Just back from Summit med cruise any questions?

[fourcats]

Hi I am just back off 12 night med cruise on Celebrity Summit if anyone has any specific questions I would be more than happy to answer them.

[joanne1919]

We are booked on the Oct. 3rd sailing on Summit out of Barcelona and would be interested in how you found your sailing.

Meals good?

Any wine packages?

Any port stand out and why?

Did you bring wine on at embarkation and if so how was it handles (any hassles)?

Thanks!

[fourcats]

We are booked on the Oct. 3rd sailing on Summit out of Barcelona and would be interested in how you found your sailing.

Meals good?

Any wine packages?

Any port stand out and why?

Did you bring wine on at embarkation and if so how was it handles (any hassles)?

Thanks!

Meals were good lots of variety

There are wine packages we didnt buy one and average glass of wine was $8

Barcelona was great if you can go early and do the hop on hop off bus it will give you a nice taste of the city. Favourite ports had to be Santorini in particular OIA pronounced eeya. Make sure you either take the local bus or a cab and have lots of time to walk around its very pretty. Have lunch in one of the cafes overlooking the harbour.

Venice was great very busy hopefully when you go it wont be so crowded there were five ships in when we got there. We stayed an extra day and saw more come in and leave.

We took on two bottles of wine at embarkation no problem after that they take them.

Mary

[fourcats]

Sorry didnt notice your title until I answered the other questions. The ship was spotless. Staff was very friendly. Everyone saying hello.

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I am trying to plan my first cruise to the Med for next Sept

out of Barcelona too:)..the research is waaayyyy more than

my normal sailings;) but it sure is fun:D

What airline did you use? Did you get in a day early and if so,

where did you stay?

Did you book your flights through X or on your own?

Thanks:)

[pumpkin 11]

How was the weather??

We might do one of the med cruises on century, in june.:)

[Bridge Maven]

Hi,:) I am trying to plan my first cruise to the Med for next Sept

out of Barcelona too:)..the research is waaayyyy more than

my normal sailings;) but it sure is fun:D

What airline did you use? Did you get in a day early and if so,

where did you stay?

Did you book your flights through X or on your own?

Thanks:)

 

We always plan to fly to the port city at least a day in advance and it was a good thing we did for our Mediterranean Cruise last year.

 

We had a flight that as scheduled to leave from JFK at 7:00 PM on a Sunday night and arrive in Barcelona on Monday morning, the day before our cruise from Barcelona on Tuesday. Our flight out of JFK was delayed so we didn't leave the gate until 10 PM. After spending four hours on the Tarmac that flight was canceled at 2:00 AM. Fortunately, I was able to reschedule our flight for the following night and we went straight from the airport to the cruise terminal. If we hadn't planned to arrive a day early we would have literally missed the boat.

[Lois R]

We always plan to fly to the port city at least a day in advance and it was a good thing we did for our Mediterranean Cruise last year.

 

We had a flight that as scheduled to leave from JFK at 7:00 PM on a Sunday night and arrive in Barcelona on Monday morning, the day before our cruise from Barcelona on Tuesday. Our flight out of JFK was delayed so we didn't leave the gate until 10 PM. After spending four hours on the Tarmac that flight was canceled at 2:00 AM. Fortunately, I was able to reschedule our flight for the following night and we went straight from the airport to the cruise terminal. If we hadn't planned to arrive a day early we would have literally missed the boat.

 

Oh, I am arriving a day early and probably 2 days ahead.

The cruise leaves on a Saturday so I will in be in Europe on

Thursday.

[elena7seas]

Hi,:) I am trying to plan my first cruise to the Med for next Sept

out of Barcelona too:)..the research is waaayyyy more than

my normal sailings;) but it sure is fun:D

What airline did you use? Did you get in a day early and if so,

where did you stay?

Did you book your flights through X or on your own?

Thanks:)

 

Hi Lois:

 

I have been to Barcelona three times, and absolutely love it. I would return in a heartbeat. September should be a great time to be there. We have always been there in May or June, and the city is very pleasant then, great weather and no crowds, as it should be in September as well.

 

Last time my daughter and I stayed at The Five Rooms, a very nice Bed and Breakfast run by the beautiful Yessica. It is in a terrific location, a block beyond Las Ramblas (very lively, but very noisy), a block from the main shopping street (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes), 2 short blocks to Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas, and a short block into the Barri Gotic (Old Quarter). The Five Rooms is very quiet, and there is a Starbucks at the end of the block(about 100 yards). Hotel Jazz is also supposed to be very nice. I had a reservation there until I booked at The Five Rooms.

 

http://www.thefiverooms.com/ingles.html

 

If you take a look at the website, we had the room with the green accessories. It was at the front of the B&B and had lovely doors to open for fresh air.

 

If you can manage two extra days in Barcelona, there is SO much to do. Do not miss La Sagrada Familia. We took all three routes of the HOHO bus and highly recommend it.

 

I have TONS of information on Med cruises. If you let me know your itinerary I can also help with references for great private tours.

 

We have never flown into Barcelona, only out of it, and we always fly on points. If you cannot find a reasonably priced flight into Barcelona, try looking for cheap flights into London or Paris, then take one of the internal European flights. Sometimes, you can save LOTS of money that way. (Our flight to Paris from Barcelona was 37 Euros each.)

 

You can contact me at elena7cc at yahoo dot com if you would like any of my information. I save most of it to Excel spreadsheets, and can easily send it to you.

 

You will love, love, love the Med.

[salmn]

We are back from the Summit as well--Venice to Barcelona. Do not stay at the Hotel Continental Barcelona. Only good things were the free coffee/wine/beer and the location. Stayed at the Belle Epoque in Venice. Small, nice, clean, nice breakfast included. One block from the train station, close to the vaporetto stop. Easy walk to Piazzle Roma for bus or taxi. When choosing your excursions, do not always think that the private tours are better unless you are very specific about your wishes. We were with other people that we arranged with here online. Used Paul's and Rominlimo. Racing around Athens and Rome in the back of a minibus/van, not being able to get out and explore as much as we wanted, turned them into two of our least favorite excursions. The ships excursion pre/post to Montserrat was nice, not that expensive and included a city or airport transfer. Exploring Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Pompeii/Sorrento, Santorini, and Cannes on your own is very easy if you do your homework. Rented a car in Santorini, went to Oia and explored the rest of the island, went to a beach for a while. Very easy. In the large cities, I would recommend seeing two or three sights more leisurely rather than trying to see everything in one day and getting overwhelmed.

The ship was nice. Had a CC room. Good service and food. Found a lot of good advice on Cruise critic. Appreciate the help. We got a Capitol One credit card and opened a Capitol One money market savings for the ATM. No foreign exchange charges on either one and no ATM charges. Worked great. No problem with pickpockets. Used moneybelts when needed and the hotel and ships safe when available. Didn't carry large amounts of money. Just watch your surroundings in crowded areas.

It was the trip of a lifetime. We had a great time. Doing our homework ahead of time really paid off.

[Lois R]

Hi Lois:

 

I have been to Barcelona three times, and absolutely love it. I would return in a heartbeat. September should be a great time to be there. We have always been there in May or June, and the city is very pleasant then, great weather and no crowds, as it should be in September as well.

 

Last time my daughter and I stayed at The Five Rooms, a very nice Bed and Breakfast run by the beautiful Yessica. It is in a terrific location, a block beyond Las Ramblas (very lively, but very noisy), a block from the main shopping street (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes), 2 short blocks to Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas, and a short block into the Barri Gotic (Old Quarter). The Five Rooms is very quiet, and there is a Starbucks at the end of the block(about 100 yards). Hotel Jazz is also supposed to be very nice. I had a reservation there until I booked at The Five Rooms.

 

http://www.thefiverooms.com/ingles.html

 

If you take a look at the website, we had the room with the green accessories. It was at the front of the B&B and had lovely doors to open for fresh air.

 

If you can manage two extra days in Barcelona, there is SO much to do. Do not miss La Sagrada Familia. We took all three routes of the HOHO bus and highly recommend it.

 

I have TONS of information on Med cruises. If you let me know your itinerary I can also help with references for great private tours.

 

We have never flown into Barcelona, only out of it, and we always fly on points. If you cannot find a reasonably priced flight into Barcelona, try looking for cheap flights into London or Paris, then take one of the internal European flights. Sometimes, you can save LOTS of money that way. (Our flight to Paris from Barcelona was 37 Euros each.)

 

You can contact me at elena7cc at yahoo dot com if you would like any of my information. I save most of it to Excel spreadsheets, and can easily send it to you.

 

You will love, love, love the Med.

 

Hi Elena, thank you so much for the reply:)

Getting ready to eat some dinner but I will look at that website

later for sure.

Sorry it seems I hijacked this thread...:eek:

I will email you:)

[ScouserInAZ]

We just returned from the same cruise (Barcelona to Venice, Sept 7 - 19). Overall cruise was excellent, here is a brief summary:

 

 

 

• Flew British Airways from Phoenix to Barcelona, stayed 2 nights at the Hotel Continental. Hotel OK, great location. Really enjoyed the Barcelona cuisine.
  
• Ship is in great shape, we originaly cruised on Summit in April '05, looked no worse for wear. Stayed in cabin 7166.
  
