A Brit’s eye view on Seascape YC - 6th - 22nd June

[Corriegr]

Part 1

 

So we are finally back in good old Blighty after two weeks aboard the good ship Seascape in Yacht Club. I have been encouraged by more esteemed members of the CC community to post more so though I would provide an overview of our last two weeks.

 

For context we’re relatively new to cruising having previously gone with Carnival back in 2016 and since 2022 have been on MSC Virtuosa twice in YC and Explora Journeys last November. DW and myself are seasoned travellers though having stayed at numerous high end resorts around the world.

 

We were offered a really good deal by our UK TA for this trip although we would be staying in an Inside Cabin having always previously booked balconies. DW had seen the Seascape had not had the best of reputations of some of forums she visits, therefore with trepidation we walked up the “gangplank” awaiting our fate for the next two weeks…..

 

From the word go though all our expectations have been confounded…..let’s start with the cabin.

 

Cabin 16041

Our home for the next two weeks was in the perfect location right behind the concierge desk and in a very quiet position. I was pretty much against going for an inside having previously enjoyed having a balcony, but DW persuaded me this was a really good deal. I have to say I was really surprised at how little I missed the balcony and really just got used to using Deck 20 as our extended balcony ( more on that later). I was also really surprised at how much space there was in the room with plenty of storage for clothes. OK the bathroom is a bit tighter especially the shower but you soon adapt to the space. The bed was really comfortable and to be honest the lack of any natural light and complete darkness meant we both slept better. The biggest thing though is the fact that YC is so egalitarian so whether you are in an inside or in a top suite you are a fully paid up member of the club entitled to all the perks.

 

Food

The highlight of our day is always pretty much the evening meal, something we like to dress up for and take our time over. Our first night was actually the only lowlight of the whole voyage. We tend to eat later in the evening as we are not bothered about the theatre productions and like a late dinner before DW pays her daily homage to Mammon but visiting the Casino. Anyway I digress, but on our first night we ended up at a table which was behind a wall tucked away in the far corner with little visibility to wait staff or rest of restaurant. We didn’t want to make too much fuss but after the meal pointed out that we would rather not be seated on that table again as not ideal for couples. This was overheard by our YC Director Mustafa and let’s just say we were never seated this way again. In fact for the majority of the cruise we ended having having the same table, and having Kevin and Justin looking after us; an absolutely wonderful team, and Kevin really is a star and one of nicest people we have ever met on our travels.

 

The food was of course excellent accompanied by some great wine choices and as we were on a B2B the minute repeated in week 2. My only other gripe would be the actual dress code not being adhered to by some of our fellow travellers, surely it’s not too hard to avoid turning up to dinner in shorts!!!

 

We also ate breakfast and lunch most days on Deck 20 with an absolute fantastic spread each day, far bigger than on the Virtuosa. Teatime treats were also available and this was my absolute downfall as I am a big fan of traditional English puddings so bread and butter pudding or assorted fruit crumbles accompanied with vanilla cream/crème anglais or custard to give it it’s proper name, was an absolute bonus although did nothing for my waistline.

 

Anyway it’s late here so to be continued

 

 

 

 

[Mommapadraig]

Oh my! I am so happy to see this. This morning we booked 16041 on the MSC seascape! I can’t wait to hear more……

[Georgia_Peaches]

We are also newly booked on Seascape so this is very timely.  Having sailed in a YC interior in the past (with no complaints towards the ship) we opted for a balcony for our upcoming travels.  I fear I will regret this decision but there were no interiors available on our preferred sailing.  The room, while smaller, is much darker and cooler at night than the balcony room.  And I have to say, I like your DW already as I too, am a casino nut who enjoys a nightly spin, or two!

 

Looking forward to your next installment...

[Mommapadraig]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We are also newly booked on Seascape so this is very timely.  Having sailed in a YC interior in the past (with no complaints towards the ship) we opted for a balcony for our upcoming travels.  I fear I will regret this decision but there were no interiors available on our preferred sailing.  The room, while smaller, is much darker and cooler at night than the balcony room.  And I have to say, I like your DW already as I too, am a casino nut who enjoys a nightly spin, or two!

 

Looking forward to your next installment...

We were in a balcony YC on our last cruise.I had booked an interior and chickened out and moved to a balcony. We’ve always cruised in balconies on every cruise.Im hoping I stay strong this time and we try the interior. If we don’t like it we’ll know better next time but wow what a deal! 

[morpheusofthesea]

You are a born writer and raconteur. Don't keep us in suspense too long.

