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

[Stem to Stern]

7 hours ago, billc23 said:

Thank you for taking the time to write your excellent review. I had 2 weeks booked in the YC in 2025 and after reading your review I booked an additional 3 weeks in 2024. You are quite the influencer! Thank you for posting the review on the Celebrity board.

 

Tiramisu looks amazing with such a creative touch!

The pleasure was all mine.  Enjoy your time in the YC.  Oh, and the tiramisu tasted as amazing as it looked.😊

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

Another great tour..if you enjoy the art on board. is the Art and Design tour.

I do have an interest in art and design.  Thank you for the recommendation.  Would this tour be something available on Beyond?  Free or for a fee?

[Stem to Stern]

19 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

We did great with our first cruise only using the Elite Happy Hour.  The bartenders were usually very accommodating.  The one caveat is the wine.  There is no way to improve on the current included Happy Hour/classic wines.  This is especially true since Celebrity recently promoted the traditional classic wines into the “premium” pricing structure.  

Good to know.  We have 699 days to educate ourselves on the Elite HH inclusions.  We can hold out until 5:00pm if I can have Smirnoff cosmos and DH can have Tanqueray martinis.  Then, we will be good.  I will take a hard pass on the HH wines unless Columbia Crest Merlot is being poured.  That is one on the Classic Package that I do enjoy.☺️ 

[81Zoomie]

2 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Good to know.  We have 699 days to educate ourselves on the Elite HH inclusions.  We can hold out until 5:00pm if I can have Smirnoff cosmos and DH can have Tanqueray martinis.  Then, we will be good.  I will take a hard pass on the HH wines unless Columbia Crest Merlot is being poured.  That is one on the Classic Package that I do enjoy.☺️ 

They only serve the well brands during HH, but they were good pours.  

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

I do have an interest in art and design.  Thank you for the recommendation.  Would this tour be something available on Beyond?  Free or for a fee?

It's,for a fee.. but was well worth it.. We book it ahead..usually a sell out.  We have done it on EDGE & BEYOND..and are booked for Ascent...Comes with the Art book and other goodies!  

 

you can make your own tour but this goes behind the scenes for some dining rm art...

 

I also had an unofficial mini tour of the live plants from one of the gardeners...Not easy gardening at sea!

[Ellesor826]

2 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

699 days to cave and add the bev pkg on a flash sale.😉

Ooooo….we have every intention of caving in during a flash sale!

Excited about Xcel and finally experiencing a deluxe inside cabin….the price was insanely low and we just had to give the inside a try.  We have all those wonderful E+ perks we can take advantage of, worse case scenario. 

Plus…we are keeping our eyes peeled on a sweet suite deal for Ascent (worse case…an S class). 
🫶🏼😘

Edited January 2 by Ellesor826

[Stem to Stern]

There is a final wrap up post coming.  In the meantime let’s discuss some of the valid suggestions posted recently.  

The notion that we may have had a closer to stellar experience had our booking been in a YC on board a smaller, older, more seasoned MSC ship such as Divina does give me pause.  It was from Divina that GenX first wrote of her inaugural whirlwind romance with YC.  According to a fellow Yacht Clubber on our sailing in her recent review on the MSC boards, our YC Director did acknowledge to her that he does glance at the CC boards.  So, maybe crew were instructed to shower GenX with healthy doses of 6-star service knowing she had a live blog in progress.  I would be curious to learn actual YC booking numbers garnered by MSC Cruises from her influence.

 

The other notion was that we may have had a more enjoyable time in a larger YC suite other than our 226 square foot interior.  This is the number on msccruisesusa.com but I did not take any measurements.  There is some validity to the notion that an interior stateroom negates the idea of luxury.  After all, on land isn’t an oceanview room the optimal choice?

 

Personally I was not bothered by the interior other than the whooshing noises in the middle of the night.  I slept and showered there.  That’s it.  The room had all my necessities and a continuous supply of swag.  
 

Sure it would have been nice to fling the curtains and sliding door open every morning and let the sun and salty air pour in, but for another $2K I can pay for a large part of another vacation.  I can rationalize just about anything, but $2K for a balcony on a 7-night cruise on a new-to-us line not so much.

 

DH on the other hand tends to linger in the room slightly longer.  He also suffers slight anxiety from the closed in feeling of the interior.  Neither of us spend much time in there reading or watching tv or taking meals.

