My first Celebrity cruise - Just off Summit 7/24-7/31

[roe2ship]

This was my seventh cruise, first on Celebrity, and we had a fantastic cruise overall! Here are a couple of things about my experience on the Summit.

 

The MDR food was fabulous in presentation and taste was very good to excellent. However I always read that the service on Celebrity was top notch compared to other lines and I just did not see that. Besides our waiter in the dining room who was excellent, and the best we ever had, the service for drinks at dinner and several of the lounges were very S-L-O-W. While most lounges were practically empty, it would take a very long time before a server would approach us. In fact, the first evening in the theater, no one ever came.

 

Evening entertainment was not lively at all. Very quiet throughout the ship almost the entire cruise. I did the enjoy the singers (The Neptunes) and the comedian (Bruce Smirnoff) was also was very good. Other than that, not much appealed to us and very little variety going on.

 

I personally looked hard at the condition of the ship since I read so many postings in the last year that the ship is very worn out and I am still trying to figure out where the areas were. Aside from some rust on our balcony and shower stall and other very minor things, the Summit is in very good shape for her age.

 

Kids club - just okay. One good thing is that the club moves to different areas of the ship, however I find the scavenger hunts for the 9-11 year olds very strange, a little too scary for my taste.

 

I have all the "Celebrity Today's" and the 9-11 years old activities. I will be happy to answer any questions the best that I can.

[cynbar]

We are also just off the Summit and agree that drink service could be quite slow. We had the premium alcohol package and often just went up to the bar ourselves when we were ready for a drink. Very strange --- usually drink waiters are everywhere!!!!!

[roe2ship]

We are also just off the Summit and agree that drink service could be quite slow. We had the premium alcohol package and often just went up to the bar ourselves when we were ready for a drink. Very strange --- usually drink waiters are everywhere!!!!!

It sure is strange....drink waiters are usually asking you two or three times if you care for something. Makes you wonder if they sold so many drink packages for the week if the staff were told to keep a low profile.:rolleyes:

 

Forgot to mention that we had a smoker on our balcony next door. Didn't bother me but obviously there are still those who continue to break the rules.

[martodd]

Just off as well.

I have to say my kids have been on 8 Celebrity cruises and I normally have to pry them away from the kids club. My 14 year old daughter never went this sailing which was fine. She has a busy sports summer and loved the time relaxing by the pool, balcony or reading. But my 11 year old son lived in the club last time only went for two activities this time.

It was hard for him. He is very active and went for the dodge ball and one other thing. So many of the activities seemed to be the hunts and arts and crafts type things. We got the young teen schedule for my older one and he would have enjoyed that group much more. My daughters both loved the hunts at this age but he didn't like them at all.

[Christine Frances]

It sure is strange....drink waiters are usually asking you two or three times if you care for something. Makes you wonder if they sold so many drink packages for the week if the staff were told to keep a low profile.:rolleyes:

 

Forgot to mention that we had a smoker on our balcony next door. Didn't bother me but obviously there are still those who continue to break the rules.

 

Did you report them to Guest Services? They need to be warned by security so they will not bother other people who may be more sensitive to smoke.

[roe2ship]

Just off as well.

I have to say my kids have been on 8 Celebrity cruises and I normally have to pry them away from the kids club. My 14 year old daughter never went this sailing which was fine. She has a busy sports summer and loved the time relaxing by the pool, balcony or reading. But my 11 year old son lived in the club last time only went for two activities this time.

It was hard for him. He is very active and went for the dodge ball and one other thing. So many of the activities seemed to be the hunts and arts and crafts type things. We got the young teen schedule for my older one and he would have enjoyed that group much more. My daughters both loved the hunts at this age but he didn't like them at all.

 

The dodge ball game was what my son enjoyed the most too. He mostly attends the clubs on cruises at night after dinner and by Thursday, he was not that interested anymore but still went. I find the scavenger hunts ridiculous for such a young age group. On the first day, I did not authorize for my son to participate in this. Well on Monday night they had the scavenger hunt although it was not listed on the activities list. So my son ended up being the only kid there who did not go on the hunt and was made to sit with the counselor at the buffet for a couple of hours…She didn’t even bring along cards or board games…..just sat there….it was very disappointing to say the least.

[roe2ship]

Did you report them to Guest Services? They need to be warned by security so they will not bother other people who may be more sensitive to smoke.

I thought about reporting it but changed my mind. I’m sure the cabin attendant noticed it and that is part of his job to report it.

[LAH718]

I thought about reporting it but changed my mind. I’m sure the cabin attendant noticed it and that is part of his job to report it.

 

Our cabin attendant said it was up to the guests to report smoking to guest relations. He said cabin attendants were not allowed to report smokers or confront quests smoking in the cabin or on the balcony.

 

Linda

[Lois R]

I thought about reporting it but changed my mind. I’m sure the cabin attendant noticed it and that is part of his job to report it.

 

Hi, actually it is not part of their job to speak with the guest about it.

Confronting the passenger about smoking on the balcony? That would

be up to Guest Relations/Security.

[roe2ship]

Our cabin attendant said it was up to the guests to report smoking to guest relations. He said cabin attendants were not allowed to report smokers or confront quests smoking in the cabin or on the balcony.

 

Linda

 

Hi, actually it is not part of their job to speak with the guest about it.

Confronting the passenger about smoking on the balcony? That would

be up to Guest Relations/Security.

 

I thought it was since obviously cabin attendants would be the first to know if someone is violating the smoking policy. By not allowing the attendants to report smokers is just another easy way out of not enforcing their own policies….Like I said it did not bother me so I never made the call.

[cruisestitch]

Cabin attendants rely on passengers for their income and their evaluations. They generally do not, and in my opinion, should not be reporting smokers. It puts their jobs in jeopardy.

[madcitymaven]

I thought it was since obviously cabin attendants would be the first to know if someone is violating the smoking policy. By not allowing the attendants to report smokers is just another easy way out of not enforcing their own policies….Like I said it did not bother me so I never made the call.

 

Would it have bothered you if that smoker by your cabin had caused a fire on the ship due to violating the smoking policy?

[flashdog_1]

Re drink service:

 

I have found that X is very good about not bothering each passenger with the query about wanting a drink. I have been able, for instance, to attend a concert and not order a drink, by choice.

 

If I do want a drink, I catch the eye of the server, or possibly raise my hand to indicate I do want a drink, making sure I am not talking to my companion at the time so the waiter does not think he is interrupting. They are that good at discretion.

[inforem]

Re drink service:

 

I have found that X is very good about not bothering each passenger with the query about wanting a drink. I have been able, for instance, to attend a concert and not order a drink, by choice.

 

If I do want a drink, I catch the eye of the server, or possibly raise my hand to indicate I do want a drink, making sure I am not talking to my companion at the time so the waiter does not think he is interrupting. They are that good at discretion.

 

I agree with you. As we are not drinkers I hated when they would constantly bother us for drinks on other cruises, sometimes blocking our view of the shows and annoying us with there little flashlights...

[Ellen S]

My DH and I were on the Summit June 5th (This was our 3rd trip in one year on the Summit.). It was one of the most relaxing cruises we've been on. For us older folks not having many children was nice. I felt they have kept the ship in good condition even though it is being refurbished in January. Sometimes people complain about very silly things and I thought the rust was one of those things. I am sure you all noticed how friendly the crew was, especially the captain. This cruise tended to have more older passengers on it and not many children. The future cruise director was taking his family on a Royal Caribbean cruise because there were more activities for the kids. I wrote a review from this last trip and had trouble writing anything negative.

[roe2ship]

Cabin attendants rely on passengers for their income and their evaluations. They generally do not, and in my opinion, should not be reporting smokers. It puts their jobs in jeopardy.

I agree with some of what you said, however why should it be left to the guests to report smokers on balconies? That can put someone’s vacation in jeopardy if the offender suspected you were the one who made the phone call. When Royal started their policy with no smoking in the cabins, I am almost certain that it was the attendants job to report it and they may have even been rewarded for it. Really when you think about it, the entire staff (on any cruise line) rely on the passengers for their income but that shouldn’t mean that the staff should ignore their own rules. Sadly, for the most part, and in my opinion, this is the case on most lines.

 

Would it have bothered you if that smoker by your cabin had caused a fire on the ship due to violating the smoking policy?

I'll answer your question, even though I find it very silly and you really know the answer.....YES that would bother me! Apparently it does not bother Celebrity or the other cruise lines since they all have smoking areas.

