Best Cat Mom

Hi all -- We're newbies to O. I've been reading the O boards to learn as much as I could but I still have some questions and would appreciate help from all of you wonderful veterans. 🙂

We are booked on the Riviera in Mar 2020 for a 10-day Caribbean cruise in a PH3 Guarantee. We've sailed on NCL both in Haven and in Suites (on a non-Haven ship) and in MSC Yacht Club in the past. We're looking forward to seeing what a Premium line has to offer vs. a mass-market line in a cabin in the 'ship within a ship' area.

Here are my questions (sorry if this seems lengthy but I figured I'd ask all our questions at once since we booked just recently and we're less than 80 days out already):

1. Is the noon embarkation time for PH suites firm or could we show up at 11am and maybe board earlier?

2. Is there a separate waiting area for any categories of cabins or do we all wait together? Are there adult beverages served in the waiting area?

3. Are the PH beds king or queen? Are they 2 single beds pushed together or one permanent bed?

4. I don't see a pillow menu offered for PH. If I ask for a different pillow, will they try to change our pillows upon request? (We prefer very firm foam pillows and I suspect that the standard pillows will be feather. Am I wrong to think that feather is standard?)

5. Will Butler bring you food/drinks at locations other than your cabin (such as in the Spa Terrace)?

6. Is there an app for smart phones where we can see all our scheduled activities booked each day? (MSC has an app called MSC at Sea that was very helpful in showing us where we had to be each day and I'd love something similar on O.)

7. We plan to upgrade our Beverage Plan from House Select (we've selected the Beverage Package as our OLife choice) to Prestige Select once we board. Just to be clear -- do we have to wait until we board to upgrade?

8. With Prestige Select, is there still an upcharge at Baristas? On a sample menu that has been posted to this forum, I saw many coffees with (yummy) adult beverage additives that had prices displayed. Does the price apply even if we have the Prestige Select package?

9. What time are La Reserve dinners? I see that I can choose from 3 on various days during our cruise but no start time is listed.

10. I saw on a video tour of the Riviera ship that the Casino has a smoking area. Does anyone know where that area is located? Is the Casino Bar non-smoking?

11. I am Gluten Free. How do I indicate that in my reservation? Is that something only our TA can add to our booking?

12. We are interested in a few couples' massages. Does anyone have the spa menu for the new branding that recently took effect?

I think that is it for now. Thanks for all your help! We are so looking forward to perhaps finding our new 'normal' on O. 🙂

The form we received upon boarding the Jade and being escorted to lunch in Cagney's resembled this one, with the top section blank. We filled out the top portion with a pen/pencil as we had lunch. Later, the form was returned to us as it appears below after the concierge made the reservations. The listed reservations were almost exactly as we had requested. When the exact time we requested was not available, he reserved a time as close as possible. (There is no Haven restaurant on the Jade, though there are Haven cabins and a Haven pool area.)

Hope this helps you to organize your requests, even if your exact form differs...

Regardless of the actual amounts of tips each cruiser provides, the most valuable perspective for me when I first researched tipping was the proportional differences between different roles on the ships. It was helpful to see what people consider generous tips for "their" butler vs. doting and consistent service from other butlers in the Top Sail Lounge vs. their server in the YC restaurant, etc. We still chose our own specific amounts based on our particular situation and experiences, but having other opinions about those proportions made me feel more comfortable overall. These boards are so helpful because of all of the different opinions. Thank you to everyone who shares!

1 hour ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Some people were more properly and smartly dressed though, please tell me it was so?

We dressed up for 2 evenings last August on Seaside in the Caribbean -- husband in suit and tie and me in a dress -- and never felt out of place. One night was for dinner in YC and one night was for dinner in Butcher's Cut. Dress as you wish and I don't think you'll have any regrets. (We never dined in the main dining rooms or buffet area for any meals so I can't speak to those venues.)

psmarkle -- thanks for a wonderful review! We were in YC on Seaside last August and also had Andrei as our server (though his 'sidekick' was Bene at that time). We had been trying to book another week in Seaside YC for this September but, by the time our dates were locked, there were no YC cabins remaining. 😞 Instead, we found a one-week Mediterranean cruise on Fantasia YC out of Genoa and saved $1K ($1.5K per person instead of $2K per person). Initially, I was sad that we wouldn't be on the Seaside again with the familiar, fantastic service of Andrei. Now that I've had a mini-holiday of sorts as I've read through your review, I can look forward to enjoying the experience of a different -- but I'm sure still exceptional -- YC experience. 🙂

On 5/28/2019 at 11:25 AM, GenghisQuan said:

 

Hi there, would y'all mind sharing when the match took place? Trying to consolidate all the various status match equivalencies for my document here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19GS-jpDkoAsPFpIoKqQ8Mxj9-sXOJLqe0Ygfyzz1AwI/edit#gid=0

 

I also have a thread about all the different status match equivalencies in this subforum as well.

