max996

Great review - thank you.

I cruised Yacht Club aboard the Divina last summer, and I only "jacked" the elevator once all week. I mostly took the stairs, or wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. But I will say that I love that feature and hope MSC keeps it. And as you pointed out it's only available in two of the forward bank of elevators.

My family has a Seaside cruise on the books next summer, and I can't wait to get back onboard an MSC ship. We had a great time on Divina!

The benefits of the Yacht Club go well beyond just the suite, as I'm sure you're aware. Beds aside, I highly recommend the Yacht Club for the complete package. Access to the Top Sail Lounge almost makes it worth the price all by itself; and when you factor in everything else included in the price, it really can't be beat.

I'd put it in a plastic sleeve (or at least we did). The cards have the electronics inside to activate the proximity card readers. But the Seaside has wrist bands now ($5 or free for Yacht Club passengers) that activate all the doors and used to make purchases on board, so you don't need the cards as much as you used to. Except to get back onboard during ports of call.

Pierpaolo Scala will be back on Seaside after his break, he told me this via messenger on the book of Faces a short time ago! Marco Massa is currently on Seaview I believe.

Thanks for the confirmation sidari! Capt Massa is the greatest. We've sailed with him twice. I had heard that he's taking an MSC vessel on a World Cruise after Seaview. Not sure how accurate that is though. So he took Seaview from Capt Scala last week huh?

The life jackets for a true emergency are kept with the life boats themselves. On Divina last summer, they were in the cabins. Not sure if they've removed them or not; but we had to wear them to the muster drill.

Captain Pier Paolo Scala posted last week on Instagram that he will leave MSC Seaview in a couple of days. Captain Scala did not indicate in his post where his new assignment is.

His post on Instagram about coming back to Seaside was from a few months ago, as he said goodbye to her to take the helm of Seaview. I'll try to find it and post it here for you.

Good grief, I see Seaside YC prices in a balcony for no more than $4,500 for 2 for a 7 day. $9k seems very high, Royal Suite perhaps?

Whoops - yes that's the Royal Suite. Sorry for omitting that tiny piece of information. ;)

The one thing I wish they would change about MSC is the website! It is the worst in the business. They need a new CIO and/or someone with a grasp on customer facing web portals to bring their tech up to the year 2018.

The one thing I hope they never change is the price. MSC's pricing structure puts them in a great position. Especially for their Yacht Club. You can sail for 7-nights aboard the Seaside in the Yacht Club for less than $9,000 (less than that if you qualify for a discount - military, teacher, first responder, etc.). Most cruise lines offer discounts, but not on their upscale cruise offerings. I really hope they never change their pricing structure.

The Captain of the MSC Seaside right now (Aug 2018) is Captain Francesco Di Palma.

Captain Pierpaolo Scala is scheduled to return to Seaside in October 2018 (he tweeted this information a few months ago), but I'm sure that could change.

I too had concerns before my family's first cruise with MSC aboard the Divina a few years ago. Coming from NCL Haven Class, and Disney Concierge Class our expectations were high. I almost canceled our first cruise with MSC because of the negative reviews and their terrible website and customer service reps. But we upgraded to the Yacht Club instead and once we gained access to their shoreside concierge service afforded to Yacht Club passengers, we never looked back. I am so glad we didn't cancel that first cruise, because I've discovered probably the best kept secret in the Caribbean - MSC Yacht Club. In my opinion, it is far superior to both NCL and Disney upscale cruise offerings, and at a price that can't be matched in the industry.

Yes, the pools are 6 feet deep but everyone in my family can swim and you come to expect crowded pools anyway on any cruise ship. But in the Yacht Club you have access to a private pool, and the Top Sail Lounge is first class all the way. I'd urge everyone to give it a try.

My wife and I have sailed NCL Haven Class, Disney Cruises Concierge Class, and MSC Yacht Club - and dollar-for-dollar the MSC Yacht Club wins. There are areas where the other cruise lines out perform MSC, but when you consider the overall value of what you get in the Yacht Club for the price, then MSC can't be beat. As some have already mentioned, the Top Sail Lounge, the One Pool Deck, the Yacht Club exclusive restaurant, you will not be disappointed. And you'll be able to apply the money you save elsewhere in your vacation to make it a truly memorable honeymoon. Maybe like a one or two night's stay in the Ritz-Carlton (before or after the cruise); some extra spa treatments onboard; first class flight to and from Miami; etc.

