Sailing Celebrity Through the Eyes of a Royal Caribbean Cruiser

[KathyC]

 

This will be a partial recap/partial comparison post.  I thought it would be fun to put together a comparison of Celebrity to what we know as the “norm” of Royal Caribbean cruising.  We’ve sailed also on Norweigan (before it was NCL), Carnival & Disney in the past, but primarily are Loyal to Royal. In my recap, I have bolded the important differences.

Ship: Celebrity Summit 

Sail Date: October 20-26, 2019

Itinerary: Repositioning cruise from Cape Liberty, NJ to San Juan, PR

Three sea days followed by two ports, St. Maarten & St. Thomas

Cabin: Aquaclass A2 cabin #: 9131

Status: Royal Crown & Anchor Diamond = Celebrity Captain’s Club Elite

Drink Pkg: Premium

We parked our car at a Newark Airport Hotel, the Hilton, and took an Uber to the port. Since this was a repositioning cruise, we would not be returning to the same port we left from.  We booked parking through Way.com, which was significantly cheaper than parking at the airport. The hotel runs a complimentary shuttle 24/7, so this was perfect for our late arriving flight.  

We noticed a difference from embarkation.  There is no separation of class.  No mention anywhere.  No suite line, no Zenith (their Pinnacle).  Some boarding passes listed “Expedited Arrival”, which one of ours did.  With that special notation, we had a separate security line/scanner, and separate port employee with iPad to check us in.  They re-took our picture, looked at our passports; we scanned our bags, and then by-passed the rest and walked straight on the ship.  Super fast and easy. They had the normal ship photo-op and on you went.  

Upon crossing the threshold from the ramp to the ship, you scanned your boarding pass and were then officially on your cruise!  To celebrate this momentous occasion, you were offered either a glass of champagne or mimosa, complimentary.  No drink package necessary!  This was one of many times we were offered a complimentary beverage of this nature.

With our glasses in hand, we then proceeded to our cabin on deck 9.  On the Summit, you proceed directly to your stateroom where your keys are in an envelope on the door and you get to drop off your carry-on bags and lock your valuables in the safe.  Even though the cabins are not ready until 1-1:30pm, you are not forced to lug your stuff.  When traveling with small kids, elderly grandparents or people with mobility issues - this is HUGE.  

Free of our jackets and other belongings, we put our cards in a lanyard, and off we went to explore the ship.  Over the course of the week - we saw very few cruisers wearing lanyards.  This sailing had three travel agency groups having conferences, the largest group wore lanyards, but otherwise there was barely anyone.  We did see a few groups in matching t-shirts, but the lanyards were not a thing. By end of day 2 our lanyards were back on their hooks and instead the cards were placed in the lovely card holder we were each given.

Also on this sailing was another conference, this one made up of Celebrity captains, hotel directors, and upper management including the CEO!  The captains and hotel directors attended a show one evening and all came out on stage to say hi.  Left to right - 1 Cruise Director, 11 Captains, out front Summit Captain Matt, 13 Hotel Directors.

 

[KathyC]

With three days at sea ahead of us, we had plenty of time to explore the ship, relax and get familiar with the Celebrity brand.  Over the course of that time, we:

Played trivia: not huge on Celebrity. Usually light in attendance, and only offered a 1-2 times a day.  Great reminder of how smart you are not. Themes were usually general knowledge, pub style, and on 80s night there was an 80s trivia session. 

Took 2 tours: 

• Galley Tour. Complementary and open to all. Another glass of champagne. 

• Backstage Tour. Captains Club offering. Not sure what minimum level is to participate.  Another glass of champagne.

Enjoyed time in a smoke-free casino.  We never - I repeat never - gamble on RCCL, as we can’t stand the smoke, even in the non-smoking section.  We will go in, do our free slot pulls, and walk away with smelly clothes and an entry into a drawing later in the cruise.  On Summit, it was fantastic to be able to enjoy time playing, watching and drinking. Drinks are complimentary while you are playing. Bar servers come around to take your order. 

