Trip Report from a first time Celebrity passenger

[E@syPe@zy]

Thanks for your review...the iron button thing is a safety precaution to prevent fires.

Do you mean the "hair dryer" button, per chance???;)

I kept thinking....iron button???? Then it dawned on me that you were talking about the hair dryer.;p

[E@syPe@zy]

kelib....I really like your review! I really appreciate small comments like the sand at Horseshoe Bay. Most young ones don't think anything about things like that, but having a problematic back, it is amazing the difference in walking in different kinds of sand. So...Thank You very much!

[kelib]

One of the issues that was had by our "twenty-something" single girls was the lack of late night entertainment. I think all of them have only experienced Carnival and really did not know that Celebrity did not have the same level of night life (I tried to warn them) Luckily in the Dockyard there were 2 Bars/Clubs that they were able to hit on Wednesday and Thursday night. Must have been a good time by the way they surfaced around noon.

 

Thursday was just a crappy rainy day. Excursions were cancelled so not a ton to do. If it had not been for the National Holiday I would have gone over to Hamilton, and kind of regretted not taking the ferry over anyway. It ended up being an expensive day since I shopped which is not normally something I do (40 years in retail of some sort makes me not want to even look at a store) There is a little train like shuttle that will take you around the Dockyard area if you don't want to walk. There are some shops in what they call the Clock Tower Mall, the glass works and a Pharmacy.

Hint, some of the things in the Pharmacy like t-shirts, towels etc are cheaper there than some of the other gift shops. Also at the visitor center is a wifi hotspot if you feel the need to get online for a few minutes.

There also seemed to be a fudge shop in the mall that seemed to be a favorite of some .:rolleyes:

It finally cleared up late afternoon early evening. At night they had a party on the pool deck which included a Junkanoo band. They had one little guy that was just so cute.

[kelib]

I know I am all over the place but it's kind of who I am. I want to go back and discuss entertainment. I had read that Celebrity may not be the best for "entertainment" Really does not bother me... if I want to see Cast I'll go to Broadway, not a ship. So entertainment to me is not a big important thing for me.

They had a comedian on board that was really funny if you came from Jersey but I am sure that other people may not have appreciated it as much as us from the Garden State.

One night we had an entertainer by the name of Lou Gazzara on board. He was AWESOME. I don't see him doing the Summit anymore but looks to be scheduled on some of the Alaska cruises in the fall.

The only production show was one called Chandelier. I am being honest for myself... the songs were fine, the singing was fine, but the story just made no sense, just did not flow.

So then one night comes the inevitable Love and Marriage show. First of all, they place it in the Revelations Lounge which was too small for everyone who wanted to be in. So I have see this show now on 3 different cruise lines... you would think that someone would come up with some original questions. Its the same "is your husband a stretch limo or a pink Volkswagen with 2 flat tires".Do all the CD go to the same schools to learn the same shtick?

Then if you been on other cruise lines and you see the word Quest where does your mind go? Be forewarned that this was the PG version which kind of lost something. One of the young girls with us already had her bra undone in anticipation of taking it on stage. I know that the R- rated Quest is most likely not what Celebrity is about, but just thought I would throw that in there .

They had lots of different bands in different locations at night, usually near the Martini Bar, Pool Deck if there is a party, there was a quieter guitar guy at the Sunset Bar and the the Rendezvous lounge had alternated with Karaoke and a band ( I can only take so many minutes watching people who "think" they can sing "

One night they had a thing called "silent disco" which looked fun for those who participated.

There was a production show and another comic which we missed due to our later dinner.

[24acorns]

Really enjoying your honest and amusing review.

[kelib]

Final Day in Bermuda... gosh my boss thinks I am sooooo busy since my door is shut, if he only knew:D

 

So final day in Bermuda... the group I was with was all about the beach. They kept talking about going back to Horseshoe Bay but I convinced them that they would be spending over an hours just traveling back and forth and convinced them to stay at snorkel beach. This is a man made beach about 10 minute walk from the ship. God bless my cabin mates, they got there first in line and got us front row loungers. I got there just as it opened. You can take the little shuttle train if you are so inclined.

Man made beach... not as beautiful as Horseshoe but YOU ARE IN BERMUDA!!!!!!. Due to the reef the water was quite calm. I could easily get in and out without a steady arm to hold onto, BUT there are some rocks, shells so either wear water shoes or just watch where you step when just getting in. You can walk out pretty far in just waist deep water. They have a bar and restaurant... not enough bartenders at the bar so the line can get long.

