Yacht Club...what is not included?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

15 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

7 nights, Inflation.

At least ours is 9. 

[sbcs5390]

8 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

It also depends on the ship with MSC. The Meraviglia/Meraviglia Plus ships have Duplex Suites as low as deck 9 that are Yacht Club. 

To be fair, these used to be aurea suites and not YC. YC is now a bonus for these.  And they are the very small exception - everything else besides these couple suites are in the complex, in great contrast to Celebrity ships. 

[sbcs5390]

7 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Fantastic!  I kept reading we had to.  I was hoping that wouldn't be the case for yacht club.

You can go to the concierge desk and usually in the pre show time there’s a butler heading that way or one will be called for you. Or you can take yourself and one of the butlers (or cruise staff) will be manning the velvet rope in the theater. Only bizarre thing is no drinks allowed in main theater. 
 

There is an aft theater (a la Royal’s 270 or Celebrity’s Eden without the restaurant) where they do theater in the round, cirque style shows. For that one there is a separate line (helpful first time to have butler show you) but you want to be there for 7:30 doors for 8:00 show as there’s no YC area - you just get first choice of where you want to be. 

 

I also can not emphasize enough how wonderful the grill on the YC deck is. Besides the salad bar and buffet, every one of my lunches I chose from the grilled to order items: scallops, prawns, wonderful steaks. The buffet was awesome often with shrimp, an Indian dish, ribs, wings, veggies, rice, etc. and all high quality. This is open about 12-3 everyday, even in port. I see people get so excited about the very limited lunch menu on X ships that have a retreat deck, because Luminae is closed on port days and at least they can get something that isn’t the buffet or going to sushi. Here, both are open even on port days. Only exception is it’s the grill only, no lunch restaurant, on Ocean Cay because almost all the staff have gone off to serve you on the private island at the restaurant and private beach, which is simply amazing. 
 

I also enjoyed late breakfast at the grill. Two eggs cooked to order - or lots and lots of buffet choices. I don’t really eat breakfast so only went once. Plus, afternoon tea at the grill, too… 

 

There was live entertainment in the top sail lounge each night at the piano. Captain, HD, Chief Eng came up second day in morning for a reception with all and toast to the cruise. Butler (not even mine) nearly admonished me to have a seat and she’d bring me all the food items. Then mine came by to dote on me and it was great chance to ask him for a couple things I needed. This happens in YC a lot because the staff are seemingly everywhere. Captain came around to greet each person individually. YC director also hosted a fun trivia! 
 

I didn’t take an excursion but reportedly they escort you to your seat on your bus, rather than on X where you are left to fend for yourself in the theater with everyone, if you are mobility impaired or not. On Ocean Cay of course the “YC limousine” stretch golf cart takes you out to the YC beach. 
 

Plus the concierge desk functions as your guest services and has more capability than in my experience the concierge in Michael’s Club/the Retreat. 
 

There were also dedicated hours to meet a future cruise consultant - no appt needed, although offered if the standard hours didn’t suit you - in the top sail lounge. I have to emphasize also that the lounge butlers are actually is squeegeeing each table as people get up in the TSL!
 

I also loved having a Nespresso and cups - which is in every suite, but on X only PH and usually RS though not always. I’ll add more as I think of it! 

[Illbcruzn4life]

Ok a little embarrassed to ask as we don't ever cruise in suites or high end cabins but thinking about a 4 day cruise in the YC.

 

What does one tip the butler. I certainly wouldn’t want to undertip. 

[kernow]

10 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

That depends on the ship. Just off Splendida less than a month ago and you could not get a pizza sent to pool deck or top sail.

 

Now there is a way around that....get it delivered to the concierge desk and have them notify you when it arrives and walk it to where you want.

We were on Virtuosa last week, no pizza delivery anywhere until after 6pm. It was the same last year. Mentioned it then and was told it might change but no, we still had to go to the main buffet at lunch time if we wanted pizza.

[hamrag]

6 hours ago, sbcs5390 said:

....I didn’t take an excursion but reportedly they escort you to your seat on your bus, rather than on X where you are left to fend for yourself in the theater with everyone, if you are mobility impaired or not....

Not quite true, in our experience! The butler will escort the YC group for excursions to where the non-YC passengers are....usually dockside....at that point you have the same status as everyone else on your excursion and all make their way to the coach or alternative means of transport. The point of it is that you are not sat in the ship theatre for 15 minutes wondering what is happening, rather you are sat in the comfort of the YC lounge doing precisely that!

Edited May 24, 2023 by hamrag

[Mark_T]

6 hours ago, sbcs5390 said:

I didn’t take an excursion but reportedly they escort you to your seat on your bus, rather than on X where you are left to fend for yourself in the theater with everyone, if you are mobility impaired or not.

If you are in a suite on Celebrity you can just go to The Retreat and wait in the lounge there and be escorted off in small groups, bypassing lines before security.

 

Not quite to the door of the bus, but a lot better than going to the Theatre...

[Greygooser]

Curious what everyone's opinions are as far as getting a specialty dining package when staying in the YC. I can get the 3 meal package for $71, which seems very reasonable. I understand the menus are limited and there's a surcharge for the Teppanyaki. Just not sure if it's worth it since you have access to the YC restaurants.

 

Also, if you go to a specialty restaurant with a package (as a YC guest), are the drinks included? 

[morpheusofthesea]

7 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Ok a little embarrassed to ask as we don't ever cruise in suites or high end cabins but thinking about a 4 day cruise in the YC.

 

What does one tip the butler. I certainly wouldn’t want to undertip. 

It all depends on your service. What would you feel you would appreciate for the service you provided if the shoe was on the other foot?

I was unsure about a lot of things, so I went in search of information and found this university study on tipping. "The common feature of all forms of tipping is the voluntary and discretionary nature of the tip: the consumer is free to choose how much to tip, if at all. This definition excludes service charges, imposed gratuities, and imposed tips which have nothing in common with voluntary tipping."

  Being one's first time with no past experience of what to expect from a butler it can be a challenge. Let us take the example mentioned here. Some of us have experienced the assemblage of YC guests meeting in the TopSail Lounge for a 'group' escort off the ship to "fend for themselves" on the pier, while others are approached the night before by their personal butler (a good one) asking one's plans and setting up an appointment to be picked up at one's cabin and escorted (without a group) personally to one's seat (coach or private car). The group butler hardly deserves much of a tip unless it is from the spouse of a late straggler holding up the entire group waiting in the lounge. The "good" butler goes above and beyond and deserves at least $20 per day. We only travel 7 day cruises and tip $200-$400 depending on the level of service provided. One cruise we only tipped our butler $20 for the week, we did not get the service we had grown accustomed to (spoiled by) from other butlers on MSC.

Edited May 24, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Greygooser said:

Curious what everyone's opinions are as far as getting a specialty dining package when staying in the YC. I can get the 3 meal package for $71, which seems very reasonable. I understand the menus are limited and there's a surcharge for the Teppanyaki. Just not sure if it's worth it since you have access to the YC restaurants.

 

Also, if you go to a specialty restaurant with a package (as a YC guest), are the drinks included? 

If your cruise is 7 nights, I'd suggest not. If it's 14 nights, then it gives variety every 4 or 5 nights and $71 is very attractive! Although the YC menus change every day, that is on a rolling 7 night basis so across a 14 night cruise each menu appears twice.

 

Drinks are included in specialty restaurants for guests with the Premium Extra package, which is essentially what the YC package includes for drinks.

[sbcs5390]

6 hours ago, Mark_T said:

If you are in a suite on Celebrity you can just go to The Retreat and wait in the lounge there and be escorted off in small groups, bypassing lines before security.

 

Not quite to the door of the bus, but a lot better than going to the Theatre...

Unfortunately in my experience on X I found if you are on an early excursion you have to go to the theater. Escort from Retreat was only for DIY or if you had a late tour and could meet on the pier. My mom is mobility impaired and it was a lot of walking to the theater, then the able-bodied group rushes down the stairs to gangway, then we walk back at least half the length of the ship again to the gangway. All this despite me asking ShoreEx for a heads up, and we were left in the dust. 

