Review for May 22—29/11 on Celebrity Summit to Bermuda

[cookie1961]

Hi everyone,

 

It’s so hard to believe that this wonderful vacation is all done ;( I am still trying to catch up on all the laundry.

 

DH and I had a C1 aft balcony (7203). It was our first balcony and DH and I have NO idea how we will ever be able to return to an inside cabin. My only real complaint about this entire cruise is that our balcony lounge chairs were stained and dirty. They were certainly very worn and needed replacing. It would have been nice if these chairs had covered, like they did at the pool area.

 

This cruise was absolutely WONDERFUL. Yes Summit is an older ship but my she’s a beauty. If you look really hard, you will find flaws with things but the staff work very hard keeping her looking her best. All the staff we encountered were very friendly and very hard working.

 

The sailing, both going and coming from Bayonne was a wonderful treat as the water was like glass!!! I was worried about the water/waves but we were spared!!

 

We attended a number of shows and found them to be quite good. I LOVED the Not so Newlywed Game. Damian is the Cruise Director and fellow Canadian. He was quite entertaining as well.

 

DH got a premium alcohol package and was very happy with it. You do need to check your account on the tv, as we were charged twice for an item that should have been included. So it involved a very quick phone call to Guest Services, and the problem was solved.

DH and I had Select Dining and it was wonderful. Since we didn’t mind being with other people, we were told we didn’t a reservation and things worked out really well. We had dinner with lots of interesting people :) The food was always wonderful and the staff was great. Formal nights were Monday and Friday I believe.

 

The weather was not nice when we left Bayonne, as it was cold and rainy. Although the second day was a little better, they were handing out blankets on the pool deck to keep us warm. The sun came out later and I forgot to put on my sunscreen. So, I got burned pretty badly and it set the stage for the rest of the week. A warning to all, make sure you keep your sunscreen handy and use it!!

 

When we arrived in Bermuda, at the Dockyards, DH and I purchased a two day pass each. Now on the sign, they have the two day pass prices covered but they do carry them. We had no difficulties with the transportation choices. We managed to get a Special bus heading to Horseshoe Bay, which meant very few stops. The ferries worked out very well. DH and I didn’t make it to Hamilton for Harbour Nights, so I don’t know how the ferries worked out that evening.

 

DH and I spent our first day in Bermuda in St. Gerorge’s. We went to Tobacco Bay, where DH snorkelled a little. He enjoyed the snorkelling but felt that the water was far too shallow. We later just walked about town and then headed back to the ship. Oh yes, we also saw the dunking of the town gossip. It was a really funny production LOL

 

Day Two in Bermuda was to be spent at Horseshoe Bay, where we had wanted to rent an umbrella and chairs for the day. Unfortunately it was quite windy that day so we weren’t able to rent an umbrella. That meant we had to get our own shade. It got pretty hot there, so DH and I spent about 3 hours and headed back to the ship. We ate and then we headed to Hamilton for some shopping. WOW some really expensive stuff in Hamilton. We did pick up some wonderful Pandora Murano glass beads/charms at a very good deal. If you are interested in getting Pandora charms, just know that the only Crisson store that carries them is the one in Hamilton.

 

Day Three plan was to go to Snorkel park and spend the day but unfortunately, we beach bums were roasted and couldn’t do that. So we decided to just walk around and check out all the shops. We bought some gifts and used the internet from a provider there. It was $ 10 US for one hour. He wasn’t able to provide shorter times though.

 

I found that the two days getting to Bermuda extremely relaxing and just what I needed. We certainly didn’t do as much as I had planned while in Bermuda but I explained to DH that it just meant we would need to get back LOL

 

I am sure I forgot some things but please don’t hesitate to ask questions.

[JerseyGem]

Thanks for posting your review! And thanks for the warning about sunblock- I burn so easily! We leave in 5 weeks with a group of 33 family/friends (our DD is getting married by the Captain!). Several have never cruised, so I'm researching as much as possible for them.

