The Retreat on Celebrity Beyond - is Suite Class Worth It? Full Review

[@jenniferalbert910]

The gentle honesty is so nice - it’s hard to take reviewers seriously when they’re at one extreme or the other. Your words came across as genuine as well as genuinely trying to help.

[@bronisawsylwestrzak9823]

*Princess

[@bigchkn17]

Rich, you are setting the travelogue bar so freakin high! Outstanding videography, writing, voiceover and music. Keep up the good work and you will surpass the rest ASAP.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you so much 😊

[@Ro7068]

I am so glad I found your videos. They are not only informative and beautifully shot, but your voice is so calming and lovely to listen to. Thank you so much.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you for your kind words😊 And thanks for watching 👍

[@mcgarrett5oh]

This video was just spectacular, in production, subject matter & narration! We are booked in a AquaSky Suite in 2024 and after watching your Beyond videos, we're staring at the calendar trying to make it move faster! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

[@visitwithus]

Ohhh, and aqua sky suite will be incredible. Glad you enjoyed this little snippet of what you have to look forward to 😊👍

[@mcgarrett5oh]

@@visitwithus Reviewed your video again before our Retreat experience starting later this week. 10 days in a Retreat AquaClass Sky Suite. Thanks again!!

[@blasterman56]

I have just finished watching your video two times, yes two. Your narration as well as your voice presentation was nothing less than outstanding. It was a very pleasant and informational production I have seldom observed on KZbin. You helped me make my mind up to sail in the Retreat.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you Rico for your kind words and for watching it twice 😁👍 We’re glad it helped you make your decision and hope you have a wonderful cruise 🚢 😊

[@paulbergeron6234]

Very engaging production of a lot of valuable content. Well done. Thank you!

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching and for your kind words Paul 😊

[@nmd1682]

I’d been looking for a comparison between Luminae and Blue for many months and finally found it in this video. Thank you.

[@visitwithus]

So glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@jamielorence4792]

Wow! Your video quality is stunning. And your voice sounds like you are a professional reviewer/narrator. Well done man! We were on the Beyond last October. We literally lived in the retreat during daylight hours. We at all meals in the Luminae. In the evening we visited the other venues such as bars, shows, shops etc. But deck 16 and 17 was our home for daylight cruising on the Beyond.😀

[@visitwithus]

Thanks Jamie 😊 So easy to spend most of your time in the Retreat on the Beyond, it’s such a beautiful area 💙

[@mikek6171]

Excellent overview, excited for our trip later this year. Great job.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you Mike 😊 Hope you have a great time in the Beyond 👍

[@GeorgeKenmore]

I'm with you on the need for shade -- I love the ships that offer premium spaces but I cannot sit in the sun too long. This is a great overview and makes me excited for next February! Thanks!

[@visitwithus]

Thank you for watching and for your lovely comment. Have a great cruise 👍

[@FraserAtSea]

Oh, you've just taught me about a new cruise ship cabin on my bucket list - those EDGE villas must be stunning. They must actually feel like a villa when you're entering from the exterior deck of the Retreat - a great idea!

[@ShadowSiren88]

I loved this. I began looking at bookings and got overwhelmed at options and exponential cost.

[@dianawiggins3791]

Thanks for the review. I’ve been planning to do an Aqua Balcony because we love thermal suites but the retreat is definitely tempting.

[@visitwithus]

We loved Aqua class too. Hope you get to do one or the other soon 🤞 Thanks for watching 😊

[@mikebilon8208]

We just finished a Sky Suite cruise on Dec. 4th. This was our first 14 days on a Celebrity ship having 34 cruises with Princess. The Retreat is an interesting concept to compete with the smaller high end ships. You have the 'luxury' service with a butler which we had no idea what to ask for, but she knew before we asked for our needs along with the big ship entertainment. It is unfortunate that were is very little shade at the Retreat bar, pool and just lounging around. The Luminar chef was versitiale in presenting dietary dinner meals for my wife, this is the first cruise ever that serviced Vegan recipes. It's expensive, would we book the Retreat again, maybe, but Celebrity yes. Thank you for a well presented view of the Retreat.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you for watching and commenting. We’re glad you liked Celebrity. Like you say the Retreat is a lovely treat if you can afford to splash the cash but the rest of the ship is lovely too 😊

[@xr6lad]

Agree. Not enough shade on the deck. People like to sit in the light; they don’t want to burn. And these days far too much seating is in direct sun. It also affects reading. I will not eat in a cafe that doesn’t cover its seating on land. Hate sun glare.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 👍😎

[@Jacksbox11]

Wonderful! Thanks from Ottawa

[@howardtenenbaum3537]

I was amused by the charging of gadgets comment! Great review. My pet peeve though started many years ago when the cruiselines thought it was a great idea to bring WiFi access to cruises. Aaaaah. The last thing I wanted was that. When I cruised, people knew I was away and basically unreachable. No more. But I try to ignore my gadgets as much as possible!!!

[@visitwithus]

The dichotomies of the march of progress 😆 Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@pj7342]

We just finished an Apex Retreat cruise that was fabulous; and had thought we'd want to try some of the changes on Beyond. But, now are seriously comparing the two. The Retreat Deck and Luminae configuration are important enough because of the amount of time spent at each. Your video does a good job of highlighting some of the challenges with the Beyond configuration.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks PJ 👍 We haven’t sailed on the Apex but were impressed with the Sky suite and Retreat on the Beyond.

[@Stizzymack]

Very nice review! Thanks!

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@Jacksbox11]

Yes: Shade is, indeed, everything. We burn, too!

[@xr6lad]

100%. I will walk by cafes on land they don’t share their tables. Hate sun glare and have no desire to burn. It’s the 21st century: people are more aware of sun damage than ever and it seems businesses just ignore this to save money.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 😎👍

[@loumello8813]

Very informative and I usually always book the Aqua class so that I have the spa as well as Blu restaurant. I think you said it best when you mentioned that the whole edge class ship is an elevated experience so I would probably not book the Retreat as we are very happy with the Aqua Class experience.

[@eminiarvii]

I too love aqua class, Blu for me is ok but the spa experience is what I am all about..unfortunately i am going on the Beyond as a solo the next time so I will need to get that thermal suite reserved very soon🚢😊PS who can get tired of your voice…not me!

[@chriswilliams6568]

@@eminiarvii We always compare the prices of Aquaclass against a balcony and paying for my hubby for a steam room pass for the length of cruise as he loves that. I don’t as i hate the heat. Every time we compare just getting a balcony and paying for his pass, is hundreds of $$$ cheaper.

[@visitwithus]

We love aqua class too, Blu is our favourite restaurant (apart maybe from Eden on the Edge class ships) Though the Retreat experience was amazing and the Sky suite gorgeous ❤️

[@loumello8813]

@@visitwithus I do like Blu a lot as well.

[@pauldegregorio6432]

I’m looking at booking Aqua on next cruise. Blu included. Spa access but not treatments. Tips included. Wifi (but is it premium streaming wifi?), Drinks (but NOT premium drink package.). That will run you about an additional $17/day. Time to crunch the numbers.

[@bigbadbuyer]

You’ve really whet appetite for Beyond. I have been on Edge and Apex. Both great, but Beyond looks so much Improved! BTW, I was told more shade for all Edge class Retreat Decks soon. Also, I prefer Luminae!😊

[@visitwithus]

Awesome, let’s hope so 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@firstfreonwarrior]

Another superb Rich production. Did you meet the lovely Captain? 'It's a ship not a boat'

[@visitwithus]

We did, and she’s just as lovely in real life - she stayed and chatted to us for ages even though she’s a very busy lady 👍

[@pamelagreenspan6906]

So true about lack of shade. New shaded areas up against the wall AND in shade, we’re so UNCOMFORTABLE . On upper deck. We spent very little time up there due to towel hogs and lack of comfortable shaded seats.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching Pamela 👍

[@norfolkboy6935]

Certainly looks an extremely well thought out concept to tempt those who normally sail with the likes of SS, Regent, Seabourn etc. The whole ship looks luxury! OTBC 👍🙏

[@visitwithus]

Indeed. The entertainment was amazing 👍 As always thanks for watching 😊

[@travelwithdebandnick]

Just before you said about not getting bored with with your voice, my fiance just said to me that you had a really pleasant and easy to listen to voice :) and he's right :)

[@visitwithus]

Bless you Debbie (and fiancé). Made my day. ☺️

[@faithmoore7520]

Hello again !

[@visitwithus]

Hello 👋

[@ashleys4652]

Thank you for such a professional and well thought out video. Your narration is everything. We have been fans of the suite class The Haven on NCL but look forward to trying The Retreat on Celebrity. How long did it take to get to the Retreat area from your suite on deck 10?

[@visitwithus]

We have never sailed in The Haven so would be interested to hear how you think the Retreat compares. Our cabin was midships and the Retreat is right at the front so it was a little walk but you know, with all that delicious food you have to get the exercise in somehow 😆 Thanks for watching and your kind comments 👍

[@sherwinmackintosh6540]

My wife and I are booked for April 2024 on a 13 day transatlantic to Spain on the new Celebrity Ascent in Aqua Class for our 45th Anniversary. I have been trying to find out since we already have Blu, what specialty restaurants do we want to book? We love the specialty restaurants, but of course, one of the big pluses of Aqua class is Blu. How special is Blu? You were super positive about it. Plus you have the other Main Dining Rooms as well. I'm thinking that we should book the Magic Carpet, Eden, and the Chef's Table at Voyage from your reviews, but we are also interested in Le Petit, Fine Cuts and Raw on 5. There's a Labor Day special on the Specialty restaurants, so we are just trying to decide how many of the specialty restaurants we will want? Any thoughts? (Excellent video by the way!)

[@visitwithus]

Blu is one of our favourite restaurants on any Celebrity ship and a real bonus of booking aqua class in our opinion. We would highly recommend also trying Le Voyage and Eden and if you like a steakhouse then fine cut is nice too. Magic carpet is a unique experience and worth doing if you want that, however it’s very pricey and the food is good but not exceptional - you’re paying for the experience of eating on the side of the ship in our opinion, which could be docked in a not so attractive port so beware of that. Thanks for watching and enjoy your cruise 👍

[@karenmassey8354]

Fabulous tour. Was dinner dress dressy casual or dressed to the 9’s?

[@visitwithus]

We would say mostly dressy casual rather than dressed to the nines 👍

[@travelwithdebandnick]

The ship looks amazing :) like a very fancy yacht :)

[@visitwithus]

It’s huge and was extremely expensive to build. Really quite remarkable. 😍

[@involuntarysparkle]

Watching this a couple years later, but Nature Valley sells it both as granola bars AND as granola - my office buys the granola for snacks in the kitchen.

[@visitwithus]

Interesting, thank you 👍

[@btr2trvl]

Love all your videos. Recently switched from a retreat celebrity to a yacht club msc for my very first cruise. Have you any plans to try MSC Yacht Club?

[@visitwithus]

Not at the moment, sorry. In all honestly we think we would prefer Celebrity Retreat - but let us know how you get on.

[@Redwars889]

Great video, I really enjoy it. By any chance do you have any recommendations for a cruise that will see the northern lights around any Nordic islands ? Thanks

[@visitwithus]

Thank you 😊 We’ve yet to do a Northern lights cruise I’m afraid 😞 Hopefully soon 🤞 Thanks for watching 👍

[@PattiLaFrance]

Please tell me, we are on the beyond in a couple weeks…i saw all the stairs leading to the pool and sundeck, i am getting nervous that their are no elevators fir handicapped. Please tell me everything is accesible ?????

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching. Have a great cruise.

[@sherrjo]

I came here thanks to Jamie's travel blog. I think I better stop looking as these luxury cruises are well outside my holiday budget. Pity, as this and other luxury ships and suite decks look amazing.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching - please don’t stop 😁👍

[@tonyhayes8298]

Great video, watched all of yours so far . We are on the beyond in a suite next year , could you tell us if suite guests pay for specialty dining.

[@visitwithus]

Yes, apart from the main dining rooms, Luminae and Blu suite guests still have to pay for the other extra cost restaurants. Have you see our Dining Guide? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXKzZaOie8mWatk Thanks for watching 👍

[@tonyhayes8298]

@@visitwithus yes I have watched it twice , really liked the le petit chef . Looks like great fun . Don’t know if le voyage would be worth doing because Blu & luminae look so good . What specialty restaurants would you think would be worth a visit .

[@dawnajohnson1593]

@@tonyhayes8298 Have seen reviews the food at Le Petit Chef is underwhelming.. more of an amusing experience once but not worth a repeat.. children are big fans!

[@pj7342]

The granola is almost definitely Nature Valley Granola Bars or a Gordon Food Service imitation.

[@visitwithus]

Definitely seems that way 😔 Thanks for watching 👍

[@Bupkus68]

That lobster roll looked weeeeaaaak

[@visitwithus]

It was a sea food party in your mouth.

[@ashleys4652]

Are you from Maine? 😂

[@chriswilliams6568]

I have never heard anyone pronounce “ Wafer” like that. Most of us say the A as in its name. I thought I misheard you, and you said something else. Had to rewind it. I would never eat that raw beef, in steak tartare. I just think that some lazy chef started that trend. Thanks for the video. Great work.

[@visitwithus]

I was referring to an old Monty Python sketch from the film The Meaning of Life where there’s a restaurant scene and the waiter (who was ‘French’) asks Mr Creosote (the diner) if he would like one more ‘wafer thin mint’. He pronounces it like I did. I don’t normally say it like that. 😆 BTW, don’t watch the Monty Python clip - it’s utterly revolting. 😬

[@chriswilliams6568]

Oh, sorry. Who would have known. I think we left the UK at the height of their popularity, 1975. But we did not find it very funny anyway. You are younger than us, so you must have seen re-runs. LOL take care , like your vids

[@brucegordon4992]

Thanks - almost as good as actually being there.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you 😊 👍

[@TheTonyedwards1958]

I know you said that where in a Sky suite and I was in one on the Apex but on the new Beyond they have Sky suite Aqua class. I know that Blu was only for Aqua class passengers. and I had heard that if you ask nice as a regular suite guest you can get in .. did you stay in an Sky suite Aqua cabin or regular sky suite as i would love to try BLy

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching Tony. We were in a regular Sky Suite and we were allowed in Blu whenever we wanted. I wonder if they’ve changed the rules?

[@TheTonyedwards1958]

@@visitwithus i was just on the beyond in a sky suite transatlantic . And we could go to Blu anytime :)

[@visitwithus]

@@TheTonyedwards1958 Indeed. It's our favourite restaurant too! :D

[@PattiLaFrance]

No, suites have access to both

[@dianehanlon9826]

I agree the granola was Nature Valley granola bars broken up. Very disappointing

[@visitwithus]

Hurrah! I was right! 😆 Seriously though like you said - disappointing.

[@amesavis]

they do a nice review. room a bit small

[@visitwithus]

@@amesavis Thanks for watching. 👍😊

[@luv2sail]

Recently, much has been reported about the lesser food quality and the removal of the butler in Sky Class (among other things) on Celebrity. I do love the modern and airy feeling on the Edge class. But when researching Regent, I found what seems to be a great deal. Regent seems to be almost 180 degrees from Celebrity. However, they both seem to be fantastic cruise choices. I've never sailed on either line. Unfortunately, I have now experienced the suite life on Royal Caribbean during my last two sailings. I don't know if it is possible to ever leave the suite life behind. 🙂With that in mind, would you suggest a cruise to the ABC islands in a sky class suite on Beyond or an Alaskan cruise on Regent Seven Seas Explorer in a Conceirge Suite? I realize it is comparing apples to oranges. But while researching cruise fares, that seems to be my dilemma.

[@visitwithus]

We love both Celebrity and Regent but they are, like you rightly point out, two very different products. We’ve never done the ABC island but love the eastern Caribbean but would probably pick the regent Alaska cruise in all honesty. The inclusion of some excursions in the price would be a huge benefit in Alaska and our Regent experience on the Splendor was simply top notch. If you want some more advise we would recommend giving Panache cruises a call, tell them we’ve recommended you and they’ll be able to discuss both options with you in plenty of detail. Let us know what you decide and how it goes 👍

[@SharonR1105]

We were in the Retreat when we went to Europe on the Beyond. The cabin was the only thing that was worth the money, the restaurant was subpar, and we never really used the pool area. Honestly, if you are doing a port intensive cruise, skip the retreat.

[@АнтонНовиков-й6б]

You "couldn't put your finger on why you found yourself gravitating to the retreat"? It's because you paid for it. That's why.

[@visitwithus]

Haha! True! 🤣

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Hoppen's designs are boring IMO. I don't see the appeal. Enjoy your retreats. But Celebrity, keep your class system on your Edge ships. Don't pollute the Solstice class with this. Bad enough Michael's Club was taken away.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching and for your comment 👍

[@Catmeaner]

Personally, hated that boat.

[@visitwithus]

Really? Interested to hear why. 🙂

[@Catmeaner]

Our sky suite was located between the struts supporting the magic carpet. Problem was that at night, we believe it was what created very loud pops and cracking noises, similar to your house settling at night. First night we thought it will go away, but it was relentless. Even my wife who sleeps more soundly than me, could not sleep. This went on all night long. We complained to our butler who told us other of her guest had also complained about the noises in there cabins. She recorded the noise and told the hotel manager who came down himself, listened to the noise. He agreed it was unacceptable for celebrity and especially suite guests, unfortunately he told us no other suites were available. So five of our nine nights were relegated to catnaps(10-15 minutes). On the sixth day they found a different suite on a different floor and away from the magic carpet. We had to takes naps during the day to get any rest. So our cruise was ruined.

[@jamielorence4792]

@@Catmeaner Wow, that sucks! We almost booked that exact suite. I may an last minute decision not to. Wife was aftraid the M. Carpet would pass by our room when she was in the buff with the shade pulled back LOL. I would not abandon the ship though, just book a suite away from the m. carpet.

[@Catmeaner]

@@jamielorence4792 I agree now. It’s a beautiful boat and we enjoyed being on the magic carpet to have a drink. Hopefully they have addressed the problem and remedied the problem. When they finally moved us to a different sky suite different floor and away from the carpet, it was so nice. But after so many sleepless(literally) nights, our cruise was ruined.

[@snn6134]

No longer worth the money. Sky Suites will no longer include butlers. You get so much for for the same price with Oceania.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching.

[@PattiLaFrance]

They changed that recently, they are back!

[@lam4517]

I would prefer to hot tubs by the pool and not tucked around the corner.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@dawnajohnson1593]

Interesting.. I love them tucked around the corner for a little break from splashing.. :)