We were granted our status matches last year -- I think in June or July of 2018.

SS - My husband doesn't use his accounts since mine are higher. But Amex Plat granted him SPG Gold (and Hilton something too) and MSC took it -- guess they don't care if you have any points in the account you use to match.

You can use hotel programs for status match as well. Marriott Lifetime Platinum (now called Titanium Elite in their new BonVoy program) was matched to Black Status by MSC. Don't forget about your credit cards -- my husband had SPG/Starwood Gold from our Amex Platinum and received Gold by MSC as a match. (I'm laughing typing all these colors in just 2 sentences...) Use whatever you have that is highest.

Guiseppe/Pepe was our YC restaurant host in August on the Seaside. He ran an excellent operation. Anything we wanted was available. The key is to know that you're in the YC and that you shouldn't hesitate to ask if you want something. If it is somewhere on the ship, they will get it for you. You may have to wait for the next day's meal if it is something elaborate, but if you want it -- ask! The one exception that has been talked about all over the boards is fresh waffles. For some reason, the YC waffles are the (disappointing) frozen type. If you have a cruise coming up and there is some food that is important to you, search the boards for any "watch outs" before you cruise. The YC bar was the same -- they made us our own "Holiday Coffee" when we told them that we like our weekend coffee with coconut rum and Bailey's Irish Cream. Every morning after breakfast, Justin had our Holiday Coffee waiting for us. 🙂 The more you know, the better your cruise will be. They aim to please and you will also be pleased if you communicate with them!

We never heard noise from the pool deck at night, though it has been mentioned on the boards several times. Sometimes when we were in bed during the afternoon, we'd hear chairs moving. Never a problem at night or early morning in 18010.

We had stateroom 18010 and loved it. It is only a few cabins down from the hallway door so had easy access. Far enough from the Top Sail Lounge balcony so no smell of smoke. When we went to the "regular" part of the ship, we would walk to the elevators right by the kids club and it hardly took a minute to get there. If you choose 18010, take good care of it. We'll be looking for it again in the near future! 🙂

Another thing to remember about the MDR -- if you see something on the menu that you want, you can just have that course in the MDR -- you don't have to have your entire meal there. When we've been on the Jade, which does not have a Haven restaurant, we've had just appetizers in the MDR and then had the rest of our meal in a specialty restaurant. Or skip desert in Cagney's and go to the MDR a few hours later if we're in the mood for something sweet. You're not fully committed to any one venue, though you probably want to get your money's worth at a specialty restaurant if you paid extra to dine there.

We love the 2 balconies -- and having 2 bathrooms is wonderful too. We had a 2 balcony room on the Spirit and on the Jade -- Jade had the Haven too and that made it so much better. We're booked on the Jade for a TA in late April in the same stateroom. We liked it so much that we didn't even think of trading. Long walk to the Haven area? No problem, worth every step. Not right near Cagney/Moderno? Not an issue, worth every step. Our butler was very attentive and made the trip to the staterooms a few times every day. We are looking forward to the covered Haven area for all the sea days as well.

We were just on the Jade in April and loved all of our specialty dinners. We purchased enough extra to make sure that we never ate in the MDR. On our cruise before that (on the Spirit), we only ate once in the MDR and told ourselves 'never again.' However, the Spirit was 2 years earlier, in 2016, so that's our last comparison. This year, we loved Le Bistro -- great duck and lamb. Cagney's steak never disappointed. Moderno was new for us but we had no problems with it at all. Even La Cucina was fine -- I believe I had the Osso Buco there. For us, we were happy because we avoided the MDR. We also prefer the atmosphere and individual service in the specialty restaurants. If you have a formal night planned, I would recommend that you choose one of the specialty restaurants. Let them know it's a special occasion and that you want a extra special table, you're getting dressed up, etc. I hope you enjoy it as much as we always do!

Our fridge was plenty cold enough. I believe that there were mini cartons of milk in there when we first boarded -- or maybe that was on NCL in the fridge there. Now I am not quite sure... sorry. Even if they don't have the cartons, they can put glasses of milk in the fridge so they are in the cabin waiting for when you want them. Or, you can walk to the lounge and get a fresh glass yourself. Depending on where your cabin is, you can probably get one in just a few minutes.

