Yacht Club versus more prestigious cruise line

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

It's possible to have seats reserved but the success of the reservation will depend on the butler and the staff in the theater. On Seaside, we had 4 front row seats reserved for 2 shows and those seats were held for us until we were escorted to the theater. The Yacht Club reserved section was higher up but we wanted the front row for the Michael Jackson show and some other show that I don't remember. 

 

We even had drinks delivered while we were seated but having drinks in the theater is sometimes frowned upon. Once again, MSC is consistent with inconsistency. 😉

Yes, the Butlers will go above and beyond if you ask.  On the other hand, you could not pay DW and Me to sit in the front row (of even in the first 10 rows) of any theater,  The old different strokes kind of thing applies.   

 

Hank

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

....I will emphasize that on our cruises there has never been specific reserved seats, but rather an entire small section (usually 3 or 4 rows in one section) that were roped off for the YC.  One could sit anywhere in that section.  My understanding is that once it gets near show time, the empty seats are available for anyone.

 

Hank

Empty seats in the non-YC section become available to all from about 5 minutes pre-show, but the YC section remains only for YC guests. Certainly on our Seaside recently, but I guess not all ships will police this in the same way. TBH, mostly we don't find the YC section attractive and tend to sit elsewhere in the theatre.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, the Butlers will go above and beyond if you ask.  On the other hand, you could not pay DW and Me to sit in the front row (of even in the first 10 rows) of any theater,  The old different strokes kind of thing applies.   

 

Hank

 

Comedy shows.. waaay back, most others still pretty far back. I've been singled out perhaps 3 times. I've checked all that off my "list" now!

 

Tom

[Two Wheels Only]

11 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I recall seeing this somewhere else... so, as a general rule do they ask you not to bring drinks into the shows? (I'm guessing no cup holders?)

 

Tom

 

Correct...usually. 

 

I know that I'm not giving a straight answer but the reality is that there is no straight answer.

 

I've seen people asked to finish their drink before entering the theater. I've also gotten drinks for 4 and carried all 4 drinks into the theater. 

 

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

On the other hand, you could not pay DW and Me to sit in the front row (of even in the first 10 rows) of any theater,  The old different strokes kind of thing applies.   

 

I knew that during the "Thriller" portion of the show, different performers (dressed as zombies) would walk the aisle and sneak up on guests. My kids had seen the "Thriller" music video hundreds of times on their tablets so I knew that they would enjoy the zombies. The performers even reach out and "grab" unsuspecting guests. We saw one woman actually jump out of her seat and scream....which might be why drinks aren't allowed in the theater. 😅

[happy cruzin]

On 2/8/2023 at 10:46 AM, Markanddonna said:

I have been in the Haven, but never the Yacht Club. I can't understand why anyone would book an MSC cruise when you can get a wonderful experience on a more prestigious cruise line for at least the same cost. Even though you are isolated from the riff raff (that includes me) an MSC passenger still has to endure the inferior MSC experience. I've priced it out and think perhaps others haven't done their research!

Having never been in the YC - your exact words - how could you possibly know what the experience might be?? 🤦‍♀️

 

[B_A_H]

1 hour ago, happy cruzin said:

Having never been in the YC - your exact words - how could you possibly know what the experience might be?? 🤦‍♀️

 

Didn't catch that one. 😉  And I hope @Markanddonna isn't putting NCL on the "more prestigious" list. They are as mainstream as they come.  For me, the tier in between mainstream and prestigious would be "premium" which I'd label Princess, HAL, and Celebrity.  But those three, according to postings in their respective forums,  are slowly hacking away at the things that earned them their above-mainstream status. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

27 minutes ago, B_A_H said:

Didn't catch that one. 😉  And I hope @Markanddonna isn't putting NCL on the "more prestigious" list. They are as mainstream as they come.  For me, the tier in between mainstream and prestigious would be "premium" which I'd label Princess, HAL, and Celebrity.  But those three, according to postings in their respective forums,  are slowly hacking away at the things that earned them their above-mainstream status. 

I have one Princess sailing under my belt, and many on NCL and Celebrity - all suites. I'd put both of them above Princess without a thought. I can still remember the dresser in our suite on the Caribbean Princess... out of the 4 drawers, there were three different styles of pulls - whatever they could MacGyver together as they broke over the years. First impression was enough to keep us away for well over a decade now! 