Mind you, we must share with all of our fine friends from the Breakaway, but they have to be on board an hour before us, so that last hour there is so nice... wait to take your pictures then. ( funny story, about 5 minutes after 2:00 PM which was NCL on board time the DJ got on the speaker and says "if you are supposed to be on the Breakaway, you are screwed")

I left about 2:20 for a 3:00PM boarding and walked over to the ship in plenty of time.

Sail away as we say goodbye to Bermuda.... when you leave you pretty much go the full length of Bermuda. Such a nerd thing to do, I like watching them bring up the Pilot Boat on the port side. We applauded the pilot when he got on board and he in turn gave us an elegant bow before they headed back to shore.

 

My cabin mates decides they wanted to go down for a nap so I finally decided to check out the Garden Terrace. OMG, what have I been missing. Nice lounges and sofas, throw pillows. The movie Kong just started and I stayed and watched. I walked into a cabin of friends trying worried that I fell overboard or something. This was also the night that I finally made it to the Martini Bar. Loved watching the bartenders FLARE moves ( especially since my nephew does flare competitions) and wish I had hung out more. Captain Alex and Officers were all on level 4 to take more pictures with everyone.

This was our final night in the Cosmopolitan since we has made reservations at Tuscany Grill for Saturday. It was so sad to leave Jerry and Singh, they were by far the BEST part of our trip ( and we showed our appreciation accordingly)

 

So little comments on dress... I was so worried after reading all of the comments on dress code. I found:

* They were letting woman in with thong sandals, not flip flops that I noticed, but the jeweled sandals that are really big right now.

* Some of the younger girls were wearing dress rompers... some woudl construe them as wearing shorts but most were dressier than what other people wore ( also, 20 something and a size 5 can get away with a lot more than 60 and lets say not a size 5)

*On Chic night we asw everyting from Tux to just a nice shirt for men. To be honest I think I saw more tuxes than cocktail dresses. The first Chic night was dressier than the second.

* What was important was that I did not see anyone sloppy, grungy or in bad taste in the Cosmopolitan.

[kelib]

Final Day... where did the week go????

The morning started out rainy, and was pretty windy all day. But everyone was determined to get out there and enjoy that last day which made lounge chairs a little bit scarce. I got mine early and just sat with my Kindle and watched the sea go by.

Afternoon volleyball game between the officers and a passenger was fun, especially when then officers started doing cannonballs into the pool. Captain Alex decided to join the group in the Jacuzzi before finally making it into. the pool.

 

So here is a question.... is there anything WORSE than having to pack your bag the night before? Nothing ever fits in the way you brought it. Unlike my cabin mates I was in no rush to get off in the morning so I checked my 22" duffel bag, while they planned on carrying their huge overweight suitcases. MY one friend admitted she way over packed.... really does one need 4 pairs of white capris for a 7 night cruise? ( I admit I was a road warrior for about 10 years so I have packing down to a science)

 

We had booked the Tuscany Grill for our last night and it was so worth it. This was when I truly regretted having that 4 o'clock scone and ice cream. I first had the crab cake.... very good ( and I am a crab cake snob), then half portion of the lobster pasta, then followed by a 9 oz fillet cooked to perfection. (I was leaning towards something else, but our server kind of gave me the uh-uh look) One thing I have learned on this cruise is to trust your waiter.

So now I am full, my table mates are trying to make me eat more stuff and then trying to keep cutting up my filet to make it look like I am eating more. I needed a DOGGIE BAG!!!!!!! ( FYI, even though I am not personally a calamari person, I had a taste and will say that it was very good ) There was something else I tried and can't think of the name of the cheese, (kind of a soft mozzarella) and tomatoes that was good.

To top it all off, my friends got me a small birthday cake since I celebrated on Monday (okay, poor planning on my part to come back to work first day from vacation on my birthday) They sent the small tiramisu cake to our room.

Finally they finish off the night with a glass of Limoncello ... my table mates had not interested so could not let them go to waste, so good. ( side effect was me telling about 3 or 4 of the officers how good looking they were) Truly was a great way to end the cruise

 

Next morning, my friends were up at the crack of dawn ready to leave. My friends daughter is on deck hoping to get cell service so she can play kissy face with her boyfriend. They got off the ship at 8:10... in the meantime at 7:55 I am in my room trying to eat a little bit of my birthday cake ( sounds pathetic huh) This was the FIRST time my steward was nice to me and told me to take my time since he was not doing our room first.

So everone has an assigned place to meet on deck 4... I was in the theater. I had # 24 and was fine just finishing up a book that I was reading. Customs was not too bad and I was pretty much in my car aroun 10:15.

