Celebrity Summit Cruise Review by RCLESQ

Embarkation/Debarkation: Since we live about an hour from Bayonne, we drove and parked our car for the week ($133). We arrived at the port at approximately 11:30am which was the height of the influx of travelers. We off loaded our luggage to a porter in an atmosphere best described as “organized chaos”. Lemming like we followed the crowd past the obligatory photographers into a large room with three lines. The two shortest lines were for the suite, concierge and elite captain’s club members. Since we did not have preferred check in status, we snaked in line for our document check in and although long, it moved steadily. Perhaps a couple more agents for the masses would have been helpful. The temperature hovered near 100 outside and not any cooler inside but everyone with the euphoria of a cruise vacation kept their “cool”. We were on board by 12:20, but unable to get to our cabin, so we headed to the Waterfall buffet. Here “ordered chaos” had morphed into just chaos with passengers clutching their carry-ons and commandeering any seats available while trying to enjoy the buffet lunch. AR and I wisely headed forward to the Aqua Spa café where we were able to find a table and a perfect spa cuisine lunch. Food is available all day at the waterfall café, so don’t buck the crowds and wait until the hordes have departed. We were in our cabin by 1:30.

Stateroom: We had a balcony stateroom on deck 7. The room was more than adequate for a one week cruise and we were amazed at the use of space and storage opportunities. Derrick our cabin steward kept the room clean (we managed to keep the room disorderly). Anything we requested was taken care of immediately. Service on a cruise is what it is all about. For example, I need a refrigerator for meds, so I called customer relations before sailing to ask that the mini bar fridge be at least partially cleared out for space for the meds. Unfortunately, that had not been done before arrival, but Derrick immediately made the space. By day 2, it was clear that the fridge was broken and didn’t keep things cold. One call to Derrick and the fridge was replaced. Hint: before unpacking checkout the storage opportunities. Not until the last day did we realize the closet had two pull down bars to accommodate men’s shirts and pants and double the space. Your luggage will fit under the bed and out of the way during the cruise. Finally, AR and the asst steward had a running battle. AR wanted the trash can in the bathroom, so she would put it there each day and when the room was made up the trash can reappeared in the room. It became a game to see who would prevail. The next to last day of the cruise, she discovered that the bathroom had its own trash receptacle which pulled out from under the sink! The disappointment with the room was the balcony. The two plastic chairs were not comfortable and the space itself was not conducive to leisurely sitting for any period of time. The balcony, however, was nice as added space to the room and an opportunity for fresh air and a nice view of the ports of call. Which segues……

Ports: Portland, Maine. It was 100 degrees in Portland, enough said! Having been to Portland and Maine many times in the past, we rented a car which we shared with a family we met on board and drove to Freeport. I dreamed of being an outdoorsman in LL Bean; although the heat and flannel shirts were contraindicated. We shopped at many of the outlet store, bought shoes at JL Coombs and had the quintessential Maine lobster experience at the Harraseeket Lunch and lobster house on the Freeport harbor (Yes, there is a harbor about a mile out of the shopping district) I recommend renting a Hertz (their kiosk is right on the dock as you get off the ship) car in Portland and driving North to Freeport (20 minutes), west to Sebago lake (one hour) or south to Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, York Harbor (45 minutes).

Bar Harbor, Maine. The weather here was majestic. 81 degrees with no humidity. Philadelphia made it to 102! The town is beautiful in a touristy way. We took Oli’s trolley for the Acadia Park Tour ($28) and got back just in time to grab a lobster roll (what else?) and take the LuLu Lobster Boat tour ($30). We highly recommend this tour (book on line) Captain John is a character and a teacher. WE saw seals sunning and cavorting, a bald eagle perched majestically (it was the 4th of July week) and learned all there is to learn about lobsters and lobstering. Soft drinks and water on board are complimentary, binoculars are provided as are wrist bands for sea sickness (no one succumbed). It was a full and fun day and we still had time for ice cream at Ben and Bills and shopping to help the local economy.

St. John NB: Although we heard grumbling on board that some folks didn’t like this stop and thought it to be a waste of time, we took the hop on and hop off bus tour ($37) and got an opportunity to see this little port. In truth, I checked the tide tables before leaving home and it was clear that the tides weren’t cooperating for a trip to St. Martins or Fundy National Park. We did see the reversing falls (overhyped) and Delilah’s bones in the City museum. (A good choice) Delilah was a Right Whale which was killed by being hit by a ship. The young lady at the museum enthusiastically told us all about Delilah and the other whales on exhibit. We visited the City Market and had lunch at Billy’s where the PEI mussels and Digby scallops were excellent. We enjoyed St. John.

