When you’re on a cruise, the whole experience feels pretty magical – the decor is impressive, the food is delicious, the entertainment is top notch and the scenery is stunning. Going on a behind-the-scenes tour on Celebrity Summit (one of the available excursions) revealed one impressive operation after another, all to make sure cruise guests get to focus on pleasure, exploration, and pampering.

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Among the many memorable experiences aboard Celebrity Summit, a behind the scenes tour of the massive ship made a lasting impact on this traveler. From far below deck to the very top of the ship, learning and observing Celebrity Cruises’ staff from all over the world provided a fascinating glimpse into what it takes to make a luxury cruise experience possible.

Leading the tour was Fabio, Excursions Manager from Portugal. Through the provided ear buds (helpful for noisy areas and when the group spread out) he offered a steady flow of interesting stories and information.

A few highlights of the behind-the-scenes tour on Celebrity Summit…

The Galley

Starting in the glamourous Cosmopolitan dining room, we learn that more than 1,000 guests can be seated at once and served efficiently by a tightknit team of 100+. To access the Galley, we take an escalator down to meet with Verkeesh, who calls Mauritius home and has been with Celebrity for years. With great pride, he introduced us to the sprawling expanse of stainless steel he oversees. The Galley is divided into zones for the various restaurants around the ship, as well as for specific food preparations. The bakery operates 24/7, crafting an array of breads from fluffy challah rolls, flaky croissants, to wafer-thin herb-encrusted crisps and baguettes with crackly thin crust and an airy interior that would make any Parisian sob. Verkeesh explains that all breads are made from scratch on board the ship, ensuring the freshest end product. Gluten-free items are the exception; they are purchased at port as an extra precaution to avoid cross-contamination by flour in the bakery.

Across the heart of the Galley from the bakery is the pastry station, where elaborate cakes and delicate petit-fours are created and tagged with dates and times of preparation. To ensure freshness, pastries (as well as all foods) have a very short shelf life.

In between the two were prep stations with dedicated teams sautéing, frying, roasting, grilling, stirring and plating thousands of meals a day. From scratch. Incredible!

The behind the scenes look at the galley includes wonderful whiffs of freshly-baked baguettes.

Hungry for more? See what it’s like to have the Luminae dining experience.

Laundry

Keeping a steady supply of clean linens and towels for a luxury cruise ship full of thousands of people requires another 24/7 operation aboard Celebrity Summit. The Laundry combines hi-tech and hi-touch elements. A young man, smiling eyes above his mask, enthusiastically greeted us and proudly showed how he loads piles of bedsheets into a massive contraption that cleans up to 20 kilos at a time by passing them through multiple stages of cleaning, rinsing and disinfection. Once the sheets tumble out of the washer, they are manually entered onto a conveyor belt contraption that dries, irons, smooths and expertly folds them in just a couple of minutes. Another machine does the same for the thousands of towels used in the cabins and pool areas of the Celebrity Summit. Amazing.

One step in the laundry process is putting sheets through a machine that irons and folds them.

Staff Deck

Down a bustling long corridor, Fabio pointed out the onboard recycling center where trash is sorted and bundled for recycling back in the home port of Miami. Colorful murals with inspiring messages line the walls, along with posters for staff-only events and other benefits. There was even the occasional poster where crew members offer their haircutting services to fellow staff – a bit of entrepreneurial activity among the crew of the Summit.

A bit of neon glow caught our attention – the staff-only bar/lounge with a familiar dive bar atmosphere (in the best way like “Cheers”). After snapping a photo, Fabio softly said, “Sorry, no photos please,” as he explained this space is for staff to relax and not feel “on.” I quickly deleted the picture to respect the privacy of the Summit’s hard-working crew.

A colorful mural inspires staff as they hurry past on the crew-only deck.

Engineering

Securely located on a lower level at the center of Celebrity Summit, we are allowed entry to the Engineering room only after being inspected by security staff. The windowless space, staffed 24/7, is lined with computer screens showing schematics of all the different systems that make Summit run.

“We run the Summit from here,” says the Head Engineer proudly, hinting at a bit of good-natured rivalry with the Bridge crew in more glamorous digs 10 decks above. When asked “How did you learn about all this stuff?!” he explained the crew attended marine academies back home in Greece and elsewhere. There is always something new to learn with evolving technologies and other operational issues.

A lasting impression – amid all the hi-tech gizmos, a surprise – a framed devotional icon of the Greek Orthodox faith gleamed golden from its perch on a bit of free space. A touching piece of personal expression of faith, a reminder of home and comfort for the Engineering crew.

The Bridge on Celebrity Summit

Leaving the bustling world below deck, an elevator whisked us to the grand finale of our tour of the Celebrity Summit – the Bridge. After another security screening, security staff escorted us to a stairwell that opened to an elongated open space spanning the entire width of the ship. A wall of windows provided a stunning scene of open ocean. Helmed by a small crew of about 3-4 staff, a teeny tiny steering wheel was at the center flanked by consoles of instruments and dials and satellite maps. No grand wooden and brass wheel like you might imagine from Hollywood movies! First Officer Nicolas explained their redundant systems for safe navigation; he clicked on one screen that showed real-time details about the other ships in the area, as well as ocean depths, currents, winds, etc. Incredible. He explained how the Bridge is staffed 24/7 and their quarters are nearby to enable quick access. On our way down to the lower decks, Fabio described a bit more about Celebrity Cruise’s operational standards. A tightly-run ship indeed!

My foot on a window in the floor in the Bridge that assists in docking the ship when it’s arriving in port.

Touring the Celebrity Summit was $79 well spent. I learned an amazing amount about the incredible teamwork and passion that goes into making the Celebrity cruising experience so enjoyable and relaxing for passengers. I also learned about how people from all over the world can become one single team that makes magic happen. In an age rife with conflict, this experience offered an unexpected and inspiring lesson.

To learn more about Celebrity Summit, visit the website.

-Story and photos by Jimmy McDonough, Eco-Friendly Food, Travel & Adventure Editor

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