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Bumping this fantastic review of the Top Sail Lounge (and the MSC Divina) from Debra.

Thank you for this review; we're embarking aboard Divina for what's surely to be a fantastic voyage in one of the Royal Suites next month! Your review has us really excited.

With new ships costing in the region of 900 million plus dollars it makes you wonder how little is going on the websites.

 

MSC appear to be making changes without first fixing the issues that have been there for a number of years and to continue to try and run before you can walk is just courting disaster where customers are concerned.

Exactly! People in other industries do the same thing! For example, developers will build a high-rise apartment building, bringing in a few hundred more cars into an area before putting money into the roads. All these new people move in, traffic is gridlocked in the neighborhood for two years while they subsequently widen the intersections and add other safety features for all the children. In my opinion, they should widen the roads first - then build the new housing!

Likewise, MSC should have taken steps to setup a world-class web-site first, then launched a couple of new ships in a market they're trying to establish a foothold. It's not too late, but they need to hurry up! That new website needs to be up and running smoothly before MSC Seaside makes her maiden voyage from Miami!

They should already have a webcam broadcasting live feeds from Ocean Cay too as it undergoes construction! They could have somebody doing live podcasts weekly or monthly in these early stages of construction, then increase them in frequency as construction nears completion. This could culminate in a live broadcast with fireworks, live music, Cirque de Sol-A, etc when Seaside calls on Ocean Cay for the first time! Like a New Years Eve broadcast! How cool would that be! I think they need to hire me to plan this out for them! LOL

Yeah, they seem to be making changes to the website daily trying to address the serious problems they have with it.

I think they need to hire a professional web development staff to get this fixed once and for all. If they really want to showcase their brand and get in on the cruise market here in America, they need to put a web presence on the Internet that's worthy of the Seaside. If people loyal to other cruiselines don't come away with a positive experience at http://www.msccruiselinesusa.com, they're not going to risk money on cruising the Seaside or any other ship with the MSC logo on the side. I don't know how much it costs to construct a ship like Seaside, but rolling out a website of similar quality & scale is certainly much less. MSC should take the steps to do that as soon as possible. It should be online already, but they can make an investment now that can create a worthy web site by the end of the year.

Great videos! I love the music too!

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I'm really selfish with my vacation time and probably never would have taken the time to do anything like this, so thank you!

The pros & cons of on board credits (OBC) are about as various as everyone's opinions and/or preferences on the subject. While you're on the ship you may or may not accumulate charges to your account (i.e. for drinks, specialty dining, photo package, spa treatment, last minute decision to go on an excursion, etc.). And yes all of these can be pre-purchased prior to embarkation. But for the sake of this post, let's say you don't pre-purchase anything and you have no special experience options (i.e. Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea, Yacht Club, etc).

After 3 days on board, you rack up $400 in charges to your account (doesn't matter what you bought). By the end of the 7-day cruise, your total bill comes to $1,000 that will be charged to your credit card on file on the last night of the cruise to settle your bill. Done deal.

But let's say you have purchased $500 of OBC prior to the start of your cruise. In this very simple example, the $1,000 in charges you accumulated during your cruise will be settled by first using the $500 in OBC, leaving a balance of $500 to be charged to your credit card. Same result - your bill is settled and you disembark from the ship and go home.

As you can imagine there are many variations on how this can play out. You can have that same $500 OBC and only accumulate $100 in charges by the end of your cruise. In which case, the $400 of OBC remaining will be refunded to the credit card used to make the purchase. Again, same result - your final bill is settled and you go home. So it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I like to purchase some OBC so that nothing is charged to my credit card at the end of our cruises - just personal preference. Some cruises, I get some money back on my credit card; while others, I go over a little bit.

