Celebrity Summit Trip Report - 3/7/15 - With Pictures

This is my first trip report for Cruise Critic, so please bear with me. I'm going to try and do this in several sections, first by talking about each part of the cruise, then our specific trip. This will probably take a couple posts, particularly when we get to the food (yes, we're Those People with their camera out every time the waiter brings a plate of food).

About Us

My girlfriend (TA) and I are in our early 30's and from the DC suburbs. I did two cruises with my parents when I was about 10 or 11, and we've done three cruises with RCCL however they were working cruises through the Sixth Star enrichment program (see my blog post about that here, posted with Sixth Star's permission). We enjoyed those experiences, but we wanted to take a cruise where we were regular passengers. I'm a full-time dance teacher and TA does educational support, which means that both of our jobs involve taking care of other people. We wanted a vacation where someone else was going to take care of us. We got it.

We're reasonably well-off, comfortable but on a constrained budget, and while we qualify as middle-income nationally we're decidedly low-income for our area (DC is weird that way). I bring this up to emphasize that getting our value from the trip was a major concern for us. In addition, we're both very enthusiastic geeks (we met at a Dungeons and Dragons convention) and, just in case it needs to be said, we love to dance.

Booking

We started looking at cruise options back in October 2013 and began saving (as stated, budget is a concern but it turns out you can afford most anything if you can set aside $20 a week for a long enough period). We found out about the Summit from TA's personal trainer who had taken the southern Caribbean itinerary a year previously. During the blizzards in January 2014 we finally committed, contacted the trainer's travel agent, and made our reservation. We were able to take advantage of the 1-2-3-Go deal and chose the Classic Beverage Package. After some reviews we decided to upgrade to the Premium Package.

Flights followed a few months later (though that became a challenge, as you'll see), and I began to plan a big event for the trip as well. In the end, our plan was to fly in on Thursday, March 5, explore San Juan for two days before the cruise, then board the ship and just enjoy life. We looked at excursions and exploration options in each port, but deliberately decided not to book anything in advance and see how we felt in the moment (well, the night before at any rate).

The only thing I knew I wanted to do on board for certain was dinner at the Normandie restaurant. Our initial plan had been to wait and see if any deals would be offered on board, but once the reservations began to fill up due to Luminae's construction, I figured there wouldn't be any deals and possibly not even any reservations, so we booked that in advance.

And with that, we're off!

Great start - I'll be reading along as it comes. :)

The Ship

Upon seeing most pictures of the Summit I was not impressed. From the outside she has a rather boxy design, and most pictures of the interior were... adequate. Not enough natural lighting for my taste, nothing really subtle or extravagant. The design of the ship played things safe, but I figured she would be fine.

The pictures lied.

The Summit is a beautiful ship, but she also provides an immersive atmosphere. Two-dimensional pictures can communicate the look of the Summit but not her feel. TA loves to take pictures and in my completely-biased opinion she's quite good at it. I hope they do the Summit justice.

One boards the Summit on deck 4, between the Rendez-Vous Lounge and the Fortunes Casino. From there one can descend the central staircase to deck three where one will find Guest Services and Shore Excursions. This staircase probably is the most magnificent setting on the Summit but it's still rather dark. Unlike the Centrum on RCCL ships, it is rather dark, not really a comfortable area to stay in. That worried me when I looked at pictures online; it need not have. The ship simply isn't designed to have a central gathering spot. Rather, it's designed to disperse passengers around the ship. Consequently, I can't recall ever feeling crowded.

Cafe al Bacio became my usual hangout spot and reading nook during the trip. My preferred chair - yellow arm chair farthest from the camera - was bright and comfortable during the day and warm and cozy at night. In the evenings a piano player and singer kept the area atmospheric without turning it into a party zone.

The library would have been my usual reading spot but, save for the first day when we explored, I don't recall ever going in again.

Speaking of libraries, you can see my book collection for this trip to the left and TA's to the right.

The Rendez-Vous Lounge was our preferred venue since it housed the only wood dance floor on the ship. We both enjoy partner dancing - ballroom, Latin, swing, even country - and a wooden floor is much more comfortable than any other surface. It allows the feet to move correctly and it provides comfortable resistance that prevents food injury. Most ships tend to have metal, plastic, or even rubber dance floors that look cool and are easy to clean, but are very difficult to dance on.

The Reflections Lounge, shown here, had such a floor. We danced here twice, cutting both times short as trying to turn or swivel on the rubber floor was hurting both our ankles.

