Silver Cloud vs. Celebrity Summit

[mypyr]

We are considering going on the 2/17 Carribbean sailing on the Silver Cloud. It is MUCH more expensive than similar accommodations(with Butler) on the Summit, and am wondering what makes it worth the $$$. I've read mixed reviews about both the food and the condition of the ship, and would appreciate any feedback to help me make our decision. We have never been on a 6****** star cruise before, the closest being the Paul Gaugin from Regent.

[duct tape]

I can't compare since I have never been on the Summit. I, personally, love the Cloud and think you would not be disappointed. It may seem more expensive but add what your cruises usually cost plus all the incidentals that you pay for: drinks, wine, sodas, water, etc. I think you will be surprised.

[meow!]

In an over-simplied analogy, it is like between a fixed-route mini-van and a full sized bus. Does this make sense?

[mypyr]

haha.. it makes sense but I was hoping it would be like comparing a Mercedes with a Toyota!

[Emtbsam]

You might want to consider the size of the suites on Silversea, and the benefit of having fewer passengers on board in your analysis. We prefer the smaller ships.

[NC&KY]

Yeah, you should consider how you liked the Paul Gaugin. If you liked that small atmosphere, where there were few lines and lots of attention, Silversea will deliver that even better (or at least, that's what I'm told, and what I'm counting on). If you like the megaship atmosphere, this may be the wrong direction for you.

[Keith1010]

You are really comparing Apples and Oranges.

If we were discussing a land hotel, think of Silversea as a Four Seasons Resort and the Summit more of a Hyatt Hotel.

You'll find areas such as the cuisine and service to be more luxurious than the Summit and you'll find the size ship to be much more intimate than the Summit since the Cloud around 300 passengers and the Summit over 2,000 passengers. There is much more to do on the Summit than the Cloud. The Cloud will be much more low key. You will not have all of the nickel and dining that you have on the Summit nor all of the announcements. The crew will learn your name much fasted on the Cloud whereas that is just not possible on the Summit given the size of the ship. The Cloud will feel more like a small country club where in time everyone knows each other.

If I was to compare cuisine the only place that you will find comparable food would be in the specialty restaurant on the summit but you pay a large cover charge and the food is really rich so I would not recommend dining there each evening.

I would read about what is offered on each ship and study the ships diagrams and even their brochures to get a feel for what they offer but they are just two very distinct cruising experiences so your challenge is to figure out which one will work best for you.

Keith

[mypyr]

Thanks Keith!

[daddyo]

There is only one drawback to choosing SS or another "luxury line". Once you've been on these lines,and had all that attention, it's really hard to step back down to the larger ships.

[wripro]

It's more like comparing a Mercedes with a bus.