Canada/ New England Summit 6/27- 7/7

[rebeccalouiseagain]

This was my 12th Celebrity cruise and my 3rd time on Summit. I was cruising solo.

 

Parking in Bayonne is $20 per day in a five story garage next to the terminal. Easy

Embarkation was fast. I was in the "elite" line, but the other lines weren't long (at 1PM)

 

Condition of the ship was great. You really had to look to find fault.

 

My cabin 2156 was an inside/ midship deck 2. It was fine but I don't like the closets in the stateroom (tight squeeze opening and closing doors while looking for items in the closets) . There was plenty of space for my things.

 

I loved the 10 day itinerary which included New Port RI (my new favorite port), Portland Maine (also a great port), Bar Harbor, St. John NB, Halifax NS and Boston.

 

Highlights of the cruise were whale-watching off the coast of Nantucket (we saw hundreds of hump back whales), Captain Kate- who is lovely, funny and engaging, and even though the tendering into RI took longer than expected- it was my favorite port. Tendering into town was spectacular watching all the sail boats and yachts. I took the Newport Trolley ride from the Visitors Center in town. It was $25.00, one and a half hours and a great overview of the town. Loved it! They offer a three hour version as well (that includes time to explore the mansions- Rosecliff, The Breakers or the Marble House). Seas were incredibly smooth- almost no motion.

 

Pros of the ship- the food was very good in all venues. The ship never seemed crowded. Passengers trended older on this cruise- probably because it was a 10 day and because of the itinerary. Average age was around 70. The crew was good, but not excellent. I think they are overworked. Some crew members were better than others. My cabin steward did a great job. I thought my bed was too firm and he brought me a thick mattress topper, which made it much more comfy. My two favorite spots were Revelations on Deck 11 (loved the elite happy hour each night!) and Cafe Bacio by the windows. Neptunes, the Polish Violinist and Violaist were a real treat. Such lovely girls and so talented.

 

Cons. I find the coffee on the ship bitter. Even the pay coffee is just so-so. The in cabin movies cost $14.95, which is really expensive. There is nothing good on the television, so you almost have to buy at least one movie. I bought three. I never tried Sushi on Five and really missed Bistro on Five. I was excited to try out the Rooftop Terrace on deck 12. It requires walking up a steep set of outdoor stairs and there is no elevator (the wheel chair one was broken). The location was a bit windy at the back of the ship and there weren't many movies I was interested in seeing. There was no bar service from there or popcorn or anything. This cruise they offered first run movies, but there was no special "Chef" night like I'd read about. Beauty and the Beast, The Shack, The Wall, King Kong, Fences, Hidden Figures and Star Wars were the ones shown. It's not a great venue in my opinion. I was disappointed. The vibe onboard was pretty dull. I've noticed that there are fewer things that interest me. Trivia was meh, no games like pictionary or scattergories. The library had few, if any, books (except a book case of Spanish ones, and about 12 English speaking ones). There were no painting classes, towel folding, no fruit carving or ice sculpture demonstrations. We overnighted in Halifax (Canada Day) and Boston (4th of July). I was disappointed that there was no poolside buffet for either event. Thankfully- Boston had fireworks going off from all directions (180 degrees worth). So you got to see lots of fireworks from the ship.

 

Disembarkation took about 45 minutes from the time you found your luggage. Long lines to get through customs. Plan accordingly. I recommend doing walk off if you have to be a the airport by 9AM. I would not risk taking a flight that departs before 11AM.

 

Would I sail Celebrity again? Yes. Is it my favorite cruise line? No. Princess delivers a better overall experience for me and if the itinerary was the same- I'd definitely go with Princess.

Edited July 7, 2017 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Fish Lover]

Thank you for taking the time to write a real review of your cruise.

Celebrity is our favorite line but that's because of the Bayonne departure and Blu. We have also enjoyed Princess, but our last cruise (albeit about 12 years ago) left us with a very bad experience regarding their security and we haven't sailed since.

We enjoy Summit, although we do wish they would amp up their trivia, games, and things to do such as painting, etc.

 

My daughter lives and works in Newport and as such takes how great the area is for granted!

[SailBadtheSinner]

Thanks for the review, but it is not New Port, RI but Newport, RI. Anyway, it was still a very good review.

 

SBtS

[easyboy]

Thank you for your review.

[TeeRick]

Thanks for the review. We are doing Canada/NE on Summit in September.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

I wish Celebrity would do early summer (pre Hurricane season) Boston to Montreal & Montreal to Boston cruises. I'm from Rhode Island so I don't need to see more that one stop in Maine. But stops in Nova Scotia, The French (yes owned by France) Islands of St Pierre & Miquelon which lie just south of Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Gaspe, Quebec City & Montreal. would make a great cruise route.