Summit to Bermuda, 9-2-12 ** LONG **with photos

[librarylady19]

 

While Scott, Rob and Deirdre settled in, I popped over to Cellarmasters to purchase my premium beverage package. It took the bartender a while to process it (NOTE: no sales tax was charged).

 

 

Is that typical, Sandi or someone else who would know? No sales tax charged, even tho you're still in port? We are on Connie in December and not sure whether to purchase our drink packages now or on the ship. If we wait and there's no tax, it's like a 7% discount!!!

 

Thanks!!

I have heard of some people paying sales tax while in port, but you are not charged sales tax if you purchase online in advance. The reason I waited is that I wanted to use my OBC.

[librarylady19]

Hi Sandi:

 

I am just loving every minute of your review! Thanks so much for taking the time, and thanks especially for all of those great pictures.

 

Bermuda had never really been on our radar until I read your review.

 

Now that you have sailed there, would you recommend cruising to Bermuda, or do you think simply flying there and staying in Bermuda for a week would be a better option?

 

In the process of doing your research, what did you learn about the best time of year to go to Bermuda? The research that I have been doing is pointing me towards June.

 

Thanks Elena! I enjoyed our visit to Bermuda but don't think I would return on a cruise ship with so many other places yet to visit and so little time and money. It is a great option for people within driving distance of the port though and much less expensive than staying on the island, that's for sure.

 

A couple of other places that I wouldn't mind visiting for a "land vacation" are St. John and Dominica but I'm hooked on cruising right now as I love the cruise experience plus the opportunity to visit a variety of different places on one trip.

 

We were lucky that Hurricane Isaac did not disturb our plans and we had wonderful weather in Bermuda....that is not always the case at that time of year. We picked September to avoid the family crowds and it worked!

[librarylady19]

Really enjoying reminising about the cruise. After reading your review, I am really sorry that we missed Doug Cameron. Sounds like he was a real highlight.

 

Diane

 

He was very good, more so performing with others (Fusion, Orchestra) than headlining in our opinion.

Another great show that I forgot to mention in my review was the Dancing with the Stripes, guests/officers dance competition held in Revelations. The show drew a huge, appreciative crowd. I was quite impressed by the level of skill and enthusiasm of both the guests and the officers (they were all such good sports!) and CD Jason did a good job running the show too.

[librarylady19]

Our cruise was drawing to a close. Our bags were on their way wherever the luggage goes, we had given thank you envelopes to our wonderful stewards, and completed our guest survey. We were sorry to leave, but looking forward to our return to Chicago.

 

We gained an hour back that night; even so, I was awake quite early in time to see the sail-in to New York. We did not see the sailaway because of the delayed departure, so it was nice to get some daytime views as we returned.

 

It was an overcast day, but we could still see the Manhattan skyline in the distance:

 

 

We sailed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge once more:

 

[librarylady19]

Before we "leave" the ship, I wanted to post a few more pictures that didn't really fit into my review.

 

We did not spend any time at the Martini Bar on this cruise. I did stop by once to get a martini to go and thought the glasses they were served in were smaller than on other ships (maybe because I had the drink package??). The Martini Bar was pretty busy at night with standing room only many times. There is a lot less sit-down seating here than on S Class ships.

 

 

 

Crush - Vodka Bar - does anyone go here??

 

 

 

[librarylady19]

Another bar that we sadly only visited once was Cellar Masters. This looks very nice in pictures and walking through but, as others have noted, the location is not the best. It is more of a walk through area than a discrete setting. At night, the lights were turned down very low, making it less appealing. There were no free snacks there; the menu did list tapas but they were charging for them.

 

 

I don't recall seeing any entertainment here....not sure where they would have put musicians really. It does need something to make it more appealing, and more of a destination for people. I did not see the enomatic machines being used when I walked by.

 

Bar at Cellar Masters:

 

 

 

For those with the beverage packages, they did have a selection of wines by the glass.

[vplsh]

I have heard of some people paying sales tax while in port, but you are not charged sales tax if you purchase online in advance. The reason I waited is that I wanted to use my OBC.

