Thoughts just off the Summit

[irishayes]

My daughter and I just returned from a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan.

 

First of all, the Summit is still a beautiful ship. I was first on it 5 years ago on this exact itinerary.

 

That said, when I compare that cruise to the current one (as well as our Celebrity Mediterranean cruise 2 years ago), I can definitely see the changes in Celebrity and found them disappointing.

 

I found the cruise pretty much indistiguishable from either the NCL or the Carnival cruises I've taken in the past few years. Do not see the modern luxury any more.

 

My main two complaints were the lack of service in the pool area and bars. After the second day of going to different bars and trying to get a drink, I asked my daughter if I had on the cloak of invisibility. Waiters ignore you at the pool, as well. I can only guess that they are short staffed and too busy to give you great service.

 

The second complaint is the lack of food at times. When we first went on this cruise 5 years ago, I remember getting back on the ship after a day in port and being able to grab a plate of great munchies to bring out on the Sunset Bar and watch sailaway. Now there was about a hour (between 4-5:30) where there was NO food in the Oceanview cafe at all. Sometimes they would have pizza but most of the time you could see the food on the tables, but the screens were pulled down over it so you couldn't get to anything. Many times when we get back on the ship after a day in port, we are RAVENOUS. When they put the food out at 5:30 (well after sailaway) there was a good variety of food. However, I would like to suggest to them that if they are going to have a variety of cheeses, we would really like to have something other that individual packets of saltines to put the cheese on.

 

Not quite sure if I will stick with Celebrity at this point, or try something else next time.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Lack of food has never been a problem for me on Celebrity but I guess I've usually avoided the buffet when sailing. Obviously this tip comes too late for you but perhaps next time you could try room service? We often go straight to our cabin when returning from a port and place an order for fruit and cheese trays which arrive in good time to enjoy on our balcony while we watch sailaway. It's usually enough to tide us over until dinner.

 

Hope you enjoyed some of the cruise...did you try the T-pool? Love that and miss it on the S class ships.

Cathy

[galensgrl]

I read in another post a while ago where someone mentioned bringing their own crackers for cheese because all that is offered onboard are saltines. It was the same on HAL's Veendam, all they had for cheese were saltines and graham crackers. Graham crackers for cheese. That is not to my personal taste, so to me that is very weird. The graham crackers disappeared from the tray, so other people seemed to like them. It looks like if I want a good variety of crackers for cheese on the Summit I will have to bring them myself. Not a saltine fan, except for eating with soup or chowder.

Edited January 15, 2017 by galensgrl

[easyboy]

Sorry your cruise fell out of your expectations. We love cheese too and would not pass a night without it on our crackers. Thanks for your feedback.

 

 

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[babsmcd]

I agree with the. comments on The Summit. We have also just got home from the cruise . It did not feel like the luxury cruise we had on The Silouette 2 years ago. The food in the main dining room was not up to the same standard. We went into the buffet restaurant a couple of times and there was a great choice but the food was lukewarm at best.

 

The crew were friendly and the shows great but I too will be trying a different cruise line next time .

[davekathy]

My daughter and I just returned from a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan.

 

First of all, the Summit is still a beautiful ship. I was first on it 5 years ago on this exact itinerary.

 

That said, when I compare that cruise to the current one (as well as our Celebrity Mediterranean cruise 2 years ago), I can definitely see the changes in Celebrity and found them disappointing.

 

I found the cruise pretty much indistiguishable from either the NCL or the Carnival cruises I've taken in the past few years. Do not see the modern luxury any more.

 

My main two complaints were the lack of service in the pool area and bars. After the second day of going to different bars and trying to get a drink, I asked my daughter if I had on the cloak of invisibility. Waiters ignore you at the pool, as well. I can only guess that they are short staffed and too busy to give you great service.

 

The second complaint is the lack of food at times. When we first went on this cruise 5 years ago, I remember getting back on the ship after a day in port and being able to grab a plate of great munchies to bring out on the Sunset Bar and watch sailaway. Now there was about a hour (between 4-5:30) where there was NO food in the Oceanview cafe at all. Sometimes they would have pizza but most of the time you could see the food on the tables, but the screens were pulled down over it so you couldn't get to anything. Many times when we get back on the ship after a day in port, we are RAVENOUS. When they put the food out at 5:30 (well after sailaway) there was a good variety of food. However, I would like to suggest to them that if they are going to have a variety of cheeses, we would really like to have something other that individual packets of saltines to put the cheese on.

 

Not quite sure if I will stick with Celebrity at this point, or try something else next time.

 

Thanks for posting.

[champagne123]

Thank you for your review. Hopefully you will to get enough food/drinks on your next cruise.

[irishayes]

I agree with the. comments on The Summit. We have also just got home from the cruise . It did not feel like the luxury cruise we had on The Silouette 2 years ago. The food in the main dining room was not up to the same standard. We went into the buffet restaurant a couple of times and there was a great choice but the food was lukewarm at best.

