From Aboard Summit Cruise End Review

Still aboard Summit headed back to Bayonne and enjoying our last day. Here are some thoughts and observations about the Summit, Port Liberty and the stop in Bermuda.

Pre-Cruise: There's great value in reading the Celebrity forum at Cruise Critic.com as well as the Roll Call for your particular cruise. With respect to this Summit cruise from Bayonne (Port Liberty), we'd seen the Summit daily for each day of the cruise and had a handle on the menus in Summit's dining venues (The Cosmopolitan MDR, Qsine, Tuscan Grill, Pool Grill, Oceanview Cafe Buffet, Bistro On Five, Cafe Al Bacio). We also saw the gym schedule, show schedule and solo performers venues/schedule.

This cruise, as we had done 3 years ago on the Summit itinerary to Bermuda, we selected the Book and Go option. Included in that cruise package was discounted R/T air through ChoiceAir ($100 pp off the best price I could find) 2 nights in NYC at the Westin Times Square, a Broadway Show and all transportation to and from.

We saw Finding Neverland paid for by Celebrity as part of the package and booked a second show, Kinky Boots, on our own. Ate at a restaurant off Times Square on 45th called Becco. Moderately priced, fantastic Italian cuisine. The rest of the time we ate inexpensively in the hundreds of small cafes near our hotel. If you like NYC, great food and Broadway shows, given all this pre cruise package offers, it is a good value. On to Summit and Bermuda............

Prior to sailing, Summit faced two tropical depressions affecting this itinerary in the Western Atlantic. We recommend you be prepared for rain and windy weather. Forecasters are calling for a lot of named storms this summer in the Carribbean and Western Atlantic. Don't get anxious about this just be prepared. Pack a light weight waterproof jacket and a couple of umbrellas. Leave the rest of it to the Navigation Officers and Captain. I'll talk about this more later.

This is our 31st cruise with Celebrity since 2001. We've seen the subtle and not so subtle changes in the Celebrity cruise experience. I'll address some of those changes later.

Boarding: All the cruise lines have gotten very efficient boarding passengers. Port Liberty is no exception. The terminal is new since we last cruised out of Bayonne, NJ. Everything was well organized, we processed and boarded around noon. Cabins were, as advertised, ready at 1p. We recommend you only have one small back pack type carry on with you. This way you can explore the ship, dine and move about easily. Check everything else at curb side. It will show up at your cabin before about 4:30p. We recommend you carry some small bills to tip the longshoremen who load your bags. These are not Celebrity employees but rather work for the port.

First impression of Summit : For a 14 year old vessel, Summit looks great after it's recent refurbishment. Plenty of fresh looks. New decks in the top side public areas, fresh paint and varnish - what a ship-shape ship should look like. Normandy is gone and replaced by Tuscan Grill 2.0 as they call it. The aft pool area has been decorated in warm earth tones - very appealing. New wicker look furniture there too. Throughout the ship, lots of repainted ceilings, new carpets and just a nice feeling throughout. We've not been up to deck 11 to see the new Movies under the stars set-up yet. Maybe later if the weather cooperates. Summit tends toward slightly darker woods. I think this makes it feel warmer compared to the Solstice class ships and that is not a ding on those vessels. They just have a lighter, more modern feel to them.

Internet: Greatly improved. We get some free time and so checking in allows automatic assignment of those free minutes. We did not make use of the Xcellerate system which costs $19/d. No need for us in checking email and some browsing activities. Whatever we were using had good speed and connectivity so, it appears the overall system is improved whether you need the greater speed and bandwidth associated with Xcellerate or not.

Cabin: on M class vessels we book OV cabins on deck 3 all the way forward almost exclusively now. We've found we don't use the balcony in the Veranda class cabins much. We do like light so OVs are great for us and allows us to access 1 or 2 perks. Were in Cabin 3005 with easy access to the forward elevator. We don't book Concierge, Aqua or Suite classes. I'd rather cruise twice in an OV for the price of one cruise in a Suite or the like. Access to private dining in Luminae or Blu doesn't make sense for us. We're perfectly happy with the dining options available to us. We are not fans of the push from corporate for cruisers to select the suite life. However, we get it. There's money to be made in a demographic that has the money to book more expensive cabins. We are value cruisers looking to optimize the days we can spend at sea in a year and booking suites limits that objective. Personally, we don't find what is offered in the more expensive cabin classes worth it to us. Each to his own.

