Come Sail Away With Us…LIVE from the MSC Seaside (Yacht Club) …July 21-28, 2018

[Neaxan]

First things first: Happy anniversary!

Exciting to finally see how you like Seaside and especially YC. We've still got Seaview YC on our list, maybe Fall 2019 or 2020.

I've got one question if you don't mind: is there enough shade on the YC pool deck? My skin tone only changes from white to lobster red to white, so I avoid the sun where I can :D

Enjoy your cruise!

[rose102798]

We will be sailling 1st time with MSC on seaside for our 20th anniversary this october. Happy anniversary, have a blast!

 

 

 

Hey same with us. 20th Anniversary 10/27/2018.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

We enjoyed getting to know Arthur on our B2B cruises on Divina last July. Would you mind asking him how long he'll be on board? We would love to see him again when we sail in mid-September. He is great!

 

 

 

We also loved the sommelier on Divina--Dechen was her name (I believe that is the correct spelling). I'd be curious to know if she is now on Seaside, and if so, how long she'll be on board. When she realized my wife liked Chianti like she does, she brought us a special bottle and a third glass (so she could have a taste as well). Very sweet lady! If she is there, please tell her that Susan and Ed say hello.

 

 

I will ask Arthur tonight at dinner and report back. I'll also ask him about Dechen.

 

Oh, you have the BEST!! Please tell Arthur and Victor hello from the Beckham's! Thanks bunches.

 

 

Will do!

 

Was just thinking the same thing. It must be the teacher in her. Hey, S., I hope you don't give your students that much homework![emoji16]

 

 

They have a lot of HW when they don't use their in class time properly [emoji12]

 

Loving all the detail and pictures. Funny on the salty comment - I think another poster said there was NO salt on anything! Enjoy!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I know, which is why I said "it's subjective". Lol. To be fair though, we don't add salt to anything at home so everything is going to be saltier for us.

 

First things first: Happy anniversary!

Exciting to finally see how you like Seaside and especially YC. We've still got Seaview YC on our list, maybe Fall 2019 or 2020.

I've got one question if you don't mind: is there enough shade on the YC pool deck? My skin tone only changes from white to lobster red to white, so I avoid the sun where I can :D

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

We have not made it up there yet but when we do, I will take lots of pics. Stay tuned for that.

 

Hope it all goes well. Please do not drink the place dry as we will be boarding as you get off. Have a great holiday.

 

 

Thank you!! [emoji4]

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[rose102798]

Hi Cruise Critics!

 

 

 

This cruise has been a long time coming…489 days to be exact, but who’s counting?! Hubby and I are first time cruisers with MSC. We have been cruising since 2002, mainly with RCI, and a few with DCL in between. We are long time Oasis class fans, we love our suites, we adore Coastal Kitchen, so full disclosure here…it will be hard not to make comparisons. However, we are going into this cruise with an open mind and we are looking forward to new experiences from MSC.

 

 

 

We booked the Seaside back in March 2017. Usually, Hubby and I try to get away once per year (kid free) and since Symphony of the Seas is still in Europe, the concept of the Seaside intrigued us, especially the “ship within a ship” concept of the Yacht Club. Having tried the Royal Suite Class program with RCI on Oasis and Quantum class ships, we are very curious to see how the Yacht Club experience compares. Price wise, it was a no-brainer. After MSC’s discount for teachers (10%), and further TA discounts, our price for two adults, in a Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony suite, was less than the cost of a Junior suite on Harmony of the Seas for the exact same week, with MSC YC offering much greater on board suite benefits.

 

 

 

So, here we find ourselves, many months later, ready, and excited to see all the things the Seaside has to offer.

 

 

 

Who’s sailing?

 

 

 

It will be Hubby and I only on this sailing, and we are celebrating our 16th anniversary on board.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise stay:

 

 

 

We will be arriving in Miami on Friday for a Saturday departure on the Seaside. Our pre-cruise stay will be at the InterContinental Miami. The main reason we chose this hotel was because of the location and proximity to the port. In addition, we have also heard many wonderful things about this hotel and wanted to try it out for ourselves.

 

 

 

Itinerary:

 

 

 

Our Eastern Caribbean sailing takes us to the following:

 

Miami, At Sea, At Sea, Philipsburg (St. Maarten), San Juan (Puerto Rico), At Sea, Nassau (Bahamas), Miami

 

 

 

As far as excursions go, the ship is the destination for us. Since we have taken the Eastern Caribbean sailing many times, Hubby and I decided we would spend time exploring the ports at our leisure and have not booked any excursions in advance.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise purchases:

 

 

 

As for pre-cruise purchases, the only thing that we pre-purchased is the Premium Internet package. As of two weeks ago, this package was $127.90 for 6GB and allows for up to 4 devices to be connected at a time. Because we are staying in the YC, that already includes all our beverages around the ship and access to the Top Sail Lounge and Restaurant, so we have not purchased any additional beverage packages or specialty dining.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise thoughts:

 

 

 

In the spirit of a live blog, I would love for this to be an interactive blog. I tend to update several times a day, I’ll be happy to answer any questions along the way and will do my best to find out anything you might be wondering. Don’t hesitate to ask. Over the months leading up to this cruise, I have learned from many here on this forum about MSC and this is my way to pay it forward.

 

 

 

In addition, for those who are interested, and assuming the ship’s Wi-Fi holds up, I will also do my best to bring the cruise to you Live on Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002 on the app or from a computer - here.

 

 

 

One favour I am asking...I will do my best to include as many pictures as I can in this blog. If you are responding to a post with pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply. It just makes for easier scrolling through the thread.

 

 

 

With all that out of the way…we’re off to Miami!

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary. Hope you enjoy your cruise. Following along as we will be celebrating our 20th in October on MSC Seaside YC.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Backtracking a bit now as we are finally settled in. This was handed out upon check in:

Yacht Club Daily newspaper options:

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Day 1 Program:

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Backtracking some more to embarkation. It was a little chaotic. The YC tent is to the far right of the terminal but we could not be dropped off there because there was too much traffic. Lyft from hotel to port was $8.80. This was the YC tent upon arrival:

There is a porter there to put YC tags on your luggage and then a butler meets you there to escort you into the terminal and through security. We arrived at 11:30am but there was still some standing around. After a quick check through security, we were escorted into the YC waiting area. Here the butler takes your passports and boarding documents and passes it to the hostess at the check in counter .

At this point you can sit and relax and wait for your name to be called. They also have refreshments and light snacks here while you wait.

 

When your name is called, you proceed to the counter and your picture is taken, and you are given your room card and wristband.

 

After this, they asked us to have a seat again and wait for a butler to escort us onto the ship. By this point it was slightly past noon and we actually had to find a butler to escort us on. I find that this is were it was a bit chaotic and those who are familiar with the suites boarding process with RCI know that it could run a bit smoother than it did today. Service was excellent throughout though.

 

Finally a butler was located and we proceeded on board. They hold a paddle and walk you through the crowds. This part was lovely.

No waiting past all this...

And straight on board:

We were escorted straight up to the Top Sail Lounge on Deck 16. It was at this point where things were slightly unorganized. The butler who walked us up brought us to the the lounge and wished us a great cruise and that was it. We were unclear as to what we were suppose to do after this. So we sat down and decided to use the time to set up our internet. Eventually I found another family that we encountered earlier in the YC boarding area and it was them who told me that someone would come around to discuss our dining times and let us know when our cabin would be ready. I felt that this info should probably have been given out by the butler who dropped us off. Not really a big deal but clear communication would have avoided some confusion.

 

By the time the dining hostess came around and the concierge (to let us know that it would be another hour for the room), it was almost 1pm. At this point we decided to have lunch while we waited for our room. That brings back to the earlier lunch post. We made it into our room just after 2pm and all our luggage was already there (inside the room).

 

I think we are all caught up now. Going to walk around and explore while we wait for sail away.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Canadian Scarlett]

Following

[skid10]

Glad you are settling in and getting to the relaxing "hey I'm on a cruise" part. Question: Does MSC have a cruise planner similar to Royal? Were you able to reserve shows, activities, excursions, etc. before hand?

[kimala]

Hey same with us. 20th Anniversary 10/27/2018.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Ours is October 24th..congrats to you!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Glad you are settling in and getting to the relaxing "hey I'm on a cruise" part. Question: Does MSC have a cruise planner similar to Royal? Were you able to reserve shows, activities, excursions, etc. before hand?

 

 

 

Getting there...I always find embarkation day tiring. True relaxation starts tomorrow.

 

They do have a section online like the RCI cruise planner. Pretty much everything you can find for pre-cruise purchase from the cruise planner is also available with MSC. However, in the months leading up to the cruise, the main difference I noticed was that MSC does not run sales with pre-cruise purchases like RCI does. And shows are not available to be booked ahead of time. You can only book them once on board, either through the app, or on the interactive TVs in the hallways.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Night 1 Dinner:

We had a lighter dinner tonight....

 

French onion soup:

Lasagna Portofino:

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Linda the Book Lover]

When you went to Top Sail did you stop at the concierge desk or the kiosk to add your credit card to your account? How did this work?

 

Like you, my DH and our friends booked our cruise coming up in May 2019 in February 2018. Yikes - can you tell we wanted to go together! Our families had other cruises booked for 2018 and family vacations (just think loving grandparents excited about grandchildren time). I don't know if I am more excited about YC or spending time with our dear friends (we live in different states). Friends win!! But spending the time together in the YC comes in a close second.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Linda the Book Lover
spelling

[Lovetocruise2002]

Dessert:

Cheesecake on Passion Fruit:

Tiramisu:

 

Dinner tonight was very pleasant. Arthur continues to be very entertaining. Food quality was great. Portions do seem to be a tad smaller. Not being big eaters, it doesn't really bother us. We did not watch Frank Forever tonight. Just too tired. Goodnight all [emoji42]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Speed test on board for those techie ones out there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Two Wheels Only]

When you went to Top Sail did you stop at the concierge desk or the kiosk to add your credit card to your account? How did this work?

There is a machine (looks like an ATM) behind you if you are standing at the concierge's desk. You can also use cash to add to your account which the concierge can apply immediately.

[floridian1]

That lasagna looks amazing

[Lovetocruise2002]

There is a machine (looks like an ATM) behind you if you are standing at the concierge's desk. You can also use cash to add to your account which the concierge can apply immediately.

 

 

 

Yes. Exactly as Two Wheels Only described. I will get a pic tomorrow morning. And Two Wheels Only....I have not walked into any mirrors or glass yet [emoji38]but I came close!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[xcell]

Mark -- looking forward to your review -- booked MSC YC Seaside for March 2019 and Aug 2019 -- hoping to get some helpful tips!

 

Ps. Let me know if we can ask questions....

[Two Wheels Only]

..And Two Wheels Only....I have not walked into any mirrors or glass yet [emoji38]but I came close!

Watch out when walking down the hall towards the gift shop.;)

[Lovetocruise2002]

LadyVol...this was my internet usage for today. I used it for one Periscope, FaceTime with my kids at home, updates to this blog and Facebook, email checks and random internet surfing. Hubby decided to get his own package so this does not factor in his usage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[riclop]

Watch out when walking down the hall towards the gift shop.;)

Ha Ha that one almost got me.lol

[LadyVol1]

LadyVol...this was my internet usage for today.

 

 

Thanks a lot for the internet usage. You don’t need to show it every day. Today’s numbers are good enough. Thanks again and enjoy your cruise!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Watch out when walking down the hall towards the gift shop.;)

 

 

Lol. Got it! Will be on the lookout.

 

Thanks a lot for the internet usage. You don’t need to show it every day. Today’s numbers are good enough. Thanks again and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

No problem! I don't mind showing it for a few more days. I will show it again for you tomorrow as it is a sea day so that will be a full day's usage.

 

That lasagna looks amazing

 

 

It was really good. The pine nuts put a different spin on it. It was small but so filling!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

So I got a second wind lol...

 

Cabin tour time!

 

Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony Suite

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums