Summit Hawaii Review

[jdymiller]

Having been on 8 previous X cruises that were great--we were very disappointed on this one. First of all, the cruise seemed to be overbooked. At the first seating Show, there were never enough seats and crew was bringing out folding chairs and stools from the Casino. In order to get any seat, you had to arrive 35 minutes ahead minimum. And many people still had to stand every night.

 

Food lines were terrible in the Cafeteria and the day we tendered, we, as Elite members waited 40 minutes for our "Priority Boarding."

 

Disembarkation with Customs was an absolute nightmare as the ship arrived late and X neglected to make more than one announcement about a change of times for everyone to visit the Theater. At one point--around 9 am the line went all the way through the Casino, plus snaking from the elevator and stairway outside the Theater. People missed their flights as they weren't seen according to schedules.

 

However, the absolute worse thing that happened involved the volcano. We were to pass it at 10:15 and much ado was made of that--deck party, band, special drinks, etc. Since we were early seating, we decided to do the show and still have time to see the volcano. Imagine our surprise when the CD came as the show finished and told us to "hurry out" as we were already passing by some "flowing lava" at 9:15. We hurried to our balcony only to see the Volcano in the far distance behind the ship. We had quietly sailed past one hour ahead of schedule. Since we watched it disappear for about 20 minutes, it means that the crew saw it coming for at least that long. One of the dining room people said he even asked if he should inform guests and was told not to. From what we understand, even late dinner folks weren't made aware of it and most missed it.

 

We called Customer Service that night from our room and were told that we would be coming to the Volcano as promised! This continued until 11pm as we called every fifteen minutes until we passed a town and watched our balcony mates snapping videos and pics thinking it was the volcano. The next day on TV the CD got on with a map and "proved" that the volcano had moved! That was pretty amazing because we had just visited the park that afternoon and saw a different map. We were told it suddenly went underground or it was cloudy and that's why we missed it.

 

After talking to various staff who had seen it in the past, our thoughts were confirmed. We HAD sailed past the volcano one hour early with NO announcement at all. What was the Captain thinking? In addition for him to think that we were fools enough to believe the map story added insult to injury. It amazes me that this Captain can't estimate his time a bit better. Wasn't an apology the best way to handle this?

 

I will do all I can to avoid the Summit. So I don't sound just like a griper, I won't detail other little things that bothered us, I will just choose the Connie (love, love, love) and Infinity in the future.

[pa.cruisers]

Sorry you missed the valcano !!! Since we go in 6 weeks I'll remember to look earlier than the scheduled time. Any positive things about your cruise would be appreciated.

 

Pa.Cruisers

[mamoni]

Thanks for posting your review and I'm sorry you didn't like the Summit. Did you at least do any good excursions while in Hawaii? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

 

Thanks!

[trcori]

that would be a rough lesson learned, if it was supposed to be the highlight of your trip, yikes!

 

so far in our at-sea sightseeing, I have been naturally skeptical of time estimates and been out on deck way ahead of whatever time was suggested by crew etc. (Hubbard Glacier being the prime example ... it's also my plan for our upcoming partial Panama Canal transit ...) I guess my question would be, did they say they would announce it all through the ship when the volcano was in view? I noticed during our last Alaska cruise that the naturalist was only audible in certain areas -- out on deck and in the observation lounge, primarily -- and it was easy for folks in other areas to not realize we were passing whales, glaciers, etc.

 

Your mention of SRO shows is interesting. I've gotten to the showroom late before, been unable to find a seat, then just left. Must have been really a great assortment of shows for everybody to want to see it even if there was nowhere to sit!

[DeltaOne]

I will do all I can to avoid the Summit. So I don't sound just like a griper, I won't detail other little things that bothered us, I will just choose the Connie (love, love, love) and Infinity in the future.

 

Good luck with that...the crew members routinely rotate from ship to ship. Next time you sail on the Connie she may be captained by the guy from the Summit.

 

The volcano thing was obviously just a miscommunication between the activities staff and the guys driving the ship. If that's the worst thing that happened....you don't have much to complain about.

 

And if the crowds on the larges ships don't suit you...sail on a smaller ship.

