Celebrity Apex Norwegian Fjord Cruise Blog – Day 2 – Bruges

July 20, 2025 Randy Young

It was our first full day aboard the Celebrity Apex, and we had an early start, with the ship docking in Zeebrugge, Belgium at 7 AM. Follow along as we travel to Bruges to explore the “fairytale town” before exploring more of the Celebrity Apex.

Day 2 – Bruges – Overview

Day 2 Schedule

Breakfast at the Oceanview Café

We knew we would have a lot of walking today, so we wanted to get a full breakfast in. The only place to do that early on the Apex was the buffet, the Oceanview Café. The buffet can get crazy on early excursion days with everyone trying to get breakfast at once, but it was surprisingly not bad.

For breakfast, there were tons of options: fresh pastries, fruit, scrambled eggs, made-to-order omelets, waffles, and pancakes. Two stations also had traditional English breakfast foods like beans, fried toast, and European options like ham and croissants. They also always had a huge pan of fresh bacon, and every time I see that, I’m reminded how cheap Carnival Cruise Line is, only to have it every other day, and rationed by a server.

The buffet didn’t have as much energy as I was used to during breakfasts, probably because we lost an hour of sleep the night before as we crossed time zones. The buffet opened at 6 AM, and we headed down at 6:30 so we could be off the ship as close to the 7 AM docking time as possible. It wasn’t overly difficult to find a table. While there, I used the Premium Drink Package we had to grab a bottle of water and a Diet Coke to bring with me on today’s excursion.

Tip: If you have any of the Celebrity drink packages, stop by the beverage counter in the buffet before an excursion and grab bottles of water and sodas before leaving (they usually allow 2 per person).

A little after 7 AM, we saw people getting off the ship, so we headed down to the gangway. It was odd that there wasn’t an announcement saying we could leave or how to get off. We stumbled around until we found the gangway on Deck 4.

Arriving in Zeebrugge

Zeebrugge is an industrial port on the coast of Belgium. There’s not much to do in the port itself as it’s mostly for cargo. You can’t even walk out of the port yourself; you must ride a free shuttle/bus from the ship to the port exit. The shuttle took about 3 minutes, and they were constantly running with very little wait.

The shuttle lets you off at the cruise terminal, which has stations to book excursions and transportation if you didn’t already have something lined up.

When docked at Zeebrugge, most guests will visit Bruges, a historic city about 30 minutes away from the cruise port.

Getting to Bruges, Belgium from Zeebrugge

You have a few options for getting to Bruges from Zeebrugge:

Hire a taxi
Take the Cruise Express shuttle
Book a shore excursion from the cruise line
Take the train from Blankenberge

While the train in Europe is easy to use and inexpensive, the times are pretty infrequent. We had limited time in port today; the Apex was only in port from 7 AM to 3 PM. Because of that, we didn’t want to waste time going from the cruise ship to the terminal, then shuttle from the terminal to the train station, waiting for a train, and heading to Bruges.

Instead, we booked the Cruise Express shuttle. Located directly across from the cruise port, this shuttle specializes in getting guests from the cruise ship to Bruges. You don’t need to book in advance, but we have heard of them selling out, so we booked via Viator (that way it’s not an international charge and you don’t have to pay foreign transaction fees with your credit card). The cost of booking directly is 30 euros, and the cost on Viator will depend on the current exchange rate (it was $29.29 when we booked, but is now $35.70). Even better, through Viator, it was refundable up until 24 hours before in case of scheduling changes.

Book Cruise Express Shuttle to Bruges through Viator

We arrived at the bus station at 7:24 AM and checked in. We were the first ones there, and unfortunately, the first bus wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8:00 AM, so we had a bit of a wait (the website wasn’t clear on when the shuttles started, especially when a cruise ship arrived so early).

They had signs saying all the possible departures back, basically every half hour until 1:30 PM, which was the last bus (for a 3:00 PM all-aboard time).

Around 7:50, they took us back to the two-story buses, and at 8 AM sharp, we started on the 25-minute ride to Bruges. This bus was just basic transportation, no tour guide or information, but that’s all we needed.

Bruges Bus Station

Large buses aren’t allowed into the city of Bruges. Instead, they must drop guests off and pick them up from a bus station (Interparking Bargeweg). It’s a large parking lot on the city’s outskirts and about a 1-mile, 20-minute walk into the heart of Bruges. It was an easy walk with clear sidewalks and pretty level terrain, but make sure you note where the bus station is because there wasn’t a ton of signage to help find your way back.

Bruges in the Morning

I’ll admit, I learned everything I know about Bruges from the movie In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, so you can say my knowledge was pretty limited. But I was excited to explore this little town.

Like many European cities, Bruges is a sleepy city coming to life later in the day, even more so on Sunday. Almost none of the stores or attractions would open until 10 AM, so we had an hour and a half to walk around the city. It is frustrating that the cruise line gives you such a limited time in a port and makes it even worse by starting when nothing is open.

It was nice to get to enjoy the town with no crowds. The streets were eerily quiet, and you could appreciate the quaint cobblestone streets, the fragrant boxes of flowers by the roadways, and see the shops still closed before the tourist onslaught began. Handfuls of people slowly walked the streets, taking in the old architecture.

Belfry of Bruges (Belfort)

Our first stop was the Belfry of Bruges (Belfort), which lies at the center of the historic centre in Bruges. This impressive medieval building dates back to the 1200s, with the last stage of the tower added in the 1480s. This 272-foot building is visible around the town and plays a central role in In Bruges.

Guests can buy a ticket to climb the 366 stairs to the top for an impressive view of the city for 15 euros per person (it also includes museum access). While it was one of the first things to open at 9 AM, climbing the stairs didn’t overly appeal to us, so instead, we just sat in the square in front and enjoyed the view of the historic building.

Canal Tour of Bruges

We strolled around the city some more, but realized that with everything closed, we were pretty limited in what we could do. As we were walking around, we came across a stand for canal boat tours. Bruges is sometimes called “The Venice of the North,” with miles of canals running through the historic district.

I overheard the stand was about to open, so we thought we’d try it. By the time the boat ride was over, the city would be open.

I pulled up the website of the boat tour, which said they didn’t open until 10 AM, but the woman at the stand said they started selling tickets at 9:30 AM and would leave soon after. They didn’t appear to sell tickets ahead of time. When you wanted to do a tour, you just got in line, purchased a ticket, and got on the next available boat.

The cost was 15 euros per person for a 30-minute ride.

Tip: You don’t need euros in Bruges. Nearly every place takes credit cards. If you want to tip for tours, which is not expected in Europe, using foreign currency like the US dollar is fine.

Several boat companies are stationed around the historic area, and they all take the same route between Jan van Eyck Square and the Beguinage (see the map here). We just stumbled across this one because it was right near the attractions we wanted to go to.

Our boat loaded up and took off at 9:30 AM. Our boat had mixed nationalities, so the tour guide spoke in both English and French. The tour took us under many historical bridges that were centuries old (Bruges has 43 different bridges around its inner circle). Even though it was a canal, it was beautiful with waters lapping up right next to historic buildings and the fragrant smell of flowers wafting down from flower boxes above.

It was a unique way to see the city and learn more about the culture and history. It wasn’t originally high on my list, but I’m really glad we did it.

House of Waffles

Of course, you can’t go to Belgium and not try a Belgian waffle. You won’t have difficulty finding one here, but I wanted the “BEST” waffle. I scoured the internet for months before to find the user-rated best waffles, and the consensus seemed to be Chez Albert, which has three shops, or the House of Waffles. Since House of Waffles was right next to the boat stand, we went with that one.

Tip: Regardless of where you go, waffles are best when they’re freshly made. If you see them serving pre-made waffles out of a warming drawer, either go to another shop or ask for a fresh one.

