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"It is the toes of Italy." "Well, that should be right up your alley." ROTFL!! You guys said you've been cruising Celebrity since the 1990s. That means you may have cruised on the Horizon or Zenith or maybe Century, Galaxy or Mercury? I did Med on Century. Didn't go to Capri but did Brugge, Rome, Paris (well the ports that lead to transportation to those cities), Lisbon, Tangier in Morocco, south of France, etc. It's a fine itinerary. Show lounge entertainment is way better now. I did like the other entertainers, however, combos playing on the ship in the 1990s, 2000s. Your two friends had a different cruise than you do and it's nice that you could get them a bit of time in the Retreat, including Luminae. But I found it interesting they had a hard time finding a quiet spot. When they aren't playing canned music there are plenty of them on Solstice so at some point, maybe the Edge ships will have some redesigned into them. I'm not sure if Louie is doing a John Trovalta impression in the Club at night or just freestyle but he looks like he's having fun. That's all that matters when it comes down to it. That and interacting with fellow passengers and the crew. Bon Voyage.

Excellent and entertaining. I do have observations. First thing is that Celebrity obviously has a solid entertainment directing team picking their talent. I'm from NYC and see lots of Broadway shows and revue type shows and some cabaret and these singers are on a high level. That said, I think the Club isn't a great venue for the smaller scale shows and something like Princess Live on the Royal Class ships or even the Vista lounge on them or perhaps the Bright Light Society on Queen Anne could have better sight lines for the show. They may have to forego some of the acrobats, however. Also, while I hear and see a lot of the great music from the 1970s, is there great Broadway music and American songbook music played as well? Now, about that NCL ship. While it does have the slides thing, it also has the Haven. If anything, Celebrity got the Retreat idea from NCL. The Retreat is based off of NCL's Haven. NCL is more family oriented but has a lot of lux touches for Haven passengers and some for-pay venues with lux touches. RCI does as well. The Icon of the Seas has an 8-course supper course that I think costs $200 pp. Or you could go to Thrill Island amusement park on the same ship. You can kind of get Celebrity treatment on some areas of mainstream lines now.

Judicious fries, storytellers, walking and flying enchantress and bad 80s dancing. What else could you want in a cruise!

Never will I book a suite!! I love Louie's bow-ties and hats. Very cool. As for feeling special, that should be everybody. Everybody is a Celebrity used to be the slogan. And, believe it or not, back in the old days, every guest was personally escorted to their cabin. Now someone just points most of us how to get there. Preferences. That happens to the peasants in the lower classes too! Yes, if we see the same servers and crew, they learn our preferences as well. So, yes, it's elevated if you get a big room, but it's there for everyone to some degree. As far as Luminae goes, you're right. Sounds great. I just wish they'd place the Sky lounge above or below it for the peasants in regular staterooms. And yes, the white room resort lounge with bits of orange can be a nice relaxing place. You guys do make a great case for the retreat and maybe it's a nice option for some, at least sometimes. But not me. I'm not a large stateroom type. And tbh, I think quiet spaces should be designed into all ships, especially ones that call themselves premium. But seriously, I don't know. Can you see where this is a class system? It isn't steerage vs. first class but segmenting the ship to a first class vs. "regular." Not everyone agrees this is a good thing. The Celebrity boards have debates about this.

Food and entertainment have nothing to do with the ship. The best food on Celebrity in its history if you ask long-time Celebrity cruisers was on the Meridian, Horizon and Zenith. Food has declined on the line since. So the best food on this line was in the late 80s to mid 1990s. Entertainment, IMO, depends on the entertainer, not digital screens. So, there's no particularly good reason anything bigger or newer should be better. The thing we have to remember is the better crews and entertainers often go to the newest class of ships. Maybe you can have the best food in LeVoyage on the Ascent or Beyond but that's pricey. AFAIC, this ship doesn't need a retreat area. It was built to be a one-class ship and it should remain so. Michael's was a very posh smoker's lounge. It was then changed to a fun posh piano bar. Then the exclusive thing came in taking away a very nice public area of the ship to most passengers. The ship lost is excellent high-end specialty restaurant and in place came the OK ones. 4 or 5 of them. So another excellent experience was lost in making changes to this ship. There were some changes needed, but taking away deck space and areas for suite passengers isn't one of them IMO. I can't really comment on the spa as I avoid them on ships. So, maybe you're right about the spa losing some areas due to adding more retreat space. What this ship has that the Solstice and Edge class doesn't is the thellasotherapy pool that utilizes salt water. It also has the Rendezvous Lounge, a crucial spot for anyone into dancing as it is a large lounge that has a good amount of dancing in it and doesn't feel like it's part of a bigger spot like the Martini Bar on the Edge class ships. That feel is a big part of why someone might prefer this to the Edge. Solstice doesn't have this either. Sol and Millie have Sky Lounges as well, another huge draw to this ship especially in cold weather itineraries. One more thing it has is a wide low promenade deck that doesn't seem obstructed with lifeboats. That's another plus for ships of this era. There are almost always pluses and minuses with each ship class IMO. In terms of what passengers may want, it's preference. The Edge is missing features of the older classes and the older classes is missing features of the Edge. The staterooms have similar amenities, it's just the Edge has the more trendy style right now. If you must have new, then it is the Edge ship. But, for instance, if you want quiet areas and a nice sports bar, the Silhouette is a way better choice than the Ascent. So, it's up to what each cruiser or cruising couple prioritizes. I think you guys sailed to have a big suite and spent a ton of time in it and the rest of the ship was meet and greet in various spaces. You also dined more at the Luminae and the one specialty restaurant you did wasn't up to par. I don't feel like the Summit is lacking anything. What it doesn't have in newness and latest features it has in other areas that some newer ships have deleted. And it's still a pretty good sized ship at 91,000 tons. I think at times the food and service is as good as any Edge ship. Try the Silhouette. I'd be curious to get your take on it. I think also if you didn't cruise as suite passengers on the Apex and Ascent, you might have a different overall impression of the Edge class. Or not. The Solstice ships do not excel at Retreat features. They weren't designed for them.

Yeah, I'm binge watching these guys. Now they're on a Celebrity ship I kind of like. The redecoration is an improvement to the suite. I'm surprised there isn't more flexibility with the lighting. Candles, no-no on ships but there are the electric ones that could warm things up. The Summit has been extensively redesigned in many areas, one of which is the suite .The original suites looked nothing like this. This is an Edge class style suite. Several public areas are redesigned and several areas were rearranged and added with a few deleted in this ship's life.

Congrats spending your birthday on the ship. The suite presentation was nice. I think the first "pseudo Cirque" (hilarious, btw) I saw was on the Celebrity Galaxy, my favorite ship ever from Celebrity. It was called "Cirque du Galaxy." It was in 1998 btw that I watched it on that ship. I spent a few hours on the Apex with a lot of the cruise functions going on (music, shows, theater entertainment, etc.). Personally, it doesn't fit. I cruise for social mingling/couple's dancing and the Martini Bar, Club, and Eden, the prime meet and mingle spots don't compare well to what's on the Solstice (well Crafts Social and Martini Bar on the Solstice class. Eden and the Club are Edge only). I also dislike immensely that you can't go to the front of the ship (non suite pax) due to what really is a class system that portions off a good amount of that prime area of the ship to suite passengers. That should not be the criteria for perks IMO. Loyalty to a line should be. And most of the ship should be accessible to all passengers IMO. I think loyalty perks can be done in the Meeting Rooms or in a certain part of the Sky Lounge, an area the Edge ships lack. I think on Solstice and Millennium, Michael's should have stayed an all-passenger lounge with certain hours going to loyalty passengers only. Ship within a ship is an unfortunate development in the cruise industry IMO and I know some strongly disagree with me. I do enjoy these guys and their videos are enjoyable to watch. They would be a blast to meet and hang out with on a cruise ship or vacation.