• New menu introduced in the MDR with much better selections than before, for example, featuring dishes from the various specialty restaurants on other ships (e.g. Constellation, Infinity, Solstice).
  
• Three formal nights, all on the sea days.
  
• Normandy specialty restaurant was very good. Used this on the Friday evening of the Rome stop. The "Menu exceptional" is now $140 per person due to the featured wine pairings. We thought the pairings were very good but not exceptional.
  
• Worst port was Athens due to massive crowding at the Acropolis. Seven ships in port that day and it felt like they all turned up at the Acropolis at the same time. Chaos ensued!
  
• All other ports were great, it's hard to pick a favorite, but Pompeii and the Amalfi coast are tough to beat.
  
• Staff and service exceptional as always.
  
• Entertainment was good, vocalist Jamie Michael Stewart was very good.
  

I'll be glad to answer any specifics about the cruise.

[fourcats]

Hi,:) I am trying to plan my first cruise to the Med for next Sept

out of Barcelona too:)..the research is waaayyyy more than

my normal sailings;) but it sure is fun:D

What airline did you use? Did you get in a day early and if so,

where did you stay?

Did you book your flights through X or on your own?

Thanks:)

I booked my own flights as I wanted to go direct to Barcelona no stop overs I am from the Toronto area and booked thru Air Transat.

You should go at least a day early the jet lag is hard to catch up on. Barcelona is a great city.

Mary

[fourcats]

How was the weather??

We might do one of the med cruises on century, in june.:)

Hot high 80's and humid. No rain. Lots of walking in the ports I would pick a cooler time if you can June should be okay.

Mary

[Lois R]

I booked my own flights as I wanted to go direct to Barcelona no stop overs I am from the Toronto area and booked thru Air Transat.

You should go at least a day early the jet lag is hard to catch up on. Barcelona is a great city.

Mary

 

Hi Mary:)ahhhh..you have many more choices from Toronto;)

I plan on going at least 2 days early. But there is no way I will

find a flight without a stopover:eek:....that is impossible when

flying across the pond (from here anyway).

[eandj]

(Hi Mary! We arrived home with no problems last night (Monday).

 

To those looking for info , my dh and I were also on this cruise. Gotta say it was terrific in all categories. Don't know that I'd agree that the weather was too hot. We found it mostly comfortable in the ports, altho like Mary said, it was sunny EVERYDAY...for our 16 straight days of traveling, in fact. (did look for some cool shade a few times) Even when the forecast predicted rain or clouds, by the time we finished breakfast, any clouds were gone. Just amazing.

 

We totally loved Barcelona after 2 nights, and are planning on returning. We stayed at Hotel Jazz and were very happy with it. Didin't do as much as we would have liked with all the different areas to cover. Also loved Venice after two nights. Stayed at Hotel Al Codega. Great hotel in a quiet courtyard. Indeed, Venice was BUSY, but we found many new things just walking the streets every day.

We enjoyed all the ports...Athens probably our least favorite because of the crowds. We did a cab stragiht to Acropolis. However, as many say, it is not easy finding one that will use a day meter rate and not charge the 25.00 fee. With the meter our rate was under $8.00! Getting back to the ship, we headed to a jewelry store rec by Fiona, the shopping gal onboard, and they called a cab which we shared for 20.00. Unless you have an excursion, do some planning ahead and either take the metro on the cheap or share a cab...especially on non metered runs. We joined a private guide at Acropolis which was a big must, especially as it got super crowded.

 

Dubrovnik is for sure a treat. Nothing like it. The wall climbing/walking could be a challenge for anyone with physical problems.

Unless you get to Santorini early, you will have trouble finding a cab to Oia. Many head off on longer tours. We ended up hiring a cab for one hour, 60 euros. Worked out well for us after being dissapointed in the lack of an actual schedule they would stick to and the few number of buses needed to move all the crowds.

Our biggest disappoinment was with the Amalfi drive/Pompeii tour with Romeinlimo. Our driver, altho from the area, didn't take into account the heavy traffic on the way to Sorrento, so the time didn't allow us to get all the way to Positano. Seems that everyone we talked to had guides that took the traffic (to a church festival) into account while scheduling the day's activities. So they lucked out. Romeinlimo will be hearing from me. :rolleyes:

 

The Summit was in very good condition. Our room carpeting could have been replaced as it was faded and worn in the traffic pattern, but the linens, chair upholstery etc were fine. Our room steward was flawless. We found the food to be very good. Liked all the choices. (breakfast buffet continues to offer some "less than hot" dishes if they aren't straight out of the kitchen) Entertainment was fine. Missed out on some kind of comedian tho. The production shows were more glitzy, I thought with many more costume changes, lighting etc.

 

The demographics for this cruise were the most varied I've seen on our X cruises. 20's thru 80's...most in 40's-60, I'd guess. A VERY nice lively and friendly group.

 

Add my Dh and me to the list of happy, happy X cruisers from the 12 day Med cruise embarking on Sept. 7.

Ellen

[eandj]

Hi, I am trying to plan my first cruise to the Med for next Sept

out of Barcelona too:)..the research is waaayyyy more than

my normal sailings;) but it sure is fun:D

What airline did you use? Did you get in a day early and if so,

where did you stay?

Did you book your flights through X or on your own?

Thanks:)

 

Hi Lois,

 

We flew Swiss Air..a very nice experience. Can't remember the last time we received TASTY meals plus wine and beer as complimentary choices...:)

 

We arrived BCN two nights early and wished we had arrived for 3 pre nights. We stayed at the Hotel Jazz which had a great special breakfast rate a few months before our sailing date. Very modern with nice amenitites and a friendly and helpful English speaking staff. Rooftop pool and lounging area was nice.

 

Can we come along???? ;)

[Lois R]

Hi Lois,

 

We flew Swiss Air..a very nice experience. Can't remember the last time we received TASTY meals plus wine and beer as complimentary choices...:)

 

We arrived BCN two nights early and wished we had arrived for 3 pre nights. We stayed at the Hotel Jazz which had a great special breakfast rate a few months before our sailing date. Very modern with nice amenitites and a friendly and helpful English speaking staff. Rooftop pool and lounging area was nice.

 

Can we come along???? ;)

 

Sure:) finding the flights is the most time consuming thing

right now. Its not 330 days out and so many of the airlines

don't have the dates I need:eek:.

[eandj]

Did you bring wine on at embarkation and if so how was it handles (any hassles)?

Thanks!

 

 

You can carry on two bottles of wine (per cabin) openly when you first board. I found 2 delicious bottles of Spanish wine at the dept store in plaza Cat. Those we drank in the room. I had preordered two bottles for the dinner table before cruising. At one port, I think it was Naples, we decided to try carrying on a bottle of Italian wine. Our tourmates were given a bottle of Lemoncello from the guide. We put that in my husband's back pack along with our wine. We were told, after having the bag scanned, to go to the "naughty" table to turn in the bottles. (no one at the scanner looked in his bag) When we got to the table, knowing our friends weren't going to be opening their Lemoncello onboard, we just handed that one over and left. It was returned to us the day before disembarking. That bottle became known as the "sacrificial bottle". So... to make a long story short....lesson learned is maybe you "could" get a bottle in at one of the ports, but have the "sacrificial bottle" ready to turn over:D

 

I'm sure in time, that won't even be possible.

[pom]

I booked my own flights as I wanted to go direct to Barcelona no stop overs I am from the Toronto area and booked thru Air Transat.

You should go at least a day early the jet lag is hard to catch up on. Barcelona is a great city.

Mary

 

Hi I am flying from Toronto as well by KLM flying into Holland than to Spain, now I have seen a map of Barcelonia and for the summit where is she docked?

 

I know the Summit has put out a new policy on wine at ports and they make it very clear what will happen or could happen if you bring wine on board it goes away until you leave for home, sure made me think when I did my on line pre booking

 

thanks for the information

[eandj]

Hi I am flying from Toronto as well by KLM flying into Holland than to Spain, now I have seen a map of Barcelonia and for the summit where is she docked?

 

I know the Summit has put out a new policy on wine at ports and they make it very clear what will happen or could happen if you bring wine on board it goes away until you leave for home, sure made me think when I did my on line pre booking

 

thanks for the information

 

 

The Summit will be "parked" at the cruiseship piers near Port Vell. You can take a cab straight to the ship. Mke sure the cabbie understands where to drop you.

 

There really isn't a NEW policy re bringing alcohol on board. It's been in their "rule book" from the start. They do seem to be more diligent in enforcing it tho.

 

You will love your experience!

[fourcats]

Hi I am flying from Toronto as well by KLM flying into Holland than to Spain, now I have seen a map of Barcelonia and for the summit where is she docked?

 

I know the Summit has put out a new policy on wine at ports and they make it very clear what will happen or could happen if you bring wine on board it goes away until you leave for home, sure made me think when I did my on line pre booking

 

thanks for the information

 

If you are standing at the Christopher Columbus statue looking towards the pier summit was on the right. Our cab driver took us right to the entrance to the summit terminal. Porters took our luggage. It was very easy. Cab was about 17 euros and we stayed up near Catalunya Square. Just a note that the meter runs a price and then they add for luggage and the number of people.

Mary