rebeccalouiseagain

Thank you for your review.  I love Regal.  I only ate at the buffet, Alfredos, or the Crown Grill.  I avoid the MDR on Regal because I've found it slow, noisy, and the food meh.  So I just don't bother with it.  I loved the buffet- namely the Indian food.  All the meats at that station were so tender and flavorful.  I also really liked the intimacy and attention to detail at the Crown Grill.  I didn't really care for Sabitini's on other Regal cruises- so didn't go there.  As for the desserts- they weren't good IMO but I don't need the extra calories.  I tried "Swirls" the first day and it's not really soft serve "ice cream".  I'm not sure what it is- but it tasted weird.  

Just got off Regal on April 21.  I only saw one cabin with door decorations.  It's was Happy 70th birthday.  The door decorations were there the entire 16 days.  Perhaps they were purchased through Princess and hence why they were permitted.  I wasn't wandering down every hall on the ship but I don't recall seeing any other door decor.  I had read prior to my cruise that door decor is no longer permitted.  So- maybe you can get around it by buying them through Princess.

Captain Kate is a cruise director and a captain in one. I liked her. A. She is young, energetic and lovely with that smile. and B. She sailed us to the ports with grace. I never felt any motion (though the seas complied). Her updates from the bridge were good- a little corny- but I liked how she told us to "seize the day." All and all- she was a memorable Captain.

This was my 12th Celebrity cruise and my 3rd time on Summit. I was cruising solo.

Parking in Bayonne is $20 per day in a five story garage next to the terminal. Easy

Embarkation was fast. I was in the "elite" line, but the other lines weren't long (at 1PM)

Condition of the ship was great. You really had to look to find fault.

My cabin 2156 was an inside/ midship deck 2. It was fine but I don't like the closets in the stateroom (tight squeeze opening and closing doors while looking for items in the closets) . There was plenty of space for my things.

I loved the 10 day itinerary which included New Port RI (my new favorite port), Portland Maine (also a great port), Bar Harbor, St. John NB, Halifax NS and Boston.

Highlights of the cruise were whale-watching off the coast of Nantucket (we saw hundreds of hump back whales), Captain Kate- who is lovely, funny and engaging, and even though the tendering into RI took longer than expected- it was my favorite port. Tendering into town was spectacular watching all the sail boats and yachts. I took the Newport Trolley ride from the Visitors Center in town. It was $25.00, one and a half hours and a great overview of the town. Loved it! They offer a three hour version as well (that includes time to explore the mansions- Rosecliff, The Breakers or the Marble House). Seas were incredibly smooth- almost no motion.

Pros of the ship- the food was very good in all venues. The ship never seemed crowded. Passengers trended older on this cruise- probably because it was a 10 day and because of the itinerary. Average age was around 70. The crew was good, but not excellent. I think they are overworked. Some crew members were better than others. My cabin steward did a great job. I thought my bed was too firm and he brought me a thick mattress topper, which made it much more comfy. My two favorite spots were Revelations on Deck 11 (loved the elite happy hour each night!) and Cafe Bacio by the windows. Neptunes, the Polish Violinist and Violaist were a real treat. Such lovely girls and so talented.

Cons. I find the coffee on the ship bitter. Even the pay coffee is just so-so. The in cabin movies cost $14.95, which is really expensive. There is nothing good on the television, so you almost have to buy at least one movie. I bought three. I never tried Sushi on Five and really missed Bistro on Five. I was excited to try out the Rooftop Terrace on deck 12. It requires walking up a steep set of outdoor stairs and there is no elevator (the wheel chair one was broken). The location was a bit windy at the back of the ship and there weren't many movies I was interested in seeing. There was no bar service from there or popcorn or anything. This cruise they offered first run movies, but there was no special "Chef" night like I'd read about. Beauty and the Beast, The Shack, The Wall, King Kong, Fences, Hidden Figures and Star Wars were the ones shown. It's not a great venue in my opinion. I was disappointed. The vibe onboard was pretty dull. I've noticed that there are fewer things that interest me. Trivia was meh, no games like pictionary or scattergories. The library had few, if any, books (except a book case of Spanish ones, and about 12 English speaking ones). There were no painting classes, towel folding, no fruit carving or ice sculpture demonstrations. We overnighted in Halifax (Canada Day) and Boston (4th of July). I was disappointed that there was no poolside buffet for either event. Thankfully- Boston had fireworks going off from all directions (180 degrees worth). So you got to see lots of fireworks from the ship.

Disembarkation took about 45 minutes from the time you found your luggage. Long lines to get through customs. Plan accordingly. I recommend doing walk off if you have to be a the airport by 9AM. I would not risk taking a flight that departs before 11AM.

Would I sail Celebrity again? Yes. Is it my favorite cruise line? No. Princess delivers a better overall experience for me and if the itinerary was the same- I'd definitely go with Princess.

I would head right to the terminal.

Qsine does take a long time. I would make an early reservation for the time when it opens and request a window seat. There are only a few tables by the window and the view from atop of the ship is very nice. I recommend the disco shrimp, the salad with goat cheese and the painters mignon. All the other items tend to be either too much food or starchy. They bring bread before the meal and it's very good but tends to fill one up- so you won't need starchy foods after that. The best dessert is the Chocolate Tombstone. My advice is to leave food on your plate. It goes against my nature to waste food- but if you eat everything they bring- you'll explode. Shows are usually repeated each night- so you won't really miss anything.

