I_heart_vaca

The last time I had just carry on luggage (its been a few years) we docked at 7am and got off around 8:15am.  So long as you don't need any assistance you can ask for the earliest group.

We have done both.  Self disembark is usually early, around 7am or so when we did it.  The airport is about 15 miles so assume a 30 min cab ride.  To be honest we did Pricess Transfer in San Fran and we were able to make a 11:30 am flight, but it was close for me - the one who prefers to have over an hour to spare for anything.  I think you will be ok either way, but for trips where I only have a carry on I prefer self-disembark to get off early.

Run into what?  The Canada/New England cruises that start in Quebec and overnight in Quebec.  We were on it in 2019.  We checked in the first day.  At 11:30pm - they lock up the ship so no midnight boarding - and then on day 2 we had another day in Quebec and left later in the afternoon.  So either flight should work for you. 

Crystal Cruise Lines is a Japanese cruise line. I have heard of people doing this before -- typically retirees as it does cost a lot. I wonder if the cruise line gives her a discount?

The shortest answer is - whatever works for you. I am not the kind to try and get everything into a carry on, so I tend to pack what I want within the airline limits (and I like having choices). That said, what works for me...

• I don't use hard sided luggage, because its easier for me to shove the softer sided kind under the bed and out of the way.
  
• I always have a carry on in addition to the larger suitcase because you put main luggage out the night before you disembark and need something to put your overnight and last minute items (chargers,etc) in.
  
• I find the four wheel spinners are easiest to get around the port, aiport, but I wouldn't buy new suitcases - just use what you got.
  
• I use packing cubes -- it makes it easy to put socks, undies, etc into drawers. I also have a mini pop up hamper to keep dirty items together (takes up next to nothing in space) but this is my own quirk and not a real 'must have'
  
• I use small travel size shampoo, etc so that they can be thrown out and make room in my suitcase for souviners.
  
• They do have laundry service and its fast and pretty cheap, so I packed 3 dining room outfits, and sent them out to clean and reuse.
  
• Shoes are heavy, so I pack minimal amounts - flip flops, sneakers, dress shoes. The best advice I got for packing shoes is to remember that they aren't friends - they don't have to be together, use them to fill holes between your clothes, etc.
  

Pack as you would for any hotel based trip and you will be fine. Have fun, don't stress.

I actually used a small duffle (which we pack collapsed in our suitcase) and brought on a 12 pack of bottled water and a 12 pack of soda for us -- no issues. Just added a luggage tag and it was delivered to the room.

Have a great trip!

I too have a severe allergy to shellfish (and bee stings, but that isn't a dining issue). I found the Dining staff very responsive. It is much easier to control in the dining room. My biggest concern in the buffet is cross contaimenation by passengers who don't realize the risk they are taking for others when they move and share serving utensils. I did not bother to select thenight before, but my dining server after the first night made a point to tell me what on the menu I couldn't have and what he could get special made (not all items can be changed on board). As stated above please carry an EpiPen if you have one. I have had this allergy for over 20 years, and the first time it reacted I was very, VERY lucky that someon in the cafe with me recognized what was happening and had one. Now I never travel anywhere without it!

I wish I had found cruising sooner. I love to travel and do so a lot for my career, but being on a ship is the most relaxing way I have found to visit places I wanted to see.

I love that the ship is a resort -- nice rooms, great service, food I can't make for myself, art galleries, entertainment -- what more could I want. Plus, I get to treat that ship like a floating hotel -- only unpack once!

I love booking ship excursions...I can visit and see islands and places I may not be comfortable seeing on my own. I love meeting new people (who are always happy because they too are on holiday). I adore being able to eat "out" and try new foods without dishes. I love that it is stress free and cost effecient. No car rentals, taxis, or running for late flights.

But most of all - I love it is the one trip I can still say to my boss -- "sorry, no internet!" and completly unplug.

was just on the Summit (the other itinerary in early Nov)! LOVED IT! It was only my second cruise, so no real ‘cruise tips’ but here are some of the things I loved and found useful to share:

Library – I am an avid reader and often need to find a quiet place to read. The library is mid-ship, levels 8 & 9 – and on level 9 there are no books, but comfy chairs. Most times it was empty. They do hold the Friends of Bill W meetings here everyday at 5pm.

Theater – it was never completely full, so you could always get a seat (unlike Princess where it was over packed every show)… but if you show up a little early, the servers will get you a drink to enjoy at during the show.

Free Cruise raffle – if you play Bingo the largest package ($69) came with raffle tickets. What they didn’t tell you was that on the last night of the cruise those tickets could be entered to win a free cruise. I found out about that by watching the Cruise Directors channel on the tv.

