Photo Review: Celebrity Summit 2/1/14 Southern Caribbean

[gkjta]

We were on the same Summit cruise as you - we are actually in one of your pictures from Mr. Nice Fruit Stand.......This was the first Celebrity cruise for all 4 of us and definitely won't be our last - we were that impressed. We've been on 8 cruises in the last 3 years and this one ranks at the top or close to it. We love port intensive cruises so this one fit the bill plus were a lot of ports we have never been to. I would do the exact same cruise again because you can do so many different things in port or ferry to another island if you're tired of the one that you dock at. We were in an Aqua class room so dined in BLU most of the time. That was probably one of the things that stood out to us - we loved it so much more than we thought we would. The entertainment was good and the pool area was so nice - never a fight for a lounger. I agree whole-heartedly to what you said previously - the people on this cruise were all so friendly and all so "us" if that makes sense.......

[HeatherC430]

Heather,

I really enjoyed your review and am impressed on your rugged excursions. If you go to Labadee which is the island stop for Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity, you guys would probably enjoy the Zip Line, and Jet Skiing. I just went on Celebrity Equinox for New Years Cruise and had great time. Thanks Again Jon P:)

 

Thank you! I impressed myself with these excursions too! Pretty sure we got more than we bargained for! My only regret is that all these excursions being so intense made the week go by so quickly! Good thing I have another cruise fix in a few months! Labadee is on my list of ports I'd like to visit! We zip lined in Belize before in the rainforest and had a great time. My DH used to have jet skis so for him, there would be no novelty - and for me, they'd make me nervous! lol :)

[Medic5emt]

I was wondering what type of camera you used. I have been looking at many models of "Waterproof" cameras.

[HeatherC430]

Excellent review! I thoroughly enjoyed it as I sit here in cold Chicago looking at snow outside! I'm glad you really enjoyed Celebrity. I echo your feelings about fellow passengers. The clientele on Celebrity is one of the main reasons we enjoy sailing them so much. We are in our late 20s / early 30s and while may of our friends are on Carnival or RC, we find ourselves much happier on Celebrity.

 

Cheers & Happy Cruising! :)

 

Thank you! Trust me, I'm looking outside at the snow in Pittsburgh thinking that winter's got to be coming to an end soon, right? Agreed. To me, the demographics and general attitude of those onboard are as close to ourselves as we could have hoped for and expected from a cruise line. I was worried everyone onboard was going to be much older, but really it was a nice mix. The clientele is what stuck out most to us too! I was never annoyed or irritated by the behavior or actions of the other passengers (as I had in the past on many of our Carnival cruises). I'd rather spend alittle bit more on Celebrity and have a more enjoyable cruise! :)

[HeatherC430]

We were on the same Summit cruise as you - we are actually in one of your pictures from Mr. Nice Fruit Stand.......This was the first Celebrity cruise for all 4 of us and definitely won't be our last - we were that impressed. We've been on 8 cruises in the last 3 years and this one ranks at the top or close to it. We love port intensive cruises so this one fit the bill plus were a lot of ports we have never been to. I would do the exact same cruise again because you can do so many different things in port or ferry to another island if you're tired of the one that you dock at. We were in an Aqua class room so dined in BLU most of the time. That was probably one of the things that stood out to us - we loved it so much more than we thought we would. The entertainment was good and the pool area was so nice - never a fight for a lounger. I agree whole-heartedly to what you said previously - the people on this cruise were all so friendly and all so "us" if that makes sense.......

 

That's so funny! This cruise ranks as one of my favorites (of the last 12) in terms of experience on the cruise/line itself. If Celebrity keeps periodically running the drink promotion I won't ever have a reason to go elsewhere! :D I know exactly what you're saying. We felt the same that the demographics were as close to "us" as probably possible. This is what won us over more than anything else. I really look forward to trying out some of the other class of Celebrity ships - specifically the newer ones!

 

At this stage of the game, I doubt the extra money on Concierge or Aqua would be worth it for us. We barely go to the main dining room, so I wouldn't see us using Blu on a daily basis. We try not to overdo it and eat too much more than we would at home while cruise - although that's pretty difficult. Normally we just would rather grab something small from the buffet than sit through all those courses of food.

[HeatherC430]

I was wondering what type of camera you used. I have been looking at many models of "Waterproof" cameras.

