Celebrity Summit Review - June 19 to June 26, 2016

We recently returned from a cruise on board the Celebrity Summit to Bermuda. I don’t typically do reviews but since I have a bit of time on my hands right now I thought I would give it a go. I have gained a lot of useful information from following these boards over the years and should probably give a little back to others. So here is a review of our time aboard the Summit:

About Us: We are in our late forties and usually travel with our two children (aged 16 and 19). On this cruise it was just my husband and myself. We have previously cruised on Carnival (Dream, Sunshine and Breeze x 2), Norwegian (Breakaway), and Royal Caribbean (Voyager of the Seas). This was our first cruise with Celebrity. This was a return trip to Bermuda for us having been last spring on the Breakaway. I have enjoyed all the cruises I have been on and all have had their own pros and cons.

Embarkation/Debarkation: We arrived at the terminal at about 10:00 a.m after taking a car service from the Marriott at Newark Airport ($64.50 tips and tolls included) and we were on board by 10:40 a.m. The check in process was smooth and easy. We did self assist debarkation and we were off the ship by 7:45 a.m.. We were initially going to take a taxi back to Newark airport but instead took an independent shuttle near the taxi stand for $20 per person.

Classic Alcohol Package: We had this package included with our booking. I had heard from other reviewers that on Mother’s Day an upgrade to the premium package was being sold for 2 for 1. I was wondering whether the same would be done on our cruise because it was Father’s Day but no such luck. We decided not to upgrade our package as we are not big drinkers and other then maybe missing out on trying a martini there was enough to drink under the classic. I found that the first two days of the cruise there was quite a push on from the bartenders to upgrade but after that there was not. We loved that the Classic package on Celebrity includes speciality coffees and bottled waters.

Room: This trip was booked last minute and I initially chose a guaranteed concierge room because it was cheaper then selecting my own veranda cabin. This was a departure for me because I am usually extremely picky about selecting my own room and finding just the right cabin. Once my room was assigned I was given an aqua class cabin on deck 9. Although the room was underneath the pool area I had no issues with noise. You could hear the scrapping of pool chairs during the day but it was of no issue to us as we are early risers. There was no noise past 9 p.m. The room set up was typical and functional and our balcony was an average size with 2 chairs and a table. The shower was larger then I am used to having on other ships so that was a nice bonus.

Room Stewards: Our stewards were excellent although my husband was the only one to meet them on day one. The room was cleaned well and in a timely fashion and they seemed to know when we were out of the cabin to get it done quickly. I found it a bit odd that they did not provide ice in our ice bucket even though we had been given the welcome bottle of wine. There was ice there initially but it was never replaced (even though we had not yet opened the bottle). Half way through the cruise the ice bucket was removed from our room altogether. I am certain if we had made the request for ice it would have been fulfilled so not an issue just an observation.

Room Issues: On one evening and one morning our toilet stopped working. The first time it was fixed in a reasonably timely fashion and the second time took a couple of hours. This was slightly irritating as we had to use washrooms in public areas during these times (and at one point my room key stopped working so I was locked out). There seemed to be plumbing issues on the whole floor and one room near us was under maintenance for at least a couple of days so it could have been worse.

Our neighbours were smokers which was a bit disappointing. However, I did politely ask them to refrain from smoking while we were out on the balcony and they equally politely apologized and seemed to make a concerted effort to do so. It is just a bit disappointing to be put in an uncomfortable position where you have to ask someone to follow the rules.

Aqua Class Amenities: We enjoyed the extras that came with the aqua class room. The daily hors d’oeuvres were a very nice touch and were especially good the first half of the week. We received the bottle of wine, welcome fruit, slippers, wallet and lip balm and over all were given 3 different tote bags/carryalls through out the week. I took advantage of the Persian Gardens and we did dine in Blu for most of our dinners and some breakfasts and I will address that separately.

