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Just off Summit 6/1 sailing - lots of changes!

squidward

By squidward,
in Celebrity Cruises

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squidward

squidward

Posted
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Just returned from 7 days aboard Summit. DH and I sailed on Summit just 6 months ago, and WOW are there a lot of changes! Mostly for the better!

 

--We were in a suite for both cruises, but this time we were able to enjoy a wonderful brunch in Normandie shortly after we boarded. Service was a little slow and disorganized, but the menu was great and it was a very relaxing way to start the cruise.

 

--Michael's Club is now exclusively for suite guests, with a concierge on staff who promises you'll never have to wait on any lines. The lounge offered free drinks and a nice assortment of food all day. However, it was usually empty so we never spent much time there.

 

--NEW MENU at Bistro on 5. What a great surprise. It's now a true bistro, with a wide assortment of appetizers and main courses, in addition to the traditional crepes. Well worth the extra $2 cover charge (now it's $7). It is now a place for lunch or dinner, and a very nice addition to the mix of specialty restaurants.

 

--Buffet "basket" concept. This is a true innovation that will set Celebrity apart from all competitors. Now that the kinks are almost all worked out, the benefits of the concept are clear. The variety and quality of choices has improved significantly. According to a manager I spoke with, they are able to offer 40% more choices, and I believe him. The experience no longer like a high school cafeteria with grumpy workers scooping from vats of food. The individual portions in metal baskets or pans are beautifully presented. Keeping food separate preserves the taste, since food doesn't mix together on the plate. It also helps with portion control! ;) Best of all, it greatly speeds up the whole process and virtually eliminates most of the lines.

 

--New coffee! The buffet now features Lavazza coffee. It's very good - but much too hot. Great improvement from last cruise.

 

--New lounge chairs. This change wasn't so great; I found the chairs to be hard and uncomfortable. The old chairs had cushions, which were very comfortable, but apparently they were costly to maintain and a problem after a downpour.

 

--Music on board. The variety was much improved. There was a solo singer/songwriter type, a folk duo, a piano man, a party band, a DJ duo, a party DJ. . .really great mix. Noticeably absent was island music, and Jimmy Buffet songs. The mix felt much more upscale and hip. Occasionally it was a little loud - mainly at sail-away and some nights in the Martini Bar, but overall I loved the music.

 

--I was told by the same restaurant manager that a new room service menu will be rolled out in a couple of weeks; that's good because the menu is pretty boring and needs updating. He said the theme will be specialty items from different states (eg, crab cakes from Maryland) and that there will be a $5 surcharge for specialty items (one surcharge for as many items as you want). Basic items will still be free.

 

--Food and service in the main dining room were as good as I've ever experience on Celebrity. Variety, portion size, and quality seems to have improved since December. I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed eating in the MDR so much.

 

--Martini bar service remains spotty. This time, they kept running out of glasses sometimes it took quite a while to get a drink. However, the pool bar service was better and more attentive this time around. (We had premium packages for both cruises.)

 

--54 Below guest entertainer was terrific, and we enjoyed the comedian as well. We didn't go to any of the production shows.

 

OVERALL, I'd say that rumors of cutbacks and deterioration of service have been greatly exaggerated. Nearly all of the innovations and new products on board are improvements and offer more variety and better quality. Summit is a great ship with a friendly, professional crew that truly seem to enjoy their jobs. I'm looking forward to being back on Summit next year!:)

 

Happy to answer any questions!:)

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CruisingChick

CruisingChick

Posted
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Just returned from 7 days aboard Summit. DH and I sailed on Summit just 6 months ago, and WOW are there a lot of changes! Mostly for the better!

 

--We were in a suite for both cruises, but this time we were able to enjoy a wonderful brunch in Normandie shortly after we boarded. Service was a little slow and disorganized, but the menu was great and it was a very relaxing way to start the cruise.

