Just boarded MSC Virtuosa

[emmas gran]

There maybe some who say why am I posting here, information that Jamie Petts is the Hotel Director. Someone else that has left Celebrity 

[Jim_Iain]

Have a wonderful cruise.  

[TeeRick]

10 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

There maybe some who say why am I posting here, information that Jamie Petts is the Hotel Director. Someone else that has left Celebrity 

What type of cabin?  Looking forward to your comparison to Celebrity.  Have a great cruise!

[NutsAboutGolf]

22 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

There maybe some who say why am I posting here, information that Jamie Petts is the Hotel Director. Someone else that has left Celebrity 

 

If this thread gets moved to MSC, start a new thread on here in X and mention Celebrity in the thread title.  Something like "Previous Celebrity cruiser just boarded the..."

[1Virgo]

have a great cruise and please share your thoughts about MSC 

[emmas gran]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

What type of cabin?  Looking forward to your comparison to Celebrity.  Have a great cruise!

I’m YC balcony, to be honest that’s all we sail, it can be a bit of a zoo outside YC depending on the itinerary. It’s 7th YC the first was January 2019

Edited September 9, 2023 by emmas gran
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[TeeRick]

36 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

I’m YC balcony, to be honest that’s all we sail, it can be a bit of a zoo outside YC depending on the itinerary. It’s 7th YC the first was January 2019

Thanks!  Looking for a current hopefully more detailed comparison of YC to the Retreat on Celebrity.

[39august]

How does the YC work with a balcony cabin, please? Do you get a dedicated dining area? Drinks included? Gratuities?

[Lena11033]

21 minutes ago, 39august said:

How does the YC work with a balcony cabin, please? Do you get a dedicated dining area? Drinks included? Gratuities?

 

There's a dedicated dining area, lounge and outside there is a pool area with loungers, cabanas, hot tub and an area to get food and drink.

 

Drinks, wifi and butler included as well as mini bar (drinks around the ship are covered up to a certain amount) - I think there was a caveat that with the Toblerone included in the mini bar first was free after that you had to pay. But honestly they bring afternoon canapes, food in the lounge, plus meals and Venchi chocolate for turn down I couldn't even finish the first one. Also had included a free bottle of alcohol for my room which I ended up taking home (Bombay Saphire) - I had a deluxe suite

In the lounge in the afternoons they do afternoon tea.

 

Gratuities, when I did it a couple of months back they charged after but I booked like 3 weeks before the trip for my next one I prepaid.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Lena11033

[George C]

I definitely thought suite lounge was superior to celebrity with live music , enjoyed there food , outdoor area was way less crowded than edge class with a bigger lunch menu .

[deliver42]

The Yacht Club package MSC offers is better and more reasonably priced than anyone, on my opinion. The only place it falls a little is the Deluxe suite isn't much bibber than a normal balcony cabin on most cruise lines. Another problem is when you leave the Yacht Club, you think a tornado took you from Kansas to Carnival. LOL.

[horseymike]

Hope you have a great cruise 🚢.

Looking forward to hearing back from you about your experience. 👍🍀🌴

[miched]

We booked a MSC YC Feb 2024.  First timer.  We decided to give it a try and if it is really great we will cancel the 8 remaining cruises with X and forfeit the $200/ cruise.  A small price to pay instead of paying out thousands for stuff that we will no longer get because of X changing the rules during the game.  

 

2 questions

 

Can you switch between devices with the WI-FI?

 

Is the drink pack that is included in the YC their highest level drink pack?

 

Thanks

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[billc23]

Have a great cruise. I am looking forward to your comparison to Celebrity Retreat. I am looking for an alternative to Royal or Celebrity when traveling with my multigenerational family (OK, adult children and grandkids). MSC may fit the bill.

[hcat]

the ship itself looks gigantic

how did they handle embarkation?

[CruisinBanka]

Enjoy your cruise! Looking forward to your review and comparison to Celebrity. 

[chemmo]

20 hours ago, emmas gran said:

There maybe some who say why am I posting here, information that Jamie Petts is the Hotel Director. Someone else that has left Celebrity 

Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise. What is your itinerary?

 

Like many others, very interested in your comparisons…
 

We got to know Jamie quite well having cruised with him I think three times on the Eclipse…Perhaps staff as well as customers are considering alternative cruise lines…

[Mark_T]

16 hours ago, miched said:

Can you switch between devices with the WI-FI?

 

Is the drink pack that is included in the YC their highest level drink pack?

Switching between devices is a little ship dependent, some you can others not...

 

...but each person in a YC cabin gets 2 devices anyway, so often no need to switch.

 

The included drink package is the top level - 'Premium Extra'.

 

[emmas gran]

16 hours ago, hcat said:

the ship itself looks gigantic

how did they handle embarkation?

YC tent and check in no problem at all at 11 am on board by 11.20 glass of champagne in hand.. I am sure you would enjoy, met a couple from Australia who toured UK for 19 days now doing this cruise before flying home.

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by emmas gran

[Mark_T]

6 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

YC tent and check in no problem at all at 11 am on board by 11.20 glass of champagne in hand..

Just the way it should always be done 🙂

 

For comparison with Celebrity, there is a greater degree of separation from the moment you arrive as the first contact point is generally outside where you drop your bags at the YC tent.

 

Decadent perhaps, but with YC you have no idea how the rest of the boarding takes place you just get whisked past it all.

 

We greatly enjoyed our first YC in June, and will be doing our 2nd in Feb.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Mark_T

[emmas gran]

The itinerary is Lisbon, then Canary Islands , Vigo Spain. There was a YC reception at noon with HD , Captain and YC staff we are waiting to see if we will call at Morocco in view of recent earthquakes so left that out for now.

 

Jamie and officers very visible and the YC director visited every table after the reception to greet passengers there are just over 200 in YC

Edited September 10, 2023 by emmas gran
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[the penguins]

On 9/9/2023 at 2:58 PM, emmas gran said:

There maybe some who say why am I posting here, information that Jamie Petts is the Hotel Director. Someone else that has left Celebrity 

If you have a chance say hello from us and ask if he remembers the "invisible dog" Silhouette Transatlantic 2019.

Geoff and Anita originally from Whitstable

 

[George C]

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

Switching between devices is a little ship dependent, some you can others not...

 

...but each person in a YC cabin gets 2 devices anyway, so often no need to switch.

 

The included drink package is the top level - 'Premium Extra'.

 

There was an option several years ago that included every drink they served such as Johnny Walker Blue and XO cognacs it was an extra 17 or 18 a day does that still exist .

[Mark_T]

Just now, George C said:

There was an option several years ago that included every drink they served such as Johnny Walker Blue and XO cognacs it was an extra 17 or 18 a day does that still exist .

No, that seems to have gone, this is the full list now:

[JBare]

We are currently on Silhouette and left just before you.