gingersvp

I wonder if the OP really understands how small of a space the Sun Deck is within the context of the greater Haven area. I travel Haven with kids. We do not go to the Sun Deck. I wholly agree that adult areas should be adult areas only. I've actually never ventured on to the Sun Deck, my kids and I hangout in the courtyard pool area. 

2 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

MSC is a for profit enterprise.  They weigh all of these decisions.  In the end issuing some OBC to a few passengers is more profitable.  Cruiselines (especially MSC) are not in the hospitality industry, they are in the profit game.   Same with any restaurant shoreside.  Walk-in party of 20?  Sure, we'll take you.  Do we have "enough" staff?  Maybe not, but we are not going to turn away the revenue.   With food/produce/etc being at inflationary highs I'd do the same thing. Does it stink? Sure does.  But it's a mass market ship trying to squeeze out dollars after two plus years of losing.

Yes, you're not wrong. And it's why I'm not super interested in giving them another go. I do stick with suites on the bigger liners, because we travel with our 7 year old and the larger ships just have more that interests her. But I've now sailed the suite experience on multiple mass market lines and this was, by leaps and bounds, the absolute worst. 

I really, really wanted to like this line. It just apparently isn't going to be for us.  

16 hours ago, GA Dave said:

Just an FYI:  I was on the 10/13 cruise as well, in a regular interior cabin.  As a frequent MSC solo cruiser, I always speak to many of the crew and officers, and I found out some things that were not generally known.  The shortage of personnel was not all the fault of MSC.  They said there was a large number of new crew that were supposed to be starting work on the ship after the TA (as I would normally expect).  Unfortunately, there was a significant number that had not been processed properly by CBP through the immigration process and they never made the ship.  This is most likely why we all noticed a lack of personnel on board vs the number of passengers. 

Another thing most people did not know that I am sure affected the crew's performance the first couple of days was that a crew member had died onboard the day before they arrived in Port Canaveral.  These crew members live in such close quarters and truly become like a family.  Something like the death of a fellow crew member has to be devastating to many of them.

This is good information to have, but I really do have to say that when I'm reduced to tears because I can't get a basic meal, for vacation that I paid prime dollars for suite service....I'm just not sure I will give them another go. But I won't say never again. The context does help.

3 minutes ago, BklynBorn47 said:

You are correct.  We knew that the next cruise was full. 
All our 6 grandchildren are older than your children.
I heartily recommend retirement.  Hang in there,

Ha! Gotta earn enough money to be able to continue sailing suites in retirement first 🙂

21 minutes ago, BklynBorn47 said:

 

I understand that 3 day right after the TA was a disaster.
I'm so sorry for your experience.  We were on the TA for 18 days and it was wonderful and we weren't even in the YC.  It was our 1st MSC also.  Of course, since it takes us a day & night to get to a port with the same afterwards, we tend to always book cruises of 21 days or more.  Yeah, we are retired.  Easy for us to say.  

I have done 3 and 4 night cruises before without issue. I think where I'm stuck, is that MSC knew it was a full sailing and did not adequately staff up. That's a management decision and it just had multiple cascading effects to the negative. We deal with work and school schedules, and a desire to cruise often - so it has left us with several shorter sailings. I've never sailed more than a week, and I seriously look forward to the time in my life where I can spend longer stretches at sea. I've got the Panama Canal and a TA on my bucket list, but struggle with the timing of these cruises and not wanting to leave my school aged child behind. (My older 2 are 20 and 16 and can stay home without us, have been invited and are just bah-humbugs these days.)

We were in the YC on the 3 day sailing right before yours. It was awful. We did not get welcome drinks, our room wasn't ready. We waited over an hour to board (apparently some non-YC folks waited 3-4 hours), waited an hour in the lounge and eventually went to lunch. After lunch the room still wasn't ready. The phone didn't work, the hot tub didn't work and the concierge was not nice.

Eventually both were fixed, but not once in all of my multiple calls did anyone ever answer. I've never felt so unwelcomed or experienced such an uncaring crew. I wound up in tears at the beach club when we had trouble even getting lunch. It was a sailing for my daughter's birthday and I just desperately wanted to put my feet up and relax. We had just been through Hurricane Ian and to be honest, this cruise stressed me out so much. I've had better service in an interior cabin in Carnival.

