Summit 10/14 LIVE Review: A Semi-Solo Suite Return to Cruising!

[CruiserFromSC]

This was so much fun.  Loved following along with you and hope you post another “live” on your next cruise.  Thoroughly enjoyed your report.  💞

[steveweese]

Please give us your thoughts about the Centurion Lounge. Thanks for your report we really appreciate it. 

[davekathy]

7 minutes ago, steveweese said:

Please give us your thoughts about the Centurion Lounge. Thanks for your report we really appreciate it. 

What lounge is this? We've been on the Summit pre and post revolution and I've never seen or heard of it. 

[tompeter]

28 minutes ago, davekathy said:

What lounge is this? We've been on the Summit pre and post revolution and I've never seen or heard of it. 

I believe it is the AMEX lounge at the airport that they are referring to....

[steveweese]

2 minutes ago, tompeter said:

I believe it is the AMEX lounge at the airport that they are referring to....

Correct

[Northern Aurora]

I also thoroughly enjoyed your account of life onboard.

 

We were on the Millennium in September in a sky suite we stayed in before on that ship prior to its "revolution."  The in-room safe was noticeably smaller too.  

 

And we also didn't have to place our luggage out the night before disembarkation.  Really was nice to be able to wait until the early morning of disembarkation.

[Silkroad]

Great review! Love your style🌺 Thanks for sharing your wonderful return to cruising with us😎

[Cruise a holic]

It is so important to have another cruise to look forward to!  We are counting the days until our Jan 2nd Oasis cruise- b/2/b.  Then March for our reflection cruise!  Another cruise planned for August!

 

We have Amex and Delta lounge access.  If we get to the airport early, we try both!  

 

You have another cruise soon so enjoy the memories and the anticipation of another great cruise!

[Gaynors]

Thank you so much for your awesome review and taking us all along on your wonderful return to cruising!

 

We'll be boarding the Summit on Dec 16th!  First time post refurb but 3rd time overall on that ship .. hope to be a charm!!

 

I'm also sailing on the 9 night Equinox in March so I'll have to make sure to follow your upcoming cruise 😁 

[GenerationX]

Hello, CC

 

I’m extremely regretfully reporting to you today from Missouri.  I had a smooth flight home yesterday and got to wave a final farewell to Summit as my plane took off.

 

I’m slowly trying to adjust to life without Rojelio to bring me warm croissants in the morning and Genesis to pour me wine at every meal and I’m working on coming to terms with the fact that when I go to my bedroom tonight, my sheets will not be turned down and there will be no chocolates. None.

 

As I come to terms with my common life, let’s talk about a far more pleasant memory: the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Dinner on my last night onboard.

 

I liked the event so much, I’ll be lurking the schedule on my Equinox sailing next month and may consider doing it again.

 

It isn’t a cheap add on at $150 but OBC makes it easier to swallow (ha!) and when you think about it, white tablecloth restaurants in my city sell a bottle of Veuve for between $120-150 before tax and tip.  At this event, with the sommeliers offering to refill our glasses multiple times during each course, I probably consumed most of a bottle’s worth of wine and champagne  (ok fine, maybe more than a bottle’s worth) and got 7 courses of food with it, with tax and gratuity included, so it was a pretty good value.

 

Which reminds me, I apologize for my photo quality on the later courses, by that point my hand eye coordination was not at peak performance.  

 

There were a few of the courses that were just good not great, but others (specifically  the sea bass crudo, filet mignon and apricot soufflé) were so amazing they had me considering pleading my case to stay on for the next cruise.  In fact apparently I have no photo of said heavenly apricot soufflé because I was too distracted googling “how to get booked on a cruise after booking is closed” and stuffing it in my face.

 

We started the evening with canapés and champagne in Cellar Masters then the sommelier Darwin escorted the 5 of us who participated down to a decorated table in Tuscan Grille. During dinner Darwin talked us through each course and why it was paired with each wine and shared lots of cool facts about the history of Veuve Clicquot winery and the champagne making process.  Fun fact: did you know that the orange color of the accents on Edge-class ships is in honor of the partnership between Celebrity and Veuve Clicquot?  Neither did I till that dinner!

 

As you can see from my pic, the filet was served more medium rare (perfection temperature in my book) but the chef did give the option to have it done more (we all declined).  It sounded like they also had alternative dishes for those with dietary restrictions, but they asked if anyone had any at the beginning and no one in our group did.

 

After dinner, I messaged my husband at home and asked him to pull my emergency bottle of Veuve Brut out of our wine storage and put it in the fridge so it would be fully chilled in time for me to drink it to drown my sorrows and remember happier times after my first day back at work today. (Pro tip for my fellow working women following along: I strongly recommend keeping a good bottle of champagne on hand at home for the days when your job makes you want to throw your high heel straight through the nearest window.) 

 

Speaking of which. I think it’s time to pop said bottle right now.  Pics of food and menu below.

 

Soon to come, a little more on Luminae dinners and final thoughts on Summit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bunnyette]

Fabulous review!    My kind of cruise, relaxing, drinking & eating!

[rwest898]

This is my first time reading a review from you and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to your next cruise. Thanks for taking us along!

[DCPIV]

Thanks for the review!  I finally got to read about your experience on board! (after a good week of inability to effectively log in).

 

Rogelio also was my butler just recently as well as a couple months prior.  He's fantastic!

 

Ria is joy embodied in a lovely person!

 

Happy cruising!

[steveweese]

Wow I really love that meal but my wife is lukewarm on wine. Maybe I’ll tell if she finds me a apricot soufflé I won’t drag her to the meal  Thanks again for your fun report. 

[AnnemarieC76]

@GenerationX Thank you for this amazing review!!  I booked my Husband and I for this cruise in December and I can not wait especially after reading your review! 

 

Our last cruise was the last week of February of 2020 on the Equinox right before the works shut down...we got engaged on that cruise...and couldnt wait to book our next cruise and well we all know that couldnt happen...and NOW we sail on the Summit in 66 days!  I AM READY and you just got me even more excited!!!  so THANK YOU!!!

 

I will be looking for your review of your next cruise

[Blazn7]

On 10/15/2021 at 11:01 AM, GenerationX said:

Ive only used them once but the shampoo and conditioner don’t seem like they’re going to be a good fit for my hair. I’m glad I brought my own.  My hair is bleached and tends to get really dry in the sun so I think I need the extra moisture from my products.  The body wash and lotion seem pretty good though.

Agree on the body wash and lotion. Worked fine and I didn’t use my own after all.  But I don’t think I’d chance it with the shampoo and conditionerBut I don’t think I’d chance it with the shampoo and conditioner

[Blazn7]

On 10/15/2021 at 5:16 PM, jg51 said:

.

Thanks, GenX, for what you are doing in this thread.  Keep enjoying yourself immensely!

 

We have a question for you or anyone else that has cruised on the Summit in 2021:

Can a guest order cappuccino in Luminae, Blu, and the MDR?

If so, is it brought in from Cafe Al Bacio, or is it made in the dining room's own bar?

 

Thanks, in advance.

.

I’m not certain, what a good question. The butler brings cappuccinos from Al Bacio if that helps at all

[TreeCity]

I love your review. I cruise solo as husband does not want to cruise.  I missed it, what was the martini that had you drinking water the next day. I love vodka and rum  martinis and the martini bar. And did you  like the jalapeño mango martini? (sounds good)

[Chrissit]

I greatly appreciate that you took the time to post about the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Dinner! I’ve been looking for more information on this dinner having seen something about it once before… If you don’t mind, was this listed in the dailies or was this something you could book priory’s boarding?
 

Hoping to see this onboard the Equniox in Nov for our sailing - looks amazing!

[vms]

Thank you for this fun and helpful review! I just booked a short cruise on Summit for November of 2021 so you've given me even more to look forward to. That Veuve Cliquot Champagne dinner looks amazing- I will keep an eye out for it!

 

So glad that silent disco is happening! Hanging out at the martini bar and dancing the night away is one of my favorite ways to spend my evenings onboard.

 

Your love for live and travel sparkles throughout your review. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. And for the tip that I should be sure to keep my tissues handy when I step onboard.

[GenerationX]

Hello cruisers!  I sincerely apologize for my long delay in finishing my review.  Real life gets in the way so quickly once you get back in dry land.  

 

As of today it has officially been 1 week since I last woke up on a cruise ship and the cruise withdrawal is still surprisingly strong.  I assume/hope this is a side effect from the 18 months of cruise deprivation, because my budget and vacation time aren’t going to allow me to always have another cruise the next month to look forward to and pull me through!

