Live Seascape YC (7/9-7/16): A Celebrity Loyalist Jumps Ship

[kluv2cruz]

3 hours ago, catgirl411 said:

On the Hawaii front my stepdaughter is booked on Edge in May 2024 Honolulu to Vancouver so that’s an option you might consider.

I've done the Celebrity one way Honolulu to Vancouver (or vice versa) many times and it’s lovely. Allows you to go a few days early and enjoy some Hawaii time then port port port port port, then sea, sea, sea, sea, sea; 5 sea days to Vancouver.
 

Be careful to chose an itinerary that has plenty of Hawaii time (many ports plus longish time in port). Some years we overnight in Waikiki and leave the next day at midnight (that’s the best!) and sometimes we are overnight tendered for Maui at Lahaina (also the best!); Kauai is less frequently included but is a nice stop. And then usually there are 2 “Big Island” stops - Kona & Hilo. A few cruise lines do this one way sail Spring & Fall as they reposition to/from Alaska season, but Celebrity is who we’ve mostly sailed this itinerary on.

 

Thanks for blogging… love following along!

[Laurab23]

I see you use the plastic luggage tag holders. Same size as Celebrity?

 

Laura

[Azulann]

Love the map dresses on both of you ! Have a great embarkation  day . 
check out Viking  Ocean for  you and your mom. They do  Hawaii, 15 days round trip from LA . No casino , nor kids under 18 and all veranda  state rooms , and upgraded beverage package is $25. pp per day !

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Azulann

[CruisinBanka]

Hope you and your daughter have a great cruise Charla! Always find your reviews a “must read” and looking forward to sailing along with you again to get your impressions of your second MSC Cruise! Like you, we were a loyal Celebrity cruiser but have become disenchanted with some of the well discussed changes, Retreat pricing, and path that Celebrity is on. MSC is one of the cruise lines that is on our radar to experience. Enjoy!!!

[jules815]

On 7/7/2023 at 4:23 PM, Stem to Stern said:

My new motto:  If I can’t be on a cruise this week, I will most certainly find someone on Cruise Critic that is and follow along.  Even better that she is GenX.  Bon voyage you two!

 

Same. You know when it's time to cruise again if you wake up, look at the clock and think "*insert name of total stranger from CC* should be boarding right about now", and then get that same butterfly feeling that most of us get on cruise day. This is my first GenX review and these reviews and pictures help pass the time until our next one in September. 

[KLM3164]

I love Gen Z’s Van Gogh Starry Night dress. She is adorable!!!

 

Also where did you get your world map dress? I think I need one for my next cruise (sadly not until November).

[GenerationX]

Hello from onboard Seascape!  

 

Right from the jump I completely understood what the MSC experts said about the Sea-class ship yacht club experience vs. Divina.  When our Uber dropped us off just across from the white tent at about 11:15am, the tent was already surrounded 10 cases deep with yacht club luggage and only one poor porter trying to get it tagged and loaded on carts.  There was no one sitting at the desk under the tent and I saw quite a few yacht club guests just give up waiting and go ahead through the general boarding entrance and security.

 

After about 10 minutes standing around in the heat I wondered if maybe I missed something and went up to a general port worker and asked how yacht club embarkation was working today if we were supposed to wait at the white tent for an escort (like I got on Divina) or just go through with everyone else and and he seemed shocked no one was at the YC desk and got on a radio and seconds later someone came and escorted Gen Z and I through past the security line and to a room for YC checkin.  Unlike Divina, this time the YC check in room was really small, like maybe meant to hold 15-20 people max and there were no snacks or drinks (probably because there wouldn’t have been room for them).   There were also at least 30 passengers in said small room trying to check in.  On the plus side, we were very quickly approached by a friendly, smiling butler who helped us put on our smart wristbands (not a thing on Divina) and told us it would be about 10 minutes before they were ready to board us.

