Summit in Med.

[takeavacation]

Anyone recently off the Summit in the Med? Waiting to hear all about it! Please share. Thanks!

[WineDown17]

I will be trying to get to my review soon- So much to do! But off the Summit last Friday.

 

Let me hit some highlights:

 

The ship in general- Was in good shape. Public areas were fine...except for the kids pool aft- very dirty, and found several pieces of sharp metal on floor. Not good. Our room, a RS was a DISASTER. Deplorable condition. My in laws CC room though seemed in good shape.

 

Food in the MDR was hit or miss. Beef was to be avoided, pasta dishes often not as advertised. (Example- my fettucini alfredo had no cheese sauce, but rather left over chicken bits and diced tomato- neither mentioned on the menu.) But since you can send back anything, and try something new, not a big deal to me. However if you have sailed X in the past, prepare for a downgrade.

 

The buffets were also just OK, but lets face it, they are buffets. We ate breakfast in our room most days, and lunch on shoe on port days.

 

The Normandie was excellent. If we did not have kids with us, I would have eaten there every night.

 

Service- excellent as always.

 

We had great weather and thought the 3 sea days were well placed. Enjoyed some ports more than others..

 

The bloom was off the rose so to speak, but we still had a wonderful time, as we put these sorts of disappointments in perspective.

 

Feel free to ask specifics, and I would be more than happy to reply!

[anniversay/grad trip]

I will be trying to get to my review soon- So much to do! But off the Summit last Friday.

 

Let me hit some highlights:

 

The ship in general- Was in good shape. Public areas were fine...except for the kids pool aft- very dirty, and found several pieces of sharp metal on floor. Not good. Our room, a RS was a DISASTER. Deplorable condition. My in laws CC room though seemed in good shape.

 

Food in the MDR was hit or miss. Beef was to be avoided, pasta dishes often not as advertised. (Example- my fettucini alfredo had no cheese sauce, but rather left over chicken bits and diced tomato- neither mentioned on the menu.) But since you can send back anything, and try something new, not a big deal to me. However if you have sailed X in the past, prepare for a downgrade.

 

The buffets were also just OK, but lets face it, they are buffets. We ate breakfast in our room most days, and lunch on shoe on port days.

 

The Normandie was excellent. If we did not have kids with us, I would have eaten there every night.

 

Service- excellent as always.

 

We had great weather and thought the 3 sea days were well placed. Enjoyed some ports more than others..

 

The bloom was off the rose so to speak, but we still had a wonderful time, as we put these sorts of disappointments in perspective.

 

Feel free to ask specifics, and I would be more than happy to reply!

 

I have heard that the ship offers (rather insists in some ports) a shuttle out of the peir area at a cost of $12pp...is this correct? Where does it take you and at what ports are they insistant that a passenger use this "service"? We are on a med cruise in August on the Summit....

[WineDown17]

Hmm. Let me think. We had private tours and did not pay much attention to that in ports where we had arrangements- except for Venice and Dubrovnik, where we DID us their shuttle. I believe they had them in most of the ports though. However- they never insisted on their use to my knowledge, it was a service offered, not obligatory.

 

In Dubrovnik it drops you right outside the old town, and in Venice it takes you a block from St Mark's square.

 

In our limited experience, it was easy to use, never long lines, and very convenient.

[jlijny]

I will be trying to get to my review soon- So much to do! But off the Summit last Friday.

 

Let me hit some highlights:

 

The ship in general- Was in good shape. Public areas were fine...except for the kids pool aft- very dirty, and found several pieces of sharp metal on floor. Not good. Our room, a RS was a DISASTER. Deplorable condition. My in laws CC room though seemed in good shape.

 

Food in the MDR was hit or miss. Beef was to be avoided, pasta dishes often not as advertised. (Example- my fettucini alfredo had no cheese sauce, but rather left over chicken bits and diced tomato- neither mentioned on the menu.) But since you can send back anything, and try something new, not a big deal to me. However if you have sailed X in the past, prepare for a downgrade.

 

The buffets were also just OK, but lets face it, they are buffets. We ate breakfast in our room most days, and lunch on shoe on port days.

 

The Normandie was excellent. If we did not have kids with us, I would have eaten there every night.

