Back to Back Review Celebrity Summit Feb.4-18th

[EithneMay]

First, a little background about my husband and myself. We are in our late 20’s with no kids, and we prefer the quiet luxurious vacation that we feel Celebrity can provide. We are not people who stay up late, not the party crowd, and we pick busy port itineraries for our entertainment. This is our second time on Celebrity, having cruised Royal Caribbean (6 times) and Princess (once) in the past.

 

We flew to San Juan two days early to begin a jump start on our vacation. We stated in the Old San Juan Shearton Hotel. The location was excellent. We were within walking distance of everything in Old San Juan. The Hotel was clean, quiet, and we did not notice any of the complaints I have read on the boards (musty smell, loud, etc..). Our room was on the 7th floor, and we did not have a view, but that was fine. We dined at the Chicago Burger Company one night, and the drinks were terrible (could not taste the alcohol at all in my Pina Colada, so the waiter brought me an extra shot), and the food was average. We dined at Punto de Vista twice and loved it so much! We found it on Yelp, and the food was amazing and the drinks very good. It was our favorite place to eat out of the whole cruise!

 

We took at taxi to the ship at 11:00 am on Saturday morning. The cost was $19 for the two of us and our 4 bags. There was a delay getting people off of the ship, so we waited in a room on plastic chairs. This happened on our turn around day and the day we disembarked the ship as well, so my recommendation is to arrive closer to noon if you want to avoid waiting outside in the sun with no place to sit.

 

We were allowed to check in around 11:45 and were eating lunch in the buffet shortly after noon. Our rooms were ready at 1:15 as promised, and our luggage arrived around 2:00, which was the quickest I have ever gotten luggage on a ship! We checked our table arrangements and were disappointed that our request for a table for two had not been granted. During drydock, the dining room arrangements had been changed. Deck 4 is now entirely traditional seating, with mostly larger tables for 6-10, and deck 5 had been made entirely select dining. We switched to select dining for both weeks and enjoyed a table for two.

 

We were in one of the Sweet 16 Cabins, 6016. We had stayed in this exact cabin on the Constellation before, and we loved it. The oversized balcony is wonderful. Our cabin steward was excellent, and we never wanted for anything. The best feature of the dry dock for cabins was the removal of the useless blow-dryer in the bathroom and replaced with a simple piece of artwork that was back lit. It was great at night because it acted as a very muted night light.

 

We had cruised on the Constellation (14 night) last April/May so we were familiar with the ship layout and the new features that were added during dry dock. The ship looked very clean. On the promenade deck there were still signs of construction and a bit of left over supplies, but it did not bother us. Deck 12 (Sports deck) was not finished for either of the weeks of our cruise, but we did not use it, so we barely noticed.

 

Overall the ship looked, felt, and smelled clean. We noticed new carpeting, new upholstery, and new décor everywhere. We felt they did a tremendous job during dry dock.

[EithneMay]

Sunday was a day at sea, and also Superbowl Sunday. We spent most of the day relaxing and reading in the Solarium (never used the outdoor pool) and had little interest in the activities offered on board. We noticed that many more of the offered activities cost money this cruise. Formal night had been moved to the next night, and they played the game on a giant screen in the theater. Celebrity did a great job having games (I won a t-shirt) and raffles to win prizes during commercials (we did not get the US feed with the good commercials). There was an enormous spread of tailgating food and beer specials. It was a great Superbowl party.

[EithneMay]

Monday was Barbados and it was our 4th time to this island. We booked a private excursion through Silvermoon Barbados. We have done this tour twice in the past and loved it. We snorkeled with sea turtles, saw two ship wrecks, were served an amazing lunch, and got to relax on a beach for a while. Silvermoon serves the best rum punch in the Caribbean (in my opinion), and we had a blast. This is an all day tour, so if you do it, wear sunscreen (I got a little burnt) and plan on being exhausted when you return to the ship. We did a little bit of quick shopping then returned to the ship.

 

This was formal night on the ship, but the hubby and I were too tired from the tour to make it to dinner or the show. We ordered room service and went to bed early!

[EithneMay]

Tuesday was St. Lucia, and it was our 4th time to this island as well. We love the rugged beauty of the island. We did some morning shopping and ate lunch on the ship. We had booked an afternoon tour through the ship to snorkel beneath the pitons. This tour was terrible!!! First, we were on a large ferry boat with another tour (Zip Line) and we dropped them off before heading to our snorkel spot. The spot was terrible. The area was roped off right next to the dock, and the water was so murky from all of the boats coming up. We had 40 minutes (out of a 4 hour tour) to snorkel. However, it was not even worth getting wet. We then returned to the boat and proceeded to wait almost an hour for the zip line group to return. It made us upset that we waited longer for them to return than we had to snorkel. Upon returning to the ship, we filled out a comment card and decided NOT to book our next days tour through the ship. To Celebrity’s credit, they did credit us back 20% for that tour.

[EithneMay]

Wednesday we were docked at Antigua. We had been there 4 times as well, and decided on an island tour since we had previously been in the water. We found a taxi driver and with three other people, it cost us $25 each for a 3 hour tour of the island. Our driver did a great job. We saw an old church, Nelson’s Dock Yard, beautiful beaches, and he stopped at a fruit stand where were could sample fresh picked pineapple, banana, melon, starfruit, and papaya. It was delicious! He offered to drop us at a beach and come back for us later, but we opted to head back to the ship. We wondered around the shopping area for a bit, then had lunch on board. We relaxed on the ship for the afternoon. The Solarium was our favorite place to hang out. We enjoyed the T-pool very much, and loved reading on the comfortable loungers. The pool was clean and looked like it had been scrubbed quite a bit during dry dock.

[EithneMay]

Thursday we docked in St. Maarten with 5 other ships, 2 Hal, the Allure, Norwegian Dawn, and a Carnival ship. The port load was 22,500 people! We knew this in advance and had not planned an excursion that day. We exited the ship early and opted to walk around to the town. We did some shopping (I bought new sandals and a purse) then headed back to the ship. The port was a madhouse! There were so many people that it was not easy to walk the streets. We spent the rest of the day on board the ship.

[EithneMay]

Friday we docked in St. Thomas. We had booked the ship tour to St. John to snorkel on Trunk Bay. We were placed on a ferry with several other tour groups and headed over to St. John. The tour guides did a great job telling us about the island and the houses of famous people as we passed by. It was entertaining, even if the seas were a bit rough that day. After the ferry ride, the groups were divided up and taken to their tour destinations. We had about a 15 minute cab drive to Trunk Bay and then were able to enjoy this beautiful beach and snorkel the trail. The water was clear and the snorkeling was very good. The beach was amazing. There were not chairs, but we spent most of the time in the water. There was a snack ship and changing facilities. It was a great tour and we would do this one again given the chance.

[EithneMay]

Saturday (turn around day) in San Juan.

We were offered breakfast in the Main Dining Room to avoid the rush in the buffet that morning. We were surprised that there were 120 people doing a back to back. We were then led to the conference room, checked in, and told to wait until customs had cleared everyone off of the ship. Around 11:15 (an hour late) we were led off of the ship, and through customs where we had to show our passport. Then we were given new ship cards and let back on the ship. As soon as we were all check in, they started letting the new cruisers on the ship. This was different from previous back to back cruises we had experienced. On previous cruises, we have not even had to get off of the ship. I am not sure what the delay was getting everyone else off, but it seemed to be a trend. Because of the delay, we did not have the feeling that we were able to enjoy having the ship to ourselves, and we missed that a bit. Overall, the experience was pretty painless. We had the same cabin both weeks, so we did not have to change.

 

We dined in Q’sine that night because the menu in the main dinning room did not change from week to week, and we felt the fist night was the weakest. We ordered the Sangria (amazing), and 6 different things to try. I had the lava crab (hubby is allergic), and it was very good. Think, fancy crab cake. We then had the Spring Rolls, which we thought the vegetable ones were the best. We were surprised how much we liked them! We then had the crunchy munchies, which were okay. We followed that with the Slider Party (one of our favorites), and then the meatballs. The meatballs were the only disappointing thing we ordered. The turkey one was still raw in the middle, and when we pointed it out, we were told that it was the cheese and cranberries in the middle that made it look raw. Well… I touched it and it was still cold, so we did not eat it. The best by far was the painters fillet. It was amazing. We were almost too full for dessert. I had the chocolate tombstone which was good, but not great. I am always disappointed with chocolate on the ships. Hubby had the doughnuts, which were very good. Overall, it was a great meal, and we booked it again for later in the week.

 

 

 

I will post more from the second week later!! Time for a break, laundry, and to get ready for work!

[librarylady19]

Wonderful review. Thanks for all the great details about the ships and ports.

Did you try Cellarmasters or Michaels?

[maxsales]

Saturday (turn around day) in San Juan.

We were offered breakfast in the Main Dining Room to avoid the rush in the buffet that morning. We were surprised that there were 120 people doing a back to back. We were then led to the conference room, checked in, and told to wait until customs had cleared everyone off of the ship. Around 11:15 (an hour late) we were led off of the ship, and through customs where we had to show our passport. Then we were given new ship cards and let back on the ship. As soon as we were all check in, they started letting the new cruisers on the ship. This was different from previous back to back cruises we had experienced. On previous cruises, we have not even had to get off of the ship. I am not sure what the delay was getting everyone else off, but it seemed to be a trend. Because of the delay, we did not have the feeling that we were able to enjoy having the ship to ourselves, and we missed that a bit. Overall, the experience was pretty painless. We had the same cabin both weeks, so we did not have to change.

 

We dined in Q’sine that night because the menu in the main dinning room did not change from week to week, and we felt the fist night was the weakest. We ordered the Sangria (amazing), and 6 different things to try. I had the lava crab (hubby is allergic), and it was very good. Think, fancy crab cake. We then had the Spring Rolls, which we thought the vegetable ones were the best. We were surprised how much we liked them! We then had the crunchy munchies, which were okay. We followed that with the Slider Party (one of our favorites), and then the meatballs. The meatballs were the only disappointing thing we ordered. The turkey one was still raw in the middle, and when we pointed it out, we were told that it was the cheese and cranberries in the middle that made it look raw. Well… I touched it and it was still cold, so we did not eat it. The best by far was the painters fillet. It was amazing. We were almost too full for dessert. I had the chocolate tombstone which was good, but not great. I am always disappointed with chocolate on the ships. Hubby had the doughnuts, which were very good. Overall, it was a great meal, and we booked it again for later in the week.

 

 

 

I will post more from the second week later!! Time for a break, laundry, and to get ready for work!

 

Very nice review Amanda.

[EithneMay]

Wonderful review. Thanks for all the great details about the ships and ports.

Did you try Cellarmasters or Michaels?

 

Yes, I will write a review of the venues we tried at the end!

[Chichi]

Thank you Amanda.

Bob

[marys350]

Tuesday was St. Lucia, and it was our 4th time to this island as well. We love the rugged beauty of the island. We did some morning shopping and ate lunch on the ship. We had booked an afternoon tour through the ship to snorkel beneath the pitons. This tour was terrible!!! First, we were on a large ferry boat with another tour (Zip Line) and we dropped them off before heading to our snorkel spot. The spot was terrible. The area was roped off right next to the dock, and the water was so murky from all of the boats coming up. We had 40 minutes (out of a 4 hour tour) to snorkel. However, it was not even worth getting wet. We then returned to the boat and proceeded to wait almost an hour for the zip line group to return. It made us upset that we waited longer for them to return than we had to snorkel. Upon returning to the ship, we filled out a comment card and decided NOT to book our next days tour through the ship. To Celebrity’s credit, they did credit us back 20% for that tour.

