Helipad access on Summit

[Aralim]

I was wondering whether the helipad on Summit is accessible to passengers, both during sail away and also at night. First cruise ever was on Freedom of the Seas last April, and I always loved being able to enjoy sail away from the helipad. I only got onto the helipad at night a couple of times, but when I did the view was stunning; have never seen so many stars in my life, and could even make out their colors!

 

I did do a search of the boards and found one post from 2012 that seems to indicate it can vary from sailing to sailing for sail away; sometimes open to all, sometimes invite only. Has that changed over the last 6 years, or still varies? And that thread didn't indicate anything about night-time access, although after reading about how it's a little difficult to get to compared to an RC Voyager or Freedom class ship, I'm guessing they close it off at night to avoid accidents and injuries?

 

If the helipad isn't a usable spot at night for stargazing, where would you recommend? I'll be sailing her Iceland & Greenland transatlantic, and once we're up north I might venture out regularly (assuming I'm up late enough to actually experience night in August in those northern latitudes) to try and see the stars, maybe catch the Northern Lights if I'm lucky.

[mahdnc]

Helipad access is still invitation only and I have never seen it done at night.  

Reflection leaving Antigua on Jan 7 2019.

 

 

During our Infinity cruise we had an aft balcony cabin and it was dark enough at the back of the ship to see the Milky Way as well as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.  I would not be surprised if your ship encounters the Northern Lights that the ship lighting would be managed temporarily to improve your view.

Venus and the moon from the Infinity's stern off the coast of Argentina (Puerto Madryn).  Jan 4 2017.

Edited January 30, 2019 by mahdnc

[Jim_Iain]

Helipad invitation only and is at the discretion of the Captain.    On previous cruises Suite Guest, Concierge Guests and Aqua Guests as well as Zenith's have been invited.    On one cruise with a large Cruise Critic attendance the members who signed up for the Meet and Greet were invited. 

 

My all time favorite was in November on Silhouette were we were invited for arrival into NYC passing close to the Statue of Liberty.  

[Northern Aurora]

Just to expand slightly on Jim_Iain's response -- I have never seen a helipad on any Celebrity ship opened at night.  Particularly on the M-class ships (the Summit is a M-class) the stair access to the helipad is quite steep.  Would be very easy to fall in dusky to dark conditions.  And if there are rainy conditions the helipad also won't be open.  

 

Other folks will have other experiences, but the times I've seen the helipad open to all passengers has been during full transits of the Panama Canal and also when ships approach Hubbard Glacier (Alaska) along the long channel of Disenchantment Bay.

 

My favorite helipad experiences have been on sailaways from Mo'rea in French Polynesia and from the OPT in Sydney.

 

Northern lights can be seen periodically from ships in Alaska starting in late August, but light pollution is an issue unless the safety officer approves reduced lighting.  We've done two land trips to Iceland and one cruise, but haven't been there when the sky conditions were dark enough to see auroras.  Given where we live we weren't disappointed as we seen auroras on a regular basis from out house.  But Iceland is amazing no matter what!

[gold1953]

on M class it is through a crew area and by invitation only. We have been there several times. Always closed shoes only .. no sandals and never after dark. 

[Aralim]

Thanks, all! This was good information to have. @Northern Aurora, one of our days on this trip will be going into the fjord at Prinz Christian Sound, in Greenland, where there is an iceberg to view similar to seeing Hubbard Glacier. Based on your comments, I'm going to guess that the helipad may well be opened up to the general public on that day for better viewing. If not, I'm sure I can find another good vantage point without plexiglass in the way of my eyes and camera. 🙂

 

21 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

Iceland is amazing no matter what!

 

I've no doubt! Really looking forward to seeing and exploring it over the 3 (really 2.5) days we'll be there. Thinking we'll pull an all-nighter in Reykjavik and then sleep during the sail around the island to Akureyri. And one of the excursions Celebrity lists for Iceland is a visit to the Northern Lights Museum, followed by an outing to try and see them, so maybe we'll try and book that if it's offered and the pricing isn't exorbitant.

