talljules1

We got our email today. I will complete the form, but will also print off our choices so we can hand the list to our butler on embarkation on Saturday.

9 minutes ago, KforKitty said:

Hi, Jules 👋, enjoy your cruise.

 

I’m not cyber-stalking you, honestly 😉 but I saw you here and thought I should say hello.  I’m back at work on Tuesday but go on the NCL Star Scotland/Norway cruise on Wednesday!
 

Catherine

 

Cool!! Glad you are on the mend - and enjoy your cruise too!!

Yes, with MSC you have to get them from your TA.

(With Celebrity we can print off our own even though we book via a TA. MSC require you to get them from your TA.)

I hope it all works out for you.

Cruise lines can, and often do, remove or change ports. On our Celebrity cruise to Iceland last year, our stop in St Peters' Port changed to Portland at the start of the cruise. For our forthcoming cruise to Iceland and Norway on MSC, our stop in Stornoway has been removed and we now overnight in Reykjavik.  Such changes are common, and there's nothing you can do about them - there's a common clause in the cruise contract.

But I've never had it where the length of the cruise and the destination port changed. I'd be mad - that could be v. expensive in sorting out flights, and of course it's very disappointing. 

I'd be on the phone - either to my TA or, if booked with the cruise line, with them. to find out what's going on. I'd be expecting some adjustment in the price at the very least, and perhaps more if I had already booked flights.

2 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Why do you have to get the tickets and luggage tags through your TA?
 

My upcoming cruise says the same thing. Ive booked many cruises with TA’s on many cruise lines but never had to go through my TA for my documents. (Confused)

We had exactly the same concern. All checked in on the MSC site and all info provided, but both the website and App said we had to get our tickets from our TA, and would not let us get them directly. Luckily we got ours from our TA this week.

However, it occurs to me that whilst it would have been worrying, it would have been fine because we had the app showing our booking and we could have used that (though I would have felt miffed having bought MSC-sized luggage label holders!).

OP - don't panic. It will be OK. You could print out your booking confirmation and have your booking on the app, and everything can be done at the port. The porters will be able to tag your luggage.

We set sail on Virtuosa in a week, and are lucky to have a YC Duplex suite.  A few questions:

1 I know in the top suites on Celebrity the butler will lay on a party for you and guests on request (not that we have ever done this). We always meet nice people on our cruises. Is this this something that the butlers will do for you in YC? And if so, is there a charge? (Assume we'd only be inviting fellow guests from the YC - I know you can't bring in people from outside (and we don't plan to spend much time outside the YC)

2. Movies in the room - I gather that MSC charge for movies on the TV in the room. We like to have something to fall to sleep to. Any idea on cost?  Wondering about bringing a laptop to play movies - any way to link this to the TV, or is it not worth the bother. (We're lucky - the cost of this cruise is WAY less than we would have paid for a similar sized room on Celebrity, so happy to pay if we have to)

3. We like to have nibbles in the room when we retire - cheese plate, charcuterie plate. I see that these things are on the room service menu. Can we put in a standing order with the butler to just have these placed in the room along with a couple of drinks every night?

4. Do they really bring drinks to the room? Thinking this might be nice to have whilst in the hot tub sailing in the fjords.

5. I have booked a specialty dining package that includes a paid show. Can we sort all this out in the YC, or do we have to go down into the main ship to sort?

6. We've booked some MSC shore excursions, some of which include food. When booking it said we have to let MSC know 2 days before if we have dietary requirements, and I do. Again, can I do this within the YC?

7. We have a boarding time of 11am, but gather that boarding will start in Southampton at 10am. 10am would suit us much better as we'll be in a hotel very close to the port. Can we just pitch up at 10am?

I'm sure all will be well - happy to go with the flow.

19 minutes ago, chrismakris said:

I actually have a different take on this. 
 

We have an Asia cruise coming up in November and have not booked any excursions as of yet. My GF had jotted down ones she wanted to go on. 
 

We were happy to see that a few of the ones we wanted to go on were at the 35% off price however we noticed that Celebrity had raised the prices by about 15% on these excursions as well. (My GF had jotted down the original prices)
 

The real savings is about 20% on these  excursions. While we’re happy to save the 20%, the promotion is a little deceiving for excursions. 

All I noted was that the excursions were cheaper than the price I had originally paid. The discount is set to the price you would pay if you booked on board. Nonetheless, the prices had gone down and we saved money - enough to pay for an additional excursion.  So, for us, it was a win!  But I'll agree with you that you always should look closely at the deals on offer.

4 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Forgive what is probably a silly question but do I have to cancel then re-book the excursions to benefit from the discounts?

Well now - I don't know for certain, but that is exactly what I did. I went into the website for our booking, cancelled the relevant excursions (it refunds back to original means of payment which, for me, was OBC) and then I booked them again at the lower price.

Have discovered the joys of the current May Sale (which at the time of writing runs for another 5 days!)

We had already booked excursions for our X-Infinity cruise that we're going on in December. With the sale, it was worth rebooking three of the ones we had booked. That saved us £88 (which has paid for another excursion!).

Only took a few minutes - well worth taking a look if you have excursions booked. (For us, the ones where it made a difference had a 35% saving compared to a more usual 15% pre-cruise discount.

15 hours ago, talljules1 said:

We've only done one cruise on MSC YC, but have another coming up soon - in a YC Duplex on Virtuosa. We most often sail with Celebrity.  For the purpose of this post, I am going to equate a YC Duplex with a Celebrity Royal Suite (both the second most expensive rooms on the ship (if you consider Celebrity M and S class ships and both have a similar size and a hot tub on the balcony).

 

Not included with MSC:

 

Specialty dining (we'd get this included with equivalent suite on Celebrity - but price much lower on MSC so no harm, no foul. Have booked a 2 night specialty dining package and we will doubtless head to a couple of others a la carte.)

 

Laundry (we'd get this for our loyalty level with Celebrity and it would also come with a Royal suite. Again, price difference, no harm, no foul - have booked a laundry package)

 

2 bottles of spirits with the minibar (but we never drink them on board, 1 will be fine)

Free movies in room.  (All movies are free on TV in room on Celebrity but I gather that's not the case on MSC)

 

Included with both

 

Retreat/YC sundeck, lounge and dining room

Butler

Pillow menu

Unpacking/packing

Shoeshine

Free room service (we will put in a standing order for night time charcuterie and cheese plates - like to have something to nibble on at the end of the day)

Snacks in the lounge

 

Included with MSC, not with Celebrity

 

Daily newspaper

1st go at snacks in the minibar (there are no mini bar snacks in a RS on Celebrity)

Two full bathrooms (a RS on Celebrity Silhouette has a bathroom and a half bath)

Spa access (only included in Aqua suites on Celebrity)

All of the suites in one area (well, actually, except ours! - but this is no deal breaker for us as we are used to having to roam the ship for the Retreat areas on Celebrity)

 

Cost of our MSC cruise is WAY less (probably about 50% less) than the cost of 2 weeks in a RS on Celebrity, so even though there are some things not included, we will still be up on the deal. And it has an amazing itinerary. We just would not cruise with MSC outside the YC, but in the YC it is great.

I've thought of something else included with MSC, not with Celebrity - lunch in YC restaurant available every day (incl port days - when Luminae on Celebrity tends to be closed)

29 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

Here’s where the word VALUE  for MSC YC has real meaning. Cost divided by apples to apples benefits. Then you put the kicker in that the itinerary was more to your liking. I’d say you have made the same calculation a lot of us have.

Yes, absolutely. We figured what we get with Celebrity, what we don't get with MSC, what that would cost on MSC.  MSC a clear win.  We enjoyed our last MSC YC cruise and I have no doubt we will enjoy the next one!

We've only done one cruise on MSC YC, but have another coming up soon - in a YC Duplex on Virtuosa. We most often sail with Celebrity.  For the purpose of this post, I am going to equate a YC Duplex with a Celebrity Royal Suite (both the second most expensive rooms on the ship (if you consider Celebrity M and S class ships and both have a similar size and a hot tub on the balcony).

Not included with MSC:

Specialty dining (we'd get this included with equivalent suite on Celebrity - but price much lower on MSC so no harm, no foul. Have booked a 2 night specialty dining package and we will doubtless head to a couple of others a la carte.)

Laundry (we'd get this for our loyalty level with Celebrity and it would also come with a Royal suite. Again, price difference, no harm, no foul - have booked a laundry package)

2 bottles of spirits with the minibar (but we never drink them on board, 1 will be fine)

Free movies in room.  (All movies are free on TV in room on Celebrity but I gather that's not the case on MSC)

Included with both

Retreat/YC sundeck, lounge and dining room

Butler

Pillow menu

Unpacking/packing

Shoeshine

Free room service (we will put in a standing order for night time charcuterie and cheese plates - like to have something to nibble on at the end of the day)

Snacks in the lounge

Included with MSC, not with Celebrity

Daily newspaper

1st go at snacks in the minibar (there are no mini bar snacks in a RS on Celebrity)

Two full bathrooms (a RS on Celebrity Silhouette has a bathroom and a half bath)

Spa access (only included in Aqua suites on Celebrity)

All of the suites in one area (well, actually, except ours! - but this is no deal breaker for us as we are used to having to roam the ship for the Retreat areas on Celebrity)

Cost of our MSC cruise is WAY less (probably about 50% less) than the cost of 2 weeks in a RS on Celebrity, so even though there are some things not included, we will still be up on the deal. And it has an amazing itinerary. We just would not cruise with MSC outside the YC, but in the YC it is great.

I suppose it is possible. For our forthcoming cruise we really wanted a YC Duplex, but there was not one available. We booked a YC balcony, and our TA called us a few weeks later to say that a Duplex had become available and did we still want it. We did, and updated the booking.

That said, we'd only sail on MSC in YC - so if there had been no YC room available, we would not have made a booking.

We wear jeans/chinos and a shirt (likely short-sleeved). Maybe a jacket if feeling smart. No smarter than that.

And if you don't want to use loads of plastic, you can hide shrimp from the buffet.

13 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Just curious, why did you pay for your flights before the final payment for your cruise?

 

Are you just trying to move the a Main Extra seat?  Not premium economy, correct?

I know you weren't asking me, but we've paid for our flights before final payment of cruise because it was needed to take advantage of an airfare that was £500pp lower.

We did it last year. It was late at night at the bar in the Ensemble lounge, and it was disappointing.

And the whisky wasn't great.

We flew Lufthansa business class to Rome last year, booked via Celebrity (and our TA) and we got to choose our seats. We've just booked our flights to Barcelona in the same way (Air France this time). We've paid for the flights, and just waiting a couple of days and then will choose our seats.

Celebrity was our number one choice, but their current pricing for suites has us looking elsewhere.

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

One caveat on this point.  The early ships that have Yacht Club had the YC restaurant at the opposite end of the ship from the 'enclave'.  So you have to walk the length of the ship to get to and from the restaurant.  For 3 meals that means walking the length of the ships 6 times.  Which can be difficult for folks with mobility issues.  The Divina is one that has this awkward arrangement and I think there are others but I don't know their names - maybe someone can chip in with them.  If this might be an issue for someone they should check the deck plans.

 

The second generation of YC has the restaurant with the rest of the enclave, so no problem there.  I really liked Divina, but now I'm mobility challenged, so it is off the plate, for me.

Yes - that's fair comment. We've been on Preziosa, and yes, it is a long walk.  Going on Virtuosa this year and that's all in one place.

