Just booked Summit June 27 - Indpendance Day Cruise

It's nice to be back on this board .... (was off making sure I really preferred cruising to land-based resorts!).

It's been a few years since we sailed with Celebrity, a few questions if I may ...

1. Last time we sailed Celebrity, they had changed the dress code to Evening Chic (or whatever it was called) ... has that evolved to the more casual or are people still dressing up most nights? I know that is a subjective and loaded question :D
   
2. When Summit was refurbed in 2016 did the cabins get the row of cabinetry above the bed like on Reflection? I can't tell if the pics I see online are pre-refurb or if the summit just doesn't have the cabinets.
   
3. How long should we expect the transfer to EWR to take by cab on a Wednesday at 10AM and return on a Sunday at 8AM
   
4. Should I expect Celebrity to do/schedule anything special (entertainment, parties, fireworks etc.) for this as a "themed" cruise?
   
5. Will there be special menus for this being a longer cruise or will they rotate after day 7?
   

This is my first non-Caribbean sailing and my first cruise over 7 days - super-excited!!!!

Re: refurb

The only cabins that were refurbished in the last dry dock were the 2 penthouses and the royal suites.

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It's nice to be back on this board .... (was off making sure I really preferred cruising to land-based resorts!).

 

 

It's been a few years since we sailed with Celebrity, a few questions if I may ...

 

 

1. Last time we sailed Celebrity, they had changed the dress code to Evening Chic (or whatever it was called) ... has that evolved to the more casual or are people still dressing up most nights? I know that is a subjective and loaded question :D Depends on the itinerary, time of year. Most of our cruises AC (after Chic) have 10% or so in formal attire. Probably 40%-50% in what I would call "chic" and the balance in similar to smart casual.
   
2. When Summit was refurbed in 2016 did the cabins get the row of cabinetry above the bed like on Reflection? I can't tell if the pics I see online are pre-refurb or if the summit just doesn't have the cabinets. No cabinets over bed.
   
3. How long should we expect the transfer to EWR to take by cab on a Wednesday at 10AM and return on a Sunday at 8AM
   
4. Should I expect Celebrity to do/schedule anything special (entertainment, parties, fireworks etc.) for this as a "themed" cruise? Maybe some decorations. Definitely no fireworks on the ship\ but you are in Boston that night, definitely fireworks there.
   
5. Will there be special menus for this being a longer cruise or will they rotate after day 7? Normally on an 11 day cruise, each night would be different (Celebrity has 14 menus). It may be different on Summit, though, since the normal cruise on that ship is only 7 days. Maybe you will be surprised.
   

This is my first non-Caribbean sailing and my first cruise over 7 days - super-excited!!!!

Responses in bold.

1. Will there be special menus for this being a longer cruise or will they rotate after day 7? Normally on an 11 day cruise, each night would be different (Celebrity has 14 menus). It may be different on Summit, though, since the normal cruise on that ship is only 7 days. Maybe you will be surprised.
   
   

Responses in bold.

I am also on this cruise, and the one preceding too. The preceding cruise is also longer than seven nights, and I suspect we will see more than seven nights of menus (i.e., no repeating nights).

Re Evening Chic nights...my experience has been that there are always people who want to dress up (anniversaries, weddings, special occasions) and may want photos taken...and there are people who do not want to. My husband wears long khaki pants and a polo shirt all evenings. You should feel comfortable dressing up or not...your preference. I stress this because some people who want to dress up don’t want to if they will look out of place. You won’t; there will always be people dressed up. But there will also be people dressed more casually.

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We are also on this cruise. There is a not so well populated roll call for this sailing. Come and join us

Going from the port to EWR should take about 20 minutes. If you want Info on everything related to Bayonne, go to East Coast Depatures board and a very helpful thread Port Liberty 411

CruisersX3 - well, that sucks :(

ECCruise - very helpful, thank you! I like that breakdown and will try and fall in that 40-50% range.

Northern Aurora and Bluewes - I have joined the roll call, it is indeed a quiet one.

Helen - you're right, I don't like being too overdressed. Maybe I will scale it back, which should also make packing lighter. ha ha, with my luck, we will be under-dressed on this cruise.

Don - thanks, helpful as always! I will check out that thread.

