Experiencing Two Ships Cruising Around the Mediterranean

I recently had the privilege of going on two cruises to Greece, one right after the other. Celebrity Apex was the first cruise, and Azamara Quest was the second.

The Brand New Celebrity Apex

My 35-year-old daughter, Katie Levent, Vice President of Elite Travel, traveled with me. Our itinerary included Croatia, Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes. While built to accommodate more than 3500 passengers, there were only a little over 500 guests onboard so it felt as though we were on our own personal cruise.

All passengers MUST be vaccinated before boarding the ship. We had to get our paperwork ready for Greek authorities, which was a simple process. We first needed to get vaccinated, which for me wasn’t an issue. For Katie, it was a process of communication and negotiating. As soon as we arrived for our scheduled appointment, we were sent to a location to get our COVID test done. The testing was done in an expedited manner so we soon got our results and boarded.

If you’re already vaccinated, no COVID test is required to enter Greece. Before entering, everyone is required to first fill in the Passenger Locator Form, and no later than the day before arrival. The Form requires detailed information on passengers’ departure location, the duration of previous stays in other countries, and the address of their stay while in Greece.

We arrived in Athens and had a great time during our pre-night hotel stay. No one was talking about COVID. While mask-wearing is still mandated everywhere, it’s as though people have now made dealing with the pandemic a part of their life. Lots of restaurants were open, and some bars stayed open until 2:00 a.m. Nothing really looked different than pre-pandemic times. We’re now in a stage where it’s necessary to simply deal with it.

Once we boarded the ship we were impressed. Celebrity Apex is new, massive and gorgeous! The food, service and cleanliness were all great and on point. But the lack of guests onboard meant the entertainment venue was always empty. Maybe they should have cut down on some options so the ship would have been fuller? We did make the effort to check out some events but often found absolutely no one there.

I liked that they built hand-washing stations in a way that required guests to first wash their hands before coming into the buffet line. And it wasn’t just a sanitizer station; it allowed guests to thoroughly wash their hands. As we went around the buffet line there was always someone there to serve the food vs. guests serving themselves.

We were a bit disappointed with the itinerary as we were supposed to go to two ports in Israel. Understandably it had to change. However, we expected they would give us another destination, but instead they changed it from two port visits to only one, so we ended up with an extra sea day.

Also, when we went to Mykonos, they wouldn’t allow us to get off the ship unless we purchased their tour package, so we were mandated to purchase theirs, or we couldn’t go explore Mykonos. Not a rule by Mykonos but by the cruise line. So we only got to visit three ports instead of at least five. The ports that we did go to we really enjoyed and had lots of time to explore. Good thing we like doing our own thing as this is sometimes the best way for travelers to see even more at each destination.

Celebrity Apex offers an app that makes it easy to download paperwork. Whenever we needed access to our paperwork it was right there in the app.

Azamara Quest

Our Azamara itinerary was very similar to the Celebrity itinerary and had the same COVID vaccination requirements. The ports of call were Cyprus, Mykonos, Santorini, Crete and Rhodes. The cruise felt very intimate as it’s built to accommodate 694 passengers, and there were only about 200 guests in total. At times I felt as though I was on my own personal yacht.

I called it the Little Titanic because of the ambiance, the ornate detail of the staircase, the woodwork, etc. Every detail made this cruise feel warm and cozy. And the staff was beyond words! I can truly say this was the best service we’ve ever received, on land or by sea. At first, I thought maybe it’s because there were only 200 passengers. But the more we talked to the staff and watched them work, the more I understood that excellent service is what makes this cruise so unique. We felt as though we were always the only ones on the cruise as we were being attended to so much.

I enjoyed cruising on this smaller ship, especially because it’s hard to get lost. I also enjoyed the balcony that allowed me to get fresh air whenever I wanted. I spent a lot of time on our balcony, even in the middle of the night. When we went to eat at the restaurants there were always sanitation stations. Buffet servers served us amazing food, including lobster, filet mignon and lamb. Love that we didn’t have to pay extra to enjoy the perks of eating at a specialty restaurant. Since it was a bit quiet when we were out at sea, I would’ve liked more entertainment while we were lounging by the pool deck.

Comparing Cruise Ships

Katie and I had two different experiences during our back-to-back cruise ship excursion. Katie liked Celebrity more as she was out every night enjoying herself, and I enjoyed the relaxation that Azamara offers since I’m always running around. We did both agree that we enjoyed spending time at the ports.

Mykonos – Celebrity wouldn’t let us get off the ship unless we purchased their tour package so we couldn’t go explore. Azamara let us off the ship, and we headed straight to the beach. We then took a local bus so we could do a little shopping. We always felt completely safe from crime and most of all from COVID. It ended up being one of our best days.

Santorini – Both ships had to tender. Both ships required us to take a gondola lift. You have to pay six euros per person each way. When we visited Santorini during our Celebrity cruise, we really took our time so we spent the day at Oia. It was gorgeous! It was the only area that got a bit congested later on during sunset, and it’s the only place we felt there were too many people not caring about wearing masks. When we visited again during our Azamara cruise, we decided to take our own catamaran cruise, and honestly, it was the highlight of our trip. If they would offer this excursion, it would be their top seller. A small group of 12 of us (normally accommodating 24) cruised around the entire island of Santorini, snorkeling and swimming along the way. BBQ with drinks on board ended this perfect day.

Rhodes and Crete were also amazing. We made sure to respect the restrictions in these two port locations. During our travels within Rhodes and Crete, there was only one time we were asked to show our vaccination cards and that was to see caves in Crete. Of course, we had them with us. Other than that, we did not have to show them anywhere else while exploring these two gorgeous Greek islands.

Both cruises made sure we had our COVID test on the day before we disembarked, which was easy and painless. During the Celebrity cruise, there was only one vaccinated passenger who tested positive for COVID. No passengers tested positive for COVID during our Azamara cruise.

As you can see, I feel comfortable traveling right now and enjoy sharing my traveling experiences with both my clients and fellow travel agents. I had a fabulous time traveling with my daughter during these two cruise voyages and did not want to come back. We need to lead the world by example… so start traveling!

For the latest insights on travel to Greece, check out the guide below: