Summit Review

[mjmagee]

Sailed 4/21-28. Flew from Tampa the day before on Airtran. Arrived at Conrad San Juan Condado around 11:30AM after $17taxi ride from airport ($15 plus $1 each bag). Hotel main desk staff were very friendly and accommadating. Checked us in. Room was small but clean and fine. Grounds are beautiful. Did the pool, casino, walked down the street to Casa Lola for dinner. Slept well. Hotel Cafe for breakfast with a view. Checked out and took a cab to port around 12. Missed the elite check-in line but still just about walked right up. Stopped at liquor shop for wine, soda and water then on the ship. Found some chairs near the elevator and decided to wait for the cabin call as we were not hungry. Gave the sommelier at the table there time to sell me the Premium 3 bottle package. Then to cabin 6026, a nice sweet sixteen. I have to say we never really did it justice. Two chairs that would benefit by having adjustable backs and a small table. No foot rest. No lounger. Cabin was smaller than we are used to (usually go concierge) but really fine for us. Love the storage on M class versus S class. Cabin steward Raul was excellent. He emptied fridge and kept the ice bucket full as requested. Mini-fridge was pretty cold this time. Actually chilled water and soda.

We rested, then walked to check out the newly refurished Summit (our favorite). She is beautiful. Muster drill at 5PM. Wanted to sign up and turn in our Elite coupon in I-lounge but no one there at posted time. When he did finally show up he was deluged and mentioned there there should have been two of them but the other fellow did not make the cruise as his mother was in intensive care. Hit the library and picked up some books as I had learned at the pool in San Juan that my Kindle Fire was no good in sunlight. We had traditional early dinner. 6PM. 8 top Table 300, lower level, far right hand corner by the back windows. Great, great location. Great table mates. Great service from Marcos and his asst. Sheldon. These guys were timely and never stopped asking if we wanted something else, or something different or anything at all. Jelena was our sommelier and she was also helpful and there when we needed her. DH had Spaghetti Carbonara, which he loved. I had coq au vin but should have had prime rib, which looked much better, as did the pork chop. Crema Catalan for dessert. Sailaway delayed 1.5 hours for a group of 9 who were late flying in. Welcome aboard show was at 10:30. Sue Denning, a Brit was the cruise director, newly returned from vacation. The celebrity orchestra was one of the best I have heard. This cruise had two guitarists, very unusual. And no chamber group. But the usual a cappela group, Up till 2, who were great. More in a bit. Marilyn

[librarylady19]

Can't wait to hear more sounds like a great cruise so far!

[mjmagee]

Sunday and DH's birthday. His choice so we ate breakie in Oceanview. It was ok. The trick is to get a spot to sit and everything that you want that does not need to be hot, before you go after the hot stuff. Also, go completely around and check it all out. Lots of variety if you go around. Coffee is pretty bad. Afterwards we walked off the ship to look for a taxi tour. This is our usual plan. One of the reasons we took this itinerary is that we would hit two islands we have never seen before, St. Croix and Dominica. I was wondering if we could find a taxi tour in St. Croix because of it being Sunday. When you come off, there are folks from a taxi and tour group that want to take you to Christiansted or the beach. We said we wanted a tour and they sent us to a table to pay and get a tix. Very unusual to pay first for one of these tours. 12 people in an air conditioned van. The driver was not the best tour guide. Took us through the rain forest, then to the Carambola country club (?) then drove "through where the rich people live" then past the site where Columbus landed. Gave us 1 hour to shop in Christiansted but not much there, then back to Fredriksted. All in all, it did not motivate me to want to visit St. Croix again. Dropped us off just outside the gate to the port as there were lots of tents with crafts and some music and dancers. The crafts turned out to be cheap souvenirs and the dancers might have been from a local teen dance school but we enjoyed them. Back on the ship about 2P. Rested then went to the pool. No problem finding loungers if you looked around a bit. The pool was cool and refreshing. DH got a couple of hot dogs and fries from the grill. Those fries are always the best darn fries. I don't know what it is about them. Back to the cabin and cleaned up for formal night dinner. Made it to the Elite cocktail hour for a bit. It was held in the Revelations Lounge. DH loves the canapes. I don't know how many Elite's were on this cruise (ship was full, I think) but the cocktail hour was never well attended in this first hour, when we were there.

