Summit 042118 spring repo 8 + 1 night cruises 77-78, club points 2612, Cabin 6142 RS, porting at San Juan, Puerto Rico; St.Thomas St.Martin; Sea; Sea; Bermuda overnight; Sea; Cape Liberty.

Master: Captain Charalampos Theocharis (Harris); Hotel Dir.: Arjan Ssheepers; GRM.: Miguel Cunha;  Cruise Dir.: Patrick Leynes; F&B: Loren Arsovski; Staff Capt.: Maria Gotor; Michael's Club Concierge: Anastasia; Suites Officer: Priscilla; Butler: Chip; Room Steward: Made; Waiters: Dominic, Fauzi, Juan Pablo; MaitreD: Luminae: Charles;  Somelier: Shiraz; Michael’s Club server: Alexandra; Michael’s Club bar server: none.

DAY 0 San Juan
We were up around 3am to get ready for 4:30 car to get to EWR airport. No alarm, just excitement. With the car slightly early, we got to the airport just after 5. There are no porters at jet blue anymore. The passenger now does it all- dragging bags in, checking in, printing boarding and luggage tags and scaling up bags. All in all, it was a quick process, as was going through TSA. After breakfast, our flight, JB1289 left on time at 7:33 and we were smoothly delivered to the San Juan terminal by 11:20 am.

After some traffic El Convento was a $26 taxi ride away. Our room was ready so we dropped our bags and lunched

at St. Germain, a little lunch bistro two blocks away. The tapas bar where we typically lunch at the hotel was still closed due to the hurricane.

Afterward we took a few laps around town and ended up in polo, as Randi had a 30% coupon in her phone that she just had to use, that is after the 40% store wide sale.

We enjoyed the wine and cheese reception at 6. Dinner at the hotel was calamari mac and cheese in a red sauce and a meat / cheese cutting board. Our long day's adventure had come to a sleepy ending around 9pm. 

DAY 1 Embarkation 

We woke up at 7:30 to a beautiful San Juan morning; temps in the low 80s and relatively low humidity for this time of year. We walked to the top floor to see if the ship was in port but couldn’t see through the buildings so we went down to courtyard to have a leisurely breakfast. I had the french toast and Randi had eggs with bacon and fruit. By 11, we checked out and were on our way to Summit.

As our taxi pulled up to Summit we noticed Randy and Connie from London, Ontario were in the taxi in front. We said hello and got on line. By the time we got to the head of the line, cousins Gary and Joan arrived.

Check in was a breeze. Joanna, the events coordinator, escorted us to Michael's Club, which from this point on, I will refer to as now as, Mike's. We had a drink or two then Cheryl and Sommer from the Cypress section of Houston walked in. That completed our crew of eight but soon we were making new friends. Rob and Cindy from Bellaire, also within the Houston area,

joined us. Previous cruisers, Marilyn and Frank from South Jersey were there and were talking to Gary. Mr. Albert who lives aboard Summit, came into Michael's.

We meandered to lunch in Luminae and were happy to see old friends Charles the Maitre d’, as well as Dominic and Fauzi who we're waiters. We sat at a table for four. I had a burger while Randi had the chicken. By the time we finished lunch our bags were in hallway. It was an easy unpack for this veteran cruise team. Here are some pictures of the Royal Suite that was ours for the week.

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Muster drill for this cruise was at 5:15pm rather then 7:45 as it was last time. It seemed long and drawn out. But soon, everyone headed to Mike’s where we met Alexandra the bartender/server doing both jobs and slowing service down, not because she was bad at what she does but because this was a two-person operation and it worked very well that way in the past. This time it was only one person.

Dinner was set table for 10 which is a bit too big in my estimation. I much prefer six or eight for table conversation and quality service. Most other times it was Joan, Gary, Randi and myself. I ordered the duck but it was very fatty so I ordered the beef filet which was perfect.

Cheryl had many parties planned in the Penthouse. The first was the sail away party which included bubbly drinks, real bubbles and more! We hit the hay about 11 and slept till about 7

DAY 2 St Thomas

I called Chip, our butler for coffee and croissants at 7 and we enjoyed them on the deck as we maneuvered into the Crown Bay pier, in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. The weather was a perfect 82 degrees and low humidity.