 

--Michael's Club is now exclusively for suite guests, with a concierge on staff who promises you'll never have to wait on any lines. The lounge offered free drinks and a nice assortment of food all day. However, it was usually empty so we never spent much time there.

 

--NEW MENU at Bistro on 5. What a great surprise. It's now a true bistro, with a wide assortment of appetizers and main courses, in addition to the traditional crepes. Well worth the extra $2 cover charge (now it's $7). It is now a place for lunch or dinner, and a very nice addition to the mix of specialty restaurants.

 

--Buffet "basket" concept. This is a true innovation that will set Celebrity apart from all competitors. Now that the kinks are almost all worked out, the benefits of the concept are clear. The variety and quality of choices has improved significantly. According to a manager I spoke with, they are able to offer 40% more choices, and I believe him. The experience no longer like a high school cafeteria with grumpy workers scooping from vats of food. The individual portions in metal baskets or pans are beautifully presented. Keeping food separate preserves the taste, since food doesn't mix together on the plate. It also helps with portion control! ;) Best of all, it greatly speeds up the whole process and virtually eliminates most of the lines.

 

--New coffee! The buffet now features Lavazza coffee. It's very good - but much too hot. Great improvement from last cruise.

 

--New lounge chairs. This change wasn't so great; I found the chairs to be hard and uncomfortable. The old chairs had cushions, which were very comfortable, but apparently they were costly to maintain and a problem after a downpour.

 

--Music on board. The variety was much improved. There was a solo singer/songwriter type, a folk duo, a piano man, a party band, a DJ duo, a party DJ. . .really great mix. Noticeably absent was island music, and Jimmy Buffet songs. The mix felt much more upscale and hip. Occasionally it was a little loud - mainly at sail-away and some nights in the Martini Bar, but overall I loved the music.

 

--I was told by the same restaurant manager that a new room service menu will be rolled out in a couple of weeks; that's good because the menu is pretty boring and needs updating. He said the theme will be specialty items from different states (eg, crab cakes from Maryland) and that there will be a $5 surcharge for specialty items (one surcharge for as many items as you want). Basic items will still be free.

 

--Food and service in the main dining room were as good as I've ever experience on Celebrity. Variety, portion size, and quality seems to have improved since December. I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed eating in the MDR so much.

 

--Martini bar service remains spotty. This time, they kept running out of glasses sometimes it took quite a while to get a drink. However, the pool bar service was better and more attentive this time around. (We had premium packages for both cruises.)

 

--54 Below guest entertainer was terrific, and we enjoyed the comedian as well. We didn't go to any of the production shows.

 

OVERALL, I'd say that rumors of cutbacks and deterioration of service have been greatly exaggerated. Nearly all of the innovations and new products on board are improvements and offer more variety and better quality. Summit is a great ship with a friendly, professional crew that truly seem to enjoy their jobs. I'm looking forward to being back on Summit next year!:)

 

Happy to answer any questions!:)

 

Glad you had a good cruise. I agree with you about the buffet, new lounge chairs (my back still hurts) and the martini bar also ran out of glasses numerous times on our May 25th cruise.

 

Happy to hear you loved the new Suite Perks. We always book insides, so that's not something we will ever get to experience.

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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Posted

Just booked the Summit this morning for the Aug 17 sailing.

 

Glad to hear that they are working out the kinks in the buffet. That's the one change I am most concerned about!

 

Also glad to hear that there is still a wide variety of live music and good entertainments - that's what we enjoyed most about the Summit last year, and what brought us back. (well, that and the cinnamon ice cream in the buffet area too! lol)

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jcpc

jcpc

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squidward,

 

Thanks for the positive post. We're on the August 31st sailing and looking forward to the Normandie brunch. We'll probably also utilize Michael's Club for a 'before dinner' drink or two.

 

After reading your post, I'm looking forward even more to my August sailing.

