Is MSC's Yacht Club better than Celebrity's Retreat?

[@FamilyAtSea]

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[@richardepifer]

Comparing the Equinox to Seascape is like comparing Apples and Orange. Apex will be very different and I look forward to more equitable comparison. You have increased my curiosity enough to consider a Newer MSC ship.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@richardepifer Thank you for watching! I'm confident the Retreat on the Apex will be a better experience than it was on the Equinox (though we still had a great cruise) so I'm looking forward to updating the review following that! We are actually sailing in a Sanctuary Suite on the Sun Princess side-by-side with the Apex so I'm sure I'll be doing a comparison with that as well. Happy sails!

[@ameliasmith8383]

Need to go on the beyond or ascent to compare. Been on both and celebrity wins with consistency.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@ameliasmith8383 In the research I did before booking, it seemed people more consistently liked the Retreat on the Apex and Edge because they say it's less crowded vs it being bigger and having more people on the Beyond and Ascent.

[@piper-cat]

But he didn't compare ships...he compared experiences.

[@oldprecision]

You are right about the crowds on MSC ships outside of the Yacht club. We were on Meraviglia during peak season and the crowds in general population were shocking. Being in my 50s I'm not looking for that level of excitement and always enjoyed ending my day in the Yacht Club Restaurant and Top Sail Lounge.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@oldprecision We enjoy the main areas of the ship knowing that we can retreat to the TSL after we've had our fun! Honestly, I'm sure we could easily spend a full week in the YC though, only leaving for the shows and then immediately heading back. Happy sails whenever you cruise next!

[@jamesvirga9496]

We used to sail exclusively on celebrity. Tried NCL Haven and then MSC Yacht Club. Never went back to celebrity because it was too boring the food was mediocre and nearly getting crushed in an elevator by a crazed old lady in a motorized wheelchair sealed the deal. Haven was nice but is too expensive now just not worth it and Yacht Club is the perfect balance for us. Yacht club has everything we need topsail lounge and a separate pool deck and bar. If we get bored we have the rest of the ship which can get crowded but can also be a lot of fun. The ships are beautiful the pizza and Italian food is great and we love it. Trying Explora 1 in December. Can’t wait

[@FamilyAtSea]

Oh man, jealous you're doing Explora 1! We typically cruise with our kids and even though they're allowed on Explora, we know they'd be bored (and our fellow guests may not be thrilled)...hoping we can plan a cruise on there while they're still priced at the bargain they are. Enjoy your cruise...happy sails!

[@jamescanell2931]

Enjoyed this channel of yours. I subscribed, looking for more future episodes. Celebrity Retreat had a lot of chair hogs on the sun deck of Edge and Beyond. Host/ butler said no to a cushioned lounger on my Royal Suite balcony. For the price we paid, we discovered we get so much more for so much less on MSC Yacht Clubs and we only go out of the private enclave for some entertainment, though the Top Sail lounge has some of the best entertainment rotated from outside the venue.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@jamescanell2931 Celebrity definitely has some advantages outside the Retreat, but they need to do some competitive research to figure out what MSC is doing with their YC to close the gap... They're charging a premium price for what I've seen is not the same quality of experience.

[@francescabaca1722]

Buenas tardes, desde Barcelona, España. Yo tb tuve una muy muy buena experiència en MSC Yatch Club, World Europa, por el Mediterráneo. Lo recomiendo, como tú. Muchas gracias por su información 😊😊

[@FamilyAtSea]

Visitamos Barcelona durante 3 días durante el verano después de nuestro crucero en el Celebrity Equinox y rápidamente se convirtió en una de nuestras ciudades favoritas en todo el mundo. Arquitectura asombrosa, gente maravillosa, excelente comida y una cultura hermosa... ¡estamos ansiosos por volver! ¡Gracias por vernos y compartir tus comentarios... felices viajes!

[@francescabaca1722]

@FamilyAtSea Cuando volváis la Família, avisa!! 👍🏻 felices Navidades🌲🌲

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@francescabaca1722 ¡Ya te lo haré saber! ¡Feliz Navidad! 🌲✝

[@grannyoffive1313]

Thank you for a great review of the Yacht Club and retreat… We have never been in celebrity retreat but we have sailed about four times in the Yacht Club… And everything you say about the Yacht Club I agree with… I do think the food in the Yacht Club restaurant is amazing And I am not a meat eater but I decided to try a fillet and I am so glad I did… We will be on the seashore the end of January 2025 in the Yacht Club and we are looking so forward to it… New subscriber here🚢

[@FamilyAtSea]

Thank you for watching and the friendly feedback! We will be on the Seashore in March but our next YC adventure will be in January on the Seascape... Can't wait!