Ship Appearance/Public Areas: The ship is beautifully maintained and was clean. I found the décor to be tasteful and attractive in most areas. There are large amounts of public spaces to congregate in and the public area to passenger ratio is probably the best I have ever experienced. We did not find it to be crowded in the slightest (accept for by the pools which is standard on any ship I have ever been on). We loved to sit in café Al Bacio – which we thought was a great concept. We did miss having a pub type area which has been on every other ship we have been on. Overall there are lots of options to sit and have a quiet drink or play a game of cards.

Crew: Friendly and helpful overall. The officers (including Captain Kate) are visible and interact with passengers constantly.

Entertainment (shows): The entertainment I would rate as average overall. We saw two comedians, and one of the production shows (iHolliwood). Of the comedians one we found quite funny and one just ok. Comedy is a hard thing to pull off in a big theatre and for this reason we find the smaller venues on other ships more conducive to this type of show. The production show was fine (but to be fair we are not normally a big fan of these types of shows).

Entertainment (interactive): We enjoyed the activities manager and his assistants. We were very impressed with the interactive electronic trivia machines (where you select one answer from a multiple choice question) – they worked well and were different then anything we have seen before on a ship. The only downside is that they were only used on a couple of occasions. The rest of the trivia sessions were standard pen and pencil. We enjoy trivia so for us there could have been much more offered then the one or two sessions a day. We enjoyed the activities with the ship’s officer’s versus guests and think they are very good sports for participating in that.

We also did a tour of the galley which was very interesting and surprisingly free.

Food (dinners): We ate all but one dinner in Blu and the quality and service was excellent. We enjoyed the smaller dining room and were lucky enough to sit by the window every night. We had 3 breakfasts there as well and the offerings were very good. We ate one evening in Qsine and enjoyed it very much (albeit a bit pricey). We did not eat in the main dining room at all.

Food (lunches): The food in the Oceanview Café was good but we are not a huge fan of buffets in general. I would have liked to have seen a few more included options for lunch.

Food (Room Service): We only ordered room service one morning and the order came on time but only barely resembled what we ordered. We had asked for Raisin Bran, Milk, 1 Hard Boiled egg and coffee. Instead we received no raisin bran, 4 hard boiled eggs and coffee that was maybe introduced to the coffee grounds from a distance (and I don’t like strong coffee). We did laugh about this though because this seems to be an industry wide issue – I am not sure we have ever received the exact breakfast order we have put in. I wonder if it is to discourage room service usage?

Pools/Persian Gardens: The pools were fine and perhaps a bit bigger then what we have seen on other ships. It is nice that the thalassotherapy pool is open for all guests. I did use the Persian Gardens a couple of times as part of my aqua class perks. I liked it but would not pay extra for the perk – I agree with other posters that have mentioned it is a bit dark compared to comparable areas on other ships. I thought the sauna (which is open to all) was great with a nice big window to the sea, and I never once saw it used by another person the whole time I was there.

It was busy by the pool on sea days but we could always find loungers in out of the way areas when we wanted to.

Bermuda: This was a return trip for us and one of the reasons why we chose this cruise. We did not do any ship excursions but rather made our own way around. We visited St. George, Tobacco Bay, the beach at Fort St. Catherine, Hamilton, the dockyard area and snorkel park.

Overall: Beautiful ship, great service and good food. Would love to see a few more interactive activities offered during the day and evening. Forgot to mention elsewhere but we also loved the Statue of Liberty ‘drive by’; we were hoping it would happen and it did. We would definitely sail Celebrity again but our next two cruises are already booked on the Norwegian Epic and the Carnival Vista. Hopefully in another couple of years!

I would be happy to answer any questions I can!

Thanks so much for your review.

Wonderful review. I am in an AQ cabin for the July 31 sailing, so I am curious what cabin you had? How was the live music around ship? We enjoy listening to live music in the different lounges. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your thoughts. It is greatly appreciated.

Marie

Wonderful review. I am in an AQ cabin for the July 31 sailing, so I am curious what cabin you had? How was the live music around ship? We enjoy listening to live music in the different lounges. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your thoughts. It is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Marie

We were in 9057. There were quite a few options for live music around the ship (guitar player, piano player, dj, duos, band). Overall we were slightly underwhelmed by the live acts but that is just personal taste as we found the music to be a bit mellow. On the last night we did come across a duo from Quebec (I believe they were called the Blue Waves duo) and thought they were excellent.

