Honeymooners REVIEW of the SUMMIT in the S Caribbean on 22Feb in AQ AFT w DIETARY Req

[Xcitdcruiser]

Apologies for the short break, the weekend was busier than expected!

 

 

So back to embarkation day we were exploring our cabin.

 

The paperwork left on the bed for us; the staff listing.

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Today -the early edition

 

 

 

 

Now onto the important things - food!

 

 

 

 

And what I was hoping for...

 

 

 

Time to start thinking about food. First stop dinner reservations for tonight. With our voucher we headed to the mock -desk we walked past set up especially for today. We booked Qsine at 50% off for tonight after the muster drill & we also booked The Normandie for later in the week with 20% discount for booking that day. We were happy!

 

 

[Xcitdcruiser]

Next up is to take care of lunch. Thanks to CC we knew to head to Bistro 5 in order to avoid the confusion at the Oceanview Cafe - that & we don’t enjoy buffets.

When we arrived we there were only two other couples there – on this sailing Bistro 5 was still a secret. We were seated & the waitress pointed out there was a $5 cover charge. She did so in a very low voice – my guess is that many cruisers have sat, ordered & not realised it was an additional charge.

Probably a good time to note that we had the classic beverage package as part of our promotion when we booked. After much consideration I decided that we would wait a few days into our cruise to note our consumption levels before decided to upgrade. Then Celebrity decided to increase the price if upgrading onboard (or offering a discount if upgrading prior to board – depends which way you look at it). It was at this point that i realised i was spending way too much time on this – upgrade! It turned out to be one of the better decisions – it was an absolute breeze ordering drinks – all they did was swipe our cards – on the first couple of days the waiters were a little awkward asking whether we had a drink package. When we would answer with ‘premium’ they smiled & were on their way. We never had to worry about cost, in turn i think it contributed to such a relaxed cruise. There were only ever a few items on the drinks list over the $14 limit – well on the wine list. We hardly ever saw cocktail pricing – I’m assuming that the beverage package is the norm that they won’t have the need to advertise drink prices.

Sorry, back to Bistro 5 - I snapped the drink list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ordered two glasses of the Chandon & it was a lovely way to start!

Unfortunately i didn’t get a snap on the menu itself but i had heard so much about the ‘Cowboy’ that’s what we both went for.

DH ordered one in its ‘original’ form & i ordered an ‘open’ crepe (ie. No actual crepe but just its ingredients minus the cheese.) They did offer to make up a gluten free crepe but it had eggs & that’s something else i’m unable to eat. We were both VERY happy with our meals.

 

 

 

 

For dessert DH ordered the banana crepe. I actually laughed when it came out saying there was no way that he would finish it. He did. All except for the crème. Me & deserts are always a little tricky. I explained my dietary requirements, the waitress was hopeful & made a call to the kitchen to confirm that the dark chocolate mousse was A Ok for me (ie – no dairy or egg). I ate a couple of spoonfuls, it was truly amazing. So amazing that i had a feeling i shouldn't be eating it because generally if something tastes too good it means there are ingredients in there that i cannot eat.

The good news is that i didn’t get ill. The bad news is that i tried to order the same dessert in Blu later in the cruise & the maître’d quickly dismissed it because it had cream. I clarified we were speaking of the same dessert that was served in Bistro 5. I was horrified that someone in the kitchen had gotten it so wrong but counting my lucky stars that my body did not react to it like it normally would.

Some dessert porn

 

 

 

 

[DawnC28]

OMG You're killing me here! We leave on Saturday for our cruise about the Summit and I'm dying to hear more!

 

Great writing, and I love the different view of what I have been taking for granted all this time travelling the Caribbean from Canada!

 

Please please post more!

[OurDogCisco]

Loving your review.. The details are outstanding. I cannot wait to read more about your cruise.

[Xcitdcruiser]

Thanks for all the photos, I was wondering where, what and if the Aromatherapy diffuser was. Its listed as a perk of Aqua. Hubby and I will be on the Solstice next January for our wedding anniversary, and we booked aqua and Im wondering if i need to pack the scented candles (are you even allowed candles???). I couldn't see anything in your photos that resembled what I imagine one to look like.

 

Love the aussie perspective, we live in Port Hedland, and cruise ships come to our port but we can't get on :(

We have lots of questions that come from Australia being so different to the US and you have already answered a few, will be following your posts for more valuable info,

 

Thanks so much....

 

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

Apologies I didn't take any pictures of the diffuser. By the dresser there are a set of small shelves from the floor to the roof. They had it on the top shelf (you can move it where ever you liked). I didn't notice whether it was full or not, & it mustn't gave given too much fragrance because I don't recall trying to pick the scent.

 

It kind of looked like this...

 

http://www.aromaweb.com/images/photos/reediffuseroilrecipe.jpg

 

As a pp mentioned, no candles onboard but you won't need them. You'll be wanting to enjoy your balcony & the fresh air which will travel inside the cabin.

 

If you think of anything else ask away!

[Xcitdcruiser]

OMG You're killing me here! We leave on Saturday for our cruise about the Summit and I'm dying to hear more!

 

Great writing, and I love the different view of what I have been taking for granted all this time travelling the Caribbean from Canada!

 

Please please post more!

 

 

LOL - I'm sorry!! I'm trying to go faster! I do promise that we will get further than embarkation day by Saturday! I must say though that the comments are encouraging me to write more :)

 

I have started to upload the pictures at work so by the time I am home I am ready to go!

 

I hope that you LOVE your cruise !

 

Loving your review.. The details are outstanding. I cannot wait to read more about your cruise.

 

Thank you :) I'm so glad to hear it. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment!

[20thAnniversarycruise]

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

Apologies I didn't take any pictures of the diffuser. By the dresser there are a set of small shelves from the floor to the roof. They had it on the top shelf (you can move it where ever you liked). I didn't notice whether it was full or not, & it mustn't gave given too much fragrance because I don't recall trying to pick the scent.

 

It kind of looked like this...

 

http://www.aromaweb.com/images/photos/reediffuseroilrecipe.jpg

 

As a pp mentioned, no candles onboard but you won't need them. You'll be wanting to enjoy your balcony & the fresh air which will travel inside the cabin.

 

If you think of anything else ask away!

 

Don't apologise, your photos are great, thank you for the information on the diffuser.

Loving your review, our cruise isn't until January so we have a long wait but that's half the fun.

I do have more questions but I will wait until you get to those places in your review! That way we can stay on topic.

[Xcitdcruiser]

Now to the second half of embarkation day. After the delicious meal at Bistro 5 we headed to check out Cafe Al Bacio, apparently the best place on the ship to get your caffeine hit. At first we were a little confused as whether we order at the counter or if it was table service but the staff let us know kindly that we could sit down. I really enjoyed the choice & colours used in this area – oversized bright arm chairs made me feel like I was on the set of Alice & the Wonderland. DH’s espresso arrived on a little try with a glass of water & a cookie. He said it was the best coffee on the trip so far! My soy latte was nice but the size was WAY too big, too milky so it wasn’t too enjoyable for me. It was then i realised that I would ask for my soy latte in a cappuccino cup rather than the breakfast sized bowl (ok. Slight exaggeration. It was a really big mug)

We walk for a little walk & decided to stop by at the Martini Bar. It was very busy. In fact, it was probably the busiest spots on the ship. Ironically, it was one of the smallest. Also found it loud – it was probably the only area i noticed the volume of the music. I ordered a ‘Cherry Lane’ & DH a ‘Dirty Martini’. Unfortunately much to our disappointed it didn’t quite tickle our fancy. Mine was VERY sweet. I don’t consume a lot of sugar in my diet – i felt like i was drinking dissolved sugar. DH also didn’t finish his drink, but unable to remember why – sorry. This was our only visit to the Martini Bar. I know it’s a hot spot for many cruisers, so we let them have the sought after seats ;)

We headed back to the room to find our Celebrity Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then I spotted something that i wasn’t familiar with (i've deleted our names but they were printed on)

 

[Xcitdcruiser]

A gift? Straight onto our shipboard account via the TV. Sure enough we had a credit there for $250! No idea why – who what. Had we not received the slip of paper i would have thought it was an error. We were very happy! Thank you Celebrity!

Prior to the cruise we had also pre-paid $500 worth of OBC. Why would I give Celebrity our money when it could stay in our pockets that little while longer you ask? Well, there is a glitch in the system where purchasing OBC from Australia gives buys you AU$1 for USD$1. Before we left the Aussie $$ was fluctuating between $0.85 - $0.95. We bit the bullet, paid upfront & got the best conversion rate in the market. Again, thank you Celebrity!

Whilst on finances, i’ll quickly note that if you are travelling from Australia it is well worth your while getting a 28 Degrees Master Card – where it has no fees whatsoever. No annual fee, & more importantly for us, no international fees. Our NAB CC wanted a flat fee (about $5) PLUS a 3% of the value of the transaction. They want to rob us blind! This credit card was our main source of payment. My everyday CBA also attracted fees so we also had a ‘back up’ a CitiBank debit account (with a VISA card). Again, NO FEES! When withdrawing $$ from ATM’s we would be charged the AMT’s fee but that was all. I’m very happy with these 2 x accounts & the fact that neither have annual fees will allow me to keep them open & use them for traveling.

Ok, so time for the muster drill! We had t be there at 7.45pm – we went a little early & got front row seats. Felt a bit dorky, but it was better than standing! This was one of two times on the cruise that it felt crowded. It went smoothly with the captain throwing in a joke or two which got a few laughs. It’s actually one of the stories we tell our family & friends – may as well re-tell it, don’t want to leave you in suspense!

Captain was saying something along the lines that should there be an emergency he would be the one to announce it. But should he be incapacitated the 2nd officer assumes command of the ship. Should the 2nd officer be incapacitated, the 3rd officer assumes command of the ship. Should the 3rd officer be incapacitated then it is safe to say that we have all had better days :p

8pm = Dinner time! Qsine here we come!

It was a very quirky setting, you sat down smiling. Different colour place mats, intriguing seats & Riedel glassware ! The waiter here was a character – so much energy! If anyone has been to Qsine they would understand the accent i’m trying to type: Heeeelllllllooooo!!! Are you YOOOUUUU?! Sorry, that wasn’t a very good attempt. But he certainly stands out! We were given ipads & were told what i was able to eat. Technically we didn’t get a large selection because of the restriction but believe we had about 4 meals + dessert. We had the Tacos (mine was in a lettuce leaf – this mad me sad. I LOVE corn chip/bread), Ceviche (nothing compared to Ceviche Hut in PR), Fillet Mignon (GREAT dish!) & as a side we had a variety of different chips – the best was the sweet potato. For dessert we received these ‘cubes’ as a menu which was cute. DH went for some intense chocolate tombstone (he LOVED it) & i was to be surprised. A fruit bowl. That isn’t a surprise for someone who cannot have dairy & gluten. It was lovely, but i was underwhelmed.

 

 

Now some more food porn..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can certainly see the benefit of going in a large group to taste everything (& not having food intolerances). I have to say that the food wasn’t AMAZING (that experience is yet to be typed up) but it was certainly a fun meal. Maybe it didn’t wow me as much as i thought it would because i knew what to expect? Unsure whether I would return at full price.

After dinner DH was itching to head to the Casino. I was surprised by how big it was (i don’t frequent them) DH thought it was rather small. Here i learnt how to play roulette – it was rather fun! I won a little money & DH lost some. Tonight was by far the busiest we saw the casino – i rather enjoyed it. ESPECIALLY that it was smoke free. Massive bonus!

We finished in time to head to the Theater to watch the ‘Opening Night’ – it was basically a sample of all (most?) of the entertainers onboard throughout the cruise. We didn’t know what to expect but found it to be fun – like a little taster. Lisa the cruise director was very vibrant. She was entertaining & easily captured our attention. It was during this performance that DH decided he didn’t enjoy the acapella group, ‘4 Sail’ . I felt like they came straight out of Glee – they were great!

By the time the show finished I was done for the night. Straight to bed we went but not before DH sung Happy Birthday o me one last time....

Next up, sea day!

 

 

[Iamthesea]

Somehow or another, I completely missed pages 4 and 5 earlier. I just saw them. :D

 

Thank you for the stateroom photos. My brother and sister-in-law have 1140 on an upcoming cruise on the Constellation. Now I will be able to show them photos of what their stateroom and balcony look like. Do you have any other photos of the stateroom (perhaps looking back into the room from the balcony) and of the bathroom?

 

Oh that's interesting, what was it that gave you that opinion? I imagine the rooms there to be much bigger & possibly more staff = better service?

Whether that's worth double the price though.. I'm unsure.

 

The rooms were small to us, muggy, and dark. The bathroom was small and the shower leaked out lukewarm water. We had reserved one of their Supreme rooms with a balcony. The balcony looked out onto some apartment balconies (I mean within 20' of us) and some roof tops. Service was OK, but there was a great bellman that turned out to be our "go to" person for information. The desk staff was not helpful, both at check-in or when we tried to change rooms.

 

We have stayed in much nicer places in the San Juan area. Our favorite being the El Conquistador in Fajardo. The least expensive (Priceline) and nicest room we have ever stayed in was the Caribe Hilton on the water near the cruise port.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. ;)

[Willman]

Awesome review. We fly to San Juan on Friday.

