Bermuda with the Summit: Quick review

Hi to all, just got back from Bermuda onboard the Summit. Here are some quick notes (of course subjective, based on personal preferences and taste). Family of 4 (51, 44, 21, 16), 2 cabins, 1 with balcony, 1 inside. 5th cruise. 2 short ones in the Greek islands with Louis Cruise Lines (no comparison attempted), Caribbean in 2009 with Liberty of the Seas, Norwegian Fjiords with Crown Princess in 2011. So here it goes - if you do not agree with any below, again this is just a subjective outline.

Port: Bayonne must really be one of the ugliest ports I have ever been to. Celebrity staff did their best to overcome port shortcomings.

Embarcation process: Fast and efficient.

Ship: Old but well maintained, extremely clean, as expected.

Cabin attendant: As expected, nothing bad, nothing exceptional.

Cabins: Well sized and maintained

Oceanview Cafe: Food ranged from really awful to really good. You just had to try it out and see what you liked. Excellent stations were the carvery, pizza, salad bar, stir fry, and sandwich/soups. Did not really like the portions already in a small pan. Most of the time it sat there and got really cold (note that I like my food really warm). Sushi was just okay, but hey, you are on a cruise ship. Pasta was hit or miss.

Bistro on Five: Good food, slow service, limited selection. For 7 USD per person, you can not really ask for more. Did not try the other specialty restaurants, and the cost for the Chef dinner (195USD pp) was too high for me.

Cafe Di Bacio: Excellent coffee, good service, good pastry.

MDR: Again, food ranged from awful to excellent. Service was really good though. One night the menu was prepared by the Top Chef contestants but we really did not like it. Portions small, but you could order as much as you liked.

Pool: Good size, clean, but always crowded as the pool butlers avoided confronting guests who reserved lounges for all all day long with their towel, and never really using them.

Bermuda: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think this says it all (despite really really being expensive still, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Staff: kind, always smiled

Internet package: Slow and very very very expensive IMHO.

2 issues that made us deduct points for this cruise:

1. Non-Alcoholic Premium drink package: Even though it says fresh juice in the package description, juice was not fresh, and selection was very limited (orange, cranberry, pineapple). Very dissapointing. In my opinion, not even worth half of what they charge you for.

2. This might be deemed as a small issue, but I believe it is an indication of the mentality towards guests. The 1st night the ship was a bit sea-shaky and my two daughters felt quite down and it showed. The kind MDR waitress asked what - if anything - they might require to feel better. During the discussion, the subject of comfort food came up, so the waitress promised to ask if it was possible to have their favorite soup made for them the next day. She even made me write down the name of the soup, and the main ingredients. The soup appeared the night before last (by that time mood problem was resolved) but..... it was not even close to what the real recipe is. What really annoyed us is that they should have said from point one that it is not possible to make it (and it would be perfectly acceptable by us - we did not really expect them to make it). Since they decided to make it, they should have at least taken the time to look the recipe up if they did not know it rather than presenting that strange concoction it took 2 minutes to put together. If you can not satisfy a request, just do not offer it, and deny doing it. If you are going to do it, do it well.

Summary: To be quite honest the whole family failed to pinpoint that special factor that supposedly puts Celebrity above the other mainstream cruise lines. Maybe our cabin class and passenger status (first cruise on Celebrity) did not allow for us to see this. As far as ships go, the best one so far for us was Liberty of the Seas (new ship, better entertainment, varied activities) and for personal service and food we do choose Crown Princess (we still remember it and smile). Maybe cutbacks and price wars led to the decline of service, and long time between cruises does not allow for a fair comparison, however the Summit cruise failed to live up to our expectations created by the hype we read everywhere for Celebrity.I know that 3 cruises do not make me a critic, but this is only an outline of the latest one, and in short, it was an okay cruise (we expected an exceptional one) but there is nothing that would make us return just for the Celebrity brand. Destination and value for money will be the deciding factors.

Thank you for your review. After sailing on the Summit in June, I agree with much of what you've said. There wasn't any kind of "Oh, this is so much better than our other cruises!". The overall experience was a little uneven (some things wonderful, some things meh, some things terrible). Cafe Al Bacio and Qsine were 2 standouts from our cruise but most everything else was similar to the other lines we've sailed on.

The soup thing reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Ned Flanders house was torn down by the tornado and the town came together to rebuild. Good intentions only take you so far.

And I'm not that surprised that the kitchen didn't really fulfill the request and created whatever they wanted. One of our tablemates was allergic to garlic so she pre-chose her dinner every night. One night she requested tillapia for the next night but when she arrived at the table she was told "No tilapia, there wasn't enough time to thaw any." 24 hours wasn't enough time? Clearly the chef didn't want to make it for her and substituted a drumfish dish which she had a reaction to. That couple sails Celebrity often (3-4 times a year) and stated that the service was not the norm and they'd never had a chef or maitre d be so lax/unhelpful with the allergy.

Thanks for the report!

Thanks for your review. We have sailed the Summit to Bermuda, Eclipse in the Caribbean and Reflection in the Med last May, and I understand your perception of feeling a little let down. All the above were very good cruises, but none was so exceptional to make me sing Celebrity's praises as the best cruise line ever. There are a number of very enthusiastic Celebrity fans on these boards who build expectations up really high, maybe too high for any mass market cruise line to meet. We will absolutely continue to cruise Celebrity but will still look at other lines based on itinerary, timing, and probably price.

I do have a question about the soup, however. What kind of soup was requested? Some types of soup seem to turn out totally different based on who is cooking them, a minestrone comes to mind. Or was it a less common type? I'm not at all minimizing your disappointment and I do agree that once staff made the offer, they should have made more of an effort to do it right. But, I have to say I'm curious!

Thank you for taking your time to review your sailing on Summit. I am so sorry that you did not have as wonderful of a time as you were hoping.

I hope you fill out your guest survey they will e-mail you and make your comments there also. The only way they can correct and improve things is if they know what the problems are.

Thanks for writing your review. Appreciate your thoughtful assessments. Am leaving on the Summit in 11 days and trying to keep expectations at a reasonable level.

Must admit, am very curious as to what kind of soup it was!

hi to all, just got back from bermuda onboard the summit.

 

 

Summary: To be quite honest the whole family failed to pinpoint that special factor that supposedly puts celebrity above the other mainstream cruise lines.

we are elite and don't see the special factor

 

our cabin class and passenger status (first cruise on celebrity) did not allow for us to see this. As far as ships go, the best one so far for us was liberty of the seas (new ship, better entertainment, varied activities) and for personal service and food we do choose crown princess (we still remember it and smile).

 

agree. .

 

maybe cutbacks and price wars led to the decline of service, and long time between cruises does not allow for a fair comparison, however the summit cruise failed to live up to our expectations created by the hype we read everywhere for celebrity.

 

we wonder if the celebrity fan club has cruised rcl or princess to compare

 

i know that 3 cruises do not make me a critic, but this is only an outline of the latest one, and in short, it was an okay cruise (we expected an exceptional one) but there is nothing that would make us return just for the celebrity brand. Destination and value for money will be the deciding factors.

yes, destination and value for the money are major.

thank you for the review.

Claire

We just recently cruised RCL - Explorer of the Seas in March. It was okay, but could not wait to get back on the Summit in May.

We do not like big ships, RCL's newer ships just might be to big for us and we are not interested in sailing Quantum since it has no traditional main dining room and you need to make reservations for dinner every night of your sailing.

We have never sailed Princess but have heard many good things about them and would like to try them, but now that we are Elite+ and get free internet, laundry, dry cleaning, etc. it's hard to leave Celebrity.

