Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club - reviews?

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, George C said:

What really surprised us was the music in suite lounge from approx 5pm to 11, a few small combos or solo acts would continuously play , it also had a baby grand

My wife and I no longer bother with the main theater productions so this sounds perfect. A few cocktails, some live acoustic music, and chatting with fellow cruisers are all the entertainment we need.

[George C]

7 minutes ago, RichYak said:

My wife and I no longer bother with the main theater productions so this sounds perfect. A few cocktails, some live acoustic music, and chatting with fellow cruisers are all the entertainment we need.

There was some nice music in small venues in other parts of the ship also. We really liked a jazz trio with a really good singer .

if you wanted to go to main show there were reserved seats and butler would escort you.

Edited January 23, 2023 by George C

[morpheusofthesea]

So how does Retreat compare to the Yacht Club?

It compares very favorably. It comes down to just what one is really looking for and which line provides it.

We enjoy a dedicated restaurant open for 3 meals per day, not one that closes for lunch port days.(MSC)

We enjoy Cafe Al Bacio (Celebrity) 12-16 different complimentary desserts

I enjoy a cushioned cabin balcony deck chair lounger (MSC)

We enjoy reserved theater seating for every performance (MSC)

We enjoy more evening entertainment venues (MSC)rather than game shows (Celebrity)

We enjoy a better Wifi that works(Celebrity)

We enjoy a private 'out' island. (MSC)

We love key card elevator over rides (MSC)

We like a 'gated community' (MSC).

 

Comparing prices for the same size cabins Royal Suites on Beyond and Seashore. October 2022 MSC $9,988, Celebrity $18,493 in Nov 2022. Beyond being Celebrity's newest addition to the fleet is NOT getting the best entertainment like Up Town ( booked on Apex and Equinox for 2023) or Charity Lockhart. Beyond's stage productions are mimicking MSC with singers and dancers with acrobatics thrown in. No cruise line can beat Celebrity's Cafe al Bacio for complimentary desserts at ALL hours. No reserving of lounges on Retreat sun deck encourages chair hogs with 'cowed' Retreat staff NOT enforcing 30 minute abandonment chair hogging, which is a problem with Celebrity filling the Retreat with move-up bidding to the MAX. MSC has same problem, but one can pay a nominal fee and reserve a pergola/cabana in the YC sun deck.

   The shops on MSC are stocked with merchandise that cruisers want. Celebrity has very little that main stream cruisers can afford.

[terrydtx]

On 1/12/2023 at 7:34 PM, WonderMan3 said:

I wouldn't bother. I did two cruises on two different MSC ships in Yacht Club. While the YC space itself is definitely better than the Retreat (all contained in one area, indoor and outdoor food venues, large indoor bar) the food was largely terrible and vastly inferior to Celebrity and the service was very uneven with some of the worst staff members I've ever encountered in cruising; we had to have one of our butlers replaced for being surly, bartenders and servers didn't recognize basic cocktails, we saw several instances of staff members verbally abusing other staff members. And once you leave the YC, while the MSC ships are very nice they are very crowded with a pretty rowdy crowd. It was basically a European version of NCL except that NCL has better food and service in The Haven. I couldn't wait to get back to Celebrity after trying MSC.

My sister who is Elite Plus with Celebrity tried one MSC Yacht Club cruise and her opinions about MSC were very similar to yours. She usually sails with Celebrity in a Celebrity Suite (CS)

[chisoxfan]

We loved YC (Seaside) with its many benefits and elegant dedicated area but found the rest of the ship uninspired (pools, bars, specialty dining). So if and when we book again we would be resigned to spending the entire time there (not necessarily a bad thing) but restrictive to eat and drink in the same area all week.  Was interested in this post as we booked a Retreat Suite on Ascent in 2024. Got a 'special price' which some claimed was a pricing error brought up in this forum. So a Sky was 5800 for a week with some generous credit. I already think this is 'too much' but see current listings close to 10k.  Anyway, a comparable YC at same time is in this same price range 5200-5800 without as much OBC. Really did like access to spa, private island, and wet bar YC offers but will probably stick with X just to try the product (frankly I don't think-know it could be nice enough for us to spend 10k for a week cruise). Not getting strong vibes for value of the Retreat product but we will see. I am getting a sense, with all of the talk of upgrade bidding and status that suites are becoming like First class on the airlines.... initially a full revenue product but turned into a 'bonus' to frequent flyers using points and status. JMHO

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

So how does Retreat compare to the Yacht Club?

