Celebrity Rookie Loved the Summit!

[mmcruise]

Arrived home on Saturday from a week on the Celebrity Summit, Southern Caribbean, with some girlfriends and a larger group called “Team Cocktail.” Having sailed a number of cruise lines before, I can honestly say Celebrity excelled in many ways, though I’m also still a RCCL fan. A lot of this has probably already been covered, but I wanted to share my thoughts in case they might be helpful, since so many of your comments helped me plan.

Our cabin, an OV on Deck 3 near the forward elevators, was small as expected, but the big surprise was the bathroom. A pretty roomy shower made for a nicer-than-usual cruise experience. I expected a much smaller shower with a door, like the “pods” on many RCCL ships, and got a larger-sized shower with a curtain. The room had a twin size sofabed, but I’d be hard pressed to put 3 in this room unless one was a very small child – and maybe not even then. Amenities like shampoo, conditioner, lotion all came in bottles and not the built-in dispensers with mystery soap that I’ve seen on other lines.

Food was a cut above any other cruise line I’ve had, and service was terrific. I am mostly vegetarian, and the vegetarian dishes were delicious. A couple of nights, they were Indian food, which was spectacular as promised by some CC writers - not surprising, since the executive chef is from India. Besides our waiter and assistant waiter, we constantly saw our sommelier (who kept our glasses filled at all times) and bar server, something I had not noticed on other lines. We had the premium drinks package and it really suited my cruising style - besides top shelf cocktails with my favorites like Grey Goose vodka, it covered bottled water and soda, sparkling water, premium coffee drinks like espresso and cappuccino, Vitamin Water, and “Zero Proof” “mock-tails.” We received the standard package as part of our cruise fare, and paid the upgrade charge which was well worth it. A special thanks to the Cruise Critic writer who pointed out that you could get a scoop of gelato with espresso over it in Café al Bacio as part of the premium package. I don’t recall the actual name of it, but we named it “heaven in a cup.” I was also happy that the “drink of the day” with souvenir glass was included and brought yet another one home for my collection.

Entertainment was very good, with a great cast of performers. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, why they would license a show like “Dream Girls,” whose songs were performed almost in entirety in one of the production shows, and then wrap a hokey premise around it. Why not, as RCCL has done, just do the actual Broadway show? I’m a Broadway lover, though, so it may just be my bias.

We signed on for the Persian Gardens – I love the steam rooms, saunas and heated beds and have done similar packages on other ships. We split it between two of us for a cost of about $91 pp. It probably wasn’t worth it in a cruise this port heavy, unless you are staying on the ship. Also, there is a sauna that you can use for free in the ladies’ locker room, with a beautiful view out to sea.

The itinerary was tremendous: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas. Though I’m used to having a sea day at the end of the cruise to pack and our last day was St. Thomas, it was nice to see so many different places. The CC party took place on the first full day of the cruise, which was our sea day, at 5pm and I arrived very late because our group also had a function at that time.

In the end, it really was the small touches that set Celebrity apart. One of those very small things was the welcome back to the ship after you’d been in port – with water, cool towels and seating to meet up with friends – not just a tent with a metal detector. I chatted with some people who’d been on my first ship, RCCL’s lovely Jewel of the Seas, who’d been next to a Celebrity ship in port and even they noticed this touch and told me they were jealous.

I did not do any ship-organized excursions during the cruise, but did sign on for the “Old and New San Juan” tour afterwards, since I had a late flight. It was a good opportunity to see some of the city, which I hadn’t had a chance to do before the cruise. We flew in a day early and stayed at the Caribe Hilton, but it poured rain most of the day. The post-cruise San Juan excursion was great, but started very early – we disembarked at 7:30am in Group 3 – and ended early as we were dropped at the airport before noon, leaving me with an additional 6 hours to kill before my flight. The San Juan airport is very short on restaurants and services, so the one restaurant in terminal C had a line of about 50 people when I arrived, and I wound up sitting at the Land Shark Bar (which offered only 3 lunch options) for about 2 of those hours until the increasing volume of the thumping disco music drove me away.

I was not cruising with my tween son (or husband) this time, and I’m not sure the young set would think this cruise was as great as I did. Summit lacks some of the kid-friendly elements like mini golf, rock climbing, and robust kids’ clubs that many of the RCCL and other ships boast, I'm sure by design. For adults-only travel at a decent price, though, Celebrity Summit was a very nice experience.

Edited January 22, 2014 by mmcruise

[wurm914]

great review, with some good info. thank you. I'm a Celebrity newbie too and will be on the Summit soon. Would like a little more info on the Persian Gardens and how you split a pass? Heated beds? Also, is there a white sand beach you would recommend over another?

 

thanks again!

 

deb:D

[mmcruise]

great review, with some good info. thank you. I'm a Celebrity newbie too and will be on the Summit soon. Would like a little more info on the Persian Gardens and how you split a pass? Heated beds? Also, is there a white sand beach you would recommend over another?

 

thanks again!

 

deb:D

 

Happy to help! I was traveling with a friend, so we split a "Couple" pass rather than buying individual passes, which made for a bit of savings. I believe it was $99 for an individual, $159 for a couple (plus tax/gratuity). The heated beds on this ship are really more like a big semi-circle bench, made of tile, with some kind of heating element that I find so relaxing on my back. On other ships, they are sometimes individual beds. This time I did get a few hours to read my book there, but it's never enough! It's co-ed, so you need to wear a swimsuit but can also wear a (provided) spa robe. The spa robes seem sized for supermodels (i.e. wouldn't close even around the tiniest of us), so we finally learned to bring the robe from the room, which is roomier.

 

There's actually a pretty good picture on the Celebrity site; hope this works:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/seoMedia.do?overlay=/global/mediaArticleOverlay.do%3Fpagename%3Donboard_celebrity_persian_garden%26parentpage%3Donboard_celebrity_spa_fitness&pagename=onboard_celebrity_spa_fitness

 

 

Our itinerary was white-sand-beach filled, with not a bad one among them.

 

Barbados: The Boatyard - rowdy, party atmosphere, beautiful beach, quick 10 minute cab ride from the port.

St. Lucia: Our group sailed to Jalousie Beach in the Pitons with Spencer Ambrose - a long ride and we got back right before sailaway, but it's gorgeous and quiet there.

Antigua: We went to Darkwood Beach - beautiful, quiet (shh, don't tell anyone). About a 20 minute cab ride from the port. Beware of cab drivers who negotiate a round-trip price and tell you to pay them on the way back. Pay individually and save yourself the hassle of them not showing up on time.

St. Maarten: Kakao Beach Club at Orient Beach - lovely and very French. About 30 minutes from port.

St. Thomas: Our group went on a (somewhat terrifying) high speed ferry ride to Jost Van Dyke, probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. I would do a day sail and take it a bit easier next time.

 

Enjoy it - it really was a great experience! Let me know if I can answer anything else.

Edited January 22, 2014 by mmcruise

[MaggieAtSea]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I completely concur - we have sailed on RCCL and on Celebrity, and in so many ways Celebrity was a superior experience.

 

One thing to let you know, our tween has loved sailing Celebrity - and the Summit - several times now (as a kid and a tween). Yes, it lacks the bells and whistles of surf machines and rock climbing walls, but, even as a child, he picked up on the difference in the quality of the kids' club staff. Whether it was basketball to talent shows to behind the scenes tours to in-club programming, what they offer wasn't novel, but how they offered it and the ability of the youth counsellors to connect with the kids was first-rate. He's looking forward to doing the Summit again in just under two months!

 

And, of course, the slightly older and subtly different demographic suits his mom and dad just fine! :o

[mmcruise]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I completely concur - we have sailed on RCCL and on Celebrity, and in so many ways Celebrity was a superior experience.

 

One thing to let you know, our tween has loved sailing Celebrity - and the Summit - several times now (as a kid and a tween). Yes, it lacks the bells and whistles of surf machines and rock climbing walls, but, even as a child, he picked up on the difference in the quality of the kids' club staff. Whether it was basketball to talent shows to behind the scenes tours to in-club programming, what they offer wasn't novel, but how they offered it and the ability of the youth counsellors to connect with the kids was first-rate. He's looking forward to doing the Summit again in just under two months!

 

And, of course, the slightly older and subtly different demographic suits his mom and dad just fine! :o

 

Good to hear. Has he passed into the "teen" club yet? Mine will likely be 12 next time we sail, so I would love to hear about that. I think Summit does some great itineraries out of NJ in the summer, so it would be ideal for us.

[MaggieAtSea]

Yup, he has… and quite smartly the staff shifts in the teen realm to connect the kids in age appropriate ways - movies, ping-pong tournaments, different types of behind the scenes tours, dance and music offerings… good stuff. And we love the Summit's Caribbean run as those ports always offer great things to do as a family. Bermuda out of Bayonne doesn't offer as much port diversity, but it would certainly offer a lot of relaxation!

[drarill]

Great review!! thanks for sharing your cruise with us!:):)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I tried the Persian gardens on Infinity because I had a free coupon. I wouldn't pay for this experience and did not find it enjoyable. What view of the sea? It is a dimly lit room that is part of the locker room with uncomfortable benches. If you want to give it a whirl- you can buy a day pass for $25.

[mmcruise]

I tried the Persian gardens on Infinity because I had a free coupon. I wouldn't pay for this experience and did not find it enjoyable. What view of the sea? It is a dimly lit room that is part of the locker room with uncomfortable benches. If you want to give it a whirl- you can buy a day pass for $25.

 

The free sauna in the ladies' locker room - not part of the Persian Gardens - has a window. See, I love the benches and I also love steam rooms - to each her own! No windows in Persian Gardens, though. You can check it out and see if it's for you. I would definitely go for the day pass next time, skip the week long fee, and save a few dollars.

Edited January 22, 2014 by mmcruise

[luv2camp04]

 

 

Our itinerary was white-sand-beach filled, with not a bad one among them.

 

Barbados: The Boatyard - rowdy, party atmosphere, beautiful beach, quick 10 minute cab ride from the port.

St. Lucia: Our group sailed to Jalousie Beach in the Pitons with Spencer Ambrose - a long ride and we got back right before sailaway, but it's gorgeous and quiet there.

Antigua: We went to Darkwood Beach - beautiful, quiet (shh, don't tell anyone). About a 20 minute cab ride from the port. Beware of cab drivers who negotiate a round-trip price and tell you to pay them on the way back. Pay individually and save yourself the hassle of them not showing up on time.

St. Maarten: Kakao Beach Club at Orient Beach - lovely and very French. About 30 minutes from port.

St. Thomas: Our group went on a (somewhat terrifying) high speed ferry ride to Jost Van Dyke, probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. I would do a day sail and take it a bit easier next time.

 

Enjoy it - it really was a great experience! Let me know if I can answer anything else.

 

Can you give me the information on the trip to Jost Van Dyke. We still don't have plans for St. Thomas and that sounds wonderful!!

 

Thanks for the review. We'll be on her in less than 3 weeks!

[mmcruise]

Our Jost Van Dyke trip was a group charter, so if you have a group, you may be able to do something like it. Our group used Speedy's Ferry - but I only see them listed as going to Virgin Gorda from St T.

 

I'll warn you, it's not for the faint of heart - very rocky trip getting there, and it was a long day - you have to go through customs both ways in and out of the BVI. If we weren't such a large group, I'd have been afraid of getting back on time.

 

But the gorgeous beach, Painkillers from the Soggy Dollar and Bushwhackers from Gertrude's provided happy memories I'll have for a good long time.

 

Here's a thread I found from last August on visiting JVD: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892825&highlight=jost+van+dyke. The timing there seems about right. You really only have a few hours there.

Edited January 22, 2014 by mmcruise

[miched]

It almost seemed as if you enjoyed the cruise more becasue you were with a bunch of friends and could let it all go.

 

Nice to get away for a few days.

 

 

Edited January 22, 2014 by miched

[mmcruise]

It almost seemed as if you enjoyed the cruise more becasue you were with a bunch of friends and could let it all go.