 

Enjoyed live music.  There is live music all over the place, all throughout the day.  This ship doesn’t have a centrum/promenade/esplanade type area. There is the “Grand Foyer” that has beautiful orange marble steps, but the area is very closed in.  The steps lead to deck 3, where you’ll find all your “service desks” like Guest Services, Shore Excursions, Internet Cafe, Captain’s Club host. Those are all grouped together and away from the social areas of decks 4 & 5 like Cafe Bacio (coffee shop), Martini Bar, Gelataria (one complimentary scoop Elite and above), Casino and the main venue Rendezvous Lounge.  This is similar to the lounge in the aft of the Radiance Class ships, but more utilized. But back to the live music. At any time, you’ll find the house band at the pool, the DJ at the martini bar, a duo up at the Sunset Bar. Or any of those groups in any other place.  They move around all day, do sets in varying places, and were all very entertaining. There is no Schooner Bar type singer or performer.

 

Hung out in the outdoor areas.  This class of ship does not offer a lower deck full walk-around the ship, nor does it have access to the helipad.  But up on decks 10 & 11 you can almost make it all the way around. If you are a suite guest, you have access to a special area called The Retreat, which blocks off the forward facing top decks.  In the aft, you can go to the outside seating area of the OVC, called the Sunset Bar (which is open until OVC closes after midnight) or you can go up to deck 12. Deck 11 is aft-facing balconies. Deck 12 aft has a lounge area with the tv screen.  Great place to relax, and it has “quiet hours” from 2-4 daily. Blankets are in holders on deck to use when you’re chilly. They do not require checking/signing out.  They are also available on the pool deck.

Speaking of the pool deck, another major difference here.  You do not check out towels.  When you wake in the morning, each lounger has a towel on it.  You use it, put it in special bins when you are done, and move on.  If you need another, you go to the rack and take one. There are notes about chair hogs but we didn’t experience any of that as it wasn’t a full sailing and we had the conferences on board who spent most of their days behind closed doors.

 

Another amazing towel amenity is that there are beach towels in your cabin to take off ship with you.  You return them to your cabin when done, and the stateroom attendant brings you clean ones for the next day.  If you’re heading to the beach, just put those towels in your complimentary (to keep) tote bag and off you go.  Rainy day? There is a golf umbrella and pocket sized umbrella in the cabin for your use (not to keep).  See something out at sea you want a closer up view? Use the binoculars that come in the cabin.  As an Aquaclass guest, we also received complimentary slippers (to keep), use of robes, and a drawstring bag.  There were yoga mats for use while onboard as well.

 

Enjoyed evening shows.  The production cast performed three unique shows and two theme nights.  One theme night was Motown, and it was held in the Sky Lounge “aka the nightclub”.  They sang, danced, performed, then stayed out on the dance floor for about 30 minutes and engaged with the guests.  The second theme night was the Full Moon Party held on the pool deck, this time with just the dancers.  Again they danced & performed, then stayed around and engaged with the guests. Some changed out of their costumes and came back out to dance some more.  Headliner entertainment was a comedian and a magician.

Attended game shows.  Much tamer than Royal, even the battle of the genders was super tame.  Not hugely attended for the ones we went to.  

Used the App to communicate.  You can use the ship wifi without a package to view your account, the daily activities, make reservations and chat with other guests.  Great feature.

[KathyC]

We ate.  Lots and lots of food.  I saved this for the toward end as it’ll be pretty long.  

Before I get into the food, we noticed one big difference that is not necessarily “better.”  There are handwashing stations in the buffet, and Purell stands all over, but handwashing was not really emphasized.  At all. We did see the washy washy cartoon once on embarkation day, but that was all. The buffet had multiple entrances to it, and only one was manned with a crew member holding Purell.  And that wasn’t all the time. We didn’t see many guests using the Purell, and we not once saw anyone but us washing their hands at the stations. But this ship was the only one in Celebrity’s fleet to get a score of 100 from both the US and Canada in 2019 from their surprise sanitary inspections.  We did witness bar staff wiping down menus in the Rendezvous Lounge one evening!

As an Aquaclass guest, we had access to Blu for breakfast and dinner.  Since this was our first Celebrity sailing, we wanted to experience as many different venues as possible, so we breakfasted in a different spot every day.  Most notable to us, the buffet, named Oceanview Cafe (OVC).  Best buffet we’ve ever eaten in.  Food was varied, most always delicious (warm & not overcooked) and at the entrance is a map that changes with every meal.  You can see what is offered where, and often there is no repeats in the different sections/same on each side kind of thing.

It’s open 24/7 for beverages, but will have some type of food until the wee hours of the morning.  Official hours end service at 12:30pm, but when a bunch of us walked in at 12:25 after Silent Disco, the pizza guy kept on making pizzas and the other staff left the other food options out until everyone had replenished their empty bellies.  Speaking of pizza - BEST CRUISE SHIP PIZZA.  Puts Sorrentos to shame.  BEST. Hand rolled, hand topped, made in the ovens right there.  Varieties offered changed throughout the week. Another offering we enjoyed was the eggs benedict bar.  No sitting for table service in the MDR if you don’t want. Get your eggs benedict, made the way you like it, and take it out to the pool.  At lunch there were rotating “bars” like baked potato bar, ramen soup bar. Ramen soup was amazing and we kept looking for it to reappear the rest of the week.  Alas, it did not.  This ship had the most unique "bar" areas in the buffet, ceviche, gravlax, pate, roasted meats...to name a few. 

 

[KathyC]

Ice cream is located in OVC not on pool deck.  Multiple complementary flavors of hard ice cream and yogurt each day, all made fresh in the galley.  There are two flavors of soft serve each day. There are many candy toppings to choose from. This is separate from the paid gelato bar in the social areas - which are also made fresh daily on board.  I think there were 10 flavors to choose from there. Prices reasonable. 

Blu is the specialty dining that is open to Aquaclass guests only.  It’s overall specialty is clean eating, with a spa flair, unique offerings.  As people who enjoy a plant-based, clean lifestyle, this was right up our alley.  Unfortunately we are a little TOO plant-based, and while most meals offered higher-end dishes like lamb, duck, filet mignon, tuna...we don’t really enjoy those foods.  We did like the “daily vegetable” option most days. But the Oceanview Cafe had the better vegetarian options each evening that we preferred. The last night of the cruise we ate dinner there (instead of eating early at Blu then having more at OVC later.)  On this class of ship, the galley for Blu is next to the one for the MDR, so you can order off either menu.

Food venues I haven’t mentioned yet - pool grill where you could get hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, fries in the afternoons.  Spa Cafe with small portion, healthy offerings and smoothies, open breakfast and lunch. Coffee shop had complementary pastries all day.  Specialty dining choices are Tuscan (italian), Sushi on 5, Qsine (similar to Wonderland but will be changing to Le Petit Chef in a couple weeks).  Lumanae is the suite only specialty dining (similar to Coastal Kitchen.)

Matt, just for you, below is a picture of the accompaniments to the Indian bar. 

When the Pool Grill is open, you will not find burgers or hot dogs in the buffet.  

[KathyC]

Other notables/comparisons to make:

Captain’s Club.  There were a few special events offered to us, we attended the backstage tour, visited the breakfast one morning but that’s about all of the benefits we used, other than the complementary 90 minutes each of internet.  Since we had a drink package, we didn’t attend any of the nightly events. If you went to the Sky Lounge you could have passed canapes with your drinks, but we received an afternoon plate of treats with the Aquaclass cabin, and ate dinner early each evening, so we didn’t feel the need to go up for that.  Other events held were a wine tasting session (on a port day so we were off the ship) and an elegant tea (again, during a port day and we were off the ship). There was a special evening event that we elected not to attend, as we wanted to do the free slot tournament in the casino. We didn’t feel the need to hob knob with the captain or other officers in attendance - there was $50 casino credit on the line!  

Biggest thing we noticed about the Captain’s Club?  NO ONE TALKED ABOUT THEIR STATUS.  We saw not a one person walking around with a special name tag or demanding attention.  LOL There were very few people wearing pins, but we didn’t get close enough to any of them to see what they were for.  Tony noticed a few but I really didn’t. I don’t know what they give Zenith members but I can’t say I met one since I had no way of knowing their status.  

The people I met who were also Elite (and I only knew it because as we were chatting and I found out they had sailed a lot, I asked questions) but it seemed to be that I was the one bringing it up.  

Guests on board were very mixed in age.  No sleepy retirees here!! There was honeymooners in their 20s all the way up to folks in their 80s.  The Silent Disco was so packed they extended it 45 minutes and people kept dancing until 2am every day.  We enjoyed getting to know people of all ages, including a wonderful couple who got engaged on board. 

Crew.  The level of service given to every cruiser was top notch.  What you expect on Royal to just be offered to suite guests is given to all.  From the crew on the stairs wiping things down (who stop as you walk by, greet you, then resume their jobs after you pass) to the baristas making your coffee to the very visible and active Cruise Director (more visible than the Activities Manager) every guest is equally special.  They go above and beyond for every single cruiser. Since no one is wearing their special color seapass card on a lanyard, the crew has no idea who is “special” and who is not.  So everyone is special.  

Certain categories of crew are allowed in all of the guest areas, like the production and entertainment staff.  They are very friendly, very approachable, and want to spend time with you. 

Premium vs Classic drink packages. We had not planned on buying a drink package.  Since we weren’t flying into port, we could easily bring on two bottles of wine with us.  Our Aquaclass cabin comes with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine, our Elite status gets us specialty coffees in the morning, and drinks in the evening, so to spend the money on the drink package wasn’t worth it to us.  I knew in advance about the complimentary beverages that were offered at certain events, and in the casino, so we figured we’d get through each day with that. Well...a week before we sailed we received an amazing promotion that you just couldn’t pass up.  BOGO premium drink package. It comes out to $34.50 per day, plus 20% gratuity, per person.  (Yes, you read that 20% right.  Watch for Royal to follow suit soon)  This was a TRUE BOGO. Tony’s account was charged full price for his package, and mine was charged $0.  No 50% to one and 50% to the other kind of thing. So almost $500 later we had a drink package. Not in the budget but we’ll just pull it from the next cruise.  We made full use of the package at the martini bar alone. Premium is worth the extra $10 a day in price, as you get larger drinks made with premium liquors. If you’re drinking mostly beer, then not worth the difference.  But for my husband, who enjoys a nightly whisk(e)y, drinking the good stuff is important.

Port visits.  We had two stops, first St. Maarten and second St. Thomas.  Cruise Director was on pier both mornings chatting with the guests as they exited the ship.  Cheesy photo ops were of course available.  We did a ship excursion in St. Maarten and did our own in St. Thomas.  Upon returning to the ship, there was cold (wet with ice on them) towels, fruited waters, a covered area to sit, and in St. Thomas fruit kabobs.  Both days we were HOT - those cold towels were amazing to receive.

[KathyC]

I’ve saved the best for last. Every night after turndown, we returned to the cabin to find not a towel animal, but a chocolate on our pillows. Huge throwback to classic cruising.  Deserves it's own post.

 

[KathyC]

Lastly, another major difference is in the announcements.  There is a 10am sea day announcement where the captain gives you a nautical & weather update, then the cruise director mentions some of the activities for the day, and that's it.  Nothing else interrupting your day reminding you about sales or activities or events.  On port days, we got an announcement when the ship was cleared and when we were ready to sail away.  No pier runners either day, no announcements for missing guests.  

We did have a medical emergency where the captain announced we were returning to St. Maarten to drop off a passenger that was ill.  The next day when leaving St. Thomas, the captain did give us an update on the passenger letting us know he was doing well and was on his way back to the states for medical treatment. 

So that’s about all I can think of for now.  I may come back and add more as I think of other things.  So by now you’re all wondering “will they sail Celebrity again?”  YOU BETCHA. We loved it. Did we miss the mini golf, rock wall, or ice skating?  Nope. What about Crazy Quest, Broadway shows or belly flop contests at the pool?  Nope. Will Celebrity replace Royal for future cruises? Not completely.  But we will look at both when booking 2021 and out.  We’re at the point where we feel we’re ready for something different, and Celebrity can offer us islands that Royal doesn’t, sailing different grouping of itineraries that we’ll enjoy.  We are at the point where we only cruise for the ship, the itinerary or a specific group of people. We’re back at sea in December on the newly amp’ed Oasis - looking forward to venues we haven’t experienced yet (like Playmakers) but not looking forward to yet another stop in St. Maarten.

Happy to answer any questions or talk more about Celebrity cruising!! 

[KathyC]

Oh, I almost forgot!  See, I knew there would be more. There isn't a "morning show" with the cruise director and activity manager, but there is something recorded nightly that shows throughout the day on the Celebrity Channel.

Look who was playing the slots while they were filming it one evening.   

[Lovetocruise2002]

You seem to make it on TV everywhere you go!!

I really appreciate you sharing this review Kathy.  With Wonder not making it to North America, Celebrity is definitely in the cards for us summer 2021.

[JLMoran]

6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

With Wonder not making it to North America, Celebrity is definitely in the cards for us summer 2021.

Given your preference for big ships, I'm going to assume you'll only consider the Edge or sister ship Apex; They're the largest in the Celebrity fleet at this point, yet they're still a little bit smaller in size and passenger capacity to a Voyager class ship.

If you sail on Summit or any of the other Millennium class ships, I'll be shocked!

 

@KathyC, thanks for sharing this. I'm curious to know if the amenities you listed as included with your cabin -- the tote bag, beach towels, etc. -- are standard for all cabin classes or something that only starts to show with Concierge class and higher (with Aqua the next level up). Not that we're really going to have any beach days on our Iceland & Greenland sailing, but maybe they'll sub those out with equivalent amenities.

 

[KathyC]

35 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

 

@KathyC, thanks for sharing this. I'm curious to know if the amenities you listed as included with your cabin -- the tote bag, beach towels, etc. -- are standard for all cabin classes or something that only starts to show with Concierge class and higher (with Aqua the next level up). Not that we're really going to have any beach days on our Iceland & Greenland sailing, but maybe they'll sub those out with equivalent amenities.

 

The gray tote bag is given to all.  It's not a very expensive one, to be honest.  But it does the job for the week.  The white bag with the slippers, card holders, and lip gloss is for aqua. 

Beach towels must be given to all cabins, as there was no place to get them when leaving the ship, and no place that was collecting them upon return.  They are different than pool towels. Yoga mats are aqua.  To be honest, I didn't really compare rooms with anyone who wasn't aquaclass.  The people we spent the most time with we met at dinner in Blu.  Good question, I just assumed the umbrellas and binocs were standard.  

 

[KathyC]

I knew there would be more! 

Door decorations.  Not a thing.  We saw a couple doors with small decorations, and there was some Happy Anniversary or Happy Birthday magnets on a few doors, but they were small, oval, and very plain.  White with blue or black writing.  It may have been part of a package you could buy,  but not sure.  Otherwise we saw a door with a white board on the outside.  

I left my magnets at home, except for one small one.  I like walking down the hall and being able to pick out my door easily.  

[AshleyDillo]

Thank you for the excellent view of what's on the "other side" of the Royal family!

[ellcee]

Loved this review. Would you say Celebrity is more low-key than RC?

[monctonguy]

Enjoyed the review...reminded me very much of my one cruise on Celebrity...defn a different vibe, but enjoyable for sure. Some pluses over Royal I agree.

 

Funny about the silent disco....same experience for us...it was packed and lined up out the door. Surprised me as the cpl times on Royal I had experienced it, it was not well attended or busy. So it really changed my perspective on just how much fun Celebrity is, even though they don't have all the activities that I enjoy on Royal.

[Lovetocruise2002]

22 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Given your preference for big ships, I'm going to assume you'll only consider the Edge or sister ship Apex; They're the largest in the Celebrity fleet at this point, yet they're still a little bit smaller in size and passenger capacity to a Voyager class ship.

If you sail on Summit or any of the other Millennium class ships, I'll be shocked!

To be totally honest, I haven’t looked into many Celebrity ships at all. Can’t rule out any of them at this point.

Obviously, Edge would be my first choice but I need something for summer 2021 (in case @Matt doesn’t plan a summer GC) and Edge keeps heading over to Europe in the summer.

[KathyC]

10 hours ago, ellcee said:

Loved this review. Would you say Celebrity is more low-key than RC?