Our neighbours were smokers which was a bit disappointing. However, I did politely ask them to refrain from smoking while we were out on the balcony and they equally politely apologized and seemed to make a concerted effort to do so. It is just a bit disappointing to be put in an uncomfortable position where you have to ask someone to follow the rules.

 

Why didn't you contact Guest Services to report them? It's not your job to enforce the rules or confront them. Smoking is not only against the rules it is a fire hazard, especially on a ship. They should not have been smoking at any time not just when you weren't out on your balcony. :mad:

Excellent report!

We were in 9057. There were quite a few options for live music around the ship (guitar player, piano player, dj, duos, band). Overall we were slightly underwhelmed by the live acts but that is just personal taste as we found the music to be a bit mellow. On the last night we did come across a duo from Quebec (I believe they were called the Blue Waves duo) and thought they were excellent.

Thank you! What did you think of the House Band? The HB was excellent on our Constellation TA in April.

Marie

We received the bottle of wine, welcome fruit, slippers, wallet and lip balm and over all were given 3 different tote bags/carryalls through out the week.

Having returned recently from a celebrioty cruise in an AQ stateroom, I feel we were cheated. LOL :D

We did receive the wine, fruit, slippers and lip balm, but found only the net bag and the flimsy flat, cloth bag. What other bag did you recive and what is a wallet?

Why didn't you contact Guest Services to report them? It's not your job to enforce the rules or confront them. Smoking is not only against the rules it is a fire hazard, especially on a ship. They should not have been smoking at any time not just when you weren't out on your balcony. :mad:

Just a personal preference of how I would rather handle things. For me escalation = stress and that is not what I go on vacation for. They were respectful of my request.

Thank you! What did you think of the House Band? The HB was excellent on our Constellation TA in April.

 

 

 

Marie

To be honest we didn't see much of them as we seemed to be doing other things when they were playing.

Having returned recently from a celebrioty cruise in an AQ stateroom, I feel we were cheated. LOL :D

 

We did receive the wine, fruit, slippers and lip balm, but found only the net bag and the flimsy flat, cloth bag. What other bag did you recive and what is a wallet?

In addition to the net bag and flat cloth bag we were left a more substantial nylon tote bag mid cruise. Not sure why? The wallet (small black case to carry cards) came on the first day with the slippers and lip balm.

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Great Job!

In addition to the net bag and flat cloth bag we were left a more substantial nylon tote bag mid cruise. Not sure why? The wallet (small black case to carry cards) came on the first day with the slippers and lip balm.

Interesting. We didn't get either. I thought the card "wallet" was for Suites, only. We have received them in the past when staying in a Suite, I carry mine on all our cruises, though it would have been nice to have a new one. The larger bag is, I thought, suppose to be for Elite's and up. Which we are! Didn't get that either, this cruise. I guess because I told our steward that we didn't want the champaign, fruit or canapes, that he thought we did not need the other things. :rolleyes:

We will be on the Summit in August 2017. It will be our first cruise on Celebrity and first trip to Bermuda. Thank you for the review. Can you tell us a little about how you traveled to the different locations in Bermuda?

Very well written and organized review.

Keith

We will be on the Summit in August 2017. It will be our first cruise on Celebrity and first trip to Bermuda. Thank you for the review. Can you tell us a little about how you traveled to the different locations in Bermuda?

On our last trip we purchased the transportation passes but I realized unless you are making 4 trips a day it isn't worth it. This time we bought tokens for the amount of travelling we knew we would be doing. The tokens are $4.50 per trip (as opposed to paying $5.00 if you are paying cash at the time).

We took the 9:30 ferry from the Dockyard to St. George on the first day (1 token per person). To get to Tobacco Bay and Fort St. Catherines we walked from the town. It is about a 10 to 15 minute walk to Tobacco Bay and then a further 5 minutes to the fort. The roads are narrow so you need to stick to the side but it is a nice (if somewhat uphill) walk. Tobacco Bay is well sign posted and easy to find.

On this day we were ready to return around 2 and did not want to wait for the 3:30 ferry so we chose to take the bus back. To get back to the dockyard from St. Gerorge you need to transfer to a 2nd bus in Hamilton, but if you get a transfer from the driver in St. George you are only using 1 token. This is a long way to return (almost 2 hours) but it is nice to see the whole island.

The second day we took the ferry to Hamilton and returned the same way (1 token per trip). On the 3rd day we chose to stay close to the dockyard so no travelling required.

Overall we bought 8 tokens for $36 to cover our two days of travel. If we had bought the transportation passes for 2 days I believe it would have been around $63. Hope that helps.

I usually eat lunch at the Aqua Spa Cafe. When you have the drink package the smoothies are covered. The Summit is our favorite X ship. We love both Captain Kate and Captain Alex.

On the last night we did come across a duo from Quebec (I believe they were called the Blue Waves duo) and thought they were excellent.

Same thing here -- they were excellent and my favorite.

Thank you Janie, your report and your answers to questions have been invaluable.

We are doing this cruise in 2.5 weeks and have never been to Bermuda so your take on transport and getting here and there is so helpful.

We are lovers of trivia so your description of interactive electronic trivia machines will be something to look forward to. Trivia on X has gone downhill in the last few years. Hopefully this will help.

I'll stay tuned!:)

Thank you Janie, your report and your answers to questions have been invaluable.

We are doing this cruise in 2.5 weeks and have never been to Bermuda so your take on transport and getting here and there is so helpful.

We are lovers of trivia so your description of interactive electronic trivia machines will be something to look forward to. Trivia on X has gone downhill in the last few years. Hopefully this will help.

I'll stay tuned!:)

Thank you, and to both you and joyefullcruiser, if you have a chance to do it, I would recommend doing the walk between Horseshoe Bay and Warwick Long Bay. It is my most favourite thing of anything we have done in Bermuda.

You can do it in either direction. If you choose to start at Warwick Long Bay ask the bus driver (Number 7 bus) to let you off there - it is about a 5 minute ride past Horseshoe. If you go down by the water there is a path that walks you through all of the connecting beaches. You will be rewarded with beautiful scenery and nearly deserted beaches (until you get to Horseshoe). If I remember correctly, if you walked it without stopping it would probably be about 25 minutes but you will not doubt want to stop and swim periodically. There are no facilities or food at Warwick Long Bay so you may want to factor that into your decision of which way you walk.

Hope you enjoy Bermuda!

Another great tip! I'm copy and pasting this info into my travel packet! Thank you!

On our last trip we purchased the transportation passes but I realized unless you are making 4 trips a day it isn't worth it. This time we bought tokens for the amount of travelling we knew we would be doing. The tokens are $4.50 per trip (as opposed to paying $5.00 if you are paying cash at the time).

 

We took the 9:30 ferry from the Dockyard to St. George on the first day (1 token per person). To get to Tobacco Bay and Fort St. Catherines we walked from the town. It is about a 10 to 15 minute walk to Tobacco Bay and then a further 5 minutes to the fort. The roads are narrow so you need to stick to the side but it is a nice (if somewhat uphill) walk. Tobacco Bay is well sign posted and easy to find.

 

On this day we were ready to return around 2 and did not want to wait for the 3:30 ferry so we chose to take the bus back. To get back to the dockyard from St. Gerorge you need to transfer to a 2nd bus in Hamilton, but if you get a transfer from the driver in St. George you are only using 1 token. This is a long way to return (almost 2 hours) but it is nice to see the whole island.

 

The second day we took the ferry to Hamilton and returned the same way (1 token per trip). On the 3rd day we chose to stay close to the dockyard so no travelling required.

 

Overall we bought 8 tokens for $36 to cover our two days of travel. If we had bought the transportation passes for 2 days I believe it would have been around $63. Hope that helps.

This is what we have been talking about doing when we are there. Sounds like tokens are the way to go. Thank you so much for this information.