Our other favorite hang out was the solarium. It was well-lit (obviously), warm, had easy access to food and beverage, and comfortable seating. I never had trouble finding seating and didn't notice any chair hogs. This may be a sign of how port-intensive the trip was or it may be that many people preferred the outdoor pool area. Either way, I enjoyed a good half dozen days lying in those recliners, sipping mojitos, and enjoying my books.

The pool deck for point of comparison.

We were originally planning on booking an inside cabin to save money, but in order to do 1-2-3-Go we had to book an ocean view. It was only a difference of $50 per person at the time, far less than the cost of the beverage package. I must say, I loved it. Not just the drinks package (although I did), but having a source of natural light utterly transformed the room.

The room itself was more than adequate for our needs. Reasonably-sized and a good amount of storage. The bed was comfortable, the floor-length mirror made the space seem even more spacious, and we were able to store all our things away easily. As people say, we don't vacation to spend time in the room, but when we went back to the room it was a lovely place to be.

http://s72.photobucket.com/user/suburbaknght/media/2015%20Cruise/Ship/IMG_0002d.jpg.html?sort=3&o=21

We ate most of our dinners in the main dining room, named the Cosmopolitan Restaurant. For various reasons that I'll get into when I detail our itinerary we were moved around several times (at our request). We ended up seated not here but at one of the far tables by the great windows at the back, just next to the Captain's Table.

Next up: Food!

Is that one of those Cat 6 staterooms on Deck 3 - 3112-3144? I think so by looking at your photos. Great, quiet location on the ship. We have one booked this May.

Indeed- off to a great start!

Thanks for the photos-they really help to tell your story. Kudos to your TA for the crisp shots.

Keep it coming!

Norris

I'm going to have to break these up into a bunch of different posts due to all the pictures.

San Juan

We began our trip in San Juan at the Tres Palmas Inn. I'll talk more about the Inn in a later post, but it was wonderful.

The Inn included a continental breakfast of coffee, tea, juice, rolls, cheese, cold meats, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and some type of sweet. It wasn't anything anyone would go out of their way for, but it was good and filling.

For lunch we ate at La Danza, an upscale local restaurant in the touristy parts of Old San Juan. This was much better than I expected. TA and I both had the mofongo with meat (the type of meat was not specified but it tasted like pork) and for desert we split something with candied papaya, cheese, and syrup. It was all delicious! Two entrees, desert, and one beer came to about $45, including tip.

For dinner we'd not had a lot of good recommendations and were settled on an Argentine restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. I'm sure it would be good but it wasn't what we were really in the mood for and was more than we wanted to spend, but the other options within walking distance weren't calling to us and we didn't want to call a cab. While walking to the restaurant we met two other guests who told us about a place called Martin's Barbeque. So we tried it.

This was the right choice. It was a local place, not quite a cafeteria but not far from it, with trays of local food. Stewed pork and chicken, mofongo, fried plantains, tostones, yucca... everything was great. All that, plus drinks, and a few other food items not in the shot, came to slightly over $10 per person. We went at 7:00 and the place was mostly empty. I got the sense that it was going to be very packed when the bars started to close out.

Is that one of those Cat 6 staterooms on Deck 3 - 3112-3144? I think so by looking at your photos. Great, quiet location on the ship. We have one booked this May.

Close. We were in 2019.

Indeed- off to a great start!

 

Thanks for the photos-they really help to tell your story. Kudos to your TA for the crisp shots.

 

Keep it coming!

 

Norris

Slight correction. "TA" is my girlfriend's initials. I'll tell her you like the photos.

Summit Day 1: Food Previews

While exploring the ship, the specialty restaurants had displays outside the Oceanview Cafe (ship's buffet), both to advertise the restaurants and to promote a lunch they were doing for our one sea day.

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We were already booked that night for dinner at Normandie, and for lunch they were offering a traditional French meal, if somewhat on the heavier side than I was familiar with for a French lunch.

http://s72.photobucket.com/user/suburbaknght/media/2015%20Cruise/Food/030715-IMG_9756.jpg.html?sort=3&o=129

Qsine had their assortment of... assorted food out on display as well. I'm very curious about Qsine, as is TA, but we'd decided on Normandy instead since we wanted to save Qsine for a time when we can do it with several friends (and try a lot more food).

We did consider Qsine for lunch but still opted to save it. We ended up signing for Normandie as I love, love, love traditional French cusine.

Drinks packages were on full display but we'd already upgraded to premium. Nothing to do but look at the display and think, "Soon, this shall all be mine."

And then it was time for lunch.

Wow! Great pics. We'll be on the Summit in May.

Where are those loungers in front of the glass located? Looks like a nice spot!

Love the food pics!