 

The crew were friendly and the shows great but I too will be trying a different cruise line next time .

 

 

Hi Barbara! It was nice to meet you and Jim. Hope you had (have?) a great trip home.

[babsmcd]

Hi Ruth . Had a lovely day in Antigua with you both . Had a good trip home just un- packing now . Best regards to you both x

Edited January 15, 2017 by babsmcd

[CRZR58]

We found the lack of snacks in the Oceanview cafe after a day at port a little strange. We ended up going to Cafe Al Bacio for a coffee and a treat... problem solved.

 

We also noticed the lack of 'chair service' around the pool and counted 3 servers for the entire area. We mostly went up to the bar and ordered there which wasn't a problem for us. We saw a few people who tipped for every drink delivered. They didn't seem to have any problem getting drinks when they wanted them.

[irishayes]

We found the lack of snacks in the Oceanview cafe after a day at port a little strange. We ended up going to Cafe Al Bacio for a coffee and a treat... problem solved.

 

We also noticed the lack of 'chair service' around the pool and counted 3 servers for the entire area. We mostly went up to the bar and ordered there which wasn't a problem for us. We saw a few people who tipped for every drink delivered. They didn't seem to have any problem getting drinks when they wanted them.

 

We actually had waiters around the pool make eye contact with us and then look away and walk past. One waiter took my order and walked away before my daughter could tell him what she wanted. I realize this waiter may be an anomaly and possibly having a bad day, but in general, the service was not up to the standards we've been accustomed to with Celebrity.

[CRZR58]

We actually had waiters around the pool make eye contact with us and then look away and walk past. One waiter took my order and walked away before my daughter could tell him what she wanted. I realize this waiter may be an anomaly and possibly having a bad day, but in general, the service was not up to the standards we've been accustomed to with Celebrity.

 

I agree that the level of service has gone down drastically even when I compare the level in Dec 2015 to Dec 2016. I think it has to do with reducing the number of staff (Bar, MDR, Room Attendants, etc). Add in the reduction in the number items and quality of the food and you get a watered down product that likely makes more money for Celebrity.

[AnOnymously]

Obviously this tip comes too late for you but perhaps next time you could try room service? We often go straight to our cabin when returning from a port and place an order for fruit and cheese trays which arrive in good time to enjoy on our balcony while we watch sailaway. It's usually enough to tide us over until dinner.

 

 

Is there a menu or something that informs people of what they can order to their room?

Edited January 15, 2017 by AnOnymously

[ChucktownSteve]

Is there a menu or something that informs people of what they can order to their room?

 

It's on the tv under your account.

[cb at sea]

Cruises today no longer have that "luxury" feel of cruises in the past. Yes...I know you're not paying "luxury" prices...but 10 years ago, it FELT more luxurious than today...

Edited January 16, 2017 by cb at sea

[djhsolara]

This post mentions a few food and service issues. What about the condition of the ship and staterooms?

 

 

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[AnOnymously]

It's on the tv under your account.

Many thanks, 10 days onboard ship is not very long to discover all the high points let alone hidden gems, so any tip that points out useful things is helpful.

 

I do hope there will be some posts about the staterooms and the ship as someone else commented.

[irishayes]

Add I said in my original post, the Summit is still a beautiful ship. I know others have commented his she is showing her she, but honestly I didn't feel that at all. Everything was clean and beautiful. Stateroom was nice, not run down at all (other than those AWFUL mattresses. My hip has not yet recovered. Ouch!)

 

But absolutely no complaints about the state of the ship.

 

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[ChucktownSteve]

Add I said in my original post, the Summit is still a beautiful ship. I know others have commented his she is showing her she, but honestly I didn't feel that at all. Everything was clean and beautiful. Stateroom was nice, not run down at all (other than those AWFUL mattresses. My hip has not yet recovered. Ouch!)

 

When I got to my Summit cabin both times I immediately asked my cabin attendant for an egg crate mattress topper. It made my sleeping much easier. I didn't need one on the Equinox. But the best mattress I've encountered at sea was on Oceania Marina.

[irishayes]

I did have an egg crate. Didn't help...either that or I'm just getting old.

 

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[Nittlion]

I was on this cruise as well. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ruth, and to meet Taylor. I'm sorry that this cruise didn't meet your expectations. My wife and I enjoyed the cruise very much. We didn't notice the difficulty with food that you noted, but I didn't head to the buffet area when returning from ports of call. Irina did, but didn't mention any problems. I usually grabbed a burger from the grilling area by the pool. As a diabetic, I am careful to note in the daily newsletter the operating hours of each venue. I also only spent time poolside with you on embarkation day, and on the one day at sea. I didn't encounter any difficulties in obtaining beverage service poolside, but I also wasn't shy about grabbing someone's attention if I wanted something! I have sailed on the Summit previously and thought that the ship is in good shape. My room was well taken care of, my service all around was excellent, and I thought the food was above average everywhere I dined. I've sailed Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and MSC. I wouldn't hesitate to name Celebrity as my first choice.

 

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