Here’s to NOT “The Worst Cruise I’ve Ever Taken”!!! Sailing the Mera today- first time MSC, YC and Aurea Suite

[Bobbiegentry]

4 hours ago, NorthernCouple said:

Seabourn budget with MSC kids.

Seabourn expectations on a family cruise line?

[NorthernCouple]

5 hours ago, Bobbiegentry said:

Seabourn expectations on a family cruise line?

I feel like I have failed to communicate or the sense of humour just isn't coming through.

 

There is a potentially profitable market for MSC where parents would pay for Seabourn (or equivalent) but they have kids and need the kids activities, water slides, etc. This is an ideal demographic for YC. Are they going to provide the Seabourn experience? No, of course not. Should MSC YC aspire to a premium product? - yes and this is what they advertise. L1211's experience will turn off a lot of people in this demographic. From Captain-John "Pre-shutdown (May '19), there were still issues with long wait times in the YC bar, issues getting a wine aside from the pre-selected options in the dining room, a reluctant butler and some other issues I've just been reminded of. " If MSC can solve these issues, they could have a very good product.

 

The HR issues are impacting lots of industries. Hopefully, this will improve with time. Seabourn and Silversea have an advantage that they can promote from their parent cruise lines (Carnival and Royal Caribbean). If you have an excellent staff member, they get moved up (I hope with improved pay and benefits). Hopefully, MSC does this with the YC, but it will still take time.

 

YC seems like it could benefit from some improved logistics. This takes good leadership, education and IT. However, there seem to be some simple policy improvements that the leadership should make like wines in the dining room.

[L1211]

I thought I should do a final wrap up of our trip.  We had a really nice time!  Lots of things were stand out experienced but some just were not.  The cruise met exactly what we were after- the girls wanted a relaxing getaway and of course, including mom and dad means mom and dad pay… but as your kids get older, we welcome the opportunity to spend holiday time with them.  Our oldest is backpacking Thailand and not available, but the youngest and her bestie were fantastic travel mates. 
 

We always fly in a day early…. I was on an Allegiant flight one morning the day before our cruise, and it was delayed by nearly 8 hours. The flight was full of people going on cruises from Fort Lauderdale that day. We were not cruising until the next day, but my heart broke for all the people who had cruises - we landed about 4pm, the same time their cruises were setting sail.  It was a stark reminder of why we travel in the day prior.

 

We took advantage of the opportunity to be in Orlando for a day. The girls did a two park ticket to universal studios and had a blast. That is really a plus in sailing from port Canaveral. It’s like two vacations in one! 
 

We had rented a car from MCO since we had both the day in Orlando to navigate, and that provided our transportation to the port. We picked up from National and dropped off at enterprise which was surprisingly easy.
 

EMBARKATION

 DH dropped us at the port at the yacht club tent and then returned the car. I decided I’d wait for him with champagne in the boarding area and that worked perfectly. The girls were escorted with me through security.

 

Once in the boarding area, the girls followed the Aurea priority path and were finished in minutes and boarded.  I waited for the DH and we too were on board in minutes.  
 

5 stars for embarkation!  Can’t think of a way they could have improved the experience for YC or Aurea.  General boarding has long lines. 
 

This was one of the biggest complaints I found during my initial research.  I read and watched horror stories of boarding.  MCS had their act together. I understand issues can happen from the prior sailing that are out of MSC’s control.  But our experience could not have been better. 

 

[L1211]

Entertainment 

Sadly, we totally missed out on production shows.  I didn’t love the need to plan your full schedule on day one onboard and missed out. I know the YC would have escorted us to shows but we needed to coordinate with the girls.  Also, the girls were ready to hit bars after dinner and not Broadway productions…

 

we did, however enjoy the entertainment around the ship.  The music in the pub was outstanding- wish there was more of it! 
 

Karaoke was really well done and loved the venue.

 

the performer in the YC lounge was excellent- caught her one night.

 

dance parties in the galleria were high energy and had lots of crowd participation.

 

Solid 4 Stars for the entertainment we caught.  Would loved to have had a piano bar- that’s a family favorite! 

[L1211]

IT/Planning Tools

 

This was not a good experience.  I’m a planner and I don’t actually mind needing my cruise orchestrated in advance- I actually enjoy it!  On RCL and NCL. I book my premium dining pkg then pre-book reservations in advance. I also plan entertainment and make those reservations.  I create a day by day spreadsheet and print them out for each cabin.  
 

