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Trip Report from 7/16/17 Summit Cruise to Bermuda

CathyCU03

By CathyCU03,
in Celebrity Cruises

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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Was the carnival just for the youngest kids? We will be on the ship in two weeks with a 7 and 8 yo (plus an 11 and 12 yo) and I'm wondering if we should be prepared for this for the younger ones? And, if so, they need to have adult supervision it sounds like?

 

I know it included all the kids at the fun factory. I think that goes through 11. I'm not sure about the tween and teen groups.

You had to have an adult present. You could use the dinner party service that night but had to pick-up at 7pm. Then you were allowed to check your kids back in at 8:30.

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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Thanks to everyone who has com commented! It's good to know someone is reading :)

 

Day 6 - Part 2 - Leaving Bermuda

 

As concierge guests we were invited to sail away from the helipad in the front of the ship. Only guests 6YO and up were allowed so DH stayed in the room with DD and let her have a little ipad time. Honestly I don't think it would have mattered but it probably wouldn't have been that interesting for her. They also said you had to wear closed toed shoes and they were enforcing that rule. That made some ladies quite angry. I saw some women wearing slippers and even one woman wearing men's dress shoes. Whatever it takes!

 

A note about sailing concierge - I don't know what the price difference is since this cruise was my parents' treat - but i really did enjoy this event, the galley tour, special check-in lines and lunch the first day. We also got a few extra bags and other Celebrity junk which we could take or leave. The daily canapes were a total joke. One day we got crushed up potato chips and pineapple chunks. Several days we got some kind of dip like hummus but no bread or crackers to dip in it. I would happily trade 7 days of canapes for an extra bottle of champagne.

 

Back to sail away - we had to access the helipad through the theater and got to see the performers practicing the final show. It looked interesting but unfortunately a 9pm show just wouldn't work for DD so we didn't make it to any. Once we got up to the helipad they were serving champagne and OJ. So fun! We partook in several glasses and enjoyed the view. We even saw Captain Alex knocking through the glass to get our attention before blowing the horn.

 

Once we had pulled out of the harbor area I decided it was time to hit the shops. I was disappointed because they had been selling Bermuda t-shirts by the pool on one of the earlier sea days but I hadn't gotten one. They had some of the shirts but the sizes were pretty picked over. They were one for $17 or two for $20 and I just couldn't find two that would work and I didn't think one was worth $17. I made up for it in the jewelry store with a new pair of earrings and got DD a lego set of the boat. I also stopped by the art gallery (where they were serving more champagne). I fell in love with one of their paintings but after a great debate between DH and myself we decided it was not quite in the budget.

 

Tonight was the second casual chic night. We dressed up a bit but no ties for the men. It was also lobster night! Yum! Interestingly enough on the galley tour they told us the only food they serve that they don't bring with them from Bayonne is the lobster. It wouldn't be fresh enough if they had to carry it on board for several days. We had some excellent wine at dinner but again our servers seemed a little off. My Dad had ordered some kind of steak and asked to add a lobster tail on to make surf and turf. I asked for the same thing but they forgot my lobster tail. :( Eventually I got one but it was when everyone was almost finished with their entrees and came with all the sides which I didn't want. DD snuck away in the middle of the meal to visit the fun factory. After dinner and some more of that great Hungarian dessert wine we hit up the casino but weren't really feeling it. We picked up DD and put her to bed then checked out the karaoke and Motown trivia/dance party.

 

Overall we really enjoyed our time in Bermuda. It was very beautiful and the people were very friendly. I could see us going back especially since it's such a short flight from the east coast.

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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Day 7 - At Sea

 

It's hard to believe how fast time flies when you're on vacation. We woke up to an early delivery of pastries and cereal for DH and DD. I wanted to check out the full offering of breakfast options so I went up to the Oceanview Cafe buffet. I was a little disappointed till I spotted the egg benedict bar. I chose the smoked salmon and it was very tasty! They also had donuts which they don't offer on the room service menu.

 

After breakfast we went up to the pool for a swim. On my way to breakfast I checked to see if I could snag a chair - if you can't beat em join em! But at 8am every chair was already reserved. Urgh!! At least we found a bench we could put our bag on. Again there was plenty of room to swim and to relax in the hot tubs. DD and I enjoyed a morning pina coloda!

 

At 11:15 DD wanted to go to the fun factory to meet Captain Alex. She told us she asked him what he does when he gets lost. Apparently Captain Alex has a map on his phone to help him out. Who knew! The kids also got to take pictures with the Captain. The picture showed up on our picture account. It was absolutely horrible so we didn't buy it :)

 

We then went to the buffet for one last lunch. When we walked in DD was memorized - they set up a large chocolate fountain in the dessert area. After a few slices of pizza we let her check it out. They had strawberries, marshmallows, brownies and other fixings. You told the staff what you wanted and they put it on a skewer and dipped it in the chocolate. DD had marshmallows and DH and I tried the strawberries. It was tasty but since it comes in a fountain the chocolate doesn't really harden so it makes quite a mess.

 

After lunch DD went back to the fun factory so they adults could go to a wine blending class with Alex. This was really interesting. You got 4 mini bottles of red wine (cab sav, merlot, syrah, and grenache). We tasted each separately then then each table got to try blending several different wines. You used a special measuring pipet and beaker which made me feel like a chemist. We were asked to pick our favorite blend to submit for tasting by Alex and the other sommeliers. They picked their 2 favorites - one of which was ours! You could order bottles of your blend but we passed. It was a bit expensive and we figured we would leave it to the professionals! We appreciated that Celebrity offered some wine events above and beyond a generic tasting which we have done many times. There was a $35 fee for the class and I think it was worth it. You didn't end up drinking as much as in the food and wine pairing class but honestly after almost a week of vacation we didn't need it.

 

We relaxed on the balcony for a bit then I went to pick-up DD. I figured she could relax a bit while I started to pack. However, I failed to look on the schedule and didn't realize they were about to start the kids talent show. When I got there DD was devastated at the idea of missing it. She had signed up to sing a song. So I stayed to watch. The Shipmates (3-5YOs) went last and DD was in every act. She was in one dance with a little boy who didn't want to go alone. She then sang 2 songs, including an original about how much she loves to sing and how much she loves her mommy and daddy (so sweet - it melted my heart). Then the whole shipmates crew did a group dance. DD was quite the little performer and I'm glad I was there to get some pictures and video. I wish there had been an easy way to communicate back to the rooms because I'm sure DH and my parents would have enjoyed it. Point to Disney and their on board messaging app.

 

Since the talent show cut into my packing time we raced back to the room and I started throwing things in the suitcases while also trying to get ready for dinner. At dinner I finally tried the escargot which were buttery and tender. I also had the veal cordon bleu which was very tasty. DD went to the fun factory and we went back to the room to finish packing and get our suitcases out. We had told DD she could stay up late to go to the kids disco. I thought it would be family friendly songs and dancing but it was really a bunch of games put on by the fun factory staff set to music. While we didn't get to get our family groove on DD still had fun.

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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Day - 8 - Cape Liberty, Bayonne NJ

 

Vacation was officially ending. :( DD had a rough night with a probable ear infection so my Mom helped us out in the morning and got DH and I some coffee and pastries while we finished packing. My parents then went to the dining room for breakfast where they said there was a long line and the standard menu. Around 8:15 we went to our assigned lounge. We were group 7 and were probably called a little after 9. We found our luggage easily and made it through customs quickly. We were in the car driving away by 9:45.

 

Thanks for reading. I'll leave you with a few sunset pictures since I can't remember what night I took them. Do you see the alligator?

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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These are awesome! Thank you. Are the concerts such as Chicago, Earth, Wind and Fire, Journey real live in person with these bands? (DH said that would be "pretty cool."). Middle agers here... :)

 

Funny my DH said the same thing when we first saw it! I think they just play recordings of the concerns on the movie screen.

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I_r_a

I_r_a

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Hi CC,<br><br>> There was one lady taking up a whole row of about 8 chairs. I asked

her if she was using them all or if I could just use one chair and she

said no they were all taken.<br><br>And you said, "OK, I'll just use this one until whoever reserved it comes back".<br><br>Ira<br>

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CathyCU03

CathyCU03

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Did you have to go up steps to get through the theatre to the helipad? If so, do you know if there is an alternate way to get there without steps?

 

Yes. The invitation said you must be able to climb stairs. You had to climb through a sort of submarine style door then up about 6 steps. It didn't look like their was an alternative way.

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