Summit - good, not great

[Blazerboy]

Hi:)...have a question...what is it about Silhouette you love so much?

I have been on Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse and I have Equinox

booked again but I am going back and forth about trying Silhouette

instead......any insight would be appreciated:)

Hey, Lois, I sailed on Silhouette last October/November, and sailed on Solstice twice the year before. The Lawn Club Grille and the Porch were both great additions on Silhouette, although I liked the hot glass show on Solstice. As much as we liked Silk Harvest, we really liked Q-sine, and went twice in 11 days. Overall, we really liked the S Class. We're back on M class next month, and it'll be interesting to see how we feel about it- we were on Century the year before, so it's been a while since we were on Constellation or Infinity. I'm sure we'll like a lot of things- hey, we'll be on vacation- but it'll be interesting to see what the Solticization has done for the Summit.

 

Andrew

[Lois R]

Hi Andrew and Emile, thanks for the replies:) I do appreciate it.

Now I just have to decide what to do:rolleyes:

[librarylady19]

What dates/itineraries are you considering Lois??

 

 

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[emo]

As we sit at the airport waiting for our delayed flight to Chicago (sigh...) thought I'd give my quick assessment of our Bermuda cruise. A longer review will follow.

We had perfect weather and calm seas both ways and the cruise was very nice. I will be canceling my January cruise however. In spite of the recent renovation. We prefer the S class.

Ship was very clean and ongoing upkeep was evident. Our room AQ 9038 was lovely and kept spotless by our wonderful attendants.

Food, service and entertainment need some improvement however. The lack of thorough training was evident in Blu, and many bars. Entertainment was rather spotty.

I would rate this cruise a B as I know Celebrity can and should do better.

I will be glad to answer any questions.....got lots of time to kill :-)

 

Librarylady... Thanks for your comments on this thread, and looking forward to reading your full review. We will be trying M-Class for the first time in December, with our only other cruising experience being 3 S-Class ships, which we obviously love :) I am a little nervous about if we'll like M-Class or not, but am excited to try something new (or old) as well. I booked deck 11 AQ so that at least our room is newly constructed. Really going to miss the lawn though, that's one of my favorite spots!

[CruisingChick]

IMy list of M class advantages over S class include less crowding, quieter general atmosphere with no music blasting from lobby out into the corridors in the evenings, better, less "choppy" layout in Blu, real trays and more efficient layout of cafe/grill area, 3 instead of 2 sets of elevator/stairs, much better laid out cabins in terms of clothing storage....I could add a few more.

 

I agree. We have only done one S Class cruise on Silhouette in March and except for the fact that the bathroom is great and the layout of the inside stateroom is nicer, my DH and I did not get that warm, fuzzy Celebrity feeling while we were on this cruise.

 

Now don't get me wrong the service was outstanding (except for Quasar which is another waste of space).

 

We also did not like "The Entertainment Court" . Who thought that putting activities out in the middle of an area where people have to walk through to get to the Celebrity Theater and Celebrity Central was a good idea?

 

Also since we sailed out of NJ in March the lawn looked terrible. We never used it.

 

I could also go on and on but what's the sense. The damage is done now and they can't re-build the ships.

 

We will be on Summit in 25 days and hope the Solsticization didn't ruin it.

[cruiseacecat]

I agree. We have only done one S Class cruise on Silhouette in March and except for the fact that the bathroom is great and the layout of the inside stateroom is nicer, my DH and I did not get that warm, fuzzy Celebrity feeling while we were on this cruise.

 

Now don't get me wrong the service was outstanding (except for Quasar which is another waste of space).

 

We also did not like "The Entertainment Court" . Who thought that putting activities out in the middle of an area where people have to walk through to get to the Celebrity Theater and Celebrity Central was a good idea?

 

Also since we sailed out of NJ in March the lawn looked terrible. We never used it.

 

I could also go on and on but what's the sense. The damage is done now and they can't re-build the ships.

 

We will be on Summit in 25 days and hope the Solsticization didn't ruin it.

Hi Anne Maria,

 

Regarding your last sentence, I worried about the same thing. However, I was thrilled with the changes and I hope you will be also. Enjoy her.