I agree that Celebrity is not far and away better than the other mainstream lines. I think the ships are understated and elegant and the vibe on board is relaxing as opposed to say Royal Caribbean where they often play bingo in the lobby. Celebrity has become less sophisticated though. I think the constant pushing of the specialty restaurants is tacky.

We have booked our 11th Celebrity cruise for next summer. I am still excited about it but having sailed on other lines in recent years- like NCL and Princess, I no longer put Celebrity at the top of the list. All three have great things to offer. NCL cabins were better equipped IMO than Celebrity and the beds were far more comfortable. Princess has the best pools on the older ships- not so much on the newer Royal and Regal. Celebrity has the prettiest ships IMO.

We just recently cruised RCL - Explorer of the Seas in March. It was okay, but could not wait to get back on the Summit in May.

 

We do not like big ships, RCL's newer ships just might be to big for us and we are not interested in sailing Quantum since it has no traditional main dining room and you need to make reservations for dinner every night of your sailing.

 

We have never sailed Princess but have heard many good things about them and would like to try them, but now that we are Elite+ and get free internet, laundry, dry cleaning, etc. it's hard to leave Celebrity.

Captain Club benefits do sway a decision as to value. On larger ships the location of the cabin is a major factor. We get CC benefits and more public spaces on RCL.

Claire

Captain Club benefits do sway a decision as to value. On larger ships the location of the cabin is a major factor. We get CC benefits and more public space on RCL.

 

Claire

We were Diamond on our recent Explorer cruise and did like that they have their Diamond Events - every evening from 5-8:30 pm, but the free internet was only 30 minutes and I swear was even slower than Celebrity's. There were 2 days my DH and I could not even get on. Maybe because it's an older ship(?).

We also liked that we got a free photo on RCL. But other than that perks were just okay on RCL.

We found the lunch buffet on Explorer not nearly as good as Celebrity's lunch buffet.

Our May cruise on Summit - overall - was much better than our March cruise on Explorer, but that was just our opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Our May cruise on Summit - overall - was much better than our March cruise on Explorer, but that was just our opinion. Your mileage may vary.

We sailed the Explorer in February and the Summit in June. Yes, the Summit food was better, our cabin was a little better (not too different though), entertainment was different (kind of preferred Explorer but overall they were both only okay) but it was $1000 more for the Summit cruise (both were 7 nights, same people, similar cabins).

I understand that Bermuda makes things more expensive (due to port fees) and we had the 123 go with the alcohol package (though we don't spend much on alcohol without the package - on the Explorer it was $160 total for the 3 of us). I just didn't get $1000 more enjoyment out of that cruise.

I think for us, price is a big driving factor - I'd rather sail more often for cheaper rates and less extras. As long as I have good food, soda and bottled water, a good bed and a few movies, I'm a happy camper (er, cruiser?).

Never been on Celebrity and not expecting much on upcoming cruise. Honestly just booked for the itinerary because it makes a great B2B to ports I have not visited. I could of opted for RCL Jewel of the Seas but it was more expensive to go that route.

Thanks for your summary OP. Just going to show up for my cruise and enjoy my time away from work and enjoy a great vacation.

Hi to all. Some more cruise add-ons:

Private Bermuda tour: for 4 persons, 300USD + tip. Highly recommended. Really worth it.

Coco Reef Day Pass: was worth it since that day was a public holiday and public beaches were jammed. Otherwise, public beaches are more than okay.

Leaving the ship: really fast and efficient

Formal days: much discussion in this forum about it. As long as you were dressed in a nice way (khakis and long sleeve shirt for men was ok - dress or full length pants for women) you were in. One night (not formal) we saw a guest turned away because he wore shorts. He made quite a fuss but left anyway.

Shopping: nothing to write about. Limited selection, but I am on a cruise, not a shopping spree.

Guest relations desk: always efficiently staffed, eager to accomodate and help.

As I said, I realize that frequent cruisers get more benefits in order to return, and do not expect such benefits. That said, we flew half way across the world for this cruise, and it was chosen based on the belief that Celebrity was a notch above the others. That IMHO is not true, but that did not ruin a perfectly acceptable and enjoyable cruise.

