended by Richard Fain (RCCL's Chairman and CEO), Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, and Laurent Castaing. On the same day, Celebrity Edge was officially delivered. During the keel-laying, a 762-ton hull block was lifted, a lucky coin was placed beneath it, and the block was then lowered into position.

The vessel was launched (floated out from drydock) on May 17, 2019. The ship’s Godmother was announced in mid-January 2020: Reshma Saujani, a US lawyer, author ("Brave, Not Perfect"), politician, and founder/CEO of Girls Who Code (a nonprofit supporting women in tech).

The naming ceremony was initially scheduled for March 30, 2020, in Port Southampton. However, on March 6, it was announced that the event would be postponed to Q4 2020, after Celebrity Apex repositioned to the Caribbean. The naming was ultimately held in the USA, onboard at homeport Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) on November 3, 2021. The ceremony was attended by Richard Fain (RCG's Chairman and CEO), Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, VIP guests from Hollywood and Dania Beach (Florida), media, and representatives from US Customs and Border Protection, US Coast Guard, Broward County Sheriff's Office, and Fire Rescue personnel.

In early January 2020, Celebrity Cruises partnered with Gwyneth Paltrow to introduce her "goop" brand at sea. The experience was exclusive to Celebrity Apex’s 11-day "Spain, France and Italian Riviera Cruise" (Aug 29 – Sept 6), a wellness-themed roundtrip from Barcelona. The voyage featured sessions with Gwyneth Paltrow and Elise Loehnen (goop's Chief Content Officer).

From February 4-8, the ship successfully completed its first sea trials near the French shipyard, with around 50 crew members onboard, mainly engineers and technical specialists.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, Celebrity Cruises accepted a "Virtual Delivery" of the vessel via video conference with the shipyard. The event was held on March 27 and attended by Captain Dimitris Kafetzis, CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, and shipbuilder GM Laurent Castaing. The inaugural cruise, initially set for April 1, was rescheduled for May 20.

Inaugural Itineraries 2021 (Mediterranean–Caribbean)

In early December 2020, Celebrity canceled all Apex sailings through March 6, 2021. This included nine Caribbean roundtrips from Fort Lauderdale (departure dates: January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and February 6, 13, 20, 27).

In mid-January 2021, all Apex voyages through May 15, 2021, were canceled. This included eight additional 7-day Caribbean roundtrips from Fort Lauderdale (March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24), as well as the 14-day Transatlantic repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona (May 1–15).

In late March 2021, Celebrity canceled 15 more departures in the ship's Western Mediterranean program (June 6 through October 9, 2021). These included roundtrips from Barcelona (12-day "Spain, Malta and Greek Islands" and 9-day "Spain, Italy, and French Riviera") and six 7-day itineraries between Barcelona and Civitavecchia-Rome.

(Canceled/2021) 12-day "Spain, Malta and Greek Islands Cruise" itinerary (starting at $3,400 per person).

(canceled/2021) 9-day "Spain, Italy, and French Riviera Cruise" ($1700 pp)

In late-March 2021 Celebrity changed the Apex's schedule with a revised summer 2021 program (June 19 through September 25) based on two 7-day roundtrip itineraries from homeport Piraeus-Athens Greece.

(MAIDEN VOYAGE 2021/first departure)) 7-day "Greek Islands and Cyprus" itinerary, prices from USD 1800 per person with double occupancy

8-day "Greek Islands and Cyprus" itinerary (from US$ 2000 pp)

7-day "Greek Islands and Israel" itinerary (from US$ 1800 pp)

8-day "Greek Islands and Israel" itinerary (from US$ 1900 pp)

(Inaugural Transatlantic crossing 2021) 14-day from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale ($2620 pp)

(inaugural Eastern Caribbean itinerary) 9-day "Puerto Rico, St Thomas and St Kitts Cruise" ($1840 pp)

(inaugural Western Caribbean itinerary) 7-day "Belize, Grand Cayman and Mexico Cruise" ($1640 pp)

(2022) inaugural 5-day "Bahamas Cruise" itinerary ($880 pp)

Godspeed!

Inaugural itineraries 2020 (CANCELED)

Next are listed the ship's originally planned Inaugural Cruise (maiden voyage) and the inaugural itineraries from all the European homeports plus the maiden voyages out of the USA (Florida). Prices are in USD and per person (double occupancy Inside Cabin rates). Due to the ongoing pandemic, the maiden voyage (initially planned for April 1, 2020) was rescheduled first for May 20th, later for June 13, September 16, October 10, November 5, December 5 and finally for January 2, 2021.

4-day "Apex Preview Cruise" roundtrip from Southampton (from $950 pp)

8-day "Inaugural Cruise" from Southampton to Iberia (Spain and Portugal) and France - from $1800 pp

10-day inaugural Baltic cruise (themed "Northern Europe Capital Cities") - from $2000 pp

7-day inaugural "Norwegian Fjords Cruise" - from $1500 pp

10-day repositioning from the UK to the Mediterranean (Southampton to Barcelona) - from $1900 pp

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage) 10-day Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome ($1700 pp)

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage) 7-day Inaugural cruise from Rome to Barcelona ($1860 pp)

8-day "Spain, France and Italian Riviera" itinerary ($1800 pp)

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage) 12-day itinerary themed "Spain, France, and Italian Riviera") - from $2600 pp

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage) 12-day "Spain, France and Italian Riviera" - from USD 2350 pp

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage 2020) 2-day "Bahamas Cruise" - from USD 850 pp

(rescheduled and CANCELED maiden voyage 2020) 7-day Western Caribbean ("Mexico, Key West and Grand Cayman Cruise") from USD 970 pp

Godspeed!