Two weeks in Canada & New England on the revolutionized Summit: my review with photos

[Hlitner]

Enjoying your review.  We were on the Summit just after its "Revolution" and agree with most of your comments.  We also missed having a forward facing public deck/lounge....but those who cruise on Princess (including us) have learned to reluctantly live with that situation.  

 

Hank

[Big_G]

19 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Now, on to the best stuff, our sailaway and our ports.

The muster drill, thankfully, did not include that awful James Bond-like video that we’ve seen on a couple of prior Celebrity and RCI cruises.  I think Celebrity took the drill very seriously, and the passengers in our muster station were quiet and paying attention.

 

 

I didn't think anything could make me wish for the old fashioned outdoor muster drill but that video is it.

[MAHA]

On 9/26/2019 at 1:34 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Alleged designers who care nothing about function.

While the cabins may have looked new and modern, the furniture appeared to be something along the lines of Ikea.  Particle board with some sort of a veneer finish.  My nightstand drawer was off the rails and did not open smoothly.  We asked the cabin attendant about it and he said it should have been screwed to the rails, but was not and to open it carefully.  For a ship that was only redone about 7 months ago, I find this disheartening as the rest of the cabin furniture could also end up breaking quickly.  We sailed on constellation in 2016 and if I remember correctly, the cabin furniture was real wood.   The closet door handle had a rough spot on it and I cut my arm on it.  I think for the money spent, they could have done better.

 

 

[Turtles06]

Our first port of call was Boston.   We've been to Boston before; this time, we decided to visit the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.   It's an easy cab or Uber ride away from the cruise terminal, and there's no need for a ship's tour.  (You can also take public transportation, but it takes much longer and we did not want to spend our time that way.)  

 

The Museum is beautifully situated on Columbia Point,  overlooking the water.  (We could even see the Summit from there.)  The building itself was designed by I.M. Pei, and the glass pavilion in the center is just stunning.

 

 

 

The focus of the Museum is on JFK's life and legacy.  (His assassination is only minimally addressed.)  The Museum tells JFK's story through exhibits, films, videos, artifacts, and other displays.  It was all very well presented and we spent hours there. 

 

Here are just a few items.

 

 

I've seen the above 1938 photograph before.  What I did not know, however, until a docent mentioned it to us, was that this was the last photograph ever taken of the entire Kennedy family  -- Joseph, Rose, and their nine children.  WWII would soon claim the life of Joe Jr.

 

 

 

We probably would not have made it back to the ship in time if we'd watched all the films and videos that were available, and read all the descriptions of every display.  😄

 

The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is just opposite Logan Airport.  As we waited on our balcony for sailaway, we could watch all of the action at the airport, with many planes taking off and landing right over our heads.

 

 

Although much of the day had been cloudy, by the time we sailed away, we were treated to a lovely sunset behind the Boston skyline.

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

Edited September 27, 2019 by Turtles06

[Laurab23]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Our first port of call was Boston.   We've been to Boston before; this time, we decided to visit the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.   It's an easy cab or Uber ride away from the cruise terminal, and there's no need for a ship's tour.  (You can also take public transportation, but it takes much longer and we did not want to spend our time that way.)  

 

The Museum is beautifully situated on Columbia Point,  overlooking the water.  (We could even see the Summit from there.)  The building itself was designed by I.M. Pei, and the glass pavilion in the center is just stunning.

 

 

 

The focus of the Museum is on JFK's life and legacy.  (His assassination is only minimally addressed.)  The Museum tells JFK's story through exhibits, films, videos, artifacts, and other displays.  It was all very well presented and we spent hours there. 

 

Here are just a few items.

 

 

I've seen the above 1938 photograph before.  What I did not know, however, until a docent mentioned it to us, was that this was the last photograph ever taken of the entire Kennedy family  -- Joseph, Rose, and their nine children.  WWII would soon claim the life of Joe Jr.

 

 

 

We probably would not have made it back to the ship in time if we'd watched all the films and videos that were available, and read all the descriptions of every display.  😄

 

The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is just opposite Logan Airport.  As we waited on our balcony for sailaway, we could watch all of the action at the airport, with many planes taking off and landing right over our heads.

 

 

Although much of the day had been cloudy, by the time we sailed away, we were treated to a lovely sunset behind the Boston skyline.

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

The JFK museum is wonderful. I love it. My friend lives near Boston and we went there when I visited. We took the tour with the guide then went back through on our own.

Turtles06- I sent an email to CelebrityOneTouch with my concerns about no mirror in the wraparound FV. Their reply was from their knowledge and googling a picture of the cabin,there was a wall of mirror behind the desk and I should have no worries!!! Guess they don't know anything about that cabin. LOL

 

Laura

[warmwinds]

Your photos are fantastic.  Even though they are images we've seen many times they seem like they are from such a fresh perspective.

 

I grew up in Boston and have been back many times but have never made it to the JFK Library - will do in the future.