MSC did not give me the tools to make these plans.  It requires you to do it all once onboard and if you don’t do it right away, you lose your opportunity.  This I did not love.  
 

they also advertise big discounts with both YC and Aurea experiences with pre-bookings.  I called 5 different time to figure out how to receive those discounts and no one could answer me.  All I was offered was the “up to 40% off” prices listed on the website- the same discounts you get with a Bella experience and they were actually only about 10% off onboard prices.  Not sure how they get away with this??  
 

of course, if you did pre-purchase, you could only pay in advance, not plan and book.  I also think that does not meet the need and is way behind the industry.

 

The app was informative but not functional or any help with planning and coordinating. 

 

1 star for MSC’s IT/Planning tools.

[L1211]

Status Match

 

This benefit blew me away.  Our cruises are scattered across multiple lines over many years, and only a couple per year so we are not high status with any one line.  Given this, I did not look at status match.  Then I learned on my Facebook sailing page that folks were matching to different loyalty programs- wow!  I have lots of those due to work travels.  
 

I first matched myself Silver from my Platinum status with Marriott.  I have higher status on American,  but that program is not matched.  
 

With the Silver match , I receive 5% of my cruise price back on OBC.  Wow!  Did not see that coming.  And as I understand, if I had booked early, I would have received an additional $50.  What a surprise perk!

 

I later read that Hilton Diamond matched to MSC Diamond. How could that be true given the Marriott match?  Who knows, but i tried it and my husband became a Diamond VC member.  
 

This was unexpected and appreciated!  Should be better advertised.  I booked myself online and was never asked about status matching. 
 

And the process, easy peazy!  And quick!  Filled out online forms, two day turn around and instantly updated in our reservation.  This was a wow!
 

Here’s where this gets interesting.  Diamond loyalty seems to be meaningless.  I get it, we did not earn it sailing, but does staff know that? We were never one time “thanked for our loyalty”. You know, like when you check into a hotel with status.  Never one time recognized as Diamond member.  We received our Diamond perks on day 3, but they were never mentioned ( I got macaroons and was soooo excited.  Did not eat them that night and they were taken away the next afternoon. I would have put them in the safe had I known!!). We were not invited to a Diamond cocktail reception.  Just seems like  odd program management.  If I was a frequent and loyal cruiser, I would have really been put off.  As it was, we had a lovely dinner in BC and the girls got an additional bottle of prosecco for their balcony hot tub experience.  All good, but more potential for sure.  
 

5 Stars for Status Match program, 4 stars for status benefits, 1 star for status experience 

[L1211]

Cabins

i had two cabins. YC basic suite and Aurea hot tub suite. I started with two hot tub suites but moved to YC after all the terrible reviews (here, Facebook, YouTube).  The girls were not moving. They had a hot tub and I could not blast them out if that cabin.  They also found the YC experience to seem “old” - their word not mine, and were not interested.  
 

YC Suite - I absolutely LOVED this cabin!  I loved the location- 16004 - had a “secret entrance “ to the lounge just one cabin away- that got much use!  Quiet. Air conditioning was stellar- cold as we wanted!  Bed- dreamy!  I like it better than my high-end mattress at home!  Linens- crisp and soft at the same time.  Bathroom - big enough and well appointed.  Shower- best ever on a cruise! Hot water with terrific pressure.  The cabin size was so nice.  Plenty of storage and well designed. The colors were well chosen, not “current” or “dated”. For 8 years old, it was really nicely done. 
 

There was one small problem- a sewage smell from the bathroom.  Ugh.  That was a downer, but we flushed often and kept the door closed. That and the balcony was surprisingly small.  
 

4 stars for the YC suite, but it should have been 5…

Edited March 18, 2023 by L1211
Content

[jules815]

15 hours ago, L1211 said:

Status Match

 

This benefit blew me away.  Our cruises are scattered across multiple lines over many years, and only a couple per year so we are not high status with any one line.  Given this, I did not look at status match.  Then I learned on my Facebook sailing page that folks were matching to different loyalty programs- wow!  I have lots of those due to work travels.  
 

I first matched myself Silver from my Platinum status with Marriott.  I have higher status on American,  but that program is not matched.  
 

With the Silver match , I receive 5% of my cruise price back on OBC.  Wow!  Did not see that coming.  And as I understand, if I had booked early, I would have received an additional $50.  What a surprise perk!

 

I later read that Hilton Diamond matched to MSC Diamond. How could that be true given the Marriott match?  Who knows, but i tried it and my husband became a Diamond VC member.  
 

This was unexpected and appreciated!  Should be better advertised.  I booked myself online and was never asked about status matching. 
 

And the process, easy peazy!  And quick!  Filled out online forms, two day turn around and instantly updated in our reservation.  This was a wow!
 

