Two cruises within a fortnight: Here's how the experiences have varied during the industry's resurgence

On June 19, I embarked on Celebrity Cruises' latest vessel, Celebrity Apex, for its inaugural revenue voyage. The ship made its debut last year with little excitement due to the pandemic. Precisely a week before this trip, I exited Celebrity Millennium, which was the first significant ship to welcome Americans onboard in over 15 months.

Only a day into my Apex journey, I've already observed numerous differences compared to my Millennium cruise – and it’s not just about the ship's size, age, or itinerary (though those play a role as well).

In this recap, I'll highlight some of the main differences to assist travelers in recognizing that their experiences can -- and will -- vary by sailing, vessel, and route.

Variations between the sailings

Mask usage

A significant distinction between these two voyages was their itineraries. What may not be apparent is that these itineraries -- especially the embarkation ports -- have a direct impact on whether passengers are required to wear masks.

Vaccinated guests were not required to wear masks aboard Celebrity Millennium departing from St. Maarten. In contrast, we must keep them on during our Celebrity Apex voyage from Greece. The only times we can remove them are in our cabins, at the pool, and while eating or drinking. Restaurants provide disposable paper bags for us to store our masks while dining, rather than placing them on the table.

When asked about the mask regulations in place despite the majority of the ship being fully vaccinated, Ewen Laing, the traveling service excellence director for Celebrity Cruises, explained, "We want to respect the government [of Greece] that has graciously allowed us to sail." This means that Greece's regulations are applicable for the entire voyage, even when the ship is in international waters.

Testing

For my embarkation on Celebrity Millennium, I had to present a negative PCR test taken within the last 72 hours. However, for Celebrity Apex, there was no such requirement; instead, all passengers underwent antigen testing at the port.

They informed us that the results should take around 15 minutes, but mine took a full hour. The temporary testing facility set up in an outdoor tent can become quite uncomfortable in the Greek heat, particularly when it's packed with people.

Boarding the Millennium was a notably smoother experience. I was on the ship roughly 10 minutes after my arrival. In contrast, the embarkation process for Apex took me about 90 minutes.

Social distancing

Apex is filled with social distancing signs, while they are present on Millennium as well, they are not as numerous. On Millennium, there were no reminders for passengers to maintain space or limits on the number of people in an elevator.

"We aren't here to enforce rules," Laing remarked. "But we must adhere to the protocols, of course."

Shore excursions

In addition to mask mandates, individual ports also decide if passengers must participate in ship-sponsored excursions to go ashore. Among the three destinations we visited on Millennium, only Barbados had this requirement. On Apex, there are no restrictions on our ability to explore the ports.

Apex offers significantly more tour options compared to Millennium. The choices on Apex span multiple pages, whereas Millennium had only about five options at each port.

Reservations

Even with the ship's limited capacity, Celebrity Millennium did not require reservations for most activities. However, we found that on Celebrity Apex, passengers must book appointments to access the onboard fitness center, despite the small number of guests.

Luckily, passengers do not require tickets for evening shows on either vessel.

Crew-to-passenger ratio

Celebrity Apex can accommodate 700 more passengers than Celebrity Millennium. During these voyages, both ships were operating at less than half capacity. Millennium had around 600 passengers and 700 crew members, while Apex had approximately 700 passengers and 900 crew members.

This means guests are receiving exceptionally attentive service, and I haven't encountered any queues anywhere.

What we've observed elsewhere

Gene Sloan, TPG's senior cruise reporter, just finished a voyage on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, marking the line's first sailing with U.S. passengers in over a year. He observed that vaccines were necessary, but masks were not required.

In under a week, Celebrity Edge will be the first cruise ship to depart from a U.S. port since the industry shutdown in March 2020. Laing mentioned that he currently does not anticipate passengers needing to wear masks onboard when the ship leaves Fort Lauderdale on June 26. However, he emphasized that nothing is finalized, and requirements are subject to daily changes.

Following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' announcement that businesses cannot require vaccination for service, it remains uncertain whether Celebrity and other lines will mandate proof of vaccination for boarding. As things stand, cruise lines will face significant fines if they request such proof.

Celebrity Cruises officials have indicated they fully anticipate reaching some agreement prior to June 26. In the meantime, neither Celebrity nor Royal Caribbean International will require proof of vaccination from cruisers. However, those who choose not to disclose their vaccination status will need to wear masks and adhere to additional precautions during sailings from Florida.

Royal Caribbean has taken this a step further by announcing it will provide two distinct onboard experiences for passengers who can verify their vaccination status and those who cannot.

On the other hand, Norwegian Cruise Line maintains its requirement for 100% vaccination among passengers, while Carnival has reversed its previous position of not requiring vaccinations.

Bottom line

It's crucial to remember that these regulations are primarily determined by the ports the ships visit. Testing, mask mandates, and compulsory ship-sponsored excursions are dictated by the regulations of the countries where the ports are situated.

A smart approach to understand the rules for your cruise is to visit the official government websites for your destinations. These sites will inform you about necessary actions such as obtaining a test, providing vaccination proof, and filling out a health form to enter a foreign embarkation port. Additionally, this information will give you insights into whether measures like social distancing and mask-wearing will be mandatory on board.

The main takeaway here is that no two cruises are identical, especially at this moment, so passengers should be ready to adapt. Local laws and guidelines are constantly evolving as countries reopen, meaning the regulations for one cruise may differ significantly from those of future voyages.