We were really excited to be on the Summit on the 3rd cruise after the drydock "Revolution."
About us: My husband and I have cruised since the early 90s. Our first Celebrity cruise was a 7-day Inside Passage Alaskan Cruise on the Mercury for my parents' 50th anniversary. Eleven other friends and family members "just happened" to show up for the cruise and the anniversary celebration. We loved it! We now cruise (mostly just the 2 of us) once or twice a year, in AQ, Concierge, or regular balcony cabin.
This cruise was special because my parents and my brother were with us.
Overall impressions of the ship: I liked the new colors and the fresh feeling on the ship. It has been years (2007) since we have been on an M-class ship, so some of my comments are likely due to that.
Lounges: The Martini Bar did not work for us, because the bar was usually full, and the tables only seat 2 and are lined up in a row. There was no way that the 5 of us could sit and have a drink. Cellar Masters turned out to be our pre-dinner lounge of choice, mainly because it is quiet, and my parents don't like loud music. I liked Rendezvous; the entertainment was not too loud for my husband and me. We used Sunset Bar a lot, but only for getting drinks to take to our cabins. The lack of shade made it too uncomfortable while the sun was out.
Restaurants: Our cabins were AQ, so Blu was our main restaurant. I have to say that I was disappointed in the quality of the food; our experiences in Blu on S-class ships were far better. Breakfast was hit and miss – sometimes eggs were cooked perfectly, but many times they were way off (over medium eggs had hard yolks a couple of days). Dinner was also hit and miss, but the lamb was always good. You can order escargots and other items from Cosmopolitan. I liked the appetizers more than the entrees. Desserts were okay, except for the apple pie a la mode; neither my husband nor my father liked it. You can get crème brulee every night – yum! The Blu staff were great. The hostess, Irina, was sweet and always smiling. Alex, the maître d’, was helpful and always checking on the passengers. I wish I could remember the names of more of our waiters and assistants. Elvis was one of our excellent waiters and assistants. The sommelier was always helpful. Even though the food quality was inconsistent, the service was excellent.
Oceanview Buffet had a great variety, so even if one of us didn’t like our choice, we could find something else. The salad bars were consistently good. There was a large roast carved to order every day (beef, pork, and turkey and all 3 on the last day). We had really good carved roast beef and tasteless carved roast beef. We had delicious roast pork, and dry and tasteless roast pork. None of us had the turkey. I liked a lot of the Indian food. The pizza was also good. Tip: if you have a small group, or a very hearty appetite, you can order a whole pizza, and you get it hot and fresh. The homemade ice cream is still delicious. We never had trouble finding a table. Bar service was sometimes good in the buffet, and sometimes almost non-existent.
Qsine was wonderful. We took the opportunity with the first night discount to treat the rest of our family, a first for them. As usual, the waiter convinced us to order too much, so we didn’t have dessert. I think I read somewhere that Qsine will become Le Petit Chef later this year, so I’m glad we went.
Cabins: We were in 1130, an aft cabin with a larger balcony. My parents were in 1127 and my brother was in 1123, both portside. We had plenty of storage space (4 drawers next to the closet, 4 smaller drawers, multiple shelves in the closet and 3 behind the glass doors – the 4th was the safe, and 3-4 shelves in the closet). There were plenty of hangers in the closet, and we had no problems with that space (and I packed at least 3 outfits too many). I used one of the shelves in the bathroom for smaller items, and it was fine. I put my cosmetic back on the floor shelf under the sink. I liked the new colors. The bed is very comfortable, but the larger size reduces usable floor area. Our balcony was larger than normal, but not as large as 1140 and the other middle aft cabin. I did not like the lamp over my side of the bed. It hangs down from the ceiling, and you can’t turn it off and on without getting out of bed. The shower is tiny, and my husband kept hitting his elbow on the grab bar. A woman in our cabin crawl group had a big bruise on her upper arm from the grab bar. The shower door opens inward, which makes it challenging to get in the shower. My husband noted that if someone collapsed in the shower, it would be difficult, if not impossible for rescuers to get him/her out. The leg shaving bar is useless; it’s right under the shower head. There is a large lighted round mirror over the desk, which is useful for drying your hair and putting on makeup. The balcony is a nice size in 1130, but there is little privacy from the Sunset Bar below because of the open wavy wood slats in lieu of the awning.
Ports: We chose this cruise in part for the itinerary, but we discovered that 5 ports on a 7-day cruise is too many for us. We like sea days and having all of the ship’s amenities open during the day (casino, shops, Cosmopolitan for lunch). We have been to St. Thomas many times, so we went into town to do some shopping. In the past we have gone to a beach and our favorite was a small sailboat excursion to St. John. We were in St. Kitts last year and had a wonderful island tour. My husband hurt his ankle the night before, so we only went into town. My Mom wanted to find a shop in Antigua where she had been with her best friend several years ago, and we found it. Beautiful original designs for dresses, linen clothing, and stunning evening wear. Unfortunately, my Mom hit her foot against some rough pavement and had to go the ship’s clinic that afternoon. We had purchased an independent excursion in St. Lucia the next day to Soufriere and the Pitons, but had to cancel it. My Mom was in a wheelchair and my husband’s ankle was still very painful. The next day in Barbados my brother and I took a taxi into town. Big mistake. It was crowded, hot, and nothing much to see. We should have taken the taxi somewhere else, like Nelson’s Boatyard.
Ship Clinic (and more on Blu): My Mom couldn’t walk after injuring her foot and was in severe pain. She had to order a wheelchair to get to the clinic. She waited for 20 minutes for the wheelchair, and my brother discovered it had been left outside the stateroom without a call or knock on the door to let my parents know it was there. My brother accompanied my parents to the clinic, and both he and my Mom told me it was old, dingy, and looked dirty. They were pleased with the doctor’s care. The x-rays showed no fractures (Dr. even did a third to check). I had called guest relations and asked if my parents could order off the Blu or Cosmopolitan menu and was told no; the limited room service menu was it. The Blu staff was wonderful that night. They gave my brother that night’s menu to take to my parents, and my brother gave the order to Blu staff, who made sure my parents had what they ordered. The next morning, when we went to Blu for breakfast, the staff was so kind and solicitous of my Mom; we were very grateful.
Future Cruises: We went to the Future Cruises office earlier during the week. The woman who helped us (last name of Trembath) was great. We booked a similar 10-night cruise (but with 3 different ports) on the Summit for January of next year. However, we have decided to change that to a cruise with more sea days, even though we’re familiar with the ports. Plus, we have decided we prefer the S-class ships.
Read Less
