LIVE SIDE-BY-SIDE Celebrity Summit Retreat & Seascape Yacht Club 12/9-21/2023 ~ 1st MSC vs Farewell (?) X Suite Experience

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I would say that the food was impressive on Ponant.    The Venison was incredible,  the Octopus tasty and tender,  the Foie Gras was buttery and perfectly cooked.     One thing I liked was that they had a Salad, Soup,  Cheese, Desert buffet every day.   You ordered your main dish but  served yourself from the buffet area.

off topic...sorry..

Jim,  We are waiting to hear your review of Cunard..We want to catch a crossing when they feature the Royal Ballet.  I liked the food.( QM2) but .Sal thought  too much fish. We.both loved the  Fancy Tea   as well as the Pub for lunch! Shows all professional quality!

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/21/2023 at 10:29 PM, George C said:

You definitely should try a suite on edge class there outside suite area is similar to MSc yacht club and their entertainment is excellent. Again great comparison, thanks. 

Thanks for the recommendation, George.  We are definitely on the hunt for something in The Retreat on board an Edge-class vessel with palatable pricing.

[George C]

53 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Thanks for the recommendation, George.  We are definitely on the hunt for something in The Retreat on board an Edge-class vessel with palatable pricing.

Pricing is the issue a year or two ago it was reasonable now not so much.

[Stem to Stern]

The Retreat Lounge vs Top Sail Lounge

 

Continuing to break down this comparison bit by bit, I would like to compare our experiences with food/beverage, staffing/service, and atmosphere specifically in these two venues.  
 

Top Sail Lounge food and beverage:  I believe I gave a good indication of the food provided all day long in TSL throughout my earlier posts and pics.  Various little individualized snack plates were on display at a tiered, self-serve, walk-up buffet adjacent to the bar.  

These included items like nuts, potato chips, dried figs, dried apricots, olives, finger sandwiches, micro-pizzas, and sweet treats.  Elegantly folded napkins were also available here.  The bar waitpersons restocked and maintained the spread.  I sometimes found that carrying multiple plates for the both of us proved challenging.  

My Chopin and DH’s Hendrick’s were always available, but we do not seek out ultra-premium or exotic liquors that may have commanded an up charge.  So no up charges incurred and no further insight can be provided into this controversial topic.  On one unfortunate night a malfunctioning espresso machine created a very delayed after-dinner espresso martini.  Little blips like this are something you evidently become accustomed to on MSC or you opt not to cruise MSC.  Just keeping’ it real, folks.  Pots of hot tea were always available, but YMMV with regard to the brand.  Honey was served in individualized jars as were all other condiments.

 

The Retreat Lounge food and beverage:  We were very impressed with the spread provided.  Unlike Top Sail Lounge meats, cheeses, fruits, and sweet treats were arranged like a three-dimensional painting.  Nearly every time I walked up to the nosh buffet, it looked absolutely Instagram-worthy.  The spread was meticulously displayed and appeared as if it had not yet been touched.  Dessert-sized plates and wrapped place-settings alluded to the idea that one could easily make a meal here.  Please see pics in posts 243, 255 and 258.  Summit for the food and beverage win.

 

Top Sail Lounge staffing and service:  Generally we witnessed one or two bartenders and two or three bar waitpersons on hand to serve us.  On our inclement weather day the YC Sundeck was unusable, so TSL was full.  Staffing levels did increase on this day since they were not needed up on deck.  The future cruise manager was also at her desk to the right just inside the entrance into TSL for generous blocks of time throughout each day of the cruise.  She seemed to be excelling at her objective.  Overall the service was okay in the lounge.  One stand out was Kimberly, a bar waitress who always had a huge smile on her face and exuded professionalism.  No one else on the bar team really excited and delighted me like she did.  She was my favorite and I told her so.  One of the bartenders came out of the gate on Day 1 not firing on all cylinders.  He forgot to place cocktail napkins on the bar prior to serving our drinks.  He seemed to know his craft, although one cosmo had way too much cranberry juice.  However, he lacked personality and natural social interaction with us.  He struck me as awkward.  At times he was the lone barman having to prepare all of the drinks ordered throughout the lounge.

