Calling all Summit Experts

[Notquite50]

Just booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Summit. (PR, St. Croix, Martinique, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, PR) in Nov this year. This will be our first time on Celebrity - (the travelers are myself and my best friend). I am turing 50 and this trip is a gift from my DH - the ultimate girls getaway. I am hoping I can rely on your expertise in helping plan this once in a lifetime trip. We are pretty easy to please but I have asthma and am very sensitive to smoke - other than that we are happy with anything. Here are my questions.

 

Best Place for Sailaway

Where should we go for lunch upon embarkation

Best Place for Breakfast (is there a spot outside to eat)

Best Pool Bar (Non Smoking)

Best Pool – with pool service

Any recommended shows/experiences we should do?

Anything special that we really should experience or do while on board?

Anything we should do ahead of the sail date?

Anything we should do immediately upon boarding?

Planning on getting a taxi from San Juan Airport - is this ok?

Should we book flights thru Summit or just do it ourselves?

Any recommended excursions?

 

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond. I know it will help to make our trip that much better.

Anna:)

[MarKay525]

Congratulations and what a wonderful DH you have!

 

Just booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Summit. (PR, St. Croix, Martinique, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, PR) <snip> I am hoping I can rely on your expertise in helping plan this once in a lifetime trip. We are pretty easy to please but I have asthma and am very sensitive to smoke - other than that we are happy with anything. Here are my questions.

 

Best Place for Sailaway - Depends in part on your point of view. Many people go to the Oceanview Bar for Sailaway where you can see the wake as you sail away. I prefer to see where I am going rather than where I have been, so usually go to Deck 11 above the pool or even Deck 12 for a 360 view.

 

Where should we go for lunch upon embarkation - Unless you are in a Concierge Stateroom, the choices are the Ocean View Café & Grill, the Pool Grill and perhaps the Spa Café (depending upon what time you board). The Ocean View Café is often very crowded.

 

Best Place for Breakfast (is there a spot outside to eat) - You can get food in the Ocean View Café and take it out to the Ocean View Bar where there are tables. Spa Café (which can be used by all passengers) serves very healthy breakfast choices. MDR has nice breakfast offerings also. And there is always Room Service.

 

Best Pool with pool service - Just one pool with pool service - the outdoor pool on Deck 10. The Solarium on Deck 10 is for adults only - quite nice but you have to get your own drinks.

 

Any recommended shows/experiences we should do? - Check out a movie in the new Rooftop Terrace. Seats in the shade go fast.

 

Anything we should do ahead of the sail date? - Join your Cruise Critic Roll Call.

 

Planning on getting a taxi from San Juan Airport - is this ok? - We've used taxis several times and found them quite safe.

 

Should we book flights thru Summit or just do it ourselves? - Which ever you do, plan to fly in a day before your cruise if you can. Saves a lot of headaches and stress.

 

Any recommended excursions? - What are your interests - what do you enjoy? Check the Ports of Call forum. Members of your Roll Call may have excursion recommendations also.

 

You didn't ask, but keep in mind that staterooms are not available as soon as you board, so whatever you carry onboard you will need to carry with you until the staterooms open.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[kenevenpar]

Many Cruise Critic roll calls plan a sailaway gathering, that is usually fun and a chance to meet others. On Summit, many are at the Oceanview Bar.

[ghstudio]

what a wonderful first cruise and you picked the right cruise line to avoid smokers as all of the indoor venues are no smoking and only a very few outdoor ones allow it.

 

Answers above a excellent. The hamburgers at the poolside/mast grill are excellent...just make sure you ask for them right off the grill rather than take the pre-cooked ones. Ditto for the waffles in the buffet breakfast which are excellent right out of the waffle maker. For breakfast, make sure you walk around because the make eggs and omelettes to order as well as different types of eggs benedict..but you have to find those stations. If you decide to splurge on specialty dining, I'd suggest waiting until you get on board where it's likely (but no always offered) that after a couple of days, they'll offer you 20-50% off on the fee. Generally, they offer 20% off if you want to dine in a specialty restaurant the first night...but since it's your first cruise, I wouldn't do that...I'd eat in the MDR.