 

Bistro on 5 question: What time did you go? The daily states the hours are 2 pm to 12:30 am. We really want to go there for a noon lunch on embarkation day.

 

Can you confirm those hours? Does anyone else know why they would not open till 2?

 

Thanks.

[olemissreb]

Did you miss sail away? We usually skip dinner on the first night so we can be on deck for sail away. It's so cool sailing past the fort at night with it all lit up and then you get out into the sea and everything is pitch black and you can see tons of stars.

[upwarduk]

Prior to the cruise we had also pre-paid $500 worth of OBC. Why would I give Celebrity our money when it could stay in our pockets that little while longer you ask? Well, there is a glitch in the system where purchasing OBC from Australia gives buys you AU$1 for USD$1. Before we left the Aussie $$ was fluctuating between $0.85 - $0.95. We bit the bullet, paid upfront & got the best conversion rate in the market. Again, thank you Celebrity!

 

We also bought OBC for our March 2013 cruise as the £-$ conversion favoured UK passengers.

 

 

We had the Tacos (mine was in a lettuce leaf – this mad me sad. I LOVE corn chip/bread)

 

I also get cross when dairy is added to so many recipes.

I bought some Lactaid pills when we were in USA recently. They seem to be working for hidden ingredients- i.e amounts of cheese in salads. I now drink milk treated with the lactase enzyme ( instead of Soya) and that is definitely helpful, so the Lactaid pills will be 'tested' slowly with various foods.

Edited March 24, 2014 by upwarduk

[Tiggertastic]

Thank you, reading this is like being on vacation yourself. I'm finding it really relaxing and exciting all at the same time

 

looking forward to the next installment

[MAPCruises]

I too am also leaving Friday for a Summit cruise out of San Juan.. You have to tell me where you got the best massage.... I am a massage junkie - always looking for the best one....

Great Review.. and love the pictures..

THANK YOU - for taking to time to do this. And congratulations on your marriage...

[DawnC28]

LOL - I'm sorry!! I'm trying to go faster! I do promise that we will get further than embarkation day by Saturday! I must say though that the comments are encouraging me to write more :)

 

I have started to upload the pictures at work so by the time I am home I am ready to go!

 

I hope that you LOVE your cruise !

 

 

 

Thank you :) I'm so glad to hear it. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment!

 

Please don't feel you have to apologize, I'm just excited to hear your review of the ship! Thanks so much for taking the time to post your thoughts and pictures! 5 more days!

[Xcitdcruiser]

Don't apologise, your photos are great, thank you for the information on the diffuser.

Loving your review, our cruise isn't until January so we have a long wait but that's half the fun.

I do have more questions but I will wait until you get to those places in your review! That way we can stay on topic.

 

No problem! I'm glad you are enjoying it. Posting the review & answering questions helps me re-live our trip!

 

January will come by in no time - enjoy the planning :)

[Xcitdcruiser]

Somehow or another, I completely missed pages 4 and 5 earlier. I just saw them. :D

 

Thank you for the stateroom photos. My brother and sister-in-law have 1140 on an upcoming cruise on the Constellation. Now I will be able to show them photos of what their stateroom and balcony look like. Do you have any other photos of the stateroom (perhaps looking back into the room from the balcony) and of the bathroom?

 

Lucky you checking back in then ;)

Apologies but I don't have any more images although this thread helped me a great deal when selecting our AFT so it may also help you. I have every intention of heading back & posting images there when I'm finished here.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1629443

 

I did try to take an image of the bathroom but it was very awkward, the only decent angle I could get was of the toilet itself! The size of the bathroom surprised me, it was quite small & boxy, but after a few hours in the room you realise that it is highly functional for what you need it to do!

 

 

 

The rooms were small to us, muggy, and dark. The bathroom was small and the shower leaked out lukewarm water. We had reserved one of their Supreme rooms with a balcony. The balcony looked out onto some apartment balconies (I mean within 20' of us) and some roof tops. Service was OK, but there was a great bellman that turned out to be our "go to" person for information. The desk staff was not helpful, both at check-in or when we tried to change rooms.

 

We have stayed in much nicer places in the San Juan area. Our favorite being the El Conquistador in Fajardo. The least expensive (Priceline) and nicest room we have ever stayed in was the Caribe Hilton on the water near the cruise port.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. ;)

 

Shame re the hotel. I would really expect a lot more for it's price. Now that you mention it, VH's room were not very bright - I remember trying to put on make up & gave up because I was scared of what I would look like in day light!

