My Summit review from the 3/15 sailing

[ndavis7515]

Ok, where do I start? The beginning I guess. My family has been taking a yearly cruise for the last 6 years. We have traveled with NCL, Princess, Carnival, HAL, and my husband I have traveled on Azamara. So we chose to book this cruise on the Celebrity Summit. My husband was not going on any shore excursions so we thought Celebrity would be good for him because of all the hype we have heard about the cruise line.

Day 1

We flew into San Juan from Orlando at about 11:30pm. We met the Celebrity transfer people at baggage claim. Our luggage was taken in a truck and we did not see it again until we were on the ship. We waited for the bus to fill up and then proceeded to the ship. The check in process was a breeze. No lines at all. We went to the liquor store that was in the terminal and purchased a liter of Bacardi and a bottle of wine. The salesperson said the run needed to be concealed inside our carry on bag but the wine did not. She was right we went right through.

As we entered the ship crew with champagne and mimosas met us, but no directions were given. We found the elevator on our own. A nod in its direction would have been appreciated.

We got to our sky suite at 1:00pm. Small room but adequate. Not anything like our experiences with suites on other ships. The bathroom was small. The closet was a good size. There weren’t many drawers, but there was a lot of hanging space. We didn’t get free slippers like we did in our suites on Princess, Azamara, & HAL. Though, we did get hors d’oerves (sp?) every night. Our room steward, assistant room steward, and our butler welcomed us. They were very attentive for the entire cruise.

After unpacking our carry-ons, we headed to the buffet for some lunch. It was all right, no different than any other cruise line buffet. After a quick tour of Deck 10, I headed back to the room. By 3:30pm we still did not have our luggage. The Cruise Critic get together was at 5pm at the Mast Bar. I met a few people, but headed out to dinner to meet the rest of my family. Again, food was all right; no different than other cruise lines. I did like the Prime Rib that night and at the end of the cruise realized that it was the best meal I had all week. We left the dining room at 7:45pm and went to our cabin to find only 2 of or 3 bags had arrived. I told our room steward and they got back to us at 9:15pm to tell me I had to go to Deck 1 to unlock my bag, because there was a problem with it. I got there and the security wanted to know if I had any hard liquor in it. I said no. I removed my toiletry bag and then he felt the bag all over and decided it was probably that bag. I closed up my bag and took it with me back to my room.

The Muster drill was at 10:15pm. We met in the Rendezvous lounge and then proceeded to the lifeboats (I haven’t gone out to the lifeboats in years). After that we went to the Mojito sail away at the pool. It started to pour rain so it was moved to the Revelations nightclub. I was disappointed because the videographer took our picture but at the end of the cruise the video I purchased didn’t have any of us on it. There was typical entertainment. That was the end of the night for me. So I went back to the cabin about midnight and got some needed sleep.

Day 2

I had an awful night’s sleep. Was sick all night. I got up about 6am. I settled down and took a bath. There were no bars in the shower/bathtub to grab onto to pull up with. There was a pole that the shower cord was held with, so I grabbed it to help me up and it pulled out of the wall, and I fell backwards. I was ok but I reported the pole had come off.

The Celebrity Connections party was at 9am and only about a dozen people showed up. Oh well, maybe they should rethink their options.

At about 11:15 we met our tour excursion, Captain Morgan’s Sailing Adventure. There were 18 people in our group. It was a very nice time. We sailed for about an hour and a half, snorkeled for a while. Pierre came in the water with a 2 liter plastic bottle of rum punch and gave us cups and filled them up. When the bottle was empty, he was thrown another one. This went on for about 4 times. This was what he called their floating bar. I loved it. They served us a nice lunch of chicken, rice, and potatoes. It was good.

We got back to the ship at about 4:40pm. It was a mad dash to get ready for formal night since we had early seating. My husband had rented a tux package. Both jackets were too small and so were the shirts. We called our butler and he did his best to get one to fit in time for us to make it to dinner. He found a shirt, but the jackets weren’t any better. (My husband did this on the Emerald Princess this past January and he had no problems so we know he ordered the sizes correctly). Needless to say, my husband wasn’t in a good mood for the rest of the night. We went to dinner late. We met our waiter and asst waiter since this was our first night of assigned seating. Food, no change from comments above.