DH had shrimp cocktail and rack of lamb. I had a salmon stuffed with cheese app and beef carpacio and the rack of lamb. All good, good, good. Almost everyone at the table had the rack of lamb. DH loves the ice cream and had it almost everynight. I had apple tart tatin this night and it is just alright. Oh, and of course we had the bad chocolate cake accompanied by staff singing Happy Birthday to DH. We all tasted the fudgy cake. We went to the theater for the Captain's toast and the production show, Stars in Their Eyes. I am a big fan of these shows on all cruise ships because I think these young people really give it their all. I have to say while the dancers were very good, I did not think the singers were special at all. The Russian gymnasts were great. Hit the casino. Oh my! As reported previously on this board, all the good ole 25 cent machines have been removed. Now you can play combinations of 1cent, 2 cents or 5 cents. But the maximum units run from 90 to 450! And for the most part they are just not the same kind of machine. We kept seeking out machines that at least looked like the ones we were used to. And we did have some little luck but it was just not the same. I was very disppointed and expessed that in my evaluation of the cruise. Hit Revelations Lounge to listen to the a cappela group, then back to the room. There we were surprised by a Happy Birthday card from Tanushka, the Captain's Club hostess, a rose in a bud vase and a wrapped gift. DH opened it to find a really nice tie, which went well with his navy suit and was worn on the next formal night. More to come.

[riredsox]

Thank you for your revue. I also have a kindle fire and found that if turned sideways with the brightest level you can read in the sun! Try it, I used it on my cruise by the pool. Works better with a hat and no sunglasses but at the beach I read with my sunglasses. Hope this helps. Jill

[librarylady19]

Sounds like a wonderful birthday for your DH! Hope you will post some photos also. look forward to reading more. We weren't overly impressed with Fredericksted but did enjoy the ATV tour we took.

[mjmagee]

Sorry to be gone for so long. Had an out of town conference. Back to the Summit. To the Oceanview Cafe for breakfast. I had eggs benedict. Have I mentioned the coffee in the dining room is not bad but the coffee in the buffet is terrible. Go for tea. we have been to St. Kitts several times and since this cruise had only one sea day, we determined to spend extra time on the ship while it was in port. So we put on our suits and enjoyed the T-pool. Love that pool. Though it seemed a bit less warm this trip than we had been used to. Could always find a lounge chair in the area and the pool was only crowded on the one sea day. Around noon we got dressed, rested a bit and walked into the port to do a little shopping. There were no tender ports on this cruise which is very nice. So watch out for monkeys in St. Kitts. These fellows will walk right up to you and put a monkey on your shoulder, grab you camera and take your picture and then ask for $20. DH who loves animals didn't see this coming and as a result we have several nice pix of him with monkeys on his shoulders and his head. I have to admit the guy took a good pix on the fly but I refused to pay him $20, we negotiated it down. Be forewarned! We went in and out of the shops. They are right there in front of the terminal. Plenty of souvenir shops as well as jewelry shops. I got a rum recipe book and DH got the obligatory baseball caps.

Back to the ship we dressed for dinner and went to the Elite lounge for cocktails again. Even fewer folks here this night. The hot apps consisted of shrimp (eh), a spring roll (very good) and a bit of hot dog (?!). DH loves hot dogs and thought they were great. On to dinner. We both had cod fritters and corn soup and they were very good. DH had a sirloin steak and I had pork medallions and they were also very good. We tasted the lemon ricotta ravioli and they were very bland. Strawberry ice cream and tiramisu for dessert. Did a tour of the shops. No bargains this cruise, which surprised me as I knew they were leaving the caribbean on the next cruise. Went to the casino and broke even.

