Condition of Celebrity Summit

[JerseyGem]

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

 

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 don't think you're a whiner (many on this forum will, though). You had some valid concerns on a previous cruise, and you should try to avoid them in the future. Unfortunately, uneven service can happen on most cruise lines (one of the reasons two different people will have vastly different opinions at the end of the same cruise).

 

I'm surprised that you call Celebrity a "premium" line. Maybe it was many years ago, but now it's just one of many mainstream lines. They all offer the same "product" with such slight differences that one line is rarely "better" than another. And within each cruiseline, different ships can offer vastly different experiences (due to amenities, etc). If it was once a Premium line (like Seabourne, etc), that was before my time! Although we first cruised 30 years ago, our first X cruise was only about 5 years ago, so many posters here have a much longer relationship with X. In addition to X, we've previously cruised RCCL, Cunard, NCL, HAL, Disney, Carnival & Princess. Our one Carnival cruise was wonderful- but due to so many reports of problems, we've been reluctant to try them again- not fair to Carnival, but that's our mindset.

 

In spite of some "issues" on past X cruises, we still cruise with them occasionally (our next is a B2B in the Fall on the Summit); we choose a line by itinerary and price but give higher priority to certain lines and ships that sail from nearby ports (which is why we're returning to the Summit). We don't expect perfection, but I do expect cleanliness!

 

Whatever your final decision, enjoy your cruise!

[Pompein]

Just back from June 2 sailing of Summit. Thought ship was in great shape for age. Had Aqua class stateroom on deck 11. Saw new deck chairs up on 11, didn't notice any old beat up chairs up there, saw a pool butler carrying a broken chair away on deck 10.

 

All the restrooms were kept very clean, except on debarkation day when everyone has to be out of their cabin and they get extreme use. Attendants at busy times (after shows, etc) in restrooms to open doors so you don't touch the handle.

 

I think they were going out of their way to insure cleanliness.

 

Saw staff cleaning restrooms, buffet and stairways constantly.

 

We had 3 AQ11 rooms and they were all spotless. Comfortable beds and they even cleaned our sliding glass doors daily. (not done on our Millennium cruise last Sept).

[Corgis mom]

We were on the Summit in May. I didn't think to complain about the shower temp changing. I should say though, when we were on the aft bar on deck ten, there were too few chairs for the tables. There was one chair hog there, but she only kept two chairs out of commission. We had to wait for a crew member to get up to get a second chair for our table. There were several tables with no chairs at all. No tables with more than four chairs.

[Pompein]

We encountered the no chairs on aft deck last week when the ship was sailing away from Bermuda. we simply asked a staff member for more chairs that they brought out from the Oceanview cafe. Maybe if we all did that, they would provide more.

[sarakenny]

Just back from June 2 sailing of Summit. Thought ship was in great shape for age. Had Aqua class stateroom on deck 11. Saw new deck chairs up on 11, didn't notice any old beat up chairs up there, saw a pool butler carrying a broken chair away on deck 10.

 

All the restrooms were kept very clean, except on debarkation day when everyone has to be out of their cabin and they get extreme use. Attendants at busy times (after shows, etc) in restrooms to open doors so you don't touch the handle.

 

I think they were going out of their way to insure cleanliness.

 

Saw staff cleaning restrooms, buffet and stairways constantly.

 

We had 3 AQ11 rooms and they were all spotless. Comfortable beds and they even cleaned our sliding glass doors daily. (not done on our Millennium cruise last Sept).

 

I was on the cruise with you. My DH and I were impressed by how hard everyone worked to keep the ship, and our cabin, clean. The public rest rooms were immaculate. Everything on board was constantly being dusted, wiped down or washed. We were really impressed.

[SnowBird Cruzer]

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!

 

Really? You're disappointed in some of the responses? That's par for the course on chat rooms/threads where you get to remain anonymous. I thought you had some legit questions. I thought the first response was unnecessarily harsh too.

 

Anyway, that said, I'm doing research on the Summit for a potential family cruise in February 2015. We are looking at RCCL Adventure of the Seas or Celebrity Summit. DW and I have sailed only RCCL since 2007. My brother and his wife have cruised a bit more than we have and he sticks to Celebrity and Norwegian. One of us will be in for a change. Not sure who.

The rest of the potential cruisers will all be newbies.

 

I found the following website from Beyond Ships which seems to give a nice review of various cruise ships. Attached is the link to the Summit, http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Tour-1.html.

 

I'm really trying to nail down the number of pools and whirlpools on the ship. Their own website doesn't list the total. RCCL does for AOS.

 

Have a good day all, first weekend of summer and all that!

Edited June 22, 2013 by SnowBird Cruzer
correction of typo

[SSFrance69]

Really? You're disappointed in some of the responses? That's par for the course on chat rooms/threads where you get to remain anonymous. I thought you had some legit questions. I thought the first response was unnecessarily harsh too.

 

Anyway, that said, I'm doing research on the Summit for a potential family cruise in February 2015. We are looking at RCCL Adventure of the Seas or Celebrity Summit. DW and I have sailed only RCCL since 2007. My brother and his wife have cruised a bit more than we have and he sticks to Celebrity and Norwegian. One of us will be in for a change. Not sure who.

The rest of the potential cruisers will all be newbies.

 

I found the following website from Beyond Ships which seems to give a nice review of various cruise ships. Attached is the link to the Summit, http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Tour-1.html.

 

I'm really trying to nail down the number of pools and whirlpools on the ship. Their own website doesn't list the total. RCCL does for AOS.

 

Have a good day all, first weekend of summer and all that!

 

On the pool deck there are two pools and four hot tubs. In the Spa there is an indoor T pool (which you can use at no charge), which is a regular size swimming pool that is heated like a hot tub and has benches that shoot relaxing bubbles up that you can lay on and other water jets that you can allow to pour on your back and neck. There are also two more hot tubs in this room. Hope that helps. We used to be exclusive to RCI, but once we tried X we were hooked.

[stellarose]

So if we want to tan and use the t pool, not happening right? Look forward to seeing summitt.

[Karen S.]

We were on the June 9 sailing and had a regular balcony cabin. Everything looked great for a 12 year old ship. If you are going to be disappointed if everything is not brand new, then you should probably go on a brand new ship to assure your happiness. I did not see any of the problems that have been mentioned - maybe we didn't notice any of these things because we were having such a good time. We are frequent cruisers (35 cruises) and have been on lots of different lines and ships. The Summit was really a wonderful cruise. I think we had the best waiters we have ever had - Reymond and Don Ryan - and our room steward, Fauzan, was also fabulous. Staff were always cleaning all over the ship and the officers were very visible and friendly. Food was delicious and we could not have been more pleased with the entire cruise.

Karen

[SSFrance69]

So if we want to tan and use the t pool, not happening right? Look forward to seeing summitt.

 

I've never seen issues regarding space in the t pool. I can't speak for tanning. Since I stay out of the sun, loungers are not on my seek out list.

[kjacruiser]

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.

:eek:...Great Photo's...then I see My Buddie"s....Tommy and Beth....hope they behaved....:D

[Karen@Steve]

We really never had much of an issue with lounge chairs on the Summit. We don't really like being packed in like sardines so we always go up one level from the pool deck where there are lots of chairs. If we want shade we either went to the T-pool or we found some shade on the pool level if available or found some else where (one side of the ship is usually in shade).

 

If people where more considerate there would be plenty of chairs for everyone on the pool deck but people are as they are so we just don't get into the hassle and find our own place.

[SnowBird Cruzer]

On the pool deck there are two pools and four hot tubs. In the Spa there is an indoor T pool (which you can use at no charge), which is a regular size swimming pool that is heated like a hot tub and has benches that shoot relaxing bubbles up that you can lay on and other water jets that you can allow to pour on your back and neck. There are also two more hot tubs in this room. Hope that helps. We used to be exclusive to RCI, but once we tried X we were hooked.

 

Thank you so much for your prompt response. I appreciate it very much.

I don't know about getting hooked on another cruise line. I need a rock wall to climb!

[ac110]

I thought a quick post-cruise followup might be in order.

 

We completed our cruise and were very happy. The cabin was in much better shape, apparently refurbished though they didn't do much with the bathroom if anything.

 

The Food & Beverage was much better on Summit that on Constellation last winter. The Buffet Dining room was much better maintained, and kept clean in the quiet evening hours. The main dining room was considerably better than on Constellation. Both the quality and presentation of the food was consistently better.

 

We booked Concierge Class because we were able to get it at a good price. However, we really didn't see any considerable difference. I believe the cabin was a bit larger, but there was no discernable difference in the service, save daily optional delivery of 'canapes'. The canapes were an uninteresting dish with a few olives, 3 or 4 small natcho chips, a little squirt of hummous and perhaps 2 or three small cubes of melon. Yawn. They could really have saved their money.

 

I'm not sure if the bottle of champagne/sparkling wine in our cabin at check-in was due to Concierge Class or because it was an anniversary trip, but it was appreciated. It took 2 days and 3 or 4 tries to get the cabin attendant to understand that we wanted it iced before dinner, not at 2:00 in the afternoon, but that's all right. We enjoyed it.

 

In summary we were quite happy with this cruise. Nonetheless, we were always very satisfied with Royal Caribbean, and I'm not sure why I'd pay any extra for Celebrity. I just don't see how they differentiate the two lines.

 

Would I go back to Celebrity? Sure, but given the choice on the itinerary we wanted we'd probably go back to their main line, Royal Caribbean.

[Ricksreviews]

I am glad to hear that your recent cruise on the Summit was better than your first cruise on her. The points that you originally bought up are valid points and while there have been improvements it makes me wonder why Celebrity let things get to that point in the first place. Lets face it, 11 or 12 years for a ship is old these days. There are plenty of options of new / newer ships available. NCL has been doing a great job of building new ships as well as refurbishing their older fleet. True refurbishing, not just parts here and there. I have been considering which line to use out of NY for a Bermuda cruise for a large group. I was skeptical of Celebrity and knocked it off the list since reading your initial review and reviews of others. They might have fixed some things but it still makes me skeptical.

 

If a cruise line, hotel or any hospitality industry company can not properly maintain their property they should not be surprised to receive bad reviews and lose business. Why should people support them

[dkjretired]

I am glad to hear that your recent cruise on the Summit was better than your first cruise on her. The points that you originally bought up are valid points and while there have been improvements it makes me wonder why Celebrity let things get to that point in the first place. Lets face it, 11 or 12 years for a ship is old these days. There are plenty of options of new / newer ships available. NCL has been doing a great job of building new ships as well as refurbishing their older fleet. True refurbishing, not just parts here and there. I have been considering which line to use out of NY for a Bermuda cruise for a large group. I was skeptical of Celebrity and knocked it off the list since reading your initial review and reviews of others. They might have fixed some things but it still makes me skeptical.

 

If a cruise line, hotel or any hospitality industry company can not properly maintain their property they should not be surprised to receive bad reviews and lose business. Why should people support them

 

FYI, the thread you are responding to is four years old.

[Ricksreviews]

I saw that after posting it. I had searched Celebrity Summit Condition and it came up. That makes me realize even more that the Summit is not the ship for my group. A 15 year old ship on a line that does not take care of their ships is not for my group.

[dkjretired]

I saw that after posting it. I had searched Celebrity Summit Condition and it came up. That makes me realize even more that the Summit is not the ship for my group. A 15 year old ship on a line that does not take care of their ships is not for my group.

 

I've been on her the last two years and believe she is in excellent shape for a ship that old with a great crew. I would respectfully disagree. Celebrity has always had a reputation for taking care of their ships.

[Ricksreviews]

It is great if they have cleaned up their act but I won't risk taking a group of more than 50 people on a ship on a line that let their ship get to that state in the first place. Poor management does not always change.

[dkjretired]

It is great if they have cleaned up their act but I won't risk taking a group of more than 50 people on a ship on a line that let their ship get to that state in the first place. Poor management does not always change.

 

They did not clean up their act, they have always been known for maintaining their ships, you can't just read bad reviews as most of the reviews of the Summit have always been the opposite for years. Since that thread, Celebrity has spent millions of dollars on all their M class ship. Just an FYI

[Ricksreviews]

As someone who fills large hotels on a regular basis and for my own travel I look at all reviews, good and bad. I realize many bad reviews are bogus or uncalled for. However, when legitimate bad reviews are posted which even include pictures of simple things that can be fixed very quickly that indicates to me there is a lack of care or concern for the properties / cruise lines customers. They have spent millions of dollars on their ships? Well great. I say again, why did they let things get so bad for such simple things in the first place? Wrapping the end of a bed frame with a wash cloth and duct tape? Noted twice in reviews. Come on, that is poor management and poor maintenance.

[bayonnejoe]

It is great if they have cleaned up their act but I won't risk taking a group of more than 50 people on a ship on a line that let their ship get to that state in the first place. Poor management does not always change.

 

 

DW and I have sailed Summit 14 times since 2010 and have never been anything less than totally satisfied with the condition, cleanliness, and upkeep of the ship. Needless to say, by far our favorite ship and crew.

[pl281]

Rick - I see you are new on Cruise Critic

1) I sailed on the Summit in 2015 and it did not show it's age at all.

 

2) Keep in mind that the Summit had a dry dock with additions / general refresh in early 2016

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6576

 

3) I have found that there tend to be more critical reviews on this board - it's not that a ship is in poor condition, it's moreso people have a certain expectation.

 

4) Depending on what your group's budget / expectations are this maybe the right ship it may not. For what it is worth, I've seen reviews of brand new ships that people say they will never go on again. This is a 15 year old ship. There are ships out there that are older and fresh out of dry dock that I might not what to go on just because it feels dated - it depends on what you want

[Ricksreviews]

I will give the Summit a chance by cruising on her myself without a group first to see how she is considering her dry dock in 2016. If I find her and Celebrity worthy I will bring groups on Celebrity.

 

I realize many people are just negative in their reviews however the original review which I replied to was fair and had legitimate concerns.

[PostcardJar]

We were on the Summit from Dec. 24-Dec 31, 2016. She is 15 years old. That said, we found her to be in excellent condition with a fantastic crew and great service. In addition, she is exceptionally clean. For what it's worth, Celebrity is building a new ship, called Edge, which is due to set sail late in 2018. They have a second "Edge" class ship on order (due 2019) and just secured financing for two more (due 2021 and 2022). Those ships look to be spectacular.