Summit trip journal with pictures (April 18, 2015)

[CruisinCrow]

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

leaving St Lucia

 

 

 

 

[miched]

Since that night was formal night, we dressed in our “fancy clothes”. Ron wasn’t too happy about having to wear a jacket and tie, but I thought he looked great in his new suit. I was determined to get at least one picture of all four of us together, so we met Mama and Daddy at 6 o’clock to have a few formal portraits taken before dinner. When we got to the dining room afterwards, there was a waiting list so we were given a beeper. I’d tried to make dinner reservations earlier in the day, and that was when I found out that they only take reservations for 5:45 or 8 o’clock. Well, that was not going to work. If we wanted to eat at those crazy hours, we wouldn’t have booked Select Dining. :( But the wait really wasn’t all that long (maybe 20 minutes) and it gave us a chance to sit and watch everyone walking by in their formalwear.

 

After dinner Mama and Daddy went to see the production show and Ron and I hit the casino. There were a couple of $10 Black Jack tables so we picked one and played for a while. I ended up losing $30 but I picked up a new $1 chip for my collection. Before going to bed, we stopped for a little while at the martini bar but we didn’t stay too late since we had a tour in the morning.

 

 

Our formal pics

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful and priceless. I wish that I could get pictures like this sailing with my children but their schedules make it impossible. Thanks for sharing, you are very fortunate to have this great memory and experience.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[arch5807]

We where on the cruise with you and agree the Summit is a great ship.This was our second time on her and it was a great cruise.We where in 7041 balcony cabin and where traveling with a group of 5 couples.Everyone had a blast,the food in the main dining room was great,and the crew was to.

[gormless]

We (me, wife, two daughters) stayed in Club Med St. Lucia back in 1995 and loved that island. That's where I got hooked on scuba diving.

 

That Sandals was where our younger daughter had her honeymoon.

[CruisinCrow]

Beautiful and priceless. I wish that I could get pictures like this sailing with my children but their schedules make it impossible. Thanks for sharing, you are very fortunate to have this great memory and experience.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

 

It's not easy. My mom really wanted to take an Alaska cruise with the whole family, but it was just impossible to get everyone together at the same time. I'm glad we were able to do this.

[A Sixth?]

We were on it about a decade ago for a Panama Canal cruise. Looks exactly the same. Gotta love Celebrity.

 

Hi there stranger! :D

 

Come and join us on the Summit in January through February next year on the Summit, we're camping out for an extended stay to escape winter.:cool:

 

We're on seven roll calls for this one!

 

Don & Joni

Edited May 11, 2015 by A Sixth?

[CruisinCrow]

We where on the cruise with you and agree the Summit is a great ship.This was our second time on her and it was a great cruise.We where in 7041 balcony cabin and where traveling with a group of 5 couples.Everyone had a blast,the food in the main dining room was great,and the crew was to.

 

Sorry I didn't get to meet you guys! We sure had beautiful weather, didn't we? Great cruise.

[CruisinCrow]

continuing on...

 

 

Antigua

 

Ron and I hadn’t made any specific plans for the day in Antigua. After two full-day excursions, we thought we’d just keep things simple and take the local bus to either a nearby beach or to Nelson’s Dockyard, an 18th century British Naval dockyard on the south end of the island. Since we were both a little sunburned by then, we decided Nelson’s Dockyard would be the better option.

 

We got off the ship around 9:30, armed with walking directions to the bus depot that I’d found on Cruise Critic’s Antigua forum. First we had to get through the gauntlet of tour and taxi ride salesmen. And I thought the vendors in Nassau were bad. It wasn’t so much that they were aggressive; it was just that there were so many of them. After about a 10-minute walk, we finally made it to the depot where the bus was waiting. We sat for a few more minutes until the bus filled up and then we were on our way. It was quite a ride! The bus had a huge crack across the windshield and Ron’s jump seat leaned back so far that he was almost in my lap. As the bus wound over the hills, I could hear the gears grinding and screeching. I’m pretty sure a few parts fell off along the way. When we stepped off at Nelson’s Dockyard 30 minutes later, the two guys at the ticket booth said, “Oh, you took the bus. You’re adventurous.” Yes, a little more than we’d planned to be. :)

 

We spent a couple of hours at the dockyard, wandering around the restored Georgian-period buildings and taking pictures. Antigua’s Sailing Week was about to start in a few days so the docks were filled with beautiful sailboats from all over the world. It was nice just sitting at the shady bar by the docks, listening to the sailors chat and sipping an ice cold Rum and Ting.

