Review of YC on Meraviglia October 23 - 30, 2022

[JAGR]

10 hours ago, no1talks said:

Zounds! Just to be clear, @JAGR, does YC now have just one dinner menu for an entire week? How many starters, mains, and desserts? We should very much miss nightly changes in the bill o' fare on our next YC cruise in March.

Is afternoon tea still a thing?!?

Sorry!  Hamrag qualified what I did not put clearly.  One set of seven different menus for a week.  Plenty of choices.  Lunch menu had at least three starters, four mains, and four or more desserts.  Adding in the Health Choice options, dinner menus typically had five starters, six mains and eight or more desserts.

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

As I said, I asked at the Concierge desk to get on the list first thing.  Roughly, the rate is $39/person per night.  Concierge said that I was number one on the list and not to unpack.  Said they would know at closeout.  We were assigned our new room at about 3:15.

Thanks for the heads up! We booked interior also for our upcoming cruise, and plan on an early boarding in Barbados, so will do precisely that. Barbados boarding is 99% Brits, and 95% of them book the flight package which doesn't land until late afternoon! Last time we did it, 10.30amish on Preziosa YC, there was absolutely no expectation from MSC on board that any new arrivals would be boarding before about 5-6pm. A quick panic call from the dockside crew to YC had us onboard within 30 minutes. That was Feb 2019, so we repeat that later this month again with 3 nights pre-cruise stay!

 

If we can get that rate, equating to an extra $550ish each, we will definitely avail ourselves. The bid minimum is the equivalent of $1,600 each, which we would not entertain. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by hamrag

[hamrag]

43 minutes ago, JAGR said:

....One set of seven different menus for a week.  Plenty of choices.  Lunch menu had at least three starters, four mains, and four or more desserts.  Adding in the Health Choice options, dinner menus typically had five starters, six mains and eight or more desserts.

I think you mentioned in your original post that you had the Chef cook Indian dishes for you, with appropriate notice. We enjoy same, so can you advise what you asked for please? TIA.

[JAGR]

20 minutes ago, hamrag said:

I think you mentioned in your original post that you had the Chef cook Indian dishes for you, with appropriate notice. We enjoy same, so can you advise what you asked for please? TIA.

Actually, I mentioned to him that I loved the Butter Chicken that was on the menu. He thanked me for that and asked what other dishes I liked Rogan Josh, any kind of curry, and anything with paneer cheese.  Saw him the next morning, and he asked what I would like to try.  Since lamb was on the menu for that night, I asked about the Rogan Josh, and he made that lamb stew for us.  Later, he made a paneer mutter dish with English peas instead of Indian peas.  Very good dishes.  We were lucky to have a chef from Punjab province on board.

Edited November 3, 2022 by JAGR

[JAGR]

26 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Thanks for the heads up! We booked interior also for our upcoming cruise, and plan on an early boarding in Barbados, so will do precisely that. Barbados boarding is 99% Brits, and 95% of them book the flight package which doesn't land until late afternoon! Last time we did it, 10.30amish on Preziosa YC, there was absolutely no expectation from MSC on board that any new arrivals would be boarding before about 5-6pm. A quick panic call from the dockside crew to YC had us onboard within 30 minutes. That was Feb 2019, so we repeat that later this month again with 3 nights pre-cruise stay!

 

If we can get that rate, equating to an extra $550ish each, we will definitely avail ourselves. The bid minimum is the equivalent of $1,600 each, which we would not entertain. 

$550 US total for the week for the two of us was definitely worth it!

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

Actually, I mentioned to him that I loved the Butter Chicken that was on the menu. He thanked me for that and asked what other dishes I liked Rogan Josh, any kind of curry, and anything with paneer cheese.  Saw him the next morning, and he asked what I would like to try.  Since lamb was on the menu for that night, I asked about the Rogan Josh, and he made that lamb stew for us.  Later, he made a paneer mutter dish with English peas instead of Indian peas.  Very good dishes.  We were lucky to have a chef from Punjab province on board.

Brilliant, thanks. Lamb Rogan Josh is in my top 3 favourites....hopefully the right Chef is on ours too.

[ptuder]

Thanks so much for the update. We will be on the December 4th sailing for my husband’s birthday. Hopefully it will be the same Alessandro as our first Seaside cruise.  He was from Milan and a real pleasure to get to know. He said he loved to entertain and really looked out for the guests. 
 

We are interested in the differences as we sailed Seaside twice both in Royal Suite.  We have a Deluxe balcony for Meraviglia.   We loved the outdoor area in front of Top Sail on Seaside and will miss that on this trip. Do you know how many cabanas and if they are similar to Seaside cabanas?  Can they be reserved in advance?  
 

Thanks again for the review. We haven’t sailed since COVID and have had to cancel a couple of cruises so we are eager to get back on a ship!

[JAGR]

11 hours ago, ptuder said:

Thanks so much for the update. We will be on the December 4th sailing for my husband’s birthday. Hopefully it will be the same Alessandro as our first Seaside cruise.  He was from Milan and a real pleasure to get to know. He said he loved to entertain and really looked out for the guests. 
 

We are interested in the differences as we sailed Seaside twice both in Royal Suite.  We have a Deluxe balcony for Meraviglia.   We loved the outdoor area in front of Top Sail on Seaside and will miss that on this trip. Do you know how many cabanas and if they are similar to Seaside cabanas?  Can they be reserved in advance?  
 

Thanks again for the review. We haven’t sailed since COVID and have had to cancel a couple of cruises so we are eager to get back on a ship!

Cabana situation is extremely limited (unlike Seashore, and more like Seaside).  There are only three cabanas.  They are on the starboard side, and all have the wicker sides and fairly open roof like those on Seaside.  Two are reserved for the Royal Suites (15008 and 15011), so that only leaves one to book.  It was always reserved, so we didn't bother to ask about booking.  Sorry, but I don't even know if you have to pay for that one.

[rikitikitavii]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:52 AM, JAGR said:

As I said, I asked at the Concierge desk to get on the list first thing.  Roughly, the rate is $39/person per night.  Concierge said that I was number one on the list and not to unpack.  Said they would know at closeout.  We were assigned our new room at about 3:15.

We are on the Meraviglia in January for 2 nights, YC inside, to learn the lay of the land  to prepare for 11 nighter in October. And to see if we can survive the inside for 11 days. Might have to give this a try. Oh yeah, Go Dawgs!!

[JAGR]

18 hours ago, rikitikitavii said:

We are on the Meraviglia in January for 2 nights, YC inside, to learn the lay of the land  to prepare for 11 nighter in October. And to see if we can survive the inside for 11 days. Might have to give this a try. Oh yeah, Go Dawgs!!

Odd typo!  It reads like, "Dawgs", not "Buckeyes."  May want to check your keyboard!  😉

TBH, I think they'll meet in the not too distant future.  My next door neighbor is an Georgia alum, so we have fun during the season.

[eagletwo]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:39 AM, JAGR said:

The one elegant night was on our first sea day (Wednesday).  No other formal night, but there was an "Italian Night" on our last night.  They had some red and green napkins, but the waiters were not wearing red, white, and green cumberbunds or ties, like on past cruises.

 

Favorite dishes would be hamachi carpaccio with avocado appetizer, surf and turf, lamb, sea bream, and any dessert!

We showed up on "formal night" in the YC on Meraviglia with me wearing a suit and tie and my wife in a beautiful gown.  The rest of the passengers in the  restaurant were in polo shirts and resort casual. Not an issue, just an observation. 

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, JAGR said:

My next door neighbor is an Georgia alum, so we have fun during the season

 

One of the most entertaining experiences for me is when my team is playing and I am watching the game in a ship's Sports Bar and there are those guests who are rooting for the opposing team.  Even the bartenders "get into the spirit" at times.  

[CTGirl74]

On 11/2/2022 at 11:28 AM, JAGR said:

You'll enjoy it.  Be sure to tell you butler you are a first-timer!  He/She will make sure you are taken care of.

 

Oh, this is good to know! My husband and I are sailing YC next October (NE/Canada) and it will be my husband's first cruise. I'll be sure to say something. 

[cruiselady80]

On 11/5/2022 at 10:19 AM, JAGR said:

Odd typo!  It reads like, "Dawgs", not "Buckeyes."  May want to check your keyboard!  😉

TBH, I think they'll meet in the not too distant future.  My next door neighbor is an Georgia alum, so we have fun during the season.

Goooooo Dawgs!! 

[JAGR]

9 minutes ago, cruiselady80 said:

Goooooo Dawgs!! 

But not too far!  GO BUCKS!! Should be a good game heading into the new year!

[Nashna]

On 11/4/2022 at 4:10 PM, rikitikitavii said:

We are on the Meraviglia in January for 2 nights, YC inside, to learn the lay of the land  to prepare for 11 nighter in October. And to see if we can survive the inside for 11 days. Might have to give this a try. Oh yeah, Go Dawgs!!

Are you sailing on the October 4th Canada/New England voyage?  We just booked this cruise yesterday and are looking forward to sailing in YC again.  When we booked, I did notice that the inside YC staterooms were sold out.   

[Nashna]

Hi JAGR!

 

I recognized your post from a few years ago back when I kept booking MSC in the YC and had three different sailing cancelled due to Covid.  We have been looking at Explora and the itineraries just haven't worked for us.  We were excited to see the Canada/New England YC at such a reasonable price.  I wonder if Explora is taking passengers away from the MSC's YC.  

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

Hi JAGR!

 

I recognized your post from a few years ago back when I kept booking MSC in the YC and had three different sailing cancelled due to Covid.  We have been looking at Explora and the itineraries just haven't worked for us.  We were excited to see the Canada/New England YC at such a reasonable price.  I wonder if Explora is taking passengers away from the MSC's YC.  

Hi, Nashna!

Glad you will finally be able to enjoy YC!  I do suspect that Explora may be siphoning a bit of YC guests away, the market size being somewhat limited. To me, it's like the market for hard seltzer drinks.  When there were only a few on the market, they all did well.  Then every company put out a new seltzer.  I think they simply split up whatever market was there.  To me, it's a pie.  It doesn't change per se, but you can slice it eight ways, ten ways, or even more.  It's still one pie!  Happy sailing to you!

[Nashna]

We were willing to pay the extra costs for Explora's lower priced staterooms.  However, the itineraries just didn't appeal to us.  We have been trying to sail on MSC for the past year.  However, this was the first itinerary that matched our needs.  I'm very pleased to be sailing in YC again.  I wish MSC would offer more 11-14 day Caribbean itineraries from Florida that don't backtrack.

[no1talks]

4 minutes ago, Nashna said:

"I wish MSC would offer more 11-14 day Caribbean itineraries from Florida that don't backtrack."

I was posting on this topic last night. I think the limited itineraries are ultimately a bigger problem than the website and call center.

 

I'm not a fan of having to take a flight from Florida out to an island embarkation for an MSC cruise.

 

I hope they make a change and cover the Windward & Leeward Islands from Florida embarkations.

[Nashna]

6 hours ago, no1talks said:

I was posting on this topic last night. I think the limited itineraries are ultimately a bigger problem than the website and call center.

 

I'm not a fan of having to take a flight from Florida out to an island embarkation for an MSC cruise.

 

I hope they make a change and cover the Windward & Leeward Islands from Florida embarkations.

I totally agree, their itineraries are not exciting.  We booked on two other cruise lines that offered much more interesting itineraries.  Yet, we would jump at the chance to do them on MSC in YC if they were offered from Florida.  I am not interested in sailing from the Caribbean as the flights options do not favor the American market.  

[rikitikitavii]

On 12/31/2022 at 9:38 AM, Nashna said:

Are you sailing on the October 4th Canada/New England voyage?  We just booked this cruise yesterday and are looking forward to sailing in YC again.  When we booked, I did notice that the inside YC staterooms were sold out.   

Yes, we are on the October 4th cruise. Just hope that the inside cabin will work for us.

[nednrom]

On 11/2/2022 at 11:26 AM, JAGR said:

 

Cabin:  We booked an interior, and when we boarded, I went to the Concierge Desk to ask about a paid upgrade since I knew cabins were available.  We ended up getting a Balcony for a very reasonable price (about a fourth of the total bid guidelines for the offer they email you before the cruise).  Very comfortable and spacious room and balcony.  Worth the upgrade to have DW happy enough that I could sleep with out hearing crying, and did not have to keep sharp objects away from her, or sleep with one eye open!

 

LOL.. We just booked YIN on Seascape Nov 2023 while onboard because it was so reasonable.  It has been ages since we have sailed in an interior cabin so I am encouraged that this may be a possibility.  Of course, I imagine it will depend on how full the ship/YC is.