Review Summit 5/13 Bermuda Cruise

[reginab1979]

We just returned from our May 13th cruise to Bermuda. It was our 7th Celebrity cruise and our 4th Summit cruise. This was our first experience on Aqua Class. Based on many of the previous reviews I was frankly a little hesitant about the experience. But I can assure you that this cruise was one of our very favorites.

 

Embarkation was the quickest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at the Bayonne Terminal at 10:30 am, dropped off our luggage, parked the car and within 20 minutes we were sitting at the Sunset Bar with a drink in hand. Amazing!

 

Our cabin was 1106 which was one of the new cabins on the 11th floor. Our stateroom attendant was Belinda who was just fabulous. She’s had other wonderful reviews here and she deserves them! We really enjoyed the 11th floor because it seems a bit more private and secluded. There is also easy access by stairway to the Sunset Bar (one of our favorite places on the ship). Each day we had 2 or more bottles of Evian water provided for free. The veranda was clean and I never noticed soot coming from the smoke stacks as other people have noted.

 

Our dining each day was in Blu as opposed to the MDR. For us, the “jury is still out” concerning Blu. The service in Blu is exceptional. However I’m not really convinced that the food is all that terrific. We did find out that if there is anything on the MDR menu you can order it in Blu and it will be provided for you there. My husband, who is a very picky eater, did not really enjoy the Blu menu too much. The waiter noticed that he was not finishing his meals and immediately informed the maitre’d who questioned my husband. He informed my husband that they would actually cook something special for him. Amazing. We really enjoyed breakfast each day in Blu. Especially enjoyed the smoothies.

 

We also thought that the food at the buffet was outstanding and was far better than we remembered from previous cruises. If you cannot find something there to eat at lunchtime then you just aren’t looking hard enough. A couple nights, (when we really weren’t that hungry) we ate dinner at the buffet and enjoyed the pasta and Indian food offerings. It was also very good.

 

Overall the service and cleanliness of Summit is incredible. Whether at the pool or at a bar there are plenty of waiters ready to take your order or clear away a tray. Everyone you meet is pleasant and wonderful to the passengers. They are cleaning that ship non-stop.

 

We thought that the entertainment at the shows had also improved since our last cruise on Summit. The Cruise Director was very nice and imho does not deserve the negative reviews that she often receives here. Our favorite show was Sirens.

 

As I stated before our favorite bar is the Sunset Bar on deck 10 aft. One of the regular servers there is Patrick who knows how to take care of the passengers. We also enjoyed the Martini Bar. Igor is just incredible at making Martini Flights. (Have your camera ready for this one!). Cellar Masters is just so-so. We much rather have Cellar Masters on the S-class ships because it a separate room and not a walk though area.

 

We took the ferry to St. George and Hamilton while we were in Bermuda and especially enjoyed St. George. Watch that sun in Bermuda! You can get seriously burned even if it’s overcast. Also, a warning please be VERY careful if you plan on renting a scooter at the Dockyard. A man from our cruise was killed, and his wife was hospitalized in critical condition on a scooter accident. It can be very dangerous.

 

We did have one problem on our cruise concerning our room. On our first night at sea we had a horrible sewer smell coming from the bathroom. It became so bad that it kept us up most of the night. The next morning I went to Kevin the Concierge and informed him of the problem. With 1 hour our cabin was inundated with “white shirts”, plumbers and officers who were determined to fix the problem. Both Kevin and the head Maintenance Officer were so apologetic that we had to deal with one night of the sewer smell in our room. I know that I’ve read about these problems before on Summit but they dealt with it immediately and fixed it. This small incident did not ruin our cruise. In fact the care which the crew dealt with the situation increased our respect and admiration for Celebrity. My advice to you is if this happens in your cabin go to Guest Services or the Concierge and get it fixed.

 

Disembarkation was just as painless as embarkation. My husband said that we wait in line longer at Wal-Mart than we did going through Customs.

 

In conclusion this was a fabulous cruise and one that we enjoyed immensely. We’re already booked on our next Summit cruise and can’t wait to step back on her again.

 

If anyone has any questions please let me know!