Here’s where this gets interesting.  Diamond loyalty seems to be meaningless.  I get it, we did not earn it sailing, but does staff know that? We were never one time “thanked for our loyalty”. You know, like when you check into a hotel with status.  Never one time recognized as Diamond member.  We received our Diamond perks on day 3, but they were never mentioned ( I got macaroons and was soooo excited.  Did not eat them that night and they were taken away the next afternoon. I would have put them in the safe had I known!!). We were not invited to a Diamond cocktail reception.  Just seems like  odd program management.  If I was a frequent and loyal cruiser, I would have really been put off.  As it was, we had a lovely dinner in BC and the girls got an additional bottle of prosecco for their balcony hot tub experience.  All good, but more potential for sure.  
 

5 Stars for Status Match program, 4 stars for status benefits, 1 star for status experience 

They took your macaroons?! (and I'm not being snarky here. why would they do that?)

 

 

[L1211]

13 minutes ago, jules815 said:

They took your macaroons?! (and I'm not being snarky here. why would they do that?)

 

 

Right??? It was a lovely plate of small, assorted flavors/colors and I didn’t get to enjoy even one!

Edited March 19, 2023 by L1211
Gibberish

[Greygooser]

16 hours ago, L1211 said:

Status Match

 

This benefit blew me away.  Our cruises are scattered across multiple lines over many years, and only a couple per year so we are not high status with any one line.  Given this, I did not look at status match.  Then I learned on my Facebook sailing page that folks were matching to different loyalty programs- wow!  I have lots of those due to work travels.  
 

I first matched myself Silver from my Platinum status with Marriott.  I have higher status on American,  but that program is not matched.  
 

With the Silver match , I receive 5% of my cruise price back on OBC.  Wow!  Did not see that coming.  And as I understand, if I had booked early, I would have received an additional $50.  What a surprise perk!

 

I later read that Hilton Diamond matched to MSC Diamond. How could that be true given the Marriott match?  Who knows, but i tried it and my husband became a Diamond VC member.  
 

This was unexpected and appreciated!  Should be better advertised.  I booked myself online and was never asked about status matching. 
 

And the process, easy peazy!  And quick!  Filled out online forms, two day turn around and instantly updated in our reservation.  This was a wow!
 

Here’s where this gets interesting.  Diamond loyalty seems to be meaningless.  I get it, we did not earn it sailing, but does staff know that? We were never one time “thanked for our loyalty”. You know, like when you check into a hotel with status.  Never one time recognized as Diamond member.  We received our Diamond perks on day 3, but they were never mentioned ( I got macaroons and was soooo excited.  Did not eat them that night and they were taken away the next afternoon. I would have put them in the safe had I known!!). We were not invited to a Diamond cocktail reception.  Just seems like  odd program management.  If I was a frequent and loyal cruiser, I would have really been put off.  As it was, we had a lovely dinner in BC and the girls got an additional bottle of prosecco for their balcony hot tub experience.  All good, but more potential for sure.  
 

5 Stars for Status Match program, 4 stars for status benefits, 1 star for status experience 

Not to hijack the thread on a tangent, but I am having my first MSC cruise this June. I am Silver on NCL, and will be gold later this summer. Does anyone know if can I match now, then match again after my NCL cruise?

Edited March 19, 2023 by Greygooser

[bigblue1952]

15 minutes ago, Greygooser said:

Not to hijack the thread on a tangent, but I am having my first MSC cruise this June. I am Silver on NCL, and will be gold later this summer. Does anyone know if can I match now, then match again after my NCL cruise?

I am pretty sure you can only match once.

[Greygooser]

20 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

I am pretty sure you can only match once.

 

Interesting. I'm staying in YC in June for a 7 day cruise, wonder if matching now with NCL at Silver, plus adding points from the cruise will get me to gold anyway. Or do I not have a choice, must I do the match before I take my first MSC cruise?

 

Edit: Now I'm reading NCL gold members end up getting matched to Silver anyway. So maybe it won't make a difference for me anyway.

Edited March 19, 2023 by Greygooser

[christa920]

2 hours ago, Greygooser said:

Not to hijack the thread on a tangent, but I am having my first MSC cruise this June. I am Silver on NCL, and will be gold later this summer. Does anyone know if can I match now, then match again after my NCL cruise?

You can only match one time. 

[christa920]

2 hours ago, L1211 said:

Right??? It was a lovely plate of small, assorted flavors/colors and I didn’t get to enjoy even one!

