Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club - reviews?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

12 minutes ago, mandream said:

 

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

 

Mike

 

Correct - that slowed me down for a moment as well.

[George C]

You can really save money booking a inside Yacht club cabin, we most likely wouldn’t do it but we really didn’t spend anytime on our balcony since it was so close to outdoor yacht club area .

[Stem to Stern]

On 1/22/2023 at 8:29 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure the Mega's ships are our forte even in the Yacht Club.   Time will tell.  Our first non-Celebrity cruise will be on Ponant (ultra small ships).

Hi Jim,  

 

Charla convinced me.  Giving a serious look at a 7-night sailing in Yacht Club on Seascape.  It would be the largest and most populated (nearly 6,000 passengers😳) ship we have ever been on.  Definitely plenty of places to walk, but the refuge of the YC away from the GenPop sounds great.  Did I count only 130 suites in the Yacht Club on the deck plans?!?  Top Sail Lounge is much more spacious than The Retreat Lounge and it has live entertainment.  Spa thermal area access.  Priority everything.  Among other amenities that look to compare well with The Retreat.

 

On the other hand our recent cruise on Azamara Onward was the smallest ship we were ever on, maybe almost too small tonage-wise for my liking.  Although it was great running into the same new friends over and over again with less than 700 on board.  The verdict is still out for us on whether or not we will give Azamara another go.

 

We will savor our stay in The Retreat this year while on board Celebrity Summit, but sadly I fear skyrocketing pricing may force us to call this our last hurrah in The Retreat.  Although everything about The Retreat has pretty much wowed me, I do recognize the threshold of price exceeding perceived value.  And I do value my hard-earned dollars.  Time will definitely tell.😁

 

By the way over the weekend I submitted the form on MSC’s site for enrollment in their Status Match program.  I heard back this morning with an email welcoming me to MSC Voyagers Club, assigning me a Voyager number, and matching my Azamara Discoverer status (equivalent to Elite on Celebrity) to their Diamond level.  Per recommendation on these boards I avoided using my Elite status for my status match enrollment as MSC has reportedly only matched Elite to their Gold level.

[George C]

It’s been along time since celebrity retreat had any live entertainment, didn’t on Edge or Beyond, I did inquire was told they don’t have it .

[RichYak]

16 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Charla convinced me.

@GenerationX got me too. I booked Meraviglia this weekend.

 

16 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

We will savor our stay in The Retreat this year while on board Celebrity Summit, but sadly I fear skyrocketing pricing may force us to call this our last hurrah in The Retreat.  Although everything about The Retreat has pretty much wowed me, I do recognize the threshold of price exceeding perceived value.

This sums up my feelings about the Retreat as well. I'm sailing Retreat on Millennium in March for in all likelihood the final time. I can certainly afford it, but would consider it wasteful as the fares now far exceed the value.

 

16 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

By the way over the weekend I submitted the form on MSC’s site for enrollment in their Status Match program.  I heard back this morning with an email welcoming me to MSC Voyagers Club, assigning me a Voyager number, and matching my Azamara Discoverer status (equivalent to Elite on Celebrity) to their Diamond level.  Per recommendation on these boards I avoided using my Elite status for my status match enrollment as MSC has reportedly only matched Elite to their Gold level.

I'm glad this worked out for you. It's nice to start out at the top tier.

[Stem to Stern]

3 minutes ago, RichYak said:

booked Meraviglia this weekend.

Yay!  Refresh my memory (too many threads to sift thru.). Did you Diamond status match prior to booking?  If so, did this qualify you for any type of discount or additional OBC?  Thanks for all of your contributions.

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Yay!  Refresh my memory (too many threads to sift thru.). Did you Diamond status match prior to booking?  If so, did this qualify you for any type of discount or additional OBC?  Thanks for all of your contributions.

I did match prior to booking. If you saw posts about using Azamara tier rather than Celebrity tier for the status match, that was probably me. I see extra OBC ($50 pp) in my booking so we got that.

 

The 5% + 5% discount is currently an issue. I didn't receive it, I'm sure I will, but I booked this cruise in person at a travel trade show on Saturday. They didn't apply the discounts.  It was an MSC booth filled with what I thought were MSC employees, but it was actually a travel agency. Rookie mistake by me not realizing that.

 

Bottom line, I need to track down the particular agent that did the booking to add the discounts (no one else can) and I didn't get her name. I'm working on finding her contact info.

[DaCruiseBug]

I haven't sailed in the Retreat but I have been on several Celebrity cruises and have sailed in the MSC Yacht Club 3 times.

 

While the service in the MSC Yacht Club is very good, the food is terrible. I would take Celebrity main dining room food over what was served in the Yacht Club.

 

Also, the common areas in the Yacht Club are very spacious but I wish they would have more shade on their top decks.

