Whether you live the suite life on every cruise, or are considering trying out an elevated cruise experience on your next sailing, Celebrity Cruises offers a few ways to plus your onboard experience.
One way Celebrity stands apart from sister cruise line Royal Caribbean is by placing a larger emphasis on its suite offerings, with broad suite privileges on almost all of its ships.
If you are trying to figure out what each of the suite programs offers, here is a look at the differences between The Retreat, AquaClass and Concierge Class.
The Retreat suite program
If you happen to book a stateroom in The Retreat, you get more included with the what you pay.
The Retreat is the name of Celebrity's version of "ship within a ship" concept, where suite guests pay extra to get a number of exclusives available only to them.
The Retreat experience includes:
- Priority check-in, departure, and port tendering/boarding
- Luminae at The Retreat private restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Exclusive lounge access: The Retreat Lounge (or Michael’s Club, on non-revolutionized ships)
- Exclusive sundeck access: The Retreat Sundeck (on Edge Series and revolutionized ships)
- Dedicated butler service
- Dedicated pre-cruise Retreat Concierge
- Always Included benefits
- Indulge Package at no additional charge.
- Shore excursion credit
- Complimentary 24-hour in-suite dining, including full breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Premium bedding and bath amenities
- Complimentary welcome bottle of champagne or sparkling wine
The Indulge Package provides a Premium Beverage Package, prepaid tips, and an onboard credit for all guests in the stateroom, plus an Unlimited Stream Internet Package for the first and second guest. Onboard credit amount varies by length of sailing: $200 per person for sailings 1 – 5 nights, $300 per person for sailings 6 – 9 nights, and $400 per person for sailings 10 nights or longer.
Read more: What's Included on a Celebrity Cruise?
Aqua Class & Concierge Class
In addition to the suites, Celebrity also has special amenities for some balcony rooms that offer suite-like amenities without the suite price tag.
Both Concierge Class and Aqua Class are balcony cabins that offer a bit more space than a regular balcony room and include extra benefits.
Here is what Aqua Class includes:
- Priority boarding and early debarkation
- Shoeshine service
- Complimentary beach towel service
- A Personal Spa Concierge to arrange Canyon Ranch SpaClub treatments
- Binoculars included (for use onboard only)
- 24-hour room service (extra cost between 11pm and 6am)
- Pillow menu
- Blu Restaurant for breakfast and dinner
- Welcome cans of water (2)
- Daily flavored ice tea in carafe
- Location near the spa
- Unlimited access to Persian Gardens (Solstice and Millennium class) and SEA Thermal (Edge)
- Spa concierge
- VIP tour of SPA on embarkation day
- 10% off spa treatments
- Two yoga mats on Edge-class ships and "revolutionized" ships
- Daily Canapes
Read more: How is Celebrity Cruises different from Royal Caribbean?
If you go for a Concierge Class room, the benefits are slight different.
- Personalized Concierge services
- Embarkation day lounge
- Priority boarding and early debarkation
- Shoeshine service
- Complimentary beach towel service
- Binoculars included (for use onboard only)
- 24-hour room service (extra cost between 11pm and 6am)
- Exclusive embarkation day lunch
- Pillow menu
- Daily Canapes
The other factor in deciding between Concierge Class and Aqua Class is many repeat cruisers say Concierge rooms get a more desirable location for their cabin on the ship compared to Aqua Class.
Ultimately the decision may boil down to if you want extra spa benefits and want to dine at a private restaurant instead of the main dining room (Aqua Class), or if you prefer to get a better cabin location and other added benefits (Concierge Class).
Other important information
- Retreat, Aqua, and Concierge guests may, depending on itineraries, schedules, etc can be invited to special sail-away events.
- Retreat, Aqua, and Concierge staterooms have a dedicated team of stateroom attendants who look over a smaller number of rooms to provide enhanced services.
