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

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, Shippy said:

 

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 !

 

 

 

Thank you! Yes, this was in Miami. I was a little surprised by embarkation too because like yours my embarkation on Divina in Miami January was so smooth and luxurious.  I was boarding much earlier then (about 9:45 because I had just come off another ship at the time) and we were at a different terminal (I believe it was F that time), so I wonder if that may have played into it as well.

 

Personally I’m not really bothered by the multiple languages because it’s actually helping me practice my Italian and Spanish for my Europe trip in fall.  I think for Mini Me it’s a little rougher with her sensory condition just because she perceives the speaker volume louder than most would and something about the sound wave frequency of ship PA systems sometimes hurts her ears and the sound goes on for longer when the message is repeated multiple times.  We travel with sensory earphones for her that she has with her today which I think is helping a lot with that.

[Lena11033]

I did Virtuosa in April, I would say my embarkation was better but I was going out of Southampton UK which I believe they have their own terminal. But my butler service - meh. Honestly I think you've seen your butler more in one day than I saw in my whole week.

My day one, my butler didn't show up until like 8:30pm and never asked most of those questions other than the alcohol. But I still enjoyed my trip and booked another.

 

The languages I think there were like 5 but going out of the UK the cruise was going to Germany, Netherlands and France (well supposed to but they were striking so ended up being Belgium) so I think the announcements were English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. I can see it being a lot to some people for me I have issues with sounds/frequencies - I often have to tell my husband to adjust his stereo because it's too much for me. But I did get to practice some French so not all bad

 

 

[sbcs5390]

17 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

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.

If you want looks, parade along the pool deck from the YC to the slides and back with your blue yacht club towel 🤣 oops! 

[GenerationX]

I got to see a little more of the ship this afternoon because pick up from morning kids club was held in the cabaret rouge at the far aft of the ship.  

 

I wasn’t planing to do any of the shows there because from what I’ve read/seen online it sounds a lot like the shows the production cast puts on in Eden and the Club on Celebrity for free, but cabaret rouge is an additional charge.  I am considering it now though because the space looks so cool. I also have a mystery $60 credit that’s popped up on my account from excursions.

 

I did prebook 2 excursions for Gen Z and I, but as far as I and the concierge can tell, neither has canceled, so I’m not sure what’s up.  She’s going to look into it further and let me know, but I told her not to trouble herself to look too hard into a gift horse’s mouth.

 

Gen Z wanted to swim so we had lunch back up at the one pool.  That lunch buffet really is no joke.  Gen Z found a salad, hot dog and French fries and I indulged in poolside lamb chops and seafood pasta.  

 

There was also a dessert display, but the only labels on the items was a sign that said “assorted desserts” so I couldn’t possibly tell what might have nuts in it. I was telling Gen Z she’d have to pass on it when an officer behind the bar saw Gen Z’s plight and said “no no ma’am I’ll find out for her right now” and got on his phone and called down to the chef to find out which desserts were ok for her to eat.

 

In the meantime, a pool server came around and offered her some of the best vanilla ice cream I’ve had in a while.  The end result was that my child had a 3 dessert lunch, but that’s what vacation is for.

 

We headed back to the room about 3pm and were surprised to find that it still hadn’t been cleaned for the day.  I just noticed this afternoon that there’s a button on the wall you can push in to request room cleaning service.  Tomorrow when we head out for our morning excursion I may try pushing that before we leave to make sure we have a clean room to take an afternoon nap when we get back.

 

Gen Z is working on one of her Lego sets she brought along from home while I have some champagne and tea sandwiches in the lounge then I think we’ll go check out the shops for a little bit and hopefully the room will be done in time for us to catch a quick rest before we have to get ready for formal night tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisinBanka]

Enjoying your review! MSC charges for shows? 

[paddy1112]

26 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

but cabaret rouge is an additional charge

Would be surprised by this. Not on the sea.... ships. Only on the Meraviglia based ships.

[Steff79]

At seashore the shows there was free. You could come and go like you want. Shows was ok. 
 

At your room with the make room button is also a don‘t disturb button. Some people have it at don‘t disturb and wonder why no one make the room. 
 

Wish you both a great cruise. I Love that ship class and will follow. 

 

miss the tea time at Yachtclub :-))

Edited July 10, 2023 by Steff79

[Seadweller001]

In the YC only Gelato is served obtained from the Gelato Store downstairs.  It is great and available in the YC Dining room at lunch and dinner.

[mmbcater]

Le Cabaret Lounge is free to attend! 

[Georgia_Peaches]

21 hours ago, GenerationX said:

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. 

