The Retreat on Celebrity Xcel: First Look & Inside Scoop

Step inside The Retreat on Celebrity Xcel, the newest ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class, as we take you through the suite-only experience during the ship’s exclusive preview sailing. This episode gives you a clear look at what sets Xcel’s version of The Retreat apart, from refreshed spaces to thoughtful service touches.

You’ll hear impressions of The Retreat Lounge, the subtle layout changes from earlier Edge-class ships, and why it becomes the perfect small-ship-within-a-big-ship home base. Listen to our interview with Celebrity Cruises’ Vice President of Product Development, Jeanette Coto Dou, who shares how the Celebrity Way culture shapes guest experiences and why new venues like The Bazaar feel so immersive and destination-inspired.

Our conversation continues in Luminae, The Retreat’s private restaurant, where we highlight the updated layout, how many menus rotate, and standout dishes influenced by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. We finish inside our Sky Suite, discussing thoughtful design details, functionality, and how it compares to other suites we toured.

If you're deciding between suite classes or exploring the Edge-class experience, this episode offers a concise, firsthand look at what The Retreat on Xcel delivers. 

During this episode, we mention our in-depth guide comparing The Retreat, AquaClass, and Concierge for anyone weighing the differences. You can also learn more about this premium ship-within-a-ship offering in our related episode, Inside Celebrity Cruises’ The Retreat Suites-Only Experience.

Read our thoughts about how the 7 new spaces and experiences on Celebrity Xcel elevate the Edge class. 

Chapters

• 0:35 Tour The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises' Newest Ship: Xcel
• 0:55 Visual Experience Around the Ship
• 1:55 Views & Menus at Luminae Restaurant on Xcel
• 3:26 Is The Retreat Lounge on Xcel Different from Other Ships?
• 6:13 Unexpected Insights with the Vice President of Product Development
• 11:34 Exclusive Dining at Luminae for Guests of The Retreat
• 13:53 Our Sky Suite & Additional Impressive Xcel Options

Transcript

Mikkel (00:35)

For the past few days, Dan and I have been sailing on Celebrity Xcel, the newest ship in Celebrity Cruises' Edge class, and we are thrilled to be talking about The Retreat today and special experiences that you are not gonna wanna pass up for your next cruise vacation on a big ship.

If you are watching on YouTube, am standing in front of The Retreat pool with a gorgeous sculpture behind me. And if you are tuning in while you're driving or running or doing housework, as I often do with podcasts, then you are going to get a ton from listening today as well. If you are watching on YouTube, you're going to get some visuals because today we're doing something a little different than normal. And we are podcasting from various places on the ship.

But don't worry, we are also going to have a link to a supplementary article on our website talking about all these places too. So you're not going to want to miss checking those out. Without further ado, here is our podcast episode about The Retreat and the differences on Celebrity Xcel.

Mikkel (01:45)

To give you an overview of what you can expect during this episode, first, we are going to talk about what The Retreat Lounge is like on Xcel, including the layout and what to expect there. We have a special interview with Celebrity Cruises VP of Product Development, Jeanette Coto Dou, and we're going to share what exactly Product Development does, and she shares some thoughts on what makes The Retreat and Xcel special amongst Edge-class ships. We're going to continue with Lumine, The Retreat exclusive restaurant on Xcel, including how this iteration of the restaurant layout compares to Beyond

and what menus you can expect. And then we are gonna finish in our Sky Suite and let you in on some fun features of that class of staterooms.

I did wanna make a note that we had limited time to record on Xcel during a two night ship preview that we were on. So we had to strip out things like the crew vacuuming. So I want to pre-apologize for the audio.

Quality audio is incredibly important to us and we sacrificed some of those ideal audio

tech-wise in order to make this episode from the ship happen in various locations. So Dan and I are really grateful for you bearing with us on this episode. It's a short one, but it's a good one and forgiving some of the audio that is not up to our usual standards, but we wanted to bring you this special episode nonetheless. So I'm kicking it off to myself and Dan in The Retreat Lounge from here.

Mikkel (03:27)

When you're in The Retreat and it's 10:10 am, you can drink on your vacation anytime, so.