There's plenty of drawer space for a 7d trip in the OV cabins. While we have coupons for laundry service, we usually don't need it on itineraries under 9 days. There appears to be new carpet present. Otherwise the cabin is the same as before. There is a large port hole with a 5 ' diameter. Plenty big and there is a 20" recessed shelf in front of the port hole for putting stuff on it. The port hole makes the OV cabins feel larger than comparable inside cabins. Bathrooms are designed well with plenty of space for us. There is a trash bin in a pull out drawer and storage space below the sink. No outlets, the shower is quite large, good shower head pressure and controls.

Entertainment and activities: there are more things to do on Summit than can be done on a 7 day cruise. The only way anyone would remark that they couldn't find something they liked doing or thought the entertainment or activities were lacking isn't taking enough time to look at their daily and go do it. Celebrity has greatly expanded how it entertains its passengers aboard ship. Beyond the Podium lectures and Celebrity life activities are scheduled every day. Topics vary. There's live music everywhere. Just find the venue and music style you like and enjoy. The production dancers can be seen performing in mini-shows from time to to time. One of them is called Indulgence. Food, drink and dancing for $20 per person. The event is held in the Rendezvous lounge and Wine Bar. It is limited to 80 guests.

There are three main production shows in the Celebrity Theater. We've seen two so far - iHollywood and Sirens. Very entertaining musical performances. There is a new production called iMagic which will reportedly run through November. with some version of it probably going fleet wide. Good magic show featuring a solo magician performance that does some pretty amazing stuff or, "how did he do that?" It was fun. In the past we've not attended many solo performer's shows. We've seen three, two Comedians, both of them good and a group of four doing a Motown records review.

Some of you may know about Silent Disco. My wife had but I've never heard of it. It's held in the Rendezvous Lounge on deck 5. Lots of people wearing head sets that can be tuned to three different genres of music (mixed by a DJ). As you tune, the lights in the head set change colors so you can see who is listening to what and if you want to dance to a certain style of music, find someone with the same colors showing and dance on. Take your headset off and it's quiet. Fun.

Had a brief look at the new movie venue that does the Movies Under the Stars and Tapas. It's on the aft deck 11, a previously unused area. They also show a feature film at 1p daily. It's a nice set-up with wicker couches, tables and cabanas. People have wondered if there is noise from the movie drifting down to the aft bar and cabins located below it. From the Sunset Bar, just below the Movie area, we didn't even hear the movie playing until we walked up the stairs to deck 11. So much for that concern.

Dining: have not found a meal I thought was poor yet. We've dined in the Ocean View Buffet, the MDR, Tuscan Grill, a Barbecue on the pool deck and Bistro on Five. Food quality, with few exceptions, is very high throughout. We had traditional late seating in the MDR at a table for six. Table mates were great and new friendships were made. This is one of the things, dining and meeting new people, we cruise for. Traditional dining seems to do a better job at that than select dining. But that is just us. Others report they can do the same in select dining. We had two regular servers and noted, along with one other assistant and a Sommelier, they covered, by themselves, 8 tables that accounted for 40+ diners. Considering the numbers, the service was well coordinated, attentive and well executed. However, table service is one of the things reduced staffing - an industry wide trend among the leading cruise lines (Carnaval, RCL, NCL) has impacted. Your wait staff has less time to engage you and while this has changed the dining experience, I cannot say it has made it any worse. It is just different.

Menu selections are varied and different each night yet there are several items served every night. These are clearly marked on the menu. It's been our experience that while there is some uniformity in the dishes served aboard Celebrity ships, there is a wide range of execution of each dish by the various chefs. We found the MDR food offerings to be very good a lard Summit and to us it continues to satisfy as it has for the past 30 sailings. In a word, consistently good.