 

Service- excellent as always.

 

We had great weather and thought the 3 sea days were well placed. Enjoyed some ports more than others..

 

The bloom was off the rose so to speak, but we still had a wonderful time, as we put these sorts of disappointments in perspective.

 

Feel free to ask specifics, and I would be more than happy to reply!

What nights were your formal nights?

What food did you like in the Normandie?

[WineDown17]

Formal nights were sea days.

 

In the normandie I really liked the scallops wellington and rack of lamb. I did order a special filet mignon with a truffle sauce. The sauce was wonderful if you like truffles- and made the steak edible. I also enjoyed a pear and roquefort in phyllo appetizer.

 

Chocolate souffle was also excellent.

[hcat]

Sorry to hear abt the food--etc. Hope things shape up before she starts the Bermuda itins!

[takeavacation]

Thanks for your input ---- anyone else back from the Summit in the Med? Thanks!

[CathyCruises]

Welcome back, Winedown--curious as to what was wrong with your eagerly anticipated RS??

 

Cathy

[WineDown17]

Welcome back, Winedown--curious as to what was wrong with your eagerly anticipated RS??

 

Cathy

 

The layout and size were wonderful, as was the butler, of course.

 

However the condition of the room was terrible. They had replaced the TVs (Good!) but put them in a different place, so that the wood paneling behind it, which had holes cut in it for the cords, were showing- big holes.. and a half dozen cords just hanging from the TV down intot he cabinet below.

 

Sofa cushions- Entirely ripped, being held together by 1 safety pin.

 

8 holes in the carpet

 

Hot tub filthy and not maintained

 

And a huge leak in the bathroom that caused a large puddle in the living area- they had to tear the walls off and the bathroom floor up to find it, and fix it.

 

Did any of this ruin my vacation? Not in the least- these are all superficial problems. But the lack of overall attention to detail and basic maintenance was sad to see more than anything. She is a beautiful ship, but in need of attention in some areas.

 

The staff was great about fixing the leak.. service is still top notch. But in general, it really appears they are just not even trying to keep the room in basic, good condition.

[eandj]

Winedown, Did your trip include a stop in Livorno/Florence? What is this info I remember reading recently re a mandatory shuttle to leave the port with passengers having to pay again to cab it to the train station? Any info re that?

[WineDown17]

Winedown, Did your trip include a stop in Livorno/Florence? What is this info I remember reading recently re a mandatory shuttle to leave the port with passengers having to pay again to cab it to the train station? Any info re that?

 

It did stop there, but we had a private tour waiting for us, so we did not pay attention to he shuttle rules for that port. Our guide picked us up right at the end of the gangway..... Sorry!!

[SunFunCruiser]

What private tour did you do on Santorini and what did you do in Villefranche?

[WineDown17]

We did a tour with Santorini Day Tours- which was bascially a driver that showed us around the island, pointing out highlights for about 6 hours. It was a nice way to get to see pretty much the whole island.

 

In Villefranche we used Michel of Revelation Tours, who was EXCELLENT. We saw Nice, Eze, St Paul de Vence (not to be missed) and had lunch in Antibes (as we wanted to see the billionaires dock there). From there we spent some time in Monaco. He was incredibly knowledgable and will design a day that meets your families interests. (For example on of the things we could have done was visit a candy factory with the kids). I highly recommend him.

[wack001]

I am considering taking the “Summit” on the 14 N med cruises from Venice. I am veteran cruiser experienced (19 cruises), my best cruise was on the “Century” but I have read a number of controversial things about the “Summit”. Celebrity is charging a premium rate so I need some honest straight forward comments from recent or past med cruisers on the “Summit”. Hate spending a lot of money when the ship is not up to speed. Thank you all.

http://www.cruisinbob.com

[takeavacation]

Any other input from other recent Summit in the Med. cruisers? I know that there are more of you out there! Anyone else back from the 5/10 sailing? Thanks!

[takeavacation]

WineDown17 -- do you happen to recall if there was a "white night" or Flava night? Any info. about this would be great!

Thanks for letting us know about your trip!

[WineDown17]

WineDown17 -- do you happen to recall if there was a "white night" or Flava night? Any info. about this would be great!

Thanks for letting us know about your trip!

