Retreat suite differences

[Whinenowine]

On 7/21/2022 at 2:50 PM, Hlitner said:

The thing is we have lately been cruising on Seabourn for less cost (per passenger day) on Celebrity.  And I guess instead of booking a few X cruises in suites we should just consider more Seabourn 

 

Hank

 

I've not sailed with Seabourn yet but I have with SilverSea and Regent.  I like X a lot (esp when traveling with my teenage kids who would be bored stiff--or not allowed--on the upper echelon lines).  But, as I've posted in a few other threads this year, X's current pricing trend is quickly approaching that of those other lines...but they can't match the services/offerings.  To be fair, to each their own (everyone wants something different from a cruise line)...when I first cruised on Silversea the average age was 15 -20years older than I was at the time, which most people don't want.  Unfortunately I've now hit that demographic (noooo!) and feel less out of place on those ships.  Some people would disagree, but if it's a choice of a CS or RS on X vs a Deluxe Veranda/Penthouse Suite on those other lines, X will lose.  Just my 2 cents.

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

 

I've not sailed with Seabourn yet but I have with SilverSea and Regent.  I like X a lot (esp when traveling with my teenage kids who would be bored stiff--or not allowed--on the upper echelon lines).  But, as I'400ve posted in a few other threads this year, X's current pricing trend is quickly approaching that of those other lines...but they can't match the services/offerings.  To be fair, to each their own (everyone wants something different from a cruise line)...when I first cruised on Silversea the average age was 15 -20years older than I was at the time, which most people don't want.  Unfortunately I've now hit that demographic (noooo!) and feel less out of place on those ships.  Some people would disagree, but if it's a choice of a CS or RS on X vs a Deluxe Veranda/Penthouse Suite on those other lines, X will lose.  Just my 2 cents.

I am a little confused by your post in regard to cost.  Consider that cruising in a Yacht Club Suite costs generally costs us approximately $400 per person/day (we have an upcoming YC cruise that cost us less).  Seabourn generally prices out in the $450 - $800 per person/day range (varies depending on itinerary.  Silverseas often prices out in the $1000 per person day although we have seen a few deals with that line that are somewhat less expensive.   Lately, just about all cruise lines have been increasing their pricing so I cannot speak to the future beyond the next few months.   But just looking ahead to the Spring of 2023 on the Seashore, the cost of a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite is still in that $400 per person/day range.  If you can find me anything comparable on Silverseas please post it here and we would likely book that cruise :).

 

As to X, there pricing is all over the place depending on the class ship, itinerary and specific cruise.  But to get anything close to the YC, I think one would need to book at least a Sky Suite to get into a Retreat cabin.    On their Edge Class ships those "Retreat" cabins seem to always be substantially more expensive than the Deluxe Yacht Club Suites.  One can probably find a decent last minute deal on one of the Solstice Class ships in a "retreat" suite but the Retreat on those ships is not quite a ship within a ship.   And we keep seeing posts about X doing a lot more nickel and diming with their Retreat customers.    I do think that X has a pretty decent air program (unlike MSC) that can make some of their cruises a good deal (especially if folks want to fly business class).

 

But when I look at all the pros/cons and what one gets for the money we think the YC is still one of the best values in cruising.

 

Hank

[Beamafar]

2 hours ago, George C said:

I am a heavy drinker in general, you get the standard premium drink package for free with yacht club similar to celebrity, but they have a top shelf package for about 18 dollars a day , package includes everything sold by the drink including some very expensive scotch and cognac, we finished several bottles of Johnny Walker Blue , plenty of XO cognac and lots of champagne.

Unfortunately that package (PremiumPlus) has been discontinued.  It’s been replaced with PremiumExtra which has an upper price limit of $15/€13.  We made the most of the Plus package and enjoyed JWB, XO and many glasses of Veuve on several cruises.   I believe the PE package is included now in YC (though I’m open to correction on this). 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Beamafar

[George C]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I am a little confused by your post in regard to cost.  Consider that cruising in a Yacht Club Suite costs generally costs us approximately $400 per person/day (we have an upcoming YC cruise that cost us less).  Seabourn generally prices out in the $450 - $800 per person/day range (varies depending on itinerary.  Silverseas often prices out in the $1000 per person day although we have seen a few deals with that line that are somewhat less expensive.   Lately, just about all cruise lines have been increasing their pricing so I cannot speak to the future beyond the next few months.   But just looking ahead to the Spring of 2023 on the Seashore, the cost of a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite is still in that $400 per person/day range.  If you can find me anything comparable on Silverseas please post it here and we would likely book that cruise :).

