Speasda

39 minutes ago, tampadee said:

How did you handle bringing a covid test before boarding?

I think you are asking about bringing the results of the test?  We tested at home on Thursday using the emed tests.  We had downloaded the Navica app and showed the results in the app.  They scrolled down to see the test date and Negative result.  I was worried as I tested 51 hours before boarding so the app said 3 Days since last test.  They did not look at that.  They confirmed Negative result and that test date was 10/28 for the 10/30 sailing.  Others had paper copies from their test results.  

Had to show it only at the check in counter.  Vaccine card was checked at the door to the terminal and again when going up the elevator to the ship.  

17 hours ago, lunedemiel17 said:

Thank you for your review,  I have a question for you do they have the silent disco?  I booked a five days cruise on the summit in april 2022.

 

thank you in advance for your answer

 

lunedemiel17 😎
 

 

 

They indeed have silent disco.  It was the last night of our cruise.  I think in other cruises it was the second night, but our cruise seemed a little different.  They did "formal" night on the second night which was Halloween.  So Evening Chic became the normal Evening Chic or costumes.

13 hours ago, miched said:

As another mentioned you should have tried the coffee drinks at Cafe al Bacio.    All of the drinks are covered with the premium package and the sweets in the display case are available to anyone without a package or getting a coffee.  

 

Did they serve breakfast in the MDR?   It is sit down and they regularly come around serving pastries.  More relaxed than the self serve in the buffet. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Several people disappointed I did not try the drinks at al Bacio - I know the drinks are covered under the package, but liquor and beer selection is weak and that's what I prefer.  I don't look at coffee with Kahula or similar to be something to waste calories or time on.  I keep my coffee and alcohol separate.  

They did serve breakfast in the MDR.  It started a little later.  I have done breakfast in MDR before I find it to be slower than I like.  I am also a little scarred by sitting with other people at breakfast.  All I want is my coffee (not fancy), water, and a variety of food.  I like to get a little of this and a little of that.  I like to be able to easily go back and get more.  Since the ship was so undercrowded the normal craziness of the morning buffet was missing so it was very relaxing.  But the MDR is there if you like.  

4 hours ago, Larwos said:

I was interested in this, as I haven't sailed on Millennium before,  but had a trip planned before covid nuked it up, and hope to do it in the next year or so.

 

How did you like the decor and stateroom, and is there a library?  It's a shame you didn't go to the theatre as I find the quality of performers is excellent on Celebrity, but perhaps it's not to your taste?  You say there wasn't any entertainment late at night, which surprises me, I always love the music around the ship later in the evening.  Aren't they doing that on Millennium?

Glad you liked Celebrity, it's our favourite.

I liked the decor in the stateroom.  It was crisp and clean and thought it to be very functional.  I know others have felt it is too much form over function, but I found it function fine.  

I find the dancing and singing shows in the theater to be uninteresting.  I am not going to sit a tribute show to Aretha Franklin and enjoy it regardless of how good a performance it is.  There was a good variety of live music earlier in the evening and afternoon.  There was also DJ music in the Sky Lounge which I enjoyed the first night, but chose bed over that on other nights.  I have to be up early to catch our sail into port and sunrises which are always great. 

2 hours ago, 808lady said:

Thanks for the review!  Did you see any passengers dancing in the evenings?

There were very few pairs of dancers.  There was dancing at the Full Moon party, but that was more of dancing in a large group.  

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

I also want to thank your OP for their thoughts.  Would you book another Celebrity cruise?

I think I would book another Celebrity cruise.  I enjoyed the product as I was expecting laid back and that's what they delivered.  I think they would be better for a cruise that is more excursion based - basically not in the Caribbean so that the lower amount of entertainment was not a factor 

Others know more than me, but I thought Suites had drinks included.  I know the way it reads on the website is confusing to say the least, but drinks are listed as perk of the Retreat.

Hello all!  

My DD and I just returned from 4 days on the Summit.  I wanted to share a few thoughts that come to mind and are largely inspired by some of the previous threads.  This is probably just stream of conscience and I don't have many pictures ( I eat my food not photographic it)

• Basics - first time on Celebrity as cruises on NCL, RCCL, and Carnival.  Young teenage daughter and me were on our own in Concierge class aft balcony with premium drink package.  I was told there were 417 passengers onboard.
• Speaking of food - overall I thought the dining was very good, not great.  I like good food. 
  • The main dining menu was reasonable but there was one night nothing sounded good.  The service in the dining room was EXCELLENT.  Ananda and Ivana took great care of us.  I would say the MDR was about 25% full on deck 4 for anytime dining. They did cluster us in the back and starboard side so it was more crowded in those areas but it was not close enough that you were having conversations with the next table over.  Food came out faster than normal so I think they still have the kitchen well staffed.  Even when ordering second apps or entrees they came quickly.
  • Buffet - this was very pleasant.  There were lots of options and the food was fresh.  The one night we skipped the MDR and ate in Buffet, they did not cook my chicken breasts until I ordered.  I assume that was to make sure my meal was fresh.  Then they brought it to my table. As mentioned in previous posts they were serving from behind the buffet.  There were a few times I had to wait for someone come over and fix me a plate, but it was not bad.  I do agree with others this may not be scalable.  I really enjoyed the Indian selections at lunch and the poached egg station at Breakfast.  Opportunity - the bakery was kind of on it's own out of the way and it was manned by a staff who typically stood by the door not behind the serving counter.  I would like to see Celebrity add a "bakery cart" that they could roll around and offer a muffin or what not to those sitting at their table..  They have many servers available to provide juice and coffee so repurpose on of these nice folks
  • Cafe Al Bacio - did not try the pastries and I drank the Lavazza coffee from buffet
  • Pool Grill - just the basics. I went a slow time and the cook was focused on making 1 burger at a time so I was waiting for him to finish before I ordered.  I feel he could have taken another order and get that started while the prior burger was on the grill.  
  • Spa Cafe - dropped in for a smoothie once.  Can confirm they are covered on premium but not classic package
  • Sushi on 5 - Rafael and team  are so pleasant and the food was excellent.  I did this for lunch on a sea day and thought it was a great way to enjoy it and still get to the MDR for lobster/beef wellington night. The California rolls have real crab.
• Entertainment 
  • We loved the game shows, but there was not one on the last night which disappointed.  Lots of fun
  • We also did a fair amount of trivia hosted by our favorite person - Carlos.  
  • We skipped art auctions, spa seminars, and any thing similar
  • Pool games were fun, but I wish there were more games. That may have been a pandemic thing or that may be my take coming from the other lines.  
  • Skipped the Theater shows except the comedian on the first night.
  • Overall I liked what was there, but found myself looking for more options after 9:00.  I wanted an alternative to the theater and casino.  Again, may be reduced due to capacity or my perspective from other lines
• Venues & Staff
  • We hung at the pool deck a good bit.  As I looked around on both sea days I noted it was full, but not over crowded.  The second deck was virtually empty and if you wanted you could find deck chairs just not in the ideal spot.  
  • There was plenty of servers on the pool deck led by my new friends - Kadek and Yoga.  These guys were always around and checking in (not in that annoying hovering way that I was worried about going in).
  • When inside we were frequently in the Rendezvous Lounge where there lots of great seating.  In the evenings Tayla and Igor could be found there along with Yoga.  
  • Sunset Bar was the place to go to for late afternoon/evening drink.  While there you will see Agus and Beatriz - both wonderful, but Agus became my go to out there.  I think Beatriz has some managerial duties and was behind the scenes making it happen for us all.
• Embarkation/Debarkation
  • Easy Peasy.  Left Hilton Blue Lagoon at 10:55 - in terminal at 11:15 for 11:30 check in time.  There was not any waiting outside, walked right up to the check in lines and had my choice of lines with just one person there.  Then right onto the boat by 11:25.  Sue and team were there applauding as we walked on - that was kinda silly but I appreciated the effort
  • Rooms were ready when we arrived.  We met our steward and watched the safety video, checked in to muster station and then off to the Oceanview cafe
  • Leaving was said, but easy.  We did self assist and were off the boat @7:30 and in the MIA airport and through Precheck security by 8:11. Just called an Uber to whisk us away.  That was a great relief as we had 10:26 flight which I would normally hesitate to book but figured I would give it a shot hoping for easy disembarkation.  
• Staff - 
  • I talked to the staff more than normal this time as they had free time.  The general feeling is that they are glad to be working again after so many months not earning for their families.  They only have 6 month contracts (not a statistically accurate sampling) and want to be sure they get renew as they know there are many of the peers who have not been able to come back yet.  They see it as an honor to be one of the early returners.  As a part of that they never missed a chance to remind me of the importance of the survey that comes out post cruise.  My read on that was what others have said - CASH tips are nice, but survey is the key to long term earnings.  
  • We can debate the potential equity issues in the employment model for cruise lines for years, but the short term help we can provide is to provide extra tips as we are fortunate to be cruising, fill out the survey  with positives, and maybe cruise again?

