Review of Recent 1/9/-1/16 Summit Cruise

[bman3122]

We have been sailing with Celebrity for many years and have had the best of experiences. When we started cruising in 2000, we did our research and chose Celebrity as a cruise line known for great service and wonderful food. The specialty restaurants would be the icing on the cake for special occasions, which we did visit. Knowing it is not a luxury cruise line, we were perfectly happy with a top rated premium cruise line and our expectations were met. We have tried Princess a few times and were not disappointed either, but preferred Celebrity. With excitement for our approaching 1/9/16 cruise, we read the posts on Cruise Critic and although we noted some comments on the board about the ways things have changed on Celebrity in the past few years, we wrote them off as singe items that do not agree with all cruisers' needs. No big deal. Let me just add, my wife and I are in our mid 60s and are very active and consider ourselves young at heart, although as an example we do appreciate times when we prefer softer music, when we are having a coffee later in the evening when things are quieting down, etc.

 

Enough about us, let me provide our observations and although difficult to avoid, some opinions regarding our recent cruise because we had always up to this point believed we were some of Celebrity's best 'cheerleaders' to our friends and relatives.

 

We purchased the '1-2-3 Go Promotion' (best value ever on Celebrity) in a Concierge stateroom. Boarding process was very efficient. We were convinced upon boarding to reserve the Normandy Restaurant for our first evening and Quizine for later in the week. We went to the buffet next and the food was about the same as past sailings on the Summit (we have always found one or more items to enjoy) and used our Classic drink package for the first time with no surprises as we previously have read. Next we went to our stateroom and met our staff. Our stateroom attendant and assistant were helpful and went about their duties all week as expected, nothing more or nothing less, but did sense a slightly reduced level of attention to his new guests; maybe due to the quick changeover. No big deal. next went to the gym so my wife could sign up for Yoga classes throughout the week, but a bit disappointed with the minimal number of classes scheduled for the week. She always had classes that she could attend around port days and sea days. Oh well, she would have to do her Yoga alone. There seemed to be a bigger push or urgency than in the past to sell spa packages....

 

We attended muster at the set time and it lasted much longer than any of our previous cruises. Guest names were announced and I can only assume they did not show up since for the first time staff checked off names at muster (check the drunks in the bars and hot tubs to avoid delay). I am a transportation security instructor and consultant and I have noticed over the years a reduced level of importance placed on these muster drills, but this time was the worst. The leader of a muster station should be professional and serious, not woo guests with humor. Guests tend to not pay attention to instructions when they are given in a form of a joke and with laughter. It decreases the level of urgency if an unfortunate event arises.

 

In the evening we went to the Normandy expecting to have a quiet romantic setting as always. We always marveled on how special the food and service was. We were surprised on how empty this grand restaurant was this time. During our dinner, it was hard not to notice and hear a foursome at a table across the room that was extremely loud and kept getting louder as our dinner went on. Toward the end of their meal, their language became more colorful and profane. Not one time did any of the staff in the restaurant make any attempt to ask them to settle down and they were loud enough for all to hear. This was a bit unsettling to us, but we continued our meal anyway. Should we have complained? Maybe, but we were just starting our cruise and brushed it off to too many drinks. So sorry to hear the decision to do away with the Normandy during drydock.

 

After dinner we walked around the ship a bit and heard for the first time a different type of music in the main atrium areas which became the norm all week. LOUD retro and rap music. We may be getting a bit older in age, BUT, this was a different Celebrity. Our question is why? I did not see a presence of younger folks hanging out enjoying this music, just several guests wandering around and shaking their heads with disgust. I venture a guess these were past Celebrity cruisers as well. Why was the music being played so loud all week? During the entire week, guests were asking questions what is going on with these changes. One final point on this, why would Celebrity allow a DJ to play loud rap at the same time as the pianist playing his tunes drowning out each other? It was almost laughable, if not so sad and disappointing.

