Supplement to Travel Trade
March 2002

Celebrity’s Summit:

Tradition and Innovation

By Ethel Blum

Third in Celebrity Cruises’ series of 91,000-ton vessels, the Summit incorporates features that had passengers raving about her slightly older sisters, Millennium and Infinity — and she’s added a few changes of her own.

The three ships are nearly identical in basic design and share many interior features and amenities, but on the inside, differences are subtle, albeit noticeable.

Like the other vessels in this series, there’s expansive use of glass and faceted twin glass towers that add dimension to the ship’s profile. One tower offers eight unique private suites, each with a glass-enclosed personal lounge and patio area. The other houses panoramic elevators offering dynamic sea vistas.

The vessel can be described as a classy resort city gone to sea. Both traditional and contemporary cruise experiences combine in ways that complement each other.

Some examples: A traditional dining room with set hours is offered along with a reservations-only optional restaurant and a variety of casual dining options. Recommended dress for dinner is traditional, with three “formal,” two “informal” and the remainder “resort casual” on a 10-night cruise. Yet, there’s the option of “casual” dress almost nightly in the Waterfall Café, Summit’s self-serve Lido area. A mainstay of the traditional cruise experience, full midnight buffets, are offered on some evenings, while “bites” and sweets are passed out around the ship on other nights.

There’s an intangible feeling aboard Celebrity ships. Termed “Celebrity Style,” it has been copied, but never duplicated in quite the same way. Maybe it’s the use of a team of designers that has resulted in varied designs in suites, staterooms and public spaces.

It also has a lot to do with the single constant that carries over from ship-to-ship. A top level of service is provided from embarkation to the end of the voyage. How can it miss with a service ratio of one staff member to meet the needs of every two guests?

In spite of the ship’s 91,000-tons, it’s easy to learn the layout. Passengers embark on Plaza Deck, lowest of the three decks spanning the impressive atrium, the Grand Foyer. This is the main reference point, which leads to public rooms.

The Grand Foyer and the rest of the ship are lighter and somewhat brighter than on Summit’s sister vessels. The Foyer is flooded with light and textured with fine fabrics.

Plaza Deck also houses the Cinema and oversized Conference Center. In addition to screening recent movie releases, the Cinema is an ideal setting for conferences.

Tucked away portside on this deck is the 130-seat Normandie, the ship’s optional restaurant. Internationally acclaimed chef Michel Roux was responsible for its design and creation.

Entrance is through a vestibule that incorporates a model of the flagship as well as some relics from the Normandie’s dining room.

The Summit has successfully divided large spaces into small and intimate rooms. Each develops its own following depending on passenger interests.

One favorite is the Martini Bar, which developed an almost cult following that began on the second night of the sailing.

Not to be outdone is the Champagne Bar, which mirrors the Martini Bar on the starboard side. It also had a following, but most of it was overflow from the port side.

My favorite is the Normandie Restaurant. Reservations are required. Allow a couple of hours for dinner. It’s time well spent. $25 is a bargain for an evening of excellent dining and service, tableside preparation and music.

There are nine categories of staterooms and suites for a total of 975 rooms. Wheelchair accessible accommodations are available in almost every category, from six in Sky Suites to five in inside staterooms, for a total of 26.

Ocean view staterooms and suites total 780 with only 195 rooms without a view of the sea. An average outside cabin measures 170-square feet, while the 292 deluxe ocean view with verandas are a comfortable 208-square feet. Penthouse suites, at 2,530 square feet, have their own Jacuzzis and verandahs large enough to host 100 guests.

The 26 Sky Suites with verandas are more than comfortable at 308-square feet.

They have floor-to-ceiling glass doors, sitting area with sofa bed and lounge chair, entertainment center with mini-bar, walk-in closet, and bathroom with whirlpool tub. All suites have verandas and butler service.

The Suites come with lots of other perks like the separate shower with bench and multiple jet spray and powder room.

All accommodations have sitting areas, refrigerators, interactive television, hair dryers, mini-bars, private safes and robes. All accommodations come with terry robes.

Cruisers have come to expect a glitzy casino, card rooms, swimming pools, sunning areas, bars and lounges and Summit does not disappoint.

A quiet room open around the clock, Words is a richly paneled two-level library with comfortable chairs and a good selection of books in several languages, limited to specific hours for withdrawal.

