Just Back From the Summit! Great and interesting week!

[tymike]

My bf and I (ages...well in our 50's!) just returned from the Summit yesterday. We have only sailed on NCL in the past and this was our third cruise to Bermuda. We have sailed on NCL's Dawn, Gem, Breakaway so sailing Celebrity was a lot like taking a first cruise and honestly we didn't really know what to expect. We were 'comped' by Mohegan Sun and upgraded to a Sky Suite on deck 10. I will attempt to organize this in sections to keep it easy to read and write. I will also throw in some comparisons between the two cruise lines because...well...it was so interesting to compare and contrast throughout the week.

 

Embarkation: In two words, smooth and seamless. We arrived at the pier around 11:00, parked easily, and proceeded to the suite line where we were through security in no time. Check in was instant, but there was momentary confusion as to where we should have lunch once aboard. The staff directed us to deck 10 (buffet) but there was a small card in the envelope we received which gave us access to Normandie for brunch so we went to deck 3 instead. Brunch was great! I will admit that after seeing the $9 price tag for a glass of wine, I left the restaurant and purchased two premium beverage packages! I decided to do this not because I thought I would 'get my money's worth' but because I just didn't want to worry/stress every time I wanted coffee/soda/wine/drinks throughout the week.

 

In general, embarkation was less hectic and stressed than pier 88 even with having sailed in NCL suites each time.

 

Cabin: 6121 Sky Suite. Prior NCL cabins have included PH suites, Owner's Suites and even the Deluxe Owner's Suite on the Breakaway. We loved our cabin on the Summit! Just enough room for two with lots of storage and a lovely marble bathroom. Bed was very comfortable, but it is two twins pushed together and we could feel the middle 'ditch' at times. I loved that the bed faced the balcony as opposed to being sideways in the room. Our butler, Orlando, was wonderful and we enjoyed him every day. He brought breakfast twice and endless food/tea in the afternoon. I loved, loved, loved the tea service compared to NCL's afternoon canapes. While NCL's were good to great, it was so cool to have the butler come by with a cart filled with sandwiches and treats to choose from. When we tipped him the last night, his response was "on behalf of my family, I thank you so much". I thought that was priceless! Our cabin attendant, Muriel, was outstanding as well. Always smiling and fun to talk with.

 

The room is visually quiet compared to the NCL ships (excepting the Breakaway) with subdued tan and brown hues. The balcony is a very nice size, but did have a direct underneath view of the life raft pods below which minimally impeded visibility. Really nice touches: two umbrellas (one small, one large), binoculars, tote bags, and great toiletries.

 

The only 'negative' things about the rooms are visible and slight wear and tear on some of the wood furnishings and the fact that it is located directly opposite the staff door and hallway across the hall. We could absolutely hear staff wheeling and sometimes banging service carts as they entered the hallway as well as crew and passengers talking in the hallway. It never was a huge problem, but as I've always sailed in direct forward cabins, the noise was a new experience.

 

I highly recommend a sky suite, but just not in that location.

 

Food: We ate in Normandie for brunch at embarkation, the MDR twice, Qsine twice, Blu once, the Bistro on 5 once and the buffet. We also 'did' the wine pairing dinner in Normandie ($$). Overall, the food on the Summit was definitely better than NCL and the ambiance in each setting was more enjoyable. Qsine was our favorite, although I also loved eating on the outdoor aft deck with buffet food. I hesitate to recommend the very pricey wine pairing dinner in Normandie. We loved the table mates and had a really fun evening, but the food was 'fine' and not stunning. The cellar master was interesting and entertaining as he described each wine served, but his assistant finished the presentation with us and we were a little surprised that the 'boss' just sort of disappeared toward the end of the meal. There is also virtually no refilling of wine during the course of the dinner aside from one glass with each course. Just an FYI. Oh well...we had fun and the food was good but we would not do it again.

 

I highly recommend Qsine...there is a discount the first two nights and if you're in a suite you get one free specialty restaurant during the cruise.

 

Connections Party....one word...Go to yours!!! The captain and several officers attended and it was a really nice event. We did indeed make connections, some of which lasted throughout the week and we are hopeful that they will continue into the future. I'll talk more about how social this cruise was later on.

 

Entertainment: we only attended the IHollywood show. The acrobats that warm up the show were fabulous and the captain's toast was cool. The show itself? Just... fine...

 

Ship: Beautiful, and much more classic than the NCL ships we've been on. We enjoyed how 'stately' the Summit is and loved the big lounge in the front of the ship. We also had a ball in the martini bar (try the martini flight...the bartender puts on a great show!) and spent probably too much time in the casino. The casino bar staff were fantastic. They recognized us from day two and never asked for our cards after knowing we had the beverage package. Ralph, the casino manager was fun and seemingly always present to say hi and see how things were going. We never used any of the pools. Overall, we enjoyed the ship itself very, very much.

 

Bermuda: One of my favorite places! We spent the first day at Coco Reef on a day pass and had a very good lunch to boot. Reservations are highly recommended prior to arrival, but we were very lucky to share a cab and arrive with people who we had talked to on CC and at the Connections party who had reservations, so somehow we magically 'got in'! It is beautiful, uncrowded and a great day at a great price. Day two was iffy as far as the weather and we had the wine pairing that night at 6:45 so we slept in and hung around the dockyard. I wish we had gotten up early and gone to St. Georges but I was too nervous that we wouldn't make it back for the dinner in time. Day three we went on the shipwreck snorkel in the morning which was very good. We booked it on shore, not through the cruise line and saved a few dollars by doing so. The company is one which we used last summer and I highly recommend it. The captain is laid back and very knowledgeable.

 

Summary and thoughts: In all honesty, after the first full sea day, we weren't sure about the Summit. We thought it was very 'quiet' and small compared to every NCL ship (not just the Breakaway) but as the week went on, it really grew on us and we are now Celebrity believers!!!:) What is probably at least part (but a large part) of our conversion is the fact that we met some really great people and truly enjoyed socializing having good and 'not your everyday' conversations throughout the week. Nothing like that ever, ever happened on NCL. Maybe we didn't look for it or make ourselves available in the same way, but this cruise seemed to invite socializing in just about every venue. The crew is also very different than NCL. Both crews are great...please don't misread my comment...but NCL's crew seems a little more formal and distant whereas Celebrity's is more relaxed in general. I often saw crew members chatting with one another in their native languages which is something we never saw on NCL. There are also way less kids on Celebrity which doesn't really matter to us but just an observation. We never used the pools but did enjoy Bermuda sail away in the indoor pool area. The pool deck is crowded but felt very much less crowded than any NCL cruise we've taken. The pools themselves were much less crowded as well.

 

In sum, we had a really, really great week. When we sail as a couple again I think we would choose Celebrity. We are going on NCL to Alaska next summer and bringing young adult children with children with us and during the cruise pondered changing our NCL cruise to Celebrity. We decided against it because I think they wouldn't like it nearly as much as NCL, but Celebrity was absolutely great for the two of us.

 

Thank you to all the CC members who gave us great information before and during the cruise, and thank you to our two new friends who we really enjoyed spending time with on the cruise itself and hopefully soon again!

 

Happy sailing to all! :)

[hcat]

Thanks for posting a detailed and interesting review...glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Hope you try an S class ship soon. You will really be hooked on X!

[inforem]

Sorry I missed you at the Monday morning connection party. I was sitting with another couple as people walk in. We were neighbors on the ship…3 doors away, we were in room 8127. Wasn't Orlando just great. He was the best butler we have had (4th suite in 4 years). We had a different room attendant then you but ours (Sandy) was also great.

Third time in Qsine and well worth the experience. You should have tried the T-Pool as that is another experience. We made all the shows and only walked out on the show on Wednesday night (Summit Dancers - I SIREN).

 

Well it is back to the daily grind.

[wallie5446]

Thanks for giving us your experiences last week. We have a member in our FB Celebrity group that was also on his first Celebrity sailing last week on the Summit. His comments mirror yours. Thanks again for posting about your cruise.

Edited August 11, 2014 by wallie5446

[JonnyCT81]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to post! My partner and I are headed on the Summit next week for the same cruise - she seems to be the ship that we have been on the most (about 4 times now) and we love her more each time we go on her. Thanks again for your review, and glad you had a great time!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[antsnanny]

My bf and I (ages...well in our 50's!) just returned from the Summit yesterday. We have only sailed on NCL in the past and this was our third cruise to Bermuda. We have sailed on NCL's Dawn, Gem, Breakaway so sailing Celebrity was a lot like taking a first cruise and honestly we didn't really know what to expect. We were 'comped' by Mohegan Sun and upgraded to a Sky Suite on deck 10. I will attempt to organize this in sections to keep it easy to read and write. I will also throw in some comparisons between the two cruise lines because...well...it was so interesting to compare and contrast throughout the week.

 

Embarkation: In two words, smooth and seamless. We arrived at the pier around 11:00, parked easily, and proceeded to the suite line where we were through security in no time. Check in was instant, but there was momentary confusion as to where we should have lunch once aboard. The staff directed us to deck 10 (buffet) but there was a small card in the envelope we received which gave us access to Normandie for brunch so we went to deck 3 instead. Brunch was great! I will admit that after seeing the $9 price tag for a glass of wine, I left the restaurant and purchased two premium beverage packages! I decided to do this not because I thought I would 'get my money's worth' but because I just didn't want to worry/stress every time I wanted coffee/soda/wine/drinks throughout the week.