 

I have two questions. I realize that you chose Select Dining, but did you notice if everyone had Select (AKA open dining) while in Bermuda? The first Bermuda cruise this Spring did have that, but so many people complained (at least here on CC), that I was wondering if they still offer open seating or have returned to traditional for all of the cruise.

 

Also, you mentioned using the Internet while at the Dockyard. Do you remember which venue had the Internet service? The Mother of the Groom is taking classes this summer and (unfortunately) must spend some of this trip catching up on class work, submitting papers, etc. The ship's Internet is so slow and expensive!

 

Thanks again!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for taking the time to write and to post this review.

 

Keith

[cookie1961]

Hi JerseyGem,

 

We ate in the dining room with Select Dining every night, as did other people who had Select Dining. I am not too sure what you mean about Select Dining not being available while in Bermuda. Since we were part of that, we didn't have an actual table assigned to us, so we wouldn't know where we were to have dinner. Now the Dining Room is closed for lunch during our stay in Bermuda. So there is NO open seating during lunch while in Bermuda. I am not sure if that is what you were asking about, so I hope I have been clear.

 

I forgot to mention in my review that the Brunch in the Dining Room was held on Saturday and OMG what an array of food. There was so much food. We went early so we were able to get a seat quickly but I am sure it got crazier as the time went on. As we were leaving, people were trying to find seats. There were A LOT of stations set up and sooooo much to choose from. Lots of both breakfast and lunch foods, even sushi LOL It was delicious.

 

The internet location is in the dockyards area. It's in a building on a street which is very easy to locateand only a couple of minutes away from the ship. Just walk out to where all the buildings are at the dockyards. You will see a large white sign indicating international calling and internet access. It is on the 2nd floor of the building. I didn't bring my computer and the guy there had several that people could use. However, there were LOTS of people who came in with their own computers and used the access he provided.

[Solution]

Hi Teri, great review. We will be sailing there in August. Look forward to enjoying our time there.

[YOW]

Teri, thanks for sharing your review! It was a great cruise, wasn't it?! :) (I'm not as prompt as you, lol, but will post a review and pics soon...)

 

JerseyGem is asking if those who had traditional dining (fixed times) were forced to have open seating while in Bermuda -- short answer is no. Bruno (maitre d') advised that they had experimented with this on two previous cruises, but the response was not good.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Thanks for sharing your review! We love leaving out of Bayonne.

[cookie1961]

YOW--Yes it was an absolutely AMAZING cruise and one I wish to repeat :) I am not a tekky so I will need to get my kids to upload my photos, which I haven't done yet LOL

Thanks for answering JerseyGem's question. I guess I missed all the posts in early spring about traditional/select dining complaints.

[osborne66]

Thanks for posting your review! And thanks for the warning about sunblock- I burn so easily! We leave in 5 weeks with a group of 33 family/friends (our DD is getting married by the Captain!). Several have never cruised, so I'm researching as much as possible for them.

 

I have two questions. I realize that you chose Select Dining, but did you notice if everyone had Select (AKA open dining) while in Bermuda? The first Bermuda cruise this Spring did have that, but so many people complained (at least here on CC), that I was wondering if they still offer open seating or have returned to traditional for all of the cruise.

 

Also, you mentioned using the Internet while at the Dockyard. Do you remember which venue had the Internet service? The Mother of the Groom is taking classes this summer and (unfortunately) must spend some of this trip catching up on class work, submitting papers, etc. The ship's Internet is so slow and expensive!

 

Thanks again!

 

Jersey Gem,

 

They have scrapped the Open Dining in Bermuda as Celebrity received almost 1000 complaints in the first two cruises down there, so they are back to the 6pm & 8:30pm traditional dining like they normally do, with the select dining still offered if you signed up for that. But be warned if you had traditional dining and you miss it while out and about in Bermuda - room service is all you will get - that is the trade off for going back to normal dining onboard - hope that helps

 

David

[JerseyGem]

Thanks to all for the update about the dining. I was actually hoping for the two day switch to open seating. Now it looks like we'll be doing room service the evening of the activities in Hamilton. Or possibly the buffet? I thing eating out in Hamilton will be too expensive and too hectic (with the crowds).