Notes is a digital music library stocked with thousands of recordings. It’s one of the rooms that changed locations on Summit, switching places with the teen room, which moved up to the top deck away from adult facilities.

Revelations, the topside observation lounge, is lined on three sides with 10-foot-tall windows and comfortable seating for ocean viewing. A skylight over the dance floor expands the room’s height and enhances lighting when the shades are drawn. When the sun sets, it becomes a lively disco on an illuminated glass floor.

Rendez-Vous Lounge is another popular venue. Located amidships, it is a dance room, second showroom and a lead-in for guests heading to the restaurant. This room evolved from previous vessels and was enhanced to become more elaborate. It is connected to the Martini and Champagne bars directly above it.

The Waterfall Grill falls somewhere between the old-style Lido and new casual dining options. The Grill is comprised of three facilities that merge into one, and is the casual dining venue adjacent to the swimming pool.

The primary facility is a self-service buffet with four separate lines. Ample seating is arranged within eight cantilevered bow windows on a raised level. Aft is the outdoor grill and bar. There’s a pizza oven, pasta bar and grill.

Cova Café de Milano, with an expanded capacity for 92 guests, is the namesake of the renowned Italian café in Milan and a favorite stop off point. Afternoon and early evening café goers are entertained with music. Charges are nominal for excellent coffees and teas, while pastries and other goodies are complimentary.

Similar to other main dining rooms on the larger Celebrity ships, the Cosmopolitan Restaurant has two entry levels. On port and starboard side on both levels, formal foyers serve as an elegant and comfortable transition. Inside the restaurant, circular windows resemble oversized portholes. Each has two different drapery treatments used at different times of the day. Transparent screens act as sunscreens to soften daylight. Decorative screens incorporating heraldry and musical instruments are used at night. Waiter stations are unobtrusive, keeping noise levels down, and there is seating for two at a limited number of tables, with most seating six or eight.

Menus are extensive with five entrée choices and specialty recommendations are featured almost daily. In addition to three regular menus for all meals, spa cuisine is highlighted. Reasonable dietary requests are honored, particularly if the ship has been informed prior to sailing.

The major entertainment venue is the Celebrity Theater, which has a prominent aft position on Entertainment Deck. Semi-circular in shape, the 900-seat theater doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. The space takes up a good portion of three decks and is beautifully decorated with elaborate fabrics and rich woods.

The Conservatory is called the Secret Garden on Summit and has been moved to a prominent position just outside the Waterfall Grill. The area provides a unique, tranquil space. Both silk and fresh flowers fill the towering space. Secret Garden also houses a vast collection of botanical flower arrangements, fragrant candles and decorative objects. If you like an arrangement, it’s for sale and will be duplicated and shipped to you.

The Internet Café is set up with views of the ocean and several dozen computers. Access was quick and personal mailboxes were accessible. It is priced at 95 cents per minute or a flat $99 for unlimited use throughout the cruise. The Internet is also available in every cabin and suite for passengers who bring their own laptops. The fee depends on length of the voyage.

The AquaSpa is operated by Elemis (a division of Steiner). It is nearly twice the size of spas on Century-class vessels and one of the most extensive at sea. Under a fan-shaped, double vaulted glass roof, the hydro pool forms the focus of the glass-covered Aqua Dome, or solarium.

The pool is raised on a large teak deck. Each of the four corners provides a different type of massage by underwater jets and air emanating from beneath the water. This allows bathers to literally float on air. Open to all guests at no additional charge, the hydro pool also has a counter current.

The Fitness Center is equipped with the newest types of machines. Fourteen treatment rooms each have private showers. Envision a Cleopatra Bath, hot rock massages, mud-steam sequences, thermal baths, rain forests and the like in an atmosphere of citrus topiary and sculptured trees.

Travel agents should have no problem pre-selling commissionable packages. There are additional charges for some of the classes.

Celebrity is reaching out to families in a big way. The teen center has been enlarged and the entire kid’s program expanded. Activities are divided by age groups: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12 and 13-17 years. The Tower is the teen club and disco.

From October to April, the Summit offers 10- and 11-night Ultimate Caribbean voyages. The 10-night cruise calls at St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts and St. Thomas; the 11-night itinerary features Key West, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Aruba and Grand Cayman. After Panama Canal and Hawaii sailings, the ship launches a series of 7-day Alaska sailings between Vancouver and Seward that can be combined with land packages.