Celebrity Summit 6/28 Sailing

[tlaffin]

My family and I just returned from our first cruise with Celebrity on the Summit to Bermuda. Our trip was greatly enhanced by the information provided on this forum, so I want to return the favor by sharing some highlights from our trip and also offer to try to answer any questions.

 

My husband and I (we are in our early 30s) were travelling with 16 family members ranging in age from 15 to 57. We arrived at the port at 11:00 and were on the ship in the Ocean View Cafe by 11:45. Embarkation was a breeze - since we all drove, we had to park and then take a 2 minute shuttle ride from the parking area to the terminal. Parking for the 7 day cruise was $133 and you pay at that time rather than when you leave the parking lot upon return from the cruise.

 

Overall, Celebrity greatly exceeded our expectations. The Summit is truly beautiful and while I do see the need for some cosmetic pick-me-ups, I really loved this ship. We normally like the smaller ships as opposed to the gargantuan that are being built these days, so this ship was a perfect fit for us.

 

The service was excellent and every crew member we made contact with was friendly. The food in the Ocean View Cafe was the best buffet food we've ever had on a cruise. The sushi was awesome and my family members raved about the sliced turkey. I also highly recommend trying out the stir fry, which is available after lunch when the cafe re-opens at 5:30 for the dinner crowd.

 

The food in the MDR was good, not great for the most part. However, I always enjoyed my meal and I do think it's important to remember that they are cooking for a couple thousand people and trying to satisfy a lot of different palettes.

 

We were in room 2133 which is right above the gangway and also right around the corner from the elevators. I was surprised that we didn't have any issues with noise below us from the gangway or even anything major from outside when we were docked. Also, no major noise issues from the elevator traffic, just a few quick instances of loud people here and there. Room itself was very nice. Bathroom could use some updating, but nothing to complain about.

 

We loved the Revelations lounge on deck 11 and spent a lot of time there (nice and quiet to read during the day and fun activities/great music at night).

 

We spent our first day in Bermuda at Coco Reef Resort and absolutely loved it. The beach was pretty quiet and we were so happy to not have to worry about locating a vendor for chairs/umbrellas (I walked the whole beach at one point and didn't see anyone renting chairs and/or umbrellas). Lunch was delicious and we made use of the pool as well. The scenery was just breathtaking. It was recommended to me on this forum to take the ferry to Hamilton and then get a cab to the resort. We followed this advice and it worked out so well. When we were done at Coco Reef, we went into Hamilton for Harbor Night by cab and then took a late ferry back to the ship.

 

On the second day, we chartered a 5 hour catamaran tour out of St. George so we took the 9:30 ferry from the Dockyard to St. George. We had a blast. We sailed for awhile and then dropped anchor near Fort St. Catherine for swimming and lunch. We took the 3:30 ferry back to the Dockyard.

 

Last day was Horseshoe Bay Beach and we did the Route 7 bus for that. It was crowded but not terrible. We left around 2:30 and had no trouble getting a bus as they were running special buses to accommodate the flow of people.

 

For the three days total, we ended up spending about $27 per person for transportation. We did tokens for the ferries/buses and then the cab for the quick trip from Coco Reef to Hamilton. We were going to do the 3 day pass for $44 initially, but were able to save about half that amount doing the tokens/cab.

 

One general comment about the Summit is that the temperature of the ship is a little warmer than it should be, especially for a summer itinerary. It could be at about 10 degrees cooler to truly be comfortable. Maybe this issue will be worked on when it is in dry dock in February.

 

That's really all I can think of for now. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thank you to those who have posted their reviews and tips previously - you really helped to make our trip a smooth, successful, and fun one!

[cruisin_ppl]

tlaffin

Thanks for taking time to post a detailed review of your cruise. Sounds like you had a great time.

We will be on the Summit in 2 weeks. Can't wait. :)

[philpcruiser]

Tlaffin:

When you say the temperature was 10 degrees warmer, do you mean throughout the ship? Was there a thermostat in your cabin?

[PSU]

How did you pay the cab? With a credit card, American dollars or local currency?

 

Thanks so much!

[philpcruiser]

How did you pay the cab? With a credit card, American dollars or local currency?

 

Thanks so much!

On the same topic: Can you pay for the buses with paper currency (USD) or do you need Coins?

[janftica]

I too was on that same cruise and had a vastly different experience than the poster :(

 

We were in the aft cabin 8172 which if we didn't have that cabin we would have left the ship in Bermuda!

 

We are experience 10+ cruisers and are in our late 50s, so we have seen most of the Caribbean and overseas. I have to say Summit needs a lot of work!

 

The warm temperature was because the air conditioning wasn't working and they were re-cycling it throughout the ship, first on one side then the other.

 

It was soooo warm in the MDR that on formal night most of the men had to

take their jackets off and none of the waiters had jackets on, they were serving in shirt sleeves as it was too warm.

 

Food was a 3 out of 5 (being top) in the MDR, some nights it was good, most

nights only barely edible. As for the Buffet....good grief that was just passible

at best. By the end of the week I was down to eating only French toast and poached eggs....

 

Whatever food was served in the MDR you got the same re-vamped food in the Buffet the next day. Desserts were terrible!

 

I am a Baker and never tasted such dried out, no taste food in my life.

We experienced a power outage (complete ship went dark, with no electricity at all) for about 20 mins in Bermuda. No air (temp in Bermuda was 86+ with humidity on top) so very uncomfortable. When the electricity came back on

the water in the tap was brown!!! It smelled nasty, and when I called guest services they said....oh yes you need to run it for about an hour....and don't drink the tap water!

 

Well we had been drinking this same tap water all week, and no they tell us that it isn't drinkable....no wonder I had stomache issues since arriving on board.

 

Summit....sorry gal but your days are numbered! Celebrity you need to

start giving people what they pay for, and not nickel and diming everything!

 

Sorry for the ramble, but I am NOT happy with Celebrity right now and will be

contacting them about this cruise very shortly :mad:

 

Im sure the poster had a great time, but once you've cruised a few times you will get to know what the difference is between good and terrible....this one

was not a good cruise.

[tlaffin]

Tlaffin:

When you say the temperature was 10 degrees warmer, do you mean throughout the ship? Was there a thermostat in your cabin?

 

 

I mean throughout the ship and the cabin. We had the thermostat in our room on the coldest setting possible and it just never really felt cool. It wasn't hot, just not cool. The MDR was also a little warm and some of the other common areas. We also noticed temperature inconsistencies throughout the ship. For example, we'd hit freezing and hot spots often in the same space, like Rendevouz Lounge.

 

We're a little temperature sensitive so this may not have been an issue for others!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tlaffin]

How did you pay the cab? With a credit card, American dollars or local currency?

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

We paid with American dollars. Happy sailing!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[philpcruiser]

Could someone with knowledge of cruise ship design comment on why the whole ship would have A/C issues? (are there separate units? Why would the entire ship be affected? Couldn't you just charge the affected one with some refrigerant?) And why would the water be brown?

[tlaffin]

On the same topic: Can you pay for the buses with paper currency (USD) or do you need Coins?

 

 

My understanding is that you can pay for buses with paper currency but you must have the exact amount. We did tokens so I'm not 100% certain on that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[marco]

We were on the "Summit" last month. For buses and ferries: pass, tokens or EXACT change. IF cash, US or Bermudian, either is accepted, but no paper bills. If you are going to "pay as you go", bring a roll or two of quarters with you. We did not find A/C an issue, either in our cabin or in public rooms (However, in the elevators it was VERY warm)

[Arzeena]

I too was on that same cruise and had a vastly different experience than the poster :(

 

We were in the aft cabin 8172 which if we didn't have that cabin we would have left the ship in Bermuda!