 

Anne

[cruiseacecat]

I always bring earplugs to the production shows.

Really sad that it is necessary. They really need to do something.

 

Anne

[cruiseacecat]

Anne, hope all works out well for your knee. Please don't miss the Silhouette if at all possible. After 24 cruises, the Silhouette tied with the QM2 for first place. If you haven't been on an S-class ship, the Silhouette defies description.

HI Emile,

 

I am still hoping to make this cruise. Thanks for the good wishes. :)

 

Anne

[CruisingChick]

Hi Anne Maria,

 

Regarding your last sentence, I worried about the same thing. However, I was thrilled with the changes and I hope you will be also. Enjoy her.

 

Anne

 

Thanks Anne. I'm sure we will have a good time.

 

Hope you are feeling better soon. It is good you are getting second and third opinions. I would also do surgery as a very last resort.

 

Anne Maria

[phoenix_dream]

I agree. We have only done one S Class cruise on Silhouette in March and except for the fact that the bathroom is great and the layout of the inside stateroom is nicer, my DH and I did not get that warm, fuzzy Celebrity feeling while we were on this cruise.

 

Now don't get me wrong the service was outstanding (except for Quasar which is another waste of space).

 

We also did not like "The Entertainment Court" . Who thought that putting activities out in the middle of an area where people have to walk through to get to the Celebrity Theater and Celebrity Central was a good idea?

 

Also since we sailed out of NJ in March the lawn looked terrible. We never used it.

 

I could also go on and on but what's the sense. The damage is done now and they can't re-build the ships.

 

We will be on Summit in 25 days and hope the Solsticization didn't ruin it.

I agree with your comments. I love all Celebrity ships but vastly prefer M class. The Entertainment Court is loud, crowded, and makes traversing the hallways difficult. I absolutely hate it. I first saw the concept on RCCL Radiance of the Seas - hated it then - and was very dismayed when I cruised my first S class and saw that concept carried over. Did I mention I hate it:p. Some people love that lawn, but I think it is a ridiculous waste of space. To each their own. I just hope that when M class ships eventually wear out, they consider building some new ones more to that style instead of always bigger, bigger, bigger. Bigger is not always better.

[CruisingChick]

I just hope that when M class ships eventually wear out, they consider building some new ones more to that style instead of always bigger, bigger, bigger. Bigger is not always better.

 

I agree with you. Personally my DH and I thought the M class ships were perfect.

[ThursdaysChild]

We had a very good time. What I was trying to convey is my opinion that some areas need improvement and that I prefer the larger S class ships. I will definitely compile a comparison of the 2 classes of ships. I am still a big fan of the Celebrity product.

 

 

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Sandi, nice meeting you on this cruise!

 

I agree with your evaluation overall; I had pretty bad problems with the lack of cleanliness in my stateroom: a half inch of white moldy dust hanging from every rib of the ceiling vent in the shower...looked as if it was was wearing a white fur coat...plus smeared & streaky TV screen and mirrors, greasy fingerprints on the glass coffee table, hair plus pink & green "stains" on the shower walls which turned out to be dried-on shampoo, torn-in-three places bed dust ruffle which was finally replaced on Wednesday, and wine cooler bucket requested on Sunday which showed up on Wednesday. Still, others I spoke to had lovely and attentive stateroom attendants, and no complaints re SR services.

 

This was my first non-AQ cruise, and thus my first in MDR. Hopefully it is my last in MDR, because I prefer the smaller restaurants (Blu...how I missed Blu!), the non-banquet type meals, and the quieter atmosphere. I ended up dining in Normandie 4 nights of the 6, and the service and food were well worth the extra cost.

 

Despite all this, I found the public areas lovely and well maintained, and I continue to LOVE Celebrity. I just need to sail Solstice class and particularly AQ as often as possible. That's why I booked an Open Passage plus 3 other cruises for late 2013 and the first half of 2014.:)

[librarylady19]

Hi Liesa

very nice to chat with you several times. I was so glad we had wonderful service from Belinda and Joecy. Our cabin 9038 showed no signs of the wear and tear I was so afraid of! 2 odd things tho - the bathroom smelled of cat pee at times (as did many of the public restrooms, think its the water!!) and we did not have footstools on our oversized angled balcony. Was able to get 2 regular chairs delivered but was told they dont have footstools on deck 9 anymore :-(

blu was pretty good (liked the layour and ambience) but the food and service were.not up to the level we experienced on Equinox and Eclipse.

