Just back from Celebrity Summit - October 19 Repo cruise

[MonaCK]

Hi folks -

 

Just back from what I can only describe as a wonderful, wonderful experience on this ship.

 

First, a little background.

 

I'm pretty loyal to Royal Caribbean. However, when I saw the deal come in for this repo cruise, I could not resist giving Celebrity a try again. My last time on Celebrity was on the Zenith in 2001, so it had been a while. I am Diamond on Royal which translated to me being Elite on Celebrity.

 

I sailed with a few first time cruisers - including my boyfriend - and have converted them all into being cruise addicts - or I should say, the Summit converted them all into cruise addicts.

 

I am pretty laid back when it comes to cruising. I can pretty much find something to eat just about anywhere, and I find that as long as something egregious doesn't occur, I roll with the punches.

 

My reviews tend to not be day by day, but more of a general overview of things. So.. with that said - away we go. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, and I will do my best to answer them.

 

We stayed in Cabin 8049, which is a C2 Concierge Cabin, with one of the "Sweet Sixteen" balconies.

 

Embarkation

 

We arrived at the pier at about 11am, and embarkation was just starting. After waiting on a short line for Concierge, we were able to head onto the bus at Cape Liberty that took us to the ship. There is a lot of construction at the pier, and I am looking forward to seeing how things change when I next am at Cape Liberty in January. Our first order of business - my boyfriend and I met my dad and his girlfriend for a nice, leisurely lunch at Bistro on Five. I highly HIGHLY recommend this as a way to get away from the hustle and bustle of buffet upstairs. I also would recommend being one of the first on the ship to do this if you can - after we sat down, they started turning folks away, saying they should come back in 45 minutes to an hour.

 

Muster Drill

 

This was.. the oddest muster drill I have ever been in. First off, it was in the Celebrity Theatre, which in it of itself wasn't odd - I've been in indoor musters before and that's fine. What was odd about it was that they quickly showed us how to put our life jackets on, and then repeatedly told us not to flush anything foreign down the toilets in our cabins.

 

Food

 

Food is subjective. We all know this. But for me, I enjoyed each and every meal I had, starting with our Embarkation lunch at Bistro on 5, to the main dining room, to Q-sine... which was an unbelievable gastro experience. The buffet... was the buffet. I managed to always find something to eat, but it's never as good as eating in one of the sit down restaurants, and that's mostly by design. Most folks I spoke to on the ship were enjoying the food as well, along with everyone in our party, which included a few picky eaters. My father's girlfriend keeps kosher, and they went to great lengths to give her a different type of fish dish at every meal that was double wrapped in aluminum foil so she could enjoy yummy options as well. She also will eat pescetarian overall, so she always found something to eat, even at Q-sine.

 

Entertainment

 

The main singers and dancers were so-so, and my boyfriend and I never returned to one of the main ship named shows after the first night. The comedian they brought on board, I think his name was David Crowe, was only ok - I felt like he was not comfortable most of the time he was delivering jokes, but he did deliver a few that made us crack up. Sin City Comedy was pretty good. and Vox Audio was the second headline act, and they were -excellent-. They used to be known as Toxic Audio.

 

Activities

 

There was plenty of trivia, but a bit of disappointment when our Trivia Host, Krista, didn't have "time to tally up the results" so we never knew who won or even how we placed in progressive trivia. She was supposed to call our cabin, but that never happened either.

 

Richard Spacey as cruise director. He is definitely a lot of fun... but can be a bit over the top. This was our first time sailing with him, and this was his first cruise on Celebrity. What we found a bit odd was, although it was fun to watch, they ran his old videos on channel 12 from when he was part of Royal... and in fact I said to my boyfriend that if he ever wondered what the Oasis of the Seas looked like, now he knew. On this ship, which I understand is not standard for celebrity, they actually had a belly flop competition...

 

We did do karaoke one night, and that was fun. The game shows were a little hit and miss. The Wheel of Fortune game was ridiculous. But the Wedding Games (the usual variant of The Love and Marriage Game show/Newlywed game, etc) was a hoot as always. We also enjoyed The Liar's Club.

 

We enjoyed the tour of the ship's galley, though there were so many there it was a bit disorganized. The chef who was showing us around was difficult to be heard in the large group we were in.

 

Premium Beverage Package

 

We, like many others, sailed with the free classic beverage package. However, I made the decision to upgrade both of us to premium, with the theory being that I either wanted to keep track of every drink... or no drinks at all. I was not disappointed. We made full of use of it, going to the Martini bar several times, having a few different "adult" coffee beverages, and sampling wine that would have been over the classic beverage limit quite a bit in the dining room. Would i pay full price for a beverage package? Absolutely not. Both of us do not drink enough to make that worth it. But doing it this way totally worked for us.

 

Ports of call

 

This was a repositioning cruise, stopping in St. Maartan, St. Thomas, and ending in San Juan.

 

St. Maartan

 

We hired a taxi at the pier for $25/pp. There were 4 of us, and we joined in with 4 other people in order to get the reduced rate. We did an island tour, but felt it wasn't that great as we couldn't hear the driver - my boyfriend and I were in the back of the van, and the driver did not have a way of amplifying his voice. After we got back to the ship, the boyfriend and I took the water taxi downtown and went to Phillipsburgh. We ended up going to That Yoda Guy museum. Kind of odd to have a Star Wars museum, where you can actually meet the guy who created many different special effects aliens, right in downtown St. Maartan, but there he was. It was worth the $10 admission price in our eyes.

 

St. Thomas

 

I have a friend who lives in Tortola, and works for one of the dolphin excursion companies. I asked her for a recommendation for a driver for a tour of St. Thomas, and I was not disappointed. Her name was Diana, and she gave us a great deal on 4 of us taking a tour of the island. Her bus is open air, and she could be heard over a PA system. the tour was informative and interesting. We also went to the synagogue, and that is not for the faint of heart. It was located up a pretty steep hill, but it was worth the climb.

 

San Juan, PR

 

We disembarked here, so this technically was not a port of call, but we did do a few things while here that we enjoyed before heading home yesterday. on Saturday afternoon we did a food tour through Flavors of San Juan. It was great - our guide was informative on San Juan history and culture, and we enjoyed some delicious eats at 6 different places, where we samples 10 or 11 different foods. It was worth it.

 

We also did some walking and shopping around Old San Juan. And yesterday morning we went to one of the forts.

 

Disembarkation

 

Other than having to watch a loop of Richard Space on channel 12 in the theatre while waiting for our numbers to be called, this was seamless and worked well. We quickly found our luggage and were able to locate a porter who brought us through the customs line quickly and efficiently. We hired a taxi at the pier to take us to the Sheraton Casino and Convention Center which is located right by the pier.

 

Summary

 

This was honestly one of the best cruises I've ever been on. A lot of it was the company that I was with, but much of it was because we were overall impressed with cruiseline, the ship, and the crew. This has me wondering when my next celebrity cruise will be.

 

Any questions? Please ask, and i will answer best that I can. :)

[lakelorain]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. We are also loyal to Royal but have 3 Celebrity cruises booked. The first one is on the Summit.

What did you like or dislike about the ship? What kind of condition was she in?

[RealDeal]

Hi Mona! It's Lisa & Ruben (we did 50s, 60s trivia with you I think). It was great to meet you and Mitch! I'll shoot you an email.

[MonaCK]

Hi Mona! It's Lisa & Ruben (we did 50s, 60s trivia with you I think). It was great to meet you and Mitch! I'll shoot you an email.

 

Hi Lisa! I got your email. It's been a busy back to reality day, but i will respond soon :)

[MonaCK]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. We are also loyal to Royal but have 3 Celebrity cruises booked. The first one is on the Summit.

What did you like or dislike about the ship? What kind of condition was she in?

 

The ship seemed to be in great condition. It's funny - the summit is actually a lot smaller than the Oasis, as an example, which was my last ship - but I actually felt like things were more spread out - walking from the dining room to the theatre seemed long at times. That being said - there is nothing that I outright disliked. The beds were comfy. The cabin was a comfortable temp too -which is a first for me on a cruise ship. Usually the rooms are too warm for me.

