As you may know, we have cruised fairly often and experienced quite a few different lines. I love cruising! We were married on the Holland America Zuiderdam. We traveled Alaska with Norweigian Cruise Lines. We have traveled the Caribbean on the Carnival Conquest and as a child I cruised the Caribbean on the Norway, the Sea Princess, and the Carnival Destiny. Last year we took the Celebrity Summit for a Canada / New England cruise during fall colors. Without any further ado, here are my thoughts on this cruise.
Embarkation: As Concierge Class members we had priority boarding and a Concierge Class lounge to relax in until the ship was cleared for boarding. The embarkation process in Miami went super smooth and we were on board the ship shortly before 11:00 a.m. Celebrity recently added a Concierge Class luncheon this first day which was wonderful. It was so nice not to have to fight the crowds of the buffet that first day while lugging around carry on luggage and to be able to just relax until the rooms were ready. The rooms were ready a little before 1:00 p.m. and we had already received all of our luggage before 2:00 p.m.!
Room: We stayed in room 1002, a Concierge Class balcony room. It was the most forward room on the starboard side of the 10th deck which is the same deck as the bridge. So when the bridge had its shades up, we could see right in which was pretty cool. The room was a decent size for a balcony. At first thought, we felt the storage was a little lacking until we found the storage bins above the bed which gave us plenty of storage. Suitcases are easily stored under the bed. The bathroom is incredibly efficient making it feel more spacious than bathrooms on other ships we have been on and the storage in the bathroom far exceeds anything we have seen previously on other cruises. The balcony had room for chairs with foot rests that were almost as good as full loungers along with a small table.
Room Steward: Our room steward was Raymundo who has been incredible. He quickly learned our schedule so he was never in the room cleaning when we wanted to be in the room. He also found some glue and glued the soul back on my husband’s dress shoe which had come loose and polished both shoes for free. He is probably the best room steward we have ever had.
Main Dining Room: I have quite a few dietary restrictions and I think I was a bit spoiled with the service on the Celebrity Summit. It took a bit more effort, but our waiter finally got better about getting me the menu for the next night so that I can pre-order and they can modify the meal to meet my needs. He was not so good at giving us the right plates and at times gave me something with cheese, butter, or potatoes in it. We noticed even at the tables around us he often gave the wrong plate to the wrong person.
That said, we had wonderful experiences with other waiters (at breakfast and that first luncheon) so there clearly were a lot of great servers on board.
I feel like the menu was more limited than on past cruises but the food was very good.
Oceanview Cafe (Buffet): The quality of the food was really good. They had made to order omelettes and eggs in the morning and made to order stir fries and pasta for lunch and dinner. The salad bar also had a lot of great, fresh options. Additionally there is a carving station, mexican options, indian options, asians options, bread, cheese, and meats, etc. My husband greatly enjoyed the deserts and there was always fresh fruit. That said, the variety of foods was not as good as other cruises which surprised us considering this was a bigger ship than our previous cruises.
Evening Shows: The evening shows with the Celebrity Singers, Dancers, and Acrobatic Performers were excellent. We especially enjoyed the acrobats. My favorite was Chandelier but they were all quite good. We also greatly enjoyed the 3 Divas (2 only actually because one got stuck in Minnesota). The comedian was just alright.
Music in the Lounges: We were disappointed in the quality and quantities of the music in the lounges. After dinner there was usually only one or two options and the only one that was pretty decent was the Sea Monkeys Band.
Bars: The Martini Bar is always entertaining and serves high quality martinis. This is my go to bar on any Celebrity cruise. Cellar Masters has a great wine selection and a neat atmosphere but I wished it had been open in the afternoon on sea days. The pool bars were known for their fruity and blended drinks. I enjoyed banana daiquiris and pomegranate and blackberry mojitos. I didn't really discover the Passport Bar on Deck 3 until the end of the cruise but if you like craft beers and hard ciders, it is the place to go. My only problem with that bar is the few times I went, I received terrible service.
Pool and Pool Decks: Celebrity's loungers on the pool deck are a step above other cruise ship's as they have a nice padded cushion. No matter how busy the pool got, I never had problems finding a lounger somewhere. You can also freely get towels without having to check them out (like you do on Carnival) and the towels are huge. The pools are clean and as expected quite busy. The Solarium, an indoor pool, is a nice option when the weather is not so great or if you just want to get out of the sun. One negative is that the jogging path goes right through one of the main decks with loungers and so it can get a little crazy mixing walkers/joggers with sunbathers wandering the deck.
Elevators: I don't think there are enough elevators on the ship and the ones they have are very slow. We watched how long they would linger on a floor or slowly crawl to the next floor. I take the stairs exclusively and so when it is just my husband and I, this isn't a problem. This cruise was with my in-laws, who prefer the elevators and so it was quite noticeable.
Disembarkation: We had to be out of the rooms by 7:00 a.m. which seemed earlier than on other cruises although I may not be remembering correctly. As Concierge Class, we had a special lounge to wait in with coffee, pastries, and water which was nice. The line for customs was a little bit long but since we were among the last off the ship, that makes sense. They actually had carousels like in airports (although MUCH larger) for the luggage which made finding your luggage a little less chaotic. Overall, it seemed to go quite smoothly. With such a late flight, I just wish we could have hung around the ship longer (instead of the airport), but I understand why that was not possible.
Overall: This was an incredible cruise, with some great service on a neat ship.
Pool and Pool Decks: Celebrity's loungers on the pool deck are a step above other cruise ship's as they have a nice padded cushion. No matter how busy the pool got, I never had problems finding a lounger somewhere. You can also freely get towels without having to check them out (like you do on Carnival) and the towels are huge. The pools are clean and as expected quite busy. The Solarium, an indoor pool, is a nice option when the weather is not so great or if you just want to get out of the sun. One negative is that the jogging path goes right through one of the main decks with loungers and so it can get a little crazy mixing walkers/joggers with sunbathers wandering the deck.
Elevators: I don't think there are enough elevators on the ship and the ones they have are very slow. We watched how long they would linger on a floor or slowly crawl to the next floor. I take the stairs exclusively and so when it is just my husband and I, this isn't a problem. This cruise was with my in-laws, who prefer the elevators and so it was quite noticeable.
Disembarkation: We had to be out of the rooms by 7:00 a.m. which seemed earlier than on other cruises although I may not be remembering correctly. As Concierge Class, we had a special lounge to wait in with coffee, pastries, and water which was nice. The line for customs was a little bit long but since we were among the last off the ship, that makes sense. They actually had carousels like in airports (although MUCH larger) for the luggage which made finding your luggage a little less chaotic. Overall, it seemed to go quite smoothly. With such a late flight, I just wish we could have hung around the ship longer (instead of the airport), but I understand why that was not possible.
Overall: This was an incredible cruise, with some great service on a neat ship.
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