Bermuda Celebrity Summit or NCL Star

[kelly4126]

I am trying to plan a cruise next summer to Bermuda. We are going to leave from NJ or NY. Can anyone give comparisions between the Summit or Star? We have never sailed on Celebrity and once on NCL Gem to the Bahamas. We are very easy going and love to cruise, but looking to see recommendations from our fellow cruise travelers.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

[jackdiamond]

Ask Lois, since she will cruise to Bermuda this September on the Summitt.

[Lois R]

Jack, I cannot give a comaprison since I have never sailed NCL.

[Knolmom]

Trying to compare Celebrity and NCL is like comparing Apples and rasins or Oranges and prunes. I have sailed on both, but not to Bermuda. Just one person's opinion.

[Lois R]

Trying to compare Celebrity and NCL is like comparing Apples and rasins or Oranges and prunes. I have sailed on both, but not to Bermuda. Just one person's opinion.

 

Hi,:) I see you live in Suffern? I was born in Good Sam back in 1958;)

Oh I do love Celebrity though:) but if the OP wants a first hand

comparison I am not the person who can give it.

[asylum575]

I believe both cruise lines dock in King's Wharf. That's where the similarities end.

 

I like both lines for different reasons as they are very different.

 

NCL is great for a laid back vacation. It's all on your time. I enjoy packing for a 7 day trip in a duffle bag. A couple of dockers and some golf shirts and I'm set for a week of NCL dinners.

 

With Celebrity, I get to bring my tux and we get set for some nice family portraits. Formal night on Celebrity is formal.

 

On NCL, they call it, Dress up or not.

 

Depends what you want.

[highbridger]

We enjoyed cruising on both lines, but there is a big difference. I think it depends on the people and what they want. The dining room experience was similar, everyone was so helpful and friendly and the MDR food was about the same, the specialty restaurants on both were very good. Celebrity had better shows, and ballroom dancing on Celebrity was better. But, if you don't want to dress up and you want to eat when the spirit moves you, then NCL is the way to go. We, however, just love cruising on Celebrity.

[jdarch]

I am trying to plan a cruise next summer to Bermuda. We are going to leave from NJ or NY. Can anyone give comparisions between the Summit or Star? We have never sailed on Celebrity and once on NCL Gem to the Bahamas. We are very easy going and love to cruise, but looking to see recommendations from our fellow cruise travelers.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

 

We have been on NCL and Celebrity to Bermuda...I loved my cruises on the Dawn..but, dh and I needed something different this year. We went on the Summit..I LOVED it...We dressed up a couple of times..but, ate when we wanted..we just showed up at the martini bar and then the dining room and were always seated..The musical entertainment on the Dawn was great..but, also enjoyed the entertainment on the Summit...We enjoyed both...you can see we went on the Dawn 3 times..but, will probably go Celebrity...it was actually cheaper, too:D I am 61...but a young 61...I still waitress 40 hours a week...yes really:p you will enjoy either..the Summit actually has a t pool that's free and on the Dawn you have to pay for the spa to go there...just another tidbit

[dkjretired]

Have also been to Bermuda on both Celebrity and NCL. Another point not mentioned is that next year Summit will have just come out of a major drydock where she will receive many of the enhancements of the S class ships.

 

If you are concerned about it, Celebrity has a very restrictive smoking policy. When I was on the NCL ship, I thought it was like being on a chimney and smoking does not normally bother me.

[jt1120]

^^^ Don it looks like I'm following you on lots of threads today! I've not sailed the Summit yet, but have sailed the Spirit. Out of all of the NCL ships I've sailed, I liked the Spirit the best, though she was not an original NCL build which is probably why. This is a tough question to answer because since it's on the =X= thread, most of us will recommend =X=, and if you ask the same question on the NCL thread, most will recommend NCL.

 

Though I really enjoyed the Spirit, I'd still go with =X= because of their better service, better food, and strict smoking policy. And like Don said, the Summit will be just out of dry dock with fresh enhancements. It might boil down to departure port and what is more convenient for you.

[CPT Trips]

How can one have a bad cruise to Bermuda? I just returned from Bermuda on the Summit and overall we had a great experience. We are also NCL regulars and enjoy that experience too.

 

I do think the food on Summit was superior to our last couple NCL cruises. And we felt the MDR service was better than NCL. NCL Star will have a greater variety of dining options (paid) even after the drydock of Summit.

 

The entertainment on both was good, a bit more geared to a younger crowd on NCL, but X was by no means stodgy.

 

The Summit seemed to me to be more spacious than Star - just by "feel" not trying to compare space ratios. But, some of the public areas on Summit may well "disappear" after drydock - there are cabins being added and some existing public areas will be repurposed and less public. I love the Aqua Spa and Aqua Spa Cafe on Summit.

[Cruisegoer]

If you're comparing cruise lines I would go with either HAL's Veendam or the CEL Summit. Personally I love the HAL ports of Hamilton and St. George...King's Wharf has certainly built itself up but it still doesn't compare in my view. HAL is considered on par with Celebrity any day but having said that if you have kids then your best bet is NCL.

[Highlander1]

We were on the NCL Dawn twice out of NYC and this year the Celebrity Summit, if formal dressing means nothing, its a tie. We loved the Dawn, particularly the entertainment and staff. Celebrity's staff were very professional and thorough, but a bit stiff for our liking. Either way, you can't go wrong, Bermuda is a great destination.

 

The Summit only offers the MDR and the Normandie for sit down dinners, whilst the Star offers a few more choices and for less $$$ at the pay restaurants.

 

All things considered if you gave me the trip, I'd go NCL.

[CPT Trips]

If you're comparing cruise lines I would go with either HAL's Veendam or the CEL Summit. Personally I love the HAL ports of Hamilton and St. George...King's Wharf has certainly built itself up but it still doesn't compare in my view. HAL is considered on par with Celebrity any day but having said that if you have kids then your best bet is NCL.

 

I like HAL, but I don't think it compares all that favorably to the other options

 

- I have not heard anything good about HAL's tendering into St. Georges. It is very time consuming.

 

- One still has to bus from Hamilton to the south shore beaches.

 

- HAL's entertainment while talented is less varied and stodgier than either X or NCL.

[sarahc78]

We LOVED the Summit and have taken her twice to Bermuda!

 

When we were on the bus this past trip in May we met several different NCL passengers all around the island and they all said that the food on NCL was awful. The positives they all spoke of were entertainment on board.

[philatiger]

We are in the same dilemma. We are actually booked on both lines for the same week. NCL we used a cruise certificate so no cost to hold the reservation.

 

This will be our first time on X but we have sailed NCL 3 times. We are actually booked in the new Aqua class A1 on the Summit and a suite on NCL. We love the suite perks on NCL but with the new aqua class you get the same benefits for less cost. We are waiting to hear word after the dry dock what peoples impressions are of the new cabins and repurposed areas to make our decision. But we will be staying with X if all sounds great after drydock. The cost is lower and easier to get to the port from Philly and not have to drive into NY.

 

I agree with previous posters, any trip to Bermuda is a good trip.

[kelly4126]

Thank you everyone for your comments. We like formal nights as it gives us a chance to get nice pictures. I also prefer set time dining. We get to know the wait staff and they get to know us. So I think I am leaning towards booking with Celebrity.

 

Kelly