Summit 4-16-16. Modern Luxury?

I haven’t written a review in a while. These were my Impressions of our last Summit cruise April 16th-23rd. It was the southern Caribbean that had a very good itinerary. Barbados, St John Antigua, St Lucia, St Martin and St Thomas.

We got to the port around 11:45am and the ship wasn’t open for boarding yet. The wait was pretty short. About 15 minutes before they started collecting the luggage. That went smoothly, 10 minutes to check in and aboard the Summit. From a distance she looked fine. Closer, you could see a bit of wear and rust streaks. I think during dry dock they did a few touch ups. Not a major outside paint job.

As usual, we were greeted with the stock, champagne, mimosa or juice. It was nice to see that wasn’t discarded. The deck 4 entrance was still very nice. The carpets looked new but same general décor that is a Millennium class ship. We headed on up to the pool bar to get a drink. We had the Classic package. I had heard on previous cruises, they pushed the premium upgrade hard. We were asked by the bartender if we wanted to upgrade, we declined. Never got bothered again by anyone about it. The classic had everything we wanted. Nice addition was Tito’s vodka. The wine, beer etc. was covered. If you are the Martini bar crowd, you may want to upgrade, but it wasn’t worth the wait to get a drink there and once you did have a drink, there wasn’t anywhere to sit. Rendezvous lounge was perfect before dinner for us anyway.

After getting our drinks, we went into the Ocean view Café. This is the buffet on deck 10. We were greeted by a spa rep who gave us a nice sample message and talked my other half into making an appointment. I tried to do the “let’s wait and see what kind of specials are in the cabin before you make an appointment look”, but dear spouse made the appointment anyway :cool:. I especially gave a more intense look when I found out it was $200 for an hour session:eek:. I grumbled into the buffet and muttered under my breath. More on the spa later.

The food was good. Nice selection. They did get nice new square plates. Unfortunately, at times, there seemed to be a shortage so one had to settle for the salad size plate and depending how much you wanted, either get 2 plates or make 2 trips. After lunch, we went by the pool, walked around and explored the ship to see all the wonderful upgrades they did during dry dock. Couldn’t wait to see the improvements. The improvements were carpeting. Not much else. Tried to find the new big screen area they were raving about, but couldn’t find it. 3 days into the cruise, I was told it was in the back, around, up and over. Forget it. I wasn’t that interested. They did replace those hard wooden chairs in the Thalassotherapy pool (I call it the slappy pool :rolleyes:. Easier to remember) with nice soft ones. Those old wooden ones were horrid. For those who are interested, the smoking section on 10 was moved from the back where the ping pong tables is on port side up to where the pool bar is.

Next section will be our cabin….

Our cabin was 6024 on the Penthouse deck. It is one of the sweet 16 cabins. I was concerned about being on top of the theater, but we didn’t hear a thing. Upon entering, everything looked OK. Love seat was a bit worn, but it wasn’t in tatters. The cabin carpets weren’t changed, but the hallway ones were. There was a bit of an odor but we always bring Fabreeze and Lysol. I laid down and a smell hit me:eek:. It was the same odor I smelled when we walked in. The pillows were gross. They really smelled bad. Just then, our assistant cabin attendant Mike knocked and introduced himself along with Francisco. Two very great state room attendants. I told them about the pillows and Francisco apologized and got 4 brand new fluffy pillows. The new pillows were very nice. Problem solved. I noticed there wasn’t a water pitcher. I asked if we could have a pitcher and some ice. He said he could get ice, but the water was room service. What???:confused: That was a change I didn’t like. $20 fixed that for the week. Water and ice every day without asking. The bed was not great. You can always get an egg crate cushion put on, but I didn’t ask. The sheets were thinner than I last remembered and the bottom sheet was torn. I am fussy about sheets at home, but what can you do when you’re not home right? The bathroom was perfect. Shower was intact, clean and no cracked tiles. No rust in sink. It was actually the nicest bathroom we ever had on Summit.

The toiletries they normally supply were downgraded. Motel 6 stock. They used to have such nice toiletries. The balcony was much larger. Floor was dirty and the glass dividers were a bit grimy and loaded with paint drippings. I guess they literally slapped paint on the edges and got it all over. The water drain was rusted away. I heard on previous reviews about water build up, but we didn’t get any rain so we didn’t see any. No need to go to the gym because you had to use your whole body strength to open the slider door. No opening door with a drink. Two hands to open door, get drink, go out, put drink down and power the door shut again:D

Next. MDR. Goes downhill here. The good and the bad and the ugly…..

This was our 13th cruise on Celebrity, 3rd on the Summit and I was really disappointed with the MDR. It was chaos. After the refurb, they re-did the MDR. On deck 4, it seemed that was dedicated mostly to Select dining. Deck 5 seemed to be either the early and late seating dining. I always liked the late seating because it was always nice relaxing after a day ashore, taking a nap and getting ready for dinner. Stopping for a drink before dinner at Rendezvous. The first night was downright frustrating because none of the tables had the table numbers on them. The waiters had a print of the tables and weren’t familiar with the new layout. We were seated at one table, met our waiter, who was great and were presented with the menu. It really was a pared down selection. You had the everyday staples, but the other choices were limited. I remembered a soup, salad, sorbet, main course, dessert format. This was basically Olive Garden menu. I liked the way it used to flow. I enjoyed a 2-hour meal. It was paced. Now it just seemed rushed. We were seated at table 535, or at least we thought. The second night, we were told we were in the wrong spot and then moved again. We got a new waiter and assistant. Chon and Freddy. They were wonderful. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good, but it seems Celebrity is trying to push you out of the MDR to go to a specialty restaurant if you wanted the old style service you used to get in the MDR. BTW, no more Captains table. That is gone as well. The area where we sat was condensed so they could add more tables because more than half of the deck 5 MDR on the port side was removed to make way for Luminae. They were really pushing the specialty restaurants but we didn’t bite. As it was, we met a couple who bought the 3 restaurant deal online, but when they got on board, they couldn’t get a reservation and had to use the MDR. They didn’t get a refund even though they did pay for it and couldn’t use it. From the people I spoke with, Tuscan was just OK, Luminae was just OK. Can’t comment on them personally. The food in the MDR was good overall. I am just not crazy about the way it changed from the old days. I spoke to the head maître d and he said he didn’t like the changes either. We spoke about 45 minutes by the pool one day. He said that’s the way things are heading too. The freestyle way. Plus, it’s cheaper. Money talks I guess. Celebrity really changed when Royal bought them.

I know there were tons of questions about the Chic night. Not so Chic. Unless jeans, shorts, sandals are the new Chic. The dress was not so dressy. I felt overdressed in a tie.

Overall it was a great cruise. Anytime not at work is fun. Would I still cruise on Celebrity? Of course. Would I sail on Summit? Yes. I guess we just have to adapt to “Modern Luxury”

Next….Canyon Spa experience.

Nice reviewy review.

This was our 13th cruise on Celebrity, 3rd on the Summit and I was really disappointed ...

 

Overall it was a great cruise.

Wow was that a surprise! Was anything all right?

Wow was that a surprise! Was anything all right?

Hi Jazz. Yes there were good things of course. I mentioned quite a few. I hadn't been on a Celebrity cruise in a few years because I was ill and couldn't travel. It's like the old adage. If you put a frog in cold water and turn on the heat, you don't really notice the increased temp. But throw a different frog in the water with the other frog, and it will jump out. I guess these changes were gradual to the very frequent cruiser, but if you haven't been through the gradual and went from your last experience to the new experience, you do notice a stark difference

Jeff

Going back to my reference in the beginning about the “let’s see what kind of deals we have in the cabin” comment. When we got into the cabin, there are tons of promotions, goings on info etc. One of the promotions since we purchased excursions online, had a spa special leaflet. $149 for a 75-minute experience, a full massage and a facial. Better deal than the one set up when we were going to the Café for lunch. I took the coupon to the Canyon Spa and set up 2. One for me and one for the better half. I cancelled the session that was booked upstairs. Later when we went back to the cabin there was a message confirming the session for the next day. I called back and told them we cancelled because we booked something else for later in the cruise. It went back and forth for a while to get it straightened out but it was hashed out. The actual massage and facial was great. Very relaxing. Just be prepared for the hard sell of product afterwards. You need to be a little thick skinned when they try to get you to buy stuff for your eye bags:D. One’s ego can be bruised if you are vain when you are told you have luggage under your eyes:rolleyes:. I didn’t need a machine for $200 and cream for another $100. My L’Oréal is just fine. It’s not something I would do every day, but once in a while a little splurge is good for the soul.

Next... Islands and excursions

In Barbados we did the Carlisle Beach excursion. It was a nice trip to the beach with lunch. It was a shorter time than we would have liked, but we didn’t want to get sunburned the 1st day. It was very nice with chair and umbrella included. Drinks were a bit pricey but who cares. Vacation. The facility was very clean and the beach was well groomed. Water was perfect. Afterwards we did a little shopping and back to the ship.