Hahaha :D thanks for the answers - strange thing to dream about!!

;pLOL! Not really. The closer I get to embarkation day, the weirder my dreams get. They all center around missing the ship in various crazy ways.

That's because both your country's currency and that onboard has been the same. It won't be the same for those whose country's currency differs from that onboard, where they would be at the mercy of currency rate fluctuations. For example, if I prepay the gratuities for our Armonia cruise from Miami next January, it's very possible that I will pay less today in Euros than if I wait 'til I receive my credit card bill with the onboard charges being converted from US$ to Euros. Plus there's the extra fees incurred for the transaction.

 

Also, it's €10 pppd on MSC ships unless they're US based.

Point taken. The original question wasn't specifically addressing fluctuations in currency, but you're obviously correct.

I take this time to preface my original response with "Currency fluctuations not withstanding, you may have been dreaming about this . . . "

Hi guys,

So I am a seasoned cruiser with Royal Caribbean but have decided to try the competition and have booked on a cruise out of Palma next summer.

Couple of questions

What currency does the Ship use? Euro's or Dollars?

Plugs in the cabins Euro or US or Both

Tips there is no mention in the booking t&c's regarding this

In the U.S., all MSC vessels list prices in USD, but the charges are processed by their HQ in Italy so I always alert my credit card company of this before I set sail.

There are both euro and US plugs in all the cabins, although they are in short supply. So, if you're sailing with a family of 4 or 5 I'd recommend bringing a USB hub with you so that everyone can charge their devices. Don't bring any surge protectors as those will be confiscated at the port of embarkation and returned to you when you disembark. USB hubs are encouraged.

Hope the OP doesn't mind me jumping on his thread but I have a question as far as the service charge goes.

 

We'll also be taking our first MSC cruise soon and with all previous cruises we always prepay the tips. On looking at my booking it appears we haven't done this with MSC. I seem to remember reading somewhere that if you prepay they don't cost as much as paying onboard. Did I dream this?

You may have been having a dream about this. I've cruised MSC several times on multiple ships, as well as Disney and RCCL. The standard rate today is $12.50 per day per person whether you pay pre-cruise or at the end of the cruise. Most of the time, I don't pre-pay and just let all the charges on my cruise account be applied on my credit card attached to my booking. But on occasion, I have purchased some OBCs and pre-paid the gratuities so that I don't have a large amount charged to my card. Either way, I haven't seen it make a difference in the amount I was charged for those gratuities. It has been $12.50 per day person either way.

I am finding great info' all round, on various threads, for YC...my thanks to all posters! Can anyone advise what the evening restaurant times are for YC.

Thanks in anticipation.

When you embark aboard the ship, you'll be taken to the Top Sail Lounge first to meet your butler and some of the other staff members who'll be taking care of you throughout the week. During those first moments you'll tell them what your preferred dining time is for you and your family. We like to dine early so we set our dining time at 6:00 PM every day, but we could have easily chosen 7 or 8:00 PM. They have to work everyone through the evening dinner service, so the earlier you board and set your dining time the more choices you'll have available to select from. They can't seat everyone in the Yacht Club restaurant at the same time because the restaurant isn't big enough for that, but you should be able to select a time that works out for your preference.

Beamafar is absolutely correct, and I'd add that you can eat breakfast up at the Yacht Club pool deck (eggs made to order, hash browns, etc.) although there aren't many tables available for that. The restaurant serves a great hamburger, but the Philly Cheesesteak is not very good. Sometimes if they've ordered too many lobster from the previous voyage, they'll cook them and have them available for YC passengers at the lunch buffet at the One Pool deck on embarkation day - although that has only happened for our family once (and that was aboard MSC Divina).

Upon arrival on the ship, you'll coordinate your preferred dining time at the Top Sail Restaurant before heading to your cabin. You can alternate times for each day, but they like to have an idea of when everyone would like to eat because there isn't enough seating for all the YC passengers to eat at the same time - so there's some minor coordination required there. Also keep in mind which days (if any) you'd like to have a meal at one of the specialty restaurants onboard. I recommend the Butcher's Cut - it's not Ruth's Chris (the steaks aren't served on a 500 degree plate), but they are good. And also plan to have pizza for one meal. It's really good. We ordered a couple of pizzas through our butler, and had them delivered to us up on the pool deck which was nice (the kids really enjoyed that).

