So what cruise lines can rival the Retreat experience?

[QuestionEverything]

The premium and luxury lines, excellence for each guest.

[Brighton Line]

15 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

If this is not what some of you have found, then I'd love to be wrong.  Are there certain MSC ships to focus on for the better experience?

I believe it is all related to the size of the Yacht Club. Meraviglia a large ship the YC is only around 210 maximum guests over four floors forward and even when maxed out it did not feel crowded. Yes, the rest of the ship if sailing close to max double occupancy will feel crowded but the experience I had in YC beat Haven hands down.

 

Now on larger ships where YC is over 400 people, I would tend to agree it is too crowded even with the so-called ship within a ship. Other ships the cabins are on one end of the ship with the YC areas on the other and not just an aft facing suite.

[Beamafar]

Something to bear in mind, if you do consider MSC YC, you can do a status match to the loyalty program, Voyagers Club, using the highest level you have with any other cruise line (or hotel chain, even).  You would then automatically get 5% off the fare (plus another 5% if you book 7 months or more out). 

[Beamafar]

11 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

 Other ships the cabins are on one end of the ship with the YC areas on the other and not just an aft facing suite.

Not true.  With very few exceptions, YC cabins are within the YC enclave.  On Fantasia-class ships, the YC restaurant is located outside of YC, towards the aft of the ships.

[Brighton Line]

4 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Not true.  With very few exceptions, 

Not true but with exceptions? so true, thanks for being clearing up my "mistake" 

[chemmo]

19 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

NOT just from a suite standpoint, but I'm referring to the overall Retreat experience.  Butlers, dedicated restaurant, dedicated lounge, dedicated sun deck.  I get that other cruise lines offer suites and upscale amenities, but most don't offer those things I mentioned.  I know some will say MSC Yacht Club, but IMO it just doesn't match up.  Others may say NCL's Haven, but same answer. RCL's suite class on Oasis ships?  Maybe close, I guess, but a step or two below.

 

So what am I missing? 

I think you are looking at this the wrong way around…So much is about what you personally want. For example a big room is important to me but for others it may be their lowest priority…
 

If you enjoy shows then RC bigger ships win, if dining quality is important then a smaller luxury line may suit but if lots of dining choices are important then a Celebrity ship with included speciality restaurants may suit you more…

 

Can I suggest you make a list of what is important to you (room size, balcony size, dining preferences, included drinks…). Not only then will you be clearer of what is important to you others may be able to focus their suggestions to your priorities.

[Beamafar]

24 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

Not true but with exceptions? so true, thanks for being clearing up my "mistake" 

Where are the cabins that are “on one end of the ship with the YC areas on the other”??  That’s what’s not true.  

[CruisinShips]

What I am learning from posts in this thread is that you only need the "ship in a ship" scenario with main-stream lines as opposed to the luxury lines.  

 

I am also learning MSC YC might not be as bad as I was thinking.  Again, the most negative thing I have read about it is related to when you walk out of the YC area, you are entering a more crowded, lower end feeling megaship experience.  Perhaps it has to do with which MSC ship you're on.

 

Lots of good input in this thread.

 

[RichYak]

54 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

I am really surprised to see the positive comments about MSC Yacht Club.  I haven't tried it yet, but I have watched tons of youtube reviews and have read many reviews/comparisons, and almost all said similar things...the YC experience is very good on some ships, food is below that of Celebrity, and if you leave the YC area, you feel like you're on a packed Carnival cruise ship.

 

If this is not what some of you have found, then I'd love to be wrong.  Are there certain MSC ships to focus on for the better experience?

You should avoid the ships with "World" in the name. They are newest, but like Celebrity E-class Retreat, YC space isn't big enough to handle so many YC cabins. I sailed Meraviglia, which was great. I understand that anything with Sea* in the name also has ample space per YC guest.

 

As far as the food, I found the ingredients to be of a higher quality than on Celebrity--better fish, better beef, lobster tails of an acceptable size, etc. YC also has their own buffet, obviously smaller than the main buffet, but plenty of choices.

 

As far as your "packed Carnival cruise ship" comment, I would say if you leave the YC area, you also feel like you're on a packed Celebrity cruise ship, but with more activities going on. These activities create some crowded, but completely avoidable, public areas. We left YC on occasion to have drinks at the champagne bar and the Irish pub style bar. Both were great and never crowded. The real crowds are found on the pool deck and in the main buffet, both of which there is no need to visit.

