Observations from MSC Seaside Yacht Club

[Serial Tequila]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:53 PM, rattanchair said:

Dear CF,  Do not forget your parasol. Many unhappy on YC pool deck with lack of shade, covering themselves with towels today, very crowded due to unlimited lobster being grilled for lunch. No lobster lunch in YC restaurant, the only lobster was in the ravioli sauce. If you want lobster you have to suffer the sun.

Thankyou for your review its been fun to travel along with you.

You mentioned bringing a parasol, I am travelling in YC over Christmas and cannot sit out in the sun, what sort of size parasols are being used by others or would be acceptable, I wouldn't want to use anything that others would deem intrusive or selfish.

[rattanchair]

6 hours ago, little britain said:

Have you got a pic of the room service breakfast menu please? I assume delivery is complimentary?  Thanks.

Has there been any talk of the new ship Seashore? Wondering whether their “best” staff will be moved to her?

 

Dear LB, Sorry, already home.

[rattanchair]

29 minutes ago, Serial Tequila said:

Thankyou for your review its been fun to travel along with you.

You mentioned bringing a parasol, I am travelling in YC over Christmas and cannot sit out in the sun, what sort of size parasols are being used by others or would be acceptable, I wouldn't want to use anything that others would deem intrusive or selfish.

Dear ST,  No one was smart enough to bring anything. You will be the envy of the Yacht Club pool deck. Guests will ask you 'how you knew to bring your own shade'. Tell them you learned it from fellow CC posters.

[Beamafar]

Dear LB, Sorry, already home.

It's more than likely to be identical or similar to this:



Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Beamafar]

Dear RC ... thank you for your wonderful review and for graciously responding to the many requests you received from both myself and others for information and photos of items.

Edited July 27, 2019 by Beamafar

[mickey89]

51 minutes ago, rattanchair said:

Dear ST,  No one was smart enough to bring anything. You will be the envy of the Yacht Club pool deck. Guests will ask you 'how you knew to bring your own shade'. Tell them you learned it from fellow CC posters.

The same problem on MSC Preziosa, little or no shade in the sun lounger area.  The problem with most of the portable types is how to attach them without drilling a hole in the deck !  If insecure with the wind they become a danger to anyone nearby.  The typical sun shades that are able to attach to a lounger are so small that they are next to useless, you be better off taking a Golf Umbrella and a few DIY clamps to secure it to the chair/lounger. 

This is the best I've seen but how do you secure it safely ....? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POCKET-180cm-Portable-Beach-Umbrella/222372231566?

Edited July 27, 2019 by mickey89

[Serial Tequila]

 

1 hour ago, rattanchair said:

Dear ST,  No one was smart enough to bring anything. You will be the envy of the Yacht Club pool deck. Guests will ask you 'how you knew to bring your own shade'. Tell them you learned it from fellow CC posters.

 

Well it is a project to think about aver the next few months until I am actually there, we probably shouldn't talk about it, MSC might get ideas and try to rent them out

[little britain]

@rattanchair  thanks for your posts. Totally OT; I’m intrigued by the Hong Kong comment... did you live there? My family has close ties and many happy memories of HK 

Edited July 27, 2019 by little britain

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for your great review.  Looking forward to another YC in November.

[CruisingFox27]

3 hours ago, Serial Tequila said:

Thankyou for your review its been fun to travel along with you.

You mentioned bringing a parasol, I am travelling in YC over Christmas and cannot sit out in the sun, what sort of size parasols are being used by others or would be acceptable, I wouldn't want to use anything that others would deem intrusive or selfish.

 

3 hours ago, rattanchair said:

Dear ST,  No one was smart enough to bring anything. You will be the envy of the Yacht Club pool deck. Guests will ask you 'how you knew to bring your own shade'. Tell them you learned it from fellow CC posters.

 

ST mine is large umbrella size and clips to the lounger. It's enough to partly cover me. In shade but not at all intrusive to others. 