 

Please sign up for your "roll call" on CC...and you'll find alternatives to the (expensive and crowded) ship's tours....in some of the ports, just walking around is all you need to do.

 

The martini bar is one of the best places to meet people, but don't be afraid to just strike up a conversation with anyone. For the most part, folks on cruises are very friendly and like to talk about other cruises they've been on or their dogs or whatever.

 

you might want to walk around the ship just to orient yourself...where is the gym? the casino? the theater? and so on. If you're like us, you will always go in the wrong direction when getting off an elevator....but there are diagrams around and after all, how lost can you get?

 

Enjoy your cruise and enjoy the anticipation and planning.

[Notquite50]

MarKay - Thanks for that detailed report. I've already cut and pasted it into our notes.

Kenevenpar - I will check out the roll call - thank you

ghstudio - Thank you - I love freshly made waffles so I will try and find that station. Don't worry about us making friends. I have no problem introducing myself and chatting the night away. That's what life is all about - being kind to others and not taking yourself to seriously. :D

[Arzeena]

Anna

Congratulations! What a wonderful birthday gift from your DH!

Others have already answered your questions so I will just post to wish you a Happy 50th!:)

[Champagne Cruiser]

Here is a list of our favorite things on the Summit. We have sailed on her 6 times.

 

Welcome aboard champagne or mimosa

Salt water pools

Thalassotherapy pool (indoor adult only)

Cold towels and drinks upon reboarding

Food in MDR, Aqua Spa Café, Buffet, Mast Grill all free and very good

Café Al Bacio (free food, for fee drinks, but included in beverage pkg-- don't miss this place)

Shows with live music an hour long. Outstanding aerialists

Liars Club - hilarious

Dancing with the Stripes - very funny

Pizza (with grilled veggies on the side) all day long and late into the night

Afternoon tea

Friendly visible officers

Limited smoking outside only. No smoking in the casino or on balconies

General ambiance of ship

St Thomas (our favorite Caribbean Beach, go early)- just walk to the taxis and take to Magens Bay (lots lined up for the return trip.) Do have the rum punch and pizza, best bar view in the Caribbean.

 

Just recently we dined at the buffet (in back at night they grill steak, chicken, salmon) carried it out to the Sunset Bar and dined al fresco.

[Charles4515]

Many Cruise Critic roll calls plan a sailaway gathering, that is usually fun and a chance to meet others. On Summit, many are at the Oceanview Bar.

 

The Oceanview Bar on Summit is renamed as the Sunset Bar. There is no longer a smoking section.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

MarKay - Thanks for that detailed report. I've already cut and pasted it into our notes.

Kenevenpar - I will check out the roll call - thank you

ghstudio - Thank you - I love freshly made waffles so I will try and find that station. Don't worry about us making friends. I have no problem introducing myself and chatting the night away. That's what life is all about - being kind to others and not taking yourself to seriously. :D

 

The waffle station is all the way aft between port and starboard.

[Sheeba67]

Just booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Summit. (PR, St. Croix, Martinique, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, PR) in Nov this year. This will be our first time on Celebrity - (the travelers are myself and my best friend). I am turing 50 and this trip is a gift from my DH - the ultimate girls getaway. I am hoping I can rely on your expertise in helping plan this once in a lifetime trip. We are pretty easy to please but I have asthma and am very sensitive to smoke - other than that we are happy with anything. Here are my questions.

 

Best Place for Sailaway - for us deck 11. You can walk back and forth from both sides, but not a whole lot to see, except the Fort lights, as we leave in the dark.

Where should we go for lunch upon embarkation -We usually just do the Oceanview buffet

Best Place for Breakfast (is there a spot outside to eat) - Oceanview Buffet

Best Pool Bar (Non Smoking) - Only one bar around the pool and it gets pretty crowded, but the mast bar is just up the stairs on deck 11.

Best Pool – with pool service - Only two pools. One indoor with no pool service and the one outdoor pool with service.

Any recommended shows/experiences we should do? - Shows not too good on Celebrity IMHO, so we spend more time enjoying our drink package and listening to music at the Sunset Bar.

Anything special that we really should experience or do while on board? - Kick back and relax and meet and mingle.

Anything we should do ahead of the sail date? - Read lots of cruise critic and study the ports so you have an idea of what you want to do. Most are beach ports, so pack the sunscreen.

Anything we should do immediately upon boarding? Get a drink, and then arrange a specialty dinner, if your so inclined. We find the dinning fine in the MDR, so unless we have a bunch of OBC to spare we are content with the MDR.

Planning on getting a taxi from San Juan Airport - is this ok? Yep, easiest way to go. Regulated taxi stand right outside the baggage claim. Can't go wrong.

Should we book flights thru Summit or just do it ourselves? Book yourself. Check Jet Blue or Southwest. Most recommend coming in a day early, but we tend to roll the dice since we have such a late departure and get in around noon the day of the cruise.

Any recommended excursions? Depends on what you like, we tend to hit beaches with bars to get a little sun and then have a few drinks in the shade on the beach.

 

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond. I know it will help to make our trip that much better.

Anna:)

 

Hey Anna, are you on the Nov 5th sailing with us? My wife and I are traveling with my sister and her husband. He will be celebrating his 50th bday as well. Above are our recommendations. Hope to see you at the Sunset bar

[OhioDogLover]

As a Summit veteran and fan, I would like to add the following to the comments already provided:

If you want a silly good time, try Sunny Liston Tours in St. Thomas.

We always have fun in Qsine.

Happy 50th and have a great time. What a nice present.

 

Ohiodoglover

[snyniew]

Living in the North and going in November I would probably give yourself a day or 2 extra arriving in San Juan just in case weather is a factor. I know this year Southwest cancelled my flight into San Juan (and also out of San Juan post cruise) with just hours of notification and couldn't rebook me until the next day. If I was flying in the day of that would have been a big deal. Luckily I was able to rebook on Delta and get in the original day but paid for it.

 

For Excursions I would recommend Levi Barron from Bumpiing Tours for Dominica. We used him in March and had an amazing time. You said you like beach days so St. Kitts you can try to get a reservation at Carambola Beach club for a nice relaxing day in the sun and sand. St. Croix if you like snorkeling I would recommend Big Beards tour to Buck Island either the full day or half day is a great trip.

 

Other than that I love the Summit and am going to be on it for the 3rd time in December. Enjoy your cruise.

[LA_CA_GAL]

You have gotten good advice.

 

We just cruised on the Summit, and I thought the entertainment was good to excellent.

 

If you want to see a lot of pictures I took while on the Summit, there is a link in my signature.

[NordicPrince]

As far as I recall, Carambola Beach Club is on St. Croix. If you live an alternate life style, there is a club not far from the pier on St. Croix.

 

NP

[snyniew]

As far as I recall, Carambola Beach Club is on St. Croix. If you live an alternate life style, there is a club not far from the pier on St. Croix.

 

NP

 

There are 2 of them one in St. Croix and there is one in St. Kitts. I've been to the one in St. Kitts twice in the last 2 years it's a nice upscale beach club. You can reserve chairs for $10 a piece as well as an umbrella for $10 if you choose.

[NordicPrince]

Surfing the web I discovered that Carambola beach club is also on St. Kitt's.

I would call ahead to make sure they sell day passes and what the cost would be if you go on your own.

