Summit Bermuda 5/29-6/5/11 First time cruisers Review

[Smitty83]

We're back from our first cruise ever. We took the Summit from NJ to Bermuda.

 

The cruise was wonderful.

 

Weather - perfect. Temps 75-80 for highs on the ship, 80-85 on Bermuda. Sun, very few clouds. Seas no more than 3-5 feet the entire trip. The last sea day was a little cooler because a cold front had come in overnight, but still not too cold.

 

Stateroom - we had 7180 Balcony with a larger-than-usual balcony (2A). We had the last cabin before the Concierge section aft. The room was wonderful. The balcony was big. We did request a lounge chair, but our steward said it was a safety issue. He later told us that he'd asked his supervisor and got the same answer. The location was perfect - 3 decks up for the buffet, 3 decks down for the MDR. 3 doors from the elevator/stairs and we only heard a little noise at night that didn't bother us. The steward was very good, but didn't feel "above and beyond" to us. We spent several evenings with buffet snacks sitting on the balcony watching the stars before bed.

 

Food - I enjoyed everything I ate the entire cruise. We used the buffet for breakfast every day, lunch usually near the pool (grill or Aqua Spa Cafe), and dinner in the MDR. I LOVED the food in the MDR. Our waiter Marcos was absolutely wonderful, even when we bumped into him working at the buffet or elsewhere. Our sommelier was good, but a little pushy. We'd planned to buy a bottle of wine every other night and stretch it to the next night's dinner, but he kept pouring into our glass even after we'd asked him not to. The last formal night we went to the Normandie (I'd change that to the first formal night next time - we missed the Baked Alaska parade in the MDR). I felt that it was worth the extra money. My wife got served someone else's appetizer as her salad (and she sampled a little) before they realized it and took it away and gave her the salad. Then she said her duck was a little dry. We mentioned it to Marcos the next morning when we bumped into him at the buffet, and by mid-afternoon we had a bottle of champagne in our cabin courtesy of the Normandie Maitre'D. We brought that to the last MDR night and shared it with the table.

 

Shows - we weren't impressed with the "broadway" cast at the first night variety show, so we skipped those shows. We did see the comedian (good, not great) and Doug Cornelius (jazz violin, humor, many styles of music) who was amazing. The Neptunes were great and we caught their nightclub performance. Grande Volta was a female string trio that performed classical and string versions of pop songs and they were terrific too!

 

Pool - we only swam in the T-pool, which was nice but crowded on a sea day. On the sea days it was nearly impossible to get a deckchair near either pool, and the pools were full. The food at the Aqua Spa was great, and the grill was good.

 

Casino - I only bothered on the last sea day. I won $41 on slots.

 

Emporium - we looked, but didn't see anything that we liked. It's a taste thing. Prices weren't outrageous but they were higher than at home.

 

Wine Classes - we took 3 wine classes - Sabering and champagne tasting (Sabering is cool), Wine Appreciation 101, and Wine and Food Pairing. They were worth the small fee ($10, $15 for food pairing).

 

Bermuda - the weather was great. We chose not to rent a scooter but got the 3-day transportation passes at the dock. I strongly recommend the Restless Native catamaran cruise/snorkeling (the cookie cruise) and the Fantasea Night Glass-Bottom Boat cruise. We also saw Fort St. Catherine and St. George, Hamilton, and the Dockyards. Didn't get to a beach, but the snorkeling covered that for us. No problems with ferry service even to St. George - they'd added an extra morning ferry for cruisers. Never saw an overfull bus.

 

Quiet spot - I recommend Deck 12 forward in front of the bridge. Very little use, quiet, and cooling breeze.

 

We bought the Premium Non-Alcoholic packages for both of us. We believe that we used them enough to pay for themselves. We didn't set limits on alcohol, but in the end we didn't drink enough for the Premium Alcoholic package to make sense. We also felt free to buy wine bottles rather than by the glass for dinner, which was cheaper in the end.