The soup issue: The soup asked for and offered to be made was Greek Egg and Lemon Soup ("Avgolemono") a white stock soup with chicken, rice and of course eggs (for thickening) and lemon. Color similar to clam chowder but thinner. What was delivered was brown consomme with curdled egg in it (like an egg-drop soup). I know it is not much of an issue, but my point really was, if you do not want to do it, do not promise to do it. If you promise to do it, and try to do it, do it well (a google search was the only thing needed).

Now color me ashamed, as I forgot to extend my thanks to all the CC members here who with their valuable input and thoughtful help really made it possible to enjoy another cruise. Now, back to saving for the next one.

Thank you all. Happy cruising.

Thank you for your review. We are leaving in 11 days also! Cannot wait it's my First cruise and Patricks second - although his was 20 years ago I am certain that things have changed a lot! It's always nice to get others perspective and having worked in high end travel and hospitality I have pretty high standards That being said I am low key and don't get fazed by many things - hey I am on vacation no stress I leave that at the office 😄

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Happy sailing. Enjoy the cruise and Bermuda, a hidden paradise. You are on vacation, and nothing should take that away from you. I am sure you will have a good time. If you have any questions, just ask.

TopOfWorld- I think your review was very accurate to our experience on the July 6 Summit cruise to Bermuda. We were in Concierge Class and had a very nice cabin tucked between the suites on the 6th level.

This was our 10th cruise and primarily have sailed on Princess, Seven Seas, and Crystal before, primarily Crystal. We in no way would compare Celebrity to Crystal as they are a different class entirely, and reflective in the cost.

This was our first time on Celebrity and hoping for an equal or better experience to Princess. Unfortunately, overall we found it far less.

The cabin and attendants were wonderful and we really appreciated the good coffee at the Bistro where the service was also exceptional. We avoided the pool area as it was like 'Animal House'. That's unfortunate as we do like to swim and stay by the pool but it was just too crowded and unpleasant.

We were traveling with another couple and had reserved, way in advance, a table for 4 in the MDR. When we first arrived we found we were given a table for 8. They did resolve it quickly and we got a table for 4 after some discussion. Our servers were quite friendly and accommodating although the Sommelier was a disaster. Very aloof, not attentive or aware of anything around him, and totally unfamiliar with wine and how it is served. It became laughable to even deal with him.

Speaking of wine... the drink packages. Very complicated. We had received a standard drink package and decided to upgrade to the premium as it just got too weird trying to figure out what was included and what not. Then there were some very strange variations, like a big bottle of this included but not the small bottle of the same brand!

I am not especially picky about food yet when we had breakfast one morning in the MDR I found the Eggs Benedict totally inedible. The taste was horrible and the muffins were old and soggy, plus the entire meal was not that warm. I left most of it uneaten.

We actually enjoyed some of the small meals upstairs although the sushi is what you'd expect on a large standard ship and the stir fry was not so good; although the guy preparing it really worked and tried hard.

We found the Bistro on 5 to be the best place to eat- relaxed, variety of choice, pleasant service and well worth the small fee.

Perhaps the strangest thing that happened was that we got locked out on our veranda!

What an experience that turned out to be, and we were finally rescued by bending over the rail to ask our neighbors to get someone! Accidentally we pulled the door lever down and closed the door only to find it locked behind us. We have never had that happen on any ship before, and had to wonder about the liability of someone old or a child getting caught out there- perhaps in intense sun, or even overnight! It became the discussion of our fellow passengers nearby us.

We do recognize that this was a short cruise going to a tropical location during the summer and that may have tainted our experience. We also sensed that because of the type of cruise that some new or inexperience staff might be a part of it.

Regrettably we'd have reservations about taking another Celebrity cruise. We had hoped for better.

The experience certainly didn't come close to the ambiance in Celebrity's advertisements.

