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Celebrity Summit Review: Cruising Paradise

By Author Lance Longwell

Posted on Last updated: June 2, 2021

We’re frequent cruisers and have cruised on the Celebrity Summit ship twice. Our first trip was to the Eastern Caribbean on a holiday cruise. Our second voyage was to Bermuda following a significant renovation on the ship. Since we have cruised twice, we’ve seen changes to the vessel over time and have had the chance to really explore the ship. There aren’t a lot a lot of detailed Celebrity Summit reviews, so this may help others.

Celebrity Summit Cruise Ship Overview

Food review, cooking classes, entertainment, behind-the-scenes tours, ship by the numbers, celebrity cruises app, eastern caribbean cruise, check-in and disembarkation in san juan, eastern caribbean itinerary, bermuda cruise, check-in and disembarkation in cape liberty, nj, bermuda itinerary, a minor disaster, the overall celebrity summit cruise experience.

The Celebrity Summit is a Millennium-class vessel that was built in 2001 at a cost of over $350 million. While it is an older ship, it has been well maintained.

The 2012 renovation added cabins and other improvements to make the ship more similar to the company’s Solstice-class ships – larger public spaces, more dining options, and a few special perks for those in Aqua Class.

The 2019 Celebrity Summit refurbishment saw the most substantial refit and renovations in the vessel’s history. All of the suites, cabins, and staterooms were completely renovated. Dining options were substantially expanded with new specialty restaurants added. The casino was completely modernized. The Oceanview Café was remodeled and now has a better passenger flow. The renovations are more substantial than photos would indicate, including enhancements to the plumbing (more on that later) and behind-the-scenes areas.

Anyone who has cruised before will recognize the general layout of the ship and the Celebrity Summit deck plans. The lowest level is the gangway and infirmary. There are a total of 11 decks accessible to guests (labeled Decks 2-12).

The Celebrity Theater is in the bow of the ship from Decks 3-5. The shops, casino, front office, shore excursion office and lounges are available on Decks 4-5. Guest staterooms are located on Decks 2-3 as well as from Decks 6-9. Deck 10 is the pool and the buffet, called the Oceanview Café. Deck 11 is the walking track. Deck 12 is the sports deck.

Regardless of company, most cruise ships are laid out in a nearly identical fashion. While they may differ in the location of a specific bar or casino, it’s pretty standard.

On our cruises, we spend the bulk of our time on Decks 10-11, by the pool or on the deck above looking out at the ocean. When visiting some beautiful ports of call, it lets us have the chance to have excellent views at sail away.

On both of our cruises, we were in an interior stateroom. We were in room 2088 – an interior stateroom on deck 2 – during our Eastern Caribbean cruise. And, on our Celebrity cruise to Bermuda, we were in room 8105, immediately under the swimming pool. On cruises, we spend almost no time in our room, so the interior/exterior and room size make little difference for us. We’ve never paid for a big suite or balcony, and that’s fine by us.

Our Celebrity Summit stateroom was pretty standard and had two twin beds pushed together to make a king-sized bed just like every other cruise we’ve been on. The stateroom had a small sofa (more like an over-sized chair), a coffee table, and a little vanity station. There was a flat panel TV and a mini bar. The closets had one large compartment for hanging clothes and a smaller section with shelving (one shelf held a safe for valuables) to serve as a dresser. The bathroom was pretty compact and had a shower, sink, and toilet.

Since the refurbishment, the rooms have a more open concept and there is glass doors on the shelving and cubby areas, which make it appear more open and inviting.

One of the things that many cruisers look forward to is the food onboard. There are 9 different restaurants and cafes onboard. Every morning, we had breakfast in the Oceanview Café (Deck 10) in the middle of the ship. This is the long buffet with hot food and omelet stations in the morning and some cooked-to-order items for dinner. One evening, we had dinner here for the Asian stir fry, which was delicious. Most days, we had a late lunch at the Pool Grill (Deck 10), grabbing a quick hamburger and fries before soaking up some sun.

For dinner, we dinned almost every night in the Cosmopolitan Restaurant (Deck 5), which has been renamed with the super-boring name of Main Restaurant.

We opted for Celebrity Select Dining – a more flexible option giving us the ability to make reservations for the times that interested us. We made reservations most nights, and on the one time we didn’t, we only had to wait about 20 minutes.

The food in the Main Restaurant was quite good. To feed several thousand people, everything needs to be mass produced, but it is done in a way where quality standards were very high. We enjoyed it.

