Georgia_Peaches

Options for self-serve fridge in Retreat lounge:

$6.99 to upgrade is something I would snatch up pretty quickly! Our upgrade price never fell below $13.99. We’ve found the menus in the app to be accurate on our current sailing.

We joined the breakfast rush in Luminae, where 8:30 seems to be peak time with the venue closing at 9am. We were initially being escorted to a bench table along the back wall. But only one of us would have a view so I requested one of the three available 2 tops by the window. Not a problem. Breakfast service was slow…again, peak time as the restaurant was 3/4 full. I ordered scrambled eggs with corn beef hash and DH had eggs Benny and cheese grits. The grits looked great but were cooked Al dente and no respectable southern gal eats their grits that way! DH is from Pitt so he ate them without knowing better 🤦‍♀️. My eggs were fine….hash, not so much. No complaints about service as everyone was all smiles despite what must have been an exhausting day just a few hours before. Afterward, we strolled the upper Retreat deck in search of more pics and some shade. I’m impressed with the availability of shaded areas, which have been almost nonexistent on our previous MSC yacht club experiences.

@twins_to_alaska seems to have had a different interaction with her cabin steward and Retreat Butler….whom we’ve not yet met…and we were literally first on the ship. Not really sure how I feel about the Retreat atm. Last night we were listening to music in Eden when DH suggested we go to the retreat lounge to see what was going on. The lounge was partially occupied by a few parties dotted about the space. Snacks were nicely laid out on the buffet and a different bartender from the afternoon was shaking up some drinks. The concierge stand was busy but with 3 members of the concierge team, things seemed to be pretty fluid. One of the concierge team members asked if we needed help with anything. I had just banged my head for the second time…ice, maybe? Just kidding, it didn’t hurt that bad. We asked about getting a reservation at the Rooftop Garden Grill bc the app showed none were available. We snagged a 7 pm with relative ease. No entertainment in the Retreat Lounge so off we went.

Quite alright, twins! The excitement is infectious. 😊

Woke this morning and used the app to open our curtains so that we could sit up in bed and watch our sail in to Nassau. Wish I had remembered to preorder a coffee delivery. Met briefly with our cabin steward…and I mean briefly…don’t recall his name. He explained that the 2 waters were complimentary. Asked if we had any special requests and then left. In and out in 3 minutes, at most. The only request I had was for an ice bucket at turn down. It was there as requested. I’m sure he was trying to get to all the rooms on his load. The stress on his face was real. In contrast, Mila (cabin steward during first leg) spent a good amount of time with us on the first day. She went over the highlights of our room. Showed us all the storage spaces, told us to watch our step in and out of the bathroom. Talked about the water controls in the shower…. She was meticulous and determined to make us feel welcome. And her cabin load was 20 rooms.

Just catching up but wanted to wish you a very happy birthday! I can think of no better way to celebrate! Here’s hoping you are enjoying every moment 🎂🍾.

Just reread your post and laughed out loud! You are right on the money!

We are on a slow boat to the Bahamas. In fact, I think I could row faster. But the water against the night sky is beautiful. Visited the casino for a nightcap. A lady was playing my Zeus orb machine and winning quite nicely. She didn’t see the humor when I told her she was playing my machine. DH and I agree that the vibe on this 3 nighter is quite different from the previous 4 nights. Guess we’ll just have to sit on our balcony and enjoy a bottle of embarkation bubbly. Until tomorrow..

Magic carpet on the move…

Had a lovely meal in Fine Cut steakhouse this evening. We found the wine list to be limited in Cabernets by the glass. We opted for Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass. It’s $35 a glass but only $18 if you have the premium package. We were charged for 6 generous pours which amounted to $118 including gratuity. A bottle yields about 4 glasses and costs $195 plus gratuity. It’s a better value to go by the glass. we each had the crab cake, salad and 9 oz filet. Plus fudge brownie for dessert. I’m full!

@twins_to_alaska so glad you’re enjoying your embarkation on the beautiful Ascent.

Evening in the Retreat lounge..

Word to the wise, I’ve banged my head on this light fixture…twice!

Nope. Just found another full length mirror in the closet.

Right?! The print is almost exact. What were they thinking?! Lol. Very comfortable, though.

We have routinely been asked for 2 cards as well. Most times asked, few times not.

Lunch in Luminae was nice. The space is large and not as intimate as I remember on S class ships. Our server and sommelier were both very attentive and the food was tasty. I had the fish and DH had the signature burger. We toasted this second leg with a bourbon and peaches signature cocktail. I’ve whiled away the afternoon with a book on one of the Freddy Kruger loungers on the retreat sun deck. It’s overcast and slightly cool in FLL. Just another embarkation day… different faces.

Main Street was not closed during our visit.

Ohhh! Well darn! No doubt we missed the raffle.

Yes, the sky suite has the full length mirror with the desk that slides in. Not sure why the other cabins do not.

Heading to lunch in Luminae. Will definitely report out. So far we have been greeted by name but that could be because the Retreat concierge was made aware of our re-embarkation troubles and was apologizing profusely.

So a few hiccups on the b2b process that left me less than impressed. First, the easy peasy impression that we got from yesterday’s meeting didn’t materialize as expected. We met in Eden as directed but there was no record of us being on a B2B. That is to say, we got a letter to attend the meeting but then the ball was dropped on the prep of our new room keys, which were necessary to return to the ship. We were assured that keys were being printed and that we should follow the crowd off the ship and through customs. My earlier impression that we wouldn’t be doing this was incorrect. We went through a quick customs check and then we’re corralled into the embarkation holding area where nobody seemed to know what to do next. No organization. No lines for new pics. No mic to hear directions being given. Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of b2b passengers (at least 200 of us). People crowded around the personnel taking pictures. Was really surprised by the behavior of some, frankly. After a successful pic and quick scan of our passports we headed back up the gangway only to be stopped by security and pulled aside bc we didn’t have new cards to scan to return to the ship. At that point we were being told to return to the embarkation lobby bc the current boarding was only for b2b passengers. I explained that we were b2b and we were once again pulled aside for further processing. Meanwhile, everyone else filed on through. Once we were cleared, we had to head to Guest Relations for a new key card. Annoying but finally sorted. First impression of the Retreat did not disappoint.

Excellent tip! After our tour we decided to pass. It looks lovely but for us, the value isn’t there.

Ahhh, turn around day. I love that we are sitting in al Bacio at the moment….watching people hustle about…knowing we don’t have to…at least not yet. Reflections from last night… We dined in Tuscan, which was by far the busiest MDR of the three we experienced. The food was very good too…especially the chateaubriand. It was cooked perfectly and fork tender. DH surprised me when he ordered the steak tar tar for an app. Our server raised his eyes and reminded him it was raw. DH said he was being cosmopolitan 🙄, which is funny because he’s never so “cosmopolitan” at home. Anyway, kudos to him for trying it. Too bad it didn’t agree with him. The only thing being “cosmopolitan” got him was a rumbling tummy and a few urgent visits to the bathroom! Poor guy…he’s much better now. After dinner we ventured to the theater for the premier of the Celebrity Ascent production show. Hmmm, how to describe it??? Well, as a child of the 70’s and 80’s I recall that psychedelic drugs were popular among some groups. Not that I partook, mind you but if I had, I imagine the experience might have been very much like last night’s show. Which isn’t to imply that it was bad… it wasn’t. It was vastly different from any Celebrity production show I’ve ever seen. The music was loud, the lights were flashy with 3D effects and visuals on the giant screen that were truly phenomenal. The story line was confused… like being in a dream where you jump from one weird dimension to another. The dancing and acrobatics were truly amazing! At times we were submerged in a 4-d experience with bubbles and balls of light that seemed to appear from out of nowhere. The laser lighting mimicked lightning and I swear at one point I was in a trance… my eyes were heavy, like sleep would overwhelm me but the loud music and flashing light kept me from the brink of slumber. I thought it was just me but DH said he felt it too. I also think that some sort of scent was filtered into the theater… it smelled like laundry. The cast received a standing O for their performance and it was earned, no doubt, but I challenge anyone in that theater last night to explain what that show was about. I guarantee you’d get as many different interpretations as there were people in the audience. I promise I was mostly sober even though it sounds like I was anything but! Anyway, here’s a few pics: