Review: Summit, Southern Carribean, 4/6/2013

[TruRed76]

Standard OV room right?

 

Thanks thanks thanks for your review. So enjoying it. Counting down now.

 

Yes. The room was actually more than adequate and we had plenty of space in the closet, drawers, and bathroom. Did not need any extra shoe holders, hampers, etc. Just packed like I would if I was staying in a hotel.

 

Laura

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[Coolcruise02]

Great review and pictures! Can't wait for more.

[cherylroslyn]

Keep it coming!!!!!! Quit your day job!!!!!!:d

[bessinfl]

Thanks for your review. I'm looking forward to the rest of it. The southern Caribbean ports really appeal to me, as does spending a little more time in San Juan. And I love your obsessive planning!

[TruRed76]

Sea Day

I just want to mention our stateroom attendant at this point. I swear those attendants have these magic senses that tell them when you are out of your stateroom! We would leave for breakfast and, when we returned to our room, the entire room was cleaned. He also seemed to know when we left for dinner each night. He never once knocked on the door when we were in there but we had a perfectly turned down room every night and a clean room every morning. We even had two towel animals – an elephant blowing us a kiss (who later was wearing our sunglasses) and a lobster. They were super-cute and added a little fun to a great cruise. Our attendant was very attentive, very friendly, and answered any question quickly. We saw him at least once a day in the halls and he always asked how our day was or what our plans were. The only stateroom problem we had was that our television was not working correctly. We did not address the issue the first day as it was not a big deal and we figured there were many issues being dealt with that day. We did tell our attendant the second night. He came in promptly to check the issue. When he could not fix it, he called the IT department (yes, there is an IT department!). Within the hour, they were there and had it fixed.

 

A mention on the beds as it is a frequently asked question. They were very firm, which I like, so I thought they were comfortable. I did not like the pillows though. It seemed like one was not enough support and two was too much. It did not really affect my sleep but I was happy to get home to my own pillow!

 

Now, on to sea day. Our cruise critic meet and greet was scheduled from 10:15-10:45 in Micheal’s Lounge. We had our received our invitation the day before; it was waiting for us when we first arrived at our stateroom. After breakfast, we explored some more and then headed up to the meet and greet. There were about 15 or so people there. We later found out that many invitations were not put in the rooms by housekeeping. The cruise director, Alex, and the hotel director, Pearline, both came. Both had good things to say about cruise critic. And both mentioned that they definitely read these boards. They both had great energy and seemed genuinely excited to be on board. We met up with people that we had scheduled tours with and made plans on where to meet to catch taxis together on certain days. We stayed about 45 minutes and then headed up to the sea day brunch.

 

Brunch is in the MDR. You are escorted to a shared table by one of the servers. On our way to a table, we noticed a couple from the meet and greet already seated and asked to be seated with them. It worked out well and we got to know them a little better. Brunch was ok – again, me being a picky eater, I had trouble finding something I liked. However, no one else at our table seemed to have that problem. In fact, there many trips made back for seconds, thirds, fourths. It took some creativity to get around all the picture-takers, though. People would be taking a picture of one of the food displays and I was unsure if I should just go ahead and grab what I was reaching for or wait for all the pictures to be done. I am sure there are many pics out there with my hand in them :)

 

After brunch, we headed to the pool side – along with every other person on the ship. We could not find an open deck chair anywhere on deck 10 (where the pool was located) or deck 11. We finally found a stack of loungers and an open spot on deck 11. We carried two loungers to this open area and I promptly fell asleep! I could not tell you if there were no open chairs because people were being “chair-hogs” or if they just didn’t put their towels away when vacating their chair. As the week went on, I began to learn that if a chair only had a pile of towels on it then it was most likely vacated. The pool butler was seen occasionally going around cleaning up the towels.

 

 

A view of the very crowded pool deck around 1:00pm on sea day:

 

 

 

Deck 11 was just as crowded:

 

 

When the band began to play, there was a fair amount of dancing going on:

 

The piped in music at the pool was good and at a low volume. In fact, I usually didn’t even notice it unless I was listening for it. The live music was fun, especially the band Xtasea. Music was obviously louder during these times but it was at a good volume. The only time during the week when I thought the music was loud occurred when the DJ played. I personally enjoyed the songs he played (many of which are on my playlist) but I could see how it could be bothersome. However, he only played for 45 minutes each day and it would be easy to avoid the pool at those times if desired.

 

Tonight was the first formal night. We decided to avoid the MDR as hubby didn’t bring a tie or a coat. This decision was pre-made as we just didn’t want to deal with the hassle of trying to bring a suit. We ate in the Oceanview Café that night. To be honest, I was not impressed with their evening selection of food and was glad to eat in the MDR the rest of the week. However, my husband and I were both feeling the rocking of the boat that night and it could have tainted my view of the food. We ended up going back to our stateroom very early (around 7pm) because we just did not feel right. The whole week you could really feel the boat rocking. There were some nights that we were weaving as we tried to walk to our seats in the MDR – and, no, we had not started drinking yet! It was actually quite comical to be in the pool because you would see the water slosh from one side of the pool and then rush to the other side as the ship rocked. By the first port day, we were used to motion of the ship and never once felt sick again. I did wear a patch all week and took meclizine in addition those first two days.

[shanecindy21403]

Great review!! Can't wait to read the rest... we'll be on the Summit in 347 days lol. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only obsessive planner:D!!! I've been trying to book air and hotels for pre cruise and it's still too early for most sites about 2 more weeks and I can really start going.

[TruRed76]

Just a few quick things that I have already forgot to add to my posts:

 

*The deck chairs on deck 11 are definitely well-used. They were stained and some were broken. But I figured out a solution to this problem - I placed my freshly cleaned Celebrity towel over it and it was like a new chair ;)! Seriously though, the chairs could probably be replaced but they were usable and comfortable enough. I spent many hours napping there!

 

*We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants. The $45 would have been completely wasted on me. I really did want to try Qsine as it just looked fun. If there had been a 2-for-1 deal offered, we would have done it.

 

*There are not going to be that many pictures of the actual cruise ship in this review. Even though I always had one of my cameras with me, I never seemed to remember to take pictures when on board - which is a miracle, if you ask my husband. I take this to mean that I was having such a great time and thoroughly enjoying my cruise experience that I *gasp* forgot to take pictures! I do have plenty of pictures of the ports.

 

*Demographics. I would guess that 75% of people on board were between the ages of 30-60. There were maybe 50 kids. One thing that struck me was the lack of large groups. Most of the people were couples or small families. When I was on Carnival, there were so many large groups - wedding parties, school groups, large family reunions. Granted it could have been due to the time of the year (early June versus April) versus the cruise line.

 

*Dress code. On this ship and itinerary, it was very casual. Swimsuits and cover-ups during the day and a range of shorts to dressy in the evening. I never did see shorts in the MDR but they were definitely seen everywhere else on the ship in the evening.

[TruRed76]

We had a private tour booked with Calabaza. We were supposed to meet the shuttle driver outside Gate 1 at the port terminal at 8:30am. The tour was to last from 9:00am - 2:00pm and we would be back at the cruise ship by 2:30pm. The tour included a snorkel stop with the sea turtles, a stop over a shipwreck or reef, lunch on board the catamaran, and then time to swim off the boat or swim up to the beach. Snacks and drinks were to be provided all day. The tour was limited to 12 people. We booked 3-4 months in advance. People on our roll call tried to book this tour about a month in advance and it was full.

 

We met the shuttle bus driver on time and met the rest of our group. They included three couples from Texas and a family (mom, dad, daughter, and daughter's fiance) from Canada. They were a very fun group of people and helped to make the tour that much more enjoyable!

 

Once we arrived at the dock, Gina, Danny, and Chad welcomed us on board. There was coffee and tea waiting for us on board. We paid Gina, received some instructions from Danny, and we were soon on our way. The skies were overcast but we were told that the saying in Barbados was "rain before seven, clear by eleven".

 

Leaving the dock aboard the Calabaza:

 

 

On our way out to the first snorkel site, Gina passed around fresh-made banana bread and offered to get us more drinks. She then sat up front with us and gave us a history of Barbados. On our way out to the first snorkel site, Danny (the captain) got a call that whales had been sighted about a mile up the beach! The crew seemed to be as excited as we were and we went searching for where the whales had been sighted. We did see some spouts of water and the backs of the whales in the distance. Very exciting but would there be more to come?!

