Observations from a new and impartial Cruise Passenger - MSC Seascape Yacht Club

[UWGRAD1]

Background

My family of 3 (2 adults 1 teenage boy) took our first ever cruise last week.  Following are our various perceptions on things we encountered/experienced.  Hopefully someone new to cruising will find some of this useful.  We aren’t MSC “fan boys” or “haters” nor are we trying to benchmark anything to a different cruise line; so these should be fairly impartial.  I’m sure I’ll think of additional things along the way and will post updates as they come up.  If you have any questions I'll try to answer them, but I'm far from being an expert.  

 

Cruise Terminal

 

Traffic to Cruise Port – A music festival created havoc.  A trip of 4 miles took us 45 minutes.  Other passengers said Cruise Port Tunnel was closed and there were other lane closures that created huge delays.  Check local conditions/events to plan for potential delays for your trips.

 

Yacht Club Baggage Tent – Very easy to spot.  The Yacht Club tent is at the Right Hand (or East) Side of Terminal C as you are looking at the ship

 

Baggage Porter – Follow their directions and make sure they slap a Yacht Club baggage tag on your bags.  Probably doesn’t hurt to tip this guy a few $’s to ensure the safe handling of your bags.  You will not be given a “baggage claim ticket”. 

 

Yacht Club Check-in Area – Surprised by how “basic” the area felt.  Just a counter and a few chairs.  Didn’t “scream” luxury experience in any way.   We arrived early and there were only 2 other couples so I can’t comment on how the area would be if it was busy.  We got checked in extremely fast.  Take the extra time pre-trip and make sure all of your “passenger information” is in order before you arrive.  One couple didn’t and they were having issues checking in. 

 

Seating Area – Once checked-in, you went to a pre-board seating area that was just a section of the main seating area roped off for Yacht Club guests.  There were a few workers delivering drinks (soda/water/mimosas/champagne).  I didn’t see anyone ordering any mixed drinks or beer so I’m assuming they weren’t available.

 

 

Boarding

 

Process – Ship opened around 12 p.m. and all the Yacht Club guests waiting were allowed to board.  Everyone went as a group and there weren’t any individual butlers.  Once on board ship you could go wherever you wanted but pretty much everyone went with group up to the Yacht Club Top Sail lounge. 

 

Lunch – Yacht Club dining room was available for lunch while you waited for your cabin to be ready.

 

Cabin – Our cabin wasn’t ready until 2 p.m.  Our butler did not come to find us to introduce himself nor to notify us of our cabin being available.  We had to ask someone handling customer requests in the Top Sail lounge.  They told us our room was ready and we went on our own to the room.  I’m sure we could have received an escort if we had asked.  Had we not asked on the status of our room, we would have continued waiting as no one came to tell us.  

 

Butler Introduction – We eventually ran into our butler in the hallway later that night.  He didn’t introduce himself; we asked him to find our butler and he responded that he was our butler. 

 

Muster Drill – Very simple.  Just watch the 15 minute thing on TV, call the # and go the muster station.  Previous reports indicated that elevators weren’t available during the Muster Drill, but that was not true for our sailing.  We just took the elevator down to Floor 7 and checked in at our station outside the Casino.  Don’t know how other cruise lines do it, but I don’t know why people complain about this one.   

 

 

Room Overview

 

Noise – We were on the 19^th Floor under the 20^th Floor pool deck.  If you are a light sleeper and under the pool deck, you will be woken up by the noise.  Every morning from 6:00 a.m. 6:30 a.m. there is constant noise coming from the pool deck above as they set-up the chairs.  Also, noise from the hallway and other guest room bathrooms (toilet flushing) is noticeable.  Keep in mind I am a light sleeper so maybe this won’t impact you as bad. 

 

Room Size – We were in one of the Grand Deluxe rooms that was slightly wider than other rooms in that category.  We’ve never been on a cruise before so I can’t compare it to other ships.  We had 2 adults and 1 teenager in the room and it never felt crowded.  I’d say it was comparable to a typical “normal” size hotel room.  There are plenty of YouTube videos of these rooms and they are all accurate representations of what the room is like (there weren’t any surprises).

 

Full Closet – This was a very nice feature.  It made space management so much easier.

 

Bathroom – Nothing really to comment on here.  Everything is accurately represented on YouTube videos.  If you are tall (over 6’5”) your head will hit the Rain Shower head so you have to slightly duck to take a shower.  You cannot operate both the Shower Wand and the Rain Shower Head at the same time (that is unusual as in my experience both can operate simultaneously).  Be careful using the sink or toilet while someone is taking a shower.  It will cause the water temperature in the shower to briefly increase drastically.  

 

Balcony – Because we had the wider cabin our balcony was huge.  We made two very direct and specific requests for a full size lounger to be added to the balcony.  That request was not fulfilled.  After asking for a lounger for two days in a row, we instead asked for just another chair thinking they could not deliver a lounger.  That request was also not fulfilled.  As such, all 3 of us couldn’t sit out on the balcony at the same time.  We used one of the cushioned chairs from the cabin outside when we needed it.  We were a little irritated they refused to bring an additional chair, but we didn’t complain or escalate as it didn’t matter that much.  The glass on the railing somehow reflects images from the cabins next to it.  So if someone next to us was also outside you could see faint reflections of them.  Be careful what you do on your balcony 😊  To point out the obvious, there is zero noise isolation between the cabin balconies.  Everyone out there will be able to hear what you say as if they were sitting next to you.

 

Safe – The safe is very small.  It will not fit an iPad or a laptop.  Only good for small personal effects.

 

Minibar – Our butler would not remove items from our fridge that we didn’t want.  We ended up having to remove them ourselves and place them on the counter.  We even left a note to remove them from the counter and they were not taken away.  Once we did remove them from the fridge ourselves, the butler did use the space in the fridge to stock extra items we did want.  They ran out of the smaller bottles of water that would fit into the fridge by Wednesday.  None of the other bottles they had on the ship would fit into the fridge.  If we wanted cold water, we had to order room service or go to the bar to get a cold bottle.

 

Room Preferences – Our preferences completed online did not make their way to our butler.  We had to notify our butler in person.  Once we gave him the preferences the pillows and bottle of liquor were brought to the room. 

 

A/C Controls – Our room had two A/C zones and thus two controls.  Need to make sure you’ve set both of them.  We noticed this right away but other people hadn’t and were complaining about temps until they realized they both weren’t set to the lowest “Cool” setting.

 

Cordless Charger – On all the videos we watched they had shown a cordless charging station on the cabinet countertops.  Ours did not have one. 

 

Power Outlets – We knew this coming in, but power supply is limited.  You need to bring adapters and outlet expanders. 

 

 

Butler Overview

 

Butler Assignment – From what we could tell, your experience will vary based on who you are assigned.  This was the first Yacht Club Butler assignment for our butler and I think it showed.  Other people told stories of way different service levels than we got.  That doesn’t mean we had bad service, but we didn’t have anything out of the ordinary.  He was there to ask a few questions and our room was always turned over/cleaned when we were out. 

 

Butler Services We Got – There wasn’t really any service that we noticed from our Butler that was “above and beyond”.  He was almost always around in the hallway.  He almost always delivered our room service.  Any time we left the room someone would come in and clean up used dishes, replace towels, etc…  That was nice as our room was always clean any time we came back to it.

 

Butler Services We Didn’t Get – These are things we had heard from other people that we didn’t experience.  None of these would impact our trip so we didn’t ask for them to be done.  This is definitely not a complaint, our trip was not ruined or lessened in any way from any of these things.  If any of this would lessen your experience, I feel confident that if we had asked they would have addressed these.   

 

-  We never had any special treats/gifts/displays in our room at night.  All we ever received was 3 pieces of Venti chocolates on top of the Daily planner placed on our bed each night.  Other guests described special deserts, snacks, favorite beverage poured and waiting for them, towel animals, etc…

-  No one ever offered to escort us around the ship.  We never would have taken them up on it, but it was never offered.

-  Arrival day ironing.  Other guests said their butlers ironed up to 4 items for them on their arrival day.

-  Butler service on Ocean Cay.  Other guests said their butlers found them on Ocean Cay and were providing “waitstaff” service to them on the beach

-  Butler service on Pool Deck.  It appeared that Butlers took turns servicing the Yacht Club Pool Deck area.  When someone’s butler was on deck they always received personal attention.  On days when our butler was on deck he never came by us once. 

-  None of our recurring needs were ever anticipated and addressed in advance.  An example of this was our Pull Out Sofa Bed.  They left it open all the time.  We had to personally close it up daily.  They never took note of this and always left it open making us continue to put it back ourselves.  Another example is we had the same standing order for coffee and fruit in the morning.  We had to redo this order every morning.  Other people’s butlers picked up on their daily asks and just had it there on a daily basis (i.e., coffee delivered every morning at 8 a.m) or glasses of wine every night at 6 p.m.  

 

 

Yacht Club Food Overview

 

Quality of Food – The food on board isn’t going to ever win any “awards”.  Anyone who indicates this is “fine dining” hasn’t really experienced “fine dining”.  This food is the equivalent to that served at a high-end Wedding Reception.  The food quality is more than adequate, and it is definitely enjoyable.  Just don’t go into this expecting to be “blown away” by the food.  There wasn’t one dish the entire trip where we would have ranked it anywhere near one of our Top 10 lists.  Remember if you don’t like something just order something else.  Or if you want to try more than one thing order them both. 

 

Dining Experience – Never waited for a table.  Service was always typically fairly fast even though we had a few meals where it was a touch slower.  If you don’t like where they are going to seat you just ask for a different table.  Try to get in the same area so you get the same waitstaff.  Our waitstaff knew our preferences after the 2^nd day and they would immediately take care of those needs. 

 

Desserts – In our opinion all the desserts were very basic.  We were surprised by this as we had high expectations of those going into the trip.  We equated the quality to that you would get on any standard buffet. 

 

Negative Public Opinion – I don’t know how there are so many complaints about MSC Food.  I can’t possibly see how they come to their conclusions.  My only thoughts are people are so upset about limited times to get food late at night or the inability to have a continuous supply of soft-serve ice cream.  Do not avoid cruising with MSC because of people’s food complaints.

