If you’re considering The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox, you’re probably wondering how much difference it actually makes to your experience on board.

The Retreat is Celebrity Cruises’ premium experience, giving suite guests access to exclusive spaces, dining and additional services. But what are those spaces actually like? How much will you use them? And does having access to The Retreat change the way you experience Celebrity Equinox?

If you are new to the cruise line, you can also read my 5 reasons to take a Celebrity Cruise for a wider look at the Celebrity experience

I experienced The Retreat during a two week cruise to South America and Antarctica, travelling with my husband and enjoying scenic cruising in Antarctica along the way.

The accommodation we booked and paid for was a standard cabin rather than a suite. Celebrity Cruises and a travel agent partner I work with kindly arranged complimentary access to The Retreat so that I could experience it first hand, film on board and share what it was like. That makes this guide a little different from a traditional Celebrity Retreat review.

You won’t find a review of the suite accommodation here, or a verdict on whether paying the full additional cost of a suite is worth it.

Instead, this guide focuses on the Retreat experience itself: dining in Luminae, relaxing in the Retreat Lounge, spending time on the exclusive Retreat Sundeck and discovering how those spaces can change your experience aboard Celebrity Equinox.

If you’re trying to decide whether The Retreat appeals to you, here’s what you can expect.

What Is The Retreat Lounge Like on Celebrity Equinox?

One of the benefits of The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox is having a private lounge to escape to whenever you want somewhere quieter than the ship’s main public areas.

Located aft on Deck 5, The Retreat Lounge is an exclusive space for Retreat guests, with access controlled by your key card. Once inside, the atmosphere is calm and relaxed, with neutral décor, soft furnishings and plenty of different places to sit. Sofas and armchairs are arranged in smaller groups, making it equally suited to sitting with a drink, reading a book or simply spending some time away from the busier areas of the ship.

As you arrive, you’ll find the Retreat Concierge. On our cruise, the concierge would welcome guests by name and was available to help with any questions or arrangements throughout the voyage. This could include things such as dining reservations, spa treatments or simply helping with something you needed while on board.

Walking further into the lounge, you’ll find a selection of snacks and treats that changes throughout the day. In the morning there were lighter breakfast snacks, while later in the day you might find something to enjoy before dinner.

There were also refrigerators stocked with chilled drinks and a coffee machine, so you could pop into the lounge for a drink at any time. The Retreat Lounge itself is accessible 24 hours a day, although the bar and staffed service operate at set times during the day.

When the bar was staffed, we found the service particularly friendly and attentive, with a full selection of drinks and cocktails available. It became one of our favourite places to stop for a pre dinner drink.

The Retreat Soirée

The Retreat Lounge isn’t only somewhere to visit for a quiet drink or coffee. It can also become a venue for exclusive events during your cruise.

Near the beginning of our Celebrity Equinox cruise, we were invited to The Retreat Soirée, a welcome event for Retreat guests attended by the Captain and members of the Retreat team.

Martini cocktails and canapés were served while a flautist played live music in the lounge. We also had the opportunity to meet the Captain and have a complimentary photograph taken with him.

It was a lovely introduction to The Retreat and helped demonstrate that the experience is about more than simply having access to exclusive spaces.

That was something we noticed throughout our two weeks on board. The concierge greeting you by name, having somewhere peaceful to sit, attentive bar service and events such as The Retreat Soirée all helped create a more personal experience within a much larger ship.

On an itinerary with plenty of sea days and scenic cruising, having that additional quiet space became particularly valuable.

What Is Luminae Like on Celebrity Equinox?

For us, Luminae was one of the highlights of The Retreat experience on Celebrity Equinox.

Exclusive to Retreat guests, the restaurant feels noticeably more intimate than a traditional main dining room. The décor is elegant and contemporary, with comfortable seating, fresh flowers and large windows providing fantastic views out to sea.

But what really made Luminae stand out was the service.

From the beginning of the cruise, we were welcomed by name. Preferences were quickly remembered, the team were incredibly friendly and attentive, and nothing ever seemed too much trouble. As the cruise progressed, it increasingly felt like returning to a restaurant where everybody already knew you.

One interesting detail on our South America itinerary was that crew members were assigned to guests depending on the languages they spoke. With the cruise departing from a Spanish speaking country, this meant guests could be looked after by members of the team who spoke their language.

There are no fixed dining times in Luminae, giving you the freedom to eat when it suits you. We were always seated immediately and never experienced a wait for a table.

Because we’d been invited to experience The Retreat, I actually asked whether there was a quieter time when we could dine. I didn’t want our visit to delay suite guests who had paid for the full Retreat experience. I was told there was no need to worry because Luminae could accommodate all Retreat guests at the same time.

That freedom to simply arrive when you wanted to eat became another part of what made the experience feel so effortless.

Breakfast in Luminae

Breakfast was perhaps when you noticed the peaceful atmosphere of Luminae most.

Rather than heading to one of the busier breakfast venues on the ship, you could start the day with a quiet, full table service breakfast overlooking the ocean.

There was plenty of choice. The menu included lighter options such as seasonal fruit, yoghurt, pastries, smoked salmon and toasted muesli alongside cooked dishes including Eggs Benedict, omelettes, pancakes, waffles and French toast.

By this point, the team already knew our preferences. Our preferred fruit juice and hot drinks would appear at the table without us needing to ask.

It’s a small detail, but those were often the moments when the difference in The Retreat experience became most noticeable. You weren’t repeatedly explaining how you liked your coffee or what you wanted to drink. The team remembered.

Breakfast was calm and unhurried, and on a two week cruise it became a lovely way to begin the day.

Lunch in Luminae

With plenty of sea days and scenic cruising during our South America and Antarctica itinerary, we also had plenty of opportunities to experience lunch in Luminae.

The choice was again impressive. One of our lunch menus, for example, included everything from a Cajun shrimp po’ boy and Cobb salad to filet mignon, grilled salmon, vegetable stir fry and the Luminae signature burger.

This wasn’t simply a shortened version of dinner. With menus changing daily, there was enough variety to make Luminae somewhere you could return to throughout the cruise without feeling as though you were eating the same things repeatedly.

And when much of your day is being spent watching the scenery outside, sitting down to lunch with an ocean view is a rather lovely way to continue it.

Dinner in Luminae

Dinner was where Luminae really came into its own.

The menus changed daily, so there was always something new to choose from. Each evening offered an excellent variety of dishes, beautifully presented, and there were often several things we wanted to order. Sometimes it was genuinely difficult to choose.

This was another area where the staff made a difference. They knew the menu extremely well and were brilliant at recommending dishes. As they got to know our preferences, those recommendations became increasingly useful.

Our menus also included a separate selection of dishes created by Michelin starred chef Daniel Boulud, Celebrity Cruises’ Global Culinary Ambassador. These appeared alongside the Luminae menu rather than replacing it, giving you even more choice.

Some dishes were memorable for the theatre as much as the food.

One particular favourite was a chocolate sphere dessert flambéed at the table. Watching the server set the chocolate sphere alight in front of us certainly made dessert more dramatic, and it remains one of the dishes we remember particularly well from the cruise.

What Makes Luminae Different?

It would be easy to look at Luminae simply as another restaurant included with The Retreat, but after two weeks on board, that wasn’t really what made it special.

It was the combination of excellent food, flexibility and personal service.

You could arrive when you wanted to eat. You didn’t need to worry about securing a particular dinner reservation. The team remembered your name and preferences, helped you navigate a menu when everything sounded good and genuinely seemed pleased to welcome you back.

And because Luminae was available to us for breakfast, lunch on applicable days and dinner, it became part of the rhythm of the cruise rather than somewhere we visited once for a special meal.

By the end of our two weeks aboard Celebrity Equinox, Luminae wasn’t simply somewhere we went because we had access to it.

It was somewhere we genuinely looked forward to returning to.

The Retreat Sundeck on Celebrity Equinox

One of our favourite parts of The Retreat experience on Celebrity Equinox was the exclusive Retreat Sundeck high on the ship.

You could reach the area via an internal stairway or from the outside decks. When approaching from outside, you climbed the stairs first and then swiped your key card at the gated entrance to access the deck.

Once inside, there was considerably more space than we expected. Padded sun loungers were spread around the deck alongside large cabana style daybeds, giving you plenty of options for relaxing. There were also fantastic views out to sea from both sides of the ship.

On our sailing, the Retreat Sundeck was nearly always quiet. Admittedly, travelling to Antarctica meant this wasn’t exactly conventional sunbathing weather, however that actually made the space even more valuable to us.