 

We made it to our first dive site - parts of a wreck and a reef. We were given masks, fins, and snorkels. My husband, who cannot swim and does not snorkel, opted to stay on the boat for this site as there was quite a bit of swimming involved and the sea was pretty rough. Chad got in the water with us and began feeding the fish. We were able to snorkel for about 45 minutes.

 

Bermuda Chug:

 

 

You can see part of the wreck here:

 

 

Spanish Hogfish over part of the reef:

 

 

A view of the Calabaza from the water. You can see how rough the water was here:

 

[TruRed76]

Alright, I am tired and done for the night. More on Barbados tomorrow including sea turtles and if we saw more whales!

[TruRed76]

Great review!! Can't wait to read the rest... we'll be on the Summit in 347 days lol. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only obsessive planner:D!!! I've been trying to book air and hotels for pre cruise and it's still too early for most sites about 2 more weeks and I can really start going.

 

Thanks! I think or countdown started at 310 days to go so I feel your pain!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[Xcitdcruiser]

I just want to add, we are 10 months out & Calabazza only has 1 spot left for the day we are in port!

[legalwife]

Just have to add that we did Calabaza last year and it was absolutely great! Definite highlight.

 

Thanks for your review. Enjoying immensely.

[cherylroslyn]

Alright, I am tired and done for the night. More on Barbados tomorrow including sea turtles and if we saw more whales!

Take a RED BULL..........COME BACK!!!!!!

[TruRed76]

Lol about the red bull. At work between patients now. Should get more done after kids in bed tonight :)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[IandY]

Thanks for this TruRed, well done. We were on the same cruise and it's interesting to read other peoples perspective. I've had to laugh, I'm in your 3rd picture of the pool deck on sea day. I'm the one with the overly white complexion, about 15 pounds overweight :)

[petesfamily]

Make sure to go check out my son, Jordan Peterson, the piano player/singer on the ship. We are sailing in June and can't wait to see him again!! I am enjoying your review.

[cherylroslyn]

Lol about the red bull. At work between patients now. Should get more done after kids in bed tonight :)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

BTW your Bermuda Chug picture could be cropped to make a very nice pice of art....

[TruRed76]

Thanks for this TruRed, well done. We were on the same cruise and it's interesting to read other peoples perspective. I've had to laugh, I'm in your 3rd picture of the pool deck on sea day. I'm the one with the overly white complexion, about 15 pounds overweight :)

 

I do like to see other's perspectives, too! I think you were right on when you said that the ship seemed too dark in some places. That was my one wish - that there would be more outdoor and/or open spaces. Also, love that you made a pic! And you want to talk about overly white? Try being a natural redhead!

 

Make sure to go check out my son, Jordan Peterson, the piano player/singer on the ship. We are sailing in June and can't wait to see him again!! I am enjoying your review.

 

We missed him! I love piano players and really wanted to see him but just always seemed to come right after he was done playing.

[TruRed76]

OK, back to Barbados. After snorkeling at our first site, we were welcomed back on board with rum punch, Banks beer, and other non-alcoholic beverages. They had also set out various dips and crackers to snack on. There was a fresh-water shower on the back of the boat which was very nice. We then made our way to our second site - the sea turtles.

 

My husband decided to try to come in on this snorkel site. Chad, who was in the water with us, carried a lifeguard buoy with him. My husband was able to hang onto it for extra security and Chad stayed with him the whole time. He still could not quite get the hang of the snorkel but wore the mask and was able to see the turtles.

 

The dive site for the sea turtles used to be where the fishermen would dump their scraps after their fishing trips. The turtles learned to come to that spot for "free" food. Soon the word was out about the turtles coming to this spot and now all the catamarans stop there. When we were there, there was one boat leaving and another group in the water. We had plenty of room to snorkel and many chances to see and pet these awesome creatures. At one point, there were four turtles swimming with us! My husband was so excited that he got to see them.

 

Sea turtles:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In that last pic, you can see my husband holding onto the lifeguard buoy!

