General Summit and Penthouse Question

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Hello Everyone………

 

It’s been a few years since we’ve cruised on X or any other line for that matter.

 

Thinking of doing a Bermuda cruise in May and just had general questions…..

 

Overall, how is X these days in various categories?

 

*Service

*Food ...MDR

*Food ...Buffet and Alternate Restaurants.

*Butler Quality.

 

Also has anyone stayed in a Summit Penthouse or Royal Suite recently and if so any feedback?

 

I know there’s some reviews and I’ve seen them but was hoping for some recent feedback.

 

Thank you

[cruiser4305]

IMO, Celebrity is the best of the mass-market cruiselines. But it is still a mass-market cruiseline so don't expect the white glove treatment. Despite this, it is a great value for what you get.

[john_galt]

We normally cruise Princess but decided to give the Penthouse on the Constellation a try. Same layout as the Summit. Sister-in-law is in a Royal Suite. I'll post a review when we get back.

 

Butler is a big selling point for me!

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Hope you have a wonderful cruise and I agree, the butler is a big perk and on our Celeb cruises a few years ago, we made full use and had excellent butlers.

 

Who knows, maybe we’ll cruise on the same ship one day.

 

We can both “Shrug” ;)

[petersonwith3]

Hello Everyone………

 

It’s been a few years since we’ve cruised on X or any other line for that matter.

 

Thinking of doing a Bermuda cruise in May and just had general questions…..

 

Overall, how is X these days in various categories?

 

*Service

*Food ...MDR

*Food ...Buffet and Alternate Restaurants.

*Butler Quality.

 

Also has anyone stayed in a Summit Penthouse or Royal Suite recently and if so any feedback?

 

I know there’s some reviews and I’ve seen them but was hoping for some recent feedback.

 

Thank you

 

I'm sailing in the summit royal suite with friends in the penthouse next week. I'll write a review when I teturn

[alcpa1]

You inquired about the food.

Were you aware that suite passengers are entitled to dine in Blu on a space available basis? On the M class ships Blu can almost always accommodate suite guests with a short wait or no wait at all. Blu is adjacent to the MDR but is a smaller more intimate room. I think the food is much better than the MDR. The preparation is fresher and the wait staff will do everything they can to insure you have a nice evening. Breakfast is open to suite passengers too, without any wait.

Depending on your sailing date there are new perks for suite passengers. You can check them out on the Celebrity website or scroll down this board for a discussion of the new suite amenities. One of those enhancements is a dedicated suite lounge using the former Michael's Club. There are also dining options with the new program.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Appreciate all the replies, keep them coming.

 

Alcpa, thanks for the Blu information. I was under the possibly false perception that Blu might be a bit too “foo-foo” for me food wise, but I’ll check it out online.

 

Peterwsonwith, have a safe cruise and looking forward to reading your review!

[Brentngigi]

Just off the Constellation on Thursday. Stayed in the Penthouse with our 2 young kids and we brought our nanny who was in a Family Balcony by herself (I was able to upgrade her 2 weeks prior when the unsold cabins were released.)

 

As a PH guest there was no wait for check in. You will be greeted as you board and taken to Michaels Club for drinks/snacks as you wait for the cabin to be ready. Our room was ready at least an hour early and our butler met and escorted us there.

 

Service was fantastic. Our butler and cabin steward couldn't do enough for us. As with any member of your household staff, if you are clear with regards to your expectations you are less likely to be disappointed. Was generally pleased with service throughout the ship.

 

Food in MDR was generally good. I didn't have any dish that I particularly disliked. We only went there for dinners. While MDR food is good, don't expect "fine dining" quality. While you won't find a Michelin star, you will find a decent kids menu, and an accommodating staff that will bring you items not on the menu if you ask (we ordered a big bowl of grapes for the table every night).

 

We didn't eat in Blu this trip. We ate there quite a bit on our last X cruise and I prefer the food in the MDR. There is no difference in quality or freshness in the two dining rooms, just in style of food and atmosphere. With 2 kids we preferred the energy of the MDR.

 

We didn't try any specialty restaurants as it was a quick 5 night cruise and just never got around to it.

 

Buffet was good. Much better than the NCL buffet we experienced last summer. There was always pizza, Asian lunch, an Indian offering or two, a fish item, pasta bar, salad items, desserts etc. We only went 2 or 3 times at lunchtime, but I was generally impressed. Their ice cream bar was a very nice touch that we visited at least once a day.

 

There are two butlers for the two penthouse suites, one assigned to each, but they cover for each other. We were very pleased with ours. The PH has a butler's pantry with a full size fridge and he kept ours stocked and replenished daily with the cartons of milk, bottled water and diet cokes we requested. He kept pitchers of juices, drink garnishes and the heavy cream we like in our Americanos stocked as well.

 

We had a white tablecloth breakfast at the dining room table in the cabin every morning which the butler brought promptly at 8:30am as requested. He would have set up on the dining table on the balcony if we asked but we just took what we wanted out there ourselves if the desire struck. He showed me how to fill the outdoor whirlpool, adjust the temperature in shower in the master bath, etc.

 

We never had the butler serve dinner course by course but he would have done that as well. He brought sweets and sandwiches in the afternoon and left fruit and cheese plates (I requested these) in our refrigerator in the evenings. It was our son's birthday, and the butler brought a very nice little birthday cake with relatively short notice

 

The PH itself on the M class ship is showing its age, but is still a lovely space and parts have obviously been updated recently. The balcony is outstanding. We found ourselves repeatedly retreating to the cabin and balcony during sea days rather than spending a lot of time in the public lounging areas as it is such a comfortable space.

 

Penthouse guests will be invited to the captain's table for dinner on a formal night which was rather amusing and worth doing. You'll also get some useful extras such a two complimentary bags of laundry and two 90-minute internet packages, in addition to a number of other things we didn't use.

 

You will have a wonderful time. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[seahorse]

We normally cruise Princess but decided to give the Penthouse on the Constellation a try. Same layout as the Summit. Sister-in-law is in a Royal Suite. I'll post a review when we get back.

 

Butler is a big selling point for me!

Hello John...........who are you?:D

[jcpc]

JEDIKNIGHT,

 

We were in 6147 last September and had Dominic as our butler. When we first met him I thought ....uh-oh he doesn't seem too "on the ball". BUT he surpassed my expectations and was EXCELLENT - probably one of the best I've ever had. He was spot on with his service and we used him plenty - breakfast and lunch every day in the PH and 2 evenings we had dinner served there.

 

I have yet to encounter a really bad butler - but some are better than others.

 

Staff change so often, so hopefully someone who was on Summit more recently that August 2013 will help you out.

 

I will tell you that we were not at all pleased with the air conditioning in 6147. Seems like they totally shut it off during the middle of the night. It was fine during the day, but at night a few times I actually woke up and my head was sweating from the heat. They swore they never turned it down, but I'm not sure that was true.

 

jcpc

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

JEDIKNIGHT,

 

We were in 6147 last September and had Dominic as our butler. When we first met him I thought ....uh-oh he doesn't seem too "on the ball". BUT he surpassed my expectations and was EXCELLENT - probably one of the best I've ever had. He was spot on with his service and we used him plenty - breakfast and lunch every day in the PH and 2 evenings we had dinner served there.

 

I have yet to encounter a really bad butler - but some are better than others.

 

Staff change so often, so hopefully someone who was on Summit more recently that August 2013 will help you out.

 

I will tell you that we were not at all pleased with the air conditioning in 6147. Seems like they totally shut it off during the middle of the night. It was fine during the day, but at night a few times I actually woke up and my head was sweating from the heat. They swore they never turned it down, but I'm not sure that was true.

 

jcpc

 

Jcpc,

Did you ask for a fan or for maintainence to check the a/c out? I sure hope they get the a/c issue fixed before our Dec cruise. I have night sweats as it is and that will make me miserable. How was the a/c in the living room, if nothing else I can go out there if it gets to warm in the BR.

[jcpc]

DiamondSuiteCruiser,

 

The first 2 nights were okay. After that, we had Engineering in our suite every day, first thing in the morning right after breakfast. They swore up and down that they were constantly monitoring the temperature and that it remained the same all day and all night. However, when I would wake up in the middle of the night with my head soaking wet, I could not even hear any AC running in the bedroom. Then around 7:00 am I could feel the room start to get a bit cool. I know they shut it off during the night. I did not ask for a fan.

