Just back from Summit 10/30 4 Day Sailing

[Speasda]

Hello all!  

 

My DD and I just returned from 4 days on the Summit.  I wanted to share a few thoughts that come to mind and are largely inspired by some of the previous threads.  This is probably just stream of conscience and I don't have many pictures ( I eat my food not photographic it)

 

• Basics - first time on Celebrity as cruises on NCL, RCCL, and Carnival.  Young teenage daughter and me were on our own in Concierge class aft balcony with premium drink package.  I was told there were 417 passengers onboard.
• Speaking of food - overall I thought the dining was very good, not great.  I like good food. 
  • The main dining menu was reasonable but there was one night nothing sounded good.  The service in the dining room was EXCELLENT.  Ananda and Ivana took great care of us.  I would say the MDR was about 25% full on deck 4 for anytime dining. They did cluster us in the back and starboard side so it was more crowded in those areas but it was not close enough that you were having conversations with the next table over.  Food came out faster than normal so I think they still have the kitchen well staffed.  Even when ordering second apps or entrees they came quickly.
  • Buffet - this was very pleasant.  There were lots of options and the food was fresh.  The one night we skipped the MDR and ate in Buffet, they did not cook my chicken breasts until I ordered.  I assume that was to make sure my meal was fresh.  Then they brought it to my table. As mentioned in previous posts they were serving from behind the buffet.  There were a few times I had to wait for someone come over and fix me a plate, but it was not bad.  I do agree with others this may not be scalable.  I really enjoyed the Indian selections at lunch and the poached egg station at Breakfast.  Opportunity - the bakery was kind of on it's own out of the way and it was manned by a staff who typically stood by the door not behind the serving counter.  I would like to see Celebrity add a "bakery cart" that they could roll around and offer a muffin or what not to those sitting at their table..  They have many servers available to provide juice and coffee so repurpose on of these nice folks
  • Cafe Al Bacio - did not try the pastries and I drank the Lavazza coffee from buffet
  • Pool Grill - just the basics. I went a slow time and the cook was focused on making 1 burger at a time so I was waiting for him to finish before I ordered.  I feel he could have taken another order and get that started while the prior burger was on the grill.  
  • Spa Cafe - dropped in for a smoothie once.  Can confirm they are covered on premium but not classic package
  • Sushi on 5 - Rafael and team  are so pleasant and the food was excellent.  I did this for lunch on a sea day and thought it was a great way to enjoy it and still get to the MDR for lobster/beef wellington night. The California rolls have real crab.
• Entertainment 
  • We loved the game shows, but there was not one on the last night which disappointed.  Lots of fun
  • We also did a fair amount of trivia hosted by our favorite person - Carlos.  
  • We skipped art auctions, spa seminars, and any thing similar
  • Pool games were fun, but I wish there were more games. That may have been a pandemic thing or that may be my take coming from the other lines.  
  • Skipped the Theater shows except the comedian on the first night.
  • Overall I liked what was there, but found myself looking for more options after 9:00.  I wanted an alternative to the theater and casino.  Again, may be reduced due to capacity or my perspective from other lines
• Venues & Staff
  • We hung at the pool deck a good bit.  As I looked around on both sea days I noted it was full, but not over crowded.  The second deck was virtually empty and if you wanted you could find deck chairs just not in the ideal spot.  
  • There was plenty of servers on the pool deck led by my new friends - Kadek and Yoga.  These guys were always around and checking in (not in that annoying hovering way that I was worried about going in).
  • When inside we were frequently in the Rendezvous Lounge where there lots of great seating.  In the evenings Tayla and Igor could be found there along with Yoga.  
  • Sunset Bar was the place to go to for late afternoon/evening drink.  While there you will see Agus and Beatriz - both wonderful, but Agus became my go to out there.  I think Beatriz has some managerial duties and was behind the scenes making it happen for us all.
• Embarkation/Debarkation
  • Easy Peasy.  Left Hilton Blue Lagoon at 10:55 - in terminal at 11:15 for 11:30 check in time.  There was not any waiting outside, walked right up to the check in lines and had my choice of lines with just one person there.  Then right onto the boat by 11:25.  Sue and team were there applauding as we walked on - that was kinda silly but I appreciated the effort
  • Rooms were ready when we arrived.  We met our steward and watched the safety video, checked in to muster station and then off to the Oceanview cafe
  • Leaving was said, but easy.  We did self assist and were off the boat @7:30 and in the MIA airport and through Precheck security by 8:11. Just called an Uber to whisk us away.  That was a great relief as we had 10:26 flight which I would normally hesitate to book but figured I would give it a shot hoping for easy disembarkation.  
• Staff - 
  • I talked to the staff more than normal this time as they had free time.  The general feeling is that they are glad to be working again after so many months not earning for their families.  They only have 6 month contracts (not a statistically accurate sampling) and want to be sure they get renew as they know there are many of the peers who have not been able to come back yet.  They see it as an honor to be one of the early returners.  As a part of that they never missed a chance to remind me of the importance of the survey that comes out post cruise.  My read on that was what others have said - CASH tips are nice, but survey is the key to long term earnings.  
  • We can debate the potential equity issues in the employment model for cruise lines for years, but the short term help we can provide is to provide extra tips as we are fortunate to be cruising, fill out the survey  with positives, and maybe cruise again?

