Wow!!!!!

I had thought that cruising had gone downhill in the past ten years.  Boy was I wrong!!!

I am an avid cruiser. My husband and I have been on 20+ cruises (me alone, more than that).  Over the past ten years, out of convenience and cruise deals, we've  tried out several Norwegian and Carnival Cruises. Now, I'm not saying these lines are terrible but they just weren't up to par with any cruises I had experienced in the past. I truly had thought that the cruising experience had simply declined due to today's economy and cut-backs. That is until I stepped onto the Celebrity Summit. 

"Wow", is all I could say.  As we stepped onboard we were warmly greeted and offered our choice of mimosa or champagne.  I haven't seen this done in a while. What a nice touch and a great way to start our vacation. We were told that they were serving a buffet lunch in the Ocean View Cafe so we headed up there. Buffets on my last cruises have been OK but nothing compared to this!  All of the food selections were served in their own individual serving dishes. Not only did this make for a beautiful presentation but also helped to keep any lines from forming. You just picked what you wanted in its own individually portioned dish and were on your way!  Not only did the food look wonderful but it also tasted wonderful!  I couldn't believe how delicious it was!  I was starting to get a little hopeful that this cruisline was going to bring back my love for cruising....

I cannot say enough good things about this cruise ship. It was immaculate. There were never empty cocktail glasses rolling around on deck under your lounge chairs. The "Pool Butlers" saw to that!  There was constant bar service EVERYWHERE you went. The public restrooms ALWAYS had someone in there cleaning. As soon as it was used, it would be cleaned. I mean immaculate!  And I am extremely picky about this sort of thing. The staff on this ship were so friendly. The food incredible. Staterooms, although my ocean view stateroom was tiny (room 2001), it was always perfectly clean and tidy. The cabin steward was like a phantom. He never bothered us.  We never saw him going in or coming out but our room was always quickly made up and perfect.  They even put a chocolate on your pillow at night which is something the other cruilines I've travelled on have not done in a while (another cut-back I assume).  As far as the staff goes...Captain Dimitrius was one-of-a-kind!  I couldn't tell you a Captain's name from ANY of my other cruises, but I will never forget this one!  He was EVERYWHERE!  So accessible. He was also quite hysterical!  He walked around all cruise with a Go Pro on his wrist filming passengers and talking with everybody. What a great guy!!  The cruise director Ken was wonderful!  Luigi, who was in charge of entertainment, was the best!  The entire cruise staff/dancers were delightful. Everyone was so friendly and made you feel like they actually knew you!  I have a 15 year old daughter that traveled with us and she is still sad about having to leave. She really befriended the cruise staff. They were all so sweet to her. Our waiter and assistant waiter Jon and Kartika (both from Indonesia) were  GREAT!!!  Always asking how are day was and what we did. Remembering our drink orders and having them on the table BEFORE we even sat down. Talking to us and certainly NEVER rushing us. It was just such a wonderful experience. There was always plenty to do (if you wanted), or, if you just wanted to relax, it was great for that too. All of the bars, lounges, public areas, casino (smoke-free)...we're beautiful and kept so clean. The ship is, for the most part, smoke-free which we loved!!  There are a few designated areas for smokers but you never smelled smoke anywhere!

We had a fantastic vacation!  And YES, Celebrity DID bring back my love for cruising!!!!!  I cannot wait to book another Celebrity cruise!!  Thank you Celebrity!!