LIVE SIDE-BY-SIDE Celebrity Summit Retreat & Seascape Yacht Club 12/9-21/2023 ~ 1st MSC vs Farewell (?) X Suite Experience

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 minute ago, George C said:

It wasn’t my idea , just got drafted and didn’t fell like moving to Canada 😁

You also get the same 10% off if you are are a Canadian vet 😉

[George C]

14 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

You also get the same 10% off if you are are a Canadian vet 😉

I think police and emt get discount also

[jelayne]

On 12/19/2023 at 8:25 AM, miched said:

 

Wher did you order the onion rings and mozzarella sticks  from?.  I never seen them on the menu in Luminae

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Not sure where they got the onion rings but the MDR lunch menu has mozzarella sticks  a few days during a cruis.  They are pretty good.

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

Not sure where they got the onion rings but the MDR lunch menu has mozzarella sticks  a few days during a cruis.  They are pretty good.

I don’t know if onion rings exist on any menu on board Summit, but they were able to pull it off with 24 hours notice.  They were pretty good, too!😉 

[Ellesor826]

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

They were pretty good, too!

The rings were delicious!
Sharing is Caring!!
Countdown is on for BEYOND

[Stem to Stern]

Today is Thursday, disembarkation day.  Celebrity Summit was cleared and the four of us all disembarked as a group before 7:30am via The Retreat Lounge.  Having deposited our bags just inside the entrance of the lounge at various times before sunrise, I have a feeling Retreat Concierge Eve had a suspicion that we were eager to hit the road.  She discretely gave us the go ahead prior to the others.  Or did I just imagine that I was being treated extra special because we have extended nothing but kindness and graciousness toward The Retreat Team?  Isn’t it interesting how kindness begets kindness.😉

Cruising into Miami this morning.

Celebrity Suites’ verandahs and Freedom of the Seas in the turnaround basin.

DH and I are compiling our final thoughts regarding our two different experiences in MSC’s Yacht Club on their huge, new Seascape followed by The Retreat on the cozier, much more seasoned Summit.🏆

Spoiler alert:  My new cruise buddy has already found one decent deal on a Sky Suite on Ascent.  The date doesn’t work for any of us, but the feelers remain out there.

In the meantime I noticed the onion rings and mozzarella sticks we enjoyed in Luminae seem to keep garnering interest, so maybe I will dive into a full-on Luminae report before catch-up posts on our self-guided walking tour of Old San Juan, our visit with Captain Chris in The Retreat Lounge, and my Pool Volleyball photo journal.😀

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

After a lazy Sunday afternoon allowing the onion rings to digest, we headed for The Retreat Lounge for the Captain’s Soirée.  But there will be more to come on that cruise highlight later.  

Oops.  The bartender forgot to stick a pick in my lychee when the four of us made a quick stop at the Martini Bar before settling in for another Festin de Luminae.

Take note of the very first item on the menu.  Waiter Andy in his unwavering, monotone voice informed us that this item has not gained much popularity among diners in the restaurant.  I can’t imagine why?😂🤮

The veal cannelloni was delicious, but it is the only Luminae item I can identify from the photos.  

If my memory serves me correctly, the majority of our selections were made from the Blu and MDR menus.

You can tell the Blu menu items by the blue or blue-accented dinnerware.

Additional dinner photos follow.  We had a terrific meal.

 

 

[miched]

For those that love Chocolate the  Milk Chocolate Pill by Daniel Boulud is a must try.    It is often overlooked or not noticed  because it isn’t on the desert menu.   It I was on the 2nd to last night of a cruise that the bread server suggested to us.    She asked if we ever tired the Pill?   We asked what it was and she told us that it was the desert by Boulud.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Dolebludger]

S to S, I have certainly enjoyed your review of these two cruises. I look forward to your summary review of your comparison of the two. 

[AllAboardatSea]

Hey Paul and Tim!

 

It was great meeting you guys on Seascape, I'm sure our paths will cross again at some point. Great job on the reviews!

 

-Chase & Greg

[George C]

We board summit in 83 days in our royal suite , will visit family in Kentucky on the way. You definitely should try a suite on edge class there outside suite area is similar to MSc yacht club and their entertainment is excellent. Again great comparison, thanks. 

[Stem to Stern]

After Monday’s tequila tasting and Miami Vice and Margarita fueled cooking exercise in Cozumel, DH and I continued the theme….

Hendricks and Chopin martinis at Cellar Masters.

DH’s Blue Wave (It is no longer on menu, but the flair bartenders still know how to craft this.)

And I got my pick.😀

It was way past our mealtime and nearly DH’s bedtime.  Sorry, no menu pic.  But here’s the Luminae dress code.

Not sure what this was.  Definitely not guacamole.🥑😃

DH’s pasta (Pasta and tomato products are his love languages.)

My bass was better than it looked.

My fresh and light strawberry vacherin was tasty.  DH skipped most of the desserts.

