Photo Review: Celebrity Summit 4/26/14 REPO Cruise – Caribbean & Bermuda

[HeatherC430]

I wasn’t sure what to expect since I hadn’t heard much about it online (other than it existed and was a galley tour). I’ve done the “Behind the Scenes” Tour on Carnival in the past (at $90 per person) where they should you literally everything behind the scenes which included a tour of the galley. On that tour we weren’t allowed cameras or phones at all. On this one you were able to take pictures if you wanted and it was free. So, I arrived shortly before the scheduled Galley Tour time. The meeting place was the Cosmopolitan restaurant. When you entered, they gave you a sticker with a number on it, and you were told to have a seat at any table. There were a ton of people that showed up.

 

I was in group #19 and I believe it went up to 30 or more groups (because there were so many people there). Basically, they were dividing you into smaller groups so that it was a more manageable group going through the galley at a time. In the beginning portion (before any groups were dismissed for the actual tour), there was an introduction of many of the head chefs and department heads. Then, they started a Q&A where anyone attending could pose questions about the galley or anything else onboard and those present did their best to answer the questions. This part was actually very informative. After the first few questions (in case anyone from an early group had a question) they started calling groups one by one. Each group had their own chef that walked them through the tour and explained some of the things behind the scenes. During the Q&A, they had a chef doing fruit carvings in the front, but my seat was too far away to get any photos.

 

From the time we arrived until when my group was called (and I left the Q&A), it was about 45 minutes later. The actual tour through the galley didn’t last much more than 10-15 minutes (and that’s being generous). It was hard to hear what our chef was saying as we walked through the galley. At the end, they had a table for the specialty dining set up with various food options in each attempting to sway you into making reservations at either (I’m sure). All in all, I’d say it’s worth attending if you have an hour or so you don’t mind spending inside, rather than out in the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

After the tour, I met up with my mother in one of her infamous smoking sections (I knew that’s where she’d be). At this point of the cruise, it was very predictable where I’d find her. Then we spent some time in the sun that afternoon. During the course of the day, we met up with two other couples from our excursion the day before and made plans to have dinner at Qsine that night with them. This was the second of three formal nights, and we didn’t plan on attending the MDR that night anyways. This also happens to be my 3-year wedding anniversary (my DH & I were married on embarkation day on the Carnival Dream on April 30th, 2011 – hence the 430 at the end of my CC username. I started using the CC message boards when it was the only forum I could gather information on a cruise-line wedding).

 

 

[HeatherC430]

You’ve probably noticed by now I barely have any evening pictures. The reason for that is that I did purchase the picture package (more on that later) which meant that on a nightly basis I’d drag my mother around from one posed backdrop to the next in an attempt to get as many pictures as possible. As a result, I’d literally forget to get my camera out later in the night while we were doing things onboard. The picture below is too funny not to include. A few days before this, the photographer in the picture told me to pose naturally (just like we are in this photo) – clearly, this is no natural pose! My mom & I were laughing about this pose all week. Here, the photographer posed with me “naturally” of course.

 

[Elmartellama]

We were only about five minutes into our walk and we stumbled upon Café Mallorca. I’m a huge Samantha Brown fan (from the travel channel) and made a note about a year ago when I saw one of her shows that included her stay in San Juan. During that episode, she went to Café Mallorca for their Mallorca and I had full intention on doing the same. My mom and I both had the ham and cheese one, it was delicious! I’ll definitely be adding this stop to future visits in San Juan.

 

 

 

How curious!

 

I'm from Mallorca island (Spanish island in the Mediterranean sea) and I think what they sell as "Mallorca" are actually "ensaimadas". This is probably because many immigrants from Mallorca went to Puerto Rico (a former Governor had even Mallorcan ancestors)

 

The funny thing is that the original "ensaimadas" are not like the ones on the pictures, since they are not served with salt cheeses or jams, but they are usually sweet flavoured. The typical flavours are: plain, with cream, apricots, creme brulee, sobrasada, etc

 

The big ones are usually sold in boxes ready to go, since it's a typical thing tourists buy

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensa%C3%AFmada

Edited May 7, 2014 by Elmartellama

[poffles]

What a great report! I love your upbeat personality that comes through clearly as you write. I actually find myself smiling as I read your review.

 

I really looking forward to my first celebrity cruise on the summit this fall with similar itinerary; I consider myself to be an upbeat person too so fully expect to have a wonderful time.

