Summit Review June9-16

[CruisersTimesThree]

Just alittle background...

 

We weren't really planning on taking this cruise, as my DH and I had done the same exact one last June to celebrate our 30th anniversary with another couple. We have a slightly disabled son and I always felt bad that we didnt take him, so in Feb I started looking at prices to see how they compared to last year and then read about the promos that were offered on Bermuda voyages. I kept watch everyday, then knew it was being extended and free parking was thrown in too. The price dropped about $1500 for the suite I wanted and I booked it on April 20th. I booked Royal Suite 6139, the same one we had last year. With the promo we had chosen the drink package, was given $500 OBC for a suite booking, another $100 for being a NY resident, and the free parking voucher....all in all I was happy with the price we got and the extras.

 

 

Embarkation Day

We live on Long Island, so it was a simple drive to Bayonne for us. We left home around 10am, arriving at the port just before 11:30. Knowing the procedure, my husband pulled in to a spot, a porter helped us with our bags, my husband parked in the adjacent lot, while our son and I waited for him just outside the check-in area. At this time a lot of people had arrived at the same time we did and there was a long line formed. I couldnt remember if we went through security first and then the check-in last year and knew that there were separate areas according to your cabin, so I questioned a woman who was moving people along. She told me it was security first, then check-in, but she would be awaiting us on the other side to escort us to VIP, which I found to be very accomadating as to the amount of people that were on line. The line moved quickly (Celebrity really has it down pat at Bayonne!) and we had no problem with our 2 larger bottles of wine getting through.

The woman I spoke to was right where she said she would be, walked us over to our check-in desk and the paperwork was done within minutes. Coincidentally, a young man (Tim, the maitre d' at the Normandie) who I recognized from last year was also helping out at the desk and when he saw our name (its very unusual) he remembered us and instantly asked if we would be dining in his venue again this cruise. We told him we planned to on our anniversary that Wed evening and he right there and then made our reservation for that and also Qsine. Service right from the start was impeccable!

We were on a bus and aboard the ship within another 10 mins, greeted with a welcome glass of champagne and smiles.

The one thing I needed to take care of then, since Tim already booked our restaurants was to get our beverage package upgraded and buy our son a soda package. We went straight to the Martini Bar and it was done in no time. Then off to Bistro on Five for delicous crepes and paninnis for lunch.

The steak pannini is sooooo sooooo good (had it twice this cruise) and the Italian crepe is a big favorite of my husbands. Bloody Marys were delish and were ordered quite often on this trip.

The announcement came somewhere between 1-1:30 that cabins were ready and my husband and I were very excited to let our son open the door to our suite. When I saw the smile on his face, I knew we made the right decision to do this again.

 

 

More to come later......I have to get dinner going and a few things done around the house. I will try to get more written later tonight.

[drarill]

Great start!! enjoying your review!!! Thanks for sharing!:):)

[dobes3kh]

Just alittle background...

 

We weren't really planning on taking this cruise, as my DH and I had done the same exact one last June to celebrate our 30th anniversary with another couple. We have a slightly disabled son and I always felt bad that we didnt take him, so in Feb I started looking at prices to see how they compared to last year and then read about the promos that were offered on Bermuda voyages. I kept watch everyday, then knew it was being extended and free parking was thrown in too. The price dropped about $1500 for the suite I wanted and I booked it on April 20th. I booked Royal Suite 6139, the same one we had last year. With the promo we had chosen the drink package, was given $500 OBC for a suite booking, another $100 for being a NY resident, and the free parking voucher....all in all I was happy with the price we got and the extras.

 

 

Embarkation Day

We live on Long Island, so it was a simple drive to Bayonne for us. We left home around 10am, arriving at the port just before 11:30. Knowing the procedure, my husband pulled in to a spot, a porter helped us with our bags, my husband parked in the adjacent lot, while our son and I waited for him just outside the check-in area. At this time a lot of people had arrived at the same time we did and there was a long line formed. I couldnt remember if we went through security first and then the check-in last year and knew that there were separate areas according to your cabin, so I questioned a woman who was moving people along. She told me it was security first, then check-in, but she would be awaiting us on the other side to escort us to VIP, which I found to be very accomadating as to the amount of people that were on line. The line moved quickly (Celebrity really has it down pat at Bayonne!) and we had no problem with our 2 larger bottles of wine getting through.

The woman I spoke to was right where she said she would be, walked us over to our check-in desk and the paperwork was done within minutes. Coincidentally, a young man (Tim, the maitre d' at the Normandie) who I recognized from last year was also helping out at the desk and when he saw our name (its very unusual) he remembered us and instantly asked if we would be dining in his venue again this cruise. We told him we planned to on our anniversary that Wed evening and he right there and then made our reservation for that and also Qsine. Service right from the start was impeccable!

