Summit Review 3/21/05-4/1/05

[House_Atreides]

Summit Review 3/22/05-4/1/05

 

Overall impression of ship: Very good.

 

Embarkation: This was a breeze even if not traveling in a suite. The lines moved quickly and efficiently the entire time I watched them.

 

Cabin # 6099 (Sky Suite)

 

This is a nice suite; small for a suite but well-kept and tastefully decorated. Balcony is more than adequate in size with wood flooring and wooden chairs covered in fabric chair pads. There is also a wooden coffee table. When decks are washed chair pads become damp but that is quickly resolved by sea winds. Lifeboats are one deck below us which we find to be fine however there is a ramp to the lifeboats that has a light on it that shines right onto the balcony at night. This detracts from stargazing a bit however we did not find it particularly problematic.

 

The queen size bed is very comfortable with 2 pillows per person. Sofa is comfortable also without being too soft or too hard. Suite layout is excellent with room to stretch and furniture placed strategically for best movement around suite.

 

Bathroom, although small, affords a tub and shower, sink and pretty storage area behind door. Towels are thick and look new. Suite is cleaned twice a day (once in morning to make up bed, etc. and once in evening for turndown service).

 

Two thick terrycloth robes are hanging in the bathroom for use during the cruise.

 

Sliding glass door to balcony works smoothly.

 

Temperature controls in suite work well and quickly.

 

Wood paneling is on the walls, one wall is mirrored and another mirror is above the desk area. There is a glass coffee table between the comfortable chair and sofa.

 

There is a walk-in closet with ample space and the room safe within.

 

Lighting is more than adequate in cabin for daytime or night time use.

 

There is a Phillips 20” TV set and DVD player, a stocked mini-bar in the refrigerator all underneath the TV set.

 

 

Public areas:

 

Everything is clean, clean and more clean. This is the cleanest ship I have been on. The décor is elegant and understated; no neon lights here except close to the café. The public restrooms are kept clean and ample soap; paper towels and lotion are available.

 

Fortunes Casino is the usual, noisy tight area that most casinos at sea are however, this one as far as space between the tables is not bad. There is a lot of smoke in the casino however it is well-ventilated and the staff for the most part is extremely friendly. There are some non-smoking table games and slot machines.

 

The Cosmopolitan Restaurant is also nicely decorated. It is two stories tall with elegant woods and plenty of windows for viewing while dining. The service is very good and the entrees are also good for the most part. I had trouble with some of the concoctions served that reminded me of yesterday’s leftovers put in a blender with perhaps gelatin added (this was for some of the no sugar added desserts and appetizers) but in general, the food was in my humble opinion, over rated. Three other cruise lines have surpassed the food in this dining room in my opinion.

 

The Waterfall Café and Grill was an impressive layout of buffet style food. Being diabetic I could not eat a lot of the entrees but there was always some entrée that I could eat and plenty of fresh fruit and salad. The hours could be more extensive than they are (burgers and hot dogs are not served after 6PM) and this dining area is not open for supper with the exception of a reservations-requested casual dining restaurant toward the back of the Café.

 

The Aqua Spa Café offers healthy eating and is quite good; presentation of the food is excellent however what one considers “healthy” may not be so healthy for everyone. For instance, sodium content in all dining venues is high. If asked, the staff will leave off sauces and added salt though. In this café there is a lot of fruit offered and fish. The emphasis here is on low-fat selections and not necessarily low calorie or low sodium.

 

I cannot comment on the Sushi Restaurant as I did not eat there but it seemed fairly busy and appeared to have a nice variety.

Online@Celebrity is well-run and the satellite is quick most of the time. Again, décor is understated and simple. There are classes offered (some for a fee; some not) in different areas of computer usage. The going rate is .75 per minute although there are packages you may purchase for the duration of your cruise. With your own laptop you may connect to the internet however difficulties were found by guests connecting from their staterooms; some needed to be out in the hallways or other areas of the ship other than their staterooms.

 

The Conservatory is very pretty although we found it not to be what we expected. The sea views are beautiful amongst all the foliage however this is also another way for the ship to get you to spend your money on buying (expensive) flowers. If you want to buy flowers, this is your place, but not ideal for curling up with a book in as it really is more of a shop than anything else.

