Celebrity cruiser is trying MSC YC for the first time - tell me all about it.

[ISABELLA]

After sailing with Celebrity for many years, we decided to try MSC YC, sailing in December on Seashore.

Please share your opinions on what to watch for and what to avoid, what not to miss. 

For anybody who sailed on other cruiselines, why would you stay with MSC YC?

All inputs are greatly appreciated.

[Essiesmom]

There are several current and recent Live from threads here.  And a favorite feature of CC is to go to the top of the boards page and Select ship…and select the ship you are interested in and it will give you threads that mention it.  I realize this pic is from the Cunard board, but the same feature is on every cruise line board except the ones with on,y one or two ships.  EM

 

Edited Sunday at 07:19 PM by Essiesmom

[lahlah57]

We are Princess and Celebrity cruisers and are currently on the MSC seascape and love the exclusivity of our YC area!

The YC is peaceful and the staff are so welcoming and bend over backwards to provide the best experience possible. 

Our own bars, restaurant, pool area, buffet area and our very own concierge is fabulous! 

The locked doors that keep out steerage can only make the experience exclusive. Love it so far!

[morpheusofthesea]

57 minutes ago, ISABELLA said:

why would you stay with MSC YC?

These are the differences between Retreats and Yacht Clubs....#1 MSC Yacht Club Restaurant is OPEN port days. Celebrity Luminae is NOT open port days.

#2 MSC YC has reserved seating in the theatre for YC guests at all shows. Celebrity only Gala night.

#3 Royal Suite on MSC has 2 cushion deck lounges on the balcony. Celebrity RS can only accommodate 1 non cushioned deck lounger.

#4 MSC has reserved pergolas/cabanas for RS & OS.. Celebrity on sundeck; it is FCFS chair hoggers that get those.

#5 More attentive butlers on MSC . Celebrity hosts give one their telephone number which many times is forwarded to room service.

#6 Walk-in showers on MSC YC, Celebrity has low profile tub/shower combos in CS and SS.

#7 Elevator OVERRIDE key cards for suite guests on MSC. No such amenity on Celebrity.

#8 No non-suite paying Diamond card holders taking up real estate in YC venues. Celebrity has non suite Zeniths in our venues.

#9 MSC All suites are within a gated community with a short climb up or down to all venues. Celebrity depends on what ship.

#10 MSC a new pristine Ocean Cay out island with its own employees and no bugs crawling all over the lounges. Celebrity has mostly Nassau.

#11 MSC offers Individual escorts on and off the ship. Celebrity one must assemble and be escorted off in groups (always waiting for some straggler).

#12 For those that enjoy buffets MSC YC has its own buffet at the One Pool Deck

#13 Celebrity has one great feature that MSC lacks; Cafe al Bacio has no peer on MSC for its selection of 12-14 mouth-watering pastries.

#14 YC has the best entertainers on the ship providing evening music in the TopSail Lounge, nothing in the Retreat Lounge.

#15 YC Pool Deck has a pool, only Celebrity E-class ships have a pool.

#16 MSC YC has much better price than the Retreat

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, ISABELLA said:

Please share your opinions on what to watch for and what to avoid,

To avoid ship's sailing 3/4 night cruises. They attract a lower class cruiser. With MSC already lowest fares in the industry one will have to hide out in the YC most of the cruise and get ones butler to escort one when wishing to venture out of the YC.

[ISABELLA]

Thank you all for taking time to respond. So far, I like what I am reading about YC. Last year we enjoyed NCL Haven, but it much pricier this year, so decided to give YC a try. Looking foraward to our cruise in December. 

One question - are all drinks in suite minifridge free?

[Best Cat Mom]

12 minutes ago, ISABELLA said:

are all drinks in suite minifridge free?

Yes. And it will refilled with beverages as many times as you'd like. You can even say to fill it only with one type of beverage -- all Heineken or all Diet Coke or all orange juice. Or change what you want day to day. Or just call your butler when you want a drink and have it brought fresh.

[DMH15]

Hi. I cannot compare Retreat because my one Celebrity cruise was before I discovered that suites were more than just bigger and better accomidations.  
 

However, I can say I have loved all of my NCL Haven and Suite cruises but learning of MSC here on Cruise Critic led me to try it.  I loved my first MSC YC cruise so I have booked another.  For January.  
 

I am excited to see if what I loved about MSC last time live up to a second YC cruise.  
 

i loved the easy al fresco dining by the pool for breakfast.  I loved the MSC spa. I loved the topsail lounge.  
 

I hope you return after your MSC cruise to share your own comparisons. 

Edited yesterday at 02:14 AM by DMH15

[stephenp]

Having sailed on over 80 cruises with many lines over the past years.

My 2nd with MSC on Euribia in the YC in October last year. 

The ship is beautiful, cabin super, butler perfect, ( he even carried our bags to the car park at the cruise terminal in Hamburg ). 

The food however was plain awful. The Italian Head waiters believed the food to be the best at sea,  mostly it was of poor quaility,  I ate breakfast after day one in the mail buffet, the food was better. Lunch by the pool, meat was tough, all hot food was cold, dinner was no better.

on the whole not worth the price.  Made a transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Silhouette´s

22 April 2024, every meal was better than anything MSC offered. 

MSC never again.   

Happy cruising

Stephen

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

13 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

To avoid ship's sailing 3/4 night cruises. They attract a lower class cruiser

I resemble that remark! 😂😂. 
 