[RichYak]

18 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

I haven't sailed in the Retreat but I have been on several Celebrity cruises and have sailed in the MSC Yacht Club 3 times.

 

While the service in the MSC Yacht Club is very good, the food is terrible. I would take Celebrity main dining room food over what was served in the Yacht Club.

 

Also, the common areas in the Yacht Club are very spacious but I wish they would have more shade on their top decks.

Food is definitely subjective. That said, the menus I've seen on MSC YC look to be of higher quality than the menus in the Retreat--filet mignon any night, etc. Of course, I need to taste and experience for myself, which is why I booked a low-effort sailing out of Brooklyn--a short drive from my home.

[DaCruiseBug]

57 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Food is definitely subjective. That said, the menus I've seen on MSC YC look to be of higher quality than the menus in the Retreat--filet mignon any night, etc. Of course, I need to taste and experience for myself, which is why I booked a low-effort sailing out of Brooklyn--a short drive from my home.

 

Maybe the menu items on paper may seem higher quality but for example I had to send back a burger 3 times on the last YC sailing because they kept bringing it to me raw.

[Kteacher]

  I’m another Celebrity Retreat person trying MSC based on @GenerationX’s side by side along with the latest pricing of Retreat cabins. We booked MSC Meraviglia out of NYC , so no airfare needed for us, in a YC deluxe suite. I’ve only sailed Celebrity and Royal, so could only use the status on those to match on MSC ( Elite and D+). I took a screenshot, filled out the online form, and received a response in less than 24 hours matching my status to Gold on MSC. 
    Though I can’t review as well as @Jim_Iain, @GenerationX and others on this board I plan on doing a comparison on the MSC board. I’ve received so much great information here, hoping to do the same for someone else.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

10 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

...

By the way over the weekend I submitted the form on MSC’s site for enrollment in their Status Match program.  I heard back this morning with an email welcoming me to MSC Voyagers Club, assigning me a Voyager number, and matching my Azamara Discoverer status (equivalent to Elite on Celebrity) to their Diamond level.  Per recommendation on these boards I avoided using my Elite status for my status match enrollment as MSC has reportedly only matched Elite to their Gold level.

 

Screwy, isn't it !  But, one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth (where in the world did that phrase come from??).

 

I'm now "Diamond" as well with them, after resubmitting with new (Azamara) info. I'm pleased that it went through. Cheryl, on the other hand, is apparently stuck with Gold. That's ok, she can ride along on my coattails 😉

 

Tom

 

(EDIT... ok.. had to Google it: Don't question the value of a gift. The proverb refers to the practice of evaluating the age of a horse by looking at its teeth. This practice is also the source of the expression “long in the tooth,” meaning old.)

[terrydtx]

10 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

While the service in the MSC Yacht Club is very good, the food is terrible. I would take Celebrity main dining room food over what was served in the Yacht Club.

I have seen way too many who have sailed in the MSC yacht. club say the same about the food. This is one thing that keeps us from looking at them as an option to Celebrity's retreat. The other is the mega size of their ships with YC, even with the YC separation you still have to put up with 1000's of passengers outside of YC.  We did a cruise on the Allure of the Seas with RCL and it was one and done on any mega ship that size.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Screwy, isn't it !  But, one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth (where in the world did that phrase come from??).

This might answer this.

Origins of Sayings - Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth (trivia-library.com)

[Stem to Stern]

2 hours ago, Kteacher said:

I plan on doing a comparison on the MSC board. I’ve received so much great information here, hoping to do the same for someone else.

Looking forward to this.  When are you going?

[Kteacher]

2 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Looking forward to this.  When are you going?

We’re sailing 6/18 out of NYC. While it’s not the most exciting itinerary I’m looking forward to checking out MSC’s private island. We also really enjoy sea days, which will give us more time to enjoy the ship.

[jcpc]

I have also booked a cruise on MSC from NYC.  Sailing in September.  Booked a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite.  I've seen MSC ships in previous ports of call and was always interested in trying one.  The increase in Retreat pricing on Celebrity has made that decision for me.  A comparable sailing on Celebrity in a Sky Suite priced out at $9090 (plus airfare to Fort Lauderdale and one night pre-hotel).  My MSC cruise priced out at $5606 (leaving from Brooklyn NY which is a 2 hour drive for us).  After sailing almost exclusively with Celebrity since 1990 it's time to see what MSC is all about.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

56 minutes ago, jcpc said:

I have also booked a cruise on MSC from NYC.  Sailing in September.  Booked a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite.  I've seen MSC ships in previous ports of call and was always interested in trying one.  The increase in Retreat pricing on Celebrity has made that decision for me.  A comparable sailing on Celebrity in a Sky Suite priced out at $9090 (plus airfare to Fort Lauderdale and one night pre-hotel).  My MSC cruise priced out at $5606 (leaving from Brooklyn NY which is a 2 hour drive for us).  After sailing almost exclusively with Celebrity since 1990 it's time to see what MSC is all about.

