Sell Me On The Interior YC Meraviglia!

[MsTabbyKats]

DH always said "when I can't walk, that's when I'll pay for a butler".

Unfortunately life happened and he's currently recouperating from major surgery.  Although all is going really well, I don't want him to have to deal with lines and crowds etc....so I'm thinking Int YC on the Meravigia.

 

I have a few questions:

 

Meals....what are the times and do they offer a modified buffet? Can you get things not on the menu?

 

Is the Aurea area (I think it's deck 15) for Aurea passengers and YC?  Or, does YC have a separate pool area?  Actually, I'm confused about "the pool".  Where is the pool for "the masses".  Also confused about the lounge; where is the YC lounge?

 

Do you tip the butler/concierge? (I ask only because somewhere I read extra tipping is not expected)

 

Is use of the spa included?

 

We were on the Meraviglia in 2019 and I loved it.  But, to be honest....if it weren't for the pizza I wouldn't have found much to eat.

 

Lastly....on another thread someone commented that there was only on uni-sex toilet by the concierge for the lounge and restaurant.  Can someone else confirm this?  Not important to most people....but "to men of a certain age" it is!

 

 

[Morgsmom]

58 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

DH always said "when I can't walk, that's when I'll pay for a butler".

Unfortunately life happened and he's currently recouperating from major surgery.  Although all is going really well, I don't want him to have to deal with lines and crowds etc....so I'm thinking Int YC on the Meravigia.

 

I have a few questions:

 

Meals....what are the times and do they offer a modified buffet? Can you get things not on the menu?  The only "buffet" is outside at the Pool area; otherwise there is a yacht club dining room with fixed hours.  (Well, actually, you can go to the "normal" buffet but why would you want to?) Yes, you can arrange for things outside of the menu.

 

Is the Aurea area (I think it's deck 15) for Aurea passengers and YC?  Or, does YC have a separate pool area?  Actually, I'm confused about "the pool".  Where is the pool for "the masses".  Also confused about the lounge; where is the YC lounge?  The YC Lounge is TOPSAIL and on Deck 16; the restaurant is on 18, both are restricted to yacht club guests.  NO need to go to Aurea sundeck area in my opinion.  

 

Do you tip the butler/concierge? (I ask only because somewhere I read extra tipping is not expected)  Yes, we do.  At your discretion based on services provided.

 

Is use of the spa included? Use of the Thermal Area is included.

 

We were on the Meraviglia in 2019 and I loved it.  But, to be honest....if it weren't for the pizza I wouldn't have found much to eat.  In the Yacht Club you can have made to order pizza delivered for free to your room, or the pool area until midnight - yummy

 

Lastly....on another thread someone commented that there was only on uni-sex toilet by the concierge for the lounge and restaurant.  Can someone else confirm this?  Not important to most people....but "to men of a certain age" it is!   Yes, and no.  There are two stalls, one on each side, but they are private.  

 

 

Best best is to go on You Tube and spend some time looking at the YC on Meraviglia. Will answer a lot of questions.  I will say the YC interiors are SMALL, as in REALLY small.

[rikitikitavii]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

DH always said "when I can't walk, that's when I'll pay for a butler".

Unfortunately life happened and he's currently recouperating from major surgery.  Although all is going really well, I don't want him to have to deal with lines and crowds etc....so I'm thinking Int YC on the Meravigia.

 

I have a few questions:

 

Meals....what are the times and do they offer a modified buffet? Can you get things not on the menu?

 

Is the Aurea area (I think it's deck 15) for Aurea passengers and YC?  Or, does YC have a separate pool area?  Actually, I'm confused about "the pool".  Where is the pool for "the masses".  Also confused about the lounge; where is the YC lounge?

 

Do you tip the butler/concierge? (I ask only because somewhere I read extra tipping is not expected)

 

Is use of the spa included?

 

We were on the Meraviglia in 2019 and I loved it.  But, to be honest....if it weren't for the pizza I wouldn't have found much to eat.

 

Lastly....on another thread someone commented that there was only on uni-sex toilet by the concierge for the lounge and restaurant.  Can someone else confirm this?  Not important to most people....but "to men of a certain age" it is!

 

 

Wife and I were just on Mera for 2 nights in YC interior.

Cabin is small compared to the balcony cabins, bathroom is particularly small, but doable. I’m 5’10”, 210 lbs and shower was adequate, tight but small. Not a lot of storage, pack as light as possible.

Since the lounge (deck 15 forward) was a short walk up stairs, I would go there while wife showered and dressed. The pool is on deck 19 forward, restaurant on deck 18 forward, there is not deck 17.

There was a buffet for breakfast and lunch on pool deck, not sure about supper.

Tipping - I usually tip extra even if not expected, add more if I required extra from the butler or room steward.

Thermal spa included with YC.

Unisex toilet on lounge floor, not sure about  deck 18, but cabin is always close by in YC.

We are in YC interior again in October.

Hope this helps!

[MsTabbyKats]

2 hours ago, rikitikitavii said:

Wife and I were just on Mera for 2 nights in YC interior.

Cabin is small compared to the balcony cabins, bathroom is particularly small, but doable. I’m 5’10”, 210 lbs and shower was adequate, tight but small. Not a lot of storage, pack as light as possible.

Since the lounge (deck 15 forward) was a short walk up stairs, I would go there while wife showered and dressed. The pool is on deck 19 forward, restaurant on deck 18 forward, there is not deck 17.

There was a buffet for breakfast and lunch on pool deck, not sure about supper.

Tipping - I usually tip extra even if not expected, add more if I required extra from the butler or room steward.

Thermal spa included with YC.

Unisex toilet on lounge floor, not sure about  deck 18, but cabin is always close by in YC.

We are in YC interior again in October.

Hope this helps!

Very helpful.........

2 more questions:

Do you remember what times the meals were served?

Is there a dress code....casual attire acceptable?  For men, a shirt with a collar?

[Georgia_Peaches]

We were in a YCI back in November. It’s tight but do-able. My 2 faves about the cabin was the darkness at night (no ambient light) and great a/c (probably due to a much smaller space to cool). We have another one booked for August. 
 

Regarding meals, I think dinner service begins at 6 and you go when you want. Attire is pretty casual with many people wearing nice shorts. 

[JAGR]

16 hours ago, rikitikitavii said:

Wife and I were just on Mera for 2 nights in YC interior.

Cabin is small compared to the balcony cabins, bathroom is particularly small, but doable. I’m 5’10”, 210 lbs and shower was adequate, tight but small. Not a lot of storage, pack as light as possible.

Since the lounge (deck 15 forward) was a short walk up stairs, I would go there while wife showered and dressed. The pool is on deck 19 forward, restaurant on deck 18 forward, there is not deck 17.

There was a buffet for breakfast and lunch on pool deck, not sure about supper.

Tipping - I usually tip extra even if not expected, add more if I required extra from the butler or room steward.

Thermal spa included with YC.

Unisex toilet on lounge floor, not sure about  deck 18, but cabin is always close by in YC.

We are in YC interior again in October.

Hope this helps!

To clarify, the Top Sail Lounge is on deck 16.  We were on 15, and had to go up stairs to get there.  Something to consider for you husband during recovery.

We were on the ship for seven nights.  The pool deck only had breakfast and lunch.  No food for dinner.  Actually, there was not any Dining Under the Stars or any special Top Deck activity for YC in our week on board.

Edited January 12, 2023 by JAGR

[funNsun4me]

22 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

DH always said "when I can't walk, that's when I'll pay for a butler".

Unfortunately life happened and he's currently recouperating from major surgery.  Although all is going really well, I don't want him to have to deal with lines and crowds etc....so I'm thinking Int YC on the Meravigia.

 

I have a few questions:

 

Meals....what are the times and do they offer a modified buffet? Can you get things not on the menu?

 

Is the Aurea area (I think it's deck 15) for Aurea passengers and YC?  Or, does YC have a separate pool area?  Actually, I'm confused about "the pool".  Where is the pool for "the masses".  Also confused about the lounge; where is the YC lounge?

 

Do you tip the butler/concierge? (I ask only because somewhere I read extra tipping is not expected)

 

Is use of the spa included?

 

We were on the Meraviglia in 2019 and I loved it.  But, to be honest....if it weren't for the pizza I wouldn't have found much to eat.

 

Lastly....on another thread someone commented that there was only on uni-sex toilet by the concierge for the lounge and restaurant.  Can someone else confirm this?  Not important to most people....but "to men of a certain age" it is!

 

 

I sailed Seaside YC Interior with a friend but will be sailing with DH on Meraviglia YC Interior this summer which I hear might be a wee bit smaller than the inside on Seaside.  Storage is limited so we packed a lot of removable hooks for hanging swim suits, coverups and such, it was fine and we were2 women, lol.  I booked Deck 16 both times so we are on the same level as the lounge.  Dinner is anytime you want to go I believe from 5 or 5:30.  I thought food in YC was good.  YC and Aurea are different areas.  YC has it's own pool, hot tubs, buffet breakfast and lunch but the dining room is also open for breakfast and lunch as well.  Aurea guests not allowed in YC area.  We did have access to spa but never checked it out.  Can't comment on uni-sex toliet but on both Seaside and Seashore there was separate public restroom on 16, one for men, one for woman.  We usually tip above the basic grats.

