Views on Summit please

Hi all. We really like Celebrity ships having so far sailed on Solstice, Silhouette and Eclipse. How does Summit compare to Solstice class ships? Are we going to be disappointed with it when we cruise New England and Canada next year?

We prefer Summit (M Class Ship) over S Class.

While Summit is an older ship the layout and flow is so much better than the S Class and the staff and crew are wonderful. We have sailed on Summit 6 times in the past 3 years. Somethings they havewe love are the Thallosotherapy Pool, which is so nice to sit and relax, the Rendezvous Lounge, a great place to go for dancing and the Normandie (Specialty) Restaurant which is fantastic.

I hope not. We are on Canada New England 6/9/15.

We love the Summit. Platinum on Princess but sometimes do Celebrity for the itinerary. Did a back to back on Summit from San Juan in 2013 and loved the ship.

Great staff, friendly, elegant. I prefer it to Equinox. It has all the best of the bigger ships. Normandie has the most superb food we have ever had on a cruise. Love it:)

Have not sailed on the S Class ships but have sailed on a few M Class. I agree with the comments about flow and wonderful staff. M Class has a very initimate feel.

I'll be sailing Summit on November 1st and will post a full review when I get back. I expect it will be lovely!

Oh no, lol, not the Newark hotel lady!

Summit is much older than the S class ships, and while those of us who love the M class understand that, you will find the occasional rusty area, worn carpet, paint in need of touch up. To be perfectly honest, the entire T-pool area did look like it needed to be overhauled. But as I said, many of us accept her with her flaws and love her for the beautiful ship she is.

Meaning this in the nicest possible way, if you are really freaked out by the hotel reviews that talk about the worn rooms, etc., I'm honestly not sure you are ready to accept the M class. (unless she goes into drydock in the next year, and I'm not sure of that schedule).

The S class & M class ships, while similar, are still different. The 2 biggest differences IMO, are that the S class has a lot of entertainment in the atrium, but not enough seating for one to relax and enjoy it. It is good if you are on your way somewhere & want to stop to watch. The M class have the Rendevouz Lounge, where there is plenty of seating for pre dinner drinks & dancing to a live band, & perhaps entertainment like Karaoke after dinner. The Solarium pool on the class ships is beautiful & relaxing, while the T pool in the solarium on M class, while not as pretty, has the bubble seating & the massaging spout in the pool that are relaxing. However the whole atmosphere in the solarium on S class ships is nicer.

In addition, the grill on M class is much more accessible with more seating, while on S class, it is on the deck above the pool with limited seating. Theaters in M class ships have a small cocktail table for each couple where you can keep your drinks, while S theaters do not. S class does have the Lawn, which may or may not be a plus, depending on your view.

Both classes of ships are inviting in their own way. Of course, if you only like a new car, S class would win, but the M class ships are still in good shape.

I would go with an open mind & see for yourself.

Enjoy your cruise!

Much Older? Summit came out 13 years ago - 2001. Solstice came out in 2008 Silhouette in 2011.

7 years older than Solstice - 10 years older than Silhouette.

I wouldn't classify that as much older.

I am scheduled for my 3rd cruise on the Summit next August. I am not a truly seasoned cruiser like many on these boards. However I do a fair amount of business travel, so I kind of know what works.

The Summit is extremely clean, the staff is friendly and helpful (except some of the bartenders), and the food is excellent.

My only real complaint, and it is a big one for me are the deck chair hogs. However, not being familiar with other cruise lines this issue is not limited to Celebrity apparently from what I have heard. Enjoy your cruise.

Hi all. We really like Celebrity ships having so far sailed on Solstice, Silhouette and Eclipse. How does Summit compare to Solstice class ships? Are we going to be disappointed with it when we cruise New England and Canada next year?

We have sailed on the Summit 4 times. Once to the Caribbean and three times to Bermuda. While we always had a great time- and typically sailed in a Celebrity Suite, I must say the ship is getting "tired" our suite really needed to be renovated. The M class ships- IMO are not nearly as nice as the Silhouette and Reflection-nor the other Solstice Class Ships.