Food Day 1: Bistro on 5 Lunch (part 1)

Based on the advice we'd seen on the boards regarding crowding in the Oceanview for lunch on embarkation day, we'd decided to consider lunch at Bistro on 5. I really wanted it (I love food!) but TA wanted to see what the options were. Happily, the new menu was on offer:

Seeing that she could have steak for only $7 she happily agreed that lunch at the bistro was a splendid idea. We were seated with a wonderful server named Fitzroy. He was from Jamaica and was one of the most enthusiastic and fun servers I've ever had the pleasure of meeting - and I'm counting my own time in the service industry and all my co-workers in that calculation. He provided good recommendations, prompt service, and many smiles.

After being seated we decided to take the beverage package our for a spin I had a class of champagne while TA ordered the shiraz. The champagne was adequate, while the shiraz knocked both of our socks off. I switched to it when it came time for a refill. Unfortunately, when we arrived home and tried to seek it out ourselves, we found that this vintage is only sold in South Africa. Well done Celebrity wine merchants. Well done.

For appetizers I ordered the goat cheese and onion tart while TA ordered the escargot and we split the charcuterie plate. The tart was sublime: light and flavorful that just melted in your mouth, with the cheese and caramelized onions perfectly complimenting one another. The escargot was good but just good, not as exceptional as we'd had on RCCL or other institutions. The charcuterie was a good collection of different flavors, particularly for the cheese, with some of the best pickles I'd ever had.

Next: our main courses.

Wow! Great pics. We'll be on the Summit in May.

 

Where are those loungers in front of the glass located? Looks like a nice spot!

 

Love the food pics!

Those are in the Solarium, on deck 10. Very easy to find. You'll enjoy yourself!

Food Day 1:Bistro on 5 Lunch (part 2)

One of my main motivations for lunch at Bistro on 5, particularly this day, was the lamb chops. I love lamb. It took me years to understand that. I thought I'd hated lamb but it turns out I was just eating over-cooked lamb. Done well (which is to say, not well-done), it's one of my favorite foods.

The Bistro on 5 lamb chops were perfect, some of the best I've ever had. The ratatouille that accompanied them was well-seasoned and melted in your mouth, almost more of a pudding than a vegetable dish, though the zucchini retained enough crunch to give it definition. I was sad I wouldn't get to have this dish again this trip.

TA had the signature steak which she enjoyed but I was unimpressed by. In fact, this would be the start of, "unimpressive beef" on the trip. It was cooked correctly but not particularly flavorful in my estimation. The potatoes that came with it, however, were absolutely fantastic.

For dessert we each ordered a crepe - I had the Spanish (dulce de leche) while TA had the Italian (bannana, nutella, and pistachio) - and we were each convinced we had the best one. They were incredibly flavorful but surprisingly light, just right after such a rich meal.

The whole meal was only $7 per person, though Fitzroy was such an amazing waiter we left a rather sizeable tip on top of that. Still, for less than $20 we had one of the best lunches I can remember in my life. I've never been to a Parisian bistro, but if this is what it's like, sign me up.

We briefly stopped by the MDR to see the dinner we wouldn't be eating.

Next up: dinner at Normandie.

Wonderful pictures! As a foodie I'm enjoying them and can't wait to be onboard in 35 days! Thank you for sharing.

Food Day 1: Normandie Dinner (part 1)

I love food. It's delicious, it's comforting, and it builds memories. Years later, the taste of something can evoke powerful memories. I remember my first time tasting Flying Fish beer. It was a Belgian dubbel. It was my first Christmas break home from college and my parents took me out to the White Dog Cafe to celebrate. The waiter didn't card me. Now every time I taste that beer I think back to that cozy feeling on that cold winter night and how proud my parents were and how proud I was.

My point is, while I was looking forward to this meal, I was also looking forward to the memories of it.

The Normandie menu is available on the Celebrity website, but we found out the next day during the galley tour that it will be changing. I look forward to trying it again on our next cruise (probably in 2 or 3 years) but I'm glad we got to try this one.

I was a bit disappointed that the champagne cart mentioned in the Beyond Ships review from 2010 was not to be seen. Nonetheless, the meal was wonderful.

The meal began with an amuse-bouche based on a shrimp cocktail: a single butterflied shrimp with a dribbling of sweet cocktail sauce. It was delightful. I make a pretty decent shrimp cocktail (I use Alton Brown's recipe) and I prefer both hearty shrimp and a thick, spicy cocktail sauce. This was the complete opposite of that. The sauce was sweet, as we've experienced in most places and are used to, but the shrimp is what really took my breath away. The texture incredibly light, almost like custard, and with a light, herbal flavor. It tasted like the sea.

