Celebrity Retreat vs. Seabourn

[AmateurGO]

We've done 6 cruises on the "traditional" Windstar sailing ships, then a Cruise in the "Retreat" on the Celebrity Beyond last Fall and the Seabourn Encore this spring.  We are now about to head off on one of the previous Seabourn ships under the Windstar flag (the Pride) so we will soon have had experiences on about all variations of the "small ship" theme.  Oh yes, we also did a one week cruise in the Galapagos on the 100 passenger Celebrity Flora last year, which was special in its own way.

For pure luxury and service level, I thought the Retreat in the Beyond was a set above the Seabourn Encore.  The main problem with the Beyound is that it is a very large ship, with all those implications.  But, there were some advantages because of the size of the ship, such as the quality of the evening entertainment and the variety of dining options available.  But, as mentioned above, Celebrity has apparently figured out that they have a good thing in the Retreat and have priced it accordingly.  We've always preferred the friendly and social atmosphere on the Windstar sailing ships and will soon find out if that holds true on their motor yachts.