Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Summit

[JRockey76]

Hello, I am new to cruise critic and have a few questions about the Summit. We are looking to book a cruise to the southern Caribbean next year on the Summit in April, and will be renewing our wedding vows at one of the ports for our 15th anniversary. I have read good and bad things about the summit regarding the age of the ship, food, and shows. Can anyone enlighten me regarding this? We have only ever been on one other cruise which was this year to the western caribbean on royal caribbean freedom of the seas. We were planning on booking a concierge class veranda room.

[lvcruiser]

DW and I sailed on the Summit in 1/08 to the south after reading horrendous reports and reviews on this board. If I had believed everything I had read, I would have canceled the cruise, but instead, chose to have an open mind and decide for myself just how bad off that old boat really was. Yes, it had a few spots on railings with missing varnish, a burn mark in the carpet of our cabin and another on the sink. The ship was seven years old for Pete's sake! The crew took outstanding care of it and I thought it was the nicest ship I had ever sailed on and will go on it again the next time we want that itinerary. The service was the best I've ever had, the food was very good, but not excellent, although taste is so subjective, you really can't take anyone else's word for how good or bad it is. The entertainment was very good for a cruise ship, and I'm stating that after living in Las Vegas for 13 years and seeing some of the best shows in the country. The most disappointing feature for us, and I hope you laugh at this, was the fact that the crew was very unapproachable. Not something that is going to make or break my cruise.

 

I have read reviews on this board just recently regarding the exact same things that had been complained about before our cruise almost two years ago, and I have read other's opinions that were essentially the same as mine, so I guess things of this nature simply don't change over time. Your cruise experience will be dictated by you more than anything or anyone else. If you go with a positive attitude and plan on having a great time, you most likely will. If you go twitht he thought of picking apart every little thing you may find wrong or not perfect, then you will have a miserable time and feel as though you wasted your money. It's all up to you. Don't let the naysayers ruin what should be a great experience. You will have a good time if you want to.

 

If you are interested in reading my full review of the ship, check it out on this website listed under Summit, written by lvcruiser and dated 2/08.

[kitkat9438]

First of all, let me welcome you to Celebrity and cruisecritic. You've come to the right place for your answers as you will find a wealth of information here from veteran cruisers. I absolutely fell in love with Celebrity last December when I cruised on the Summit. We found the food and service both outstanding. The ship never felt crowded and we never had any problems finding a place in the buffet area to eat or theatres for a show. We also read some negative reviews about the Summit, but took it with a grain of salt. We don't go on vacation looking to find something wrong, but to enjoy ourselves and we found the ship to be in great shape considering it is an older one. You will see the crew constantly cleaning and repainting.

 

One of the great things about M class is they have the thalassotherapy pools which is a adults only heated pool at the front of the ship that is covered. In this area you will also find the Aqua Spa cafe for lighter, healthier food, which is only open for breakfast and lunch.

 

The concierge class cabins are great on this class of ship because the cabins are larger and so are the balconies. You will get upgraded bedding, balcony furniture, towels, fresh fruit, canapies and an extra cruise credit. We really loved the expanded room service menu which includes fresh squeezed juices and smoothies at no extra charge. So nice to eat out on your balcony. Here's a list of "good" cabin numbers to look for:

 

CC-9043,9038,9201,9164,9162,9160

CC-8045,8046,8185,8176,8172,8170

CC-7203,7212,7208,7206

CC-6135,6136,6143,6144

 

We really love the Southern Caribbean route and leaving out of San Juan. I don't know what route you are taking, but if you'll put it on here, others can help you out with excursions.

 

You can get the following drinks for free: tea, coffee, lemonade and some sort of punch from the dispenser. In the morning you can get apple and orange juice from the dispenser in the buffet area. You will find a pizza station, as well as a grill by the pool where you can get burgers, hot dogs and nachos. At lunch you will find a station that has pasta, salad and some other items, you can get sandwiches and around 4:00 they have small sandwiches, cookies and snacks. Then at 5:00 out comes the sushi. You can get ice cream for free all afternoon with toppings and in the morning you can go to the cova cafe and have hot fresh pastries at no additional charge. You do have to pay extra for the specialty coffees.

 

There are two traditional dining times, as I'm sure you've seen, as well as select dining. The shows are geared around the traditional dining, so usually there will be a show around 7 for the late diners and 9 or 9:30 for the early diners. You will also find a movie theatre.

 

New to Celebrity this year are the beverage packages where you can pay a certain price per day and enjoy either non-alcoholic drinks or alcoholic drinks, making your vacation more "all-inclusive". We really love this option.

 

I would recommend that you find your "roll call" for your sailing so you can meet up with others cruisers and get tips and advice specific to your cruise, such as excursions, etc. We always use independent tour operators that we have found on the ports of call boards of cruise critic.

 

Here's what your cabin and ship will look like:

 

 

 

 

[jdvmd]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. We celebrated our 22nd last Friday.

We are also looking to book the Summit for April 2. I think the itinerary is fabulous and we will get to two ports we haven't been to before (St. Croix and Tobago). The Summit is not going to do this itinerary again so I am going to jump on the ship while I have a chance. Celebrity is a great line (our favorite) so I think you have made a great choice. There may be a few blemishes here and there on the ship but does that make that much difference? The itinerary is so port intensive, you may not be on the ship, or in your cabin, that much anyway.

 

Kitkat, thanks so much for the information. I am trying to decide right now what cabin to book.

[cyntil8ing]

 

 

Hey Kathy, I recognize that photo! :) We just booked our December cruise on the Century. Same week as you guys, but just a 5-dayer. Couldn't talk the parents into anything longer.

 

To the OP, I *loved* the Summit. See my sig below for the link to my photo review.

[kitkat9438]

Hey Kathy, I recognize that photo! :) We just booked our December cruise on the Century. Same week as you guys, but just a 5-dayer. Couldn't talk the parents into anything longer.

 

To the OP, I *loved* the Summit. See my sig below for the link to my photo review.

Hi Cindy!! Yes I love that picture Bob took!! It's one of my favorites. Celebrity is having an awesome sale, buy one get one half off. Sure we can't talk you into coming with us? That's only two more days. :D

[cyntil8ing]

Celebrity is having an awesome sale, buy one get one half off. Sure we can't talk you into coming with us? That's only two more days. :D

 

Yes, it's the sale that prompted us to book. We booked an S1. Woo-hoo! We just did all of your ports in June. Yes, we'll be repeating Grand Cayman, but Ocho Rios will be new for us. And it was twisting arms to get my parents to agree to five days after the snow delay last year. We'll be flying into Miami, FLL actually, the morning of departure. Hope you have a great time!

[kitkat9438]

Yes, it's the sale that prompted us to book. We booked an S1. Woo-hoo! We just did all of your ports in June. Yes, we'll be repeating Grand Cayman, but Ocho Rios will be new for us. And it was twisting arms to get my parents to agree to five days after the snow delay last year. We'll be flying into Miami, FLL actually, the morning of departure. Hope you have a great time!

That's awesome. Wish you were coming with us, but I'm sure our paths will cross again some day. :) You have a great cruise too.

[lcmslady]

I've sailed on the Summit twice - 12/08 and 1/10.

 

I'm also booked on a back-2-back on her in January 2011.

 

You'll see all kinds of negative comments but I agree with the other posters - it's what you make of it.

 

She's not brand new but I always see improvements going on, so until they can get her dry-docked and re-furbed, I think she's in great shape.

 

Book it, go, and have a great time!

[MartinsCruise]

We've been on the Summit before and we are set to do a B2B next month on her. The Connie and the Summit are just the right size for us. :D

 

Doug

[Want2Cruise 701]

Hello, I am new to cruise critic and have a few questions about the Summit. We are looking to book a cruise to the southern Caribbean next year on the Summit in April, and will be renewing our wedding vows at one of the ports for our 15th anniversary. I have read good and bad things about the summit regarding the age of the ship, food, and shows. Can anyone enlighten me regarding this? We have only ever been on one other cruise which was this year to the western caribbean on royal caribbean freedom of the seas. We were planning on booking a concierge class veranda room.

 

Which April Southern Caribbean? We are sailing on the 23rd. We will be celebrating our tenth anniversary. This is our first cruise. Yes, some of the reviews did bother us but we liked the itinerary, have a great cabin and that was the perfect week for us. Like the others said, we are going to go, have a great time and judge for ourselves. Let us know what you end up deciding and join the roll call.

[librarylady19]

To the OP, I *loved* the Summit. See my sig below for the link to my photo review.

 

Hi Cindy,

I enjoyed your photos of Summit; we are going to several of these ports on Summit in December. We booked with Levi Barron based on Kathy's recommendation. We are staying at Sheraton OSJ also; do you have any recommendations for dinner? Did you find a good place for spice baskets in Grenada; I hope to bring several of these back.

Thanks!

[kitkat9438]

Hi Cindy,

I enjoyed your photos of Summit; we are going to several of these ports on Summit in December. We booked with Levi Barron based on Kathy's recommendation. We are staying at Sheraton OSJ also; do you have any recommendations for dinner? Did you find a good place for spice baskets in Grenada; I hope to bring several of these back.

Thanks!

Hi Sandi! Aren't Cindy's pictures wonderful? Her husband Bob is an excellent photographer and she puts them all together with an awesome review. I'm glad you went with Levi. I promise you that you will love him. Be sure and request him for your excursion as he's the best tour guide we've ever had. If you are staying in OSJ I'd go to the Parrott Club. Loved it!!

[cyntil8ing]

We are staying at Sheraton OSJ also; do you have any recommendations for dinner? Did you find a good place for spice baskets in Grenada

 

By the time we got to our hotel, it was late. We walked around a bit (feeling totally safe btw) and ended up at a niteclub/restaurant that was right behind the hotel. The menu was in Spanish and English. The food was quite good and we enjoyed watching the dancers. They were teaching Salsa dancing. There was a band that we kept waiting for, but it was 11:00 and they hadn't started playing yet, so we left. It wasn't a tourist place because there were a lot of regulars. We had issues using our Discover card but the cashier didn't speak enough English to be able to explain and we don't speak enough Spanish to understand the problem, so we just paid with cash. I would recommend it if you're comfortable outside the "tourist environment".

 

It is called Latin Roots. http://www.thelatinroots.com/index.html. Their menu is online.

 

As for Grenada, we didn't do any shopping. Sorry.

[PS90]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. We celebrated our 22nd last Friday.

We are also looking to book the Summit for April 2. I think the itinerary is fabulous and we will get to two ports we haven't been to before (St. Croix and Tobago). The Summit is not going to do this itinerary again so I am going to jump on the ship while I have a chance. Celebrity is a great line (our favorite) so I think you have made a great choice. There may be a few blemishes here and there on the ship but does that make that much difference? The itinerary is so port intensive, you may not be on the ship, or in your cabin, that much anyway.

 

Kitkat, thanks so much for the information. I am trying to decide right now what cabin to book.

 

Sorry for being ignorant - but is Celebrity abandoning this itinerary? Or is another ship going to take Summit's place?

 

Looking at all Celebrity's upcoming sailings, all the way through March 2012, Summit is still the Southern Caribbean ship.

 

Thanks for the info.

[jdvmd]

Sorry for being ignorant - but is Celebrity abandoning this itinerary? Or is another ship going to take Summit's place?

 

Looking at all Celebrity's upcoming sailings, all the way through March 2012, Summit is still the Southern Caribbean ship.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

 

I had received a Captain's Club mailing with some different ships/itineraries highlighted and while the Summit is still doing a Southern Caribbean itinerary, the ports were not the same -- No Tobago for example.

[PS90]

I had received a Captain's Club mailing with some different ships/itineraries highlighted and while the Summit is still doing a Southern Caribbean itinerary, the ports were not the same -- No Tobago for example.

 

Oh, I see. Thanks a lot. I didn't bother to look at the actual ports, just how many ports and the general region for the Summit. Thanks!

[Kathie44]

DH and I first sailed Summit in Aug. '03 with our friends to Alaska and it got us hooked on X. Our first two cruises were on RCCL's Explorer (our first "love").

In June. '09 I sailed Summit (Classical Med.) again with a friend, both of us now widows. Miracle of miracles--we got a free upgrade from OV to Concierge class with veranda. With all the price drops we ended up paying $700 less than the original OV booking.

This coming Jan. 15th DH's sister and I are sailing Summit to S. Carib. (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados) I have no qualms at all about Summit. She is older, but a good size and well-kept. I would never have any qualms about sailing Celebrity on any ship.

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib. 1/03 Explorer W. Carib. 8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib. 2/05 Galaxy P. Canal 6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. fjords

1/07 Mercury Mex. Riv. 1/08 Aust/NZ 1/09 Galaxy S. Carib.

6/09 Summit Classical Med. 1/11 Summit S. Carib. 6/11 Constellation Scand/Russia

[CathyCruises]

Great ship despite everything we read beforehand. I would sail her again but I am anxious to try S class and Blu--but those southern itineraries sure look better than my 1/15 Eclipse cruise!

[librarylady19]

I had received a Captain's Club mailing with some different ships/itineraries highlighted and while the Summit is still doing a Southern Caribbean itinerary, the ports were not the same -- No Tobago for example.

I'm glad we're on Summit this Dec. stopping in Tobago then; we're looking forward to a birdwatching tour in the rainforest.

[lcmslady]

DH and I first sailed Summit in Aug. '03 with our friends to Alaska and it got us hooked on X. Our first two cruises were on RCCL's Explorer (our first "love").

In June. '09 I sailed Summit (Classical Med.) again with a friend, both of us now widows. Miracle of miracles--we got a free upgrade from OV to Concierge class with veranda. With all the price drops we ended up paying $700 less than the original OV booking.

This coming Jan. 15th DH's sister and I are sailing Summit to S. Carib. (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados) I have no qualms at all about Summit. She is older, but a good size and well-kept. I would never have any qualms about sailing Celebrity on any ship.

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib. 1/03 Explorer W. Carib. 8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib. 2/05 Galaxy P. Canal 6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. fjords

1/07 Mercury Mex. Riv. 1/08 Aust/NZ 1/09 Galaxy S. Carib.

6/09 Summit Classical Med. 1/11 Summit S. Carib. 6/11 Constellation Scand/Russia

 

Kathie44,

 

Have you joined our roll call?? it's been quiet but I hope it starts to pick up soon.

[cruisinryan]

Hi all at Cruise Critic. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask my question, but it can't hurt.

 

I read a while back that there is an extra charge for using the thalassotherapy pool on Summit if you are not in Concierge class or a suite. Is this true?

I am traveling solo in an Oceanview cabin, nothing fancy, Dec. 4, 2010.

I really want to use the thalassotherapy pool, I enjoyed it on the Infinity.

If there is an extra charge, can I pay it in advance via my TA?

 

Thanks!

[Lois R]

Hi all at Cruise Critic. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask my question, but it can't hurt.

 

I read a while back that there is an extra charge for using the thalassotherapy pool on Summit if you are not in Concierge class or a suite. Is this true?

I am traveling solo in an Oceanview cabin, nothing fancy, Dec. 4, 2010.

I really want to use the thalassotherapy pool, I enjoyed it on the Infinity.

If there is an extra charge, can I pay it in advance via my TA?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Ryan, nope it is not true. The T pool on the M class ships are open

to all cabin categories at no charge:) so you can go and enjoy it

as often as you like!

[A Sixth?]

No words needed...

 

 

 

 

 

[librarylady19]

Awesome pics. Are these recent? DH will LOVE that sushi!