Disappointed in Summit

[Lady Chew]

Just back from the March 2 Southern Caribbean sailing of the Summit. Even though we had a good time on the cruise overall, we were disappointed in the Summit.

We were traveling with a family group, six adults 58-68 yrs, and one 30 year old adult child of one of the couples. We all had a variety of things to do and enjoyed ourselves. We all liked the ports, did different things in some of them and did things together in others. Three ports were new to Mr Chew & me, so we had private tours to take us all 'round and show us St. Croix, St. Kitts, & Grenada, and we also took a similar tour in Dominica, which we had visited before. On St. Thomas we got off & rode up to Paradise Point (it was great being the only ship in port that day!)

Our stateroom was okay ... would have preferred drawers in the desk/dresser instead of shelves, every time we opened those swing out doors things would fall out. The little tiny hooks on either side of the mirror didn't hold much. The pillows were terrible, the reading lights not very strong and couldn't be directed, you have to read on your side in order to get the full light on your book.

I hate not having a full lounge chair on the balcony (I know Celebrity isn't the only cruise line doing this) Sitting on one chair & putting your feet up on the other just isn't the same as stretching out on a lounger!

The bathroom is just about the smallest we've ever had, and we didn't like the layout - the toilet blocking full access to the shelves. Would have preferred cabinets to open shelves. While they had plenty of space for our toiletries, everything gets steamed up when you take a shower. The shelves below the counter weren't very usable - some were blocked by the toilet and the others were open to below, and things would fall through. Our cabin steward was very good, even though we only saw him a few times.

We had to call 4 times in the first 3 days to get our toilet working properly. Go to flush, and no vacuum. No nothing. Their explanation was that someone had probably flushed one of the no-nos and it was affecting other cabins. Our response was you'd better find them and get them to stop. I had to make a few early moring trips down to Deck 5 to find a working toilet. They finally came down and did some work outside our cabin and after that the problem went away.

The lounge chairs on the upper deck were disgraceful - stained, torn, just in horrible condition, although at least the ones by the pool had those mesh (?) covers on them. I wouldn't have wanted to sit on them otherwise, even with a few towels! We didn't use the Solarium, it looked & felt like an old gymnasium pool.

The band at the sailaway was FABULOUS - best we've ever had on a cruise. The entertainment generally was very good, although we didn't care very much for the featured hypnotist/mentalist. Not big fans of the cruise director either, but that didn't effect our overall experience one way or the other. We went to the first art auction, just for fun & for the raffle, and left after a few minutes because the auctioneer was such a ... I don't know what to call him, he wasn't very entertaining and he wasn't very funny, nor was he very understandable. We were not the only ones who walked out! The production shows were pretty good.

MDR was excellent, we had select dining and generally ate around 8. Never made reservations and never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table. We shared a table a few times and had our own table twice. Food & service was excellent.

Our biggest disappointment was in the Oceanview Cafe. We thought it was horrible. The layout was all wrong, way to long. If you wanted to see what was available before making your choices, you had to walk around the entire thing in order to see everything. A lot of it was wasted space, not being used for anything, mirrored walls, doors ... just not a good layout. Although the quality of the food was excellent, there was not great variety from day to day it was not very well organized. You go to one station to get your beef or chicken, and you may want your potatoes/pasta from another, and your veggies from still another. A lot of walking around. And while I understand the need for sneeze guards over the food, the food should be arranged horizontally along them, not stacked up 3 platters deep. When you see someone put their arm inside up to the shoulder to reach something, and it touches the things in front of it ... well, not very appetizing. No servers available to help you out. At least in my case, it was probably a good thing I couldn't reach the desserts! No one to take a drink order (except at breakfast there was a waiter going around with coffee). And the trays! I know some people really like them, but we think they are for waiters & school students. Just made it seem like a cheap cafeteria rather than a nice buffet.

There were places all over the ship where the floors were uneven under the carpet ... in the passenger corridors, in the buffet and in some of the lounges. Several of the elevators sounded as if they were falling apart.

Bottom line - we enjoyed the cruise, but had some problems/difficulties with the ship. We would never sail on Celebrity again based on this ship, but might be willing to give one of the newer ones a try, if the price & itinerary were absoloutely perfect.

