Need help understanding cabin upgrade "counteroffer" from MSC...

[Toddcan]

Sailing on the Meraviglia in March.  We booked the Fantastica experience Deluxe Balcony - Deck 10 on the aft corner - we consider is a nice cabin and location. We got the standard upgrade offer email, and we bid on the Suite Area Suite with Whirpool tub. We bid basically as much as our original cabin cost (so doubling the cost of the cruise).  

 

We just got an email saying they will not be accepting that offer, but countered with $840 pp ($1,680 total) to upgrade to MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite.  So I looked at that cabin, and it's a little bigger than our current cabin, but the balcony looks to be the same size.   There has to be a LOT more to it for them to suggest it's worth $840pp more than we paid. We paid $1,270 for 2, and this would bump our cost up to $2,950 for 2.  

 

I hear Yacht Club is a nice experience,  but $1,270 vs $2,950 is quite the jump.  We've never sailed MSC, so I wanted to understand if I am missing something.  Any input is appreciated.  I'm very much in the "not worth it" camp - but, again, I admit I do not fully understand the upgrade offer.

[nlclhc]

YC includes drinks, internet, open dining and for me it is worth it.

[oceans.calling]

To expound on what ‘nlclhc’ answered, it’s the premium drink package good all over the ship, free internet for two devices per person, private lounge and restaurant, butler, escorts on and off the ship, especially at disembarkation, and elevator override. That’s a bargain price for YC Deluxe Suite. 

[morpheusofthesea]

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

[VernRDH]

15 minutes ago, oceans.calling said:

To expound on what ‘nlclhc’ answered, it’s the premium drink package good all over the ship, free internet for two devices per person, private lounge and restaurant, butler, escorts on and off the ship, especially at disembarkation, and elevator override. That’s a bargain price for YC Deluxe Suite. 

You get 2 devices per person in YC? How did I miss that? If that's the case, I can stop worrying about whether to use my phone or tablet!

[deliver42]

$2900.00 for two in a YC cabin is awesome. Once you're there on that cruise, it will be very hard to go back to a normal cabin. The YC food is head and shoulders over the MDR, and you will be treated like royalty, from embarkation to debarkation.

[awatt]

Totally worth it.

[mackfam]

Definitely a bargain for a YC deluxe suite. On top of what others have mentioned, you also get a dedicated check in area and priority boarding and disembarking, which is a huge plus when the ship is full. 
 

We have been in the Mera three times, all in YC, the rest of the ship tends to be very crowded and it is great to be able to retreat to the sanctuary of the YC Top sail lounge or pool deck and escape from the craziness of the rest of the ship.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Once you go Yacht, you won't go bock.

(Or so I've heard.)

[mcoler181]

I'm not sure what you guys usually pay in the US $1,270 for a deluxe balcony sounds like bargain also.

 

@Toddcan Is it a 7 night cruise?

[psmarkle]

What everyone else has said + the YC separate pool deck and outdoor bufffet is totally worth it! Not having to fight the chair hogs!!

 

And the Ocean House restaurant at Ocean Cay with those lobster rolls...yum!

 

So totally worth the upgrade, but you will be spoiled for the rest of your cruising life.

[Toddcan]

3 hours ago, mcoler181 said:

I'm not sure what you guys usually pay in the US $1,270 for a deluxe balcony sounds like bargain also.

 

@Toddcan Is it a 7 night cruise?

Yes, it's a 7 night out of Brooklyn - In March, so there are ~ 2-3 days of cold weather cruising time 

[Toddcan]

Ok, this is great news.  Thanks for the reply. 

 

So, I purchased the 3 night specialty dining package - should I cancel that?  Or will we be allowed to eat at the Butcher Block? 

DW and I don't drink - so that is a big miss - we would only use it for sodas and virgin drinks - maybe 1-2 per day

2 internet devices per person - that is a great money saver.  

 

 

[Toddcan]

Ok, I was sent a link by my TA of the perks... sheesh.   Please confirm is this is correct. 

 

YC comes with:

Specialty Dining  - is this true?  No need to book the package(s) ? 

Access to special area at the Marine Reserve.  I have booked a cabana with our fantastica experience - so would I need to cancel the cabana since it's in a different area?  Is cabana pricing similar for the YC?

[mackfam]

You don’t get specialty dining but the YC restaurant has improved menus over the regular free dining rooms. 
On Ocean Cay, the YC has its own private beach area with padded sun loungers and umbrellas and it’s own restaurant, Ocean House, where you can have a sit down lunch.

The YC beach has its own cabanas available to rent but IMO not worth the money given there is plenty of comfy seating available for free with bar service.

[oceans.calling]

Cabana prices are $402 Ocean View and $452 Beach View.

[PTC DAWG]

If you can swing it, just do it..

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Toddcan said:

 

So, I purchased the 3 night specialty dining package - should I cancel that?

Just a tip on Specialty Restaurant packages. One might want to wait to purchase specialty restaurant packages until one reads the 'limited' menu one is confined to. Also in the Daily Planner on our cruise in June 2023:

Monday All you can eat sushi for 45 minutes, $39 + 18% service

charge

Tuesday Ocean Cay Seafood Restaurant Only a la carte diners

Catch of the day (same for the week) one pound whole

sea bass $39 a second one free. Bottle wine-20%.

Kaito Teppanyaki 20% off set times 5:45 pm or 9:45 pm

Wednesday Ocean Cay same as Tuesday and Kaito Teppanyaki

20% off

Thursday All you can eat sushi for 45 minutes $39. Sea Day

Lunch Spectacular AllSpecialty Restaurants 20% off

and kids eat free +18% sc

Friday Ocean Cay same as Tues. and Wed.. Lunch in specialty

restaurants 30% off entire menu

Saturday Ocean Cay Restaurant and Kaito Teppanyaki same as

Tuesday. All SpecialtyRestaurants Sunset Dinner for 2

$99 including bottle of wine +18%sc

[Toddcan]

Few more follow up questions.  

 

I have not yet pulled the trigger on this upgrade  -  it might not even be available still, but just in case it is... Looking for opinions for those who have experience. 

 

1. I booked the 3 night specialty dining with the Fantastica experience. The thought was that it will be a little nicer than the MDR. But, it appears to me that the YC dining area will give me that same "less crowded" experience.  So, I could book YC, and cancel my dining package.   Does anyone have any cautions for me on this?

 

2. Internet.  for sure, there is a savings here. I would be buying the 2 device per person package, so YC saves me $212 pp there.   Only thing is - YC comes with the surf package only.  It says "no video", but I suspect that it's just a speed limitation?  Anyone have experience on the Meraviglia with just the basic internet?  I suppose a good litmus test is - can you watch a youtube video?

 

3. Ocean Cay YC area. I have booked a cabana under our Fantastica booking - we like cabanas and the price was great ( $252). I think the standard YC area is going to be a "less" of an experience to our booked cabana.  Looking for opinions here too. 

 

4. Drinks - we don't drink alcohol.  So the main benefit of the drink package included with YC is lost on us.  At best I could equate this to the non-alcohol package which includes the virgin drinks, etc.  But I see something about the drink package included soft serve ice cream - is there not a free soft serve ice cream for everyone?  What about the gelato station? Is that an extra fee for YC?  Looking for clarification here too. 

 

Thanks in advance for the help & opinions.   

Edited January 30 by Toddcan

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 hour ago, Toddcan said:

Few more follow up questions.  

 

I have not yet pulled the trigger on this upgrade  -  it might not even be available still, but just in case it is... Looking for opinions for those who have experience. 

 

1. I booked the 3 night specialty dining with the Fantastica experience. The thought was that it will be a little nicer than the MDR. But, it appears to me that the YC dining area will give me that same "less crowded" experience.  So, I could book YC, and cancel my dining package.   Does anyone have any cautions for me on this?

 

2. Internet.  for sure, there is a savings here. I would be buying the 2 device per person package, so YC saves me $212 pp there.   Only thing is - YC comes with the surf package only.  It says "no video", but I suspect that it's just a speed limitation?  Anyone have experience on the Meraviglia with just the basic internet?  I suppose a good litmus test is - can you watch a youtube video?

 

3. Ocean Cay YC area. I have booked a cabana under our Fantastica booking - we like cabanas and the price was great ( $252). I think the standard YC area is going to be a "less" of an experience to our booked cabana.  Looking for opinions here too. 

 

4. Drinks - we don't drink alcohol.  So the main benefit of the drink package included with YC is lost on us.  At best I could equate this to the non-alcohol package which includes the virgin drinks, etc.  But I see something about the drink package included soft serve ice cream - is there not a free soft serve ice cream for everyone?  What about the gelato station? Is that an extra fee for YC?  Looking for clarification here too. 

