Best Cat Mom

Do you mean Marriott Titanium? I am lifetime Marriott and they call my level Titanium. I matched to Diamond using it when we first joined MSC in 2018. Has the match for lifetime Marriott changed to only Silver now?

We have always been pleasantly surprised when we are remembered. I think this is why many people continue to ask who is on each ship. I wonder if there would be some interest in having a thread here to keep track of our favorite YC folks?

We are interested as well. We're on the Divina in November this year for the repositioning from Europe to North America. We're hoping that when we're on Seaside next month we'll be able to book the 2024 repo as well. Fingers crossed!

Morph -- Enjoy another week in YC! We shall enjoy all you can share. 🙂

I believe I applied before I booked, but that was back in 2018. Check the pinned discussed on status matches to see what is going on more recently.

They match loyalty from hotels as well. Use your best. They matched my Marriott Titanium (lifetime) to Diamond.

We are on Seaside in early September for the first time since 2018. Looking forward to hearing about your experience in YC. Enjoy!

In YC you can request whatever you want. They will always try to accommodate. Don't worry about any menu at any venue -- just ask for what you want. They may not have it available without a bit of notice, but they will work with you. We had lamb chops and filets in the YC from Butcher's Cut several times that were delicious! (And they love to get those for you because they get extra for themselves to have as well.)

Thanks! We never go to any shows but do usually interact with the YC Director and maitre d' in the Top Sail Lounge and YC restaurant and pool area. Always nice to have an idea of who to expect in YC. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for providing so much great info about your holiday. Can you tell me more about Beni? We're on Seaside in early September and I don't recall seeing his name before. Is he a long time MSC YC Director?

Sugar coat with your words, as usual -- there will be some of us who can guess your true meaning. LOL

Lots of people say that they don't need a butler and wouldn't know what to do with one. But you have identified the whole butler role -- it's all about what the butler does for you without you asking. So glad that you had a great butler who anticipated so many of your needs. 🙂

Morph -- Thrilled that we have a YC veteran to tell us about current conditions. Enjoy as much as possible and share as much as you feel comfortable! 😉

During our last muster drill, we were quick to depart Yacht Club and head down the 10 flights to our assigned place. There were virtually no other passengers on the stairs at the time we were. We did see the crew at each elevator bank; they were there to make sure that no one used the elevators during muster. On our way back up, the same crew saw us fighting against all the people still heading down. By the time we got maybe 5 decks up, the crew who saw us head down initially said something like, "Here, you can take the elevator back." We said, "Really?" and thanked them. Conclusion -- the elevators are functional during muster and the crew has discretion to allow their use. Talk to the crew on your deck and figure out something that works. 🙂

In YC? It's quite easy to keep track of people in YC.

We did not know if staying later was even a possibility. We couldn't fly out of Genoa the day of disembarkation (due to personal constraints) so we booked a hotel for that night and a flight the following day. When we were onboard, we asked the YC concierge the day before we were supposed to disembark and were pleasantly surprised to discover that we could stay so late. I would imagine that factors like what time they leave a port would influence how late a party could stay on board. For us, they were so generous and kinda said "of course you can stay." This benefit of staying onboard so late made us quite happy about how MSC handles all the embarking and disembarking at the various ports in the Mediterranean.

We were disembarking in Genoa for one cruise and our hotel check in was 3pm. There was not problem staying in YC until around 2pm. Breakfast, lunch, drinks -- all were available until we left. The concierge kept our luggage until we decided to leave.

We can only hope that the beginning of Ocean Cay's closure will be delayed as well. Finally, a delay that will we all like. LOL

Our favorite thing about an MSC cruise is that they are an Italian cruise company. We've spent over 150 days in Italy on land-based holidays. Cruising MSC out of Florida is a much shorter flight and costs less frequent flier miles. We still get to practice speaking Italian on the ship, but also sometimes get to practice Spanish depending on what ports we choose to tour. On our last two cruises, the YC staff that we encountered were mostly from the Philippines so now we've learned a few phrases in a new language too. (And we love their risotto!)

If you are on a smart ship, you can see your account on the MSC for Me app or any monitor around the ship.

Perhaps they will be changing the OC YC restaurant to be more like the YC restaurant on the ship? Adding a second seating and expanding the hours could help when YC passenger volume requires more than current capacity.

Not true. YC is not crowded and that's why many of us prefer to pay more to sail in YC.

To us, YC for a cruise is similar to First Class for a flight. There are a limited number of cabins/seats and the amount that are filled leads to how much food, drink and other amenities are loaded on board. If you want to sit in First Class and it is full, someone has to give you their seat and go sit in yours in the back.

It is unfortunate that the other crew in the YC don't care. I would think that they would at least realize that tips from the "real" YC passengers would be less -- and think with their wallets. Or maybe the interlopers are really good tippers??

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and opinions, @morpheusofthesea. When is the next cruise for you two? And which ship? We're not on again until a YC Seaside sailing in early September (if the weather does not alter our plans). We're hoping that the summer crowds have lessened a bit by then.