Hanging Up My YC Pompoms...

[MsTabbyKats]

Last April, I had the best cruise of my life....Merviglia YC!

But, "You Can't Go Home Again".

We just got off the ship this morning, YC again;  I was expecting the 11 days to be spectacular.  They were good, very good.  We had a nice time.  But, based on my prior YC experience, I set the bar too high.  Somethings specific to YC, somethings for the entire ship....and somethings that probably only affected me.

Last year it was an interior YC cabin; this year balcony deluxe.  The cabin was wonderful, the service great.  Our butler and asst butler did great jobs....down to escorting us off the ship!

The disappointment starts with "no pizza delivery to pool deck".  That was the highlight of my cruise last year....having customized pizza delivery.  Now...it's only in your cabin.  Last year, at the pool deck lunch buffet...raw fish was layed out....and then freshly grilled for you.  Like the poolside pizza....probably not important at all for most people.  Very important for us.

 

I'll be back later with more comments....the laundry is calling right now

[Two Wheels Only]

32 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

The disappointment starts with "no pizza delivery to pool deck". 

 

You might have just gotten a bad staff member. I've had custom fresh pizza delivered to the sundeck on multiple cruises and on multiple ships.

 

MSC's inconsistency (even for Yacht Club) can rub people the wrong way. Someone sailing your ship 2 weeks after you might have no problem getting pizza delivered to the sundeck.

[MsTabbyKats]

8 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

You might have just gotten a bad staff member. I've had custom fresh pizza delivered to the sundeck on multiple cruises and on multiple ships.

 

MSC's inconsistency (even for Yacht Club) can rub people the wrong way. Someone sailing your ship 2 weeks after you might have no problem getting pizza delivered to the sundeck.

I am aware of this.  The bottom line...we paid a lot for this cruise.  We don't really care for YC dining room meals (our issue...other people love it).  We don't drink (DH had one red wine a day and I had 3 wine spritzers for 11 days).  We ended up eating most meals in the main buffet (again...our thing...due to our eating schedules and preferences).  So, if I can't get what I really care about....is it worth paying so much for a beautiful cabin with a wonderful shower.....and great butler service?  I don't think so...which is why I'm (probably) hanging up the pompoms.

[If_this_is_tuesday]

Are you going back to a line you used before or try something new?

[MsTabbyKats]

17 minutes ago, If_this_is_tuesday said:

Are you going back to a line you used before or try something new?

I'll write more later on...about food, about entertainment.

 

We were on CCL a few months ago (in Jan) and my expectations were "not much".  Turns out...that cruise was much better than expected.  The entertainment was very much improved over prior CCL cruises and DH love the "steak and eggs" for brunch. 

 

I'm trying to find "one great thing" about this cruise.  On the first YC sailing, I couldn't say enuf great things....perfect.  This one was ok...but ok isn't good enuf for cheerleading!

 

Presently we have the same itinerary booked for Jan 2025.  My feeing right now (subject to change of course) is that I'll absorb the non-refundable deposit and do the same itineray I did on Carnival instead.

[cellfree]

@MsTabbyKats always interesting to read your posts. Two weeks ago Seashore Yacht Club Interior Cabin was our first Yacht Club experience after 12 MSC cruises, was “almost” up to what I expected after having thoroughly read everything I could find about it. About Room Delivery Pizza, we could not get it delivered to Sun Deck either, were told that ended recently, so had it delivered to Cabin and took it to Sun Deck. We did enjoy the dining room and the beverages, I am the wine drinker and husband drinks protein shakes, seltzer water, etc. From what you said I can certainty understand why you “may” have come to the conclusion that what you pay for what you use is a little out of line. You mentioned Carnival, we actually cruise between Carnival and MSC these days, enjoy both lines, both different experiences. (We always look forward to Carnival’s Brunch Menu and the dining room breakfast menu as well, have our favorites.)

[MsTabbyKats]

Entertainment:

Our first MSC cruise  was on the Divina in 2015.  The entertainment was fabulous.  Because of the international passengers....there were lots of singing/dancing shows.  In addition...there was a famous Italian opera singer who gave an afternoon performance.

This is no longer the case.  Now it's "your run of the mill Americans"...so there are comedians and magicians...much less "musical productions".  Again...personal preference, just not my preference.

I used to say it was the best entertainment at sea...but they're catering to a different audience.

[MsTabbyKats]

@StockjockWe didn't eat at Hola (or any of the specialty restaurants).  However, they had guacamole in the main buffet.  Too bad I didn't have my camera ready....the look on my husband's face when he tasted it (remember....we live in Spanish Harlem...we know what guac is supposed to taste like) was hysterical.  But not as funny as when he tasted the buffet hummus (we're Middle Eastern...we know our hummus)!

[MsTabbyKats]

Another thought....the Brookly cruise terminal vs Manhattan.  Getting off the ship was easy thanks to the butler....but there was chaos at "the uber waiting area"...I guess due to the drizzle.  It would be awful in winter.  Our wait for the car was about 10 minutes.

Without the butler, the line to get off was loooooong.

[MsTabbyKats]

@cellfreeIf I were to go in YC again, it would be in an interior cabin.  Although the balcony deluxe was deluxe...the interior was adequate.  We travel lite...so even the lack of storage space would be ok for us.

This time the butler brought more snacks....maybe because we had more space and a table. 

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Entertainment:

Our first MSC cruise  was on the Divina in 2015.  The entertainment was fabulous.  Because of the international passengers....there were lots of singing/dancing shows.  In addition...there was a famous Italian opera singer who gave an afternoon performance.

This is no longer the case.  Now it's "your run of the mill Americans"...so there are comedians and magicians...much less "musical productions".  Again...personal preference, just not my preference.

I used to say it was the best entertainment at sea...but they're catering to a different audience.

Agree completely, our first MSC was Divina in 2015/2016, very different, we met wonderful International cruisers, probably ratio of 90% to 10% Americans, now that has flipped. My take on this - whether right or wrong - all the complaints MSC got was from cruisers who wanted their experience to be the same as every other cruise line they had ever experienced in America - MSC changed to try to please the complainers. Sad! All this to say though is we do still enjoy our cruises on MSC, just not like they were at one time. 

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@cellfreeIf I were to go in YC again, it would be in an interior cabin.  Although the balcony deluxe was deluxe...the interior was adequate.  We travel lite...so even the lack of storage space would be ok for us.

This time the butler brought more snacks....maybe because we had more space and a table. 

We were “very” pleasantly surprised by the amount of storage in the Interior Cabin on the Seashore. Do not know if the same is true of the other Classes of Ships. Upon returning home I did book an Interior on Seascape. Hoping not too many people read this positive report of the Interior Cabin, there are few and they go quickly!

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed. You were quite happy before. I was hoping MSC was not going to be the same as the other, happy at first and then eventually not. 

[rbelshaw]

7 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

We were on CCL a few months ago (in Jan) and my expectations were "not much".  Turns out...that cruise was much better than expected.

Shhhh...CCL is my secret backstreet belle de nuit. I don't mention YC to disgruntled X refugees, so to avoid fare inflation, let's keep the "fun ships" our little secret, no? 

[no1talks]

I, too, find the increasing "Americanization" of food and entertainment offputting. However, there is an itinerary I want to try as soon as the timing can be made to work.

MSC has a Lesser Antilles run in the Caribbean that equally splits the embarkations in 2025 between Martinique and Guadeloupe. Americans have a harder time getting to those two islands than Europeans might.

Three French airports have direct flights to Martinique and Guadeloupe, but in the US, there is only Miami. (In the case of Guadeloupe, New York has seasonal direct service.)

This difference in direct flight access causes me to hope those cruises still maintain more of the original MSC experience.

[jean87510]

6 hours ago, no1talks said:

I, too, find the increasing "Americanization" of food and entertainment offputting. However, there is an itinerary I want to try as soon as the timing can be made to work.

MSC has a Lesser Antilles run in the Caribbean that equally splits the embarkations in 2025 between Martinique and Guadeloupe. Americans have a harder time getting to those two islands than Europeans might.

Three French airports have direct flights to Martinique and Guadeloupe, but in the US, there is only Miami. (In the case of Guadeloupe, New York has seasonal direct service.)

This difference in direct flight access causes me to hope those cruises still maintain more of the original MSC experience.

I actually was looking at those 2025 runs as although I love MSC YC, I really cruise for the ports and unfortunately, Nassau and CocoCay don't interest me anymore.  And am starting to avoid itineraries with Costa Maya and Cozumel as well.  The southern Caribbean is much more appealing to us as avid snorkelers although we may be ruined as we just got back from Sydney to Tahiti cruise.

