Stem to Stern

@Linda W.Your suite is right next to ours and likely is identical. Yes, the television pivots. You and your husband will be just fine. The Yacht Club has so much space to hang out in. We were hardly ever in our suite. We spent a lot of time on the Sundeck and in the lounge. Enjoy!!😉

Yes. Normal suitcases do fit under the bed. One of ours is odd sized. So we left it standing in the corner between the desk and the closet. We found plenty of space for everything. I don’t know about hair dryers and electric razors. Last month I did a Live from Seascape report where I posted more photos of the suite, bathroom, and the rest of the yacht club. The thread has fallen to about the 13th page of the Celebrity boards. I am unsure how to link it, but below is the title in case you want to check it out.😎 LIVE SIDE-BY-SIDE Celebrity Summit Retreat & Seascape Yacht Club 12/9-21/2023 ~ 1st MSC vs Farewell (?) X Suite Experience

Although I failed to bring my tape measure on board with me, our December 2023 Seascape YIN booking was advertised as 226 square feet. Judge for yourself by these photos of YIN 18029. It sure did not seem overly spacious to us….

I realize this question was asked a year ago, but we had YIN Yacht Club Interior Suite 18029 on Seascape last month. While DH slept like a log the entire week, I was kept awake by weird swooshing noises similar to a toilet flushing minus the vacuum. In my mind it had something to do with the swimming pool water sloshing into overflow vats and periodically emptying down a pipe.

As I have visions of unwanted wardrobe malfunctions a la the Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy, I think there could be promise for a nice Evening Chic night side hustle here.

How long did it take you to read through it all? 😄

Another starter option to consider would be to order the lobster roll minus the roll.

DH and I both received our 5 points each in our totals. I just thought you all should know.

Taking a few too many meals in the Oceanview Cafe, are you?!? By the way I'm a Quilted Northern boy. I prefer to travel in ultra-plush premium comfort.

I didn't know a US federal holiday would have an effect on Celebrity's tabulation of Captain's Club points. Are the casinos closed on board their ships today also?

We can't quit you Celebrity! Not yet anyway. We have three more booked into 2025 at acceptable pricing. We have strayed a few times in the recent and distant past, so we will definitely have a sniff at the competition. We sailed Crystal once and loved it. We just completed our first go in the MSC Yacht Club and would certainly give that another spin. But as we look to more port-intensive itineraries, other lines are providing more interesting offerings. We have not yet sailed Holland America, but we will likely end up booking during their $1.00 deposit promotion. I loath Celebrity's non-refundable deposits. But HAL is only one of several lines I have been exploring. Goofysmom's post featuring the video of the very appealing suite on board Silver Moon at very competitive pricing caught my attention. I previously took note of certain Silversea sailings that I found to be within a swallowable price range.

I have sailed on Celebrity a dozen times, have complained very little about my experiences, and have booked three more into 2025. Our last cruise this past December on board Summit was one of the best. However, I think one's on board experiences currently vary greatly from ship to ship. Maybe one ship's management team has done a better job than the next when it comes to dealing with the company's cutbacks including staffing. Celebrity Edge has received criticism recently regarding food and service. I have yet to sail on an Edge-class vessel, but they look gorgeous from the imagery I have seen. The older classes of Celebrity's ships are stunning and beautifully maintained by hard-working crews. Go enjoy all that these fabulous ships have to offer. A cruise is as fun as you make it. Read less of the criticism of Celebrity and don't compare to the other lines you cruised on.

Fragile?!?

You would think Celebrity could make it easier to find the points history. Good grief!🙄 My 5 points for December webinar are there, but not showing up in the total yet.

I read the thread title and for a sec I thought this was another one of Charla’s live threads.😂 Thanks for the VV blow by blow. They were not yet on my bucket list. Your report confirms that they will never end up on my bucket list. Don’t get me wrong. I am open to new adventures. I tried Crystal and MSC Yacht Club. I know. Polar opposites, but I would definitely give either of them another go. Always good to have options.

I agree. It was a night and day difference between having the same core Luminae crew meal after meal from the Maitre D to the waiters to the sommelier vs. Yacht Club Restaurant’s revolving ensemble of team members.

I envision nonstop laughter if the six of us got together. Rosie and I are stealth and persistent deal hunters. We recently capitalized on unbeatable group rates through a newly discovered TA. Dealing with a new TA can be unsettling, but she seems to be legit. Sadly, at this point in time there is no more Retreat in our future. DH and I sail next on Silhouette 4/4/2024. All 4 of us are booked on 9/7/2024 Beyond and 11/30/2025 Xcel. We are looking at quotes on 8/15/2025 Silhouette repo from Iceland to Boston.

Hi Charla, Happy Snowy Saturday! It is so nice to see you come back for the wrap up. I am sure with all of the changes happening at Celebrity a long pause for reflection was needed. As for the negative portion of your post, I really do appreciate how you always call it like you see it with exquisite eloquence and a little bit of humor sprinkled in there. Hopefully Celebrity is getting the many messages like these from all of their loyal clientele. I am very happy to read about your preference of Celebrity Beyond. DH and I will be taking up residence in a Sunset Verandah on board her in about eight-months for our inaugural Edge-class sailing. We are very excited. Our recent trial in MSC Yacht Club was not perfect, but as you said for the money it was darn near close and there was an army of butlers. Seascape's Yacht Club enclave is spacious, service was good, and food was okay. It is great to have options. MSC Yacht Club will remain on our shopping list. Our recent Sky Suite experience on Celebrity Summit really can't be faulted in any way. The food and service were on point. We do not require constant looking after, so even without a large team The Retreat delivered for us. Why not also explore Crystal Cruises for your next solo sojourn? We have not sailed them since 2017, but the experience was most memorable. I have read good reports about New Crystal and I understand the ships are not sailing anywhere near full passenger capacity. So if you are looking to book a little closer to sailing, maybe there are or will be deals on Crystal to be had. Thanks again for all of the wonderful reporting you do on Cruise Critic. Had it not been for one of your live reports, I might never have given MSC Cruises a glance. Please accept my deepest condolences on your family's loss. Best wishes for a better 2024.

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.

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?!?🤪

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….

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.

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.

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