 

jcpc

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Scrappytraveller

Scrappytraveller

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--NEW MENU at Bistro on 5. What a great surprise. It's now a true bistro, with a wide assortment of appetizers and main courses, in addition to the traditional crepes. Well worth the extra $2 cover charge (now it's $7). It is now a place for lunch or dinner, and a very nice addition to the mix of specialty restaurants.

 

Yay! About time! Hope this is implemented on all ships. Would be great to have a place for a casual sit down dinner.

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squidward

squidward

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Do you know if the Normandie brunch at embarkation includes those in Sky Suites? I know the Michael's Club thing is only Celebrity Suites, Royal & Penthouses.

 

I believe that Normandie brunch was for all types of suites, based on the number of people eating there. They really should open up Michael's to all suites, since the venue is much too large for for the 18 higher end suites. Either that, or they should find a smaller room, similar to the cozy Concierge Lounge on RCL's Freedom class ships.

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mmp13

mmp13

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Posted (edited)

Squidward.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. We were on June 1st sailing of Summit also. Our MDR experience was great Possibly best yet. Also like the new buffet concept. Change is often hard to implement but I think they are getting it right. We never had to wait in line and portions much more controlled. It used to bother me to see all the plates left behind still stacked with food. We were very worried about all the negative posts re Celebrity. Happy to say our concerns were unfounded!

Edited by mmp13
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cocobakerchica

cocobakerchica

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I appreciate you coming on and giving a recent report about the changes on the Summit. My family and I will also be on the August 31st sailing, and now I have the latest bit of news to pass on to my DM about her favorite ship. Thanks again!

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richsea

richsea

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I'm glad that you enjoyed your cruise! I can't wait to try the new Bistro on 5 offerings. We don't book suites so Michael's is something we probably won't experience, but it's great that they acknowledge the suite passengers.

 

Good to see that Celebrity is tweaking the new buffet set up instead of throwing in the towel because of some negative feed back, & it's refreshing to hear of someone embracing the changes, rather than bemoaning the way things used to be.

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junetraveler2014

junetraveler2014

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We also were on the June 1, 2014 Summit cruise and found everything Squidward said to be on target. We were in the Royal Suite and found the Suite amenities to be fantastic. The staff were wonderful, Captains table dinner with the Chief Engineer and Chief Maintenance Engineer was not only a very special

experience but wonderfully informative.

I did not find much wear in any venue and especially no mold in the bathroom (as previously mentioned on CC)

Every place we went onboard was a positive experience. Only problem we experienced was hooking up with cruise critic meet and greet, cabin crawl and Bermuda Seminar. There was never a message left in my cabin and the customer service gentleman had no idea what we were talking about when asked.. Kind of disappointed but in no way was our cruise ruined. Greatest cruise that we have been on in a long time, IMO Celebrity has gotten the changes correct. We are booked for next year again. Can't wait!

Victoria

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Colonialdame

Colonialdame

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We were also on the 6/1 sailing. I'm afraid we can't join in with the high accolades although there was much to be happy about including specialty restaurants, premium drink package and spa services.

 

We were less than impressed with loyalty program activities. For example, the "elegant" tea location was changed from Normandie to Quisine, and service was chaotic. Staff did not appear to be ready and there was no system for serving the various offerings. Some tables were without plates or hot water, especially toward the window area.

 

We are not fans of the MDR for a number of reasons but acknowledge that many are very pleased. One might enjoy the portioning and baskets in the Oceanview Cafe if lucky enough to have fresh selections as the baskets do not retain heat and are somewhat unwieldy. Trying to put together a complete meal in one trip was challenging. We did experience lines but agree that is to be expected at a buffet area. Seating was not a problem, but finding someone to take a beverage order was.

 

In the departure lounge we overheard a number of conversations comparing previous cruises on the Summit with this one. There was a lot of grumbling. This was our first trip on the Summit, and we have booked again for next year. From our perspective the ship operations appear to be in transition, and some issues and procedures have yet to be resolved. This was not the worst nor the best cruise we have experienced.

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