 

6 hours ago, hamrag said:

Not quite true, in our experience! The butler will escort the YC group for excursions to where the non-YC passengers are....usually dockside....at that point you have the same status as everyone else on your excursion and all make their way to the coach or alternative means of transport. The point of it is that you are not sat in the ship theatre for 15 minutes wondering what is happening, rather you are sat in the comfort of the YC lounge doing precisely that!

Thanks for clarifying how it worked on yours. I do think this still a substantial improvement - as we had a lot of trouble on multiple X cruises and couldn’t find a good way around the Big Theater Wait in many cases. Especially the case with tender ports, but also in docked ports too. In most cases with X we were very aft so the trek to the theater (which we wouldn’t otherwise go to) was particularly onerous. 

[Mark_T]

9 minutes ago, sbcs5390 said:

Unfortunately in my experience on X I found if you are on an early excursion you have to go to the theater. Escort from Retreat was only for DIY or if you had a late tour and could meet on the pier. My mom is mobility impaired and it was a lot of walking to the theater, then the able-bodied group rushes down the stairs to gangway, then we walk back at least half the length of the ship again to the gangway. All this despite me asking ShoreEx for a heads up, and we were left in the dust.

That's not good at all, and certainly not our experience. I guess it depends to some extent on the Retreat team you have on a particular cruise.

[sbcs5390]

5 hours ago, Greygooser said:

Curious what everyone's opinions are as far as getting a specialty dining package when staying in the YC. I can get the 3 meal package for $71, which seems very reasonable. I understand the menus are limited and there's a surcharge for the Teppanyaki. Just not sure if it's worth it since you have access to the YC restaurants.

 

Also, if you go to a specialty restaurant with a package (as a YC guest), are the drinks included? 

On my 7 night and first time, I didn’t do any specialties and didn’t miss it. The YC menu is interesting. There are always available like an excellent filet mignon without feeling like you’re asking for a special favor. Conversely, lots of folks are happy to pay for the Butchers’ Cut restaurant if not in YC because they can get a filet there (amongst other things). In most cases with the limited menus in specialities, I think I would feel like I was paying to get a lesser meal. YC restaurant is reportedly happy to oblige with other items with a day’s notice usually. Next MSC cruise is 11 nights and I don’t think I really feel a desire to book specialties - if I did it would be on the repeat days. I am curious about Hola!, the Mexican place which people seem to like. I might do that on a rainy day lunch when the pool grille restaurant isn’t an option but still it is $18 I don’t really need to spend. On both X and MSC, I prefer not having a schedule on vacation (open seating) and with specialties for dinner, you feel like you’re on a schedule due to the reservation time. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by sbcs5390

[phissy]

I feel I should temper some of the expectations for YC experience on MSC.

Much of what you experience is ship  dependent.

On Meraviglia class or SEA class ships, outdoor grill and buffet is really nice and provide a good alternative for breakfast and lunch in dining room.    YC restaurant is in the YC enclave .

Cabins have coffee makers along with mini bar ( fridge)

Thermal Spa area is really nice.

On Fantasia class ships , Divina, Preziosa etc, the YC experience is not at same level.

No coffee makers in cabins. We have to order room service each morning to have coffee in cabin. We have found this service is hit or miss.

YC restaurant is at aft part of ship. 
Outdoor grill and buffet is very small and offerings are very limited.
They have one or two hot plates for eggs( omelets) and then they do a pasta dish with that for lunch.

When we ordered a cheeseburger, they had to go downstairs and get it from kitchen. 
No seafood extravaganza on pool deck.
No cabanas on pool deck. 
Afternoon tea is in YC lounge. 
Thermal spa area is just steam room and sauna. 4 loungers in rest area.

We sail for itinerary and not ship.

It is a let down when we realize what older YC’s are like.
(This depends on ship)

Room service is very limited and does not include pizza.

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by phissy

[sbcs5390]

2 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

That's not good at all, and certainly not our experience. I guess it depends to some extent on the Retreat team you have on a particular cruise.