 

Hope this helps.

[hamrag]

5 hours ago, funNsun4me said:

I sailed Seaside YC Interior with a friend but will be sailing with DH on Meraviglia YC Interior this summer which I hear might be a wee bit smaller than the inside on Seaside.  Storage is limited so we packed a lot of removable hooks for hanging swim suits, coverups and such, it was fine and we were2 women, lol....

 

Having sailed YIN on both ships, I can confirm Seaside cabin is a good amount larger although bathrooms are identical. Created more floor space by tucking the metal glass table under the area where coffee m/c and TV etc. are located. 

 

At bedtime we relocated the chair, placing it in front of the wardrope door, to remove trip hazard risk for overnigh toilet visits!

[funNsun4me]

18 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Having sailed YIN on both ships, I can confirm Seaside cabin is a good amount larger although bathrooms are identical. Created more floor space by tucking the metal glass table under the area where coffee m/c and TV etc. are located. 

 

At bedtime we relocated the chair, placing it in front of the wardrope door, to remove trip hazard risk for overnigh toilet visits!

Thanks for the tips!

[MsTabbyKats]

So, this has become a "no-brainer".

 

The cost of a "sailaway" balcony on NCL (they pick your room.....nothing extra) for 7 days to Bermuda (end of April...not beach weather) is $50 more than the 8 day interior yacht club to the Bahamas for that week,  When I listed the benefits of the yacht club...DH jumped on board!

 

A couple of selling points:

Potential Ocean Cay visit vs NCL's Great Strirup Cay 

No standing on long lines

Just about no extra costs 

 

As far as the size of the cabin, we always just bring one carry on....and we're small people.  The NCL balcony would be larger for sure....but I think totally worth the trade-off.

 

Thanks to those who gave construction opinions and advice!

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Potential Ocean Cay visit

Ocean Cay is my favorite private island in the industry.  It's so beautiful and they've done a great job of protecting the integrity of the island...ie, no water parks and zip lining.  The YC area of the island is nice for lunch and great views, but IMO the private beach area is not nearly as nice as some of the others on the island.  Happy for you and your decision!

[mnpurple]

My daughters were in an interior on Seaview and said it was tight, but adequate. Someone had mentioned that if you like more shower space, there is access to the spa. So if you use the thermal spa anyway, just bring a few toiletries and use that shower. We used the spa several times anyway because it was a great perk! Just the fact that there is such a large pool/deck area steps away from your room also helps.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[jules815]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ocean Cay is my favorite private island in the industry.  It's so beautiful and they've done a great job of protecting the integrity of the island...ie, no water parks and zip lining.  The YC area of the island is nice for lunch and great views, but IMO the private beach area is not nearly as nice as some of the others on the island.  Happy for you and your decision!

Agree 100%. 

 

Also, you MUST have water shoes if you want to dip your toes into the water. 

 

Kind of surprised there isn't something they could do to make that beach surface a little more comfortable.

[MsTabbyKats]

2 minutes ago, jules815 said:

Agree 100%. 

 

Also, you MUST have water shoes if you want to dip your toes into the water. 

 

Kind of surprised there isn't something they could do to make that beach surface a little more comfortable.

Is this just the Yacht Club area, or does one need water shoes for all the beaches?

[Georgia_Peaches]

43 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Is this just the Yacht Club area, or does one need water shoes for all the beaches?

YC area for sure but we walked barefoot at other beaches...there are several!

[BoundForSea]

On 1/14/2023 at 11:49 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

Is this just the Yacht Club area, or does one need water shoes for all the beaches?

Here’s some worthless history and trivia: When the island first opened the YC Beach was smooth as glass under water. Then a hurricane went through shortly after the opening (I forget when, we were the second cruise to arrive in the island in like 2019 I think)  and it faced the inflow current from the storm. The island used to be a stockpile of rock and shell for cement mix, most of that ‘rock’ was dumped off shore to form reefs and just really spread out on the ocean floor. Well most of all that got pushed back in and replaced the fine beautiful sand that was there. They never fixed it after that. 
 

Well that’s your worthless MSC info and trivia for the night. 
 

Ciao!

[dexddd]

On 1/14/2023 at 9:17 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

So, this has become a "no-brainer".

