Getting reacquainted with Celebrity and cruising

[ChicagoCruiser2007]

It's been about 7 years since we last cruised and thinking about starting up again in February back with Celebrity.  I'm looking at Summit because of a great itinerary and came here to Cruisecritic only to get CruiseConfused!  Obviously I've been away too long as there's a lot that seems to have changed.  Hoping you all can help us get back on track.

1) We want to stay with AQ - is there a real quality difference on Summit as opposed to Silhouette or others of that class?

2) Looking like the AQ rooms are under the pool deck - is that of concern?

3) Where is smoking allowed?  I DON'T want a room near smoking areas

4) What is this "bidding" I've read about?

5) I've been reading something about Qsine not continuing?  Is there truth to that and are there other changes that are to take place affecting Summit?

6) Is wi-fi acceptable or should that be one of the "freebie bonuses" to choose?

7) If you had to choose two freebie bonuses what would they be: beverage package, gratuities, wi-fi, onboard credit?

 

Thanks for your help!

Erica

[NantahalaCruiser]

2 hours ago, ChicagoCruiser2007 said:

It's been about 7 years since we last cruised and thinking about starting up again in February back with Celebrity.  I'm looking at Summit because of a great itinerary and came here to Cruisecritic only to get CruiseConfused!  Obviously I've been away too long as there's a lot that seems to have changed.  Hoping you all can help us get back on track.

1) We want to stay with AQ - is there a real quality difference on Summit as opposed to Silhouette or others of that class?

Blu is just as nice on M-class as S-class, but the Persian Garden is not as nice as on S-class

2) Looking like the AQ rooms are under the pool deck - is that of concern?

Have stayed in AQ under the pool deck - can be a little noise in the morning due to chairs being rearranged. But there are also A2 cabins under the carpeted Oceanview Cafe and A1 cabins above the Oceanview Cafe on deck 11  

3) Where is smoking allowed?  I DON'T want a room near smoking areas

Deck 6 port-side and deck 10 mid-ship port-side near the pool and at a portion of the Sunset Bar on deck 11 aft - not a problem with most AQ cabins

4) What is this "bidding" I've read about?

5) I've been reading something about Qsine not continuing?  Is there truth to that and are there other changes that are to take place affecting Summit?

6) Is wi-fi acceptable or should that be one of the "freebie bonuses" to choose?

7) If you had to choose two freebie bonuses what would they be: beverage package, gratuities, wi-fi, onboard credit?

For us, Classic Beverage Package and either Gratuities or OBC depending on the length of the cruise. AQ Gratuities are $15 per day vs. $150 OBC so OBC for less than 10 days and Gratuities for more than 10 days

Thanks for your help!

Erica

Welcome back - happy cruising

[GastroGnome]

To fill in the blanks for you (I hope..)

 

4) What is this "bidding" I've read about?

Probably the "move up" bids.  If there are vacancies in the class above you you may get an email inviting you to bid to upgrade - usually about 2 - 3 weeks out.  You use a slider bar to how much you want to bid (if you do) and press send.  If X agree you get the upgrade for that price. 

 

 

5) I've been reading something about Qsine not continuing?  Is there truth to that and are there other changes that are to take place affecting Summit?

 

Qsine is becoming "Le Petit Chef" - although just to confuse everyone it is still called Qsine.  But the old ipad eclectic small dish menu has gone and is replaced by a projected video screening of your little chef cartooning about with your food.  Set dining times and rigid menu.  Quite fun once - but if you have any form of photo sensitive issue (epliepsy, migraine etc.) stear clear!

 

6) Is wi-fi acceptable or should that be one of the "freebie bonuses" to choose?

 

The only wi fi available has to be paid for - so whether you choose that as a perk or not is up to you.  Keep an eye on your itinerary - there is less point paying for superfast wifi cruising the Norwegian fjords, for example, because as soon as you enter a fjord the landmass blocks the signal and the wi fi drops.  But outside of inconvenient (but beautiful!) geography the wi fi is sufficient to stream movies, watch netflix, chat on facebook messenger or skype.

 

Happy cruising!

[chemmo]

Just a few other points...Remember the M class ships are older and smaller than S class although the Summit has had a recent refit.

 

When compared to Silhouette the biggest difference is with speciality dining venues.

Summit has Tuscan, Le Petit Chef (Q’sine) and Sushi on 5. Silhouette and Reflection have Tuscan, Murano’s, Lawn Grill, Le Petit Chef, The Porch and Sushi on 5. I don’t know how important this would be to you...

 

The biggest change fleetwide in the last 7 years has been the introduction of the Suite Life offering significant perks to Sky Suites and above. These perks include a concierge lounge, a suite restaurant (Luminae) and on the ships which have been revamped (including Summit) a suite deck area. If you think any or all of these features may enhance your experience it may be worthwhile YouTubing those areas and then pricing up a suite and comparing the cost to what you would pay for Aqua...

 

Hope you have a fantastic cruise....

[cruisingnewtoit]

I have not stayed in these cabins but AQ on deck 11 are above the movie screen & sunset grill on the M ships There have been a few posts about the noise from the movies and the musicians at Sunset.

Edited June 29, 2019 by cruisingnewtoit

[OceanCruise]

We have been on many Celebrity ships but have taken 6 cruises on the Summitt as that is our favorite ship. To us, the staff on that ship sets it apart and service has always been exceptional. The ship is smaller than the Solstice and the staff really gets to know your preferences and don't seem as frenetic as on other ships. My only complaint is the high tubs in the Sky Suites as they are a little difficult to step in and out for showering. I don't know if those same tubs are in Aqua Class.

[cangelmd]

11 hours ago, ChicagoCruiser2007 said:

It's been about 7 years since we last cruised and thinking about starting up again in February back with Celebrity.  I'm looking at Summit because of a great itinerary and came here to Cruisecritic only to get CruiseConfused!  Obviously I've been away too long as there's a lot that seems to have changed.  Hoping you all can help us get back on track.

1) We want to stay with AQ - is there a real quality difference on Summit as opposed to Silhouette or others of that class?

2) Looking like the AQ rooms are under the pool deck - is that of concern?

I am a very light sleeper who doesn't like earplugs. The carts woke us almost every morning, but almost every morning we turned over and went back to sleep. I would use white noise generator, either on a phone or a small packable one, knowing that. We never heard the noise on a TA, because we were under the solarium and it was cooler, so I think fewer carts had to be moved. The bigger overhang and convenience for pool deck, walking deck and OVC out weigh the little bit of am noise for us.

3) Where is smoking allowed?  I DON'T want a room near smoking areas

4) What is this "bidding" I've read about?

Nove Up bidding has taken the place of upgrade fairy type of upgrades. After final payment you can still try to call and get you cabin changed to a higher category if the prices have fallen enough or if there is a big enough sale going on (we were able to do this during a Black Friday sale for an early Jan cruise). I say TRY, though, because now Celeb will send an email after final payment soliciting people to bid for a higher category cabin. The difference in what they did for us is that we didn't pay any more, they just moved us up because by then they were selling the higher cate cabin for a smidgen less than we had paid for our original class. Now we would have to pay more, and pay into a blind bidding situation in order to get that upgrade. I think, though, if the cruise gets discounted enough, you can still get the type of upgrade we got, soesn't hurt to call and ask. As for the Move Up bidding, you can sometimes get a reasonable deal if you are careful, but the better deals usually involve moving up more than one cate and you are always paying more than you originally thought you would pay.

5) I've been reading something about Qsine not continuing?  Is there truth to that and are there other changes that are to take place affecting Summit?

6) Is wi-fi acceptable or should that be one of the "freebie bonuses" to choose?

There is no free wi-fi at sea and definitely no free cell service. We got involved in an emergency situation with a person in our traveling party while at sea on a RCL ship and ran up a $300 cell phone bill in about 3 brief phone calls. We were able to contact ATT, explain the situation, they credited those calls and made the changes they needed to change so that we had onboard cell service for the week, still cost about $100, but given the situation was very worth. Definitely sort out cell and wi-fi before you leave. The need will vary depending on whether you need to check on someone at home and if you are going to a port where you can get free wi-fi or cell service.

7) If you had to choose two freebie bonuses what would they be: beverage package, gratuities, wi-fi, onboard credit?

We booked another trip this week, and were booking with an eye to cost effectiveness FOR US. We chose beverage pkg and onboard credit. On our earlier trips we have chosen bvg pkg and gratuities. Part of the reasoning here was that we are in a much less expensive cabin than what we usually book (we are going from a Celebrity Suite on one cruise to an inside on the next) so the OBC will pay the gratuities and probably pay most of our overages from the classic bvg. The cruise is 7 nights and includes Puerto Rico, so we can likely get by without extra internet (we will be Elite by then and get some free internet). Do a couple of searches of the Celebrity board and you will find someone who has done the math and assigned $ values to the perks. Then you have to decide what it is actually worth to you. We found that until we went a couple of different cruises, we were taking a shot in the dark.

Thanks for your help!

Erica

 

[TeaBag]

3 hours ago, cruisingnewtoit said:

I have not stayed in these cabins but AQ on deck 11 are above the movie screen

This is incorrect.  The movie screen on Summit is on deck 12 which is above the aft AQ cabins.  Yes, there seems to be a noise issue on those balconies.  We will find out in October.  Sunset bar is below these cabins as you said but we didn't really hear any noise from there when we sailed in the aft cabins.

[dkjretired]

    To make it easy, if you want a room that is not near the smoking areas, just book on the Starboard side.  All the smoking areas are port.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

[cruisingnewtoit]

3 hours ago, TeaBag said:

This is incorrect.  The movie screen on Summit is on deck 12 which is above the aft AQ cabins.  Yes, there seems to be a noise issue on those balconies.  We will find out in October.  Sunset bar is below these cabins as you said but we didn't really hear any noise from there when we sailed in the aft cabins.

Oops you are absolutely correct about the movies being above. I mistakenly typed the wrong location.

 

I'm sailing AQ on the Summit in 2020 in 1105 I'm hoping I will not hear any movie noise.

[TxCityKat]

17 hours ago, ChicagoCruiser2007 said:

... 5) I've been reading something about Qsine not continuing?  Is there truth to that and are there other changes that are to take place affecting Summit?...

 

12 hours ago, GastroGnome said:

... Qsine is becoming "Le Petit Chef" - although just to confuse everyone it is still called Qsine.  But the old ipad eclectic small dish menu has gone and is replaced by a projected video screening of your little chef cartooning about with your food.  Set dining times and rigid menu.  Quite fun once - but if you have any form of photo sensitive issue (epliepsy, migraine etc.) stear clear!...

 

Erica,

 

To see one of the projected videos GastroGnome mentions, check out the following thread & the video it contains:

 

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by TxCityKat
Typo due to fat fingers & skinny keys!