Celebrity Summit Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,476 reviews

Summit of Indifference

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Summit
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chibiff
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2012
Cabin: Concierge Class 3

We sailed to the eastern Caribbean over Christmas 2012 and were very disappointed. I sailed the Norwegian fjords on the Constellation in July 2011 and loved it. The service was fantastic. I expected the same on the Summit, but instead experienced the most disinterested service I've experienced on any line (have also sailed HAL, Crystal and Princess). The disappointment began when we walked into our cabin bathroom that reeked of mildew. Repeated complaints to the steward accomplished nothing, so we finally complained at the front desk. That led to a visit from a supervisor who acknowledged the badly rusted shower curtain rings (doesn't anyone inspect these cabins?) and shower curtain filled with mildew. He promised these items would be replaced -- which they were. He also promised a $100 shipboard credit, which did not happen. Service in the main dining room was often painfully slow. One night at dinner it took repeated requests to get the sommelier to stop by. He arrived just before the main courses. The couple at the next table weren't so fortunate -- they'd already begun eating their main courses before he could be bothered to help them. The dining room appeared understaffed, although the food was fine. Qsine is a poor replacement for Murano Grill, unless you think lamps hung upside down from the ceiling are the height of style. What's the point of offering a menu on an I-Pad if it isn't updated? We selected a wine from the I-Pad list. The sommelier left and returned after awhile to tell us the wine wasn't available. Really? Wouldn't one of the features of a menu on an I-Pad be the ability to update it? After people finished their meals, the staff in Qsine didn't clear many of the tables, so we got to look at that as we dined. We asked the concierge for a map of St. George's, Grenada. He gave us a map of the entire island that did not show the streets around the port. The only information the ship regularly provided for ports was information on shopping -- there was not information on how to see or do anything but shop. These are all examples of the lack of attention to detail, and overall lack of care demonstrated by the staff and crew of the Summit. Even though we had pre-paid gratuities on the Constellation, there were several staff that we gave additional tips to at the end of the cruise because we were so delighted by the service. Unfortunately, we didn't have the same feeling on the Summit. After my first Celebrity cruise, I thought I had found a favorite cruise line. Now I'm almost afraid to sail on Celebrity again -- will I have a Summit experience, or a Constellation experience?

On the plus side, although I believe the ship was full, the only time it felt crowded was at the disembarkation breakfast. Otherwise, seats could always be found at the buffet and outside. The elevators were generally fast and the ship was very quiet. There were quite a few kids and teens on the ship, but they generally seemed to have their own activities and didn't bother us at all. We enjoyed the ports, although some passengers were disappointed because so many shops were closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We arranged our own activities -- hired a taxi for half-island tour in St. Kitts for just $60 -- much cheaper than the ship. Through the Shore Excursions group we got a half-island tour in Dominica for $180 -- Leonard Hill was a great tour guide and is highly recommended. We went horseback riding in St. Croix.

Cabin Review

Concierge Class 3

Cabin C3

The cabin itself was fine - standard cabin, but the shower needed to be pulled out and completely replaced. You could see mildew (or something dark-colored) on the wall of the shower. Replacing the shower curtain and rusty rings won't fix that.

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