Condition of Celebrity Summit

[ac110]

Can anyone tell me the current condition of Celebrity Summit? Has she been completely refit or are there areas still to be redone?

 

We sailed on Constellation last winter, our first Celebrity cruises (back-to-back), and I was very disappointed at the condition of the ship. We understood that she had been in for refit, but while some areas of the ship were clearly newly refurbished, others, including our cabin and the outdoor dining area aft of the cafe, were in very poor condition. Downright dirty, in fact.

 

The ship was due to go into drydock within a month or so for more refits, and housekeeping and maintenance in the older parts of the ship had been neglected badly. (I even overheard two front-of house managers discussing their surprise at how badly the ship had been let go.)

All that to say that as we are now considering a summer sailing on Summit, I'd like to know if the refits have been completed. I wouldn't sail Celebrity again in those conditions, RCCL has always exceeded expectations and we'd go back there or to Princess.

 

Thanks in Advance.

[miched]

Everything hasn't been replaced. There are areas that I am sure you will find fault with if that is what you are looking for.

 

We had a AQ cabin a month after the refit that was converted from CC. The faucet and drain ring were pitted and the finish was worn off.

 

The only thing that we noticed that was changed during the refit was the shower panel.

 

We just got of the Summit again and this time in one of the new cabins on deck 11. The robe that was left looked as if it hadn't been washed. There were yellow stains under the arm pits. All it took was a call to the attendant to get it changed.

 

If you are worried or concerned that your cruise will be ruined because everything is not new or has been replaced then I would suggest a different ship.

 

The Reflection may meet your expectations as it is all new.

Edited June 10, 2013 by miched

[ac110]

Everything hasn't been replaced. There are areas that I am sure you will find fault with if that is what you are looking for.

 

We had a AQ cabin a month after the refit that was converted from CC. The faucet and drain ring were pitted and the finish was worn off.

 

The only thing that we noticed that was changed during the refit was the shower panel.

 

We just got of the Summit again and this time in one of the new cabins on deck 11. The robe that was left looked as if it hadn't been washed. There were yellow stains under the arm pits. All it took was a call to the attendant to get it changed.

 

If you are worried or concerned that your cruise will be ruined because everything is not new or has been replaced then I would suggest a different ship.

 

The Reflection may meet your expectations as it is all new.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

 

Please don't mistake me for a whiner, though. I'm not that hard to please. There's no way any cruise, hotel, resort or whatever is going to operate without missteps here and there. I can deal with that.

 

What I don't like is systemic failures on a premium cruise line. The things I encountered on two Celebrity Cruises, and those you describe on yours, I've never encountered in 5 cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

I've found the housekeeping, maintenance and food to be better on RCCL than on their premium line, Celebrity, which surprises me.

 

Of all the cruises we've done, I'd rank the lines as follows.

 

Royal Caribbean (5 cruises)

Princess (2)

Holland America (1)

Celebrity (2)

 

No excuse in my eyes for a premium cruise line to let housekeeping slip. And to let it slip below the standards of their mainstream line is inexplicable.

 

I'd probably go back to RCCL. They've never disappointed me yet.

[Lois R]

Hi:) I am sailing Summit for the 6th time in August. I can only go by

my experienes...she is one of my favorite ships and looking forward to

seeing Bermuda too.:D

 

I realize everyone has different experiences and sorry there were

housekeeping issues but that doesn't have an affect on my decision.

I have read for years.....2 people, same cruise.....180 degrees difference

for each person.

[vplsh]

I have to agree with Lois ( Hi Lois!!). We sailed on Summit in March and found her to be in excellent condition. We are booked to sail on her again 3 more times in the next year. The crew is wonderful and the ship is well-maintained. Reading some of the reviews, I'm surprised they were even on the same ship as me!!

[Lois R]

I have to agree with Lois ( Hi Lois!!). We sailed on Summit in March and found her to be in excellent condition. We are booked to sail on her again 3 more times in the next year. The crew is wonderful and the ship is well-maintained. Reading some of the reviews, I'm surprised they were even on the same ship as me!!

 

Hi Lisa:) I know you sail her again next month and I have no doubt

you will have a wonderful cruise:D

[johhnnyt]

Found it to be in excellent shape for a 12 year old ship. The room steward and his assistant kept our room in superb shape. I think I noticed two minor things (uneven shower temp) and pillows seem flat as flatbread, but put them on one of those cards that they supply that go to the hotel director, and next day both were corrected

[laurenvit]

I haven't been on the Summit (yet. 2 months!) but I've found in general that if you're worried about finding problems you'll be more prone to seeing them. Does this make sense?

 

I'd book another ship if you're concerned. That way you won't worry.

 

Good luck!

 

 

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[stellarose]

Again, have not been on summit and chose the trip for destination. I know she is an old ship but I'm not going to be looking for issues. It's a cruise, it's vacation and I'm happy for going. In laws loved it, my in laws neighbors loved it ( even booked another cruise while on her).

Edited June 10, 2013 by stellarose
More.

[CruisingChick]

The Summit is what 11-12 years old? I wish I was that old.

 

Why do people insist on calling these ships old? It drives me crazy.

 

There are way older ships out there sailing than the M Class Celebrity Ships.

 

We thought the condition overall is fine. Our stateroom was fine, the public spaces were fine. I did notice that some of the bathroom stall doors in the ladies public bathrooms were a little hard to close. The bathroom themselves were always clean.

 

Wish my house was that clean.

 

Anne Maria

[richstowe]

We loved our Southern Caribbean Summit cruise but have to say our cabin though clean looked unrenovated in any way.

 

We did not know it but it had recently failed its health inspection .(Forget the formal name).

The staff were of course on their best cleaning behavior because of this.

 

The best part of this cruise was the itinerary. OP , if you love RC, perhaps you should continue to love them.

Summit has little WOW factor. I think you need to go to Celebrity's Solstice class to find this.

[New Hampshire]

First of all, I am a devoted Celebrity cruiser and have had a wonderful cruise on every sailing and every ship. I have never found any fault in the past with either the ships or service. Since 2007 we have sailed only on S class ships until a few weeks ago when we sailed Summit.

 

My aft cabin was fine, but the bathroom had a terrible smell that seemed to come from the shower drain.. The furniture, railing and floor of the veranda were in rough shape. The new public rooms were fine, but I wish they had left the Martini Bar the way that it was. There is very little space for groups of four or more to sit and feel like you're even in the Martini Bar.The rear deck for eating on deck 10 had a forlorn feel to it. The spa pool area was very unattractive, just white barren walls, no decor at all. Some of the lounge chairs in this area were missing cushions. I've sailed Constellation numerous times in its early years and always loved this space. Presently on Summit, it's very unappealing. The lounge chairs on Deck 11 are awful!!!!! They should have all been tossed and replaced during the refurb. They are worn, dirty, some broken and rusty and have no pads. When I walked on Deck 11, it was hard to believe I was on a Celebrity ship. Modern Luxury....NOT!!!! There were also large areas that appeared to be water stains on the carpeting on Deck 10 outside the buffet and on the carpeting near the aft elevators on Deck 10.

 

I still had a wonderful time on this cruise. Food and service were great, although I found the buffet to be lacking compared to what I've been experiencing on S class ships. I am disappointed that Celebrity seems to be lowering it's standards and that management finds the spa pool area and the horrible lounge chairs to be acceptable.

 

I'm already booked on the Summit again for March. This was booked a while ago for the itinerary. If I don't find improvements then, it will be my last sailing on an M class ship. I voiced all my complaints on both an Attention to Detail card early in the cruise and again on a comment card at the end. I had some conversations with other passengers during the cruise who were voicing many of the same complaints.

[Lois R]

I read recently someone saw new loungers being brought onto the

ship. I cannot remember which thread it was on but they did say new

ones were being loaded onto the ship.

[SeagoingMom]

Thanks for your feedback.

 

 

What I don't like is systemic failures on a premium cruise line. The things I encountered on two Celebrity Cruises, and those you describe on yours, I've never encountered in 5 cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

Would you mind detailing the failures you saw/experienced? Your description is a little vague.

 

I always like to read what others have experienced to see whether it seems to be 1. out of the ordinary, or 2. something I would myself also be concerned about.

 

We sailed on Celebrity years ago, and were happy. I wonder how it is now.

[New Hampshire]

I sure hope that's true. I was looking at pictures of the thalassotherapy pool area in a Celebrity brochure that I have. It shows a beautiful area filled with greenery. It doesn't remotely resemble what I saw on the Summit. So easy to fix, they just need to make it look the way it used to look.

[Ron_L]

The lounge chairs on Deck 11 are awful!!!!! They should have all been tossed and replaced during the refurb. They are worn, dirty, some broken and rusty and have no pads. When I walked on Deck 11, it was hard to believe I was on a Celebrity ship. Modern Luxury....NOT!!!!

 

I've read several reports on the poor condition of the lounge chairs on deck 11. Does anyone have a picture of these chairs? If I encountered lounges that bad on any ship I would take pictures to send to the line so they can see for themselves.

Edited June 10, 2013 by Ron_L

[ac110]

I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed by some of the responses that suggest that I'm being unreasonable.

 

Folks, whether I'm on a cruise ship, or in a hotel, I expect it to be reasonably clean and maintained. There's no excuse for bathrooms in the cabin not being clean when you check in, particularly when it's accumulated dirt, not just recent. There's no excuse for spills to remain on the floor under the coffee dispensers on the buffet line for an hour or more during late evening.

 

I can deal with a server forgetting my drink, or a meal that arrives cold, or a cabin that's not ready on time. That's just run of the mill operations stuff.

 

But when the bathroom is dirty, when there is a washcloth masking-taped to the end of the bed to keep you from cutting your leg on sharp metal, when the deck furniture has been allowed to deteriorate and food grime accumulated on the buffet restaurant's outdoor deck, there's a systemic problem with maintenance and housekeeping.

 

Raising things like this isn't whining or looking for problems.

 

Please accept this in the constructive spirit I intend it. I'm not suggesting that I didn't have a good time or that I let it ruin my cruise.

 

But I think it's perfectly reasonable to enquire whether a ship I'm contemplating going on is better maintained.

 

Reading all of this it might sound like I'm hard to please. Believe me, that's not the case. I let the little stuff roll right off and I know there will always be some problems that aren't worth worrying about. Just more than I expected in the maintenance area on this ONE occasion!

 

Happy cruising to all!

Edited June 10, 2013 by ac110

[ac110]

Would you mind detailing the failures you saw/experienced? Your description is a little vague.

 

I always like to read what others have experienced to see whether it seems to be 1. out of the ordinary, or 2. something I would myself also be concerned about.

 

We sailed on Celebrity years ago, and were happy. I wonder how it is now.

 

Things like accumulated dust and grime in the cabin bathroom, excursion stickers from the previous guest on the wall of my cabin for 4 days (I was curious how long it would take), lack up cleanup of spills on the buffet line in the quiet hours, badly deteriorated varnish on deck chairs, food grime on the wooden deck of the Seaside Grill outdoor dining patio, rusted holes in one of the equipment boxes on deck.

 

There was lots to like, of course. As usual, the crew were great. We had a good time. I was just surprised at the maintenance standards.

Edited June 10, 2013 by ac110

[pichjoe]

Leaving this week for the 4th year in a row on the Summit for Bermuda, the DW and myself enjoy the ship and her crew as much as we like the island itself. We've sailed RCCL, Carnival and Norweign and we prefer Celebrity with the Summit being our favorite ship although we haven't been on an S class ship yet, planned for next year. I'm sure you'll enjoy the Summit.

[miched]

 

But when the bathroom is dirty, when there is a washcloth masking-taped to the end of the bed to keep you from cutting your leg on sharp metal, when the deck furniture has been allowed to deteriorate and food grime accumulated on the buffet restaurant's outdoor deck, there's a systemic problem with maintenance and housekeeping.

 

 

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

That same issue with the bed frame happened to my wife and I on the Constellation in March of this year. She bumped her leg against the bed frame and bruised and scraped the skin. I pulled the mattress over the edge for protection. The next day I guess that the attendant push the mattress back and I also knocked my leg against the bed frame and also bruised and scraped the skin. Again I pull the mattress over the frame for protection. That night the mattress was pushed back and the attendant put two bath mats over the edge of the frame. I still pulled the matress back over the edge.

 

 

.

[sabookkeeper]

I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed by some of the responses that suggest that I'm being unreasonable.

 

Folks, whether I'm on a cruise ship, or in a hotel, I expect it to be reasonably clean and maintained. There's no excuse for bathrooms in the cabin not being clean when you check in, particularly when it's accumulated dirt, not just recent. There's no excuse for spills to remain on the floor under the coffee dispensers on the buffet line for an hour or more during late evening.

 

I can deal with a server forgetting my drink, or a meal that arrives cold, or a cabin that's not ready on time. That's just run of the mill operations stuff.

 

But when the bathroom is dirty, when there is a washcloth masking-taped to the end of the bed to keep you from cutting your leg on sharp metal, when the deck furniture has been allowed to deteriorate and food grime accumulated on the buffet restaurant's outdoor deck, there's a systemic problem with maintenance and housekeeping.

 

Raising things like this isn't whining or looking for problems.

 

Please accept this in the constructive spirit I intend it. I'm not suggesting that I didn't have a good time or that I let it ruin my cruise.

 

But I think it's perfectly reasonable to enquire whether a ship I'm contemplating going on is better maintained.

 

Reading all of this it might sound like I'm hard to please. Believe me, that's not the case. I let the little stuff roll right off and I know there will always be some problems that aren't worth worrying about. Just more than I expected in the maintenance area on this ONE occasion!

 

Happy cruising to all!

Thank you for the information on your cruise. As I am planning on sailing the Summit in 2015, I want to hear about these problems so I can make a decision as to whether I want to change and cruise on a different ship. Obviously we all expect to have clean bathrooms and a good lounger to sit out on. The cleanliness problem might be specific to your room steward, did you speak to him/her or anyone else about this?

[Gran2five]

But when the bathroom is dirty, when there is a washcloth masking-taped to the end of the bed to keep you from cutting your leg on sharp metal, when the deck furniture has been allowed to deteriorate and food grime accumulated on the buffet restaurant's outdoor deck, there's a systemic problem with maintenance and housekeeping.

 

!

 

We just returned from a week on the Summit and if the bed in our cabin had masking-tape on it as shown in your picture, we would have spoken up immediately. What they could do about it - not certain - but surely something better than the unsightly masking tape!

 

A couple of weeks ago, another post mentioned that new deck chairs were being loaded on board. Before we sailed on June 2nd, we saw large bins filled with old, broken up chairs - so I guess new chairs were added. We did not spend much time on deck 11 but the chairs we saw and sat it were clean and relatively new.

 

We, fortunately, saw no problems with maintenance, the ship was clean and the staff to a person were friendly and ready to help in any way they could.

[JMC715]

I'm sailing on Summit on Sunday. Since there has been so much discussion of the deck chairs I promise to investigate and report back upon my return. I'll even post some photos of the new - or old - deck chairs.

 

Janet

[kendon]

I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed by some of the responses that suggest that I'm being unreasonable.

 

Folks, whether I'm on a cruise ship, or in a hotel, I expect it to be reasonably clean and maintained. There's no excuse for bathrooms in the cabin not being clean when you check in, particularly when it's accumulated dirt, not just recent. There's no excuse for spills to remain on the floor under the coffee dispensers on the buffet line for an hour or more during late evening.

 

I can deal with a server forgetting my drink, or a meal that arrives cold, or a cabin that's not ready on time. That's just run of the mill operations stuff.

 

But when the bathroom is dirty, when there is a washcloth masking-taped to the end of the bed to keep you from cutting your leg on sharp metal, when the deck furniture has been allowed to deteriorate and food grime accumulated on the buffet restaurant's outdoor deck, there's a systemic problem with maintenance and housekeeping.

 

Raising things like this isn't whining or looking for problems.

 

Please accept this in the constructive spirit I intend it. I'm not suggesting that I didn't have a good time or that I let it ruin my cruise.

 

But I think it's perfectly reasonable to enquire whether a ship I'm contemplating going on is better maintained.

 

Reading all of this it might sound like I'm hard to please. Believe me, that's not the case. I let the little stuff roll right off and I know there will always be some problems that aren't worth worrying about. Just more than I expected in the maintenance area on this ONE occasion!

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

I totally agree. There is some serious housekeeping issues on this ship...hence the low cleanliness ratings recently. I am a frequent cruiser and am not looking for perfection, but the Summit fails at some of the basics.

[Ron_L]

I'm sailing on Summit on Sunday. Since there has been so much discussion of the deck chairs I promise to investigate and report back upon my return. I'll even post some photos of the new - or old - deck chairs.

 

Janet

 

Thanks, Janet.

 

My goal is to get all of these issue resolved before we sail in December :D