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Well, it’s safe to say that I am *officially* a huge fan of the (Celebrity Cruises) cruise life. Before this trip, I had never been on a cruise before, so this was an entirely new experience and adventure. As someone who grew up on boats and loves the water more than land sometimes, it only makes sense that I would enjoy it, but I had to take the chance to really discover if it was for me when it comes to vacationing.

When Johnny and I received the opportunity to do a four night cruise with Celebrity Cruises, we knew we wanted to make it work and see what all of the hype was about (upon doing some research I only read amazing things about the Celebrity Cruise lines!).

Now, if you were to ask me about the trip, I would talk your ear off about it… and go on and on about the cleanliness, amenities, food, and the kind people. It blew away our expectations, and I wanted to consolidate our whole experience, along with our tips and recommendations, into one spot for you all in this post!

We did the ‘4 Night Western Caribbean’ adults-only cruise that entailed the following itinerary:

Day 1: Miami, FL Port/At Sea

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico

Day 4: At Sea

Day 5: Miami, FL Port

Even though it was only four nights, we felt like we were on it for two weeks, as being ‘at sea’ really allowed for us to disconnect and feel like we were completely disconnected from society (and in a way we really were!). I would definitely recommend booking a similar itinerary, especially if you’re looking to book your first cruise trip and get a feel for it! Although the longer trips to places like Europe are already catching my eye…

Getting There

Since we are still very much in the pandemic, Celebrity Cruises had a very thorough pre-boarding process that we were extremely impressed with. I would recommend downloading the Celebrity Cruise app as soon as you sign up for a trip, which will contain the exact protocols you’ll need to follow for the specific trip you’re attending.

For us, we flew from New York City to Miami and had to get a PCR or rapid test within 48 hours of boarding the ship. We did so at the LaGuardia Airport as they have a Covid testing center on the first floor of the garage in Terminal B–I would just recommend leaving about an hour buffer time (in addition to the normal time you’d have at the airport) to get tested there before your flight.

We ended up getting both a PCR and rapid test (though we only needed one of either of those to board the ship) just to be extra safe, and received the results to the rapid tests in our emails before we even boarded our flight to Miami. Thankfully we were good to go and it was ~smooth sailing~ from there!

We reserved a time to board the ship through the Celebrity Cruise app, and then upon boarding, we had to show the results from our negative test (we had them on our phones which worked great!) as well as our vaccination cards and our passports. In all, we probably showed all three about three times before we boarded, and felt that the process and system was exceptionally thorough and cautious. I was unbelievably impressed.

Once we were on board, there was no additional testing and we honestly felt like we were in our own Covid-free ‘bubble’ along with the rest of the passengers and the crew members, who had all undergone the same testing. It’s worth nothing that 100% of the Celebrity Cruise employees are vaccinated as well, and they undergo consistent testing too (which was so transparent to the passengers that they would actually announce it over the ship’s loudspeaker when all of the crew members’ routine Covid tests came back negative!).

Overall, it was by far the most organized and cautious vacation experience that I’ve had during the pandemic so far. I was absolutely not expecting a cruise to feel like the most secure and Covid-free trip that I’ve taken over the past two years, but it absolutely was.

The Celebrity Cruise Employees

Let me kick off this section by making a rather big statement– if you’ve never been on a cruise before, now is the time to try it out (if you’re comfortable and willing to take the necessary precautions of course). The ship that we were on, the Celebrity Summit, had a lower capacity due to Covid, which made it feel like our own private luxury cruise experience (which as you’ll see in this post, was the coolest).

There were also 700 employees working the ship, which made for unparalleled personalized service. I have to say that this was by far the most special and noticeably exceptional aspect of the cruise– the kindness and attentiveness of everyone who worked on board.

We walked onto the ship for the first time and were greeted by a line of Celebrity employees clapping and cheering for our arrival, and then we were handed a cold compress towel that smelled like eucalyptus and a fresh fruit-infused ice water (our luggage was already taken care of as well and was on our way to our suite!). It was overwhelming in the best way possible and we were only consistently surprised and delighted by the crew from there on out.

