The Pros and Cons of the Yacht Club.

[At Sea At Peace]

6 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

Whoever sails first, please post pictures of the menus.

We should start a thread for whoever goes first with requests.

 

Yep, that would be great.

 

Also update on YC staff.

 

Arthur

Roy

Vishnu

 

Others too many to list (and that guy in the lounge in the early AM each day with the fabric comb doing the artwork on the front and back of the seating).

 

[DCGuy64]

Interesting about the location of the YC cabins. We never had a problem with the movement of the ship. My wife is a light sleeper and neither of us complained about the ship tossing and turning.

Also, someone mentioned the lack of shade on some of the ships. The Seaside, Seaview and Seashore were all planned by MSC to have more outside space. It's not a defect, it's a feature! 🌞🤣

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, Couple-Somerset said:

 

You know - that's always puzzled me about YC.

 

In rougher seas, those who are paying for a better cruise experience get the worst experience lol

 

 

The view is the best there when it's good weather!

 

We had very bad weather with very high waves when we cruised in the Haven on Norwegian Breakaway and it didn't bothered us much. I know that people are different.

[deliver42]

I was in the YC once on the Divina, and except for the restaurant location on that ship, I can't think of any cons.

[At Sea At Peace]

8 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Interesting about the location of the YC cabins. We never had a problem with the movement of the ship. My wife is a light sleeper and neither of us complained about the ship tossing and turning.

Also, someone mentioned the lack of shade on some of the ships. The Seaside, Seaview and Seashore were all planned by MSC to have more outside space. It's not a defect, it's a feature! 🌞🤣

 

Also never had an issue of any movement at all.  These ships are huge and when under way feel very stable.  Probably roughest waters were at Ocean Cay, especially when the Captain was navigation that 'escape channel without achieving much speed yet.  Fun though.

 

The views are unmatched, with additional access to the front of lounge outdoor seating and viewing (regardless of weather for the lounge), and atop, the design on the Seaside Class has a deck portion blocking the wind from the pool and grille mid-areas.  If, however, you wanted the big breeze you could simply skip around to the front of that raised deck.  I'd hop in the hot tubs up there.

 

Also, on this Class, the sun is a feature for the sun worshippers.  My wife, not being one, had the daily attention of the pool crew and butler for finding the secret shade areas throughout the day.  I sunbathed.  Strangely, at the end of the cruise, we typically have the same tan?  🙄

 

The Meraviglia Class front has so much glass deflectors and glass side panels that you're pretty much OK against the wind there too.  If fact it can get quite hot without the breeze.  Not a lot of sun worshiper space though as I believe we were told of the UV protective glass (?) wind deflectors.

Edited June 22, 2021 by At Sea At Peace

[rkacruiser]

11 hours ago, Couple-Somerset said:

In rougher seas, those who are paying for a better cruise experience get the worst experience lol

 

An old cliche:  The more you pay, the more you sway.  My YC suite on Meraviglia was on deck 15.  Yes, there was more motion on those days when the seas were not "pacific".  But, I have experienced much, much more unpleasant seas and had a stateroom on the bottom deck of a ship.

 

Some of us are better "sailors" in that regard than others.  

 

 

10 hours ago, At Sea At Peace said:

Also update on YC staff.

 

Arthur

 

Luis was is partner.  Together, they made a great team.

 

There are only two other dining room management crew whose names I remember.  One has now risen to the DRM Manager position and the other remains as a very long time Assistant DRM in service on HAL ships.  Post-Covid, will I ever experience their friendly service again, I wonder?  

[Stockjock]

I'd like to try YC one days, but the prices seem pretty high, typically at $2,000-$3,000 per person and up.  Are there ever good deals on these cabins?

[phissy]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

An old cliche:  The more you pay, the more you sway.  My YC suite on Meraviglia was on deck 15.  Yes, there was more motion on those days when the seas were not "pacific".  But, I have experienced much, much more unpleasant seas and had a stateroom on the bottom deck of a ship.

 

Some of us are better "sailors" in that regard than others.  

 

 

 

Luis was is partner.  Together, they made a great team.

 

There are only two other dining room management crew whose names I remember.  One has now risen to the DRM Manager position and the other remains as a very long time Assistant DRM in service on HAL ships.  Post-Covid, will I ever experience their friendly service again, I wonder?  

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by phissy

[DCGuy64]

51 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I'd like to try YC one days, but the prices seem pretty high, typically at $2,000-$3,000 per person and up.  Are there ever good deals on these cabins?

Yes, definitely. If you get a YIN cabin the prices are well below $2,000 pp, maybe $1,400 or so. Last year we had a YC1 (Yacht Club Deluxe Suite) booked on the Preziosa for less than $2000 for both of us (just a 5-night sailing, though), but it got cancelled due to COVID. 

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Luis was is partner.  Together, they made a great team

Is that Luis Costa, the Portuguese guy from Braga? I loved speaking Portuguese with him. Great guy! 

[sverigecruiser]

3 hours ago, Stockjock said:

I'd like to try YC one days, but the prices seem pretty high, typically at $2,000-$3,000 per person and up.  Are there ever good deals on these cabins?

 

We expect to pay around $3500 each for a YC1 cabin so under that is a good deal, I think.

[crazyank]

On 6/21/2021 at 7:00 PM, chromered7 said:

We are looking for future cruise experience’s and one we could consider is MSC and the Yacht Club.

