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I have pics from 2019 (just before the world shutdown) with our independent tour. The boat ladders are pictured, so you a judge if they will work. We really enjoyed the small group. This crew was great, respected the animals, and anchored away from the large grouping of bigger boats. We had a lot more rays than the big boats, and a calm and relaxed experience. Hope the pics help your planning. The hoards were all clustered together 😝. The rays tended to be less plentiful around the crowded boats.

We booked an independent excursion on a Catamaran to the stingray sandbar location. The price was much better than the ship’s excursions and it was a smaller boat with a small group. Very enjoyable experience without the crowd 😎🌴😎.

I’ve never experienced topside seating on a tender/lifeboat. Interesting 🧐

Lovely view at the Monkeypod for lunch in Waikiki 🌴🌞🌴

@Jim_Iain, we would love to hear about your Oceania experience as well. We are considering a couple of their cruises in cooler climates. 😀😎😀

Guten Morgan @Germancruiser! Ich denke… the first picture is from near the theater entrance. The picture of the 2 chairs is from the sitting area outside Cellar Masters. The furnishings and the color schemes combine to give the public spaces a very nice appearance.

Glacier Bay is awesome! Some of the best viewing if the weather and ice conditions cooperate. Mendenhall is a very nice walk and the waterfall is great too. I second the public bus recommendation. It’s very easy to locate when you get off the ship and is an inexpensive way to get to the park. Setting foot on a glacier is a great, yet pricey experience. If you are lucky enough to sail up Tracey’s Arm, the small boat excursion is wonderful for close up glacier and waterfall viewing. Hope you love AK as much as we did ❤️.

I have been reading with interest since we sailed Summit in late Dec 23. First off, the crew was great, and did their best with big smiles as always! The Captain was very visible, not just for photo sessions. We adored the forward looking Skyview lounge❤️. To us, it was a range of Summits, almost like sailing several different ships. The cosmetic interior appearance, the structure/bones, and the exterior. It’s all subjective, these are our thoughts. Ship #1 - The interior of the public spaces was lovely. It looked modern, sleek, and sophisticated. IMHO, the decor created a soothing atmosphere. Our updated verandah cabin had more storage than our sky suite on a recent Edge sailing! And, the new layout in the Oceanview Cafe is a huge improvement in space, improves traffic flow, and reduces congestion. Ship #2 - The bathroom looked nice and updated at a glance. It had very good storage for its size. However, the “bones” were tired. The toilet bowl had been painted at some point in its life and was peeling. The shower floor needed a good scrub with some bleach, and there was a persistent leak under the sink. The leak was gradual, but after three maintenance visits, the source was never found nor fixed. We had to leave a washcloth on the floor to keep the area around the toilet dry. I would call this an inconvenience. Note to self… sometimes it’s better not to wear your glasses in the bathroom 😂. Ship - 3. Then there was the exterior. I would call it tired. The steel panels making up the ceiling over our verandah were split apart. There was peeling paint and paint chips in many exterior locations. We had to wedge a towel in our sliding glass door to prevent it from whistling (in calm seas). The exterior decks, paint, etc. just left us feeling like Celebrity 🎶…lost that loving feeling…🎶 with Summit. We have sailed on lots of ships over the years, including the Millennium in 2022. Summit does not compare favorably. Unfortunately, the food in the MDR was subpar as well. While we love our Vitamin Sea, Summit is the first Celebrity ship where we have said, “One and done.” YMMV.

Thanks so much for taking the time to report live. Love your pics and you have given us some great ideas already! We will be doing the reverse cruise in the fall and look forward to your commentary 😃👍😃. Bon Voyage 🛳️.

Wow, that looks fabulous. Have been to the Colosseum, but not underground. Sadly, all the VIP tours are showing unavailable. How far in advance did you book?

Just catching up on this thread as we have a fall TA booked. This will have ramifications for Club Orange 🍊 upgrades. We selected a V category cabin with a big balcony as our in class upgrade. A very large percentage of the Pinnacle class verandah cabins with large balconies (V and VB) are triples and quads. If all those cabins are blocked to 2 people when sailings open for booking, it decreases the cost benefit and appeal of Club Orange 🍊. Hoping we are safe on a TA. But, I’d be an unhappy camper if we are bumped from our cabin!

We had the tiny chocolate squares and the butter/rapeseed spread in the OV on Edge as well 😕. The spread melts very quickly if the plate is warm.

I know you will enjoy both Sydney and Auckland ❤️❤️. We wish we would have had more time to explore the interior areas in NZ. It is a beautiful country!

Hi @Jim_Iain! We beat you to Honolulu 🤣😎🤣. It looked a lot like Sydney on the day we met you ☔️🌧️☔️. So glad you enjoyed the pics. You and Iain warmed Edge up for us. It sounds like you are enjoying a little more variety on Solstice👍. A little change up is welcome. We are enjoying following along on your journey as we have so many times. Your pictures are amazing. This is the best Vacheron I remember. It may have been mixed berry, but there is some green??? Millennium 2022. We wish you safe journeys, calm seas, and sunny skies ☀️!

@Boatharbour, thanks so much! The feel of the NZ trip 🥝🥝 had a better vibe than our S Australian cruise IMHO. It may be due to the amazing weather we experienced in NZ versus the rough, tumble, and rain 🌊🌊 off the coast in S Australia! Versus…. This is my first return from extended vacation after retirement, so I am on holiday 🥳😎🥳! We will be land based all summer. Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, NL, UK, France, Belgium, Bermuda, and Bahamas on our cruise itineraries in the fall! 🛳️🛳️