After dinner it was the casino and then early to bed at 10pm.

Day 3

Our tour was at 9am. It was the Carib Indian Legends tour by Michael of JTAS experiences. It was a wonderful day. There were only 8 of us, who was too bad for Michael but it was great for us. The ride to the Village of Touana took 1-¼ hours. The other youngster on the tour was carsick and he lost his breakfast when we finally stopped. He regrouped and felt much better. We went to 3 different homes. At the first one we squeezed sugar juice from sugar cane. At the second one we weaved some baskets. At the third home (Chief our guide lived there) we made bread and then walked about and saw the huts that were used in Pirates of the Caribbean. He said he wasn’t in the movie but his daughter was and his son was involved with planning the village that was built for the movie. They would like to recreate the village as a tourist stop on this tour in the future. At this point we walked to the river and all but one of us went tubing. It was not a long course but it was fun and the kids could walk back to the beginning as many times as they liked and repeat the course. They loved that. After this we ate lunch with them and then returned to the ship around 3pm.

My granddaughter wanted her hair braided so I tried to get change but the bank was closed and the stores gave change in eastern Caribbean money, which wasn’t going to work. I went back on the ship to get change but the guest relation’s desk did not give change and the bank desk was closed. We finally figured that my husband had some 20s in the safe. So I went back to get them. It cost $40 so I am glad I got change, because $60 in eastern Caribbean money wouldn’t be something I would like to bring home.

Back to the ship and get ready for dinner. It was St. Patrick’s Day and I was hoping for corned beef and cabbage or pork shoulder and cabbage but it was for not. I made due but was disappointed.

It was a long day, so after losing money in the casino I went to bed at about 9pm.

Day 4

Today was Grenada and our tour was at 8:30am. We took a 20 min ride to the Eco Kayaking tour. We kayaked around the point and to Hog Island where we beached the kayaks and had rum punch/soda & sandwiches. We stayed about an hour and then kayaked back. This was a great excursion. I would do it again. It was a pleasant difference from touring the islands or snorkeling.

When we got back to the terminal it was mobbed because the Crown Princess was getting ready to leave and her passengers were lined up to get back on. I am glad we weren’t leaving for a couple of hours.

We got back to the ship, had lunch, and then to the pool. My son participated in the 1 pool game they offered (pass the orange under the chins).

Dinner was average again. I lost at black jack again. Off to bed for us at 10pm.

Day 5

We lucked out and docked instead of tendering. I guess it was cheaper to have the tugboat bracing the ship then to use the gas for the tenders all day.

There was a slot tournament this morning since we didn’t dock until 1pm. I made the finals but didn’t win. I got a t-shirt though.

We took the Samur excursion, which was a disappointment. Our sail was only ½ hour to Klein Bonaire. They only raised one sail. The waves were rough and the snorkeling was difficult.

We didn’t make it back in time for dinner, so we ate pasta at the buffet. It is too bad that there isn’t more of a choice for the buffet. There is a casual dining restaurant there but the food there isn’t available at the buffet. Black jack was nicer to me this evening.

Day 6

Because I stayed up so late in the casino, I didn’t get up until about 10:30am. We tried to rent a jeep but there weren’t any left. I wanted to check out the casino near the port and I wanted to go to Carlos n’ Charlie’s. We walked towards the casino and found out that Carlos n’ Charlie’s closed because of the bad publicity they were getting. But, Senor Frog’s opened a few doors down from them. They are basically the same company so who knows what they were thinking. We decided to check it out after we went to the casino. We stopped at the Paddock and wanted to get something to eat. They took our order for drinks and delivered them, but never came back for our food order. We got the attention of the waiter and got our check and left. We headed to the casino and I lost more $.

When we were in St. Kitts we found a store called Pirana Joe’s. We loved their stuff. Since I am a fan of t-shirts from places like the Hard Rock, Margarittaville, Carlos n’ Charlie’s, Senor Frog’s, Del Sol, we checked it out. Wrong, now I have to find Pirana Joe shirts too wherever we go. The shirts aren’t always in a self-owned store, and Aruba was one of those places where we had to look for a store that sold them. Luckily on leaving the casino we found them in the first store we checked.

On the way back to the ship we stopped in at Senor Frog’s. It was crazy/hectic. We got a seat, but after 20 minutes no one had taken our order. We got the hostess and asked why. Someone then came over and took our order for drinks and a quesdilla. After another 20 minutes someone came over and asked if they could help us. We told them what our order was and they brought back our drinks, but not our food. After another ½ hour we told the waiter to cancel our food and give us our bill for the drink. Not happy there, so no t-shirt was purchased, but at the pier I had to stand in line to get through the security again because the Crown Princess was leaving before us. While in line I noticed a Carlos n’ Charlie’s store. They were selling all the merchandise for ½ price. So what if there isn’t a store anymore. I had been there when there was so I got out of line and bought a shirt & hat. At this point, it was back in line and then onto the ship.

Needless to say, it was now 3:30. It was formal night, but I had to eat something since both of our attempts at food ashore bombed. So, I attacked the hors d’ouerves. It worked. Dinner was good. I had the filet mignon. They also had the baked Alaska parade, which is always fun to watch. After dinner we went straight to bed.

Day 7

I had enough sun all week, so for me it was casino time. They had a slot tournament and a black jack tournament. I made the finals in both. I didn’t win either but the slot tournament gave the finalists all t-shirts. They had a bbq or sorts by the pool, actually foods from different countries (i.e. America, Mexico, etc.). It was ok but the set up was bad. The place was mobbed and you had to fight your way behind the pool chairs and the actual buffet setup. Dinner was ok again.

General observations: The casino staff was boring. Usually if I am losing money it is at least tolerable because the black jack dealers are fun.

The dining room staff was a bit unorganized and it got worse on the two nights that the Captain’s table was occupied (no Captain at early seating).

Our cabin attendants (including our butler) were great.

Day 8

Disembarkation was as easy as embarkation except for the lines we had to wait in to go through customs. Once out (9:30am), we were brought directly to our waiting bus for the airport. Our flight didn’t leave until 1:40pm and we were checked in at American Airlines by 10:30am. The worst part of this was waiting. We headed to the gate around 11:30am. We were glad we did because once through security we went to Gate 15. Finding out once we were there that our flight had been moved to Gate 5. It was a long haul to get to the new gate. We only had to wait about ½ hour once we were there. Our flight to Orlando was uneventful and on time.

[harry0]

Nancy did Celebrity exceed your expectations. I am curious to know how it compared to other lines you have sailed....food,service, ships condition.

Thanks

[ndavis7515]

Nancy did Celebrity exceed your expectations. I am curious to know how it compared to other lines you have sailed....food,service, ships condition.

Thanks

 

No it didn't exceed my expectations. I was disappointed more than I was impressed.

 

Thankfully our cruise was port intensive, and we had something planned off the ship everyday. And, the only sea day was the last day which was good to unwind.

 

I am not a fan of cruise ship food. I had heard that Celebrity was one of the best. It wasn't. It wasn't bad. I was pretty much the same as all the rest.

 

We will probably not cruise with Celebrity again unless it is for a certain itinerary that we can't get somewhere else. We would, though, cruise with Azamara again.

 

My favorite line is HAL.

[warmwinds]

As I was reading your review, I also was wondering whether you loved it or hated it...because it read as a very typical cruise for us. We're not wild partiers, and really enjoy the low-key atmosphere on board. We DO like the food (or at least did in the past).

 

Since I've never cruised Azamara and only once on HAL (ages ago), would you mind telling me how those are BETTER (not just in terms of food), but just the whole feel in general that makes you like them better?

 

I will say I'm originally (years ago) a Princess cruiser, and I hated my first Celebrity cruise because it just wasn't FUN, the way Princess was FUN. I've since been totally converted to the Celebrity vibe, and I think I would hate going back to the silly games and frenetic pace.

 

We're cruising Celebrity again in a few weeks, and I'm hoping everything is exactly the same - although I am a little apprehensive about the food changes.

[ndavis7515]

Azamara was originally going to be Celebrity but they decided to make a separate line. It turned out to be such a nice experience on such a small & intimate ship with only 700 people.

 

HAL just does things better. The food is pretty much the same on most of the cruise lines, so I never use that as a criteria. The treatment in suites is different. There isn't any extra special treatment with Celebrity. Other than hors d'oeurves and help with the tux there really wasn't anything different than my experience in a mini suite on Princess or a category 11 on Carnival.

 

If I have something great to talk about when I get home, then I judge my cruises accordingly. If I can only regurgitate the cruise as I did in my review then it is basically ok. A cruise is always better than staying home.

[warmwinds]

One thing we really love about Celebrity is the music on board. While we also like the shows and go to them every night (even though it's really been the same interchangeable acts on all ships since the beginning of time), what we really enjoy are things like going to either the Rendezvous lounge or the Cova before dinner to listen to either the combo or the string quartet, then after dinner going to Michael's Club. Hopefully there is an a capella group on board and we follow them around.

 

I didn't see you mention any entertainment except the casino (which we also enjoy) - did you get to see/listen to anything else?

 

I've never stayed in a suite so no comparisons there.

 

The reason I'm asking these questions is that we've thought about trying Azamara, Oceania, etc., but then are worried that they are TOO small for us, since we do like a lot of the entertainment that only a larger ship can provide.

[ndavis7515]

One thing we really love about Celebrity is the music on board. While we also like the shows and go to them every night (even though it's really been the same interchangeable acts on all ships since the beginning of time), what we really enjoy are things like going to either the Rendezvous lounge or the Cova before dinner to listen to either the combo or the string quartet, then after dinner going to Michael's Club. Hopefully there is an a capella group on board and we follow them around.

 

I didn't see you mention any entertainment except the casino (which we also enjoy) - did you get to see/listen to anything else?

 

I've never stayed in a suite so no comparisons there.

 

The reason I'm asking these questions is that we've thought about trying Azamara, Oceania, etc., but then are worried that they are TOO small for us, since we do like a lot of the entertainment that only a larger ship can provide.

 

I only went to Michael's Club for the connections party. I did listen to the group in the Rendezvous which I enjoyed (Kelly Broadway Quartet). There was an a capella group which we caught in the Cova on our way to somewhere else. The string quartet played at dinner on formal nights. Azamara had this type of entertainment. There was a piano player in the cafe area. There was a guitar player in the buffet in the evening and then he moved to the casino bar for the rest of the night. The stage shows were ok. The comedians were really good. There was a disco. I left the ship feeling like I was part of the group. The staff went on excursions with us. They were in the disco with us.

[jaycor99]

we were on the Summit in Jan and loved our SS -we have booked another for next year .

We did love the service and room service food was the best we have ever had.

we have also cruised alot- 14 on Rcc- and have tried Princess a couple of times.

We had heard that Celebrity had the best food but we found it no better then Rccl as well-just ok -yet we will go back again next year on back to backs on the Solstice because we did love everything else about it.

[ndavis7515]

we were on the Summit in Jan and loved our SS -we have booked another for next year .

We did love the service and room service food was the best we have ever had.

we have also cruised alot- 14 on Rcc- and have tried Princess a couple of times.

We had heard that Celebrity had the best food but we found it no better then Rccl as well-just ok -yet we will go back again next year on back to backs on the Solstice because we did love everything else about it.

That shows how cruising is subjective. What is good for one person is different for others.

[Amlee]

Azamara had this type of entertainment. There was a piano player in the cafe area. There was a guitar player in the buffet in the evening and then he moved to the casino bar for the rest of the night. The stage shows were ok. The comedians were really good. There was a disco. I left the ship feeling like I was part of the group. The staff went on excursions with us. They were in the disco with us.

 

 

I loved the way on Azamara that the staff knew your name by the end of the sailing. The ship is so small and the pax so little that the crew and staff can interact with you much more. I would sail back on them in a heart beat. Not to mention, they have some of the best itn's out there.

[ndavis7515]

I loved the way on Azamara that the staff knew your name by the end of the sailing. The ship is so small and the pax so little that the crew and staff can interact with you much more. I would sail back on them in a heart beat. Not to mention, they have some of the best itn's out there.

Yes, I agree. We were on a 12 day cruise on the Quest and it was great to interact with everyone.