 

All in all, what I wrote upthread was not hyperbole. The YC experience absolutely blew away any Retreat experience I've had.

[DaKahuna]

33 minutes ago, RichYak said:

All in all, what I wrote upthread was not hyperbole. The YC experience absolutely blew away any Retreat experience I've had.

 

 I have to agree with you 100%.  We were on the smaller ships, Divina, where the YC Restaurant is at the opposite end of the ship from the YC 'enclave.'  We walked through the public areas each time going to and from our cabin to the restaurant for meals. There were places where crowds became a bottle neck, most notably the photo shop area but all in all it was not a bad walk and it gave us a chance to see other parts of the ship.  Not to mention all the shops that attracted my DW where there.  

 We are in our mid 70's and are not one to do anything but seek a relaxing and comfortable place to rest and relax while cruising.  We enjoy having quiet conversations with fellow passengers, to a point, but also spend quite a bit of time on our own.  

 

 While we enjoy the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club on Celebrity ships, mainly because it is almost always empty these days, we enjoyed the Top Sail Lounge so much more.  

 

 Snacks from early morning until almost midnight every day, courteous and plentiful staff, live music every evening, etc.  

 

 Also one of my favorite things is that the YC restaurant is open on port days.  This is the biggest gripe I have with Celebrity - even Royal Caribbean keeps Coastal Kitchen open on port days.  

 

 As someone said earlier -- write down what is most important to you in your cruise experience and select the cruise line that best suits your needs.  

 

[George C]

Also veterans and some other government employees get ten percent off fare. We didn’t think the area outside yacht club was bad , we went to sports bar, champagne bar , casino and other spots to listen to music .

[Dolebludger]

We are usually Regent cruisers, but we cruised in a CS shortly before the pandemic. We liked that cruise, so we booked another in a RS on board. We liked that one also. Celebrity suites offered much of what we were used to on Regent, with larger suites and lower price tag. Checking on cruises post pandemic, we found a reduction of perks in the Retreat and big price increases that put it at a higher cost than Regent on many cruises, with fewer inclusions. So, we went back to Regent recently, and found the experience improved. Given the diversity of things other people want on a cruise, it is of course impossible to recommend Regent to all. But for us, it is currently the best for the price.

[PTC DAWG]

Stay away from the YC, I have been 3 times with another booked..it’s not good. 
 

re the smaller ships, I’d be bored stiff at night. I consider anything smaller than Equinox small..actually, that may be my favorite overall ship..

[Lastdance]

We just don’t want to dress up for dinner; that seems to be so prevalent on the smaller ships.  Also, not partial to having someone wait on us continually, nor do we drink a lot of alcohol.  In addition, having a decent gym is very important to us.  So, we are  trying Oceania for the first time due to itinerary and a smaller ship experience, not to mention the overall cost was less than Retreat on Celebrity.  It keeps us from flying both ways to Portugal.  However, O now includes excursions in their price, so that is an issue for us, as we do our own excursions for various reasons.

 

 It seems like we keep falling through the cracks, so choosing the ship experience for us is coupling it with land stays for the benefit we want.  Celebrity has failed us in customer service and on our last cruise experience, so those disappointments are still a bit raw; however, we are more open to new experiences, but not completely finished with Celebrity either.  Both of us realize that we also are not typical cruisers either, so do not fit into the norm of targeted customers.  That’s on us to find the best overall experience for our hard-earned dollars.  Honestly, overall we are very blessed to be able to have so many choices available.  

Edited April 18 by Lastdance

[CruisinShips]

22 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Stay away from the YC, I have been 3 times with another booked..it’s not good. 
 

re the smaller ships, I’d be bored stiff at night. I consider anything smaller than Equinox small..actually, that may be my favorite overall ship..

Why do you have another booked if "it's not good"?    And your post is the first negative one in this thread about the YC.  Can't you people all just agree so my future cruise planning gets easier?  Sheesh! 😉

[Beamafar]

Just now, CruisinShips said:

Why do you have another booked if "it's not good"?    And your post is the first negative one in this thread about the YC.  Can't you people all just agree so my future cruise planning gets easier?  Sheesh! 😉

He was being tongue-in-cheek.  The point being that the less people know how good YC is, the less chance that prices will rise along with the increased demand.  

[Dolebludger]

Lastdance, just  week or so ago, we were on the Regent Splendor and never “dressed up” for dinner beyond slacks and polo shirt. 

