Summit Review 1/26/13-Old San Juan pre-cruise, cruise & ports of call (with pictures)

[richsea]

Great photos! Antigua is one of our favorite islands. That is a great idea, being picked up & having a cooler! Do you mind telling how much you paid for that service?....& we've been to Valley Church Beach £ loved it. But Darkwood looks even better!

Keep those pictures coming!

[beachlover98]

Great photos! Antigua is one of our favorite islands. That is a great idea, being picked up & having a cooler! Do you mind telling how much you paid for that service?....& we've been to Valley Church Beach £ loved it. But Darkwood looks even better!

Keep those pictures coming!

 

If I remember correctly, we paid $64 for the taxi (round trip) and $20 for the cooler. Of course then there's the tip so would be a little over $100 total I guess. Well worth it!

[TruRed76]

I think I found the beach I want to spend my day on! Beautiful!

 

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[Megan_Strick]

We locked up the apartment and left around 11:15am that Saturday, and caught a cab over to the Pan American pier. We got there early enough that embarkation was a breeze – we were on the ship within minutes. The welcome champagne was a nice touch!

 

We had originally booked a veranda stateroom on deck 7. I don’t have any interest in the AquaClass or Concierge Class cabins (we wouldn’t use the amenities or perks to justify it). However, a couple of months prior to our cruise, I found that some of the aft family veranda cabins had become available. We decided to spend a little to upgrade to one of those, ending up in cabin 7201. We enjoyed the extra space inside, but more so the larger veranda, as we really only spend time in the room to sleep and shower. In contrast to many cruisers, we always choose the more port-intensive itineraries – the ship comes second to the ports of call.

 

Here are a few pictures of our stateroom, veranda, and the views:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned, for us, the ship is not the focal point of the vacation. That’s not to say we don’t want a great cruise experience, but perhaps our perspective is a little different. I wonder sometimes if maybe my expectations aren’t high enough, so this review may be quite different from others. I’ve read reviews almost detailing “white glove tests” of the staterooms. I’m the first one to say I want a clean and comfortable place to live for a week, but I’m also realistic, and this trip was no different. Was the room clean? Yeah, pretty clean. Is the bathroom grout new and perfect? No, but did it ruin my vacation? No. Was the upholstery on my sofa perfectly stain-free? No, but did it ruin my week-long stay? Of course not. I always look past the little things – sure, I notice them, but compared to the rest of the trip they’re hardly important. I’m a mom of four, so anytime I don’t have to plan meals, cook, clean kitchens and bathrooms, and make beds, I’m happy!

 

All that said, the customer service by the Celebrity staff during the week was absolutely fantastic! Our stateroom attendant was an adorable girl from the Philippines; she did a wonderful job, always cleaning our room well and in a timely manner, and cheerfully and immediately fulfilled the few special requests we had. She even caught us in the hallway once to let us know that she had found my husband’s wedding ring mixed up in the bed sheets – he had taken it off and forgotten it on the bed before we left for the day, and she had found it before it got lost or sent to the laundry! She was always cheerful, with a quick “Hello” and “How was your day?”

 

We ate in the main dining room each night except the first – we always love to watch the ship sail away from San Juan, so we got dinner a little earlier. Our waiter and assistant waiter were some of the best we’ve had; they were very personable, and got to know our preferences right away (I’m always impressed by how well the serving staff manages that!). We never had empty water glasses, courses were brought and cleared in a timely fashion, and not once did they get an order wrong, even the details. It also came to be a running joke with the waiter how I never looked at the dessert menu, and he never had to ask – crème brûlée every night, no exceptions, although on two occasions I did order two desserts (it’s vacation, right?). Regarding the food in the main dining room, I know there is a lot of debate on whether it’s good or bad, improving or declining. I think it’s just fine. Sometimes good, sometimes excellent, sometimes fabulous, and, admittedly, sometimes not so great. I think, though, that that’s more of my personal preferences rather than the actual quality of the food – there were a couple of appetizers or soups that I ordered that I didn’t care for too much (again, just my taste), but never have I gotten something, on this cruise or any, that I would actually call awful. Overall, my husband and I thought the main dining room was very good – the atmosphere was nice, and we love the formal nights (we do appreciate when people dress up just a little even on casual nights). Our tablemates were fantastic, and that’s one of the best parts of the main dining room. We love to get to know new people and spend time together swapping stories.