 

Another nice difference... no signing out for towels by the pool. You can take them as you need them, and then return them when you are done. No pool towel attendant. :)

 

Oh - there was one thing I disliked. The Casino. No low limit tables - and more importantly - it took my money! ;)

[lakelorain]

The ship seemed to be in great condition. It's funny - the summit is actually a lot smaller than the Oasis, as an example, which was my last ship - but I actually felt like things were more spread out - walking from the dining room to the theatre seemed long at times. That being said - there is nothing that I outright disliked. The beds were comfy. The cabin was a comfortable temp too -which is a first for me on a cruise ship. Usually the rooms are too warm for me.

 

Another nice difference... no signing out for towels by the pool. You can take them as you need them, and then return them when you are done. No pool towel attendant. :)

 

Oh - there was one thing I disliked. The Casino. No low limit tables - and more importantly - it took my money! ;)

 

Thanks. Sounds like a good ship. Sorry about the Casino. We don't gamble so we should love it.

Edited October 27, 2014 by lakelorain

[need2bespoiled]

 

We stayed in Cabin 8049, which is a C2 Concierge Cabin, with one of the "Sweet Sixteen" balconies.

 

Thanks for the great reveiw.

 

I actually don't think this is a "sweet 16 balcony" Those are all on deck 6, the first balconies on either side from the front have bigger baclonies. Your room was slightly larger, as it was a Concierge Class, but the baclony, not as big.

 

Here is a pic, showing how these balconies extend our further on deck 6

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoyed your review, glad you had a good time.

[RealDeal]

Hi Lisa! I got your email. It's been a busy back to reality day, but i will respond soon :)

 

I completely understand and am in the same "boat." UGH.

Edited October 28, 2014 by RealDeal

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi MONACK,

 

Thanks for your great Trip Report... Sounds like you had an awesome time.

 

We loved the Summit (Jan 2013) and her staff so much, that we will be back upon her this coming May for a cruise to Bermuda.

 

I see you arrived at the Terminal around 11 AM... Would you say your party was amongst the first aboard (re Bistro on 5 comments). Mr Sloop & I do like to arrive / get aboard early and know that at Cape Liberty there is that extra step with the shuttle bus, so will need to plan accordingly.

 

Cheers!

Edited October 28, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[virginialucy]

The ship seemed to be in great condition. It's funny - the summit is actually a lot smaller than the Oasis, as an example, which was my last ship - but I actually felt like things were more spread out - walking from the dining room to the theatre seemed long at times. That being said - there is nothing that I outright disliked. The beds were comfy. The cabin was a comfortable temp too -which is a first for me on a cruise ship. Usually the rooms are too warm for me.

 

 

On my Summit cruise I was in 7049, so in a similar neck of the woods. I agree with you about how far apart things seem. It was such a long walk to get anywhere, especially to the buffet and dining room since they are so far aft. In a weird way, the Silhouette seemed smaller even though it is quite a bit larger, but I was in a midship cabin so I was pretty close to everything. If I ever cruise on the Summit again, I would definitely get a midship or aft cabin.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Sloop-JohnB]

The ship seemed to be in great condition. It's funny - the summit is actually a lot smaller than the Oasis, as an example, which was my last ship - but I actually felt like things were more spread out - walking from the dining room to the theatre seemed long at times.

 

On my Summit cruise I was in 7049, so in a similar neck of the woods. I agree with you about how far apart things seem. It was such a long walk to get anywhere, especially to the buffet and dining room since they are so far aft. In a weird way, the Silhouette seemed smaller even though it is quite a bit larger, but I was in a midship cabin so I was pretty close to everything. If I ever cruise on the Summit again, I would definitely get a midship or aft cabin.

 

Lol we found this too having sailed on an S-Class Ship first as well.

 

It is not so much as the Summit (M-Class Ships) feel bigger, but as they are older, and by design more closed in / chopped up in their layout than the open vistas in the S-Class Ships... So to get anywhere took longer (and fewer shortcuts)

 

Cannot tell you how surprised we were on The Summit when we took the aft elevators down to Deck 3 and landed smack in the middle of a hallway of cabins (vs public space) on the Starboard side.... The hike from there to Guest Services (only midship) seemed quite long cause we were so disoriented.