 

As to X, there pricing is all over the place depending on the class ship, itinerary and specific cruise.  But to get anything close to the YC, I think one would need to book at least a Sky Suite to get into a Retreat cabin.    On their Edge Class ships those "Retreat" cabins seem to always be substantially more expensive than the Deluxe Yacht Club Suites.  One can probably find a decent last minute deal on one of the Solstice Class ships in a "retreat" suite but the Retreat on those ships is not quite a ship within a ship.   And we keep seeing posts about X doing a lot more nickel and diming with their Retreat customers.    I do think that X has a pretty decent air program (unlike MSC) that can make some of their cruises a good deal (especially if folks want to fly business class).

 

But when I look at all the pros/cons and what one gets for the money we think the YC is still one of the best values in cruising.

 

Hank

MSc has the best discount for veterans, I got a ten percent reduction, that includes civil service jobs like police also. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

15 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I am a little confused by your post in regard to cost.  Consider that cruising in a Yacht Club Suite costs generally costs us approximately $400 per person/day (we have an upcoming YC cruise that cost us less).  Seabourn generally prices out in the $450 - $800 per person/day range (varies depending on itinerary.  Silverseas often prices out in the $1000 per person day although we have seen a few deals with that line that are somewhat less expensive.   Lately, just about all cruise lines have been increasing their pricing so I cannot speak to the future beyond the next few months.   But just looking ahead to the Spring of 2023 on the Seashore, the cost of a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite is still in that $400 per person/day range.  If you can find me anything comparable on Silverseas please post it here and we would likely book that cruise :).

 

As to X, there pricing is all over the place depending on the class ship, itinerary and specific cruise.  But to get anything close to the YC, I think one would need to book at least a Sky Suite to get into a Retreat cabin.    On their Edge Class ships those "Retreat" cabins seem to always be substantially more expensive than the Deluxe Yacht Club Suites.  One can probably find a decent last minute deal on one of the Solstice Class ships in a "retreat" suite but the Retreat on those ships is not quite a ship within a ship.   And we keep seeing posts about X doing a lot more nickel and diming with their Retreat customers.    I do think that X has a pretty decent air program (unlike MSC) that can make some of their cruises a good deal (especially if folks want to fly business class).

 

But when I look at all the pros/cons and what one gets for the money we think the YC is still one of the best values in cruising.

 

Hank

 

I've sailed YC on MSC a couple of times.  Their ship within a ship concept is definitely better than Celebrity's, their cabins are excellent, and the pool deck is far superior to Celebrity's.  The food, however, is lackluster and the service is definitely not up to Celebrity's standard in Luminae.  When I asked for non-alcoholic wine or champagne, they looked at me like I was crazy.  Apparently it has never occurred to them that some cannot or don't drink alcohol.

 

It was a good deal in the early days of their sailing from the US, but lately the pricing is more than I want to pay for a boring 7-night cruise with the only interesting port being their excellent private island.  And I'm not a fan of sailing out of Miami, which they seem wedded to.

[Hlitner]

37 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I've sailed YC on MSC a couple of times.  Their ship within a ship concept is definitely better than Celebrity's, their cabins are excellent, and the pool deck is far superior to Celebrity's.  The food, however, is lackluster and the service is definitely not up to Celebrity's standard in Luminae.  When I asked for non-alcoholic wine or champagne, they looked at me like I was crazy.  Apparently it has never occurred to them that some cannot or don't drink alcohol.

 

It was a good deal in the early days of their sailing from the US, but lately the pricing is more than I want to pay for a boring 7-night cruise with the only interesting port being their excellent private island.  And I'm not a fan of sailing out of Miami, which they seem wedded to.

We have never been impressed with YC food, but also thought that X was rapidly going downhill (prior to the COVID shutdown).  Some of the recent X reviews have convinced me that we would like to book a future cruise on X, but we have been turned off by the pricing of their Retreat cabins.   As to the YC, we have an upcoming Seashore cruise (in the YC) for 14 days.  Being ole folks who have done more then our share of Caribbean cruises our current thinking is not even to bother getting off the ship except in Ocean Cay.   I always thought the best time to be on the ship is when everyone else is ashore :).  The only interest we have in most Caribbean ports are going to our favorite beach, but relaxing on the YC's pool deck with food/drink is a more attractive option.