The four jersey boys and girls, decided to stay on board and enjoy the ship, the hot tub and the pool with no one on board to bother us

.Lunch today was at Sushi on Five where we met Daisy. She was very nice and thorough, and served us a wonderful lunch. We were relaxing on our deck till the "single ladies" Penthouse party at 4:45. Why I was there, I don't know, except I was invited by Cheryl. LOL

We met Joanie and Gary at Mike's for drinks before the show and bumped into Sir Clive, an elder statesmen, from Saint Thomas, who was knighted by the Queen of England for all his volunteer work. In addition, his cruising history on all waters, all over the globe began in 1955 and is too extensive to list it all. The production show at 7 was titled, “Soundtrack.”  I rated it a 5 while Randi only gave it a 3.

Dinner at Luminae- everybody had the Halibut except for me. I had the first of my many meals I previously requested from "around the world." It was spicy curry beef from India and it was very good. Gary and Joan went to next show while we went to sleep.

DAY 3 St. Martin.

It was cool and began as an overcast day but Randi has many plans for today! After the four of us enjoyed breakfast in Luminae, we grabbed a taxi at 10am and dropped us at the center of front street.

 We started at, Sam Sam the perfume man. Then picked up some shirts with sayings; one that we thought "fit" Cheryl well. Next we walked into Gulmohars and payed for the spirit order that I emailed Gulu last month. He delivered it to the ship. No hassle.

Next we couldn't miss Raj and Sam in Ultimate jewelry in their new location. Their old store was destroyed in the hurricane. Randi got a beautiful journey necklace and earrings. I got a new gold and onyx bracelet. They treated us to lunch on the beach at NuLove restaurant. The restaurant also had hurricane damage but with a new roof on top, they were back in business. We were back to the Summit by 3pm.

There is very little nap time available on this cruise!  Cheryl rang our bell to invite us to a to a 4:45 party which turned out to be rather nice. We are back at Mike's by 5:45 then off to the

Tuscan Grill, an Italian steakhouse at 7. The whole gang is here.. Since I ate there before I decided to order something other then the rib eye steak which Randi had, so I went with the Bronzino which was good but honestly I probably would have enjoyed the steak more.

DAY 4 Sea 1

During our Luminae breakfast Randi met the folks from New Hampshire who we sailed with previously, and finally found out their names- Julie & Ken. Randi wanted to go to the Cruise critic party to meet Pattycakes, which is her screen name, from Brooklyn and did get to find her. Other then that I remember why I avoid these parties. They are not the most exciting events to attend.

We next took a rest by the indoor pool but soon it was time for sushi so we visited Daisy again. Later in Mike's we went to our 3pm appointment with the future cruise manager and booked three new cruises. 

Afterwards Randi went to the casino for a bit we went back to the Stateroom for a short rest and found an invitation to attend the officer’s luncheon tomorrow afternoon in the Blu restaurant. But the day was still young, so we went to Mike's to imbibe and enjoyed Clive's company while there.

Next was the 7 o’clock show, starring illusionists, Kyle and Misty, the two on the far outside. I always enjoy these kind of shows and some of the things they performed on stage were just amazing. 

Now this Luminae dinner was a little bit of a mix-up for myself and Gary. This is Dominic on the right. I thought that Charles said he was going to make us chicken marsala. Instead it wasn't an Italian dish at all. It was an Indian dish with a name very similar to chicken marsala which I can’t remember. Anyway it was very good we both enjoyed it.

After dinner while Randi played slots in the casino, I went up to the Revelation night club, and watched their version of the newlywed game which is always fun.

DAY 5 Sea 2

Chip brought us coffee then we had a small breakfast since we knew we would be having lunch with the captain in Blu.

Lunch was a very nice and elegant set up. They were tables lined up 3 x 3 forming a large rectangular shape with about 25 people including about five officers. I had the pleasure of

sitting next to Angeliki Iladou, the ships financial officer or what used to be called, The Purser. Lunch was fabulous starting with burrata and tomatoes, Greek salad and a cheese and meat plate. If I remember correctly I had a lamb chops as an entree. It was really nicely done with good conversation, good wine, and good food.

