Finabear

Don't. Just don't.

The roads are super narrow with lots of sharp turns. The many many buses drive those narrow roads with the bushes wacking the windows and the cars and buses going the opposite way within touching distance if you were stupid enough to put your hand out. We had more than one close call with scooters. Those bus drivers have nerves of steel. They stay on time too so you don't want to be in their way.

We used the public transportation system and it was great - and I am not a public transportation type of gal.

Thanks - I will look at your review. We will be getting two cabins. I like to book early so we can get connecting - then keep an eye on prices. Sounds like you did great.

 

138east - how would the driving be to do that ? I am not a city driver - so trying to keep it as simple and uncomplicated as possible. Wouldnt the cost be about the same when you have to pay for parking and a hotel??

I live in upstate CT and am not a city driver either. Hartford CT fine, Boston if very desperate, but NY is not going to happen!. That said, I will drive to Bayonne without too much anxiety. Hope this helps.

I completely agree and will add two more:

Love the self-service laundry Princess - makes packing much easier

Love the International cafe and the coffee card.

However, love Celebrity's no smoking rules - particularly in the casino - although Princess does have non-smoking nights there.

Also love the warm therapy pool in the solarium on some ships.

Will cruise both again but Celebrity seems to have better itineraries right now.

We are booked on the Summit for May 29th sailing to Bermuda. After reading all of the recent reviews I am now wondering if we made the right choice in ships. We are a first time cruising couple, both myself and hubby have never been away except weekend getaways. I was so excited thinking that the Summit was going to be great, guess I had really high expectations. Now not so much. UGGGG

We love the Summit and plan to return to her this Summer. The first time repeating a ship or an itinerary. Bermuda is fantastic. The staff on the Summit are the best. Enjoy your first cruise!

P.S. the drive in to the port (Bayonne) is ugly. Don't pay any attention to that.

I have been on both in the past year and preferred the Summit.

Maybe because it was our first Celebrity cruise. Maybe is was because it was Bermuda. Both were in Aqua. Loved the warm water pool. The staff were so friendly that we felt part of their family.

First time ever we are considering going on a ship again - that exact cruise - this Summer.

I see you are from the UK

Here in the US most everything will be open. The only holidays where most are closed are Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Awesome review! Thank you so much!!! We are die-hard Princess cruisers but switched to Celebrity last year and had an awesome 11 day on the Equinox. Off on your trip this Sunday - same ship. Still love Princess, doing the British Isles June 1 and can't wait - so great to have 2 lines to decide between. Thanks again for taking your time to share with all of us!!!:):):)

The British Isles cruise is first on my bucket list but I can't take 2 weeks straight off from work yet. please do a review! Celebrity is our new favorite cruise line but I would take Princess over Celebrity for that one just for the self-serve laundry option. Being able to do a load or two of laundry makes packing SO much easier.

UConn Women's basketball fan here. They had a game scheduled on ESPN scheduled while on the Silly on December. I figured ESPN is ESPN right? Nope. Totally different programming. And yes, I remembered the time change. We had internet so I double-checked everything on the UConn site. I was so sad :(

We went on this trip last August and loved it. We are in our fifties and there were plenty of people our age as well as younger and older. The Breakaway led us there and back so we were on the Bermuda ferries and buses with the Breakaway crowd and heard lots of complaints. In contrast there were raves from the Summit folks. Again, all ages.

Hubby did some diving - booked private. I was perfectly happy to travel by myself on the bus and ferry system. I had a two day pass as I wanted to stay close to the ship the last day. As great as their transit system is, it takes TIME to get anywhere. Lots of time and the locals don't hurry.

I went to the crystal caves (both) and the aquarium - fun, but once is enough. Would have liked to have spent more time in St. Georges - next time. Didn't get to the lighthouse - next time. We did a lot, but plenty more left to do.

The Summit is a great ship with an outstanding crew. Love, love love the warm water adult pool in the solarium - free. Captain Leo was fantastic. The CC meat and greet was well attended by officers and Captain Leo obviously reads the boards. They were anticipating Captain Kate on the next sailing to start her orientation.

Thank you so much for your review. We were on the Silly in December and loved it but I now realize we missed so much! Oh well, next time.

Don't dismiss the Summit! We LOVED her - more than Silly! Maybe because she was our "first", or because it was 3 days in Bermuda, or Aqua/Blu, or Captain Leo, or the really friendly officers or the warm water therapy pool in the solarium (I still dream of that pool)... don't know, but that trip was amazing!

Our first dinner in Blu on the Silly our waiter asked if we had been in Blu before. Wen we told him we had just been on the Summit he whipped out his phone and showed us pictures of all his friends from the Summit that he missed so much. He had been on the Summit for several years but was recently placed on Silly. He took special care of us. Captain Leo was great. I wish I had a video of him diving into the pool under the no diving sign to play volleyball. The staff won.

This is the way I look at it.. I have over 40 cruises under my belt and this cruise alone convinced me of the safety of being on a cruise ship at sea.. Think about this.. 150 mph winds and 30 ft waves and that ship not only survived but no loss of life or major injuries .. Only from what we hear now as superficial cosmetic damage! No power outage and they didn't lose Internet or television .. Think about that.. If that storm would have come ashore doing 150 mph winds, what damage it would have done! Property damage, injuries, loss of lives.. .. I would rather be at sea on one of these ships than here on land anyday!!

