Summit 5 Day (9/20) 'review'

[hasentreelake]

 

We are early 60’s / late 50’s and this was our first vacation in over 18 months, so we were excited for this cruise.  We don’t cruise as often as many, but we’ve chosen Celebrity our last 4 cruises.  We’ve been on both M and S class previously (and look forward to sailing Edge class soon).  This is a bit of a review of our experience onboard Summit 9/20/21.

 

Embarkation….
We boarded our 8:00am Delta flight and had an uneventful and smooth trip to Miami.  We landed in Miami around 10am and quickly had our checked bag, then jumped in an Uber and headed for the port.
We had a noon check-in time and were prepared to wait for an hour at the cruise port before boarding. 
Our driver dropped us at G terminal and porters grabbed our luggage and directed us to the empty embarkation lines.  We were in an S1, so were able to proceed to the Retreat embarkation line where we were escorted onto the ship.  Along the way our paperwork was checked and double checked, we were greeted by staff and officers and the photographer before we reached the official check in, which was painless.  There were two or three other couples that were also being checked in, so we weren’t the first on the ship.  We were in our room a few minutes later and soon off to wander the ship and wait for Luminae to open.

 

During the embarkation process we met the Retreat Concierges and they told us there would be 325 passengers on board a ship that has a passenger capacity of 2158.  The ship would be sailing at 15% of total passenger capacity.   However, Retreat staterooms were near 100% booked.  So, 1/3 of passengers aboard would be sailing in Retreat class.

 

Onboard Experience…

As mentioned, we were in an S1 and upgraded to Drinks and More for $9 per day ($4.50 pp) when it was on sale.  

We were invited to the helipad sail away from the port of Miami and it was a beautiful evening for it.
 

We enjoyed Luminae for lunch and dinner day 1 and 2, but by day 3 had tired of the Luminae menu and went to the Oceanview cafe for breakfast and lunch and began ordering from the main dining room menu in Luminae for dinner.   On the last day we ate at Tuscan and it was the best service and food we’d had on the ship all week. 
 

We visited the Retreat sundeck twice.  Each time we ordered a drink and left.  It was simply uncomfortable during the day (without a water feature) and with only 300 guests onboard, the pool and pool bar is where we hung out during sea days. We spent a few hours in the Solarium pool but enjoyed the open air of the pool area by far.

 

We stopped by the Retreat lounge a few times to speak with the concierge and for a drink on the first chic night.  Otherwise, we rarely visited the Retreat lounge.  We did walk off on our own for debarkation and used the retreat lounge for that purpose.
 

In the evenings, our ‘go to’ bar is the Martini bar before and after dinner and once again – it did not disappoint.  Silent disco night at the Martini bar is pretty much our favorite event on a cruise.

 

The service everywhere was over the top.  As someone mentioned in an earlier post – it is a return to the golden age of cruising (at least for a short while).
 

For our next cruise (11 night in an S1 in November on Silhouette) we will spend most dinners in specialty restaurants or the main dining room.  We will likely venture into Luminae from time to time, but the food and menu and atmosphere of the specialty restaurants are more to our taste.  Our current thoughts are that we don’t need to spend money on Retreat class on M class ships (at least at current passenger sailing capacities). 

 

We also will not upgrade to Drinks and More again (we do have it for November, but may cancel – except it was only $9/day again).  For starters, we really didn’t use the alcohol in the mini-bar as we didn’t spend much time in the room.  By the time we came back in the evening, we either had our nightcap with us or didn’t need another drink :)  We did use the casino credit and attended the wine tasting that comes with Drinks and More.  We also did not drink the 4 bottles of wine that come with the package.  

We were able to watch Thursday night football and the Ryder Cup in the Casino bar and in our room.
 

We did a cruise sponsored catamaran snorkel excursion in Cozumel.   We brought along full-face snorkel masks that we hadn’t ever used before.  We both enjoyed using the full-face masks and will use them again when snorkeling.  Great day on and in the water in Cozumel.

Our excursion in Costa Maya was canceled (lack of participation) so we ventured into Mahahual and explored the aviary there.  It was the best $24 ($12 pp) we spent the entire trip.  Of course, you need to like birds (or love them as my wife does).  We spent an hour walking the rope bridges over Mahahual and feeding the birds – it turned out to be an unexpected joy for both of us.  We planned to get a massage in Mahahual but it was hot so we decided to go back to the ship for some pool time.

 

We were able to use our remaining OBC (non-refundable) as tips using a provided form.

Shipboard service and the entire crew were outstanding and exemplary.

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for your post.     Really interesting to read as I have may 2nd cup of coffee for the day. 

[steveweese]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to our b2b in November 

[DCPIV]

Thanks for the review!  We were on board Summit a couple months ago, and it was among the best cruises we've ever had (and, like many others around CC, we've had a lot).  I'm back on board next week and looking forward to it!

 

What time did you arrive at the terminal?  I'm flying to Miami the night before, so I'll be ready to get over there whenever they'll be ready to have me!  I'm also in the Retreat.

 

 

[Cdresser]

Thank you so much for posting this review. I will be on the Summit on Monday for a 5 night cruise and was wondering how the short cruises were going.

 

We will be in a royal suite and I hope to do a semi live report while on board. 

 

Curious, do you know if they were selling Persian garden day passes?

[crazyman3]

Thanks for your review.

 

What is a S1?

[hasentreelake]

9 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

Thanks for the review!  We were on board Summit a couple months ago, and it was among the best cruises we've ever had (and, like many others around CC, we've had a lot).  I'm back on board next week and looking forward to it!

 

What time did you arrive at the terminal?  I'm flying to Miami the night before, so I'll be ready to get over there whenever they'll be ready to have me!  I'm also in the Retreat.