 

 

Thanks, Sandi!!

[Ellen S]

Hi Sandi, Thanks so much for your review! You did a fantastic job! Won't be back on the Summit till next September. I know the next year will go quickly.

It's one of my favorite ships.

[DebbieMacG]

Wonderful review thank you :)

[u2cruiser]

I have so enjoyed your detailed review librarylady. We have never considered one of the older ships, having only sailed on S class so far, so it is good to see so many photos around the ship.

 

May I ask, on your pics all the ceilings look really low. Is that just the camera angle or are they lower than S class?

 

I appreciate your negatives just as much as your positives about the cruise. No cruise is perfect and they were minor observations. It makes for a really well balanced review. Thank you for taking so much time on it. :)

[iluvdoxies]

We had 6:30 p.m. reservations for Scott’s birthday dinner at Qsine which we had been looking forward to for some time! Rob and Deirdre joined us and it was a party! They were Qsine virgins so we delighted in sharing our recommendations from the vast menu of options (we had dined in Qsine on Eclipse last year).

 

Entrance to Qsine:

 

 

Love the variety of lighting!

 

Wine collection in Qsine:

 

Table for Two with a view (sort of):

 

OMG that's a small table

[librarylady19]

I have so enjoyed your detailed review librarylady. We have never considered one of the older ships, having only sailed on S class so far, so it is good to see so many photos around the ship.

 

May I ask, on your pics all the ceilings look really low. Is that just the camera angle or are they lower than S class?

 

I appreciate your negatives just as much as your positives about the cruise. No cruise is perfect and they were minor observations. It makes for a really well balanced review. Thank you for taking so much time on it. :)

 

Thanks! Sometimes I hesitate to include "negative" observations or opinions, but it is only fair to other cruisers to be honest. I will concluding with a summary of my cruise experience later today.

 

I never really thought about the ceilings being lower, they may well be. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the ship feels more closed in than an S class ship.

Perhaps someone else can comment on that.

[librarylady19]

OMG that's a small table

 

Yes, especially considering the amount of food they bring out and the size of the serving vessels.

[u2cruiser]

Thanks! Sometimes I hesitate to include "negative" observations or opinions, but it is only fair to other cruisers to be honest. I will concluding with a summary of my cruise experience later today.

 

I never really thought about the ceilings being lower, they may well be. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the ship feels more closed in than an S class ship.

Perhaps someone else can comment on that.

 

Comparing pics of the Martini bar, the ceiling on Equinox looks a little higher. Not that it matters, I just thought the S class seems a little more airy? :)

 

Look forward to your review conclusion. :D

[librarylady19]

Saturday, September 8 - Going Home (eventually)

 

We were given a late disembarkation time - 9:40 a.m. but had to be out of the cabin by 8:30 a.m. We had our final breakfast in Blu and made our way to Michaels Club where Aqua guests gathered. There was coffee and pastries here but I didn't need another breakfast at that point.

 

The last few groups were called all at once and we made our way off the ship in an orderly fashion (avoid the elevators if you can and take the stairs instead - much less crowded).

 

We found our 3 suitcases and were asked by a porter if we'd like help - yes, please! The porter helpfully put all our luggage on a cart and stayed with us until we were through Customs and out on the curb waiting for Rob & Deirdre who were kindly giving us a ride to Newark Airport.

It didn't take long to get through the process and by 10:15 a.m. we were saying our goodbyes to our wonderful new friends and heading into the Airport.

 

We had a 2:30 p.m. flight scheduled back to Chicago Midway (the only other option had been 10:00 a.m. and hadn't wanted to risk an early time). Unfortunately, in hindsight, I wish we had. There was bad weather hitting NY, unbeknownst to us at that point (tornados even touched down in NY State), causing a ripple effect of delays on the East Coast.

First our flight was delayed an hour, then 2, etc., etc. We finally left Newark at 9:00 p.m. that night.

