Photo Review - Celebrity Summit Oct 24th - Oct 31st, 2015

Mrs. Winks and I are back from the Celebrity Summit’s inaugural run of its Winter 2015/2016 Caribbean season. It was a port intensive voyage that included stops in:

• Tortola
  
• Martinique
  
• Dominca
  
• St. Kitts
  
• St. Thomas
  

And it started and ended in one of our favorite US territory cities, San Juan.

Yes, there was only one sea day, much to my horror. But the real reason we chose this cruise (booking it way back in the spring) was for this interesting itinerary.

Though we’ve been sailing the Caribbean for more than a decade, we’d not yet been to Tortola, Martinique or Dominica. And we’d only been to St. Kitts once (and that was for a tour of sugar mills of all things). So this voyage offered up some new sights and sounds for us, even if it meant sacrificing time to chill out at sea, which is typically one of my favorite activities, especially if there are fights over saved chairs at the pool.

Overall it was a great cruise. Many plusses… the itinerary, Captain Kate McCue, overall smooth logistics of embarking and disembarking, interesting weather patterns, hardly any kids on board, no norovirus outbreaks and no one fell overboard (that we know of!) And we didn’t run into any Syrian refugees at sea. So not bad, really.

But unfortunately, some severe negatives popped up when it came to food quality and bar service. This was surprising to us; since we have sailed Summit’s sister ship Constellation twice in the last couple of years and always found it to be a quality ride. That’s why we were a little taken aback when we came across lazy, sophomoric level, professionalism on Summit – even at Elite functions where you’d think everyone would be on their best behavior. This was nothing cruise ruining. But it was definitely noticeable. More on all this later…

Back story; Mrs. Winks and I are pretty loyal to Royal C, where we’ve cruised enough times to enjoy Diamond level status. Those loyalty club perks transfer over to Celebrity (for the most part) whenever we sail this line sister line of Royal (3 times now) as Captain’s Club Elite level. Again, all great while on Constellation. But a bit disappointing on Summit. More on all this as the review unfurls. For now, let’s just say it was a very good cruise that we’re happy we undertook. In the end, I am soooo glad we had only one day at sea and fun ports of call. Not sure I would have enjoyed the transitioning cruise from Bayonne the week before

So why a review of the Summit? Because this:

In doing research for this cruise, we couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that there were no real relevant reviews of this ship or the itinerary. (Actually, there were a couple of good ones, but nothing too recent) And as you can see from the picture above, one or two themes dominate the Summit talk here on the CC boards. Since a beverage package came as one of the perks of our early booking, the debate didn’t hold much interest for us. And we already know how to smuggle booze, smoke on the balcony and stiff the main dining room staff of their tips (if we ever need to)…

So it seemed like a new Summit review with some straight talk about the cruise was due.

Coming up, we’ll have the daily Celebrity Today activity lists and other noteworthy printed material. Lots of pictures both of the ship and the cruise stops. And reports on our well attended (and organized) Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, Cabin Crawl and even book club at sea. Some talk about the beverage packages, since it seems like a hot topic around here! But, sorry, no food porn. Not sure you’d want to see it on this cruise anyway. We did Bistro on Five and Quisine (twice, but the second time it was to just to avoid our table mates! More on that later, too). But sorry, we didn’t qualify for Blu or Luminaire. And we found Normandie a little too exquisite for our palates. So no reviews of those.

But of course, we need to sum up all the pre-cruise drama.

Day 0 - The Marriott Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort, San Juan

So briefly, this is all about that worrisome stuff that consumes our minds when we envision every potential deal breaker - the flu, a car accident, a death in the family, a delayed flight, a cancelled cruise; or worse, a last minute heavy metal goth charter; being mistakenly put on the no-fly list, expired passports, suicidal kids, suicidal pets, suicidal in-laws and free tickets to Game 7. All those little things that stand between us and that moment we finally step off the gang plank and into the ship’s lobby and are handed that first glass of cheap champagne. You’ve been there, too, worry wort. Don’t lie.