Happy sailing. Enjoy the cruise and Bermuda, a hidden paradise. You are on vacation, and nothing should take that away from you. I am sure you will have a good time. If you have any questions, just ask.

Thank you for the review. We're headed to Bermuda on Summit, later this month. :cool:

One thing that you might keep in mind when making "special requests" in the MDR is this: the folks in the kitchen may have NO idea what you're talking about. Unlike your neighborhood bistro, the cooks/chefs on cruise ships probably grew up eating something totally different from what your family is used to. If you ever take a galley tour on RC or X, you'll notice that photos/descriptions of ALL the dishes on the menu are posted on the wall -- so the line cooks will know what their end product is supposed to look like.

Several years ago, we were cruising on RC, with friends from Canada. Our friends asked our waiter for HP sauce for their steaks. The waiter (from Argentina) went back to the kitchen, but was unable to find any. :( A few nights later, steak was on the menu again. Our waiter proudly announced that he had finally located the "special sauce" our friends had requested. He then brought out a dish of cranberry sauce, for them to put on their steaks. :eek: We all still laugh about that one! :D

Hi to all. Some more cruise add-ons:

Private Bermuda tour: for 4 persons, 300USD + tip. Highly recommended. Really worth it.

Coco Reef Day Pass: was worth it since that day was a public holiday and public beaches were jammed. Otherwise, public beaches are more than okay.

Leaving the ship: really fast and efficient

Formal days: much discussion in this forum about it. As long as you were dressed in a nice way (khakis and long sleeve shirt for men was ok - dress or full length pants for women) you were in. One night (not formal) we saw a guest turned away because he wore shorts. He made quite a fuss but left anyway.

Shopping: nothing to write about. Limited selection, but I am on a cruise, not a shopping spree.

Guest relations desk: always efficiently staffed, eager to accomodate and help.

 

As I said, I realize that frequent cruisers get more benefits in order to return, and do not expect such benefits. That said, we flew half way across the world for this cruise, and it was chosen based on the belief that Celebrity was a notch above the others. That IMHO is not true, but that did not ruin a perfectly acceptable and enjoyable cruise.

 

The soup issue: The soup asked for and offered to be made was Greek Egg and Lemon Soup ("Avgolemono") a white stock soup with chicken, rice and of course eggs (for thickening) and lemon. Color similar to clam chowder but thinner. What was delivered was brown consomme with curdled egg in it (like an egg-drop soup). I know it is not much of an issue, but my point really was, if you do not want to do it, do not promise to do it. If you promise to do it, and try to do it, do it well (a google search was the only thing needed).

I look at things differently, I guess.. I feel it was so nice of them to try, this is not a soup they normally make and my guess is that they they probably haven't even seen or heard of it before. I say kudos to the staff for trying to make your daughters feel special. Sorry you were disappointed..

1. Non-Alcoholic Premium drink package: Even though it says fresh juice in the package description, juice was not fresh,

When we there at the end of May there was fresh orange and grapefruit juice at breakfast, at the entry of the buffet.

The first time I was on the Summit I also got locked out on the veranda. Luckily my wife was inside at the time and kind enough to unlock the door.

 

I informed the attendant about it and was told that it happens all the time. It is something that can be solved very easy by putting a decent handle on the outside of the door to close it.

 

I wrote a thread about it warning others and it and the thread turned into beint very amusing and comical because of spelling error made by someone in their response.

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

So we have sailed on the Summit and her sister ships probably 10 or so times and have never locked ourselves out on the veranda… Were sailing on the Summit again in September and all I can think about now is Im gonna do it.. How, exactly does it happen so I don't do it! Thanks.

Do not pull the door hand down inside the room.

Once you open the door leave the lever handle horizontal. We accidentally pulled it down not realizing it locks from the veranda side too.

do not pull the door hand down inside the room.

Once you open the door leave the lever handle horizontal. We accidentally pulled it down not realizing it locks from the veranda side too.

gotcha! Thanks…..