momofmab

I think one of MSC's biggest obstacles is consistency in the service and product across the ships (at least within the size categories, such as the "Sea" ships). In the past couple of days alone, I've read several different versions of the safety drill process for YC quests that were different from my experience in YC on Seascape (and one of the negatives on my list). I was also lured to MSC (YC) by the great experiences of the very talented "Live" thread writers. While I don't question their experiences whatsoever, mine was nowhere near those levels, and it has caused me to be convinced that MSC follows this board and makes a big effort to "wine & dine" those that sing their praises. My cruise in YC was fine, but not at level that others on CC have experienced. I suppose it was a good value for the price, but with those prices creeping upward, I would likely choose to sail in "gen-pop" on other lines where I felt the overall experience was better.

Food is subjective, but we didn't love the YC restaurant either (except for the pasta dishes, which were all excellent & the Tiramisu dessert!) Getting coffee after dinner to have with dessert, took forever. We did like the YC poolside buffet for breakfast & lunch. We tried the YC restaurant for breakfast one morning and even though our order was promptly taken, our food never arrived (despite those around us, who arrived later, getting their food). We said something and they apologized but our food still didn't come out (apparently, they were struggling that morning with scrambling eggs). My husband wished they had a poolside dinner buffet as well (he dislikes the wait time in between courses. He's not a big fancy dinner service guy.)

We had a lifeguard on the YC beach for our cruise. It's rough over there as it opens up to the ocean (an older gentleman had to be helped up after he fell in the surf and couldn't get up). I would not be comfortable with my kids swimming over there, unsupervised by me. They do have some kind of a netting/buoy contraption up to keep swimmers from heading out to sea but I'm not sure how well that works. Other non-YC swimming areas on the island are much better, IMO.

This jumped out at me. Does this mean that you didn't have to join the masses for the official muster drill and parade down endless flights of stairs with 5000 other passengers to swipe your card on deck 7, and fight to get an elevator back up? Our muster drill on Seascape was a big negative for our first YC experience. It would be great if they made this change.

If she wanted that privacy, then yes, I think there should be expectations of privacy in place. Listen, I know it's a big task to put the horses back in the barn with respect to random people taking unedited iPhone footage of people around them without their consent and uploading it to Instagram and the like, but we already know what the intent is for use of the footage from YouTubers and vloggers, so I don't think it's too much to ask for them (1) give notice that they are going to be doing it (2) do their best not to interfere with passenger enjoyment (3) when possible, get permission from those who they are filming. All of this should be with the understanding that if passengers complain about the filming, they've got to relocate their project to another area where passengers aren't affected. When cruise lines are filming for marketing material or if a Hollywood studio is filming for a movie onboard, notice is given, signs are posted so those who want to avoid the area (or those who want to be on film) can make adjustments.

Apples & oranges. I can control how I am observed (if I want to be incognito, I can wear sunglasses & a hat, I can sit in private areas that aren't easily observed by passers-by). I can control my conversations and the level at which I speak, so as not to be overheard by others. I can't control whether YouTubers film me and then put that footage on their channel. If I'm a parent of minor children, I expressly do not give my permission for them to be included in someone's YouTube footage and uploaded on the internet for several hundred thousand of subscribers to see. I don't recall, at any time, signing away my right not to be part of monetized YouTube content. There are plenty of opportunities for YouTubers to get their content without compromising the enjoyment of other passengers who are on their own vacations (whether or not they are YC guests). If one person complained, then MSC did the right thing. If these YouTubers felt that it was handled poorly, they can escalate, which they did - and received an apologetic response from MSC. They can choose to never travel MSC again based on this experience, and MSC will go on to continue to sell out most of their sailings. Again, someone filming content for a YouTube channel with thousands of subscribers is not that same as a family taking holiday photos that will likely never leave their smartphone photo library.

MSC can do whatever it wants. There is no discrimination here. YouTubers and not protected under any kind of civil rights acts or ADA laws. YouTubers are people who filming content for entertainment value and revenue. Most cruise ships have a "chair hog policy" which they selectively enforce, and there's no valid claim to discrimination in those cases either (unless someone wants to claim they were unfairly targeted for a reason that is covered under civil rights, ADA, etc.)

While I've watched a couple of YouTube videos for purposes of seeing the ship's interiors, cabins, etc., on lines like MSC (which I had not been on prior to this past December), I would hesitate to rely on an influencer's (arguably) biased opinion of a cruise line. They're making money with their content - how do I know it hasn't been skewed by their desire to be given freebies by the cruise line (or advertisers associated with the cruising industry), or that it's been sensationalized in some way in order to get more clicks (and more revenue)? For the videos that I have watched, I usually fast-forward through their chit-chat so I can get to the parts of the ship that I want to see. I give way more weight to the honest, gritty, un-produced reviews here on CC, than I ever would to a highly produced You Tube video (and even in that case, everyone has an agenda on what they expect from a cruise - so many of those are taken with a grain of salt). Again, film away, when the ship is not full of passengers who want to enjoy their vacation and not worry about being filmed without their permission. Plenty of opportunities to do that - early in the morning, on sea days, etc.