[mjmagee]

This day was Dominica, another island we had never been to before. We got up early and went to the Elite lounge for breakfast, the only day we did this. It was held in the Normandie. There were maybe one or two other couples there. Had a croissant, fruit, yogurt, mimosa and cappacino. DH had some pastries and a hot chocolate. We then walked out on the pier. When we got to the terminal, taxi tour guys started to approach rather aggressively. The first fellow said he would do a 1 1/2 hour tour for $35 and would we please go wait in his bus. We didn't care for his attitude and walked away. A man came up to us and said he had a driver who needed another couple and he had promised a nice tour for $15! This turned out to be a great tour. The driver was very informative. He took us to Titou Gorge, a hot springs and Trafalgar Falls. Of course we did not want to swim up the gorge or hike to the falls so we really had a nice tour of the countryside. We did walk in a bit to see a bubbling pool and feel the heat coming out of the ground. To really get to any of the sites, you have to be pretty active. It is a beautiful, beautiful country and well worth a visit. Back in town we tipped the driver handsomely and did a little craft shopping. They have beautiful baskets and other woven items that are brought into town by Carib indians.

Back on the ship we rested, went to the pool, had a burger and hot dogs from the grill. Yummy as always. Then some time in the T-pool. We cleaned up and went to the Captain's Club celebration. They had a sushi station, a fellow carving prime rib, a crepes station and a chocolate fountain. This event is held at 4PM in the afternoon so it can really take your appetite away if you are not careful. Waitresses were wandering around with wine and cosmopolitans, etc. If you wanted a soda or beer you gave them the order and they eventually got it for you. The captain spoke, the frequent cruisers got their gift, the band played and one of the singers did a few numbers. We went to the room and rested a bit and then went to dinner. DH had sweetbreads, salmon chowder and bistek rigatoni, all of which he liked. I had seafood risotto, very good and cape hake en papiotte, which was just ok. I had a coconut creme caramel for dessert that had very little coconut flavor. We went to the Rendezvous lounge after dinner to catch the a cappela group, then to the casino and on to the show "Sirens". The theater was very full but the show was just ok. A word about the theater. It is nicely spruced up but they have retained the hokey "flames" in the alcoves along the side walls. We are always amused by them. I think this theater is one of the most comfortable in size, seating and viewing angles, that I have ever been in.

[BethV114]

We're sailing Summit in November and really looking forward to it. I'm loving your review. Thank you!

[mjmagee]

We had breakfast in the buffet and then walked out on the pier in Grenada. We have been here before but it was a long time ago and they have built a new port with a pier. You used to have to tender. I wanted some spices and to see the island again so we looked for a taxi tour. Got in a van with 12 people. This guy was a little pushy at first and tried to fit 14 people in a 12 person van but as a group we all started to leave so he backed down. He gave a decent tour after that. We stopped at Alan's spice shop. Alan had a nice little piece of property with representatives of all the spices actually growing on his property. He also passed around everything, let us touch it and smell it and told us how it was processed. We then had an opportunity to buy, nutmeg, cinnamon bark, cloves, etc. Believe me, you will have many opportunities to buy spices no matter where you go in Grenada. The tour took us to Annandale Falls, where the "jumpers" will jump off a cliff into the pool for a tip. Then on to Great Etang Lake, the cone of a dormant volcano. Then Fort Frederick with some nice views back to the ship. Then back to the port. We went back to the cabin and ordered sandwiches from room service. We used the interactive TV to do this and it works fine except for details. For instance, a sandwich might come with an option such as fruit or fries. But there is no way to choose the option on the screen. Not sure what we would have gotten if I had not called and clarified the order. But it came promptly and it was very satisfying so that worked. Later we went to dinner. DH had the mozzarella stuffed meatballs which he said were just ok. I had the filet which was very tender but not very flavorful. Excellent crab cake appetizer though. Oh, and this night they did chocolate souffle and they brought it for everyone, just like when they do baked alaska. You could order something else if you wanted but the souffle was wonderful. After dinner we went up to the Sunset Bar to listen to the fellow play the steel pan drum. Very relaxing. That night the show was Craig Dahn, "The Great Shoman". He is a pianist who played with Liberace as a teen and Liberace is about what I could compare him to. Many like him but he was not my cup of tea.

[cruisinsfb]

Thank you for the review! We are going on the Summit to Bermuda in 5 weeks. We can't wait to see what they've done to spruce it up. We were on it for a Mediterranean cruise in 2008 and is one of our favorite ships.