 

Those are my thoughts and I would love to answer any questions I can.

 

 

[kwokpot]

Thanks for the review. I'll be on the Summit in 2 weeks for the Thanksgiving cruise. 

Your observations regarding poolside activities are correct, Celebrity doesn't do many poolside activities. That's not the atmosphere that they want to project. Generally the poolside activities are dance lessons, trivia, name that tune, volleyball, beanbag toss, Jenga, aquafitness, and that's about it. 

[DCPIV]

Thank you for the report!  I'm very glad to hear that you had a good time!

 

I've been on Summit twice since she resumed, and both are among the very best cruises I've even enjoyed in twenty-something years of cruising.  The ship is beautiful and the crew were amazing.  I enjoyed seeing some familiar names!

[PTC DAWG]

You missed out by not getting some of the Coffee's at La Bacio..assuming you like coffee...

[808lady]

Thanks for the review!  Did you see any passengers dancing in the evenings?

[Northern Aurora]

I also want to thank your OP for their thoughts.  Would you book another Celebrity cruise?

[Speasda]

2 hours ago, 808lady said:

Thanks for the review!  Did you see any passengers dancing in the evenings?

There were very few pairs of dancers.  There was dancing at the Full Moon party, but that was more of dancing in a large group.  

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

I also want to thank your OP for their thoughts.  Would you book another Celebrity cruise?

I think I would book another Celebrity cruise.  I enjoyed the product as I was expecting laid back and that's what they delivered.  I think they would be better for a cruise that is more excursion based - basically not in the Caribbean so that the lower amount of entertainment was not a factor 

[miched]

As another mentioned you should have tried the coffee drinks at Cafe al Bacio.    All of the drinks are covered with the premium package and the sweets in the display case are available to anyone without a package or getting a coffee.  

 

Did they serve breakfast in the MDR?   It is sit down and they regularly come around serving pastries.  More relaxed than the self serve in the buffet. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Larwos]

I was interested in this, as I haven't sailed on Millennium before,  but had a trip planned before covid nuked it up, and hope to do it in the next year or so.

 

How did you like the decor and stateroom, and is there a library?  It's a shame you didn't go to the theatre as I find the quality of performers is excellent on Celebrity, but perhaps it's not to your taste?  You say there wasn't any entertainment late at night, which surprises me, I always love the music around the ship later in the evening.  Aren't they doing that on Millennium?

Glad you liked Celebrity, it's our favourite.

[hcat]

18 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Thanks for the review. I'll be on the Summit in 2 weeks for the Thanksgiving cruise. 

Your observations regarding poolside activities are correct, Celebrity doesn't do many poolside activities. That's not the atmosphere that they want to project. Generally the poolside activities are dance lessons, trivia, name that tune, volleyball, beanbag toss, Jenga, aquafitness, and that's about it. 

