Trip Report from 7/16/17 Summit Cruise to Bermuda

I really appreciated reading all the info this board provided when planning my trip so I thought I would post a short trip report. Overall we had a great trip to Bermuda on the Summit. Our group consisted of my parents (early 70s and frequent cruisers), DH and myself and our 5YO daughter. We all traveled together 2 years ago on DCL and while myself, DH and DD loved it (and have been on DCL again since) my parents thought there were to many kids. Ha - how quickly they forget what its like to travel with kids! So we decided to give another line a try. My parents had cruised Celebrity several times and our travel agent assured us that there would be a lot of families on this itinerary. This proved to be true. There were lots of multi generational families and enough kids that the fun factory always seemed hoping. While there were some things we liked better than Disney (hello drink package) given a similar itinerary and price we would pick Disney at least till DD gets a bit older. That being said, given Disney's prices I could see us doing another celebrity cruise or trying out RCCL in the future.

We had rooms 8092 and 8094 - concierge balcony rooms. They connected which was very convenient. Overall they were in good shape but showing a bit of wear especially in the bathroom. No obstruction on either balcony but I wish they could connect. Our DD slept on the sofa bed which seemed comfortable enough for her. It did make it extremely tough to access the balcony when the bed was folded out and since we ate breakfast in our room most mornings I would fold the bed back up myself so that we would have a place to sit and could get to the balcony. I also want to point out there is also no curtain to divide the room which we really missed after DD went to sleep. The TV channel selection was also very poor. There was one kids station but it was horrible and paying $15 for a movie just seems wrong. Luckily we were mostly out and about but it would have been nice to be able to put on some better cartoons or a movie in the morning or while getting dressed for dinner. While I don't want to talk to much about Disney here I will point out that we didn't miss the split bath at all. I honestly never liked it - I always seemed to leave my toiletries in the wrong one.

Day 1 - Cape Liberty, Bayonne NJ

We live in the DC area so we drove to Bayonne the morning of the cruise. We got to the port around 11 and dropped off our bags and packed in the garage. Since we were concierge guests we had a shorter line for security and check-in which made things go very quickly. This probably took 45 minutes total. We were greeted with champagne/OJ - a great way to start!

We headed to the cosmopolitan restaurant for a seated lunch. It was a limited menu and we were disappointed that they had no children's option. Luckily DD survived on rolls and apple pie :) I'll post the menu in another post. After lunch the rooms were still not ready so we hit the pools. They were not crowded at all - we were shocked! The pools are salt water which is a little bit of a bummer and we missed the slides from Disney but even on sea days there was room to actually swim. No kid soup! We stayed at the pool till it was time for the safety drill. We had to report to the casino and we went a little early so my parents could get a seat. It took almost 30 minutes which seemed a little long. Then we returned to our rooms to enjoy one of the bottles of champagne we had received for being concierge guests. Our rooms did not face the NYC sky line or statute of liberty on the way out we still enjoyed relaxing.

We had set dining (5:45pm) which we requested. Originally we were waitlisted but got off the waitlist 2 months before the cruise. We only realized this after Celebrity e-mailed me that they had canceled all the reservations I had made for select dining. A frantic e-mail to our travel agent and we realized we had gotten off the waitlist. Phew. We enjoy the predictability of a set time, table and server.

Overall our experience in the cosmopolitan dining room for dinner was mixed. The food was pretty good but the service seemed a bit off and not what you would expect. Our servers seemed very rushed and there were often timing issues or little things missed (like bringing cream and sugar with the coffee or steak knives with a steak). They also seemed to struggle with special requests (no sauce, a different side etc.) Our wine steward was the bright spot. He was amazing and always kept our glasses full. My Dad and DH had the premium package and my Mom and I had classic. However, there was never a problem ordering the more expensive wines and we were never charged extra. It was a bit annoying not having a comprehensive wine list but luckily we know what we like (aka wine snobs) so we were able to ask for a certain varietal or style and were always happy. Everyone had the prime rib. It was okay - a little thin and not as rare as some members of our party wanted. DD had the pizza which is the same as on the buffet. We wished there was a little more variety in the kids menu or it wasn't quite so "kiddy." We asked for DD's dinner to be brought early so we could take her to the fun factory part way through dinner. The fun factory opens at 7pm so we asked our servers that she have her entree and dessert before then. Some nights it worked out, some nights she left before her desert made it to the table. I'll note that the fun factory is about as far from the cosmopolitan restaurant as you can get so it made for a long walk. We were missing those Disney counselors who pick up the kids from the dining room! The adults enjoyed dessert and our first of many glasses of sauterne then went to a round of trivia. A successful first day of vacation!

Here are some photos from day 1...

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Day 2 - Sea Day

We woke up to breakfast delivery from room service. We were able to order hot items like eggs, bacon and french toast which was nice. I'll post the menu below. For some reason I can only upload photos from my phone.

We then went to our cruise critic roll call at the revelations lounge. DD quickly got board and went to the fun factory. We chatted with some fellow cruisers and some of the officers came by to introduce themselves and answer questions. My Mom and I stayed in revelations for the water color class and my Dad and DH hit up the coffee bar. DH picked-up DD from the fun factory and then met up with me for lunch at the buffet. The food at the buffet was fine. DD mainly ate pizza. I enjoyed the caesar salad station and DH stuck to some of the asain inspired items. I only noticed after lunch that there is a pasta station and sandwich grill all the way in the back. I'll be back! We then took DD for a short swim since she would be spending the afternoon in the fun factory while the adults went to a wine and food pairing class we had signed up for at dinner the night before.

The wine and food pairing class was lots of fun and a very unique way to taste wine. You really got a good sense of why some wines are recommended with certain foods. You can tell how the wine brings out the flavor in the food and vice versa. Alex who was the host was very good and knowledgeable. We would see him several times over the next week :) There was a small charge for this but worth it for the experience. We then picked up DD for a little mid afternoon ice cream treat and relaxed in our room while getting ready for formal (ops I mean cruise chic) night.

We headed out and stopped to have some family photos taken before dinner. In general people were not very dressed up. My Dad quickly abandoned his tie after not seeing many other men wearing a tie. We again had some difficulties with the food at dinner specifically the steak and lamb chops being over cooked. DD hit the fun factory after having some of the pear soup and a hamburger. My parents went to the show (comedian I think) while DH and I put DD to bed. Once my parents got back to the room, DH and I had a night out at the martini bar, casino and ended our night watching a little karaoke.

Day 2 photos

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Day 3 - At Sea

We had breakfast delivered to our room again. Then my parents and I went to a galley tour we were invited to as concierge guests. I was excited. I always find the inner workings of a cruise to be very interesting. Celebrity offers one as an excursion but charges something like $79 for it. I'm not sure how they compare but I would absolutely not pay for this tour. It was fun and interesting but only lasted 30 minutes and would not have been worth the fee. I found it interesting that our cruise was already going through twice as much ice cream as earlier cruises in part because of all the kids on board. We saw the crew prepping 100s of salads and making bread. Its also interesting to see how they wash and store all the dishes. There were racks and racks labeled with a specific dish (creme brulee dish, ice cream bowl etc.). It must be quite an undertaking to keep that place organized.

While we were on the tour, DH and DD went to the arcade. Somehow my sweet little girl became obsessed with "shooting bears" in one of the games. If you are into more serious arcade games you might find this place a little sad but she was happy therefore we were happy! We then spent the rest of the day at the pool reading, swimming, eating burgers and pizza and generally relaxing.

This is the part of the trip report where I am going to rant about chair savers. Its against the rules but people always do it and there were never any chairs available by the pool the whole cruise. There was one lady taking up a whole row of about 8 chairs. I asked her if she was using them all or if I could just use one chair and she said no they were all taken. Funny enough I never saw more than 2 people in those 8 chairs. Eventually after wandering around for a while just looking for a place to set our bag another family told me that 2 chairs next to them which just had a book on them had been empty all morning. I moved the book off to a bench and took the chairs. The whole time we were there I never saw anyone pick up the book. I really wish Celebrity would enforce this rule better so everyone can enjoy the pool deck.

A little before 5pm we took DD to get cleaned up. She would be eating dinner at the kids club while the adults went to Qsine. The counselors took the kids to the buffet where DD ate pizza (of course!). The adults got ready and were the first people to Qsine right at 6pm. I had made an early reservation since I heard it can be a long meal. We really enjoyed our dinner. The food was creative and inventive and for the most part tasted pretty good. Food porn pictures below! Alex our favorite wine guy took great care of us and introduced us to some great Hungarian dessert wine. We went to pick DD up but she was off on an alien hunt. DH and I got a drink then got DD to sleep and tried out our luck at the casino again. We weren't as lucky as the previous night but still ended the night ahead!

Photos from day 2

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Enjoying your review. Very nice photos.

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Thanks for your review & loved your photos of Q.

Thanks for sharing! Enjoying the photos a lot. We have a trip in Sept. on Summit and are eager to read any information we can get. We are trying Qsine on our 2nd night out with our CC roll call. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Day 3 - Bermuda - Part 1

This morning when we woke up we could see Bermuda in the distance. We took our room service breakfast out on the balcony to watch us sail in. It was a fantastic morning. The forecast had called for thunderstorms but it was beautiful. Coming in and out of ports is my favorite time to use the balcony. The NCL Breakaway was already docked. DD was instantly jealous of the waterslides and wanted to know if we could take that boat back. Maybe next time.

This morning my parents had planned a 6 hour mini-bus tour through Celebrity. They enjoyed it. They went to the lighthouse, draw bridge, Hamilton for shopping, St. George and one of the beaches. The tour stopped for lunch but they didn't like the options or the price so had a late lunch when they got back to the boat. I think I would have enjoyed the tour but not exactly 5YO friendly.

DH and I prefer to book our own excursions. We travel pretty frequently and are comfortable getting around on our own and like the flexibility of booking our own tours. Plus I'm an avid travel planner so I like the challenge. Unfortunately, today's trip was not my finest work. I had planned for us to rent a small boston whaler boat from H2O Watersports. They were a quick taxi ride from the dockyards and had good reviews. I had this grand notion that we would fly off into the water, snorkeling at off the beat and path spots and exploring quiet islands and beaches. Well maybe I was being a little to romantic. Neither DH or I have any boating experience and while we got a short lesson for the guys at H2O it was a bit challenging to actually put everything they told us into use. This caused a bit of stress and anxiety especially for DH.

We started by cruising to the other side of the island and going under the world's smallest drawbridge. Then we stopped at a spot recommended by the guys at H2O for some snorkeling. We weren't quite sure where to anchor the boat and had to swim a bit to find the good snorkeling spot. Of course by the time we found it DD was tired of swimming and wanted to go back to the boat. We then sped over to the Vixen shipwreck to feed the fish. The was a crazy experience. I though the fish were going to jump in the boat! After a slight incident getting the anchor up, DH decided he was done with the whole boat thing. We returned the boat 2.5 hours into our 5 hour rental. Oh well DD and I had a good time! We caught a taxi back to the Summit and had lunch and took some time to de-stress from our outing. That night we were headed back out to go to Harbor Nights in Hamilton.

Photos from day 3 - part 1

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Day 4 - Bermuda - Part 2

After some down time we headed to Hamilton on the 4:30 ferry. I had purchased our tokens at the visitors center right by the ship earlier in the day. Celebrity was charging around $30 per person to ferry over when the tokens only cost $9 round trip for adults. Kids 5 and under are free. Score one for us!

When we got to Hamilton we did some shopping then went to Flannigens Irish Pub for dinner. I had made a reservation and requested an outdoor table which we got. We had some traditional British pub food and Indian curry. The food was great as was the Guinness and we watched everyone set up for Harbor Nights. There was a kids zone with moon bounces that we had to try and a face painting station. The dancers finally came by around 7:45. Then we caught the ferry back at 8:30 and enjoyed the sunset. It was a nice night but nothing super special. Similar to street markets we have been to before. We bought a few items from some local vendors including some pink sand jewelry and art prints.

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Day 4 - Bermuda - Part 3

I almost forgot the best part of the night - the silent disco! After we got DD to sleep DH and I headed to the pool deck for some fun. Everyone received head phones with 3 channels. There were 2 DJs and a live band. You could switch back and forth based on whatever song you liked best. I wish I had brought my camera because it was hilarious to watch. One DJ was playing current hits and the other more throw back dance songs including Motown, YMCA and the electric slide. I felt bad for the band's singer. She was the only one that actually had to make sound to preform and you could tell she was trying to sing quietly which isn't the best sound. This was probably our favorite activity on the ship. We ended the night with some late night pizza and desert from the buffet.

Day 5 - Bermuda - Part 1

Today's plan was to visit a beach in the morning. Originally we had planned to do Horseshoe Bay. But we heard from other cruisers that is was horribly crowded and all the chairs and umbrellas sold out early. Since my parents decided to take a rest day we decided to be more adventurous and go straight to Warwick Long Bay. We took a shuttle that was $9 per person. The beach was stunning and very quiet. There are no chairs or food but there was a bathroom. We had an amazing morning. There was a little seaweed and we saw a few Portuguese man-of-wars on the sand. We had bought a small collection of sand toys the night before in Hamilton which came in handy. The surf was a little rough so I wouldn't recommend this beach for toddlers by my dare devil loved it. I also did a little snorkeling but it was hard in the waves. We left around 12:30 to head back to the Summit for lunch at the buffet. There was a shuttle waiting to take us back which was quick and easy. They tried to find some more passengers at Horseshoe Bay but no takers so we have the shuttle to ourselves. I finally made it to the pasta station for lunch which was a little disappointing. The sauce just tasted like spaghettio's sauce. As usual the ice cream did not disappoint!

Day 5 photos - Warwick Long Bay Beach

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Day 5 - Bermuda - Part 1

 

Today's plan was to visit a beach in the morning. Originally we had planned to do Horseshoe Bay. But we heard from other cruisers that is was horribly crowded and all the chairs and umbrellas sold out early. Since my parents decided to take a rest day we decided to be more adventurous and go straight to Warwick Long Bay. We took a shuttle that was $9 per person. The beach was stunning and very quiet. There are no chairs or food but there was a bathroom. We had an amazing morning. There was a little seaweed and we saw a few Portuguese man-of-wars on the sand. We had bought a small collection of sand toys the night before in Hamilton which came in handy. The surf was a little rough so I wouldn't recommend this beach for toddlers by my dare devil loved it. I also did a little snorkeling but it was hard in the waves. We left around 12:30 to head back to the Summit for lunch at the buffet. There was a shuttle waiting to take us back which was quick and easy. They tried to find some more passengers at Horseshoe Bay but no takers so we have the shuttle to ourselves. I finally made it to the pasta station for lunch which was a little disappointing. The sauce just tasted like spaghettio's sauce. As usual the ice cream did not disappoint!

Where did you get the shuttle to the beach? $9 RT?

Great photos!

Where did you get the shuttle to the beach? $9 RT?

Right when you came out of the ship there were lines for taxis and shuttles. There were people there the assist you and group together people going to the same place. The previous day there weren't many taxis by the Summit so we walked up by the Breakaway and caught one a little easier there. It probably depends on the time you are leaving the boat. It was $9pp each way to $18 RT. I think its $7pp each way to Horseshoe Bay.

Day 5 - Bermuda - Part 2

This afternoon we had made reservations with KS Watersports at the Dockyards for a jet ski tour. It was just a quick walk from the boat. DD has been dying to ride on one after seeing them in Florida over the winter. I booked a single for DH and a double for DD and I. We all had a blast. I was a little nervous about DD falling off the back but she could hold onto a strap on the seat and the straps of my life jacket pretty easily. It was a little bumpy especially getting out around the cruise ships but DD loved it and kept yelling "faster! faster!" in my ear. We got up to around 30 mph. My parents were watching us from their balcony and we even gave them a wave on our way out of the harbor area. The tour stopped at the Vixen to feed the fish. It was later in the day and I don't think they were as hungry as they had been the day before. We then stopped in a little cove for some swimming. The cove was full of turtles and it was so fun to swim with them.

After the tour we headed back to the boat. My parents had planned to watch the violin duo at the coffee bar while we were out. We checked it out and they were still there so we had a drink and told them about our adventure. We then went back to the room and took our showers and ordered some room service for dinner. DH and I had planned to go on a sunset catamaran sail with Restless Native. Originally, we were going to drop DD at the fun factory on our way off the boat and my parents would pick her up after their dinner at Tuscan Grill. However, when we got the kids schedule that morning it said there were having a carnival that night and there would be no drop off between 7:00 and 8:30. My parents volunteered to skip their dinner at Tuscan Grill to take DD. We were not pleased with the schedule change and the lack of notice from the fun factory.

DD and DH had a hamburger and fries from room service that was pretty good. I had the club sandwich with fries which was also pretty good. The fires were hot and crisp but we could have used some extra ketchup. 4 packets are not enough for 3 people! My parents went to the main dining room for dinner and we dropped DD off with them around 7 to enjoy dessert. Then they went to the carnival where there was face painting and smores as well as other games and activities.

DH and I headed out to meet up with the restless native catamaran boat. It's the pink boat in the front of one of the pictures below. It was a nice cruise. They provide unlimited rum swizzles (which we thought were a little to sweet) and there was enough wind that we could actually sail. The guides gave us some fun history of Bermuda and I enjoyed sitting in the catamaran netting over the water. This was a nice excursion but had I know we would essentially get a sunset sail on the ferry the previous night I would have skipped it, especially given the fun factory schedule. Some of the other guests had been on the Restless Native snorkeling tour earlier in the day and that sounded like a lot of fun. I probably should have picked that tour instead of renting our own boat :)

After the sunset cruise, DH and I went back to the boat and had a coffee and sparkling water at the coffee bar. They also serve pastries and cake and we couldn't resist a little bedtime snack. When we got back to the room DD was still awake! Shame on you Granny and Grandpa! Where was this lax bedtime routine when I was young! DH and I went to bed right after DD. Today had been packed with activities and we were all a little tired. Plus we had another boat ride planned for the next day - but this one included a captain!

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and thoughts with us.

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Day 5 - part 2 photos

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Right when you came out of the ship there were lines for taxis and shuttles. There were people there the assist you and group together people going to the same place. The previous day there weren't many taxis by the Summit so we walked up by the Breakaway and caught one a little easier there. It probably depends on the time you are leaving the boat. It was $9pp each way to $18 RT. I think its $7pp each way to Horseshoe Bay.

Awesome! Thank you!

Day 5 - Bermuda - Part 2

 

This afternoon we had made reservations with KS Watersports at the Dockyards for a jet ski tour. It was just a quick walk from the boat. DD has been dying to ride on one after seeing them in Florida over the winter. I booked a single for DH and a double for DD and I. We all had a blast. I was a little nervous about DD falling off the back but she could hold onto a strap on the seat and the straps of my life jacket pretty easily. It was a little bumpy especially getting out around the cruise ships but DD loved it and kept yelling "faster! faster!" in my ear. We got up to around 30 mph. My parents were watching us from their balcony and we even gave them a wave on our way out of the harbor area. The tour stopped at the Vixen to feed the fish. It was later in the day and I don't think they were as hungry as they had been the day before. We then stopped in a little cove for some swimming. The cove was full of turtles and it was so fun to swim with them.

 

After the tour we headed back to the boat. My parents had planned to watch the violin duo at the coffee bar while we were out. We checked it out and they were still there so we had a drink and told them about our adventure. We then went back to the room and took our showers and ordered some room service for dinner. DH and I had planned to go on a sunset catamaran sail with Restless Native. Originally, we were going to drop DD at the fun factory on our way off the boat and my parents would pick her up after their dinner at Tuscan Grill. However, when we got the kids schedule that morning it said there were having a carnival that night and there would be no drop off between 7:00 and 8:30. My parents volunteered to skip their dinner at Tuscan Grill to take DD. We were not pleased with the schedule change and the lack of notice from the fun factory.

 

DD and DH had a hamburger and fries from room service that was pretty good. I had the club sandwich with fries which was also pretty good. The fires were hot and crisp but we could have used some extra ketchup. 4 packets are not enough for 3 people! My parents went to the main dining room for dinner and we dropped DD off with them around 7 to enjoy dessert. Then they went to the carnival where there was face painting and smores as well as other games and activities.

 

DH and I headed out to meet up with the restless native catamaran boat. It's the pink boat in the front of one of the pictures below. It was a nice cruise. They provide unlimited rum swizzles (which we thought were a little to sweet) and there was enough wind that we could actually sail. The guides gave us some fun history of Bermuda and I enjoyed sitting in the catamaran netting over the water. This was a nice excursion but had I know we would essentially get a sunset sail on the ferry the previous night I would have skipped it, especially given the fun factory schedule. Some of the other guests had been on the Restless Native snorkeling tour earlier in the day and that sounded like a lot of fun. I probably should have picked that tour instead of renting our own boat :)

 

After the sunset cruise, DH and I went back to the boat and had a coffee and sparkling water at the coffee bar. They also serve pastries and cake and we couldn't resist a little bedtime snack. When we got back to the room DD was still awake! Shame on you Granny and Grandpa! Where was this lax bedtime routine when I was young! DH and I went to bed right after DD. Today had been packed with activities and we were all a little tired. Plus we had another boat ride planned for the next day - but this one included a captain!

Was the carnival just for the youngest kids? We will be on the ship in two weeks with a 7 and 8 yo (plus an 11 and 12 yo) and I'm wondering if we should be prepared for this for the younger ones? And, if so, they need to have adult supervision it sounds like?

Day 6 - Last Day in Bermuda - Part 1

This morning my parents and I had gotten a little tired of the same room service breakfast menu so we went to the dining room. The menu items were actually pretty similar but they had eggs benedict which is my favorite breakfast treat and it was good. DH and DD stuck with the room service pastries and cereal. We then went back to the room to pack up for our day aboard a the 45-foot sailboat AJ's Wings with Bermuda Charters. DH, DD and I had done a similar sailboat charter in St. Thomas last December and it was the highlight of our trip. I convinced my parents to break away from Celebrity planned excursions for something a little more private and special. My Mom was stressed about missing the ship, but spoiler alert - they had us back right on time.

We met Captain Anthony and his first mate at a pier next to the Breakaway and headed out. It had rained some the night before and was a little cloudy and choppy. We got out of the harbor and put the sails up and headed toward Hamilton. Captain Anthony is a local and told us a lot about Bermuda and what life is like on the island. We talked a lot about Bermuda real estate and saw some pretty homes along the way. After we had been sailing for a bit DD was getting anxious to get in the water. Captain Anthony said their usual snorkel location would be a little to rough today so we went to another cove to swim and snorkel. We saw a few turtles from the boat but the snorkeling was not great. While we were snorkeling it started to rain again. It was an odd feeling to be swimming and to have it rain on your back. The rain ended quickly and after we got back on the boat we cruised a little to find a nice place for lunch. At Captain Anthony's suggestion I had ordered boxed lunches in advance from Miles Market. We enjoyed some tasty croissant sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit, chips and cookies. It was then time to sail back to the Dockyards. Captain Anthony dropped us off directly in front of the Summit and we were back on board with plenty of time. It was a very peaceful day and we enjoyed having the boat to ourselves.

One of our favorite things to do on the balcony is watch the runners coming back to the boat at the last minute. There weren't to many this time. Since we had 3 days in Bermuda most of the guests we talked to were planning to stick close to the Dockyard on the last day. One of my biggest regrets is that we didn't time the time to explore the shops around Dockyards a little more and visit the museum.

Up next - sail away from the helipad and lobster night!