Long time Princess Cruiser considering MSC

[capriccio]

52 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

How do you get the civil servant discount?

My TA handles submission of the paperwork.  For active civil servants, a copy of your official ID may be sufficient considering it has your name and the employing government entity.  For my DH we just send in a copy of his annual annuity statement with all the sensitive stuff (amounts, account numbers) blacked out.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

19 minutes ago, capriccio said:

My TA handles submission of the paperwork.  For active civil servants, a copy of your official ID may be sufficient considering it has your name and the employing government entity.  For my DH we just send in a copy of his annual annuity statement with all the sensitive stuff (amounts, account numbers) blacked out.

I assume you can't get this after final payment.

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:43 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

That is part of the draw of booking the Yacht Club. We pay 5x more so we do not have "standard" problems.

 

And this is the main reason I've held off on booking MSC for so long. NCL has the Haven that's even more expensive than the Yacht Club. But you can sail as a standard passenger and have an amazing time. We've really enjoyed our sailings on NCL and have yet to book a Haven.

 

All of my friends have insisted we have to sail Yacht Club if we want to enjoy an MSC sailing. We're sailing MSC Seaside in a week and we purposely chose a standard balcony cabin. I'm extremely curious to see if MSC can provide an experience for standard guests that's at least on par with what we received on the other 8 cruise lines we've sailed. 

 

NCL will be our main comparison since both cruise lines have basically the same 'ship within a ship' concept. 

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/17/2023 at 4:00 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

tell me you are rich without telling me that you are rich. Yes, I've already seen this post of yours in other threads.

Thanks. Not everyone can afford YC, but many may want to cruise.  We've always been treated wonderfully on Princess and RCI whether we traveled in a lowly inside or balcony. No YC was needed to feel special and cared for.  And free soft serve is included for everyone.

 

Sailing in the Yacht Club is ridiculously cheap compared to the other cruise lines that have 'exclusive areas,' that's why so many people do it. We've seen the Inside Yacht Club Suite starting around $1200/pp for a one week cruise, that's less than a balcony on Royal Caribbean ships.  Entry level Haven suites on NCL often start between $5500 - $8500 for 2 even in the Caribbean.  So sailing 'exclusively' in the Yacht Club is not "saying you're rich" compared to those who sail exclusively in The Haven on NCL or even The Retreat on Celebrity. The Loft Suites on the Celebrity Edge series are the ones we drool over. 🙂 

 

With 85 - 90% of the guests sailing 'standard' on any cruise ship, NCL and Celebrity provide excellent experiences for all of their guests. And we've had excellent experiences on Royal Caribbean, Disney, Carnival, Virgin Voyages, Princess and HAL sailing as 'standard guests.' The only suites we've booked so far in our 20 years of cruising were the Junior Suite on 2 Royal Caribbean sailings which offers a larger cabin and a coffee maker, and the Cheeky Corner Suite on Virgin Voyages which is the most amazing balcony cabin I will ever have. The next sailing we booked a standard Sea Terrace and our experience both times was exactly the same, but then VV is an almost all-inclusive cruise line.

 

The Yacht Club looks awesome and we might try it in the future. But if you MUST sail in the Yacht Club in order to enjoy MSC, that's a problem long term for the cruise line. You can't sustain your operation with only 10% of the ship. We're cautiously optimistic for our sailing next week on Seaside despite the reviews we've read about her of late and of course that CDC inspection. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by CruisingWalter

[ready2cruzagain]

13 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

 

The Yacht Club looks awesome and we might try it in the future. But if you MUST sail in the Yacht Club in order to enjoy MSC, that's a problem long term for the cruise line. You can't sustain your operation with only 10% of the ship. We're cautiously optimistic for our sailing next week on Seaside despite the reviews we've read about her of late and of course that CDC inspection. 

 

Been on 12 MSC cruises and never sailed in the YC and never been treated substandard. Always been treated like royalty by the crew members. I find that most people that say you MUST sail in the YC to enjoy MSC have never sailed in anything but the YC.  We usually sail 21 to 31 days when we go on a cruise and I would not be doing that on MSC if I was treated like I was inferior for sailing in something other than the YC.  

 

We have sailed on MSC, NCL, Carnival, Princess and Celebrity for reference.

