Just back from Summit Feb 21-28

[warmwinds]

Just going to do a brief thing here on our cruise - specifically addressing the 3 areas that had me concerned prior to sailing based on what I read here: the food, the condition of the ship, and the "rudeness" of the clientele on a cruise starting in Puerto Rico.

 

First, a little background - 11-12 cruises overall, last 5 all on Celebrity, last 4 in an M-class aft. Last cruise was about 2 years ago, prior to the "changes".

 

We thought the clientele on the ship was delightful - a very nice bunch of people. No one loud, smoking inappropriately, pushy with lines, etc., or obnoxious in any way. We were on first seating so as you know you often only cross paths with half the people most of the time. The ship seemed quite empty, even though it supposedly was fully booked.

 

The food: I'd been reading about the horrors for months, and warned my husband - it's not the Celebrity we once knew. We truly were expecting the worst. We were SO pleasantly surprised. We honestly, truly, liked most of what we had. Was everything a home run? No, of course not, but it wasn't "before", either. We could see the downgrading of many things - for example, the beef cuts weren't the top ones - they were sometimes a kabob, or a sirloin, or a cut up this or a lesser cut that - BUT they were described that way on the menu. We thought the choices were excellent - tasty and well prepared. We had a running joke on the cruise, based on what I read here, that the "EVERYONE says the food is DOG FOOD"...so whenever we had something great, my husband would say "what did the dog food people say about this?" I'd say "dog food", and we would laugh. I can't remember EVERYTHING on the menu, but I DID write down exactly what we had every night, and would be happy to share it with anyone who cares to hear it.

 

I will say that we like our meat medium rare, and the first time or two it came medium-well, so we quickly switched to ordering it "very rare" and it was then perfect for us.

 

This was a very port-intensive cruise, so the MDR was never open for lunch, except on the last sea day, where they had the wonderful brunch.

 

We had everything we always did - pastries from the Cova every afternoon, pizza at night, a really nice lunch buffet every day (creative, different, old standards plus some really good new dishes every day) - it's all still there.

 

I'm not a big breakfast person but all the usual suspects were there.

 

The Condition of the Summit: Here, I hate to say it, but I do somewhat agree with many of the naysayers - it's in need of a refurb. We saw lots of rust, peeling paint, torn and worn carpet...did it spoil our cruise? Of course not! But I've seen the M-class in all its newer glory and you can see the changes. Our cabin had missing and damaged baseboards, slightly grotty tile in the shower, a stain on the bedspread...but guess what - I'm chomping at the bit to book the VERY SAME cabin for our next cruise! It's not a horrible mess, but I can see where someone used to newer ships would see the flaws. I'm just being honest here.

 

This was also the cruise with the very sad situation of the injured people, and they were very good about providing updates about that. NO ONE wants to see anything like that happen, but I have to agree, after seeing the vehicle they traveled in, that there is NO WAY I would have felt comfortable. Every shore excursion we took (all ship sponsored) were in very new, clean, "safe" vans and busses with working seatbelts (which after the accident you saw MANY more people buckling up than before). We've ridden in those open-air vehicles before, and I now shudder at the thought. Never again.

 

Anyway, if there are any questions I'd be more than happy to answer them.

[Honbun]

warmwinds - thanks so much for your review. we are booked on the 4/11 summit and I appreciate your thoughts. I've heard some people complaining about soft spots in the MDR - did you see anything like this?

[warmwinds]

I'm not sure what "soft spots" are? Do you mean in the floor? Our table was at the railing right near the top of the stairs, so we never had far to walk, and I didn't notice any problems the way we would walk in every night.

[pumpkin 11]

hi

thank you for the review.

I belive celebrity has dimmed down everything a little, but the reason I think which would suit the situation is that prices have come down. If people are paying half price and expect the same "everything" as before they are wrong. I do belive that when the econmey turns around and people start to pay full prices, celebrity will shape up.:)

[warmwinds]

The lesser cuts of meat really didn't bother me...I can go get a filet (or a shrimp cocktail :) anywhere at any time - I liked the creative presentations, we thought everything tasted really good (and not overly salted either, which was another of my concerns).

[Solstice23]

Thanks for the review,

 

I agree on the price / quality,

We have sailed Celebrity many times, and this is the First March Break cruise we are paying under 2000.00 CND for a Sky Suite,

 

As for upgrades, My contacts at Celebrity say, they are trying some new stuff to the Millenium first then go from there...with the economy the way it is it might take a while.

 

Thanks for the review we sail on her again in 2 weeks!

[espmass]

Thanks for your comments. I'm booked on the 3/21 Summit cruise. I have been on the Connie 4 times and assumed this would be similar and was just a little concerned over the comments I have been reading. I do always try to keep in mind that people have different expectations. I'm not hard to please. I assume they still have the sushi at the back of the buffet at 5 and they have a pasta bar and sandwich bar at lunch?

[espmass]

What was your itinerary? If you stopped at Tobago, what did you do there?

[Honbun]

I'm not sure what "soft spots" are? Do you mean in the floor? Our table was at the railing right near the top of the stairs, so we never had far to walk, and I didn't notice any problems the way we would walk in every night.

 

I think they were talking about soft spots on the floor. I remember someone mentioning that they saw some people stumbling.

[warmwinds]

Pasta and sandwich bar yes, not sure about sushi (we don't eat it, plus we were on early seating so weren't looking for food at 5). We also love the Aquaspa food lunch choices when you're in the mood for something light and healthy. Oh, and the pool food now includes chicken wings and a couple of other items!

[gillianrose]

This was a very port-intensive cruise, so the MDR was never open for lunch, except on the last sea day, where they had the wonderful brunch.

 

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Celebrity. We often don't get off the ship in port or else we want to have a nice DINING ROOM lunch and then go off to visit the port of call.

 

We are not "buffet people".

 

Thanks for the reminder that Celebrity closes down the MDR during port days. That's a deal-breaker for us.

[warmwinds]

We went to Pigeon Point beach in Tobago. Doesn't look like much when you first get there, but it was very nice. Water not the clearest I've ever seen but it was fine. Chairs are somewhat uncomfortable (hard and oddly angled). Sand beautiful. Lots of shade from low palm trees if you want it, lots of sun if you don't. Decent snack bar. Sounds like I'm being negative (it was not a gorgeous, picture perfect, pristine beach, but I warmed up to it and really liked it after a while). We would do it again (didn't seem like there was much to do on Tobago), but would hire our own taxi there - lots of taxis waiting to take you back, ship's excursion was very overpriced.

[espmass]

I also was thinking of the ship's excursion to Pigeon Point Beach. I usually prefer to just grab a cab but this cruise it's just myself and my daughter and we feel a bit safer using the excursion as opposed to when I go with my husband. Do you think there's any problem in getting a cab alone there?

[warmwinds]

NO problem getting a taxi there and back. We were ready to leave at 1:30, so went to the pick up area, and there were literally a dozen taxi drivers asking if we needed a ride. Nicely, they didn't pressure at all, but backed off when we said we were waiting for the cruise buses. First one came around 1:45, so we got on that.

 

I'm not sure I'm allowed to say what a taxi would have cost on our own? Anyway, we were two people and it would have been about half what the two shore excursions cost us (I DID ask a taxi driver what it would have cost, because if the bus hadn't shown up soon we would have considered it), and that includes the very reasonable admission into the Park (it's a natural park area).

 

Also, get there early if you want shade. There are only so many palm trees, and when they're gone, they're gone.

 

We talked to some people who had gone on the "tropical beach" shore excursion in Grenada the day before, and they said this beach was MUCH better.

[espmass]

I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to say the taxi price but knowing it's half the excursion rate is enough for me. The taxi rate includes beach admission? And how much is a lounge chair rental if you recall? thanks.

