New Hampshire

You are very correct in pointing out that part of what I posted is clearly my opinion, especially when I began a sentence with "I think".

 

However, the portion of my post that described what I saw and experienced on four different cruises was not opinion, it was reality. I also observed more casual dress in Select Dining than in the part of the MDR reserved for traditional seatings.

 

My husband and I have always enjoyed formal nights and we have dressed formally in evening wear for all the years we've cruised. Our last cruise was the first one on which my husband wore a sport jacket, shirt and tie instead of a tux and still was more dressed up than many of the men around us in the MDR.

Please no hate response, just need the real low down on this question. We will be on the Silhouette in early Dec. and my DH and best friend's DH will not pack a jacket under any circumstance! Will we have any problems getting into the MDR (we will be nicely dressed) or do we need to plan those nights for alternate dining rooms? I am thinking we will do at least one night in an alternate dining room, but might like to dine on a regular evening. We always dress up for dinner, just not true formal as we have been there, done that too many times. We have not sailed on Celebrity in so many years, I do not know what to expect. Most of our cruises in the past years have been on Princess, with Azamara mixed in between.

Also has anyone done dinner in the buffet? I don't care for buffets even for lunch so this would not be my choice, but thinking we could do it, or even have room service on our balcony.

Thank you in advance for you replies!

 

 

 

You requested the "real low down" on the question of dress on formal nights in the MDR. We all know what is printed on Celebrity's website as it's stated dress code. The reality of what kind of dress is being accepted is not what the code states. This is not my opinion. It' simply a reporting of my observation and experience. On my last four cruises on Silhouette, Reflection and twice on Summit from 2012 until most recently March, 2014 and in the Caribbean, Europe and Bermuda, MY EXPERIENCE has been that formal dress or jacket and tie worn by men in the MDR has not been required. Jackets have not been handed out to men without them. Many men have been in the MDR on formal nights on all four of these cruises wearing dress shirts with and without ties, or even collared polo shirts. I really doubt that staff will try to tighten the dress code up again, now that people have experienced how relaxed it's become.

 

I think you can confidently plan on eating in the MDR every night of your cruise without the men in your party having a jacket or tie.

Where is the Gastropub located on Equinox?

The dress code is published. Still do not understand why people ask. Those who decide not to follow the code will do as they please anyway.

 

 

 

I think everyone realizes there is a published dress code on Celebrity's website. What Celebrity cruisers are experiencing once onboard, however, is a very different reality. On my last four cruises, twice on Summit, once each on Reflection and Silhouette, with itineraries in Europe, the Caribbean and Bermuda, I have seen all manner of dress in the MDR on formal nights, except for shorts and tank tops. There has been no enforcement of the published guidelines. I questioned my waiter about it on my most recent cruise in March, and he said there was no problem with men coming to the MDR on formal nights without jackets or ties. They are no longer giving jackets to men without them.

 

I strongly doubt that once the rules have been relaxed to the degree that they have been that they will ever revert back to the way things were in the past.

Information on these boards about St. Martin claim that the water at Great Bay Beach is polluted. That might be why so few people were in the water in your photos. Based on those reports we didn't consider going there to the beach.

Yes, you will be able to get anything you want there other than alcohol.

The OP asked for information from people who had recently cruised on a Celebrity ship. My response was simply what I observed. There was no judgment involved. The published dress codes on Celebrity's website and the reality of what is taking place on the ships I've sailed on in the last three years are not the same. Those cruises have been in Europe, Bermuda and the Caribbean on Reflection and twice on Summit. There was no enforcement of dress codes on formal nights in the MDR on any of these cruises.

 

My husband has always warn a tux on formal nights until our most recent cruise when he wore a sport jacket with a dress shirt and tie. Frankly, now that people are wearing every kind of attire all over the ship in the evenings, trying to maintain formal nights no longer makes sense.

My most recent cruise was on the Summit's March 22 sailing. We had Select Dining in the upper level of the MDR. At least 20% of the men were without a jacket or a tie. One of these men was a member of the group I was traveling with. No one ever said a word to him about it. He didn't look out of place or feel out of place. There were very few tuxes anywhere on the formal nights, the fewest I've ever seen.

I was on this same sailing of the Summit, Select Dining, between 7 and 7:30 every evening. We were a group of six. We had excellent service at dinner every evening. We did not have the same table or waiter each night, but every one we had was excellent. We also had excellent somellier service.

