Celebrity Summit 11-18-2017 A few bumps

[garardo]

Celebrity Summit November 18, 2017 7 night Caribbean

 

I little bit about us. It will help you understand our pointof view on our wonderful cruise.

We are in our mid 65’s and early 70’s. I am a certifiedSommelier, Italian trained chef and have had the distinct opportunity to havebeen in the hospitality industry for over 50 years.

That being said, we see, hear and taste darn neareverything.

We love sailing on Celebrity. They are the only cruise linewe use.

All of the comments in this review are meant as observationsnot complaints.

 

We booked this trip just on a whim. The price was good so wecould not refuse. We booked it thru Celebrity and the representative on thephone could not have been nicer. We got complimentary classic beverage packagesfor both of us and a $300 on board credit. We used the credit to buy a threenight specialty restaurant package and to upgrade my classic to the premium beveragepackage. We went to book our first night at Marano and were informed that theMarano restaurants on all of the “M” class ships have been replaced with theTuscan Grill. We took the package anyway but our hearts were a little bitbroken. We love Marano.

Embarkation

Celebrity was kind enough to offer us a free shuttle fromthe airport to the cruise port. We were in line for maybe 15 minutes. I mustthank Miguel Cunha, the Director of Guest Relations for giving us his fantasticassistance in helping with our boarding issue.

 

We boarded about 2:00pm and went directly to our cabin todrop off our carryon bags and went to the Ocean View Café for a bite to eat.

 

We were not real interested in excursions because we havedone these islands many times in the past.

 

I looked at our sea pass card and it said that we weredinning select not early as it said on our confirmation. I remember asking therepresentative on the phone when webooked about the early dinning and she said that the early seating was full butbecause we are Elite we could still get in. I went to the Maitre’d desk and wewere changed to early.

 

TuscanGrill

Our first night we dined at the Tuscan Grill. Being aSommelier, I wanted to look at the wine list. I was disappointed. The pages wereworn, the front cover page was missing and the last page was torn out andhanging by a thread. It was interestingto see that the wine list was much less diverse then when Marano was stillopen. I noticed that Tuscan Grill is boasting Dry Aged beef so I inquired if itwas fresh or frozen and was told by the gentleman at the front deck that it wasfresh. As is my custom, I always chat with the room chef and he informed methat the beef, as is all other protein on the ship, frozen.

 

We were impressed that Tuscan grill is now making all oftheir pasta in house. They are extruding all of the odd shaped pasta androlling and cutting all of the flat pasta like the pappardelle.

 

I confirmed our reservation and asked for a male server andto have a window seat. We got the window seat but a female server. We were verythirsty from the long trip so we ordered a bottle of Pellegrino water from thefemale server. 1 minute later a busser comes by to pour tap water. We waitedgood 6 minutes for the Pellegrino. I asked to talk to the Sommelier about aglass of wine and it took her 18 minutes to come to the table. There were 3 other tables in the room so shecould not have been too busy. She was opening a bottle of wine for anothertable while she was taking our order and that is unacceptable.

 

We started the dinner with an Antipasti plater and it wasgood with the exception of the prosciutto. It is from Canada not Italy, friedcalamari and crab cakes. All of these were very good. I asked the server for afew Kalamata olives and he pointed to the green Gordal olive and said thatthose were Kalamata. For dinner we hadthe Braised Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle and the lobster Alfredo overrigatoni. The short ribs were absolutely unbelievable. My wife enjoys shrimp so hers was made with ½shrimp ½ lobster. The pasta was perfectly cooked. I wanted a glass of Amaronewith the pasta but the Sommelier said they were out.

 

We enjoyed Tira Mi Su for dessert and it was very enjoyable.Made with true Italian Mascarpone cheese. IMHO, it could have used a few moresavoiardi cookies. The muster drill was at 8:00pm. We were almost finished withour dinner and had to go without having our dessert. When we returned or tablewas ready for us to continue our experience.

 

The second time we went to the Tuscan grill everything wasfantastic. We asked to have our same waiter Eduardo however he was notavailable. We had the honor of having Carlos serving us. Both Carlos andEduardo showed us genuine professionalism and concern for our experience.

 

When we went to order our wine we had the distinct privilegeof having Mauricio the Cellar Master serve us. He presented us with a bottle ofBrut Prosecco that is very new and unique to Celebrity served with hiscompliments. We had the same starters with the exception of the Bruschetta conKalamata and I had their Carbonara as a second course. It was a bigdisappointment. It was more of an Alfredo sauce with pancetta. I found only 4small pieces in the dish. For dinner we had the Bisteca Toscana rib eye steak.I have had many steaks at some of the finest places in Las Vegas and these wereover the top. We had sides of fresh sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes. Bothwere outstanding. For dessert we had their Tira Mi Su and their Cream Brule. Itwas one of the best I have ever had. I asked Mauricio if they had one of myfavorite after dinner drinks, Poli Grappa di Torcolato. They had it. I was sooverwhelmed. I had not enjoyed it for years. At the end of the meal we were given a chilledglass of lemoncello that was very refreshing.