 

I felt badly for Dominic, our butler, as he felt really bad that they could not keep the bedroom cool enough. I slept in the bedroom and my girlfriend slept in the living room. She, too, said it got hotter at night. I think they do it to conserve energy.

 

So funny - the last night of the cruise the room was so COLD that I thought I would freeze to death. So, this proved to me that they were lowering the AC throughout the week because they did have the capability of making the room cold.

 

We lived!

 

Celebrity did give each of us a very nice Future Cruise Certificate, but I would have been more than happy to not get the FCC but rather have a nice cool room at night.

 

JCPC

Edited March 16, 2014 by jcpc

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

DiamondSuiteCruiser,

 

The first 2 nights were okay. After that, we had Engineering in our suite every day, first thing in the morning right after breakfast. They swore up and down that they were constantly monitoring the temperature and that it remained the same all day and all night. However, when I would wake up in the middle of the night with my head soaking wet, I could not even hear any AC running in the bedroom. Then around 7:00 am I could feel the room start to get a bit cool. I know they shut it off during the night. I did not ask for a fan.

 

I felt badly for Dominic, our butler, as he felt really bad that they could not keep the bedroom cool enough. I slept in the bedroom and my girlfriend slept in the living room. She, too, said it got hotter at night. I think they do it to conserve energy.

 

So funny - the last night of the cruise the room was so COLD that I thought I would freeze to death. So, this proved to me that they were lowering the AC throughout the week because they did have the capability of making the room cold.

 

We lived!

 

Celebrity did give each of us a very nice Future Cruise Certificate, but I would have been more than happy to not get the FCC but rather have a nice cool room at night.

 

JCPC

 

Thanks Jcpc for the reply. I'm with you, I'd rather be comfortable than have a FCC.

Happy cruising to you!

Edited March 16, 2014 by DiamondSuiteCruiser

[Phxazzcruisers]

The Penthouse on the M Class Ships is an incredible experience. We have done it on the Summit, the Millennium and Infinity. The only cautions is that once you have done it, it is very hard not to keep doing it. It is like staying in a grand apartment. It has a great riding room with a table that seats 8, a beautiful living room with a baby grand player piano, a bedroom with a dressing room and an incredible bathroom, a separate guest bathroom and a butlers pantr with a refrigerator and wine cooler as well as microwave and stocked with glasses, etc as well as breakfast cereals, and cold snacks in the fridge. It also has an incredible balcony which is half of the back of the ship 1500 sq feet with a hot tub (really a bathtub for two). The butlers have always been great !!

We have traveled often with friends and the butler has served up to the eight of us breakfast in the room or balcony with tablecloth, etc, whenever we requested it. We have never requested dinner in the room, but they are more than happy to serve it course by course.

We have always opted to eat our dinners in Blu. Blu is not to foo-foo, it is much quitter than the MDR, and the food, in our opinion, better. We greatly prefer the service and atmosphere as well as food in Blu. Again, our preference.....

I don't think you will be disappointed. Enjoy

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Very nice write-up Gigi, thank you. What you described seems consistent with my previous PH experiences with X, circa 2009-2011. If that’s the experience we get in May on Summit, I’ll be more than pleased.

 

I consider my dining expectations realistic in that, it is a mass-market cruise and they try to keep fares reasonable and therefore, I don’t expect lobster to be the sweetest ones from Maine, or Prime steak all the time. I actually like a lot of X’s items from Braised Beef Lasagna or the NY steak…I just ask that it’s prepared well, and served hot with friendly service.

 

Odd, we’ve done 3 PH’s and no invitation to Captain’s Table. There’s a guy that works with me who is my “right hand man”, I’ve sent him on 2 PH’s both times, he went to Captain’s table. My guess is because each time we cruised, we had our DD with us (age 2-3 ish). That’s gotta be the only explanation because I even take showers while cruising. Oh well. My Wife is better looking than the Captain I bet so I enjoy our table for 2:)

 

 

 

 

 

Just off the Constellation on Thursday. Stayed in the Penthouse with our 2 young kids and we brought our nanny who was in a Family Balcony by herself (I was able to upgrade her 2 weeks prior when the unsold cabins were released.)

 

As a PH guest there was no wait for check in. You will be greeted as you board and taken to Michaels Club for drinks/snacks as you wait for the cabin to be ready. Our room was ready at least an hour early and our butler met and escorted us there.