 

The cost of a "sailaway" balcony on NCL (they pick your room.....nothing extra) for 7 days to Bermuda (end of April...not beach weather) is $50 more than the 8 day interior yacht club to the Bahamas for that week,  When I listed the benefits of the yacht club...DH jumped on board!

 

A couple of selling points:

Potential Ocean Cay visit vs NCL's Great Strirup Cay 

No standing on long lines

Just about no extra costs 

 

As far as the size of the cabin, we always just bring one carry on....and we're small people.  The NCL balcony would be larger for sure....but I think totally worth the trade-off.

 

Thanks to those who gave construction opinions and advice!

The yin showers are literally coffin size.  Rest of bathroom dinky.  Room is nice.

 

What you forgot is that FDR will impose more fees and cutbacks if you took NCL.  Any changes by MSC would be by happenstance.

[MsTabbyKats]

56 minutes ago, dexddd said:

The yin showers are literally coffin size.  Rest of bathroom dinky.  Room is nice.

 

What you forgot is that FDR will impose more fees and cutbacks if you took NCL.  Any changes by MSC would be by happenstance.

I'm 4'11 and about 120 lbs.  I don't need a very big coffin....and there's always the spa for a more luxurious shower!

 

I've been randomly comparing the costs of NCL, Carnival and MSC....for similar routes and dates (I only sail out of NYC)....and MSC Yacht interior just keeps on winning when it comes to being "cost effective".

 

The point of my "Yacht Club Experiment" is that I want to make this as easy as possible for my husband when it comes to "standing in line" and waiting for service.  Spa, drinks, wifi, private areas...they're just bonuses.  The YIN, at a cost less than NCL balcony sailaway is truly a godsend for us! 

 

Who knows?  If this works out, maybe I'll be one of those people who "can't go back" to a regular cabin.

[mnpurple]

This is selling me more and more on an interior. We'll see how our cruise goes next week before I decide if I should book another.

 

Sometime I try not saying we have sailed in YC because so many think it's "snobby", but truth be told, we started in the Haven because medical reasons and just the ease of everything and felt the same about YC, especially with Covid.  We have truly enjoyed those experiences and it made our lives easier. I guess I shouldn't feel the need to explain and it is a splurge, but one we decided is worth it for us.

[Bgwest]

5 hours ago, mnpurple said:

because so many think it's "snobby" - Why in the world would you care what other people think?

 

I guess I shouldn't feel the need to explain  - Spot on!!

 

[hamrag]

19 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I'm 4'11 and about 120 lbs.  I don't need a very big coffin....

 

🤣 🤣 love your sense of humour!

 

I am 6 ft, much more than 120 and it was snug but absolutely fine for me! Certainly had to manage my way around the shower much more than normal, but not problematic....although close to the limit! The one thing I would say is that if you are above 6 ft and over say 240 lbs, it's likely going to be a problem.

 

We would NOT hesitate to go same again, the pricing is incredibly good compared to the YC1 and you still have the benefit of enjoying EVERYTHING that theYC offers. 😉

[hamrag]

19 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

.....Who knows?  If this works out, maybe I'll be one of those people who "can't go back" to a regular cabin.

That is the clear 'health' warning with YC! 😉

[mackfam]

Had the best sleeps ever when we were in a YIN on the Seaview last year. We were originally booked in a YIN on the Mera this past November but upgraded to a YC1 once onboard. Loved that cabin but we were hardly ever in it so are going again in June in a YIN and again this November. Can’t beat the price for what you get though having said that I’m worried that all these great reviews will drive the price up!

[MsTabbyKats]

On 1/17/2023 at 1:17 PM, mackfam said:

Had the best sleeps ever when we were in a YIN on the Seaview last year. We were originally booked in a YIN on the Mera this past November but upgraded to a YC1 once onboard. Loved that cabin but we were hardly ever in it so are going again in June in a YIN and again this November. Can’t beat the price for what you get though having said that I’m worried that all these great reviews will drive the price up!

I took the plunge and booked.

As to the price.......nowhere to go but up!

So, let's keep this our secret

[CruisingFox27]

We were very happy in our Meraviglia YIN. Yes, the bathroom and shower are compact but it's just for a few minutes a day. Everything that comes with YC far outweighed the compact bathroom. 

 

You just need to be reasonably organised with your belongings and storage etc isn't an issue. We were on an 11 night cold climate itinerary, followed by 5 nights in NYC and a further 7 nights on another cruise. We had no issues with all of our belongings and we'd winter coats etc.

 

I'd recommend a selection of magnetic hooks and we found a night light very useful. 

 

You'll have a great time.