Celebrity Summit

Launched in 2001, Celebrity Summit is the 3rd of the Millennium-class Celebrity cruise ships, together with Constellation, Infinity and Millennium. Celebrity Cruises Summit ship is scheduled for "Celebrity Revolution" drydock refurbishment on March 23, 2019.

History - construction and ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as the Greece-based Chandris Line (cruise shipping operations between 1974-1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with "Celebrity Cruises Ltd" to become "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" (RCCL). The "X" on ship funnels is the Greek letter chi (standing for "Chandris"). Common features of Celebrity Cruises ships include aft located glass-walled dining rooms, signature alternate dining venues, bars and lounges, spacious Atrium lobby areas, a large number of balcony staterooms, large sundecks with swimming pools, The Retreat (adults-only sundeck with full-size swimming pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, poolside full bar service). Rooftop Terrace (top-deck outdoor lounge-restaurant-cinema), large Spa (with Thermal Suites), premium retail shops selling top-brand merchandise.

The 90,940-ton, 2,160-passenger cruise ship Celebrity Summit was built in 2001 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard (St.Nazaire, France) as GTS Summit for Celebrity Cruises. The ship was renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix in 2008. The Summit features a special restaurant with original panels and ornamentation from SS Normandie, including the bronze statue "La Normandie" bought in 2001 from Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida.

Cruise itinerary program

Celebrity Summit itinerary program is based on 7-day Caribbean roundtrips with departures from San Juan Puerto Rico. During summer, the ship cruises to Bermuda leaving from NYC (Cape Liberty, New Jersey). The liner also cruises to Canada-New England on Fall Foliage voyages.

In 2017, Summit inaugurated the Bermuda voyages from Bayonne NJ and a 9-day Canada-New England itinerary. In 2018, the ship was homeported in Fort Lauderdale. Caribbean itineraries included 4-day roundtrips to Key West and Nassau, and 5-day roundtrips to Key West and Cozumel Mexico, with several sea days.

In 2019, the liner started a North American season with an expanded cruise program including 19 destinations in 7 different countries. The ship also offers more in-port hours at record 56 stops, docking in 39 call ports for over 12 hours. New 10-day itineraries in summer 2019 visit USA's historic Charleston SC and Bermuda. A new 7-day itinerary visits Bermuda with Newport RI and also circles Liberty Island. In August, the Summit ship offers transatlantic two crossings between North America and Europe. The 14-day itineraries are from New York to Dublin, then the westbound from Dublin to Boston. Both voyages visit Greenland (company's first time) - Prins Christian Sund and Qaqortoq. Following the summer season, the ship is homeported in Boston for 12-day Canada and New England Fall Foliage cruises.

Celebrity Summit staterooms are total 1079 (of which 68 Suites, 844 Balcony rooms) in 28 grades. Most Celebrity Summit staterooms are 170-190-sq.foot Balcony rooms (844). Almost 60% of ship's accommodations have private balcony views. 26 are the wheelchair-accessible rooms. The largest are the Penthouse Suites (1430 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The 2-level Cosmopolitan Restaurant has sophisticated decor that is accented by the 7-foot-high bronze statue La Normandie, of a woman who is draped like the goddess Athena. This statue, created by Art Deco sculptor Leon-Georges Baudry, originally graced the smoking room in the legendary SS Normandie. The dining room has a sweeping staircase specially created for grand entrances on formal nights. It also boasts a 2-level glass wall with panoramic views. Blu is exclusive to guests sailing in AquaClass cabins. It features modern decor and spa-inspired cuisine. The restaurant features lighter dishes and smaller portions of what you typically find in the MDR or buffet. On the casual front, the Oceanview Cafe serves buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It provides various carving stations, pasta dishes, pizza, antipasti, made-to-order omelets, and internationally inspired dishes, including British bangers and Indian curries.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Summit restaurants and food bars.

• Normandie Restaurant (134-seat reservations only specialty restaurant; offers French and American cuisine, Five Senses tasting menu, Champagne High Tea Time, with Demonstration Kitchen for live cooking shows and Wine Cellar annex). In 2016, the Normandie Restaurant was replaced by Tuscan Grille - steakhouse offering fresh (on the ship made) pasta, Italian cocktail menu, Italian wines list, premium meats (including oven-roasted USDA dry-aged steak).
• Cosmopolitan Restaurant (1,111-seat aft Dining Room, with open seating Breakfast 8:00-9:30 a.m., Lunch 12:00-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 4:00-5:00 p.m., and two fixed Dinner seatings - at 6:00 and 8:30 p.m.)
• Bistro on Five (60-seat creperie all-you-can-eat restaurant; offers lunch and dinner with table-side service)
• Blu (102-seat AquaClass passengers only restaurant, reservations required; also serves Suite guests upon availability)
• AquaSpa Cafe (122-seat complimentary Solarium and Spa bar, self-service; offers healthy food choices for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
• Waterfall Cafe & Grill (679-seat indoor/outdoor self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; open between 6:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, with a variety of food stations)
• Mast Bar (alfresco burger bar, poolside; offers complimentary lunch)
• Qsine (84-seat dinner only specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• In 2016, on deck 12 was added the Rooftop Terrace - a multi-functional venue with modular furniture and cabanas. It is operated as an outdoor bar lounge during the day. By night, Rooftop Terrace is transformed by decorative lighting, and on its large LED screen are showcased movies and other entertainment. The unique open-air experience is combined with food options available for purchasing. Signature dishes are presented in unique serving vessels themed after the cruise itinerary destination or the special occasion.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The atmosphere onboard Celebrity Summit is calm and sophisticated. Guests have no chance to miss the magnolia garden and the swimming pools (outdoor and indoor). As a special surprise, the vessel has teamed up with Cirque du Soleil for a nice sea experience. As part of this experience, in the evening people onboard are invited to enter into another world of sounds, visual effects, and mystical lights, to taste specialty drinks and hors-d'oeuvres. The gym equipment is at the top level, and there are also 16 treatment rooms. Ship's Aquadome and Riviera include 4 swimming pools, 2 air beds, 6 whirlpools, a bandstand, dance floor, sun shop, and buffet for post-swim snacks. There are basketball and football fields, table tennis and volleyball, as well as golf simulator and jogging track.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Summit lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Summit Theatre (900-seat show lounge for grand musical and show productions; hosts daily trivia games, bingo, classes, movies)
• Summit Atrium “Grand Foyer” (3-deck open floor area with live music entertainment)
• Michael’s Club (piano bar); Martini Bar; Crush Bar (with a 12-seat table filled with ice cubes in the middle)
• Photo Gallery & Shop
• Summit Fortunes Casino
• Celebrity iLounge (24-hour Internet cafe/computers room; sells Apple computers; classes available)
• Rendez-Vous Lounge & Nightclub
• The Emporium shopping alley (Atrium boutique shops for duty-free alcohol and tobaccos, watches, luxury jewelry, accessories, fashion clothing, logo items)
• Cafe Al Bacio & Gelateria (63-seat a la carte specialty coffee, patisserie, ice cream; with the Gelateria - Italian Gelato ice cream bar)
• Cellar Masters (24-hour Wine Bar; features an Enomatic wine tasting system; provides Sommelier consultations in the evenings)
• Art Gallery; Library; Cinema
• Acupuncture Treatments Room; Aquaspa & Fitness complex with Persian Garden (Thermal Suite - rain shower, steam room, sauna, heated loungers), Therapy and Treatment Rooms, Hair & Beauty Salon, Solarium (adults area) and Aquaspa Cafe (spa bar)
• Fitness Center (with separate Aerobics area)
• Solarium Pool area (with adults-only Thalassotherapy Pool and seawater lap pool; 2 Whirlpools)
• Waterfall Pool area (with Splash Pool for kids and 4 Whirlpools, outdoor pool bar, served by the Pool Grill)
• Sunset Bar (alfresco bar, selling fine cigars)
• Revelations Lounge (observation lounge during the day, show lounge & dance club in the evening)
• Kids clubs by age (Fun Factory 3-11 yo, Shipmates 3-5 yo, Cadets 6-8 yo, Ensigns 9-11 yo, with supervised age-appropriate activities, like arts-crafts, themed parties, games, movies, toys, interactive games, scavenger hunts)
• X-Club (teen-only disco and lounge area); Video Games Arcade
• Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard; Power Walking/Jogging Track; Multi-sports outdoor court; Sun Deck area.

Celebrity Cruises Summit ship is one of company's Millennium-class liners, with sisterships Constellation, Infinity, Millennium. Originally named "GTS Summit", this is the 3rd Millennium-class vessel with inaugural cruise/maiden voyage on October 1, 2001.

The Summit cruise ship was extensively drydock refitted and refurbished ("Solsticized") in January 2012. During the 3-week long drydock, all public spaces and staterooms were renovated, 60 cabins and 107 AquaClass cabins were added. AquaClass passengers have free access to the specialty restaurant Blu and Persian Garden's thermal suite. They also enjoy Hansgrohe spa showers in the cabin bathrooms. Among the other Solstice-class upgrades were the replacement of Champagne Bar (with Martini Bar), Qsine replaced the Conservatory Lounge, Internet Cafe is now iLounge.

Fun fact about the Summit ship is that its main restaurant is decorated with original SS Normandie (1932-built ocean liner) ornamentation and panels, including the "LA NORMANDIE" (bronze statue) bought from Fontainebleau Hotel in 2001.

Celebrity Summit refurbishment 2019 review

Ship's March 2019 drydock (done in Freeport Bahamas) resulted in the following changes:

• The vessel received company's new color scheme (hull and superstructure).
• All passenger staterooms were redesigned (via partnership with Hirsch Bedner Associates USA, and Kelly Hoppen UK) for a boutique hotel feel. All cabins were upgraded with "Celebrity eXhale" bedding (cashmere mattresses), electronic locks (RFID technology), Xcelerate (fast Internet), Bluetooth capabilities.
• The completely redesigned Qsine Restaurant was added. It offers "Le Petit Chef" (virtual dining-entertainment experience) created by Skullmapping and presented by TableMation Studios - exclusively for Celebrity Cruises.
• Main Dining Rooms, Oceanview Cafe (buffet restaurant) and Sunset Bar were redesigned and upgraded with new textures and finishes.
• The SPA was upgraded with an expanded SEA Thermal Suite.
• Retail shopping was expanded with new brands - including Hublot (luxury Swiss watches) and Shinola (luxury watches, jewelry, premium leather goods).
• Luminae Restaurant (Suites-only) was redesigned and new custom-made menus (by chef Cornelius Gallagher) were introduced.
• Added was The Retreat (adults-only sundeck) with full-size swimming pool, Jacuzzi whirlpool, private cabanas, padded loungers, poolside bar service (food and drinks).
• Most public venues (including all bars and lounges) were renovated, including Passport Bar (Atrium lobby bar lounge) and Gastrobar (serving 40+ craft beers).
• The refurb project was supervised by Trimline (UK).

Summit became fleet's 2nd liner (after Millennium) upgraded by the "Celebrity Revolution" fleet renovation program - budgeted USD 500 million and scheduled for the period 2019-2023.