Bermuda Summit Review July 8th sailing

Background

We are seasoned cruisers, but due to our jobs we are limited to cruising only once a year. All of our previous cruising has been on Holland America and have been lucky enough to afford a Deluxe Suite or Penthouse. This cruise was planned by a family member for a “Cousin’s Cruise” who cruises primarily on Celebrity, our group consisted of 28 ranging in age from 4-91. We were very anxious to see what Celebrity has to offer. My immediate family consisted of DH, my mother (91) who shared a cabin with us and DS and his new fiancé. For this cruise DH, mom and I shared Celebrity Suite 8104 and DS and fiancé were right down the hall in “B” 8136.

Embarkation

DS and his fiancé both live in Florida and traveled by air to the DC area on Saturday. The 5 of us traveled to Bayonne in 2 cars due to the amount of luggage. We arrived at the port around 11:30 we dropped the luggage, DH, mom and fiancé off and then DS and I drove around to the parking. The celebrity rep told us to go to the regular check in line until we told her we were in a suite. Neither had very long lines and but it seemed odd there was only one picture taking station. We then got our pictures taken and proceed to the shuttle bus to the ship. We were greeted with a champagne and wheel chair pusher. We were told the only dining option was the buffet. I had previously read the Bistro on 5 was open for lunch on embarkation day but he insisted it was closed. I had really hoped for something other than the buffet but we didn’t make a fuss even though it was quite chaotic. Just as we finished lunch the announcement was made the rooms were ready.

Celebrity Suite 8104

This suite is very spacious and since there were 3 of us we felt we needed a bit more space. This suite has 2 rooms. The living room has a large sofa and sitting chair with ottoman, a desk and curved, floor to ceiling windows with a newly built balcony. The bedroom consisted of queen size bed, small dressing area and a very pretty bathroom. There were 2 flat screen TVs, I was surprised there was not a DVD player though. We had brought a few Netflix DVDs to watch while relaxing. I also quickly realized there was only 1 US outlet and it was in the right hand side of the dressing room. One near the desk would have been helpful for phone/iPad/camera charging. I loved the look of the bathroom, it reminded of modern hotel bath with lots of marble, double sink, and raised jetted tub/shower. The next morning I realized it was very difficult to get into the shower since it was so high and getting out was much harder since there was no grab bars. DH is 6’4” and found his head almost touched the ceiling of the tub. There was also a full length mirror at the front and back of the shower – not sure I like looking at myself while showering.

The Summit

I had done a lot of reading about the Summit and Celebrity in general over the last few months and was very excited to find out for myself it we had found a new cruise line. After we dropped our things we went exploring. My first impressions were WOW. The ship is just beautiful and they did a great job while she was in dry-dock. We explored deck 4 with Michael’ Club, Rendezvous Lounge, Martini Bar and the casino. DH and I had purchased the premium drink package while it was on sale in June, DS and fiancé purchased the classic drink package but DS decided to upgrade to premium after seeing all the craft beers at Michael’s Club. While exploring deck 5 I found out Bistro on 5 was open and really wish we had our first meal there in a relaxed space. I had read about Café Al Bacio and knew it would be my go to place for coffee. The Gelateria looked so yummy. After the muster drill in the casino we finally we made our way to deck 11 to Revelation Lounge. We decided to stay here for the sail away.

Food

We had fixed early dining and the 28 of us had 3 tables near each. I was pleased to see escargot was back on the everyday menu. For the most part, the food in the Cosmopolitan Dining room very good although I hit a few misses. One the 2nd formal night my lobster looked like a picture but was so over cooked it was inedible. My cousin who organized this cruise recently did her first Holland America cruise and said the X food would blow me away compared to HAL – not so. I rate the food very close to HAL in the Cosmopolitan.

One thing that was not good in the Cosmopolitan was the bar service. We like to have cocktail before dinner and every night it was 30-45 minutes before our martini’s arrived. In several cases not everyone at the table would get a cocktail on the first pass. One night DS actually left the table and went to a bar for a drink and was back before the cocktail waitress. The wine stewards were attentive and kept the wine flowing.

One afternoon not wanting to fight he crowds at the buffet we had a delightful lunch at Bistro on 5. The food was really good and the venue relaxing. Just next door is the Cellar Masters – never saw anything happening there.

Our suite gave us a comp dinner at one of the specialty restaurants and we chose Normandie Restaurant. We could not have been more pleased. Normandie is very relaxing with live piano music and tables set far enough apart that you can have pleasant conversation without hear people near you. For this meal most of us enjoyed the lobster bisque, filet mignon trio and the strawberry crepes prepared table side. Again the wine stewards assisted us with wonder wine pairings. DH was very pleased with the cheese course as he very often orders cheese for dessert on HAL. Before leaving, we all decided it was so nice we wanted to dine there again before leaving. We booked Friday night not realizing that was a formal night. Since we were with a large group I wanted to spend the 2nd formal night with the large family group. Luckily when I realized this Normandie was able to accommodate us for our last night. Our 2nd dining experience was just as delicious as the first. I also thought the Normandie out shined the Pinnacle Grill for you HAL cruisers.