 

I'm not sure the model numbers, but it's an XP Fujifilm Water/Shock/Dust/Freeze proof camera

 

Prior to this waterproof camera, I used the Olympus Stylius 850 SW Shock/Waterproof camera

 

The only reason I got the most recent one was because my DH got a good deal on it and the megapixels are apparently a lot better. I have zero (I mean ZERO) technical knowledge when it comes to camera. My main concern is that it's waterproof so that I don't have to worry about it getting wet when doing things around the water on vacation or in the summer time (pool, boating, kayaking, etc). Also, I find that having shockproof is good for me in the case that I drop it - it doesn't break! The issue I had where it wasn't working at the end of the cruise was the first issue I've had in almost two years that I've had the camera. And like I said, once it dried out and it's up and working like normal again. I do love to take pictures though. :)

[cherylroslyn]

Heather if you need help planning some excursions for the repo I would be more than happy to give you some advice. I wouldn't book through the ship in Bermuda, unless you really wanted to, Bermuda is so easy to do on your own and you really can't miss the ship since we are there overnight:)

[catugirl]

Great job on the review, Heather. I've come close to booking a cruise on Summit a few times, but I've never seen a really comprehensive review of her until yours. Thank you. Now I wouldn't hesitate at booking a cruise on Summit.

[HeatherC430]

Heather if you need help planning some excursions for the repo I would be more than happy to give you some advice. I wouldn't book through the ship in Bermuda, unless you really wanted to, Bermuda is so easy to do on your own and you really can't miss the ship since we are there overnight:)

 

I'm all ears for advice on Bermuda - this will be my first trip there and we'll have two days. I know that we want to book the glass bottom boat night trip to the Bermuda Triangle - I'll definitely book that through the ship since it's an evening excursion and I'd feel more comfortable (not going off into the night with a local tour operator). Right now, the other two "days" in port we only plan on going to the beach at least one of the two. I better start my researching! :D Thanks!

[HeatherC430]

Great job on the review, Heather. I've come close to booking a cruise on Summit a few times, but I've never seen a really comprehensive review of her until yours. Thank you. Now I wouldn't hesitate at booking a cruise on Summit.

 

Thank you! Glad I was able to help! I don't understand why more people don't do comprehensive photo reviews (on Celebrity)?

[cherylroslyn]

I'm all ears for advice on Bermuda - this will be my first trip there and we'll have two days. I know that we want to book the glass bottom boat night trip to the Bermuda Triangle - I'll definitely book that through the ship since it's an evening excursion and I'd feel more comfortable (not going off into the night with a local tour operator). Right now, the other two "days" in port we only plan on going to the beach at least one of the two. I better start my researching! :D Thanks!

come over to the roll call if you have any questions...

 

I have been to Bermudaat least 15 times, and since I have been there on this exact cruise at least 4 times I can tell you about the weather.....which will be quite chilly.....not impossible to swim, but only the very hearty will swim when we are there......I did and I was the only one in the water:)

[HeatherC430]

come over to the roll call if you have any questions...

 

I have been to Bermudaat least 15 times, and since I have been there on this exact cruise at least 4 times I can tell you about the weather.....which will be quite chilly.....not impossible to swim, but only the very hearty will swim when we are there......I did and I was the only one in the water:)

 

Just the water will be too chilly to swim? Or the overall temperature will be too chilly to even be at the beach? Good to know. I'd like to at least go to the beach at some point, even if it's not nice enough to be in the water. I'll be looking for something different to do the second day for sure. Since you've been to Bermuda so many times, are there any MUST DO's in your opinion?

[cherylroslyn]

Just the water will be too chilly to swim? Or the overall temperature will be too chilly to even be at the beach? Good to know. I'd like to at least go to the beach at some point, even if it's not nice enough to be in the water. I'll be looking for something different to do the second day for sure. Since you've been to Bermuda so many times, are there any MUST DO's in your opinion?

Water temp is about 70 degrees on May 1-2, and air temps are about the same...

 

I have swam that week every time I was there... If it is a gorgeous sunny day and you sit out and try to get hot...it will work:)

 

There is a great lighthouse near Horseshoe Beach called Gibbs Lighthouse...it is nice to climb up it (since you like climbing) and see the views. There are ferries to Hamilton and St. George. It is a little more expensive to get a driver and get a tour of Bermuda, that is something I never did until last year when I brought my mother, she could not do the busses and ferries because of health reasons. If your mom is athletic, like the daughter, you guys could walk the distance between Warwick Long Bay and Horse Shoe. I could show it to you on a map......its impossible to get lost. But she would need to be in good shape because there is sand walking and a bit of light climbing....... There is another walk to a beach with a nice amount of sea glass....they don't want you taking it anymore because people went there and basically filled giant ziplocks full....so now it is running out.......if everyone took two or three pieces it would be better........