[Wine-O]

Great review, but a little difficult for my tired eyes to read. Would you mind increasing the font or breaking it up into paragraphs. It all seems to run together.

 

Please don't take this as criticism, as none is meant. We'll be on Summit in a couple of weeks and appreciate your personal take.

[babylnor]

Thank you very much for the review! It makes me even more impatient for our October Summit cruise...

[mjmagee]

Sorry to have forgotten the paragraphs. The one and only day at sea! We actually went to the gym this morning and walked on the treadmills. We usually do this pretty regularly but this cruise was different for some reason. Had no problem getting a treadmill. For a day at sea the gym was not really busy. Then we cleaned up and headed to the fabled grand brunch buffet in the main restaurant. Salads, steam tables with eggs benedict, bacon, etc and entries such as beef stroganoff, pastries, cold cuts, soup, carving stations, omelet stations, waffle stations, chocolate fountains, dessert tables. I did not see any cold shrimp. But there was something for everyone. Afterwards we rested and went to the pool. This day the T-pool was packed. We were able to get lounge chairs outside at the main pool however. That never seemed to be a problem, if you looked around a bit. We had a lazy afternoon, then cleaned up for the last formal night.

This night I had the crab stuffed mushrooms, which are on the anytime side of the menu. They use the dishes that the escargot used to go in. They are very tasty. I asked the waiter about the menu changes and the escargot. He said that he heard they were having some supply problems but that they would be back. He said he also had heard that Celebrity was looking for another big name chef. DH had the lobster bisque this evening and he enjoyed it. I had the one and only cold soup offered, asparagus, but I do not recommend it. It was very salty. This night was also lobster tail night. Everyone seems pleased that they have gone back to an actual tail, which the waiter takes out of the shell for you. Drawn butter is available but the tail itself is presented in a pool of a brown sauce(?). It was not the best tail I have had on a cruise but it was ok. Baked Alaska presented to all but it was not paraded, as in the past.

They did introduce the chefs and the waiters paraded as we waived our napkins and it was very festive. Afterwards we caught the a cappela group again and purchased their cd. Then we hit the casino for a bit. A word on the formal nights. I saw many more ladies in cocktail dresses rather than long gowns. Men for the most part in suits, some tuxes. Around the ship, after dinner, folks seemed to wear whatever they pleased.

[mjmagee]

I am putting in paragraphs but they do not seem to stick. My problem, I am sure. Friday, the last day we ventured to the dining room for breakfast for the first time. We had a table for two, very unusual for us. Food and service was good, as always. We then walked off the ship to do a little shopping in Havensight. Again, we had been to St. Thomas many times and determined to rest. Also, this day and the next were carnival in St. Thomas and all stores in Charlotte Amalie were closed. Havensight was only open because we were docked.

We looked at all the jewelry but did not buy. Got some snacks. I wanted to get some cash and asked about an atm. I was directed to building VII where there was a Scotia Bank with an atm. Now I tell you about this because I was quite shocked to use this ATM with no fees either from Scotia Bank or from my bank. I found that quite surprising. Back on the ship we cashed in our second Elite internet coupon, hit the T-pool, got some sun, some burgers and back to the room. I had a 3PM appt. for the "pick-a-mix" in the salon. 6 mini treatments for $119. I usually enjoy these things tremendously but I was not crazy about the girl. Her technique was pretty rough. Still I do think it is one of the best deals offered on these cruises. Oh and I did finally buy an Elemis product. Never have done that before. Muscle relaxing oil. Jury is still out as to whether or not it is worth $60!

Afterwards took a nap, then started to pack. Saddest moment on a cruise. At dinner DH had sweet potato soup, he liked very much, as well as veal cordon bleu. I had a yummy mushroom risotto and a beef ragout that was out of this world. We said goodbye to all our new friends and went to the final show. Then casino, we won $25! Great way to say goodbye. Finished packing and put the bags out by 11.

[mjmagee]

We had put on our disembarkation form that we did not have a flight out till 7PM and yet we were given group Green 6. I don't know how they figure out these things. We went to the Normandie by 8 and our group was to be called at 8:20. We got called about 8:30. We filed to the door and then were held there for about 15 minutes. Word was that customs was backed up. We found our bags easily and got in line. The line took maybe 10 minutes and we were walking out of the terminal.