 

Once we started boarding, one of the butlers helped Gen Z with her luggage and walked us with about 10 other YC passengers past all the general boarding lines, which were stopped so we could go through and onto the ship.  When we got on the ship, just to the left there was a mass of parent and child humanity mobbed around a small table. The butler found a place for the YC parents to stand out of the way but still in view and took Gen Z and two other YC kid passengers in our group to the front of the fray and got our kids registered and into their muster wristbands.  

 

Then he escorted us all through the ship (making sure to point out the extra charge, fancy chocolate shop to my kid, thanks dude 😂) and up to the Top Sail lounge.

 

Overall not as relaxed and luxurious of an embarkation as on Divina, but still I think as efficiently run as you can get for a ship that has many more yacht club cabins doing boarding out of what seemed like a much smaller cruise terminal space.  All told we went from curb to lounge in a little under a half hour, which is almost double the time it took to get on Beyond in April but looked like it was much expedited compared to the general boarding lines when we arrived.

 

I suspect once MSC’s new terminal in Miami is finished, the process for these bigger ships will flow much more smoothly (and if it’s anything like what Celebrity did for T25 in Fort Lauderdale for retreat boarding, the Yacht Club experience will be much improved as well).

 

This Top Sail lounge seems like it’s twice the size of the one on Divina, and a little bigger than the Retreat Lounge on Celebrity Beyond, and compared to both much more open and airy.  I was also pleased to see that the schmaltzy decor has been WAY toned down from Divina.  Definitely still much more “character” than the E-class stylings on Celebrity, and some interesting artwork choices, but this time I also don’t feel like I’m in Vegas 30 years ago.

 

Gen Z is enthralled with the Swarovski stairs leading up from the lounge to the restaurant and managed to make a cute little friend while closely inspecting them and trying to count the crystals.  Said friend’s parents were at the couch next to us in the lounge and seemed to mostly only speak French. It was a rough go taking myself back to high school classes but I managed to introduce myself and eek through some basic small talk.  When it was time to head up to lunch and I collected Gen Z from chatting with her buddy, to my shock, my child who has only ever had Spanish classes said  “goodbye! See you soon!” in French!

 

As a woman clumsily stumbling through learning Italian for our October cruise far later in life than I learned Spanish and French, I am amazed and jealous at how quickly children pick up new languages.

 

Speaking of lunch, a report on that and our stateroom to come after Gen Z and I do some ship exploring!

 

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

I love Gen Z’s Van Gogh Starry Night dress. She is adorable!!!

 

Also where did you get your world map dress? I think I need one for my next cruise (sadly not until November).

Just go to Amazon and search map dress.  I think it comes in three colors.  EM

[Erekosse]

Hope you have a fabulous trip!

 

I'm following along as we will be on the Seascape in March. I'm pretty sure I read your live review of Silhouette trip on the Celebrity forum, and we have a trip schedule on Silhouette next summer.

[Mark_T]

On 7/8/2023 at 12:57 AM, RichYak said:

Bon Voyage Charla! I'll be following along. You have plenty of Celebrity refugee friends on the MSC board.

... and in my case it is entirely a result of Charla's previous live thread that we ended up on Divina last month... ... and now have another Divina reservation for next Feb.

[RichYak]

36 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

... and in my case it is entirely a result of Charla's previous live thread that we ended up on Divina last month... ... and now have another Divina reservation for next Feb.

I went back and checked. Charla did her side to side with Celebrity and MSC YC in January. I followed along very closely as I was ready for a change from Celebrity. Within a week of her disembarking MSC, I had done my status match and booked my first YC cruise. I doubt we are the only ones. Charla's experience is very compelling.

[Stem to Stern]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

Charla's experience is very compelling.

I am slightly curious about just exactly how many of us “Celebrity loyalists” have booked MSC after following @GenerationX fulfill her champagne wishes and caviar dreams in the Yacht Club earlier this year.  I would venture a bet that the number would be rather commission-worthy.

