Live from the Summit - Christmas at Sea (Dec 21-26, 2023) 🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻🌴

[81Zoomie]

Merry Christmas Eve!  Santa arrives on the Summit!

[Stem to Stern]

Thank you for this fun report!  Your photos are fantastic especially how you captured the Sky Lounge, Key West, and Cozumel.  What model phone or camera are you shooting with?  There is never enough time on a short cruise to explore all of the great spaces on a Celebrity ship.  I am glad I could come home and continue my voyage vicariously through your review.  Now I want to book a holiday sailing after seeing Santa on board.😍

Merry Christmas!!🎄😃

[Nola26]

Thanks for sharing and taking care of the Summit. Looking forward to boarding her on the 26th! Santa visit looked adorable, we'll just look forward to seeing the ship dolled up for the holidays.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Nola26

[Georgia_Peaches]

Between your review and the one just completed by @Stem to Stern, I am ready to book on the Summit!  The 5 night itineraries are especially appealing because I’d like to bring my mother…and 5 nights is the perfect length for her. 
 

Merry Christmas!🎄🎁 

[81Zoomie]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Thank you for this fun report!  Your photos are fantastic especially how you captured the Sky Lounge, Key West, and Cozumel.  What model phone or camera are you shooting with?  There is never enough time on a short cruise to explore all of the great spaces on a Celebrity ship.  I am glad I could come home and continue my voyage vicariously through your review.  Now I want to book a holiday sailing after seeing Santa on board.😍

Merry Christmas!!🎄😃

I have an iPhone 14 Pro.  This ship has lots of interesting angles to capture!

[81Zoomie]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Between your review and the one just completed by @Stem to Stern, I am ready to book on the Summit!  The 5 night itineraries are especially appealing because I’d like to bring my mother…and 5 nights is the perfect length for her. 
 

Merry Christmas!🎄🎁 

I used to do an annual mother daughter cruise with my Mom.  Our last cruise together was her 105th cruise ❤️

[Stem to Stern]

12 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

I used to do an annual mother daughter cruise with my Mom.  Our last cruise together was her 105th cruise ❤️

 

14 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

I have an iPhone 14 Pro.  This ship has lots of interesting angles to capture!

Awesome!!!

Your Mom was Cruisin’ Queen!

I will have to plan a repositioning or another sailing where I just stay on board and get up at the crack of dawn and take pictures around the ship.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[81Zoomie]

Christmas Eve.  Following Santa’s arrival we got ready for the show followed by dinner.  The show was Antonio Salci.  He is a very talented pianist and was accompanied by the band.  The theme of the show was Unity.  It was an uplifting message that regardless of culture, nationality, faith, color, or identity, we can all come together as one and enjoy music.  What an ideal theme for Christmas Eve.  I especially liked the way he showcased the talent of each of the band’s musicians with an opportunity to lead the arrangement.  Then we walked to the atrium to see the officers sing Christmas carols.  Lots of people joined in and sang along.

 

Off to dinner.  The dining room was a little late opening for the 8:30 sitting and people filled the atrium.  Nearly every table was full.  Dinner did take an hour and a half from start to finish.  The waiters were running about and the assistant waiters vanished at times.  We later learned that an unexpectedly large number of people came to dinner because of the enhanced Christmas Eve menu.  DH had the salmon tartar appetizer and I had the frog legs.  We both had the beef tornados.  Dessert was bourbon pecan bread pudding and petit fors.  Following dinner we sat and listened to the guitar vocalist in Cellar Masters.

 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

[81Zoomie]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Celebrity has definitely tried to make this holiday sailing special.  The feeling is very festive on the ship.  The crew is all about Merry Christmas.  There are many passengers and families in matching Christmas pajamas, pants, bathing suits, etc.  Everyone is smiling.  There are lots of Christmas events on the schedule.

 

We each had a small symbolic present for each other this morning.  This cruise was our present 🎁.  At this stage of life we prefer to collect memories ❤️, not things.

 

As usual, we opted for breakfast in Tuscan.  Lovely and quiet.  We each decided to have a Bloody Mary with breakfast.  After all, it is a holiday 😘. A few more folks strolled in.  We learned there are only 102 elite and above passengers on this cruise.  I did walk through the Ocean View Cafe and it was a sea of humanity this morning.  Without Blu or Luminae on this cruise we are grateful for the elite breakfast option!

 

I walked about after breakfast to spread a little Christmas cheer.  Loved looking up from the lowest central elevator lobby.  DH was actually very patient with me because my pic caused us to miss the elevator.  The chair hogs were in action around the pool….bah humbug.  However, the joke may be on them because it’s quite windy and overcast today.  It was before 10 and almost every chair in the solarium was also taken.  The good news is the gym was relatively empty.  Just not quite ready to gym it yet.

 

We are making our video calls to family.  Starlink is a big step up and we had no issues with the videos.

 

The Christmas Day menu for main dining is posted below.  Once again, Celebrity is making Christmas special.

[Stem to Stern]

Stunning photography and anecdotes from your cruise.  But you may have outdone yourself with this one.  I am so disoriented.  Is this the shaft adjacent to the glass, oceanview elevators?  Were you looking up or looking down?

We are not in The Retreat for our next three booked cruises, so I appreciate the commentary regarding the Elite breakfast.  It is crazy to learn that there are only a hundred or so Elite on your sailing.  I think we would enjoy a quiet start to our morning along with a Bloody Mary or three at the Elite breakfast.  Before our next cruise I have to start making a list of can’t misses on board.  We forgot to get our complimentary gelato last week.😂

Edited December 25, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[hcat]

great photos and holiday spirit..

 menu  and food looks awesone!

 

I see lots of "reserved" loungers but no people!  7

[81Zoomie]

2 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Stunning photography and anecdotes from your cruise.  But you may have outdone yourself with this one.  I am so disoriented.  Is this the shaft adjacent to the glass, oceanview elevators?  Were you looking up or looking down?

We are not in The Retreat for our next three booked cruises, so I appreciate the commentary regarding the Elite breakfast.  It is crazy to learn that there are only a hundred or so Elite on your sailing.  I think we would enjoy a quiet start to our morning along with a Bloody Mary or three at the Elite breakfast.  Before our next cruise I have to start making a list of can’t misses on board.  We forgot to get our complimentary gelato last week.😂

This photo was looking up from the bottom of the area under the glass elevators where the Apple computer are is.  We love the elite breakfast!!!  No perk packages for us this cruise, so my morning cappuccinos were a real plus ☕️

[81Zoomie]

The weather has definitely done a 180 from the gorgeous day we had in Cozumel yesterday.  Cloudy and very windy.  The loungers on deck 11 are tied down.  There are a few die hards in the pool.  It’s a much better day for the hot tubs in my opinion.

 

DH went to the gym and I took advantage of the empty cabin to throw a few things in my suitcase.  It’s much easier on a short cruise when you get to drive home.

 

We went to the Ocean View for lunch.  It was quite crowded given the weather.  The hot cross buns were delicious!  Still lots of folks enjoying their Christmas Jammie’s.  There was lots of Christmas decor and spirit all around!  Following lunch we listened to the band playing in the atrium and popped into Deal or No Deal to watch for a bit.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

The Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Daily activities

[Jazzbo]

3 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

The chair hogs were in action around the pool….bah humbug.  However, the joke may be on them because it’s quite windy and overcast today.  It was before 10 and almost every chair in the solarium was also taken.  The good news is the gym was relatively empty.  Just not quite ready to gym it yet.

 

 

 

I’m really enjoying your review. I’m under the weather today, so this is a pleasant diversion.

My blood pressure did go up a bit reading and seeing this. I still don’t understand how people can be so inconsiderate. If Celebrity (and other lines) would consistently enforce the 30-minute rule, some of the chair hogs might stop, and at least enforcement would make loungers available for those who want to sit by the pool. And we usually only sit in the pool area on sides in the shade (there are usually quite a few available there). We do like the Solarium, but often cannot find a place to sit.

Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[81Zoomie]

15 minutes ago, Jazzbo said:

I’m really enjoying your review. I’m under the weather today, so this is a pleasant diversion.

My blood pressure did go up a bit reading and seeing this. I still don’t understand how people can be so inconsiderate. If Celebrity (and other lines) would consistently enforce the 30-minute rule, some of the chair hogs might stop, and at least enforcement would make loungers available for those who want to sit by the pool. And we usually only sit in the pool area on sides in the shade (there are usually quite a few available there). We do like the Solarium, but often cannot find a place to sit.

Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Hope you feel better quickly @Jazzbo.  Most all of the under cover areas are packed because there were a couple of rain showers.  Fortunately, the Summit (M class) and all the S class ships have lots of intimate nooks and crannies with comfortable chairs and sofas to curl up with a good book or iPad.  We find these spaces very inviting and miss their availability on the E class.

 

 

[81Zoomie]

I had planned to update yesterday evening’s events while we were waiting to walk off the ship this morning. The ship was cleared earlier than expected at 7 am and we were cleared to go.  We grabbed our bags and off we walked. No wait, no lines anywhere. Haven’t been off a ship that fast since the early 70s. My parents were in law enforcement and knew the lead customs agent. He would knock on our cabin door and walk us off. When the gangway wasn’t up yet we left via forklift in a baggage bin!  Anyway, we are on 95 heading north way ahead of schedule.  I will update later today.

[Arzeena]

47 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

I had planned to update yesterday evening’s events while we were waiting to walk off the ship this morning. The ship was cleared earlier than expected at 7 am and we were cleared to go.  We grabbed our bags and off we walked. No wait, no lines anywhere. Haven’t been off a ship that fast since the early 70s. My parents were in law enforcement and knew the lead customs agent. He would knock on our cabin door and walk us off. When the gangway wasn’t up yet we left via forklift in a baggage bin!  Anyway, we are on 95 heading north way ahead of schedule.  I will update later today.

Looking forward to your update.Have a safe trip home!

Lolling at the ride in the baggage bin and forklift.😁🤣🤣

 

[81Zoomie]

Plan B. We are ahead of schedule and our kids flight to Orlando was delayed a bit so I have a few minutes. I commented earlier how impressive the aerialists are. @Stem to Stern I took a few pics for you. This team has incredible strength, flexibility, timing, and trust!!!

Edited December 26, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

And a few more examples of their skills ❤️

[81Zoomie]

Christmas Day evening.  It’s was a bit cloudy and rainy, so we passed on outdoor cocktails.  We decided to end in our favorite, the Sky View.  There was no beautiful final sunset, but we enjoyed chit chatting with the bartender.  He must have dad my mind, because he had snacks!  It was a corn nut mixture that was just what we were craving.  I told him I really liked drinking wine in the Reidel glasses.  He explained that they lose a lot because the glasses are thin and fragile.  
 

We went to the early Christmas show.  In a first for us, we went to the show every night of the cruise.  This was directly related to our late seating dinner.  More on that later.  The show was very festive and very well attended.  We watched lots of Christmas music and dancing.  Besides the production singers and dancers the guitar vocalist Mari Carilli sang Hallelujah.  She was excellent.  The highlight of the show for me were the surprise vocalists.  Two members of the ships crew sang a duet.  They were unbelievably talented and gave an amazing performance.  We went back up to Cellar Masters to listen to Mari for a few minutes before dinner.

 

Dinner tonight was quite good.  I had the Scallops Rockefeller and DH had the Creamy Salmon Rillette.  We both opted for the Broiled Lobster tail.  I anticipated more than one scallop based on the description, but the lobster was perfectly done.  I had  Crème brûlée for dessert.  The food all tasted very good.  The portions could have been a bit larger, but hats off to Celebrity for the special menu.

 

We were quite tired and knew we had an early start to the morning, so we went to sleep after dinner.
 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

Final recap will have to wait.  DH woke up with Covid 😢 this morning.  Based on the timing… it appears to be a Celebrity variant.

[miched]

There are many different grades of Reidel glasses.   I was in a very upscale wine store and seen Reidel wine glasses selling for $5.   I asked the owner and he said they are bar quality.   I am sure that is what we get in Luminae, or Blu.   They don’t have the sharp cut lip and seem a little thicker.    If not they would be pilfered.  
 

A few years ago my wife asked  for another glass to take the wine out of Blu as she didn’t finish it.  The server said take it, no problem.  We went to the martini bar and the person that was sitting next to us seen the glass and mentioned that is a Reidel and you should take it home.  I said if you want it you can have it when emptied.  He denied my offer.  🙄🤷‍♂️😱
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[81Zoomie]

Wrap up.  We had an enjoyable cruise.  
 

- The interior furnishings and atmosphere are modern chic and bright.  I liked the color palate.  I am a big fan of the swirled carpet.

