Summit Cirque du Soleil

[SoCalGal]

We just finished our 14 night cruise from San Diego to Alaska....everything was wonderful EXCEPT for Cirque du Soleil ruining the Revelations Lounge. Summit has lost the panoramic views of Alaska's spectacular scenery and glaciers from that wonderful lounge. The windows have been almost totally blocked by these tented beds and there's fabric hanging from the ceiling....it's so dark and depressing that you don't even want to be there. You can't even see across the room due to screens and these ridiculous decorations. You can cling to the front windows, but since they have removed all the tables and chairs that were once there, just a few people are limited to "laying" on these tented bed-like things. We couldn't believe what they have done to our favorite place on the ship. There is no "show"....Cirque is an "experience".....just Celebrity's way to sell $10.00-$15.00 drinks. As much as we love Celebrity, we'll never cruise again on any ship that has Cirque.

 

SoCalGal

[FortyNinerLiz]

We just finished our 14 night cruise from San Diego to Alaska....everything was wonderful EXCEPT for Cirque du Soleil ruining the Revelations Lounge. Summit has lost the panoramic views of Alaska's spectacular scenery and glaciers from that wonderful lounge. The windows have been almost totally blocked by these tented beds and there's fabric hanging from the ceiling....it's so dark and depressing that you don't even want to be there. You can't even see across the room due to screens and these ridiculous decorations. You can cling to the front windows, but since they have removed all the tables and chairs that were once there, just a few people are limited to "laying" on these tented bed-like things. We couldn't believe what they have done to our favorite place on the ship. There is no "show"....Cirque is an "experience".....just Celebrity's way to sell $10.00-$15.00 drinks. As much as we love Celebrity, we'll never cruise again on any ship that has Cirque.

 

SoCalGal

Thank you for your honesty.

[MBMiner]

We were on the same sailing, and totally agree. The former Revelations Lounge has been ruined, and the most beautiful vantage point on the ship is no more. We only entered the area once out of curiosity, never to return again during the 14-day cruise. Let's hope it someday returns to its former glory.

[Iamboatman]

To each his/her own. There are many, many people who rave about the Cirque experience and there are a number of threads discussing it so I won't repeat it.

 

What I find interesting is the OP's comment that solely not being able to sit in the front of the lounge during the negates all of the wonderful things that makes a cruise on Celebrity worth taking. I'm not doubting the OP's genuineness, I just wonder how the situation (which has been discussed here quite a bit) came as such a stunning and disturbing shock...since it is sooooo important.

 

BTW, the drinks are the same price as all over the ship. No $10-15 drinks unless it is something very special.

[CruisingChick]

Maybe people wouldn't be complaining so much about CDS if Celebrity hadn't RUINED one of the nicest place on the ship to sit and relax and view scenery during the day. If they had done a renovation where the coverings on the windows could have been rolled away during Non-CDS times and those gorgeous windows, that I'm sure were put there originally for the purpose of looking out them, were not obscured.

 

Anne Maria

[MSBYRDY]

Just off the Constellation and have to agree about the room looking ragged. Just my opinion, but it was changed so "cheaply" it looked like cob webs and rags. It really didn't effect our cruise one way or the other, but it was a gorgeous room gone bad. Even the chair coverings were merely the tie on coverings.

Marilyn

[Mysteryreader]

We took that cruise last Aug. One of the best moments was the 2d day (first full day) when the ship navigated the Grenville Channel. The view was magnificent. The on-board naturalist was there and pointed out interesting features.

 

How was it handled this yr? Was the naturalist on board again? His talks were most interesting last yr and well attended. He also had a session in the lounge as we came in to Skagway and there were a number of whale sightings. I guess that's over, too.

 

When I heard about the Revelations Lounge being redone for CdS, I was afraid of just what you reported. I'm glad we had the chance to experience it before the switch.

 

M/R

[Cruisin' granny]

Gosh, I was hoping the report would be better this summer. The lounge is one of my favorite spots for quiet time during the day and watching Alaska unfold before me. Yes, I have a balcony, but the experience is not the same. I love to spend the very early morning hours in the lounge watching the landscape wake to the morning light. Yes, this is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. Now where do I go?

[hajekfam]

On some cruises, such as Alaska, sitting in that lounge are one of the best places to observe the scenery. And the scenery is one of the major reasons to do an Alaskan cruise.

I think the appreciation for the lounge and how it is used has more to do with the cruise destination than age of the cruiser. If passengers don't like what was done to the lounge, there are plenty of other quiet spaces to sit. However, on an Alaskan cruise, there is nowhere that you can sit inside to get the same kind of views that you get from this lounge.

[Seabee]

I'm just trying to figure our what I'd do with a 36 year old wife!!

 

Wait...never mind, now I remember!

[kitty9]

I was on the Summit before the changeover and after and I can say, after experiencing it, first hand, personally, that Celebrity made a mistake (yes, my PERSONAL opinion) in bringing on CDS and ruining a wonderful lounge that we enjoyed each and every day and night of our first Summit cruise. While I'm not a "youngster" by definition (52), I'm certainly not part of the geriatric set, and I found the CDS show to be innane and silly, and not really "entertainment" in the true sense of the word. I heard from many of my fellow cruisers who also saw the CDS show and they began calling Cirque du Stupid---not my term, but their's.

 

As for enjoying the Alaska scenery outdoors, there are many of us who, for reasons of health, cannot spend hours outside in the cold, and need the indoor viewing area to enjoy the Alaska scenery. While having CDS hasn't changed our plans for cruising on the Summit next year for 14 days in the Panama Canal, bringing on CDS and removing our most favorite lounge, has, in reality, changed our total cruise experience on the Summit.

[Mysteryreader]

After dinner the first evening of our NB AK cruise last Aug, dh and I made our way to the Revelations Lounge. With the exception of the bar staff, we were the only ones there. We pulled chairs around to have full forward view, ordered two glasses of wine, and watched the passing scenery out of Vancouver as the sun slowly set. It was an absolutely spectacular show beyond anything available down in the Theater. Others joined us as the evening went on, and there were many more the second evening. (Yes, we did also dance and had a second round of wine.)

 

Those few hrs were one of the highlights of our cruise, and we have vivid memories of them.

 

By chance, one of my closest friends and her dh are doing the same cruise next mo. She has asked me for tips on the ship. I regret I cannot tell her to be sure to have the same experience. It's no longer there, and I'm sorry for that.

 

M/R

[Leejnd4]

Maybe we should put Mysteryreader and webecruisin in the lounge. Should make for great entertainment. :D

Add a mud-wrestling pit and you'll have the best entertainment on board! Who needs to look outside the ship for wildlife? :D

[SoCalGal]

Wow! Being from So. California I am not old at 60 and can probably party most of you under the table...I really don't object to what they do at night in Revelations....I could care less. It is what they have done to Revelations for the DAYTIME use. To me the Caribbean doesn't have the breathtaking scenery that Alaska offers, so I can understand why many of you wouldn't feel the impact of what they have done to this beautiful lounge. We spent countless hours there last year enjoying the magnificent scenery, relaxing in a bright, cheerful and warm environment, there were anniversary and other parties, bingo and we danced the night away in the evenings. I would say there were at least 200-300 people at any one time in Revelations last year during the sea days and at the Hubbard Glacier. This year we were relegated to the outside on deck 11 and it got mighty cold and windy for most of us to stay out there for very long. If anyone can explain to me why they did this, I'd love to know...I still think it is a way to sell expensive drinks. By the way, Guest Relations personnel told us that they had originally planned to keep the lounge closed during the day, but changed their minds because of so many complaints. To us, they may as well have. We are disgusted with the whole thing.

[Mysteryreader]

Maybe we should put Mysteryreader and webecruisin in the lounge. Should make for great entertainment. :D

 

LOL. I think I'm too old and dull for him.

 

M/R

[dmellis]

Maybe if people submitted their concerns to celebrity, the lounge could be made to suit everyones needs. I haven't seen it so i'm not sure how much work this would entail. It sounds like we have lost a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery. But again, have'nt seen it. I hope that some of you experienced cruisers would bring your concerns to Celebrity as well as these boards. Fighting amongst ourselves certainly will not resolve anything. Good entertainment, but that's about it.

[MSBYRDY]

I have a pic of the lounge on Constellation if anyone wants to see it. Give me an email address and I'll gladly send it on to you.

Marilyn

[Perki]

Maybe the Summit changed the design from what was done in the room vs what I experiened on Constellation just this past April because the only place one could not sit and watch out the windows was the very front, where the beds are now. All of the chairs and tables right next to the side windows are all still there and the windows are not covered. This is where I have always enjoyed sitting, having wait-service beverages and watching us pull out of port. Now with the screens and other fabric I do not believe you have a view from the center bar but there has always been quite a distance from that bar to the windows anyhow so I never sat there, always by the windows...and you can still do that to this day.

[macmax]

I see that censorship has raised it's ugly head again as many of today's earlier posts on this topic were eliminated. Now granted, there was a pretty heated exchange between 2 posters....but to erase a bunch of others?????

 

Anyway, for what it's worth I agree that X has ruined that lounge for daytime use and other than "White Night", it is pretty much a bust.

[canderson]

I see that censorship has raised it's ugly head again as many of today's earlier posts on this topic were eliminated. Now granted, there was a pretty heated exchange between 2 posters....but to erase a bunch of others?????

 

Anyway, for what it's worth I agree that X has ruined that lounge for daytime use and other than "White Night", it is pretty much a bust.

 

I'm guessing some "overactive fingers" got into the mix, as my post was entirely civil. I know one is not to question the moderators, but if this post is an issue, please explain at earl dot anderson at comcast dot net such that we can understand your problem with it.

 

So, at the risk of being bounced again for no apparent reason --

 

For those that aren't familiar with it, there is a grand area for viewing ABOVE 11 Forward. Due to various elevations in the deck, it actually serves better for viewing in Alaska and trans-Canal (unless it's raining, of course). Many people are unaware that this area of the ship exists forward of the Sports Deck basketball court. While I also like 11 Forward, this is an excellent alternative.

[42trvl]

Ok - at 43, I'd like to think we're still considered fairly "young." We are active, enjoy the outdoors and have enjoyed several Cirque du Soleil performances. But, when on the Summit we really enjoyed the Revelations lounge as a nice place to pass time. Both on our Caribbean and Alaska cruises, it offered a nice respite from the outdoors. It was great to enjoy the outdoors in such a pleasant setting without the weather and crowd considerations. And while I wouldn't make my entire decision about a cruise based on just one lounge, that was a very nice feature of thoses ships, which has now been taken away. Again, we like Cirque du Soleil, but we would not go on a cruise to see that, whereas we do pick between ships for, among other things, its public areas. Having been on other cruise lines also, it's not like Celebrity is that much better than all the rest to say that things like this could not make a difference to people.

[House_Atreides]

That would definitely disappoint me also if I were cruising Alaska.

 

Revelations is a neat bar...

 

But we didn't like the Cirque at all. We found people on our sailing either loved it or hated it

 

It would not stop me from cruising Celebrity again....I'd just skip Cirque is all ;)

[SoCalGal]

We will only skip the Celebrity ships that have Cirque.....

 

Glad to see some of the mean remarks are gone...no need for them. If anyone is interested they can see my photos on the Cruisemates website or email me.

[canderson]

A couple of our new friends:

[Mancuso]

I've got to agree that it was my favorite place on the ship to relax and read. As well as a great place to have a view of the route ahead. We won't be back on Summit until 6/06 and I hope they make a change by then.