 

Nice to get away for a few days.

 

 

��������

 

 

Were you watching me? :)

Edited January 22, 2014 by mmcruise

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The free sauna in the ladies' locker room - not part of the Persian Gardens - has a window. See, I love the benches and I also love steam rooms - to each her own! No windows in Persian Gardens, though. You can check it out and see if it's for you. I would definitely go for the day pass next time, skip the week long fee, and save a few dollars.

 

 

Thanks for clarifying that. I never found that sauna with windows- good to know. I would have liked that. I love the m-class ships but just didn't find the bench style steam room inviting but that is just me. I think the one on S-class ships looks awesome.

[OBXcruisers]

Thank you for giving us this information. My husband loves saunas but I really don't. Is there a free sauna for men also? Thanks!

[hulamoon]

I have a question. Is the T pool a Tpool? or did they make it a pool? Does it have jets and minerals is my question.

 

Thank you,

[bobandalice]

St. Lucia: Our group sailed to Jalousie Beach in the Pitons with Spencer Ambrose - a long ride and we got back right before sailaway, but it's gorgeous and quiet there.

 

 

You have me just a bit worried here. We also have booked this excursion with Spencer and kind of concerned about the return time! How close was it? If I remember, they drop you off right at the ship pier, correct!

[AlbertaCruisers]

You have me just a bit worried here. We also have booked this excursion with Spencer and kind of concerned about the return time! How close was it? If I remember, they drop you off right at the ship pier, correct!

 

I have done the Spencer tour to Jalousie twice and return was not an issue at all, we were back in plenty of time and yes they pick you up and drop you off right by the ship.

[bobandalice]

I have done the Spencer tour to Jalousie twice and return was not an issue at all, we were back in plenty of time and yes they pick you up and drop you off right by the ship.

 

 

Thanks! Greatly appreciated!

[davekathy]

mmcruise...thanks for taking us along on your Cruise. Who was you Cruise Director?

[scubamommy!]

What a lovely review. Thanks for the great info.

 

I am vegetarian as well and would love to hear what your favs were.

 

Also the tip about the Gelato with the espresso, you say it was covered in the premium bev pack? Did you have to BUY the gelato and the espresso was covered or the entire thing? Interesting.

[luv2camp04]

Our Jost Van Dyke trip was a group charter, so if you have a group, you may be able to do something like it. Our group used Speedy's Ferry - but I only see them listed as going to Virgin Gorda from St T.

 

I'll warn you, it's not for the faint of heart - very rocky trip getting there, and it was a long day - you have to go through customs both ways in and out of the BVI. If we weren't such a large group, I'd have been afraid of getting back on time.

 

But the gorgeous beach, Painkillers from the Soggy Dollar and Bushwhackers from Gertrude's provided happy memories I'll have for a good long time.

 

Here's a thread I found from last August on visiting JVD: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892825&highlight=jost+van+dyke. The timing there seems about right. You really only have a few hours there.

 

Thanks for the info. Sure wish we could do that. We went to Jost Van Dyke on our first cruise (back when Celebrity had the Millenium out of San Juan for a 10 day cruise). We loved it there. Honestly it is the best beach we have ever been to and can't wait to go back. Maybe Celebrity will add Tortola to the itinerary again someday

[whatevergoes]

The Tpool has jets and minerals and is warm and wonderful and kid free. I love kids and I bring my 13 year old with us, but it is nice to have an adult only escape.

 

The teen X club is the best. My son loved the kids program on Celebrity more than any other line we have sailed with. The counselors really connect with the kids and the group is generally small enough to make all the kids feel welcome.

 

We sail again to Bermuda, out of NJ, May 25th and I can't wait

[mmcruise]

Thank you for giving us this information. My husband loves saunas but I really don't. Is there a free sauna for men also? Thanks!

 

I didn't make it into the Men's locker room :) - maybe someone else knows?

[mmcruise]

I have a question. Is the T pool a Tpool? or did they make it a pool? Does it have jets and minerals is my question.

 

Thank you,

 

Still a T Pool - walked by it a million times but never got to get in.