This was the first time I (or my mom) had cruised with anyone other than Carnival, and we'd been told to expect that Celebrity was far superior. Interesting that we thought they were about the same, which is not that bad as we've been pretty happy with Carnival.

The ship was 90,000 GRT which made it easier to get around than a much larger ship like the Victory or Conquest. We were never that far from stairs or an elevator. We were midships on the third deck which was very convenient to the guest relations desk. It was also very quiet despite being right below the casino.

There was a fair amount less drinking and loudness than on a Carnival cruise, but I did find that Carnival cruisers were friendlier. Most everyone we met on the Summit was very friendly, but we overheard conversations that let us know there was some "better than you" attitude here and there. Actually, the Summit cruise was about two hundred dollars cheaper than a very similar cruise on the Carnival Victory last year -- the one difference being one more port of call on the Victory. Thus, Celebrity was a bargain, and there were some points where Celebrity did outclass Carnival. I don't remember Carnival providing a pitcher of water and a bucket of ice in the staterooms. The Celebrity cruise director (Damian) did not jump up and down about tipping and giving the ship a perfect score on the comment card. There are educational lectures about the islands and while there are a number of art talks basically centered on getting you to buy something from Park West Galleries, there are activities involving flower arranging or scrapbooking that didn't seem to have any monetary angle -- something that's hard to find on Carnival. Read more