My Thoughts On My Retreat Experience........Celebrity Beyond 1-19-24 Sailing

[BACON227]

Let me start off by giving some information on my cruising history.  I have sailed in the Retreat 7 times, have done the NCL Haven Twice and the MSC Yacht Club once.  Our Retreat experience has always been fantastic, until this sailing.  I took the same exact cruise last year and paid half of what I paid this year.  What did I get for double the price, no butler (When I reserved the cruise it was advertised I would have a butler), was told that the two bottles of Evian water that were in our cabin on embarkation day were all we got for our 10 day cruise, and pretty much non-existent service on the Retreat Pool Deck.

 

Let me start with the Retreat Pool Deck, on our previous Retreat experiences you pretty much never had to leave your chair for a drink.  On this cruise over the course of 10 days I was maybe asked if I wanted a drink by a server a half a dozen times.  For the most part, if you wanted a drink you were bellying up to the bar like your were on the regular pool deck.  My wife loves the umbrellas on the Retreat Pool Deck.  On our first sea day we had two chairs with an umbrella in between.  I asked one of the pool attendants if they could open the umbrella and was told that he would check to see if it was allowed.  Within a couple minutes the pool attendant returned and said that they were not allowed to open any of the umbrellas.  I bought to his attention that not even 5 feet from where we were, a couple had their umbrella open, his response was "yes" and he quickly walked away.  I'm guessing that the couple that had their umbrella open must have been staying in a higher category suite than we were, if you book an entry level Sky Suite prepare to now be treated like a second class citizen.  We spent our day in St. Lucia onboard.  We went up to the Retreat Pool Deck which was pretty much empty.  I asked another pool attendant to open the umbrella and was told that all the umbrellas were broken.........................but you don't say, the couple that had their umbrella open (obviously not in an entry level Sky Suite) on the first sea day again were enjoying the shade of the umbrella.  At this point I had enough and went to the Retreat Lounge to speak to the concierge.  Within minutes of speaking to the Retreat concierge a pool attendant came and opened our umbrella.  Why did it have to be that difficult, when you pay the price for the Retreat you expect top notch service, it was far from that.

 

On our first night in Luminae there was nothing on the menu I wanted to eat.  On our previous 7 Retreat experiences filet mignon was not on the menu, but was available every night................so I asked for a filet mignon, I was told that Filet mignon was not on the menu.  When I mentioned that on our previous cruises it was available every night, the waitor answered, yes we stopped that a few months ago.  Again more cuts, but alot more money out of my pocket.

 

This was the first time that we did not book another cruise while onboard.  I'd be willing to pay the high Celebrity prices if the experience was the same as years past, but Celebrity has now cheapened their product all the while sending their prices through the roof.

 

Will I sail Celebrity again, probably not.  This experience left a really bad taste in my mouth.  I will be spending my money elsewhere.

 

Does Celebrity care, I'd have to say no.  Does Celebrity actually read the surveys at the end of the cruise, I'd have to say no.  It's been nearly 3 weeks since I submitted my review of my sailing.  I simply put in the comments section, this is probably my last Celebrity cruise, if you care to know why please call me and I provided my phone number, I haven't heard from anybody.  Deliver a message to Celebrity, do not book their cruises anymore.  My experience in the MSC Yacht Club a few months prior to this cruise was far superior than any of my Retreat experience for less than half the price.

 

You've been warned, now take a stand!!!!!!!!!!!

[ggo85]

IMHO, Retreat is mostly a gimmick. On the non-revolutionized ships, it amounts to nothing more than before they called it Retreat.  It’s not luxury.  And I agree that X doesn’t read reviews.  They look at the numbers and probably penalize the ship, when the real issue is corporate policy. 

[DingoMom]

@BACON227, Thank you for your review. Our experience mirrors yours. Small filet in Luminae on Beyond? No dice. Sandwiched between 2 Ascent cruises, where the kids’ filet WAS available every night…SMH.

[billc23]

I was on the Ascent in January - in the Retreat - and they did a better job than other Celebrity cruises I have sailed over the past year with regards to food, beverage, entertainment, and service. We did speciality dining every night (free for an upper suite so why not), mostly good to great, and we were pleased. I am currently on a luxury line for a 32 day sailing and the difference in service, food (variety, prep, and quality) is incredible. The attention to detail is well beyond what Celebrity has ever provided. I have a 50+ day B4B on Celebrity Solstice beginning next month and will have a great time, but I now think it is unlikely that I will book Celebrity Retreat in the near future. Why pay more when they  deliver less??

[swigso]

@billc23 can you advise which line you are currently sailing please.

 

[hcat]

we just had a great cruise on ASCENT..AQ class.  BLU & Specialty dining were outstanding

 

.  We enjoyed BEYOND in a lower suite before the changes..but disliked Luminae ..It was just okay..We left for specialty dining and BLU .  There was nothing special at all in the RETREAT lounge..it could be so much more!

Outside pool area was very good on port days, otherwisw crowded but we did have  excellent service.

Edited February 17 by hcat

[billc23]

3 hours ago, swigso said:

@billc23 can you advise which line you are currently sailing please.

 

Silversea. The Silver Moon from Mumbai to Hong Kong. We just got back from an included excursion in Cochin India and our butler was waiting for us with champaign and a few treats! 

 

 

 

As we sipped champaign I watched my old flame sail by... she was more expensive for a 24 day sailing than Silversea for a 32 day sailing... eyeopening to me.

 

 

[Kilroyshere]

We are previous X cruisers and twice Retreat cruisers (January 24 was latest and last). We're done with Celebrity.

 

Retreat fares are on par with ultra luxury, all inclusive, smaller ship cruise lines. Retreat service, amenities, food, exclusivity and luxury is NOT on par with ultra luxury cruise lines in our opinion.

 

Retreat charges 'Ritz' prices while delivering a glorified Holiday Inn Holidome.

 

Outside of the very few Retreat venues, you have the same mega size, crowds, lines, buffets and over-all mediocrity of mass market ships.

 

There is no 'no' on ultra luxury ships. Order a prime cut Filet Mignon or Sirloin off menu, if the ship's kitchen pantry has it, they will gladly serve it. Luminae menus are very limited. Off menu orders we tried to get were not obliged on either of our 2 Retreat cruises in the past year.

 

Ordering some Luminae 3rd entrees for a 2-top table would cause a surcharge on some menu listed items. This is not ultra luxury but you are still paying for ultra luxury.

 

There are no up-chages for specialty dining on most ultra luxury ships. As a 'Retreater' you pay up-charges for Celebrity specialty venues. 

 

We're done with Celebrity.

Edited February 17 by Kilroyshere

[RichYak]

27 minutes ago, Kilroyshere said:

Retreat charges 'Ritz' prices while delivering a glorified Holiday Inn Holidome.

Ouch.

[CTCruiser76]

We have been considering booking retreat level Bermuda cruise for 2025....these reviews have me seriously reconsidering.

 

[Joker54]

We were on the 11 day cruise on Beyond 29 Jan, our cruise was the follow-on to yours.I agree that the cabin level has a huge impact on the service one receives in the Retreat. Even in an upper suite there still are annoyances that seem ridiculous.

 

We sailed in the Iconic, spent a ton of money for the cruise. Our Butler and Suite Attendant were both amazing. Our previous cruise was in a Sky Suite with no Butler and a very overworked but dedicated room attendant. The service difference between the 2 classes of suites makes us feel like when in a Sky Suite you are really in steerage.

 

The few times we were at the Retreat pool deck seemed all the umbrellas were furled. We couldn't understand why they weren't open as the winds were light and it was very hot.

 

X does some pretty dumb things even to folks in an upper suite.

 

All upper suites are entitled to 2 bottles of liqueur. We opted for Blanco Tequila and Macallan Quest Scotch.

 

Regardless of the venue, Retreat Lounge/pool deck, Martini bar or World Class bar if I ordered Macallan Quest it had the $2.00 plus gratuity upcharge. Seriously, I get a free bottle in the suite but pay for it elsewhere. I refused the upcharge, went back to the suite and got my scotch and went back to where ever the DW and our friends were at. I needed to walk more anyway.

 

The Blanco Tequila ran out halfway through the cruise. We asked about purchasing a second bottle to keep in the suite and were quoted $270.00 for that bottle. I went down to the ships store and that same bottle was for sale for $49.99 but you couldn't get it until the last day of the cruise. So we would pay an extra $221.00 for the privilege of serving ourselves rather than having a crew member pour one. AND there was no upcharge for the Tequila. Our Butler kept the Tequila flowing one glass at a time when we were in the suite but he shouldn't have had too.

 

The meals in the specialty restaurants were improved over recent cruises. The DW and I were both given fairly raw Sirloins our last night of the cruise. We were disappointed but didn't complain as after 11 days of dining in specialty restaurants we were tired of eating.

 

We dined in Luminae 3 times, lunch on embarkation day, breakfast on the last day and had desert (chocolate bomb) one evening after dining in a specialty restaurant. The service was slow but the staff friendly. The acoustics are horrible just like on the Edge and Apex,

 

We are on Solstice for 41 day b2b2b next month, first leg in Sky Suite, others in a Celebrity Suite. As of this week we are Zenith so will see if that makes a difference in the service level. Before anyone jumps on here asking why we are still sailing X, those cruises were booked over a year ago and the itinerary includes many bucket list ports of call. After that we have 2 cruises on the books, a TA that we booked before the butler changes and our Zenith "free cruise". We usually cruise 4 to 6 times a year. Looking closely at Seabourn for our future business.

 

Cheers

[drakes2]

10 hours ago, ggo85 said:

IMHO, Retreat is mostly a gimmick. On the non-revolutionized ships, it amounts to nothing more than before they called it Retreat.  It’s not luxury.  And I agree that X doesn’t read reviews.  They look at the numbers and probably penalize the ship, when the real issue is corporate policy. 

They don't read the surveys but the system will hound you consistently and repeatedly until you complete it.

[PTC DAWG]

Your Sundeck experience regarding drink service and umbrella service is vastly different than my recent experience on Ascent..I can say that for sure.  It was very good.

 

I also agree about Yacht Club…as long as you don’t leave YC.  The rest of the Ascent is superior to the rest of any MSC ship I have sailed on..

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, CTCruiser76 said:

We have been considering booking retreat level Bermuda cruise for 2025....these reviews have me seriously reconsidering.

 

Retreat fares on Eclipse sailings to Bermuda from NJ are currently as low as I've seen them. Still not cheap, particularly for Eclipse, but at least not completely insane.

 

If I were planning Bermuda from NY in 2025, I would strongly consider Oceania. The itinerary includes Newport RI, Hamilton and St George's. No King's Wharf. Much better IMO for probably same or less cost.

[mac_tlc]

9 hours ago, billc23 said:

I was on the Ascent in January - in the Retreat - and they did a better job than other Celebrity cruises I have sailed over the past year with regards to food, beverage, entertainment, and service. We did speciality dining every night (free for an upper suite so why not), mostly good to great, and we were pleased. I am currently on a luxury line for a 32 day sailing and the difference in service, food (variety, prep, and quality) is incredible. The attention to detail is well beyond what Celebrity has ever provided. I have a 50+ day B4B on Celebrity Solstice beginning next month and will have a great time, but I now think it is unlikely that I will book Celebrity Retreat in the near future. Why pay more when they  deliver less??

Glad to see you are having a great time on SS. Enjoyed our conversation last month on Ascent. 
 

I appreciate everyone reporting their experiences, although, TBH, some of the analogies seem to be overly dramatic.
 

We are in a Sky Suite on Beyond starting Monday for 11 days. Having been on Ascent last month we will have a basis for comparison, although our butler experience last month was non-existent so that’s a low bar. 
 

I haven’t decided if I will do a “LIVE” or not .

 

 

mac_tlc

Edited February 17 by mac_tlc

[Otterman34]

27 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

We are in a Sky Suite on Beyond starting Monday for 11 days. Having been on Ascent last month we will have a basis for comparison, although our butler experience last month was non-existent so that’s a low bar. 
 

I haven’t decided if I will do a “LIVE” or not .

 

 

mac_tlc

I will put in a vote and request for you to do that "live" report.  We are sailing Beyond in 2 months and have a Move Up to various Suite Class cabins in.  This series of posts are making me think strongly about removing our Move Up bids. 

I hope your experience is much better than the OP's

[billc23]

2 hours ago, Joker54 said:

We are on Solstice for 41 day b2b2b next month, first leg in Sky Suite, others in a Celebrity Suite. As of this week we are Zenith so will see if that makes a difference in the service level. Before anyone jumps on here asking why we are still sailing X, those cruises were booked over a year ago and the itinerary includes many bucket list ports of call.

We are probably on the same cruise. Mine starts in Hong Kong...ends in Canada

Edited February 17 by billc23

[ggo85]

Here’s the thing.  Pre-COVID, X Retreat (then just suites) was a decent deal.  You could get a huge, upper level suite for less than or even close to the entry level suites on the luxury lines, such as Crystal and SS.  Throw in the beverage package, internet, gratuities, and specialty dining and it was a good deal.  
 

Now the prices are actually higher on X.  They’ve apparently taken away free gratuities.  They do stupid stuff like only giving you 2 bottles of wine in your suite, so you have to stand at a bar and the bring free glasses back to your room.  You fight the masses in the pool deck and at shows.  No loungers or footstools.  It’s just not a luxury experience for those willing to pay for it.  
 

We have one cruise left on X this summer (booked 2 years ago) and then are never going back.  Not an idle threat. Reality. 

[Liao]

21 hours ago, BACON227 said:

Let me start off by giving some information on my cruising history.  I have sailed in the Retreat 7 times, have done the NCL Haven Twice and the MSC Yacht Club once.  Our Retreat experience has always been fantastic, until this sailing.  I took the same exact cruise last year and paid half of what I paid this year.  What did I get for double the price, no butler (When I reserved the cruise it was advertised I would have a butler), was told that the two bottles of Evian water that were in our cabin on embarkation day were all we got for our 10 day cruise, and pretty much non-existent service on the Retreat Pool Deck.

 

Let me start with the Retreat Pool Deck, on our previous Retreat experiences you pretty much never had to leave your chair for a drink.  On this cruise over the course of 10 days I was maybe asked if I wanted a drink by a server a half a dozen times.  For the most part, if you wanted a drink you were bellying up to the bar like your were on the regular pool deck.  My wife loves the umbrellas on the Retreat Pool Deck.  On our first sea day we had two chairs with an umbrella in between.  I asked one of the pool attendants if they could open the umbrella and was told that he would check to see if it was allowed.  Within a couple minutes the pool attendant returned and said that they were not allowed to open any of the umbrellas.  I bought to his attention that not even 5 feet from where we were, a couple had their umbrella open, his response was "yes" and he quickly walked away.  I'm guessing that the couple that had their umbrella open must have been staying in a higher category suite than we were, if you book an entry level Sky Suite prepare to now be treated like a second class citizen.  We spent our day in St. Lucia onboard.  We went up to the Retreat Pool Deck which was pretty much empty.  I asked another pool attendant to open the umbrella and was told that all the umbrellas were broken.........................but you don't say, the couple that had their umbrella open (obviously not in an entry level Sky Suite) on the first sea day again were enjoying the shade of the umbrella.  At this point I had enough and went to the Retreat Lounge to speak to the concierge.  Within minutes of speaking to the Retreat concierge a pool attendant came and opened our umbrella.  Why did it have to be that difficult, when you pay the price for the Retreat you expect top notch service, it was far from that.

 

On our first night in Luminae there was nothing on the menu I wanted to eat.  On our previous 7 Retreat experiences filet mignon was not on the menu, but was available every night................so I asked for a filet mignon, I was told that Filet mignon was not on the menu.  When I mentioned that on our previous cruises it was available every night, the waitor answered, yes we stopped that a few months ago.  Again more cuts, but alot more money out of my pocket.

 

This was the first time that we did not book another cruise while onboard.  I'd be willing to pay the high Celebrity prices if the experience was the same as years past, but Celebrity has now cheapened their product all the while sending their prices through the roof.

 

Will I sail Celebrity again, probably not.  This experience left a really bad taste in my mouth.  I will be spending my money elsewhere.

 

Does Celebrity care, I'd have to say no.  Does Celebrity actually read the surveys at the end of the cruise, I'd have to say no.  It's been nearly 3 weeks since I submitted my review of my sailing.  I simply put in the comments section, this is probably my last Celebrity cruise, if you care to know why please call me and I provided my phone number, I haven't heard from anybody.  Deliver a message to Celebrity, do not book their cruises anymore.  My experience in the MSC Yacht Club a few months prior to this cruise was far superior than any of my Retreat experience for less than half the price.

 

You've been warned, now take a stand!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry to hear this, with the cost of the cruises these days, it is very disappointing to have this kind of experience in a suite level.  To me, the inconsistency is what seems to stand out the most though.  There are many reviews posted here telling how great their experience was as well.  So while I'm sure your experience and others like it are disappointing, as I'm sure the ones who post they had a great cruise are accurate for them too.  This is is what concerns me, as I have an TA booked on Apex, a ways off though, but I'd really like to see much more consistency in cruiser reviews before I make final payment.

[drakes2]

4 hours ago, Liao said:

I'm sorry to hear this, with the cost of the cruises these days, it is very disappointing to have this kind of experience in a suite level.  To me, the inconsistency is what seems to stand out the most though.  There are many reviews posted here telling how great their experience was as well.  So while I'm sure your experience and others like it are disappointing, as I'm sure the ones who post they had a great cruise are accurate for them too.  This is is what concerns me, as I have an TA booked on Apex, a ways off though, but I'd really like to see much more consistency in cruiser reviews before I make final payment.

I did a TA on Apex last April May 2023 fort lauderdale to Amsterdam 15 nights. Cruise and service was wonderful. I was solo in a deluxe inside cabin. Lots to do onboard during sea days. I would never dream of booking the IV especially crossing the cold Atlantic where you couldn't even sit outside.  People who I spoke with did not think it was worth the price. 

[gpension]

We took 4 cruises in the past 2 years in the Retreat and loved the experience and service.  This year we were looking at Greece, and were shocked to find a 14 day Seabourn Greek island cruise (in a nonrefundable Guarentee cabin) to be the same price as one week in a Sky Suite on the Infinity.

 

We found an amazing deal, so I know that is not the norm, but I had never really priced Seabourn and what I found is it's quite common to have the pricing be the same or less on one week cruises when comparing the Retreat and the entry level veranda on Seabourn.

 

I just can't see paying the same amount to travel on Celebrity and we are big fans.

[Tyler414]

26 minutes ago, gpension said:

We took 4 cruises in the past 2 years in the Retreat and loved the experience and service.  This year we were looking at Greece, and were shocked to find a 14 day Seabourn Greek island cruise (in a nonrefundable Guarentee cabin) to be the same price as one week in a Sky Suite on the Infinity.

 

We found an amazing deal, so I know that is not the norm, but I had never really priced Seabourn and what I found is it's quite common to have the pricing be the same or less on one week cruises when comparing the Retreat and the entry level veranda on Seabourn.

 

I just can't see paying the same amount to travel on Celebrity and we are big fans.

Just to understand, you are comparing a guarantee cabin on a 14 day Seabourn vs. a week cruise with Celebrity in a suite?    What class is the Seabourn?   A suite as well?   Thanks. 

[CTCruiser76]

Real world example - as posted earlier - was considering X Retreat for our 2025 cruise, but booked Oceania instead....lower priced and more included.....not sure why such high prices on X Retreat and RCCL Suites now. 

[drakes2]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:11 AM, drakes2 said:

They don't read the surveys but the system will hound you consistently and repeatedly until you complete it.

Yeah no kidding. On Wednesday I booked a 13 night TA a deluxe inside for a steal. Less than 24 hours later I get a move up offer at ridiculously high pricing.

[RichYak]

39 minutes ago, CTCruiser76 said:

Real world example - as posted earlier - was considering X Retreat for our 2025 cruise, but booked Oceania instead....lower priced and more included.....not sure why such high prices on X Retreat and RCCL Suites now. 

I was just reading your thread on the Oceania board. To add to your comment above, O's Bermuda itinerary is so much better than X and 5 days on RCCL isn't long enough.

 

I'm on MSC in the Yacht Club for the first time next month (also far less expensive than X). After that, my cruising time is on hold for the next year or so as I have 2 weddings to pay for and a land vacation to Croatia in the Fall. That said, O to Bermuda from NY in July '25 is firmly on my radar.