Observations on Summit 6/12/16 Cruise and Cabin 1140

[drychi]

My wife and I just returned from our wonderful seven days on Summit to Bermuda. We were in Aqua Class cabin 1140. I wanted to discuss a couple of items immediately to help future cruisers, particularly those going on this cruise in the next few weeks.

 

Cabin 1140. This is a standard Aqua Class cabin with a very non-standard balcony. The balcony is big enough to have 2 reclining loungers, 2 chairs, 2 footstools, and a table on it with room to spare. We loved everything about this balcony and spent more time than usual enjoying it.

 

Noise has been an issue on this board since the Summit drydock installed the Rooftop Terrace overhead. If you want a zen-like experience on this balcony you will be disappointed. During the movie presentations on Deck 12 above us you could hear some movie dialogue, some music, and explosions, etc. particularly during the Star Wars movie. It was not a problem for us and I would describe it as similar to what you might hear from a neighboring rental unit is an apartment building if they had their television at a normal volume near an open window. They only showed movies 2 or 3 times a day and between times we heard nothing at all from deck 12. None of the movies ran past 10:30 p.m.

 

You also heard the normal sounds of people using the Sunset Bar and any live entertainment at that bar. It was very easy to go down the single flight of stairs to the bar for a round of drinks whenever you wished and return to the balcony and your lounge chair! The steps are steep, so you might also want to go to the elevator lobby and go down to deck 10 and out to the bar through the aft part of the buffet area.

 

Once you entered the cabin and closed and secured the door we could not hear any of these sounds at all. It was a normal quiet Aqua Class cabin.

 

Nothing we heard interfered with the wonderful views and the comfortable use of our balcony in any way during the seven day cruise. The balcony is worth all the praise this cabin receives on this board in our opinion.

 

A few other thoughts about this cabin. The cabin door is hard to open and close. You have to really be aware to make sure it actually closes behind you fully when you leave. Our cabin steward and ourselves also had trouble with the electronic key system. They worked on it twice while we were on board and said they would replace a part, so hopefully it is a non-issue for future cruisers. We also went through a couple of hours on two different occasions where the vacuum toilet system on deck 11 aft was not working. This was a "recurring problem with these cabins" per our steward and they fixed it each time. This problem was not unique to our room, it affected the entire rear portion of deck 11. All of these events were "minor" in scope and were promptly attended to by the ship's crew. Again they did not bother our enjoyment of this cabin or our cruise. If you have these problems report them promptly to your cabin steward or guest services and they will respond in an efficient manner.

 

My wife also wanted me to tell everyone that the storage in the cabin is quite good and the closet had lots of hangers. She did want to mention that the drawers in the closet unit were long, but not very deep so small, flat items seemed to do better in those drawers. They won't hold much else.

 

I found it hard to get to the aft Aqua Class cabins on the first day. If you go to deck 11 from the mid-ships or forward elevators you will need to walk aft on the open deck to a wall with a white snowflake sort of design just pass the stairway that takes you to deck 12 and the Rooftop Terrace. Look back toward the ship and you will see a door with a small porthole. Enter that door and you are in the corridor which will take you to Cabin 1140.

 

If you enter the Oceanview Restaurant on deck 10 from the mid-ships area go through the first part of the buffet area until you see a display case with some little pottery pieces in it. Look to your right and you will see the aft elevator lobby. It will take you to deck 11 and cabin 1140. If you do this on the other side of the ship you will not see the lobby because they had a metal door closed across it throughout our cruise. Just walk around to the other side of the buffet line and you will see the entrance I am talking about.

 

Of course anytime you can get to the aft elevators on any deck it will take you to Deck 11.

 

My wife and I had some extra on-board credit this trip so we decided to try INDULGENCE. This entertainment does have a $25.00 per person charge I believe to attend. It was held in Cellar Masters in the late evening. Cellar Masters is closed earlier in the evening by putting red velvet curtains across the entries to hide the interior. When you arrive, you are escorted into a dark, red-lighted interior where you will see members of the entertainment staff, singers, and dancers wearing fanciful costumes and arranged in interesting settings. They will perform several different routines during the evening and when not entertaining they will interact with the guests by conversation, posing for pictures, etc. During the course of the event the kitchen staff and servers from around the ship pass out very nice small bites, like sliders, sushi, etc. great desserts like cheesecake-pops, and specialty cocktails. It was very enjoyable and my wife and I would recommend that you attend. It is limited seating so make your reservations at Guest Services to make sure you get into the event. You will enjoy it!

