MmmmJason

That would have been nice but unfortunately that was not the experience i had on this cruise. The specifically asked both room service staff over the phone and directly from our butler, both were unable to provide any bottle of champagne above Nicolas F. The room did not include any drink list other than the minibar list for generic alcohol (gin, vodka, whiskey).

The problem was that I invited and suggested to my fellow friends to come along on this cruise so we could all enjoy time together, and each buys whatever cabin class they desire and can afford. I would like to have invited them to my room to enjoy conversation, while having refreshments or food. They were also free to do the same with me, only their cabins were smaller not lending itself to do this. And, I did pay for the larger cabin so why not use it for this purpose? I don't mind paying for the food or beverages for the extra people, but that was not an option. My goal was not to try to get something for nothing, and it wasn't as if the YC food options were better (they were less, in fact). The YC experience for me ended up segregating us unnecessarily. On Celebrity and NCL, I was welcome to host whomever I wanted back at our cabin and the butler was happy to provide the food and drinks we wanted for entertaining guests. This only further encouraged more people to book in these nicer cabins.

@Aixia As a guest of the YC on the same cruise, you got the better deal with your Aurea suite than in the YC. The Aurea guests actually get better room service menus than YC, and sounds like your cabin was a better view and experience. I had the Grand Deluxe Suite, but saw your cabin balconies on the Bridge of Sighs. Trust me, yours was better! the Grand Deluxe was just a slightly enlarged Aurea Balcony suite looking off the side of the ship, all the way forward, up on deck 19, with noise all night from the maintenance crews cleaning the sundeck every night. I've attached the differences in the room service menus for you to see. The only downside is the horribly long boarding line on embark day that the YC lets you bypass (I was on board in 10 minutes, not 2+ hours).

I was on the MSC Seashore out of Miami July 23-30, 2022. I was in a Yacht Club Grand Deluxe Suite. The toiletries were the MSC Spa brand (not a land-based premium brand) but they worked fine. I had in room: Shower Gel, Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion. The shower had dispensers for Shampoo and Conditioner. There was no bar soap nor washcloths. I asked my room steward for both and got them on day 2. There are no other toiletries like no mouthwash, toothpaste, etc. but they do sell this in the sundry shop. There was no soap dispenser at the sink in my cabin. I had a friend traveling also in an Aurea Balcony suite and he said he had all but bar soap and washcloths as well. I was a bit disappointed to I had to use shower gel just to wash my hands when I first embarked; why no bar soap? But, I've traveled to so many Marriotts and Hiltons that give you that very basic wax soap that I've started bringing my own bar with me now. Might I suggest you do the same. Also, note that there is only one US plug in the bathroom, that will accept only a 2-prong NON-polarized plug, and it may be overhead in the bathroom. Any other plug type you will have to use at the desk (e.g. toothbrush charger, beard/hair trimmer). Blowdryers not allowed on board; don't bring it. There's one built into your room at the desk in the drawer. There are only 2 US plugs in the room altogether, at the desk. Might I also suggest a voltage converter.

Considering you are traveling with two teens, I also agree with Kwokpot (cute name btw). I recently sailed on MSC Seashore, July 23-30, 2022. While I personally had a very miserable time on MSC, I interacted with other guests including a couple with a 15 y/o teen. The teenager had the time of his life on the ship (it was also his first cruise). He spent most of his time on the basketball court, arcade, and waterpark. There were endless activities that we barely saw him, and he quickly made friends with others on the ship his own age. I asked him if he liked it and if he felt like he had the privacy and the fun he needed to enjoy himself and he said hands down it was a fantastic experience. His dad remarked that when he would come to check on him and bring him back to the cabin, the usual response was "already??" My own experience in MSC Yacht Club was not great. The rules and process is quite regimented when it comes to dining times and selections. The room service menu is extremely limited in YC. If you are fine spending your time in common areas like the sundeck, dining in the dining room (not your balcony or room), theatre, night clubs, etc, then you will be fine on MSC. If you like having personal service, and premium food, mostly in your own spaces, then I'd go with Celebrity. I have sailed with both Celebrity in the Penthouse (Retreat), and NCL in the Owner's Suite (Haven), and both had better service levels, food, and flexibility. MSC will still nickel and dime you on premium wines / champagnes and specialty restaurants, and the internet is next to non-existent even with the premium "browse and stream" package (which is also not included in YC). On NCL, your experience and service levels get better as you get into The Haven, but you will have to still pay for extras like drink packages, dining, internet, gratuities. On Celebrity, in the Reflection, Icon, Penthouse, or Royal suites, everything is included and unlimited, so you won't pay a penny more after booking (gratuities and service charges are included). In the other Retreat level suites, you will still enjoy most everything unlimited / included, and the staff will do everything they can to make your cruise pleasant. But, your teens may be bored on a Celebrity cruise as there are less interactive things and more "make your own fun" as Kwokpot mentioned. If your teens are the moody introspective type, or they hang out on the internet all the time, they might be okay with this on Celebrity and the butler that does whatever you want. If they like waterslides, arcades, night clubs / discos, etc, then MSC is the better pick for them. Also, Celebrity's Retreat rooms are distributed throughout the ship in the best spots (aft, mid, fore corners), with the the actual Retreat common areas at the top of the ship behind keycard access. On MSC, all Yacht Club rooms are in a single area behind keycard access, at the very top and front of the ship so you will always have to schlep across the ship to your cabin / restaurant / lounge. Again, if your teens like isolation and hanging out with adults, the Yacht Club will be attractive, else it will be boring. Personally, I did not find the Yacht Club area any more special than the rest of the MSC ship; it reminded me of an American Airlines or Marriott concierge lounge: a bit stuffy, regimented, usually quiet, and boring. Guests were not as interactive with each other in YC as they are in the common deck areas. Children and teens were uncommon in YC but when present, were well behaved (if not bored). Hope this helps!