[morpheusofthesea]

3 minutes ago, Mommapadraig said:

We were in a balcony YC on our last cruise.I had booked an interior and chickened out and moved to a balcony. We’ve always cruised in balconies on every cruise.Im hoping I stay strong this time and we try the interior. If we don’t like it we’ll know better next time but wow what a deal! 

Once on board try a night, then go to the concierge desk and ask if there is an available deluxe balcony available as you feel closed in and what might be the upcharge.

[Mommapadraig]

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Once on board try a night, then go to the concierge desk and ask if there is an available deluxe balcony available as you feel closed in and what might be the upcharge.

Yes I’m keeping that as an option.. My friend has gotten moved for next to nothing twice. This was in Europe. I’m hoping we absolutely have the best sleep we’ve had in years. This will give us a lot more cruise money. 

[xcell]

I tell my wife full circle, we began cruising in an interior and 25 years later, we are back (mind you, not any interior but a YC).

 

 

Enjoy your cruise...I enjoyed my interior except for the closet as it was broken and slammed into my finger and bruised it.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, xcell said:

I enjoyed my interior except for the closet as it was broken and slammed into my finger and bruised it.

If that happened to my DW it would have been my fault for booking that cabin in the first place. "It would never have happened if you booked my favorite suite to begin with". Hearing this the entire cruise and reminding me of this 'incident' the rest of my life.

[Corriegr]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

Yacht Club Deck 20

 

Having already talked about the Deck 20 buffet, it's good to talk a little about the wider Deck 20 area as this again was a big worry before embarking upon this cruise. Would we be able to get a sunbed? Would we be overrun with the dreaded interlopers? Again all our worries evaporated in the heat of the Caribbean sun. Beyond the cosiness of 16041, our other home from home became Cabana 14 which we pretty much had to ourselves all twoo weeks bar two days the whole of the trip. Just to qualify here we are are not sunbed hoggers, and nothing frustrates me more than those that think they have a divine right to reserves areas with all means of paraphernalia not be to seen anywhere near them for hours on end. I am just an early riser who enjoys an early morning coffee to kick start my aging body  and we just seemed to end up there most days until after 6pm at night. We were not big port people having previously visited most of the islands on the cruise so pretty much the world was our lobster (!) with choice on port days but Cabana 14 had us in it's gravitational orbit. Now this Cabana is pretty adjacent to the smoking area and neither of us are smokers but we never really been smelt any smoke the whole time we were there. 

 

The service again on the sun deck is second to none and our glasses had hardly evaporated before Michaelangelo or "Mrs Michaelanagelo" was offering us another drink of choice literally from dawn until dusk... well until 6pm anyway . Daily fruit kebabs or pots of ice cream brought to your bed completed the heaven on earth scenario.

 

The pools and hot tubs were also great never feeling overcrowded and the pool especially refreshing after too much time in the tropical heat. Deck 20 is also a great vantage point for our favourite mid afternoon diversion...the (what should be an) Olympic sport of Port Running. Best day for this was San Juan where we had some very late entrants who sprinted gallantly towards the one remaining gang plank amid a plethora of encouraging catcalls.

 

Overall we much prefer the space on Seascape as compared Virtuosa, with the pool, buffet and bar being in the centre of the deck area . The buffet and pool are much larger and the whole deck 20 is probably at least double the size of the on Virtuosa even though the overall YC capacity is only slightly larger

 

TopSail Lounge.

 

The other main area to consider is the TopSail lounge. Here we are much more familiar ground with a similar arrangement to Virtuosa albeit with the addition of an outside area. However,  it also comes with some of the same benefits and challenges. Again great service and pretty much every drink under the sun at your fingertips. Just like Virtuosa though the entertainment can be be patchy and lacklustre at time. I love " What a Wonderful World" as much as the next person but done to death by a talented Brazilian guitarist and I begin to struggle, which was pretty much it for the first few days. Things only came you life later in the week with with a talented duo who combined an eclectic mix of 50s/60s/70s  standards and Kiss yes Kiss!!.....plus as a Prince fan  I am usually against  anyone one covering his songbook but the guitar solo they did for Purple Rain, even someone as cynical as myself was impressed.

 

The other highlight in the TopSail lounge was afternoon tea. Somehow we had missed this daily ritual on Virtuosa and even on our first week on Seascape. We were not going to make the same mistake during our second week and as Brits we are anyone's for a cream tea or in this case high tea. All the elements were there from the tier cake stand to fine selection of leaf teas although in or case we went very British with the English Breakfast as well as lots of french bubbles as you must on these auspicious occasions. With a soundtrack from 50% of our new favourite jazz quartet this was an hour not to be missed.