St Lucia we did the volcano excursion on advice from the excursion desk. If you like a long bus ride, about 2 hours to the site, with stops at the tour guides friend’s roadside stands with tons of people trying to sell you shirts, hats necklaces, bracelets, water, beer, more shirts, hats, necklaces and bracelets, you will love it ;). The volcano itself, was OK. If you have any kind of breathing problem, do not go:eek:. It was very hard to breath at times when you got a breeze of the sulfur. The little nature hike on the tour was pretty and educational. The tour doesn’t offer a lunch. We did stop at a small café where we were allowed to purchase a chicken leg, piece of fried bread and some sort of fritter. There was a buffet there but we weren’t allowed to get that because of time constraints because we were still 1.5 hour away from the ship. Bring a snack if going on this one. There was no time for any shopping because we had about half an hour to get back on board when we got back to the ship.

Antigua was a great day. We booked the Antigua by Sea. It was a tour via a large enclosed catamaran that went completely around the island. It included a stop on a secluded beach. Beautiful. It also included a really delicious lunch prepared on board and there was an open bar. That was a great pick. I recommend it

St Martin we did Maho Beach. I love that place. If you want to have good food and drink and watch airplanes land, this is your spot. We usually do Orient beach, but we went there last time. That is a great one too. It really is a scene at the bar next to the beach at the airport. It is a lot of fun. If you have never done it, try it:D

St Thomas was the spa day. Afterwards we just got off the ship and shopped a bit. Good jewelry buys boys and girls.

Next. Over all comments

Wrap up. I’m sure you are all happy about that:D. Celebrity. It’s still a good product. Is it the same as when I boarded Century in 2001? No. Was the service as good as it was back then? Not so much, but it still is good service. Since there are so many different venues, they have to split their staff all over the place. The friendliness is still there. The elegance of years ago has faded but I guess maybe that is where cruising today is heading:(. More casual. I suppose it’s due more to airlines charging a king’s ransom for multiple bags. My guess is that Celebrity too is paying more attention to their larger ships and trying to get away from the smaller mid-size ships. Is it a good thing? Is that what people want? I assume so since that is the way they are steering the company. I will always love Celebrity and I will continue to sail with them because the perks are still pretty good as an Elite member. Next time I will just pack lighter and lower my expectations from years gone by experiences.

If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to try to answer them

Jeff

Wrap up. I’m sure you are all happy about that:D. Celebrity. It’s still a good product. Is it the same as when I boarded Century in 2001? No. Was the service as good as it was back then? Not so much, but it still is good service. Since there are so many different venues, they have to split their staff all over the place. The friendliness is still there. The elegance of years ago has faded but I guess maybe that is where cruising today is heading:(. More casual. I suppose it’s due more to airlines charging a king’s ransom for multiple bags. My guess is that Celebrity too is paying more attention to their larger ships and trying to get away from the smaller mid-size ships. Is it a good thing? Is that what people want? I assume so since that is the way they are steering the company. I will always love Celebrity and I will continue to sail with them because the perks are still pretty good as an Elite member. Next time I will just pack lighter and lower my expectations from years gone by experiences.

If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to try to answer them

 

Jeff

My DH and I are headed to the Millie on May 20, 2016, the second cruise after dry dock. I have never been on an M class ship before, so I am just a little worried...on;y on S class ships, after two other cruise companies. I sure hope that I enjoy her, but I plan to try and not compare.

At least you had some good things going on with your cruise!:cool: Many thanks for your review and I hope your health is much improved!

Food for thought:

• What did you pay on Century in 2001 [especially in 2016 dollars]?

• Century was 6 years old in 2001; Summit is now 15 years old -- might that make a difference?

• Casual: if you really want formal nights, you might like Disney or Cunard -- but the rest of the world has been getting more casual every year.

• Elite benefits: another idea is to try Azamara -- your benefits will carry over and you might find the experience much more like your Celebrity memories.

[Note: I'm not a Celebrity fanboy, as DW and I continue to "sleep around" on many different lines. We have enjoyed our cruises on both M- and S-class ships, but we are aware that Celebrity is no longer quite the luxury experience it once was -- and that Celebrity cruises don't cost as much as they once did. We have also enjoyed the enhanced luxury on Oceania and Crystal -- but with all that, we think Celebrity today offers excellent value for dollar.]

