New to Celebrity

[cruzrbachoua]

Hi everyone! Please forgive if this has been asked before, I have read over several threads but not found quite what I am looking for. First a little about us, DH and I are in our early 40's, not partiers, usually book Princess and no kids and forgive me if this is not politically correct tend to stay away from cruises with lots of kids. We are looking at doing the Summit to Bermuda and have some questions. We normally book inside cabins on Princess either mid-ship or mid-aft and not above or below a public deck as I am a light sleeper and it takes me a bit to fall asleep. So here are my questions:

 

1. Are there any tricks or secrets I should know about booking an inside cabin on the Summit?

2. I saw there are a couple of inside rooms that run parallel to the hallway while most run perpendicular is there a difference in these 2 rooms.

3. Anyone who has been to Bermuda can you tell me what month would be better June, July or August. We would like warm water as our last 2 cruises in March to the Caribbean had some cool water at least cooler than I expected for Caribbean as we are beach goers.

4. Also anyone that has flown in what airport as I see Newark is close but have had a hard time finding hotels that do an airport pickup near there...found one on Staten Island that dropped you at the ship which is neat but no airport pickup.

5. Which beach is better Horseshoe Bay or Elbow beach as I want to experience that wonderful pink sand and gorgeous water!

 

Also any info on Celebrity Summit and/or Bermuda would be greatly appreciated. I am a planner and love to have as much info as possible.

Thanks in advance!:)

[kenevenpar]

A lot of questions here. I can answer a few.

 

Newark is usually the airport of choice. Highly recommend the Departure Ports board. There are several posters who are fantastic with information on getting to Bayonne.

 

Most of the Summit cruises will have children; summer break and all. All three months are warm to hot, the water is usually warmest in August from my experience, but I have never found it cold. The earliest and latest cruises in the season may tend to have less kids due to school years.

 

Horseshoe is my choice, but Elbow is nice. Horseshoe has food and beverage, and is close to many of the other South coast beaches that should not be missed, at least a view from the road. Jobson'sCove, Church Bay are a couple that come to mind.

 

Summit is one of our favorite ships; I do not have any experience with the inside cabins, so cannot help in that regard.

 

Good Luck

[Bruin Steve]

Cassandra,

I can't answer much on Bermuda since I've yet to go there...but I will talk about what I can...

I am an Elite Plus cruiser on Celebrity, Platinum on Princess...

I GREATLY prefer Celebrity to Princess. I think they surpass Princess by a wide margin in a lot of categories. I don't think you will find the number of kids much different on Celebrity than on Princess...but a lot depends on whether school is in session or not. Definitely far fewer kids than on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL or Disney--which tend to cater to kids. Celebrity is a little more "adult" than most with much of the ships' open spaces dedicated to bars and lounges rather than to kid-friendly venues. There is plenty to do at night and on at sea days--so, if you want things to do, you won't be bored...but there's not the late night scene you might find on, say, Carnival...

 

One thing I love about Celebrity is how uncrowded the ships are...Summit will sail with about 2,000 passengers in a 91,000 gross ton ship--the space per passenger ratio far outdoes any Princess ships...and the venues are much more amply sized for the crowd...We never have any problem finding good seats for a show on Celebrity--even showing up right at curtain time-- whereas, on Princess, we've found we've had to show up over half an hour early just to get a seat...

 

As to inside cabins: All standard cabins on Celebrity ships are far more ample than corresponding standard cabins on Princess...and it's not the square footage necessarily--it's in the layout. Princess wastes square footage in hallways/dressing area/internal walls. With Celebrity, the inside cabins are pretty much identical to the OVs and balconies...just missing the window/balcony. You get a queen bed plus a small sofa and coffee table (not just the small chair you get on Princess). Other than orientation and a slight reshuffling of the furniture, I don't think there is a substantial difference between those perpindicular inside cabins and the standard ones...

 

Choose your inside cabin by preferred location--The view is the same from all of them!! I usually choose my cabins--whatever category they may be in--by location--preferring to be close to midship and elevators for convenience...and avoiding being right under the pool deck...There are lots of secrets for booking a balcony on Celebrity ships--many cabins have oversized balconies (like the Sweet 16 on the M-Class or the slant cabins on the S-Class), but insides are basically the same...

