Just returned on 10th Feb from our first YC experience on Grandiosa out of Barcelona B2B.

[heatherb1958]

Bit of background. We are a mature couple cruising regularly since 1999 with various lines though mainly RCI  . First cruise with MSC was on Splendida Feb 2017 B2B out  of Barcelona  , been on 7 other  MSC ships since in Bella and Fantastica cabins and  just returned on Friday from Grandiosa sailing in Yacht club  for the very first time . This is my thoughts on our first YC experience . 

 

We managed to grab  a YC interior doing a B2B in the same cabin for cheaper than a Bella balcony at the time .We had cruised in an  inside on  Meraviglia so knew what to expect re cabin size wise , had already cruised on Grandiosa so knew the ship plus we had already done a B2B with MSC out of Barcelona so this comparison is as close to comparing apples with apples as you will get 😆. 

 

Embarkation:-
Arrived on the 27th Jan at 11am, dropped our bags at the YC desk, paperwork checked including vaccination record , bags tagged for collection then  taken through security  to a YC departure lounge in the terminal where  champagne,  soft drinks and nibbles were offered. Here  we were given our seapass cards , wristbands plus daily paper request was noted. We sat and waited until noon then taken by Marcelle onto the ship upto the TSL and offered more champagne . One of the Concierges came to chat with us and explained some things then we were escorted to our cabin by a lounge butler .
Very nice first impressions but our embarkation for the Meraviglia was actually quicker as once we had got through security and picked up our cards at check in we went straight onto the ship sans champagne but I can live without that .

 

Cabin:-

The YC cabin 15029 was exactly the same in layout and size as our Meraviglia inside cabin  10130 . YC perks , nespresso machine - I immediately put that under the dresser stool in the gap as it would never be used , this left more space on the dresser top for more important stuff 😆.  Med , MSC'S own  fragrance , body lotion, shampoo and conditioner were in the bathroom . The stuff in the regular shower dispenser  is nice enough and at least there is a separate shampoo and body wash unlike RCI where they only  have one  dispenser in the regular cabins  which could be car wash for all I know . I take my own stuff on any cruiseline to be sure of what I am using .  

The YC cabin had the addition of a table and 2 chairs leaving a narrow gap at the end of the bed, I bashed my thigh so hard during a night time visit to the bathroom , solution- I put the table against the wall under the TV  and pushed the chairs together , no more bumping into furniture . 
Bedding- YC advertise Egyptian cotton bedding . We had the worst first night's sleep  on any cruise we have ever been on due to the bed.   At first I thought it was the sheet , it felt  rough to the  touch  like trying to sleep on woodchip wallpaper !! . I lifted up the sheet to find the bed topper full of snags and pulls you could pick with your nails !  How that was not felt by whomever made the bed up needs to use handlotion. It was the early hours when I finally worked out what the problem was, immediately when I saw our  butler in the morning  I  kindly asked for  a new topper be put on the bed and  if one wasn't available a duvet to be put on top of  the existing  topper under  the sheet .  Sleep was fine from the second night . Cabin 15029 is surrounded by corridor , the only noise we heard was when crew arrived for work in the early morning , there is a crew door across the corridor  from where our headboard was and they never closed it quietly 😆. 

 

Food- food is subjective and we always enjoy the food in the MDR on MSC . I was expecting to be blown away by the YC restaurant  but hubby and I were underwhelmed.  We enjoyed what we had but didn't feel it was that different to the MDR other than broiled filet mignon available each night in YC.  I tried it twice and much preferred the 2 visits we did to Butcher's Cut for our complimentary Voyager club meal. What we really did enjoy was the pool grill for lunch and breakfast , it was the Med in Winter and we were nearly always the only ones there for breakfast , the service was outstanding and eggs made to order were fab . 