[SuSu530]

Thank you so much for posting your review. We are sailing on the Summit on 3/14 and I am now feeling much better about the cruise. I don't expect everything to be perfect and it seems like the minor issues will not spoil our fun!

 

Can you tell me if there is a "charge" for the Brunch? Also, is there open seating out of San Juan or do you go to your assigned table the first night?

 

Thanks again!

[warmwinds]

No, the taxi fare would not have included admission - I looked on the sign when we came in, don't recall exactly but it was just a few dollars pp, very reasonable. I think chair rental was $2 each, too. Don't panic when you see the prices in TT dollars! The rate is about 6:1.

 

What I meant was adding up the taxi fare and the admission still would have been about half. We had to pay for the chairs even on the Celebrity excursion.

 

Also, because you may not know how long you want to stay, I would NOT negotiate with a taxi driver to come back for you at a certain time. You may change your mind and want to go back earlier or later. As I said, between 1:30 and 2 pm there were plenty of taxi drivers there waiting for fares back - I'm not sure the price would have been negotiable (maybe so), but the price the first guy told me was $25 whether we had 2 or more people.

 

I overheard some women talking that they also did negotiate prices in the shops.

[warmwinds]

No charge for the brunch - they had a nice variety of both breakfast and lunch food - great pork chops, seriously.

 

We had our assigned seating the first night, also. No open seating.

 

Also, which was great, was that muster drill was at 5pm! We had heard 10 pm or so, but that was not the case on our cruise. If you arrived after the drill they gave you a "private" briefing, we asked someone who we saw carrying life vests later that night.

[SuSu530]

Thanks you for the update. We were on this same cruise last year and the first night was "open seating," the lifeboat drill was after 10:00 :(, and there was no brunch. Having an earlier lifeboat drill sounds much more convenient. I can't wait to try the brunch; I'm assuming that it would be open seating like breakfast in the dining room.

 

We are experiencing a nor'easter here in CT. The thought of our upcoming cruise is getting me through the day (and the snow).

[Solstice23]

We had the Brunch on the Summit this past summer in the med, No charge it was great.

Alo the Staring you buffet is great on Friday night also!

[SuSu530]

Thanks for the feedback. What is the "Starring You" buffet? I wonder if they also have it on the 7 night Summit?

[espmass]

Thanks for the current info. I'm about to go outside to shovel the snow and will be dreaming about being on the Summit in less than 3 weeks!

[lobster129]

Passengers: Found no problems with excessively loud or rude passengers in our sailing from SJU. Passengers were an international mix, but most from USA & Canada that we met. All announcements were in both English & Spanish. Found most compliant with suggested dress codes, most truly made an effort with their appearance in the evenings. Nothing is 100%, but overall it was fine with us and did not have a negative affect on our experience.

 

Yes, the ship is a bit shabby in some areas with worn carpeting and dated upholstery and window treatments. Even the Celebrity suite we visited had areas worn through in window treatments. It will take some serious $$ to update this ship's decor. The ship itself is still good and would sail on her again if that were the only issue. Love the t-spa pool area on M class ships!

 

Our dinner in the Normandy "specialty" restaurant was exceptionally good. There were 6 of us so we ordered a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts. All were impressive to superb. No longer served course with silver domed lids "butterfly presentation" and white gloved service....but I was fine with this.

 

Aqua spa offered fresh and creative selections for breakfast and lunch. Wish they were open past 2:30PM so we could grab a light meal there after half day tours. BTW, we are not your typical "healthy eating" folks and still really enjoyed this venue.

 

The Waterfall buffet had great hours, some interesting food selections, but more often typical buffet items. Best meal offerings were at breakfast. Some in family enjoyed sushi and mini sandwiches, ice cream selections. Pasta not inspiring. Salad selection decent.

 

The grill for burgers etc was fine if you like that sort of thing. I am not a fast food person...but some in our family did grab things there post tours. Their comments were "pretty decent burgers".