Café – has free muffins in the am; free cakes and cookies after 11am. This was good to grab a muffin and coffee in the morning before my excursions.

Buffet – no problem finding seating, but make sure to walk around the entire thing. There is a pizza area, salad bar, sandwich station, etc – they are not repeated on both sides. Service for drinks (other than lemonade and water stations) was slow. If you have a drink package there is a drink bar area where you can get soda, water, etc by one of the main entrances.

Do not book the cruise ships transfers at end of the cruise, or don't think you have to -- the taxi line went faster! And when you get to the airport, be sure to send your bags through the Ag screening before getting into the airport check in lines. If you don't they will send you back to do it, so you will ahve wasted your time.

I had a really good time and I am sure you will too. The staff was wonderful. The entertainment was fun.

I am going to have to hug my mama twice tomorrow for teaching me manners. It would never occur to me to cut in line. And when I have done something inadvertently which offends, I say sorry. It is amazing how many people have the Me First menality, but who are trying to maximize what they get, even if they step all over your vacation. I try to be laid back on vacation and let it roll off, but if I have been waiting for something and I don't get a chance because of rude people, I will admit I call them out on it. IF nothing else I get to go home and not have to do the "if only I had said something" game forever.

I actually had no issues on the Summit a few weeks ago -- and was shocked. Elevator issues exist everywhere, with people feeling more and more entitled to 'get all they can' and to hell with everyone else. Most are polite, but the few think only of thier oen rights and needs and don't worry that they are stomping on others good time. I will say that the elevators were only reall packed on port days as groups were getting back on, and even then only the midship ones (we always seemed to use 1st floor, midship for the gangway). The ones at the front and back were almost always empty when I went to use them, exception being show break. Even dinner was not an issue. It was a elevator-stressless week!

I was just on the Summit and the Friends of Bill W meeting was posted in the dailies, for our ship it was every day at 5pm in the 9th floor library.

Whlie I went with a friend, we have seperate interest so I did a lot of the activities and tours on my own. I met great people and had lots of fun. A few of them I am even keeping in touch with. Its amazing that on a large ship you tend to see the same people (I guess people who like the same things tend to end up the same places).

I would go again tomorrow, even if I had to do it on my own. Have a blast!

We stayed in San Juan a few days before our cruise and even they are taking some precautions.... Bug Spray! Each port we stopped at in the Caribbean the guides recommended spraying on some OFF with Deet... no bites, no fever and I didn't hear of anyone getting sick. I didnt' even feel as though there were A LOT of bugs, etc... but we sprayed anyway and we were fine. Buy a bottle at first stop, or before and take it with you.

YUP! I had a Premium Non-Al package and anytime I purchased a drink that was not included they asked if I wanted to upgrade. The upgrade is a price per day, so its just prorated for the days left. I was told -- $11 more per day based on days left. I didn't do it because I only ordered one drink per night (at the show) and it was only $8.50. You can upgrade at any bar.

Thank you for the review. We are boarding the 29th also. May I ask what time your flight was? We are also on United and we have cruised out of SJU many times with no issues. Our flights to Chicago are always late afternoon. Just wondering if time of day is a factor or if something has changed. Our last trip there was two years ago.

Having never sailed or even travelled in San Juan we took a late flight. Our flight was not till 2:30pm. The wait in line was long, but we still had plenty of time and the TSA check was quick and efficient. I do understand why people use carry on only as those that did didn't have to stand in line to check thier bags, but overall we had plenty of time.

Just got back from the Celebrity Summit – Eastern Caribbean r/t from San Juan. It was a great vacation. I did a lot of research on this site before both my trips and you all were so very helpful, so I want to return the favor – as much as I can. It was only my second cruise and my first on Celebrity so I wanted to put my ‘newbie’ thoughts together for other newbies. Not really detailed, as I didn’t keep notes as I was going, but here are the things that stick out for me…

Embarkation – Great.

Quick, smooth process. We arrived at 1pm as suggested and breezed through security and check in. The escalator in the port was under repair so everyone had to line up and take the one elevator up to the gangway level. Even with that we were on the ship by 1:30pm. Room ready and luggage delivered by 2pm.

Room – Good.

I had an inside cabin. It was laid out nicely with enough space for me (I was on my own in the room) but would be ok for two as well. I can’t imagine more than two people in the room. The back wall was completely mirrored which allowed the illusion of more space . The TV had real TV channels, and online account where you could review charges, add excursions, pay-per-view movies, etc. The fridge didn’t keep anything cold, but I had purchased a beverage package so I wasn’t stock piling anything in the room anyway.

Food & Beverage – Good, not great.

