Celebrity Summit Southern Carribean - HELP

[Touptite]

I really need help... I'm a newbie!

 

This is going to be our first cruise. I just booked today the Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Summit (Bridgetown, Barbados - Castries, St. Lucia - St. Johns, Antigua - Philipsburg, St. Maarten - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - San Juan, Puerto Rico) and I'm SOOOOO excited but I need your help!

 

Fisrt of all, background: I'm (35) going with my mother-in-law (65), my mom (66) and dad (65). (I call them my retired crew! :D loll) I've been to the caribbeans several times (them, never) but it's my first time on a cruise and first time those 5 different islands... in 5 days! OMG Too much to see, not enough time, not enough energy :eek:

 

Where to start? :confused:

What to see? What are the musts in all those places? :confused:

Book a tour or go by ourselves? :confused:

 

I don't want us to be exhausted at the end of all this.

I'd like to do half day exploration of the islands and get back to enjoy the boat also. (I don't mind going for entire days but not all of them.)

 

My mom would prefer to "go with the flow" and see how she feels in the morning before deciding what to do on that day so I guess booking excursions all 5 days is out of the question! lolll

 

Thanks a lot! (Not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight... too excited :D)

[Driveshaft]

First of all chill... Then find your roll call. Also if you want tips on that ship and that itinerary look at the Summit roll call for Feb 22, 2014. We leave Saturday for the same stops. Personally we were on the Summit last year for the alternate itinerary so it's back again this year. There are a lot of ideas for excursions especially the self booked ones. I think you will do fine.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Driveshaft
date was wrong

[cruzngrl]

We have booked excursions on the ship and off the ship. You can check the port of call boards/caribbean, pull up your islands and see what others have done and who they did it with:).. Sometimes we don't book anything and get off the ship, find a tour bus or a guide and just go for a few hour tour and then shop and explore the town when we get back. 9/10 times there is always someone waiting to take you somewhere when you get off the ship. We are doing a back to back on the Summit (same itinerary) next year and I will do a combination of all of the above.

[Want2Cruise 701]

Welcome. When is your sailing?

 

That was our first cruise/ship and itinerary. We have been hooked ever since. This coming April we will have been on 6 cruises in 3 years and another cruise planned for December.

 

Like Driveshaft said, find and join your roll call. You'll meet others who are sailing with you.

 

IMO, those islands are a must for an excursion of some sort. Great ports and it would be a shame to visit and not venture out and see them. If you find you can't tour them all, atleast tour Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua. While St. Maarten and St. Thomas are beautiful and worth exploring, chances are you'll be hooked on cruising after this and those two ports are offered more frequently on other itineraries. The other islands are harder to get on an itinerary.

[wallie5446]

Congrats! And another for takin a chill pill:D talk with the others, and plan out things based on the group, if the group does not want to go or do something then do it on your own.

 

BEWARE:eek: over planning has been the downfall of many a vacation, which is why you will see people that have sailed the same ship 2,3,4 times, and visited the same ports 4,5,6 times. On our next cruise it with be our 7th time into Cayman and Cozumel, but our first time into the other 4 ports.

Edited February 19, 2014 by wallie5446

[monicajay]

First, welcome to the CC boards. You will learn a lot and hopefully it will make your trip more enjoyable.

 

You can check out the 'ports of call' threads to read about each island.

 

Many times, cruise ships dock in a port area which is not the nicest part of town. There are usually people peddling tours as soon as you get off the ship, or you can book on the ship (which is always a lot more expensive). We usually have a few tours booked privately before the trip when I have time to do all the research.

 

I would suggest you read a lot about all your ports, book a few shore excursions in advance and then go with the flow on the others.

 

If you don't want to have things all booked you might at least want to make a 'plan A' and 'plan B' for each port. Otherwise you might miss something you'd really want to see or do.

