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Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
As we sail back north, it’s getting cooler and the weather isn’t good. Now’s as good a time as any to start sharing my comparisons. I’ll start with my stateroom—a deluxe balcony comparable with a Sky Suite. Each have pluses and minuses. Sky Suite bathrooms are more luxurious with better bath products, but there’s that annoying tub/shower combo. It’s also nice to have the bed facing the window in a SS. My YC cabin has a coffee machine, countless bottles of still and sparkling water that I didn’t have to retrieve myself. And I don’t need to stop at 2 bottles. There’s a bottle of scotch that I’ve yet to open, a couple big glasses of red wine that my butler keeps bringing, and quite honestly, I don’t even know what’s in my fridge. I’d call it a tie if not for location. My suite is 7 steps from a side entrance to the lounge, which because of this, serves as my de facto living room. It’s similar to how Edge Villas have easy access to the Retreat lounge but at <20% of the price. And on M- and S- Class ships, this can’t be matched. Location, location, location. YC wins this round. More to come… -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
My wife just rated MSC YC an A+. My opinion officially no longer matters.- 218 replies
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Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
One butler per 20+ cabins is not semantics. That is the Retreat team concept. -
Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I agree. This butler’s native language seems to be corporate-speak. -
Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I disagree. On Celebrity, the stewards work for housekeeping. It’s not possible for them to assume duties of butlers without completely restructuring departments. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Tonight’s haul. Send help. I think our YC butler is trying to kill us. This is in addition to more wine and cheese like last night. It’s clear to me already that it’s both. The YC Hotel Director is everywhere and the staff in all YC areas is plentiful. They are all happy, eager to serve, and have the time to chat. Tonight’s surf and turf. Note the size of the lobster tail Last time in Luminae it was the size of my thumb. This is as big as my fist. Tonight’s view from the YC restaurant was pretty good too. There are some areas where Retreat excels. Wine in the YC restaurant consists of a few varietals each night and that’s it. I’m sure if we requested something particular, it would be met. So far we haven’t. The in room bathroom amenities are better in the Retreat and I miss the Frette (?) robes as opposed to the terricloth ones in YC. -
Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I’m pretty sure I can de-bunc (sic) the notion that you might have been the one responsible. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Yacht Club is pretty awesome so far y’all. For embarkation, there’s a dedicated YC luggage drop, an escort thru security, then a butler escort onto the ship and into the lounge. It was honestly too quick to even peruse the snacks/drinks in the shoreside YC waiting area. Once in the lounge it was a bit chaotic as it was full. Beverage service was a bit slow. I could chalk that up to bad timing as we seemed to arrive just at the end of the mad rush. There was someone dedicated to making specialty dinner/show reservations. He could have used one more person helping but that was really the only hiccup. i would rank YC embarkation on par with Celebrity upper suite embarkation. It’s too early to make a call on the YC Restaurant vs Luminae. So far I’ll say this: the service is much more attentive and relaxed in YC. Embarkation lunch in Luminae always seems frenetic. Service in YC was smooth. I’m not sure if it’s better management or proper staffing. I think perhaps both. I’ll hold off on commenting on the Top Sail Lounge vs Retreat Lounge but so far, it’s not even a fair fight. In regards to butler service, I’ll leave you with this photo from night 1. The photo doesn’t show 2 more glasses of white wine our butler put in the fridge for us that I discovered later. So far, another unfair fight. More to come during the week.- 218 replies
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Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Peace to all! -
I was able to do this last summer.
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Is your Sky Suite butler back? Please report
RichYak replied to abbydancer2003's topic in Celebrity Cruises
What you describe indicates to me that personal butlers for Sky Suites are not back as of yet on Solstice. This is still the "Retreat Team" concept in place. On a side note, I truly hope I never have the misfortune of being on the same sailing as Bunco. Peace to all.- 204 replies
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Dig deep. Find the confidence. Your TA is correct.
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Celebrity Ascent Retreat Questions
RichYak replied to BookBikeBeyond123's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I could be misremembering too, but I seem to recall having to constantly log out of one device to use another, except when I sailed in a RS. I'm sure someone will confirm. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
In the grand scheme of things, this ranks way low on the "how it impacts my cruise" scale, but I felt it deserved mention. -
Celebrity Ascent Retreat Questions
RichYak replied to BookBikeBeyond123's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Are you sure about that? My recollection is that it's 1 per person in standard Retreat suites. Upper suites get 2 per person. -
Move Up Bid to Retreat Successful - Couple Questions
RichYak replied to tropiclvrs's topic in Celebrity Cruises
There is a machine in the Retreat lounge that makes coffee drinks. There won't be the same quality or extensive choices that you'd find at al Bacio, but it's fine if you're not too choosy. Sparkling water should also be available in the fridge. It's not clear whether drinks are included on the Retreat Sundeck like they are in the lounge. There have been reports both ways of being asked for seapass card and not. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I don't sail until Sunday but there's no time like the present to start my comparison between YC and Retreat. Online Check In - Winner: Celebrity This is more MSC vs Celebrity than YC vs Retreat, but it should count nonetheless. To be fair, based on comments I was reading in Facebook groups, I think MSC was having IT issues the day I checked in, but it was frustrating. I couldn't check in on a desktop with no camera because it wouldn't let me upload an existing photo, something I routinely do on Celebrity. Using a mobile device, there's no button to press to take your photo (which I didn't know at first). I'm pressing everywhere while the screen is telling me to move my face higher or lower or closer. While cursing the app, it finally took my photo mid-swear. Not a good look but whatever. My wife had even less luck to the point we finally gave up. I emailed my TA and she was able to get my boarding pass emailed to me. So I'll be the guy that shows up with a printed bar code instead of having it on my phone, like that "turning into your parents" TV commercial. I haven't purchased any "cruise planner" type things for this MSC cruise, so I have no comparison of that online experience. More to come once I sail. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Thanks. My wife and I are low key. We rarely go to shows on cruises, nor do we visit the casino. A little live music in the lounge works for us. All this to say I think YC will suit us just fine. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Doubtful -
Will Xcel have any balconies in CC or AQ?
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Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I'll be on Meraviglia out of Brooklyn. There are just under 100 YC cabins and as I write this, there are still 26 available 3 days before sailing. It would be nice if it stayed that way but I'm not holding my breath. -
I find it so odd... the never-ending mental gymnastics that people go through trying to find ways to make IVs sound like more than they are... lanai, juliet balcony, sunroom, etc. It's just a cabin with a really nice window. I'm not sure why that can't be enough. Agreed. The cabin itself isn't a problem. It's the lack of choice.
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Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
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How much of a hassle is it you forget to check in before cruise?
RichYak replied to bikerunner's topic in Celebrity Cruises
We all have this same relative. -
Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club
RichYak replied to FamilyAtSea.travel's topic in Celebrity Cruises
So glad we are past this ridiculous time in our lives.