momofmab

On 11/22/2023 at 11:06 AM, KittyCruz said:

Thank you!  I will do our best (tip of the green) to ensure we have the same waiter each night.  our last RC cruise our head waiter did quite well in the tip arena when on day 3 he started bringing extra shrimp cocktails or other shrimp appetizers "just in case"   

 KittyCruz - have you heard about another itinerary change for the December 2nd cruise (my apologies if that's not the sailing you're on).  Some European travelers on the FB page received an email. It's hard to know whether it's legit or not because MSC takes so long to update their website.

If you're looking for an authentic, legacy handbag, I would be wary about buying them from an "outlet".  Most brands that have an outlet (Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors) are manufacturing outlet-specific bags that are not the same quality as the ones in their flagship stores.

Brands such as LV, Gucci and Chanel have a very active resale market and go through a pretty rigorous process before being certified as authentic.  Both have well-known re-sellers who are trusted to be providing authentic products.  Many of the vintage bags are worth much more than those being sold new.

Beyond had a handful of pre-owned LV's on my sailing.  I wasn't in the market at that time, but I would have asked for proof of authenticity and I'm sure they would have provided it. 

As always, thank you for sharing your vacations with us!  I'm wondering how the crowds in Rome this time of year are.  We're planning a land vacation for this time next year and I'm hoping not to experience summer-level crowds.

Loving the golf cart tour idea!  Does the cart ride on the roads with the rest of Rome traffic?

17 hours ago, lola2013 said:

Would you be willing to share info about the Rome apartment?  I have a TA booked Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale but plan to spend three days in Rome before taking the quick flight to Barcelona.  I’ve been researching Trastavere since you mentioned it a few pages ago.  As soon as I saw you mention two bathrooms and a washer, I was hooked!

Thanks

Yes, please do!

12 hours ago, blueslily said:

What I am wondering about is why are there so many negative postings here and videos on YouTube for Seascspe, but her sister ship, Seashore, is just like her, but I'm not seeing those horrible posts and videos about those sailings.

What kind of negative things are you hearing & seeing for Seascape?  Is it the crowds?  Passenger behavior?  From what I have seen (mostly on here) are complaints on the shorter, 3-4 cruises, which I'm sure are super cheap and more of a party atmosphere.  I'd never book one of those on any line.

ETA - I just went and read several of the reviews on here.  Some were mad because of poor cabin choice, or not getting enough attention from staff or behavior of fellow guests and there's always food complaints.  I have to agree that if I wasn't in YC, I would probably not choose MSC either based on the reviews - but I am in my 50's and an empty-nester, so I am done cruising kid-heavy, crowded weeks or any time in the summer.  I am excited to try YC during what I hope is a relatively quiet week, but I probably won't leave the YC area.

11 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Yes, I've read all about the Yacht Club and it sounds great.  But at least four times as expensive.  We can afford it, but that's not how we choose to spend our money.  We just want a nice experience for a cheap(er) price.  

Our upcoming YC sailing is cheaper than our Concierge IV on Beyond this past January.  Sadly, I fear that MSC will end up raising the YC prices with the increased popularity, which they can comfortably do since Haven/Retreat/Star Class have reached a new high for many sailings.

I hear you about where to spend your money.  I would love to try the higher levels on NCL/X/RCL, and can afford to, but I can't justify the prices.

We booked it on our first X cruise this past January (E-Class).  Other than the embarkation day lunch, we saw no additional benefit and would probably not spend the extra $$ book that class again.  It was our first X cruise and I wanted to see what concierge class on X was like.

If you read the list of the benefits and the majority of them appeal to you, and the money makes sense, then book it.

Charla - Thank you for sharing your experience.  I won't be on MSC for the first time until December but my impression from reading multiple trip reviews is that it's a relatively diverse line (maybe more so than the other popular US-based lines) and certainly most of the wonderful cruise staff across all the lines hail from many countries, so it seems disingenuous of them to make that assertion.  I hate that the staff are put into these situations.

The gentleman making the complaints is painting the picture of YC being like spring break in Daytona Beach circa 1988.  Glad to hear that's not your experience 😄

Of course, an easy way to prevent sneaking in via the back staircase is to simply put a sign on it and a latch that can only be opened from the YC side.

I'm always amazed to read about passengers on various cruise lines getting mad about suite-level guests getting escorted about, brought to the head of the line, etc.  YC, Haven, Retreat, Star Class, et al have been around for a while now.  Are there still people who are unaware that cruise lines offer different cabin classes?  I'm a bit worried about this on my upcoming Seascape cruise and will probably limit the amount of escorting that I accept (it's not something I'm super comfortable with anyway).

Charla - there have been complaints in an MSC FB group this week about many non YC'ers being in the YC areas of Seascape, and the staff refusing to ask them to leave or police them coming in (allegedly, there are some family groups who are pulling in non-YC family members).  Have you noticed any of this?

Can't wait to see the outfit reveals!  

What about an inside YC cabin for your teens and the grand deluxe for you?

I totally empathize with being limited to school schedules!

Thanks for giving your thoughts as a YC first-timer.  Glad you enjoyed your week!

Have you noticed any issues with interlopers?

On 6/15/2023 at 3:12 PM, awatt said:

We were in a balcony cabin in YC on Meraviglia and asked the YC concierge to reserve one for a fee. I would do so early on as they book up.

Never mind - question was answered 🙂

11 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Oops!  Typo. It’s the 25th, not 15th, on the Seaside. 

 Exciting!  I hope you'll come back and let us know what you thought!  We're also cruising YC for the first time in December (on Seascape).  I've learned a lot from your awesome questions!

Pre-Covid, we were "loyal to Royal", having sailed on various classes of their ships.  We've also sailed quite a bit on NCL.  I have always wanted to try Celebrity but feared that my kids would be bored compared to the bells & whistles offered on most Royal & NCL ships.

Now that we're empty nesters, we tried Celebrity for the first time earlier this year (Beyond) and I absolutely loved it!  I loved the understated elegance of the decor - the neutral colors (I have never been a fan of the bright decor on most other mass market lines - a small thing for most people, but I appreciated the relaxing environment.)  The crew were some of the friendliest I have ever encountered (no "washy-washy" stuff).  I thought the shows were the best I had seen on a cruise.  There were only a few kids, but we cruised when school was in session on purpose (hope to never sail during a Spring Break week again!)

I still feel that if you're cruising with elementary/middle school aged kids, they might be bored on Celebrity.

I loved Beyond's MDR concept of having 4 different themed dining rooms to choose from (not sure if this is on all Edge class).  Food was mostly good - I usually adjust my food-related expectations accordingly and don't fret about it.  Food is not the reason I cruise. I have a hard time believing that one can't find anything to eat on a cruise, regardless of the line.

The only negative to Celebrity is that the Retreat level is so expensive.  We've sailed suite level on Royal & NCL (before the launch of their respective Star/Haven concepts) and would love to do the same on Celebrity, but I can't find a reason to justify the prices for a week (I know, I don't doubt it's worth it for those who do).  On Celebrity we will likely stick to a concierge veranda/IV.  In order to get our suite-level fix, we are trying MSC's Yacht Club later this year on one of their newest ships.

Thanks for another great review!

Do you have to pay extra for the shows you've been attending?

Thanks for your review! On the Seascape in YC in December.  It will be our first MSC cruise.

I would love to try the Edge class Retreat on Celebrity, but the prices are too rich for my blood.

We're sailing in a grand deluxe suite In MSC's Yacht club for about the same price as I paid in January to sail in a concierge IV on Beyond.

It was my first cruise on Celebrity and I loved it (would definitely sail in that cabin class again), but if I want to sail suite level, X is just too pricey.

It was obvious to me on my Beyond cruise.  If you're familiar with high end bags, you'd realize right away that the prices were indicative of preloved pieces, and the bags themselves were not current styles.

The resale market for high end bags is very prolific and those who participate are typically very knowledgeable in the values of vintage bags and what red flags to look for that may affect the value.

No controversy at all.

11 hours ago, AliceS said:

I wanted for someone to change my mind and share positive impressions of the Infinite Veranda.

That’s it.   Nothing to do with where you live.   I love Celebrity and thought this might be just me.  I can give you many reasons why I don’t like this cabin design.   I want to hear why you love them.

What am I missing?  Have an upcoming cruise on Equinox and Silhouette…..in a REAL balcony.

No Eden or production shows that are amazing, no 4 venues for dinner, BUT,   I have a real balcony.   I will be very happy.   What am I missing?   

If you love a REAL balcony, then you're missing nothing - book away!

I loved the IV for the following reasons:

-extended the interior space of the cabin

-climate-controlled and clean (no wet, rusty and dirty balcony space)

-expansive views

The only con for me was the chairs - wishing they had something more comfortable there.  We've sailed many balconies across several lines.  Loved them for the view but have never wanted to sleep with the balcony door open or spend hours out there in the humidity.  Mostly, we'd pop out there when in port.  In an IV, we'd open the window when in port.  Every cruiser is different - you do you. 

Not sure why there are so many of the same threads discussing this and why they all initiate such hostility.  Book and IV if you think you'd like it, or if you're curious.  If not, there are plenty of balcony-heavy ships.

6 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

 

 

Interesting choice of words.  "As you are one of our valued guests, you will not need to use tender tickets."  So it would follow, if you are one of our unvalued guests, get in line. 😉

😆 I thought they could have worded that better, myself.  Maybe switch out "valued" with "Retreat".

We were on Beyond in January and though all the production shows were the best we had seen at sea, particularly Arte!  The sets were amazing!

Loving your cruise "fits" as usual!  You have a wonderful sense of style!

Thank you for your review.  I appreciate that you have realistic cruise expectations and don't let the negatives bog you down.

We are trying the YC on Seascape in December for the first time.  We've had butler service on NCL before and are not typically high maintenance in that regard (we'd feel very uncomfortable having our suitcases unpacked or being escorted to other areas of the ship outside of YC), but would expect our requests for the mini bar, room service, etc., to be honored.  I'm hoping that service in the YC pool area improves before we sail later this year because I do like getting my drinks chairside 🙂

I wanted to ask you about your comment re: tendering.  Did you utilize the YC benefit of going to the head of the line?  As uncomfortable as that would be for me, I would probably take of advantage of it - especially for a tender port.

Also, not sure if you touched on it - but how was the YC disembark process?