One night, we went to the playfully modern Qsine. The Qsine menu, which is presented on iPads, is full of deconstructed items or whimsical recreations of favorites – spring rolls served in large springs, sushi lollipops, or a taco mortar pestle guacamole. The food was exceptional and the service matched.

We were not in Aqua Class, but we heard good things about the private dining room Blu.

One of the special experiences available on Celebrity Cruises are some of the cooking classes. On select sea days, cooking classes are offered. In the morning, you’ll make a multi-course meal and then eat it for lunch in the Tuscan Grille restaurant. It’s a wonderful experience!

There were entertainment programs every night, including two Broadway-esque singing shows: the classics with Stars in Their Eyes and iHollywood, which had tunes from the silver screen. Additionally there was an iMagic show with the greatest illusions in history and Joel Mason’s Elton John tribute show.

Unfortunately, we didn’t go to a single one of the evening programs. For us, it seemed liked there was usually only one show, which seemed to conflict with dinner. For the nights when they had two shows, the first was extremely early and the other was in the middle of dinner.

Celebrity Cruises offers two different behind-the-scenes tours onboard. There is a behind-the-scenes Celebrity Summit Ship tour, usually on the first sea day. There’s a nearly $100 per person charge for the tour. You’ll see the bridge, the I-95 main corridor, and see how the magic is made. If you’ve never taken a cruise ship tour, it’s worth doing at least once.

There’s a second option for cruisers. The behind-the-scenes galley tour is free and not to be missed. You’ll descend into the bowels of the ship and see how your food is prepared. You can see the massive ice cream makers, employees cutting all the fruits and vegetables, and all of the prep work being doing. It is absolutely fascinating!

• Occupancy: 2,218 (after the 2019 refurbishment)
• Tonnage: 91,000
• Length: 965 feet
• Width: 105 feet
• Draught: 26 feet
• Year Built: 2001 (plus substantial renovations in 2012 and 2019)
• Number of Pools: 3
• Number of Hot Tubs: 5
• Number of Restaurants/Cafes: 9
• Number of Bars/Lounges: 9

The Celebrity app is a useful tool onboard. It has detailed schedules, deck plans, and even a handy messaging feature to keep in touch with friends and family members on board. One of our top Celebrity cruise tips is to download the app at home to save slow downloads on the first day on the boat.

The check-in process in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was relatively painless. The transfer of baggage from taxi to longshoreman took only about 3 minutes. Once inside the terminal, the lines moved very quickly. We were fully checked in and headed towards to the ship in about 20 minutes.

In some Celebrity Summit reviews we read, others noted a long, disorganized check-in process so we were expecting the worst. However, we found it to be efficient and consistent with other cruise lines.

Disembarkation in San Juan was also relatively painless. Like all cruise ships, you leave the tagged luggage outside your door by midnight. The luggage meets you on shore. We were some of the last to leave the ship, heading up to the Oceanview Café for breakfast before taking our time getting off the boat. Once in the terminal, we did experience long lines to clear immigration (sadly, no Global Entry kiosks in San Juan).

This cruise was a seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise leaving out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Depending on which ports are included, they either sell this cruise an Eastern Caribbean cruise or a Southern Caribbean cruise.

The Eastern Caribbean ports of call were:

• St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – Snorkeling Buck Island
• Basseterre, St. Kitts – Jammin’ at the reggae Cockleshell Beach
• Roseau, Dominica – Visiting Trafalgar Falls, Titou Gorge and the Champagne Reef
• St. George’s Grenada – Scuba diving the Grenada underwater sculpture park
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas – A visit to Magens Bay Beach
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

In each port, we opted to plan our own activities rather than book into one of the official Celebrity Cruises excursions. We’ve found this is a good way to get away from the crowds and have the kind of travel experience we really want. If you are new to cruising, we recommend reading our article Cruise Tips for a Better Voyage in which we share all of our tips and tricks.

The check-in in Cape Liberty, New Jersey, was the fastest and most efficient check-in we’ve experienced. Cruisers can now use the Celebrity Cruises app to upload photos of themselves and scan their documents. When you arrive at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, all you need to do is drop your bags, head inside, use the facial-recognition software, go through security screening and get on the boat. Total embarkation time for us was less than 5 minutes.

Getting off the boat was equally easy. Roll off the boat, walk through the facial-recognition software, pick up your bags, and get in your car. It could not be faster or easier.

The focus of this cruise is on Bermuda. There are usually two sea days in one direction and one sea day coming the other way. On some select itineraries, Newport, Rhode Island, or Charleston, South Carolina , are sometimes added. On some 10-day Bermuda cruises, both Newport and Charleston are added to the itinerary.

