Xcitdcruiser

Just wondering, with these cruises, are the transfers / entry to the track included? Or are they considered optional extras?

Just wondering if anyone has done the 'Gaudi' Runner Bean Tour?

I am organising a group of 6 & this looks like a great idea. This tour requires catching the metro.

They don't intend on using the metro for anything else. Would it be ok for them to buy during the tour?

What an outstanding review. Such a great job. I know that this takes a lot of time to do. Thanks for sharing.:)

Thank you for your kind words, I'm touched. I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

We've eaten in Hemingways. It was really good. Funny thing too - 2 of our tablemates had gone "missing" from dinner for a couple of nights. DH and I got seated at Hemingways and we noticed the other couple. Found out that the gentleman had gotten a little sick, so they stayed in the cabin together. That night, they were back at the table with us and we all enjoyed a good chuckle over us "busting" them. :)

Once you leave the 'gated area' you can't really miss it, can you?!

Haha at the couple - guilt must have kicked in! Were conversations awkward after that??

The world truly is small :)

Oh my goodness, what a fantastic idea!!!! You just totally sold me on what we'll do the next time we're in St. Lucia. :D

 

Congratulations on your marriage and enjoy! You guys are off to a fantastic start with this honeymoon. We've sailed the Southern Caribbean three times (on Royal), but we're sailing the Summit next year and can't wait. You really gave us some new ideas for our time post-cruise. Thank you so much for sharing :)

I'm so glad that I've given you a new idea on how you can fill your time in St Lucia! I remembered reading every post on a port looking for things that stood out ;)

Thank you for the wishes - we love married life! (It's actually no different to before, except an excuse for diamonds :p)

You are so lucky that you have been able to cruise the Caribbean as many time as you have - I wish it was on our doorstep. I'd love to hear how you find the Summit after RCI - RCI are a major player here in Oz & am yet o bite the bullet.

Keep checking in because we also stayed in OSJ post cruise and continued exploring new things - also have lots of pictures!

I just wanted to tell you that I am loving your review! We just booked this itinerary for March 2015!

I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying our adventures! I couldn't think of a better way to fill the time in before a cruise - read about other people's cruises! (somehow it helped!) Hope you enjoy the remainder :D

I am counting down the days! It's our 20th anniversary shortly after.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317

How exciting! Time will fly by, & you won't know where it's gone!

Thank you for your reviews! We are booked on the Summit with our group of 86 next Feb 2015.

 

Thanks again for your time and talents!

Regards,

Maria

It's my pleasure, I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying it. Feb 2015 is just around the corner. I have to ask, a group of 86 people?? That is amazing! Is that a private group or through CC roll call?

We were welcomed once again with cool towels & made our way to Cafe Al Bacio. We enjoyed our coffees and were noticing that many guests were already dressed up having pre-dinner drinks. All of the ladies looked beautiful all glammed up. It was at this point that I decided that I simply did not have the energy to attempt beauty. Tonight was the night we decided on room service!

It was about 5 pm at this stage so we headed to Blu to speak to the wonderful Mazy to enquire as to whether room service from Blu was a possibility. He was more than accommodating – the only request he had was that we have the food delivered outside of their peak period, so either 6pm or after 8pm – reasonable enough. We selected 6pm & headed upstairs to get ourselves some drinks, showered, robed & awaited our room service. I was surprised by how much food had arrived! Very impressed that it was all brought at once, using one hand!! We tipped & were very grateful for the service.

There are moments in life where you feel that time has literally stopped. That moment is then etched into your memory & each time it reappears it takes you to a happy place and makes you smile without even realising it. This was one of the moments. We both sat on our balcony wearing our fluffy white robes, oversized slippers watching the world go by whilst enjoying a sparkling wine & eating lobster.

