Summit to Bermuda August 9th – 16th 2015 Photo Review

Summit to Bermuda August 9th – 16th 2015 Photo Review

Just returned from another ahhhhhmazing cruise aboard the Celebrity Summit!!!

I hadn’t planned on doing a picture review…but I noticed there seemed to be very few reviews for the 2015 run to Bermuda so I wanted to give people who are patiently waiting to sail her something to look forward too or maybe some new information they haven’t yet seen…so here goes!

Before we start this review:

*WARNING* *WARNING*

This review will contain heavy food porn material...you were warned!!!

Looking forward to your review. We sail on August 30th :)

This was my 5th cruise to Bermuda aboard the Summit and as per usual she did not disappoint. In fact I have to say this year was probably the best service we’ve had on her. All of the crew & staff were extremely pleasant, friendly, & most importantly helpful! They really went above and beyond for us.

August 9th, 2015 First Sea Day

We stayed at the Best Western Plus in Newark…ehh really not impressed. The hotel & rooms were very very nice. But the location surrounding it were not! Parking lot was super tiny and a nightmare to try and park in, there were no restaurants close by (within a 5 mile raidus) Also it was very complicated to get in and out of the hotel. It was literally located on the freeway. So odd!

Any who! We woke up bright & early Sunday morning and after having a nice breakfast headed over to Bayonne. We arrived to the port around 10 am. WOW the new terminal in Bayonne is REALLY nice. But parking is sooooo far away. They had a shuttle to take you back but keep in mind there is a wait time w/ that. Seemed like they I ended up just walking back after dropping the car off.

Check in was a breeze! So fast! Once checked in we were escorted to our chairs in the handicapped area & within 5 minutes or so were told we could board. I was literally the first one through the gate! Woot woot!!! First person on board!!!

Of course after grabbing the kids their Fun Factory bands & our complimetry mimosa we headed straight for the aft bar! AHHHHH aft bar I’ve missed you so!

The kids of course bellied up to the bar to place their orders for virgin mudslides! (they’ve got this cruising thing down pat I tell ya)

After a while we headed over to the buffet area to see what food offerings they had. Normally I’m not much of a buffet kinda gal…but this sailing the buffet was quite nice. A lot of different selections.

Charcuterie

Excellent selection of cheeses!

Whole cow anyone LOL

Hi Sarah, so glad you had a great time and thanks for taking the time to do a review.

What kind of camera do you use. I need a new one desperately.

Thanks.

Anne Maria

Now the dessert department...oh mah lord!!! Every day there was some type of special theme. One day was cup cakes, the next was pie, or chocolate fountain, etc…

Dulce De Leche

Strawberry Mint

Double Chocolate

Hi Sarah, so glad you had a great time and thanks for taking the time to do a review.

 

What kind of camera do you use. I need a new one desperately.

 

Thanks.

 

Anne Maria

Thanks Anne Maria! We had a great time!

All of my pictures I will post were taken w/ my iPhone 6+ :)

Wow that's great. They take good pictures.

The desserts are killing me.

Looking forward to more!

We decided that since the MDR was open we’d head down there for lunch though.

Decisions, decisions!

I’m glad we did the lunch menu...it did not disappoint.

I love their cobb salad.

DH opted for the steak & frites

DD had the cheeseburger

After lunch the kids wanted to go to the pool so we headed there for a bit.

It wasn’t too crowded and there were plenty of chairs available.

Eventually the announcement was made it was time for the dreaded muster drill…in all actuality it wasn’t bad at all. We sat in the theatre & watched a video… A LOT better than sitting out on deck w/ our life jackets in the hot sun!

Once that was over with we once again headed back to the aft bar for sail away. Our Connections group was supposed to be back there but I never really saw anyone w/ beads on :confused: I unfortunately left mine at home so yeah...that sucked!

But the sail away part was fantastic!

As had been mentioned here on CC the captain drove us past the Statue of Liberty.

It was awesome! My kids were so excited it was their first time seeing it that close :)

Once that was over and done with we dropped the kids off for the evening in the fun factory so we could get cleaned up for dinner…yes I’m pretty sure all we did was eat & sleep on this cruise LOL

There was a bit of an issue this first night, we had called previously to request a table near the entrance to the main dining room as my mother is in a wheel chair so obviously it’s hard to maneuver in and out of the tables.

The first night when we were being seated of course you guessed it we were lead literally to the complete opposite side of the dining room. It was so far back my mom’s wheelchair actually got stuck. There was no way to maneuver the wheelchair. Luckily she got stuck a few steps from our actual table so we were able to help her to the table. The maître d had to have someone come and get the wheelchair removed…a little embarrassing for her. Thankfully once we explained the situation to the maître d he was able switch around tables. From the second night on we were at a table much closer to the entrance w/ easy access for her wheelchair.

So if you were one of the people who graciously gave up your table for our group it was very much appreciated.;)

Now onto the actual meal… we all pretty much ordered the same things.

Spring roll w/ chili sauce (OMG so delish)

Roasted Beets w/ Feta Cheese (yup I still don’t like beets…even w/ feta cheese lol)

Mushroom Cappuccino (wow so flavorful!) A little hint regarding this soup...if you like it...I LOVED it...if there is any leftover from tonights service they will have it in the Panini bar at the very back of the buffet

I had the Prime Rib (nice & tender)

Cajun Salmon (very moist & flavorful)

After dinner we headed to Café Al Bacio for a couple drinks then off to bed. I was exhausted!