Just now, wineoclock said:

Hi can I ask how they compare please? Have always done suites on celebrity & Disney but looking at YC for our next cruise. Thank you. 

They're similar but different. On E-Class X ships, you have the large lounge and sundeck, but the suites are outside the area. On S-Class (which we prefer), the Retreat lounge is smaller, as is sundeck.

Things YC does better than a sky suite - all in one area, bottle of spirits, included mini bar, newspaper. Can order drinks to room with room service (included). Big ship to explore, with lots going on. Can be crowded. Cost is a LOT less. (We're going for 2 weeks in a duplex YC suite, great itinerary, for about the same as a week on X in aft corner sky suite. Room is about same size as a Royal Suite on X, has a hot tub on balcony, and has 2 full bathrooms (instead of bath and half bath on X RS)). So this suite is size of a Royal, with amenities somewhere between Sky and Royal. (No included specialty dining)

Things X does better - rest of the ship will be calmer, included movies in your room. (But in Sky suite, no newspaper, no included minibar or spirits)

Purely a personal experience of course, but for me at the moment X is disproportionately increasing prices whilst cutting services. We wouldn't choose to sail MSC outside the YC, but we think the YC is a good deal.

I'm hopeful we will really like our June cruise and, if we do, I think we will be jumping ship (despite being elite+ on X)

5 minutes ago, jules815 said:

I think it's great that some of you use the packing and unpacking service.  I use packing cubes and unpacking doesn't take too long. I usually have my husband pop the arrival bubbly and drink it while unpacking. I do the clothes, and my husband is in charge of electronics, setting up the safe, etc. Funny how after all the cruises we've taken, we both go into auto unpacking mode and get it done quickly.

 

 

We've done it twice - once in YC, once on Celebrity.

On YC - it was not long after my mum had died. We had booked months before her unexpected death, and we were exhausted. Honestly, the pampering was much needed (and appreciated).

Second time was when we boarded a ship in Rome. We had been travelling since 2am that day and after 12 hours of travel we were hangry and tired - again, it was just lovely to have some help. It didn't take long, and we tipped well.

Will almost certainly make use of this service in the future too.

5 hours ago, LiquidWu said:

I would like to add something from my perspective as a European. 
You should not only ask yourself what the differences are between Haeven and Yacht Club. Much more exciting are the differences in culture on board between American and European shipping companies. 
I have just read a very fair, comprehensive comparison here  (please don't be put off by the lurid title, it's about the linked answer by @B_A_H ) 

 

 

You did everything right with the yacht club booking. The main perk (and you asked about these) is having a quiet, luxurious ship in the ship as a place to retreat. Combined with the possibility to go out into "real" life at any time.

My next cruise, a week in the YC of the MSC Virtuosa, starts on 19 March 🙂 If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me.
 

I think that' a really good point. We've only been in YC once so far (next one in June this year) and loved it. Food was good but more European (more of a mediterranean diet rather than beef, beef, beef, beef). Service was efficient, and understated. Yes, announcements in more than one language - we didn't notice particularly and in no way did that impinge on our enjoyment. We met lots of nice people. 

Like KennyFla, we don't need an escort around the ship, but there are times when it is useful. On our last MSC cruise we had to go down and get our passports inspected by UK immigration a day or so before the end of the cruise. The lines were long, and being escorted to the front of the line, past the queue, was great. Equally was good at disembarkation. So we make use of it for that.

We don't use this often, but we have had our butler unpack for us - it is wonderful!!

15 hours ago, buckeye8810 said:

As in I cannot think of one area where the cruise was better than or equal to years past.

The food was plain bad. Not sure another way to describe it. Less selection, and worse quality. Smaller portions. Cheaper offerings as well.

 

As a Yorkshireman, I can say this is a wonderfully Yorkshire complaint - the food was terrible, and such small portions. (i.e. if it is bad, surely it's good that there's less of it)

1 minute ago, Morgsmom said:

Did you have 4 pax?  Kids sail free?  

2 passengers, no kids.