Best Cat Mom

@JAGR 😞

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

We sail on Super Bowl Sunday so will most likely be in the room to watch the game vs the Top Sail Lounge where there are no TV's that I have seen.

True that there are no permanent TVs in TSL. I have seen on this board where YC added a special celebration for the game. Not sure if boarding day is too soon to have developed a relationship with staff where they'd want to accommodate fans of American football in a special way. Also, that first day might be too hectic with all else going on. (This is when the European-style of boarding at multiple ports may have been an advantage.)

Just a thought -- if there are enough B2Bers interested, maybe it could have been pre-arranged? I don't know if YC Director Pepe is a football fan, but I do know that is very interested in keeping his YC guests happy. 🙂

39 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Since the bars are closed, I'll settle for an adult beverage on the balcony as soon as we finish the drill.  

TSL will be open and serving whenever you get back there.  🙂

We go as early as possible down to the muster station, making us some of the first to "swim upstream." We've always been recognized while fighting the crowds to go up the stairs and offered an elevator to get back to YC.

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

As long as it's good for drinks with dinner in Galaxy and Butcher's cut on Divina, I am fine. 

Always has been good for us. Imagine having to carry in 3+ glasses each to Butcher's Cut? Well, I guess the butler could bring them if they walk you to the restaurant. 😉

4 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Oh how I wish you posted this 3 weeks ago!!! 😁

We also were asked about pillows in the "pre-sailing" email. There was a link to a web page in that email:

https://info.msccruises.com/Yacht-Club-personalization_ENG_pillow-Menu-YC.html

Here's what the web page displays:

1 minute ago, jean87510 said:

Ryan and Glenn were my favorites.  We insisted on being at their tables.

Were they still in that front section? We had them in the back, on the raised area, but they said that Mehmet was moving them to the front starting with the next cruise.

Just now, jean87510 said:

Oh how I wish you posted this 3 weeks ago!!! 😁

I'm SO SO sorry! It was in one of the brochures in the cabin. See how it says pages 12 and 13 at the bottom? I cannot recall what the brochure general "topic" was though. 😞

Here's the Pillow Menu. We always get the first one on the left -- really firm and great for side sleepers like us:

Those are the exact scissors I always have in my checked luggage. I've never had problems at airports or with MSC.

If it is helpful to anyone, I've posted 17 days of Lunch menus in this thread:

This is from a transatlantic that began in Barcelona and ended in Miami so it's likely the menus are a mixture of what will be on both Europe and Caribbean menus.

If it is helpful to anyone, I've posted 17 days of Dinner menus in this thread:

This is from a transatlantic that began in Barcelona and ended in Miami so it's likely the menus are a mixture of what will be on both Europe and Caribbean menus.

23 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We were on Divina for the transatlantic from Europe to the Caribbean in November/December. Pepe (Guiseppe) Terminiello was the YC Director and he had told us that he would still be on board for our next Divina cruise in April. Not sure if that has changed, though...

Just found out that there is more than 1 Pepe in YC:

Pepe (Guiseppe) Terminiello is indeed still on Divina as YC Director

Pepe Arru (I believe that is the correct surname) is Food and Beverage Director on Lirica, currently in Brazil

And it'll only get better next time -- because you know what to expect and how to handle any blips. I can't wait to read about your next YC adventure! 🙂

Wait, do I see June 2024 in your signature? Only 5 months to go...

Just read through your entire trip comments while on the treadmill (only use it at home, never on the ships though). At first, I felt really bad that I wasn't around on CC to offer suggestions as to how to handle some of the difficulties you had early in your holiday. But as I kept reading, I saw that things were improving for you. And then when you mentioned Pepe, Rudy and Simone by name, I thought "Aha!" she's gotten to know the people who can help. 🙂

I hope that in the end you feel that this is just the first of many YC cruises for you! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Here are some more images of Ryan -- he loved having BCD take his picture. He said it was so he could send them home to his girlfriend. 🙂

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

I am thankful that Leatherman's are not permitted

Me too -- I meant that the retrieval process felt so uncoordinated which us led us to fear that we would not get it back.

