CARIBBEAN `


The Retreat-class suites are more akin to high-end, big-brand hotels and will particularly appeal to affluent clients


themed restaurants, all serving the same menus but each with differing speciality dishes. To round off the culinary offering, the ship also features paid-for options including steakhouse Fine Cut, seafood venue Raw on 5, healthy option Blu (for AquaClass passengers) and, for those in suites, Luminae. Apex and sister ships Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Beyond


feature countless innovations, from the cantilevered Magic Carpet, which elegantly slides up and down the side of the ships, to multi-level culinary and entertainment space Eden, where shock and awe are emotions often conjured up during performances. There’s also the wondrous Rooftop Garden, ÜhiÀi «>ÃÃin}iÀÃ V>n hi`i >Ü>Þ >mon} Ìhi yoÀ> in Ü>ÀmiÀ climes. The brand has made huge leaps on its offering for high-net-worths too, with a bounty of impressive suites designed by Kelly Hoppen and the stunning Retreat area, a private deck for guests in the top accommodation categories. Celebrity has made a big play for “luxury lovers”, as the


brand’s UK sales team has often described its target audience, >n` Ìhi onLo>À` ovviÀin} ÀiyiVÌà Ìhið /hi ,iÌÀi>Ì‑Vl>Ãà suites, including the Iconic Suites and the beautiful two-storey Edge Villas, are more akin to high-end, big-brand hoÌilà >n` Üill «>ÀÌiVÕl>ÀlÞ >««i>l Ìo >vyÕinÌ VliinÌð


FROM TOP: Japanese restaurant Raw on 5; St Kitts; Meeting Hearts sculpture on Celebrity Apex Credits: Michael Verdure; Shutterstock/ATG Images; Quentin Bacon


Island-hopping The line recently announced Apex will sail from Southampton in 2024 (see box, adjacent), but I was lucky enough to sample her in the Caribbean earlier this year. My sailing on the 2,910-passenger ship began and ended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with dreamy stops in St Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin isle of St Thomas and Nassau, the Bahamas, along the way. In St Kitts, we joined an excursion to a beach to frolic on the powder sands and hop in and out of the water for respite from the heat. We supped bottles of Carib and spoke to locals who were full of pride for their island paradise. Other passengers,


78


ASPIRE DECEMBER 2022


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