 

Now, that would have been annoying enough, but what really made it a total bummer was the fact that we had tickets (on the floor no less) to see Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley Field that night. We didn't arrive back to Chicago until 10:00 p.m. and the show had started at 8:00 p.m. A depressing way to end an otherwise great trip.

[cherylroslyn]

When we came upon what we later learned was Jobson's Cove there were a couple of people swimming. It was much less rough here due to the protection from the rocks so we decided to take a dip too.

 

 

It was such fun! We got to chatting with some people from Connecticut who had arrived that morning on the Norwegian ship and learned that they had actually left Bayonne before we did. They had a very rough trip down to Bermuda (the women said they were throwing up all night!). They weren't sure at that point if the ship would stay in Bermuda until Friday or leave sooner.

 

It was hard to tear ourselves away from that lovely cove, but we did want to see some other things yet that day so we dried off a bit and headed up the hill to the bus stop to head to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We were pretty hungry by then so actually stopped and ate lunch at a restaurant across from the Horseshoe Bay entrance. It was pretty good but one order of calamari, one grilled chicken sandwich, a coke and a sangria were $60 (we knew Bermuda was expensive...)

 

We started walking up the road towards the lighthouse but changed our mind when we saw how far it was from the main road and it was quite hot by then and we were covered in sand....We decided to take the bus back to the ship before venturing out again.

 

Next up....our trip to St. George.

OMG that is SOOOO ROUGH for Jobsen's Cove............. Normally that area is like a warm bathtub...........

[richsea]

Sandi, thanks so much for your review & photos. We've been to Bermuda many, many times, & you captured our favorite island perfectly. I felt like I was bock on a cruise to Bermuda again! Fantatic, balanced review.

You must have been totally bummed about missing The Boss at Wrigley though. Life can be cruel!

I did have to laugh about smeones's comment about cruising on an "older" ship. I remember so vividly how people complained about the M class being too big, & how cruising was going to the dogs because of the specialty restaurants; now they're "oler ships"! How times have changed!

Thanks again for the great review!

[Wine-O]

OMG that is SOOOO ROUGH for Jobsen's Cove............. Normally that area is like a warm bathtub...........

 

That's how I remember it.

[sea75]

LibraryLady19,

 

Thanks for the time you took for this review!

 

I had planned to do this cruise for our 30th anniversary but was not able to make it happen; that is until I read your excellent review...You made me feel like I was there. :)

[dln929]

OMG that is SOOOO ROUGH for Jobsen's Cove............. Normally that area is like a warm bathtub...........

 

Thanks for making that comment--I was wondering what it was like normally. The currents were extremely strong. Thank goodness that cove is so well protected because otherwise no one would have been able to swim at all. You'd have been sucked under in no time flat, no joke. :(

[cherylroslyn]

That's how I remember it.

I've been there ten times over the last five years. Never during stormy type weather. Usually you can see the little silver minows swiming by your feet. The water has been so calm I could see a dime on the floor. I have swam through the hole at the far side of her picture (looks like I would get killed if I tried it there). When you swim through that crevase there are HUGE colorful fish on the other side hoovering by the rocks .......and when I say huge I mean HUGE!!!!!!!!!

[librarylady19]

I've been there ten times over the last five years. Never during stormy type weather. Usually you can see the little silver minows swiming by your feet. The water has been so calm I could see a dime on the floor. I have swam through the hole at the far side of her picture (looks like I would get killed if I tried it there). When you swim through that crevase there are HUGE colorful fish on the other side hoovering by the rocks .......and when I say huge I mean HUGE!!!!!!!!!

 

Wow, that sounds amazing. I definitely wouldnt have swam outside the cove, if you could have made it that far with the currents anyway. One crazy kid was diving off the rocks :rolleyes:

Would love to go back and experience the calm Bermuda seas. The pictures really don't do justice to the beauty of the water and sands.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review and photos. Thank you so much.

 

Keith

[librarylady19]

Thank you to everyone who has followed this review through to the end; I appreciate your kind comments.

 

Included below are my overall ratings for this cruise; keep in mind that your opinion and experience on board will probably differ (based on a 5 star rating).

