Celebrity Summit Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,477 reviews

Inconsistent

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Summit
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mightymite19
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Apr 2016
Cabin: Inside Stateroom 9

I was on the San Juan to Bayonne repositioning cruise. I am new to Celebrity and had very high expectations based on how Celebrity brands themselves (luxury) and what other cruisers had to say. I try to take everything in stride and realize that not everyone’s experience is the same. My overall impression is that Celebrity is not any different from other cruise lines and definitely not luxury (at least my definition of the word).

Embarkation: We arrived at Pan American pier around 1:00 p.m. Check-in was relatively quick. However, photos weren’t taken until you reached the ship security so there was a little wait for that (not sure why they don’t take them at check-in which was manned with 3X the amount of staff). Between check-in and photos you were hounded about the beverage package (fortunately there is a duty free liquor store in the building so after checking in I was able to buy a couple bottles of reasonably priced wine before boarding). Again, as soon as you stepped on the ship you were greeted, handed a glass of champagne and hounded about the beverage package by everyone you walked past. I met someone on an excursion who said that they have never experienced this type of treatment on any cruise (they’ve cruised over 40 times) and that they too were shocked at this heavy sales attack. We left the ship to tour Old San Juan and when we returned were again bombarded with the beverage packages sales pitch. This was my first impression of Celebrity. Strike one for being constantly hawked to buy a beverage package.

Cabin: We had an inside room on deck 7. The room was fine. Nothing fancy, enough closet and storage space, small bathroom (mold in the shower, on the tiles and on the ceiling/walls), bed skirt stained and ripped. The bed was fine but sunk in the middle a little. We also found out at 5:00 a.m. on the day of disembarkation that our room was directly below luggage storage (you can imagine the noise that kept us awake from that or point on).

Cabin Review

Inside Stateroom 9

Check to see what's above you before choosing a room. If you don't you could find out too late that it's luggage storage and have to deal with the noise very early on disembarkation day!

Port Reviews

San Juan

We took a cab from the port to visit the forts of Old San Juan (Cristobel and El Morro - they were great and interesting). We walked around a little afterwards and then took a cab back to the pier. Cab into Old San Juan cost $15. Return cab $20. While cab fares are supposed to be regulated, apparently they are not. Ask for the cost before getting into one.

St. Maarten

Took the ferry to beaches on Great Bay. The minute you stepped off you were harassed about chairs/umbrellas (even followed). Beach was nice but water was cloudy. Constantly harassed by people pedaling their wares (every 3-5 minutes someone would stop) - very annoying. Great options for bars on the beach. Did not visit town or do any shopping.

King's Wharf

Day 1: Waited in a very long line for 2-day bus/ferry ticket (I advise against purchasing these while others say it's a great deal). Took the ferry to St. George, toured a little (very quaint) and then hopped on a bus to the caves. Toured both caves (worth the $30 for both as opposed to $22 for one) and then hopped on a bus to Hamilton to catch the return ferry. Note: all shops in Hamilton close at 5:00 p.m. Waited for the ferry (apparently the earlier ferry was overcrowded and there were people who had to wait an hour for the next one). Day 2: Took a bus from the wharf to Horseshoe Bay (the bus was completely full when we pulled out). Spent a few hours on the beach and when we went to catch the bus back (around 1:00 p.m.) there were about 50 people already in line. Was told that the people at the front had been waiting over 45 minutes for a bus. Hailed a taxi, negotiated a rate and got back to ship about 30 mins. later (hence the reason I say don't buy the bus/ferry pass because they were so crowded they weren't even stopping for the locals - odds are that you will need to catch a taxi at some point - we only used about $20 worth of the $31.50 two-day pass because of this).

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