Preziosa Yacht Club Disappointing

[mnocket]

Wow, just boarded the Preziosa today, and all I can say is that the Yacht Club experience on this ship sailing out of Hamburg is nothing like the Seaside out of Miami.  Virtually everything about this first day has fallen short of prior Yacht Club experiences. 

 

Greated at the curbside YC luggage drop-off tent and efficiently escorted to a nice boarding lounge? Nope. No pop-up white YC tent - just a stand surrounded by luggage with no one there. Crowd of about a dozen gathers and finally a butler shows up. Check luggage and then stand around until the lone butler checks all those waiting in. Then group escorted to rather basic YC waiting area and abandoned until someone shows up and slowly starts checking people in. Just sitting there and watching non-YC guests move through their boarding process and up onto the ship. Finally another butler arrives and escorts large group up gangway where we passed off to another butler who takes us up a way overloaded elevator and drops us at the YC entrance and tells us to go forward to the Top Sail Lounge. There we wait for the YC manager or butler to give an introductory talk and escort people to their cabins. Never happened. Made our own way to cabin. Back to TSL for drinks.  10 minutes to order, then 30 more for drinks to arrive.  40 minutes total to get drinks is not what I expect in YC. TSL wasn't even very crowded. Luggage shows up at 6:30 as we are headed to dinner. We were lucky. The couple we are traveling with didn't get their luggage until 9:45. We met our butler, but traveling companions still haven't.  Requested bottle of liquor hasn't shown up in cabin. The Preziosa just became a "smart" ship last week, still almost everyone had trouble connecting to internet - and even worse time trying to download MSC app. YC Staff seemed as bewildered as everyone else. No ship deck plan available on the app or as hardcopy. Dinner was just OK. My tuna steak was WAY overcooked despite asking for medium rare (should one even have to specify that?). A chef should know how to properly cook fish. Replacement was cooked better,  but tuna steak was still too thin to really cook properly. 

 

Here's hoping things pick up tomorrow.

 

[bigblue1952]

I hope things get better for you as we board the Preziosa next month.  Looking forward to your review.

[Pizaz]

Oh, this is disheartening to hear as I board Preziosa in YC for a 21-day B2B on 18 August.  Please keep us updated if your experience improves.  Interested the ship moved to a Smart Ship... Does this mean the App works now?

[MeiFong]

Sorry to read you're disappointed with Preziosa. DH and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the North Cape last month. I don't mean to be rude, but maybe you should adjust your expectations. You're on an older MSC ship, sailing in Europe with lots of Europeans. Some things will be different to sailing in the US.

 

Looking for a white Yacht Club teny makes no sense, since the Yacht Club tent is dark blue for this ship 😉 

Is the way luggage drop-off is handled in Hamburg convenient? Not necessarily but it gets the job done. And just remember that you were escorted to a place where you could sit and get a drink and something to eat while waiting, while non-yacht club passengers had to do the zigzag dance. By the way, the people doing the check-in are not MSC employees but port of Hamburg personnel.

The first day is always busy for butlers so things might go different that anticipated. While it is not nice to have to wait and not get the explanation you're expecting did you really miss it? You've obviously sailed in Yacht Club before so do know most things already. And you can always ask at the concierge for assistance.

 

I don't remember having to wait to long for drinks order. Sitting in the Top Sail lounge, looking outside or at other passengers I actually didn't mind waiting, but I'm also someone who will walk up to the bar to check if the order came through if I'm of the opinion that things are taking too long. As long as you smile and say thanks the staff will do almost anything for you. Sometimes there can be some language issues. Most staff members not only speak their mother tongue but also English, French, Italian and/or Spanish. I think that is amazing and yes that does mean that some words are pronounced differently than you would expect and not always everything is directly understood.

Regarding your tuna, sorry to read it wasn't cooked to your order (and yes, just like beef you do need to specify, it is not a given that it is cooked medium rare). But I'm glad that got rectified (a little). My husband is lactose intolerant and the chefs (there are multiple) were actually amazing at adjusting things so he could have them. I'm not a fish and/or seafood eater myself, but DH loved his fish and seafood meals.

 

When we were on the app wasn't available. It is a stupid move of MSC to change that in the middle of the summer season. And I do understand that the staff members don't know much about using the app. They have to learn, just like the passengers. MSC could definitely have handled that better, like moving to the app in a less busy season.

 

I'm not saying your feelings aren't valid, but it does seem to me you're looking for the negative and forgetting about the positive. And I do want to give hope to others that Preziosa Yacht Club is lovely. And yes, it probably will be different to Yacht Club on US sailings (I've only sailed MSC in Europe).

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise to the North cape and beyond. Be prepared for fog 😉 and also be prepared that being in the Yacht club you can hear the fog horn very well. That is one thing that takes some getting used to.

[chrisgp999]

On 8/4/2024 at 3:25 PM, mnocket said:

Wow, just boarded the Preziosa today, and all I can say is that the Yacht Club experience on this ship sailing out of Hamburg is nothing like the Seaside out of Miami.  Virtually everything about this first day has fallen short of prior Yacht Club experiences. 

