Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Celebrity Ascent vs Celebrity Apex
The Celebrity Ascent is a fairly new ship, being built in 2023. The Celebrity Ascent features many of the new additions seen on the Celebrity Beyond including more outdoor space, a more grand central atrium, and an improved Rooftop Garden. It's 3 years newer than the Apex, which 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.
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 Ascent is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,073 feet long and 128 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. The Ascent and the Apex are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Ascent holds 12% more passengers than the Apex based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Ascent has less space per person compared to the Apex.
| Celebrity Ascent | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Edge | Edge |
| Gross Tonnage | 140,600 | 129,500 |
| Length | 1,073 | 1,004 |
| Beam/Width | 128 | 128 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,260 | 2,910 |
| Crew | 1,416 | 1,319 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 43 | 45 |
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 Ascent has 19 different dining options like Blu, Eden Cafe, and Fine Cut Steakhouse. Of those options, 8 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 11 options have an additional fee.
The Apex has 1 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Blu, Raw on 5, and Spa Cafe. 8 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 10 have an additional fee.
The Celebrity Ascent has about the same number of dining options as the Celebrity Apex.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Celebrity Ascent & Apex
| Celebrity Ascent | Celebrity Apex | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Blu | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cosmopolitan Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cyprus Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dinner on the Edge | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fine Cut Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Grand Bistro | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef and Family | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Voyage | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Luminae | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Magic Carpet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Mast Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Normandie Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Oceanview Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Raw on 5 | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Rooftop Garden Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spa Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | 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 problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Celebrity Ascent has a total of 5 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 1 of the pools and 2 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.
Celebrity Apex has fewer pools than the Ascent and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Apex. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
| Celebrity Ascent | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 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 Ascent | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eden Entertainment Space | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Ascent will likely be more expensive than on Celebrity Apex.
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 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $6.00 |
| Drink Package Price | $69 |
| Internet Plan | $20 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 gratuities 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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