 

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[bhughey]

Thank you for the feedback on your recent cruise.

 

We have never sailed an M class ship and absolutely LOOOVE the S-Class (and all the "new ship" smells, bells and whistles). I have prepared myself for a not-as-nice stateroom! I have yet to get actual clarification on whether or not the new AQ cabins on deck 9 have shower curtains or doors? Can you confirm? Also... in AQ - is it 2 bottles of water per day or two bottles of water period?

 

Thanks for any additional info!

[Lois R]

What dates/itineraries are you considering Lois??

 

 

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Hi Sandi, right now I have an 11 night cruise booked on Equinox in

March.

What I am thinking about? Going in January on a new ship (either Sihloutte or Reflection) and then in May going to Alaska. If I do the 11 nighter

in March? Alaska won't be possible in May......

 

So I am up in the air about what to do at the moment. No I can't sail

on Jan 27th with you....much too late in the month for me.:eek::rolleyes:

[jenniebnyc]

Hi LibraryLady - I am sad to hear that you didn't love the Summit this trip. The negatives that you point out are the most significant concerns for me (and my cruise in January)! Can you be more specific on your disappointment with food/service in BLU? If you don't mind mentioning what you specifically ate that was not great. Was the food at least hot? Thank you very much. Also, did you give up 6145 yet??? I am looking online and haven't seen it pop up! Thanks! jenniebnyc

[Diane Rose]

Thank you for the feedback on your recent cruise.

 

We have never sailed an M class ship and absolutely LOOOVE the S-Class (and all the "new ship" smells, bells and whistles). I have prepared myself for a not-as-nice stateroom! I have yet to get actual clarification on whether or not the new AQ cabins on deck 9 have shower curtains or doors? Can you confirm? Also... in AQ - is it 2 bottles of water per day or two bottles of water period?

 

Thanks for any additional info!

 

Cannot help with deck 9 AQ cabin, but I can confirm that AQ gets 2 bottles of water per day. We never asked for any more than that so I don't know if you can.

 

Diane

[emileg]

Thank you for the feedback on your recent cruise.

 

We have never sailed an M class ship and absolutely LOOOVE the S-Class (and all the "new ship" smells, bells and whistles). I have prepared myself for a not-as-nice stateroom! I have yet to get actual clarification on whether or not the new AQ cabins on deck 9 have shower curtains or doors? Can you confirm? Also... in AQ - is it 2 bottles of water per day or two bottles of water period?

 

Thanks for any additional info!

We stayed in an AQ cabin on deck nine. There are glass doors on the shower. However, there is space under the doors and some leakage from the shower to the floor. Be careful opening the door when coming out of the shower. Opening the doors inwards seems to help reduce such leakage.

 

However, the staterooms on M-class ships are much more user friendly than the staterooms on S-class ships. There is more drawer and shelf space than one could ever use. However, the bathrooms on S-class ships are superior with European style sinks and a more comfortable shower.

[ThursdaysChild]

Cannot help with deck 9 AQ cabin, but I can confirm that AQ gets 2 bottles of water per day. We never asked for any more than that so I don't know if you can.

 

Diane

 

AQ always gets at least 2 bottles of water a day. If you will be drinking more, let your stateroom attendant know at start of the cruise. On my last AQ cruise, Silhouette TA, I generally drank 4 bottles a day myself. My SR attendant was very good about making sure I had 2 "spares" at all times.