 

Shops onboard are the usual run of the mill cruise ship shops, running sales here and there. The merchandise is pretty much the same as I’ve seen on other ships also. They are nicely decorated and the clerks are courteous and friendly and not pushy.

 

The hair salon did a good job on my hair; I went on the afternoon of the first formal night to have my hair put up. I have no complaints other than the usual hawking you to buy every beauty product and treatment onboard. I gently declined and was not pushed hard to buy. This I appreciated as on other ships I have been pressured hard to buy more things.

 

The Rendezvous Lounge is a wonderful hideaway to sip drinks and dance to a duo. The chairs are comfortable and inviting, again with the same quiet décor.

 

The Pizza & Pasta areas are opposite each other on the aft part of the ship. The pizza is pretty much run of the mill; the pasta bar offers four different sauces and toppings and is good for a late night snack. At times the pasta looked a bit old however.

 

The casual dining venue off the Waterfall Café was very delightful with great ocean views and very good food and service. It is a nice alternative to the main dining room, serving “dining room food” in a more casual setting where you don’t have to dress up. The area is small and reservations are suggested.

 

The Bar At The Edge Of The Earth is the most unusual spot I found on the ship. We visited the night before the Cirque De Sole had its performance and some of the décor was up on the ceilings already for the next night. The staff was friendly, seating very comfortable again, offering many sea views. This bar can be difficult to find but worth the trip. It is on Deck 11, fore.

 

There were many complaints heard about Cirque Du Soleil. The guests did not like it for the most part. As the show evolves one becomes part of it and I do not think people were comfortable in being part of the performance itself; rather preferring to be entertained instead of being the entertainment.

 

The Celebrity Theatre offers wonderful shows in the evenings; I attended 2 throughout the cruise and was impressed. The Broadway show is not to be missed. The theater itself again, is not tackily decorated and it is easy to see the stage no matter where you are sitting.

 

The Tower, for teens to hang out in is very pleasant and on my visit a couple of them were playing ping pong and one was stretched out on the teen-style furniture listening to music. Nice spot for teens to escape.

 

The Cinema shows movies at different times during the evening; the movies are generally recent releases.

 

The Champagne and Martini Bars are very nicely decorated in lighter hues of beige and the drinks not overly-priced. Either is a great place to meet and mingle before or after dinner.

 

Michael’s Club is a nice, intimate setting with luxurious furnishings and dark woods. A very cozy spot on the ship.

 

Pool Area, Deck 10 is really a great place to spend sea days or go for a dip. On this particular cruise, there are a lot children aboard and they are in the pools a lot but there is a decent amount of room for the adults, also. There are padded deck chairs on this deck and everything is kept very clean. There are a lot of shaded areas for those who don’t wish to be out in the sun. The whirlpools are large and also well-maintained, although the pools all close at 9PM so if you are looking for a late night swim you won’t find it on this ship.

 

The T-Pool is a wonderful retreat. It’s a domed area, quiet and very pretty. The pool is larger than I thought it would be and never seems to be overly crowded.

 

Words is a nice library tucked on Deck 9 with a variety of classics, new books and reading for all ages. You can either check out your book or read in Words. A very nice hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the ship.

Notes is nice for listening to music and escaping the crowds onboard also. There are many venues of music to choose from and nice ocean views. This area was never crowded during our cruise.

 

Staff onboard is extremely courteous and friendly.

 

For instance, when I had a problem with a bar serving me a Coke instead of a Diet Coke (I am a diabetic) I called guest services and they were most gracious and followed up numerous times to be sure that I was being served only diet drinks. Also, the Maitre d in the dining room followed up with me.

 

Our stateroom attendant was very friendly when we saw him and kept the suite sparkling clean. The furniture was vacuumed every day which I found unusual but quite nice.

 

The casino staff is generally friendly and helpful when learning new games. Drink service to the tables is a little slow as I noticed only one server in the casino however the server did a great job considering his task.

 

Our waiter and assistant waiter were wonderful, quick and after a night or two, more relaxed with us, realizing that we were a fun group. They were both a delight and the service on the whole in the Cosmopolitan was quick and efficient.

 

At the Waterfall Café and Grill, I found a horrid language barrier. The staff was efficient though, and full of smiles. It was just very difficult to understand them, and they did not understand us well. The same went for the pizza and pasta bars.

 

I cannot comment on the Shore Excursion staff because I did not interact with them; having booked my shore tours online before the cruise. I will mention that this was very convenient and our tickets were in our suite upon our arrival for our review.

 

Our butler, Xavier, hailed from India and has been a butler for many years considering his young age. Everything was always done with flair, professionalism and even when I would spring a surprise on him (for example, one night my friends and I wanted a party in the suite and I called Xavier an hour beforehand, and he had everything ready in time). After getting to know us, he was outgoing and very friendly. He seemed to take a keen interest in us as people outside of the ship and was a great listener.

 

Fellow guests: We found our fellow passengers to be a diverse group; ranging in age from toddlers up to folks in their eighties. A lot of the guests are very well-traveled and educated people. We really enjoyed the variety of nationalities and cultures amongst our fellow guests. The one exception was a large Spanish-speaking family which was horribly rude and loud. I think the whole ship knew about them!

 

Shore Excursions: The ones that we took were well-organized and we had knowledgeable, friendly guides. Our tours were most enjoyable. There were problems re-boarding the ship in Grand Cayman which is explained below in “Cons on this ship.”

 

Debarkation: A nightmare. We had priority disembarkation and a Celebrity rep pointed to where our luggage was supposed to be and it was no where close to where he said it was. By this time we could not find a porter and when we did find one, it was an hour after we had disembarked and he was very rough with our luggage.

 

Pros on this ship: Public areas, staterooms (Our friends were in a Concierge Class room and it was great for 2 people but crowded for any more. The amenities and special breakfasts served in this room were very delightful), and the staff. The pool area is very pleasant and I was always able to find a deck chair even with chair hogs around. The T-Pool was never crowded when I visited and quiet and pleasant.

 

Cons on this ship: The food I did not think was up to the standard that I expected; I have had better food on other cruise lines. Perhaps, though, I hit a "bad cruise" as can sometimes happen. This won't prevent me from cruising Celebrity again. In Grand Cayman, the pier was so crowded to get back to the ship by tender that it took two hours waiting in the hot sun to board a tender back to the ship. This is not necessarily Celebrity’s fault; I believe that Georgetown lets too many ships anchor in a day.

 

Pros for this itinerary: The destinations are varied and there are enough sea days tucked in between to catch your breath and relax.

 

Cons for this itinerary: If you do not like a port-intensive cruise this is not for you! We did enjoy this itinerary very much ourselves, though.

[ronhow]

Your review was written eloquently and made me so excited as we are sailing on the Summit a month from today on her repositioning to Alaska. It is a 14 nighter and wonderful itinerary and we are doing it with a group of 8.

 

Your review was objective and friends of ours are staying in a Sky Suite; have forwarded your review to them.

 

We are staying in a Royal Suite and it sounds wonderful from everything I have read....it better be for the cost!

 

Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed reading your entire review and happy to hear you had such a wonderful time.

 

Many thanks!:)

[ambullmom]

thankyou so much for your wonderful review. I will be on the Summit Monday for an 11 night cruise. I have never cruised with Celebrity or 11 nights. Im so excited.

 

Could you tell me if there is a band at the pool on sea days? I love to sit at the pool and listen to a good Caribbean band on sea days.

 

Thanks,

Mary Beth

[House_Atreides]

There is a band by the pool but the times they play vary greatly!

 

If there isn't a live band, there is music...and tons of activity!

 

I'm glad you found the review helpful Mary Beth & ronhow. I'd love to hear how you enjoy the Summit (cos I know you will!)

 

Hope this helps, have a great cruise!!!!

 

Mary

[The Scotsman]

Mary, enjoyed reading your review, I have not found the time to do one, however, it would contain virtually the same comments as yours (although probably would not be so organised and well written).

 

The only thing I would say is that in my opinion the Cirque de Soleil went down very well with the us and the others we spoke with. Funny how different things appeal differently to some and not others. The atmosphere and furnishings in the Bar at The Edge really impressed us as did the performances. On the eveings of performances the bar was always pretty full. White night I am still trying to make my mind up about, while we enjoyed it the numbers that left early on make me wonder if it is still being misrepresented. This was a shame because a lot of people left before the performances really got going.

 

Like you service was astounding and the friendliest crew we have encountered in all our 11 cruises. Also a great group from Cruise Critic helped make this an extremely memorable trip.

[calamity]

Thank you, I also enjoyed reading your review.

 

We are sailing on the Summit to Hawaii. over the Christmas and New Year hoilday. This will be our first ever cruise and we just can't wait.

 

I am so glad I found this site. I have learnt so much already from all your threads.

[Chefjacque]

Hi Everyone, thanks for the nice review of the Summit... We will be leaving on the 11th and can not wait.

 

Does anyone remember what night the Island Night on deck was held? We want to pre book the speciality restaurant before we go and do not want it to be on that night. Our last Celebrity cruise, we enjoyed that evening so much, and we are looking forward to it again. The fruit displays were so pretty, and the food looked wonderful, although we were too full to enjoy much of it.

 

Thanks for your help and welcome home, although I am sure you would much rather be back on board ship.

 

Jacqueline

[The Scotsman]

Chefjacque,

 

sorry I made a mental note to check the dailies when I got home last night and promptly forgot. I am sure it was eitherthe day we left Aruba or a sea day either side. I can't remember for sure but it was towards the end of the trip (I think).

 

Will check tonight and advise accordingly.

[Bisous3]

I was on this cruise too!

I have to disagree with the OP about the Cirque experience though. I thought it was wonderful!

Suzanne

[ronhow]

What a great thread....so nice to speak to you guys who just got back from a Summit sailing....we leave in less than a month and are very excited as this is our first Celebrity cruise.

 

Quick question on the Cirque stuff. Have read elsewhere there is a white party and that you must dress in white and wear a mask. Was told to bring masks as they are not provided and if you buy on ship they are $20 each....is this true?

Do you have to wear a mask and are you permitted to bring your own?:)

 

We live in Las Vegas so very aware of Cirque and how wonderful it is...after all, we now have 5 different Cirque shows here and more coming!!

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Howard.:)

[sunworshipper3]

Hi Howard!

 

White clothing is recommended for White Night. This is because the lighting used and the image projections. White is much more reflective, so attendees wearing white maintain the intended effect. Some wore all white, others wore a white top and light colored pants or skirt, and others wore their white robes.

The cheapest mask on the ship is $19.95 with others going up to well over $100.00.

White Night is an interactive experience. To get the full effect and enjoyment, wear a mask and as much white as you can, but more than anything have an open mind, and you'll have a ball.

Pat :cool:

[sea witch]

I just came back from the 3/21 sailing as well. Checked the day programs and island night is on 2nd Tuesday, the day we were in Aruba. The White Night Ball in the Cirque bar is the 1st Wednesday around 10:15pm. They say masks are required and you should wear white. You can bring your own masks. We brought them and the cheapest are $20.00. Get there around 9:30pm and wait at the main entrance if you want to be part of the 1st 100 people experience. Do not expect Cirque though. It is more of an interactive, Star Wars bar disco setting. I have to say I enjoyed the experience the night after in the bar more. Worth going though. Enjoy!! Holly

[sea witch]

Hope your week is going well! Holly

[sunworshipper3]

Hi Holly!

This has been the longest 4 days................... :(

That goodness tomorrow is Friday, and we're supposed to have a nice weekend.

How's things in CT?

Take care!

Pat :cool:

[hmorrow]

Hi,

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Summit in March, to Hawaii. Just curious as to which cruise lines you think have better food? Helaine

[The Scotsman]

Chefjacque

Island night is the evening of Aruba and worth going to. The buffet looked really nice but since it had only been an hour since we finished dinner not even the beautiful displays could tempt me to try some.

 

Hmorrow

We enjoyed the food on Celebrity very much. Dinners were always excellent though I would find it difficult to say it was any better than NCL or Princess food. What was better was the service, far more attentive with a greater attention to detail. Just seemed to be a notch above NCL, our favourite cruise line until we tried Celebrity. Princess didn't match up to the service of NCL and nothing like as good as Celebrity.

 

The buffet food for lunch on Celebrity seemed much better than the others too. Better choice. There is the main buffet, a pasta station which we loved, a sandwich bar and poolside there was a grill serving burgers, hotdogs and fries. Another plus on Celebrity was the icecream bar open most of the afternoon (on NCL it opened for a couple of hours at most).

