Summit Review 6/17-6/24: Part 2

[jdarch]

As promised, here's the second part of our June 17th cruise:

DAY 4 (Bermuda):

Gorgeous. Beautiful. Did I mention we love this place?

DW had this day plotted out two months ago. Woke early (for us), worked our breakfast trick again, then left the ship and purchased our two day Transportation passes (Remember they are cash only!) Made the 9:45 a.m. ferry to St Georges.: with two ships in Dockyard, the first day transportation is nuts, so even 30 minutes early, the ferry line was already over 150 people.

Ferry had us to St. G’s by 10:30 a.m., then we headed to the bus stop on Duke of York Street to go to the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo (takes about 35 mins). Now. We’re not especially Fishy/Zooey people, but we discovered years ago that this is a hidden gem. The exotic fish and other beasties are beautiful and the enormous tanks put them practically right in your face. The next building has Bermuda natural history exhibits explaining how the island has evolved over the years (and the impact that man has had - for better or worse); I always find it amazing that cedar trees once covered the island! Outside are the seal ponds; I was disappointed to find that old man Archie - the 28 year-old seal we saw last time - died in 2009, but there’s a few of his offspring still cruising and playing around in the pools. Then you enter the zoo. By the way, this is not your average zoo – at some points, you are actually in with the animals (no comments…); for example, at one point there was a tortoise walking across the path behind us, a heron standing on the railing beside me, a pig (?) scurrying alongside the path, and all while some sort of monkey watched it all from above. Yes, the more feisty specimens - the alligator for instance - are caged, but even he was sunning himself just a few feet away from us. I’m pretty sure the huge tortoises we saw five years ago have barely moved - I'm sure one looked at us like, “What? You again?”

After two hours or so, we bussed back toward St. Georges, and stopped at the Swizzle Inn for lunch. We managed to get the last table out front – and just before piles of people descended on the place! However, the Swizzle staff kept up pretty well, and our visit was well worth the stop. We’ll return again!

Back in St G’s we did some shopping and got back to the slip just in time for the (also very crowded) 3:45 p.m. ferry. Back on board the Summit, we hit the buffet before taking the 6:30 pm ferry for Harbor Nights in Hamilton. The event is basically a street fair: Bermuda arts vendors, street performances, and most Front Street stores stay open (DW was hoping to go to Crisson’s but they were closed!); however, this time we were treated to a performance by the Bermuda Regiment Band at a special ceremony to honor Bermuda’s Olympians.

They have put ALOT more effort into this event, but frankly we found last year’s “Destination Dockyard” version of the fair on Thursday night, more convenient, less overblown, and more fun. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the Dockyard night event went back to its regular Monday slot. Sigh.

Returning to Dockyard tonight, as we walked toward the dock with the NCL Star and the Summit side by side, we thought the appearance spoke volumes (no pun intended…), about the "excitement" level.

The Star: You could hear their band was already playing up by the pool, and all stage/deck lighting was flashing away. Looked like fun!

The Summit: Quiet. No lights. Shhhh!

Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating a little; but some thoughts about Celebrity’s onboard entertainment:

In fairness, the Summit Pool Party started later at 10:30pm. We found the ship's “house” band Fusion is very good (if not a little too generic for my taste). The crew celebrated the Chef’s birthday with lots of dancing. But after 45 minutes of "Pool Party"...finished. We could see others who had looks like, “I was just beginning to have fun...is it over?” I was in the music business for 25 years as an audio engineer, so I understand it's necessary to structure entertainment, but...one set? Everything seems to last only 45 minutes. Sail Away Parties: 45 minutes. Done. Pool Party: 45 minutes. Done. To be honest, I didn’t see any late night performances, but I’m betting they were 45 minutes too...

In our view, X’s entertainment needs a little work.

Don’t get us wrong: the Celebrity theatre performances were state-of-the-art and the performers some of the best I’ve seen on a cruise ship. The comedy show with Steve Scott was VERY funny (how did they get him?). But the other on board entertainment? DW and I think NCL has the edge on this.

To compare:

NCL: On the Dawn in 2010, in addition to the theatre entertainment and their Party band, there was a lounge quartet, a trio of guitarists, a pianist, a solo guitarist, and two duos: Jose and Patti, and Fire and Ice (each of which were outstanding). I remember one reviewer mentioned there always seemed to be live music anywhere you went. Sometimes we had to decide what music to go see!

The Summit: This year, in addition to the theatre and party band, there were two guitar players (one semi-JT type, one flamenco-style), a piano player, a lounge quartet, an a cappella group, and a steel drum player. This may sound like a lot of entertainment, and all were talented in their own way - but each played multiple times/venues each day (for 45 minutes…). The a cappella group were on board last year and were very good – but how many times can you listen to the “Lion Sleeps Tonight” in one week!? And even a skilled flamenco guitar played over background tracks starts to wear thin.

For listening/dancing after dinner, X needs a dynamic classic/current music duo the likes of what NCL has - and for more than 45 minutes, so people can dance and get involved with the performers! We saw little dancing before 10:00 pm (except the same four couples each night that loved swing music (for 45 minutes).