I would have told the butler.  Has happened to me in the past so if I want to keep something for later I put it in the mini fridge 

[L1211]

1 minute ago, christa920 said:

I would have told the butler.  Has happened to me in the past so if I want to keep something for later I put it in the mini fridge 

Agree, I’m guessing they would have replaced if I had asked… 

[christa920]

16 minutes ago, L1211 said:

Agree, I’m guessing they would have replaced if I had asked… 

Most definitely.  It's hit or miss what they take away.  Maybe they thought you didn't care for sweets.  Who knows.  I know when we meet our butler, we tell them what we would like for the week, ice in the buckets, and what soda/beer in the fridge, and to take the rest of it out.Never had a problem. If you set the expectation at the beginning they are pretty good at following through all week.

[KKB]

@L1211 Thx for your review.

It very much parallels my non-YC experience on the Divina last month.

Lots of crew who didn't seem well trained. Lots of lines to get drinks.

Constantly out of everything at bars.

Pizza best I've ever had!

Buffet excellent quality but a hot mess.

Now, I DID find a few EXCELLENT bartenders & servers who knew what I liked, would go out of their way to get it & were just overall lovely people. 

And I did extraordinarily well at the casino so it was a profitable situation--guess I'd do that every week if I could!!

 

IMO you missed nothing by not hitting production shows. 

They were...odd. Vocal talent was VERY good.

But dancers' costumes didn't make any sense & dancing was high school level.

(DD has danced since she was 3, and currently works full time at a dance studio, so know my dance)

Abba show--vocalists in lovely evening gowns. Dancers in...umm...Samurai costumes?? Then waitress costumes?

Disjointed seems to be a theme of this line in many areas.

 

A gal I follow on Celebrity who does Retreat did a short Celebrity Retreat cruise followed by YC on Divina & did a comparative. She RAVED RAVED RAVED about YC & made me ponder trying it.

Needless to say I had heard YC isn't quite the same upscale experience on larger ships as your review shows.

 

As with you--I had a good time. Pretty much have a good time on any trip.

Sailing Preziosa in May--but that is more for the itinerary. Many port days so line not as important.

But your review tells me issues appear to be more systematic than situational.

I will reserve judgement until after my May cruise...

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by KKB

[Morecruisesplz]

4 hours ago, Greygooser said:

Not to hijack the thread on a tangent, but I am having my first MSC cruise this June. I am Silver on NCL, and will be gold later this summer. Does anyone know if can I match now, then match again after my NCL cruise?

No, one and done.

[herdfans4]

Thanks so much for the wonderful review. Just devoured the entire thread. We did YC on Mer in October on 3 days and had a wonderful experience. So much so that I just bid to upgrade 2 rooms for seaside in May. I was worried about the experience if only one room received the upgrade and your review helped some with that. We are also traveling with adult children in the other room. Fingers crossed that both rooms are upgraded though. 

[RichYak]

9 hours ago, L1211 said:

Right??? It was a lovely plate of small, assorted flavors/colors and I didn’t get to enjoy even one!

Macarons need to be refrigerated. If you left them out overnight, your butler absolutely did the right thing. 

[L1211]

56 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Macarons need to be refrigerated. If you left them out overnight, your butler absolutely did the right thing. 

I would have eaten them the next day and they would have been fantastic! I’m experienced…

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, L1211 said:

I would have eaten them the next day and they would have been fantastic! I’m experienced…

Or you could have gotten quite ill. I’m also experienced 🤢

[L1211]

2 hours ago, herdfans4 said:

Thanks so much for the wonderful review. Just devoured the entire thread. We did YC on Mer in October on 3 days and had a wonderful experience. So much so that I just bid to upgrade 2 rooms for seaside in May. I was worried about the experience if only one room received the upgrade and your review helped some with that. We are also traveling with adult children in the other room. Fingers crossed that both rooms are upgraded though. 

Wishing you successful upgrades!  My girls were not interested in YC and loved their suite.  We actually watched the lighthouse show from there - brought them our Diamond Prosecco and all was good. They are one night in their MDR with anytime dining and enjoyed it.  Enjoy!!

[L1211]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

Or you could have gotten quite ill. I’m also experienced 🤢

We kept it morgue cold in the cabin- absolutely loved the AC!! My husband was sure there was frost on the glass…. Ha!  

[L1211]

9 hours ago, Greygooser said:

 

Interesting. I'm staying in YC in June for a 7 day cruise, wonder if matching now with NCL at Silver, plus adding points from the cruise will get me to gold anyway. Or do I not have a choice, must I do the match before I take my first MSC cruise?

 

Edit: Now I'm reading NCL gold members end up getting matched to Silver anyway. So maybe it won't make a difference for me anyway.

Hilton was the crazy match!  Diamond to Diamond.  Marriott only matched to silver.  Odd…