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Which Celebrity Summit Cruise?

lastchamp64

By lastchamp64,
in Celebrity Cruises

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lastchamp64

lastchamp64

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am planning a cruise for Jan or Feb of 2018 and am undecided between two itineraries on the Summit. Cost is not going to be an influence since they are both within in a couple hundred dollars of each other. Both are 7 day cruises. From the ports below, which would you all recommend that have been to these ports. My first cruise (other than a 3 day Bahama cruise 25 years ago) will be next May on the Norwegian Escape and doing a Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

 

First cruise is Jan 6th sailing from Puerto Rico:

 

Charlotte Amalie St Thomas

Basseterre St. Kitts

St. Johns Antiqua

Castries St. Lucia

Bridgetown Barbados

 

The second cruise is Jan 13th sailing from Puerto Rico

 

St. Croix USVI

Phillipsburg St. Maarten

Roseau Dominica

Bridgetown Barbados

St. Georges Grenada.

 

I appreciate the help.

Edited by lastchamp64
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JMG

JMG

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wow! They are both great itineraries! I tend to lean towards the 1/13 itinerary. IMHO, St Thomas is totally commercial. St Croix is a bit different. Dominica and Grenada were real gems! We totally enjoyed our time there. I do not remember the tour guide in Grenada but he stopped and bought bananas and at another stop he was able to get the monkeys to come out of hiding to get those bananas! Being part of his tour...we were aware that he was dong this. Soon...there was a crowd around from other tour guides watching him feed those monkeys. Made it a little special! Both itineraries include Barbados..I personally feel that shopping in St Maarten is much better than St Thomas!

 

Both itineraries are great...you really cannot go wrong!

Edited by JMG
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Judie

Judie

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Posted

Jan 6 sailing because it includes our favorite St Lucia. It is lush jungle with the pitons and volcano. Your itinerary might depend on what you're looking for. Scenery? Beaches? Snorkeling?

 

 

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sound_guy0918

sound_guy0918

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You can't go wrong with either.

 

St. Thomas is "the" shopping port if you are into that or else you can do a day trip to St. Johns or one of the amazing beaches on St. Thomas.

 

Antiqua is a pretty island with great British naval history if you are into that (think Gettysburg mixed with Hale Farm)

 

St. Lucia as mentioned has the Pitons

 

Barbados is beautiful and an excellent island for a sailing/snorkel excursion. We loved "Elegance Barbados"

 

St. Croix is a sleepy island and unfortunately the cruise port is at Fredricksted...the real action is in Christensted.

 

St. Maarten is one of our favorites. It's stunning. We did a boat tour with Captain Bob.

 

Dominica is a wilderness island with lots of opportunities for zip lines and river tubing.

 

(Have not yet been to Grenada or St. Kitts).

 

You will love either cruise! Next year you can do the alternate (although they do change slightly year-to-year...)

 

...and GO TRIBE! GO CAVS!

Edited by sound_guy0918
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Payd

Payd

Posted
Posted

I would go for #1 Love Antigua and St Lucia, bonus with Barbados.

 

Antigua water is heaven, St Lucia beaches amazing!

 

The Cosol tour recommended by another poster is great. Check reviews. Have done it twice. Second time still good but far too many people. Like a large scale cruise ship excursion (I would estimate 120+ people).

 

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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I'd go with #1 for St. Lucia, Antiqua and Barbados (Harrison's Cave was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen and riding through was a new experience! I was "underwhelmed" with St. Maarten...to me the best thing about it was the Blue Bitch Restaurant/Bar...but I know I'm in the minority on that one! :D

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bookitdanno

bookitdanno

Posted
Posted

We are going on the Summit out of San Juan in less than two weeks and were faced with the same dilemma.

 

We factored in the cost of air fare to San Juan, squeezed a couple more vacation days out, and are doing a Back-to-back of both cruises. Two cruises, but only one airfare.

 

Don't know if this would work or if it would be possible for you, but just thought I would throw it out there.

 

You can't really go wrong with either itinerary.

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bigbenboys

bigbenboys

Posted
Posted

There has been some talk on CC about the Celebrity Summit out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I just checked and in the months of Jan and Feb 2017 the Celebrity Summit out of San Juan only has 2 sailing and they are both in January 2017. For some reason the Celebrity Summit is chartered a lot. I'd booked both and hope you get one of the 2 cruises.

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lastchamp64

lastchamp64

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I appreciate all the opinions, it has been a great help. I'll be booking this in the next few days.