 

On our second night, we attended our late seating dinner in the MDR. there was only one other couple at a table for eight. They were so happy to have company on their second night and were a delight all week. On all our previous Princess and Celebrity cruises the wait staff have always shown interest in table guests and went all out to provide attention and detail resulting in a special experience at dinner. Wow, were we not disappointed........the waiter never introduced himself, I had to look at his name tag and with much indifference just asked what we wanted to order, OK, but nothing special, it took longer to decide since the menu had changed so much with less interesting choices. We asked if we could have a few more minutes and we received a less that gracious response. After 10 minutes, the waiter still did not return, until we had to ask the ass't waiter to get the waiter. When a staff person came by and asked if we wanted a glass af wine, we did not want one and he immediately walked away before I could order a scotch. One night I ordered a steak and simply asked the waiter if when ordering medium, does it tend to come out more than medium or less than medium. He responded stating "sir, if you order medium, it will come out medium". Not the manner or response I was expecting. On the second Chic night, as we have always done in the past, we ordered two lobsters each. The waiter said he would place the order for one each and if you then wanted another he would place the second order. I could have argued, but fight your battles at other time. The lobster was so overcooked and along with the waiter never bothering to ask how our dinner was and not asking if we wanted another lobster, we just finished dessert and left. Where did our anticipated and regular Celebrity premium service go? Final point. In past cruises, the waiter and ass't always were conversing, which probably contributed to a special experience for their guests and we always laughed and had fun with them and others guests at the table. Often we had so much fun at dinner that we were some of the last to leave the dining room. We did not observe any interaction between the waiter and the ass't. waiter on any of the five nights we were there. There may have been a behind the scenes problem we were unaware of, but never display your personal unhappiness and take it out on your guests.

 

I could go on with many other minor items that have changed to the dark side over the past few years, but the two main areas that helped us originally decide to sail Celebrity, premium service and food, have gone away and in my opinion, Celebrity is well on its way to losing its luster and status as a premium cruise line. I hope this is not the case, because we want to continue cruising and on Celebrity, but as for now are now two soured past cruisers. Don't get us wrong, we still had a terrific vacation and cruise and would never let any of our comments above ruin our time.

 

I ponder this.....The fact that gratuities are now pre-paid, the desire for Celebrity to attempt to capture younger generations to cruising (throw out the oldies in age like us) and the premise that change is always for the better???? What do you guys think?

 

The one bright note observed, was the senior staff being so visible on board all week. While waiting in one of the atrium lounges before dinner, ship's Cap't Alex P. unexpectedly approached us and introduced himself and another officer. They talked to us for at least ten minutes. It was a pleasant surprise we had never experienced. Thanks for allowing us to share our observations and opinions.......

[Bo1953]

Stu - sorry to hear of the 'degradation' of service you received on this sailing... I wonder if things would have changed were you to bring this up to the Captain or Maitre'D in passing?

 

Yet, quite happy to know that it did not overall diminish your opportunity to enjoy the sailing beyond that...

 

I trust the next sailing will be much better for you...

 

Thank you for the review..

 

bon voyage

[trbarton]

We have been sailing with Celebrity for many years and have had the best of experiences. When we started cruising in 2000, we did our research and chose Celebrity as a cruise line known for great service and wonderful food. The specialty restaurants would be the icing on the cake for special occasions, which we did visit. Knowing it is not a luxury cruise line, we were perfectly happy with a top rated premium cruise line and our expectations were met. We have tried Princess a few times and were not disappointed either, but preferred Celebrity. With excitement for our approaching 1/9/16 cruise, we read the posts on Cruise Critic and although we noted some comments on the board about the ways things have changed on Celebrity in the past few years, we wrote them off as singe items that do not agree with all cruisers' needs. No big deal. Let me just add, my wife and I are in our mid 60s and are very active and consider ourselves young at heart, although as an example we do appreciate times when we prefer softer music, when we are having a coffee later in the evening when things are quieting down, etc.

