Summit 1-25-2020 Sailing – "Live" Blog, Cat Blog, Vlogs

[Lilikins]

This is one of the best blogs I’ve ever read! It has humor, cat snark, and an epic hat collection - what more could you ask for?  

 

[David Kane]

Cruise Day 3 - Thunder Cats. Ho.

 

Snorkling is always a joy for us, especially since we bought our own gear. There was something...disqueiting about biting down on a mouthpiece previosuly used by 'Bleeding Gums Murphy' and since that time we resolved to bring our own face masks. Unfortunately, this also means 'the shavening' must occur because moustaches and masks do not a fine match make.

 

Originally, XZ decided to go with the 'Thomas Douglas' special, which is the cheapest option available, because saving $3 on an excursion in no way puts your life in danger. Her original choice is presented below. A Catamaran OR a power boat? What, is it whatever the dude 'borrows' this morning? 

 

 

So, after a course correction by Toni, we boarded a bright yellow Catamaran hosted by, OF COURSE, 'Wadadli Cats' because at this point there was no way we weren't getting upsold on t-shirts featuring cats. We had never been on a Catamaran before and due to me being unfailingly polite in the line to board a refusing to, uh, nudge? octegenarians out of line we accidentally ended up with *the best* seat on the boat. So, for whatever reason, Catamarans have 2 Net-Covered panels on the front. They look like a freaking disaters and anyone's risk-assessment-meter should be chiming on high but they are SUPER comfortable! The snorkel was rather prosaic, and I would recommend it, if only for the well mainteained vessel and enthusiastic crew. If one were uncertain about their ability to board a vessel or had never snorkled before I would absolutely suggest Wadadli Cats.

 

 

After returning from our 3 hour tour (as an aisde, the departure time on the excursion guide simply does not matter - your tickets will have the actual time you meet and board and do not be late. Have a "9am" tour? If the tickets say arrive for dismebarkation at 7:30am, freaking be there. Don't ask questions, don't equivocate. Just. Be. There. Because much like weddings, these things kick off at the printed time and do not wait.) I decided to play some pool bingo, which is what one does on the ship on a port day when no one else is on board.  Hot Tub, Solarium Pool, other Hot Tub, Main Pool, Side Pool, Hot Tub, Solarium Pool...repeat.

 

Rinsing off from there we decided to make our first visit to Sushi on 5. Below, you will find us breaking our rule about not photographing food, because we view the Sushi presentation as Art. Note that the $10 Fresh Wasabi option, while a little pricey, is, in my opinion, the best experience on the ship - you will not find an authentic, hand grated, rare herb presented anywhere else  on the ship or even in life:

 

 

Snow Maiden!

 

 

The best $3 upcharge on the ship - hand-poured Miso:

 

 

The best $10 one might ever spend. Sure, it's a splurge, but look at it like this - it's one blackjack bet:

 

 

Unagi (eeeeeeeeel):

 

 

Sashimi:

 

 

[volk904]

What time was sail away out of San Juan?

[CrownCruiserKK]

Totally random question:

 

Last year we were on the Equinox and, much to my delight and surprise, there was a channel that played British TV - the channel was ITV.  We are on the Summit in two and a half weeks time,  and I am VERY much hoping this channel is on board.  Watching my favorite British game show Tipping Point was a wonderful way to relax in the afternoon after some sun.  Is this channel on board the Summit?

 

LOVE your "Live From" thread.  Its getting me even more excited for my upcoming cruise. 

[kenevenpar]

This is great.  I'm hoping you are able to find the strength, and courage, to keep with it through the duration of the cruise!

 

I am glad that you do not post food pictures, especially of Sushi on 5.  I am ready to go!

[Queen_Tortitude]

Misty Knight - Day 5

 

Thunder Cats? Boats named after cats? I hope you have not forgotten your real cat. 

 

The temporary food giver has yet to let me drink from the faucet, so in protest I vowed not to lay on her, but rather near her.

 

There is little else to report. I would like to post pictures of my artfully prepared canned food, but as I am a cat I have neither thumbs nor cell phone, so alas, I cannot show you what I have eaten. I did bink noses with the temporary food giver, so my tortitude is not as bad as it looks today. 

 

[David Kane]

Day 3 - White Knight -

 

After an enjoyable lunch at Sushi on 5 the deleterious effects of the morning Caribbean Sun finally caught up with poor XZ and she, like a fine Victorian woman, went down with the heat. However, this night had my favorite of all Cruise Ship Activities - Kareoke - and I dressed for a dinner which I never attended and instead based myself out a Anatasiia's Club:

 

 

Pro Tip: If you want to meet, well, everyone, in Suite Class just hang out at the Club starting around 5:00pm. They say if you stay in one place long enough the world will pass you by - well, all the guests will pass you by if you hang out by the Bar here from 5-9 as people queue up for a pre-dinner drink.The same gathering occurs at the Martini bar as well, but it's such an in demand space that getting a seat requires one to acquire it before the servers have even started setting out their garnish.

 

 

After a time, XZ managed to rouse herself for a brief hour and fox up, but soon quickly retreated to back to the room in preparation for the next day, which would find herself thoroughly energized and me somewhat...not.

 

 

Cruise Kareoke, if you are in to that sort of thing, is quite wonderful, as the audience is more supportive than one might suspect. In addition, the ever-present Team Cocktail has a professional Country Singer as part of their rolling party and they, in turn, support him with organized line dancing (!).

 

 

Following Kareoke there was a brief turn at the Casino, and then the remainder of evening spent in some fine company up in the Sky Lounge where, after 12:00am, the DJ will actually play music written after, let's just pull a number out of our butt here, oh, say, 1973. Put it this way, I only dance to Gaga so I thought I was rather safe to sit and enjoy and not get all sweaty but, alas, I actually danced.

 

 

 

[David Kane]

Day 4 - Shores of California

 

Welcome to day 4 - we are surprised as anyone else that this Blog is still going on. I owe it to the fact that XZ hasn't VLogged yet and I am somehow sustaining myself off of her unbridled enthusiasm (as opposed to Whisky, Rum, and good intentions, which is my usual modus operendai). Today is going to be extremely prosaic due to last night being a very, very late night and myself reaching that point in my book (60 pages left!) where I have to remind myself that it is perfectly acceptable to laze about in the room and furiously read as opposed to being out and about.

 

 

That said, the morning started off with what I'd call a Steak-Cut Pineapple for XZ followed up by Pool Bingo. I cannot state how enjoyable it is to stay on board whilst everyone else is off on tours. Even if you are an adventerous type who loves ports I would highly suggest dedicating one day to staying on board - being one of a few hundred people on a ship that is designed for 1,000's is the most Posh experience one can have, notwithstanding the Suite experience. Seriously. You can be in an inside stateroom and on port days 6 bar servers are ready to take you drink order and 4 waiters immediately clear your table at the buffet for lack of anything else to really do. It's also a great time to order all those time consuming froofy drin...

 

 

And now, to break up my love-fest with on boarding port days, we'll check in with the Furry Dictator:

 

 

The answer to this Cat Complaint requires some nuance. Believe it or not, we have heard this type of thing before. On it's face this is, of course, wrong. Whilst the Martini Bar does have a certain cache and the re-done Rendevous has a wonderfully up-toned decor, especially in the evening, the Pool Bars, Aft Bar, and Sky Lounge all feature palate-pleasing combinations. Some (like the Aft/Sunset Bar or Pool Bar) are known more for their blended drinks, versus the Ayn Rand Special available at the Martini Bar (it tastes like too much Vermouth and in no way will help you find John Galt). But aside from those details, the most important part of any bar is finding your bartender. I promise you, there is one of those on every ship and for every guest. It may take one or two tries, but by the 3rd day you should have connected with someone who knows your drink and is personable. Once you have found your Bartender, follow them. Everywhere. For me, it's Anush, this dude at the Casino Bar I hung out a lot with on a previous cruise and I discovered was on this ship late the other night. For whatever reason, I get along really, really well with him. So, to bust this Complaint, I would encourage everyone to be generous, welcoming, open hearted, and to make a friend, even if it is just for a week. Once you do, whichever bar you are at will not matter in the slightest.

 

Coming back from the Cat Complaint, let's do some homework. Below is the daily:

 

 

 

 

 

[David Kane]

Day 4 - The Feztival

 

As noted, we crashed out hard yesterday. But we did have some minor victories. Firstly, Anatasiia's Club continues to lead out with the strongest Conceirge Staff we have seen since the first time we cruised in a Royal, back before the Sky's weren't allowed in the lounge (a great change, BTW) and we spent all week hanging out with a mad Welshman named Gareth who was the Conceirge at the time. The combination of Tino, Sophie, Anatasiia, Matailda and Alexandra/Nina on bar makes this room feel lively and welcoming. Whilst we will await our always-popular chair review for the next post, we have for you below the current status of the Hoppen-stance and how best to deal with it:

 

1) Sit Down at the tiny table.

 

 

2) Take the Hoppen-Succulent (a note on these; the plants are great addition, and not that a world-reknowned desinger of tiny things needs my feedback or my snark, but they are really very nice. Also, if I ever meet Kelly Hoppen and she is 4' 5" it would explain a great deal) and place it on the couch.

 

 

3) Place Cribbage Board on tiny table, realize it is hilariously small, but somewhat cute, in a 'Sesame Street Chic' kind-of way.

 

Also! Whilst we have finally seen the demise of the Library, nature, and books, find a way, as Jeff Goldblum might say, and several cutouts have been co-opted into a faux library in the Rendevous Lounge. Of note; XZ has left several copies of the most recent Hardy Boys book behind because she is absolutely not the antagonist of the story, which of course she is, because she meets some rather fascinating people who write her into books. Hey, at least *I* can remember 4 digit codes...

 

 

Towards the evening, we rallied for dinner. It's interesting, a lot of the time we feel compelled to always be...doing...something that just coming to a pause and enjoying a few hours to ourselves, especially on the ship at night, makes us feel a touch guilty for not being out and about. 

 

There is some exciting news to report - kinda! If you had to guess which one of got absolutely wrecked the previous night and which one of us came back to the room and totally forgot the combination they put into the safe I suspect most readers here would select me, and, well, likely me, again. However, I am rather happy to report that XZ has absolutely no idea what 4 digit code she used to close the safe on Monday night (!). And, because we want to exhaust all possibilities before calling for assistance, we have been keeping a running log of all the potential combinations one's heat-exhausted wife could have potentially entered (ok, no, really...cat's birthday? your height in furlongs? the current longitude of the ship? This is what we're down to after going through all of the obvious choices...). The hilarious part is that it allows for 3 guesses and then locks you out for 15 minutes which is a perfectly reasonable safeguard but seeing as we've tried about 200  different combinations it tells you the amount of time we've been at this.

 

We managed to wrangle ourselves into our matching outfits for the evening, which we had been very much looking forward to, and attended an excellent meal at Luminae. Unfortunately, Fez's are very, very hot and after another quick spin around the ship we decided to call it a night. The evening was full of Motown (to which I always perk up and go 'Mo Town? Like, Motor City? Detriot? Alice Cooper? T-Rex?' - hint: it's not) and with our money locked securely in the safe we called it an early evening so we could have an early day tomorrow, which is actually today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lola2013]

Did someone steal your mustache?

[sandc4e]

You guys are so cute!  Loving the report.

 

[Mayamocha]

Oh man, hilarious!!!  Carry on!! and enjoy the Revolutionized Summit...she is beautiful!

[GeorgesGal]

First time I've come across one of your 'live from' posts.  THOROUGHLY ENJOYING!!!

Donna

 

[Lilikins]

I didn’t think I could enjoy this more and then you go and wear matching fez’s.

 

[Swordfish1949]

You guys are awesome - your review is a perfect 10!

 

[hcat]

On 1/28/2020 at 2:56 PM, CrownCruiserKK said:

Totally random question:

 

Last year we were on the Equinox and, much to my delight and surprise, there was a channel that played British TV - the channel was ITV.  We are on the Summit in two and a half weeks time,  and I am VERY much hoping this channel is on board.  Watching my favorite British game show Tipping Point was a wonderful way to relax in the afternoon after some sun.  Is this channel on board the Summit?

 

LOVE your "Live From" thread.  Its getting me even more excited for my upcoming cruise. 

We  had it on EDGE...very entertaining show

But not as much as this review!

Edited January 30, 2020 by hcat

[David Kane]

Day 5 - Reflections

 

As odd as it is, Day 5 is actually mid-way through your basic crusie. Someone we met several years ago told us every day up until Wednesday moves slow as molasses and Wednesday to Friday happens in about 4 hours, which is what we are on the cusp of right now.

 

We have...SO MANY things to still get to, but first, for those playing along at home and getting on board shortly, let's review some interesting changes:

 

a) Digital is Now. Gone are the prolific paper wasters of cruises past. There are no Officer's handouts, no daily news bulletins down at reception. No Daily Suduko or potentially mis-spelled crossword puzzles. The community board has been replaced by a Digital Screen and even the Park West Art Auctioneers have been reigned in to a 1/2 page insert in the daily - no more personalized invites or envelopes to events you will never attend. The dailies are two pages, doubled sided, and I suspect they will soon be entirely replaced by the Celebrity App. 

 

b) Digital is Portable. Gone, too, is the iLounge. The Apple Branded computer room where I used to sit and answer 98 questions from well intentioned octogenarions instead of getting any blogging done has been relegated to 4 desks, stuffed Harry Potter like down on the 3rd floor way off to the side. Presumably, the Apple Products themselves have been relocated to the Stores but ever since the 'Igor Experience' of 2 years past we tend to eschew that area (Igor was a well intentioned salesman who would take us, arm in arm, every time we walked through the shop area on the Equinox - we quicky discovered, however, that he was not allowed to poach potential customers from the adjacent casino, so we played 'the floor is lava' with him for the remainder of the cruise).

 

c) Digital is everywhere. The Edge-i-fication did wonders to improve the ship's internet. While always reliable in public areas, especially amidships, it was spotty at best in the rooms and would drop connection about 8 times a day. Whatever upgrades they put in did the trick, and the Wifi is strong, present and clear everywhere, even up on the Sundeck at the front and even in the bathrooms where stalls and heavy doors make things notoriously hard to remain connected. It's a impressive feat of overlapping deployment of multiple hotspots.

 

With those thoughts, we now return to our regularly scheduled activities.

 

[David Kane]

Day 5 - Pun and Games

 

Retiring early in the evening has the one distinct advantage of being up and at 'em the next morning by 6:00am, which is a benefit if you're eager to stretch out the hours in the day as long as possible. After intermittently being in and out of the room over the last 2 days every 15 minutes to attempt to guess the heat-addled code to the safe (ok, something obvious, something obvious - number of umlats in Kelly Hoppen's name + the amount of tiny vases in the room as expressed in the distance they could be thrown in an athletic competition) we resolved to gear up and spend at least 4 hours on deck, to give the room steward time to replace...everything? Because we were down to like 3 turndown mints and 1/2 a dry bath towel. 

 

First stop was the Retreat Sundeck at the front for docking. I will say, this is an excellent space, especially before the sun is up. There are 3+ attendants who clean and monitor this area throughout the day and about 9 desireable cabana-like seats that provide at least some amount of shade. The real issue at hand is that the central seating area has very little protection from the sun. It would seem that a tent covering and perhaps a fan mounted on one end would make this even more desireable. Oh! And for a previously asked question, the stairs up are set as follows: 5, then a landing, 11, then another landing and then the final five. I will endeavor to try the elevator today, but given the numerous areas to pause whilst climing up like 30 feet I don't think it would be too much an issues to get up and down - certainly the edges are better marked than the stairs inside, where the carpet blends in with the landing and once every 4 Cuba Libre's someone (me) just somehow misses that last step.

 

Here are few pictures of the docking followed by the dailies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David Kane]

Day 5 - Master Rating

 

In the midst of the all the pomp and Hoppen-stance it occured to us with the entire ship turned-over it was high time to revisit our never-popular chair ratings! What seemed like a ludicrous idea after a few drinks looks even more boring the next morning but for some reason we continually find it highly amusing, so here is a literal 'butts on the ground review of the seating in Anatasiia's Club:

 

This is actually my favorite seating area that, thankfully, they perserved from the previous incarnation:

 

 

THE Best Seat in the house; thankfully, they have all of these swivel seats scattered about at most of the tables:

 

 

These couches tho...

