Just back from 6/22 Summit to Bermuda

[mrstravel]

Hi everyone,

I just returned and had an awesome cruise. I really liked the new set up with the buffet using the individual serving dishes. The food in the dining room was way better than it was on the Summit 5 years ago. If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them.

Cheryl

[Cruise4Jesus]

Hope you enjoyed your cruise, I do have a few questions:

Where there very many activities during the day?

Did you happen to notice if there were any ballroom dancing lessons?

Was the main Dining Room open for lunch on port days or embarkation day?

Do you know if you can still just put a luggage tag on case of water or soda when dropping your luggage off?

Do you know if they have complimentary cappuccino in the main dining room or is it just coffee that is complimentary?

 

Thanks in advance for any information.

[mrstravel]

Hi,

There were activities scheduled throughout all of the days. I did not notice if there were ballroom dance lessons or not and I did not come home with the daily schedules, so I can not look it up for you. I do not know if the main dining room was open for lunch on port days because I was off of the ship. However, I do know that it was not open for lunch on embarcation day. I do not think that cappucino was included in the dining room. When we were given the dessert menu, there were paid coffee drinks listed and cappucino was one of them. But if you have the classic or premium alcohol package then they are included. I do not know the answer to the soda/water question.

Sorry I was not much help.

Hope you have a geat trip.

Cheryl

[antsnanny]

Hi everyone,

I just returned and had an awesome cruise. I really liked the new set up with the buffet using the individual serving dishes. The food in the dining room was way better than it was on the Summit 5 years ago. If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them.

Cheryl

 

Can you elaborate on the buffet… I was on the May 11 sailing and probably since it was the rollout of the new idea, it would be an understatement to say it was less than perfect. I am sailing the Summit again in September for 14 days to Canada and I am excited to learn about the new and improved buffet.

Thanks.

[BTSEN5]

I also just came off the Summit. I have mixed feelings about the buffet. The food was delicious, but they really need to do something about how low those sneeze shield guards are.... Not the top ones, but the lower glass. I had tobe a contortionist to reach the salad toppings.

 

Another problem was that every time I went for pizza, they had none made. So many times all four pizzas were not made. Then when one came out, people were asking for five or six slices.... Two people and they were out again.

 

It was a great cruise, but Celebrity could improve a lot of things. I hope that they can work some of the issues out.

 

Entertainment was the best

I have seen on a ship though.... Piano guy was beyond fantastic, and my son loved Nester. Oh, and it made my days to hear my kind of music on the ship.

 

Oh, and could we have picked a better weather week to cruise?.... I think not. :)

[Keith1010]

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[DonnaK]

 

Entertainment was the best

I have seen on a ship though.... Piano guy was beyond fantastic, and my son loved Nester. Oh, and it made my days to hear my kind of music on the ship.

 

Oh, and could we have picked a better weather week to cruise?.... I think not. :)

Jordan Peterson...isn't he just awesome!?! I will be on the Summit again in 7 weeks, and can't wait to hear him again!

[KirkNC]

Welcome home, hope you enjoyed your trip.

[ARRA]

Our family was on the same cruise and had a great time. I love the change in buffet. It is definitely a positive move in reducing the spreading of germs. The plastic screens to help prevent food being coughed on looked larger and a vertical screen was installed. So it helped prevent folks from picking and digging through the trays and only pick from the front. Many dishes were pre-portioned in small dishes and baskets, very much like tapas or dim sum. Again this helped keep things to be more clean and reduce the number of people touching the same serving spoon. Another benefit was looking around the dining room, there looked to be a lot less waste of leftover food on trays. Soups, oatmeal, and grits were served by the buffet attendant, so sometimes there was a 5 min wait but never excessive. Breads were portioned and wrapped in paper, and dessert was always served by an attendant.

I noticed that the fruit was usually self scoop, I actually would recommend also having it put in bowls since the watermelon always looked crushed from people digging.

I love the new change especially seeing so many people not use the hand sanitizer before going into the buffet. I hope they implement this for all celebrity and RCL ships.

 

And it looks like the ship also got brand new lounge chairs. The pool attendant said they were very expensive and only got them a couple weeks ago. His face looked so sad when we saw a bunch of young kids running down the deck using the lounge chairs as mini trampolines.