 

We have 21 days on MSC booked this next January then switching to NCL for 21 days for the itinerary.  If I were to sail in YC or Haven I would not be sailing 21 to 31 days at a time. I would be sailing 7 days for the same price as a month.  

 

To each there own but it irks me for someone to say you can only enjoy yourself in the YC or Haven.  I have sailed on 58 cruises and never been in YC or Haven and loved every cruise and look forward to the ones I have booked.

[KennyFla]

7 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

Been on 12 MSC cruises and never sailed in the YC and never been treated substandard. Always been treated like royalty by the crew members. I find that most people that say you MUST sail in the YC to enjoy MSC have never sailed in anything but the YC.  We usually sail 21 to 31 days when we go on a cruise and I would not be doing that on MSC if I was treated like I was inferior for sailing in something other than the YC.  

 

The major complaint I have seen on here about not being in the YC, is the crowds.  Such as trying to get a dink at the bar, crowded buffet, crowded at pool.  I don't recall any posts about the crew members being sub par.  

 

When you are on a ship of 5,000 people, they have to go somewhere.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

42 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

So sailing 'exclusively' in the Yacht Club is not "saying you're rich" compared to those who sail exclusively in The Haven on NCL or even The Retreat on Celebrity.

but we DON'T sail in the Haven or the Retreat. I am not comparing him to this kind of people. I am comparing him to us.

And since we are limited to school break cruising, MSC is happy to charge $2K+ pp for YC, as I have already demonstrated for our Spring break 2024 cruise. We paid $2,300 for the 3 of us with drinks and wifi included in a Fantastica balcony cabin instead. I hope that we like cruising in the steerage class on MSC, and if we don't, there are other cruise lines that may offer better atmosphere in this class for similar money.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

27 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

We usually sail 21 to 31 days when we go on a cruise and I would not be doing that on MSC if I was treated like I was inferior for sailing in something other than the YC.  

We have 21 days on MSC booked this next January

at the same time, it doesn't sound like you sail during school breaks for only 7 days, when the ship is bursting at the seams, and the crew is overwhelmed by the crowds.

[morpheusofthesea]

37 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

The Loft Suites on the Celebrity Edge series are the ones we drool over.

Tried a Loft Suite on the Edge. Notice in photo the shadows on the balcony. There is no shade when the sun is over head. One has to relocate either to the Sun deck in search of shade or go inside the cabin. Also the stairs become a problem the older one gets and the luggage is delivered to the downstairs level and one must lift ones luggage upstairs because most of all the closet/drawer space is on the second master bedroom level. Host came to introduce himself and saw DW's 12 suitcases and disappeared for the remainder of the cruise. Another 'one and done' for us, cabin.

[skipsaur]

24 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

Been on 12 MSC cruises and never sailed in the YC and never been treated substandard. Always been treated like royalty by the crew members. I find that most people that say you MUST sail in the YC to enjoy MSC have never sailed in anything but the YC.  We usually sail 21 to 31 days when we go on a cruise and I would not be doing that on MSC if I was treated like I was inferior for sailing in something other than the YC.  

 

We have sailed on MSC, NCL, Carnival, Princess and Celebrity for reference.

 

We have 21 days on MSC booked this next January then switching to NCL for 21 days for the itinerary.  If I were to sail in YC or Haven I would not be sailing 21 to 31 days at a time. I would be sailing 7 days for the same price as a month.  

 

To each there own but it irks me for someone to say you can only enjoy yourself in the YC or Haven.  I have sailed on 58 cruises and never been in YC or Haven and loved every cruise and look forward to the ones I have booked.

 

I have to say I also don't really understand when people say you have to sail YC, especially ones that only stay in the YC areas.

 

If I disliked 90% of a ship, I wouldn't pay MORE money to limit myself to only 10% of the ship. I would simply choose another cruise line where I enjoyed more of the entire experience.

 

But to each their own! It's a vacation, as long as you're enjoying it, who cares about anyone else's two cents.

[morpheusofthesea]

13 minutes ago, skipsaur said:

But to each their own! It's a vacation, as long as you're enjoying it, who cares about anyone else's two cents.