 

While you're on St Kitt's you might want to go on Thenford Gray's Island Tour (Gray Tours) as an alternative, He'll show you all the interesting places and is quite an educated and thoughtful man. He'll also get you to a nice beach, depending on which one,, they have a nice bar on the beach where the monkeys and the birds come out to play and drink unattended containers.

 

NP

[dkjretired]

Congratulations and what a wonderful DH you have!

 

 

 

You didn't ask, but keep in mind that staterooms are not available as soon as you board, so whatever you carry onboard you will need to carry with you until the staterooms open.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

As far as pools go, I enjoy the Solarium since I have been a Melanoma patient. One correction on previous post, all pools have drink service.

[Charles4515]

As far as pools go, I enjoy the Solarium since I have been a Melanoma patient. One correction on previous post, all pools have drink service.

 

 

 

They do have drink service in the Solarium but it can be hard to come bye.

 

I have 2 issues though with the Solarium this past June. One issue is that they did not have the AC on. So it was hot and muggy. Since it is enclosed there is no breeze. So it was uncomfortable. The other is they replaced the non lounge chairs with a cross configuration that was terrible. One person would take up four seat spaces.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited July 14, 2016 by Charles4515

[Cruise a holic]

Just booked a cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Summit. (PR, St. Croix, Martinique, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, PR) in Nov this year. This will be our first time on Celebrity - (the travelers are myself and my best friend). I am turing 50 and this trip is a gift from my DH - the ultimate girls getaway. I am hoping I can rely on your expertise in helping plan this once in a lifetime trip. We are pretty easy to please but I have asthma and am very sensitive to smoke - other than that we are happy with anything. Here are my questions.

 

Best Place for Sailaway

Where should we go for lunch upon embarkation

Best Place for Breakfast (is there a spot outside to eat)

Best Pool Bar (Non Smoking)

Best Pool – with pool service

Any recommended shows/experiences we should do?

Anything special that we really should experience or do while on board?

Anything we should do ahead of the sail date?

Anything we should do immediately upon boarding?

Planning on getting a taxi from San Juan Airport - is this ok?

Should we book flights thru Summit or just do it ourselves?

Any recommended excursions?

 

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond. I know it will help to make our trip that much better.

Anna:)

 

If you are sailing in a suite, the suite dining room is great for breakfast and Dinner. They are sometimes also open for lunch. Regarding the bars at the pool, I would suggest staying on the non-smoking side of the pool and having drinks brought to you by the waiters.

Celebrity is great as they do not allow smoking in the casino or balconies on it's ships. Immediately on boarding, if I haven't called Canyon ranch for spa appointments, which you can now do about 90 days before your cruise, I would suggest going to the spa immediately after boarding, for the best times for any service you desire. We really enjoy Bistro on Five for lunch boarding day. Leisure lunch with wait service. I also suggest, if you haven't done so, book any specialty restaurants you might desire quickly. Preferred times may be booked, so you can also book on line or via the phone by calling Celebrity. If you are dining in the main dining room, check out that your reservation is correct with the MDR associates. We have sometimes been assigned the wrong time and or table. We book our flights ourselves and have no experience with Choice air. We prefer a private cab each way from the airport, rather then a bus as we can go when it works for us and not wait for a bus to fill.

 

Regarding shore excursions, we enjoy the beach and typically, depending upon the port go ourselves. But we also take shore X's through celebrity if they sound interesting and the price is right!

 

Then just sit back and enjoy your vacation!

Edited July 14, 2016 by Cruise a holic

[MarKay525]

Hi again Anna,

 

Don't think anyone has mentioned getting Cruise insurance. Very good to have - especially if you fly in on the same day as embarkation. Also useful for those uncovered medical expenses you never think you will have. (We got sick on our last cruise and were very glad we had adequate travel insurance. The cruise line doesn't always offer the best coverage, but there are a lot of other sources. There is an Insurance Forum with a lot of good info.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

 

In San Juan we boarded the ship early, had lunch then left the ship and went to Old San Juan. We were back at the ship long before sail-away.