 

 

[B_A_H]

7 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I have one Princess sailing under my belt, and many on NCL and Celebrity - all suites. I'd put both of them above Princess without a thought. I can still remember the dresser in our suite on the Caribbean Princess... out of the 4 drawers, there were three different styles of pulls - whatever they could MacGyver together as they broke over the years. First impression was enough to keep us away for well over a decade now! 

 

 

Suites are what, 10% of a ship's cabins at most?  NCL is a mainstream line based on the other 90%.  Celebrity's 90% is (or used to be) a more premium experience.  I've been on both.  While YMMV, NCL isn't my cup of tea.  At least based on my non-suite experience with them.  

 

There are three levels of cruise line experiences.  I'm calling them mainstream, premium, and luxury/boutique.  Others can call them whatever they prefer but which cruise line fits in which tier is pretty much universally accepted. Virgin being the exception because there's debate whether they are mainstream or premium.  I'd suggest few here would categorize NCL as "premium."  YC certainly doesn't categorize MSC as premium.  

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Comedy shows.. waaay back, most others still pretty far back. I've been singled out perhaps 3 times. I've checked all that off my "list" now!

 

Tom

Yes, that happened to us recently as well. There was this very funny black comedian that came off the stage and walked up to us well dressed old white folks and had us stand up introducing us as his parents to the audience. As he approached us with his eyes glued to us, DW and I both whispered at the same time "Oh, schitt". After that we got smiles from the other passengers just walking the ship. I waved to the audience acknowledging our 'Son'.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, B_A_H said:

Suites are what, 10% of a ship's cabins at most?  NCL is a mainstream line based on the other 90%.  Celebrity's 90% is (or used to be) a more premium experience.  I've been on both.  While YMMV, NCL isn't my cup of tea.  At least based on my non-suite experience with them.  

..

 

I live in my own little world - the suite experience, or lack thereof, is all I really have to go by.

 

NCL >> Princess >> Carnival (though, I'll give Carnival credit, they're trying to up their suite game). I'll give Princess another try in the next couple/few years.

 

Tom

[Markanddonna]

2 hours ago, B_A_H said:

Didn't catch that one. 😉  And I hope @Markanddonna isn't putting NCL on the "more prestigious" list. They are as mainstream as they come.  For me, the tier in between mainstream and prestigious would be "premium" which I'd label Princess, HAL, and Celebrity.  But those three, according to postings in their respective forums,  are slowly hacking away at the things that earned them their above-mainstream status. 

You folks need to work on your reading comprehension. I never stated NCL was prestigious, just that I had cruised in the Haven. I consider prestigious to be more like Seabourn, Regent, Viking, Oceania, etc. 

[morpheusofthesea]

"Nowadays, saying what you really think can be a serious error since one risks being misunderstood." Oscar Wilde

 

"Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Edited February 14, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

. To be great is to be misunderstood."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ahhh, so now I now I finally know my problem :).

[morpheusofthesea]

55 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Ahhh, so now I now I finally know my problem :).

"It's a blessing and a curse" Adrian Monk

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

" 'To be great is to be misunderstood.' "

Then, Norm Crosby was the greatest of all.

The late Mr. Crosby on Roman history: 
“Brutus was stabbed in the ventricle with a rusty sieve and got rigor motion of his ducts.”

[morpheusofthesea]

8 hours ago, no1talks said:

Norm Crosby was the greatest of all.

Yes, his were intentional malapropisms which we all understood.

Now there was another great unintentional  modern day misunderstood  one....

"Listen up, because I've got nothing to say and I'm only gonna to say it once.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

Ninety percent of all mental errors are in your head.

I really didn't say everything I said." Yogi Berra

Edited February 14, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[KennyFla]

4 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Yes, his were intentional malapropisms which we all understood.

Now there was another great unintentional misunderstood malapropist ....

"Listen up, because I've got nothing to say and I'm only gonna to say it once.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

Ninety percent of all mental errors are in your head.

I really didn't say everything I said." Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra was the best

[Gatordad1967]

On 2/8/2023 at 10:46 AM, Markanddonna said:

I have been in the Haven, but never the Yacht Club. I can't understand why anyone would book an MSC cruise when you can get a wonderful experience on a more prestigious cruise line for at least the same cost. Even though you are isolated from the riff raff (that includes me) an MSC passenger still has to endure the inferior MSC experience. I've priced it out and think perhaps others haven't done their research!

I guess we would need your definition of a "more prestigious" cruise line.

 

[Gatordad1967]

14 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

You folks need to work on your reading comprehension. I never stated NCL was prestigious, just that I had cruised in the Haven. I consider prestigious to be more like Seabourn, Regent, Viking, Oceania, etc. 

