Casual Summit Review

[mompolo]

We had been on 3 Celebrity cruises, last one was about 10 years ago. Since then, we did 2 RCCL and 1 Carnival cruise.

 

We were very excited to be back to Celebrity. It was always our favorite line, but we also enjoyed our other cruises.

 

We were on the Summit October 26th sailing departing from San Juan. Embarkation was the worst of any cruise we have been on. Embarkation was to start at 1:00 and we arrived around 1:30. It was hot - very hot. The line was very long and we were actually standing in the parking lot. We had to keep our luggage with us, which I believe we've always been able to drop off before we got in line. It took an hour and forty five minutes to check in and I was having a hard time in the heat.

 

Once on board I commented to my DH that the ship seemed very warm. We went to our cabin so that I could hydrate and rest for a few and the room was pretty warm too. I don't recall ever being warm on our other cruises, so I was surprised. Eventually our room was cool, but I have to say that this was the warmest ship we have ever been on. It was not just me, it was warm. This was the case for all 7 days.

 

Cabin was fine - no issues there.

 

Ship - overall, looked great. We missed the feel that we got used to on RCCL, we love the promenade and found the ship to be a little boring.

 

We requested first seating in the MDR - when we got there the first night we were assigned to select. We used that the first night and then we were switched to first seating. We had the most wonderful tablemates and we truly enjoyed dinner every night. Our table was usually one of the last to leave the dining room and dinner was one of the highlights of our cruise. We thought the food was fantastic - we enjoyed everything we ordered. Lobsters were large and cooked perfectly. I would say the only thing I think they could improve on would be dessert - it was good - but could be better.

 

We thought the entertainment was good. I would have liked to see more evening entertainment around the ship. Carnival had a comedian almost every night and we enjoyed that very much. I think overall, I would like to see more activities both day and night.

 

The casino was very small and didn't have the most exciting machines. On our last RCCL cruise, the casino was packed every night and on this one - not so much.

 

At the beginning of the cruise we weren't sure if we would go back to RCCL or stay with Celebrity - in the end, we decided that the overall elegant feel of the ship and excellent food in the dining room was what we enjoyed the most and we'll be choosing Celebrity as often as we can.

 

The itinerary wasn't one we would like to do again (St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada and St. Thomas) and we think we might enjoy a larger ship.

 

Overall - we had a wonderful time. Our only real complaint would be the temperature of the ship.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We were on the October 5th cruise and also had a great time.

sorry about the temperature.

[#1packerfan]

Could you tell me the price of the embarkation photos and the photos when you get off the ship? I thought I read on another review that they had gone up to like $29.95 and trying to verify. We are doing a B2B in February, our first with Celebrity after being Diamond on Royal. Thanks!!

[kfowinst]

Sounds like a good cruise overall. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

I've not sailed on Celebrity (yet) - I was booked on the Summit but had to cancel due to flight timings....we re-booked on Reflection. Perhaps a Solstice class ship such as Reflection would suit your tastes better? It sails from Miami rather than Puerto Rico.

 

Reflection is the largest ship in the Celebrity fleet and it has a few more entertainment, drinking and dining options. There's also more interesting art work (around the ship, not in the gallery). I'm now very glad I had to re-book because it looks like this ship will suit our tastes better as the pictures suggest it is even more modern and stylish than the millenium class of ship. Personally I am not drawn to the promenade design of RCL as it reminds me of shopping malls, it does put me off RCL, but I haven't sailed on RCL so maybe I should try it...I might like it when I see it in Person!

 

Some people prefer Millenium class (Summit) over Solstice (Reflection) because of the smaller size, better views of the sea, traditional main dining room decor, and the thasslotherapy pool. Also some don't care for the Lawn on Solstice class....whereas I do - I'm really excited about the wine and cheese concerts!

Edited November 14, 2013 by kfowinst

[mompolo]

The pictures are $29.95 each - we bought 2. If I remember right, you had to buy quite a few to get a better price.

 

One of our dinner mates bought the whole package - $350 for every picture they take of you. We are happy if one or two turn out nice.

[CoralReef]

Thanks for the review. I will be on this Summit itinerary in March, so this was helpful. I am usually cold on cruise ships, so the temperature was good news to me, but sorry you were uncomfortable. Thanks for the info!

[Ron_L]

Thanks for the review! We're on the same itinerary in December. Can you share any information about the ports?

 

Also, do you have a way to post the Celebrity Todays from the cruise?

[Keith1010]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Keith

[Texed]

Thanks for posting. :)

[Kate45]

I'm sooooooo glad to hear about the MDR food. I've read alot of negative things so the fact that you enjoyed it, was great to hear. We leave in two days for the other Summit itinerary. Do you think the Summit was having a hard time keeping up with the heat of the day, or is there an issue with the air conditioning. I cannot take the heat .... menopause and all! So I sure hope we don't have that problem. We have late sitting for dinner and was thinking maybe we'd like to switch if possible, to first seating. Do you think we have a chance? Was there alot of chair hogs? I'm thinking if it's as hot as you described then finding a shady spot will be a challenge. Thanks

[HeatherC430]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review! I’m wondering if there was music being played outside on the Lido Deck by the pool? I’m also interested in hearing what you did in each of the ports (since we have the same itinerary in February onboard the Summit).

[JMG]

Great review.

 

We were on the 10/19 repositioning cruise and one couple at our dinner table also commented that they could not get their stateroom cooled off. We had no problem and our staterooms turned out to be 2 doors from each other. Odd!

 

We also enjoyed the food in the MDR. We asked the waiter for a plate of asparagus for the entire table and every night, the plate appeared. A real treat! The service was super!

[ariawoman]

Thanks for the review. I will be on this Summit itinerary in March, so this was helpful. I am usually cold on cruise ships, so the temperature was good news to me, but sorry you were uncomfortable. Thanks for the info!

 

I think it depends on destination. I was cold often on the 10/5 cruise, but we were not in a hot climate.

 

Casino was pretty busy on our cruise too, so maybe that's sailing specific. Machines were more busy than tables.

 

Had a good cruise despite noro stuff/a bad cold going around, etc. If you can't have fun on vacation then when can you? :-)

[Sfdtiller]

Thanks for the Post, do you remember if there were many people offering excursions when you got off the boat in Dominica and Grenada? We would like to go Zip lining but don't want all the other options celebrity offers with it.

Thanks

[existentialtraveler]

We were on this cruise as well.We did a B2B, having left New Jersey on Oct.19. We had expected to have a spectacular time, and Celebrity exceeded our expectations. BOTH WEEKS! I am glad you had a great time as well. We have been on the Summit 3 times now. She is a lovely ship. How did you like being on the Summit for Halloween? Our whole group brought costumes, and we had a lot of fun.

[existentialtraveler]

Thanks for the review! We're on the same itinerary in December. Can you share any information about the ports?

 

Also, do you have a way to post the Celebrity Todays from the cruise?

 

We have done this itinerary on the Summit several times. What would you like to know?

[existentialtraveler]

Great review.

 

We were on the 10/19 repositioning cruise and one couple at our dinner table also commented that they could not get their stateroom cooled off. We had no problem and our staterooms turned out to be 2 doors from each other. Odd!

 

We also enjoyed the food in the MDR. We asked the waiter for a plate of asparagus for the entire table and every night, the plate appeared. A real treat! The service was super!

 

The repositioning cruise was AWESOME!

[SNJCruisers]

Could you tell me the price of the embarkation photos and the photos when you get off the ship? I thought I read on another review that they had gone up to like $29.95 and trying to verify.

 

The pictures are $29.95 each - we bought 2. If I remember right, you had to buy quite a few to get a better price.

The 29.95 pictures are the formal ones that you pose for. The other pictures are a little cheaper. They ones they took in the MDR consisted of 3 pics on 1 sheet of paper, maybe a 6x8 with 2 smaller ones above it. It was 22.95. After 23 cruises, the prices they were charging were the highest I have ever seen. We did not pose for the embarkation pics, so I am not 100% certain of the price, but I believe my peripheral vision had picked up a price of 24.95 when I was walking past the display one night on my way to Michael's Pub.

[#1packerfan]

The 29.95 pictures are the formal ones that you pose for. The other pictures are a little cheaper. They ones they took in the MDR consisted of 3 pics on 1 sheet of paper, maybe a 6x8 with 2 smaller ones above it. It was 22.95. After 23 cruises, the prices they were charging were the highest I have ever seen. We did not pose for the embarkation pics, so I am not 100% certain of the price, but I believe my peripheral vision had picked up a price of 24.95 when I was walking past the display one night on my way to Michael's Pub.

 

Thanks for the information. Much appreciated.

[New Hampshire]

Could you please tell me what time the muster drill took place?

[avp1234]

Hi. We were on the Oct. 26th sailing also and had the same issue with the temperature. Our stateroom stayed warm all week. We kept the thermometer as low as it would go, and at times it would cool down some, but most of the time it was warm in there. Your post was the first one I saw this mentioned so I guess it was just our room! We were on deck 9.

[carolslc]

No one has commented on the OP having to stand in the heat waiting in a line for an hour and 45 minutes to check in. We will be on the Summit in Puerto Rico for our first cruise. Is this typical? This seems awful to me! If this is what I should expect, I'd like to know so I can prepare with comfy shoes and a bottle of water. Are you outside or under a cover of some sort? Hat? Sunscreen?

 

Thanks.

[monicajay]

Sounds yucky standing in line that long. Was there a problem that you heard about that caused this?

 

I'm sorry you were hot but as I'm always cold on every cruise I actually hope it stays warm. Looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise.

[Ron_L]

We have done this itinerary on the Summit several times. What would you like to know?

 

It sounded like the OP wasn't thrilled with the itinerary so I was hoping for more information why.

 

But, since you offered :D I'm still not sure what we are going to to do in Grenada. We're planning excursion for St. Croix, Dominica and St. Kitts so a relaxing day will be in order. I've thought about going to either Grand Anse or Magazine beach. Any thoughts about those or any other suggestions?

[fleckle]

.............. I'm still not sure what we are going to to do in Grenada. We're planning excursion for St. Croix, Dominica and St. Kitts so a relaxing day will be in order. I've thought about going to either Grand Anse or Magazine beach. Any thoughts about those or any other suggestions?

My suggestion would be to check out the Grenada forum for lots of good ideas.

 

Here is a link: Grenada