 

 

 

 

 

 

These Stools are surprisingly better than they appear; and since they look like a minor disatster they are almost always unoccupied which means decent seating is generally available in this center area: 

 

 

These chairs, which are also omni-present, benefit greatly from a second pillow added to the back:

 

To be fair, this isn't exactly an unbiased score as this is a decorative piece. However, on Formal Nights, it makes a wonderful backdrop:

 

 

[David Kane]

Day 5 - Sushi on 5, Party on 4

 

After wiling away the morning on some rather trivial pursuits, we once again ventured out to Sushi on 5 which is obviously my favorite restaurant on the ship. The Hand-Grated Wasabi is second to none and the experience is well worth the upcharge, which is likely an unpopular opion, but the heck with it, it's mine.

 

 

After a light lunch XZ decided to go ashore and purchase me garish clothing which, whilst not one of the two pillars of our marriage, is becoming an increasingly common staple. I, for one, indulged in some more pool bingo and...wait, what? There's...a pyramid? What is that, Nick Cage's summer home or something?

 

 

After her return we had previously received an invitation for a Heli-pad sail-away and one never turns down an invite (I mean...except for Park West. Although I do feel somewhat badly for their staff which are by accounts rather nice and always well-presented folks tasked with an improbable and impossible job). It should be noted here that Captain Ionnis (spelled that wrong!) is a master at manuvering and navigating this ship. I can barely tell when it's moving - this has been the smoothest cruise we have been on so far.

 

 

Also, of note, the Revolution has left a few...odd spaces here and there. Here, we have a 1:1 scale recreation of the Starship Enterpirses' Transportation Deck. From here, you can either Beam Up to Deck 10 or down to the Front Row of the theatre:

 

 

 

 

  

[MEcruzr]

"Also, of note, the Revolution has left a few...odd spaces here and there."

 

Looks like a great place to recreate the leaning, laughing Chinaman "art".

[David Kane]

Day 5 - Wind it Down and Turn it up

 

After a whirlwind afternoon we retired to change for an arguably late dinner. We usually tear down for a 5:30 seating (which gets one the prime seat by the windows, for lookin' at) but due to the sailaway we were delayed until 7:00pm. This cruise, XZ decided to straight up take a small indulgence and instead of eating around the menus asked for Vegan service in Luminae. We never want to be impolite, or create an imposition, but the staff was ready and has come through in spades! The amount of Vegetarian chefs and service staff aboard the ship meant this request was not only possible, but a welcome challenge. Over the course of the last 3 days we have had a multi-course Vegan meal served each night, and last night Chef Singh even came out tableside to present the meal. While one should never demand, it never hurts to ask.

 

 

 

Post dinner, we repaired to Anatasiia's Club and then to the Casino for a brief go around before turning in. The Casino makes us a touch sad - it used to have stately lines and an Egyptian Theme and is now white white white with only an occasional last vestiage of what was. However, there are still a few pull-lever (leaver?) slots available, which are always nice to see.

 

Don't let all the bright lights fool you, XZ very excited about winning $.75!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by David Kane
take 2

[Queen_Tortitude]

Misty Knight - What Day Is It?

 

I spent most of the day playing with the toys that were left for me by the permanent food givers; Catnip Turtle is my favorite. The temporary food giver has gifted me a giant box, but it smells like her fur children, so I refuse to enter it. As a result of my overly energetic day, I was too tired to post about it yesterday. My cat nap turned into a long and luxurious slumber.

 

The temporary food giver FINALLY let me drink from the faucet. I did not allow her to take any pictures, as my method for consuming running water is rather unconventional, and therefore embarrassing. 

[sandc4e]

Had to look up the pyramid house - it's an Art Gallery - who knew.  

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2RH5_Castries_St_Lucia

 

[h20cruzer]

Love, love, love all your outfits. Do you have a favorite place to buy your clothes. do you shop at vintage shops. Love both you and your husbands style.

Norma