Review - Independence Day trip on the Summit

[CAD]

For context, I've been on more than 20 cruises on everything from the President Wilson to Lindblad, but this was just our second Celebrity cruise. The first one was a long, long time ago (25 years) and we had a really bad experience with fellow passengers unhappy about an itinerary chance that kept us away. I'm glad we gave Celebrity a second chance. 

 

The Summit, post-refit is lovely. There's a smart design to everything from the staterooms to the outside decks and a more refined decor palette than is typical in mass-market ships. We had an inside cabin on deck 2 and it was great. Awesome location, steward was phenomenal, even with 4 adult-sized humans in it, there was enough storage for all our stuff and we were still friends at the end. The only down bits I'd say are that the Oceanview gets pretty crowded at lunch time (oddly, the MDR is only open for lunch on at-sea days) and it can be hard to find places to be outdoors but not in full sun. The pool deck and surroundings are fine - I miss having more live music out there and the deck itself gets foot-burning hot in the sun, so be sure to have some slip-ons if you plan to use the pool. 

 

Food was varied and generally good, although it had a few ups and downs (skip the French Onion soup; most pastas were meh, but better than typical pasta at sea). No one in our family starved, and there were a few "Wow!" items. My kids enjoyed trying new things and wait staff was excellent. The Ocean View has a large variety of offerings, and should satisfy most diners. We usually don't do speciality dining, preferring to find treats in the ports instead. We didn't do the drinks package, but did pre-buy a sommelier package for wines in the dining room. If you do this, I'd spring for the premier one. One thing to know if you are a wine aficionado - with the packages, many, many people are enjoying wine by the glass with dinner thanks to the packages, and the sommeliers are hopping just keeping glasses full. It's in your best interest to have a look at the wine list before you go so you have an idea of what you'd like to order at least the first night. If you ask at the end of a meal, it's easier to get recommendations for subsequent nights. The sommeliers are knowledgeable, they are just extremely busy. One thing that might be of interest - it seemed like they were quite accommodating of special diets, including religious ones. Tables near us were ordering meals the night before and they came separately prepared and even served on disposable tableware for some folks for whom mixing dishes might be a problem. 

 

Entertainment was a mixed bag. The crowd on this voyage appeared to trend to senior cruisers and, in a nod to this, entertainment options trended earlier as well. The fly-in entertainers were pretty enjoyable, although the last comedian was so "adult" at a 7 p.m. show that I had to creatively distract my youngest at a few points. Production shows were of the energetic "singing and dancing without a plot" variety. The production cast was skilled. Live musicians were a disappointment. There was a solo guy with a guitar who was pretty good. A duo and a dance band were not my cup of tea, but your mileage may vary. The show band sounded good and I would have liked to see more of them, but with the older crowd, a lot of opportunities to do that and the gameshows and stuff were during our late-seating dinner, which was a bummer. Our youngest was slightly interested in the children's programming, but it was impossible to tell what was happening when by the schedule (which was only for 7 days on a 10-day cruise ?!?!?!), so she never participated. Their facilities looked nice. Do the silent disco. Weird, but fun. Arrive early, or you might not get in. 

 

We didn't use the spa or casino so no comments there except that you can't smoke in the Casino, which makes it so much more pleasant to walk through. 

 

The itinerary was stupendous. So much so that we were actively discussing if we should repeat this trip and bring my folks some day. 

 

The ports

 

Newport. It's Newport. We walked from the pier to the Historical Society, talked to the nice guy there who recommended The Elms, as we've seen Vanderbilt properties before. Solid recommendation - good audio tour, interesting story. We walked on the Cliff Walk a bit as well, and that was Newport. You tender there and there were no local tenders available, so it was a bit of a wait to get one back and it was hot. This led to some of the obnoxious, entitled behavior that caused us to forsake Celebrity for so many years from folks, but the ship did what it could to help with a waiter passing out infused water and another passing out icy towels. 

 

Syndey, NS. This is a relatively new cruise port, and we were a little concerned that we would't be able to do much without a tour. It's a lovely little place to walk around and see on your own. There's a large visitor center when you first get off (that has free WiFi) where you can get a map of the sites. We were there on a Sunday, but found the local historical society open and a great little exhibit on the history of the city you can see for a donation. There are some historic houses that were open with costumed docents who were so friendly and informative (all under $5 Canadian). If you walk all the way down the main street, there is a military reserve base that has a museum of the Canadian Military on the second floor. Just walk in and the security guard will tell you how to get up there. They have retired veterans staff it and they are so fun to talk to. Highly recommend if you have any interest in military history. The Visitor Center has quite a few local artisans selling everything from sweaters to seagrass jewelry. Look up Brent Harding's place Metal Glass Media (one of the more permanent storefronts in the building) for some beautiful fused glass pendants at a really reasonable price. I bought 4. 

 

Halifax, NS. Awesome, awesome, awesome. We were there on Canada Day and saw the parade, the Canada Day ceremonies with the provincial Lt. Governor and Nova Scotia's own His Worship, Mayor Mike and enjoyed free Canada Day cake at the Citadel, which was free in honor of the holiday. A quick run down the street for a Tim Horton's, and we were off to the Royal Military Tattoo, for which we bought tickets online in advance. Do not miss this. It is spectacular. So entertaining. 

 

Bar Harbor, ME. A trip to Acadia was a bucket list item for me. Recommend talking to the NPS rangers at their visitor center next to Village Green (just walk up Main Street from the tender dock) and they can give you a suggested itinerary, a map and schedule for the free bus. Ate a lobster roll, because that's what you do. Great day - wish we were in port longer. 

