This was our fourth cruise on the Summit, of which three have been one week cruises roundtrip from Bayonne to Bermuda. We are Celebrity regulars, with multiple trips on Solstice-class ships and a recent cruise on the Beyond. Other than the Summit, we have not cruised on the other Millennium-class ships, mainly because we prefer the space and amenities of the larger ships. But we wanted a quick get-away during a hectic summer, and this cruise made sense. And we did have a good time, although not as good as the same cruise last year.

First, the "pros": Celebrity staff were very good to excellent, from the easy embarkation process to a quick departure. Friendly, courteous, helpful. Lenard, our stateroom attendant, was exceptional, responding promptly to every request and calling us by name. Our stateroom (Aqua class) was spotless; the bed was very comfortable. Similarly, we had excellent staff service in Blu. The entertainment was better than expected, especially the Celebrity singers and dancers (the orchestra was great, as it usually is) and the soloist Jen Maldonado who appeared toward the end of the cruise. The Future Cruises staff were helpful, as were servers in the Martini Bar and Rendezvous Lounge, where we enjoyed listening the guitarist-singer Roberta. The food on offer in the Seaview was varied, tasty, and fresh. And Cafe al Bacio continued to be a welcome and delightful place for excellent tea and coffee breaks. The captain and senior staff were engaging and approachable.

Now, the "cons": The Summit was renovated -- "edgified" -- several years ago, which certainly improved the staterooms over our first Summit cruise in 2014. The bathroom is much nicer, especially the shower, but there is no getting around the fact that space is limited. That is most obvious in the shower (some folks told us it was nearly impossible to move after wedging themselves into the shower). My wife and I are not large but even we still felt a bit claustrophobic in the shower. Next, there are signs that the ship is aging: rust on parts of our balcony, stains on the carpet, and -- in our case-- a sliding balcony door that did not slide at all easily (once we complained, two repairmen appeared within a few hours, which we appreciated, and the door did open and shut better). One day it seemed that the ship's air conditioning was not functioning well, and some areas became uncomfortably warm. And a silly nitpick but perhaps illustrative of cost-cutting: after the first night, there were no little chocolates left on the pillow. Third, the menu in Blu seemed to have changed very little and as a result felt a bit tired. Portions seemed smaller, too (e.g., one scallop for an appetizer when in the past there were two). The quality and preparation of lamb, veal, and the filet mignon was good to very good, but the ribeye steak was thin, poorly grilled, and unimpressive. Seafood and items from the "clean" menu seemed to do better. Other folks we met who were Celebrity regulars had complaints about the food in the Cosmopolitan main dining room being disappointing. Finally, one reason we like Aqua class is the Persian Garden, which on the Summit is small and seemed outdated compared to the Solstice and Edge class ships. Read more