5/23 Summit Review

[alfredo22]

Background:

My wife and I are first time cruisers, so our perspective is not as broad as other reviews. I tried my best to ask people how this compared, and I will include their opinions as such throughout the review. We were in Sky Suite 6121 (yeah upgrade!), and we had a great time. If I sound unhappy at moments in this review, let me assure you that I am not, but it is Cruise “Critic” not Cruise Salesperson. We are active late twenty-somethings, so at time we may recommend things that other people may not find palatable. To answer your question, we were not on our honeymoon (or anniversary). Just celebrating the DINK life (Dual Income No Kids) at least a little longer.

 

Arrival:

We arrived in Venice (Marco Polo Airport) at 9 am on the first day of the cruise. We took the Alilaguna (water bus run by private company) to the cruise terminal without significant incident. The cruise terminal in Venice is set up for you to arrive by land—mildly ironic when you are supposed to arrive in Venice by sea. We rolled our luggage around the building, dropped it off, and walked back around and upstairs to check in. There were plenty of well-marked people (in Venice they wore blue bandanas) with good language skills to guide you through each step. Check in was very rapid. We got onto the boat, booked a shore excursion that had filled up on the internet and rented a tux (had failed to do it ahead of time). We skipped the welcome champagne, too tired. At this point, it was close enough to the time that we would be let into our rooms that we figured we would at least try to drop off our luggage. When we arrived at our stateroom, our attendant was putting on the finishing touches and encouraged us to stay (no complaints after so many hours of travel!). More champagne (or more likely sparkling wine), this time a whole bottle, would have to go untouched for now. We showered and regrouped to attack Venice.

 

Venice:

After bobbing our way to the cruise ship from the Airport, we felt like staying on dry ground. We got our bearings and walked into Venice. The walk to Piazza Romale <sp?> was less than picturesque, but it was reasonable in mild weather. After we made it through the bus parking lot/Piazza, it was Venice all the way. We got lost—real lost. It was great. One word of caution, most restaurants are closed from 3pm to around 5:30 or 6. So if you are hungry in that slot, it may be difficult to find a restaurant. We finally found one that was open and ate lunch in a quiet piazza somewhere (I don’t know where). We wandered around Venice some more and eventually made our way back to the ship. At this point we were tired so we ended up having dinner upstairs at the buffet, we probably should have dragged ourselves back into Venice. However, when docked in Venice, the view from the tenth floor of the boat over the city is breathtaking.

On day two (still Venice), we had our breakfast delivered by our butler (yeah upgrade!). Thanks to the Cruise Critic tip, I was sure to request fresh squeezed OJ. If you have a suite, make sure you know ALL your options for breakfast, they won’t tell you all of them unless you ask (things like waffles, espresso, cappuccino, smoothies etc delivered to your room at no extra charge!). The welcome bottle of champagne was still sealed from the day before, this seemed like a good opportunity. Having a port balcony was perfect for departing Venice.

Once the boat was underway I wandered upstairs to steal some sushi. Mmmm sushi. Not bad, but I wouldn’t mind if the selection was a little better. I immediately commenced breaking the rule of not removing food from the dining areas. Sushi on the balcony is niiicccee.

 

Cosmo & Foodie Stuff:

Our tablemates were also young couples (it was a table for 6). It appears Celebrity did their best to match us. We only say the other four people at our table in Cosmo once. Yep, we ate dinner 8 or 9 times all alone at a table for 6. Honeymooners are not much for spending time with others apparently. The menus being served on Summit right now are all dated 3/30/07 (lower left hand corner). You’ll also note that there is a number (e.g., D#7) in the lower right. If you can get a hold of the list saying which day is which, then you can match the menus ahead of time. Day 7 of the cruise does not always line up with menu D#7 although they seem to move semi-sequentially through the list. This helped us pick which day to go to the Normandie. They also may change the order during the cruise, our super top secret cheat sheet was wrong one day when they rearranged the order of the dinners for some reason. I’ll try to upload all the menus in the next couple of days, but they don’t fit on my scanner, so I’ll have to take pictures.

I do not believe this is the “newest” Celebrity menu, it is old enough that several of the suggested wines were either no longer available and had substitutes or were described as past their prime. In fact, their wine list also seemed to have this failing. Their computer system (for billing) also did not have several bottles of wine that were available in it. The sommelier was forced to bill for a bottle of wine that cost the same. A little strange. Generally we were pleased with the food in Cosmo. We felt that it was generally “good.” It was better than most (if not all) banquet hall food, but not anywhere near top-tier restaurant food. Some dishes were better than others, and I encourage you to ask your waiter for insight on what dishes hit and miss. Our waiter, Dindo, and Asst Waiter, Sugi, were both very good. The level of service they provided impressed me. In fact, with only the smallest exceptions, I do not believe that even the Normandie restaurant was able to exceed it (although it certainly matched it).

The salad dressings were mediocre at best. Apparently Celebrity strongly believes that all dressings not deemed “Asian” must be THICK. The vinaigrettes were WAY too creamy (actually more globby than creamy even). Ugh. I guess this was an emulsification to prevent separation but still less than desirable.

Serving sizes were NOT large, this was ok with me due to the number of courses. Also, our waiter frequently tried to get us to get a “second choice.” This was his code for I’m bringing you two! We did this for dessert a couple of times but resisted the urge for dinner. The lamb and the seafood risotto were both better than expected. Not as good as hoped were the Penne Rigati Ai Quattro Formaggi (Penne with 4, actually 5, cheeses), which lacked any strong flavor and the Sesame Seared Tuna, which was not cooked on a hot enough grill (outside not seared enough, inside WAY too cooked to be rare—flavors were otherwise good though). Some things that would improve the experience would be fresher Parmesan cheese (cruising around Italy and getting crappy canned powder stuff…) and of course better coffee! I had never had “Baked Alaska” before, and I would be ok if I don’t again. That’s a lot of drama for Neapolitan ice cream.

One thing we noted was that the tea on the ship was the same everywhere. I half-expected the Normandie to have boutique teas rather than the standard Bigelow stuff.

The wine list was pretty good, however it lacked a strong bench of non-Chardonnay white wines. One wine tasting we went to had 6 whites, 5 of which where Chards of one sort or another. I don’t know who at Celebrity is obsessed with Chards, but don’t they know that is SO 5 years ago? Seriously though, my wife is not a big fan of Chards and it created some difficult wine ordering situations. This did help us save on our bar tab. The beer list was lacking many beers with flavor at all. Not so good, beer is the new wine!

 

Condition of the Summit

It was difficult to determine how much was done in the drydock without a frame of reference, but it was clear they spent money in their revenue generating areas—shopping and casino. Elsewhere there were signs of carpets not being brand new and we did hear some complaints about stateroom wear and tear. I did not hear any actual real problems however. Several minor maintenance issues that we brought up (closet light didn’t turn off when we closed closet door, etc) were VERY promptly fixed. In fact, it sounded like their policy was to fix it the day it was reported. When the clothesline in our shower broke, they fixed it without it even being reported. The deck furniture was not new, but it functioned fine. All of the verandah handrails appeared to be freshly varnished, I think they fixed that problem successfully. There were indications of maintenance while we were underway, the starboard side of deck 11 (running track, etc) was closed for a couple of days as they resurfaced it. My TV was not a flatscreen, but I did have a combo vcr/dvd player. I’m not particularly worried about the boat’s condition, but I know that some people are very particular.

My suggestion to anyone who has a maintenance concern in their stateroom is REPORT IT. At least give them the chance to make it right. I suspect they would re-caulk your tub if you so desired.

I don’t think they got their new Auxiliary Diesel Generator up and running, if they did, I never noticed it while we were in port. The one Celebrity employee I asked looked at me like I had three eyes. I guess the Purser’s Office people do not follow the goings on of the ship like CC does.

 

Florence:

We went on one Celebrity shore excursion during the cruise, Florence on Your Own. Livorno and Florence aren’t close to each other and Celebrity does not seem to care that some people would like to spend more than 15 minutes in Florence. In the end, our $90 per person fare got us a measly 4.5 hrs in Florence. The bus left late and then Celebrity figured out they can make a little more money by having a so-called “comfort stop” at a leather goods shop—this was clearly more an effort to push overpriced leather goods than a comfort stop. I guess when the dollar was king this was a great opportunity, now it is a waste of time.

On that note, in previous years (same itinerary) Millie would stay in many ports 2-3 (or more) hours longer than Summit is. I don’t know the motivation for leaving all the ports at 7 pm, but if they could bring back the late departures it would be much appreciated.

 

Other ports:

If you like doing things on your own, but still want to get some of the knowledge a tour guide can give you in these incredible ports, I would suggest getting an audio tour. For ten bucks you download it to your iPod, print out an included pdf map (free printing on board the ship! Who knew?), and you have a personal tour guide. It’s a nice combination of the flexibility to do what you want without wandering around not knowing what you are looking at. They are available through major online booksellers and the like. We suggest ones with multiple narrators (it gets boring with just one person talking). No tipping required.

 

Cruise Director:

I made this section just because John Howell is (as far as I can tell) deathly afraid of Cruise Critic. He dominated our Cruise Critic get-together (40ish people), which was cut short by the geography trivia (5-10 people). He seemed to fill the role of Cruise Director fine (first cruise, so I don’t really have the perspective). There was a tremendous moment during the late seating’s Baked Alaska Parade where he dramatically introduced the staff of the CONSTELLATION and apparently got some stern looks from the Captain of the SUMMIT. He apologized & we laughed, it was his first cruise back on the Summit in a while.

His brainchild for this cruise was the very first Mediterranean “White Night” dinner and dancing under the stars. It was indeed the best and worst idea at the same time. It turns out that eating on the 11th deck of the Summit while going 24 knots (with some additional gusts thrown in) is a little windy. So windy in fact, that the table next to us actually lifted off and blew towards the stern of the boat, only to hit a poor gentlemen sitting downwind. Soon after that they started moving people off the 11th deck. The food, (semi-Greek themed), was mediocre and mostly did not survive the buffet well. There were also some Italian items thrown in for good measure (whoops). It also turns out pitas fly in the wind very well (we lost several). Most people took the problems with a pretty good sense of humor. After the fiasco that was dinner (and a fairly goofy dessert parade), the dancing was actually a huge hit. We, along with many others, partied into the night under the stars.

 

 

It seems like a fair amount of the staff (our Waiter, Asst Waiter, and Cabin Attendant among others) is slated to go to Solstice in a few months. I hope the new boats don’t degrade the service level of the existing boats.

 

All in all, this was a great first cruise experience, and I hope that I get to cruise again. If it’s in the near term, I would expect my next cruise would likely be with X.

[Host Joe]

Thank you so much for such a wonderful, balanced review! I am glad that you enjoyed your first cruise!

[cinfromsyr]

Hi Alfredo,

We are sailing on the Summit this coming (so excited!) :D Sunday. Can you please give me the link or info on how you received a cabin upgrade? Thanks so much for your review. Very helpful.

 

Cinfromsyr

[Len3]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive review.

We'll be giving X a try in April, 2009, doing a trans-atlantic. As listed below, we've done a few cruises of late and it will be interesting to see how X rates with the others.

[scarlt19]

Alfredo, how were you able to get the upgrade to the Sky Suite? I am sailing on the Summit June 16th, I am an Elite level member of their Captain's Club and would love to get any kind of upgrade available. Please let me know how you were able to do it!

 

Thank you and loved your review!

 

:)

[asrubin]

alfredo22, thank you so much for your review. I really enjoyed it.

 

scarlt19, come on over to the June 16 message board and meet some of us who will be on your cruise. Here's the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=565734

 

Also, if you haven't already, sign up for the Connections Party.

 

https://secure.celebritycruises.com/cruisecritic/home.do

 

Ann

[alfredo22]

Alfredo, how were you able to get the upgrade to the Sky Suite? I am sailing on the Summit June 16th, I am an Elite level member of their Captain's Club and would love to get any kind of upgrade available. Please let me know how you were able to do it!

 

Thank you and loved your review!

 

:)

 

Here is the thread discussing my upgrade... Host Andy had a good theory as to the "why."

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=776757

[asrubin]

alfredo22, can you tell me if the ship had the laundry offer where you pay a certain amount for everything that's in a bag? If so, do you remember how much it cost and about when during the cruise it was offered?

 

Thanks,

Ann

[junglejane]

Also, after reading the "Laundry Challenge" thread, I'm wondering whether the laundry special on the Summit included pressing? Some people on recent cruises have reported they got their clothes back folded but not pressed and not on hangers.

 

--Junglejane

[ncgolferette]

Hi:

 

We were on the same cruise departing Venice May 23. The laundry was not pressed when laundered. Everyone was kind of surprised. I have to admit that the food at dinner was a big disappointment. I had read so many reviews before the cruise. Both pro and con. I was really trying to be open minded (if I am not cooking I am a happy camper) but the dinners aboard the ship were mostly banquet food in my opinion. Big change from our last Celebrity cruise. However, I should quantify that and state that we only ate there 5 nights on the 12 night cruise. The lamb was great!!!

[junglejane]

We were on the same cruise departing Venice May 23. The laundry was not pressed when laundered. Everyone was kind of surprised.

 

NCGolferette: Did they press the clothes if you did regular laundry, instead of the "special"? I don't know how we're going to get by if we can't get our laundry washed and pressed.

 

--Junglejane (leaving on Saturday for Venice:) )

[alfredo22]

NCGolferette: Did they press the clothes if you did regular laundry, instead of the "special"? I don't know how we're going to get by if we can't get our laundry washed and pressed.

 

--Junglejane (leaving on Saturday for Venice:) )

 

We did some non-"laundry challenge" laundry and they pressed our jeans, slacks, and dress shirts. I believe my undershirts and polo shirts were just folded though.

 

Will

[Cote d'or]

Thanks, alfredo22, for your well written review.

We'll be on the Summit in a few weeks and we're really looking forward to it. Some questions : did you have a brunch buffet during the cruise ?

When reading your review, am I right to understand you brought all the menus with you at home ?? (since they don't fit on your scanner).

Btw, this whole new/adjusted menu thing is driving me crazy. We cruise a lot and until now, we always were on ships which still had the 'old' menus. Really don't know what to expect on the Summit.

[Cruising Blue]

Thanks Alfredo. You might want to consider posting this as a review in the review area of CC. It was VERY helpful!

 

Kay T