Our Reykjavik to Boston Onboard Celebrity Summit Trip Report
Hello and welcome to our trip report for our recent cruise journey that took us from to the north of England to Boston in the USA via Iceland, Greenland and Canada.
Ports of Call: Isafjordur and Akureyri (Both Iceland), Prince Christian Sound (Cruise) & Nanortalik (Both Greenland), St John’s (Newfoundland) & Halifax (Nova Scotia) (Both Canada)
Arrival Port: Flynn Cruiseport Boston (Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, United States of America)
Sea Days: 5
Date: August 2023
Length: 12 Nights
Line: Celebrity
Ship: Summit
Starting with our flight from Manchester to Keflavik in Iceland, we started our cruise in Reykjavik before visiting the incredible ports of Isafjordur and Akureyri in Iceland, Nanortalik in Greenland and both St Johns’s and Halifax in Canada before ending the cruise part of our journey in the American port of Boston.
We spent 3 days there before flying back to Manchester via Heathrow.
Whilst that would make for an incredible adventure in its own right, this journey was made one to remember by the having the opportunity to sail through the incredible Prins Cristian Sund in Greenland.
Reykjavik (Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal)
Our first day saw my wife and I simply take a stroll around Iceland’s capital city, which is somewhere we had visited before, and then head to our city centre hotel for a night’s sleep.
After a 5 and half hour delay in setting off from the UK, our luck was to change quickly on the first day of our cruise as it took less than 45 minutes to get from our hotel to the port, checked in, through security, onto the ship and to drop off our walk on luggage at our stateroom.
The Skarfabakki cruise terminal is around a 10-15 minutes’ drive from the centre of Reykjavik and can only be described as basic.
Thankfully, it was relatively warm and dry for us, but if it was cold and wet, it wouldn’t be much fun.
Thanks to having an early check in, we were amongst the first to board the Celebrity Summit and that gave a great opportunity to explore and get to find our way around.
The ship is actually the smallest and oldest of the main Celebrity fleet and we will cover the ship in a later review video that I will link to in the description box, but its size was perfect for a trip such as this, where we would visit some of the smallest ports open to mainstream ships.
At 4pm, we slowly moved away from our berth and sailed past the centre of Reykjavik, out into the North Atlantic Ocean and towards our first port of call of Isafjordur.
Isafjordur
The entry into Isafjordur is as stunning as you would expect from a town with a name that translates to fjord of ices and whilst we needed to tender into the town due to the small nature of its harbour, that only adds to port.
Although the town is the largest settlement in the Westfjords region of Iceland, it has a population of less than 3,000 and offers the sort of remoteness that makes a visit to this part of the world so special.
We actually spent most of our time onshore away from the town itself as we book on a private tour of the region that took in some of the nearby fjords as we travelled to the beautiful Dynjandi waterfall, the highlight of the tour and somewhere we would recommend visiting if you have never been to the port before.
We still had a couple of hours to explore the town itself though and that is plenty of time for somewhere such as Isafjordur and allowed us to take in the main sights, the high street, do some gift shopping and get back onboard the ship with time to spare.
We then sat at the aft of the ship and enjoyed taking in the stunning scenery as we entered into the main Isafjaroardjup but we were soon up on our feet as a number of whales appeared just to the side of the ship, something that would continue to happen until we headed out to sea and onto our final Icelandic port of Akureyri, in the far north of the country.
Akureyri
Although one of Iceland’s biggest towns, Akureyri is still relatively small and easy to explore on your own, but it does have the added advantage of allowing ship to dock just a short stroll from its town centre.
We had once again booked an excursion with a local company where we would take in some of the things that you can only see in Iceland.
We went to the beautiful Goddafoss waterfall, the bubbling geothermal landscape of Hverir before visiting the lava rock formations of Dimmuborgir and the pseudo craters at Skutustadagigar.
This was a fascinating journey with a great small group of fellow travelers that even the annoyance of giant midges at every stop couldn’t spoil.
