Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club: A Live Perspective

[George C]

I think there is no comparison with yacht club against non E class . We are really looking forward to returning to yacht club on seaside . Also very happy MSc will sail from Galveston starting next year in November.

[jcpc]

1 hour ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

He essentially said the same thing everybody else does on here (and elsewhere digitally)...the Retreat is a far superior experience on Edge-class ships and they're doing the best they can on the older ships.

@FamilyAtSea.travelThank you so much for posting your comparisons.  I tend to agree with just about all your observations.  I've sailed almost exclusively (and quite extensively) on Celebrity since the cruise line's inception but have recently (within the past 2 years) switched my "suite sailings" to MSC for the Yacht Club experience.

 

I have to say that I disagree that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships is superior to the Retreat experience on M-Class and S-Class ships.  I have sailed extensively on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships and I found, without a doubt, that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships was definitely lacking.  There are just TOO many suites on E-Class ships to be able to afford any type of "personalized service" to occupants of suites.  When I've sailed on both M and S class ships, the service was much more warm and personalized in both the Retreat Lounge and Luminae.  Luminae on E-Class ships is, in my mind, similar to the main dining room -- no personalized service at all as compared to M and S class ships.  On M and S class ships all crew members in Retreat "knew your name".....on E class ships this was not the case......you're not a name you're a number.

 

All that said, I much prefer MSC Yacht Club experience to any Celebrity Retreat experience I've had during the past 5 years.  However, I prefer the general ambiance (outside of Retreat/YC Area) of Celebrity ships vs the general ambiance of MSC ships.  I sail exclusively YC on MSC however I continue to sail on Celebrity (but not in Retreat class anymore!)

Edited June 11 by jcpc

[PTC DAWG]

19 minutes ago, jcpc said:

 

 

All that said, I much prefer MSC Yacht Club experience to any Celebrity Retreat experience I've had during the past 5 years.  However, I prefer the general ambiance (outside of Retreat/YC Area) of Celebrity ships vs the general ambiance of MSC ships.  I sail exclusively YC on MSC however I continue to sail on Celebrity (but not in Retreat class anymore!)

My exact thoughts

[billc23]

44 minutes ago, jcpc said:

@FamilyAtSea.travel

 

I have to say that I disagree that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships is superior to the Retreat experience on M-Class and S-Class ships.  I have sailed extensively on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships and I found, without a doubt, that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships was definitely lacking.  There are just TOO many suites on E-Class ships to be able to afford any type of "personalized service" to occupants of suites.  When I've sailed on both M and S class ships, the service was much more warm and personalized in both the Retreat Lounge and Luminae.  Luminae on E-Class ships is, in my mind, similar to the main dining room -- no personalized service at all as compared to M and S class ships.  On M and S class ships all crew members in Retreat "knew your name".....on E class ships this was not the case......you're not a name you're a number.

 

I've been beating that drum for a while. Even in the PH on the Ascent there was little personal service/recognition like we experience on M/S class ships. Luminae is banquet style cooked food. The Retreat only is similar to  true Luxury lines in price... I'm looking to an extended family trip on MSC YC in July.

[cbfb]

5 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

OUR ROOMS:

 

---

 

Celebrity Equinox: 

 

We're currently sailing in an Aqua Sky Suite that had a price of $11k for 9 days (after port fees and taxes), broken down, that's a rate of $1,222/night.

 

In addition to the typical Retreat Amenities, this also included access to the Persian Garden thermal spa + fitness classes and some fitness items in our room that we haven't used.

 

The room is slightly larger than a standard balcony room and the extra space has been nice, but we're not the type to really care about our room so extra space isn't a big selling point for us.

 

 

 

 

MSC Seascape/Seashore:

 

The two ships we sailed on MSC are nearly identical so moving forward I'll simply refer to MSC Seascape, but understand we actually sailed on both side-by-side.

 

The price for both of these sailings was $7k (after taxes and fees), or $1k/night...roughly 20% cheaper than our sailing on the Equinox.

 

We were in a Deluxe Suite in the Yacht Club. This was a similar room to the Aqua Sky Suite we're currently sailing in.

 

 

 

 

---

 

The main differentiating points between the rooms are listed below:

 

• As the Seascape is a newer ship, the room had a more modern design and amenities (we don't care too much about the design beyond the first impressions, but it has no impact on our sleep/showering...the main things we use our room for).
   
