bluefish17

Bea,

Glad you're having a great cruise. Is there any way you could post the wine list from Butchers Cut? Im part of a YC group in a few weeks who want to have one really special dinner together and not sure if we want to use the standard YC wines or get something nicer.

Thanks

Have a great trip! Eagerly anticipating your review. We are on the Western Car.

Dec 1.

You won't need Global Access. This is how it went for us last month.

You walk off the ship with butler escort to gangway. Proceed to camera area where your face is scanned. If green light, you go, otherwise you pull out your passport to show agent. Then you walk down to the baggage area, get your bags, then walk outside. That's it! Not sure about the customs part. No customs declaration form or lines.

We were just on the Seaside and had excellent service from Andrei and Brendo.

On our cruise we were turned away for dinner in the YC restaurant for wearing shorts on the first night. (Still nicely dressed btw).

It was no big deal, we just changed. That seemed to be the only rule they enforced all week. We saw people wearing old jeans, tennis shoes, t shirts and ball caps at dinner. We did have a big laugh one night when a man came into the Topsail lounge wearing shorts and a blue wife-beater type shirt. He only made it halfway up the crystal stairs before he was intercepted and turned away. Im glad they are trying to enforce a dress code. Bottom line is you will fine with a clean pair of long pants and a collared shirt any night for dinner.

If your kids are like mine, you and your wife will have plenty of time in the shower before they even wake up. The pool deck and topsail lounge are so nice, you wont want to spend lots of time in your cabin.

We were on the same cruise and completely agree with Aloha. Food quality in YC was very good, really enjoyed the lounge musicians. We had Andrei and Brendo for our waiters. They were excellent.

On disembarkation day, is the bar in the YC open for a farewell cocktail with breakfast before getting off of the ship?

Yes, we were in the lounge until 10am and were offered whatever we wanted.

 

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Enjoying your review! Looking forward to the rest.

We were on deck 18, never heard any noise from anything.

 

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We waited in the Topsail lounge until 10am because we had a later flight. There were no lines really in immigration by then.

 

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I noticed this too. There was another USB one by the bed. Did you find that one?

My wife used it.

 

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You don't understand. This toddler was not crying. It was a loud shriek like a baby pterodactyl. It was to get attention from the mother and the child was rewarded. If every time the child shrieked, the stroller was turned around so mommy was gone just for 60 sec, the behavior would probably stop in a day or two.

Everyone knows babies cry, that's not what this was.

 

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Ditto. That's what I did...good thing, too. The two USB ports next to the American outlets were not working in our cabin (18001). We reported it to the concierge, but don't know if it has been fixed. So, future sailors in 18001, caveat naute...get the adaptors.

Also, the two US style outlets are so close together, it is hard to plug two things in simultaneously. Certainly not a charger and something else.

 

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On our recent cruise they started boarding at 1130 am and were on group 12 by noon.

I'd try to arrive at terminal F at 1045am.

 

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Welcome back and thanks for all the great inside tips and regularly reporting on your overall cruise experience. WE are in YC next week (3/24)....your information has been of much help!!

Another tip for you. Our cabin in YC had 2 regular US style outlets but 3 Euro type outlets (counting the one for the coffee maker). I highly recommend getting the electrical adapters JimZim recommended from Amazon for $8. Then you have 5 outlets plus the USB ports.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=tessan+usa+to+italy

 

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The shows are at 7, 815, and 930. 815 was always sold out. 930 always had space even at the last minute.

We used the MSC for me app to make reservations at 815 for the whole week on the first day. Very easy. Just go to Theatre shows tab under things to do.

We ate around 6:15 to 6, always had enough time to get to the show. Just tell your servers. Also you can enter the theatre from deck 7 or deck 6. Deck 6 has very little congestion to get in.

 

Don't have any thing else to add on the child. I felt bad for the staff because they want everyone to be Happy and have a good time and they knew people were upset. Don't know anything about the parents or if anyone talked to them. I don't think they knew much about babies. If a toddler periodically shrieks to get attention, you don't pat it, stroke it, or otherwise reward it like they did. They truly are living in a hell of their own making.

 

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Regardless...it won't make or break my cruise!! French Toast and Pancakes....will do just fine!

The pancakes are made fresh but the French toast is also frozen supermarket type stuff even in the YC. And they ran out of syrup by the end of the week.

They have plenty of other good things though so no worry!

 

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Ken,

Thanks for taking the time and doing this review. We were on the same week with you and your description of the screaming child is spot on. And to others who say "I would have said something to the parents" and other similar stuff, all I can say is that the parents just didn't care so it wouldn't have mattered. They radiated an attitude of "we have to put up with this every day, so should you because we paid our money too".

Really don't know what the staff could have done when people have that attitude.

We also had the same waiters and refused to be seated over there one morning because we saw the child there. Thank goodness we missed the subsequent screaming match.

Agree with you about the shade. Surely MSC can do something about this. Why don't they try something and see how popular it is. Like shade over the whole port side next to the pool.

We didn't have any issues at the busy 8:15 theatre show.

Was it a perfect cruise for us? No, but it was one of our best. We will definitely cruise Seaside in YC again.

 

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Nope, no nerve. Just factual correction of confirmation bias of erroneous statements.

Sounds like we are in agreement then as to the fact that the food in the YC restaurant is largely the same as the food in the main dining room with a few exceptions e.g. lobster tail night and not as good a quality as Haven restaurant ( I agree repetitive menu), NCL specialty restaurants, or even the MSC specialty restaurants.

That's all I was saying. Not a comparison of Haven vs YC, the ambiance, the service, the price or anything else.

Just the food quality.

 

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Also, I should add that the lunch buffet at the YC pool area is really excellent and there is nothing comparable in the Haven.

 

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Ain't that the truth.

 

Not for the rest.

 

Maybe slightly the Haven restaurant, but to compare YC to the specialty restaurants is not tit for tat. 'Cmon. Absurd.

 

Not so for the Haven lounge versus YC; YC over the top (and it's FREE).

 

Not so for the pool deck (ooops, Havens is in ground down 30 feet from ocean view).

 

Not so for the sun deck, where YC is 'both.

 

Zero for Haven on Pool Grill (YC "nailed" this innovation).

 

Never been on a cruise where some things didn't work out, but good Lord there is a loud outcry from such a small, di minimis hecklers about some of the most trivial things (sans the sewer issue) is beyond the pale. Getting tired to those who don't like the Yacht Club B&M-ing about just about everything. Solution, JUST DON'T BOOK THE YACHT CLUB. Pretty simple. Enough is enough.

 

We GET IT. The minute contrarians (to the 5,000 per week passengers) ad nauseam posts re: MSC is terrible, budget line, not American, blah, blah, blah, and, the most innovative and popular new club-within-a-club at sea (and pool grill)(we await the Edge to be fair), the Yacht Club, stinks.

 

GREAT.

 

 

Stay away. :o

Sorry didn't mean to hit a nerve.

 

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Just commenting on the food. I think the YC is definitely better than the Haven. Just not for the food. And it's not absurd to compare the YC restaurant with NCL specialty restaurants because people think that's what you will get with YC and usually you get the restaurant package with NCL Haven.

So YC food is fairly similar to the main dining room but the setting is nicer and service is excellent. Just my opinion but disseminating information is what this forum is about. Like if you are a real foodie thinking about trying the YC, you might want to know this.

 

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I don't think it's the same kitchen but I think the food is largely the same. Osso bucco, New York strip steak, eggo type waffles, etc. Some things are probably an upgrade but most is the same food in YC as main dining room.

I really like the Yacht Club product but would have to say food in NCL Haven restaurant and NCL specialty restaurants better than YC. Not that I went hungry.[emoji6]

 

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We just went with Kitson last week and highly recommend him. Everything was as discussed, his van is comfortable, and he is very friendly, outgoing, and likes to tell you about Antigua. There was some rough seas which closed many beaches. We decided not to do any beach time after seeing the crowd at Long Bay which was one if the few open. But we had a great time and would go with him again.

 

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Now that I think about it ours didn't start working until later. Maybe they don't turn it on right away.

 

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