Summit Review 1/2-1/9 2016

[cruisers0708]

FIRST TIME REVIEWER. I have spent a considerable amount of time reading other reviews over the years and finally have taken time to write my own. (Borrowed format from various other reviews :p.) I hope it helps other fellow cruisers in the future.

 

PRE-CRUISE HOTEL

We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan. Cab ride from airport was $17. Hotel was just OK. The rooms are old and tired. Biggest complaint was the bed which was definitely not "Heavenly" (I removed the bedding to confirm :D). Our room was not available upon arrival so we headed out to find some lunch. Ended up at Mojito's and tried the local fare "Mofongo" with cod that was quite delicious. Later in the evening we had an lovely dinner at Palio, the hotel's outdoor bar overlooking the boardwalk.

 

GETTING TO THE PORT

Headed downstairs on Saturday morning around 10:30 and were in a cab within 5 minutes. It is about a 15 minute drive to port and cab ride was around $12-$13.

Dropped luggage with a porter and checked in quickly. We were on board having a cocktail by 11:30.

 

 

GO BIG, BETTER, BEST

We had the "GO Best" package which includes the Premium Beverage Pkg, unlimited internet, prepaid gratuities and $300 OBC.

 

Enjoyed specialty coffees and teas throughout the day as well as Pelligrino sparkling water with meals. We had fru-fru cocktails around the pool, a pre-dinner Martini and wine or cocktails with dinner. I think we did OK with the beverage package ;)

 

We also enjoyed free unlimited internet. Speed and access was much better than expected and superior to previous cruising experiences (Princess-HAL-RCCL). DH needed to stay connected for business, so ship Wi-Fi was used frequently.

 

 

CABIN

This was our first time in a forward facing OV cabin 6003. We were quite pleased with the size and layout of the room. There is a small round window with a relatively obstructed view. We could see the helicopter pad and crew deck. Curtains had to be drawn at night to avoid cabin lights interfering with bridge operation. Plenty of room to store our luggage in the corner behind loveseat. Bed was comfortable. Biggest surprise was the roomy shower with handheld wand. Ladies, bring your own blow dryer....just sayin!

 

SERVICE

 

Cabin Attendant

Our room steward was unremarkable. He never did get our schedule right and his intrusions became somewhat comical by the third day. However, he was attentive and the room was clean and fresh each day.

 

Dining Room Staff

We had anytime dining and the wait staff were generally good. We asked to be seated at larger tables and enjoyed the company of fellow passengers.

 

Bar Servers

Spent a considerable amount of time at Cafe al Bacio in the mornings and late afternoons during sail away. The servers working there were pleasant and efficient (learned our drink of choice by second day). Don't forget to try the Gelato....YUMMY!

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

Tortola: We don’t do many excursions but chose a Ship Excursion in Tortola (By Land and Sea $79/pp). It was an open air truck bed with bench seating for 20. DH was extremely disappointed as he found it nearly impossible to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Canopy uprights and fellow passengers obstructed the view. Where you sit is very important. Many of the ocean views, including the cruise ship were off the driver's side of the vehicle and we were on the passenger side (plan accordingly). Tour commentary provided by driver lacked relevancy or content. The road is steep with many hairpin turns.

We were dropped at a small marina to shop while we waited to board vessel for return. When it began to rain, one of our fellow tour passengers approached the captain to request early boarding and was denied. Basically, the crew sat on the boat and watched us stand under an awning to escape the rain until the prescribed boarding time :(

The cruise back to the ship was merely transportation while a deck hand occasionally pointed out islands or landmarks. Overall, we were very disappointed and would not recommend this ship sponsored tour.

 

Martinique: Fear not fellow travelers....Plenty of folks are friendly and speak English. We booked a semi private tour with Karambole. We met Christelle at 9:30 am and boarded a 7-passenger van (there were only 5 of us this day). We visited the Church of the Sacred Heart, Rainforest, waterfalls, the St. Pierre ruins (town destroyed by a volcano in 1902) and a rum factory. At each stop, we sampled local food and drink that Christelle brought along in a cooler. All very tasty :). The last stop on the tour was a beach near St. Pierre where we could swim for about an hour then returning to the ship @ 3:00. We were very impressed with Christelle's detailed knowledge of the island's people, their religious and political views and the events that formed modern day Martinique. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable day and we highly recommend this tour.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

We went to three shows while on board. "These Guys" performing everything from Barbershop to Pop were fantastic. The comedian on board was very entertaining with his musical impressions (sorry, can't remember his name). He was a previous winner on America's Got Talent. The last night we saw the Celebrity singers and dancers Salute to Music.

