Fabulous vessels, fantastic places, nice people

[janjay]

Fabulous Vessel: The Summit. Wow I thought I had stepped into another world of fine woods, interesting art and great service. The ship is huge but laid out in a way that didn't feel overwhelming at all. Just amazing

 

Fanastic Places; Well it's so hard to choose. I guess Cartagena, Columbia. The history and incredible scenery was wonderful. The monestary overlooking the Old fort. The walled city..incredible.

 

Nice People! On our very first cruise in 1998 we were anxiously awaiting our first dining room experience with a bit of concern. We are from a small community in Oregon and know just about everyone! Dining for 7 nights with total strangers?? Eee gads? That was just wierd! Well the first night we sat down with 8 other passengers and began a journey of laughter, fellowship, interesting conversation and just plain good times! We were the last table in the dining room every night. We celebrated birthdays, anniversarys and just about anything we could think of. Nicest people ever!

 

Anyone for sharing?

[gkm]

Every ship I'm on is fabulous...and every cruise. I enjoy the whole cruise experience, the ship, the excursions, the lazy sea days, dressing "to the nines", the food, but mostly I enjoy the people I meet, and on every cruise I've been on, I've met wonderful people, some who we now cruise with, some who we correspond with, and some, who when I see a post from them on the board gives me a smile remembering them.:D

 

Garry

[Kevbear]

Thanks Janjay! We're from central Oregon (Redmond) and taking the Summit 9/10/04 and have the feeling we would be taking a deep breath as we board and step into a different world. You helped lessen the tension :rolleyes:

[JimnKaren]

Cartagena...the old fort is a long climb and I remember it as HOT! Sailing into Cartagena is good though, for it took a long time for it to slowly sail into the actual harbor.

 

My first cruise in 1989 was on NCL. Itty bitty cabin, it's a wonder that I came back. No it isn't, for we had a table of 12, which included 2 of the temporary entertainers. NCL allowed them to dine with the passengers on their last week aboard, the rest of the time, they dined with the crew. What a great time, I was ready for a back to back, even though the cabin was small.

 

One of the things that I appreciate about Celebrity is the way that they incorporate art into everything. On the Constellation, in the Seaside Cafe, there are some of the neatest paper constructions I have ever seen. Sculptures, oils, and other pieces helps to make the ship Classy. I would have been very easy for Celebrity to not decorate that way, but they did! For that, they get my thanks.

 

Jim

[Ocean Boy]

Janjay... how nice to find this thread this morning!

 

Fabulous vessel.... Horizon. She was my introduction to cruising. I'll never forget the week we had aboard her. Having no idea what to really expect, she started this amazing addiction I have not to mention the constant drain on the bank account!

 

Fantastic Places... Bermuda. Probably one of the most beautiful places on earth.

 

Nice People... A group of strangers riding the Celebrity bus from CT to NYC had such a great ride all talking together and wondering about what the week that was unfolding would bring. How could a group of people that didn't know each other have so much to say to one another??!!

[janjay]

Ocean Boy: you are welcome! Some smart board member suggested it. Haven't been to Burmuda. Maybe next time. Doing the 10 night Summit 2/18/05.

 

Jim: Yep the old fort was a climb and it was hot! However the view and "ghosts" of the past made it worth every step and drop of sweat.

 

 

Kevbear: Hey there fellow Oregonian! If you have any questions about the Summit this board it fantastic. Ask away.

 

Gary: So true. It is always a treat to meet folks. We too still correspond with friends from the first cruise.

 

Second fav place for me was Aruba snorkleing the ship wreck. So awesome!

 

Jan

[The Scotsman]

Fabulous vessel: NCL Dawn, NCL Sky (not yet sampled the delights of X - March 2005 will rectify that)

 

Fabulous place: St Thomas - jewellery for Mrs and golf for me.

