Summit REVIEW - July 22 sailing -

[nycglitter]

Thanks so much for all the info regarding your cruise. This will be our very first cruise and I think we chose a very ambitious cruise for our maiden voyage. I have just a few questions that I am hoping you can answer.

 

1. Did you purchase wine in Barcelona and bring it on board with you?

 

2. Did you take advantage of the Aqua Spa and if so how was it? Also, is there a charge to eat in the Aqua Spa for lunch?

 

3. Were there many small children on your cruise?

 

We are originally from outside of NYC - Lindenhurst, L.I. now living in Arizona and I must agree with you, once you've seen Broadway other shows pale in comparison, but I am hopeful that we will have some good entertainment. I've heard that the shows are not that crowded due to the extensive day tours.

 

4. Did you make it into the Grand Casino in Monaco? We have a ship tour for Ville France and I am hoping that we have enough time to see everything that we want to see.

 

 

 

Congrats on the renewal vows and once again thanks for all the great info.

 

 

Pat & Ken

Marana, AZ

 

1. We did purchase wine in Barcelona. Actually I purchased Cava, but, yes, you are able to bring two bottles of wine onboard with you.

 

2. We did use the Aqua Spa for a bath one afternoon. They brought my husband and I into a very pretty and relaxing room and we were able to choose from bath salts and then relax together in a giant bath for about 45 minutes. It was very nice and private and relaxing. We did not eat at the aqua spa because we never found it open during the hours we were on the ship on port days. On sea days we really never thought about it. I hear it is great however.

 

3. 400 kids on board. Some teens, but really, on our cruise just an abundance of babies and toddlers.

 

There was never a problem getting a seat at any show and they were certainly an entertaining way to pass some time prior to the late seating for dinner. Definitely check them out. If you have never cruised before, it is really fun to see a show while at sea and the theatre is really beautiful!

 

4. We did make it into the Grand Casino. It was beautiful for sure, but at the end of the day, it was a casino. Monaco however is really beautiful. We did a ships tour that included Nice, Eze and Monaco and it left time at the end to walk around Villefranche on your own, which is very easy to do. I would recommend that you check out this tour if you want to see as much as possible. We were in awe of everything we saw and it included lunch with wine as well!

 

We loved the vow renewal, thank you! Enjoy your cruise, and let me know if you have any additional questions!

[jajuandbachi]

Just read your last post. We looked at the tour you went on in Nice, but decided to do the Nice-Monaco tour through the ship. We will have three hours of free time in Monaco and although we don't care if we go into the grand casino, we would like to see the grounds. Do you know if it is possible to walk to the casino from Monaco or will we have to find a taxi to get us there and back to Monaco?

 

Janice

[PKB]

Thank you! Wonderful detailed review. Looking forward to the next chapters. Your comments will definitely help us on our cruise next April. Thanks very much.

[nycglitter]

Just read your last post. We looked at the tour you went on in Nice, but decided to do the Nice-Monaco tour through the ship. We will have three hours of free time in Monaco and although we don't care if we go into the grand casino, we would like to see the grounds. Do you know if it is possible to walk to the casino from Monaco or will we have to find a taxi to get us there and back to Monaco?

 

Janice

 

 

Janice, I am not sure of the actual distance, or how far you like to walk, but it took us about 15 - 20 minutes to get there on a coach bus and from there, there is an uphill climb of lots and lots of steps to get to the Grand Casino.

 

When it was all said and done, this was my husbands least favorite stop. Not very much to do, unless you like to gamble, and all the restaurants/bars are extraordinarily expensive. For example, $38 dollars for 2 beers.

 

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it! The French Riviera is as beautiful as it gets.

[jajuandbachi]

I keep reading that the dress code for the Vatican is very strict. Can you wear capris into the Basilica or does it have to be long pants?

 

Janice

[jajuandbachi]

I keep reading that the dress code for the Vatican is very strict. Can women wear capris into the Basilica or does it have to be long pants? What about men? Long pants or shorts?

 

Janice

[nycglitter]

I keep reading that the dress code for the Vatican is very strict. Can women wear capris into the Basilica or does it have to be long pants? What about men? Long pants or shorts?

 

Janice

 

 

I believe knees have to be covered for women and of course, shoulders. As for men, long pants are necessary.

[nycglitter]

I keep reading that the dress code for the Vatican is very strict. Can women wear capris into the Basilica or does it have to be long pants? What about men? Long pants or shorts?

 

Janice

 

 

I believe knees have to be covered for women and of course, shoulders. As for men, long pants are necessary.

[med2cruise]

Janice,

 

We will be on this Summit cruise with 8 of us in our party. We have booked some private tours, some through the ship and some ports we will do on our own. Our travel agent was not very helpful unless we booked the ship tours but we did a lot of internet worked and managed to have a "once in a lifetime" cruise booked. We have never been on a cruise and our very excited with the countdown getting closer.

 

Karen

[SandDragon]

Hi Mark and Marit

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise and congrats on your renewed vows. Our Arctic Circle cruise on Celebrity Century was also an amazing experience. However, must say not overly impressed with Celebrity on a range of fronts (even thought the food was only on a par with last year's Crown Princess) but shows you can't please all pax all of the time.

 

Cheers

 

Chris A

[scotslass]

Are children allowed in the Martini bar at night ? My grandaughter will be 12 and very well behaved[she likes to act very grown up] My daughter and I will spend some time in there every night after early seating dinner but not more than an hour or so.

[jajuandbachi]

Hi Karen,

 

Are you going to be on the Summit on 9/8/08? That's the one will be on.

 

We are doing exactly the same thing as you, some cruise tours, some private, and a couple on our own. We have cruised before, but never in Europe. We are very excited about it.