 

The Retreat Lounge staffing and service:  I’m sorry.  When one recognizes a bar crew member from a prior cruise and they are overflowing with friendliness and personality, one is challenged to be fair and unbiased. Both couples had the pleasure of sailing with superstar Karla from Brazil, barista in Cafe Al Bacio on board Connie last October.  This cruise Karla was usually found behind the bar in TRL along with at least one additional bar waitperson.  Karla easily engaged me in friendly, early-morning chit-chat, graciously answering and elaborating on my endless ship-life questions.  Retreat Concierges Eve and/or Mudit were always present and pleasant, but they did not always seem fully engaged with patrons of the venue.  I had the feeling that they were reluctant to stray far from their desk anticipating that the phone would be ringing sooner than later.  Even though there are only two of them, along with Head Butler Valen, it was nice to have them stationed in TRL for better accessibility.  For example, one of them would call Serdar to check table availability so we could avoid any large, loud groups that might be dining in Luminae at that time.  Yes, there were a few of those on board.  Side note:  Summit Luminae was never busy or overcrowded during any of our meals there.  This provided an exceedingly intimate dining experience.  Luminae staff, being the consummate professionals that they all are, never appeared rushed or stressed.  This is in sharp contrast to the battalion staffed in YC Restaurant who often seemed to not be performing like a well-rehearsed symphony orchestra.  
 

While enjoying pre-dinner cocktails in The Retreat Lounge, it was nice not to have to pick up the phone and call someone to ask about preferred table availability.  This is a mute point in YC because the YC Restaurant was so crowded and hectic that getting a cozy, quiet table in the back corner of the restaurant away from others was next to impossible.  
 

The Retreat Concierge concept contrasts with the Yacht Club Butler regime as there are twelve YC Butlers for roughly 130 suites.  I did not find I preferred one program over the other.  They are just different.  Having your own dedicated Butler AND Stateroom Attendant did make me feel like I was being better looked after.  Anyway, Summit for the lounge staffing and service win.

 

Atmosphere:  Seascape for the win.  Sorry DH, but if I am going to read or doze or be holed up indoors on an inclement weather day, I see myself in TSL over TRL any day.  If only Karla could bring the nosh spread from The Retreat Lounge over to Seascape.  With her and Kim on the same team, I think great things could happen.  
 

TSL has an incredible, two-deck-high, forward-port-starboard panoramic view; a peekaboo view of the bridge; a beautiful Swarovski crystal staircase leading one deck up to the Yacht Club Restaurant; a piano; varying nightly live music; a varied, piped-in, Smooth Jazz and easy listening playlist; cozy, quiet corners as well as convivial seating areas; ultra-comfy overstuffed chairs and loveseats; large, heavy stone-topped cocktail tables; a hand-washing station; and interesting, mirrored, brown, boomerang-inspired design elements.  I’m convinced that this boomerang motif is MSC’s update to their previous animal-prints as seen in YC on Davina.😂 But I will take this over Kelly’s IKEA-inspired “design” selections.

Find the boomerangs😆

Menu cart on left, future cruise manager’s desk on right, quiet corner with peekaboo view of bridge far right

Hand washing station immediately outside Top Sail Lounge entrance

Looking aft from TSL outdoor space above bridge, camera held above windshield
 

Top Sail Lounge also has direct access to a forward facing outdoor space a portion of which is a designated smoking area.  The cool part about this space is the fact that it is directly over the bridge and mimic’s the bridge’s footprint.  Therefore, one can observe forward, port, starboard, and aft.  This allowed me to capture some cool shots.  The eight-foot tall glass windshield along with my long arms enabled me to position my phone above the glass and maximize photography opportunities.  This is where I captured this shot after coming back on board from our day in Old San Juan.

