Summit Oct 21 Repo - Impression of First Celebrity Cruise

[msmayor]

My husband and I have been on eight other cruises - we've sailed on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and HAL.  We booked the 6-night Summit Repo as a way to 'relax and recharge' after our daughter's wedding on the Friday before.  The three days at sea were a huge attraction to be able to focus on just relaxing.  The other ports (St. Maarten and St. Thomas) were repeats for us.

 

We were fully aware that the ship is due for a major upgrade and expected to see some wear and tear.  We found everything clean and comfortable and despite the drydock scheduled in a few months, found the crew continually sanding and painting areas to keep things fresh.

 

Our stateroom was 8172, a Concierge almost dead-center in the aft with a huge balcony that had a full-size dining table with four chairs, plus two reclining chairs and ottomans for lounging.  Absolutely loved the balcony and enjoyed room-service breakfast a couple of mornings.  We brought two bottles of wine on board and was able to exchange the promised bottle of sparkling wine (Concierge perk) with a good bottle of Cabernet.  All wine was enjoyed in the stateroom with the included 'afternoon savories' perk of the Concierge class.

 

THINGS WE LOVED:

• The number of places to 'lounge':  we thought there were some great venues throughout the ship that afforded us with a comfortable place to sit and chat with a cocktail and still look out to the sea.  Reflections on deck 11 was a fabulous spot to gaze at the ocean and Crush, the martini bar a lively place to grab cocktail and conversation.  The Rendezvous Lounge was also a good spot.
• Outdoor seating right next to the buffet:  Though the table areas of the Oceanview Café are loaded with floor to ceiling windows that allow a ton of light in, there's nothing like eating your meals outdoors when on a cruise.  The area in the aft at the 'end' of the buffet was our favorite spot to sit for breakfast or lunch (plus the one dinner we enjoyed at the buffet) with a bar right there to provide our favorite beverages.  The staff made sure that vacated tables were cleared quickly and we rarely had an issue finding one.
• The coffee:  we've had some bad coffee on ships, but the Lavazza they served was superb!  Loved that it was always piping hot and fresh.
• Lots of live music:  many of the lines seem to be moving away from live performers but Celebrity excelled here, and I think we saw more live performers on this ship than any other we've ever been on.  Even better - it seemed the acoustics were such that you could move from one venue into another nearly 'next door' without the sound of one performer blocking out another.  Bravo Celebrity - please work hard to continue live music!
• Just one ship-wide 'announcement' each day:  The Captain came on at 10:00 am each morning to give his daily report, and always seemed to sprinkle some maritime history in his talk.  Afterwards, Patrick the Cruise Director would follow with a summary of some major activities and wish us a great day.
• The itinerary:  with the sole purpose of this trip to relax, the three sea days at the front end were fabulous.  That alone would entice us to book this itinerary again.
• Free drinks for players in the Casino:  have NEVER seen this on a cruise ship, but during the three sea days anyone currently playing at a slot machine or table could order a drink for free.  This was only available on full sea days.

 

THINGS WE THOUGHT WERE JUST OKAY:

• Food:  Aside from the Beef Wellington one night in the Main Dining Room, we found the food to be somewhat unremarkable.  Don't get me wrong - it was tasty - just not memorable.  Was also very surprised that with just six nights there was somewhat of a repeat on the Main Courses.  Beef Short Ribs showed up twice.  Love them, but never saw a repeat like that on a 6-7 night cruise.  Perhaps if we had done any specialty dining we'd have a different opinion.
• The staff:  hard to put a finger on this one, but we're used to a crew that is far-more willing to engage on friendly chatter throughout the voyage.  We always enjoy talking to the staff, learning where they are from and a little about their home-country and for the most part on prior cruises the staff is eager to chat.  They smiled and provided good service, but never really stuck around or seemed to want to talk.  This was the first cruise where we never discovered "Our Bartender", one who was as friendly and engaging and really wanted us to return night after night.
• The Casino:  we spend time in the Casino every single day of every cruise...it is one of our favorite entertainment activities.  My favorite game was not there (Let it Ride) and with the exception of one roulette table, no tables offered a $5 minimum (even during the day), something we've always been able to find on any cruise we've been on.  Did not like the continuous-shuffler at the only $10 Blackjack table...used to six or seven deck shoes where one can at least try to gauge whether the remaining cards in the shoe are rich in 10's or not.  With a continuous shuffler, you could theoretically play hand after hand after hand and see very few 10's, making it harder to decide whether a hit will help or hurt.  Definitely a way the House gains an advantage
• The Blackjack Tournament:  Disclaimer here, because I came in second place and my husband came in third...so you'd think I'd be pretty happy with it.  The outcome?  Yes...but the way it was run seemed odd compared to others we've done at sea especially for the final table.  We've always been able to choose our seats based on the ranking in the final round, because betting was done 'in order' so all players could see who was betting what, and try to smartly consider how much you wanted to wager.  This was more of a free-for-all and in some respects made it easier to hold back betting until all others were done to decide whether to bet big or small.