One evening we were coming back from dinner in the dining room and noticed the carpet in our hallway near our door was wet. It was about like someone had spilled a glass of water. No big deal. And then we heard the sound of water rushing in the ceiling above our heads. We opened the door to our stateroom.

The carpet was wet and water was pouring into our stateroom through the wall. Laura called down to the front desk and there was no answer – it rang for over a minute. By this time, some of our neighbors were encountering large amounts of water in their room. Down the hall, a family with small children started screaming and crying. Down the hall, some idiot yells, “The boat is sinking!”

Laura ran down to the front desk to try and get someone from the ship’s crew to come. They told her they were aware of the issue and it was being handled. Meanwhile, back outside our stateroom, there were no employees anywhere. I called the front desk and was told maintenance was fixing it. Meanwhile, no employees visible.

For over 30 minutes, water poured into at least a dozen staterooms and not a single employee showed up help or calm people down.

Despite having spent weeks in dry dock going through a multi-million-dollar refurbishment, it would seem the pipes had not been addressed. A high-pressure pipe connecting the swimming pool to a dump valve outside the vessel had burst. The entire contents of the ship’s swimming pool drained in guest staterooms – an estimated 15,000 gallons of saltwater – in our luggage, clothes, and personal possessions.

While waiting until 2:00am to figure out if we could go back into our room or waiting on employees to tell us anything, a server in one of the bars casually mentioned this has happened before. There have been at least two other burst pipes that have flooded the crew’s quarters on the lower decks of the cruise ship in recent months.

The next day, the captain and the director of hospitality met with the people whose rooms were flooded on the bridge of the ship. Explanations and apologies were made. We believe Celebrity’s efforts truly helped make the situation right and we were satisfied with the outcome. And, yes, we will probably cruise on Celebrity again sometime. But we were left with the nagging feeling that guest safety wasn’t a top priority.

We would cruise on Celebrity again, but would look to a different itinerary.

Our overall Celebrity Summit review is very good. While the Summit was an older ship, it was well maintained, particularly after the refurbishment.

The Summit itineraries are very good. The selling point of the 7-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean is the chance to have six days in port and visiting some amazing destinations! On the Celebrity Cruises to Bermuda, the main selling point was the ability to drive to the Cape Liberty terminal and have several consecutive days in port.

Lance Longwell is a travel writer and photographer who has published Travel Addicts since 2008, making it one of the oldest travel blogs. He is a life-long traveler, having visited all 50 of the United States by the time he graduated high school. Lance has continued his adventures by visiting 70 countries on 5 continents – all in search of the world’s perfect sausage. He’s a passionate foodie and enjoys hot springs and cultural oddities. When he’s not traveling (or writing about travel), you’ll find him photographing his hometown of Philadelphia.

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Tuesday 2nd of May 2023

Question- unsure if i missed this detail but we booked bermuda cruise for july and nervous about the pipes/plumbing thing now.. Can you please tell me if your plumbing issue was what year? hoping it was before the 2019 refurb? thanks in advance and thanks for the detailed review!

Laura Longwell

No, it was after the refurbishment. Considering how bad the leaking was, I would be surprised if they didn't check everything VERY carefully after that. Hopefully you'll have smooth sailing in every way.

Monday 20th of June 2022

I have an older android phone. It won’t allow me to download the celebrity application. Any suggestions?

Linda Lee Reeves

Thursday 30th of May 2019

We are scheduled to cruise to Bermuda in July. We ar under the impression the Summit haa been refurbished. It doesn'r sound thaf way according to Ms. St Hill's review. Was that cruise before or after the refurbishing?

Lance Longwell

Wednesday 5th of June 2019

To clarify, the Celebrity Summit refurbishment was in March 2019. It was a full dry dock refurbishment.

Jeanine St Hill

Wednesday 8th of May 2019

I just went on a Celebrity Summit cruise and the bathroom really had a sewage smell to it. We were show several rooms that also had that same smell. The room attendant said that the pipes needed to be fixed. I also experienced the same smell in one of the whirlpools. The food from the buffet made me sick, maybe it's because there are no gloves worn by the chef. The basketball court needs to be upgraded because the rim is leaning. The only nice thing I liked was the massage and the Solarium.