At least 25% of men were without jackets on formal nights in the MDR/Select Dining on my recent Summit cruise.. Therefore, it's not necessary to reserve specialty restaurants for formal nights. My last four cruises on three different Celebrity ships had no enforcement of formal dress codes in the MDR?

Yes, they are covered.

Hey there, Freedom55, we had the same cabin as you for the previous week, March 22-29. I prefer the S-class ships, but do agree that the cabin is comfortable with better storage than the S-class. Our cabin attendant, Julio,was the worst we have had on a Celebrity ship. We ran out of shampoo and body wash. I had to leave notes to him to replace these. There were no laundry bags in the cabin and again had to leave a note for these. The card for ordering canapés was left for us only three times during the week. When we came back from the beach each port day, our used beach towels were taken away, but not replaced. Every morning we had to search for him to get clean beach towels for the day.

 

I agree about Gabriella in Select Dining. She is amazing. I sailed Summit in May to Bermuda, and Gabriella remembered me from that cruise. She is the only staff member that we gave an an additional tip to.

 

We also went to Coconut Beach Club on Antigua and were extremely disappointed. There were six of us and we all found it to be run down, shabby and dirty. The pictures on it's website must have been taken years ago. The lunch was pretty bad with birds sitting in uncovered dishes in the buffet. The beach chairs were shabby with torn covers. The drinks were poor. I wrote a review afterwards on Trip Advisor and found others that seemed to agree with us. The day before we had been on St Lucia on a day pass at Rendezvous Resort. That was fabulous!!! Perfect in every way. I would rate that one a 10 and Coconut Beach a 1!!!!

 

All in all, we had a wonderful cruise.

We returned from the Summit on March 29. There wasn't a brunch, didn't miss it and didn't intend to go if there was one. We loved it in the first few years they had the brunch. In the last few years, it became more and more of a zoo, and if you weren't there as soon as it opened, it quickly became quite unappealing.

Yes, the pool is there, available to all adults without fee.

Given the choice of bartenders walking around the pool deck areas asking me every 10 minutes if I want the "sweet pumpkin" or whatever the drink of the day is, in a souvenir glass....or walking to a bar to get a drink, I'll pick walk to the bar every time. This is one case where less is more....

 

I had no trouble at all ordering the drink of my choice from the waiters circulating around the pool. Even those who had the drink of the day on their tray took my order and returned go me in less time than ordering it myself at the bar.

My first Celebrity cruise was in 1996 and my 15th on Celebrity ended two weeks ago. I had a wonderful time on every one of them. I feel so fortunate and filled with gratitude to have been able to have all these wonderful adventures. If you look for the positive, you will see it all around you wherever you are. The same thing holds true if you're looking for the negative.

We returned from our cruise on the Summit on March 29, our first cruise with a drink package. The pool bar was always busy with people and there were waits, but not because the bartenders weren't trying. One of them never seemed to smile and was our least favorite on the cruise. The bar waiters that walked around the pool area were great. They were circulating constantly. We ordered most of our daytime drinks from them. We had no problems at the bar on the back of the deck outside the Oceanview, and the Martini Bar guys were great. We did not order drinks in the theater or Revelations and didn't spend any time in the Rendezvous Lounge or Michael's Club. The sommelier was wonderful at dinner, wine glasses were kept full.

We disembarked from the Summit on March 29. Dress codes were not enforced at all. I was trying to find men in tuxes on formal nights and came up with a grand total of five during the time I was searching. In Select Dining there were an equal number of men without jackets as those with jackets. Quite a few men were wearing golf shirts and dockers. Looking down at the lower level where traditional dining was taking place, there were a greater number of men in jackets as compared to Select, but still men without jackets. Women also were less dressed up on these nights than what I've observed on past cruises.

 

This particular sailing had the majority of passengers under 60. There were also many more school aged children than I expected to see during the last week of March. I didn't observe any people in the college spring break category.

Yes, but the upgrade is only 1 category within the class you chose. We just booked 2 cruises on Saturday while onboard the Silhouette. We were able to pay for a C3 and get a C2. You can't pay for the highest regular balcony and go up to Concierge, just within the same category.

 

The pamphlet I have does not mention a category upgrade for booking onboard but we did get it so your mileage may vary. ;)

 

I just left the Summit on March 29. We didn't book while onboard, but in reading the flier about the onboard booking offer, the upgrade info was missing, so I assumed it was no longer being offered. Glad to hear it's still part of the deal. We sail on Eclipse in October and are considering making a booking while on that cruise.

We're just back from the Summit on March 29. My husband and I upgraded to the Premium package, but my daughter had the Classic. The only martinis she could get with that package were a Cosmo, appletini or dirty martini. All were also in a smaller glass. Martinis are now $11.

I don't think that onboard bookings offer an upgrade any longer.

[quote name='karena1']Has anyone been on Summit in the last 2 weeks? Hubby really wants that brunch lunch. Sister was on Summit in Feb/Mar and they had it. Do they still have it on Summit for our sea day. We are leaving on Summit Sat.[/QUOTE]

Just off the Summit on March 29. There wasn't a brunch on the sea day. In a conversation about it with a waiter, he told me the brunch had been done away with on all ships. The reasons were public health and safety as the inspectors found fault with the space being not acceptable for buffet setup, the size and behavior of the crowds of passengers trying to eat in a three hour span of time and the amount of waste.

With the increase in norovirus on ships in recent years we have stayed away from that buffet. After witnessing a near fist fight over pool chairs on a cruise out of Bayonne, I can see that rude behavior in a crowded buffet could lead to problems.

I perfectly understand that things that "used to be" on Celebrity ships can no longer be done as the size of the ships and passenger loads have increased and increased. We've been sailing on Celebrity since the birth of the Century class. They were large in comparison to the Horizon and Zenith which came before them. I understand why food and service has changed now that massive numbers of people need to be served. The one thing I really wish that Celebrity would do is to go back to the days when the dining room served lunch every day whether at sea or in port.

Hi;

I hope I can answer some of your questions(Summit is one of my favorite ships).

 

*The MDR is not open for lunch on boarding or port days. There is Bistro on 5(a $5 per person cover) as well as the Aqua Spa Cafe as an alternative to the buffet for boarding day.

 

*You may bring your own bottled water/soda, there is no limit(only what you're willing to bring along). Ask for extra baggage tags at the port(if you need them), and while you're things are being off loaded, write your name and room # on the tags, put it on your water/soda case, and have them loaded with the rest of your baggage.

 

*No self serve laundry facilities are available on the ship.

 

*There is alternate parking available that is cheaper(parking other than at the port itself). I can't comment on them, as we always rely on other arrangements and don't drive in. One is Premier Parking Ventures(http://premierparkingusa.com/cruise-parking/port-liberty), the other is Global Port Parking(http://globalairportparking.com/port_liberty_seaport_parking_POL). The best thing to do is head over to the East Coast Departures board here on Cruise Critic (here's the link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415) and ask about off port parking and if anyone has an opinion about these(or any other) alternate facilities.

 

*You won't see much of the iconic skyline, however while still at the dock, you'll have a great view of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as being able to watch the Staten Island Ferry in NY Harbor. The ship sails under the Verranzano-Narrows Bridge, which is a nice sight, and there's a nice view of some of coastal NJ too.

 

*I've never had an oceanview on deck 2, but I did stay in one that was directly over the theater on deck 6, and never heard anything(I always had 2nd seating dinner, so I would be in my cabin during the 1st showtime).

 

*It's been hit or miss on enforcement of dress during formal nights, but in my past experiences(last cruise was April, '13), they've enforced it. I would at least bring a suit jacket for your husband to wear for formal nights with his shirt and tie.

 

*My main "must do" activity is to sometimes do as little as possible!(I know that doesn't help, but I do like the chef demos they sometimes have, and I also enjoy the galley tour)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

 

My intent is not to start another dress code thread, but just to share my own experience on Summit in May, 2013. We ate in Select Dining and observed many men in just shirts, no ties or jackets on formal nights. I questioned our waiter as to the lack of enforcement of the dress code, and he just shrugged and said there was nothing they could do about it. I don't know if the same situation was taking place in the parts of the MDR that had traditional seatings.

 

We are sailing Summit next week in the Caaribbean and for the first time ever my husband is not wearing a tux. He will be wearing a sport jacket, shirt and tie on formal nights.

No reductions after final payment.

Select has been one half of the upper level of all the ships I've been on, both S and M class.