Live From the Summit, 8/7 to 8/31, from an Aqua passenger viewpoint

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, kathynorth said:

Following along. We'll be joining you for the return trip from Reykjavik to Boston. Can't wait! Can you let us know if there are any enrichment speakers on board? I don't see anyone listed in the app yet.

No problem! The enrichment lectures are something we always attend as they usually have a variety of quality speakers. Well, except for when they had some guy on the Constellation in December give lectures at 9:30 am on how to improve your sleeping habits. Unfortunately, we always seemed to sleep late on those sea days! 😂

 

But then again that’s when Omicron was just starting to really kick in and I would imagine good lecturers were hard to find and probably not cheap. If I recall there were only 400 passengers on that 10 day leg and there weren’t any lecturers on the second leg over Xmas and New Years, even though there were about 1400+ on that leg.

Edited August 6, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[sdnich]

I look forward to following your live review also! Our first cruise since the shut down will be on the summit in a SS in Sept .but after that we have booked a few cruises in Aqua class cabins so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the food and service!

[Jim_Iain]

30 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I hope you have a wonderful trip.  I'm a bit sad you won't be posting food pics.  Our next cruise( September 16th, Reflection) we'll be a suite for the first time.  Our previous 4 other Celebrity cruises were in AQ, so we've only ever eaten at Blu.  On our last cruise( September 2019) before the world shut down, I did a live blog.  I felt the quality of food in Blu had declined.  We had more than a few issues.  I'm curious to see if the menu has changed.  My wife is very picky, I can't imagine her enjoying the food in Luminae.  I have a feeling, she'll be eating a kids filet most nights. 

 

I will be posting food pictures on my Live Post.    I really believe if you wife speaks with the Maitre 'd and your server they will take care of her - whether on or off menu.    Their food isn't really as fancy as the descriptions may imply.  If any of the sauces or ingredients don't appeal they will cook the way you wish.     If she enjoys fish I would say their fish chef's cook the fish to perfection.    There is also an every  day menu with Salmon, Chicken or Steak.    In addition the Children's menu is available and we often order from it.   They have a perfect size 4 ounce filet.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

26 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I hope you have a wonderful trip.  I'm a bit sad you won't be posting food pics.  Our next cruise( September 16th, Reflection) we'll be a suite for the first time.  Our previous 4 other Celebrity cruises were in AQ, so we've only ever eaten at Blu.  On our last cruise( September 2019) before the world shut down, I did a live blog.  I felt the quality of food in Blu had declined.  We had more than a few issues.  I'm curious to see if the menu has changed.  My wife is very picky, I can't imagine her enjoying the food in Luminae.  I have a feeling, she'll be eating a kids filet most nights. 

I apologize, but here’s a way to see our Blu menus for this or any upcoming cruise, if you haven’t already figured this option out on the app.

 

If you pull up your Sep 16 Reflection cruise in the X app. Then click on Dining > Main Dining, you can check out the potential menu for that Reflection cruise. But if you want to then see what’s going to be available on our cruise’s Blu menus, click on the upper right “stick person” icon on the main screen of the app. Then click on “Select a Different Sailing”. Go to the bottom and click on “Get more details on ships we support”. Then click on Celebrity Summit and then choose our upcoming sail date, Aug 7-19. Then go to Dining and then Main Dining, and you can see the various Blu menus we should be seeing on this cruise.

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, amomx5 said:

Hi Ken,

I just found your live from thread after finding Jim’s.  I am looking forward to reading your thread as well. We are a group of 5 - dh, 97+ year old Dad, sister, brother-in-law and me. My Dad and dh and I are in Aqua rooms but my sister is not, so not sure how often we will get to dine in Blu!  Smooth seas ahead😁

Now, I have no idea if this will work. But since the Blu and MDR kitchens are in the same location, maybe your MDR server can get you a Blu menu, since 3 of you are in Aqua cabins, to possibly order off of?
 

Heck, the folks in Luminae can order off either the MDR or Blu menu if they so desire. And folks in Blu can order off the MDR menu. Maybe you 3 can do the same and order off the Blu menu due to your “mixed cabin” dining situation. If nothing else, I would think it would be worth asking the question anyway as they usually are 2 totally different menus. 

[calicakes]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

If she enjoys fish I would say their fish chef's cook the fish to perfection

Sadly, she doesn't.  I do though.  She really does have the palette of a young child.  I think the children's menu will be her jam. 

[Wineaux007]

44 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Sadly, she doesn't.  I do though.  She really does have the palette of a young child.  I think the children's menu will be her jam. 

I haven't read this entire thread.  We just got off Summit last month and were eating in Blu.  On two nights we ordered the 4oz filet from the kids menu.  It was outstanding.  If you are a big eater, just order two of them.  

