Retreat Lounge vs. Michael’s Club

[asnaleah]

We are just off Silhouette. It was our first post-revolution voyage. Both my DH and I missed the ambiance of the old space. Other impressions?

[jelayne]

I’m sitting in Michaels/Retreat Lounge on the Reflection.  It is dark,  crammed with oversized chairs that are hard to move and overall reminds me the smoke filled bars I saw in movies made in the 40s.  I  much prefer the E class Lounge.

[PTC DAWG]

3 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I’m sitting in Michaels/Retreat Lounge on the Reflection.  It is dark,  crammed with oversized chairs that are hard to move and overall reminds me the smoke filled bars I saw in movies made in the 40s.  I  much prefer the E class Lounge.

I wish I was there to verify this one way or another…. 🙂

[LGW59]

25 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

We are just off Silhouette. It was our first post-revolution voyage. Both my DH and I missed the ambiance of the old space. Other impressions?

Dark and dreary, on Summit it was anyway

[Northern Aurora]

We spent two weeks on the Millennium in September.  Prior to those two weeks our last time on the Millennium was in 2018 when we spent a month onboard.  The Millennium has been "revolutionized" and we prefer the new crisper look.  Initially it was a surprise but we grew to like the new look.

[cruisestitch]

What I worry about is when looks are chosen instead of comfort and function. When chairs are too low to get in and out of easily, or too deep to sit in comfortably without a pillow behind your back, when tables that are being used to serve breakfast on are too low, these are things that bother me.

Edited February 11, 2022 by cruisestitch

[asnaleah]

I like the overall lightness of the design. Some of the seating is a bit off for snacking. Also, I preferred it when the butlers passed hors d’oeuvres and afternoon tea. The buffet set up didn’t work for me. 

[garyl62]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

Dark and dreary, on Summit it was anyway

That was some time ago, Summit was one of the first ships updated.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I preferred the old version.  The furniture was comfortable and you got waited on.  The new version seems cold and sterile to me and the furniture is uncomfortable.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

What I worry about is when looks are chosen instead of comfort and function. When chairs are too low to get in and out of easily, or too deep to sit in comfortably without a pillow behind your back, when tables that are being used to serve breakfast on are too low, these are things that bother me.

I agree but found this to be true in both the old Michaels Club and the updated Retreat Lounge on S class.  The retreat lounge on E class had more comfortable seating but it was still too deep in places.

Luminae on Edge had more comfortable chairs.  I never needed a pillow behind my back. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

22 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

I like the overall lightness of the design. Some of the seating is a bit off for snacking. Also, I preferred it when the butlers passed hors d’oeuvres and afternoon tea. The buffet set up didn’t work for me. 

We liked it best when they came around with the tea cart in the afternoon.

[DaKahuna]

We were on the Reflection in December and I liked the atmosphere in Michael’s club.  While I agree that the chairs are hard to move but they are very comfortable .  
 

Our table in the stateroom was nice to use for room service meals, unlike the one we had on Edge.
 

We will be sailing on Silhouette the end of March and I am looking forward to doing my own personal comparison. 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Dark and dreary, on Summit it was anyway

 I thought just the opposite, September 2019, post revolution, now Retreat Lounge. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by davekathy

[LGW59]

9 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Pre or post revolution? I thought just the opposite, September 2019, post revolution. 

Pre.  It’s the only non E ship I’d sail on because I’d love to see the refurb.  Been looking off an on for a cruise on her in early 2023.  Got several land vacation now in 2022 so no cruises this year 

[asnaleah]

17 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

We were on the Reflection in December and I liked the atmosphere in Michael’s club.  While I agree that the chairs are hard to move but they are very comfortable .  
 

Our table in the stateroom was nice to use for room service meals, unlike the one we had on Edge.
 

We will be sailing on Silhouette the end of March and I am looking forward to doing my own personal comparison. 

We loved Silhouette and booked another.

[davekathy]

7 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Pre.  It’s the only non E ship I’d sail on because I’d love to see the refurb.  Been looking off an on for a cruise on her in early 2023.  Got several land vacation now in 2022 so no cruises this year 

You could always jump on the Summit in September. Leaves out of Boston. 😉

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

You could always jump on the Summit in September. Leaves out of Boston. 😉

I’m so darn tempted, Black Falcon is just 30 minutes from where we live

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I’m so darn tempted, Black Falcon is just 30 minutes from where we live

I'm jealous. 

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

I'm jealous. 

