This was my 3rd cruise and 1st on Celebrity - the other two being with Princess and Norwegian and all 3 being 7-night itineraries to various parts of the Caribbean within a 2-year period. Overall, my first experience with Celebrity was great - the service and food stood out - both in the main and specialty dining rooms/lounges, as well as the engaging friendliness from the officers, entertainers, and the casino hosts and dealers. The indoor solarium, non-smoking casino, and larger gym were also hits for me. My reasons for giving this cruise 4 stars instead of 5 had to do with disorganized embarkation at the port and execution of Concierge Class benefits. I did enjoy the quiet mid-ship location and size of the stateroom, and I also appreciated that the room stewards were inconspicuous about their duties and kept their equipment and supplies hidden. I also enjoyed a less crowded and relaxing atmosphere on the ship, although there was consistent entertainment throughout. The officers were very visible, and I was impressed with the number of folks across the ship who learned and called me by name from day 1.

I read reviews beforehand that this ship felt tired, but I believe these comments probably stem from the smaller size of the ship and fewer family activities rather than physical wear. The "wow" factor was the service regardless of stateroom class rather than water slides, rock-climbing walls, or bumper cars. The renovations in March still seemed fresh and the entire ship was clean. The Summit definitely caters more to adults, similar to my Princess experience, but it felt more modern and definitely more sophisticated and upscale than Norwegian. Although both Celebrity and Norwegian have adopted anytime dining and more relaxed dress codes, the travelers on Celebrity took more pride in their treatment of the ship and in their appearance and behavior onboard. The offering of and execution of excursions were similar on all 3 lines. The types of entertainment were also similar on all 3 lines, especially given the comparable sizes of ships; however, the level of talent was a little higher on Celebrity. Traveling during New Years', there were fun theme parties going on throughout the ship. The onboard activities were also similar across the lines except that Celebrity trades some of the bingo and trivia for wine tastings and cooking classes. Inside the room, Celebrity uses better bath amenities, and the stateroom TV was loaded with more free entertainment. At the end of the day, I felt ready to book another cruise on Celebrity over trying yet another line, as they exceeded my expectations and delivered a great vacation.