Meraviglia - random jottings - yc

My wife and I are presently on board Meraviglia in a yacht club cabin. We have sailed several times previously on msc but always in yacht club. My notes be,ow are random jottings based mainly on comparisons with our previous voyages.

Embarked in Barcelona. Arrived at 1115 and on board by 1130. Perfect. Our suite is magnicent and is similar in size to the square cabins on the fantasia class vessels. The bathroom has a walk in shower and us far better. There are electronic buttons for do not disturb or make up my room. Butler service is a bit spotty, never any ice and very slow at refilling the mini fridge. The wife has remarked that the wardrobe space is tight with no walk in wardrobe.

Lifeboat drill in Barcelona, no lifejackets, just went to the theatre for instruction on how to don a life jacket. About 15 mins. Appeared to be around 500 people embarking. The main embarkation being Genoa.

The yc concierge desk is smaller and not so nice and no swarzoski

Staircase.

There is no afternoon tea served in the top sail lounge.

The top sail lounge appears to be more compact and the food area is not so nice.

Nicolas feuillte champagne is served in the yc lounge but doesn't appear on the menu.

Sun deck towels are now in your suite.

There appears to be yc priority lifts but calling them is hit and miss. However if you hit the button whilst inside the lift it does take you directly to where you want to go and overrides other people's requests.

There have been no public address announcements since we've been on board.

The ship always arrives well ahead of the scheduled times.

There is a YC director, a high ranking 3 ring officer in charge of all aspects of the yacht club. He is everywhere. He is totally responsible for the yacht club.

The yacht club is probably around 30% bigger but they really haven't got any extra staff and have to import waiters from time to time.

The YC restaurant is excellent, and is a.beautiful room with magnificent views. There are around 15 really nice front view tables, which are really spacious, the others are square and close to each other, and the difference is remarkable. The chairs are very comfy. The maitre'd is very accommodating.

There hasn't been any spa discounts.

The black card perks in the speciality restaurants offer a reduced menu choice.

We had prebooked the cirque de soliel dinner show, and on board told to reserve our choice of day and time on the screen. This caused a double charge. If you have prebooked the show then you must book your table with the concierge.

As far as the sun deck is concerned, the pool is nice and a lot bigger. The sunbeds are very comfortable with good comfy pads. Just not sure about the amount of glass covering the area. The glass panels are fixed and although offer a certain degree of shade, they do prevent real sun bathing.

All in all my wife and I prefer the fantasia class yc.

Thanks for the information and your thoughts.

Some of the things you mention will probably change to the better when she has done some more cruises.

My wife will be disappointed that they doesn't serve afternoon tea but I haven't told her that the Champagne is included and that will probably make her happy even if we shouldn't really mind to pay some for it.

(I'm the cruisecritic addict so she doesn't know everything I know!)

Thank you for your notes. Very informative.

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Thanks for the feedback! I did also notice the glass panels over the yc sun area in some of the photos and was wondering how they thought you were supposed to get a tan.

There is no afternoon tea served in the top sail lounge.

Yet there is an image inserted in the Barcelona embarkation Daily Program of the service:

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Thanks for the comparisons, very well detailed.

Butler service is a bit spotty, never any ice and very slow at refilling the mini fridge. The wife has remarked that the wardrobe space is tight with no walk in wardrobe.

 

I agree about the Butler service, though we told ours on day one what we wanted in the mini-bar and he looked after it. The smaller wardrobe area allows for more space in the cabin which, as you've said, are very similar to the square YC1 on Fantasia class.

 

The yc concierge desk is smaller and not so nice and no Swarzoski staircase.

 

We were told MSC is planning to replace the stairways - they realise their mistake in cutting back, here.

 

The top sail lounge appears to be more compact and the food area is not so nice.

 

That was my first impressions but, thinking on it after, I reckon that MSC was just responding to the lack of use of the buffet on Fantasia class.

 

There is a YC director, a high ranking 3 ring officer in charge of all aspects of the yacht club. He is everywhere. He is totally responsible for the yacht club.

 

He is a fantastic guy - so approachable and friendly. He went out of his way for us due to a series of cock-ups we experienced. Apparently there are so many complaints from YC guests that they're doing their utmost to rectify things.

 

The yacht club is probably around 30% bigger but they really haven't got any extra staff and have to import waiters from time to time.

 

All I can say is that we had amazing service in the restaurant. We were surrounded by waiters most of the time as well as having personal service from both the m'D and the sommelier. They'd always come over to us for a chat when they weren't busy and, at our last meal in the restaurant, every one of them came over to say goodbye to us. We never tipped any of them as there were too many who all had attended to us at one time or another. We did tip the m'D and sommelier as they were incredible!

 

The YC restaurant is excellent, and is a.beautiful room with magnificent views. There are around 15 really nice front view tables, which are really spacious, the others are square and close to each other, and the difference is remarkable. The chairs are very comfy. The maitre'd is very accommodating.

 

We always had a table at the window. I don't think I would have cared for the position of some of the 2-tops - you may as well be at the same table as your neighbours! Reminded me of the Suite class restaurant on Celebrity!

 

There hasn't been any spa discounts.

 

For Voyagers Club members there was an offer of buy 1 massage, get the 2nd half-price.

 

The black card perks in the speciality restaurants offer a reduced menu choice.

 

We had 2 Black Card nights in Butcher's Cut and, yes, it is a reduced menu choice, but we enjoyed both nights, nonetheless, with us both having different meals on each night.

 

 

We had prebooked the cirque de soliel dinner show, and on board told to reserve our choice of day and time on the screen. This caused a double charge. If you have prebooked the show then you must book your table with the concierge.

 

I've outlined in the 'Live from Meraviglia' thread our difficulties on this subject. It all started with the concierge directing us to use either the screens or the TV in the cabin. Now it turns out that we would have had to book the table with her, anyway!

 

All in all my wife and I prefer the fantasia class yc.

I can understand why you do. We didn't care for the pool deck. However, we found it very convenient to have the restaurant in the enclave - especially as our cabin was on deck 18.

A couple more thoughts -

Whilst having a shower last night, I happened to open the bathroom door to speak to the wife. Well, one of the smoke detectors is just outside the bathroom door, and as the door opened only a small amount of steam/condensation came out and set off the alarm. I thought, someone will come along soon. Time passed and I got dressed, so I thought I better ring reception just in case the sprinklers started. Couldn't get an answer from reception. Then a knock on the door from the room steward who asked about the issue and had anyone been to see us. After a good ten minutes, probably a bit longer, a fireman came along, whose first concern was had I been smoking. Satisfied himself it was steam and informed the bridge, and the alarm was turned off.

Another thing, no little tables to put your drinks on around the pool deck.

The safe in the room, in one of the wardrobes, is at thigh height. Would have been better positioned on the shelf above.

There is no laundry package a available. Previously there was a 20 or 30 piece option.

Finally,no dress code in the restaurant in the evenings. You may be sitting there in you best finery, and the people next to you are in shorts, tee shirts etc.

Hope you don't mind some of my thoughts from last week while on board. Totally agree with the need for tables next to the sun loungers.

Also I found it odd that there was nowhere to put your towels when your done on the pool deck. A large basket of something so people can deposit them and free up the loungers, we found that because of this oversight people left them on the loungers and they looked like it was still being used, it also looked untidy. You had to ask the pool boys for extra towels and they weren't always around.

The pool grill, breakfast, food area needed a retractable awning on hot sunny days, the food was drying out very quickly and there was no reason for it. Sun and heat do not mix well with fruit, cold cuts, cheeses, sandwiches etc. Also there were no signs whatsoever to tell you what was underneath the lids of soups, hot breakfast items, anything at all, you had to lift the hot large lids to look, and if you did wanted to take something there was no place really to rest it while choosing. Very weird.

No litter bids at all on deck, I like to clean up my mess, like the empty water bottles, paper straw wrappers, sugar/butter/jam packets, chip packets etc. They all floated around in the wind when not contained, why no litter bins? (Trash cans).

What I did notice also was the cheaper finishing of furniture in the lounge, and restaurant. It was 3 weeks old and there is no way those Lounge chairs and sofas in the lounge are going to withstand the use for another 12 months max, already chipped and the velour covered chairs where already stretched and looking worn, it will be a problem I can assure you. And really.......plastic green ferns that have had a silver spray can applied to them looks cheap in the "planter boxes", it's just bad. Have a look next time , real succulents could look much better and are very hardy.

I'm really going off here lol [emoji23]

The pool is salt water....and I mean VERY salty. The whirlpool is chlorinated. Why can't they fill both with chlorine? Or water the salt down a bit, I live on the beach and this pool is the saltiest I've ever encountered.

The safe comment is totally true, bad position.

We had pre booked a 20 piece laundry package. I would have thought you could get it?

Another couple I spoke to on deck 18 had the same problem with steam and smoke detector going off. That is a problem.

Newspaper printing was problematic, hopefully it gets sorted.

We had a great time believe me it's just a few things that I thought didn't sit well with us. The Meraviglia YC is completely different to Divina YC that's for sure.

We will be back and hope things get fine tuned for future cruises.

My 2 cents.

Cheers

These "ramdom jottings" are very interesting. Thank you!

And a couple more while I think about it.

Today is a sea day travelling from Malta to Barcelona. First time I have ever seen on msc yacht club, is every sun bed occupied and guests looking around hunting for somewhere to rest. I did a quick count of sunbeds, there are 90.

Also three cabanas on the starboard side, two reserved for the royal suite guests, and one normally being used for massages. I did notice today that a couple of 'special' guests were using the spa cabana.

Bar service on deck today very very patchy.

Another thing - no library.

And a couple more while I think about it.

 

 

 

Today is a sea day travelling from Malta to Barcelona. First time I have ever seen on msc yacht club, is every sun bed occupied and guests looking around hunting for somewhere to rest. I did a quick count of sunbeds, there are 90.

 

 

 

Also three cabanas on the starboard side, two reserved for the royal suite guests, and one normally being used for massages. I did notice today that a couple of 'special' guests were using the spa cabana.

 

 

 

Bar service on deck today very very patchy.

 

 

 

Another thing - no library.

No YC library but a "everyone" library opp the champagne bar.

Bar service is very patchy. Agreed. I had to reprimand a server once for taking my order and glass from my now empty drink and didn't see him for 15 min. Have given him the benefit of the doubt but when questioned......totally forgot about me. No happy!

Very apologetic but clearly he was under the pump as he was the ONLY one serving drinks to loungers.

Needs work.

Sea day needs two behind the bar and 3 servers minimum.

Was told by the champagne bar staff that the electronic tablets they use for a 8 -12 hour shift only has a battery life of 3-4 hours! Bad planning. No backup battery packs or tablets, put them on charge and then go the old paper version. Crazy [emoji12]

Oh my. I sure hope all this feedback is getting to MSC. Sounds like most are easy fixes.

As for the position of fire detector, safe, the staircase and cheap furniture, they should at least take that feedback into consideration for future builds.

Thanks to those who posted. Very helpful.

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Here's another observation.

MSC have spent a lot of money on this new ship. Wouldn't you have thought they would have avoided previous issues.

As I have previously mentioned all the sunbeds are located under that wretched glass panel roof, but when it comes to eating, there is no table

out of the sun to eat. So normally they still use those mobile msc tents for shade and cover. But today(seaday) because it was windy they were taken down. So if you wanted to eat outside you had to sit in full sun and hold on to your lettuce leaves!

And so, now because it's easier to go to the restaurant because of the proximity, it was overrun, because only a few hardy souls were holding on to their napkins outside!

Not sounding too good.

Used to be the YC was immune to these problems.

Not sounding too good.

 

Used to be the YC was immune to these problems.

would not worry - they did say they had an amazing time - new ship, new ship design - it is a learning curve - and we are talking so minute things that certainly would not stop me from cruising Yacht Club - just my opinion - they are just pointing out a few things that need to be fixed (tended to) - MSC seems to listen and make the appropriate changes - look how they moved forward with drinks ship wide for YC as well as placing the dining room in the YC area - nothing is going to be perfect....just enjoy this truly remarkable - (expierence and price) of the YC

I'm hoping MSC takes all of this constructive criticism to heart and makes the changes for the Seaside. Good to hear the RS gets a reserved cabana