Why choose MSC Yacht Club? Is it worth it?

[Ehg]

32 minutes ago, 2cruiseluvrs said:

 

EHG - Woo hoo! Which ship did you choose?

 

Grandiosa. September next year out of Southampton. 😃

[kernow]

9 hours ago, Ehg said:

Grandiosa. September next year out of Southampton. 😃

You'll love it, MSC have been doing a really good job out of Southampton.

[Ehg]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

You'll love it, MSC have been doing a really good job out of Southampton.

Great to hear. It’s brilliant to have more choices sailing from the UK. The reason we love cruises is for the fantastic convenience, so it’s super for us. 
Now we just need a few more lines to stay and do winter itineraries…🤞🏼😃

[kernow]

1 hour ago, Ehg said:

Great to hear. It’s brilliant to have more choices sailing from the UK. The reason we love cruises is for the fantastic convenience, so it’s super for us. 
Now we just need a few more lines to stay and do winter itineraries…🤞🏼😃

I think MSC are committed to the UK now since they had their new terminal built. It's great for us Brits😀.

[Ehg]

3 hours ago, kernow said:

I think MSC are committed to the UK now since they had their new terminal built. It's great for us Brits😀.

Oooh! I didn’t know they’d built a terminal. Where is t in relation to dock gate 10? 🤔

[kernow]

40 minutes ago, Ehg said:

Oooh! I didn’t know they’d built a terminal. Where is t in relation to dock gate 10? 🤔

It's at Dock gate 10 right next to the one used by RCL/Celebrity. They have a YC area set up outside next to the main entrance where you drop off your luggage and you are escorted in from there.

[Ehg]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

It's at Dock gate 10 right next to the one used by RCL/Celebrity. They have a YC area set up outside next to the main entrance where you drop off your luggage and you are escorted in from there.

Fantastic 😃

 

[margsipie]

We are booked on the Seashore in September.  Thank you for all of this info!  We have had butlers on Celebrity before, but I’ve always been stressed about calling/bothering them given the number of suites they have and the hours they work.  If they’re bringing someone coffee at 6:00am, but also bringing me pizza at midnight, do they ever get to rest?  Has anyone had someone other than the butler deliver things to the room?

 

We are traveling with my soon to be 13 month old.  Any thoughts on what I could ask the butler to make cruising with him easier?

 

Please don’t give me a hard time about my baby!  I am generally very worried about other peoples’ attitudes when he makes noise in public and quickly leave a situation - we aren’t going to ruin your vacation!

[mscdivina2016]

42 minutes ago, margsipie said:

We are booked on the Seashore in September.  Thank you for all of this info!  We have had butlers on Celebrity before, but I’ve always been stressed about calling/bothering them given the number of suites they have and the hours they work.  If they’re bringing someone coffee at 6:00am, but also bringing me pizza at midnight, do they ever get to rest?  Has anyone had someone other than the butler deliver things to the room?

 

We are traveling with my soon to be 13 month old.  Any thoughts on what I could ask the butler to make cruising with him easier?

 

Please don’t give me a hard time about my baby!  I am generally very worried about other peoples’ attitudes when he makes noise in public and quickly leave a situation - we aren’t going to ruin your vacation!

They have their hours and late at night there are other people who bring it. Very poorly imho.

We order stuff at 2am and it takes forever for someone to answer the phone and even longer to fulfill the request.

 They mini bar should be refilled at turn down.

Pizza takes 45 minutes.

Ice also takes 15-30, again another item at turn down.

 

We don't get up till 1030-11 so cannot comment on earlier times. Getting drink's from the topsail delivered is quick and easy at 11am.

 

For the baby....have them make baby food.

Our butler was named Pradeep on Seashore and he was making baby food.

[2cruiseluvrs]

2 hours ago, margsipie said:

We are booked on the Seashore in September.  Thank you for all of this info!  We have had butlers on Celebrity before, but I’ve always been stressed about calling/bothering them given the number of suites they have and the hours they work.  If they’re bringing someone coffee at 6:00am, but also bringing me pizza at midnight, do they ever get to rest?  Has anyone had someone other than the butler deliver things to the room?

 

We are traveling with my soon to be 13 month old.  Any thoughts on what I could ask the butler to make cruising with him easier?

 

Please don’t give me a hard time about my baby!  I am generally very worried about other peoples’ attitudes when he makes noise in public and quickly leave a situation - we aren’t going to ruin your vacation!

 

MARGSIPIE - Congratulations to you and your family on your newborn, and for bringing him along on such a fancy trip. I think you will have a great time, and I am sure you know how to "read the room" when there is too much fuss. People should not be so uptight about babies! 

 

Agree with MSCDIVINA2016 that the butlers are not sleeping with one eye open just waiting for your call. There are midnight staff (or a different butler) to handle your mid-night requests. The response time will vary depending the time of day and the number of requests at that moment. But you should not hesitate to make a request. If it were really a problem, they would not offer the service, or if a problem at night, they would not accept calls after 11PM until 5AM.

 

If all you want is a cocktail or coffee or a cup of ice, it would no doubt be FASTER to go to the Top Sail Lounge yourself. One minute to walk. One minute to get it. One minute to walk back.

 

As for what your butler can do to help you, I think the baby food preparation is a great idea, though you may already have food plans covered. Perhaps you can talk with the butler or concierge and ask them, "What have other parents requested in the past to help with a very young man like mine?" They may have some good experiences to share with you.

 

I envision you spending a lot of time on the top deck, enjoying the sunshine and shade and fresh open air, as well as snacks and drinks. I think your son will enjoy that, too, and I am jealous! Enjoy!!!!

[gingersvp]

On 8/8/2022 at 9:57 AM, margsipie said:

We are booked on the Seashore in September.  Thank you for all of this info!  We have had butlers on Celebrity before, but I’ve always been stressed about calling/bothering them given the number of suites they have and the hours they work.  If they’re bringing someone coffee at 6:00am, but also bringing me pizza at midnight, do they ever get to rest?  Has anyone had someone other than the butler deliver things to the room?

 

We are traveling with my soon to be 13 month old.  Any thoughts on what I could ask the butler to make cruising with him easier?

 

Please don’t give me a hard time about my baby!  I am generally very worried about other peoples’ attitudes when he makes noise in public and quickly leave a situation - we aren’t going to ruin your vacation!

 

I think it's wonderful you're bringing along your toddler! We have sailed suites with a toddler and I will tell you that the staff will DOTE on you baby. So many of them are missing their own children. They practically fall over themselves to help small children. 

 

I would ask for fresh fruits, yogurt and other snack things that your baby prefers. At 13 months I know my kids have been more on table foods by that point, but they had specific preferences. I had my butler (on NCL) keep milk, yogurt and fruits stocked in the room so that we could easily snack without going on a quest. 

 

I also found, on multiple cruise lines, that the wait staff in restaurants would do things like cut my kids food so that I could eat. Or, we used quite a bit more room service if we felt she wouldn't sit.

 

My daughter was a champion stroller sleeper and we'd walk her around for a nap/bedtime and then park her next to us while we enjoyed a meal or a show. She also loved dancing to live music. She'll be 7 on her next cruise and she's a total champ. 

[Kevinbuffalo]

On 8/3/2022 at 5:49 PM, hamrag said:

Absolutely spot on, we're definitely with you on that and most everything else you've commented on.

Thanks for setting the record straight, your experience and attitude matches ours.

I sailed YC in may on divina and drank whatever I wanted in the YC top sail lounge and restaurant and never got an additional charge. I was drinking whole bottles of reserve wines (vintage stags leap merlot 2010) and drank Johnny walker blue on the rocks in a pint glass.  All I did was ask for it. 

[mscdivina2016]

29 minutes ago, Kevinbuffalo said:

I sailed YC in may on divina and drank whatever I wanted in the YC top sail lounge and restaurant and never got an additional charge. I was drinking whole bottles of reserve wines (vintage stags leap merlot 2010) and drank Johnny walker blue on the rocks in a pint glass.  All I did was ask for it. 

They gave you JW blue?? No additional charge?

Edited September 6, 2022 by mscdivina2016

[frank808]

On 8/2/2022 at 7:46 PM, Hlitner said:

Lots of vodka choices  Tito's if decent stuff but if you have not yet tried Belvedere give it a try.  One thing we love about decent drink packages is the ability to try lots of items we would not normally try at home.  I will always go through all the available brands of single malt scotch, bourbon, vodka, and cognac.   Life is good!

 

Hank

Try the Chopin in YC bar. Pretty smooth and IMHO better than Grey Goose. Drank a couple of bottles during our cruises a couple months ago.

[frank808]

On 8/4/2022 at 12:33 PM, mafig said:

 

I guess if I was travelling solo I might feel as you do.  However, as a couple I never felt I was waited on "hand and foot."  If was more of a "isn't this nice" feeling.  I guess I can't explain the difference.

During my cruises the butlers have never waited on me hand and foot. Sometimes they anticipated my needs which was nice. Like bringing you to tender when Grand Cayman is 98 degrees and humid. 

 

I hung out at many bars during my cruise and met a lot of people at bars besides the top sail lounge. When the younger crowd came out late at night and it got loud, I just returned to the top sail lounge and resumed my time in the top sail lounge. When I was done it was less than 75 feet to my cabin. 

 

I say YC is convenience in its most basic form. Cabin not far from everything on a cruise. Nice quiet retreat when the rest of the ship is to wild and busy. Service when I did not know I would need it.

[NightWoman]

We have been considering the YC however it would be an inside cabin which we have never had before. 

Looking at the You Tube videos space looks really tight for 2 people.

What is the opinion of people who have booked an inside cabin, is it worth compromising on space for the privilege of being in the YC? 

[ConnieTact]

12 minutes ago, NightWoman said:

We have been considering the YC however it would be an inside cabin which we have never had before. 

Looking at the You Tube videos space looks really tight for 2 people.

What is the opinion of people who have booked an inside cabin, is it worth compromising on space for the privilege of being in the YC? 

It absolutely is! You can always try for an upgrade too.

We weren’t sure the first time we upgraded from a balcony to a inside YC. All the facilities are so very close, you can be outside in a few steps and have service, breakfast, lunch, drinks brought to you! The restaurant is better and service very good. Any issues are dealt with by butler or concierge….no need to go to customer services as they will sort everything. There’s nothing like returning to the peace and tranquility of YC having had time ‘outside’ in the rest of the ship. 
it is tight on space in any inside cabin but simply plan not to be in there much and enjoy YC areas instead!
We’ve stayed in the YC balcony suite and that is more spacious and, we even had a YC duplex which was enormous, but next time we have booked YC inside.

Think of the cabin as somewhere to rest your head and then get out and enjoy the yacht club offering!

[hamrag]

34 minutes ago, NightWoman said:

....is it worth compromising on space for the privilege of being in the YC? 

Absolutely yes, and I agree with all that Connie Tact has written in reply!

 

Our first YC was inside, the following 5 YCs have been Deluxe Suite....but only because pricing was attractive enough. Now that prices are rising significantly, and budgets seriously stretched on energy costs etc., our next two YC bookings are inside....and we return without hesitation.

 

A couple of tips:

• Divest of the little table and chair, gives much more floor space....your assistant butler will remove them upon request.
• If you can live without the in-cabin coffee machine, get them to remove it along with the associated service tray etc. Frees up space, enabling it to be used for placing more important stuff. Remember you can have coffee delivered in-cabin, so even if you need coffee there's another way!

 

Enjoy, we certainly did. The YC enclave is amazing and in essence becomes your 'cabin space'.

[HipHipOnAShip]

10 hours ago, Kevinbuffalo said:

I sailed YC in may on divina and drank whatever I wanted in the YC top sail lounge and restaurant and never got an additional charge. I was drinking whole bottles of reserve wines (vintage stags leap merlot 2010) and drank Johnny walker blue on the rocks in a pint glass.  All I did was ask for it. 

Assuming this was PRE-COVID and pre-change in Premium package. JW Blue is not included and we've have not been able to get a glass (or bottle) of off wine wine since...

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, frank808 said:

Try the Chopin in YC bar. Pretty smooth and IMHO better than Grey Goose. Drank a couple of bottles during our cruises a couple months ago.

Chopin is very nice.  My own taste prefers Belvedere, but on MSC we have lots of fun trying everything :).  Have never understood the popularity of Grey Goose.

 

Hank

[rigs32]

I'm sailing YC for the first time next month and have an interior booked.  I actually sleep much better in an interior cabin - the natural light in a balcony will wake me up even if I haven't had enough sleep.  Is it nice to have a balcony to step onto?  Sure.  But I'd rather spend my money on YC than a balcony when I have easy access to the lounge and YC pool deck.

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, frank808 said:

I hung out at many bars during my cruise and met a lot of people at bars besides the top sail lounge. When the younger crowd came out late at night and it got loud, I just returned to the top sail lounge and resumed my time in the top sail lounge.

 

I wouldn't say that I "hung out" at any of the bars, but, I was a frequent patron of the Meraviglia Lounge's and the mid-ship's pool bar.  But, it was always pleasant to return to the YC enclave.  

 

11 hours ago, ConnieTact said:

Any issues are dealt with by butler or concierge….no need to go to customer services as they will sort everything. There’s nothing like returning to the peace and tranquility of YC having had time ‘outside’ in the rest of the ship. 

 

Agree.  Only asked my Butler to solve one "issue" and that was on the day of embarkation.  My luggage had not been delivered.  He found it and brought it to me.  The Concierge, however, was very helpful.

 

11 hours ago, hamrag said:

If you can live without the in-cabin coffee machine, get them to remove it along with the associated service tray etc. Frees up space, enabling it to be used for placing more important stuff. Remember you can have coffee delivered in-cabin, so even if you need coffee there's another way!

 

Good suggestion.  Many cruise ships have too much clutter on whatever flat surfaces there are that are supposed to act like a "desk".  I used my coffee machine one morning and did not care of the results.  "Junk" for me during the rest of the cruise.  

[Seadweller001]

The first 3 YC Cruises we really enjoyed the special Butler touches like escorting us to meals, making reservations, taking us off the ship at ports but after that each successive cruise we weened off the Butler services because we enjoyed being more independent.  On the Meraviglia we were one of twelve cabins and wanted the newbies to get most of the attention.

 

The Junior Butler aka Room Steward was diligent in his/her duties and we interacted multiple times a day.  The YC is a quiet refuge when needed conducive for relaxing with zero stress, long lines, noisy little darlings, etc.  We feel it is well worth the extra money even without the Butler service.

[frank808]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Chopin is very nice.  My own taste prefers Belvedere, but on MSC we have lots of fun trying everything :).  Have never understood the popularity of Grey Goose.

 

Hank

On Royal right now. No Chopin but have Ben drinking up the Belvedere. Also has Titos but I can buy that for under $30 a 1.75 litter bottle at Costco. Plus Costco at home does not carry Belvedere.

 

We have great tastes in vodka.

[dexddd]

Note YINs have showers that are literally coffin sized if that factors in.