If you want formal nights, don't try Cunard! I was expecting very formal dress for our 4 formal nights in 8 days and boy, was I shocked. The average style of dress for women was something you'd wear to a bridal or baby shower - very casual dresses. I saw so few full-length formal dresses that I really felt in the minority and felt like a fish out of water.

I don't think it's the cruise lines that have gone so casual, but the passengers.

If you want formal nights, don't try Cunard! I was expecting very formal dress for our 4 formal nights in 8 days and boy, was I shocked. The average style of dress for women was something you'd wear to a bridal or baby shower - very casual dresses. I saw so few full-length formal dresses that I really felt in the minority and felt like a fish out of water.

 

I don't think it's the cruise lines that have gone so casual, but the passengers.

I don't disagree with your conclusion, but my Y chromosome prevents me from understanding much of the earlier part of your post! Did the men not wear tuxes [or at least dark suits]? That's what I'm trying to avoid packing!

Jeff: Thank you for your Summit review. Glad that you are back on the sea. We are sailing on the Summit for the first time to Bermuda in August. After reading some negative reviews of the MDR, we opted for Agua Class for the chance to dine in Blu. Our Celebrity "deal" offers one nights dining in a specialty restaurant so we will try Tuscan Grill. It is a shame that RCCL and Celebrity appear to be downgrading their MDR dining experience to make money on the specialty restaurants.

Appreciated the heads up on spa deals. We will wait to make our reservations to see what special offers come our way.

Food for thought:

• What did you pay on Century in 2001 [especially in 2016 dollars]?

• Century was 6 years old in 2001; Summit is now 15 years old -- might that make a difference?

• Casual: if you really want formal nights, you might like Disney or Cunard -- but the rest of the world has been getting more casual every year.

• Elite benefits: another idea is to try Azamara -- your benefits will carry over and you might find the experience much more like your Celebrity memories.

[Note: I'm not a Celebrity fanboy, as DW and I continue to "sleep around" on many different lines. We have enjoyed our cruises on both M- and S-class ships, but we are aware that Celebrity is no longer quite the luxury experience it once was -- and that Celebrity cruises don't cost as much as they once did. We have also enjoyed the enhanced luxury on Oceania and Crystal -- but with all that, we think Celebrity today offers excellent value for dollar.]

Hi Jazz again. I was on the Summit 2 years ago. Everything I mentioned was basically being referenced from that. I mentioned the Century because I wanted to let peopel know this wasn't my second cruise. Did I say the ship was a rust bucket? No. Did I say she was broken down hulk? No. You can have a brand new ship and have the same things I mentioned and commented about. I just think if this is modern luxury, I prefer the old style luxury that Celebreity was famous for. Little nicities taken away here and there become very noticable . That's all.

Thanks

Jeff

Jeff: Thank you for your Summit review. Glad that you are back on the sea. We are sailing on the Summit for the first time to Bermuda in August. After reading some negative reviews of the MDR, we opted for Agua Class for the chance to dine in Blu. Our Celebrity "deal" offers one nights dining in a specialty restaurant so we will try Tuscan Grill. It is a shame that RCCL and Celebrity appear to be downgrading their MDR dining experience to make money on the specialty restaurants.

 

Appreciated the heads up on spa deals. We will wait to make our reservations to see what special offers come our way.

That was my point exactly. It is becoming a cloan of RCCC. I had done Royal before and that is why I always went back to Celebrity.

Jeff

My DH and I are headed to the Millie on May 20, 2016, the second cruise after dry dock. I have never been on an M class ship before, so I am just a little worried...on;y on S class ships, after two other cruise companies. I sure hope that I enjoy her, but I plan to try and not compare.

At least you had some good things going on with your cruise!:cool: Many thanks for your review and I hope your health is much improved!

Millie is a great ship. Sailed her about 4 times as well. The ships are still nice. They aren't as glitsy as the new larger class ships, but they have an elegance to them. My whole point was the little things like I said. Its like having a great car like a mercedes and putting on honda accessaries of sorts.

You will have a great cruise. This was a great cruise. I just pointed out what changed for me and what I saw. Don't be worried :)

Happy sailing!!

Jeff

If you want formal nights, don't try Cunard! I was expecting very formal dress for our 4 formal nights in 8 days and boy, was I shocked. The average style of dress for women was something you'd wear to a bridal or baby shower - very casual dresses. I saw so few full-length formal dresses that I really felt in the minority and felt like a fish out of water.

