Summit trip, July 8 -15

[Loud_curly]

I'm back at work today after a good cruise to Bermuda this past week. Here are a few thoughts and observations from my cruise.

 

The cruise was packed with families, predominantly from NY and NJ. Many expressed amazement that we traveled "all the way from" Northern Virginia to cruise from Bayonne. :p

 

There were lots of people everywhere. We traveled with our 4.5 year old son, and managed to do OK with the crowds. We were usually able to find an empty table in the buffet, even during peak times. We could not always find empty chairs at the pool on deck 10, but we were actually in the pool so it wasn't a big deal. We just put our towels and bag on one of the pool ledges.

 

Our son loved the Fun Factory and all the activities. He was eager to go whenever we let him. We did some of the family activities and passed on some. He was so busy he took naps in the afternoon, so we missed out on some cool things. When we were free, DH and I spent a lot of time at Cafe al Bacio or the casino.

 

DH and I were both not impressed with the food. We ate pretty much everywhere we could on the ship, with the exception of Normandie. Much of our issue was that the food was just blah - more seasoning and/or sauces were necessary. Or the food wasn't prepared the way we wanted - overcooking medium rare was common. We had select dining, and I got the impression that the staff just didn't care that much, even though we had the same waiter each night and usually ate on the early side. We tried Qsine, and loved the presentation and some of the dishes, but thought the portion sizes were way too large for a tapas place. We did enjoy Bistro on Five, and the Aqua Spa. The pool grill was good as well, but the wait was usually pretty long. (For background, we were AQ on Equinox a few years ago, and LOVED Blu, and pretty much ate there exclusively. I would say we tend to be foodies, but I also appreciate TGI Fridays and the like.)

 

We were not impressed with the shows, although our son enjoyed Sirens. We missed much of the roving musicians, but did enjoy the 2 guitarists.

 

We are not drinkers, but enjoyed the Premium Non-Alcoholic beverage package. Got tons of water, soda, sparkling water, non-alcoholic frozen beverages, and specialty coffees. Our son was perfectly happy with the buffet juices/drinks.

 

As far as Bermuda, we loved it. Tons to do, easy to get around via public transportation, and everyone was super friendly. Kings Wharf is a bit far from the rest of the island, which made traveling back and forth for nap/rest time a bit challenging.

 

The cruise director was a young man named Justin. He grew up in Des Moines, IA, and now lives in Fort Lauderdale. We thought he was energetic whenever we saw him, but admittedly don't participate in lots of the group activities.

 

Finally, our room attendants, Joakem and Rex, were outstanding, and happily met our every request. They even provided our son's stuffed animals with chocolate each night!

 

Whew, that was long. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

[tortoni]

Thanks for your review. You are the second person to point out lots of crowds on this cruise so I am getting a little nervous about our 8/19 sailing. Would you say the crowds were limited to the pool and buffet? We probably would not spend too much time at either, and wonder if there are other locations that are fun and quiet. We are also scheduled for select dining for the convenience. Did you notice a general lack of care by the waitstaff or do you think you were unlucky? We have always had great staff on cruises, but this is our first Celebrity Cruise.

[Loud_curly]

Thanks for your review. You are the second person to point out lots of crowds on this cruise so I am getting a little nervous about our 8/19 sailing. Would you say the crowds were limited to the pool and buffet? We probably would not spend too much time at either, and wonder if there are other locations that are fun and quiet. We are also scheduled for select dining for the convenience. Did you notice a general lack of care by the waitstaff or do you think you were unlucky? We have always had great staff on cruises, but this is our first Celebrity Cruise.

 

Yes, I would say that the crowding was mostly at the buffet and pool. We never had a problem getting a table at Cafe al Bacio, or at the theater, or at the casino. The indoor T-pool also wasn't overly crowded, although we never got a chair there either.

 

As far as select dining, I think we just got unlucky. Our asst. waiter was actually fantastic, and very attentive towards our son. It was the head waiter who just didn't seem to care at all. Other waiters around select dining seemed to have much better connections with their tables.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[librarylady19]

Thanks for relating your experiences. We love Blu and are very happy its now available on Summit..

we can't wait to dine at Qsine agin...I don't think it is billed as a tapas restaurant, more a unique dining experience. How much you eat, or how little, is up to you!!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking your time to do a review.