Celebrity Apex Iceland cruise

For my big birthday, I wanted to sample the delights of Iceland and as it happened the cruise on Apex fitted perfectly with our plans. So after months of waiting, the day finally came to drive over to Southampton Docks and board our 11 night voyage. I booked a concierge grade cabin and the basic drinks & wifi package. The cabin was on deck 9, high enough for us, and came with a balcony that had an electric window that went down half way to let that lovely fresh sea air in. It was actually more an extention to the room than a balcony as such. Our first day was a leisurely cruise down the Channel past Cornwall and across the sea to Cork. I was blessed with fine weather that day, allowing full exploration of the ship's facilities inside and out. We had a " visitor ", in the form of a Royal Navy helicopter doing some fly-by's ! I have been to Cork before, so wan't that fussed about booking tours plus the weather was, well what Southern Ireland does. Instead, a stroll up into the town was sufficient. A 2 day cruise of the North Atlantic followed, and to be honest it was smoother than I expected, no doubt the ship's stabilisers and electronic wizardry combating efficiently with what swell there was. So on the 5th day of our cruise, the ship docked at Reykjavik port and it was time to enjoy our first excursion, The Grand Golden Circle Tour. There was a slight delay whilst correct coaches were sorted out for those of us on this tour. We had a very knowledgable english gentleman guiding us, and the first thing that I found really surprising about Iceland was that it was greener than I expected, plus the flowers there. Blue Lupins ! Acres of wild lupins creating a blue hue on the hillsides. They seem to have spread uncontrollably throughout the country. A lunch stop was made to witness the Stokkur geyser do it’s regular eruptions. It was a lovely excursion around central Iceland, returning to the ship early evening revealed the next surprise - traffic jams akin to any modern city ! The ship sailed onwards round SW Iceland to our next port, Isafjordur which lies down a fjord. This is a delightful walkable little town, the main one in this more remote part of the country. The hiking trails stretching out of the town were great for treks and views of the ship and town, with blue lupins en masse all around. They somehow do very well in Iceland's chilly climate. Next it was over to Akureyri, Iceland main town in the north. Here we booked the Spectacular Godafoss waterfalls tour, and it didn't disappoint. I also had the obligatory Icelandic sulphur hot pool experience on this excursion. With excursion coaches waiting in the morning and the ship ready to sail when I returned, there wasn’t a chance to go into Akureyri, it looked a pleasant enough town and walkable from the ship’s berth. Another sea day followed before our final port of call, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, a first time visit for me. I had the Ancient Treasures of Orkney excursion booked, the tour giving a pretty good overall insight into Orkney’s past, with visits to Yesnaby, Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar, and the stones of Stenness, all with a lovely knowledgeable guide. The last full day was another sea day, and with the weather getting warmer as I was heading south down the North Sea, a chance to relax up on the ship’s decks and take in the sea air. The straights of Dover were passed late in the evening and I woke up on the last morning to find the ship already docked back in Southampton. So my verdict on Apex ? Overall excellent, facilities and food top notch, although I didn’t try the speciality restaurants as being too expensive plus the food was great anyway. The magic carpet that goes up & down outside was only ever used as a bar during my voyage and only moved when the ship’s crew did some external cleaning. There were no tenders used on this cruise as the ship docked quayside everywhere. I’d happily take another Celebrity cruise on Apex or her sister vessels.