Valpacino

Good Morning! The sun is rising as we attempt an approach to Ocean Cay. We are literally inching forward towards the island but it is still extremely windy out there & the breeze feels on the cooler side. DH has the feeling the captain really wants to try & dock today as we've had the last 2 days of heavy rain, not being able to go out on deck, pool shut on the YC pool deck due to wave motion etc. To see some sunshine & be able to stretch your legs a bit will be most welcome if we can make it in to dock. Keys Kathy - I'm so sorry to hear of what happened to you. That's absolutely awful. I hope MSC do the right thing & reschedule you when you're 'ship shape' again. I am afraid we have not found any ducks so far! Dskiba - We are in room 19014. Very nice room. Our Butler is Rakesh who has been absolutely charming and helpful. Last night he made sure to come and find us & explain if we did manage to dock (it was still 50/50 last night no matter who we asked amongst the crew), we should head to the Top Sail Lounge where he would be waiting to escort us on to the island. We asked would he/a Butler be available to make sure we could get back on as we had read on previous posts of the 'scrum' that seems to occur for the golf cart ride back. He assured us that would not happen and we would be taken care of. So we're interested to see how this experience pans out. I have a treatment this afternoon in the spa so I'll need to get back on the ship in good time with no delays. The servers we've absolutely loved and have been so kind to us include Shi-Shi and Kimberly (Top Sail Lounge) and P-K on the YC Pool Deck. P-K is the server's nickname and does not reflect their name badge. P-K is the server that showed us the secret about the cold air being blasted out on a certain part of the pool deck. I agree with Captain John in that it is probably not to do with the AC system as that is not how a typical household AC would work but what ever it is, it's very welcome on a hot pool deck with no shade! Thank you to Loge23 for the tip about the pizza at the very back of Deck 16. Due to the poor weather & not being able to utilize the outdoor buffet on Deck 20, we braved 'gen pop' and Marketplace Buffet on Deck 16 yesterday. It was incredibly busy as you can imagine on a wet windy day but if you walk to the very back of the buffet, it gets less crowded and easy to access the food on offer. There was a lot of choice available, it all looked very fresh and we were pleasantly surprised on the quality of the offering. We've read a lot of previous posts bashing the quality of the food in the buffet but we thought it looked comparable to other cruise lines and not sub standard. We both enjoyed the pizza and thought it very good (they just bought up a fresh white pizza with onions and olives which was delicious). I wish they offered it as an option in the YC Deck 20 buffet. I wonder why they don't just have 1 pie available by the slice & keep replenishing it as one of the buffet items? We did ask our Butler about pizza delivery to the YC pool deck & was told that was not possible & instead we had to go to our room to order, have it delivered & then take it up there to eat. It would just be nice to offer pizza in the YC buffet as an option in my opinion. I did see a previous poster ask about drinks around the pool & if allowed or not? During the 2 days we could use the pool, drinks were being served around the pool and people were drinking in the pool & pool side where you sit on the 'lip' of the pool either in the water or on the wooden pool edge with feet in the water. So in our experience people were permitted to drink in & around the pool. The captain has just made an announcement but I'm afraid I cannot make out a word of what he said as they only have sound in the common areas & not in the cabin which is where we currently are! DH thinks we're struggling to make it in to dock & we seem further away from Ocean Cay. He thinks we're going to anchor off island so we can see the light show at the lighthouse tonight but cannot access the docking channel. On talking to one of the servers in Top Lounge last night they confirmed Meraviglia also failed to dock at Ocean Cay 2-3 days ago due to poor weather.

Afraid it wasn't a miss off on our tray. There was no jam served anywhere in the lounge at High Tea. I saw other people asking for it & then saw a butler bring a tray out with about 4 pots on it. It was only available upon request today. Which arcs us over in to 'Snackgate'! Previous posters have mentioned the lack of available snacks in the Top Sail Lounge. It seems they were typically laid out in the designated area for selection but this seems to have ceased. I can confirm there has been no 'snacks on display' during the late afternoon or in the evening. You have to request them & they are then bought to the table. I get it in terms of reducing waste but I guess if previous guests were used to a selection being displayed for personal selection a la The Retreat, that seems to have stopped for now. We have requested snacks & been given a selection on a 2 tier cake stand + a separate stand for nuts & chips. Last night we dropped by for a post dinner night cap. Without prompting our regular server brought over a lovely dish with a very nice selection of at least 7-9 Venchi chocolates which we enjoyed. Whilst addressing what is/is not available this cruise. We were issued with YC watch bands to wear if we didn't want to carry the room card around. Previous posters had mentioned they were not issued on at least 1 previous voyage. We did not experience any issues regarding availability of YC watch bands.

Currently just enjoyed high tea in the YC lounge on Day 5. It's rather busy as weather has deteriorated and is so awful no one can go outside. Captain has made an announcement we may not make Ocean Cay tomorrow as it may be too dangerous to approach the channel to dock due to the weather. I hope it changes as we're curious to see Ocean Cay. I've included a picture of the high tea offering. Overall not a bad way to spend a rainy hour. Oddly for high tea jam was not included with the scones and clotted cream which is the central part of high tea. We had to request it. It's odd as Tiptree jam is provided at every breakfast so they have it on board.

Day 1: After embarkation we headed up to the Yacht Club Pool Deck (Deck 20) for lunch. It's a buffet affair with a decent choice of 'make your own salad', fresh fruit, carving station of the day (it may have been pork that day), fries & a bread selection. There is then a hot section featuring mash potato, maybe a rice dish. A few proteins such as swordfish, seabass, roast chicken etc. There were also a couple of dishes of roasted vegetables. Finally there is always a burger made to order, a pasta dish of the day (it was a ravioli dish on Day 1) & a Hot Dog made to order (2 small sausages in a hot dog bun). I had a caeser salad & lamp chops and some fries. The lamb chops were delicious. Nicely cooked & very tender. The caeser dressing was quite thin & not very creamy. The fries were of the thinner variety & just ok. I think the problem is trying to keep them hot. That's very difficult on an outdoor buffet so unless it's a fresh batch just put up, the fries are going to be on the colder side. On Day 2 they served up steak fries which were much thicker & much better. Yesterday they went back to the thin fries which were cold again. Desserts were a selection of small cakes such as carrot cake, chocolate cake etc. I was too full to try them so can't comment on the quality of those. Service from both the team behind the counter & the servers walking the deck is friendly & helpful. We've found a server we very much like and have shown our appreciation with frequent tipping when served by them. I know it can be a controversial topic here but we find it really does help with the overall experience if you give the staff a little extra to get what you want. Day 2 was a sea day so the pool deck was busy. With a 'full to capacity' Yacht Club, our preferred server took care of us, even when the bar area was packed with people trying to get served. We simply caught their eye & we were taken care of promptly with minimal wait or fuss. We've found the bar staff on Deck 20 to be decent at mixing a cocktail. This was a big difference to our experience on the Beyond Retreat Pool Deck. I recall about 1 day in on our last trip on the Beyond we decided to try a cocktail off the menu. It was so poor it had no taste at all of what it should have had. Thinking we'd chosen wrong, we chose something else. Same experience. Absolutely awful with no flavor of what it should have been. In the end we gave up both eating & drinking on the Retreat pool deck as we found the quality poor & the staff inexperienced. We've not found that here & had the opposite experience of much better food & drink offering on the Yacht Club Pool Deck. One other observation about the YC Pool Deck. Despite being at full capacity there are plenty of loungers and you can always get a spot. It never feels crowded, unlike The Retreat which last year on the Beyond was so packed we struggled to secure loungers on sea days. The only negative about the YC Pool Deck is the lack of shade which other posters have discussed. When it's hot you can fry up there (DH got burnt on his first day at sea, despite applying factor 50!). Insider tip as shown to us by our preferred server on the pool deck. If standing on the deck with back to the bar area, head to the area to the left of the doors to the elevators. There is a 'wall' to the right of this area with huge vents blasting out cold air - I guess from the AC system in the ship or something like that? Not sure what it is but I can tell you it brings great relief to turn a sun lounger around & face in to said cold air being blasted at you when it's full sun & no shade! Overall our view is the YC Pool Deck, including Deck 19 with the solarium, is better than the Retreat on the Edge class ships. It's spacious, never feels crowded, it's calm & not noisy. You can always get a seat or a lounger & the food & drink offering is better. MSC Seascape wins on this one for us.