 

Re drink service:

 

I have found that X is very good about not bothering each passenger with the query about wanting a drink. I have been able, for instance, to attend a concert and not order a drink, by choice.

 

If I do want a drink, I catch the eye of the server, or possibly raise my hand to indicate I do want a drink, making sure I am not talking to my companion at the time so the waiter does not think he is interrupting. They are that good at discretion.

It’s hard to catch the eye of a server or raise your hand to one if they are invisible. There were times during the cruise specifically at Revelations not a sole was walking around so after waiting several minutes, someone in our party walked over to the bar, mind you no one was there….waited there….when someone did appear, he said “I will be right with you” well he left and took a while to get back. This happened both times we were in that lounge. At the martini bar, our server there (very friendly) also took a very long time to appear and once our drinks were ordered he also took a while to return. This is certainly understandable if the place was overly busy, however besides us the amount of pax that were there you could have count on both hands. Then our dinners in the dining room, drink service there was also lacking.

[roe2ship]

I agree with you. As we are not drinkers I hated when they would constantly bother us for drinks on other cruises, sometimes blocking our view of the shows and annoying us with there little flashlights...

Little flashlights?? Never have I seen that on my cruises, perhaps Carnival does this.

 

My DH and I were on the Summit June 5th (This was our 3rd trip in one year on the Summit.). It was one of the most relaxing cruises we've been on. For us older folks not having many children was nice. I felt they have kept the ship in good condition even though it is being refurbished in January. Sometimes people complain about very silly things and I thought the rust was one of those things. I am sure you all noticed how friendly the crew was, especially the captain. This cruise tended to have more older passengers on it and not many children. The future cruise director was taking his family on a Royal Caribbean cruise because there were more activities for the kids. I wrote a review from this last trip and had trouble writing anything negative.

I agree the crew was friendly including the Captain, very handsome too! In fact, someone in our party had played with Captain Kosta in the poker tournament. I was very impressed that he also took the time to take pictures with the passengers on formal night.....it was a 30 minute slot and we were all lucky to personally meet him and take pictures with him.

[inforem]

Little flashlights?? Never have I seen that on my cruises, perhaps Carnival does this.

 

Yes it is a carnival thing, but I did see a barman give a flashlight to a couple of girls so they can see the drink menu. This was in the bar area right outside the MDR on the 4th floor.

[pspercy]

why should it be left to the guests to report smokers on balconies?

 

Well, you're there, you saw it, it's your trip, do you expect the violators to report themselves ? The cruise line has rules so if it upsets you why wouldn't you report it ?

 

If you don't the reasonable assumption is that you don't really care about it.

[SingingMom1]

It sure is strange....drink waiters are usually asking you two or three times if you care for something. Makes you wonder if they sold so many drink packages for the week if the staff were told to keep a low profile.:rolleyes:

 

Forgot to mention that we had a smoker on our balcony next door. Didn't bother me but obviously there are still those who continue to break the rules.

 

I agree with some of what you said, however why should it be left to the guests to report smokers on balconies? That can put someone’s vacation in jeopardy if the offender suspected you were the one who made the phone call. When Royal started their policy with no smoking in the cabins, I am almost certain that it was the attendants job to report it and they may have even been rewarded for it. Really when you think about it, the entire staff (on any cruise line) rely on the passengers for their income but that shouldn’t mean that the staff should ignore their own rules. Sadly, for the most part, and in my opinion, this is the case on most lines.

 

 

I'll answer your question, even though I find it very silly and you really know the answer.....YES that would bother me! Apparently it does not bother Celebrity or the other cruise lines since they all have smoking areas.

 

 

It’s hard to catch the eye of a server or raise your hand to one if they are invisible. There were times during the cruise specifically at Revelations not a sole was walking around so after waiting several minutes, someone in our party walked over to the bar, mind you no one was there….waited there….when someone did appear, he said “I will be right with you” well he left and took a while to get back. This happened both times we were in that lounge. At the martini bar, our server there (very friendly) also took a very long time to appear and once our drinks were ordered he also took a while to return. This is certainly understandable if the place was overly busy, however besides us the amount of pax that were there you could have count on both hands. Then our dinners in the dining room, drink service there was also lacking.