Crew regularly came around offering food and drinks, and blankets were readily available when it became cold. During the colder scenic cruising days, the team would take orders for hot drinks too, including hot chocolate with the option of adding a shot of something a little stronger if you wanted it.

Scenic Cruising From the Retreat Sundeck

This was where the space really came into its own for us.

We spent much of our scenic cruising in Antarctica up here.

When spectacular scenery appeared, the open decks elsewhere on Celebrity Equinox could understandably become busy. Up on the Retreat Sundeck, there was so much more room.

You could walk around freely, look over the side of the ship and move from one side of the deck to the other as the scenery changed. If something appeared on the opposite side, you weren’t trying to negotiate your way through a crowd to see it.

For scenic cruising, that was a huge advantage.

There was something quite extraordinary about standing high above the ship, wrapped up against the Antarctic cold with so much space around you, watching the scenery pass by. Add a blanket and a hot chocolate delivered by the Retreat team and it became one of our favourite places to spend those days.

The space may have been designed primarily as somewhere to relax outdoors, however on our itinerary it became something else entirely: an incredibly spacious and peaceful observation area.

For us, this was also one of the clearest examples of how Retreat access could actually change your experience of the cruise.

It wasn’t simply about having a nicer sun lounger or an exclusive area. During some of the most memorable scenic cruising of our entire voyage, it gave us space and views that were difficult to find on the busier decks below.

And for an Antarctica itinerary, that was a benefit we hadn’t anticipated and absolutely loved.

Exclusive Experiences and Additional Benefits

Having access to The Retreat, alongside our Captain’s Club membership, also brought some additional invitations during our cruise.

These experiences can vary between sailings, so they aren’t something you should necessarily expect when booking The Retreat. On our Celebrity Equinox cruise, however, they added some memorable moments to the experience.

A Visit to the Bridge

One of those invitations was the opportunity to visit the bridge of Celebrity Equinox.

Our small group of around 20 guests was shown around by one of the ship’s junior officers, who explained more about the bridge and how the ship operates. We were also allowed to take photographs during the visit.

Standing on the bridge and seeing the view the officers have while navigating Celebrity Equinox gave us a completely different perspective on the ship and was a fascinating experience.

Helipad Sailaway from Montevideo

Another memorable invitation came as we sailed away from Montevideo in Uruguay.

We were invited onto the helipad for drinks during sailaway. Positioned right at the bow of Celebrity Equinox, it gave you a completely different view from the usual open decks, with an uninterrupted outlook ahead as the ship made her way out of port.

The ship’s photography team was there too, taking photographs of guests during the event.

There was something particularly special about being able to stand right at the bow with a drink in hand and watch Celebrity Equinox sail away from Montevideo.

Neither the bridge visit nor the helipad sailaway should be considered a guaranteed Retreat benefit. Celebrity’s Captain’s Club programme includes various exclusive onboard events, but exactly what is offered can vary.

For us, these additional invitations were another part of what made the experience feel special and gave us opportunities to see parts of Celebrity Equinox from a completely different perspective.

What Other Benefits Are Included With The Retreat?

The Retreat experience goes beyond Luminae, the Retreat Lounge and its exclusive outdoor spaces.

Depending on your booking and suite category, benefits can include priority embarkation and disembarkation, priority when going ashore at many ports, premium drinks, premium WiFi and reserved theatre seating on Evening Chic nights.

We were able to use most of these additional benefits during our cruise, and while individually they might seem relatively small, together they helped make the experience feel noticeably more seamless.

Priority access was particularly useful. It’s one of those benefits you might not think much about before travelling, but avoiding queues and having things made just that little bit easier becomes increasingly noticeable over a two week cruise.

Combined with the more personal service we’d already experienced in Luminae and the Retreat Lounge, these additional benefits helped create the feeling that things were simply being taken care of.

Is The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox Worth It?

For the right cruise, I think it can be.

Before experiencing The Retreat, it would be easy to look at the list of benefits and think primarily about the tangible extras: a private restaurant, an exclusive lounge, priority access and additional outdoor space.

After spending two weeks experiencing it on Celebrity Equinox, what stood out was how all of those individual elements worked together.

