Just back from the Summit 9/5-12/2010

[TravelerThom]

When things fall short of expectations and/or don't go according to plan (as was apparently your experience), it's very tempting to assign fault for everything on the cruise line....

Never underestimate the ability of some people to complain. Seems some people are happy only if they have something to complain about. I worked with someone who was upgraded from coach to First [not Business] on a trans-Pacific flight: he complained at great length how dinner [served course by course] took too long. Complaints on trivial matters certainly make me question the validity of the complainer's other points.

 

Thom

[Ships R Great]

A banal question here: Can someone tell me what ativities were scheduled around the same time as the CC party. I wat to plan something jut after the party but don't want to find a conflict.

 

Thanks for all the info on this cuise. It is very helpful.

[lysolqn]

Never underestimate the ability of some people to complain. Seems some people are happy only if they have something to complain about. I worked with someone who was upgraded from coach to First [not Business] on a trans-Pacific flight: he complained at great length how dinner [served course by course] took too long. Complaints on trivial matters certainly make me question the validity of the complainer's other points.

 

Thom

 

Agreed. There's no way I'd get my knickers in a knot (not to mention schedule an appointment with the hotel director!) over a tote bag - or lack thereof. Nonetheless, it was rather gracious of the HD to acquiesce to the request for a $60 credit for the purchase of TWO bags in the gift shop, especially when only ONE bag is given in each Concierge Class cabin! I guess with all the embarkation issues on that cruise, the HD was willing to be particularly accommodating in order to smooth already ruffled feathers. We've accumulated so many of those bags (they used to be beige, now they're Celebrity blue - or is it the other way around?) that we no longer take them. Perhaps on our next cruise, we should request a credit on the grounds that redundant amenities no longer appeal to us. And yes, complaints on trivial matters (like leaving port a few minutes early!) certainly set the stage, making one question the validity of what might otherwise be legitimate points.

[emileg]

A banal question here: Can someone tell me what ativities were scheduled around the same time as the CC party. I wat to plan something jut after the party but don't want to find a conflict.

 

Thanks for all the info on this cruise. It is very helpful.

On our particular cruise, the galley tour was scheduled at the same time as the CC party. Since we have been on many other galley tours, our decision to go to the CC party was easy.

[emileg]

... I guess with all the embarkation issues on that cruise, the HD was willing to be particularly accommodating in order to smooth already ruffled feathers. We've accumulated so many of those bags (they used to be beige, now they're Celebrity blue or is it the other way around?) over the years that we no longer take them. ...

Really, really, really - we had a wonderful cruise, that I mentioned in the first post. We would return on the Summit in a heart beat. The only reason I asked about the tote bag was that I specifically left my Holland America bag at home. I knew we would get a bag on board that we could use for our accumulated extra stuff.

 

This was not a major issue at all. In my first post I gave Celebrity credit where credit was due including the fine entertainment, the excellent condition of the interior of the ship, the wonderful service from the crew. I could go on. But any review (as of a good book or a film) is not going to be 100% positive and as a "cruise critic" I felt it was important to include a couple of the negatives. Sorry, I don't consider this complaining.

[Feelin' Nauti']

Thank you. I was told the problem with the tote bags was fleet wide.

 

PS - I love your screen name. I love double entendres.

:D Aww, thanks! Love it too. :p

 

Never underestimate the ability of some people to complain. Seems some people are happy only if they have something to complain about. I worked with someone who was upgraded from coach to First [not Business] on a trans-Pacific flight: he complained at great length how dinner [served course by course] took too long. Complaints on trivial matters certainly make me question the validity of the complainer's other points.

If you paid for something and didn't receive it, wouldn't you question why? :rolleyes:

 

As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In Emily's case, it was a nice credit. :)

[lysolqn]

Really, really, really - we had a wonderful cruise, that I mentioned in the first post. We would return on the Summit in a heart beat. The only reason I asked about the tote bag was that I specifically left my Holland America bag at home. I knew we would get a bag on board that we could use for our accumulated extra stuff.

 

This was not a major issue at all. In my first post I gave Celebrity credit where credit was due including the fine entertainment, the excellent condition of the interior of the ship, the wonderful service from the crew. I could go on. But any review (as of a good book or a film) is not going to be 100% positive and as a "cruise critic" I felt it was important to include a couple of the negatives. Sorry, I don't consider this complaining.

 

I guess everyone's definition of what qualifies as a negative is different. For what it's (not!) worth, I don't consider leaving port a few minutes early, a shortage of tote bags (whether the flat cloth/paper ones or the fabric with the leather(ette?) handle ones) or the ship's aft in need of painting as a result of particularly rough seas on the cruise prior negatives. At any rate, glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[hcat]

Thanks for continuing your review. So glad to hear that this rule is enforced! Nothing ruins a relaxing soak more than a toddler (in pull-ups) splashing around you (yes - this happened on Century!!).

Re. formal night attire....did many women wear short "cocktail" dresses. I decided to forego the long gown this time in the interest of space/weight in luggage. DH will wear dark suit. Hope we pass muster!

Look forward to the rest of your review.

 

dark suit & short dress is fine-- I wore palazzo pants & 2 diff sparkly top sets-- easier to pack & I can;'t wear really hi heels anymore.. Formal dress was varied but elegant! LOts of chances for nice photos but no hard sell!

 

also the ship runs quite chilly so a sweater or shawl will be helpful in the MDR & other places!

[TravelerThom]

If you paid for something and didn't receive it' date=' wouldn't you question why?...[/quote']If I paid for Coach on a Trans-Pacific flight and got First it would never occur to me to question why I don't have the seat in front of me reclined into my lap, even though that is what I paid for.

 

If I and everyone else were on board it would never occur to me to question why I didn't get those extra 13 minutes tied up to the dock in Bermuda. I'd be happy to be on board and probably be eating a free [okay, included] snack while watching the departure. Several years ago I was on the Celebrity Horizon in Bermuda and we left twenty hours early due to an approaching hurricane. Rather than complain about the lost hours, I was happy to miss most of the hurricane.

 

Are some things worth complaining about? Certainly. But complaining about a whole laundry list including some trivial items results in a loss of credibility about all the complaints, including some that may be quite valid.

 

Thom

[kclvt]

I thought we were all on here to voice our opinions. I see that everyone is judging everyone else's opinion which is why I am not going to write about my experience. Maybe the person who commented about the 13 minutes early departure had gone to go get their included snack and missed sailaway!

 

Sorry I wasn't going to comment but I couldn't help myself! I enjoy reading all the posts but........

[hcat]

I know we can keep it positive even if being critical-- I met most who posted here & it is not a group of whiners--just constructive comment!! Either the cruise exceeded. met or did not meet expectations in carious areas-- that's the point!

 

We enjoyed the cruise, the ship is old (we were last on her around 2006-Hawaii) & did not care about more tote bags-- staff & service top notch, port awful!

 

I will post my final installament of the review later today-- all postives about the port!

[CarolRoy]

Yesterday My DH and I sat down with our TA. She emailed Celebrity about our likes and dislikes. Not too many likes except for our great cabin stewart and the shows were the best.

 

We did have select dining. We were seated promptly but waited 15-20 minutes to be recognized by the wait staff most nights. Were we invisible! Although numerous times we were approached by the wine steward. Very annoying when we told him we don't drink and would like to have an iced tea or water. We didn't care for seeing dirty dishes on the tables by us. They took forever to clear them. Food was just bland in the dining room and very, very limited in the so called lunch and dinner buffet.

 

We also addressed concerns about disembarkation and Cape Liberty. Embarkation could of been handled better. Pax should of been notified about the delayed.

 

Waiting to see if we hear back from X.

 

Bermuda was beautiful. Would we sail there again? Yes, but most likely would NOT sail on Celebrity. This was our first time on X.

 

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

[Bridge Maven]

There have been quite a few comments about Summit's condition due to its age, but I've been on a number of ships that are similar in age which were in beautiful condition. Do you think that Celebrity might be implementing an unofficial two tier system of beautiful new ships and aging older ships that are priced accordingly?

[CarolRoy]

There have been quite a few comments about Summit's condition due to its age, but I've been on a number of ships that are similar in age which were in beautiful condition. Do you think that Celebrity might be implementing an unofficial two tier system of beautiful new ships and aging older ships that are priced accordingly?

 

I don't think we got a bargain price for this cruise. Is X trying to cut corners and still make a good profit?

 

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

[Ontario Cruiser]

There have been quite a few comments about Summit's condition due to its age, but I've been on a number of ships that are similar in age which were in beautiful condition. Do you think that Celebrity might be implementing an unofficial two tier system of beautiful new ships and aging older ships that are priced accordingly?

We will be on the Summit for the 3rd time in February I love this ship but I must agree about other ships being in beautiful condition. We were on the Star Princess last March which I believe is the same age or older and had a fire in I think 2006 and it was in wonderful and very clean condition. Looked like new. We were on the Millie in April and I thought it was in poor shape and also the same for the Infinity which we were on in March 2009.

Ontario Cruiser

[hcat]

As a comparison. we were on Royal's Radiance of the Seas in April for 10 days-- It too was kept spotless but also had the same aging issues--old loungers etc.. & lots of plumbing problems-- some cabins had back flows/flooding--ours just had an awful stench from the commode the entire trip...our Summit cabin was perfect in that regard....

 

I think even with a nice design like M Class & Radiance Class, age takes its toll-that is why I am leery (spell?) when they refurbish-- Royal's Enchantment was stretched & upgraded & has had some issues & Century was re-done in many areas--but remained an old ship in our opinion...

 

That's why our next three cruises are on newer ships-- Equinox, Crown Princess & Silhouette ...oldies may still be goodies but we'll see how Connie does for awhile before we book her!

[hcat]

The reason for the comment was to point out the overall lack of managerial discipline that I observed on the ship. There was no evident sense of urgency in any activity and I believe that directly reflects on the ship's management style. I cannot think of another sailing when ropes were not cast on or off to the minute. And while I did not search out the Hotel Manager or F&B Manager, others have discussed in various posts how hard these leaders were to find when a customer service issue arose. The lack of attention to detail is a symptom of larger operational problems. While some of these may be a direct result of corporate cutbacks in on-board maintenance staff and service personnel, the managers did not seem to be doing a good enough job of making sure that what staff they had were well-trained and focused on their jobs.

 

I suspect we all had somewhat diff experiences, I thought the wonderful cruise director, hotel director & asst hotel director & other managers were ever present-- at all events and day & night. They were walking the decks inside & out, & even greeted us in Bermuda when we got off at the port.. Our head waiter visited our table ever evening and even the captain & Officers were out and about...

 

No complaints from us on this issue--in fact I thought they went overboard (pardon the pun) ttrying to make us all happy after the disembarkation fiasco in bayonne...

 

I also noticed there were many cruisers who have been loyal to other lines on this voyage-- so maybe Celebrity is not quite what they expected.....

[SuwaneeCard]

I don't think we got a bargain price for this cruise. Is X trying to cut corners and still make a good profit?

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Right answer!

This is really the point and there is absolutely nothing wrong with making a profit. What disturbs me most is the trend across all of the lines appealing to approximately the same demographic (Princess, HAL and X) of gradually lowering their standards of excellence. We take 1 or 2 cruises per year based on time and itinerary not brand, but have tended to stick with these three because of a comfort level with what we expect vs. what we receive.

As a result we go in expecting a certain level of service, f&b quality, entertainment and ports of call. My inner manager can't help but look at little things which point to bigger things, and this cruise was full of them. The trip wasn't ruined by any means, but we've had 4 very inconsistent cruises on X. As a relatively new CC member, I thought if I could draw a line in the sand from an expectation standpoint by venting here and through the evaluation forms onboard, that X would start to get the message. We started doing this through the onboard evals several cruises ago before I found CC. I figure if the lines are really interested in feedback, we'll be honest and let them know how we feel. On the other hand we wrote a very complimentary letter and hand delivered it to the Captain of the Mille asking him to promote 3 of the service staff who had exhibited excellence. Those folks were stunned that we did that, but they deserved the praise.

Think about it this way, several years ago (before specialty restaurants) you could get a decent steak and lobster in the MDR. Then the specialty restaurants were designed into larger ships and to get a decent steak you were "steered" (pun intended) there and had to pay extra, above and beyond what you had been paying before they existed. Extra revenue stream. Pricing for that night out has consistently grown over the past few years from $20 to now $35pp. The lines will say that their costs have increased, but we have been in a period of stagnant pricing for fuel, food and personnel for the past few years.

The point is that unlike flying, there are still choices when it comes to cruising. The cruise lines have always had the attitude that 99% of the public has never been on a cruise so they spend their money marketing to them. Only recently, when that market dried up did they realize the value of repeat cruisers. They should be listening to us and being proactive in their solutions. Instead they still seem to be focused on the dumb masses who have nothing to compare their experience against. Loyal customers are hard to find and losing them to inattention and apathy will hurt in the long run.

[Bridge Maven]

I suspect we all had somewhat diff experiences, I thought the wonderful cruise director, hotel director & asst hotel director & other managers were ever present-- at all events and day & night. They were walking the decks inside & out, & even greeted us in Bermuda when we got off at the port.. Our head waiter visited our table ever evening and even the captain & Officers were out and about...

