Cruise ships, once the exclusive domain of vacationers, have become floating hotels 
with plentiful activity for business travelers, conference groups, art aficionados, and foodies. Celebrity has led the charge in offering unique onboard amenities, providing everything from creperies to Internet cafés, and I thought it was time to review a cruise ship in a similar manner to reviewing hotels.
My experience aboard the Celebrity Summit was both relaxing and enlightening as it took nearly the entire seven-day cruise to discover everything the ship had to offer. It began in New Jersey’s Cape Liberty port in Bayonne, where I boarded the massive 2,158-passenger ship. This cruise would have three full days at sea and another three days docked in Bermuda, providing a relaxed journey.
Bayonne/Cape Liberty, where the ship docks, is difficult to reach by any form of public transportation but there are multiple options available ranging from area airports including independent shuttles, taxicabs, and Celebrity’s own transfer service from Newark Liberty. My taxi from LaGuardia was $90 exclusive of tip and tolls 
and the Celebrity shuttle will run $25 per person.
Check-in was fast since I had completed all of the formalities online and had printed my boarding pass in advance. Similar to check-in at an airport, the barcode was scanned to access all of my information. One swipe of my credit card, and I was issued a room key that was also to be used as my onboard charge card.
Since I was in a concierge-class stateroom, I was afforded VIP privileges, which included priority check-in and expedited boarding. Smiling staffers holding trays of champagne were a welcome sight once on board. I quickly made my way to my cabin to acquaint myself with my new home for the week.
THE STATEROOM
My corner stateroom was quite large and included a small sitting area. The huge balcony jutted out a bit from the side of the ship and provided an expansive vista.
The Celebrity Summit’s staterooms are almost all outside cabins and most of them have private balconies. Inside the cabin there is clever storage carved into the sides of the 
table and generous closet space to hang one’s cruise wardrobe.
Beds are slightly elevated and allow suitcases to be tucked underneath. Duvets top the single beds, which could be joined to create a king-size. One wall was completely mirrored, creating a spacious feeling.
A flat-screen cable TV carried numerous international channels,and a minibar had sufficient space to hold one’s own items if need be. Celebrity allows each passenger to bring aboard two bottles of wine but no other alcoholic beverages may be brought aboard, and duty-free purchases are not delivered until the end of the cruise.
Bathrooms were also provided with ample shelf space. My veranda stateroom was larger than the basic category, with the bathroom somewhat bigger as well. It had a shower stall with powerful water pressure and lemongrass-scented toiletries were thoughtfully on hand. A hairdryer was provided and towels were restocked twice a day.