 

Service was fantastic. Our butler and cabin steward couldn't do enough for us. As with any member of your household staff, if you are clear with regards to your expectations you are less likely to be disappointed. Was generally pleased with service throughout the ship.

 

Food in MDR was generally good. I didn't have any dish that I particularly disliked. We only went there for dinners. While MDR food is good, don't expect "fine dining" quality. While you won't find a Michelin star, you will find a decent kids menu, and an accommodating staff that will bring you items not on the menu if you ask (we ordered a big bowl of grapes for the table every night).

 

We didn't eat in Blu this trip. We ate there quite a bit on our last X cruise and I prefer the food in the MDR. There is no difference in quality or freshness in the two dining rooms, just in style of food and atmosphere. With 2 kids we preferred the energy of the MDR.

 

We didn't try any specialty restaurants as it was a quick 5 night cruise and just never got around to it.

 

Buffet was good. Much better than the NCL buffet we experienced last summer. There was always pizza, Asian lunch, an Indian offering or two, a fish item, pasta bar, salad items, desserts etc. We only went 2 or 3 times at lunchtime, but I was generally impressed. Their ice cream bar was a very nice touch that we visited at least once a day.

 

There are two butlers for the two penthouse suites, one assigned to each, but they cover for each other. We were very pleased with ours. The PH has a butler's pantry with a full size fridge and he kept ours stocked and replenished daily with the cartons of milk, bottled water and diet cokes we requested. He kept pitchers of juices, drink garnishes and the heavy cream we like in our Americanos stocked as well.

 

We had a white tablecloth breakfast at the dining room table in the cabin every morning which the butler brought promptly at 8:30am as requested. He would have set up on the dining table on the balcony if we asked but we just took what we wanted out there ourselves if the desire struck. He showed me how to fill the outdoor whirlpool, adjust the temperature in shower in the master bath, etc.

 

We never had the butler serve dinner course by course but he would have done that as well. He brought sweets and sandwiches in the afternoon and left fruit and cheese plates (I requested these) in our refrigerator in the evenings. It was our son's birthday, and the butler brought a very nice little birthday cake with relatively short notice

 

The PH itself on the M class ship is showing its age, but is still a lovely space and parts have obviously been updated recently. The balcony is outstanding. We found ourselves repeatedly retreating to the cabin and balcony during sea days rather than spending a lot of time in the public lounging areas as it is such a comfortable space.

 

Penthouse guests will be invited to the captain's table for dinner on a formal night which was rather amusing and worth doing. You'll also get some useful extras such a two complimentary bags of laundry and two 90-minute internet packages, in addition to a number of other things we didn't use.

 

You will have a wonderful time. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Thus far we’ve been lucky with Butlers in 3 PH’s. Had 2 phenomenal ones. The 3rd we had read “so-so” things about here….so when he was our butler I tried to keep an open mind, thinking that it’ll be better for us. Within a day I thought “ok, the reviewers were right”…he was not bad. He as what i’d expect on say, a mini-suite on NCL.

 

AIR CONDITIONING!!!!! I’ve had the SAME problem on Mercury PH….AND on Summit PH!! SAME deal….butler trying every day to help fix it. Sleepless me, and sleepless DW.

 

On Mercury, one honest engineering guy told me that they “turn down the compressors downstairs, at night” and that he’d make sure it was ok. Some nights it improved. I’d hate to make my 1st impression to staff be that I’m a “hard customer”….but i’m contemplating just telling my butler that I had this A/C problem on Summit before, I know the reason, I know they can prevent it….and I do not want to spend the week with hot nights. Whether one is paying for a PH, or booked in a Leonardo-Dicaprio suite at the bottom of the ship….climate should be comfortable in a room.

 

JEDIKNIGHT,

 

We were in 6147 last September and had Dominic as our butler. When we first met him I thought ....uh-oh he doesn't seem too "on the ball". BUT he surpassed my expectations and was EXCELLENT - probably one of the best I've ever had. He was spot on with his service and we used him plenty - breakfast and lunch every day in the PH and 2 evenings we had dinner served there.

 

I have yet to encounter a really bad butler - but some are better than others.

 

Staff change so often, so hopefully someone who was on Summit more recently that August 2013 will help you out.

