Summit Questions

[mlbcruiser]

I have been reading some Summit reviews and there really aren’t all that many recent ones. Of course Covid had cruising shut down for a while and when it resumed, there were a lot of things that weren’t like they were before. Most ships were short staffed and so on. Mainly what I have seen are reviews done in July and August. Lots of complaining. 
 

I would love to hear a report  from anyone who has been on the Summit in the last few weeks. Especially now that school is back in session and the latest round of the newest Covid variant is starting to calm down a bit.  Was the ship generally in good condition? Did they have much in the way of shows and entertainment at night? Please comment on the selection of food and it’s quality.

 

Hoping someone with recent experience sees this and can offer some good information. Thanks for any info! 
 

 

[Tee & Chilli]

How could you have missed the popular and exciting b3b from @Jim_Iain

 

Or the equally b2b excitement from @KenCruiser

 

And the current reviews for the Canada / New England itineraries.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Tee & Chilli

[FlorenceItaly]

 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

I would have to say that the live music options are just wonderful. Kyle, the solo guitarist is beyond great!  The two band are also wonderful. The “classical” string due is good too!  They rock it out with up beat versions of classical music. They all end pretty early in the night but as we get older, that’s a good thing!

 

There is nothing better than sitting out at the Sunset bar listening to Kyle play his set. We love it!!

 

(Didn’t mention that we are on the Summit right now.)

Edited September 18, 2022 by Sox Fan Cruiser

[Jim_Iain]

We were on Summit from August 8 through September 12.    Just a couple of comments to your questions. -

 

1.   Condition -  Summit went through the full revolution and has the Retreat and Retreat Deck.   This ship is clean and pretty well maintained but is show lots of rust (even though painted over almost daily.   Most areas look pretty good but did observe some soft good that could use a replacement.   None of this in anyway took away from our cruise experience.

 

2.  Staffing -   Summit like all the other ships are short staffed and had about 30% of the staffed replaced on 9/15    Many of the crew are due to return and have been extended 1-2 cruises to help out.  Most of the time these extensions come at the last minute.   Crew morale is very high and they go above and beyond to make your vacation memorable.

 

3.  Food -  We mostly ate in Luminae and i mentioned in my review it was some of the best food we had ever had in 20 years.   Especially good was the fish and prep of the fish. 

 

4.  Food in OV -  We ate twice in Ocean View for lunch and found the selection lacking and some supplies were very limited.   Notably was selection of Pizza - only Plain, Pepperoni or Vegetarian every time we went by.   They use to have a wonderful cheese selection and we often just like a crusty bread and cheese for lunch but cheese was limited to Swiss, Cheddar and Provolone -- nothing else in the 5 weeks we were at sea.

 

5.   I heard many complaints about the lack of bar servers but didn't personally experience as we exclusively drank in Retreat -   We tried to minimize our contact with others due to covid.    I did stop by a bar one night to grab a night cap for Iain and the Barista i became friends with was there and gave me a huge hug and prepped the drink immediately.

 

6.   Entertainment -    Rich (Cruise Director) left  the same day we did but I hear was replaced with a new CD - Sarah how has been getting good reviews.    We were on a very ocean intensive first two crusies and they had multiple things going all the time .

 

Shows are same as pre Covid with 2 shows a night and good entertainment.  

[sdnich]

13 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I would have to say that the live music options are just wonderful. Kyle, the solo guitarist is beyond great!  The two band are also wonderful. The “classical” string due is good too!  They rock it out with up beat versions of classical music. They all end pretty early in the night but as we get older, that’s a good thing!

 

There is nothing better than sitting out at the Sunset bar listening to Kyle play his set. We love it!!

 

(Didn’t mention that we are on the Summit right now.)

I hope you are having a great cruise !! We are on the 9/21 cruise and are flying out tomorrow!! I love to hear some good music and had Kyle on my short list of people to see!! I love and miss live music!! 
cheers 🥂

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

9 hours ago, sdnich said:

I hope you are having a great cruise !! We are on the 9/21 cruise and are flying out tomorrow!! I love to hear some good music and had Kyle on my short list of people to see!! I love and miss live music!! 
cheers 🥂

Thanks. Unfortunately hubby got Covid on Friday and we’ve been stuck in our cabin ever since. But up until then the music was great!  That’s one thing that makes it so hard to be stuck in our room, the music was so good this trip!  Enjoy!!

[sdnich]

We are on our flight right now on the way to Boston and I decided to mask up at the airport just to try to be somewhat safe!! Sorry that your husband got Covid !  I hope he has only mild symptoms !

Edited September 19, 2022 by sdnich

[sippican]

Onboard now! Although the staff shortage is noticeable, everyone is doing their very best. Food and entertainment has been excellent. 

[stellarose]

can you do self serve at the buffet?

[Jim_Iain]

14 minutes ago, stellarose said:

can you do self serve at the buffet?

Buffet had been almost 100% self service for the cruises I was on starting in September.  I recall hearing they started in August.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, sippican said:

Onboard now! Although the staff shortage is noticeable, everyone is doing their very best. Food and entertainment has been excellent. 

I'm curious if there are any wait staff taking drink orders around the ship like around the pool, in lounges, in the buffet, etc. Or must you go to a bar to get one?

[IWillGoAnywhere26]

@Jim_lain You are on point with your review of the OV. That was our experience exactly. And we really miss the nice selection of cheese with the crusty bread. That often was our go to lunch with some fruit.

 

And the staff at Cafe Baccio was the best. I felt a little like I was in a Cheers episode, "Where everybody knows your name." 😉

 

Loved Kyle and the Time Machine Duo, also. They're worth checking out.

 

We're headed back to the Summit on October 3 for a B2B. Really looking forward to seeing all my friends on the crew. They are the best!

 

I'm sure Sarah is great but I am really going to miss Rich. We sailed with him 3 times since starting back in July 2021.

Edited September 19, 2022 by IWillGoAnywhere26

[sippican]

2 hours ago, stellarose said:

can you do self serve at the buffet?

 Most stations are self-serve, but there are some where you are still served by staff.

 

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

I'm curious if there are any wait staff taking drink orders around the ship like around the pool, in lounges, in the buffet, etc. Or must you go to a bar to get one?

 There is drink service in the lounges and around the pool. We found it was sometimes faster to go up to the bar and order.

 

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by sippican

[Arizona Wildcat]

Lots of questions asked repeatedly. 

 

Summit was revolutionized just before covid.  Thus everything looks very new.  Whether you like the new version is a personal opinion.

 

Summit is short staffed and the last few cruises are at capacity.  Thus are there drink waiters walking about looking to sell a drink?  Sometimes, but not often.  At peak times dining and kitchen staff are beyond maxed out.  Many staff are new are getting up to speed will require time and some patience from those cruising.

 

The dining experience is the only clear change with lots of moves toward less expensive cuts of meat and fish.  Specialties one was accustomed too might not be on the menu.

 

Simply put, in August when all ships went into service the number of crew per ship dropped at the same time the number of passengers in many cases doubled.  The rest needs no explanation.

[letsgogogo]

On 9/18/2022 at 1:05 AM, mlbcruiser said:

I have been reading some Summit reviews and there really aren’t all that many recent ones

I think you have only been looking at the reviews here on CC for that ship. I will encourage you to jump in some of the rollcall groups for cruises on Summit currently and in the past weeks. Someone else gave me that recommendation and I have found it to be extremely helpful. You will see posts from people on the ship right now. It’s surprise me, but some people still like to post and interact on here even while they’re on their vacation. Go to the role call links for celebrity on here, find Summit, and take a look at the discussions. There is also a private discussion group for summit on a popular social media site.

 

I’m sure you realize that public reviews and postings are heavily biased tours negative feedback. People who have a great time are less inclined to go online and talk all about it. Some will, I’m just saying in general. That said, you are correct. There continues to be challenges with understaffing and while the crew is working very hard, there are not enough of them. Most of this is not the cruise lines fault. Many of the countries that provide labor to this industry still have barriers to getting visas and documentation due to Covid. Some have criticized that the cruise lines should limit occupancy to better match the staffing. That is not entirely realistic because nobody really wants to spend way more for for their cruise, and most of the staffing issues come up long after people have booked. 
 

We will be on Summit October 3. My expectations are managed. It may not be the best cruise I will ever go on, but I am ready for a vacation, and I intend to make the most of it. Most feedback i have seen from those roll calls is overwhelmingly positive except for slower service. The bigger complaints are about careless passengers not masking while in the theater (still required) coughing all over everybody else while unmakes, not washing their hands after the restroom, and general entitlement.

 

if the lower level of service is a big issue for you, (no judgement here) it may be better to postpone cruising until all this resolves. It’s not specific to summit, or even celebrity. It’s the industry. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by letsgogogo

[SusieAV8R]

7 hours ago, RichYak said:

I'm curious if there are any wait staff taking drink orders around the ship like around the pool, in lounges, in the buffet, etc. Or must you go to a bar to get one?

We were on Summit last September (25% capacity I believe), Connie in November  (about 35-40% capacity) and Infinity  (60% capacity) less than a month ago.  We often eat in OV because I have times when the selection in Luminae is underwhelming.  That said, we never lacked a waiter taking a drink order from us.    In fact, despite complaints about reduced staffing on Summit and the other 2 ships I mentioned, we didn't experience it. 

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Though I’ve looked at the rollcall for the sailing we are considering, I had not thought of doing it just to get a handle on peoples’ experiences. Thanks for that suggestion, Letsgogogo! I also looked up some reviews on the so-called discount cruise and vacation website. Admittedly, I overthink everything, lol!

[letsgogogo]

1 hour ago, mlbcruiser said:

Admittedly, I overthink everything, lol!

This is me hourly.