Summit 4-6-19 Review

[Jazzbo]

We were really excited to be on the Summit on the 3rd cruise after the drydock "Revolution."

About us:  My husband and I have cruised since the early 90s.  Our first Celebrity cruise was a 7-day Inside Passage Alaskan Cruise on the Mercury for my parents' 50th anniversary.  Eleven other friends and family members "just happened" to show up for the cruise and the anniversary celebration.  We loved it!  We now cruise (mostly just the 2 of us) once or twice a year, in AQ, Concierge, or regular balcony cabin.  This cruise was special because my parents and my brother were with us.

Overall impressions of the ship:  I liked the new colors and the fresh feeling on the ship.  It has been years (2007) since we have been on an M-class ship, so some of my comments are likely due to that.  

Lounges: The Martini Bar did not work for us, because the bar was usually full, and the tables only seat 2 and are lined up in a row.  There was no way that the 5 of us could sit and have a drink.  Cellar Masters turned out to be our pre-dinner lounge of choice, mainly because it is quiet, and my parents don't like loud music.  I liked Rendezvous; the entertainment was not too loud for my husband and me.  We used Sunset Bar a lot, but only for getting drinks to take to our cabins.  The lack of shade made it too uncomfortable while the sun was out.

Restaurants: Our cabins were AQ, so Blu was our main restaurant.  I have to say that I was disappointed in the quality of the food; our experiences in Blu on S-class ships were far better.  Breakfast was hit and miss – sometimes eggs were cooked perfectly, but many times they were way off (over medium eggs had hard yolks a couple of days).  Dinner was also hit and miss, but the lamb was always good.  You can order escargots and other items from Cosmopolitan. I liked the appetizers more than the entrees.  Desserts were okay, except for the apple pie a la mode; neither my husband nor my father liked it.  You can get crème brulee every night – yum!  The Blu staff were great.  The hostess, Irina, was sweet and always smiling.  Alex, the maître d’, was helpful and always checking on the passengers.  I wish I could remember the names of more of our waiters and assistants.  Elvis was one of our excellent waiters and assistants.  The sommelier was always helpful. Even though the food quality was inconsistent, the service was excellent.
Oceanview Buffet had a great variety, so even if one of us didn’t like our choice, we could find something else.  The salad bars were consistently good.  There was a large roast carved to order every day (beef, pork, and turkey and all 3 on the last day). We had really good carved roast beef and tasteless carved roast beef.  We had delicious roast pork, and dry and tasteless roast pork.  None of us had the turkey.  I liked a lot of the Indian food.  The pizza was also good.  Tip: if you have a small group, or a very hearty appetite, you can order a whole pizza, and you get it hot and fresh.  The homemade ice cream is still delicious.  We never had trouble finding a table. Bar service was sometimes good in the buffet, and sometimes almost non-existent.
Qsine was wonderful.  We took the opportunity with the first night discount to treat the rest of our family, a first for them. As usual, the waiter convinced us to order too much, so we didn’t have dessert.  I think I read somewhere that Qsine will become Le Petit Chef later this year, so I’m glad we went.

Cabins: We were in 1130, an aft cabin with a larger balcony.  My parents were in 1127 and my brother was in 1123, both portside. We had plenty of storage space (4 drawers next to the closet, 4 smaller drawers, multiple shelves in the closet and 3 behind the glass doors – the 4th was the safe, and 3-4 shelves in the closet).  There were plenty of hangers in the closet, and we had no problems with that space (and I packed at least 3 outfits too many). I used one of the shelves in the bathroom for smaller items, and it was fine.  I put my cosmetic back on the floor shelf under the sink.  I liked the new colors. The bed is very comfortable, but the larger size reduces usable floor area. Our balcony was larger than normal, but not as large as 1140 and the other middle aft cabin. I did not like the lamp over my side of the bed.  It hangs down from the ceiling, and you can’t turn it off and on without getting out of bed.  The shower is tiny, and my husband kept hitting his elbow on the grab bar.  A woman in our cabin crawl group had a big bruise on her upper arm from the grab bar.  The shower door opens inward, which makes it challenging to get in the shower.  My husband noted that if someone collapsed in the shower, it would be difficult, if not impossible for rescuers to get him/her out. The leg shaving bar is useless; it’s right under the shower head. There is a large lighted round mirror over the desk, which is useful for drying your hair and putting on makeup.  The balcony is a nice size in 1130, but there is little privacy from the Sunset Bar below because of the open wavy wood slats in lieu of the awning.