 

Pizza – This is another one that I don’t see how people are raving about it.  It is definitely edible and enjoyable pizza, but nowhere near something I would search out to find on shore.  My teenage son and his friends probably ordered like 20 pizzas over the 7-day trip.

 

Room Service – Room service was very slow for us.  Almost always was 1 hour from placing order to getting food. 

 

 

Yacht Club Bar Overview

 

Timeliness – Never had to wait long for a drink.  Most of the time you were served instantly. 

 

Menu Selection – Everything posted online is accurate.  There really wasn’t anything missing or any hidden gems not listed.  I had overheard a few things ran out, but it wasn’t anything I was drinking so can’t really comment.

 

Milkshakes – There wasn’t much posted on this that we found pre-trip so I wanted to cover it.  You can order a Strawberry or Chocolate milkshake from the Yacht Club Pool Deck bar.  Never tried it in the Top Sail lounge.

 

Bar Staff – Everyone I meant was pleasant and enjoyable to talk with.  They were always so busy there was never really enough time to get to know them well.

 

 

Yacht Club Pool Area

 

Seating – There were always open seats/loungers available.  Finding one in the shade though is a totally different story.  Around the inside perimeter of the ship you can find loungers that are partially shaded and depending on direction of ship and time of the day you can get shade. 

 

Cabanas – There are 4 permanently reserved cabanas for the Royal and Owner suites.  The rest of the cabanas are first come first serve.  Those appear to be first “served” to whoever will be up at 4 or 5 a.m. and put a towel or backpack on to show they are “using it”.  One of the mornings I wanted to watch the sunrise from the Pool Deck and by 6 a.m. every single cabana was “in use” from people who placed towels or bags on the chairs.  I just happened to stay out on the pool deck that entire morning and most people didn’t even arrive until around 10 or 11 a.m. I know this practice is followed across all cruise lines, but it really needs to be addressed/fixed.  I don’t ever want to encourage cruise lines to charge guests more money, but charging for premier seating access is the only way to make it fair.  Or at least implement “reservations” and “limits”.  I didn’t check every single cabana every day; but I did notice at least 3 of the cabanas were used by the same people every day of the week.  I guess those people must have paid more than the other Yacht Club guests to get that preferential benefit. 

 

Pool – The Yacht Club pool isn’t designed for it to become a “kids play zone”.  It’s a small wading pool to stand and relax in to cool off.  A few times the kids took it over and it became a “play zone”.  Understand kids need to unwind and have some fun, but parents should be using the right facilities for that.  When the pool was used as its intended to be, it was a very nice area.

 

Whirlpools – There was one at the front of the ship that was very warm and there was one on the side of the ship that was basically normal pool water temperature.  Having the one on the side being cooler worked out as an additional area to get relief from the heat. 

 

Buffet – Nothing special here, just a typical buffet.  They have a grill so they can make certain things “to order”.  I can't understand how a few shrimp and some lobster tails make people lose their minds.  The seafood buffet on the last sea day was a zoo.  Presumably everyone in the Yacht Club has enough money to buy shrimp and lobster whenever they want it back home...why they lose their ***** for subpar quality just because its free is beyond my comprehension.  

 

Buffet Seating – They have a handful of tables immediately in front of the buffet/bar area.  I have no idea why they did this other than to maximize seating under the shade.  It makes it very congested and crowded.  Removing it would definitely make the buffet and bar area more enjoyable.  Not to mention the awkwardness of having people staring at you in the pool while they are eating their food.  

 

Smoking Area – There appeared to be more than enough room for smokers.  If you are a non-smoker you will have to use the other side of the ship to go to the front if you don’t want to pass through the smoking area.  When the wind blows correctly you can definitely notice the smoke on the main pool deck area.  I’m an ex-smoker so I’m pretty sensitive to the smell, so it might not be that noticeable to others.  As always, the cigar smoke was the most noticeable.  

 

Pool Decking Material – Do not attempt to walk across the pool deck barefooted when it’s sunny out.  It gets burning hot; I only made that mistake once.

 

Waitstaff Service – Service was basically non-existent on the pool deck.  Over the 7 day cruise I think waitstaff only took a drink order from me twice (and that only occurred because they were picking up used dishes and I forced the order on them).  This was the case for everyone because I was looking for anyone to be walking around to flag down for an order.  Wasn’t a big deal because it was easy enough to go to the bar to order a drink, but don’t expect “service at your chair”.  Maybe if you try “paying off” someone with tips right out of the gate you might get specialized service.  There was one particular waitress always servicing the Yacht Club area and she never seemed to be happy at all.  Maybe we just had a bad “staff assignment” for our cruise. 

 

 

Entertainment Shows

 

Comedian Ken Boyd – He was hilarious.  Wish he did more than just one night.  We’ve seen a lot of stand-up comedians and he was definitely good.  If he happens to be performing on your cruise don’t miss it.  Would actually recommend you go to both shows he does that night as I heard they are very different shows and both are equally good.  In addition, the theater itself is way nicer than I thought it was going to be.  The seats were very roomy and comfortable which is unusual for a theater, much less one on a cruise ship.

