My mother and I planned a short cruise on the Celebrity Summit to check out “the Suite Life” for the first time. When an opportunity came to sail on Royal Carribean and check out their private island (Perfect Day at Coco Cay), we managed to schedule these two cruises back to back and save some plane fare.
Freedom of the Seas
Royal was up first, which in hindsight was a blessing. The cruise was only 3 nights, from Miami to Nassau, then Coco Cay, then back to Miami. We flew in the night before (we got the Maryland flag Southwest plane!) and planned to spend the morning before embarkation touring Miami. I’d never been before and was excited to see a new city. We got a late dinner from Manolo & Rene Grill – they were so nice and the food was amazing. Best plantains I’ve ever had in my life.
It poured rain all night and was still raining in the morning – not the greatest tour weather, especially when the vehicle was supposed to be an open-top bus. OpenMiami has these cool vans where the walls and ceiling are all glass and can be pushed forward to open the bus up. With all the rain, there was flooding on a road coming from Miami Beach, so the bus was late to pick us up. We were worried that we’d be late for checking out of the hotel, but since there was only one other party on the tour, our guide was kind enough to drop us off right at our hotel instead of the designated drop-off point about 15 minutes (walking) away.
Check in for the Royal cruise was more complicated than checking in for our Celebrity cruise back in August 2021. It wasn’t always clear where to go or what to do next, and there were so many more people (the ship was fully sold out, at about 70% capacity). These were the biggest crowds we’d been around since COVID started. Some people were rude and pushy, and many weren’t wearing masks or wearing them correctly even though it was required both in the terminal and on the ship. By the time we finally got to our cabin (which was a little dated but comfortable), I was ready to not leave it again until we got to Coco Cay. And that’s basically what we did, other than meals (breakfast and dinner) at the Windjammer (which had great food, both in quality and variety) and going to make some arrangements for Coco Cay and COVID testing.
We decided to get a Chill Island cabana for Coco Cay. They’re pricey ($500) but can easily hold 8 people, so its not so bad if you split the cost. We were a little miffed at the Shore Excursions desk because they had a sign up that said they opened at 4p, but they didn’t actually open until 5p. But we did get our reservation, so that’s what matters.
The morning of Coco Cay day was also COVID testing day. They offered free tests onboard if you needed them for traveling internationally or were going on a B2B or side-to-side (S2S; traveling on a different ship than the first cruise) with Royal or a sister company (like Celebrity). We had gone to guest services on day 1 to sign up, but somehow we still weren’t actually on the list when we went to get tested. So we had to go get and show ID (passports) and then wait for them to make the paperwork. Luckily, I asked if we had time to get breakfast while waiting (we did). The testing was easy and they said they’d have the results by lunch but it actually took until about 8 or 9p. Every single time we talked to anyone about the testing, they seemed utterly confused as to why we needed it, so we had to explain about the S2S about 7 times. Not very organized.
Once we were finally tested, we could grab our gear and head ashore! It was INCREDIBLY windy and the waves were blasting the shoreline. They did a fantastic job building jetties around this island because the waves were practically non existent in the swimming areas. The cabanas were really nice, with chairs, couches, and lounges. It was a little cool with all the wind, but the fan in the ceiling would be very helpful on hot mid-summer days. The cabanas came with an attendant who brought us drinks, fresh fruit, and lunch. Coco Locos are now my favorite drink of all time – super addictive (luckily, we were getting virgin ones, so no just had to worry about calories not getting drunk). I went swimming and floated on the (included) swim mats for a while. The cabanas included free bluetooth speakers, and a couple cabanas around us decided to have a battle over who could play the loudest, so it wasn’t a peaceful beach day, but it was very pretty.
I had forgotten a power adapter for my phone (there’s power in the cabanas, but it’s real plugs, not USB) and we’d forgotten cash for tips, so I made the long trek back to the ship. I realized that Freedom otS was actually running its engines at a pretty good speed to hold the ship against the pier so it wouldn’t snap the lines with the waves. Crewmembers from both ships were lining the pier keeping everyone walking down the middle because waves could actually hit you if you walked near the edges. I appreciated the effort they were putting into keeping everyone safe (although they probably were protecting themselves against lawsuits). I decided to take the tram back to the beach instead of walking so I could see some of the other parts of the island (the tram stop near the cabanas is the last one). The pool area in the middle seemed like party central, with music BLASTING. There didn’t really seem to be any areas on the island for relaxation.
Bottom Line: Royal Caribbean is a fantastic option if you have kids (the pools, water parks, mini golf, rock climbing, ice skating, etc.) or are looking for a party vacation, but the experience was very different from Celebrity and not what I’m looking for. I’ll never say never, but I doubt I’ll sail with them again.
Celebrity Summit Suite Life
Royal was a bit of a disappointment, while Celebrity exceeded all expectations. (Remember I said it was a good thing we’d done Royal first?) We stayed in our cabin on Freedom as long as we could, then finally headed ashore and got a cab down to the terminal at the opposite end of the port where Celebrity Summit was docked. They weren’t allowing passengers on yet, but it was a beautiful morning so we were fine sitting outside and waiting. We even met some new friends!
Once the staff was ready, we were escorted into the terminal and to the Retreat (suite class) lounge for check-in. We met the Retreat concierge, Connie, and they had coffee and pastries waiting, though we barely had time to sit and eat them before the ship was ready to start boarding. Connie escorted us through the last check point and then onto the ship, where about 10 officers and crewmembers were waiting for us, cheering and clapping. I will fully admit that I teared up here. Summit will always have a special place in my heart as the first Celebrity ship I sailed on, with nothing but fond memories from every trip (this was my 3rd time sailing on her). In addition, I know (or can try to imagine) how hard it was for the crew to go so many months without sailing, it was clear to see their joy at having life go somewhat back to normal with their jobs and passengers. We were offered cold towels (which weren’t really needed since it wasn’t too hot, but were appreciated) before we were led inside.
Connie was taking anyone who wanted to go to the Retreat Lounge, but most of us wanted to see our cabins first and drop off bags. And whoooo boy, what a cabin it was!! We’d booked a Celebrity Suite, which has huge floor to ceiling windows, a seperate bedroom from the living room, a true walk in closet, and a jetted tub in the incredible bathroom.
We met our Personal Retreat Host (aka butler) while in the room and our stateroom attendant. The room wasn’t quite ready yet, so we scurried out of their way and headed to our muster station to get that checked off. We then went to Luminae, the suite-only restaurant, for lunch. Service was top notch and the food was both delicious and beautiful.
There was a suites-only sail away party on the helicopter pad on the front of the ship, but we decided to stay on our balcony and watch from there. Summit had pulled straight in that morning instead of turning around first, so now needed to do a pirouette in the turnaround basin to get oriented to leave. Got some beautiful shots of Miami at sunset.
Our 5 night itinerary included Nassau, a day at sea, Cozumel, and another day at sea. We were originally supposed to go to the Dominican Republic instead of Cozumel, but construction of their new pier had been delayed by COVID. We’d considered doing an excursion in Nassau, but nixed it for the Dominican Republic (and then Cozumel) instead. However, our Cozumel excursion got cancelled, so we spent 5 days without ever getting off the ship. It was nice to be able to see land, though, and get some great sunrise/sunset/view pictures.
The ship was EMPTY. 600 passengers on a vessel designed to hold 2200. 100 of those 600 were in the suites (which were fully sold out). The captain made a joke on the first day, welcoming us to our private yacht. One night, I went for a walk and ran into more crewmembers (4) than passengers (2). Taking pictures of empty spaces was kind of creepy. We enjoyed having so much attention from the crew, but felt bad that they and the cruise line were hurting for business. This was my first time on Summit since it got ‘Revolutionized’ in 2019; it was very nice to see how beautiful they’d made the old girl.
Besides having a larger stateroom, the advantages of the Retreat are service.
- On the first day, we had Connie arrange our dinner reservation, schedule our shore excursion (which ended up being canceled), and make an appointment with Future Cruises (they come to you in the Retreat Lounge instead of you going to them). None of these were things we couldn’t have done ourselves, but it was nice to know someone could pull strings or work out issues if they came up. Sometimes scheduling things yourself is easier so you don’t have to go back-and-forth multiple times if the first timeslot doesn’t work or your first choice excursion isn’t available.
- Our personal retreat host / stateroom attendant were always setting up nice things for us. They asked what drinks we liked the first day, and we were kept stocked with ginger ale and tonic water the rest of the cruise (more than we could drink). We got truffles and snacks, which were appreciated but unneeded calories. I think (or at least hope) we were pretty low maintenance and definitely were appreciative of the things they did for us. Just because you’re paying for extra service does not mean you can forget that those providing it are still human beings who deserve respect, gratitude, and praise.
The food in Luminae was incredible. It was nice to be able to order from either their menu or the main dining room menu (where I’ve never had a problem with the food). Some nights we mixed and matched. At breakfast, there were items available (like kielbasa!) that you can’t find anywhere else. We also went to Tuscan Grille (Italian/steakhouse) one night, which was delicious. And there was a special burger lunch (menu items from Edge class’s Rooftop Garden Grill, served at the Tuscan Grille).
There were also fun activities, like a ship scavenger hunt (I’ve finally memorized the layout of the Millennium class ships!) and a pasta making demonstration. We of course spent some time in the spa and the beloved Solarium with its Thalassotherapy pool. We enjoyed afternoon tea in the Retreat lounge (although it was more unneeded calories). We were also touched to see the officers conduct a Veterans Day ceremony on the pool deck.
All good vacations must come to an end. We had an incredible sunrise arriving back in Miami. Being in a suite meant we could keep our luggage until that morning instead of putting the suitcases outside the night before. We had breakfast and relaxed in the Retreat Lounge since we had a later flight. Connie finally made “last call” and escorted us and the other remaining passengers out. It was tough to say goodbye and head home after such a wonderful trip. But we’ll be back!