Ports: We chose this cruise in part for the itinerary, but we discovered that 5 ports on a 7-day cruise is too many for us.  We like sea days and having all of the ship’s amenities open during the day (casino, shops, Cosmopolitan for lunch). We have been to St. Thomas many times, so we went into town to do some shopping. In the past we have gone to a beach and our favorite was a small sailboat excursion to St. John.  We were in St. Kitts last year and had a wonderful island tour.  My husband hurt his ankle the night before, so we only went into town.  My Mom wanted to find a shop in Antigua where she had been with her best friend several years ago, and we found it.  Beautiful original designs for dresses, linen clothing, and stunning evening wear. Unfortunately, my Mom hit her foot against some rough pavement and had to go the ship’s clinic that afternoon. We had purchased an independent excursion in St. Lucia the next day to Soufriere and the Pitons, but had to cancel it.  My Mom was in a wheelchair and my husband’s ankle was still very painful. The next day in Barbados my brother and I took a taxi into town.  Big mistake.  It was crowded, hot, and nothing much to see.  We should have taken the taxi somewhere else, like Nelson’s Boatyard.

Ship Clinic (and more on Blu): My Mom couldn’t walk after injuring her foot and was in severe pain. She had to order a wheelchair to get to the clinic.  She waited for 20 minutes for the wheelchair, and my brother discovered it had been left outside the stateroom without a call or knock on the door to let my parents know it was there.  My brother accompanied my parents to the clinic, and both he and my Mom told me it was old, dingy, and looked dirty.  They were pleased with the doctor’s care. The x-rays showed no fractures (Dr. even did a third to check). I had called guest relations and asked if my parents could order off the Blu or Cosmopolitan menu and was told no; the limited room service menu was it.  The Blu staff was wonderful that night.  They gave my brother that night’s menu to take to my parents, and my brother gave the order to Blu staff, who made sure my parents had what they ordered.  The next morning, when we went to Blu for breakfast, the staff was so kind and solicitous of my Mom; we were very grateful.

Future Cruises:  We went to the Future Cruises office earlier during the week.  The woman who helped us (last name of Trembath) was great.  We booked a similar 10-night cruise (but with 3 different ports) on the Summit for January of next year.  However, we have decided to change that to a cruise with more sea days, even though we’re familiar with the ports.  Plus, we have decided we prefer the S-class ships.

 

This review reflects our experience and preferences.  As always, others will have other preferences and experience.

 

[DanaDanes]

Thanks for your review! 

[warmwinds]

Did you feel that the people in the Sunset bar were "looking up" at you, or is it just a feeling of no privacy (we have also been aft in AQ several times) - will really miss the awning, maybe they will change their minds and put it back.

[Silkroad]

Thank you for your review. I’ve only been in a SB Aqua cabin on Summit. Are the showers in the aft cabins the same? How was Cafe al Bacio? I hope both your mom & husband are feeling better.

[Jazzbo]

40 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

Did you feel that the people in the Sunset bar were "looking up" at you, or is it just a feeling of no privacy (we have also been aft in AQ several times) - will really miss the awning, maybe they will change their minds and put it back.

No, but every time I went to get drinks at the Sunset Bar when my husband was on the balcony, I looked up to see if I could see him. 😊And when he was getting drinks, I could call down to him and change my order, or ask him where the "whatever" was. The worst part was that the Sunset Bar was too hot an uncomfortable for us to use during the day.  I think sun worshippers loved it.

[warmwinds]

Just now, Jazzbo said:

No, but every time I went to get drinks at the Sunset Bar when my husband was on the balcony, I looked up to see if I could see him. 😊And when he was getting drinks, I could call down to him and change my order, or ask him where the "whatever" was. The worst part was that the Sunset Bar was too hot an uncomfortable for us to use during the day.  I think sun worshippers loved it.

Was the cover from Deck 12 still giving you some shade when you were on your balcony?

[Jazzbo]

23 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thank you for your review. I’ve only been in a SB Aqua cabin on Summit. Are the showers in the aft cabins the same? How was Cafe al Bacio? I hope both your mom & husband are feeling better.

Since the Revolution, I understand they have changed the showers; none of the AQ cabins have the full body showers.  Cafe al Bacio was wonderful!  I should have reviewed it. Coffee delicious, and the pastries (almond croissant for me, apple turnover for my husband) were scrumptious! One of my favorite places on the ship.

[Jazzbo]

2 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

Was the cover from Deck 12 still giving you some shade when you were on your balcony?

Yes; if we sat at the very back of the balcony, we had some shade for most of the day.  When the breeze was blowing, it was perfect!

[davekathy]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks for sharing your comments!

[jelayne]

Thanks for the review.  We are on the Summit for the 1st time in June.  We changed our cabin to 1141 about a month ago before we read that the cover over the Sunset Bar was removed in the revolution.  Hope we have a better experience in Blu, it has been great on other ships.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review!

[SuzeCruz1]

Jazzbo - thanks for your review.  You included a lot of helpful information.  I hope your Mom's and your husband's injuries have healed.

You mentioned "There is a large lighted round mirror over the desk, which is useful for drying your hair and putting on makeup"  Is the mirror low enough that you can see into it comfortably while seated?  From the photos, it looks as if it's too high.  (I can always use a throw pillow as a booster if it is 😏)

The shower head looks as if it is height adjustable, but can it still be used as a handheld or is it permanently attached to the wall fixture?

