Review, back from the Summit June 22nd,okay but more miss than hit...

[familymum]

We sailed on the Summit Jun 22 to 29th with another family. We were 4 parents (mi 40s), 2 girls, 14 yrs old, a boy age 16, a boy age 18, an a girl age 19. We had a nice vacation but it is a good thing we've cruised as a family before otherwise I'm not sure that we would cruise again. Celebrity really caters to adults. If you are traveling with young children you will be fine, If you are traveling with teens, especially teens who prefer to stay with their family on deck rather than teen club stuff, they will be very disappointed.

 

Firstly, Bermuda is a beautiful, friendly, and safe island. We were very luck to have phenomenal weather for our whole week, not a drop of rain. Public transportation on the island is easy to use but time consuming. Don't under estimate how long it will take you to get from point A to point B.

 

This is a quick view of what we did.

Day 1 - Gar tours – 4 hrs

End tour at Horseshoe Bay spend afternoon (4 hrs)

Bus back to Ship, enjoy dinner, Harbour Nights,

Ferry back to King's Wharf

 

Day 2 - Ferry to Hamilton, take bus to BAMZ

BAMZ ( aprox3 hrs)

Bus to St Georges, taxi to Achilles Beach

Lunch at the Beach House ( Blackbeard's), enjoy the beach

Ferry back to ship

 

Day 3 - Take ferry to Hamilton

Crystal caves

bus to Hamilton

Ferry back to Dockyard

Explore craft fare etc until time to board.

 

Beaches very amazing and very different from one another. Horseshoes is beautiful views, large waves, lots of people but if you forgo renting chairs you can get away from the crowds. Achilles was almost a private beach, small waves as it is very protected by the reefs. Decent snorkeling. Wish we had skipped lunch at the beach house. The beer was nice and cold but it took over an hour between ordering and the arrival of our food which was just okay. Aquarium was enjoyable but I personally would have preferred more time in St. Georges. (Aquarium was on the other family's list so we obliged.) Crystal caves was cool, the tour it pretty short, most guides etc I read had said 30 minutes which is accurate but the process of paying and waiting for our tour to start added another 45 min-1 hr, plus the bus drive is very long and windy. We took bus 1, big mistake, we took the 11 back to the terminal, much easier on the stomach!!

 

About the ship itself, I was pretty disappointed. Food was good but not exceptional in the main dining room. I personally like the individual portion style in the buffet but is was unevenly applied. In 1 station you would have little bowls with bacon, fruit etc. and a different station would have the same food available with a serve yourself style. If you like to each lunch late as we did (late dinner in the dining room) then food options were less than we have had on other cruises. Between say 2 pm and 4 pm the choices were salad bar, the outdoor grill (hamburgers etc) , pizza and the pasta bar. It was adequate but not inspiring. We ate in Qsine one night, which was very enjoyable. At 9 we were a large group which meant we could get a number of dishes but it was a bit difficult to get a consensus on what to order. It was pretty much the highlight of our ship experiences. We also enjoyed the galley tour a lot.

 

Pool side we had a number of issues. There are 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. 2 of the pools and 4 of the hot tubs are for 18+ and it is enforced in that there is always someone doing the rounds kicking out the teens but as soon as they have passed, some teens and kids get in until they are told to get out again. The so called family pool and 2 hot tubs were swarming with little, little kids. No joke, walking by it one morning with my daughter there were easily 15 kids under 7 in a hot tub intended for 5 people. No wonder that our 14 year old girls and 16 year old son wanted nothing to with it. Bad timing, the two times that they tried to use a hot tub (once with parents present) they were told to leave within 5 minutes. (They were sitting quietly, talking.) While many times that I used the same hot tubs I saw kids, much younger using them for a much longer time. For most of the cruise the teens did not even bother putting on their bathing suits on the ship. Being a smaller ship, there weren’t a lot of other options for them to spend their time. The Podium series - a white house aide- had zero appeal- although my 18 year old loved it.

 

We found it near impossible to have pool side bar service except for our last sea day after leaving Bermuda. If you wanted a drink you had to go stand and wait at a bar to get it. We have not had this difficulty on other ships that we have sailed.

 

We had a whole whack of little problems/inconveniences that taken on their own were no big deal but added together took away from our cruising experience.

 

They included:

My husband’s bag was misplaced and was not found until 8 pm the first evening, meaning he didn’t have an acceptable change of clothes for dinner. He had to buy a polo shirt (which was later refunded by the ship when we asked)as he was told that they would “tolerate” shorts for the first night, but not a collarless shirt. It took several inquiries before the bag was located and he was able to change between the early show and our late dinner into his own clothes.

 

No ice in the rooms in the afternoon. I’m sure if we could have found our cabin steward to ask for some he would have accommodated but I found that they were much less present then we have experienced before. I think, other than the search for the missing bag we saw our cabin steward twice (in passing) the whole trip. Even to offer him our extra gratuity, I had to leave an envelope on our bed.

 

The turn down service was very irregular, The first night 3 of the 4 cabins got a chocolate apple but it was placed on the tray with items that had a charge so no one was sure if it was complimentary or not. The second night little wrapped cookies were left on our pillows but all the other nights there were no goodies, on two nights we had towel animals, maybe they were intended to replace the sweets?

 

When we first boarded the ship the other family was told that one of their daughter’s onboard account was not tied to their credit card and could they go to Guest relations to solve it. So off we went the very first ay to do so, except when she tried to buy something in the shops the problem was still unresolved and she had to track us down and we went to resolve it again. Then when we were disembarking the bell went off to say that both girls’ accounts were not paid so the parents had to go back up to guest relations for a third time. Meanwhile we were all waiting dockside to take the shuttle back to our cars. The disembarkation process had already been behind schedule approximately 25 minutes so in total we were delayed about an hour getting off the ship. Luckily we were driving and didn’t have a flight to catch.

 

In the shops I had a small situation where the price that scanned on the register was 3 dollars more than the price posted on the sign beside the item. It was corrected when I pointed it out but not all that graciously. We also had another unhappy interaction with a staff member in the watch/jewelry dept. which I won’t detail here, but it was enough that I felt I had to bring it to the attention of guest relations and they involved the store’s manager.

 

The entertainment was typical of most cruise lines. We went to the adult only comedy one night at 11.30. The show included a “burlesque” dancer and 2 comedians. The first comedian then proceeds to give the exact same performance on the finale night in the Celebrity theatre. (word for word, the same show, again.)

 

Something that was pretty fabulous was the two dancers/acrobats/contortionists. They were used often throughout the week and they were very, very good! The Captain was also very enteraining. He introduced humour in all his morning addresses. We watch the Liars club (also adults only, too bad) and his talk about ship navigation and enjoyed both.

 

Overall we enjoyed ourselves. We were on holiday and appreciated that. However, on our drive home , my husband said “ maybe next vacation we should do something other than a cruise” which to me is indicative that it was good but not great. I did not find we had a premium experience although Celebrity is touted as a premium brand. ( BTW, since being home, we have already started looking at a cruise for March break but on another cruise line.)

[familymum]

Oh, One thing I forgot to mention... My daughter is not an adventurous eater. Mostly she eats chicken an pasta which were not overly present on the menu in the main dining room. Our waiter Francisco was excellent about accommodating her. One night we asked that she have a plate with just tomatoes and cucumbers as her starter and then he had it for her for all of the following nights. Also the second formal night I was looking over the menu and I could see that there was really nothing that she would eat so I asked for the children's menu. He handed it to me but he then explained that he had already placed a special order of pasta with Alfredo sauce and grilled chicken for her, he hoped that was okay. Better than okay, it was my daughter's second favorite meal in the dining room.

[Puckhog]

We were on this cruise too, and had a great time. We didn't have kids with us but one thing we noticed is that the pool staff constantly enforced no kids in the adult pool and hot tub rule. That's all fine and dandy, but one morning they had geriatric water exercise in the kids pool for an hour which seemed totally unfair.

[antsnanny]

I would defiantly agree that a Ship like the Summit would not be great for teens. There are so many other ships out there that offer more outside activities for them. The Breakaway also does Bermuda and has more to keep your teens busy. Having said that, We recently sailed with a couple with a 6 year old daughter and she did just fine in the kids program..

We liked the Summit, for a change but its getting older.

I don't doubt for one minute that they waiter catered to your daughter because Celebrities crew is awesome !

Celebrity please bring one of your S class ships to do the NJ to Bermuda run, that would be awesome!

Edited July 6, 2014 by antsnanny

[bobsfamily]

Sorry your cruise was not up to par for you, here's hoping the next fits the bill exactly.

[familymum]

I would defiantly agree that a Ship like the Summit would not be great for teens. There are so many other ships out there that offer more outside activities for them. The Breakaway also does Bermuda and has more to keep your teens busy. Having said that, We recently sailed with a couple with a 6 year old daughter and she did just fine in the kids program..

We liked the Summit, for a change but its getting older.

I don't doubt for one minute that they waiter catered to your daughter because Celebrities crew is awesome !

Celebrity please bring one of your S class ships to do the NJ to Bermuda run, that would be awesome!

 

 

I agree that an S class would have made a big difference, although it would not have resolved all of our issues. My brother and sister and their spouses sailed on the Reflection in April and enjoyed it.

 

We have sailed NCL before and that is what we are looking at for March but the price differnce between the Summit and the Breakway was significant so we decided to give it a try. The kids were forewarned and they knew what the ship did and didn't have before we sailed but the pool side experience was not expected. I knew the solarium pool was 18+ but didn't expect it for the other.

[phoenix_dream]

I think perhaps an S class ship would have been more to your liking, but the truth is that Celebrity is not the best cruise line when it comes to teens in particular. My son has not been a teen for awhile, so I guess I am a bit confused about the pool situation. You're saying that now the outdoor pool is divided into two areas; one for adults only? That is just plain stupid, especially for cruises during school breaks or summer. They should change that for sure.

 

Probably some other cruise lines have a few more activities for teens, but overall, I am not sure it is easy to please a teen no matter what vacation you take:). I guess it largely depends on the teen. My son welcomed the opportunity to just chill out for a week and relax. He brought his laptop and played video games or watched movies on it. He brought books, and his I-Pod. On various cruises we played basketball, ping pong, and even shuffleboard. We played cards, Scrabble, and the Yahtzee game I brought with. He attended the evening shows with us, and joined us in the lounges for drinks before dinner. For kids yearning for more 'action' I realize these things may not suffice. It might also be a good suggestion to take cruises with fewer days at sea. A nice Caribbean cruise with a lot of ports of call for swimming, snorkeling, etc., might be a better choice if it is an option.

[Pushkin]

We had our teens (now 15 - B/G twins) with us on a Silhouette (Caribbean) last year, and the Summit (Bermuda) this year. We had to encourage them to go to the X Club (teen club) on the first day of the cruise last year, but they did and they wound up having a great time. They still text, facetiime some of those kids.

 

This year, they went to the X Club on the first night and met a lot of nice kids and had a blast as well. The teen cruise directors do a really good job of choosing fun activities geared to teens. The teens can also just hang out at the X Club, watch tv, place xbox, talk, etc.

 

Whatever cruise line you find yourself on, they might give the teen program a try.

 

P.S. I did think the pool situation for older kids/teens did not make sense on the Summit. The "kids" pool did seem more like a baby pool. However, a couple of times during the cruise they closed the adult outdoor pool to all others but teens.

[familymum]

[quote name=phoenix_dream;43308563 You're saying that now the outdoor pool is divided into two areas; one for adults only? That is just plain stupid' date=' especially for cruises during school breaks or summer. They should change that for sure.

[/quote]

 

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

 

 

Probably some other cruise lines have a few more activities for teens, but overall, I am not sure it is easy to please a teen no matter what vacation you take:). I guess it largely depends on the teen. My son welcomed the opportunity to just chill out for a week and relax. He brought his laptop and played video games or watched movies on it. He brought books, and his I-Pod. On various cruises we played basketball, ping pong, and even shuffleboard. We played cards, Scrabble, and the Yahtzee game I brought with. He attended the evening shows with us, and joined us in the lounges for drinks before dinner. For kids yearning for more 'action' I realize these things may not suffice. It might also be a good suggestion to take cruises with fewer days at sea. A nice Caribbean cruise with a lot of ports of call for swimming, snorkeling, etc., might be a better choice if it is an option.

Our kids were more into chilling as well. The sat on deck and read and played cards. They just wanted to be able to intersperse that with a few dips in the pool and hot tubs. They could have joined the teens club but they thew weren't interested in running around the ship playing games. Honestly, at one time I passed a group of 3 15 year olds that were walking together inside a hula hoop, bumping into people, making a racket and riding the elevators. Much more disruptive to other passengers that a couple of teens sitting in a hot tub with their parents, in my opinion. I think there was a basketball court but there was no shuffle board or large chess game like I've seen elsewhere. There were 2 ping pong tables but one was about 10 feet from the smoking section and was deemed unusable by our crowd. They did use the other table once or twice when it was available. Don't get me wrong, these kids have cruised before and they appreciate what they have. They enjoyed the food and loved Bermuda very much. We were 2 families so they enjoyed spending time with each other. We had 3 port days, many Caribbean itineraries have the same. The itinerary wasn't the issue, it was the number of places and events that were restricted to 18+, often unnecessarily. You are right though, Celebrity wasn't a good match for our family, but even traveling alone with my husband I would be hesitant to try it again as we the pool restrictions was only part of the story.

[okiebaugh]

We were on this cruise too with our 7 yr old son and 16 yr old daughter. The inside pool was available to kids 16 and over, while they designated one of the outdoor pools to 18 and up. The other one was shallow and catered to the young kids, so the teens had no where outside to enjoy a dip in the pool. In addition, we found it odd that there were no games available. We usually can find some in the library or card room, but couldn't find any on this ship. There was a shuffleboard on the outside promenade deck. The teen room was the smallest I have ever seen, and we were told there was 200 teens on this cruise. The room could accommodate 20 probably. The older teens (16/17 yr olds) didn't want to hang out with the 12-15 yr olds, so they ended up forming their own group and had to find their own places to hang out, like the conference room or the oceanview café. My daughter made friends and said she had fun, but said this was her least favorite ship we have done since there wasn't much she could do. On the other hand, my 7 yr old had a great time in the kid's program and we thought the staff there did a great job!

I thought the ship was in great shape, and we encountered some wonderful staff throughout!

[miched]

It seems as if the age between 16 and 21 is a awkward age to cruise.

 

My niece went on a cruise when she was 17 on a RCCL ship. She enjoyed it but was basically bored. She didn't want to do the teen thing because most were 13 to 15 and too young for her. When she was 19 she cruised again with her parents on RCCL again. This was even worse. Too old for teen stuff but not old enough for the bar to have a drink.

 

All teens are different and don't know why you need a drink to have a good time.

 

 

Cruise on 🌊🚢🇺🇸🚢

[old bag]

Hello,

So I have a question.

 

Firstly, I was told that the "adult pools" were for 16 year olds and older.

 

Was I given misinformation? (Which would now be the 3rd bit of misinformation given to me by Celebrity for this one cruise).

 

Secondly, are the teens "labeled" in some manner that they would be kicked out of an adult hot tub (given they are behaving in an adult fashion?

 

I have only been cruising with teenagers for the last two cruises, both Carnival (with my Mom). During the first cruise, they avoided the adult hot tubs, but on the second cruise enjoyed them greatly, actively participating in all sorts of conversations, and clearly were sought after by some older adults looking for engaging conversation. No one wanted them out despite their chronological age.

 

So ... what is the real age, and how do they determine who to kick out? Do they label the teens apart from on their room keys.

 

Finally ... unless the older teens are misbehaving, exactly what mechanism do they have to kick them out?

 

Thanks, all, for your feedback.

Old Bag

[Puckhog]

From what I saw on my one Celebrity cruise a couple weeks ago, security generally just responded to complaints when asking children to move out of the adult pools and hot tubs

 

and it was really just enforced for younger kids ( under 12 looking)

[dkjretired]

Hello,

So I have a question.

 

Firstly, I was told that the "adult pools" were for 16 year olds and older.

 

Was I given misinformation? (Which would now be the 3rd bit of misinformation given to me by Celebrity for this one cruise).

 

Secondly, are the teens "labeled" in some manner that they would be kicked out of an adult hot tub (given they are behaving in an adult fashion?

 

I have only been cruising with teenagers for the last two cruises, both Carnival (with my Mom). During the first cruise, they avoided the adult hot tubs, but on the second cruise enjoyed them greatly, actively participating in all sorts of conversations, and clearly were sought after by some older adults looking for engaging conversation. No one wanted them out despite their chronological age.

 

So ... what is the real age, and how do they determine who to kick out? Do they label the teens apart from on their room keys.

 

Finally ... unless the older teens are misbehaving, exactly what mechanism do they have to kick them out?

 

Thanks, all, for your feedback.

Old Bag

 

Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the adult pools however Celebrity reserves the right to open them to all ages during inclement weather. The following is from the web site with the disclaimer.

 

Facility Age Requirement

Thalassotherapy Pool* Age 16 and over*

Fun Factory Facilities Ages 3 through 17, with age-specific sections.

Theater Under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian

Pools** Guests must be fully toilet trained to enter the pools or whirlpools

Whirlpools ** Under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Ports of call Under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Bingo Under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Fitness Center Age 16 and over

Aqua Spa Age 18 and over

Ages 13 through 17 may only be present while participating in scheduled treatments

Adult Night Club / Disco Age 18 and over (see Alcohol Policy)

Casino*** Age 18 and over (except Alaska***)

Specialty Restaurants Contact Guest Relations Desk for age restrictions.

 

* During inclement weather and select hours, the ship may permit the Solarium Pool (if covered) to be used by persons under age sixteen (16) provided they are directly supervised by a parent or guardian.

 

** United States Public Health Department Policy (USPH) prohibits persons who are not toilet trained or use diapers, pull-ups or swimmers from using pools or whirlpools.

 

*** For all Alaska itineraries, guests must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older to gamble in the Casino.

[familymum]

Well my 16 year old was in the Thalassotherapy pool with his dad and security told him to leave as it was adults only. The sign beside the hot tubs in the solarium definitely said 18 and over, I didn't see a sign for the pool specifically, so I can't comment. My husband chatted with the security guide who said he spent his day circling the adult pools and hot tubs removing the under 18s, with or without complaints. He said he couldn't keep up - as soon as he cleared a spot and moved on some kids would slip back.

[familymum]

Also in the late afternoon on the first day the outside adult pool was empty as was one of the hot tubs. Things were pretty deserted on deck as most people were getting ready for early dinner or the early show. The 2 14 year old girls (my daughter and her friend) and my 16 year old son went and sat on the edge of the empty hot tub. A ship photographer came and took their pictures then to ham it up for the photo they "pushed" the friend ( the only one wearing a bathing suit) into the tub. They were told shortly after that they had to leave. The hot tub remained empty for the next 20 minutes that we remained on deck.

[familymum]

Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the adult pools however Celebrity reserves the right to open them to all ages during inclement weather. The following is from the web site with the disclaimer.

 

Facility Age Requirement

Thalassotherapy Pool* Age 16 and over*

Fun Factory Facilities Ages 3 through 17, with age-specific sections.

Theater Under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian

Pools** Guests must be fully toilet trained to enter the pools or whirlpools

Whirlpools ** Under age 16 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Ports of call Under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Bingo Under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult

Fitness Center Age 16 and over

Aqua Spa Age 18 and over

Ages 13 through 17 may only be present while participating in scheduled treatments

Adult Night Club / Disco Age 18 and over (see Alcohol Policy)

Casino*** Age 18 and over (except Alaska***)

Specialty Restaurants Contact Guest Relations Desk for age restrictions.

 

* During inclement weather and select hours, the ship may permit the Solarium Pool (if covered) to be used by persons under age sixteen (16) provided they are directly supervised by a parent or guardian.

 

** United States Public Health Department Policy (USPH) prohibits persons who are not toilet trained or use diapers, pull-ups or swimmers from using pools or whirlpools.

 

*** For all Alaska itineraries, guests must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older to gamble in the Casino.

 

This isn't from the the official Celebrity website but rather a travel agent web site with the name "exclusives" added to it. I am actually a part-time TA (only for myself, friends and family) and I've been looking through my Travel Agent's Guide to see if I could find it. This is what it says in the fine print at the back of it.

Q. Are there age restrictions for the Aqua Spa?

A.Guests must be 18 years of age to book a spa treatment and to use the Solarium pool.For those guests between the age of 13-17, we have a special YSPA menu for teens.

(P.242 of the 2013/2014 guide)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've done the Summit cruise and I have to admit that the pool situation on Summit was pretty bad but it's summer and there are going to be lots of kids. Each day I'd sit in the shade by the pool satisfied that swimming and definitely not hot tubbing just weren't in the cards for me. It was too crowded but for me and my son- we were busy making new friends and had a blast. So it was a small price to pay.

 

There is something confounding about adding kids to the ship card. They always ask me and I always say "yes" I want him to have charging privileges and each time- he ends up trying to use the card and it is rejected. We go to the front desk and it gets squared away. Not sure what is happening with this.

 

Also- I went to the desk on the day of disembarkation because they had over-charged me $49 for the internet. I watched my son turn in his coupon for the the internet- so I know he filled it out properly and handed it to the girl at the I Lounge days before. The front desk assured me it would be taken off the bill but it never was. So- make sure they give you a new itemized receipt and don't take their word for it that the bill has been adjusted.

Edited July 8, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[cherylroslyn]

We sailed on the Summit Jun 22 to 29th with another family. We were 4 parents (mi 40s), 2 girls, 14 yrs old, a boy age 16, a boy age 18, an a girl age 19. We had a nice vacation but it is a good thing we've cruised as a family before otherwise I'm not sure that we would cruise again. Celebrity really caters to adults. If you are traveling with young children you will be fine, If you are traveling with teens, especially teens who prefer to stay with their family on deck rather than teen club stuff, they will be very disappointed.

 

Firstly, Bermuda is a beautiful, friendly, and safe island. We were very luck to have phenomenal weather for our whole week, not a drop of rain. Public transportation on the island is easy to use but time consuming. Don't under estimate how long it will take you to get from point A to point B.

 

This is a quick view of what we did.

Day 1 - Gar tours – 4 hrs

End tour at Horseshoe Bay spend afternoon (4 hrs)

Bus back to Ship, enjoy dinner, Harbour Nights,

Ferry back to King's Wharf

 

Day 2 - Ferry to Hamilton, take bus to BAMZ

BAMZ ( aprox3 hrs)

Bus to St Georges, taxi to Achilles Beach

Lunch at the Beach House ( Blackbeard's), enjoy the beach

Ferry back to ship

 

Day 3 - Take ferry to Hamilton

Crystal caves

bus to Hamilton

Ferry back to Dockyard

Explore craft fare etc until time to board.

 

Beaches very amazing and very different from one another. Horseshoes is beautiful views, large waves, lots of people but if you forgo renting chairs you can get away from the crowds. Achilles was almost a private beach, small waves as it is very protected by the reefs. Decent snorkeling. Wish we had skipped lunch at the beach house. The beer was nice and cold but it took over an hour between ordering and the arrival of our food which was just okay. Aquarium was enjoyable but I personally would have preferred more time in St. Georges. (Aquarium was on the other family's list so we obliged.) Crystal caves was cool, the tour it pretty short, most guides etc I read had said 30 minutes which is accurate but the process of paying and waiting for our tour to start added another 45 min-1 hr, plus the bus drive is very long and windy. We took bus 1, big mistake, we took the 11 back to the terminal, much easier on the stomach!!

 

About the ship itself, I was pretty disappointed. Food was good but not exceptional in the main dining room. I personally like the individual portion style in the buffet but is was unevenly applied. In 1 station you would have little bowls with bacon, fruit etc. and a different station would have the same food available with a serve yourself style. If you like to each lunch late as we did (late dinner in the dining room) then food options were less than we have had on other cruises. Between say 2 pm and 4 pm the choices were salad bar, the outdoor grill (hamburgers etc) , pizza and the pasta bar. It was adequate but not inspiring. We ate in Qsine one night, which was very enjoyable. At 9 we were a large group which meant we could get a number of dishes but it was a bit difficult to get a consensus on what to order. It was pretty much the highlight of our ship experiences. We also enjoyed the galley tour a lot.

 

Pool side we had a number of issues. There are 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. 2 of the pools and 4 of the hot tubs are for 18+ and it is enforced in that there is always someone doing the rounds kicking out the teens but as soon as they have passed, some teens and kids get in until they are told to get out again. The so called family pool and 2 hot tubs were swarming with little, little kids. No joke, walking by it one morning with my daughter there were easily 15 kids under 7 in a hot tub intended for 5 people. No wonder that our 14 year old girls and 16 year old son wanted nothing to with it. Bad timing, the two times that they tried to use a hot tub (once with parents present) they were told to leave within 5 minutes. (They were sitting quietly, talking.) While many times that I used the same hot tubs I saw kids, much younger using them for a much longer time. For most of the cruise the teens did not even bother putting on their bathing suits on the ship. Being a smaller ship, there weren’t a lot of other options for them to spend their time. The Podium series - a white house aide- had zero appeal- although my 18 year old loved it.

 

We found it near impossible to have pool side bar service except for our last sea day after leaving Bermuda. If you wanted a drink you had to go stand and wait at a bar to get it. We have not had this difficulty on other ships that we have sailed.

 

We had a whole whack of little problems/inconveniences that taken on their own were no big deal but added together took away from our cruising experience.

 

They included:

My husband’s bag was misplaced and was not found until 8 pm the first evening, meaning he didn’t have an acceptable change of clothes for dinner. He had to buy a polo shirt (which was later refunded by the ship when we asked)as he was told that they would “tolerate” shorts for the first night, but not a collarless shirt. It took several inquiries before the bag was located and he was able to change between the early show and our late dinner into his own clothes.

 

No ice in the rooms in the afternoon. I’m sure if we could have found our cabin steward to ask for some he would have accommodated but I found that they were much less present then we have experienced before. I think, other than the search for the missing bag we saw our cabin steward twice (in passing) the whole trip. Even to offer him our extra gratuity, I had to leave an envelope on our bed.

 

The turn down service was very irregular, The first night 3 of the 4 cabins got a chocolate apple but it was placed on the tray with items that had a charge so no one was sure if it was complimentary or not. The second night little wrapped cookies were left on our pillows but all the other nights there were no goodies, on two nights we had towel animals, maybe they were intended to replace the sweets?

 

When we first boarded the ship the other family was told that one of their daughter’s onboard account was not tied to their credit card and could they go to Guest relations to solve it. So off we went the very first ay to do so, except when she tried to buy something in the shops the problem was still unresolved and she had to track us down and we went to resolve it again. Then when we were disembarking the bell went off to say that both girls’ accounts were not paid so the parents had to go back up to guest relations for a third time. Meanwhile we were all waiting dockside to take the shuttle back to our cars. The disembarkation process had already been behind schedule approximately 25 minutes so in total we were delayed about an hour getting off the ship. Luckily we were driving and didn’t have a flight to catch.

 

In the shops I had a small situation where the price that scanned on the register was 3 dollars more than the price posted on the sign beside the item. It was corrected when I pointed it out but not all that graciously. We also had another unhappy interaction with a staff member in the watch/jewelry dept. which I won’t detail here, but it was enough that I felt I had to bring it to the attention of guest relations and they involved the store’s manager.

 

The entertainment was typical of most cruise lines. We went to the adult only comedy one night at 11.30. The show included a “burlesque” dancer and 2 comedians. The first comedian then proceeds to give the exact same performance on the finale night in the Celebrity theatre. (word for word, the same show, again.)

 

Something that was pretty fabulous was the two dancers/acrobats/contortionists. They were used often throughout the week and they were very, very good! The Captain was also very enteraining. He introduced humour in all his morning addresses. We watch the Liars club (also adults only, too bad) and his talk about ship navigation and enjoyed both.

 

Overall we enjoyed ourselves. We were on holiday and appreciated that. However, on our drive home , my husband said “ maybe next vacation we should do something other than a cruise” which to me is indicative that it was good but not great. I did not find we had a premium experience although Celebrity is touted as a premium brand. ( BTW, since being home, we have already started looking at a cruise for March break but on another cruise line.)

You sound like experienced cruisers from the issues that you raised in your post. If you are savy enough to recognize cut backs in chocolates on the pillows and turn down service I can't imagine how you ended up on a Celebrity ship with five teens......

 

I wouldn't dream of taking five teens on a Celebrity ship......my daughter is 25 and I do Royal or NCl when she is with me........

 

Sure, every once in a while this topic comes up and I see people insisting that their teens love Celebrity........but I am 100% sure that 95% of all teens would prefer Royal or NCL if given the opportunity to compare........

 

I started sailing Celebrity at 35....and I felt like a baby on the ship......and five years later I still am often the only living soul roaming the ship at 2:00 a.m........

 

 

With that said I am sure all five "kids" had a great time and they realize how fortunate they are that they are able to cruise to begin with......

 

 

But I cater to my daughter's style when she is with me because I want her to have the best experience possible......and to meet people her own age to hang out with.......

 

I think it is nice that you posted it, because cruising with young adults/teens can be challenging......

 

I think asking 15, 16 and 17 year olds to wade in a diaper pool is beyond messed up......

 

 

I for one as a parent would not even want my little toddlers/elementary school aged kids to be hanging around with teens......not because teens are bad...just because they are unpredictable and sometimes say in appropriate things...or curse......or push.....even as jokes. The adult pool should be 13 and up in the summer with strict security and parental supervision.

Edited July 8, 2014 by cherylroslyn

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

Keith

[familymum]

You sound like experienced cruisers from the issues that you raised in your post. If you are savy enough to recognize cut backs in chocolates on the pillows and turn down service I can't imagine how you ended up on a Celebrity ship with five teens......

 

I wouldn't dream of taking five teens on a Celebrity ship......

 

This was our 4th cruise an I drew on my sister's experience as she has sailed on over 30 cruises. I read the boards and looked at Celebrity's web site. This made me understand that Celebrity would be more low key than say NCL but as our teens/young adults are more low key as well I didn't think this would be a problem. When I read that a certain space/pool is adults only then I assumed that the other 2 were not. Every cruise we have take has had an adult pool, not a problem as there were other options.

 

The food experience and service on the Celebrity is often said to be superior to other cruise lines and as a bunch of people who love food:o we were looking forward to that, however we didn't find that was the case at all. I mentioned that we had other little inconveniences, many such as sail cards not working for kids in spite of going back to guest relations and each time being told the situation was revolved, has been discussed by others both in this thread and others. In another thread the OP gave a Bermuda Summit sailing a 7/10, so I guess like me she thought it was good,not great.