For a 3 day cruise I could not believe how many things they ran out of!

It was my first MSC cruise, but not my first suite experience so I understand what I should be receiving. We did not get newspapers, and none of our preferences were communicated to the YC staff. It wasn't all bad, I did enjoy our server in the restaurant, and the YC lounge bartender was great. 

I will say, they had HUGE delays with disembarkation. We were off the ship by 8:30 but apparently they had to halt disembarkation and some people waited multiple hours in line just to get off the ship. 

I won't say "never again" with MSC, but I'm not going to seek them out. Came home, told my husband I needed a recovery cruise and immediately booked NCL Haven - which wound up being less per person/per night than this awful YC cruise. I also will not do another 3 day cruise I think. About halfway through the final full day things started to turn around (you know, after I broke down in tears) - but by then the crew had very little time to show me anything different.

I really wanted & hoped this would be better than it was. Took me 18 cruises, but I finally had a bad one.

On 8/8/2022 at 9:57 AM, margsipie said:

We are booked on the Seashore in September.  Thank you for all of this info!  We have had butlers on Celebrity before, but I’ve always been stressed about calling/bothering them given the number of suites they have and the hours they work.  If they’re bringing someone coffee at 6:00am, but also bringing me pizza at midnight, do they ever get to rest?  Has anyone had someone other than the butler deliver things to the room?

 

We are traveling with my soon to be 13 month old.  Any thoughts on what I could ask the butler to make cruising with him easier?

 

Please don’t give me a hard time about my baby!  I am generally very worried about other peoples’ attitudes when he makes noise in public and quickly leave a situation - we aren’t going to ruin your vacation!

I think it's wonderful you're bringing along your toddler! We have sailed suites with a toddler and I will tell you that the staff will DOTE on you baby. So many of them are missing their own children. They practically fall over themselves to help small children. 

I would ask for fresh fruits, yogurt and other snack things that your baby prefers. At 13 months I know my kids have been more on table foods by that point, but they had specific preferences. I had my butler (on NCL) keep milk, yogurt and fruits stocked in the room so that we could easily snack without going on a quest. 

I also found, on multiple cruise lines, that the wait staff in restaurants would do things like cut my kids food so that I could eat. Or, we used quite a bit more room service if we felt she wouldn't sit.

My daughter was a champion stroller sleeper and we'd walk her around for a nap/bedtime and then park her next to us while we enjoyed a meal or a show. She also loved dancing to live music. She'll be 7 on her next cruise and she's a total champ. 

15 hours ago, 2cruiseluvrs said:

 

GINGERSVP - I am excited for you and your trip that's just two short months away!!! Woo hoo! Add to that a big room with a nice balcony, and you will be loving every bit of your trip!

 

Sorry to hear that your job is so stressful, and hopefully your vacation will be just the ticket to help you unwind and re-focus.

 

I want to paint a picture about what a butler does and does not do. 

 

I would not say that a butler waits on a client "hand and foot." In my mind, waiting hand and foot means that they are standing there just waiting for you to move or speak, and then they try to anticipate your every thought. This is not what happens in the YC at MSC.

 

However, in my experience, if you see them, or call them, or speak to them, they are very good about remember what you have asked, or what your wishes might be. I am going to make up a few examples of totally realistic situations, purely for your enjoyment:

 

(My butler's name was Vishnu - the same awesome guy two cruises in a row, so I will use the name Vishnu.)

 

Excuse me, Vishnu, would it be possible for me to have a cappuccino in my room tomorrow at 6:30 a.m.? And could you please bring an extra packet of sugar? Thank you, Vishnu. [And he says, "My pleasure."]

 

Hi Vishnu, my wife would like to go to the comedy show tonight at 7 p.m. Would you be able to escort us to the comedy club at that time?

 

Dear Vishnu, I really love the chocolate covered raisins in the room. Would you be able to bring seven more canisters of them to our room?

 

Vishnu, tonight at dinner, would you please make sure the waiter has a glass of chardonnay for me and a mojito for my wife as soon as possible when we are seated?

 

Excuse me, Vishnu, this afternoon I was frantically looking for my watch and I made a mess of our room, would you be able to have it re-made, and could I please have an additional soft pillow?

 

Vishnu, when we arrive at Ocean Cay, we would love to ride the jet skis. Could you book that for us please?

 

Hi Vishnu, I changed my mind and do not want to see the New York Times anymore, so could you please bring the St. Louis Tribune to me each morning?

 

Hey there Vishnu, I know it is late and I know I have been drinking, but I need one more cosmopolitan in my room ASAP!

 

I could go on and on....

 

But the point is they are not sitting there in your face waiting on you. However, they are a phone call away, and can pretty much do anything for you that is not illegal or immoral! They may also surprise you with occasional treats to make your trip even better than expected.

 

On a side note, I have to say that the most memorable gesture from the butler that I can remember is that we were about to go ashore on some island (I forget which). It was rainy, and the forecast was for more rain. AND it was hot out! Well, we walked to the Top Sail Lounge to meet out butler before heading out for the day... and he was waiting there for us with ICE COLD WATER and ... ready for this.... PONCHOS!!!!! He says, "It looks like there might be rain today, so I got these ponchos for you just in case. And here's some water for your journey." That right there sealed the deal. That was amazing butler service!

 

Ginger, I would encourage you to ask for as much and what whatever you need... up until the point that you personally feel uncomfortable or that you are asking for too much. If your conscience is telling you to "zip it," then maybe you have enjoyed the butler a little too much.

 

Have fun in October!!!!!!

Thank you! We have had a butler on NCL and a Genie on Royal twice and I do think there's something of a learning curve for folks on how to make the best use. I tend to be the person that makes all the dining reservations and maps everything out ahead of time. It was maybe my 3rd suite sailing before I learned to let go and just trust the butler/concierge/genie to work things out for me, that I don't *have* to plan everything out. That's the real value to me. I was more commenting on the other poster's "wait on you hand and foot". It really isn't that - it's the ability to let go and just trust the staff to make things happen for you.

For my job - I'm sort of that person within my field (technical professional services) - it's my responsibility to think of all the little things, plan and anticipate. It's just so nice to have it done for me once in a while!

We have our first YC booked for this coming October. We've sailed NCL Have, Royal Star Class and Virgin rockstar suites (mega upcoming) - so we'll have a broad comparison. We're embarking at Port Canaveral and it seems that's the port that had the bubbles before embarking - woohoo!

It's not that I want to be waited on hand and foot - it's that my work is very stressful and I really just want to have the option to not think or plan. And I'm a planner. So knowing there's a butler to handle the small details and do all the little things I tend to handle for my family - now that's what I call a real vacation. Not to mention, I love having more space and a good balcony.

22 minutes ago, phissy said:

Our kids also got to the stage where they did not want to be seen with us, when we traveled together.

Now, they are married and talk about how much fun they had on our cruises and vacations.🙄

Duplex looks great. We can no longer do stairs so, have not tried it.

You will enjoy your hot tub on your deck and aft views.
This is the only cabin , in YC, that has 2 bathrooms.

Your daughter will enjoy the pizza and pastas. Can be made to order. 
She can order milkshakes from bar up on pool deck. Late breakfast and lunch buffet offered on pool deck are very nice. Afternoons, they brought around small cups of gelato for YC guests to sample. 
Also, free access to thermal spa. Meraviglia has an amazing spa area . Free to use for all of you throughout cruise. Massages are extra. 

We have stayed in Royal Suite. Nice space and deck but, as mentioned, only  1 bathroom . Our next MSC cruise will be on Divina , in an Executive Suite. Interesting if we will miss having access to a balcony. We are on corner facing Ocean Cay, so views will be nice.
Again, largest cabin on the ship but , 1 bathroom. Last cruise on MSC was Meraviglia, in Caribbean. We found we spent all our time up on pool deck , in our cabana.

You will enjoy your cruise. Staff very nice and helpful.

We recently sailed in the Ultimate Panoramic suite on RC Oasis - it has no balcony but 270 degrees of wall to floor glass. I was worried I'd miss the balcony but it was instead one of the most breath taking cabins I've stayed in to date.  It also had a second bathroom! 10/10 would sail again. But it's only on the Oasis and the ship will no longer be in Florida by her birthday. We're just trying for a quick getaway.

