Retreat Deck & Specialty Dining

[Shellyd22]

Hellooo!
 

I have a 5-night Caribbean cruise on the Beyond booked for April 22, 2024. We don’t cruise very often and decided to splurge on a SS (this was pre butlergate 😅) I was wondering,  how is the Retrest deck was on the Beyond? I’ve read it’s much larger to accommodate the large amount of suite guests, but is it normally packed on sea days? We have two days at sea and I love to lounge by the pool so the private area really appealed to me (last cruise I was on was NCL and I couldn’t find a set of loungers the entire day due to chair hogs 😞) Seriously the whole lay your towel down and leave for hours shouldn’t be allowed, but I digress. I attempted to book a cabana for one of the sea days but in the app it is showing none are available for ANY day. Not sure if they book up that fast or haven’t been released yet, I don’t have any Celebrity  experience. 
 

On another note, does anyone have any recent reviews of the food in Luminae? I’ve heard it was amazing and then mixed reviews and now a lot of negativity. To be honest, my husband and I are foodies so going to dinner is seriously the most exciting part of our day. I have a night booked in Eden and one in Le Voyage. Would anyone recommend booking a third speciality restaurant for dinner or is Luminae good for three nights? Also does anyone know if Raw on 5 is open for lunch on embarkation day?

 

Excited for our vacation! 😁

[jelayne]

You should. Not have trouble finding loungers on the Sun Deck.

You  booked the 2 most popular specialty restaurants,  I would suggest you stick with Luminae for the other nights.  Food is so subjective, I’m not a Luminae fan but that is because I can’t eat fish or seafood so limited choices for me.  DH loves Luminae.

[George C]

Outdoor retreat is definitely crowded but we always were able to find a couple of lounge chairs ,there are staff bringing drinks and fruit , small pool can be crowded but it’s still really nice . Luminae can be hit or miss , our favorite specialty restaurant is definitely Le Petit Chef but didn’t try Le Voyage or Eden but heard both were good. 

[JDPCruisers]

We have not experienced the Retreat on Beyond, yet (booked for April 2024), but have on Edge and Apex and can say that it is one of our favorite experiences. You shouldn't have an issue with finding loungers, more available earlier in the day than during the afternoon but still open ones as the Retreat deck is quite large. In our experience there has been no lounge chair hogs as people tend to stay with them during the time they're there. They have a bar and serve a limited lunch menu, pool-side offerings, which we have found to be quite good. The pool is on the smaller side, but we haven't found any issue with finding space and have enjoyed the swinging chairs over the edge of the pool. Also, they have covered areas with couches and chairs. Very attentive service throughout and only steps away down to the enclosed Retreat lounge which is an excellent space to relax, have a beverage of choice, and continental breakfast in the morning and canapes in the afternoon.

 

Also, we have always enjoyed Luminae for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with excellent service. But, we do augment with specialty restaurants for a different experience with Luminae as our go-to. 

 

IMHO, if your experience will be like ours have been, you should truly enjoy. 

[hcat]

We thought pool area/ bar/dip pool was quite crowded on sea days but could always find a nice quiet lounger in the shade with very attentive service for towels etc. 

 

 Goups of guests hogged parts of the main area, esp around the bar, "covered seats", and lunch tables..Service was very slow for lunch (limited menu) and drinks.  The food itself was tasty!

 

Several couples laid daily claim to the over pool swing seats and  the adjacent ledge..but we managed to work around them to dip in and cool off..

 

On the port day we stayed on board,  it was wonderful up there... We had the place to ourselves .until afternoon when the crowds returned!

 

Good dining choices and don't forget BLU, subject to availability..maybe try it one night.  ENJOY!

[George C]

One big advantage of outdoor retreat is on port days when Luminae is closed for lunch outdoor retreat is still open for lunch , as already said small menu but tasty , chicken sandwiches and burger are two of the items.

[maren91]

Never had an issue finding a lounger in Retreat. Breakfast and lunch were good in Luminae but service was slow. Dinner wasn't great, service was so slow and the menu was lacking in things that appeal to me and ended up going to Blu most nights where the service and food were great.