Gail & Dan

[injersey]

We just returned from our May 13th cruise to Bermuda. It was our 7th Celebrity cruise and our 4th Summit cruise. This was our first experience on Aqua Class. Based on many of the previous reviews I was frankly a little hesitant about the experience. But I can assure you that this cruise was one of our very favorites.

 

Embarkation was the quickest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at the Bayonne Terminal at 10:30 am, dropped off our luggage, parked the car and within 20 minutes we were sitting at the Sunset Bar with a drink in hand. Amazing!

 

Our cabin was 1106 which was one of the new cabins on the 11th floor. Our stateroom attendant was Belinda who was just fabulous. She’s had other wonderful reviews here and she deserves them! We really enjoyed the 11th floor because it seems a bit more private and secluded. There is also easy access by stairway to the Sunset Bar (one of our favorite places on the ship). Each day we had 2 or more bottles of Evian water provided for free. The veranda was clean and I never noticed soot coming from the smoke stacks as other people have noted.

 

Our dining each day was in Blu as opposed to the MDR. For us, the “jury is still out” concerning Blu. The service in Blu is exceptional. However I’m not really convinced that the food is all that terrific. We did find out that if there is anything on the MDR menu you can order it in Blu and it will be provided for you there. My husband, who is a very picky eater, did not really enjoy the Blu menu too much. The waiter noticed that he was not finishing his meals and immediately informed the maitre’d who questioned my husband. He informed my husband that they would actually cook something special for him. Amazing. We really enjoyed breakfast each day in Blu. Especially enjoyed the smoothies.

 

We also thought that the food at the buffet was outstanding and was far better than we remembered from previous cruises. If you cannot find something there to eat at lunchtime then you just aren’t looking hard enough. A couple nights, (when we really weren’t that hungry) we ate dinner at the buffet and enjoyed the pasta and Indian food offerings. It was also very good.

 

Overall the service and cleanliness of Summit is incredible. Whether at the pool or at a bar there are plenty of waiters ready to take your order or clear away a tray. Everyone you meet is pleasant and wonderful to the passengers. They are cleaning that ship non-stop.

 

We thought that the entertainment at the shows had also improved since our last cruise on Summit. The Cruise Director was very nice and imho does not deserve the negative reviews that she often receives here. Our favorite show was Sirens.

 

As I stated before our favorite bar is the Sunset Bar on deck 10 aft. One of the regular servers there is Patrick who knows how to take care of the passengers. We also enjoyed the Martini Bar. Igor is just incredible at making Martini Flights. (Have your camera ready for this one!). Cellar Masters is just so-so. We much rather have Cellar Masters on the S-class ships because it a separate room and not a walk though area.

 

We took the ferry to St. George and Hamilton while we were in Bermuda and especially enjoyed St. George. Watch that sun in Bermuda! You can get seriously burned even if it’s overcast. Also, a warning please be VERY careful if you plan on renting a scooter at the Dockyard. A man from our cruise was killed, and his wife was hospitalized in critical condition on a scooter accident. It can be very dangerous.

 

We did have one problem on our cruise concerning our room. On our first night at sea we had a horrible sewer smell coming from the bathroom. It became so bad that it kept us up most of the night. The next morning I went to Kevin the Concierge and informed him of the problem. With 1 hour our cabin was inundated with “white shirts”, plumbers and officers who were determined to fix the problem. Both Kevin and the head Maintenance Officer were so apologetic that we had to deal with one night of the sewer smell in our room. I know that I’ve read about these problems before on Summit but they dealt with it immediately and fixed it. This small incident did not ruin our cruise. In fact the care which the crew dealt with the situation increased our respect and admiration for Celebrity. My advice to you is if this happens in your cabin go to Guest Services or the Concierge and get it fixed.

 

Disembarkation was just as painless as embarkation. My husband said that we wait in line longer at Wal-Mart than we did going through Customs.

 

In conclusion this was a fabulous cruise and one that we enjoyed immensely. We’re already booked on our next Summit cruise and can’t wait to step back on her again.

 

If anyone has any questions please let me know!

Gail & Dan

Your review has made me very anxious for June 10th to arrive. We've never cruised Celebrity before, and are hearing only good things both on this message board, and from folks we've recently met. Can't wait!!!

[uktog]

Thank you for your great review - we are on Summit in 2 weeks time in an Aqua room so your experiences were very useful reading.

Did you drink wine in Blu and if so how did you find the wine service?

 

You are right about the danger of scooters - the good news though,if it is the same incident is that the Bermuda Times reports they were both seriously injured but expected to make full recoveries

[Phxazzcruisers]

Summit is one of the few Celebrity ship we have not been on yet. Thanks for the great review. We will definately have to squeeze a cruise on on her. Sounds great !!!

[reginab1979]

Thank you for your great review - we are on Summit in 2 weeks time in an Aqua room so your experiences were very useful reading.

Did you drink wine in Blu and if so how did you find the wine service?

 

You are right about the danger of scooters - the good news though,if it is the same incident is that the Bermuda Times reports they were both seriously injured but expected to make full recoveries

 

We did have wine each time we dined in Blu. They called them "wine attendents" and not sommeliers. Rightfully so I'm afraid. There was one gentleman for the entire dining room and he seemed a little rushed. The wine selection was good but I think you really have to know what you're looking for.

 

There was actually 2 separate accidents from our ship. First one, the man died and his wife was in critical condition and was still in the hospital when the ship left. The other accident both were ok and were expected to recover. Very sad situation.

 

Gail

[reginab1979]

Your review has made me very anxious for June 10th to arrive. We've never cruised Celebrity before, and are hearing only good things both on this message board, and from folks we've recently met. Can't wait!!!

 

I'm sure you will enjoy it. Very classy ship!

 

Gail

[reginab1979]

Summit is one of the few Celebrity ship we have not been on yet. Thanks for the great review. We will definately have to squeeze a cruise on on her. Sounds great !!!

 

If you go, definately go Aqua Class. It's worth the extra cost for the benefits imho.

 

Gail

[librarylady19]

Thank you so much for your review. As a fan of the Summit, with 2 upcoming cruises booked, it's nice to hear you experienced the kind of service I remember from our cruise.

Very interesting to hear that you can order items from the MDR menu in Blu as this doesn't seem to be a frequent occurrence in the S class ships. I wonder if this is because the dining rooms are in close proximity.....Do they share a galley??

Did you have a drink package and did you visit Michaels (asking as DH is very much looking forward to the beers!)

[reginab1979]

Thank you so much for your review. As a fan of the Summit, with 2 upcoming cruises booked, it's nice to hear you experienced the kind of service I remember from our cruise.

Very interesting to hear that you can order items from the MDR menu in Blu as this doesn't seem to be a frequent occurrence in the S class ships. I wonder if this is because the dining rooms are in close proximity.....Do they share a galley??

Did you have a drink package and did you visit Michaels (asking as DH is very much looking forward to the beers!)

 

Funny you asked about the shared galley because my husband commented on the same thing. I'm not sure but I'm thinking that they probably do. We did not purchase a drink package because we don't drink enough to make it worthwhile. We did visit Michaels once, (because of the beer). Lots of choices. Although it's a little hard to find Michaels open because it always seemed like something was going on there and it seemed to be closed. (Was probably just our schedule).

 

Gail

[uktog]

Thanks for your response, I am very much looking forward to this trip. I think based on past trips we know what we want from the wine list so we should be ok there!

[jjl64]

I'm glad you had a great time. We leave in 4 weeks and can't wait!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cruiseacecat]

Really enjoyed your review and glad you had a good time on Summit.

 

Can you tell me who the hotel director and guest relations manager were?

 

Thanks so much.

 

Anne

[Susie51]

We will cruise to Bermuda in June. Are there several ferries making the trip over to St. Georges and Hamilton?

[RCKM43]

So nice to hear a positive review and that when a problem did arise they rushed to properly fix it! Glad you had a great trip.

 

Those scooters are so dangerous and I don't think people realize how many accidents there really are. It is dangerous enough when you are familiar with the roads and the area - but they are only more dangerous when you are in an unfamiliar area with cars that really zip around. I think many people forget that.