 

 

It was just before 11am.   Our boarding time was noon, but we were whisked aboard just as we closed the door on the uber car.

 

[mahdnc]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.  I am glad your cruise went well.

[hasentreelake]

12 minutes ago, crazyman3 said:

Thanks for your review.

 

What is a S1?

S1 is a Sky Suite.   
I believe there are two categories of Sky Suite (S1 and S2)
S1 typically is a better location or slightly larger balcony.
S2 has the same amenities as an S1, and is a little less expensive.

[crazyman3]

3 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

S1 is a Sky Suite.   
I believe there are two categories of Sky Suite (S1 and S2)
S1 typically is a better location or slightly larger balcony.
S2 has the same amenities as an S1, and is a little less expensive.

 

Thanks. I live and learn.

[DCPIV]

16 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

It was just before 11am.   Our boarding time was noon, but we were whisked aboard just as we closed the door on the uber car.

 

 

Thanks.  I have an 11:30 arrival time, but it's nice to know that they may be ready even earlier.

 

Cheers!

[hasentreelake]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for your post.     Really interesting to read as I have may 2nd cup of coffee for the day. 

Speaking of coffee - we did enjoy Cafe al Bacio daily (Americano for me - Caramel Machiatto for the Mrs.)

And , I should also mention that we did enjoy Ashely Amber in the Summit Theatre.

[RollWave]

Thanks for your review!

We are leaving on Summit tomorrow.

It will be our first time on a ship since we got off of a Celebrity ship mid-March 2020.

 

We have a bit of OBC. We do not plan to do a shore excursion (or even get off the ship).

What were the shops on board like - were they well stocked?

 

 

 

 

[hasentreelake]

50 minutes ago, RollWave said:

We have a bit of OBC. We do not plan to do a shore excursion (or even get off the ship).

What were the shops on board like - were they well stocked?

 

 

 

 

The shops appeared to be well stocked - particularly the Effy jewelry shop.
We used our remaining OBC as tips for the staff.

[SraLiz]

Thanks for your thoughts.  They are appreciated!

We sail on Summit Oct. 9 in a balcony.  We have been thinking of the upgrade but after our experience in the Edge Retreat areas in August (SOOOOO crowded) and your thoughts on the Retreat sun deck... I think we will stay put.  

Thanks again! 

[Speasda]

On 9/29/2021 at 2:34 PM, SraLiz said:

Thanks for your thoughts.  They are appreciated!

We sail on Summit Oct. 9 in a balcony.  We have been thinking of the upgrade but after our experience in the Edge Retreat areas in August (SOOOOO crowded) and your thoughts on the Retreat sun deck... I think we will stay put.  

Thanks again! 

I keep hearing the same thing - staying in our concierge class on 10/30 sailing.

 

hasentreelake - thanks for the review.  My daughter is pestering me by asking if they had lobster on the menu anywhere.  Did you notice anything?

[hasentreelake]

1 hour ago, Speasda said:

I keep hearing the same thing - staying in our concierge class on 10/30 sailing.

 

hasentreelake - thanks for the review.  My daughter is pestering me by asking if they had lobster on the menu anywhere.  Did you notice anything?

Yes.  There was definitely a 'lobster night'.  I believe it was served both in Luminae and the main dining room on the same night (Thursday I'm guessing).  The waiters made a point of telling you a day or two ahead of time.  It may also have been available at a 'seafood feast' they offered early in the cruise - I think it was a lunch in Tuscan.  We prefer lighter lunches (and it was $40 I think) and didn't attend.

 

[Silkroad]

Great review. Thanks! Wishing you a wonderful cruise on both Silhouette and Edge.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Silkroad

[Speasda]

5 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

Yes.  There was definitely a 'lobster night'.  I believe it was served both in Luminae and the main dining room on the same night (Thursday I'm guessing).  The waiters made a point of telling you a day or two ahead of time.  It may also have been available at a 'seafood feast' they offered early in the cruise - I think it was a lunch in Tuscan.  We prefer lighter lunches (and it was $40 I think) and didn't attend.

 

Super!  Thanks for the help!

[jpsykes]

On 9/28/2021 at 10:25 AM, hasentreelake said:

 

We are early 60’s / late 50’s and this was our first vacation in over 18 months, so we were excited for this cruise.  We don’t cruise as often as many, but we’ve chosen Celebrity our last 4 cruises.  We’ve been on both M and S class previously (and look forward to sailing Edge class soon).  This is a bit of a review of our experience onboard Summit 9/20/21.

 

 

thanks for the review - we just booked B2B on Summit over Thanksgiving

[wongcruise]

Thanks for the review.  We will sail on the Summit in Nov.  Did Celebrity do Covid testing prior to disembarkation?  Thank you.

[hasentreelake]

1 hour ago, wongcruise said:

Thanks for the review.  We will sail on the Summit in Nov.  Did Celebrity do Covid testing prior to disembarkation?  Thank you.

Not for US passengers returning to US cities.
I think testing was/is done for:
All crew the day before disembarkation (The captain reported 100% negative tests)
B2B passengers
Canadian residents (I think it has been reported that Celebrity offers a test for those returning to Canada)
 

[kwokpot]

Thank you for your cruise writeup. I'll be on the Summit for here Thanksgiving cruise and looking forward to having a great cruise in a Concierge Class Aft Balcony!

[George C]

Thanks for info, I am now worried about our February charter , which is 100 percent sold out , music charter which was postponed from last February. Agree retreat without a pool doesn’t make sense , loved it on edge. 

[hasentreelake]

21 hours ago, George C said:

Thanks for info, I am now worried about our February charter , which is 100 percent sold out , music charter which was postponed from last February. Agree retreat without a pool doesn’t make sense , loved it on edge. 

@George C      I'm just curious about what in particular has you worried?