It was starting the morning with a peaceful breakfast in Luminae, where your preferred drink appeared without asking. It was having somewhere quiet to escape to during the day, with a concierge who knew your name. It was being able to arrive for dinner whenever you wanted and knowing you would be welcomed straight in.

And on our particular itinerary, it was standing high above the crowded decks during scenic cruising in Antarctica, wrapped in a blanket with a hot chocolate, with plenty of space to watch one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the world pass by.

Then there were the smaller extras and special experiences: The Retreat Soirée, our bridge visit, drinks on the helipad as we sailed away from Montevideo and the priority benefits we used throughout the cruise.

Would I recommend The Retreat after experiencing it?

Absolutely.

It’s also an experience I would personally be prepared to pay more for on a future Celebrity cruise.

There is an important caveat to that verdict. We stayed in a standard cabin and were given complimentary Retreat access by Celebrity Cruises and a travel agent partner I work with so that I could experience and share it. I therefore can’t tell you whether the price difference between a standard cabin and a particular suite represents good value for your cruise.

What I can judge is The Retreat experience itself.

And after two weeks of actually using it, rather than simply visiting the spaces, I understood its appeal far more than I had expected to.

For me, the biggest luxury wasn’t any single perk.

It was the space, the service and how easy everything felt.

And yes, having now experienced it, it’s something I would happily pay extra to experience again.

Who Is The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox Best For?

The Retreat is undoubtedly a splurge, and I don’t think you necessarily need it on every Celebrity cruise.

On a shorter itinerary, or one where you’re spending most days exploring ports and relatively little time on the ship, I’m not sure I would personally pay the extra. You simply might not have enough time to make the most of everything The Retreat offers.

But give me an itinerary with plenty of sea days or scenic cruising and my answer changes.

That’s when I’d say it’s worth considering treating yourself to The Retreat.

Having those additional spaces becomes much more valuable when you’re spending considerable time on board. Our Antarctica cruise was a perfect example. The peaceful Retreat Lounge gave us somewhere to escape to throughout the day, while the Retreat Sundeck became one of the best places on the ship for scenic cruising away from the busy decks below.

If you enjoy having a peaceful oasis away from the hustle and bustle of a busy cruise ship, I think you’ll particularly appreciate The Retreat. There’s something lovely about knowing you always have somewhere quieter to go.

And then there’s Luminae.

For me, this was a standout benefit and one of the strongest reasons to choose The Retreat. The combination of incredible service, excellent food, daily changing menus and staff who genuinely got to know you made it somewhere we looked forward to returning to.

I’m still dreaming about some of that food.

Would I Choose The Retreat for A First Celebrity Cruise?

Probably not.

And that’s actually a compliment to Celebrity rather than a criticism of The Retreat. If you’ve never sailed with Celebrity before, I’d be tempted to experience the ship normally first.

Once you’ve experienced Celebrity and know you enjoy the line, The Retreat gives you the opportunity to elevate that experience with more space, more personal service and exclusive areas.

There’s another consideration if you’re travelling solo.

Suite pricing can make The Retreat an extremely expensive proposition for a solo traveller, particularly when fares are based around double occupancy. Whether it makes financial sense will depend heavily on the particular sailing and fare available.

For the right cruise, though, I now completely understand the appeal.

A longer voyage, plenty of sea days, spectacular scenic cruising and lots of time to enjoy the ship?

Having now experienced The Retreat, that’s when I’d be very tempted to splurge and pay for it myself.

Final Thoughts: The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox

Being given the opportunity to experience The Retreat on Celebrity Equinox gave us a very different perspective on a ship and cruise line we already enjoyed.

Over two weeks, The Retreat became much more than a collection of additional benefits. We genuinely used the spaces every day, got to know the wonderful crew looking after us and quickly became accustomed to the more personal experience it provided.

Luminae was exceptional, the Retreat Lounge became our peaceful escape, and having the Retreat Sundeck during our scenic cruising in Antarctica was something I’ll never forget.

Would you still have a fantastic cruise on Celebrity Equinox without The Retreat? Absolutely. Celebrity already offers an excellent experience without upgrading to a suite.

But would I miss The Retreat now I’ve experienced it?

Definitely.

For the right itinerary, particularly one with plenty of sea days or spectacular scenic cruising, I would happily pay extra to experience it again.

Sometimes you don’t know how much you’ll appreciate an upgrade until you’ve experienced it.

The Retreat was one of those experiences for me.