Sky Suite compared to MSC Suite

[Kaibocan]

Has anyone stayed is both? Which was better? How does the cost compare?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 11/2/2018 at 9:19 PM, Kaibocan said:

Has anyone stayed is both? Which was better? How does the cost compare?

 

 

This report compares the YC suite experience to a sky suite experience on Celebrity.

 

The boarding experience was excellent.  There's a special tent for YC passengers out front.  You drop your luggage and are escorted to the VIP lounge by a butler for processing.  Seating and refreshments available.  Once you are processed, you are escorted on board by a butler.  As we passed the Concierge Desk, the concierge informed us that our cabin was ready, so we were able to drop our carryons.  YC wins this one.

 

Cruise Critic gathering:  champagne and other treats served.  Captain gave brief speech and introduced the other officers.  We had a group picture taken and all get a copy of it.  Special cake.  Plenty of opportunity to mingle with other guests.  MSC blows Celebrity out of the water on this one.

 

The YC lounge is huge and is surrounded by windows to the sea.  In fact, the whole ship is oriented to being able to see the sea.  I liked that.  You can get any drinks here (all included in the fare) and there are refreshments available (which change, depending on the time of day.  Star of the show here is the live music!  We had a piano player who was excellent and a piano and violin duo who were sublime.  I spent a lot of time in the lounge listening to music.  The captain and the staff hold a special reception here and he goes around and talks to everyone.  If you don't drink alcohol, try a non-alcoholic pomegranate mojito.  Very refreshing.  YC definitely wins this one.

 

Restaurant wasn't up to Luminae on Celebrity.  Service was iffy.  Food was so so.  The risoto and ice cream were excellent.  Don't order baked fish, they must bake it for hours.   I tried going to the restaurant for breakfast one morning.  The waiter finally showed up and took my order.  He then proceeded to chat with the folks at the next table for 10 minutes before going to place my order.  Really?  I didn't want to spend an eternity on breakfast.  Never went back.  Also never went for lunch.  Luminae is the clear winner here, both for service and for food.  Yacht Club restaurant and lounge did not have any non-alcoholic wine or champagne.  Celebrity has good versions of each.

 

The private sun and pool deck were excellent.  Plenty of loungers available.  Tables and chairs and loungers also available in the shade.  Good place for lunch and breakfast.  Omelettes, pasta, and hamburgers made to order.  Other options available.  Excellent service from butlers and pool butlers.  The cabanas actually face the sea.  What a concept!  YC wins this hands down since Celebrity currently doesn't have a private sun and pool deck.

 

The cabin was intelligently designed.  The balcony was a bit small and did not have a table.  Loved that there was lots of space between the bed and the furniture on the opposite wall.  Closet space a bit small for two people. Would be fine for one.  Real bedside tables with drawers.  Loved the light up rods in the closet!  And real hangers, not those dreadful things you have to slot into fixed hooks.  Bathroom was well designed and plenty of storage.  A bench seat in the shower.  Choice between excellent handheld shower or rain  shower.  Good water pressure.  Retractable  clothesline in the shower.  Shower door did not leak.  Shampoo and body wash in dispensers on the wall.  No conditioner or hand lotion available.  Apparently a glitch in their supply chain.  They ship everything from Italy and apparently the container did not catch up with them.  No cotton balls or Q-tips (not sure if those are supposed to be supplied).  Everything in minibar is free (including liquor) and what you consume is constantly replenished.  You can specify what you want.  Liked that they had salty snacks.  The chocolate covered peanuts were addictive.  Fruit bowl was huge and had lots of variety.  Replenished daily.  Nespresso machine in room.  Comparing a YC suite to a sky suite on Celebrity, would say the YC suite is a bit better.

 

Rest of the ship:  would never sail in a regular cabin on MSC.  WAY too many people.  Lines.  Ventured out once to try the pizza (it was cold) and the gelato (excellent).  Staff not nearly as friendly.  Celebrity definitely wins this one for the rest of the ship.

 

Newspaper:  Awesome!  Full replica of the Washington Post!  You get to choose the newspaper you want.  Loved it!  Delivered by the butler every morning.  YC blows Celebrity out of the water on this one.  Not sure if the newspaper is a Black perk or if everyone in YC gets it.

 

Price:  less than $2,000/pp for a 7-night cruise.  YC the clear winner here.  And they status match, so I instantly became Black (which is their highest level).  That status entitles you to a free meal for two in a specialty restaurant (we went to Butcher's Cut, which was excellent) and many special treats.  Their chocolate ship is amazing, as is all the chocolate on the ship.

 

So, would I do it again?  Absolutely.  As long as you don't care too much about the itinerary.  At the moment, they're only doing 7-nights out of Miami.  For Caribbean cruises--obviously, they have tons in Europe.  Have one booked for next November which improves on the current itinerary by going to their new private island.  The captain also announced that they will be building 4 new smaller ships (around 800 pax) which will be all Yacht Club.  More interesting itineraries, since small ships can go to ports that large ships can't.

 

[DiamondDiva]

Thanks for the review, as we are considering this as well. Which ship was this? 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, DiamondDiva said:

Thanks for the review, as we are considering this as well. Which ship was this? 

 

 

MSC Seaside

[DiamondDiva]

Thanks! 

[Kaibocan]

Thanks for the review! Very helpful!

[SFCAcruiser]

Another "thank you" for a detailed review that seems to be fair and balanced. Hmmm. You've got me thinking about MSC Yacht Club now; I had not previously given it much serious thought.

[George C]

On 11/4/2018 at 2:27 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

MSC Seaside

Thanks for great info, looking forward to meeting you on our msc yacht cruise next year. Interesting info on new msc ships . 

[grandgeezer]

What ship, what category suite, like Celebrity, they have many sub categories. The post on MSC Seaside was almost right on, a couple of minor disagreements but nothing that should influence your decision.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

What ship, what category suite, like Celebrity, they have many sub categories. The post on MSC Seaside was almost right on, a couple of minor disagreements but nothing that should influence your decision.

 

I was comparing a YC1 suite on MSC's Seaside to a sky suite on any Celebrity ship.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

8 hours ago, SFCAcruiser said:

Another "thank you" for a detailed review that seems to be fair and balanced. Hmmm. You've got me thinking about MSC Yacht Club now; I had not previously given it much serious thought.

 

I hadn't either.  MSC was absolutely not on my radar.  My sister started cruising in the Yacht Club and came back raving about it.  She has lots of Celebrity cruise experience, so I decided to give it a try.  The status match is a big enticement.  As is the price.  Now they just need to work on some interesting itineraries from Florida.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, George C said:

Thanks for great info, looking forward to meeting you on our msc yacht cruise next year. Interesting info on new msc ships . 

 

See you next November!

[ClaudiaB]

What about smoking?  I love Celebrity's no inside smoking anywhere.  It's actually almost a deal breaker for me.  

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I hadn't either.  MSC was absolutely not on my radar.  My sister started cruising in the Yacht Club and came back raving about it.  She has lots of Celebrity cruise experience, so I decided to give it a try.  The status match is a big enticement.  As is the price.  Now they just need to work on some interesting itineraries from Florida.

 

I agree. Their itineraries are a struggle. I have booked my first two MSC cruises though for Europe next year on the Bellissima and Seaview (almost b2b - one day in Barcelona in between). My husband and I got free cabins through a local casino and decided to do two 7 nighters and then upgrade to Yacht Club. I am really attracted to their ship within a ship concept vs. how Celebrity does it; even Edge doesn’t have it totally separated like MSC does.

[jaspersmommy]

Celebrity is our favourite line, and we usually stay in a Sky or Celebrity Suite.  However, I'm really becoming disillusioned with X's pricing.  It's getting harder and harder to justify X's suite prices (which is made even worse when the Canadian exchange rate is factored in).  I just don't think X is that much better than the competition that I can justify the price differential anymore - unless I find a super last-minute deal.  I have been really interested in trying YC and was about to book.  However, just when I was trying to find the right suite in YC, I happened to notice that the beds are only doubles, not queen or king (according to the website).  Is that correct?  With a 6'5" husband, there's no way we're sleeping in a double bed.  So unless the website is wrong, they'll be no YC for us.  Why in the world would a cruise line put double beds in its suites?????  I can't imagine we're the only people that don't want to sleep like sardines in a can.

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 11/4/2018 at 11:36 AM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

The YC lounge is huge and is surrounded by windows to the sea.....

You can get any drinks here (all included in the fare) and there are refreshments available (which change, depending on the time of day.

 

 

 

Thank you for the review/comparison.  I have also considered a YC experience.  Was wondering if the included cocktails extend to bars and restaurants outside of the YC or do you pay for those?

 

Thank you! 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Georgia_Peaches

[George C]

Yacht perks includes drinks in all bars on ship

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, jaspersmommy said:

Celebrity is our favourite line, and we usually stay in a Sky or Celebrity Suite.  However, I'm really becoming disillusioned with X's pricing.  It's getting harder and harder to justify X's suite prices (which is made even worse when the Canadian exchange rate is factored in).  I just don't think X is that much better than the competition that I can justify the price differential anymore - unless I find a super last-minute deal.  I have been really interested in trying YC and was about to book.  However, just when I was trying to find the right suite in YC, I happened to notice that the beds are only doubles, not queen or king (according to the website).  Is that correct?  With a 6'5" husband, there's no way we're sleeping in a double bed.  So unless the website is wrong, they'll be no YC for us.  Why in the world would a cruise line put double beds in its suites?????  I can't imagine we're the only people that don't want to sleep like sardines in a can.

 

 

 

From MSC site...

[Dr. Cocktail]

3 hours ago, jaspersmommy said:

Celebrity is our favourite line, and we usually stay in a Sky or Celebrity Suite.  However, I'm really becoming disillusioned with X's pricing.  It's getting harder and harder to justify X's suite prices (which is made even worse when the Canadian exchange rate is factored in).  I just don't think X is that much better than the competition that I can justify the price differential anymore - unless I find a super last-minute deal.  I have been really interested in trying YC and was about to book.  However, just when I was trying to find the right suite in YC, I happened to notice that the beds are only doubles, not queen or king (according to the website).  Is that correct?  With a 6'5" husband, there's no way we're sleeping in a double bed.  So unless the website is wrong, they'll be no YC for us.  Why in the world would a cruise line put double beds in its suites?????  I can't imagine we're the only people that don't want to sleep like sardines in a can.

 

 

I have sailed in the Yacht Club three times in the past year ... they claim that the beds are queen size but we were suspicious that they approached king size!

 

Just go on the website and click on the specific ship and suites ... it clearly states queen size.

 

 

3 hours ago, jaspersmommy said:

 

 

 

[jaspersmommy]

Thank you.  Weird.. when I was selecting a cabin, the description that came up said double bed.  I'm so happy to hear the beds are larger... that puts MSC back in the game!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 11/7/2018 at 2:00 PM, ClaudiaB said:

What about smoking?  I love Celebrity's no inside smoking anywhere.  It's actually almost a deal breaker for me.  

 

There is no inside smoking in the Yacht Club.  There is a small smoking area on the YC pool deck and one outside the YC lounge.  I was in both those areas (my sister is a smoker) and was not bothered by the smell.  In contrast to the outside smoking areas on Celebrity which STINK!  The butlers are very proactive about replacing ashtrays constantly.  I've never seen an ashtray replaced on Celebrity. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

21 hours ago, jaspersmommy said:

Thank you.  Weird.. when I was selecting a cabin, the description that came up said double bed.  I'm so happy to hear the beds are larger... that puts MSC back in the game!

 

I actually thought the bed felt more like a king size too (I have a queen at home).  The beds don't have those weird round corners which helps.

[Dr. Cocktail]

40 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I actually thought the bed felt more like a king size too (I have a queen at home).  The beds don't have those weird round corners which helps.

 

I had read your posts in the past and as a previous Celebrity cruiser, I was curious to see how you enjoyed the YC!

 

The problem is, the more that we praise it, the more difficult it will be to book!

 

When you think about it, on a daily basis out of Miami/Fll, there are under 200 YC cabins available. I really feel that MSC has deliberately underpriced the product to get us hooked.

 

While I wish the food was (a lot) better, the bang for buck is incredible ... and I still didn't starve!

[MizDemeanor]

I have investigated and found some of the excurisons to be fairly more creative as compared to....

Edited November 9, 2018 by MizDemeanor

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

I had read your posts in the past and as a previous Celebrity cruiser, I was curious to see how you enjoyed the YC!

 

The problem is, the more that we praise it, the more difficult it will be to book!

 

When you think about it, on a daily basis out of Miami/Fll, there are under 200 YC cabins available. I really feel that MSC has deliberately underpriced the product to get us hooked.

 

While I wish the food was (a lot) better, the bang for buck is incredible ... and I still didn't starve!

 

Yes. They are in a massive growth stage trying to dig into the US market and pull travelers over from other cruise lines which is why they are pricing their Yacht Club lower than comparable suite offerings with competitors and doing the status match with other cruise lines’ frequent traveler programs. I have a feeling in a year or two they’ll drop the status match and start to increase prices.