Just back from Summit . . .

[jode]

Hi Jode, I just got off same cruise and have to say I was not overly impressed at all, quite disappointed in several areas unfortunately.....2nd time on Summit in a few months and don't think I will be going back on her......

Not giving up on Celebrity as had Excellent experience on Silhouette earlier this year.... going to stick with newer ships for a while.... 👍

 

We were very disappointed with both Celebrity and the Summit. Cutbacks are everywhere and not just in small areas. Staff is very lean - the last 2 days of the cruise there was no one around to stock the towels by the indoor pool until after 10AM - if you went for a swim before that time you had to drip dry. Also the coffee stations in buffett area were always a mess - granted people can be slobs but in the past there were always someone at some point to clean up - but this time there were puddles of coffee, creamer (this is a whole other issue as they ran out of half and half by Wed of the cruise and were passing off milk as half & half), etc. This mess was there everytime we went to get coffee. Celebrity just didn't come close to our "modest" expectations this time. We had a lot of wear and tear in our cabin, etc.

 

We were so excited to do this trip as it has been about 5 years since a Celebrity sailing and I guess in that time period things have slippped. Our next cruise is April 2017 - our first with Princess for a transatlantic - it will be interesting to see the difference.

[ISABELLA]

Here's a tip if you're in concierge, aqua class or higher when you embark. Since you board before the other classes, as you pass the specialty restaurant table near the buffet, they'll offer you 30% off the first night. When we did Summit in August, they offered that.

 

I told the staff person that on our previous cruise they offered me 50% off because I was in aqua. He immediately said, I can do that.

 

Try it. What do you have to lose? We did Tuscon. It was worth half price but we agreed we wouldn't do it at full cover.

 

Even if you are not in C or Aq or higher - just ask for 50% and see what they say. We were offered 25% on one cruise and I jokingly asked - how about 50% - and the answer was - what evening would you like, madam?? you never know till you ask.

[conquesodor]

My fiancé and I had a wonderful time on Summit at the end of April this year and would not hesitate to sail on her again. It's a little hard to fathom how some folks could come away saying "never again," but I try to remember that everyone has different tastes and priorities. With around 2,000 passengers, there's going to be some variables in what you experience, based on your particular choices, random chances, etc., as well as from one sailing to the next. I've also never sailed on the S class, so I haven't had the chance to become spoiled by a newer ship, which could be the case for some people. However, I've also read many comments here from folks who have tried both and actually prefer the M class. I wrote a more detailed review where I griped about a few things, but my experience overall was that Summit is a lovely ship, with excellent staff and service, which translates to an incredible value.

 

There were some questions about music and I can say that we really enjoyed a few of the performers on our sailing. There was a folksy acoustic guitar player who frequented the Sunset bar and one night he was joined by a fiddle player, which was particularly fun. There also was a woman singer and guy guitar player (different guy) who we saw a few places, such as Cellar Masters that were quite good. On pervious Celebrity cruises I've been on, there have been string quartets or accapella singers, but we didn't find that this time on Summit. My understanding is that for all cruise lines that musicians can rotate frequently based on availability or if a crew member also has the talent, so experiences can vary considerably. Needless to say, whether or not the music is to your particular taste will also be very subjective.