 

I think you will enjoy Celebrity...

Have fun...

[jsf]

While both of the beaches you mentioned are very nice try going one day to the northern part of the island to St. Georges and try Tobacco Bay. We were on the island for 3 days and enjoyed it very much. The bus and ferry service works very well also.

J.

[Champagne Cruiser]

Check the sticky at the top of the board for cabin info.

 

Both Horseshoe and Elbow are great for different reasons. I would try both going to Elbow ( which is the famous one for the pink sand)on Day 1 since everyone tends to go to Horseshoe on Day 1.

 

The earlier in June you go the less kids you will have. The later you go the warmer the water will be. Check websites for water temps and roll calls for kid indicators.

 

While on the Summit go to Cafe al Bacio for coffee and tea drinks ($), but the food is free. Afternoon tea (sandwiches and scones,etc) is at the Aqua Spa Cafe. Don't miss the sushi starting at 5:30 in the Oceaview Buffet.

[dkjretired]

Here is a link to the East Coast Departures board, the Cape Liberty 911 thread is especially useful. It explains directions, hotels, etc. Newark is absolutely the airport or choice, costs from the other airports are really quite a bit. The Staten Island hotel has been used by many and gets good reviews. The only problem with anything right now in Staten Island is that you have to take the Bayonne Bridge over to the hotel and back to the port. The Bayonne Bridge is under major construction and has been subject to weekend closures.

Many of the hotels in the area have hotel pickups, you have to look for hotels in the Elizabeth and Newark areas but the web east coast site will explain much of this.

 

The Bermuda board on cruise critic is excellent also. I was there last month and we went to the Coco Reef hotel for the day. We paid a fee and had full use of the hotel, pool, etc, beach which is adjacent to Elbow Beach. You also get a full lunch.

 

Any cruise in July and August will have loads of kids, we did first week in June and the weather was very nice and very few children. Most of the people on these cruises are from the tri-state area and schools let out mid to late June.

[cruzrbachoua]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

 

I looked at the sticky for cabins and maybe I missed it but seemed to be about more of the upper type cabins and not a lot about inside cabins. We book them because it affords us the luxury of going more often and we are hardly in them..but sadly not a lot of people chat about them.

 

I also checked the Bermuda page and found some info but was looking for things that maybe Celebrity people would know or have more info about since we would be on Celebrity.

 

Totally forgot about the departure page..will look at that later and will go over everyone's notes in depth when I get home. I did find a Hampton Inn in Elizabeth but the site didn't say anything about shuttles from airport or to port for that matter...may have to just call them. Also like to make sure there is something to eat around the hotel and possibly a store.

 

Oh two other questions...

 

Can I bring on a case of water? On Princess we just tape our printed luggage tags to the store bought case and give it to the porters with our big luggage and it shows up in our room.

 

I was reading some threads and let me know if I am reading this correctly...you cant go to your cabin to put your carryon down until they make the announcement that the rooms are available? On Princess we can access the room and drop our stuff with the knowledge that certain things may not be complete such as it may be in twins still when we requested queen, robes not there or other special items. Please let me know if I read that part right?:confused:

[Bruin Steve]

I was reading some threads and let me know if I am reading this correctly...you cant go to your cabin to put your carryon down until they make the announcement that the rooms are available? On Princess we can access the room and drop our stuff with the knowledge that certain things may not be complete such as it may be in twins still when we requested queen, robes not there or other special items. Please let me know if I read that part right?:confused:

 

I don't know about the water thing since I've never bothered schlepping on that much water...and, for the next two, I've got the all-inclusive drinks package...

 

But, as to the room availability question, I can confirm that this is the policy...

Though I have, on some cruises, been able to get the cabin stewards to let me drop off stuff upon boarding...

 

When you get to the ship, if you go to the cabin deck, chances are the big doors from the elevator lobby will be closed...

 

Also, though, when they announce cabins will be ready by 1:00, sometimes they are ready a little earlier...

[dkjretired]

Here is a link to the East Coast Departures board, the Cape Liberty 911 thread is especially useful. It explains directions, hotels, etc. Newark is absolutely the airport or choice, costs from the other airports are really quite a bit. The Staten Island hotel has been used by many and gets good reviews. The only problem with anything right now in Staten Island is that you have to take the Bayonne Bridge over to the hotel and back to the port. The Bayonne Bridge is under major construction and has been subject to weekend closures.

