kevinrobedm

Well I think we beg to disagree and that is ok.

When you purchase a product that is advertised a certain way you expect to get what you purchased.   Especially when "AFTER" the new drink packages come in play and MSC re-iterates that you will get what was in place when you booked. I am just sharing what I was sold and told.  That's all.

A lot of people on Cruise Critic have indicated the same thing.

If you don't believe that is the case then lets just agree to disagree.  

I created this forum to just share information, that's all.

I think there is so much dis-information out there that it is nice to have a place where we can all share what we were told with the greater good of everyone being on the same page so there are no surprises when you get on board.

A vacation should be a stree free time once you board the ship, that is why we always try to get things sorted out BEFORE we get on so we don't spend our cruise arguing with on board staff about what was or was not included.  We have  found more often than not, if you don't have some email or some real document to show someone when you are on board it is very difficult to get them to change anything.

My 2 cents anyway.

I am just confirming with MSC but what we were told is that we get whatever package was in place when you booked the cruise.  Others on Cruise Critic have said the same thing. We booked this cruise in September of 2017.  The package that was in place for YC guests wash the All Inclusive Deluxe Drink Package. Since MSC has now re-done their packages it is hard to know what was in one vs the other unless you have the comparison guide.  I am posting comparison guide that was in place prior to the drink package changes.  For those of you that booked prior to the package change (roughly in September/October 2018), if you are in the YC, you should be receiving the All Inclusive Deluxe Package.  The attached .pdf shows what was in the packages prior to the changes.  Hopefully I will get official confirmation from MSC today and I will let everyone know what they tell me.

The same should apply to anyone that is not YC, it should be the package that was in place when you made the booking.

Again the more everyone knows, the better off we all are.

For us the point of all this is that we work hard for the money we get paid. When we book an experience like the YC it is a hefty amount of money that you spend based on a certain experience MSC presents. We understand times change and packages change (and this is totally within MSC's choice to do this) but as a customer you are entitled to get what you paid for, not a substitution.  That is our belief anyway.

Thanks.

MSC 2018 Drink Package Comparison Guide.pdf

When we had it on the Seaview, Venchi was much better than the YC so I would say no but it could have been just us.

I was told that the mini-bar was still included althought it does not say that on the list.

The did tell me that the YC package outside of the YC area is not a specific package but somewhere between Premium and Premium Plus.  Not sure how they can't know for sure.

I asked MSC to clarify what the drink package is for Yacht Club passengers with all the changes to the packages after the last few months.  I got an official response and thought I would share with everyone as the more information we all have, the better.  We are in a YC suite on the Splendida in March and wanted to be clear on what we could expect.

Some of the wording I am not 100% sure of and have asked for some clarifications.  I will post them when I get it but at least this is a start and is from MSC directly since there has been a lot of third party discussions.

Thanks.

From MSC:

Yacht Club Bars

COMPLIMENTARY:

Full selection of spirits, liquers and cordials including Premium brands 

Full cocktail selection including Premium cocktails

Wide Range of wines; 1 sparkling, 1 white, 1 rosé and 1 red Wide range of wines (1 champagne, at least 7 whites, 1 rosé, at least 7 reds) Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Premium mineral water in glass bottles Premium mineral water in glass bottles Full selection of hot drinks Full selection of hot drinks

ON PAYMENT: Champagne and superior wine selection Champagne and superior wine selection Super premium spirits Super premium spirits Cigars

Yacht Club Restaurant

COMPLIMENTARY: REMAINS UNCHANGED Complimentary wines in daily rotation Premium mineral water Bottled beers Soft drink Selection of after-dinner drinks All other drinks from YC Complimentary Bar List on request ON PAYMENT: Champagne and superior wine selection Super premium spirits COMPLIMENTARY: Same selection as regular cabins except the water, which is Premium brand Pillow chocolates Welcome bottle of sparkling wine Free pizza delivery Free room service menu ON PAYMENT: Romantic moments selection COMPLIMENTARY: Full selection of spirits,  ligueurs and cordials, including Premium brands Full cocktail selection, including Premium cocktails Wide range of wines (1 champagne, at least 7 whites, 1 rosé, at least 7 reds) Draft beer + full selection of bottled beers Full selection of fruit juice and soft drink including Premium brands Mineral water Full selection of hot drinks REMAINS UNCHNAGED REMAINS UNCHANGED YACHT CLUB BARS BEFORE NOW OUT OF YACHT CLUB AREA ALL DRINKS ARE ON PAYMENT MINI BARS / CABINS YACHT CLUB RESTAURANT

PACKAGE RECOGNITION / SERVICE MODALITIES WITHIN YACHT CLUB AREA

 • Drink menus have been updated and all drinks included in the upgraded beverage package are specified on the menu

 • For the drinks included in complimentary treatment, the guests are not being asked to present their cruise card and they are not signing for the consumptions; the card and signature is being requested only for the drinks on payment

PACKAGE RECOGNITION / SERVICE MODALITIES OUT OF YACHT CLUB AREA

 • Yacht Club guests are entitled to consume, at zero charge, all drinks from the above specification. 

 • Out of Yacht Club area, the guests have to be identified and they will be asked to present their cruise card for every beverage orders. 

 • Printing of package code on Yacht Club cruise cards is not foreseen; the cards themselves are easily recognizable because they have different layout and YC logo

That is just another case of Head Office not consistently communicating to the on ship staff.

We found that over and over again the ship staff don't seem to know or understand or enforce the "so called" direction that comes from the land staff.

It seems that the ship staff, either because they don't know or just don't care, enforce the rules differently.

That is the biggest problem with MSC is consistency in how implement their procedures.

On the Seaview it was only the difference you paid as we asked a head bartender directly, but apparently, like most things on MSC, it is dependent on who you talk to and what they know to be true or how they want to interpret it.

Again on the Seaview, as a YC guest, we were told we could have anything  we wanted including Crepes, Gelato, Ice Cream, Chocolate Drinks, etc.  and we did many many times. We were NEVER charged for anything or questioned about a charge for anything we wanted.

Not sure what the right answer is.

If the drink is above the maxium price in your package you pay the amount above the maximum price only.  That is how it worked on the Seaview for us in December.

We just got off the Seaview in December and stayed in the YC.  And Yes while in the YC you can basically have anything that does not have a price beside it.  They don’t ask for your card or for you to sign anything, just enjoy.

I agree Heather Ocean Cay was the most expensive of the 3 specialty dining choices and it was the WORST food we had. I would not advise anyone to pick Ocean Cay.

We did an 18 day cruise on the Seaview in November/December of 2018.  The ship is almost identical to the SeaSide in layout and amenities as it is a sister ship to her.  It does exist.  We stayed in a Deluxe Suite in the Yacht Club.

I will say the service was still a bit lacking and they were trying to work on it.  We had some awesome waiters/waitress and bar staff and some that would just turn around when you walked up and/or walked away.  Very hit and miss.

It is very beautiful ship (we used to sail mostly NCL). I did find the  layout a bit confusing with little nooks and crannies everywhere with places hidden amongst them.

We would definitely sail on her again.

If you like specialty restaurants definitely go to Butchers' cut (we ate there like 3 times) and the Pan Asian (ate there 2 times) and I would ignore the seafood (Ocean Cay), it was over priced and the food was not that great (in our opinion). 

I will say that even though it was not a perfect cruise, we were not at work, not having to shovel snow and deal with subfreezing weather (we are from Canada) we had nothing to complain about.   There are those that go on cruises to purposely find things to complain about and then there are those that go to enjoy time together and away from the every day life.  We choose the latter.

If there is anything specific you want to know, just ask and I will do my best.

It must be different for different countries as here in North America I don't see any "unlimited" packages.  The speed really was quite incredible for us and I had no issues with WIFI calling.

There is no "unlimited" internet.  I bought a 13GB package on the Seaview in November/December and we were able to use WIFI calling and it worked just fine.  It really did not use that much data either.  It was really quite cool t be calling home from the middle of the ocean and the people at home seeing my own number coming through on the call.

We were on the Seaview in November/December and we did not get the actual date and time until they put the tickets in our rooms the night before.  When we tried to ask it would seem that no one truly knew and everyone told us that the times are subject to change and that is why we had to wait until we got our tickets in the room.. The tickets then indicate the tour date and time and the accompanying letter told us what time to be at the meeting point to be taken to the tours.

It is the PIN that you set when you activated your credit card.

I am not sure about the fan.  The butlers are pretty amazing, just not sure if they would be able to get a fan.

There is no internet included with the Yacht Club you need to buy an internet package.  It would be best to buy it before you are on the ship as you will get a service charge added to your bill if you buy it on board.

I believe that anything other than the "Drinks On Us" package include the gratuity when you buy the package.  There are no receipts for your drink order, they just bring you the drink after they swipe your keycard or bracelet.  The only time there would be a charge is if you choose something that is not in your drink package or over the "maximum drink price" included in you package.  This is how it works for us in November.

Hope that helps.

We just made a final payment today on our YC sailing in March of 2019. The MSC rep confirmed that "Premium Plus" is the package for YC guests.  I guess we will see if that what the on-board staff give us.

In our case on the Seaview, the meals in the YC were very strange on our transatlantic. One Gala night it was 3 shrimp tomato sauce with plain white rice and french fries.  I didn't get how that was Gala.

The food in the main dining room was larger portions and in our case was just as good as what we got in the YC.  Most of the times the menu item ingredients were the same in the dining room as in the YC.  In the YC they tried to make them fancy, sometimes a win, sometimes a loss.  We are not really into the fancy small portions that look good on the plate.  I would rather have less fluff and show for a meal that actually tastes good and has some substance to it.

Again this was just our experience on the Seaview.  I will say that the YC restaurant had less and less people in it as the 18 days went on and more and more of us either did the main dining room or the Specialty Restaurants.

We were even told one night by the YC  Restaurant Manager that the food is better in the Specialty Restaurants, he was right.

We also found that sometimes we did not want to eat in the YC.  The main dining room has a desk/check in for "anytime dining" guests.  When you are in the YC you can just walk up to that desk, show them your YC keycard/bracelet and they seat you right away.  We did this on the Seaview this month without a problem. The dining room staff told us as YC guests we could just walk down and get seated without any previous notice.

I see that they don't seem to be matching to black anymore so it is good you matched when you did.

For us (on the Seaview) the check in times were pretty flexible but I think it just depends on what time you are trying to get on the ship.

On our ship there was a behind the scenes tour and you had to book it on board as they only did it on certain days.  I would go to the excursions desk as early as possible to get it booked as the line ups for excursions get very very long and who wants to spend time in a line up when you are on vacation. 

From the U.S. site if you book the excursions online before the cruise, the price is reduced by 20% and is charged in USD.  MSC USA charges in USD so there is no transaction fee.  Again book in advance to get the savings and not have to wait in lines on the ship.

The app was great for getting around the ship and also for booking specialty restaurants.  You can also see your online account on the ship so you can see any charges. You will also see your daily schedule with booked excursions in the app.   I  think it is worth downloading and free to use.

The bracelet cost $5 onboard our ship.  I think it was worth it as you could leave your room key (so you don't loose it) and go to the pool, bars, dinner, etc. and not need to worry about your keycard.  It can get wet and it is hard to loose. Also your power turns off in your room unless the keycard is left in the slot.  If you have a bracelet you can leave your card in the slot so that the power and a/c stays on so you can leave items charging, otherwise as soon as you pull they keycard out of the slot everything turns off in a minute or so.

Hope that helps.

From their website (which matches what we were told):

MSC Voyagers Club membership is valid for three years and subject to a minimum of one cruise every three years. If the last cruise disembarkation date is over 3 years or no cruise has been completed in 3 years after the enrollment date, membership will expire.

As long as your black card status was given within 3 years of October 2019 you will keep the black status.  You just have to take at least one cruise every 3 years to maintain your status.

On our cruise they still had the ** but I understand that in Santos, Brazil where we disembarked they were implementing all new menus.

I would hope with the premium price customers pay to be in the YC that premium plus would be what YC customers get.  It will interesting to see how this plays out.