MSC will start boarding incoming passengers as soon as the ship clears customs, which (as previously stated) usually begins somewhere between 10:30 & 11:00 AM. Only once during a cruise I was embarking aboard (MSC Divina) did they not start boarding until after noon. There was a tropical storm off the coast of Florida which made it particularly windy and the seas choppy in Miami, which delayed the arrival of all the ships into Port Miami that morning. Divina wasn't able to start disembarking passengers until a little after 9:00 AM, which had a ripple effect on everything else that day. I think we still left port at 7:00 PM though, but I didn't care at that point - we were onboard having a great time.

I love his "Cigars Under the Stars" events onboard the vessels he commands. He brings out his senior officers to enjoy some quality cigars with passengers who want to partake. I hear that he's re-taking command of the MSC Seaside in October 2018.

Although I like that the Seaside Yacht Club restaurant is in the YC enclave at the front of the ship, I think I prefer the Top Sail Lounge aboard Divina better than the Seaside. The unobstructed forward views from inside the lounge and shorter ceilings makes it more "cozy/intimate" in my opinion. My wife and I would sit in there for hours chatting with the other passengers or ourselves in the evenings with some soothing violin or piano music playing. The Seaside is fantastic as well, but the high ceilings with the restaurant above takes some of that away from the overall ambiance of the space that I came to love on Divina.

Yes they are working on it - feverishly from what I'm told from a friend of mine who works at MSC in FLL. Last year's hurricane season put a huge dent in the schedule throughout the Caribbean because of the need for building materials and personnel throughout all the islands that were hard hit by the storms last season. MSC has been able to do a little better than most because they do have their own cargo shipping company as well, but still they are working behind the power curve. The original opening date was pushed back a couple of times - then removed from the itineraries altogether, and now back on for Nov 2019. I'm hoping this year's Atlantic hurricane season is light, and they can surprise us all by opening Ocean Cay before the busy 2019 summer cruising season. We sail aboard Season June 29, 2019 and a stop at Ocean Can would be a thousand times better than Nassau.

When you going? We have that room in June for a week.

We depart June 29, 2019.

Anybody know what Divina deployment is or what is going on with her at this time. Until recently she had sailings available in dec 2019 but now they do not have any real pricing and the site errors out when you try to pull up the itinerary. This has been going on for over a week. We are trying to compare a Meraviglia and Divina cruise for Xmas 2019 but keep running into issues like this with msc site

I've cruised MSC several times, and their website is horrendous. The Meraviglia is the newer vessel, and although I loved Divina every time I sailed aboard her, I'd recommend going with the Meraviglia simply because she's newer. Either way, I highly recommend the Yacht Club. MSC has the most affordable luxury cruise experience in the business and the extra price you'll pay for Yacht Club, more than makes up for it in the amenities included in the YC package.

As long as you keep the e-tickets in a safe place you can print them or not, it's really up to you. I usually make a copy onto a thumb drive or save a digital copy on another computer just in case of a computer failure. But even if that happened, you can always get another copy through the MSC web page or your TA (depending on how you booked your cruise).

Good day - 100% we did upon arrival - after we met the concierge and our butler (we boarded around 1230) - we advised them that we would like to have a sail away party at 630pm (as this week the ship sailed at 700pm) - at 615pm, they arrived with assortment of cocktails and champagne to start (if someone wanted something different, no issue) - they also brought a tray of cocktail appetizers that they brought from the Top Sail buffet area - along with plates/napkins/forks etc - Our Butler pretty much stayed with us for the party incase we needed anything - we had a great sail away party with 20 friends that went til about 800pm, where we eventually made our way to dinner - it was done so well that we repeated for the 2nd week we were onboard as well - if u have the space, why not use and entertain....any other question, fire away!!!!

Thanks for the tips! I will definitely make use of them for that purpose. We sailed in the Royal Suite aboard the Divina last summer, but it was just my family and I. But we've talked some family and friends into joining us this time, so I'm thinking about an early Sail Away party (4:30 or so). We're going to do a Bar Crawl too! No butlers needed for that one. ;p