***LIVE*** from the MSC Seashore: A Solo Experience in YC + Side-by-Side Comparison to Seascape - March 31 - April 6, 2024

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

35 minutes ago, Knicks1130 said:

Does MSC have sport betting????

If they do, I haven't seen it... Pretty sure they don't. 

[cellfree]

If anyone interested, currently on Seashore as is @FamilyAtSea.travel but in Interior Yacht Club Cabins on Deck 19 and IMHO they are extremely spacious with ample closet and drawer space (not sure if Interiors on Deck 16 & 18 are the same), I would not hesitate to book these again.

[Bead Pirate]

3 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

If they do, I haven't seen it... Pretty sure they don't. 

I will be using an APP on the phone (only works in FL of course)...

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

On 4/4/2024 at 12:23 PM, Bead Pirate said:

We are getting on the Seashore for a two-week B2B on the 14th. Can you let us know who the entertainers are in the Top Sail Lounge? Hoping one of them is Bernard 🙂 

 

Thank You!

I don't know who every entertainer is, but tonight it is Saul and he's fantastic.

 

Great selection of songs and incredibly talented.

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

On 4/4/2024 at 5:01 PM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I asked the YC Concierge desk and they didn't know... If I'm in the TSL tonight I'll try to grab their name for you (I'm going the Chef's Table dinner at Butcher's Cut tonight).

How was Chef's Table?

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Dinner Review: Chef's Table at Butcher's Cut

 

I'll start this by saying if you've ever done the Chef's Table on other cruise lines, this is not the group experience that you have on the others.

 

What MSC calls the Chef's Table is a 4-course dinner with a view of the kitchen. 

 

This doesn't make it bad, it's just different (though I do typically enjoy the shared experience in a private dining room I've had on other ships outside MSC).

 

With that said...

 

---

 

The Greeting:

 

Upon arriving at Butcher's Cut I was seated at a table directly across from the serving station near the kitchen. 

 

I was then immediately greeted by the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor who told me it would be a 4-course meal paired with a couple glasses of wine and then pointed to the chef who took a moment to wave at me and thank me for joining them. 

 

I asked how many people would be doing the Chef's Table that evening, and he replied, "including you sir? One 😝"

 

So I guess perhaps this isn't a very popular experience. 

 

---

 

The Food:

 

This isn't intended to come across as a complaint, but another key difference with the Chef's Table on MSC is that instead of it being a special meal you can't order off the menu, instead it is just a selection of items you can purchase a la carte directly from the menu (but the Chef's Table is a better value in terms of price vs ordering off the menu).

 

---

 

First Course - Caesar Salad:

 

This is a standard Caesar salad with nothing remarkable to share. The one thing to note is that it does include anchovies (but I'm sure you can ask for them to be left off if you want).

 

It was a good salad though (better than their house chop salad I had for lunch today at Butcher's Cut).

 

---

 

Second Course - Shellfish Platter:

 

This is a pretty impressive platter and was very tasty. It included shrimp, King Crab, lobster, scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels all served on a bed of ice. 

 

This was paired with a Chardonnay. 

 

I'm guessing had I been doing this experience with somebody this would have been shared, so price wise it was probably a better value doing this solo. 

 

The shellfish was all great and I ate more of it than I thought I would! 

 

 

 

---

 

Third Course - Ribeye Steak:

 

The ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was tender, juicy, and delicious. 

 

It comes with the four signature sauces you always get with the steak in Butcher's Cut: Bearnaise, Peppercorn, Forest Mushroom, and Chimichurri (the Bearnaise is the hands down winner of the four).

 

It was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon that went very well with the steak. 

 

 

 

---

 

Final Course - Lava Cake w/ Vanilla Ice Cream: 

 

If you've sailed on MSC and like chocolate, odds are you've had the lava cake at least once.

 

It was the same here as every other time I've ever had it, but it's still good.

 

 

---

 

The Service:

 

The service was a bit of a tag team approach between the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor (Sagar) and my Waiter (Archie), and they were both great. 

 

I've had three meals across two ships in Butcher's Cut and the service has been fantastic each time.

 

Whatever they're doing in this restaurant, they should replicate across all the restaurants.

---

 

Final Thoughts + Scoring:

 

If I was scoring this based on how it compares to other Chef's Tables I've done on other cruise lines (Celebrity, Royal, and Carnival), it wouldn't score very high. 

 

As previously mentioned - it wasn't a special menu, it's not a shared experience as you meet new friends, and it's not in a private space. 

 

However, if you look past that and consider it for what it is - the food was good and the service was great.

 

So for my scores:

 

- Food: 4/5 (tasted great but the menu left something to be desired)

- Service: 5/5

- Experience: 3/5

 

---

 

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Wow. So much food. Looks good. Thanks for the review.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Onboard Internet

 

I upgraded the YC-included Browse internet to Browse & Stream for an additional $70 ($10/day).

 

When the service works, it works extremely well (see speed test screenshot below), but the problem is it only works about 70% of the time. 

 

I'm not sure if this is an issue with Starlink or the onboard network, but it's a shame it's not more reliable since it is great when it works.

 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Birthdays in the YC Restaurant

 

This is trivial and really doesn't matter to me one way or the other, but I've been surprised this week to see the YC staff have to do the dog and pony show of singing and clapping to wish a happy birthday as if they were at Texas Roadhouse.

 

I'm not the type to be bothered by this (it's fun honestly), but I was surprised to see they do it in such a nice restaurant. 

 

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures or video of things, but they do a great job with it. 

[rrraydon]

7 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Dinner Review: Chef's Table at Butcher's Cut

 

I'll start this by saying if you've ever done the Chef's Table on other cruise lines, this is not the group experience that you have on the others.

 

What MSC calls the Chef's Table is a 4-course dinner with a view of the kitchen. 

 

This doesn't make it bad, it's just different (though I do typically enjoy the shared experience in a private dining room I've had on other ships outside MSC).

 

With that said...

 

---

 

The Greeting:

 

Upon arriving at Butcher's Cut I was seated at a table directly across from the serving station near the kitchen. 

 

I was then immediately greeted by the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor who told me it would be a 4-course meal paired with a couple glasses of wine and then pointed to the chef who took a moment to wave at me and thank me for joining them. 

 

I asked how many people would be doing the Chef's Table that evening, and he replied, "including you sir? One 😝"

 

So I guess perhaps this isn't a very popular experience. 

 

---

 

The Food:

 

This isn't intended to come across as a complaint, but another key difference with the Chef's Table on MSC is that instead of it being a special meal you can't order off the menu, instead it is just a selection of items you can purchase a la carte directly from the menu (but the Chef's Table is a better value in terms of price vs ordering off the menu).

 

---

 

First Course - Caesar Salad:

 

This is a standard Caesar salad with nothing remarkable to share. The one thing to note is that it does include anchovies (but I'm sure you can ask for them to be left off if you want).

 

It was a good salad though (better than their house chop salad I had for lunch today at Butcher's Cut).

 

---

 

Second Course - Shellfish Platter:

 

This is a pretty impressive platter and was very tasty. It included shrimp, King Crab, lobster, scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels all served on a bed of ice. 

 

This was paired with a Chardonnay. 

 

I'm guessing had I been doing this experience with somebody this would have been shared, so price wise it was probably a better value doing this solo. 

 

The shellfish was all great and I ate more of it than I thought I would! 

 

 

 

---

 

Third Course - Ribeye Steak:

 

The ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was tender, juicy, and delicious. 

 

It comes with the four signature sauces you always get with the steak in Butcher's Cut: Bearnaise, Peppercorn, Forest Mushroom, and Chimichurri (the Bearnaise is the hands down winner of the four).

 

It was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon that went very well with the steak. 

 

 

 

---

 

Final Course - Lava Cake w/ Vanilla Ice Cream: 

 

If you've sailed on MSC and like chocolate, odds are you've had the lava cake at least once.

 

It was the same here as every other time I've ever had it, but it's still good.

 

 

---

 

The Service:

 

The service was a bit of a tag team approach between the Specialty Restaurant Supervisor (Sagar) and my Waiter (Archie), and they were both great. 

 

I've had three meals across two ships in Butcher's Cut and the service has been fantastic each time.

 

Whatever they're doing in this restaurant, they should replicate across all the restaurants.

---

 

Final Thoughts + Scoring:

 

If I was scoring this based on how it compares to other Chef's Tables I've done on other cruise lines (Celebrity, Royal, and Carnival), it wouldn't score very high. 

 

As previously mentioned - it wasn't a special menu, it's not a shared experience as you meet new friends, and it's not in a private space. 

 

However, if you look past that and consider it for what it is - the food was good and the service was great.

 

So for my scores:

 

- Food: 4/5 (tasted great but the menu left something to be desired)

- Service: 5/5

- Experience: 3/5

 

---

 

 

Holy smoke that looks divine!!

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Can you name the YC Director for this sailing?

[perakcruiser]

On 4/7/2024 at 5:32 AM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

This is trivial and really doesn't matter to me one way or the other, but I've been surprised this week to see the YC staff have to do the dog and pony show of singing and clapping to wish a happy birthday as if they were at Texas Roadhouse.

 

I'm not the type to be bothered by this (it's fun honestly), but I was surprised to see they do it in such a nice restaurant. 

It is only performed if it is ordered by the guest or better said by the family of the one with birthday. I ordered it for my 7year old last time and she was so happy. I will againorder it on my birthday cruise in May, but certainly only because of the kids having fun, not because of me 😉 

 

Unfortunately this ship does not have a Butchers Cut, otherwise I would know my birthday dinner now, the seafood platter looks so amazing and the wine pairing surely is perfect also. 

Edited April 8 by perakcruiser

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

2 hours ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Can you name the YC Director for this sailing?

It was Melania from Italy.

 

She was okay but not as great as Mustafa was on the Seascape. 

 

The only time I asked her for anything (ear plugs for the crying kid in the room beside me), she wasn't able to help.

[cruisebeachgirl703]

4 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

It was Melania from Italy.

 

She was okay but not as great as Mustafa was on the Seascape. 

 

The only time I asked her for anything (ear plugs for the crying kid in the room beside me), she wasn't able to help.

Thanks. We are on Mera end of the month. Can't wait. Did you have the same room type 1st and 2nd week?

[cellfree]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:15 AM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

It was Melania from Italy.

 

She was okay but not as great as Mustafa was on the Seascape. 

 

The only time I asked her for anything (ear plugs for the crying kid in the room beside me), she wasn't able to help.

It was our first Yacht Club cruise after 12 MSC cruises. From all I read ahead of time I feel everything was “average” compared to some of the other comments people raved about in their experiences. That’s not to say we didn’t have a wonderful time, we did. (Well apart from the whining/noisy/misbehaved kids that parents seemed oblivious to in the dining room - my one rant!) Will definitely try Yacht Club again on another ship. I realize every experience is different. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

10 minutes ago, cellfree said:

It was our first Yacht Club cruise after 12 MSC cruises. From all I read ahead of time I feel everything was “average” compared to some of the other comments people raved about in their experiences. That’s not to say we didn’t have a wonderful time, we did. (Well apart from the whining/noisy/misbehaved kids that parents seemed oblivious to in the dining room - my one rant!) Will definitely try Yacht Club again on another ship. I realize every experience is different. 

Aside from the crying baby in the room beside me, I didn't notice any poor behavior from kids but since I have a couple of my own perhaps I'm just less aware since I'm used to it at home.

 

I will say while it was a great experience, I don't think I'd pay much more for it than their current pricing. If we see YC pricing get to the Haven (NCL)/Retreat (Celebrity) pricing, I wouldn't be willing to spend the money since outside the YC, the ships aren't as nice as the other cruise lines (MSC ships have a lower sq ft per passenger rate for public spaces + a higher crew:passenger ratio.

 

Be sure to complete your survey form! I did mine earlier. 

[cellfree]

2 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Aside from the crying baby in the room beside me, I didn't notice any poor behavior from kids but since I have a couple of my own perhaps I'm just less aware since I'm used to it at home.

 

I will say while it was a great experience, I don't think I'd pay much more for it than their current pricing. If we see YC pricing get to the Haven (NCL)/Retreat (Celebrity) pricing, I wouldn't be willing to spend the money since outside the YC, the ships aren't as nice as the other cruise lines (MSC ships have a lower sq ft per passenger rate for public spaces + a higher crew:passenger ratio.

 

Be sure to complete your survey form! I did mine earlier. 

Oh yes, survey done.

Behavior was observed evenings at dinnertime, somehow we were always seated very close to it. The last evening we left the dining room my daughter stopped to visit with a family she observed all week with well behaved kids during dinner, complimented them, well deserved after others we saw/heard. Didn’t intend to draw out my rant, apologies. 

[DaKahuna]

On 4/6/2024 at 1:58 PM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Dinner Review: Chef's Table at Butcher's Cut

 

 Great review and comparison. 

 

 The pictures of the wine brings to mind one of the disappointed things I discovered about MSC cruises out of Florida and NYC versus their cruises out of European ports.  The wines.  When sailing out of the USA, apparently MSC shifts their wine menu to favor American wines.  Not that I have anything against American wines, I drink those more than any other, I just was disappointed not to have a greater selection of Italian, French, or German wines served with the beverage packages.  

 

 I was able to request and receive Italian wines but they were off menu in the YC restaurant. 

 

[alserrod]

Hi

 

Do you have the Wine list?

 

Is it possible to ask a wine out of the menu?. I wonder if they have some hidden gems from those unknown wine areas in the world

[DaKahuna]

14 hours ago, alserrod said:

Hi

 

Do you have the Wine list?

 

Is it possible to ask a wine out of the menu?. I wonder if they have some hidden gems from those unknown wine areas in the world

 

No, I do not have the wine list.  also we were on a different ship, MSC Divina. 

 

I know they have a bottle list of wines that are offered in Le Muse but i never asked to see it.  Your best bet is to tell you waiter/assistant waiter what type of wines you like and let them find something for you.  

 

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

On 4/9/2024 at 5:08 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 Great review and comparison. 

 

 The pictures of the wine brings to mind one of the disappointed things I discovered about MSC cruises out of Florida and NYC versus their cruises out of European ports.  The wines.  When sailing out of the USA, apparently MSC shifts their wine menu to favor American wines.  Not that I have anything against American wines, I drink those more than any other, I just was disappointed not to have a greater selection of Italian, French, or German wines served with the beverage packages.  

 

 I was able to request and receive Italian wines but they were off menu in the YC restaurant. 

 

Will try on Mera later this month. There is a pinot grigio we like. They seem to have non consistency in champagne served in YC across us sailings.