 

Greated at the curbside YC luggage drop-off tent and efficiently escorted to a nice boarding lounge? Nope. No pop-up white YC tent - just a stand surrounded by luggage with no one there. Crowd of about a dozen gathers and finally a butler shows up. Check luggage and then stand around until the lone butler checks all those waiting in. Then group escorted to rather basic YC waiting area and abandoned until someone shows up and slowly starts checking people in. Just sitting there and watching non-YC guests move through their boarding process and up onto the ship. Finally another butler arrives and escorts large group up gangway where we passed off to another butler who takes us up a way overloaded elevator and drops us at the YC entrance and tells us to go forward to the Top Sail Lounge. There we wait for the YC manager or butler to give an introductory talk and escort people to their cabins. Never happened. Made our own way to cabin. Back to TSL for drinks.  10 minutes to order, then 30 more for drinks to arrive.  40 minutes total to get drinks is not what I expect in YC. TSL wasn't even very crowded. Luggage shows up at 6:30 as we are headed to dinner. We were lucky. The couple we are traveling with didn't get their luggage until 9:45. We met our butler, but traveling companions still haven't.  Requested bottle of liquor hasn't shown up in cabin. The Preziosa just became a "smart" ship last week, still almost everyone had trouble connecting to internet - and even worse time trying to download MSC app. YC Staff seemed as bewildered as everyone else. No ship deck plan available on the app or as hardcopy. Dinner was just OK. My tuna steak was WAY overcooked despite asking for medium rare (should one even have to specify that?). A chef should know how to properly cook fish. Replacement was cooked better,  but tuna steak was still too thin to really cook properly. 

 

Here's hoping things pick up tomorrow.

 

Have you voiced your concerns to the YC Manager?  If he/she is good at their job, this should get immediate results.  You might even get a free speciality restaurant dinner, or some other perk as compensation for your poor experience.  In fact, if the YC Manager does not take care of the problem and/or does not offer you something for your troubles, I believe you have found the source of the poor YC experience.  Then it's time to speak with the Hotel Director.

[mnocket]

On 8/5/2024 at 8:22 PM, MeiFong said:

I don't mean to be rude, but maybe you should adjust your expectations

Yes, I must. My expectations were that the YC on Preziosa would largely resemble the YC experiences I've had on their newer ships out of Miami.  That clearly is not the case. Certainly some of the differences result from the age of the ship. I knew the restaurant was outside the YC itself, and  at the other end of the ship. That was not a surprise. What has been a surprise is the relatively lower quality of the food & preparation. Perhaps this stems from the YC restaurant being served by the main kitchen? I really don't know.  I also knew from reading other reviews that the pooldeck buffet was smaller than on the other ships. However, I am surprised at how much smaller and inferior it is. 

 

Simply put... excuses aside, the YC on the Preziosa suffers in comparison to that on the newer ships. I am adjusting my expectations.  Looking forward, when sailing on MSC I will restrict my bookings to the newer ships where the value proposition is much higher. I don't think the YC upcharge is worth it on the Preziosa. Just one person's opinion. I'm sure there are many who will disagree. 

[ConnieTact]

On 8/7/2024 at 9:29 AM, mnocket said:

Yes, I must. My expectations were that the YC on Preziosa would largely resemble the YC experiences I've had on their newer ships out of Miami.  That clearly is not the case. Certainly some of the differences result from the age of the ship. I knew the restaurant was outside the YC itself, and  at the other end of the ship. That was not a surprise. What has been a surprise is the relatively lower quality of the food & preparation. Perhaps this stems from the YC restaurant being served by the main kitchen? I really don't know.  I also knew from reading other reviews that the pooldeck buffet was smaller than on the other ships. However, I am surprised at how much smaller and inferior it is. 

 

Simply put... excuses aside, the YC on the Preziosa suffers in comparison to that on the newer ships. I am adjusting my expectations.  Looking forward, when sailing on MSC I will restrict my bookings to the newer ships where the value proposition is much higher. I don't think the YC upcharge is worth it on the Preziosa. Just one person's opinion. I'm sure there are many who will disagree. 

I’m glad to know this before I book. I enjoy the newer ships YC offerings.

[kelleherdl]

We sailed Preziosa in Europe for two weeks last year. We had previously sailed Preziosa for two weeks three years ago in the Caribbean. We also sailed Divina several times and personally enjoy the YC difference on the Fantasia-class ships. But we understand that some who prefer the Seaside and Meraviglia - class ships prefer the more contained and more expansive YC experience. That said, we found that our overall experience on the Fantasia ships was just as appealing as the larger/newer ships. I find the Pool One area and bar/grill is far more friendly and personal on the Fantasia-class. I strongly suggest you speak with the YC Director. Most of them have also directed or were managers in YC’s on the larger ships. I know them to be very receptive to comments on your feelings about the ‘difference’ in the YC experience.  I’m sure they will do what they can to make the rest of your cruise as pleasant as you expected.

Edited August 14 by kelleherdl

[patrice1]

Just an observation, having lived in Portugal for 6 years and visited many other European countries, and being a lover of tuna, unless it’s sashimi, tuna is always cooked to well or medium well. I think rare to medium rare tuna is an American thing.

[dexddd]

Yes, YC should be top notch.  Is it always, no.  In fact, our last was so so.

 

But I do find a bit of nitpicking by OP.

[Ryan82]

Have they added preziosa to the msc for me app?

[oceans.calling]

Yes. 

[mnocket]

OK, our cruise just ended yesterday.  Setting aside the poor boarding experience, Service otherwise has turned out to be every bit as good as I've experienced on the newer ships.  The YC manager Pepe has been outstanding.  He somehow managed to be everywhere at once.   However, the dining experience didn't really improve.  Perhaps as others have mentioned it's just that European tastes differ from mine.  That said, from my perspective the meals didn't live up to the expectations established on the newer ships sailing from Miami - not by a longshot. 

[DMH15]

On NCL Sun I loved being in an aft PH Suite with the huge balcony.  We had Il Adagio for breakfast and lunch.  Specialty or Specialty ensuite dinners.  I loved that ship and that suite.  Cruised twice 25 days total.  Even though it was older it was a real great experience.  
 

No Haven but only 20 suites made it special. 

Edited August 20 by DMH15