Can you sell me on the Summit for Alaska.

[wcook]

I have a cruise set on a different line for June 2025. But for practical reasons, switching to the Summit makes sense. I’ve never sailed Celebrity, so went to watch some videos and… it’s not grabbing me. Nothing I can put my finger on, just that nothing makes me say, “oh wow, that looks great.”

 

So a plea to Celebrity fans in general and Summit fans in particular, what are some nice things I should focus on. I’m especially interested in little things - a favorite dish, a secret viewing spot, etc. 

 

Thanks!

[doghog]

34 minutes ago, wcook said:

I have a cruise set on a different line for June 2025. But for practical reasons, switching to the Summit makes sense. I’ve never sailed Celebrity, so went to watch some videos and… it’s not grabbing me. Nothing I can put my finger on, just that nothing makes me say, “oh wow, that looks great.”

 

So a plea to Celebrity fans in general and Summit fans in particular, what are some nice things I should focus on. I’m especially interested in little things - a favorite dish, a secret viewing spot, etc. 

 

Thanks!

What cruise line and ship? Will help with comparisons. For us no inside smoking, no matter the venue, fleetwide. 

[phoenix_dream]

Don't know you or what you like so it would be hard to sell you on it without that knowledge.  Summit is a medium sized ship, with a comfortable design compared to some of the newest ships.  It is not boring by any means but has more of a classic, ocean liner feel to it than the newest ships.  It has a lovely large bar called Rendezvous which is one of my favorites in the fleet.  It has a wonderful adults only (except for a few family hours) inside pool that is warm and has some spa like effects.  There is no smoking inside anywhere.  I have sailed to Alaska on her sister ship, Millennium, multiple times and loved it.  My favorite is a b2b from Vancouver up and back.  

[hcat]

if it already  doesn't appeal to you..suggest you skip it..

 

There are a few good current reviews. Read reviews, watch videos, consult a TA.  but if it isn't grabbing you you will likely not be happy! It's up to X to sell it to you.. You know what u like!

[wcook]

36 minutes ago, doghog said:

What cruise line and ship

Sapphire Princess. And yes, the no smoking casino was something that looked great with Celebrity 

[doghog]

16 minutes ago, wcook said:

Sapphire Princess. And yes, the no smoking casino was something that looked great with Celebrity 

Another thing we like about Celebrity over Princess is when you first board the ship you can go directly to your cabin pick up your Seapass card and drop off your carry on(s). Celebrity request you don't linger in the cabin. Leave and wait for the general announcements are made that the cabins are ready. Celebrity uses Seapass cards not Medallion's.  

 

 The Summit is an older ship (23 years old). The Summit was revolutionized (refurbished) in 2019. We like the Summit. The Summit (91,000 GT) is smaller than the Sapphire (116,000 GT). 

 

Edited August 24 by doghog

[1025cruise]

Personally, I think the Summit is the perfect sized ship for Alaska. However, it would not be on my list as Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay,

[billc23]

33 minutes ago, wcook said:

Sapphire Princess. And yes, the no smoking casino was something that looked great with Celebrity 

I have been on a few Alaska cruises and have another one booked for 2025. While I enjoy many cruise lines more than Princess, they provided the best experience sailing in Alaska. 

[Liao]

While I will not try to sell you or dissuade you from sailing on Summit or any other ship.  I will tell you that I sailed on Summit last December and loved every single minute being on that ship.  While Retreat on Summit does not compare to Retreat on EClass, other than that, everything about the ship, the crew, restaurants was fantastic.

Edited August 24 by Liao
Sp

[Stem to Stern]

If you are not concerned with which particular ports you visit, then I say go for it.

Summit is one of my favorite ships.

Follow Ade Roberts on his socials where he is currently building a strong case for this choice in Alaska.

[SSFrance69]

We loved Summit last July to Bermuda. I think the solarium would be really nice with the warm therapy pool while sailing through Alaska with all the beautiful scenery. That said the hot tubs around the therapy pool were not in good shape and had no jets. They were just whirlpools. Same with the tubs on the pool deck. It did not ruin our experience though. What made our experience was booking an aqua class cabin on the aft of the ship. I think that older class is the only (someone can correct me if I'm wrong) class that has those Aqua cabins with a sunset verandah that are not considered a suite and the cost was not much above a regular aqua cabin. That stateroom class allowed us to dine in Blu restaurant, which was wonderful. In any case if you can snag an aft veranda, with our without aqua, I think it would make for really nice scenery viewing and there is nothing more magical than watching the wake of the ship. All that said, we booked an aft veranda for next summer... but for our first time with Holland America. They won me over because I've heard they and Princess do a really great job with Alaska but the main reason is that Holland does Glacier Bay and Celebrity does not. I believe Princess does as well. As a first time Alaska experience it was important for us to make sure that was part of the itinerary. Regardless of which line, I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

[AZDuck]

My 2 cents - I was on the Sapphire Princess this June for a one-way southbound Whittier to Vancouver and had a fantastic cruise. She has a promenade deck 7 that wraps around the entire ship for great views while getting in your morning steps and fresh air. This is a big plus for Glacier Bay and sailing inside Vancouver Island. We were also in port longer than most other ships, so we got to experience the towns when they were less crowded after our excursions ended and the other ships had departed. Also, the Sapphire Princess's staff is award winning for their service. 

Based soley on itinerary, the plus side for the Summit is she turns around in Seward which gives you an opportunity to see the Kenai Fjords before or after the cruise. There's not much happening in Whittier. 

Both cruises will be lovely, but I personally would not trade Sapphire Princess for Summit simply because of the Sapphire's promenade deck and itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. 

P.S. - I'm sailing on the Solstice next year in Alaska, for a different itinerary experience that includes Dawes Glacier and ISP. So I'm not a Princess cheerleader, but they're known for having an excellent Alaska cruise experience. 

[mrgabriel]

Honestly, if you need someone to 'sell you' then I would say skip it. If you're not going into this with excitement and at least some level of positivity about the ship or the itinerary then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. 

 

Personally, I've had a couple of vacations in the past three years or so where I needed to be sold on them and they were all a disappointment. 

[thebutlerdidit]

I have only sailed on Celebrity in Alaska, but like others have mentioned I’ve also heard that Princess and Holland America excel in Alaska. We were on deck 9, with an overhang that blocked much of the view when sailing the inside passage. So if you decide to book with Celebrity, avoid deck 9. Aft facing cabins will come at a premium, but that would be a great choice if available.

[MississippiMom]

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

If you are not concerned with which particular ports you visit, then I say go for it.

Summit is one of my favorite ships.

Follow Ade Roberts on his socials where he is currently building a strong case for this choice in Alaska.

Thanks for the tip to follow Ade Roberts.  Never heard of him, but I found his FB page, and he appears to be sailing away from Seward.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

Personally, I think the Summit is the perfect sized ship for Alaska. However, it would not be on my list as Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay,

This.

[bigbenboys]

I just dont see what people see in Glacier Bay over Hubbard Glacier. Photo of Hubbard. Also what is nice about Seward Alaska is spending a few days in Seward and doing some great excursions to see wildlife. We did this sailing on Millie a few years ago.

Edited August 24 by bigbenboys
spelling

[AZDuck]

12 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

I just dont see what people see in Glacier Bay over Hubbard Glacier. Photo of Hubbard. Also what is nice about Seward Alaska is spending a few days in Seward and doing some great excursions to see wildlife. We did this sailing on Millie a few years ago.

I agree that Hubbard is spectacular. Sapphire Princess southbound has both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. 

[phoenix_dream]

20 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

I just dont see what people see in Glacier Bay over Hubbard Glacier. Photo of Hubbard. Also what is nice about Seward Alaska is spending a few days in Seward and doing some great excursions to see wildlife. We did this sailing on Millie a few years ago.

I agree. I'm sure Glacier Bay is awesome,  but so is Hubbard!

[daybrake]

On 8/24/2024 at 7:41 PM, bigbenboys said:

Seward Alaska is spending a few days in Seward and doing some great excursions to see wildlife

We are trying to decide between a Celebrity AK cruise from Seward or one from Seattle in June 2026. Were these wildlife excursions in Seward offered by Celebrity or via another provider/on own?  Thanks!

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We sailed on the revolutionized Millennium to Alaska in 2022, so feel like I can speak to the Summit a bit.  If you are not feeling excited doing your research right now, I'd skip it.  Millennium was a great little ship - some great bars, the staff were amazing, and food was really enjoyable - but there are not going to be tons of things to do. These are old ships.

 

The reason we chose Millennium was to see as much of Alaska as possible with the time we had, and it was a great success in that regard. We were off the ship as much as we could be for the 4 port days and had an absolutely amazing time. Then, afternoons on the ship included trivia and hanging at a bar, evenings included dinner, maybe a show, head to the Sky Lounge for a bit to hang out.  And that's about it.  If you aren't feeling excited about that, I'd say check out the Edge from Seattle, which will give you a better ship with a slightly less exciting itinerary.

[bigbenboys]

2 hours ago, daybrake said:

We are trying to decide between a Celebrity AK cruise from Seward or one from Seattle in June 2026. Were these wildlife excursions in Seward offered by Celebrity or via another provider/on own?  Thanks!

Our cruise started from Seward in June 2022. We flew into Anchorage and rented a car one way. I think it cost an extra $250 for one way rental. We stopped at Alyeska Resort Aerial Tramway to see some great views and snow. We used a local tour company in Seward to see the wildlife. Summit is a smaller ship and has been revolutionized and has a Sky Lounge to see forward views. Edge Class ships do not have forward looking lounge. I feel you get a better idea of Alaska by sailing in or out of Seward. Out of Seattle you dont get a true inside passage. Seattle sails on the outside of Vancouver Island. If you have the time in Vancouver to see Capilano Suspension Bridge Park or Granville Island Public Market. We have done at least 5 cruises to Alaska. We leave out of Vancouver BC for Alaska in 2 weeks. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

We were in an aft-facing cabin this past spring on the Grand Princess, which is very similar to the Sapphire Princess, for 22 days cruising around Alaska. 

 

Live From the Grand Princess, 22-Day Alaska B2B, Apr 30 - May 22 - Princess Cruises - Cruise Critic Community

 

Note: Look at posts 381-390 if you would like to see why Glacier Bay is so awesome! Go to post 370 to see pictures of the area surrounding Hubbard Glacier. But I will also note if you book cruise line excursions, Princess usually offers some pretty cool ones, as you will notice throughout my Live From thread. BTW we were also on the Sapphire Princess for 30 days this past winter cruising around Antarctica and South America in an aft-facing cabin as well, if that will help. See my Live From thread in my below signature area.

 

We were also on the Celebrity Summit for 24 days back in Aug 2022 cruising to Canada, Greenland, and Iceland and back in an aft-facing cabin.

 

Live From the Summit, 8/7 to 8/31, from an Aqua passenger viewpoint - Celebrity Cruises - Cruise Critic Community

 

We had a blast on both ships, especially since we were in aft-facing cabins on both cruises! My only recommendation, if at all possible, is to book an aft-facing cabin on which ever itinerary you choose. You will be so glad you did, especially if you enjoy viewing both scenery and wildlife on both sides of the ship as well as the aft from the comfort of your balcony. We were also lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on both cruises! 😀

 

Edited August 26 by Ken the cruiser

[Arizona Wildcat]

Really simple.  Compare Seward (worth 2 days) to Whittier (built as WWII housing) and no smoking casino.  Also like 3 elevators - fore, aft and mid.  Hubbard spectacular if weather cooperates.

[Random Cruizer]

On 8/24/2024 at 11:05 AM, wcook said:

Sapphire Princess. And yes, the no smoking casino was something that looked great with Celebrity 

 

I was on the Sapphire Princess this summer--stick with that 100%. It has a 100% wrap-around promenade--we stood out there with a naturalist all day in Glacier Bay, all day outside at the front of the ship, seeing wildlife and glaciers.

 

Only Princess and a couple other lines go to Glacier Bay National Park. Glacier Bay National Park should NOT be missed.

 

And the Sapphire is the best Princess ship for standing outside and seeing it all--the only one with that promenade deck.

 

If you've got the Sapphire Princess to Alaska next summer, KEEP IT!!!