We met our butler, Harison (he spelled it that way), within a few minutes of first arriving in our stateroom. He showed us the amenities in the room and asked what we wanted as far as coffee and the minibar. We told him that we did not like decaf and to only give us regular espresso coffee capsules. We also told him that we did not want beer in the fridge, though we'd be happy with some Baileys for the coffee. We also told him we'd like Chivas and soda water. Every day, we had exactly that -- fully replenished. We ran out of coffee first morning because the capsule tray only had so many. After that, he began bringing us sleeves of the capsule we preferred. He also had to bring the Baileys in glasses because they don't have the mini-sized Baileys. He would put 2 double shots in the fridge each day. We never disappointed him -- we drank all the Baileys every day. 🙂

We did order room service pizzas one evening. We had already brought the wine in from the lounge ourselves, though, so that was pretty easy for him. He brought the pizza very quickly and it was still perfectly hot. (That was the only time we ordered room service food.)

If we ever saw Harison up at the pool grill or in the lounge, he always stopped to chat with us. One time, he was in the middle of getting something for another guest but stopped quickly to say 'hi' and then apologized that he couldn't chat longer. We got the impression that they want the butlers to talk up the guests as much as possible. We saw many of the butlers at the pool or in the lounge at all times of day. We had the impression that they all circulate in the YC venues when they are not tending to guests in the cabins.

I celebrated my birthday on this cruise and Harison made sure that there was a Venchi chocolate cake for me in Butcher's Cut for our dessert that evening. He knew I was gluten-free so it was one of those decadent, flourless cakes. YUM!

Overall, we were pleased with our butler, though we did not think we were overly demanding compared to some stories I've read.

Great list, 2cruiseluvrs! But you forgot the most important item:

THE LOUNGE

🙂

Made my husband watch the entire movie Clue just for that line! :D

We had a butler in a suite on the non-Haven Spirit. Teo was great at refilling the coffee with exactly the type we wanted, making sure that the afternoon treats were ones we liked (we asked for M&Ms instead of cheese/crackers or anything savory more than once), asking us what time we'd be back in the afternoon so the treats were timed perfectly, etc. He even brought us a special after-dinner treat for my husband's birthday, with no request from me.

On the Jade (has a mini-Haven), in addition to restocking the coffee to our likes, our butler, Rizaldi, also made sure that we had the "right" 3 bottles of liquor in our DOS and when he would stop by to refill the coffee mid-morning every day, he'd check if we needed anything special that day. For my husband's birthday on that cruise, he decorated the entire room with balloons and streamers and left us tons of goodies and a full new bottle of champagne.

One thing we've yet to have -- or ask for -- is unpacking or packing. In fact, we've never had a butler ask if we wanted either yet. On our last cruise, I was ready to say "yes" if asked, just to see what it was like to have everything unpacked and put away for me. I wondered if I would find everything, would it be done the same way I would have done it, etc. Alas, he did not ask and I did not ask either. I think I am afraid that I'll like it too much. :)

The Jacuzzi in the Thermal Spa is salt water. Not sure about any others.

We ordered the pizza via YC room service. Hot and delicious! I am gluten free so I ate the toppngs off of my husband's pizza and never had any adverse reaction, either. I had heard it was good and took the chance -- no regrets at all. :)

These boards are awesome. We had our first MSC cruise last week and the boards were invaluable in helping us to choose our cruise and then prepare for it. We learned so much about what to expect during boarding, saw sample menus, gained an understanding about the ship in general, heard about excursions and even read a lot of opinions aabout tipping. I tried to search the boards instead of asking questions that might have already been answered. I never came across posts that mentioned the beds. I only brought it up now for the next person. Every little bit of info helps! :)

That's a bit harsh. We're a healthy couple in our late 50s. I have a tough time believing that no one else would feel the same way.

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 do not mean to minimize all of the wonderful benefits of the YC -- we truly thought the service went well beyond NCL's Haven.

However, on a holiday the bed is -- frankly put -- used many times a day and I don't mean for sleeping. Navigating the dip in the middle over the frames or perching on one of the smaller-than-twin-sized edges made "non-sleeping" a challenge. Not sure about other people, but it was a BIG deal for us.

Our cruise last week was in the Caribbean. Maybe the sommelier is not in the YC for Caribbean cruises?