Celebrity Retreat vs MSC Yacht Club: A Live Perspective

[Dock B]

DW wanted me to interrupt this most wonderful live-from comparison (thank you so much @FamilyAtSea.travel for sharing your observations and experiences), with a photo of a YC Salted Caramel Expresso Martini, her favorite!!

 

 

Now, please continue with the reports and conversations; thank you for allowing DW to reminisce…

[jcpc]

4 hours 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.

 

This wonderful comparison may give me some ammunition.

Jim,

 

I think you might enjoy Yacht Club.  We do venture out to see some of the production shows and visit the casino but for the most part after dinner we spend most of the evening in the Top Sail Lounge.

Edited June 12 by jcpc

[PTC DAWG]

11 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Jim,

 

I think you might enjoy Yacht Club.  We do venture out to see some of the production shows and visit the casino but for the most part after dinner we spend most of the evening in the Top Sail Lounge.

Agreed, very relaxing 

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

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)

 

 We feel exactly the same way.  My DW is looking forward to sailing on Solstice next April and was very happy when I informed her it had the Michael's Club instead of the Retreat Lounge.  We like to relax in there or, depending on who's entertaining, just outside at the Ensemble Lounge.  

 

4 hours 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.

 

 As you know we did the YC on Divina this past February and loved it.  My DW was not a big fan of the food but she is a very picky eater and sometimes has problems at shore based restaurants as well.  

 We did not spend our time exclusively in the YC.  I did my time in the casino as well as other venue's around the ship.  Even ventured into the theater a couple of times.  Yes, multiple venues were very crowded, yes people did not share the American sense of personal space, but we found that we go good service and could always find a place to sit even if it was at a less popular venue outside the YC.  However, having the tranquility of the Top Sail Lounge to retreat back to was comforting.  Knowing of your and Iian's fondness of having discussions with other guest aboard the ship, I think you'll find the YC a very nice place to sit and enjoy quiet conversations.  Also I am sure Iian will find a number of beverages to his liking. 

 

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

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 wish I could take the credit but this is @FamilyAtSea.travel who is doing this detailed review. 

 

[mac_tlc]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I wish I could take the credit but this is @FamilyAtSea.travel who is doing this detailed review. 

 

I know, sorta of a misplaced quotation I guess. Wanted to give an alternate view of E class retreat while still thanking @FamilyAtSea.travel for the review. 
 

mac_tlc

[Stem to Stern]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

However, having the tranquility of the Top Sail Lounge to retreat back to was comforting.  Knowing of your and Iian's fondness of having discussions with other guest aboard the ship, I think you'll find the YC a very nice place to sit and enjoy quiet conversations.  Also I am sure Iian will find a number of beverages to his liking. 

Sorry, John.  But my reply to you turned into a long-ish ramble.

 

Reading John’s comment and reading along here with the perspective of @FamilyAtSea.travel and other commenters is triggering memories of tranquil times in the Top Sail lounge on board MSC Seascape last December.
 

One mid-morning at sea comes to mind when a fellow passenger struck up a conversation with me.  We ended up chatting at great length about our shared passion for cruising and how her experiences have evolved over the years from family vacations with ther children on Royal Caribbean ships to empty nest getaways with just her husband in the Yacht Club.  
 

It is astounding how a conversation between two strangers can unfold and carry on at such great length when passengers are treated to the TSL’s plush comfort, commanding forward view, and great service.  Oh, and yes, the waitperson just kept bringing us the fresh cups of coffee continuously.  While sitting there chatting with my new friend I nearly forgot I was on a 5,000+ passenger ship.😉

 

I have a couple of other random comments/chime-ins/ramblings regarding the above conversation so far.  
 

Yes, I would agree that I never found the pool deck in the YC to be crowded.

 

I have not been wrapped up in the Butlergate discussion, but I get that one just expects to receive everything they signed up for with the suite booking.  Personally, I do not make extensive use of their services.  
 

Although it was nice to have The Retreat Concierge offer to call the Luminae Maitre D to alert him that we were thinking of heading there, that was about the extent of it.  
 

The MSC Butler Experience was a whole other world for me.  Just as one example, for our ship-sponsored excursion she escorted us from TSL all the way to the meeting point in the port area in Puerto Plata.  My jaw was on the pier as we walked with her.  Others have reported their butlers to be non-existent, so YMMV.
 

The fact that The Retreat is not a self-contained enclave is irrelevant to me because I find Celebrity’s vessels easy to navigate and I enjoy wandering through all of the gorgeous venues throughout the ships.😍

 

Do I have to sail in The Retreat to sail on Celebrity?  No.  

Is it Yacht Club or nothing on MSC?  You bet your Salted Caramel Espresso Martini it’s gonna be YC.

 

For perspective, my tastes of the suite-life have been served in small bites but I have savored each and every morsel.  I have not yet sailed on an Edge-class vessel, but I will soon.  I will be In a Sunset Verandah on Beyond because The Retreat prices were stratospheric.  I am looking forward to the multiple main dining room concept.

 

My Short List of Suite Caribbean Indulgences

- 2016 Silhouette S1 Corner Aft Sky Suite

- 2021 Equinox S2 Aft Sky Suite

- 2023 Summit S1 Sky Suite

- 2023 MSC Seascape YC Interior

- 2026 Silhouette SS Sky Suite
 

Food remains a subjective topic.  For me the busy YC Restaurant was just okay.  I found the food and service lackluster.  I have a great appreciation for the overall Luminae experience.  The Luminae team is top-notch.  The restaurant is intimate and drop-dead gorgeous.  I enjoy Luminae’s culinary offerings even if I do have to read the words “Pigs Feet Carpaccio” on the menu and brown sauces are in abundance.  For my husband and I The Retreat is an infrequent treat, so when we have access to The Retreat amenities on a sailing it is unlikely that we are going to skip included meals at Luminae in favor of for-fee specialty dining.  In December our friends in an Aquaclass Sky Suite joined us for most of our meals in Luminae and we all perused and selected from the Blu and Main Dining Room menus if the Luminae offerings were unappealing.

 

My inaugural suite experience on Silhouette featured the pre-revolutionized Michael’s Club.  Rich, dark woods and plush, velvety seating really did speak “club” when you walked in.  There was a gorgeous, three-sided wrap-around bar with a generous number of barstools.  And let’s lament for a moment the full-sized, self-serve coolers along the wall that were stocked with non-alcoholic beverages and a nice variety of bottled beers.

 

The Retreat Lounge on board Equinox is particularly awkward and uninviting as can be determined from the pics previously posted here.  The L-shaped room consists of a long-ish corridor of seating followed by a sharp right turn toward the tiny bar area consisting of only four (maybe five) barstools, weird booth seating along the opposite wall, and silly little seating groupings plopped in the middle of the room.  I do not even think it matches the sub-standard of airport lounge ambiance.  Also, did Equinox’s lounge shrink during the revolution or was it always this small?  I definitely remember how cramped it seemed compared to Silhouette’s Michael’s Club.

 

More recently The Retreat Lounge on Summit offered a more spacious venue that better lended itself to larger gatherings such as the Officers’ Soirée which featured live music and meet-and-greet opportunities with the Master of the Vessel.  But the smallish chairs, large-screen television, and sterile color palette created a rather IKEA-meets-IBM vibe.  And there is no bar to belly-up to if that is your thing.  Plenty of nosh offerings.

 

As my cruising habits steer toward a more port-intensive number-of-hours-in-port approach, the suite life may become less and less of a consideration for me.  But as @mac_tlc seemed to allude to above, if one can jump on a 7 to 11 night Caribbean sailing from Port Everglades in The Retreat at an acceptable fare with flights not required well then sign me up.  See you in April 2026!😂

 

Edited June 12 by Stem to Stern

[gfkcruiser]

17 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.  

 

 

We were in our first suite on the Beyond for 10 days.  There is a bar in the retreat lounge and on pool deck.  
 

[DaKahuna]

9 minutes ago, gfkcruiser said:

We were in our first suite on the Beyond for 10 days.  There is a bar in the retreat lounge and on pool deck.  
 

 

 Yes, I am aware that there is a bar in the Retreat Lounge on Beyond.  Let me know how you like it. 

[George C]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Yes, I am aware that there is a bar in the Retreat Lounge on Beyond.  Let me know how you like it. 

Love staff and bartenders in both retreat bars on beyond, remember ordering a pina colada with kraken rum , with a kraken topper . 

[gfkcruiser]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Yes, I am aware that there is a bar in the Retreat Lounge on Beyond.  Let me know how you like it. 

Was great!   Bartenders were exceptional.  Booked Ascent suite for February, 2026. I don’t think I would spend the money for a suite on a S class.  The separate pool in the retreat area is factor for me. 

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, George C said:

Love staff and bartenders in both retreat bars on beyond, remember ordering a pina colada with kraken rum , with a kraken topper . 

 

 A great drink if I do say so myself. 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, jcpc said:

Jim,

 

I think you might enjoy Yacht Club.  We do venture out to see some of the production shows and visit the casino but for the most part after dinner we spend most of the evening in the Top Sail Lounge.

I'll keep working on Iain.   Looks like the next booking may be on Regent Seven Sea.    They have a Africa cruise that has me really itching to book. 

[hcat]

While cruising on ASCENT in January....we were berthed opposite  a HUGE MSC ship..on St Kitts

 

 What a crowded nightmare it was walking down the pier back to the ship.. Might be nice in an exclusive enclave once on board but way too many people (and kiddos) for us..

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 

 What a crowded nightmare it was walking down the pier back to the ship.. Might be nice in an exclusive enclave once on board but way too many people (and kiddos) for us..

 

 The MSC Divina, the only one we have sailed so far, as has passenger capacity of around 3500 guess.  The MSC Seascape, which we will be sailing in September, has a capacity of around 5100 passengers.   They are not small! 

 

 In comparison, the Reflection has a passenger capacity around 3000 and the Ascent has a passenger capacity of a little over 3200 passengers. 

 

 

 

[mnocket]

20 hours 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. 

It's a valid concern for many.  Personally, I rarely enjoy my ventures outside of the Yacht Club.  It's simply way too crowded.  It's truly two different worlds.  That said, I enjoy and will continue to book cruises in the Yacht Club.  It's worth a try, especially in a climate where you can take advantage of the outside pool deck, bar and buffet area. It's what cruising is supposed to be. 

[JackE]

9 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry, John.  But my reply to you turned into a long-ish ramble.

 

Reading John’s comment and reading along here with the perspective of @FamilyAtSea.travel and other commenters is triggering memories of tranquil times in the Top Sail lounge on board MSC Seascape last December.
 

One mid-morning at sea comes to mind when a fellow passenger struck up a conversation with me.  We ended up chatting at great length about our shared passion for cruising and how her experiences have evolved over the years from family vacations with ther children on Royal Caribbean ships to empty nest getaways with just her husband in the Yacht Club.  
 

It is astounding how a conversation between two strangers can unfold and carry on at such great length when passengers are treated to the TSL’s plush comfort, commanding forward view, and great service.  Oh, and yes, the waitperson just kept bringing us the fresh cups of coffee continuously.  While sitting there chatting with my new friend I nearly forgot I was on a 5,000+ passenger ship.😉

 

I have a couple of other random comments/chime-ins/ramblings regarding the above conversation so far.  
 

Yes, I would agree that I never found the pool deck in the YC to be crowded.

 

I have not been wrapped up in the Butlergate discussion, but I get that one just expects to receive everything they signed up for with the suite booking.  Personally, I do not make extensive use of their services.  
 

Although it was nice to have The Retreat Concierge offer to call the Luminae Maitre D to alert him that we were thinking of heading there, that was about the extent of it.  
 

The MSC Butler Experience was a whole other world for me.  Just as one example, for our ship-sponsored excursion she escorted us from TSL all the way to the meeting point in the port area in Puerto Plata.  My jaw was on the pier as we walked with her.  Others have reported their butlers to be non-existent, so YMMV.
 

The fact that The Retreat is not a self-contained enclave is irrelevant to me because I find Celebrity’s vessels easy to navigate and I enjoy wandering through all of the gorgeous venues throughout the ships.😍

 

Do I have to sail in The Retreat to sail on Celebrity?  No.  

Is it Yacht Club or nothing on MSC?  You bet your Salted Caramel Espresso Martini it’s gonna be YC.

 

For perspective, my tastes of the suite-life have been served in small bites but I have savored each and every morsel.  I have not yet sailed on an Edge-class vessel, but I will soon.  I will be In a Sunset Verandah on Beyond because The Retreat prices were stratospheric.  I am looking forward to the multiple main dining room concept.

 

My Short List of Suite Caribbean Indulgences

- 2016 Silhouette S1 Corner Aft Sky Suite

- 2021 Equinox S2 Aft Sky Suite

- 2023 Summit S1 Sky Suite

- 2023 MSC Seascape YC Interior

- 2026 Silhouette SS Sky Suite
 

Food remains a subjective topic.  For me the busy YC Restaurant was just okay.  I found the food and service lackluster.  I have a great appreciation for the overall Luminae experience.  The Luminae team is top-notch.  The restaurant is intimate and drop-dead gorgeous.  I enjoy Luminae’s culinary offerings even if I do have to read the words “Pigs Feet Carpaccio” on the menu and brown sauces are in abundance.  For my husband and I The Retreat is an infrequent treat, so when we have access to The Retreat amenities on a sailing it is unlikely that we are going to skip included meals at Luminae in favor of for-fee specialty dining.  In December our friends in an Aquaclass Sky Suite joined us for most of our meals in Luminae and we all perused and selected from the Blu and Main Dining Room menus if the Luminae offerings were unappealing.

 

My inaugural suite experience on Silhouette featured the pre-revolutionized Michael’s Club.  Rich, dark woods and plush, velvety seating really did speak “club” when you walked in.  There was a gorgeous, three-sided wrap-around bar with a generous number of barstools.  And let’s lament for a moment the full-sized, self-serve coolers along the wall that were stocked with non-alcoholic beverages and a nice variety of bottled beers.

 

The Retreat Lounge on board Equinox is particularly awkward and uninviting as can be determined from the pics previously posted here.  The L-shaped room consists of a long-ish corridor of seating followed by a sharp right turn toward the tiny bar area consisting of only four (maybe five) barstools, weird booth seating along the opposite wall, and silly little seating groupings plopped in the middle of the room.  I do not even think it matches the sub-standard of airport lounge ambiance.  Also, did Equinox’s lounge shrink during the revolution or was it always this small?  I definitely remember how cramped it seemed compared to Silhouette’s Michael’s Club.

 

More recently The Retreat Lounge on Summit offered a more spacious venue that better lended itself to larger gatherings such as the Officers’ Soirée which featured live music and meet-and-greet opportunities with the Master of the Vessel.  But the smallish chairs, large-screen television, and sterile color palette created a rather IKEA-meets-IBM vibe.  And there is no bar to belly-up to if that is your thing.  Plenty of nosh offerings.

 

As my cruising habits steer toward a more port-intensive number-of-hours-in-port approach, the suite life may become less and less of a consideration for me.  But as @mac_tlc seemed to allude to above, if one can jump on a 7 to 11 night Caribbean sailing from Port Everglades in The Retreat at an acceptable fare with flights not required well then sign me up.  See you in April 2026!😂

 

@Stem to Stern You better book a cruise between now and April 2026!  

[Stem to Stern]

4 minutes ago, JackE said:

@Stem to Stern You better book a cruise between now and April 2026!  

I know right?!?
 

***Confession Spoiler Alert***

 

I have five more bookings before then, but none of them are in The Retreat or the Yacht Club.
 

I need to book YC before my three years runs out on my MSC Voyagers Club Diamond status match.  Otherwise we will have to have DH do the status match if we ever go back to YC again.  We did not match him intentionally for this purpose.😉

 

I also need to get back in YC because we missed Ocean Cay in December when it was so windy that the port was closed.  We did a nice drive-by though.🤣 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 The MSC Divina, the only one we have sailed so far, as has passenger capacity of around 3500 guess.  The MSC Seascape, which we will be sailing in September, has a capacity of around 5100 passengers.   They are not small! 

 

 In comparison, the Reflection has a passenger capacity around 3000 and the Ascent has a passenger capacity of a little over 3200 passengers. 

 

 

 

The numbers say it all for us.. Walking next to that big MSC ship just across from Ascent was a perfect visual comparison..!

Edited June 12 by hcat

[JackE]

13 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

I know right?!?
 

***Confession Spoiler Alert***

 

I have five more bookings before then, but none of them are in The Retreat or the Yacht Club.
 

I need to book YC before my three years runs out on my MSC Voyagers Club Diamond status match.  Otherwise we will have to have DH do the status match if we ever go back to YC again.  We did not match him intentionally for this purpose.😉

 

I also need to get back in YC because we missed Ocean Cay in December when it was so windy that the port was closed.  We did a nice drive-by though.🤣 

You have me in total suspense! Give, give, give! Which ships/cruise line???

[George C]

Another plus for me at least is MSc gives veterans and some civil service people a ten percent discount on fare . I never get anything from celebrity, although my music cruise charters on celebrity give me ten percent off also I believe. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

16 minutes ago, George C said:

Another plus for me at least is MSc gives veterans and some civil service people a ten percent discount on fare . I never get anything from celebrity, although my music cruise charters on celebrity give me ten percent off also I believe. 

Celebrity does give vets a discount

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/CEL_Military_FLyer.pdf

[George C]

38 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Celebrity does give vets a discount

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/CEL_Military_FLyer.pdf

Wonder if this is similar to rccl discount for suites which I couldn’t get on last two cruises even though I am diamond plus.

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, JackE said:

You have me in total suspense! Give, give, give! Which ships/cruise line???

See my signature.🤓

I have multiple bad influences in the booking department.😬

[Ex-Airbalancer]

52 minutes ago, George C said:

Wonder if this is similar to rccl discount for suites which I couldn’t get on last two cruises even though I am diamond plus.

Never have a problem getting it as long as you ask at time of booking 
I have no idea what a RCCL discount for suites refers to 🤔,

what does being diamond plus have to do with a vet discount 

We also got a vet discount in a balcony on RCL