Aldri_CA

Hi everyone! We're sailing on the Seaside in YC this summer and are looking to book an external (not through MSC) snorkel tour at our stop in Grand Cayman.

I'm worried about making the start time of the tour after reading some of the reviews that state MSC's tendering process is mayhem in the mornings with everyone trying to get off at the same time and some waiting over an hour to get a tender to shore. I've read that one of the YC perks is having your butler escort you to the front of the line when embarking/disembarking, but does this apply to tendering ports too? It would ease the worry of missing our tour (though I would feel bad skipping the entire line of people waiting to get off as well...). Just want to know if this is an option if need-be.

Thanks in advance!

Hi - We were just on the Seaside during the March 24 sailing, and we did this excursion. When we arrived at Atlantis, the shuttle time that was announced for our group was way too early for what we were wanting -- 1:00. But there were group taxis readily available at the main entrance. They were $4 per person. We grabbed one around 2:40/2:45 and were back at the ship by 3:10 - where we stood in the very long line to get back on board. It was possible that we could have tracked down a later shuttle, but the shared taxi was very convenient. - Elaine

Thanks so much for this information! I agree, 1pm would be too early for us as well. What time did the tour depart the ship to the resort in the morning?

If we don't end up using the ship's shuttle, then I'm wondering whether it is worth it to book it through the ship or if there's a way to access Atlantis and all the waterpark facilities for a lesser price. Did you hear of anyone going to the resort without going through MSC (and if so, what the price was)?

Interested in this information as well.

Is $140 per week tip for the Butler on top of the included daily service charge noted above the norm...??

Dress was relaxed at breakfast and lunch with many people wearing shorts. The only time I didn't see someone in shorts was on the Elegant night for dinner. Most people did dress nicely for that.

Hi Bob,

Thanks so much for this wonderful review!

Just wanted clarification regarding your comment above on shorts in the YC dining room... does this mean that people were permitted to wear shorts at dinner aside from Elegant Night? Or did you see people wearing shorts at breakfast/lunch only and not at dinner? I know there has been some discussion regarding shorts at dinner on this forum and I'm hoping you could clarify based on your experience.

Interested in this information as well.

Thanks for your reply! We're in the YC so we already have access to the thermal area (really looking forward to it).

If anyone happens to have a snapshot of the general spa services menu, that would be much appreciated.

Does anyone have copies of the spa services and prices? The website only has limited packages and we're wondering what the difference is between those and what's available on board. Thank you in advance!

Has anyone come across a picture or video of YC Interior 18031? We have one of these in August 2018 and the layout on the deck plan is quite different from other YCIN rooms so I’m very curious to see it.

Personally, the status match was not what enticed us to try MSC -- it was an added benefit that we took advantage of, but it was actually the Yacht Club and its pricing that caused us to take the plunge from RCI/Celebrity and book on the MSC Seaside. Our Diamond status on RCI gave us Black Card, but IMHO (current) Black Card perks pale in comparison to RCI's Diamond perks. The YC should negate any "losses" but I agree with the OP and others who have been loyal to MSC that the introduction of the status match is grossly unfair to longtime MSC cruisers. Even status matching programs across cruise lines (e.g., RCI to X) does not allow matching to the highest levels (you can only match to Diamond or Elite, even if you're a Pinnacle, etc. on the reciprocal line.)

I hope that MSC does right by these loyal passengers and introduces a new tier above Black to compensate. I know that RCI eventually remedied the cocktail hour losses to Diamonds on RCI when they were no longer eligible to access Concierge Lounge with the introduction of a Diamond Hour and eventually a Diamond Lounge. Hopefully MSC does the same for "true" Black Card holders by giving you back the Champagne, 20% booking discounts, etc. in a new higher tier.

Either way, I hope everyone still enjoys their respective cruises no matter which line you choose to cruise!

YC guests have their own sundeck as on the plan, the Top 19 is usually a fee paying area for Adults only who want to get away from the crowds.

 

Aurea sundeck is for Aurea guests.

Thanks for the clarification! Does MSC typically provide an adults-only area for passengers from all experiences to enjoy aside from Top 19? We traditionally sail with RCCL and Celebrity who have an adult-only solarium. Just wondering if MSC has anything similar available that does not include a fee? (Though as I understand, the YC will not leave us wanting for space/tranquility!)

We're booked on our first MSC cruise on the MSC Seaside, staying in a YC Inside cabin... do YC passengers also get access to the Aurea sun deck or is this exclusive to the Aurea experience?

Also ... what would the "Top 19 Exclusive Solarium" be? Is this new to the Seaside?

Thanks for your help!

Some UK TAs are asking for a UK address for a booking, others aren't. I'm hesitant to book through them in case MSC doesn't let us on for whatever reason (or asks us to pay up the difference at the port as what happened to pp's friends). It would save us approx $1000/cabin but I'm not sure the added stress would be worth it in the end.

This is actually the first time I've been unable to find a Canadian or US TA that can't beat the price/offer that the direct cruise line is offering. I don't remember the last time we booked directly with a cruise line, but most travel agencies are offering the exact same thing as MSC. I think I would rather book directly with the cruise line in this case, but will continue to keep my eye out for North American deals just in case.

Thanks for everyone's help!

Interesting suggestion -- I will try looking for travel agencies and see if we can book this way!!

Thank you!

If you mean directly with MSC, then, the simple answer is no.

 

We in Ireland have to book through MSC UK as they don't have an office here and we can't access UK prices!

That's what I thought, but figured I'd double check. Thanks for your help!

Hi everyone, we're looking to try out MSC for the first time on the upcoming Seaside ship. We're in Canada, and I have been looking at the US website's prices but somehow stumbled upon the UK website and noticed the rates (even after conversion from pound to CAD) were substantially cheaper on the UK site for the exact same cabin category. Does anyone know if its possible for a North American to book off the UK website or does MSC not allow this practice?

Thank you in advance!

Yes, we would like to know if we should purchase the Replenish before boarding or while onboard. You can only get the C & A discount (if any) onboard plus you can use your OBC. so confusing with the photos of the Harmony and the Ovation!!!

There is a C&A discount on drink packages on board??? I have never heard of this... do you have more details? We're sailing in a couple of weeks and have been back and forth on the drink package.

Actually: your 18 year old can go ANYWHERE the 23 year old can. This includes the casino (and yes, they ARE allowed to gamble), and the night club (BUT they can't purchase alcohol).

The 17 year old can go anywhere with them besides these 2 places. And as long as they're behaving well, security should also be fairly "nice" (but this will also depend entirely on the ship and the security).

I wouldn't worry though - they'll have fun together! The 17 year old can go and see what the teen club scenario is like, and if they don't like it they don't have to go back and can spend time with the 18 and 23 year old.

Just wondering how bad the lines got waiting to get into the windjammer if there's only 6 sinks per entrance -- especially during peak times such as breakfast on a port day?

I didn't get any notification. I just noticed it because we got our MDR dinner time changed a few days ago, so I just went to check to make sure it was showing up and saw that specialty dining reservations were now available. I think it's usually approx. 100 days or less before your sail date that they open up the reservation system. It varies by sailing I believe.

BTW - I thought it was both entertainment and specialty dining open, but it seems to be just specialty dining for us right now.

Amazing, thanks!

Do you happen to have the Central Park 150 menus as well? (And know when they switch?)

We're headed on the E.Caribbean July 2 sailing on Oasis, and our cruise planner has finally allowed us to start booking our on-board activities - woohoo!

Does anyone have the menu order for the MDR, and a copy of the menus? And which are the formal nights? We'd like to book the specialty dining on nights we're not thrilled with the MDR menus... thanks in advance! :)

Thank you!

Sailing on Oasis this summer, and our TA included an unlimited Voom internet package for 1 device per stateroom.

I haven't been on an Oasis or Quantum class ship since they introduced Voom, so I'm wondering how it works. Is it the same as the "traditional" internet package where you can use it across multiple devices as long as you're only logged in to 1 at a time, OR is the one device that you activate for the Voom internet the one you will have to use for the entire duration of the cruise?

Also want to follow this thread -- if it gets back to $1.10 in the near future, I'm sold. I discovered the main thread only a few days after they raised to 1.40 :(