Agree..that's something we like about X..relaxation at the pool..nice music and a few activities.nothing loud..no hairy chest/ leg contests.  Enjoy your cruise!

[Speasda]

4 hours ago, Larwos said:

I was interested in this, as I haven't sailed on Millennium before,  but had a trip planned before covid nuked it up, and hope to do it in the next year or so.

 

How did you like the decor and stateroom, and is there a library?  It's a shame you didn't go to the theatre as I find the quality of performers is excellent on Celebrity, but perhaps it's not to your taste?  You say there wasn't any entertainment late at night, which surprises me, I always love the music around the ship later in the evening.  Aren't they doing that on Millennium?

Glad you liked Celebrity, it's our favourite.

 

I liked the decor in the stateroom.  It was crisp and clean and thought it to be very functional.  I know others have felt it is too much form over function, but I found it function fine.  

 

I find the dancing and singing shows in the theater to be uninteresting.  I am not going to sit a tribute show to Aretha Franklin and enjoy it regardless of how good a performance it is.  There was a good variety of live music earlier in the evening and afternoon.  There was also DJ music in the Sky Lounge which I enjoyed the first night, but chose bed over that on other nights.  I have to be up early to catch our sail into port and sunrises which are always great. 

[Speasda]

13 hours ago, miched said:

As another mentioned you should have tried the coffee drinks at Cafe al Bacio.    All of the drinks are covered with the premium package and the sweets in the display case are available to anyone without a package or getting a coffee.  

 

Did they serve breakfast in the MDR?   It is sit down and they regularly come around serving pastries.  More relaxed than the self serve in the buffet. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Several people disappointed I did not try the drinks at al Bacio - I know the drinks are covered under the package, but liquor and beer selection is weak and that's what I prefer.  I don't look at coffee with Kahula or similar to be something to waste calories or time on.  I keep my coffee and alcohol separate.  

 

They did serve breakfast in the MDR.  It started a little later.  I have done breakfast in MDR before I find it to be slower than I like.  I am also a little scarred by sitting with other people at breakfast.  All I want is my coffee (not fancy), water, and a variety of food.  I like to get a little of this and a little of that.  I like to be able to easily go back and get more.  Since the ship was so undercrowded the normal craziness of the morning buffet was missing so it was very relaxing.  But the MDR is there if you like.  

[lunedemiel17]

Thank you for your review,  I have a question for you do they have the silent disco?  I booked a five days cruise on the summit in april 2022.

 

thank you in advance for your answer

 

lunedemiel17 😎
 

 

 

[pno4te]

On 11/4/2021 at 12:07 PM, kwokpot said:

Thanks for the review. I'll be on the Summit in 2 weeks for the Thanksgiving cruise. 

Your observations regarding poolside activities are correct, Celebrity doesn't do many poolside activities. That's not the atmosphere that they want to project. Generally the poolside activities are dance lessons, trivia, name that tune, volleyball, beanbag toss, Jenga, aquafitness, and that's about it. 

We'll be on that cruise also!

 

[kwokpot]

18 minutes ago, pno4te said:

We'll be on that cruise also!

 

One of the headliner entertainment that was on my current Edge cruise will be on the November 22nd Summit sailing. They are called The Boyband Project. Now before you roll your eyes I will grant you the cheesy name of the group but they are actually a talented group of four guys. While their gimmick is a takeoff of the  '90s boyband these guys actually have great voices and their harmonies are on point. Google them for more info. 

[Honolulu Blue]

6 hours ago, lunedemiel17 said:

I have a question for you do they have the silent disco?

 

I'm not the OP, but I was on the Summit last month.  They did offer a silent disco on that sailing.

[lunedemiel17]

Thank you for the info. 😎

 

lunedemiel17

[tampadee]

How did you handle bringing a covid test before boarding?

[Speasda]

17 hours ago, lunedemiel17 said:

Thank you for your review,  I have a question for you do they have the silent disco?  I booked a five days cruise on the summit in april 2022.