 

Variety Show in Caberet Rouge – In our opinion this variety show was horrible.  The venue itself was absolutely stunning, but the talent was horrible.  There were 3 parts; MC/Host with a few songs, Magician and then Guitar/Singer duo.  All were very bad and we were extremely disappointed that was the talent every night in that theater.  Go and check it out, maybe you’ll enjoy it.  If nothing else you have to see the room. 

 

Uptown Lounge – Popped in here a few times but it was just a bunch of people sitting around listening to average performers.  There wasn’t any energy and the performances weren’t captivating enough to keep us there.  This room was nothing special, I’d equate it to a small interior hotel ballroom. 

 

Main Theater Productions – We didn’t go to any production shows.  We heard they were so bad that there were mass exoduses of people during the shows.  Given we were so busy with other things we weren’t going to bother checking it out. 

 

Star for a Night – After we left the Caberet Rouge show we happened across the performances by cruise guests during the “Star for a Night” event.  By the time we arrived we happened to catch 3 people perform (don’t know if there were more than that before we got there).  2 of the 3 people were amazing.  All 3 of the people who performed were infinitely more entertaining than what we saw in the Caberet.  Definitely recommend you catch this event if they have it during your sailing.  In addition to the performances themselves, the atmosphere was phenomenal.  People were lined up all around the rails for 3 floors and on the stairs watching.  Lots of energy in the main atrium. 

 

 

General Ship Areas

 

Elevators – I don’t know what everyone is complaining about here.  They work and they are generally timely.  Of course they are going to be busy at peak times.  Even by the end of the cruise there were numerous passengers who still hadn’t figured out the system.  Just as an FYI the Yacht Club “priority” elevator call is working even though people said it isn’t.  There is a YouTube video on it you should watch.  It definitely sped up using the elevator when you could avoid all the floor stops.  When returning from an excursion the elevators can be absolutely packed.  We found it best just to get on the first elevator that arrived.  It was most likely going to a floor that you wanted.  If it didn’t go the floor you wanted, just get off at the highest floor and either call a new one or finish the walk up the stairs.

 

Bathrooms – I was shocked by how few bathrooms there are in the general areas of the ship, especially by areas with higher traffic (theaters, casino, pool deck bar, etc…).  There were some decent lines to use the bathrooms on the White Night party.  Also, the ship wasn’t keeping up on cleaning/maintenance of those bathrooms with the crowd.  They have to understand that if you increase bathroom usage by 100x, you need to be servicing them continuously.  Quite honestly the bathroom conditions that night were disgusting. 

 

Temperature – Generally speaking I was always “HOT” in the general areas of the ship.  Certain spots in restaurants/bars would be cool, but others were always extremely hot.  Temperature is definitely not balanced. 

 

Casino – The overall atmosphere in the casino wasn’t appealing to me.  I thought I would spend a lot of time there.  However, with the temperature, smoking and the “vibe” of the casino I spent almost no time there.  I will leave my gambling vices for Las Vegas.  

 

General Bar Areas – I understand the complaints people are leaving about bar service.  There was a very noticeable difference between the Yacht Club and general bars.  I would say my average time to wait for a drink was 10-15 minutes when it wasn’t busy.  When it was busy that time went up to around 20-30 minutes.  There were always like 5 bartenders behind the bar but they seemed to always be doing something else preventing them from taking your order.  By far the biggest issue has to be the sheer volume of specialty drinks being ordered.  It takes a ton of time to blend drinks from scratch or to mix complex cocktails.  They really need to divide bar orders up between specialty orders and easy orders.  I would suspect a lot of the problems could be solved if you had someone dedicated to just passing over a bottle of beer to someone or making a simple mix drink (i.e., Jack n Coke, Run n Coke, Vodka Tonic, etc…).  No one likes waiting 15 minutes for a beer.  However, I'm sure some of the problems are purposely created to reduce the overall consumption of booze.  

 

Tender Ports – To me the tender process absolutely sucked.  I personally hated it and will avoid tender ports at all costs going forward. 

 

Slippery Floors – Be careful on the floors, especially by areas near the Thermal Spa and Pools.  Appears a lot of people don’t bother to take the time to dry off before they leave those areas.  That leaves a lot of water on the floors that maintenance wasn’t always timely to dry up.

 

Don’t Fall Down the Stairs – The stairs are beautiful, but pay attention while you are using them.  Saw a bunch of people trip on the stairs.  Speaking of stairs...why do people feel the need to take a picture sprawled out laying on the stairs???

 

Overall Outside Areas – We spent very little time outside the Yacht Club.  I don’t like crowds and that is specifically why I booked the Yacht Club experience.  On the other hand, my teenage son was all over the ship.  I don’t think we saw him much at all after the 1^st Day.  He said the ship was fantastic and there was so much to do.  For him to say that, it meant they are doing something right for the teenage kids.  For the little time we did spend outside the Yacht Club, the ship was generally enjoyable.  Everything looked immaculate and was very interesting.  Crowds could be avoided/managed based on where you went.  Some areas had virtually no crowds, others were packed.  As described on some of the ship tour videos, the floor layout and getting from one end of the ship to the other end can be confusing.  You are forced to take stairs to get to different areas in some cases. 

 

 

Commentary On People

 

Saving this for last.  We did not sail with any other couples or families so we went into this thing solo.  We met a lot of great people and have hopefully started up some friendships that will last forever.  Most people were kind and considerate and it was overall a great experience.  It’s been said 100x time, but be patient and kind and everything should generally work out.   

 

However…you will run into some very “interesting” people.  Don’t let them ruin it for you.  They won’t go away, so if you run into some you will have to take the initiative to avoid them.  I don’t know what drives certain individual’s perception of entitlement, but it is strong in some people.  You will have people reserving chairs, cutting in lines, knocking into you, getting drunk and obnoxious, yelling at staff, trying to prioritize their needs for service over yours, kids running around unsupervised and screaming, people obviously sick who will sit next to you and cough/sneeze on you, etc..  Just go into it knowing that you will run into these types of people and be prepared to handle it. 

 

Don’t become rude to the MSC staff.  In most cases they either aren’t authorized or haven’t been trained on how to resolve what you are asking.  It doesn’t do any good to berate or yell at them, simply find a way to escalate.  If you can’t get it resolved through proper escalation, then maybe the problem wasn’t with MSC.  There were a handful of situations where I knew how someone could resolve their problems, but because of how they were treating MSC staff I had no desire to interact with them to help them solve their issue. 

[Two Wheels Only]

4 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

You cannot operate both the Shower Wand and the Rain Shower Head at the same time (that is unusual as in my experience both can operate simultaneously).

 

It can be done but there is a trick to it. 😉

 

7 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

This was the first Yacht Club Butler assignment for our butler and I think it showed.

 

I agree that your butler experience isn't typical. I knew that something was amiss when you mentioned not getting additional seating on the balcony even after the request. 

 

9 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

Butler service on Ocean Cay.  Other guests said their butlers found them on Ocean Cay and were providing “waitstaff” service to them on the beach

 

That depends on who is assigned where. Once on an overnight, our butler was assigned to the side where the cabanas (and we) were and the next day, he was assigned elsewhere and we didn't see him. 

 

12 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

When someone’s butler was on deck they always received personal attention.  On days when our butler was on deck he never came by us once.

 

Rookie mistake by your butler. 

 

25 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

None of our recurring needs were ever anticipated and addressed in advance.  An example of this was our Pull Out Sofa Bed.  They left it open all the time.  We had to personally close it up daily.  They never took note of this and always left it open making us continue to put it back ourselves.

 

Unacceptable. 😠

I would have spoken to the concierge or Yacht Club Director by the 2nd day...possibly sooner since other requests weren't being met. 

 

30 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

I don’t ever want to encourage cruise lines to charge guests more money, but charging for premier seating access is the only way to make it fair.

 

Charging a price (sea day vs. port day) is what used to be the case. They didn't sell very well and the price dropped. Now, it seems, MSC is going the "first come, first serve" route for the remaining Yacht Club cabanas/pergolas. 

 

34 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

Service was basically non-existent on the pool deck.  Over the 7 day cruise I think waitstaff only took a drink order from me twice (and that only occurred because they were picking up used dishes and I forced the order on them).  This was the case for everyone because I was looking for anyone to be walking around to flag down for an order.

 

Wow. That's surprising. 

I haven't sailed Seascape but none of my Yacht Club sailings before or after Covid shutdown had the staff issues that you describe. 

 

 

I'm sorry that your Yacht Club/MSC experience wasn't all that it could have been. I bounce back and forth with NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club but I'm not a cheerleader for either of them. I point out their shortcomings when I find them so I appreciate your honest and thoughtful review. 

[SpareBrew]

Which cabin did you had on the 19th floor?  We'll be there next Sunday and hope it's not going to be too noisy for sleeping.  It will also be our first experience in the YC.  TIA

[JT1962]

Thanks for the detailed review and glad you enjoyed most of it. After four MSC cruises in the past year, I also don’t understand the poor reviews / comments regarding the food. It’s not 5 Star cuisine, but certainly not “inedible” as some say and there were always a variety of options to choose from.
 

As far as pizza, while not the best I’ve ever eaten, it is definitely a step above what I have had on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. People commenting on how good the pizza is are probably comparing it to other cruise lines and not their favorite land-based pizza restaurant.

[Captain-John]

Thanks very much for the very detailed account of your trip - fair, balanced and a great resource for anyone looking for some tips.

 

I am not surprised at your butler experience unfortunately - it is an extremely variable experience across the MSC fleet and even within the same ship as you have noted. The loungers and pull-out bed are unforgiveable and I would expect these requests to be fulfileld outside the YC, let alone within it!

 

I may have missed it, but would you sail MSC YC again for your next cruise (assuming you want to cruise again!)? 🙂

 

 

[UWGRAD1]

2 hours ago, SpareBrew said:

Which cabin did you had on the 19th floor?  We'll be there next Sunday and hope it's not going to be too noisy for sleeping.  It will also be our first experience in the YC.  TIA

If your room is under the pool deck you will hear it if you are a light sleeper.  It was loud enough I was contemplating recording some audio to share with folks.  My wife and kid slept through it...I did not.  

[UWGRAD1]

2 hours ago, Captain-John said:

Thanks very much for the very detailed account of your trip - fair, balanced and a great resource for anyone looking for some tips.

 

I am not surprised at your butler experience unfortunately - it is an extremely variable experience across the MSC fleet and even within the same ship as you have noted. The loungers and pull-out bed are unforgiveable and I would expect these requests to be fulfileld outside the YC, let alone within it!

 

I may have missed it, but would you sail MSC YC again for your next cruise (assuming you want to cruise again!)? 🙂

 

 

Absolutely would cruise them again and would only do the Yacht Club.  Really none of my "negative feedback" was anywhere near the level to deter me from cruising again with them.  

[amygutman]

Thank you for the very interesting and well balanced review. You gave both the positives and negatives and come away with a great decision to continue on with your cruising adventures. I think people are often swayed by one bad experience on one ship and apply it universally to all ships whereas yours may have been a very specific experience on a specific ship due to what sounds like a very inattentive Butler / YC staff.

 

Make sure that you do fill out the survey you receive from MSC. Because you also have access to a pre concierge via email, I would send them a specific e-mail detailing your concerns. In the future, related to your requests that were not fulfilled, never forget you can go in real time to the Yacht Club hotel manager / Director and have those concerns addressed. If they are still not addressed, then that would be a very good indicator that you need to perhaps take your next cruise on a different ship / line.

 

Thank you again for the informatively detailed review,

Warmest Amy

[L1211]

Thank you for your review. Our experience with our butler was similar.  Never anticipated needs. NOTHING proactive. The Mera YC service was just so-so.  Not a luxury experience…

[hamrag]

14 hours ago, UWGRAD1 said:

 

-  None of our recurring needs were ever anticipated and addressed in advance.  An example of this was our Pull Out Sofa Bed.  They left it open all the time.  We had to personally close it up daily.  They never took note of this and always left it open making us continue to put it back ourselves. 

Having sailed YC on seven occasions now, if I were to pick out one thing from your review which is totally unacceptable then it's that. You ought to have dealt with this, albeit should never have been the case....outrageous!

[hamrag]

14 hours ago, UWGRAD1 said:

Quality of Food – The food on board isn’t going to ever win any “awards”.  Anyone who indicates this is “fine dining” hasn’t really experienced “fine dining”.  This food is the equivalent to that served at a high-end Wedding Reception. . 

That is probably the best description I have read of the current YC food offering.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Thank you for taking time to share this excellent review. We sailed in YC on Seascape the week of March 18, and our experience was virtually identical, with the exception of butler service. Our butler Gusti provided the best service we have ever experienced!

 

We were glad to have the opportunity to try MSC, but will likely stick with Celebrity in the future.

[morpheusofthesea]

 

Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. But we can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling unless using cash

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at checkin

#15 Dedicated restaurant open port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

Just a few off the top of my head....

Had such good times on board the new Seascape that we booked 5 more on Seascape for 2024 on board at FCD and just booked 4 on the new World America for 2025.

[momofmab]

Thank you for your review.  I appreciate that you have realistic cruise expectations and don't let the negatives bog you down.

 

We are trying the YC on Seascape in December for the first time.  We've had butler service on NCL before and are not typically high maintenance in that regard (we'd feel very uncomfortable having our suitcases unpacked or being escorted to other areas of the ship outside of YC), but would expect our requests for the mini bar, room service, etc., to be honored.  I'm hoping that service in the YC pool area improves before we sail later this year because I do like getting my drinks chairside 🙂

 

I wanted to ask you about your comment re: tendering.  Did you utilize the YC benefit of going to the head of the line?  As uncomfortable as that would be for me, I would probably take of advantage of it - especially for a tender port.

 

Also, not sure if you touched on it - but how was the YC disembark process?

 

[UWGRAD1]

59 minutes ago, momofmab said:

Thank you for your review.  I appreciate that you have realistic cruise expectations and don't let the negatives bog you down.

 

We are trying the YC on Seascape in December for the first time.  We've had butler service on NCL before and are not typically high maintenance in that regard (we'd feel very uncomfortable having our suitcases unpacked or being escorted to other areas of the ship outside of YC), but would expect our requests for the mini bar, room service, etc., to be honored.  I'm hoping that service in the YC pool area improves before we sail later this year because I do like getting my drinks chairside 🙂

 

I wanted to ask you about your comment re: tendering.  Did you utilize the YC benefit of going to the head of the line?  As uncomfortable as that would be for me, I would probably take of advantage of it - especially for a tender port.

 

Also, not sure if you touched on it - but how was the YC disembark process?

 

We did use the front of the line tender benefit from the YC, but it still wasn't enjoyable. While you get to skip lines waiting for the tender, you still have to sit on the tender waiting for it to fully load.  You are crammed in like a sardine and it consumes decent chunks of the overall limited time in the port.  I'd say that the tender process from the time we stepped onto the tender boat until we were off the pier was a good 30 minutes (this was mostly due to loading and unloading).  On the return from shore to ship there wasn't any YC benefit of tendering.  If the queing line had been longer there might have been a slight benefit of being able to cut in front of some of the line, but nothing that would materially change the overall time.  I've never cruised before, but I don't believe that my issues with tendering are related to MSC's process.  I think I would hate tendering on any cruise ship at any port.  

 

The disembark process was about as simple as it could be.  Literally took us minutes.  The only strange thing is how casual they are with staging luggage for pick-up.  It's all just sitting there in a big group of random bags (call it 100 or so bags).  You have to dig through that group of bags to find your stuff (which isn't that hard...just strange).  My only irritation was that our 3 bags weren't even together.  They were all in separate areas of the overall luggage group.  All 3 of us cleared through customs using facial recognition so there wasn't any hold-up or delay there.    

[JAGR]

4 hours ago, hamrag said:

Having sailed YC on seven occasions now, if I were to pick out one thing from your review which is totally unacceptable then it's that. You ought to have dealt with this, albeit should never have been the case....outrageous!

And that is really a Junior Butler responsibility.  Looks like the OP got the worst YC service team.  You would think that a new butler would have an experienced and helpful assistant to balance the service.  But that would be a logical step for MSC!

[Morgsmom]

15 minutes ago, JAGR said:

And that is really a Junior Butler responsibility.  Looks like the OP got the worst YC service team.  You would think that a new butler would have an experienced and helpful assistant to balance the service.  But that would be a logical step for MSC!

@JAGR  Stop, now, please... my stomach is literally cramping from laughing so hard 😉

 

[UWGRAD1]

Ocean Cay Yacht Club

 

Rocky Beach – The negative commentary on the rocks as you enter the water is real. The rocks are actually dangerous, they are big enough that you can twist an ankle or substantially scratch/cut your feet.  We had high quality water shoes on and it was still very uncomfortable.  I went into the trip expecting people to have been overblowing this issue, but they were all stating 100% fact.  

 

Beach Beverage Service - During our time on the beach we only saw 1 wait staff working the beach area that had around 100-150 people on it.  Needless to say we didn't drink much on the beach that day.  Unlike the YC facilities on the ship, it wasn't easy to just run up to the YC building and get your own drink.  

 

Food - The food offerings had the same review as the food on the ship.  Good but nothing to rave about.  

 

Shuttle Transport - We ended up waiting 15+ minutes for a cart to pick us up from the YC area to go back to the ship.  

 

Bathrooms - There is only one shared unisex bathroom in the building.  A few yards away from the building is a portable bathroom trailer.  It's clean and decent for what its needed for.  

[perakcruiser]

I was very surprised on our last MSC cruise that the room steward refused to empty the fridge for us. We had to do this by ourselves and even had to store all the unwanted stuff in the wardrobe for the whole cruise. This never happened on any MSC cruise before and we had the fridge always emptied. If this even happens in YC now that is not a good sign. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Great review!  Thank you for taking the time.  Your butler experience is unacceptable.  I hope you sent a message by not leaving additional tip for great service.  I COMPLETELY agree with you about the temperature on the ship.  I haven't been on Seascape but I have been on Seaside and I found it to be hot everywhere as well.  Even our stateroom was hot!  I think it has something to do with the little puck lights they have everywhere...especially in the casino.  There were some machines I couldn't play because they were situated under a beaming puck light.  Very weird design if you ask me.

 

A couple of things that stuck out that I'd like to counter, if I may...

 

1.  The seafood buffet on the last day is a big deal I think because many people (such as myself) would never buy lobster back home.  And it's not because I can't afford it, it's because it's a luxury item that I don't choose to splurge on.  Same with crab legs.  I think people get excited because it's not what they would normally buy when at home.

 

2.  I disagree with your take on the YC pool and children.  Families with children have just as much right IMO to use the pool as anyone else in YC.  I'm sure it gets splashy and noisy but that's part of being on a cruise with lots of other people.  Parents who let their children get out of control have no place in ANY pool area, YC or otherwise.

 

Anyway, appreciate your points and all the detail.  Question is, will you cruise again? 😊 Edit to say, oops, I see you already answered that question.  Glad you weren't deterred!

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[L1211]

1 hour ago, UWGRAD1 said:

Ocean Cay Yacht Club

 

Rocky Beach – The negative commentary on the rocks as you enter the water is real. The rocks are actually dangerous, they are big enough that you can twist an ankle or substantially scratch/cut your feet.  We had high quality water shoes on and it was still very uncomfortable.  I went into the trip expecting people to have been overblowing this issue, but they were all stating 100% fact.  

 

Beach Beverage Service - During our time on the beach we only saw 1 wait staff working the beach area that had around 100-150 people on it.  Needless to say we didn't drink much on the beach that day.  Unlike the YC facilities on the ship, it wasn't easy to just run up to the YC building and get your own drink.  

 

Food - The food offerings had the same review as the food on the ship.  Good but nothing to rave about.  

 

Shuttle Transport - We ended up waiting 15+ minutes for a cart to pick us up from the YC area to go back to the ship.  

 

Bathrooms - There is only one shared unisex bathroom in the building.  A few yards away from the building is a portable bathroom trailer.  It's clean and decent for what its needed for.  