 

I've certainly received comments on previous sailings when I've been nicely shaded 😎

 

Hope you had a safe journey home. 

[rattanchair]

3 hours ago, mickey89 said:

The same problem on MSC Preziosa, little or no shade in the sun lounger area.  The problem with most of the portable types is how to attach them without drilling a hole in the deck !  If insecure with the wind they become a danger to anyone nearby.  The typical sun shades that are able to attach to a lounger are so small that they are next to useless, you be better off taking a Golf Umbrella and a few DIY clamps to secure it to the chair/lounger. 

This is the best I've seen but how do you secure it safely ....? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POCKET-180cm-Portable-Beach-Umbrella/222372231566?

Dear Mic,  This is another problem in search of a multi million dollar solution. Allow me to be one of the first  to place an order with you should you invent  a new solution to this sun/shade dilemma.

[DiamondDiva]

CruisingFox 27, can you supply a name/ company and where you purchased this umbrella, please?  Photo would be great as well.

TYIA

[Cruisergal1208]

19 hours ago, psmarkle said:

We had Andrei last year and he is amazing!  Plan on asking for his table again when we board tomorrow!

Looking forward to seeing your review and pictures. Will be our turn next week. 

[rattanchair]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

@rattanchair  thanks for your posts. Totally OT; I’m intrigued by the Hong Kong comment... did you live there? My family has close ties and many happy memories of HK 

Dear LB,  No, never lived there, but spent more time in Hong Kong than any other foreign city.  It was our favorite city in the world until the change over. When we were young we would fly over with over- night bags and were able to fly home over weighted with luggage stuffed with designer and custom made cloths for the two of us. As we got older the flying seemed to take longer so we would combine the flights with longer and longer cruises. Last time we were there, we stopped into David's Shirts when they were in or near the Peninsula Hotel (I do not remember it has been so long ago). The first question they love to ask is if you are familiar with their product? When I said yes, he asked for my name, went to his file drawer and pulled out my 'paper' file with measurements going back 20 years! "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end !"

[rattanchair]

5 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Dear RC ... thank you for your wonderful review and for graciously responding to the many requests you received from both myself and others for information and photos of items.

Dear Bea,  You are all very welcome !  DW and I had one of the most marvelous times on a cruise ship that anyone could ask for. The last day on board , while I was typing up my observations, DW was surfing the MSC website when she caught a Royal Suite on Seaside open up for Thanksgiving. She jumped on it immediately. We are home now and are canceling our Thanksgiving cruise on Celebrity Edge so we can go again and repeat this wonderful week. We truly envy you all that have the youth and fortitude to handle the back to back cruises that we once were able to enjoy as well. The good news is that DW forced me on the scale this morning at home and I only gained 1/4 of a pound, to her 2 1/2 pounds, with all the eating and drinking we did. We can only attribute this to our walk-about the ship and skipping the elevators. Yes, also please note that the YC elevators are 'unpredictable', several times our butler Vishnu asked to try our room key card while trying to call the priority YC elevator because his card would not work as well as ours not working.

   I must take the time to really thank the CC posters and Bea, that convinced us to try the  MSC Yacht Club, contradicting the numerous negative reviews and posting of this fantastic ship, cruise line and exemplary staff that made this cruise the highlight we can not stop reflecting to each other about. We only pray we continue to be healthy enough to go on the ten more MSC cruises we have already booked. Thank you.

 P.S. 'You can not take it with you !'

Edited July 27, 2019 by rattanchair
P.S.

[Fogfog]

TY for your review and pics!

Like you, we have appreciated hearing from those who are familiar with Celebrity...   After our B2B on Celebrity in Sept..we may not be back... 

 

We are looking fwd to B2B in early 2020 in YC on Meraviglia. 

 

 

[mickey89]

2 hours ago, DiamondDiva said:

CruisingFox 27, can you supply a name/ company and where you purchased this umbrella, please?  Photo would be great as well.