 

 

There was- I believe it was the day we were in Santorini (it could change).

 

I did not notice folks dressing all in white though at dinner.. it appeared that folks must change after for the festivities... We ate at Normandie that night and did not go out after (we were traveling with 2 children, so we turned in early at night...) so I cant tell you how great the turnout was, or how folks dressed...

 

Happy to answer anything- but trying not to hijack your thread!! :)

[takeavacation]

There was- I believe it was the day we were in Santorini (it could change).

 

I did not notice folks dressing all in white though at dinner.. it appeared that folks must change after for the festivities... We ate at Normandie that night and did not go out after (we were traveling with 2 children, so we turned in early at night...) so I cant tell you how great the turnout was, or how folks dressed...

 

Happy to answer anything- but trying not to hijack your thread!! :)

 

Feel free to hijack if you have more to share!! We leave on Monday for the 6/3 sailing in the Med and just wondering what people thought of their sailing -- you hear so many mixed reviews of this ship!

 

So it sounds like "white night" isn't a dinner, but a late night activity? Totally not what I was picturing -- thanks for the info.

[hcat]

Can you tell me if the last remnants of the Cirque DS have been removed from the main nightclub upstairs-- ..hated to see what they did to our beloved Summit but have heard most of it is gone now!

 

Was there any talk about a scheduled refurb period coming up?

Thanks

[takeavacation]

One more thing -- do you know if the menus are the new ones posted here on CC or if they are the old ones? Thanks!

[eandj]

It did stop there, but we had a private tour waiting for us, so we did not pay attention to he shuttle rules for that port. Our guide picked us up right at the end of the gangway..... Sorry!!

 

 

What private tour did you use and what did it include? Considering Florence is basically a walk around city with time in museums, wondering what you would do on a private tour and if it's something we should look at. Did you have time for Uffizi and the "david"? Did the tour guide get the tickets for you for that? Any info would be appreciated. Cost? Did you go with a group? Thanks.

 

Cruising in early Sept., so we are in the "serious planning mode" now.:)

[silvercity]

What private tour did you use and what did it include? Considering Florence is basically a walk around city with time in museums, wondering what you would do on a private tour and if it's something we should look at. Did you have time for Uffizi and the "david"? Did the tour guide get the tickets for you for that? Any info would be appreciated. Cost? Did you go with a group? Thanks.

 

Cruising in early Sept., so we are in the "serious planning mode" now.:)

 

FYI...I was in Florence last year. I highly recommend a private tour of the Uffizi. It is spectaular and you can spend hours and hours there. The Acadamie were "David" is located is great but not much of importance to see. Although what you go is to see "David" and when you see him you can't belive how big it is. If you skipped it and spent more time at the Uffizi thats what I would do.

[wack001]

FYI...I was in Florence last year. I highly recommend a private tour of the Uffizi. It is spectaular and you can spend hours and hours there. The Acadamie were "David" is located is great but not much of importance to see. Although what you go is to see "David" and when you see him you can't belive how big it is. If you skipped it and spent more time at the Uffizi thats what I would do.

 

Hi;

How about some contact info for private tour, any recommends and email address.

How is the summit so many mixed review and it is pricey.

http://www.cruisinbob.comi

[feezie]

We were on this Summit cruise and loved almost everything about it.

We had a veranda room which was in perfect condition, our stateroom attendant was excellent. Our 1st diappointment was our neighbours continuously smoked on their balcony despite complaints from us to Celebrity. They were apparently spoken to but to no avail. The other was the food. This was only our 2nd cruise with the first being on RCCL so we were looking quite forward to the upgrade with Celebrity. We found the food only average and had only a few good entrees. The buffet in the Waterfall cafe was a disappointment everyday and our waiter in the Cosmopolitan apologized numerous times for the food and often gave us advice on what to avoid.

 

However, we did not allow this to affect our trip which we consider to have been nearly perfect. The staff on ship in our experience were wonderful. We used only one booked excursion in Naples and the rest of the time ventured out on our own. We did not have one single problem getting around and saved a great deal of money.

It does take more planning but well worth the effort.

 

There were a few other small things on the ship that occurred but so small not really worth mentioning. No trip will be perfect but for us this one came very close.