Cruise Spotlight
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Celebrity Apex vs Celebrity Equinox
The Celebrity Apex was built in 2020. The Celebrity Apex features the "Magic Carpet," a moving platform that makes using water tenders a breeze while in port, or adds outdoor dining space while at sea. This Edge-class of ship is known to feel quite different than the rest of the Celebrity fleet as it's less geared towards traditional cruise passengers. It's 11 years newer than the Equinox, which was built in 2009 and renovated in 2019.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Apex is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,004 feet long and 128 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the Celebrity Equinox, the Apex is 6% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Apex holds about the same number of passengers as the Equinox based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Apex has more space per person compared to the Equinox. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Celebrity Apex | Celebrity Equinox | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Edge | Solstice |
| Gross Tonnage | 129,500 | 122,000 |
| Length | 1,004 | 1,033 |
| Beam/Width | 128 | 121 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 13 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,910 | 2,852 |
| Crew | 1,319 | 1,290 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 45 | 43 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Apex has eighteen different dining options like Luminae, Eden Cafe, and Magic Carpet. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.
The Equinox has eight fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sushi on Five, Main Dining Room, and Le Petit Chef at Qsine. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Apex might be a better choice. It has 80% more dining options than the Equinox.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Celebrity Apex & Equinox
| Restaurant | Celebrity Apex |
Celebrity Equinox |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaSpa Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cosmopolitan Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Cyprus Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Eden Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Mast Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Normandie Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Oceanview Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spa Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Raw on 5 | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Blu | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dinner on the Edge | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Eden Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Fine Cut Steakhouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Grand Bistro | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef and Family | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef at Qsine | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Luminae | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Magic Carpet | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Murano | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Rooftop Garden Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sushi on Five | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Grille | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Celebrity Apex has a total of 3 pools and 4 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 1 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
The Celebrity Equinox has the same number of pools as the Apex and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Equinox. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Apex.| Celebrity Apex | Celebrity Equinox | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On both ships, 67% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Celebrity Apex | Celebrity Equinox | |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eden Entertainment Space | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hot Glass Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lawn Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rooftop Garden | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Celebrity is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Celebrity Apex will likely be more expensive than on Celebrity Equinox.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Celebrity ship.
| Celebrity | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% |
| Soda Price | $4.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 |
| Drink Package Price | $65 - $95 |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.
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