As much as we love the Summit, the music we experienced on NCL was much better…

 

DAY 5

DW’s Day Plan B: take the Ferry to St George’s again; shuttle to Tobacco Bay to swim; change, walk to Fort St. Catherine, have lunch on the point there at Blackbeard’s; then back to St G’s for more shopping. All good, until the “take the Ferry” part... We were on line early, but as the 10:30 a.m. ferry pulled up, DW and I discovered we had each assumed the other had brought a credit card. Oops. So, we made lemonade from the lemons: instead of shuttling, we walked to Tobacco Bay. Beautiful place to swim, and a different side of Bermuda beaches – the cove there is a little warmer (and certainly calmer) than Horseshoe Bay. Facilities-wise, we thought things had expanded more: there is a snack bar there, and bathrooms, but no showers as at Horseshoe. Oh well: we brushed off the sand and walked over to Fort St. Catherine. Due to our brain sneeze, we couldn’t pay to get into the remodeled Fort – but we had enough cash for beers at Blackbeard’s (which were needed)! Then we made the trek back to St G’s.

Now - those who say it’s “only a short walk” to the beaches and back, should also mention it’s a matter of degrees. Degrees, as in, 1) the STEEP climb back up to the top of Government Hill after swimming and sunning all day, and 2) what the temperature is on the afternoon when you do the walk. Just sayin’…

Even so, we managed to make the 2:30 pm ferry back to the ship for lunch. Well almost – after 3:30 pm, there are only salad and finger sandwiches. But.

But then. Lo and behold the T-Pool was almost empty. YES! Who needs food when you have the T-pool!

Dinner: Went to the Martini Bar (packed again), compared notes with some fellow CC folks, and then to the MDR. Tonight the staff was on – all were friendly, attentive, and the food more on par with our “X-pectations”.

 

DAY 6:

We don’t like to travel too far from the ship on the last day (I don’t know why – if somehow we were left behind in Bermuda...we would be left behind in Bermuda!!) Anyway, DW makes this her Dockyard shopping day. We stopped by the Frog and Onion for some overpriced beer (can’t beat the atmosphere though), did our final sighs and returned to the ship. Managed to get our regular spot back on the wicker couches by the Pool Bar for sail away.

 

After this point, final days “cruise-mode” had set in (i.e., had no interest in writing reviews).

A summary of the things as they come to mind:

- Cabin: Very good shape – not brand spanky new, but we saw no evidence of poor maintenance one person commented about. The bed was a little hard – next time we’ll ask for an egg- crate liner. As I mentioned earlier, we found our cabin stewards (and all we passed) friendly and professional. BTW, we’ve sailed with had a standard balcony with no complaints, but having the slightly larger angled balcony is a real plus; I understand why, but I do wish they had recliners.

- T-Pool: Other than Sailaway when it got out of control, the 18 and up age limit at the T- Pool was strictly enforced. Love the T-POOL!

- Bistro on 5 - Had a delicious lunch there. Wish we knew earlier! Well worth your time.

- Sunset Bar: Some CC folks have panned the Sunset Bar lately. Last year, we enjoyed it more; this year, we made a few attempts, but between the lack of seating/spotty service, and the drifting smoke we passed in favor of the pool bar.

Disembarkation: Very smooth. As last year, we chose the latest time to disembark to get a last breakfast/coffee fix. Even so, our 9:45 a.m. call came at 9:20 am. We were quickly off the ship, on a shuttle, met by a very efficient porter, who was finding our bags and escorting us through customs and to the car area in no time flat.

In the end, our almost perfect Bermuda cruise? Combine Celebrity’s quality (especially the food) with NCL’s entertainment.

 

That’s it! Any questions, let us know.

[vivavegas]

Enjoyed your review! Thanks for taking the time to write your review and share with us!:)

[gkny]

Thanks for the review. What was the average age of your cruise.

[Sascol]

jdarch - thanks for your review. Very helpful. You may want to consider a differnet font though. Especially in a long entry, it's tough on the eyes.

[bhughey]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

 

One question - you mention that the balcony chairs do not recline? They look like the same ones on both the Silhouette and the Eclipse (our most recent X cruises) and the chairs reclined?

[jdarch]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

 

One question - you mention that the balcony chairs do not recline? They look like the same ones on both the Silhouette and the Eclipse (our most recent X cruises) and the chairs reclined?

 

Others may know more, but unless you have a suite, even the larger sweet sixteen balconies have straight-back chairs .

[jdarch]

jdarch - thanks for your review. Very helpful. You may want to consider a differnet font though. Especially in a long entry, it's tough on the eyes.

Sorry its usually this size.

[Diane Rose]

Thank you for your very detailed review. Sorry to hear that some of the entertainment did not meet your standards.

 

You did mention that you need to pay for the ferry with cash. Is that US dollars? I cannot remember from our last visit.

 

Diane

[jdarch]

Thank you for your very detailed review. Sorry to hear that some of the entertainment did not meet your standards.

 

You did mention that you need to pay for the ferry with cash. Is that US dollars? I cannot remember from our last visit.

 

Diane

 

Yes - you can use US currency in everywhere in Bermuda. Some shops want to give your change in Bermuda $$ - helps ensure you'll sure you spend it there!

[LustforLife]

Oh no...I thought the T pool was 16 and over. That's what the sign has said on every X cruise I've taken. My daughter who just turned 16 and has been waiting for years is going to be very disappointed. Are you sure it was 18 and not 16?

[jdarch]

Oh no...I thought the T pool was 16 and over. That's what the sign has said on every X cruise I've taken. My daughter who just turned 16 and has been waiting for years is going to be very disappointed. Are you sure it was 18 and not 16?

Now that you ask, I remember seeing signs for both - we think it might be 16 with a parent? Worth checking - I think a CC'er posted a photo of the sign.