Retreat on Summit and overall age of the ship questions

[20165]

We are considering the Summit out of PR in November and are concerned about the age of the ship and the Retreat amenities.  We havent been in the retreat on celebrity, but have been on Silhouette, non retreat,  which we did enjoy very much.  Smaller ship so not as many people, and very few kids given they dont have all the bells and whistles as the new ships.  Water slides, kids pool areas, etc.  However, we have also been on NCL in the haven and it was wonderful.  We rarely left the area, but it had a pool and jacuzzies which i dont think exist in the retreat, at least not on Summit.  Please tell me im wrong about that, but i didnt see any in the pics, just a sitting area, bar and snack area.

So we are trying to decide if we want an older ship with less people and probably better service, or a newer ship, NCL Getaway, and spend most of the time in the haven.  

Thoughts?

[Georgia_Peaches]

@Stem to Stern did a Live From review of the Summit a few months back (later 2023, I think) and he was in the Retreat.  Photos and his account of the cruise made me want to book the Summit!  I would pour through some Youtube videos for recent tours and reviews.  Since the ship has been refurbished, I think it looks very classy and upscale.  Though I haven't pulled the trigger on a Summit booking, I haven't ruled it out for the near future.

[Stem to Stern]

53 minutes ago, 20165 said:

However, we have also been on NCL in the haven and it was wonderful.  We rarely left the area, but it had a pool and jacuzzies which i dont think exist in the retreat, at least not on Summit.  Please tell me im wrong about that, but i didnt see any in the pics, just a sitting area, bar and snack area.

Have you ever considered MSC Yacht Club?  It is more aligned with what The Haven sounds like.  We could have stayed in the Yacht Club all seven days and remained content.

 

The Retreat on board Summit is not a self-contained enclave.  It does have one jacuzzi, but it can be windy up there.

Luminae is wonderful.  And nosh options in between meals in The Retreat Lounge are impressive.  Summit has been beautifully updated.  The lower passenger count is a plus.  We are rebooked on Summit for next year.

 

i would share a link to my Live, but I am not sure how.

Edited May 6 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

57 minutes ago, 20165 said:

 

LIVE SIDE-BY-SIDE Celebrity Summit Retreat & Seascape Yacht Club 12/9-21/2023 ~ 1st MSC vs Farewell (?) X Suite Experience

 

Not sure how to share the link.😐

Edited May 6 by Stem to Stern

[Liao]

2 hours ago, 20165 said:

We are considering the Summit out of PR in November and are concerned about the age of the ship and the Retreat amenities.  We havent been in the retreat on celebrity, but have been on Silhouette, non retreat,  which we did enjoy very much.  Smaller ship so not as many people, and very few kids given they dont have all the bells and whistles as the new ships.  Water slides, kids pool areas, etc.  However, we have also been on NCL in the haven and it was wonderful.  We rarely left the area, but it had a pool and jacuzzies which i dont think exist in the retreat, at least not on Summit.  Please tell me im wrong about that, but i didnt see any in the pics, just a sitting area, bar and snack area.

So we are trying to decide if we want an older ship with less people and probably better service, or a newer ship, NCL Getaway, and spend most of the time in the haven.  

Thoughts?

Sailed on Summit for 9 days in Dec. 2023.  Absolutely loved the ship, the Celebrity Suite, the incredible attentive service and dining in Luminae.  Don't hesitate to give it a go, she is in great shape.

[cruzzzinma]

Here is the link to Stem to Stern’s review and comparison:

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

15 minutes ago, cruzzzinma said:

Here is the link to Stem to Stern’s review and comparison:

 

 

Sorry for the hijack, but could you please enlighten me on how one shares a link to another thread on Cruise Critic?  Thank you!

[tnm6217]

I sailed on Summit in the Retreat in April and June 2023 and again in January 2024. I sailed on Silhouette in the Retreat in January and March 2023. I love both ships, but I prefer the size of Summit and her staff, which IMO are the best Celebrity has! Anything Summit lacks due to her age, she makes up for in charm!

[Purplsmurf]

We weren’t in the retreat, but did sail on the Summit a few weeks ago and it was it wonderful condition. We prefer the S class ships, but still liked the Summit.

[cruzzzinma]

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry for the hijack, but could you please enlighten me on how one shares a link to another thread on Cruise Critic?  Thank you!

I copied your title and put it in the search bar in the upper right corner of the Celebrity forum page and it came up. I clicked on it and copied the link at the top of the page.

[darsura]

24 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

We weren’t in the retreat, but did sail on the Summit a few weeks ago and it was it wonderful condition. We prefer the S class ships, but still liked the Summit.

Same for us.  Prefer S class as well but loved the Summit a few weeks ago.  Service was great!! We were in an aft Aqua cabin overlooking the Sunset bar (my fav location in the M class) and Blu was better than ever!

[wrk2cruise]

2 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry for the hijack, but could you please enlighten me on how one shares a link to another thread on Cruise Critic?  Thank you!

 

Once you find the thread just copy the URL from the address bar of your browser and paste it into the post.

[George C]

We sailed summit in March this year and last year in royal suite, suite restaurant Luminae was great , definitely prefer M class to E class for dining room. Indoor retreat was also fantastic, service couldn’t be better. Outside retreat is pitiful no bar or pool and no elevator to get there . We are booked again on Summit next year since that hosts our music charter that we love . For overall experience I agree with others who mentioned MSc yacht club which I have booked for late this year. Only celebrity E class can match yacht club since they have outdoor pool bar etc.

[20165]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Have you ever considered MSC Yacht Club?  It is more aligned with what The Haven sounds like.  We could have stayed in the Yacht Club all seven days and remained content.

 

The Retreat on board Summit is not a self-contained enclave.  It does have one jacuzzi, but it can be windy up there.

Luminae is wonderful.  And nosh options in between meals in The Retreat Lounge are impressive.  Summit has been beautifully updated.  The lower passenger count is a plus.  We are rebooked on Summit for next year.

 

i would share a link to my Live, but I am not sure how.

We had a really bad experience with MSC last year, albeit not in the yacht club, but my wife swore we would never spend another dime with that line...

We are leaning toward the Summit especially after reading your post, thank you.  We did enjoy silhouette a lot and we werent even in the retreat.

thanks

 

[Stem to Stern]

25 minutes ago, 20165 said:

We had a really bad experience with MSC last year, albeit not in the yacht club, but my wife swore we would never spend another dime with that line...

We are leaning toward the Summit especially after reading your post, thank you.  We did enjoy silhouette a lot and we werent even in the retreat.

thanks

 

I love Summit even if not booked in The Retreat.  Cellar Masters is a nice, quiet bar where a strings duo might be playing.  It is a nice departure from the noisy Martini Bar.  Of course you will have The Retreat Lounge as a refuge.  But Summit should not be nearly as lively as Silhouette.  And that is a good thing.  
 

If there is an officers’ soirée in The Retreat Lounge, be sure to catch that.  The couple times I visited The Retreat Sundeck it was mostly deserted.  No crowds to fight there.  But in December the weather wasn’t the balmiest.  Luminae was not overly crowded either.

 

I am sorry to read about your unfortunate experience with MSC Cruises.  We saw a few sxxt shows starting on embarkation day in the terminal with the Gen Pop boarding (or should I saw herding or corralling?) cattle call.  We were fortunate enough to skip that line among others.  

 

Fortunately I used our long-time travel agent for the booking.  She speaks MSC and knows how to navigate through MSC’s cow pen.  It also helped that I did my fair share of research on the front end.  We experienced hardly any snafus during the seven days on board Seascape.  The Yacht Club spaces and layout are very nice.  We were showered with gifts and treats.  

 

However, you will experience far better food and a higher level of service in The Retreat on board Summit.

Enjoy!!