 

Thanks in advance for the help & opinions.   

 

Just off the Meraviglia a few days ago: 

 

1) We found the YC dining room to be fantastic... never crowded, great service, and elevated food. The one specialty dining we thought was well worth visiting was Hola Tacos, where you can order a-la-carte, or all you can eat for $18. Butchers Cut was good, but we had particularly poor chaotic/poor service. Kaito Sushi was very good for cruise ship sushi, and Ocean Cay was excellent, but especially on a 7 day cruise I don't know it would be worth eating outside of the YC, especially at dinner. Maybe a lunch or two? 

 

2) We didn't try streaming anything other than music on this trip, but found the internet generally stable otherwise. FaceTime calls were fine, but absolutely compressed and not high-res like a home wifi or 5G network. I will say that trying to receive/send photos in messages on an iPhone was laborious, and would take several tries to get working. 

 

3) You definitely do not want to be in a cabana outside of the YC area on Ocean Cay... you'll loose easy access to the Ocean House restaurant, butlers with towels, waters, drinks, snacks, etc. We're big cabana people on private islands, having done them on Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Labadee, etc. We didn't find it necessary to do a cabana on Ocean Cay. The private beach has tons of umbrellas, padded loungers, etc, and if you need a break/extra shade you can just hop up to the lounge space outside of the Ocean House. There's the added benefit of having a shuttle drive you directly from the ship to the YC space, instead of waiting in the crowd or walking to your own cabana. 

 

4) Gelato is an extra charge from the Jean Philipe shop in the galleria/promenade. There is soft serve on the main pool deck, but we avoided going out there as much as possible. That said, butlers will often do an ice cream/gelato service on the YC pool deck in the early afternoon on warm days.
 

Ultimately, it comes down to how you want to spend your vacation. We spent most of our time eating at the YC buffet for breakfast and lunch, and then lounging on the sofas on the YC pool deck for hours reading. We'd head out for activities or lunch sometimes during the day, but ended up spending much more time in the YC than we expected, especially because the rest of the Meraviglia was so chaotic... we only made it to the real buffet for about 20 seconds one afternoon, and then late at night if we just wanted a slice of pizza. 

 

 

[Happygcruiser]

We also got the counter offer for our sailing in Norther Europe. From Aurea to YC Deluxe, the upgrade was 1400 EUR. (Originally we payed 2000 EUR). But we will also be 2 adults, with 2 kids (16,12).

I would do it, if I were you and can afford it.

Last year we were upgraded WITHOUT paying from Aurea Whirlpool suite to the YC Duplex suites... That was amazing!

[BookBikeBeyond123]

Just curious, did you end up upgrading to YC?

[Toddcan]

3 hours ago, BookBikeBeyond123 said:

Just curious, did you end up upgrading to YC?

Not yet.  We got a really great deal on our Fantastica Balcony.  $1,200 for 2 people for a week - taxes included.  The balcony is on the back of the ship, top corner - our fav place to be - we love aft views, and book them when we can on Royal Caribbean. Anyway... YC is an EXTRA $1,700 on top of the $1,200.  So, for sure $2,900 for 2 people on a 7 day cruise in a balcony cabin is "typical", but I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger. First time on MSC too - so there's the unknown.. 

[awatt]

$2900 for 2 people in YC for a week is a REALLY good deal.

 

And if I read your posts correctly, you would be saving cost of drink package,wifi and cabana. This would offset the upgrade cost.

 

 

Edited January 31 by awatt

[TrinaLC]

You do have a fantastic current aft cabin! 
 

Are you sailing during a vacation period when ship likely to be super crowded with kids? That might tilt towards YC. 
 

Also are you happy with your current dining time? I believe it is hard to change it with Fantastica.  But then with specialty dining you will have some nights you can switch. 

 

If not, maybe stick with what you have.  That is a huge savings.  (I’d probably ditch the cabana though - there is a lot of great shaded seating all through the island, to me the cabin would not be worth it. They are nothing special though the island itself is.)

 

if you do upgrade, cancel both the specialty dining and the cabana. You won’t need either in YC. 
 

BTW I am a dedicated YCer but I can see the attraction of an aft corner plus dramatically lower costs. 

Edited January 31 by TrinaLC