[dln929]

Hi Liesa

very nice to chat with you several times. I was so glad we had wonderful service from Belinda and Joecy. Our cabin 9038 showed no signs of the wear and tear I was so afraid of! 2 odd things tho - the bathroom smelled of cat pee at times (as did many of the public restrooms, think its the water!!) and we did not have footstools on our oversized angled balcony. Was able to get 2 regular chairs delivered but was told they dont have footstools on deck 9 anymore :-(

blu was pretty good (liked the layour and ambience) but the food and service were.not up to the level we experienced on Equinox and Eclipse.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Sandi, this is the most peculiar thing but I smelled that same faint odor myself, not once but three times. We drove from Indianapolis to Bayonne and stayed overnight at a highway hotel midway. It was clean but there was that smell. Then at the Westin in Jersey City, which a four star rated hotel, I smelled it again. And lastly, I picked it up on the Summit. The exact same smell. Weird! Is it the water? It is some new and nasty industrial strength disinfectant? I dunno. It has absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness, though, because each of those three places was spotless. I don't get it!

 

Hi LibraryLady - I am sad to hear that you didn't love the Summit this trip. The negatives that you point out are the most significant concerns for me (and my cruise in January)! Can you be more specific on your disappointment with food/service in BLU? If you don't mind mentioning what you specifically ate that was not great. Was the food at least hot? Thank you very much. Also, did you give up 6145 yet??? I am looking online and haven't seen it pop up! Thanks! jenniebnyc

 

Sandi will give you her comments, but I may as well add mine too as long as I'm here. :) I liked all my meals in Blu save one, which was the lobster. It was nicely cooked but the seasonings--some kind of citrusy flavors--jarred a bit. Someone else might have had it and thought it was unusual and daring but I like my lobster traditional. That's just me. On formal night they served meatloaf, which was delicious and looked beautiful on the plate (hard to do with meatloaf but they pulled it off). However, that's an odd choice for formal night, particularly when later in the week they served filet mignon. I think they got the menu days a little mixed up! Overall, I thought the food in Blu was fantastic and varied. Absolutely satisfied with the dining experience. The service needed a bit of polish though. There were lots of waiters every night, so much so that it looked at times like a three ring circus with all the running around in circles. You'd think that with such a fully staffed restaurant that you'd get your food or drink before you even knew you wanted it, but the opposite was true! They forgot napkins for the table at breakfast once, forgot to bring wine until after appetizers were served on our last dinner night, didn't bring the bread out promptly one night, etc. Silly little mistakes that rookie servers make. For the most part the service was excellent but there were these little bumps in the road that you wouldn't have expected in a restaurant like Blu. And I feel guilty for even mentioning this since the waiters were all very personable, charming, and hardworking. I think they just need a refresher server course!

[librarylady19]

Hi LibraryLady - I am sad to hear that you didn't love the Summit this trip. The negatives that you point out are the most significant concerns for me (and my cruise in January)! Can you be more specific on your disappointment with food/service in BLU? If you don't mind mentioning what you specifically ate that was not great. Was the food at least hot? Thank you very much. Also, did you give up 6145 yet??? I am looking online and haven't seen it pop up! Thanks! jenniebnyc

 

Hi Jennie,

Deirdre has summarized the experience very well (we enjoyed eating most of our meals with her and Rob) Myissues with Blu were with the lack of thorough training of the waitstaff. Everyone there was very nice and eager to please (with the exception of the Maitre D' who was thoroughly insincere imo). However, lack of skill communicating in English was a problem when making requests. Also, service was eager but spotty, for example, we would have to ask for the pastry basket at breakfast, were seated at tables that werent thoroughly cleared, water came after we had received our wine. There was only one sommelier in Blu. Poor guy was very busy - he would often leave both wine and water bottles on the table for us to serve ourselves. We ate our meals there with friends so these lapses didnt bother me as much as they might have if we had been dining alone but the lack of professionalism did bother me.

The menu choices and the quality of the food was definitely not as good as either of our S class cruises. I was appalled that the featured dish on formal night was meatloaf (nicely presented but still meatloaf!). The tuna dish now was served swimming in a pool of broth under mash!! The loster served on night 5 was served in the shell and was not taken out by the waiter it was also pretty tasteless. Desserts were a real dissapointment, and my expectations were not high as desserts have never been Blu's strong suit.

Despite these issues, we really did enjoy Blu as it is a beautiful space and a very relaxing dining experience. We ate breakfast all but one morning and service was speedier but still a bit "off.". example - i wasnt even in my seat before a menu was shoved at me. Some dishes were really excellent, however - the cornish hen, osso buco and corn fritters come to mind. food was generally served at the appropriate temperature.