 

MDR

We got a good night’s sleep after our 24 hour arrival tripand went to have breakfast in the MDR. We were very impressed with the Danishofferings. They were still warm from the oven. I ordered corned beef hash andpoached eggs with toasted whole wheat bread. The hash and eggs were great. Mytoast was terrible. Cold and chewy. My wife ordered Smoked salmon with creamcheese and a toasted bagel. The salmon was dry and tough. The cream cheese hada dry covering over the top. The bagel was cold. It looked like it had beenplated in advance and was sitting for quite a while.

 

I went to the Guest relations desk to see if I could chatwith either the Food and Beverage director or the Director of Guest relations.A few hours later I had a meeting with both men. The F & B directorrecognized me from another cruise we took on the Equinox. I mentioned to themsome of the opportunities we had and told them that these comments were notmeant as complaints but to inform them of areas that could be improved on toensure that other guests had great experiences.

I do not know this for certain but I think that because wehad the opportunity to chat with the F&B director the staff on board wereinformed of the opportunities we experienced, everyone was on their toes.

 

Our front waiter Julius was great with a kind, professional attitude.Our assistant waiter ////////////was also great. He knew how to clear plates.He never reached over us and always politely asked if we were finished. I askedhim how long he had had with Celebrity and told me that he started out as acleaner for 5 years and was promoted to assistant waiter a few years ago. Weenjoy prosciutto even if it was not Italian and asked if we could have a fewslices. We got a whole plate full and had it at every meal without asking. Mywife really enjoys Tira Mi Su. It was served to her every night even though itwas not on the menu.

 

We were seated at table 542. The table is situated wherethere is a column very near the chair making it impossible to fully pull outthe chair to be seated comfortably.

 

Our Sommelier was Fabien. He was unbelievable. He helped mewith many food wine pairings because I was not familiar with the taste profilesof the food. He was spot on every time and all of his technical wine servicewas flawless. As it turns out he is studying to become a Certified Sommelierand hopes to be a Cellar Master in a few years. He is very determined. A nightearlier, we dined at Quisne and wanted some of the wine that my wife enjoyedthe night before. Even though it was not on the MDR list we got it. I had askedFabien if we could have some Reidle glasses in our cabin to enjoy some of thewine we brought. We had them when we returned to the cabin. Were very impressed. After enjoying our glassof wine while watching a sun set we went to dinner. When we returned, we hadnew clean glasses every night. Thank you Akhmad.

 

All of the food was excellent. It is getting to the pointthat we do not need to go to the specialty venues to get out standing food. Wehad only 2 opportunities. The gnocchi in a sage butter was cold and there was atomato Gazpacho that was very watery with no taste. For one dinner the menu description saidBroccoli Rabe but regular broccoli was served.

 

Café al Bacio

We frequent this venue frequently for we both enjoy a greatcappuccino or espresso. The service is prompt and the coffee always properlyprepared. We love the complementary pastries that are available at no charge.Across the hall on the other side of the ship is the Gelateria. This is thereal McCoy! Gelato, not ice-cream! Many different types were offered but notoffering our favorite, pistachio. Our first encounter was great. We were servedby Andrew. He is normally an assistant waiter in the MDR. On that day there wasa safety drill that ran late. The Gelateria is supposed to open at 11:00 butAndrew showed up at 11:15 and had to set up the display case. It was no problemfor us. He was just super and very apologetic about being late. His wafflecones are the best. The only issue we saw here was that the display case fogsup and you cannot see the gelato choices and 2 of the container’s had no labelmaking it difficult to know what the flavor was.

Ship condition

For the most part the ship was OK. Our cabin was very cleanthanks to Akhmad. There were a few repair issues. There was a bad stain in thebathroom on the floor by the door, the carpet by the door to the veranda wastorn, there appeared to be some sort of rheostat switch that might havecontrolled the lights to the cabin but it did not work, and it was verydifficult to close and open the drapes.

I was told that all of the public areas were refurbishedabout 2 years ago but I noticed a number of poorly laid carpet seams. Theelevators seem to get confused and the up and down arrow buttons are hard toread when they are eliminated.

 

It was very difficult to move the chairs on the carpet whenyou were seated or getting up from the table. Perhaps new leg glides areneeded.

 

The windows at the aft of the ship in the MDR need to bedusted.

 

Rest rooms

As always they are as clean as a hospital. There are freshorchids on the counter and cloth hand towels. During busy times there is anattendant making sure the rest rooms are always spic and span.

 

Quisne

This venue if by far the most original concept I have comeacross. I could spend 2 pages describing it. Long story short it kind of likean upscale tapas place but not with an emphasis on any one cuisine.

Erol was our waiter. I cannot say enough about him. I findthat many wait people talk so fast you cannot understand them. Not Erol. Whenhe described each dish we ordered he was clear, distinct and patient and wasvery knowledgeable.

I was impressed with our Sommelier. It is common whenopening a bottle of Champagne to pop the bottle which is totally wrong. Sheopened it with just a slight hiss. Good job. We were pleased to see that they had another favorite wine on the listthat I wanted my wife to try. She enjoyed it. I was also impressed that when Iordered my grappa even though it was not on the list it was served to me rightaway. This tells me that someone was looking out for us.

 

Tastings

I attend as many of the tastings on board as possible. Theonly problem was that most of them are on the last sea day. Unfortunately Icould not attend all of them. Because we are Elite, Celebrity offers a free“Wine 101” Tasting in Blue. It was not informative. IMHO, the Cellar Mastershould give a script to the Sommelier giving the talk. Also, it would be niceif there was a microphone and an amplifier. It was very difficult to hear him.

I went to a few other small Liquor tastings, Brazilian rum,Scotch and one other I cannot remember. They were all very informative.

Ocean View Café

We are not super fond of Buffet service. We found the foodto be hot and fresh with a somewhat of varied assortment. The turkey anddressing on Thanks Giving was out of this world. We were always able to find awindow seat and beverage service very good.

One morning we got up late and had breakfast here. All wasgood but the OJ dispenser was offering water with a touch of orange. Thegentleman that did the meat carving one day was not a caring, smiling person.When we went to get a slice of ham. The only piece left was mainly fat. He didnot seem to care. He just put it on the plate and went on to the next guest.One day they offered some roast pork. It was absolutely fantastic.

The Spa

We love a good massage. It is a little pricey on board butyou get a deal on port days. Because of being Elite, we get an additional 15%discount. I did a 50 minute deep tissue and my wife had a facial. I understandthat they want to make a living but I do not appreciate being bugged intogetting a hot stone treatment for an additional $35. I told the masseuse to doonly my back and shoulders. Perhaps she did not understand for I got a wholebody.

 

The brochure says that they have a facial for sensitive skinbut again they were trying to sell more of their products. The procedure thatshe requested was for sensitive skin. When the Esthetician started she informedmy wife that she could not do much for sensitive skin. Every other facial thatshe has had at home, they always would do a quick massage of her neck and arms.That did not happen in this occasion.

Sushi on Five.

 

We dine at this venue every cruise for the food and serviceare great I love the selection of Sake. This time the food was good but the serviceneeded some improvement. Half way through our experience our server went onbreak to have lunch. In all our cruises that has never happened. You have tostart over establishing a connection with the server. Not good.

 

Other stuff

In each cabin there is an information book. I found it shallwe say, “Well read”. The pages were frayed and it still listed the Normandy,AKA Marano as a specialty venue.

 

Being Elite, we found out that a continental breakfast isserved in the Tuscan grill. The selections are limited. Cheeses, Fruit, anassortment of sliced meats, smoked salmon and a cappuccino. Everything was goodwith the exception of the salmon. A slice is put on a cold mini bagel with abit of cream cheese. We prefer our salmon on a toasted bagel with onion andcapers.

 

On all cruises we have been on when you came with in earshot of a crew member, they would always great you with a good morning, goodafter noon or good evening. I found it less so on this cruise.

 

I work in a restaurant that specializes in artisan bread andpastries. I found the quality rather commercial. The bakery products were muchbetter on the last trip. The crust on the Key Lime pie was limp and tastelessand the apple pie was poor at best.

 

 

In the past we enjoyed the Aqua Spa Café almost everyday. They have down sized the area tonothing more than a small cafeteria line with a reduction in offerings.

[raynvic]

We had the opportunity to visit with Mauricio and Fabien both on the sailing before yours. We did a wine blending presented by the two of them with two other staff members. All of the staff we came into contact with during this activity were very knowledgeable and pleasant to visit with. We learned a great deal about reds and blending. I would highly recommend the activity and if you every get a chance to speak with Mauricio, it is well worth the time to do so!

[Clarea]

Outstanding, detailed report, I found it very interesting, Thanks much.

[Keith1010]

Excellent writeup and I loved the format of the report.

 

Keith

[irenesolo]

Excellent Review. Experienced many similar glitches on our October Equinox cruise. Interesting. Thank you

 

 

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[jayoldschool]

asked for a male server andto have a window seat. We got the window seat but a female server

 

May I ask why you care about the gender of your server?

 

Comprehensive review, some interesting points. Thank you!

[garardo]

May I ask why you care about the gender of your server?

 

Comprehensive review, some interesting points. Thank you!

 

The reason I request a male server is it is easier to hear them. I have an opportunity with the higher pitched female voices.

 

Garardo

[mfsnyder527]

Excellent report- thank you

 

 

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[TeeRick]

I found your review well written and comments were fair and balanced. Thank You!

[Threedox]

I stopped reading when you said you asked for a male server.

[bigbeergut]

I stopped reading when you said you asked for a male server.

 

Do you plan on re-visiting your decision after reading his reason in an earlier post?

[davekathy]

garardo...thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

[ZapRowsdower]

I was not familiar with usage of the word "opportunity" as used here, but I figured it out. A very nice write-up, thank you.