 

We are experience 10+ cruisers and are in our late 50s, so we have seen most of the Caribbean and overseas. I have to say Summit needs a lot of work!

 

The warm temperature was because the air conditioning wasn't working and they were re-cycling it throughout the ship, first on one side then the other.

 

It was soooo warm in the MDR that on formal night most of the men had to

take their jackets off and none of the waiters had jackets on, they were serving in shirt sleeves as it was too warm.

 

Food was a 3 out of 5 (being top) in the MDR, some nights it was good, most

nights only barely edible. As for the Buffet....good grief that was just passible

at best. By the end of the week I was down to eating only French toast and poached eggs....

 

Whatever food was served in the MDR you got the same re-vamped food in the Buffet the next day. Desserts were terrible!

 

I am a Baker and never tasted such dried out, no taste food in my life.

We experienced a power outage (complete ship went dark, with no electricity at all) for about 20 mins in Bermuda. No air (temp in Bermuda was 86+ with humidity on top) so very uncomfortable. When the electricity came back on

the water in the tap was brown!!! It smelled nasty, and when I called guest services they said....oh yes you need to run it for about an hour....and don't drink the tap water!

 

Well we had been drinking this same tap water all week, and no they tell us that it isn't drinkable....no wonder I had stomache issues since arriving on board.

 

Summit....sorry gal but your days are numbered! Celebrity you need to

start giving people what they pay for, and not nickel and diming everything!

 

Sorry for the ramble, but I am NOT happy with Celebrity right now and will be

contacting them about this cruise very shortly :mad:

 

Im sure the poster had a great time, but once you've cruised a few times you will get to know what the difference is between good and terrible....this one

was not a good cruise.

 

Your cruise is really what you make of it. And having cruised millions of times or just once has nothing to do with it. Different strokes for different folks!

[dorito6778]

we were on this sailing as well and i'm in the process of writing my review.

 

to address a few ?s:

-they will take bermudian and american $s in bermuda. sometimes you'll pay with bermudian $s and get american $s back as change. lol

 

-we found the temperature to be on the warmer side that most cruises we've been on BUT i appreciated not having to shlep a sweater around with me to every meal and show. so i was happy with the temp. i was never HOT, just perfectly comfortable.

[sarahc78]

My family and I just returned from our first cruise with Celebrity on the Summit to Bermuda. Our trip was greatly enhanced by the information provided on this forum, so I want to return the favor by sharing some highlights from our trip and also offer to try to answer any questions.

 

My husband and I (we are in our early 30s) were travelling with 16 family members ranging in age from 15 to 57. We arrived at the port at 11:00 and were on the ship in the Ocean View Cafe by 11:45. Embarkation was a breeze - since we all drove, we had to park and then take a 2 minute shuttle ride from the parking area to the terminal. Parking for the 7 day cruise was $133 and you pay at that time rather than when you leave the parking lot upon return from the cruise.

 

Overall, Celebrity greatly exceeded our expectations. The Summit is truly beautiful and while I do see the need for some cosmetic pick-me-ups, I really loved this ship. We normally like the smaller ships as opposed to the gargantuan that are being built these days, so this ship was a perfect fit for us.

 

The service was excellent and every crew member we made contact with was friendly. The food in the Ocean View Cafe was the best buffet food we've ever had on a cruise. The sushi was awesome and my family members raved about the sliced turkey. I also highly recommend trying out the stir fry, which is available after lunch when the cafe re-opens at 5:30 for the dinner crowd.

 

The food in the MDR was good, not great for the most part. However, I always enjoyed my meal and I do think it's important to remember that they are cooking for a couple thousand people and trying to satisfy a lot of different palettes.

 

We were in room 2133 which is right above the gangway and also right around the corner from the elevators. I was surprised that we didn't have any issues with noise below us from the gangway or even anything major from outside when we were docked. Also, no major noise issues from the elevator traffic, just a few quick instances of loud people here and there. Room itself was very nice. Bathroom could use some updating, but nothing to complain about.

