New to Celebrity

[nanny2wmn77]

Hi! We just booked a cruise with Celebrity (Summit) that leaves next Sunday! We are not new to cruising, but we have never sailed on Celebrity. We have done Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Princess. Are there any major differences we need to be aware of on Celebrity or new, exciting things we should be looking for?? We don't have much planning time, so look forward to hearing from anyone who has experience on multiple cruise lines to fill us in! Thanks in advance!

[cruisestitch]

Not smoking anywhere inside, nor on Balconies.

[pattyj 1204]

The Summit was the first ship we cruised on, we loved it! Have a great time.

[dkjretired]

Hi! We just booked a cruise with Celebrity (Summit) that leaves next Sunday! We are not new to cruising, but we have never sailed on Celebrity. We have done Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Princess. Are there any major differences we need to be aware of on Celebrity or new, exciting things we should be looking for?? We don't have much planning time, so look forward to hearing from anyone who has experience on multiple cruise lines to fill us in! Thanks in advance!

 

For great info on the port go to East Coast departures board and Cape Liberty 411 thread, great people there.

[Denny01]

Love the Summit, having taken Her 3 times and enjoyed all. I know those that follow CruiseCritic a lot will recognize my input on Celebrity Millinium-Class ships (Summit is one of them), I love the Solarium Pool on Deck 10 forward. When we cruise Millinium-Class ships, we usually get a SR on deck 8 or 9 forward so we can zip up to the Pool especially in the morning and jump in.

 

The Pool is free. It is a large warm salt-water with large jets at the ends you can stand under and get a good spray of water on your back and shoulders. And they have steel piping in the side that form ‘lounges’ you lay on and the bubbles come up and give you a great massage. Fantastic.

 

It has a Spa Cafe next to the pool that serves healthy breakfast and lunch items and is never full.

 

So if you enjoy spa and jacuzzis give this a try - a jacuzzi you can swim in! It also has two warmer water jacuzzis at the sides and lots of lounge seating and tables. We sit and play cards and relax there.

 

Enjoy! Lots of fun things to do.

 

Den

[nanny2wmn77]

Thanks for all the input so far! We are really excited to try something new!

[Cruise a holic]

You will enjoy the limited announcement policy also. We love the Adult pool area- new lounge chairs have been added. A great cruise. Not the largest nor all the bells and whistles of the new Celebrity ship- but easy to navigate and a great staff. If you are in a sky suite or above, Michael's club is excellent as is Luminae.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[Lastdance]

The ship is M class, so not as new as the S class ships. Since this is your first time on Celebrity, know that there are newer ships with many venues and prices. The Edge class is coming near the end of the year!

 

You will have a great time, so enjoy your cruise in two days!

[keep on cruisin]

We have done 2 Summit sailings and will again in August. Great ship, reviews are saying it is ready for its dry dock in January or February. We love all the quiet spots. The previously mentioned solarium pool is great an we like the 2 main pools. Always look forward to water volleyball against the officers.

 

We have also sailed NCL several times and feel the MDR on Summit is better. Have not done specialties.

 

Go in knowing it is a ship that needs a bit of a facelift and you will have a great time.

 

Enjoy

[4774Papa]

We have done 10 cruises on Celebrity, 6 on NCL and 1 on Royal C.

There are similarities between those three, especially Royal C. and Celebrity. However, our first choice is Celebrity. Still, we shop around and pick based on itinerary and price.

 

Celebrity has fewer interruptions for sales. However, both NCL and Royal are better for entertainment.

Royal appeals more to families, and you don't see many kids on Celebrity. NCL definitely has the youngest average age (not necessarily kids).

 

Dining is best on Celebrity. Also, excursions, if you buy from the ship are more expensive on NCL than Celebrity or Royal.

[KKB]

We first cruised Princess (still our fav due to endless activity choices), & RCCL Allure is our fav ship (also lots of activities).

But we have done Celebrity the last 4 cruises. Why? Value--no other line is giving us the extra perks for that price!

DH & I agree that Celebrity is a small tick in quality above Princess & RCCL. Small, but noticeable.

They don't have that endless choice of activities from early til late that we really like, but we still find plenty to do--trivia, "game shows", comedians, dancing, gambling; or just relaxing on deck or on our balcony.

I think you will be pleased.

[luvtravel88]

We love the Summit. It's not as large as some other ships in the fleet but you never feel crowded. There are lots of places to get away from the crowds.

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

The Martini Bar is lots of fun! The bartenders are "flair bartenders" and will toss the bottles up in the air and put on a show for you! They also will make you a great drink!