Just back-Summit/Panama Canal

[eastcruiser2]

I don't post on web sites, but I've read enough of other postings that have helped me and feel I should contribute, so here I go.

My wife and I just sailed the Panama Canal on the Summit, from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego, April, 22-May, 6 2005, in a suite (#6122). It was great and exceeded our expectations.

 

Since I don't know where to start, I will be glad to answer any of your questions first. If there is enough interest, I can write a brief detail on the entire trip. Your call.

[slomotion]

Hi,

 

How interesting! I have 6126 on Summit 7/15 from Vancouver north to Alaska.

 

That's one cabin away from yours, and also a sky suite. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences. How was the suite:, the butler, the veranda, the service etc etc.

 

thanks

 

al

[AFT_LOVER]

so I want to know everything about the ship, the people, the entertainment, and the ports along the way. We do LA-FLL. We are AFT CC 9201.

[poolwife]

Since you just got off the ship, I am really interested in your impressions, food, entertainment, service, etc. We have room CC 6143 which is between some suites. Was there any noise because of the restaurant being below you? We are sailing on 6/24/05 southbound from Seward to Vancouver.

 

Thanks

[hermang]

Weird question - we are going to be in a 2a class cabin - not sure of the number yet as we may be moving to the other side of the vessel ( Southbound from Seward) Aug 19. But here is the question.

 

I use a CPAP machine ( Sleep Apnea). Another couple joing us both use CPAP machines. ON RCCL Voyager and Radiance class ships - the electrical outlets are on the far wall where the bureaus are and since there are only wall sconses for lights there are no outlets near the beds so we have to string an extension cord.

 

What I see of the cabin photos indicates that there are table lamps on either side of the bed - hence an outlet - can you or anyone else confirm this

 

Thanks

[AFT_LOVER]

as that's what we bring since the ONLY plug in the living area of the stateroom is to the right of the desk on the wall near the foot of the bed (Queen). I believe the "lamps" come out of the wall like a reading lamp. Not plugged into an outlet but I could be wrong.

 

The ship changes curents on power, that an regular extension cord will blow & snoke as some posters found out. SO we swear by surge protector extension cords.

[wv4891]

Wow, that must be a real show stopper when that happens!!!!!!:eek: :eek:

 

 

........extension cord will blow & snoke ..........

[CaptData]

How much was the Persian Gardens for the entire cruise? I am thinking of getting a pass for the whole trip but not sure yet. thank you.

[davis0056]

My husband has used a CPAP on the last 5 cruise (one on RC the rest on Celebrity). We bring along an extension cord (with the 3 prongs).

 

You can also bring nothing and your room steward will provide one if you explain it is for medical purposes. He also 'snaked' the cord under the bed so we could sleep in our home configuration (Dave to my right).

 

Since we travel so much his machine is 110/220. You'd be surprised how many make/models come that way and you may not even know it. While in England for a week last year, all we needed to have was an adapter that you can find at Walmart or similar store.

 

Dave and Elaine

[hermang]

We also travel with an extension cord - since our friends have never cruised and they have 2 CPAP machines they asked us what we did.

The first time we took it along RC provided a cord and snaked it over the top and it worked out fine as I said - outlets were on the far side of the cabin.

 

The pictures of the 2a cabin I saw in the TA book showed table lamps and I assumed that were there was a table lamp on the side of the bed just like a hotel. I asumed that where there was a table lamp there was a socket.

Our friends may need 2 extension cords or one with 2 outlets

[c-to-sea]

Just off Summit and had a look at our cabin pictures. The bedside lamps stand on the

night tables each side. We had the beds together as a queen but they do separate to

make twins. Ween this is done, the night tables move to the center with a bed either

side. This suggests to me that there must be electrical plugs in this area of the cabin

to allow the lamps to also be moved but since I didn't look, I can't say for certain.