We were on a bus and aboard the ship within another 10 mins, greeted with a welcome glass of champagne and smiles.

The one thing I needed to take care of then, since Tim already booked our restaurants was to get our beverage package upgraded and buy our son a soda package. We went straight to the Martini Bar and it was done in no time. Then off to Bistro on Five for delicous crepes and paninnis for lunch.

The steak pannini is sooooo sooooo good (had it twice this cruise) and the Italian crepe is a big favorite of my husbands. Bloody Marys were delish and were ordered quite often on this trip.

The announcement came somewhere between 1-1:30 that cabins were ready and my husband and I were very excited to let our son open the door to our suite. When I saw the smile on his face, I knew we made the right decision to do this again.

 

 

More to come later......I have to get dinner going and a few things done around the house. I will try to get more written later tonight.

 

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.....we sail in July! Didn't realize the Summit has QSine :)

[scubanurse]

I sail on July 14 th, and am hanging on your every word! Great start!

E

[6502programmer]

Really quick question.. Did the ship dock on the port or the starboard side at Kings Wharf? We're trying to decide which cabin to book, and knowing which is dock and which is water is important. Thank you!!

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[CruisersTimesThree]

Continuing on....and this is very very long!

 

 

Cabin, Butler, Room Steward

 

 

As I mentioned, we booked the same exact Royal Suite we had last year, 6139, so there really were no surprises (except for my sons reaction) Upon arriving, our butler, Dominick followed behind us a few minutes later and introduced himself. He had pad and pen in hand asking us what requests we had. Not really fussy about much, but I did have a few things that I was hoping he could do. In a RS you get 2 bottles of liquor, a bottle of Absolut and a bottle of Dewers. Not being scotch drinkers, I asked if it was possible to get the Dewers swapped out for a bottle of Baileys. Was done without any problems. Only other things I asked for...feather pillows, an egg crate topper for the pull out sofa for my son, having the mini fridge (really just a cooler) emptied so we could use it for soda and water, and instead of the afternoon snacks they usually give you, we asked for a cheese plate and shrimp cocktail, which was delivered every afternoon.

I had remembered how much last year I enjoyed the little chicken salad sandwiches that were served most days off the tea cart (tea service at 4pm is a nice touch) and asked Dominick if those were still available, as I would love them on the days I was in my cabin at this time. He said he would check and lo and behold, every day he left me a plate of them with 4 mini sandwiches on our dining room table. Dominick was wonderful, we were very happy with all he did and he received a well deserved extra tip at the end of the cruise (also gave him our phone card we purchased in Bermuda that still had about 30 mins left on it, he really appreciated that also!)

Met our room steward Maxine?? I think thats her name. Saw her only one other day when I went to seek her out to complain about something that drove me crazy. In the bedroom is the vanity area to do makeup and hair. I believe it was day 3 of the cruise that I noticed that the counter was never wiped. It had a coating of hairspray and little specs of my makeup all over. Also, the carpet right under this area had a shaving from my liner pencil, which I let sit there to see how many days it would take for her to maybe vacuum it. I did mention to Dominick that I would like the counter wiped, found Maxine and told her the same. It was done 2 days later. The pencil shaving? It may still be there. Not enough to make me run to guest relations, but it was mentioned on the attention to detail card.

 

 

The ship, the pool and the crew

 

 

After reading some recent reviews of complaints about the Summits condition, I made sure to keep an eye out for certain things. Myself personally, found nothing wrong on this gem of a ship. She became my favorite last year, and continues to be. Sure, there are rust spots here and there and some things that need sprucing up, but give me a break people, she sails in salt water 52 weeks a year with thousands and thousands of people aboard over the course of this time! Nothing bothered me about her condition and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again.

The pool is the pool....people chair hogging as usual, but we were able to find three chairs together on all the days we spent there. People also complained about the disgusting deck chairs, which have been taken care of. The chairs now have dark blue pads strapped to them, but beware, they get very HOT in the sun. Be sure to use two towels to cover the entire seat for yourself.

Our first full day at sea (Monday) was not a great day weather-wise, so we did take advantage of the wonderful T-pool. Nice and warm, very comfortable, just not enough seating in this area.

