The bitter side of chocolate.
Celebrity Summit Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 53
12 Night Dutch Antilles Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 17, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Summit
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7116
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
About us: My husband and I generally cruise once a year for 12-14 days. We’ve been on about 10 cruises. We are in our early 60’s. We don’t do water sports, drink or gamble so cannot comment on anything related to these activities. No, this is not due to religious beliefs. We’re just boring. Most Celebrity guests are 50 plus. The longer the cruise, the older the crowd. We left port a day late due to ship issues. That meant we lost a day in Aruba. I personally was just happy the ship did not break down in the middle of the ocean. The itinerary was changed numerous times, once before the actual cruise. We wouldn’t have known about this first change if our friends’ travel agent had not informed them. This was unfortunate for people who were making plans on the islands. Embarkation was fairly quick on this cruise. Debarkation was really fast and efficient. MUSTER STATION Our group had to stand the entire time - in lines, no less. Short people could not see the demonstrations. It was ridiculous and useless. Thank goodness we didn’t need to evacuate the ship. We would not have been prepared. Rumour has it Summit is removing the library and replacing it with inside rooms. I think that would be a real shame. The library always had people in it, even though 80% of the books were missing. Greed to the detriment of people’s enjoyment is not a good thing. The library is a “must have” for me as my husband goes to bed early and I read in the library. I hope they brighten the ship up with a Caribbean colour scheme. Tones of brown is a colour scheme for a hotel, not a cruise ship. They also need way more lounge chairs on deck 4. You have a ship of 3,000+ people and less than 15 chairs on each side of Deck 4. STORES ON THE SHIP I personally would like more variety, not just clothes, jewellery, etc. A variety store with paperbacks, magazines, etc. would be a welcome addition. I prefer to spend my money at individually owned shops and kiosks on the islands to support the islanders. INTERNET This is a total rip-off. Save your money and use the internet at the ports. Most places have free internet if you buy something; even a soda will do.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The food in the dining room ranged from fair to excellent, depending on what I ordered. The buffet was good. The chocolate desserts were terrible. I didn’t have more than a bite of any cake because they tasted bitter. It was very disappointing after the wonderful desserts on the Silouette last year. My husband liked the cheesecake. We did not go to any specialty restaurants.
I bought the basic soda package. I was pressured to up-grade it repeatedly but didn’t cave in. They were frequently out of club soda but servers (one with persuasion) gave me Perrier instead.
Onboard Activities
I was not impressed with the Cruise Director, Rick. Activities on the ship were few and far between. I cannot understand why they do not take advantage of all the knowledge of their guests, many of whom could give lectures on interesting experiences, jobs, hobbies, etc. They could have a sign up sheet and designate a small venue for that purpose. The ship could state these speakers are unvetted so they are not responsible for the content of the lectures. If you don’t like it, you can leave.
There were no craft activities, educational or hobby courses; just lectures about the islands, shopping or ship amenities to my knowledge.
Entertainment
The entertainment was hit or miss. Pete Matthews was a hilarious juggler. I give him an 11/10. Chad Chesmark was billed as a magician, but he was mainly a comedian. I give him an 7.5/10. Uptown was an amazing band that got the audience really involved, a 10/10. “All McCartney Live” was a great show as well, 9/10. My husband saw Jeff Nease. I had a bad cough so I didn’t go. He gives him a 7/10. We did not enjoy the ship’s singers and dancers and only went to one show in its entirety, but the ship’s orchestra was excellent. The remaining performers were a 6/10 in my opinion.
While wandering the ship I’d come across some good bands playing in a various venues. And there were a few Karaoke singers that could have gone professional.
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
Most of the staff were very friendly. Our waiter, Wi, was fabulous. Our housekeeper, Yolanda, kept our room neat and tidy. Donovan was wasted as the hand sanitizer guy. He was wonderfully entertaining while encouraging people to clean their hands. He should have been at the ice cream station. They really needed someone upbeat, who loved their job, in that position. The person who works there is the first person you see entering the Oceanview Cafe. That person sets the tone, and needs to be friendly and welcoming.