It compares very favorably. It comes down to just what one is really looking for and which line provides it.

Your list is very helpful, thanks for sharing it. Besides the better wi-fi, I place little to no value on the offerings where Celebrity comes out ahead on your list. I also value my money. Getting a better experience for much less money works just fine for me.

[Sigyn]

One of my friends who sails MSC a lot describes the service as "very European" in that they act as if they're doing you a favor to be there. She said they're not nearly as polite as the staff on other brands of ships. She still sails MSC on occasion because it's a very good deal, but it's not her favorite line. 

[RichYak]

15 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

Not getting strong vibes for value of the Retreat product but we will see.

There is value in the Retreat product, certainly at the price you paid. But at $750-$800 pp/pn for just a Sky Suite, which is where pricing is now, you're right. It's not worth that. We would be better served looking at premium cruise lines for around the same price.

[beachluver9]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:01 PM, RichYak said:

Funny, I just mentioned MSC to my wife during lunch today. Yacht Club is now firmly on my radar screen and I'm also curious how it compares to Retreat.

 

Here's one tip. MSC's frequent cruiser program is not that generous, but they do offer a status match from hotels and other cruise loyalty programs. My Azamara status, obtained via only Celebrity cruises, matched to MSC's highest tier, where my Celebrity status wouldn't have. I just did the match yesterday. It only took them a few hours and I'm Diamond!

We have done the status match in the past with MSC and based on our Marriott status, qualified as "Black".  We were very surprised that if you don't sail MSC again within 12 months that the status match is cancelled and not renewable (onetime match per person).  Their program was not very robust the last time we sailed with them (2019), hopefully the benefits have improved since then!  The chocolate ship was pretty cool (good grandkid gift), but the other benefits were pretty weak even for their highest tier.

[RichYak]

4 minutes ago, beachluver9 said:

We have done the status match in the past with MSC and based on our Marriott status, qualified as "Black".  We were very surprised that if you don't sail MSC again within 12 months that the status match is cancelled and not renewable (onetime match per person).  Their program was not very robust the last time we sailed with them (2019), hopefully the benefits have improved since then!  The chocolate ship was pretty cool (good grandkid gift), but the other benefits were pretty weak even for their highest tier.

This is the fine print (emphasis mine) in the confirmation I received after doing the status match:

 

Your MSC Voyagers Club membership status is valid for three years and is automatically extended for three years every time you cruise with us. If you do not take an MSC cruise within three years of the activation date of your MSC Voyagers Club membership, your status will expire.

[chisoxfan]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

There is value in the Retreat product, certainly at the price you paid. But at $750-$800 pp/pn for just a Sky Suite, which is where pricing is now, you're right. It's not worth that. We would be better served looking at premium cruise lines for around the same price.

See many posts here from 'suite people' that better value is to be found on premium lines. On the surface I would certainly agree as we have looked into this but my wife and I enjoy the concept of a larger (90,000-150,000 tons) ship with more venues. While we enjoy great food we really don't look to cruising for this.....we just want well prepared options although unfortunately quality on mainstream lines seems to be slipping. We have gravitated personally (except for the Ascent cruise) to AI's in Caribbean for winter getaways and using cruising as an efficient and pleasant way to see far away locales.

[chisoxfan]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

This is the fine print (emphasis mine) in the confirmation I received after doing the status match:

 

Your MSC Voyagers Club membership status is valid for three years and is automatically extended for three years every time you cruise with us. If you do not take an MSC cruise within three years of the activation date of your MSC Voyagers Club membership, your status will expire.

We also did the match and the rewards as stated were underwhelming- never got out chocolate ship (did not really want to eat it or lug off the ship) but did get one or two specialty dinners which were not very good.  The value seems to be in their 5-15% discount which is frankly a bit confusing but still could be a positive.

[RichYak]

1 minute ago, chisoxfan said:

The value seems to be in their 5-15% discount which is frankly a bit confusing but still could be a positive.

Agreed. After a quick glance, only the 5% discount, $50 OBC for booking early, and 1 free specialty dining offer seemed compelling to me. The rest were window dressing.

[George C]

As I have said I love yacht club, the only thing I didn’t like is pool is about 6 ft deep with no sallow area , rarely see anyone in there . Also captain was there often had a couple of nice conversations with him.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:25 PM, RichYak said:

CC Elite and Elite Plus match to Gold on MSC. I am Elite on X but Discoverer on Azamara because of all my Celebrity cruises (never sailed Azamara). Discoverer got me Diamond on MSC.

 

So... is this something I can do at this point (achieve Discoverer on Azamara) with my Elite Plus status with Celebrity?  If so, how?

 

 

On 1/16/2023 at 5:34 PM, RichYak said:

Zenith matches to top tier Diamond. You would need to sail MSC at least once every 3 years to maintain the status and matching is a one time courtesy. So time your match accordingly.

 

So, since I've already been matched at Gold (having not yet sailed with them), I'd be out of luck trying to "re-match" to Diamond?

 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

So how does Retreat compare to the Yacht Club?

...

We enjoy a dedicated restaurant open for 3 meals per day, not one that closes for lunch port days.(MSC)

 

 

That, I like. I feel a bit "cheated" when Luminae is closed on port days.

 

Tom

[RichYak]

31 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

So... is this something I can do at this point (achieve Discoverer on Azamara) with my Elite Plus status with Celebrity?  If so, how?

 

So, since I've already been matched at Gold (having not yet sailed with them), I'd be out of luck trying to "re-match" to Diamond?

You are already Discoverer Plus on Azamara until the end of the month when the loyalty programs complete the split. You should be able to log in to azamara using the same username/password as you log in to Celebrity.

 

Alas, this is moot since you can only match one time on MSC.

[talljules1]

On 1/13/2023 at 2:06 AM, talljules1 said:

We've done both - and doing both again this year. 

 

They are quite different from each other. MSC does the ship within a ship concept much better. The YC lounge is larger than the retreat lounge on S-class ships. We've had good service in both. The food in YC on Preziosa was perhaps not as quite as good as on Celebrity, but it was fine in the YC and we enjoyed it. Perhaps the difference is that outside of the YC, as others have said, the ship is more crowded and rowdy. We vowed we wouldn't sail MSC outside the YC - non YC MSC doesn't compare to non-retreat X.

 

We've met lovely people on both lines (and that's important to us).

 

A Deluxe balcony stateroom in YC on Virtuosa is about the same size as a sky suite (but has a shower rather than bath, but also has a walk in wardrobe), and unlike the sky suite, comes with an included minibar and a bottle of spirits and daily newspapers. We will miss the laundry that would come with our Elite+ status. However, MSC YC is MUCH cheaper than the Retreat, so it doesn't matter.  You get premium drinks, wifi and gratuities included in both retreat and YC. We compared a week in the retreat with a fortnight in YC, and MSC was still cheaper - it also has a great itinerary. So, we're sailing MSC YC in the Summer to Iceland and Norway.

Whooop! And today our TA, who has been watching availabilities closely, has managed to upgrade us to a YC Duplex suite.

[talljules1]

1 hour ago, talljules1 said:

Whooop! And today our TA, who has been watching availabilities closely, has managed to upgrade us to a YC Duplex suite.

And it turns out it is still cheaper than a shorter cruise in a sky suite on Celebrity.

[talljules1]

11 minutes ago, talljules1 said:

And it turns out it is still cheaper than a shorter cruise in a sky suite on Celebrity.

It's cruising on MANY LEVELS hehehehehe

[WonderMan3]

9 hours ago, njsmom said:

One of my friends who sails MSC a lot describes the service as "very European" in that they act as if they're doing you a favor to be there. She said they're not nearly as polite as the staff on other brands of ships. She still sails MSC on occasion because it's a very good deal, but it's not her favorite line. 

Yup, definitely more detached. Although part of it is the level of English that much of the staff understands. It's far less than the staff on the American-owned cruise lines which can sometimes create barriers in asking questions and getting clear answers.

[deliver42]

I've been on 3 MSC cruise, two in the YC. The service was impeccable and never had a problem with language. The biggest difference is quality of food, which, in my opinion, doesn't equal Celebrity.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 1/23/2023 at 10:46 AM, RichYak said:

You are already Discoverer Plus on Azamara until the end of the month when the loyalty programs complete the split. You should be able to log in to azamara using the same username/password as you log in to Celebrity.

 

Alas, this is moot since you can only match one time on MSC.

 

I emailed them yesterday, explaining the situation and asked if they could make an exception. Here was their reply (same day - I'll give 'em this, they seem to be quite prompt):

 

Dear Guest.

 The status match can only be done once, once we processed your information our system will not allow us to reprocess again.  Typically, once an application has been processed the system will give an error message if another application is being re-submitted.  you may visit the status match page and submit your information. please note, is not guaranteed that  the system will allow you as you were recently matched.

Best Regards

 

So - I took that as a "give it another try", and submitted the info again - this time with my office phone number and address (so as not to "confuse" them) 😉 Here's what I received this morning:

 

Dear THOMAS .....,

Thank you for participating in the MSC Cruises Status Match program and welcome to
Voyagers Club! Based on the information submitted, you are now  at  the Diamond status and your
membership number is xxxxxxx you are now able to enjoy all the perks and privileges
associated with that level. Please remember to communicate your Voyagers Club membership
number at the time of booking.
As a reminder, Status Match is a one-time courtesy and provides our guests the opportunity
to join Voyagers Club at a higher  level. Every cruise aboard MSC Cruises as well as your onboard
spending will add points to your account. Simply cruise with
us once every 3 years, to retain your points.

 

 

 

... now, to see if they can replace my two week old Voyager number with the new one...

 

Tom

[grandgeezer]

We haven’t cruised since the pandemic. Our last three cruises were 14 days on MSC, in the Yacht Club, 14 days on the Equinox, in a Sky Suite, and another 14 days in the Yacht Club. We couldn’t really see a big difference in the food. What we could agree was that, hands down, the Yacht Club was a better value. We had a drink package as well as an internet package. There was no obc included and we had to pay the tips, if I remember right was only $12.50 p.p. per day. Even after that, it was still over $100 p.p. per day cheaper. We decided it would be Y.C. or bust. Checked prices, after the pandemic, in the Y.C. Pricing is right up there with the Sky Suite prices. Sadly, though the money isn’t the problem, we just don’t see the value, so home sweet home it is, for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mandream]

38 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I emailed them yesterday, explaining the situation and asked if they could make an exception. Here was their reply (same day - I'll give 'em this, they seem to be quite prompt):

 

Dear Guest.

 The status match can only be done once, once we processed your information our system will not allow us to reprocess again.  Typically, once an application has been processed the system will give an error message if another application is being re-submitted.  you may visit the status match page and submit your information. please note, is not guaranteed that  the system will allow you as you were recently matched.

Best Regards

 

So - I took that as a "give it another try", and submitted the info again - this time with my office phone number and address (so as not to "confuse" them) 😉 Here's what I received this morning:

 

Dear THOMAS .....,

Thank you for participating in the MSC Cruises Status Match program and welcome to
Voyagers Club! Based on the information submitted, you are now  at  the Diamond status and your
membership number is xxxxxxx you are now able to enjoy all the perks and privileges
associated with that level. Please remember to communicate your Voyagers Club membership
number at the time of booking.
As a reminder, Status Match is a one-time courtesy and provides our guests the opportunity
to join Voyagers Club at a higher  level. Every cruise aboard MSC Cruises as well as your onboard
spending will add points to your account. Simply cruise with
us once every 3 years, to retain your points.

 

 

 

... now, to see if they can replace my two week old Voyager number with the new one...

 

Tom

 

The MSC form doesn't have a Discoverer Plus option, so I assume you just selected Discoverer?

 

Mike

 

[Hlitner]

Comparing Retreat Suites to the Yacht Club is not all that simple.  The problem is that the Yacht Club costs a lot less than the Retreat.  One can usually book a regular YC Deluxe Suite (which is more like a large cabin than a real suite) for under $400 per person/day.  If you do the booking through a decent cruise agency you will also get enough OBC to easily cover the auto tips.  With the exception of tips and what you do ashore, the YC is all-inclusive (all drinks, Internet, priority everything, butlers, etc).  The YC is also somewhat different from the Retreat Suites in that the YC is a self-contained bow section (on the newer ships it is usually 4 decks) with its own restaurant, outdoor buffet area, expansive pool deck, and a large lounge which has a snack buffet and terrific bow view.  That section of the ship is protected with electronic doors so it is similar to being on a small ship luxury cruise.  You can exit that enclave and visit the rest of the ship for more entertainment, other dining options, etc.

 

The problem we see with the Retreat is the cost/value!  One could also argue that the YC has a big advantage being in an isolated section of the ship.