There are lots of chronological reviews of cruises, so I try to take a different slant with each review I write (e.g. ABC's of Xpedition). This cruise on Summit sailing June 3 from Vancouver to Seward was one of three firsts for us; the first on a Millennium class ship, the first as Select members of Captain's Club, and a first cruise replacing a cancelled one. So, this review will provide our comparative experiences on these three levels.
Our previous cruises on Celebrity have been on board Mercury, Horizon (sob & she is gone) and Xpedition. We have a preference for smaller over larger, and had some apprehensions about the larger Summit. But, with a couple of exceptions, size did not matter.
Embarkation at the Ballantyne Pier was smooth despite the fact that it was (due to the cancelled May 20th cruise) the first for the season for Summit out of Vancouver. Our only delay was in the taxi after we had entered the Port area. A train loaded with containers blocked our access to the pier, and we waited and waited as the meter ticked over. Xpress Pass and Select status had us on board just 15 minutes after leaving the taxi; and that included Security, US Customs and Immigration, dodging the photographers and registering our mug-shot on the SeaPass.