 

To be continued

 

Edited June 24 by Corriegr

[Corriegr]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

If that happened to my DW it would have been my fault for booking that cabin in the first place. "It would never have happened if you booked my favorite suite to begin with". Hearing this the entire cruise and reminding me of this 'incident' the rest of my life.

Sounds like the soundtrack to my life!!

 

[mchin]

Love your review.  We are sailing MSC YC for the first time in January with our daughter and son-in-law.  Also, first time booking an interior room, 16039.  Been experiencing buyer's remorse since booking this sailing because I am not sure how I will do in an interior cabin.  I love the balcony and sitting out in the morning to just watch the water.  Look forward to reading your next installment. 🙂

[Corriegr]

Just now, mchin said:

Love your review.  We are sailing MSC YC for the first time in January with our daughter and son-in-law.  Also, first time booking an interior room, 16039.  Been experiencing buyer's remorse since booking this sailing because I am not sure how I will do in an interior cabin.  I love the balcony and sitting out in the morning to just watch the water.  Look forward to reading your next installment. 🙂

I was the same but 7am on deck 20 when you nearly have the whole deck to yourself and someone hands you a ready made latte as you watch the world go by ....what's not to love.

[RichYak]

I'm enjoying your review very much. Thanks for posting.

[RichYak]

20 minutes ago, Corriegr said:

...as a Prince fan  I am usually against  anyone one covering his songbook but the guitar solo they did for Purple Rain, even someone as cynical as myself was impressed.

I was never much of a fan of Adam Levine from Maroon 5 until I saw him cover Purple Rain on a Howard Stern show. Now it's one of my favorite covers of any song.

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Corriegr said:

To be continued

Music to our ears.

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Corriegr said:

Sounds like the soundtrack to my life!!

 

Years ago I complain to our doctor "All she does is whines". His reply, " I've 

 got one of those at home too."

[mchin]

8 hours ago, Corriegr said:

I was the same but 7am on deck 20 when you nearly have the whole deck to yourself and someone hands you a ready made latte as you watch the world go by ....what's not to love.

Thank you for the reassuring words.  Will definitely give it a try. 🙂

 

[MonsterJoe]

I quite enjoyed the YC interior suite...precisely for its absolute darkness.  The wife has assured me, however, that we will never not have a balcony ever again.

Edited June 25 by MonsterJoe

[Mommapadraig]

7 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

I quite enjoyed the YC interior suite...precisely for its absolute darkness.  The wife has assured me, however, that we will never not have a balcony ever again.

I won’t be surprised if DH doesn’t say the same thing..

[Corriegr]

Part 3

 

YC Perks

Beyond the actual facilities there are the YC perks to consider. Other than the butler service which I will talk about towards the end, there are those little added extras that make YC so special from the moment you are whisked aboard to the final adieu, you are always at the head of the queues. I know some on here have felt a little intimidated by this, but to be honest my attitude is I've paid for it therefore I deserve it. Yes you do get the odd negative comment from those in steer.. oops outside YC, but most people just take the fatalistic attitude of "oh its Yacht Club". The only time this didn't work so well was getting back on the ship at Cayman by tender whereby you firstly had to fight through two checkpoints just to get into the port area and then the YC rep took you so far up the queue until you were on the jetty. Once back onboard our good ship, normal service was resumed though as we are able to bypass any security queues and then use our YC wristbands to boss it by commandeering a lift (or elevator as my good friends across the pond would say) back to paradise on the 16th floor.

 

Nightime treats were also always looked forward to whether it was delicious mini lemon meringue tarts and  chocolates or no so edible but much desired branded lanyards and baseball caps. On this occasion I also regaled myself of using the 4 items pressing option with previously travel wrinkled shirts and linen suit returned in pristine condition.

 

Beyond the YC.....

As much as it may surprise one in their cossetted world inside the YC there is another land inhabited by distant kinsfolk and if one was very cautious, you could visit this other land if great care was taken.

 

As previously mentioned DW enjoyed her evening ventures to the area dedicated to the god of Mammon...the casino and then spending on her ill gotten gains on treasures with exotic fragrances and trinkets made with gold and diamonds. 
 