 

 

Regarding other dining venues on the ship, well, you just can’t go hungry on a cruise! We hit the buffet for breakfast every day and brought it back down to have on our balcony. There was certainly enough variety that we could find enough we liked, so no complaints here (again, we’re not “foodies,” so it was just fine). We also had burgers, fries, and pizza from the grill several times for a casual meal – all delicious.

 

I’m not terribly picky regarding the entertainment factor of a ship, but the entertainment on the Summit was okay. We only went to a couple of shows in the main theater – we loved the comedian, the jaw-dropping comedy juggler, and the final show, which was a very enjoyable combination of the cruise director, ship a cappella group, and comedy juggler. I’ve never been a fan of the productions involving the ship’s professional singers and dancers, so we didn’t go to see those shows. We do, however, love a cappella groups, and loved the group on the Summit. We made sure to see them whenever they performed – I only wish they did so for longer! None of the other assorted acts aboard the ship really stood out to us, but they were all good.

 

As an overall cruise experience, I would rate our time on the Summit as excellent. Celebrity is definitely our preferred cruise line – I am already booked for next January on the alternate itinerary out of San Juan!

 

Next up are the ports of call – by far the reason I pick a particular cruise....

 

 

We could be related. I dont let the little things bother me. Some people complain about decor and color on ships. Who cares? It makes no difference in taste of my food or how good I sleep if the walls are orange.

[Kathie44]

Nice review. I did that itinerary two years in a row, just reversed. 2011 with my late DH's sister, last year with 3 friends. This year my cousin from AZ roomed with me and the other 2 friends went with us. We did the alternate itin. St. Croix (new to me), St Kitts, Dominica, Grenada (been there once each) and the perennial St. Thomas.(5th time). My cousin hadn't been to any of the ports and the other friends had not seen any but St. Thomas. As usual it was a wonderful cruise. It was my 5th time on Summit and 7th time on M-class.

We booked Silhouette for next Jan. to the W. Carib. Change of scene for them, although I've been there before, but not for several years. You can't go wrong with Celebrity. :D

[Sam D.]

Snorkel Dawg,

 

Hi, I would be interested in your pics & video of your day in Grenada. We will be on the Summit in Nov stopping at Grenada and have never been. Actually any photos from that itinerary would be great.

 

Thanks!

[beachlover98]

Snorkel Dawg,

 

Hi, I would be interested in your pics & video of your day in Grenada. We will be on the Summit in Nov stopping at Grenada and have never been. Actually any photos from that itinerary would be great.

 

Thanks!

 

I, too, would be interested in your excursions for both Grenada and St. Kitts. Not going until next January but it's never too early to start looking! Thanks.

[Xcitdcruiser]

If I remember correctly, we paid $64 for the taxi (round trip) and $20 for the cooler. Of course then there's the tip so would be a little over $100 total I guess. Well worth it!

 

Are there any bathrooms / food outlets / umbrellas on this beach?

[beachlover98]

Are there any bathrooms / food outlets / umbrellas on this beach?

 

Can maybe only speak for the food part of your question. There is a little beach bar which I believe has food, but I'm not 100% sure. We did rent chairs, but not an umbrella and I honestly don't remember if they had umbrellas. I didn't ask for one. As for restrooms, again I don't know. Perhaps if you buy something from the bar they have ones you can use?

 

Sorry I wasn't more helpful answering your questions!

[Snorkel Dawg]

beachlover-I had no intention of hijacking your wonderful pic & review thread. :o Your Antigua/Darkwood Beach pics are beautiful! Just booked a sailing there on the Hawnalea but know what beach we'll visit next time, thank U!

 

 

Sam & beachlover-here are links to some short Grenada vids on my youtube page:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pics from my Snapfish page, Grenada pics in 3/20/10 album

 

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/fe/l=en_US/p/Organizer/s_c=0/s_se=FDR/s_pt=GFT,POS,PSP,REP,PMB,PLT,PRE/s_st=RegReqEu#state=%7B%22pl%22%3A%7B%22uc%22%3A2%2C%22aid%22%3A%223776880008%22%2C%22vp%22%3A%22g%22%2C%22sb%22%3A5%7D%2C%22ovm%22%3A%7B%22v%22%3A%22s%22%7D%7D

 

Enjoy,

Dawg

 

 

Now please beachlover98, more of your review!

Edited March 7, 2013 by Snorkel Dawg

[Sam D.]

Snorkel Dawg,

 

For some reason your link doesn't open your photos, but the videos show the awesome beach. Thanks

[Snorkel Dawg]

Snorkel Dawg,

 

For some reason your link doesn't open your photos, but the videos show the awesome beach. Thanks

 

 

 

Not sure why. Hope this link works...