[CruisinShips]

13 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

He was being tongue-in-cheek.  The point being that the less people know how good YC is, the less chance that prices will rise along with the increased demand.  

OK...I deserve to be smacked for missing that.

[PTC DAWG]

16 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

He was being tongue-in-cheek.  The point being that the less people know how good YC is, the less chance that prices will rise along with the increased demand.  

Good to know someone is paying attention. 🙂

[Beamafar]

47 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good to know someone is paying attention. 🙂

Unfortunately I think the cat is well out of the bag by now.  The ship has long since sailed. 🤪

[Dolebludger]

 I well recognize the bad result that can come from good reviews. When I posted reviews of our 2017 and 2018 retreat cruises on the Eclipse and Equinox, I said they were the best value at sea. And back then, they were. And other posters said the same. And look what happened. Prices doubled (or close to it). Perks were reduced. And now the retreat is no longer the best deal. I certainly hope that Celebrity finds its way back to the value position it once held

[jcpc]

My only experience with MSC Yacht Club is on Meravilgia.  And I will unequivocally say that it surpasses any Retreat experience I've had in the past 4 years.  Years ago.....Retreat was #1 -- not the case anymore.  I've sailed exclusively with Celebrity since the cruise line inception - most years sailing 3 or 4 times a year.  But in September 2023 I tried MSC YC.   I've got 2 future Celebrity cruises booked in Concierge Class and Aqua but I've got 4 more MSC bookings in YC on Meraviglia.  In my opinion (and the opinion of my 4 sailing companions who are all either Zenith or Elita Plus on Celebrity) MSC is the way to go now.

 

[Merc85]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:41 AM, billc23 said:

Regent, Silversea, Seabourn... all offer an overall onboard experience that the Retreat cannot compare with. The increased public space and crew per passenger makes a nice difference on the luxury lines. No waiting for service, no crowds to speak of, never asked what package do you have, no slips to sign... - so much more refined overall. The ships are smaller allowing them to often dock closer to the on land attractions, are often able to dock rather than tender, and usually have longer stays at the port.

 

Last month I sailed Singapore to Honk Kong on a 600 passenger Silversea ship directly followed by a Hong Kong to Singapore sailing on the Celebrity Solstice. The difference in the variety of dining options, the quality of liquors available, and the overall service levels were greater than I expected. An example of the port experience difference was the visit to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). On Silversea we docked in the city with short rides to various tourist sites that were traffic dependent. Celebrity docked at a further away port and the excursions to sites in the city were a 2 hour or more bus ride each way. And that was after you navigated your way through the industrial port terminal. I have posted a picture, taken from my balcony, of the pop up terminal the Vietnam government set up for Silversea passengers.

 

Cost wise, I am paying 60% more per day for Celebrity. I do have a larger room on Celebrity- the PH - while on Silversea my room was similar in size to a RS on Celebrity. Once I leave my room on Silversea I am just like all the other passengers while on Celebrity I am special as a guest of the Retreat and staying in the PH. I am escorted and often skip the long lines of "fellow passengers", I am invited to exclusive events, etc. - all to acknowledge my status... and all unnecessary on Silversea.

 

A few years ago I thought I would not enjoy the smaller ship experience, let alone the stuffiness of a luxury line. Once I gave it a try on a port intensive sailing, I was sold on the overall experience. Try one of the luxury lines and see what you think. 

 

 

 

Are the dress codes the same?  The brochure photos I've seen seem to indicate that the smaller/higher end ships have a dressier dress code than X.  Is that so or is that just advertisements?  Thanks.

[RichYak]

On 4/17/2024 at 12:52 PM, CruisinShips said:

I know some will say MSC Yacht Club, but IMO it just doesn't match up.

Have you changed your mind yet? 😁

[Dolebludger]

30 minutes ago, Merc85 said:

Are the dress codes the same?  The brochure photos I've seen seem to indicate that the smaller/higher end ships have a dressier dress code than X.  Is that so or is that just advertisements?  Thanks.

I can only speak for Regent as it is the only lux line with which we have recent experience. For casual nights (which is all they have unless the cruise is 16 nights or more) the evening dress code is the same as Celebrity’s, except jeans aren’t allowed after 6:00 PM in restaurants and lounges, where shirts need to have collars. On longer cruises, there might be a few ‘formal optional” nights. On these, the majority of guests still do the casual thing. A few might wear a sports jacket and very few might wear a tux. I’ve cruise Celebrity and Regent. The only difference in what I take might take on Regent substitutes casual slacks for jeans.