SirWolf

OP asked if steam/sauna rooms needed to be booked. My respond is.. “No” , you can not book a sauna or steam room for a group of people. There were no reservations needed for Thermal Spa on our last 3 MSC cruises: July 2022 ~ MSC Seashore ~ Caribbean December 2021 ~ MSC Seashore ~ Caribbean October 2021 ~ MSC Meraviglia ~ Caribbean I have no recent information on Thermal Spa on MSC Seaside, Seaview, Splendida and Magnifica. We sailed on MSC Seaview in pre-covid era.

We never booked Thermal Spa access on all of our cruises with MSC. Kids ? Thermal Spa has age restriction of 18+ .

Steam Room and Sauna are part of (inside) the Thermal Area of MSC Meraviglia. You can buy Thermal Spa Pass for the length of the cruise ..or.. Thermal Spa Access is included in Yacht Club and Aurea Experience. Steam Room and Sauna can not be reserved. Thermal Spa area is unisex. Thermal Spa etiquette is wearing swim trunks / bathing suite. We visited the Thermal area several times during a cruise on MSC Seashore this month. The Thermal Spa was at no time (sea day or docked) crowded. I guess they control the capacity by number of lockers in the changing rooms.

Yacht Club on MSC Seashore is on decks 16, 18 & 19 forward. Navigating YC is convenient with an elevator and stairs connecting YC decks including deck 20 YC Sun Deck. We use stairs most of the time while in YC. Public elevators are close by, just outside YC enclave. Personally I would choose a stareroom on deck 18 (first choice) or deck 16 (second choice). Our YC cruise cards didn’t work for the gates/doors entering Aurea Top 19 .. but a waiter from Aurea bar opened the door and let us in after I told him that we are YC guests. YC Sundeck is nicer equipped with furniture and decoration. Butler service on YC Sundeck is very attentive.

All information of Explora 1 including dates of sailings, itineraries, prices and details about the ship (staterooms, restaurants, etc) are on the website of Explora Journeys. Explora lowest categories Ocean Terrace Suites OT1, OT2, OT3, OT4 are similar in size , only on different decks and locations. These staterooms are almost the exact floorplan of Yacht Club Deluxe Grand Suite with a few minor differences.

Diamond Voyagers Club Members have Priority Boarding on Embarkation Day and Priority Disembarkation.

That’s correct. MSC basically tested the waters (so to speak) with smaller ships before entering the US market in 2017 with MSC Seaside which was the 16th largest cruise ship in the world at that time. They have currently 1 smaller and 2 larger ships sailing from US ports.. expanding to 4 large ships in season 2023/2024.

We sailed on MSC Seashore earlier this month. We always booked Yacht Club but the prices of YC were too high for a last-minute getaway cruise. We opted for Aurea with a very nice aft stateroom. Aurea experience was o.k.ish but we missed YC perks. Aurea priority boarding starts where you need it least.. behind cruise terminal security in Port of Miami.. they have dedicated line for YC and families with unvaccinated children.. but not for Aurea guests. We had to wait 1.5 hours outside & inside the cruise terminal in line. After passing security we had to wait another 45 minutes in “Aurea & Diamond Priority” line at the counter, only 2 MSC staff were at check-in counter. The long waiting time was inconvenient but the exposure to hundreds of fellow passengers with no social distancing in the cruise terminal was scary. Staff ordered people to move up closer to each other.

We were on MSC Seashore in October 2021 in YC Deluxe Grand Suite. In my opinion the benefits don’t justify the higher price of Deluxe Grand Suite compared to Deluxe Suite. Deluxe Grand Suite: • Location on higher deck (deck 19) • Suite is bigger. MSC designer basically took the Deluxe Suite floor plan and added a walk-in-closet by stretching the length of the stateroom. I noticed similar stateroom layouts on MSC Explora 1 (Explora Journeys). The walk-in-closet is “nice to have” and certainly convenient on longer cruises. The stateroom itself (bedroom, living area, bathroom and balcony) seems the exact same size as Deluxe Suite. We found the location on higher deck 19 is actually a disadvantage because of the noise from deck 20 Sun Lounge area. Conclusion: • YC Deluxe Grand Suite category offers staterooms on higher deck • Larger staterooms • Walk-in-closet • Longer hallway I would probably not book YC Deluxe Grand Suite again, except on longer cruises or if no Deluxe Suite is available. .. I felt that I only paid for Real Estate (walk-in-closet) which I didn’t needed on a 7-day cruise.

