X Ascent to MSC Seashore: Semi-Live Comparison

[Mrs_Tiki]

Note: if you don't think it appropriate to post on the X board about other cruise lines, please jump ship now! At the request of a few CC friends - @mac_tlc and others - I will attempt to compare the MSC Yacht Club product with X's Retreat for the benefit of those thinking of sailing in MSC Yacht Club.

 

DH and I disembarked Ascent yesterday after a lovely cruise with @mac_tlc @Irishredhead21 @billc23. Sorry that we did not get to meet @Texed and @danceswithphones. We have been on several X cruises since 2002, most recently 5 E-class cruises since the post-COVID. The recent astronomic Retreat pricing and decreased levels of service caused us to look at other alternatives. We cruised MSC Seascape last spring and Seabourn Odyssey last fall. 

 

My intention here is to provide a real-time comparison, acknowledging that things are "fluid" on X now under the new CEO's leadership.

 

 

Cliff Notes version of this comparison: for me, it's a push at this point. Given MSC's lower price point, I would book Yacht Club in the future unless I could find a bargain on E-class Retreat.

 

Ships: (point to Ascent)

Both are lovely in different ways. Ascent's decor is more subdued, and Seashore is glitz and glam with endless expanses of marble, chrome, and crystal staircases. But the winning factor for Ascent is that we enjoyed all areas of the ship and on Seashore we don't plan to leave Yacht Club. Another factor is the number of pax. The ships are of similar tonnage, but Seashore carries approximately 2,000 more passengers without a commensurate increase in crew.

 

Embarkation: (point to Ascent)

Port Everglades Terminal 25's separate entrance and lounge for Retreat passengers definitely wins here. Once through the "magic door" around 11:00 last week, we definitely experienced an elevated experience. However, we noted that there were no lines waiting to enter the general boarding area. There must have been a dozen staff waiting to check us in. One point of difference - once you leave the Retreat Lounge, you rejoin the general boarding line, but it was a leisurely, uncrowded walk up the gangway and onto the ship.

 

YC attempts to create a similar experience at Terminal 10 at Port Canaveral but is limited by the facility. Arriving at 12:30 yesterday, we were able to bypass a line of approximately 500 people waiting to enter the terminal and proceed to the YC tent. After verifying our name and cabin number, we were grouped with two other couples, and a port employee walked us to the front of the line. Once through security, we were handed off to another escort who took us to a cordoned off check-in for the YC within the giant terminal. Check-in was completed quickly, and after a celebratory sip of champagne, a butler stopped the main boarding line to escort us onto the ship. Even with a butler leading, it felt like a crush of people, and there were many snarky comments (and hand gestures!) when he led us to the front of a line to go through the card readers.

 

Although I know we paid for this privilege, I am a "rules girl" and felt uncomfortable breaking the line on multiple occasions. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the special treatment. You could really feel the extra passenger load on Seashore during the embarkation process!

 

I need to attend to some work for now but will return with a comparison of the dedicated spaces for Retreat/YC and our suite later!

 

 

 

[jelayne]

Thanks.  Looking forward to the rest of your comparison.  

[Gordoncruickshank]

Us too. 

We are in the Retreat on Silhouette next month and have YC MSC Seascape booked for 2025 

[chisoxfan]

Please post your thoughts. We were in Retreat on this 1/21 Ascent cruise and on Apex in October 2022. After a very favorable  MSC YC cruise in 2019 are looking to do this again and am most interested in your recent comparisons.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Dedicated Spaces: (point to Seashore)

 

Although we enjoyed Ascent's Retreat Lounge, Sundeck, and Luminae, this trip made us very aware of the distance and flights of stairs between our Sky Suite near the aft elevators and the Retreat dedicated spaces. Here on Seashore, we really love having our cabin steps away from the YC facilities that encompass four levels on the bow of the ship. It really is a ship within a ship. 

 

The two-level Topsail Lounge and Restaurant is a lovely space. The bar is consistently staffed, which was not the case for us on Ascent. The bar has 9 stools for those who enjoy sitting at the bar and also includes a fancy coffee setup for Cappuchinos, Lattes, etc., as well a wide variety of small plates appropriate to the time of day. On Ascent, we never seemed to make it to the Retreat Lounge when the snacks were out!

 

For me, the sundeck areas are a push. On Ascent, we never had an issue finding loungers. People in Retreat seemed really decent about vacating loungers and cabanas when they left the area. And the expanded area and extra hot tub (vs. Edge and Apex) felt very spacious. I am not sure the weather will allow us to enjoy this area fully on the Seashore this week, but another plus is a more robust outdoor grill/buffet area serving breakfast and lunch. Much more selection than on Ascent sundeck.

 

Suites: (tie)

The decor or the suites is another area of contrast between the two ships. We prefer Ascent's soothing, light colors, but also find Seashore's elegant dark gray palette attractive. We absolutely loved the sea-facing bed and bathroom mirror/window in our Sky Suite on Ascent but also like the somewhat separate living area in our suite on Seashore. Beds are subjective - we love a firm mattress, so Ascent wins here for us. But those liking a softer sleep would probably like Seashore's comfy bed.

 

Each suite had wins and losses on functionality. The Seashore bathroom lacks the separate toilet are and tub/shower combo that we had on Ascent, but the shower is much easier to enter, and the adjustable handheld shower wand works better for me than the one on Ascent. However, we really miss the subtle nightlight that we had on Ascent, which allowed us to use the facilities during the night without disturbing one another. On Seashore, there is no nightlight, and the light switch is outside the door, which is awkward for nighttime trips. On Seashore, the vanity is outside the bathroom, which makes it easier for two people to get ready at once. (I had to bring a small fan on Ascent, because the bathroom vanity gets so hot - but that could just be me!)

 

Time to exercise off some of this food! Speaking of food, I think it makes sense to cover food and beverage next.  Please let me know if you have any specific ??? about either of the ships.

 

 

 

[billc23]

1 hour ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Note: if you don't think it appropriate to post on the X board about other cruise lines, please jump ship now! At the request of a few CC friends - @mac_tlc and others - I will attempt to compare the MSC Yacht Club product with X's Retreat for the benefit of those thinking of sailing in MSC Yacht Club.

 

DH and I disembarked Ascent yesterday after a lovely cruise with @mac_tlc @Irishredhead21 @billc23. Sorry that we did not get to meet @Texed and @danceswithphones. We have been on several X cruises since 2002, most recently 5 E-class cruises since the post-COVID. The recent astronomic Retreat pricing and decreased levels of service caused us to look at other alternatives. We cruised MSC Seascape last spring and Seabourn Odyssey last fall. 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a pleasure to meet you and DH last week! Thank you for posting a comparison review as I will be on MSC YC soon and appreciate any pointers to improve my experience. My experience on the Ascent last week was great. I think that Celebrity went all out to have experienced staff - at full staffing levels - to give much improved service on their new ship compared to other Celebrity ships I have recently sailed on. Also, it seemed to me that the basic food quality (the beef, fish etc.) was better than usual. Hopefully this is true of Celebrity's other ships...

[chisoxfan]

Looking forward to more comments. So far am in agreement on room etc. based on previous YC on MSC experience. Contrary to post from Billc23 we actually felt service on Apex was 'friendlier' and more polished. In Retreat and Luminae on APEX we had servers bringing us drinks upon seating. The Luminae hostess on Apex was particularly helpful in sorting out our simple (hopefully) table preferences. We don't expect a four top at the window but would like a little privacy. Seating and tables at Luminae were tight on Apex but seemed worse on Ascent. The APEX Hostess noted our preferences and it was always a positive experience. On Ascent I felt our simple request was always a burden to hostess and there was no consistency where the attention on APEX was amazing. The level of service on APEX was not something we expected or demanded but it set a high bar compared to what we experienced on Ascent which was certainly acceptable. JMHO

[Itchy&Scratchy]

4 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

we really miss the subtle nightlight that we had on Ascent

good to know. We bring our own night light anyway, but it would be interesting to know if regular cabins on Ascent also have a built-in night light.

[Texed]

6 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

  I will attempt to compare the MSC Yacht Club product with X's Retreat for the benefit of those thinking of sailing in MSC Yacht Club.

 

 Sorry that we did not get to meet @Texed .

 

I am enjoying your comparison .  We had two wonderful weeks on Ascent.  We are sorry we did not get to meet you also. 

[1Virgo]

We would be interested in your thoughts about the wines in Luminae vs MSC YC.    Were the prestocked beverages in MSC YC fridge included or extra as they are in Retreat  cabins ?      Thank you.   looking forward to your reviews

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

good to know. We bring our own night light anyway, but it would be interesting to know if regular cabins on Ascent also have a built-in night light.

Yes.