[morriscats]

On our cruise to Hawaii last October on Infinity the same thing happened. We were supposed to cruise the lava flow at 10:15 but we were on our aft balcony at 9:15 and there it was. The Captain did turn the ship around and make a second pass but the first time was much closer. It was amazing.

[LMKohler]

Can you tell us which Hawaii cruise you were on (date)? I'm sorry about the volcano--but you were on the Summit for 14 days -- was there nothing even remotely positive about your cruise (like you were on vacation:) ). I was born in Hawaii and will be going back for the first time in 30 years. I want to see the volcano, but if I miss it, it will not ruin my trip to my "home" state;)

 

We are on the March 26th cruise and looking forward to it very much. We feel about the Summit (this will be our 4th trip on her) the way you feel about the Connie. I wish you luck on the Connie in the future.

 

Lucy

[Ericknow32]

At least you got to see it from a distance. On my Hawaii cruise there was no opportunity to see the lava because the itinerary didn't go that way.

[kwsunset]

Sorry your cruise was not up to your liking.

 

I was on the same cruise and while I will admit we missed the lava flow, there was much to be thankful for. (To be sure we saw lava we went on the Lava hike and saw it close up.) After the first day out the weather was wonderful. In fact while in the islands, the weather was perfect.

 

Having been on 10 Celebrity Cruises, I would say that this one was the BEST. Great people, happy crew, excellent food (back up to old standards) and Outstanding entertainment. (Maybe that's why it was so crowded). by the way, the ship was not overbooked.

 

As for the disembarkation, most of the problems stem from the port and immigration. The ship was not allowed in until late because of traffic and US Customs/Immigration was totally uninterested in doing their work in an efficient manner. Don't blame Celebrity for our poor LA port and immigration.

 

I will sail the Summit again and look forward to it. ( I will probably avoid San Pedro).

 

The glass is either half full or half empty. I choose the former and have great memories of my Hawaiian Cruise. Michael

[Ma Bell]

San Pedro leaves a lot to be desired. We had our worst disembarkation in September there but it certainly won't stop me from enjoying our Hawaii cruise in March. I'll just expect the worst and maybe be pleasantly surprised.:)

[BillC]

Couldn't agree more that the problem is with San Pedro and the TSA.Only half the expected number of Immigration folk showed up on 1/29/06 and that caused the monster backup that Sunday morning. Why you need to have your passports reviewed escapes me since we never docked in Ensenada,and only had the port authority board the Summit to certify that we'd stopped there.Doesn't the TSA have more important things to do ?

 

We were in Late Seating and went onto the deck,staying until about 11:45 Pm when they announced that due to weather conditions we would not see the lava that night.If you really want to see the volcano in action take one of the helicopter excursions,or arrange one on your own.

[sdcruiser]

I would be embarassed to have titled this post 'Summit Review'. It should have been titled something more appropriate for what was said in over 75% of the 'review', like 'Missed Volcano' or 'Long Cafeteria Lines' or something along those lines. If these were the two most upsetting things, the rest of their cruise must have been great.

 

SDCruiser

[Offtune Angel]

On our cruise to Hawaii last October on Infinity the same thing happened. We were supposed to cruise the lava flow at 10:15 but we were on our aft balcony at 9:15 and there it was. The Captain did turn the ship around and make a second pass but the first time was much closer. It was amazing.

Hi Karen, glad you spoke up. Apparently, we can thank the CD and the Naturalist (name?) who helped to convince the Captain to turn around on our cruise in October.

I've read three different threads on CC Missing the volcano disappointments -- in addition to ours last October. To be so near and so far especially if it was your only chance is a BIG disappointment. We got lucky.

Terry (& DWFFO:D)

[Offtune Angel]

Couldn't agree more that the problem is with San Pedro and the TSA.Only half the expected number of Immigration folk showed up on 1/29/06 and that caused the monster backup that Sunday morning....

... .

After our disembarkation delays on 10/23/05 in San Diego returning from Hawaii (by way of Ensenada for 59 minutes:D), I did a search on Cruise Critic -- searching only the Celebrity Board. Apparently, these delays are not just San Pedro or San Diego, but have also been affecting Galveston and Florida disembarkations. In and of itself, the delay doesn't ruin the cruise, but I prefer getting to the airport before losing the 'vacation glow'. As Ma Bell said, "I'll just expect the worst and maybe be pleasantly surprised." I also plan to return to our previous policy of staying an extra day in the city where we disembark.:)

[Andy]

After our disembarkation delays on 10/23/05 in San Diego returning from Hawaii (by way of Ensenada for 59 minutes:D), I did a search on Cruise Critic -- searching only the Celebrity Board. Apparently, these delays are not just San Pedro or San Diego, but have also been affecting Galveston and Florida disembarkations. In and of itself, the delay doesn't ruin the cruise, but I prefer getting to the airport before losing the 'vacation glow'. As Ma Bell said, "I'll just expect the worst and maybe be pleasantly surprised." I also plan to return to our previous policy of staying an extra day in the city where we disembark.:)

 

I agree that poor debarkations can happen anywhere. However, there seems to be a problem of late, with Port of LA Embarkations & Debarkations. While I certainly cannot blame Celebrity for it (as many of these issues are beyond their control), Celebrity must work hard to see what can be done to improve the experience, or look to other Ports. You simply cannot have your passengers getting very annoyed at this rate. There have been many postings about this, and IMHO, it should not be ignored.

[morriscats]

Hi Terri (anddougwhonownose), can you believe it has been 4 months since we were on that beautiful ship? Boy I want to go back - anywhere! I didn't realize that not all ships make a second pass to view the volcano. We were lucky.

[Irishwhiskey]

Elite status means nothing when your on vacation along with 2000 other people.It just means you'll get more perks for being a repeat customer.Any experienced cruiser knows what happens on a tender day.Everyone wants to eat early and get to the tender asap.Next time try the diningroom for breakfast.You'll be in and out in 30min.and less stress on port days.We are going on our second Hawiian cruise this year and plan on doing the things that we didn't do or see on the last two visits.The Hawiian people are very pleasant and charming.They made our vacation even better.Its some of the vacationers visiting the Islands that had the issues.Everyone fears that they are going to miss something when your only there for about eight hours.Its a good feeling to know that your going to have to come back to the Hawaiian Islands again to see and do the things that you missed out on the last trip.

[kathy9]

We were on the same cruise as the OP, but had a much different experince. Thought the whole cruise was great. Went on a small plane ride over the big island and saw the lava flow up close. The Captain and several crew were on the deck at app 1000 and waited like the rest of us to see the lava flow. They stayed out there for 1/2 hr or so and seemed surprised that there was no other lava flow. I spoke to a crew member who said that was the first time they had gone around the island in that direction. It really wasn't a big deal to us. The wait to get off the ship wasn't great but we chatted with many nice people waiting in line and didn't have to catch a flight till the next morning so we were in no hurry. The one thing that bothers me is that on the last morning you feel like a guest who has overstayed their welcome. You have to remember that the ship has at least 1850 people on board so it does get crowded at shows etc. I wish I was leaving on the Summit today instead of getting ready to shovel over a foot of snow. Kathy

[jukeboxy]

After our disembarkation delays on 10/23/05 in San Diego returning from Hawaii (by way of Ensenada for 59 minutes:D), I did a search on Cruise Critic -- searching only the Celebrity Board. Apparently, these delays are not just San Pedro or San Diego, but have also been affecting Galveston and Florida disembarkations. In and of itself, the delay doesn't ruin the cruise, but I prefer getting to the airport before losing the 'vacation glow'. As Ma Bell said, "I'll just expect the worst and maybe be pleasantly surprised." I also plan to return to our previous policy of staying an extra day in the city where we disembark.:)

I can't comment on San Pedro but I am very aware of the 10-23 San Diego thingy. It was the first time that the port had experienced four ships in port the same day. The port people blocked off main streets to improve traffic flow and had over 300 extra security and traffice people. They booked the convention center to do most of the pre-boarding check in for some of the ships and bussed the passengers from there to the ship. It was a new experience for everyone and I went to see how they pulled it off. I was very proud of the way it was handled and most of the people I talked to were just going with the flow and not unhappy.

