Our amazing trip to Bermuda on the Summit: pictures, tips, guides, and opinions

[Viva_la_Vida]

Monday, June 2nd Continued

 

As we were “crawling” I could feel the boat starting to sway more. I was still fine, but we did lose a few in our crew and at least a couple of those were due to the motion. After, we went back to the room and I took advantage of the sunshine and the balcony. It was a beautiful day. At 1pm I was booked to hear one of our fellow CC members give a lecture on the Bermuda Triangle. By that time, the boat was not only doing the gentle side to side rock, but also a pretty noticeable up and down motion so that you felt yourself moving in a circular pattern. When I would lie down on the bed on my side, I would end up on my back. DH decided to stay in and take a nap as he was even feeling the motion a bit too much, but I headed on to the lecture. It was great, thanks Nikos! That morning I had noticed a two for one T-shirt sale happening on deck 10. I headed up but they were just packing up. I instead used some of our OBC to check my email. Internet wasn’t as slow as I was expecting, but anything feels slow when you’re paying 79 cents per minute. Back to the room and it was my turn to take a nap! DH was awesome and had fresh burger baskets for us when I woke. We enjoyed the excellent burgers and delicious fries on the balcony. I think they must fry the fries in garlic infused oil or something, they are so good!

 

DSC_0335 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

I know there has been some talk about these sitting out too long, etc. etc. Every time I went by, they were continuously putting new ones out and I had to wait a minute a couple of times due to high demand. My burger was hot, but as you can see, not hot enough to melt the cheese. It tasted very fresh. No complaints here! Maybe the staff figured out a better system based on recent feedback.

 

DSC_0336 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

I got some more sun. I was grateful for the balcony because at that time, the pools were off limits and ended up being drained because of the rough waters. I was able to snap some pics of the water. Apparently when one can see white caps, it means very rough seas to the point where people will start to really feel it. At least that’s what I overheard someone say.

 

DSC_0361 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0366 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

Unfortunately I did not up my Bonine in time. I started feeling dizzy. I don’t get sick to my stomach, I just feel woozy and without appetite. DH suggested getting up on my feet and staying in motion until the meds kicked in. I wobbled down two floors to Fortunes, but after one spin on the slots I was doing more spinning than the machine. Back to the room with me for another lie down! I got ready and barely made it to dinner, which was the first formal night. I’m so glad I went though because I started to feel much better right after sitting down. I had made reservations for this evening before even setting foot on the boat, via the Celebrity website. It turned out to be the only night we were able to get reservations for 7:15 and walked right in. We were seated at a table for two against the railing so that we could look down on the staircase and on the early seating of dinner. It was really neat to see the room below clear out and the tables be re-set, then the late seating file in. It is one well-oiled machine and really makes one appreciate the hard work that goes into feeding 2,000 people with such style and grace. It turned out to be our favorite seat in the house and we requested it whenever possible. We also had the pleasure of meeting Olja, our sommelier. I was so excited to meet a female sommelier and she was so knowledgeable and personable. I had one of my favorite dinner items that night - the chilled pear and honey soup! Super good, I would have gotten it every night if I could. I was looking forward to the BBQ Cobia as it had been my very favorite dish of all on the Reflection. It was good, but not as good as last time. It wasn't as fresh. I did really enjoy the sauce although make sure to make a special request if you don’t want the sauce on your potatoes as well. I loved it, but Marc didn’t. He had the frog legs and french onion soup and said both were great. Dessert was apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, a winner! A double order of double espressos finished out a wonderful dinner. The espresso is excellent - very smooth and not bitter. I have a nespresso espresso machine at home and it made me want to purchase a LavAzza compatible one, it was that good.