Yes - it was a bit unfortunate. Separate, but we were also left to our own with everyone else during the B2B process, even though the Retreat staff saw and greeted us sitting outside MC in the Ensemble with the broader B2B group. The situation was very poorly handled as the Captain’s Club host elected not to go off the ship as had been her duty - she left a junior GSO alone and with the large group and so no one was “bringing up the rear”. Fortunately once we got back inside the terminal and at security, Suites Manager was looking for us but throughout the process (which unlike FLL, involved a walk outside and around the terminal building) the GSO was running ahead and leaving several disabled in the dust. Only for us all to then have to wait for ship to be cleared for reboarding.  The concierge later apologized and explained that the ship “didn’t allow them” to help with Retreat guests in B2B - even though we were moving from SS to RS second week and should have been escorted on - their words, not mine! Plus they’d seen my mom’s abilities all week and should have known to step in - or offer a wheelchair, it wasn’t their first week in the homeport. Conversely, I lazed about in the TSL on my disembarking morning and noticed the YC B2Bers being gathered by the YC staff to go clear US CBP after we left. This was Solstice in San Pedro LA. (incidentally, on the same cruise because of physical fatigue stemming from these issues, Suites Manager went with shore excursions tickets to be canceled and her colleague the shore ex manager said that although the tour met the next day at 9:30, cancellation was 24 h before arrival in port (even though at tender) and thus then at 7:10 A.M., she was 10 minutes late. They played with us all day asking us to check back and at closing time the shore ex manager decided to allow us to cancel. I asked him - what about overnight ports? - with no response. I didn’t feel like we were treated royally!
 

For some of these reasons I feel MSC’s a bit more consistent in that you can be expected to be escorted from the lounge to anywhere you want to go. The customization of a separate daily program for the suites, with customized hours for your facilities is awesome. For instance, the hours when future cruise consultant is in YC is printed, not the broader desk hours. There is also only a separate YC disembark letter - on X I received the general one with a small addendum for the retreat. 

[Mark_T]

10 minutes ago, sbcs5390 said:

For some of these reasons I feel MSC’s a bit more consistent in that you can be expected to be escorted from the lounge to anywhere you want to go.

We are looking forward to our first YC experience at the end of next week, we will enjoy to opportunity to compare. 

[Greygooser]

4 hours ago, hamrag said:

If your cruise is 7 nights, I'd suggest not. If it's 14 nights, then it gives variety every 4 or 5 nights and $71 is very attractive! Although the YC menus change every day, that is on a rolling 7 night basis so across a 14 night cruise each menu appears twice.

 

Drinks are included in specialty restaurants for guests with the Premium Extra package, which is essentially what the YC package includes for drinks.

 

1 hour ago, sbcs5390 said:

On my 7 night and first time, I didn’t do any specialties and didn’t miss it. The YC menu is interesting. There are always available like an excellent filet mignon without feeling like you’re asking for a special favor. Conversely, lots of folks are happy to pay for the Butchers’ Cut restaurant if not in YC because they can get a filet there (amongst other things). In most cases with the limited menus in specialities, I think I would feel like I was paying to get a lesser meal. YC restaurant is reportedly happy to oblige with other items with a day’s notice usually. Next MSC cruise is 11 nights and I don’t think I really feel a desire to book specialties - if I did it would be on the repeat days. I am curious about Hola!, the Mexican place which people seem to like. I might do that on a rainy day lunch when the pool grille restaurant isn’t an option but still it is $18 I don’t really need to spend. On both X and MSC, I prefer not having a schedule on vacation (open seating) and with specialties for dinner, you feel like you’re on a schedule due to the reservation time. 

 

I am on a 7 day cruise on the Meraviglia, and that's what I was thinking as well. We might end up doing the taco place because that could be fun. Otherwise the YC restaurant and pool deck seems more than adequate. Appreciate the feedback, sometimes I just need some reassurance even when I'm 99% sure it's the right call!

Edited May 24, 2023 by Greygooser

[mnpurple]

I agree with @phissy on keeping expectations realistic. We were on Seaview in 2022 and Divina in 2023. Both were wonderful and we enjoyed YC more than NCL Haven. We did prefer Seaview because of the newer ship. The rooms were far better than the Divina and they had cushions on the loungers on the pool deck, Divina doesn't for some reason. Seaview had a far better spa experience.  Service was excellent on both, maybe more attentive on Seaview. I think we didn't take full advantage of some things on Seaview because it was a very port heavy cruise.