 

Hank

[George C]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We have never been impressed with YC food, but also thought that X was rapidly going downhill (prior to the COVID shutdown).  Some of the recent X reviews have convinced me that we would like to book a future cruise on X, but we have been turned off by the pricing of their Retreat cabins.   As to the YC, we have an upcoming Seashore cruise (in the YC) for 14 days.  Being ole folks who have done more then our share of Caribbean cruises our current thinking is not even to bother getting off the ship except in Ocean Cay.   I always thought the best time to be on the ship is when everyone else is ashore :).  The only interest we have in most Caribbean ports are going to our favorite beach, but relaxing on the YC's pool deck with food/drink is a more attractive option.

 

Hank

Another plus for yacht club was there suite beach and barbecue was way better than celebrity/rccl loads of waiters getting drinks to us sun worshipers and a great lunch with waiter service, excellent lobster roll. Ship’s captain on our voyage spent lots of time talking to yacht club passengers, we had a couple of interesting conversation. Again I still love celebrity suites. YC didn’t have a big variety of suites.

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, George C said:

Another plus for yacht club was there suite beach and barbecue was way better than celebrity/rccl loads of waiters getting drinks to us sun worshipers and a great lunch with waiter service, excellent lobster roll. Ship’s captain on our voyage spent lots of time talking to yacht club passengers, we had a couple of interesting conversation. Again I still love celebrity suites. YC didn’t have a big variety of suites.

So I will toss out a thought!  We have only been to Ocean Cay when on the Divina (Yacht Club) and enjoyed every minute.  But the beach used for the YC sucks...with the water not having a sandy bottom.  And the Yacht Club restaurant facility on Ocean Cay was barely large enough for the smaller Divina  with fewer YC passengers.  So when on a larger ship (such as the Seashore) that little YC restaurant has to serve many more folks.  And then who on earth at MSC ever figured that the Ocean Cay YC area needed just two rest rooms!    We are fans of Ocean Cay and love that MSC made that huge investment to develop that island.  But they short-changed the YC folks.

 

Hank

[Cap_D]

On the theme of nickel and diming, we were told that Gelato costs extra for passengers, except frequent cruisers of a certain level get one scoop for free.  That is the epitome of nickel and diming when otherwise all alcohol and other basic food is included.  We were also marketed a wine corkscrew in Luminae just after our food arrived and we clearly were not drinking wine.  That smacked of desperation for revenue.  And, perhaps not to the liking of some on this board, X needs a private beach destination for at least some of its Caribbean cruises.  Many of the ports of call have lackluster beaches and all or most of the other cruise lines have some type of private beach.  It doesn't need to be theme park, but something with a nice place to sun, exercise, etc. would put X on par with competitors.   We didn't mind that X takes the position that the entire ship is nice enough that Retreat passengers are not expected to spend every moment in the Retreat areas, but the price to experience ratio seems as if it needs adjustment or there needs to be better and more Retreat only perks that don't relate to F&B or offers that make one question what the cost is for in the first place (e.g., paying thousands to be offered gelato at a price per scoop).      

[Cruzin64647]

42 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

On the theme of nickel and diming, we were told that Gelato costs extra for passengers, except frequent cruisers of a certain level get one scoop for free.  That is the epitome of nickel and diming when otherwise all alcohol and other basic food is included.  We were also marketed a wine corkscrew in Luminae just after our food arrived and we clearly were not drinking wine.  That smacked of desperation for revenue.  And, perhaps not to the liking of some on this board, X needs a private beach destination for at least some of its Caribbean cruises.  Many of the ports of call have lackluster beaches and all or most of the other cruise lines have some type of private beach.  It doesn't need to be theme park, but something with a nice place to sun, exercise, etc. would put X on par with competitors.   We didn't mind that X takes the position that the entire ship is nice enough that Retreat passengers are not expected to spend every moment in the Retreat areas, but the price to experience ratio seems as if it needs adjustment or there needs to be better and more Retreat only perks that don't relate to F&B or offers that make one question what the cost is for in the first place (e.g., paying thousands to be offered gelato at a price per scoop).      

What kind of suite were you in? 

[sbcs5390]

On 7/21/2022 at 1:29 AM, zgscl said:

I hope you have a fabulous cruise! Can't wait to hear all about it. 

 

I actually booked it as a solo due to some fantastic pricing that they have and finally convinced my mom to join me. We were going to just share the bed but with their current pricing it worked out to be cheaper to book a Sky Suite for her as a solo than it would have been to add her to my cabin. We thought about doing an inside just to have the bed, but then she wouldn't have The Retreat perks and we definitely want to enjoy Luminae together on our first X cruise. I think other than the laundry & having to pay for her specialty restaurants we have basically the same exact perks. 

 

I think the Royal Suite may come with special embarkation which we can hopefully do together, but if not we will certainly survive (or I can go with her through the suite line). 

I am doing the RS solo on Solstice October 22 also having taken advantage of the great sale as well. Many times on X but this (B2B) will be my first time in the Retreat. I'm doing a corner SS the first week. Will let you know how it goes! 

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, sbcs5390 said:

I am doing the RS solo on Solstice October 22 also having taken advantage of the great sale as well. Many times on X but this (B2B) will be my first time in the Retreat. I'm doing a corner SS the first week. Will let you know how it goes! 

Can't wait to hear all about it! I hope you have a fantastic trip. 

[karmamule]

On 7/22/2022 at 5:31 PM, Hlitner said:

We have never been impressed with YC food, but also thought that X was rapidly going downhill (prior to the COVID shutdown).  Some of the recent X reviews have convinced me that we would like to book a future cruise on X, but we have been turned off by the pricing of their Retreat cabins.   As to the YC, we have an upcoming Seashore cruise (in the YC) for 14 days.  Being ole folks who have done more then our share of Caribbean cruises our current thinking is not even to bother getting off the ship except in Ocean Cay.   I always thought the best time to be on the ship is when everyone else is ashore :).  The only interest we have in most Caribbean ports are going to our favorite beach, but relaxing on the YC's pool deck with food/drink is a more attractive option.

 

Hank

 

We were in the Yacht Club on the Seaside and Meraviglia and both experiences were very good. Yacht Club restaurant food was good, though the menus felt quite limited. We then went on the Seashore this last January and it was our favorite YC experience yet. We thought  the YC restaurant food was a notch better on the Seashore. Similarly, the YC staff has always been very good and professional, but we found the Seashore's YC staff even better, a little warmer and more friendly while still providing wonderful service.

 

We'll be on our first Celebrity cruise this January in the Retreat and look forward to seeing how it compares. We will have an Edge Villa (just upgraded from our original Celebrity Suite after seeing one available) and will be sampling all the specialty restaurants since they're now included in our suite's cost. (In our opinion the specialty restaurants on MSC are 'ok' for being specialty restaurants, but generally not as good as other lines.)

Edited August 22, 2022 by karmamule

[judatt]

On 7/22/2022 at 8:50 PM, sbcs5390 said:

I am doing the RS solo on Solstice October 22 also having taken advantage of the great sale as well. Many times on X but this (B2B) will be my first time in the Retreat. I'm doing a corner SS the first week. Will let you know how it goes! 

We’ll try not to do too much damage. We’re in a Solstice RS on 10/15 sailing 😎

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, karmamule said:

 

We were in the Yacht Club on the Seaside and Meraviglia and both experiences were very good. Yacht Club restaurant food was good, though the menus felt quite limited. We then went on the Seashore this last January and it was our favorite YC experience yet. We thought  the YC restaurant food was a notch better on the Seashore. Similarly, the YC staff has always been very good and professional, but we found the Seashore's YC staff even better, a little warmer and more friendly while still providing wonderful service.

 

We'll be on our first Celebrity cruise this January in the Retreat and look forward to seeing how it compares. We will have an Edge Villa (just upgraded from our original Celebrity Suite after seeing one available) and will be sampling all the specialty restaurants since they're now included in our suite's cost. (In our opinion the specialty restaurants on MSC are 'ok' for being specialty restaurants, but generally not as good as other lines.)

We will be on the Seashore in October and will look forward to being back in the YC.   As to Celebrity, we have always enjoyed Murano, but this venue is apparently not on the new Edge Class ships.  We have yet to try any of those newer vessels, but it is on our "bucket" list.  