 

Thank you for writing such a detailed review of your back to back trip. I am enjoying it!

 

I have already booked this afternoon "Snorkel Beneath the Pitons" excursion for our cruise in April and was disappointed to hear of your experience. I have a few questions for you before I decide whether to cancel my excursion or not.

 

Was the snorkeling right at Jalousie Beach and did you have the option to snorkel or use the beach?

 

Celebrity's website lists the boat as a 50 foot Newton boat. Approximately how many people did the snorkeling part and how many people were dropped off for the zipline?

 

You mentioned that after you returned to the boat you had to wait almost an hour for the zipline group to return. Do you have any idea if that group was delayed in returning to the boat for some reason?

 

I'm hoping that this was just an "off day" and not a usual occurrence. I'm considering other options and look forward to your input.

 

I'm sorry that you had a terrible experience and I'm glad that Celebrity gave you a partial refund.

 

Thanks,

Mary

[EithneMay]

wan

Thank you for writing such a detailed review of your back to back trip. I am enjoying it!

 

I have already booked this afternoon "Snorkel Beneath the Pitons" excursion for our cruise in April and was disappointed to hear of your experience. I have a few questions for you before I decide whether to cancel my excursion or not.

 

Was the snorkeling right at Jalousie Beach and did you have the option to snorkel or use the beach?

 

Celebrity's website lists the boat as a 50 foot Newton boat. Approximately how many people did the snorkeling part and how many people were dropped off for the zipline?

 

You mentioned that after you returned to the boat you had to wait almost an hour for the zipline group to return. Do you have any idea if that group was delayed in returning to the boat for some reason?

 

I'm hoping that this was just an "off day" and not a usual occurrence. I'm considering other options and look forward to your input.

 

I'm sorry that you had a terrible experience and I'm glad that Celebrity gave you a partial refund.

 

Thanks,

Mary

 

There were probably close to 100 people in total, about 40 were on the zipline. There was a place to use the beach, but the chairs were close together and it was on a VERY rocky beach. The nice, sandy side was reserved for the resort, and we got dirty looks when we walked around to the other side (not to use a chair, but to just walk the beach). The snorkeling was right off of the rocky side of the beach. It was absolutely terrible, and I don't see it improving. The dock is right next to the snorkeling area (roped off), and there were probably 20 boats that came and went during our short snorkel time. They kicked up sediment and sand and made it difficult to see. There were few fish and hardly any coral, just rocks. I am not sure if there was a delay with the zipline people, but we made it back to the ship on time (barely) and were the last tour group on the ship before they pulled the gangway.

 

The boat was a ferry boat, enclosed, with seating inside or on the top. The crew did not tell us about the island as we cruised along the coast, and did not even get in the water to act as snorkel guides. The rum punch was served at the end, and even it was not good (Thick like syrup). I don't think this was an "off" day, given the attitude of the staff and the crew, I would just guess that this is one of the cheaper tours and you "get what you pay for". Honestly, I would cancel.... I have been to St. Lucia many times, and every time the snorkeling is not that great. There are much better beaches to enjoy, and if you want to see the Pitons, take an island tour or book the Coastal Cruise to the Pitons tour.

[EithneMay]

Sunday we docked at St. Croix. We had booked a private tour through Big Beards and were headed to Buck Island for snorkeling. We left the ship as soon as possible and got a taxi at the stand set up for the shuttle to Christianstead. It was $16 per person for a round trip ticket. This had gone up from $12 when we were there in 2010. We checked in for our tour at Big Beards shop, and boarded our powercat for the day. Big Beards offers two tours, a half day and a full day. We originally booked the full day, but were glad we switched when we saw the full day boat was PACKED! The only difference between the two is lunch, and we have a favorite place in town to eat. The snorkeling was very good, but looked like it had been damaged since 2010. We saw large schools of fish, lots of barracuda, trumpet fish, and parrot fish. The snorkeling here is still my favorite in the Caribbean.

 

After our tour ended we grabbed lunch at a local bar and then wandered the town for some shopping. Most shops were closed because it was a Sunday. We learned that that oil refinery is closing in April, and that the island is worried about the loss of jobs. St. Croix is still my favorite island, and we hope to move there some day.

[EithneMay]

Monday we were docked in St. Kitts. This was our first time to St. Kitts, and the only island we had not visited before on the entire two weeks. We had originally planned to book the ship’s “Catamaran Fan-Ta-Sea” and head over to Nevis, however, being disappointed with the ship tours the week before, and being tired of being around so many people, we asked the excursion desk how many people were booked. We were told 57 had already booked and they were expecting up to 100 people! NO thank you! We decided to grab a cab driver and see the island. We were driven to the fort, the black rocks where the last lava flow came out, through the botanical gardens where they make the cloth with the dyed wax, around the plantations, and back to town. It was a good tour, but had I known better, I would have asked for the beach tour! Oh well, next time we come back. We did some shopping in town, bought some t-shirts and local rum, then had a drink at the bar by the dock. We ordered two “drunken monkeys” at the recommendation of some cruise friends, and found them very good! Then we headed back on the ship to relax. I wish I had a chance to see more of the island, and next time we are there, we will most likely book a private tour that can get us to Nevis.

[marys350]

wan

 

There were probably close to 100 people in total, about 40 were on the zipline. There was a place to use the beach, but the chairs were close together and it was on a VERY rocky beach. The nice, sandy side was reserved for the resort, and we got dirty looks when we walked around to the other side (not to use a chair, but to just walk the beach). The snorkeling was right off of the rocky side of the beach. It was absolutely terrible, and I don't see it improving. The dock is right next to the snorkeling area (roped off), and there were probably 20 boats that came and went during our short snorkel time. They kicked up sediment and sand and made it difficult to see. There were few fish and hardly any coral, just rocks. I am not sure if there was a delay with the zipline people, but we made it back to the ship on time (barely) and were the last tour group on the ship before they pulled the gangway.

 

The boat was a ferry boat, enclosed, with seating inside or on the top. The crew did not tell us about the island as we cruised along the coast, and did not even get in the water to act as snorkel guides. The rum punch was served at the end, and even it was not good (Thick like syrup). I don't think this was an "off" day, given the attitude of the staff and the crew, I would just guess that this is one of the cheaper tours and you "get what you pay for". Honestly, I would cancel.... I have been to St. Lucia many times, and every time the snorkeling is not that great. There are much better beaches to enjoy, and if you want to see the Pitons, take an island tour or book the Coastal Cruise to the Pitons tour.

 

WOW- Thank you for your quick reply and for providing so much detail about this excursion. I will definitely cancel, as my husband and I would not enjoy this experience. We love to snorkel and in the past have booked private snorkel excursions (Silvermoon and Calabaza in Barbados, and Daydreamer and Fury in St. Thomas) with small groups onboard.

 

Thanks again!

Mary

[EithneMay]

Tuesday we were docked in Dominica. We booked a private tour with Levi Bumping and were not disappointed. We started the day with about an hour of snorkeling at Champagne Reef. The snorkeling was very good and the area is huge! Be warned, the beach is rocky and the surf can get rough making it difficult to get back on shore. Next, we went to Tito Gorge. We were able to swim through the gorge, climb up a waterfall to another waterfall, get our picture taken under it, jump off of the first one, and swim out. This is where part of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed. After we came out, the hubby and I decided to jump the 25 or so fee off of the cliff into the water in the gorge. It was exhilarating! Next, our group went to Trafalgar Falls. The falls are beautiful. We were so glad we were not booked with a ship tour, as we could climb lower and enter the hot springs then climb up to the falls. The climb is rocky and wet, so be careful! We had a blast. Finally, our tour ended with a drive through the botanical gardens, to see the bamboo house and the smashed school bus from the 1979 hurricane. It was a great tour. We paid $47 per person, plus tip, and had all the beer, water, and pop we wanted throughout the day. It was probably the best tour of our two weeks. There were only 10 of us and the driver, Gary, in the van with us. We had a blast! The last time we were on Dominica, we booked through Adventure Antigua and went extreme canyoning. This was not quite up to the adventure level as that tour, but very fun. It was a full day tour as well (no lunch, so be prepared, but please don't be like the people on our tour who ignored the rules and brought a TON of fruit off the ship....) :rolleyes:

[EithneMay]

WOW- Thank you for your quick reply and for providing so much detail about this excursion. I will definitely cancel, as my husband and I would not enjoy this experience. We love to snorkel and in the past have booked private snorkel excursions (Silvermoon and Calabaza in Barbados, and Daydreamer and Fury in St. Thomas) with small groups onboard.

 

Thanks again!

Mary

 

You sound like us, and compared to the other tours you mention, you will definitely be disappointed. Glad I could help!

[EithneMay]

Wednesday we docked in Grenada. We had planned on a beach day, and at this point we were more than ready for it. We found a cab driver to drop us off and pick us up. We went to Aquarium beach for $20 each way. We paid $10 for two chair and enjoyed several hours at the beach. About 20 minutes after we arrived, there was a cruise tour group who stopped by. They had paid $50 per person for the trip to the beach, and still had to pay for their chairs!! They were only there about an hour. We pretty much had the beach to our selves. We enjoyed rum punch, beer, garlic bread with cheese, and fries as a snack. Delicious. We had planned on snorkeling, but the surf was very rough, so we played in the waves and enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing. Perfect day… Well… Almost…

 

 

 

After our driver picked us up, he said he needed to get someone else at a beach near by. We were fine with that, and he said we could walk out and view that beach as well. On the walk out, I stumbled on one of the stone pathways and sprained my ankle very bad! I was in quite a bit of pain, but made it back to the ship and promptly got ice on my ankle and had it elevated. My hubby went to the ship medical station and got me a brace. I was pretty sure I had not broken anything, but my ankle swelled up and was black and blue within a few hours. I have had this happen before, so I know how to treat and wrap an ankle. Luckily, the next day was at sea, and I was able to rest my foot all day.

[EithneMay]

Thursday we were at sea, and I pretty much stayed in the cabin while the hubby brought me ice to rest my ankle. We did leave the cabin for about an hour in the morning so the cabin steward could come in. When we came back, the cabin had been decorated with birthday decorations (it was my birthday), and was beautiful. Our amazing Travel Agent (Thanks again Neil!!) had gotten us the birthday package. We had a bottle of sparkling wine, a bouquet of flowers, a cake, tons of decorations, and they even wrote “happy birthday” in rose petals on the bed! I loved it! Definitely made up for the pain I was in. I did manage to make it to dinner that night, but I could not wear my new cute formal shoes with my dress.

 

We ate in Q’sine again that night. Sangria was still great. We tried a few new dishes this time. I had the Shushi Lollipops that were very good. We ordered the Taco Royale, which ended up being my second favorite (fillet is just too good), the M’s Favorites which was great and very fun, The Sliders (again), Painters Fillet (again), and the Chi-Tini which was my least favorite (other than the meatballs from the time before). This time for dessert I did the decorate your own cupcake, and my hubby had the silver bullet, both were amazing! Warning, you leave super full!

[EithneMay]

Friday we were docked back in St. Thomas. We had booked through the ship a tour we had enjoyed before and knew to be great. It was the Yacht Adventures Sail and Snorkel. This is a great tour with only 6 people and the captain of the sailboat. There was little wind, so we cruised slowly out to Buck Island (not the same one as on St. Croix) and snorkeled. There were turtles, lots of coral, fish (saw two kinds I had never seen before), and we even saw a stingray. On the way back we slowly sailed while enjoying rum punch and some crackers and cheese. It was the perfect ending to the cruise. My ankle held up for the tour, and I was able to snorkel fine, although I could only kick with one foot. After the tour, we had to pack up, and we were very sad to leave. Although, by that point I was missing my cats, and ready to be home to take better care of my foot!

[EithneMay]

Saturday, back at San Juan and heading home. We were the last group off of the ship as our flight did not leave until 4:30 pm. We were asked to leave our cabin by 8:00 am, and we waited in a lounge until our number was called. They were VERY Slow getting everyone off of the ship. Apparently, customs was going slowly. We did not mind, as we would rather wait on the ship than in the airport. However, if we had planned on staying in San Juan or sight seeing that day, we would have been upset. My suggestion, if you want to get out and see something that day, put down that you have early flight/tour, or try to self-disembark ASAP or you might miss the entire morning. We ended up getting off of the ship around 11:20 am, and had to wait in the customs line for another 30 minutes. On the plus side, our luggage was super easy to find as we were amongst the last off the ship.

[EithneMay]

Some thoughts on the ship and venues:

Dining: We thought the main dining room food was overall very good. We had a few dishes that were great, and some that were bad. The first night we had some kind of chicken dish (had “momma’s” in the title) that was the worst dish. The stuffed meatballs in the main dining room were my favorite (made up for the bad ones in Q’sine). Even the beef seemed better quality this cruise. We of course loved Q’sine, and we even tried the gelato on deck 5 this cruise. It was good, but not sure if it was $5 better than the free stuff in the buffet. We tended to eat breakfast at the AquaSpa café every morning and I enjoyed the yogurt parfaits. Lunch was usually salad, pizza, sandwiches or burgers from the buffet or pool-side grill. I think the quality of the pizza has improved. We never went hungry and were overall satisfied with the quality of the food. We did not try Normandie (did the similar restaurant on the Connie, and were not impressed), or Bistro on 5 for this cruise.

Bar areas: We liked the change to Michael’s club and the offerings of craft beer. The area looks the same, but they have a big screen TV that plays sports all day long. We enjoyed the change, but it seemed empty most of the cruise. We tried Cellar Masters a few times, also a venue that was always empty. We shared a flight of 4 wines from Italy for $15, and the pours were generous and the staff very informative. We would have done this more if we were not so busy in port every day. The Martini bar was always full and enjoyable to sit at. We had one of the same bartenders from the Connie and he was great to re-connect with. We enjoyed the Chocolate Mint Martini (Not on the menu) as well as a few other favorites.

Casino: We played about $2 a night on slots, and were up some nights and down others… we came home empty handed.

Shows: The main shows were the same both weeks, and we thought they were just okay. We have seen better performers and performances on other ships. Some of the costumes were more than a little risqué (a family sitting behind us actually took their 10 year old son out of the show because of the near nudity!) One of the comedians, Fred (last name started with a K) was very good, and very family friendly. Another comedian/magician was just terrible.

[EithneMay]

Overall, this was a good cruise. The ship is beautiful, the service outstanding, and the islands magnificent as always. I did observe a difference from doing two 7 night cruises as opposed to a 14 night cruise. The people on board are different and act different. A 14 night is much more relaxed, and I believe that there is less of the attitude that “I have to cram as much as I can into seven days” and therefore, I enjoyed a 14 night more. There were more families on board, especially the second week, and this may have been why we spent more time enjoying our cabin and balcony that previous cruises! We noticed people seemed to dress much more causally than our 14 night (Southern Caribbean again) Celebrity cruise. Our next cruise is a 14 night, and I am very much looking forward to the differences in atmosphere that a 14 night seems to provide over two 7 nights.

 

 

Okay, that is my review… Now feel free to ask as many questions as you like and I will do my best to answer them. I do have pictures, but do not have them uploaded to post yet. I will work on that throughout the week. I return to work this afternoon, so please be patient with me!