Summit Photo Review - June 29, 2014 to Bermuda in Aqua Class

[prim8keeper]

Since we had to meet the tour guide at 7:30 am we had room service scheduled for 6:30 am which came way to early after staying up late. We learned long ago that when you order room service you need to be strategic. For that reason we never order eggs. This time I tried the banana pancakes which were just pancakes with a few banana slices in them. However, they were pretty good just not really what I expected. I also like that in Aqua class you can now order fresh squeezed orange juice. Since it looked like another day where the weather may be iffy we had breakfast inside rather than on the balcony. After breakfast we got ready and gathered all our stuff and rushed off the ship. We were already behind schedule.

 

Today we were going on an excursion with Hidden Gems of Bermuda, which I found highly rated on TripAdvisor. The actual tour didn't start until 8 am, however, it asked that people be out and ready by 7:30 am so we wouldn't be late. My only complaints with this tour stem from this request. To me if you are going to ask that people be out there at 7:30 am, you too should be there. They did not show up until almost 8 am. When she did show it was obvious she was some what frazzled and disorganized. Our friends from Finland were going to pay cash for the tour and did not pre-book online with a credit card. At first when Mari mentioned this Ashely, the owner, seemed confused and kept telling them that they were not signed up for the tour today. It wasn't until Mari produced all their emails that Ashley knew what she was talking about. Not a good start. The second thing she did that I did understand was split up the cruisers. There were two groups for the day, one group which was 9 people and another which was 11. There were 9 cruisers total, but she broke us into two groups. 5 in one and four in the other. I don't really understand why she did this. The rest of of the group members came from two hotels on the island. To me it would have made sense to have your hotel group and your cruise group especially since today was sail away and we all needed to be back at the Dockyard by 4 pm. Even more confusing though was at the hotel we picked up two groups of people. The one group of five was part of our group and apparently the other group of two was supposed to go with Ashley. Why would you have both vans stop at the same hotel to pick up different people? It was really obvious that organization wasn't her strong point and by now I was starting to wonder if we had wasted a lot of money by signing up for this tour. The tour was $150 per person.

 

Thankfully from here the day improved rather quickly. We ended up in the group of 11 with Ashley's father and another guy as our guides. Ashley's dad originally started the tour company and really seemed to know his stuff. He was a horticulturalist by trade so he knew a lot about the island. We heard from our friends who went with Ashley that she was not that great.

 

Our first stop of the day was Tom Moore's Jungle. From here we hiked in to a lake where we swam and jumped off the cliffs. This was so much fun! Interesting fact - they used to have dolphins in here. The dolphins that now live at the Dockyard used to live here! We saw where the original diving board was and apparently they used to do shows. Our one guide had come here to watch them as a kid. His brother now ran the museum at the Dockyard.

 

 

The water was very clear and you could see the fish just swimming around. This pool is salt water. You pretty much floated in it, it was so salty.

 

 

My DH getting ready and jumping off the cliff. There were two spots. One that was 10 feet up and one that was 15 feet up. He jumped off the 10 foot spot first. After I took his photo we both went and jumped off the 15 foot cliff. The water was 30 feet deep, but it didn't look it since it was so clear you could see the bottom.

 

 

 

 

After spending some time at the pool we made our way to the caves. On our way we stopped in this field. This is apparently where Tom Moore sat and wrote one of his really famous poems. I forget which one and the tree that inspired him is actually gone now. It was destroyed in a storm and there was a disease several years ago that hit Bermuda that destroyed many of this specific type of tree. I really wish I could remember the name of it.

 

[prim8keeper]

Here is a photo of my DH with his helmet/light ready to go into the cave. Shhh don't tell him I posted this!

 

 

The caves we went into are not the same ones you go into if you go to Crystal and Fantasy caves. These are part of the same cave system, but they are not open to the public and would be hard to find if you didn't know where they were. Unfortunately, most of my photos from inside the cave did not turn out but I do have a few.

 

 

 

This was just cool.

 

 

We only spent about 15 minutes inside wandering around a very small portion of one cave. From here we made our way to the cave you could swim in. I don't have any photos of this spot, but it was so much fun. Inside the cave there was a little ledge you could jump off of. Again the water was salt water so you didn't have to do much to just float. I was really surprised by how warm the water inside the cave was. It comes in and out from caves that are below the water level. The guides told us that divers have the underwater caves marked off and so some people go diving down there. They didn't recommend this though since a lot of people die this way.

 

This guy was waiting by my backpack when I came out from swimming.

 

 

From here we dried off and hiked back out of the jungle. They call this a jungle, but it really isn't what I would think of as a true jungle. We then all loaded back into the van and were off to our next stop.

 

Our next stop on the tour was St David's lighthouse. It was built to stop the locals who were wrongly guiding ships during the night so the ships would wreck out on the reefs thus becoming easy prey. Unfortunately it was closed for repairs so we could not climb to the top. This was probably our shortest stop since there wasn't anything we could really do.

 

From the lighthouse we went to St. Davids Battery at Great Head park. This is where the largest guns in Bermuda are located. They have a range of 7 miles off shore. This area was manned 24/7 during WWII since German U-boats were often seen off the coast of Bermuda. I didn't realize Bermuda was so important during WWII.

 

[prim8keeper]

A panoramic view of the battery. You can see the guns located on the left hand side to give you some perspective. The boat in the middle is a memorial to Bermudians who have been lost at sea.

 

 

Views from the edge of the 90 foot cliff at the battery. You could also see St Davids lighthouse in the distance looking the other direction of the first photo. If you come at the right time of the year there are a lot of birds who nest on this cliff.

 

 

 

 

 

[prim8keeper]

Following our visit to the battery we went to lunch at the Black Horse tavern. We had Wahoo (fish) nuggets, rice and Bermudian coleslaw. The Wahoo tasted like chicken more than fish but was good none the less. We also had the famous Bermuda fish chowder and Johnny bread. It was served with, what else, ginger beer. We had this wonderful view while we at outside on the back deck. Overall it was just the right amount of food and relaxation after a busy morning.

 

 

Following lunch we headed to Cooper's Island. This was my favorite beach that we visited. Horseshoe has nothing on this place! Well, expect maybe for the crowds and services since this beach had nothing except for a porta potty. This beach just recently opened up to the public a few years ago. Prior to that it was on land that was owned by NASA. Apparently at one point Bermuda was a back up landing location for the space shuttle.

 

 

Now, remember the first image I posted in the review? It was taken here (first photo below). I left several of these images alone and did nothing to them. Its just that beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2014 by prim8keeper

[prim8keeper]

There is some really good snorkeling here around the rocks. That is what most people did while I stayed on shore and took photos.

 

 

There were also great views of St Davids lighthouse from here as well.

 

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[prim8keeper]

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photos we were pretty much the only people here. I could spend all day here. Sadly, after about 45 minutes here we had to call it day. Our final stop of the tour was the famous Bailey's ice cream parlour.

 

 

They have 30 flavors of ice cream that are all made in house. About 3/4 of the way through my cone I turned to my DH and said I should have taken a picture. LOL! I had the dark and stormy ice cream. It was a ginger ice cream with a black rum swirl (not for kids). My DH had the butterscotch chip. Both were excellent!

 

While we were here I also got a photo of the Swizzle Inn which was located across the street from Bailey's. If you go to the Swizzle Inn make sure to save room for some ice cream afterwards.

 

 

Both Bailey's and the Swizzle Inn are also located right next to Crystal and Fantasy caves so you could easily do all three in one day. Right next to Baileys there is a clearly marked path that will take you to the caves. You can take the number 1 or 3 bus to get here.

Edited July 13, 2014 by prim8keeper

[prim8keeper]

Sadly Bailey's was our last stop for the day. It turned out to be a great tour despite our rocky start. We dropped off the guests that were staying at the hotel on our way back to the Dockyard. We arrived back at the Dockyard by about 3:30 pm. All aboard was 4:15 pm and the Summit was departing at 4:30 pm. Since we had a little bit of time we decided to get dropped off near the Clocktower Mall so I could take a few more pictures.

 

 

 

We were back on the ship around 3:45 pm. We left the beach before the other van/group of 9 and we had yet to see our friends so I was starting to worry a little bit. We later saw them and they told us they did not get back to the Dockyard until just after 4 pm. They told me they were starting to panic and think about what they would do if they missed the ship. While we had a great day I really felt bad for them. That must have been beyond stressful and I probably would have snapped at Ashley by that point. Again, I ask my original question, why would split the cruisers on such an important day?

 

Once on board we swung by Cafe al Bacio to pick up a quick drink and then went up to our room to drop off our stuff. We then ran down to the sunset view bar to grab a drink for sail away which we enjoyed from our balcony. I really liked having an aft balcony. Our cruise tradition is to go up to the sunset view bar and have a drink for every sail away so this made it really easy. Well I guess it was that and the fact that there were only two sail aways.

 

Say it isn't so!

 

 

 

Here comes old faithful again. I found it less exciting this time around. Can't imagine why?

 

 

I don't know who any of these people were but I don't like them. Out there having fun while we have to leave...

 

[Quesnel]

Beautiful beaches Tom. Your pictures are fantastic. I think I'd like to do Bermuda!!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[prim8keeper]

 

I really found these stairs interesting to photograph for some reason. I promise this is my last photo of them. Maybe next year my photo review can just be "the real stairs of the dockyard!"