[@grannyoffive1313]

@ I hope you enjoy both of your upcoming MSC cruises… I hope to see you review MIC Seascape Yacht Club experience🚢

[@FamilyAtSea]

@grannyoffive1313 Thank you, I'll be sure to share our experience!!

[@bjs2162]

I totally agree. We went in june 2023 on the Celebrity Edge with a suite in the Retreat. We were very dissapointed. The service was good but not outstanding and the extra’s The Retreat has to offer were very dissapointing. We did not have a good value for money. The much cheaper Yacht club we booked in september 2024 on the MSC World Europe was a big surprise. It was even more than we expected for the price we have paid. A great experience, excellent service and a great area. Outside the Yacht Club on board is a totally other world. On board we booked another Yacht Club suite for june 2025 on the MSC Euribia to Norway. We hope we will enjoy it as much as our last cruise.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@bjs2162 You pretty much summed up exactly my sentiments! I board the Celebrity Apex in the Retreat on Saturday to compare to a more modern ship, but YC will be tough to beat!

[@markusmuller6063]

We have been in the Yacht Club on the Euribia in March 2024 (First time MSC and first time YC :)) through North Sea and it was amazing. You were not allowed to carry a drink from the bar towards your suite....So, I am sure, you will enjoy it :)

[@FamilyAtSea]

@markusmuller6063 Interesting that you couldn't bring a drink back to your room on the Euribia! That's never been an issue on US ships for us, I wonder if the European cruises have different rules.

[@markusmuller6063]

@@FamilyAtSea I just wanted to mention that the staff in the Yacht Club were always looking on how to help you :) As this was our first time in the YC, we had to get used to a butler and this type of comfortable service :) Of yourse, you are still allowed to carry a drink to your suite if you say no and insist on this. I think this is alwso depneding on the crew. As I was informed there was an internal audit on the (currently) newest MSC ship so that this was maybe also a reason.

[@bftime1]

Very informative and answered a lot of my questions about those premium areas on the ships! Just got off the MSC Seashore and while better than expected it did feel over crowded and now would only consider The Yacht Club on any MSC in the future.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@bftime1 YC is definitely the way to go on MSC... Happy sails!

[@RoLin4u]

I did the Yacht Club last summer and thought it was amazing!!!

[@FamilyAtSea]

The YC truly is... People don't know what they're missing out on!

[@russefrance4869]

Normally, despite all the research, just after I book or buy something I find a video showing me what a terrible mistake I've made. However, this morning I booked a 7 day North Europe cruise in MSC Yacht Club...it's our first cruise ever. Thank you for your review, it's made me very happy. 🙂👍

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@russefrance4869 I'm happy to hear I was able to share some good news! Which ship will you be on? A Northern Europe cruise is on our list of itineraries to hopefully do in the best year or two. Happy sails!

[@russefrance4869]

@@FamilyAtSea MSC Preziosa out of Southampton. It seems to do the trip two or three times a month so plenty of availability.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@russefrance4869 We have not been on that ship...I hope you have an amazing experience! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. You are appreciated!

[@ilovecruising2024]

Important to mention that unlimited Thermal Spa access is also included with Yacht Club.

[@FamilyAtSea]

Ah yes, you're right, that's definitely a key differentiator. I'll be updating this after we sail on the Apex and I'll be sure to include it in that. Thank you!

[@richardepifer]

@@FamilyAtSea Spa is also included on Celebrity for Royal Suites and higher.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@richardepifer You are right about that, though that also obviously increases the price pretty significantly as well!

[@CaptScott-ff6mf]

Is there anything that 1 line does not include in the cruise fair, that the other line does include? i.e. level of drinks package, included gratuities, special access to other areas of the ship, etc?

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@CaptScott-ff6mf Yes, a number of things. - Celebrity does not include access to the Thermal Spa (unless you pay extra for Aqua) - Celebrity only includes reserved seating in the theater on formal nights (vs every day) - Celebrity does not have a full ship-in-a-ship concept where all the rooms are in the exclusive suite area is the ship that others do not have access to - Celebrity's Retreat restaurant (Luminae) is not open for lunch on port days but the Yacht Club Restaurant is Even with all the additions in the Yacht Club, the YC is still quite a bit cheaper.

[@micheltravelstheworld]

Nice video! Appreciated it. Regarding the MSC Y/C keep in mind that the older MSC ships that have Y/C are a different experience regarding both the cabins and the Y/C restaurant. The cabins are way smaller, a bit old-fashioned and the restaurant is separated from the Y/C at the aft.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@micheltravelstheworld The rooms don't matter much to me personally but I know they do to a lot of people. I'll probably do Divina someday to experience one of the older ships. Thanks for watching!

[@timothypierce8986]

Very interesting comparison, thank you. First time on MSC later this month, and in YC. Hope it is as good as your experience.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@timothypierce8986 We've never had a less than stellar experience in the YC... Happy sails! What ship will you be on?

[@TigerProdigy]

How was the experience?

[@timothypierce8986]

@@TigerProdigy Excellent. We were on Virtuosa. Your video really helped us understand the way YC works and set our expectations. We had a really good trip; not perfect but what cruise is? We would definitely cruise YC again - price permitting!

[@MrGibbYoung]

Thank you for your comparison! next month i'll get on the msc yc and jan i'll enjoy the celebraty in balcony room. i'm a lucky guy for i made the best choices!

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@MrGibbYoung You'll have an amazing experience on both!! Which ships will you be on?

[@MrGibbYoung]

​@FamilyAtSea MSC bellissima and Celebrity solstice as the next. I don't know Cocktail. but now I can order Salted Caramel Espresso Martini at yc. Thank you for your recommendation!

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@MrGibbYoung Happy sails!

[@two20john]

Having done both it's Celebrity for us, although we could easily do Yacht Club again if the right deal came up. We had a couple of cabin issues with Celebrity which were handled speedily, and we were compensated without asking for a thing. We look back fondly to Yacht Club except for the Concierge, whose default answer was "NO" What is the question?

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@two20john Disappointing to hear about the YC Concierge! Fortunately we've not had that experience but that would definitely be frustrating if we did. Which ship were you on in the YC? We'll be back in the Retreat on the Apex next month... Looking forward to that!

[@TheDazzlingTootsie-we8jr]

I figured the service would be better on MSC but it seems there is A LOT better on MSC. We have sailed YC many times and LOVE it but want more ports. We are trying Retreat for the first time in a few weeks... managing expectations. I heard from staff at MSC their prices are low now as they are trying to get into the western market but will rise in the coming years. Enjoy now. Great Review!

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@TheDazzlingTootsie-we8jr Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate that! Celebrity as a whole is fantastic and while we prefer the YC to the Retreat, Celebrity has many of their own advantages once you get beyond the Retreat and into the rest of the ship. I'm sure you have an amazing time... Smooth seas and happy sails!

[@JourneyWithTheGingers]

This was a great video! We will be having our first Yacht Club experience in 2025, and it looks like we made a good choice. 😊

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@JourneyWithTheGingers In my opinion you made the BEST decision... Here's to having an amazing experience! What ship will you be sailing on?

[@1066MC]

Good review, but you did not address service. Which was better?

[@4daloveofcruising]

On our list for 2026

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@4daloveofcruising You are going to love it... Enjoy!

[@roysmith9733]

We have cruised on both and agree with your reviews and prefer MSC for ambiance, service and food..

[@FamilyAtSea]

We love them both, but do believe YC is the better experience. We'll be in the Retreat on the Celebrity Apex in November though and I look forward to it!

[@ashara1na]

Thank you. I would love a luxury trip at sea 🎉looking forward to sailing with both

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@ashara1na Some experiences are better than others, but they're all amazing! Smooth seas and happy sails wherever you cruise next!

[@ashara1na]

@FamilyAtSea Thank you. My daughter and I have only been on one cruise, but we are looking forward to cruising more. Your videos are helping with that momentum 🤣🥳

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@ashara1na The suites are great but you can absolutely have a fantastic cruise outside the suites as well! I hope you guys are able to enjoy another one soon... We cherish the memories we're making with our kids and I'm sure you will as well!

[@ashara1na]

@@FamilyAtSea Yes. Thank you. I will report back, hopefully soon ❤️

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@ashara1na Looking forward to it! 🫶

[@piper-cat]

Great video! Thank you. Happy to be a new subscriber. You make such valuable points about the two experiences. Haters making negative comments really missed the point, which was to compare the highest level of amenities on two different ships. I think that it was made very clear that Equinox is an older ship. Anyway, I think you'll like Apex for it's ship-in-ship concept, but S class will continue to be my go-to...when I'm not on MSC, that is! Thank you for taking the time! Pipercat....aka Georgia Peaches!

[@FamilyAtSea]

We're very much looking forward to our experience on the Apex! Although we prefer YC to the Retreat, we still love Celebrity for its own reasons. Thanks for watching and happy sails! I'll see you over on that other site 😛

[@martinshields5673]

Very valuable info.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@martinshields5673 Happy it helps... Thank you for watching and happy sails wherever you venture next!

[@ashleys4652]

Celebrity Beyond in a Royal Suite is my favorite cruise and ship ever. The Yacht Club is really nice, but the food and entertainment is far superior on Celebrity. Entertainment on MSC is amateur and strange. We also love the fact that the rest of the ship on Beyond is amazing, in design and layout. MSC felt so crowded everywhere outside of the YC.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@ashleys4652 I definitely agree entertainment is better on Celebrity but that's not exclusive to the Retreat so it was not considered in this review. We are doing the Apex in the Retreat in November so I'm looking forward to seeing how that compares. Thanks for watching!

[@LynL-u4f]

We have sailed MSC YC and it’s not fair to compare to Equinox. Prob best to compare an Edge Class ship.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@LynL-u4f I mention that a couple times in my video... We'll be sailing on the Apex in the Retreat in November so I will update following that. With that said - the Retreat sailing on the Equinox was more than our YC sailing on the Seascape and Seashore so based on the price, I do think it's a fair comparison! We still love Celebrity, but I'd recommend Aqua-class instead of the Retreat based on our experience on the Equinox (Blu was much better than Luminae).

[@FlyingFrankFan]

You didn't mention the incredible butler service on MSC, which is totally not there on Celeb., unless you are in one of the superior suites.

[@sandrarums9405]

You need to use comparable ships to give a honest review. The title had me curious, but I soon found it was totally wrong.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@sandrarums9405 I gave an honest review, but I'll give an updated review after we sail on the Apex in the Retreat in November. The sailing on the Equinox was 30% more per night than it was on MSC so it's not as if things were priced at a discount (that would have changed things). We love Celebrity, but I stand by my recommendation to save the money on the Retreat and book Aqua-class instead. Hopefully what we experience on the Apex in November will justify changing our opinion!

[@sandrarums9405]

Have a great trip but I’m out.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@sandrarums9405 No worries, happy sails wherever you cruise next!

[@joelashdod7712]

Way to think about MSC (at any level), 90% service for 60% of the price.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@joelashdod7712 Absolutely!

[@benjaminsmith2287]

If you don't spend much time in your stateroom, why book a suite? I've never had interest in suites because I don't spend much time in my stateroom. The Equinox is not a Retreat ship. It is a one-class ship that was retrofitted so this whole comparison isn't right. While I'm no fan of the Edge class ships those were designed as two or more class ships with the Retreat being integral to the design. For instance, what I absolutely hate about the Edge ships is what you say is better in the Yacht Club's dining room, views. Luminae has spectacular views on the Edge class ships and the decor is much different. So, maybe redo this video on an Edge class ship because it was designed to be a Retreat ship. However, the Retreat Lounge on Edge ships aren't any nicer than the one on the Equinox. It's still a relatively small space. That said, the Equinox for me is a much more attractive offering as a ship than any Edge class ship. I don't like them. Your analysis is thoughtful and well presented, you just didn't pick the right Celebrity ship to represent their Retreat product.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@benjaminsmith2287 We just sailed in the Retreat on the Apex so I'll be updating this. With that said - the rooms really don't matter to us. What does matter is the service, the lounges, the pool decks, and the amenities. Thank you for watching and offering your feedback!

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@FamilyAtSea So, it's the perks of the suite. I think that's fine. What I don't particularly like is that the Retreat has taken away forward deck and public spaces on the Edge ships but that's a fault of Celebrity's design IMO. I live in the front area of the ship so it matters a lot to me. No forward observation lounge is a big minus to me. I'll see what you think of the Apex's retreat lounge. I toured the ship, actually spent a lot of hours in it, and saw the retreat areas. I thought the lounge was dull, too bright with no atmosphere but others seem to like it. I did remember it having some food and drink offerings, however. But the suite lounges on Haven and MSC, which I've seen only in pictures and videos, look a lot nicer to me.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@benjaminsmith2287 We did love the Sky Lounge on the Equinox. Even in the Retreat, there wasn't anything that replicated that space with those amazing forward views. We haven't sailed on a Millennium-class ship on Celebrity yet but I'm curious to see if they have an area like that as I agree with you... That's one of the best areas of the ship.

[@pharvan121]

This review is completely misleading. You simply cannot compare the Retreat on a non-Edge class ship to YC on Seascape.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@pharvan121 I'm currently on a flight home from a Retreat cruise on the Apex, so I'll update this... But this was also a fair comparison as the Retreat on the Equinox was more expensive than the Yacht Club, making it a fair comparison.

[@jamescanell2931]

Our favorite cruise line used to be Celebrity. Our favorite ship was the Equinox. We appreciated the design changes in the Edge class but they did not go far enough.Retreat is not a ship within a ship. We sailed in Penthouse, Royal Suite, and Edge Villa. The host butlers were good, until we tried MSC Yacht Clubs which were exceptional. Luminae the service was outstanding, and I loved the food. But I have a very picky DW and she had indigestion every night. Luminae is not open port days so we tried Le Bistro? Not my cup of tea. The best venue of Celebrity unmatched on land or sea is Cafe Al Bacio. The only venue I miss. We tried MSC Yacht Club and it was bye bye Celebrity. DW’s indigestion disappeared when on MSC ships. She won’t go on Celebrity again.

[@jamescanell2931]

P.S. I told her let’s try the new Beyond, which we did. It turned out Edge was better.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@jamescanell2931 We still love Celebrity's full experience, but if the Retreat doesn't prove to be worth the premium on the Apex, we will likely stick to Aqua-class on Celebrity moving forward.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Cafe al Bacio is a cafe. The best dining venue on Celebrity, IMO, is the up-charge Murano that's only on Solstice class. Maybe Le Voyages is great too but that's a more expensive restaurant only on the Beyond and Ascent.

[@michellesleiman7977]

You can’t really compare the two ships. You should have compared to an edge class celebrity ship really not fair

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@michellesleiman7977 I think when you consider the price for the Retreat on the Equinox was still 30% more than Yacht Club, it's a fair comparison. With that said, I mentioned in the video I'm sailing on the Apex in the Retreat in November and I'll plan to update following that experience!

[@stephenrodger7503]

You are being really unfair here. You are comparing an older ship, solstice class and she’s one of the early ones, to a more modern MSC ship. It would have been a much fairer review if you compare her to an Edge class ship. Celebrity are good. But they have really ramped up their prices in the last 6 years. MSC are very competitive with their pricing. But I wouldn’t go if I wasn’t YC.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@stephenrodger7503 I'm onboard the Apex as we speak in the Retreat so I'll be updating this video. But with that said, the YC was cheaper than the Retreat on the Equinox so I think it was a fair comparison. Stay tuned for the updated comparison after my week on the Apex!

[@stephenrodger7503]

@@FamilyAtSea totally agree. But you are not, in my opinion, comparing like with like.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@stephenrodger7503 I guess it depends on whether we are considering the "like" as price or amenities, but I completely get it I'm only a few hours into my sailing on the Apex so I don't have an opinion on things yet, but I'm excited to see how it compares!

[@mrcblaser]

Stop watching this video. Compare a Revolutionized ship. You are giving a false comparison. Although X does need to complete the Revolution to compete.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@mrcblaser That would only be a valid point if Celebrity was charging less money for the Retreat on the Equinox, but it was 30% more than sailing in the YC so it was a very fair and unbiased review. As stated in the video, I will update following our upcoming sailing on the Apex in the Retreat!

[@piper-cat]

Equinox HAS been revolutionized! It costs more than MSC and offers less.

[@FamilyAtSea]

@@piper-cat This ☝️