Disembarkation at ports:

This was probably my favorite perk of the yacht club experience. Every morning when we woke up and our Butler was usually in the halls or around the concierge area. He would ask when would we like to get off the boat. We told him that we wanted to get off as early as possible. We usually hang around the topsail Lounge having coffee with a small breakfast and then as soon as we were cleared to leave the ship he would come get us. He would take us to the elevators and escort us all the way down to the fifth floor and passed all the lines of people straight to the security check. Once through the security check he would continue with us all the way off the boat onto the dock and then he would leave us there and go back on. Let me tell you something, all the hundreds of people that are standing in line and are watching you walk right in front of them really don't like it. But hey, everybody has the same chance to purchase a yacht club experience. When you go to get back on the ship at the end of the port day there will always be somebody holding up a yacht club sign. You then inform him that you were Yachtclub showing him your room card and he will escort you right to the ship as well. At Tenderports like Grand Cayman, they would immediately walk you past the line And put you on the first available Boat. This is a great park worth money itself.

Next... Casino and Shows

Sounds great! When re-embarking the ship at the various ports, is the person holding the Yacht Club sign located at the most forward entrance to the ship? Disney does this for Concierge passengers but only at the most forward position because that is where the elevators are to take us up to the concierge suites.

Awesome review! Can't wait to read more!

Were all drinks available ship-wide? Or were the red stars excluded outside YC?

I've read a couple of recent threads from some YC cruisers who have confirmed that drinks are included for all YC passengers throughout the ship.

FYI Sorry for all the grammar errors, I try to type fast to save on internet time.

No worries on the grammar! I do the same thing on vacation because I'm in a hurry to get back to the fun. What I started doing lately is typing my posts (Facebook, CruiseCritic reviews, etc) in a Word doc first, then just get online to cut and paste into Facebook what have you, then get off. That helps me go back and re-read the post and fix errors that I've made. I usually have to read it three or four times before I correct all my grammar errors. LOL!

Have fun and I can't wait to read your review and see the pics when you guys get back! We sail in 44 days!

My husband and I are looking into trying MSC Yacht Club. Had our first experience on NCL's Haven last year and loved it but you can't beat the prices on MSC. Our only reservation is that we HATE getting all dressed up for dinners. We're on vacation! (Sorry to all the folks that are into it!) How was the dress code in the dining room? We are seriously thinking of just booking it and ordering pizza in our room on the formal night!

My wife and I haven't yet gone on our first MSC cruise, but you guys should be able to eat in the buffet on formal night to avoid having to dress up.

A follow-up question I have for someone who has cruised MSC - what time does the ship "go formal" on formal night? 5:00PM? 6:00PM?

 

Look for the YC entry and make a bee line to it (don't go anywhere else), your a YC Member now so be prepared to be pampered and spoilt like a VIP. Enjoy! [emoji4]

Hey, now that's going to be nice!

I was under the impression that YC passengers were able to check-in whenever they preferred. At least that's the way it's done by MSC in Miami, FL.

It is a toss up. My family and I prefer the big ship cruising experience over the smaller ships, but I wouldn't change just to port in Nassau. Castaway Cay is the best port of call in the Caribbean right now, and you'll enjoy the day at sea aboard the Wonder. I wouldn't make the effort to change at this point. The Wonder is a good way to "get your feet wet" (pun intended), before hoping aboard the Dream for a 5-night cruise with a double-dip at Castaway Cay next!

Great review! Thanks for the information. We leave on our YC Divina cruise next month (46 days)! And my wife and I read through reviews like yours every night before going to bed, and the anticipation grows with each review from cruisers like yourself. Thank you.

I will be sure to post a nice review when we get back for everyone's information because you're right, everyone here has been so forthcoming with great little nuggets of info & tips!

Thanks for your detailed review of your Yacht Club experience. My wife and I just finished reading through it and are more excited for our vacation. We cruising the Royal Suite next month aboard Divina and can't wait to experience what you've just described. Any pictures??

That's a good question. I just booked at the Westin Dawn Beach at St. Maarten and had similar questions, but since it's getting close to our cruise date I wanted to be sure to snag a spot for my family before they were all sold out. The Westin provide you with a room as well during your day which is what really pulled me towards them instead of the Sonesta. I wanted the Sonesta because it appears to be within walking distance of the port, but the Westin looks a little better (on the pictures anyway) so I'm hoping for the best now that I have pulled the trigger.