Add that dedicated bathroom was out of service mid-March making it more inconvenient.  I’m perplexed on why they did not dedicate a desirable part of the island/beach to YC.  Feels like they took the crappy part of the island and “labeled” it luxury.  A miss for sure. OC is an AMAZING island but differentiated YC experience is lacking IMHO. 

[mmbcater]

For the whole review-I would have spoken to the concierge or head butler DAY 2. Some of the issues you had were unacceptable, but in all fairness did you properly request services like escorts? As far as the check in "YC LOUNGE" area-they use someone else's terminal and it can change from week to week. When the new MSC building is built-I bet you will see a whole different lounge. 

[UWGRAD1]

16 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Great review!  Thank you for taking the time.  Your butler experience is unacceptable.  I hope you sent a message by not leaving additional tip for great service.  I COMPLETELY agree with you about the temperature on the ship.  I haven't been on Seascape but I have been on Seaside and I found it to be hot everywhere as well.  Even our stateroom was hot!  I think it has something to do with the little puck lights they have everywhere...especially in the casino.  There were some machines I couldn't play because they were situated under a beaming puck light.  Very weird design if you ask me.

 

A couple of things that stuck out that I'd like to counter, if I may...

 

1.  The seafood buffet on the last day is a big deal I think because many people (such as myself) would never buy lobster back home.  And it's not because I can't afford it, it's because it's a luxury item that I don't choose to splurge on.  Same with crab legs.  I think people get excited because it's not what they would normally buy when at home.

 

2.  I disagree with your take on the YC pool and children.  Families with children have just as much right IMO to use the pool as anyone else in YC.  I'm sure it gets splashy and noisy but that's part of being on a cruise with lots of other people.  Parents who let their children get out of control have no place in ANY pool area, YC or otherwise.

 

Anyway, appreciate your points and all the detail.  Question is, will you cruise again? 😊 Edit to say, oops, I see you already answered that question.  Glad you weren't deterred!

 

Point taken on the seafood buffet.  I was projecting my own personal practices onto an overall assessment.  As a family we buy seafood when we want it so it's not a "rarity" for us.  I guess the appropriate "neutral" review would simply be...the seafood buffet gets crazy busy and people get way more aggressive than what you would have grown accustomed to in the YC leading up to it.  

 

I definitely agree the children and families are fully entitled to use the YC pool.  However, kids were running up n down the flooded outsides of the pool, jumping in and doing "cannonballs" into the small pool, pool toys (i.e., rubber footballs, etc...) were being thrown across the length of the pool.  All these things are 100% fun and my kids did them all the time when they were little as well.  I'm just saying the YC pool IS NOT designed for these types of activities.  There is a Kids Splash Zone, and better themed Jungle Pool (literally next door)...both were way better venues for these kids.  As a parent of a teenager and young adult, I'm just coming off from participating in these types of activities and they don't personally bother me.  Heck I'm sure my teenage son was probably causing some form of commotion in the other pool areas 🙂I was simply trying to give feedback so that people who don't tolerate it well are prepared for the potential.  As a side note, my trip was during Spring Break so I suspect the presence of kids was way higher in the YC than it typically is.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

7 minutes ago, UWGRAD1 said:

Point taken on the seafood buffet.  I was projecting my own personal practices onto an overall assessment.  As a family we buy seafood when we want it so it's not a "rarity" for us.  I guess the appropriate "neutral" review would simply be...the seafood buffet gets crazy busy and people get way more aggressive than what you would have grown accustomed to in the YC leading up to it.  

 

I definitely agree the children and families are fully entitled to use the YC pool.  However, kids were running up n down the flooded outsides of the pool, jumping in and doing "cannonballs" into the small pool, pool toys (i.e., rubber footballs, etc...) were being thrown across the length of the pool.  All these things are 100% fun and my kids did them all the time when they were little as well.  I'm just saying the YC pool IS NOT designed for these types of activities.  There is a Kids Splash Zone, and better themed Jungle Pool (literally next door)...both were way better venues for these kids.  As a parent of a teenager and young adult, I'm just coming off from participating in these types of activities and they don't personally bother me.  Heck I'm sure my teenage son was probably causing some form of commotion in the other pool areas 🙂I was simply trying to give feedback so that people who don't tolerate it well are prepared for the potential.  As a side note, my trip was during Spring Break so I suspect the presence of kids was way higher in the YC than it typically is.  

Lol I totally get it. That kind of pool behavior shouldn’t be allowed and the parents should have stepped in. As a 30 year retired educator (teacher and then principal) I can honestly say most kids (and their parents) annoy me!  That behavior would have gleaned the “teacher eye” in their direction for sure. Like most things, it all goes back to parenting. 

[UWGRAD1]

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Lol I totally get it. That kind of pool behavior shouldn’t be allowed and the parents should have stepped in. As a 30 year retired educator (teacher and then principal) I can honestly say most kids (and their parents) annoy me!  That behavior would have gleaned the “teacher eye” in their direction for sure. Like most things, it all goes back to parenting. 

Also to clarify, this didn't happen all the time.  We were thinking that the YC should create some dedicated "kids time" pool hours.  That way they kids/families can completely let loose and all the adults know to stay the heck away!  Problem is there probably aren't enough kids on a recurring basis to implement something like that.