• Our SS on Deck 12 of the Equinox had an overhang directly over the balcony - one way to look at this is that you get shade, but another is that you don't get much sunlight and it impacts sight lines. We rarely use our balcony so this didn't really impact us either way, so this is simply a data point. (picture of overhang below for reference)
   
• The SS on the Equinox has a bathroom with shower that has a half glass enclosure toward the front + shower curtain on toward the back. This means less light but hasn't been a big deal. The Seascape had a standing shower w/ glass enclosure.
   
• On the Seascape, we had a button we could press that would trigger a light outside the room to show our room steward when we were requesting room service (or requesting they Do Not Disturb). On the Equinox you use a door magnet instead.
   
• The Equinox does not require a room card to be inserted to use lights/power in the room, but the Seascape did (and if you left a key in the door when you left, the steward would remove it).
   
• The only power outlets available in our SS on the Equinox are by mirror across from the bed + in the bathroom. On the Seascape, one side of the bed (but not both) had a USB-A outlet + a wireless charging pad in addition to the outlets.

 

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Advantage: Seascape (but the Equinox rooms don't fall far behind)

 

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Picture of the balcony overhang above our room on Deck 12.

 

 

Do you have any pictures of the balcony of the YC suite? 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, jcpc said:

I have to say that I disagree that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships is superior to the Retreat experience on M-Class and S-Class ships.  I have sailed extensively on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships and I found, without a doubt, that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships was definitely lacking.  There are just TOO many suites on E-Class ships to be able to afford any type of "personalized service" to occupants of suites.  When I've sailed on both M and S class ships, the service was much more warm and personalized in both the Retreat Lounge and Luminae.  Luminae on E-Class ships is, in my mind, similar to the main dining room -- no personalized service at all as compared to M and S class ships.  On M and S class ships all crew members in Retreat "knew your name".....on E class ships this was not the case......you're not a name you're a number.

I agree with this 100%. The Retreat on E-class is by no means a "retreat" from crowds. On my one and only Edge sailing, I spent time by the main pool to get away from the crowds on the Retreat sundeck.

 

MSC is inching in that same direction with its "World" class ships, with a reduction in YC space per passenger. Not nearly as bad as Celebrity E-class, but something to note. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

13 minutes ago, cbfb said:

Do you have any pictures of the balcony of the YC suite? 

I posted this one higher up that shows the furniture. 

 

I can pull some other footage that shows a higher perspective looking out if that would be helpful! 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

6 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I agree with this 100%. The Retreat on E-class is by no means a "retreat" from crowds. On my one and only Edge sailing, I spent time by the main pool to get away from the crowds on the Retreat sundeck.

 

MSC is inching in that same direction with its "World" class ships, with a reduction in YC space per passenger. Not nearly as bad as Celebrity E-class, but something to note. 

We're in the YC on the World America in May next year so I'll see it if true, but hopefully it won't be!

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I finally caught up with Richard (Retreat Manager) and what he told me was essentially what you just described.

 

There are times he makes himself available (i.e. the Sail Away event), but that isn't the same thing as actively seeking guests out like the YC Directors do.

 

He essentially said the same thing everybody else does on here (and elsewhere digitally)...the Retreat is a far superior experience on Edge-class ships and they're doing the best they can on the older ships.

As far as I know, YC Director and Retreat Manger are very different jobs. My understanding is that the YC Director is like the Hotel Director for all of YC. Everyone in YC ultimately reports to him. I'm not sure exactly what the Retreat Manager's job is. The concierges and butlers work for him. The room stewards don't. No one in Luminae works for him. 

 

After only one sailing in YC on MSC, I could see how inefficiently run the Retreat was, possibly because of these varying reporting lines.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

1 hour ago, jcpc said:

@FamilyAtSea.travelThank you so much for posting your comparisons.  I tend to agree with just about all your observations.  I've sailed almost exclusively (and quite extensively) on Celebrity since the cruise line's inception but have recently (within the past 2 years) switched my "suite sailings" to MSC for the Yacht Club experience.

 

I have to say that I disagree that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships is superior to the Retreat experience on M-Class and S-Class ships.  I have sailed extensively on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships and I found, without a doubt, that the Retreat experience on E-Class ships was definitely lacking.  There are just TOO many suites on E-Class ships to be able to afford any type of "personalized service" to occupants of suites.  When I've sailed on both M and S class ships, the service was much more warm and personalized in both the Retreat Lounge and Luminae.  Luminae on E-Class ships is, in my mind, similar to the main dining room -- no personalized service at all as compared to M and S class ships.  On M and S class ships all crew members in Retreat "knew your name".....on E class ships this was not the case......you're not a name you're a number.