 

I don't think it's the cruise lines that have gone so casual, but the passengers.

I think it's a few factors. People are getting more casual. As I mentioned too, the airlines sock you good for baggage fees so people try to pack as light as possible. I get it. I'm just an old fuddy duddy that looks forward to fancy smancy sometimes on vacation :D. I know what to expect now. Again. Still love X. It still is a better fit for us then RCCC or Carnival. Princess we might give a whirl and if I get to a point where slacks and a shirt is all I want to do, We will give NCL a go.

I was surpised to hear that about Cunard. My SIL did that line a few times and raved about how fancy it was . They still had the old class system as to what cabin you booked when it came to dining as well. Things change. Day sailing still beat being at work. :)

Thanks

Jeff

Very good review. Summed up very well too - if you don't get too many expectations about Celebrity these days you will be fine. BUT, if you have not sailed with Celeb for a few years expect a shock.

I just spent seven back-to-backs this year on the Summit pre-dry dock and having sailed her now at least 18 or 20 times I thought everything was great!

Just my 2 cents. But then I have the wherewithal to spend a lot of time cruising

One of the promotions since we purchased excursions online, had a spa special leaflet. $149 for a 75-minute experience, a full massage and a facial. Better deal than the one set up when we were going to the Café for lunch.

Are you saying that you only got this deal because you had booked some excursions online? Were there any Captain's Club deals? :confused:

My DH is bad about booking a spa treatment as soon as we embark. I also tell him to wait until we get the CC sheet, but he books anyway.:rolleyes:

Glad to hear that the lounges have changed in the Solarium. Those will be very nice! :)

We were on the ship the week before the OP. Overall, we found it a very nice experience and disagree with a number of stated opinions. To each their own. For example, the toiletries were Gilchrist and Soames - considered one of the more upscale brands (and we were in a regular balcony). Our bedding was fine - definitely not Motel 6, nor were the towels. Service was excellent overall and the ship was in very good condition overall. Lounges were updated with new upholstery and carpeting. The t-pool was in very nice shape - the floors which used to be wood and slippery (if not worn) are now a nice tile. Tuscan Grill was excellent. Select Dining was excellent. Our only issues (fairly minor) were that the lunch buffet was mediocre and repetitive and that we feel overall Celebrity is cutting back way too far on pre-dinner live entertainment (and live entertainment in general). Oh, and the pizza was awful:eek:. All in all, no one sailing on Summit needs to worry about a thing.

Are you saying that you only got this deal because you had booked some excursions online? Were there any Captain's Club deals? :confused:

 

My DH is bad about booking a spa treatment as soon as we embark. I also tell him to wait until we get the CC sheet, but he books anyway.:rolleyes:

 

Glad to hear that the lounges have changed in the Solarium. Those will be very nice! :)

The post card promotion put in our cabin said this was offered because we pre booked an excursion online. The CC perks on the coupons they leave in cabin for elite was 15% off

Jeff

We were on the ship the week before the OP. Overall, we found it a very nice experience and disagree with a number of stated opinions. To each their own. For example, the toiletries were Gilchrist and Soames - considered one of the more upscale brands (and we were in a regular balcony). Our bedding was fine - definitely not Motel 6, nor were the towels. Service was excellent overall and the ship was in very good condition overall. Lounges were updated with new upholstery and carpeting. The t-pool was in very nice shape - the floors which used to be wood and slippery (if not worn) are now a nice tile. Tuscan Grill was excellent. Select Dining was excellent. Our only issues (fairly minor) were that the lunch buffet was mediocre and repetitive and that we feel overall Celebrity is cutting back way too far on pre-dinner live entertainment (and live entertainment in general). Oh, and the pizza was awful:eek:. All in all, no one sailing on Summit needs to worry about a thing.

Hi Phonix. I am so glad you had a great experience. We didn't have an aweful experience. I'm glad you got great shampoos and such. Maybe your attendant gave you the concierge stuff :). I'm just telling you about OUR cabin and bedding . I love that your Select dining was terrific. Our late seating on deck 5 was cramped and hard to get too. I wrote this review because there was a thread that dismayed over the lack of reviews post dry dock. It will never cease to amaze me how people get so protective of a brand. I'm glad your Tuscan dining was good. The MDR used too that be that caliber. Relax its was my experiences and observations :D.

Jeff

You said you were on Millie 2 years ago but something doesn't pass the smell test....the palate cleanser sorbet disappeared MANY years ago so you shouldn't have been surprised its not there....