Summit 1/26/08 sailing-another opinion

[smdubowsky]

We just completed our Southern Caribbean cruise so I thought I'd give a little feedback. For a sense of comparison, this is our 8th M class ship cruise. We have been passengers on all four sister ships.

 

First we had a great time, the Celebrity staff was terrific and we love the attention we receive.

 

There were no bedbugs in sight and the ship was overall in better condition than I expected from the posts here. The staterooms are in the process of getting a makeover. The bedding, sofa and curtains appeared new but the carpet was not. In fact, my wife immediately noticed that the carpet clashed with the curtains.They are probably going to replace the carpet while getting the refurb in April.

 

The food was overall good. The AquaSpa was outstanding. The Concierge in room breakfasts were good and included fresh OJ. The buffet breakfast was very good and there was smoked salmon every day. The waffles are still great at the buffet. The sushi was very good and is now served from 5:30PM at the front of the buffet instead at the stern.

 

The food in the main dining room was good but some of the entre's were a little salty for my taste. The desserts were unfortunately good also. If you are a fan of the main dining room, you will be disappointed to know that it is closed now for lunch whenever you are in port. That means it was closed for four days on the cruise.

 

The shows were done well, and for you M class ship veterans, they are all new. The headliners were also good. There is now a large no smoking section in the casino which allowed me to lose more money, but it was still a little smokey in there depending on who was smoking what on the smoking side.

 

The ports were fine. St. Maarten is St. Maarten. At least they were not offering the Sunday St. Bart's excursion where everything is closed.

 

Domenica is great for nature lovers but not beach goers.

 

Granada has been transformed in a very short period of time. The first time we were there in 2004, th islanders were somewhat laid back and not into the tourist trade. they did not even have a dock that could accept a M class ship. Since "the hurricane" there has been a tremendous building boom. Besides the new pier, there's a new mall and other new facilities. The sad part is that Granada is like so many other islands and most cruisers will never even see the beautiful inner harbor.

 

Bonaire is very laid back and very Dutch. The allure here is the water and the beach. The snorkeling is great.

 

Aruba is a decent port for combining shopping and the beach. There are lots of high end stores. Do not plan on bargains in jewelry with gold at over $900.00 an ounce.

 

All in all, reports of the Summit's demise are grossly premature. The ship is in great shape and the crew is very enthusiastic. I think that the refurb in April will help freshen the ship up but if you re going sooner, don't be concerned; have a great time.

[Texed]

The waffles are still great at the buffet.

 

Yep!

Thanks for the review.

 

[lvcruiser]

Scott - A good review and one that I agree with whole heartedly. I was hoping to see you again after the parties but never got the chance other than in passing. I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise. I think everyone on the roll call thread did. And yes, the waffles were great.

 

John

[smdubowsky]

John- I was looking for you but only could see all the Keystone name tags(G).On this cruise my wife and I just relaxed alot.

In any case, I'm glad you had a good time.

[ccg1957]

Thank you for taking the time to give your honest and informative review. I would like to know what category cabin you had? That is balcony, cc, inside, etc.

Thanks,

Cathy

[smdubowsky]

I was in a CC room with a balcony on Deck 8. I would recommend deck 7 or 8.