Celebrity Summit Review (November 13-20, 2010)

[boopsahoy]

Ditto! :)

 

Double Ditto! Great report and great pictures! Thanks for posting!

[mathgeek1978]

Honestly, from So Cal, you might think the water is a bit chilly. I'm from NY, and most of the people on my tour were from Central PA, so we're all fairly used to cold temperatures and were able to tolerate it with no problem. I really didn't think it was that cold because I had read so many reviews about how freezing it is, so my expectations were that I'd be stepping into glacier water or something! Your best bet is to get in and immediately dunk your head... it helps your body get used to the water faster if you just go all out, rather than slowly easing yourself in and suffering the cold little by little. Titou Gorge was absolutely beautiful and a once in a lifetime experience, so my philosophy was to just suck it up so I could enjoy the day! You'll have a great time, even with the slightly cold water :)

OK... thanks for the advice. Maybe we'll do just that...

 

BTW, how's the weather in NY. We are sunny and in the 70's here. :D

[boopsahoy]

OK... thanks for the advice. Maybe we'll do just that...

 

BTW, how's the weather in NY. We are sunny and in the 70's here. :D

 

 

41 chilly degrees in Brooklyn NY!

[librarylady19]

6 inches of snow and still falling in Chicagoland...brrr...can't wait to get to PR next Friday!

[deladane]

41 chilly degrees in Brooklyn NY!

 

Right now its 39 degrees and windy! I had to break out my long puffy winter coat :( wishin' I was back in the Caribbean in a bathing suit!

[mathgeek1978]

I can't wait to get to PR and the Southern Caribbean either... I'm packing now... Thanks again, Dana, for all the wonderful pictures, menus, info, insights, etc.

 

For the past year or so I have been doing video reviews, so I'll be posting some cool vids when we return :)

[dforeigner]

Awesome review. Thank you for taking time to write one up.

[deladane]

I can't wait to get to PR and the Southern Caribbean either... I'm packing now... Thanks again, Dana, for all the wonderful pictures, menus, info, insights, etc.

 

For the past year or so I have been doing video reviews, so I'll be posting some cool vids when we return :)

 

Enjoy PR and the rest of your cruise!! Think of me in freezing cold NY while you're soaking up the Caribbean sun :D I look fwd to seeing your video as I enjoyed the last one you posted!

[mathgeek1978]

Enjoy PR and the rest of your cruise!! Think of me in freezing cold NY while you're soaking up the Caribbean sun :D I look fwd to seeing your video as I enjoyed the last one you posted!

Yes, I will, especially when I am soaking in the freezing cold water in the gorge in Dominica :D

[deladane]

Yes, I will, especially when I am soaking in the freezing cold water in the gorge in Dominica :D

 

Nah, I promise it isn't THAT bad! You'll have to let me know how it was :)

[HappyTraveler10]

Thank you so much for the detailed posts and pictures. We leave on the Summit on December 18, and I've read mixed reviews about the ship, often with comments about poor food or the ship showing its age. Your experience seems to have been positive, and we are getting excited.

 

Ann

[JesMil]

Sunday 11/14: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, in port 8am-5:30pm

I woke up bright and early on Sunday, ready to experience my first port day. I had breakfast at the buffet:

 

 

I liked my omlette and waffles so much that I had the same thing for breakfast nearly every day (so I'm not going to re-post the photo every day haha)

 

They made the announcement that we were allowed to get off the ship a few minutes after 8am, so I headed down to deck 1 and was off the ship in 5 minutes. When I got to the end of the pier, there was a shuttle bus waiting to take me to Sand Castle on the Beach ($6 round trip, for about a 5 minute drive. I found out later in the day that it IS possible to walk along the shore from Sand Castle Beach back to the ship if you don't want to take the shuttle, but I took the lazy route) Sand Castle was a really nice resort, that offered $5 day passes to use their beach, lounge chair, bathrooms, showers, and pool. I attempted to snorkel at the beach, but unfortunately the current was uncharacteristically rough that day, and I was getting tossed around so much in the water that I gave up and relaxed on my lounge chair for the morning.

