Master: Captain Ioannis Kasimatis; Staff Captain: Angelos Baferos; Hotel Dir.: Arjan Scheepers; GRM.: Pedro Dias; Cruise Dir.: Carlos Torres; F&B: Orlando Rosa; Executive Chef Roger Santamaria; Capt. Club Host, Ljubica (Lubi) Mitrevska; Michael's Club Concierge: Toni & Georgina; Suites Manager: Anastasia; Butler: Anu; Room Steward: Hafi; Waiters: Vikas; Asst: Basha; Maitre'D: Luminae: Reggie; Sommelier: Carlos; Michael’s Club server: Alexandria.
Day 1- San Juan, Puerto Rico
Our vacation started. The Airbrook driver arrived earlier then the 4:45 am scheduled arrival time and whisked us to Newark to our 730 am, United Airlines flight 1523, non-stop to SJU. We had first class tickets and these happened to be the “bed” seats so it was a nice comfortable perk.
Landing at noon, we quickly found our bags and hailed a cab. We stopped first at Walgreens for coffee creamers, then on to the port. We arrived there by 1 pm and once I asked, "where does the Royal suite check in?" We immediately received "the Royal treatment!" Porters were called over, lines parted and we were placed at the front of the security line. Check in was simpler than ever and in minutes, we were on board for two full weeks.
We dropped our carry-ons in our suite. This is a smart new perk for everyone, even though the cabins are not ready yet to occupy. We tried to lunch in Luminae but with a 30 minute wait, we went to Sushi on 5 instead. They were a little short supplied because of an USCG inspection, hours earlier, but we were still able to enjoy our lunch.
Meanwhile, back at the room, our “priority bags” arrived so we began the unpacking process. All finished, we decided to get an early seat for the 4:45 muster drill.
That evening after dressing for dinner we headed to the old Michael's Club, which is now the New Retreat Lounge and found Sue and Rob Brown along the way and inside the retreat were Sir Clive and Lady Lise. Although we enjoyed the richness of the traditional wood in the old Michael's Club, we grew to like the new look. There are times when more than one bartender/server is needed when a large number of people are in the retreat, exceeds the server's physical capabilities. That is when service becomes slow.
We met Georgina, the retreat concierge, here in the black vest. She also works with Toni. We asked her for table in Luminae in 20-30 minutes. It was ready in 30 so she escorted us to meet Reggie, the Maitre'd and saw a former waiter Vikas who we asked to serve us the entire cruise. That was a perfect decision.
My dish, Moroccan chicken on the Chef Boulud's menu was very moist and tasty but being tired, sleep was the next course.
Day 2- Basseterre, St. Kitts
We weren't at dock yet when we awoke but we called Anu, our Butler for some coffee and danish around 7. He then created a standing order at that time daily. Then we walked to Luminae for breakfast. After, we
disembarked and walked around St. Kitts looking for a black fist keychain for Holly and Marlboro menthol lights for Alan. The "whites" in the cigarette title I later found out when back on board were produced with tobacco seconds. I am glad I did not buy today. The price was $26 per carton.
Back on board we headed to the Retreat sundeck and since it was a port day, we found a lounge in the shade. After resting a while we ordered shrimp cocktail and turkey bacon wrap which was awesome and just enough lunch.
By the time we got back to the room and freshened up for
dinner, we thought it was 530 and headed to the retreat for cocktails. We soon realized we were reading the clocks incorrectly and it was only 430. It was a little early to start imbibing for the evening but we were here already, so what the heck!
The Brown's joined us for a while until they went to dance. Lise and Clive also stopped by until we had to leave for 7pm show time. A former idol contestant, Marcus Tarell was the singer, doing Motown tunes and some of his own songs. It was not a bad show.
Dinner was delish but too much I couldn’t finish both entrées that Vikas brought me but both the Lamb loin and spicy eggplant were excellent. Randi had the lamb chops that Joanie will probably enjoy next week. We had to do a lap around the ship to work off the meal then we headed to bed.
Day 3- Sea
Oh relaxing sea days! The phone rang at 715. It was our butler saying coffee was on the way. Meanwhile, Randi tells me she passed a kidney stone earlier and is not in pain any longer. Not a too relaxing way to start. All better now, we both had waffles and bacon in Luminae. Later we walked the ship talking to a few crew members along the way. We made reservations in Tuscan for four, with the Browns for Tuesday.
We then went back to the Retreat sundeck with no chance of sitting in the shade, so we stayed in the sun for 10 minutes then left, eventually finding a shady spot on deck 11 Starboard, just watching the calmest of seas drift by.
Lunch in Luminae was nice. We each had a veggie stir fry with rice noodles and shared a filet minion. Meanwhile, the casino was calling Randi. I checked our account and then went to speak to the future cruise department to find out the new itineraries will be out December 4th.
We eventually went back to our Suite to pass some time on our deck. We filled the hot tub but could not get it to work. In 45 minutes the technicians got it working but it was too late. We had to shower and get ready for the Retreat. Meanwhile, let me show you some of the new color
design you now find in the Royal suite. The bedroom remains the same except there is no longer storage in the night tables and the phone has been relocated off the night table and onto the make up table.
The living dinning room no longer has a coat closet and the dining room table has been changed out. There is less storage space but there is a larger television. Soon we were ready and found a table for 6 and had a few drinks until our dinner in Qsine, featuring, La Petite Chef at 815.
A little disorganized at the beginning, with waiting in the elevator vestibule to enter the restaurant, the new concept dinner evolved into a unique evening that you should do but you only need to do once.
It was a four course meal with a video introducing each course that appeared on your table. The food was all good as they served a bouillabaisse (substituted fish for Randi), lobster, fillet and dessert.
All good except for the mistake on the check, charging us full price but later rectified. Afterwards, we went for a nightcap at The Retreat with friends and bid a goodnight.
Day 4- Aruba
I was up just before sunrise and spent the time writing on the deck and watching the sky get brighter. After a nice breakfast we walked the hot streets of Aruba looking for the red patent leather belt for Randi to
purchase since we forgot to pack one We hit every store we could but could not find a match. Around 1130 we gave up and went back to the ship.
We went up to the revolutionized, Oceanview Cafe for lunch. It has a nice, modern and efficient look. Randi got pasta and I got pizza. The pasta was supposed to be with veggies, garlic and oil but the garlic never got into the pan. Boo! Next we were off to the
After a pre-dinner cocktail, we tried to find the new Tuscan Grille entrance. The old grandiose opening is gone since it was closed up and was converted into new staterooms. To get to dinner we had to go down a line of cabins to the entrance in the very aft of the ship. In the restaurant, more than 40 seats have been removed from service since the restaurant's size was reduced. The old wine cellar and its formal table are gone. But dinner remained the same, great! We treated the Brown's tonight and had a great time and some great conversation. Randi and I shared a ribeye and some sides. After a night-cap, it was time for night-night.
Day 5- Curacao
Coffee was delivered at 715 by the butler, then off to Luminae, then a stroll around downtown in Curacao for a bit. We came home empty handed but had a nice walk until 1115 when we were back on board and reading in the Royal Suite.
We headed down to The Retreat for some cocktails then to the show "Intimate Broadway Cabaret" which was a Broadway musical revue with some very powerful harmonic voices. It was very entertaining.
Afterward Randi had her delicious short ribs in Luminae while I had tuna, done perfectly. That set the stage for a nightcap and bedtime.
Day 6- Bonaire
Happy 85 degree Thanksgiving day! The last of the A. B. C. islands for us is Bonaire. More built up then last time we were
here, we walked around the shops which lead to a small town area then headed back. With no one on board, we meandered back to our quiet shady spot on deck 12, on the Retreat Sundeck while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on-line.
We rested there, maybe dozing once or twice. Later we decided to try the Retreat’s sit down lunch. I had a burger and sangria while Randi had the turkey bacon wrap. We both shared a fruit plate. We rested up for the next event, Frankie Valli music trivia, but needed more rest apparently because we missed a tie for 1st place by one point.
Back at the cabin, Randi enjoyed face-timing the family at home, wishing them all a happy Thanksgiving.
We went to see the comedian tonight. Scott Harris turned out to be pretty funny. Reggie the Matre'd, said we'd have a half hour wait for dinner at
Luminae. We never had this wait in the past and assumed it was due to all the large family groups for the thanksgiving cruise. Randi and I shared a turkey plate and two poached lobster tails. After dinner we next went to the re-vamped Newlywed game; nothing outstanding there. We called it a night.
Day 7- Sea
Low and slow were the words of the day. After breakfast we closed our account and got some envelopes for tips. Randi went to the casino this morning. We
had lunch with the captain, the hotel director and other officers in the Blu restaurant, which is always a perfect event. The chef made special plates for Randi while I had the fish. We took a small nap, to ready ourselves for an always perfect, Luminae dinner.
Day 8- San Juan, Puerto Rico
We could have stayed on the ship and saw immigration at 930 but decided to get off the ship a little before 9am and taxied to Old San Juan with Lady Lise. She had to pick up some supplies. We then walked around and stopped in Walgreens, CVS and Ralph Lauren. Ralph was having a 50% off everything sale. About 1045 we headed back to the ship. We had to wait for the terminal doors to open
at 11 then we were quickly back on board and in the Retreat waiting for Joan and Gary. We met Anthony and Mary Dixon's kids as they came for the second week and a new couple from Dallas, Rick and Patty. Gary and Joan arrived at the retreat around 1130. They got some drinks and liked the new makeover look of the room. Randi invited Rick and Patty to have lunch with us at Luminae and we all had a good
time. During this time, I got to sneak up and get some shots of the Penthouse before it was reoccupied.
Again it was done in modern grey and white style with no apparent changes in structure. While it seemed nice we know that our friend,
Cheryl, who used to book the penthouse many times, I am sure would not approve of the new changes.
Muster again was at 445pm. We were in the revolutionized Rendezvous Lounge early. Gary and Joan was one of the announced rooms for not being fully checked in. Later we met up in The Retreat and found out Lise has not returned yet from shore since 9am and it is now
7pm. She has a half hour to get back or fly to Barbados. We went to dinner in Luminae and during that time, the Brown's came in to let us know she returned with 10 minutes to spare. Next was the Scott Harris show which was the same act we saw last week but was still funny, then was bedtime.
Day 9- Sea
Coffee delivery woke us at 705 then Gary and Joanie met us in Luminae for breakfast around 830. Meanwhile up by the sundeck, Joanie couldn't find a shady place. Randi and I did the hot tub thing, then stayed in the sun for a while then
changed, for lunch with the Captain and his staff. This cruise it was on an earlier day.
Randi was seated next to Arjan the Hotel Director who is going home after this cruise, and I was with Pedro the GRM. Joan and Gary were down at the other corner of the table. It was a very festive and lively event with the same menu as last week, so I had the beef. It was very good and we all had a good time. Next we found ourselves on deck 11 in the shade.
Next on the program was trivia, we tried our hands at music trivia where we got 26 out of 30 and not quite good enough for a first place score of 29 out of 30. General trivia was next with outrageously hard questions which we got only about half correct.
The rest of the evening was split between the Retreat, dinner, the casino, visiting Blu, the Cosmopolitan and Tuscan to make a reservation for tomorrow at 630.
Day 10- Barbados
Docked with us in port were the Azamara Journey and the Queen Mary II. After breakfast Gary and Joanie left the ship and we were on board without many guests.
They returned around 1130 from shopping the terminal. I made Randi some tuna fish and a piece of chocolate cake at the Oceanview. When we left, the men's room near the grille by the pool, I noticed for the second time that the bathroom smells of urine. I should mention that to someone.
We started at the Retreat, got a drink but didn't stay long. The room was empty.
We checked out the lifeboat deck and viewed the QM2 and the Journey lit up for the evening.
We walked the length of the deck out of doors toward our dinner reservations which were for 630 rather than 7.
As it turned out the restaurant was not busy and it was explained that there were many cancellations, perhaps because we departed 80 minutes late. No matter, dinner was a combination of small plates for
us from meatballs which were excellent, pizza, crab cake, arugula goat cheese salad and half of Randi's skirt steak. After dinner we checked out the "Revoiced" show which was very good. Five guys, used only their voices, no instruments, to sing and sound really good. That was the end of this night.
We checked out the lifeboat deck and viewed the QM2 and the Journey lit up for the evening.
We walked the length of the deck out of doors toward our dinner reservations which were for 630 rather than 7.
Day 11- St. Lucia
After dinner in Luminae I walked Joan home and Randi and Gary took some fun pictures and played the casino. Randi had a winning night!
Day 12- Antigua
Gary joined us late for breakfast while Joan was a no-show. Later we all connected and we walked through shops along the pier. Randi got a pocketbook. The Hert's got a few shirts for the kids. Heading back to the ship, we wandered to the retreat sundeck for lunch and spoke with some officers who were also having lunch, about the lack of shade on the sundeck. They said they knew it was a problem and were working on a
solution. Afterwards, we rested on the sundeck while the cousins dipped into the pool.
We went to future cruises office to chat with Donna, the future cruise manager, only to find out that the Summit cruise that we decided on was pulled from the inventory. This may or may not have something to do with the redevelopment of the pier in San Juan. Stay tuned.
We went to the Retreat to stop by to meet up with the senior officers and the Captain. We were able to to take a nice picture with the Captain.
Dinner tonight was in Tuscan Grille. We hosted Sir Clive and Lise on their 26th wedding anniversary on their exact wedding day. It was very nice with a champagne toast, wonderful dinner and anniversary cake with a beautiful speech by the Matre'd.
Day 13- St Kitts
The only port of call on both legs of our journey was St. Kitts. Gary and Joan could not decide to go to the beach or not. After checking with future cruises for updates, which there were none, we all went to island to pick up a few things. We went into a lot of shops. After his ok text, I got my
friend Alan a carton of Marlboro Menthol Whites cigarettes for $24. Meanwhile cousin Joan decided to get her hair braided by one on the local girls. Nice? When we were done it was back to retreat sundeck for lunch. Randi and I then packed a little. When done, we rested on our deck. We were done with showers early and went to look at jewelry on deck five from the trunk show. Cocktails were next in the Retreat. Lamb and lobster was the dinner in Luminae. Then, an hour in the casino, Then, nite-nite.