 

Our family also realized after trying anytime seating on RCL and select seating on Celebrity that it's just not for us. The service level between main seating and select seating is dramatic. Prepaid tipping has made service levels extremely poor in the dining room. I remember cruising before prepaid tipping when the assistant waiters from main dining would keep an eye out for you during breakfast and lunch the buffet and offer assistance and get a warm greeting. Needless to say, that is long gone. In select dining, the food was excellent. The wait times between courses was ridiculously slow. In the last night we waited 45 min to get served dessert.

The specialty restaurants were excellent. Food was excellent and so was service. The only annoying part was I had tried to change my reservation time to an earlier time and they said the time was not available. But upon entering the restaurant, there were empty tables everywhere. So definitely not a lack of table but rather a lack of staffing to provide service.

The shows were good. The cruise musical productions were excellent. The special guest was ok, just not what I was interested in.

Pools and hot tubs were fun and kids loved it. Only complaint is that there were a bunch of old ladies that liked standing in the kids pool that kept telling all the kids to stop splashing or being too loud. I finally had to tell them that this was the only kids pool on the ship and that they can go soak in the other 2 adult only pools and told my 6 yr old and his friends they could do cannonballs to make my point. They left and I was cheered by the other moms and dad's at the pool. Of course then the cannonballs stopped. Safety first. ;)

We had a great time and would do this cruise again. The weather was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

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[kenevenpar]

Thanks for the comments. Sounds like our fav ship is still doing well! Love the pool story, knowing that the cannonballs were tongue in cheek.:D

 

Ken

 

Did you find the new chairs comfortable?

[Big_G]

Hope you enjoyed your cruise, I do have a few questions:

 

Where there very many activities during the day?

 

Did you happen to notice if there were any ballroom dancing lessons?

 

Was the main Dining Room open for lunch on port days or embarkation day?

 

Do you know if you can still just put a luggage tag on case of water or soda when dropping your luggage off?

 

Do you know if they have complimentary cappuccino in the main dining room or is it just coffee that is complimentary?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any information.

 

 

We were on the week before and ballroom dancing was offered. The main dining room was only open on sea days for lunch. It was not open for lunch on embarkation day. We do not drink cappuccino so I can't answer that nor did we take any water except two bottles in my backpack that they let through.

 

 

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[seaman11]

1 question- Is there food available around the clock. I do tend to eat 5-6 meals a day onboard so is this an issue? Is there a Midnight buffet or is it similar to RCL as far as timings?

[CruisingChick]

1 question- Is there food available around the clock. I do tend to eat 5-6 meals a day onboard so is this an issue? Is there a Midnight buffet or is it similar to RCL as far as timings?

 

There is no midnight buffet. The aft grill and sushi/stir fry close at 9:30 PM. The Pasta and Salad Bar close at 11:00 PM. The pizza station closes at 1 AM. After that I believe there is only room service until 6 am Early Risers in the Buffet. Breakfast Buffet starts at 6:30 AM.

[BTSEN5]

Jordan Peterson...isn't he just awesome!?! I will be on the Summit again in 7 weeks, and can't wait to hear him again!

 

 

Yes! He is. I got to talk to him, and he is just as sweet as he is talented.

[mgmigs]

I also just came off the Summit. I have mixed feelings about the buffet. The food was delicious, but they really need to do something about how low those sneeze shield guards are.... Not the top ones, but the lower glass. I had tobe a contortionist to reach the salad toppings.

 

Another problem was that every time I went for pizza, they had none made. So many times all four pizzas were not made. Then when one came out, people were asking for five or six slices.... Two people and they were out again.

 

It was a great cruise, but Celebrity could improve a lot of things. I hope that they can work some of the issues out.

 

Entertainment was the best

I have seen on a ship though.... Piano guy was beyond fantastic, and my son loved Nester. Oh, and it made my days to hear my kind of music on the ship.

 

Oh, and could we have picked a better weather week to cruise?.... I think not. :)

 

I could have written this myself. I agree 100%. The buffet was awkward and difficult to maneuver, especially if you wanted a salad or stir fry where you had to choose things from the back, absolutely impossible. I actually felt these dishes made for much more waste since the portions were quite large and there were a variety of items in each and you may want only one of those items, everyone does not eat the same way. The eggs in the proportioned eggs with bacon and sausage were just disgusting and raw. Pizza was an issue for my entire cruise, they couldn't keep up with the pizza demand at all.

 

And as for Nestor, he is our favorite and cannot be missed. He was the best entertainment on board.

[petesfamily]

Yes! He is. I got to talk to him, and he is just as sweet as he is talented.

 

Hearing this stuff NEVER gets old. Glad everyone enjoys our son, Jordan. His CD will be out VERY soon around July 10th. Can't wait.

[wwcruisers]

Hearing this stuff NEVER gets old. Glad everyone enjoys our son, Jordan. His CD will be out VERY soon around July 10th. Can't wait.

 

Mr & Mrs P -- Looking forward to seeing Jordan again, on our Labor Day Summit cruise. Do you know whether or not X will be permitting him to perform some of his new/original music onboard? What about selling his new CD's on the ship? I only ask, because I've heard that cruiselines can be pretty persnickety about play-lists, etc. I think X has a real "gem" with Jordan -- I hope they appreciate him for the talented artist that he is! :cool:

[petesfamily]

Mr & Mrs P -- Looking forward to seeing Jordan again, on our Labor Day Summit cruise. Do you know whether or not X will be permitting him to perform some of his new/original music onboard? What about selling his new CD's on the ship? I only ask, because I've heard that cruiselines can be pretty persnickety about play-lists, etc. I think X has a real "gem" with Jordan -- I hope they appreciate him for the talented artist that he is! :cool:

 

He will be selling his CD's on the ship, he just has to get them approved by the Celebrity corporate office in Miami, so hopefully that will be a quick process! I am sure he will be able to sing his own music, especially if somebody requests it!!! Glad you enjoy Jordan, we sure do. Wish we were cruising again to Bermuda this summer!!

[ARRA]

Pizza- We never had a problem. I had a 6 yr old and 4 yr old with me and never had a problem getting pizza. The attendant was super nice. If they didn't have any ready, I would place my order go get my drinks and then return to pick up the pizza that she set aside for us. Maybe a second pizza station or making larger pies would have helped. But seriously, pizza can't compare to NYC pizza so no big loss. Still plenty to choose from. Try something new.

 

Pasta station- Loved the pasta attendant. She was super friendly and even got my kids to have veggies in their pasta. She definitely scored points with this mom!

 

Buffet- I agree sometimes it was difficult to reach back for items, but there were always attendants to help. I would rather ask for help than have everyone's hand touch the same serving spoon and spread germs. Too many stories of viruses and people can be dirty and inconsiderate. I've been on too many cruises and all inclusive vacations and have seen too many serving spoons and and tongs fall into the food because people aren't careful to lean it on the side but instead toss it back into the tray.

And in response to the eggs in the containers being gross, I would agree. But we just went to the omelet station and had them make scrambled eggs and there you can pick your own sausage and extra crispy bacon. We never like buffet style tray eggs, they always look green and greasy.

And there were times when the portioned food was not exactly what we wanted like kids didn't like meat touching veggies. The attendant was super accommodating and went in the back to scoop us a special serving.

Being nice, friendly and using your manners with the attendants and a cute 4 yr old batting her eyelashes always helped. ;)

 

Grill- Would have loved already grilled turkey and veggie burgers instead of having to place an order. It would have encouraged healthier choices. And would have loved the option oh having grilled chicken for a burger or even to top a salad.

 

Lounge Chairs- New lounge chairs were very comfy. Good support and didn't have the sinking feeling.

 

Music- Kids loved the DJ and percussionist. We would go to Cafe Bacio every night after the 9pm show and grab a 2nd dessert and hot tea and listen to the music.

 

We loved our cruise! And it's a vacation so focus on the positive and have a good time. Cruising and service levels are not what it used to be so don't go in with super high expectations and you will be happy and have a great time. It could be worse, you could be on Carnival. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

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[BTSEN5]

Hearing this stuff NEVER gets old. Glad everyone enjoys our son, Jordan. His CD will be out VERY soon around July 10th. Can't wait.

 

 

I actually mentioned you to him. I said that I thought it was his parent and that you say hi... He said it must be his dad. :) my son and I sat watching him and could not get enough. He played one day with a percussionist whose partner had to rest her voice.... They sounded fabulous together and had a great chemistry.

 

You have good reason to be proud!

[BTSEN5]

Pizza- We never had a problem. I had a 6 yr old and 4 yr old with me and never had a problem getting pizza. The attendant was super nice. If they didn't have any ready, I would place my order go get my drinks and then return to pick up the pizza that she set aside for us. Maybe a second pizza station or making larger pies would have helped. But seriously, pizza can't compare to NYC pizza so no big loss. Still plenty to choose from. Try something new.

 

Pasta station- Loved the pasta attendant. She was super friendly and even got my kids to have veggies in their pasta. She definitely scored points with this mom!

 

Buffet- I agree sometimes it was difficult to reach back for items, but there were always attendants to help. I would rather ask for help than have everyone's hand touch the same serving spoon and spread germs. Too many stories of viruses and people can be dirty and inconsiderate. I've been on too many cruises and all inclusive vacations and have seen too many serving spoons and and tongs fall into the food because people aren't careful to lean it on the side but instead toss it back into the tray.

And in response to the eggs in the containers being gross, I would agree. But we just went to the omelet station and had them make scrambled eggs and there you can pick your own sausage and extra crispy bacon. We never like buffet style tray eggs, they always look green and greasy.

And there were times when the portioned food was not exactly what we wanted like kids didn't like meat touching veggies. The attendant was super accommodating and went in the back to scoop us a special serving.

Being nice, friendly and using your manners with the attendants and a cute 4 yr old batting her eyelashes always helped. ;)

 

Grill- Would have loved already grilled turkey and veggie burgers instead of having to place an order. It would have encouraged healthier choices. And would have loved the option oh having grilled chicken for a burger or even to top a salad.

 

Lounge Chairs- New lounge chairs were very comfy. Good support and didn't have the sinking feeling.

 

Music- Kids loved the DJ and percussionist. We would go to Cafe Bacio every night after the 9pm show and grab a 2nd dessert and hot tea and listen to the music.

 

We loved our cruise! And it's a vacation so focus on the positive and have a good time. Cruising and service levels are not what it used to be so don't go in with super high expectations and you will be happy and have a great time. It could be worse, you could be on Carnival. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

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Thankfully, I am a positive person. I had a great cruise. I did not expect NYC pizza, and I tried something new every day. The complaint I had is valid when you cannot keep up with pizza even at the times when you should be able to. I never made a big deal...never do. There is still much room from improvement there, because if pizza is a choice, then it should not be out as often as it was.

 

I have a load of positives from this cruise, but constructive criticism should be welcome and accepted. Just because you did not experience what another had, does not mean that it did not happen or we were being persnickety.

 

One thing that I loved was that they kept the temp onboard very comfortable to me. I always felt that Royal kept their ships way too cold. My sons on the other hand, felt it was too warm. Matter of opinion. I did not tell them to stop focusing on the negative for voicing that, nor did I tell them to be thankful that they aren't in Antarctica.

[mardon]

I don't agree with ARRA re: food in Select Dining. Food was great and so was the service. Never had to wait. In Main DIning room with regular seating, waiters waited for all to come to the table and never knew who would and would not show. We got served right away and were always pleased.

[mardon]

New chaises by the pool were the worst ever. Hard as a rock. VERY VERY Uncomfortable.

[wwcruisers]

He will be selling his CD's on the ship, he just has to get them approved by the Celebrity corporate office in Miami, so hopefully that will be a quick process! I am sure he will be able to sing his own music, especially if somebody requests it!!! Glad you enjoy Jordan, we sure do. Wish we were cruising again to Bermuda this summer!!

 

Well, I'll certainly be requesting "I wish I had a reason"! Thanks for posting the link to it, on the other Summit thread. Jordan's new music is very exciting! :cool:

[Big_G]

New chaises by the pool were the worst ever. Hard as a rock. VERY VERY Uncomfortable.

 

They are still using the old lounge chairs with the padding on the aft sun deck. We didn't find them until the end of the cruise.