Many of the hotels in the area have hotel pickups, you have to look for hotels in the Elizabeth and Newark areas but the web east coast site will explain much of this.

 

The Bermuda board on cruise critic is excellent also. I was there last month and we went to the Coco Reef hotel for the day. We paid a fee and had full use of the hotel, pool, etc, beach which is adjacent to Elbow Beach. You also get a full lunch.

 

Any cruise in July and August will have loads of kids, we did first week in June and the weather was very nice and very few children. Most of the people on these cruises are from the tri-state area and schools let out mid to late June.

 

Sorry, I forgot to put in the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

 

You can absolutely bring water, just put a tag on it. I would also suggest a little duct tape so things don't come loose.

 

Celebrity will not allow you into the rooms until around 1, you can board around 11 and roam the ship or eat.

Edited July 28, 2015 by dkjretired

[Lois R]

Hi, this is from my experience when I cruised to Bermuda in August 2013

but just to make you aware, there are plenty of families sailing on this

itinerary....it is the summertime and the Tri-state area has lofs of folks

who take this cruise. Now, I am sure there are not as many as NCL,

but there will be more families than usual. This is just from my observation.

[cruzrbachoua]

One more silly question my DH just thought of. ..does celebrity do pre-cruise packages like princess does where you pay celebrity and when you get off the plane they have a ride for you and take you to the hotel they deal with and then they also have a shuttle/bus that takes everyone to the port. When we did princess CA/NE cruise they picked us up at lga took ud to their contracted hotel then the day of the cruise everyone who stayed met in the lobby and boarded a tour bus for the transport to red hook pier..does celebrity offer this type of extend your stay pkg?

[searoses]

I believe so but they are quite pricey and tedious to wait with many other cruisers for the shuttles.....for years now we stay where we want and get a cab....cheaper and faster.....enjoy....bermuda is a lovely cruise...

[midwestchick]

One more silly question my DH just thought of. ..does celebrity do pre-cruise packages like princess does where you pay celebrity and when you get off the plane they have a ride for you and take you to the hotel they deal with and then they also have a shuttle/bus that takes everyone to the port. When we did princess CA/NE cruise they picked us up at lga took ud to their contracted hotel then the day of the cruise everyone who stayed met in the lobby and boarded a tour bus for the transport to red hook pier..does celebrity offer this type of extend your stay pkg?

 

 

Yes, they do pre-cruise packages and transfers are included. We did one on. med cruise 2 years ago. I'm not certain if they do it for Bermuda though.

We sailed to Bermuda on June 21 and there were a LOT of kids on the cruise....never had my toes stepped on so much in my life...even had my foot run over by a kid pulling a suitcase. He turned around and looked at me, but did not apologize. No offense intended, but we won't sail a family type itinerary again. I was surprised at how many young children were at the Dancing With the Stripes Show and that went until around midnight. I have nothing against children but too many children on many vacations of ours were not supervised.

No flames please.

[cruzrbachoua]

No flames from me...I agree. I cruised in March to the Caribbean around spring break have you ever done one like that. ..would you say the summer cruises are same or worse? Do you know where I could find info on what hotels are used in the pkg? Princess has them on their site

[midwestchick]

No flames from me...I agree. I cruised in March to the Caribbean around spring break have you ever done one like that. ..would you say the summer cruises are same or worse? Do you know where I could find info on what hotels are used in the pkg? Princess has them on their site

 

If you book something now for next year, X won't even know for sure. They may tell you what hotels they usually use but they don't tell you or they don't decide until the time gets closer.

I called X to find out what hotels they use. We had 2 very nice ones and one I wasn't terribly impressed with...not horrible.

Honestly, For a Bermuda cruise, I would just do it on my own and pay for transfers. That's what we're doing for our Canada/NE cruise. Thinking back, I probably would have saved $$$$$$ doing our Med pre cruise on our own, but everything was taken care of, including our guide, tickets to all the sights, no waiting in line, etc. it was nice walking around the line of tourists at the Vatican, the Coliseum and all of the other places we visited in Venice, Florence and Rome and all transfers taken care of.