The shop opened at 10:30, and we arrived around 10:25. There was a line outside waiting, making me think they were good, and I didn’t mind waiting. The doors opened promptly at 10:30, and I was surprised when everyone ran inside to the back and sat down. I just wanted a “walking around waffle.” They opened the takeaway waffle window a minute later, and I was the only one in line.

House of Waffles serves Liège waffles, which are yeasted and thick in texture, closer to a brioche with a crisp crust from caramelized pearl sugar. Watching them prepare them was interesting; they didn’t pour waffle batter into the iron but scooped and spread a thicker paste. Within a few minutes, I had a hot, delicious waffle.

Was it the best waffle I’ve ever had? Yes, actually it was. It was absolutely delicious and hit the spot for a mid-morning snack.

Museum of Torture

Next to the House of Waffles was the Museum of Torture. I’d heard it was interesting, so we thought we’d spend some time there. It also opened at 10:30 and was 9 euros to get in.

The museum was quite impressive for such a small operation. They had a lot of artifacts and recreations from all across the centuries. The signage was very informative, providing a lot of facts and stories. I never realized how institutionalized torture was, especially in the Middle Ages. It was a little depressing to see how humans could be so hurtful to others, but it was also eye-opening.

We spent about 30 minutes at the museum. There was an attached Witchcraft Museum to which you could also get tickets, but we still had beer, chocolate, and fries calling our names.

2be Beer Wall

Belgians aren’t just known for their waffles, but also their beers. While it was just 11 AM at that point and might have been a bit too early for beers, we didn’t have much time in Bruges, so we headed to the 2be Beer Wall.

The 2be Beer Wall is in a historic building from back in 1472. The beer wall itself opened in 2008 and has beers from around Belgium. The walls leading up to the bar are lined with thousands of beer bottles in a permanent display of Belgium’s finest ales.

Once inside, the small space is set up to get guests a beer, so the line moves quickly. They have 16 different Belgian beers on tap and 3 different pre-set flights, or beer tastings, you can choose from. We chose the Local Taster and the Light Taster.

The staff here pour beers at top speed, and within 5 minutes, we had two flights and a little snack. 2be has a great terrace overlooking the canal where you can grab a seat. It has plenty of shade and heaters available for the colder months.

The beers were quite interesting. I always pictured Belgian beers as heavy, strong, but that must have been what I’ve had in the States. Here, they had a large variety of flavors and styles that were all quite good.

Belgian Chocolate Shop at Pralinette

The next stop on the “must do” list of things in Bruges was to get some chocolate. Of course, Belgium is known for its high-quality chocolate (you won’t find Hershey’s here) in beautiful shapes, flavors, and containers.

It wouldn’t be hard to find chocolate here. According to our boat captain, Bruges has over 80 chocolate shops (and only 100 hotels). Every block had several shops set up. For this one, I didn’t bother Googling the best. If there are 80 chocolate shops and one isn’t good, it’s going out of business.

Location was paramount for us, so we picked the nearby Pralinette as they had beautiful window displays. I was surprised the inside of the store didn’t smell like chocolate since they were made on premises.

The counter was filled with exquisitely shaped chocolates and truffles of every possible flavor: mango, passionfruit, even beer. We picked a small box that we could pick ourselves, which cost around $15 and held 12 different chocolates. I was truly overwhelmed by the selection. At the end, as I got to the register, I saw they had samples of the chocolate alone (I probably should have started with that). It had a great bite to it, and you could taste the richness from the cocoa butter.

Belgian Fries at Chez Vincent

At this point, our time in Bruges was wrapping up. It really was a shame we didn’t have more time in the city. My biggest complaint about this itinerary was that the port times were sometimes too short.

Before we headed back, though, I had to try one last Belgian thing: fries. These fries, also called pommes frites, are double-fried, usually in animal fat, and are known for their crisp texture and superior flavor.

In my research, I saw two places mentioned as having the best fries: t Brugsch Friethuys and Chez Vincent. I put it in my Google Maps and we walked that way, only to realize that the two places are the same. I don’t understand it fully. The outside says Chez Vincent, but the inside menu had t Brugsch Friethuys.

It’s a takeaway stand with some tables available outside or upstairs. I ordered a traditional fry and a “Bacon and Cheese” with bacon, cheese, onion, and bacon dressing. The place had quite a backup, and it took about 10 minutes to get the fries, which seemed a bit long. You could see them churning out order after order of these fries, though. While we waited, some fellow Americans complained that each sauce was an extra 1 euro here, even just plain ketchup.

We got our fries and ate them as we made the 17-minute walk back to the bus station. The fries were… okay. While the waffle blew me away, the fries didn’t make the same impression. They were incredibly crisp, flavorful, and a little more potato-like, almost like a steak fry, but it wasn’t significantly different from fries at home. The bacon sauce and cheese worked well with it, but I’m glad I just got the small.

Back to the Bus Station

The city was much more bustling now. The streets were full of life, with tourists everywhere. Usually, people blame cruise ships for all the tourists descending on destinations, but we were the only ship in port that day, and it’s clear almost none of these people were from the ship.

We used Google Maps to get back to the bus station and were in time for the 1 PM bus. We had to wait in line, and since it was unusually warm and sunny that day, we quickly started sweating. Thankfully, it was only about 10 minutes before we could get on the bus and head back. While there, we were literally next to the official cruise ship excursion bus that cost twice the price.

cruise express pickup line — The line to get the bus back to the Cruise Terminal. It was an unusually warm day, and no shade made the wait rough.

Tip: Always compare cruise line excursions to third parties. While there are some benefits from booking through a cruise line, in this case, an extra $30 per person for a nearly identical bus was ridiculous.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Bruges. It was quaint, and the people were very friendly. For a town that is just inundated with tourists, you didn’t feel any resentment like you hear about in Barcelona or Nice. It was a nice little destination for the day, although I wished Celebrity had given us more time.

Pool Deck

The bus dropped us right off in front of the cruise terminal, where it was a short wait to get a shuttle back to the ship. Getting back on took about 10 minutes. The walkway on the ship let us on around the Craft Social bar instead of the more roomy Destination Gateway below. The line wrapped around as people went through the metal detectors and x-ray machines (and seemed to forget how to walk through security).

I noticed, and liked, that you didn’t see a separate entrance for The Retreat guests (Celebrity’s premium suite area). Not once during my cruise did I feel lesser for not being in The Retreat, a stark contrast to Norwegian, whose Haven area has signs everywhere showing that those people are more important than you. I’m sure these guests had benefits I didn’t see, but I liked that. I don’t want it rubbed in my face that I’m not in the “premium” area.

By the time we were back on board, we were hot, so we decided to try out the pool. It was 83 degrees outside, and the sun was out in full force, making it a perfect pool day.

We found a lounger to put our stuff on and went into the pool. It’s funny, the pool doesn’t look that big from pictures, or even while on deck, but once you get in, you realize how long that pool is. It’d be a workout to swim from one end to the other.

This was one of the first times we noticed children on the ship. While we were on the side relaxing, the kids were swimming around, splashing water everywhere. It wasn’t overly annoying, but noticeable. Because Celebrity allows kids but doesn’t overly cater to them, there are probably at least 1,000 fewer kids on board a Celebrity ship compared to Carnival or Royal Caribbean. However, it’s still more than none (compared to Virgin Voyages, which is adult only).

The pool area was oddly quiet with not much music playing, but you could see people out and enjoying the good weather. I don’t think many people expected pool weather on a Norwegian Fjord cruise, so everyone took advantage of it. The water was heated, but only to 72 degrees according to the Captain, so likely it wouldn’t be used a ton after today.

Sunset Bar

After cooling off in the pool, we headed to the Sunset Bar to grab a drink and relax a bit as the Apex started its journey up into the Norwegian Fjords. Located at the back of Deck 15, the Sunset Bar is another example of how the Apex offers amazing views at the venues compared to sister cruise line Royal Caribbean’s ships.