[Turtles06]

18 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Turtles06- I sent an email to CelebrityOneTouch with my concerns about no mirror in the wraparound FV. Their reply was from their knowledge and googling a picture of the cabin,there was a wall of mirror behind the desk and I should have no worries!!! Guess they don't know anything about that cabin. LOL

 

Laura

 

When you say "wraparound FV," do you mean a corner FV?   Maybe their Google search turned up a pre-Revolution photo, in which case they would be seeing a mirrored wall over the desk!  🤣

 

2 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

Your photos are fantastic.  Even though they are images we've seen many times they seem like they are from such a fresh perspective.

 

I grew up in Boston and have been back many times but have never made it to the JFK Library - will do in the future.

 

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[Jim_Iain]

We really enjoyed the Kennedy Library and museum.    Your photos bring back such warm memories.

[OnTheJourney]

The museum looks great - we booked the Salem excursion though - never been so will be something different. 

[vtcruising]

On 9/26/2019 at 12:49 PM, Turtles06 said:

The spoons in particular were huge.  I generally eat cereal for breakfast, and the spoons put out for that were almost the size of ladles.  They could barely fit in the yogurt cups.  One evening, at the ice cream station, they had little teeny tiny spoons available. 

This made me laugh - all I could think of is the new White Rabbit song in X's new ad:

" One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small..."   Maybe they're messing with people? 😉

 

Seriously, I am enjoying your review - you are making it all come alive. Thanks!

[aml3679]

Thanks, I love your review and your pictures, made me homesick.

 

My husband and I moved from NH (less than an hour to Boston) to Florida is October 2017.  I have a severe form of psoriatic arthritis and had such bad pain int winter.  My DH just had the winter blues every year

 

Boston is a beautiful city - very walkable, and safe during the day.   New England itself is beautiful and I miss it.  Our youngest and her husband live in Stonington Maine - a fishing village an hour from Bar Harbour.  Our oldest and her family live in Colchester Vermont - right next to Burlington.

 

We are Celebrity fans and will be sailing on the Equinox in February of 2020 and again in February of 2021.

[parrothead33]

Enjoying your review, the pictures are great.  Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for your comments and pictures.

Looking forward to reading more!

[Laurab23]

13 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

When you say "wraparound FV," do you mean a corner FV?   Maybe their Google search turned up a pre-Revolution photo, in which case they would be seeing a mirrored wall over the desk!  🤣

 

 

Thanks so much for the kind words!

Yes corner FV. I'm sure they were looking at a pre-revolution photo. 

[Turtles06]

9 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Yes corner FV. I'm sure they were looking at a pre-revolution photo. 

 

LOL!  Their ignorance is inexcusable!

 

For those not familiar with what we're talking about, the first photo below is a corner FV in which we sailed before the Revolution; note that the entire wall above the desk is a mirror.  The second photo is our corner FV on the Summit after the Revolution.  As I mentioned in my separate thread reviewing our Summit corner FV, there is no mirror on any wall anywhere for use with the blow dryer that you plug in at the desk.  It's been replaced by a TV and a bare wall.   A big design flaw in this cabin. 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

 

[Turtles06]

Our second port was Portland, Maine, which turned out to be one of our favorites of the cruise.   It's a charming town along Casco Bay, with an eclectic mix of architecture, food, boats, and shops.  The ship docks right in the old port area, and you can walk to most if not all of what you would like to see or do in town.  We started the day with a trolley tour we'd booked with Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tours called the Portland City & Lighthouse Tour.  It was great fun and an excellent introduction to Portland -- first a drive around the historic area, then a visit to the Portland Head Light, and a return to town.  Our driver/guide, Charlie, was fabulous --- lots of knowledge combined with a terrific sense of humor.  I highly recommend this tour.

 

 

 

 

One of the most important things we learned on our tour was that Portland was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  It was sobering to contemplate this history.

 

 

You can see the Portland Head Light during the sail-in to Portland if you are up early enough, but it was dim and foggy for our sail-in.   I thought it was great to visit the Light on land; the views along the rocky shore were quite dramatic.  (If you go, be sure to walk along the shore to the right of the lighthouse.)

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Turtles06]

Prior to our trip, I'd dubbed it the "Lobster Roll Cruise," planning to try lobster rolls in as many of our ports as we could.  Our trolley tour in Portland got us back to town at lunchtime, and we headed over to Becky's Diner for our first lobster rolls of the cruise.  We'd picked Becky's for the great reviews it gets here on CC and elsewhere.  As you can see from the photo, there was plenty of lobster meat in our rolls.  Unfortunately,  and quite surprisingly, the lobster had almost no flavor, and was also overwhelmed by the bread.  Sorry, Becky, but it was a disappointing experience.  You do not win the Turtles06 Lobster Roll Cruise Competition.

 

 

Fortunately, we had a far better culinary experience at the Holy Donut, Portland's famous donut shop, where the donuts are made from riced Maine potatoes.  We are always skeptical about things that have an almost cult-like following, but OMG, these were THE BEST donuts we have ever had.  Ever!  Anywhere!   (The donuts are huge, btw, the size of small plates.)  Do not miss the Holy Donut if you are ever in Portland. 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Turtles06]

After stuffing ourselves with Holy Donuts, we explored the town some more (in a state of sugar shock), and then walked back to the ship.  Although the day had started out grey and a little rainy, it had turned into a beautiful afternoon, and we had a very pleasant sailaway.  