I've not been enamored by the relationship between Celebrity and the Top Chef TV program. The Top Chef cuisine has, in the past, been underwhelming. A lot of that has to do with the importance of getting the dish plated and to the table quickly. Some of it works some of it doesn't. It appears to me that the chefs on Summit have figured out which entrée dishes work and which don't in the larger setting of Summit's cuisine.

I had a delicious Red Fish. It's not like Red Snapper as its a little more dense. Served atop polenta and some veggies. Delicious sauce with a bit of heat in it but not overwhelming. Excellent. For desert I ordered strawberries over basil infused ice cream. Sounds weird, right? That's Top Chef. Their dishes are unique. I mentioned to our waiter that I couldn't taste the basil in the ice cream. Being honest, he told me that all the ice cream gets stacked in the same cooler. Its impossible to differentiate the white ones....... and that exemplifies Top Chef; unique cuisine hard to serve correctly.

Tuscan Grill 2.0: first off let me be up front about my disappointment that Celebrity has moved on from the Ocean Liner themed restaurants on their M class ships. I get why they did this ..... more variety, new experience and I really don't t think it had anything to do with saving or making more money. It's just a change. It's different and that can be important in some cases in the restaurant business. The venue is beautifully done. More elegant than the feel of Tuscan on the solstice class ships. More intimate.

I can speak only for my meal. Another couple dined with us. We had apps including Calamari, excellent, Italian meat balls, better than I had expected and an antipasti board - stale crackers and nothing particularly noteworthy. Disappointing. I ordered the Filet. Well over 10oz, it's a large serving. High quality and tasty. Sides were disappointing. I'm not a fan of what they called Broccolini. Stringy, leafy and tough Broccoli. The potatoes were whipped and probably from something powdered. A garlic clove on top but otherwise tasteless. Deserts nothing special or unavailable in the MDR. Table service was lackluster. That's because, as far as I could tell, there was one head waiter and a Maitre'd, a Sommelier and 2 assistants covering the entire venue. They were serving what appeared to be 3-4 tables at our dining time of 8:30. While adequate, the table service was far below that which we have experienced in past specialty restaurant engagements. What made specialty dining special is pretty much gone it would seem. I'm pretty sure that staffing is demand based and is limited by availability of wait staff at some top number of guests per booking hour. I also think that how staffing is managed by the various Maitre'ds (how wait staff are moved around between dining venues) affects perceptions of table service. In the past, as I understand it, this was not the case. Wait staff graduated and moved up to specialty restaurant wait staff. In a constrained personnel environment, I don't think that is being done any longer. I could be mistaken but, in our experience, the level of service present before In the specialty dining venues is not matched in the latest edition of them.

The point is Tuscan Grill did not deliver for us the kind of specialty restaurant experience we have come to expect. It certainly was not worth the $45 per person cover charge. It was no better, overall, than the MDR which we feel is still very good. We'll skip Qsine this cruise because of what we believe is a fleet wide issue for specialty dining. Specialty dining, it appears, is no longer worth the extra price. I realize our experience might have been unique - a one time bad one - but I sense it was not. Celebrity might sort this out if use declines but I'm not optimistic.

We also dined in Bistro on Five for Lunch. There are some nice tweaks to the menu that, at least on Summit, has not given way to Sushi, just yet. Besides the usual crepe selection, there are a few new salads and sandwiches. Soup of the day, Broccoli and Blue Cheese, was delicious. The color and consistency of a good split pea soup, it had a nice cheese flavor but not overwhelming. Broccoli flavor was present in a balanced fashion. Frankly, we've found the soups in all the dining venues to be particularly good. Seems to b something chefs fleet wide do well. Table service was very attentive and prompt even though it was quite busy. We thought this experience was excellent and worth the $10 per person charge. Our server told us she had been summoned from another station to help out with the increased number of diners in Bistro on Five. This lends credence to the observation I made about wait staff moving based on demand in Tuscan Grill.