 

Just the same, once we got the hang of the ship layout... Things were much better

 

Sure our upcoming cruise on the Constellation will not feel quite so foreign

 

Cheers!

[MonaCK]

Hi MONACK,

 

Thanks for your great Trip Report... Sounds like you had an awesome time.

 

We loved the Summit (Jan 2013) and her staff so much, that we will be back upon her this coming May for a cruise to Bermuda.

 

I see you arrived at the Terminal around 11 AM... Would you say your party was amongst the first aboard (re Bistro on 5 comments). Mr Sloop & I do like to arrive / get aboard early and know that at Cape Liberty there is that extra step with the shuttle bus, so will need to plan accordingly.

 

Cheers!

 

 

We were priority boarding 8, and ended up mixing in with the first of general boarding. We were definitely among the first on board and headed straight to Bistro on 5.

 

By the time you go back, though, the new terminal should be in operation which I think will allow for more traditional boarding - as in - they are phasing out the shuttle busses.

Edited October 28, 2014 by MonaCK

[Sloop-JohnB]

We were priority boarding 8, and ended up mixing in with the first of general boarding. We were definitely among the first on board and headed straight to Bistro on 5.

 

By the time you go back, though, the new terminal should be in operation which I think will allow for more traditional boarding - as in - they are phasing out the shuttle busses.

 

Thanks for your help. Good to know about the new terminal / shuttle buses... Will keep my eyes open for posts about that progress here on CC

 

Cheers!

[FRMPEI]

.

 

... and I find that as long as something egregious doesn't occur, I roll with the punches.

 

Made me look that word up! :D

 

I enjoyed reading your review thanks for taking the time to share with us. I only got to see Summit once this fall when she was in my home port of Charlottetown, PEI.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[ORV]

 

Oh - there was one thing I disliked. The Casino. No low limit tables - and more importantly - it took my money! ;)

 

We were on the cruise right before you, and had the same problem. Never could win blackjack, and we generally do.

 

We also thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and echo many of your sentiments.

[DinaS]

Thanks for your help. Good to know about the new terminal / shuttle buses... Will keep my eyes open for posts about that progress here on CC

 

Cheers!

 

According to the information I just found, the new cruise terminal has been "dedicated" and will be open to passengers after the arrival of the new RCI ship Quantum of the Seas on November 10th. Here's the link to the article:

 

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/26010257/article-New-Cape-Liberty-cruise-port-terminal-unveiled--?instance=top_story

Edited October 28, 2014 by DinaS

[BETH_M]

We will be on the 11/8 sailing. Do you remember what time people who are doing self disembark were allowed to leave? I am reserving a rental car and need to put a pick up time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[seaman11]

lol same cruise same hotel in PR and a very different review. just goes to show its all how we reprieve things, wish i had as good of a time.

[loveandcruises]

Hi, I was on the same cruise, but posted my review to the Member Reviews section. Like you, I had a great time. You know who was such a sweetie on this ship? Luigi the Activities Manager. And you have to admit, Qsine has the best food in the world. I wish I were there right now! You didn't mention Captain Demetrios Kafetzis, the funniest man on the seven seas!

[fatbaldbloke]

Great read with my morning coffee thanks for sharing.

[poffles]

The food tour through Flavors of San Juan, was this something you prebooked? Flying in for two nights in San Juan before November cruise but I don't want to commit to anything while in San Juan though very interested in this. Wondering if this something you can consider the day of and book locally?

 

I typically prebook stuff but don't want to do this for San Juan.

[MonaCK]

We will be on the 11/8 sailing. Do you remember what time people who are doing self disembark were allowed to leave? I am reserving a rental car and need to put a pick up time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I believe it was around 7 or 7:30.

[MonaCK]

lol same cruise same hotel in PR and a very different review. just goes to show its all how we reprieve things, wish i had as good of a time.

 

Sorry you didn't have a good time! I'll look for your review...