[takemewithyou]

10 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We have arrived on time at the Newark airport and have checked into our hotel! Yay!!

 

This was the view as we were approaching the airport. Can’t wait to see it close up tomorrow once we board the ship! 😁

 

Hi Ken, may I ask where you are staying?  Looking for hotel recommendations.

Thanks!

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Hi Ken, may I ask where you are staying?  Looking for hotel recommendations.

Thanks!

We stayed at the Marriott Newark Airport hotel which has a free 24/7 shuttle to and from the airport. It was nice and as you can see it was right next to airport. I believe that’s Terminal A in the distance, and I would imagine if we paid a little more for our room, we may have have gotten a view of the NYC skyline. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

All is looking great this morning! The Summit has arrived and the sky is partially cloudy with great visibility!! Our plan is to have breakfast at the hotel, take their shuttle to Terminal B, then hop on the Celebrity-booked transfer bus at 10:30 to go to the ship! 😁
 

[Loucat]

Happy for all who will be sailing away on the Summit today. Have a wonderful time!!

[Ken the cruiser]

We boarded are transfer bus to the ship at 10:15 with a peaceful ride over to the ship. 
 

 

 

And were all checked in by 11am.
 

The word on the street is that they will hopefully start boarding us around 11:30.  Yay, we’re almost on the ship!!

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:12 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

I have to admit the ArriveCan app, with regards to all of the discussion that has gone on about it on CC and the Roll Call, has got my curiosity up as to what’s going to happen when (1) we check in at the pier on embarkation day and if they ask us to show the QR code and/or (2) will we have to show it when we go ashore when we first stop at Halifax and then at St John’s before we head towards Greenland.

 

Of course, we will have our QR codes available on both occasions, so it’s just more of a curiosity to see if we’re going to even be asked to present them, or if the verification process is all done behind the scenes and only those who failed to initially complete the ArriveCan process prior to embarkation will get flagged in some way.

 

I’m so easily amused! 😂

 

When we checked in at the pier, they asked for our passports, CDC cards and negative COVID test results. They also asked for our boarding pass, but they were able to verify we were booked when we told them our cabin number.
 

So, I’m guessing as far as the ArriveCAN requirement, it’s all done by computer as they didn’t ask for the QR code. However, since we had it already filled out, not sure what happens if you haven’t filled it out yet. 

[dazey]

We also stayed at the Marriott International Hotel in Newark a few months ago.  We enjoyed the bar(good energy) and the restaurant wassurprisingly good for both dinner and breakfast.  However, there was no safe(desk said no rooms had them) and I had to carry our valuables with us(passports, jewelry, etc.).  Their rooms are just okay.  With their rates for next May almost double the other area hotels, have you every stayed anywhere else?  

 

Enjoy your cruise and love reading and picturing myself onboard.

[Ken the cruiser]

They started to board us non-suite folks at 11:30 in a very organized fashion and we got to our cabin around noon. The reason for the slight delay was that we wanted to check in at our muster station, which was on deck 4, before climbing up the stairs to our cabin on deck 11.
 

Then I found out we didn’t have the option of activating our Premium Internet Package, only Basic, when we first activated our accounts even though we had already prepaid for it. So down the stairs we went to the Internet Cafe on the 3rd floor. Luckily there was no one there yet, and they were able to upgrade our accounts easy peasy. When we left, there were about 6 people in line. So, lesson learned. Get there as early as possible if you have internet account issues on embarkation day.

 

Then we went over to the MDR where it was already getting busy, so up the stairs we went to the buffet on deck 10. We then loaded up our plates, grabbed our drinks and looked for a place to sit down. No luck anywhere, inside or outside. So we walked up to our cabin on deck 11 and had a quiet lunch while we watch an afternoon rain shower pass overheard.

 

Then, of course, then it was time to check out the paperwork waiting for us in the cabin.

 

Canada Declaration Card and instructions on how to fill it out.

 

Perks that go along with being in an Aqua Cabin

 

Perks being Elite+

Celebrity Today, Day 1, Aug 7, Embarkation Day

 

Then I had to take pictures of our Aqua cabin which includes a walk-in shower and small sofa.

 

But, we’re all up to date on our Safety check, had lunch in the cabin, our internet issues had been resolved and the sun is coming out again. What could be better! 😁
 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, dazey said:

We also stayed at the Marriott International Hotel in Newark a few months ago.  We enjoyed the bar(good energy) and the restaurant wassurprisingly good for both dinner and breakfast.  However, there was no safe(desk said no rooms had them) and I had to carry our valuables with us(passports, jewelry, etc.).  Their rooms are just okay.  With their rates for next May almost double the other area hotels, have you every stayed anywhere else?  

 

Enjoy your cruise and love reading and picturing myself onboard.

For us it was about the convenience of being near the airport and catching the Celebrity shuttle to the ship the next morning. But, yes, there weren’t a lot of extras that came with the room, other than free internet for up to 3 devices, a coffee maker and 2 small bottles of water. Just for reference, we paid $200 plus a bunch of taxes and fees for the one night.

[Wink87]

18 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

They started to board us non-suite folks at 11:30 in a very organized fashion and we got to our cabin around noon. The reason for the slight delay was that we wanted to check in at our muster station, which was on deck 4, before climbing up the stairs to our cabin on deck 11.
 

Then I found out we didn’t have the option of activating our Premium Internet Package, only Basic, when we first activated our accounts even though we had already prepaid for it. So down the stairs we went to the Internet Cafe on the 3rd floor. Luckily there was no one there yet, and they were able to upgrade our accounts easy peasy. When we left, there were about 6 people in line. So, lesson learned. Get there as early as possible if you have internet account issues on embarkation day.

 

Then we went over to the MDR where it was already getting busy, so up the stairs we went to the buffet on deck 10. We then loaded up our plates, grabbed our drinks and looked for a place to sit down. No luck anywhere, inside or outside. So we walked up to our cabin on deck 11 and had a quiet lunch while we watch an afternoon rain shower pass overheard.

 

Then, of course, then it was time to check out the paperwork waiting for us in the cabin.

 

Canada Declaration Card and instructions on how to fill it out.

 

Perks that go along with being in an Aqua Cabin

 

Perks being Elite+

Celebrity Today, Day 1, Aug 7, Embarkation Day

 

Then I had to take pictures of our Aqua cabin which includes a walk-in shower and small sofa.

 

But, we’re all up to date on our Safety check, had lunch in the cabin, our internet issues had been resolved and the sun is coming out again. What could be better! 😁
 

 

 

Nice balcony!!!

[Oceangoer2]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:50 AM, hcat said:

Have a great  time!

Hope you get some great pics and share!

 

We usually cruise in AQ  class but loved the 4 mdr plan on EDGE.

For a short cruise on BEYOND we will be assigned to Luminae for our 1st time...a bit nervous b/ c the  photos that are  posted and menus seem a bit too fancy for our simple  tastes,   Hope we can have them leave off gravies and sauces and cut the salt.

Your server will make sure you're happy with everything you order.  Ours have always been very attentive and obliging.  DH is almost a gourmet and I'm the opposite...too picky some might say, but I wasn't unhappy with any meal in Luminae.  Once you let them know your preference they seem to remember without having to be told again at the next meal.

[Ken the cruiser]

38 minutes ago, Wink87 said:

Nice balcony!!!

Thanks! We have to say booking an aft-facing AQ cabin on a M class ship is always a win-win for us. Getting to eat in Blu, and then being able to enjoy the aft-facing views not only when we leave a port, but also when cruising through areas where there are views on both sides is always a big plus for us! 😁

[Laurab23]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! We have to say booking an aft-facing AQ cabin on a M class ship is always a win-win for us. Getting to eat in Blu, and then being able to enjoy the aft-facing views not only when we leave a port, but also when cruising through areas where there are views on both sides is always a big plus for us! 😁

Is that 1140? I love any of those 5 aft cabins. If I can't book one of those,I book a regular veranda and check each day to see if one has opened up. So far I have never had to stay in a regular veranda!

 

Laura

[Ken the cruiser]

We are on our way! Yay!!! Like I said, the views when leaving a port are awesome! 😁

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[garyl62]

Enjoy your time Ken, I always enjoy following along with your adventures!

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight we had our first dinner in Blu and we’re wowed by how tasty the meal was, to include how soft the bread was! However, by 6 pm it was packed. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues with people showing up this early.
  
  
Then it was off to watch the early show in the main theater with comedian Sean Kent. However, it appears the shows are now at 6:30 and 8:30 pm, whereas in the past they usually started at 7 and 9 pm.

  
  

Afterwards we headed to the Rendezvous Lounge to watch True or False. Hopefully, they’ll move up the game shows to the Sky Lounge where there is more room to handle the crowds that come to these.

  

  

  

Then it was back to the cabin, where chocolate candy was sitting on our pillows, and to kick back on the balcony and admire what was left of what I assume was a beautiful sunset.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 2 - Aug 8 - Sea day

  
  

  

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested here is the results of the speed test taken just before 9 pm. I am using the Premium Internet package, which has always been about 2-3 times faster than the Basic package results on some of the other X ships we sailed on this past year.
 

I would ask someone following this thread who is currently on the Summit and only using the Basic package if they could do a similar test, but chances are they’re not even able to log onto CC to see my request.