Summit Boston-Canada 9/11-9/21 Notes From Onboard

[5:00_Somewhere]

We are currently on the Summit and I wanted to share some thoughts, as this is the first of this exact itinerary of the season. This will likely not be a true “live from” post, exactly, just some information, thoughts and observations I wanted to pass along.

 

Embarkation in Boston was delayed and people backed up in the morning, which we were informed was due to the Coast Guard arriving very late for their mandatory inspection. We arrived exactly on time for our 11:00 boarding time and the entire terminal area was full, so much so that they simply stopped processing people and we just stood in the security line. They finally began boarding around 11:45 and, once the backlog of passengers was cleared, we heard it went pretty smoothly. We sailed away just a few minutes late, and had a picturesque transit through Boston Harbor, which we enjoyed from the Sunset Bar.

We are in a Sky Suite, so some of this information will be geared toward the Retreat experience. The Retreat Concierge told us there are 2050 passengers on board for this sailing. We were also told that somewhere just under 30% of the staff is new between the last cruise and ours. They are also still operating short-staffed, but I don’t know exactly how short they are. Some passengers were complaining the first couple days that service was slow, and it may have been a little, what with training new staff. But, honestly, after that first day, we have felt the service has been very good. A couple notable busy spots are the Sunset Bar – especially for sail aways – and the Martini Bar before dinner, but we feel they do a pretty good job serving passengers, and the service seems to have improved each day.

 

We have found both the food and service in Luminae to be wonderful, and the staff very friendly. Service times may be taking just a tad longer than they have in the past, but the timing does not seem extreme by any means, and the staff is always attentive – making sure we have water, bread and wine, etc., and are expediting dishes as quickly as they are able. We have enjoyed every meal, and not felt there were any undue delays.

Our first port was Bar Harbor, and we had spectacular weather. The ship anchors so that there is actually an island between it and Bar Harbor proper. Tendering was easy and efficient. The transit only took about 15 minutes each way. On our return, in addition to using the ship’s tender boats, they were using large local tour boats to ferry passengers back to the ship. We did a wonderful private tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, which was spectacular! Afterward, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Stewman’s Lobster Pound just next to where the tenders dock. We originally assumed it would be very “touristy”, but our guide assured us it was the place the locals went, and the food and service were fantastic.

 

The next day began incredibly foggy and we made a slow entrance to Saint John, New Brunswick. Docking was delayed just a bit. I would note that there was only 1 gangway to shore, and the lines were long so that it took us probably 20+ minutes just to walk off the ship. We heard some passengers complaining that there wasn’t really much to see, but we chose a very nice 2 hour walking tour of the old downtown area, and found it quite interesting. We again enjoyed lunch at a nice seafood place near the port called “Steamers”. Nothing fancy, but great service and decent food. To our surprise, this was our first Chic night (surprised, because they are often on sea days).

 

The next day also began with a lot of fog as we sailed into Halifax, but it had begun to lift a bit by the time we docked at 11:00 a.m. Again, there was a bit of a delay getting tied up and getting the gangways attached (by the shoreside crew), but we ended up only being about 15 minutes late meeting out tour guide. We had another fantastic private tour of Halifax, including stops at the Titanic burying ground and Peggy’s Cove. The skies cleared and we had beautiful, sunny, warm weather the majority of the day.

 

We were supposed to have one sea following Halifax but, unfortunately, the Captain announced that, due to a hurricane in our path, we would have 2 sea days and only 1 day in Charlottetown instead of 2, as planned. The first sea day we literally did not move, hovering in very pleasant weather just northeast of Halifax. Today is the second sea day, and we are sailing to our next port through gray and rainy weather with pretty high seas, although the ships stabilizers are doing a great job of minimizing the motion on board.

 

We do not go to the theater, but have been enjoying the many musical acts onboard, which we think are wonderful, especially guitarist/singer Kyle.

 

Finally, to answer a couple of perennial question: as to dress code: we have, indeed, seen shorts in the dining rooms at night, and a wide range of attire on chic night, from tuxes and gowns (the minority) to suits or just sports coats (for men) to simple trousers and Aloha shirts/sparkly tops (for women); and we are among perhaps 10% or fewer who are masking when indoors (and avoiding elevators). I have no information on any Covid positivity rates, but we have been told that positive passengers are permitted to quarantine in their own cabin, rather than being moved to a different isolation cabin.

 

That’s it so far. I’ll add more as I’m able. Internet is definitely spotty, especially on a sea day with everyone online. We are very much enjoying ourselves.

 

Hope some find this helpful.