[tcook052]

Great info and thanks for sharing, TruRed76. :)

 

I'm booked into an interior cabin on an upcoming 8 night Summit sailing San Juan - NYC next April but am tempted to upgrade to an ocean view for the cost difference. Maybe I'll wait and see if any sales come along and decide then.

[TruRed76]

Swimming with the turtles was amazing! They were not shy and would swim right up to you. It took a little bit to get over having this huge creature swim right at you!

 

Once back on the board the boat, Gina had lunch waiting. It was a selection of mahi mahi, some type of beef dish, breadfruit, salad, vegetable rice, cous cous, and some other dish that I am unable to recall. It was all very good and very fresh.

 

 

After eating lunch, we were able to swim in the water off the boat or swim up to the shore and hang out on the beach. About half of us made our way to the beach; the others hung out on the boat. We had about an hour for lunch and swimming. Once we were all back on board, the dessert was ready. We each had a bowl with about four or five small desserts to sample. Yum!

 

We then started to make the trip back to the dock and we got the call again that the whales were still out there! So once again, we made our way to them. This time they came up nearly next to the boat. WOW! There were two humpback whales, a mom and a baby. We saw them come up several times and then finally saw the tail fin as the mom dove under for the last time. I was able to catch the back of one of the whales in a picture. The picture is cropped close so the quality is not the best.

 

 

After seeing the whales, we then headed back in. It was a very choppy ride back and those sitting up on the bow (including hubby and I) got soaked by waves. We had some serious fun on the ride back, though, as it was just fun to ride the waves and guess who the next person to get hit with a wave would be! Chad and Gina kept offering drinks and would serve us if we wanted one. Pretty soon we saw this come into view:

 

 

We actually groaned when we saw the ship! We all wanted to stay on board the catamaran and spend more time in Barbados. Chad said we could all bunk with him! I think that is a testament to how good the excursion was - none of us wanted to get back on the cruise ship! The shuttle bus driver was waiting for us at the dock. He was to take us back to the cruise ship terminal but was willing to make a stop or two to drop groups off if they wanted to check out more of the sites in Barbados.

 

But all good things must come to an end, even a spectacular day in Barbados. We headed up to Sunset Bar for sail away.

 

Sunset Bar:

 

 

Sunset as we sailed away from Barbados:

 

 

After sailaway, we headed back to our room to shower and change for dinner. We made it to dinner around 8:00pm and were shown to a table immediately. We were seated at a table for six that night; however, it took about 10 minutes before another couple was seated with us. The waiter provided bread but did not take our order until someone else was sitting with us. I don't know how long they would have waited before taking our order. The couple that ate with us that night happened to be a roll call couple and were also going on our tour with us tomorrow. It was great to get to know them a little more.

 

After dinner, we went to Micheal's Club to watch the final game of the NCAA basketball tournament. It was packed! There were very few seats left in the place and soon it was standing room only. We only stayed for a little while as the events of the day soon caught up with me and I was half-asleep sitting there. We gave up some prime viewing seats and headed back to our stateroom to gear up for another action-packed day!

 

Laura

[TruRed76]

Great info and thanks for sharing, TruRed76. :)

 

I'm booked into an interior cabin on an upcoming 8 night Summit sailing San Juan - NYC next April but am tempted to upgrade to an ocean view for the cost difference. Maybe I'll wait and see if any sales come along and decide then.

 

To be honest, the first two days of our trip I hated our OV as it actually made me feel MORE seasick than I already was! After I got used to the ship's motion, I did enjoy having the window. I don't know how much I would pay to upgrade, though. For the $60 we paid, it was worth it. For a couple of hundred more - I think I would rather put that towards an excursion. Good luck with watching those sales!!!

[cherylroslyn]

Red please come back...I beg of you......

 

I don't care if you write about an excursion from your house to the supermarket...I love the way you write......and plan.........you are cool!!!!;)

[Karen@Steve]

Oh TruRed, where did you go? :( I want to read more! Please, Please post some more review and pictures. I love your review. :D

[TruRed76]

You guys are funny! I am burning my fingertips off here with the hot glue gun as I make a First Communion banner in preparation for my daughter's big day next weekend. Darn kids and their school stuff just keep getting in the way...should get more posted tonight, though. That is if I still have fingertips :)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2