 

But I digress. Does anyone mind if I reminisce on the food in Luminae?

 

For our embarkation day lunch (ah memories) Red and I split all of the appetizers and then she had the bronzino while I had steak frites.  The pea soup and ceviche were both awesome!  I think Red’s fish won the entree battle. BCompared to all the steak I would subsequently eat onboard, this one was the least impressive, but I think that’s to be expected when comparing a NY strip to ribeyes and filet mignon.  The potato wedges it came with weren’t seasoned very well so I was glad Red and I had gotten an order of the truffle fries that come with the Luminae burger. Pro tip: those truffle fries dipped in the bearnaise sauce that comes with the steak. Perfection!

 

After one heck of a sailaway party (Home on the helipad with the entire ship invited since there were so few passengers), we returned to Luminae for dinner that night.

 

We started with tomato soup and pork belly (after an amuse bouche of a deep fried potato, ham and cheese ball, that I’d love to eat like 20 of after a night in the martini bar).  Then we shared the duck breast, bucatini and filet mignon.  

 

Pre-COVID, the last 3 cruises I went on and ordered pork belly (twice in Murano and once in Luminae) it was horribly over cooked and dry.  I had almost sworn off pork belly on Celebrity, but I’m glad I gave it this one last chance. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. 

 

The bucatini is one of my favorite Luminae dishes but it’s not to everyone’s tastes.  The red sauce is extremely fennel-forward, which I love.  But Red, who doesn’t care for fennel, was not a fan.

 

The Luminae filet mignon was every bit as good as I remembered and comes in one of the few steak sauces I’ve had on Celebrity that I think actually adds to the steak flavor.

 

We were so stuffed we decided to drink our dessert that night in the martini bar, so  sorry guys, I can’t report on the sweets.

 

Pics of the oh so lux life I was leading a mere 10 days ago below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

On 10/21/2021 at 5:59 PM, Chrissit said:

I greatly appreciate that you took the time to post about the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Dinner! I’ve been looking for more information on this dinner having seen something about it once before… If you don’t mind, was this listed in the dailies or was this something you could book priory’s boarding?
 

Hoping to see this onboard the Equniox in Nov for our sailing - looks amazing!

I hope we’ll have it too!  It was listed on the daily and in the app on the day it was scheduled, but I didn’t see it in our pre-boarding online booking options.  The first night at dinner, I ordered a nice glass of wine and the sommelier who brought it asked me if I’d be interested in the champagne dinner and brought me a menu and info on signing up.  I think if I don’t see it on the schedule on Equinox I’ll ask one of the sommeliers about it early on so I don’t miss the chance if it’s offered.

[DCPIV]

21 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

amuse bouche of a deep fried potato, ham and cheese ball, that I’d love to eat like 20 of after a night in the martini bar

 

Oh, my gosh.  Wasn't that just amazing!  I wish I had asked for 20 of them to go because you're right about wanting something like that after the Martini Bar!

[GenerationX]

On 10/21/2021 at 4:31 PM, TreeCity said:

I love your review. I cruise solo as husband does not want to cruise.  I missed it, what was the martini that had you drinking water the next day. I love vodka and rum  martinis and the martini bar. And did you  like the jalapeño mango martini? (sounds good)

 

Thank you! And thanks for the reminder, I completely forgot to post about my new favorite martini.  It’s called the French 75 martini!  It’s made with gin and champagne rather than vodka. It’s very mild and refreshing but not super sweet. They go down dangerously easily.

 

[GenerationX]

On 10/18/2021 at 12:30 PM, ETHTrader said:

 

Sorry to hear that your trip has ended but you only have to wait another month for another sailing!

 

How is the Amex Centurion Lounge at Miami? Haven't been there since pre-pandemic. Still crowded? i know they expanded the lounge space since the inception.

I apologize for the response delay!  The Centurion lounge was definitely busy but it didn’t feel overcrowded to me and the service was very prompt.
 

It was my first time in the lounge and I didn’t have time to wander around too much (my departure gate got moved all the way across MIA), but everything seemed very clean and modern.  The food looked pretty good as well.

 

I was in the lounge as Red’s guest.  I have an AA Admirals Club membership so I’m not sure if the fee to upgrade my AmEx to get Centurion access is worth it for me, but I think Red has been very happy with it.