[scrapcreator]

Thank you. I appreciate your observations and information. We’ll be onboard 10/3.

[capecodmercury]

Thank you.  We are on on 10/15, so your comments on staffing and entertainment are greatly appreciated.   I had assumed Martini Bar would be busy before dinner, but glad they are dealing with it.

[J80crew]

We are also onboard this cruise and have a somewhat different reaction. We are in Aqua class and have been very disappointed in Blu. Every night we have waited 30 minutes for a table, as has everyone else who showed up after 6:00.  There is one sommelier where there used to be two, and fewer waitpersons, so service tends to be a bit slow. The food (we have chosen items from both the Blu menu and the MDR menu) has been okay but far from memorable. We looked forward to our dinner in Tuscan Grill last night, but even there the service was slow and the beef a bit tough. 
 

Service in the lounges is very spotty. Only once since we boarded have we been served drinks; the rest of the time we’ve given up and gone to the bar and waited in line to get our own. The other thing we’ve noticed is that the ship in many of the public spaces looks tired, even though it was refurbished in 2019. We’ve seen stained and ripped chairs, frayed curtains, and rusty metal pieces. On the other hand, the stateroom is lovely and does look new. 
 

We used to sail Celebrity exclusively, but went to other brands when the Edge class appeared and the company seemed to us to shift to a different product. We really liked the Millenium class, so this cruise out of Boston involving no air travel was an opportunity to revisit Summit. I recognize that all cruise lines have suffered from the effects of the pandemic and then supply issues, but we’ve had three cruises since the restart and none of the others showed the effects as much. I’m afraid that that and other changes unrelated to outside forces will send us back to the smaller lines. 

[5:00_Somewhere]

Well, I can now definitively answer one question. After 2 1/2 years of the pandemic and 4 prior cruises in the past year I just tested positive for Covid for the 1st time. 🫤 Fortunately, my husband is negative so far and has no symptoms. 🤞 I also feel fortunate that my symptoms are essentially like a nasty cold at this point.

 

But so frustrating, as we tried to do everything right, including masking, but so few others take any precautions, it was probably inevitable on such a full ship with people indoors so much due to the weather.

 

Now we quarantine for 5 days, which is the rest of the vacation, including our 25th anniversary. Hubby was given the option to move to another cabin, but chose to quarantine with me.

 

There were a number of others in Medical who were also positive, and it was clear from conversations that there are several cases onboard. 

 

I can also say the medical staff was fantastic, informative and helpful, as was Guest Services who called to discuss logistics just a few minutes after we were escorted back to our cabin. 

 

We are fortunate to be able to order meals through our Suite Butler. Non-suite passengers can order through room service.

 

That's about it for now and, due to these circumstances, will necessarily limit future posts. Stay safe everyone. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by 5:00_Somewhere

[Altamar]

May your symptoms continue to be mild and hopefully your husband will continue to be negative. Happy anniversary.

[scrapcreator]

Oh, no! I am sorry to hear that. 😞 I am glad you got to stay in your cabin.

[takemewithyou]

@5:00_SomewhereSo sorry to hear this!

Edited September 16, 2022 by takemewithyou
Spelling!

[JFontaine]

@5:00_Somewhere. I'm sorry to read your update. Good luck to you and your husband. When you are both in good health I'm sure it will be a happy anniversary. I appreciate your posts. 

[sdnich]

I am so sorry to hear that you are feeling sick but glad that you are not in need of going to a hospital. We will be boarding the Summit when you disembark. Also sailing in a sky suite! We will be as safe as we can ! Come  back and let us know how you’re doing and what kind of service that you receive being in quarantine.
I am glad they let you stay in your room together!

[cangelmd]

Sorry to hear this and on such a special anniversary too!

Rest, hydrate and keep the Tylenol or anti - inflammatory meds up.

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Sorry to hear this and on such a special anniversary too!

Rest, hydrate and keep the Tylenol or anti - inflammatory meds up.

 Is this considered a Telehealth visit? 😉 

[Caroldoll]

9 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

We are currently on the Summit and I wanted to share some thoughts, as this is the first of this exact itinerary of the season. This will likely not be a true “live from” post, exactly, just some information, thoughts and observations I wanted to pass along.

 

Embarkation in Boston was delayed and people backed up in the morning, which we were informed was due to the Coast Guard arriving very late for their mandatory inspection. We arrived exactly on time for our 11:00 boarding time and the entire terminal area was full, so much so that they simply stopped processing people and we just stood in the security line. They finally began boarding around 11:45 and, once the backlog of passengers was cleared, we heard it went pretty smoothly. We sailed away just a few minutes late, and had a picturesque transit through Boston Harbor, which we enjoyed from the Sunset Bar.

