momofmab

Prior to the launch of the mega ships (and prior to the ship within a ship product), my family used to sail exclusively in suites (usually owner's, royal or penthouse depending on the ship).  My kids were young and I wasn't comfortable booking 2 cabins, and four people in a balcony just wouldn't be a vacation for this gal 🙃

Back then, I'm sure we paid between 7-10K for a family of 4 to sail during the peak spring break weeks, but we only cruised every other year.  It still took my breath away for a few minutes to pull the trigger on those prices for a 7-day vacation.

We took a few years off cruising and did other vacations.  Coming back after the mega ship revolution, I was surprised at how much the suite prices jumped if you wanted to sail on the newest & biggest.  Too rich for my blood, so because the kids were older, we did a few cruises on the megas with 2 balconies and one or two suite cruises on the older, smaller ships (which were most definitely showing their age).

Fast forward to now being empty-nesters with the ability to cruise "whenevs" - we want to cruise only on the newer (newest) ships.  Suite prices are, in our minds, astronomical on the newest ships, so we've settled into balconies, which is fine for the two of us.

That said, we will be trying the Yacht Club in December on one of the newest MSC ships for about the same as our concierge balcony this past January on X's Beyond.  I'm guessing the buzz and the increased popularity of the YC will no doubt drive those prices up as well.

It's still on my bucket list to do the Retreat on X's Edge class ships one day but I can't imagine a scenario where I plunk down 20K for it.  I will try the strategy that some suggest of booking way far in advance as soon as the itineraries are released 😇

Loved sailing in the IV on Beyond!  Loved the extra space in the cabin (clean & climate-controlled when the window is shut).  We'd put the window down for a bit when in port.

I noticed Captain Kate locked them once or twice on our 7 day sailing, but I can't recall if anything particular was going on that would cause her to lock them (we had calm seas but she was high-tailing it back on the last sea day because she was running a different route to avoid bad weather, so maybe the increased speed was a reason).

I do wish the chairs were more comfortable and it was hard to get our swimwear to dry without a traditional balcony, but those were my only minor negatives.

Sometimes you decide to try something new - like when we cruised in a Central Park balcony on RCCL.  Didn't love the disorientation with not being able to see the ocean or ports.  Wouldn't book one again but it didn't ruin our cruise.  I don't understand how an IV alone can ruin someone's experience or why they draw so much ire on these threads.  X has plenty of veranda ships - sail on one of those, I guess?

Like someone said upstream - if you spend a lot of time on your balcony, don't pick an IV!

On 3/29/2023 at 1:11 PM, catgirl411 said:

My biggest beef with the onboard spas is the constant up selling. Their services are very nice generally but they always want to sell you products. My local spa at home doesn’t do that and it makes for a more relaxed experience.

On 3/29/2023 at 3:06 PM, Fifi1910 said:

I love the spa but every time I get a treatment they try and sell me Botox or fillers. Every time I come away depressed about how I look. I didn’t think I looked that bad for an old bird 🤣🤣. At a captains party in the Haven on my last cruise I told the Spa manager that it wasn’t good that they were doing this whilst someone’s trying to have a relaxing treatment, he thought it was funny. It certainly puts me off. 

Same!  On my last cruise, the smooth-faced facialist asked me how old I was and then proceeded to claim she was the same age (yeah, and I bet she had oceanfront property in Arizona to sell me as well!)  She went into the song & dance about how dry my face was and brushed off the fact that I was actually using the spa products at home, and had brought travel sizes on the cruise (how could my skin be this bad if I'm using Elemis on a daily basis?  She claimed I wasn't using it right.)

After the facial, she plopped down $400 worth of Elemis for me to buy and made a Med Spa appointment for me for some Botox (No, and NO!)  Elemis, which I do use, was having at 30% sale online so anything I may have wanted to buy, I could go back to my stateroom and order online.

I also have found the YouTube cabin/ship tours very useful for ships that are new to me.  I tend to go for the more polished videos with great editing versus the more amateur lot done by people just documenting their vacation with their phone camera (although I do like watching videos by people complaining about every aspect of the cruise - very entertaining!).  I could be wrong, but it seems that most of the more professional videos are done during preview events (as most places they are shooting are empty) vs. a crowded ship on a sea day.

The Beyond is a sexy/Instagram-able/YouTube-able ship and Celebrity is certainly playing to its strengths with its current commercial campaign!  Go make that money on YouTube!  My sister and her husband have a farm YouTube channel and make close to six-figures! 

Thank you for taking the time to review and post pictures!  I will be on Seashore in December (I think!  These similarly-named MSC ships are SO confusing - it's the newest one, whatever its name is.  I may need to write the name on my hand for embarkation day!)  It will be our first time on MSC and we are trying the YC.  I love that your reviews mention negatives but in a non-complaining, non-ranting way.  You clearly love to cruise, and I appreciate your positive spin on things!

Looking forward to your next review!

I like the idea of having to check in with the pool staff, who then walk you to the chair of your choice, and only allow you to save one other chair for someone who isn't there.  That would eliminate one person saving 16 chairs - 8 of the 16 would have to physically be at the pool also.  You could save one for your spouse/travel companion but if you're trying to save additional chairs for friends or kids, at least half of them would also have to be present.

The entitlement and ridiculousness of chair hogging doesn't come from someone who is sunbathing and goes to the buffet for lunch and is gone for 32 minutes, it comes from people who throw a book on 16 loungers at 6 am that then remain unused for 4+hours.  Many people who just want a couple of hours in the sun could use those loungers and still be out before the 16 hogs have even risen for the day.

I don't understand the practice of reserving chairs for children who will only pop in and out during the day in between the many other activities that kids do on cruise ships.  If they want to come check in and sit for a minute, they can sit on the end of a parent's chair.  No need to take up a separate chair all day for a child to spend less than a few minutes there.

On past cruises, when we had to cruise during busy spring break weeks, I'd save one chair for my teen daughter (who was interested in sunbathing) but give her a time that she had to be in the chair by, or I would give it up.

I'm all for paying to have a designated chair for the week.  I remember cruising as a suite guest when they had reserved suite areas by the pool.  I guess those have since been replaced by the Haven/Retreat, etc.

The signs will never mean anything unless the policy is uniformly enforced by the ship's staff, which will never happen because they don't want to be the bad cop.

I don't know how people have the kahones to lay stuff out on a whole row of loungers that they know are going to go unoccupied for at least the next several hours (probably the same people who send their 80-year-old grandmother to the theatre to save 10 seats before the show).

On a spring break cruise, I witnessed man come early in the am to save 8 loungers.  He sat on the end of the row and spent two hours battling for those loungers, having multiple confrontations before the other seven dribbled in.  Sign me up for his vacation 😆

Always love your cruise outfits (and Gen Z's matching ones!)  Do you have a designated closet at home, just for your cruise attire?  Where do you find all of the matching outfits?

7 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Chair Hog report. Lisa arrived at 7:30 and this is what she found at the beach pool. Sun was not up yet. She got 2 chairs in the back row. 
 

Shame. Shame. 

We cruised Oasis over Easter week a few years ago and on the sea days, people started claiming chairs as early as 6am.  By the second sea day (after learning the hard way on the first), I joined them - feeling really stupid sitting alone in the darkness (I only took up one chair).  Grateful to have finally graduated to Empty Nester status, and the flexibility to cruise during non-holiday weeks.

Really enjoying your review (and your NYE Harmony one too!)

Thank you for reviewing!  Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but which YC suite type are you in?

Is the consensus now that cabanas are free for all YC guests?

2 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We sail in YC and we request coffee with Bailey's each morning. We love start our day by drinking them on the balcony as we sail into a port. 🙂

I like your style! 😎

Thanks everyone!  Just trying to get the lay of the (MSC) land!  Totally forgot that I will have a Nespresso right in my cabin!

It's been hard to find this info on the MSC website and I've watched numerous ship's tours on YouTube and nothing has been mentioned.

Is there a coffee shop on board?  If in YC, does one get their morning coffee from the YC lounge?  Do they have all the traditional espresso drink options there?

Is the Ocean Cay seafood restaurant "free" or is there an upcharge?  Anyone have a menu from there?

Thank you!

People in shorts of any kind were turned away for dinner service in the MDR's on our Beyond cruise.  They were more lenient for breakfast & lunch but still no bathing suits or cover ups.

I saw lots of people in jeans but no holes.

I loved it!  It extends the size of the cabin and is a clean, dry space to sit and look out (yes, the chairs could be a lot more comfortable).  It's very private and you don't hear or see neighbors.  We put our window down a couple of times when in port.

