We are seasoned cruisers, Platinum on Carnival and Close to Elite on Celebrity. This is our preferred vacation.

We met our friends from Canada at the hotel the night before. We only see each other when we cruise, so it was a joyful reunion. Next morning, we arrived at the cruise terminal just before 11 a.m. The doors to the building had not yet opened for check in. There were 2 lines, 1 for Elite members and 1 for the rest of us. Not sure why they did this as once we got inside there were only 2 security lines for all of us. Once through security, there were 3 different lines, one for Concierge, one for Elite and one for everyone else. All of them moved fairly quickly and we were on board by 11:30.

As usual our first stop was the Martini Bar where we became acquainted with the bartender Virda. We told him we would see him each evening. He remembered and we did see him each evening. Great service from him and all of the Martini bar staff. We stayed for an hour or two before heading up to the buffet for lunch. The buffet on the Summit is always laid out in different areas making it easier to move around. I particularly love having breakfast here. Read more