 

I have not yet cancelled 6145 as I need to select another cruise (or lose my travel insurance payment). I can certainly let you know if you are interested.

[librarylady19]

Thank you for the feedback on your recent cruise.

 

We have never sailed an M class ship and absolutely LOOOVE the S-Class (and all the "new ship" smells, bells and whistles). I have prepared myself for a not-as-nice stateroom! I have yet to get actual clarification on whether or not the new AQ cabins on deck 9 have shower curtains or doors? Can you confirm? Also... in AQ - is it 2 bottles of water per day or two bottles of water period?

 

Thanks for any additional info!

 

We actually were very impressed with our cabin. As Emil said, there is much more storage space in the cabin and it does seem more spacious. Our angled balcony 9038 was fantastic. S class bathroom does have a better shower tho!

[dkjretired]

Sandi, this is the most peculiar thing but I smelled that same faint odor myself, not once but three times. We drove from Indianapolis to Bayonne and stayed overnight at a highway hotel midway. It was clean but there was that smell. Then at the Westin in Jersey City, which a four star rated hotel, I smelled it again. And lastly, I picked it up on the Summit. The exact same smell. Weird! Is it the water? It is some new and nasty industrial strength disinfectant? I dunno. It has absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness, though, because each of those three places was spotless. I don't get it!

 

 

 

Sandi will give you her comments, but I may as well add mine too as long as I'm here. :) I liked all my meals in Blu save one, which was the lobster. It was nicely cooked but the seasonings--some kind of citrusy flavors--jarred a bit. Someone else might have had it and thought it was unusual and daring but I like my lobster traditional. That's just me. On formal night they served meatloaf, which was delicious and looked beautiful on the plate (hard to do with meatloaf but they pulled it off). However, that's an odd choice for formal night, particularly when later in the week they served filet mignon. I think they got the menu days a little mixed up! Overall, I thought the food in Blu was fantastic and varied. Absolutely satisfied with the dining experience. The service needed a bit of polish though. There were lots of waiters every night, so much so that it looked at times like a three ring circus with all the running around in circles. You'd think that with such a fully staffed restaurant that you'd get your food or drink before you even knew you wanted it, but the opposite was true! They forgot napkins for the table at breakfast once, forgot to bring wine until after appetizers were served on our last dinner night, didn't bring the bread out promptly one night, etc. Silly little mistakes that rookie servers make. For the most part the service was excellent but there were these little bumps in the road that you wouldn't have expected in a restaurant like Blu. And I feel guilty for even mentioning this since the waiters were all very personable, charming, and hardworking. I think they just need a refresher server course!

 

I was told early in the cruise that they had a problem witht he desalinated equipment, I notice the coffee was very strong, perhaps to kill the taste.

[phoenix_dream]

I have sailed on 20 Celebrity cruises and one thing I have found to be consistent is the inconsistency. We have never had bad service or food, but the food in particular tends to vary quite a bit from cruise to cruise, ranging from generally good to generally excellent. In going back and forth cruising between S class and M class I have not really seen a difference in service or food related to the class of ship. We have found good and not-quite-so-good on both classes of ships. I really think it changes alot based on the current crew. I only say this because if someone thinks because this M class ship was perhaps not up to par in certain categories they can just switch to S class and all will be excellent, they may be setting themselves up for disappointment. Crews rotate regularly and they, not the class of ship, are what really make the food and service great, or not so. There may be other reasons one prefers one class or another, but chosing for reasons of food and service quality is not advisable. Just my opinion.

[librarylady19]

Very good point. It is definitely the crew that can make the difference in your exoerience being good or great! I think it can also be related to the itineraries too. I honestly think some of the crew seemed worn out after a summer of sailing the Bermuda route. The guitarist told us that the 2 cruises prior to ours had been a nightmare with hundreds of kids! That would affect my disposition too!!! Really, no one was rude at all, just distracted and forgetful at times.

 

I am not choosing S class over M class strictly for the service (our Eclipse cabin attendant was our worst ever) Just feel the amenities are more to my liking. Would sail M class again given the right itinerary and price.