Ahem...As we were also Diamond members we did try the tasting menu at Butchers & Co as our  complimentary dining option and whilst it was a nice meal it was underwhelming compared to the fare in the YC restaurant, particularly with regards to my fav the shrimp cocktail which looked stunning on a bed of ice but flattered to deceive being all sparkle no substance compared the the rich flavoursome offering in YC.

 

Again the ship's layout is very different from the Virtuosa and belies it reputation as a party ship, as on the Virtuosa the main thoroughfare becomes party central at night and anyone wanting to negotiate the ship is caught in an epic journey threading through a massed drunken throng. Seascape seems much more laid back with lots of different venues and seating always available. Something we couldn't do  on the Virtuosa, due to this overcrowding in public areas, was being able to visit small bars and enjoy the entertainment especially the jazz quartet in the Loft Cafe, a delight we discovered late in the cruise.

 

People

What really sets Seascape YC apart though is the people that look after you in the YC, who just go that extra mile to make your time aboard so very very special. There is a smile in every corner to brighten your day and nothing is too much.

 

For all my joking we are pretty self reliant and never make much use of the butlers and this again was true on this trip but Putra our butler was always there checking in to see if everything was ok, In fact it became a bit of a running joke with us and anyone else from UK of a certain age may remember a children's TV show call Mr Benn which always had the line "as if by magic the shopkeeper appeared" and it was a bit like this with Putra. On the last night though we did make use when DW found out that the beachbag we had bought at beginning of trip from the logo shop has a small, and so she left a note on our bed asking if it could be replaced. To be honest I thought it was a bit cheeky and it was quite late so I thought nothing would happen but lo and behold late when we returned to do our final pack there as was lovely new bag to pack.  

 

Last but by no means least there is the legend that was our Cruise Director Mustafa, a true colossus of customer service. Where this guy get his enthusiasm and energy from I don't know, but as a service director myself he is a true inspiration. He must check on everyone and everything multiple times a day to just make everything is right no matter the tiniest detail, leading by example and imbibing the whole team with a service ethic and pride that Seascape has been top of the YC satisfaction rankings for two months in a row.

 

The guys in YC are just so amazing in many cases so far way from home away from their own families for months on end just wanting to make everyone's vacation/holiday just so special...and sometimes they will never know how important that is.. Two year's ago we experienced the nightmare no parents should ever face when our 28 year old son decided everything was too much for him. So on a serious note far from from the pampering, these trips are both a chance for us to heal as much as we can and an opportunity to experience places and things our son never will.  So I just say a big big thank you to all those guys that are doing these jobs day in day out making us have the time of our lives never knowing fully how much you are helping us.

 

Finally a big thank you to the legend that is @morpheusofthesea for encouraging me to drop a few lines on our trip and was so great to meet you and your lovely wife onboard on this trip.

 

Anyway I hope people have enjoyed this and please AMA if there's is anything you would like to know especially around the infamous inside cabins... In the meantime I  hope to do few more of these as we have trips planned into 2026.

 

As a great man from the great seafaring city of Liverpool one said " Life is what happens to you whilst you're busy making other plans"

 

 

 

Edited June 25 by Corriegr

[mcoler181]

10 minutes ago, Corriegr said:

Part 3

 

YC Perks

Beyond the actual facilities there are the YC perks to consider. Other than the butler service which I will talk about towards the end, there are those little added extras that make YC so special from the moment you are whisked aboard to the final adieu, you are always at the head of the queues. I know some on here have felt a little intimidated by this, but to be honest my attitude is I've paid for it therefore I deserve it. Yes you do get the odd negative comment from those in steer.. oops outside YC, but most people just take the fatalistic attitude of "oh its Yacht Club". The only time this didn't work so well was getting back on the ship at Cayman by tender whereby you firstly had to fight through two checkpoints just to get into the port area and then the YC rep took you so far up the queue until you were on the jetty. Once back onboard our good ship, normal service was resumed though as we are able to bypass any security queues and then use our YC wristbands to boss it by commandeering a lift (or elevator as my good friends across the pond would say) back to paradise on the 16th floor.

 

Nightime treats were also always looked forward to whether it was delicious mini lemon meringue tarts and  chocolates or no so edible but much desired branded lanyards and baseball caps. On this occasion I also regaled myself of using the 4 items pressing option with previously travel wrinkled shirts and linen suit returned in pristine condition.

 

Beyond the YC.....

As much as it may surprise one in their cossetted world inside the YC there is another land inhabited by distant kinsfolk and if one was very cautious, you could visit this other land if great care was taken.