This is something we just learned. Reading reports of Spring Break rowdiness, poor service, and over crowded venues we tried another cruise line. DW is a school teacher and we are limited to her schedule. There was no 'ship within a ship' oasis we have come to enjoy. We felt we would have, could have, had a better time had we kept with the Yacht Club.

  NCL Haven caters to Haven passengers that have more than two cabins booked and they are allowed to throw footballs and frisbees disturbing the other guests, limiting the oasis feel we have come to expect having experienced  the YC. The RCCL Coastal Kitchen caters to nonsuite paying Pinnacles and suite paying passengers 'feel' like they are on a waiting  list. The next best to Yacht Club is Celebrity Retreat, but each Edge class Retreat is nuanced. Some have umbrellas for shade as the RS balcony is too small for a cushioned lounger and food 'digested better' on Edge than on Beyond for some reason?

  So you are correct. Who should really care about someone else's two cents ? (Mine included)

 

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

But if you MUST sail in the Yacht Club in order to enjoy MSC,

For many years we have sailed on many different ships searching for the cheapest inside category on well reported cruise ships. Our joy was finding a cruise for under $100/pp/pd. We seldom had any problems and of those we encountered we made jokes about them. Like imagining the Repeaters party held in an elevator with a bottle of Cold Duck and two straws. That was Regent Sea. We just believe that now with our 'upping' our game to suites and paying these much higher prices, no one should be experiencing any problem. At $100/pp/pd we never expected to have anything included.Today every one expects all inclusive at every level.

  In those days if we wanted something we payed for it and tipped extra as well. Today it is included with gratuity, and we still tip extra.

Edited May 22, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[nattie]

Well, we took the plunge. I have booked the short 4 day cruise out of Port Canaveral for next Spring Break  to try MSC out. My friend got the last Deluxe Grand quad in YC on 16, so we ended up with deck 19 (not my first choice). I was originally planning on getting the two level suite, but I dont like the all the way forward location. I didnt realize that the only ones of those are all the way forward.

I can report that website was not as horrible as everyone said and I have received my status match to black (diamond?) the next day. Very easy online form to fill in.

Thank you for anyone giving their opinions! Very helpful.

 

[skipsaur]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is something we just learned. Reading reports of Spring Break rowdiness, poor service, and over crowded venues we tried another cruise line. DW is a school teacher and we are limited to her schedule. There was no 'ship within a ship' oasis we have come to enjoy. We felt we would have, could have, had a better time had we kept with the Yacht Club.

  NCL Haven caters to Haven passengers that have more than two cabins booked and they are allowed to throw footballs and frisbees disturbing the other guests, limiting the oasis feel we have come to expect having experienced  the YC. The RCCL Coastal Kitchen caters to nonsuite paying Pinnacles and suite paying passengers 'feel' like they are on a waiting  list. The next best to Yacht Club is Celebrity Retreat, but each Edge class Retreat is nuanced. Some have umbrellas for shade as the RS balcony is too small for a cushioned lounger and food 'digested better' on Edge than on Beyond for some reason?

  So you are correct. Who should really care about someone else's two cents ? (Mine included)

 

 

I'm happy for you that you found the right fit for what you're looking for in a cruise. 

[Two Wheels Only]

I have only sailed MSC in the Yacht Club BUT I am not the type to lock myself in the enclave for fear of venturing out "into the wild". 

 

When I'm on a ship, I try to explore the entire ship. I'm out and about from before sunrise, during the day, in the evening, and into the late hours of the night. I also have plenty of time to enjoy the Yacht Club for hours at a time. On my very first night in the Yacht Club (2018), my family and I were preparing to walk to the MDR to try it out. We figured that the Yacht Club restaurant was always there so we had the rest of the week to enjoy it. Vishnu basically halted our plans and escorted us to the Yacht Club restaurant. 

 

My point is that even though we very much enjoy the Yacht Club, that doesn't stop us from enjoying the rest of the ship. We sometimes hit the buffet and grab a few things to eat. We'll jump into the Jungle Pool just for fun. We'll go bowling, visit the shops, and do all of the things that everyone who is not in the Yacht Club will do. Based on our experiences, non-Yacht Club isn't bad at all. Sure, having a Yacht Club or Haven to "retreat" to (haven't done Celebrity, yet) is a great option and I'm glad that the option is there. 