I'll summarize the crew quickly here too....not much more to say except, fantastic! Always smiling and ready with a hello! Bar service everywhere was great, never had a problem. Wine service with dinner was quick and our glasses were always full. Officers were always around asking if you were enjoying your cruise. The captain was VERY visable, one day having coffee at Café Bacio, one evening he played in the Texas Hold 'em tournament against other crew and passengers (he won) another night greeting guests on their way to the dining room. Very friendly and personable which was nice to see.

On Bermuda we met a young couple that was sailing on the Breakaway and they complained that the service was very lacking. They said when you needed something, a crew member was no where to be found. I was glad I was on the “little” ship!

 

 

 

 

Activities and Shows

 

 

I'm not sure how other people felt about our cruise director, but I LOVED him! Alexander Yepremian was funny, charming and very energetic! He was everywhere on the ship and had the goal to meet every single passenger by the end of the cruise. Not sure if he did, but I bet he tried his best to do it.

He did the very first live show on a Celebrity ship called "Ask Alexander Live at Five" on Friday afternoon, which was a hoot! (you were able to view it in your cabin) He had guests call in and ask any question you wanted and the best was a little boy who called in and said that his sister wanted to know if Alexander would deliver her breakfast to their room the next morning in his salmon pants! It was so adorable and Alexander asked what she wanted, their cabin number and said he would be there at 6am. Don't know if he did, if anyone does, let me know! His parents happened to be onboard this cruise which I think made him even more excited to do his job well. That goal, at least to me was accomplished.

 

 

Production shows were just that, we enjoyed them, but I think they were the same ones from last year.

 

 

Jason Bishop, the illusionist was AMAZING! If he is on your sailing, do not miss him! My husband actually helped on one illusion, for anyone who is reading this and was there, it was the one with the wood box. He has been talking about it all week and is racking his brain trying to figure out how the heck Jason did it! His show is a must see!

 

 

The comedian, Buzz Sutherland was very funny...clean...enjoyable. He was around the ship a lot too, as his wife and children were also on this sailing with him.

 

 

One of the funniest “shows” we saw was Liars Club, where Alexander, Jason and Buzz were the participants. Laughed so hard and the comraderie between these three was great!

 

For those of you who play bingo...it got really expensive! Last year I think it cost us $20 or $30 each to play, but now the cheapest you can buy is a board with 3 games that is $39, then $49 for a 6 face and $59 for a 9 face. When I asked why so expensive, they said a new company now oversaw the bingo and that's their prices. They only play three games per session and they are played on the sea days only...Mon, Tues and Sat.

 

Here is where I may get into trouble with some...54 Below. Our guest Broadway performer was the wonderful Donna McKechnie. Only problem for me, she was not so wonderful the evening she performed. I was bored to death and couldn't wait for it to be over. Don't get me wrong, she is a terrific performer, but the show she put on was not what I was expecting. I guess that was the problem. I thought she would take us through a set of wonderful Broadway tunes, but instead sang songs about her journey to get to Broadway, nothing that I ever heard before. Not sure how 54 Below is working or will work out on other sailings, but it was not something I enjoyed.

I did see her one other time on the ship. She was having dinner in the Normandie the night we were there celebrating our anniversary. She was with her piano player and since it was the first night in Bermuda, the restaurant was pretty empty. You could overhear their conversation, which was filled with Broadway talk. Two couples stopped by her table to chat with her and she was very gracious to them, which was nice to see.

 

Food

 

Of course, food is subjective, but IMHO, the food on the Summit is terrific!

We had select dining and ate there five out of the seven nights. Waited only one evening no more then 10 mins to be seated. Anything we ordered, we enjoyed. My husband LOVED the braised short ribs and I was a big fan of the lobster tail served on the second formal night. It was cooked to perfection. My son ate fish several nights and said everything was delicious.

First night aboard, we had dinner in Qsine. Fun place, fun food and my son was happy to have an Ipad in his hand! (we left his home) We ate here last year and knew what we were in for...way too much food and a crazy waiter, we got both!

We dined in the Normandie on our anniversary which fell on Wed night of the cruise. I was surprised to find that the menu had changed slightly from the year before and surf n' turf was no longer available. When I asked our waiter about it and he saw my disappointment, he asked Tim (mentioned him earlier) the maître d' and Tim was kind enough to have the chef make it for me! That's what is so special about Celebrity, they really care about making you happy, and this gesture was just so sweet! I had a wonderful dinner thanks to the kindness of Tim!

My husband had the dover sole, which they debone tableside and my son just loved the lobster that was cooked also tableside. The Normandie was a perfect dinner and evening!

Breakfast...on sea days we had it served by Dominick on our balcony...loved that!

The other mornings we did the buffet, which served the purpose. Things were easy to find and my son loved the waffles, he ate them practically every morning!

