Europeantraveler1

I leave for an MSC Med cruise in 6 days, so I'll let you know! I can say, just from my research (and I'm a pretty research-intense person when it comes to my vacations), their ships have significantly less of the "bells and whistles" in the Med. Their newer ships have a few more, but are mostly in the Caribbean. That said, I agree with some of the other posters that it would be nice to decide what to focus on: cool ship (in which case, save on airfare and stay closer to home), or port-intensive. Given the boys ages, some ships MIGHT allow them to stay on-board while the adults go ashore, which might give you the best of both worlds if they get tired of "looking at piles of rocks", as castles were once described to me.

 

As a side note, my daughters got excited about our upcoming trip because we watched the MSC episode of "Might Cruise Ships" on the Smithsonian channel. You may not be able to find the exact combo of ports and ship you're looking for, but the boys might get some better ideas of their options if they watch a few.

 

Happy Sailing!

My grandsons are great kids and will go with the flow! I’ll try to find the “Mighty Cruise Ships” you mentioned! And, I’ll look forward to your observations/experiences on your MSC Med cruise report!! Thanks!

What’s the price difference between Oasis and YC Seaside? We are sailing on the MSC Meraviglia in the Mediterranean in an Aurea Duplex Suite. The cost for a family of 4 is roughly $4K. A cruise in a Crown Loft Suite (the equivalent accommodation on an Oasis ship on Royal) would’ve been $17K! [emoji33]

 

 

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So, does Meraviglia have the Yacht Club option? I think it does if I remember correctly. How does YC prices compare to something comparable on the Oasis?

An interesting discussion on the royal forum about trying to drink beer on your balcony: no drink packages include the mini-bar and you only can have one drink from a bar, at one time. MSC's comped mini-bar would make YC the better bet, if you like drinks in your cabin, or balcony.

Oh yes! Drinks on the balcony sounds quite dreamy!! ;)

I appreciate ALL comments! It is making our decision a lot easier!!!

BTW...I did entitle my post as specific to a MCS “YC” experience. So I agree that those who wrote they would never cruise again on MCS very likely did NOT cruise “YC”. Thanks everyone! BTW....did you all who cruised “YC” pay full-price or did you take advantage of a special, discounted price???

Oasis for sure. There is so much to do. I sailed MSC Seaside in January and will never go on MSC again.

Were you in YC??

I am scouring CC for reviews and comments for those of you who have sailed RCL Oasis and have also sailed MSC YC Seaside!!

Please share your experiences and observations and thoughts! We are planning on a 2020 June W. Med cruise with family (including 13 and 15 year-old grandsons).

We want it to be a great experience for both adults and grandsons.

Thank you!!

Then a peek at the Lounge and Restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m very curious to view all your pictures but,.......’3rd Party Hosting has been temporarily disabled”!! :0(

To TrinaLC:

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated!

So, it sounds like you’ve sailed on MSC in the YC staterooms on previous occasions. Your comment, “YC dining food quality did seem to improve”. Was the food mediocre in the past? And, how has it improved, in your opinion? What other cruiseline that you’ve sailed is comparable/same/better?

We are contemplating different cruiselines for a 2020 Western Med. cruise for our family to help us celebration our 50th wedding anniversary. We’d like to get the most bang for our buck but I’m really interested in the comments/opinions on the food in the YC. I have read that service is excellent; rooms are nice; etc..etc..

Thanks so much!!

I’m a ‘newbie’ on river cruising and my husband and I booked a Sept. 2019 river cruise with Avalon just last month. Now we see the exact same category of staterooms for that same week, are $200 p/p lower than what we booked at.

Does anyone know....will Avalon honor the current sale price now advertised to those of us who paid the full price last month?

Thank you all!!

We made a reservation in Feb. for a fall, 2019 river cruise with Avalon.

Now we see that Avalon is having a sale at almost $200/p/p less for the same, exact cruise and room category as what we booked last month.

Does anyone know......will Avalon honor the sale price for those of us who paid the higher price for the same staterooms (just a month ago) and are now on sale?

Thanks to all of you who posted!!! Happy Sailing!!

I appreciate all of your honest points-of-view!!! All very helpful! THANKS!!

Spicy babe.....do you have a preference (Divina or Seaside)?

Thanks! I appreciate your comments!!

I’ve read so much about how MSC is attempting to capture the American segment of the cruising industry. It’s understandable because that is a HUGE population that is eager to cruise....all over the world!

I’ve also been reading about the different MSC ships, especially the newer ones that have just been introduced and the newest one about to debut....Seaview. All the posts have been positive about their beauty and new technology aboard! Bravo, MSC!!!

However, one thing that has been mentioned so very often is,......the food. :0( There have been comments concerning the quality of the food lacking. It seems to be a familiar thread. Passengers comment favorably about the ship and then....the disappointment with how the food is prepared (not hot enough; not cold enough; tasteless; bland; repetitive; not enough of variety, etc...) causes some of them to end their posts with the fact they’d never cruise again on MSC.

We are hooked on cruising (having taken a number of cruises on Princess; HAL; Oceania and years ago, NCL) and have been fortunate to be able to book cruises about twice a year. Our interest in MSC is most recent and we would really like to try MSC. But, I am a little hesitant to spend the thousands of dollars just to ‘try it out’. Any ship can be the loveliest of them all, but if the food is so inferior and lacking, as so many of you have posted, then perhaps I need to continue to look at other options out there.

I’m hoping that cruiseship companies really do read these wonderful posts (both positive and negative) and glean from them suggestions and comments that help them correct the negatives and keep the positives. I’m hopeful that MSC will improve in the ‘food’ department! We really would like to give them a try!! In the meantime, I’ll continue to scan these very helpful posts from all of you!

Thanks for listening! ;0)

Just a FYI especially if you are in yacht club. You can go to the concierge and get a blank key that you can out in the wall so you don’t have to use your key card for lights and air and can keep air going all the time

 

 

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Can’t you just use any plastic ‘credit card’ or does it have to be from the concierge?

Thanks for your insights! My husband and I are trying to settle on either the (YC) Seaview med. cruise or (YC) Divina western med. cruises (5 adults/2 teenage grandsons) for a 2020 cruise to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I am a ‘foodie’ so I’m keeping an eye on comments pertaining to what the YC offers in that department versus the ships MDR. Sounds like it is pretty similar fare....:0(

So basically the difference in price gives you a ‘little’ bit bigger stateroom/veranda; butler service; your own ‘ship in a ship’ atmosphere...anything else I’ve missed? Hopefully, MSC management will read these blogs and perhaps upgrade their menu/food offerings for the YC’ers. When I cruise, I’d like to be able to look forward to eating wonderful meals that I would normally NEVER prepare at home (don’t have the time)! Everything else in the ‘experience’ can be wonderful but if the food is just blah.....then it becomes a huge letdown.

Here’s wishing you an enjoyable and memory-making cruise!!! Thanks again!!

Thanks for your insights! My husband and I are trying to settle on either the (YC) Seaview med. cruise or (YC) Divina western med. cruises (5 adults/2 teenage grandsons) for a 2020 cruise to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I am a ‘foodie’ so I’m keeping an eye on comments pertaining to what the YC offers in that department versus the ships MDR. Sounds like it is pretty similar fare....:0(

So basically the difference in price gives you a ‘little’ bit bigger stateroom/veranda; butler service; your own ‘ship in a ship’ atmosphere...anything else I’ve missed? Hopefully, MSC management will read these blogs and perhaps upgrade their menu/food offerings for the YC’ers. When I cruise, I’d like to be able to look forward to eating wonderful meals that I would normally NEVER prepare at home (don’t have the time)! Everything else in the ‘experience’ can be wonderful but if the food is just blah.....then it becomes a huge letdown.

Many thanks for your experiences and comments!

Does anyone know.......is it possible to reserve ONE YC Deluxe suite for 2 adults plus 1 child?When I go to “Expedia”, they are allowing me to enter two adults with one child for a YC Deluxe Suite but then on other sites it describes the YC Deluxe Suite as accomodating a maximum of 2.

Thanks all!

Thank you! We are three-star Mariner’s on HAL. So, this will help with the costs of the cruise!

We’d like to book a cruise in the YC staterooms and know there is a dedicated restaurant for that. But we’d probably still like to eat in some of the specialty restaurants. But.......we’re having a hard time finding where MSC lists the extra cost(s) of specialty dining. HELP!?!?!

My husband and I are:

Mariners on HAL

Ruby on Princess

Can anyone tell us what our status on MSC would be?

THANKS!!

Personally I love Celebrity. They are probably my favorite large ship cruise line. This being said, they are not the best choice for kids. Yes they have kids activities and centers for the kids, but it's mostly an adult cruise line (one reason I like it). You won't find the water parks, ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, zip lines, etc. on Celebrity. It's much more subdued (not as much as Oceania) and low key. I think food on Celebrity is very good. Not as good as Oceania but much better than MSC, even in the YC.

 

I would highly recommend the Oasis Class. I've sailed on all three multiple times and I really love these ships. They are designed incredibly well with "neighborhoods" and I find them to feel less crowded than many ships half their size. There is truly something for everyone onboard. Now I've only sailed them on Caribbean cruises which they are really suited for, so I can't comment on how they would be on a port intensive European itinerary. Usually for those types of cruises I like smaller ships mainly for the ease of getting on and off the ship, and shore excursions with less people. For your 13 and 15 year old grand kids though I can't think of a better ship. They will be blown away and probably won't want to sail on anything else. Even your daughters in their 30's and 40's will probably love it. Regarding the food, well it varies. The MDR food is nothing to write home about but I would still say it's better than MSC. The best roast beef sandwich I've ever had is at the Park Cafe onboard, and it's included. Great place to enjoy lunch. The speciality restaurants are quite good, and you could literally dine in one every night (I've done it). 150 Central Park is on par with what you would find on Oceania (gourmet), and there are many others worth trying (steak, Asian, Italian, etc). Usually Royal will offer a couple dining packages which actually make them more affordable. The best thing about the Oasis Class is choice. Something for everything and tons to do. Yes you can get away from it all as well if you want to.

 

Here is a link to one of my photo albums from Oasis. You can get a good idea of what to expect on the ship from it.

You are so kind to include your experiences and photos! Again,....thank you!

I’ve been scanning all I can about Oasis of the Seas. There are a lot of comments about how ‘tired’ and ‘in need of upgrading’ this ship requires. One article I found mentioned it will go into dry dock in 2019 but no details as to what they plan on doing. I’d sure like to know RCL plans concerning Oasis of the Seas before I’d make any reservations! It would be a real bummer if all this planning (and thousands of dollars) was marred by a cruising on a ship that was in dire need of some TLC. :0(

I'm glad you enjoyed the review!

 

I have also sailed on Oceania's RIVIERA and quite enjoyed it. I'll let you know up front the experience on MSC will be quite different even in the Yacht Club. In general Oceania is much more sedate than MSC. Service is more polished I would say and overall the ship has a much more elegant feel. It's an ultra-premium experience where MSC is mass-market. Mind you there are many aspects of the Yacht Club that are ultra-premium but just keep in mind that the rest of the ship is mass-market, which means a much more busy, crowded, loud, and activity filled experience. I'll also mention that cuisine on RIVIERA was probably the best I've experience at sea, and in no way does MSC's compare even in the Yacht Club. That is just my personal opinion. So my best advice is go with an open mind and enjoy the experience for what it is, and try not to compare everything to past cruises.

 

I do believe you can take advantage of any new promotions or rate reductions prior to final payment time. At least that is the way it works in the US. Deposits here are generally refundable, so worse case scenario you can always cancel and rebook with no penalty. I know it's different in other countries and I'm not sure where you're from. I know in the UK deposits are generally not refundable so different circumstances and rules there.

 

Hope this helps!

Hello again! Thank you for your insights and opinions!! I really appreciate your experience on so many cruiselines.

Having two, young grandsons (13 and 15) and our daughters (and son-in-law) in their early 30’s and 40’s, there wasn’t a thought to cruise with them on Oceania as that clientele is much older (mostly retirees) AND it would be pretty pricey! I’ll save the Riviera or Mariner for another, future cruise for the two of us! I LOVE OCEANIA!

I was however wondering if you had cruised Celebrity or Royal Carribean? I’m sure whatever we end up sailing on will be a wonderful cruise but what I’m trying to do is find a ship (line) that will pretty much satisfy everyone. I’d like to sail on a ship where there is entertainment options for the boys (not overwhelmingly so) AND the adults? The Oasis of the Seas offers a cruise for the western med. area that would work but it is HUGE! It might be too many bells and whistles so that might be over-doing it as far as entertainment for our grandsons, especially with our port-extensive itinerary. I’d be interested to know how the food rates on RCL (more important for us adults than for the boys).

I’m also looking at Celebrity’s, The Edge. Again, I’d be curious to know how the food rates on Celebrity. Just trying to find something that ‘fits’ our group.

MSC’s Divina (YC) is still a contender!!