Summit or Galaxy for Panama?

[Renorita]

Hi, we will be on our first Celebrity (Infinity) Cruise at the end of August and while on board, want to book the Panama Canal for Spring of 06. If we were just going by itineraries, we would pick the Summit as the ports sound more interesting to us. The Galaxy goes to both Cancun and Jamaica which we have been to more then once. However having said that, we would not mind Cruising anywhere, as long as we can Cruise! :D Any suggestions or comparisons would be helpful. :) For example, is the extra two days (14 nights vs. 12 nights worth the difference in price?

[CaptData]

Summit is newer and has more amenities. My vote is Summit.

[wv4891]

Hi,

 

 

We have done the Canal on the Summit and it is a full transit of the canal, from FLL to San Diego (or the opposite way), usually. I don't believe the Galaxy is a full transit of the canal.

 

It is all personal preference, do you want a cruise that stops in only Aruba and does the Mexican Riviera (the Summit) or one that does a partial transit and is more like a Western Caribbean cruise (I assume that would be what the Galaxy does)?

 

The full transit had 7 or 8 sea days, which we thought, was a couple too many.

 

We preferred to do the full transit the first time, to experience the Canal, and now are lucky enough to do the partial cruise, more Western Caribbean cruise on the Summit in April.

 

Bill

[AFT_LOVER]

11/20/05 LA-FLL 2 weeks with many great ports as well as full transit off 9201

[Pincus]

I agree with CaptData. The Summit. Recent Galaxy cruisers have begun to notice the wear and tear on Galaxy's furnishings.

[Renorita]

Thank you all for your advice. :) Think we will check the Summit first and see what they have to offer. I have heard many people comment that it is better to do the full transit the first time.

[benjamins]

I don't know which one you should pick, but I would never pick a ship because she's newer or bigger. I don't know what's going on with Galaxy's maintenance, but she's in service 8 years going on 9, so she's hardly old. I don't find Summit *that* much bigger than Galaxy, she's 13,000 tons larger on paper, but she just feels different, bigger in some ways, not as varied in some ways.

 

There are too many aspects of a ship that people feel different about personally to just automatically pick the newer one. IMO, the Galaxy is a much, much, more characterful ship than the Summit. I think she was designed for a more demanding, higher quality Celebrity than the Summit, and the overall onboard experience reveals it.

 

I might lean towards the one that is doing the full transit and is going to more interesting ports. In this case, it's Summit.

[benjamins]

Another thing, Renorita.

 

The Summit is a virtual twin, inside and out, of the Infinity. If you sailed Galaxy, you'd sail on a different class of ship, and there's contrast.

 

You really have to see how much you like the specialty restarant and Cirque de Soleil, because those are the 2 things that distinguish the Millennium class. Galaxy has a version of all of the other major spaces of the Millennium class.