 

Looking forward to how the rest of the week went, though I have a sneaky suspicion is was as good as the beginning. Need a popcorn smiley :)

Edited May 7, 2014 by poffles

[HeatherC430]

I ate at Qsine once on our last cruise with my DH. We enjoyed the food and experience very much, but I doubted how much it was “worth” the additional $45 per person for the experience. I suppose I tend to be a little bit frugal with my money? In any case, I had heard that the experience is that much better in a group – and it was! Since my mom and I weren’t traveling in a group, we had no intention of going at the beginning of our cruise. But, once we made friends with other couples onboard and they asked us to go with them, we didn’t hesitate. We really did have a blast that night. Another thing that was really nice is you were able to order so much more (without having the guilt that you and your significant other were the only two that had to eat everything). We were literally the last people to leave Qsine that night (at almost midnight). I think they enjoyed having us as well because they approached one of the members of our table a few days later about having lunch on the last sea day at Qsine (at a discounted price). We showed up for lunch the last sea day, but they had to reschedule us for dinner that last night because they were no longer offering lunch due to lack of reservations. They gave us the discount on the last night for only $30 per person (more on that later).

 

My overall take still remains the same. I think everyone should try Qsine at least once and make their own determination if the extra surcharge of $45 per person is “worth it” to them. I totally understand why others on the boards say that it’s great to go with a group now though and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if we met others onboard we got along with (like this group). One of the best parts of this particular cruise was all the great people we met onboard. By the end of the week we exchanged contact info with everyone.

 

I'll be adding Celebrity's description of each item along with the pictures below.

 

 

 

Spring Rolls

 

 

Baby Back Spring Rolls with Chipotle Coleslaw & White Truffle BBQ Sauce {or} Vegetable Mélange with Cilantro, Chipotle Coleslaw, Sweet & Sour Sauce

 

 

 

Treseviche

 

 

Tiger Shrimp & Bay Scallops with Lemon Juice, Tequila, Cilantro, Tomato & Jalapeño Oil

 

Salmon with Yuzu Citrus, Cucumber, Vodka & Basil

 

Sea Bass with Lime, Red Onion, Choclo, Avocado & EXVOO

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

Lava Crab

 

Alaskan King Crab, Sweet Yellow Corn & Scallions, Kataifi with Old-Bay Lobster Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

Qsine Greens

 

Fresh Market Salad with Arugula, Radicchio, Frisée, Watercress, Spinach, Pomegranate Emulsion, Crispy Goat Cheese Crumble

 

 

 

 

Persian Kebob

 

Skewered Tender Chicken, Garlic & Spices with Vegetables, Yellow Rice-Pilaf & Tooni Sauce

 

 

 

 

Taco "Royale"

 

Black Angus Sirloin Steak, Unordinary Tacos, Caramelized Onion-Poblano & Mortar Pestle Guacamole

 

 

 

Painter's Mignon

 

Filet Mignon with palatable pleasers

 

 

[HeatherC430]

By the time these two courses came, everyone was pretty full (although somehow we all found room for dessert).

 

Chinese X Martini = Chitini's

Orange Chicken

Kung Pao Shrimp

Beef & Pepper in Black Bean Sauce

Stir-Fry Vegetables

Sweet & Sour Pork

Sticky Rice with Dipping Sauces

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Mahal

[share for 2 or more]

Chicken Tikka Masala

Rogan Josh

Palak Paneer

Malai Kofte

Chole

Veggie Samousa

Shrimp Vindaloo

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2014 by HeatherC430

[HeatherC430]

The dessert menu is a rubik’s cube. Since there were six of us, and six different dessert options, we ordered one of each per the waiter’s suggestion. Everyone had planned on sharing – another benefit of going in a group. The strawberry fields came around after we were done with the food, but before dessert was served. Also, I’m not sure how we missed this the last time in Qsine, but among the strawberry fields were these little egg containers with different kinds of custards inside. They were delicious.

 

In order of the photos below, cheesecake-tini, chocolate tombstone, surprise (bread pudding with ice cream and vanilla sauce), cupcakes, donuts, and the bullet (which I missed taking a picture of this night).

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

This is what the Martini Bar looked like during the day (empty). In the evenings, this place was packed! You were lucky if you could find a seat.

 

 

[HeatherC430]

Since I had already been to the three Caribbean ports we visited on this cruise, I was most looking forward to our two days in Bermuda (with it being a new port for me). We didn’t pull into port until 1:00pm, so we had all morning to relax on this ship. Here are a few photos of us on the ship (Notice my mom’s once again “natural pose”. I think I had her pose in one too many backdrops because she started busting out the poses without even being prompted ;)).

 

 

 

 

Mom won a golden coin on this machine. When I took it to the casino desk to redeem for a prize I was handed a Celebrity key chain.

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

Below are pictures as we were pulling into Kings Wharf port that day.

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[wallie5446]

Nice! The web cam angle does not give this view.

[HeatherC430]

They have a shuttle (what looks like a little train in the last few photos below) right at the port that would take guests right up to the shopping area. It was an easy five minute walk otherwise, but it was nice to have for people that had difficulties walking. It seemed as though it ran back and forth all day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

We had planned two excursions through Celebrity for the first day in Bermuda. And while I had researched a few things to do for day two, I left that up in the air until we got a feel of Bermuda on the first day in case we discovered there was something specific we wanted to do the second day. Our first excursion was scheduled to be four hours (from 1:30-5:30pm). I knew this would allow us enough time to get back onboard, shower & grab something to eat before heading out to our second excursion at 8pm (which lasted until 9:30pm). Below are the Celebrity descriptions of the two tours we did on the first day.

 

I was especially anxious to see Horseshoe Bay Beach because of how beautiful all the pictures I had seen before. Several of my friends have been there and were clear this was a must-see beach while in Bermuda. The photos did not do this place justice. Add this to the list of the nicest beaches I’ve been to. I’ll apologize in advance for anyone who doesn’t want to see countless pictures of the water and rocks along the coastline. I literally couldn’t get enough. I think I had my camera “on” and taking pictures pretty much the entire three hours we had to spend on the beach (By the time we got back to the ship, my camera battery was almost dead and I had to recharge for the night while getting ready).

 

It’s also worth noting that others were able to take the ferry and bus combination (using the day pass) and get to this beach at half the cost. For me, it was worth the extra money to not have to worry about doing so. The group met right outside of the ship, and once everyone was there, we were loaded into shuttle vans. We had about three hours to explore the beach before we were told me meet back at the van. The driver also gave us a commentary of the island on our drive to the beach (which was nice). They had a place with food and drink there, along with restroom facilities.

 

I was a little bit worried about the weather for this day. The night before, the Celebrity daily said the forecast for Bermuda was only supposed to be 67 degrees (F). We ended up having a beautiful day at the beach and it felt much warmer than that with it being very sunny. The water was indeed cold (like I had read about on the message boards for this time of year). Even though it was cold when I tested it out, I figured…when will I be back to Bermuda? So, I bit the bullet and went in. The best part was being about to swim in and around all the rock formations. Mom didn’t venture in any further than knee deep. :)

 

When you first arrive at the beach (facing the ocean), you’ll see on the right hand side a small cove amid the rocks which is where we went first. After exploring there, I then made my way to the main beach area and the rocks along that side. In this area we found a small cave. Pictures are all in the order in which I explored.

 

***IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE BEACH – READ THIS! On the FAR left side of the beach, you can see more rocks off in the distance (although you can’t tell from the vantage point of where you get dropped off if there’s anything there or not past the rocks – it almost looks like a cliff you can’t get past/through). For the heck of it, I walked the length of the beach to that area. To my surprise there are TONS of rocks and inlets on that side as well. I’m so glad I decided to walk over there. If not, I would have literally missed half of what this beach area had to offer. There were only a handful of other people I saw over there in that section exploring. A few people had the right idea and took their beach towels over to this secluded area where there was literally no one else. I walked over there myself, and I supposed I must have been gone for a while because eventually mom surfaced (I think she wondered what happened to me ;)).

 

Horseshoe Bay Beach Transfer (BKG3) - $30 per person

Jump aboard the Beach Bus for round trip transportation to the world-famous Horseshoe Bay Beach. Certified drivers will transport you from your ship to the sand via minibus, and pick you up when it's time to return. Bring a small bag with your towel and personal beach items and soak up the sun, swim in the crystal blue water, or just relax in the pink sand. Approximately 3 hours beach time.

 

Bermuda Triangle Nightlife Glass bottom Cruise (BK26) $55 per person

For something truly different, try this fully narrated evening cruise into the notorious Bermuda Triangle. You will learn the history of the "Triangle," and enjoy Illuminated glass bottom views of various marine life and a shipwreck at night, in safe, dry, comfort. A complimentary Rum Swizzle is included, and a full cash bar is available. For something truly different this is a perfect choice. Board this night time cruise into the notorious Bermuda Triangle. As the stars shine brightly overhead, your captain’s lively commentary amuses you and you barely notice the boat slipping into complete darkness. Then BOOM, the ocean beneath you is suddenly flooded with brilliant beams of light. Watch in wonder through the glass bottom as the boats underwater lights illuminate the depths for you. Your knowledgeable crew will explain the mysterious civilizations of coral and fish that appear beneath, while you enjoy Bermuda’s “Night Life” from a completely different point of view. On your return trip enjoy complimentary soft drinks and one Rum Swizzle. A cash bar is available. This trip enjoys a 100% return rate and is backed by a money back guarantee should you disappear!

 

Ok – Now for the pictures…

(If I think of anything else while posting, I’ll mention as I go)

 

 

 

 

[Champagne Cruiser]

We are taking the October 2014 repo cruise (3rd Summit cruise) and the 2/15 Summit (4th) and are considering the April 2015 repo cruise but my concern is that it is too cold to go to the beaches in Bermuda. Waiting to hear your experience. Thanks for posting. By the way, we find the Summit to be the best cruise in the Celebrity fleet. It has been rated the number one ship by cruisers and we were told they are determined to keep it that way.

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

Before I decided “How could I not go in this water?”

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]