The Saturday Brunch had so many wonderful stations. Again took forever to get bar service but by Saturday we were used to that, and just trying to get a Bloody Mary. They had a champagne/mimosa station why not set up a Bloody Mary station?

Drink Packages

At first we were not going to get the drink packages, but when I read on CC that they were on sale until 6/22 we decided to jump on it. While we do enjoy in imbibing I don’t think we are extremely heavy drinkers. The thing that made it worth it to us was the fact I could get bubbly water when I wanted. I also enjoy cappuccinos and went to Café al Bacio several times a day. I also ordered more expensive wines that I normally would and didn’t give it a thought if I had to pay a few dollars more. Fiancé Katie thought the classic would work for her but often found herself wanting a drink that was above her $8 limit. Since she was our guest next time I’m not asking and will get her premium package.

Ship Activities

· Dancing with the Stripes – was so funny.

· Various trivia games – I won the Pink and Purple game. The prize could have been better though – an X purse hanger.

· Celebrity Idol - typical

· Cook This not That – got tasty samples

· Navigation Under the Stars – very interesting even though it was not extremely clear out.

· Bingo – no winners in our group

· Crew Variety show.

· Guitarist Andrew Halpin – just great and played most evenings at Michael Club

· Casino – learned to play craps, hit several big hands at 3 card poker and won one of the Texas Hold ‘em tournies.

· Not So Newlywed Game – two actual answers: First kiss – “in her former husband’s car”. Most unusual Whoopie location – “in her former husband’s car”. Note to self – never volunteer for this game.

Bermuda Activities

· Took #7 bus to Horseshoe bay. I also heard Elbow beach a bit farther away was also just wonderful. We had stayed at Elbow Beach in 1985 and am glad to see it’s is still in existence.

· Walked around dock side and went to the Bermuda Maritime Museum.

· Taxi tour with Nevis Barboza. We had booked Nevis on our 2011 Bermuda cruise and I emailed him for a repeat. I later learned Nevis was the Bermuda taxi driver of the year for 2011. His email address is: prbarboza@logic.bm

· Ferry tip to Hamilton for shopping. We arrived before the shops opened at 10 so walked down the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and was glad to see the Fairmont has put a lot of money into revamping this long time Bermuda favorite. Unfortunately the old time stores such as Trimmingham’s are no longer around but Hamilton is just charming.

· Others in our 28 person group did: snorkeling, Hamilton horse and buggy ride, jet skis, scooter rentals, Wednesday night Hamilton street fair.

Disembarkation

We elected to have a very early disembarkation since DS and fiancé had an afternoon flight back to Florida from DC. DH and I asked for an 8am departure and noted 8136 was traveling with us. DS and Katie ended up with a 9:45 departure. After a trip to the front office we got this resolved. The departure was very smooth and no lines going through customs. We were home by 1pm.

Misses

· Butler – wasn’t sure how to effectively use him. I did ask for a shrimp cocktail plate which he brought along with the trolley snacks. I also was never sure which tasks were the butler’s or the room stewards.

· Would have like ice refilled more often. Champagne bottle was never put back on ice after the first day. We ended up bringing it home with us.

· Had to ask the front desk for comment form. We got one comment for the room not one person. Is that the X norm? With HAL it’s one per person.

· Received a preliminary bill but not a final bill.

· Asked for more hangers but never received them.

· Bar service – I previously mentioned the issues at dinner. When attending one of the scheduled ship board activities in an actual bar (Rendezvous) I would expect the bar to be open or at the minimum bar waiter, instead when I asked was told I could go up to deck 5 and get a drink myself.

· Laundry – Sent several items out including white slack that had a few spots that needed pre-treating. They came back in the same condition. Washed them on return and spots gone. DH sent his tuxedo shirt out to be laundered for the 2nd formal night and assumed that it would come back pressed as well. While dressing he realized that it had just been washed and folded. I later looked at the laundry form and saw there was a section for “Pressing” but we assumed a tuxedo shirt would also want to be pressed after washing. Note so self “never assume anything”

· Makeup mirror in the bathroom. First it wasn’t lighted but it was installed up so high. I’m 5’8” and had to get on tip toes to put on my eye makeup. It would make more sense to have this in the dressing area too.

· DS wished Michael’s and their beer selection to be open before 7pm.

· This one is minor but we did spend a lot of evenings at Revelation dancing after the evening activities. They have a great venue and dance floor but I wish they would match the video being screened to the music being played. Example on 80’s night while playing Madonna why not screen the video that matched instead of some random video that we had no idea what it was. This happened no matter what the theme was.

Conclusion

We had a great cruise and loved our 3rd trip to Bermuda. We were so glad to try Celebrity after a dozen or so HAL cruises. While a bit different from HAL I feel Celebrity has a product I look forward to cruising on again.