 

In my opinion it is a waste of precious time to go to the beach at the port......and DO NOT PAY FOR AN EXCURSION TO THAT BEACH!!!!!! It is not even a real beach.....unless I were in a wheel chair, or with cranky toddlers I would not go there if my life depended on it..... but after a day out touring I have stopped over there just to look and I have gone their at night for some of the wild parties.....;)

[HeatherC430]

Water temp is about 70 degrees on May 1-2, and air temps are about the same...

 

I have swam that week every time I was there... If it is a gorgeous sunny day and you sit out and try to get hot...it will work:)

 

There is a great lighthouse near Horseshoe Beach called Gibbs Lighthouse...it is nice to climb up it (since you like climbing) and see the views. There are ferries to Hamilton and St. George. It is a little more expensive to get a driver and get a tour of Bermuda, that is something I never did until last year when I brought my mother, she could not do the busses and ferries because of health reasons. If your mom is athletic, like the daughter, you guys could walk the distance between Warwick Long Bay and Horse Shoe. I could show it to you on a map......its impossible to get lost. But she would need to be in good shape because there is sand walking and a bit of light climbing....... There is another walk to a beach with a nice amount of sea glass....they don't want you taking it anymore because people went there and basically filled giant ziplocks full....so now it is running out.......if everyone took two or three pieces it would be better........

 

In my opinion it is a waste of precious time to go to the beach at the port......and DO NOT PAY FOR AN EXCURSION TO THAT BEACH!!!!!! It is not even a real beach.....unless I were in a wheel chair, or with cranky toddlers I would not go there if my life depended on it..... but after a day out touring I have stopped over there just to look and I have gone their at night for some of the wild parties.....;)

 

Duely noted. Thanks for the advice. If I have anymore questions I'll post on the roll call. :)

[HeatherC430]

Service: Our stateroom steward was Sandy from India. He was always overjoyed (or so it seemed) to see us. He always made sure our room was clean and we had everything we needed. Often times, if he saw us coming down the hall, he’d use his key card to open up our stateroom door for us prior to us arriving at the end of the hall (so we didn’t have to fumble for our sail n sign card). I can’t say enough good things about him. Several times we ran into a woman who was the manager of the housekeeping staff. Each time, she asked us how her “team” was doing and to be sure we had everything we need.

 

The service overall was great. With that being said, I’d put this on par with what we’ve experienced on Carnival. The service we’ve had on Carnival has never been any less than excellent (with the exception of the time we had the beverage package on the Breeze and their less than enthusiastic servicing us onboard). Which leads me to…

 

The only service area that could use improving was the bar staff. And this isn’t to say that the bar staff in some areas of the ship was good. Specifically the bar in the lido that had the juice and water in the morning – and beer, soda, and water the rest of the day – always great service there! In this area, the guys were especially friendly – probably my favor of all the staff onboard that I came in contact with! They would recognize me and make conversation on a daily basis. Many of the other bartenders (specifically on the lido pool bar and aft bar) seemed to be understaffed based on the number of people waiting on drinks. It wasn’t uncommon to have to wait 10-15 minutes if they were busy for a drink. Other times, they would wait on you within minutes. It was a mixed bag of service in that regard. I would hope that Celebrity would increase the number of bar staff – especially if so many people have the beverage package as a party of 123go promo. This was one of the few areas that I could see room for improvement in the area of service.

[denims]

Thant's for your great review....and pictures!!!!!!!!!!

[Georgie562]

Heather,

Celebrity doesn't have any self service laundry or ironing services. I am so used to this on Carnival as I like to iron my clothes before dinner. How did you manage to have or keep your clothes pressed? Did you pay?

Edited February 18, 2014 by Georgie562

[HeatherC430]

Classic Beverage Package:

I’m not going to lie, the classic beverage package as part of the 123go promo was one of the main reasons I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and book a cruise outside of Carnival. We’ve had the beverage package on Carnival when it was first released on the Breeze (which cost us $800 for the both of us on that 8 night cruise). On cruises were we do not have a package and just buy drinks a la carte, we end up spending $600-700 for the both of us on drinks for a week long cruise. So, the drink package being included was a HUGE plus for us!

 

We knew going in that we probably wouldn’t need to upgrade to the premium drink package. Neither of us drink wine – which there seems to be a need for wine drinkers based on what I read. We’re happy to have a Corona Light all week which was included in the classic package. Also, I like the frozen mixed drinks and never had any problems with those being included as a part of my package. Neither of us are specific when it comes to having drinks made with “top shelf” liquor. Most of what they included for the middle grade (Captain Morgan, Malibu, etc.) are the same things I keep on stock at our pool bar in the summer time. I don’t think my DH drank anything other than beer all week onboard. A couple times whatever bar we’d be at would be temporarily out of Corona Light (probably because that’s all we were drinking) in which case he’d opt for a Heineken Light.

 

The major benefits of Celebrity’s drink package over Carnival’s is: (based on my experiences) - Celebrity’s package includes bottled water, freshly squeezed juices and premium coffee – and Carnival’s doesn’t. You pay for these on top of the package on Carnival. The major benefit was no signing of the slips! It was SO nice to not have to do this! I also, didn’t notice any 5 minute wait or anything – even though you’re not allowed to order multiples of a drink at a time, one time a waiter came through with a tray of drinks, took our cards (while we were waiting for the bartender to make our drinks – see my last post about the service and waiting for drinks).

 

I recently began juicing daily back in November, so one of my favorite parts of the day was getting freshly squeezed orange juice each morning at the bar next to the buffet on lido. I probably would have even paid the $3 per glass each day for it if I didn’t have the drink package – it was THAT good! There was grapefruit juice too (my DH had it a few of the days).

 

The wait staff did a really good job of making sure that whatever you were ordering was a part of your package all week. For example, if you ordered a bottle of water, they’d take your card and give you the appropriate water without pressing you as to what kind you wanted. The ONLY thing we tried to get and weren’t allowed was Vitamin Water. In conclusion we LOVED having the classic beverage package as a part of our promotion. That’s part of why we booked next year’s while onboard (before it ends at the end of February) to ensure that we have it on next year’s as well. I sure hope Celebrity continues to offer this promotion from time to time.

 

One side note, prior to the cruise it was hard to get full drink lists and prices to determine whether or not specific items would be included under the classic beverage package and whether or not it would be necessary for us to upgrade. After my cruise, I’ve come to the conclusion that this information is hard to find because I almost never saw drink menus anywhere at the bars! To the point where it was shocking! The café did have a drink menu, but other than that it was pretty much nonexistent! At one point at the Casino bar (we were the only ones there) and I wasn’t sure which sort of mixed drink I wanted. I asked the bartender if they had a menu, and he literally unlocked a menu from a cabinet under the bar! I’m not sure if this is because of the reports of price increases or what? For someone like me who likes to try new mixed concoctions, it was little annoying because there was never any drink “tempting” me onboard. There was nothing at the bars showing any “special” of the day, etc.

[HeatherC430]

Heather,

 

Celeberity doesn't have any self service laundry or ironing services. I am so used to this on Carnival as I like to iron my clothes before dinner. How did you manage to have or keep your clothes pressed? Did you pay?

 

We didn't attend any of the formal nights onboard. Upon our luggage arriving at our room on the first night, we hung up all of our clothes. Between this, and packing a travel sized wrinkle releaser - which we always do, we were able to keep my dresses & my DH's dress shirts virtually wrinkle free.

[HeatherC430]

The Summit:

Prior to this cruise, I was a little bit concerned that because of the age of the ship, that the standard of quality that you read so much about Celebrity on these message boards, wouldn’t exist onboard. I was pleasantly surprised that my experiences with the ship itself was pretty great overall. Almost everything onboard seemed new to me with only a few exceptions that showed the age of the ship (IMO). The general overall look of the ship was a breath of fresh air to what I’m used to on my prior Carnival cruises (with the exception of the Breeze). Everything was very class, elegant, while maintaining a modern look.

 

The ONLY areas that I noted that showed the age or needed some improving I’ve read about on other reviews prior to this cruise and would agree with other posters. The deck chairs – while some if not most were totally fine, it wasn’t uncommon to see various chairs missing strips of their plastic pieces (I don’t know what else to call them). Clearly, there are a decent amount onboard that need replaced. Also, while I didn’t notice any mold in my shower like others have on the Summit, the shower tiles were in a desperate need of a re-grouting job! My DH made me add that to my comment card at the end of the cruise with the specific room noted – he said hopefully they fix it prior to our cruise in the same stateroom next year! Other than that, I thought the ship itself was pretty great! The size of the ship was much larger than I had anticipated – I was under the impression that it was a smaller, older ship before going onboard.

 

Other Random Things & Overall Conclusions:

I never really SAW the cruise director. I mean, I’m sure I did. But, it wasn’t in your face all day everyday like I’m used to on Carnival. It was nice that it wasn’t offensive the degree to which you saw this guy. Perhaps that’s because I didn’t go to any shows or organized functions on the ship? But, I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup if I had to!