· Dining Room – Good service at dinner, slow during breakfast. Food was good.

· Buffet – Variety was there – pizza, sandwiches, salads, hot foods. Nothing spectacular but options and plenty of it. As someone mentioned somewhere on here before – the trays are small but the plates normal size. So if you wanted a small bowl of salad and a plate with a sandwich on it, there was literally no room for a drink. The servers were slow to come around and ask if you wanted a drink (other than the water or lemonade in the machines) and a few times they ran out of coffee and water in the machines.

· Café & Gelatoria – My favorite place. Iced coffee is my afternoon treat and the servers were attentive. The pastries in the coffee bar are free, but the Gelato was $4.50 for two scoops. They had ½ price deals on port days.

· Beverage Packages – I ended up with the Premium non-Alcoholic package as I don’t really drink much. I was not going to do this originally, but it actually worked out great. I had several coffees each day, smoothie for breakfast a few days (not great), soda with dinner and always got a bottle of water before leaving on excursions, plus a bottle of cold water to take in the room at night – total worth it and I didn’t have to sign all those slips, all the time. I did get a drink at the Shows each night – cost $8.50 per drink.

Activities & Events – Disappointing

There were no real activities – at least not the hands-on ones I was hoping for, or the education ones I got on the Alaska cruise. There were five types of events/activities:

· Sales Events – no education style sessions. Almost everything was a preview or grand revealing event designed to sell something – watches, diamonds, etc. Even the ‘learn to’ sessions were a bait-and-switch designed to see you stuff. There was a Martini Mixology class that was really just passengers buying a flight of 6 martinis and watching the bartenders make it (there were a lot of these types of events).

· Games – Xbox has a deal with Celebrity so they had a few Kinnect games. There were also Trivia games, or ‘game show’ style games, but with limited passengers needed to ‘play’ most of us were just the audience. Not a lot of fun as not very interactive.

· Bingo – there was Bingo a few times. Not advertised well, or well attended. If you bought the $50 package it came with four raffle tickets which were to be used in the last day’s raffle for a free cruise.

· Raffles – Speaking of raffles. These were hit or miss. Not well advertised. You didn’t know about the free cruise one until you purchased the Bingo games (Maybe had they told people up front, more would have showed up). In fact they ran a few raffles and drawings, but never really promoted the where and when. It was hit or miss and mostly misses.

· Parties – Each evening there as a themed party (70s night, Sizzle, Frozen/White).

· Shows – 7pm and 9pm in the Celebrity Theater

Shows – Mostly good

· Celebrity Singers & Dancers – OK. Not Broadway quality, but I wasn’t expecting it. The shows were mostly good. Two of them were tributes to Hollywood and stars…almost like cover shows. These were good. The “original” show was not good and was almost painful to watch.

· Special Performers – the two comedians were fabulous (laughed so much I cried!). The aerialist are amazing; they were part of the ‘atmospheric performers’ that showed up in the special event “Indulgence” and the late night theme parties. Highlight – VoicePlay – these guys were awesome. If you haven’t seen them – look it up on YouTube!

Ports – GOOD!

I have never been to the Caribbean and loved all the stops. We had good weather on all days until the last port (St. Thomas) where it poured. But overall the islands were beautiful, clean and welcoming. I split my ports between ship excursions and private tours/events. The ship tours were good – a little more expensive but I don’t mind that extra expense for someone else to do the planning. There were snorkeling, shopping, tours – a little something for everyone. At St. Thomas where almost all excursions were cancelled due to weather the ship automatically refunded the excursion prices to the accounts. Very efficient.

Disembarkation – What a mess!

Getting off was organized as usual – with them corralling people into common areas then letting you off in numbered groups. The issues started once you collected your luggage and headed to Customs/Immigration. The lines moved pretty fast, but once you were outside there as a long wait for pre-arranged transfers. If I went back to San Juan I would definitely not arrange traspo with the ship, the taxi line was faster.

San Juan Airport – AWFUL!

The United line was over 90 minutes to check your bags. It was the worst I have ever seen at any airport – no signs, little help and a line that just didn’t move for large spans of time. I travel extensively for my job and it was the absolute worst experience I have had at an airport. It was not a great way to end a great vacation, but not the cruise lines fault.

All in all it was a great, relaxing vacation. I was not overwhelmed by the awesomeness of Celebrity, and will most likely go back to Princess -- as I really like more activity on the ship; but it was a great trip all around and I would recommend it to anyone looking to cruise the islands.

Safe travels! I always get nervous before any travel -- and yet it is always fun!:D

Simply put: different strokes for different folks.

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True that! Everyone vacations differently. You paid for your vacation just like everyone else and should do what you enjoy and not cave to the 'this is what you should do' pressure.

