The Retreat is Celebrity Cruises’ all-suite product, a ship-within-a-ship concept that combines spacious accommodation, private dining, a dedicated lounge and a level of personalised service most premium cruise lines reserve for their top fares. The decision turns on three things: how much you value privacy and space, whether you would use the included Premium Beverage Package, and whether the suite-specific dining venue (Luminae) and lounge (Retreat Lounge) match how you actually spend a sea day.
This guide walks through the maths. For the full inclusions list see our Celebrity The Retreat page. For the wider line, Celebrity Cruises lists every voyage we hold.
Call our specialists on 020 7947 0270 once you have a shortlist.
30-second view: is The Retreat right for you?
| You typically… | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Drink three or more premium drinks per day | The Retreat (Premium Beverage Package included) |
| Want a quiet, exclusive dining room | The Retreat (Luminae) |
| Sail in a balcony or higher and want maximum privacy | The Retreat |
| Cruise as a couple on a sea-day-heavy itinerary | The Retreat (Retreat Lounge and Sundeck pay back) |
| Sail solo, rarely drink, eat in the main dining room | Skip The Retreat, book a regular Sky Suite or AquaClass |
| Want a Forbes Travel Guide-rated suite experience at sea | The Retreat is currently rated; few competitors are |
What is The Retreat?
The Retreat is the suite-class product across the Celebrity Cruises fleet. Suite guests get spacious accommodation (anything from a Sky Suite up to the multi-bedroom Iconic Suite) plus three dedicated facilities that non-suite guests do not have access to.
Luminae is the suite-only restaurant. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu changes nightly, kitchen is suite-grade with no upcharge.
The Retreat Lounge is the suite-only bar and lounge. Cocktails, espresso, light bites, often with live music in the evening.
The Retreat Sundeck is a private outdoor area with pool, hot tubs, dedicated bar and butler service. The quietest sundeck on the ship.
The Retreat fare also includes the Premium Beverage Package, premium Wi-Fi and gratuities as standard, so the real comparison is to a non-suite fare plus the Always Included upgrade package.
When The Retreat is worth the upgrade
Three scenarios where the maths usually works:
1. You would buy the Premium Beverage Package anyway. The Retreat includes Premium as standard. On a 7-night sailing, the package alone is worth several hundred pounds per guest. That alone closes a chunk of the upgrade differential.
2. You value the quieter, more private dining experience. Luminae is the single biggest reason guests book The Retreat. The kitchen is excellent, the room is calm, and you skip the main dining room queues entirely. If you would normally upgrade to speciality restaurants two or three times per voyage anyway, The Retreat usually beats that on cost.
3. Sea-day-heavy itineraries. The Retreat Sundeck and Lounge are most useful when you spend significant time on the ship. On a transatlantic, world cruise segment or sea-day-rich Caribbean sailing, they earn the upgrade. On a port-intensive Mediterranean sailing where you are ashore every day, the value is harder to capture.
Booking rules worth knowing
The Retreat is currently rated by the Forbes Travel Guide, the recognised global standard for hospitality. Few cruise products at sea hold that rating, and it gives a useful external benchmark for the level of service to expect.
The Premium Beverage Package included in The Retreat fare upgrades automatically if you would otherwise be on the Classic Beverage Package via a Paramount Package. There is no double-charging.
Butler service comes with most Retreat suite categories on the newer Edge-class ships. On older Solstice-class ships the service model is slightly different, with a personal retreat host rather than a butler. Worth checking which class your specific ship is.
The Retreat is Celebrity’s strongest suite product. You get the Luminae restaurant, the Retreat Sundeck, and butler service across the suite category. On Edge-class and newer ships, the experience is properly distinct from the rest of the ship. Worth the upgrade for guests who want a small-ship feel inside a big-ship itinerary.
Robin, Sales, Paramount Cruises
FAQs
Suite accommodation, Premium Beverage Package, premium Wi-Fi, gratuities, access to Luminae restaurant, The Retreat Lounge and Sundeck, and butler service on most categories.
Roughly two to three times the non-suite fare depending on cabin grade and sailing. On longer voyages with substantial sea days, the maths often holds up; on shorter port-intensive routes it can be harder to justify.
No. Luminae is exclusively for guests booked in The Retreat. Non-suite guests would book one of the speciality restaurants for an equivalent experience.
Yes, across the entire current fleet, with the specific facilities varying slightly between Solstice-class and Edge-class ships.
AquaClass is spa-focused (Blu restaurant, Persian Garden access, fitness perks) at a moderate fare uplift. The Retreat is suite-class with Luminae, the Retreat Lounge and Sundeck at a substantially higher fare. They serve different priorities.
Plan your Celebrity Cruises sailing with Paramount Cruises
Browse our full range of Celebrity Cruises sailings for current itineraries and prices, or call our specialists on 020 7947 0270 to compare The Retreat against a standard suite on your specific sailing.
Browse Celebrity Cruises · The Retreat suite experience · Call our cruise experts on 020 7947 0270
By Josh Harris. Last updated: 20 May 2026.