On the MSC Seashore, sailing July 23-30, 2022, the included champagne in Yacht Club (premium drink package) was Nicolas Feuillatte, roughly a $30/bottle variety. This was not served at every bar on the ship; some only had Prosecco or lower grades of sparkling wine only. Personally, I found the included Prosecco to be more tasteful than the Nicolas champagne. Any fancier, and you have to go to the champagne bar yourself, buy it (20% discount), then bring it back to your room. the champagne bar did not have staff to bring it back to my room, ordering via room service was denied, as was ordering a bottle of any champagne via room service. Instead, they insisted on pouring one glass at a time and sending to the room on a tray. As many glasses as you want, but no bottle service. For reference, Moet Chandon Brut was about $68/bottle after discount, and Veuve Clicquot Brut yellow label was about $80/bottle after discount. They also have Dom Perignon and Cristal, both around $270 - $300/bottle (before discount). I was able to use OBC to pay for the bottles I bought. For comparison, I had unlimited Perrier-Jouët on Celebrity in the Penthouse (Retreat-level), and a bottle of Moet was included on embark day on NCL in an Owner's suite. Generally, I was disappointed by what MSC considered "premium". Also, if you order any drink anywhere on board that is > $15/glass, or not served by the glass at all, you must pay the full price of the glass or bottle, not the difference above $15. This had a big negative impact to the value of my drink package since going even $1 over $15/glass meant the full price negating the value of the drink package altogether and forcing you to drink stuff you might not like. In general, the Yacht Club value is poor, and it's a way better buy to go Aurea then buy a la carte thereafter. See my other posts for more detail, or just message me and happy to share.

I sailed on MSC Seashore July 23 - 30, 2022, and despite asking, no the staff would not deliver any restaurant meals to the room, even in Yacht Club. I was told "only if the guests is ill" which I hesitated to lie about lest I be quarantined or interrogated. This was disappointing because despite having "anytime" dining, the real dining time is only a 2 hour window for breakfast and again for lunch, and only in the dining room, meaning no private dining in your room. Don't ask for it to go in the restaurant either; that's a no-go. I had friends in the non-YC areas of the ship, and this policy meant separating ourselves on every meal. For everyone's interest, I'm posting the room service menus of both Yacht Club and Aurea, both breakfast and all other times. Note that Aurea has a MORE expansive list of options than Yacht Club does, despite paying 3-4 times as much as Aurea guests. Also, the minibar in YC has fewer items than Aurea does. I was denied any other meal options than what was on my menu, even when asking and when offering to pay. Very disappointing. Lastly, I've attached a picture of what all the YC room service meal options look like. Note that the side item is always Lays potato chips. None of the food items are hot (except the soup) nor freshly prepared.

I stayed in 19032 on MSC Seashore July 23 - 30 and I had noise throughout the night from the sundeck. The deckboys pull the chairs off at night around 11p or 12a, hose it all down, squeegee (walking firmly across the deck in rubber boots), then put them all back around 4 or 5a. I eventually slept with earplugs and that worked (though I travel with these; they weren't provided by the ship). I did ask my concierge to relocate me to the slightly smaller "Deluxe" suite on deck 18 and it took a day for them to get approval, and they finally did but I remained where I was because by then it was day 4 on a 7-day cruise and I didn't want to move, plus the earplugs helped a lot. All that said, my cruise was a miserable experience in Yacht Club and on MSC altogether. We were missing hand soap and washcloths on day one (took till day two to get that; shower gel in the meantime), and the pillow menu was pointless as we got the synthetic pillows. When I asked my butler about it, he said they were "out" of the feather pillows and only had foam. I just stayed with the synthetic cheap ones. Also, note that the minibar is unlimited but does not contain any alcohol or food items. Aurea guests get food items (besides the nuts and toblerone), and their room service and breakfast menus are more expansive. Photos attached...