 

If your mindset is more like mine, then you may appreciate these pics of the interior suite.  I will put the bathroom pics in a separate post.

 

 

 

 

Coffee machine as found blocking all of the outlets.  There was an additional bedside USB outlet.  Phone, shelves with tea bags and coffee pods.  One drawer stowed stemware and other barware.

Sturdy chair and very bright overhead lighting.  

DND button pushed.  Outside the door the corresponding light illuminated for the crew’s awareness.

Make up room button pushed.

Room card inserted in slot inside door.  This is how power is restored to stateroom including lights and power outlets.  Don’t try to charge your phone if one of you doesn’t leave their card in the slot.

Light switch.  Easy to feel in the dark.😂

Thermostat.  Sadly, no numbers so bring a thermometer with you if you care to know the actual room temperature.  This was not an issue for us.  Do any ships actually show the temp?

Fancy leatherette tv remote case.  I impress easily.😂

Non-hanging side of closet.

Safe.

Closet drawer.

Outlets hidden behind coffee machine.  We brought a multi-outlet cord and moved the coffee machine out of the way.

Chrome wall hooks just inside door of suite.

Daily newspaper of your choosing.  We already subscribe digitally to Washington Post.  Bottom of newspaper was cut off so bottom line of crossword was missing.  I improvised.  More a figment of my amusement than a first world problem.

Another suite’s complimentary newspaper left behind in Top Sail Lounge.  I was shocked at the thickness of the newspaper which translated as excessively indulgent and wasteful in my mind.

Our hallway.

Framed black-and-white photography at end of hallway.

Second obligatory pic of fancy remote holder on gray and green toned bed runner.

Edited January 2 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

Yacht Club Interior Suite bathroom pics.

Plenty of space for us.  I did not get a pic of weird, trapezoidal shaped sink.

Small Med by MSC mildly fig-scented toiletries, hand soap, and wash clothes.  

Yacht Club crest embroidered on bath towel.

Shower has a glass door and two grab bars.

Choice of rain shower head or hose.   Second longer grab bar shown at left.  Large Med by MSC toiletries.  My own loofa and Bulgari shower gel.  

Same squarish on-trend faucet shapes as revolutionized Summit Sky Suite bathroom.  Careful with the hot setting.  It is very hot.

 

Rust.

Professional measurement of trapezoidal shower footprint.  I did not bring a tape measure.  The shower was small, but not a problem for either of us.  Plenty of headroom for my 6’2” stature under the rain shower head.  No drainage issues.  There are huge open showers in the thermal area of the MSC Aurea Spa.  I presume there was at least one shower in the men’s changing room, but I did not take close enough note of the facilities.  If one were to consider showering in the spa, then a journey into the Gen Pop and an elevator ride down to Deck 8 would be required and rather inconvenient.
 

[George C]

5 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

We are booked cruise only.  Had to in order to stay on budget.  This will be our first booking without a bev pkg since our first cruise together on 2014.  We will carry my wine on board, take full advantage of Elite happy hour, and pay for DH’s martinis.  We shall see if the reduction in alcohol consumption results in less weight gain.  Of course, I have 699 days to cave and add the bev pkg on a flash sale.😉

We have done celebrity suites without the drink package ( on music charter on M class) not an issue with getting a large glass of wine in retreat or double scotch etc then leaving. But no free drinks in outdoor retreat.

[billc23]

I am really impressed with the useful features of your cabin! Coffee maker, plenty of outlets, clothes line, and a comfortable looking chair. Nice shower too!

[Stem to Stern]

9 hours ago, George C said:

not an issue with getting a large glass of wine

 

[Stem to Stern]

14 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

They only serve the well brands during HH

Do have any intel as to which vodka and gin are poured during Elite HH?

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, billc23 said:

I am really impressed with the useful features of your cabin! Coffee maker, plenty of outlets, clothes line, and a comfortable looking chair. Nice shower too!

Everything pretty much made sense.  Of course, DH was quick to point out the illogical design of the sliding doors on the closet.  One of them fully revealed the drawers allowing them to be pulled out.  No issue there.  But on the other side the door does not fully reveal the hang bar leaving some of the hung clothing hidden.  First world problem.