Just saw your definition here.  I have never sailed on those other 4 lines.  I like the Yacht Club, and am fine with cruising soley on there.  The other 4 you mentioned seem to have typically smaller ships.  

[insidecabin]

We actually like NCL the most for entertainment and food choices, especially the newer ships.

Problem is a lot of the time they have just got too expensive, they have a habit of hiding the discounting in things like free air, which is no good if you live near the port, give us the air credit even if we don't fly.

 

A lot of the issues with MSC are down to timing and particular cruises just being very full, when running at lower capacity, not full of kids and 7n+ they are actually fairly decent product overall and great value.

One thing MSC have when you can find them is the YC insides, on UK bookings they get as low(rare) as £100pppd although compact they are fine as you have the rest of YC on your doorstep.

 

I priced up a recent cruise and regular inside Bella with drinks and spa pass was £80pppd,  YCI was £140pppd  (those are both with TA discounts over MSC UK rates)

 

UK MSC include gratuities and does premium drinks as low as £11pppd on some trips.
NCL we have to add free at sea(at around £20pppd depends on length) and tips on top

[KennyFla]

1 minute ago, insidecabin said:

We actually like NCL the most for entertainment and food choices, especially the newer ships.

Problem is a lot of the time they have just got too expensive, they have a habit of hiding the discounting in things like free air, which is no good if you live near the port, give us the air credit even if we don't fly.

 

A lot of the issues with MSC are down to timing and particular cruises just being very full, when running at lower capacity, not full of kids and 7n+ they are actually fairly decent product overall and great value.

One thing MSC have when you can find them is the YC insides, on UK bookings they get as low(rare) as £100pppd although compact they are fine as you have the rest of YC on your doorstep.

 

I priced up a recent cruise and regular inside Bella with drinks and spa pass was £80pppd,  YCI was £140pppd  (those are both with TA discounts over MSC UK rates)

 

UK MSC include gratuities and does premium drinks as low as £11pppd on some trips.
NCL we have to add free at sea(at around £20pppd depends on length) and tips on top

I find NCL a little sneaky, their "cruise" price looks good in the list compared to others but when you walk a reservation through their taxes and fees are higher than anyone else raising the total cost.

At least the last time I priced them, been a while.

[insidecabin]

On 2/9/2023 at 11:24 PM, Morgsmom said:

A bargain then!  As prior poster said, different rates in different countries.  Frustrating, indeed, when I see significantly cheaper rates if I could book on the .IT (Italy) site.  I would say $400/pax/day for the 1st and 2nd is about right if not a bit low nowadays

What's to stop you?

 MSC you can check any region and  you can book on-line  or use a local TA, just be aware the T&C can be very different also any packaging can be different, I see easy drinks on US, UK you get premium

 

There is a UK cruise next month inside cabin 2adults and 2 kids with drinks 7nights starting at £1,100?/$1320 (TOTAL for 4 passenger)

[insidecabin]

2 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

I find NCL a little sneaky, their "cruise" price looks good in the list compared to others but when you walk a reservation through their taxes and fees are higher than anyone else raising the total cost.

At least the last time I priced them, been a while.

Not an issue in the UK as headline price has to include taxes and fees  then  free at sea is fixed prices based on length of cruise and  grats are known per day

Makes it pretty easy to take the "price" and add the bits you need

Many you don't need to bother as the first number is way too big

 

I have on short list one NCL for May I need to price up US and EU and UK,  unusual round Ireland.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

I priced up a recent cruise and regular inside Bella with drinks and spa pass was £80pppd,  YCI was £140pppd 

At prices like this, it doesn't pay to stay home anymore.

"According to the study, these overall program costs for providing housing and services in an emergency shelter setting can vary widely, from $581 a month for an individual in Des Moines, IA, to as high as $3,530 for a family in Washington, DC."

 Those in D.C. can get suites.

Edited February 15, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[styles27]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

What's to stop you?

 MSC you can check any region and  you can book on-line  or use a local TA, just be aware the T&C can be very different also any packaging can be different, I see easy drinks on US, UK you get premium

 

There is a UK cruise next month inside cabin 2adults and 2 kids with drinks 7nights starting at £1,100?/$1320 (TOTAL for 4 passenger)

It’s my understanding that you have to book on the website of your residence otherwise why would they bother with different country websites?

Although it’s MSC so that could explain it. lol

But the other lines we cruise with don’t have different websites for US, Canada, UK etc.