[Gordoncruickshank]

19 minutes ago, 1Virgo said:

We would be interested in your thoughts about the wines in Luminae vs MSC YC.    Were the prestocked beverages in MSC YC fridge included or extra as they are in Retreat  cabins ?      Thank you.   looking forward to your reviews

They are all included and restocked daily.

[KKB]

@Mrs_Tiki Looking forward to the rest!!

We just booked Ascent for December (non-Retreat)--always love the comparisons!

WISH we could have sailed with you all last week!

[deliver42]

We love celebrity, and are booked  non Retreat on the Ascent. We've been on the seashore and the Divina in the YC, and like the OP, rarely left the YC due to overcrowding of the ships, along with understaffing. The only times we left the YC were for a couple of shows, because our butler lead us down to the theater and they have reserve seats for the Yacht Club. Would we do it again? Definitely, because you can't beat the price for what they give you, but I would not book a non Yacht club cruise with MSC.

[George C]

We booked several celebrity suites from sky to penthouse, sailing in March in royal, really looking forward to returning to MSc yacht club in December price is way over a thousand less per person over sky suite,with free WiFi and drinks . Our previous yacht club we loved yacht club and their entertainment but did see some shows, butler will escort you if you want . Went to casino , sports bar and some smaller shows. 

[Mrs_Tiki]

16 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

good to know. We bring our own night light anyway, but it would be interesting to know if regular cabins on Ascent also have a built-in night light.

I will add that to my packing list. However, I can’t find an electrical outlet in the bath, so it will be a battery nightlight, if there is such a thing!

[Mrs_Tiki]

15 hours ago, 1Virgo said:

We would be interested in your thoughts about the wines in Luminae vs MSC YC.    Were the prestocked beverages in MSC YC fridge included or extra as they are in Retreat  cabins ?      Thank you.   looking forward to your reviews

Here are photos of the mini bar info. We requested a bottle of Chardonnay, but have not yet received.

 

We are not picky about wine. I only drink Chardonnay and had Kendall Jackson on Seashore, which I would consider equivalent to the Elegance Chard on Ascent. DH has enjoyed Honig Sauvignon Blanc. DH will conduct additional research on reds. Stay tuned!

 

Edited January 30 by Mrs_Tiki

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

I will add that to my packing list. However, I can’t find an electrical outlet in the bath, so it will be a battery nightlight, if there is such a thing!

There are plenty of battery operated night lights. Amazon has a bunch, and so does Walmart.

 

We used to bring this battery operated night light:

 

 

 

 

but now we bring a usb one with a plug (it's important to bring a usb plug with two equal size prongs for the bathroom (shaver) outlet): I use a Samsung phone usb plug for this

 

 

After I took a spill in the middle of the night trying to use a bathroom in complete and utter darkness on one of the ships a couple of years ago (I am night blind), I am not taking any chances.

Edited January 30 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

you can go simple or fancy:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Energizer-LED-Night-Light/5013819087

https://www.lowes.com/pd/ecolight-3-5-in-RGBW-LED-Battery-Operated-Magnetic-Tap-Puck-Light-With-IR-Remote/5001792631

https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Bedroom-Bathroom-Nursery-Atmosphere/dp/B09K7LM27D

https://www.amazon.com/goodenough-Dimmable-Silicone-Rechargeable-Children/dp/B0CGQZ3B91

 

 

I've seen people on cruisecritic mention these ones:

https://www.amazon.com/AUVON-Rechargeable-Adjustable-Brightness-Cabinet/dp/B07MHVTHQS

 

 

some people bring a flickering flameless candle from the dollar store:

https://www.dollartree.com/candles/flameless-led-candles

in particular: 

https://www.dollartree.com/luminessence-white-tea-light-candles-with-yellow-leds-3-ct/356237

[Mrs_Tiki]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you can go simple or fancy:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Energizer-LED-Night-Light/5013819087

https://www.lowes.com/pd/ecolight-3-5-in-RGBW-LED-Battery-Operated-Magnetic-Tap-Puck-Light-With-IR-Remote/5001792631

https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Bedroom-Bathroom-Nursery-Atmosphere/dp/B09K7LM27D

https://www.amazon.com/goodenough-Dimmable-Silicone-Rechargeable-Children/dp/B0CGQZ3B91

 

 

I've seen people on cruisecritic mention these ones:

https://www.amazon.com/AUVON-Rechargeable-Adjustable-Brightness-Cabinet/dp/B07MHVTHQS

 

 

some people bring a flickering flameless candle from the dollar store:

https://www.dollartree.com/candles/flameless-led-candles

in particular: 

https://www.dollartree.com/luminessence-white-tea-light-candles-with-yellow-leds-3-ct/356237

Thank you!

[Mrs_Tiki]

Food & Beverage: (tie)

 

Ascent advantages:

• Ability to dine in Blu or Luminae - we checked menu online and picked the one that appealed the most.
• Restaurants are quieter.
• We were seated in the same area with same waitstaff each time we dined in Blu or Luminae.
• We had no hesitation about leaving the Retreat to try other venues like Eden Cafe and Cafe al Bacio.

Seashore advantages:

• YC restaurant and pool grill open every day for lunch. (Except when Ocean House on Ocean Cay is open - it was not our trip, as our arrival was delayed and lunch served in the restaurant onboard.)
• Pasta and pizza are phenomenal!
• Breakfast items were well-prepared and delicious. Omelets have been works of art and waffles were amazing! (@Texed) (I had a couple of breakfast items in Luminae that were dreadful - whole wheat crepe and egg white bake with spinach and sweet potato.)
• A more expansive lunch service on pool deck, and snacks available all day in the lounge.

Lobster Roll Showdown: Potato Roll on Ascent for the win, but Seashore's was pretty darn good, too!

 

[Mrs_Tiki]

Butlergate: (plot twist - point to Ascent)

 

This subject has been discussed thoroughly on @mac_tlc's "Live From" thread for Ascent's January 21 sailing. It seems that X is bringing back some sort of butler service for Sky Suites beyond the one head butler. DH and I were lucky to be assigned Edwin, who was a rock star. We saw him frequently, and he provided our requested fruit and cheese plate each afternoon. Also, he was proactive in checking in to ensure that our Retreat Host (aka stateroom attendant) was providing good service.

 

Our butler on Seashore is kind to greet us each morning and provide information on the evening shows but has failed to follow through on requests, such as the bottle of wine included for our suite. It is cool that the butlers are always available to escort YC patrons to other areas of the ship, like the reserved seating in the theater or to the gangway. But I don't think that it is a plus for Seashore that this is even necessary. 

 

Retreat Host/Stateroom Attendant: (point to Seashore)

 

I had to separate this as its own category due to the contrast in performance between the butler and cabin attendant on the two ships. Our Retreat Host on Ascent was adequate but failed to keep water bottles replenished. (But no fear, Butler Edwin to the rescue!) She seemed to forget that we had sent a bag of laundry, and we had to make multiple requests to get it back days later. It was obvious that she was overwhelmed with the number of cabins she was assigned. our cabin was rarely serviced before lunchtime.

 

Our stateroom attendant on Seashore is like a ninja. After the first day, he learned our habits and serviced our cabin while we had our morning work catchup session in the YC lounge. He does have the advantage of technology working in his favor. Seashore has a set of lights that indicate whether we have requested service or do not disturb, as well as a set that indicates whether we have inserted the card by the door to activate lights/electricity.

 

One small gripe - we are in a Grand Deluxe Suite (slightly wider than a standard suite), which provides an elongated area in the hall to park the attendant's supply cart. It remains there all day, everyday. This contributes to some noise from the hallway, but I guess it could help us locate our cabin if we are overserved. 🙂

 

[Texed]

Thanks for the comparison review.  Wow, there sure are a lot of rooms/passengers on MSC. 

[Mrs_Tiki]

1 minute ago, Texed said:

Thanks for the comparison review.  Wow, there sure are a lot of rooms/passengers on MSC. 

Yes, there are. But we have not felt it as long as we stay in YC. That reminds me to talk about muster drill, thank you!

[Mrs_Tiki]

Muster Drill: (extra credit point to Ascent)

 

I would not normally include this as a category in a review, but this was a major win for Ascent. Being able to watch the safety video in our cabin and do the mandatory check-in at our muster station on Ascent at our leisure was a huge plus.

 

On Seashore, you watch the safety video in your suite and verify that you have by dialing 881 on the phone. So far, so good. But then, all 5,500 passengers have to report to the muster stations at the same time to check in. It was a complete melee. Our suite is on 16 and our muster station on 7, and we were fortunate to have been allowed to use the elevator due to DH's bum knee. It was shocking to me that others ignored the instructions of the crew members monitoring the elevators and shoved their way in to join us. Another reminder of those extra 2,000 passengers on Seashore and not a pleasant way to start our trip!