 

In contrast The Retreat Lounge is just okay albeit a bit sterile.  I never had the opportunity to visit a pre-Kelly Michael’s Club on a Millennium-class ship.  The only Michael’s Club I had the pleasure of enjoying was on board Silhouette.  With the existing space Kelly and Celebrity had to work with I think they have probably done a decent job.  To accommodate all 100-ish Retreat guests at once I guess they had to opt for most of the furniture to be scaled for petite people.  Very little contrast exists within the color palate.  The only outdoor view is from the high-top table and four barstools in the kitchenesque bar area.  

This room features outdoor access to deck 5, bar service, two urns of flavored water, an automatic beverage machine, and coolers painstakingly stocked by Karla with various still and sparkling waters and soft drinks.

In the actual lounge seating areas, some of the chairs are proper dining-chair seat height while other seating options are extremely low to the ground and difficult to upright ones self from especially after one of Karla’s martinis.😋

 

Apparently I mostly took pics of TRL food and not many of the actual atmosphere.  I’m sure there is a You Tube.  As far as I know, live music was featured in TRL two of the five nights of the cruise one of which was the Captain’s Soirée.  

On this evening we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting extensively with Captain Chris about his family and their life in Greece.  He was patient and gracious enough to humor me and my request for a pic with him.  Our friends, DH, and I were rewarded with a multi-pose photo shoot.  The captain called the ship’s photographer over for a few snaps that were delivered to our stateroom later in the sailing.  Sadly, they were awful.  Our true photography superstars of the evening were DH and fellow passenger Renee.  Thanks to Renee for offering to help out

DH’s awesome shot of Captain Chris in deep conversation with fellow passengers Renee and Jamie

Renee’s miracle iPhone in action as the three of us stand firmly against the swell

 

The captain alluded to the fact that we would be in for a wild ride to Cozumel.  If anyone recalls the weather Florida and the surrounding areas were experiencing last week, you might understand what he meant when he told us we were going to fly over the swell.  When we arrived in Cozumel we were reward with a gorgeous day.😀

 

To summarize the lounge war, Summit won the food/beverage and staffing/service battles and Seascape won the atmosphere battle.  Summit won the war.  Good night.💤 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

36 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

This room features outdoor access to deck 5, bar service, two urns of flavored water, an automatic beverage machine, and coolers painstakingly stocked by Karla with various still and sparkling waters and soft drinks.

My editing window expired on me.  The Retreat Lounge is actually on Deck 4, not Deck 5 as stated in above quote.  Apologies.

I will also add that it was a very expensive automatic beverage machine.

Edited December 26, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Visitors4]

We sailed the Summit in May 2023, and Luminae was delicious from day 1! We just sailed the Infinity and food improved for the better over 12 nights, and the Luminae staff was very attentive to our dining experience. Agree that the veal canneloni on the Luminae menu is an odd execution and very heavy for a starter. Try the orecchiette pasta and the veal chop entrees! The Blue Wave is a new fave martini for us! 

[APFBarb]

DH and I have many Retreat sailings under our belt.  Another on Connie coming up Jan 3rd.  Tried YC for 4 days on the Seashore this month as an experiment.  Decided its one and done.  Physical spaces in YC were spacious and lovely, including cabin.  Better than on Celebrity M & S class ships.  But the YC  food was not well prepared or of good quality.  Staff tried hard but training was lacking.  EX:  Asked for ketchup to go with burger on embarkation day lunch - never came.  Served pancakes on YC pool deck at breakfast, but requested syrup showed up 15 minutes later.  One server in lounge barely understood English.  All about training and management's failure to do so.

 

The YC enclave is very nice, but leaving it and entering the rest of the ship is a wild experience.  Including the elevators, loud pumping/vibrating music and visual and sensory overload. 

 

On Celebrity we enjoy the whole ship.  Not so on the Seashore.

[George C]

Thanks again for a fantastic review and comparison, totally looking forward to our royal suite on summit in March and our yacht club on seaside in December. 

[JDPCruisers]

On 12/12/2023 at 7:54 AM, asnaleah said:

Enjoying this thread and interested to read the comparison. @Dolebludger, we are currently on Eclipse in a CS, and our Butler experience is outstanding. No problems with stocking our water/vitamin waters or changing out the champagne for wines. 

We are booked on the Eclipse next September so interested in the condition of the ship and your stateroom? 

[JDPCruisers]

1 hour ago, APFBarb said:

DH and I have many Retreat sailings under our belt.  Another on Connie coming up Jan 3rd.  Tried YC for 4 days on the Seashore this month as an experiment.  Decided its one and done.  Physical spaces in YC were spacious and lovely, including cabin.  Better than on Celebrity M & S class ships.  But the YC  food was not well prepared or of good quality.  Staff tried hard but training was lacking.  EX:  Asked for ketchup to go with burger on embarkation day lunch - never came.  Served pancakes on YC pool deck at breakfast, but requested syrup showed up 15 minutes later.  One server in lounge barely understood English.  All about training and management's failure to do so.

 

The YC enclave is very nice, but leaving it and entering the rest of the ship is a wild experience.  Including the elevators, loud pumping/vibrating music and visual and sensory overload. 

 

On Celebrity we enjoy the whole ship.  Not so on the Seashore.

Just of Constellation, the crew is great and the main areas are fine but we found our SS to be old and worn. Our room attendant, or Retreat Host now, kept the room clean but it is sorely in need an a complete update. 

[Tyskie]

On 12/24/2023 at 6:34 PM, TheRabbit said:

Just to let you know, I received an email from your account that was scamming asking me to buy apple and amazon cards. We had originally emailed over a coastal in 2018 before you had to cancel.

John

 

Hi John, 

I am so sorry - yes, I was hacked - far and wide! 

Have taken the appropriate measures - Thank you so much for letting me know.

🥰

[asnaleah]

6 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

We are booked on the Eclipse next September so interested in the condition of the ship and your stateroom? 

Well, my expectations were low because I knew the ship’s scheduled revolutionizing had been postponed. The suite furnishings weren’t too bad, the carpet was fine too. The balcony was not in good condition, the furniture is beat, and paint chips kept dropping off the ceiling. Luminae looked good, no obvious wear and tear. The public areas are dated and some furniture is worn. Some carpeting is stained. I did not see crew constantly cleaning like I had in earlier post shutdown cruises. Maybe someone will know the dry dock schedule and chime in. I hope it happens before your September sailing!

[JDPCruisers]

15 hours ago, asnaleah said:

Well, my expectations were low because I knew the ship’s scheduled revolutionizing had been postponed. The suite furnishings weren’t too bad, the carpet was fine too. The balcony was not in good condition, the furniture is beat, and paint chips kept dropping off the ceiling. Luminae looked good, no obvious wear and tear. The public areas are dated and some furniture is worn. Some carpeting is stained. I did not see crew constantly cleaning like I had in earlier post shutdown cruises. Maybe someone will know the dry dock schedule and chime in. I hope it happens before your September sailing!

Thanks. From what I have found, she is due for revolutionizing on Spring of 2025. So, if that is the case, she'll be even more worn. Off the Constellation last week and the staterooms are similar, sad to see the condition certainly considering the costs (and we got in before the removal of tips and OBC). But, the crew was constantly cleaning and painting outside. A number of public bathrooms, particularly female form what my wife said, had stalls out of order. If not for the itinerary, Boston to Quebec overnight and back, we would consider cancelling until after being revolutionized. 

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/26/2023 at 10:22 AM, George C said:

looking forward to our royal suite on summit in March and our yacht club on seaside in December. 

The countdown is on for you.  Yay!!

 

I will share one of the things I know I would love about the Royal Suites on the Millennium class ships in the event I ever have another Move Up bidding opportunity for one.  They look down at the water rather than lifeboats.  I like to stand at my verandah rail and admire the sea view.  In the area of Sky Suite 6120 the view below is of lifeboats and deck space.  
 

View below 6120 verandah rail.

 

View forward toward Celebrity Suites - a lot of steel.

 

View aft looking toward angled verandahs of Aqua Sky Suites 6126 and 6132 in the distance.

It sounds like a first-world problem, but on one particular day during our sailing maintenance was taking place on one of the lifeboats below and forward of our verandah.  When I noticed the crew member tending to the lifeboat, I also noticed the incredible layer of grime on the lifeboat.  
 

On another occasion loud banging was occurring outside of our suite presumably from more exterior maintenance.  The Royal Suites’ locations further aft would have at least been a bit further away from all the banging.  I closed and latched the sliding door to the verandah, but the banging could still be heard.

 

Nevertheless it was interesting to observe the crew at work at the lifeboat while at sea!?!  I enjoyed capturing these shots.

 

Check out his foot placement on the lifeboat in this photo.

 

On another occasion I witnessed from our verandah what appeared to be paint scrapings at the bottom of these stairs from Deck 5 to Deck 4.  It was good to see work happening, but as @81Zoomiereported in their Live on the following sailing Lady Summit is in need of a considerable amount of exterior maintenance and refurbishment.

 

Overall we were very pleased with The Retreat experience on Summit including Luminae, The Retreat Lounge, and the revolutionized Sky Suite.  We did not take advantage of The Retreat Sundeck because of the gale force winds during a good portion of our sailing, but our friends braved the weather and quite enjoyed the serenity and solitude there.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[lola2013]

We enjoyed the fruit skewers when we got back to catch the tender in Grand Cayman a couple of weeks ago.  That special touch, along with a cold face cloth and glass of water, is one of the special little perks that Celebrity provides and I appreciate so much 😎.

Susan

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:48 PM, George C said:

Not sure if you guys are into wines , curious on wine selection, are you allowed to byob ? 

Sorry George.  I am just now rereading and noticing some of the questions I have not responded to.  I guess I was having fun.  I did not even get a pic of a wine list.

We are not wine snobs, but I can’t help but give side eye to a sommelier when I see them coming toward me with a $10 open bottle of rose when I ordered a glass of Whispering Angel.  True story from YC Restaurant.😫
 

Not being wine connoisseurs we went with the flow in YC.  Dinner sometime followed copious quantities of pre-dinner cocktails which could have had a slight effect on my dinner wine palate.🤪

 

Maybe your question on the eve of our Summit embarkation was a foreshadowing to my Luminae wine upcharge debacle.🤣

 

I am not sure what quantity of any wine is allowed to be carried on board an MSC ship.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/14/2023 at 3:02 PM, hcat said:

What are the smoking rules...indoor and out?

Not being a smoker I am unable to identify all of the smoking areas on this ship.  In YC there only seemed to be a handful of smokers.

 

After sailing on MSC one of the things DH pointed out about the Summit pool deck is that the smokers are confined to a very small shaded corner of the pool deck.  There are other areas on Summit, but the pool deck alcove is tiny considering how large the pool deck is.

 

In contrast the smoking area on the YC Sundeck was quite a large area of tables and chairs equivalent in size to the area of non-smoking tables and chairs on the opposite side of the Sundeck dedicated to the Al fresco buffet dining area.  
 

Of course there is always one or two fellow passengers that intentionally or unintentional failed to recognize the intended designated boundaries of the smoking area.  Since the smoking area included very few if any loungers, a few smokers and vapers strayed into adjacent non-smoking areas some of which were too near the forward jacuzzi I liked to enjoy.

 

The other outdoor smoking area in YC is half of the terrace of the Top Sail Lounge.  Smoking is not allowed in any interior YC spaces.

 

I understand, anyone please confirm,  smokers have been banished from the casino.  To compensate a room adjacent to the sports bar has been designated as a smoking allowed gaming room which appeared to just have slots.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[George C]

46 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry George.  I am just now rereading and noticing some of the questions I have not responded to.  I guess I was having fun.  I did not even get a pic of a wine list.

We are not wine snobs, but I can’t help but give side eye to a sommelier when I see them coming toward me with a $10 open bottle of rose when I ordered a glass of Whispering Angel.  True story from YC Restaurant.😫
 

Not being wine connoisseurs we went with the flow in YC.  Dinner sometime followed copious quantities of pre-dinner cocktails which could have had a slight effect on my dinner wine palate.🤪

 

Maybe your question on the eve of our Summit embarkation was a foreshadowing to my Luminae wine upcharge debacle.🤣

 

I am not sure what quantity of any wine is allowed to be carried on board an MSC ship.

No problem l as I have said your review was totally great, we are a little more into wine than most . Would love to get to meet you on either a celebrity suite or a MSc yacht club . Happy cruising in the future.

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/17/2023 at 9:04 PM, Dolebludger said:

Yes, my wife calls that onion ring sauce shown above as “comeback sauce”.it is catsup+mayo+spices. She does it better than any 5 star restaurant I’ve ever been to.

I would love to have that recipe.

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:47 PM, Dolebludger said:

we don’t like the lines and crowds that seem to be involved when cruising on some cruise lines. Are these pretty much absent in the YC? They were ten years ago when we were last in the YC, and it was good.

Revisiting your original question which I do not believe was addressed.  Inside the Yacht Club on Seascape there was rarely a moment when we experienced any kind of queue.  A couple of times when we turned up at the Maitre D desk at YC Restaurant there were two maybe three couples in line ahead of us, but everyone was seated within a couple minutes.  The YC Concierge desk always had at least two people behind the counter, so I never saw a line there either.

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/11/2023 at 2:26 PM, Ellesor826 said:

Can you order, if you so choose, from any other menus?

Sorry, Rosie.  I never got to your question about other menus in YC Restaurant.  I was either having too much fun on board or I got caught in reading about New England crab cakes and lobster rolls in this thread.  I never took the opportunity to inquire as to whether or not we had the option of ordering from any other menus other than the YC Restaurant menu.  The ordering atmosphere sometimes felt a bit rushed and impersonal.  This may have contributed to the reasons why we just stuck to the YCR menu.  There always seemed to be items listed that looked appealing in print.  They just were not always executed to the point of excitement and delight.  I believe YCR has its own kitchen adjacent, but I really do not know how the whole food prep operation is facilitated.  Hopefully, someone else with prior YC experience that is reading this can chime in about additional menus and special requests.

 

Once we joined you on our second leg on Summit, I had to chuckle to myself when Andy would bring the stack of Luminae, Blu, and MDR menus every night.  But the reality of the situation is that among the four of us I would take a wild guess that nearly half of all of our selections probably came from the Blu and MDR menus.  Not that I ever had a night that I could not find anything on the Luminae menu, but having all of those additional choices was nice.  I don't think one could tell a quality difference comparing a MDR selection with one from the Luminae menu.  I also do not believe any of us ever felt the pace of the Luminae meals was either too fast or too slow.  It was juuuust right.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Ellesor826]

18 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

It was juuuust right.

It was perfect!!!!

Spoiled now.  
Rut Roh 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

[Stem to Stern]

Tomorrow's weather forecast here in SWFL is calling for cloudy conditions and a high temperature of 65 degrees, so my plans to catch up on my yard chores that I have been ignoring all this month will likely be preempted once my nose gets to cold.  Therefore, I might get to some catch up posts and finally a wrap up summary and comparison of the two experiences.

[Stem to Stern]

Four minutes of the incredible Miami skyline filmed at 4am on turnaround day Saturday, December 16th from my quiet corner of the Yacht Club Sundeck on Deck 20 facing aft.

 

Uploading from iPhone camera roll to Cruise Critic at home on Comcast Blast WiFi just now took just a few minutes.

 

[Stem to Stern]

On 12/25/2023 at 5:03 PM, LorraineP said:

Were you also able to use outside YC & Ocean Cay?

If it is the drink package you are referring to, then yes drinks can be ordered at any bar outside the Yacht Club and on Ocean Cay.