 

Our next stop was the Rendezvous to catch the end of a piano/vocal performance by a very talented Jordan Peterson. We only heard three songs but we didn’t want him to stop! I mentioned that my husband is classically trained and an active professional musician (trombonist), but I am also classically trained and am currently a middle school music teacher. We’re tough critics and this guy is great. Not only was his vocal tone pleasing, but he was 100% on pitch all the time. Most impressive, he could play anything requested by the audience with lots of flourish on the piano. It seemed the Elton John stuff was a staple in his repertoire, so don’t be shy about requesting your favorite. **Don’t miss Jordan Peterson if you sail the Summit! Stephen Aubrey on guitar is fantastic as well**

 

Next we checked out the Crush Martini Bar. I had the premium package so could really order anything I wanted, but classics have more of an issue here. Luckily I had read on CC that classic package pax could order mini versions of the cosmo, appletini, or the classic. I had a Peartini and Marc had a mini classic served with no problem or questions at all by the bartender. We loved the frosted counter and the combo DJ/live drummers jamming at the entrance to the Casino. They did a lot of Latin music which is one of our favorite genres. It was perfect for the setting and not at all intrusively loud. I went and found our CC friends Mike and Debby in the casino (again, love the small boat feel) and convinced them to come along and have a drink with us. They were worried b/c they were only classic package, but I assured them it hadn’t been a problem for us. Well, I guess I spoke too soon. A different bartender took their order along with ours and said he wasn't allowed to serve the classic people in the mini glasses. Bummer. Luckily he relented “just this one time” and we had another round of martinis before moving onto drinks on their package. I wish there was consistency at the Martini Bar. Aside from not being able to get the Flor de Caña rum advertised as part of the most updated premium list by the official Celebrity representative on this very board, this was the only other drink package related issue we ran into on the trip. I tried the Lycheetini this time. It was much better than the pear one to me. We had a good time snapping pics and I hope if they’re reading this, they will get a good smile out of this one!

 

IMG_5553 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

That night, we didn't crash until 1:30 or 2 and that was before the one hour time change. We had a great day and loved the late night fun of the bars and casino.

 

Daily from Monday coming up next.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Here ya go :) Will like seeing our cruise shown from the eyes of another person! If you are missing anything or pics of something that you wanted I will look and see if we can fill it in for ya.

 

We didn't make the CC party or most stuff monday and most of tuesday as the rocking of the boat did us both in until meds (tons) starting kicking in tuesday night. Thank god the boat stopped wednesday in Bermuda lol

 

 

 

Fantastic, thank you! I just saw on the roll call that you didn't get your invite. How awful! I'm sorry that happened.

 

This menu was much fancier than the version we had. We had only the left side available and the entire right side was an up charge and the options for the free things were a lot simpler. With this menu we may not have ever left our room for breakfast! Thanks for posting!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Looking over these again, I'm realizing we didn't do too many actual ship activities on Monday. The one we hated to miss was "The Heartbeat of the Operation" tour. Unfortunately, that's when our CC gathering was and the tour just happened the once because I called guest services to find out. I also would have been interested in trivia, but again, other things happening.

 

Officers and Crew by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

6-2 Front by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

6-2 Schedule by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

[BuddyBee]

Can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your review. DH and I are sailing on the Summit later this year and it is so much fun to get the inside view. Thanks

[BTSEN5]

I am loving your review. We will be on the Summit on Sunday, but are leaving Friday for two days in NYC. I am looking forward to this preview if our cruise. It is sustaining me during this painfully long week. :)

[triona]

Thank you for posting, we are not on the Summit until Jan 15 (our first time on her, 2 x on Solstice) and enjoying your reviews and picture's. So looking forward to more. Thank you.

[Eiansmomma]

Yay, another installment....can't wait for more.:)

 

 

 

There is a sliding door between the bedroom and the sitting areas in the aft/ corner FV cabins and it does close completely. My husband and I had one of those amazing cabins twice on Panama Canal cruises.

 

 

We have a corner/aft FV on our cruise in August. I've heard it's amazing and I can't wait to check it out and enjoy it!! We'll be in #9197!

 

 

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[upwarduk]

Check out post 9 here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1962177

 

We were in 9156 corner FV.

It was so roomy, but it wasn't happy when I was thrown up & down the bed due the movement of the ship. We had 40 ft waves in the Bay of Biscay.

That's when I wished I had kept my mid ships cabin!

[Eiansmomma]

Check out post 9 here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1962177

 

We were in 9156 corner FV.

It was so roomy, but it wasn't happy when I was thrown up & down the bed due the movement of the ship. We had 40 ft waves in the Bay of Biscay.

That's when I wished I had kept my mid ships cabin!

 

Oh dear! Well hopefully we won't have that problem. Did you have 5 people in the room? We are traveling with our kids - they will be 12, 8 and 5 when we sail. They would rather be swimming or at the kids club anyway....

[Eiansmomma]

Here ya go :) Will like seeing our cruise shown from the eyes of another person! If you are missing anything or pics of something that you wanted I will look and see if we can fill it in for ya.

 

We didn't make the CC party or most stuff monday and most of tuesday as the rocking of the boat did us both in until meds (tons) starting kicking in tuesday night. Thank god the boat stopped wednesday in Bermuda lol

 

 

 

Fantastic, thank you! I just saw on the roll call that you didn't get your invite. How awful! I'm sorry that happened.

 

This menu was much fancier than the version we had. We had only the left side available and the entire right side was an up charge and the options for the free things were a lot simpler. With this menu we may not have ever left our room for breakfast! Thanks for posting!

 

Did you both have different room types? I was wondering because you both had different room service menus. We want to order room service breakfast to enjoy on our veranda.

[Christine Frances]

The expanded menu is for Concierge, Aqua Class and above.

[Eiansmomma]

The expanded menu is for Concierge, Aqua Class and above.

 

I guess we'll make the best of it and stay away from the scrambled eggs :p

[Viva_la_Vida]

I guess we'll make the best of it and stay away from the scrambled eggs :p

 

 

A wise decision!

 

 

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[2theship]

We were in 9156 corner FV.

It was so roomy, but it wasn't happy when I was thrown up & down the bed due the movement of the ship. We had 40 ft waves in the Bay of Biscay.

That's when I wished I had kept my mid ships cabin!

 

Oh dear! Well hopefully we won't have that problem. Did you have 5 people in the room? We are traveling with our kids - they will be 12, 8 and 5 when we sail. They would rather be swimming or at the kids club anyway....

 

The Bay of Biscay can be exceptionally rough. We passed through there going from Southampton to Spain on the Eclipse. The people doing the glass show said they often cancelled their show on that day because there was so much broken glass.

[Pushkin]

Oh dear! Well hopefully we won't have that problem. Did you have 5 people in the room? We are traveling with our kids - they will be 12, 8 and 5 when we sail. They would rather be swimming or at the kids club anyway....

 

We just returned from our Summit cruise in cabin 8181 (corner fv). We had 3 teenagers (2 boys/1 girl). Boys slept on pull-out sofa, and daughter slept on other sofa (not a pull-out, but a flip-over). Pretty much wall-to-wall beds -- you cannot get to veranda with beds pulled out.

[espo56]

Loving your review. We were on the same trip and had a wonderful time. Can you please post the daily from the 2nd Formal Night (June 6). Thanks in advance. Your review helps to keep the memory going:)

[Eiansmomma]

We just returned from our Summit cruise in cabin 8181 (corner fv). We had 3 teenagers (2 boys/1 girl). Boys slept on pull-out sofa, and daughter slept on other sofa (not a pull-out, but a flip-over). Pretty much wall-to-wall beds -- you cannot get to veranda with beds pulled out.

 

Not a problem - I'll just climb over them :D nothing is going to keep me away from that veranda!! LOL! Actually, the kids are able to stay up much later than I am these days (my age must be catching up with me). BUT I do enjoy my morning cup of coffee in peace (doesn't normally happen but it is nice to dream)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Did you both have different room types? I was wondering because you both had different room service menus. We want to order room service breakfast to enjoy on our veranda.

 

You will love 9197! Make nice with your stateroom attendant and perhaps he/she will let you order from the concierge class room service menu which has more choices.

[rkacruiser]

Your review is nothing short of excellent! I feel like I am aboard the Summit with you! Thanks for your efforts!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Tuesday, June 3rd

At Sea

 

6-3 Front by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

6-3 schedule by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

This was our second day at sea and the seas were still rough. We slept in due to the time change and our late night. We went up for our first trip to the buffet (aside from sushi) around 9:45. I was anxious to see the new baskets and the layout.

