Just back from a week on the SUMMIT to Bermuda, any ?????'s

[marco]

LOVED IT!!!!! Any questions about the cruise or Bermuda I'd be happy to answer.

[DinaS]

LOVED IT!!!!! Any questions about the cruise or Bermuda I'd be happy to answer.

 

Did you post a review? I know lots of folks would love to know more about it.

 

We were on the Summit last month, and had a great time on our first Celebrity cruise.

 

My review is posted in the reviews section on Cruise Critic :)

[mike v]

Hey, my Family and I are going to take a trip on the summit in august, trying to get prepared :P.

 

I have a few questions about Beverage Packages.... Are they needed? What beverages would you get without the package? Did you get one?

 

As well as, what were some on shore excursions that you did? How did you like them?

 

Thanks in Advance,

Mike

[marco]

Yes, we had the beverage package. This is the second time we had the beverage package on "X". Both times we had the "classic" package, not the premium. Both times, there was never anything we asked for that was not covered with the "basic". Of course, if you don't get a beverage package, you can have what ever you'd like, but you're billed on your seapass as you go. I think there are a couple of brands of beers that are not covered. I prefer Heineken and it is covered under the "basic". Wine with dinner, I prefer Prosecco, it's covered. Vodka is my choice for hard liquor. Kettle One is part of the basic. I think martinis are not included in the basic but I would ask for a Kettle one on the rocks with an olive and they always asked "would you like a splash of dry vermouth in that?" Isn't that a vodka martini? Mudslides, rum punch, long island iced teas, margaritas are all covered under the basic beverage plan as well as waters and soft drinks. When it comes to beverages, honestly, I don't know what is NOT covered under the basic other then the wines in the "Winecellar" lounge, so we saw no need to upgrade for $10 a day to the "premium" package. I believe specialty coffees after dinner in the dining room are included, but we're not coffee drinkers, so I'm not positive on that. As far as excursions and site seeing....over many years, this has been our 20-something cruise to Bermuda so we did none. They were a bit pricy, you can review them on line, but you can do almost the identical thing on your own for about 1/2 the price. And even better, if you have no mobility issues, as you're actually in Bermuda for 3 days, the best deal is to get a bus pass (we got the 2 day one for $31.30 pp) and with a guide book and map, it's VERY easy to do your own. The pass is good for buses and ferries and the public transportation in Bermuda is EXCELLENT. If you don't get a pass, it's $3.25 or $4.50 per ride (depending on how far you're riding) You can buy tokens or pay with cash on the bus, but on the bus, it's coin's only and exact amount (no paper bills) Both US and Bermuda money accepted. I don't think there is any site that is more then a block or two from a bus or ferry stop. VERY easy to do/see things on your own. And on the 1st and second day, as the ship is there overnight, no worries about getting back to the ship in time, stay out as long as you'd like as you can get on/off the ship 24/7.

Edited June 22, 2015 by marco

[DinaS]

Yes, we had the beverage package. This is the second time we had the beverage package on "X". Both times we had the "classic" package, not the premium. Both times, there was never anything we asked for that was not covered with the "basic". Of course, if you don't get a beverage package, you can have what ever you'd like, but you're billed on your seapass as you go. I think there are a couple of brands of beers that are not covered. I prefer Heineken and it is covered under the "basic". Wine with dinner, I prefer Prosecco, it's covered. Vodka is my choice for hard liquor. Kettle One is part of the basic. I think martinis are not included in the basic but I would ask for a Kettle one on the rocks with an olive and they always asked "would you like a splash of dry vermouth in that?" Isn't that a vodka martini? Mudslides, rum punch, long island iced teas, margaritas are all covered under the basic beverage plan as well as waters and soft drinks. When it comes to beverages, honestly, I don't know what is NOT covered under the basic other then the wines in the "Winecellar" lounge, so we saw no need to upgrade for $10 a day to the "premium" package. I believe specialty coffees after dinner in the dining room are included, but we're not coffee drinkers, so I'm not positive on that. As far as excursions and site seeing....over many years, this has been our 20-something cruise to Bermuda so we did none. They were a bit pricy, you can review them on line, but you can do almost the identical thing on your own for about 1/2 the price. And even better, if you have no mobility issues, as you're actually in Bermuda for 3 days, the best deal is to get a bus pass (we got the 2 day one for $31.30 pp) and with a guide book and map, it's VERY easy to do your own. The pass is good for buses and ferries and the public transportation in Bermuda is EXCELLENT. If you don't get a pass, it's $3.25 or $4.50 per ride (depending on how far you're riding) You can buy tokens or pay with cash on the bus, but on the bus, it's coin's only and exact amount (no paper bills) Both US and Bermuda money accepted. I don't think there is any site that is more then a block or two from a bus or ferry stop. VERY easy to do/see things on your own. And on the 1st and second day, as the ship is there overnight, no worries about getting back to the ship in time, stay out as long as you'd like as you can get on/off the ship 24/7.