This was outside of Le Muse after our Italian Night dinner, which was also our last night (sniff). The two additional people are the "extra" pair of servers that did not have a section assigned in Le Muse. We interacted with them frequently, especially at breakfast and lunch. We like how the whole staff at Le Muse works well together to take care of guests. It's never about just "your" server team -- everyone lends a hand to help everyone else.

Here are some images of Glenn and Ryan, our wonderful server team in Le Muse. Glenn is the Server (gold tie) and Ryan is the Assistant Server (black tie). On theme nights, their attire is slightly different as well, so as to distinguish between the two positions. Ryan talked to us about how hopeful he is to be promoted to Server. He said that the position pays twice what he makes now. We usually tip the assistant half of what we tip the server (if all service goes equally well from both), so I guess we're aligned with MSC there.

7 minutes ago, mnpurple said:

...we probably would not make Divina our first choice

We were surprised to hear from many YC staff that they prefer Divina to the newer ships. They said that they enjoyed the smaller venue so that they could get to know guests better. They felt that the bigger and newer ships have so many people that it's hard for them to give the type of individualized service that makes YC so great. We told them we agreed -- though we've only been on Seaside so far to compare. We have a Seascape 14-day coming up in September for another comparison.

The One Deck on Divina has been upgraded with cushions on loungers and chairs (I only have images of the loungers):

On 12/29/2023 at 5:10 PM, mnpurple said:

Our first MSC cruise was on Seaview and that spa had a thermal pool, heated loungers, salt room, wet and dry steam, two saunas, an outdoor whirlpool, etc.  Divina only has gender specific sauna and steam room, so if you are traveling with someone of the opposite sex, you can't spend time together. There is only a small lounging area and they are not heated.  We only went once on an 11-day cruise.

Agree. We were on Seaside and it was similar to what you describe for Seaview. We considered Divina to be a "non-event" even for a freebie. We never went on our last 17-day cruise on Divina.

On 1/13/2024 at 7:22 PM, Fogfog said:

Do we know who is on Seashore YC at the moment? Divnia?

We were on Divina for the transatlantic from Europe to the Caribbean in November/December. Pepe (Guiseppe) Terminiello was the YC Director and he had told us that he would still be on board for our next Divina cruise in April. Not sure if that has changed, though...

I am sharing some overall thoughts about our trip, in case others will find the comments helpful -- though we know that our experience is subject to our own personal opinions and expectations. 😉

It was nice to have the ship and the YC only at about half capacity. We've sailed Divina before and have never felt crowded in YC, even when it's close to full. I'm not sure if that is because YC people have availed themselves of the rest of the ship or because we don't go out at most ports and get to enjoy YC when the rest do go out. YC on this cruise seemed to have a nice, small mix of passengers from a variety of countries, but all of a great temperament. Maybe because we all knew we were stuck together for so many days? There was only one child as I recall. To my untrained eye, it appeared to be a pre-school age kid. To my ears, it was well-behaved. LOL

We were surprised that there were not more people dining late, given how many Europeans were in YC. We even had some non-US people tell us that they ate earlier than us. We really like how Le Muse doesn't rush through meals. We normally take around 2 hours just for 2 courses. When we'd have dessert or linger over the last glasses of wine, we never felt rushed and we appreciated that so much.

It was also nice to have menus with covers again. Our last 2 cruises (post-Covid) were only pieces of paper.

For us, the Italian flair of MSC is so important. But there are some Italian customs that we don't need. In nearly all the hotels in Italy, we've always had towels that are more like tablecloth material and really big like one too. We don't miss those. But the bathrooms always had towel warmers and those would be nice (though they're probably a fire hazard, so we'll likely never have them on board). Also, we always travel with washcloths but it's nice that MSC has them on board. We still pack them for any pre- or post-cruise hotel stays in Europe, though.

It's also nice to be able to put the toilet paper into the toilet, not like most restrooms in Italy where they have wastebaskets next to the toilet for all paper so as not to clog the old pipes. I always laugh when I see the pictures in the MSC bathrooms showing to put the paper in the toilet, not in the wastebasket. It's exactly the opposite in most bathrooms in Italy.