Lunch was usually from the grill...burgers and hot dogs, no complaints.

Pizza, surprisingly is very very good. My husband is a huge pizza fan, and if he liked it, then it had to be not too bad. We had it a couple of late nights before retiring to our cabin and for lunch too.

 

The one thing I will say was bothersome, and it really is the one and only thing....the ship is soooo HOT! Every venue seemed to have no air conditioning on. Our first night in the upstairs (select) dining room, which happened to be the first formal night, we were brought to a table in the right back corner. This area is very crowded with tables and was the most uncomfortable time I ever had at dinner. I was literally sweating! People around us agreed, and there were many men who had taken off their jackets because of the lack of air. Complaints were made, excuses were made. The next night we were lead to the same area and I refused to sit there as it was still hot. Shah, the ass't maître d' of select dining was very gracious and moved us to a much cooler area and from that night on, Milan, the man at the front desk knew where we preferred to sit.

One other thing...formal nights....there were all kinds of dress, especially the men. There were some in just sports shirts and slacks, suits, tuxes, sports jackets with no ties. Apparently anything goes, so for those who argue about what people should and shouldn't wear...theres no point in doing it.

 

Okay, I think I covered all as far as the ship is concerned...oh wait, the casino! My son certainly loved it as he walked off the ship $900 richer! The staff in there was very friendly and helpful with people who had no clue what they were doing! Okay, now done...

 

Bermuda

 

As this was our fourth time on the island, we didn't do a lot of touristy things or sightseeing, that has been covered in previous visits.

On Day 1, our plan was a cab to Horseshoe Bay. We got there fairly quickly before most of the buses got there, rented our chairs and an umbrella, settled in a good spot, enjoyed the water, which was pretty warm and the sun...for about two hours and then the rain came. It was funny to see all the people huddled under the beach umbrellas with the wind howling and the rain coming down pretty good. Little by little people decided to leave, and we followed as soon as we got a break in the rain. Oh well, we headed back to the ship, relaxed on the balcony and took advantage of the hot tub on our balcony. It rained on and off the rest of the day, but it didn't bother us too much.

 

Day 2 was our best day of the trip. I had reserved day passes at the Coco Reef Resort at Elbow Beach. For $49 pp you get to use the resorts pool, private beach, chairs, umbrellas and towels. The kicker...you also get lunch included on the terrace restaurant with a glass of wine! A great deal as far as I am concerned. The weather was perfect and being that my son isn't a real beach fan, it was nice to see him have a day that was totally for him.

 

Day 3 was a quick trip to Hamilton on the 9am ferry to do alittle shopping and back to the ship. Knowing that most people would be doing all their last minute beach, shopping etc, we headed to the pool after getting back and had no trouble getting chairs poolside and enjoying the rest of the day in the sun. We had met some very nice people throughout the week and it seemed like we all wound up near each other by the pool on this afternoon so there was a lot of sharing our stories about what we did so far and what our plans were for the last day of the cruise.

 

Friday night we had pretty rough seas, but thankfully we are pretty good sailors, so we got through without any issues. By late Saturday morning all was calm again and we spent the day bumming around the ship (I had enough sun) and packing.

 

In conclusion....it was wonderful to be aboard the Summit again! Nothing in life is perfect, but a week sailing her sure comes close.

I hope everyone who has yet to sail her and will be in the coming weeks loves her as much as I do!

Any questions....ask away! Hope you enjoyed my way tooooo long review!

[CruisersTimesThree]

Really quick question.. Did the ship dock on the port or the starboard side at Kings Wharf? We're trying to decide which cabin to book, and knowing which is dock and which is water is important. Thank you!!

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Our cruise, it docked on the portside, but that is not always the case.

Depending on maintenance issues, the ship can also dock starboard side.

There is no way to know which way the ship will dock once it reaches port, so if you are basing your cabin choice solely on this, you might be disappointed.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Kikimeister]

thanks for posting your review!!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report, glad you had a great time!

[BamaD]

Thank you for this review. The air conditioning concerns me. Were other areas affected? Theater? Casino?

 

Did you try Blu for dinner or breakfast?

 

I'm so happy that your son had a good cruise! I once surprised my MIL and daughter with a Celebrity Suite - and that "door opening moment" is priceless:)!

[CruisingChick]

I'm not sure how other people felt about our cruise director, but I LOVED him! Alexander Yepremian was funny, charming and very energetic! He was everywhere on the ship and had the goal to meet every single passenger by the end of the cruise. Not sure if he did, but I bet he tried his best to do it.

 

I agree 1000 percent. Loved him. Hope he's still on the ship in September when we go back.

