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Summit trip journal with pictures (April 18, 2015)


CruisinCrow
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Hello All,

My husband and I were on the April 18 Summit sailing with my parents. The itinerary was: San Juan, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Martin and St Thomas. This is my journal of the trip. It's long and has lots of pictures, so if you want "just the facts, Ma'am", then you might want to stop reading now. :)

 

If you stick with me, I hope you enjoy the review and can find some helpful information. I'll be glad to answer questions, if I can. Here we go!

 

San Juan

 

Although Ron and I have taken a lot of weekend cruises in the past few years, we usually prefer to stay at a land-based resort for our “big vacation”. But this year I really wanted to spend some time with Mama and Daddy and they like to cruise. So a cruise it was! We chose a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Summit. I was excited about the itinerary – only one sea day and five different islands, including Barbados which we hadn’t visited before.

 

In all our cruises, this was actually the first time we’ve had to fly to the embarkation port. I was a little nervous about flying on the same day but we found an early, direct flight to San Juan on Jet Blue, and since the ship didn’t leave port until 8:30 that night, we had some wiggle room for emergencies. Fortunately, there weren’t any. Our flight even got in 20 minutes early. It was a short cab ride to the port, and we practically walked onto the ship. It was the fastest, smoothest check-in we’ve ever had.

 

Landing in San Juan. There's our ship next to Jewel of the Seas!

 

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Our first stop onboard was the Oceanview Café for lunch. We made a lap around the restaurant looking for Mama and Daddy but didn’t see them so I headed to the pasta bar for some spaghetti Bolognese. Yum! I have to say that Summit’s buffet was awesome. I loved the pasta bar, of course, but there was also lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and hand dipped ice cream, even a different dessert theme every day at lunch. Everything was presented nicely and tasted fresh. A+

 

By the time I finished my pasta, Mama and Daddy had arrived so we sat together while they ate and then went to check out our cabins. We had a Verandah cabin on deck 7. It was on the small side but was attractive and had plenty of storage spaces. The balcony made the cabin feel more open. Mama and Daddy had a Concierge Class cabin two decks up. It was basically the same as ours except it was a little larger and had a love seat instead of an armchair. They also had a personal Concierge but he didn’t seem to do more than a regular steward, other than bring a plate of canapés every afternoon. Mama really enjoyed those canapés.

 

Our cabin (7165)

 

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Mama and Daddy's Concierge cabin has welcome champagne.

 

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Next we were off to explore the ship. We’d taken a 2-day cruise on Summit’s sister ship, Constellation, a couple of years ago so Summit seemed very familiar. It had the same 3-deck Grand Foyer with a backlit marble staircase and long, flowing white curtains. On one deck of the foyer there was an ice-topped martini bar. A deck up was a coffee and pastry shop called Café Al Bacio. Between the martini bar and the coffee shop, the foyer was a great place to hang out, day or night. There were also two outdoor pools and an adults-only pool inside the Solarium. The ship didn’t have all the bells and whistles of the newer ships, but I thought it had a classic, understated sort of elegance.

 

 

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Since the muster drill was scheduled for 7:45, we met Mama and Daddy for dinner at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant at 6. The Cosmopolitan was a pretty 2-story dining room with windows all the way across the back. We were seated at a table near the railing on the upper level, a very nice location since we could people-watch but it wasn’t noisy. Service was slow, which I attributed to the usual first-night disorganization. But then I realized that Daddy didn’t know that the waiters wouldn’t clear our plates until we had all stopped eating. And he just kept eating! :) We had to rush to finish our dessert.

 

After the muster drill, Mama and Daddy opted to watch the sail away from their balcony while Ron and I went to the Oceanview Bar at the back of the ship. We followed Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas past the lights of San Juan and out into the ocean. Bon Voyage!

 

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Cosmopolitan Restaurant

 

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Sea Day

 

I didn’t sleep very well and woke up with a headache. I sat out on the balcony for a little while and then decided that something was missing. Oh yes, coffee! So I snuck out of the room and went down to Café Al Bacio to pick up some coffee and croissants to go. Much better. :)

 

 

 

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When Ron got up, we went to the buffet for breakfast. We’d planned to eat with Mama and Daddy but at 8:30 we were done eating and they still hadn’t shown up. So we gave up and took a stroll around deck. We found the gym (which was packed) and the spa. Since we were already there, I decided to ask about making an appointment for a manicure. I don’t usually get manicures since I seem to chip them so quickly. But that night was formal night and I figured I could at least make it last long enough to have our formal pictures taken. They had an opening at 9 o’clock so I signed up. I had a great view of the ocean as Raquel from Jamaica worked on my hands. Strangely, instead of the usual spa music they were playing “Fireball”. I was fine with that. Pitbull sounds more like vacation to me than that Zen stuff. :)

 

We spent the rest of the day doing a whole lotta nothin’. We sat by the pool for a few hours, had lunch at the buffet, and then picked up drinks at the Oceanview Bar to sip on our balcony. I was so glad that we’d decided to book a balcony cabin. I loved being able to sit out there and watch the sailaways and the sunsets. For a weekend cruise, a regular oceanview cabin is fine but I don’t think I’ll do another 7-day cruise without a balcony.

 

desserts at the Oceanview Cafe

 

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Since that night was formal night, we dressed in our “fancy clothes”. Ron wasn’t too happy about having to wear a jacket and tie, but I thought he looked great in his new suit. I was determined to get at least one picture of all four of us together, so we met Mama and Daddy at 6 o’clock to have a few formal portraits taken before dinner. When we got to the dining room afterwards, there was a waiting list so we were given a beeper. I’d tried to make dinner reservations earlier in the day, and that was when I found out that they only take reservations for 5:45 or 8 o’clock. Well, that was not going to work. If we wanted to eat at those crazy hours, we wouldn’t have booked Select Dining. :( But the wait really wasn’t all that long (maybe 20 minutes) and it gave us a chance to sit and watch everyone walking by in their formalwear.

 

After dinner Mama and Daddy went to see the production show and Ron and I hit the casino. There were a couple of $10 Black Jack tables so we picked one and played for a while. I ended up losing $30 but I picked up a new $1 chip for my collection. Before going to bed, we stopped for a little while at the martini bar but we didn’t stay too late since we had a tour in the morning.

 

 

Our formal pics

 

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Hi,

I have 7063 booked for a trip in 2017, it is the cabin next to yours, forward. It is on the slant, with a larger balcony.

 

Did you by any chance happen to peek over there from your balcony? I don't think it is as big as the famous slanted hump cabins on the S class, but it has been mentioned as being roomier than standard

 

Thanks for the report

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Barbados

 

I’ve wanted to visit Barbados ever since I found out that you could snorkel with sea turtles. We snorkeled with turtles in Akumal, Mexico last year and it was amazing, so I was especially looking forward to this port stop.

We’d booked the 5-Hour Lunch Cruise with Calypso Cruises, which included snorkeling, a sail along the coast and lunch. Here is a description of the tour from Calypso’s website:

 

5 Hour Lunch Cruise

Sailing Barbados aboard the Calypso Girl is an experience like no other. For this cruise we limit our numbers to just 14 guests for an intimate and personal ambiance. A splendid buffet- style lunch and unlimited drinks await you during our five hour cruise. Transportation and snorkel equipment are other included amenities when you sail with us.

 

Sail with us for an unforgettable day!

Sailing time is 10:00 am– 3:00 pm

Price: US$100.00 per Adult & US$60.00 per Child (16 & under).

 

Our tour group met at 9 o’clock just outside the terminal gates, then it was a short van ride to the marina where we boarded the catamaran and met our crew - Nick, Val and Mike. Our first stop was Carlisle Bay for snorkeling. There were already several tour boats anchored there, but Mike got into the water with some fish to feed the turtles, and soon we had three turtles swimming around us. There were at least three anyway. There might have been more but it was hard to tell since they all sort of looked alike. :) We weren’t allowed to wear fins so that we wouldn’t accidently kick the turtles. But even with our small group of 14, there was a lot of bumping into each other. I had to take a bunch of pictures to get some without anyone else’s legs in the picture. Even though seeing the turtles was great, I had mixed feelings about feeding them. When you feed wild animals, you alter their natural behavior. I think I liked the snorkeling in Mexico better where you could look but not touch.

 

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In addition to the turtles, Carlisle Bay had an underwater marine park with several manmade ship wrecks. We snorkeled at two of the wrecks – a 70-foot WWI tug boat and a steamer ship sunk in the 1980’s. The wrecks were really neat, close enough to the surface that you could see all the soft corals growing on them. And there were hundreds and hundreds of fish. Mike even dove down and swam inside the tug boat.

 

Once everyone was back on board the boat, Nick and Mike hoisted the sails and we sailed north along the coastline. I sat up on the bow soaking up the sun while Ron chatted with Captain Val. As we sailed, Mike started bringing out drinks and appetizers of fresh vegetables, little hot dogs, a cheese plate and smoked salmon on crackers. What service!

 

After an hour or so, the boat pulled up to a little cove that I can only describe as idyllic. We anchored and lunch was served – flying fish, chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, rice with beans, and salad. I couldn’t believe such delicious food came from a sailboat. We still had some time left before we had to sail back so when I was finished eating, I swam to shore and walked around the beach. It was so beautiful – like a piece of paradise.

 

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On the way back to port, Nick told everyone to keep an eye out because the day before they had seen a humpback whale with her calf. I thought he was joking with us. Whales?? But he was serious. When we got close the area where the whales had been spotted, Nick suddenly yelled, “There’s one!” And there it was, its huge back slowly surfacing and then the splash of its tail. It was amazing! I never thought I would see a whale in the Caribbean. For the rest of the ride back, Ron and I sat in the hammock on the bow, perfectly content. I thought the tour would be about turtles, but it was so much more - sunshine and water, beautiful views and delicious food, the hospitality of the great crew. And a whale! What a fantastic tour.

 

When we got back on the ship, Ron took a nap and I picked up some coffee from Café Al Bacio and went to Mama and Daddy’s cabin to see how their day had been. They had taken a ship’s tour called “Island Delights of Barbados” which had gone to an orchid garden and then to Sunbury Plantation House, where they’d sampled the local rums and cod fish cakes. They’d had a great time and like us were really impressed by how warm and friendly their tour guides had been. Barbados seemed like a very welcoming country.

 

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There was a special menu at dinner that night, the “Top Chef Menu” where each item had been featured on the TV show Top Chef. It was an odd menu for a cruise ship. I mean, BBQ chicken with mac and cheese? But the braised short rib appetizer from Season 7, Episode 4 was very good. My favorite was the dessert, chocolate lava cake with caramelized banana and coffee ice cream. It was one of the best things I ate all week. Unfortunately, Mama had been fighting a bad sore throat all day (poor Mama!) so we decided to skip the show and turn in early.

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Hi,

I have 7063 booked for a trip in 2017, it is the cabin next to yours, forward. It is on the slant, with a larger balcony.

 

Did you by any chance happen to peek over there from your balcony? I don't think it is as big as the famous slanted hump cabins on the S class, but it has been mentioned as being roomier than standard

 

Thanks for the report

 

Do you mean 7163? We were in 7165, which was aft. We couldn't actually peek into 7163 because there was a metal wall between us (instead of a curved glass partition). But from looking at the deck plans, 7163 should have a slightly bigger balcony due to the angle.

 

Have a great cruise!

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Do you mean 7163? We were in 7165, which was aft. We couldn't actually peek into 7163 because there was a metal wall between us (instead of a curved glass partition). But from looking at the deck plans, 7163 should have a slightly bigger balcony due to the angle.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Yes, 7163.

Well, good to know it will be private, as well as oversized.

Thanks

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Yes, 7163.

