Best Cruise ever!
Celebrity Summit Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 52
14 Night Panama Canal Eastbound (Los Angeles To San Juan)
Sail date: November 11, 2006
Ship: Celebrity Summit
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
We sailed on Celebrity's Summit , a ship we have sailed on before and we were not disappointed. The stateroom was in excellent condition and since we went concierge class and all the little touches were most appreciated. We particularly enjoyed the fresh flowers, towels, pillow choices and the canapes before dinner. The ship is starting to show it's wear and needs some carpet updates but overall, the cleanliness of the ship was great. We are beginning to find out that the early dining is not working for us and conflicts with our tours so we will try the late dining in the future. The service at dinner is very good and they make every effort to accomodate special requests. The pool was great as ever and we spent some time in the salt water pools. The spa was one of the best parts of our experience this time. We both got a massage and spent time in the saunas. It was a wonderful treat for ourselves. As for this cruise, we thought that this was one of the best ever! All the lectures and information we received prior to us going through the canal was helpful but did not prepare us for what we saw. It was the most amazing engineering feat of modern man. Reflecting now on what had to be done to accomplish this canal still leaves me in awe. I would recommend this trip to anyone who would want to see man's accomplishments against nature and diversity as well as the surrounding beauty of Panama.Ports of call
The place is squeeky clean and beautiful. The colorful stucco homes and tile roofs reminded me of pictures I have seen of the Mediterrean. The bridge that connects both parts of the island is a wonder. I was surprised by how clean and friendly everyone was. This island, formally known as one of the ABC islands of the Dutch Antillies is the best one of the bunch. I thought highly of Aruba but this island far surpasses in beauty and things to do. I know that I will come back and spend some time here at a resort and enjoying the ammenities Curacao has to offer.
Thumbs Up
1
Don't Miss: Curacao distillery
We did the Pacific train, boat and bus adventure. We got to see a lot of wildlife and the train ride was the best. The tracks were at times not quite together and it reminded us of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid. The most impressive part of the train ride was when the conductor blew his whistle and the locals ran out to greet us with large smiles and waves. We waived back and I saw the condition of how they live and the condition they are in but still all smiles. It makes you think of what is really important.
Their Christmas trees were lit and on the front porches of the homes who had porches. We thought that odd but then thought, they wanted us to see their beautiful trees and how they decorated them.
Don't Miss: The 17 mile train ride on the 100 year old train.
Good, but not great. We thought that Hotel California would be more than what was reality. Maybe our expectations were too high but to see the overall area was good.
We enjoyed Ft. San Diego and the cliff divers but the town was dirty and looked like it needed to be scrubbed. We didn't care for this port at all.
Don't Miss: Ft. San Diego
We took the Eco Cruises on Gaton Lake. We got to see howler monkeys and sloths in their natural habitat and then got to see our own ship go through the last lock of the canal. It was great fun to not only go through the lock but to see it up close as our own ship went through. It was a memorable time.
Don't Miss: The boat ride on one of the rivers off the Gatun Lake.
Town was clean and we got to see a lot of the surrounding area. We were disappointed at the description of Mescal Plaza where we thought we would see artisans demonstrating. It was only a retail plaza selling items.
Don't Miss: La Crucecita, a small town with lots to see and the old church with the largest ceiling painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the world.
SInce we have been here before, we decided to just go snorkling. The location where they took us gave us the opportunity to see lots of colorful fish. It was truly amazing in the clear, green/blue waters.
Don't Miss: Snorkling
The place is squeeky clean and beautiful. The colorful stucco homes and tile roofs reminded me of pictures I have seen of the Mediterrean. The bridge that connects both parts of the island is a wonder. I was surprised by how clean and friendly everyone was. This island, formally known as one of the ABC islands of the Dutch Antillies is the best one of the bunch. I thought highly of Aruba but this island far surpasses in beauty and things to do. I know that I will come back and spend some time here at a resort and enjoying the ammenities Curacao has to offer.
Don't Miss: Curacao distillery
Good, but not great. We thought that Hotel California would be more than what was reality. Maybe our expectations were too high but to see the overall area was good.
Town was clean and we got to see a lot of the surrounding area. We were disappointed at the description of Mescal Plaza where we thought we would see artisans demonstrating. It was only a retail plaza selling items.
Don't Miss: La Crucecita, a small town with lots to see and the old church with the largest ceiling painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the world.
We took the Eco Cruises on Gaton Lake. We got to see howler monkeys and sloths in their natural habitat and then got to see our own ship go through the last lock of the canal. It was great fun to not only go through the lock but to see it up close as our own ship went through. It was a memorable time.
Don't Miss: The boat ride on one of the rivers off the Gatun Lake.
We did the Pacific train, boat and bus adventure. We got to see a lot of wildlife and the train ride was the best. The tracks were at times not quite together and it reminded us of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid. The most impressive part of the train ride was when the conductor blew his whistle and the locals ran out to greet us with large smiles and waves. We waived back and I saw the condition of how they live and the condition they are in but still all smiles. It makes you think of what is really important.
Their Christmas trees were lit and on the front porches of the homes who had porches. We thought that odd but then thought, they wanted us to see their beautiful trees and how they decorated them.
Don't Miss: The 17 mile train ride on the 100 year old train.
We enjoyed Ft. San Diego and the cliff divers but the town was dirty and looked like it needed to be scrubbed. We didn't care for this port at all.
Don't Miss: Ft. San Diego
SInce we have been here before, we decided to just go snorkling. The location where they took us gave us the opportunity to see lots of colorful fish. It was truly amazing in the clear, green/blue waters.
Don't Miss: Snorkling
Pros: The lectures and information before we sailed into the Panama Canal.
Cons: Some of the food choices were not to our liking.
Recommends Celebrity Summit? Yes!
Other reviews of this sailing
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.