Live From the Summit from SJ 11/16

[Steelers0854]

4 hours ago, nunuc2000 said:

Thank you for the beautifully photographed review - I've loved every single post!!  Safe travels home, and thanks again... can't wait for your next review - when do you cruise again, and what ship?

 

thanks for the kind words. We are returning to Princess from a little hiatus. We will be on the Regal Princess I’m mid January. We are platinum so we get free internet on that one so it will be slightly more “live” from. 😉

 

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

I gotta say it again.  The " lump crab" is NOT lump crab.  That salad looks exactly like the "lump crab" martini I had in Blu in September.  It was so full of mayo and just not good. 

 

bingo. I was a little disappointed but it did taste like crab so I guess that’s half the battle!

1 hour ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

Thanks for your review!

We boarded the Summit today.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

Bon voyage!  She is a beautiful ship with great staff. You will have a blast!

[Steelers0854]

Disembarkation Day 8

 

 

Ugh, I hate day 8.  Can’t we just retire already so we could join the 200+ people that are staying onboard for the next sailing?!?

 

Our flight isn’t scheduled til 2:30pm which is the bad part.  But we looked at the post cruise excursions and decided the extra $150 wasnt worth it so we just would hang out at the airport until our flight.

 

So we headed down to our last breakfast in Blu, at 6:45 there was almost no one there.  when we left it was only about 30% full around 7:25.  Loved having this the last day and not having to fight people in the buffet.

 

We got our bags and were out of the room and in the theater to wait for our number to be called by 7:45.  We were Blue 15 and our scheduled time was 8 and we left at 8:25.  Luggage and customs was a breeze and we were through by 8:50.  I love that you don’t fill out forms any longer.  They just look at your passports ask a couple of quick questions and you’re done.  We got an UberXL (they meet you in the parking lot out and to the right of the terminal exit) and headed to the airport, it ran us $18 for the UberXL.

 

We had to wait an hour before we could check in as our flight was at 2:30pm.  We got through security and headed to the lounge off of Terminal A’s security checkpoint.  The lounge is small but is a part of priority pass and was free for us (Thanks Chase Sapphire Reserve card, literally the best CC on the market).  They had a descent number of seats, was only about 60% full at the peak time we were there and they offered some limited hot food for lunch and plenty of soda and water.

 

We waited here until it was time to head out for our flight, which was delayed of course.

 

Ill work on some recap thoughts and answer some frequent questions I have seen on the boards from our point of view.  For now here is this.....

 

Celebrity vs.........?

 

So the real meat and potatoes here.  How was the cruise?  In a word...... wonderful.  Princess has been our home since we started cruising.  We love that line, and while this was cruise #15 for us on our 7th different cruise line we have yet to have a “bad” cruise, knock on wood!  We have enjoyed some brands more than others, if I had unlimited resources thus far I would cruise solely on Disney.  Celebrity has the most in common with Princess and thus is the most like feeling at home at sea.

 

So while we have 2 more cruises booked, a Princess one in January and a Carnival in September, I think our next booking is going to be on X taking advantage of what they have to offer and seeing some new ships (and places) in the process!

 

Some follow up items

 

A Cabin below to the pool deck

 

While technically we are below the solarium in 9049 we hardly heard any noise.  Yes, every now and then you get the lady wearing heels with a 300 pound backpack tromp across the deck, or someone pulling a chair, but its so few and far between you hardly even notice it, and it almost never happened at night.  I love this deck because of the overhang.  We are not sun people and the massive overhang provides the perfect protection from  the sun and rain.  I would book this deck in a heartbeat.

 

It’s all about the little things.....

 

Celebrity has some wonderful small things that you wouldn’t have thought of unless you had it:

-Cloth towels in the restrooms throughout the ship

-Towels on the loungers on the pool deck

-a night light under the cabinets in the stateroom bathroom

-magnetic do not disturb signs. Genius. No more fighting with the stupid ones that either hang from the door handle or insert into the card slot. Would be perfect if one side was DND and the other was makeup room. But worked great none the less.

[othermike]

Thanks so much for the cameras intel!

[Steelers0854]

Is Aqua Class worth it?

 

In short, for most people, I don’t believe so (a perspective from sailing just on the Summit), but YMMV.

 

Let’s break this down, the 2 real benefits here are Blu and the Persian Gardens.  All the stuff that comes with it: afternoon canapés (meh at best), spa concierge (you mean the lady that answers the spa number that everyone dials?), “upgraded” toiletries (maybe someone can tell the difference), and better shower head (they all dispense water), and the other little bits and pieces along the way have no real additional value, to us.