 

Martinis ARE included in the classic package - just not at the Martini bar since those are larger size drinks, and only on the premium package. You can get a martini at just about ANY other bar.

 

All specialty coffees are included in the classic package - even the coffee cocktails (with alcohol) on the menu at Café Al Bacio.

[sarahc78]

Glad you had a great time. Did you travel w/ family? kids? or was it just a couples get away?

 

How was the food in the MDR & Buffet? Did you do any specialty restaurants?

 

How were the lines for transportation? Being docked w/ the Breakaway makes me nervous it will be hard to get around.

[Winnigirl]

We have returned from our first Celebrity cruise on The Summit and Bermuda, so I thought I would write down some of my observations:

 

1. For some reason we have never sailed Celebrity before. We are not loyal to one cruiseline and generally choose a line for it's destination. From reading a lot of comments here - and comments in general - I was always given to believe that Celebrity may be just a small "cut above" other cruiselines. We did not find this to be so - I would say it has much more in common with RCCL, NCL, Princess, HAL, than it has differences. I looked really, really hard for the "cut above". Couldn't find it but that doesn't mean that we weren't treated well on the Summit and met many nice people. It is clear, however, that Celebrity has many diehard fans; and the mention of positives about other lines can be met with stony silence.

 

2. The Bermuda cruise seems almost like a right-of-passage to many people living on the east coast of USA. Most people we met took an annual pilgrimage to Bermuda. I would too if it was so darn difficult and convoluted for us to get to the East Coast ports.

 

3. I'm not a fan of small ships. This is my own personal preference. Many people seem to enjoy it for it's "coziness". I would prefer more dining and entertainment options. Not that Ken didn't do a great job. He (and Justin from Missouri and father-to-be Mark) did a great job. Never had so much fun playing trivia!

 

4. I truly hope that the Summit is headed for dry-dock this Fall. Although it was spotlessly clean, there was a lot of rust on the balconies and the outside rails were stripped of varnish. Not a huge thing, I know, but I kept thinking "Disney would never allow this".

 

5. The food. I fear here is where things might get a little testy. I did not like the food. Sorry - I tried - very hard - but I quickly got sick of beef. (The short ribs I tried one night were absolutely appalling. Nothing but fat and gristle. I do not eat veal - yes I'm one of "those". The salmon was overcooked and dry. Chicken (sue me, I like chicken) was rarely to be found and perhaps someone on the crew is a crack duck hunter - because duck seemed to turn up with regularity. Even in the sausage on the last night.I did love the French onion soup and judging from the tables around us - so did many others. And, seriously Celebrity - turkey roll? Shame on you. I best non-Cosmopolitan meal I had was surprisingly at

the buffet where I had a chicken breast grilled - just for me. The best dessert of the week was a lemon tartlet from the little coffee bistro on Deck 5. We tried the Normandie on the second formal night, as we were celebrating our anniversary. The staff was lovely and service was impeccable, but Normandie....you TRY TO HARD! Seriously, do not call arboreal rice swimming butter and topped with a non-descript "foam", "risotto. (I found no evidence of the garlic chips). I have no idea what the "foam" was...(I think I was told, but unfortunately had a lapse in accents). It wasn't risotto. It was risotto soup. Four tables sent back the risotto while we were there - we were one of them. The tomato and mozzarella salad that replaced it was good, but as my husband pointed out - was there any need for large hunks of plain, old grocery store variety tomatoes - especially when so many wonderful varieties are in season? Do not get me started on the lobster. Lobster is made to stand alone in it's deliciousness and succulence. It is not meant to be drenched in: tomatoes, apple-smoked bacon, shallots, parmesan cheese:confused: and Dijon Mustard sauce. Of course the presentation of the lobster was the star of the show. After we scraped off above accoutroument, the lobster itself was delicious. Our dessert was a sampling of 6 various desserts served in shot glasses - again, nice presentation, but other than the one that tasted like the sauce for sticky toffee pudding, (and which we fought over in the most well-mannered way) none were memorable. In my humble opinion, don't waste your money on Normandie.

