Divinia Yacht Club

[rbtan]

We booked a 14 night excursion on Divinia. (2024)We're doing a deluxe Yacht Club suite. This is similar in size to a mini suite on most Princess ships...about 325 sq. ft. We know thee are much larger suites & some inside suites(rather unusual) I just wonder how pax who have booked these like them. Currently we will be on Oceania Riviera late Jan. How does MSC compare in food etc. compared to Oceania. I know the accomodations in standard cabins are fairly mundane.

[Zephyr173]

Hi Rbtan,

 

Good sailings with MSC.  Enjoy this beautiful ship.

 

There are no inside cabins in the YC on Divina.

 

We were recently on Meraviglia, with a booking for a YIN.  Upon arrival at the cabin, I hurdled to the concierge and obtained - and payed for - an upgrade to YC.

 

The difference is that YIN are exactly the same as other inside cabins on the ship.  The price difference is certainly in keeping with the experience (service, food, drinks).  However, YC cabins have the nice materials such as marble, more space, and, of course, a balcony. Comfort has a cost.

 

On Divina, if my memory serves me right, there are 6 slightly larger rooms in YC (other than family and royal): 15031, 15030, 16032, 16033, 16035 and 16034.  Just 2 feet wider at the end of the bed.  Those are the suites that MSC sell as premium.  They were initially sold as «H».

[hamrag]

On 1/8/2023 at 2:40 AM, rbtan said:

We booked a 14 night excursion on Divinia. (2024)We're doing a deluxe Yacht Club suite. This is similar in size to a mini suite on most Princess ships...about 325 sq. ft. We know thee are much larger suites & some inside suites(rather unusual) I just wonder how pax who have booked these like them. Currently we will be on Oceania Riviera late Jan. How does MSC compare in food etc. compared to Oceania. I know the accomodations in standard cabins are fairly mundane.

The YC1 suites are fabulous, and exude quality.

 

Having sailed 7 YC experiences, we tried Oceania for the first time last year. The culinary experience was excellent and was probably the best we have experienced across 56 cruises and 16 cruiselines. At times the YC food hits the Oceania level, but not consistently.

[hamrag]

One other thing we love about YC is the enclave and the spaciousness and luxury of same. That said, on Divina the restaurant is aft and a 5 minute stroll for those with good mobility. The ships are huge, compared to Oceania, and the rest of the ship is there if/when you want it. When done, you return to the YC retreat allowing you to again appreciate spaciousness and serenity.

[kelleherdl]

Trust Hamrag’s comparison.  He’s a frequent YC traveler, but not always a ‘cheerleader.’  
 

Many YC senior staff are poached from the ‘upper-echelon’ cruise lines Oceania, Viking, Seabourn and the like; so the service level is very much up there. This Fall we will be sailing on MSC’s new ‘luxury’ brand, Explora Jouneys. We will be able to compare the ship-within-ship concept of the Yacht Club on a big ship, with all that a big ship offers, to the smaller full-ship luxury concept. It will be interesting to see if we prefer the smaller luxury ship to Yacht Club on MSC.

 

Until then, I consider myself a  Yacht Club ‘cheerleader.’

 

Dennis

Edited January 9, 2023 by kelleherdl

[mnpurple]

Only 2 1/2 weeks I'll be in Divina YC!!!  Getting very excited.  I can't compare to Oceania though.  I was on Seaview and can see by room tours on-line that the rooms on Divina are smaller. I don't think that will be too big of a deal, however I liked the shower size on Seaview.  I keep learning more about things to look for while on board. I don't recall hearing about any pool deck activities on our last sailing and didn't hear about a seafood extravaganza either.  I'm not sure if things are done differently in the Med versus Caribbean, we'll soon find out!  Loved our YC experience though (far better than Haven IMO).

[hamrag]

30 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

.....Many YC senior staff are poached from the ‘upper-echelon’ cruise lines Oceania, Viking, Seabourn and the like; so the service level is very much up there. This Fall we will be sailing on MSC’s new ‘luxury’ brand, Explora Jouneys. We will be able to compare the ship-within-ship concept of the Yacht Club on a big ship, with all that a big ship offers, to the smaller full-ship luxury concept. It will be interesting to see if we prefer the smaller luxury ship to Yacht Club on MSC.

 

Until then, I consider myself a  Yacht Club ‘cheerleader.’

 

Dennis

We eagerly await your feedback once you've sailed Explora Journeys, and value your opinions. This new luxury line is outwith our regular cruising budget, although perhaps possible as a one off for a really special occasion. It will be interesting to see how the MSC YC evolves thereafter, as I suspect the cream of YC crew will be cherry picked for Explora.

 

Much as we enjoy YC, there is no doubt the experience is no longer at the service and quality levels of the pre-pandemic years. You may know that the brand new MSC World Europa maiden voyage was delayed until the week following the World Cup Final in Qatar because it was used for a month as a luxury 'hotel' for the WAGs (wives & girlfriends) of the various top nations players......a phenomenal money spinner for MSC. 

 

That was when we were on the Seaside in the Antilles Caribbean, and YC food and service was nowhere near the levels expected. We concluded that the cream of YC crew had been flown to Qatar in order to meet the extremely high expectations of WAGs. Conjecture, of course, but perfectly feasible

Edited January 9, 2023 by hamrag

[kelleherdl]

2 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

That was when we were on the Seaside in the Antilles Caribbean, and YC food and service was nowhere near the levels expected. We concluded that the cream of YC crew had been flown to Qatar in order to meet the extremely high expectations of WAGs. Conjecture, of course, but perfectly feasible

We’ll see what happens to the Seaside Yacht Club experience when she repositions to Port Canaveral in the Spring. There will likely be a lot a crew turnover by July when we sail. Sorry that your Antilles cruise on Seaside was not as good as the Preziosa earlier. We will be doing Seaside on our Antilles cruise in 2024, so hopefully things will get returned to our preferred level.