Fantastic Trip

This was the first time that I drove to and from a cruise departing from Miami. The port was incredibly easy to access, and parking was more than adequate and fairly priced ($22/day). Port staff were very friendly and maintained safety protocols to allow passengers to access the indoor areas in groups. Notwithstanding, we were through security and boarding our ship within 30-minutes of parking our car.

Overall, the food and service on Summit were excellent. Going into the cruise, I was a little concerned about the quality of food since my last food experience (on a RCCL sailing) was sub-par. Across the board, I thought all food and beverage exceeded expectations. On this trip, we only dined in the Cosmopolitan (main dining), the Oceanview Cafe (Deck 10, buffet) and the outdoor grill (Deck 10, poolside), but I also saw several of the specialty restaurant dishes and all looked very good. Given the quality of the food in both the Cosmopolitan and the Oceanview Cafe, I am confident that the speciality dining was also excellent. Food service and all service crew on the Summit were also excellent. This was a family trip (my wife and I, who are both in our 40s, and our 8-year-old son). Our Cosmopolitan team was very attentive to our son and learned exactly what his food preferences were within one seating. Buffet service is no longer self-service, but I found this to be a welcomed change. I believe it to be both healthier and affords some better portion control. Even though a non self-service buffet requires more staffing, there was no lack of service throughout the Oceanview Cafe. Tables were still cleared quickly, and staff was still present to take drink orders. The staff at Il Bacio Cafe was also very good. My wife and I average 3 or more speciality coffee drinks per day, and we never experienced a long line or delayed service (and a lot of the guests had speciality coffee). All coffee drinks were nicely prepared. Our family upgraded to the premium beverage package, which also proved to be good for us. Two of the biggest perks with the premium beverage package were access to Evian water (my wife and son preferred that to Celebrity’s branded water) and included speciality coffee drinks (again, we have at least 3 per day on a cruise). I appreciated the expanded wine selection, especially at dinner, and the sommelier in Cosmopolitan was very engaged and enjoyed our willingness to explore various wine selections.

This is a tough area for me to review, as we did not utilize the gym or other activity based areas on this cruise. We did spend both sea days by the pool, and had no difficulty finding chairs or towels. Even though we are all vaccinated (my wife and I are both boosted too), we stayed clear of the more crowded community areas (we set up on Deck 11, above the pool, as opposed to Deck 10). Again, it was no problem to find chairs, and for the most part, there was ample ability for us to social distance from other cruisers while relaxing.

As I mentioned, we traveled with our 8-year-old son, and he spent quite a bit of time at Camp at Sea. In his words, “I thought it was great!”. For us, given a prior experience with a kid’s camp on a cruise, this was an unknown before we boarded. The staff on Summit was fantastic, and it was evident just how much our son enjoyed attending.

Everyone on the ship was great. With the ongoing pandemic, and Omicron surge essentially blowing up the week or so before we boarded, we weren’t sure what to expect. Service continued to be at a level one would expect with a Celebrity sailing, but where I was particularly impressed was in the area of health and safety. Without exception, all crew were always masked (aside from those I observed eating); and, in the dining areas, I saw many crew members who were double masked. Cleaning was a clear and visible priority, and I especially appreciated the level of communication from the ship about the ongoing health status of guests (daily announcements informed us of Covid positive passengers and isolations —- I believe three or four passengers tested positive during the cruise, all were isolated post diagnosis, and close contacts were also identified and tested). One thing we learned from the crew is that they have not been leaving the ship at port calls; and, in fact, have been ship bound since June 2021. Additionally, all crew are testing at least once per week, which we also found very refreshing and impressive.

The ship is a nice size (not too large, not too small) and well laid out (“fun in the front, food in the rear” - per cruise director Rich). Again, cleanliness was a visible priority, and the ship was very clean. Following our sailing, Summit has gone to dry dock for routine maintenance. Aside from one sliding glass door that was out of service, I don’t recall any major maintenance issues.

The comfort and cleanliness of our cabin were great. Our room attendant serviced the room 2-3 times per day, and we always had fresh towels and linens. I found the room to be a bit tight for three travelers (my wife and i traveled with our 8-year-old son), but for a 5-night cruise, the space was adequate.

Disembarkation was a breeze. The ship cleared all passengers to disembark at 8:00 a.m., and we were off the ship, through customs and in our car before 8:30 a.m. We were not self carry, so this included retrieving our bags.