 

 

 

We are really starting to move now.

 

 

A final look back at the pier.

 

 

Just as we had docked after Breakaway we were now leaving before Breakaway. Not sure how that worked out since it also leaves NYC after us and arrives in NYC before us. I don't think the Summit is doing it right.

 

[prim8keeper]

More photos of Breakaway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our view on the way back to Bayonne.

 

[prim8keeper]

Sailing out of Bermuda was really cool. The ship seemed to follow the same path as the ferry to St. George's had except we went out to sea instead of turning off towards St. George's. Once again I was able to get some cool photos of St. Catherine's Fort. You can also see Breakaway following us.

 

 

 

We could also once again see St. Davids lighthouse.

 

 

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Just loving this review...your photos are amazing and I'm very jealous of the details you remember about each location! Do you write everything down each day as you go or just have a great memory?

 

Thanks so much for posting this review, Bermuda wasn't on our bucket list but after experiencing it through you we might just have to add it!!

Cathy

[prim8keeper]

Just loving this review...your photos are amazing and I'm very jealous of the details you remember about each location! Do you write everything down each day as you go or just have a great memory?

 

 

 

Thanks so much for posting this review, Bermuda wasn't on our bucket list but after experiencing it through you we might just have to add it!!

 

Cathy

 

 

Thanks! I didn't write down anything during the cruise. I did talk about some of it with friends when we got back, but most of this I'm just writing as I go. I have a lot more photos that I haven't posted here that help to jog my memory. We booked another cruise that I'll talk about tomorrow that is on my bucket list.

 

I really liked Bermuda. It was definitely a different type of cruise since we only went to one port but I also think that made it more relaxed.

[jcpc]

I have been to Bermuda many times and I am re-living my past visits through your review. It is excellent and your photos are amazing. I can almost feel myself sitting on my aft balcony having a cocktail at sailaway. Your review makes me look more forward to my August 31 Summit sailing. Thanks!:D

[wwcruisers]

I have been to Bermuda many times and I am re-living my past visits through your review. It is excellent and your photos are amazing. I can almost feel myself sitting on my aft balcony having a cocktail at sailaway. Your review makes me look more forward to my August 31 Summit sailing. Thanks!:D

 

Me too! Looking at this photo-blog, I feel like Prime8keeper took us with him!:cool:

BTW -- Come on over and join our Aug31 Summit roll-call! We get a little chatty sometimes -- but, we have a lot of fun, over there! :D

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We were on the Century docked next to the Breakaway in the Caribbean this spring. Breakaway is twice as long as the Century! Give me reasonable size ships any day!

 

[jcpc]

I would be thrilled if Celebrity had a new-build comparable in size to the M-class. The S-class ships are too big with too many passengers for me. Give me an M-class ship any day.

[karl_nj]

After talking about all of this with Ashley I took the opportunity to just ask her a few questions about the changes X was making. At this point she flat out told us that we were who X was marketing too now. While I had suspected this for some time based on what I have seen on the boards lately, I was actually rather surprised to hear it. It was because of this though that they were so interested in our feedback. I also brought up about how on these boards it seems as though many of their long time loyal customers were upset. She said that they were well aware of the unrest, but that taste were changing. This lead me to believe that they are going to continue to implement the changes despite how many of the people on this board or some long time cruisers may feel. For a while it seemed like they were just trying to satisfy everyone and on one was happy. However, I think they are starting to get away from that and moving in a new direction for better or worse depending on your view of the changes.

 

That is pretty interesting. Do you think she meant Millennials specifically, or just younger then the Boomers? Seems like it would be quite a switch for Celebrity to move to target Millennials. It would actually skew the target market to something younger then Royal Caribbean, since Royal Caribbean's target market is families. Most parents these days are Gen X.

 

Would that just leave Azamara targeting Boomers and older?

[prim8keeper]

That is pretty interesting. Do you think she meant Millennials specifically, or just younger then the Boomers? Seems like it would be quite a switch for Celebrity to move to target Millennials. It would actually skew the target market to something younger then Royal Caribbean, since Royal Caribbean's target market is families. Most parents these days are Gen X.

 

Would that just leave Azamara targeting Boomers and older?

 

Its hard to tell but I would lean towards the fact that they are marking to anyone under the Boomers. Depending on how you splice it I can be lumped in with tail end Generation X or am an early member of the Millennials. I think they are actually going after the same age, however you want to define it, as Royal, only X is looking towards those with a higher income or who don't have kids. I forget where I saw it, but I remember reading something that stated X was now targeting households making more than six figures. Their marketing here in Atlanta is all at younger people. I hear their ads on the radio stations that play Top 40 and they have started sponsoring various events around town.