 

 

Of note in that photo: 1) Very close proximity to the ship... this was just our first port so the novelty of seeing the ship from the beach was quite exciting!; 2) the waves crashing on shore... thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Tomas, the current was VERY strong; and 3) the rocks along the shore... locals said that you never usually see rocks along the shore, as it is always covered in sand. All of that sand was washed away the week before I visited because of heavy rains, so hopefully the beach will build back up again eventually! Despite that, it was a fairly long stretch of beach and I walked at least a mile down the shore and back:

 

 

At around noon, I caught the shuttle back to the ship for lunch. I had a panini from the deli station, and some chinese food from the asian station:

 

 

After lunch, my original plan was to walk down the pier and turn left towards Fort Fredrick Beach. Once again, the severe rains the week before completely washed away this beach, so when I got there, there was a rope across the entrance saying it was closed. Instead, I walked around some of the shops in port for a little while.

 

Clocktower at the pier:

 

Fort Fredrick (immediately to the left of the pier):

 

At around 2pm, it started to rain (note the very dark clouds above the clocktower!!), so I went back on the ship and relaxed on a lounge chair near the Thalasotherapy pool. I liked the lounge chairs here a lot because they were teak, as opposed to the plastic lounge chairs by the pool.

 

Hi There! Thanks so much for the great review and photos. We will be on Equinox, and have similar stops as you. I was interested in this portion of your post, where you mention the shuttle to take you to "Sand Castle on the beach. I have googled this, and can find nothing. We have a big group, and we wish to keep costs down, and simply want to swim and chill a bit on St. Thomas. Thanks for any help you can give me in this regard!

[deladane]

Hi There! Thanks so much for the great review and photos. We will be on Equinox, and have similar stops as you. I was interested in this portion of your post, where you mention the shuttle to take you to "Sand Castle on the beach. I have googled this, and can find nothing. We have a big group, and we wish to keep costs down, and simply want to swim and chill a bit on St. Thomas. Thanks for any help you can give me in this regard!

 

I was in st Croix, not st Thomas. But assuming u r going to st Croix too, the shuttle bus was located at the end of the pier. I'm fairly certain it is sponsored by the island and not by celebrity, but it is an air conditioned 15 passenger van that spends the whole day running back and forth between the pier and sand castle on the beach. The ride is like 5-10 min long, and costs $6 round trip. You just show up at their table at the end of the pier and buy your ticket there (i paid cash, not sure if they take credit card or anything else too), and then hop in the next van to show up. I had no wait at all for catching the shuttle in either direction. It made for a fun and inexpensive day! Let me know if u have any other questions :)

[bigedwin]

Thank you.

 

We are considering going back on Summit and your review brought back fun memories.

[ljk76]

We are going on the Summit this Feb. And can't wait. Does anyone know when the Summit will be Solsticied? Thinking about Feb. 2012 already. Before and after would be fun!

[digital_curator]

Thank you so much for your wonderful picture-review! We are preparing for our first Celebrity cruise in January and while we will be on the Millenium and not the Summit, I feel like I have learned so much that will make our experience that much better!

 

Cheers,

[susierailroad]

Dana:

 

We've cruised all over the world and done the Caribbean multiple times, but I read your entire review with relish and just wanted to thank you for all your detailed info. It was beneficial, not only for newbis, but for seasoned travelers as well! We're heading out soon for the same journey so I'm glad Library Lady alerted people to your post. Again, thanks, and I'll be looking forward to your next trip!

[susierailroad]

Dana: I forgot to ask--what kind of shoes would you recommend for the Dominica excursion. I have aqua shoes but was wondering if old tennis shoes might be more appropriate considering the walking/climbing that will also be done. Tennies would be left behind after waterlogging! Appreciate your help,

[Lois R]

We are going on the Summit this Feb. And can't wait. Does anyone know when the Summit will be Solsticied? Thinking about Feb. 2012 already. Before and after would be fun!

 

She is being Solsticized in Jan 2012 so you would be going after she

is done.

