jayl65

Thanks everyone for your input. 
 

The MSC Yacht Club is definitely on my to do list. It was appealing because of the ship within a ship concept and on the new MSC Seashore is currently being purpose built for this concept. It will have the largest most spacious YC of any of the fleet. Approximately 6 acres of space dedicated to 200 YC passengers. I found out today my deposit for YC is non refundable. So I used it to book another MSC cruise on the Davina.

I’ve also booked the Sirena for 10 days in November 2022. 
 

I’ll be booking YC again in the future. Had to sacrifice it this go round to get my Oceania dream. 
 

I’m sure about the difference in opinions. I’m definitely not sailing in a suite. Both sailings would be an inside cabin. I have found I like the inside from a value perspective as well as personal preference. Not a fan of windy sea spray and salt sticky surfaces. Like to nape during the day and love the cave like darkness of the inside cabins. Lol. And I’m cheap! 😊

😂 I’m waiting to see as well. 

I’ve booked MSC Seashore next year in Yacht club for 7 days. I can get a 10 day on Oceania Serena for essentially the same price. I’ll have to add a beverage package on Oceania if I choose it. I understand the advantage of a large ship versus small one as it pertains to space, activities and entertainment. Probably won’t even bother getting off the ship during port days. Need service,quiet,relaxation and great food. 
 

The most important part of the cruise for me is the food. How does YC dining compare to Oceania? Any additional advice or considerations are greatly appreciated. 

I’ve booked MSC Seashore next year in Yacht club for 7 days. I can get a 10 day on Oceania for essentially the same price. I’ll have to add a beverage package on Oceania if I choose it. I understand the advantage of a large ship versus small one as it pertains to space, activities and entertainment.
 

The most important part of the cruise for me is the food. How does YC dining compare to Oceania? Any additional advice or considerations are greatly appreciated. 

I booked the handicap YC inside stateroom. It has a larger shower. At least I hope so. 

Two Wheels Only

I hope so. It’s supposed to be the largest YC yet. Over 6 acres of space dedicated to YC only. I might never leave. 

I just booked the Seashore for next March in the YC. Very little info online right now about it. I’m 6’6" tall and have a few health issues. I booked an inside Handicap room in YC because of the shower. I simply don’t fit in standard showers. 
 

Hoping YC and MSC will provide the right amount of comfort and service for me as I left my job at the Wynn in Las Vegas and am tired of the high energy lifestyle and over crowded nature of Vegas resorts. The itinerary is almost irreverent as I’ll most likely be staying onboard for most of the stops except for the private island. 
 

Looking forward to good food. Excellent service and space with few people. Even though the Seashore is a huge ship. I’m hoping the YC will provide a more intimate boutique experience. I worked on one of the biggest Cirque shows in Vegas so the entertainment isn’t very important to me. The quality and budget will never match what I’m used to. But I still want to enjoy everything the ship has to offer. 
 

Hoping to relax and get spoiled a bit. 

I've cruised most of the lines you have mentioned on just did a NCL last year out of Rome. It was great. Planing to go again this year.

NCL is freestyle! I think this means more in Europe than here in the states. You will be grateful for the freestyle concept. Heres why.

Packing light with no formal attire for fancy dinners. I love formal dining, but Europe is exhausting. Not just physically, but mentally as well. It's way over stimulating. You'll be glad you're not hauling luggage just to get to port. And you'll be glad you don't have to dress up just to eat.

Anytime dinning or specialty restaurants. Sometimes you might not want to eat at the assigned time. You can nap or see a show and then have dinner. Let your feet and stomach tell you what to do.

Options! You need unscheduled time on board. After tours and walking on cobble stone streets. Rushing to see things all day. And being overwhelmed by all of the stimulation of European cities its nice to get onboard and not have a thing planned. It's like Whew! I made it back onboard and now I don't have to think again until tomorrow when I get to another city I have no clue about. LOL.

My take on price is because most of the European cruises are longer and they keep the prices lower to fill the ships. Im not sure. But I will say that NCL will not be a sacrifice for you at all. Book it and enjoy.

Happy cruising!

I'm not as experienced a cruiser as many on here, but the best food ever on a cruise was on the Celebrity Mercury years ago. I have also sailed on Carnival,RC and NCL.

My first cruise on NCL out of Charleston SC on the Majesty. The food was offal. No kidding. I'll eat frozen pizza and fish sticks if I have to. I think I ate a lot of french fries on that cruise because they were always hot and fresh by the pool. It made me question if I should be cruising with NCL since food is so important to me.

Last year we sailed the Jade out of Rome and the food was great. Almost as good as Celebrity cruise almost 10 years earlier before all of the budget cuts most cruise lines had to make. The food in Italy was amazing and the eggs! OMG! I don't even like eggs here in the states. They had neon orange yokes and tasted divine. When we got onboard we discover that the ship had the same eggs. We were in heaven. The main dining room and buffet were great.

I tend to have a beer budget and champagne taste, but NCL has won me over. I canceled another Celebrity and Oceania because I wanted a super premium cruise so I can cruise more often for less money and still have a great cruise. My sister was a travel agent and recently cruised Hal and Princess and said that for the money CCL and NCL were better values and better food and service.

After much thought and talking with my sister we decided that the food quality is dictated by the cruise departure port in many ways. Each line has it strengths and weaknesses. NCL offer free style. You're not pinned down. And there are many options. Since my last cruise on NCL was in the Mediterranean from Rome, all of the food was sourced from Italian vendors. The quality was just plain better than the huge food vendors here in the states like Sysco.

My west coast cruises always seemed to have better seafood and vegetables. My east coast cruises better steaks. I believe each region of the country offers something better than other parts of the country. Avocados for example. They are just plain better on the west coast. They don't have to be shipped across country and picked when they are unripe so they can make the trip.

Preparation is one thing but food quality is another. If its prepared and handled badly then I believe that can be addressed. You can always ask for another serving only hot and fresh. But if the quality of the food itself is bad then preparation can't remedy it. Cheap processed food is always cheap processed food.

So I would say if food is important to you as it is to me. Choose the cruise line and departure port carefully. I would sail the NCL Jade from Rome any day,but I would think about cruising it out of Galveston TX. Not that it would be bad, but the ship would not be sourcing the food from the same vendors. So for me I would look at a different cruise and pay a bit more to have a premium product or I would choose to eat at the specialty restaurants as much as possible.

BTW, NCL's specialty restaurant covers are not bad for the choice of food you can get. I live in Santa Fe, NM and its hard to have a $20.00 dinner. Plus the dining packages make it even better.

Most cruise lines are very helpful with request also. So if you don't find something to your liking simply ask politely for what you want and I have always found them to try their best to accommodate.

Happy cruising.