 

We loved the Revelations lounge on deck 11 and spent a lot of time there (nice and quiet to read during the day and fun activities/great music at night).

 

We spent our first day in Bermuda at Coco Reef Resort and absolutely loved it. The beach was pretty quiet and we were so happy to not have to worry about locating a vendor for chairs/umbrellas (I walked the whole beach at one point and didn't see anyone renting chairs and/or umbrellas). Lunch was delicious and we made use of the pool as well. The scenery was just breathtaking. It was recommended to me on this forum to take the ferry to Hamilton and then get a cab to the resort. We followed this advice and it worked out so well. When we were done at Coco Reef, we went into Hamilton for Harbor Night by cab and then took a late ferry back to the ship.

 

On the second day, we chartered a 5 hour catamaran tour out of St. George so we took the 9:30 ferry from the Dockyard to St. George. We had a blast. We sailed for awhile and then dropped anchor near Fort St. Catherine for swimming and lunch. We took the 3:30 ferry back to the Dockyard.

 

Last day was Horseshoe Bay Beach and we did the Route 7 bus for that. It was crowded but not terrible. We left around 2:30 and had no trouble getting a bus as they were running special buses to accommodate the flow of people.

 

For the three days total, we ended up spending about $27 per person for transportation. We did tokens for the ferries/buses and then the cab for the quick trip from Coco Reef to Hamilton. We were going to do the 3 day pass for $44 initially, but were able to save about half that amount doing the tokens/cab.

 

One general comment about the Summit is that the temperature of the ship is a little warmer than it should be, especially for a summer itinerary. It could be at about 10 degrees cooler to truly be comfortable. Maybe this issue will be worked on when it is in dry dock in February.

 

That's really all I can think of for now. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thank you to those who have posted their reviews and tips previously - you really helped to make our trip a smooth, successful, and fun one!

 

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you had a great time. We love the Summit too.

 

I was hoping you could elaborate more on your time at Coco Reef. We also have the resort booked for our upcoming sailing. Was it very packed? Hard to get chairs/umbrellas? Do you remember what the menu options were? What time did you arrive and depart?

 

Thanks again!

[tlaffin]

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you had a great time. We love the Summit too.

 

I was hoping you could elaborate more on your time at Coco Reef. We also have the resort booked for our upcoming sailing. Was it very packed? Hard to get chairs/umbrellas? Do you remember what the menu options were? What time did you arrive and depart?

 

Thanks again!

 

The resort was not packed, but there were a good amount of people from the Breakaway and Summit there. We may have outnumbered the resort guests! I never felt crowded or that there were too many people, but don't expect it to be totally quiet. We did not have any trouble getting umbrellas and chairs, but we did get there early to ensure we could get umbrellas. We would NOT have lasted long in the sun without them. It should be noted that the $69 price does not guarantee an umbrella, only a lounger (a detail we missed when booking this). Our group got the last of the umbrellas that were already out on the beach but I believe I saw the resort staff getting extra umbrellas for people that arrived after us.

 

We got on the 9:00 ferry from the Dockyard to Hamilton and I believe we were on the beach by 10:00 (took us a little bit to hail enough cabs for our big group). We left there at 6:00 to go to Harbour Night.

 

Food was great. I remember a vegetarian option on a baguette, hamburger/cheeseburger, Cuban, and there were a few other options I can't remember. I got the cheeseburger which was fantastic. You get the choice of an appetizer and entree, or entree and dessert.

 

They also have a bar, which of course was pretty pricey. We absolutely loved it at Coco Reef and would definitely do it again when we go back to Bermuda in the future. Have a great time! Let me know if there is anything else I can try to answer.

[tlaffin]

I too was on that same cruise and had a vastly different experience than the poster :(

 

We were in the aft cabin 8172 which if we didn't have that cabin we would have left the ship in Bermuda!

 

We are experience 10+ cruisers and are in our late 50s, so we have seen most of the Caribbean and overseas. I have to say Summit needs a lot of work!

 

The warm temperature was because the air conditioning wasn't working and they were re-cycling it throughout the ship, first on one side then the other.

 

It was soooo warm in the MDR that on formal night most of the men had to

take their jackets off and none of the waiters had jackets on, they were serving in shirt sleeves as it was too warm.

 

Food was a 3 out of 5 (being top) in the MDR, some nights it was good, most

nights only barely edible. As for the Buffet....good grief that was just passible

at best. By the end of the week I was down to eating only French toast and poached eggs....

 

Whatever food was served in the MDR you got the same re-vamped food in the Buffet the next day. Desserts were terrible!

 

I am a Baker and never tasted such dried out, no taste food in my life.

We experienced a power outage (complete ship went dark, with no electricity at all) for about 20 mins in Bermuda. No air (temp in Bermuda was 86+ with humidity on top) so very uncomfortable. When the electricity came back on

the water in the tap was brown!!! It smelled nasty, and when I called guest services they said....oh yes you need to run it for about an hour....and don't drink the tap water!

 

Well we had been drinking this same tap water all week, and no they tell us that it isn't drinkable....no wonder I had stomache issues since arriving on board.

 

Summit....sorry gal but your days are numbered! Celebrity you need to

start giving people what they pay for, and not nickel and diming everything!

 

Sorry for the ramble, but I am NOT happy with Celebrity right now and will be

contacting them about this cruise very shortly :mad:

 

I'm sure the poster had a great time, but once you've cruised a few times you will get to know what the difference is between good and terrible....this one

was not a good cruise.

 

So sorry to hear that we had such different experiences on the same sailing! I do hope you'll reach out to Celebrity to report the issues you encountered. I know they were very adamant about guests reporting problems while on board so they could be resolved right away, so I'm sure they will want to know about these things so they can be rectified.

 

Thanks for the info about the ship temp - we weren't sure if it was just us or if there really was an issue with the A/C. Makes perfect sense now.

 

We were out in Bermuda during the power outage that you mentioned, so I can't speak to that, but how awful that must have been! I would have definitely hightailed it out of the ship until the power was restored if I were onboard when that happened. I would much prefer the breeze outside standing in the shade of the ship or walking around in the air-conditioned Dockyard shops to that! Yikes!

 

This was our 7th cruise and I do agree that the MDR food was our least favorite of the cruises that we've been on (RCL and Carnival). Of the meals I ordered, I didn't encounter anything that wasn't edible, but certainly agree that several entrees could have used more flavor. I will say that the chocolate cake in the MDR was one of the moistest cakes I've ever had! Not sure if you had the opportunity to try that. However, the cupcakes and cookies in the Ocean View Buffet were definitely dry and not very good.

 

We also did not experience the brown water issue. Did you have to deal with that for the whole rest of the cruise, or did the issue resolve after running the water? Either way, I agree - not the most pleasant experience, I'm sure.

 

I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your trip and hope you have a much better time on your next sailing!

[sarahc78]

The resort was not packed, but there were a good amount of people from the Breakaway and Summit there. We may have outnumbered the resort guests! I never felt crowded or that there were too many people, but don't expect it to be totally quiet. We did not have any trouble getting umbrellas and chairs, but we did get there early to ensure we could get umbrellas. We would NOT have lasted long in the sun without them. It should be noted that the $69 price does not guarantee an umbrella, only a lounger (a detail we missed when booking this). Our group got the last of the umbrellas that were already out on the beach but I believe I saw the resort staff getting extra umbrellas for people that arrived after us.

 

We got on the 9:00 ferry from the Dockyard to Hamilton and I believe we were on the beach by 10:00 (took us a little bit to hail enough cabs for our big group). We left there at 6:00 to go to Harbour Night.

 

Food was great. I remember a vegetarian option on a baguette, hamburger/cheeseburger, Cuban, and there were a few other options I can't remember. I got the cheeseburger which was fantastic. You get the choice of an appetizer and entree, or entree and dessert.

 

They also have a bar, which of course was pretty pricey. We absolutely loved it at Coco Reef and would definitely do it again when we go back to Bermuda in the future. Have a great time! Let me know if there is anything else I can try to answer.

 

Ok thanks for the heads up on the umbrellas! Did they provide towels? If so how many per person?

 

Were you only able to order drinks from the bar area or were you able to be served drinks pool/beach side?

 

Did you notice if there were any younger children there? We'll be taking our children with us when we go in August.

 

I'm really excited to go there. All of the reviews I've read have been very positive especially about the food. Everyone has said its been delicious.

[tlaffin]

Ok thanks for the heads up on the umbrellas! Did they provide towels? If so how many per person?

 

Were you only able to order drinks from the bar area or were you able to be served drinks pool/beach side?

 

Did you notice if there were any younger children there? We'll be taking our children with us when we go in August.

 

I'm really excited to go there. All of the reviews I've read have been very positive especially about the food. Everyone has said its been delicious.

 

Yes, they provide towels and it's one per person. However, I'm sure if you needed an extra, they would provide it.

 

There wasn't anyone serving drinks on the beach when we were there. You did need to go to the bar area which is by the pool/restaurant.

 

I did see a few children there. They were building sandcastles and had some small beach toys with them as well like buckets, shovels, etc.

 

The one thing I would recommend is trying to consolidate trips from the restaurant/bar/pool area to the beach. It's a little bit of a hike up the stairs and pathway. The bathrooms are also only located up at the resort and are not on the beach area (unless I completely missed them!). So maybe when you go up for lunch, hit the restrooms and grab drinks while you're there so you don't have to constantly go up and down the hill.

 

We had a wonderful time and I think you'll really enjoy it. The food was definitely top notch, and the view and scenery is one of the most beautiful I've seen.

[sarahc78]

Yes, they provide towels and it's one per person. However, I'm sure if you needed an extra, they would provide it.

 

There wasn't anyone serving drinks on the beach when we were there. You did need to go to the bar area which is by the pool/restaurant.

 

I did see a few children there. They were building sandcastles and had some small beach toys with them as well like buckets, shovels, etc.

 

The one thing I would recommend is trying to consolidate trips from the restaurant/bar/pool area to the beach. It's a little bit of a hike up the stairs and pathway. The bathrooms are also only located up at the resort and are not on the beach area (unless I completely missed them!). So maybe when you go up for lunch, hit the restrooms and grab drinks while you're there so you don't have to constantly go up and down the hill.

 

We had a wonderful time and I think you'll really enjoy it. The food was definitely top notch, and the view and scenery is one of the most beautiful I've seen.

 

Awesome! thanks again for all your helpful info. This will definitely help us out ;)

[dkjretired]

Awesome! thanks again for all your helpful info. This will definitely help us out ;)

 

Sarah:

 

I was there a few weeks ago, they did have people serving drinks at the pool area which is right below the restaurant. I did not hit the beach due to a problem with my leg. The lunch was excellent in my opinion, two courses, either appetizer and entrée or entre and dessert. I had a fish chowder for an appetizer which was loaded with fish and excellent. Also, had as an entre a pasta dish with pesto which was really good.

 

We also did not have a lot of people there, I believe many of those who are staying at the hotel are off sightseeing. We did the same thing as the OP, took the earliest ferry and then the cab, we were there by 10.

 

I thought the food on the ship was excellent, enjoyed the various beef dishes, did not see any of these items recycled the next day in the buffet. Desserts, especially cookies were really good.

 

A little unknown sort of event is the tea they have in the solarium at the Aqua Spa café late in the afternoon.

Edited July 6, 2015 by dkjretired

[Justbecoz]

We were on the same cruise with a different experience. We were a family of ten ranging in ages 89 - 18. My DW and I are in our late fifties and were in cabin 6125. My MIL - 89 and her sister-87 were in the sky suite next to us. The 3 other cabins were aft on 11 -Aqua. We ate 2 dinners in Luminae, 4 dinners in Blu, and 1 in Qsine. These were all fantastic. The rest of the meals we all did our own thing. DW and I ate mostly in Luminae and Blue which were very good. We had one lunch in the MDR which was very bad. The others in our family always found something they liked at the pool or the buffet or room service. The service everywhere was excellent. Some liked the shows and some didn't but we all had fun.

DW and I went scuba diving each day in Bermuda using taxis and buses. We didn't encounter the power outage or brown water. We were only warm once in a packed elevator. We did spend a lot of time at the martini bar so the frozen bar might have helped? We played poker in the casino which we enjoyed. The younger folks had a good time at the pool area. We felt it was way too crowed and there was never anyplace to sit.

Our only complaint would be the abundance of rude, demanding passengers.

 

Our cruise experience ranges from some who have been on 20+ cruises to me and DW - our first cruise. We would not opt to cruise again if not a family gathering. But - We still had a very good vacation and loved spending time with family.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Justbecoz

[justcake]

My family and I just returned from our first cruise with Celebrity on the Summit to Bermuda. Our trip was greatly enhanced by the information provided on this forum, so I want to return the favor by sharing some highlights from our trip and also offer to try to answer any questions.

 

The service was excellent and every crew member we made contact with was friendly. The food in the Ocean View Cafe was the best buffet food we've ever had on a cruise. The sushi was awesome and my family members raved about the sliced turkey. I also highly recommend trying out the stir fry, which is available after lunch when the cafe re-opens at 5:30 for the dinner crowd.

 

 

We were in room 2133 which is right above the gangway and also right around the corner from the elevators. I was surprised that we didn't have any issues with noise below us from the gangway or even anything major from outside when we were docked. Also, no major noise issues from the elevator traffic, just a few quick instances of loud people here and there. Room itself was very nice. Bathroom could use some updating, but nothing to complain about.

 

That's really all I can think of for now. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thank you to those who have posted their reviews and tips previously - you really helped to make our trip a smooth, successful, and fun one!

 

Is Sushi available at all times in the buffet? My husband is a big fan of good sushi.

 

We are just down the hall from where you stayed. I'm glad to hear you didn't have an issues. This is the lowest in the ship we have ever stayed so I was wondering what it would be like. This is our first Celebrity cruise and its nice to hear your positive review!

[butterflymama]

We were on the 5/17 sailing and also found the ship to be too warm. It was really warm in the MDR if you sat on the upper level towards the left. I was actually sweating during dinner a few nights.

My DH didn't wear a jacket for the second formal night because of the temperature.

 

I did think to myself that if the outside air were warmer (like summer months) the cabin would have been way too hot. It was just bearable.

 

 

I wasn't crazy about the sushi. The spicy tuna roll that I had was made with canned tuna!!! YUCK. That was the special of the day....hopefully the only day!

Edited July 6, 2015 by butterflymama

[tlaffin]

Is Sushi available at all times in the buffet? My husband is a big fan of good sushi.

 

We are just down the hall from where you stayed. I'm glad to hear you didn't have an issues. This is the lowest in the ship we have ever stayed so I was wondering what it would be like. This is our first Celebrity cruise and its nice to hear your positive review!

 

Sushi was available at lunch and dinner in the Ocean View cafe. I was really impressed by both the quality and selection of the sushi. I hope your husband enjoys it!

 

This was the lowest on a ship for us as well, but it actually worked out really well! It was especially nice only having to go up one floor from the gangway on port days. We were able to completely avoid the elevator jam and just take the stairs. Also, our last day at sea was very rocky due to a storm and being so low on the ship, we didn't feel the motion too badly in the room. If we were on an upper deck and were feeling the motion too much, we would just stop down at the room for a bit to get a break from it.

 

We really enjoyed our first experience with Celebrity and I think you will too - have a great vacation!

[drewdie]

My family and I just returned from our first cruise with Celebrity on the Summit to Bermuda. Our trip was greatly enhanced by the information provided on this forum, so I want to return the favor by sharing some highlights from our trip and also offer to try to answer any questions.

 

My husband and I (we are in our early 30s) were travelling with 16 family members ranging in age from 15 to 57. We arrived at the port at 11:00 and were on the ship in the Ocean View Cafe by 11:45. Embarkation was a breeze - since we all drove, we had to park and then take a 2 minute shuttle ride from the parking area to the terminal. Parking for the 7 day cruise was $133 and you pay at that time rather than when you leave the parking lot upon return from the cruise.

 

Overall, Celebrity greatly exceeded our expectations. The Summit is truly beautiful and while I do see the need for some cosmetic pick-me-ups, I really loved this ship. We normally like the smaller ships as opposed to the gargantuan that are being built these days, so this ship was a perfect fit for us.

 

The service was excellent and every crew member we made contact with was friendly. The food in the Ocean View Cafe was the best buffet food we've ever had on a cruise. The sushi was awesome and my family members raved about the sliced turkey. I also highly recommend trying out the stir fry, which is available after lunch when the cafe re-opens at 5:30 for the dinner crowd.

 

The food in the MDR was good, not great for the most part. However, I always enjoyed my meal and I do think it's important to remember that they are cooking for a couple thousand people and trying to satisfy a lot of different palettes.

 

We were in room 2133 which is right above the gangway and also right around the corner from the elevators. I was surprised that we didn't have any issues with noise below us from the gangway or even anything major from outside when we were docked. Also, no major noise issues from the elevator traffic, just a few quick instances of loud people here and there. Room itself was very nice. Bathroom could use some updating, but nothing to complain about.

 

We loved the Revelations lounge on deck 11 and spent a lot of time there (nice and quiet to read during the day and fun activities/great music at night).

 

We spent our first day in Bermuda at Coco Reef Resort and absolutely loved it. The beach was pretty quiet and we were so happy to not have to worry about locating a vendor for chairs/umbrellas (I walked the whole beach at one point and didn't see anyone renting chairs and/or umbrellas). Lunch was delicious and we made use of the pool as well. The scenery was just breathtaking. It was recommended to me on this forum to take the ferry to Hamilton and then get a cab to the resort. We followed this advice and it worked out so well. When we were done at Coco Reef, we went into Hamilton for Harbor Night by cab and then took a late ferry back to the ship.

 

On the second day, we chartered a 5 hour catamaran tour out of St. George so we took the 9:30 ferry from the Dockyard to St. George. We had a blast. We sailed for awhile and then dropped anchor near Fort St. Catherine for swimming and lunch. We took the 3:30 ferry back to the Dockyard.

 

Last day was Horseshoe Bay Beach and we did the Route 7 bus for that. It was crowded but not terrible. We left around 2:30 and had no trouble getting a bus as they were running special buses to accommodate the flow of people.

 

For the three days total, we ended up spending about $27 per person for transportation. We did tokens for the ferries/buses and then the cab for the quick trip from Coco Reef to Hamilton. We were going to do the 3 day pass for $44 initially, but were able to save about half that amount doing the tokens/cab.

 

One general comment about the Summit is that the temperature of the ship is a little warmer than it should be, especially for a summer itinerary. It could be at about 10 degrees cooler to truly be comfortable. Maybe this issue will be worked on when it is in dry dock in February.

 

That's really all I can think of for now. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thank you to those who have posted their reviews and tips previously - you really helped to make our trip a smooth, successful, and fun one!

We are hoping to also charter a catamaran or small boat while in Bermuda. Could you share the name of the company that you used, and also possibly the cost? Thank you!