Sorry the more I type this review the more I realize we're pretty boring LOL

Sarah xoxoxoxo what can I say? First you post about The Coco Reef and then on the Celebrity board I asked if anyone has a menu for the Summit embarkation lunch. I saw your adorable daughter and said to myself "that is the same little girl from Coco Reef! A million thanks. Hmmmm, now what should I order for lunch. I hate buffets, sooooo glad that the dining room is open for lunch.

Sarah, I am enjoying your trip report and want to thank you for the crisp photos to help the story along.

I will be sailing vicariously with you!

Norris

Hi Sarah,

We were on the cruise also. It was a great cruise for us and our 1st to Bermuda. We ate a the buffet. It was ok, but the MDR food looked much better. I had pickled beets for the 1st time in 30 years at Juniors in NYC. I did like them. More reviews please.

August 10th, 2015 Day 2 Sea Day

After a goodnights sleep…very good night sleep I should say! This was our first time (in a LONG while) in an inside room. Man if those aren’t the perfect environment for sleeping I don’t know what is! We all woke up at 10 a.m. VERY late for us! We real quick headed up to the buffet for a light breakfast.

My favorite breakfast when cruising!

On our way up to the buffet I noticed that there was an officer sitting in a chair outside of a room just a few doors down from us. I thought to myself hmmm odd I wonder what he’s doing. (more on that later …hey I had to wait to find out so do you!)

After breakfast we walked around the ship for awhile… eventually we ended up on the outside area of deck 4…now I cant believe that it took my FIFTH cruise aboard the Summit to find this secret special hidden spot!!! Man it is awesome.

There are beds & loungers sitting out there empty. Believe me out on deck 10 or 11 you need to get up super early…we’re talking 7 a.m. or earlier to grab a lounger…these bad boys are just sitting out there for the taking.

After exploring we headed to the MDR to check out todays lunch offerings:

Satay Beef & Chicken (very tasty but SPICY)

Seafood Brochette (good but they used to come w/ more seafood)

Smoked Pork Loin (DH said it was very good)

After lunch I went by my room to grab some more tip $ (we’d been having excellent bar service!) guess who was still sitting in the chair keeping guard of the room by us??? Yup the officer….When I got back to Café Al Bacio I mentioned it to DH to my surprise he says “Oh yea, I noticed him sitting out there early this morning around 4 a.m. I coudnt sleep so I went up to grab some coffee and he was keeping post outside the room”

We had reservations for a craft beer tasting @ 3pm so I said if he’s still out there afterwards I’m going to ask & see whats going on. At this point lots of stuff is running through my head (Is it the dreaded Norovirus ??Drugs??)

This post is for all of my Craft Beer lovers!!!

Now when I was researching craft beer for our Summit sailing there really wasn’t a lot of information out there on CC…the reason is…there isn’t even a craft beer menu on board!

Cellar Masters is where 90% of all the craft beer will be found. If memory serves me correctly Toto (Cellar Master Guru) said he has 60 different craft beer selections available. Again no menu…so I took pictures!

Sorry they are a little dark but hey its Cellar Masters what can I do!

Hopefully that will help answer some questions other people have.

The craft beer tasting was nice…but the best part about the class…not including the 4 free spiegelau glasses… was from that point on (now if you are a true craft beer lover you’ll appreciate this) any craft beer you order will be poured in the appropriate spiegelau glass from there on out. Anyone else that did not take the tasting were not allowed to use those glasses.

I'm sounding a little beer snobby so yea sorry but it is what it is...if I have to deal w/ it so do you!! LOL

Enjoying this review very much. Can't wait for the rest. Thanks, Sarah.

We're sailing on the Summit on 9/20/15, my husband will be happier with this beer selection than our last cruise in 2013. What time does cellar masters open for beer purchasing? Hubby thinks 10 AM is a good time ;)

Just home from work and found your review... Please keep it coming.. I cannot wait to find out why he is in the hall on the chair.. LOL

PS your DD is so cute.

Sarah, as was your CocorResort review, this is wonderful. Can't wait for the remaining days and hopefully the answer to the mystery of why the staff member was outside the cabin? I'm not a beer drinker myself but others in my family might be interested in the craft beer class. What was the charge?

Looking forward to the rest of your review and wonderful pictures.

We're sailing on the Summit on 9/20/15, my husband will be happier with this beer selection than our last cruise in 2013. What time does cellar masters open for beer purchasing? Hubby thinks 10 AM is a good time ;)

Sorry to disappoint but they don't open until 4-5 pm varying which day it is! There are other bars that carry some craft beer...but not as much as cellar masters.

We tipped our sommelier the first night and she would run to cellar masters during dinner to get DH beers so that is always an option.

Sarah, as was your CocorResort review, this is wonderful. Can't wait for the remaining days and hopefully the answer to the mystery of why the staff member was outside the cabin? I'm not a beer drinker myself but others in my family might be interested in the craft beer class. What was the charge?

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review and wonderful pictures.

There was only 4 or 5 beers that cost more than the our premium package covered. Mostly they were bombers...but that doesn't mean we still didnt try them [emoji12]

Sarah - following your review and see we have a lot in common!

1) love of cruises (obviously!)

2) no love for beets

3) smoked salmon for breakfast is my favorite on a cruise

4) craft beer!