Summit Photo Review - June 29, 2014 to Bermuda in Aqua Class

[20pluscruises]

This is an excellent review! Many thanks!!!

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for posting the new menu for Bistro on Five. For once, it may be worth eating there for us. Our first experience - a breakfast crepe, was less than satisfactory and the service was terrible.

 

The clam chowder, cheese dishes and Spanish crepe (I loves bananas, but not Nutella) sound good.

 

For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year.

 

Nevermind. Saw your answer above. :D

 

Since the Aqua class cabins on deck 11 were added on later you have this weird seating area on each side as you head towards the aft. I never saw anyone sitting there. The only thing I saw people do was pile up plates from room service or the buffet on the tables. It seems like such a wasted space. Maybe if they added some bookshelves it could be turned into a quiet place to read?

 

:eek: I did a double take when I saw your photo of this area. We absolutely loved that area on the Constellation. It was warm and inviting with a long couch and a coffee table flanked by wing chairs. Very traditional look with accessories. We used this area several times a day to meet up with our travel relatives after having room breaks. We rarely saw anyone else seated in the area, however. One day I did see a gentleman reading on the couch. ;) Too bad that the area on the Summit is so drab. We were again looking forward to that area when we sail to NE/Canada and staying in an AQ.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Iamthesea

[prim8keeper]

Thank you for posting the new menu for Bistro on Five. For once, it may be worth eating there for us. Our first experience - a breakfast crepe, was less than satisfactory and the service was terrible.

 

The clam chowder, cheese dishes and Spanish crepe (I loves bananas, but not Nutella) sound good.

 

 

 

Nevermind. Saw your answer above. :D

 

 

 

:eek: I did a double take when I saw your photo of this area. We absolutely loved that area on the Constellation. It was warm and inviting with a long couch and a coffee table flanked by wing chairs. Very traditional look with accessories. We used this area several times a day to meet up with our travel relatives after having room breaks. We rarely saw anyone else seated in the area, however. One day I did see a gentleman reading on the couch. ;) Too bad that the area on the Summit is so drab. We were again looking forward to that area when we sail to NE/Canada and staying in an AQ.

 

I agree that the breakfast crepes are not very good. They sound like they will be wonderful, but after ordering them once I wouldn't do it again. My DH, who is the chef in our home, says its because the crepe and the scrambled eggs are too close to being the same texture.

 

The area on Constellation sounds much better! There was just so much empty space around those four sad chairs and tiny table. It was rather weird. The picture didn't turn out great either so I debated including it but even if it was a better photo I couldn't have done much to make it look like a good use of space.

[Iamthesea]

I could kick myself for not taking a photo of "our spot" for my photo video. :( I know that I have seen pictures of it on this site. On another ship, I don't believe there are any chairs at all in that space.

[azgalkruzer]

:)

Since I know many people are interested in the dailies I thought I would post them along with the other various flyers we received throughout the cruise now. Hopefully this will make them much easier to find rather than having to search through the whole review for each day. The only daily I am missing is the very first one they give you when you check in at the pier.

 

Celebrity Today's

 

Sunday, June 29th, 2014 - Bayonne, NJ

Monday, June 30th, 2014 - At Sea

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014 - At Sea

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014 - King's Wharf, Bermuda

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014 - King's Wharf, Bermuda

Friday, July 4th, 2014 - King's Wharf, Bermuda

Saturday, July 5th, 2014 - At Sea

Sunday, July 6th, 2014 - Bayonne, NJ

 

In the SPOTLIGHT

 

In the Spotlight

 

Captain's Club

 

Captain's Club Events for Select Members

 

Entertainment

 

Entertainment: Week at a Glance

 

Bermuda Shopping Guide

 

Bermuda Port Shopping Map

 

Room Service Breakfast

 

Aqua Class Room Service Menu

 

Future Cruise Vacations

 

Sail On Event

Future Cruise Vacations Flyer

"Bermuda All In" Offer

 

Miscellaneous

 

Reverie for Exhale Bedding by Celebrity Cruises

 

Your post is beyond helpful...we will be sailing at the end of August to celebrate my birthday, and we have been trying to put together the best day/time to do the Normandie dinner. This crystallized our plans.