 

Ron wasn’t too excited about riding the bus again so when we were ready to go, we stopped at the taxi stand to ask about the cost to get back to the port. The dispatchers said it would be $30. $30 vs $3, that was a big difference. We decided to take our chances with the bus. Fortunately, our bus back was much nicer with cushy seats and good air conditioning. I actually dozed off and slept the whole way back to town.

 

 

 

Nelson's Dockyard

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

more Nelson's Dockyard

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon canapes

 

Edited May 11, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

That night we had dinner reservations with Mama and Daddy at Qsine, described Celebrity’s website as “a culinary journey”. It really was more of an event than a dinner. The restaurant had an Alice in Wonderland feel, with whimsical orange and white chairs and lamps hanging upside down from the ceiling. Our waitress Cardini explained the process. There were 20 different items on the iPad menu, each represented by a different icon. The dishes were meant to be shared, and Cardini suggested that we choose 6 or 7 items and designate a “captain” to coordinate our choices. I volunteered to be the captain and added our selected items to our Favorites list. Once we had made all our selections, Cardini submitted the order. Then the food started arriving.

 

First up was the Disco Shrimp, tiger shrimp with avocado, cucumber and aioli which came in a glass bowl with a flashing blue disco light. Next was Lobster Escargot, pretty much like regular escargot only with lobster. Lava Crab, a ball of Alaskan king crab covered with crunchy kataifi noodles and an Old Bay lobster sauce, was one of my favorites. Daddy’s choice, Chitini, was a sampler of Chinese dishes (orange chicken, kung pao shrimp, stir-fry vegetables and sweet and sour pork with rice and dipping sauces). Then came the Taco Royale, a tower of grilled beef tacos, served with the ingredients to make our own guacamole. Since I was captain, I had the job of mixing the guacamole. Our last dish was one of the best – Painter’s Mignon, filet mignon that came on a plate shaped like a painter’s palette with five tiny side dishes. I don’t usually eat steak but the filet was perfectly seasoned and tender. Between courses, we really enjoyed seeing all the other tables’ dishes coming out of the kitchen. Each dish was so uniquely and creatively presented.

 

We were all pretty full by then but we made room for dessert, gelato with sliced fruit and cupcakes that we could decorate ourselves (Daddy did the honors of decorating). Finally Cardini brought out the Strawberry Fields Forever, a tray of chocolate covered strawberries on sticks in a bed of grass. It was really a fun and memorable meal.

 

After dinner, we all headed back to our respective cabins. We had an early tour to look forward to in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[Texed]

Crow,

Thanks for posting. :)

[benjoon]

Thanks for the review of qsine. My daughters wants her birthday dinner there when we sail in December. I hope enjoys the theater of the restaurant. I know I will.

Edited May 11, 2015 by benjoon

[whatevergoes]

What is the cost on Summit to eat in Qsine and can you get it for a special price by booking before you cruise? Or do they offer it discounted onboard sometimes? Would love to try it

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks for the review of qsine. My daughters wants her birthday dinner there when we sail in December. I hope enjoys the theater of the restaurant. I know I will.

 

She will. It's a lot of fun, especially if you have several people because you can try more dishes. We originally ordered 7 items but cancelled one because we were getting full. My family loves to sample and share so it was right up our alley. :)

[CruisinCrow]

What is the cost on Summit to eat in Qsine and can you get it for a special price by booking before you cruise? Or do they offer it discounted onboard sometimes? Would love to try it

 

Qsine costs $45 a person. I've heard that they sometimes offer discounts on the first night but we wanted to wait until we were more relaxed and wouldn't have to rush before the muster drill.

 

They did have some kind of deal where you could eat at all 3 specialty restaurants for something like $70 (normally that would cost $100).

[funinthesun86]

This is a wonderful review. I am looking forward to reading more.

[CruisinCrow]

Let's see if I can finish this up.

 

St Martin/St Maarten

 

Ron and I had been to St Martin once before but it was 19 years ago and we’d done a snorkeling tour that trip. This time I really wanted to see more of the island. After a little research, I found Bernard’s Tours, which had rave reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor. Mama and Daddy were interested in an island tour too so I signed us all up for the SXM Island Tour I. Here is the description from their website:

 

SXM Island Tour I

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Sightseeing and Shopping - $40/pp | $5/pp Deposit

All tours depart from the Cruise Information Center

* Pickup at the cruise pier

* Iguana Farm (currently under construction until further notice)

* Stop at the French and Dutch border [2 mins]

* Brief stop at Oyster Pond overlooking the island of St Barths [5-10 mins]

* Photo opportunity at Orient hilltop

* Marigot - open market (French Capital) [60 mins]

* Maho Beach - see low flying planes [45 mins]

* Drive through Simpson Bay marina

* Harold Jack Hill (View of Simpson Marina, Airport & Anguilla)

* Return to Philipsburg depends on tour departure time; all guests will be returned in time to meet their ship's sail time.

 

We got off the ship at 8:30 and walked to Bernard’s check-in tent, just outside the port’s gates. There were a lot of people so it took a while for everyone to check-in, but most of the others seemed to be going on Tour II. Our group turned out to be just ten people. Our guide Simon was a careful driver and a good cat herder. As he drove, he told us all about the island’s history. I thought it was a fascinating island. St Martin is a two-country island – half French and half Dutch – and each country has its own government, power and water plants, even currency. The French side uses Euros while the Dutch side uses the Antillean gilder (although Simon said they may switch to the dollar in the next few years). The two countries even have different electrical standards, with the French side using 220 volts and the Dutch side using 110 volts.

 

The first couple of stops were at scenic lookouts – Oyster Pond and Embouchure Bay. I was amazed at the color of the water in St Martin. It was such a beautiful shade of turquoise, definitely the prettiest water we’d seen on this cruise. But while St Lucia was lush and tropical, St Martin was a dry island like Aruba and Curacao. It always seems funny to me to see cactuses in the Caribbean. :)

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

In Marigot, the French side’s main town and capital, we had about an hour to explore on our own. We chose to spend most of it sampling the goodies at Sarafina’s French bakery. The pastries all looked delicious but it seemed a little early for sweets so Ron and I shared a slice of spinach quiche. Mama had an iced coffee and an apple tart. Yum!! Afterwards, we had a few minutes to walk around and get pictures of the waterfront and open market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

Marigot

 

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

Our final stop was Maho Beach to see the planes landing over right over the water. It was neat seeing the planes, but watching the crazy people hanging onto the fence and getting sand blasted by jet wash was even more entertaining. :) We stayed at Maho Beach for about 45 minutes, long enough to have a mojito at the Sunset Bar and see three jets land. That was plenty of time for Mama, who was getting hot. But Daddy probably could have stayed there all day. He loved the planes. All in all, it was an excellent tour. I felt like we’d gotten a good overview of the island for a very reasonable price.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

 

 

 

Summit next to Freedom of the Seas

 

[CruisinCrow]

That night was the second formal night. We dressed up again but I noticed that only about half the people in the dining room had opted for suits and cocktail dresses. It was my favorite menu of the week and I had a hard time deciding what to order. I ended up getting scallops Rockefeller, kale salad and duck a l’orange. Mama and Daddy both chose lobster while Ron had Beef Wellington. Everything was delicious, but the service was SOOOOOO slow. It had been slow all week but that night dinner took over two hours, way too long. This was my only complaint about the cruise. If we could have made reservations, we could have requested a table in a quiet area, which was important because of Mama and Daddy’s hearing problems. Having to sit for two hours yelling at each other was frustrating for me and physically tiring for Mama and Daddy. And because we had a different wait staff every night, the service was kind of impersonal. But none of wanted to eat at the traditional dining times either. I was kind of bummed since having dinner in the main dining room is usually one of my favorite parts of a cruise.

 

When we finally got out of the dining room, Ron and I went to see the comedy show. The comedian, Jim Colliton, was hilarious. When he came out on stage, he was wearing a suit jacket and jeans. He said that when he tried to get ready for the show, he couldn’t find his suit pants so he called his wife and said, “You didn’t pack my pants!” And she said, “I don’t pack your stuff.” Boy, did that sound familiar! I’ll never forget the cruise where Ron didn’t pack his dress shoes and tried to blame me because I hadn’t told him he needed to pack shoes. :) The best comedy is always the kind you can relate to. To quote Dane Cook, “It is so true and that’s why it’s funny. Because it’s so true, hence, funny.”

 

On our way back to the cabin, we stopped at the martini bar for “dessert” and to watch the talented bartenders.

 

 

[YOUTUBE]EmTJHcyjsm4[/YOUTUBE]

Edited May 12, 2015 by CruisinCrow

[Laurab23]

What kind of martini's did you try? I am really looking forward to trying out a lot of different ones. I really like the dessert ones,like a tiramisu or banana split one or something like those. I sail on May 31.

 

Laura

[CruisinCrow]

What kind of martini's did you try? I am really looking forward to trying out a lot of different ones. I really like the dessert ones,like a tiramisu or banana split one or something like those. I sail on May 31.

 

Laura

 

I had a Black Forest martini, banana split, lemon drop. There was another one I tried, a Fresca or something like that, with watermelon juice that I didn't like as much. It was too syrupy.

 

Black Forest martini:

 

Edited May 13, 2015 by CruisinCrow