Questions for Celebrity & Summit Vets

[ModestMeans]

Hello. I'm new to Celebrity but am looking at a 14 day on Summit next year. I have a few questions I hope you good people can help me with:

 

1. In checking on line TA, prices are identical as those on Celebrity web site. Can I expect to find prices through a TA cheaper than booking directly with the cruise line?

 

2. Is Concierge Class worth the extra $$. (I know this will be subjective but I would be interested to hear your opinions)

 

3. If not concierge, will probably go for a veranda room (2B or 2C) on either Penthouse or Vista deck. There are a few rooms aft that appear to have larger balconies that look appealing but, after a bad experience on Carnival (engine noise & vibration) I am leery of aft cabins. Can anyone comment about aft cabins on Summit?

 

4. Will entertainment change on a 14 day cruise or will we see the same acts several times?

 

Thanks for any input you can provide.

 

Jim

[chessbriar]

1) Use a TA, a good TA will watch pricing and rebook you if the pricing drops. Everyone now gets the same price for the most part. So a good TA knows it's their service that will keep you coming back.

 

2&3) For the money go for a 2C first eight cabins each side. Bigger balcony. Don't worry about the vibration, there is very little on the Summit.

 

4) There will be 4 production show and an assortment of guest entertainers. You will not have duplication of shows

[cgehrke]

went on a 14 day Millenium cruise and never saw the same show twice. there was an internationally known pianist who did a large performance one night for the evening show, and then one afternoon, did an intimate recital, but the pieces were not the same.

for our upcoming cruise, 7/2/05, unless I'm not remembering correctly, the price we got from our travel agent was slightly lower than the price quoted on line by Celebrity. also, our travel agent gave us an additional $250 off on our credit card, but not tied into the cruise price, just a little something extra. on another cruise in the past, if we paid by American Express card, we got $150 cabin credit.

can't speak to the differences between the cabin classes. we have been in sky suites on Celebrity cruises and very much enjoy the extra service and the extra room. from what I read, the concierge class sounds luxurious, and there doesn't seem to be that much difference in price from a veranda room up to the concierge class. so if this is a special cruise, like an anniversary or birthday, maybe you should give it a try.

no matter what room you're in, everything, in my opinion, is just great on Celebrity. enjoy your vacation!

[Mike2131]

Hello. I'm new to Celebrity but am looking at a 14 day on Summit next year. I have a few questions I hope you good people can help me with:

 

1. In checking on line TA, prices are identical as those on Celebrity web site. Can I expect to find prices through a TA cheaper than booking directly with the cruise line?

 

2. Is Concierge Class worth the extra $$. (I know this will be subjective but I would be interested to hear your opinions)

 

3. If not concierge, will probably go for a veranda room (2B or 2C) on either Penthouse or Vista deck. There are a few rooms aft that appear to have larger balconies that look appealing but, after a bad experience on Carnival (engine noise & vibration) I am leery of aft cabins. Can anyone comment about aft cabins on Summit?

 

4. Will entertainment change on a 14 day cruise or will we see the same acts several times?

 

Thanks for any input you can provide.

 

Jim

 

Hi Jim:

 

1) My advice is to shop TAs to see who might still have a group to fill. With the new pricing structure between Celebrity and the TAs, that might be your best bet for finding a somewhat lower price. Otherwise the TA price will probably mirror the current Celebrity "list". As mentioned, a good TA will monitor price reductions for you (but you should watch as well for your own protection).

 

2) Depending on the price differential, CC is a good value. For our November 9-night cruise on the Constellation, the difference was about $70.00 pp. For less than $8.00 per night, I am a buyer.

 

3) I have no direct knowledge, so I will defer to those who know the cabins.

 

4) We don't go to the production shows and have not taken a cruise that long, so once again, I cannot provide any meaningful feedback.

 

Have a great cruise!

[canderson]

Hello. I'm new to Celebrity but am looking at a 14 day on Summit next year. I have a few questions I hope you good people can help me with:

 

1. In checking on line TA, prices are identical as those on Celebrity web site. Can I expect to find prices through a TA cheaper than booking directly with the cruise line?

It may still be worth shopping around for a good TA. It'll be a bit before we see if some of the previous years' discounting shows up in group rates, etc., for this year.

 

2. Is Concierge Class worth the extra $$. (I know this will be subjective but I would be interested to hear your opinions)

Understand that ALL of the old Category 1 cabins on the Summit are now CC cabins. That means that if you want the larger cabin that was once Cat1, you have to go with the whole CC deal. We've been doing CC or FV cabins for a while now, and prefer them to the 172 sqft of the Category 2 cabins, especially on longer cruises. Moreover, we've been snagging aft CC cabins with the 200 sqft verandas, so we're kinda spoiled.

 

So while the "CC perks" are one issue, don't forget that CC buys you a good bit more room as well.

 

3. If not concierge, will probably go for a veranda room (2B or 2C) on either Penthouse or Vista deck. There are a few rooms aft that appear to have larger balconies that look appealing but, after a bad experience on Carnival (engine noise & vibration) I am leery of aft cabins. Can anyone comment about aft cabins on Summit?

Take the prior posters advice on Cat2 cabins -- some of them have substantially larger verandas. But NEVER turn down an aft CC cabin -- they're the best CC cabins on the boat. We actually schedule cruises around availability. The M-Class ships (Summit, Infinity, Constellation, Millennium) have no significant vibration aft.

 

4. Will entertainment change on a 14 day cruise or will we see the same acts several times?

You may get a few shows where several of the headliners from other nights all do something shorter on a given evening, but it will be new material each night. Celebrity is mindful of the fact that they've got the same audience for 14 days.

[AFT_LOVER]

Hello. I'm new to Celebrity but am looking at a 14 day on Summit next year. I have a few questions I hope you good people can help me with:

 

1. In checking on line TA, prices are identical as those on Celebrity web site. Can I expect to find prices through a TA cheaper than booking directly with the cruise line?

 

Yes, a TA who books groups gets a cheaper rate.

 

 

2. Is Concierge Class worth the extra $$. (I know this will be subjective but I would be interested to hear your opinions)

 

Now more than $100 PP from a 2A rate.

 

3. If not concierge, will probably go for a veranda room (2B or 2C) on either Penthouse or Vista deck. There are a few rooms aft that appear to have larger balconies that look appealing but, after a bad experience on Carnival (engine noise & vibration) I am leery of aft cabins. Can anyone comment about aft cabins on Summit?

 

I have posted previously the stateroom # of the double size balconies which are 6016-6030 (roughly) on both sides of the ship, that I remember off the top of my head.

 

4. Will entertainment change on a 14 day cruise or will we see the same acts several times?

 

They DO NOT repeat shows. Just the same show twice a day for early & late diners. They have many comedians, singers, magicians, that board for a night then disembark to fly to next job.

 

Thanks for any input you can provide.

 

Jim

 

 

Jim, any other info needed, email me.

[ModestMeans]

Thanks to all -- you've been a big help.

 

Jim