Linda Najam

Tuesday 2nd of April 2019

I do not have a cruise booked yet this year. But have been on Celebrity many times...Have also sailed NCL.. Carnival...Cunard...Royal Carribean...Princess and some lines that no longer sail...the old Home Lines and Sitmar...Been on 49 cruises ....and still think Celebrity is the BEST....hope to jump on one before the year is over!!!!

Cruise Review – Celebrity Summit 9 day Bermuda plus Boston and Newport

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Celebrity Summit Bermuda Cruise Review (plus Boston and Newport)

This was our 16th cruise, but our first Celebrity Cruise. We had heard many positives about Celebrity and were excited to finally have the opportunity to sail on the Summit. We had hoped to try one of the larger, newer Celebrity Ships, but this one fit our preferred travel dates and destinations, so it worked! I should mention, that we have sailed to Bermuda a couple times before and we just love Bermuda. I could go every year and never have enough. If you are considering Bermuda, Book It!!

First let me say that we loved this cruise! It will be an honest review with some pros and cons, as well as filled with a few tips for ship and itinerary – but I can tell you right now that I highly recommend the Celebrity Summit as a fabulous Bermuda cruise!

Who cruised: 2 adults, one teen

Cabin: Balcony

Perks: 2 perks available at that time. We chose the All inclusive classic beverage package plus Onboard Credit (which was a greater amount than the prepaid gratuities so best value)

Embarkation

This cruise departed from Cape Liberty, in Bayonne, New Jersey. One of the things I love about this cruise is that I can drive to this port in a little over 6 hours. This makes it an easy Summer cruise for us as we don’t have to worry about airfare. If you are a Canadian traveler (like me) or if you live in the North-Eastern states this might be a plus for you too! If you’re budget minded, you may appreciate that secure Port Parking is only 20$ per day compared to 40$ a day in Manhattan where some other Bermuda Cruises sail from.

We drove in day day prior to the cruise,  as we always do for every cruise.  This way we can relax, shop, have a nice dinner somewhere and be well rested and vacation-ready the morning of the cruise. We left our hotel after breakfast and headed to the port early. New Jersey highways can be confusing and signage isn’t always great, so allow some extra time to drive there.

We arrived at about 10:45 am and after a fast and easy check in, we were on the ship before 11:30 am. This was a surprise to us as it was one of the earliest times we have boarded. We weren’t able to go to our cabins yet, so we decided to start our cruise vacation with one of the fabulous coffees at Al Bacio.

Since we had the Classic Beverage package, specialty coffees were included – Amazing!! In my opinion Celebrity has the best all inclusive beverage perk. We had 2 cappuccinos and our son had the Affigato. This is such a treat – it is an espresso served with a small scoop of vanilla gelato and served in a martini glass. It was decadent, and I had it several times during this cruise.

The Celebrity Summit Impressions :

We had a nice embarkation day as we explored the ship. The Atrium is beautiful and elegant, but not large and grand in the way we have come to expect on many ships. We did love the layout as it felt very intimate and upscale, but it did surprise us.

We ate lunch in the buffet and found it to be very good the first day in particular. We were really impressed with the meat and fish grill in the back of the buffet, so do make your way over there. There were also some nice pizza and pasta stations. As the cruise went on perhaps we just got used to it, but we found it be slightly better than average, perhaps due to the lack of variety. We always felt the quality was consistent and very good.

Dinner was  to-die-for  every night! Seriously, we had some main dishes and appetizers and soups that we all agreed were absolute stand-outs, as in “the best we have ever had in our whole life”! The service was truly superb, from the waiter, assistant waiter, sommelier (remember we had the Classic Beverage Package), and right back to the Maitre D. This is what a cruise should feel like! Attentive, friendly and refined service. Celebrity does it right.

Entertainment and activities :

There were nightly shows that included typical production shows as well as a very funny Comedian that appeared twice. We aren’t super fans of the singing and dancing shows, but each to their own. The reviews from our fellow guests were “Two Thumbs Up!!“. The atmosphere in the evening was less lively than we experienced on the majority of our cruises. I am not really sure why that was, but it did seem like only one main event happened each night, so that if you weren’t at the main show, there wasn’t a lot else to do. We often like to relax  and hang out in a lounge or bar in the evening and often met a few new friends at the Ice Bar.

One super fun things to do (that was totally different) was the Silent Disco. This took place at the Ice Bar which is in the Atrium area. Fun, fun, fun! This was both the quietest and liveliest party all at the same time! I’ll explain. There is a DJ and there are headsets, so only those with headsets can hear the music.  There are 3 “stations” you can set your headsets – red, green, or blue. You can also change your frequency or station at any time. So at any given time you can see 50-100 or more people dancing, many to different music, and all in silence to those walking through. You could even find new friends to mingle with that are dancing (and possibly singing) to the same music as you. Here’s a photo just for fun!

• Cafe Al Bacio: This is a fantastic coffee bar/pastry and dessert venue for a relaxing sit down treat or take away.
• Diningroom : The two story main dining room was elegant and offered an incredible dining experience each night.
• Cabins: This is where the ship’s age shows and the cabin didn’t reflect Celebrity’s tagline of “modern luxury”.
• Celebrity special touches : In my opinion, the little extra touches that Celebrity provides for it’s passengers add to cruise in a subtle way, that you later miss and notice when it doesn’t happen on other ships. What touches? Take a look at the “water station” as we were getting ready for our tender at the end of a hot day in Newport, Rhode Island.

If you’d like to know more, you may enjoy:

Celebrity Cruises: 7 Reasons You Will LOVE Cafe Al Bacio

12 Special Touches That Will Make You LOVE Celebrity Cruises

The Ultimate Celebrity Cruises Tuscan Grille Review

Ports:  Newport, Rhode Island

This was a lovely seaside town to visit. After tendering off the ship we walked along the main street and mostly window shopped and people watched. In hindsight we would have benefited from one of the tours, including seeing the Breakers, the Vanderbilt “summer cottage” and other historical mansions.

Ports: Boston, Massachusetts

I love this city! So much so that I will be doing a separate review/guide for it. We took the ship’s shuttle for 15$ p/p from the port to a central drop off and pick up point that was running continuously throughout the day. Information guides were present with city maps and were very helpful. We were able to walk around the Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall where we saw fabulous interactive street performers. You can also walk the historic Freedom Trail.

We took about a half hour at the Holocaust memorial and it moving and poignant. Finally we went over to Little Italy for fabulous pizza and cannolis. One of the our best port days on a cruise!

Ports: Bermuda (3 days)

We are in love with Bermuda. This was our 4th time visiting by cruise and it just never gets old for us. I think it is underrated by some cruisers, as many don’t appreciate how special it is to have 3 days and nights to explore a port, especially an island as beautiful and unique as Bermuda.

We chose the Devil’s Isle Snorkel excursion offered through the cruise line on the first day.  Snorkeling isn’t fabulous in Bermuda but the excursion was still nice and informative, and had some kayaks and other water toys that made the trip enjoyable. Just an FYI, on Wednesday evenings there is a street party in Hamilton called Hamilton Nights. For 5$ p/p you can take the ferry over and enjoy a parade with traditional Gombey Dancers. You’ll also see some vendor booths set up along the streets selling jewelry and other crafts made by local artists, as well as some street food tables. Many take advantage of being in a port at night by checking out the locals pubs and bars as well.

We went to Horseshoe Bay Beach which is just the nicest anywhere. The pale pink-peachy sand is dreamy and really glitters when you see it for yourself. If you want a much less crowded section, just keeping walking to the left about 10 minutes. You can certainly take public transit safely in Bermuda (and with pink buses who wouldn’ t want to?), however there are van shuttles available for about 7$ p/p that come and go all day to the beach.

We checked out the man-made beach right in Dockyard, next to the cruise ship, Snorkel Park Beach . This was our day to say close by to the ship and do some shopping in the dockyard area. This place is gorgeous and has changed immensely since we were first there about 10 years ago.

There’s really so much to do in Bermuda that it deserves more space than I can give I here. I will be doing  a separate review/guide of Bermuda so that I can give you some tips on “what to see”, and you can tailor your Bermuda itinerary to your interests.

**Update – A Bermuda Guide for Cruisers is now available with lots of things to do plus tips just for cruise passengers!

Thanks for checking out my Celebrity Summit Bermuda, Boston and Newport Cruise Review. If you have questions please just ask in the comments below. If you liked my review or found it helpful, please let me know as well.

Happy Cruising!!

Thanks for including the link to my review Emma! LOVE your blog!

I loved your thoughtful comments about Celebrity and your cruise. After reading, I would LOVE to try Bermuda. We love Celebrity as well. We just booked our second Celebrity cruise, and because of the perks, this will be the first time we’ve ever had a drink package. Last year we spend over $1000 on beverages for the two of us, so this should be quite a savings. Our nightly drinks are martinis. Was it your experience that they might just use the $9 of the Classic package and charge us the overage? This might be a better question for Celebrity, but since you mentioned the Martini Bar, I thought you might know.

Hi Amy, I just ca,e back (last night) from another Celebrity Cruise to Bermuda! Yes, the beverage package is 100% worth it as a perk! It did cost me 3$ extra every time I had a martini, however this only added up to about 30$ the whole cruise. At the pool, we were able to get every typical frozen drink (try the BBC) with the classic package. I also drank a red wine Carmenere most nights that was within the package. I did have a friend who upgraded and it was 14$ plus 18% a a day. LOVED the martini bar!If you follow me on facebook or join the LifeWellCruised Community Group it would be easier to message if you like :-). Happy Cruising!!

Hi Amy, I could not have said anything better than your review. We’ve sailed on the Summit about 12x, her sister ship Constellation several times.This past June for our 50th Anniversary took daughter and granddaughter (their first cruise to Bermuda) and they just loved it. We started sailing w/Celebrity in 1993 on the Zenith ship. Service, food, and the attention to detail from the waiters, busboys, cabin stewards always stood out. For 2019 we booked the 10 day cruise (3) in Bermuda balance in New England. Bermuda is our favorite “port of call”, and we will make it an effort to visit each year. and the way we were treated

Hi Joann and Martin,

It was so nice to read about your cruise experiences. I too just LOVE Bermuda and could go every year I think. How sweet that you celebrated your 50th anniversary with your daughter and grand-daughter. Hope you have another fantastic cruise next year and Happy Anniversary!!!

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Bermuda Celebrity Edge Bermuda Cruise Reviews

1 - 10 of 11 Bermuda Celebrity Edge Bermuda Cruise Reviews

Sail Date: April 2023

Cabin Type: Edge Veranda Stateroom

Review for a Transatlantic Cruise on Celebrity Edge

My third transatlantic eastbound crossing and love the sea days - reading, sunning, casino, brilliant speakers. I was prepared that these single cabins have no drawer space. None! My steward, Dominick, rounded up extra hangers and underwear/socks stayed in packing cube. I was prepared to dislike the infinity balcony but was surprised I liked it. I never closed the frosted French doors that ... Read More

Cabin Type: Concierge Class Stateroom with Veranda

We took the transatlantic re-positioning April 2019 in a deck 11 inside cabin to get plenty of time to see and experience the ship. For us, Celebrity always had very good food, genuinely friendly and professional staff and great entertainment; whilst always sailing in really clean and well maintained ships. The Edge has definitely not disappointed. I have to take my hat off to Celebrity; ... Read More

Sail Date: April 2019

Let me start by saying: If you are not willing to accept change - the Edge is not for you. Celebrity definitely threw away the cookie cutters when they designed the Edge. We absolutely loved it and would sail her again in a millisecond. My husband, son and DIL sailed on the Edge on her Transatlantic 28 April 2019. Embarkation was amazing - from dropping off luggage at 11:30 am with porter to ... Read More

Cabin Type: AquaClass Stateroom with Veranda

We have been on at least 30 cruises and have sailed with Celebrity 7 times prior to this cruise. We were very excited to sail on the Edge as it seemed like it was going to bea bit different from other ships...well, it was...and not in a good way unfortunately. We booked the 15 night Transatlantic cruise beginning on 4/28. First off, embarkation was a breeze! We booked an infinite ... Read More

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We wanted to spend enough time on the ship to explore it fully. We did have concerns seeing some of the early re3views. We decided to stop reading them as some where so very negative! We were in a suite 7306 aft S1. At the outset let me give some background. We are seasoned Celebrity cruisers. We are Elite +. We have travelled in all levels of stateroom on all ships other than Flora and ... Read More

Cabin Type: Sky Suite

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We booked this cruise because we wanted to try out the Celebrity Edge from Ft. Lauderdale to Europe. We were planning to leave the ship in Le Harve, France for a river cruise to Normandy, and saw this as an opportunity to easily travel the Atlantic. We got off in Le Harve the day before the ship sailed to Southampton. First of all, I read the other review of the Edge Transatlantic, and I am ... Read More

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Where can I cruise without a passport?

At TPG, we always recommend cruising with a passport, but there are many reasons why you might want to set sail without one.

What if an opportunity pops up on short notice, and you don't have a passport yet? Or what if you forgot to renew yours when it expired? What if it's only a three-night cruise to the Bahamas, and the passport application fee is almost as much as the cruise fare? Or, maybe you have children nearing age 16 and can't justify paying for passports that will only be good for five years.

First of all, do you even need a passport to cruise ? The answer is often but not always. You have options to cruise without a passport because not every sailing requires them. Thanks to an international agreement called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative , U.S. citizens can cruise on certain itineraries within North American countries using government-issued identification (like a valid driver's license) and proof of citizenship (like a government-issued birth certificate).

The cruises that you don't need a passport for are closed-loop sailings, which depart from and return to the same port within the U.S. One-way sailings from one U.S. port to another or from a U.S. port to a foreign one would require a passport.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Before we go further, let's clarify that when we talk about cruising without a passport, we're referring to pricey passport books that some travelers do not wish to purchase. Passport cards can also be used for identification when cruising in all the places we are about to discuss; these cards are a low-cost alternative to traveling with your driver's license and birth certificate.

Let's look at the options for where you can cruise without a passport.

Cruising to Alaska is one of the easiest ways to experience all the state offers. You'll have opportunities to see glaciers and wildlife; stroll the streets of charming coastal towns; eat your fill of local crab legs and salmon; and enjoy nature on a kayak, zip line or hike.

If you're interested in cruising to Alaska without a passport, look for itineraries that begin (and end) in Seattle , San Francisco or southern California ports, such as Los Angeles or Long Beach, California. The most common length for these closed-loop Alaska cruises operated by the major cruise lines is seven nights. Cruises early or late in the season might be only four or five nights, and trips departing from LA are usually 14 nights.

What if you really want to cruise one-way from Canada to Alaska (or vice versa)? Although Canada prefers U.S. citizens who arrive by sea or land to have a passport book, it is not required as long as they have proper identification and proof of citizenship. The U.S., however, requires one of the following WHTI-approved forms of identification for entries by land or sea: passport card, enhanced driver's license, I-872 American Indian card or trusted traveler program IDs like Nexus, Sentri and Fast.

Technically, if you have one of those forms of ID but not a passport book, you can take a one-way Alaska cruise — as long as you don't have to fly to or from Canada.

More complications arise for non-passport holders who book shore excursions that involve crossing from Alaska to Canada. White Pass and Yukon Route train rides are good examples. White Pass and Yukon Route allows cruise passengers to go on the three-hour train excursion without a passport but doesn't allow them to take any longer routes. That's their policy, not a legal requirement.

This means that Alaska cruises are one instance when the passport card would be a handy alternative to traveling with both an ID card and a birth certificate. It opens up one-way itineraries.

Related: The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler

A cruise to the Caribbean transports you to tropical islands bathed in turquoise waters. Whether you seek warm beaches, cool drinks, water sports or cultural education, you can find a Caribbean cruise to fit the bill.

It's easy to cruise without a passport in the Caribbean: Just book one of the many closed-loop, round-trip sailings departing from a U.S. port. Most major cruise lines offer sailings that range between three and 15 nights from ports like Galveston, Texas; New Orleans; multiple ports in Florida (including Miami and Fort Lauderdale); Charleston, South Carolina; Baltimore; Bayonne, New Jersey; and New York City.

Most Caribbean islands participate in the WHTI, but it's always best to check the details specific to the ports of call included in your itinerary. Don't forget that islands such as Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are U.S. territories, so visits never require passports for U.S. citizens.

Related: The best Caribbean cruises for every type of traveler

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, lying 643 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Hop on a cruise ship for a direct route to the island's famous beaches and golf courses. Spring and summer are the prime seasons to visit, but cruises are possible throughout the year.

Cruising without a passport to Bermuda is also easy. Apart from a few isolated cruises stopping in Bermuda as they come or go from other destinations, there are no one-way Bermuda cruises to confuse the situation. If you plan to sail without a passport, be wary of any Bermuda cruise longer than 10 nights. Those are likely to be point-to-point cruises that happen to include Bermuda.

Passport-free cruises to Bermuda include ample five- to 10-night sailings from the East Coast ports of Baltimore, Bayonne, Boston and Manhattan. Occasional itineraries also pop up throughout the Bermuda season departing from Norfolk, Virginia; Charleston; and the Florida ports of Miami, Port Canaveral (near Orlando) and Jacksonville.

Related: Does it make sense to take a short cruise to Bermuda?

Long known for delightful strands of beach and access to every imaginable form of water fun under the subtropical sun, the Bahamas are the ideal destination for easy and quick cruise vacations.

Skip the passport on three- to five-night Bahamas cruises sailing round-trip on most major cruise lines from the eastern Florida ports of Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and Miami.