[deladane]

Dana: I forgot to ask--what kind of shoes would you recommend for the Dominica excursion. I have aqua shoes but was wondering if old tennis shoes might be more appropriate considering the walking/climbing that will also be done. Tennies would be left behind after waterlogging! Appreciate your help,

 

Are you taking the same excursion I went on, with Bumpiing Tours? If so, I wore aqua socks and they were perfect! I also brought a pair of mary-jane style waterproof hiking shoes in case the tour guide said we should wear heavy rubber-soled shoes, but he said the aqua socks would be fine so I just went with that. The base of Titou Gorge and the water near Trafalgar Falls are very rocky, as is the shore leading up to Champagne Reef, so it was important to always wear something on my feet and to never go barefoot... I think sneakers might get really uncomfortable because most of the day was spent swimming or walking through water. If you are unsure, and you have space in your suitcase, maybe wear the old sneakers to start the day and for the hikes up to Titou Gorge and up to the viewing platform at Trafalgar Falls and then change into your aqua socks (both locations have benches so you can change shoes if you need to), but if you have to pick one- I'd say aqua socks are better :) Have a fabulous cruise and be sure to post a review when you get home!

[roe2ship]

Nice review with fabulous pictures.....thanks for posting!

[susierailroad]

Dana:

 

I so regret to inform you that our day in Dominica was not as wonderful as yours. While it was the one day of the itinerary that I looked forward to eagerly, rain, starting at 3 a.m., precluded us from taking the swim up the gorge and under the waterfall--all we got to do was view it. Additionally, although we booked with Levi at Bumpiing Tours, we got Gary. He was definitely not the best tour guide and proved to be a disappoiontment. The weather is one element over which we have no control, so perhaps we'll have to visit again.

 

I did wear aqua shoes which were perfect for the trek up into the forest and the walk along the beach to snorkle at Champagne Reef.

 

Again, thanks for your info.

[deladane]

Dana:

 

I so regret to inform you that our day in Dominica was not as wonderful as yours. While it was the one day of the itinerary that I looked forward to eagerly, rain, starting at 3 a.m., precluded us from taking the swim up the gorge and under the waterfall--all we got to do was view it. Additionally, although we booked with Levi at Bumpiing Tours, we got Gary. He was definitely not the best tour guide and proved to be a disappoiontment. The weather is one element over which we have no control, so perhaps we'll have to visit again.

 

I did wear aqua shoes which were perfect for the trek up into the forest and the walk along the beach to snorkle at Champagne Reef.

 

Again, thanks for your info.

 

 

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that the rain ruined your day. Gary was my tour guide as well, but I thought he was great. He was funny and entertaining while he drove us around all day (making a point to explain the rules of the road: the bigger vehicle has the right of way!) and he even took us up to his house so he could pick up a CD of Caribbean Christmas music to play throughout the day. I remember him quoting some crazy high number of inches of rain that Dominica gets each year, so it is quite unfortunate that a bunch of it fell on the day of your tour. Did you enjoy Champagne Reef? The day I went, the current was very rough and I hardly saw anything... I hope you had better luck there! I'm glad the aqua socks worked out for you, and hopefully you get a chance to visit Dominica again with better weather conditions for exploring the island and all its beauty :)

[susierailroad]

Yes, the rain put a minor "damper" on my hopes for the day, but that certainly won't discourage us from visiting this beautiful island again. As for Gary, I regretted I mentioned his name as everyone has an off day occasionally. We saw amazing coral and a few different types of fish even though the water was really stirred up. We got out when it began to rain (didn't want to get wet, you know). The surf had come up and was crashing to the shore, making it extremely difficult for us to get out of the water. Glad we did it though, but, overall, this snorkleing experience is far more difficult than off a boat due to the totally rocky shoreline (absolutely no sand.) Aqua shoes were certainly a necessity--thanks for mentioning them.

[Lukehead]

Great report! We are doing that itinerary in 3 weeks. Good info re ports and hints on the ship (we're first timers and want to be prepared for everything).

 

Question: What do the symbols (like the star or the swoosh) placed next to various menu items indicate?