No, we've never done a spring break cruise and don't see that happening.

[DaisyGirl55]

Cassandra,

...There are lots of secrets for booking a balcony on Celebrity ships--many cabins have oversized balconies (like the Sweet 16 on the M-Class or the slant cabins on the S-Class), but insides are basically the same...I think you will enjoy Celebrity...

Have fun...

 

What is a slant cabin on the S-Class?

[Bruin Steve]

What is a slant cabin on the S-Class?

 

Look at a photo of an S-class ship (Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, etc.)...You will notice that the sides are not "flat"...they slant in and out in various places...

 

Now look at the Deck plans...You will see the same effect--though most of the plans make it look as though the cabins in the slanted areas are trapezoidal, they are not...ALL the cabins are the same size and dimensions...and are rectangular...How the slant is acounted for is that those cabins start along the same hallways as the ones next to them (inside the ship, the hallways merely jog over in right angles), so the extra space on the slant is accounted for in a trapezoidal shaped balcony--sort of like a standard rectangular balcony with an extra triangular piece extending it...

Depending on where on the slant they are, some of these cabins have balconies over two and one-half times the size of a standard balcony...

 

Sometimes, they are also referred to as "hump" cabins--a term more correctly used on Royal Caribbean--where bulges on the side of the ship are more in the form of a semicircular hump...

 

Click on the thumbnails below for photos of Cabin 2106 on Silhouette...one of those "slant" cabins with almost 3 times the normal sized balcony...

Edited July 29, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[midwestchick]

Is 6048 on the Summit considered a slant balcony? From the deck plan, it looks to be angled.

[Fish Lover]

Just a comment on kids. We cruised on the last cruise to Bermuda in August last year. There was, I think, two toddlers on board. I never saw any kids. Not even in the dining room or around the pool. The average age of passengers seemed to be from 40-75.

Of course there were some younger couples, but they seemed to be with extended family.

 

The Summit is also a smaller ship and no matter where you went, it never seemed overly crowded.

[RoxiRoo]

We sailed on the Summit a few years back and loved it. We will be sailing on her sister ship Infinity and booked an inside cabin after a bunch of research. We booked 7901. It is a newer cabin, a little bigger, midship and has cabins above and below. The research I did on this forum said that it was a quiet cabin, as is 7903. If you look at your deck plans you will see those larger interior cabins in the middle of the ship.

 

I will try to find the threads where I did the research. There is a couple that will be in that cabin, soon, also and they said they would let us all know how it is. They had friends in it before.

 

 

Hope this helps!

[cruzrbachoua]

Ooh great yes i will check that out once I get home and can get on the laptop

[Bruin Steve]

Is 6048 on the Summit considered a slant balcony? From the deck plan, it looks to be angled.

 

Basically, yes...although it's a phenomenon more commonly found on the S-Class ships--which have more angles...

 

That triangular shaped balcony on 6048 is larger than standard...

On the M-Cloass, the ones that don't show on the deck plans are the forward-most 8 balcony cabins on either side on Deck 6 (6030 and 6035 forward)--known on Cruise Critic as the "Sweet 16"...those have balconies roughly twice the size of standard--and are rectangular shaped...

[Champagne Cruiser]

If you cruise the first half of June or the last half of Aug you will not get many kids. But the best thing to do is check online the school calendars for the major cities in the tri state area, i.e. NYC, Newark, etc.

[cruzrbachoua]

We sailed on the Summit a few years back and loved it. We will be sailing on her sister ship Infinity and booked an inside cabin after a bunch of research. We booked 7901. It is a newer cabin, a little bigger, midship and has cabins above and below. The research I did on this forum said that it was a quiet cabin, as is 7903. If you look at your deck plans you will see those larger interior cabins in the middle of the ship.

 

I will try to find the threads where I did the research. There is a couple that will be in that cabin, soon, also and they said they would let us all know how it is. They had friends in it before.

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

Those cabin #s are not on the Summit..the area where they are at on the Infinity shows Acupuncture on the Summit. ....:confused:

[cruzrbachoua]

If you cruise the first half of June or the last half of Aug you will not get many kids. But the best thing to do is check online the school calendars for the major cities in the tri state area, i.e. NYC, Newark, etc.

 

Ooh Jean that is a great idea...I will do that.