 

MSC (outside of the Yacht Club) and NCL (outside of the Haven) are fine options for cruising. Is either of them perfect? Obviously not. Neither Yacht Club nor Haven is perfect, either. Cruising isn't perfect if you think about it. If you go into a new cruise line looking for things to complain about because things are different than what you are used to, you'll find things to complain about. 

 

Someone in a Bella interior could have a great cruise while at the same time on the same ship, someone else in an Owner's Suite in the Yacht Club could have a "terrible" cruise. People are different. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[NCteacherlovescruising]

2 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

And this is the main reason I've held off on booking MSC for so long. NCL has the Haven that's even more expensive than the Yacht Club. But you can sail as a standard passenger and have an amazing time. We've really enjoyed our sailings on NCL and have yet to book a Haven.

 

All of my friends have insisted we have to sail Yacht Club if we want to enjoy an MSC sailing. We're sailing MSC Seaside in a week and we purposely chose a standard balcony cabin. I'm extremely curious to see if MSC can provide an experience for standard guests that's at least on par with what we received on the other 8 cruise lines we've sailed. 

 

NCL will be our main comparison since both cruise lines have basically the same 'ship within a ship' concept. 

 

Please report back after your cruise.

 

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Tried a Loft Suite on the Edge. Notice in photo the shadows on the balcony. There is no shade when the sun is over head. One has to relocate either to the Sun deck in search of shade or go inside the cabin. Also the stairs become a problem the older one gets and the luggage is delivered to the downstairs level and one must lift ones luggage upstairs because most of all the closet/drawer space is on the second master bedroom level. Host came to introduce himself and saw DW's 12 suitcases and disappeared for the remainder of the cruise. Another 'one and done' for us, cabin.

 

Your butler didn't take your luggage upstairs?  I would have reported this and possibly asked for a new one.

 

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is something we just learned. Reading reports of Spring Break rowdiness, poor service, and over crowded venues we tried another cruise line. DW is a school teacher and we are limited to her schedule. There was no 'ship within a ship' oasis we have come to enjoy. We felt we would have, could have, had a better time had we kept with the Yacht Club.

  NCL Haven caters to Haven passengers that have more than two cabins booked and they are allowed to throw footballs and frisbees disturbing the other guests, limiting the oasis feel we have come to expect having experienced  the YC. The RCCL Coastal Kitchen caters to nonsuite paying Pinnacles and suite paying passengers 'feel' like they are on a waiting  list. The next best to Yacht Club is Celebrity Retreat, but each Edge class Retreat is nuanced. Some have umbrellas for shade as the RS balcony is too small for a cushioned lounger and food 'digested better' on Edge than on Beyond for some reason?

  So you are correct. Who should really care about someone else's two cents ? (Mine included)

 

 

Are you saying the yacht club offers the best suite experience, of those you've tried?  I'm also a teacher so I know how limiting our cruising schedules are.

[KennyFla]

2 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

Someone in a Bella interior could have a great cruise while at the same time on the same ship, someone in an Owner's Suite in the Yacht Club could have a "terrible" cruise. People are different. 

Whatever class you are in, the food is very similar.  Not like on a plane where first class gets a much better meal than coach.  I believe the quality of food in MDR (which all but YC get) is very comparable to Yacht Club.

 

So the difference is, for the higher classes, you get better accomodations and increasing levels of service and "extra space."

 

I think the MSC structure is very versatile, you can be a rock bottom priced cruiser all the way to a YC'er, all on the same boat, with the amenities that come with a large ship.  For our honeymoon in 1995 on Costa my wife and I paid $1,000pp for 7 nights and got an ocean view cabin.  No drinks, speciality meals, balcony.  Compare that to what $1,000pp gets you on MSC now.

 

Oh, and the food on Costa was so-so.

 

 

[morpheusofthesea]

39 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

Are you saying the yacht club offers the best suite experience, of those you've tried?

So far, yes. DW  is now questioning my choice of booking a Grand Suite on Regent Grandeur for Spring Break next year and an Owners Suite on Oceania Vista for Spring Break in 2025, but NOT for booking a Cove Residence on Explora 1 this Christmas/ New Years (because it comes with a butler and it is a MSC product).

[NCteacherlovescruising]

5 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

So far, yes. DW  is now questioning my choice of booking a Grand Suite on Regent Grandeur for Spring Break next year and an Owners Suite on Oceania Vista for Spring Break in 2025, but NOT for booking a Cove Residence on Explora 1 this Christmas/ New Years (because it comes with a butler and it is a MSC product).

Good to hear!  Our cruise next month will be our first real suite experience.  Hope we love the yacht club as much as you.  Not sure ours will be as good as yours, because we just booked a deluxe suite, nothing fancy.  We also have a sky suite booked with Celebrity next summer, for substantially more than MSC.  I already know we love Celebrity, so I'm not concerned about being disappointed.

[morpheusofthesea]

49 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Your butler didn't take your luggage upstairs?  I would have reported this and possibly asked for a new one.

That is correct. We do not ever complain about any staff member. His nonservice saved us a $200 tip. We have done without a butler for 50 years on cruise ships. But when they are good they make a cruise that more enjoyable. Some on MSC make one feel like Royalty. Vishnu and JoEl stationed themselves outside our cabin door and we felt compelled to tip them $400 for a weeks cruise. We had to sort of 'get their permission' to go anywhere.

[morpheusofthesea]

8 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Our cruise next month will be our first real suite experience.  Hope we love the yacht club as much as you.

I have posted this several times on social media to those contemplating booking the Yacht Club. From your photo you certainly belong in the same category as too young.

  "The advantages of Diamond are not that great. We would rather be first timers, silver? in the YC than Diamond outside the YC in any category. However you all may still be too young to be spoiled so early in life. Take it slow and easy. Work your ways up to the best life has to offer. Too much of the best in life at an early age can damage your pysche later on. Do not recommend doing the Yacht Club too early in ones life, especially grandparents bringing their grandchildren. Unless these grandparents set aside a nice inheritance for them.

 So, don't do it ! Ones life will spiral down into a world of hedonism from which there is no return ."

[NCteacherlovescruising]

40 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I have posted this several times on social media to those contemplating booking the Yacht Club. From your photo you certainly belong in the same category as too young.

  "The advantages of Diamond are not that great. We would rather be first timers, silver? in the YC than Diamond outside the YC in any category. However you all may still be too young to be spoiled so early in life. Take it slow and easy. Work your ways up to the best life has to offer. Too much of the best in life at an early age can damage your pysche later on. Do not recommend doing the Yacht Club too early in ones life, especially grandparents bringing their grandchildren. Unless these grandparents set aside a nice inheritance for them.

 So, don't do it ! Ones life will spiral down into a world of hedonism from which there is no return ."

Thank you, but that picture was taken 8 years ago on the Oasis of the Seas!  I guess I should update it at some point.  As I've mentioned, we also have a Celebrity suite booked next summer for our 30th anniversary...see not so young! lol (We are in our 50's)0

[ready2cruzagain]

7 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

at the same time, it doesn't sound like you sail during school breaks for only 7 days, when the ship is bursting at the seams, and the crew is overwhelmed by the crowds.

Actually I have done several 7 day cruises in March which is considered to be Spring break time. Once there was 1,000 kids on board. 

 

The only time I found there to be waits was this year on a 4 day cruise from Port Canaveral on the Meraviglia (second half of a b2b) when the people were so rude. If you went to the pool on a sea day, yes it was crazy. Therefore, we were smart and went places were we did not have to wait on a drink or fight the crowd. I will never sail on a 4 day cruise again!! It was the "all about me" crowd.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

23 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Actually I have done several 7 day cruises in March which is considered to be Spring break time. Once there was 1,000 kids on board. 

 

The only time I found there to be waits was this year on a 4 day cruise from Port Canaveral on the Meraviglia (second half of a b2b) when the people were so rude. If you went to the pool on a sea day, yes it was crazy. Therefore, we were smart and went places were we did not have to wait on a drink or fight the crowd. I will never sail on a 4 day cruise again!! It was the "all about me" crowd.

I won't sail anything less than a week.  Typically that is a different crowd than the longer cruises.

[ready2cruzagain]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I won't sail anything less than a week.  Typically that is a different crowd than the longer cruises.

Trust me, I didn't think about it before we did it. It was a 7 day and a 4 day cruise booked as an 11 day cruise. I will never do a 4 day cruise again and you are correct about the crowd type.