You are probably best to take a surge bar extension but check with the stateroom

attendant as soon as you board to find out for sure whether it is needed or not. I

doubt if Celebrity offices in Miami would know for sure.

 

Cliff

[crafticruiser]

I would be very interested to hear about your Panama Canal cruise on Summit. My husband and I just booked it for Oct. 23 from L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale. We've cruised frequently, but never on Celebrity What were the highlights of the cruise itself? Also, I'd appreciate hearing your opinion on shore excursions.

 

Thanks!

Marcia

[c-to-sea]

I will let the OP do a review but here are a few of our impressions of this cruise

(Apr 22-May 6), our first on Celebrity.

Ship - really liked her. Large but nicely laid out and easy to get around. Except for

Deck 3, all decks are either cabins or facilities so less confusion as to where things are.

Art work is interesting and funky. Cabins comfortable. We were in 6028 which is one

of the larger balconies in 2C. Recommend it if you can get it.

 

Staff - truly friendly and good. Smiles and greetings day and night. Always showed

an eagerness to be of service. Also, not stuffy and willing to enter into a joke once

they get to know a guest.

 

Food - uniformly good. Only had one doubtful entree which could have easily been

exchanged. Desserts to die for. If you want good coffee, though, stick to the buffet

areas. The dining room coffee is weak.

 

Entertainment - lots of it and well done. Nothing overwhelming but it was all

entertaining, which is the whole object of the exercise.

 

Sea days - lots to do and pool areas very comfortable and enjoyable. Some chair

hogs but never a problem to get a lounger when we wanted one.

 

Canal Transit - truly a memorable experience. The narrator was a little hard to understand

but still interesting. The Captain opened the helicopter deck on the bow and it was

crowded. We found space on deck 12 forward and other passegers were kind

enough to share spaces for getting good pictures. Only one attempt to butt in

front of us which was unsuccesful once DW got her elbows working. Moved to

other sreas throughout the day for different views. Our larger balcony was a definite asset here.

 

Shore Excursions - we did not do any ship excursions. Rented a car in Aruba for the

day and saw the entire island before dinner, including beach time and a swim

Made private arrangements with others on the Roll Call for a Skywalk tour in

Puntarenas. Ended up with 25 people and a private guide. Total cost much less

for a full day then the half day ships tour. (See other threads in Ports - Costa Rica)

Just walked from the ship in Hautulco (great beach day stop), Acapulco (too manay

perstering taxi drivers and touts) and Cabo (the best of the three).

 

We are sold on Summit but are sure that the other 3 M-class would be just as good

We have only done 2 cruises (modern style) but have travelled extensively to many

countries by air, stayed in many hotels in many cities and done a variety of

sightseeing options. Cruising now is the way we want to go and we were very

impressed by Celebrity. Sure, there were a few minor things that we could mention

but it would really be nit-picking (e.g. - the cabin TV channel showing the ships

position doesn't show Latitude and Longitude or ship's speed, etc.or else it is too

small to read. Next time, I will pack a GPS)

 

Crafticruiser - I'm sure you will like it. Enjoy.

[slomotion]

c-t-s,

EXCELLENT! a great review and superb focus on the good.

 

We'll be on the Summit (6126) to Alaska in July. This will be our first on Celebrity (been on RCCL & Crystal) and are looking forward to it.

 

many thanks,

 

a

[c-to-sea]

I should have added that we had 72 people sign up for the CC party. Only about 60

turned up, though. For those booking now, make sure you look for a Roll Call for

your sailing. Wo met a lot of lovely people through ours and the thread is still going

with after-cruise posts.

 

Cliff

[eastcruiser2]

 

I finally got around to writing this review. Sorry it took so long.

 

This is a description of our two week Panama Canal trip aboard the Summit . First, I am 53 and my wife is 54. We are also members of Celebrity's Captains Club. The date of the cruise was from April 22 through May 6, 2005 The ports of call were Aruba, cruise through the Panama Canal, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Huatulco (pronounced Wa-tul-co), Mexico, Acapulco, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and then San Diego as the final port of call. Living in the Northeast corner of the U.S. and having traveled in the winter to Florida for a Caribbean cruise, we are in the habit of leaving the day before the ship leaves port due to weather concerns. This allows us an entire day to travel to our departure point, and not sweat any travel delays. Other people seem to have the same idea. We have heard of people arriving at the ship with a minimum amount of time to spare due to unforeseen circumstances. When I arrived back to work after our cruise, a fellow worker was on a cruise on a much smaller ship. Due to unforeseen circumstances, his flight left 6 hours behind schedule. He arrived at his ship at 9:45 PM, 15 minutes before the ship left port. Now, that's no way to start a vacation!

 

 

 

Lodging in Florida

 

 

 

We stayed at the SpringHill Suites, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., as they had transportation from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the cruise terminal the next day. My recommendation to taking the transportation from the hotel to the cruise terminal in the morning is not to be the first one in line for the van/bus. There were quite a few people taking the transportation to the cruise terminal, at least a few dozen. They packed the luggage in an enclosed tow-behind trailer, similar to a U-Haul. The first luggage they handle goes on the bottom and the last is placed on top. Wanting to avoid crushed luggage, I stayed behind the pack and had my luggage placed on top.

 

The trip to the cruise terminal was a short ten minutes. They will drop you off at the cruise terminal at a location where a porter will assist you with your luggage. There are signs that tipping the porter is not required, and to his credit, the porter at the cruise terminal told us the same thing, although he mentioned that tips would be appreciated. I tipped him a few bucks out of habit and feel somewhat assured that when I give him my luggage and a tip, my luggage will make it on board. I guess I'm a little paranoid in this department.

 

 

 

Entering the cruise terminal, passengers were processed on the first or second floor, with Captains Club and suite passengers escorted to the second floor. We waited approximately 10-15 minutes in line, and the only glitch was that our boarding cards could not be printed on the second level due to computer problems. Celebrity personnel had to go down stairs to collect the boarding cards and pass them out to the waiting passengers upstairs, with their apologies for the delay. Entering the ship, we were greeted with a glass of wine/champagne.

 

 

 

The Suite

 

 

 

We had a small suite, #6122, that had butler service. This was our first two week vacation in 15 years, and I wasn't sure if I would enjoy two weeks at sea, so we decided on a larger room, thus the suite. The butler service was a small selling point to me, but nice. We were one floor above the dining room, and directly above the martini bar (!!!). We heard no noise from any of these facilities. The room was just aft of the mid section and on the starboard (right) side of the ship. We have no complaints of the room location. The suite was big enough for two people. The clothes closet was a walk in and there were plenty of drawers and shelves for additional clothes. A bottle of complimentary champagne was in the room when we entered, and we made short work of that bottle while we sat on our veranda watching the activity in Ft. Lauderdale. The butler introduced himself to us and gave us his cell phone number so we could call him when we needed him. The bed was two twin beds put together. There are table lamps on each side of the bed. The bathroom is marble and has a full bathtub. A hair dryer is included in the bathroom. There were no plugs for a personnel hair dryer in the bathroom, so my wife used a plug available near a mirror in the room.

 

 

 

Main Dinner Seating

 

 

 

We had early seating for dinner, 6 pm. The first night is informal dress. We were escorted to our table and found that we were at a small table with no one else. That night we made a request that we sit with other people as we enjoy the company and conversation of other travelers. We received a card the next day with our new table that included three other couples. If you want to sit by yourselves or wish to sit with others, I recommend that you make that request before you leave, or make the changes on the first night after dinner if you don’t like your seating. The dining room has two levels. We sat on the second level, deck 5, close to the large, two-deck level bay window. On formal nights, about half of the men wore Tuxedos and most of the others were in dark suits. I did see a few white dinner jackets.

 

 

 

Summit

 

 

 

The ship is very nice and is rated as one of the top rated ships in the cruise line industry. It is clean and designed very well for the 2,000 passengers it can handle. This trip had just under the 2,000 maximum passenger limit, and a crew of around 970 or so, having a passenger/crew ratio of about 2:1. The staff couldn’t do enough for you. Nearly every Celebrity staff person on board greeted us warmly as we walked around the ship. Our room attendant was from Poland and she did an excellent job cleaning and maintaining our room. During sea days, most people sat by the pool or did other activities listed in the Celebrity Today paper that is delivered to your room every night. If you want a place to read a book, quiet and away from the crowd, I’ll let you on a place I happened to stumble on. On deck three, outside the Celebrity Theatre, there are a few comfortable chairs next to some windows. I saw people there reading and just enjoying the day. It is also a place away from most people traffic, so it tends to be secluded.

 

 

 

Activities at sea

 

 

 

I found that on sea days, that is days not at a port of call, I would map out the day according to what activities were in the daily activity paper. Some of the activities included a one hour lecture by a guest speaker, attending trivia contest, take a dance lesson, or just sit by the pool. I recommend that you take in a few of the demonstrations, as you learn a lot about how the ship operates. One event was sponsored by Celebrity culinary personnel to talk about how meals are prepared on the Summit. Some of the facts they shared was that:

• Summit serves 9,500 to 11,000 meals per day.
  
• The setting for the main meal is based on the traditional French dinner of a 5 to 7 course meal. Celebrity serves a 5 course meal (appetizer, soup, salad, entrée, dessert).
  
• Very little food is brought on board already prepared. They make most of what is consumed on the ship, including the ice cream and sorbet.
  
• Silverware is removed or added to your plate depending on what you ordered for a meal.
  
• The small spoon at the top of your plate is for coffee. It is not a sorbet spoon. I was told that in Europe, people have coffee before, during and after the meal, and that is what the spoon is for. I made the mistake and used it for the sorbet the night before.
  

 

There were also flavored vodka, Bailey Irish Cream and Costa Rica coffee tasting. We also found that mid-afternoon, somewhere around 2:30 –3:00 o’clock, a crew member will hand out ice cream to people sitting around the pool.

 

 

 

We decided to be active in the late night activities. There was a Tex-Mex night that included group Texas line dancing instruction or another night that was a 50’s-60’s dance night. I have to say, as most men probably are, I’m not much of a dancer, but we had a ball participating.

 

 

 

Theatre

 

 

 

Just about every seat in the theatre is a good seat. The shows were not repeated on a two week cruise. Some shows had the celebrity dancers performing (there very good), other nights had a singer or comedian. The night we were at Acapulco, a Mexican dance group was brought on board. All shows lasted about one hour. I’m not much of a critic, so if I was entertained for the hour, I was happy. After the show, we hit the casino to further our debt on this cruise, or took a walk around outside.

 

 

 

Late at night, it was off to the Café Cova for a night cap of coffee with Frangelico, Baileys Irish Cream and Kahula. It’s called an Aspen, and I recommend it.

 

 

 

Shore excursions

 

 

 

We had no shore excursions in Huatulco or Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Walking around these places was fine. I would not recommend the shore excursions at Fuerte Amador, which is just outside of Panama City, due to the short stay at this location and the recommendation of other passengers.

 

 

 

Snorkeling in Aruba was fun. The Puntarenas, Costa Rica sky walk in the forest was the most interesting excursion we had. The guide was very well educated and made the trip enjoyable. We did see some wild parrots, toucans and crockadiles. In Mexico, the shopping/tour of Acapulco is recommended by ship personnel. Acapulco has a population of 3.1 million people. You will be greeted in most Mexican ports with the t-shirt, jewelry sellers and taxi drivers – Acapulco being the worst. You will get hounded. Don’t buy jewelry on the street. Stick with the celebrity selected stores.

 

 

 

Panama Canal

 

 

 

Having been through the canal once, here are my recommendations of viewing and picture taking when cruising the canal. Keep in mind that a lock is a lock is a lock. If you have seen one, the others are the same.

 

 

 

The canal is like a divided highway, with one lane on each side. The center section, or median strip, houses the lock control buildings and is used by small locomotives, called mules, to position the ships in the locks. In the morning, both lanes are used to move ship traffic from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In the afternoon, both lanes are used to move ship traffic from the Pacific to the Atlantic. At night, each lane is used for ship traffic in the opposite direction (north to south and south to north). We were lucky that the Summit was placed so that the “median” strip was on the starboard (right) side of the ship, same side as our room. Having a veranda provided great viewing of the canal.

 

We transited the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We arrived in the Panama Canal area about 6 AM. Most people who want to see the canal were up early and headed for the front (bow) of the ship. The captain opened the helipad, located on the “nose” of the ship for passengers. This area is usually off-limits to passengers but he opened it this one time for picture taking and viewing. People will be 5 – 6 lines deep on the bow, and unless you are in the first or second row, you will not see much. However, there is a better place to see the operations, in my opinion. Go to the rear (stern) of the ship. As the ship pulls into the first lock, you can watch the rear locks close and watch the ships line up in the canal waterway waiting for their turn. The ships are lined up similar to aircraft landing at a busy airport. As the front locks close, some people from the bow of the ship will move to the rear where you are. When the ship has completed transiting through the first set of locks and is moving to the next set, find out what time it will get to that next set of locks. Get to the front of the ship early for this second set of locks, maybe an hour, get a good area to stand, and get ready for the ships entry into the next set of locks. The operation will be the same, no different. This way, you can have picture from the bow and stern of the ship.

 

 

 

The best pictures will not be of the ship you are on, but of the ships next to you. You are in a better picture taking angle of the operation of the locks, the maneuvering of the ships, etc. than you are of the ship you are on. You can see, close up, the operation of the other ship in the lock, and you get a much better idea how the canal works watching the locks open and close and the raising and lowering of the ships. However, the best part of the Panama Canal was Gatun Lake. It’s a beautiful 21 mile long (I think) lake and has many small islands. Also, the narrowest part of the canal is just before the Pedro Miguel locks called the Culebra cut. This was the most difficult part of the Panama Canal cut and is interesting to see. You will also cross the continental divide.

 

I read David McCullough’s book before I left, “The Path Between The Seas”. The book is long, over 600 pages, but it does give you a lot of history and an appreciation for the Panama Canal. The canal is about 51 miles long, and will take you about 11-12 hours or so to get through it. On average, about 500 people lost their lives building the canal, about 25,000 total. It is an engineering marvel.

 

 

 

Summary

 

 

 

This was the best cruise and best vacation we have had. From the comments of other travelers, the feeling was mutual. This was our third cruise with Celebrity and would recommend it highly to anyone.

 

I hope this has helped. Let me know if you have any questions.

[slomotion]

What a great write up,

 

We'll soon be in 6126 which is identical to your cabin and it sound like it will be just fine.

 

Thanks for taking the time and your attention to detail.

 

a

[suzsummit]

How much was the Persian Gardens for the entire cruise? I am thinking of getting a pass for the whole trip but not sure yet. thank you.

 

$199 for the 15 days -- for a couple (two passes). Just got back from the Infinity May 1st FLL to San Francisco cruise and that is what we paid.

 

Was it worth it..... Maybe--- we broke even over the daily rate. But I LOVED the sauna in the women's changing room at the Aqua Spa (and it's free) plus it has an amazing ocean view. It was definitly a very quiet place on the ship in the early and late evenings.

 

If you leave your room key at the Aqua spa desk (and ask) they will give you a locker key and a robe. You have to ask for the robe...

[AFT_LOVER]

What a great review with the addition of port excursion reviews. We are snorkelers more than shoppers, so we are glad that we can exit the ship & walk to where we want to dive in.

 

Now our wait til 11/20 to enter 9201 on Summit...........

[SusieCruiser2]

Hi Eastcruiser,

What a super review. Thanks for taking the time. I would love to do the Panama Canal transit. The Summit sounds wonderful. We will be doing the 9/16/05 Summit repositioning cruise (Vancouver, Alaska, then down to LA) for two weeks, and were wondering if the entertainment was just a repeat during the second week. Sounds like it's not. Does the same apply to the dinner menus? Any repetition there?

 

Great description of your suite. We elected to take an oceanview, and spend the difference on shore excursions, but can't get a straight answer about the layout of the oceanview cabin. Has anyone been in a Summit oceanview . . . are the beds near the window, or is the small sitting area near the window.

 

Thanks.

(Counting down the days, and just can't get enough details!)

[slomotion]

Go to celebrity.com/plan your cruise/ships/summit

 

select Summit state rooms and you can see the typical layout of your cabin.

 

you can also click on deck plans and see the actual location of your cabin

 

and click on virtual tour, select the deck that you are on and the class of stateroom that you have and actually see a video of the room.

 

I'm assuming that you have hight speed internet for the video.

 

a

[nho9504]

We were on the same sailing. While the overall cruise is a good one, especially considering the price we paid for a last minute happy hour sale, however, we do feel there are lots of things are less than desired.

 

I only compare this cruise with our most recent one done on Diamond Princess last December. Please note this is NOT a comparison of Celebrity and Princess - just 2 ships - Summit vs Diamond Princess.

 

Ship : (it may not be too fair as Diamond is less than 2 years old and Summit is close to 5 years old).

 

Diamond wins hands down for overall feeling. Though the ship was full when we sailed - there was a sign on the guest relation counter about inability to change cabin or upgrade due to a full occupancy - we did not feel Diamond was crowded at all. It probably is due to some most popular areas, such as pools, are scattered around the whole length of the ship and among 3 decks. The current pool at the Lotus Spa is much larger than the lap pool on Summit. One can really do some laps in that pool and true exercise as one swims against current. On Summit, the lap pool is so small, once there are 3 or 4 bodies floating around, it is impossible to swim much, let alone doing laps.

The main pool on Diamond is at least twice as big as the one on Summit, and is located midship on the 2nd highest deck. At Aft, there are at least 2 more pools, one adult only and one kiddie pool on a different deck, plus some hottubs. Overall, you DONT have rows and rows of deck chairs surrounding the pool area(s) like what you would have on Summit, eventhough Summit was not sailing in full capacity. (We have no difficulty to change our dining room seating and have a table for 4 for only 2 of us. Another couple sitting next to our table also had a table for 4 for themselves. None of the undesirably located table for 2 was occupied (at least 4 of them on the lower floor behind the stair case on both sides). When I went to change table, they gave me 4 choices of table for 4 to choose from and assured me they would block off the table for 2 of us. Thus we figure they are not sailing in full capacity. Yet, we feel crowded on Summit, especially around the Deck 9 and Deck 4 areas. Also on Diamond one can sit in one of the many lounges during day time and has unobstructed view of sea. On Summit, the Champaign bar and Martini bar are completely obstructed by lifeboats. There are few comfy places to sit and have full view of sea except a few seats near the theatre.

 

Diamond being few years newer than Summit, the furnishings look much better - many lounge chairs and dining room chairs on Summit show big signs of wear and tear - most pipings on chairs are worn in Martini, Champaign, and Rendez Vous Louges on Summit - you can say bare thread on them.

 

Having 5 differently decorated (theme), smaller dining rooms on Diamond seem to feel nicer than a big dining room on Summit (I dont count the special, for charge, dining rooms on both ships).

 

However, Summit has a better set up at the buffet area - a lot more room for passage way. It is much easier to navigate the buffet area on Summit than on Diamond. Though we prefer that on Diamond one can get food by oneself instead of by the staff. Diamond has a staff at the entrance of buffet area to ensure everyone sanitizing his/her hands before entering the food area.

 

Also the theatre set up is better on Summit in terms of width between rows - it is easier for others to walk past you on Summit (that is, if you are not oversize). On Diamond, even an average person would need to stand up to allow others passing thru.

 

We had regular cabins on both ships. Summit has a pretty stupid design in her regular cabin - the closet door, the bathroom door and the cabin door, all open into a very small space. The closet door and the bathroom door open directly against each other. when the closet door is open, only one person can stand there and the other person cannot got to bathroom or even have bathroom door open - the whole tiny passage way is blocked ... closet space is very small. Diamond, on the other hand, has a less than elegant but far more practical set up. The closet area and bathroom face each other on the sideway of the room, behind the wall, away from one's view when one is inside the cabin, say sitting on the chair or on the bed. There is no door for the closet, but the closet is 3 times longer than the one on Summit. Between closet and bathroom there is a shelfing all the way to the ceiling, instead of drawers. The life jackets are on the top shelf, follows by the safe, and then empty shelves for storage. Again, it is less elegant than the drawers on Summit, but a lot more practical. One person can stand there working on the safe, or picking clothes from the closet and the other person can walk right by into the bathroom ... no interference. Also the desk top area is almost 3 times as big (about 2/3 of the width of the cabin) on Diamond with good size drawers on both sides. Summit has only a tiny desk top with tiny shelfing on both sides. Our cabin on Summit is missing the small sleeper sofa but hubby said it is better that is not there so we can have some extra space - otherwise, the tiny coffee table would have to stand in the passage way from the beds to the door ...

 

Those with suites of course have much more space. I am just speaking from the view of a regular cabin (the standard interior / oceanview cabins).

 

Food :

 

Diamond again wins. We found foods on Summit too salty. Meats are not tender. Fish is universally overcooked except the pan seared sole. Shrimp and Scallop are tasteless. Lots of repetition of meat selections but only one lobster on the last formal night. lobster size is larger than that served on Diamond, but chewy and less tasteful than those served on Diamond. We had 3 occasions lobster were on the menu on Diamond. One is the traditional type, the other 2 were in the form of ingredient in the dishes. Actually on one Italian pasta dish, the lobster is served grilled with some sauce on the top of the pasta.

Only Desserts are comparable to that offered on Diamond, may be better, in the department of chocolate flavored desserts. However, we did not get Soufle on a 14 day sailing - that is disappointed. Someone mentioned about if you want some special thing, you can ask 24 hours ahead - I think that is too much of a trouble and also Soufle is not something that is easy to prepare, especially only for 2 persons ! On Diamond we got Grand Manier Soufle, Chocolate Soufle and an Almond Soufle, on a 7 day sailing.

 

On the other hand, we have to give great credits to the Aqua Spa foods as well as the Sushi bar. Hubby sustained himself via Sushi bar everynight before we went to dinner. Aqua Spa has refreshing and innovative foods almost everyday. It is also the only place one can get papaya in the morning except one day when they also served it in the buffet area. (I dont count dining room - of course you can order almost any fruits you want in dining room).

 

Entertainment :

 

The guest performers on Summit are great except a couple one-man shows at the beginning of the sailing. Diamond has a lot better production shows. The dancers on Diamond are of more uniform height and body shape, shall we say ? The dancers on Summit vary a lot in their heights and weight - It diminishes the unison feeling when they tried to perform in unison movement. I feel sorry to see a male dancer who has a big belly has to put on a shiny, tight outfit in one of the scene ...

 

Services :

 

Overall, Summit has better services than Diamond due to the guest / staff ratio and the Celebrity tradition. However, when it comes to individuals, we feel we got better services on Diamond, especially from our cabin attendant. Our cabin attendant on Summit did a barely acceptable job - there are more than a few occasions we found the washing basin was not cleaned properly ... We also have to asked 3 times before he removed the mini bar so we can use the fridge. On Diamond the fridge is empty when you board - strictly for your convenience, instead of trying to sell you the highly priced minibar items. Our dining room waiter is ok - he has only 3 tables, one table for 6, and 2 table for 4 but only seatted 2 on each - so he has only 10 persons to take care for. Even that, we dont feel he is more attentive due to lesser charges. However, our assistant waiter has 4 tables - on top of the same tables as the waiter, he also needs to tend a table for 8 ! So this guy has 18 persons to care for. He can barely handle it. Many times we were several bites into our salads then he dashed to our side to offer dressing, ditto for sauces. There was usually a 10 minutes wait between setting coffee cups down and serving the coffee ... We dont blame him - 18 persons are simply too much for him to handle. Can you imagine if both table for 4 were seated with 4 guests instead of 2 ? Dont know if this is a normal set up or someone is sick the whole cruise that he has to share extra workload ... we did not ask.

The end result is, on our Diamond cruise, we tipped extra for our room attendant. On our Summit cruise, we only gave the recommended tips.

 

The nice touches on Summit are the small things, such as umbrellas in the drawer for guest uses, (but our bathrobes are torn - have holes on sleeves on both ...) iced towels when coming back on a hot port day, iced water and punch on tender pier ... However, we are not sure such little things justified much premium in price between Celebrity and Princess. Lucky for us, we paid even slightly less per day on Summit vs on Diamond due to a good sale.

 

Again, this is just our subjective views to compare Diamond Princess and Summit. It is by no means to compare Princess and Celebrity - so please refrain from commenting on that.

[Sailingseas]

Thanks for taking your time to post this review. We will go on the Summit in February, our first Celebrity experience. Did you take the ship's tour in Costa Rica? Did it involve the zip line???? (Shudder, shudder!)

[Tjalex07]

I found the ship Summit to be absolutely beautiful. My wife and I have sailed on a number of different cruise lines (HAL, Celebrity, Crystal, Raddison, Princess, & Silversea) and have found all of the ships to be acceptable and comfortable. The service we experienced on the Summit was at a superior level and quite frankly nearly the quality of Crystal and Raddison. The only line that demonstrated higher levels of service was Silversea and they are in a league of their own.

 

The cabins on the Summit are nice, comfortable, clean and provide adequate space for your belongings. The bathrooms present as well organized and the shower is of excellent size. The colors used to decorate the room demonstrate taste and class. The food is well above adverage and I am a man that likes food. Did I care for everything that I had ordered? No, not all, but most of it was excellent and well presented. The staff are kind and professional. If I had any concerns, they were addressed quickly and with care. My wife can be rather demanding, but she expressed a high level of satisfaction with our Celebrity experience and the Summit.

 

There are always things that could be better. There is always another cruise ship to try. We each have our own tastes and requirements. My experience on Princess was very nice. Overall, Princess provides a quality product, but it is not at the level of Celebrity or the Summit. I feel you will experience a wonderful cruise. Attitude and an understanding that we are each blessed to have the opportunity to sail any of these beautiful vessels is essential to reach enjoyment to its fullest.

 

TA

[eastcruiser2]

Thanks for taking your time to post this review. We will go on the Summit in February, our first Celebrity experience. Did you take the ship's tour in Costa Rica? Did it involve the zip line???? (Shudder, shudder!)

 

Yes, we took a shore excursion called Skywalk in the Forest. I would recommend it. We walked across three foot bridges that were a couple of hundred feet above the ground, near the tree tops. The bridge was metal and supported by metal cables. It did sway as the group, 17 of us, walked across. A bit nerving, but the walk bridges are safe. We saw glimpses of parrots and toucans. The guides are very knowledgeable.

 

 

There was no zip lining offered by Celebrity. I don't know why, but I wonder if it because of liability (??). Don't know.