I never answered the knock that brought our morning Baileys and coffee as I'd normally be in the shower. When I would ask BCD who was the butler who brought it, he'd swear he'd never seen the butler anywhere else in YC. I had thought that he was just too sleepy to have registered who was bringing the order. Finally, on one of our last nights of the cruise, the butler was in TSL. He was the "night butler" and I guess they only had him working nights. Hard to believe we could go two weeks without seeing him anywhere else. Even in a small YC like Divina, I guess there could be staff that we don't see.

On the other hand, Pepe the YC Director was everywhere, all the time. He would even show up in Le Muse at least once a night while we were dining. We know from our past cruises that since the maitre d' does not report to the YC Director, they might not welcome the intrusion. (They report to the Hotel Director.) But our Mehmet did not seem to mind at all. I guess he and Pepe work well together and that has to be a good thing for YC guests overall.

The music that played in TSL during the day on Divina was more recognizable to us than what we heard on our last cruise on Seaside. On this cruise, we heard lots of old standards and some contemporary stuff. Seaside had familiar songs covered by unknown artists and sometimes in completely different music genres. Imagine rock songs redone with an upbeat Jamaican flavor, for instance. We much preferred Divina's music.

BCD swears that Ashish in TSL had the best spicy Bloody Mary he has ever had on a cruise and closest to what he makes for himself at home. Ashish was the bartender in the morning and midday, before Hubert came in for the afternoon and evening.

On this cruise, they had regular tomato juice in TSL. On our previous cruises they only had Clamato or a pre-made Bloody Mary mix. I don't like spicy anything so instead of a Bloody Mary, I'd drink tomato juice and gin (gin instead of vodka for me). I do not think there is a big difference in taste using Clamato, but I've heard and read some people that refuse Clamato. Now that Divina is back in the Caribbean, Clamato might be back. If it matters to you, ask before you order.

We've always been pleased with TSL service and butlers, but this cruise seemed the most doting of all our cruises. Maybe it goes back to the transatlantic aspect of this voyage and how they know they're stuck with us for 17 days so they'd better keep us happy? LOL

The sea was much calmer than we'd expected on this cruise. We were probably just lucky with the weather. One day the sea was so calm it looked like glass. Wish all cruises could be like that!

Our cabin was on the port side of Deck 16, which is one deck above the concierge desk. We chose port side because we'd read on CC that having a southern exposure for a westward crossing would provide more sunshine and warmer temperatures. Deck 16 was the only deck with port side cabins available when we were booking. We usually like to be on the same deck as the concierge desk and TSL but gave that up for the southern exposure. Our cabin was just about at the top of the YC stairs though, so it was easy to get to TSL and the desk when needed. The YC elevator was only a few steps in the other direction so that was easy to get to also and we never heard any noise from the elevator dinging.

On our MSC cruises, we always try to smile and wave whenever we go by the concierge desk. If they are not busy with a guest, we might just stop by to chat and ask them how their day is going. We think that it is always a good idea to let them know when you’re happy and having a great cruise. Then if something goes awry at some point, they know that you're usually quite content but now there's just a little something where you might need their help. I don't know if that really makes a difference, but to us it seems like the right thing to do. I want them to know that if there is a problem, it's just a little blip in an otherwise great holiday. At various times of day, you'll usually find the Head Butler, Head Concierge and YC Director in the office by the concierge desk. If there is some issue where you need assistance, usually the right person to help you is close by.

Also, if you've forgotten your needle-nosed pliers -- or had them confiscated -- the Head Butler hanging around the concierge desk might be able to get a pair for you to borrow for the length of the cruise. LOL

The process for getting BCD's Leatherman back after disembarkation seemed a bit weird, especially since MSC did not specify the process at the time of confiscation. However, after considering that it was not simply a bottle of liquor but a potentially hazardous weapon, I like knowing that they are not giving dangerous items back to anyone when they are still on board.

We had been walking past a cabin we have booked for our next Divina cruise in April and chatting about it when a butler we knew from TSL passed us in the corridor. She asked us which cabin and we told her and she said that she'd be our butler for that cruise. (It was Dwi, in case anyone knows her. I have heard good things about her as a cabin butler. I know she was a great butler in TSL.)  Thinking about it later, we figured that must mean the butlers usually keep their same cabins for their entire contract unless something unusual occurs. Good to know.