 

THINGS THAT SEEMED REALLY ODD TO US:

• No true Promenade deck:  walking in the morning is one of our favorite activities and while there was a jogging track up on deck 11, it required 11 laps to hit a mile as opposed to 3-3.5 times around a true Promenade.  There is no way to completely circle the Promenade on Summit, a big drawback to us.
• An invisible Maitre' D and Wine Sommelier:  first cruise we've ever been on where the maitre' D/dining room captain was never seen circulating through the restaurant to check on guests.  I wouldn't have known who it was if I tripped over him/her.  Also the first cruise where the wine steward/Sommelier never came over to ask us if we wanted to order any wine. 
• A table for two isn't really a table for two:  cruises for us are normally a time when we consider dinner our 'date night', so while we love meeting new people during the day and while enjoying cocktails, we usually reserve dinner for just the two of us.  We were happy to learn upon embarkation that our table for two was reserved and by a window, but imagine our surprise when, once escorted there, another 'table for two' was literally two inches away...and even more strange, two different serving teams for each table.  It made for an awkward dining experience on that first night as we weren't sure whether we would be rude by not including the other couple in conversation.  A quick glance around the tables showed me that almost all the deuces were like this.  Once section that was likely originally a table for eight was set up as four deuces...with all four tables just two inches apart.  Major fail Celebrity, major fail.

 

We still enjoyed the trip as our main goal of relaxing and enjoying a 'last gasp of summer' was achieved.  Though we've been to the port stops before, this trip we finally got the chance to ferry over to St. John's and see that island.  So much devastation still present due to the hurricanes last year, but the locals were more than welcoming and so grateful that we came to visit.  They all shared some harrowing tales of the hurricane and aftermath and we tried to be as generous as possible with the purchases we made and tips offered.  They look forward to the ships that will return through this next busy season and hope to see more of the land resorts operational by the end of 2019.  It will be a long road to recovery.

 

Would we choose Celebrity again?  Yes - though we'd likely choose a newer ship with the hopes that the things we thought were missing can be found.  Despite the shortcomings, a week at sea beats a week at work any day and we remain happy that we chose this cruise for a relaxing vacation.

 

If anyone has questions, I'm happy to try and answer.

[Orator]

Thank you for your comments. I always enjoy reading reports from first time Celebrity cruisers. Your comments about staff really surprise me. You must have run into the exceptions rather than the rule as I've always found waiters very friendly especially to people who ask about their country. I may get a very distorted view of maître 'ds since I'm well known and they pay almost too much attention to me, but I find that more tend to circulate around their stations more than in the past. I'm glad you had a relaxing cruise and congratulations on the wedding.

[msmayor]

51 minutes ago, Orator said:

 Your comments about staff really surprise me. You must have run into the exceptions rather than the rule as I've always found waiters very friendly especially to people who ask about their country.

 

This is why we feel we need to give the line another shot.  It seemed so out-of-the-ordinary and not like many of the comments we'd previously read about the staff.  

 

We also wondered if because there were three sea days right after a long turnaround day, the staff was just wiped out.  We'd also heard that the cruise they'd just returned from, a 14-night Canadian itinerary, was full of cold weather, lots of wind and rough seas...the kind of things that make some passengers a bit cranky, so they may have had their fill of guest interaction for a bit and needed a break.

[jelayne]

Thanks for sharing your impressions.  We have sailed Celebrity almost exclusively for the past 4 years.

 

I too was surprised by your comments about the staff as normally after a day or so most are  very engaging and we usually have found a favorite bartender.  

 

Did you ask ask for a sommelier when you were at dinner?  We have found that if you are ordering a glass of wine from the wine list that the waiter will often serve it rather than getting the sommelier to take your order, shortens the wait.  When we are looking for a recommendation on wine then we ask for the sommelier who has always been happy to suggest wines to go with our meal.