Dan (03:33)

Yeah, maybe we don't mention the time.

Mikkel (03:37)

Cin cin, salute, prost! A votre santé!

So, I am drinking a delicious....it's called "Don't Speak." If you are watching on YouTube, you can see I'm holding up the menu and the Don't Speak in The Retreat Lounge has Kettle One vodka, dry vermouth, passion fruit liqueur, which is yummy, lemon juice and honey syrup. It sounds sweet. I'm not a sweet drink girl, but it's actually very nice and refreshing and well balanced.

Dan (04:08)

And I just went with my default Bordeaux blend. The French, they know how to make wine.

Mikkel (04:15)

And you are a classic man through and through today. You are in classic gray and black, as is your preferred colors. You are drinking a classic Bordeaux and you are in a classic Eames chair. I mean, I checked all boxes today. You checked all the boxes.

Dan (04:27)

Check all the boxes.

Mikkel (04:30)

So we are in The Retreat Lounge on Celebrity Xcel. It is the same exact format of the Ascent ship. If you've been on Celebrity Ascent you will see the same color. So it's kind of like a burnt orange. So that's the same color that's in our suite — the accent color. Very similar here. I think the only thing that is different is there's some floor lamps scattered around The Retreat Lounge on Ascent.

Dan (04:58)

So if you're in The Retreat this is going to be a little haven of serenity, the lounge here in The Retreat and then also upstairs the Sun Deck. Those are the places you're probably gonna be hanging out the most. Yeah. You know, really enjoy all the amenities that The Retreat has to offer.

Mikkel (05:16)

It's a nice home base.

Dan (05:18)

Right, right. So you can explore The Retreat itself and all the amenities there, but then make sure you get out and see the rest of the ship because there's plenty to explore there. But you always come back to your home base here and it feels kind of like we always say, it feels like a small ship, but within the big ship.

Mikkel (05:33)

And I want to point out that some of the differences, subtle yet apparent, which you actually noticed immediately, was that the concierge desk—it would normally be behind us on Edge and Beyond. But like Ascent it's on the other side. So kind of on the other side of where the buffet, that little tiny food items and snacks and afternoon tea are served. You can have afternoon tea here, which is a really nice thing. They know your drinks. You can get your coffee order. Always a friendly face that knows you throughout the cruise just like at Luminae. We had a delicious breakfast at Luminae this morning and also we will broadcast from Luminae.

Mikkel (06:13)

It's so nice to be here on Xcel with you. We're so excited. Thank you so much. And if you can introduce yourself to everyone listening.

Jeanette (06:21)

I'm so excited to be here. I'm Jeanette Coto Dou, I'm the Vice President of Product Development for Celebrity Cruises.

Mikkel (06:27)

Amazing! And what does that entail?

Jeanette (06:30)

We get to see and hear what our guests want more of, and also what we believe are trends that are happening in the industry or outside of our industry, and we ideate and create the new experiences that we believe will make us the cruise line that people want to cruise with. So do I.

Mikkel (06:46)

We love Celebrity, so...

Dan (06:48)

Yeah.

Mikkel (06:51)

You've been with Royal for many years.

Jeanette (06:53)

Yes, I've worked at the Royal Caribbean Group for 20 years and I've been with Celebrity Cruises about four. But fun fact, I worked in our new Build & Design department so I got to see the Edge class come from the last four years, so from when it was on a paper as it was starting to design. So I have a great love and appreciation for the Edge class at Celebrity Cruises.

Mikkel (07:13)

Cruise ships work like dog years, so you saw it from infancy to teenage now?

Jeanette (07:18)

Yes, you can say that. I think that also applies to me, like being part of the ship build. I'm like, wait...it's all a blur now. Yes.

Mikkel (07:28)

So we have two questions for you specifically about Xcel and of course The Retreat, which we love. So what are you most excited about that your team has worked on for the suite classes on the ship?

