Happy Cruiser 6143

The answer is simple: they weren't thinking. They have somehow got it in their heads that all their customers are young and lithe. If they would just go on their ships once in a while, they would see this is not the case. I get that their target audience is younger, they just haven't succeeded in populating their ships with their target audience. And my guess is that their younger target audience all takes showers and doesn't want to climb over a steep tub wall in order to do that.

Why are you so sure it is the crew that has covid? I was on a B2B on the Summit recently and 100% of the crew tested negative on both cruises.

Just off two cruises on the Summit. Registered for connections parties on both and received notice that the required number had registered. No invitation once on board.

News flash: Wall Street is pretty much negative on everything these days.

I had no problems with my ancient PC. This was by far the best one they've done--you could feel their excitement. Although I must admit that the reflection in Lisa's glasses is annoying. It sounded like a great cruise--I went to check it out and then realized that I'm on another trip on September 5. Oh well.

Thank you for letting us know of Don's passing. He was a wonderful participant and contributor to these boards and his contributions will be missed. May your happy memories sustain you in your loss.

There seem to be a lot of judgmental folks here. If you think door decor is tacky, don't do it. Why not live and let live? Seems there's too much my way or the highway in the world these days.

Well, if Bermuda isn't a "distant foreign port," how did Celebrity get away with having a cruise that went from Cape Liberty to Bermuda, then to Charleston, then back to Cape Liberty? That was our itinerary on the May 4 Summit cruise.

😁 I suspect it was a supply chain issue as I only had a couple of glasses each night.

I was actually alerted to the existence of the Fre sparkling by a wonderful sommelier in Luminae. Even some regular champagne drinkers tried it after she brought it to the table and they enjoyed it as well.

Unfortunately, common sense is woefully in short supply these days.

I suspect that my October cruise will drop Bermuda as a port if Bermuda does not change its testing requirements. It's not needed as there are other "distant foreign ports" and the present setup is a major headache.

Just a few comments. I do not believe Celebrity is intentionally trying to keep the staffing levels down. That would be long-term suicide. I am just off a B2B on the Summit. On the first cruise we had around 350 pax and the captain kept referring to it as a private yacht. I was in a suite and experienced wonderful service. The second cruise which we moved forward from one previously booked so as to do a B2B had no suite availability, so I was in a C1. Same cabin attendent as the previous cruise, so no complaints about the cabin. However, suddenly there were about 1600 pax on the ship! The Bacio waitresses were literally running to keep up with the increase. I personally witnessed stripes pitching in to help--several times my order got delivered by an officer. The MDR was a complete disaster. Long waits to get in and then no service once one got in. It was clearly understaffed and/or staffed with untrained newbies, although the MDR manager maintained they were properly staffed. That made me wonder how much experience with Celebrity he had. It was nothing like my many previous experiences with the MDR. Two nights of that sent us to talk to the wonderful Lobo, maitre d' extradordinaire in Luminae. He magically conjured up some handicapped SSs and the rest of our cruise was delightful. Our butler on the first cruise said that they were down to 3 butlers from the usual 5, but that did not prevent him from providing exceptional service. With the exception of the MDR, all the Celebrity staff I encountered were as helpful and cheerful as I have previously experienced. No complaints about MDR food--I frequently mix & match MDR & Luminae items when dining in Luminae.

I'm sorry you did not enjoy your experience on the Reflection. I hope you find a line that you like better. Luminae on the Summit was a very happy place--best maitre d' I've ever experienced on a Celebrity cruise. No judgment about which menus we ordered from. The only problem was that I apparently drank up all their non-alcoholic champagne on the first leg. None available on the second leg, although they did have non-alcoholic wines available. I just like the bubbles better.

Glad you're safe at home after an uneventful flight. Looking forward to your next adventure.

So you are saying my experience is not valid? Only what you hear from others? Were you actually on the ship? Of course people order items from the MDR in Luminae. The opportunity to mix and match items from both menus gives more variety.

The itineraries have been modified to make Bermuda the first stop. Thus your test prior to boarding the ship works.

Just off 3 weeks on the Summit on a B2B. No sign of covid on board or discussion about it. The crew members reported each time that they had all tested negative. Some of them were allowed to get off the ship in port.

I'm just off Summit. I was in a suite. The service and the food in Luminae were both excellent. I also had wonderful service in my suite.

People do not fall overboard on ships. They either jump or are pushed.

It's not self serve on M class. The question was about Summit which is an M class ship.

No, it is not self serve.

Yes, Liverpool is awesome, one of my favorite ports ever. Do not miss their library. The inside has been completely redone and is awesome. And their two cathedrals are amazing.

Many ports require photo ID on your return to the ship. Always take your drivers license with you. Leave your passport on the ship (have a copy of both on your phone). DL is much easier to replace if stolen than a passport.

I too am just off a B2B on the Summit. I was in the PH on the first leg and had an awesome butler, Alex. Granted, we do not ask much of the butler, but we did host a sailaway party. I had told the shoreside concierge to alert the butler which she failed to do. On several hour's advance notice, Alex produced a wonderful sailaway party for us. He and our stateroom attendant took exceptional care of my suite mate who was experiencing a nasty reaction to an antibiotic she had been put on prior to the cruise. I never received a post-cruise survey from Celebrity although I had sent notes to the hotel director specifically mentioning great performance by several of the staff. Alex did admit that they were short staffed. He performed admirably anyway. His standard response to any question was, "I will make it happen." The second cruise was a last-minute decision and allegedly no suites were available. My two friends and I were in three different C1s. Dinner in the MDR the first night was a disaster. We waited 15 minutes to be seated even though we had reservations. Once seated, we were ignored for half an hour. The MDR is either grossly understaffed or staffed by newbies who haven't a clue what Celebrity service should be like. One of my friends went to the Retreat Concierge after dinner and was upgraded to a SS which had somehow become available. Two of us left to try the second night in the MDR thinking the previous evening was due to first-night jitters. Wrong. Second night was even worse. After dinner, we went to talk to the world's greatest maitre d', Yuda, in Luminae. He picked up his magic phone and somehow conjured another suite out of the ether. That was it for magical SSs. I remained in my C1 and was permitted to return to Luminae as a guest of my two friends. I have no problem with the food in the MDR. More often than not, when I'm dining in Luminae I order off the MDR menu. The service on this cruise, however, was definitely not I've had previously in the MDR. The service in Luminae was, as usual, impeccable. I'd also like to call out the two servers in Bacio, Inna and Herma, who were literally running to keep up with the increased passenger load on the second cruise. They even had officers helping them out. In spite of the stress, they always addressed me by name, knew my cabin number and didn't need to ask, and started preparing my order as soon as I appeared. Awesome service! Now, here I am at home with no one to serve me coffee and almond croissants for breakfast, no one to cook and serve awesome meals and clean up after, and no one to make my bed and care for my laundry and dry cleaning. Worst of all, I am expected to go to the grocery store and actually procure provisions. Real life is hard! I congratulate the mostly awesome Celebrity staff who made my cruises such an enjoyable experience.