[wallie5446]

K, I have absolutely loved your comments!

Thanks for taking the time to share.

[kelib]

Final thoughts and tips:

Interesting traveling with people who not well traveled and had only been on Carnival prior to this. They liked it but I don't think in love with Celebrity ( one is already looking at her next Carnival Cruise) I had a good time and would look at going again on the Summit San Juan trip. I did the Fascination run and one of the Summit's trips hits Dominica and Grenada, 2 places I have not been to for about 10 years. Just would like to talk to a few solo travelers about dining since I like being able to sit with people at dinner... Maybe someday I will get out of the Caribbean, but I am so much a person that vacation is not a vacation without a beach.

 

Tips I forgot about:

*center elevator banks are more crowded than the forward and aft elevators. (except at night the forward gets busy when a show lets out) the aft elevator takes you directly to the center of the Ocean View Cafe on deck 10

* Get into the therapy pool at least once during he trip

* Explore the ship earlier than I did, so many little nooks that I did not discover till late in the cruise

* There is a coin operated machine outside of medical for basics like aspirin, seasick meds, etc. ( if you can wait you can also get them at the pharmacy in the Dockyard)

* There is a fridge in the room (take all the minibar stuff out) and the yellow towels over the TV are the towels to take off ship... grey towels are plenty on the decks so you do not have to take the yellow ones from your room if you are staying on board.

 

I think that may be it. I learned a lot of information about my cruise prior to going on from all of you on Cruise Critic ( heaven knows trying to find the info on their website was a joke)

So hopefully if one person gets one nugget of information that makes their trip a touch more enjoyable, then all the time I spent avoiding my boss while I typed this was all worth it.

 

CHEERS:cool:

[Ma Bell]

Wonderfully entertaining review. Thanks for posting!:)

[Bruinboy]

OK, I'm the one person who got a bunch of nuggets. I appreciated your honesty and sense of humor ... especially having a few too many limoncellos and commenting how good the male crew looked!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Slugsta]

Thanks so much for your honest and balanced review. We will do our first Celebrity cruise next year so I was interested in your opinions.

[nikel]

Thank you for your review...it was very entertaining :)

[Northern Aurora]

Very interesting and helpful review.

 

 

 

 

 

..... I was a little disappointed that there was no shampoo/soap dispenser... I just got through the week with what I brought.

.....

I hate to say it, but we drew the short straw when it came to Cabin Stewards. The Stewards down the hall were nicer than ours. Had to ask for some simple things multiple times ( like ice, face clothes) and I don't think he ever said my name. Our adjoining cabins had same issue and it will show in our survey that Celebrity sent out afterward)

 

 

But I have a question for other posters. We have completed nearly 40 cruises on Celebrity. I have to admit that we have never booked an inside stateroom, but I thought that every cabin category included some toiletries. I thought that an inside stateroom would have included bar soap, and the individual bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion. Am I wrong, or was this stateroom attendant really poor at this job?

[CTSandy]

Thanks for a very enjoyable and informative review. Sunday we are sailing on Summit in an inside cabin on deck 8 - I have never sailed in an inside cabin and was not going to do this cruise but my niece talked me into it. She and her husband are teachers and budget travelers and she has assured me I will survive in an inside Your review has supported her argument! Love the Summit and also Bermuda...I, too, prefer smaller ships. Thanks so much for sharing!

[kelib]

Very interesting and helpful review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But I have a question for other posters. We have completed nearly 40 cruises on Celebrity. I have to admit that we have never booked an inside stateroom, but I thought that every cabin category included some toiletries. I thought that an inside stateroom would have included bar soap, and the individual bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion. Am I wrong, or was this stateroom attendant really poor at this job?

 

True enough that there were some toiletries that I would remember after I got in the shower so I always found the dispenser convenient. Luckily I brought my own stuff since what we got since there was not enough for 3 woman to share.

[caribill]

I have no problem with the crew pushing meals and beverage packages . They are told to and I ignore them. The second they start I stop them. We never make eye contact with those set up with tables for their sales pitches. It works.

 

This shirt also works: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjZxKeAss7VAhXYCoEKHchzD1gYABAJGgJ5dw&sig=AOD64_107u24lr_Fpq4h89AKKwtxcEtXtQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiJ3Z2Ass7VAhVI7SYKHT3-A5oQ9aACCDA&adurl=

[dutchclogs]

True enough that there were some toiletries that I would remember after I got in the shower so I always found the dispenser convenient. Luckily I brought my own stuff since what we got since there was not enough for 3 woman to share.