One observation about the bathroom. I really wish the magnifying make up mirror lit up (it doesn't). Next time I would bring a traveling make up mirror that lights up.

We did get $100 OBC when we booked the trip. I think it was just part of the offer at the time for Yacht Club. Have to say when we booked the Beyond in Fall 2021 for Fall 2022 trip, we did it on board & they gave us $800 OBC for booking a sky suite in the midst of a pandemic. Those were the days ....... !

The internet quality: We're on the 2 devices per person that was included in the Suite package. We both have our cell phones + a lap top for work purposes. We've found when out on the balcony we cannot get any wifi on our devices but it's usually fine in the room. I've not had the issues DH has had on connecting & not sure why that is. We're both on Android on a T-Mobile package. His has gone in & out when in the cabin whereas mine has been fine. Overall if you want to stream content, we feel you'd need to upgrade to the top package available or subscribe to Starlink if you were cruising for a while to get the wifi quality you really want.

Observations on the cabin: We are up on Deck 19 in an even numbered cabin towards the front of the boat. The cabin is wonderful &, in our opinion, superior to a sky suite. It's spacious with excellent storage options. The walk in closet is very spacious and an excellent design addition to the cabin. The bed is very comfortable and extremely similar in quality to Celebrity's sky suite beds. The bathroom is a fair size & the shower + water pressure in said shower is excellent. I agree with a fellow poster's observations the shower gel etc. is watered down but I have no issue with that. The room is decorated in dark tones with thick curtains/blackout curtains so excellent for people who are light sensitive as the room remains dark when the curtains are closed. The only negative I could say is come around 6.30 am you are going to hear the sun beds being moved about & set up for the day on the pool deck directly above you. This was not an issue for us as we usually wake up about 6.15 am but if you like to sleep in, you may want to consider earplugs. We like the generous supplies provided for the room. Never used a Nespresso machine before so had to google how that worked as there was no explanation card in the room. We soon got the hang of it & once you know what to do it's pretty easy to use. Our room is kept well stocked with large bottles of Italian branded fizzy water, Nespresso pods, milk for tea (we had to ask the Butler for that and he duly re-appeared promptly with what we asked for). At night I appreciate the Butler places a clean glass + small bottle of spring water by the bed, set on a paper coaster. To me it just feels like they've considered your needs & anticipated what you may want as you retire for the evening. We've also been treated through the week with various selections of Venchi chocolates which has been a nice additional touch instead of the usual 'chocolate square on the pillow'. Overall we feel the Deluxe suits on MSC are definitely superior to the Sky Suites on Celebrity & a step up in quality.

Hi Fabnfortysomething, We did not take advantage of the status match as it didn't make any difference to our status. We've cruised 3 times on Celebrity since re-starting our cruise adventures in 2019. We were on the lowest tier according to Celebrity so it didn't make any difference to MSC from what I could gather. If I'm wrong or I've missed something on this, please jump in!

Day 1 - Embarkation. Embarkation was pretty simple for Yacht Club in our experience. I'm so glad I read the forums here & found out about the white tents - we had no idea what to look for! Maybe it was me; I do not recall getting any check in instructions specifically directing you to look for the white tents as the area to head for if Yacht Club when setting down at the port. We had a taxi from SW FL so it was 2.5 hrs across the Alley to the port area. Drop down was easy, we had our cases tagged within a couple of minutes & a butler walked us on & past the queues to a side room set aside for Yacht Club checking in. Check in was pretty swift and then we were asked to wait about 5 or so minutes for a 'group' to form. Once we got to about 14 people, another butler appeared & walked us on. I'd say from portside to our room took about 12-15 minutes tops which was great. All the staff we encountered were friendly, warm & courteous throughout the check in procedure. So far so good & a nice start to our adventure! I have to dash now as getting ready to head to Top Sail Lounge for a pre dinner drink & then we're going to try Butcher's Cut tonight to see how that stacks up. I will continue tomorrow on our experience so far.

Hi Everyone, I've been lurking on here a while picking up excellent tips & comments from many an experienced cruiser. These have been invaluable in helping us pick our annual much needed break from the daily grind of work! With this in mind I wanted to give a something back & share what we've experienced so far as we're half way through our cruise on the Seascape, currently sitting in a grey & rainy Costa Maya. I will do my very best to try & be informative and if I can answer any questions, I'll do my best. But first a little about us ....... DH & I are originally from the UK. We are in our early 50's. We used to cruise in the 90's & in to the 00's with NCL & then Royal Caribbean when we lived & worked in the UK. We loved cruising. Then in the early 00's we moved to SW Florida & started a new life and built our own business. We are now fortunate that we can take 1 week off per year to vacation so have returned to the cruising community. We recommenced our cruising life on the Celebrity Edge back in 2019 which we enjoyed. We then went back on the Edge in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic restrictions and had what we considered our best cruise experience so far. The level of service & the quality of the food offering was just incredible. The fact there was less than 1,000 on board had much to do with it I believe and I appreciate that was a different time, not to be repeated (we all hope!). We returned last year to Celebrity on the Beyond and for the first time upgraded to The Retreat. I have to say it was a mixed experience. Whilst The Retreat area was beautiful, it was packed & the staff seemed under trained & inexperienced. It was not to the quality of our trip the previous year on the Edge. That mixed experience led us to explore other operators & thanks to the detailed posts from far more seasoned cruisers than us (shout out to Morpheus, GenX, Essiesmom!) we took the plunge and booked MSC Seascape Yacht Club for the sailing that left on 29th October 2023. When we lived in the UK DH & I were both in the food business (I was in manufacturing and was lucky enough to travel globally for my job & eat in some phenomenal restaurants and stay in great hotels). When we moved to SW FL we set up & built a business around hospitality which we currently own & manage day to day (one thing about the hospitality business is it never ever stops!). I only mention this to try & give some context to our work experience. I think we're pretty fair & open to the challenges of being involved in guest hospitality. I'll do my best to convey what we've experienced so far to add to the chat about the MSC experience from the Yacht Club perspective.

Thank you for taking the time to clarify what we can expect. Our confirmation has our 2 names at the top & then a list of things included. I guess my concern was it was silent about whether it was per person or per cabin but if I apply the assumption that the food and drink package is 'per person' when reading that list, then I guess it would also apply the internet package. Thanks again for the explanation.

Can I ask the same question but with regards to YC? It states in our MSC YC Benefits list on our booking details as: Premium Internet package (Browse - 2 devices Unlimited Internet Package) What is missing are the key words 'per person' or 'per cabin'. It's silent as to how that is applied in the benefits. DH & I both need our cell phones + a laptop for work purposes so need 2 devices each. If anyoe can clarify what MSC are actually giving us would be most appreciated!

Thank you everyone for explaining how this all works as a first timer with MSC! I'm used to X & pre-booking dining + spa & selecting my time/date in my account online or via the app. Clearly it seems this is not do-able at MSC - I wonder why? I'm just worried it'll be a scrum once on board to try & get dates/times we want for selected specialty dining/spa services. It was certainly the case on X Beyond last November with zero availability in the steak house once we boarded so we never got to try that & no option to book Le Voyage for a second night. We had 1 night's dinner in there and it was that good it absolutely blew dining in The Retreat out of the water. We tried to get a second night in there but with zero luck as it was completely booked out. As an interesting aside. Our friends we are traveling with called in on Monday to pay their balance as they wanted to ask some questions. Got an agent straight away with no holding. Said the agent was great - very friendly, courteous etc. This was the agent that said once paid up you should see options to book what you want in the spa and dining in your account when you log in. She also said if you do not, simply call back and we'll get you all booked in from our end. Of course we couldn't do that so yesterday my friend called back to see if she could book specific spa treatments on certain days/times so it was all pre-booked. Got straight through again but to a different agent. Again very nice & courteous but she explained that only packages can be booked but you cannot set the date/time yet & you cannot book specific treatments. It must be done on board as many of you have stated. It was the info from the first agent that was throwing us off as it kind of sounded like we could call in & pre-book. Clearly we cannot so there we are! Thanks again everyone for joining in!