For our first appetizer I had the phyllo-baked pear and TA had the diver scallops Wellington. The pear was... how many ways are there to say "amazing?" It was like a more playful version of the goat cheese and onion tart I had for lunch. Superb. The scallops were very good but, in the end, just scallops.

Next I had the pork belly and TA had the smoked salmon parfait. This time I was the one who was underwhelmed - the pork belly had a fantastic texture but surprisingly little flavor - while the salmon parfait was creamy and rich and delicious. I should point out that TA has an avocado allergy and they prepared the parfait without avocado as per her request.

Great review so far!

Food Day 3: Normandie Dinner (part 2)

For my entree I ordered the Muscovy duck. I was a bit leery about this as it's one of the entrees I don't usually see discussed on the boards, but I love duck even more so than lamb, and the "herbed French toast" compelled me. It was the right decision. The duck was almost falling off the bone, in a way one normally sees only with slow barbecued chicken. The confit was seasoned to perfection. The herbed French toast, more of a savory bread pudding than anything else - an unexpected but delightful compliment. I need to learn to make this at home.

TA had wanted to get something cooked tableside but mixed reviews of the lobster, not being in the mood for fish, and us both wanting to get different foods in order to try different things preventing the chateaubriand for two, ended up motivating her to get the venison loin. The meat was excellent, having a lot more flavor than the steak for lunch, and as you can see in the picture they got the cooking level perfect. As in the review from five years ago, the lingenberries are still a wonderful accompaniment.

We were given the choice of doing dessert next or our cheese course and we opted for the cheese course. When they brought out the cheese cart, well... as I said, I wanted the food to evoke memories of this night. I'll go into more detail in a later part of the review, but the important part is:

She said yes!

And then there was cheese.

A dessert sampler.

And tea.

Honestly, I don't remember most of the rest of the meal. I remember we liked everything, but I think we were both a little swept away in the moment.

I'll continue with the food in a bit. That's enough for now.

Can't wait to read more. You are doing a great review.

Congrats!

Food Day 3: Normandie Dinner (part 2)

 

 

For my entree I ordered the Muscovy duck. I was a bit leery about this as it's one of the entrees I don't usually see discussed on the boards, but I love duck even more so than lamb, and the "herbed French toast" compelled me. It was the right decision. The duck was almost falling off the bone, in a way one normally sees only with slow barbecued chicken. The confit was seasoned to perfection. The herbed French toast, more of a savory bread pudding than anything else - an unexpected but delightful compliment. I need to learn to make this at home.

 

TA had wanted to get something cooked tableside but mixed reviews of the lobster, not being in the mood for fish, and us both wanting to get different foods in order to try different things preventing the chateaubriand for two, ended up motivating her to get the venison loin. The meat was excellent, having a lot more flavor than the steak for lunch, and as you can see in the picture they got the cooking level perfect. As in the review from five years ago, the lingenberries are still a wonderful accompaniment.

 

We were given the choice of doing dessert next or our cheese course and we opted for the cheese course. When they brought out the cheese cart, well... as I said, I wanted the food to evoke memories of this night. I'll go into more detail in a later part of the review, but the important part is:

 

 

She said yes!

 

And then there was cheese.

 

A dessert sampler.

 

And tea.

 

Honestly, I don't remember most of the rest of the meal. I remember we liked everything, but I think we were both a little swept away in the moment.

 

I'll continue with the food in a bit. That's enough for now.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

What a wonderful memory!

And we are looking forward to the rest of your review. It's fantastic so far!

We'll be on the Summit for the first time in less than two months - and we can't wait!!!!!

Congratulations!

I got engaged on The Reflection last February and it was the perfect setting for such an important occasion.

I'm loving your review. We will be on the Summit next April for the 3rd time. We love that ship.

Food: Main Dining Room

I'd originally planned on posting reviews and comments on all the meals, but we have over 130 food pictures and I think that would get rather repetitive, so I'll try and hit the highlights for the rest of this section.

The main dining room was much better than we'd been lead to believe. The food is not 5 star but I would rate it very solid four-star. As far as national comparisons go, it's not Ruby Tuesday's and it's not Ruth's Chris, but about halfway in the middle. It is large-production banquet cuisine for the most part, and ordering accordingly has good results. The best foods were ones that can be made en masse and then portioned out, such as soups or baked items, while the most lackluster were items that required individual attention, such as steaks.

Appetizers tended to be quite good, as did anything involving lamb. Beef was fairly lackluster and flavorless, with the one exception being a braised short rib appetizer that also later appeared in a main course sized portion. Most red meat was served with a brown sauce which we loved but if it's not to your taste you will quickly come to despise. Desserts were decent, and the house-made ice cream was incredible. Some of our favorite items:

Buffalo frog legs. Crunchy, succulent, flavorful. If you've never had frog legs before, this is a good introduction.

Pistachio crusted rack of lamb. Probably my best red meat this trip not in a specialty restaurant.

Wedge salad with blue cheese dressing. Much fresher than I had expected on a ship, and a nice counterpoint to all the meat we'd been eating. What really took me aback was the best hard boiled egg I'd ever had; I never knew hard boiled eggs could be so silky.

Blackened spice rubbed drum fish. I'm always paranoid about ordering sea food in a restaurant for reasons of freshness, and in truth it was TA who ordered this, but it was one of the highlights of the cruise.

Braised beef short rib. Easily the best beef we had on the ship.

Mushroom risotto. Probably my favorite of all the MDR main courses. The rice was cooked just right, the flavor the mushrooms came through without being overpowering, and the texture was so silky and smooth... On lobster night, when everyone around you is dining on broiled lobster, leg of lamb, duck l'orange, and beef Wellington, to make a vegetarian dish feel like the indulgent choice, well that takes a master of a chef. Well done, Chef Paul!

Overall, we truly enjoyed the MDR experience. The food was generally quite good, and the few dishes we didn't care for were quickly replaced. We drank mostly the recommended wine pairings each night, and usually the somelier just left a bottle on the table rather than portion out each glass. We also enjoyed San Pellegrino water with the meal and often had a desert wine at the end, all of which were provided without fuss.

If I had one complaint it would be that the waitstaff is overworked. Servers are assigned too many tables and while everyone was handled competently and promptly, there is an undeniable feeling of frantic rushing from the servers as they try to oversee their entire area, with little opportunity to interact with their patrons. As such they are forced to operate as a delivery service rather than waiters.

Congratulations!

As an infrequent cruiser, I'm a little sad to hear the specialty menu will likely be changed before I have the chance to try it next year, but I understand how welcome this news will be to frequent X cruisers.

I'm enjoying your review very much and looking forward to more!

Food: Oceanview Cafe

The Oceanview is the Celebrity buffet. It wildly exceeded our expectations. On RCCL we found the food quality was somewhat better than Old Country Buffet, about on par with a good Indian buffet. On the Summit we found the buffet about on par with a decent Brazilian steakhouse, not Fogo de Chao but a good local one (in our area that would be Charbroil Grill).

There was usually some display of bounty at the entrance to the Oceanview. We're used to seeing fruit and vegetable art, but I must admit that cheese art is new to me. Actually their cheese selection (not pictured) was quite good, almost on par with the cheese course we enjoyed at Normandie.

Breakfast was absolutely fantastic. It included the usual scrambled eggs, French toast, and bacon, but also more adventurous and luxurious offerings: eggs Benedict, steak and eggs, steamed buns with both pork and red bean paste, roast beef, pork belly (actually better than in Normandie), English black sausage, smoked salmon with blueberries, baked beans, broiled tomatoes... It was wonderful.

To paraphrase Alton Brown, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day because it's the only meal you eat where nothing's happened yet. You're not recovering from anything. It has no baggage attached to it. I love cooking elaborate breakfasts at home (crab Benedict, creme brulee French toast, pumpkin sliders, etc.) and it's satisfying, but it just feels so wonderfully decadent to have all this waiting for you when you wake up.

Sometimes I'd stop at Cafe al Bacio and pick us up teas or coffee to enjoy with breakfast. Once in the Oceanview I'd stop by the bar at the back of the ship for mimosas.

Lunch offerings were equally varied. Our usual habit was to do our excursion in the morning, then return to the ship for lunch around 1:00. The variety was very nice for whatever level of hunger we built up while exploring. There was usually an even mix of American options, southeast Asian options, salads, and grilled items (hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.), as well as both a pizza station (okay), and pasta station (quite good). As with breakfast, there was little tableside drink service, but I'd usually go to the bar out the back of the ship and grab us beer, wine, or something stronger.

The baskets are still there but largely only used for salads and other such things where one would want them pre-plated. Most other things one finds in the buffet and one of the chefs serves it to you.

The most surprising thing to me about the Oceanview, other than the quality of the food, was that it never felt crowded. Perhaps it's that we avoided it at peak times (embarkation lunch, sea day lunch) but overall it was just a comfortable place to get some good food. Exactly as it should be.

Up next: Aqua Spa Cafe and Cafe al Bacio