 

[Lena11033]

26 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

I am slightly curious about just exactly how many of us “Celebrity loyalists” have booked MSC after following @GenerationX fulfill her champagne wishes and caviar dreams in the Yacht Club earlier this year.  I would venture a bet that the number would be rather commission-worthy.

 

 

I did lol

My plans for my UK trip fell through and found a MSC cruise that matched my trip dates so booked YC based on Charla's review.

[RichYak]

23 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

...us “Celebrity loyalists”...

Actually, I think I was more of a "Celebrity Habitualist" if that's even a word. It was a comfort zone for me, not a loyalty thing.

[Stem to Stern]

14 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Actually, I think I was more of a "Celebrity Habitualist" if that's even a word. It was a comfort zone for me, not a loyalty thing.

Agree.  It is so nice and comfortable to be able to predict the whole Celebrity on board machine.  I had to recheck my own timeline after your post.  Charla disembarked Divina on 1/20.  I emailed my TA my inquiry re her thoughts on MSC on 1/24.  I was status matched on 1/27.  I informed my TA of status match and placed hold on stateroom on 1/30.  Deposit placed and booked on 2/3.  I had forgotten how influential this thread was on my not normally impulsive nature.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

I had forgotten how influential this thread was on my not normally impulsive nature.

Someone on the Celebrity board, perhaps it was you, coined the phrase "Charlacized" to describe that exact influence.

[GenerationX]

I’m starting to think that booking this cruise may have been a terrible mistake…after lunch, we did some light exploring and while Gen Z is doing her sweet little best to play it cool, I’m already starting to get a little concerned that she may never want to settle for a Celebrity ship again.  

 

She was so excited to see the arcade, water slides and waterpark.  When we got to our stateroom, she also had a personalized welcome treat of a plate of chocolate chip cookies with her name written on it in chocolate!

 

That said, there have already been a couple of times when we were outside of YC where she’s shown signs of being slightly overwhelmed by the crowds, noise of other kids screaming and having meltdowns and the volume of announcements (being made in 3 languages on this ship rather than just English on Divina).  Time will tell how it plays out over the week.

 

We just finished doing the MSC muster drill the “old fashioned way”, which resulted in multiple shoulder to shoulder, dead stop traffic jams on the stairs down to our station and it didn’t exactly instill a ton of confidence in me that this massive ship could be evacuated quickly in the unlikely event of an emergency.  As we were stuck in the gridlock Gen Z actually turned and said to me “this is WAY easier on Celebrity”.

 

For lunch, Gen Z and I split the pakora main dish as an appetizer and then Gen Z had the burger off the adult menu and I had the pansoti pasta.  One thing I learned from my Divina sailing is that the Indian food on MSC tends to be pretty good and the pakora kept that track record.

 

My pasta was ok but it could’ve been really good if it was served hot. Instead it came to the table barely warm and the cream sauce had started to thicken and get a little grainy.

 

On our way out of lunch we bumped into Z, my amazing server in the YC on Divina, who just joined the ship yesterday!

 

Sharing some pics from our first few hours onboard.

 

Well we’re all dressed and ready to head off to dinner and a show. More to come later tonight!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

Someone on the Celebrity board, perhaps it was you, coined the phrase "Charlacized" to describe that exact influence.

That was me.  After returning from a cruise this past December, my husband and I knew we were heading into a long, land-locked dry spell we would be waiting out before our next Celebrity Summit cruise in December 2023.  We will be returning to The Retreat after a two-plus year hiatus.  Luminae how we have missed you.  But five nights really isn’t long enough to fully unwind on a cruise.