Destination: this is our third trip to Bermuda and it gets better every time. We recommend you do do some research and plan out the three days you have there. We are at the point where, with regard to ports, we make a general plan and let things come to us. We don't use ship's excursions. We've also not been enticed by Celebrity's Concierge excursions, those designed by your input and arranged ad hoc by the excursions concierge. Why? You can arrange similar private tours yourself at a much lower cost. We inquired once on a recent Millennium Cruise and the cost was outrageous.

I did review transportation in Bermuda extensively and knew what would work for us. Taxis tend to be expensive unless you are traveling with others and can split the cost. For two, local buses and ferries are the most cost effective means of transportation. Bus and ferry schedules and routes can be found on line and printed or downloaded to a tablet. Transportation is very reliable and robust. It will take you where ever you need and on schedule. Bermuda has a well organized Tourism bureau with an on line web site. If you fill out the contact form there they'll send you a nice brochure and a foldable map that we used extensively.

You can buy bus/ferry tokens at $4.50 each; you can also pay cash but you have to have exact change; there's been comments about using only quarters. I saw two passengers board and pay in bills and quartered. I also saw a bus driver wave a passenger aboard when all he had was $4.

Each time you board a bus or ferry, it requires a token (or cash). If you have a rough idea of where you want to go, you can figure out its transportation cost (one bus ride or two, bus + ferry, etc.) If the cost of individual tokens for your travel plan exceeds $19 per day, buy the one, two or three day passes. One day pass is $19. Even if it's close, we recommend you buy the pass that works best for your sightseeing plans 1, 2 or 3 days. It's convenient. Just show it to the bus driver or boarding supervisor on the ferry and you're done. No fumbling for tokens. Bottom line: you can get to wherever you want to go using the bus and ferry system. Having a prepaid single or multi-day pass makes it easier. If you don't know where to get off, tell the driver when you board to call it out and he will. Keep in mind that the bus stops frequently so what looks like a 30 minute drive actually takes an hour.

There are several ways to buy tokens or passes. (1) there is booth right on the pier just outside and to the right of Summit's debarkation area. (2) office near the ferries which is about a 7 minute walk from the ship. Just ask someone to point it out. It's not obvious. The booth near the ship gets busy. Cruisers are not just buying tokens and passes but also asking a lot of questions about what to do and how to get there. At the other location, it's just passes or tokens and the line, if there is one, moves swiftly. There are also three counter clerks at the ferry office, compared to one at the pier. There's a floating hostess at both locations that will answer questions about what to see and do.

There is a ton of European, especially of the British empire, and US history in Bermuda if you like that sort of thing. Shopping and eating opportunities are plentiful. Beaches, boating and water activities, swimming and snorkeling, dolphin adventures, you name it, it is going on in Bermuda. Do some planning for things you like to do. We recommend you spend a day in St. George and visit Fort St. Catherine. There are two beautiful beaches there with little activity if you like quiet. One of the beaches is associated with a restaurant called Beaches. There are lounge chairs, umbrellas and a bar on the beach. Up the hill is a very nice restaurant with a great view and great food. Bermuda is expensive. Be prepared for that. A typical casual meal will cost upwards of $18 pp. Get fancy and you'll spend $50 pp. Bermuda is not a Caribbean Island, it's very British and prices for everything are much higher than you'll find in, say, St Martin.

To close, there are a couple of things I'd like to bring up:

We were very impressed with how Captain Kate McCue dealt with the weather. She faced two storms that would impact our itinerary. One in the northern Atlantic pushing an active front south west and one moving north eastward across the Florida peninsula from the gulf. Both of these storms packed winds of 65 kts at their centers producing wave heights up to 18 feet. If we sailed the normal course from Bayonne to Bermuda we would have experienced winds up to 45 knots and seas up to 16 feet. A rough ride. Not dangerous to Summit but would produce an uncomfortable passage. Not wanting to put her passengers through that, Captain Kate set a course just west of the normal track and a at a much higher rate of speed (23 kts versus 9.5). The end result was that we passed well south of the southward pushing storm and beat the effects of the northward one. It was cloudy and rainy for most of the passage but smooth sailing with just noticeable motion. We also arrived in Bermuda 12h early to optimize docking conditions. On awakening Wednesday morning, our normal ETA, there were 40 kt winds, soaking rains and poor visibility as the storm moving south from the north passed about 300 miles west of Bermuda. Thankfully, we were already tied up. Smart move. We stayed aboard, many ventured out. While Wednesday was a wash out, Thursday and Friday were beautiful. Nobody, including us, missed much? We were told that NCL Breakaway, the other ship joining Summit at the Dock Yard did not alter their course, had some rough weather and ended up docking in more difficult conditions. Very impressed with how Celebrity handled this situation that would not have been unsafe fro Summit but would have produced unhappy passengers. Kudos.