Me too!

Have been looking at Anthem sailings and usually book within 4 months for the best prices. I'm really excited about the deal I might be able to get now!

For those who say we should fly to Florida instead of cruise out of NY.

Seriously?

We should spend a whole day (not to mention the $) dealing with the miseries of flying, stay in a hotel overnight (or 2) so as not to miss our cruise due to weather - instead of spending that same amount of time on a cruise ship? So we can't lay out in 80 degree sunshine for the first few days - so what?!

So, you've never been on a plane where the pilot has informed you on take off that he expects turbulence and a bumpy ride, then tells you that he has found smooth air at higher altitude, only to have the plane drop suddenly just as he has turned the seat belt sign off?

 

You've never had to drive in a winter storm, after getting storm warnings, and then found yourself in worse conditions in the middle of the Interstate?

 

Weather happens. If you don't like it, don't cruise anymore.

This.

Here is CT we complain when the news hypes up the snowstorms and they turn into no big deal. We complain when they underestimate the storms and we are caught in bad conditions. We complain when the roads are not cleared like we think they should be and don't even get me started on the school closings/delays/early releases....

Weather is unpredictable.

Period.

I 84, both ways, just East of Waterbury CT is a mess. I would advise anyone to avoid it completely. There is a multi-year construction project that goes for miles and is always backed up.

My wife and I are booked on the 2/6/16 Anthem out of Cape Liberty. We've just learned Academy Bus has stopped working with RCCL (we'd already bought our bus tickets). We have no idea how we're going to get down there now from where we live in Providence, Rhode Island. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know in the Academy bus thread. Flying's unrealistic and driving, from what I hear, is a nightmare (not to mention parking)...

Amtrak. No question.

Go the day before though.

If coming from CT, I strong suggest cutting across I-287, taking the Tappan Zee Bridge to the Garden State Parkway, exiting onto Route 17, taking that down to the Meadowlands and picking up the Turnpike there. There may be some traffic on 17 if you're on a Saturday (especially during holiday season) and there are traffic lights, but it's nothing compared to the GWB. Another alternative is getting onto the Palisades Parkway south after crossing the TZB and then pick up the Turnpike (via I-80?) on the other side of the GWB.

 

The toll on the TZB is much less than the GWB so going back that way is cheaper, too. There is one $1.50 toll on the Parkway, southbound only.

I agree. From NW CT I went down 8 to 84, down the sawmill and over the Tappen Zee to the GSP. We then took 78 which wasn't horrible but the barriers had me confused. That combined with a new GPS.. and well... ended up following signs to the airport arrivals so I could stop and re-group. Then everything was fine. Was at the port in 15 minutes. I will try a different way than 78 next time though.

I second Brimstone Hill!

I took the ships tour and loved it. Our bus driver - Trevor- talked about the island and gave a nice tour of the island. The fort is beautiful and the exhibits were very interesting.

Two unrelated comments:

 

Count us among those that cruised and cruised and wouldn't consider looking elsewhere, now we definitely are. Not just over formal nights, but too many changes for this mid 40s gal.

 

Second, this article on the casulaization of dress in the U.S. was interesting and relevant:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/09/08/why-americans-dress-so-casually/?tid=sm_fb

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Great article and very relevant to this conversation.

I, for one, am happy with the change in terminology for "formal nights" for all the reasons mentioned here - in this thread and in the article.

Jet skiing is available at the tour office at the end of the pier in Bermuda.

Lots of other tours to spend your OBC on.

Treat your wife to a massage before the cruise instead. Much better, half the price and no hard-sell after.

With the disclaimer that I'm not trying to 'start' anything, I'm slightly apprehensive about the age of Summit, and some recent threads about the rude passenger base from NJ.

Don't be afraid of the Summit. It was probably our best cruise with the possible exception of our first one on Disney. Great ship and crew!

My hubby never wants to repeat a ship or an itinerary but he may just make an exception for Summit to Bermuda!

Yes, the cutoff is 11:30, provided your airline participates. We have used it for Southwest flights even though they were not listed. Check with guest relations.

 

 

The form (almost the same) we have always used can be located about 5 posts into this link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1930353

 

bosco

Excellent!

We will do valet but keep one bag back and do self-disembark. We can do both right?

I've always found plenty of unhealthy options in Blu for breakfast. Bacon, sausage, danish, potatoes etc... But my definition might be different than his!

Several kinds of potatoes on the Summit.

Note that the times Blu is open for breakfast change depending on the day - sea, port or last.

Does anyone know the cutoff time for luggage valet in FLL?

We have an 11:48 am flight out and suspect we won't be able to use it.

Thanks everyone.

We decided not to chance it and will fly back out of FLL.

Speaking of moving the money around:

I tried to book a cruise under Go BIG with an online TA that gives free pre-paid tips. I realized she hadn't asked which item I wanted as part of the Go Big and she had to call Celebrity. Turns out I wasn't eligible for one because I had booked under the senior rate. But for another $300 I could get $300 of OBC. Seriously? Yes, the rate I was looking at was lower than the Celebrity site but REALLY???? We went back and forth for awhile. The TA went to bat for me (we have booked our last several cruises with them) and the money got moved around to my satisfaction. Needed a calculator handy though.