 

Butler service : This , I believe , is where your YC experience could  be absolutely amazing or fall far below expectations.  Our cabin butler came to introduce himself and show us what was what around the cabin . He was so serious , felt like we were  standing to attention in front of the school head, hardly a smile from him even when we told him hubby's brother lives in Goa where the butler was from. This usually creates a friendly banter but not this time.
Our butler would insist on escorting us to any reservations we had on the ship , we politely told him we knew the ship and it was unnecessary.  We met the YC director , lovely man from Hungary who referred to the rest of  the ship as 'Downtown' , he would ask where were we going  when  leaving  YC , he also  insisted on phoning the butler to escort us , I jokingly said I wouldn't mind having a night out with my hubby without a chaperone !  
The lounge butlers and our waiters , we sat at the same table for 2 weeks  , were all amazing , friendly, chatted , service was outstanding but the butler we could live without . Our cabin would often not be serviced after more than 2 hours had passed, we are not untidy people , changing a couple of towels , emptying the bins , topping up the shampoo and making the bed  shouldn't take more than 10 mins. We went to the spa one afternoon and my robe got a bit too wet . I left it on the bathroom floor that night and requested a fresh one . The butler's assistant said it would be laundered and returned the next day , it still hadn't arrived by the afternoon so a trip to the desk was required.

 

Now that we are home and had time to reflect on our experience we would not go out of our way to book YC again, yes we loved the pool grill and the attentive service but we got that when we were elsewhere on the ship anyway and always have when cruising with MSC out of Barcelona . 
Cruising with MSC out of the UK is a different experience , we have done it several times ,  YC might be a godsend on those busy itineraries when the whole ship is on an included drinks package with queues at all the bars but for the foreseeable when looking to book again we'll stick to the cheap seats in 'Downtown'. 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by heatherb1958

[rool]

Interesting review thanks.

I am currently considering our first Yacht Club experience next Christmas in South America on Seaview as the price appears to be just over £400 more each over a regular balcony. I always get a drink package and internet so this eats away at the difference even more.

My one worry is if I would find the butler service a bit intrusive.

[styles27]

Thanks for your review. I agree that the butler assigned to you can really make a difference. 
 

We had a wonderful butler on our Mediterranean cruise. First time on MSC and we were given a free upgrade the day before departure. 
 

We didn’t want to be escorted to dinner every night. He did take us the first night because on Divina the YC restaurant is not in the actual YC area of the ship it’s quite a walk actually. 

We didn’t really use his services much. I liked going into TS each morning to get my coffee. (We didn’t have a coffee machine in our room) 
 

The first morning he practically tackled me when he saw me going for my coffee telling me he would bring it to us. lol
I assured him I enjoyed the early morning walk and wanted to sit in TS before it got too busy. 
 

By the third day he gave us our space and was wonderful.

 

I don’t like being fussed over. I don’t even want our room serviced every day in the non YC rooms we’ve stayed in. 
But…having the sanctuary of the YC when the rest of the ship is at capacity is priceless. 

[heatherb1958]

1 hour ago, rool said:

Interesting review thanks.

I am currently considering our first Yacht Club experience next Christmas in South America on Seaview as the price appears to be just over £400 more each over a regular balcony. I always get a drink package and internet so this eats away at the difference even more.

My one worry is if I would find the butler service a bit intrusive.

 

If there is only £400 difference per person  I would definitely go for it . We were firm and polite with our butler , he just kept on saying it was part of his job. We would find ourselves taking a different route out of YC to avoid having to make contact at the desk 😆. Seaview is a lovely ship and Christmas onboard would be extra special. 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by heatherb1958

[perakcruiser]

I totally understand these concerns. Being escorted to somewhere is totally unacceptable. At least if I did not commit a crime. I don´t want this butler thing at all, I am not Lord Snowdon, I am as normal as Jurgen Klopp says he is. And the room steward should be as invisible as possible.

 

But the other parts of the YC concept are really tempting. If they just could remove the butler.

[kernow]

Thanks for the review Heather, very interesting. 

 

I completely agree with you that the butler you get can make a huge difference to the YC experience. We've done it twice now, the first time we had an amazing butler who quickly picked up what we liked and what we didn't and acted accordingly. She realised that we weren't keen on being escorted everywhere and didn't keep insisting on it but she spotted that we like cocktails and snacks and would leave us a surprise tray every evening. Lots of touches like that.

Last time we had a butler who was pleasant enough but she really did no more that a good room steward. We still loved the whole YC feel but we weren't wowed like we were initially.

 

We do love the TS lounge though, just a nice quiet haven to escape to sometimes.