Having become aware of a perceived decline in service across the Celebrity Line from reading Cruise Critic threads on that subject, I payed carful attention to see evidence of it. As well, there have been complaints of cost cutting measures that allegedly affected the quality of the Celebrity experience. I looked for these too.

I was able to observe and confirm with the Summit Human Resources Director, a decrease in staffing across all departments except Navigation, Engineering and Safety. Departments are being asked to do the same workload with less staff. However, I did not experience any significant decline in service that affected my overall enjoyment of this cruise except as it pertained to my experience at Tuscan Grill.

Bar service was fine at the Sunset Bar, Martini Bar, Cafe Al Bacio, and Revelations. We didn't try any others. The Sunset Bar adjacent to the Ocean View Buffet did get busy during the first hour of lunch service. The two pool bars also get very busy and you might have to wait to get served there. There are circulating bar staff but fewer of them. We weren't bothered by that but I could see how cruisers that make extensive use of the pool and like to be served might. I had no sense that drinks were being watered down or shorted in terms of pour size. We usually get the drink package so this is never an issue for us as anyway; if the drink is not big enough or tasty enough first time around, we just order a second.

Curiously, the Martini bar and most of the other bars didn't have martini glasses of any size. Martinis were being served in Champagne glasses. I was told that an expected shipment of new martini glass ware did not arrive on time for this cruise after the existing service had been collected and packed away. Whoops. I'd worry about this if, on subsequent cruises, the lack of Martini glasses persisted.

Despite the staffing levels in the MDR being lower, I never felt table service was impaired, food was served cold or plates not cleared in a timely manner. Admittedly, we had great table mates and good dinner conversation so, maybe I missed something.

Food prep, presentation and quantity was as usual in the Ocean View Cafe. Very good overall. Tables were cleared promptly when guests left them. When it got very busy, you might find a dirty table but that is nothing new. For your dining experience in the Buffet area, timing is everything. Find times that work for you or just ask any floating manager, and they are everywhere, to clear a table. It never fails.

Something I did notice was how welcoming, friendly and upbeat staff, throughout the ship, were. If I had to guess, staff know there are less of them and somehow understand, either from being told or simply by accepting more responsibility for getting the job done right the first time, get it done. Engagement with cruisers and politeness seems to be emphasized if their ship wide behavior is an indicator of that. They are much more productive without a decline in smiles. It is likely from great leadership from the top down and from screening and hiring responsible kids who are doing the work.

Overall, great ship and tremendous navigation staff (officers) who made good decisions based not on saving fuel and spending less for it but rather on the passengers safety and comfort. The extra fuel used to power the vessel at the higher speeds to avoid stormy waters was high. Impressive. Food remains high in quality, taste and presentation. Portions are smaller but that's fine with me. The Buffet is as varied, beautifully presented and delicious as always. If something is not to your liking, ask for something else. Food and beverage staff will go out of their way to make you happy. Service is a little less attentive, staff have less time to linger and talk but will do so as time permits. However, this situation has not changed our perception of the Celebrity experience. Still very good. I understand the changes in dining venues but, in my view, specialty dining, with the exception of Bistro on Five, is no longer worth the up charge. The good part about that is that multiple dining options still exist and the MDR is still very good.

Wow, thirty times on Celebrity. Good for you. Great review. Thanks.

Thanks for your insightful review. We cruise on Summit in November, our first time on X, so it's great to hear the perspective of a seasoned X cruiser.