A quick update which some fellow MSC cruisers may find helpful. Our party paid their final balance due in the past 24 hrs. One of our group called in & spoke to customer service when paying their balance & asked the question on why they could not see specialty dining & spa services to book on their account. The agent replied once final balance was paid, you should be able to book any extras in your MSC portal. I waited the 24 hrs to make sure my account was up to date & then logged back in to my MSC account, only for it to look exactly the same with no option to book specific spa services (I can't even see a menu of services for Seascape on my account) or any specialty dining options. All I can see are beverage packages & I don't need that as we're in YC so it's included. There is something definitely off with the MSC portal you access as a future guest. I started poking around elsewhere in my MSC account portal & ended up going to the site map at the bottom of the page. On scrolling to I think about Page 2 of the site map I ran across an entry labelled as 'Specialty Dining'. By clicking on that it took me to the page I was looking for where I can pick a restaurant I want to eat in & add it to my account. We don't want a dining package, We just want to sample a couple of the specialty restaurants a la carte with no restrictions. I did the same with the spa but with not the same success unfortunately. It looks like you need to talk to someone as they do not post the services on line for you to book as each ship has different facilities if I am following the blurb about spas correctly. It is recommending going to the spa once on board & booking directly. That's all fine except I don't want to leave it that late in case it gets booked out on the day/time I want to go. I want to book it shoreside & in advance. Same with the specialty dining. We waited until we were on board X Beyond last November to book up the steakhouse, only to be told every day was booked solid until 11pm. We asked our butler if they had any sway in that department to try & nab us a spot & got a swift no can do! Therefore we never tried the steakhouse on Beyond. So it looks like I may have solved 1 out of 2 of my issues. Thank you to everyone who replied and participated so far in this thread.

Hi everyone, Come October I will be another refugee from Celebrity taking the plunge in YC on Seascape. Thank you to Morpheus & GenerationX for their excellent reviews and observations. They've convinced me to try out the YC experience as the prices in The Retreat reach eye watering levels. We sailed in the Retreat last November on the Beyond. We booked a year prior to that trip whilst on board the Edge in November 21 during the pandemic so got a great price & OBC. Whilst the Beyond was beautiful & our cabin was very nice, we were underwhelmed by the service & quality of food on the Beyond, with the exception of Le Voyage which was excellent. I just cannot justify the pricing of Retreat for what we felt was average food & poor service, especially in the pool deck area of the Retreat. So here's my question. We cruise in 100 day's time. When I log in to my MSC account I am not being given any options to book specialty dining or spa services. Is it because I'm too far out from cruise date & the website only allows you to book this stuff a certain time in advance? Or is it because we haven't paid our final balance yet which is due shortly? I am mindful a lot of posters here mention that MSC apps & website can have issues so just wondering if it's a glitch in their website or there is a policy about when guests are allowed to book extras? Here is what I see what I see when I click on 'Plan my cruise' when I log in. I only get 4 things to choose from - Excursions, Beverages, Spa & Internet etc. No Specialty Dining option: Then when I click on the spa tab, I only get the 4 options below. No complete menu of services to choose from. Am I doing something wrong or missing something? Any pointers on how this all works would be most appreciated!

Thank you TWO for the quick response & intel. I can now breathe a sigh of relief as our cabin + our friends cabin who are traveling with us (the DW is a 5 suitcase + kind of gal!) all appear to have a walk in closet. Phew!

My apologies for taking the thread sideways but I am most curious to know which YC Deluxe grand suites do not have a walk in closet. We are booked to travel on 29th October on Seascape & I assumed they all had a walk in closet after watching a tour of 19014 on Youtube. I guess that's not the case? Would Two Wheels Only be willing to share their intel so far? Thank you for your time.