 

I will tell you that we were not at all pleased with the air conditioning in 6147. Seems like they totally shut it off during the middle of the night. It was fine during the day, but at night a few times I actually woke up and my head was sweating from the heat. They swore they never turned it down, but I'm not sure that was true.

 

jcpc

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Hello PHX….I think I remember you here from years ago when I was active on this forum. Nice to see you and thanks for chiming in. Totally agree….PH on M class is amazing. Our last PH on Summit, I’ve got a video of DD running around the balcony and the wake behind us. I still chuckle….that’s the closest I’l come, to feeling like my surname is Kennedy or Rockefeller, lol. Also agreed…it’s tough to give up. Luckily with God’s grace and decent business life, we’re able to do it for now.

 

Thus far MDR has been nice for us but if I find a decline, we’ll look into Blu for sure. Will also be nice to do a ‘sit down’ breakfast at Blu also.

 

Really hoping the whole experience is equal to what I remember form a few years ago. Hoping that X continues to be “home” for us vis a vis cruising.

 

 

 

 

The Penthouse on the M Class Ships is an incredible experience. We have done it on the Summit, the Millennium and Infinity. The only cautions is that once you have done it, it is very hard not to keep doing it. It is like staying in a grand apartment. It has a great riding room with a table that seats 8, a beautiful living room with a baby grand player piano, a bedroom with a dressing room and an incredible bathroom, a separate guest bathroom and a butlers pantr with a refrigerator and wine cooler as well as microwave and stocked with glasses, etc as well as breakfast cereals, and cold snacks in the fridge. It also has an incredible balcony which is half of the back of the ship 1500 sq feet with a hot tub (really a bathtub for two). The butlers have always been great !!

We have traveled often with friends and the butler has served up to the eight of us breakfast in the room or balcony with tablecloth, etc, whenever we requested it. We have never requested dinner in the room, but they are more than happy to serve it course by course.

We have always opted to eat our dinners in Blu. Blu is not to foo-foo, it is much quitter than the MDR, and the food, in our opinion, better. We greatly prefer the service and atmosphere as well as food in Blu. Again, our preference.....

I don't think you will be disappointed. Enjoy

[JEDIKNIGHT]

DiamondSuite…

 

I couldn’t find a post from you, re your October Summit cruise. How was your experience with the air conditioning?

 

Thanks!

[cruiseacecat]

Jediknight,

I promised you a few weeks ago a list of current butlers on Summit. As of 4/26/14 they are Jose Fernandes (head butler), Domenic Pereira, Joaquin Marco, Orlando Mejia and Sebastian Fernandez. Hope this helps. Have been on Summit for almost a week and am very pleased.

[kannna]

We were in 6145 on the Summit at the beginning of the month and had Jose. We liked him very much.

[OCA REP]

We were in 6145 on the Summit at the beginning of the month and had Jose. We liked him very much.

 

We have this stateroom for our upcoming Bermuda cruise in July. Thanks for sharing... we are looking forward to it!

[petersonwith3]

Jediknight,

I promised you a few weeks ago a list of current butlers on Summit. As of 4/26/14 they are Jose Fernandes (head butler), Domenic Pereira, Joaquin Marco, Orlando Mejia and Sebastian Fernandez. Hope this helps. Have been on Summit for almost a week and am very pleased.

 

We were on the Summit in the PH and Royal Suites. I posted a full review a couple of days ago so you can find a lot of answers there.

 

In a nut shell, Jose is phenominal. He couldnt be better. Our rooms were very cold so that is not a problem or at least wasn't when we were on board.

 

The MDR is atrocious. The service took forever. Food was Ok and comparable to what I would expect from a large cruise ship. We loved Normandie and Qsine and we did try Blu but only for breakfast and liked it a lot.

 

We did not go to Blu for dinner because we travelled with a group of 19 and not all were in suites...we wanted to be together at least for dinner each night.

 

Enjoy - you will just LOVE your vacation.

 

Btw, hopefully you are in 6148 (or the even numbered PH) as I believe that Jose is permanently on that side of the ship.

[cruiseacecat]

Just met Joaquin today. Seems very eager to please. This butler thing is a new experiance for me and I am looking forward to being spoiled.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Anne, thank you very much for remembering.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

We are in PH 6147. So sound like we won’t get the magnificent Jose.

 

If Jose is that good I gotta believe it sets an example so hopefully out butler will be good too