 

Personally, I've noticed a split among our friends. There are those who are now having kids and settling down (or who already have them) and those who are traveling. Even some of our friends with kids like to leave them with the grandparents when they go on vacation. I imagine part of the shift marketing is in relation to the fact that a lot of Boomers, or even those born in the early days of generation X lost money during the downturn and now don't have the money to travel like they had planned or once did.

 

Its hard to say. I think its fun to think about though.

[prim8keeper]

We were on the Century docked next to the Breakaway in the Caribbean this spring. Breakaway is twice as long as the Century! Give me reasonable size ships any day!

 

 

It was amazing how big/crowded Breakaway looked compared to Summit. I imagine its even more so when compared to Century.

 

I would be thrilled if Celebrity had a new-build comparable in size to the M-class. The S-class ships are too big with too many passengers for me. Give me an M-class ship any day.

 

I don't mind the size of the S-class but its hard for me to imagine going on anything bigger. We toyed with the idea of going on Oasis and we still may, but I do like my ship to feel somewhat like a ship even if only a little.

[wwcruisers]

We were on the Century docked next to the Breakaway in the Caribbean this spring. Breakaway is twice as long as the Century! Give me reasonable size ships any day!

 

 

Linda, I think it was Nassau, when we were parked right next door to her. I remember commenting to Host Andy that, from where we were standing (Century's pool deck) Breakaway didn't even look like a ship -- more like a hotel, with a roof-top amusement park! :eek:

[gsu_paintballer]

Personally, I've noticed a split among our friends. There are those who are now having kids and settling down (or who already have them) and those who are traveling.

 

My wife and I (27 and 26) have noticed the same split. We spend our free time travelling (no kids), but our friends are starting to have kids and none of them do the travelling we do

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Its hard to tell but I would lean towards the fact that they are marking to anyone under the Boomers. Depending on how you splice it I can be lumped in with tail end Generation X or am an early member of the Millennials. I think they are actually going after the same age, however you want to define it, as Royal, only X is looking towards those with a higher income or who don't have kids. I forget where I saw it, but I remember reading something that stated X was now targeting households making more than six figures. Their marketing here in Atlanta is all at younger people. I hear their ads on the radio stations that play Top 40 and they have started sponsoring various events around town.

 

Personally, I've noticed a split among our friends. There are those who are now having kids and settling down (or who already have them) and those who are traveling. Even some of our friends with kids like to leave them with the grandparents when they go on vacation. I imagine part of the shift marketing is in relation to the fact that a lot of Boomers, or even those born in the early days of generation X lost money during the downturn and now don't have the money to travel like they had planned or once did.

 

Its hard to say. I think its fun to think about though.

 

My husband and I can relate to you and your experiences (we also happen to live in Atlanta ;)). Our first X cruise we were 26, 2nd 27 and our next one we will be 28 (technically I will have JUST turned 29, boo :mad:). All of our X cruises have been 10+ days.

 

We also see the split, we are in the traveling group. I keep saying after our next cruise (Greek islands, Istanbul, and a week after in Spain) we will try for kids... but I am still not sure. My goal is to graduate grad school before our next cruise (good motivation ;):D)

 

p.s.

Loving your review! I have never thought about Bermuda but you make it look good!

 

edit: Just saw the poster above me. There is definitely a trend with the late 20's age group!

Edited July 13, 2014 by CruisingGatorGirl

[prim8keeper]

My husband and I can relate to you and your experiences (we also happen to live in Atlanta ;)). Our first X cruise we were 26, 2nd 27 and our next one we will be 28 (technically I will have JUST turned 29, boo :mad:). All of our X cruises have been 10+ days.

 

We also see the split, we are in the traveling group. I keep saying after our next cruise (Greek islands, Istanbul, and a week after in Spain) we will try for kids... but I am still not sure. My goal is to graduate grad school before our next cruise (good motivation ;):D)

 

p.s.

Loving your review! I have never thought about Bermuda but you make it look good!

 

edit: Just saw the poster above me. There is definitely a trend with the late 20's age group!

 

Thanks! We were that age as well when we started sailing X. Out of four cruises two have been 10 nights and two 7 nights. We also have two more 7 night cruises booked, a 14 night, a 9 night and an 11 night. I think that's all of them. I would need to check my signature. LOL! I have a problem. :D I prefer to think of X as my kid that way spending such obscene amounts of money on cruises doesn't seem so bad.

[gsu_paintballer]

edit: Just saw the poster above me. There is definitely a trend with the late 20's age group!

 

I also happen to live in Georgia, too!