 

Food 3.5 stars

Qsine – this was by far the best meal we had all week. Food and service were excellent. I would recommend it to everyone, even if you are a couple. A very faithful rendition of the original concept.

Blu – the food was a bit uneven; I was disappointed in the quality of the meats and the presentation of some of the dishes (i.e. lobster, tuna). Desserts were uniformly quite unimpressive; they looked a lot better than they tasted. Most desserts were bland and needed more sugar.

Room Service was the biggest pleasant surprise – food was tasty and hot both times we ordered lunch. Breakfast was ok, but we were spoiled by breakfast at Blue.

Aqua Spa Café – Nice selection of salads (made to order), grilled salmon and daily specialties. Nice spot to have a light breakfast also. I like the fact that there is more seating in this area than in the S class equivalents.

Normandie – Not as good as our last visit but still very good. Service was slightly obsequious and a bit slow. There were some changes to the menu and I did not care for the rack of lamb dish (preferred a more traditional presentation).

Bistro on Five – the space was well executed and fit seamlessly into the ship design. The food was pretty good but they did seem overwhelmed on embarkation day and service suffered as a result.

 

 

Entertainment 2.5 stars

There was just not enough variety and frequency in the entertainment that was offered. I do not consider the unveiling of the Faberge eggs or inch of gold an entertainment event!!

Highlights were Fusion, comedian Michele Balan, Doug Cameron and Celebrity Orchestra.

I found the entertainment staff overall to be fairly bland and unimpressive. The 2 trivia sessions we attended were underwhelming. CD Jason was approachable and had a pleasant personality – I think he just needs some time to get his staff whipped into shape!

There needs to be more variety in the entertainers also. There was no string quartet or jazz group that I saw. A little of the guitarist/vocalist genre goes a long way!!

 

 

Cabin 4.75 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised with our cabin (9038 AQ). It was very clean, in good shape, and had a large, angled balcony. The storage space was ample in both the closet, desk and in the bathroom. Only downsides were the bathroom shower and the lack of footstools on the balcony. Much of our satisfaction with the cabin is due to the exemplary service of Belinda and Joecy our stewards.

 

 

Public Spaces 3.75

The ship was very clean, including the public restrooms and ongoing upkeep was evident. The areas that were still showing signs of wear and tear were the Sunset Bar, T-pool (especially the columns and roof), Deck 12, and buffet area. The renovations/additions resulting from the Solsticization of the ship earlier this year were well executed for the most part. Revelations was much improved, as was Michaels Club.The Martini Bar was a bit cramped and Rendezous Lounge definitely was more appealing before it was “renovated.”More work needs to go into making the new spaces appealing to cruisers by extending hours and offering interesting activities and entertainment in these areas. The shopping areas were not very appealing and did not offer any merchandise that interested me; there was too much emphasis on sales (i.e. bracelets, watches) that was a bit tacky.

 

 

Service - 4.0

I would have rated this area slightly lower but the superb service provided by our room stewards went a long way to improving by overall view of the service onboard. There was a general air of lack of polish and training in the bar service and in Blu. I don't know if this is attributable to lack of experience or simply tiredness after a summer of the Bermuda run. I did not encounter any rudeness, just confusion at times. Nothing that would ruin a vacation certainly. I did not have much interaction with the ship's officers and that had no impact on my cruise either way. I felt the premium beverage package, while a great deal for us, was not as uniformly welcomed on Summit as it had been on our last cruise on Eclipse. There was a noticeable reluctance to pour certain wines and a marked lack of servers at the pool and theatre.

 

 

Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. I did enjoy this cruise and am already planning my next trip in January - back to S Class on the Silhouette, our first time as Elite. Happy sailing everyone. :)

[Lois R]

Hi Sandi, thanks for the wonderfully detailed review and of course all

of your pictures:)

 

I have been in the middle of trying to find a new place to live so

taking a break from here and reading your comments is really relaxing:D

I will be on Summit in November and am still very much looking forward

to sailing her again:)