My wife and I cruise with Celebrity a few times a year and decided to make this a family escape with one of our sons, his wife and three children, 10, 10 and 5. We chose Summit because Cape Liberty is less than two hours from our homes avoiding the joys of air travel.

We met at Parkway Parking, a satellite facility very close to the port. It was convenient, efficient, the staff was excellent and it was more economical. After a five minute free shuttle ride to the cruise terminal our check-in and boarding went smoothly. From arrival to boarding took thirty minutes, including the briefing for children, ten minutes. As always, Oceanview Cafe was crowded but we squeezed our group of seven around a table and had a bite to eat. Afterwards we took the kids for a walk around the ship. As expected, they were amazed.

Our bags were delivered and our cabins were ready fairly quickly. The Safety Drill was as it always, barely bearable but absolutely necessary. Next, up to deck 11 for the sailaway. Passing under the Verrazano for the first time was an awesome experience for our family. Read more