So no more watching a video in your stateroom, calling a number with the secret code, and then card swiping at your muster station?  It's pre-covid muster?

[Mark_T]

29 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So no more watching a video in your stateroom, calling a number with the secret code, and then card swiping at your muster station?

Last month we did all of that exactly as you listed, but additionally we had to go down to the muster station when called to scan our cards.

 

Nothing else required just a quick scan and back to the cabin.

 

The only limitation is they aim to have the elevators blocked off for this stage so it does act as a check that everyone knows how to get to the muster station and can manage the stairs...

 

I might possibly have been a little less than cooperative when returning back up to our cabin as there was nothing to be gained from preventing access to the elevators after you have completed the validation of your card.

[Cap_D]

Charla:

 

Thanks for the time you're taking for this (and prior reviews).  It is greatly appreciated. 

 

We've only been in Retreat on Edge and Apex with our pre-K son (favorably), so appreciate the comparisons and GenZ observations.  Seems like it's been great so far. 

 

How's the wifi so far for any work needs compared to Celebrity?  Asking for two attys (including a WUSTL grad), who have found starlink to be decent enough, keep email active, and often work on our smart phones (even an occasional mark-up in a pinch).  

 

[ItsADryHumor]

On 7/7/2023 at 4:05 PM, GenerationX said:

Hi Everyone!  I just wanted to introduce myself and share that I’ll be doing a live review of my upcoming cruise on Seascape in case anyone is interested in following along.

 

A bit about me and my travel companion:

 

I’m Charla, 40 years old and from the US midwest (St. Louis, MO area).  My cruising addiction is funded via my day job as an advertising and entertainment law attorney.

 

I enjoy writing as a hobby (sadly contract drafting doesn’t leave much room for self-expression) and I’ve kept a travel journal since I was a kid so that I can read back and remember my vacation experiences in detail decades later. (You should see some of the stuff I wrote on my England and Ireland trip when I was 17, boy did I think I was grown and knew it all back then. 🤦🏾‍♀️) 

 

When I discovered cruise critic years back while planning a cruise, I got so much good information from the live reviews others were doing and reading along virtually was a huge help to pass the time till it was my time to sail.  So since I knew I’d be writing and taking pics anyway, I decided to pay it forward and also start live reviewing my trips.

 

Celebrity has been my go to cruise line (enough to have hit elite plus status), and while I’ve sailed in almost every category, I tend to sail their aqua and suite classes most.

 

This will be only my second MSC cruise, booked (sitting in the yacht club lounge with a warm scone and espresso martini in hand) while onboard a quick but excellent 4 night solo sailing on Divina earlier this year. 

 

I typically either sail solo, with my husband Jeremy or with our 10 year old daughter who I’ll refer to as Gen Z or Mini Me.  

 

Jeremy (who coincidentally isn’t the one who has to make our annual cruising budget) is struggling to consider breaking his firm allegiance to Celebrity.

 

Gen Z on the other hand, was onboard to try something new from the moment I said “Lego kids club” and sent her a video from Ocean Cay of a sea turtle swimming in the channel.  Plus, I’m not ashamed to admit that I did engage in some minor bribery via some well chosen selections from the Divina gift shop upon my return.  This little lady loves animals, art, and music theatre and is currently going through a growth spurt feeding frenzy that may put the chefs onboard Seascape through their paces.

 

Gen Z is neurodiverse and can quickly become overstimulated, so we’ve avoided the massive ships with whole theme parks, character parades and lots of loud music/announcements.  

 

I’m thinking that perhaps Seascape in yacht club will give us a good balance of a ship with more kid activities (not that Gen Z has ever been bored or unhappy on Celebrity) but also still having our accommodations in a less crowded, more elevated and peaceful service area that we can retreat (sorry Celebrity) to when we need a break.

 

I’m going into this cruise with an open mind to new things but also with somewhat tempered expectations.  On Divina, I had a particularly amazing butler and, according to what MSC regulars that I met onboard told me, I happened to be on one of the last sailings with one of the best yacht club managers and best yacht club concierges before they went home to rest before new contracts.  I was also warned repeatedly that Divina is generally one of the best yacht clubs in the fleet in terms of service and that the newer ships aren’t as good because the yacht club is bigger and service isn’t as personalized as a result.

 

I guess the next week will tell how things shake out in comparison!

 

If anyone has any questions or tips for us while we’re onboard, please feel free to jump in and ask/share.

 

Looking forward to taking you along!
 

 

 

 

My household is neurospicy, so this is an immediate follow!! ❤️❤️❤️

[GenerationX]

It’s Gala (or in Celebrity terms “evening chic”) Night on Seascape!

 

I’m a bad mom, work was too crazy last month to get us an appointment at my usual formal dress boutique for new matching evening gowns so I had to dry clean the ones from our spring break Solstice cruise.  Gen Z’s just barely still fit and now it’s a little too short when she’s in small heels…are they supposed to grow up this fast?

 

Celebrity really should start sourcing their lobster from wherever MSC is getting theirs.  If MSC is playing the cutback game at all, they’re definitely not doing it here. This tail was massive (but also sweet, tender and juicy).

 

The mushroom pasta was also good, but the lobster wins the meal for me!
 

Gen Z was not left out of the extravaganza either. Our server told her the chef had something special for her and when entrees arrived she was presented with a big plate of salmon, steak medallions, chicken tenders AND fries.  And the YC bartender even made her a fancy iced chocolate milk in a wine glass.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

3 hours ago, Mark_T said:

Last month we did all of that exactly as you listed, but additionally we had to go down to the muster station when called to scan our cards.

 

Nothing else required just a quick scan and back to the cabin.

 

The only limitation is they aim to have the elevators blocked off for this stage so it does act as a check that everyone knows how to get to the muster station and can manage the stairs...

 

I might possibly have been a little less than cooperative when returning back up to our cabin as there was nothing to be gained from preventing access to the elevators after you have completed the validation of your card.

This was precisely our procedure as well.  It was the everyone going to get their cards scanned at once that caused the crowding and traffic jams.  I suppose it is more realistic of a scenario for an emergency than the “watch on an app and go get your card scanned at your leisure” celebrity approach.  But at least on this ship it also really highlighted what a hot mess it would be if everyone really did need to get to their muster stations at the same time immediately without use of the elevators/lifts and with the extra spice of panic added in.  I’m by no means an expert in such things but maybe they need to spread the muster stations out more or something to reduce the traffic.

 

I will say, we hung out in the theatre for about 10 minutes after getting our cards scanned to help Gen Z decompress and by the time we headed back to our room they were letting us use the elevators/lifts to get back up.  Perhaps your civil disobedience made a difference for those of us who came behind you!

[perakcruiser]

On 7/10/2023 at 12:46 PM, GenerationX said:

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.  

If not Disney would have already "stolen" it completely from Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen 😄 Legally stolen as he is already dead for 150 years. 

 

Great review, long time not enjoyed reading a review so much. 

[Cathy in Boston]

Always look forward to your reviews!  We are on the Divina in April in YC.  All that being said, I can’t begin to tell you how much I love your matching outfits.  They are adorable!

[Aixia]

Really enjoying this review! I'll be in YC on Seascape next week, so it's terrifically helpful!

[Azulann]

Loving your review of you mother /daughter cruise .

I  know that you are making  your daughter into a great cruiser for life!

🥰 and making  great memories for the both of you. 

[GenerationX]

 

Hola from hot, sunny Puerto Plata!

 

We got back from our excursion a couple of hours ago (report to come) and had a late lunch at the one pool (the carved to order leg of lamb is excellent BTW) and then cooled off sitting sipping an aperol spritz and watching Gen Z play in the pool with one of her new buddies.

 

When we came back onboard, we went by the room to freshen up and put on swimsuits and as soon as we came out, Charles popped out of the crew passage to greet us and ask how our excursion was. He escorted us up to the pool and and got us our first round of drinks while we made our plates from the buffet.  He also talked to one of the pool attendants and came back and let us know that there’d be a couple vacating a cabana shortly and he’d made arrangements for the pool attendant to set it up for us once it was free.  Not a bad welcome back!

 

Before I share about our day in the DR, a back in time report on our evening after dinner last night.

 

It turned out to be one of those “best made plans of mice and moms” kind of nights.

 

The original plan was for Gen Z to go to kids club for an hour and then we were going to go to the late show together.  However when I went to pick her up, I discovered I had been trumped by a super hero party and she asked me to just pick her up when the club closed at 11pm instead.

 

With 2 hours to myself to kill I decided to go check out more of the ship.  Much of what I saw kind of reinforced for me that sailing MSC not in yacht club, especially on these big ships, may not be a fit for me as a smaller, laid back cruise ship person.  There were sooo many people and kids everywhere and elevators took a long time. As in even with my YC VIP override, it would take 5-6 minutes for an elevator to come (which was still a vast improvement over the 10-15 minute waits for non-priority).  I nearly slipped and fell a couple of times where people had spilled drinks on the marble floors.