 

[RichYak]

The last few years, I sailed almost exclusively in Celebrity's Retreat. Earlier this year, I tried MSC Yacht Club. It would be very hard for me to go back to Celebrity. Everything that's wrong with Celebrity's ship within a ship concept is done properly by MSC.

 

I only have one YC sailing on Meraviglia as a basis, but one of the things that's not often mentioned with these comparisons is space per passenger. I have no numbers to back this up, but YC space (lounge + restaurant + pool deck) per YC passenger seemingly dwarfs that of the Retreat, at least on Meraviglia.

 

I have no doubt that you will love it.

[ISABELLA]

So far, so good... Food is very subjective.. We enjoy good food, and food in Haven was excellent.

The only complain we have about Haven, that water is not included in the drinking package.

[George C]

18 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

These are the differences between Retreats and Yacht Clubs....#1 MSC Yacht Club Restaurant is OPEN port days. Celebrity Luminae is NOT open port days.

#2 MSC YC has reserved seating in the theatre for YC guests at all shows. Celebrity only Gala night.

#3 Royal Suite on MSC has 2 cushion deck lounges on the balcony. Celebrity RS can only accommodate 1 non cushioned deck lounger.

#4 MSC has reserved pergolas/cabanas for RS & OS.. Celebrity on sundeck; it is FCFS chair hoggers that get those.

#5 More attentive butlers on MSC . Celebrity hosts give one their telephone number which many times is forwarded to room service.

#6 Walk-in showers on MSC YC, Celebrity has low profile tub/shower combos in CS and SS.

#7 Elevator OVERRIDE key cards for suite guests on MSC. No such amenity on Celebrity.

#8 No non-suite paying Diamond card holders taking up real estate in YC venues. Celebrity has non suite Zeniths in our venues.

#9 MSC All suites are within a gated community with a short climb up or down to all venues. Celebrity depends on what ship.

#10 MSC a new pristine Ocean Cay out island with its own employees and no bugs crawling all over the lounges. Celebrity has mostly Nassau.

#11 MSC offers Individual escorts on and off the ship. Celebrity one must assemble and be escorted off in groups (always waiting for some straggler).

#12 For those that enjoy buffets MSC YC has its own buffet at the One Pool Deck

#13 Celebrity has one great feature that MSC lacks; Cafe al Bacio has no peer on MSC for its selection of 12-14 mouth-watering pastries.

#14 YC has the best entertainers on the ship providing evening music in the TopSail Lounge, nothing in the Retreat Lounge.

#15 YC Pool Deck has a pool, only Celebrity E-class ships have a pool.

#16 MSC YC has much better price than the Retreat

I disagree with #3 our royal suite had two loungers with cushions, plus hot tub , almost 200 square ft this is on M class summit.

 

agree on most other things we have done 10 celebrity suites 9 rccl suites and a couple suites on Hal , I think YC is the best overall deal , definitely best butler. Rccl has the best ship entertainment but only YC has entertainment in their lounge , can get doubles drinks in both celebrity and YC. 

[morpheusofthesea]

9 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I resemble that remark! 😂😂. 
 

 

Present company excepted.

[morpheusofthesea]

5 hours ago, George C said:

I disagree with #3 our royal suite had two loungers with cushions, plus hot tub , almost 200 square ft this is on M class summit.

Celebrity Edge #12108  No hot tub . 6' x !2' = 72 sq ft (I brought a tape measure). Good to know on M class. Problem with S class, Equinox,  is Luminae deck 3 suite deck 11 no elevator over ride, not wanting to get into crowded elevators. Retreat sun deck no shade. No tables to eat, must eat on one's lap. Port days only alternative restaurant is Sushi on 5 not for us.

Edited yesterday at 08:34 PM by morpheusofthesea

[MonsterJoe]

5 hours ago, George C said:

can get doubles drinks in both celebrity and YC. 

They'll pour quardruples!

[George C]

48 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Celebrity Edge #12108  No hot tub . 6' x !2' = 72 sq ft (I brought a tape measure). Good to know on M class. Problem with S class, Equinox,  is Luminae deck 3 suite deck 11 no elevator over ride, not wanting to get into crowded elevators. Retreat sun deck no shade. No tables to eat, must eat on one's lap. Port days only alternative restaurant is Sushi on 5 not for us.

Wow M class balcony is almost 3 times the size , sailed on infinity and several summits, I know S class gives you an extra half a bath. Penthouse balcony on Edge doesn’t even have any direct sunlight. 

[chrisgp999]

On 9/29/2024 at 4:19 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

To avoid ship's sailing 3/4 night cruises. They attract a lower class cruiser. With MSC already lowest fares in the industry one will have to hide out in the YC most of the cruise and get ones butler to escort one when wishing to venture out of the YC.

My DW likes to live dangerously and venture out of the YC on her own.  No escort from either our butler or me.  Her excursions are usually in response to the siren's call of the ship's boutiques and/or tabletop costume jewelry sales.

[morpheusofthesea]

22 minutes ago, chrisgp999 said:

My DW likes to live dangerously and venture out of the YC on her own.

That is exactly what Siddartha did. He ventured out from the confines of his father palace, what he saw astounded him. Asked himself why, sat himself down until he obtained true enlightenment. And became Buddha. Are you prepared?

[RosieRoo]

10 hours ago, ISABELLA said:

The only complain we have about Haven, that water is not included in the drinking package.

I agree. This is so ridiculous. You can get a $6 beer, but not a $1 bottled water. Makes no sense.