 

Enough about us, let me provide our observations and although difficult to avoid, some opinions regarding our recent cruise because we had always up to this point believed we were some of Celebrity's best 'cheerleaders' to our friends and relatives.

 

We purchased the '1-2-3 Go Promotion' (best value ever on Celebrity) in a Concierge stateroom. Boarding process was very efficient. We were convinced upon boarding to reserve the Normandy Restaurant for our first evening and Quizine for later in the week. We went to the buffet next and the food was about the same as past sailings on the Summit (we have always found one or more items to enjoy) and used our Classic drink package for the first time with no surprises as we previously have read. Next we went to our stateroom and met our staff. Our stateroom attendant and assistant were helpful and went about their duties all week as expected, nothing more or nothing less, but did sense a slightly reduced level of attention to his new guests; maybe due to the quick changeover. No big deal. next went to the gym so my wife could sign up for Yoga classes throughout the week, but a bit disappointed with the minimal number of classes scheduled for the week. She always had classes that she could attend around port days and sea days. Oh well, she would have to do her Yoga alone. There seemed to be a bigger push or urgency than in the past to sell spa packages....

 

We attended muster at the set time and it lasted much longer than any of our previous cruises. Guest names were announced and I can only assume they did not show up since for the first time staff checked off names at muster (check the drunks in the bars and hot tubs to avoid delay). I am a transportation security instructor and consultant and I have noticed over the years a reduced level of importance placed on these muster drills, but this time was the worst. The leader of a muster station should be professional and serious, not woo guests with humor. Guests tend to not pay attention to instructions when they are given in a form of a joke and with laughter. It decreases the level of urgency if an unfortunate event arises.

 

In the evening we went to the Normandy expecting to have a quiet romantic setting as always. We always marveled on how special the food and service was. We were surprised on how empty this grand restaurant was this time. During our dinner, it was hard not to notice and hear a foursome at a table across the room that was extremely loud and kept getting louder as our dinner went on. Toward the end of their meal, their language became more colorful and profane. Not one time did any of the staff in the restaurant make any attempt to ask them to settle down and they were loud enough for all to hear. This was a bit unsettling to us, but we continued our meal anyway. Should we have complained? Maybe, but we were just starting our cruise and brushed it off to too many drinks. So sorry to hear the decision to do away with the Normandy during drydock.

 

After dinner we walked around the ship a bit and heard for the first time a different type of music in the main atrium areas which became the norm all week. LOUD retro and rap music. We may be getting a bit older in age, BUT, this was a different Celebrity. Our question is why? I did not see a presence of younger folks hanging out enjoying this music, just several guests wandering around and shaking their heads with disgust. I venture a guess these were past Celebrity cruisers as well. Why was the music being played so loud all week? During the entire week, guests were asking questions what is going on with these changes. One final point on this, why would Celebrity allow a DJ to play loud rap at the same time as the pianist playing his tunes drowning out each other? It was almost laughable, if not so sad and disappointing.

 

On our second night, we attended our late seating dinner in the MDR. there was only one other couple at a table for eight. They were so happy to have company on their second night and were a delight all week. On all our previous Princess and Celebrity cruises the wait staff have always shown interest in table guests and went all out to provide attention and detail resulting in a special experience at dinner. Wow, were we not disappointed........the waiter never introduced himself, I had to look at his name tag and with much indifference just asked what we wanted to order, OK, but nothing special, it took longer to decide since the menu had changed so much with less interesting choices. We asked if we could have a few more minutes and we received a less that gracious response. After 10 minutes, the waiter still did not return, until we had to ask the ass't waiter to get the waiter. When a staff person came by and asked if we wanted a glass af wine, we did not want one and he immediately walked away before I could order a scotch. One night I ordered a steak and simply asked the waiter if when ordering medium, does it tend to come out more than medium or less than medium. He responded stating "sir, if you order medium, it will come out medium". Not the manner or response I was expecting. On the second Chic night, as we have always done in the past, we ordered two lobsters each. The waiter said he would place the order for one each and if you then wanted another he would place the second order. I could have argued, but fight your battles at other time. The lobster was so overcooked and along with the waiter never bothering to ask how our dinner was and not asking if we wanted another lobster, we just finished dessert and left. Where did our anticipated and regular Celebrity premium service go? Final point. In past cruises, the waiter and ass't always were conversing, which probably contributed to a special experience for their guests and we always laughed and had fun with them and others guests at the table. Often we had so much fun at dinner that we were some of the last to leave the dining room. We did not observe any interaction between the waiter and the ass't. waiter on any of the five nights we were there. There may have been a behind the scenes problem we were unaware of, but never display your personal unhappiness and take it out on your guests.