 

No complaints from us on this issue--in fact I thought they went overboard (pardon the pun) ttrying to make us all happy after the disembarkation fiasco in bayonne...

 

I also noticed there were many cruisers who have been loyal to other lines on this voyage-- so maybe Celebrity is not quite what they expected.....

 

Hcat, we have booked a Junior Suite on Radiance of the Seas for an Alaskan cruise tour next June. It is going to dry dock next May and I hope the problems you noticed are corrected at that time. We took its sister ship, Brilliance of the Seas, from Barcelona to the Greek Isles/Turkey and that ship looked much newer than it was. We could have had a mini suite on a newer Princess ship for less but decided to go with Radiance of the Seas because we loved Brilliance of the Seas. Hope that we didn't make a mistake.

[We2Cruzers]

We were on this cruise as well - and since a number of posters have pointed out that the lack of maintenance in terms of rust, dirt, worn furniture etc. was disappointing I will just echo that sentiment and say we too were disappointed by this.

 

The food in our opinion was very hit or miss in both the MDR and buffet areas...we have had much better of Princess, Holland and Cunard.

 

And again as another poster has indicated, we have cruised out of NYC and Brooklyn and both ports made for a much better experience as compared to Bayonne. So nothing to add there but just wanted to agree with the previous poster(s).

 

I would like to add my 2 cents for what it is worth regarding the Persian Gardens - this could be a nice facility if there was immediate access from the locker/shower rooms to the Persian Gardens - but instead you need to exit the ladies locker/shower room, walk across the hall/elevator bank and then find the entrance to the Persian Gardens which is near to the reception for the Spa. Not convenient in my book. As well, once inside you are inside it is a rather dim room without immediate access to a pool and I felt cut off. I wish I had done better research before signing up for this during our cruise - but alas, live and learn.

 

Oh - and we were affected (a lot) by the plumbing problem - we were in one of the cabins on deck 8 that did not have working plumbing for a number of hours one day. They seemed to have fixed it and then the same thing occurred that night after we returned from dinner and entertainment. We were told it was the main line. Pretty inconvenient and anxiety producing for me to know that the head was out of order before I went to sleep. Yes they did fix it again - but do you really want that kind of problem when you are on what you hoped would be a relaxing vacation?

 

The Summit is not just an older ship it is a worn out older ship that should be updated sooner rather than later in my opinion.

 

The service staff on board were friendly and nice, so no beef there. And we enjoyed the shows we attended.

 

We tried Celebrity for the first time with this cruise and both agree that we will most likely not book again with this line based on this experience.

[hcat]

Hcat, we have booked a Junior Suite on Radiance of the Seas for an Alaskan cruise tour next June. It is going to dry dock next May and I hope the problems you noticed are corrected at that time. We took its sister ship, Brilliance of the Seas, from Barcelona to the Greek Isles/Turkey and that ship looked much newer than it was. We could have had a mini suite on a newer Princess ship for less but decided to go with Radiance of the Seas because we loved Brilliance of the Seas. Hope that we didn't make a mistake.

 

We have enjoyed Brilliance in the past & Jewel several times-- Radiance was the oldest in this class & really no major complaints except the plumbing---the layout of Radiance Class ships & M class on Celebrity are both nice! We enjoyed both cruises this yr--Radiance & Summit--but neither is a new ship-- I think a Junior suite will be ideal!! Just check your suite number for any plumbing issues-- Enjoy!

[hcat]

We were on this cruise as well - and since a number of posters have pointed out that the lack of maintenance in terms of rust, dirt, worn furniture etc. was disappointing I will just echo that sentiment and say we too were disappointed by this.

 

The food in our opinion was very hit or miss in both the MDR and buffet areas...we have had much better of Princess, Holland and Cunard.

 

And again as another poster has indicated, we have cruised out of NYC and Brooklyn and both ports made for a much better experience as compared to Bayonne. So nothing to add there but just wanted to agree with the previous poster(s).

 

I would like to add my 2 cents for what it is worth regarding the Persian Gardens - this could be a nice facility if there was immediate access from the locker/shower rooms to the Persian Gardens - but instead you need to exit the ladies locker/shower room, walk across the hall/elevator bank and then find the entrance to the Persian Gardens which is near to the reception for the Spa. Not convenient in my book. As well, once inside you are inside it is a rather dim room without immediate access to a pool and I felt cut off. I wish I had done better research before signing up for this during our cruise - but alas, live and learn.

 

Oh - and we were affected (a lot) by the plumbing problem - we were in one of the cabins on deck 8 that did not have working plumbing for a number of hours one day. They seemed to have fixed it and then the same thing occurred that night after we returned from dinner and entertainment. We were told it was the main line. Pretty inconvenient and anxiety producing for me to know that the head was out of order before I went to sleep. Yes they did fix it again - but do you really want that kind of problem when you are on what you hoped would be a relaxing vacation?

 

The Summit is not just an older ship it is a worn out older ship that should be updated sooner rather than later in my opinion.

 

The service staff on board were friendly and nice, so no beef there. And we enjoyed the shows we attended.

 

We tried Celebrity for the first time with this cruise and both agree that we will most likely not book again with this line based on this experience.

 

Your post reminded me that I did not mention the pools & PG on Summit...

 

I have to agree that the interior Persian Gardens design on M class ships are not our favorites, which is why we did not get the full cruise pass but only used our one free day there-- happily everything was very clean & worked well. I really liked the aromatic room & the misting showers.. On a previous cruise on Summit, the showers did not work well...

 

On Royal's Radiance class ships, the similar area --called the Thermal suites faces outward to the sea & is brighter & more pleasing.. On M class, the free saunas which are accessed from the T pool area-- have an awesome view to the sea..

 

We are hoping the PG on Equinox & Silho face outward & are nice b/c we have booked AQ on each of those ships which includes PG..

 

The T pool on Summit was very clean & not very crowded when we went there a few times-- the overhead hydro showers are awesome & so are the bubbly loungers..

 

The outdoor pool was a bit cool for me so I did not go in.. but enjoyed the hot tubs there & also in the Solarium area--(no childen in there)

 

We were able to get loungers at either pool & at the outdoor pool we took ones furthest from the bandstand & loudspeakers--something new for Celebrity that we reallydisliked was the playing of fairly loud music at the outdoor pool most of the day...it was truly annoying!

 

One other thing at the pool that was diff from past Celebrity cruises were the increased poolside games & antics--they are becoming more like other lines in that regard--- we do not care for that-but many others seemed to participate & enjoy it! At least they are still not as pushy with drinks & buckets of beer at the pool as some other lines!

 

We did enjoy our cool towels but did not see any poolside sorbet??????

[librarylady19]

Your post reminded me that I did not mention the pools & PG on Summit...

 

We are hoping the PG on Equinox & Silho face outward & are nice b/c we have booked AQ on each of those ships which includes PG..

 

The T pool on Summit was very clean & not very crowded when we went there a few times-- the overhead hydro showers are awesome & so are the bubbly loungers..

 

The outdoor pool was a bit cool for me so I did not go in.. but enjoyed the hot tubs there & also in the Solarium area--(no childen in there)

 

We were able to get loungers at either pool & at the outdoor pool we took ones furthest from the bandstand & loudspeakers--something new for Celebrity that we reallydisliked was the playing of fairly loud music at the outdoor pool most of the day...it was truly annoying!

 

 

One other thing at the pool that was diff from past Celebrity cruises were the increased poolside games & antics--they are becoming more like other lines in that regard--- we do not care for that-but many others seemed to participate & enjoy it! At least they are still not as pushy with drinks & buckets of beer at the pool as some other lines!

 

We did enjoy our cool towels but did not see any poolside sorbet??????

Thanks for the info. on the T-pool; looking forward to spending some time in this area on Summit. The Solarium once my favorite place on Equinox. Btw, the Persian Gardens on Equinox do have outside windows giving you a nice view while relaxing on the stone loungers.

[JoanSharon]

 

The Summit is not just an older ship it is a worn out older ship that should be updated sooner rather than later in my opinion.

 

 

I do not agree with that at all!

 

We were on a recent Summit sailing and I thought the ship was beautiful and is in very good condition for its age. Yes, there were some signs of wear here and there (such as the chairs in the Waterfall Cafe), but all in all we were very pleased with the Summit, especially after reading all the negative comments on this board before we sailed.

 

We found the food in the cafes, and the MDR to be good to very good. No complaints in this department.

 

Our previous cruise was on HAL and we all agreed that Celebrity is as good or perhaps a little better overall than HAL.

 

We would most definitely sail on the Summit again.

 

JS

[Ships R Great]

Kathy, please reconsider posting a review or, at least, some comments re. your take on your cruise. I enjoy reading both sides as they occur.

 

People, being people, are quick to criticize. It is the nature of "some" of the beasties. i confess to maybe, just maybe, being guilty of that myself---maybe once? ;)