 

This was the last cruise for the cruise director, John Grantham and the singers and dancers. They left the ship when we did. Capt. Kate said she would be leaving the ship at the end of June for her scheduled vacation as well. No IMMINENT change to Bistro on Five, the production shows, or the Blu and Main Dining room menus is going to occur. However, all of these things will be changing during the next year or so is what we were told.

 

The last thing I wanted to discuss is a new service that Celebrity has introduced which I believe is called Private Destinations. Destination Dave is the person in charge of this service on Summit. His office is located next to Shore Excursions on deck three. He will arrange private tours and events for passengers wanting a concierge type experience in the different ports. However, I found out from reading the daily activities sheet that he also would arrange private car ship to airport transfers for passengers.

 

This is a great deal if you wish to use it. We met Dave on Deck 3 at 7:45 a.m. on debarkation day. He personally walked us off the ship, took us to the warehouse to pick up our luggage, walked us through a special line at U. S. Border and Customs, and onto the street where our private car service was waiting at the curb to take us to Newark Airport for our noon flight home. The time from meet to car was approximately 35 minutes. The cost was $130.00 for the two of us which included the cost of the car and driver. This is real value for the money in our opinion. It was stress free and thanks to Dave's personality and planning a pleasant experience.

 

We hope these tips will help you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

Edited June 21, 2016 by drychi

[LA_CA_GAL]

Sailing Sunday and we have 1140!

 

Really appreciate you taking the time to post the info, and I will certainly benefit from it.

[drychi]

Hope you have as great a cruise as we did! Bob and Linda

[rngoofy]

Sailing July 10, we have 1141, hope it's almost as good as your cabin lol!

 

 

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[CruisingChick]

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

 

The plumbing problem is not only on deck 11 cabins. We were on Deck 3 this past May 29 - June 5 and our toilet stopped working, we were told by the room attendant that it was the group of staterooms in our area that weren't working, they did fix the problem in a few hours.

 

This is the 3rd time we have been on Deck 3 on Summit and have had problems with our toilet in the past 4 years. One year we kept having problems through the cruise and they had to come back 3 times.

Edited June 21, 2016 by CruisingChick

[Aldeya]

 

Cabin 1140. This is a standard Aqua Class cabin with a very non-standard balcony. The balcony is big enough to have 2 reclining loungers, 2 chairs, 2 footstools, and a table on it with room to spare.

 

Did you actually have 2 reclining loungers and footstools on the balcony or you had to ask for them?

 

We'd love to have them on the balcony.

[captdave]

Did you actually have 2 reclining loungers and footstools on the balcony or you had to ask for them?

 

We'd love to have them on the balcony.

 

1 Big Lounger, 2 Smaller Lounger's with Foot Stools and a Table in Summit 1140 on 5-8-2016 to Bermuda.

 

 

CaptDave

[Wine-O]

1 Big Lounger, 2 Smaller Lounger's with Foot Stools and a Table in Summit 1140 on 5-8-2016 to Bermuda.

 

CaptDave

 

We were next door in 1138 and had the one big lounger, 2 smaller loungers around the table w/foot stools.

[summercruise]

Thanks for the review. We have this cabin on the July 3 cruise. We are getting so excited!!

[webecruzin2]

Wow! Thank you for that very informative report. We're in AQ for 1st the first time on 1st leg of our trip in a few months.

Then moving down to C1 aft for the 2nd leg.

We love aft cabins too.[emoji6].

Thanks again for all of that great info!

 

 

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[freshjive1479]

Thanks for your report. We have 1140 in August and can't wait!

[DrivesLikeMario]

The Sunset Bar noise and the movie theater noise issues are exactly why we prefer lower aft-facing decks. It's good to read a thorough review of #1140.

 

BTW, we paid $55 plus tip for our private car service from EWR to the ship. We found it extremely easy to disembark and didn't need any help. I think $130 is outrageous, but you clearly felt it was worth the cost to be escorted from the ship which is totally fine. Just FYI for others. Do whatever works best for you. ;)

 

Thanks for the fantastic review and information.

Edited June 21, 2016 by DrivesLikeMario

[drychi]

Good evening everyone. We did not have to ask for any balcony furniture. Had the described balcony furniture as soon as we saw the balcony. Near the door were 2 chairs with foot rests. Nearer the front of the balcony were two loungers like you would normally see on the pool deck.with a round table. Still had plenty of room to move around.

 

Since we are talking about private car transfers I checked my receipt for hotel to pier with Dial 7 and it was $57.00 + tolls + tip for $70.00. Not having to wait in the elite debarkation lounge, and then stand in long line to id luggage, get a porter, wait for customs and then wait for the car to come after we called them to request pickup was worth it to us as we had 11:30 a.m. boarding time at Newark.

 

I agree with Drives Like Mario that it is nice to have choices and you should make the best one for your situation.

 

Thanks for the nice comments to date. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

[captdave]

Celebrity Summit from Hamilton Ferry - Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda 5-12-2016.

 

I just ran this one through Photoshop. Big storm was headed for the Dockyard in the afternoon. We got lucky, stayed nice on the Summit.

 

 

CaptDave

Edited June 22, 2016 by captdave

[Charles4515]

Good evening everyone. We did not have to ask for any balcony furniture. Had the described balcony furniture as soon as we saw the balcony. Near the door were 2 chairs with foot rests. Nearer the front of the balcony were two loungers like you would normally see on the pool deck.with a round table. Still had plenty of room to move around.

 

Since we are talking about private car transfers I checked my receipt for hotel to pier with Dial 7 and it was $57.00 + tolls + tip for $70.00. Not having to wait in the elite debarkation lounge, and then stand in long line to id luggage, get a porter, wait for customs and then wait for the car to come after we called them to request pickup was worth it to us as we had 11:30 a.m. boarding time at Newark.

 

I agree with Drives Like Mario that it is nice to have choices and you should make the best one for your situation.

 

Thanks for the nice comments to date. Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

 

We got off the ship at 8:10 am which was our debark time and did not have to wait in a line. Didn't even go to the Elite lounge. Walked straight to the gangway and off at 8:10. We picked up our luggage, were thru customs, and out front waiting for our ride in ten minutes. Our ride drove me to the Metropark train Station and I caught the 9:37 Amtrak Regional to Washington.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

BTW, we paid $55 plus tip for our private car service from EWR to the ship. We found it extremely easy to disembark and didn't need any help. I think $130 is outrageous, but you clearly felt it was worth the cost to be escorted from the ship which is totally fine. Just FYI for others. Do whatever works best for you. ;)

 

 

I have been on a few cruises that had private destinations and pretty much you pay double for that service than if you book on your own. To some it is worth it to have the cruise lines make the arrangements. I have found it pretty easy to do myself.

[southernbreezes]

Reading this made my day, thank you for the information, just what I was looking for: "He personally walked us off the ship, took us to the warehouse to pick up our luggage, walked us through a special line at U. S. Border and Customs, and onto the street where our private car service was waiting at the curb to take us to Newark Airport for our noon flight home." For me $130.00 is such a great deal, I am such a hyper, inpatient person it is stressful for me to wait in line or wait for anything.

Edited June 22, 2016 by southernbreezes
spell

[surus]

We were on the June 5 cruise in 9193. Our toilet stopped working twice. Once for an hour or so and once for most of an afternoon. They told us there was a problem in "our area" but after reading comments here I see that it is a problem ship wide. Someone told me one evening the ladies room outside the MDR had only one stall working. There was a long line! Not good.

 

 

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[Iamthesea]

These toilet issues are bothering me more than the movie theater. :eek: Thank you for reporting back about your experience with noise, or lack of. We still do not wish to hear anything on our October NE/Canada cruise, so again hoping it will be too cool for 3 movies a day.

 

 

Since we are talking about private car transfers I checked my receipt for hotel to pier with Dial 7 and it was $57.00 + tolls + tip for $70.00. Not having to wait in the elite debarkation lounge, and then stand in long line to id luggage, get a porter, wait for customs and then wait for the car to come after we called them to request pickup was worth it to us as we had 11:30 a.m. boarding time at Newark.

 

I am confused. Did you mean to say "pier to airport"? If not, how far was your hotel from the pier?

[drychi]

Good evening Iamthesea. As to the toilet issue it was a minor inconvenience for us which was quickly dealt with by the ship's crew. However, it does seem like plumbing problems do occur on Summit, based on other comments on this thread and the board in general. Hopefully, your cruise will not have the problem.

 

As to the quoted post of "hotel to pier" that is what I meant. We stayed the night before the cruise at the Renaissance Hotel at Newark Airport. It was a short distance from the pier. Our Dial 7 driver picked us up at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday morning and had us at the pier about 20- 25 minutes later. Our embarkation was very quick and I doubt if it lasted more than 20 minutes or so.

 

The ship to airport transfer was done using Celebrity's new Private Destinations service as described in my original post. Celebrity hired the driver and car and I do not know what service he drove for. His time back to the airport was approximately the same as our earlier driver. We flew Southwest and that is where he took us to catch our flight back to Missouri.

 

If you have any other questions I would be pleased to answer them if I can, otherwise have a great time on NE/Canada cruise. My wife and I have that on our list of cruises to take soon.

 

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for the clarification. The two experiences in the same paragraph are what confused me. ;)

 

The Celebrity deal does sound like the way to go. However, we are going back to a hotel after the cruise and spending 2 more nights. Not sure if we can get the service for that.

 

I'll check out Dial 7 for the trip from hotel to the pier. :)

[drychi]

Good morning Iamthesea. I believe that the Celebrity arranged car service would be happy to take you to your hotel as well.

 

I found out about Dial 7 on the East Coast Departures board, so you might look there for further information. It is frequently recommended as a reliable car service on that board.

 

Dial 7 would have also been happy to take us to the airport after our cruise as well, but their instructions were to call them when we "got to the port" and they would arrange a car to come pick us up after we were off the ship with luggage on the sidewalk outside the cruise terminal. They thought that would be a wait of 20 - 30 minutes after we called to let them know we were ready for pick-up, but it would depend on their driver availability at the time we called. That is one reason I liked the Celebrity approach, the car was waiting at the door when we arrived on the sidewalk.

 

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

[southernbreezes]

Good morning Iamthesea. I believe that the Celebrity arranged car service would be happy to take you to your hotel as well

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

 

Is their a reason you did not just use a taxi cab instead of "Dial 7"?

I plan to take a cab from the Airport then use Celebrity car service back.

Edited June 23, 2016 by southernbreezes
sp

[Iamthesea]

Good morning Iamthesea. I believe that the Celebrity arranged car service would be happy to take you to your hotel as well.

 

I found out about Dial 7 on the East Coast Departures board, so you might look there for further information. It is frequently recommended as a reliable car service on that board.

 

Dial 7 would have also been happy to take us to the airport after our cruise as well, but their instructions were to call them when we "got to the port" and they would arrange a car to come pick us up after we were off the ship with luggage on the sidewalk outside the cruise terminal. They thought that would be a wait of 20 - 30 minutes after we called to let them know we were ready for pick-up, but it would depend on their driver availability at the time we called. That is one reason I liked the Celebrity approach, the car was waiting at the door when we arrived on the sidewalk.

 

Happy Cruising! Bob and Linda

 

Yes, that sounds pretty bad. :rolleyes:

 

We just had a bad experience in Amsterdam. And we did have reservations for a private transfer. Many other people had private transfers. The cars could not get into the port area. It was A MESS! Most of us waited more than 30 minutes, or more, for our rides. People were yelling, pushing, trying to get in others hired cars. :eek:

[DrivesLikeMario]

That's one reason to use a car service like Dial 7 vs. a taxi. If there's a traffic jam, you don't continue to rack up the cost. The car service charges a set price plus tolls.