However, you might enjoy the trip to Canada and New England. Some people like the warm water destinations- but we enjoyed the itinerary to Canada and New England when we sailed on Princess and Carnival- like Celebrity much more then either the Princess or Carnival. The service on the Summit is excellent- but compared to the Solstice class ships- much smaller. The Summit has many of the same venues as the Solstice class-but only two speciality restaurants, the Normandie- which is like Murano and Qsine- plus Bistro on Five. They have a small Martini Bar area- and no Molecular Bar. The ship doesn't have the corning glass show either- we didn't miss it. The regular buffet area is the old fashioned set-up more like a school cafeteria- not set up like the solstice class ships which we really like.

While we truly enjoyed the Summit- next summer, we have decided to take the NCL Breakaway- Haven Class to Bermuda for a change.

Enjoy your cruise.

Hello,

First, let me preface by saying I have never been "disappointed" in any cruise, on any ship, on any line. That said, Summit was our first Celebrity cruise about 8 years ago, and we loved it ! Since then, and after sailing on a couple of the S Class ships, we discovered that we enjoyed them (S Class) even more !

We enjoyed the larger size; the feeling of newness; the more modern feel and look; the different venue options; the Molecular Bar; the buffet layout etc. We then cruised on the Millie again, and yes, I found myself wishing we were back on an S Class, not disappointed in the cruise, just not overwhelmed with unbridled delight in the ship ! :D

We are obviously all different, and are attracted to different aspects/offerings/the "feel" of different ships, and hopefully after your cruise, you will have a better basis to make your own judgment.

Rest assured that the service and staff on all (that we have been on) Celebrity ships is outstanding…and the main reason we continue to look at Celebrity first when planning a cruise…but I now always look at the S Class itineraries before the M Class…but that's just me !

Hope you enjoy, whatever you decide !

BBL

We were wowed by the Eclipse, seemed so new everywhere and a lot of nice features. That being said we also love the Summit, just don't expect it to be as shinny and new as the S Class ships and you won't be disappointed.

We were just on the Summit this past September for the NE/Canadian cruise and really enjoyed ourselves. We have sailed on both M and S class (have a Nov one coming up on Eclipse), but do prefer the M class, as they are smaller. Not as many bells and whistles, but we appreciate the older style and less people for tendering, etc. But every passenger has their own preferences.

Both types have their pluses and their negatives, as others have expressed above, but we found the Summit to be in very nice shape given that it is not a new ship. Yes, a bit of wear and tear, but there was constant cleaning, the balconies on our part of floor 8 were being repainted, and care was obvious. The Crew, from Captain on down, were terrific in both service and interaction with passengers.

Go with a positive attitude and enjoy...this is a lovely cruise that is more easily accomplished on a smaller vessel. Ports range from the beauty of busy Quebec City to quiet fishing towns, with ocean, bay and river sailing all in one trip.

Hi all. We really like Celebrity ships having so far sailed on Solstice, Silhouette and Eclipse. How does Summit compare to Solstice class ships? Are we going to be disappointed with it when we cruise New England and Canada next year?

I truly understand...

Our first cruise was on The Solstice (2012) to the Eastern Caribbean... We were blown away... By the ship, the service, and Celebrity.

So we booked another Celebrity Cruise... This time focussing on a Southern Caribbean Itinerary, this meant we would sail on The Summit (2013)

I admit after the sparkle of the S-Class Ships we were worried what the M-Class would deliver

Our fears were unfounded. The Summit had been Solsticized, was warm & welcoming, clean and comfy, and most importantly had the familiar things we loved about Celebrity (good food, wine, Favourite venues & of course MARVELLOUS service). We came home very happy

So happy that we now have 2 more M-Class Cruises on our books... The Constellation to Mexico (Dec 2014) and another cruise on The Summit to Bermuda (May 2015)

We love both M & S Classes equally... There is lots of familiar things, but also things that set each apart... M Class is a tad smaller, less Pax, easier to get around (3 Elevator Banks) and because of when she was built a tad warmer / cozier in her design (classical styling... More wood, less glass & metal)

Hope this helps,

Cheers!