[ghstudio]

It never hurts to ask about a helipad visit....perhaps at the officer's party or captain's club host.  I wouldn't bother asking at guest services.  It's never clear who gets invited and it's always a surprise.  We were on the helipad in the Antarctic....and a number of other times at various ports on various ships.  Honestly, the view from the top deck of the ship is better than the helipad, unless you are watching penguins, whales or sea otters...but it is an interesting experience.....I usually go and people watch more than anything else.

 

Reykjavik suggestion...take money....it's not inexpensive.  Unless you are going to party, there's not much to do staying up all night.  Make sure you go on the golden circle tour...drive yourself or, if you must, take a tour but driving it is very easy). I recommend Icelandic Soup as a meal...and don't miss the Phallus Museum in Rykjavik (no joke) (truthfully, it is missable, except it's great to talk about when you get home or on CC).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Phallological_Museum.  

[Jim_Iain]

I'm sure @Northern Aurora could give some good information as they live in Fairbanks.  

 

On our recent Southbound Alaska from Anchorage to Vancouver the captain came on the PA at around 10:00 PM (very unusual) to advise the Northern Lights were visible on the Starboard side of the ship.   Luckily we were in a CS on Starboard so  went out on our balcony and observed a beautiful display.   They were very low on the horizon and not overhead as I had expected.   

[Aralim]

On 1/31/2019 at 3:57 PM, ghstudio said:

Reykjavik suggestion...take money....it's not inexpensive. Unless you are going to party, there's not much to do staying up all night.  Make sure you go on the golden circle tour...drive yourself or, if you must, take a tour but driving it is very easy).

 

Yes, I've seen multiple videos showing the cost of things there, I figure it might be smarter to get a decent amount of Icelandic Kroner before we leave NJ (if I can find a place that does it without too ridiculous a service charge), rather than trying to exchange US dollars in Reykjavik when everyone else is trying to do the same.

 

As far as what we'd do staying up all night -- the ship doesn't dock until 2 PM, and leaves at 1 PM the next day, so there's a bit of feeling we need to make the most of it and save sleep for while the ship is on the open water. I know that the Blue Lagoon spa is open until really late, so that was one thing we were looking at doing for the evening hours, followed by a tour in the morning (maybe with a few hours of sleep in between). Yes, I know how expensive the Blue Lagoon is going to be. 🤑

 

Is the Golden Circle tour the one that goes to the southern waterfalls, one of the glaciers, and the town of Vik? I saw a video of that particular tour and it looked really nice, although I'd have to figure out how much of the hiking I could manage as I'm mobility limited and rough terrain is not my friend.

 

On 1/31/2019 at 3:57 PM, ghstudio said:

I recommend Icelandic Soup as a meal

 

Noted. My younger one (15 years old and already a serious foodie) wants to try local cuisine in every port, so I'll be sure to set aside a few thousand Kroner for a couple of bowls for us!

 

On 1/31/2019 at 3:57 PM, ghstudio said:

...and don't miss the Phallus Museum in Rykjavik

 

Umm, not sure how my teenage daughters would take that one.... 😅😅

[ghstudio]

yes, that's the tour....and it does require some walking to get between the parking area and the sites.  Perhaps you could find a local icelandic guide who could give you a better answer on accessiblity. Your teen daughters will obviously have no problems and they should see where the word geiser comes from.  I think that's where we actually bought a baby's hat for $45....and it was a relative deal.  

 

Credit cards are taken everywhere....not sure you'll need a lot of local currency. I would not change money here in the US...either get it on the ship from Guest Services or from an ATM. (hint:get a credit card that refunds ATM fees...note: no foreign fees doesn't cover atm fees or fees charged by Visa/MC...it's an intentional misstatement....if you have a schwab account, get a schwab BANK credit card...best choice).