 

I do have a 4 day upcoming with my daughter on the Seashore YC in June plus a 3 day in November on the Seashore YC.  Not expecting too much as the 3 and 4 days are a little different from 7 days experiences.  

[wolft927]

15 hours ago, cellfree said:

We were “very” pleasantly surprised by the amount of storage in the Interior Cabin on the Seashore. Do not know if the same is true of the other Classes of Ships. Upon returning home I did book an Interior on Seascape. Hoping not too many people read this positive report of the Interior Cabin, there are few and they go quickly!

We are sailing MSC for the First time in September, we typically do Haven with NCL, but for $3200 all in for a YC interior it was a no brainer to give it a try. Your right they do go fast, we booked over a year out. We were going to try and sneak a Interior YC cruise during the summer but they are all sold out. 

[cellfree]

7 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

We are sailing MSC for the First time in September, we typically do Haven with NCL, but for $3200 all in for a YC interior it was a no brainer to give it a try. Your right they do go fast, we booked over a year out. We were going to try and sneak a Interior YC cruise during the summer but they are all sold out. 

Let’s keep it a secret!

[wolft927]

🙊

[morpheusofthesea]

Yes.

Edited April 19 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

1 minute ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Yes, same thing happened to us. We tried a suite on Regent Seven Seas last month and are glad we have this upcoming cruise in the Yacht Club. We cancelled two future cruises we had booked on Regent in the same suite.

Thomas Carlyle once wrote " The past is always attractive because it is drained of fear." In our case the Regent cruise is not far enough in the past.

 

Edited April 19 by morpheusofthesea

[MsTabbyKats]

1 hour ago, wolft927 said:

We are sailing MSC for the First time in September, we typically do Haven with NCL, but for $3200 all in for a YC interior it was a no brainer to give it a try. Your right they do go fast, we booked over a year out. We were going to try and sneak a Interior YC cruise during the summer but they are all sold out. 

Yes....it's the same great service, cabin size/cost doesn't affect anything.

I never should have waved those pompoms and let the secret out!

 

Just a note:  My husband didn't share my disappointment.  His main complaint was "itinerary"....3 sea days in a row with "too cool and windy" for the YC pool deck was boring.  That he couldn't get freshly grilled fish bothered me more than it did him.

[Morgsmom]

21 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Presently we have the same itinerary booked for Jan 2025.  My feeing right now (subject to change of course) is that I'll absorb the non-refundable deposit and do the same itineray I did on Carnival instead.

@MsTabbyKats   Others have reported moving their non refundable YC booking deposit to a new cruise (using their one free cruise move) but NOT in a YC cabin.  Then cancelling that far enough out to not have any penalty and get a refund.  Seems worth a try other than just losing the $398

[MsTabbyKats]

37 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

@MsTabbyKats   Others have reported moving their non refundable YC booking deposit to a new cruise (using their one free cruise move) but NOT in a YC cabin.  Then cancelling that far enough out to not have any penalty and get a refund.  Seems worth a try other than just losing the $398

Thanks....great advice.  But I already used my "one free move" option so it's highly unlikely I can go that route. 

TA is on vacation now; will see if there are any options upon her return.

 

[reedprincess]

13 hours ago, no1talks said:

I, too, find the increasing "Americanization" of food and entertainment offputting. However, there is an itinerary I want to try as soon as the timing can be made to work.

MSC has a Lesser Antilles run in the Caribbean that equally splits the embarkations in 2025 between Martinique and Guadeloupe. Americans have a harder time getting to those two islands than Europeans might.

Three French airports have direct flights to Martinique and Guadeloupe, but in the US, there is only Miami. (In the case of Guadeloupe, New York has seasonal direct service.)

This difference in direct flight access causes me to hope those cruises still maintain more of the original MSC experience.

Have a Martinique sailing coming up later this year, and probably at least 2 more next year.

The demographics aboard are very different than the US based sailings. Much closer to what they were in US sailings more than 10 years ago or so, although even heavier on French and Caribbean.  

They're hugely popular with Caribbean nationals as we don't need US or Schengen visas (French Overseas Territory and all), and many can fly directly from their island for pretty cheap, or take the ferry, even less expensive....  

You'll get a much more diverse demographic, for sure... Port intensive though!  Doesn't bother us at all, given where we live - but for those who want to experience every port, can be tiring....

Definitely give it a try for some variety...