 

Since it was now only about 9:15 and we had all day we looked for the San Juan Happy Tours people we had researched before the trip. Fellows in blue shirts, can't miss them. Told them we wanted a tour and we were taken to a nice size bus and our luggage was loaded on. Rodney gave us a great tour for $25 per person. Old and new San Juan, time to eat lunch in OSJ (the Parrot Club - very good). He took early folks to the airport when they needed to. Dropped someone else off at their hotel and took us in a later group to the airport around 2:30. Very pleasant way to spend the day. Then a long wait in the airport, where they do have duty free liquor and perfume you can buy, after having gone through security. Then home. Long day but a great trip.

 

Marilyn

[texmex.ferr]

I am putting in paragraphs but they do not seem to stick. My problem, I am sure. Friday, the last day we ventured to the dining room for breakfast for the first time. We had a table for two, very unusual for us. Food and service was good, as always. We then walked off the ship to do a little shopping in Havensight. Again, we had been to St. Thomas many times and determined to rest. Also, this day and the next were carnival in St. Thomas and all stores in Charlotte Amalie were closed. Havensight was only open because we were docked.

We looked at all the jewelry but did not buy. Got some snacks. I wanted to get some cash and asked about an atm. I was directed to building VII where there was a Scotia Bank with an atm. Now I tell you about this because I was quite shocked to use this ATM with no fees either from Scotia Bank or from my bank. I found that quite surprising. Back on the ship we cashed in our second Elite internet coupon, hit the T-pool, got some sun, some burgers and back to the room. I had a 3PM appt. for the "pick-a-mix" in the salon. 6 mini treatments for $119. I usually enjoy these things tremendously but I was not crazy about the girl. Her technique was pretty rough. Still I do think it is one of the best deals offered on these cruises. Oh and I did finally buy an Elemis product. Never have done that before. Muscle relaxing oil. Jury is still out as to whether or not it is worth $60!

Afterwards took a nap, then started to pack. Saddest moment on a cruise. At dinner DH had sweet potato soup, he liked very much, as well as veal cordon bleu. I had a yummy mushroom risotto and a beef ragout that was out of this world. We said goodbye to all our new friends and went to the final show. Then casino, we won $25! Great way to say goodbye. Finished packing and put the bags out by 11.

 

 

What are the choices for the 6 mini treatments in the spa, if you can remember?

 

Thanks

[dodger1964]

... The captain spoke, the frequent cruisers got their gift... in.[/quote

 

can u explain this comment?

 

i am elite and have never gotten gift...is this a super elite gift?

[Blue_Flame]

... The captain spoke, the frequent cruisers got their gift... in.[/quote

 

can u explain this comment?

 

i am elite and have never gotten gift...is this a super elite gift?

 

I was on this cruise and at this event and I'm sure the OP was referring to the TOP cruiser couple getting their gift.

[mjmagee]

Yes blue flame, thank you for the clarification.

Pick a mix was a mini-facial, scalp massage, neck and shoulder massage, hand massage, foot and ankle massage and I think an eye treatment. Honestly with this particular operator, the facial was by far the best part. You have your choice of 4, 5 or 6 of them but the best deal is 6 for $119. This was not advertised except for cards that were handed out by Steiner girls as you came back on board ship on port days. When I called about it, they said you could book it for any day. Anyway, I was kind of disappointed this time but it has always been well worth it in the past.

 

A few things I forgot to mention: I bought the 3 bottle premium wine package. I have done this in the past and I know way more than 3 wines on that list that I like. I did not get the 5 bottle because I knew we had two Elite coupons for 20% off. We also used our Elite internet coupons and I did send clothes to the laundry but I could only put together 20 pieces, while with two coupons I could have sent 60 items. I took those clothes home clean, folded and in the bag. It is a great deal. We never went to a specialty restaurant or we would have used the coupon for wine and coffee. Really the other coupons are of no use to us.

 

Did I mention I booked an open passage? First time we have ever done that. Now I hope I remember to use it. The future cruise rep was very pleasant and hardly busy, as I have found on other cruises. The process was very easy and I expect to reap the benefits one of these days. Marilyn