I'm pretty thrilled about the 2nd bathroom. We have an upcoming cruise on the Scarlet Lady that includes a 2nd bathroom as well. People underestimate how nice that can be. And yeah, we bounce around cruise lines. I like to try all the different things!

I will say, the teens did NOT turn down New Year's in Iceland so they're not completely ditching us yet. 

This is all helpful! We have sailed in the 2 bedroom Haven suite, but on a smaller ship without a Haven restaurant. We just booked the Duplex suite on Meraviglia, as we're only bringing one of our 3 kids with us. Our teens no longer want to cruise with us!

It's good to hear the YC restaurant is so good, because I was just starting to review specialty dining. I'm over tepan style cooking on a ship and don't eat red meat - so some of it was already off my list. My daughter is incredibly picky but will be happy all day long on fresh fruit, pizza and plain pasta - all I'm sure readily available.

From what I gather the chocolate shop and gelato are extra - are there any other extra charges beyond specialty dining, excursions, spa (ie the expected extras)? 

17 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Haven and Yacht Club are mostly the same. Some things are better in the Haven. Some things are better in the Yacht Club.

 

I enjoy both and was on Meraviglia a few months ago.

Can you illustrated what was better in Haven and what was better in Yacht Club? I'm eyeballing a Duplex suite on Meraviglia for my daughter's 7th birthday.

Following! I've sailed NCL Haven and Royal Star Class - am about to book Yacht Club and looking for information on what's similar/different!

I've sailed both and I'd say you have a pretty accurate and thorough review. 

I find that you have to be organized and scheduled on the Oasis and I loved that there was a lot more of a "go with the flow" atmosphere on Virgin. The entertainment is more spontaneous and you sort of have to just be out and about and willing to pivot. Since I don't really love being scheduled, this works for me. 

I do love that Oasis has some interesting neighborhoods but my biggest complaint about the ship is that everything opens inwards. Unless you have a balcony, the there are very few ocean views on the ship. Scarlet Lady has a lot more ocean view spaces. 

Like you, I'll sail them both! I have kids so it's Royal when we travel as a family and Virgin when my husband and I get to escape. 

I feel your coffee woes deep in my soul. I am known for being particularly exceptional at screwing up coffee. Not enough water in the pot, too much water, overflowing grounds, forget to put the pot back and coffee everywhere, exploding cups in the microwave and I have even chipped the glass plate in my microwave while putting a coffee cup in it. I'm even more of a mess when I travel, and hotel "coffee" machines are just new ways for me to muck up the making of coffee. Most recently, I found yet a new and inventive way of screwing it up - I went to the fru fru coffee shop on the Scarlet Lady and accidentally ordered tea. Seriously I have issues. It's just nice to know I am not alone.

12 minutes ago, cured said:

That is what I thought and why Star Class was on our eventual bucket list. But the person I responded to said the concierge could do pretty much everything a genie could do. 

Yes, that person was wrong and I suspect has not actually sailed Star class from the nature of their comments. 

I sort of think of the Genie as a combo private concierge and butler. 

I cringed just reading that. I'm so sorry that happened to you and I hope you make your May sailing. In 2012 I feel, sprained both ankles and broke my right foot. I was a solo mom to 2 young boys and had a long distance boyfriend that happened to be visiting at the time. He extended his stay to take care of me and I got my first taste of working from home. I spent about a month in a wheelchair and it was 2 months before I could drive again. The boys were 9 and 5 at the time. My boyfriend took such good care of me and stocked my freezer with food for the extra week he was down that I locked him in and married him the next year. It was truly a defining moment in our relationship.

It's so hard being disabled, even if only temporarily. Wishing you speedy healing and hoping you have lots of helping hands around you 

11 hours ago, HicksRA said:

About the only thing I wouldn’t want relative to Star Class would be a genie. I’d feel like I was being led around by a babysitter. I recently spent two weeks in a CLS close to the Star Suite and saw the genie constantly leading everyone around, escorting them to dinner, seating them at shows and ordering their drinks in front of everyone kind of making a spectacle of the guests.  

I know this would be desirable for some, but I prefer my own privacy and enjoying my cruise on my own. 
Not knocking others who like that sort of thing, just not for me. 

It doesn't have to be quite that over the top. Our Genie checked in on us at dinner but didn't actually escort us to dinner nor order us drinks, etc. We were traveling with a larger group not in Star class and I didn't really want to advertise a lot of the extras we received, so she did a lot behind the scenes but wasn't super extravagant with displays. 

For priority embarkation and disembarkation, we were quietly led to our room/off the ship. 

2 minutes ago, orville99 said:

To us the genie is like a dog in heat, always following behind and sniffing for signs of tipping opportunities. We can do without that, and we get everything we enjoy about suites from the CLS. They are the best suites (IMO) on the ship for comfort vs price.

I did not feel this way at all. Our Genie took care of us and never once spoke to tip. At the end I tipped all at once based on the value of her services.

It's the Royal Genie. The Genie is like a private concierge because they only handle 3 or 4 cabins. You are personally escorted on the ship, directly to your cabin. The Genie handles all your dining and show reservations, reservea front row seating at the shows and will provide you with personal attention in every aspect of the cruise. Pre covid I had a bridge tour (not sure if they're doing them now). The Genie made nursery reservations for my then 2 year old, arranged for a cocktail party on my balcony, arranged for my daughter to be in the ice show, checked in on us at dinners, and basically was there for every small thing I could ask.

Can you buy all the food and drinks separately and spend less? Absolutely. What you cannot buy is the Genie. 

I sail on the Oasis next week, and I only booked it earlier this week. I don't have to think about anything, the Genie is handling everything. I'm super oversubscribed at work and having someone else do all the planning for me is absolutely priceless. Your mileage/value may vary. 

I have absolutely cruised on just birth certificates for all 3 of my kids every time. I had an issue with my ex and getting passports so didn't have a choice. I finally got their passports in February of 2020 and are going to break them out in 2 weeks. Woohoo! But yes, you can absolutely cruise on birth certificates with your teenagers.

I'll be on the Oasis on 3/13 but will enjoy reading your report when I get back from my own adventure!

1 hour ago, CarolinaMamma said:

I think it depends on the kids. Not all kids are loud and rambunctious. I did not take my kids on cruises until they were reliably able to sit and behave through an hour and a half long dinner in a restaurant, which meant the youngest was five. They have been told all their lives that it’s not all about them, that other people are there to enjoy their dinner or vacation and have no interest in hearing them yelling or whining,  My kids had little interest in the kids’ club, because they thought it was too loud, and spent a lot of time hanging out with us, reading, swimming, going to shows and going on shore excursions. They loved it. Children need to learn to co-exist with adults in the real world. Segregating thank into loud, chaotic, “kids-only” spaces doesn’t do them any favors. 

Agree whole-heartedly. I like to vacation with my children and I have the funds and ability to travel with them in suites. My kids also do not love kids clubs and like to hang with us. I've found the Haven staff to be utterly delighted with our children. In particular, my youngest was 2 and our Butler had just returned from her own maternity leave and was really focused on our daughter. NCL markets to families and they market the Haven to families. Those 2 bedroom villas are ideally designed for families traveling with children. If there are people who want suite cruising without kids, there are cruise lines that cater to that - NCL is not one of of them.

Just now, LisaDee said:

All good, no snark assumed 😁.  We’ll probably never know the real reason(s), I’m sure they keep the truth to a small inner circle.

@GoldenGirl327 literally just posted that they were on the prior sailing and there was a large covid outbreak

On 12/22/2021 at 12:12 PM, _tacocat_ said:

We were able to board a hair before 2 (about 1:45). 

 

We got there around 10:30 because we had to deal with dropping a rental car off and cabbing from MIA and weren't sure how long it would take to do all of that.  Fortunately/unfortunately, it was a breeze and we ended up super early.  Waited outside in the blazing heat until around 11:15, went through security, got our test and checked in.  Had results in 15 mins and froze our butts off in that room for 2 hours haha.  BRING A SWEATER! Or a parka.

 

When we do Rockstar again, I don't think we'll get there as early because it was frankly pointless.  Maybe 12:30-12:45, and only because I hate cutting things close.

You got me, it was perhaps 1:45. I will also say I was very disappointed with the snacks in the Rockstar area. I've definitely seen better pre-boarding suite lounges on other lines.