[gelo7]

Hope that your next cruise experience is more to your liking.

[TexCruise371]

I'm sorry that the Summit did not live up to your expectations. :(

 

We sailed on her the first part of Feb and had a fabulous cruise. We thought the ship was in fantastic shape. I will have to agree that the buffet area is a little confusing at times seeing what is being served along with some folks trying to make the line go both way :rolleyes:

[jsf]

We sailed on Summit twice last year because of it's port's but found many of the same concerns as you. I agree with your comments about the Buffet, bad lay-out and limited items.

J.

[Gig103]

Bummer!!! I would say, based on your review that a newer, Solstice-class ship may be more to your liking; the buffet is completely redesigned into stations, and the cabins/bathrooms are a different layout.

 

The service on Celebrity makes it worth trying again! :D

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Hope you find a ship that's more to your liking.

 

Personally, I've always enjoyed my cruises on M class ships and I'm about to embark on over a month on one of Summit's sister ships.

[erinpdx]

I will be on the Summit in 27 days (my first cruise with Celebrity). I have read many conflicting reports about the buffet. Is there much of a wait in each of the different lines?

We were on a Carnival ship a few months ago and the lines for breakfast/lunch were always 15-20 minutes. By the time you got all of your food and sat down, it was cold.

[Karen@Steve]

We loved the Summit on our last sailing but agree the buffet could have been better. Even after walking around it a couple of times, I still missed some stuff and would have to aske people where they found certain things. Loved our cabin but we were conceirge class in which the veranda and cabin are slightly larger. I would definitely like foot stools but knew we weren't getting them before hand.

 

Hope your next cruise experience is more to your liking.

[BFleming19]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment about some things on the Summit. My wife and I returned a few weeks ago sailing on her and had a fantastic time.

 

I do agree with you about the lounge chairs in the upper decks. After looking at pictures from our cruise on the Solstice a few years back, I compared it to the Summit pictures and came to this conclusion.(Upper deck had lounge chair coverings on Solstice) The width of the ship compared to new S class ships would not be able to handle the full length loungers that were near the pool. Even as I walked around the upper deck on Summit I thought the same thing. "Why don't see seats have coverings like by the pool?" Then after returning home and looking back at comparisons, it's just not possible to accommodate the upper decks on Summit. Imagine all the complaints we would read about on here stating " the upper deck was so cramped with those deck chairs! There wasn't anywhere to walk".

 

Yes the buffet line was a bit tedious having to walk around the entire Ocean View cafe scoping out the food. Many times after walking around I told my wife, "meet you in the back of the cafe in 10 minutes" lol.

[BFleming19]

I will be on the Summit in 27 days (my first cruise with Celebrity). I have read many conflicting reports about the buffet. Is there much of a wait in each of the different lines?

We were on a Carnival ship a few months ago and the lines for breakfast/lunch were always 15-20 minutes. By the time you got all of your food and sat down, it was cold.

 

Just depends what time of day you go to eat. Many times on our sailing on Carnival Liberty, I can remember the lines especially for the burrito and sandwich line being a long wait. You should be fine on Summit. Longest wait was probably 5 minutes and that was at the poached egg station.

[Rachel302]

We were on Summit the week before you and had such a great cruise we booked the same cabin again for next year. However, I do agree with most of the things you mentioned. Awkward storage in the cabin and bathroom, TERRIBLE pillows/bedding (didnt sleep through the night once all week) trouble flushing the toilet, annoying low/deep sneeze guard (I mustve banged my plate on the glass 2 out of 3 times I got an item from the buffet). There was a server at breakfast time but the poor guy was serving EVERY item on a 10 ft section of the buffet and he'd have to go from one side to the other just to get me a bowl of oatmeal, and then people would be waiting behind me to get items in the middle.. I didn't explain it well, but it was a little frustrating and I felt bad for the server.

Like I said, we LOVED the cruise and booked the same one again, but I can see how those minor annoyances could pile up and bother someone more than it bothered us.

