Will I Be Disappointed?

[HateSnow]

I recently sailed on Celebrity in the retreat.  I did a Sky Suite on the Apex and a Celebrity Suite aboard the Ascent.  My wife and I enjoyed those cruises greatly.  I have booked an Anniversary cruise next year on the World America in a duplex suite in the Yacht Club.  Will I be disappointed in my decision?

[Fissues]

Definitely not. 

Edited Tuesday at 11:37 PM by Fissues

[Two Wheels Only]

Celebrity made the Retreat after MSC had success with the Yacht Club and NCL had success with the Haven. The "ship within a ship" concept is very similar for all of them including for Princess who has joined in on the trend. To a lesser extent, RCCL's Suite Neighborhood is similar.

 

I'm also booked in a Duplex on World America and fully expect my Yacht Club experience to be just as good as my other Yacht Club and Haven experiences. 

 

Read as much as you can about the Yacht Club in order to help you maximize your enjoyment when you cruise.

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, HateSnow said:

I recently sailed on Celebrity in the retreat.  I did a Sky Suite on the Apex and a Celebrity Suite aboard the Ascent.  My wife and I enjoyed those cruises greatly.  I have booked an Anniversary cruise next year on the World America in a duplex suite in the Yacht Club.  Will I be disappointed in my decision?

 

 No.  You should be very pleasantly surprised. 

 

[RichYak]

5 hours ago, HateSnow said:

Will I be disappointed in my decision?

IMO there is zero chance of this happening. YC is so much better than Retreat.

[stephenp]

Hi,

 

my 2nd MSC cruise was on MSC Euribia in October last year in the YC.

The food was poor, meat tough and in the Pool cafe everything was always cold.

Breakfast was better in the buffet than the YC Restaurant.

The Italian head waiters belive the food is the best at sea.  Far from it.

My first MSC cruise was on the Magnifica, the worst food I have ever had on all my 80 + cruises.

The cabin, and cabin service from our Butler was just perfect. The rest OK.

 

We sailed on Celebrity Silhouette´s  TA in April 24 in a Balcony cabin. Every meal we had was better the anything MSC served us.

MSC never again !!!!!. 

 

Happy cruising 

 

Stephen 

[TheBeardedCruiser]

Simple answer: No!!!

 

Longer answer: The only way that you'll be disappointed would be if you let yourself! When there is a hiccup, try to overlook it. Even the Yacht Club personnel are human, so they might make a mistake here and there. If they do, you'll have difficulty finding a staff that will try harder to make up for it! 

 

Plus, since it appears that you hate snow, there shouldn't be any snow on that cruise, so that's a huge plus 😀

[deliver42]

You shouldn't be disappointed in the YC. We've been there twice, and have another booked. We found service to be excellent on both occasions.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 6/26/2024 at 5:34 AM, stephenp said:

The food was poor, meat tough and in the Pool cafe everything was always cold.

Breakfast was better in the buffet than the YC Restaurant

We have noticed the variation as well on the same Seaship. The most important person on the ship is not the captain or the cruise director, it is the YC Chef. Lately have I been concentrating my observations on getting to know and try to follow the YC chefs. Their contracts are like everyone else 6-7 months now (down from 9 month contracts). Chef Lisa was hired away from NCL with an offer she said she couldn't refuse. Chef Sean I think came from Princess (it is in one of my past Observations), but he is leaving in August having started in February on the Seascape.  More should definitely be written about the chefs than YC Directors.

P.S. It came to my attention on one cruise that the donuts were so good I had a dozen every morning for breakfast. On a subsequent cruise 6 weeks later the same donuts were like bread with frosting and couldn't finish one. That's when I asked our waiter what happened and discovered the pastry chef changed. WHY, Why why do they not pass along their recipes?

Edited Thursday at 01:42 PM by morpheusofthesea
ps

[Cruzinforpeace***]

I don’t think so; you’ll probably love it.  We’ve only sailed Aurea Class on the Meraviglia but we thought the food was certainly better than our Celebrity cruise last summer.  The ship itself was also more beautiful and cleaner than any other cruise line we’ve sailed.

[TheBeardedCruiser]

7 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

P.S. It came to my attention on one cruise that the donuts were so good I had a dozen every morning for breakfast. 

I hope that we sail together on a cruise where the donuts are that good. I'd love to see someone eat a dozen donuts. Shoot, I'd try to join you and see how many I could handle 😀

 

OP - @Morpheusofthesea's comment does go to show you though that even YC chefs aren't perfect. If you try a dish that you don't like, they will certainly rush to get you a new dish!

 

Also, don't be afraid to speak up. As long as you are polite, they will bend over backwards for you ! You paid for a stress free vacation, and deserve to receive just that. So if you see something, say something, politely. (I'm not insinuating that you wouldn't be polite, I just like to clarify so people know that I would be polite if it was me with a problem. Some people aren't, and it makes me sad to see the crew being treated poorly!)

[DaKahuna]

7 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Chef Sean I think came from Princess (it is in one of my past Observations), but he is leaving in August having started in February on the Seascape. 

 

 Any clue as to his replacement will be?  We board Seascape in September I have a vested interest. 

 

And I agree 100%, the Chef is very important. 

 

[Eglesbrech]

On 6/25/2024 at 9:48 PM, HateSnow said:

I recently sailed on Celebrity in the retreat.  I did a Sky Suite on the Apex and a Celebrity Suite aboard the Ascent.  My wife and I enjoyed those cruises greatly.  I have booked an Anniversary cruise next year on the World America in a duplex suite in the Yacht Club.  Will I be disappointed in my decision?

No you should not be disappointed.  Yacht Club and the Retreat are both very good but imho yacht Club has the slight edge on both price and product.

 

I have only been in the Retreat on ships where it was retro fitted so you were all over the ship to get the lounge, the outdoor space, Luminae etc. I have also only been on MSC where the YC was truly a ship within a ship with everything close to hand.

 

Celebrity provide preferential embarcation / disembarcation. YC provides this at each and every port avoiding queues. You also have preferential lift call but I find this unnecessary.

 

Celebrity provide a reserved theatre seat for some shows. YC has an area reserved for every event in the theatre.

 

Both have separate restaurants with enhanced menus and great service.

Both provide nice suites. For me the Celebrity suites definitely have the edge as they are more plush, provide better room service options (you won’t get full meal service other than breakfast) and a bath (I haven’t been in a duplex so I don’t know if it has one but standard YC suites don’t). My experience of Celebrity is also better balcony re size furniture, foot stools etc. The Celebrity toiletries are also much nicer and more extensive.

 

Like Celebrity YC also offer a complimentary mini bar and elegant little treats every evening. On Celebrity the “treat” was a kind bar or Pringles, unless that has changed.

 

The Top Sail lounge is more spacious than the Retreat Lounge with amazing views over the front of the ship and offers a bar, snacks, afternoon tea and some entertainment in the evenings. I found the Retreat Lounge too small for the number of guests.

 

The outside deck is within the YC area and offers a comfortable space to relax and a buffet which offers more than the outdoor menu on Celebrity.

 

Just a personal point but I prefer the speciality restaurants on Celebrity but use them much less when in the Retreat.

As I say I would happily book either. Enjoy your cruise.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, TheBeardedCruiser said:

I'd love to see someone eat a dozen donuts.

My 'Breakfast of Champions'.

DW does not eat donuts.

Edited Thursday at 10:25 PM by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Any clue as to his replacement will be?  We board Seascape in September I have a vested interest. 

 

And I agree 100%, the Chef is very important. 

 

Not a clue.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 6/25/2024 at 4:48 PM, HateSnow said:

Will I be disappointed in my decision?

It's time I drag out my list.

A lot has to do with which ship in the MSC fleet one has chosen. Next is who the Hotel Director is, followed by Yacht Club Director, Head Butler, Maitre d' and Chef of the YC restaurant. Our latest cruise was in April 2024 on the Seascape and it was the best cruise we have had in 50 years of cruising. Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. We can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better. Seascape was to take elevator, scan any time after 11:30, watch video, call#.

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling if using credit card

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks, all included.

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water (not ship distilled with unsanitary reusable bottles)

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck (avoiding chair hogs)

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines. Group or personal escorts.

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler is not hard to find when needed.  Depends on the guest ($).

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at check in

#15 Dedicated restaurant OPEN port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests with ample lounges

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

#20 No non-suite paying Pinnacle/Zenith/Diamond passengers taking up prime real estate in the Yacht Club

#21 Elevator override key cards for suite guests

#22 Pristine out island with NO bugs crawling all over cabanas

#23 short distance between cabin and restaurant decks

#24 At least a 100 sq ft balcony accommodating a cushioned lounge chair

#25 A reserved table for 2 for all meals in a dedicated restaurant with the same waiters for 'most' every meal

#26 More options for nightly entertainment besides theatre show productions, Loft Cafe, Uptown Lounge, Le Cabaret Rouge, Atrium, Dueling Pianos Times Square, and Top Sail Lounge.

P.S. Updated June 2024 was just as good as April 2024

Edited Thursday at 10:24 PM by morpheusofthesea
ps

[Fissues]

Morph, did you forget the complimentary WiFi, Premium Drink Package, mini bar and  full bottle of your choice liquor?

Edited Thursday at 11:25 PM by Fissues

[morpheusofthesea]

57 minutes ago, Fissues said:

Morph, did you forget the complimentary WiFi, Premium Drink Package, mini bar and  full bottle of your choice liquor?

I guess I just took those all for granted. I will have to add them to my list. Thank you.

P.S. Thanks again. You prove that this forum is really all about being a group effort.

Edited Friday at 12:21 AM by morpheusofthesea
ps

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Fissues said:

Morph, did you forget the complimentary WiFi, Premium Drink Package, mini bar and  full bottle of your choice liquor?

Revised. (See #27)

A lot has to do with which ship in the MSC fleet one has chosen. Next is who the Hotel Director is, followed by Yacht Club Director, Head Butler, Maitre d' and Chef of the YC restaurant. Our latest cruise was in April 2024 on the Seascape and it was the best cruise we have had in 50 years of cruising. Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. We can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better. Seascape was to take elevator, scan any time after 11:30, watch video, call#.

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling if using credit card

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks, all included.

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water (not ship distilled with unsanitary reusable bottles)

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck (avoiding chair hogs)

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines. Group or personal escorts.

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler is not hard to find when needed.  Depends on the guest ($).

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at check in

#15 Dedicated restaurant OPEN port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests with ample lounges

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

#20 No non-suite paying Pinnacle/Zenith/Diamond passengers taking up prime real estate in the Yacht Club

#21 Elevator override key cards for suite guests

#22 Pristine out island with NO bugs crawling all over cabanas

#23 short distance between cabin and restaurant decks

#24 At least a 100 sq ft balcony accommodating a cushioned lounge chair

#25 A reserved table for 2 for all meals in a dedicated restaurant with the same waiters for 'most' every meal

#26 More options for nightly entertainment besides theatre show productions, Loft Cafe, Uptown Lounge, Le Cabaret Rouge, Atrium, Dueling Pianos Times Square, and Top Sail Lounge.

#27  The complimentary WiFi, Premium Drink Package, mini bar and  full bottle of your choice liquor.(Thanks @Fissues)

#28 A price for a Yacht Club cabin that is 1/3 the price of Regent Grandeur GS without being treated like steerage.

Edited Friday at 12:44 AM by morpheusofthesea

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 6/25/2024 at 4:48 PM, HateSnow said:

I recently sailed on Celebrity in the retreat.  I did a Sky Suite on the Apex and a Celebrity Suite aboard the Ascent.  My wife and I enjoyed those cruises greatly.  I have booked an Anniversary cruise next year on the World America in a duplex suite in the Yacht Club.  Will I be disappointed in my decision?

The Yacht Club is a whole different experience compared to your Celebrity experience.  The Yacht Club is truly a ship within a ship. It is totally different from the Celebrity concept. I can’t wait to go on my next YC cruise on MSC…(I’m currently awaiting a kidney transplant.) I fully agree with Morpheus…a good chef makes all the difference.  

[MonsterJoe]

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Any clue as to his replacement will be?  We board Seascape in September I have a vested interest. 

 

And I agree 100%, the Chef is very important. 

 

I will definitely ask in August if no one else does first, now that I know better

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

I have only been in the Retreat on ships where it was retro fitted so you were all over the ship to get the lounge, the outdoor space, Luminae etc. I have also only been on MSC where the YC was truly a ship within a ship with everything close to hand.

 

 This is the way with all Celebrity ships.  The cabins for the Retreat guest are spread all over the ship, our favorite being the Aft Corner Sky  Suites (now called Sunset Suites I believe). 

On MSC the suites are all located within the YC enclave. 

 

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Celebrity provide preferential embarcation / disembarcation. YC provides this at each and every port avoiding queues. You also have preferential lift call but I find this unnecessary.

 

 Celebrity does occasionally have a separate embarkation line for Retreat Guest.  On our last cruise, one of the Retreat Concierges was at the gangway look at the line for any Retreat guest and escorting them to the head of the line. 

 

 You can also go to the Retreat Lounge and ask to be escorted to the security checkpoint when disembarking the ship.  

 

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Like Celebrity YC also offer a complimentary mini bar and elegant little treats every evening. On Celebrity the “treat” was a kind bar or Pringles, unless that has changed.

 

 The minibar on Celebrity ships is only complimentary if you are sailing in one of the upper suites.  I have not seen Pringles in quite a while, but I do not sail in upper suites.  A single bag of potato chips was all the 'snacks' offered to us on Celebrity, with a list of other things we could order for a fee 

 

 

On MSC Divina the Mini-bar was full of drinks and there was complementary snacks and the Butler / Assistant Butler would stock the minibar with whatever you wanted.   If I remember correctly, the first of each snack was free but you could ask for replacements and you may or may not be charged for them.  We did not eat any of ours so am not sure how it works.

 

On Celebrity you can ask for afternoon canapé's to be delivered to your room. I have seen reports where some have been told that treats were available only in the Retreat Lounge.  We normally do not snack between meals so we never bother to ask for any.  On MSC there was a treat (sweet) of some kind left in your cabin every night. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

 

The Top Sail lounge is more spacious than the Retreat Lounge with amazing views over the front of the ship and offers a bar, snacks, afternoon tea and some entertainment in the evenings. I found the Retreat Lounge too small for the number of guests.

 

 The Retreat Lounge is usually under utilized except when special events, like the officer's reception, are being held.  We often had the lounge completely to ourselves on the M and S class ships.  I believe the lounge on the E class of ships is busier. 

 

 There is no nightly entertainment in the Retreat Lounge like there is in the YC.  We really enjoyed relaxing in the YC Lounge listening to soft music each evening after dinner. 

 

 In the Retreat Lounge, except when breakfast / snacks are being served, the Concierge or the bartender takes your drink orders.  In the YC Lounge there are at least two servers coming around taking drink orders, clearing tables, offering snacks, etc..  

 

 

[DaKahuna]

28 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

I will definitely ask in August if no one else does first, now that I know better

 

 Thank you.  I will be anxiously awaiting your live review of your cruise.  

 

[morpheusofthesea]

On 6/25/2024 at 4:48 PM, HateSnow said:

Will I be disappointed in my decision?

On the other hand....

"The pleasure of expecting enjoyment is often greater than that of obtaining it. And the completion of almost every wish is found a disappointment." Dr. Samuel Johnson

What else can explain every second post on social media expounding excitement and count-downs and later very few positive reviews.

[mnpurple]

You will also have access to the thermal spa as part of the YC. We enjoyed that a few times each cruise and some family went every  day.