 

We attended the Cruise Critic party and got a bridge tour for that group.

 

We're early/mid-40's. We were on the younger end of the passengers, but not the youngest. There were some kids who seemed to have a great time, and some 20-somethings who seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Celebrity is not a party boat, but that's not what we wanted.

 

Bayonne terminal - we found it easy-peasy. We drove from home (an hour away). We arrived at 11:30, parked, and didn't stop moving until we were eating lunch at the buffet. We were eating by 12:15. In the cabins by 1pm, luggage by 3pm. Disembarkation was also easy though I wish our bags rolled better from the baggage area to Immigration. We were in a late disembarkation group because we had our own transportation. We had to be out of our cabin by 8am and didn't get off the ship until 9:15 - a longish wait with few amenities.

 

All in all, a great trip!

 

Feel free to ask questions. I kept all of the dailies and will post them later in the week.

[Smitty83]

I forgot to mention the condition of the Summit.

 

It needs the dry-dock time. There is some visible rust (particularly the aft Deck 10 bar rails). I didn't see any thread-bare spots. There are little things like a lot of chips on the glass tables in the theater. Still, I was visually impressed with the ship and the little imperfections didn't distract me from having a good time OR cause problems.

 

We did have one morning when they had a hot-water problem in some staterooms that they announced, but it was quickly fixed.

 

The captain said that the ship will be in drydock for 21 days. He said the marine work (functional stuff) would take only 5 days, but the cosmetic changes/updates were what takes the extra time. He will be the captain for the drydock time.

[Smitty83]

OK, one more thought. :D

 

The crew on this ship seemed superior to this first-time cruiser. I never saw anyone upset with the crew. They went above and beyond on a regular basis. And they were just so darn friendly - they said hello just about every time we saw them, even just passing in the hall.

 

The Captain is VERY good at handling passengers and seems like he'd be a good person to work for as well.

 

The cruise director Damian is wonderful and funny. He also arranged something special for us (don't ask) and we're grateful for that.

[YOW]

Thanks for your review. Glad you enjoyed Summit -- great bunch of folks, aren't they?! :)

[jjl64]

Sounds like a great time. We are taking this same cruise on July 3rd and can't wait. What night was the first formal night? We want to make reservations for the Normandie restaurant and wanted to know if the first formal night was Monday or Tuesday.

 

Thanks!

[Smitty83]

The formal nights were Monday and Friday.

 

BTW - the time change was one hour ahead Sunday night-Monday morning, and one hour back Friday night-Saturday morning.

[bugsy43]

The formal nights were Monday and Friday.

 

BTW - the time change was one hour ahead Sunday night-Monday morning, and one hour back Friday night-Saturday morning.

 

Thanks so much for this piece. I was wondering when they would do the time change.

[portofrome]

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise. Thanks for the review.

[cruiseacecat]

Always nice to read a review by a first time cruiser and find that they had a great time.

 

Very much looking forward to your dailies, and if you kept the spotlight sheet with the officer bios that would be a real plus for me.

 

Again, glad you had a great time. It is so easy to get hooked. :D

 

Anne

[Smitty83]

I have the officer list too. Please be patient - I'm still catching up after the trip.

[Lois R]

Glad you had a good time:) Damien is great:D but when you make

a comment that he did something special and then tell us not to ask....

come on now;).

[Lois R]

Always nice to read a review by a first time cruiser and find that they had a great time.

 

Very much looking forward to your dailies, and if you kept the spotlight sheet with the officer bios that would be a real plus for me.

 

Again, glad you had a great time. It is so easy to get hooked. :D

 

Anne

 

Hi Anne, so when are you sailing her again???:D I know when you

ask who is working on a ship you are getting ready for ANOTHER

cruise:)

[cruiseacecat]

I have the officer list too. Please be patient - I'm still catching up after the trip.

Hi Smitty83,

 

I AM patient.:D :D Really, I do understand all the stuff that needs to be done when you return home. I will be ready when you are ready. No pressure.:D And I know we all appreciate your taking the time to do this.

