After what seemed like weeks of research, my husband and I have booked a cruise on the Celebrity Summit (Jan 10 to 20), and we're pretty psyched about it. Only 6 weeks to go! We've splurged for a category 2B, and I think we're pretty close to mid-ship which makes me happy. Now, the question is, does anyone have any suggestions as to which ports of call I should book one of the shore expeditions, and which I can make my own arrangements?

Thanks in advance for the advice....

You didn't say where you were going, so impossible to give advice. I always book with the cruise lines, and with Celebrity, you can do it online and get your confirmation within 24 hours. That way, you're sure to get what you want. They'll send you out a book shortly, and take it port by port, figure what you'd like to see, and then work from there. We generally like the morning tours so we can get back to the ship for lunch, as we don't eat anything in port. Also, don't dring water or anything that has ice cubes in it. The shore excursions might be a bit more expensive, but they're safe, as well as if you're on a tour and it gets delayed, the ship will wait for you. Not so if you book your own, as they'll take off without you. Have seen it happen. It would be a nice picture of your ship pulling away, but your responsibility to meet up with it wherever that might be. Hope this is of some help, but let me know the ports.

Sue: You've been an absolute wealth of advice, and I appreciate it! I've read a number of your posts on different topics. These are our ports:

leave from Ft. Lauderdale
(2 days at sea)
Ports of call in no particular order:
St. Maarten
St. Lucia
St. Kitts
St. Thomas
Barbados
(2 days at sea)
Ft. Lauderdale

Because we've booked our flights on frequent flyer points, we're actually flying into Miami (we arrive two days before the cruise departs), and we've got a couple of days after the cruise before our flight departs from Ft. Lauderdale.

Hi Chump1,
You should love the ship, as it's a sister ship to the Constellation that we were on in August. Just not so sure that it's the correct ship for you, as I mentioned that Celebrity tends to have an older crowd. I'm sure they'll be people in your age group, but you might have to look harder to find them. The food will be great, and you can count on that. As far as the ports, that a very different itinerary. Guess they figured they'd try what most other cruise lines didn't. I can help with Barbados (our favorite), and St. Thomas. The other places I've never been too. As far as St. Thomas is concerned, I would take the bus trip called Sights of St. Thomas. It might be called something a little different on Celebrity. IT takes you around and then curls up the mountainside, where you get fantastic views of the harbor, as well as the ship. Sit on the left side of the bus behind the driver. You can see several neighboring islands from the top, and just beautiful. The bus will drop you off in town if you wish, and you can get back to the ship yourself. Shopping time! Bargain, know your stuff, and avoid the major jewelry store that all cruise lines recommend. I got Tanzanite ring and earrings the last time we were there, and looking for a matching bracelet on this trip. It's your last stop, so you can do your shopping there. Barbados is one of our 2 favorite ports, the other is Curacao. It is very clean and very beautiful. If you're not claustrophobic, there's a cavern and Orchid World tour. You'll also get to see much of the island. When we got to the caverns, my husband wouldn't go in, so I put on the hard hat, and took the train in. It's just beautiful, as is the Orchid World. This time we're doing a photographic bus tour of the island, something a little different. Many people shopped in town, but Barbados has "the best" dockside building for shopping I've ever seen. Be sure to try the Rum Cakes, and you can sample all. Everything is represented. Columbian Emeralds is fantastic, and will meet anyone else's prices. We renewed our vows last year for our 30th, and got a new diamond wedding band there. It needed sizing, and they took it into town for us, and brought it back to the ship with a bottle of champagne and the most gorgeous anniversary card. Well worth a stop for your jewelry needs or wants. Sorry I can't help with the other ports, but maybe somebody else has the experience. Aren't frequent flyer miles wonderful? We're doing 2 weeks land in Hawaii in April that way. Sue

Have you heard about the virus infection on the cruising ships...You should think it over...My wife is working on one of the ships...and it's getting very dangerous...she's coming home...

Can you be a little less vauge? What is happening with the illnesses. Also, has you wife become sick?

quote:

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Originally posted by Cougar:
Can you be a little less vauge? What is happening with the illnesses. Also, has you wife become sick?

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Hi Cougar,

I assume gsalu is talking about the recent cases of people being infected with a Norwalk-like virus (a stomach virus) on a couple of cruise ships.

There is absolutely no reason to panic or to stop taking cruises. First of all, there are so many ships out there and then - while the infection is of course very unplesant - it is usually not as dangerous as parts of the (non-specialized) media report.

The likelihood to become affected with the virus is very, very small. I would not waste my time considering to cancel my cruise, unless I'm very close to the sailing date and I definitely know that "my" ship is affected.

Best regards,

Raoul Fiebig
Das Ruderhaus

Thanks for a prompt reply. That is good news. I figured that was the case. The media can sensationalize thing from time to time. We were not considering canceling, however we are concerned.

Thanks again

Cougar

We just returned from a 10-day ccruise on Dawn Princess, and no problem there. My husband brought along a can of Lysol spray, as well as rubber gloves for the casino. Several others in our group did the same thing. Wash your hands throughly, and don't drinl or eat on shore. For another view on this, read a review on Holland America Amsterdam of a man on his honeymoon. It's far more than hype as many suggest. It's real, and been going on since August at least, when the Ryndam was affected in Alaska. Don't worry, but be cautious.