I hope not. We are on Canada New England 6/9/15.

We love the Summit. Platinum on Princess but sometimes do Celebrity for the itinerary. Did a back to back on Summit from San Juan in 2013 and loved the ship.

Great staff, friendly, elegant. I prefer it to Equinox. It has all the best of the bigger ships. Normandie has the most superb food we have ever had on a cruise. Love it:)

We are on this cruise too. Are you going to be staying pre cruise at the Hilton Doubletree Newark? Will you have a look at my thread 'Pre Cruise Hotels Newark New Jersey' and let me have your comments please. Thankyou

To be perfectly honest, the entire T-pool area did look like it needed to be overhauled.

And don't have before/after reference points... But the Thalassotherapy Pool itself was emptied and undergoing maintenance on two separate occasions--it appeared to me that the interior was being repaired and painted--during Summit's most recently completed sailing [Canada/New England; October 5 through 19]...

Quite candidly, I thought it odd that Celebrity would choose to close the T-Pool and do such work during a cold weather cruise given that the ship was about to sail to warmer climates--with the outdoor pool available for use--immediately after we disembarked [the ship is in route to San Juan now]...

Perhaps Celebrity read your comments and/or your mind!

Summit 3 times in the past 12 months and we love it. It is smaller and well laid out and we love the staff. It's a great choice

Gail

Can't compare the 2 classes but we loved our Summit cruise and have booked another one for 2015, would have booked Summit again for 2016 but it is 'not available' our dates (I'm a teacher so no flexibility). We so loved the small size that for 2016 we decided to do the Connie instead of trying an S class.

Either there is a long charter in 2016 or a dry dock for the Summit. End of Feb and early March.

Xport, thanks so much for that info!

I love X and the M-class ships (we've never been on the S), and I never mentioned the condition of the T-pool after we returned from Canada a few weeks ago (we were on the first Canada sailing, Sept 7-21), but because this particular poster sounds like she really wants honest critiques I felt she should know the truth.

The pool was a mess - but we still went in it almost every day. All the wood surrounding it just looked really old and grungy - like years of water had soaked it to make it all spongy. While every day they were painting the rust spots off of the surrounding white pillars, there was a lot of rust around the edge of the pool itself. The lights on the bottom of the pool also looked like they were rusty - I gingerly stepped on them because I wanted to make sure I would not be cut (even though my tetanus shot is up to date!), and they did not FEEL rough or rusty, but they sure looked it.

This was the only part of the ship that really looked like it needed a great deal of work, and I'm thrilled that they are taking care of it.

Yes, I agree, it was a godsend to have that nice warm pool on a chilly itinerary, but I think I know their thinking...we went almost every day, along with the same 3 or 4 other people, occasionally different people, but it really seemed underutilized (I have no idea why), and I guess they felt that it would be a good time to do the work before they send it off to a busier pool itinerary like the Carib or wherever Summit goes next. The age of the passenger base was probably also a factor - seemed (we surmised) that many of the very elderly passengers, while probably able to benefit from the nice water, were probably afraid of slipping and therefore stayed away.

Xport, thanks so much for that info!

 

I love X and the M-class ships (we've never been on the S), and I never mentioned the condition of the T-pool after we returned from Canada a few weeks ago (we were on the first Canada sailing, Sept 7-21), but because this particular poster sounds like she really wants honest critiques I felt she should know the truth.

 

The pool was a mess - but we still went in it almost every day. All the wood surrounding it just looked really old and grungy - like years of water had soaked it to make it all spongy. While every day they were painting the rust spots off of the surrounding white pillars, there was a lot of rust around the edge of the pool itself. The lights on the bottom of the pool also looked like they were rusty - I gingerly stepped on them because I wanted to make sure I would not be cut (even though my tetanus shot is up to date!), and they did not FEEL rough or rusty, but they sure looked it.

 

This was the only part of the ship that really looked like it needed a great deal of work, and I'm thrilled that they are taking care of it.

 

Yes, I agree, it was a godsend to have that nice warm pool on a chilly itinerary, but I think I know their thinking...we went almost every day, along with the same 3 or 4 other people, occasionally different people, but it really seemed underutilized (I have no idea why), and I guess they felt that it would be a good time to do the work before they send it off to a busier pool itinerary like the Carib or wherever Summit goes next. The age of the passenger base was probably also a factor - seemed (we surmised) that many of the very elderly passengers, while probably able to benefit from the nice water, were probably afraid of slipping and therefore stayed away.

I'm sure the finished product will be wonderful! We were on Connie just before her last drydock in April 2013 and then again in December. The T-Pool desperately needed to be refurbished and they did a wonderful job! When we were on in December it looked brand new, so all you Summit cruisers should be very happy next time you cruise one her! We love the T-Pool, the single best difference between M & S class for us!!!

We sailed on Silhouette in June 2013, and then Summit in February 2014. We too were worried about the smaller, older ship, but we had a lovely week.

The T-pool really is quite lovely and DH spent quite a bit of time sleeping in it! However, I believe it had been freshly painted for our sailing, and we often came out of the pool with white paint on our feet! The ship is in lovely condition, and Qsine on Summit is in a much nicer location than on the S-class ships! I missed Molecular Bar a little bit, but I just switched to Martini Bar instead (I was so enamored of Molecular Bar on Silhouette that I never made it to Martini Bar on that sailing!). The food in Normandie is as good as everyone else is saying, however, we never made it to Murano on Silhouette for a comparison.

Can't compare the 2 classes but we loved our Summit cruise and have booked another one for 2015, would have booked Summit again for 2016 but it is 'not available' our dates (I'm a teacher so no flexibility). We so loved the small size that for 2016 we decided

 

Either there is a long charter in 2016 or a dry dock for the Summit. End of Feb and early March.

This has been discussed before...

Missing Itineraries for the Summit 2016 = http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2085895

No one seems to be certain in regards to what is happening February 27th, or March 5th, 2016

But March 12, 2016 is a Charter for sure

Hope this helps (some)

Cheers!

I guess I may have to be the lone dissenting voice.

I haven't sailed on an S class ship but have sailed Royal, Carnival and Disney in addition to our cruise on the Summit last June.

The ship seemed dull. The Thalassotherapy pool wasn't my cup of tea - it was too warm and muggy and wasn't refreshing like I would want a pool to be (it was more like an exceptionally large, warm, hot tub). The overall adult solarium area felt cramped and too enclosed.

The casino wasn't inviting (at least not the slots area). The machines are very crowded and I felt that it was more like they'd taken an unused hallway and said, "eh, I guess we could put the slot machines there."

We didn't enjoy the buffet area much. The seating areas seemed to be so divided up into little spaces with some tables in very odd places. The entire area just felt so enclosed. And the cafeteria style set up made it feel like you walked half the ship to make it all the way around to check out everything.

Our dining room service was okay (but not the level we've experienced on other lines); our cabin steward was fine.

Room service was hit or miss - one time they left off half of the stuff - like just a sandwich on the plate (so side); no dressing for the salad; no spoon for the soup.

They don't really have the movies on demand that are available on the S class ships or the ability to do a lot of planning using the tv features (such as booking excursions, etc) that we've come to expect on newer ships.

There were some highlights on the ship:

Cafe Al Bacio was fantastic - both in the quality of sweets, coffees and specialty teas as well as service. This really enhanced our cruise experience.

Dining room food at Dinner - the food was generally very good with a few exceptional dishes.

The activities that were offered (didn't seem to be a lot) were very good. I attended a "British Invasion" trivia and it had visual, audio and spoken components. They had a Xbox Connect with tons of sports games and it wasn't busy so the people who did show up were able to play several (and it was available for a long timeframe).

Comfortable seating placed around the ship. There were more comfortable stuffed chairs and well placed seating than I've experienced on most ships. It really felt welcoming and like they wanted you to sit and stay a while where ever you went.

The Summit wasn't a bad cruise but it doesn't make my top 5 either.

2 days left until we see the lady..... :) :D:D:D