Is anybody having trouble accessing their reservation on the MSC website

MSC's website is one of the worst I've experienced for a major cruise line. We're sailing next month and were having website issues last summer trying to snag the Royal Suite for our cruise. I gave up, called the 800 number and got connected to Ms. Luna *******. She has to be one of the best MSC Vacation Consultants they have. She got us the Royal Suite, asked the right questions to learn I am retired military and got us a great discount applied to our cruise fare. And every time I've had a question, or wanted to book an excursion all I had to do was give her a call or send her an email. When I call her she greets me by name, and always responds to my requests almost immediately. If you want fast service I recommend her; and I plan to use her for all my future MSC. Her direct phone number is (954)958-1026. Tell her Fred Folson referred you.

Thank you for the very thorough review of your experiences aboard the Divina. My wife and I sail in 58 days and are very excited for this much need vacation. Last summer we spent a week at Disney World and that was more work than my job.

Question about Eataly: I had planned to have a meal or two during our cruise next month, but your review has me wondering if I should switch to Galaxy or some other location. Given your two meals, with the second time being much better than your first - knowing what you know now, will you eat there on a future cruise aboard Divina? And would you recommend a friend to spend time and money there?

For any concierge cruisers out there, you will be able to get your fill of popcorn in the Concierge Lounge (Dream & Fantasy - not sure about the smaller ships). Make sure your kids know that, so they don't spend money on popcorn down by the theater. My kids got their popcorn from the lounge to take with them to the theater.

To expand on the question originally raised by the OP - In Miami, the YC Tent is located at the farthest end of the passenger embarking line. So as you drive to the port from the city, you basically make a U turn to join the line of cars waiting to drop off pax and luggage. Keep driving (this is heading back towards the city) along that line until you reach the tent - get dropped off there with your luggage and check in there.

Great tip! Thanks Trina!

I'm sure our driver will have done this before, but in case he/she hasn't, your info will come in handy.

Great story; thanks for sharing.

We too had similar difficulties with MSC's website, so we call the number and got the delightful Ms. Luna *******!

She initially expressed regrets for the problems with the website, and proceeded to book our cruise aboard the Divina in the Royal Suite. We sail next month, and I have received nothing but the greatest, most attentive service from Ms. ******* over the past 11 months.

:(. Thank you

I feel your pain. We had a Seaside cruise booked, but when the opening of Ocean Cay got delayed we canceled our cruise. We're waiting until summer 2019 for our next MSC sailing just so we can call on Ocean Cay. That island is going to be fantastic!

The cappuccinos and espressos in Top Sail (and One Pool Bar) are fantastic!!! And Le Muse is open for lunch on embarkation day. We really love Yacht Club! And the pricing compared to suites on NCL or Celebrity can't be beat!

Awesome Helen; thank you.

And thanks for the additional clarification Sunshine! I can sit up on deck and eat my pancakes!

We always bring along some dryer sheets in a zip lock bag. They come in handy when thrown in with the dirty clothes & shoes that pile up towards of the end of a 5-day (or longer) cruise. Some cruisers actually wash their clothes aboard the ship during the cruise, but I just can't bring myself to do that (even if the machines were free - which they are not).

Great review of the Divina and your Yacht Club experience - thank you very much! We sail next month in the YC and can't wait to do exactly what you and your husband did - RELAX! Although we do plan to do some partying too. And maybe some time in the casino, and the cigar lounge. But, your tip about the pancakes & waffles from the One Bar is well received! I will definitely be ordering up some of those (and maybe an omelet) to be delivered with my morning pot of coffee.

Question for you - did you or your husband drink any coffee from Top Sail? We sailed in a concierge suite aboard the Disney Dream last summer, and the coffee from the concierge lounge was the best on the ship.