Halifax, NS: We agonized over what to do in Halifax. We certainly wanted to see the obligatory Peggy’s Cove and a visit to Fairlawn cemetery for the graves of the 121 Titanic victims. We finally opted for the 10 best of Halifax ship excursion ($72) and it was the best move we made. We saw it all; but………You MUST try to get on the bus with Ellen as your guide. She is a lovely lady with stories about everything. Her love for her City and Province is infectious. She went out of way to get brochures for all passengers for the places we stopped. We saw the gardens and got to the Citadel in time for the Noonday gun and changing of the guard, lunch on the waterfront, stories of the Titanic, Swissair crash and the Halifax explosion. Yes, Peggy’s Cove (would love to visit w/o tourists), Fairlawn (moving with a mental image of Leonardo DiCaprio); and a visit to a maple sugar/syrup factory. Lastly, Ellen’s printed recipe for Blueberry Grunt for which she is justly proud. The seven hours flew by. Note: We got back at 5:45 on a formal night which made it difficult for the 6pm dining room seating. You may wish to consider a Normandy reservation for this evening. Which segues…….

Food: The highlight and disappointment of this cruise. We ate twice at the Normandy ($35 pp) which is on par with some of the finest restaurants in Phil and NY. The service is impeccable and the presentation photo worthy. The Tournedos Rossini was excellent and the escargot tortellini is recommended. A young couple on their honeymoon enjoyed food and dining. They ate the first night in the MDR and then opted to eat the rest of their dinners in the Normandy. Since the menu remains essentially the same, by Thursday they were asked if there was something else they would like, and the chef made it for them off menu. The buffets were plentiful and varied and for the most part good. There was food available from morning until night. Since we had late seating, we enjoyed a late afternoon snack of sushi/sashimi, India Tandoori, or pizza and, of course, ice cream. Note, on the morning of the Halifax arrival, the ship doesn’t dock until 10am. So, everyone seems to sleep late and descend on the breakfast buffet en masse; a good morning to have a “civilized” breakfast in the MDR. This segues to the disappointment of the MDR for dinner. The menus were uninspired, the portions minuscule, no meal or dish was memorable. To be fair, AR believes this criticism is too harsh. She never had difficulty finding something to her liking nor did she ever leave the MDR hungry, so this critique is mine alone. Some of the dishes were inedible. Lobster bisque is a menu staple and available on all nights. The night I ordered it, I sent it back as inedible. It resembled a dark mushroom soup and had no taste. The closest that soup came to a lobster was a perfunctory wave to the lobster tank on its way to the dining room. In exchange I received the salad of the day – a sliver of ice berg lettuce, a thin slice of tomato and a thin slice of Bermuda onion. I’ve had more with spa cuisine! On the other hand, the escargots, another menu staple were excellent. One night Rib eye steaks were on the menu. Six of eight at our table ordered the steak and all of them were inedible, impossible to cut and tasteless. AR sent her steak back for the sole wrapped around a shrimp quenelle which was good. On the last night, I had the veal cordon bleu which was a paper thin piece of meat (veal?) rolled around an equally thin piece of deli ham and cheese and then fried. It was one of the worst things I have ever eaten. Fortunately, it was minute. To be fair, any complaint was handled immediately and the dish replaced with something else. Celebrity has always been known for their food and dining experience. I went into the cruise with higher expectations than I should have considering my last Celebrity cruise was 10 years ago. Perhaps they should swallow their pride and get Michel Roux back on board. This was a cruise to New England and Canada. How hard would it be to load fresh lobsters in Portland (lobster Newburg, real lobster bisque) or Digby Scallops and mussels in Saint John. In the future (yes, I would travel with Celebrity and Summit again), I would reserve the Normandy for nights 2-7, giving the MDR at least a chance to win me on the first night. Since food is such an integral part of the cruise experience, I fear that more cruises with this level of food in the MDR will relegate Celebrity to a lesser status among cruise lines.

Entertainment: The entertainment on board was surprisingly good. The shows got better as the week progressed. The two comedians were terrific and perfect for a cruise of this type [some families with small children (very well behaved!!! Congrats to the parents and a program that kept the kids busy); some teenagers (you didn’t know they were on board – congrats again to the parents); but mostly an age demographic of 45-70]. The shows were entertaining. There was music in different venues at all times and would appeal to the above age demographic.

Conclusion: A thoroughly enjoyable cruise vacation, but CELEBRITY you have to improve the MDR experience. It needs improvement. Nevertheless, I would recommend this cruise to others and would cruise again with Celebrity.