This time, for us, this biggest obstacle that became our admittedly silliest obsession days leading up to the embarkation was the flight to San Juan we booked months ago. Looking at it with that high that comes from pre-cruise anticipation, Mrs. Winks and I both concluded we had totally blundered in scheduling it. We were getting to San Juan a day early for sure – lest we be endlessly brow beaten by the Cruise Critic crowd for flying day-of (horrors!). But in reviewing the flight details, we realized we were getting into San Juan way too late in the day to enjoy any time there (read: the liquor stores might already be closed). So we spent much of our week pre-cruise reading all about Summit beverage packages and trying to figure out a way to switch our flight to something earlier without having to mortgage the house again.

Yada yada yada…. Turns out with our carrier if you change your flight day of (ie 12:01am) you can do so for a nominal fee. Cruise fools that we are, we successfully changed our flight from a 1pm flight to the earlier 5:30am flight… which we did at midnight. So basically, we had to load up the car and head to the airport an hour or so after switching the flight! Nuts! But gosh darn it, we were collecting our bags in San Juan by 10am that morning. Exhausted as dogs, but we were there! With most of the day still ahead of us.

In this case, the early bird did get the worm, though.

Everything initially went well. Our room was actually ready at 10:30am! And the desk clerk welcomed us with a room upgrade; from a partial ocean view room to Jr. Suite with full ocean view. Then to top it off, he handed us two free drink tickets and a match-play for the casino located off the main lobby. Wow! There was an aquarium in the lobby and free use of bikes sitting outside the main door. (see pic above)

But once we settled into the room, we started to notice all the little failures in infrastructure and service that would follow us onto the Summit. Little things, but seemingly so fixable - if staff would just pay a little more attention.

The biggest issue? Our wonderful Jr. Suite had a door that NEVER locked, unless you deadbolted it from the inside. When we went out to explore the grounds, go to dinner, or down to the liquor emporium or beach, we had to leave the room unlocked. No matter what tricks we tried, there was no way to secure the door. We reported the issue to the front desk no less than three times and were always told someone in engineering would be on it immediately. Up to the time we checked out, that door never locked. We had to secure our valuables in the safe and pray.

You want smaller things? Probably not, but I need to bitch a little! The balcony had a ceaseless water drip coming from somewhere above. In the picture above you can see the shower drain that was sliced in half by the wall tile (so nitpicky, I know, but just another in a seemingly endless series of design flaws in this room). The bathroom door did not latch either (See above). And the casino didn’t have one video poker machine, despite having every other penny slot option under the sun. And for you high rollers, a cordoned off high-limit alcove featured quarter and dollar machines! Funny.

On the plus side, the property is beautifully situated. They have a pair of Marriott branded bikes parked outside the lobby door that you’re free to take out and ride. The bar has immaculate fish tanks. And the staff if friendly and responsive (except when it comes to fixing the lock on your room door!)

Also, shoppers beware. Though it’s only a US Territory by definition, Puerto Rico features a stiff 10.5% “State” sales tax, plus a 1% municipal tax - for purchases in San Juan. (And this is a territory facing bankruptcy!!??). So already expensive items end up being even pricier.

So we hung out at the Marriott all day, then had dinner over at the Ritz Carlton (BLT - great steak house) which was within walking distance. We loaded up on toiletries and other essentials at a Walgreens - which was a half mile hike away.

The last surprise? Despite my pleas to leave the property early and get over to the Pan American port to start our cruise on the Summit, Mrs. Winks wanted to take advantage of the Marriott's beach, embarkation morning. So while I stood guard over our unlocked room and leaky balcony, Mrs. Winks did the beach chair thing until about noon, when I begged her from the balcony, first using a series of increasingly obscene hand gestures and then eventually semaphore signals using the makeshift flags I’d constructed with face clothes, to get her back in. Only to find that In-Room TV checkout is suspended at noon, when everyone was checking in and out and the line extended into the casino!

We eventually checked out, complained again about the room lock (They patiently went through the motions of texting engineering about it). Then got on the taxi line for our uneventful line to the pier.

Coming up next: San Juan embarkation, Pics of our cabin (spoiler alert: it’s an aft facing family veranda) and initial exploration of the rust bucket - including lunch at Bistro on Five and getting a table for two at MDR late seating.

