doublemm16

Oh no [emoji33]since March? Yes the pillow chocolates were back too...guess who got the dark chocolate ones cause the kids wouldn't eat them lol!!

I was on the Equinox in April and Summit last week. No oreos. :(

My friend and I traveled in a sky suite and she did not want to dine in Luminae. She prefered the traditional dining. We met with the Maitre D and he assigned us a table in traditional dining.

On your first day, have your son go with you to speak to the Maitre D. He will help you sort it out.

I was on the Summit the week of May 31st and had an amazing time. We had perfect weather the entire time we were there. The crew are very friendly. I was in a verandah cabin on the Equinox in April and I believe there are a few hot egg dishes on the room service menu. Its limited, but there are hot options. I have been on Princess several times and was used to the "sometimes hot" egg sandwich that they offered.

Bermuda is a great place to do as you please. We had no excursions booked. We purchased a 2 day transportation pass and went to St. George to walk around the shops and to Hamilton. We went to Grotto Bay beach Resort one day to swim in their onsite cave, and have spa treatments in their other onsite cave. It was a one of a kind experience and a lot of fun.

We visited the Swizzle Inn which was right up the street and then took the bus back to Hamilton where we hung around for Harbor Nights. IMHO, it is not worth hanging around for if you have done it in the past...been there, done that kind of moment for me.

If you like Princess, you will be happy on Celebrity. They are my 2 lines of choice. Enjoy your cruise! I am sure it will be great!!

You point out one flaw that Celebrity has to address I believe. Last week there were three tables taken almost daily by a family playing cards for lengthy periods of time in the buffet during lunch. On embarkation day they just stayed there playing until the cabins were cleared. Extremely rude as this is a place where people go to eat, they were not the only ones but they were obvious because they were loud and obnoxious.

They must have been the same loud and obnoxious family that was at Bingo too. :eek:

Oh, this thread gets you thinking! The chocolate peppermint Oreo sandwich cookie thing left on your bed (once per cruise I believe).

 

This little Piggy scored four of them last cruise as the family didn't like them. I was in my element munching on one of them with a late night coffee out on the balcony!!!

 

 

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Unfortunately those are now gone. Pillow chocolates are back.

going on the summit in 2 weeks to Bermuda....don't know how to get

from the NEWARK airport to cruise terminal....any help/links would be

greatly appreciated as I don't know Newark at all.

You can take a taxi or book car service. It is not that far from the airport to the cruise terminal.

We were on this cruise too and enjoyed it very much. We too had Bernadeth and Cassanova as our room stewards, and the towel animals every night made me smile. Our butler was Su...she was a delight. Always willing to assist with reservations or anything else. When we were not in our cabin for afternoon tea, she made sure to leave scones for us.

I think NJ gets a bad rap sometimes. I live here, and yes, there are plenty of rude people. I have been on many cruises that have left from other ports and found just as many rude people. I think that is just a fact of life when you have a large number of folks in a "confined" space. I did overhear stories of fights at the pool over chairs, but luckily did not experience any of that myself. I think it is inexcuseable for anyone getting upset or put out due to a medical emergency. I think there was more than one on this cruise. And I think they airlifted the critically ill passenger off some time in the middle of the night. I could have been imagining it, but I thought I heard a helicopter. And we did not dock in Bayonne until around 6:30-6:45am....normal time.

I agree with everything that was said about the food. Luminae was a wonderful addition to my cruise experience. This was my first time in a suite and it will be hard to go back to anything else. The weather in Bermuda was as good as it can get, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

The shows were very good. Especially the acappella group Voice Play. I even broke down and bought a CD. If given the opportunity, I have no doubt I would sail the Summit to Bermuda again. :)

We noticed that too, on our recent Summit cruise. Instead of the nice yellow beach towels with the Celebrity Logo on them, we had two RATTY grey pool towels left in our room. When we asked our butler, he said they no longer had the "nice" beach towels. :(

I actually like the grey towels. Ours were not ratty at all. They looked brand new.