[reginab1979]

Really enjoyed your review and glad you had a good time on Summit.

 

Can you tell me who the hotel director and guest relations manager were?

 

Thanks so much.

 

Anne

 

Sorry, I didn't bring the list of ship's officers home with me.

 

Gail

[reginab1979]

We will cruise to Bermuda in June. Are there several ferries making the trip over to St. Georges and Hamilton?

 

Yes, the ferry service to St. George and Hamilton is wonderful from the Dockyard. Celebrity will give you a schedule of the ferry service inside one of your dailies. If you plan on going to both places over two days your best bet is to purchase a two day pass for $20 a person. You can buy these right outside the Summit. Very convenient. There is also a free tram service that picks you up right at Summit and takes you all over the Navy Yard every day.

 

Gail

[jdarch]

We just returned from our May 13th cruise to Bermuda. It was our 7th Celebrity cruise and our 4th Summit cruise. This was our first experience on Aqua Class. Based on many of the previous reviews I was frankly a little hesitant about the experience. But I can assure you that this cruise was one of our very favorites.

 

Embarkation was the quickest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at the Bayonne Terminal at 10:30 am, dropped off our luggage, parked the car and within 20 minutes we were sitting at the Sunset Bar with a drink in hand. Amazing!

 

Our cabin was 1106 which was one of the new cabins on the 11th floor. Our stateroom attendant was Belinda who was just fabulous. She’s had other wonderful reviews here and she deserves them! We really enjoyed the 11th floor because it seems a bit more private and secluded. There is also easy access by stairway to the Sunset Bar (one of our favorite places on the ship). Each day we had 2 or more bottles of Evian water provided for free. The veranda was clean and I never noticed soot coming from the smoke stacks as other people have noted.

 

Our dining each day was in Blu as opposed to the MDR. For us, the “jury is still out” concerning Blu. The service in Blu is exceptional. However I’m not really convinced that the food is all that terrific. We did find out that if there is anything on the MDR menu you can order it in Blu and it will be provided for you there. My husband, who is a very picky eater, did not really enjoy the Blu menu too much. The waiter noticed that he was not finishing his meals and immediately informed the maitre’d who questioned my husband. He informed my husband that they would actually cook something special for him. Amazing. We really enjoyed breakfast each day in Blu. Especially enjoyed the smoothies.

 

We also thought that the food at the buffet was outstanding and was far better than we remembered from previous cruises. If you cannot find something there to eat at lunchtime then you just aren’t looking hard enough. A couple nights, (when we really weren’t that hungry) we ate dinner at the buffet and enjoyed the pasta and Indian food offerings. It was also very good.

 

Overall the service and cleanliness of Summit is incredible. Whether at the pool or at a bar there are plenty of waiters ready to take your order or clear away a tray. Everyone you meet is pleasant and wonderful to the passengers. They are cleaning that ship non-stop.

 

We thought that the entertainment at the shows had also improved since our last cruise on Summit. The Cruise Director was very nice and imho does not deserve the negative reviews that she often receives here. Our favorite show was Sirens.

 

As I stated before our favorite bar is the Sunset Bar on deck 10 aft. One of the regular servers there is Patrick who knows how to take care of the passengers. We also enjoyed the Martini Bar. Igor is just incredible at making Martini Flights. (Have your camera ready for this one!). Cellar Masters is just so-so. We much rather have Cellar Masters on the S-class ships because it a separate room and not a walk though area.

 

We took the ferry to St. George and Hamilton while we were in Bermuda and especially enjoyed St. George. Watch that sun in Bermuda! You can get seriously burned even if it’s overcast. Also, a warning please be VERY careful if you plan on renting a scooter at the Dockyard. A man from our cruise was killed, and his wife was hospitalized in critical condition on a scooter accident. It can be very dangerous.

 

We did have one problem on our cruise concerning our room. On our first night at sea we had a horrible sewer smell coming from the bathroom. It became so bad that it kept us up most of the night. The next morning I went to Kevin the Concierge and informed him of the problem. With 1 hour our cabin was inundated with “white shirts”, plumbers and officers who were determined to fix the problem. Both Kevin and the head Maintenance Officer were so apologetic that we had to deal with one night of the sewer smell in our room. I know that I’ve read about these problems before on Summit but they dealt with it immediately and fixed it. This small incident did not ruin our cruise. In fact the care which the crew dealt with the situation increased our respect and admiration for Celebrity. My advice to you is if this happens in your cabin go to Guest Services or the Concierge and get it fixed.

 

Disembarkation was just as painless as embarkation. My husband said that we wait in line longer at Wal-Mart than we did going through Customs.

 

In conclusion this was a fabulous cruise and one that we enjoyed immensely. We’re already booked on our next Summit cruise and can’t wait to step back on her again.

 

If anyone has any questions please let me know!

 

Gail & Dan

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your review! We've been SO waiting for a current review - we are headed to Bermuda (again) on the Summit (again!) on June 17. Your cruise to our favorite spot sounds like it was wonderful - now we can really get excited!

[avid]

Thanks Gail..

Hope you got the great NYC harbor cam photo of your sail-away which I posted on your roll calllast week..:rolleyes:

 

 

We just returned from our May 13th cruise to Bermuda. It was our 7th Celebrity cruise and our 4th Summit cruise. This was our first experience on Aqua Class. Based on many of the previous reviews I was frankly a little hesitant about the experience. But I can assure you that this cruise was one of our very favorites.

 

Embarkation was the quickest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at the Bayonne Terminal at 10:30 am, dropped off our luggage, parked the car and within 20 minutes we were sitting at the Sunset Bar with a drink in hand. Amazing!

 

Our cabin was 1106 which was one of the new cabins on the 11th floor. Our stateroom attendant was Belinda who was just fabulous. She’s had other wonderful reviews here and she deserves them! We really enjoyed the 11th floor because it seems a bit more private and secluded. There is also easy access by stairway to the Sunset Bar (one of our favorite places on the ship). Each day we had 2 or more bottles of Evian water provided for free. The veranda was clean and I never noticed soot coming from the smoke stacks as other people have noted.

 

Our dining each day was in Blu as opposed to the MDR. For us, the “jury is still out” concerning Blu. The service in Blu is exceptional. However I’m not really convinced that the food is all that terrific. We did find out that if there is anything on the MDR menu you can order it in Blu and it will be provided for you there. My husband, who is a very picky eater, did not really enjoy the Blu menu too much. The waiter noticed that he was not finishing his meals and immediately informed the maitre’d who questioned my husband. He informed my husband that they would actually cook something special for him. Amazing. We really enjoyed breakfast each day in Blu. Especially enjoyed the smoothies.

 

We also thought that the food at the buffet was outstanding and was far better than we remembered from previous cruises. If you cannot find something there to eat at lunchtime then you just aren’t looking hard enough. A couple nights, (when we really weren’t that hungry) we ate dinner at the buffet and enjoyed the pasta and Indian food offerings. It was also very good.

 

Overall the service and cleanliness of Summit is incredible. Whether at the pool or at a bar there are plenty of waiters ready to take your order or clear away a tray. Everyone you meet is pleasant and wonderful to the passengers. They are cleaning that ship non-stop.

 

We thought that the entertainment at the shows had also improved since our last cruise on Summit. The Cruise Director was very nice and imho does not deserve the negative reviews that she often receives here. Our favorite show was Sirens.

 

As I stated before our favorite bar is the Sunset Bar on deck 10 aft. One of the regular servers there is Patrick who knows how to take care of the passengers. We also enjoyed the Martini Bar. Igor is just incredible at making Martini Flights. (Have your camera ready for this one!). Cellar Masters is just so-so. We much rather have Cellar Masters on the S-class ships because it a separate room and not a walk though area.

 

We took the ferry to St. George and Hamilton while we were in Bermuda and especially enjoyed St. George. Watch that sun in Bermuda! You can get seriously burned even if it’s overcast. Also, a warning please be VERY careful if you plan on renting a scooter at the Dockyard. A man from our cruise was killed, and his wife was hospitalized in critical condition on a scooter accident. It can be very dangerous.

 

We did have one problem on our cruise concerning our room. On our first night at sea we had a horrible sewer smell coming from the bathroom. It became so bad that it kept us up most of the night. The next morning I went to Kevin the Concierge and informed him of the problem. With 1 hour our cabin was inundated with “white shirts”, plumbers and officers who were determined to fix the problem. Both Kevin and the head Maintenance Officer were so apologetic that we had to deal with one night of the sewer smell in our room. I know that I’ve read about these problems before on Summit but they dealt with it immediately and fixed it. This small incident did not ruin our cruise. In fact the care which the crew dealt with the situation increased our respect and admiration for Celebrity. My advice to you is if this happens in your cabin go to Guest Services or the Concierge and get it fixed.

 

Disembarkation was just as painless as embarkation. My husband said that we wait in line longer at Wal-Mart than we did going through Customs.

 

In conclusion this was a fabulous cruise and one that we enjoyed immensely. We’re already booked on our next Summit cruise and can’t wait to step back on her again.

 

If anyone has any questions please let me know!

Gail & Dan

[librarylady19]

Funny you asked about the shared galley because my husband commented on the same thing. I'm not sure but I'm thinking that they probably do. We did not purchase a drink package because we don't drink enough to make it worthwhile. We did visit Michaels once, (because of the beer). Lots of choices. Although it's a little hard to find Michaels open because it always seemed like something was going on there and it seemed to be closed. (Was probably just our schedule).

 

Gail

Thanks for the speedy response! In the dailies it looked like Michaels had pretty reasonable hours. Did they use it as the venue for elite gatherings perhaps?

Any insight into what you did in Bermuda would be great. This is our first visit and so many things to choose from. My must dos are St. George and Hamilton - walking/shopping tours; Horseshoe Bay w/ walk to other S. Shore beaches & Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Hope I can squeeze that all in!!

Did you go to Harbor Nights in Hamilton?

[cruiseacecat]

Sorry, I didn't bring the list of ship's officers home with me.

 

Gail

Thanks for responding.

 

Anne

[familycruise71]

Thank you so much for the review!!! I will like to know, If they still offer the Breakfast Brunch in the MDR and what day??? Also on the Island Party at the deck, (fruit buffet) And what day??? Thanks.

[NewSalt]

Thanks for the speedy response! In the dailies it looked like Michaels had pretty reasonable hours. Did they use it as the venue for elite gatherings perhaps?

Any insight into what you did in Bermuda would be great. This is our first visit and so many things to choose from. My must dos are St. George and Hamilton - walking/shopping tours; Horseshoe Bay w/ walk to other S. Shore beaches & Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Hope I can squeeze that all in!!

Did you go to Harbor Nights in Hamilton?

 

I'd recommend the walking tour of St. George's. Ours was led by a former mayor who was extremely knowledgable and entertaining and very charming. A few months later I saw him on a rerun of "This Old House" when they were in Bermuda. I even learned why a dog pound is called a pound. However, it completely disproved the maxim that "you get what you pay for" because it was free and worth so much more.

 

This trip we're going to check out the sea glass beach that's discussed on the CC Bermuda board.

[librarylady19]

I'd recommend the walking tour of St. George's. Ours was led by a former mayor who was extremely knowledgable and entertaining and very charming. A few months later I saw him on a rerun of "This Old House" when they were in Bermuda. I even learned why a dog pound is called a pound. However, it completely disproved the maxim that "you get what you pay for" because it was free and worth so much more.

 

This trip we're going to check out the sea glass beach that's discussed on the CC Bermuda board.

 

Sounds like a great tour. How do you arrange it? Also planning to check out the sea glass beach, some great directions posted on the Bermuda board.

[RCI_Karen]

Thank you for your review! Makes me even more excited for our first Celebrity cruise June 3rd!

 

So terrible about the accidents. :(

 

Karen

[nicebbern]

Embarkation was the quickest we’ve ever experienced. We arrived at the Bayonne Terminal at 10:30 am, dropped off our luggage, parked the car and within 20 minutes we were sitting at the Sunset Bar with a drink in hand. Amazing!

Was there a charge to enter the port at the Bayonne Terminal?

We will be parking about 1 1/2 miles from the port.