[CruisersTimesThree]

Thank you for this review. The air conditioning concerns me. Were other areas affected? Theater? Casino?

 

Did you try Blu for dinner or breakfast?

 

I'm so happy that your son had a good cruise! I once surprised my MIL and daughter with a Celebrity Suite - and that "door opening moment" is priceless:)!

 

Our cabin was warm, had a tech come look at it and after that it seemed fine. Theater was comfortable, but again, a tad warm for me.

The casino seemed to be the only place that was cooler. When it wasn't crowded I actually had to put on a sweater. Also, Normandie was freezing, but that might be because when we ate there it was pretty much empty.

Only had one breakfast in BLU. I find the staff there too "stuffy" and had this confirmed when I asked if it was possible for my son to get hash browns with his French toast and a "NO!" was snapped by the waiter.

[stellarose]

Can you get sun in the solarium/ t pool area?

 

Just want to sunbathe, read a book and have my frozen drinks.:)

[CruisersTimesThree]

Can you get sun in the solarium/ t pool area?

 

Just want to sunbathe, read a book and have my frozen drinks.:)

 

No, it is an enclosed area with a roof on it.

[jfer8580]

Hi,

Great review....a ton of useful information.

 

I started a thread with some questions and most were answered but I can't seem to find anyone recently that has gone to the John Lennon tribute in the dockyard. It doesn't sound like you attended but do you know if they are still having it and if anyone from you sailing went?

[CruisersTimesThree]

Hi,

Great review....a ton of useful information.

 

I started a thread with some questions and most were answered but I can't seem to find anyone recently that has gone to the John Lennon tribute in the dockyard. It doesn't sound like you attended but do you know if they are still having it and if anyone from you sailing went?

 

We didn't attend, but I did notice the signs were up advertising it around the ferry area. No one I talked to on the ship mentioned that they went.

On our day at Coco Reef, we met two women who were guests of the hotel and they were planning on taking a cab to the dockyard and see the show, but of course, I didn't see them after that day, so I cant tell you anyones opinion of the show, sorry.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write and to post your review.

 

Keith

[denims]

Thanks for your great review!!!:)

[jax430]

Thanks for the detailed review! We will be on the Summit in August, and I am so excited!

[jfer8580]

We didn't attend, but I did notice the signs were up advertising it around the ferry area. No one I talked to on the ship mentioned that they went.

On our day at Coco Reef, we met two women who were guests of the hotel and they were planning on taking a cab to the dockyard and see the show, but of course, I didn't see them after that day, so I cant tell you anyones opinion of the show, sorry.

 

Thanks for getting back to me. You have been very helpful.

[kfrey68]

Thank you for this review. The air conditioning concerns me. Were other areas affected? Theater? Casino?

 

Did you try Blu for dinner or breakfast?

 

I'm so happy that your son had a good cruise! I once surprised my MIL and daughter with a Celebrity Suite - and that "door opening moment" is priceless:)!

 

 

Most of the ship seemed warmer than most except for Michael's Lounge which the day we were in there for the staff captains talk was freezing and I generally do not mind being cool.

[Gran2five]

Continuing on....and this is very very long!

 

 

Activities and Shows

 

 

I'm not sure how other people felt about our cruise director, but I LOVED him! Alexander Yepremian was funny, charming and very energetic! He was everywhere on the ship and had the goal to meet every single passenger by the end of the cruise. Not sure if he did, but I bet he tried his best to do it.

 

In conclusion....it was wonderful to be aboard the Summit again! Nothing in life is perfect, but a week sailing her sure comes close.

 

Thanks for your review. We were on the June 2-9 sailing and agree with you - Alexander is so funny and energetic.

 

Like you, it was so nice to sail on Summit again. We've been away from Celebrity for a few years, sailing on another cruise line and doing land trips but we felt 'at home' on Summit.

 

Thanks for posting!

[Lois R]

Hi, what a wonderful review and glad you had such a good time:)

The A/C issue....wow:eek:....did they ever fix it? Or I should say did the

ship feel any cooler as the week went by? Was it just the dining room?

 

I am sailing her for the 6th time in August so when you say you love

the ship? I am right there with you:D.

I have only been to Bermuda once and that was only for 1 day so I am

very much looking forward to seeing more of it this time:)...last time

I never left the dockyard so this time Hamilton and Horseshoe Bay

are definitely on my list.

I was going to do St George too but when you mentioned Coco Reef

Resort? Sounds really nice......would you recommend it? And what is

the easiest way to get there?

[Aries 65]

We leave on Sunday. The review was great. Really gets us in the mood.