[StarLi]

We were on MSC Seaside Yacht Club in a balcony room and it was really nice. The sitting area was big with a full-size sofa and the balcony was larger than normal as well. Probably could've fit a lounger in there but they only placed chairs and a table. We did spend some time in the room and on the balcony, so thought the price was worth it. Also, had views of their private island for 2 days and that view can't be beat. I like that the yacht club area was all in one place. We did leave it to check out the buffet and shows but you really don't have to if you don't want to. For MSC, we will probably only cruise the yacht club only. I haven't done celebrity yet but it seems nice too. I don't have any loyalty yet since I just started cruising a year ago so I appreciate this comparison post! 

[81Zoomie]

4 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Do have any intel as to which vodka and gin are poured during Elite HH?

Unfortunately I do not know what gin and vodka are included.  We lean toward tequila and bourbon 🥃.  We avoided the wine most of the time in favor of mixed drinks.  I actually didn’t watch what was being poured and concentrated on how it was being poured.  I know our drinks weren’t mixed with Casamigos, Woodford, Basil Hayden, or Patron 🤣😆🤣.  Not the best Manhattan or Tequila on the rocks ever, but the sunsets more than made up for it.

[deseylou]

We just cruised the Seascape in YC. I had no problem with the food.

We are doing the Beyond in the retreat this April.

i had been considering canceling the cruise because of all the negative reviews.

Our TA convinced us to keep the reservation.

I’m now looking forward to it because of your review.

[JoseAL]

Friends, Happy New Year!
I'm following the comments and thought it was important to post my opinion. I live in Brazil and have already taken several cruises with MSC. When they launched Yatch Club I thought it was fantastic and I became a big fan. I really like the exclusive parts of the Yatch Club (solarium; swimming pool; restaurant and the Top Sail Lounge).
But after 7 trips at the Yacht Club, I started to feel very confined within the exclusive area. The other areas are very crowded and very noisy. This ends up inhibiting us from enjoying the cruise.
For this reason, my wife and I are going to try a new company, Celebrity Cruise. Our next cruise will be 14 nights, in April 2024, in a suite with a balcony, from RIO DE JANEIRO to CABO LIBERTY, on the Celebrity Eclipse. We didn't stay in the Retreat or Aqua Class, to force us to walk around the ship more and make the most of it.
I hope you like the Company, as I intend to take several trips. I'm also thinking about traveling with Prinsces.
Then, I give my opinion about the experience of the new company.
I am also available for anything I can help with.
Regards

[81Zoomie]

@Stem to Stern just located this Happy Hour Menu including the brand of spirits.

 

[Stem to Stern]

11 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

@Stem to Stern just located this Happy Hour Menu including the brand of spirits.

 

Oh wow!  Thank you!  If this remains accurate into late-2025 on board Celebrity Xcel, then I will be just fine with Absolute martinis or cosmos.  DH finds Beefeater totally acceptable in his martinis and G&Ts.  Time will tell with all of the changes that seem to be upending things with our preferred cruise line.

[Stem to Stern]

Catch-up Post 

Tue Dec 12 - San Juan, PR

And a bit more from Seascape

 

Some of our best days in port have been those that we freelanced.  We have been particularly successful with pre-booking free walking tours in various European port cities by starting with a basic google search.  The tours usually only last a couple hours and tips to the tour guide afterward are appreciated.

 

I found one in Old San Juan which I signed up for.  The start time was 10:00am, so I had little hope for the ship being cleared early and for us making the tour start time promptly.  The weather that day ended up delaying docking, so I emailed and texted to cancel.

My backup plan was a self-guided walking tour starting out by following a path to the left of the dock.  We had been to Old San Juan a couple of times previously, but we never had the opportunity to explore this end of town.  From the you tube videos I watched, it appeared to be an interesting walk.  Our new Florida friends we met at the first night’s theater show decided to join us.

 

My day started around 6-ish watching the sun rise from Deck 20 as we approached Puerto Rico.  This pic looking forward toward the stern shows the semi-covered, non-smoking dining area around the corner from the MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar.  I say semi-covered because in pouring rain many of the tables were unusable.  By the way this area, along with the smoking dining area on the other side of the buffet, are the only areas on the One Pool Sundeck to take cover if inclement weather suddenly sets in.  Of course, one can duck into the YC elevator lobby also.  

 

The cabanas shown on the left in the pic were usually occupied throughout the cruise.  I’m not sure why since my little private corner further aft on the Sundeck provided much more open space, fewer people, and no foot traffic.  It was only a few steps from the elevator, the rest room, and the buffet.  Perhaps fellow yacht clubbers enjoy being closer to the food and beverages.

 

Most of the previous sea day was spent wining, dining, and sunning in the YC.  So, I decided to spend some time exploring and having a walk around the outdoor areas of the rest of the ship before the crowds started to gather.

 

After perusing but not indulging in the buffet breakfast (See food porn in post 432.) up on Deck 20, I made my way down to the Marketplace Buffet for a large cuppa.  

 

The tables in the buffet have a button you can press for bar service.  DH tried this once during the cruise and the concept worked out good for him.

 

This is the self-service coffee nook closest to the Yacht Club just indide the Matketplace buffet beyond the Jungle Pool Lounge.  

 

This section of the buffet dining area was still pretty empty this early in the morning since it is the furthest from the food.

 

Marketplace Buffet bar

 

The Marketplace Buffet was quite manageable at 8:18am.  
 

Food porn alert.

 

Ham

 

“Artisnal” Pizza Buffet

 

Pizza!!!

 

Herrings

 

Then, I headed aft through the buffet out to the aft Sky Bar and order the corner to a large area of Al fresco seating.

 

Marina Pool

 

Marina Bar

 

Once the ship finally docked the mass exodus from the ship began.

 

Shortly before noon we along with a small group of other yacht clubbers started our butler-escorted pilgrimage from the Top Sail Lounge through the meandering bowels of the ship toward the gangway.  

 

For a new ship one would think a better design could have been dreamed up to better disembark so many people more efficiently.  There seemed to be issues with the computer at the gangway.  It looked like someone was embarking which forced a change on the computer from disembarkation over to embarkation causing a delay.

 

Comparatively Little Lady Summit disembarkation was a breeze as it should be with a third of the passenger load.

 

Reports on the fancy new embarkation area of the Edge-class vessels indicate a pleasant exit and reentry as well.  I haven’t had the pleasure to experience Edge-class vessels yet.

 

We were on the pier at 12:12pm and headed toward Fuente Raices, a historical landmark fountain.

 

A few pics of our stroll toward the fountain follow. In the next post or two I would like to share some shots from the rest of our nearly two-hour stroll before our lunch stop.  More to come….

 

 

 

 

Edited January 4 by Stem to Stern

[fun4us2]

On 12/8/2023 at 6:58 AM, Stem to Stern said:

Good morning!☀️ 

One more sleep until cruise day! 😅

Let’s get a few of those posts that I mentioned yesterday out of the way.

Thank you for all the comments.🙏🙏🙏

 

About us

 

DH and I are not influencers or loyalists.  We enjoy a relaxing cruise vacation once or twice a year sandwiched in between our full-time work schedules.  We have mostly cruised Celebrity, but we have ventured out of our comfort zone a couple of times.  My personal cruise bucket list is long and includes a wide variety of cruise lines and experiences.  I can’t think of too many cruises I would not consider.  These will be our 12th and 13th cruises together as a couple. 🚢🥰👍

 

Prior to meeting 11 years ago, DH had just two polar opposite cruising experiences under his belt.  The first was on a Royal Caribbean mega-ship with his family celebrating his parents’ milestone anniversary.  The second was a week-long vacation sailing around Belize on an eight-passenger catamaran.  🤩

 

Prior to our first cruise together I sailed on Majesty OTS, Norwegian Pearl, Celebrity Summit and Freedom OTS all in the Caribbean.

I love all that is cruise- and ship-related. 🚢😍

 

Fast forward to 2014.  I booked DH and myself on our first cruise together, a 5-night sailing to Key West and Cozumel on Celebrity Constellation in one of the five fairly-new-at-the-time aft-facing Aqua class staterooms.  Thus began a fever fueled by a brand that succeeded at creating an on board experience that captivated us.  😁

 

It was on this first sailing together that we fell in love with all things Celebrity including:

the Blu dining experience; the new friends made on board;

the hard-working crew’s professionalism, smiling faces, and “ My pleasure” replies;

the serenity of the solarium;

and the new port experiences. 😍

 

Oh, and let’s not forget about those magic room cards that when waved at any bar procured deliciously devilish martinis and any other adult beverages we desired. 🍺

 

A couple of cruises later I surprised DH by upgrading our Silhouette booking to our first ever suite, a corner aft Sky Suite.  After embarking I escorted him directly to the suite and he was elated.  Night after night for seven nights sporting our bow ties and sport jackets we sauntered into Luminae smiling like two Cheshire cats preparing to lap up some cream.  😻

 

Never again did a future cruise booking conversation not include DH’s question to me, “Are we in a suite?”  My usual reply was, “Not this time, honey.  The numbers just weren’t working.” 😆

 

A couple of cruises later I booked…

(Do you see a pattern here?

