Longboysfan???

[GaryNFla]

Hello, I just finished your very detailed review of you sailing on the Summit. I have a couple quuestions if you don't mind? Hope you see this...Gary

BTW I enjoyed your review!!

[GaryNFla]

ttt

[lcmslady]

I don't know if I was on the same sailing as Longboysfan but I was just on the Summit (1/16 - 1/23). Can I answer your questions?

[worldsbestcandles]

I was on his sailing and was at his party :) If I can help I will try as well.

[Longboysfan]

Hello, I just finished your very detailed review of you sailing on the Summit. I have a couple quuestions if you don't mind? Hope you see this...Gary

BTW I enjoyed your review!!

 

No problem ask away.....

 

I did not see this earlier but will make sure - if I miss it before I leave work - to get your questions answered.

[Longboysfan]

I don't know if I was on the same sailing as Longboysfan but I was just on the Summit (1/16 - 1/23). Can I answer your questions?

 

This was the January 2nd through the 9th.

[GaryNFla]

This was the January 2nd through the 9th.

 

Hello and thanks so much for allowing me to ask a couple questions. They are not a big deal but just a couple questions after reading you excellent review.

First you mentioned something about buying cigarettes for 25.00 ..Did you find a better deal on them elsewhere? Did you have any problem bring alcohol on the ship? And most importantly did you find a kite to fly off of your aft cabin? I am a huge love of kites and thought you idea of doing that was brilliant and I would like to do the same. If you did get a kite do you remember from where and was X ok with you flying it? Again I think your kite Idea is amazing..Thanks so much for sharing..

[kitkat9438]

Longboysfan, I just read your very thorough review and I'm impressed with all the detail you put into it. You could almost picture the ship as you were moving between floors describing it. We were on the Summit 12/12. I've read some people after us have had issues with food but we didn't. Ours was fantastic. Of course this was our first cruise with Celebrity so I don't have anything to compare it to other than Princess and Royal Caribbean.

 

Thanks for posting the review.

[Longboysfan]

Hello and thanks so much for allowing me to ask a couple questions. They are not a big deal but just a couple questions after reading you excellent review.

First you mentioned something about buying cigarettes for 25.00 ..Did you find a better deal on them elsewhere? Did you have any problem bring alcohol on the ship? And most importantly did you find a kite to fly off of your aft cabin? I am a huge love of kites and thought you idea of doing that was brilliant and I would like to do the same. If you did get a kite do you remember from where and was X ok with you flying it? Again I think your kite Idea is amazing..Thanks so much for sharing..

 

Cigarettes were less expensive at two stops in the Caribbean.

If I remember rightly they were St. Croix, St. Kitts or Antiga. I do not think there were great deals in St. Thomas and St. Lucia. We were looking for my buddy who smokes.

Best price we saw was on Marlboro lights, as a comparrison price, were $15.99 per carton.

 

No problem on bringing on when we were in Puerto Rico. They allow two bottles but do not open bags. I did go off and back into the duty free shop - great prices on the alcohol here and why bother going crazy looking in other ports unless there is a certain type you want.

 

I got my kite up in San Juan in town in a drug store on the corner of the square. I looked in a few other stores but none had any and this was my best choice. You can also get one as you approch the main fort Del Morro from the road to the west on the right corner as you look at the fort. There is a vendor selling there with a large kite selection. All kites come with about 200 feet of string but I bring my own as it is a little heavier.

 

No one ever bothered me flying the kite. I did it off deck 11 amid ship, but with the breeze the way it moves and the ships superstructure shields the wind sometimes, should have moved to the aft of the ship as the wind would have been more constant there. Just look at the flags on the ship for wind direction.

 

As for kites it fun and people like it when you have them do it for a few minutes. I know I was the first to fly one on Solstice. My friend Kathy and I had one up for about 40 minutes just before we left port in St. Maarten.