We are in a Sky Suite, so some of this information will be geared toward the Retreat experience. The Retreat Concierge told us there are 2050 passengers on board for this sailing. We were also told that somewhere just under 30% of the staff is new between the last cruise and ours. They are also still operating short-staffed, but I don’t know exactly how short they are. Some passengers were complaining the first couple days that service was slow, and it may have been a little, what with training new staff. But, honestly, after that first day, we have felt the service has been very good. A couple notable busy spots are the Sunset Bar – especially for sail aways – and the Martini Bar before dinner, but we feel they do a pretty good job serving passengers, and the service seems to have improved each day.

 

We have found both the food and service in Luminae to be wonderful, and the staff very friendly. Service times may be taking just a tad longer than they have in the past, but the timing does not seem extreme by any means, and the staff is always attentive – making sure we have water, bread and wine, etc., and are expediting dishes as quickly as they are able. We have enjoyed every meal, and not felt there were any undue delays.

Our first port was Bar Harbor, and we had spectacular weather. The ship anchors so that there is actually an island between it and Bar Harbor proper. Tendering was easy and efficient. The transit only took about 15 minutes each way. On our return, in addition to using the ship’s tender boats, they were using large local tour boats to ferry passengers back to the ship. We did a wonderful private tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, which was spectacular! Afterward, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Stewman’s Lobster Pound just next to where the tenders dock. We originally assumed it would be very “touristy”, but our guide assured us it was the place the locals went, and the food and service were fantastic.

 

The next day began incredibly foggy and we made a slow entrance to Saint John, New Brunswick. Docking was delayed just a bit. I would note that there was only 1 gangway to shore, and the lines were long so that it took us probably 20+ minutes just to walk off the ship. We heard some passengers complaining that there wasn’t really much to see, but we chose a very nice 2 hour walking tour of the old downtown area, and found it quite interesting. We again enjoyed lunch at a nice seafood place near the port called “Steamers”. Nothing fancy, but great service and decent food. To our surprise, this was our first Chic night (surprised, because they are often on sea days).

 

The next day also began with a lot of fog as we sailed into Halifax, but it had begun to lift a bit by the time we docked at 11:00 a.m. Again, there was a bit of a delay getting tied up and getting the gangways attached (by the shoreside crew), but we ended up only being about 15 minutes late meeting out tour guide. We had another fantastic private tour of Halifax, including stops at the Titanic burying ground and Peggy’s Cove. The skies cleared and we had beautiful, sunny, warm weather the majority of the day.

 

We were supposed to have one sea following Halifax but, unfortunately, the Captain announced that, due to a hurricane in our path, we would have 2 sea days and only 1 day in Charlottetown instead of 2, as planned. The first sea day we literally did not move, hovering in very pleasant weather just northeast of Halifax. Today is the second sea day, and we are sailing to our next port through gray and rainy weather with pretty high seas, although the ships stabilizers are doing a great job of minimizing the motion on board.

 

We do not go to the theater, but have been enjoying the many musical acts onboard, which we think are wonderful, especially guitarist/singer Kyle.

 

Finally, to answer a couple of perennial question: as to dress code: we have, indeed, seen shorts in the dining rooms at night, and a wide range of attire on chic night, from tuxes and gowns (the minority) to suits or just sports coats (for men) to simple trousers and Aloha shirts/sparkly tops (for women); and we are among perhaps 10% or fewer who are masking when indoors (and avoiding elevators). I have no information on any Covid positivity rates, but we have been told that positive passengers are permitted to quarantine in their own cabin, rather than being moved to a different isolation cabin.

 

That’s it so far. I’ll add more as I’m able. Internet is definitely spotty, especially on a sea day with everyone online. We are very much enjoying ourselves.

 

Hope some find this helpful.

Thank you.  This was a fabulous post as we will be there within a few days.

[5:00_Somewhere]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and well wishes. Still feeling pretty crummy after a fitful night, but feel fortunate my symptoms are nothing like those suffered by people I know who contracted COVID a couple years ago. 

 

One note regarding meals: we are able to order off the Luminae menu on the app and our Butler brings it to us. It was pretty quick for dinner last night. 

 

Oh, were docked in Charlottetown and, fortunately, our cabin faces the water instead of the pier. The skies are partly sunny with a nice fall crispness in the air. The Celebrity app says it's 55°F. 

[stellarose]

oh no

 

[travelwide]

Hope you feel better real soon. Can you advise if the public areas on the ship were cool or on the warm side?

[cangelmd]

22 hours ago, davekathy said:

 Is this considered a Telehealth visit? 😉 

LOL, I guess so..

 I think you gotta at least set up live chat to bill!

 

 I do wonder if the original poster asked about or was offered Paxlovid. I didn’t take it when I had my bout of Covid, but my symptoms were fairly brief- by the time it occurred to me that maybe I should call about it, I was starting to feel much better.

[cangelmd]

12 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and well wishes. Still feeling pretty crummy after a fitful night, but feel fortunate my symptoms are nothing like those suffered by people I know who contracted COVID a couple years ago. 

 

One note regarding meals: we are able to order off the Luminae menu on the app and our Butler brings it to us. It was pretty quick for dinner last night. 

 

Oh, were docked in Charlottetown and, fortunately, our cabin faces the water instead of the pier. The skies are partly sunny with a nice fall crispness in the air. The Celebrity app says it's 55°F. 

Don’t want to bother you, but is there any color in the trees yet?

[stellarose]

feel better

 

[Jim_Iain]

Sorry to hear you were hit by Covid.    We also come down with it about 6 months ago even though fully vaxed and 100% mask wearers.     I just think this new variant is so contagious about the only relief may be  the new Vax.   Hope you get out prior to the end of the cruise.

 

I was really enjoying your observations of Summit.    I knew they had a huge shift in staff after our cruises ended and a number of our staff were extended at the last minute.    I've sure the staffing is really tough at the moment.

[5:00_Somewhere]

12 hours ago, travelwide said:

 Can you advise if the public areas on the ship were cool or on the warm side?

 

I'm sorry, that's so subjective I'm not sure how to answer. All I can say is that I was never uncomfortable either way, including nights I wore only a shirt to dinner and others also wearing a sports coat or sweater. And it always felt comfortable to me during the day, neither overly warm or cold. 

 

12 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I do wonder if the original poster asked about or was offered Paxlovid. I didn’t take it when I had my bout of Covid, but my symptoms were fairly brief- by the time it occurred to me that maybe I should call about it, I was starting to feel much better.

 

Before I could ask they told me they did not have any Paxlovid on board. Gave me Tylenol, cough syrup, cough drops, a digital thermometer and pulse oximeter to monitor my stats. They call once a day to check on me, and I'm free to call medical if I have any issues. 

 

Symptoms are proceeding. Fever spiked last night, then calmed a bit. Today it seems to have moved from my head to my chest, but I think I feel a little better. Maybe. 

 

12 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Don’t want to bother you, but is there any color in the trees yet?

 

Just a very little bit here and there, but everyone has said once the change starts it will likely go quickly. 

 

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Sorry to hear you were hit by Covid.    We also come down with it about 6 months ago even though fully vaxed and 100% mask wearers.     I just think this new variant is so contagious about the only relief may be  the new Vax.   Hope you get out prior to the end of the cruise.

 

I was really enjoying your observations of Summit.    I knew they had a huge shift in staff after our cruises ended and a number of our staff were extended at the last minute.    I've sure the staffing is really tough at the moment.

 

Thanks Jim, I recall following your "COVID adventures", and feel like we are being taken care of very well by comparison. It's one reason we chose a suite for this trip: our "just in case" planning definitely paid off.

 

And, yes, our waiter in Luminae was supposed to have left already but was extended through this sailing, which was fortunate for us because he was wonderful. 

[Cruise a holic]

We recently sailed on the Oasis of the Seas.  We were worried about contracting covid.  I wore my mask in crowded public venues and tried to stay away from any crowds.  People jammed into elevators, perhaps not aware that we are still in a pandemic.  Fortunately my DH and I didn't get covid, but I heard that many people did.  Our next cruise is in December.  I will bring a mask.  We both got our new booster, but will continue to avoid elevators and crowds on our upcoming Apex cruise.

[5:00_Somewhere]

Docked I Sydney and, once again, we feel fortunate to be facing the water instead of the pier. Weather is very similar to yesterday: 55°F with sun and clouds and very little wind. Very comfortable, and the forecast is to reach the low 60s. Looking across the harbor today I see only one hint of color in one tree, but the view is nice over all. Another day in COVID lockdown. 

[Tee & Chilli]

Wishing you a speedy and healthy recovery.

[CruisinBanka]

Sorry to hear about you getting hit with Covid. Wishing you the best with your recovery! We have been lucky avoiding it with going on 4 cruises post Covid so far and will be on the Summit next month. You never know.      I have a question if you don’t mind…….Who is the Cruise Director onboard? I know Rich, the excellent regular Summit Cruise Director, recently left for vacation. Thanks!