Thanks you so much for posting. We've epxerienced what you did - very little info on this itinerary.

So I appreciate your paying it forward.

Looking forward to your posts.

My new favourite review!

We are on the Summit for Xmas !! great review !!

I read a few of your reviews before our cruise! Love your writing style and can't wait to read this one since it is the cruise we were actually on!!

Thank you! We leave on the Summit on Saturday - glad to see some new info!

Please post more!

Karen

Your hotel at the end of the row, probably check-out date.

We quit checking out of Marriott properties...They just email a copy of the receipt (and slide one under the door). We have some status with them, but don't think it would be any different if you didn't...I guess you would at least need to be a member of rewards program so they would have contact info.

Looking forward to your review...Summit is still my favorite S ship.

Yes please post daliys as soon as you can

Your writing style is so entertaining! Keep it coming!

Loving your review!

Going on her again in April and your review is wonderful in bringing back the memories and anxious to hear what you did on this itinerary as it is the same as the one I will be doing.

Along for the ride! Love your writing style. :D

Following. We sail her over Christmas.

Looking forward to more! I am laughing out loud and reading it to my quizzical husband!

We are on the Summit on this itinerary in December, so excited to hear more.

Hilarious start to your review! :)

Thanks for doing this- I'm on this itinerary in April so I'm looking forward to your detailed review.

Taking this exact cruise on January 30. Looking forward to the rest of the review!

Very enjoyable review and looking forward to the rest of it.

Keith

Wow! What a lot of work it must have been for the first segment of this high quality review.

Looking forward to more. Going on the Summit in 10 days and want to read more. :)

Keep it coming - we are booked on Summit early next year. :)

Welcome back Winks! So happy to see another of your tongue in cheek reviews. You guys really know how to have fun!

Thank you!

Janine

Thanks for the review! We are on Nov. 28th. What did you do/think of Martinique? Also, do you remember what time the disembarkation began? My daughter has an early flight (8:30) returning home at the end of the cruise. Did they start letting people off the ship by 6:30? Thanks!

Embarkation Day

We’ve sailed out of San Juan on several previous occasions, but I never remember having to go through this unusual check-in process. Granted, we arrived at the pier just as a shuttle van packed with other passengers was unloading, so that might have contributed to the initial chaos. But instead of just dropping our bags with one of the baggage porters (who typically come up and greet you), at the Pier American terminal, you have to get on a separate line, towing your luggage with you, as individually each embarking party deposits their bags with what appeared to be only a handful of porters.

Then, once you successfully manage the luggage drop-off cue, you have to snake your way out through the new mass of confused arriving passengers and try to locate the end of a second line - one that leads you to security clearance.

Of course, told you so Winks took this as an opportunity to remind Mrs. Winks of the importance of arriving at the port early – instead of plopping her ass on the Marriott beach all morning – so we could circumvent such mayhem. And as usual, my teaching moment fell on the ears of a totally uninterested pupil.

Following the curbside folly, the rest of the embarkation process went relatively smoothly. Once past the bottleneck into the terminal, the line moved at a steady pace. There were ample hosts and port personnel assisting others. A refreshment table of chilled waters and ice tea met you after clearing the metal detectors. And there was even a duty free liquor store, with a clerk outside it trying to lure passengers in with his declaration that you were allowed to bring on a bottle each. (and since you were past security, that bottle could easily be of the hard liquor variety, I would imagine). But since we had beverage packages as part of our cruise deal, we passed on the shopping opportunity.

We successfully checked in, took the optional boarding picture (there’s a separate passage that lets you by-pass it) and then made our way along the gangplank switch back up to the waiting Summit. At one turn, someone was handing out chilled towels – a welcome relief since it was pretty hot and humid out. Then it was over the transom where we were met with a glass of champagne each.

We booked what’s known as an aft facing Family Veranda – Cabin 7202. It’s not considered a suite and it doesn’t come with Aqua or Concierge class perks. But what it does come with is a very large balcony that extends off the back of the ship, making it one of the largest affordable balconies.

It’s not the most private balconies in the world; you’re pretty much on display for all the other aft cabins and railing peepers up at the aft Oceanview Bar. And you have to look down with envy at the humongous suite below you that has an outdoor hot tub and room to entertain 50+ people. But for us, we think this family veranda has the most bang for the modest buck.

Inside, as you can see above, you actually get two rooms, separable by a sliding glass pocket door. The cabin is designed for a family of 4 – and isn’t typically open to a smaller party, a couple like Mrs. Winks and I, until a few weeks before sailing. But our travel agent was able to secure it for us back in the spring – probably because Celebrity algorithms weren’t expecting much family travel at the end of October.

Some drawbacks to the cabin, aside from it being located at the tail end of the ship: don’t expect much from the bathroom. It’s designed, like most cabin water closets on these ships, for the single traveler! You also experience engine vibration every time the ship side maneuvers into or away from the pier, which, on a port intensive voyage like this one, happened almost every day.

And probably the biggest drawback is the fact you have to negotiate TWO cabin doors. One is out at the main corridor. You open that one, come down a 25-foot utility hallway (there are closets along this that contain access to plumbing lines) and then reach the door to the stateroom. So that was always a hassle when weighed down by your day-at-the-beach bags or simply a plate of cookies you’re trying to sneak from your better half! Plus, one evening the room service gal had to telephone us from the hallway to let her know she was there since we couldn't hear her knocking on the outer first door!

But despite these several shortcomings, it’s an excellent cabin for two, affording us more space and storage than usual - and the one-of-a-kind dream balcony.

After dropping off our bags and exploring our cabin, it was off to Bistro on 5. As Celebrity specialty restaurants go, The Bistro is a bargain. It’s 10$ a head, and it’s open on embarkation day, so we favor it for lunch over dealing with the mayhem going on up at the buffet.

They offer an assortment of crepes (Mrs. Winks had a Mediterranean inspired one) and some sandwiches and burgers (I had a Turkey Club). Soup. And for dessert, they offer floats and shakes and dessert crepes – all included in the 10 buck cover charge. Though we both had to admit the food was pretty average… good, but made more palatable simply because we were hungry.

After lunch, we explored the ship, though it held few surprises for us since we had previously sailed the Summit’s sister ship, Constellation. One dining option was new to us, Qsine, so when we met with the maître d to change our main dining room table to a table for 2 (they had put us in a table for 10!) he encouraged us to try it the first night with a discount. So we agreed.

It’s always strange to embark from San Juan because the ship leaves at 8:30pm. Muster is at 7:45pm. Both of which throw a wrench in getting the party started. It also interrupts those who take their time with an early dinner. And of course, since all other venues on the ship are closed (shops, casino, photo gallery and other activities), the drinkers have little left to do than get their drink on, and there are more than a few loudmouths at muster. Several times, muster leaders had to admonish rowdy and impatient guests to “bring the volume level down to 0, please.”

After muster, we returned to our cabin to get ready for our first night out. We headed for Qsine for dinner. More on that later…. Plus day planners and our first port, Tortola.

And thanks for your kind comments; Mrs Winks and I excitedly read them all.

Thanks for the review! We are on Nov. 28th. What did you do/think of Martinique? Also, do you remember what time the disembarkation began? My daughter has an early flight (8:30) returning home at the end of the cruise. Did they start letting people off the ship by 6:30? Thanks!

We'll be reviewing Martinque later, but it's great. And don't worry about having to know French or carrying a stash of Euros with you. These were non-issues for us.

Ship was in San Juan early, but I don't think they were letting self-assit walk-offs go until 7-ish.

We'll be reviewing Martinque later, but it's great. And don't worry about having to know French or carrying a stash of Euros with you. These were non-issues for us.

 

Ship was in San Juan early, but I don't think they were letting self-assit walk-offs go until 7-ish.

Thank you! I'll look forward to your thoughts on Martinique. Haven't been there in years so I'm sure it's changed quite a bit. Your photos are great!

Glad to see another Winks' review. What a great itinerary! Looking forward to hearing about the tablemates.