 

All that said, I much prefer MSC Yacht Club experience to any Celebrity Retreat experience I've had during the past 5 years.  However, I prefer the general ambiance (outside of Retreat/YC Area) of Celebrity ships vs the general ambiance of MSC ships.  I sail exclusively YC on MSC however I continue to sail on Celebrity (but not in Retreat class anymore!)

I'm going to summarize my thoughts at the end, but you pretty much described exactly what I'm going to say. 

 

The YC is fantastic but everything else about MSC is crowded and overwhelming. 

 

We will never sail MSC outside the YC, but the YC is a fantastic experience and with young kids the luxury ships aren't appealing to us so MSC is a great hybrid of family fun with an enclave to retreat to in the YC.

[sverigecruiser]

9 minutes ago, RichYak said:

 

MSC is inching in that same direction with its "World" class ships, with a reduction in YC space per passenger. Not nearly as bad as Celebrity E-class, but something to note. 

 

We cruised on the MSC World Europa last summer and didn't thought that the YC-areas were crowded. Always excellent service.

[cbfb]

9 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I posted this one higher up that shows the furniture. 

 

I can pull some other footage that shows a higher perspective looking out if that would be helpful! 

 

Thank you I must have missed that. I was hoping for more comfortable furniture on the balcony! 

[DaKahuna]

5 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

the Retreat is a far superior experience on Edge-class ships and they're doing the best they can on the older ships.

 

 I guess it is a matter of opinion.  Our favorite Retreat Lounge is the Michael's Club on the non-Revolutionized ships.  In fact I am very much looking forward to this experience again on our Solstice sailing next April.  

 

 We have only sailed once on the Edge class and that was the Edge in February/March 2020.  We did not like the lounge that much.  There was no bar, you had to wait until a server came around to order a drink, and we though the furniture in the lounge itself was a little uncomfortable, the same way we feel about the lounge on the Revolutionized ships.  

 

 

[Cruise Junky]

Wonderful comparison. Thank you. 

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Thank you - that's exactly what I was about to go check...to see if I put the wrong name or if he read it wrong, since I haven't reviewed Luminae yet!

 

 If I remember correctly, there are windows there with a view out to the Entertainment deck.  They are usually shades or curtains that cover them, which was one of the things that make the Michael's Club seem dark.  On our Silhouette sailing, they had the blinds open a couple of times that I remember.   On our Reflection B2B, they never were open.  

 

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, George C said:

. We are really looking forward to returning to yacht club on seaside .

 

 We are sailing in the YC on Seaside in September.  Looking forward to it.  Only our second MSC cruise, with Divina being the first.  

 

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, cbfb said:

Thank you I must have missed that. I was hoping for more comfortable furniture on the balcony! 

 

 We actually found the chairs to be quite comfortable.  We enjoyed just sitting on our balcony watching the sky go by.  I guess it helps that neither of us are big recliner fans. 

 

 

[mica178]

I've read that you can request that the butler replace the two chairs with a lounge chair in YC, if having a lounge chair matters to you. I haven't tried it myself.

[cbfb]

20 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We actually found the chairs to be quite comfortable.  We enjoyed just sitting on our balcony watching the sky go by.  I guess it helps that neither of us are big recliner fans. 

 

 

It must. I haven’t heard anyone say the chairs are comfortable. I wish I felt the same. 

[lkj1301]

Thank you for your comparison.  We've never sailed on MSC, usually Celebrity & NCL depending on price & itinerary.  Lately its been Haven or a suite.  I've always "heard" negative remarks about MSC, but now I will look at the YC.  

Thank you so much.

 

Lorie

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I guess it is a matter of opinion.  Our favorite Retreat Lounge is the Michael's Club on the non-Revolutionized ships.  In fact I am very much looking forward to this experience again on our Solstice sailing next April.  

 

 We have only sailed once on the Edge class and that was the Edge in February/March 2020.  We did not like the lounge that much.  There was no bar, you had to wait until a server came around to order a drink, and we though the furniture in the lounge itself was a little uncomfortable, the same way we feel about the lounge on the Revolutionized ships.  

 

 

 

John,

I have to agree with you.   Actually the Edge Class Retreat experiences as of late have pushed us away from Celebrity to Oceania and SilverSea.   

 

In my humble opinion Celebrity has not implemented Retreat well on the E-Class and service, personal touch and individually cooked meals in Luminae is suffering (almost institutional banquet style)

 

I would try MSC Yacht Club but - 

 

Hearing and reading reports of what the experience is outside the enclave is worrisome.   Because of this I haven't gotten any traction in trying to convince Iain to give them a try.

 

This wonderful comparison may give me some ammunition.

[Cap_D]

6 hours ago, RichYak said:

As far as I know, YC Director and Retreat Manger are very different jobs. My understanding is that the YC Director is like the Hotel Director for all of YC. Everyone in YC ultimately reports to him. I'm not sure exactly what the Retreat Manager's job is. The concierges and butlers work for him. The room stewards don't. No one in Luminae works for him. 

 

After only one sailing in YC on MSC, I could see how inefficiently run the Retreat was, possibly because of these varying reporting lines.

@RichYak terrific point and one you made a few weeks ago that I forgot to acknowledge.   The downside is the customer shoulders more responsibility in Retreat than they should have to in order to get a full Retreat experience.  

[Lena11033]

59 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I would try MSC Yacht Club but - 

 

Hearing and reading reports of what the experience is outside the enclave is worrisome.   Because of this I haven't gotten any traction in trying to convince Iain to give them a try.

 

When I was on last year I was talking to a guy from France who normally did Ponant. He was trying MSC for the first time while his husband stayed home (he didn't like the size its pretty big/too many people) but he said to me he'd do MSC again as long as it was YC.

 

Neither of us did activities we did walking a lot around the outside and theatre shows in evening (not everyone's taste as they are catering for multiple languages) or we went off the ship for excursions. We were the quiet ones listening to the music in the lounge, talking (or practicing language skills as he tried English and me try French) and having drinks not partying.

[mac_tlc]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I guess it is a matter of opinion.  Our favorite Retreat Lounge is the Michael's Club on the non-Revolutionized ships.  In fact I am very much looking forward to this experience again on our Solstice sailing next April.  

 

 We have only sailed once on the Edge class and that was the Edge in February/March 2020.  We did not like the lounge that much.  There was no bar, you had to wait until a server came around to order a drink, and we though the furniture in the lounge itself was a little uncomfortable, the same way we feel about the lounge on the Revolutionized ships.  

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to do a detailed review, with some context so folks can evaluate the importance of different items to their cruising style.

 

I guess I'll be the contrarian here, as I seem to be on a number of discussions like this.  We thought that the Retreat Lounge on Equinox was uninviting, with no windows. We like the E-class retreat lounge with the floor to ceiling windows, and on Beyond/Ascent it's on both sides. The sundeck areas on Equinox are truly an afterthought and shoe-horned into an existing space and do not compare at all to the E-class, particularly Beyond/Ascent two level sundecks.  It's difficult when the ship was already designed and built.

 

The one big thing Luminae has going for it on S-class is that you can also order off the MDR menus. Some nights that's a big deal. 

 

I guess we are that concerned whether the staff knows us by name or not. 

 

We are looking forward to our Silhouette Retreat sailing in 4/2026, but are also looking forward to spending Thanksgiving on Beyond this year in a SS. Both are less than $390 pppd. 

 

For our 2025 summer family cruise, X is not on the radar since the grandkids are 12 and 7. We wanted to do the Symphony of the Seas -- and considered the 4-bdr Villa Suite (for about 5 minutes). It's $39K for a week for 8. Even a genie ain't worth that much! With the Wonder of the Seas running over $6K for a Junior Suite for 2, we are going to investigate the MSC Meraviglia out of NY. YC is about $5400 for 2 -- although I'd be lying if I said we were not concerned with the non-YC experience. . We enjoy the casino and shows, again on E-class the shows are wonderful. But we will never know if we don't try it and experience it for ourselves.

 

To us the price is the wild card. We are not paying $1K/night for any of them, regardless of line. 

 

 

mac_tlc 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 11 by mac_tlc

[George C]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

John,

I have to agree with you.   Actually the Edge Class Retreat experiences as of late have pushed us away from Celebrity to Oceania and SilverSea.   

 

In my humble opinion Celebrity has not implemented Retreat well on the E-Class and service, personal touch and individually cooked meals in Luminae is suffering (almost institutional banquet style)

 

I would try MSC Yacht Club but - 

 

Hearing and reading reports of what the experience is outside the enclave is worrisome.   Because of this I haven't gotten any traction in trying to convince Iain to give them a try.

 

This wonderful comparison may give me some ammunition.

We liked went outside the retreat often , some really good shows - they have reserved seats for YC and butler will escort you if you like . Also went to listen to music and other venues and they had a nice large sports bar . Best pizza in there buffet but you can get that delivered to your cabin. There private island is also very nice and there was waiter service for lunch , had a delicious lobster roll.