Comparing CCTV security footage to YouTubers is like comparing apples to oranges. The latter is filming with the sole intent to post the footage online for the purpose of clicks & to make money for themselves. My sister and her husband have a YouTube channel for their farm. They make a nice paycheck from it (luckily the cows and chickens love being filmed). No releases are signed with YouTubers and no choice is given as to whether or not you are on film (and later, on the internet for posterity). Most gyms in the U.S. have a strict no filming or picture taking policy in order to protect what inevitably ends up being shaming of those trying to work out (either because of their size, or what they're wearing or their method of working out.) From what I've seen, it is strictly enforced. I applaud this and would never join a gym that didn't have this policy. I don't want to be filmed without my permission for entertainment purposes, period, unless you're going to give me a cut of the profits. On vacation in the contained environment of a cruise ship, it's not unreasonable to expect that I can enjoy my time without the threat of being filmed without my permission. I've watched several cruise YouTube videos that are clearly done without any passengers present, so it CAN be done that way without violating anyone's privacy. I'm not going to boycott a cruise line over it but would applaud a no filming for YouTube policy while passengers are onboard.

I agree that it seems to be exacerbated by wind & sea conditions and speed of the ship. We were in an midship concierge IV (I think deck 10 or 11) on Beyond in Jan 2023. Very calm seas for the first 6 days, Captain Kate was cruising nice & easy - no banging. On the last night, she was trying to outrun some bad weather on the way back - the ship was travelling at a higher rate of speed, there was a stiff wind and the seas were rolling more than they had. That last night sounded like someone was outside our cabin, repeatedly banging a sledgehammer against the wall. If I had to listen to that for the entire cruise, I would not be happy. It's great that there are some who brush off the banging and are fine with having to sleep with all kinds of noise-altering gear, sleeping meds and white noise contraptions (maybe their cruise was free?) but for those who spend a hard-earned dollar and take precious vacation time, I don't think it's too much to ask not to have sledgehammer banging in one's cabin. I loved everything about my Beyond cruise (save for the last night), but unless I could 100% vet that a particular cabin did not have noise in various types of weather conditions, I will not be back on Beyond until they solve that issue.

There aren't a lot of shaded areas on the YC deck. Depending on the time of day and the way the ship is facing, one can usually find some areas that are somewhat shaded by the structures on deck. There is a raised lounge area located at one end of the pool that is shaded for certain hours of the day. The best time to score a pergola is on port days when most people are off the ship (even those aren't completely shaded). In my opinion, the coffee drinks in Top Sail are better than the in-room Nespresso (although I use a Nespresso for coffee at home). It's an easy walk from most cabins or you can ask your butler to deliver it to you.

We try to do this too, now that we aren't bound to the school vacation weeks anymore. Nonetheless, I was shocked by the full ship (outside of YC) and number of kids for a week that school in the U.S. was in session (this was on Seascape). My impression after cruising MSC was that there will likely never be a week where the ships are not full - based on the cheap pricing (especially outside of YC) and the fact that even the ships that originate from the U.S. seem to attract a large European audience, and their holidays and school vacations differ from the U.S. Because of this, MSC's "Sea" ships are too big & crowded for us (even though we were in YC, we still like to utilize other areas of the ship). If we ever try MSC again, it would be on one of their smaller ships).

100% Although the YC is a beautiful, serene oasis, we missed using the whole ship. Every time we left YC, it was like emerging into a circus. We'd do a quick lap and walk swiftly back to YC. Conversely, on X we're fine being in "gen pop" - we've never done Retreat and likely never will with current pricing. X & MSC in general are completely different products, targeting different audiences.

Have you or your wife had the filet in the YC restaurant yet? Interested to see what you thought of it. Before sailing in YC on Seascape, I read post after post about how amazing the filet was in YC - no need to waste your money in Butcher's Cut. We found that to be far from the case on our sailing. The YC filet looked like it had been dragged behind the ship (my husband tried it twice), while our meal in Butcher's Cut was superb. My husband also had the chicken breast (which looked exactly like your photo). One of the things I mentioned on my survey was that YC needs to upgrade their veggie sides on the always available classics, from the mushy mess that they currently serve. And some kind of sauce offering for that sad slab of chicken breast would be nice.

We tried it on Beyond, which was our first X cruise. The only benefit we used was the embarkation day lunch, which was fine, but there was a long line and it was crowded. Not sure how many concierge cabins they sell on the average cruise, but it felt like 1/3 of the ship. Wouldn't pay extra for it again but did love our first X cruise!