Just like in Isafjordur, we once again had time to take in the main sights of the town, including its church and main high street before heading back to the boat, where again we would head to the aft of the ship for some more whale watching as we set off towards Greenland and a cruise through the incredible Prins Cristian Sund.
Prince Christian Sound
We arrived slightly later than planned to the entry into the Prince Christian Sound, as it was around 4 in the afternoon instead of the schedule 2pm but we knew that was going to be the case after a delay leaving Iceland.
That late arrival would work in our favour as our exit from the Sound would come at twilight and that would prove to be the perfect lighting to show off the mountains, waterfalls and glaciers of this special part of the world.
But anyway, back to the beginning. When we arrived, we were met by another waiting ship but after sorting out who would go first, we entered the waterway.
Although not actually a fjord, it has everything that you would expect from sailing down a fjord including steep sided mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and breathtaking views at every angle.
What is hard to explain and to show in this video is the incredible scale of everything around you.
There are numerous mountains of over 1,000 metres and one of over 2,200 metres and when you couple that with a relatively narrow channel, the closeness you sail to the mountains and the mammoth icebergs that get within inches of the ship, those of us who spend most of the full 5-hour traverse of the Sound on the helicopter pad at the very front of the ship, will have memories that will stay with us for ever.
Unfortunately, there was some confusion in the early part of our adventure as the helicopter pad wasn’t opened as expected, so everybody who wanted an outside view had to go to the top decks.
That left them incredibly busy but worse was to come as they opened the front of the ship around 20 minutes in, leading to a huge rush to get out there before heading down to our first glacier.
Thankfully, we managed to get out there but had to cue in the theatre for some time before stepping onto the helicopter pad only to be met by a huge crowd of people.
After sailing down an off shoot to a glacier and then spending some time circling around to give everybody a view, the crowd start to dissipate, and we could spend the rest of the navigation standing on the edge of the platform and easily able to move from one side to another.
Some of us stayed out the whole journey, some would come and go, and some would nip back for food and drink, but the front of the ship was difficulty the place to be for those wanted incredible views and a huge thanks should be said to Celebrity for giving us that opportunity.
If you have sailed through fjords in Norway or Alaska, you will have an idea of what it is sail through the Prince Christian Sound but after sailing through both of those areas ourselves, there is just something that bit more special about the Sound.
When you look ahead, you either see a few channels that none seem to be big enough for you to sail along or you see a narrowing channel that you wonder when the captain will realise you have gone the wrong but somehow you just keep sailing and then a few hours later you are back into the open ocean.
At that moment, dusk came down over the mountains, we headed to the aft of the ship, grabbed some tea and simply took in the incredible sight of exiting the Prince Christian Sund.
It was then time to get some sleep before an early arrival at the port of Nanortalk.
Nanortalik
After about a week of been in the north Atlantic and only seeing blue skies and calm seas, we were welcomed into Nanortalik with grey skies and a constant rain.
We would dock just off of the shoreline of the island the town sits on, which is in the mouth of the Tasermiut fjord.
That sees a constant flow of icebergs sail past the town and make for great photo opportunities once on shore.
The tender ride is a short one to from the ship to shore and we would be welcomed by a couple of local dogs, which would become a theme of our visit as everybody seemed to have dogs and they were all friendly.
At first glance, the port offers all that you would want from a stop at an Inuit settlement, including brightly covered wooden housing, a sense of remoteness and stunning natural beauty but the town is so much more than that.
A well-kept road circles the town and links all the main housing areas with the port, which makes it easy for locals to get from home to work and to the town’s main shops and recreational areas with ease.
It also makes it easy for those who wanting to take in the whole town whilst on shore and that is exactly what we did.
Due to a mix of the poor weather and the fact that so many of those on our cruise just weren’t prepared for visiting Greenland (many went on shore in shorts or jeans and a t-shirt), most of those who went ashore simply walked around the harbour to the couple of shops in Nanortalik and then onto the living museum, which is the only tourist attraction on the island.
There are a number of buildings including a church, a doctors, a town hall, houses and more that are left open for you to simply wonder between and see them set up as they use to be.
A number also have displays to teach you the history of the town and artefacts including hunting equipment and canoes.
After leaving the museum, we continued around the ring road to the far side of the town, and this is where hardly any of our other fellow cruisers would visit which gave us the chance to really enjoy the town.
We visit Nanortaliks old cemetery, main football stadium and saw some of the newer housing developments before heading back into the port area and the towns shops.
It took some time to get onto a tender before we got back onboard, grabbed some lunch and looked forward to a visiting the theatre that night.
Labrador Sea
After leaving Greenland we had a couple of days at sea, which proved to be a great chance to relax, recharge our batteries and get ready for exploring Canada.
On the first of those days, we went for a morning swim in the Summits Solarium, we enjoyed lunch in the Main Dining Room, which came just after seeing a huge pod of Atlantic White-sided dolphins racing past us in what we can only think was them out hunting.
St John’s, Newfoundland
Our first port of call in Canada was the beautiful St John’s in Newfoundland, a place that we reminded us of arriving in a small Cornish fishing village but with a welcoming committee of Newfoundland dogs!
After stopping to stroke them and chat to their owners, we set off on a trek up the Signal Hill that welcomes you to the city.
You can take a tour up the hill to see the fortress, guns and more that are at the top, or you can walk straight up the road from the downtown area, but we decided to take the North Head Trail.
It wasn’t well signposted from the town but we knew the direction we needed to head in and some friendly locals pointed us in the right direction.
There is a signpost when you get to the start of the trail and that is when we found out is was rated as medium to hard but thankfully, it wasn’t too long.
The walk sees you constantly going up and down steps, so it is best for those without mobility issues but the views throughout your walk are stunning.
They also include great views back to the town and to where your ship as docked, which makes for a great photo opportunity.
Unfortunately, when you get to the end of the headland, the views change from the sea and the town to the uphill climb to the end of the trail which includes a long and incredibly steep finish.
Your reward for doing the trail is to finish at the beautiful Cabot Tower, although having people step off of buses and take the short stroll to the towner form the car park after doing such a trek to get there is slightly annoying!
After walking the road way back to the downtown area, we simply strolled around the streets, took far too many photos of the brightly coloured houses found throughout St Johns before heading to the main shopping area to pick up some gifts.
The sail out of the St Johns is an impressive one and certainly one we would recommend heading up to the top deck to take it in.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
We would have another day at sea before arriving in the Nova Scotian port of Halifax, our final port in Canada and our last port of call of the cruise before arriving at our disembarkation port of Boston.
Halifax was a small shock to the system after been in some of the most remote ports available on a mainstream cruise but despite its size and the level of industry there, it is still a beautiful port in its own right.
We actually started our day onshore heading out of the city and down the coast to the beautiful village of Peggy’s Cove which is famed for its archetypal North American lighthouse.
This is arguably the most popular excursion to do in Halifax and whilst that meant it was busy the whole time we were there, it was defiantly worth the trip and made for some great photos.
Especially as you stroll around the village itself, which helped by the clear blue skies that greeted us, once again gave us fond memories of visiting Cornwall in our childhoods.
Upon returning to Halifax itself, our driver drove up to the Citadel and allowed us to stop for some photos before heading back down to the cruise terminal.
For those who haven’t visited Halifax, the waterfront has a long boardwalk that take you to a number of the key sights in the town and there has been a real effort made to make it an enjoyable place to walk along.
It starts from the cruise terminal and stretches for around 2.5 miles but as it is perfectly flat and you are constantly walking past points of interest, it is an easy walk to enjoy.
There are a number of boat rides offered along the front, a few museums, plenty of gift shops and soon after you leave your ship, there is a street food market offering plenty of chances to try local food including Lobster Rolls, Beavertails and Poutine.
After an afternoon exploring, we headed back to the ship and sat down with a drink on the top deck, which offers you incredible views out over the city and of the busy waterway you are berthed in.
Next to the cruise terminal is a small island, called Goerge Island, that almost acted as a roundabout for us and Holland America’s Zuiderdam to sail around as we both left at the same time.
We now just had 1 solitary sea day left onboard the Summit before arriving at our final destination of Boston but any thoughts of sunbathing, whale watching, or other outside activities soon disappeared as we woke up to constant blasts of the foghorn as visibility was down to just a few metres.
Thankfully, there was plenty happening inside the ship to keep us entertained before having to repack our bags and get ready to disembark the next morning.
Raymond L Flynn (Black Falcon) Cruise Terminal, Boston, MA
As is always the case when we go to the US, the process was slow thanks mostly to the immigration staffs out-dated equipment that constantly kept breaking but unlike our experience at other cities such as Orlando and New York, the staff in Boston remained friendly and professional.
That continued at our hotel who not only allowed us to check in early but they also upgraded our room for free, which coincidently gave us a view of the Summit.
We only had two days in Massachusetts before flying home to the UK, but we managed to pack plenty in.
Although a big city, the actual downtown area is relatively compact and easily walkable, which is helped by the Freedom Trail, a walk around the city where you follow a red brick line taking you from one tourist sight to another.
The trial is around 2.5 miles in length, although if you are like us, you will constantly leave it to explore the areas that you visit and take you from Boston Common to the North End and over to the Bunker Hill Monument.
We also used the cities metro to head to Fenway Park and the famous universities of MIT and Harvard.
After 2 great days we left Beantown to fly back to Heathrow to bring to an end one of our favourite ever cruises and overall best holidays.
Our trip was on board the Celebrity Summit, which is one of the smallest and oldest in the Celebrity cruise fleet, but it is a ship that certainly doesn’t show its age.
That is because the ship had only recently undergone a full refurbishment which included cosmetic stuff such as a new paint job but also a full rebuild and redesign of many public areas including lounges and staterooms.
That makes the ship similar to newer ships and the other refurbished ships in the line, so if you are a fan of Celebrity Cruises ships, you will likely be a fan of the Celebrity Summit.
With that said, there were some big differences between the Summit and the Celebrity Silhouette, the last ship we had sailed on with the line.
Aside from the obvious things such as the size and design of the ships, the biggest differences that we noticed were the underused top deck of the Summit, something the Silhouette really does maximise the use of, the lack of a second entertainment room and the strange layout of the buffet.
The very traditional dock deck features sunbathing areas and a small amount of seating around a large screen at the very aft of the ship, but we loved the grass areas, the numerous seating areas and even having restaurants on the top deck of the Silhouette.
Similarly, we like having venues for activities and entertainment spread throughout the Silhouette whilst on the Summit, most things happened just in the theatre.
Lastly the buffet on the Summit is split into two with lots of wasted space in the middle but those are only minor points to note rather than major issues as the ship is one we enjoyed cruising on and one we would recommend.
What makes that even more impressive is the fact that both my wife and I are fans of bigger and newer ships in general, but the Summit held its own in our view.
With 2 flights, 2 hotels and lots of other expenses for a trip such as this one, we saved some money by choosing an inside cabin and with Celebrity that isn’t too much of an issue.
The room was spacious, the layout well thought out and it had everything you could ever want including plenty of storage, a full-size shower with a glass door and lots of mod cons including USB charging points.
As is always the case with Celebrity, the bed was huge and comfortable and had plenty of room to put your suitcases under-neath.
There really wasn’t any issues we had with the room, which was room 119 on deck 8.
Overall, this was not just one of best cruises ever, but it was one of our best holidays ever.
Every port we went to was an experience that we will remember forever and the onboard experience was enjoyable throughout.
Having the chance to sail through the Prins Christian Sund is something that we would recommend anybody to do as even if cold weather sailings aren’t your thing, it is surly impossible to be nothing but impressed by the sheer enormity of everything in the Sund.