 

It is good to research and have some general ideas about what to expect, but keep it reasonable and don't let it ruin your experience if you don't have the same experience that some others have mentioned either.  I think biggest key is to relax and go with the flow and enjoy a little pampering!

[sbcs5390]

44 minutes ago, mnpurple said:

 

I agree with @phissy on keeping expectations realistic. We were on Seaview in 2022 and Divina in 2023. Both were wonderful and we enjoyed YC more than NCL Haven. We did prefer Seaview because of the newer ship.

 

I think you both make good points. I do totally concede that I fell in love with YC on Meraviglia, which has a more purpose-built space and am making my comparison with Solstice, which is probably more akin to a ship like Davina. I was also on the first sailing from the new home port of NYC, and it is likely that MSC was putting their best foot forward. I would certainly give an Edge-class Retreat experience a try before I totally write it off. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by sbcs5390

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, mnpurple said:

I agree with @phissy on keeping expectations realistic. We were on Seaview in 2022 and Divina in 2023. Both were wonderful and we enjoyed YC more than NCL Haven. We did prefer Seaview because of the newer ship. The rooms were far better than the Divina and they had cushions on the loungers on the pool deck, Divina doesn't for some reason. Seaview had a far better spa experience.  Service was excellent on both, maybe more attentive on Seaview. I think we didn't take full advantage of some things on Seaview because it was a very port heavy cruise.

 

It is good to research and have some general ideas about what to expect, but keep it reasonable and don't let it ruin your experience if you don't have the same experience that some others have mentioned either.  I think biggest key is to relax and go with the flow and enjoy a little pampering!

Do yacht club guests need reservations to use the spa?

[mnpurple]

@NCteacherlovescruising Yes, you do need reservations. It wasn't too difficult on Seaview and we could get in with pretty short notice. Not sure if the ship was full at that time though.

[kelleherdl]

1 hour ago, mnpurple said:

@NCteacherlovescruising Yes, you do need reservations. It wasn't too difficult on Seaview and we could get in with pretty short notice. Not sure if the ship was full at that time though.

YC guests have full access to the thermal suite in the Aurea Spa. I’ve never seen that reservations are required. Any spa treatments of course require reservations. Also the fitness center is open to all who sign the necessary waivers.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

42 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

YC guests have full access to the thermal suite in the Aurea Spa. I’ve never seen that reservations are required. Any spa treatments of course require reservations. Also the fitness center is open to all who sign the necessary waivers.

So we don’t need reservations to use the thermal area of the spa?  That would be ideal, because I’m not a huge spa person so it would be like, nothing better to do, let’s go. 

[mnpurple]

I guess it could be like anything MSC, but we were required to make reservations on our last two cruises. On the Divina we needed to provide our key card as well to get a locker key.  Maybe things have changed since February (Divina) and when we were on Seaview there were still Covid protocols.  Like I said on another post, things could be different for each ship, or different days. 

 

We were able to order pizza on Divina through room service, which someone mentioned they weren't able to.

[sbcs5390]

53 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

So we don’t need reservations to use the thermal area of the spa?  That would be ideal, because I’m not a huge spa person so it would be like, nothing better to do, let’s go. 

I was surprised when I walked past the spa on day 1 and asked that they said YC needed reservations. They said the concierge will handle it. I went up and the concierge set it up for after dinner. 
 

I think after the first day it got warm enough that I focused on the YC pool deck. On a day in the afternoon it started raining and I called the Concierge after I finished work and asked her to call and see if I could come by right now. She called back and said they didn’t answer. She said it would probably be fine to just go down. As I waited at the counter where you get your locker key, the man who had given me the key the other day recognized me. Although he appeared to be scheduling a massage for someone, he held up the locker key and gestured for me to come forward. I would have been fine waiting as there were several spa staff all busy with people. We didn’t have to leave key cards as collateral. 
 

In the end I didn’t use it a lot since the sun was nice and it needed a bit more upkeep.