Don’t be we still have a foot of snow on the ground but it was 54 today and 57 tomorrow 😎

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

What I worry about is when looks are chosen instead of comfort and function. When chairs are too low to get in and out of easily, or too deep to sit in comfortably without a pillow behind your back, when tables that are being used to serve breakfast on are too low, these are things that bother me.

Never saw breakfast served in the Retreat.Lounge.    Juice, coffee danish but not a real breakfast.  The furniture I saw in earky pictures didn’t resemble what we saw on the Edge in October.  

[Northern Aurora]

45 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Never saw breakfast served in the Retreat.Lounge.    Juice, coffee danish but not a real breakfast.  The furniture I saw in earky pictures didn’t resemble what we saw on the Edge in October.  

 

 

We don't consume a "heavy" breakfast at home, but on the Millennium in September they had a greater variety of breakfast items than on the old version of the Michael's Club -- yogurts, yogurt parfait, cured meats, lox, bagels and versions of cream cheese (ie, with smoked salmon,) fresh fruit, smoothies (plural versions), pastries and so forth.  On the same ship, in 2018, the old version of Michael's Club offered a more limited variety of pastries, a pre-plated salmon on mini bagels, a whipped cream cheese on top of a slice of cucumber, a fruit plate and the "smoothie of the day."

 

Regarding the seating, my weight exceeds my ideal Body Mass Index by a few pounds.  My goal for 2022 is to loose five pounds which will mean that I just below the recommended BMI for my height.  I found the seating in the "new" Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge to be very comfortable, but would suspect that someone morbidly obese might have an issue.

[goofysmom99]

My issue on the Summit vs Reflection was seating that was low, too low for my comfort (knees) and only two chairs with arms in the entire place.  Chairs with arms help me sit straighter and I'm more comfortable for a longer spell.  Haven't tried E-class yet.

[chemmo]

We always loved the ‘old club’ feel of Michael’s but were pleasantly surprised when we boarded Equinox just after her refit that we preferred the feeling of light and space the new colours gave….However, the furnishings were very odd. Some really low tiny chairs (I am petite and they were too small for me), some really hard and sharp table corners…We still enjoyed the experience but felt that the designer had focused too much on how things looked rather than how practical and comfortable the furnishings were.

 

When we boarded Silhouette we were pleasantly surprised that there was the light and spacious feel we had liked on Equinox but that the furnishings were generally more comfortable and practical. There was a decent range of seating and cushions which could be used if you wanted to be more upright. However, we did find that the majority of seats on the suite sun deck and many in the extended sunset area were very low and laid back. If you  had bad knees or a bad back they were hard to get in/out of. We managed using additional cushions but felt that again it was looks rather than practical use that had determined choices…

 

People of all shapes and sizes and at all mobility levels cruise and this should be reflected in furniture choices. A mix of high chairs, low chairs, laid back chairs, upright chairs….should all be capable of being combined and still look nice!

 

We were in the PH on Silhouette and found similar oddities. Again the general colours etc were really nice. However, the piano had gone, the table had moved more centrally to fill more space and there was a very odd, unusual and unnecessary sort of storage unit. I wish I had taken a picture of it (think long flat top with cube spaces underneath). We could not understand why they had not left the table where it used to be and simply added two window facing recliner chairs or chairs with footstools. Plenty of space and would be really nice to use to gaze out if the weather was not nice. Don’t get me wrong, we loved the suite and have booked it again it but definitely the lounge area space is not fully utilised.

 

Design and furnishings are all subjective. That I understand, however, design should start with functional use of space…

[abbydancer2003]

I've been in Michael's Club on the Equinox, Reflection, and Eclipse.   In 2021 I was on the Summit and the Equinox.  I liked the retreat lounge on the Summit, but I've never seen it as Michaels club.  The only one I've seen as both is the Equinox, and while I did think it. was a bit (ok, a lot) dark, I prefer it to the retreat lounge because it now has a tile floor, and a bunch of booths that remind me of a coffee shop.  And when we were there, there was a group that came in every night, and drank a lot and got very loud.  And because of the floor, there was little noise baffling.

[Cruise a holic]

My biggest objection to the new Retreat lounge, is that when you wanted to talk to the concierge, he or she was standing- and you couldn't sit either.  Didn't feel as confortable in the new design- Since it was over two years ago, perhaps as they have removed the big ugly rocking chairs from the sky suites now, they have added a more comfortable area for suite concierge's and guests.  We like "functional design".