CruisersX3 - well, that sucks :(

 

ECCruise - very helpful, thank you! I like that breakdown and will try and fall in that 40-50% range.

 

Northern Aurora and Bluewes - I have joined the roll call, it is indeed a quiet one.

 

Helen - you're right, I don't like being too overdressed. Maybe I will scale it back, which should also make packing lighter. ha ha, with my luck, we will be under-dressed on this cruise.

 

Don - thanks, helpful as always! I will check out that thread.

Queen

Enjoy your trip, we booked this cruise in 2019, wanted to do it two years in a row but family weddings got in the way.

We took this cruise last year when it was super special because it was the 100th anniversary of Canada Day - we went to the Tattoo in Halifax (on our own). That was GREAT. We bought our own tickets because they cost less, and we got great seats. They are probably on sale now.

We were also in Boston for the 4th and we went and watched the fireworks with some friends who live there (up on a hill). Many people went on their own to various locations, and some stayed on the ship and said you could see them in the distance from the ship. Celebrity did NOT offer any sort of excursion to go view the fireworks, which many found disappointing. The fireworks and Boston Pops concert is on the Charles River, and it is a huge, crowded, go through security in the morning and hang out all day with your own chair or blanket type of affair - really no way to get any kind of bus full of cruisers there, so unless things have changed this year you will be on your own.

If you will be in Halifax for the Tattoo (several performances over several days) I highly recommend. The disadvantage to going on our own was that we had to provide our own transportation (we shared a taxi with another couple, and taxis were few and far between, we were lucky to get one after a 15-20 minute wait. On the way back, the traffic was unbelieveable outside the arena, so we chose to walk back to the ship and it was quite a hike. One advantage of getting your tickets through Celebrity is that they will provide the bus, even if that sits in traffic.

It was a fabulous cruise and we loved every minute of it. I haven't looked to see how the itinerary is the same or different from last year, but I hope my hints help.

We took this cruise last year when it was super special because it was the 100th anniversary of Canada Day - we went to the Tattoo in Halifax (on our own). That was GREAT. We bought our own tickets because they cost less, and we got great seats. They are probably on sale now.

 

We were also in Boston for the 4th and we went and watched the fireworks with some friends who live there (up on a hill). Many people went on their own to various locations, and some stayed on the ship and said you could see them in the distance from the ship. Celebrity did NOT offer any sort of excursion to go view the fireworks, which many found disappointing. The fireworks and Boston Pops concert is on the Charles River, and it is a huge, crowded, go through security in the morning and hang out all day with your own chair or blanket type of affair - really no way to get any kind of bus full of cruisers there, so unless things have changed this year you will be on your own.

 

If you will be in Halifax for the Tattoo (several performances over several days) I highly recommend. The disadvantage to going on our own was that we had to provide our own transportation (we shared a taxi with another couple, and taxis were few and far between, we were lucky to get one after a 15-20 minute wait. On the way back, the traffic was unbelieveable outside the arena, so we chose to walk back to the ship and it was quite a hike. One advantage of getting your tickets through Celebrity is that they will provide the bus, even if that sits in traffic.

 

It was a fabulous cruise and we loved every minute of it. I haven't looked to see how the itinerary is the same or different from last year, but I hope my hints help.

Warmwinds, thank you! DH is thinking of maybe renting a car in boston and in nova scotia. Not sure how that will work out :confused:. My son is a Canada Day baby, so I am excited that we will be in Canada.

Warmwinds, thank you! DH is thinking of maybe renting a car in boston and in nova scotia. Not sure how that will work out :confused:. My son is a Canada Day baby, so I am excited that we will be in Canada.

Where would you go with a car in Boston? If you want to stay in the city, a car is a burden, you can walk/take public transportation (T - the subway, buses, etc.).

Renting a car in Halifax makes a little more sense, depending on where you want to go.

Where would you go with a car in Boston? If you want to stay in the city, a car is a burden, you can walk/take public transportation (T - the subway, buses, etc.).

 

Renting a car in Halifax makes a little more sense, depending on where you want to go.

We haven't planned anything out yet, but your advice is well-taken. Neither of us has been to Boston, so maybe cabs or public transportation is the way to go.