 

Boston. Crowded, but super fun. We downloaded a $2.99 Atlantic Audio Tours for my phone and brought headphones and a splitter to do the Freedom Trail while knowing what we were looking at. Worked well, and took just about all day (we walked 13 miles that day...). Mass transit is running on the 4th and there are Ubers, too. Don't miss the Constitution. If you want to see the reading of the Declaration, you'd have to be off the ship just as soon as they let you. We didn't. Had a slice and a cannoli in Little Italy. Nom. And a michelada and some interesting nachos on the way back to the ship. It was lobster and beef wellington night, so we went back to the ship for dinner and watched the fireworks from the top deck with a whole lot of other people. They show the Pops concert on the big outdoor screen, or there was a somewhat poorly attended line dancing and DJ party by the pool. There was a July 4 thing in the Atrium, but also during late-seating dinner, so too bad for us. Some folks went to the Community Boating fundraiser to see the fireworks and said it was really fab. 

 

Portland. We were super tired from the day before, so we had a pretty chill day. Wandered over to an oceanfront park in the morning, had lunch on the ship and a little WiFi time in the terminal. We then went to the Portland Museum of Art for the Free Summer Friday evening hours. It's a really nice museum - 3 buildings, varied collection. They also had a Groupon, so you could have gone during the day for half price. 

 

Overall - excellent service from a friendly staff on a beautiful ship. I'd go again : D

[tompeter]

Thanks for the report!

[Sydney54]

Thank you CAD for your review. I am about to book a cruise on Summit next year with my budget only allowing for an inside cabin on deck 2. Where on deck 2 was your cabin located? While I was initially concerned with the age and size of the ship after reading reviews from both yourself and another lovely fellow, Jim, I have decided to go ahead.

[dkjretired]

We were scheduled on your cruise but had to switch so thanks for a good report. I do have to say that in almost 25 yrs on this board, I believe you are the first person ever to complain about Celebrity’s onion soup, it’s almost legendary. Thanks for a good report.

[cynbar]

Thanks for your review, sounds like you had a great time. What a treat to be in Boston for the 4th, we take the celebration very seriously here and the weather was great this year. Wise decision to stop for a bite to eat in the North End! 

[hurwitz5]

We sailed on the Summit on June 5 - for 11 nights - New England and Bermuda.  We also had an inside cabin on deck 2 - cabin 2075.  My husband was a little concerned about being on deck 2, but he admitted that it was fine.  The carpeting was new and bright, and there was plenty of lighting in the hallway.  Our inside cabin was between the midship and forward elevators.  It was a quiet cabin and It was stable during the day or two when there were rough seas.

[Sydney54]

Thank you for the cabin info hurwitz5, we are now booked and are in cabin 2124 for both cruises, just hope we can manage 27 days in an inside cabin.

[I_r_a]

Thanx for sharing, CAD

 

Ira

[happy cruzer]

Wondering what lines you have sailed that have the MDR open on port days?  You reported:

 

 The only down bits I'd say are that the Oceanview gets pretty crowded at lunch time (oddly, the MDR is only open for lunch on at-sea days)

 

Celebrity seems to have the same hours/openings as other mass market lines.  Thanks for the review.

[Orator]

Were you able to see the fireworks from the ship? Did this cruise two years ago and were able to Boston fireworks from the Aft. The celebrations were shown on the screen and provided an outstanding experience. This is a don't miss cruise IMHO.

[CAD]

On 7/14/2019 at 4:03 PM, Sydney54 said:

Thank you CAD for your review. I am about to book a cruise on Summit next year with my budget only allowing for an inside cabin on deck 2. Where on deck 2 was your cabin located? While I was initially concerned with the age and size of the ship after reading reviews from both yourself and another lovely fellow, Jim, I have decided to go ahead.

right by the midship stairs. 

[CAD]

On 7/15/2019 at 1:53 PM, happy cruzer said:

Wondering what lines you have sailed that have the MDR open on port days?  You reported:

 

 The only down bits I'd say are that the Oceanview gets pretty crowded at lunch time (oddly, the MDR is only open for lunch on at-sea days)

 

Celebrity seems to have the same hours/openings as other mass market lines.  Thanks for the review.

I am probably showing my age, then, haha. I am pretty sure I've seen one MDR open on port days on NCL, Royal and Princess, but it well could be quite a few years back. 

[CAD]

On 7/15/2019 at 1:57 PM, Orator said:

Were you able to see the fireworks from the ship? Did this cruise two years ago and were able to Boston fireworks from the Aft. The celebrations were shown on the screen and provided an outstanding experience. This is a don't miss cruise IMHO.

Yes, you could see fireworks all around. The Boston fireworks WERE viewable from the aft, although you couldn't really hear them. Other folks went to the Community Boating event and really enjoyed it. A nice way to get a great view and avoid the crush downtown, I guess. We were pretty pooped from all the walking that day (I think 15 miles?!?), so were happy to see them from the ship. 

[happy cruzer]

6 minutes ago, CAD said:

I am probably showing my age, then, haha. I am pretty sure I've seen one MDR open on port days on NCL, Royal and Princess, but it well could be quite a few years back. 

Yes, thanks for responding.  I too remember the MDR on Princess being open on port days but that was probably at least 10 years ago.... 🙂 Your report makes me look forward to the Summit with a cabin on deck 2.  Thanks.