 

 

We found the same thing on June 12 cruise - it was very difficult to get a drink. ;) Took a long time to get waited on, even when the crowd was light. The MDR was the worse - our appetizer was served before anyone came to even give us a glass of water. We also had the same experience at the Martini Bar - pleasant and accomdating, but extremely slow. Hard to flag down a pool drink server also.

Our best service was at the Cova Cafe.

[sarahc78]

I agree with some of what you said, however why should it be left to the guests to report smokers on balconies? That can put someone’s vacation in jeopardy if the offender suspected you were the one who made the phone call. When Royal started their policy with no smoking in the cabins, I am almost certain that it was the attendants job to report it and they may have even been rewarded for it. Really when you think about it, the entire staff (on any cruise line) rely on the passengers for their income but that shouldn’t mean that the staff should ignore their own rules. Sadly, for the most part, and in my opinion, this is the case on most lines.

 

 

I'll answer your question, even though I find it very silly and you really know the answer.....YES that would bother me! Apparently it does not bother Celebrity or the other cruise lines since they all have smoking areas.

 

 

It’s hard to catch the eye of a server or raise your hand to one if they are invisible. There were times during the cruise specifically at Revelations not a sole was walking around so after waiting several minutes, someone in our party walked over to the bar, mind you no one was there….waited there….when someone did appear, he said “I will be right with you” well he left and took a while to get back. This happened both times we were in that lounge. At the martini bar, our server there (very friendly) also took a very long time to appear and once our drinks were ordered he also took a while to return. This is certainly understandable if the place was overly busy, however besides us the amount of pax that were there you could have count on both hands. Then our dinners in the dining room, drink service there was also lacking.

That was one issue back in May that we did have especially in Revelations. One evening my parents ended up stopping someone to vent about the horrible service in Revelations. Turned out to be the Beverage manager lol. He thanked them for letting him know and later that evening there was a 6 pack of beer and bottle of champagne in their room.

 

Service did improve a bit after that, but not much. We just opted to visit other areas of the ship.

[roe2ship]

why should it be left to the guests to report smokers on balconies?

 

Well, you're there, you saw it, it's your trip, do you expect the violators to report themselves ? The cruise line has rules so if it upsets you why wouldn't you report it ?

 

If you don't the reasonable assumption is that you don't really care about it.

It did not upset me at all and if you read post 3 and 10 you will see that. All I am doing is reporting it here. Just because Celebrity has a policy in place about no smoking in cabins and balconies, there is a chance (probably rather small) that one can still have a next door neighbor who is a smoker and who will break the rules, especially if the violator is aware that the cabin attendant cannot report the issue.

[flashdog_1]

As far as worrying that your neighbor would suspect it was YOU who reported him, and shooting you dirty looks, or worse, making an unfriendly statement or gesture, look at it this way.

 

Perhaps, and I do say perhaps, because I don't know if Celebrity will really enforce their policy by kicking the offender off at the next port, if the offending cabin personnel were told that they WOULD be put off at the next port, assuming they get one warning, then a mature person would 1) suddenly realize that the rule was real 2) realize that smoking is offensive to some people and 3) certainly does not want to waste the cost of the vacation plus having to pay extra in order to get back home! UNLESS it's the same sort of persons who would immediately think "lawsuit" although groundless LOL. ha

 

Seriously, I am constantly amazed when watching people, whether on a cruise ship or not, to observe that a great number of people behave in ways that indicate they do not think rules apply to them. Isn't this how some avoidable traffic accidents occur? Magnify this to an encounter between two sets of people who think rules don't apply to them, and you have a real problem!

[C 2 C]

 

I have all the "Celebrity Today's" and the 9-11 years old activities. I will be happy to answer any questions the best that I can.

 

Would you be able to post the names of the Party Band and the group playing in the Rendezvous Lounge?

 

At one time Fusion and the "So Cool Quartet" were on board and I was wondering if they were on your sailing.

[roe2ship]

Would you be able to post the names of the Party Band and the group playing in the Rendezvous Lounge?

 

At one time Fusion and the "So Cool Quartet" were on board and I was wondering if they were on your sailing.

Party Band was Magnitude and yes the So Cool Quartet were still on board. They played in the Rendezvous lounge every evening at two different times.:)