Celebrity Apex

Like her sister Edge, Apex has one very large main pool, with loungers set right in the water, a ledge for dipping your toes and tiered loungers facing the sea. Two champagne-glass hot tubs sit on pedestals above the deck, and a big LED panel turns it into a party space at night. Rentable cabanas (extra cost) sit just behind, and the Mast Grill serves burgers, hot dogs and soft-serve. A walking and jogging track loops across several decks.

The Magic Carpet is the orange platform cantilevered off the side of the ship, and it moves between decks. Up by the pool it's an open-air bar with sofas, high-top tables and wraparound views, covered overhead for shade. On Deck 5 it becomes an outdoor dining space just outside Raw on 5, lit by big glowing orbs. On tender days it drops to Destination Gateway, which makes getting on and off the ship far easier than traditional tendering.

The Rooftop Garden is meant to feel like your own backyard, with live plants, sculptures, shade structures and a bandstand, plus a big screen for movies and entertainment under the stars. Seating ranges from cozy spots for two to larger areas for groups. Just aft, the Sunset Bar wraps the back of Deck 15 with murals, high-top tables and seats that look straight out at the wake. It's one of the best spots on board for sail away and an evening cocktail.

The Retreat is Celebrity's ship-within-a-ship for guests in Sky Suites and above. The Retreat Sundeck has daybeds, a pool with swings, a hot tub, rocking chairs up front and its own bar and lunch spot. The Retreat Lounge, which added a full bar on Apex, serves breakfast and light bites, with a concierge desk and Retreat hosts. Luminae serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dishes from Daniel Boulud. Edge Villas open straight onto the sundeck.

The Spa on Apex is built around Celebrity's wellness concept, with a barber shop, a salon, a relaxation lounge facing the sea, a Medi-Spa and treatment rooms for massages, facials and wraps, including a double room for couples. The thermal suite has hot stone loungers, a Himalayan salt room, an aroma steam room, a hammam, experience showers, zero-gravity loungers, a crystal room and a forward-facing infrared sauna. Access is included for AquaClass guests, and anyone else can buy a pass.

Eden spans three decks at the back of the ship, wrapped in more than 7,000 square feet of glass and filled with living plants. By day it hosts trivia and activities. At night the dance floor, live music and handcrafted cocktails, some presented in a smoke-filled box, take over. Eden Café serves salads, soups, paninis and coffee, and Eden Restaurant (extra cost) offers a creative, globally inspired menu from an open kitchen, with tables looking out at the wake.

The Grand Plaza is a three-level space at the center of the ship, with coffee in the morning and live music, a DJ and dancing at night. The Martini Bar sits at its heart, with flair shows each evening. Around it are Café al Bacio, Le Grand Bistro (Le Petit Chef at dinner), Raw on 5 for sushi, sashimi and a lobster roll, and Fine Cut Steakhouse, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Specialty restaurants are an extra cost.

Instead of one big dining room, Apex has four complimentary main restaurants: Cosmopolitan (New York style, with a wine wall), Cyprus (Mediterranean, honoring Celebrity's Greek heritage), Tuscan (Italian, with handmade pastas) and Normandie (French, with artifacts from the SS Normandie). They share core dishes and a rotating menu, and each adds its own signatures. The Oceanview Café adds a casual buffet with a bakery, pizzeria, carvery, Indian dishes and a fromagerie.