 

But I'll have to look at all these ports and book this trip in a few days. I'm sitting in a restaurant right now in Cleveland and have something very important that I have to do tonight and tomorrow. First, to watch the dropping of the championship banner and the ring ceremony at Quicken Loans Arena and then walk a few hundred yards over to my seat at Progressive Field for the first game of the World Series... 52 years of sports championship famine, I swear I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and this has all been just a dream. LOL

 

Cleveland... The City of Champions in 2016... Go Cavs, Go Tribe!!

Edited by lastchamp64
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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

Posted
Posted
I appreciate all the opinions, it has been a great help. I'll be booking this in the next few days.

 

But I'll have to look at all these ports and book this trip in a few days. I'm sitting in a restaurant right now in Cleveland and have something very important that I have to do tonight and tomorrow. First, to watch the dropping of the championship banner and the ring ceremony at Quicken Loans Arena and then walk a few hundred yards over to my seat at Progressive Field for the first game of the World Series... 52 years of sports championship famine, I swear I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and this has all been just a dream. LOL

 

Cleveland... The City of Champions in 2016... Go Cavs, Go Tribe!!

 

You have the Cavs....can't you give us the Cubbies!!! It's only been 100 years.:D

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Cuervosar

Cuervosar

Posted
Posted
I am planning a cruise for Jan or Feb of 2018 and am undecided between two itineraries on the Summit. Cost is not going to be an influence since they are both within in a couple hundred dollars of each other. Both are 7 day cruises. From the ports below, which would you all recommend that have been to these ports. My first cruise (other than a 3 day Bahama cruise 25 years ago) will be next May on the Norwegian Escape and doing a Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

 

First cruise is Jan 6th sailing from Puerto Rico:

 

Charlotte Amalie St Thomas

Basseterre St. Kitts

St. Johns Antiqua

Castries St. Lucia

Bridgetown Barbados

 

The second cruise is Jan 13th sailing from Puerto Rico

 

St. Croix USVI

Phillipsburg St. Maarten

Roseau Dominica

Bridgetown Barbados

St. Georges Grenada.

 

I appreciate the help.

 

Having never been in the area, and severely under the influence of cheap Chilean wine, I vote for the first.

 

Congrats on choosing Celeb. You are going to have an amazing time either way.

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stratixman

stratixman

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It is a toss up. Both are good itineraries and both depart from Puerto Rico,one of our very absolute favorite islands. So make sure to add a couple days before or after the cruise to enjoy Puerto Rico.

 

Dominica is a drop dead gorgeous volcanic island that is essentially an entire rain forest.The last indigenous Caribbean indian population lives on Dominica. There's a lot of outdoor adventure stuff to do, buy not as much beach stuff as other islands. It is not highly developed and not as frequented by cruises as other islands but is a not to miss port of call in our opinion if one has never been. St. Maarten is very interesting due to the split between the Dutch and French, plus Orient Beach if you are into skin, or Maho beach if you like to get blasted by incoming jets. It is pretty upscale and has a lot of nice shopping. It is a big favorite for us. St. Thomas has a lot of shopping and several world class beaches, or you can ferry to St. Johns for the day which has fantastic beaches too. St. Croix doesn't offer a lot, but you can visit the rum factory (I like rum factories). St. Lucia is quite beautiful and offers some nice beaches. We found Barbados quite interesting due to the history. Of the many ex British islands Barbados is one of the more upscale with some great history. Plus if she's in town you might be able to visit Rihanna (just kidding, if you try they will say she isn't home). It has been a few years but Grenada and Antigua probably impressed us the least. St. Kitts is quite lovely with a ton of history and some nice beaches. Just be careful and dodge the monkey business at the port (locals tossing monkeys on you, taking your picture and then demanding money.

 

If I had to pick I would probably pick the 1/13 itinerary.

 

One suggestion is that you check the US State Department advisories for these various islands regarding safety issues. Many of them are on advisory watch for crime, both personal and property. I don't say this to scare you away, only to alert you to items of some concern to be aware of at some of the ports of call.

 

PS: The Summit is a very nice ship and you should have a great time.

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Champagne Cruiser

Champagne Cruiser

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We have sailed both itineraries twice and far prefer the first one, so congratulations on your choice! If you love the beach you are definitely on the right cruise. On St Thomas, just get off the ship early and grab a cab to Magens Bay. It will get crowded later but get there early, rent chairs and put them under a tree. When you get hungry grab a slice of pizza and take it to the bar and sit facing the water. Do try their rum punches. They are my favorite.

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