 

Fabulous people: So far out of 7 cruises we have been deligghted with all our companions - most of whom we are still in touch with. We share news of their highs (upcoming weddings, births future cruises etc.) and lows (sadly we just recently learned of the death of one table mate - a true gentleman who is and will be sadly missed). It is amazing you can be in the company of these people for a very short time but become lifetime friends.

 

Don't you just love cruising?

[janjay]

You betcha I do. Love it love it love it.

[OCruisers]

janjay .... So glad you had a fantastic cruise and appreciate your time for this great report!

 

Your comment on Fabulous People: Isn't that the truth! We are still "Cruise Buddies" with many of the wonderful folks we have met over the past 25+ years (started cruising young :D).

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[woodofpine]

Is this an overview of several cruises... or a recent one?

 

Are ships visiting Cartagena again?

 

If you like Cartagena you're alright by me! We booked and cruised Summit 12/29/02 in large part because it stopped in Cartagena (which we were really impressed with in '01). Unfortunatley, the lines had stopped visiting there by mid-'02.

 

Is it a present stop?

[janjay]

You are right it was a previous cruise. It was in 02. I understand there are no stops there any longer. How unfortunate! It is an incredible place. Would love to see it again. It is the only port we have ever been frisked getting back on the ship however. Not an entirely unpleasant experience. Hee hee

[Wor Lad]

The thing about cruising is that we tend to see folks at their best. Everything else just seems to fit into place.

[janjay]

Wor Lad: Maybe we are all just on our "best behavior" when at sea. And why not it's not a real world. As I said its Fantastic vessels, Fabulous Places and Nice People! If only everyday held such promise..We could try!

[PoohUnderstands]

We were in Cartagena in November of 2003. I fell in love with the place and the people. I just wish we could go back again soon! They have one section of the harbor that looks like South Miami Beach! Then there is that beautiful monastery and the Old fort. But my favorite memory was holding the baby sloth at the monastery. He(she, it) just clung to me like a baby. I didn't want to give him back to his owner! Also had my picture taken with this adorable little girl on her donkey which was covered with flowers. Bought myself a beautiful 1.0 carat teardrop emerald for a very good price. I always wanted a Columbian emerald purchased in Columbia!!! Was my only souvenir I wanted or needed besides pictures. We were on the Rotterdam doing a partial transit. I believe our trip was the last to go to Columbia. They have replaced it with a day at sea.

 

Oh, would I love to stop back in Cartagena again!!!!! Loved coming in and out of their harbor. A statue right in the middle. A small canoe with a motor surrounded by the Columbian Navy vessels, and some yachts too. Can you tell I loved Columbia!!!?!!!!

[teedee]

Fabulous Vessel: For me it's the Century. far and above my favorite ship, so elegant, service was outstanding , the perfect size - not too big or too small. I've got my 3rd and 4th cruises on her booked for later this year, there's no other ship I've ever sailed on twice!

 

Fantastic Places: I've only done Caribbean cruises. St Martin is my favorite, the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen were here. I want to go stay for a week sometime.

Nice People: I've been very fortunate to meet some of the nicest people on cruises! Maybe we've just been lucky, but never had a problem with dinner companions. Have also met some very, very nice folks through these boards. We were at dinner with some CC members on our last cruise and it was great. I'll be doing that again on my next 2 cruises.

Terri

[Tony C]

Fabulous Vessel: Definitely the Millennium.

 

Fabulous Places: Without a doubt every port on the Mediterrenean Cruise.

 

Nice People: Almost always on every cruise we have hooked up with one or more couples that become lifelong email and/or Christmas card buddies. For the first time ever, we now have found friends prior to a cruise thanks to these boards. Wish we had known about them earlier.

[dublin]

I can't say I have a favorite because I live to cruise.

 

My fondest memories were on the Meridian in 1997 and on the Zenith in 1999. Both of these cruises were to Bermuda and we went with my parents.