 

I passed one of the main dining rooms where I briefly glanced diners clapping in unison and waving their napkins while the waiters were singing and doing some kind of dance.  Nothing wrong with that if folks enjoy it, but just not my personal cruising forte.

 

Just when I was about to evacuate back to the peace of the Top Sail, I stumbled upon something I’d forgotten was a thing on MSC: the champagne bar. Those who know me already know where this story is headed…

 

When I sat down I intended to order something nice just by the glass. But then the sommelier Dennis told me that with YC he could give me 20% off a bottle purchase and that they could pressure seal and cold store the bottle for me to finish the next night.  Sold.

 

I ended up having 2 glasses of my Moet rose and then the bartender, Angela, asked me if I’d like to try a champagne cocktail recipe she’s been working on, included in the YC drink package. Those who know me also know what my answer to that question was. It was loud from the band so tough to hear exactly what she said was in it but I think she said champagne, St. Germaine, and a little passion fruit and lemon juice.

 

Angela just started her contract, so if you’re sailing Seascape in the next 9 months and you like a nice refreshing bubbly cocktail, go see her! 

 

I ended up spending my remaining free time until kids club pick up at said champagne bar with Dennis and Angela (aka my new best friends).

 

On our walk back to our room for bed, Charles met us in the hallway and apologized for how late our room cleaning had been. He explained that he has a new assistant who just started his contact when we boarded on Sunday and is still getting up to speed. Perfectly understandable. I know zero people who are experts at their job in the first 48 hours.  

 

We’re currently sitting in the Top Sail while I enjoy tea service and Mini Me has a Lego play date with her royal suite friend.

 

Shortly we’ll go get ready for dinner in the YC restaurant. Tonight’s show is a comedian and Gen Z has little interest, so she’ll probably go to kids club with her new friends and I’ll probably hit the champagne bar to see mine.  

 

More to come later tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

Quick update from Seascape:

 

I was unaware until just now that right after they finish tea service in Top Sail, they start setting out pre-dinner canapés…the flowing, forgiving dresses that you’ll be seeing for the remainder of the review are brought to you by smoked beef sausage and sweet pea cream crostinis and saffron ricotta beignets.

 

[cml4958]

 

On 7/8/2023 at 7:08 AM, GenerationX said:

Aloha! Funny you should ask.  My mother is terrified of being on open water but has said she’d be willing to put her fear aside and try a cruise if we were to go to Alaska or Hawaii.  
 

What are your thoughts on doing Hawaii via cruise?  I’ve always thought of it as more of a land trip, but if it gets my mom out to sea that’s a big plus in my book. Any thoughts on which cruise lines do it well?  The reviews I’ve read about NCL’s Hawaii cruises have not been the best.

 

On 7/9/2023 at 5:55 AM, GenerationX said:

Jeremy’s response when I floated this idea on our goodnight call last night…”YOU and YOUR mother trying to go and do ANYTHING with low expectations???  Yeah good luck with that, Norwegian. Count me out for that cruise!” 🤣

NCL's Pride of America does sail the islands year-round so you could go whenever you want.  Since this ship doesn't go to a foreign port, I believe a majority of the crew have to be American so prices for this ship are a little bit higher.  If you sailed in a suite, you wouldn't have too many problems.  I've only sailed on them so have a little experience and have sailed in Haven in Star and Pearl in the three bedroom suite.  If you want to talk when you get back, give me a call.

 

Carrie

[Stem to Stern]

4 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Charles popped out of the crew passage to greet us and ask how our excursion was. He escorted us up to the pool and and got us our first round of drinks while we made our plates from the buffet.  He also talked to one of the pool attendants and came back and let us know that there’d be a couple vacating a cabana shortly and he’d made arrangements for the pool attendant to set it up for us once it was free.  Not a bad welcome back!

This Charles sounds like a keeper.  A butler after my own heart.❤️

[Stem to Stern]

5 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Angela just started her contract, so if you’re sailing Seascape in the next 9 months and you like a nice refreshing bubbly cocktail, go see her! 

Noted.

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Your opinion regarding the large ships and crowds is spot on. As the ships got larger over the years, I started reserving only suites and sailing only in YC, Retreat, Haven, Grills, etc. The ship within a  ship concept is essentially a modern take on the classes of yesteryear. Sailing around the world also provided a more relaxed environment and it is now a necessity if one can afford it. I no longer sail if such a product is not available.  I have enough of crowds living in NY and Honolulu to have to deal with long lines etc on a vacation by ship. Just my opinion but as you have learned, well worth it.  Enjoying your reports and happy that Z is meeting friends and having a great time. All the best!