Review- Celebrity Summit -10/7-10/21/2018 Canada/New England

[CruisinNewb]

I like to post long detailed reviews as it helps me a lot when planning and I know some enjoy "coming along" for the trip. I like to be non confrontational but I'm always honest whether my comments are positive or negative. I hope you all take them in the manner in which they are intended: An attempt to be helpful and one person's opinion. So.. if you are looking for a posting with short synopsis of our trip... this ain't it 🙂 

 

We are a married couple, me in my late 50's and my wife is in her early 50's. We have two adult children who we enjoy cruising with but they were unable to join us for this one. This was our 8th cruise and our 6th on Celebrity and our second time on the Summit. We started cruising in 2008 with a trip to Alaska on Celebrity Infinity and have stayed pretty loyal to Celebrity with a few cruises on Disney.

 

We booked this cruise while on the Reflection way back in January of 2017. We stayed in a midship balcony cabin on the starboard side of the ship. The itinerary was a 14 day cruise round trip from Bayonne, New Jersey with stops scheduled in Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax. 

 

Day 1 - Embarkation

 

We  like to maximize our enjoyment of our cruise so we always try to arrive early. We had a car service pick up our way too many bags of luggage and they even managed to fit us in as well 🙂  The drive from our home to the pier was quick and uneventful and it was the quickest I have ever made it through the Holland Tunnel in NYC. The Bayonne Bridge which would have been the preferred route to the pier was closed for maintenance. We were met by a porter who politely took our bags and we were checking in at the terminal by 9:45 AM. At that time there was no line although there were probably over a hundred people already checked in and seated. Check in took all of 5 minutes and we were given our sea pass cards and directed to seating. 

 

The seating area was well marked with separate areas for Suites/Elites/Concierge and the rest of us. We had some pleasant conversation with a nice gentleman from Ireland, living in England seated next to us when I saw across the sea of chairs the organizer of our Cruise Critic roll call, Jim aka here on cruise critic as DrKoob. As an aside Jim did an amazing job organizing the roll call, creating a website and providing a welcoming place for everyone to talk, exchange ideas, form tours and create friendships. I walked over and chatted with him and his lovely wife Kathleen and then returned to my seat. Celebrity had originally made an announcement about boarding beginning at noon but then made another one saying that to allow us to enjoy more time on board it would begin at 1130AM. I think it actually began even earlier and once it did it proceeded very smoothly. I'd say within 10 minutes we were onboard and heading to the Oceanview Cafe.

 

I really love that first moment stepping onto the ship knowing you have your entire vacation in front of you.  We found a seat in an as yet uncrowded Oceanview Cafe and enjoyed the wide variety of salads, hot and cold dishes and had our first cocktail, planning to take full advantage of our premium drink package. 

I'm not going to go into detailed reviews about every meal we had but as a disclaimer I will say that I am vegetarian and will try to give that perspective when discussing food choices as well as my wife's opinions as a life long carnivore. The food was good and plentiful although I much prefer the S Class ships buffet arrangement to the M Class ones. Throughout the trip we encountered long lines of people waiting for a particular item and that line inhibited access to other areas of the buffet. Poor design. 

 

After lunch the buffet was getting crowded so we vacated our table and roamed around a bit before the cabins were ready around 1PM. We were fortunate in that when we arrived all of our luggage had arrived before us. The cabin was in great shape, a few signs of wear, a little rust on the balcony but clean and comfortable. Very impressive on a ship almost 20 years old in my opinion. The balcony door whistled a little later on in the cruise when it got windy  but otherwise no complaints. There was plenty of storage even though I overpacked as usual. Six pairs of shoes for a guy, come on. What can I say. I took advantage of the fact we didn't need to fly to the port for a change. We quickly gave the cabin a wipe down, disinfecting an already clean cabin, unpacked our bags and headed to the Martini Bar on Deck 4. The Martini Bar would be one of our frequent haunts on this trip. When we had sailed on the Reflection in the caribbean back in January 2017 we had our first experience with a premium beverage package. We enjoyed it so much that since then we always upgrade to it. It's not that we are huge drinkers but we just enjoy the freedom that we never have to worry about if such and such a drink is included and I prefer the more expensive vodkas not included in the classic beverage package. Other then a few of the more expensive beers or larger bottles at Cellar Masters almost everything else was included. Our wine palate run to the more mundane and we were always able to find a wine we enjoyed whether in the lounges, Cellar Masters or in the Cosmopolitan Restaurant that was included at the included price point. Did we save money? Probably not. But for the convenience it was worth it to us. Your mileage may vary.

 

This was our first experience frequently visiting the Martini Bar on an M class ship and it didn't disappoint. Some signs of age perhaps like the refrigeration couldn't keep a small part of the bar constantly frozen but otherwise it looked in great shape. The bartenders we got to know included Togi, Rudy and Reddy. All did an excellent job attending to the thirsty patrons. I never had to wait long for a drink the entire two weeks of the cruise. 

 

Soon it was time for the muster drill. Our muster station was near the photo area and the drill went quickly. 

 

Next it was time to meet our roll call at the Sunset Bar on Deck 10 for the Sail-a-way party. Our roll call consisted of about 150 cruise critic members organized as I mentioned before by Jim (Dr. Koob). Jim had name tags already prepared with photos that we provided to him earlier. It made an easy job of identifying all the various people we had been talking with during the past 18 months. Thank you Jim!  I got to mingle and met some very nice people while my wife took a well deserved map and met me later. We had a beautiful day for sail-a-way and were on our way!

 

We went back to our cabin and changed for dinner. We had late seating by our choice. I know many people prefer select dining but I heard several complaints about long waits or the staff at the restaurant asking some to come at the same specific time each night. Late seating worked for us although I could see a large portion of the dining room was not used. We stopped by the Martini Bar again for a pre dinner cocktail and some conversation and then headed to the early theatre show. I'll review the entertainment later. Overall the quality of the ship performers were better then I had experienced in the past. The lead singers had better voices, they sang more in harmony, and some of the shows were actually decently choreographed and arranged. The female singers outperformed the men which in my opinion is usually the case. The dancers were ok and high energy. I'll review the other entertainment in other entries. The aerialists were talented although the ones on the Eclipse in January of 2017 performed more varied and daring routines.

 

After the show we headed to dinner. Our table was on the upper floor on the left side ear the back next to a window. Unfortunately that by the time we ate the sun had set and there wasn't anything to see. Our table was for two which we found we didn't like. After days of socializing and meeting so many great people it was kind of lonely at dinner. Next cruise if we aren't traveling with friends or family we will request a large table. Although we were very close to another couple at a table for two, they didn't speak any english so we were unable to converse. Our waiter was Anderson who did a great job. I told him I was a vegetarian and he made sure that every night in addition to the regular menu I had the vegetarian menu as well. Diwa was our assistant waiter who was nice but seemed like he had too many tables to tend to. Several nights we didn't even see him as there were other assistants tending to us. Richard was our sommelier and made a good suggestion on a Riesling we really enjoyed. He made sure our glasses stayed filled. Although we were the last table he tended to, we were served in a  reasonable time. He didn't seem stressed like a previous sommelier we had on the Reflection who was basically running from table to table trying to keep everyone content. We didn't see a beverage server until day 4 of our cruise when I mentioned I would like a coke. Every day from then on I was greeted with a glass of ice and a coke when I arrived. Unfortunately I didn't want one every night. Towards the middle of the cruise he got it down and actually asked what I wanted. 

 

General review of the dining room food. From a vegetarian point of view it was just ok. Yes there are now several choices of entree, appetizer and at least one soup. That said I think they can do a lot better.  One word, Eggplant. It's a common vegetable many vegetarians and non vegetarians enjoy. I don't think there was one entree that used it. A few appetizers was about it. How about some Tofu or Seitan. Nope. Many people eat these things. How about something in a risotto other then the usual mushroom. One issue I encountered was the vegetable in the appetizer was usually the same vegetable used in the main course.

Despite my short rant, most of the vegetarian dishes were tasty.

My wife enjoyed most of her meals, mostly beef and fish. She had a pork chop one night that almost slid off her plate as she tried to cut it 🙂

Portion sizes were small but with the variety of courses we were always full when we left dinner.

 

After dinner we roamed the ship looking for live music. Our favorite was Jessica the guitarist. It was a shame they usually relegated her to the foyer or the staircase as we really enjoyed her singing and guitar. There was an enjoyable duo of Hannah and James (not sure on his name). The house band was Elite. Hmm what can I say. The first night I wished she had turned up the volume on her mic as I couldn't hear her above her band. The 2nd night I heard her I wished her mic was lower. I will say the lead singer improved a lot as the cruise progressed. She was also impossible to understand when she spoke. Maybe it was her Scottish accent or maybe my hearing is going, I don't know. Their song selection was repetitive. I still preferred them to the DJ. I think if I heard Disco Inferno from the DJ one more time I would have gone overboard.

I love live music Celebrity. Many people enjoy live music. If you want the Revelations lounge filled late night you need to improve here. The game shows and newlywed game and other events in Revelations were well attended. As soon as they ended, the place emptied so quick you thought someone yelled fire.

 

Well that was our first day. More to come.

 

**Attached photo of the Summit was not from Embarkation Day but I thought it would be a good opening photo of the ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[barneyboy]

Looking forward to reading your review. My husband and I will be doing this cruise next September 

[PelicanLvr]

Will be on Summit in January.  Looking forward to reading your report!

[CruisinNewb]

Some photos of the first day. Excuse the poor quality as they were taken on my phone, emailed, uploaded, blah blah blah and lost some quality.

Edited October 27, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[CruisinNewb]

Day 2 - Sea Day

 

Some people don't like sea days. I love them. To me, they are a major reason why I love to cruise: to relax and unwind. Don't get me wrong. I love visiting different cities, seeing the sights, enjoying the local cuisine and meeting the people. But beginning a cruise with a sea day is a perfect way to start for me.

Not setting the alarm clock is just one of the many perks of not having to leave the ship. We enjoyed a good night's sleep. The cabin was comfortable, the heat/ac worked well for us although I heard reports from others that their cabins were too hot or too cool and they had problems regulating the temperature. In fact I saw two officers entering a Celebrity Suite where the occupant was none too happy about their inability to fix something the first attempt. I am not sure if it was the heat/AC or some other issue. We were fortunate. While I am talking about the ship condition I will mention the smell. The first few days there was no issue but by about day 4 we noticed a foul smell in the hallway between our cabin and the stairway. It wasn't always present but it was a daily event for about 4 or so days and then didn't seem to recur. 

Anyway we got ready for our day. Normally we would have hit the gym but an unfortunate collision between my foot and my suitcase (which my foot seemed to find in the dark the night before our trip) resulted in a broken toe (or toes) so no gym reports this trip. The bathroom was appropriately outfitted with the usual acceptable bath products, Storage was fine for our needs. I do like the S class showers better with the door instead of the curtain but the water pressure and temp controls worked well. Menino, our stateroom attendant, kept the bathroom (and the rest of the cabin) spotless our entire vacation.

We like to eat breakfast in the oceanview cafe as we enjoy the selection. Everything is there: pancakes, eggs made to order, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, poached eggs, muffins, pastries, bagels, cheeses, english breakfast items,  etc etc etc. After we secured a table I headed to look for my beloved Celebrity waffles (Thanks to Texed for turning me onto to these waffles) and found no one tending the station and two sad looking waffles all alone. I took them anyway and was disappointed to see the assortment of toppings which use to include strawberries had changed to strawberry syrup and some flavored whipped creams. Where was my orange butter! Celebrity please bring it back as the flavored whipped creams are a poor substitute. I also noticed that when I put the spoon in to get some whipped cream the center was frozen since it was obviously prepared in advance and then thawed, but apparently not long enough.  While returning to the table we had secured I saw Jim and Kathleen who invited us to join them so I found my wife and we had a very enjoyable breakfast together.

In my opinion the breakfast selection is good. There is a wide variety, mostly tasty although the coffee still leaves a lot to be desired. It is always crowded at breakfast in the Oceanview cafe, more so on a sea day especially if you tend to eat later. That said, it is usually possible to find a table on the first pass through or you can just ask to join others who have empty seats which is a great way to meet others and make some new friends. It was nice to see several celebrity servers assisting people with mobility issues by carrying their plates or helping them find a table.

Since the coffee was bad we went to Plan B and went down to Al Baccio the coffee shop on Deck 5 and had some delicious lattes to make up for it. You can either get table service or they have a "to go" line. Both options are usually quick and we never had a long wait here during the cruise. I'd suggest if you want a sweet with your coffee that you take a look at what they have at the counter before you site at a table as the selection changes and they are not listed on the menus at the tables. The cakes, cookies, donuts etc. are free but there is a charge for the coffees if you don't have a beverage plan. In my opinion, the desserts here are much better then the main dining room or the buffet. 

After coffee we went to the Cruise Critic Connections Party which was held in the Rendezvous Lounge on Deck 4.

It was fairly crowded when we arrived. They had the usual selection of juices, soft drinks snacks etc, but we were very full after Al Baccio and just wanted to socialize. The usual cadre of officers stayed for a few minutes, welcomed us and then left. Celebrity provided little sticky name tags but Jim outdid them again with another round of photo IDs which made getting to know others that much easier.  We met some nice people and was asked by Marie from our roll call if we were interested in joining a small group in Qsine, one of the specialty restaurants for dinner and we were happy to. We went upstairs to Deck 11 and Marie was able to negotiate a reduced price for our group of 9 and made our reservation.

Afterwards my wife and I decided to try a game of trivia held in Revelations on Deck 11. A gentleman named Orin asked if he could join us and later we were also joined by Derek and Anne, The 5 of us (and Orin's wife Carrie on occasion) formed a group called the Woodentops and gathered together as often as we could for trivia. The group make it so much more fun , especially since I'm not particularly gifted in trivia knowledge 🙂

There are many different types of trivia during the cruise from general knowledge to music to what they call "progressive" where they total the points from each progressive game and have a grand total at the end of the cruise to determine winners. We wound up getting 1st place but only because Jim's group didn't show up on the final sea day as I am sure they would have finished 1st. We each wound up receiving a Celebrity towel for our efforts.

 

Tonight was the first of three evening chic nights which replaced formal night a while ago.. There use to be a lot of debate about what constituted proper attire. All I will say is that the vast majority of people looked lovely. A few tuxedos for the men, some suits, sport jackets and some more casual attire mixed in. For the women a few evening gowns but mostly dresses, skirts, pantsuits. 

After dinner we headed up to the lounge for some music and dancing (not easy with broken toes, lol) and then to bed before out first port tomorrow.

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I did this cruise last year and loved it.  Good balance of port and sea days.  A big part of the enjoyment was Captain Kate and Maja, the suite manager.  Both have moved on.  How is the ship with the new crew?

[signman]

Loving your review so far.

[davekathy]

Thanks for inviting us to come along on your cruise. We are doing this cruise 8 September 2109. 

[cruiseral70]

We're also doing this cruise on 8 September 2019.  Our Roll Call is picking up speed.

Can't wait for the next episode of your fascinating review.  Keep them coming!

Alan & Maggie

[CruisinNewb]

On 10/27/2018 at 11:51 AM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I did this cruise last year and loved it.  Good balance of port and sea days.  A big part of the enjoyment was Captain Kate and Maja, the suite manager.  Both have moved on.  How is the ship with the new crew?

 

Ship seems great with the new crew. I know Captain Kate has a huge following though I never really have much interaction with the Captain and we don't sail in suites so I couldn't tell you who the new manager is.

 

Captain got us where we needed to be safely which is my idea of a great captain.

 

Other officers on the ship were outgoing and friendly.

 

Staff at the martini bar was great. Patrick was the CD and he was good as well.

[CruisinNewb]

Day 3 -  Boston, Massachussets

 

Today was our first port of call. Boston. Mass. Since my older child attended college here we have spent a lot of time in Boston and the surrounding area during those 4 years. It is a great city, and very easy to navigate on foot if you have good weather and no mobility issues.

We were lucky that it was unseasonably warm during our visit. Our plan was to walk the freedom trail. To avoid crowds later in the day, we decided we would start there rather then the other end of the trail at Boston Commons.

After an early breakfast we met up with Eileen and Bob from our roll call and shared an Uber to the USS Constitution. The Uber driver was there within 5 minutes although she did get a little lost and we had to walk a block to meet her. No biggie. It was relatively cheap especially sharing the cost and my $10 off coupon and we were there within 15 minutes. We arrived before opening so we spent 10 minutes walking around the yard and looking at one of the berths where they performed repairs. To board the ship, you had to go through security as it is still a commissioned vessel within the US Navy. Once onboard there are volunteers dressed in period garb explaining the history of the ship as well as its function and answering questions. We spent about 20 minutes walking around. There are steep narrow steps to get to the lower decks and you have to watch your head at places due to the low ceiling height. With all our visits to Boston this was the first time we visited and we were so glad that we did. She is a beautiful old ship and such a rich part of our history. After visiting the ship/or before, you can visit the adjacent museum for more information and displays of items removed from the vessel and detailed explanation on the ship and its contents.

After our visit we left Bob and Eileen to proceed at their own pace and began our tour of the Freedom trail. I downloaded two free apps on my phone through which you could navigate the freedom trail vis the GPS on your mobile phone. I have since deleted them and don't recall their names although one was provided by the NPS (National Park Service). There is also a free map you can get from the museum. We decided to bypass Bunker Hill but other then that we made all the stops on the trail. We didn't enter most of the buildings except one as we had been to some before although I think we did go to the Paul Revere house. We stopped along the way for lunch at the Bell in Hand Tavern, in business since 1795. Had a very enjoyable lunch and journeyed on. We kept a leisurely pace and made it all the way to Boston Commons. From there we made our way to Quincy Market and strolled through the shops. Leaving the market we ran into Jim and Kathleen from our roll call and then went over to the waterfront. 

We decided at this point since it was getting quite warm that discretion was the better part of valor and called an Uber for a 5 minute ride back to the ship.

I think we left the ship a little after 9AM although we had docked several hours earlier. From my memory we returned somewhere between 2 and 3 PM. We headed back to our cabin, freshened up and hung out at the martini bar for a bit before getting ready for another great evening aboard the Summit.

 

Edited October 29, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[phabric]

I am following along.

[Jim_Iain]

Just subbed to your blog.  Really enjoying your journal.    I especially took not of what you did in Boston as we will be stopping there in  a couple weeks.   I'm off to the App Store to find the Boston Trail Apps.  

[gerelmx]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Just subbed to your blog.  Really enjoying your journal.    I especially took not of what you did in Boston as we will be stopping there in  a couple weeks.   I'm off to the App Store to find the Boston Trail Apps.  

 

deleted posted in the wrong thread

Edited October 29, 2018 by gerelmx

[Jim_Iain]

A quick question.    Did Celebrity provide a shuttle in Boston?   If so do you know where the drop off point was?

[CruisinNewb]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

A quick question.    Did Celebrity provide a shuttle in Boston?   If so do you know where the drop off point was?

I believe they did although I am not 100%. I think it stopped in the Quincy Market area. Also believe you could get a round trip back to the ship.

I threw out all of our Celebrity todays so I am going from memory and I didn't use the shuttle.

[CruisinNewb]

Day 4 - Portland, Maine

 

This was my first visit to Maine and my wife hadn't been to Portland so we were very much looking forward to this port.  We arrived to another sunny day. 

We had signed up for a 3 1/2 tour with Scenic Route Maine Tours that was heading to Kennebunkport. Our departure time was at 9:45AM so we had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and we met our roll call mates Eileen and Bob again for this excursion.  We headed off the ship, turned left along the walk and found our minibus. Our driver/guide whose name I unfortunately have forgotten did a great job explaining Portland's history and recent popularity. We made the trip out to Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, passed the famous Wedding Cake house, stopped across the water from President George Bush's home (and the adjacent homes for the rest of his family and secret service personnel). and then went back into town. We were given about 90 minutes to eat explore, etc before the return trip back. We chose to eschew lunch as we had plans to eat back in Portland and used the time to explore the quaint little town. We purchased a few souvenirs for family and stopped in a local spot for a coffee but only because the ice cream shop had a very long line, haha. While waiting for the meeting time we had a nice conversation with a woman on a bus trip from Georgia. It is always nice to meet people from different places when traveling. One of my favorite things to do.

The ride back was picturesque and our driver/guide dropped a bunch of us off in town instead of at the ship so we could continue to explore Portland.

We stopped off for lunch at a restaurant called the Thirsty Pig. We like to sample local craft beers when we can. Had a very good Orono Fruitful Kettle Sour and a vegan sausage. Pretty good. Bought a few more souvenirs and headed back to the ship for more martini bar time, dinner and entertainment.

[jimbri]

Enjoying your review!

[CruisinNewb]

Day 5- Bar, Harbor, Maine

 

Well it was supposed to be Bar Harbor. This was one of the ports we were most looking forward to. My wife hadn't been there since she was a child and I had never been there. The night before there was some talk of past cruises missing this sort due to bad weather.  Since I had WiFi i had kept checking and I knew it wasn't looking good. They were predicting strong winds and rough seas. Since this was a tender port I knew there was a good chance this would be cancelled. 

We went to bed the night before and hoped for the best. We had a reservation with Oli's Trolley for a 4 hour trip to Acadia National Park at 930. We woke up early as we didn't have any priority for tenders and wanted to make sure we would be on shore in plenty of time. There was no message about the port being cancelled so we headed to the buffet. Several people were saying they heard that the port was cancelled but no one knew for sure. The fact that we were traveling at a good clip and the winds were pretty strong led me to believe that it was cancelled. After breakfast we headed to Al Baccio for decent coffee and my wife was approached by a ship's officer who told her the port was cancelled due to weather. The officer said they were telling people as they saw them and that an announcement would be made at 9AM.

Now I know there is no way to prevent this. The Captain has no control of the weather. The rough seas would have made tendering a nightmare especially with the mobility challenged. Rain and all that bouncing around would have surely resulted in some injuries getting on and off. I also realize they didn't want to make an announcement early in the morning. Patrick said they had made the decision to cancel at 5AM. Couldn't they have left messages on the cabin phones so when we awoke we could have checked the message and decided to sleep in?  I know they have the ability to leave messages without the phone actually ringing. That was my only beef. The Captain's concern was for everyone's safety and I believe he made the right call here.

Despite our disappointment, we decided to make the most of our extra sea day. Patrick our cruise director had his staff create a new activity schedule for the day. We spent a lot of it playing trivia with our new friends Derek and Anne, eating too much, visiting the bars and relaxing. 

 

Day 6 - Sea Day (scheduled)

 

More of the same sea day goodness except we got to sleep in. 

 

Day 7 - Sea Day (scheduled) 

 

The Captain had announced either yesterday or the day before that his staff was able to arrange with the authorities in Quebec an earlier arrival time. So instead of arriving 10AM the morning of Day 8 (which was a Sunday) we actually arrived around 7- 8 PM on Saturday night. So we got an extra evening in Quebec City.

It was much appreciated although we didn't take advantage of the extra evening due to the fact that we had dinner reservations at Qsine with some new friends we met through our roll call.

The views cruising up the St. Lawrence River were breathtaking with the autumn colors on full display. We had slowed down our approach due to the presence of Right whales in the area although they were shy and didn't want me to take their photo. 😉 

Unfortunately I had written down the wrong time and thought we were 20 minutes early for dinner when in fact we were 10 minutes late. My apologies to our table mates: Marie, Steve, Sue, Stu, Eli, Lisa and Gerardo..

For those of you who haven't dined there, QSine is one of the Summit's specialty restaurants located on Deck 11, midship. We had a table for 10 although there were 9 of us and had a beautiful view of the Chateau Frontenac. Luckily were were docked at Berth 22 in Quebec City which has an amazing view of the hotel. It is especially lovely at night when it is all lit up. 

At QSine you are each given tablets with icons corresponding to various dishes where you can order directly from the tablet. Our waiter explained the process and made some suggestions and said he would bring out several dishes at a time and space it out so we didn't feel rushed. He asked if there was any special dietary restrictions and I told him I was vegetarian. He pointed out what I could eat and also had some vegetable kebabs prepared for me which he brought out the filet mignons for the rest of the table. The food was delicious and plentiful. We spent over 3 hours there. It was a good meal with great people.

We spent the rest of the night listening to music at Revelations.

 

Disclaimer: Photo of Chateau Frontenac was not taken while we were in QSine.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[CruisinNewb]

Days 8 & 9, Quebec City, Quebec

 

Originally our plan for our first day in Quebec was to depart the ship when it arrived at 10AM. Since we actually arrived last night, we were able to get off the ship earlier and think we were off the ship around 9AM.  As I mentioned in my last post, we were docked at berth # 22 which gave us an amazing view of Chateau Frontenac and the lower city. For those of you who have never been the city is broken up into the lower part the Petit Champlain and the upper. The elevation change between the two is large. One can walk up a series of stairs or take the Funicular which is a cable car type of device which quickly brings you to the top. Cost is 5 Canadian dollars (cash only). Conveniently it exits very near the Chateau Frontenac. Having a few broken toes I decided discretion was the better part of valor and we decided to walk to the Funicular. We saved the Petit Champlain for day two.

We had discovered months before our cruise that the Quebec City marathon was scheduled to run during our visit. Since we were going to walk about on our own we didn't think this would be an issue. Wrong! The route for the runners was such that no matter what street we chose, we had to cross the route to get to the funicular. Most of the security made it very difficult to cross, even when there were no runners in sight. Finally we found a path where we were able to cross and we made our way to the funicular. The line to ride extended out of the building but in total we waited less then 10 minutes for our turn. There is a gate where people with mobility issues can enter that bypasses the line. The issue is that to get them to open up the gate you have to enter the building and get some assistance.  Our ride was short and we enjoyed the view up. 

Upon exiting you are in a broad promenade overlooking the river and across from the hotel. We wandered around taking some photos and then ventured inside the Frontenac. It had a large display of art in the hallways, many expensive gift shops and a restaurant. 

We ventured outside, trying to avoid the marathoners and ran into our friends from the martini bar Claude, Karen and Kim who were on their way to a tour. We saw a diorama of the city and the battles that took place in the Fort Museum. We saw the beautiful Note Dame de Quebec Cathedral, sat on a bench in the Place d' Armes walked through Laval University and then stopped for lunch and had crepes at Au Petit Coin Breton.  We then made our way to the Citadel and the Plains of Abraham. After touring there we took the stairs down and down and down to the river and walked back to the ship.

 

The next day we had originally scheduled a bike tour to the Montmorency Falls.  The forecast had called for rain all day so we cancelled it. As it turned out the rain didn't happen till late in the day. Oh well. We toured the Petit Champlain saw the beautiful murals, visited the shops (the Fudgerie was especially nice), stopped for a cafe au lait and an almond croissant and a lemon tart and reluctantly returned to the ship.

Edited November 1, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[Jim_Iain]

Great pictures!  Makes me feel like I am there enjoy all the fall colors. 