Yes, definitely. 

[KathyC]

I just found out that our medical emergency did not have a positive outcome, the gentleman passed away yesterday.  

[KathyC]

@JLMoran follow up to your question from earlier.  My MIL stayed in an inside cabin on Summit in July and she confirmed for me tonight that they did get the gray tote bag and the beach towels in the cabin.  They however did not have the umbrellas or binoculars in their category cabin. 

[JLMoran]

15 minutes ago, KathyC said:

@JLMoran follow up to your question from earlier.  My MIL stayed in an inside cabin on Summit in July and she confirmed for me tonight that they did get the gray tote bag and the beach towels in the cabin.  They however did not have the umbrellas or binoculars in their category cabin. 

Thanks for the follow-up! We're staying in a pair of inside cabins, so it'll be interesting to see what they provide on an itinerary that has no beach-type days at all.

[monctonguy]

We didn't have binoculars or umbrella on our stay with Celebrity in an inside room either...but we had the towels and bag...and the towels around the pool etc was a much nicer set up than Royal for sure.

 

There was enough on the go during no beach days to keep us busy....

[Boston Babe]

Thank you Kathy for this review.  We've been on summit twice, once before the refurb, then this past May.  I am leaning towards Celebrity as we are a tad older, and I can't see me rock climbing in the near future!!!  We found the Ocean Grille to be fabulous, lots to choose from and we were in a Suite, Hubby liked it better than Luminae! LOL

[Matt]

Thanks for sharing this, Kath!

[Vancity Cruiser]

Thanks for the detailed comparison! Really looking forward to my first celebrity cruise in May. hoping for a low key relaxing getaway.

[KathyC]

5 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Thank you Kathy for this review.  We've been on summit twice, once before the refurb, then this past May.  I am leaning towards Celebrity as we are a tad older, and I can't see me rock climbing in the near future!!!  We found the Ocean Grille to be fabulous, lots to choose from and we were in a Suite, Hubby liked it better than Luminae! LOL

Mine liked it better than Blu.  LOL 

[Ken23]

Thanks @KathyC for the great write up, and answering questions.

I have my first Celebrity cruise on Equinox in two days, and am excited about it. 

The lower key factor will be good for a change, especially with some of the people on the trip.

[PRebecca]

This is great info, thanks for sharing your thoughts and observations!

In the 4 months I've been (virtually) hanging out here, I've booked 3 RC Cruises. I do believe I'll have to book a Celebrity next! It'll have to wait till May 2021 which is a bummer as there seems to be a $25 deposit sale for a few more hours but alas, no more before May 2021!

 

 

[WhiteSoxFan]

Love the review.  We have the Edge booked with the 4 perk option for January 2021.  You've made me look forward to it even more.

[Jedi Jason]

Thanks for the amazing review.  I agree with almost everything in your comparison of Royal to Celebrity.  I am also a diamond member with Royal so therefore an elite member on Celebrity.  We did an Edge 3 night preview sailing when she was brand new.  I highly recommend her.  I love not having to check out pool towels and the buffet is so much better than the wind jammer.  On Royal I tend to go to the buffet mostly for breakfast only (not necessarily by my choice) and get tired of the same thing everyday and the same undercooked scrambled eggs and the tasteless soggy, overly chewy pancakes and waffles.  So, when traveling as a couple we have begun to equally consider or prefer Celebrity based on our Edge experience.  We booked a 5 night Cozumel and Key West cruise for early January on Equinox.  However, when traveling with the kids or extended family and friends the wider range of activities and amenities on Royal seem to make more sense.  Celebrity seems to be a great option for more of an upscale relaxing cruise vacation.  I think the umbrella and binoculars are for guests in concierge and up or at least balcony and up.

[TrishRogersWarren]

Thank you for the info Kathy. Long time NCL cruiser recent RCL cruiser going on Celebrity for the first time 2/20. Summit out of San Juan. Sounds like overall you enjoyed Celebrity! Glad to hear the buffet is good as I felt that was one place RCL did not impress me. Did you eat in the MDR at all or the specialty restaurants? Also glad to hear the App works good and you can send fellow cruisers messages through it. The internet packages seem way too high!! We are casino dwellers and are trying Celebrity because I am getting more and more sensitive to smoking and cant stand the smoky casinos anymore!

Thanks for a great review! 

[KathyC]

4 hours ago, TrishRogersWarren said:

Thank you for the info Kathy. Long time NCL cruiser recent RCL cruiser going on Celebrity for the first time 2/20. Summit out of San Juan. Sounds like overall you enjoyed Celebrity! Glad to hear the buffet is good as I felt that was one place RCL did not impress me. Did you eat in the MDR at all or the specialty restaurants? Also glad to hear the App works good and you can send fellow cruisers messages through it. The internet packages seem way too high!! We are casino dwellers and are trying Celebrity because I am getting more and more sensitive to smoking and cant stand the smoky casinos anymore!

Thanks for a great review! 

We did not eat dinner in the MDR.  As an Aquaclass guest, Blu is considered my main dining room and so I don't have a seating assignment there.   We did eat breakfast there one morning, and it was delicious.  We also chose not to eat in any of the specialty restaurants since we had already "paid for" Blu.  LOL  We knew we'd be sailing on Celebrity again, so we thought we'd save the specialty for when we're in regular dining.  We had planned on going to Sushi on 5 one afternoon, to get a beer and maybe an app, but honestly never had the time.  With three straight sea days you'd think we would, but we were never hungry enough to do it.  

You're going to have an amazing cruise! 

[ALAsquaredancer]

Thanks for this very  informative  review. Found  this to be helpful and answer some questions we had. Booked on two Celebrity Cruises in 2020. Thank you.

[Boston Babe]

On 10/30/2019 at 4:35 PM, KathyC said:

Mine liked it better than Blu.  LOL 

there was so many selections and those desserts!!!! LOL

[Srp431]

Thanks for sharing this summary. May consider another Celebrity in the future.  We took a Celebrity cruise on Zenith a long time ago, not sure if they still have the ship. It was a 7 night out of New Jersey that went to Bermuda. Nice cruise, but it was really lacking in evening activities (it was either the casino or a lounge show). It was very dead in the evenings.

[KathyC]

24 minutes ago, Srp431 said:

Thanks for sharing this summary. May consider another Celebrity in the future.  We took a Celebrity cruise on Zenith a long time ago, not sure if they still have the ship. It was a 7 night out of New Jersey that went to Bermuda. Nice cruise, but it was really lacking in evening activities (it was either the casino or a lounge show). It was very dead in the evenings.

I know each ship is different with the activities and entertainment, but our sailing was never dead in the evenings.  There was always something going on.  

[Floski]

Holy smokes

 

Thanks, @KathyC for a wonderful review.  It was so much better than watching another v-blog.

 

Now you have me considering Celebrity for 2021. 

 

Thank you.

[monorailmedic]

Great commentary.  

Quote

Did we miss the mini golf, rock wall, or ice skating?  Nope. What about Crazy Quest, Broadway shows or belly flop contests at the pool?  Nope.

I explain RCI vs X this way often.  If you want those high-energy activities, like rock walls, flow riders, etc - then you won't find it on X, and RCI does a GREAT job here.  If you see those spaces and wish they were used for things a bit slower paced, then take a look at X.  They are both great lines, each with their strong points and differentiation, but it's also quite comfortable switching between the two depending on the occasion, who you're traveling with, etc.

We're back on Edge for the third time in just a couple days.  Excited to be back, but we'll be on Brilliance soon as well.

[Salt Water Buckeye]

Wife & I are doing a repositioning cruise on Reflection next spring, so very much appreciated your take on the Summit.  Our 1^st 2 cruises were on Carnival boats, ‘getting our feet wet,’ followed by 3 RCL cruises, each absolutely fabulous, and now our 1^st on a Celebrity boat.  I have to think there will be a lot of carry over across the Celebrity fleet.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness in sharing this information!

I share your sentiments about St. Marten; haven’t been there, but for no particular reason it doesn’t appeal to me.  I’d like to do St. Lucia and Dominica. The ABC’s appeal to Dianne, another islands we have not been to.

[Guy Gadwa]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.  Very informative!