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Celebrity Apex vs Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
The Celebrity Apex was built in 2020. It was renovated in 2025. 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 2 years newer than the Symphony of the Seas, which was built in 2018.
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 Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas, the Apex is 43% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Apex holds 47% fewer passengers than the Symphony of the Seas 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 Symphony of the Seas. 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.
The Symphony of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Celebrity Apex | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Edge | Oasis |
| Gross Tonnage | 129,500 | 228,081 |
| Length | 1,004 | 1,188 |
| Beam/Width | 128 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,910 | 5,518 |
| Crew | 1,319 | 2,200 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 45 | 41 |
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 Rooftop Garden Grill, Luminae, and Le Grand Bistro. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.
The Symphony of the Seas has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cafe Promenade, Wonderland, and El Loco Fresh. fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Symphony of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 17% more dining options than the Apex.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Apex might be a better choice then the Symphony of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Celebrity Apex | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 18 | 21 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 14 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 10 | 14 |
| % of Included Options | 44% | 33% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Celebrity Apex has 10 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas. The Apex has 10 bars like Cafe al Bacio, Craft Social and Martini Bar. On Apex, you can grab a drink at 20 different bars such as Playmakers, Suite Sun Deck Bar and Vintages.
| Celebrity Apex | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •Cafe al Bacio • Craft Social • Eden Bar • Il Secondo Bacio • Magic Carpet Bar • Martini Bar • Pool Bar • Sunset bar • The Club • The Retreat Pool Bar | •Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • Dazzles • English Pub • Mast Bar • On Air Club • Playmakers • Pool Bar • Rising Tide Bar • Sand Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Attic • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout Bar • Wonderland |
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. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Apex and the Symphony of the Seas below.
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.
Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas has more pools than the Apex and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Symphony of the Seas. 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 | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
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. You might up paying more while on board the Apex. Only 67% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Symphony of the Seas, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Celebrity Apex | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bionic Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Eden Entertainment Space | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rooftop Garden | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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.
Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
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 compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Celebrity Apex | Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $4.00 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $55 - $99 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $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.
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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