 

I could go on with many other minor items that have changed to the dark side over the past few years, but the two main areas that helped us originally decide to sail Celebrity, premium service and food, have gone away and in my opinion, Celebrity is well on its way to losing its luster and status as a premium cruise line. I hope this is not the case, because we want to continue cruising and on Celebrity, but as for now are now two soured past cruisers. Don't get us wrong, we still had a terrific vacation and cruise and would never let any of our comments above ruin our time.

 

I ponder this.....The fact that gratuities are now pre-paid, the desire for Celebrity to attempt to capture younger generations to cruising (throw out the oldies in age like us) and the premise that change is always for the better???? What do you guys think?

 

The one bright note observed, was the senior staff being so visible on board all week. While waiting in one of the atrium lounges before dinner, ship's Cap't Alex P. unexpectedly approached us and introduced himself and another officer. They talked to us for at least ten minutes. It was a pleasant surprise we had never experienced. Thanks for allowing us to share our observations and opinions.......

 

Thanks for posting your experiences. I'm new to Celebrity and will be on the Summit January of next year. I've traveled more with Princess and have enjoyed the military & stock benefits, $500 total on a 2 week cruise.

 

Other than the buffet what other food options are available on Embarcation on the Summit? I understand that staterooms are not available until 1:30 pm so you can't even go there to drop off carry-ons. Is this correct & inforced?

 

Anything helpful about the Summit or Celebrity for first time Celebrity Cruisers?

 

Tom:)

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

Keith

[chemmo]

So sorry you had so many issues on your cruise.

 

Your experience in Normandy very similar to one we had in 'chops' RC a few years ago...Like you we were hoping for a nice quiet relaxing evening. The staff, are in a dilemma on these occasions, probably aware that the loud guests are disturbing others but unsure what to say without causing offence. Like you on that occasion we ignored. No matter what restaurant you dine in, land or sea there is always the issue of occasional bad mannered guests.

 

It is your MDR experience that worries me more. Much as we tend to be 'very nice thank you' guests re small issues when your whole dining experience is marred you do need to talk to the M'D....We have only once had a similar problem when a big table next to us were constantly demanding extra services of both food and drink (as they finished their starters one or two would ask for seconds, mains arrived and another guest would now want a salad to go with it.....). First night we let it go. Second night the affect on our table was persistent waiting...

 

We quietly saw the M'D at the end of the meal and explained the situation and asked him to observe the next night. He did observe, took our starter orders himself.....As the larger table began ordering their 'additional items' he went over to the table and very politely and with some humour began to explain how service worked and the problems their haphazard ordering was making the waiters life difficult. He urged them when initially ordering to order additional items 'to share' but also made it clear that they were creating a problem. Very professionally done!

 

Our service after that night was once again really good, the M'D came over on a few occasions to check and did on occasions support...

 

The lesson we took from this is if you don't let the staff know you have a problem they can not do anything to sort it. They would much prefer to be told of issues and be given the chance to resolve than have you slowly over a cruise loose your love for their product. If your waiter was simply a poor waiter then the M'D needed to know, if like in our example, there was added pressure again the situation needs to be resolved.

 

Thanks again for your review!

