I’d been wanting to go on a cruise since, well, the really awesome one I had planned last spring got cancelled right as COVID hit. As anxious as I was to resume cruising, I was also cautious, not wanting to place myself or my husband/traveling partner at increased risk for infection. We were given the opportunity to sail on Celebrity Summit and, after learning more about their safety procedures, and all of the wonderful things awaiting us, were glad to put it all to the test. Here’s what you can expect, and things you should know about, when you go.

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Know before you go: Celebrity Cruises ships and COVID precautions

The elephant in the room/on the ship – Health precautions

Let me address this right off the bat because, no matter how fabulous the cruise experience is, if you’re constantly worrying about getting COVID, it doesn’t matter. Bottom line, arriving at the ship fully vaccinated, boosted, and tested, we felt safer on this cruise ship than we are going to our local grocery store, restaurant, or other gathering of people. Why? Because Celebrity’s “Healthy at Sea” policy is, as of the time of this article, that all crew and guests, who are eligible, must be vaccinated in order to sail with them. And all guests ages 2 and over must present a negative Covid-19 test prior to sailing. Celebrity abides by the regulations of local governments for the destinations they are sailing to and from. They update information, and notify guests, as information becomes available. While on board, they are sailing with fewer guests to provide more space, have hand sanitizer and handwashing opportunities all over, and an HVAC system that continuously supplies and filters 100% fresh air to all spaces.

How many places can you go where you know that everyone is vaccinated and that, as of when you boarded, no one had COVID? Not all of our fellow cruisers wore masks while on board and inside, figuring they were safe among fellow vaccinated and tested people. Out of an abundance of caution, we still wore our masks when we were inside. It was comforting that, even on shore excursions, both Nassau and Bimini required masks. My husband was walking alone, down a street in Nassau, with no one else in sight, and was asked by the police to please put his mask on (which he did, and kept on). That’s how careful the Bahamas are being!

Now, onto what awaits you on Celebrity Summit

While you won’t be spending that much time in your cabin on a cruise (too much to see and do), you still want your home-base to be pleasant, right? No problem here! Although you can book a cabin that has no windows, a small window, a veranda you can step out on, or even posh suites with large verandas and expansive views, we recommend getting a room with something of a window at least. There’s just nothing like being able to look outside first thing in the morning to see the sun rising, birds flying by, fish jumping, and ports coming into view. A real treat, one we were glad to have, was a veranda for feeling the sea air, looking up at the stars, and seeing the moon glint off the waves as we sipped a glass of wine and listened to the sounds of the water before turning in for the night. And that’s just what’s outside your cabin!

Spacious rooms and extremely comfortable beds make staterooms a great home-away-from-home.

Inside, we had everything we needed for our home away from home – a nicely decorated room, extremely comfortable bed, large screen TV, desk, couch (that converts to a twin bed), plenty of closet/drawer space, bedside tables, and a roomy bathroom with full-size, glassed in shower. Our room steward was there when we needed him (twice a day housekeeping plus various questions we had), and was out of site when we didn’t (complete privacy). It is really nice to have a “point-person” nearby if you need them, although every staff member was helpful and accommodating. More on that, below.

Celebrity Cruises ships include drinks (beers, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks, wines by the glass, sodas, juices, specialty coffees and bottled water) in their Classic Drinks Package plus Wi-Fi and tips. You can upgrade to “top-shelf” drinks (as well as other upgrades for faster Wi-Fi and onboard credit) but the Classic package is perfectly adequate. It’s really nice to not feel “nickeled and dimed” for every little thing. This also helps with budgeting (see more on that, below).

TIP: Download the Celebrity app from the time you first book the cruise and use it before and during the cruise. Onboard, it’s an extremely helpful way to explore Celebrity Summit deck plans, see what restaurants are open at any given moment, check the schedule, including your schedule (excursions, dinner or spa reservations, etc.) and more.

The food! The drinks!

You won’t go hungry on any cruise ship, nor want for a beverage of any kind. There are various levels of dining, from complimentary (for everyone sailing), to ones complimentary for certain levels of guests (Luminae for guests of The Retreat® and Blu for AquaClass® guests), plus specialty restaurants, which you pay extra for and that require a reservation.

TIP: Although it may be tempting, don’t overdo it on food or drinks, especially on the first day – there’s plenty of variety and it’s not going anywhere. So pace yourself and check out the various restaurants and their selections ahead of time to decide what you want to try and when. In other words, just because you can eat amazing food all day, every day, don’t – you’ll regret it! Do take advantage of the plentiful opportunities to eat healthfully on the ship.

Here’s the thing about the restaurants on Celebrity Summit – from their physical design (décor, serve ware, and art) to the menu options and high-quality offerings, to the service, it’s easy to forget these are exceptional restaurants that happen to be at sea!

Our favorite dining options available to all guests included: Oceanview Café (stations where friendly staff serve you food – no self-serve buffets – throughout the day and evening, from a customized omelet and freshly-baked croissant in the morning to curry chicken and a salad for lunch, to an array of global fare, grilled meats, vegetarian dishes, fresh fruit, and work-of-art desserts at night); Cosmopolitan Restaurant (a two-level, open space with chic and dramatic furnishings with floor-to-ceiling windows, and menu offerings that change nightly); Aqua Spa Café (Celebrity Cruises was one of the first to offer a spa restaurant which takes a healthy approach to their food and drink menu); and a poolside grill for casual fare (burgers, fries, etc.).

Celebrity’s Luminae restaurant is included for guests of The Retreat. Luminae’s offerings are created by iconic Chef Daniel Boulud, Celebrity’s Global Culinary Brand Ambassador. I had the chance to have lunch there and, from a burger to seafood, it was exceptional. Visit the Summit’s website for a complete rundown of each restaurant and lounge.

There’s a wide range of food and drink items to enjoy at the different restaurants and lounges on Celebrity Summit.

I was fortunate enough to have a tour of the Galley, where all the food is prepared, from scratch, led by Food & Beverage Director, Oswald Harbrecht and Executive Chef Rolando Webb. Get a load of some of these numbers: 160 cooks, 250 chefs and cleaner personnel who work 24/7 to prepare guest meals. On an average day at sea, they prepare and serve up to 16,000 dishes for guests and crew. On an average 7-day cruise, they go through 12,450 pounds of potatoes, 32,652 pounds of fresh fruit, 14,542 pounds of beef, 460 bottles of Champagne, 48,659 pounds of fresh vegetables, 4,250 pounds of coffee and 625 bottles of assorted liquors. Does that make your grocery shopping list feel a little more manageable?

Hungry for more? Get our cruise tips for newbies.

The Specialty Restaurants on Celebrity Summit deserve some special attention as you plan your trip. Sushi on Five is a striking Japanese restaurant where you can get sushi, sashimi, ramen (including the touted Lobster Ramen), desserts and cocktails. Tuscan Grille makes their own pasta, in-house, daily (we watched them cut precise rigatoni segments as it came out of the extruder!), housemade limoncello, sallumi, USDA Prime dry aged steaks, and regional Italian dishes make this restaurant one of the most popular.

Le Petit Chef is, literally, a dining experience. I’ll be honest, when my husband first saw the promotional videos about it, he thought it was going to be “campy” and was hesitant to go. I wasn’t about to miss it, based on comments I’d heard from others. Five minutes in, my husband was as enthralled as I was with the 3D table animation that turns each table and plate into a screen upon which a voiced, sweet, culinary love story unfolds. The characters walk across the table, skate across your plate, harvest and prepare the ingredients of your meal, tossing them onto your plate just as the real-deal-meal is presented by your real life server. It’s fun, cute, innovative, immersive, and unlike any dinner you’ve ever had. And it’s not all just “flash.” The food is excellent too! I highly recommend you make reservations for Le Petit Chef one of the nights of your cruise on Celebrity Summit. My no-longer-jaded husband does too!

At the Le Petit Chef dining experience, the projected, animated story characters “prepare” the courses of your food. And then servers present the real thing. Here, Spring Pea Soup and Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie are “prepared” by our little chef friends and then presented in real, tasty life.

Summit’s bars and lounges include the impressive Martini Bar & Crush with its ice-top bar surface (to keep your martini’s chilled), elegant menu and showmanship; Cellar Masters for a sommelier-led international wine experience; Café al Biacio & Gelateria, our favorite place to get a mini-croissant and cappuccino every morning, or when a boost is needed to make it through a fun-filled evening.

Hungry for more? Read about the Celebrity Luminae experience on a different Celebrity ship.

Entertainment aboard Celebrity Summit

The level of, and opportunities to enjoy, the live entertainment on the ship simply floored us. A variety of performers, from a popular comedian, to violin/guitar duo, to singing trio, band, DJ, to the song-and-dance troupe and, yes, aerialists, were available every day of the cruise. We quickly began planning our time around these musical opportunities because they were so good: catch the comedy show early, have dinner after, work it off on the dance floor before catching the late-evening production…

Having seen a lot of Broadway tours and other professional theater and concerts, we were consistently impressed by the high degree of talent! The other fun aspect of having entertainers on board is that they’re passengers too so you see them dining, relaxing, walking around, and enjoying the experience as much as you.

There’s a wide variety of top-notch entertainment to enjoy throughout each day on Celebrity Cruises ships.

Customer service on Celebrity ships

At a time when staffing shortages are hitting the stores, restaurants, and other businesses we all frequent when on land, resulting in long waits and often-times lacking service skills, interacting with the staff on the ship was a dream! Not only are they all well-trained and well-versed, every interaction felt genuine and not just “corporate culture.” Given that you’re seeing the same folks every day, it’s really nice to encounter people who remember you, ask you about your day, answer your questions, serve your meals, help you out, entertain you and do it in an authentic way. Those positive human interactions are so needed and so appreciated these days!

Spaaaaaah time

The Aqua Spa aboard Celebrity Summit surprised me with its high quality. It really shouldn’t have, given the top-notch dining and entertainment we’d experienced, why wouldn’t the spa be the same way. But I was pleasantly surprised by how many different treatments were available to guests, from massage to facials to acupuncture. Again, I was impressed by the level of offerings made available on the sea! I mean, a floating, exclusive, luxurious spa – impressive. I had a facial that was pretty magical – I thought my skin was already soft and in good condition but afterword, it was so smooth, even-toned, and dewy, I could really see and feel a difference. The Aqua Spa is adjacent to the Aqua Spa Café mentioned above but also to the huge fitness room. All of the equipment, including Peloton bikes, are included for guests.

Oh, the places you’ll go with Celebrity Cruises excursions

The ship goes to New England, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. We enjoyed a four-day journey to the Caribbean, stopping at Nassau and their newest stop to Bimini. Our sailing happened to be the ship’s first trip to Bimini.

As with most cruise ship excursions, you can be as active (or not) as you like. Scuba diving your thing? Great. Shopping to your heart’s content? Great. Laying on a beach sipping a cocktail? Great. In Nassau, we got off the ship early and walked around on our own, exploring, taking in some beautiful murals and colorful buildings. Later, we took a boat tour excursion to a private island, Blue Lagoon, where there were dolphin experiences, opportunities to play in the lagoon and lounge on private beaches while enjoying cocktails and a delicious lunch buffet with local offerings including conch fritters and plantains. In Bimini, we spent the day at Resorts World Bimini Beach, where we could play in the ocean and splash around in the beautiful swimming pools, taking a break between the two with some lounge-chair time. Other cruisers, who may have visited these ports before, chose to stay onboard and take advantage of nearly everybody being gone to have the pools and restaurants to themselves.

Celebrity Summit visited Nassau and Bimini during its shore excursions.

Not all excursions are off-ship. My husband went on a behind-the-scenes tour, which he’ll be writing about in more detail in a future article on Real Food Traveler. For now, he’d tell you it’s a must because you get to see the bridge, engineering room, laundry area, and galley, each fascinating in their own way, each adding to your appreciation of the running of this vessel.

Hungry for more? Learn how to pick the right active shore excursions.

Big picture thoughts about cruising

On the last day of our cruise, I had an epiphany. While all travel is an adventure, the beauty of a cruise is that the majority of the worry is removed. Look at it this way – if you go on a land-based vacation, you have to figure out:

– Where you’re eating, three times a day, every day (Will the food be good? Might you get sick from it? How will the service be? How much is all of your dining out going to cost?)

– What activities will you do (Will lines be long? Will it be open? Is the tour guide reputable? How will I get around?)

– What you should, realistically, budget for the trip (As much as you plan, there are so many unknowns that can pop-up and stretch or bust your budget).

None of that happens with a cruise! You know what to count on and expect from the food. You’ve paid for everything ahead of time, so budgeting is easy. Excursions provided by the cruise line have been vetted so there should be no nasty surprises. There’s still plenty of fun and adventure but without a lot of wondering and worrying along the way. What does that equal? Pure enjoyment and relaxation, which is precisely what a vacation is all about.

After a horrible start with the pandemic and months and months of lost revenue, Celebrity Cruises is not about to risk their passengers or their business. The REAL (Food Traveler) bottom line is that a Celebrity Cruises may be one of the safer ways to travel these days. And if our experience upon the Celebrity Summit is any indication, you can feel confident with your travel dollars, time, and choices.

To learn more about Celebrity Summit and other Celebrity Cruises ships, visit their website. 

–Story and all photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough and James McDonough

Please note, we were hosted  on the Celebrity Summit to help facilitate this article. However, as is always the case with the writers and editors of Real Food Traveler, that doesn’t sway our commitment to providing our readers with an honest and objective opinion of our experience there. Learn more in our disclosures page. And learn more about Real Food Traveler on our About page.