After my Charlacization and pulling the trigger on the Seascape Yacht Club booking which precedes the Summit sailing, all I keep hearing from him is how long we have to wait until our next cruise.  He is even more excited than normal since I added the additional seven nights on Seascape and we get to disembark one ship and embark another.  He has already told me he will be trying out the water slides with me.  Looking forward to GenZ’s expert thoughts on the slides and water park.  Yes, Celebrity does excel at many things.  Water slides and personalized plates of chocolate chip cookies are not two of them.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[lola2013]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

I’m starting to think that booking this cruise may have been a terrible mistake…after lunch, we did some light exploring and while Gen Z is doing her sweet little best to play it cool, I’m already starting to get a little concerned that she may never want to settle for a Celebrity ship again.  

 

She was so excited to see the arcade, water slides and waterpark.  When we got to our stateroom, she also had a personalized welcome treat of a plate of chocolate chip cookies with her name written on it in chocolate!

 

That said, there have already been a couple of times when we were outside of YC where she’s shown signs of being slightly overwhelmed by the crowds, noise of other kids screaming and having meltdowns and the volume of announcements (being made in 3 languages on this ship rather than just English on Divina).  Time will tell how it plays out over the week.

 

We just finished doing the MSC muster drill the “old fashioned way”, which resulted in multiple shoulder to shoulder, dead stop traffic jams on the stairs down to our station and it didn’t exactly instill a ton of confidence in me that this massive ship could be evacuated quickly in the unlikely event of an emergency.  As we were stuck in the gridlock Gen Z actually turned and said to me “this is WAY easier on Celebrity”.

 

For lunch, Gen Z and I split the pakora main dish as an appetizer and then Gen Z had the burger off the adult menu and I had the pansoti pasta.  One thing I learned from my Divina sailing is that the Indian food on MSC tends to be pretty good and the pakora kept that track record.

 

My pasta was ok but it could’ve been really good if it was served hot. Instead it came to the table barely warm and the cream sauce had started to thicken and get a little grainy.

 

On our way out of lunch we bumped into Z, my amazing server in the YC on Divina, who just joined the ship yesterday!

 

Sharing some pics from our first few hours onboard.

 

Well we’re all dressed and ready to head off to dinner and a show. More to come later tonight!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the Lily dresses!

[GenerationX]

Good evening friends. I’m writing to you from in bed with a massive glass of Cabernet that our butler, Charles, brought me while Gen Z is already snoring off her evening.

 

Just as we were heading out the door to dinner, Charles  stopped by to introduce himself. He asked about my newspaper preference and what complimentary bottle of alcohol I’d like for the room.  Like Kevin before him, he let me know that there’s probably no need to open said bottle while still on the ship because he and the yacht club lounge will always be steps away and ready to meet my cocktail needs.  He also let us know that even though it says in the app and daily that reservations are required for the main theater shows, YC doesn’t need them. He said he’d check in with us each day on whether we plan to go to the show and what time and he’d escort us down and into the reserved YC seating area.

 

We decided to do the 7:30 show tonight so we went for an earlier dinner at 6.  Our assistant server surprised Mini Me when we sat down with a little napkin friend. The restaurant wasn’t busy at all at that time and service was very quick.  This was the same menu from my first night on Divina and I decided to order the same dishes that had been so good.
 

The vegetable dumplings were just as delicious as I remembered.  The veal was very different from the veal I had on Divina, but still good.  The scallops though were a bit disappointing.  Instead of the massive and super flavorful scallops I got on Divina, these were Celebrity post-COVID  sized and kind of bland.  They were trying so hard to be the Retreat chic night scallops but they didn’t make it by a mile.  

 

Gen Z had grilled salmon and cleaned her plate.  If we hadn’t had a show to get to I think she would’ve ordered a second helping.  

 

After dinner we met Charles at the concierge desk (where I checked in briefly to put some cash on my onboard account) and he took us to the theater for the musical production show, which from a plot perspective seemed to be trying to come as close as possible to being The Little Mermaid without drawing a cease and desist from Disney.  

 

This was my first time seeing a show on MSC and I honestly don’t think it’s even fair for me to review it since it had to follow the 12 out of 10 points shows on Beyond (with the talent caliber that made me think Celebrity just hung out outside callbacks for whatever Lin Manuel-Miranda is working on right now and starting giving out contracts).  Gen Z (who didn’t spend the first half of the year on a grand tour of E-class entertainment, again, don’t judge me) was very entertained though.  I will also say that you could totally tell the performers were singing and dancing their hearts out for us and they even all came out after the show to meet the kids onboard and let them take photos.  Besides, I kind of feel like sailing MSC for the shows is a bit like going to a top notch steakhouse and ordering the veggie lasagna.  

 

After the show, we went to the arcade for a bit, where Gen Z spent about $25 in game play to win enough tickets to redeem for a what can’t be more than a $3 My Little Pony key chain.  I’m so glad I bought the Fun Pass pre-cruise ($70 for $140 in credits to use for the arcade, 4D movie theater and virtual reality simulators).  At the end of the day though she was so proud of herself and had fun.  It was pretty quiet in the arcade when we first arrived but around 9pm it started to fill with the roving bands of teens and quite a few over sugared and undersuprvised running, screaming younger kids, so we double timed it out with the rubber horse that was almost as bad an investment as owning a real one.

 

We headed to the Marina Bar by the main pool to get some ice cream for Gen Z then brought it back to the Top Sail lounge so mommy could get her own late evening treat (aka a cosmopolitan).  When we got our ice cream I heard a few teens in front of us saying there was a charge for the ice cream.  When we got to the front and the attendant scooped some for Gen Z I started reaching around for my key card but he looked at my wristband and said “oh miss no charge for yacht club”. 

 

Just what I need: my kid knowing she can get free ice cream until 11pm at night. 😂

 

When we got to Top Sail we bumped into another little girl Gen Z met earlier listening to the live pianist with her family.   A little later I went up to the bar to get a refill and by the time I made it back to my table there were 2 more little girls sitting there (one in MY seat) and Gen Z had an agenda and social calendar set for 70% of the day tomorrow.  Who even raised this little social butterfly??? No clue where it comes from.

 

I can feel my eyelids starting to get heavy so I think it’s time to join Mini Me in slumberland.  Good night from Seascape!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark_T]

7 hours ago, GenerationX said:

...and the volume of announcements (being made in 3 languages on this ship rather than just English on Divina). 

Good to hear Gen Z is having a great time, for the future, the languages used seem to be itinerary dependent.

 

Divina in Europe was making announcements in 5 languages, but I imagine that on those short 4 day cruises to Ocean Cay, English may be the only language needed...

Edited July 10, 2023 by Mark_T

[Stem to Stern]

5 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Just what I need: my kid knowing she can get free ice cream until 11pm at night. 😂

Thanks for the evening update.  I love the mom perspective on these MiniMe trips.  If nothing else maybe the free ice cream will distract GenZ and her new little friends from relocating the not-included-with-Yacht-Club Italian chocolate store on board.  Having never been on a ship of Seascape’s population level, I am curious about your and GenZ’s thoughts on the crowds?  Also, some reports indicate difficulty navigating the layout of this particular ship.  Should we be studying our deck plans?

Edited July 10, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[Shippy]

 

We had been on the Divina before & all announcements were in 5 languages.

    This is a VERY European line so there will probably be several languages on most cruises.

I got a little lost in post about the YC back up on Embarkation. I assume that it was in Miami (?)

  We have done that a half dozen times, usually arriving a bit before 11 am & although there were others there, there were enough butlers so we never had a problem .

   Sorry your embarkation was not as smooth as ours have always been.....that has always been a great way for us to begin a cruise !

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

This is the best kind of Monday…a Monday at sea…

 

This morning we slept in a bit and and then headed to the Al fresco breakfast at the YC pool which goes till 10:30.  In addition to the buffet (that includes lots of hot options as well as a very nice cured fish and charcuterie spread) there are eggs, pancakes, French toast and waffles cooked to order.  Gen Z found donuts, her favorite cereal and a raspberry yogurt that she had two cups of.  As soon as we sat at a poolside table one the pool bartenders asked if he could offer me a mimosa or Bloody Mary and make me a coffee.  Ah, now this is the yacht club that sold me on shopping my loyalty.

 

If there were one thing I could add to Retreat on Celebrity it would be this ease of getting an excellent latte served in china poolside first thing in the morning.

 

We were about through breakfast when one of Gen Z’s new girlfriends arrived on deck and joined us for a round of apple juice (the girls) and mimosas (the moms).  I have to hand it to Gen Z, at least she knows how to make the right friends because this little girls parents apparently have one of the super fancy suites (which I was invited to bid on an upgrade to for the bargain minimum bid of $4K) that comes with a reserved cabana on the YC pool deck.  She invited Gen Z to come hang out in the VIP until their date with their other new cruise gal pals in the kids club when it opened at 10am.

 

Speaking of kids club, when I went to register Gen Z yesterday, I was a bit apprehensive.  There are so many kids on this ship and the reservation event was extremely crowded and hectic.  I was nervous this might be a complete zoo and that the staff might not be as capable with a special needs child as they are on the much lower volume kids club on Celebrity.  Gen Z was sooo adamant about wanting to try though, I pulled one of the staff aside and explained about Gen Z’s needs and asked if there might be a club director I could talk to briefly.  The club director came out in a flash and was very friendly and understanding about my concerns. She assured me that all staff do receive regular training in food allergy awareness and working with neurodiverse children.  Without me even asking, she also volunteered that just like Celebrity, I would be issued a bat phone for when Gen Z is in club in case she has a sensory episode and the crew needs my help to manage it.  She also invited us to come back to the club later that night around 9pm so that Gen Z and I could see the space for her age group without a million parents and kids who actually belonged in older/younger groups crowding it up.

 

When we went, Gen Z got even more excited for today.  She is a huge Lego fan and the 7-11 year old club on MSC is Lego themed. They have several building centers (including a track to build and race Lego cars).  They also have Nintendo Switch, PS5 AND X-box, including Gen Z’s favorite: Minecraft. While Gen Z is having her fun, I’ve just taken a dip in the perfect temperature One Pool, and am soaking up some sun with a pirates of the Caribbean strength rum punch.  After another round, I may see if I can tolerate the casino smoke enough to play some slots before it’s time to pick her up for lunch.

 

No one in the Generation household is unhappy this morning.  I guess except maybe Jeremy who I saw on the driveway security camera leaving for work a few hours ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

4 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Thanks for the evening update.  I love the mom perspective on these MiniMe trips.  If nothing else maybe the free ice cream will distract GenZ and her new little friends from relocating the not-included-with-Yacht-Club Italian chocolate store on board.  Having never been on a ship of Seascape’s population level, I am curious about your and GenZ’s thoughts on the crowds?  Also, some reports indicate difficulty navigating the layout of this particular ship.  Should we be studying our deck plans?

I would say if you’re a big pre planner like me (I think from knowing you via CC, you are 😁) spending a little time in advance looking at deck plans wouldn’t hurt.  I haven’t gotten around the whole ship yet, but thus far it reminds me a lot of a bigger version of the layout of E class on Celebrity where you have to figure out the handful of decks where it’s easiest to get from forward to aft and vice versa and plan your route accordingly.

 

One nice thing about this ship is that there are these big interactive touch screens everywhere that allow you to find specific venues on a ship map and get directions from your current location.  If you have the little wristband on, you can even tap it next to the screen and it will show you how to get to your specific cabin from where you are and you can even book reservations for specialty restaurants, etc. right there too.
 

There’s also a decent ship map in the MSC app (but I don’t think it worked for me until I was onboard on ship wifi) that can help you in a pinch if you have your phone on you.