parallax

Thanks for the balanced feedback. Did you board with YC guests. Just wondering how it was a nuisance. And when you mentioned the food was great, was that in the YC restaurant? And lastly, how would you say the YC experience compares to other cruise lines (ie. RCL)? Sorry I have so many questions. First time trying MSC in July.

 

Because we were excited, we got to the port early. YC tent was somewhat hard to find because of lack of signage. Once we dropped our off, we got through security but the land butler was a little confused. Once we were in the loung and checked in, we went to meet the butler to escort us to the YC but there was a communication issue. So we walked to the YC without the escort. Why wait?

 

Only ate at the YC restaurant.

 

We think the YC is the best experience with the mainstream cruise lines. We have done celebrity, royal and holland but nothing competes with the YC.

 

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See the above

In the Top Sail lounge waiting to get off the ship. Had a wonderful cruise and we are looking forward to going back on the Seaside next year. Highlights:

1. The YC, lounge and the pool deck are perfect. Love how the lounge and restaurant create a more dynamic environment.

2. Best food I ever had on MSC. Understand food is subjective but they had very dynamic menus each night.

3. The number of butlers are fewer but I did not find service lacking. It appears that the have less obligations in working in the lounge or the pool. While they do have some rotations, it appears that MSC has added bar staff to the pool and lounge area to lessen the burden.

4. Cabin was very nice. I did not find the furniture to be cheap. Love the bathroom, especially the rain forest shower.

5. There were some minor service issues but I think it was very impressive how well things went. They are still in beta testing and it will take some time to work things out. It is a mix of veterans and new. In talking to the staff, it is a very hard adjustment when a new ship is put into operation.

6. Boarding. Was bit of a nuisance as the ground staff were just really learning the ins and outs as it was the second voyage.

7. Surprinsingly, the majority of the people in theYC were from overseas.

Will attempt to do a fuller review but ask away with any questions you may have.

I think expecting perfection from day 1 is unrealistic. There are going to be kinks to work out. I will be on the ship in a couple of weeks and I expect issues to pop up that might not occur on a more seasoned cruise ship.

If these things were occurring six months from now, I would be worried.

The ship isn't going to be perfect, although some appear to have unrealistic expectations. They are coming out with a new concept and I'm sure adjustments will have to be made. In little over weeks, I will be on the ship and report back. You might not find much feedback about the cabin or the decor because I will be either at the pool, YC lounge or enjoying what the ship has to offer. :)

While I understand the fascination with the Seaside, we will be sailing less than a month, I find many of the critiques somewhat absurd. Some comments about the furnishings, certain design elements, the layouts of the rooms, etc. can be viewed as very depressing. I think we build things up and when they don't reflect what we thought it was going to be, it can result in a negative reaction. My test will be actually going on the ship and not parse through all the videos to arrive at a pre-conceived perception how the cruise will actually be and the issues, if any, we may have.

It took me eight weeks to get a refund from Celebrity once. All cruise lines move slow when it comes to refunding money.

I find this whole discussion ridiculous. The OP knows it is against MSC's policy but is looking for approval for contravening said policy. Such persecution. If vaping in not harmful as many of the posters say, why not lobbying the cruise line to change its policy.

We have thought about taking a cruise in the Haven but the price points between the Haven and YC make it hard to do the jump. We can afford it but it doesn't seem worth it unless we find the right deal. Plus, I find it very annoying that bottled water is not included in the drink package. I assume that applies to even passengers in the Haven.

While we big fans of the YC, there are improvements they can make and I think or at least, I hope they are addressing it with the Seaside. It is my understanding that they will have free cabanas in the YC pool deck. Hopefully, they will have more comfortable recliners. Moving the restaurant to the YC will be nice as well.

The YC and Haven concepts are hard to beat. I find the light version of the YC/Haven on other cruise lines somewhat of a sham and not worth the cost.

I only cruise in the YC so please remember the following if you are not a YC passenger;):

1. No direct eye contact with me. Please gaze down at the floor.
   
2. Please do not show me your back if you are leaving the same room that I am in.
   
3. Please move to the side if I'm walking by.
   

Actually, while the YC is very nice there are many things we really enjoy outside of the YC. It always seems that people are having a good time. Plus, outside the YC is more lively. Enjoy.

You didn't see adults fighting for loungers, getting drunk or smoking in places not designated for this?

I don't see many kids or adults with behavior described by you or me, but they do exist.

More on lower end lines less on higher end of massmarket.

 

I belive that cost of cruising on Oceania or similar lines are prohibitive for this type of adults or families.

A jerk is a jerk regardless of what socioeconomic class one falls into. When I was on the Nautica a few years back, I saw the most inappropriate treatment of the staff by a group of people. They treated the staff as indentured servants and used racial slurs. In addition, one night at dinner, a couple got into a big shouting match in which security had to come and escort them out.

If we are doing Mad Libs, we can do the same thing with boorish and self absorbed adult cruise passengers.

They're human beings scream at the employees and passengers, believe that the sun resolves around them and will knock you down in the corridor. They are the ones who get on the elevators by pushing everyone else out of the way, the ones who in restaurants/bars think they should be served first and push chairs out of their way oblivious to everyone else. And the best way to determine a the boorish and self absorbed adult? They're the ones who the majority of the passengers disdain and avoid like the plague. And PLEASE don't tell me this kind behavior is rare. I've had enough cruises ruined by seeing it run rampant.

My main focus would be on itinerary. Where do you want to go? Oceania is nice because it will take you some places that other lines will not go to. I saw Kotor on the list and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The food and service on Oceania are better than NCL, although the Haven will provide excellent service.

If we can only get some adults to behave. The worst behavior I ever saw was on the Nautica a few years back. A group of people were treating the staff like complete garbage.

I would only take my daughter on Oceania if it was port intensive. On cruises of those nature, one does not have as much leisure and the focus is what is on shore and not what is going on the ship.

While I understand the desire to have an adults vacation, there may be children on board. Hopefully, all parties can peacefully co-exist. Your interest does not trump another party's interest who happens to be travelling with their kids. Unfortunately, some people have that attitude that they are more important than other passengers.

Last year we were on a sailing with another family on the MSC Divina. We were staying in the Yacht Club. After spending the day in Cozumel, we went to dinner in the YC restaurant. We ended up having two tables; one for the kids and one for the adults. After order the maitre d come over and said there had been complaints about our group, in particular our kids we misbehaving. Outside of ordering, they hadn't said a word. They were tired and reading on their kindles. The maitre d then whispered that he had to come over even though the children had been perfectly fine. The couple had made numerous complaints the whole cruise and did not believe children should be in the YC. He had to engage in a charade to placate the couple. Fortunately, the couple left and the maitre then came over and made pasta table side for the kids.

My daughter was 6 when she first sailed in the YC. She loved it. We have done it twice and I would say that about 10-15% of YC passengers are kids. Although the number never seems that high. Having our own pool is great and the kids will love the individual attention.

There was a Wii available both sailing but we never used it. We never watched any movies. Our daughter loved the kids club but the registration process was somewhat of a pain. The kids club is not open the first night. The kids cooking class is a misnomer. The kids are not actually cooking. It was cute the first time but my daughter did not want to do it again.

The one thing that I enjoyed is my daughter made friends with other kids in the YC from all over the world. It didn't matter if they spoke the same language.

We made the jump from Celebrity and have not looked back. The Yacht Club is an amazing experience and your family will love it.

Thanks for the review and the menus and info to follow. One of the rooms we have is 15029 just behind you - did you happen to see it? It appears to be "short and fat" vs. your "tall and thin" room on the deckplans. Curious how the layout is different.

We have sailed in 15029 twice. The extra width is fabulous. It makes the room seem more spacious. Sorry for the claw marks next to the door. They had to drag me off the ship.:)

Accidents happen. However, if your actions are the underlying reason why something happened, one should not expect the cruise line to compensate you for your negligence. It seems that MSC took a reasonable approach by taking care of your dry cleaning and moving you to a new room. Finally, I think it is crazy that the cruise line needs to warn passengers about the sprinkler. Common sense should dictate that sprinklers equal water and you should not touch. Next, will they need to place warning statements next to the outlets.

Will be on in December and let you know but my guess is that you will access the restaurant via the lounge. It appears that there is a staircase from the restaurant to the lounge. If you are concerned about noise, I would stay on the 16th floor.

Parallax, your response certainly makes sense. Think I was trying to allude to a scenario that parents seldom took "big" vacations until their children were raised. Obviously, this is outdated. Have read many positive statements about HAL and children. Believe HAL is pleased to have them on board, some passengers are the ones not so pleased. Wishing you and your family many more cruises.

When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, we only did a big vacation every few years. We went to Yellowstone, DC, etc. by loading up the family station wagon and driving. With technology, the world is a much smaller place and there are more options when it comes to family travel.

We did the Zuiderdam over New Years and had a wonderful time.

Parallax, do you think the fact that many couples have children at a later age, is a factor in seeing children on cruises? We are part of the Medicare generation, not aware of any of my peers{friends] that took their children on cruises. Nothing wrong with that, just find it an interesting change.

I think it is a combination of factors. When my daughter was born, I already had a good nest egg, had a house, and was entering my prime earning years. Basically, I do not have some of the roadblocks other may have if they had children earlier in life. It is easy for us to take a cruise if we want to. Another reality is that cruising can be a relatively inexpensive vacation. In 1996, we paid $3500 for an oceanview cabin on the Enchantment of the Seas for a Caribbean cruise. Twenty years later for the same or lower price, including the addition of our daughter, we can get a balcony cabin along with some perks. Finally, cruise lines, maybe to the dismay of some of the posters, has become very family friendly. The kids clubs are run very well and there are a good number of activities. Our daughter loves the kids clubs and the friends she make. The whole family finds cruising a satisfying experience.

An interest trend is that couples are having children later in life. My daughter was born when I was in my late 30s. By having children later in life, I was in a much better position financially. Because of this reality, there are no issues from a financial perspective in us taking a cruise.

I have been on the YC twice. The first cruise the butler seemed to be always around and was always trying to help. The second time the Butler was a little more passive. With the former, it could be a little overwhelming but she was fantastic and helped fill he information gaps because we never cruised MSC before. The hand holding was appreciated. On the second cruise, we could be more independent because we had sailed in the YC. We missed some of the individual attention but he made up for it the Top Sail Lounge. Our butler was fantastic when it came to providing drinks when he was working the Lounge. All butlers work an hour or two at the pool or at the Lounge each day.

We did not tip in advance our butler or room attendant. We always tip at the end. We have tipped some of the bartenders in advance.

Big fan of Celebrity but I would definitely go with the YC. There is no comparison. Having you own pool, lounge at the front of the ship and all the little perks that come with the YC beat the offering of Celebrity's suite program. I also like the fact that the passengers are more international in nature. Basically, I think you will find it a more special trip.

We are the New Years cruise on the Seaside. I'm sure there will be some hiccups but hopefully they will be minor.

How do you define disruptive (I'm not talking about kids)? Adults laughing and being a little boisterous can be viewed as disruptive. I sometimes shocked what people consider inappropriate.