 

Blu and the Persian Gardens is where it gets interesting.  Let’s start with the Persian Gardens.  We used it twice in 7 days, both times having it completely to ourselves.  I hate to see what it looked like on a Sea Day because they have loungers for 6 people and I guarantee you more people have access to the place than that.  It was ok, the sauna was nice, but you spend 2 hours in 7 days here and it was just ok.  And we really tried to use it because we did literally nothing else but relax the entire week.  I know on some other ships its in a much more desirable location with better views, and I am sure we would have used it more then, but then again so would everyone else lol.

 

Blu is what really gets me stuck.  The food and service were fantastic.  But i also had food throughout the week from the MDR and it was equal to, if not better, than the food in Blu.  The service is where i get stuck, and it really revolves around how they were with DW’s allergies.  She doesn’t make a fuss about her allergies, and doesn’t like to ask a lot.  When we were on Carnival she didn’t get a lot.  She basically had chicken and rice every night for dinner and that was it.   Now don’t get me wrong, they were very concerned and attentive about her allergies, but they also in no way shape or form proactively went out of their way to do anything for her.  Should she have asked, sure, but then comes Joe from Blu.  Now whether this service is unique to Joe, to Blu or to Celebrity I cant answer that question.  If this is what we can expect every time from Blu, we will only book Aqua Class and above as that alone is worth the price of entry.  But if its not, then the dining room would be just fine and we can use the money elsewhere.

 

In doing some brief searches online it seems Aqua Class can be anywhere from $200pp for 7 nights to more than $600pp for 7 nights depending on the itinerary.  For me, other than the one area stated above, its just not worth it.  Just my 2 cents.

 

And yes, I have recognized Joe in every way I could.  I spoke with Orlando, the Food and Beverage Director, emailed Celebrity, and put him on the post cruise survey.

[ipeeinthepool]

37 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

Is Aqua Class worth it?

 

In short, for most people, I don’t believe so (a perspective from sailing just on the Summit), but YMMV.

 

Let’s break this down, the 2 real benefits here are Blu and the Persian Gardens.  All the stuff that comes with it: afternoon canapés (meh at best), spa concierge (you mean the lady that answers the spa number that everyone dials?), “upgraded” toiletries (maybe someone can tell the difference), and better shower head (they all dispense water), and the other little bits and pieces along the way have no real additional value, to us.

 

Blu and the Persian Gardens is where it gets interesting.  Let’s start with the Persian Gardens.  We used it twice in 7 days, both times having it completely to ourselves.  I hate to see what it looked like on a Sea Day because they have loungers for 6 people and I guarantee you more people have access to the place than that.  It was ok, the sauna was nice, but you spend 2 hours in 7 days here and it was just ok.  And we really tried to use it because we did literally nothing else but relax the entire week.  I know on some other ships its in a much more desirable location with better views, and I am sure we would have used it more then, but then again so would everyone else lol.

 

Blu is what really gets me stuck.  The food and service were fantastic.  But i also had food throughout the week from the MDR and it was equal to, if not better, than the food in Blu.  The service is where i get stuck, and it really revolves around how they were with DW’s allergies.  She doesn’t make a fuss about her allergies, and doesn’t like to ask a lot.  When we were on Carnival she didn’t get a lot.  She basically had chicken and rice every night for dinner and that was it.   Now don’t get me wrong, they were very concerned and attentive about her allergies, but they also in no way shape or form proactively went out of their way to do anything for her.  Should she have asked, sure, but then comes Joe from Blu.  Now whether this service is unique to Joe, to Blu or to Celebrity I cant answer that question.  If this is what we can expect every time from Blu, we will only book Aqua Class and above as that alone is worth the price of entry.  But if its not, then the dining room would be just fine and we can use the money elsewhere.

 

In doing some brief searches online it seems Aqua Class can be anywhere from $200pp for 7 nights to more than $600pp for 7 nights depending on the itinerary.  For me, other than the one area stated above, its just not worth it.  Just my 2 cents.

 

And yes, I have recognized Joe in every way I could.  I spoke with Orlando, the Food and Beverage Director, emailed Celebrity, and put him on the post cruise survey.

 

Interesting perspective on Aqua class, but I think you've missed the one most significant feature about Aqua class.  At least on S-class ships most of the cabins are not in desirable locations, they are located under the pool deck, gym or other active areas.  I like Blu, but Aqua class just seems like an excellent way to sell less desirable cabins at a premium.

 

Thanks for a great review.

[TeeRick]

Awesome overall review.  Much appreciated!!

[Steelers0854]

34 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Interesting perspective on Aqua class, but I think you've missed the one most significant feature about Aqua class.  At least on S-class ships most of the cabins are not in desirable locations, they are located under the pool deck, gym or other active areas.  I like Blu, but Aqua class just seems like an excellent way to sell less desirable cabins at a premium.

 

Thanks for a great review.

 

You make a great point.  I addressed this in the post above this one, we didn’t mind the location as much, but i certainly have read about those that have.  I cant argue with your point, high and forward is always viewed as les desirable than low and center.  

[bhughey]

Wholeheartedly agree with you re: Aqua being "worth it". We've sailed AQ a number of times, but only if the price was within say, $100 of a standard balcony. Usually, upon upgrading after final payment due to a price drop. I've been consistantly pleased with the food & service in the main dining room and find the only real benefit of Blu is the more intimate atmosphere and the breakfast. I love breakfast in Blu, even more so than the breakfast in Luminae. 

 

Thanks again for the review!

[Silkroad]

Great review! Thanks very much for posting your experiences and lovely photos. By the way, on three recent cruises (Reflection, Silhouette, and Edge) I have seen the MDR maitre d’ meet with a nearby passenger to discuss dietary restrictions. Should you and your DW sail in a regular veranda cabin, I believe she’d fare very well in the MDR. That said, she should definitely meet with the maitre d’ on the first day to discuss her dietary needs. 

[EMS8]

I have a question; is the MDR menu available for everyone who dines in BLU?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

18 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

 

-magnetic do not disturb signs. Genius. No more fighting with the stupid ones that either hang from the door handle or insert into the card slot. Would be perfect if one side was DND and the other was makeup room. But worked great none the less.

 

Thanks for your review.  I just don't understand why Celebrity can't grasp this concept.  It's so simple.  And would make the cabin attendants' jobs so much easier.  MSC YC has a button you push that lights up to let your assistant butler know your room is ready to be made up.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, bhughey said:

Wholeheartedly agree with you re: Aqua being "worth it". We've sailed AQ a number of times, but only if the price was within say, $100 of a standard balcony. Usually, upon upgrading after final payment due to a price drop. I've been consistantly pleased with the food & service in the main dining room and find the only real benefit of Blu is the more intimate atmosphere and the breakfast. I love breakfast in Blu, even more so than the breakfast in Luminae. 

 

Thanks again for the review!

 

Yes!  Breakfast in Blu is wonderful, and in some ways better than Luminae.  It was better, though, when they had the muesli cart.

[1620rock]

Thank you for your great review especially sharing the MDR menus even though you were in an Aqua stateroom. We will be on the Summit in January and are excited to see the changes to the ship since Summit was our first Celebrity cruise and we love cruising the Southern Caribbean.  We definitely agree about the Persian Gardens on the Summit while we have decided we prefer cruising with Celebrity we loved the Spas on Norwegian. Of course they also come with an extra cost while Celebrity has the Aqua Spa and indoor poor included for all passengers. We do want to try Princess, is there a ship would would recommend?

[bhughey]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Yes!  Breakfast in Blu is wonderful, and in some ways better than Luminae.  It was better, though, when they had the muesli cart.

No more muesli cart???!!!

[PhoenixCruiser]

The Deep Sleep magnets are great

Our stop today was St. Kitts

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[cruisingnewtoit]

I was on this sailing in a regular cabin. The assistant maitre'd in the MDR was helpful with getting my vegan meals sorted out each night.

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

7 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

Is Aqua Class worth it?

 

In short, for most people, I don’t believe so (a perspective from sailing just on the Summit), but YMMV.

 

Let’s break this down, the 2 real benefits here are Blu and the Persian Gardens.  All the stuff that comes with it: afternoon canapés (meh at best), spa concierge (you mean the lady that answers the spa number that everyone dials?), “upgraded” toiletries (maybe someone can tell the difference), and better shower head (they all dispense water), and the other little bits and pieces along the way have no real additional value, to us.

 

Blu and the Persian Gardens is where it gets interesting.  Let’s start with the Persian Gardens.  We used it twice in 7 days, both times having it completely to ourselves.  I hate to see what it looked like on a Sea Day because they have loungers for 6 people and I guarantee you more people have access to the place than that.  It was ok, the sauna was nice, but you spend 2 hours in 7 days here and it was just ok.  And we really tried to use it because we did literally nothing else but relax the entire week.  I know on some other ships its in a much more desirable location with better views, and I am sure we would have used it more then, but then again so would everyone else lol.

 

Blu is what really gets me stuck.  The food and service were fantastic.  But i also had food throughout the week from the MDR and it was equal to, if not better, than the food in Blu.  The service is where i get stuck, and it really revolves around how they were with DW’s allergies.  She doesn’t make a fuss about her allergies, and doesn’t like to ask a lot.  When we were on Carnival she didn’t get a lot.  She basically had chicken and rice every night for dinner and that was it.   Now don’t get me wrong, they were very concerned and attentive about her allergies, but they also in no way shape or form proactively went out of their way to do anything for her.  Should she have asked, sure, but then comes Joe from Blu.  Now whether this service is unique to Joe, to Blu or to Celebrity I cant answer that question.  If this is what we can expect every time from Blu, we will only book Aqua Class and above as that alone is worth the price of entry.  But if its not, then the dining room would be just fine and we can use the money elsewhere.