[Longboysfan]

Longboysfan, I just read your very thorough review and I'm impressed with all the detail you put into it. You could almost picture the ship as you were moving between floors describing it. We were on the Summit 12/12. I've read some people after us have had issues with food but we didn't. Ours was fantastic. Of course this was our first cruise with Celebrity so I don't have anything to compare it to other than Princess and Royal Caribbean.

 

Thanks for posting the review.

 

This being about my 18th or so Celebrity weeks worth of cruises.

Food level was about 70 out of 100. Usually it's about 98 out of 100.

 

They may have also been catering to a different audience as your cruise may not have been so many locals on board as mine - ours was about half.

 

I do try to write the review based on everything I see and give - even the non cruiser - a good idea about the ship. I found the food on:

Princess - not even close

Royal Caribbean - just not the top level

 

But they have to make cuts somewhere and with the Solstice class ships coming out the best personnel are constantly going to new ships. Something has to give.

[GaryNFla]

Cigarettes were less expensive at two stops in the Caribbean.

If I remember rightly they were St. Croix, St. Kitts or Antiga. I do not think there were great deals in St. Thomas and St. Lucia. We were looking for my buddy who smokes.

Best price we saw was on Marlboro lights, as a comparrison price, were $15.99 per carton.

 

No problem on bringing on when we were in Puerto Rico. They allow two bottles but do not open bags. I did go off and back into the duty free shop - great prices on the alcohol here and why bother going crazy looking in other ports unless there is a certain type you want.

 

I got my kite up in San Juan in town in a drug store on the corner of the square. I looked in a few other stores but none had any and this was my best choice. You can also get one as you approch the main fort Del Morro from the road to the west on the right corner as you look at the fort. There is a vendor selling there with a large kite selection. All kites come with about 200 feet of string but I bring my own as it is a little heavier.

 

No one ever bothered me flying the kite. I did it off deck 11 amid ship, but with the breeze the way it moves and the ships superstructure shields the wind sometimes, should have moved to the aft of the ship as the wind would have been more constant there. Just look at the flags on the ship for wind direction.

 

As for kites it fun and people like it when you have them do it for a few minutes. I know I was the first to fly one on Solstice. My friend Kathy and I had one up for about 40 minutes just before we left port in St. Maarten.

 

Excellent..St Croix is our 1st port of call so I will stock up on smokes there. That sure beats the 40.00 per carton prices we pay here..

I will look for the kite when we arrive in SJU.. We get there a day before the cruise. Hopefully I will find on and I will try and fly it off our balcony. We have a corner aft so I should get some decent wind options.. I am looking forward to that..

I am always ok with food on the ship. I understand before I go that I won't like everything and can order something else If I am not pleased. I almost always find the food better than what I can prepare..LOL Also I am happy I don't have to grocery shop or wash dishes.

I may try and see if I can bring in certain consumables in my back park. It would be so nice to be able to have a nice bottle in my cabin and not have to pay the prices X is charging for set ups..

I really appreciatte your time answering questions for me. Best of luck on your 1 year at sea..

[Longboysfan]

Yes. Back pack is the way to go with bringing on or in your drag bag.

I let them scan it on the pier and take it to my room.

I bubble wrap anything then into a plastic bag in middle of luggage for transport from home.

Same procedure in from the port - i have the back pack out on the front of large luggage and take it out at the pier to carry on or use in port (the bubble wrap is in it already) - you can buy as you get to the pier after you check in for the ship, this was starting about 11:30 so you can get there about then no worries. If your in old town the day before go down to the duty free shop on the pier in old town.

The place I got the kites in old town is up on the square about 8 blocks from the one pier.

 

You go up across the street one or two blocks up to the hill - cut left and go 5 or 6 blocks and look for town square on the right or ask for a pueblo from a local - they know where it is.

The drug store with the kites is in the corner to the left of the pueblo as you look from the square into the front of it.

 

The pueblo also has liquor, front corner left with soda, there but way more expensive than in the duty free shop on the pier. Get soda there as it is in large bottles - look in the juice isle - seperate from soda isle for tonic water or something like that.

 

You may want to start kite up high if it's not catching the wind then move down to balcony with the help of a friend.