Right up front. I don't like the Ascent (or any Edge class ship). I don't like the ship within a ship thing so I don't like that suite passengers get any special areas over anyone. However, I won't hold that against you! The hotel is far more interesting than the ship. The room is fine, at least it uses a more daring and interesting color palette than most areas on the ship. The bathroom makes no sense. The hotel looked very cool, tbh. I'm enjoying your humor. Athens, oh well. Ascent, your room. Where's the color? Beige, sand, and white doesn't excite me. Space is fine. Planter, weird. I'll tell you what. I don't like the ship but would sail it for you guys. Luminae is a restaurant. I'm not the biggest fan of restaurants but it looks nice enough. At least it has a little burgundy mixed in with the gray that's mostly in the Retreat area. Food, is it really on a high level? If so, it should be. Murano on Solstice is my thing. Donkeys aren't my thing either, so I understand the trepidation expressed with them. Cable cars are fascinating but kind of scare me. Good points about the timing of your excursion and lines and dung and the like. The Retreat Lounge has the warmth of an iceberg. White with a bit of orange is interesting? It should be torn up and redesigned IMO. The ingredients in it are OK but the look of it is boring. The Summit has a nicer one. The Rooftop Garden seems nice enough. The food is for-pay but that's Celebrity today. Pay for most food. Even in Craft Social and the Passport Bar (on Solstice ships). They'll figure out a way soon to pay for almost all of it. I've not seen. your vids before so I'll keep watching them. You're engaging and humorous. Great job.

We just returned the end of Sept. Bora Bora is magical and The Four Seasons is just a stunning property. We upgraded to the end of the pontoon and it was unbelievable. We stayed at Hilton Moorea and loved it. We really enjoyed you two and your videos. Thanks for sharing.

I just love you guys. This was the first video I watched of yours and have now been indulgently viewing most of them. We are now subscribers. Louie is so animated and the voice reminds me of Howie Mandel and Martin Short's character of Jiminy Glick combined. I see why you had a career of hosting and concierge service so to speak. Just lovely!!

Hi guys! I love your content, you are the cutest! I've never cruised before and have always thought I'd never go but the Celebrity edge class and retreat are intriguing me to give it a try. Thanks for your suggestions...Did you use a travel agent when you booked 30 days out?

I enjoyed this so much. I was in a service business that attended to those in grief. Greif is different for all, and we know that. Be the bigger person, you never know,

OMG, Louie this was awesome!!! I’m a client retention manager for a payroll company and my team supports at risk and upset clients. I’m going to share this information and video with my team next week on our team meeting. I loved this message and I’m gonna look into buying your book! I love watching your travel adventures, but this was so interesting and useful for what I do every day. Thank you so much for sharing this. ☺️

Just found you guys! We are staying in a Sky Suite on BtBTB on Ascent in about 3 weeks. Loving the comparisons. The redo of the decor was brilliant- I do that and call it "Angelafying" the room. ( My name is Angela). Thanks again!

Have my first Retreat and Celebrity experience on Monday on the Apex! I can’t wait.

This was the perfect video for me to watch as I'm leaving in a week to stay here (and get married)! Thank you and congrats on 45 years!

Thurston Howell... 😂😂 ... Amazing refernce! Love you guys! This has completely validated my booking in The Retreat on The Ascent in 2025. P.S. Louie... Missing the beard!

Great video guys, and thank you so much for mentioning us in the description. Very flattered indeed!

I so enjoyed this! Have sailed the Retreat 3X, all on the Beyond. You couldn’t be more correct, once you’ve experienced it, there is simply no going back! Counting down now to Panama Canal plus ABC’s in February.

Every word the truth!

Go get me a beer.