I travel for business a lot. So I have packing practice and still when I go on vacation it seems more of a production. I use my spare bedroom as Packing Staging Center. So as I remember I want to take stuff I put it into the room. I have a small 'crate' that I put smaller items in.

I do use travel size items when I can so I can toss as they empty and replace that space and weight with stuff I get on vacation. I do not do the carry-on only thing -- I respect and envy those who do, but I am and shall always be a "what if" packer... what if I want to wear this, what if we decide to do the formal night, what if I spill coffee on my shirt. I always pack sunscreen and meds, even seasickness meds even if I have never gotten sick. I am a pack for what if person - remember. I did finally start using packing cubes and the layering/folding method so I could fit more and get less wrinkles.

Let me preface by saying I have been on ONE cruise so my knowledge and experience is limited. I do, however, plan events for a living so I am always in a new city and sitting with new people for meals. That said...

One of the coolest things on the cruise was getting to know new people. We didn't do it every night. And oddly we would meet people on excursions, or sitting on deck and would plan to meet up for a meal. We only ate twice in a Dining Room and both times we asked to be seated with whomever. It was a blast. I met a real live circus clown (I didn't tell him clowns freak me out!).

I do understand people with kids wanting to sit just as a family, first because time with your kids where YOU are not responsible for cooking and cleaning and can actual enjoy thier attention is prescious and scarce and second because the logitics of eating with kids, especially small ones, can add anxiety to the parents. My sister always worries her young daughter will spill, drop food, eat too slow, whine too much -- its nerve wracking for her in formal meals.

It's government issued ID (Drivers License) PLUS Birth Certificate OR Passport. I do bring my DL and my Passport now so I can lock my Passport in the safe and still have an official photo ID with me when off the ship.

When I first started travelling internationally I took my passport everywhere. Now, I am more likely to lock it in a safe as its real function is border crossing (even if that's on a plane). I do carry photo ID everywhere and a copy of the passport on my phone. Can't use it to fly, but should I need to get a new one while overseas, I would hope this might help speed the process.

I have only criused once, but before I did I read A LOT of threads on this topic and it seems most expereinced cruisers keep it locked up. I agree that you are more likely to loose it or have it stolen then miss the ship and need it to fly home or to the next port. I know people say if you miss the boat the ship will get your stuff and leave it for you -- I don't know anyone who has had this happen as I don't know anyone who missed the ship for any reason (all my friends are paranoid as me about that!).

I would only take the passport if I didn't have any other photo ID (Drivers License or Passport Card). And after reading that hint above I wish I had gotten a Passport Card when I renewed my passport last year...may have to get one as that is a really good tip!

No disease for which the possible outcome is death should ever be taken lightly. That said I wish news media would be more responsible in their reporting and take some responsibility for the panic they create. We live in such a sound bite, headline reading only society that the actual facts get lost in the roar.

It is not easy to catch Ebola. It has already been shown that those nurses were not properly trained or prepared for treating the first patient. That is a harsh reality to live with and to me at least it shows we are not as ready for Ebola in this country as we should be. But it does show that not every person who has contact with an infected person will get sick. There are specific circumstances to infection for any disease.

Of course, anytime you have a bunch of people in tight quarters for long periods of time, the risk goes up if someone is sick that the illness can be passed on. So in the end - travel smart, use precautions, and be knowledgeable on the facts (not the media version). It is the best we can do.

Check out ResortForADay(dot)com and CaribbeanDayPass(dot)com -- we have had success with both these companies. Usually about $60 and includes lunch and a beverage. You get to use pool, facilities and sometimes they have private beaches. We find its worth the extra money to have less people and better facilities. Good luck!

The app does not displace the need for an actual passport. All it does is provide an electronic filing of the immigration and customs form in advance of arrival at the CBP window. Thus giving them more time to run your number and picture and the remaining ID information through their system. One still must present your passport to the officer and he gets to ask as many questions as he wants.

 

Perhaps it is poorly named, but I cannot see how it is any less secure than the current system. It seems to be pretty much the same thing as filling in an online cruise Check-In form.

Agree. You still need an actual Passport. This simply replaces that silly little form they hand out on the plane -- "do you have anything to declare!" :D

This seems the natural extension form those new kiosks that do the same thing. You scan your passport, answer the questions and get a receipt. That puts you through customs and then you go on to Immigration -- where you still need to show your passport. Of interest to those freaking out, this only works in YOUR home country. You can't skip and use kiosks if you are foreign. As much as I travel internationally for business, US customs is always just a couple guys taking your word for it when you hand in the form. So this new process is no more, no less secure.