Seaside vs Meraviglia? (YC) ... Questions from a Celebrity cruiser

[SleepingUgly]

Hello - I'm looking to book a cruise next January, sailing out of Miami, and the Yacht Club concept with MSC caught my attention.  We've cruised only a couple of times in the past years, both times with Celebrity, which we love, but - I'll admit - the MSC pricing (even in YC) is very attractive.  However, I am confused as to why most of the deluxe balcony suites are pretty much all gone on the Seaside for the January 25 sailing (only two cabins left) but there are still tons of suites available on the Meraviglia, which is sailing out the very next day (January 26).  Having had no experience with MSC, can you please enlighten me as to the difference between these two ships and why the Seaside may be more popular?

 

From what I can see, the windows in the YC Lounge and Restaurant in the Seaside are floor-to-ceiling, so those rooms seem to have more light and don't seem so enclosed.  The same with the pool deck - from the pictures I've seen of Meraviglia's pool deck, it seems like it's darker and under some sort of awning / shade?  

 

FWIW, I currently have a Celebrity Suite booked in the Summit for late January 2020 (it is a big birthday for dh, so it will be just the two of us on this cruise - NO KIDS!), so it will be after the Summit has been "revolutionized" with a deck only for suites passengers and more updated furnishings and offerings, but the pricing is still quite a bit more than YC pricing.  Granted, I probably should be comparing a Sky Suite to the YC deluxe balcony suite; even then, the pricing is at least $1000 more.

 

Any thoughts on the differences between the Seaside and the Meraviglia would be much appreciated.  I may just end up booking the Seaside because I would like to sail on the ship whose name I can pronounce, haha! 🙂

 

Thank you very much!

Linda

 

[Beamafar]

Mer - a - vee - lee - a is close.

 

I reckon that more people are familiar with Seaside, hence the popularity (Stateside, that is).  Meraviglia was built as an all-seasons ship so the emphasis is on indoor space.  Seaside (as its name suggests) was built with more outdoor activity envisaged.

 

We've only done a Sky Suite on X - YC wins - hands down.

 

We're booked on Seaview (Seaside's sister ship) next August;  I'm looking forward to comparing it to Meraviglia, which we sailed on her first Med itinerary.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Beamafar

[helen haywood]

Is there much difference in the YC areas between the two MSC ships?

[Beamafar]

The difference that I know of is that the restaurant on Seaside is on a mezzanine above the Top Sail Lounge, whereas it's totally separate on Meraviglia.

[Captain-John]

Hi Linda

 

Just popping in to say that if you do in fact sail in the YC, please be sure to do a review as fantastic as the one I recently finished reading over on the Celebrity board!

 

I have 2 MSC YC cruises coming up this year, and yet I made the opposite decision to you and booked Celebrity for next April in the Caribbean (albeit not in a suite). Pricing was more favourable than in an MSC Aurea Balcony (X cruise includes a drinks package too). YC pricing was not too far away from Celebrity suite pricing as it happens.

 

I'll be on Meraviglia in May and will echo that it seems to be built as an 'all-weather ship' - just as well as I'll be doing the Baltic route. Seaside is definitely more geared for the Caribbean.

 

 

[Beamafar]

13 hours ago, SleepingUgly said:

 ... From what I can see, the windows in the YC Lounge and Restaurant in the Seaside are floor-to-ceiling, so those rooms seem to have more light and don't seem so enclosed.  The same with the pool deck - from the pictures I've seen of Meraviglia's pool deck, it seems like it's darker and under some sort of awning / shade?  

 

 

 

 

Just to elaborate ... the windows on Seaside are due to the restaurant not being at the very front, but on a mezzanine at the back of the area, so the Top Sail Lounge ceiling is extended.  The Meraviglia sundeck has permanent awnings that provide a lot of shade (though it's not as dark as it seems from the pictures you've seen.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Beamafar

[SleepingUgly]

14 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Mer - a - vee - lee - a is close.

 

I reckon that more people are familiar with Seaside, hence the popularity (Stateside, that is).  Meraviglia was built as an all-seasons ship so the emphasis is on indoor space.  Seaside (as its name suggests) was built with more outdoor activity envisaged.

 

We've only done a Sky Suite on X - YC wins - hands down.

 

We're booked on Seaview (Seaside's sister ship) next August;  I'm looking forward to comparing it to Meraviglia, which we sailed on her first Med itinerary.

 

Thank you!  The pronunciation guide is very helpful.  🙂  BTW, how did you like the Meraviglia?  Would you recommend for a first-timer's experience with MSC and the YC?

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

12 hours ago, helen haywood said:

Is there much difference in the YC areas between the two MSC ships?

 

I'm not sure, Helen, so I wanted to see if anyone could provide some insight.  All I could see so far is just the layout of the lounge and restaurant and the pool deck.  I do like how the pool deck is more open and seemingly more spread out on the Seaside.  Not sure if anyone may have found the Meraviglia's lounge and restaurant areas to be rather dark and enclosed?  Or maybe I'm just not looking at the right pictures.

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The difference that I know of is that the restaurant on Seaside is on a mezzanine above the Top Sail Lounge, whereas it's totally separate on Meraviglia.

 

Thank you; this is very helpful!
 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

2 hours ago, Captain-John said:

Hi Linda

 

Just popping in to say that if you do in fact sail in the YC, please be sure to do a review as fantastic as the one I recently finished reading over on the Celebrity board!

 

I have 2 MSC YC cruises coming up this year, and yet I made the opposite decision to you and booked Celebrity for next April in the Caribbean (albeit not in a suite). Pricing was more favourable than in an MSC Aurea Balcony (X cruise includes a drinks package too). YC pricing was not too far away from Celebrity suite pricing as it happens.

 

I'll be on Meraviglia in May and will echo that it seems to be built as an 'all-weather ship' - just as well as I'll be doing the Baltic route. Seaside is definitely more geared for the Caribbean.

 

 

 

Thanks, Captain John!  Glad you enjoyed the trip report.  That was a fun vacation and it was just as fun to relive it, haha.

 

I'd love to hear what you think of the Meraviglia later this year.  I will probably go ahead and put down the deposit for it since it's only $99 per person right now (not sure if that's the norm for MSC) and I actually prefer that itinerary to the one being offered by the Seaside.  I am also intrigued by the Ocean Cay stop included on the last day - we've never cruised with a line that has a private island so I am interested in seeing how that will work.

 

Happy sailing and safe travels to you, and thanks again for your input!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

 

Just to elaborate ... the windows on Seaside are due to the restaurant not being at the very front, but on a mezzanine at the back of the area, so the Top Sail Lounge ceiling is extended.  The Meraviglia sundeck has permanent awnings that provide a lot of shade (though it's not as dark as it seems from the pictures you've seen.

 

Thanks again!  You've been very helpful so I greatly appreciate.  I do think the pictures may not do the YC public areas much justice so maybe I'l just have to check it out in person. 😉

 

Linda

 

[Beamafar]

I wrote the first review on here about Meraviglia;  some of it would have been about the problems due to it being a new ship.  Here's a link to it if you're interested:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511337

 

We absolutely loved the YC but didn't care for the rest of the ship;  it was very different to any other MSC ships we'd been on.  The Galleria area got very crowded at night, the main lounge was packed and did not have enough seating, despite the fact that the best entertainment was to be found there.  That had a huge impact for us as we enjoy the music in the lounges onboard.

 

However, we're booked again on Meraviglia for 23 nights in YC.  We've always said we wouldn't book anything else on this ship.  If the service and food is half as good as it was the last time we were onboard, we will be very happy.

 

For a first-timer ... yes, I would definitely recommend YC on this ship, based on our previous experience.

 

I see you mentioned Ocean Cay ... don't base your decision on that being on the itinerary.  The opening date is in November but a lot could happen between now and then.  The cruise we're on is scheduled to be the first to visit the island;  I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get to enjoy it, but I'm not pinning my hopes on it, either. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Beamafar

[emmas gran]

Bea just reading this topic and see you are on Meraviglia later in the year. We board in New York and do the 13 night repositioning to Miami, maybe we can get to have a NF together.

Liz

[Beamafar]

Look forward to that, Liz!  👍  🍾  🍸

[MarkusToe]

Be aware, Seaside has no shade at All on YC Pool deck