Meraviglia: Balcony Fantastica cabin versus YC inside

[DonnaK]

I'd like some information:  We are experienced cruisers (usually with Royal Caribbean) in our early 60's looking for a change.  We like good food but are not huge foodies (I am pescatarian), we drink very little, don't have special requests or need a lot of attention.  We do love a balcony or a relatively quiet space on deck in the shade.  And, we love to play trivia.  We are not put-off by European style cruising or entertainment, and understand that it will be a different "feeling" than RCI or Celebrity or Norwegian.

 

I cannot decide between the Fantastica balcony or an interior YC cabin.  Is the no-YC experience so bad that it's worth giving up a balcony?  The YC cabin is $1100 total more than the Fantastica balcony that includes the Easy Plus and the browse internet.  (A balcony YC is out of the question).  For us, that could be another cruise!

 

Even though I've sifted through reviews, I am still not clear what is included with YC, and what the extra costs are (include extra people I would need to tip).

 

I should add that we are considering a week during school holidays, so there might be a lot of children onboard

 

Please share any of your opinions or insights to help with my indecision.  

[Two Wheels Only]

Go for the Yacht Club. 

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club

 

You don't "need" to tip anyone. The butler and concierge are included in the daily service charge unlike NCL Haven. You can tip anyone that you want but it isn't required. 

[bigblue1952]

The $1100 will be the best money you will ever spend.

[Shippy]

 I have found the YC cabins a bit underwhelming BUT....

it is all about the experience. The private pool deck is gigantic. We have been on several of the different ships & they are never crowded. The outside buffet there is excellent.

    The lounge also seems very large considering the number of YC guests. Of course, all alcohol is included but even if you are a non drinker, the comfort & views from the lounge are great. They always have some kind of snacks in there. In the evening, they have always had Venci chocolates. I hope that is so on our Seascape cruise next month.

 The food in the YC restaurant rivals any of the pay ones.

   You might think you do not need a butler but they are very handy if you have any issues.

Boarding is a dream as you do toy have to enter the port with the masses. Just go to the tent outside & you will immediately be escorted to a nice waiting room.

Same with disembarkation. We always leave taking all our luggage off ourselves..

You meet in the lounge. A butler holds an elevator for you & then escorts you past the hundreds waiting to get of.

  On there private island, there is transportation for you to get around. Great for us because we are OLD.

 

[DonnaK]

are there shady outdoor spots for lounging?

[DonnaK]

14 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

The $1100 will be the best money you will ever spend.

even with sacrificing a balcony?

[DonnaK]

42 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Go for the Yacht Club. 

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club

 

You don't "need" to tip anyone. The butler and concierge are included in the daily service charge unlike NCL Haven. You can tip anyone that you want but it isn't required. 

How much is the daily service charge

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, DonnaK said:

How much is the daily service charge

 

For the Caribbean...

 

Adults (>12 and over) - $14.50USD

Child (2 and over) - $7.25USD

Child (Under 2) - No Service charge applied

[CruisingFox27]

We'd always sailed in a balcony cabin but tried a YIN. It was definitely worth it. There's so much space to enjoy in YC we didn't miss the balcony. 

If you're booking during a busy holiday period the tranquility of YC is wonderful. 

We've sailed a selection of YC and non YC cruises. Non YC is not terrible at all, we've always enjoyed our time onboard. Although, we do only sail outside of school holidays. 

[mnpurple]

Depending on the ship, if you enjoy the spa, it is also included with YC. The drink package includes bottled water, coffees and juices. There is also a mini fridge that is fully stocked with whatever you like that is included.

[sbcs5390]

2 hours ago, DonnaK said:

even with sacrificing a balcony?

100%. The communal balcony of the pool deck with grill is where I always wanted to be! I booked a YIN and had it for half a day before I was told a balcony was available and I paid to upgrade onboard. It was only $39 per person per day but that might vary and so may the likelihood of one being available. I hardly used the balcony but did enjoy the extra space in the cabin itself. 

[bundtkate]

I can't yet comment on Yacht Club specifically (our first YIN will be early next year), but I will say that "ship within a ship" concepts really do obviate the need for a balcony, in my opinion. We were in a Haven suite on the NCL Joy for 2 weeks and while we had a balcony, we might have used it once the whole 3 weeks. We near universally spent our time on the Haven sundeck, or in the lounge, or by the pool. A balcony is nice, but no one is coming around asking if you want another drink or offering random free snacks. The ambiance in the suite areas is also just elevated compared to your standard balcony. Even ignoring the other benefits of booking a suite, access to the exclusive areas of the ship (especially during busy travel times) is easily worth giving up a balcony, I'd say.

[bigblue1952]

4 hours ago, DonnaK said:

even with sacrificing a balcony?

The Top Sail Lounge and the perks make it a no brainer if you can afford it.

[Essiesmom]

Well, I will be the contrarian.  I have four cruises on MSC (and more than 50 on other lines).  I would like to try the Yacht Club,  it I can’t afford it, and can’t book anyway because I sail solo and don’t book months ahead.  We had an inside on Divina, balcony on Divina (Bella), Fantastica balcony on Seaside, OV on Armonia.  They were great cruises.  I have a B2B booked on Seaside, Fantastica inside gty, total 7 days.  The longer I have sailed, the more I gave up trivia.  My education is much broader than TV and movie series, or pop music of the 80’s.  But we got trapped into progressive trivia on Armonia and nearly won, because the questions were all from Google, classic stuff.  Because the non-North American guests wouldn’t relate to what is on other lines.  Anyway, I have never felt the ships were mob scenes, or crowded.  Cabins were larger than most of the other lines I have sailed.  I say go for it, maybe try an Aurea suite.  Don’t believe you can’t enjoy the cruise because you can’t afford YC.  EM

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, DonnaK said:

are there shady outdoor spots for lounging?

Some, yes. And we sacrificed our balcony in favor of the YC interior. I thought I would miss it but the Meraviglia has a wonderful pool deck with lots of seating. We had our morning coffee on the pool deck and even napped there in the afternoon. We booked another interior…and then another. YC is the only way to go IMO. 

[gizfish]

OP you mention you are pricing your cruise with the WiFi and easy plus drink package, but you are not drinkers.  You may want to re-price your cruise with the best value pricing as that cost may be significantly lower.  It sounds like you really may not benefit so much from the yacht club perks, although the menus in the YC restaurant are very seafood heavy.  Personally, I would love all the extras in YC but wouldn't ever give up my private quiet space on my own balcony at any cost to get an interior.

[sbcs5390]

2 hours ago, gizfish said:

I would love all the extras in YC but wouldn't ever give up my private quiet space on my own balcony at any cost to get an interior.

I thought the same - until I tried it. 

[sverigecruiser]

6 hours ago, bundtkate said:

 A balcony is nice, but no one is coming around asking if you want another drink or offering random free snacks.

 

I'm not sure that this is correct in the Yacht Club! The service level is extremely high, I think. If you tell your butler, or any butler you see, that you will spend lots of time on your balcony and should appreciate (I don't mean tip a lot but of course they deserve a good tip!) if they come by sometimes and ask if you want anything, I'm sure that they will do that!

 

Of course you can also use your phone and call them when you want something.

Edited June 30, 2023 by sverigecruiser

[sealynx]

I might consider giving up a balcony for a YC outside, but never for a YC inside. I really appreciate daylight in my cabin. If the only alternative is a YC inside, I'd got for the Fantastica (or even Bella) balcony.

[sverigecruiser]

11 hours ago, DonnaK said:

 

I cannot decide between the Fantastica balcony or an interior YC cabin.  Is the no-YC experience so bad that it's worth giving up a balcony?  

 

The non-YC experience is probably not that bad, I haven't tried it, but the YC experience is that good!

 

My wife shouldn't like an interior enough for us to book it but I could defenitely do it if I had to to be able to be in the YC. If my wife dies before me and I'm still healthy enough to cruise I might book interior YC. (If my wife had to choose between balcony outside the YC or interior in the YC she should choose interior in the YC but since we can afford a balcony in the YC that is what we book.)

[Inflatable_Catfish]

Our butler on seaside asked if we would like drinks in our room. We had cocktails and snacks delivered at 4pm every day.

[Inflatable_Catfish]

Seaside YC has many tables on the pool deck that are shaded. The loungers are not. We asked our butler if he could reserve a cabana for us one day and he was able to for free. That has a partial shade cover.

[Brighton Line]

15 hours ago, DonnaK said:

even with sacrificing a balcony?

The YC pool deck on Meraviglia was always open even if not staffed at night. YC Balcony does not have loungers.

YC Interior is SMALL, it is small you may have trouble storing everything but the experience of the Yacht Club outways those sacrifices. The Dining room attention you get, the butlers in the lounge know your favorite drink it is in your hand a minute after you sit down if you want that. 

Heck not having to have your card or bracelet scanned for every drink, even just stopping by the lounge to get a bottle of water and not having to wait.

 

Little things like not having to reserve shows in the main lounge or the TV lounge on Meraviglia. Led to the front of the line for all shows even paid so you can pick your seat or sit in the designated YC area. There was a solo cruiser that insisted on sitting in the front row at every show, the Butlers accommodated that.

Personally, I would do it if an inside was available but currently, I can't reserve that far out in advance when they are in inventory. 

[sverigecruiser]

 

It's almost impossible to take drinks from the lounge to the cabin yourself because if a butler see it they insist to deliver it for you!  

[wolft927]

We are going on our First MSC cruise and have the Yacht club interior room. We typically sail Haven on NCL but giving MSC a shot. Giving up a Balcony for interior YC was a no brainer especially after MSC tier matched us and it only being $3200 for a 7 night cruise!