FamilyAtSea.travel

I'll hopefully have good news to share after our June 4th sailing, but there are two before us so I'm guessing somebody will share the updates before we're onboard. Are you sailing in the Retreat?

Will they have a press release that details exactly what is new when she comes out of dry dock? We'll be on her June 4th so I'll be sure to get pictures and share it with you guys in a live thread, but hopefully we learn what's new before that sailing as there are a couple before ours.

Aside from the crying baby in the room beside me, I didn't notice any poor behavior from kids but since I have a couple of my own perhaps I'm just less aware since I'm used to it at home. I will say while it was a great experience, I don't think I'd pay much more for it than their current pricing. If we see YC pricing get to the Haven (NCL)/Retreat (Celebrity) pricing, I wouldn't be willing to spend the money since outside the YC, the ships aren't as nice as the other cruise lines (MSC ships have a lower sq ft per passenger rate for public spaces + a higher crew:passenger ratio. Be sure to complete your survey form! I did mine earlier.

Interesting - for some reason I thought you had to have a Retreat sea pass to even to to their deck on those ships. We loved the Ascent over Christmas... One thing Celebrity definitely has going for it over MSC is the entire ship is a great experience, not only the YC area.

Don't the Edge-class ships have a ship-in-a-ship concept with their staterooms? I haven't sailed in the Retreat on one yet, but that was my impression.

We just finished two weeks in the YC (Seascape + Seashore) and had a great time on both. We will be in the Retreat on the Equinox in early June and I'm disappointed that our room is not in an exclusive Retreat area and that there's no Retreat pool or live music in the Retreat Lounge. I'm hoping it will be enough to justify tripling the cost of the cruise vs a standard balcony, but I suspect we will regret upgrading (YC on a similar itinerary would have been about 25% less).

It was Melania from Italy. She was okay but not as great as Mustafa was on the Seascape. The only time I asked her for anything (ear plugs for the crying kid in the room beside me), she wasn't able to help.

Yes, I shared the outcome in the posts that you'll see as you read your way through things!

Agree that it's speculation, but I'm still pretty confident they will be adding a bar to the Retreat Sundeck (that or they're using false advertising as they show one on the website when booking the June 4 sailing I will be on).

Birthdays in the YC Restaurant This is trivial and really doesn't matter to me one way or the other, but I've been surprised this week to see the YC staff have to do the dog and pony show of singing and clapping to wish a happy birthday as if they were at Texas Roadhouse. I'm not the type to be bothered by this (it's fun honestly), but I was surprised to see they do it in such a nice restaurant. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures or video of things, but they do a great job with it.

Onboard Internet I upgraded the YC-included Browse internet to Browse & Stream for an additional $70 ($10/day). When the service works, it works extremely well (see speed test screenshot below), but the problem is it only works about 70% of the time. I'm not sure if this is an issue with Starlink or the onboard network, but it's a shame it's not more reliable since it is great when it works.

Dinner Review: Chef's Table at Butcher's Cut I'll start this by saying if you've ever done the Chef's Table on other cruise lines, this is not the group experience that you have on the others. What MSC calls the Chef's Table is a 4-course dinner with a view of the kitchen. This doesn't make it bad, it's just different (though I do typically enjoy the shared experience in a private dining room I've had on other ships outside MSC). With that said... --- The Greeting: Upon arriving at Butcher's Cut I was seated at a table directly across from the serving station near the kitchen. I was then immediately greeted by the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor who told me it would be a 4-course meal paired with a couple glasses of wine and then pointed to the chef who took a moment to wave at me and thank me for joining them. I asked how many people would be doing the Chef's Table that evening, and he replied, "including you sir? One 😝" So I guess perhaps this isn't a very popular experience. --- The Food: This isn't intended to come across as a complaint, but another key difference with the Chef's Table on MSC is that instead of it being a special meal you can't order off the menu, instead it is just a selection of items you can purchase a la carte directly from the menu (but the Chef's Table is a better value in terms of price vs ordering off the menu). --- First Course - Caesar Salad: This is a standard Caesar salad with nothing remarkable to share. The one thing to note is that it does include anchovies (but I'm sure you can ask for them to be left off if you want). It was a good salad though (better than their house chop salad I had for lunch today at Butcher's Cut). --- Second Course - Shellfish Platter: This is a pretty impressive platter and was very tasty. It included shrimp, King Crab, lobster, scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels all served on a bed of ice. This was paired with a Chardonnay. I'm guessing had I been doing this experience with somebody this would have been shared, so price wise it was probably a better value doing this solo. The shellfish was all great and I ate more of it than I thought I would! --- Third Course - Ribeye Steak: The ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was tender, juicy, and delicious. It comes with the four signature sauces you always get with the steak in Butcher's Cut: Bearnaise, Peppercorn, Forest Mushroom, and Chimichurri (the Bearnaise is the hands down winner of the four). It was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon that went very well with the steak. --- Final Course - Lava Cake w/ Vanilla Ice Cream: If you've sailed on MSC and like chocolate, odds are you've had the lava cake at least once. It was the same here as every other time I've ever had it, but it's still good. --- The Service: The service was a bit of a tag team approach between the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor (Sagar) and my Waiter (Archie), and they were both great. I've had three meals across two ships in Butcher's Cut and the service has been fantastic each time. Whatever they're doing in this restaurant, they should replicate across all the restaurants. --- Final Thoughts + Scoring: If I was scoring this based on how it compares to other Chef's Tables I've done on other cruise lines (Celebrity, Royal, and Carnival), it wouldn't score very high. As previously mentioned - it wasn't a special menu, it's not a shared experience as you meet new friends, and it's not in a private space. However, if you look past that and consider it for what it is - the food was good and the service was great. So for my scores: - Food: 4/5 (tasted great but the menu left something to be desired) - Service: 5/5 - Experience: 3/5 ---

I don't know who every entertainer is, but tonight it is Saul and he's fantastic. Great selection of songs and incredibly talented.

If they do, I haven't seen it... Pretty sure they don't.

Port Day - Costa Maya, Mexico I don't know if you guys are interested in the ports or not, but I'll share my experience anyways. My plan today was to check out Maya: Lost Mayan Ruins Waterpark. I was a bit concerned as you couldn't purchase tickets on their website (the functionality is broken) and when I messaged them to confirm they were open, it took them three weeks to message me back to say they were open and I'd have to purchase tickets the day of. Well I'm happy to report that I was able to purchase tickets in line (even though I was the only one). The disappointing news (for me, not you guys) is that they wouldn't let me film the slides or zip lines... This is a text-based forum, so you guys won't care, but as somebody who is also trying to get some video on this journey, this was disappointing on a personal level since they told me on Facebook this would be fine (don't worry, I'm not an obnoxious person interrupting people's private time). With that said, I was able to capture some things worth sharing: --- Maya - Lost Kingdom Ruin Waterpark If you guys love an adrenaline rush like me, this is a great spot. With that said, I'm pretty sure most of y'all are not adrenaline junkies like me, so you're probably not even reading this. But on the off chance anybody is still reading, I did enjoy the waterpark. Some things worth noting: - When you exit the ship and are trying to find your way out of the maze of a port, find a tunnel that takes you outside the walls of the port! (this is helpful advice for anyone leaving the port, not just people visiting the waterpark)... Their signage is terrible and I had to ask somebody how to find the taxis since I couldn't find them on my own. - The terminal has a lot going on, multiple pools with swim up bars, photo ops, stores, etc. - $120 is a lot for a waterpark ticket, but it's cheaper than Atlantis or Baja Bay in Atlantis ($160/ticket), and it was a good overall value in my opinion. - On a day with 4 big ships at the port I was expecting the waterpark to be busy, but the longest line I waited in (getting gear for the zip lines) was only 20 minutes, and the vast majority of slides had no line at all. - All of the slides and zip lines are accessed from the pyramid structure, so although I still logged over 20,000 steps for the day, it was nice having everything in a single location. - The slides are decent but nothing special. The two on the top level (Demon + Witch) and the green body slide are definitely the best of the group. The Hurricane was decently fun, but when you reach the funnel at the bottom, the seams are the most painful I've ever experienced. - It was fun having zip lines in addition to the slides. There's a zip line course with 6 sections and a ropes course + a second zip line "rollercoaster" that is a quick experience (less than a minute) but was fun. - In addition to the water slides and zip lines, there are also multiple pools with lounge chairs and cabanas. - I love lazy rivers, but this was the one drawback of the park... It was too lazy (i.e. there was very little water flow so I ended up having to paddle myself through a lot of sections). - With a couple small exceptions, the staff was friendly and helpful. --- Scoring: - Port Terminal: 3/5 - Getting to the Waterpark: 4/5 (an easy walk once you find your way out of the terminal) - Slides: 3/5 - Zip Lines: 4/5 - Ambiance/Design: 3/5 - Value: 4/5 - Staff: 4/5 ---

I asked the YC Concierge desk and they didn't know... If I'm in the TSL tonight I'll try to grab their name for you (I'm going the Chef's Table dinner at Butcher's Cut tonight).

I'll ask today... I've enjoyed their music but have no idea who they've been as I'm usually engaged in a conversation vs actively paying attention to the music.