A few longer, seven- to 15-night itineraries stop in the Bahamas on their way into the Caribbean. Departures from Bayonne, Manhattan, Baltimore and Charleston will often get you weeklong Bahamas itineraries, as will sailings from Tampa, Galveston and New Orleans.

Related: Best Bahamas cruise tips for first-timers and repeat visitors alike

Our southern neighbor boasts two coastlines of cruise fun. Like most tropical cruise destinations, the top draws are the beaches and the ocean; however, cruise ports in Mexico also give you access to ancient Mayan ruins, delicious cuisine and an abundance of land activities.

Mexico's Caribbean and Pacific coasts are both accessible to cruisers who do not hold passports. If you want to visit Mexico's eastern shores, you can find three- to 15-night cruises to Costa Maya, Cozumel and Progreso. Sailings depart Florida from Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral; you can also find itineraries from New Orleans, Galveston and Mobile, Alabama.

Western Mexico, often referred to as the Mexican Riviera, includes the ports of Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Ensenada, among others. Cruises with several major lines depart San Diego, San Pedro port in LA and Long Beach for voyages lasting anywhere from three to 10 nights.

Related: The best Mexico cruises for every type of traveler

From water sports to American history and Hawaiian culture, there's a lot to experience on a Hawaii cruise . The best part might be the ability to hop from island to island, sampling the flavors of each as you go.

Closed-loop Hawaii cruises that don't require passports come in two varieties. The short option is to fly to Honolulu and take a seven- or 10-night cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line 's Pride of America. This is the only large cruise ship allowed to operate entirely within the Hawaiian Islands without visiting a foreign port.

Small-ship cruise operator UnCruise Adventures also offers seven-night, inter-island Hawaiian sailings. The American-flagged ships only cruise to and from U.S. ports, so no passport is needed, as would be the case on any domestic trip.

The long-cruise options consist of 14- to 18-night round-trip sailings from San Diego, LA (Long Beach and San Pedro) and San Francisco. You won't need a passport for these closed-loop sailings, but you do need to be prepared for multiple days at sea as you cross the Pacific from California to Hawaii.

Beware of 20-plus-night cruises that are round-trip sailings from the West Coast and would seem to fit the bill for closed-loop cruises that don't require passports. Most of these cruises don't work because they also include stops in French Polynesia, which is outside of the WHTI agreement. Passports are required for the islands in the South Pacific, which means they're required for the entire cruise.

Related: The best Hawaii cruises for every type of traveler

Canada and New England

Cruises up North America's East Coast allow you to take in historical sights of early Americana, stand atop rugged cliffs on the coast of Nova Scotia or revel in the French culture of Quebec.

Mainstream cruise lines operate numerous cruises along the U.S. and Canadian coasts that don't require passports. These depart from the ports of Bayonne, Baltimore, Boston, Manhattan, Brooklyn and occasionally Norfolk. The majority of these New England and Canada cruises are weeklong fall sailings; however, a handful depart at other times of the year or are a touch longer, ranging from eight to 10 nights.

Related: The best cruises to Canada and New England

Some cruise lines also offer one-way cruises in both directions between Canada and New England. These itineraries, like Alaska cruises, might be possible without a passport book. This is the case as long as your plans don't include flying into or out of Canada and your cruise line allows you to cruise with either a passport card or other acceptable form of identification and proof of citizenship.

We checked with a few lines for you. Princess, Holland America and Celebrity all strongly recommend passport books, but they allow one of the WHTI forms of identification. Again, the passport card opens up one-way possibilities, assuming you aren't flying and your cruise only includes Canada and the U.S.

Bottom line

While cruising with a passport is always recommended, it's not required by law in certain circumstances. Closed-loop cruises from U.S. ports that visit Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico are part of an international agreement that allows U.S. citizens to cruise without a passport. In these cases, government-issued identification and proof of U.S. citizenship are acceptable alternatives to a passport book.

Passport cards are an affordable and unquestionable alternative to carrying an ID and birth certificate. If you want to go this route, know they are not valid for travel by air into or out of any foreign country, including Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or Caribbean countries — which is the primary reason most travel advisers urge cruisers to have a passport book.

As we've shown, you have plenty of options for where to cruise without a passport, and many travelers do so without incident. However, anything from engine trouble on your cruise ship to bad weather or an accident in port might necessitate a flight home from a foreign country. This would put you in an awkward position if you didn't have a passport.

Plus, as much fun as simple round-trip cruises are, passports open up additional vacation possibilities in the form of longer, point-to-point and overseas trips. Don't dismiss registering for a passport, even as you consider where you can cruise without one.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.