Since we missed lunch in Le Muse on boarding day, we ordered a pizza to the room while we unpacked. We also had a pizza when we packed on our last afternoon on board. We say pizza in the cabin is now a must-have to make packing/unpacking more fun!

I saw something on CC about a potential 22 drink per day limit. As I read that thread more, I saw that the poster stated that it was for a South African cruise. Then I thought about it more and realized that it could not be for YC since they don't ask for our cruise cards when we order drinks. Whew! I don't know that only 22 per day would work for us. LOL

Another thread on CC said something about Divina potentially now being a "smart ship" because her IT had been upgraded. I'm wondering if it will be as robust an offering as on the "full" MSC for Me ships and we'll be able to check our schedules on the displays all around the ship. That would be a nice upgrade. If they add the bracelet functionality, that would be even better!

In conclusion -- which I hate to type because this truly signals we're wrapping up our cruise…

We loved our cruise. We truly enjoyed having so many days in one long cruise. We weren't sure if that would be the case, given that we don't partake in many of the activities on the ship. We were worried that we'd be bored. We were not at all. We loved relaxing every day and spending time together. We liked that we had a few excursions, but not so many that we were exhausted every evening.

We enjoyed the Divina, as we have in the past, since she is a smaller ship and the YC feels more cozy. We also like that Le Muse is at the other end of the ship, since it gets us out of the YC enclave for a little while several times a day. We especially like returning to the YC and feeling the serenity envelop us when the door swooshes closed behind us.

The two less-than-optimal parts of the cruise were the confiscation of the Leatherman and the delay in serving the entrées at the last Gala Meal because of the lobster tail shortage. These were not big deals to us but if pressed to pick what MSC could do better, these are two events that qualify.

We liked this cruise so much that we booked the same transatlantic for next year on Divina in the same cabin. It does cross a few weeks earlier in November and we'll be on for a few more days. We're so looking forward to it!

We have 2 more cruises in YC before the crossing, one on Divina in April and one on Seascape in September. We're eagerly looking forward to both.

I'll share some random images in a few more posts. I especially have lots of images of Ryan presenting us wine in Le Muse. 🙂
 

Day 17…

Disembarkation day dawned with rain and wind. The ship was really rocking overnight. How did we know? The hangers make a lot of noise when they are the only things in the closet.

I think we woke up as soon as we approached Miami given that the rocking calmed down so much. We were close to the port before dawn, though I'm not sure exactly what time we docked. We lingered in the cabin until our Baileys and coffee arrived for the the last time even though we could have gone to Le Muse a bit earlier.

We left our carry ons and 1 suitcase with the concierge to hold until we were ready to disembark and walked to Le Muse for our last breakfast. The rain and wind were so bad that we had to walk inside. BCD had finished two more cars to fulfill his last requests for this voyage so he brought those as well and delivered them to two more happy crew. We were surprised to find that Glenn and Ryan were there to greet us. It was pretty empty in the restaurant; maybe only one other table was occupied.

I ordered an egg white omelet with bacon and cheese and BCD ordered the MSC Express breakfast. We had capuccinos and mimosas, with Moet and Chandon now. I forgot to mention that yesterday they had run out of Pommery and were now substituting Moet and Chandon. We had a Caribbean cruise last year on Divina where they served Moet and Chandon in YC for the entire cruise. I had asked yesterday what would they serve if they ran out of Moet and Chandon; they said with certainty that they would not run out. I guess they keep a lot of it on board!

On the way to Le Muse on Deck 7, we walked past the solo cruiser who'd we sat with at the casino bar the day before. We wished her "safe travels" and she did the same for us. Isn't it amazing on ship with thousands of people that you can run into someone more than once?

We chatted a bit with Glenn and Ryan while we ate breakfast. They told us that their dinner section had been changed to the front of Le Muse beginning with the next cruise. We did not ask if that was a permanent change or if it might change again. If you're going on Divina and want to request that awesome duo, I guess ask for them by name and not by table in case they wind up with another section someday. I also wonder if Mehmet is trying to make 6 sections in Le Muse so all the gold ties have a section in the Caribbean?

As we finished up our meal, they stopped by to say goodbye. It's nice to know that we'll be back to see them again in April. Most of the crew that we asked said that they'd still be around as well. I think only one of the TSL butlers will leave before our April cruise. Mehmet and Warsha expected to still be the team in charge of Le Muse when we return. Since we had no complaints with our service or meals in Le Muse, we were very happy to know we'd see them all again.

We headed back to TSL to wait to disembark. Pepe had said the day before that he wanted everyone out of YC by 9am. We knew that they were still calling group numbers for the remainder of the ship to disembark. There were many tables of people hanging out in TSL and servers were circulating taking drink orders and chatting. Around 9:30am, Pepe announced in TSL that we all needed to go "now." It was kinda interesting seeing the butlers' reactions. But we made our way out via our butler Elvin escorting us to the disembarkation line. For us, there was absolutely no wait and we were escorted all the way to the front of the line.

Yesterday, BCD had asked Elvin about how he would be reunited with his Leatherman that had been confiscated by MSC ship security from our checked luggage. Elvin had previously said that it would be returned either the evening before or the morning of disembarkation. BCD was getting anxious yesterday evening and asked about it at the concierge desk. Elvin gave BCD the form letter from the initial confiscation and told BCD to have it handy for when he would get the item back as part of disembarking tomorrow. So as we were waiting to disembark today, we asked Elvin what to expect as to getting it back this morning. He stated that it would be as we were exiting the ship. When Elvin brought us to the front of the line where we would show our cruise cards for the last time, he asked security where the Leatherman could be retrieved. Security told Elvin that it could be retrieved inside the terminal, which Elvin conveyed to us. This seemed implausible, given that the confiscation happened on the ship and not in the security of the terminal. At that point, we had no choice but to follow the instructions from Security. BCD approached every terminal employee that we encountered to ask where he could retrieve his item, fearing that we'd walk past a point where we missed retrieving it but would not be able to go back for it. When we were about to pass through the customs checkpoint, BCD was again told the item could be retrieved on the other side. We did not actually need to go through that customs check, since we'd already been cleared by US Customs in Puerto Rico. We did have to walk through that customs hall area though to get to the exit on the right. Once through there, BCD asked again and was instructed to walk back in through the other side -- the entrance side -- where he should find a security desk to retrieve his item. I hung back with all our luggage, which by the way was waiting for us right before the customs area in a group with other YC luggage and was so incredibly easy to retrieve, though we did not notice how easy since we were preoccupied with the Leatherman retrieval. BCD proceeded to the right to find this security desk.

I believe that the two doorways are called East and West, though I never saw a label on either of them. To be clear about which I am discussing here: we exited through the one that is on the left when your back is to the ship (which it is when you are exiting) and BCD went to his right to enter the other one, which is to the left when the ship is in front of you (which it is when you are entering).

At the left opening (when ship is in front of you), BCD waited in a line for port people to check boarding documents that justified entry. He showed the confiscation letter which they acknowledged granted him entry and instructed him to go just inside the door to a counter on the left, before the security scanners. At that counter were two agents and behind the counter was a wall with several bins containing with confiscated items each bound by rubber bands with paperwork attached. They asked what the item was, were able to locate it quickly, checked that paperwork matched what BCD had (matching name, cabin number and the description in the paperwork) and they returned the Leatherman to him. He might have had to sign or initial something; he can't recall now. Then BCD came back out the way he went in -- fighting against the crowd this time -- and walked to his left back to where I was waiting.

We ordered an Uber, it arrived in less than 5 minutes and we were on our way to the airport. We checked our bags, went through TSA Pre-Check (which was a much shorter line than Clear) and I believe we were in the Delta Sky Club lounge by around 10:30am. I am estimating the time based on us barely making it there for their breakfast offerings. Lunch came out shortly after we arrived. We knew we'd be there for several hours, as we had a late afternoon flight to Atlanta, with a later connection to Cincinnati. Fortunately, the weather did not affect our flights and we were safely home by around 1am on "Day 18." LOL

I'll share some final thoughts in a separate post.