 

Hank

[sbcs5390]

1 hour ago, judatt said:

We’ll try not to do too much damage. We’re in a Solstice RS on 10/15 sailing 😎

Awesome! Have now convinced my mom to come along so she has a cabin also. See you there. 

[renji]

On 8/22/2022 at 5:04 PM, karmamule said:

 

We were in the Yacht Club on the Seaside and Meraviglia and both experiences were very good. Yacht Club restaurant food was good, though the menus felt quite limited. We then went on the Seashore this last January and it was our favorite YC experience yet. We thought  the YC restaurant food was a notch better on the Seashore. Similarly, the YC staff has always been very good and professional, but we found the Seashore's YC staff even better, a little warmer and more friendly while still providing wonderful service.

 

We'll be on our first Celebrity cruise this January in the Retreat and look forward to seeing how it compares. We will have an Edge Villa (just upgraded from our original Celebrity Suite after seeing one available) and will be sampling all the specialty restaurants since they're now included in our suite's cost. (In our opinion the specialty restaurants on MSC are 'ok' for being specialty restaurants, but generally not as good as other lines.)

I was just informed that Le Voyage is not included in the dining

Edited August 25, 2022 by renji

[SusieAV8R]

On 7/19/2022 at 10:38 PM, jelayne said:

Two bottles of liquor, laundry, dining table, separate bedroom ( pool in EV)  and a even better experience. It is like having a apartment vs  nice hotel room.

We have found that being in RS or PS will more likely get us last minute alternate restaurant reservations at the specific times we requested..  We did not experience this in CS so maybe similar situation for SS?  Requests for specialized afternoon (or morning snacks)/speciality alcoholic drinks ensuite accommodated for RS and PS; did not experience this in CS.  It just seemed that if our requests could be accommodated, greater effort was made because we were in RS or PS.  (My comments are limited to M-class & S-class.)

[wineoclock]

With the price difference for PH & RS to CS I expect there to be a difference in service. It’s one of the things you are paying for. 

[Beachlover1989]

On 7/21/2022 at 8:54 PM, zgscl said:

Does anyone know off the top of their head if the bed in CS on Millennium can separate into twins?

I was in a CS on the Summit with my mom in June and we were able to have the beds separated into twins. 

[Whinenowine]

12 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

We have found that being in RS or PS will more likely get us last minute alternate restaurant reservations at the specific times we requested..  We did not experience this in CS so maybe similar situation for SS?  Requests for specialized afternoon (or morning snacks)/speciality alcoholic drinks ensuite accommodated for RS and PS; did not experience this in CS.  It just seemed that if our requests could be accommodated, greater effort was made because we were in RS or PS.  (My comments are limited to M-class & S-class.)

Absolutely agree.  We've experienced a real difference (more than can be chalked up to specific butlers or stewards).    We're not very demanding, but we've never been told 'no' when in a RS or PH, and generally got more sr staff attention (whether you want it or not).

[texkat]

Based on my limited experience in CS on Equinox and now just off the Penthouse on Millennium, the differences are tremendous.

 

I was treated very well when in CS, got exactly what I paid for and expected. Used the app for my own reservations, asked the concierge for seats and was sometimes told not possible or offered alternative options.

 

In the Penthouse, I felt as if I had a genie who made anything possible. Last minute seats at any venue, special treats or food delivered to the room. I’d ask who I should contact with shore ex changes or billing questions and my awesome butler magically took care of them instantly. No request was difficult or impossible. Everyone on the ship seemed to know my name! Maitres’d would see me approach and whisk me to prime tables ahead of anyone waiting.

 

COMPLETELY different levels of service, the PS experience was truly magical and has probably ruined me forever! 😂  

[George C]

21 hours ago, wineoclock said:

With the price difference for PH & RS to CS I expect there to be a difference in service. It’s one of the things you are paying for. 

Perks are nice with liquor setup and free specialty restaurants also suite is way larger . I admit in penthouse we were treated like royalty. 

[Caroldoll]

Does X hold back some top suites for late distribution to move-up offers?

[love2crews.]

5 minutes ago, Caroldoll said:

Does X hold back some top suites for late distribution to move-up offers?

Curious to know this, too.

 

I don't see why they would, but I hope they do!