The bar had a variety of couches and chairs overlooking the ship’s wake. The whole back of the ship is taken up by the bar, but the walkway was quite narrow, so this area felt very hard to get through. It was probably the busiest outside bar during the whole cruise.

The menu here is a bit eclectic. I tried the Dill-icious, which ended up being my favorite drink on the ship and one of my favorite cruise cocktails ever. It had such a unique flavor profile with salty and sweet, and a hint of dill. I wouldn’t have expected to like it, but since I had the Premium Drink Package, I thought I’d try it.

After that, I tried the Mediterranean G&T, which was not as good, for sure. It was almost undrinkable, but I wasn’t sure why.

Mediterranean gin and tonic — The Mediterranean Gin and Tonic just didn’t work for me.

See the Sunset Bar menu

After a few hours on the pool deck, it was time for a quick nap before the evening activities.

Eden Bar for Pre-dinner Drinks

After a quick nap from the jam-packed day, I cleaned up and headed to Eden Bar for a pre-dinner drink around 6 PM.

Eden is a unique, three-story space at the back of the ship. I was excited to check out this space, as everyone seemed to enjoy it. In my research on the ship, I couldn’t get a concrete idea of the setup. The pictures, videos, and descriptions just didn’t do it justice.

You enter Eden through Deck 5, after passing through an otherworldly art installation. Eden is a “living” space with lots of green and plants throughout it. It’s easy to see why it doesn’t translate in photos. The space has hanging plants, stairs, and levels that divide it up into a lot of smaller spaces. It’s really had to describe without being there. The best part of the space is that the entire back part is floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the ship’s wake.

You enter at the second of the three levels. The first level is home to the Eden Restaurant, a high-end specialty restaurant. The third level is a seating area accessed either through stairs or a ramp, with plenty of seating that lines the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Learn about the Eden Restaurant

The views from this space were amazing. The sunlight poured in, making the green tones in the space more pronounced. The Eden Bar itself is tucked into a far corner and has fewer than 10 seats, which were all occupied. Instead, we found one of the many comfortable seats around the space. We found a spot along the ramp from Deck 5 to Deck 6. The view was spectacular as we watched (we’d come back to this area several times over the cruise to relax, read a book, or grab a drink).

Within 5 to 10 minutes, a server came over to take our order. Eden’s menu is an eclectic mix of unique drinks you probably wouldn’t find anywhere else. They specialize in earthy and experimental flavors mixed with molecular gastronomy and over-the-top presentation. Almost every drink on this menu is also over the price limit of the Premium Drink Package, which is ridiculous. There shouldn’t be a menu where everything has an upcharge.

We tried The Pea and The Fig. I felt bad for the server. These high-end cocktails are awkward to carry to people over three decks. They’re much more appropriate when they can be served directly to the guest at the bar.

Both drinks were very “earthy” but well balanced. They were certainly unique, but I don’t know if I’d ever order them again.

We enjoyed the view as we sipped on our cocktails and listened to live music, a guitar duo who’d be there most nights. Unfortunately, they were probably one of the worst live bands I’ve seen on a cruise in years, with awkward arrangements and pitchy notes throughout the songs.

See the Eden Bar Menu

Dinner in Tuscan Dining Room

This evening, we decided we wanted to try the Tuscan Dining Room. We didn’t have a reservation, but headed over around 7 PM and checked in. There was only a 3-minute wait before we sat at a table next to the window. I loved how the whole dining room could see through the windows, and it was even better sitting right next to it, watching the ship glide through the ocean as we ate. The restaurant felt very similar to the Cyprus Restaurant we were at the previous night, with just slightly different décor using pops of color and artwork rather than structure and design.

tuscan dining room table — Having a table right next to the window was really nice and provided excellent views as we dined.

As soon as we sat down, our waiter, Alicia, came over and greeted us by name. Shortly after, her assistant waiter, Louisa, and the sommelier, Russel, greeted us. Service was much more attentive and personal than what we had experienced so far, and reminded me of the kind of experience you’d have if you booked a set time dining on another cruise ship and had the same waiter each night. To me, it felt like the gold level of service you should experience on a cruise ship.

Tip: If someone really impresses you with service during your cruise, write down their name, position, and where it was. You’ll receive a survey at the end of the sailing, and you can mention them, which will help get them bonuses and promotions. Of course, cash gratuities are also always appreciated, but you might not have cash on you.

We started with the amazing fresh bread basket, and I ordered the Tuscan Shrimp Soup, a signature dish at the restaurant that someone recommended to me. It was rich and velvety, with sweet, slow-roasted Sorrento tomatoes, savory guanciale, and toasted basil croutons adding a perfect crunch to the tender, flavorful shrimp.

creamy tuscan shrimp soup — The Creamy Tuscan Shrimp Soup was an exclusive at the Tuscan Dining Room available every night. It was amazing.

For my main entrée, quite a few options were appealing, but Alicia highly recommended the special that evening, a Cajun Ahi Tuna. It was just as delicious as the soup and something I probably wouldn’t have ordered normally on land. That’s one thing I love about dining on a cruise ship: you can try things you wouldn’t think of at home.

As we were chatting with the table next to us, Russell kept stopping by, saying “More wine, more fun” and topping up our wine glasses. The conversation and the wine were both free-flowing that night.

This evening’s dinner took an hour and a half, but mostly because we were having fun chatting with the other table and weren’t in a rush.

Overall, the meal really impressed me, both with the quality of food and the level of service.

Crystalize Show in The Theater

After dinner, we headed to The Theater for the main production show called Crystalize. In all my research before the cruise, I read complaints about the Theater filling up and people having problems getting seats. The Theater seats 930 guests, or around 27% of the guests when sailing at full capacity. Because each show only has two times, it means only 50% of guests can see each show.

We arrived at 9 PM for a 9:30 PM show. At that point, we were some of the first and got the fifth row center with no problem. In fact, I saw plenty of seats open until 10 minutes before the show. Getting to a venue 30 minutes before showtime seems entirely acceptable to me, so I’m not sure what everyone online was complaining about.

The Theater itself is impressive. Rather than a traditional stage, it’s a thrust stage — like a theater in the round — but the audience is only on three sides. The fourth side is a massive, high-definition LED screen that spans the entire front of the Theater from floor to ceiling. The space is impressive, with comfortable seats that all have excellent sightlines.

Tip: The Theater doesn’t have a dedicated bar, but a bar cart is stationed at the entrance, and servers circulate through the Theater before the show begins for any orders. No need to bring a drink.

The show had four principal singers, a group of backup dancers, a couple of acrobats, and a violinist. Overall, the Theater was impressive, but the talent felt a bit bland, the definition of “cruise entertainers.” They weren’t bad, but certainly didn’t blow me away. For example, the show had the song Never Enough from The Greatest Showman. I saw that song on Carnival Celebration (follow that blog here), and the singer absolutely blew me away. It was just “okay” for this show, but the singer couldn’t belt it out. Still, the acrobats were impressive, performing stunts with aerial silks and balancing acts that were among what you’d see at Cirque du Soleil.

Overall, the show was good, but it felt behind its sister cruise line, Royal Caribbean. That being said, it might have been this specific show. They carried these fake “crystals” that looked like props from an 80s B-movie, and the songs didn’t flow well. Later in the sailing, I saw a much better production where everyone was much more impressive; it suited the vocalists’ voices better, and the visuals looked more impressive.

Almost Midnight Sun

At this point, it was 10:30 PM, and as we left the Theater, we saw the sun still painting the sky with an array of beautiful colors. We walked out onto the exterior promenade to appreciate the view. It was really hard to be tired or sleepy when it still felt like it was early in the day. Still, having been up since 6 AM, walking 5 miles in Bruges, and losing an hour of sleep the night before, it was time to call it a night.