Thanks again!

[cookie1961]

Jersey Gem,

 

Although DH and I didn't have a buffet dinner, it definitely is available on Summit. I believe the hours are from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. They also have Sushi during that time. The pizza and pasta stations are open later into the night as well, so I am sure you will all be able to find some food :)

 

Congrats on your DD's wedding. How exciting it must be to have all your friends and family celebrate this blessed event on a wonderful ship and to be married by the Captain. Just curious, is that something Celebrity offers??

 

Enjoy and congrats again!!!

[Lady Arwen]

We sailed to Bermuda with Celebrity a number of years ago and it was wonderful. We love Bermuda. We're booked on the Summit for 2012, so thank you for your informative review.

[BOBfromNJ]

Hi everyone,

 

It’s so hard to believe that this wonderful vacation is all done ;( I am still trying to catch up on all the laundry.

 

DH and I had a C1 aft balcony (7203). It was our first balcony and DH and I have NO idea how we will ever be able to return to an inside cabin. My only real complaint about this entire cruise is that our balcony lounge chairs were stained and dirty. They were certainly very worn and needed replacing. It would have been nice if these chairs had covered, like they did at the pool area.

 

This cruise was absolutely WONDERFUL. Yes Summit is an older ship but my she’s a beauty. If you look really hard, you will find flaws with things but the staff work very hard keeping her looking her best. All the staff we encountered were very friendly and very hard working.

 

The sailing, both going and coming from Bayonne was a wonderful treat as the water was like glass!!! I was worried about the water/waves but we were spared!!

 

We attended a number of shows and found them to be quite good. I LOVED the Not so Newlywed Game. Damian is the Cruise Director and fellow Canadian. He was quite entertaining as well.

 

DH got a premium alcohol package and was very happy with it. You do need to check your account on the tv, as we were charged twice for an item that should have been included. So it involved a very quick phone call to Guest Services, and the problem was solved.

DH and I had Select Dining and it was wonderful. Since we didn’t mind being with other people, we were told we didn’t a reservation and things worked out really well. We had dinner with lots of interesting people :) The food was always wonderful and the staff was great. Formal nights were Monday and Friday I believe.

 

The weather was not nice when we left Bayonne, as it was cold and rainy. Although the second day was a little better, they were handing out blankets on the pool deck to keep us warm. The sun came out later and I forgot to put on my sunscreen. So, I got burned pretty badly and it set the stage for the rest of the week. A warning to all, make sure you keep your sunscreen handy and use it!!

 

When we arrived in Bermuda, at the Dockyards, DH and I purchased a two day pass each. Now on the sign, they have the two day pass prices covered but they do carry them. We had no difficulties with the transportation choices. We managed to get a Special bus heading to Horseshoe Bay, which meant very few stops. The ferries worked out very well. DH and I didn’t make it to Hamilton for Harbour Nights, so I don’t know how the ferries worked out that evening.

 

DH and I spent our first day in Bermuda in St. Gerorge’s. We went to Tobacco Bay, where DH snorkelled a little. He enjoyed the snorkelling but felt that the water was far too shallow. We later just walked about town and then headed back to the ship. Oh yes, we also saw the dunking of the town gossip. It was a really funny production LOL

 

Day Two in Bermuda was to be spent at Horseshoe Bay, where we had wanted to rent an umbrella and chairs for the day. Unfortunately it was quite windy that day so we weren’t able to rent an umbrella. That meant we had to get our own shade. It got pretty hot there, so DH and I spent about 3 hours and headed back to the ship. We ate and then we headed to Hamilton for some shopping. WOW some really expensive stuff in Hamilton. We did pick up some wonderful Pandora Murano glass beads/charms at a very good deal. If you are interested in getting Pandora charms, just know that the only Crisson store that carries them is the one in Hamilton.

