Pizaz

Hard to believe it has only been barely a year since I booked my first MSC and YC experience in March 2023. Fast forward this addiction has led me to board the same experience on Fantasia, Virtuosa (x2!), and Euribia. I am now booked for Preziosa in August for the 11-Day Norway itinerary. I was hoping some may be able to answer a couple questions for me if able: Casino Does anyone know the current Host Name? Reels - Are there any Reel Slots / What types? DW only really enjoys playing the reels with a preference for the Progressives and the $9 - $45 spin variants. YC I am assuming the setup is the same or similar to Fantasia. Any notable differences? Oddly enough, me and DW largely enjoyed Fantasia over the newer boats as the YC elevator will take you directly down to the Casino / Theater area which is quite convenient for us. Additionally, if anyone has any specific tidbits regarding the overall vibe on Preziosa or preference vs others this would be a plus as well. Love this board and have enjoyed reading of many individual adventures!

Recently completed a Euribia Cruise (7-Day) in February and accumulated 24k points in the casino. This ended up getting me an up to 10-Day Balcony with 200 Freeplay Certificate. There is great value in these certs if you are aware of particulars. Namely there will be blackout fees to certain locations during peak times. I ended up using my 10-Day Cert to book an August Norway 11-Day cruise on Preziosa. Total additional out-of-pocket to upgrade to Yacht club was $3k (the cruise is around $9.5k for YC with no discounts). Had to obviously pay an additional surplus for the 11th day as well. What a lot of people don't realize with Casino Comp Certs is this: The upgrade cost is the same flat fee whether you are doing a 5-Day or 10-Day cruise. The deposit as mentioned above is OBC but if you don't want to deposit, upgrading to YC waives any deposit requirement as well. Use your certificate to its full effect! A little research goes a long way.

I wear casual Metal shirts every day in Yacht Club and have never been denied dining. For myself, I am on vacation to not dress up and it has never once been an issue on 4 x cruises over the last year. Wear what you want yourself based on your perceptions. I would say it may only be an issue if a Rulebook Andy passenger truly cared about others, but thankfully I have been on cruises surrounded by awesome YC patrons (MSC Virtuosa, Euribia, Fantasia).

Did Virtuosa out of UAE in Nov/Dec. It was Euro.

They did not.

Yes, the app has a messaging service it’s quite useful and easy to use!

For informational purposes, the Casino on MSC Euribia is permanent Non-Smoking effective today. The casino Host and staff appeared upset and surprised by the move and that it came from Corporate Hotels director. Bummer, appears to be a testbed. I know non smokers will applaud but historically gambling and smoking go hand in hand. Hope they enjoy their penny pinchers min betting moving forward…

Having sailed on Virtuosa twice in YC (Southampton and Abu Dhabi), I can say regardless of the arrival time posted on your ticket, you can board at 1100 no problem.

We are on the sailing after you on Euribia (16 Feb). Did this exact itinerary on MSC Virtuosa out of Southampton in March 2023, loved it so much just had to book it again! Something awesome about it snowing on a cruise ship and chilling in a hot tub during it. Recommendation for Southampton Hotel - Southampton Harbour Hotel! It's amazing 🙂

I will say Yacht Club is indeed that much superior to the Gen Pop experience on the ships. YC Interior is a cheap option to upgrade. Like mentioned before, the YC areas of the ship are nice enough where you won't need to spend a lot of time in your cabin and the service / experience completely makes up for it. While waiting for a drink is rare in the YC (after the Top Sail/Pool Deck staff learned our drinks they were constantly flowed), wait times around the other areas of the ship can be 10 - 20 minutes of standing around jockeying for bar space to gain attention. Also, if you do gamble, I have found through the hosts, a much more generous Point Comp at the end of the cruise (two times I was given a certificate for a higher room comp than I actually earned through play). Worth a consideration at the least.

I will say Yacht Club is indeed that much superior to the Gen Pop experience on the ships. YC Interior is a cheap option to upgrade. Like mentioned before, the YC areas of the ship are nice enough where you won't need to spend a lot of time in your cabin and the service / experience completely makes up for it. While waiting for a drink is rare in the YC (after the Top Sail/Pool Deck staff learned our drinks they were constantly flowed), wait times around the other areas of the ship can be 10 - 20 minutes of standing around jockeying for bar space to gain attention. Also, if you do gamble, I have found through the hosts, a much more generous Point Comp at the end of the cruise (two times I was given a certificate for a higher room comp than I actually earned through play). Worth a consideration at the least.

First off, beautiful Ship! I will be boarding on the 27 November after the Grand Prix chaos. Half-board is breakfast and dinner.

I treat MSC with the mindset of the YC beats any other cruise lines experience I have had (RCCL, Norwegian). BUT, the steerage is like a Carnival cruise experience on steroids. So much fun though!

Tip what you can afford. If you think the minimum auto-gratuities shows your appreciation level. Stick with that and no harm done. Most in YC tip for above and beyond service. Depending on sail length (5 - 14 days) it is quite normal to tip your Favorite bartender, Waiter/Junior Waiter, Butler/Assistant, Casino Host (always amazing to me!) $100 or equivalent each. BUT again always emphasis tip what you want based on your own culture / feelings regarding the act. Although you will have amazing service, I can promise that tipping early especially in the casino will vastly improve your experience.

The YC concierge worked magic to get us booked for a Reindeer wildlife excursion in Helsinki which I slacked and waited to the point it was sold out. Not sure if I just got lucky, but they said they would do their best and that night I had the tickets appear in my cabin 🙂.