Summit Quick Questions...

[Highboy90]

Been thinking on a last minute sailing on the Summit to Bermuda and changing things up a bit. Have only sailed on NCL in the past. Celebrity's Website is good but could be better or I am not digging down deep enough.

 

Questions;

 

Aside from the buffet. Dining for two? Would this be a problem? Never did "group" dining before and probably prefer not to.

 

Beverages: What is included in a standard fare? Ice tea, water, etc?

 

Thanks! :)

[We're The Groupnors]

You can request a table for two with either traditional (fixed time) dining, or with anytime dining in the Main Dining Room. The specialty restaurants (for fee) will also have a selection of tables for two. In terms of included drinks, regular coffee and tea (hot or iced), and herbal teas from the MDR or the buffet will be included. There are also foutain dispensers in the buffet with juices in the morning, and lemonade, iced tea, and a couple other selections throughout the day. Of course, milk is also no charge at meal times.

[kenevenpar]

Most of us agree the website needs some serious work.

 

Interestingly, there is a new thread from a =X= cruiser who went on a NCL cruise, and was not happy.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2062472

Edited June 26, 2014 by kenevenpar
add link

[jenniebnyc]

You can dine in the Main Dining Room (MDR) at a fixed time. I believe it's 6pm or 8:30 -- or -- you can request Select Dining when you can dine at any time.

 

We prefer group seating in MDR when we eat here bc it gets rather boring talking to the same person all day/all night. We find tables of 8-10 people fun. And if you don't like the people you can always request a move.

 

The buffet is open for dinner as well. Last year on Reflection we did not find it that good, but only tried it once. Maybe bc it was the last night? They had salads, pasta made to order, steaks (but they looked terrible). The one plus was they were carving duck, which was actually quite good. We ate on the aft outside. There is a wait staff to get you drinks, etc.

 

For $7 you can dine at Bistro on Five which has a lovely ambiance and an updated menu.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[ghstudio]

I would suggest choosing select dining. When you arrive, they will ask if you would like a table for 2 or you would like to join a table of others. That will give you the opportunity to try dining with others. You may find it enjoyable...folks have such different backgrounds. We found ourselves dining with the head nurse in the US Army (still active...on vacation)....we've dined with some other fascinating folks as well. The nice thing about select dining is that if you change your arrival time just a little, you probably would eat with different people if you decided to try group dining a second time.

[Highboy90]

Thank you for all the replies. Very helpful. Still trying to decide but should we cruise on the Summit, will post a review. :D

[DonnaK]

Thank you for all the replies. Very helpful. Still trying to decide but should we cruise on the Summit, will post a review. :D

 

Last August, we booked a last minute cruise on the Summit for the same reason you mentioned - we wanted to try something different. We were very pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed the cruise! We were totally blown away by the quality and quantity of live music all over the ship. It was a very relaxing, fun cruise.

[Beachdude]

The Summit is a nice ship and representative of Celebirty. We had select dinning for two and had no problems. Bermuda is a good cruise to try out Celebrity because of the long stay. I can't imagine you won't like the ship or crew, but if you don't care it, there are plenty of actvities on shore to keep you busy. While I personally think the ship is kind of ugly on the outside, it is very elegant on board.

 

Burt

[phoenix_dream]

Depending how 'last minute' your sailing is, you may have difficulty getting select dining, or a table for two in the main dining room (MDR). The first is very popular, and there are not a lot of two tops in the MDR. I am not trying to discourage you - just to let you know these options are popular so they go fast sometimes.

 

If you can't get those, my suggestions is to try a large table. We found we actually enjoyed it very much even though we were skeptical. It is also IMHO better to ask for a large table rather than a table for 4 (if you can't get a two-top). If you are at a table for 4 and you don't click with your table companions that is harder than if there are more people to talk to. Yes, you can ask for a change, but depending how full the sailing is you may or may not be successful.

 

Celebrity is a great cruise line, and Bermuda is a wonderful island - enjoy.

[Highboy90]

Thank you for the replies. Helpful as always. Another question... Are specialty restaurants the same? Meaning, is a table for two still a problem or simply depend on availability?

[TeaBag]

If a table for two is important to you, I would definitely suggest Select dining. We have gone first day on board to the Maitre'D and requested a table for two at the traditional dining and it never happened. Fortunately we were happy with our table mates.

 

Yes, you can always get a table for two in the Sp restaurants. Look for specials, like 20% off. Often the Maitre'D of the Sp restaurant will give you a discount if the restaurant is not booked up. Do this first day on board for the best chance and dining times. Enjoy your cruise.

Edited June 28, 2014 by YVR cruiser

[Big_G]

The tables for two are better located in Select Dining than in traditional dining. In traditional, most were along the wall as you entered the dining room which can be a high traffic area. In Select, most were along the rail overlooking the traditional dining room. We got stuck with traditional on a last minute booking and asked for a table for two. We ended up at a table of seven and felt better about it once we saw where the tables for two were located.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited June 28, 2014 by Big_G

[cocobakerchica]

Thank you for the replies. Helpful as always. Another question... Are specialty restaurants the same? Meaning, is a table for two still a problem or simply depend on availability?

 

Specialty restaurants are different than the MDR, it's often much easier to get a table for two, mainly because with the specialty ones, folks are often making a reservation for a specific time and for a set group(and a good majority of the tables at most specialty restaurants on the Summit are two tops). The only specialty restaurant that requires no advance reservations ever is Bistro on Five(a $7 per person charge), there are quite a few two tops available, however it's on a first come, first serve basis(and if there is no seating available when you walk in, they will give you an estimate of your wait time, often not very long if there is one). It's very rare that there's no two top available there though.

[Highboy90]

Thanks again folks! :)

 

I currently have a very cheap inside cabin ($399 per person) on hold. Snagged it this morning. Not crazy about a inside but might be just the ticket to try a different cruise line. Just need to see if I can make the cruise on such short notice (leaves next Sunday to Bermuda) before making it official. :D

 

Back on topic... Reservation automatically assigned my "Celebrity Select Dining" which is what we want from what I am reading so all good there. :cool:

[monicajay]

Thanks again folks! :)

 

I currently have a very cheap inside cabin ($399 per person) on hold. Snagged it this morning. Not crazy about a inside but might be just the ticket to try a different cruise line. Just need to see if I can make the cruise on such short notice (leaves next Sunday to Bermuda) before making it official. :D

 

Back on topic... Reservation automatically assigned my "Celebrity Select Dining" which is what we want from what I am reading so all good there. :cool:

 

Wow! Great deal. Enjoy your cruise.

[Lois R]

Summit has NORMANDIE and QSZINE as their specialty restaurants.

They both have plenty of deuces.....many, MANY couples dine in there.

If you want to try them, Wait till after you board the ship to make your

reservations because many times they offer discounts.