In my experience, the ships sail full all the time. Even in the off-peak weeks- the lower prices attract families with small (non school age) children.

It was starboard side when I sailed Breakaway in May 2017 and when I was docked in Bermuda (on Celebrity Summit) in 2015- I remember the NCL ship being docked on the Starboard side. So I think that's generally how it's docked.

I took my very experienced them- 12 year old son (he's been on more than 30 cruises) on Serenade of the Seas (sister to Jewel) around the Med. He loved the cruise. There was plenty to do onboard and it was a port intensive cruise. He loved the guided tours and had a wonderful time. Herculaneum, Orvieto, Taormina were his favorite experiences. He still talks about that cruise.

Yes- your grandchildren will have plenty to do and I think it will be great fun for all of you.

Qsine is a nice experience because it is whimsical. If the menu is still the same, I highly recommend the Painter's Mignon, a nice cut of filet. I also loved the goat cheese salad. I also enjoyed the Disco Shrimp. Really all the other foods are a bit heavy. It's worth a try- but the food is not gourmet. It's fun, but they really encourage a lot of food and I would say that three items per person (other than the ones I mentioned) will be WAY to much food.

Kids sleep really soundly on cruises. The rocking motion helps

From Ft. Lauderdale airport the ride is about 45 minutes. You can taxi there (will run about $100) and there are shuttles to the cruise port. https://goairportshuttle.com/city/fla1

I would always recommend flying in the night before. So many things can go wrong when you fly in the same day. If you do Ft. Lauderdale there are loads of hotels between there and Miami to chose from in various price ranges. Many of the hotels near the airport offer courtesy shuttles to and from the airport.

It's great. They aren't going to want to leave. They will have more fun on the cruise than you.

It looks like it would fit a 15" laptop on the diagonal.

Thank you. My son has been on many cruises and he loved the Fun Factory so much- much more so than other cruise lines. We did a Meditteranean cruise one year with his grandparents and he never wanted to get off the ship- because he had so much fun in the FF. I agree with the pool situation. The pools are small and when there are so many people it is gross sharing. I feel the same way about the hot tubs. When I see a bunch of people in there- I'm turned off. I've stopped using them.

That was horrible-I agree. I would be disappointed too. Tender ports seem to be an issue with NCL. I have had two very scary experiences on tenders with NCL. I haven't had trouble tendering with any other cruise line. Yes, other cruise lines have cancelled tendering due to bad weather, but i've not felt unsafe when I did tend with other cruise lines. NCL seems to have problems in this area.

Reflections lounge is a really great place for sailaways and sailing into ports. When you sail out of Venice- many people will be outside on the open deck drinking bellinis, which is fun. I've done that. The Reflections Lounge on Deck 11 (bow) is also wonderful for that bird's eye view of the city. This sail-away is not to be missed. One of the best cruise experiences.

As for meals- If you chose a set dining time, you may get in the MDR faster, have better service because you will have the same server each night, who will be aware of your likes and dislikes and that sort of thing.

Thank you for posting. I'm on a low carb diet (not vegan) and I was worried about my upcoming cruise, but you can always find a good assortment of fruits and veggies in the buffet. So I'm not going to give into being on "vacation". I'm going to look at it as a "spa vacation" and stick with my lean meat and veggies.

If that happened- I would suspect it is kids doing it, and it probably isn't a common occurrence. I would never leave something unattended that I care about. Leave the watches, jewelry, and such in the cabin. I've cruised at least 40 times and have never had anything stolen. I did lose my camera in the theater, went to the front desk, and sure enough- someone had turned it in.

You can't do it- even if you book it in two segments. I know it sounds maddening but this happened to me. We boarded in LA- the cruise ended in Vancouver but I was not allowed to continue on from Vancouver because the cruise ended in Seattle. Even though it was two segments, I got a call from the cruise line and they told me that I would not be allowed to do the cruise. I had booked with an online agency at two different dates. The cruise line saw my name on the manifests and contacted me the week before the cruise! They refunded me the money for the second cruise and I was able to find another ship in port that day. So we did a different cruise line for the second cruise.

Yeah- the only cruise line I know that does fireworks is Disney.

Personally- I'd put a deposit on another cruise (and keep the booking until they tell you it's cancelled and give you some type of compensation). If you put a deposit on another cruise and the Jewel isn't cancelled- then you can decide which one to do.

I wouldn't want to share the shower with four adults. I just sailed NCL as a solo passenger, so no big deal that the sink, toilet and shower are incorporated in the room, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable showering or using the toilet with only a thin layer of frosted glass between you and everyone else. If you choose epic- get two rooms.

There are shuttle buses at the pier ($25 pp) and you can pay on the bus. I enjoyed the ride because other cruise passengers were on it and we chatted the whole way. Otherwise you can get a taxi, which for two people will run $45-60 depending on traffic. Traffic in Seattle has gotten terrible- so for two- will probably be cheaper to take the shuttle bus.