Venue Reviews - Kaito Sushi, Le Cabaret Rouge, + Main Theater An area where I didn't do a great job in my last review was offering my thoughts on the areas outside the YC. The YC restaurant and Top Sail Lounge are so good that it's very easy to not experience much beyond the exclusive walls of the YC. However, this week I'm going to force myself to spend more time in these spaces so I can share them with all of you. --- Kaito Sushi: I really enjoy sushi and so the idea of a good sushi buffet where these tasty treats scroll by you on a conveyor belt is super tempting... So last night I decided to give it a go. Unlike my review of the amazing Butcher's Cut though, this was not a great experience. The sushi was average at best, the best rolls are rare to scroll by, and the service was the worst I've experienced so far on either of the two Sea ships I've sailed over the past couple weeks. The conveyor menu was disappointing so I decided to order things a la carte, but this wasn't any better. I started with the Yaki Soba (this was good, no complaints) and Gyu Niku Teriyaki (the most expensive item on the menu at $21, but the steak was supposed to be medium rare and ended up being well done). From there I ordered the Dragon Roll and Kaito Rainbow rolls (the two most expensive rolls on the menu... both of these were both okay but not worth $14/each for 4 pieces). I also got the sake (which was decent and the carafe came with enough for 4 shots, surprising). - Food: 2/5 - Service: 2/5 - Experience: 3/5 - Overall: 2/5 --- Le Cabaret Rouge After grabbing sushi on deck 8, I made my way down to deck 7 to grab a drink and enjoy some music at Le Cabaret Rouge. While the bar was busy, it was still easy to get a drink, so kudos to them for that. The bartenders were friendly and the service was prompt at the bar. The performers down on the main stage were low key but a bit melancholy for my taste. They also performed very short sets (less than 15 minutes) before breaking for 10 minutes before the next performer. I'm guessing this was unique to whatever it was the were doing at this time, but it wasn't ideal in my opinion. With that said, I ended up making some new friends that I hung out with for the evening. They were two couples and they drive monster trucks for a living (really... even the wives) and run events across the east coast. They had some great stories and made for a memorable evening. The venue has a nice ambiance and the music isn't over powering so you can still have conversations without having to shout, so I appreciated that. There were seats everywhere and while seats with a view of the stage were limited, there are plenty of seats through the venue if you were okay with hearing the music (without seeing it). - Seating: 4/5 - Performers: 3/5 - Bar Service: 4/5 - Overall: 4/5 --- Main Theater - Divas Show: They had the Divas show last night and they did a really good job with it. The onboard performers are much better than they were on the Seascape, both their dancing and their singing. The seating was about 95% full and the audience really seemed to be into things. - Seating: 4/5 - Performers: 4/5 - Choreography: 3/5 - Crowd: 4/5 - Overall: 4/5 ---

I didn't get a chance to actually ask on Ocean Cay, but I have massages booked every morning on the ship this week, so I'll try to remember to ask the spa tomorrow to see what they say! I went from having never had a massage in my entire life, to wanting to try every different type they offered on the ship this week! I hope you guys have an amazing time - we did the Meraviglia in November...it's a beautiful ship and being in the YC, you will have a fantastic time. I'm sitting in the Top Sail Lounge catching up on some work as I write this post. Happy 40th! We will celebrate 12 years this year, so we have a long way to go to get to 40, but we'll be there before we know it.

We enjoyed last week's on the Seascape even more as it traded a second day at Ocean Cay for a day in Falmouth, Jamaica instead. If you like more active adventures like we do, Jamaica is Heaven... But if you prefer a more relaxing experience, two days in Ocean Cay is definitely the way to go! I hope your next cruise isn't in the too distant future... Counting down the days can be absolute torture at times!!

It's not over yet! We leave today at 4pm... I'll probably go snorkeling one more time today and do a full walk around the island before we head out. Tomorrow is a sea day and then Costa Maya and Cozumel and a final sea day before I wake from this dream!

I think I have it on video somewhere... I'll try to find a moment to go back and check.

The Cay Comes Alive at Night After a fun jet ski around Ocean Cay and a truly fantastic dinner in the YC restaurant, I went out for a Twilight sailing around the island to watch the lighthouse show. I'll be honest - after being out in the sun all day, I really didn't feel like it, but I purchased the ticket, so I figured I shouldn't waste my money. I'm glad I made the decision I did, because not only was the view great for the lighthouse show, I also ended up taking a stroll across the island to check out the night life and take in the views. My party days are well behind me at this stage, but it will makes for some good people watching to see others living their best lives. By happenchance, I happened to be photographing the lighthouse directly in front of it when a second show started at 10pm...I literally couldn't have picked a better spot to see the show if I wanted to. I swung by the casino and donated some money to the cause before grabbing a night cap at the Top Sail Lounge before writing this post. Ocean Cay is a beautiful place and I'm only bummed my wife and kids didn't get to see it on Friday. Fortunately we'll be back here in May 2025 on the World America on our next YC adventure (we have 5 other cruises between now and then, but on different lines).

Some of you may have seen me post this in a FB group earlier, but it's worth sharing here too: --- Me: Wandering around Ocean Cay, mindlessly exploring. Random YC Butler I've Never Seen Before: "Sir, You have an excursion that starts at 2:45... I'll meet you over there at 2:15 to escort you." Me: "You're right...but how do you know who I am?" --- These folks are incredible... I'm so impressed.

My butler is Kadek! He's been good so far...I think Roberto spoiled me, but Kadek has been very good as well. In fact, he just found me at dinner and escorted me to a twilight boat trip to see the light show.