[The Scotsman]

Oops, just noticed Holly answered your question already Chefjacques. Good job we both came up with the same answer.

 

Holly, hope you and Jim are not too depressed being back on land and back in the land of the living.

 

Take care

[Chefjacque]

Thank you to both of you for getting me the answer for Island Night. We will plan on going to the Normandy on another evening, and save room for the wonderful buffet...

 

These boards are so helpful, I feel sorry for anyone taking a cruise who is not aware of how wonderful Cruise Critic is.

 

Thanks again for the information... I must get packing, leaving tomrorrow for Ft Lauderdale... We can't wait to get out of this terrible Ohio weather. Saturday we had our last snow storm and Cleveland set a record of over 106 inches for the season...... I am ready for sun and fun.

 

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

 

Jacque

[TurnSmiles]

Hi guys - What a great review. My dad and daughter are sailing the Summit on May 27th. We have booked a CC and are really looking forward to it. I was expecting that it would be a tad cramped with 3, but hoping for the best. Oh well. Is there anything else anyone knows about CC rooms? About all I know is we get priority embarkation and disembarkation and champagne in the room upon arrival. Is that special breakfast you mentioned just for sky suites or is that for CC as well? Is the top or bottom dining room better? Will they have that island dinner on a 7 nighter? What about that white night? Is it an additional charge? I've read conflicting posts on that.

 

Thanks again for the post, now I am really looking forward to going.

[sea witch]

Hi Pat and Mike and Steven and Mo!!

It's been the longest week! Things are finally warming up around here though. Just in time for yard work! It will be sunny Sat. so I will wear shorts and a tank top and freshen up the tan. Love to all! Holly

[cruiseclues]

House_Atreides, great review and photos. Don't forget to put a link to your great Summit photos into your signature. :) :cool: :D

[wwbill4]

For those going on the Summit. Go to the Cruise critic get together the staff on the Summit including the cruise director came to the get together. The Staff (including the Cruise Director) were really concerned about our likes and dislikes. There was a lot of feedback to the cruise director, pros and cons(Including the Ciriq experience) This was like no other cruise critic get together we had ever participated in. If you don't go, you will miss a real positive experience from the staff of the summit.

Our cruise was the 2nd best we have ever taken , 2nd only to our Alaska cruise.

Bill from Pittsburgh

[tshort6000@aol.com]

Thanks for posting your review. Our family has cruised on the Summit the last three years in a row, and have found the ship and the staff to be very nice. Although, on our last cruise (November 2004) the ship was really starting to show wear. For example, lounge chairs in the most of the bars had fabric wearing through to the stuffing. Carpeting and chairs in the Waterfall Cafe were especially looking very rough. Almost to the point of be unappetizing. I understand the ship went into dry dock in January.

 

In your opinion, has the ship been restored to proper condition?

 

We would realy appreciate your feedback as we are considering booking the Summit out of LA in September, but will probably pass if dry dock resoration was not thorough.

 

Thanks.

[wwbill4]

You will not be dissapointed. In this order we would rate the Summit, the Dawn Princess, Golden Princess, Grandeur of the Seas then Legend of the Seas of well maintained ships. (these were our 5 cruises). There was a huge differrence from the first three to the bottom two. But the Summit was well above the others. The bathroom room showers are very roomy not the tiny ones on the other ships mentioned. Don't forget to do the Begium Waffle station in the morning (located on the far rear of the ship, they also do a soup and sandwich bar here at lunch, the sandwiches are hand carved and can be put put on pretzel like buns). This ship does the ice cream station at lunch everyday, (example,strawberry ice cream with carmel sauce). Soft ice cream is also available. We had an outside cabin on the lower level 2160. We hope to take this ship again. If you get our waiter Marius tell him we said hello he was excellent! This ship had the friendliest staff we had ever experienced.

Bill

[House_Atreides]

I did not notice wear and tear on cushions, etc, on the ship. So apparently Celebrity has taken care of this problem.

 

I was especially impressed that our cabin steward vaccumed our furniture every day---wow!

 

Thank you to all who read my review. I had a great time writing it!!!!

 

Hi to all my shipmates!!!!

 

Mary