 

As for a true promenade, none of the ships have a promenade that circles the ship.  

[TM]

While not on this cruise, we were on the one before it doing Canada/New ENgland for 14 days.  I will say that I thought most of the staff was very friendly and engaging.  And I totally agree with the comments about the live music.  I really enjoyed Jessica on the guitar and Paulo on the piano.  But relative to acoustics - I though the acoustics in the Revelation Lounge were absolutely terrible.  Music from the bands sounded very tinny and talking and announcements were very hard to understand.  2 areas that I found lacking were a variety of places to just sit and read that had adequate lighting.  Also the bar service in both the Rendezvous and Wine Cellar lounges was lacking - most times we had to get up and go to the bar and get our own drinks.  Food is very subjective so all I can say is that some meals in the MDR wre great and in the case of some others it looked and tasted like mystery meat.  

 

But all in all this was in the top few of our 30 total cruises and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the SUmmit again.

Edited October 28, 2018 by TM

[Cachecara]

We were on this cruise, also.  We, also, chose it specifically due to itinerary with those 3 luxurious sea days.  It was one of our favorite cruises. We made so many new friends, with plans to meet up and cruise together again. Our cabin attendant, ironically was one we had 2 other times in the past.  Robert was wonderful.  The bartenders in the martini bar remembered names and drinks throughout the 6 days and my drinks would often vary and they still remembered my faves.  In the casino,  3 of the dealers remembered us.  It was great and a warm experience for us. Food is subjective, but everyone at our table of 6 were very happy with quality and service. 

[Northern Aurora]

We spent 30 plus nights on the Summit last fall, and this summer spent another 21 nights onboard.  Given our experience with the staff I also am rather surprised that the OP didn't find the staff engaging.  Our experience was that they were very friendly and happy to chat with us.

 

And regarding the sommelier service -- on the first night we board we make a point to meet with the sommelier and tell him or her that we enjoy a variety of wines and are eager to try new ones.  Our practice is to tell the sommelier what we are ordering for entrees, and then let him or her select a wine for us.  We generally have been very pleased.  I wonder if  "jelayne" is correct and the OP ordered a glass of wine so the waiter thought that they knew exactly what they desired.

 

In any event I hope the OP tries another Celebrity experience.

[msmayor]

I thank everyone with their comments regarding their staff experiences and information about wine service at dinner.  

 

I guess my confusion with the wine service and presence of the sommelier stems from what I've been used to on previous lines.  On our Carnival cruise, a bar server always approached our table every night to ask what beverages we wanted or provided a wine list if we wanted a bottle.  On Royal Caribbean, the waiter always asked if we wanted wine or other non-alcoholic beverages and also provided menus.  On HAL, the wine steward in the dining room also approached us every evening shortly after we were seated to hand us a wine and beverage list and checked to see if we wanted anything.  In all cases, we never felt the need to ask about getting wine.  On Summit, we were never approached or asked about beverages other than water and coffee.

 

We certainly could have spoken up if we wanted - just an observation that we were surprised it was never offered to us.  Not a complaint, just an observation that we found odd considering the profit option on alcohol.  We did not have a drink package so the opportunity to make some money on our drink purchases was there.

 

 

[davekathy]

Thanks for posting your opinions of your cruise. 

[libby15713]

Hi - I appreciate your commentary! We will cruise on Summit in December after years of only Royal Caribbean. Could you tell me how casual or dressy women dress for dinner - I am assuming either way is fine but I had heard that Celebrity is more upscale and I would prefer to dress up if that’s the norm. 

[Cachecara]

2 hours ago, libby15713 said:

Hi - I appreciate your commentary! We will cruise on Summit in December after years of only Royal Caribbean. Could you tell me how casual or dressy women dress for dinner - I am assuming either way is fine but I had heard that Celebrity is more upscale and I would prefer to dress up if that’s the norm. 

They no longer have “formal” nights, but elegant chic.  We have been on Summit twice since the dress code changes.

My best advice would be to read what they suggest. 

I personally saw few men in jacket and tie and more in button down shirts with nice pants or even jeans and this was in the MDR. 

Women were mainly dressed in casual dresses, skirts or pants vs more formal attire. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t dress up if you choose.  Go for it, but I found the guidelines were sufficiently followed. 

[libby15713]

Thank you for responding - I’ll take a look at their suggestions - casual=less luggage!