Some images taken whilst sailing away

We ended the night by attempting to watch some a movie on the TV entertainment system. It was an ultimate fail. We found the screen to be too small, the image was very blurry (although we did select a new release) & the sound was neither clear nor consistent between scenes. We thought it may have been the film itself, it was so bad that we only tried to watch 20 minutes or so & decided to try another film. It was equally as bad & just as disappointing.

Apart from that, we loved tonight. It was magnificent in every way. Romantic, memorable. It was also the point where we really did appreciate having the privacy of a balcony. We never got to have breakfast there, but happy that we did enjoy a meal. I would recommend that anyone with a balcony to enjoy room service at least once! :)

I really like this image

Just as we decided to head off it started raining! We saw this colourful van, not sure who or what it was for but it looked like fun! We made our way to the car park where vans were parked awaiting to be filled. Luckily we didn’t have to wait long as people were rushing to get in this time J $9 each & we made it back downtown with the bluest of skies & not a rain drop to be seen.

First up on the shopping agenda, my birthday present. After much research, many different watches sat on my wrist, but this one stood out. The IWC Portofino. Just look at this beauty. I am definitely spoilt & it is certainly a 30th birthday gift that holds many memories that I will treasure for the years to come.

With a grin from ear to ear we our next item was purchase of alcohol. We could not believe how cheap the alcohol was!! A fraction of the price! We certainly made the most of our duty free limit! In this little store the lovely man encouraged us to taste some of his absinthe – much to his entertainment & other shoppers, it did taste it & were still feeling it at the back of our throats hours later!

We decided to try & overcome the taste by enjoying some cocktails at one of the beach bars & caught up on a little wifi to let the families back home know that all was still going well.

On the way back to the ship, I took a couple of shots.

Some more...

And now for some of the big guns

We cut through one of the many little alley ways which looked like this (sorry not sure what happened to this image!)

And this is where the ‘shopping area’ was - which was one main steet. We had one thing in mind. Ok. Two. My birthday present and alcohol. We browsed. Selected, and decided to make the purchases on the way back to the ship so we didn’t have to carry them. Although we did find what we were looking for, the strip was very repetitive. I’m glad we waited until the last port days to do some shopping – otherwise we may have not enjoyed it as much.

It was time to head to Maho Beach. We went to the closest taxi rank and wanted to head out but the driver wanted to fill a van. We stood there awkwardly for about 15 minutes whilst he tried convincing every tourist to head to Maho. It was clear that no one at that point wanted to go. We were becoming unsettled. Embarrassed & bored. Much to our delight he flagged another taxi who was willing to drive just the two of us. We arrived about 30 minutes later and $20 poorer.

Maho beach was much bigger and busier than we imagined. There were SO MANY people out it was worthy just to sit there and people watch. We saw the infamous sign & found some prime seats. Sunset Bar was also a lot bigger than expected, for some reason I had envisioned a little shack serving cocktails – this was a much more sophisticated operation. They have a detailed food, wine & cocktail menu. We were happy. The only negative was the lack of shade / umbrellas. We become very hot very quickly. We had some lunch, DH feasted on a burger & I had the most delicious tuna steak – highly recommended! We plane spotted, had a couple of cocktails & declared this excursion a success!

Now to some images...

The only take off we saw - watching people getting blasted was quite a sight!

Look forward to meeting you on the March 2016 Panama Canal cruise. You might also be the person the ask about getting from Port Miami to Port Everglades. We are doing consecutive cruises.

 

Carol

I'm sorry to thread jack but your user name stood out in the X boards - Go Power!! Carn the pear! :D

Now - as luck would have it, I have the day typed up & ready to go but my images aren't loading - and what good is a picture review without images??

It's getting late now but I will take my hard drive to work tomorrow & upload the remainder of the day. I will also reply to all of the kind messages & comments that I've missed out on.

Enjoy your day!

Today we had two items on the agenda: purchasing my birthday present (yeah!) and plane watching. We had always received those chain emails with Photoshopped images of planes flying over a crowded beach but didn’t realise they were actually real. Maho Beach here we come!

Port was very busy today

After a little research, we discovered that ‘peak’ flying time for the larger aircraft was between 12 – 2pm so we knew we had plenty of time at our leisure. We had a lazy start, leaving the ship at about 10am. We wanted to head ‘downtown’ as it was the capital of shopping and had some business to take care of. There were two options to get to downtown – catching the ferry ($7 for all day travel) or a 20 minute walk. We opted to walk. There were many ships in port today so we just followed the crowd. In about 5 minutes we were thinking twice as to whether this was a good idea. The footpath was very narrow & it was a very busy road with cars flying past. There were plenty of people around & at times we were walking at snail’s pace – it was literally ‘bumper to bumper’. There was foot traffic. 10am was peak hour. Oddly enough the same path on the way back was a breeze, it may have been due to the cocktails we were walking off or simply because we were walking at a comfortable pace. Should I return, I would probably catch the ferry, I imagine it would be more scenic & less stressful.

When we finally arrive downtown we first walked along the esplanade – it was enormous with so much going on! There was the beach, plenty of beach chairs with the view of the ships in port, bars & restaurants. We found it quite funny that the further along you walked, the cheaper the prices were *mental note* There was also plenty of free wifi around if you had a drink at any of the bars. The only place we stopped here was at the Hard Rock Cafe –we have a family member who enjoys collecting shot glasses so thought bringing them back one would be the least we could do.

Now, apologies if this offends anyone, but we thought this was hilarious!

I have to apologise for the break in the review. Mum deteriorated, was hospitalised, admitted into ICU & now back at home again. Amongst all the confusion, there were a handful of interstate trips & has a result DH & I have decided to move closer to my family. I have been getting notifications of when comments have been made - it’s a sweet reminder that I must get back to reminiscing our cruise with anyone who enjoys reading.

St Marteen here we come!

Right, your TA owns your Reservation but they can call NCL on your behalf. If you see something on CC about price drops, ask for a name of the promo, it might help. As far as price drops go, before final payment you're entitled to ask your TA for any pricing corrections but if it's after final payment you're unlikely to receive any consideration unless your TA gives it directly.

 

It really doesn't have anything to do with NCL when you work with a TA, I'd think it's all on your TA. I work directly with a PCC at NCL so even after final payment, he'll work with me to ensure we get the best deal, your TA should do the same.

Sorry my original post may have been confusing.

Price HAS dropped but how do I know the name of the promo? I assumed it was due to supply & demand - not necessarily an actual promo.

TA has called NCL but the individual was not aware of price drop adjustments (obc, upgrades, Anything!)

TA & I have a great relationship - I don't think she's done this before so wanted to guide her with NCL in the right direction (ie. get a price drop!)

Just wondering what NCL's policy is on price drops?

I've asked my TA to follow up on a price drop & they told her they knew nothing about it & asked whether I had a persons name so they can follow up on her side?

We are in Aus but speak directly to the US NCL team.

I'm also assuming that they won't speak to me as it's been booked via a TA..

I had always been interested in the Riedel workshop - on embarkation day we spotted this ‘display’ at Cellar Masters. It caught my eye for a few reasons but the biggest one was ‘Explore Porto’ - the city in which I was born. I grew up with stories of how my mother worked in the midst of the cobblestone streets bottling the actual port from the ‘Douro’. Each time we are lucky enough to return, we would walk those streets & mum reminisces & tells all sorts of stories about the days she worked there. Unfortunately many of the smaller brands have since closed but she enjoys having a peek into those are open & telling us what mischief she got up to as a young girl. Although not to everyone’s liking, Port has a ‘sweet’ spot with me. Next time you are in Porto, head to the Tourism Office where they hand out free maps of Port Tasting Walking Tours. Highly recommended!

Along the display, we picked up the following brochure. I was disappointed to see that the Port tastings would clash with that night’s reservation at Qsine but figured that the Riedel Workshop would make up for it. We were surprised we to see many of the workshops being held on a port day, early afternoon when many of the guests were likely to be out & about.

The number of participants reflected this – a total of two. Myself & DH. A private workshop – we were excited! Yvonne was from eastern Europe & very knowledgeable. She has actually had then privilege to be a part of a number of master classes / courses held by an actual Mr Riedel in Austria. Very impressive.

We tried wines out of 4 x Riedel glasses as well as one ‘joker glass’ (ie. non Riedel) I originally thought it was going to be a hard sell on how great Riedel glassware is but I couldn’t have been more surprised. We actually learnt a whole lot. We tasted the same wine out of different types of glasses, various Riedel’s & the joker, & were taught how the actual glass has been designed to travel into your mouth to maximise the taste with its corresponding wine. And how a variety wine tastes different in each glass. It was very impressive.

In the hour we also picked up the following:

• Only The Normandie uses Reidel collection (Qsine only uses the water glasses due to its quirky design)
  
• There are about 300 Riedel glasses onboard & 6 different varieties (including water glasses)
  
• All Riedel glassware is not hand washed, but run through the dishwasher onboard is specifically designed Reidel racks
  

The cost of the workshop was $87 which included a set of Riedel glassware. I had read that for a fee they could ship the glassware home. What I didn’t know was that they cannot ship the glassware to Australia. Even when X’s Solstice is in Australia they do not have the means to ship the glasses to Australian addresses. DH & I were looking at each other in dismay – there was no way we were going to get these glasses back in 8 pieces on a 30 hour journey. Even if we wanted to, those boxes were so large that they did not fit in our actual suitcases. Mind was racing that we had committed to spending $160 on an hours class. I think Yvonne could see our despair (& reason) & offered to only charge the workshop fee ($15pp) and not the glasses. We were overjoyed! Best $15 each spent yet! We were also advised that as we have done the workshop we were able to request Riedel glassware at dinner. I made a mental note of that...

I enquired about the Port class & were told that we could do the tastings at our leisure if we give prior notice & someone is available. I thought that was very accommodating. We had every intention of doing so, but simply did not have enough time. Note – if you are interested in a tasting but it is scheduled at a time that does not suit, simply ask – it may all work out.

Later that evening we dined in Blu. Upon being shown to our table we were also told that Riedel glassware has been set & will be available to use for the remainder of the cruise. I actually asked Mazy ‘How did you know about the glasses?’ Mazy replied ‘We know everything here’. DH & I were amazing at the level of attentiveness & service. This to us was a perfect example of Celebrity staff went over & beyond knowing what we wanted before we did! Sure enough we never had to ask, each meal we had Riedel glassware at our leisure.

Mazy by the way, if I haven’t already mentioned him, was the best maître’d. Ever.

I have no notes about dinner that night expect for one lonesome photo of frog legs! We felt adventurous trying them, glad we did, but wouldn’t go out of our way to order them again. They were too ‘jumpy’ for us :p

Shopping & plane waiting in St Marteen is up next!

It was $209 per person and they automatically add 18% gratuity. So it's just about $500 total.

Ouch. That must have hurt - sorry to hear it wasn't as good as what it should have been!

I've mentioned your review, in my review, regarding the Canyon Ranch massages. hope that is ok!

Can you tell us what the massage costs? Would be interested in doing next time in St Lucia Thanks. Also enjoying the review!

A couples massage at the Rainforest Inn was $140 per person. That includes a 50 minute treatment & 20 minutes in the watsu pool (although they don't time you!). It was only about $20 more or so that the ship charges & I figured it would have been a different experience. Here is their website

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/sugarbeach/spa_and_wellness/spa_services/couples-signature-treatments

I'm unsure of the prices with Canyon Ranch but found a (not so great) review for a couples massage here (awaiting to hear how much it was).

Edit: Cruiserziggy has confirmed that Canyon Ranch's price for a couples massage is $209 per person PLUS 18% gratuity!! (Maybe it was longer than 50mins?) But I would be expecting a lot more than a mediocre massage for that price!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2022621

I am enjoying your review immensely. Congratulations on your marriage, and I am sorry your mother is not well. I hope she feels better soon.

 

We will be sailing in January, so I have been reading this with great interest. I also have Celiac's disease. I am so excited to read that they can make a gluten free crepe at Bistro on 5. I look forward to reading more. :D

 

I was unsure about the excursions in St. Lucia, but I love your pictures of the Pitons from the beach. I will have to look up Spencer's. Thanks for the great idea.

Thank you for the well wishes. We are still coming back down to earth slowly but surely. Mum is also getting better as each day goes by.

January is not that far away! I'm excited for you! The team onboard are excellent with dietary requirements - I think it's that much better because the staff get to know you & you develop a relationship with them. And don't forget to visit Bistro 5 on embarkation day - it will be lovely & relaxing - the complete opposite to the Oceanview Café!

I'm glad I've provided some inspiration for St Lucia, I cannot speak highly enough of our day there :D

Hope you enjoy the rest & feel free to ask any more questions!

Thank you for your review - just wondering how much the couples massage was?

This has been great to read and share with DH. Please continue.

So glad that you & your DH are enjoying reading this!

Thanks for the great review.

No problems!- I hope you enjoy the rest of it :)

Yay ... glad I could help and pictures are awesome. Your review is taking me back as we did the St. Lucia tour with Cosol and they did pretty well what your tour did with Spenser, went to the same beach near Pitons and everything. It was a wonderful day and can't wait to visit again and get a different experience of the island.

 

... and how could I not help, it's all self serving :D

I'm happy to hear that I'm helping re-live your trip! This help in this community just goes 'round, & 'round!

;) Went with Spencer , did exact tour as you, snorkelled , swam and had lunch which was yum, but alas, no celebrity massage :(. Such a lovely day, and would go again in a heartbeat. Keep it coming!!

It truly is a beautiful spot. The massage wasn't part of Celebrity - I organised that directly with the Spa at Sugar Beach Resort. It all worked out perfectly :D

We had a little walk around & ventured outside of the Duty Free shopping area – we couldn’t believe the difference in scenery by simply crossing the road. All of a sudden it was no longer, fun, colourful or vibrant. I think this is the first time we really noticed how much these ports are built up for the cruising industry. It didn’t take too long before we turned back around & headed back into the ‘gated’ area. Just by the gate we noticed a quaint looking building & thought we’d give it a try – it was filled with tourists – but it was rather welcomed. And that’s not something I say too often.

The place was called ‘Hemmingways’. We spoke with the owner & he mentioned that his great grandfather built the building & rumour had it that Hemmingway actually spent a week in port, hence the name of the restaurant. We had a crab starter & it was lovely, full of flavour with all sorts of different herbs & spices. It was coated with cheese on top – the only reason DH had as much as he did :D

On the way back to the ship we noticed a bar advertising free wifi. By this point we hadn’t had access to the internet for a few days (crazy I know) so thought we’d make the most of it as we were in no hurry. Of course DH had the mandatory tasting of the local beer.

Off we went, & back onboard we had an afternoon nap. We wanted to be ready & fresh for our Riedel Workshop – which I will get to in the next installment. I’ll be back soon - hope you are enjoying it!

OK! Antigua!

Now, what came to mind when we heard of Antigua.....not much really. DH mentioned the cricket – but there was no way I was doing anything cricket related.

This was the first day that we didn’t have an excursion booked – I figured after two full days we may need the break, & I’m glad it worked out that way. We were surprised to see that it was raining – on & off – this is what we woke up to. (it reflected perfectly how I felt after the night before fuzzy..blurry..)

We had a relaxing morning, with no rush to be anywhere – it was marvellous – very different to the first sea day because we knew our way around a bit better, were more comfortable & could enjoy & appreciate the relaxation.