I posted X vs HAL Pros and Cons here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1675674

FoxyTerrier, I enjoyed reading your well written review. In particular, the contrast/comparison with HAL was informative. If my recollection is correct, Celebrity does hand out one comment card per stateroom (at least we only fill out one), but you can always ask for more...

Great review!! Thanks for posting it. We are just now beginning our research of Celebrity cruises, and we plan to sail on the Summit next summer.

I was excited to see you were in a Celebrity Suite. We have decided that that's the category we'd like to book, also, but we are wondering about the balcony. We don't know whether we'd be happier in one that faces forward or an aft facing balcony.

Your cabin, 8104, faces the front of the ship. Did you notice a lot of wind on your balcony? We love to have breakfast on our balcony....did the wind prohibit that?

Thanks! I will look forward to your reply! Again, that's for posting that great review!

Thanks for your review. How did your mom do? Did she enjoy it? Thanks.

Great review!! Thanks for posting it. We are just now beginning our research of Celebrity cruises, and we plan to sail on the Summit next summer.

 

I was excited to see you were in a Celebrity Suite. We have decided that that's the category we'd like to book, also, but we are wondering about the balcony. We don't know whether we'd be happier in one that faces forward or an aft facing balcony.

 

Your cabin, 8104, faces the front of the ship. Did you notice a lot of wind on your balcony? We love to have breakfast on our balcony....did the wind prohibit that?

 

Thanks! I will look forward to your reply! Again, that's for posting that great review!

firstcruiserDB,

I'm sorry to report we did not spend a lot of time out on the balcony especially while sailing. Our best recollection is it is not overly windy. Remember 3 of the days you will be docked at Dock Yard and the final day there is no room service. The 2 days we did have room service we ate the dining table.

We picked 8104 as I had read the rear facing cabin had a window washing machine that slightly obstructed the view to the aft. I peeked around the partition and no such window washing machine. Maybe that was pre-balcony.

On HAL our favorite place is an aft corner SB stateroom and we do spend a lot of time out there for cocktails and breakfast.

I'm sure you will love Celebrity.

Very detailed great review. Thank you!

Diane

Thanks for your review. How did your mom do? Did she enjoy it? Thanks.

MLevine,

Thanks for asking, my mom did just fine. She now needs a walker and we picked the Celebrity Suite as it had more room for getting around with her walker.

We also brought a wheel chair for her while going to other places on the ship.

She and my father lived in Bermuda in 1952-53 before I was born so it was bitter sweet for her. Nevis (taxi driver) and his wife tried very hard to find their house in Paget but back then they only used house names and not addresses. Too many years has passed and she can't remember exactly where in Paget and I can't seem to locate her pictures from Bermuda.

Thanks for a great and well-balanced review. I agree with most of what you said, including the issues with bar service, which I found on the Summit last month. Glad you enjoyed the trip! Generally, Celebrity service is superior to HAL, so hopefully you'll book another Celebrity cruise. Wait until you try one of the Solstice-Class ships!! WOW! I'm not a big fan of Summit or the Millennium-Class, but the Sostice-Class is AMAZING! Thanks for taking the time for this review!

Michael

Glad you enjoyed the trip! Generally, Celebrity service is superior to HAL, so hopefully you'll book another Celebrity cruise.

Michael

Michael,

I'm sure Celebrity will be in our cruising future along with HAL. Just curious as to your statement "Generally, Celebrity service is superior to HAL", from your cruise log I don't see HAL listed.

Based on our first cruise I think the service is very similar HAL excluding the cocktail issues in the restaurant.

I also see you have cruised on Crystal many times. They are also on my future cruise plans. Do you recommend them?

Thank you for a well balanced, informative review. We loved Normandie and are so looking forward to returning in September.

I really enjoyed reading your review of the Summit. My family are HAL vets as well and just returned from the Veendam yesterday. We are disappointed that HAL will not be continuing their Bermuda itineraries next year so I'm curious to hear your thoughts on being at the Dockyard rather than in Hamilton.

Thanks!

Marjorie

Really appreciated your review. We sailed in 8104 on our last Celebrity cruise and have the same suite booked for October. We're looking forward to the addition of the balcony since it wasn't there for our previous sailing.

Great review. The bar service at dinner annoys me because I drink a lot during dinner. That sounds bad, but I mean I would have an alcoholic drink or two but tons of water/soda, I don't know why but I just drink a ton while eating. I always HATE when I can't find a waiter/waitress to refill a drink :( Everything else sounds great. I cannot wait to be on the Summit in 3 short weeks!

Thanks for your review.

Did your mother sleep on the sofa bed? If so, how was it? Allegedly the furniture is new, so I expect it will be OK, but it would be nice to have a firsthand report.

Not looking forward to climbing in and out of that tub since I'm used to a separate shower, but it is what it is.

Thanks for your review.

Thank you, Joni, for your review! I enjoyed it very much. How are the beds...in comparison with HAL?