Edited January 23, 2016 by chemmo

[bman3122]

Thanks for posting your experiences. I'm new to Celebrity and will be on the Summit January of next year. I've traveled more with Princess and have enjoyed the military & stock benefits, $500 total on a 2 week cruise.

 

Other than the buffet what other food options are available on Embarcation on the Summit? I understand that staterooms are not available until 1:30 pm so you can't even go there to drop off carry-ons. Is this correct & inforced?

 

Anything helpful about the Summit or Celebrity for first time Celebrity Cruisers?

 

Tom:)

 

Not sure if MDR is open for lunch on embarkation day, but

I recall some other food stations open at lunch surrounding the Oceanview Buffet. We boarded at 11:15am with short lines and announcements were made that all staterooms would be ready at 1:00pm which they were. You will have to take your carry-ons with you until then so keep them light. First time Celebrity cruiser? Go and have a wonderful cruise, make sure own observations, BUT ENJOY!

[TIMONEY]

Me and my wife have felt a lot of the things you have talked about, the music is so loud its like you have to to try to wonder away from it. The last time we where in the the Normandy restaurant the waiters were pushing us to finish are meal, so much so they just bought us a desert instead of us ordering? WE felt as if the were making fun of us the restaurant only had two other tables..

We have cruised Celebrity cruises for 12 years sometimes three or four cruises a year and like you have seen a lot of changes some good but a lot not so great...

Personally i think the service around the ship is good, but the food has gone way down, we all see that, entertainment is terrible for me.

i guess thats why i don't have three or four cruises booked liked I used to all the time, and as far as as 1,2,3 promotions and things don't you think it s just a way to sell cruises, and raise future prices?

All be honest with you I love cruising, being out on the water,but its not all that it used to be, It was a special feeling when you waked in the dining room, its not any more, The Atrium used to be be special and grand, now their loud and obnoxious a place to avoid, used to love walking around the promenade and be close to the water, don't plan on that.

Cruising not as exiting as it once was!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2016 by TIMONEY

[goldfish1111]

we had a totally different experience. we were on a back to back 1/2 and 1/9 and couldn't have been happier with our dining room service. Mind you we had select dining but we were thrilled with our wait staff, sommelier and maitre d. Never had to wait for a table and in fact we had the same one every night for two weeks! They couldn't have been more accommodating. If you had a bad server, you should have done something about it on the first night rather than not say anything and come home and complain to all and make it seem like a common occurence. One bad apple does not spoil the whole bunch. In my opinion it really was your own fault that you had a bad experience and you could have easily rectified it by switching tables.

[jb008]

The music selection in the main atrium/martini bar area was definitely aimed at the "evening chic" martini bar theme, I heard some electronic dance music, top-40, and house thrown in (with a pretty cool DJ setup, I might add).

 

The rendez-vous lounge and explorer's bar both had other music options, as did the bar behind the buffet (sunset bar?). I think they're trying to balance music options for a range of tastes.

[bigreckster]

My wife and I were on this same cruise and being in a Royal Suite, we had unlimited specialty dining included. We do this so we can dine in Normandie every evening. I must say we had the best dining experience there that we've had in probably 35 cruises! Our waiter Ricky:) was excellent and after the second evening they would prepare any dish we requested. The sommelier was also excellent in his nightly recommendations of excellent wines we were unfamiliar with. It is indeed a shame that this venue is being changed to a Tuscan Grill although we did enjoy that menu on another Celebrity ship. We were impressed with the Luminae menu (had lunch the first day, breakfast the last day there) but didn't like the clostraphobic tables set-up and uncomfortable seats at all. It's all a matter of personal choice when dining but we gave up on the MDR experience long ago when overworked wait staff became very impersonal and a table for two was always under the stairs or next to the servers prep station! Still haven't received our comment card via email by the way...sent an email on Celebrity site with all our info, and of course, still no reply! We're booked for the same cruise next year so it will be interesting to see the changes made to Summit, especially in terms of the way they change the Normandie space over to a Tuscan Grill and what that dining experience will be in comparison.

