Two Wheels Only

It isn't really over if you remember the great moments that you had and/or the great people that you met. Photos, videos, souvenirs, etc. help.

Not only that, as the ship-within-a-ship concept continues to grow in popularity (and acceptance?), other lines are starting to adjust. Celebrity's Retreat started on the Edge class of ships but was then added to older ships. RCCL started building the Suite Neighborhood and continues to do so. Even Carnival has the Havana exclusivity for certain guests who book that level and are 12 or older.

There are 4 that are reserved (2x Royal Suite, 2x Owner's Suite) but the rest are first come, first served. In the summer, they are more popular so whomever gets one first might try to claim it for the entire cruise. Don't let that happen to you. If empty or not being used, you can use one. Also, they are pergolas, not cabanas. There is no real shade unless a pool attendant makes a temporary roof with towels. You can make one yourself but the attendants probably do it better and faster.

On Escape, the Haven elevator is between the Courtyard and the Lounge. That elevator goes to deck 19. From there, turn left to enter VIBE via a door.

It seems that even through EJ has the better ratio, YC is/would be the preferable overall experience (ship stability, value, etc.), at least for us.

You may have to add them manually. The app can automatically add someone staying in the same stateroom but it doesn't always do it. I've seen both happen. You can add the others with the "+" feature using name/stateroom or by scanning their personal QR code (on their phone with the app). It's easy to use in either case.

The numbers may be interesting but the actual experience is more important. If I have a great cruise on a ship that has a worse guest to staff ratio, I won't care about the numbers. In fact, if other people on the same cruise have a terrible cruise and my cruise is great, I still won't care. Looking at the Morpheusofthesea review of Explora Journeys 1, maybe guest to staff ratio is overrated....🤪

Weird thing on my last cruise..... Every other day, there was a drop in hot water pressure. The actual temperature was fine (nice and hot) but the pressure wasn't there. It didn't matter port day or sea day. It became a matter of deciding if pressure was more important (with a cooler temperature) or if temperature was more important (with less pressure) because on some days, I couldn't have both. Even stranger was that we have had the exact same stateroom before and there was no problem at all. I think that plumbing isn't a strong point for Fincantieri ships. NCL Prima is practically brand new but already has had problems with all of the hot tubs that are on Haven balconies. MSC Seaside had a sewage-smell problem for the first few months of service because of an incorrectly installed pipe. I don't recall any of the Meyer Werft ships that I have been on having these types of problems. I'm curious to see if the Chantiers de l'Atlantique (formerly STX) World Class ships have recurring problems.

It isn't so much a "secret" as it is being experienced. I read many reviews from first-timers and often what they complain about could have easily been fixed at the time. Some people expect things to be done a certain way but since MSC doesn't really have a standard operating procedure, those expectations may not be met. However, simply stating what a guest wants and expects will more often than not lead to success. The guest that only speaks up in a review after the cruise is over won't have the same success. I agree 100%. The "laid back" approach is different but some people prefer that. I've read reviews where someone complains that none of the servers on the sundeck offered to get a drink for them while others had drinks delivered all day. The person making the review just needed to raise their hand and the servers would have been there to serve. Some guests want to be left alone and the servers won't bother anyone who doesn't want to be bothered.

Do you want to just get off of the ship and go to a beach? If so, I'd put Grand Cayman at the top of your list even though it is a tender port.

If it makes a difference, my reviews of the Yacht Club have all been positive but never perfect. My reviews of NCL Haven have also all been positive but never perfect. Some things, Yacht Club does better. Some things, Haven does better. I realize that MSC is consistently inconsistent so an average, mediocre, lackluster cruise for one person could be a fantastic, amazing, outstanding cruise the following week on the same ship for someone else. It happens. Being a Yacht Club "regular" is easier than being a Yacht Club novice. If something isn't right, an experienced YC cruiser will know how to get things corrected. If my daughter wants something for dinner that isn't on the menu, I know what to do and she will get what she wants. A YC novice would probably be unaware of how to best handle something like that. Sometimes, a YC guest won't be able to have problems corrected so I understand the frustration that a novice will experience. I never dismiss negative reviews because I have seen problems (none as bad as what the OP experienced) that many describe. I'm happy with MSC even with a few of the off-ship issues that I have had. Is MSC perfect? No. Will I continue to sail with MSC in the Yacht Club? Absolutely. I currently have 2 more cruises booked with MSC including World America which will probably have more issues than other MSC ships due to the massive number of guests and the increased number of Yacht Club guests. I'm confident that my cruises will be great but if they aren't, I'll post an honest review here on CC.