I also liked the yellow ones on the Equinox. But on a few days we did get older blue towels, when they ran out of yellow ones.

We were in a suite, and my friend wanted to eat in traditional dining. We met with the Maitre D and he assigned us a table. My friend wanted to switch tables and there was nothing available, so he assigned us a table in late dining.

We did not go to select dining, nor did we bump anyone from their dining assignment. I am not sure it is only suite guests that are the problem. I have been reading that people missed their assigned dining time, so they went to Select Dining. Should that be allowed? In the past it was not. You would have to go to the buffet or to a specialty restaurant. Maybe Celebrity should be stricter about all guests who are not assigned Select dining.

I just got off the Summit. The towels left in the staterooms in the evening to be taken off the ship were the exact same towels that are by the pool. They are grey in color. Your stateroom attendant will leave clean towels during evening turndown.

You can take as many towels as you like by the pool. On the Equinox in April, yellow towels were provided in the stateroom for the beach, but not so on the Summit.

I was on the Summit for the May 31st cruise. It was the first week for CD Ken Mills. I liked him. He was very visible and entertaining. As were the activity manager and the Hotel Director to name a few.

We lucked out with the weather. It was a gorgeous 2 1/2 days in Bermuda. The crew said it was a 180 from the week before.

I was in my first suite on this cruise, so I was able to try Luminae. It was wonderful. However the menu is limited, and at times too gourmet for my tastes. My friend that I was travelling with did not like the fact that Luminae was so small. And her idea of dining on a cruise was a grand dining room with a large table of about 12 people. That said, we switched our dining assignment to the Main Dining Room, early seating. We went to dinner that first night, and found our tablemates pleasant, but nothing in common with the two of us. We then switched to late dining. Two of the people did not show up to dinner that night and the other 3 were young girls travelling together. We never went back to the dining room. Instead we ate in Normandie, Qsine and Bistro on Five, and had our last formal night in Luminae (they had lobster, which is all my friend cared about).

I can see your point about the traditional dining, and why you would be upset when tablemates did not show up. My friend was very disappointed as this type of dining is an important part of her cruise. We enjoyed dining together, but we also both like to meet new people. We were fortunate to meet several nice couples while dining in Luminae. The tables are close enough together to strike up a conversation.

I am not a regular suite traveler by any means, and who knows when I may have this experience again. My last few cruises have been with family, so dining was not an issue.

I found the food in the buffet to be quite good. We missed the magic show, Sirens and I think iHollywood. We saw the comedian, the acapella group (VoicePlay) and the Welcome Aboard Show, and the 2 other production shows. We enjoyed them all. We were told that this was the first week that the singers and dancers performed in all of the shows. So, I believe there was some turnover on the May 24th cruise.

My last comment is that I agree, there have been so many cutbacks over the years. In 2013, I participated in a Flash Mob (now gone), and the activities staff has been trimmed to practically none. I truly believe that impacts the scheduling of activities, because there is not enough staff to man them. Food quality has dropped, and I have noticed the increased upselling. However, I still enjoy my cruises, eventhough they may not be perfect. I love Celebrity, but I also like Princess and would be open to trying other lines that offer interesting itineraries.

I hope that the lack of participation in traditional dining is not a trend. I love having the same waiter every night....and having my iced tea sitting there waiting for me. :D

I thought I heard a helicopter around 3:00am, but maybe it was earlier or maybe I was just imagining it.

We pulled into Bayonne around 6:30am, so while we did travel at increased speeds to return quickly for the critically ill passenger, it seems that we slowed down some time in the early morning hours.

Hi Mindi,

 

Thanks for the information. I am cruising on Summit in a couple of weeks in a suite for the first time. Is Luminae fully functional in the sense that the new tables/chairs/dishes/cutlery has all been delivered and set-up or are they still waiting for anything? Any dishes you would highly recommend?

 

Chris

From my observation, it appears that Luminae is fully functional. I am sorry, but I am not sure I would notice whether or not plates, cutlery, etc are new. Everything was very nice. For lunch they rotate 2 menus. They are limited but both have nice options. The lobster bisque on one of the menus is very tasty.

I only ate dinner in Luminae twice. I had NY Strip which was delicious and on the second formal night, I had the butter poached lobster tail in champagne sauce...also very good. The seared scallops are also a winner.

Enjoy Luminae. You will not be disappointed. :D

I was on this cruise as well and had a terrific time! The crew as wonderful. This was my first time in a suite and it was a treat to experience Luminae. They were open everyday for lunch and dinner. I had breakfast there twice and cannot say enough good things.

The shows were really quite good. The comedian was hysterical, the accapella group Voice Play was amazing....so good I bought a CD. The production shows were also good. I was impressed with the singers and dancers.

I went to the special coctail party Indulgence. It costs $20 plus 18% gratuity. In my opinion, it's not really worth it unless you plan on drinking a lot. It's held in Cellar Masters and was very hot and crowded.

We had great weather the entire time in Bermuda. If I can answer any questions, please let me know.

Mindi

Well, you may get your way. I read somewhere on the board that Rich Clesen either got off last cruise, or will be getting off at the end of the current cruise. That's too bad because I was looking forward to having him on the cruise next week. Maybe I'll find out Sunday that they transferred Ken Mills to some other ship. :rolleyes:

 

P.S. Loved Sue ;)

Oh no!! I was looking forward to seeing Rich. He was our CD on our Century Hawaii cruise and I really enjoyed him. But for the most part, I do not pay a whole lot of attention to the CD while I am onboard. The only reason I know more about Rich is that I was in a flash mob onboard.

Will still have a great cruise anyway. See you onboard Wine-O!!:D

I was on the Equinox in April and there was a Beatles Tribute Band. They were great!! With costume changes and all. Another fabulous show was the Tenors of Rock. Hoping one of these will be on the Summit for my May cruise to Bermuda! :D

We did similar on Century in 2012.

We spent time on all the islands mentioned, but Solstice is too big to visit Kauai.

I am so glad that we went and saw Wiamea Canyon.

I would suggest you look at the itinerary before you decide.

The entry back into the USA was horrendous. We had to leave the ship in Ensenada and be bussed through Mexico. The ship arrived in San Diego before we did. I would never recommend a cruis that does that, something to the ' Passenger Act,' but not being a U.S. Citizen I don't understand it. Certainly our TA knew nothing and our cruise was advertised to end in San Diego. It didn't, it ended in Ensenada!

BEWARE.

There were so manry complaints. I think this is the reason that Celebrity only do repositioning cruises to & from Austraila.

In 2013 our cruise did stop in Ensenada on the way back, but it was later in the evening. No one got off, and then we continued on to San Diego. Maybe they changed it after all of the complaints as referenced in the above post.

My mom did not want to fly to Hawaii (been there done that), so in Feb 2013 we took the Celebrity Century from San Diego to Hawaii. It was one of the best cruises we have taken to date. Mainly because of the people we met on cruise critic. It took 5 days to get across the Pacific in very windy rainy weather, but we had a fantastic time. Lots of activities...cultural, flash mob, etc.

There were a lot of older people on this cruise, many walker, scooters, etc.; however, that did not detract from my experience. I may have been in the younger demographic but it didn't matter. A cruise is what you make of it. We met amazing people who I still keep in touch with to this day. We were on an older ship with so so food, and it still didn't detract from the overall experience.

I think you will be happy with Celebrity. I like Princess too, and the only thing we missed on the Celebrity itinerary was not going to Kauai to see the flowers. But it was not a deal breaker.

Enjoy your cruise...whatever you choose! :D

No joke....the ships carry a red carpet which they occasionally put out at port stops. There is the "red carpet" entrance back to the ship for suite guests and the rest of us go through the regular return gate.