Not all US credit card companies are currently using chip & pin technology. PIN is only provided and required when using debit card in the US.

We were on MSC Seashore this month (early July 2022) and registered US credit card at a kiosk terminal.. No PIN required.

PRE-CRUISE REQUIREMENTS -> Click on “ALL GUESTS” -> Scroll down to “COVID-19 TEST REQUIREMENTS”

You can choose “Cruise Only” or “OBC Promotion” .. ignore “Internet & Drinks included”.. YC comes automatically with package of perks which are superior and will override the other experiences.. YC perks can not be excluded to save some money. YC perks are honored throughout the ship, except Venchi vendor.

Repo cruise in March/April 2023 of MSC World Europa from Dubai to Italy was on MSC USA website in November 2021. Cruises in February and early March from Dubai and Abu Dhabi can be booked too.

Hank, my reply was in reference to the OP’s statement ” We loved sailing in the Yacht Club. Now, we are looking at the Explora 2023 sailings and I'm underwhelmed. The increased cost for the basic Explora suite is way more than Oceania, Regent or Viking for similar accommodations. “ I am not comparing market segments of cruise lines .. just showing that Explora is competitive priced when compared to MSC Yacht Club product Deluxe Suite. I will most probably give Explora Voyages a try at this price point. Wolf

Specialty restaurants are not included (free of charge) in YC price on MSC Cruises.. All restaurants on Explora Journeys (Explora 1) are included.. they have 6+ restaurants including a steakhouse, pan asian, mediterranean, international, concept restaurant and all-day-dining restaurant. The more I research the Explora Journeys concept the more I am tempted to give it a try.. I like the newer larger ships (sailed on Seaview, Seashore, Meraviglia) but enjoy the personal attention and level of luxury on smaller cruise lines/ships. At $7,000 (2 person) for a 9-Night Caribbean cruise Explora Journeys can be successful.. if they deliver what they promise..

Correct.. Wi-Fi is included in YC Thank you for correcting my prior posting.

The price on Seascape is for 2 passengers .. need to add taxes & fees $140/person = $280 Taxes on Explora 1 included in price.. that makes Explora even more interesting.

Comparing MSC Seascape and MSC Explora 1 • Caribbean • December 2023 • Miami to Miami -> 7-Nights: Seascape YC $5,238 ($748/night) Gratuities NOT included Wi-Fi NOT included Suite 269 sqft -> 9-Nights: Explora 1 $7,000 ($778/night) Gratuities included Wi-Fi included Suite 301 sqft .. seriously considering to book Explora ..

We are currently sailing on MSC Seashore. Theme Nights so far.. ~ Gala Night (Elegant) in Dining Room(s) ~ Flower Glory Night (60s, 70s, 80s) in Le Cabaret Rouge ~ White Party at Long Island Pool .. 2 more days to go ..

Easy Package: Adult/Day $38 Easy Plus Package: Adult/Day $49 Premium Extra Package: Adult/Day $69 Alcohol Free Package: Adult/Day $25 “ -> A 15% Service Charge is automatically added to all purchases. Prices are subject to change. “ ( Seashore / Caribbean / July 2022 )

MSC Divina (in service since May 2012) is a different design compared to MSC World Europe. The decks with cabins are set back from the aft edge of the ship. The higher the deck of your Grand Suite is the less noise from public areas and waves from below. I am boarding MSC Seashore today, staying in aft Suite.. will update tomorrow..

We were in stateroom 19012 (starboard) on Seashore in December 2021. Staff moved loungers every night between 12:00-12:30am and in the morning between 6:00-6:30am. No noise from pool though. We will not book deck 19 on Seaside Evo Class ships again.

I am browsing last-minute cruises for 4th of July Holiday week and came across 7-day Caribbean on MSC Seashore departing from Miami. We usually book YC but the prices for YC Deluxe during the week from 07-02-2022 to 07-09-2022 are out of control ($6,998 !). Balcony with Aurea Experience seems o.k. but I am confused if Aurea includes access to the thermal spa. Description of Aurea Experience on website states that the access to thermal spa is included but description of Aurea during mock booking is different.. access to thermal spa not listed. Why is the Experience called Aurea if the access to MSC Aurea Spa is not included ? I don’t see a real value in Aurea Experience if the access to the thermal spa is not included.