 

Anne

[shankill]

We were on the same sailing and our cabin was right down the hall from you! What a wonderful week. We signed up for the same cruise next year!

[cruiseacecat]

Hi Anne, so when are you sailing her again???:D I know when you

ask who is working on a ship you are getting ready for ANOTHER

cruise:)

Hi Lois,

 

My fingers and toes are all crossed for this one. It is iffy, but I am booked on the 26 June cruise. Bought the insurance, so I will not have a big loss if I must cancel. NEED A CRUISE :D

 

Anne :)

[Melb1127]

Glad you had a good first cruise! Beware, they're addicting! :D Can you tell me if the pool was freshwater or saltwater?

[Mabers]

Hi Lois,

 

My fingers and toes are all crossed for this one. It is iffy, but I am booked on the 26 June cruise. Bought the insurance, so I will not have a big loss if I must cancel. NEED A CRUISE :D

 

Anne :)

 

Hi Anne,

Too bad you didn't choose the 19th....Jackie and I are on that one! Would have been nice to see you again.

Have a good one whenever you go!

Sheila.

[Lois R]

Hi Lois,

 

My fingers and toes are all crossed for this one. It is iffy, but I am booked on the 26 June cruise. Bought the insurance, so I will not have a big loss if I must cancel. NEED A CRUISE :D

 

Anne :)

 

Anne, if you can't go this month why don't you see about Labor Day

week? I am still trying to figure out things and may go then! Would

love to see you again too.....you are one popular person:D

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write and then to post the review.

 

Keith

[cruiseacecat]

Hi Anne,

Too bad you didn't choose the 19th....Jackie and I are on that one! Would have been nice to see you again.

Have a good one whenever you go!

Sheila.

Hi Sheila,

 

Really would love to see you and Jackie again. :) Unfortunately, the 26th is even iffy for me.

Have a fantastic time and take very good care of her. She is a great ship.

 

Anne :)

[cruiseacecat]

Anne, if you can't go this month why don't you see about Labor Day

week? I am still trying to figure out things and may go then! Would

love to see you again too.....you are one popular person:D

Hi Lois :)

 

I like that idea a lot. Let's see how things work out in the next week or so. I initially had that one booked, but cancelled in order to go sooner. Am I pathetic or what.:o Addiction is just so tough. :eek:

 

And I would love to cruise with you again.

 

Anne :)

[Lois R]

Hi Lois :)

 

I like that idea a lot. Let's see how things work out in the next week or so. I initially had that one booked, but cancelled in order to go sooner. Am I pathetic or what.:o Addiction is just so tough. :eek:

 

And I would love to cruise with you again.

 

Anne :)

 

Pathetic? I think not! I have nothing booked till NEXT MAY:eek:

Now THAT is pathetic;).....I bought 2 passages while on Century

and I am still trying to figure out what to do. I am sure you saw

my "Thanksgiving Thread".....well, not sure I want to wait till

November. So, as they say, we are in the same boat....groan...LOL

[Lexy08]

Hi Lois,

 

My fingers and toes are all crossed for this one. It is iffy, but I am booked on the 26 June cruise. Bought the insurance, so I will not have a big loss if I must cancel. NEED A CRUISE :D

 

Anne :)

Hi Anne, Darn, Sheila and I have booked June 19th (just last Tues.) so we'll be getting off as you get on. How have you been? How are the eyes?

Jackie

[riredsox]

Hi Lois,

 

My fingers and toes are all crossed for this one. It is iffy, but I am booked on the 26 June cruise. Bought the insurance, so I will not have a big loss if I must cancel. NEED A CRUISE :D

 

Anne :)

 

Hi Anne, I will just miss you as my Mom and I are booked on the 3 July. Hope all is well and you are able to go. Jill

[Smitty83]

The pools are all salt water. Not sure about the hot tubs - I thought they were salt water too but someone said they were fresh. I used one in the T-pool for a few minutes and couldn't really tell one way or the other.