 

Very considerate of you, and again, our thanks for your time and effort.

 

smiles/

AZGALKRUZER/doreen

[prim8keeper]

:)

 

Your post is beyond helpful...we will be sailing at the end of August to celebrate my birthday, and we have been trying to put together the best day/time to do the Normandie dinner. This crystallized our plans.

 

Very considerate of you, and again, our thanks for your time and effort.

 

smiles/

AZGALKRUZER/doreen

 

Thank you! I've learned so much from cc so anytime I can really give back I'm happy too. Normandie was hands down my favorite meal of the cruise. We went on Friday (they day we left Bermuda) and it was perfect. I'll talk more about it later.

[Bryon and Family]

This has been incredibly insightful! Ill be on summit in a little over 2 weeks and your postings have made me very excited to explore the ship! Thank you for all of this hard work!

[gi_pam]

Since the Aqua class cabins on deck 11 were added on later you have this weird seating area on each side as you head towards the aft. I never saw anyone sitting there. The only thing I saw people do was pile up plates from room service or the buffet on the tables. It seems like such a wasted space. Maybe if they added some bookshelves it could be turned into a quiet place to read?

 

 

 

My DH sat in the one on the other side of the ship a few times! It was right outside our cabin, and he'd sit out there while waiting for me.

 

Loving your review, btw! We were on Summit in May, in AQ on 11, and I am having so many happy memories reading this thread :)

[sue58]

I also couldn't believe it when I came back to my cabin one day and found those Pringles & candies sitting on the desk - I mean, seriously? you want $5 for those?

 

When I ate at Bistro on 5 I also ordered the steak. I ordered it medium-rare and it arrived medium - cooked a bit too much for my liking but it was still good. Maybe the trick is to order it one setting rarer than you want it to be.

 

Really love seeing your photos of the art on the ship. So many of the pieces are unique - agree with you about those glass birds and there are so many pieces throughout the ship it makes exploring fun. My favourite piece of art on the Summit is the verdigris figure that is lying prone on deck 10 by the pool - love this! I like the majority of the art although I find some of the beaded busts of women in the stairwells to be kind of terrifying.:D

 

My first time on the Millennium there was an art tour you could do yourself. You picked up an i-pod at Customer Relations and walked around the ship (top to bottom) and found out about all the paintings, sculptures, etc. It was a very good idea but I don't think any of the ships do that anymore.

 

Eagerly awaiting more of your review. :)

[prim8keeper]

I also couldn't believe it when I came back to my cabin one day and found those Pringles & candies sitting on the desk - I mean, seriously? you want $5 for those?

 

When I ate at Bistro on 5 I also ordered the steak. I ordered it medium-rare and it arrived medium - cooked a bit too much for my liking but it was still good. Maybe the trick is to order it one setting rarer than you want it to be.

 

Really love seeing your photos of the art on the ship. So many of the pieces are unique - agree with you about those glass birds and there are so many pieces throughout the ship it makes exploring fun. My favourite piece of art on the Summit is the verdigris figure that is lying prone on deck 10 by the pool - love this! I like the majority of the art although I find some of the beaded busts of women in the stairwells to be kind of terrifying.:D

 

My first time on the Millennium there was an art tour you could do yourself. You picked up an i-pod at Customer Relations and walked around the ship (top to bottom) and found out about all the paintings, sculptures, etc. It was a very good idea but I don't think any of the ships do that anymore.

 

Eagerly awaiting more of your review. :)

 

You are probably dead on with the steak. I would agree, that its probably best to order it at least a little under what you actually want.

 

I did not take any of the beaded women. I found them to be creepy.

 

I've heard about the art tour as well but never seen it on any of the ships we have been on. I wish they would do that instead of having Park West on the ships!

[MMDown Under]

 

My first time on the Millennium there was an art tour you could do yourself. You picked up an i-pod at Customer Relations and walked around the ship (top to bottom) and found out about all the paintings, sculptures, etc. It was a very good idea but I don't think any of the ships do that anymore.

:)

 

That is an excellent idea. I enjoy admiring the art on ships and would love to know details re the art.

 

With the cutbacks one hears about, that is a positive initiative which could be picked up, by the cruiselines, at little cost.