 

The singer/piano player in Cafe al Bacio was very talented and we looked forward to enjoying his music every afternoon.

 

Aside from that, we danced in the Revelations Lounge a couple of evenings and thoroughly enjoyed the House Band both there and poolside.

 

 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

Celebrity pricing is MUCH higher than other cruise lines we have sailed ($50/pp for Normandie). We did get 20% off first night of sailing and dinner was excellent.

The meals and service were far superior to the main dining room. The discounted multi-night package would have been a good value allowing us to eat there more frequently. At $100 a night, we returned only once more and enjoyed the Chateaubriand for two, it is amazing!

 

ELEGANT CHIC

I'm not sure I understand Celebrity's move to "Elegant Chic" or if it is aligned with its MODERN LUXURY brand. For the men, we saw a few tuxedos, a smattering of sports coats, but mostly collared shirts and/or polos. There were a handful of women in long gowns, but mostly cocktail dresses or capris.

 

Smart casual nights could have been called "Anything Goes".

 

 

DISEMBARKATION

Easy breezy! We had a noon flight and disembarked around 8:30. Had to hunt down one piece of luggage that was misplaced then headed to SJU (taxi $26) arriving by 9:30.

[Bruinboy]

Thanks for taking time to review the ship and your experience onboard. Glad you had a great time. We don't go on the Summit until next year, but nice to read anything I can find on the ship upon which we have chosen to cruise.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Excellent review, thanks! I'll look for that private tour in Martinique, thanks!

[Champagne Cruiser]

Thank you. We will be on the Summit for the 6th time in February. It sounds like the shows are new, thank goodness. We were very tired of the previous shows which were on the last three cruises. We also love Cafe al Bacio.

[MOcruiserman]

Thank you for your review.

 

How were the non-specialty restaurants? Did you eat many meals in the main dining room? How was the buffet?

 

Was the ship in good condition?

 

What did you think of the activities offered on sea days?

[cruisers0708]

How were the non-specialty restaurants? Did you eat many meals in the main dining room?

We ate in main dining room 5 nights. The food is good and there are many choices. Something for everyone. Escargot on the menu daily. DH ate it every night. :D

 

How was the buffet? Ate breakfast in buffet each morning. Cooked to order eggs or omelette. Bagels and lox with all the fixings too. :)

 

Was the ship in good condition? We thought so.

 

What did you think of the activities offered on sea days? We only had 1 sea day. They had the art auction, bingo and some dance lessons I think.

[jb008]

What did you think of the activities offered on sea days? We only had 1 sea day. They had the art auction, bingo and some dance lessons I think.

 

Sea day also included the free galley tour (normally very large group of people do this tour) in the morning. That afternoon also featured a crew vs pax water volleyball game.

Edited January 16, 2016 by jb008

[msmambo]

Good morning all. Great review. Can you please tell me from what port in SJU does the Summit leave?

 

Thanks

[AlbertaCruisers]

Good morning all. Great review. Can you please tell me from what port in SJU does the Summit leave?

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Pan Am pier

[msmambo]

Thank you.

[stratixman]

"It was an open air truck bed with bench seating for 20. DH was extremely disappointed as he found it nearly impossible to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Canopy uprights and fellow passengers obstructed the view. Where you sit is very important. Many of the ocean views, including the cruise ship were off the driver's side of the vehicle and we were on the passenger side (plan accordingly). Tour commentary provided by driver lacked relevancy or content. The road is steep with many hairpin turns."

 

Sounds like the same type excursion that ended up with a number of Summit passengers dead a few weeks ago - truck went off the road.

[ratbin]

Thanks so much for your review. I am looking at a cruise on the Summit this year. This has given me a better idea of what to expect.