We had breakfast in Blu, & i had the BEST blueberry pancakes in the whole entire world! Do you know how hard it is to find great tasting pancakes without any gluten, dairy OR eggs? REALLY hard. But the Summit has the goods :D

We ended up going for a walk around the port & were pleasantly surprised by the colours & vibrancy of the area. Oh, & it was REALLY busy. There were a lot of local operators offering tours around the city, I was tempted but then remembered why we hadn’t gone ahead with it in the first place.

Resources for the day

After our day in St Lucia, we were back onboard & greeted once again with those refreshing towels. We had our mandatory stop at Cafe Al Bacio, & recapped our day. We decided to check out the Persian Gardens as entry is complimentary for guests of the Aqua Class. I never thought I’d visit the gym, or any of its facilities during a vacation but sure enough I found myself at the Gym’s reception desk. We were actually surprised to be greeted by a kiwi’s (New Zealander) accent!

We were advised that there were no robes – no problem I thought – until I realised where the changing rooms were! Neither DH or I were comfortable walking across in our swimwear. Lame, but we really would have appreciated those robes at that point. Into the gardens we went & literally entered the first room – aromatherapy of some sort. It smelt wonderful & the temperature was hot! But.....this room was more like a closet – it was tiny! Only 4 x people could sit in there at the any one time, & it was tight. The gentleman we found in there was lovely & explained that each room had its specific health benefits & there was a recommended time to stay in each. Needless to say, we followed him soon after he left each room as he sounded like he knew what he was talking about ;) We wanted to reap the benefits! The next room was one with REALLY hot tiles. And the last was a sauna/steam type room. This was the largest, with a detachable shower hose by each lounger. Your session ends with some relaxation time on the curved heated loungers. You could fall asleep on these! There were some showers to rinse off but for the life of us, we could not figure out how to use them. One kind of worked, so we managed but judging by all the different jets at different heights I feel like we missed out! Maybe they were too luxurious for us?? On the way out we noticed some robes folded & make the most of them – we were happy that we could walk across to the change rooms with some dignity.

We spent about an hour in the Persian Gardens & overall enjoyed our experience. It was very relaxing. I can see how the loungers on the Solstice class facing out into the ocean would be amazing. Each visit is retailed at $20 or $99 for a week of unlimited entry. Although I would have paid for a single entry I think the weeks pass would be a waste as the novelty may wear off - there is simply too much to do on the cruise! We did have every intention of returning, but never made it back.

We ate in Blu which was superb was usual. It appears that I may have taken Blu for granted – I didn’t take any pictures nor made any notes of what we ate. Every single night was amazing. I would choose my meal for the following night so I always had something to look forward to :D Mazy was the maître’d & by the end I wanted to take him home with me!

After dinner we stopped by the Martini Bar for a drink – this area was very loud. I ordered an Espresso Martini without any dairy – not too sure what they mixed up instead but it was great! DH was hurryingly me along because he had a very important game at 10pm – The Captain’s & Hotel Director’s Vegas Poker Challenge in the casino. DH had signed up for it on embarkation day & had noticed that there was actually a waiting list! We arrived super early – DH didn’t want to be late or miss out. There were 8 players in total, 4 guests & 4 ‘officers’. My only job was to not cheer him on (audibly) & to take a few snaps. Unfortunately for DH that martini was very strong. And it tasted great! As a result all of my photos are so blurry that if It wasn’t the colour of DH’s shirt, I wouldn’t be able to tell which ‘blur’ was him. Much to DH’s delight he was the last guest standing, only to be upstaged by the Hotel Director! DH won $50 & a couple of drink vouchers...oh...& this....currently sitting on the mantelpiece....

This image is an example of the quality of photos I took that night (oops)

Needless to say, the alcohol overpowered the espresso in that martin & I slept very well that night :D

Moral of the story - the bartenders at the Martini bar can make non-dairy espresso martini's!