[NEED REVIEW] Celebrity Summit vs. Norwegian Gem (Comparison, Comments, etc..)

[CoryL]

Hello,

 

I plan to book a cruise on the Norwegian Gem or Celebrity Summit, we are looking for a more up-to-date review of the two ships, or a review of just one of them so I will know whether or not to book. From my research, I found that Celebrity was better, but I'm wondering if that changed since the NCL Gem was refurbished.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 2, 2014 by CoryL
Made title more specific.

[ariawoman]

Personally I'd never choose NCL over Celebrity. I toured the Gem last year, it's in good shape, likely better shape than the summit overall to be honest, however, I'd still take the Summit over the Gem because the food we were given for lunch was god awful (and it was supposed to be the best of the best). I sailed for 2 weeks on the summit a few months after touring the gem. There are some soft spots in the floor in the oceanview. Some deck chairs showed wear, however overall, she was good shape, just needs a little rejuvenation at some point.

 

I had friends that sailed the gem and had a good time, but said the same thing about the food - they felt that the MDR food was just "ok" so that they'd push people into the specialty restaurants. If you can get a deal including a few nights in a restaurant included, then maybe the match up is closer.

[CoryL]

Personally I'd never choose NCL over Celebrity. I toured the Gem last year, it's in good shape, likely better shape than the summit overall to be honest, however, I'd still take the Summit over the Gem because the food we were given for lunch was god awful (and it was supposed to be the best of the best). I sailed for 2 weeks on the summit a few months after touring the gem. There are some soft spots in the floor in the oceanview. Some deck chairs showed wear, however overall, she was good shape, just needs a little rejuvenation at some point.

 

I had friends that sailed the gem and had a good time, but said the same thing about the food - they felt that the MDR food was just "ok" so that they'd push people into the specialty restaurants. If you can get a deal including a few nights in a restaurant included, then maybe the match up is closer.

 

 

ariawoman,

 

How was the food on the Summit? and approximately how long ago was this, as the NCL ship was refurbished.

[carolslc]

You can look in the Member Reviews section and read lots of recent Summit reviews. We were on the ship in January and the food was mostly very good. Some buffet offerings were average, but overall, it was better than I expected for my first cruise.

[CoryL]

You can look in the Member Reviews section and read lots of recent Summit reviews. We were on the ship in January and the food was mostly very good. Some buffet offerings were average, but overall, it was better than I expected for my first cruise.

 

Carolslc,

 

Thank you, and if you had to list complaints of the Summit... What would they be?

[SuiteTraveler]

The food on the Gem is extremely good if you are in a Penthouse or above. Also, NCL does suites very, very well and for a far less expensive price than Celebrity. The overall food on Celebrity is better, but if you are in a suite on NCL, then you have breakfast and lunch in Cagney's and then we just ate dinner in the specialty restaurants or MDR or had the butler bring room service. We avoided the buffet except for snacks. To me, a lot depends if the difference between NCL and Celebrity is being able to have a suite on NCL but not on Celebrity. If that was the case, I'd go on NCL.

 

 

My advice is this, if you can afford a suite on NCL but not Celebrity, go on NCL. Otherwise, go on Celebrity if food is the most important aspect of your cruise. If you can afford a suite on either cruise line and the two cruises are otherwise identical in regards to ports of call, and Celebrity is not a lot more expensive than a comparable suite on NCL, then go on Celebrity. I should mention that I've never experienced NCL not in a suite, so I don't know what the cruise is like for everyone else, but the suite life on NCL is FANTASTIC! I have cruised in both a verandah and suite on Celebrity and both are great. No complaints either way.

Edited March 2, 2014 by SuiteTraveler

[hues of blue]

We just returned from our first Celebrity cruise on the Summit. As you can see below we have cruised several times in the past. We were very pleased with everything aboard the Summit and the food was great. The buffet offers a pretty large variety and some things do change from day to day. We very much liked the stir fry station that opens at 5:30 in the evenings, in fact on a few days we had a "little" stir fry before our 8:30 dinner time. Celebrity more then met our expectations for several reasons and is now our favorite cruise line.:)

 

Sherri

[Purplsmurf]

Have never been on the Gem but have been on NCL and the Celebrity Summit as well and I would HIGHLY recommend the Summit over any NCL!! Loved everything about the Summit! Only reason we aren't sailing on her again this year is because of the sail date in April. Going on the Silhouette instead. Considered an NCL.....for about 2 seconds.....but Celebrity is definitely a step up!!......just my opinion tho!'

 

 

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[cynbar]

We have sailed both ships and although we prefer Celebrity overall, we would sail either again. The atmosphere is quite different, it depends which would appeal more to you. Celebrity is more elegant, quiet, dignified, refined. Passengers are a little older and more sedate. Dress code is followed closely, most everyone will dress up for the formal nights and will look well put together on the smart casual nights. Food in the MDR is very good although still banquet style, service is good and, again, dignified. NCL is another thing entirely --- loose, casual, lively, energetic. Dress code is mostly non existent, cruisers wear whatever they feel like including in the MDR. No required formal nights, cruisers do dress up a little for the nicer specialty restaurants. I've always found food in the MDRs to be fine but not as fancy as Celebrity, it's true you have to go the specialty restaurants for a shrimp or duck dish or a good steak. But we enjoy the variety of specialty restaurants on the Gem (tepanyaki, French, steakhouse, Asian, Italian, and I think now Brazilian) and don't mind the surcharges. Ship is very clean, decor is lively and bright but not garish, entertainment is more extensive than Celebrity, service is excellent. So, they are very different cruises. NCL does offer an upgraded experience for its suite guests, with their own breakfast and lunch restaurant (and dinner on the newer ships) as well as concierge to assist you, which is a nice feature. But pick the one that feels right for you.

[antsnanny]

We have sailed both ships and although we prefer Celebrity overall, we would sail either again. The atmosphere is quite different, it depends which would appeal more to you. Celebrity is more elegant, quiet, dignified, refined. Passengers are a little older and more sedate. Dress code is followed closely, most everyone will dress up for the formal nights and will look well put together on the smart casual nights. Food in the MDR is very good although still banquet style, service is good and, again, dignified. NCL is another thing entirely --- loose, casual, lively, energetic. Dress code is mostly non existent, cruisers wear whatever they feel like including in the MDR. No required formal nights, cruisers do dress up a little for the nicer specialty restaurants. I've always found food in the MDRs to be fine but not as fancy as Celebrity, it's true you have to go the specialty restaurants for a shrimp or duck dish or a good steak. But we enjoy the variety of specialty restaurants on the Gem (tepanyaki, French, steakhouse, Asian, Italian, and I think now Brazilian) and don't mind the surcharges. Ship is very clean, decor is lively and bright but not garish, entertainment is more extensive than Celebrity, service is excellent. So, they are very different cruises. NCL does offer an upgraded experience for its suite guests, with their own breakfast and lunch restaurant (and dinner on the newer ships) as well as concierge to assist you, which is a nice feature. But pick the one that feels right for you.

 

I agree, your explanation of the differences in the two cruise lines is perfect. I would add that I love them both ! We normally eat at the specialty restaurants on NCL and they are all pretty fabulous, much better than the MDR of Celebrity. We recently cruised on the Breakaway and ate in the MDR a few times and the food was very good. I love Celebrity too, we have two cruises booked on the Summit this year but the food in the MDR is a bit too fancy for me. I always find something that I like but I like the option of the different eating venues NCL offers. The buffet on Celebrity is hands down much better than NCL. Good luck deciding and enjoy your cruise.

[colombiangirl]

Celebrity over NCL Gem, for sure! I sailed Gem with my family to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary (they are loyal to Celebrity). No one in our group of 11 was happy with the food or service. The main reasons for choosing it was the itinerary and the fact that we sailed out of NY. Do Celebrity!

 

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[carolslc]

Carolslc,

 

Thank you, and if you had to list complaints of the Summit... What would they be?

 

Everything was wonderful - far exceeded my expectations - except for two things:

 

1. Difficulty in getting sodas. I don't drink alcohol, got a nonalcoholic drink package, and expected to be able to get all the soda I wanted. They don't have soda fountains, nor any way to get a can of soda other than waiting in line behind others getting mixed drinks at the bars. And they were often out of Diet Coke which is all I drink. But if I sail Celebrity again, I'll just bring some on the ship with me, and skip the drink package. So, not a huge deal, if you know.

 

2. There was no dance club in the evenings after dinner. We love to dance, and expected to be able to go to dinner, then dancing each night. You could sit and listen to a guitar player for 45 minutes, then go somewhere else and watch a newlywed game or something, then maybe a set by a piano player, then the band would play for a little while somewhere, but nothing reliable every evening and frankly after a day in port, sitting and watching someone else do something put me to sleep. I did hear that there was dancing late, late at night, but we were in bed by midnight so must have missed it if it started that late.

 

Other than these two things, the food, service, cabin, cleanliness, and every other aspect of the ship was fantastic.

[bar_20]

It's been awhile since I have been on either line. Although I am about a month away from a month long cruise on the Solstice. If I had to compare the two lines to department stores I would say NCL is like K-Mart and Celebrity is like Macy's. I hope that helps.

[sunshine nana]

Cynbar hit it exactly right. We were on one cruise together on the Jade and being in suites made it great! Celebrity suites are great as is the food and service in all dining areas, but the price is much higher. If you can get in an NCL suite and eat in specialties most nights for less total than Celebrity, do it! We found the entertainment much less exciting on Celebrity, but we were on a port-intensive trip and didn't care. I would avoid NCL during spring break as I think the atmosphere might be too "fun" for us.

[cynbar]

Cynbar hit it exactly right. We were on one cruise together on the Jade and being in suites made it great! Celebrity suites are great as is the food and service in all dining areas, but the price is much higher. If you can get in an NCL suite and eat in specialties most nights for less total than Celebrity, do it! We found the entertainment much less exciting on Celebrity, but we were on a port-intensive trip and didn't care. I would avoid NCL during spring break as I think the atmosphere might be too "fun" for us.

 

Ho Doreen how are you? We're off to the Eastern Med on Reflection this year, looking forward to seeing Athens again, we'll be with my sister and her husband who have never been to Europe before so that should be fun. Anyway, I'm always amazed by people here on the Celebrity board who compare NCL to Kmart. It's a different kind of cruise, but many of the people who love NCL say it's because they have to dress up every day for work and like the freedom of a casual atmosphere when on vacation. We love a lot of things about Celebrity but don't find it perfect in every way, and we'll gladly sail NCL again if they have the itinerary we want.

[antsnanny]

Celebrity over NCL Gem, for sure! I sailed Gem with my family to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary (they are loyal to Celebrity). No one in our group of 11 was happy with the food or service. The main reasons for choosing it was the itinerary and the fact that we sailed out of NY. Do Celebrity!

 

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I sail with large groups of friends and family all the time on both lines, some groups as small as 6 and our largest was 98 people. We all can come up with reasons why we like each line, as they are very different. We all cruise on both NCL and Celebrity and throughly enjoy each line for their differences. Some people are just loyal to one line and that's fine but it doesn't make the other line bad, its just their choice. Celebrity is an awesome cruise line, if your looking for a quiet experience with good food, good service and dressing up, choose Celebrity. If your looking for another awesome cruise line, where things are a bit livelier, good food and good service where you can choose to dress or not, go on NCL. There two different experiences.

[Jetswdo]

I had been about 5 years ago on NCL Jewel. We were in a mini suite and at that time, had use of concierge like regular suites. (Not so today) We had a great time, and had good food everywhere (and we are very picky) We were also very lucky that the people in the cabins next to us were not smokers. I found out after the cruise, that NCL allows people to smoke on their balconies. Had I known that, we would not have booked NCL.

We were on the Celebrity Reflection last June, and coinsidentaly had the same cruise director that was on the NCL Jewel when we were on that ship! My only complaint about Celebrity is not having self service washers and dryers- NCL no longer has self service washers and dryers either. Also, I like that Celebrity is more adult oriented. But until NCL changes their smoking policy to be similar to Celebrity and Princess, I won't give NCL my business. Dh and I were considering doing the NCL Breakaway for Bermuda, and in a suite for the better food. But I would be very upset if I couldn't enjoy our balcony due to a smoking problem! So I would rather purchase aqua class cabin on Celebrity!

[hshowalter]

Celebrity has much better food. The best Fillet Mingon I ever had was on the Summit MDR in Sept. 2013. It was better than the specialty restaurant on the Solstice & Royal Princess. Service is better on Celebrity.

[sunshine nana]

Hi to Cynbar. We went back to Athens on our 1st Celebrity cruise last May and this time we went to Corinth. It was a great tour and we really enjoyed it. Since then, we took a Princess partial in the Panama Canal which we really enjoyed. We are on a Silhouette cruise next Sept. starting in Venice. We had planned NCL, but it was only 7 nights, so we switched to Celebrity. We hope to do an NCL suite cruise again next year. We have never been bothered by the smoking, but do plan to eat dinner in specialties. Have fun.