Celebrity Summit for Family Cruise?

[sailawaybellaluna]

Hello fellow cruisers!

 

I'm doing some research for our Spring Break next year! We just got off Holland America's Rotterdam (loved it!) and I'm already scheming next year's vacation!

 

We're actually doing our bigger family trip next summer, so I'm weighing costs quite heavily when deciding on what to do for our spring break.

 

I'm finding an EXCELLENT deal on the Summit's interior cabins during the dates we want to travel. Celebrity was my first ever cruise (23 cruises ago!) and I absolutely loved everything about it! I'd love to sail them again, especially since I've pretty much only sailed Royal, Carnival, Norwegian and HAL since then.

 

We normally sail in balcony cabins, but considering the price of the interior cabin and the fact that this would be a VERY port-intensive cruise, we're considering it...

 

I'd love to know your feedback on the Summit specifically. It seems to be a smaller, older ship? But does it have more of a lively vibe or laid back feeling? While we love Carnival, sometimes it's just too much for us. Too much noise, too many children, too much. We loved our recent cruise on Holland America and found it to be very elegant. Our kids don't go to the clubs - they hang out with us and we have a great time together.

 

I'd love to hear from any recent cruisers on the Summit, especially if you sailed with children! Any information you have that might help me make a decision would be appreciated!

 

If it helps, we're also considering Majesty of the Seas out of Miami (super convenient, extremely cheap and ports we like). Although, we've sailed on her before and found it to be rather small/old with not a lot to do. We're also considering the Carnival Magic (gorgeous FUN ship, great dates, less excited about the ports although cost-wise, we could get a balcony cabin).

 

The Summit has the ports we are MOST interested in, which is why I keep coming back to it.

 

Thanks so much!

[Luvcrusn]

I would not hesitate to sail on Summit due to its age. It's been refurbished, and is well maintained. You didn't mention the children's ages, but on Spring Break there are always more families sailing with children than at other times (except the winter holidays). That being said, the other lines you mentioned with the exception of HAL will have more than Celebrity. Celebrity, as a whole is much more laid back, but not stuffy, but there aren't water slides, rock walls, etc. that you'll find on Carnival or Royal. You know you children best, so just take that into account. Summit has an indoor pool area that is adults only, as well as the outdoor. Sometimes in inclement weather the captain may make an exception. If your only worry is the age of the ship, I'd not be concerned. It's still a wonderful ship with a great crew.

[leaveitallbehind]

I would not hesitate to sail on Summit either. But as mentioned by Luvcrusn, depending on the age of your children and types of activities you as a family would enjoy on board, I would also look into RCI. IMO they are more family oriented than Celebrity with very good kids programs. While each of their ship classes offer similar venues, their larger ships, in particular their Oasis and Quantum class ships have many venues and activities not offered on Celebrity. Check their website for all that is offered. The ships will certainly have a large contingent of families on board during the spring break timing as well.

Edited April 29, 2018 by leaveitallbehind

[Tricia724]

I've sailed Summit several times and really enjoy the size and layout of the ship, although I haven taken kids on a cruise....any cruise. However, entertaining children does not seem to be an issue with you. As you mentioned, the cruise you are researching is very port intensive, which means that shipboard activities will take a backseat to the itinerary. You will be off the ship most days, and, as someone else mentioned, on spring break all of the lines have more families and more children onboard, so the ship should have enough activities to keep you busy when at sea.

 

We are older but we also choose our cruises based on the itinerary, so if Summit is going where you really want to go, I'd say follow your instincts and give it a try.

[Essiesmom]

Just like to mention that Summit is four years newer and almost 30,000 tons larger than Rotterdam...EM

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thank you for all of the great feedback so far!

 

Our kids will be 3 and 9 during this sailing, and usually hang out without us, enjoy room service and walking around the ship. Since this is port-intensive, they wouldn't really require many activities onboard. They're both usually asleep by 8pm on vacation anyhow! ;)

 

I'm seriously considering the Summit now...Especially on Spring Break - I'm thinking this ship wouldn't be as chaotic/crowded/loud as some of the other ones overrun with kids? Especially as this itinerary departs from San Juan?

[sailawaybellaluna]

I would not hesitate to sail on Summit due to its age. It's been refurbished, and is well maintained. You didn't mention the children's ages, but on Spring Break there are always more families sailing with children than at other times (except the winter holidays). That being said, the other lines you mentioned with the exception of HAL will have more than Celebrity. Celebrity, as a whole is much more laid back, but not stuffy, but there aren't water slides, rock walls, etc. that you'll find on Carnival or Royal. You know you children best, so just take that into account. Summit has an indoor pool area that is adults only, as well as the outdoor. Sometimes in inclement weather the captain may make an exception. If your only worry is the age of the ship, I'd not be concerned. It's still a wonderful ship with a great crew.

 

Thank you! This was very helpful!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Just like to mention that Summit is four years newer and almost 30,000 tons larger than Rotterdam...EM

 

Thank you for this excellent point! I was so nervous about the Rotterdam based on some of the very negative feedback I read...And we absolutely loved our time on her and didn't feel she was too small at all!

[leaveitallbehind]

Thank you for all of the great feedback so far!

 

Our kids will be 3 and 9 during this sailing, and usually hang out without us, enjoy room service and walking around the ship. Since this is port-intensive, they wouldn't really require many activities onboard. They're both usually asleep by 8pm on vacation anyhow! ;)

 

I'm seriously considering the Summit now...Especially on Spring Break - I'm thinking this ship wouldn't be as chaotic/crowded/loud as some of the other ones overrun with kids? Especially as this itinerary departs from San Juan?

 

Not so sure that just because it departs from San Juan that it would not have a lot of families with children on board. Along with others such as yourself that would travel to depart from there, many families from Puerto Rico may also cruise at that time of year. But given your description of how you cruise, Summit would be a good choice.

[sailawaybellaluna]

Not so sure that just because it departs from San Juan that it would not have a lot of families with children on board. Along with others such as yourself that would travel to depart from there, many families from Puerto Rico may also cruise at that time of year. But given your description of how you cruise, Summit would be a good choice.

 

You are right! We've sailed from PR before and there were many families with children onboard! I guess I meant...their spring break schedule may be slightly different, so the chances of having as many kids onboard is probably less likely than if we were sailing from our home port of Long Beach.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really leaning towards the Summit!

[MightyMike]

When is your spring break?

 

If your spring break is the same time as most US schools (mid March through early April), then Celebrity might actually be *better* than the more family-oriented lines. While Royal Caribbean has their rock-climbing walls and flowriders and Carnival has their waterslides and ropes courses, expect long lines because the ship will be full and the demographics will be skewed to those wanting to use those attractions. Celebrity should have a higher-than-average count of kids those weeks, but I doubt they will be overrun like the other lines.

 

If your spring break falls at an odd time, then I might be concerned. I would suspect school-aged kids boarding a Celebrity cruise this week would feel somewhat bored and alone. However, on Royal Caribbean, they can probably get as much flowrider time as they desire this week!

 

It also depends on the personality of your kids. We are bringing ours on the Celebrity Summit next year. He could care less about the structured activities like they had on Disney. We were on the Carnival Magic for spring break two years ago and he liked just having a place where he could hang out with other kids his age.

 

Also keep in mind that the Summit is coming out of a significant drydock next March. Expect things to look clean, shiny and new, but there is also a risk of cancellations, problems or delays.

[jkgourmet]

Deleted

[BlueLobster]

The Summit is great, and although not geared to "kids" there should be a kids' program available to keep them busy.

 

One thing that I have heard is that the Summit is going into dry dock sometime early 2019 for some upgrades, so she should be in even better shape for your spring break cruise. (We're going on the Summit twice coming up - July to Bermuda, and December to the Southern Caribbean)

[Purplsmurf]

Our first Celebrity cruise was with our kids on the Summit. They were older than yours (13 and 15), but I do remember quite a few kids. Not near what one would find on Carnival, but just enough. It was during their Spring Break, which for us was always the week after Easter. They have since been on a couple of more Celebrity cruises and say that they have been their favorite by far. (They have also been in Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, and NCL) I’m sure you will have a great time!

