Summit 6/9 Bermuda Review

[jeansaussie1]

Just back from great 6/9 Summit Bermuda cruise. I loved my first X experience. This review has some tips and is also to support or debunk other things I’ve read on CC.

Before I get into the body of the review (in case you don’t read that far) you should know the Summit is very CC friendly. M&G was at 10:45 1st sea day in Michaels. 91 people signed up but only about 20 attended. This was very embarrassing as the Cruise Director Alexander brought not only the Hotel Director but also the Captain to meet us. Other CC members told me this was the first time they ever saw the Captain attend. Alexander reads CC and the most important thing he wants us to know is if there is a problem, tell them about it in the moment so it can be fixed.

 

If you are doing a slot pull meet with Casino Host Caroline. She provided 3 tee-shirts, 3 drink coupons and 3 match play coupons for my winners. Also the Summit does not have any $1 machines. She showed me a $2 machine so we used an entry fee of $10 (2 x 5 pulls)

 

Arrived in Bayonne at 11am. Received Zone 4 priority. Would have been on board immediately except US Coast Guard was conducting an inspection. Was on board by 12, greeted with champagne and found plenty of open seating in buffet. Explored the ship and found the Aquaspa café tucked away behind the salt pool.

 

So let me get my only bad comment out of the way. I kept reading on CC about “soft” spots in floor and said what are these people talking about. They range from extra padding, sloping areas and holes under the carpet. My foot sank 3 inches in a spot in the buffet. We do not have any mobility issues but I can see how this could be dangerous for many people.

 

Also, the new pool chairs are out on deck 11 but they are intermingled with the ones missing straps. So be sure to pick a good one. If you are looking for a quiet chair go forward on deck 11 and up the winding stairs to 12. Lots of chairs there. This is also where you want to be to take photos of the bridge.

 

Rooms opened at 1:30. Concierge 8150 was clean. The worst I found a little dust on TV base. Bathroom in good shape. There is a service door across the hall which was propped open occasionally but there was no noise. The Concierge room service menu is in the back of the blue binder. Very nice expanded selection. Muster was at 4:15 and held indoors.

 

All our breakfasts and lunches were in the buffet. Make sure to walk the full circle to see all the choices. At 5:30pm we went back to the buffet for our pre-dinner snack. Very large sushi selection. At the aft station they grill steak and salmon to order. On the last day we were in the buffet around 4 and they had low tea sandwiches and desserts. Not sure if they had this everyday and we just missed it. We had 8:30 dinner seating. Morales (smile coffee) and David were wonderful and our table was always one of the first finished. DO NOT MISS the 10am bunch on final sea day. Be there at 10 to take photos.

 

I think we saw all the shows (with the exception of Sirens) and went to a few Q&A sessions. Alexander is good…right? (you’ll understand after the cruise) I liked that 2 of the shows (3 pm Saturday Broadway matinee and Music Explosion) allowed the performers artistic interpretation. DO NOT MISS the 3pm Saturday Matinee because if you’re lucky Alexander will sing. Make sure to see the Crooners who pop up for small sets all over the ship and pianist Jordan Peterson.

 

Day 1 in Bermuda we walked to Sea Glass beach and Black Bay thanks to a CC posted map. The walk is longer than it looks. If you are purchasing a bus pass you can get dropped off. Sea Glass beach does have a sign posted that you cannot take any glass. We met another cruiser there who said many years ago you could not even see the sand. Now there is a strip of glass but sand is visible on both sides. We were good and complied with the rule. Black Bay has 3 crescent shaped small beaches. Water was calm enough to swim. Water shoes are not needed if you stay in the center. I explored near the closer rocks but did not see any fish so didn’t put my snorkel gear on.

We missed the rain and got back on boat to prepare for 1pm excursion. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Devils Island excursion booked through Celebrity at $54 pp. The catamaran is Fantasea. They sailed by the exposed portion of Vixen and then to 3 private islands known as Kings Point. Snorkel gear, noodle and kayak provided with Rum Swizzle on way back. The boat backs up into waist deep blue water. The population and variety of fish is huge. Plus there is a beach area. This excursion is appropriate for both beginner and experience snorkelers or anyone who just wants to lie on deserted beach.

Back to the boat by 4:30 and missed the rain again. We left at 6 to go to Harbor Nights in Hamilton but all the Seapass booths were closed. They said we needed exact change to get on ferry which would have been $9 but we put $10 in the slot and they let us get on. We are not shoppers but walked the streets, took photos and saw the street performers.

 

Day 2 I love St George. We saw St Peters, the unfinished Church, cobble stone streets, quaint shops. They we spent hours at Tobacco Bay snorkeling. Water was a little rougher today so you had to be careful around the rocks. Fish were plentiful. Then we started a walk that I wouldn’t recommend unless you are in very good shape. First stop was Fort St Catherines. Very nice swimming beach there. We continue and passed Drews Bay which was a teeny tiny beach that looked like a post card. We passed the dairy farm and kept going a really long way. Then we came to Fort Alexandria and the sea glass beach next to it. We legally picked up a very nice collection and saw the caves. We made it back in time for the last ferry.

 

Day 3 We took bus 7 to Warwick. It’s probably longer than Horseshoe but only 10 people there. The water was too rough to swim. I don’t know if that is normal or just the day we were there. We started walking to Horseshoe and found a hidden gem - Jacobs cove which is just around the first set of rocks to the right. The water was much calmer. There were only a few small fish but also a blue parrot fish the size of a dinner plate. We stayed quite a while and then continued the walk to Horseshoe on the sand path. It looked like rain when we made it to Horseshoe so we went to the concession area and sat under umbrella. I was surprised they only had hamburger/fry and canned beer types of food/drink available. I had Horseshoe bay built up in my mind so much I thought they would have a little better beach restaurant. But the beer really hit the spot! We got on the bus with the intent of stopping at Black Bay on the way back but were too tired. There were about 20 people there when we passed.

 

It was a wonderful trip. Loved Bermuda and Celebrity. Sorry this got to be such a long review. If you read this far and have any questions just ask.

[ediemarie]

thanks so much for the review. we're due to set sail in august so i'm reading everything I can on the ship and Bermuda!

 

thanks again for taking the time to post!

[drarill]

Thanks for the review!! :):)

[Lois R]

Thanks for the review and it sounds like you had a great time.

Oh, it was not too long:)....I am sailing in August and enjoyed reading

it:D

[Ron_L]

Thanks for the information! We're not on the Summit until December but I'm reading everything I can :D

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report, Bermuda is a beautiful island!

[jfer8580]

Great review...and even greater that you had a good time!!

[SSFrance69]

Thanks for the review!

 

One question...the salmon at the aft grilled to order - was it available for lunch or only at the 5:30 hour?

 

Cheers

Tammy

[cyntil8ing]

Thanks for the review. I just booked this cruise for 7/28 and we will also be in 8150. We did this cruise two years ago and I am so excited to be going again.

[kfrey68]

Thanks for the review!

 

One question...the salmon at the aft grilled to order - was it available for lunch or only at the 5:30 hour?

 

Cheers

Tammy

 

 

Only at 5:30.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.