 

We found Frederiksted in St. Croix rather dull and regretted that we didn't take a taxi to Christiansted. Maybe things have changed since we were there.

 

If you want an adventure, the BOSS excursion in St. Thomas was amazing. Not inexpensive, but we thought it was a once in a lifetime experience.

http://www.bossusvi.com/2-in-1-tours/

 

If you take a private tour, traffic gets very heavy in the afternoon and it can take quite a while to get across the island and back to the ship.

 

If you like shopping and dock in Havensight there are shops within walking distance from the dock. (Not so much so at Crown Bay.) The view at the top of the Paradise Point Skyride/Tram ride is spectacular on a clear day. And the hokey bird show was fun.

 

I totally forgot to mention Bistro on 5. We are saddened that it is becoming a sushi bar as we really enjoyed the crepes. We had a lot of fun in Qsine, although it is supposed to be even better with a crowd. Sometimes a group dinner is arranged through the Roll Call. We now prefer Select Dining in the MDR. It allows us to decide when we want to have dinner and whether we dine alone or join a larger table and meet new friends.

 

That's my second round of thoughts. Hope you and your friend have great fun planning your cruise. BFF & I did a birthday cruise 3 years ago and we had a blast. (Be sure to let Celebrity know you are celebrating an occasion - they will give you a small cake and sing Happy Birthday, although you can decline the singing.) Totally unrelated topic - the stateroom walls are metal and magnets can be used to hang up hats, maps, the daily newsletter, etc. - you can also decorate your stateroom door.

Edited July 14, 2016 by MarKay525

[WestCoastFlyer]

Unless you are in a suite or Aqua class, don't forget to think about what you want to do for your dining option.

 

Traditional Dining

Prefer to dine at the same time every night? Then Traditional Dining is for you. Simply choose the nightly seating time you wish before you set sail, then enjoy your days aboard Celebrity as you desire. This is typically 6:00 pm or 8:00 pm and it's not uncommon for the later time to be unavailable if you wait until your cruise date to book it.

 

Celebrity Select Dining

Celebrity Select Main Dining day by day reservations can be made online up to four days prior to sailing. Once on board, reservations can be made on a daily basis for the same or next day only with the Maitre d'. All reservations are subject to availability, and are handled on a first come, first served basis.

 

When we were on the Summit earlier this year we had the late time for traditional dining. The advantage was that you had time for a shower and cocktail after a full day in port. The disadvantage was by the time you ordered and had the appetizer it was close to 9:00 pm before you would eat and on some days that was too late for us.

 

There are lots of other threads about dining with more information.

 

The Summit has, what we think, is the best Captain ...ever. Captain Kate. She is the first U.S. woman to become captain of a mega cruise ship. You will see her out and about every night talking with the guests. Her staff love working for her and it showed in the service we received.

 

You will have a great time on this trip

[Arzeena]

As far as I recall, Carambola Beach Club is on St. Croix. If you live an alternate life style, there is a club not far from the pier on St. Croix.

 

NP

 

There is a "Carambola Beach Club" in St Kitts as well as a couple of other islands. :) confusing yet?

Edited July 14, 2016 by Arzeena

[Champagne Cruiser]

The Oceanview Bar on Summit is renamed as the Sunset Bar. There is no longer a smoking section.

 

Really? When did this happen? I was on in February and half was still smoking. Thrilled to hear this since the smoke always drifted due to the breezes.

[Cruise a holic]

Really? When did this happen? I was on in February and half was still smoking. Thrilled to hear this since the smoke always drifted due to the breezes.

Great news! Will be on the ship in a few weeks

[snyniew]

Really? When did this happen? I was on in February and half was still smoking. Thrilled to hear this since the smoke always drifted due to the breezes.

 

 

It was that way when I sailed in March do maybe the change happened after the drydock