momofmab

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 I guess those have since been replaced by the Haven/Retreat, etc.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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

There was no set early or late dining times when we were on in early January (despite having to choose one or the other when we originally booked). Unless you like dining after 8pm, I would advise making reservations before you board. Otherwise, there may be a wait if you go during the popular dinner hours. And yes, you can pick whatever one you want for dinner.

Agree with this. We were a little bored at night on Celebrity. Not that we are "Burn-the-House-to-the-Ground" partiers but most of the after 9 social scene on our cruise centered around the martini bar and a few singers, who I couldn't figure out whether they were paid singers or karaoke. There were some late-night performances in Eden that we didn't go to (you had to go super early to get a seat), but they were located in a secluded restaurant in the aft area of the ship. I did like that no one bugged me about photos on Celebrity. I didn't see any cheezy set ups for photos getting onboard or off at the ports with costumed characters, like you see on other lines. The photographers were around on the "chic dress" nights, but they weren't bugging anyone. Also, no solicitations for drink packages or specialty dining, like I'd see on RCCL. Those things are pluses for me!

Neither is "better" - it really depends on what you are looking for in a cruise (itinerary, ship size, etc.). We just cruised Celebrity for the first time on Beyond (Caribbean itinerary). Previously we've cruised NCL (on Sun, Spirit, Dawn, & Jewel - upper suite class on all) and Royal (Liberty, Freedom - suite class & Oasis) and in my foolish youth, Carnival. It's possible that I have nowhere near the number of cruises under my belt to be qualified to have an opinion, nonetheless you may find some of the below useful. My observations about Celebrity: An older demographic. This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but it's something to keep in mind. We're in our 50's and were on the young side for our cruise. Someone in their 30's might find Celebrity a little "sleepy". Ship design was more refined, less like a traditional cruise ship. I personally loved the more modern, neutral color palette. There was no single "wow" factor on Beyond (except for maybe the elephant sculpture at the pool) but everything was tastefully designed - lots of incredible art installations all over the ship. It felt more like we were on a superyacht, rather than a cruise ship. Beyond (and all Edge class, I believe) are designed with 4 smaller dining rooms, rather than the multi-story main dining on most NCL/RCCL ships. My husband prefers the multi-story dining to Celebrity's design. Things to do. I didn't mind it because I love just reading & relaxing by the pool with a drink in my hand, but others may find that there's not as many activities during sea days on Celebrity. Kids would get bored quickly (even my 20-somethings would get bored). I loved that Celebrity doesn't have crazy waterslides and rock walls and racetracks hanging off the ship, but if you have kids, Celebrity is probably not the best choice. Food is subjective, obviously. I loved mostly everything I tried on Celebrity. I have a sweet tooth and felt that they excelled at their desserts and pastries, when compared to other lines. NCL in particular for me, always has great looking desserts that end up tasting bland. Pizza on Celebrity was the best I've had, compared to NCL & RCCL. We dined in 3 specialty restaurants - the steakhouse concept is comparable to Cagney's. I've always loved Le Bistro on NCL and their teppanyaki restaurant. Celebrity, I would say, has less eating options outside of the main dining and buffet. We did get a little bored with the options on Celebrity after about the 5th day. Both my husband and I loved Celebrity and said we'd sail it again, but maybe 5 years from now.

Can't wait for the review! We were on Beyond in early January (albeit in a lowly Concierge IV) and loved her! Captain Kate is a gem! Do try to follow her (and Bug) on Instagram, as she posts pictures and videos from each voyage, as well as reposts pics that passengers post. She is very approachable and does a Q&A, trivia and comes down to the terminal on disembarkation day to say goodbye to everyone. Make sure to bring a deck of cards and any board games you want to play. We forgot cards and the ship was sold out of the few decks they carry. There's no "card room" on Beyond, but many places to play. Cafe Bacio was a popular place. Enjoy the Villa! Looking forward to pictures!