 

Meridian was my first cruise and the weather was terrible; I spent the first day in bed near death with seasickness.

 

BUT I was hooked - cruising is the only way to vacation.

 

People - Have not met a fellow cruisers I did not like. On my last cruise to Hawaii on the Infinity last October we made great friends and are trying to get a reunion cruise to the Panama Canal. Maybe I would say my cruise to Hawaii was by far the best. Not just the islands but the people

[Wor Lad]

Fabulous Vessel: Glass surrounding Myers's Rum and Coke

 

Fantastic Place: Arm's length from fabulous vessel

 

Nice People: Everyone is nice after being in fantastic place with fabulous vessel

[janjay]

...and we all get better looking as the night wears on!

[janjay]

Let's give this one more go. Come on you know you want to brag a bit

[JimnKaren]

People: we were on a repo cruise on Norwegian Majesty. Boston to Burmuda, to St Martin, St Croix, St Thomas and into San Juan. We were a table of 4 couples and there were 3 Karens! This was the only time (on 14 cruises) that we went ashore as a group and hung out together. What a blast. Have lost track of one of the Karen's when she and her husband sold their house, quit their jobs and bought a 44' sailboat to go to the Caribbean permanantly. I have tried all kinds of ways to find them to see if we can get together in November (Summit sailing the 5th), but just cannot seem to locate them.

 

Repo on Sea Princess (I think) from San Juan to Acapulco had a table of 12, changed seating every night so that we could get to know them all. Very good group.

 

Jim

[LittleStar]

Ship: Although my favorite Celebrity ship is Summit (4 cruises... so far), my all time fav is the Radiance. I was on this beautiful ship on my Alaska trip in 2001 and knew I had made the perfect choice for this itinerary. You can definitely see Celebrity's influence in the design and decor. It has all the amenities of the mega class ship but on a slightly smaller scale. For service, it's most definitely the Summit. By far the friendliest staff and crew at sea!

 

Port: It's not the only the places you visit but the people you meet that makes a visit memorable. I have been to quite a few ports in the Caribbean and Grenada is the one I most enjoyed visiting. We hired a taxi driver who had to have been about the friendliest person I have met in any port. He was so proud of his homeland that you could easily tell he loved sharing his knowledge about the history of the island. The tender ride into the harbor, the smell of the spices in the air, the friendly people all translated into a wonderful cruise experience.

 

People: I travel solo quite often and look forward to meeting new people every time. Paul & Darlene from Delaware, Ruth & Hy from Long Island, the "honeymooners" from Mexico and Spain are just some of my favorite couples that I have had the priviledge of spending time with. I can't leave out those wonderful crew members like Olga, Timi, and Fredy that I have gotten to know and count as dear friends. There are so many interesting, kind, and compassionate people in this world and I have been blessed to get to know some of them. Cruising definitely tends to bring out the best in us.

[Jevey]

Fabulous Vessel: Glass surrounding Myers's Rum and Coke

 

Fantastic Place: Arm's length from fabulous vessel

 

Nice People: Everyone is nice after being in fantastic place with fabulous vessel

 

 

You don't miss a trick do you? *S* BTW....you're out of Meyers!

[xranger39@aol.com]

Fabulous Vessel: Century in all years, but especially 1997 (our first ever cruise)

 

Fabulous Place: Grand Cayman

Our first time there, we did things we've never done in life. We stepped foot on our first Caribbean Beach (7 Mile Beach), rode a jet ski, swam with stingrays, basically fell in love with the island!

 

Fabulous People: our table mates from Long Island, NY.

When we were waiting to embark there was this group of loud obnoxious people right near us who were fooling around and acting stupid. I remember saying to my husband (my boyfriend at the time), "watch we have to eat dinner with these people". Sure enough that night, what happened? Those loud obnoxious people turned out to be the life of the party and they were SO the opposite of what we thought. We did almost everything with them that week. We still think of them on every cruise since!