We like them. It's a clean, climate-controlled area (when the window is up) to watch the sea go by. 100% agree that the chairs are awful (we were on Beyond). It's also nice to have the extra space, which is again, clean and dry. I can see why those who spend a lot of time on regular balconies wouldn't like them though.

Totally agree with how ridiculous this was. We had to go from 19-7, file through the theatre for no reason, and then wait until the elevators cleared out enough to get on one (YC override wasn't functioning during the drill). We ended up using the stairs to go up a few decks, waited some more, and then finally grabbed a packed elevator back to the YC entrance on 16. I don't recall the drills on Beyond or Oasis being that crowded and chaotic. I worried for some of the mobility-challenged passengers who were navigating the stairs. Surely they could sprinkle the muster stations out better on more decks and not have everyone doing it at the same time!

I have no idea if there was a similar sign in TSL or not or if he was a repeat passenger with special piano privileges. He played a couple of subdued, dinner music worthy tunes on the piano and then came up the stairs for dinner. Everyone clapped.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Location doesn't bother me but a subway running above just might 😉

My TA has a promo for the sailing I'm looking at that makes this class of cabin cheaper than a regular IV balcony (non-GTY). Is there any downside to taking my chances with this level of GTY? I'd be booking 2 cabins and don't care if they are near each other. I've sailed on Edge class before (in a Concierge balcony) and don't really have a cabin location preference, except that I wouldn't want it to be completely obstructed. When booking a GTY, how soon before the sailing does one find out the exact cabin location? TIA!

yes, a lovely portable restroom trailer across the road - but still a miss not to have planned for more at the actual restaurant. I can't remember which terminal we were at in December (I think C?) but our embarkation experience was similar.

We were on Seascape YC in December for the first time and totally agree with your assessments, particularly the line-cutting expedition at embarkation. Budging you way through an angry line is not the proper way to begin a cruise for a suite-level experience. The YC space was amazing but agree that the rest of the ship was a bit of a head-scratcher. Every time we ventured outside YC, we ended up retreating quickly. The YC beach on Ocean Cay remains one of the biggest MSC misfires. O.C. is a beautiful island and overall my favorite ship-owned island. I don't know how someone in authority looked at that stretch of rocky sand and rough surf and said, "This is where we will put the suite passengers!" The surf was so rough, we saw an elderly gentleman fall and not be able to get himself back up, requiring intervention from the lifeguard. Another YC couple whom we met had the best idea when they rented a cabana on the calm, beautiful beach across the way from the YC beach and just walked over for lunch. Also, one single toilet bathroom at the YC restaurant?! You're right though, the prices when compared to the private suite options on other lines make MSC hard not to give a try. The pool deck was awesome (minus the odd "spa" music) and was where we spent most of our week.

On Seascape, there was a talented YC guest who would play a few pre-dinner songs on the piano, prior to the scheduled musicians. Everyone loved it. He didn't sing though, and he didn't overstay his welcome.

Hope you're feeling better! Those floors are very slippery! I noticed they had large fans drying the floors outside of our YC on deck 16, near the jungle pool. It always felt very humid in that area. We also noticed rude behavior in the theatre - people getting up, kids running up the aisles and people talking through the whole performance. After attending 2 performances, we stopped going because it was just so distracting. Not sure if it's a cultural difference or what. I felt bad for the performers.

I definitely think this experience warrants a complaint to Celebrity and the port. An apology and an explanation should be satisfactory. Unless I missed it, OP has not said that they or their daughter spent the entire cruise moping in their stateroom. If they can perhaps prove that the cruise was completely ruined because of the check in incident, then maybe some compensation could be offered to smooth things over and entice them to rebook with Celebrity. I don't think it was racially motivated in the negative way that people on here are assuming but rather an overreaching attempt by the check in staff to be hyper vigilant about trafficking (they actually told OP that this was the nature of their questioning). It's no secret that human trafficking in many forms is at an all-time high. Those battling it on the front lines will likely be able to cite many incidents of creative ways that people traffic. I don't doubt that they've seen it on cruises. Cruising is just another way of moving people from one place to another and in some instances, if one books an inside cabin, can be cheaper than flying these days. There's already been cases of drug smuggling via mass market cruise lines. When going through TSA at an airport, people are randomly pulled aside for further screening. Are we to consider each of these situations racially motivated if the person pulled aside is not white? Before everyone jumps on me, YES, I think it was overreaching on the part of the employee. I don't criticize them for asking the questions, but they should have been satisfied with the documentation presented and allowed the family to go on their way. It's unfortunate that the family was subjected to a poorly trained employee. I hope they were able to put the incident behind them and enjoy their cruise. Consistency in both training and execution across the cruise lines and American cruise ports has to happen in order to prevent extreme situations like this one, but I don't fault the cruise lines (or port employees) for trying to prevent trafficking (and yes, people's comments about all races being vulnerable to trafficking are valid points as well).