TYIA

I don’t think it exists................?

unless ......https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garden-Patio-Umbrella-Adjustable-UV-Sun-Rain-Protecting-Clamp-Clip-On

Edited July 27, 2019 by mickey89

[rattanchair]

4 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

TY for your review and pics!

Like you, we have appreciated hearing from those who are familiar with Celebrity...   After our B2B on Celebrity in Sept..we may not be back... 

 

We are looking fwd to B2B in early 2020 in YC on Meraviglia. 

 

 

Dear FF,   Our favorite cruise ship used to be Celebrity Equinox until now. Now it is just our second most favorite. Had we not experienced the MSC Yacht Club it would still be # 1. Perhaps we just lucked out with butler, Vishnu. We are keeping a cruise we booked on the Equinox next summer. We have it sandwiched in between 2 Seaside cruises. We were on the MSC Divina red Royal Suite last Christmas and just asked DW if she remembered our butler, she does not remember ever meeting him, for sure he never escorted us any where. It was more a host of butlers attending to all YC guests needs. The internet was much better on the Seaside. The package came with 12000MB each and with all my daily reporting all week I only used 1000MB. On Equinox CS I had to sit in the library to get on the internet. It was not until the last day that I mentioned this to my butler and he boosted the signal in the cabin. Had I only known that this was possible on the first day !

     The concierges on both Equinox and Seaside are very accommodating, they are interchangeable; except those on the Equinox keep leaving suite guests annoying telephone messages every single day. And then one has to learn how to erase them so the phone stops blinking. Bring something to cover the bright blue lights on the cabin thermostat at night on Seaside, duct tape is not thick enough unless you use several layers.

     Both DW and I love, love, love the fact that the YC restaurant is open port days for those like us that do not get off the ship.  Several times we were the only ones having lunch in the YC, it was fabulous ! As you all know Luminae is closed in port.

    We like the bonus that Seaside provides YC guests with reserved theatre seating every evening not just Chic nights (Equinox), and they keep those seats  available right up to show time.

   Geez, if I keep this up I may screw up my cruise sandwich next summer.

[Fogfog]

8 minutes ago, rattanchair said:

Dear FF,   Our favorite cruise ship used to be Celebrity Equinox until now. Now it is just our second most favorite. Had we not experienced the MSC Yacht Club it would still be # 1. Perhaps we just lucked out with butler, Vishnu. We are keeping a cruise we booked on the Equinox next summer. We have it sandwiched in between 2 Seaside cruises. We were on the MSC Divina red Royal Suite last Christmas and just asked DW if she remembered our butler, she does not remember ever meeting him, for sure he never escorted us any where. It was more a host of butlers attending to all YC guests needs. The internet was much better on the Seaside. The package came with 12000MB each and with all my daily reporting all week I only used 1000MB. On Equinox CS I had to sit in the library to get on the internet. It was not until the last day that I mentioned this to my butler and he boosted the signal in the cabin. Had I only known that this was possible on the first day !

     The concierges on both Equinox and Seaside are very accommodating, they are interchangeable; except those on the Equinox keep leaving suite guests annoying telephone messages every single day. And then one has to learn how to erase them so the phone stops blinking. Bring something to cover the bright blue lights on the cabin thermostat at night on Seaside, duct tape is not thick enough unless you use several layers.

     Both DW and I love, love, love the fact that the YC restaurant is open port days for those like us that do not get off the ship.  Several times we were the only ones having lunch in the YC, it was fabulous ! As you all know Luminae is closed in port.

    We like the bonus that Seaside provides YC guests with reserved theatre seating every evening not just Chic nights (Equinox), and they keep those seats  available right up to show time.

   Geez, if I keep this up I may screw up my cruise sandwich next summer.

😉🤣

I hear you about sailing changes

 

We have considered MSC YC for about 2 yrs and then pulled the trigger and have B2B in early 2020. 

 

We have enjoyed the Celebrity product though have been so disappointed in the MDR that we have recently sailed AQ for Blu and in our upcoming B2B will do AQ (Blu) first sailing and then Concierge (all specialty dining) for second

 

We started pricing suites and all with Celebrity and then MSC YC reviews won us over. 

Your bulter sounds exceptional in all measures. What a blessing!

 

We do have some Regent sailings planned which are truly lux/all inclusive.. a completely different product. We are looking at the "right tool for the job" for specific sailings...

 

And want to try MSC before we commit to say a Med sailing which requires a plane ticket.  We have friends 9UK) We met on a long Baltics sailing.

They have sailed many lines in many parts of the globe. They HATED MSC in the Med.. HATED it --called it tacky etc. They hated the "taxi" service feel.

I "think" the YC" will eliminate some of that feel. IDK   

They have told us to avoid MSC-- and we feel we want to give the YC a go ... 

 

We truly appreciate your posts. We do know it DOES take personal TIME to post pics and text etc here on CC.  AND when internet can be spotty (or spendy)... we must all remember and appreciate the gift you and each CC delivers with "real time" information.

 

Our best to you and yours

Fog and Dear Hubby

 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, rattanchair said:

Dear Bea,  You are all very welcome !  DW and I had one of the most marvelous times on a cruise ship that anyone could ask for. The last day on board , while I was typing up my observations, DW was surfing the MSC website when she caught a Royal Suite on Seaside open up for Thanksgiving. She jumped on it immediately. We are home now and are canceling our Thanksgiving cruise on Celebrity Edge so we can go again and repeat this wonderful week. We truly envy you all that have the youth and fortitude to handle the back to back cruises that we once were able to enjoy as well. The good news is that DW forced me on the scale this morning at home and I only gained 1/4 of a pound, to her 2 1/2 pounds, with all the eating and drinking we did. We can only attribute this to our walk-about the ship and skipping the elevators. Yes, also please note that the YC elevators are 'unpredictable', several times our butler Vishnu asked to try our room key card while trying to call the priority YC elevator because his card would not work as well as ours not working.

   I must take the time to really thank the CC posters and Bea, that convinced us to try the  MSC Yacht Club, contradicting the numerous negative reviews and posting of this fantastic ship, cruise line and exemplary staff that made this cruise the highlight we can not stop reflecting to each other about. We only pray we continue to be healthy enough to go on the ten more MSC cruises we have already booked. Thank you.

 P.S. 'You can not take it with you !'

Thanks for your excellent blog/review. My partner and said "bon voyage" to Celebrity 6 years ago after about 250 nights on board. With the launch of their new "Suite  Class", we sailed on Summit two months ago. While it wasn't a disaster (no one died and the ship made it back to port ....), it wasn't particularly memorable in any way, shape or form. We had to cancel our upcoming Equinox cruise and realized .... we really had ZERO inclination to return to Celebrity again.

 

We have many more MSC YC's booked (and another Haven (sorry - still love it!)) , an Oceania STRICTLY for the itinerary and a Regent for a "test drive" but your review confirmed that the best value in cruising today remains the MSC YC.

 

Now please stop talking about it as it will only continue to drive the prices up!  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, rattanchair said:

 

     The concierges on both Equinox and Seaside are very accommodating, they are interchangeable; except those on the Equinox keep leaving suite guests annoying telephone messages every single day. And then one has to learn how to erase them so the phone stops blinking. Bring something to cover the bright blue lights on the cabin thermostat at night on Seaside, duct tape is not thick enough unless you use several layers.

    

 

Ah yes, those annoying robo calls from the concierge on Celebrity!  Once I figured out how to delete them, I started punching delete in the middle of the message.  Doesn't work.  You have to listen to the whole inane message.  Stupid!

[Dr. Cocktail]

3 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Ah yes, those annoying robo calls from the concierge on Celebrity!  Once I figured out how to delete them, I started punching delete in the middle of the message.  Doesn't work.  You have to listen to the whole inane message.  Stupid!

 

I'm a paranoid kinda' guy .... whenever I see the flashing light, my first thought is: "who died"?!