[shell15]

Just depends what time of day you go to eat. Many times on our sailing on Carnival Liberty, I can remember the lines especially for the burrito and sandwich line being a long wait. You should be fine on Summit. Longest wait was probably 5 minutes and that was at the poached egg station.

 

 

I have to agree...we've sailed on the Summit several times (and will again in December...can't WAIT!!) and honestly have never once had an issue with a long line at the buffet. We are semi-early risers (usually heading to breakfast around 8 or so) but even at lunch we never have to wait long at all. I like the M-class ships buffet style much better than on the S-class...I found the Solstice buffet area to be confused, always crowded and unorganized...no clear way to line up and people coming from all different directions.

 

FWIW, I also much prefer the M-class cabin/bathroom storage to the S-class..much more space and easier to access.

 

Just my 2 cents!! :D

[BFleming19]

I have to agree...we've sailed on the Summit several times (and will again in December...can't WAIT!!) and honestly have never once had an issue with a long line at the buffet. We are semi-early risers (usually heading to breakfast around 8 or so) but even at lunch we never have to wait long at all. I like the M-class ships buffet style much better than on the S-class...I found the Solstice buffet area to be confused, always crowded and unorganized...no clear way to line up and people coming from all different directions.

 

FWIW, I also much prefer the M-class cabin/bathroom storage to the S-class..much more space and easier to access.

 

Just my 2 cents!! :D

 

Second the confusion of buffet area on Solstice. Summit was much easier to maneuver around.

[mardon]

I agree with Shell15. We just got off the Reflection and hated the buffet area. Everyone walking in different directions like Grand Central Station. Everyone kept bumping into each other. Can't win. Always someone complaining about something.

[Lois R]

I agree with Shell15. We just got off the Reflection and hated the buffet area. Everyone walking in different directions like Grand Central Station. Everyone kept bumping into each other. Can't win. Always someone complaining about something.

 

But that happens everywhere, no matter what ship:eek:....some folks

hate the buffet on the M class ships too.....they think the lines are

like "school"....other folks love the S class stations.....

 

Hope you had a good cruise:) (even with hating the buffet)

 

And of course, there are people who complain about ----- pick a

topic:eek:

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Don't forget that you can always go to the main dining room for breakfast (and lunch on sea days), and also the Aqua Spa Cafe is open for both breakfast and lunch. In addition, you can always order room service. I pretty much avoid the buffet for all the reasons listed, but also because I'm on vacation and don't want to eat at the equivalent of the Golden Corral!:D

[chill6x6]

When you are talking about the lounge chairs on the upper decks....Like the ones you lay out and get sun by the pool and on the deck?? Dirty, stained, and torn??

[Lady Chew]

Loved our cabin but we were conceirge class in which the veranda and cabin are slightly larger. I would definitely like foot stools but knew we weren't getting them before hand.

.

 

We were in concierge class, Deck 8 ... the cabin was small, and the veranda was small, two regular chairs & one table took up all the space.

 

When you are talking about the lounge chairs on the upper decks....Like the ones you lay out and get sun by the pool and on the deck?? Dirty, stained, and torn??

 

Yes, they were pretty horrible. I still have a hard time believing that any cruise line would keep chairs that bad in use. The solarium had newer chairs, but those of in our party who used them didn't find them comfortable.

The service was pretty good around the ship ... except in the buffet. The only time they seemed to be adequately staffed was at breakfast. We didn't notice long lines at lunch or at dinner because there were so few people around, including servers. We ate most of our lunches out at the grill, those hambugers were yummy! And on the one sea day, they had a big buffet in the MDR.

As I said, we'd never sail or recommend Celebrity on the basis of this ship, but would be willing to try one of the newer ships if the price & itinerary were absolutely completely totally perfect!

[cruiseacecat]

We were in concierge class, Deck 8 ... the cabin was small, and the veranda was small, two regular chairs & one table took up all the space.

 

 

 

Yes, they were pretty horrible. I still have a hard time believing that any cruise line would keep chairs that bad in use. The solarium had newer chairs, but those of in our party who used them didn't find them comfortable.