 

I have watched from our balcony and have seen very very few actually use the carpet...but it was there. I'm sure a search of CC will find discussion.

 

I don't know if it's an idea that was tried (last year) and discarded or if it's still done at some ports.

I saw this for the first time on my cruise on the Equinox in April. I actually laughed outloud. Its ridiculous IMHO. I am going in a suite for the first time ever on the Summit this month. I didnt book it to feel "high and mighty" as others have suggested. I took advantage of the perks offer, and since the price was right, my friend and I decided to give it a try. But if given the choice, I would NOT board the ship on the red carpet. :eek:

Bought a rhinestone lanyard on board the Summit last year. Price was around $10. Used it on one cruise and the rhinestones started to fall off. Don't buy the one with rhinestones.

 

 

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I have purchased several of those over the years from land based stores and had the same problem. I finally gave up and switched to a leather coach lanyard from the outlet. I love it! :D

I think if I lived near port I would spend $19 per day for the week, instead of paying $100 each way for a car service.

Not all car service is that expensive. I use a company that provides excellent service and costs less. It will only be $25 more for me to use the car service. Factor in gas and tolls, it may actually break even. Plus I do not have to deal with any potential construction, traffic or anything else. For me, it is a small price to pay for a stress free end to my vacation. :D

The wife and I just pay the $100+ Town Car Service from Northwestern NJ (each way).

 

Pretty nice car ride, not a dirty cab.

 

We can bring EVERYTHING!!!

 

Don't worry about the car while we are away (this is NJ near NYC & Newark).

 

We get there early and enjoy every minute of out Celebrity Summit Adventure.

 

CaptDave

I am looking forward to my trip on the Summit next month. Not sure where in NJ you are coming from, but I got towncar service for $75 to the port and $85 going home. Just have to pay cash...it includes tips, tolls, etc.

I am coming from Union County.

Hi Lara!

It was so nice meeting you and congratulations again on your pregnancy!! I think you made the right decision in Belize. The tender experience took almost 1 hour. And the roads in Belize were full of potholes, so a bus ride of any sort would not have been enjoyable for you.

I am not pregnant, and I thought it was difficult to order from the menu on some evenings. There were very strange preparations of food that did not appeal to me. Although, I managed just fine with the every day selections. I agree with you on food temperature. It was inconsistent.

And your comment about activities staff....I thought it was odd that I only noticed the Activities Manager Shauna and Patrick....the nice guy who ran bingo. I am used to seeing so many more activity staff members. A lot has changed in one year.

However, like yourselves, I had an enjoyable cruise. The ship is spotless and the crew very approachable and kind.

Feel good!!

Mindi:D

I encourage everyone that when the food in the MDR is not satisfactory, please keep bringing it to the attention of all concerned. That is the only way to make sure that things change/improve. If you suffer in silence , nothing will change.

I will add that on our last cruise there was more of an effort to get feedback on all of the food and service not only in the Main Dining Room but in the Buffet as well. Our waiter asked us every night for feedback stating that he is responsible for our satisfaction with all food and beverage in both locations. I had never noticed this much direct questioning before.

We don't cruise for the perks but having said that, it *is* nice to have all that free internet (for my husband who couldn't cruise if he couldn't stay in touch with his business) and the free laundry. A few drinks have been great too, in the evenings. We've never in all this time had a drinks package but this time not only do we have one, we have a crazy amount of OBC so we're upgrading. Guess we can still enjoy the happy hour but just order what we want?

 

Anyway, congratulations and I do hope you enjoy your elite perks. To some they're meh but let me tell you that laundry deal is great!!

The laundry is the part I like most. The rest I really do not think will impact my cruise experience too much. We just paid $45 for a laundry special on the Equinox, and I did my best to jam at least $100 worth of clothes into that paper bag. lol :D