Beautifully renovated ship
Celebrity Summit Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 8
Helpful Votes: 140
5 Night Dutch Antilles Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 25, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Summit
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8052
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
The ship is beautiful, to say the least. The Embarkation luncheon was what you would expect in a dining room on a nice ship. It was quiet and relaxing. The gin and tonic I ordered was good. In fact, we enjoyed the Main Dining room and the buffet more than the specialty dining. The only mojito worth ordering was a frozen mojito from the pool bar. The lime and mint leaves are blended into the drink. It is delicious. The gin and tonics varied, and we learned to order a double shot of gin in them. The martini bar and main dining room made the strongest drinks. Some bartenders were better than others. The Sunset bar behind the Oceanview Cafe (buffet) was a nice addition. There were bars we did not frequent, and we did not try everything on the ship. We had a fantastic broiled lobster tail dinner in the main dining room one night. This dinner made us question the need for Specialty dining on a Celebrity ship.Embarkation
Boarding was quick and effortless with no lines for Concierge Class. The Embarkation luncheon was what you would expect in a dining room on a nice ship. It was quiet and relaxing.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We booked Specialty dining with our On Board Credit. Qsine is interesting, but we liked the filet mignon the best and it was served last. If you do this restaurant, resist the temptation to order as many as they say you can. Order an appetizer for each of you to share, as well as 2 different entrees. Then order dessert from the menu. The surprise dessert was surprisingly disappointing. The Tuscan Grille is hard to get to unless the forward elevator is used. It is off the beaten path and was not crowded. I did not like the lasagne, but the crab cake appetizer was excellent. I think this one is one we will not repeat.
I ordered a continental breakfast one morning through Room Service. One thing I liked was the telephone call from the kitchen letting us know it was on its way to us. We took it out to the balcony and enjoyed hot coffee, bread and pastries with some of the left over afternoon fruit. It was a very pleasant morning.
We also ordered lunch one afternoon through Room Service. I ordered 2 Chicken Caesar salads, which were excellent. We got the cheese platter and fruit platter, and I think I preferred it to the Concierge Class fruit bowl and snacks. The snacks are a little different and some days were quite enjoyable. I ended up going to a bar to get a mojito and coke, since the only complimentary beverages with Room Service are tea, lemonade, and milk. We learned that we needed to request ice for our drinks.
Onboard Activities
I was able to sun on the pool deck and take a swim in the pool in the morning on the sea day. It was nice to not have to fight the 'water slide' crowds.
We did not use the Spa or Fitness Center, but they are very nice.
Entertainment
The only entertainment we enjoyed was the ‘December 63’ show which features the music of the Four Seasons. The other entertainment was just okay, and we do not go to any of the late night comedy shows or events.
Service and Staff
The service we received from everyone was excellent. Our steward, Benjo, was very responsive to our needs.
Ship Quality
Everything was new and clean. Beautifully decorated.
Cabin / Stateroom
I booked the Concierge Class state room out of curiosity. I read that if the difference is only $100 - $150 per person for the week that we should do it for the perks. I liked the stateroom size and location. We like a nice sized stateroom and balcony. I looked at the Aqua Class but decided we would not use it with only 1 sea day in this itinerary. The bathroom is somewhat small but it is adequate. The hand held shower head is nice to have. The room is tastefully decorated in neutrals and there are USB ports as well as electrical outlets in the room near a large lighted mirror. Plenty of lighting; sofa could be longer; but taken as a whole, the room was very nice.
Ports of call
San Juan is a favorite place for us. We booked the El Yunque excursion through Celebrity for March 30, and were not disappointed. It was heartwarming to see the Rain Forest recovering from Hurricane Maria. We recommend this excursion, since the Rain Forest has only been recently opened to the public again. Our tour guide was excellent, and the place we stopped for food was full of local cuisine, as well as a nice gift shop. The airport sells similar items but the prices are about a $1 more.
We stayed in San Juan for a night before the cruise and 2 nights after the cruise. One notable restaurant was Cayo Caribe in Old San Juan. It served fresh seafood, and was a delicious meal there the night before the cruise. We did the Rum Tasting tour at Casa Bacardi on Sunday after the cruise, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We found that Bacardi is also recovering from Hurricane Maria. Isla Verde Beach is pristine. We were impressed by the cleanliness of the beach and, fortunately, hurricanes do not permanently destroy the ocean beaches. It is expected to take 50 years for the Rain Forest to fully recover from Hurricane Maria. We enjoyed our time in San Juan immensely and will most likely stay longer next time.
Thumbs Up
11
St. Kitts is a favorite port of mine. I especially like the Caribelle Batik factory at Romney Manor. I purchased 2 large pieces of fabric (2 and 3 yards) and a bag of pieces. The pieces are not cut for quilting, but they are pretty pieces and I will enjoy working with them on a project. I spent $175 so it is not cheap fabric. I also bought 2 hand towels that were a splurge at $20 apiece. I was not disappointed with this purchase as I was in other ports.
We did an ATV excursion that included a stop at the Batik factory. The excursion was booked through Viator.com and we enjoyed it. It was hot and my hands got a bad sunburn on them. I recommend 50 SPF with zinc for hands and nose in the Caribbean. The sun is strong there, and the sun poisoning is no fun to have for the rest of the cruise. We would have liked more riding through the jungle, and less in the sun. My cruise partner decided it was too long, but I thought we got our money’s worth.
Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
St. Croix was very windy and the ship parked itself at the end of a very long pier. We booked the excursion to Christiansted and were picked up next to the ship. We learned a lot about St. Croix from our tour guide, but would have preferred to have been dropped off at the end of the pier next to the port shopping at the end of the tour. The wind was too strong for us to walk it from the ship. Many people stayed on the ship, most likely for the same reason we did.
St. John’s, Antiqua was an accessible port from the ship. We booked the Island Overview tour and it was a good tour. We were left off a few blocks from the ship, near a flea market full of individual stalls. We also found a place to eat lunch near the market. The lunch was basically Jerk Chicken, Rice and Beans, with Cole slaw. It was ok. We thought it was overpriced. If we had seen the restaurants closer to the ship, we would not have selected it. The flea market is interesting, but mostly full of junk souvenirs. All I can say is ‘Buyer Beware’ for this flea market. I was shown handkerchief dresses the correct sizes for my granddaughters, but upon reviewing the purchase later, found that 2 dresses too small were substituted. This was a major disappointment, since these dresses are only available for purchase in the Caribbean.
Disembarkation
We used a terminal porter and breezed past the long customs line.