I just returned from a 7-night European cruise with Celebrity Cruises. This was the first time my husband and I were cruising on a premium cruise line together.
While I have cruised on other Celebrity Edge Class ships before, this was my husband’s first time on Celebrity Cruises! As loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers, we were excited to see what a more luxurious cruise experience would entail.
Celebrity Cruises is the older sister to Royal Caribbean, as both are owned by the same parent company. While Royal Caribbean appeals to families with its affordable cruise fares and action-packed mega-ships, Celebrity Cruises takes a more upscale and refined approach to cruising.
Our itinerary would take us throughout Scandinavia, so we decided to book a Deluxe Porthole Balcony Cabin onboard Celebrity Apex. In particular, we booked cabin 7301 on Deck 7 for $4,200. This included prepaid gratuities, port fees, and taxes, and it was the cheapest balcony cabin available.
It’s not often that I splurge on a balcony cabin. Actually, I typically book the cheapest cabins available for my cruises to save money, which are often interior cabins without windows. However, this cruise was a special one, as my husband recently returned from his latest military deployment. We had always dreamed of visiting the majestic fjords in Norway, and we love escaping the Florida heat in the summer.
Our 7-night cruise visited ports of call in Belgium and Norway while sailing through the fjords on Celebrity Apex. As one of the newest ships in Celebrity’s fleet, Celebrity Apex is an award-winning Edge Class ship with an accessible sense of luxury.
Since this was a more scenic cruise, like Alaska, we knew booking a balcony cabin would be worthwhile. There’s nothing better than enjoying your own private veranda on a cruise while sailing through incredible scenery! Because of its location, this cabin was unlike any other I had previously sailed in.
Here's an overview of my Deluxe Porthole Balcony cabin and whether it's a stateroom I would book again.
The porthole balcony left a positive first impression with its modern and sleek design
My husband and I boarded Celebrity Apex in Southampton, England before setting sail to Norway and Belgium. When we boarded in the late afternoon, our stateroom was available immediately. After a long morning traveling from London to Southampton, we were eager to unpack and settle in our new home away from home.
Upon arrival, our cruise cards were available outside of our stateroom. After seeing the room for the first time, we found the cabin to feature a contemporary and classy design, which my husband was blown away by! His cruising career has taken place primarily on older ships with outdated cabins, so Celebrity Apex's layout and decor were a welcomed change.
The cabin’s decor featured accents of marble throughout the stateroom in both the living space and bathroom; this was my favorite design element of the cabin. We also loved the purple accent colors, which were found on pillows on both the bed and the chase couch, giving the room a more upscale vibe right off the bat.
Other colors prevalent throughout the cabin included hues of grey and white. This brightened the cabin and cultivated a relaxing space for us during the seven nights onboard.
Our cabin measured 201 square feet, which is a typical cabin size for mainstream cruise lines
Our stateroom felt quite spacious when we first arrived. Included in the cabin was a king bed, en suite bathroom, vanity, closet, cooling fridge, closet and private veranda. The chase-style couch was located opposite the cabin’s vanity, while the bed was near the balcony.
I always appreciate additional seating in a cruise cabin, as it makes the space feel more homey. Having additional seating means you can relax without always having to lie in your bed. Throughout the cruise, however, the couch slowly became used as more storage space!
The room also featured a large vanity, which was opposite the couch and adjacent to a small desk area with a full-length mirror. There was a pull-out desk from the vanity with a chair to use, which is a handy feature of the cabin!
This vanity space is where I did my makeup most mornings, as it’s nice to sit while getting ready. The functionality of the desk space was cool, as you could expand the counter for a desk or retract it to unveil the full-length mirror.
On top of the vanity, we were provided an electric tea kettle. This is not a standard amenity when sailing in North America, but the English love their afternoon tea! We didn’t end up using this during our cruise, so it took up counter space. There was also a cooling fridge under the vanity.
We both appreciated the connectivity that was available in the cabin. On the vanity was a charging station with multiple outlets and USB ports. Although I had seen this cabin feature on other Edge Class ships, my husband was particularly enthralled with the available outlets for charging our devices. We also liked that we could close the lid and hide our cords.