Day 14- St Thomas
Off to town via taxi, we were dropped at the market and walked the main street which was closed due to a project of laying cobble stones. That should be complete in a few days.
We saw Gladys' cafe and had to stop in for a drink. One of the servers knew Clive but they were unsure where exactly he lived. He later told me he was just below the Governor's mansion. All done in town, we taxied back, packed some and waited for Sushi on Five to open at 2pm. They need to return to earlier opening hours and more staff to make this work smoothly.
We finished packing and meet with future cruise staff member, Marsha to book but Summit sailings were still gone so we booked Reflection for November 2021.
At Luminae we found out that Reggie left the ship due to an emergency with his son at home. After the "last supper" we said goodbye and tipped our staff for the week. As Vikas says, Done Done!
Day 15- San Juan
Up at 530 which was really 430 since we read the clock incorrectly again, I watched from the deck as we maneuvered into our homeport dock. We had breakfast around 730, then made payment at future cruises on the new booking, Off to the retreat
lounge to say our goodbyes and wait to disembark. The last call for passengers was 910 so we left at that time. There was no one in the terminal so our bags were easy to find. A porter picked up all of our bags and wheeled them to the taxi to airport.
Once at the big bird cage, another porter worked hard to put all bags through agriculture screening first then dropped them at the weigh station. He worked so hard that we gave him a little extra tip. Once through TSA pre check, we walked to the gate by 950a. Once settled, we relaxed in the priority lounge, just round the corner until our boarding time at 1pm. Our first class flight was at 140. Another cruise done and best of all, we are now Zenith Members!
Thoughts for the survey:
Overall- This was another excellent experience, on Celebrity's Revolutionized Summit.
Ship- It was first rate with new blue, white, and grey exterior paint. Interior grey and white color scheme is bright and appealing. This is our first time onboard her after the revolution.
Entertainment- We passed on all the production shows but the single and group acts were good including Scott Harris, comedian and "Intimate Broadway Cabaret," which was a Broadway musical revue with some very powerful voices and harmonies. It was a very entertaining show.
Retreat- Although we enjoyed the richness of the traditional wood in the old Michael's Club, we grew to like the new look. All staff inside performed well. There are times though when more than one bartender/server is needed when the number of people in the retreat, exceeds the server's physical capabilities. That is when service becomes slow.
Retreat Sun deck- It is exactly what it says, sun, with little shade. For those who need the shade as we do, as well as the peace and quiet that the Retreat Sun deck provides, more shady areas are needed.
Stateroom- The room and remodel was perfect with excellent staff taking care of us, Anu and Hafi. The one disappointment was that the music channels have been removed from the TV. That was a nice feature to have in the past.
Crew mentions- put in a comment card for Vikas, our waiter who assumed full responsibility preventing my wife's food allergy from surfacing and Rinku, a cleaner whose positive attitude and smile were infectious. Suraj who also served in the Luminae restaurant as well as stocking the retreat was great! Also special mention to the Tuscan Grille Maitre’d who delivered a special anniversary speech.
Ship mechanics- the men’s room door, next to the sky lounge needs to have its spring replaced so it remains closed. The subfloor of the ramp in the casino needed to be replaced since it was moving under the carpeting. After mentioning that to the Hotel Director, it was fixed. Although the ship's exterior was recently painted, I was already seeing some rust bleeding through the white paint in places. Also problematic, was, the men's room near the grille by the pool. I noticed more than once that the bathroom smelt of urine.
Restaurants- Luminae food and service top notch again especially with head waiter Vitas from India. The Tuscan grill was outstanding also. Qsine’s food was great. The video presentation show though was a one-time event. Once seen, and it’s done. Only disappointment in the restaurants was Sushi on five which has reduced its hours and has a later opening at 2pm on port days. That is inconvenient if you normally lunch between 12 and 130. The late opening also caused a rush at 2pm. The other disappointment in that venue was a lack of staffing. The few times we visited, orders were slower than normal to deliver.
Dress code- this ugly little problem reared its head once again on this cruise with men wearing shorts and flip-flops for dinner. In addition, I was embarrassed for the Captain at his luncheon, the first week, where a gentleman wore a bathing suit, flip-flops, along with a shirt with the phrase, “big hands, big feet, do the math.”
Possible solution to the above- Just as we currently sign off and agree to the terms of the cruise contract, there can be another sign off to agree to the specified dress code. Once signed and agreed to, the signed contract, would give the power to the Matre'd to enforce and remove, if need be, the offending person from the dining venue; a power, which he or she at this time, does not seem to have.
*** Would it be possible to receive a reply to this possible solution?
Thank You,
Mark DeGennaro
Zenith Status ACHIEVED Dec 07 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment