I have to say I think maybe this was the best food I have had on a cruise. I love the "lighter" fare at Blu- inventive but not loaded with cream or butter- portions- more than generous. The service at Blu was spectacular as was the one night we went to Murano. The buffets are buffets except the one day when they serve brunch- excellent and so much to choose from- its mind boggling, don't miss it. We have been on Summit two years ago with Celebrity and overall I like a smaller ship- I hated the pools they were so crowded- it seemed claustrophobic. this is a bigger ship with the seam size pools (or so it seemed). I am not a fan of bigger is better in ships so I write this with a bias against the mega ships. The days at sea were our favorite- sitting on our balcony which was shaded at all times so we could sit there all day without sun exposure watching the ocean. It lowered my stress level within hours at sea. The ship itself is gorgeous and the Persian garden is a treat though not a garden. It is wonderful to lay there relaxing with full ocean view in ergonomic heated tile beds.

Our stateroom had the best shower at sea we have ever seen with a grohe shower with the body sprays. Luxury in a bathroom at sea. We have sailed Oceania and didn't have that amenity in concierge class. My biggest complaint aobut the room was the thumping noise overhead at various times, on the last night I could hear carts rolling overhead on the balcony. The ship either needs to insulate the sound better or move the aqua class suites down one. The whole floor above has track, pools or spa so I don't' think it would matter where on the 11th floor you are located- you will hear that noise.

The service however, leaves much to be desired. I have NEVER been denied an exit survey and our cabin steward refused to give us one (probably because he knew that he had given us terrible service). We had to get our own ice- he would never take dishes away form room service (yes, that was his job) and left dirty dishes on our balcony routinely. We had to take our own dishes out of the room and find a place to put them. One thing I heard frequently form staff on the ship was how much longer they had on their 6 month contract- something if i had been given the opportunity would have suggested the ship have a meeting with staff over. It leaves the guests wondering why they all are thinking about getting off the ship. I realize folks are away form families and work very hard but honestly I have never had so few hours a cabin steward is available and even then- he was mostly worthless doing a half-baked job. The leadership of the staff needs to address the inconsistency in service attitudes. I have never had this happen on any ship and so that's why I spend so much time commenting on it. It really gags me that we paid $12/day pp in gratuities. I would have given all of mine to the restaurant staff of Blu and Murano. My husband and I were on the cruise to de-stress our busy lives. I ended up being sick with bronchitis 5/7 days and so our cabin became my refuge and to have to beg for ice and water service was really a bit too much. My illness was not fault of the ship- it was the cleanest I have been on in terms of common areas. Read more