We met in Mike's as usual at six and then had dinner for ten people including Rob and Cindy. I just want to mention here, before I forget, that the internet was problematic this cruise compared to being great last time. It was slow and sporadic and knocked us off line from time to time.

DAY 6 Bermuda 1

During breakfast Gary was lavished with a shirt with one of those funny sayings from you know who....Cheryl. After that, we were on the Hamilton ferry at 10:30.

We walked up and down the town buying a shirt here and a trinket there. We also found a big poopie for Cheryl and a funnel so she could pour her a liquor into empty water bottles. We sat down for some drinks and snacks in a restaurant

called Bullisocial, set in a nice flower filled, little park.

We were back at Mike's at seven and gave Cheryl the stuff we bought today. Her eyes lit up when she saw the size of the poopie and the funnel went over well also. Now, off we go to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Lumanae.

DAY 7 Bermuda 2

We decided on Mike's for breakfast. If you like a continental breakfast and coffee, cappuccino or an eye opener, it's for you. I had a bialy, lox, cream cheese, onion, and capers. Randi had cereal. Next was some well needed sunshine by the pool. Although temperatures were in the 70s, the sun felt strong and good on your body. We spent some time up there until lunch at Sushi on Five; then a little

more pool time. Finally, we went to a crazy sale-away party in Cheryl's Penthouse where she handed out socks with two footed sayings her guests. 

Back in our cabin, I phoned Anastasia, our concierge, and asked her to ask a future cruise person to meet with us in Michael's club to go over some paperwork. She told us there would be no problem and there wasn't. In 15 minutes it was done.

DAY 8 Sea 3

Today was wrapping and packing day. We got through most of the packing pretty easily and were able to spend some time on the ship having fun. Randi tried her luck in the casino while I went to see the comedian at the special 3pm show. It was a rescheduled performance from two evenings ago. He was pretty good and the show lasted an hour.

We also had a tour of the bridge today. Here Gary is driving and Joanie is watching.

Cheryl was up to one last trick in Michael’s club tonight. She passed out slippers. Yes, slippers, with animal sayings and animal pictures on them. 

Everyone got a kick out of them. We said our goodbyes, just in case, but eventually strolled down the corridor for our last supper in Luminae. No pun intended. Here is another great waiter we had in Luminae, Fauzi.

DAY 9 Disembarkation

I was up early today, way before our scheduled wake up time 6:30. We met up with Joanie and Gary for breakfast. We gave our remaining creamers to the crew in Luminae and said goodbye to the boys.

The bed in our room was already converted to double twins.  We headed down to Michael's and weren't there but only a few minutes when Presilla, the sweet, suite manager asked us if we were ready to leave. We disembarked at 9am, and got a porter soon thereafter. He picked up all our bags and liquor except for one shoe bag, but at this point neither of the Hert’s knew that it was left behind. We went to customs and found it a little odd since this was the first time we did not have to fill out a customs form. We passed over our passports and had a short conversation with the officer and we were on our way.

Randi was already in touch with Airbrook Limo so by the time we got out to position six he was just about there. But this was also the time that Gary discovered that the dreaded shoe bag was missing. He decided to go back later to the port to pick it up. 

I don’t remember ever getting home this early. By 10 o’clock we were walking in through the front door. Another great cruise has come to an end. We are already looking forward to the next one which is in November.

Some thoughts I provided Celebrity via the survey.

Positive 

All the suite staff including in Michaels, Precilla, Anastasia, Alexandra; in our room, Chip Madie; in Lumanae, Charles Dominic and Fauzzi and others.

Negative

Michaels club should have two people serving, a bartender and a server as it used to be. If not, doing both jobs and slows things down. This was a two-ßperson operation,

Positive

Daisy in Sushi on Five. She was very nice and thorough, and served us a wonderful lunch.

Positive

Illusionists, Kyle and Misty. I always enjoy these kind of shows and some of the things they performed were just amazing. 

Negative

I just want to mention here before I forget that the Internet was problematic during this cruise compared to being great last time. It was slow and sporadic and knocked us off line from time to time. Others on this cruise as well as some on the previous cruise whom we know, complained about the same problem.

Summit 111818 112518 Two, seven-night back to back cruises 73-74 and 75-76. club points 2516, Cabin 6141 RS

Schedule revised due to hurricane:
San Juan, Puerto Rico; St.Kitts; Antigua; Martinique; Barbados; Granada; Sea; San Juan; Sea; Barbados; St.Lucia; Antigua; St.Kitts; St. Thomas; San Juan.

Master: Captain Kate McCue; Hotel Dir.: Mario Valentino; GRM.1.: Miguel Cunha; GRM.2.: Cameron Robertson;  Cruise Dir.1: Patrick Leynes; Cruise Dir.2: Alejandro Tortorelli; F&B: Cemal Ozcelik; Staff Capt.: Panagiotis Kiousis; Michael's Club Concierge: Anastasia; Suites Officer: Maja (Maya) Davidovic, Butler: Peter; Room Steward: Wayan; Waiters: ONeil, Lazar; MaitreD: Luminae: Charles;  Somelier: Matty; Michael’s Club server: Illya; bar server: Collin.

DAY 1
As we descended on San Juan we could see many roofs with blue tarps on top.Our 8:30am EWR Jet Blue flight landed around 12:15pm local time. We got our bags relatively quickly and proceed to find a taxi to get to the pier but were stopped by a Celebrity agent who was offering free transfers to the pier due to the hurricane. It always takes longer when you use ship transfers and this tine was no different. After we placed our luggage tags on our bags for our new stateroom and after about a half hour wait, we were on our way. I will tell you more about the new stateroom later.

As the shuttle drove from the airport we saw many signs of hurricane damage along the way. Some buildings were gutted or collapsed and some trees were still down. As of this writing, 50% of the people remain without power.

We arrived at the pier and proceeded to the "passenger only" line since our luggage went separately to ship in another vehicle just like it used to travel in the old days. Inside, check in lines were longer than normal but remember, we arrived later than we usually do. After a short time at the desk we were escorted to Michael’s Club by one of the future cruise sales people where we meet Anastasia, the club’s concierge and Peter, our butler. We sat for a quick welcome aboard drink. Randi spotted Steve and David from a previous cruise. We said hello than we went to our stateroom to unpack our carry-on luggage.

We only found out two days prior, that we were given the Royal suite for both legs of this cruise. Originally we were in a sky suite but sometime in October, we upgraded to a Celebrity Suite Guarantee, which means you are guaranteed that class cabin or better. You do not know however where your cabin will be.

We have been in the Royal before which has a dining area for meals or just for morning coffee,

as well as a full living room, tv and desk.

The bathroom is nice size with a walk in shower and Jacuzzi.

The bedroom is comfortable with a tv and makeup table. 

The deck is spacious with a table and chairs, two lounges and a hot tub. 





On our way out we met our stateroom attendant, Wayan. We went back to Michael’s Club and on the way met Maya who is now promoted to Suite Manager. Inside Michael's Club, we met and quickly got into some good conversations with Rob and Sue from the Toronto area. By 5pm and after checking with Anastacia we decided to go the Tuscan Grill in our travel clothes at 6pm since our luggage did not arrive yet.

Dinner was lovely. We ate multiple appetizers and shared a rib eye steak and of course enjoyed some wine all on the house because of the Royal Suite.

Afterwords, we saw the comedian Fred Klett who was real good when our eyes were open, that is. We were obviously tired after a long day and hit the hay after the show.

DAY 2

Woke at about 7:15 and ordered coffee from Peter. Around 8:30 we went to breakfast at Luminae. We saw Charles the Maitre’D and saw O’Neil, our waiter. Christine and John who looks like Bill Clinton, lives in CA. They were seated next to us and were very nice. Randi was able to order her onion free dinner after breakfast was finished. Next, we were off to explore St Kitts.

We just stayed in the shopping area for a few hours. I bought a hat, than we headed back. It was very hot there. Back on board went to Sushi on 5 for lunch where Randi had 2 rolls and I had lobster dumplings and Udon and Dry Creek Chenin blanc. 

Afterwords we found a couple of lounges on deck 4 in the quiet and shady side of the ship where we watched the waves and fell asleep for a couple of hours.

That evening we want to Michael’s Club for a drink and then to Luminae for dinner. Randi pre-ordered the escargot, asparagus soup and Halibut. I went with the rack of lamb from the main dining room which was very good.

The show, "Soundtrack" could have been better with stronger singers, but it was entertaining. Randi decided to hit the casino. I decided to hit the bed.

DAY 3

We woke up to coffee being delivered to stateroom and arriving at Antigua. Our Luminae breakfast consisted of a shared bowl of grits then I had eggs Benedict and Randi had eggs Florentine.

We walked around the shops in town and found they had not been affected from hurricane but their sister island Barbuda, was hit very hard. Folks from Antigua were being asked to foster one person from Barbuda due to the total devastation there.

We came back and sunned by pool. Later for lunch at the poolside Grill, Maitre’D Denis got Randi an onion free burger and fries while I got a turkey burger. We drifted into a nice nap under the warm Caribbean sky. 

Tonight is evening sheik. Randi and I look pretty good in our island peach colors- others, not so good. LOL. Off to Michael’s club to try a pre-ordered flyte of gin martinis from our server, Illya and a Pino Gregio for Randi. We saw Sue and Rob for a bit,

then went to Luminae for a nice dinner. Matty, our wine steward from Poland brought us a nice Cabernet called Decoy. After dinner we headed to the show to see These Guys, a four man singing group. They were pretty good.

DAY 4
In the morning our ship stopped in Martinique and our coffee came around 7 while we were getting dressed. We had a tour planned for 9am. We enjoyed a nice Luminae breakfast and headed to the pier. Randi caught a few more winks on the 45 minute bus ride.

Then we got to the Zoo were we saw monkeys, raccoons, a variety of birds, butterflies and more. It was hot but bearable with the cool breeze. After a cool drink we re-boarded the bus to go to the second stop, the Nielson Rhum factory. We toured and tasted but it was not much to our liking. We were back by 1, washed up and headed for sushi on 5 for some lunch. Relaxing was the next item on the agenda. Tough life, huh?

Tonight was Qsine dinner at 8 again, all complimentary because of the Royal Suite.  We had multiple dishes without onions for Randi. All the dishes with the wine were very delicious.

DAY 5

Today was nice and bright as we arrived in Bridgetown Barbados. We only got off to stretch our legs and walk through the shops in the terminal, buy some shirts and come back on board. Pasta was the choice for lunch in the Oceanview Cafe. We relaxed by the pool for the afternoon then attended the repeaters meeting at 6pm in the conference room. New item: we found out that we can meet customs on the last day at 9:45am in the Revelation lounge, check off the ship then check back on-board, without leaving the room. No need to disembark anymore. Easy peasy!

This evening we went to Michael’s Club for drinks with the guys and met the officers, including Capt. Kate. Dinner was in Lumanae for 8:15. I had lobster and beef wellington while Randi had scallops.

DAY 6

Granada is the port of call today. Picturesque and colorful, we went for a walk through town and ended

up in a narrow "car and pedestrian" tunnel; a little scary. Randi wanted to take the train ride but decided against it after finding out it cost $40 and because also we’ve done it before. So we came back to the stateroom and relaxed on the lounges in the peace and quiet of an almost empty ship. Shush. Nap time!

We tried to do lunch in the Oceanview Café and attempted finding something for Randi to eat safely ourselves, then found a Maitre’D who was not very helpful. Thankfully, Charles came to the rescue at the right time. He went down to the galley and made an onion free chicken salad, for Randi. He’s the best Maitre’D we have had by far.

We came back to our deck with no intention of napping again but the sleep gods waved their hands and our eyes gradually closed. This was a very restful cruise. Later, we face-timed with the Hert’s later to say Happy Thanksgiving. 

We got dressed for cocktails and dinner. Randi stopped in the casino for a bit as I met up with Sue and Rob and eventually, Mr. Al. We found out that Albert will reach his second Zenith status in two weeks. What a celebration it will be. We are approximately 500 points away from reaching our first Zenith status.

Thanksgiving dinner was just lovely with Turkey and all the trimmings and best, no clean up. We met the Executive Chef this evening, who has been making all the special sauces, sides and entrees for Randi during the trip. 

After dinner we returned to Michael’s club for some conversation and a night cap then headed to bed, but first we passed by Rob and Sue dancing the night away in the Rendezvous. 

DAY 7

Today is the last full day, of the 1st cruise, as we motor toward San Juan. Seas have been constantly calm this cruise. The best is there is no packing, no fuss, just enjoying the ride there. Had breakfast, lunch and dinner in Luminae and thanked our service people for what they do for us. Randi got a couple sets of perfumes from the shops on board and we played bingo but did not win. Nor did we win in the drawings for the ipad or the lottery. We spent some time in Michael’s Club in-between stints but quickly called it a night around 11.

DAY 8

Turn around day is today. We docked in San Juan about 5 am. I was up, and seemed to have enough sleep and was working on this blog. Around 7, I woke Randi. Breakfast service would be finished by 8. After saying goodbye to Kay and Dianne we went up to get our passports and paperwork and enjoyed an hour in the warm San Juan shade on a lounge by the pool. 

We strolled into the Revelations Lounge to meet the Customs official and while waiting, we booked the Tuscan Grill again for 6pm tonight. I guess we were finished with customs by about 10:45 so we went back to the pool since all the fire doors to the staterooms were locked. We said hello to some crew members on deck that recognized that we stayed on as back to back cruisers.

About noontime, Randi suggested lunch at Luminae. We enjoyed some fish skewers and she also had some fried chicken, with our wine. On the way out we introduced ourselves to passengers Kelly and Kimberley. We thought we recognized him from a previous cruise but that turned out not to be the case. We later found out they were in the Penthouse to celebrate her 50th.

After lunch, we showed Cristina and John our suite. They loved it and in turn they showed us theirs which was the same as Pat and Rod’s from last cruise. Afterwords we returned to our lounges to rest but I was the only one to sleep as Randi read her book.

We had a quick drink in Michael’s club at 5:30 then strolled to the Tuscan Grill for appetizers and the Porterhouse steak. The steak was good but in my estimation, not worth the additional charge of $18. The rib eye on last cruise was just as tasty. Dinner was put on hold for the muster drill but afterwords we returned for some dessert and coffee. Nice night.

DAY 9

Today we are on our way sailing back to Bridgetown Barbados. I woke up around 6:30am, just before another beautiful sunrise. Weather is warm and comfortable with some wind but smooth seas. I called to get some coffee and muffins delivered by Peter, our butler.

Luminae breakfast was next, then off to stroll the ship. Went to casino to watch Randi play but while there, I put in $20 and took out $75. High Roller! Lunch was in Luminae. We saw this cute three year old (visual: she holds 3 fingers up) little girl who was not shy at all. We rested on the open deck in the shade until the sun became too much for us so we went back to stateroom.

Randi thought it may be a good time to book a new cruise for us, the Hert’s and the Barrack’s. Although the 2019 spring repo cruise on Summit was not out yet, we “phantom” booked an existing cruise to get the on board credit. On the way to Michael’s club we took a possible

Christmas card picture in the Rendezvous, then met the gang in the club and soon after the Captain walked in and sat with us for a while. She is just lovely, exciting and outgoing. Enjoyed another Luminae dinner and made a reservation with Charles for Dinner for 4 tomorrow as the Brown’s wanted to join us. There is a $30 PP cover charge. Before heading to Michael’s for a nightcap, we caught them dancing again in the Rendezvous Lounge.

DAY 10

Slept in a little later, but still made breakfast by 9. Next was our pool time where there were less the a dozen people there including Gary in the background. Everyone was ashore in Barbados. We did the hot tub, and sun for a while and some shade.

We had lunch in Sushi on 5. Randi has a new favorite there, shrimp tempura roll. Later, we went back to our deck to lounge around.

We had to fix a few things with Anastasia. Charles said Randi cannot do Taste of Film because most of the food is prepared with onions so we cancelled. We also cancelled the Nevis Beach break but I asked her to let us know the ferry schedule so we can go and explore ourselves. She is still trying to adjust our captains’ club points for this and the previous cruise as they are still incorrect.

We missed taking our Christmas photo tonight by the Christmas tree but went to Michael’s club to have a cocktail with the crew.

The Browns joined us in Lumanae for dinner tonight and what a nice time we had. While the meal was excellent, so was the conversation and the company. After a nightcap in Michael’s it was time to say goodnight.

DAY 11

Today’s routine was similar to yesterdays. After a quick Lumanae breakfast, we were at the pool by 10 and stayed for about 90 minutes, showered, then lunch then onto shore to St Lucia. Randi and I decided to get Oneil some presents for his soon-to-be 5 year old daughter which we will give him tonight. Randi looked for her perfume and found one “discounted” by 15% which was exactly the same price as on Antigua. When she found the second also discounted by 15% she asked for an additional discount. She was told you were already getting a 30% discount! Go figure. It’s the new math.

When we came back we spent some time in the library reading books and being on line. We also got to see one of the fine ladies of the past. The Zenith was in port with us. It's always good to see our second ship we sailed on, once again. 

Later we went to Michael’s because the officers would be there tonight. The regular gang was there including Mr. Albert. Soon we saw the Captain, her staff captain, Mario the Hotel Director, the Food & Beverage Manager and more. It was a lovely evening where we got to chat with everyone and take some pictures. The Captain had to leave because she was opening a new line of her nautical jewelry on deck 5.

Dinner at Luminae was very nice. This is where we spotted Mario hosting a guest with a service dog for dinner who later we met and found his name to be Lawrence. After dinner we went back to Michael’s and chatted until about 11.

DAY 12

This morning was a mirror image of yesterday. After lunch at Sushi on 5, which by the way I now have had all the bowl/soup dishes. All were excellent.

We visited Antigua for the 2nd time. We got a bunch of shirts and Randi broke down and got her perfume. We killed more time walking around the stores and markets but eventually went to

Café al Bacio for a Affogato which is espresso and chocolate syrup served over gelato in a martini glass. Yummy! Christina turned us onto this.

Back at the stateroom around 4:30 we cleaned up for the evening. We took a few more possible Christmas card pictures, and walked the ship looking for items to spend our non-refundable money on. Randi eventually made her way to fortunes casino and I, to Michael’s. She got some money back. I got a drink and some conversation. We found out that Danuta will be back on board as Hotel Director next cruise. We are sorry we missed her. Next we went to see the comedy and the many voices of Mike Wilson. It was a pretty good act.

Dinner was great again; tuna for me halibut for Randi. Then we went back to Michael’s to close our evening.

DAY 13

Today we are back to St Kitts but we are going to Nevis by ferry and see what it is like. Once ashore on St Kitts, it was a 5 minute walk to the ferry and a $10 per person fare. The ferry left just after the 9:30 scheduled time and arrived around 45 minutes later. We sat upstairs and outside enjoying the sun and breeze. Not much to walk and see in Charlestown, since Nevis is known for its beaches and that it is the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton.

But we did stop and see the Jewish cemetery which I believe dates back to 1677. After walking a bit more we had seen as much as there was to see and headed back for the noontime ferry.

Check this out. Look how Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas dwarfs the Celebrity Summit in size. It looks like you could fit two Summits inside,

By 1pm we were grabbing pizza and paninis on the back of deck 10 with an amazing view of St Kitts. Later, we decided on getting a jump on packing and filled two checked bags. Then it was reading and relaxing time on the deck.

We showered, shaved and dressed for tonight’s festivities. The first stop was the casino to use up some on board credit. I began at the roulette table and Randi at the slots. I was doing well and got back all my promotional chips that I was given plus $25.

Randi got my attention by saying, “I won the $1000 jack pot.” Whew, a good night for both of us. Now if we can get rid of the rest of the credit tomorrow, we’ll be all set.

I started for Michael’s. First I saw Sheri and Len there who

introduced me to a real nice guy, Lawrence. He was with his service dog, biscuit. He was a very interesting fellow I thought. Randi soon arrived and also thought the same. Sue and Rob followed in rounding out the group. 

Dinner in Luninae was nice. It was lobster night. Randi had her lobster in cream sauce and mine was enormous from the main dining room. Umm, Umm, good. We went back to Michael’s to kibitz some more. They started teasing me that my eyes were shutting down so we said our good nights and went back to the stateroom.

DAY 14

Welcome to the beautiful island of St Thomas. We are one of the first ships back in port after the hurricane. We’ll see if we notice any damage as we walk to town. As we approached docks end, I noticed a sign saying 2 miles to town. Normally we can do this walk but in the heat of the Caribbean we decided to taxi in. We looked for a watch band for Randi’s watch but she will have to get it on-line since it was not readily available on any of the islands. She got a few mouse pads for the guys at work at the flea market and we went back to the ship with a lady from Israel.

Now it is time to do most of the packing so the rest of the day will be free. Afterwards, we grabbed a bite at Sushi on 5 and saw Charina there. We told her we would mention how good a server she was in our questioner. The second day in the restaurant she recognized us and called us by name and remembered about Randi's allergy. 

We chilled on the deck until shower time; than we went to the casino to win back some of our money. I started with $65 of theirs and won back $45. All in all we did well in the casino on this trip.

We went to do some last night reminiscing with the Michael’s gang then went to the "last supper" in Luminae. It was another wonderful meal. Charles and Oneil were very excited since they would be going home tomorrow. Oneil would be home in Jamaica on Sunday while Charles would be back in India on Monday. Although he lives in India now he is originally from Portugal. We went back to Michael’s after dinner to say goodbye to everyone.

DAY 15

I was up early on disembarkation day and saw a beautiful moon set over a mostly, still dark, San Juan due to the hurricane. We said our goodbyes to the wonderful Lumanae staff and left them our coffee creamers. Then, onto Michael’s club for the comfortable wait to get off ship which we finally did around 9:30. After saying goodbye, Anastasia escorted us to the elevator and off the Summit for the last time, this cruise anyway.

The pier and porter service went smoothly as did the taxi ride. The airport porter was wonderful, getting our bags, bringing them through agriculture inspection and back to load up for us.  I guess we got finished and began sitting in our seats around 10:30. Now all we have to do is wait for our 2:10pm flight home to Newark.

We had lunch at the airport in Popeye’s. It wasn't bad but it wasn’t Lumanae. LOL. The flight home seemed speedy. After a wonderfully relaxing cruise, it is great to be home.

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I waned to share my on line survey that I sent in to Celebrity after the cruises ended:

We had a fabulous back to back, two week cruise aboard Summit,

Excellence on this ship starts from the Captain down. We have sailed with Captain Kate a few times prior and she continues to amaze us with her confidence, approachability, visibility, outwardness, articulate and humorous talks and her care for her crew and her pax. We've seen some of those characteristics passed on to some special crew members that I would also like to mention.

First, we find Luminae to be an overly exceptional restaurant, thanks to the executive chef and also because of our Maitre'D, Charles. Charles would continually, go above and beyond, and out of his way to help my wife Randi deal with her onion allergy. His excellent service was not only present in Lumanae every day, for two or three meals per day, but also in the Oceanview when other Maitre'Ds would be less effective. Charles was our best Maitre'D in more then our 20 years of cruising!

Secondly and also in Lumanae, Oneil, our waiter, was the simply best you can get! Always a gentleman, consummate server, over skilled in listening and communication, and suggestion giving, Oneil was always, mistake free, Oneil is the paramount server and staff like him is one of the reasons we keep coming back to Celebrity.

Third, we took advantage of Sushi on 5 for about 6 or 7 lunches and wine while we were on board for the two weeks. Please see the wine list. One server stood out in our mind the first time she served us, and even more, the second time we dined with her since she actually remembered our names. Her name was Charina. With her attention to detail, we only had to tell her the first time of the onion allergy and she never forgot and helped us to make our meal choices. She is someone who stands out in our minds and should make the cruise line proud.

There were many other crew who were always willing to help, but these three people stand out in our minds and we were very lucky to have them. They were instrumental to help us to enjoy our cruise. If you would indulge me, I would personally, along with my wife like to recommend them for promotion. They deserve it!

Very truly yours,

Mark DeGennaro

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