I agree with the OP. We were on the 13th November 2022 sailing & ate here for 1 night. It was the best meal on board by a country mile & one the best meals I've had anywhere for a long time. The service was top notch. Our server was called Joe & could not have been more attentive & professional. We did the 3 courses which we thoroughly enjoyed. In my opinion the food was not too 'out there' and very approachable. 3 of us had the steak and all agreed it was one of the best steaks we've had. The atmosphere was nice & relaxed; I really can't say enough good things about this place. We tried to book another night; it was that good. Unfortunately it was fully booked out for the rest of our trip. I only wish the Luminae was as good as this restaurant! We had a few issues in there with service & occasional sub par food which we found a little disappointing.

Thank you for posting this very interesting comparison thread. This has totally changed my thinking about who to cruise with. We were on the Beyond 13th November 22 in a Sky Suite. Overall our experience was patchy & has led to me questioning is it worth it. We were on the Edge in January 2019 & then again in November 2021 & had such a fabulous experience we booked the Beyond for November 2022 whilst on board. It was quite a different experience & disappointing in parts. We had issues with inexperienced staff, long wait times for service, chair hogs in The Retreat sun deck, drinks not being made correctly & sub par food. And these things didn't happen once. It was multiple times. Based on your observations I am now looking very closely at MSC Seascape YC cabin for our next adventure. I am also very curious about what Explora may look like when launched. Thank you for your very enlightening thread!

Thank you so much for your advice on the best sail away spot. I really appreciate your time to answer my questions.

Thank you for letting me know we do not need to adhere to our check in time - that's great news. We are driving over from the West Coast of FL so good to know we can get on the road earlier for a noon arrival. Curious about all the creaking I've been following in various threads. Wonder what that's all about? On a different question - at sail away what do you recommend as a good spot to be in to enjoy the moment? The sunset bar looks great but I imagine that's been very busy throughout your cruise so far? Observations? Is there a better spot in the Retreat in your opinion?

Thank you for answering my question regarding the kettle & ideal spot for lunch if buffet looks crazy. Sadly our slot to board is 1.30 to 2pm so looks like lunch at Luminea may not work. Any other suggestions? Wonder if they are serving food out on the Retreat Pool deck/cafe as previously mentioned? If you could find out if they serve out there on embarkation day & time &, if at all possible, a menu that would be fabulous. Thank you again for great information!

Firstly, thank you to PinkSandGirl for a detailed & informative review. I am enjoying following along immensely. We will be sailing on the Beyond on the 13th November in a sky suite for the first time (how excited am I!). Two questions if I may? Opinion on best spot for lunch on embarkation day? We typically do the buffet once on board but am mindful if it's a busy ship that may be a bit hectic. Any other options seasoned sailors would recommend? Also I am sure I saw an electric kettle in one of your photos? I usually pack my own for hot tea in the morning. Are kettles automatically now provided or am I mistaken? Thank you for your time.

Thank you everyone for your input. To explain further what we were trying to accomplish. It was my friend & I trying to book 2 reservations in the spa so we could go together one day & leave our DH around the pool. My friend wanted to pay for both appointments from her onboard credit as I had already paid for a specialty dinner from mine for the 4 of us so by doing this we would even things up across our 2 reservations. We logged into our accounts on the computer last night but it would not allow my friend to add me as a guest to the spa appointment. It kept saying I did not exist as a reservation despite me having received this week my check in email so that's a bit concerning! We ended up calling the Retreat Guest Services number. Phone was answered in a timely fashion by a pleasant customer service rep. However it took her an hour on the phone to book 2 appointments under 2 reservation names from 1 account. Why I do not know. She kept having to put us on hold whilst she went off & checked something. We did get there in the end but it was a little tiresome to say the least. I hope Celebrity reads these experiences so they can make the apps & booking process in our accounts better. The service once you are on board is stellar in our past experience. It just seems to fall a bit short sometimes before you board. JMO. Thanks again for everyone who answered my question - these boards are a great source of info for guests that are a little less seasoned on the ways of Celebrity ......