Cons about the Yacht Club?  can't comment.  Cons about MSC? Too many to list here.

[dexddd]

21 hours ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

Yep, that would be great.

 

Also update on YC staff.

 

Arthur

Roy

Vishnu

 

Others too many to list (and that guy in the lounge in the early AM each day with the fabric comb doing the artwork on the front and back of the seating).

 

Which ship?

[DCGuy64]

7 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

We expect to pay around $3500 each for a YC1 cabin so under that is a good deal, I think.

Is that for a 7-day cruise or longer? We just paid $4200 for a YC1 cabin, but that was for two, so around $2100 per person. $3500 seems high but our cruise is only 7 days, maybe yours is longer?

[jules815]

5 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Is that for a 7-day cruise or longer? We just paid $4200 for a YC1 cabin, but that was for two, so around $2100 per person. $3500 seems high but our cruise is only 7 days, maybe yours is longer?

We're paying just under $2300 per person for a YC1 cabin on Mera for our cruise in October. Our daughter has an interior on Seashore booked for next April, and I know that's around $1700 pp, because she's trying to get me to join her.  🙂  Both are 7-day itineraries.

[JAGR]

13 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

But, I have experienced much, much more unpleasant seas and had a stateroom on the bottom deck of a ship.

You can say it!  You mean you were in the brig!😉

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Is that for a 7-day cruise or longer? We just paid $4200 for a YC1 cabin, but that was for two, so around $2100 per person. $3500 seems high but our cruise is only 7 days, maybe yours is longer?

The usual 2021 fall 9 nighter Lisbon-Lisbon loops on Virtuosa are running at nearly as follows from here (state and port taxes included) (this is for the last and cheapest sailing. Add EUR 50-75 pp per sailing for the earlier sailings):

 

YIN - EUR 1600 pp

YC1 - EUR 2600 pp

 

Both a bit overpriced for what they are, despite the wonderful service and perks, IMHO. Fall cruises, not higher season. YIN is not more than a glorified regular inside. YC1 is smaller or at best the size of an RCI Oasis class Junior Suite. Never gone on YC. Invited once on the club on the Fantasia for a tour and a specialty coffee drink.

 

If "Luís Costa" is the same guy I know, he might to be far up on the ships hierarchy right now. I remember a Portuguese guy with that name or similar whom was the general MDR manager on the Magnifica in 2018 during the Brazil to Lisbon transatlantic and said to stay at that position for the following UK season... Maybe it is another guy...

 

For the OP: No cons other than that the YC are recognized as the smallest suites of all industry and that the YC restaurant is not inside the enclave on the older ships.

 

Have a nice day!...

[Selion]

On the pricing discussion, keep in mind certain areas command higher fares.  In general Northern European itineraries are higher than Mediterranean and Caribbean.  Also newer ships are priced higher, always.  Hence I look for YC bargains on older ships (think Divina & its sister ships) in the Med & Caribbean.  I have a Caribbean booking in YC1 on the Seaview this December.  It's under $3900 for the cabin for 7-nights.  Eat that, Celebrity.

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 6/22/2021 at 2:13 PM, deliver42 said:

I was in the YC once on the Divina, and except for the restaurant location on that ship, I can't think of any cons.

I feel similarly, but OTOH I thought the service in the lounge was much better on Divina than on Meraviglia.  On Meraviglia the butlers seem to have little peripheral vision, and little multitasking ability.  It wasn't a huge deal, but on a couple of occasions it was irritating. Of course that was long enough ago that both ships have likely had 10% turnover of YC staff.

[jules815]

21 hours ago, phissy said:

 

Nothing like the pool deck in the YC! We enjoyed the fresh made pasta dishes they served at lunch time, grilled lamb chops, shrimp, etc.  It's not your typical cruise ship grill, although they did have tasty burgers too.

 

[rkacruiser]

10 hours ago, JAGR said:

You mean you were in the brig!😉

 

Not quite that far down in the ship!  😁

 

21 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Is that Luis Costa, the Portuguese guy from Braga? I loved speaking Portuguese with him. Great guy! 

 

Do not know his nationality, but he was European and was not Italian.  And, like Arthur, he knew his wines.  

 

22 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Are there ever good deals on these cabins?

 

In the past, the first cruise after New Year's for any ship on any cruise line often provides exceptionally good rates.  That is what I found when I booked my YC suite on Meraviglia.  

[sverigecruiser]

15 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Is that for a 7-day cruise or longer? We just paid $4200 for a YC1 cabin, but that was for two, so around $2100 per person. $3500 seems high but our cruise is only 7 days, maybe yours is longer?

 

We will pay $6400 for one week on Seaview next summer. I consider that to be a good deal (less than $3500 each).  

[MarkusToe]

Thats quite expensive.... I found about 2700eur...all incl

[At Sea At Peace]

12 hours ago, jules815 said:

Nothing like the pool deck in the YC! We enjoyed the fresh made pasta dishes they served at lunch time, grilled lamb chops, shrimp, etc.  It's not your typical cruise ship grill, although they did have tasty burgers too.

 

 

Yep.  Fun times.

 

 

 

 

 

[KennyFla]

Great pictures.  Getting excited about our October cruise.

I think I will have to drag my wife off the boat.

Edited June 24, 2021 by KennyFla