 

thank you in advance for your answer

 

lunedemiel17 😎
 

 

 

They indeed have silent disco.  It was the last night of our cruise.  I think in other cruises it was the second night, but our cruise seemed a little different.  They did "formal" night on the second night which was Halloween.  So Evening Chic became the normal Evening Chic or costumes.

[Speasda]

39 minutes ago, tampadee said:

How did you handle bringing a covid test before boarding?

I think you are asking about bringing the results of the test?  We tested at home on Thursday using the emed tests.  We had downloaded the Navica app and showed the results in the app.  They scrolled down to see the test date and Negative result.  I was worried as I tested 51 hours before boarding so the app said 3 Days since last test.  They did not look at that.  They confirmed Negative result and that test date was 10/28 for the 10/30 sailing.  Others had paper copies from their test results.  

 

Had to show it only at the check in counter.  Vaccine card was checked at the door to the terminal and again when going up the elevator to the ship.  

[jg51]

On 11/5/2021 at 3:48 AM, Larwos said:

... How did you like the decor and stateroom, and is there a library? ...

... You say there wasn't any entertainment late at night, which surprises me, I always love the music around the ship later in the evening.  Aren't they doing that on Millennium? ...

.

This thread was about a cruise on the Summit, not the Millennium.  There could be differences in the entertainment schedule.  Nevertheless, on the Summit in 2021, there has been entertainment (for example, live music in Rendezvous Lounge) before and after dinner.  [If OP said the contrary, he/she was mistaken.  We know this, from personal experience aboard.]  If you look at other threads about Summit in 2021, you will find at least one that contains photos of "Celebrity Today" issues, wherein you can read the evening/night activity schedule.

.

On 11/5/2021 at 8:12 AM, Speasda said:

... They did serve breakfast in the MDR.  It started a little later.  I have done breakfast in MDR before I find it to be slower than I like.  I am also a little scarred by sitting with other people at breakfast. ...

 

.

As we know (from personal experience on the subsequent Summit cruise), one is not forced to share a table at breakfast in the MDR in 2021.  We had a table for two, and the chairs even had very high backs, to prevent noise (etc.) from coming to us from the next table.  The staff were extremely attentive.

.

[jg51]

On 11/5/2021 at 3:48 AM, Larwos said:

I was interested in this, as I haven't sailed on Millennium before, ...  How did you like the decor and stateroom, and is there a library? 

.

Oops!  Sorry, "Larwos," that we forgot, yesterday, to answer your question about the library.

.

Again, we cannot answer regarding the Millennium, but the Summit now has no library.  A crew member said that it was given the heave-ho when the ship was "revolutionized." 

 

The crew also said that, unlike on most S-class ships, Summit has no card/game/puzzle room.  We were told that card games and board games could be played (and any simplistic, quickly-solved jigsaw puzzle could be assembled) in the Oceanview Cafe.

 

These changes [library, game room] were supposedly made for "sanitary" purposes, but we think that they were done for another reason ($) -- just as at least one of the S-class ships [Silhouette?] has now had its Card Room converted into solo travelers' cabins.

.

You asked about "decor and stateroom."  Of course, that is a matter of opinion, which will vary from one person to another.  We thought that the renovated Summit, now twenty years old, looked beautiful throughout -- even the Oceanview Cafe, which we disliked in 2017. 

 

We enjoyed the new look and comfort of the stateroom -- with one exception: the sink in the bathroom.  It has flat sides and a flat bottom, which we found very unpleasant (after a lifetime of normally curved "bowls").  The only other bad thing about the stateroom was the fact that one had to run water (in the sink or shower) for a LLLLOOOOONNNNGGGG time before it became hot.  Perhaps that would vary from stateroom to stateroom or from deck to deck?

 

Good luck.  Smooth sailing!

.

[Fridaynightlights]

Thanks for the review.

Did you notice how late you can stay on the ship on the last day?

We have a later flight and would rather hang on the ship than in the airport.

Thanks

[Stockjock]

Thanks for the update.  I'll be on the Summit's NYE cruise, so it will be interesting to see how full the ship is and whether reasonable social distancing is even possible.