 

Janice

[Coastaljen]

WOW! I have been reading all the med. itineraries, and when I finished charting all the ports, etc. the Summit has the best one for me. That is why I had to visit this thread. I just wish they would keep the exact same itinerary, but it obviously changes each year. I want to do a cruise like this summer 2010 (yes, I plan way too far), and I am saving all your notes.

[nycglitter]

Hi Mark and Marit

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise and congrats on your renewed vows. Our Arctic Circle cruise on Celebrity Century was also an amazing experience. However, must say not overly impressed with Celebrity on a range of fronts (even thought the food was only on a par with last year's Crown Princess) but shows you can't please all pax all of the time.

 

Cheers

 

Chris A

 

Hey Chris! Glad you had fun on your cruise. I would love to see Arctic Circle pictures if you have some to share! I think that we have determined that all of the cruise lines are virtually the same, with the exception of some of the more expensive, smaller lines. We have started to look at them as moving hotel rooms taking us to the places we want to see!

 

Are children allowed in the Martini bar at night ? My grandaughter will be 12 and very well behaved[she likes to act very grown up] My daughter and I will spend some time in there every night after early seating dinner but not more than an hour or so.

 

Absolutely! I saw children there and they were well behaved. She can order a shirley temple! Fun!

[jajuandbachi]

Hi again. I Like putting my make-up on and doing my hair at the "desk". Were the hair dryers in the cabin attached to the wall in the bathroom (like in some hotels) or were they portable? Also were they pretty powerful? I've run into some at hotels that are hardly worth anything.

 

Janice

[nycglitter]

Hi again. I Like putting my make-up on and doing my hair at the "desk". Were the hair dryers in the cabin attached to the wall in the bathroom (like in some hotels) or were they portable? Also were they pretty powerful? I've run into some at hotels that are hardly worth anything.

 

Janice

 

There is one by the desk but it is not powerful and one in the bathroom that is a joke. There is no plug in the bathroom, except if you are plugging in a razor. I brought my own blowdryer and would suggest you do the same if power is an issue. Also, bringing a power strip is a smart thing as well as there are not enough plugs in the room to charge camera batteries and use blowdryers, etc.

[Emaldy24]

Your pictures are amazing. We will be traveling next year to Europe in June/July unsure yet of ship. It will be our first cruise for my son's highschool graduation and our 10 year wedding anniversary. Congratulations on your vow renewal and the other 50th wedding vow renewal. May all of you have many more wonderful years together.

[nycglitter]

Your pictures are amazing. We will be traveling next year to Europe in June/July unsure yet of ship. It will be our first cruise for my son's highschool graduation and our 10 year wedding anniversary. Congratulations on your vow renewal and the other 50th wedding vow renewal. May all of you have many more wonderful years together.

 

Your family is going to have such a great time! My kids were upset that we didn't being them, but the romantic trip wouldn't have been quite the same! Your son is very lucky to receive such a wonderful vacation for his graduation! Congrats on your anniversary!

[jajuandbachi]

Hi NYC Glitter,

 

Just wanted to say "thank you" for your review and answering mine and everyone else's questions. They have been exceptionally helpful.

 

We leave for Barcelona this Friday and get on the ship on Monday the 8th. I know that we have a lot to look forward to and can't wait. I'm all packed (with too much, I'm sure) and we are just anxiously waiting. Going on this type of cruise is exciting but having read so much on CC has just made me ecstatic.

 

Thanks again for sharing and answering all my questions.

 

Janice

[med2cruise]

Janice,

 

I will be on the Summit THIS MONDAY! Can you tell I am getting very excited. My husband and I were packing yesterday and he said can you believe this time next week we will be in Barcelona, I still can't. We have been preparing for this trip for about 10 months, there are 8 of us in our group. We wanted a variety of events for each of the ports that was why we went with different types of tours. We are doing Nice on our own, a bicycle tour in Florence, of course a private Vatican tour in Rome, we chartered a yacht for the Naples, Capri, Amalfi Coast area, a private tour guide in Santorini, on our own in Athens, 4WD in Croatia - through the cruise ship and on our own for Venice. I think we are going to be exhausted at the end of this trip but I wanted to make it a memorable one! Hopefully we will get to meet on the ship.

 

Happy packing!

Karen

[Dowunder]

Thankyou for a very positive review. Such a change from all the nit picking that often appears on this forum. Our cruise date is just not coming fast enough!!!!

[j.beatle]

We are going on the nov.1st sailing on the Summit. Has anyone experienced tours other than the ship sponsored ones. I'm thinking of Blue Circle or this type of tour. We hear they are great and cost friendly, but worry about the whole "missing the boat" deal. Literally!

[nycglitter]

We are going on the nov.1st sailing on the Summit. Has anyone experienced tours other than the ship sponsored ones. I'm thinking of Blue Circle or this type of tour. We hear they are great and cost friendly, but worry about the whole "missing the boat" deal. Literally!

 

We did the ship tours and one with Romeinlimo. They were wonderful. The ship ones are more affordable because of the conversion rate. The getting back to the ship thing is also a nice perk, but we found the ship tours a great value and quite fun.

I don't know anything about Blue Circle, but I am sure someone on here will bea ble to provide some information for you. Good luck and have a great cruise

 

Mark

[Oppgaard]

j.beatle,

 

Come join our roll call for the 11/01 sailing of the Summit. There is a lot of good information being presented and we also have a separate website for the cruise which is absolutely fantastic.

 

Jerry

[sjb95u]

J. Beatle,

 

I second Jerry! We're also on the Nov.1 sailing on the Summit. We have a great roll call: Roll Call for Nov 1 Summit

 

And, a separate (and I hope fun, informative) website. We've got a great group going, come join in!

 

Susan~

http://www.freewebs.com/summitnov1/