Jeanette (07:41)

I would say that one thing that is amazing that our Retreat guests enjoy is the Celebrity Way culture. And our butlers, and I got to experience it as I crossed with the ship, spent, it was about a 10 day crossing. They spent every single day training in the Celebrity Way and the butlers in this British Butlers Institute. And they practiced and trained every single day. And they were so excited and live and breathe serving our customers to have the best vacation at sea. So for me, it's, yes, we can create new things, but I think the essence of who Celebrity is and just the culture of putting the guest needs first and making sure we take care of our guests and then each other is something I think at The Retreat you can't find that anywhere else. 

I think The Retreat as well as our Aqua customers will get to enjoy the new spa amenities. So we have the Vitamin D deck. If you've been out there, it's the brand new kind of sun deck that you get as being part of those categories here on the ship. And then I think just the food. Like, Luminae and the food and just like the food can come to your room, you can go to the food, but it's amazing and I think that our customers will really enjoy it.

Mikkel (08:46)

So your team touches this Celebrity Way. It's not the answer I thought you were going to give. I thought you were going to talk about something physical. So I love that it was something like non-tangible but really affects the guest experience.

Jeanette (08:57)

Yes, generally, actually a lot of the feedback we get from our customers is yes, we have a physical product, but you may be surprised that it's actually more about our crew and that's why we believe that that's our essence, that once you experience us you generally come back because you have a beautiful product. It's just spectacular. I mean, I walk up to al Bacio the counter and my coffee's already there — they're like, "We saw you coming.” 

Jeannette (09:11)

I was like you really knew that? I was like amazed, you know? And that's what they live and breathe and they love it. And so I think that's what makes us super even more, but across the entire ship.

Jeannette (09:26)

special. In the Retreat...

Dan (09:31)

Yeah, so as we're exploring the new ship and we've got, we've heard about the seven spaces that have been created here. Out of the seven, like, what are you most excited about?

Jeannette (09:41)

Well, I will tell you about one and then some will just have to be my little secret. But I am very excited about The Bazaar. There are very few in the industry that have delivered a venue that is activated from the morning to the evening with the intent of just blurring ship and shore. Our customers told us they wanted more of the destination that we're visiting and we are bringing that on. So when you walk into the market the artifacts you see are all locally sourced.

Right now, we're in the Caribbean, so you have products from Grand Cayman, the Bahamas, Cozumel, and it's all been locally sourced. Purchased directly. Every single sculpture is a local purchase. We walk the streets and and we purchase them from local artisans across each of those countries and every day we just display different ones. So I think the Bazaar will be a unique space. You can just authentically get to know more about the destination without being out in port.

Dan (10:32)

It is interesting we were walking through last night and you completely forget you're on a ship. And it's so immersive and there's so much to discover along the way.

Jeannette (10:41)

Yeah, and each day you can come back and discover more. So their intention was, you walk through it once, but then you can walk it again the next day and say, "Oh, I didn't see that yesterday."

And things continuously change and so we hope to deliver that and the recent experiences of watching guests interact with the space is honestly they stayed there all day long and they would grab a bowl from the Spice Cafe and then just sit there and then every 20 minutes a pop-up performance just started and we don't advertise them so it's a complete surprise to the customer. 

And so many just stayed there the whole day, whether they played a board game, grabbed an arts and craft, and were just was doing it on their own, and then for another bowl and then restarted in the hour. So it was wonderful to watch, and they really enjoyed it.

Dan (11:19)

There's so many little surprises and delights across the entire ship, and Xcel is really living up to its name.

Jeanette (11:25)

Great, well we're so excited that you guys came and we look forward to all of our customers that are going to come enjoy it like you did. 

Dan Jeanette (11:31)

Thank you so much for your time.

Jeanette (11:34)

No, thank you. So nice to meet you.

Dan (11:34)

So we are at our favorite restaurant in The Retreat and that is Luminae. So we kind of end up eating here for lunch, dinner, breakfast.

Mikkel (11:42)

…and breakfast. We switch it up for lunch and dinner. We kind of see what kind of mood we're in if they're open. It depends on the day, especially days at sea they're open. But they have 14 menus. No matter what cruise you're on, if you're on a four-week cruise, if you're on a two-week cruise, if you're on a one-week cruise, it's 14 menus for lunch and for dinner. And they rotate through those.

Dan (12:03)

The food is fantastic here, but also the ambiance is stellar. They've done such a great job with the finishings and just the small attention to detail. Plus, of course, the view is always great.

Mikkel (12:15)

The view is spectacular. The first ship we were on with Celebrity was Edge, I believe. And, no, Apex. I take that back. We were on Apex and then we sailed on Edge in Alaska and we were on Apex and Edge. And The Retreat Lumine restaurant there is very similar. The finishings are similar. The layout is probably exactly the same, actually. And they really opened it up in Ascent and on Xcel, which I love.

Mikkel (12:42)

The flow feels a little better. It feels more airy. It lets more light in. The fixtures and finishes and artwork are a little different on Ascent and Xcel. So you can see that behind us. If you're watching on YouTube, they have the classic purple glasses. That's the same. So that's kind of a comfort. And one of the things I love about the menu rotation is that if you come on Celebrity and you stay in The Retreat today or you went two years ago and you got a favorite dish, you can get that dish again.

Yeah, a lobster night is always a hit. A little surf and turf. I had a lobster roll yesterday that said it was a creamy lobster roll with crème fraîche I don't like heavy mayo-y things. I know crème fraîche isn't mayo, but I was delightfully surprised. It was a really nice light lunch option. Yeah. So we highly recommend The Retreat. If you only are a foodie and want to eat at Lumine, and that's why you stay in The Retreat, great. But it's just one of the fantastic perks that we are highlighting today.

Cheers to Lumine and eating delicious food on Celebrity Cruises with a Michelin chef, Daniel Boulud, who has helped with the menu. And we will continue this in our room.

Mikkel (13:54)

So finally, we are in our stateroom on Celebrity Xcel. We are in a Sky Suite on the 9th deck, room 203, so it is 9203. I love our room, it's cozy, we're honestly barely here. Of all of the suites we just toured that are part of The Retreat, my favorite was the Royal. So of course, the Iconic Suite, which is the top of the line, is gorgeous, but it feels so big at 1900 square feet inside over 600 square feet outside. It's a lot of space. So the Royal Suite felt a little more cozy to me and manageable and realistic.

Dan (14:35)

It did. Coming back to our Sky Suite is, for us, I feel like it's the perfect size and there's enough room to spread out. But, like Mikkel said, you're not in your room that often. And it's really about getting out there, exploring the ship and really exploring all the options that are available in The Retreat. For us, it's a sanctuary, one might say. You've got so much hustle and bustle out on the ship and you can really relax and carve out your own space in The Retreat.

Mikkel (15:12)

I love The Retreat. The thing about this room is it can fit two people actually in this sofa. It pulls out into it. This could be a quad. It's considered a quad room. And two in the bed, of course. So with four people, it might feel a little cramped if you have two kids with you or two adult kids with you, which I'm not sure why you would be in the same room if there were two adult kids. But hey, every family is different. I am grateful for two things in particular in this room, however. Well, maybe three, because we actually always work.

When we travel, we work a little, play... So we have a balcony that's fantastic. Love that. I love that we have this window right behind us that goes into the

Mikkel (15:54)

So if you're brushing your teeth, you don't have to miss a view of the ocean. So that's really key in the Sky Suite and really nice and then we also have a desk and a chair so we can put our computer out and do work. You can also use it as another vanity. There's a vanity in the room, which is also great and I appreciate that but the desk really works for both of us.

Dan (16:14)

Right, it’s versatile enough and it's, like I said, the perfect size for two people and if somebody's working, the other person still can carve out some space of their own within the room.

Mikkel (16:26)

Make sure you are subscribed to Small Ship Cruise Talk. We have an amazing article about the differences in all the suite classes on celebrity ships. So that is The Retreat vs AquaClass vs Concierge. That is in the show description. You're definitely gonna want to check that out if you want to know more information.

Make sure you are subscribed to us on YouTube @sometimes-sailing and following us on Instagram @sometimessailing – if you have any questions, we are easy to reach and stay tuned for more amazing content about small ship cruising and ship-within-a-ship suite classes like The Retreat.

Dan (17:05)

Until next time, keep cruising.