 

I'd be OK stepping out of my comfort zone with an extra 3-4K in my pocket. Those rate differences are about what I'm seeing down here in Florida on a few different sailings too.

 

Tom

[jcpc]

11 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I'd be OK stepping out of my comfort zone with an extra 3-4K in my pocket. Those rate differences are about what I'm seeing down here in Florida on a few different sailings too.

 

Tom

I also did the MSC status match and matched to Diamond status as I’m Zenith with Celebrity.  The Diamond status did give me a slight discount on the price - nothing earth shattering but it was more than the Celebrity discount for Zenith bookings as Celebrity doesn’t offer any discounts based on Captains Club level.  I’m looking forward to my MSC sailing.

[RichYak]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:44 PM, RichYak said:

The 5% + 5% discount is currently an issue. I didn't receive it, I'm sure I will, but I booked this cruise in person at a travel trade show on Saturday. They didn't apply the discounts.  It was an MSC booth filled with what I thought were MSC employees, but it was actually a travel agency. Rookie mistake by me not realizing that.

 

Bottom line, I need to track down the particular agent that did the booking to add the discounts (no one else can) and I didn't get her name. I'm working on finding her contact info.

Agent found. Issue resolved. Discount will be applied.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think I've asked this before, but with MSC --- the military discount (a flat 10%), can that be combined with the Diamond, or other discounts? (too good to be true, so probably not)

 

Also - does that military discount apply to any sailing/category?

 

.. and what about benefits if booking in advance (12+months)?

 

Tom

[PRH]

We’ve done both Celebrity and MSC suites and YC is, in my mind, a better value—especially if the MSC private island is on the itinerary.  Yes, the YC cabins are smaller but the “public” spaces are larger and cohesive.  Other than a few entrees, the food was pretty good—the pastas, risottos and pizza are incredible!    Given Celebrity’s outrageous pricing lately, we would definitely go MSC YC.  We’ve done six MSC cruises—Caribbean, Mediterranean and East Coast.  Their private island is gorgeous and the Island Club for YC is fantastic.

[chisoxfan]

19 hours ago, jcpc said:

I have also booked a cruise on MSC from NYC.  Sailing in September.  Booked a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite.  I've seen MSC ships in previous ports of call and was always interested in trying one.  The increase in Retreat pricing on Celebrity has made that decision for me.  A comparable sailing on Celebrity in a Sky Suite priced out at $9090 (plus airfare to Fort Lauderdale and one night pre-hotel).  My MSC cruise priced out at $5606 (leaving from Brooklyn NY which is a 2 hour drive for us).  After sailing almost exclusively with Celebrity since 1990 it's time to see what MSC is all about.

That is a no brainer IMHO. You will enjoy the stocked refrig, entertainment in YC Lounge, access to spa and I am jealous that you will get to try their private island. We booked a 'discounted' SS on Ascent at a 

'fire sale' price of 5800 and I honestly am still considering an MSC YC option.

Actually,  Pre Covid, MSC YC was around 3800-4200 for a week so even the new YC price shocked me when I started looking to travel again last year. Looking at other mid line cruise suites YC remains a real bargain.

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 minute ago, chisoxfan said:

That is a no brainer IMHO. You will enjoy the stocked refrig, entertainment in YC Lounge, access to spa and I am jealous that you will get to try their private island. We booked a 'discounted' SS on Ascent at a 

'fire sale' price of 5800 and I honestly am still considering an MSC YC option.

Actually,  Pre Covid, MSC YC was around 3800-4200 for a week so even the new YC price shocked me when I started looking to travel again last year. Looking at other mid line cruise suites YC remains a real bargain.

 

 

Yep - it seems that many Royal and Celebrity suites have gone up as much as 50% in the last couple of years... and, with BCC now offering me 10% off instead of 60%, I'm pushing away from the table. The odd thing is, when BCC quotes me a rate at 10% off, it's 10% off the high rate which nobody pays - and ends up being MORE than what I can get just booking online. The ONLY advantage is the deposit is refundable with BCC bookings.

 

Tom

[George C]

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I think I've asked this before, but with MSC --- the military discount (a flat 10%), can that be combined with the Diamond, or other discounts? (too good to be true, so probably not)

 

Also - does that military discount apply to any sailing/category?

 

.. and what about benefits if booking in advance (12+months)?

 

Tom

No, we got the ten percent off, didn’t get a additional 5 percent to match our diamond status, but the match did give us a dinner in specialty restaurant.