If you're someone who enjoys spending a lot of time on a traditional balcony, either to have your morning coffee while your cabinmates sleep or to read a book on sea days, then don't book the IV - you won't like it for the reasons stated in the many threads on the issue.

On 2/5/2023 at 6:21 PM, Boytjie said:

We were on the Beyond in November 2022 and I read about all the banging noises, but we only experienced it a little bit on one night. We had fairly calm waters so I don't know why it clanged occasionally that one night. We were on deck 11 aft.

We were on Deck 11 (mid) in January and lucky to have calm seas, except for the last night which was a little choppy but nothing terrible.  On that night, there was quite a bit of clanging going on.  It sounded like a piece of metal was loose on the outside of the ship and was banging against the hull.  

I loved the ship though and would take my chances and book it again.  I hope they can eventually fix the problem.

8 hours ago, Dskiba said:

I booked 19018 on Seascape for 12/9. I figured they wouldn’t put an excessively loud product in Yacht Club. We’re pretty heavy sleepers who like to sleep later when on vacation. We probably won’t hear anything anyway.  I may have booked another floor, if it was available, but I wasn’t going to miss out on YC just because of the floor. 

I ended up booking 19005 for 12/2.  I agree - I think it will be fine.

@sabres431, @jules815  do report back, if you can.  I believe 19003 is available on my sailing.

According to their website, deluxe grand suites are on decks 16-19.

7 hours ago, Daleed77 said:

I have a Volvo XC90 suv. Would that be considered oversized for the port garage? I saw that they charge $19 for oversized vehicle, but I didn’t know if they mean RVs and such. I fit in a regular parking spot. 
 

Thanks!

My husband has an F150 truck.  We were not charged for an oversize vehicle last month.

Hello!

Contemplating our first cruise on MSC.  Looking at booking the YC (grand suite) on Seascape and the only cabins that are showing as available (through MSC's online booking) are on Deck 19.  Has anyone stayed in those cabins and can comment on whether there is excessive noise from Deck 20 above?  Also, if I call directly, is there a chance that there would be openings on other decks?  I'm looking at what I think is a relatively unpopular week, and I'm surprised to see only 4 cabins left, almost a year out.  Does MSC usually show all its availability on its website?

Thanks in advance!

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

For dessert, I ordered the carrot cake and deigned to share ‘one bite’ with the husband, who had only ordered an espresso, and you know how that goes. It was definitely the best carrot cake I’ve had, light and airy, not heavy or dense at all.

Still dreaming about that carrot cake from my Beyond sailing last month!

On 2/6/2023 at 6:22 AM, The Med said:

The main restaurants lacked choice and imagination. 
On one night out of 10 choices for starter 8 of them were either for soup or salad (if you included the prawn cocktail). Only 2 items that weren’t soup or salad.. I mainly eat fish and the choices for main course were extremely limited.

Although I was on Beyond, I agree with you here.  We ate in each of the main dining restaurants 4 nights, and several lunches (and in specialties 3 nights).  By the 4th night in main dining, I was bored with the selections (unless I got lucky and liked one of the specialty dishes).  If I had to eat in the mains for 7 nights, I would definitely get bored.  If they are going to do the 4 separate main dining rooms concept, there should be more offerings that are unique to each individual restaurant.

Also agree that the steakhouse was nothing special.  We like the steakhouse offerings on NCL & RCCL much better.

Service was 98% outstanding except for one night when an unexpected "large table" took the waitstaff's attention away from our 2-top.  I'm guessing they have a hard time compensating when they're not expecting a large party.  That shouldn't happen in the specialty restaurants though.

Parking in the Palm garage was easy.  You can swing by the entrance to the Beyond and drop off your luggage with a porter and then go park.  Lots of port employees directing traffic.  I was worried about the elevator waits on the return but they have an employee at the elevators, moving things along.  I think we waited less than 10 minutes.  Pay when you leave (they have multiple pay stations at the exits so the wait isn't long) they also had an employee there to help.

58 minutes ago, Bamlin said:

Do you make precruise reservations through the app and how long before pre cruise can you make reservations?

I made them via my account on the X website.  When you click on the "Dining" options, you should be able to access the main dining rooms.  I want to say it was 2-3 months before?  I only knew about it because someone on CC mentioned that they were no longer doing the early/late dinner seatings.