Well, good to know it will be private, as well as oversized.

Thanks

 

Yep, you won't have nosy neighbors. :) If you look in post #2, you can kind of see the metal wall between "our" cabin and "your cabin" behind my husband.

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Loving this review and all the pics!! We haven't been on Summit in a few years but are booked b2b in Feb and one of the itineraries is the same as yours! So lovely to be able to enjoy the cruise holiday with your parents...you'll have great memories for sure!

Cathy

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We were on it about a decade ago for a Panama Canal cruise. Looks exactly the same. Gotta love Celebrity.

 

I agree - Summit is very well maintained for her age. I didn't think she was worn or dated at all.

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Great review so far! I'm looking forward to this itinerary in 2016, so glad to pick up any tips I can from your report. Looking forward to more!

 

You'll love the itinerary. I'll try to summarize my general impressions at the end.

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St Lucia

 

Sunrise was at 5:45 so despite my best efforts to sleep in, I was wide awake at 6 o’clock. I sat out on the balcony where I could see the mountains of St Lucia slowly getting closer. We were in St Lucia with Mama, Daddy, Jenny and Jeremy in 2001 for our 10th anniversary. I think that was Ron’s all-time favorite vacation. We stayed at Sandals Regency La Toc, and Ron loved diving in the morning, golfing in the afternoon and sitting in the pool at the Sunset Bluffs. We both got hooked on Sandals. So of course our plan for the day was to visit another Sandals – Sandals Grande St Lucian.

 

After breakfast, Ron and I headed off the ship to the taxi stand where we were placed in a cab driven by a very nice man named Cristophe. It was morning rush hour and traffic was crawling so it took about 30 minutes to get to the resort, but the views along the way were nice. St Lucia was even more beautiful than I remembered – lush green mountains and hot pink bougainvillea spilling over walls, coves filled with sailboats. So pretty.

 

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I’d called Sandals a couple of weeks before our trip so when we got to the resort, the security guard already had our names and ushered us right in. We checked in at the front desk and then went in search of lounge chairs. Of course, all the chairs with umbrellas by the main pool were already “reserved”, but we didn’t have any trouble finding two chairs under a palapa between the beach and pool. I’d gotten a little too much sun on our snorkel tour the day before so I very happy to have some shade.

 

Once we settled in, we took a walk up and down the beach, exploring the grounds. This actually didn’t take very long since the resort was fairly small. There were several small pools and a large, main pool with a swim-up bar and Sandals’ signature observation tower. After the walk, we cooled off with a drink at the swim-up bar and then I was ready for some stand-up paddle boarding! Sandals was located on the calm waters of Rodney Bay, which made it perfect for water sports. There were already several paddle boards and kayaks crisscrossing the bay. I got even less instruction from the guy at the water sports hut than I did in the Bahamas. He just said, “stay on our knees until you pass the swimming area, then stand up.” OK, seemed simple enough. Until I’d paddled way out into the bay and then thought, “Wait, how do I turn around??” Fortunately, I remembered what to do before I got too far. :) It was fun.

 

For lunch we ate at the buffet at Bayside and shared a chocolate crepe from the creperie restaurant. Then I spent the afternoon relaxing and reading under the palapa while Ron hung out in the main pool. Too soon it was time to head back to port. Cristophe picked us up in front of the lobby at 3 o’clock, as we’d arranged. The traffic was much lighter on the ride back and we were back onboard the ship at 3:30. I called to check on Mama, who had gone to the clinic for antibiotics. She was feeling much better with no sore throat at all. Yay!

 

We met up at 6:30 for dinner and another good meal. After dinner Daddy wanted to go somewhere quieter and talk for a while, but Mama was still not feeling 100% and was ready for bed. So we said goodnight and Ron and I headed off to the casino for more Black Jack. I started out losing badly and was down to my last hand when my luck turned and I won back all my money plus the money I’d lost the other night! It seemed a good time to quit so we went back to the cabin, where I could see the lights of another cruise ship from our balcony.

 

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