Ship Quality
I liked the layout but they are redoing the ship so any comments about it are not really relevant. I do hope the rumour about removing the library to put in more inside cabins is untrue. The library was always busy even though 80% of the bookshelves were empty. That is my favourite place on the ship. I don't know if I will go on it again if they remove the library.
I did not like the outside theatre. Shows played all day and there was not enough protection from the wind and the sun.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our balcony room on the 7th floor, 7116, was quite small. But if you are very organized you can make it work. Perhaps they will add more storage when the ship goes into drydock. The seat was not a loveseat but an oversized chair. My main complaint about the room was the lack of TV channels and the pay-for-view movies. Really? This is a high end cruise line. I should not be charged to watch a movie on T.V.
Ship tip
Take a tour of the entire ship on boarding day so you know where everything is. We like the freedom of anytime dining. You get to choose when you eat. You get to sit with different people every evening versus the same people for the whole cruise. And you have the freedom to eat with new friends you meet on the ship.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We love San Juan. The forts are fascinating. (If you only have time for one, do the bigger one.) The shopping is great. There are lots of restaurants. (We love a locals’ restaurant called Cafe Manolin at 251 San Justo. It is about a block away from my favourite store that has local jewellery, art and gifts called Puerto Rican Art and Crafts at 204 Fortaleza St.)
Note: Next time our return flight leaves late, I will book an excursion with the ship that tours San Juan and then goes to the airport. Sitting in the airport all day was a waste of a lovely day.
Bonaire has lots of shops and great beaches. There is a store that sells local jewellery called Elements. (Bonaire is tiny so you can find it.)
NOTE: Please ensure any excursions you take are animal friendly and do not support capturing animals from the wild.
We took a tour on Curacao with one of the many tour guides vying for our business. (As long as you take a tour that gets you back well before the ship leaves you should be fine with an island tour company. Some of our best tours have been non-ship excursions.) Curacao has the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. It has a dirt floor and is quite interesting. If you like history, it’s a must see. You can walk there from the ship. Curacoa also has a long bridge that rotates, which is quite neat.
Aruba also has great beaches. (No, I can’t be specific because we don’t go to them.) If you try to take the tram you must stay at the front near the tracks because there’s NO formal line and people crowd in front of you to get on the tram. We missed two trams and gave up.
Note:All the Dutch islands are lovely and, compared to other Caribbean islands, well-to-do. They are safe so you can have an enjoyable day just walking around the town.
Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
St. Croix, where the ship docks, basically has nothing but a beach right by the ship. There are a few kiosks. You can take an island bus to Frederiksted (which is a bigger city) for next to nothing or pay a lot more for a taxi. The taxi drivers lied to us about the bus and said it didn’t go there. Ask a local for bus information. We did not end up going to Frederiksted. I’m a children’s author and did an author visit at a local school instead.
Antigua’s infrastructure is very poorly maintained. It does have a new library with free wi-fi. There is also an impressive Anglican church under reconstruction with centuries old graves, and a museum of the island’s history, all within walking distance from the ship. However, if you have mobility issues note that the sidewalks are horrible.
In St. Kitts we took a private tour with Quincy. He was a really good tour guide. We have taken two previous tours with Beulah Mills (www.tourstkittsandnevis.com) without pre-booking. She was not working the day we were in St. Kitts. She is awesome.
St. Kitts is a very poor island. Do NOT take a picture with the monkeys as they are stolen from the wild and do not appear to be well treated.
St. Thomas is my favourite island because of the shops. My favourite store sells adorable hand-painted outfits that I buy for my grandchildren. (Sorry, I can’t remember the store’s name but it’s on a street with no traffic. There’s a bench in front of it.)
My husband liked the historical ambience of Ponce. I was not feeling well and did not get off the ship so I can’t give an opinion.
Disembarkation
Very fast (which is unusual).