Can you verify that there are no sheer curtains?

Thanks in advance for your reply.  

[Jazzbo]

On 4/22/2019 at 2:43 PM, SuzeCruz1 said:

Jazzbo - thanks for your review.  You included a lot of helpful information.  I hope your Mom's and your husband's injuries have healed. 

You mentioned "There is a large lighted round mirror over the desk, which is useful for drying your hair and putting on makeup"  Is the mirror low enough that you can see into it comfortably while seated?  From the photos, it looks as if it's too high.  (I can always use a throw pillow as a booster if it is 😏)

The shower head looks as if it is height adjustable, but can it still be used as a handheld or is it permanently attached to the wall fixture?

Can you verify that there are no sheer curtains?

Thanks in advance for your reply.  

 

SuzeCruze1 - Thank you; my husband's and my mother's injuries have healed. Yes, you can see into the mirror while you are seated.  The shower head can be used as a handheld and there are no sheer curtains. Enjoy your cruise!

[SuzeCruz1]

Thanks, Jazzbo. 

[cmoore5524]

On 4/22/2019 at 1:43 PM, SuzeCruz1 said:

Jazzbo - thanks for your review.  You included a lot of helpful information.  I hope your Mom's and your husband's injuries have healed.

You mentioned "There is a large lighted round mirror over the desk, which is useful for drying your hair and putting on makeup"  Is the mirror low enough that you can see into it comfortably while seated?  From the photos, it looks as if it's too high.  (I can always use a throw pillow as a booster if it is 😏)

The shower head looks as if it is height adjustable, but can it still be used as a handheld or is it permanently attached to the wall fixture?

Can you verify that there are no sheer curtains?

Thanks in advance for your reply.  

 

I was on the same April 6th sailing. The lighted round mirror over the desk in our Sky Suite was high enough on the wall that I had to stretch to see myself and also had to sit in the exact center of the mirror’s bottom to see since the curve of it cuts you out otherwise. I am 5’ 3 1/2” tall. Loved the cruise and the revolution changes but I would have mounted the mirror lower and added a full length mirror in the room.  I was glad that I had brought a dollar store mirror with me to help with make up and hair. 

[cruise47]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. It was very informative.

[SuzeCruz1]

cmoore5524 - thanks for the info about the mirror.  I'm 5'5" so should be ok doing my hair.  I'll take my travel magnifying makeup mirror anyway, o/w I'll have to be about six inches from the mirror to see clearly (LOL).  I like that they've removed the full wall of mirrors, but it would be nice to have a full-length mirror for that once-over check before you go out.

We're really looking forward to being on Summit again and seeing all the changes, but it's nice to know some of her new little idiosyncrasies ahead of time.

Happy cruising.

[Boatharbour]

On 4/15/2019 at 7:20 AM, Jazzbo said:

Cabins: We were in 1130, an aft cabin with a larger balcony.  My parents were in 1127 and my brother was in 1123, both portside. W

Thank you for your very informative review.

Was your family happy in the port cabins on deck 11? Was there any noise from deck 12 and was the lack of overhang an issue? We are booked in 1117 later this year. 

[hcat]

Glad  all injuries have healed..

Thanks for the review.  From initial  photos, I thought the big round mirror looked odd;  glad it is somewhat functional.  How well lit is the bathoom mirror and does it fog up ?

[Blue_Flame]

On 5/2/2019 at 4:04 AM, hcat said:

Glad  all injuries have healed..

Thanks for the review.  From initial  photos, I thought the big round mirror looked odd;  glad it is somewhat functional.  How well lit is the bathoom mirror and does it fog up ?

We were on the same cruise as Jazzbo, two cabins down in 1140. Our bathroom mirror was well-lighted but it did fog up. Ours was no longer a heated, fog-free mirror. I'm not sure if other cabins are the same. We already discovered that our cabin had four hooks on the back of the bathroom door and 1130 had none so there is some inconsistency.

 

My usual routine on past Summit cruises had been to do makeup and hair at the vanity desk in the cabin, not the bathroom. But the lighting at the vanity desk just did not work for doing makeup with my old eyes. So while I did hair out in the main cabin, I moved makeup back into the bathroom where the lighting was very good.

-

[Jazzbo]

There is a full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door.

[SuzeCruz1]

On 5/4/2019 at 10:46 AM, Jazzbo said:

There is a full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door.

Perfect.  thanks.

[Gracie115]

On 5/2/2019 at 3:35 AM, Boatharbour said:

Thank you for your very informative review.

Was your family happy in the port cabins on deck 11? Was there any noise from deck 12 and was the lack of overhang an issue? We are booked in 1117 later this year. 

 

On 5/4/2019 at 10:46 AM, Jazzbo said:

.

 

I'd like to know this too....was noise a factor at all for those in the port side cabins?

[Jazzbo]

My parents and brother were all happy with their cabins (1127 and 1123). Noise was not a problem.