Those are my thoughts and I would love to answer any questions I can.

9 hours ago, moe46 said:

Anyone know what is the latest debarkation time available on the Summit out of Miami? Flight isn’t until 2 so I’d rather be on the ship instead of in airport terminal. Miami excursions are only available for flights that depart after 3. 

What do you do on the ship that morning?  I always think about staying on longer, but it does not seem much better on the boat since most (maybe all) services are shut down except buffet.  Do you just sit there and drink free coffee?  It always feels so busy that I don't enjoy the morning and I prefer to just get on with the next step. Of course that means sitting in the airport drinking expensive coffee or eating another breakfast....

So, tomorrow's the big day for some of you!  

MSCDivina2016, where are we?  Are you going to be on the pier looking for your YC room?

Any insight from those who have done these longer world cruises before on how they might repurpose some of the spaces?  For example, I expect the kids and teens areas are not needed for their original purpose on a 274 day cruise.  

On 10/18/2021 at 3:49 PM, herr40 said:

Good News to Report, received my full refund! Already booked RCL for same week.!  So glad this is over. 

 

My refund processed 10/14 as well.  Glad to see that it was a reasonable time frame!

looking forward to the adventure.  We are on the Oct 30 4 day cruise so hoping to get all the tricks from this.  

On 10/9/2021 at 1:52 PM, canderson said:

If you'll put the app on your phone, you will find that you can view current menus from each ship in each dining venue.

Thanks for the tip!

Late to the game on this - did either of you happen to take any pictures of MDR menus?

On 9/30/2021 at 1:31 PM, mscdivina2016 said:

I have someone who states otherwise on so many fronts.  Issue is the cost.  I can assure you that if need be, 12 people will be appalled at the whole situation.

I will spend 5 figures if need be as I will get it back no doubt.

Still hoping it works out for you. I really want to know what happens.  

On 9/29/2021 at 4:02 PM, LadySpoilt said:

It was in an email that they sent the 3/4 day cruisers and someone copied it on here.  They said that due to the Salsa organization chartering the cruise, the regular people (not salsa group cruisers) had 3 options.  One of the options was to have the entire fare refunded.

that was me who posted the note on the 3/4 day cruise.  

 I had the same experience - first email charged me the cancellation fees but I was too busy with work and figured I would deal with it in a day or two.  Within that day or two I got the updated cancellation with no fees.

Now on Celebrity 10/30.  REports are they are sailing 15-30% full if anyone wants to join in.

5 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

Yes.  There was definitely a 'lobster night'.  I believe it was served both in Luminae and the main dining room on the same night (Thursday I'm guessing).  The waiters made a point of telling you a day or two ahead of time.  It may also have been available at a 'seafood feast' they offered early in the cruise - I think it was a lunch in Tuscan.  We prefer lighter lunches (and it was $40 I think) and didn't attend.

 

Super!  Thanks for the help!

On 9/29/2021 at 2:34 PM, SraLiz said:

Thanks for your thoughts.  They are appreciated!

We sail on Summit Oct. 9 in a balcony.  We have been thinking of the upgrade but after our experience in the Edge Retreat areas in August (SOOOOO crowded) and your thoughts on the Retreat sun deck... I think we will stay put.  

Thanks again! 

I keep hearing the same thing - staying in our concierge class on 10/30 sailing.

hasentreelake - thanks for the review.  My daughter is pestering me by asking if they had lobster on the menu anywhere.  Did you notice anything?

On 9/23/2021 at 4:50 PM, MightyMike said:

The search button is your friend!

 

Sweet sixteen cabins are the first (forward) 8 balcony cabins on each side on deck 6 of Millennium-class ships. Searching will give you the exact cabin numbers. Deck plans don't show any difference, but in reality, the balcony is double (possibly more) the standard size--more square than rectangular. It's just cool to have a bigger balcony than others paying more than you. Many suggest that cabins 6030 (starboard) and 6035 (port) are the best because they are farthest aft and offer great views of the side of the ship.

Mike  you are now my friend too!

21 hours ago, zitsky said:

What is a sweet sixteen cabin?

Yeah, what's a sweet sixteen cabin?  I am in 6019 (OV) as I decided to save the cash to spend on something other than a balcony.  

On 9/13/2021 at 4:13 PM, Jim_Iain said:

My experience on the two cruises I am on now they are included in an odd way.  They list each of the perks e.g. internet and then have an offsetting credit.   Mine is a weird one as I had moved the cruise and applied a FCC

 

Hi, It's my first Celebrity cruise trying to figure out all the AI pieces.  My booking confirmation looks like the one above for the Gratuities line.  

This line surprised me as it reads that I do not have a credit for Gratuities, but they are included in the AI package...so what am I missing?  

Thanks in advance

I appear to have gotten a full refund for my 3 day cruise.  The agent seemed to have enough information to process the refund and strangely enough did not give me the run around about staying on the salsa cruise or booking a different.  Probably glad to be rid of me.

Good luck if you elect to pursue damages.  I am interested to see how it goes and glad you have the time to do.  For me, I booked onto a 4 day Celebrity cruise that I look forward to!

1 hour ago, Speasda said:

I got the email.  It actually went to my daughter's email (Second passenger).  Here is my favorite part.  I have to cancel for a refund today if I want that option....

 

 

 

 

FULL TEXT - 

 

We are reaching out regarding a change that has been made to your cruise reservation, Booking: 38561541

MSC Cruises has finalized an agreement with SalsaCruise.com for a 7-night charter of MSC Divina departing Port Canaveral on October 24 returning October 31, 2021. This has resulted in the cancellation of the following cruise itineraries:

• MSC Divina 4-night cruise departing October 24, 2021 returning October 28, 2021
• MSC Divina 3-night cruise departing October 28, 2021 returning October 31, 2021

We apologize for this disruption to your travel plans and would like to offer you the following choices:

1. Cruise on MSC Divina October 24-31 as a part of the SalsaCruise.com Dance and Latin Music Charter-
   • MSC will protect your 3- or 4-night cruise fare, taxes, gratuities and offer Balcony Staterooms to guests who choose to sail on the 7-night Salsa Cruise. This applies to bookings of Interior, Oceanview, and Balcony staterooms. All charter programming, dance and entertainment events are open to all guests sailing on the Salsa Cruise at no additional cost.
   • All shore excursions will be canceled and need to be rebooked with the new itinerary. Please contact your Travel Agent or, if you booked directly with MSC Cruises, call us at 1 (866) 420-3584
   • Guests who decide to sail on the new 7 -night charter, should contact their Travel Agent or, if you booked directly with MSC Cruises, call us at 1 (866) 420-3584 our representatives will be happy to finalize your booking arrangements.
   • For additional information regarding this 7-night charter visit: https://salsacruise.com/theship/ or YouTube
2. Rebook your cruise to a different date- Please contact your Travel Agent or, if you booked directly with MSC Cruises, call us at 1 (866) 420-3584
3. Request a full refund - Please contact your Travel Agent or, if you booked directly with MSC Cruises, call us at 1 (866) 420-3584 no later than Monday September 20, 2021

Please be reminded: All guests are required to be fully vaccinated to cruise to The Bahamas & Caribbean during the charter. Please visit the Health and Safety and select Bahamas and Caribbean Cruises to review all boarding protocols and testing requirements, here: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/health-and-safety-measures/caribbean-cruises

We thank you for choosing MSC Cruises and we apologize for any inconvenience this itinerary change may have caused.

Sincerely,
MSC Cruises USA

 Guess what! This email was sent in error according to my call with Benjamin in customer service.  He was very shocked the phone number listed on the email leads me to him and the normal MSC phone tree. 

I am told Corporate should not have sent that email out today.  They do not yet have the authority to make the refunds and they will not have the ability until 9/27.  He also said I would be receiving an email saying I have to call no later than  9/27 to get a full refund.  If you read that again you may see the flaw - the last day I can all is 9/27 but the first day they can make a refund is 9/27.  The mess continues.  

Just now, mscdivina2016 said:

Well from a contract point, they did cancel the 3 & 4 night sailings.

 

The 7 night people, they did not cancel our cruise, so they need to cancel us which brings the T&C into play.  I would entertain staying on Salsa cruise as we are actually Dancers. Sincet his will be a total disruption of a regular cruise, whats the offer?

STeve

I think the offer is you get to engage in all of the salsa entertainment plans.  They must have cut a deal with the salsa cruise leaders.  That sounds to me like the rest of the entertainment team gets a week off.  That will not give me a proper view of what MSC is like.  I have determined they are not staffing the call center adequately.

1 minute ago, Adian80 said:

What this doesn't specify is if you will have to pay a fare increase when you rebook. There's also no mention of this of us that booked as a 7 night. 

I am taking it that I will have an extra fee when I rebook.  

I am on hold now trying to get clarification about only having until today to make a decision on refund.  Good thing I read this email when I got it....

I think I am going refund and putting MSC behind me.  Thoughts on Celebrity?