 

The toiletries should be replenished.I agree though that their size is not so handy for multiple users. One tip, we've found that a good cabin attendant always placed a reserve set in the cabin, in addition to those set out.

[Staci0615]

We too are booked this Sunday in an inside cabin on deck 2. Your review was very insightful and helpful. Thank you

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[poffles]

I loved your review and I tend to speed read reviews (skip a bunch) that are text only, the pics become the draw for me. Yours I enjoyed reading all of it. You write how I tend to write, whatever is in my head ends up written almost conversationally so totally pulled me in.

 

Also refreshing were your candid comments. I agree entertainment is very weak but, like you, I do not find in house entertainers used for many things entertaining. They aren't bad but just not enough to keep me in place for any length of time ... boredom sets in quickly. Celebrity is not alone in that, many have similar shows of throwing together song and dance and giving it a name ... Carnival bored me too ... NCL Epic was better but more because they brought in shows like Legends which I find very enjoyable but perhaps not for everyone. That said, the Blue Man group show bored me too (I actually walked out early :rolleyes:) but others seemed to love it. To each their own. Steer me to the casino instead and I will amuse myself at a slot machine just fine.

 

Agree with you too about the beach ... sun for me ... I have no desire to cruise somewhere without sunny weather so have the Summit booked out of San Juan for second time! Happy Happy!

 

Thanks again for telling us this wonderful story.

[happy cruzer]

Your experience with the Jamaican waiter brought back wonderful memories. Years ago on a cruise line that is no more the entire dining room staff was Jamaican. Our waiter was a bit older and reserved. However after a few nights of the others singing, doing limbo, dancing with rum cakes on their head, etc. after serving dessert; the other waiters got him involved in singing "Yellow bird". His take was those "Young blokes get me going". He even sang "Yellow Bird" again on another night while we were enjoying our coffee, softly and just for our table to hear. Will remember Arthur always.

[minnie mommie]

Final thoughts and tips:

Interesting traveling with people who not well traveled and had only been on Carnival prior to this. They liked it but I don't think in love with Celebrity ( one is already looking at her next Carnival Cruise) I had a good time and would look at going again on the Summit San Juan trip. I did the Fascination run and one of the Summit's trips hits Dominica and Grenada, 2 places I have not been to for about 10 years. Just would like to talk to a few solo travelers about dining since I like being able to sit with people at dinner... Maybe someday I will get out of the Caribbean, but I am so much a person that vacation is not a vacation without a beach.

 

Tips I forgot about:

*center elevator banks are more crowded than the forward and aft elevators. (except at night the forward gets busy when a show lets out) the aft elevator takes you directly to the center of the Ocean View Cafe on deck 10

* Get into the therapy pool at least once during he trip

* Explore the ship earlier than I did, so many little nooks that I did not discover till late in the cruise

* There is a coin operated machine outside of medical for basics like aspirin, seasick meds, etc. ( if you can wait you can also get them at the pharmacy in the Dockyard)

* There is a fridge in the room (take all the minibar stuff out) and the yellow towels over the TV are the towels to take off ship... grey towels are plenty on the decks so you do not have to take the yellow ones from your room if you are staying on board.

 

I think that may be it. I learned a lot of information about my cruise prior to going on from all of you on Cruise Critic ( heaven knows trying to find the info on their website was a joke)

So hopefully if one person gets one nugget of information that makes their trip a touch more enjoyable, then all the time I spent avoiding my boss while I typed this was all worth it.

 

CHEERS:cool:

Great trip report...liked hearing from a single traveler their impressions. I will also be traveling as a single on my next cruise and will try to remember some of your insights.

[kelib]

I did not travel single on this cruise like I normally do, but am sure that I will be in the future so I will be looking for your insights, especially when it comes to dining.

Supposedly there is a singles/solo meetup at 9:00 at the Martini Bar, I was still having dinner at that time.

[raudacruise]

On my previous (Equinox) cruise one tablemate went to a singles meetup. No one else showed up. He was pretty disappointed. No meetups for me.

 

Thanks for writing the review. Fun read.

[MartinsCruise]

This was the most entertaining review I've read in a long time. Thank you for starting my weekend on a good note. We sailed to Bermuda on the Summit in May and agree it would have been nicer without the Breakaway. It became a game guessing which ship people were on when we were out and about. If you're looking for a bargain on the Summit which will get you back to Jersey via ship, look at the repo out of San Juan next April. We'll be on it and I would love meeting you! :D

 

Sue