Celebrity Summit Review

A Wonderful Getaway, Wonderful All the Way

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Summit
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chelseajoe
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Feb 2015
Cabin: Celebrity Suite

We sailed on the Celebrity Summit from February 21-28, 2015 along the Eastern Caribbean route departing from San Juan. We have recently reconnected with family members who are part of a larger group that gets together every year. Last year, the Celebrity Reflection, we booked this trip. Because of that, we were given a sizeable discount on the overall price and given a drinks package. The value of booking forward cannot be understated. I have long held that when traveling, you should pick an airline, hotel, and cruise line and stick with it. Fortunately, Celebrity makes this easy as it is such a nice line. So, we booked on the Reflection in February, 2014 and traveled to San Juan, PR in February, 2015 to begin our cruise.

We flew from Boston to San Juan on JetBlue, the ease and convenience of which cannot be understated. I have been flying JB for over ten years and have had few hiccups. The flight was smooth and on-time and the cab to the hotel was quick and easy ($30 with tip). We stayed at the Sheraton in Old San Juan as we (mistakenly) believed we would be across the street from the pier. Apparently, that is only used for ships coming in in the morning and leaving in early evening. Not a big deal, but our cruise left from the Pan American Pier, with plenty of nearby hotels. We could have researched this a bit more. It is unfortunate the Sheraton was not the most organized hotel we've stayed in. We arrived at about 2:30 and was told our room would be ready in about a half hour, close to the posted check-in time of 3:00. We came back about 45 minutes later, and the room was still not ready, nor was it 3:30, 4:00, 4:35, 4:50, or 5:05. It was exhausting having to keep checking back and even more so when a shift change occurred and we had to start all over again. They did give us a suite eventually, which was a nice gesture, but the room was odd: a huge dining room but a tiny bathroom. I would probably give the hotel another try, as I liked its location in OSJ, but there were some serious missteps. The staff aside from the fumbling front desk was uniformly gracious, polite, and helpful.

And so - it's Sailing Day! A quick cab to the port ($25 with tip) and we're ready to board. Dropping the luggage off was a breeze and then getting in line to check in. We had a dedicated line as suite guests, but it looked as if everyone was moving along quickly. We were escorted down the line to meet Ashley, our onboard concierge, who personified cruise crew friendliness: bubbly and excited for us, with an infectious sense of the fun we were about to have. She had all the information down pat. We upgraged the drinks package at a desk right behind check in. Boarding was a bit prolonged as the line we chose had a malfunctioning computer for the ID cards. We changed lines, but being out in the sun made me a bit frazzled, but these things happen. Passengers enter on Deck 4, just behind the Martini Ice Bar. We just wanted to get into lighter clothes and unpack.

Cabin Review

Celebrity Suite

Cabin CS

Because of the discount we chose to stay in a Celebrity Suite stateroom. This was a very nice cabin, with a lot of space (#7140). There was a connecting door to the next cabin (#7138) for larger families. The bedroom was a nice size, with a very comfortable bed. The closet ran the length of the room but was shallow, enough to hold a vanity with stool, and a full mirror. There was plenty of drawer space as well. The path to the bathroom was narrow, along the foot of the bed about 10" from the television. I wonder about the future of televisions in bedrooms: it used to be such a luxury but we never used it as we had our own devices and large screens seem more and more out of place. The bathroom was nicely stocked with good bath products (Bulgari) and a request for extra towels was filled immediately and continually. The tub was deep and relaxing, but it made stepping in and out of the shower rather perilous I must say. I am not a fragile person, but the bathroom floor seemed to be about 6" below the tub floor and getting out required firmly holding on to counters and rails. I imagine that older passengers might have to sit on the edge and swing around to get out. The deck had a table and two chairs, but they quickly brought a chaise longue upon request. Nice for those afternoon naps in the sun! There is a sofabed in the living area of the cabin. This would be great if you had more than two in the room, but it was impossibly uncomfortable to sit on during the day. Another signal of this being a bit of an older ship, though lovely, was the complete inadequacy of power outlets. There were two in the dressing area over the vanity. Traveling with a laptop, three e-readers, and two phones made the need for more outlets inevitable. When we stayed at the W Hotel in San Francisco a year ago, they had a desk with twelve outlets across the top for devices. Making an iPod docking station a featured convenience rather underscores the age of the ship. It's interesting how quickly things change, and I imagine this can be quite a headache for cruise lines. As I mentioned, we never use bedroom televisions anymore (though I appreciated the one in the living room for navigation and news) so they seem to take up space. I might be in the minority now, but I think that this might all change in the coming years.Our room attendants were a butler, a housekeeper, and her assistant. They were faultlessly efficient. I don't have many needs when traveling, just a clean space and discreet service. The butler is a nice touch, and it helps to have one person to call, but aside from in-room breakfast one day, and some laundry needs, we didn't call upon him very often. I did appreciate the daily tea and snacks, however, and he made sure that the fruit bowl always had the fruit I like and would actually eat.As guests in a suite, we also had access to Michael's Club. This is on Deck 4, near the Photo Gallery. It is a private area with access for suite guests only. I don't like being a part of something so exclusionary, but this was a very nice space. The room was presided over by Jole, an exceptionally charming woman of great humor and charm. Her friendliness and helpfulness was amazing. In the Club, there are snacks and a bar that is open to guests from early morning until . . . late, I guess. This was a nice area, and the ship was trying to foment a convivial atmosphere among its suite guests. I can see where this is going - I think many ships are trying to copy the Cunard model of class distinctions (I mean "class" as a travel category, not the social construct!). In any event, it was fun and if you're booked into a suite, I would heartily suggest making the most of it. I might not have had to go for the drink package upgrade if I knew how much time I would spend in the Club for a pre-dinner cocktail and a nightcap.

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