 

We did attend the brunch. It was fine, but not fabulous. Would have liked to have seen more selections of fresh fruits and carved veggies. Some nice ice carvings, but looking for a greater effort that used to be displayed on the midnight buffets. Likewise breakfast in MDR on other mornings did not include many things that could not be found on buffet. Even Eggs Benedict was way overcooked.

 

Evenings in MDR selections were hit or miss. Certainly quality of meat selections not prime or close to it! Some appetizers, soups and entrees were quite good...but less than 1/3rd of the time. Some nights nothing was even appealing. I must admit our main waiter service was adequate but not exceptional. Our wait assistant was always appearing rushed and if there was a request for something basic like a refilled beverage...it seemed to be very inconvenient for her and actually frowned at times. 50% of the time food was not what I would consider "restaurant quality".

 

Cabin steward was very good, very pleasant and the only one that I felt met or exceeded the customer service expectations I have come to expect with Celebrity....at least for our "routine" staff that are part of the gratuities program.

 

Our worst customer service involved the photo dept as we did take and purchase several evening photos. Some photographers were excellent, others we had a greater language barrier...but still okay. The problem involved the staff when we tried to purchase photos. Not enough staff. Long lines. Inconsistent answers as to how many purchases we had to make to meet the minimum requirement to get the "free' frame. It was a huge hassle each time we talked with staff there. They did not seem to ever have a record of our previous purchases with them etc. Yes, I realize these people are not employed by Celebrity...but still sponsored by them to be allowed on the ship.

 

Any other ??...just ask!

 

Lobster129

[jayred1]

We were on the same cruise and pretty much echo "warmwinds" opinion. It was our third cruise; all three on different M-class ships. You can see some very slight reductions in quality (food, service) compared to our earlier cruises a few years ago; however, I will strongly state that they still exceeded my expectations for the price paid for the cruise. I really think comparing any cruise to your first is unfair because of the "wow-factor" that comes when you first take a cruise. I didn't notice any significant aging issues other than my wife's comments about "ugly curtains" in our room. :)

 

To answer the question of the "soft spots" in the MDR floors, I couldn't find them. I had heard about this as well and walked throughout the lower level MDR and found none. It appears they repaired them during the last drydock time.

 

The sushi bar is still going strong. I alternated between sushi and some great nachos by the pool for my daily late afternoon snack.

 

We also went to the beach on Tobago; however, we ended up at Mount Irvine beach. It is much smaller than Pidgeon Point and has only one bar/food place. Our taxi driver said it would be much less crowded and I don't doubt him. It was nice, shade and sun, with good snorkling. Negotiate the chair prices by saying you aren't going to spend the whole day there (unless of course you are).

 

Regarding taxi service, there were MANY available when you get off the boat and we did give ours a pickup time. Didn't have to pay until after return. But I would agree with the one who said you might decide to change your time - we would have since it was a great beach day and time went by quickly. Our driver was promptly waiting for us at the specified time. I wouldn't have any concern about taking a taxi or being assured of a timely return.

 

Finally, let me add that Tabogo is VERY clean and stood out after our visit to Dominica and Grenada. They are very proud of their environmental efforts. A pretty place to visit.

[warmwinds]

Lobster, were you on first or second seating?

 

I thought it was a great cruise - a little too hectic for us, we like more sea days, but we knew that going in so it's not really a complaint, just an observation. We also were so lucky with the great weather and not too rough seas, too!

 

We always felt that if something wasn't appealing we could fall back on the standards on the left side of the menu, but we thought most of the choices were good. And although we got a salad almost every night, I really think Celebrity's salads are weak - they have the ingredients they describe, but they just don't sing! Insipid is the word that always comes to mind - the greens just lay there.

 

I also differ from you in that I really don't care about ice carvings and carved vegetables - as a matter of fact, until you mentioned it, I had forgotten all about them! Yes, in past cruises they did such creative things with the watermelons, etc. I didn't even realize they were gone!