Now that they have done it once if it should happen again they will be even better prepared.

[thomasale]

Just look at the OP history of posts and you'll see a pattern... I don't know why she gets back on X ships. If my experiences were the same I would be looking for another line to vacation on...

[BobN]

Hi:

We will be taking our fifth cruise on the Summit this April, It has been quite a few years since we have been to Hawaii and we are sure that it will be a great trip.

 

Having sailed on most of the X fleet we have always found the ships staff wonderfull, the ships are always clean and you dont find trash all over the ship in the morning as we have found on other lines. The food is not always to our liking but it is very hard to satisfy everyone at every meal.

The overall X experience is wahat keeps us comming back.

 

Happy Cruising

Fran & BobN:)

[Offtune Angel]

I can't comment on San Pedro but I am very aware of the 10-23 San Diego thingy. It was the first time that the port had experienced four ships in port the same day. The port people blocked off main streets to improve traffic flow and had over 300 extra security and traffice people. ... I was very proud of the way it was handled and most of the people I talked to were just going with the flow and not unhappy....

I, too, was impressed by the traffic management at the Port of San Diego. I found the security and traffic people very professional and very helpful. I include vehicle drivers in the 'traffic people' category -- patient, polite, no blaring horns, no road rage, cheerfully allowing another vehicle to enter a moving line of traffic. It was a well-choreographed production.

As you said it was the first time San Diego had four passenger ships in port the same day. Complicating the situation everybody had to contend with either pouring rain or drizzling. I've heard that rain is a rarity in San Diego, so I am even more impressed at the port management.

 

Once we exited the luggage tent everything went like a charm. The worst delays we encountered were on board the ship. As kathy9 very aptly described, "on the last morning you feel like a guest who has overstayed their welcome".

Now that they have done it once if it should happen again they will be even better prepared.

Experience is a great teacher, when lessons are learned and put into practice. San Diego is a beautiful city that I look forward to visiting again. :)

[Capt]

Agree with OP about disembark- Worst ever. I'm sure that TSA had their fingers in the problem, BUT the communication from X staff was lacking big -time. in addition, the majority of pax ignored the announced time changes. We made our flight but I had to threaten and cojol in order to get to immigration as needed.

 

As far as the lava flow sighting, Mrs. Capt and I stumbled upon it searching for someone on the prom deck. It was quite a sight. Sorry.

 

Rest of the on-board aspect of cruise was ho-hum. Food/ menus are getting tired. Ate in the specialty restaurant and was pleased, but not worth additional cost. Food there was like the meals we remembered from the pre-RCCL owned days.

 

Maybe we need a break?

 

Oceania sounding good.

[Ericknow32]

I agree that poor debarkations can happen anywhere. However, there seems to be a problem of late, with Port of LA Embarkations & Debarkations. While I certainly cannot blame Celebrity for it (as many of these issues are beyond their control), Celebrity must work hard to see what can be done to improve the experience, or look to other Ports. You simply cannot have your passengers getting very annoyed at this rate. There have been many postings about this, and IMHO, it should not be ignored.

The only way I see a change is if RCI threatens to pull all ships out of San Pedro. I don't want RCI to actually pull out of San Pedro but maybe they could bluff their way into some changes.

[Tony UK]

Pity that disembarkation seems to have blighted this cruise. We had a wonderful time.

Lots of the problems on board were caused by passengers simply ignoring the times they had been given and turning up early. We were outside in the sunshine on deck 4 and came in by the theatre doors at the apponted time plus 45 minutes as we had been informed to find an enormous line. I checked with those at the front who all had times much later than us. As they had come too early we explaned that and joined the line at the front!

People change on disembarkation day and many were pretty aggressive with staff doing their best. I f they had tried to turn people away at the theatre door I don't know what would have happened.

Everyone had been told that all had to clear immigration before anyone could leave the ship. We were sat in lounges with drinks and pastries whilst we were waiting so we were comfortable.

I think if people had followed their instructions it would have been easier and less stressful for all of us.

 

Angie