 

 

[jimbri]

Your photos of Quebec City are wonderful!

[CruisinNewb]

Sorry for the hiatus. Life got in the way.

 

Day 10 Sea Day 

 

Another day of sleeping late, playing trivia, dancing and listening to music. As I said before I love sea days. Not only for the relaxation but also for the opportunity to spend time with new found friends. The best part of this and most cruises for us is the people we meet. The only part that is bittersweet is having to say goodbye to them so soon after meeting them. Of course it gives us more incentive to stay in touch despite the distances.

 

Day 11 Charlottetown,  Prince Edward Island

 

When we booked the cruise we were scheduled to arrive at 8AM and leave at 5PM. Due to the presence of Right whales in the area, Celebrity changed the port times to 1145AM - 5PM  Despite this we still got to see a lot.

 

Jim, our trusty roll call organizer booked a tour with Duncan Conrad an experienced tour guide for PEI. We were fortunate to join Jim and his wife Kathleen as well as Eileen and Bob. After we had booked, Duncan's company merged into Target Tours.  Duncan was still our guide and he was informative, interesting and entertaining. He also offered us some of the best blueberry muffins I have ever had (courtesy of his wife I believe).

 

The tour began with an explanation of the history of Charlottetown and its landmarks.

We drove to the north shore of Prince Edward Island where we saw many picturesque sights including lighthouses, beaches, mussel farming and fishing villages.  

We stopped at Dalvay by the Sea a beautiful Queen Anne revival style estate, the national park, North Rustico harbour fishing village, the red cliffs, a craft shop with an interesting garden and the Anne of Green Gables house.

Our last stop was at the PEI preserve company. They had sample of jams and cider and we purchased a few jars as gifts as well as for ourselves.

The scenery was breathtaking. A funny note. While Duncan was explaining about the local wildlife telling us about the fox soon thereafter we had a visit from one on the side of the road.

Duncan was a great guide, his van was comfortable, the pa system worked well so everyone could hear and he made plenty of stops for photos. A really good day.

That evening (it was either that night or the next) we had dinner with some of our new friends in Tuscan Grille. Sue, Stu, Eli, Lisa, Ron and Gloria made the great meal even more memorable with their company. I had read mixed reviews about Tuscan but I have to say I enjoyed the experience. The service was excellent and the food very good.

 

Please note: My apologies for the quality of the photos. CC's uploading process reduces some of the resolution. In addition these are all unedited except for some minor cropping and adjustments to the horizon.

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by CruisinNewb

[CruisinNewb]

Day 12 Sydney, Nova Scotia

 

After an early breakfast in the buffet and having my fill of waffles  (Thanks Texed). we head out to meet our group and tour guide.  Jim and Kathleen weren't feeling well but we had the pleasure of sharing (what was supposed to be a private tour that Jim arranged) with his brother Steve and wife Jaimie with Blackwood tours. Our tour guide was supposed to be Don Blackwood on a small van for the 4 of us. Apparently Don no longer owns the company that bears his name. After arguing with one of the representatives of the company on the dock, I gave up and we got on a minibus for 10. I will say that the bus was roomy and we did also get to share the tour with our friends Sue and Gary but the whole experience of dealing with this guy really left a bad taste in my mouth. He also told us he was going to charge us less which didn't make sense if we had originally booked a shared tour as he said but he quoted the price in US dollars instead of Canadian so there really was no discount. Just a shady experience in my mind. 

Despite that negative experience our guide was excellent and provided great narration and information. The weather that day ranged from bright blue skies to rain to snow. The scenery was spectacular as we traveled along the Cabot Trail, making stops for tea and a muffin and a few photo ops (not as many as I would have liked). We stopped at a restaurant the guide had arranged. I can't remember the name of the restaurant but the food was good and we shared the table with the 10 of our "bus mates" who were great company. We also traveled to Ingonish and the Keltic Lodge, visited the facilities and the gift shop. 

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Can you see the coast line as you cruise by?