Celebrity Summit - San Juan to Lesser Antilles Jan 2020

endtried · January 28, 2020

Day 9 - January 12, 2020

At Sea

Not much to report except that it was time for a nice sunset today.

We spent the day shifting between the Oceanview Cafe, a very windy deck 4 and our cabin. Very relaxed. There were a lot of activities going on around the ship but we couldn’t motivate ourselves to go anywhere so it was a lazy day.

hvbaskey · January 28, 2020

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2020 at 1:42 PM, endtried said:

Day 5 – January 8, 2020

Castries, St. Lucia

Then it was time to board the bus and we made our way to the beach at Gros Islet. Here we had about 90 minutes and after some confusion finally got some beach chairs that were included in the tour (umbrellas could be rented for $10-$15 depending on who you asked and where you want to sit). The beach was quiet hectic and different vendors came by so it was almost more interesting to just people-watch then do anything else.

We were on this same tour. Looks like you did much better at the beach than us - LOL!

We really enjoyed the gardens at Stoney Hill, but found the Pigeon Island beach by the parking lot a disappointment. Between the garbage, broken glass, etc. - we unfortunately didn't enjoy this part of the tour. Saying that, we were "supposed" to enter the Park that day and have access to the nicer beaches.

However, looks like you found a nicer location on that particular beach we ended up at!

Thank you for sharing the lovely photos from the Garden - that property was beautiful and what a view :)

Edited January 28, 2020 by hvbaskey

endtried · January 28, 2020

3 hours ago, hvbaskey said:

However, looks like you found a nicer location on that particular beach we ended up at!

I agree- it wasn’t a great beach and everything seemed to be disorganized from the chairs to the umbrellas. Luckily we had some live “entertainment” in front of us so got a nice distraction (some ladies were trying to see how many selfies they could take of themselves 😉 ).

In hindsight, we should have just eaten something at the beach bar and enjoyed our time from there.

hvbaskey · January 29, 2020

1 hour ago, endtried said:

In hindsight, we should have just eaten something at the beach bar and enjoyed our time from there.

What a great idea! wish I thought of that as well. Alas! Stoney Hill was lovely 🙂

endtried · January 29, 2020

Day 10 - January 13, 2020

Philipsburg, St Maarten

We had booked an island tour with Barnards Tour and after coming off the ship, we just followed the instructions from the confirmation email and found the meeting place without issues.

They had actually combined two hours into one bus- the only big difference was that our tour would spend some extra time in Marigot while the others went to the beach.

We went from the Dutch to the French side and the difference as very visible. According to the tour guide, after the hurricanes in 2017, the Dutch insurances paid out within a couple of weeks whereas the French ones took many month so the rebuilding process is much slower on the French side.

He told us about the differences between the two governments and ongoing issues but overall everybody seems to be getting along. One thing that I found interesting was the fact that most of the islanders seem to have two cell phones- one Dutch one and one French one. The calls seem to be routed differently and are just too high of you have to make a call with a French phone to the Dutch side and vice versa. So close and yet still so far away in certain things.

We had a maybe 90-minute-stop in Marigot where we had time to wander around but the midday heat was pretty strong and after going around for a while, we stopped at a smoothie stand and since there were a few restaurants around, we decided on one and had a nice lunch.

The stop in Marigot was maybe a bit too long but we enjoyed our lunch and took it easy. Some shopping was available but we didn’t really look for anything so therefore also didn’t find anything.

I had wanted to visit Maho Beach for a long time now and even though the stop was well timed to catch some arrivals from the US, my main “photo target” was scheduled to land around 1430- an Airbus 330 from Air France from Paris.

Unfortunately the stop lasted only until 1415 so I decided to stay behind and take a bus back to Philipsburg. My mom continued with the tour and just when they left, we plane arrived and I was able to get a nice picture. Just what I wanted.

I hung out at the beach a little longer but went over to the bus stop around 1515. The system was pretty simple- the buses are really minivans that I guess are operated independently and even though follow a specific route, people were getting on and off whenever they wanted. The ride cost $3 and even though the legroom was a bit tight, it was a good experience and since I normally take public transportation when I travel anyways, it was pretty easy and straightforward.

When we got back into town, the driver pointed us into the general direction of the cruise dock and it was an easy walk from there down the boardwalk back to the ship.

The effects from the hurricane were still visible even on the main tourist drag so hopefully they can recover soon. It was a good day and after I found my mother on the ship to assure here that I made it back, we enjoyed the rest of the day together. The last day before we had to go back to the cold of the winter.

endtried · January 29, 2020

Day 11 - January 14, 2020

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Initially we wanted to go to the Old Town to wander around until our midday flights but since my mother had to catch a flight through Philly to London and back to Germany, we decided against it. Getting on an almost 24 hour journey all sweaty from the heat was definitely not something she had in mind.

The whole disembarkation process was super easy. We took our time at breakfast because we decided to self-disembark so didn’t have to wait or stress over our number being called.

Once we reached the arrivals hall from the ship, we waited maybe five minutes in the CBP line but they didn’t even ask for any rum purchases but took a look at our passports and we were in our way to the taxi line. Plenty of taxis were available and we were on the way to the airport. Even though it was rush hour into town, the roads were nearly empty toward the airport so the ride didn’t take long at all.

We sat down in what seemed to be the only cafe in the terminal and waited around before we decided to check in and go through security. The line wasn’t long and the rest of the time, we spent waiting for boarding. Luckily our flights left within a few minutes of each other and we could spend some time together before I boarded the flight to Washington and my mom went to Philly to start her long trek home.

Overall it was a great cruise- the weather was perfect- especially considering it was January and cold where we live.
The ports were diverse and we saw everything we wanted to see.

The ship felt brand new and I would definitely sail on her again. The entire staff we encountered throughout The journey was pleasant and it was a great getaway.
A definite recommendation!!

bunnyette · January 29, 2020

Excellent report, we were on the Bernards tour...we spent time at the beach with the very rough water.

Najuliseer · January 30, 2020

On 1/17/2020 at 7:30 PM, endtried said:

We had only about 15min minutes to spare before the boat would leave after our island tour but used the time wisely to walk around the little village quickly but also to get some ice cream from a local shop. This sweetened the boat ride back to the cruise ship pier and as usual, going back felt much quicker than going to St. John.

We quickly ate something for lunch and went to deck 4 to enjoy the quiet time on one of the loungers.
This area would never really be crowded and was always a spot full of serenity for us on each of the coming days.
mit also came in handy for the frequent rain showers since it was covered and we wouldn’t get wet.

Dinner was also a quick affair in the Oceanview Cafe and after a nice sunset, we fell into our very comfortable beds and that was a wrap for our first real vacation day.