 

------------------ My opinion on the buffet -------------------------------------------------------------------

My first impression of the set up was how awkward it was compared to the Reflection. On the Reflection the buffet is a very open area with little islands, many which provide 360٥ access to the items. The food is contained in a relatively small area and most stations are not attached to the kitchen. The food is contained to the small space so you don’t have to walk all the way to the aft of the boat to find food. The buffet on the Summit, on the other hand, takes up a huge area, I would estimate roughly a quarter to a third of the 10th floor. The actual buffet encircles the kitchen as well as the aft elevator bank so in order to cross from one side of the buffet to the other, you have to either cross in front or back where the buffet wraps, or cross over a high-traffic kitchen entry and through the elevator bank. **Be careful and watch where you’re going/your kids are going as staff members are often carrying loaded trays in that area.** The fact that the buffet wraps such a large area can make finding the food you crave difficult. Now a lot of the time, the items on the buffet are mirrored on the other side. Sometimes not though. The items in the very back of the buffet are always unique.

 

IMG_5762 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

There are three back segments: on the port side there is made to order pasta(lunch/dinner) or omelettes (breakfast), very back middle has waffle(breakfast), panini (lunch), cold cuts/cheeses/veggies (late night), and portside back is the delicious pizza which seems to be served all the time until 1am or so. The three cheese is my fav but all I tried were delicious. The curious thing about the buffet was how spotty the stations were. Most times when I saw it, there were whole segments that were totally empty and closed up, but there didn’t seem to be a logical order to it. For example, it would make sense just close one complete side, not leave a couple on one side, a couple on the other. It just made for a lot of walking around and hunting. There is really nothing Celebrity can do about the actual physical space of the buffet (the biggest problem), but they could be more strategic about which sections to leave open. I would also move the aft items mentioned above to the very front, which is essentially the center of the boat. Why make everyone walk to the very back? Maybe they’re trying to get us to walk off a few of those calories, ha!

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t at least touch on the baskets here, or as I was thinking before I left, “The Great Basket Disaster of ‘14”. Pros: 1. faster and easier selection since you just grab one and go. 2. More sanitary assuming others aren’t touching multiple basket handles. Cons: 1. Makes for an awkward tray full of bulky baskets which often results in a second trip. 2. Food cools more quickly in wire baskets with paper lining than it does in large metal trays. 3. You might have to take a bowl/basket of some combination of items when you only want the one thing. I think although the actual cons outnumber the pros, convenience and speed weighs more heavily for me, so I think they should keep them with some tweaking to make sure food stays hot. Keep in mind, not all food is in baskets or pre-arranged bowls. Some example of things that were though: all of the indian curry meals (best items at the buffet, in our opinion), fried calamari, burritos, breakfast sandwiches, nachos, fruit, themed salads (asian, greek, etc.), fried fish, pork belly, blintzes, baked potatoes, grapefruit (winner of “most awkward for tray” award due to very top heavy glass bowl), and desserts. It’s really not such a big deal.

 

OK, so we join the long line and we realize we weren’t the only folks to get a late start! I opt for coffee and grapefruit but quickly realize this is a dangerous tray combo. As mentioned, the grapefruit is in this stork of a bowl with a small bottom and very heavy top, making the grapefruit do a dance all over the wet tray. I find a table quick and go back for the rest of my breakfast. Marc really enjoyed getting a bagel toasted to order and topping it with fresh lox. We went to Bacio for better coffee and returned to our room for balcony time.

 

DSC_0368 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

I also wandered around the boat and got some pics.

 

DSC_0373 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

You can see the Sweet 16 cabins sticking out below.

DSC_0377 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

[Viva_la_Vida]

6-3 Continued

Some inclement weather

 

I captured the rain coming for us.

 

DSC_0384 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0387 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0390 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0391 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0393 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

DSC_0396 by stancil.boehm, on Flickr

 

Considering the weather, we decided to make use of the Solarium and T-pool (the outside pools were still drained anyway) The Thalassotherapy pool was heated and had four spouts that rose high in the air and blasted a stream of water down. Each had a different water flow/pressure. It was nice to stand underneath them and have the knots in my back relaxed. There were also two side segments with rolling beam type things you could sit on. They were popular. I sat by the pool in a padded lounger for a while to read before making my way to the pool bar. While there, raindrops began to descend again and the pool area really emptied out. The rain stopped just about as soon as it started and the sun actually came out, so we got some prime real estate and then made use of the hot tubs. ***Tip: When it starts to rain, just go to the bar and wait it out. You’ll get the best loungers right after it stops!***

 

Back to the buffet and it was beef korma for Marc. Nachos, a delicious Asian tofu salad, and of course, great ice cream for me. I loved the ice cream selection and toppings! Peanut butter was best, but I just saw it out one day.

