I recently had the opportunity to sail the suite life on the revolutionised Celebrity Silhouette from Southampton. Silhouette was already a fabulous ship (one of my favourites in fact), as with the rest of the Solstice Class of the line, but she’s been given an extra zhuzh through the Celebrity Revolution.
As part of the revolution, a lot of attention was given to reimagining the suite experience on board, as part of The Retreat sub-brand first seen on Celebrity Edge (you can read all about Celebrity Edge here).
You can also watch my Instagram IGTV of our suite experience here.
What is The Retreat?
The Retreat is an exclusive, all-inclusive suite experience that extends to all parts of your time on board the ship. Whether that’s the reimagined accommodations, private dining and exclusive bar and sundeck.
Accommodations
Centre to The Retreat experience is of course the suites themselves, all reimagined by Kelly Hoppen. Expect chic accommodation, with cashmere mattresses and premium amenities. You can read all about the range of suites here in my wider guide to Celebrity Cruises accommodation.
On our recent adventure with Celebrity, we stayed in one of the reimagined Celebrity Suites. This sits in between the Sky Suite and the new Sunset Suite, with a size equivalent to twice a standard balcony room.
What’s even better is that these are two-room suites featuring a large living area, veranda and separate bedroom. There is also a large ensuite bathroom with jack and jill doors and a walk-in wardrobe. I found this to be arguably a perfect size suite for me, allowing us enough space to stretch out. I particularly liked the two-room approach allowing for additional privacy – being an early morning person it was perfect to be able to get up without disturbing my partner.
On top of this, expect afternoon deliveries of treats, complimentary 24-hour room service and other amenities.
Retreat Sundeck
A new addition to Celebrity Silhouette is the expansive Retreat Sundeck. Situated right at the front and top of the ship, this is a two-deck space with a variety of seating and views. We ended up spending and enjoying a lot of time here, even on a brisk day in the Irish Sea
There’s also a bar, alongside a constant supply of offerings, and a jacuzzi which overlooks the bow of the ship – the perfect spot to enjoy the suite life. During the day staff will come round and offer a variety of drinks, fresh fruit and other food such as burgers, wraps and sandwiches all delivered to you.
The Retreat Lounge
Situated just off of the Ensemble Lounge, you will find The Retreat Lounge. This space has been totally redesigned by Kelly Hoppen with contemporary seating and lighting and features a large bar and food area. One highlight for me was the afternoon tea, served here daily by The Retreat staff and hosts. It’s also a great spot to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail with fellow guests.
Luminae
The private restaurant at The Retreat is situated just off of the main Atrium on board Silhouette. This space was created a few years ago and was very much the first step of enhancing the suite experience on board for guests.
Dinner here was truly superb, with a huge variety of cuisine on offer. On top of this, you can opt to choose anything from the main dining room as well. The cherries on top for me are the new signature dishes created by Celebrity Cruises’ Global Culinary Ambassador, two-Michelin starred chef Daniel Boulud – they were truly out of this world and I kept going back to try them each time I stepped foot into Luminae. You can see a taster of these dishes above and in my IGTV video above.
Retreat hosts and concierge
The real heart of The Retreat is of course the dedicated team of attendants, concierges and Personal Retreat Hosts – and on this occasion special thanks have to go out to Joanne, Andreea and Joey. Our experience on board was exceptional, with The Retreat Concierges going over and above seeing to our every need. Whether it was offering guests drinks on the Retreat Sundeck, the exceptional afternoon tea in The Retreat Lounge or organising an impromptu drinks party in the suite. It was impeccable.
Benefits of staying in a suite
So, why would you stay in a suite on board? This was my first experience of The Retreat, and I can honestly say I was totally bought into the product and offering. And this boils down to the overall value – from the upgraded accommodation to extra venues and amenities on board. Of course, this varies depending on the ship and cruise, but overall, it is exceptionally good value for what you get and something I would consider again in a heartbeat – I’m a total convert.
In addition to this, suite guests also enjoy a long list of other benefits including on board credit, premium drinks packages, upgraded Wi-Fi, tips and other offerings. When you consider everything that’s included and what it could be used for, the suite experience definitely starts to look better value for money. And then, don’t forget that you benefit from everything else found on the ship as well.
So, would you stay in a suite on board Celebrity Cruises? Let me know in the comments and on social media.
I’d like a quote to stay in a retreat suite in January 2024
Hi – you can get a quote from here – https://sparkx.org/book-a-cruise/