SUMMIT Repositioning Cruise Journal with PICTURES!

[daydreamer16]

Thank you so much for your wonderful report--it sounds like I'm in for a treat in June!

[Newbcruiser1]

The good:

The ship appears to be in great shape after it's refurbishment in the winter. The addition of Qsine was much appreciated by myself and many other guests. The rooms appeared fresh (with the exception of some bathroom issues), the public areas were clean and well kept, etc.

The food was wonderful, particularly in the main dining room. The meat in particularly was a big step above the quality I was used to on previous cruises with Royal Caribbean. Also on the topic of food, I LOVED the ice cream station at the buffet - the flavors were great (other than the last day), as were the toppings. I didn't even feel the need to try the gelato (at an extra charge) or even purchase a frozen drink thanks to the variety of ice creams, sherbets, and frozen yogurts available for free.

The crew and officers were all visible and involved at events such as the late night pool party.

The beverages and cold towels at the gangway after long hot days in port were very nice.

The fellow passengers were a wonderful group of people. The CC roll call for this cruise was very active and I had the pleasure of meeting many of the members, and all of them were friendly and welcoming, which makes a huge difference when sailing solo.

The Cruise Director, Sue Denning - she was very different from your typical CD's but I enjoyed her.

Little things, like pillow chocolates.

The Bad:

The service was very hit and miss on this cruise. My stateroom attendant did not do his job as thoroughly as I have seen on other cruises. The sand was not cleaned from the shower, there was some black crud in the grout in the shower, the garbage was not emptied for 2 days, requesting ice twice/day seemed to be a crazy request, I did not receive full turn-down service on the last night, etc. The service from my waiter in the MDR was great until the last 2 nights. The assistant waiter was hard to find for beverages such as iced tea. The bar waiters in the MDR were scarce and the service was slow (i.e. not having drink orders taken until after appetizers were served and not receiving the drinks until halfway through the main course).

The lack of live music during the day, particularly in the pool area. The band only played for 1 hour a day, just as most people were heading inside to get ready for dinner. I would have appreciated more live music throughout the day while spending time out on deck.

For the most part, the evening shows were not up to par with those on other ships I have cruised on, with a couple exceptions, like Karen Grainger, the impressionist.

The water tasted TERRIBLE - everywhere from the MDR, to the dispensers in the buffet, to the ice in the ice bucket in the room. It was not drinkable, at least for me.

Deck chairs were not wiped down when wet or dirty, and the ones without cushions on deck 11 looked pretty nasty, as did the ones on the Promenade deck (deck 4).

The helipad was not open for passengers exept during sailaway from Bermuda. I enjoy going out there sometimes on RCI ships, particularly during arrivals or departures from port and I missed having this available on the Summit.

Another little thing... no towel animals! I know it's a minute detail, but it's something I like coming back to my room to after a long day.

The Different and Indifferent:

The buffet was a bit of an odd system whereby you had to wait to be served at most of the food stations. While it was good to prevent people from touching all of the food, it was bad in that it created long line-ups and you couldn't get exactly the amount that you wanted, where you wanted it, etc.

The passenger mix was different from what I have heard about Celebrity and what I was expecting - in fact, the demographics were about the same as on my previous cruises with RCI, not older like what I expected. There were however, a lot less children onboard, which I'm sure was partially due to the time of year.

Overall

Overall, I really enjoyed my first Celebrity cruise. Was it perfect? No, but what cruise is? Yes, there were some areas where I found RCI to excel, and some others where I prefer Celebrity, but in general my experiences showed me that the 2 lines are very similar. Would I cruise Celebrity again? Absolutely! I look forward to trying out one of the newer S-class ships for comparison!

Thanks for following along! :)

[Decpl]

:) Thanks for you great posting. Your time and effort is appriciated. We are going on the Summitt in 3 weeks. First time on Celebrity!! Looking forward to see how it compares to Princess

 

J and K

[gmros]

Thank you for your review! We are planning to do the repo cruise next year, can't wait!

[CrabbyQ]

I've been thinking of booking this cruise for next year and your review has convinced me I should. Thanks for info and the wonderful photos!

[librarylady19]

Sorry to see your reports end. This was a wonderful photo review that has raised the bar for future postings. I look forward to reporting back from our Summit cruise in September and hope its half as informative as your reports.

[Newbcruiser1]

Thanks everyone! For anyone going on the Summit in the future (including the same repositioning cruise), I look forward to reading about your trips! :)

[rzivkovic]

THANK YOU so much for your pictorial review... It has gotten us so exited for our trip on the Summit in 4 weeks!!!!:D

[vickykay]

Can't wait to be on the Summit end of June. For anyone going sooner, would love to see dailies and MDR menus. Thanks!

[We-R-Off]

Glad to hear you had a good experience on Summit. I would rather have an over attentive steward than one who can't be found any day.

I think the trick with the future cruise sales office is to visit before the last day. I always forget and it is a madhouse. I didn't bother booking on the last cruise since it was too chaotic. Still, no excuse for rudeness. Some of the sales people seem to know less about upcoming sailings than I did (especially about new ships).

What would you recommend in Bermuda?

 

Loved it, although the weather wasn't so good. We didn't manage to do much on our first day until we docked and got the tickets for the ferry and got into Hamilton. We had a lovely walk around Hamilton - so pretty.

We decided to take the bus back to the ship and although it was rather slow, we got to see a lot thru the window. The next day we headed off to Horseshoe Bay but it wasn't very nice weather and we left for St. George. We were also very impressed with the buildings and ambience of St. George. I must say, we spent most of our time travelling around and not time enough to enjoy. I agree with another contributor to the board that mentioned that the best way to Bermuda would be by Cruise - it is very pretty but expensive. I would imagine the hotels are expensive too. I would go there again, infact I am tempted to do this Cruise again too - loved it.

[IMDORY]

Loved your review and pictures...I'll be on the Summit at the end of June. :)

[Redtravel]

I enjoyed your review. Your photos were nice. I was on that cruise. Sorry we never met. I also had some problems with our cabin attendant. The Summit was nice, but is still working out a lot of problems. After seeing all your food pictures, I'm getting hungry. Unfortuantely, I'm home and there's no buffet, Bistro on 5, or room service. Lean Cuisine here I come. Still working on losing the lbs that I put on during that cruise.

[emileg]

Thank you for all the hard work, beautiful photographs and a balanced review. Some aspects of the cruise exceeded expectations and some were not up to expectations. Nevertheless, you managed to have a good time. I congratulate you.:)

[injersey]

The beach at the end, Devils Bay, was well worth the hike through the caves. It was very calm, quite warm, and had more giant rocks which some people were adventurous enough to jump off of.

I went for a nice swim to cool off, and then got out and dried off a bit before starting the hike up a different path back to the parking area. A staff member at the bottom told me it was all a sandy trail on an incline, and it would take about 10-15 minutes. He lied!!! I think it took closer to 25-30 minutes, and there were more rocks, wood steps, etc much like on the way down. Luckily, I made it back to the top. The tour was great but if Celebrity classifies this as requiring a moderate activity level, I'd be afraid to see what the active tours are like.

Your review and ;photos are just wonderful. But I especially appreciate seeing photos of the caves. We were at the baths a few years ago and opted not to hke through to the caves (in retrospect, after seeing nyour photos, a good decision for us), but I was curious about what we might have missed. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[jazzlady]

Absolutey fantastic your review and pictures! and it gave such a "real" feeling of what to expect. I do have a question though, you booked an "inside" cabin. Were you able to sleep well withough a window? Can you reccommend it ow would you book a cabin with balcony next time? Didnt´ you feel claustrophobic?

 

I am booked on the Celebrity Equinox on 24.Sept12 for the Eastern Med for 11 nights and this will be my first cruise as a "single". I have always thought cruises were for old people! and that it would be boring. But now I am really getting excited aout the trip. Was there a meeting for singles on the boat? were there very many singles in comparison with couples. And what would you say the age range would be?

 

Look forward to hearing from you. Where is your next cruise going to be?

thanks again for your efforts in your review. That must have been a lot of work!

[jazzlady]

Absolutey fantastic your review and pictures! and it gave such a "real" feeling of what to expect. I do have a question though, you booked an "inside" cabin. Were you able to sleep well withough a window? Can you reccommend it ow would you book a cabin with balcony next time? Didnt´ you feel claustrophobic?

 

I am booked on the Celebrity Equinox on 24.Sept12 for the Eastern Med for 11 nights and this will be my first cruise as a "single". I have always thought cruises were for old people! and that it would be boring. But now I am really getting excited aout the trip. Was there a meeting for singles on the boat? were there very many singles in comparison with couples. And what would you say the age range would be?

 

Look forward to hearing from you. Where is your next cruise going to be?

thanks again for your efforts in your review. That must have been a lot of work!

[Newbcruiser1]

Absolutey fantastic your review and pictures! and it gave such a "real" feeling of what to expect. I do have a question though, you booked an "inside" cabin. Were you able to sleep well withough a window? Can you reccommend it ow would you book a cabin with balcony next time? Didnt´ you feel claustrophobic?

 

I am booked on the Celebrity Equinox on 24.Sept12 for the Eastern Med for 11 nights and this will be my first cruise as a "single". I have always thought cruises were for old people! and that it would be boring. But now I am really getting excited aout the trip. Was there a meeting for singles on the boat? were there very many singles in comparison with couples. And what would you say the age range would be?

 

Look forward to hearing from you. Where is your next cruise going to be?

thanks again for your efforts in your review. That must have been a lot of work!

 

Jazzlady,

You're going to love your cruise! I've always wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise.

I didn't have a problem in the inside room. My rooms on past cruises have all been either balconies or windows with interior "promenade" views on RCI, so a full interior was new to me.

It took me about a day to get used to the fact the insides on the Summit are designed with a huge mirror along the back wall and I kept seeing my reflection out of the corner of my eye, but I got over it. I honestly don't spend much time in my room on cruises - just to sleep and shower and change for dinner, and occasionally a short rest, so I didn't really miss the window or balcony. The one disadvantage was that I was unable to see outside or pop my head out to check the weather before getting dressed and heading out for the day. I relied on the "bridge-cam" channel on the TV to see what it looked like outside, but sometimes it was difficult to tell. Truthfully on port-intensive cruises where you won't be in your room a lot, inside rooms are a great way to save money, especially when you're having to pay more for the solo supplement.

In terms of singles events, I didn't notice any in the dailies but I could be wrong as I wasn't looking for them either. I have seen them on other cruises with RCI but have heard they're generally not well attended or well run. I don't know if you're looking for such get togethers for relationship purposes, or as a way to make friends for meals and excursions, but for the latter, I'd highly recommend getting on the "Roll Call" board for your cruise and getting involved. This was the reason I felt comfortable on my cruise as a solo. It was nice to make some friends, see them periodically around the ship, have someone to go on tours with, etc. It also came in handy to have someone to take pictures for me, etc.

In terms of demographics onboard, there were definitely mostly couples (and families) onboard. There was maybe a handful of solos on my particularly sailing, as well as some pairs or groups of "single people" travelling together. I'd say the age range was from mid 20's up to the elderly, but the average age seemed to be 40's-60's. Just be prepared though, you will be in the minority as a solo. Most people though, including couples and groups, are very friendly and usually open to conversations, etc.

I haven't yet planned my next cruise. I'm hoping to find some friends or family to cruise with the next time, and I'd like to go somewhere "different" as all of my cruises thus far have been Bermuda and the Caribbean. I'm aiming for Alaska, Mediterranean, or even South America (with the goal of seeing the penguins).

Anyway have an incredible cruise and PLEASE report back with your experiences and maybe some details and pictures if you can! :)

[happytam]

Thanks again for your wonderful review. I have been following it right along and can say it was easily one of the best I've read on this forum. I especially loved the pics of the Baths in Tortola. We went there on a cruise several years ago and I really enjoyed it. I wish my upcoming cruise stopped there so I could visit again.

Thanks for taking the time to share some of your trip with us.

[jdkey]

I also loved your review and pictures! We have many cruises on Royal and have just booked the Summit for next year. I appreciated the fair and candid comparisons of Royal and the Summit. Gives me an idea of what to expect.

Glad you had a good cruise even with some minor let downs.

[celebrityprincess]

This was great! I'm booked on the Summit for an October Canada/NE cruise. Now I'm even more excited!:)

[We-R-Off]

Really enjoyed your review and has brought back some wonderful memories for us of this cruise. How can we save this pictures on cruisecritic so we can look at them again? Even though we have our holiday snaps, there are views and things that I didn't photograph.

 

One thing that I didn't know about was the brunch in the MDR. Was this an extra or open to everyone? I must say, as we were jetlagged for so long we tended to be up and ready for off early, most mornings, but brunch is certainly great for those sea days.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise so much so that I am seriously thinking of doing it again in a couple of years. We are giving next year a miss for cruising but have booked 11 day Ultimate on Equinox for 2014 !!!!! such a long time away, but never mind.

Will consider booking the repositioning whilst on board in 2014 for 2015 - good to plan ahead.

 

I remember meeting up with you when we were ducking the planes and you were contemplating the cheese burgers. Thanks again for the lovely memories, maybe will meet up again on another cruise.

[jazzlady]

Jazzlady,

 

You're going to love your cruise! I've always wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise.

 

I didn't have a problem in the inside room. My rooms on past cruises have all been either balconies or windows with interior "promenade" views on RCI, so a full interior was new to me.

 

It took me about a day to get used to the fact the insides on the Summit are designed with a huge mirror along the back wall and I kept seeing my reflection out of the corner of my eye, but I got over it. I honestly don't spend much time in my room on cruises - just to sleep and shower and change for dinner, and occasionally a short rest, so I didn't really miss the window or balcony. The one disadvantage was that I was unable to see outside or pop my head out to check the weather before getting dressed and heading out for the day. I relied on the "bridge-cam" channel on the TV to see what it looked like outside, but sometimes it was difficult to tell. Truthfully on port-intensive cruises where you won't be in your room a lot, inside rooms are a great way to save money, especially when you're having to pay more for the solo supplement.

 

In terms of singles events, I didn't notice any in the dailies but I could be wrong as I wasn't looking for them either. I have seen them on other cruises with RCI but have heard they're generally not well attended or well run. I don't know if you're looking for such get togethers for relationship purposes, or as a way to make friends for meals and excursions, but for the latter, I'd highly recommend getting on the "Roll Call" board for your cruise and getting involved. This was the reason I felt comfortable on my cruise as a solo. It was nice to make some friends, see them periodically around the ship, have someone to go on tours with, etc. It also came in handy to have someone to take pictures for me, etc.

 

In terms of demographics onboard, there were definitely mostly couples (and families) onboard. There was maybe a handful of solos on my particularly sailing, as well as some pairs or groups of "single people" travelling together. I'd say the age range was from mid 20's up to the elderly, but the average age seemed to be 40's-60's. Just be prepared though, you will be in the minority as a solo. Most people though, including couples and groups, are very friendly and usually open to conversations, etc.

 

I haven't yet planned my next cruise. I'm hoping to find some friends or family to cruise with the next time, and I'd like to go somewhere "different" as all of my cruises thus far have been Bermuda and the Caribbean. I'm aiming for Alaska, Mediterranean, or even South America (with the goal of seeing the penguins).

 

Anyway have an incredible cruise and PLEASE report back with your experiences and maybe some details and pictures if you can! :)

Hi Newbbie1

thanks so much for your reply! Why dont you just book 24.Sept.- 9 Oct on the Celebrity Equinox leaving from Rome to the Mediterranean for 11 nights?

 

Your reply was very helpful and now I would even try an inside cabin if need be. As I am on wait with the Travel Agency "Life Journeys" to get a roommate assigened. I am a little apprehensive about rooming with someone I dont know but I can only book the trip over this agency as the reason I want to make this trip is because I wanted to take part in the seminar workshop with Dr. Wayne Dyer an absolutley fantastic motivational/spirtuell teacher from Hay House (Louise Hay - You Can Heal Your Life). Normally I would never book for a rommmate but I am not prepared to pay double for the cabin. So we will see what Destiny has in store for me! I put out the intention to get a wonderful, kind, considerate, thoughtful person!

 

Have you ever roomed with someone on a cruise that you dont know? I see you are from Toronto! Me too! How is Toronto treating you? I now live in Düsseldorf Germany, and enjoy tremendously living in Europe! wishing you a great weekend! till then! Judy Rafat www.judyrafat.de