Next we gave a listen to the windblown party band The Seagulls at the Full Moon Party on the Pool Deck.

Club Sky with your Resident DJ in the colorfully lit Sky Lounge.

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

After a fun day at sea…. Oh, sorry.  Wrong cruise line.  Let’s try this again.

After a Perfect Day at sea resting, relaxing, and having it all, the day turned to evening.

We joined our friends for Night 4 in Luminae.  Even on smart casual nights these two never disappoint in classy and coordinated outfits. 

Tonight I was eager to eat everything.  Here we go.  We started with an Amuse-bouche.  Butter honeycomb also pictured in the background.  Remember neither of these exist in the Yacht Club.  Small, but meaningful and elevated details.😉

Remember the individualized, prepackaged, plastic butter containers in YC?  Elegantly yet deceivingly disguised beneath a miniature silver plate cover.  Butter honeycombs and roses are much nicer.😍

My tomato soup.  Mmm mmm good.  I think I will have to advance order a grilled cheese sandwich accompaniment next time.😂

Three of us agreed on the filet.  Andy generously sauced our plates.

DH went rouge with the phyllo dough wrapped lamb.  He said it was delicious.

DH and I shared bucatini with sausage.☺️

Dark chocolate tart elegantly presented in a deconstructed format.  Sooo good.  My second dessert can be seen in the background.  Was that the pistachio pineapple cake?  Hard to say from my memory after sipping a copious amount of Zin throughout dinner.

At one point during the latter part of the meal I excused myself to use the washroom.  On my way out of the restaurant I ran into an old friend from days gone by.  The Candy Cart.🥰

I took the liberty of asking Assistant Waiter Anna to prepare a small plate of her personal favorites for the table.

Upon my return to the table I divulged my discovery to my table mates.  To which the lady of the table’s curiosity led her to pay her own visit to my old friend.  She returned with Anna and three macarons, one of each flavor, overlooked by me the first time around.  Obviously these were a popular choice since the three skinny trays that held them were almost empty.  A light, mellow, tasty way to finish dinner on a relaxing and restful sea day.💙💙💙

[AnnemarieC76]

@Stem to Stern Thank you for this WONDERFUL review!  

[Ellesor826]

22 hours ago, miched said:

Chocolate the  Milk Chocolate Pill by Daniel Boulud is a must try

My husband and I shared this delectable dessert the other night. 

Heavenly

[Ellesor826]

18 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Not sure what this was.  Definitely not guacamole.🥑😃

The green petri dish item was green pea pannacotta….we did not enjoy it. 

[Ellesor826]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

fun day at sea…

Hmmmmm….Freudian perhaps 

[Ellesor826]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

tomato soup.  Mmm mmm good.  I think I will have to advance order a grilled cheese sandwich accompaniment next time.

Truth….only thing lacking was an oooey-gooey oh so crispy grilled cheese samich to dip into the soup. 

[Ellesor826]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

pistachio pineapple cake?  Hard to say from my memory after sipping a copious amount of Zin throughout dinner.

Almond cake 🍰 😉🤣

[Ellesor826]

17 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

A light, mellow, tasty way to finish dinner on a relaxing and restful sea day.💙💙💙

Brilliant review and incredibly accurate description of the events of the day.

 
We spent most of our day enjoying the (gale force) breezes on the retreat sun deck.  It was comfy and cozy and we were utterly content and catered to.

Only thing missing was a hot coco and s’mores.  
 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Ellesor826

[Stem to Stern]

20 minutes ago, Ellesor826 said:

Only thing missing was a hot coco and s’mores.  
 

I had my hot cocoa….

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/21/2023 at 7:00 PM, Dolebludger said:

S to S, I have certainly enjoyed your review of these two cruises. I look forward to your summary review of your comparison of the two. 

I am happy you have enjoyed this and I look forward to presenting my summation.

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/21/2023 at 7:29 PM, AllAboardatSea said:

Hey Paul and Tim!

 

It was great meeting you guys on Seascape, I'm sure our paths will cross again at some point. Great job on the reviews!

 

-Chase & Greg

Hi boys!  Thank you so much!  It was a bummer missing you at our final nightly gathering at my favorite venue outside the confines of The Yacht Club, Cocktail Bar.  You must have been on a winning streak in the casino.  One of the waiters was nice enough to snap a photo of the group.

I hope we do run into you guys again on another cruise.  To say I could use a few of your gaming pointers would be a bit of an understatement.  Maybe Greg could even help me transform my extra pair of white jeans into something that would resemble his fierce fringe shorts.  They might even look great with my new, white MSC varsity sweater.  Did you stay on board this week for a back-to-back?  The ship was able to dock at Ocean Cay today.  The weather looked beautiful from the photos I saw.  The water there is so turquoise.  We were really saddened that we missed this port last week.  But the captain had no control over the weather.😃

Edited December 23, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

This was an interesting side-by-side suite experience going from new-to-us MSC Yacht Club on board the year-old, 169K ton, 5K+ passenger Seascape to The Retreat on board the 22 year-old, 90K ton, 2K+ passenger Summit.  

 

We found things we favored on both lines.  I will try to break them down by category and go into each in further detail in the next several posts.  As much as I was pimping MSC Yacht Club here during the first week of our vacation, DH was not as excited and delighted by all the lavish pampering as I was.  After coming back home to The Retreat after two years away, it is tough to say there was a cut-and-dried winner across the board.

 

Luminae vs MSC YC Restaurant

 

Celebrity for the win.  Luminae is more intimate and elegant.  I have always loved the truly gorgeous decor from the lighting, to the dining chairs, to the elaborate tablescapes. Luminae is in mint condition.  This can be said for most public areas around the ship.  One atrocious outlier was Kelly’s dining chairs in Oceanview Cafe.  The fabric backrest cushions are all soiled from body oils from grabbing the backrest to pull the chairs out from the table.  The chair pads on the dining chairs at the Sunset Bar are equally tatty.  But I digress.  
 

Luminae food was far better than YC.  The chefs strived to impress with beautiful presentations and delicious, rich flavors.  Although recent wine-by-the-glass price increases have led to nickel-and-diming up-charges, the Luminae sommelier did his best on the following evening to smooth over my bitterness by allowing us to enjoy a couple of bottles of zin that evidently no longer appears on the per-glass list.  A dissimilar wine issue occurred on Seascape, but no up charges were incurred.  I am hoping that $6.00 Celebrity earned from me via their new wine pricing strategy is put directly toward the Oceanview reupholstery fund.😂

 

Most of the dinners in YC Restaurant were just ho-hum.  We were only ecstatic about a couple of specific items throughout the seven nights.  The soups were good, but they were good in Luminae also.  The complimentary meal in specialty restaurant Butcher’s Cut was my favorite meal on Seascape, but it is no Tuscan Grill or Murano.  

 

 

Sorry, but I was hungry and forgot to take the pic prior to dissection.  @Georgia_Peaches is this dead enough for you yet?

Lava cake.  Again, presentation.  Unless they are going for “minimal” here.

The bone marrow starter was delicious and lavishly displayed.

 

If presentation is an indication of food flavor and quality, take note of these pics from Night 3 in YC Restaurant on Seascape.

Beef carpaccio.  Nothing compares to the one we had on Crystal Serenity.  We might have to raise our travel budget game and try a 6-star line again…or The Retreat.

Ho-hum x 2

I have been reading the raves about Grandma’s Chocolate Cake on the MSC boards for months.  Well, MSC’s grandma needs to get a hold of my grandma’s recipe.

Although an army of waitstaff exist in YC Restaurant, they lack consistency.  We ended our embarkation lunch not knowing our waiter’s name.  He was rushed and impersonal.  At dinner he finally introduced himself and seemed to find a little more time to engage us.
 

YC Restaurant lacks the coziness and richness that Luminae exudes.  Although I do appreciate the design flow and consistency from one space within the YC to the next.

 

From one night to the next our waitstaff in YCR fluctuated, never having the same team throughout the entire cruise.  Even though staff seemed to be in great numbers, late into one particular evening nearby vacated dining tables went unbussed for a great length of time.

 

Luminae, on the other hand, operated like a finely oiled machine.  The people of Luminae are the heart of Luminae.  Serdar is the face of the restaurant, greeting, smiling, laughing, engaging us, and of course back pillowing us at every meal.  I personally did not have a need for additional pillows as I find the deep-seated, low-back chairs very comfortable.  He was out of the gate on Day 1 firing on all cylinders with welcoming introductions. 

 

Andy and Anna were the demure, smooth, soft-spoken ones who were always the consummate wait professionals.  On one evening Andy went so far as to reject my short rib because it was far too fatty for his acceptance.  That was a nice touch that made me feel extra special and pampered.

 

So, Luminae took the awards for culinary delight, crew, and atmosphere.  Luminae on Summit maintains the chic, consistent culinary excellence that we previously enjoyed on Equinox and Silhouette.  I will give YC Restaurant the consolation prize for Best Panoramic Views.  Windows looking forward, port, and starboard offer endless, staggering views.

 

Up next…

 

The Retreat Lounge vs Top Sail Lounge

 

Again the discussion will center around food and beverage, crew, and atmosphere.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[momofmab]

I agree with you about most of the YC food (we were on Seascape in early December).  My husband gave it a C- to a D.  The "always available" YC filets looked like they had been dragged behind the ship (although we had great filet in Butcher's Cut), and the grey, mushy eggplant & pepper mixture that they seemed to serve as the side vegetable of choice was a head-scratcher.  My husband tried Grandma's Chocolate Cake and wondered aloud whether Grandma was perhaps under the weather when she made that cake.  I stuck with the pasta feature most nights, which was mostly good.

 

We are anxious to try the Retreat product and will continue to search for a palatable fare.  I appreciate your review & pictures and will add Summit on my list of X ships to consider.