[rattanchair]

16 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

😉🤣

I hear you about sailing changes

 

We have considered MSC YC for about 2 yrs and then pulled the trigger and have B2B in early 2020. 

 

We have enjoyed the Celebrity product though have been so disappointed in the MDR that we have recently sailed AQ for Blu and in our upcoming B2B will do AQ (Blu) first sailing and then Concierge (all specialty dining) for second

 

We started pricing suites and all with Celebrity and then MSC YC reviews won us over. 

Your bulter sounds exceptional in all measures. What a blessing!

 

We do have some Regent sailings planned which are truly lux/all inclusive.. a completely different product. We are looking at the "right tool for the job" for specific sailings...

 

And want to try MSC before we commit to say a Med sailing which requires a plane ticket.  We have friends 9UK) We met on a long Baltics sailing.

They have sailed many lines in many parts of the globe. They HATED MSC in the Med.. HATED it --called it tacky etc. They hated the "taxi" service feel.

I "think" the YC" will eliminate some of that feel. IDK   

They have told us to avoid MSC-- and we feel we want to give the YC a go ... 

 

We truly appreciate your posts. We do know it DOES take personal TIME to post pics and text etc here on CC.  AND when internet can be spotty (or spendy)... we must all remember and appreciate the gift you and each CC delivers with

Dear Fog,  I may be off base, but I am posting my observations from this relatively new concept of a 'ship within a ship' . We no longer care to fly anywhere and the south Florida ports are only an hour away.  The mega ships are newer and a much safer destination in themselves than the ports they visit. We do not particularly like the idea of 'taxi',  but rather prefer the notion of being 'chauffeured'. Hence I am observing from the suite level of these cruise lines. We are at a time in our lives that we want to be catered to and we are willing to pay extra for it. Our attitude is no longer to be 'foot loose and fancy free'. A fine meal at a window seat with a view of the ocean and rising or setting sun; throw in a show with a reserved seat, a lounge with live music and attentive waiters that are not  'hiding ' in the back room or bartender too busy to acknowledge your presence. In  my life it is not the destination that is my focus, its the luxury  I experience of the journey. Something like taking the 'Orient Express' or the Concorde vs a 'taxi'. I am not concerned with the 'fare' of the MDR, I am not paying the premium to eat buffet. I am in concert with Oscar Wilde's famous quote "Let me be surrounded by luxury, I can do without the necessities"

[rattanchair]

30 minutes ago, rattanchair said:

Dear Fog,  I may be off base, but I am posting my observations from this relatively new concept of a 'ship within a ship' . We no longer care to fly anywhere and the south Florida ports are only an hour away.  The mega ships are newer and a much safer destination in themselves than the ports they visit. We do not particularly like the idea of 'taxi',  but rather prefer the notion of being 'chauffeured'. Hence I am observing from the suite level of these cruise lines. We are at a time in our lives that we want to be catered to and we are willing to pay extra for it. Our attitude is no longer to be 'foot loose and fancy free'. A fine meal at a window seat with a view of the ocean and rising or setting sun; throw in a show with a reserved seat, a lounge with live music and attentive waiters that are not  'hiding ' in the back room or bartender too busy to acknowledge your presence. In  my life it is not the destination that is my focus, its the luxury  I experience of the journey. Something like taking the 'Orient Express' or the Concorde vs a 'taxi'. I am not concerned with the 'fare' of the MDR, I am not paying the premium to eat buffet. I am in concert with Oscar Wilde's famous quote "Let me be surrounded by luxury, I can do without the necessities"

I was not finished when this post was posted.  I feel this post boils down to ones definition of 'luxury'. We each have our own likes and dislikes, and if your 'friends' experienced the 'luxury' of the MSC Yacht Club, then 'we will just have to agree to disagree.

[George C]

Again my thanks for a fantastic review, totally enjoyed it. We have seaside in November in yacht club for first time, then our first royal suite on celebrity on a fantastic music cruise in February.