[vicd1969]

I just got off the Summit from San Juan today. If you enjoyed the Rotterdam, the Summit should be fine but here are some quick thoughts:

 

-Same good service on the ship, HAL has teeny edge

-Food better on HAL but still good on Summit

-Entertainment activities at night and at sea much better on Summit, more of them and more Staffing for activities. However some activities after 8 are geared towards adults.

-interior cabins may be a lot tighter for 4 or even 3 on the Summit. Celebrity focuses more on 2-person cabins asides from its suite.

-But easy to get around on the Summit, passenger flow works well

-people were really nice in San Juan, definitely stay a few days before or after to help the local economy.

[sailawaybellaluna]

I just got off the Summit from San Juan today. If you enjoyed the Rotterdam, the Summit should be fine but here are some quick thoughts:

 

-Same good service on the ship, HAL has teeny edge

-Food better on HAL but still good on Summit

-Entertainment activities at night and at sea much better on Summit, more of them and more Staffing for activities. However some activities after 8 are geared towards adults.

-interior cabins may be a lot tighter for 4 or even 3 on the Summit. Celebrity focuses more on 2-person cabins asides from its suite.

-But easy to get around on the Summit, passenger flow works well

-people were really nice in San Juan, definitely stay a few days before or after to help the local economy.

 

This is very helpful! Thanks so much!

 

Last time we sailed out of San Juan, we rented a house in Old Town and spent 5 days after our cruise. It was such an amazing time! With school restrictions this time around, we're hoping to spend at least one if not two nights. Appreciate your feedback!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks everyone else for your comments and feedback! I'm finding it so helpful!

[Want2Cruise 701]

We are sailing the Summit with our son for Spring Break next year. We are sailing March 30. Our son is older. 15 now. We have been on the ship 4x and 3x for him. He first sailed the Summit when he was 8. Celebrity has a great children's program called the Fun Factory. It's more interactive and hands on given the fact there are less children that sail on Celebrity. We've found it to be the perfect mix. Enough children but not too many.

 

We love leaving from San Juan and the southern itinerary is our favorite. Another bonus is the ship will be just coming out of dry dock next Spring. She also had a dry dock a few years back as well.

 

Good luck with your decision, and I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Summit.

[Steelers0854]

enjoy room service

 

 

You’ll want to avoid RCL then as they charge $8 for room service (except for continental breakfast).

 

Glad you asked this question as we just booked our first celebrity cruise for next November. We were just in San Juan a couple weeks ago for the first time and fell in love with it. So we searched for cruises specifically out of San Juan so we can come in a few days early.

[Blockschip]

Regarding kids on Celebrity. We took our two teen boys (16 and 14) with us a few weeks ago on the Equinox. During their April vacation. The vacation for us (Connecticut) is apparently a week later than most schools. There were 10 teens on board for our trip (which was fully booked), according to the staff. I'm not sure how many there were for the younger kids (though I would say anecdotally that I saw more younger kids around than teens).

Now, our two teen boys are completely polar opposites. The older one is a bookworm, completely happy to hang out by himself. The younger one is a social butterfly and can always be found in a group of kids.

That being said, they both loved the cruise (their first). After the first day, we only saw them for dinner and for shore excursions. There seemed to be 5 of the teens that hung around together, and I think a couple of the older ones in the younger group gravitated to the teens as well. I wouldn't say that the teens were always together, but our boys kept themselves occupied and were perfectly happy. I know they participated in a lot of the group activities that staff ran.

The comment from the 16yo was that he liked having few kids on the trip because it meant he didn't have to wait to use the XBox (!!). The other day when I asked him what he wanted to do for next April vacation, he said "I want to go back to the Caribbean and never leave".

The younger one mentioned to me yesterday that it would have been nice if there were some more teens on the boat ("like twice as many as there were, Dad" lol), but he was not disappointed with the trip. When I gave him several options for next year's April vacation, he said he wanted to go on another cruise (but not with too many kids). According to him the staff said that there were over 200 teens on the boat the week before we got on it.

If you have specific questions about the kids clubs, I can ask my boys.

[Carlysmommy]

In July, we will be on our 4th Summit cruise. I travel with my husband, sister in law, mother in law and daughter (who will be 10 1/2 this cruise). We all find things to do and have a great time, especially my daughter who loves the kids club program!! Most nights, I find myself setting my alarm to midnight to go collect her because she doesn't want to leave until she cant keep her eyes open. The activities are wonderful and the staff is even better!

The only other cruise line we have traveled on is Disney.....

[cyntil8ing]

My family was on Summit for Spring Break this year. My kids are 11 and 14 and this was their fourth time on Summit. The other three were Bermuda trips in 2011, 2013 and 2014. My son has never had any interest in the kids clubs on any line, preferring to just hang out with us. My daughter went some when she was little, but hasn't had any interest since graduating to the teen clubs.

 

They both adore Celebrity, but will admit a lot of sea days can get a little boring (the Bermuda trips had 3). Some of the stuff we do: any scavenger hunt, ping pong, family bingo, backstage tour, sushi making demonstrations and the evening shows. We have also cruised on Carnival and Royal Caribbean and also find them a little too crowded, too busy and too loud.

 

San Juan is our favorite departure port. We love to come in a few days ahead, or stay a few days after, and visit all parts of Puerto Rico.

 

You didn't mention if you stayed in one cabin or two, but four in a Summit interior is definitely cozy! This photo was from a last minute inside guarantee to Bermuda that we got for a steal. Third and fourth were free, so we couldn't resist.

 

[Queen of Oakville]

My kids had great memories of their one and only HAL cruise. If you/your kids like HAL, you will love celebrity.

[davekathy]

My family was on Summit for Spring Break this year. My kids are 11 and 14 and this was their fourth time on Summit. The other three were Bermuda trips in 2011, 2013 and 2014. My son has never had any interest in the kids clubs on any line, preferring to just hang out with us. My daughter went some when she was little, but hasn't had any interest since graduating to the teen clubs.

 

They both adore Celebrity, but will admit a lot of sea days can get a little boring (the Bermuda trips had 3). Some of the stuff we do: any scavenger hunt, ping pong, family bingo, backstage tour, sushi making demonstrations and the evening shows. We have also cruised on Carnival and Royal Caribbean and also find them a little too crowded, too busy and too loud.

 

San Juan is our favorite departure port. We love to come in a few days ahead, or stay a few days after, and visit all parts of Puerto Rico.

 

You didn't mention if you stayed in one cabin or two, but four in a Summit interior is definitely cozy! This photo was from a last minute inside guarantee to Bermuda that we got for a steal. Third and fourth were free, so we couldn't resist.

 

To say the least it's cozy! :eek:

[sailawaybellaluna]

Regarding kids on Celebrity. We took our two teen boys (16 and 14) with us a few weeks ago on the Equinox. During their April vacation. The vacation for us (Connecticut) is apparently a week later than most schools. There were 10 teens on board for our trip (which was fully booked), according to the staff. I'm not sure how many there were for the younger kids (though I would say anecdotally that I saw more younger kids around than teens).

Now, our two teen boys are completely polar opposites. The older one is a bookworm, completely happy to hang out by himself. The younger one is a social butterfly and can always be found in a group of kids.

That being said, they both loved the cruise (their first). After the first day, we only saw them for dinner and for shore excursions. There seemed to be 5 of the teens that hung around together, and I think a couple of the older ones in the younger group gravitated to the teens as well. I wouldn't say that the teens were always together, but our boys kept themselves occupied and were perfectly happy. I know they participated in a lot of the group activities that staff ran.

The comment from the 16yo was that he liked having few kids on the trip because it meant he didn't have to wait to use the XBox (!!). The other day when I asked him what he wanted to do for next April vacation, he said "I want to go back to the Caribbean and never leave".

The younger one mentioned to me yesterday that it would have been nice if there were some more teens on the boat ("like twice as many as there were, Dad" lol), but he was not disappointed with the trip. When I gave him several options for next year's April vacation, he said he wanted to go on another cruise (but not with too many kids). According to him the staff said that there were over 200 teens on the boat the week before we got on it.

If you have specific questions about the kids clubs, I can ask my boys.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Our Spring Break is similar in that it's usually a week or two before the majority of other schools in the country typically have it. So great to hear they had a wonderful time! Thank you!