I book the cruise. ✅

DH asks, “When are we going?”) 😂

DH

 

Anyway, early in 2017 the numbers worked, but in a slightly different way.  I found a Crystal cruise that turned out to be a bit of a pricing error due to overlapping promotions advertised on a major online agency’s website.  Crystal?!?  You read it right.  Two working-for-a- living, young-at-heart guys booked on the 6-star Crystal Serenity.  Will this experience be too stuffy for us?

 

The Crystal cruise could not have come at a better time for us.  Just weeks before our November sailing our Florida home along with several Caribbean islands suffered significant hurricane damage.  Thankfully our place was still livable and everything was repairable.  😅

 

Crystal kept us updated pre-cruise as they worked to find new ports of call to replace the original itinerary’s ravaged and closed ports.  During a challenging year, we were still able to run away and relax for a few days.  🌴☀️

 

We found the Crystal experience just about perfect.  From the moment we boarded the ship we encountered a delightful and diverse group of fellow passengers.  The ship was traditional, spacious, impeccably tidy, and gorgeous.  

Our somewhat “cozy” verandah stateroom was the most beautiful jewel box of an accommodation.  The “All-Exclusive” experience meant not having to show our magic room cards to order a drink because nearly everything was included for everyone on board.  

We found one-class cruising rather classy.  We were Crystalized! 😉

 

Walking her full promenade one last time on disembarkation morning was really depressing.

I did not want to disembark Crystal Serenity.🥲

 

Of all our cruises, DH has this one stuck in his head.  When conversations among friends turn to cruising, Crystal is the first word out of his mouth. 🙄🤣🤣

 

We went back to Celebrity for a few memory-making cruises (only one of which was in The Retreat — after all we are just working folk.) 😆

 

In 2018 Captain Kate steered Equinox toward the beautiful ABC islands (love those!!) granting us 10 nights of cruising bliss.

 

In 2019 we planned my first trip across the pond for a wonderful 12-night Western Med sailing.

 

2021 brought our first post-Covid return to the sea.  DH and I were the first non-B2B passengers to embark on day 1.  We received a personal escort up the gangway from the retreat manager herself.  

Once on board she reminded us that we could now remove our face coverings.  How special did we feel?  

Did I already mention the Cheshire cats analogy?  😻

 

This cruise prematurely culminated on the final night with a second encounter with retreat manager.

Unfortunately this time she tracked us down to escort us to…drum roll, please…quarantine!!  We were identified as “close contacts.” 😱🥲

 

We spent the final night of our wonderful return-to-cruising cruise completely dumbfounded.  We were stuck in our suite waiting for further communication from guest relations and medical.  We ate our final Luminae meal hunched over our little coffee table in front of the television, a meal I washed down with the better part of a bottle of 2019 Conundrum. 🍷😉

 

That was a stressful evening spent deducing who we came in close contact with and waiting for test results.  I felt like I was in one of those quarantine nightmares I had read about on Cruise Critic.  Thankfully our situation only lasted one night unlike many others. 😷😩

 

Nevertheless we were still grateful to be back at sea.  After calling Captain’s Club post-cruise, X accommodated us (very fairly I will add) for the quarantine situation.  

In hindsight this blip of bad luck had an overall positive impression of Celebrity on us.  😊

 

As an added bonus we met a wonderful couple during this cruise that became friends and cruise buddies.  They will be joining us on the Summit segment of our side-by-side. 😊

 

Until she suggests otherwise, I will refer to the female half of this couple as “my new cruise buddy.”  Like myself she may have a slight addiction to booking cruises, but we work quite well together.  We continually bounce travel ideas off each other and compare notes. Admittedly we have had little to zero success talking each other off the ledge. 🤪

 

Have I mentioned that one of my favorite phrases is, “Book it!!!” 🤩

 

Last year DH and I returned to Connie, the ship where it all began for us.  Our flight to Venice was scheduled to depart on the Wednesday afternoon when Hurricane Ian was forecasted to arrive.  Yes, another darn hurricane!  