 

Day Three plan was to go to Snorkel park and spend the day but unfortunately, we beach bums were roasted and couldn’t do that. So we decided to just walk around and check out all the shops. We bought some gifts and used the internet from a provider there. It was $ 10 US for one hour. He wasn’t able to provide shorter times though.

 

I found that the two days getting to Bermuda extremely relaxing and just what I needed. We certainly didn’t do as much as I had planned while in Bermuda but I explained to DH that it just meant we would need to get back LOL

 

I am sure I forgot some things but please don’t hesitate to ask questions.

 

Thanks for a great review

[SassyGirl]

Nice review! You were on the ship right after us. We did the same cruise and did a lot of the same things as you. Did you see my review?

 

http://sassyduotravels.blogspot.com/2011/05/bermuda-cruise-on-celebrity-summit-may.html

[JerseyGem]

Jersey Gem,

 

Although DH and I didn't have a buffet dinner, it definitely is available on Summit. I believe the hours are from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. They also have Sushi during that time. The pizza and pasta stations are open later into the night as well, so I am sure you will all be able to find some food :)

 

Congrats on your DD's wedding. How exciting it must be to have all your friends and family celebrate this blessed event on a wonderful ship and to be married by the Captain. Just curious, is that something Celebrity offers??

 

Enjoy and congrats again!!!

Cookie- Yes, Celebrity, Azamara and Princess all have packages for marriages by the Captain (for a hefty fee LOL!). It depends on where the ship is registered (and if that country allows it, etc). DD will have a marriage certificate from Malta (which is recognised by the USA). One advantage of this type of wedding vs a wedding once in Bermuda: if the ship is diverted to a New England/Canada cruise due to bad weather, she can still be married anywhere in International waters. A Bermudian marriage license would not have worked in Halifax LOL!

 

And DD is in one of those aft balconies- next to where you were! She's so excited (we rarely had balconies cruising as a family). She hopes all her "friends" (the 17 young ones) will fit there for a sail-away party. The older folks (the "family") will be up on the public decks (our cabins are all too small to host anything).

[cookie1961]

SassyGirl--Thanks sooooooo much for the great review and those photos are GREAT!! Oh to be back there again :) Glad you had such an awesome time as well!! You reminded me that I forgot to mention the wonderful chocolate buffet and on another night (I can't remember when) they had a fruit buffet poolside.

 

JerseyGem--Thanks for the information regarding the weddings :) Your DD will LOVE the AFT balcony. The water was sooooooo soothing as we were heading down and back from Bermuda. So soothing that I had the occasional afternoon nap there LOL If you knew me, you would be very surprised, as I don't nap very easily during the day LOL As I stated previously, our lounge chairs were quite dirty and stained but DH and I just put our extra large towels over them. You DD will definitely be able to have LOTS of people on her balcony. The measurements are: 10 feet wide by 20 feet deep. That is one big balcony LOL Now all of them won't fit by the railing but there is certainly LOTS of room to have lots of people around.

 

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wish I was going back on the next ship LOL

[mackfam]

Thanks for the great review. We are taking this cruise at the end of July. Just wondering about the debarkation process at Bayonne. We have a 12 noon flight out of Newark and will probably do self debarkation. Do you remember what time people were able to get off? Also, are there plenty of taxis waiting at the port or should I book a driver to pick us up at a specific time? Thanks in advance.

[mrrobby]

There are shuttle vans for $15 or Taxi's will be available. If you carry your own luggage off you will be off by 7:30 or 8:00. No problem catching your flight at noon. We usually park at the port and carry our luggage off and are in our car by 8- 8:30 at the latest.

[iluvcruises]

Thanks for your great review and for getting me even more excited for our Summit Bermuda cruise in two weeks.. :)

[SingingMom1]

Thanks for your review! I shared with our June 12th Roll Call!!!

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.