Atwell

Thanks, I was able to find the drink menus on the Celebrity app and showed my wife how to access.  She appreciated the help! 

I would really appreciate it if someone could post photos of the current drink menus on the Summit that show the wines available by the glass.  Asking for my wife and daughter who are taking a girls cruise soon on the Summit.  Thanks so much! 

Looking for ideas on the best way to transfer from Port Miami to FLL to catch an 11:30 am flight.  Celebrity will not allow you to book transfers they offer if your flight leaves before 1:30 pm.  Need to have a van or SUV to be sure to have enough room for passengers, luggage, and folding wheeled walker.  The ship is scheduled to disembark at 7:00 am but, of course, could be delayed.  Any experiences you have will be appreciated.  Also, we use Uber but don't know how good an option this might be at Port Miami, especially since we will need UberXL and can't waste a lot of time waiting. Thanks for your input. 

I don't know exactly when the info on the 2023/2024 World Cruise was released but our booking was made on Sept 25, 2021.  Based on that, I thought the 2024/2025 World Cruise might be released by now, but nothing so far.

Most likely San Juan Island, WA north of Seattle.

1 hour ago, njpln said:

Definitely aft facing balcony (concierge).  The balcony is HUGE.  We were booked on decks 7 and 8 several times and it was great.

Agree, if you can get any aft facing balcony (concierge) on decks 7 or 8, they are amazing. 

1. Art student copying a painting in the Hermitage. 2. Catherine's Palace. 3. St. Isaac's Cathedral.

There is so much to see!  Two days is just barely enough time, so maximize it!

We used SPB Tours in St. Petersburg.  We did not do one of their group tours, though.  We booked a private 2-day tour for just the two of us.  It was fantastic!  We were able to tailor it to our interests. You can e-mail back and forth to discuss the options they have available. They are very responsive. And you get to see so much more than if you are on a large group tour.  It was definitely more expensive, but we thought it was worth it and was not horribly expensive. However, it was ten years ago, so things may have changed. However, with Victoria still in charge, I imagine they still have the same high standards and customer service.  Here is their link.

https://spb-tours.com

In Bangkok, the typical tour would include the must-see Grand Palace, several of the famous temples along the river, possibly a long-tail boat ride on the Chao Phraya River and the nearby khlongs, Chinatown, and perhaps some shopping areas.  For such a limited time, I would not try to tour on my own.  A tour guide with a car/van will allow you to see more while not having to worry about the language barrier (unless you happen to speak Thai).  Bangkok is a fabulous place for tourists but it can be a bit overwhelming.  

I expected that the color scheme, furniture, and perhaps the layout had been changed, but the previous response by jcpc indicates no changes were made except the name.  So, I assume that nothing at all is different from before which I find surprising but makes me happy.

Will someone who has sailed on the Summit since the "revolution" please describe the changes in what is apparently now called the Sky Lounge on Deck 11 (previously known as Revelations Lounge)?  Photos will be appreciated.  The Elite Cocktail hour from 5-7 pm was previously held in this lounge and I assume this is still the case.  Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

My opinion is that the MDR food is definitely not as good as 20 years ago but the buffet is better than it used to be and dinner in the buffet is definitely an option.  The service in the MDR seems to have slipped but maybe because the wait staff is responsible for more tables but they try hard.  There doesn't seem to be the selection of really good entrees on the MDR menu compared to years ago though I can't give any specific examples.  The food choices around the ship are still plenty good enough to keep us cruising. 

The exact B2B procedure on the changeover day seems to vary by port.  For San Juan in the past, the walk-off/walk-on was done immediately after meeting as a group in a lounge around 10 am in the morning.  However, in January 2019, the whole process was handled in the lounge and there was no walk-off/walk-on required.  Detailed instructions will be provided in your stateroom a day or two ahead of the changeover day.

Thank you for the wonderful photos and the interesting commentary!

Based on sailing on the Celebrity Summit from San Juan many times:

1. Yes, the departure is at 8:30 p.m. but you need to be on board much earlier.  I believe 7:00 p.m. is the absolute latest you can board.  If you board this late, then you will have to attend a muster drill make-up the next morning, I believe.  The mandatory muster drill is typically held around 5:00-5:30 p.m. as I recall.

2. We have always boarded around 11:30 a.m. and you may be able to board earlier.

3. Celebrity uses the Pan American Pier for departures from San Juan.  The Old San Juan pier is only used by Celebrity for day stops on cruises that departed from other ports.

Thank you for posting your review.  I hope your Baltic cruise was as good as ours!  It will be fantastic!

Thank you for posting this review!

Use SPB Tours or one of the other private tour companies as previously mentioned.  You will pay less and see more during your two days.  Do not worry about getting back to the ship on time.  The private tour companies depend on their reputation and will not jeopardize it by missing the ship's departure.   I cannot think of a good reason to use the Celebrity tour of St. Petersburg.

8 hours ago, Atwell said:

If you are looking for assurance of warm weather, then choose San Juan.  The weather in the Tampa area in January can be a little chilly especially if you are thinking of enjoying the beaches.  Also, the weather on board when you leave and return to port in Tampa (for at least a day in each direction) will be noticeably cooler than in San Juan.  

 

Average high temp in Tampa in January is 71F and avg. low temp is 53F.  San Juan average high temp in January is 81F and low average temp is 74F.  Rain chances are a little higher in San Juan but usually only a brief shower.  We have been to San Juan many times in January and I don't ever recall it raining.

 

Others may disagree.

We stayed a week in January 2018 in North Redington Beach, FL which is on the gulf coast at the beach directly west of Tampa.  The high temps during the week were: Jan 14 = 57F, Jan 15 = 64F, Jan 16 = 70F, Jan 17 = 63F, Jan 18 = 50F, Jan 19 = 54F, Jan 20 = 59F.  Now you may think that is beach weather but we prefer temperatures at least 80F at the beach.  The low temps got down to 32F on Jan 18.  We thought it was too cold for either the beach or the pool.  Granted, this was probably an unusually cold spell but it hit right during our vacation time and we were expecting warmer weather.  From there we went to Naples, FL and then over to Boca Raton, FL.  It was a little warmer there but not that much, although it was much warmer and more pleasant than at home in Ohio.  In San Juan, the high temps on the same dates were : 84F, 81F, 84F, 82F, 84F, 82F, 82F.  The Tampa area is a wonderful place but if you are concerned about chilly weather in January, then go to San Juan where warm weather is a given.

If you are looking for assurance of warm weather, then choose San Juan.  The weather in the Tampa area in January can be a little chilly especially if you are thinking of enjoying the beaches.  Also, the weather on board when you leave and return to port in Tampa (for at least a day in each direction) will be noticeably cooler than in San Juan.  

Average high temp in Tampa in January is 71F and avg. low temp is 53F.  San Juan average high temp in January is 81F and low average temp is 74F.  Rain chances are a little higher in San Juan but usually only a brief shower.  We have been to San Juan many times in January and I don't ever recall it raining.

Others may disagree.

It would be interesting to know what the Hotel Director on the Summit has to say about the status and availability of footstools (and regular size tables).  Maybe someone on board can ask and tell us.  I would hope to see this permanently resolved by our next cruise on the Summit in January with the appropriate balcony furniture restored.

At the Guest Relations desk, they will punch a hole in your SeaPass card so you can attach your lanyard.

You can board as early as about 11:30 a.m., sometimes even a little earlier.  The 8:30 p.m. time is when the ship sails.   The muster drill is usually held around 5:30-5:45 p.m. as I recall.  I am not sure how the early seating in the fixed dining is affected, if at all.

Also, Celebrity (and Royal Caribbean) sailings from San Juan now use the Pan American pier across the harbor from Old San Juan.  In years past, Celebrity used the Old San Juan Pier, so you might have sailed from Old San Juan on your previous cruise.  Celebrity and Royal Caribbean only use the Old San Juan pier for day stops on cruises that embark from other ports, like Miami.

1 minute ago, blndee77 said:

We did room service one morning when we had an early excursion. It was uncomfortable on the small tables and no where to eat in the room. 

 

blndee77,

Yes, your photos make the point.  I see you improvised and used both tables to try to minimize the problem.  And they also must have eliminated the coffee table in the cabin.  Hard to understand why anyone would decide to eliminate the regular table on a large balcony like this, unless they had never cruised themselves.

9 minutes ago, blndee77 said:

Sailed C1 aft cabin 8172 in July. No footstools. Two chairs. Two loungers with headrests. Two small tables, one high and one low. 

blndee77, 

Thank you for posting these photos.  This cabin is next door to 8176.  Not as bad as I expected but not as good as what we had been provided before.  Almost impossible to have a room service full breakfast or lunch served on the balcony, I think.  The small tables only look to be large enough to hold drinks.