Celebrity Retreat Class vs Seabourn

[KWW88]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 Damn -- and here I thought the lobster rolls severed at Luminae and the Retreat on Celebrity were the best I ever had. 

If the best lobster roll you have ever had was on a cruise ship, I will guess you have never been to Maine.  🙂

[TrulyBlonde]

7 minutes ago, KWW88 said:

If the best lobster roll you have ever had was on a cruise ship, I will guess you have never been to Maine.  🙂

+1

[cantstopingcruising]

2 hours ago, KWW88 said:

If the best lobster roll you have ever had was on a cruise ship, I will guess you have never been to Maine.  🙂

The very best was in Lunenburg Nova Scotia at a restaurant called the Salt Shaker. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by cantstopingcruising

[KWW88]

2 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

The very best was in Lunenburg Nova Scotia at a restaurant called the Salt Shaker. 

Had a FABULOUS lobster roll at Peggy"s Cove Lobster, maybe 15 years ago, wow so fresh and delicious.

[cantstopingcruising]

32 minutes ago, KWW88 said:

Had a FABULOUS lobster roll at Peggy"s Cove Lobster, maybe 15 years ago, wow so fresh and delicious.

The one we had was on focaccio bread.  I don't like hot dog rolls!

[travelwell]

We have sailed both Seabourn and Celebrity. We would only sail Celebrity if we had our grandchildren. On our 3 Seabourn cruises we have only seen 2 children. Seabourn is a different sort of cruise. Everyone is treated alike and the smallest suites are large. Crew and staff interaction encouraged. We like to eat with different people every night though if you want privacy and to eat by yourselves that is okay. My husband brought a sport coat last cruise and only wore it twice. He mostly wore Docker type slacks and a collared shirt at night.
As for the Cavier in the Surf, it is really more then that. It is a huge barbecue at a private beach serving everything from lobsters, steak etc. We have experienced three of these events. The beach is stunning with kayaks etc, beach chairs and towels. A full bar setup to serve drinks( complementary on Seabourn). It is funny to see the small boat making lots of noise with the horn and seeing the officers arrive, get out in the water and serve the Champaign and Cavier to the really relative few who partake. It does look like ants running to honey but so fun. Our Cavier in the Surf day in Thailand was on of the most memorable days of my life, the beach was just stunning and food fabulous and company great.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 4/5/2021 at 3:40 PM, misterkevin said:

I've considered it, but the itineraries haven't piqued my interest. I've read the MSC YC reviews extensively, and it seems pretty good except for the fact that people tend to think the food is just ok. I think the food and service in Luminae is excellent.

I've done both.  The MSC YC experience is amazing.  They really get the ship within a ship concept.  However, the restaurant is not as good as Luminae and their itineraries are same old, same old, with the exception of their private island which is lovely.  Also, the prices are creeping up to be almost what Celebrity is charging for suites.

[buchhalm]

Hi there. Back on Cruise Critic after a year of hiatus.

Celebrity and Seabourn are, as others have said, a different experience.

A bit like a NICE Toyota vs. a Mercedes.

Both are totally fine. Having sailed on both (and a few others) I would say that Celebrity has the "funkiest" and best quality one of the medium-sized ships. Seabourn is elegance and laid back. No need to pack the tux. "Casual elegance". People with money who do not see the need mentioning this on every opportunity. Very, very good food (and I am fussy!). More than decent beverages are included in the fare as are tips. There seem to be two camps of people on the Seabourn forums. Those who like the "free champagne" and those who think the brand is not fancy enough and those (Americans mostly) who LOVE the line's "celebrity chef", Thomas Keller, and those (pretty much every other nationality) who say that the chef is fine, but the "special" restaurant is a bit like a fancy Sizzler's steakhouse. My wife LOVED the fact that she could have caviar at any time of the day. Nice pics of her in the bath tub with a bottle of champagne and a dish of caviar.

(I have dug myself a hole here) 🙂

Due to the size of the ships, Seabourne can get into smaller ports or further up rivers. There is less in the way of "production shows", but passengers always seem to find something to entertain themselves. We found the service very good on both lines, but of course a lot more personalised on Seabourn.

If money is no option I would go Seabourn vs Celebrity.

[rbtan]

5 hours ago, buchhalm said:

Hi there. Back on Cruise Critic after a year of hiatus.

Celebrity and Seabourn are, as others have said, a different experience.

A bit like a NICE Toyota vs. a Mercedes.

Both are totally fine. Having sailed on both (and a few others) I would say that Celebrity has the "funkiest" and best quality one of the medium-sized ships. Seabourn is elegance and laid back. No need to pack the tux. "Casual elegance". People with money who do not see the need mentioning this on every opportunity. Very, very good food (and I am fussy!). More than decent beverages are included in the fare as are tips. There seem to be two camps of people on the Seabourn forums. Those who like the "free champagne" and those who think the brand is not fancy enough and those (Americans mostly) who LOVE the line's "celebrity chef", Thomas Keller, and those (pretty much every other nationality) who say that the chef is fine, but the "special" restaurant is a bit like a fancy Sizzler's steakhouse. My wife LOVED the fact that she could have caviar at any time of the day. Nice pics of her in the bath tub with a bottle of champagne and a dish of caviar.

(I have dug myself a hole here) 🙂

Due to the size of the ships, Seabourne can get into smaller ports or further up rivers. There is less in the way of "production shows", but passengers always seem to find something to entertain themselves. We found the service very good on both lines, but of course a lot more personalised on Seabourn.

If money is no option I would go Seabourn vs Celebrity.

Just remember that the Caviar is not the Russian/Iranian varieties I had in the Grills  on Cunard in 2008, but generally a farmed variety. Too often it is from Paddlefish, and not a type of Sturgeon.

[DaKahuna]

On 4/6/2021 at 8:33 PM, KWW88 said:

If the best lobster roll you have ever had was on a cruise ship, I will guess you have never been to Maine.  🙂

Actually have done two end of season cruises that included numerous stops in Maine.

maybe it’s the fries, drink, and or sea breeze that come with the ones served on day one, but they are absolutely delicious.