 

Looking forward posting the rest for your reading pleasure :D

[Xcitdcruiser]

Awesome review. We fly to San Juan on Friday.

 

Bistro on 5 question: What time did you go? The daily states the hours are 2 pm to 12:30 am. We really want to go there for a noon lunch on embarkation day.

 

Can you confirm those hours? Does anyone else know why they would not open till 2?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Bistro 5 - by the time we arrived it was well past 2pm. I'm not sure why it wouldn't be open before 2pm. I know that staff are working overtime on embarkation day so that may be a factor. Should you be hungry at noon you could have an appetizer (or entrée for the aussies) at the Oceanview , check out your cabin, drop your hand luggage off & by the time that is all done it will be 2pm. And if not, a cocktail may help fill the time?

 

Have a safe flight on Saturday!

 

Did you miss sail away? We usually skip dinner on the first night so we can be on deck for sail away. It's so cool sailing past the fort at night with it all lit up and then you get out into the sea and everything is pitch black and you can see tons of stars.

 

Skip dinner? I couldn't do that - love my food WAY too much! ;)

 

It was actually raining during sail away - there was an announcement that the 'party' was moving (I think to an indoors location/lounge) but we stayed in our cabin & could see the pretty lights from our balcony.

 

The stars - yes - I forgot about them! They were so bright throughout the cruise- it was amazing just to sit & look up ...ahhh the memories...!

[Xcitdcruiser]

 

 

I also get cross when dairy is added to so many recipes.

I bought some Lactaid pills when we were in USA recently. They seem to be working for hidden ingredients- i.e amounts of cheese in salads. I now drink milk treated with the lactase enzyme ( instead of Soya) and that is definitely helpful, so the Lactaid pills will be 'tested' slowly with various foods.

 

I've never been brave enough to try those tablets - I figured that if my body is telling (very clearly) that it doesn't like something there is no use trying to trick it! Of course as a result I don't get to eat some of the amazing foods out there :(

 

But a lettuce leaf as a taco shell?? Come on! Corn crisp would be 100% better!

 

 

Thank you, reading this is like being on vacation yourself. I'm finding it really relaxing and exciting all at the same time

 

looking forward to the next installment

 

I'm glad I could take you on vacation :p

 

There have been many reviews that have given me the same feeling so I really wanted to give back to the community. I hope you enjoy the rest of 'our' cruise! ;)

[Xcitdcruiser]

I too am also leaving Friday for a Summit cruise out of San Juan.. You have to tell me where you got the best massage.... I am a massage junkie - always looking for the best one....

Great Review.. and love the pictures..

THANK YOU - for taking to time to do this. And congratulations on your marriage...

 

I'm sure that you will have a great cruise! Thank you for you wishes - being married is fun :) Actually it's really no different to not being married - the biggest difference is that I have more diamonds & we got to have a trip to celebrate! :D

 

Re the massage - Hint - it was NOT on the ship. Have you organised all of your shore excursions? I don't think I will get 'there' before Friday....Is there a way I can contact you......?

 

 

Please don't feel you have to apologize' date=' I'm just excited to hear your review of the ship! Thanks so much for taking the time to post your thoughts and pictures! 5 more days![/quote']

 

Those 5 days will come in a blink of an eye! I promise there will be more to read about before you depart. ;)

 

There seems to be a lot of CC on the same cruise this weekend - hope you all have a great time!

[lilghallinsf]

This review is so much fun to read. I have started my bible for our April transatlantic. I had things printed and info but hadn't organized them yet. Your tips were helpful

[MAPCruises]

 

Re the massage - Hint - it was NOT on the ship. Have you organised all of your shore excursions? I don't think I will get 'there' before Friday....Is there a way I can contact you......?

 

Those 5 days will come in a blink of an eye! I promise there will be more to read about before you depart. ;)

 

There seems to be a lot of CC on the same cruise this weekend - hope you all have a great time!

 

Yes, I think we have a good cruise group on CC for the Summit next week. We had all of our excursions planned ( I am very much like you, binder all tabbed and highlighted with things to do and different options.) Just got an e-mail from the Dominica operator canceling the tour due to family of 6 canceling. Aghh so now trying to re-book. Anyway - my e-mail is mapetry@live.com. Can't wait for the rest of your story....

[DawnC28]

There's 125 of us signed up through Cruise Critic for the connections party - that's quite a lot! We're really excited to be part of such an active group!

[Xcitdcruiser]

I'll start off with our resources for the day