Wonderful review! Thanks so much. We board the Summit next month for our first trip to Bermuda :).

Thanks for your review. It is factual and reflects your feelings/responses to the ship and cruise experience....not an easy balance to achieve! We had a great cruise on the Summit a couple of years ago and remember her fondly..

Very nicely written. Thanks for taking the time away from your final day on board to share with us.

EW

Great review. I didn't visit the specialty restaurants but, in all other respects, I agree with your review 100%.

My only issue with the Summit was the absence of indoor movies. If you don't want to go to the outdoor theater on deck 11 (which is often cold and windy) there were no movies offered, at least on my cruise to Bermuda in May.

JB,

Thanks for posting. :)

Will be on the Summit in October, thank you for an excellent review. :)

Sitting in hotel room at Newark Airport waiting to board tomorrow. Your balanced and helpful review will make for sweet dreams tonight. Thanks for doing this and have a safe journey home. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Thank you for a most comprehensive and thoughtful review. You had many excellent observations and points of interest.

We sailed Summit with Kapt. Kate last fall and thought she did a very good job then. We'll be on Summit in a couple of months but she'll be on vacation when we are.

I do have a question though. If you were offered a 30 or 50% discount at the specialty restaurant, would it have been worth it? We've never done one but were expecting to try it on our upcoming Summit cruise.

When we boarded the Constellation in February as an AQ passenger, we were offered a 50% specialty dining reservation the first night. We didn't take advantage of it because we had never been in Blu before. So if they offer it on this embarkation, would you feel it would be worth it to try?

Our cabin will be on Deck 11. Is the movie on deck 11 or on deck 12? Oceanview cafe & sunset bar/oceanview bar are on 10 right?

The rooftop terrace is on deck 12. You go out on deck 11 and find the stairway that takes you to deck 12. A nice little area as long as the wind isn't blowing and the temperature is moderate.

The only way anyone would remark that they couldn't find something they liked doing or thought the entertainment or activities were lacking isn't taking enough time to look at their daily and go do it. Celebrity has greatly expanded how it entertains its passengers aboard ship. Beyond the Podium lectures and Celebrity life activities are scheduled every day. Topics vary. There's live music everywhere. Just find the venue and music style you like and enjoy. The production dancers can be seen performing in mini-shows from time to to time. One of them is called Indulgence. Food, drink and dancing for $20 per person. The event is held in the Rendezvous lounge and Wine Bar. It is limited to 80 guests.

I'm sorry, I can't agree with this. On our cruise (the week before), Beyond the Podium lectures were absolutely NOT scheduled every day. They were, as far as we could tell, scheduled only on Sea Days 1 and 2. We were hoping for a third round of lectures on the last sea day but there were none. And we missed some of the lectures because they conflicted with one of the all-too-few trivia sessions.

There were many fewer trivia sessions than we've seen on previous cruises, and the more experienced cruisers we played with commented that they were struck by how few there were. Only one session was offered on the last sea day. On some days, two sessions were stuck together at 3:30 and 4, which, for all intents and purposes, means one session. We look forward to these opportunities to interact with and meet other folks and felt they were lacking.

Indeed, there were many opportunities to go sit in various places and listen to music, and the music was very, very good. And there were dance lessons offered by the activities staff on the pool deck and by the production dancers in the lounge.

We were on the Summit to Bermuda a year prior and even the port days were chock full of activities. This trip was very, very different. As a consequence, we had a more relaxing time, but it's reasonable to let people know that some people might think the schedule is kind of sparse.

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive review.

......... If you were offered a 30 or 50% discount at the specialty restaurant, would it have been worth it? We've never done one but were expecting to try it on our upcoming Summit cruise. .......

 

........Our cabin will be on Deck 11. Is the movie on deck 11 or on deck 12? Oceanview cafe & sunset bar/oceanview bar are on 10 right?

On your first question, we have the benefit (or curse) of having experienced the absolute best service in the Ocean Liner themed restaurants on all the M class ships at least once. So, the bar is high and Tuscan Grill on Summit, didn't get there. So, going forward, I think we'll be reluctant to do specialty dining for the time being.

Having said that, yes, I think you should try it at a discount. As far as Qsine is concerned, it is much more fun to dine there in a group of 4 or more, 6 is best and allows a chance to taste each offering.

Each cruise is different with respect to discounting specialty restaurant visits. Whether or not it is offered is based on bookings, either from precruise or ongoing as the cruise proceeds. Don't be dismayed if discounts are not being offered on the first day. They undoubtedly will be along the way. When booking, do it live with one of the staff who will either be making reservations in one of the public areas (e.g., the entrance to Ocean View Cafe or entrance to the restaurant itself) and ask for a discount.

On your second question, I misspoke regarding the new Movie venue. It is on Deck 12. If you are aft on deck 11, there is a door that exists on a stair case. Just go up it to get to the movies. I have read comments from past cruisers with aft cabins on deck 11 that they were not disturbed by movie sounds from deck 12 above.

Thanks for you review. I was disappointed when I heard herd about Specialty Restaurant being replaced with Tuscan Grill 2. Sounds like my worst fears are true.

Thank you very much for such a detailed and informative review! It makes me even more interested in booking a Celebrity Summit cruise to Bermuda.

Thank you for a most comprehensive and thoughtful review. You had many excellent observations and points of interest.

 

We sailed Summit with Kapt. Kate last fall and thought she did a very good job then. We'll be on Summit in a couple of months but she'll be on vacation when we are.

 

I do have a question though. If you were offered a 30 or 50% discount at the specialty restaurant, would it have been worth it? We've never done one but were expecting to try it on our upcoming Summit cruise.

 

When we boarded the Constellation in February as an AQ passenger, we were offered a 50% specialty dining reservation the first night. We didn't take advantage of it because we had never been in Blu before. So if they offer it on this embarkation, would you feel it would be worth it to try?

 

Our cabin will be on Deck 11. Is the movie on deck 11 or on deck 12? Oceanview cafe & sunset bar/oceanview bar are on 10 right?

We were just on the Summit 2 weeks ago and had a cabin on deck 11. We rarely heard any noise from the movie above or the bar below. You could sometimes hear the music from the Sunset Bar below, but it wasn't loud and it didn't go late at night.

There were supposed to be 2 more Beyond the Podium lectures from each of 2 speakers on our final sea day; however, the lectures were cancelled. I asked one of the speakers what happened. She told me that she was told that no appropriate rooms were available for the lectures.

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I'm sorry, I can't agree with this. On our cruise (the week before), Beyond the Podium lectures were absolutely NOT scheduled every day. They were, as far as we could tell, scheduled only on Sea Days 1 and 2. We were hoping for a third round of lectures on the last sea day but there were none.

We also wondered what happened to the the Beyond the Podium Speaker on our 3rd sea day. We also felt bad that they scheduled her for 9:15 AM on the first day out. Most people are just waking up or at breakfast at this time. They should have scheduled her at 10:15 or 11:15 am or in the afternoon after lunch time.

I know scheduling things are difficult, but this wouldn't be a problem if they still had the Cinema down on deck 3, they could have put them there. Now they only have really one venue, the theater.

Thanks for you review. I was disappointed when I heard herd about Specialty Restaurant being replaced with Tuscan Grill 2. Sounds like my worst fears are true.

We were also not impressed with Tuscan Grille. I would not pay $45, not sure I would even pay $25 to dine there.

We loved The Normandie, Olympic, SS United States on the M Class Ships.

Just a quick update after arriving home last night.

We don't normally do this but we used Celebrity Transportation because it was a part of package. We much prefer coming and going on our schedule, not Celebrity's. However, I think using this option out of Bayonne, whether you are flying from Newark, JFK or LaGuardia, is a good one.

Our debarkation time, 8:40a, was established by the timetable for the busses. If you had an early flight, you went early, if not, late, like us. The Debarkation was nicely organized and cruisers were compliant with instructions, i.e., nobody appeared to screw it up by just leaving whenever they felt like it. There was the usual, self debarkation where you can walk off with your bags starting at 7:30a or any time after that. If you have bags checked, your departure time was determined by your airline's departure time. You'll fill out a debarkation questionnaire on Tuesday - seems early but this takes a lot of coordinating from Guest Services.

The new Port Liberty Terminal is really laid out nicely for coming and going. Bags were all neatly organized, easy to locate, porter service was readily available and Customs was quick and easy mainly because there were enough Customs Agents to handle the numbers and the flow of passengers into the debarkation area was controlled by Celebrity Guest Services and nicely worked by the Terminal Staff (they work for the port agent).

When you exit the terminal, if you are taking bus transport arranged by Celebrity, you'll be directed to the bus area by staff. There will be a person there to check you in. He will have a list of passengers who are supposed to be on the busses. If you're not on it, you won't get on. Make sure you have a copy of your transport voucher with you. If you included this in your fare, the voucher will be in your cruise documents that were emailed (in .pdf format) to you. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE VOUCHER. We were not on the list, I produced the voucher and on we went.

The trip to Newark (EWR) is quick - about 40 minutes. Last time we did this we flew out of JFK - a zoo if you can avoid it. We recommend that if you fly in, use EWR. The airport is huge. My only gripe is that with flying United, we were dropped off at the departure level (3) but only those with Premier Boarding check in on that level. We had to lug our bags down an elevator to level 2. After that, check in was simple.

We fly a good deal but I have to tell you the process, across the industry, is rapidly changing. Check in is automated, completely automated with United, less so with Delta, our main carrier out of ATL. You no longer approach the counter with your bags and after that your check in is done by a human. It's now done at the ubiquitous Kiosks that can be off putting and confusing to us old-timers. The easiest way to beat this is to know your booking/reservation number; you have the option of inputting this to the user interface at the Kiosk or you can scan your boarding pass (not the ones on your phone though if you do that), a credit card or your passport. I find that hard as you have to fumble for your wallet, purse or wherever these are stored.

We recommend you get yourself a travel documents pouch to wear around your neck. I've found these immensely helpful. I put everything I need in it and there it dangles within easy reach when I need boarding passes, passports, Global Entry Cards, your booking number, etc. With United, you print your boarding pass and baggage tags at the Kiosk, attach the baggage tags and carry your bags to an agent who weighs them, puts them on the baggage conveyor and sends you to your gate.

A great trip on Summit to Bermuda with the renown Captain Kate in charge. Yes, the Celebrity experience has changed over the last decade and there is a couple of good threads on this subject. Change is hard but its also good for the brain and the soul to learn to adapt to it.

 

I do have a question though. If you were offered a 30 or 50% discount at the specialty restaurant, would it have been worth it? We've never done one but were expecting to try it on our upcoming Summit cruise.

I'll add 2 cents,

Last Nov on the Equinox was our 1st Aqua cabin too, we still went to Murano, Silk Harvest 1x ea, and Tuscan 2X.

In 2014 we did 5 dinners, in 2013 on the Reflection Murano & the Lawn Club.

All worth every $$. We are thinking about booking a veranda GTY for our next cruise and getting the Ultimate Dinning Pkg.

EW

Thank you so much for your interesting and detailed report. We are sailing Summit to Bermuda on Aug. 28, 2016 and are booked in Aqua on the 11th deck. This is the first time I'm sailing on Celebrity, my friend has sailed Summit to Bermuda 5 or 6 years ago. I'm looking forward to comparing Celebrity to NCL - I've done Bermuda on both Breakaway and Dawn.

This completely answers what I had wondered many times this past week when I was on the Breakaway on the way over to Bermuda . . "Where is the Summit!?" I'm glad you guys got there safely and I hope you were able to enjoy a little extra time in port. We came through the storm just fine and actually had a nice Tuesday with some sun even showing through the clouds a few times. I was on the Summit two years ago and seemed to feel the motion a lot more than on BA. I did notice late Tuesday evening some rough seas, but nothing worse than I had experienced before. I'm glad I didn't know then the Summit had altered course or I might have been worried!