 

Fortunately on the Sunday prior to our departure, DH worked his telephone manner magic and got our flight changed to the day prior to Ian’s arrival.  With the additional night available at our VRBO we spent five fantastic nights pre-cruise in Venice before embarking on an incredible ten-night sojourn around the Greek Isles and Turkey. We were lucky enough to only lose one tree during Ian, but our nearby coastal communities were devastated.

Grand Canal - Venice - a magical place.

 

One more December 2022 cruise, our first with Azamara, brings us to the present.  It has been nearly a year since we have been on a cruise ship.  The long wait is almost over.  😅

I believe we met you both on your first Conny trip, we were next door neighbours.  Such a fun cruise. 

[Stem to Stern]

That was a fun cruise!!  I will never forget our hilarious meals with you two in Blu.  Do you remember all of the after-dinner Frangelicos we enjoyed?!?🤪

3 hours ago, fun4us2 said:

I believe we met you both on your first Conny trip, we were next door neighbours.  Such a fun cruise. 

[Stem to Stern]

Along our walk toward Castillo San Felipe del Morro we enjoyed many artistic, architectural, and natural wonders of Old San Juan.  

 

 

 

 

 

Raices Fountain

 

Puerta de San Juan

 

A Ziggy lookalike

 

Colorful architecture and Mini

 

Icon

 

San Juan Bay

 

Flora

 

Find the cat

 

Door

 

El Morro

 

Once El Morro was in sight we wondered along Norzagaray Street passing Plaza del Cuartel.

 

More incredible sculpture

 

Santa María de Magdalena Pazzis Cemetery

At this point I lost my bearings as well as my unwillingness to look at a map.😂

 

We wandered through Plaza del Quinto Centenario until we stumbled onto Calle del Santo Cristo.

 

At this point I realized we were heading toward the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which is the 2nd oldest in the Americas.

 

DH has a thing for cathedrals and monasteries.  We rarely pass by one without stepping foot inside.😂

 

 

 

 

 

In and around the cathedral

 

 

We popped our heads into Hotel El Convento to have a nose around.

The enchanting courtyard inside Hotel El Convento.

 

 

 

We made our way down Cristo Street admiring all of the colors and aromas of Old San Juan.

 

We reached Barrachina at 1:50pm.  
 

DH was getting hangry.😂

 

The hostess said we would have about a 25 minute wait, so two of us ordered pina coladas for all of us.  
 

I admired more local color and architecture across the street from the restaurant while DH held my cocktail.
 

Olé where they still have hats and maps.  

So glad to see places stand the test of time.😍

No sooner had we started sipping them and we were seated by 2:03pm.

 

We ordered a variety of Puerto Rican foods for the table to share.

 

Then, came the mojitos.

The Al fresco space at Barrachina snapped on the way out after our fantastic lunch.
 

Seen on the walk back.

 

We stumbled back to the ship to be greeted by bar service offering infused water.  

 

We were back on board shortly after 3pm.  It was a great few hours in port.

 

 

Edited January 5 by Stem to Stern

[TrinaLC]

On 12/7/2023 at 9:47 PM, Ellesor826 said:

Do not forget to hit up the bar which created the Piña Colada

Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan

I second that recommendation!

[NE John]

@Stem to Stern  Thank you for your extensive coverage of your cruises and I followed because you did a job describing both experiences and I’m always interested in comparing “suite” level categories on both sea, air, and land. 
My Uncle and his family just came off five days in the Retreat out of Miami and said the level of service has decreased since his last Retreat experience. Butler services especially and he seemed underwhelmed. But your experience, especially with food on Celebrity seems really good. 
Many deal killers for me on MSC include the general size of the ship, the lack of “Wow” factor with meals, and the fact that you have different wait staff every night in YC restaurant. So many cruise non-suites main dining rooms have the same waiters for set- time dining so this YC trait of differing waiters each night is no good. I like getting to know the service staff at the suite levels and they get to know us. That lack of consistent wait staff does not appeal to me. 
Thanks again!