[David Kane]

One of the things I find fascinating about CC is the varied reactions people have to very similar cruises. We returned from the 1/16 sailing on the Summit and could not have been happier.

 

Now, I can see some differences; we dined in Luminae and enjoyed it so much we cancelled our additional Normandie reservations to spend more time there (so I can't comment on the MDR). In Luminae we always ate at the 6:00pm seating and we didn't have another set of guests within an empty table of us until the last night, plenty of room and plenty of personal attention from their tremendously delightful staff.

 

We found the evening musical selections fine and at an acceptable volume. Then again, with the variety of bars and shows we rarely would sit in one place for very long - if we didn't like a theme, we just moved along. The Rendevous Lounge, in particular, always seemed to offer lower-volume/lower- key live musical sets if you needed a space just to sit and recharge for a few songs.

 

The one thing the OP notes that cannot be stressed enough is the presence, availability, and friendliness of the Officers. We had a recurring joke that we were following *them* around the ship because we couldn't turn a corner without running into an officer or head chef. They were everywhere; attending events, dining in the buffet, sitting in the lounges. It really felt as if the Senior Staff knew, at all times, what was occurring on the ship and were genuinely interested in meeting and interacting with the passengers.

[Oliver Wilson]

I have to agree with David. We were on the Jan 9th sailing, in a Royal suite and much preferred Luminae. We were also at Normandie the first night and doubt there were more than 20 people there when we dined. That big space with so few people didn't help the acoustics. So empty that I'm really not surprised they are converting it to a more lively place better suited to the demographics sailing those itineraries. (Quisine was hopping the night we ate there). I had expected something more like Morano but it felt pretty dated as did the food. The music and entertainment was a great mix - we enjoyed it but then we are mid to late 50's. As for the ship herself, we had been leery since we'd only sailed S class on Celebrity. We had such a fantastic time that we'd do this again in a heartbeat - One of our best trips! We're only elite on Celebrity but kudos to Ashley, the Capt Club rep - she's amazing!

[Iamcruzin]

Thanks for posting your review. I'm really not surprised to read about the change in traditional dining. The last time we elected traditional was back in 2006 on Princess and the service and dining situation was just as you described on the Summit. The dining room was empty and the service was slow and inattentive . We now choose anytime or select on both lines and have been very happy. Although I will say that Celebrity does manage the select dining better than Princess. I really don't hold much hope for traditional dining on Celebrity. With the addition of Luminae, Blu, select dining and specialty restaurants it's impossible to fill the traditional dining rooms the way they did before we had so many choices. We eat late at home so we find by eating at 8:00 or slightly later in select dining we get good service and the dining room isn't a zoo at that time.

 

DW and I are 46 and 55. It seems that the entertainment on cruise ships has totally dismissed our generation. The entertainment seems to have gone from Big bands and show tunes to Rap. They totally skipped one of the largest music genres Rock and Roll. The British invasion left a huge foot print in American music history and yet there is no sign that it existed. They may be in search of millennials but it's the Baby Boomers who are booking a cruise. One might argue that Rock and Roll isn't modern luxury but neither is Rap. Well I guess since they have discontinued live bands we will never see this type of entertainment.

[dreadnot]

My advice , is that if You are willing to pay for a Concieirge Cabin , go for an Aqua Spa cabin and dine in Blu, Have been on Summit in 2014 ,and Constellation 1 /18/16, and love both times. My wife , 58 , now prefers this over all other dining, and I agree. Music was fine, on both. The Shows ,were ok ,but I prefer the Broadway type shows which appear to be gone. Too bad, Otherwise I would say Celebrity still does a good job ,but cruising service appears to be decreasing on all lines. Too many larger ships pulling experienced crew, may be a factor. Will probably return to the Summit afte dry dock for a Bermuda cruise. At some point will try a Solstice ship ,and wish they would home port one in NY to compete with NCL and Carnival,as well as RCL