 

 

 

This is one of the smaller lighthouses you pass sailing in and out of Portland:

 

 

And we did get a good view of the Portland Head Light as we left, a fitting end to our very enjoyable day.

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[OnTheJourney]

12 hours ago, vtcruising said:

 

" One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small..."  

 

LOL...'and the ones the cruise line gives you don't do anything at all' (meaning the spoons) 🙂  

Edited September 28, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

After stuffing ourselves with Holy Donuts, we explored the town some more (in a state of sugar shock), and then walked back to the ship.  Although the day had started out grey and a little rainy, it had turned into a beautiful afternoon, and we had a very pleasant sailaway.  

 

 

 

This is one of the smaller lighthouses you pass sailing in and out of Portland:

 

 

And we did get a good view of the Portland Head Light as we left, a fitting end to our very enjoyable day.

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

LOVE the pic of the 2 crew members looking out from the ship!  Great....

[BarbinMich]

Enjoying "riding along" on your cruise.  We did this itinerary on the Summit in Sep 2015 when the ship was in dire need of updating, especially the buffet.  We had first sailed on the ship back in 2003 when it was only 2 years old and were impressed with it still seeming very new and modern.  Our 2015 route out of NY was similar to yours.  S of L never gets old although we're most used to seeing it predawn when we arrive at Red Hook on a Princess TA.  Pretty impressive in the pre-dawn dark, too!  When we were in Boston, I spent some time in a chaise near the aft small pool watching the planes land in the late afternoon--lots of intl flights coming in then.  Look forward to the rest of your cruise!

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, BarbinMich said:

Enjoying "riding along" on your cruise.  We did this itinerary on the Summit in Sep 2015 when the ship was in dire need of updating, especially the buffet.  We had first sailed on the ship back in 2003 when it was only 2 years old and were impressed with it still seeming very new and modern.  Our 2015 route out of NY was similar to yours.  S of L never gets old although we're most used to seeing it predawn when we arrive at Red Hook on a Princess TA.  Pretty impressive in the pre-dawn dark, too!  When we were in Boston, I spent some time in a chaise near the aft small pool watching the planes land in the late afternoon--lots of intl flights coming in then.  Look forward to the rest of your cruise!

 

Thank you!

 

We've only sailed into Red Hook once -- last year, on a TA with HAL.  We were supposed to dock (and disembark) in Manhattan, but the Carnival Horizon had recently damaged the pier.  (Thank you Carnival!)  It was a hassle having to re-arrange a bunch of things at the last minute, but at least I got a good photo out of it.  😊 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

Enjoying "riding along" on your cruise.  We did this itinerary on the Summit in Sep 2015 when the ship was in dire need of updating, especially the buffet.  We had first sailed on the ship back in 2003 when it was only 2 years old and were impressed with it still seeming very new and modern.  Our 2015 route out of NY was similar to yours.  S of L never gets old although we're most used to seeing it predawn when we arrive at Red Hook on a Princess TA.  Pretty impressive in the pre-dawn dark, too!  When we were in Boston, I spent some time in a chaise near the aft small pool watching the planes land in the late afternoon--lots of intl flights coming in then.  Look forward to the rest of your cruise!

 

When you did your Summit cruise, did you get to Corner Brook, NF?  We did the Canada / New England in Sept. '14 - I don't recall seeing Corner Brook on any recent itineraries. 

[Turtles06]

Bar Harbor, a small, tender port, was our next stop.  Because we had a non-ship’s tour starting at 9:30 AM, and we had no idea how long the tender process would take, we decided to go ashore early and walk around.  Tender tickets were given out starting at 7 AM in the Martini Bar; only one person from a couple, family, or other group needed to get tickets for all, and guests were asked not to pick up tender tickets until they were ready to go ashore.  I thought the process worked extremely well. 

 

As it turned out, the Summit had the benefit of being able to use private tenders as well as its own lifeboats.  Our tender was a private whale watching boat, large and comfortable, and the trip ashore was very short.  The day had started out a bit grey and dreary; we used the time before our tour to wander around the picturesque harbor and streets.

 

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Turtles06]

We’d been to Bar Harbor many years ago, and remembered the beauty of Acadia National Park.  So for our port call, we’d booked a morning bus tour of the Park with Acadia National Park Tours. 

 

 

Unfortunately, despite the company’s good reviews, on this day at least the tour was terribly disappointing.   Our driver/guide talked at us non-stop for the entire tour of nearly three hours.  Most of this obviously scripted narrative was about obscure 19th and early 20th Century Bar Harbor residents about whose lives far too many minute details were imparted (and were soon forgotten).  Even during the drive through the beautiful national park it was talk, talk, talk.   (The only respite was when we got off the bus for our photo stops.)  By the end, I was totally exhausted from having been talked at for so long.

 

And, unfortunately, when we got to the top of Cadillac Mountain, often a beautiful viewpoint down into the harbor, we were in a cloud, with this view:

 

 

Visibility was much better in the Park when we were closer to the water; here is Thunder Hole:

 

 

And I loved the pink granite rocks:

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)