Beamafar

1 hour ago, mnocket said:

I'm following with interest, but when does your cruise actually start?

Post #2. “Embarkation tom” (At the end of the post). 

Yes, you get access the Aurea spa thermal suite as well as the Aurea private sundeck (though the YC deck has a lot more to offer with a pool and breakfast/lunch buffet, not to mention better drinks service). 

56 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

We too have stayed in Crown Loft suites...rear facing ones on the Oasis, Allure and Symphony, and liked them very much.  I agree the 17th floor being suites only with the Coastal Kitchen/Lounge is a very good setup. We could easily do without the butler we enjoy in the Retreat, the a CL was exactly where I was leaning before this thread convinced me to try MSC YC.

 

That being said, a week cruise in a CL is no great bargain either....

No 17th deck on MSC - Italians are superstitious about the number the way others are about the number 13 (which is a deck number on MSC). 

2 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

Thank you.  We booked the Seascape.

We’re doing Seascape in a few weeks’ time.  We had a wonderful YC experience on her sister ship, Seaview (in the Med) and have sailed in a non-YC cabin on Seashore - another fantastic Med cruise.  There are a couple of very recent reviews of Seascape YC on the MSC forum. 

I do hope that MSC YC at least meets your expectations (or even exceeds them).   Which ship did you book?

6 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

 

I would not recommend Civitavecchia. We nave both embarked there and been there on a port call twice.

 

 

I would second that.  

We mainly embark in Barcelona as we get direct flights there and it’s a fixed taxi fare from the airport.  However, Genoa tends to be treated as ‘Day 1’ of the cruise when it’s on the itinerary.  

47 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Good to know someone is paying attention. 🙂

Unfortunately I think the cat is well out of the bag by now.  The ship has long since sailed. 🤪

Just now, CruisinShips said:

Why do you have another booked if "it's not good"?    And your post is the first negative one in this thread about the YC.  Can't you people all just agree so my future cruise planning gets easier?  Sheesh! 😉

He was being tongue-in-cheek.  The point being that the less people know how good YC is, the less chance that prices will rise along with the increased demand.  

24 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

Not true but with exceptions? so true, thanks for being clearing up my "mistake" 

Where are the cabins that are “on one end of the ship with the YC areas on the other”??  That’s what’s not true.  

11 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

 Other ships the cabins are on one end of the ship with the YC areas on the other and not just an aft facing suite.

Not true.  With very few exceptions, YC cabins are within the YC enclave.  On Fantasia-class ships, the YC restaurant is located outside of YC, towards the aft of the ships.

Something to bear in mind, if you do consider MSC YC, you can do a status match to the loyalty program, Voyagers Club, using the highest level you have with any other cruise line (or hotel chain, even).  You would then automatically get 5% off the fare (plus another 5% if you book 7 months or more out). 

6 hours ago, George C said:

 MSc  offers some small bottles of liquor in your fridge. 

As an FYI, not anymore.  Instead, you receive a bottle of bubbly and a choice of a larger bottle of liquor for the cabin.  The (included) minibar is stocked with a variety of soft drinks, water and beer, which is refilled as required.  There’s a large toblerone and snacks such as choc peanuts and Pringles provided on arrival (these are not replenished). 

For us, MSC YC is a far superior experience (though food in Luminae is ‘fancier’ and not to my taste). 
 

MSC has a new ‘luxury’ line - Explora Journeys.  There are some very positive reviews and fares seem reasonable - especially in comparison to The Retreat (which, IMHO, is overpriced and over-hyped). 

Utilising plastic glasses is one of the downsides of the MSC buffet. However, it’s a safety issue, as people do bring their beverages out to the pool area.

Sailed twice on X (in Sky suites);  have our first Princess cruise booked for later this year and a non-suite X booked for late 2025.  Looking forward to comparing the experiences and interested in reading opinions on here regarding the differences between the two lines. 

On 12/23/2023 at 3:30 PM, steamboats said:

 

It's EU consumer protection law. 30 days prior to departure.

 

steamboats 

Seeing as this thread has been bumped:

We’re in the EU and final payment is due 63 days - 9 weeks - before embarkation date (when booked directly with MSC.  TAs FPDs are at their discretion and tend to be further out). 

14 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I can’t believe this has resurfaced…

Ditto. 

We got popcorn on Millennium (that was back in 2016).  

9 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

… WE cruise is the one I have enjoyed the least after my 14 years story of cruising with the company.

 

Do not get me wrong, it was not an awful experience. In fact, I should say I enjoyed it but...

 

The ship is huge, beautiful and it has that WOW factor. BUT the layout is (to me) the worst one I have ever found after around 30 cruises. A LOT of wasted and underused space dedicated to assorted extra pay venues (business is business, I get it). This caused extreme overcrowding in the rest of the areas which led to a less than relaxing experience throughout the week.
I would cruise MSC again, no doubt about it, but not on this ship.

You’ve summed up exactly how we feel about this ship (and we did a repo - so it wasn’t at capacity, nor were there many kids onboard).  I thought, at the time, that it would be a complete nightmare during its Med Summer season.  

4 minutes ago, detwings said:

Chef Lisa is on Seascape?  Sean was the Head Chef about 3 weeks ago.  I understood Chef Lisa was on another ship someplace in Europe.  Can anyone confirm.

Chef Lisa was in response to Meraviglia being referenced (which would cause confusion as this thread is about Seascape). 

If you could find out when Mustafa’s (YC director) contract ends, I’d appreciate it. TIA

3 minutes ago, ToeyA said:

Im convinced the European cruises are way better than the ones from Miami!!!

They have a much more ‘European’ vibe and food emphasis is more tailored towards the passenger demographic.  The mix of passengers from different European countries has a big influence on menus, entertainment, vibe. Sailings from US ports rely heavily on building the market there (they already have a huge market in Europe and don’t have to work so hard in that region to ‘grow’).  I’ve really noticed the difference, over the years, of how MSC has evolved in the US market since Divina first home-ported there and the drive to make a seriously significant impact there. They offer fares that don’t exist anywhere else.   

1 minute ago, MacMadame said:

I've actually been thinking about bringing some because I do love a small chocolate when I go to bed. 🤣 It would mostly be a surprise for my husband.

❤️

26 minutes ago, Selion said:

I've found MSC's meal prep in Europe is generally much better than on cruises from US ports.  Last August, Seaside out of Port Canaveral.  We had some of the most disappointing food from MSC's MDR.  Few months later on World Europa in the Med, MDR food were at least on par of what we had before, if not better.  We even ordered a few of the same dishes we had on the Seaside, and WE's MDR knocked them out of the park.

 

Not sure why the discrepancies.  Perhaps it was only due to the different kitchen crew; or perhaps the US-based ship kitchen crew just decided to "Forget it!  Americans are only into steaks, burgers & fries."

The quality of produce brought onboard is also superior in Europe than on US sailings.