 

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/home/

[beachlover98]

St. Maarten was the only port of call for which I hadn’t set up a specific excursion or driver. Our plan was to find a nice beach for the early part of the day, and then head to Maho Beach by the airport to watch the big planes land in the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

We ended up first at Mullet Bay, just up the coastline from Maho. We rented a couple of chairs, had a few drinks from the beach bar, and had a fabulous time!

 

Mullet Bay Beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left Mullet Bay Beach around 1:45pm and made the short walk over to Maho Beach – it only took about ten minutes. It isn’t until mid- to late afternoon that the bigger planes start coming in, so we wanted to enjoy a quieter beach before then. Maho Beach can get pretty crowded when there are a lot of ships in port.

 

One of the BIG planes landing:

 

 

 

 

 

They really do feel like they’re right over your head! It’s a one-of-a-kind beach, and definitely something to be experienced.

[TruRed76]

Beautiful pics! What time dd you leave Maho and how long did it take to get back to the ship? I have heard traffic is bad and just want to time it well without worrying! Did you take a taxi?

 

Thanks again for sharing! It is much appreciated!

 

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[barbatkins]

Loving your review!! I too will be on Summitt out of San Juan next January......

 

My question is about the pier... Is the Pan American pier the one across from old San Juan? or is that the other pier on the other side of the water?

 

thanks.....Barb

[beachlover98]

Beautiful pics! What time dd you leave Maho and how long did it take to get back to the ship? I have heard traffic is bad and just want to time it well without worrying! Did you take a taxi?

 

Thanks again for sharing! It is much appreciated!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

Glad you like the pictures. It was another fabulous day!

 

I can't remember exactly, but I think we left Maho around 3:15 or 3:30. We still saw LOTS of planes landing. Our ship didn't sail until 6:00. How much traffic you encounter will depend partly on how many ships are in port. I think we had several but we still made good time back to the ship. We did take a taxi. We got dropped off in Phillipsburg as we still had some souvenir shopping to do for the kids. We then did the 15 or so minute walk back to the ship. On the way, we took time to stop at the small building that houses a little shop run by the St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation. They sell things like t-shirts and hats, etc. to help raise money. Of course we bought some things plus gave them an extra donation!

 

So, as you can see, we had more than enough time to get back to the ship. Wouldn't want to leave Maho too late but once we were back in Phillipsburg, everything else is just walking to where we were going.

 

Here's a picture from a past trip that I had of this little shop (although it wasn't opened that time):

 

[beachlover98]

Loving your review!! I too will be on Summitt out of San Juan next January......

 

My question is about the pier... Is the Pan American pier the one across from old San Juan? or is that the other pier on the other side of the water?

 

thanks.....Barb

 

Glad you like my review so far!

 

The Pan American pier where you will board the Summit is the one across the bay. It's about a 10-15 minute taxi ride from Old San Juan.

 

Ships will dock right in OSJ when they are just there for the day on a port stop, although I think Carnival might use that pier for embarkation and debarkation. I'm not sure as I've never sailed Carnival.

 

Looks like you're doing the same itinerary I am next January. I'm sailing on the Summit on 1/4/14.

[lbsunsets1]

Thanks for sharing. The pics are so clear - I can feel the warmth of the sun in them! Also, I am a huge pet lover (actually work at an animal hospital). I especially love the close up of the cat in the tree/bush!!

[beachlover98]

Thanks for sharing. The pics are so clear - I can feel the warmth of the sun in them! Also, I am a huge pet lover (actually work at an animal hospital). I especially love the close up of the cat in the tree/bush!!

 

 

Glad you're enjoying my review! I love sharing some of my favorite pictures. Over the years I have amassed countless pictures of the cats in Old San Juan. My picture of "Princess" is definitely one of my favorites. We were walking on the Paseo del Morro and there she was. She (or he, I really don't know!) was absolutely gorgeous.

 

As you can tell from my previous posts, we're a family of animal lovers, too. We've volunteered at our local humane society, our local zoo and have fostered dogs for a local rescue organization. We also have several "causes" we raise money for. My 15-year-old daughter raises funds for the Save the Manatee Club and as I mentioned, my 14-year-old son is currently working to raise funds for the Save a Gato organization in Old San Juan. He and I, and my older daughter, will be on a cruise next January leaving from San Juan. I found out on Save a Gato's website that there are opportunities for us to volunteer for some of the time we're down there for our pre-cruise stay. I'm currently researching that. We're really looking forward to helping that worthwhile organization!

[Bailey & Sophie]

Thanks for your review!

The Summit out of San Juan was our first cruise. We loved the Old Town. And the cats - I'm so glad someone is taking care of them. We thought there were feral.

Awesome pictures!!

[barbatkins]

Glad you like my review so far!

 

The Pan American pier where you will board the Summit is the one across the bay. It's about a 10-15 minute taxi ride from Old San Juan.

 

Ships will dock right in OSJ when they are just there for the day on a port stop, although I think Carnival might use that pier for embarkation and debarkation. I'm not sure as I've never sailed Carnival.

 

Looks like you're doing the same itinerary I am next January. I'm sailing on the Summit on 1/4/14.

 

We are going on Jan 18, 2014....I appreciate the info on the pier. I have sailed out of there on Carnival and it was the pier across from the old town. I thought maybe Celebrity was at the other pier........

 

thanks again.....for the info and the great review

[beachlover98]

Thanks for your review!

The Summit out of San Juan was our first cruise. We loved the Old Town. And the cats - I'm so glad someone is taking care of them. We thought there were feral.

Awesome pictures!!

 

I'm glad you're enjoying my review and pictures. We've always enjoyed the cats in Old San Juan so much so I'm glad there are others out there who love them too! I had always heard that they were "taken care of" but I never knew any of the details until my most recent trip there.

 

If you're interested in finding out more, check out their website! I have a link in one of my first posts but if you missed it, here's their website:

 

http://saveagato.org/

[AquariusOne]

I'm glad you're enjoying my review and pictures. We've always enjoyed the cats in Old San Juan so much so I'm glad there are others out there who love them too! I had always heard that they were "taken care of" but I never knew any of the details until my most recent trip there.

 

If you're interested in finding out more, check out their website! I have a link in one of my first posts but if you missed it, here's their website:

 

http://saveagato.org/

 

Hello beachlover98, thanks for taking the time to post a great review and lovely photos. We will be in San Juan for 4 days pre-cruise and 3 days post--cruise, during Cristmas and New Year (Summit). You have mentioned an apartment that you stayed at, would you mind sharing its name? We would like to stay in the Old Town....Thanks

[beachlover98]

Sorry it took so long for the last port of call to be posted. Have 4 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 husband......enough said!

 

 

Finally, our last port of call was beautiful St. Thomas, where we booked a day sail with Simplicity Charters. We took a cab over to Red Hook to meet up with Charlie, the captain, who was right on time to meet us. We then found out that the other two couples who had booked the same trip (this particular trip was maxed at six people) had both canceled, so we had a private charter!

 

We wasted no time setting sail, on the start of a fabulous day. Both Charlie and Josh, his first mate/co-captain, were the best! The other “crewmember” was Admiral Hinckley, a darling mixed breed rescue dog who now lives on the boat:

 

Admiral Hinckley:

 

 

 

 

 

We are huge dog lovers, so we had a lot of fun with her on the boat! We also spent a lot of time chatting with Charlie and Josh as we enjoyed our sail – it was fun hearing about how they got to doing this job that they love (I am so envious!). They obviously enjoy themselves every day, and they made sure we enjoyed the day as well. We always had a drink in hand and they made sure we were always comfortable.

 

Such a beautiful day to be sailing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was for snorkeling in a beautiful sheltered cove. I’m not a big snorkeler due to minor claustrophobia, but Josh is a marine biologist, so I couldn’t pass up having him as a private guide! He was fantastic – we saw lots of beautiful fish and amazing coral:

 

 

 

A barracuda:

 

 

 

 

And a squid!

 

 

 

 

 

While Josh had us out snorkeling, Charlie cooked up a delicious lunch of barbeque chicken, salad, and fresh bread. It was amazing – as good as anything we had on the ship!

[beachlover98]

We sailed a bit longer near the coastline of St. John – it was absolutely breathtaking! We dropped anchor near Honeymoon Beach, St. John:

 

 

 

 

 

A short swim brought us to the beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alas, but all good things must come to an end! Eventually we had to make our way back to the boat and sail back to Red Hook. Again, it was a perfect day for sailing and the scenery was spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

Because of Charlie and Josh, our day in St. Thomas was fabulous! We couldn’t have asked for better ambassadors of the island – they work really hard, but love what they do. Thanks, guys!

 

Admiral Hinckley after a long day:

 

 

 

 

Our final stop, sadly, was back to San Juan. It was the end to a great week – everything about the cruise was fantastic! The ports of call were a blast, and we couldn’t possibly have had better weather. It was so good that I’ve already booked the Summit for next January – can’t wait!