 

In the main dining room, on two separate nights one of us didn't get our coffee. On evening I asked the waiter if he would take our picture a little later (I recognized that he was busy at that moment) and he said no. I have never had that happen before. On the second formal night my son and I both took the lobster. The assistant waiter came by with a seafood fork and removed his lobster from the shell and offered him garlic butter, then walked away. By the time I realized that he wasn't just coming around the table to me he ha moved on to another table. After several minutes I removed the lobster myself (without a seafood fork) and then the main waiter realized I wasn't eating yet and they brought over the butter. 5 or 6 minutes might not sound like such a big deal but my food was no longer warm.

 

I actually found the food in the Ocean Café to be very good when it was available. When I complimented the Sushi chef there he interacted with me and showed me how he makes the rolls and presented it to me and my friend's daughter to bring back to our table. It was lovely but it was pretty much the only personable experience that we had with staff.

[jkgourmet]

I'm stuck back at the part where you left an additional gratuity envelope for the barely there room steward! WHY?? I only hope you did the same (or more) for Francisco in the dining room who helped your daughter so much.

[familymum]

Absolutely! Francisco received a nice thank you from us. We also gave extra to both the assistant waiter and the wine sommelier.

[familymum]

Why? - Habit I guess. Plus my kids' cabin could not have been a pleasure to service. 3 in a cabin is tight, stuff is everywhere!. Lol. I considered it battle pay.

[cherylroslyn]

This was our 4th cruise an I drew on my sister's experience as she has sailed on over 30 cruises. I read the boards and looked at Celebrity's web site. This made me understand that Celebrity would be more low key than say NCL but as our teens/young adults are more low key as well I didn't think this would be a problem. When I read that a certain space/pool is adults only then I assumed that the other 2 were not. Every cruise we have take has had an adult pool, not a problem as there were other options.

 

The food experience and service on the Celebrity is often said to be superior to other cruise lines and as a bunch of people who love food:o we were looking forward to that, however we didn't find that was the case at all. I mentioned that we had other little inconveniences, many such as sail cards not working for kids in spite of going back to guest relations and each time being told the situation was revolved, has been discussed by others both in this thread and others. In another thread the OP gave a Bermuda Summit sailing a 7/10, so I guess like me she thought it was good,not great.

 

In the main dining room, on two separate nights one of us didn't get our coffee. On evening I asked the waiter if he would take our picture a little later (I recognized that he was busy at that moment) and he said no. I have never had that happen before. On the second formal night my son and I both took the lobster. The assistant waiter came by with a seafood fork and removed his lobster from the shell and offered him garlic butter, then walked away. By the time I realized that he wasn't just coming around the table to me he ha moved on to another table. After several minutes I removed the lobster myself (without a seafood fork) and then the main waiter realized I wasn't eating yet and they brought over the butter. 5 or 6 minutes might not sound like such a big deal but my food was no longer warm.

 

I actually found the food in the Ocean Café to be very good when it was available. When I complimented the Sushi chef there he interacted with me and showed me how he makes the rolls and presented it to me and my friend's daughter to bring back to our table. It was lovely but it was pretty much the only personable experience that we had with staff.

I tried to post last night, but I somhow deleted my own post.

 

I think it is nice of you to post this so that parents of teens and tweens know what the situation is.

 

I think the pool situation that you are describing is totally unacceptable and unfair. To make teens wade in a diaper pool with toddlers is absurd.....

 

 

This is another example of Celebroty being confused about their message and demographic.....

 

 

They change the music all over the ship and the vibe to attract a younger monied crowd, yet they fail to realize that people in the top earning brackets at the ages that they are targeting are also usually people with families, especially in the NY metro area.....

 

 

Yes there are DINKS, but generally, most of the people living in the million to two million dollar homes in my town in the NYC area have families..... There are at least four threads right now that mention children being unable to swim on a cruise to Bermuda in the heat of the summer.......

 

 

I would be livid. I think the pools should be 13 and over in the summer season.......

 

 

Celebrity can not seriously think that the late 30's - 50 passenger that they are now targeting is going to swim around in an adults only pool while their children watch or are in the baby pool.....

 

 

Also, parents of babies and toddlers don't want their kids hanging out with a bunch of teens either....not because there is anything wrong with teens....just because they sometimes say and do inappropriate things like curse, or roughhouse.......nothing too wild, but definitely not stuff for the 2-10 crowd.........

 

I think teens should be allowed in the pools subject to a strict security and parental presence....and if they are ejected during the cruise for bad behavior they don't get back in........

Edited July 8, 2014 by cherylroslyn