Celebrity Apex Cabins to Avoid (and Which Decks to Target)

Celebrity Apex cabin choice starts with the balcony design, followed by the view and neighboring public spaces.

Infinite Verandas, partial views and Magic Carpet structures deserve a closer look before paying for a premium category.

Choose the veranda design before the deck

If you have never sailed an Edge-class ship, this is the cabin detail to sort out before worrying about deck numbers. An Infinite Veranda is not a traditional balcony with a door you walk through to a separate outdoor space.

Instead, the end of the room becomes a bright enclosed sitting area with a large exterior window that lowers. Close the folding doors and it can feel more balcony-like, but it is still part of the cabin rather than a permanently separate terrace.

Some people absolutely love that setup because it gives them more usable indoor room, protection from wind, and a big wall of glass. Other people book it expecting the ritual of stepping outside with coffee, closing the balcony door behind them, and sitting in completely open air.

If you are in that second group, avoid choosing an Infinite Veranda just because the cabin looks newer or the price is good. Celebrity also sells Porthole Verandas and Sunset Verandas with a more traditional step-out balcony experience.

This is less about one category being better and more about avoiding a very expensive “wait, this is the balcony?” moment on embarkation day. Pick the window style first, then compare the location.

Partial-view E3 and C3 rooms need a real price break

Celebrity currently identifies E3 as an Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda (Partial View) and C3 as Concierge Class (Partial View). Those labels matter because you are knowingly buying a view compromise, even though the room itself may be otherwise identical to a clearer-view cabin nearby.

The obstruction is not always a wall directly in front of the glass. Depending on the room, lifeboats, davits, hull structure, or the ship’s exterior geometry can interfere with the view down or to one side while still leaving plenty of daylight and open water ahead.

That can be a great deal if the discount is meaningful and you mostly want a bright room. Be much less excited if the fare is only a little below a clear-view E1/E2 or Concierge room and you are booking specifically to watch the sea from bed.

Before paying, compare your exact room on Celebrity’s deck plan and look for the obstruction symbol. A photo from the actual cabin is even better because “partial” can feel very different from one position to another.

Deck 6 can be convenient and a little too convenient

Deck 6 is not a blanket “avoid” deck, but check it more carefully if you are the person who goes to bed while everyone else is still ordering another drink. The public spaces around it change as you move from bow to stern.

The Theatre is forward, Grand Plaza and The Club are around the middle, and Eden is aft. That means a Deck 6 cabin beside one area can have a completely different nighttime feel from a cabin at the other end of the ship.

If you are a night owl, being close to those venues can actually be fantastic. You can finish a show or a late drink and be back in the room in minutes.

If you are a light sleeper, compare the same cabin style on Deck 7, 8, 9, or 10 where the immediate neighbors are more cabin. You do not need to flee Deck 6, but there is no reason to volunteer for a public-space boundary when a similar room sits in a quieter stack.

This is also where to take care with guarantees. If you know you would be unhappy beside an active venue, choosing your exact room is worth more than saving a little and hoping the assignment lands somewhere quiet.

Deck 12 is directly under the resort deck

Apex skips Deck 13, so the cabins on Deck 12 sit right below Deck 14. That upper deck holds the pool, Solarium, spa and fitness areas, Mast Grill, Rooftop Garden, and other public spaces.

The important part is that the space above the cabin changes as you move along the ship. A cabin below one of the quieter structural areas is not the same bet as one below outdoor seating, pool activity, or a food-service route.

If you sleep through anything and love being one flight from the pool, Deck 12 can be a really convenient choice. If chair movement or early setup wakes you, start on Deck 9 or 10 and only move up if the location advantage is something you will actually use every day.

Do not pay extra just because a cabin is higher. On Apex, a lower room surrounded by other cabins can be the more luxurious choice at 7 a.m.

Magic Carpet Sky Suites need a side-view check

The Magic Carpet is one of Apex’s signature features, and its support structure runs along the starboard exterior. That is why it pays to look at the exact outlook before booking a Magic Carpet Sky Suite or another room close to that structure.

You are still getting a real suite and Retreat benefits. What the suite label does not do is magically remove the steel and machinery that are part of the ship’s exterior on that side.

If the view from the balcony is a huge part of why you are spending suite money, compare a regular Sky Suite away from the Magic Carpet structure. If the suite location, extra space, and Retreat access matter more than a perfectly clean side view, the Magic Carpet version can still make complete sense.

Sunset Verandas are wonderful, but the aft location is the trade

Sunset Verandas are one of my favorite Apex comparisons for anyone who wants a true balcony. They face aft, give you that wake view, and avoid the Infinite Veranda question completely.

The catch is the location. You are at the back of a 1,000-foot ship, so trips to forward venues are longer, and anyone very sensitive to motion or docking vibration may prefer a more central room.

That is not a reason to avoid them. It is just one of those cabins to book because you specifically want the aft experience, not because “Sunset” sounds like an automatic upgrade.

If you spend a lot of time on your balcony and love watching the wake, the extra walking is easy to forgive. If you are constantly running between the room, Solarium, theater, and spa, a midship veranda may make the whole week easier.

Connecting cabins are only a perk when you need the door

Apex has a lot of clever connecting-room options, which is wonderful for families. If you are not traveling with the people next door, I prefer a nonconnecting room when everything else is equal.

An internal door is one more place where voices or television sound can carry differently than through a solid wall. It may never bother you, but there is no upside to choosing it as a couple when the same cabin without the door is available.

Families should do the opposite and look closely at the connecting combinations. Two rooms can give you two bathrooms, more real beds, and much better bedtime separation than stretching one larger cabin to its maximum occupancy.

Where begin your own Apex cabin search

For a couple who wants quiet and does not need to be steps from the pool, Deck 8, 9, or 10 is my easy starting point. Choose the veranda style first, then look for a nonconnecting room with cabins above and below.

If you want a traditional balcony, compare a Porthole Veranda and Sunset Veranda before assuming an Infinite Veranda is the default. If you love the bright, protected indoor-outdoor design, then an Infinite Veranda can be exactly the right room.

If you are paying for Concierge, AquaClass, or The Retreat, make sure the benefits are the reason for the upgrade. A premium label does not fix a partial view, public space overhead, long walk, or balcony style you do not actually like.

The best cabins guide is useful if you want to flip this around and see the rooms to target rather than avoid. The deck guide also makes the vertical relationships much easier to picture.

Cabins worth considering with the right expectations

Do not automatically reject every Deck 6 room, every Deck 12 room, or every partial-view cabin. A discounted room with a compromise you genuinely do not care about can be one of the best values on the ship.

Do not let internet arguments scare you away from every Infinite Veranda. Celebrity designed a genuinely different kind of room, and plenty of travelers prefer the extra indoor space and huge window to a small outdoor balcony.

The mistake is booking one without understanding it. The same goes for a partial view or a high cabin: know what you are trading, make sure the savings or location are worth it, and you are far less likely to spend the cruise wishing you had moved three decks down.

If you are still comparing categories, the Apex tips help put the cabin choice in context with the rest of the ship.