 

There were only a few minor things that I’m used to on Carnival that I missed onboard Celebrity. While the pillows and bedding onboard the ship were more than adequate, I must say that neither were as comfortable as what I’ve experienced on Carnival. Also, one of the few things I normally enjoy doing on Carnival is watching others do karaoke – I don’t recall seeing this offered onboard Celebrity. On Carnival, there’s normally 3 movie channels on the stateroom TVs changing their daily movie each day. On Celebrity – at least on this cruise – there was only one movie channel for free. We like to watch movies before going to sleep each night, so this is only one area that fell a little bit short for us. No big deal, we just paid for the on demand movies instead.

 

Other than the items mentioned above, my first time on Celebrity was pretty much superior in every other way or maybe I should say is geared more so at our demographics!

 

Assuming the prices are comparable between Carnival and Celebrity – I/we would chose Celebrity every time – it’s a no brainer for us! If Carnival’s price was a lot less or I was looking for something specific that Celebrity wasn’t offering at that time of year, I’d still consider them. Overall we enjoyed that Celebrity was much more laid back (and less in your face like Carnival normally is). You didn’t have to seek out a spot on one of the corner decks to get some peace and quiet because the ship as a whole had a very relaxing vibe. And while I’ve loved all my Carnival cruises too, I experienced Celebrity to be a much more enjoyable cruise vacation (for me).

 

If I missed ANYTHING or you’d like further clarification, please don’t hesitate to ask.

I’m happy to help! Happy Cruising! :D

[existentialtraveler]

Duely noted. Thanks for the advice. If I have anymore questions I'll post on the roll call. :)

 

You have to go to the Crystal Caves!

[richsea]

Wow, I really enjoyed your review & photos! Great job!! I know that it can be especially hard to be objective when, as you say, you go out of your comfort zone & try a new cruise line, & yet you were able to do that with an open mind.

 

We did a b2b on Summit in January, & you certainly brought me back to our cruise! We liked it so much, we also booked a b2b for next year. Love sailing out of San Juan!

 

As far as drink specials, they usually list the drink of the day in the daily, but you're right, they don't really advertise them at the bars. Also, on out both sailings, there was Karaoke pretty much nightly, in the Rondevouz Liunge, or once in a while up in Revelations.

 

Again, great job!!!

[HeatherC430]

Wow, I really enjoyed your review & photos! Great job!! I know that it can be especially hard to be objective when, as you say, you go out of your comfort zone & try a new cruise line, & yet you were able to do that with an open mind.

 

We did a b2b on Summit in January, & you certainly brought me back to our cruise! We liked it so much, we also booked a b2b for next year. Love sailing out of San Juan!

 

As far as drink specials, they usually list the drink of the day in the daily, but you're right, they don't really advertise them at the bars. Also, on out both sailings, there was Karaoke pretty much nightly, in the Rondevouz Liunge, or once in a while up in Revelations.

 

Again, great job!!!

 

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed reading! Yes, I was expecting to have a good time - I always do when cruising, but I didn't expect to put Celebrity as my preferred cruise line after this cruise! I'm really glad I ventured out of my comfort zone! I must be maturing! :)

 

Perhaps Karaoke was going on after my bedtime? lol

[olemissreb]

Celebrity became my cruiseline of choice after our Constellation cruise (which used to do the Southern Caribbean that Summit now does). We did cruise RC 5 years later because we had our boys with us and thought the kids program would be better there. I do think RC has the edge there, but for pure relaxation, Celebrity had a huge advantage.

 

The only time we saw any of the waiters pushing the drink of the day on the Connie was at sail away - mojitos who could go wrong with that when sailing out of San Juan! :) There was also karaoke in the Rendezvous Lounge nightly - one of our tablemates sang one night. So much fun.

 

I'm so looking forward to next year when we are on Summit. I hope to have as much fun as we did on Connie and even Millie.

[AmberCascades]

We were on the same cruise! And the same tour with Mandoo (I was the one handing you things to sniff -I was on your right - which is why you looked so familiar when I started reading this review :)). This was our second Celebrity sailing but we've booked another one. Mostly because of the 123 promo, but also for reasons you've mentioned (the service, the fellow passengers, etc.) I didn't go to karaoke, but I understand it went on somewhere every day. There was also dancing every night in Revelations (for those who've wondered about late night dancing). Hubby went out to disco night while I crashed...he ended up dancing until about 3:30...he said he wasn't the last one to leave. I find there's so much to do we have to make up a "to do" list. Top of the list for this cruise was to go to the T-pool and to spend some time at the martini bar. We got those things done but I'm sure we missed other things. I'm glad you enjoyed your first Celebrity cruise.