I later did even more research into the cruise line and was blown away in learning about their CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who is known as a visionary in the hospitality industry. She started as the CEO in 2014, and from what I can tell has really led the expansion and level of luxury on the Celebrity Cruises. On board, I was consistently amazed by the level of service, the pristine accommodations, and the level of brand partnerships I saw on board– with brands like goop, Elemis, and Veuve Clicquot (I read that Lisa felt a connection to the first female leader of Veuve, which is why they’ve become such an integrated partner of Celebrity).

I’ve never left a vacation knowing so many of the names of the people who worked where I was staying. Johnny and I got to know so many of the people who worked on the ship, and hear about where they’re from, how they got involved in the cruise industry, and what their experience working with Celebrity was like. It was clear that they had a strong loyalty to the cruise line (there were people who had worked there for 15+ years!) and were dedicated to making sure we had a 10/10 experience.

This post wouldn’t be complete without shouting out a few of the crew members we got to know and who absolutely made our first cruise experience… here are a few standouts! Kevin handled our luggage when we boarded and was such a welcoming and helpful presence, Glenn and Donie were our butler and stateroom attendant and were super detail-oriented and always friendly, JP was our favorite waiter in the Tuscan Grille and he couldn’t have been nicer, Catherine did my massage at the spa and was so lovely and amazing, Connie was our concierge in The Retreat Lounge and was SUPER helpful and patient with us to answer all of our questions and manage our reservations, and last but not least, Rendy was an absolute superstar at the Martini Bar and provided us with endless entertainment and martinis! 

It’s hard to explain just how awesome the whole crew was, so it’s the type of thing that you honestly really have to try out for yourself to see what I mean. We also met and got to know a number of the other passengers on board, especially since there were so few of us, and we heard from a number of people who had done other cruises that Celebrity Cruises was “the Ritz Carlton of cruise lines” and I’ve been describing it as that ever since!

The Celebrity Cruises team was kind enough to extend a special discount code for you too…

Use the code CELCARIBBEAN for 20% off your booking!

Where We Stayed

Sky Suite— Johnny and I stayed one of the ‘staterooms’ called the Sky Suite (#6127 to be exact!) which was 251 square feet. It had a queen bed, a closet, plenty of space to unpack two suitcases in a large closet and a dresser, a flat screen TV, a bathroom with a combination bath tub/shower, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that opened up to a 57 square foot balcony. I would say that my biggest misconception about going on a cruise was that I would feel closed in or claustrophobic, and I honestly did not in this room! The ceilings weren’t too low (Johnny felt comfortable and he’s 6’3″) and it was so nice to have the large glass doors that allowed a lot of light in and also the ability to pop out and sit on our balcony (where there was a small table and couch!) whenever we wanted. Additionally, the suite included a desk area where Johnny worked from for the first afternoon we were there in the port of Miami, which worked out really well.

Along with this suite, we had the ‘Stream WiFi,’ and ‘Premium Drink Package,’ which included wifi and all of the alcoholic drinks on the cruise as well (more on that below!). I found that the Wifi was best near the Solarium, Spa, and gym on the 10th floor (which is a super detailed comment but was a key aspect of my trip as I was posting while we were there, in case you have to do any slight work while you’re on board!). Additionally, being in this suite allowed us to have access The Retreat amenities, which included the Retreat Lounge, The Retreat Sundeck, and the Luminae Restaurant– all of which were luxury lounge areas and restaurants on the ship that are exclusive to suite-guests only. They were some of my favorite aspects of the ship, so I would highly recommend booking the Sky Suite.

I’d also like to note that the Summit Cruise model that we were on is one of their older models that was recently completely refurbished in 2019 so felt brand new in many aspects. Our suite was immaculately clean and tidy, and was straightened up every day by our amazing butler and stateroom attendant, Glenn and Donie! Now that I know and am obsessed with Celebrity Cruises, I’m already eyeing trips on their newer ships as well, like the Beyond and Edge! Although I standby what I’ve previously mentioned as the Celebrity Summit being the perfect intro to cruises and such a beloved, special ship and crew.

What We Did

There were a plethora of activities and things to do once you were on board, all of which we could see from the Celebrity Cruise app and the pamphlets that were placed in our room each day. Honestly our favorite days were when we were completely ‘at sea’ and got to spend the whole day exploring the ship and relaxing.

Saw a comedy show— On our first evening on the ship we stopped by the two-story theater on board after dinner to catch the end of A.J. Jamal’s standup routine. He was hysterical and it was a highly entertaining and and fun way to round out our first evening on board.

Lounged in the Solarium— The Solarium area on the ship contained an indoor covered wading pool (4′ deep) that had a number of jets and places to relax within it. There were also two hot tubs, a spa cafe that offered fresh smoothies, juices, and healthy bites, and a number of daybeds and lounge areas to hang out and lay down. The whole room was made of windows that looked out on the sea, so you felt like you were outside without dealing with the heat or harsh sunshine! We loved relaxing, reading, and hanging out in there so much, that it was probably where we spent the most amount of time during the trip.

Took a spinning class in the gym— On our first full day at sea we took a morning spin class in the workout room off of the gym and it was incredible! It was challenging but so much fun, and you could be any level to attend (I don’t usually do spin classes and I thought it was hard but not impossible!). I was super impressed with the gym overall too. It was huge, immaculately clean, and had top-notch equipment like Peloton bikes and a dozen treadmills that looked out into the ocean (+ much more equipment too!).

Got massages at The Spa— Additionally on our first full day at sea we opted for a couple’s massage (I received the reflexology one and Johnny got a deep tissue massage). Catherine did my massage and she was wonderful– it was the ideal way to completely destress on our first day of vacation. They also had a salon on board where you could get your hair or nails done as well! It looked beautiful but I ran out of time to try it out (next time 😉).

Catamaran & snorkeling excursion in Cozumel— On our day in the Cozumel port we got off of the ship in the morning and walked basically down the dock to get on the ‘Fury Catamaran’ for a snorkeling and private beach excursion! We set sail and anchored by the coast for some snorkeling and I simply couldn’t get over how warm the water was– it must have been in the mid to high 80s. We saw a number of colorful fish who would swim right up to us, and a few barracudas as well, who we stayed further away from (lol) but were really cool to see. We then hopped back on the catamaran and sailed over to Fury’s Aqua Park, which is a private beach that had dozens of beach chairs and day beds, it’s own tiki bar with beer and margaritas (that were included!) and a blow-up water jungle gym in the ocean that included multiple water slides and a water trampoline. You could also take out kayaks and paddle boards (again, this was all included with the excursion!) or just lounge in the water, which was crystal clear and felt like a bath tub. It was basically Johnny’s dream come true, as he loves nothing more than water activities and a pristine beach! A rain shower ran through during our time on the beach, which honestly felt amazing as it was in the 90s temperature-wise, and we hunkered down in one of the covered daybeds and watched it roll through which unbelievably relaxing.

Relaxed on The Retreat Sundeck— Another one of the areas on the ship that we had access to because we were staying in the Sky Suite was The Retreat Sundeck, which was a private area on the top deck on the bow side. It contained its own restaurant and bar, hot tub, and a number of tables, lounge chairs, and daybeds. I thought the decor was so chic and the whole atmosphere had a very serene and private appeal to it. We spent a sunset in the hot tub and were literally the only people in the whole deck– it was crazy! It’s definitely a perk of being in the Sky Suite that is SO worth it.

Watched the sunset from our balcony— This was simple yet one of my favorite aspects and memories of the cruise. A few evenings during our trip Johnny and I grabbed a martini from the Martini Bar (they were kind enough to let us take a martini to go… love them) and we sat out on our balcony and watched the water and sky change colors with the sunset.

There seemed to always be something going on– whether it be live music in one area, a golf putting competition going on elsewhere, and a variety of other activities here and there as well. It was Johnny’s dream trip, as he is very much an activity-oriented person (whereas you can give me a book and a cocktail and I’m good to go for hours!). Lucky for us, the cruise itinerary and offerings catered to both.

Where We Ate

Let’s just start with… where didn’t we eat?! We tried to test out as many of the various dining offerings that the ship had, and I’m pleased to report back that we over-indulged and I now have the scoop on our favorites. I feel like I keep saying this, but we were so pleasantly impressed with all of the many dining options and the exceptional quality of the food! I had some of the most delicious meals and best cocktails of all time while on board (The Martini Bar espresso martini! The pool bar’s piña colada!) and you know I take my ‘cocktailing’ very seriously and do NOT say that lightly!

Luminae— Luminae was the specialty restaurant that we had access to as part of The Retreat (which we were a part of because we were in the Sky Suite) and we ate there twice for dinner and once for breakfast. Every time was phenomenal and the service was especially personalized and over-the-top incredible. They offered Global-inspired meals and we enjoyed everything from steak to French onion soup, along with wines that their sommelier recommended for us. In addition to their own menu, you could also choose to order off of the menu from either the Blu or Cosmopolitan restaurants on board as well, but still get the beautiful environment and personalized service that Luminae offered.

The Spa Café— This café was located in the Solarium and provided the healthiest options that we saw on board. We had a smoothie from there almost every single day of the cruise and it was the perfect way to kickstart our day with something nutritious (you know, before I moved on to a piña colada and nachos…). They partnered with goop to have a goop x Celebrity Cruises detox smoothie that I particularly loved as well!

Oceanview Café— This was more of a huge restaurant that wrapped around the boat and had a dozen+ stations that reflected international cuisine options. Some of the highlights included the over-the-top dessert bar, the nacho station, the wood-fired pizzas, and some of the best Greek salad I’ve ever had (and that’s coming from someone who was just in Greece!). We loved how you could pop in here at any time and make a plate to satisfy whatever craving you had!

Tuscan Grille— There were a few specialty restaurants on board that weren’t included in the ‘Premium Food/Drink Package’ and this was one of them. We wanted to try it out though and were so thankful we did! It was Italian cuisine and you could literally see the chefs hand-making the pasta in the kitchen when you walked into the restaurant. We got a number of items to share and the ricotta gnocchi and grilled branzino were the standouts! We had JP as our waiter and he was so thoughtful and kind that we came back to visit him again on our last day on the cruise for lunch, in which we enjoyed the most insane burgers there too!

Sushi on 5— This is another one of the ship’s speciality restaurants that is 100% worth the additional cost. It’s Japanese cuisine and really hit the spot as something different to try out on board! The spicy ahi tuna starter was my favorite and the staff there was kind enough to even add on additional items for us to try throughout our meal.

The Martini Bar— Ah, this could be our absolute favorite component of the entire cruise! Before this I wouldn’t have necessarily considered myself a martini person, but I just found myself ordering an espresso martini at the first bar I went to after the cruise so I have to say that the Celebrity Summit not only converted me into a cruise person but a martini person too. 😉 The bar opened up every day at 4pm (don’t ask how we know that) and was an absolute party from then on. The bartenders were so entertaining and talented– our favorite in particular was Rendy, who did tricks while he was making every martini and whipped up some of the most insanely delicious cocktails I’ve ever tried. We got to know Rendy so well that he brought out a speaker for Johnny and I to listen to the remixes he made as well (which were really good!). Paying a visit to The Martini Bar and asking Rendy to make you an espresso martini or his speciality spicy mango martini is a MUST.

Johnny would also like me to shout out Café al Bacio on the cruise which is where he would pick up coffee for us each morning. We could have gotten room service but he loved the coffee from there and supposedly made friends with the barista… classic. There were a number of other bars on board that we enjoyed as well, including the Sunset Bar, Pool & Mast Bar, and Sky Observation Lounge!

Here’s a special discount code you can use to book your trip:

Use the code CELCARIBBEAN for 20% off your booking!

Thank you to Celebrity Cruises for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. And thank you for supporting the brands that support my site!