- The exterior of the ship is in need of some TLC.  The blue paint along most of the waterline is chipped off in many places.  Looking over our verandah, I did not see one balcony that didn’t have chips of white paint that had flaked off and fallen.  The welds on the overhang above our cabin had split.  Our balcony door had a second improvised lock because the door was slightly tilted and did not close all the way.  This is what caused the whistling noise when we were at sea.  I stuffed the gap with a towel.  The leak on our bathroom floor kept returning.  The plumber was up 3 times.  It started to leak again the morning we disembarked.  The tiles on the shower floor were stained and the grout lines were orange.  I never smelled any bleach, and they could use some.  The toilet bowl looks like it was painted and the paint had peeled away.  The large format shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner were branded X.  They’re contained the 21 letter compound pictured below.

- The Ocean View buffet area was a nice design.  It spread out the congestion and kept the noise down.  I’m not a fan of the buffets, but this design didn’t leave me stressed.  We could always find each other and a table.

- The crew is awesome as always.  Always cheerful and willing to help with anything.  However, they all seem very fearful of “the survey” if there are any issues.  Finally, they appear overworked.  This is especially true in the dining room and with the room stewards (16+ rooms).

- We did not sample specialty dining.  It was overpriced IMHO.

- The drinks were good pours.  We only used the Elite Happy Hour benefit.  It worked well with the exception of the wine.  The included wines are quite basic and well, you can read about those issues on a variety of threads.

- The dining room was not a highlight.  It’s been years since we had fixed seating and we were literally locked out until 8:30pm.  Then everyone pours in at the same time.  If they opened just a few minutes earlier and allowed folks to filter in it would spread out the ordering and meal flow.  The waiters are always running about.  I felt sorry for they because they looked so stressed.  We had the impression, the same lean personnel constraints were present in the kitchen.  Certain evenings our asst waiter would disappear for long stretches.  Sometimes water and rolls were refilled, sometimes not.  Baked potatoes would arrive, but no butter or sour cream.  The food was fine; not great, not bad. And finally, the plating and presentation.  The appetizers appeared to have some thought and design.  The main courses, however, had all the food just pushed together on the plate.  It looked like you had gone through a cafeteria line. Only once, a plate came with a ring of glaze and fish on top of the rice. Vegetables presented were carrots, green beans, and carrots every night. I never saw asparagus, cauliflower, yellow squash, a whole mushroom, cabbage, corn, etc.  Those were, however, available on the salad bar in the Ocean View. Dessert was unremarkable. The food was warm, but never hot. There was no Baked Alaska, lemon meringue pie, or key lime pie in case you were wondering.  But, chocolate cake has returned.  
- This is the first time on any cruise line or ship that my food allergy presented any kind of issue.  

- The ice cream was very strange.  It was filled with ice crystals.  One night DH’s scoop of vanilla splintered and fell apart in chunks.

- The entertainment throughout the ship was good.  We especially enjoyed the live band and vocalists.

- As you may have guessed, the vista from the forward lounge up top is fabulous!  Grab a drink and watch the world float by ❤️

 

Would we sail the Summit again, maybe, if the itinerary and pricing were desirable.  Would we sail anything less than 7 nights?  Probably not.  We will be sailing the Constellation next fall because the timing, price, and ports fit our parameters.  We are open to all cruises and cruise lines that offer a good value and meet our desires.

 

Normally, we would be sad to leave the ship.  Not this time as we picked up our kids at the airport on the way home.  Additionally, no stress with tons of unread work emails this week.  Tomorrow is my final day of work before retirement!  Next up for us will be the Edge B2B Aus/NZ in the spring.  It will be our first B2B cruise.  We will be sailing in a suite, so a different experience.  (Yes, we booked over 2 years ago and are aware of the changes.)  The experience will be what we make it, and the destinations are the main attraction!  It’s a bit of a splurge to celebrate our next chapter.

 

Until next time, I wish you safe travels, calm seas, and Happy New Year! 🥂🍾🚢

 

[Jazzbo]

On 12/27/2023 at 9:36 AM, 81Zoomie said:

Final recap will have to wait.  DH woke up with Covid 😢 this morning.  Based on the timing… it appears to be a Celebrity variant.

I hope your DH is feeling better. My brother and SIL were supposed to be here for Christmas but both came down with Covid last week.