 

I have read many comments here about how disorganized seating in the dining room is. (I can see now how creating Luminae out of a piece of the Cosmopolitan created a very crowded, chaotic dining room). On our first morning we waited 45 minutes for an omelet. We had select dining and enjoyed that and met many nice people - especially two Texas gals! (If they read this, they know who they are).;) As the week progressed they seemed to get better at organization and seating.

 

Chair hogs were out in full force and I am ashamed to say that on the last day I used the "if you can't beat'em, join'em frame of mind". I got sick of being blown to bits on the upper pool deck. Yes, I did use the chair for most of the day - no, I didn't roam off for hours on end.....20 minutes tops, "no, sir, I don't care if you and your wife want to sit together and could we move to the pool deck?....".

 

Would we sail Celebrity again? Yes - over-all we had a very nice cruise and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Would it be to Bermuda on the Summit? Probably not.

 

And dear American friends. You do try so hard...but there are more cities in Canada than Toronto. And yes, dear lady on the ferry....we actually DO live here. There actually IS such a place as Winnipeg and we actually CAN find things to do, other than hunt polar bears and repairs the igloos.

 

(I sincerely apologize for posting this here. I was trying to post a new thread - see - I even named it - but somehow it ended up here. I have tried to move it to no avail! If someone knows how, I would appreciate a lesson on how to do so - if not, I apologize for the faux pas):o

Edited June 22, 2015 by Winnigirl

[BLAMBKY]

Lol!!! And this is why I love (and sometimes get annoyed) with cruise critic....no two people on the cruise will have the same experiences! [emoji5]️ I was on this cruise and I REALLY enjoyed almost every beef entree that I tried. And everyone at our table picked the short ribs EVERYTIME they were available. (Maybe it is because I am not very good with cooking beef?! [emoji15][emoji12]) And we were a little disappointed in the buffet. It really was a horrible set up. Just keep going folks until you see the ocean, there's more than the first two stations.

[Winnigirl]

Lol!!! And this is why I love (and sometimes get annoyed) with cruise critic....no two people on the cruise will have the same experiences! [emoji5]️ I was on this cruise and I REALLY enjoyed almost every beef entree that I tried. And everyone at our table picked the short ribs EVERYTIME they were available. (Maybe it is because I am not very good with cooking beef?! [emoji15][emoji12]) And we were a little disappointed in the buffet. It really was a horrible set up. Just keep going folks until you see the ocean, there's more than the first two stations.

 

:D First two days of beef were good - both the prime rib and the tornado of beef. Enjoyed both of them - but then I was ready for a change. I suspect my horrible short ribs were pay-back for requesting mashed potatoes instead of polenta, cheeky little upstart that I am! I agree about the buffet being unorganized. I'm sure people who went up there the first day are still roaming aimlessly about. The chicken breast was, however, very tasty!

[Azulann]

Lol!!! And this is why I love (and sometimes get annoyed) with cruise critic....no two people on the cruise will have the same experiences! [emoji5]️ I was on this cruise and I REALLY enjoyed almost every beef entree that I tried. And everyone at our table picked the short ribs EVERYTIME they were available. (Maybe it is because I am not very good with cooking beef?! [emoji15][emoji12]) And we were a little disappointed in the buffet. It really was a horrible set up. Just keep going folks until you see the ocean, there's more than the first two stations.

 

:) Love your comment about the buffet.