 

In general, embarkation was less hectic and stressed than pier 88 even with having sailed in NCL suites each time.

 

Cabin: 6121 Sky Suite. Prior NCL cabins have included PH suites, Owner's Suites and even the Deluxe Owner's Suite on the Breakaway. We loved our cabin on the Summit! Just enough room for two with lots of storage and a lovely marble bathroom. Bed was very comfortable, but it is two twins pushed together and we could feel the middle 'ditch' at times. I loved that the bed faced the balcony as opposed to being sideways in the room. Our butler, Orlando, was wonderful and we enjoyed him every day. He brought breakfast twice and endless food/tea in the afternoon. I loved, loved, loved the tea service compared to NCL's afternoon canapes. While NCL's were good to great, it was so cool to have the butler come by with a cart filled with sandwiches and treats to choose from. When we tipped him the last night, his response was "on behalf of my family, I thank you so much". I thought that was priceless! Our cabin attendant, Muriel, was outstanding as well. Always smiling and fun to talk with.

 

The room is visually quiet compared to the NCL ships (excepting the Breakaway) with subdued tan and brown hues. The balcony is a very nice size, but did have a direct underneath view of the life raft pods below which minimally impeded visibility. Really nice touches: two umbrellas (one small, one large), binoculars, tote bags, and great toiletries.

 

The only 'negative' things about the rooms are visible and slight wear and tear on some of the wood furnishings and the fact that it is located directly opposite the staff door and hallway across the hall. We could absolutely hear staff wheeling and sometimes banging service carts as they entered the hallway as well as crew and passengers talking in the hallway. It never was a huge problem, but as I've always sailed in direct forward cabins, the noise was a new experience.

 

I highly recommend a sky suite, but just not in that location.

 

Food: We ate in Normandie for brunch at embarkation, the MDR twice, Qsine twice, Blu once, the Bistro on 5 once and the buffet. We also 'did' the wine pairing dinner in Normandie ($$). Overall, the food on the Summit was definitely better than NCL and the ambiance in each setting was more enjoyable. Qsine was our favorite, although I also loved eating on the outdoor aft deck with buffet food. I hesitate to recommend the very pricey wine pairing dinner in Normandie. We loved the table mates and had a really fun evening, but the food was 'fine' and not stunning. The cellar master was interesting and entertaining as he described each wine served, but his assistant finished the presentation with us and we were a little surprised that the 'boss' just sort of disappeared toward the end of the meal. There is also virtually no refilling of wine during the course of the dinner aside from one glass with each course. Just an FYI. Oh well...we had fun and the food was good but we would not do it again.

 

I highly recommend Qsine...there is a discount the first two nights and if you're in a suite you get one free specialty restaurant during the cruise.

 

Connections Party....one word...Go to yours!!! The captain and several officers attended and it was a really nice event. We did indeed make connections, some of which lasted throughout the week and we are hopeful that they will continue into the future. I'll talk more about how social this cruise was later on.

 

Entertainment: we only attended the IHollywood show. The acrobats that warm up the show were fabulous and the captain's toast was cool. The show itself? Just... fine...

 

Ship: Beautiful, and much more classic than the NCL ships we've been on. We enjoyed how 'stately' the Summit is and loved the big lounge in the front of the ship. We also had a ball in the martini bar (try the martini flight...the bartender puts on a great show!) and spent probably too much time in the casino. The casino bar staff were fantastic. They recognized us from day two and never asked for our cards after knowing we had the beverage package. Ralph, the casino manager was fun and seemingly always present to say hi and see how things were going. We never used any of the pools. Overall, we enjoyed the ship itself very, very much.

 

Bermuda: One of my favorite places! We spent the first day at Coco Reef on a day pass and had a very good lunch to boot. Reservations are highly recommended prior to arrival, but we were very lucky to share a cab and arrive with people who we had talked to on CC and at the Connections party who had reservations, so somehow we magically 'got in'! It is beautiful, uncrowded and a great day at a great price. Day two was iffy as far as the weather and we had the wine pairing that night at 6:45 so we slept in and hung around the dockyard. I wish we had gotten up early and gone to St. Georges but I was too nervous that we wouldn't make it back for the dinner in time. Day three we went on the shipwreck snorkel in the morning which was very good. We booked it on shore, not through the cruise line and saved a few dollars by doing so. The company is one which we used last summer and I highly recommend it. The captain is laid back and very knowledgeable.

 

Summary and thoughts: In all honesty, after the first full sea day, we weren't sure about the Summit. We thought it was very 'quiet' and small compared to every NCL ship (not just the Breakaway) but as the week went on, it really grew on us and we are now Celebrity believers!!!:) What is probably at least part (but a large part) of our conversion is the fact that we met some really great people and truly enjoyed socializing having good and 'not your everyday' conversations throughout the week. Nothing like that ever, ever happened on NCL. Maybe we didn't look for it or make ourselves available in the same way, but this cruise seemed to invite socializing in just about every venue. The crew is also very different than NCL. Both crews are great...please don't misread my comment...but NCL's crew seems a little more formal and distant whereas Celebrity's is more relaxed in general. I often saw crew members chatting with one another in their native languages which is something we never saw on NCL. There are also way less kids on Celebrity which doesn't really matter to us but just an observation. We never used the pools but did enjoy Bermuda sail away in the indoor pool area. The pool deck is crowded but felt very much less crowded than any NCL cruise we've taken. The pools themselves were much less crowded as well.

 

In sum, we had a really, really great week. When we sail as a couple again I think we would choose Celebrity. We are going on NCL to Alaska next summer and bringing young adult children with children with us and during the cruise pondered changing our NCL cruise to Celebrity. We decided against it because I think they wouldn't like it nearly as much as NCL, but Celebrity was absolutely great for the two of us.

 

Thank you to all the CC members who gave us great information before and during the cruise, and thank you to our two new friends who we really enjoyed spending time with on the cruise itself and hopefully soon again!

 

Happy sailing to all! :)

 

Great review… Were Celebrity NCL and RCCL cruisers as we'll, I get what your saying I think the size of the Summit is great and the captain, he was fabulous., he was funnier than the comedians. Were sailing on the Summit in Sept. and really hoping he's still there…

So glad you enjoyed your cruise…

[elena7seas]

Really enjoyed your review. Thanks so much for posting.

[dodger1964]

...

 

, but as I've always sailed in direct forward cabins, the noise was a new experience... :)

 

Thanks for review. summit is my personal favorite ship. I just love to stroll along the water on deck 4 and watch the waves hit the ship. Very relaxing.

 

What do you mean by "direct forward cabin". I've just never heard that before.

[cle-guy]

I did the wine pairing dinner in May when I went, we too had awesome table mates, and I found the food to be nothing really special, but we spent over 4 hours enjoying the company. We never even got to the cheese cart.....!

 

As to wine, we were all wine aficionados, and got into the tasting. But after the 2nd pairing we all just said, please we all want to try all the wines, not just the paired wines. When they brought out the Far Niente we all loved we devoured the initial bottle, and asked for refills, and they kindly brought another bottle for the table...!

 

I'm now booked on Summit Aug 31 sailing, found a inside GTY for $499 pp, couldn't let it go. Meeting at least one other former cruise mate on board, look forward to the reunion !

[tymike]

Thanks for review. summit is my personal favorite ship. I just love to stroll along the water on deck 4 and watch the waves hit the ship. Very relaxing.

 

What do you mean by "direct forward cabin". I've just never heard that before.

 

On NCL I always had forward facing cabins which were directly above or below the bridge. The owner's suites had separate side and forward balconies and the DOS on the Breakaway had a wraparound balcony that was both front and side facing. In other words, we were directly in front of the ship with no cabins or balconies in front of us.

 

Hope that helps. I wrote a review of the DOS on the Breakaway with pics of the balcony but I don't know how to forward a link. If you're highly motivated, you can search my posts and find my review..titled something like 'Breakaway review...finally!" from July, 2013.

 

As you can tell, we loved the Summit as well and hope to be back! :)

[tymike]

I did the wine pairing dinner in May when I went, we too had awesome table mates, and I found the food to be nothing really special, but we spent over 4 hours enjoying the company. We never even got to the cheese cart.....!

 

As to wine, we were all wine aficionados, and got into the tasting. But after the 2nd pairing we all just said, please we all want to try all the wines, not just the paired wines. When they brought out the Far Niente we all loved we devoured the initial bottle, and asked for refills, and they kindly brought another bottle for the table...!

 

I'm now booked on Summit Aug 31 sailing, found a inside GTY for $499 pp, couldn't let it go. Meeting at least one other former cruise mate on board, look forward to the reunion !

 

I'm glad you had a good table at the dinner as well! I hope you have a great cruise! I enjoy your comments on the forum!!

[NYcruzzer]

Great review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. Not trying to hijiack your post. I was on the same sailing. Before this cruise the last time I sailed Celebrity was on the Horizon to Bermuda. I am Platinum on NCL and mainly chose this cruise for the free drink package. We had such a great time on the Summit that we booked 8/2 cruise with the "Bermuda All In" promo while onboard for next year.

[tymike]

Great review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. Not trying to hijiack your post. I was on the same sailing. Before this cruise the last time I sailed Celebrity was on the Horizon to Bermuda. I am Platinum on NCL and mainly chose this cruise for the free drink package. We had such a great time on the Summit that we booked 8/2 cruise with the "Bermuda All In" promo while onboard for next year.

 

I can totally understand why you booked again!! I struggled with wanting to book all week but we have the NCL Alaska cruise next summer and I just can't think too much further ahead than that! I envy you!! :)

[Cruising89143]

Very nice review. Glad that you enjoyed your first Celebrity cruise.

[tymike]

Sorry I missed you at the Monday morning connection party. I was sitting with another couple as people walk in. We were neighbors on the ship…3 doors away, we were in room 8127. Wasn't Orlando just great. He was the best butler we have had (4th suite in 4 years). We had a different room attendant then you but ours (Sandy) was also great.

Third time in Qsine and well worth the experience. You should have tried the T-Pool as that is another experience. We made all the shows and only walked out on the show on Wednesday night (Summit Dancers - I SIREN).

 

Well it is back to the daily grind.

 

Sorry we missed you as well! Especially because we were neighbors! I'm glad you and yours enjoyed the cruise as much as we did!!! Maybe our paths will cross more directly next time!

[chrismakris]

Glad to hear your trip on the Summit was as good as ours last January. Do you have any pictures of your stateroom as we will be staying in the room right next to you in January.

 

The Martini Bar is an awesome place to spend the evening.

[need2bespoiled]

I am so happy you had a great cruise. While we really belive NCL has a lot of strong points we just feel like Celebrity Suits or is that Suites? us better?

 

Side note to Curt: The Far Niente chard became one of our favorite wines onboard this past November :)

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Jetswdo]

We are also planning to do the resort first day and will want to do shipwreck snorkel the morning of day three-- Which shipwreck snorkel operator did you use? Was there plenty of time in the water? Thanks for info in advance, Anita

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your very thorough report.

 

Keith

[tymike]

Glad to hear your trip on the Summit was as good as ours last January. Do you have any pictures of your stateroom as we will be staying in the room right next to you in January.

 

The Martini Bar is an awesome place to spend the evening.

 

I'm glad you liked your cruise and will be going again. I'll check to see if I have good pics and try to post them but I'm very lame at that! It's a lovely space, well proportioned, and perfect for two. Enjoy...and if I'm able to post anything helpful I'll do so!

[tymike]

I am so happy you had a great cruise. While we really belive NCL has a lot of strong points we just feel like Celebrity Suits or is that Suites? us better?

 

Side note to Curt: The Far Niente chard became one of our favorite wines onboard this past November :)

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

Thank you for all your really helpful information pre-cruise! Suites are sweet indeed!!! :)

[tymike]

We are also planning to do the resort first day and will want to do shipwreck snorkel the morning of day three-- Which shipwreck snorkel operator did you use? Was there plenty of time in the water? Thanks for info in advance, Anita

 

I'm so terrible...I don't know the name of the tour operator but I can tell you a few things about it which may be helpful. The tour is the shipwreck snorkel tour and it was not offered through the ship on the last morning. We booked it at the dockyard the day before. If you go past the kiosk at the dockyard and walk past the Frog and Onion, there is a building just beyond and to the left of the restaurant that has a banner above the second floor. It says something about tours etc. It's the exact same company that works the kiosk, only you go inside, upstairs (in the air conditioning!) and there was virtually no line. We asked the rep what snorkeling tours went out the next day and she said the only one left was the shipwreck tour. That's how we got it. It's NOT a catamaran (we saw a cat when we arrived at the site)..it's a powerboat and like I mentioned, the staff was great. It is manned by a captain and another man who gave instructions and poured post snorkel drinks! I think it was something like $60 ish dollars per person....saving about $12 from the cost the ship charges. I wish I had saved the receipt! So sorry! But I hope this helps!

[tymike]

We are also planning to do the resort first day and will want to do shipwreck snorkel the morning of day three-- Which shipwreck snorkel operator did you use? Was there plenty of time in the water? Thanks for info in advance, Anita

 

Forgot to add...you get about an hour and a half in the water. Enjoy!

[tymike]

A quick thanks to all who enjoyed my review! Cruise Critic has added so much to the depth of each of my cruises....and all of you help keep it going!! :)