 

In doing some brief searches online it seems Aqua Class can be anywhere from $200pp for 7 nights to more than $600pp for 7 nights depending on the itinerary.  For me, other than the one area stated above, its just not worth it.  Just my 2 cents.

 

And yes, I have recognized Joe in every way I could.  I spoke with Orlando, the Food and Beverage Director, emailed Celebrity, and put him on the post cruise survey.

 

4 hours ago, bhughey said:

Wholeheartedly agree with you re: Aqua being "worth it". We've sailed AQ a number of times, but only if the price was within say, $100 of a standard balcony. Usually, upon upgrading after final payment due to a price drop. I've been consistantly pleased with the food & service in the main dining room and find the only real benefit of Blu is the more intimate atmosphere and the breakfast. I love breakfast in Blu, even more so than the breakfast in Luminae. 

 

Thanks again for the review!

 

While we've enjoyed dining in Blu, for our upcoming cruise on Summit May'20, the price spread between Verandah and Aqua is $500+/pp so we've booked a Verandah. For some to have Blu and the Persian Garden it may be worth it but not to us. 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

36 minutes ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

The Deep Sleep magnets are great

Our stop today was St. Kitts

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

 

Agree but miss the "Make Up My Room" sign/magnet. 

[Steelers0854]

5 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Great review! Thanks very much for posting your experiences and lovely photos. By the way, on three recent cruises (Reflection, Silhouette, and Edge) I have seen the MDR maitre d’ meet with a nearby passenger to discuss dietary restrictions. Should you and your DW sail in a regular veranda cabin, I believe she’d fare very well in the MDR. That said, she should definitely meet with the maitre d’ on the first day to discuss her dietary needs. 

 

That’s great to know, thanks for sharing, makes us feel a lot better about booking a verandah next time around.

 

4 hours ago, EMS8 said:

I have a question; is the MDR menu available for everyone who dines in BLU?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Yup, and they never even bat an eye about ordering off the menu.  I never asked if they could bring an MDR menu, DW and I always just walked next door before coming to Blu and checked the menu.

 

4 hours ago, 1620rock said:

. We do want to try Princess, is there a ship would would recommend?

 

We haven’t been on a Princess ship we haven’t enjoyed yet.  That said I would focus either on the Caribbean Princess (recently upgraded) or the Royal/Regal/Majestic.  

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

That’s great to know, thanks for sharing, makes us feel a lot better about booking a verandah next time around.

 

Just remember that AQ and CC cabins are ~20 sq ft larger on "M" class ships.   On "S" class they are the same size.  On "M" class we do book AQ or CC for the larger cabin size.

[Steelers0854]

2 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Just remember that AQ and CC cabins are ~20 sq ft larger on "M" class ships.   On "S" class they are the same size.  On "M" class we do book AQ or CC for the larger cabin size.

 

Didn’t realize that, 20 sq feet doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quick!

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

 

Didn’t realize that, 20 sq feet doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quick!

It sure does. That's almost 12% larger than a standard veranda stateroom.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

2 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

 

Didn’t realize that, 20 sq feet doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quick!

 

Having a hard time justifying $500/pp more for Aqua over a Verandah on Summit for 20sq and Blu dining. 

 

[Steelers0854]

23 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Having a hard time justifying $500/pp more for Aqua over a Verandah on Summit for 20sq and Blu dining. 

 

no way would I do it for $500pp. I would have to think about it even at $200pp. 

[Peter118]

Many thanks for such a well written description of your journey. I feel as though i just experienced a well deserved "break" from the rat race...no wait, you got to enjoy it and I'm jealous...but I enjoyed following along.

 

Have never been on a cruise and will be on the Summit this February with the same ports of call. While you have definitely taken me through the entire week covering just about everything I would want to know about the ship I am unclear of one thing that I'm sure you could clear up for us.

 

We have the late dinner in the MDR (8:30), sail away is I believe about the same time and from what we understand there is a party of some sorts by the pool. Would you be able to give us an idea of when this party begins so we, @njsweetie and I, can either change dinner that evening or simply not be concerned about the overlap and do dinner as planned. If the party starts at 8 then I would probably just keep the 8:30 but what do I know...never been on a ship...LOL

 

I guess more importantly...forgetting the party, is "sail away" something you do not want to miss?