I was on the Constellation. Met a couple of women at the pool area on the last day. Talked about going to the sunset bar area beyond the buffet for a glass of wine and some scones.They said" Really, did not know there is a outside bar and seating area beyond the buffet? Cool." :cool:

Edited June 22, 2015 by Azulann

[justcake]

And dear American friends. You do try so hard...but there are more cities in Canada than Toronto. And yes, dear lady on the ferry....we actually DO live here. There actually IS such a place as Winnipeg and we actually CAN find things to do, other than hunt polar bears and repairs the igloos.

 

(I sincerely apologize for posting this here. I was trying to post a new thread - see - I even named it - but somehow it ended up here. I have tried to move it to no avail! If someone knows how, I would appreciate a lesson on how to do so - if not, I apologize for the faux pas):o

 

First of all, thank you so much for your fair review. We are travelling on Celebrity for the 1st time in August and we do love the small ships so think the Summit will be perfect for us. We will see!!!

 

I had to laugh at your comment to your "dear American friends". Being Canadian I actually thought that in Winnipeg all you did was hunt polar bears and repair igloos too;) I do however live in southwestern Ontario which is parallel with the tip of California but for some reason people still think we also live in igloos! :D

Edited June 22, 2015 by justcake

[marco]

We thought the food was wonderful! Everyone who had the shot ribs thought they were delicious! We enjoyed the Beef Wellington, Frogs Legs, Escargot and other dishes. We thought the food so good, there was no need to go to a specialty restaurant. IMO...there is NO comparison between dining on "X" and NCL. Two years ago we took NCL for our annual group winter cruise (there were 32 of us) 28 said, "if you go on NCL again, don't even bother asking us to go". The reason being the dining and food. I don have to agree about the chair hogs. We're up early and on deck. When we got there we grabbed a couple of loungers alittel before 9AM. Next to us there were items "reserving" 2 chairs. We left around 4. No one EVER sat in those chairs while we were there! We were on the "Equinox" in January. The buffet works much better on that ship as there are "stations", on this ship, other then the pizza and pasta which are stations, it really was a buffet line. It was my sister's "milestone" b-day, so we were a group of friends and family. We were table of 8 for dining. We selected "anytime" for 7:30, which was confirmed before our departure...never had an issue and never waited more then a minute or two. Food is VERY subjective, but everyone in our group was completely pleased with the dining and everyone in our group sails with us frequently and all agreed it was a step above RCI and WAY above NCL (both of which we've all sailed on) I do have to say however, the dining experience varies between ships of the same line. We enjoyed the dining room experience more so on this sailing then we did on the "Equinox" in January. I would have been happier if the "Breakaway" was not docked the same time and place we were. The first day LOTS of people waiting for the ferries and buses. Even though we were in line early on, we didn't get aboard the ferry to St George's, so we took the ferry to Hamilton and then took the bus to St Georges. We took several buses during our stay and on all of them, it was SRO. At one stop the driver stopped and told the folks waiting, "you''ll have to wait for the next bus, there is no room to legally take on additional passengers." Originally, we were looking at the "Summit" out of NJ or the "Veendam" out of Boston. The "Veendam" is small enough to dock in Hamilton (much preferable) but the "Veendam" alternates Bermuda sailings w/ Canada New England. We HAD to go this week, so the "SUmmit" it was. If we were more flexible, I think we would have sailed on the "Veendam". As far as NCL's "Breakaway" out of NYC, everyone said "No!" This was our 20-something cruise to Bermuda over the past 35 or so years and the first time we docked at "the dockyard". No complaints....merely an observation. Regarding the comment about Martinis......whilst on the "Equinox" in Januarywhen I ordered one the bartender told me Martini's are NOT included in the classic beverage package. That's why I just asked for vodka on the rocks with an olive.......I guess they changed things a bit since January?

Edited June 22, 2015 by marco

[cpj]

I have many a nice cruise on Celebrity. But NCL has changed for the better. The Breakaway is a fabulous ship. For years I would not sail NCL but I finally gave it a try on there two new ships and could not believe how much we enjoyed the Freestyle concept. but I admit we had the dining package and never ate in the free restaurents. Also the waterfront concept will be copied on many of the newer builds. I don't think any lines have copied the lawn. If you want something different give it a try.

[A1A]

LOVED IT!!!!! Any questions about the cruise or Bermuda I'd be happy to answer.

 

So how did she look overall?

[marco]

Overall?????? As we all know, "she's not brand new", but overall, I'd have to say she's in fine shape! Everything was VERY clean and nothing really appeared to be that it needed to be updated or replaced. Carpeting, furniture, draperies etc, etc looked pretty good. Interior and exterior were fine. Our cabin and bath really showed no signs of wear. We were very happy with the condition of the ship, in and out. One more thing that I didn't mention. We had a 90 minute comped internet package, but if one doesn't, (I don't remember what packages for set number of minutes was, but if you "pay as you go", it's 79 cents a minute and it's VERY SLOOOOOOWWWWWW! As there are tons of free wi-fi spots in Bermuda, if can live without the internet for two days sailing down, wait till you get to Bermuda, and as it's only a day's sail back, wait till you get home! One more thing. I thought photographs were prohibitively expensive $25 each. Take a photo with your digital (or ask a fellow passenger to take it) and have it made into a 5X7 for 99 cents at CVS or Walgreen's.

Edited June 22, 2015 by marco

[Iamcruzin]

I have many a nice cruise on Celebrity. But NCL has changed for the better. The Breakaway is a fabulous ship. For years I would not sail NCL but I finally gave it a try on there two new ships and could not believe how much we enjoyed the Freestyle concept. but I admit we had the dining package and never ate in the free restaurents. Also the waterfront concept will be copied on many of the newer builds. I don't think any lines have copied the lawn. If you want something different give it a try.

 

I was considering NCL as well just for a change of pace but booked Celebrity. May I ask how much the dining package was? The food on the Summit was ok but nothing to rave about.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Iamcruzin

[Wine-O]

I was considering NCL as well just for a change of pace but booked Celebrity. May I ask how much the dining package was? The food on the Summit was ok but nothing to rave about.

 

Summit is being taken out of service for 2 weeks in February for a 1-week dry dock/refurb.

[cruiseforus]

Any problem getting dining times. Are there long lines around the 6:30 time?

[BLAMBKY]

We had reservations for 6:30 most nights. We were seated immediately but I did see others waiting around. One night we had booked 8:30 and called to change it to earlier. They said just show up. We did and were seated quickly. Other than our linked dining reservations not showing linked on their end (meaning they had 2 tables for 2, not a 4 top) it was pretty painless. I would try to book in advance and adjust as needed.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Winnigirl]

Any problem getting dining times. Are there long lines around the 6:30 time?

 

We had select dining and no reservations. We generally went to the dining room around 6:30. The only time we waited (we were given a beeper) was on the first formal night, and that was only perhaps 10 - 15 minutes. Most evenings it was 5 minutes or less. The week seemed to start out sort of chaotic, but got more organized as the week went on.

[JPLM]

Hello,

 

We cruised the Summit to Bermuda in late August 2013 and are thinking about another cruise on the same ship this year. Can someone please let us know the name of the nightly shows/entertainers on their recent cruise. We love seeing new shows and wondered if they've switched out for new ones since we sailed in 2013. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[CruisingChick]

The main productions shows are still the same, Sirens, iHollywood and Stars in Their Eyes. There is no longer 54 Below and has been replaced by an Acapella Group and Sin City is also gone. They added iMagic show which is magic with the use of technology. We also had 2 different comedians that each did main theater shows and then a late show.

[DinaS]

Hello,

 

We cruised the Summit to Bermuda in late August 2013 and are thinking about another cruise on the same ship this year. Can someone please let us know the name of the nightly shows/entertainers on their recent cruise. We love seeing new shows and wondered if they've switched out for new ones since we sailed in 2013. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

All of the dailies from the Bermuda itinerary were posted on another thread. Here is the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2213737&highlight=bermuda+dailies

[MAtravelbug]

LOVED IT!!!!! Any questions about the cruise or Bermuda I'd be happy to answer.

how dressy were the "formal"nights? are a suit and tie required? (hubby hates ties).

[Wine-O]

how dressy were the "formal"nights? are a suit and tie required? (hubby hates ties).

 

I just saw on another thread that you are in Aqua Class. Hubby will be just fine dressing in Smart Casual every night (collared/polo shirt and dress slacks/dockers).

 

Although, you can still dress formal on formal nights, as a lot of people do. If you are driving to the port, have him take a jacket/sports coat.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Wine-O