The butlers/Jr. butlers have door props to keep doors open. I only ask for photos for the lists that I'm working on. Since some of the Grands do not have the walk-in, I'm making a list with links to photos/videos of the actual staterooms. I'm pretty sure of which ones have and which ones don't so at this point, I just need the photos to make the hyperlinks.

Would you happen to have any photos of the walk-in closet in 19005?

Les Dunes is on a separate deck (8) and is just for Aurea guests. I don't know if the menu is identical to the MDRs.

Yacht Club prices have risen for the most part but are still less than what NCL asks for the Haven. NCL has also raised prices so MSC still has the ability to offer a comparable product (Yacht Club vs Haven) for less. It takes some work and a bit of luck to find a really good price on Yacht Club but it can be done.

It's MOST, not all. That's why I started making the lists. Some Grands (in addition to the wheelchair accessible ones) do not have a walk-in closet (18018/18019, for ex.). 19013 does have a walk-in closet. 👍

They can make one for your group by combining the square tables. I suggest giving the restaurant a call 10-15 min. before you plan to arrive to give them time to get things ready.

Would you happen to have a photo of the stateroom and the walk-in closet? I'm working on cataloging all of the Grand Deluxe suites on Seashore/Seascape. I have 19032 directly across but I want to put together pictures/video of every one of them exactly as they are on the ship. Not all of the Grands have a walk-in closet so I'm noting the ones that do and the ones that don't.

Just print the pages that you need to print. If something is cut off, change the scale percentage until everything fits.

I only have the renderings to look at but IMO, it would have been better to have made these 2BR (upstairs)/2.5 bathroom staterooms. The 1st floor could have used the space for living room & dining room with a 1/2 bath while upstairs would have been for sleeping. I'm booked in a Duplex Suite on MSC World America and it will be my first time in a Duplex stateroom. It only has 1 BR/2BA but it does have an upper and lower balcony with a hot tub on the lower balcony. I'm not crazy about the location of that one, either but I'll see how it is in 2025.

NCL used to stock that in The Haven. It probably all comes from the same factory and cost pennies per case.

Those things really shouldn't be in the hallways. It's a safety hazard and not just an inconvenience for other guests.

That's probably a side effect of the old Concierge Class. Those HJ/HI staterooms weren't always Haven staterooms. When they were Concierge staterooms, they were probably using the Gold mattresses instead of the usual Tranquility mattresses that are found in the Haven.

In that case, put the kids on the sofa bed. The stateroom can sleep up to 4 people. This whole time, I thought that you had 2 interior staterooms in the Yacht Club.

The safer solution instead of hoping for day passes is to make a reservation in a specialty restaurant. The concierge can help with the reservation for more people than are staying in the Yacht Club staterooms with you. With a full Yacht Club ("...there is no availability anywhere"), trying to add anyone else into the enclave will be tough. In a perfect world, there would be no day passes, no interlopers, no "guests of the crew/family members of VIPs", etc. and the Yacht Club would only be for Yacht Club guests. If you have 2 interior staterooms, the only bedding option is the standard beds. They can be separated or combined into 1 bed.... There are many bed types on MSC that drop from the ceiling, the wall, of even extend up from the sofa to accommodate sleeping higher than the usual sofa bed but your interior staterooms do not have any of those. One option is to bring an inflatable twin mattress and put it on the floor for the 8 year-old and have the 2-3 year-old sleep in the bed with the parents. You will have the other stateroom to hang out in during the day.