Celebrity Summit Sky Suite (S2)

[st5310]

We've sailed on Summit several times (and in a Sky Suite), but this is our first since the "Edge-ification".  I have been diligently reading the reviews on CruiseCritic the past few weeks, good and bad, but withheld my own comments until I experienced it first hand.  Well, here I am with DW en route to Bermuda, and I am realizing that many of the negatives offered were correct.

 

I'm sure some will criticize me for whining too much to which I'll plead guilty, but I am enjoying the cruise.  I love Celebrity, and nothing I mention here is serious enough that would preclude another booking on Celebrity or on the Summit specifically.  I freely admit these issues I am about to share are trivial.  We think the room itself is generally nice and we have no issues with the contemporary motif.  Some of the changes we've seen are great... the Retreat Lounge now offers a modest buffet in the mornings, Luminae is as good as always, and the service everywhere remains superb.  The beds are terrific.  We absolutely love the 4-perk promotion (Go!Best) along with the other advantages of booking suite class.  

 

Now to the whining part... In the bathroom, one reviewer observed the lack of a 'grab' bar in the shower.  I didn't think much about that until I hit the shower this morning--then I realized a grab bar is one of those things one doesn't notice until it isn't there (the shower itself is decent; the same as one finds on many ships).  Another observation in the bathroom is that the toilet paper dispenser is oddly placed; it is further from the commode than it should be and the roll too easily slips off the dispenser.  On the positive side, there is a plug-in night light that activates when the bathroom light is turned off and the new sink configuration provides more countertop space on either side.

 

Flaws in the room design make poor use of the limited space.  Next to the desk on the left are two wall units for magazines and such, but the space could have easily been used for extra cabinets or shelves since, as another poster pointed out, there are only two actual clothes drawers in the whole room (there are two under the desk, but they are too shallow and relatively useless and there is one under the nightstand, but it is small).  And speaking of the desk, the chair does not slide under the desk, which means most of the chair occupies some of the walk area between the bed and wall.  The irony here is that the chair (at the desk) in the Sky Suite has arms and it should NOT have, while the chairs in many other venues (e.g. Retreat Lounge) do NOT have arms, but SHOULD have.  And what's the purpose of those two little tables at the foot of the bed?  The nightstands are too low and the light fixture provided is not good for reading.  For adequate light one must flip on an entire row of ceiling lights.

 

Although I appreciate the new look of the Retreat Lounge, I prefer the warmth and intimacy of the old Michael's Club.  The current incarnation is open, bright, and airy, but is, IMO an uncomfortable space to hang out in (which may be the point!).  As alluded to above, the chairs have no arms, they don't slide under tables (there are no tables to actually sit at anyway), and the acoustics are unfriendly.  The service is still terrific, however.  The staff at the lounge has been solicitous and upbeat.  

 

Be glad to answer any questions if you have them.  Neil

 

[FlorenceItaly]

Hi Neil,

 

Thank you for your thoughts.  We are on the June 16 sailing, but, unfortunately, not in the Suite Class.  We have only cruised in a Suite once, on the Infinity, so I do know some of what you are saying.  I too, prefer the looks of the old Michaels Club versus the new.  Overall, we are excited about the revolution because we were last on the Summit in October, and the staterooms were looking pretty shabby.  The same with the Infinity this past December.  JMO

 

As your week goes on, I am interested in bar service on the ship, and your thoughts on the LIVE music throughout the ship.  I appreciate anything you are willing to share.  Wishing you a fabulous cruise and sunny skies in Bermuda!

[warmwinds]

Thank you for your thoughts.  I don't think you're a whiner at all.  Nothing worse than non-functional space when you're trapped for a week or more.

 

I really, really hope Celebrity cuts their losses and gets someone different to update the remaining ships, instead of ruining all of them.

[George C]

Thanks from info , we really like micheals shame they just did not leave that alone. Really was never impressed with sky suite on this class of ships . 

[st5310]

2 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Hi Neil,

 

Thank you for your thoughts.  We are on the June 16 sailing, but, unfortunately, not in the Suite Class.  We have only cruised in a Suite once, on the Infinity, so I do know some of what you are saying.  I too, prefer the looks of the old Michaels Club versus the new.  Overall, we are excited about the revolution because we were last on the Summit in October, and the staterooms were looking pretty shabby.  The same with the Infinity this past December.  JMO

 

As your week goes on, I am interested in bar service on the ship, and your thoughts on the LIVE music throughout the ship.  I appreciate anything you are willing to share.  Wishing you a fabulous cruise and sunny skies in Bermuda!

Thank you, FlorenceItaly.  From what I've heard the live music has been pretty good.  There is also a DJ.

The only bar we are likely to frequent is the Martini Bar, one of the more popular venues on the ship.  I'll share whatever I learn.  Neil

[FlorenceItaly]

In the evening we tend to hang out in the Rendevous Lounge.  We also spend some time in the Martini Bar area as we enjoy the DJ.  We have the Classic Package, but, occasionally indulge in a martini and pay the difference.

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your cruise.

[Alsmez]

We'll be in an S2 on Summit in a couple of weeks as well. Looking forward to hearing more about the room, ship and your cruise in general. We've never been in a SkySuite before so we won't have anything to compare it to, but it sounds as though the space could have been better organized.

[jelayne]

Did the remove the drawers that were in closet of the S2?

[st5310]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

Did the remove the drawers that were in closet of the S2?

No, Jelayne, I don't think so.  Those are the two drawers I referred to in the original post.  Shelf on top, then the shelf with the safe, then another shelf, then 2 drawers on the bottom.  Neil

[st5310]

4 hours ago, Alsmez said:

We'll be in an S2 on Summit in a couple of weeks as well. Looking forward to hearing more about the room, ship and your cruise in general. We've never been in a SkySuite before so we won't have anything to compare it to, but it sounds as though the space could have been better organized.

As a suite class guest you'll have access to the Retreat Lounge and Luminae restaurant.  You may agree on the cabin space, but I doubt it will ruin your trip.  I predict you will be just fine with your S2 suite.  Overall we are pleased with what they did in the public rooms--the carpet has been upgraded everywhere and the ambience is brighter. 

 

Tonight we dined in the Tuscan Grille.  They did away with the arched entry, but the restaurant is the same.  Way too much food, but that's the whole idea!  Definitely worth it for a one-time experience.  Neil

[st5310]

You might wish to know that there are very few (if any) children aboard on this sailing.  In fact, most of the passengers appear to be well over 50, probably most in their 60s and 70s (including me).  In that sense it feels closer to an Oceania cruise. 

[jelayne]

31 minutes ago, st5310 said:

No, Jelayne, I don't think so.  Those are the two drawers I referred to in the original post.  Shelf on top, then the shelf with the safe, then another shelf, then 2 drawers on the bottom.  Neil

 

Thanks.  Sounds like the storage is about the same as was  there previously.