 

One that we loved and I would highly suggest booking in advance is Cosol tours in St. Lucie. Obviously I'm not the only one who liked it as the reviews are great. It included an amazing local lunch and a bit of swimming time towards the end.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Our strategy is to alternate days of ambitious excursions in ports of call with easy days, so you might think about something extensive in Barbados, Antigua and St. Thomas. In St. Lucia and St. Martin, keep it more spontaneous and laid back-- just get off the ship to buy some souvenirs, maybe get a cab tour, maybe make it a "sea day" and don't even get off the ship-- it's more enjoyable when the ship is almost empty.

 

Generally, private tours are less costly than shipboard excursions, though you may need to commit to these early to avoid sellouts. The roll call is a great place to hook up with fellow cruisers-- there's strength in numbers, and you'll undoubtedly find some veterans who are happy to take newbie cruisers under their wing. For help in finding yours, check the sticky thread towards the top of the Celebrity forum titled "ROLL CALLS - What Are They and How Do You Find Yours?" Or just click this link to get there:):cool:.

Edited February 19, 2014 by PartyAllDaTyme
added a phrase

[Touptite]

First of all chill... Then find your roll call. Also if you want tips on that ship and that itinerary look at the Summit roll call for Feb 22, 2014. We leave Saturday for the same stops. Personally we were on the Summit last year for the alternate itinerary so it's back again this year. There are a lot of ideas for excursions especially the self booked ones. I think you will do fine.

Hi Driveshaft,

 

Just wanted to clarify that I'm not freaking out... I'm just really excited. It's a dream come true. I checked the roll call and didn't find any usefull info as what to see/do.

 

On what websites do you mainly get the info about the self booked excursions ? I did check Tripadvisor but is there others?

 

Thanks!

[Touptite]

We have booked excursions on the ship and off the ship. You can check the port of call boards/caribbean, pull up your islands and see what others have done and who they did it with:).. Sometimes we don't book anything and get off the ship, find a tour bus or a guide and just go for a few hour tour and then shop and explore the town when we get back. 9/10 times there is always someone waiting to take you somewhere when you get off the ship. We are doing a back to back on the Summit (same itinerary) next year and I will do a combination of all of the above.

 

Thanks Cruzngrl... So I can wait until the last minute and there will still be excursions available ?

[Touptite]

Welcome. When is your sailing?

 

That was our first cruise/ship and itinerary. We have been hooked ever since. This coming April we will have been on 6 cruises in 3 years and another cruise planned for December.

 

Like Driveshaft said, find and join your roll call. You'll meet others who are sailing with you.

 

IMO, those islands are a must for an excursion of some sort. Great ports and it would be a shame to visit and not venture out and see them. If you find you can't tour them all, atleast tour Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua. While St. Maarten and St. Thomas are beautiful and worth exploring, chances are you'll be hooked on cruising after this and those two ports are offered more frequently on other itineraries. The other islands are harder to get on an itinerary.

 

Thanks Want2Cruise. We are departing only on February 7, 2015... So a year from now. But I like to plan vacations. It's a good way to enjoy them longer :)

 

I hope I'll be hooked also ;) I'll just need to convince DH after that it's fun and not dangerous! loll

 

Great tip about Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua... thanks!

[Touptite]

Congrats! And another for takin a chill pill:D talk with the others, and plan out things based on the group, if the group does not want to go or do something then do it on your own.

 

BEWARE:eek: over planning has been the downfall of many a vacation, which is why you will see people that have sailed the same ship 2,3,4 times, and visited the same ports 4,5,6 times. On our next cruise it with be our 7th time into Cayman and Cozumel, but our first time into the other 4 ports.

 

It might be my only cruise (if I can't convince my husband to come with me next time). That's why I want to plan and maximise the experience ! loll

[attilamom1217]

I really need help... I'm a newbie!

 

This is going to be our first cruise. I just booked today the Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Summit (Bridgetown, Barbados - Castries, St. Lucia - St. Johns, Antigua - Philipsburg, St. Maarten - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - San Juan, Puerto Rico) and I'm SOOOOO excited but I need your help!

 

Fisrt of all, background: I'm (35) going with my mother-in-law (65), my mom (66) and dad (65). (I call them my retired crew! :D loll) I've been to the caribbeans several times (them, never) but it's my first time on a cruise and first time those 5 different islands... in 5 days! OMG Too much to see, not enough time, not enough energy :eek:

 

Where to start? :confused:

What to see? What are the musts in all those places? :confused:

Book a tour or go by ourselves? :confused:

 

I don't want us to be exhausted at the end of all this.

I'd like to do half day exploration of the islands and get back to enjoy the boat also. (I don't mind going for entire days but not all of them.)

 

My mom would prefer to "go with the flow" and see how she feels in the morning before deciding what to do on that day so I guess booking excursions all 5 days is out of the question! lolll

 

Thanks a lot! (Not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight... too excited :D)

 

 

Congratulations on booking your first cruise and welcome to Cruise Critc.

 

You have received some wonderful advice from the other posters - join your roll call.!!!!!

 

The Summit is gorgeous ship. We were on her before she was Solsticized - 4 years ago.

 

I have not been to all of the islands you will be going to. However, St. Maarten is a favorite of mine and my husband's. It is easy to get around St. Maarten if you don't want to do an excursion. We usually grab a cab to the beach, then cab back to Phillipsburg, walk around town, then finish with the water taxi back to the port. The cabs to the beaches and other sights are cheaper with more people. They are all located in the same place and will fill up before leaving. There are many beautiful beaches in St. Maaten if you want to just lay back and chill.

 

St. Thomas - again, you might not need an excursion. There are self guided walking tours available. You can also take a cab to Meggins Bay (a beautiful, but popular beach). I don't know if an excursion is available or how much time you will be docked in St. Thomas, but if possible, go to Trunk Bay on St. Johns. However, it is a schlep so you will need the time to get there (cab ride to the ferry, ferry, cab to beach). Trunk Bay's sand is like talcum powder and walk out to snorkel.

 

I suggest you get a guide book that discusses the islands you will visit and do some research here on Cruise Critic and online and find the activities you would like to do. For most of these islands, you may not have to plan this far in advance and book excursions. You might be able to book on board. Also, your roll call might be planning excursions that you and/or the retired folks you are traveling with might enjoy.

 

Relax and enjoy your planning. And, of course, enjoy your cruise.

[Touptite]

If you don't want to have things all booked you might at least want to make a 'plan A' and 'plan B' for each port. Otherwise you might miss something you'd really want to see or do.

 

One that we loved and I would highly suggest booking in advance is Cosol tours in St. Lucie. Obviously I'm not the only one who liked it as the reviews are great. It included an amazing local lunch and a bit of swimming time towards the end.

 

That's why I'm asking for your advice to know what to put on the "plan" ;)

 

I'll check out Cosol tours. Thanks a lot !

[Touptite]

Our strategy is to alternate days of ambitious excursions in ports of call with easy days, so you might think about something extensive in Barbados, Antigua and St. Thomas. In St. Lucia and St. Martin, keep it more spontaneous and laid back-- just get off the ship to buy some souvenirs, maybe get a cab tour, maybe make it a "sea day" and don't even get off the ship-- it's more enjoyable when the ship is almost empty.

 

Generally, private tours are less costly than shipboard excursions, though you may need to commit to these early to avoid sellouts. The roll call is a great place to hook up with fellow cruisers-- there's strength in numbers, and you'll undoubtedly find some veterans who are happy to take newbie cruisers under their wing. For help in finding yours, check the sticky thread towards the top of the Celebrity forum titled "ROLL CALLS - What Are They and How Do You Find Yours?" Or just click this link to get there:):cool:.

 

Hi,

 

I figured the ship would be almost empty on port days... I try to take advantage of this. Thanks for the link for the roll call but I don't have one yet :( I'll keep looking ;)

[cle-guy]

Hi,

 

I figured the ship would be almost empty on port days... I try to take advantage of this. Thanks for the link for the roll call but I don't have one yet :( I'll keep looking ;)

 

You do have a roll call.

 

Here it is:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985656

[Max Circus]

We sailed on the alternate ports last April on Summit and are doing the same cruise as you on April 5th this year. Last April's was also port heavy and my recommendation would be to not have back-to-back port days where you have really "active" excursions - otherwise you'll be exhausted by day three. Mix in some beach days or a simple walk or taxi around the island.

 

In St Martin, Orient Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world - so that would be high on my recommendation list.

[cruzngrl]

Thanks Cruzngrl... So I can wait until the last minute and there will still be excursions available ?

 

In most cases there will be someone willing to take you to do something...But...it may not be what you had read about and thought what you might want to do..could be better or worse...for example we had an Island tour booked (not through the cruise line) and I messed up when I made the reservations...gave them the right date but the wrong year:( However, when we got off the ship and they did not have us on the books until next year...we just started walking. found a party bus for 8pp all the beer you could dring for free. The guide sang to us and gave us a most wonderful tour. so..in my honest opinion...it worked out great

[Driveshaft]

Tripadvisor is probably the best next to this forum. I do use that. As I stated our roll call was very active and a lot of info was shared on tours in it so I recommend you take a look at the Feb 22 2014 roll call for the Summit. We picked up on the Cosul tour and the Barbados Calabaza catamaran from reading the boards.

 

BTW: I don't recommend the Bacardi tour in San Juan. It is pretty lame.

 

Personally if I can live through a hellish day and a half more of work I can get excited for ours starting this Saturday. We also have planned our next one for 2015 Deposit in for that.

[fridaythe13th]

I really need help... I'm a newbie!

 

This is going to be our first cruise. I just booked today the Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Summit (Bridgetown, Barbados - Castries, St. Lucia - St. Johns, Antigua - Philipsburg, St. Maarten - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - San Juan, Puerto Rico) and I'm SOOOOO excited but I need your help!

 

Fisrt of all, background: I'm (35) going with my mother-in-law (65), my mom (66) and dad (65). (I call them my retired crew! :D loll) I've been to the caribbeans several times (them, never) but it's my first time on a cruise and first time those 5 different islands... in 5 days! OMG Too much to see, not enough time, not enough energy :eek:

 

Where to start? :confused:

What to see? What are the musts in all those places? :confused:

Book a tour or go by ourselves? :confused:

 

I don't want us to be exhausted at the end of all this.

I'd like to do half day exploration of the islands and get back to enjoy the boat also. (I don't mind going for entire days but not all of them.)

 

My mom would prefer to "go with the flow" and see how she feels in the morning before deciding what to do on that day so I guess booking excursions all 5 days is out of the question! lolll

 

Thanks a lot! (Not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight... too excited :D)

 

St Thomas - http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/ He has a great island tour and you will find what he has to offer and prices on his website.

 

St Maarten - http://www.bernardstours.com/ We have also done an island tour with Bernard.

 

San Juan - I have to agree that the Bacardi Tour is lame, although others like it. There is a free trolley that will take you all over Old San Juan, even up to the forts. It is all walkable if you prefer just to stroll along at your own pace. As you get off the ship there is an information booth (across the street) where you can get lots of info. If they aren't open yet, down the street to your left on the corner there is a town building with tourist information. CVS is right next to (or close) to the town building in case you need something. There are horse and buggy rides fairly close, just to the left getting off the ship and around the corner. There is a Coach Outlet in town too!

 

I loved the Summit! Go to the shows, especially the Production Shows. There is so much to do so be sure to read your daily paper (delivered at turn down for the next day).

[ILCruiser]

Make sure you check out the Cruise Critic Ports of Call section: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5 . This is where people ask specific questions and post their experiences with tour operators on each of the islands.

 

FWIW, we've done this same itinerary several times and always book our own excursions. I also agree with others that you need to schedule some down time. That's a lot of ports for one week and you don't want to be exhausted at the end of the cruise.

[kampinguru]

We are going to be on the same cruise. We booked it while on board last week. We plan on taking a water taxi over to St. John and going to Trunk Bay. This is a national park but has one of the nicest beaches I have seen. Well worth the visit. It is about a 20-25 minute water taxi ride.

Edited February 19, 2014 by kampinguru

[rdt10]

We did this cruise in January and loved it. This was our third cruise to the Caribbean so we took a more relaxed approach this trip. The family told me they didn't want the pack everything into a day trip like I'd done to them before.

 

This is what we did:

 

Barbados - Calabaza catamaran sail. We'd done this before and really enjoy it. Gina limits the guests to 12 so you are not crowded and the crew really takes care of you. Sailing and snorkeling with the turtles and over sunken ships is great. Very nice lunch. They fill up early so don't wait too long. We already have reservations for Jan. 2015.

 

St. Lucia - we had seen the Pitons before so we did day passes at Rendezvous resort. It's about 10 minutes taxi from the port. They had a nice beach, pool, and restaurant (lunch and drinks included). Very pretty garden areas. The pass was from 10am to 4pm. We enjoyed Rendezvous. It was like having a private beach. The taxi driver recommended going to reduit beach to avoid the day pass cost. We may try that next year. There are taxi's at the port with people lining up day tours or trips to the beach if you want to wing it.

 

Antigua - if you want to splurge go with Catamaran Sailing Antigua. Private catamaran all to yourself. We did this in 2013. Fantastic. This year we did a tour with Lawrence of Antigua to Nelson's Dockyard and the beach. I thought the tour was rushed with little time to see Nelson's. Next time I'd probably just get a taxi at the port to Nelson's and then back to the ship or to the beach. There were plenty of people arranging taxis and tours at the port if you want to wing it.

 

St. Marten - Taxi to Kakao on Orient Beach and shopping in town after lunch. Again plenty of people at the port arranging taxis and tours. In 2013 we hired a taxi to take us to Maho to see the planes land, Marigot on the French side, Orient beach and back to town. We weren't that interested in Marigot so went straight to Orient this year.

 

St. Thomas - my wife has a jeweler there she likes so we didn't get past town. There are people arranging taxis and tours at the port. They had a 3 hour tour that we wanted to do but ran out of time.

 

San Juan - we arrive 2 days early and wander around old San Juan. Nice forts and shopping. Several good restaurants. Old San Juan is easy to walk around. We also went to the Plaza Las Americas mall. One of the nicest malls we'd ever been to.

 

You'll enjoy the Summit and this itinerary. We had told each other before this trip that we had been to the Caribbean enough that we probably wouldn't do it again. We had such a great time we've booked the same cruise for next January. Enjoy your cruise. Rick

[gmachar]

Just back from the Summit and this is what we did:

Barbados - catamaran sail with Calabaza - Fabulous! ( we are 60 & others were older, so great for any age)

St. Lucia - Cosol Tour - it was a very good look at the island, but my husband got carsick - a long day & lots of winding roads

Antigua - planned a beach day, but with the sunburn from Barbados & the motion sickness of the day before, we just ended up shopping & using the pool on the ship

St Maarten - Bernards tour - really wanted to go to Maho Beach & see some of both sides of the island, and this was a pretty inexpensive option versus taking a cab on our own

St Thomas - we were on a back to back & the week before we took the ship excursion ferry to St John - that was great. This time we walked into town & shipped a bit, then walked back

Enjoyed everything we did!

Charlene

[Touptite]

You do have a roll call.

 

Here it is:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985656

 

Oh thanks ! I think I would have never found it without you... I guess I wasn't looking in the right section. ;) I signed up! :D

[Touptite]

Thank you all for your good tips and recommandations. I'm getting use to this forum more and more and with your help I'm finding my way around. (I even found how to make the little countdown signature, proud of myself! loll)

 

I'll take all those names in note and I think I'll do my research and list of must port by port... it's going to be less confusing. So first on my list: Barbados!

 

Have a good night all and if you have more recommandations, don't hesitate ;)

Edited February 20, 2014 by Touptite