 

As previously mentioned DW enjoyed her evening ventures to the area dedicated to the god of Mammon...the casino and then spending on her ill gotten gains on treasures with exotic fragrances and trinkets made with gold and diamonds. 
 

Ahem...As we were also Diamond members we did try the tasting menu at Butchers & Co as our  complimentary dining option and whilst it was a nice meal it was underwhelming compared to the fare in the YC restaurant, particularly with regards to my fav the shrimp cocktail which looked stunning on a bed of ice but flattered to deceive being all sparkle no substance compared the the rich flavoursome offering in YC.

 

Again the ship's layout is very different from the Virtuosa and belies it reputation as a party ship, as on the Virtuosa the main thoroughfare becomes party central at night and anyone wanting to negotiate the ship is caught in an epic journey threading through a massed drunken throng. Seascape seems much more laid back with lots of different venues and seating always available. Something we couldn't do  on the Virtuosa, due to this overcrowding in public areas, was being able to visit small bars and enjoy the entertainment especially the jazz quartet in the Loft Cafe, a delight we discovered late in the cruise.

 

People

What really sets Seascape YC apart though is the people that look after you in the YC, who just go that extra mile to make your time aboard so very very special. There is a smile in every corner to brighten your day and nothing is too much.

 

For all my joking we are pretty self reliant and never make much use of the butlers and this again was true on this trip but Putra our butler was always there checking in to see if everything was ok, In fact it became a bit of a running joke with us and anyone else from UK of a certain age may remember a children's TV show call Mr Benn which always had the line "as if by magic the shopkeeper appeared" and it was a bit like this with Putra. On the last night though we did make use when DW found out that the beachbag we had bought at beginning of trip from the logo shop has a small, and so she left a note on our bed asking if it could be replaced. To be honest I thought it was a bit cheeky and it was quite late so I thought nothing would happen but lo and behold late when we returned to do our final pack there as was lovely new bag to pack.  

 

Last but by no means least there is the legend that was our Cruise Director Mustafa, a true colossus of customer service. Where this guy get his enthusiasm and energy from I don't know, but as a service director myself he is a true inspiration. He must check on everyone and everything multiple times a day to just make everything is right no matter the tiniest detail, leading by example and imbibing the whole team with a service ethic and pride that Seascape has been top of the YC satisfaction rankings for two months in a row.

 

The guys in YC are just so amazing in many cases so far way from home away from their own families for months on end just wanting to make everyone's vacation/holiday just so special...and sometimes they will never know how important that is.. Two year's ago we experienced the nightmare no parents should ever face when our 28 year old son decided everything was too much for him. So on a serious note far from from the pampering, these trips are both a chance for us to heal as much as we can and an opportunity to experience places and things our son never will.  So I just say a big big thank you to all those guys that are doing these jobs day in day out making us have the time of our lives never knowing fully how much you are helping us.

 

Finally a big thank you to the legend that is @morpheusofthesea for encouraging me to drop a few lines on our trip and was so great to meet you and your lovely wife onboard on this trip.

 

Anyway I hope people have enjoyed this and please AMA if there's is anything you would like to know especially around the infamous inside cabins... In the meantime I  hope to do few more of these as we have trips planned into 2026.

 

As a great man from the great seafaring city of Liverpool one said " Life is what happens to you whilst you're busy making other plans"

 

 

 

Great review, we were on Seascape in Feb in cattle class and had a great time. We are on Virtuosa (first time) this Saturday in YC and so glad we are, from what I have seen online and from what you have said the public areas on Virtuosa always look crazy busy, we never really got this feeling on Seascape.

[George C]

We can’t wait for our YC cruise later this year. While we normally cruise fairly large suites and haven’t cruised a inside cabin in over 25 years, I would consider doing so on YC since you just ate not spending much time in the cabin , the outdoor area is so close with pool ,bar , hot tubs and never saw it crowded. 

[Sharon_and_TC]

Great review @Corriegr and you hit the nail on the head when you mention the people make it what it is!  

 

We spent 90% of our waking hours on Deck 20 and Michaelangelo and Nurul  (is the the Mrs. Michelangelo you mention) made our time on the Seascape as enjoyable as it was.  I'm sure we would have had a wonderful time regardless, but they were special!

 

 

[Mommapadraig]

Thank you for such a timely review since I had booked cabin 16041 hours before you posted this! My heart breaks for your loss. Cruise on in his memory. I’m in that group that believes they are always with us so I know he is loving what he is seeing with you. When is your next adventure?