While the cabin was beautifully designed, our biggest gripe was the lack of storage
After receiving our checked luggage, we started to unpack, and I quickly realized the cabin lacked ample storage. I prefer unpacking my suitcases regardless of the cruise length. Even on a 4-night cruise, I will unpack my belongings to make the cabin feel more like home. I hate living out of a cluttered suitcase!
Cruise cabins typically include at least one closet, if not two. In addition, you’ll normally find drawers on the vanity and shelving throughout the stateroom. Unfortunately for this trip, I gravely overpacked. I struggled with choosing the best outfits for both warm and cold weather. Along with a roller carry-on, I checked two 50-pound suitcases filled with potential cruise clothes.
As my husband and I started to unpack, it became clear that we would need to be strategic with storage. My husband took about one-third of the closet’s hangers and used two of the smaller drawers under the cabin’s safe. He also used one of the drawers on the vanity. While they were quite long, the drawers weren’t very deep.
There was also a hidden shelf in the corner of the room between the closet and the bathroom. I would have appreciated it if the space above the abstract artwork was also available for storage.
I unpacked all of my outfits, and it was a very tight squeeze. Had I packed any additional clothes, it truly would not have fit. We put all of our suitcases under the bed luckily, so this saved space. The drawers were jam-packed and some struggled to close fully. The space above the vanity was entirely desolate, which would have been the perfect place for one or two floating shelves. This can really help with keeping the vanity uncluttered as well.
My husband also noted how our cabin lacked any hooks near the door. Most modern cabins include a few hooks to hang things on the wall. Since we had packed coats for the chilly Norway weather, we had to cram our coats into the back of the closet.
After unpacking, we started enjoying our deluxe porthole balcony during sail away
While I normally partake in the top-deck sailaway party on a cruise, we decided to enjoy the sail away from the privacy of our balcony as we departed from Southampton. This is the beauty of having your own balcony - you don’t have to leave your cabin to see the views.
I didn’t know what to expect from this porthole balcony when we booked the cruise. I have cruised in porthole cabins and balcony staterooms, but never a combination of the two. In fact, there are only a few of these deluxe porthole balcony cabins available to book on Edge Class ships. The cabins are located at the front and back of the ship.
After a few bad guarantee cabin experiences with undesirable locations, my husband decided we wouldn’t be booking guaranteed cabins anymore. Considering this porthole balcony was the cheapest balcony available - and it was in a great location surrounded by cabins - it was the perfect choice for our budget and needs.
Our cabin was located towards the aft of the ship, near the multi-story Eden venue. I strategically picked this location because it was above and below stateroom decks, as I hoped it would be quiet. Because there are late-night shows and dances in Eden, I specifically chose to be further away from this venue.
In general, our cabin was extremely quiet, likely because of the more subdued crowd onboard. I could very faintly hear the music playing a few nights during the cruise, but it was nothing the white noise couldn’t drown out.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the deluxe porthole balcony! Unlike infinite veranda staterooms, we had a traditional sliding door that opened to the balcony space.
However, unlike regular cruise balconies, ours had a large porthole cutout. Instead of having open air above the balcony, the deluxe porthole balcony was enclosed with a ceiling. In this way, we weren’t entirely exposed like a traditional balcony. While this could be a negative aspect of the balcony, we actually loved it! The enclosure made our veranda feel even more private. We couldn’t see anyone else around us and no one could see into our balcony.
Out on the balcony, we were provided two chairs and one table to use. I’d argue this balcony was smaller than a traditional balcony or infinite veranda, although it was apparently 40 square feet. We didn’t have much room other than for the two of us to sit in the chairs, but the space was plenty for us.
As we sailed through the fjords, we would sit on our balcony to take in the sights. It was absolutely worth the splurge to have our own balcony on this cruise considering how scenic it was. I’ll never forget sailing under the Bergen Bridge as we departed our last port of call!
Another element of the stateroom that we appreciated was the well-designed bathroom
This cabin was home to one of the best standard bathrooms I’ve ever had on a cruise ship! Unlike smaller and older ships, there was ample space allocated for the bathroom. The counter was expansive with shelving on both sides of the sink for us to use. My husband used one side of the shelving and I used the other. There was also shelving under the sink, which we didn't need to use.
We especially loved the large, marble-tiled shower. Considering we normally cruise on older ships with uncomfortably small showers, this shower felt ultra-luxurious. Since my husband is 6’4, and I am nearly 6’0 as well, having so much space in the shower was a welcomed change.
Celebrity Cruises also provided three products for us to use in the shower. Although I had packed my own body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, it was great having all three of these provided for us.
Most cruise lines only provide one shower product, maybe two if you're lucky. We were also given hand lotion on the sink counter, which was essential to keep the skin hydrated with the cool Norwegian air. This is one of the perks of booking a premium cruise line!
There were many examples of thoughtful design touches in our cabin, including the dim light that illuminated the bathroom floor in the cabin throughout the night. This meant I didn’t need to worry about tripping or navigating the bathroom in the middle of the night!
Overall, the bathroom was a home run for us in terms of design and functionality. I wish all cruise cabins had bathrooms as nice!
Throughout the cruise, we also noticed how comfortable the king bed was
One of the selling points for booking a cabin on an Edge Class ship is having a true king-sized bed to sleep in. Sometimes, cabins push together two twin-size beds to create a pseudo-king bed, but this wasn’t the case in our cabin, and we greatly appreciated it!
My husband and I sleep on a king-size bed at home, and we are very particular about bed size when traveling. We will opt for two twin beds before we have to share anything smaller than a king bed! We simply won't settle for a queen or double-size bed.
So, we were ecstatic that our cabin featured a true king bed, giving us so much room to comfortably sleep. The bedding was noticeably softer than Royal Caribbean’s bedding as well. For the seven nights onboard, we slept great each night.
Also, the cabin’s temperature control was noticeably better than the infinite verandas I’ve stayed in before. We like to sleep in a chilly sub-70-degree bedroom at home. With this in mind, I found our cabin to have more than sufficient temperature control. Our room was cold each night, just as we like it!
Moreover, each side of the bed featured two nightstands, which looked like three cubes stacked atop one another. We each had our own small lamp to use in the evenings, which could not be moved from the nightstands.
My bedside featured two USB plugs and one outlet for charging devices. I keep my phone at my bedside, so having an outlet available is crucial for me! We also sleep with a portable sound machine, which needs to be plugged in throughout the night.
However, my husband’s side of the bed did not have any outlets or plugs to use for charging. This was disappointing for him. He had the obligatory stateroom phone on his side of the bed. Luckily, he had a heavy-duty portable charger that he used in the night to keep his phone charged at his bedside.
Opposite the bed was a large flat-screen TV for us. We normally don’t watch much TV when cruising, but we were surprised to see a Chromecast option towards the end of the sailing.
My husband figured out how to stream video from his phone directly to the TV. On the last sea day, we watched two episodes of our favorite show: Amazing Race! This was such a handy feature and one we might have used earlier in the cruise had we known it existed.
Although storage was lacking in our cabin, we would book this stateroom again for future cruises
Considering this was the cheapest balcony available on our Celebrity cruise, we were very pleased with the stateroom. The modern design, spacious bathroom, comfortable king bed, and privacy of the porthole balcony were some of our favorite aspects of the cabin.
My husband and I agreed the porthole balcony was the biggest highlight of the stateroom. There’s nothing better than watching the views from the comfort of your own private balcony during a cruise. The porthole created a sense of privacy for us as well, something we really appreciated.
On the other hand, the balcony stateroom lacked ample storage for my husband and me to unpack. The lack of storage, coupled with my overpacking situation, made for a tight squeeze. The drawers were so full that they struggled to open for me! I am grateful my husband packed less than I did because I certainly used up enough space for both of us.
More storage above the vanity, such as floating shelves, could have alleviated this issue slightly. In addition, adding hooks near the doorway would have allowed us to hang up our jackets.
I regretted not packing my magnetic hooks for this cruise - it would have been a lifesaver! These would have allowed us to hang up jackets, scarves, hats, and more on our walls. I highly recommend packing magnetic hooks for your Edge Class cruise with Celebrity. Next time I sail on the same ship class, I am definitely planning to bring magnetic hooks - and will aim to pack less.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