 

Icelandic soup is, if my memory still works, about $25...but it's a meal, not just a soup....you can find the recipe on the internet.  

 

The phallus museum sounds pornographic, but it's a (boring) display of male anatomy from many different species of animals....only one being human and essentially unrecognizable.  We did it just because it was there....so I could do things like post about it here 🙂

 

We've been to Reykjavik twice and not visited the blue lagoon....just not high on our list of things to see/do.  

Edited February 2, 2019 by ghstudio

[Mike981]

On 1/30/2019 at 4:59 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

My all time favorite was in November on Silhouette were we were invited for arrival into NYC passing close to the Statue of Liberty.  

 

Oh man that would be very cool.

[Northern Aurora]

On 1/31/2019 at 12:09 PM, Jim_Iain said:

I'm sure @Northern Aurora could give some good information as they live in Fairbanks.  

 

On our recent Southbound Alaska from Anchorage to Vancouver the captain came on the PA at around 10:00 PM (very unusual) to advise the Northern Lights were visible on the Starboard side of the ship.   Luckily we were in a CS on Starboard so  went out on our balcony and observed a beautiful display.   They were very low on the horizon and not overhead as I had expected.   

 

 

There are a number of websites with information about the northern lights, but I suggest starting with the one from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (www.gi.alaska.edu).  Includes information about the science behind the phenomena, with a forecast including potential for European viewing.

 

Jim:  Our local radio stations and newspaper have both weather forecasts and also aurora forecasts.  I am not surprised that what you saw was low on the horizon given how far south the ship must have been.   Last night our aurora forecast for Fairbanks was relatively low (a "2" if my memory is correct), but when I looked outside about 10:30 PM we had an aurora stretching from the north, over our home and to the south.   The aurora forecast for tonight from our local newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:  "Auroral activity will be moderate.  Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiagvik to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldotna and southeast Alaska."

[Northern Aurora]

5 hours ago, Aralim said:

 

Yes, I've seen multiple videos showing the cost of things there, I figure it might be smarter to get a decent amount of Icelandic Kroner before we leave NJ (if I can find a place that does it without too ridiculous a service charge), rather than trying to exchange US dollars in Reykjavik when everyone else is trying to do the same.

 

.......

Is the Golden Circle tour the one that goes to the southern waterfalls, one of the glaciers, and the town of Vik? I saw a video of that particular tour and it looked really nice, although I'd have to figure out how much of the hiking I could manage as I'm mobility limited and rough terrain is not my friend.

 

.........

 

 

Aralim:  Iceland is very "wired" with easy internet access and tons of ATMS.  Also credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.  Many gas stations are not staffed, and so take credit cards.  We have never bothered to exchange currency prior to arriving in Iceland and have not needed much currency at all as we use credit cards.

 

Also the Golden Circle is generally considered to include Thingveliir (Pingvellir), Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall, but there are several deviations which can also be included.   One year we spent two nights at the Icelandair Hotel in Vik, and I don't remember seeing a lot of tour buses.  But Vik might be included one a variation of the basis Golden Circle tour.

 

There is a great amount of information on Iceland on the Northern Europe Cruise Critic thread.  

[Jim_Iain]

24 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Jim:  Our local radio stations and newspaper have both weather forecasts and also aurora forecasts.  I am not surprised that what you saw was low on the horizon given how far south the ship must have been.   Last night our aurora forecast for Fairbanks was relatively low (a "2" if my memory is correct), but when I looked outside about 10:30 PM we had an aurora stretching from the north, over our home and to the south.   The aurora forecast for tonight from our local newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:  "Auroral activity will be moderate.  Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiagvik to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldotna and southeast Alaska."

 

That would be absolutely spectacular.    We will have to plan a trip further north.   This was the fist time I had ever seen them from the ground.  I use to fly bi-weekly LHR to SFO and on rare occasion watched them for hours over Greenland. 

 

While low on the horizon when we saw them on Millennium they were very exciting for us.