 

I had heard a lot of chatter about 54 Below. I’m not so into Broadway, but the guest our week was Karen Mason. She had been in Hairspray and was well-respected, so I figured I shouldn't miss it. I went alone to the 7pm show, so no opinions from DH here. There were a lot of songs I didn't know and some I did. I think kids would be bored as it was simply singing, no dancing or anything flashy. She had a big voice and did a good job. I don’t regret going, but it wasn't a highlight either. Marc picked me up from the theater and we headed for dinner, sans reservations (we like to live dangerously, ha!). We waited about 20 minutes for a table for two around 8:15pm. We were seated by a port hole this time and didn't like it as much. We decided from then on we would only request seating by the railing, even if it meant waiting longer. Once you find your favorite, it’s hard to go back to other things. Tonight I had Tuna carpaccio (good) and New York Strip ordered medium rare. In actuality, it was more on the rare side, but that was OK with me. It was excellent. Marc and the tomato soup and the veal and he found them both delicious. WARNING: graphic chocolate description ahead! May cause mouth watering and intense cravings. Not recommended for diabetics or women who are pregnant. So I love chocolate, but not so much chocolate cake. I had heard so much about the chocolate lava cake though, I had to try it. I’M SO GLAD I DID. What I received in front of me was the smallest dessert all week. An espresso-cup-sized, coffee colored lump with a small dollop of whipped cream on the side and glistening red coulis drizzled onto the plate.” OK, really, this is what’s so great?”, I thought. Tentatively, the fork went in and suddenly, the liquid chocolate burst forth and the inner layer of moist, chocolaty heaven was revealed. It was very rich and perfectly balanced with the whipped cream. It also went perfectly with the delicious espresso. I savored every bite. My only regret was not getting another one. ****Tip. Get the chocolate lava cake. Just do it. And don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for another one.**** Once again, I owe the people of CC a big “Thank You”!

 

After that rich dinner, we had a quiet movie night in the room and went to bed early in order to be out early for Bermuda.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Loving your review. We were on the same trip and had a wonderful time. Can you please post the daily from the 2nd Formal Night (June 6). Thanks in advance. Your review helps to keep the memory going:)

 

Sure thing! Here you go! Did we meet? I'm bad with screen names. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip as well. We were so lucky to have great weather in Bermuda! :D

 

6-6 Front

 

6-6 Middle

 

6-6 Schedule

 

6-6 Back

[mrloug]

Thanks for your review. It's great. Thanks for taking the time and effort, your fellow cruisers appreciate it a lot.

July 20 to Bermuda, Looking Forward to it. Our 40th anniversary cruise.

Lou

[cccruisingjay]

Great review so far. We are leaving this Sunday on the Summit. So this has been great to read and get an idea of some things to do. The question that I have, are the tasting classes free? Where do you pay for the world wine tour classes. We have sailed with Disney before and those types of classes filled up fast and had to be signed up for ahead of time at guest services. Is it the same with Celebrity? Thanks for the help and looking forward to reading more.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Great review so far. We are leaving this Sunday on the Summit. So this has been great to read and get an idea of some things to do. The question that I have, are the tasting classes free? Where do you pay for the world wine tour classes. We have sailed with Disney before and those types of classes filled up fast and had to be signed up for ahead of time at guest services. Is it the same with Celebrity? Thanks for the help and looking forward to reading more.

 

 

I'm so glad it's been helpful! I'm working on the bermuda stuff now so I hope that helps as well. As for the classes, these were offered to us on multiple occasions by two different sommeliers. I think the ones they offered were $15 per person. They handed out a card that you could fill out at dinner. I will try to see if we still have it. We didn't do the class. Maybe next time.

 

 

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