Oh shoot. We have just booked this suite on the Beyond. Is it worth trying to switch to another room?

Great video guys, love your enthusiasm and zest for life!

You twos are amazing❤ your positive and grateful spirits are refreshing. Wishing you the best🙏☮️

Wow. I was going to do this but the pandemic hit. This just reminded me. So this will be next. So beautiful and beautiful.

Amazing videos! Love you John & Louie. Would love to cruise with you all one day.

LOVED this video! I appreciate your hangry, honest rant about the food toward the end. It’s not pleasant feeling “hostage” to sub-par food, with few options, at high prices. I loved John swimming under the bungalow, your grimaces over waiting in the airplane transfer line, & your story about getting “supplies” at the beginning of your stay. Always so much fun to watch you two!

What was this room number? An agent wants to book us in 9164.

You guys are fabulous!

Happy 45th, amazing place to celebrate.

This is awesome! Makes me want to go there. Happy Anniversary!

It looks stunning. It seems so much better than the Moorea hotel you stayed at before.Congrats on the 45 years.

Omg you guys are so cute and so fun! I hit subscribe 😎

Too much bullying from both of you.

Just the best. Wow. What a property!

It’s always a hoot to watch your adventures! Is it a lot of work to get to a location like this? So beautiful by the way!!

Good advice!

Good advice!

So beautiful!

We've sure been enjoying watching you guys on your adventures. Even if a few things at the bungalow weren't up to par, you're still in a wicked place! This is Mark btw... I'm forever hooked to Brian's phone

What a shame you had this experienc, how did you came to choose this hotel and not another on the island? For the fruit was it a purple star apple? Looking forward to the next hotel stay.

I booked a similar room for a Feb 2 departure in Ascent. Only two sky suites left and really wanted to go that week . I think I’m 10184. Oh well it’s about all the good stuff that comes with The Retreat! I’m suprised how uncrowded Retreat was during a holiday cruise!

I stumble on you two and I’m hooked! You two are funny. My question is would you book a sunset sky suite again? Was having to walk back and forth old after 7 days?

Haha... loved the "I need soft light...oh Blanche calm down" 🤣. We just booked on the same ship next summer for Greece/Turkey. We have only done a handful of cruises, so trying to figure out what ship and itinerary and rooms to book was stressful! I was so surprised at how many rooms were already gone for next summer. We ended up getting two sky suites next to each other (different configurations than yours I think) a bit away from the magic carpet.

Was such a great trip cant thank you guys enough

Another fun time Guys. Carsten is very mature in his behaviors and interactions. We are also proud Guncles (No spellcheck, I will not relent.). It could be classified as his first Grown Up Relaxed Kick'n it Trip with the Guys.

Amazing content! I am going on the Ascent next May for my honeymoon! We are starting in Rome and going to Greece and Turkey! So so excited!!!

I was on the same cruise 3 weeks ago.. the historical sites were jam packed with people - barely any room to walk. The Ephesus tour was great - but the “5 star” hotel they took us to was trash- food was beneath a days in. Just saying.

Jay Shree Shyam

I discovered your channel by chance when I was searching for video reviews of The Don Cesar in St. Pete Beach. I quickly discovered that your vlog was not only informative but hugely entertaining thanks to your warm & inviting personalities. I shared your video with my wife and our teenage daughter. We have since binge-watched ALL of your videos and particularly enjoy the sea cruise ones. We all agree you are an adorable couple and were delighted to discover you’d been together for 44 years! Our daughter Caroline was so impressed with you two that she admitted to us she would love hanging out with you! That is quite a compliment from a 16 y.o. teenager. It goes without saying we are now subscribers and look forward to each new video with great anticipation. Please keep sharing your wonderful adventures with us and we will be thrilled to continue to watch and live vicariously through you (LOL). Warmest regards to you both. P.S. Daphne & Bijou are also absolutely adorable and we also enjoy seeing them in your vlogs.❤