[travelingirl70]

 

The way you book future cruises has now changed. See I told you there was a point! Your deposit amount is now equal to the OBC they give you and is non-refundable. Under the old system when we booked this cruise on board Equinox we paid a $100 per person deposit (refundable) and got a $250 OBC and one category upgrade for this cruise plus our choice from the 123Go. Under the new system you still get the one category upgrade but you get your OBC instantly. Now here is where it gets confusing, the OBC they give you instantly is refundable. So while the deposit amount is technically not refundable if you don't spend the OBC they give you on the ship that will get refunded to your credit card. This is a brilliant move by X. I bet most cruisers don't know the different between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. So they are going to get that OBC and either spend it all, and most likely some more, or not spend all of it. Either way X will be making money. For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year. Since we get additional OBC from our TA the fact that we wont have OBC from X is not a huge loss to me. We actually got a refund of $825 from X after this cruise from unused OBC. If any of this is unclear or confusing please just ask! I tried to be very clear here, but I know the new system can be confusing.

 

 

So, let me see if I have this right. You got an A1 cabin for the A2 price with the classic beverage package and pre-paid gratuities. You paid a $250 deposit (total for both people) and they gave you an OBC for your current sailing for $250? Since you didn't use the $250, you got it credited back to you. So, no OBC from X on next year's sailing, but your TA said it was combinable with their offers and will give you an OBC?

 

If you cancel, you "forfeit" your $250 deposit, but you already got that back, so there really is no penalty, right?

 

If there is a price drop, can you get the price drop and keep your other perks?

 

Am I missing anything or did I get that right?

 

Just trying to do the math and figure this out before our cruise in 2 1/2 weeks. It's an interesting promotion for sure.

[prim8keeper]

So, let me see if I have this right. You got an A1 cabin for the A2 price with the classic beverage package and pre-paid gratuities. You paid a $250 deposit (total for both people) and they gave you an OBC for your current sailing for $250? Since you didn't use the $250, you got it credited back to you. So, no OBC from X on next year's sailing, but your TA said it was combinable with their offers and will give you an OBC?

 

 

If you cancel, you "forfeit" your $250 deposit, but you already got that back, so there really is no penalty, right?

 

If there is a price drop, can you get the price drop and keep your other perks?

 

Am I missing anything or did I get that right?

 

Just trying to do the math and figure this out before our cruise in 2 1/2 weeks. It's an interesting promotion for sure.

 

To answer your first two questions, yes and yes. In terms of a price drop and keeping the other perks I don't see why X would remove them. I haven't heard of anyone loosing the 123Go unless they tried to take advantage of something else. The only thing I can see being a problem is if you tried to get the residents rate later if they ran a special. X didn't tell us they would remove anything for a price drop, but I also didn't ask. Since they don't run residents rates for Bermuda in GA and I monitored our sailing for this year I'm not expecting any huge swings in price. The only time we have ever had perks scaled down is from our TA lowering OBC if we got a big price drop. I'm ok with this though since I know it means they are making less commission and either way I'm getting something from them for free.

[prim8keeper]

That is an excellent idea. I enjoy admiring the art on ships and would love to know details re the art.

 

With the cutbacks one hears about, that is a positive initiative which could be picked up, by the cruiselines, at little cost.

 

You are so right about this! Big thumbs up!

[prim8keeper]

So one other thing that I forgot to mention about the future cruise bookings. I thought this was rather hilarious, my DH not so much. They no longer need you to bring a credit card! They can just charge it to the credit card you have on file. We brought a credit card with us since that is how it has always been done in the past, but it wasn't needed. I also remember hearing that they may only be doing bookings this way on the Summit. I would be interested to hear from someone who has been on one of the other ships recently. The Summit is currently serving as a test ship but I'll talk more about that later. Either way I personally really like this model and would be happy to see it go fleet wide. As an FYI to anyone cruising soon on Summit they can also still book a future cruise under the old system (we overheard someone doing this). I have no idea how long they will be able to do this for.

 

With that lets move on to the second sea day. Honestly, I can't remember what we did this day so it probably wasn't very important or exciting. We had planned on taking it easy since I had planned out a very full schedule for Bermuda. I thought I was only going to be going there once...HA!

 

The only thing worth noting that we did this day was visiting the buffet for lunch. As many have heard the buffet has changed on Summit. Below you a few photos of the new set up.

 

 

 

 

As you can easily see everything is now in individual portions. Now, we never sailed on an M class with the old style buffet so I can't judge how this compares to that, but what I can say is I really liked this. I think for the most part it really works. First, it made it easy to just reach in and grab a plate or bowl of food and you no longer have to worry about someone setting the tongs down on top of the food. Additionally, for the most part it seemed like they were erring on the side of a smaller portion compared to a large portion. I found it was just the right amount of food for me. My only complaint was that this concept does not work for everything. Anything with chips or a shell just becomes soggy if it sits there too long. They also still have some things you can get yourself or ask someone for such as a salad, stir-fry, sushi, pizza, etc.

 

They are still attempting to work out all the kinks, but I suspect this will roll out to the other ships. I think this would be very good on any ship that is under code red since it has the potential to save the staff some work in terms of serving everything at the buffet. Overall I found the buffet food to be really good and enjoyed everything I tried. I'm not a huge buffet person but I actually really like the buffet X offers. I also thought the new pizza was pretty tasty and like that they have expanded the time in the evening that sushi is available.

 

With that, I'm sadly going to call it a night (long day at work). However, I leave you with this...tomorrow we arrive in Bermuda.

 

[DottieV]

Absolutely great review; I don't know which I enjoyed more, the photos or the delightful commentary. Thank you for sharing.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The way you book future cruises has now changed. See I told you there was a point! Your deposit amount is now equal to the OBC they give you and is non-refundable. Under the old system when we booked this cruise on board Equinox we paid a $100 per person deposit (refundable) and got a $250 OBC and one category upgrade for this cruise plus our choice from the 123Go. Under the new system you still get the one category upgrade but you get your OBC instantly. Now here is where it gets confusing, the OBC they give you instantly is refundable. So while the deposit amount is technically not refundable if you don't spend the OBC they give you on the ship that will get refunded to your credit card. This is a brilliant move by X. I bet most cruisers don't know the different between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. So they are going to get that OBC and either spend it all, and most likely some more, or not spend all of it. Either way X will be making money. For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year. Since we get additional OBC from our TA the fact that we wont have OBC from X is not a huge loss to me. We actually got a refund of $825 from X after this cruise from unused OBC. If any of this is unclear or confusing please just ask! I tried to be very clear here, but I know the new system can be confusing.

 

OK, this is giving me a headache. So I book a future cruise while on board. Say they give me $250 OBC. Which you say is refundable and also counts as the deposit for the cruise I booked on board. OK, I get off the ship and the $250 is refunded to my credit card since I didn't use it (already had OBC under old system). If they've refunded my deposit for the new cruise, how do I have a deposit on the new cruise???

 

Great review by the way!

 

[need2bespoiled]

The way you book future cruises has now changed. See I told you there was a point! Your deposit amount is now equal to the OBC they give you and is non-refundable. Under the old system when we booked this cruise on board Equinox we paid a $100 per person deposit (refundable) and got a $250 OBC and one category upgrade for this cruise plus our choice from the 123Go. Under the new system you still get the one category upgrade but you get your OBC instantly. Now here is where it gets confusing, the OBC they give you instantly is refundable. So while the deposit amount is technically not refundable if you don't spend the OBC they give you on the ship that will get refunded to your credit card. This is a brilliant move by X. I bet most cruisers don't know the different between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. So they are going to get that OBC and either spend it all, and most likely some more, or not spend all of it. Either way X will be making money. For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year. Since we get additional OBC from our TA the fact that we wont have OBC from X is not a huge loss to me. We actually got a refund of $825 from X after this cruise from unused OBC. If any of this is unclear or confusing please just ask! I tried to be very clear here, but I know the new system can be confusing.

 

OK, this is giving me a headache. So I book a future cruise while on board. Say they give me $250 OBC. Which you say is refundable and also counts as the deposit for the cruise I booked on board. OK, I get off the ship and the $250 is refunded to my credit card since I didn't use it (already had OBC under old system). If they've refunded my deposit for the new cruise, how do I have a deposit on the new cruise???

 

Great review by the way!

 

 

Think of it this way:

 

You pay X $250 dollars. This is your deposit on the future cruise. It's non refundable, you don't get it back.

 

Because no none would do that, as a gesture, they give you some OBC on the current cruise. It happens to be, that this amount is not less, or more then the deposit, it's the same amount $250. Some marketing genius (I actually don't know if I am sarcastic about this or not) decided that if you didn't use up this OBC, they give it back to you, it just happens to be the same amount as the deposit. It does seem like a free deposit and sounds like a great deal, hope it lasts until we are onboard in August, but for the life of me, I can't think what more I could book until they release new sailings, and everything I have booked has gone up in price.

 

Great review by the way :)

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[bachcruise]

Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and pictures! Bermuda is one of my favorite places and I'd love to return. I recently booked the Summit for December after finding a deal I couldn't pass up and your review has gotten me even more excited. Thanks again! :D

[Boxerlover2]

On the Solstice back at the end of May, I was asked to present a credit card when booking our next future cruise, but maybe it has changed since then?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[prim8keeper]

On the Solstice back at the end of May, I was asked to present a credit card when booking our next future cruise, but maybe it has changed since then?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

I don't know Lucie when they started this. The first time I heard or saw anything about it was when I was reading another Bermuda review a few weeks ago. I do know though that Bermuda All In started on June 1. I'm wondering if they started it at that time?

[prim8keeper]

The way you book future cruises has now changed. See I told you there was a point! Your deposit amount is now equal to the OBC they give you and is non-refundable. Under the old system when we booked this cruise on board Equinox we paid a $100 per person deposit (refundable) and got a $250 OBC and one category upgrade for this cruise plus our choice from the 123Go. Under the new system you still get the one category upgrade but you get your OBC instantly. Now here is where it gets confusing, the OBC they give you instantly is refundable. So while the deposit amount is technically not refundable if you don't spend the OBC they give you on the ship that will get refunded to your credit card. This is a brilliant move by X. I bet most cruisers don't know the different between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. So they are going to get that OBC and either spend it all, and most likely some more, or not spend all of it. Either way X will be making money. For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year. Since we get additional OBC from our TA the fact that we wont have OBC from X is not a huge loss to me. We actually got a refund of $825 from X after this cruise from unused OBC. If any of this is unclear or confusing please just ask! I tried to be very clear here, but I know the new system can be confusing.

 

OK, this is giving me a headache. So I book a future cruise while on board. Say they give me $250 OBC. Which you say is refundable and also counts as the deposit for the cruise I booked on board. OK, I get off the ship and the $250 is refunded to my credit card since I didn't use it (already had OBC under old system). If they've refunded my deposit for the new cruise, how do I have a deposit on the new cruise???

 

Great review by the way!

 

 

Thanks! I understand it giving you a headache. I was right there with you! It is very confusing and when you talk to the future sales staff they are very careful with what they say for obvious reasons. I think Jenna's explanation below is a good one.

 

Think of it this way:

 

You pay X $250 dollars. This is your deposit on the future cruise. It's non refundable, you don't get it back.

 

Because no none would do that, as a gesture, they give you some OBC on the current cruise. It happens to be, that this amount is not less, or more then the deposit, it's the same amount $250. Some marketing genius (I actually don't know if I am sarcastic about this or not) decided that if you didn't use up this OBC, they give it back to you, it just happens to be the same amount as the deposit. It does seem like a free deposit and sounds like a great deal, hope it lasts until we are onboard in August, but for the life of me, I can't think what more I could book until they release new sailings, and everything I have booked has gone up in price.

 

Great review by the way :)

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

Jenna great explanation! I think it takes about six people saying it a different way for everyone to get it. However, I personally do like this idea since it means I can book with, like you said, essentially no deposit. We did see plenty of people booking future cruises.

[kenevenpar]

Great review! Keep it coming when you have time.

[prim8keeper]

Great review! Keep it coming when you have time.

 

I hope to sneak in a Bermuda update over lunch. My goal is to finish the review up this weekend. I don't want the review to last longer than the cruise. :p

Edited July 11, 2014 by prim8keeper

[Grandmaanne7]

Sooooo enjoying your review Tom! I think X should either put you on the payroll or give you a free cruise every year as this is making me want to book another cruise every day!