Summit Dry Dock 2016 Questions and Comments

[cruiseerf]

They are also cutting a Huge hole in Summit's hull to remove the old Laundry machines and re install brand spanking new industrial ones.

 

Safe Sails!

[Barwick Cruiser]

Appreciate the info. I'd swear that last summer, no children were allowed in Normandie. Glad to see its OK now. Thanks again.

 

Just off Summit...Normandie is presently being changed into a Tuscan Grille with more fine dining options than currently available on the S class ships...at an upcharge on the service charge of course:D

[Wine-O]

Just off Summit...Normandie is presently being changed into a Tuscan Grille with more fine dining options than currently available on the S class ships...at an upcharge on the service charge of course:D

 

Did they change during drydock? Were you on board before or after drydock?

[dreadnot]

I am just off the Summit. According to the senior officers who attended our CC gathering, here are some of the changes mentioned.

All new linens in cabins

Outdoor movie screen

Normandie changes to Tuscan Grill

Complete overhaul in Solarium (pool and hot tubs were already drained on Sat am and the workers were hanging cloths around the solarium areas)

All new furniture in Solarium (yeah!)

Complete redo of Penthouse Suite (not that I'll ever see that;)

All carpets in cabins that are not being replaced are getting shampooed

 

Everyone is very excited. There is an officer Head of Housekeeping who came on board on Thursday. She had finished the Infinity dry dock, will do the Summit and then move on to the Millenium for its dry dock. These dry dock changes are her specialty.

Hopefully they will do something about the rust all over the ship, was on Summit 2014 and it looked old. also need to upgrade the Aqua spa room showers , rooms and general appearance should now equal the Constellation

[Barwick Cruiser]

Did they change during drydock? Were you on board before or after drydock?

 

Just disembarked on Saturday after a b2b. Normandie was still present during our cruises but the ship is now in the Bahamas for a 2 week drydock at which time Tuscan Grille will be installed in Normandie's place. All memorabilia is supposedly being exhibited in a new area just outside of Blu.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

I am cautiously optimistic about the Sushi bar.

 

If they charge, fine - but I hope it's good sushi.

[Phamer55]

Looking forward to the pictures after dry dock!

[dreadnot]

As previously stated , the Summit is an older ,high mileage ship. It can be updated ,but there are limits. I would suggest to Celebrity ,and have , that they reposition the Summit during the Bermuda season from Cape Liberty , wit ha Soltice class ship. The Bermuda cruise is very popular ,and personally I would book on a tramp steamer before I would go non the NCL Breakaway.

[CruisingChick]

Captain Kate is in Freeport Grand Bahamas now with Summit in dry dock. She is posting pictures of the dry dock on her Instagram account: captainkatemccue if anyone is interested.

[tory707]

Captain Kate is in Freeport Grand Bahamas now with Summit in dry dock. She is posting pictures of the dry dock on her Instagram account: captainkatemccue if anyone is interested.

 

oh so cool. Leaving in 2 weeks so this is nice to see! Thanks!

[Cruise a holic]

The only thing they are doing to the T-pool is new furniture, reworking the floor. Not sure if the refinishing the pool. That is also our favorite place to hang out.

 

The current t pool chairs are very uncomfortable. Hope change effective for our August cruise

[richstowe]

Just off Summit as well. What I heard, in addition to Normandie changing to Tuscan Grill and movie screen, is Bistro on 5 becoming Sushi bar (so long to free sushi at 5:30), MDR getting new carpet and/or furniture, theatre getting new stage lighting and one moving part of stage being repaired. Last unconfirmed rumor is that 50 mold-resistant hammocks are being strung on deck 1 for those passengers who wish to save money for booze by foregoing their own cabins./

I understand that base fare hammock is polyester . Microfiber blend is a Concierge upgrade .

 

As previously stated , the Summit is an older ,high mileage ship. It can be updated ,but there are limits. I would suggest to Celebrity ,and have , that they reposition the Summit during the Bermuda season from Cape Liberty , wit ha Soltice class ship. The Bermuda cruise is very popular ,and personally I would book on a tramp steamer before I would go non the NCL Breakaway.

With enough additional fee restaurants the Summit could approximate the Breakaway. Edited March 2, 2016 by richstowe

[Cruise a holic]

I understand that base fare hammock is polyester . Microfiber blend is a Concierge upgrade .

 

With enough additional fee restaurants the Summit could approximate the Breakaway.

I thought about NCL breakaway like you as for the past few summers we have sailed on the summit. This summer we will also sail on the summit. However last summer we broke our tradition and sailed on the Breakaway in the Haven. We were very impressed with the ship its restaurants, entertainment and most aspects of the ship. If however we weren't in the Haven we might have had a different experience. We are back to the summit as the cost of a suite is so much less and luminae and Michaels club are really nice. At least the perks were great on the silhouette and we hope that the summits new improvements will be great

Edited March 2, 2016 by Cruise a holic

[richstowe]

I thought about NCL breakaway like you as for the past few summers we have sailed on the summit. This summer we will also sail on the summit. However last summer we broke our tradition and sailed on the Breakaway in the Haven. We were very impressed with the ship its restaurants, entertainment and most aspects of the ship. If however we weren't in the Haven we might have had a different experience. We are back to the summit as the cost of a suite is so much less and luminae and Michaels club are really nice. At least the perks were great on the silhouette and we hope that the summits new improvements will be great

Honestly my comment wasn't meant as a slap at NCL . It seems that NCL has staked out a space for themselves as the a la carte cruise line where they provide many extra pay options . They do generally start with lower rates then X .

 

And that is my issue . I don't see (or want to see) Celebrity as a pick and pay brand

where you could pay just the base rate but you certainly wouldn't want to .

[dreadnot]

Went on the NCL Breakaway for a 2 night cruise to nowhere to try it out. as stated the Haven is nice but if you go the equivalent of an Aqua Spa Mini suite on the Breakaway, you get a small room ,tiny balcony ,and are treated as nothing special. The common areas are crowded, stores tiny, and they force you into alternative restaurants with boring main dining room menus Celebrity is misreading the niche they have in Bermuda by not getting a larger , classier Soltice Class ship into Bermuda. They would do well there,and have more happy cruisers

[Cruise a holic]

Actually, the Summit is always full in the summer to Bermuda, and the Solstice class ships in Europe charge more and make more, especially from shore excursions. If you have been to Bermuda a couple of times, you probably will not take shore excursions. So from a business decision it makes sense to keep the larger ships in the more profitable broader markets.

[WEGL81]

I understand that base fare hammock is polyester . Microfiber blend is a Concierge upgrade .

 

 

With this Concierge upgrade, if you send them a flip flop, an old beach hat, and a paperback book, they will place it in one of the hammocks at 6 AM every day to ensure you get a spot :)

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[dreadnot]

Actually, the Summit is always full in the summer to Bermuda, and the Solstice class ships in Europe charge more and make more, especially from shore excursions. If you have been to Bermuda a couple of times, you probably will not take shore excursions. So from a business decision it makes sense to keep the larger ships in the more profitable broader markets.

Celebrity used to send the Zenith and Horizon to Bermuda and fill them up, so that logic should not be the only factor. If the Summit can not compete with newer ships , business will fall off. They are lucky their only real Bermuda competition is the NCL Breakaway. If a ship like Princess Emerald or Regal or even the Crown size starts going to Bermuda, Celebrity will suffer and lose cruisers over time. I don't like the Breakaway size ships, but one of the nicest ships I cruised on was the Crown Princess. Not too big ,,nicest mini suite cabin I have yet seen, spacious , beautiful atrium. Like Celebrity , but they can't keep the Summit forever in Bermuda. Will try another Bermuda cruise on the Summit after drydock, but won't do another Bermuda cruise after that until a newer ship goes to Bermuda.

Our first cruise was to Alaska on the Mercury, then Caribbean on the Century, they became dated and now are gone, every ship has their time and place. The Summit is nice , but can't go on forever

[Cruise a holic]

Celebrity used to send the Zenith and Horizon to Bermuda and fill them up, so that logic should not be the only factor. If the Summit can not compete with newer ships , business will fall off. They are lucky their only real Bermuda competition is the NCL Breakaway. If a ship like Princess Emerald or Regal or even the Crown size starts going to Bermuda, Celebrity will suffer and lose cruisers over time. I don't like the Breakaway size ships, but one of the nicest ships I cruised on was the Crown Princess. Not too big ,,nicest mini suite cabin I have yet seen, spacious , beautiful atrium. Like Celebrity , but they can't keep the Summit forever in Bermuda. Will try another Bermuda cruise on the Summit after drydock, but won't do another Bermuda cruise after that until a newer ship goes to Bermuda.

Our first cruise was to Alaska on the Mercury, then Caribbean on the Century, they became dated and now are gone, every ship has their time and place. The Summit is nice , but can't go on forever[/QUOT

 

I agree that perhaps a solstice class ship might do well and fill but until other celebrity ships are built , perhaps they will not consider moving one to Bermuda. Have sailed on the crown and Caribbean princess ships and not at all impressed by the ships. Yes the minisuites are nice, but the food, service and entertainment fair. The ships are also very crowded and we spent our sea days in the sanctuary. Have also sailed on the Breakaway. The ship overall is wonderful, especially for families however if you aren't in the Haven it is a zoo. This is just my opinion and others have different experiences.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Cruise a holic

[BethV114]

Is it true they are doing away with Bistro on 5? If so, what are they replacing it with and will it be charging a similar relatively nominal fee?

 

We are sailing on the 18th and can't wait. I am looking forward to the change to Tuscan Grille as our daughter is able to dine there and enjoys it. I'm hoping that if they remove Bistro on 5 it's for something that is also good and not ridiculously priced.

[need2bespoiled]

As previously stated , the Summit is an older ,high mileage ship. It can be updated ,but there are limits. I would suggest to Celebrity ,and have , that they reposition the Summit during the Bermuda season from Cape Liberty , wit ha Soltice class ship. The Bermuda cruise is very popular ,and personally I would book on a tramp steamer before I would go non the NCL Breakaway.

 

Why would they replace it when you state you would still sail on her before Breakaway?

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[need2bespoiled]

With renovations in the solarium - please confirm that they ARE keeping the thellosotherapy pool - this is the BEST part of the M class ships!!!

 

As has been stated, on Infinity with similar or the same list of dry dock items, the complete refurbished the T-Pool but it was in brand new working order during the post dry dock cruises.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[rcprncss]

Captain Kate is in Freeport Grand Bahamas now with Summit in dry dock. She is posting pictures of the dry dock on her Instagram account: captainkatemccue if anyone is interested.

 

you are awesome! Thank you for sharing! I'm so excited. We will be on the Summit in April! :)

[CruisingChick]

you are awesome! Thank you for sharing! I'm so excited. We will be on the Summit in April! :)

 

You are very welcome. I love Captain Kate. I hope to be back on Summit in May and again in September.

Edited March 4, 2016 by CruisingChick

[dreadnot]

Why would they replace it when you state you would still sail on her before Breakaway?

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

I like Celebrity, I would sail on Summit maybe one more time , but not more than that. I felt the same way about the Century after 2 cruises, and a couple of years later it was sold off and replaced. I would also pick another itinerary to sail on a newer CELEBRITY ship.