 

The service was pretty good around the ship ... except in the buffet. The only time they seemed to be adequately staffed was at breakfast. We didn't notice long lines at lunch or at dinner because there were so few people around, including servers. We ate most of our lunches out at the grill, those hambugers were yummy! And on the one sea day, they had a big buffet in the MDR.

 

As I said, we'd never sail or recommend Celebrity on the basis of this ship, but would be willing to try one of the newer ships if the price & itinerary were absolutely completely totally perfect!

I believe you mentioned that you did not like the shelf storage with doors in your cabin. You will, in retrospect, wish you had that storage if you try an S class ship. To me, the lack of storage is the biggest fault of the S class cabins.

I hope you are happier on your next cruise. Maybe I am just too easy to please, but I really love the M class.

 

Anne

[shippmates]

I hope you find a cruise line and ship more to your liking. We maybe very easy to please but to us any day on a ship is better than a day at work. We did not go to the buffet that offen as we ate lunch in the MDR or went to Bistro of 5. If you have not tried that venue you must. That lunch could be the highlight of your day.

[vermonter16]

Interesting review! I have only been on Celebrity Solstice and will be sailing on an M Class ship in May. I guess all ships have their pros and cons.

 

As for the buffet - I read through the responses but not sure if you answered this or not. Besides the confusion of the buffet, did it have long lines? I actually did like the S-Class buffet even though everyone seemed to be going everywhere! I liked to flip from station to station for what I wanted. I'm afraid of getting hung up in a long, long line for just a couple of items.

 

Thanks for the review. I think you made some pretty good points.

[richsea]

Sorry the ship wasn't more to your liking. Maybe S class would be better, however, be advised that the general consensus is that while the S class bathrooms are nicer, the storage is somewhat lacking.

 

I am curious, what cruise line have you sailed on that has room for lounge chairs on the balcony. As far as I know, all lines' standard balcony staterooms are pretty much comparable in size, including their balconies.

[librarylady19]

I have seen photos of some of the aft cabins on the M class ships - the huge ones - with loungers. We did not have loungers in Aquaclass on Deck 9, or even footstools. had to beg the steward to bring 2 extra regular chairs. We had plenty of room as 9038 has a larger, angled balcony. I know this was the topic of much discussion on CC last year!!

[richsea]

I have seen photos of some of the aft cabins on the M class ships - the huge ones - with loungers. We did not have loungers in Aquaclass on Deck 9, or even footstools. had to beg the steward to bring 2 extra regular chairs. We had plenty of room as 9038 has a larger, angled balcony. I know this was the topic of much discussion on CC last year!!

 

We have visited friends who were in an aft stateroom. Toes balconies have plenty of room, with room for large furniture, & the CC class on M ships add the footstool, but I do not know if there is a line that has lounge chairs on a standard balcony. Certainly not Princess or Royal Caribbean. I haven't sailed any other cruise lines, but from what I see, their standard balconies are pretty much all the same size.

Loved your Reflection review by the way!

[Meena]

We were on the Feb 8th sailing and had the same cruise booked for next February and promptly cancelled it when we got home. Most of the concerns of the reviewer are absolutely true. No servers to take your drink, the ship is showing a lot of age with no repairs. My facecloths were like gauze and my fingers went through them on several nights. The staff was wonderful, but this is what they have to work with. Celebrity certainly is not maintaining the older ships and it shows, especially if you've taken previous cruises with them. There were not enough servers in the breakfast lines. The omelet man was also in charge of the carving station and you had to wait until there was a lull in his egg line for him to carve something for you. On the last day of the cruise, when everyone was having breakfast early, two of the coffee stations in the rear of the ship were closed. How dumb is that? We did; however, find the MDR food to be terrible. We usually left a lot on our plate and when the waiter offered to replace the entree, we declined because it would probably be just as bad. We did cancel next year; we have an Azamara one booked to Europe for fall (this will be our first and we want to see if this is the Celebrity of old) and are mulling the Reflection for the Caribbean, a newer ship for next Feb, but the Summitt is still fresh in our memory, so I don't know. We don't know if we will give Celebrity another chance after taking 21 Celebrity cruises as this last one the cutbacks were so evident.