jules815

20 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

I would buy a box of teabags such as Yorkshire tea. All this ‘English Breakfast Tea’ malarkey is always a disappointment. As are the individually wrapped packets (I keep some in my work case if there is a shortage, but never the same). However the most important thing is the water - hot. And leave it for a minimum of a couple of minutes. Quality of the water is an issue too. Here in Southampton it is mediocre, good in Scotland but delicious in Ireland. 

I'm American but was raised by Scottish parents so I grew up a tea drinker and still am. My coffee drinker husband doesn't understand how the water being to a full boil makes a difference, but indeed it does. I set a timer for 3 minutes for a good steep and add a splash of whole milk. 

6 hours ago, emmas gran said:

I believe a travel kettle would be confiscated till the end of cruise.

Tea is never the same on a cruise as at home so I would ask for a kettle from your room steward rather than carrying a thermos flask

Do you think it would be possible to get a kettle on a transatlantic (Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona)? I usually pack my own teabags. I know on our last (and only) transatlantic on a RC ship we were provided with a kettle, but we were in a suite on that sailing. 

20 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Tea selection aboard the Beyond at the buffet (Therefore complementary) this past October:

 

That's actually not a bad selection for a buffet.

15 minutes ago, Bead Pirate said:

MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 3

Up at 8 AM today as we are in Jamaica, DW is off early to grab a croissant in Top Sail Lounge as she is scheduled for a 4-hour cooking excursion at Prospect Plantation. It is a small group excursion, and the plantation is no longer a working plantation. What is cool about the place is it is used as a community center and it houses a program where outreach is conducted to the poorer areas of Jamacia and young men (age 14 -18) are identified and tested as potential candidates for the program. If they test out OK and are accepted, they stay in the program for 3 years. They live on the grounds and do all of their own cooking, laundry, cleaning and are expected to excel at an advanced learning program. They are also expected to either learn a musical instrument or participate in choir. Every other Sunday afternoon there is a community dinner and church service where the music is featured. Upon graduation they move into the military or police force. High performers are given the option of continuing their education at Rollins College in Florida.

 

Gusti walked DW all the way to the excursion bus (quite a way) and provided cold water and a cold towel (it is warm early today and the forecast is right at 100).

 

DW has a lot of work to do today so no time for the daily newspapers (we get Wall Street and USA Today every morning).

 

Maronette came to check on DH early as she noted he was not with DW. She brought the usual 4 doughnuts, a pitcher of orange juice and promised to have something special for him at lunch.

Around 1 PM Maronette came knocking and presented DW with a charcuterie tray and a bottle of Cabernet (most welcome after the morning work).

 

 

4:30 PM is round 2 of the slot tournaments and DW arrived back at ship around 2:30 PM. She hoped in the shower and shared a recap of the excursion and off we go (with Gustie of course) to the casino on deck 7.

 

DH made the final 10 and will play in the final on day 4.

 

 

Off to dinner on deck 18 next, Gustie was full of questions this afternoon (wondering what he is up to).

 

DH had the Assorted Chinese Dumplings and DW had the Herbed Gravlax Salmon.

 

 

Next, Dh had the Seared Diver Scallops with Ginger Lime Butter Sauce and DW had the Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb.

 

 

Once again, we opted for the cheese selection from the cheese trolly.

 

Off to The Top Sail Lounge (accompanied by Maronette, what is Gustie up to?)

Explored the drink menu a bit further with Caroline and we tried the Italian and Tunisian. Both interesting but it is back to the Queens for us both.

 

Bernard did three sets tonight. Since we are in Jamacia today (where he has spent his whole life) he took us from early folk music from the 50’s through modern day with many entertaining stories along the way. If you can be sure to attend all three sets on Jamacia night. This was a very informative and entertaining history of the island and culture.

 

The Duo came in and performed two sets in between Bernards performances. They are beginning to calm down and feel more at home and displaying quite the sense of humor.

 

12:30 we closed the Top Sail and said goodnight to Caroline. We stopped on the way to the casino to talk with William and he asked when we expected to return.  I said around 3 and he said that Gustie had something special “cooked up”.

 

Went down to Casino and DW had some luck!

 

 

Headed back to the room on deck 16 and William asked us to let him know if we needed anything else. In the room was a very interesting selection of chocolates, a bottle of Oberon and a selection of pizza slices. All of our ice was refreshed and a selection of mixed Brodies Iced Tea bottles.

Set alarm for 9 AM, let’s see what tomorrow will bring!

Congrats on that casino win! Really enjoying your YC review. We'll be on for 2 weeks in September and recently booked our flights and pre-cruise hotel in Miami, so starting to get excited. Do any of the YC areas seem crowded to you? Did you book that excursion in Jamaica thru MSC or a 3rd party provider?

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We spent 50 years wondering the same thing about all the expensive extravaganzas we have differed til later in life. Then we were upgraded. First on an air flight to first class, then to an OS on the Marco Polo, then a villa at the Four Seasons and a Presidential suite at a hotel in Bali. Those were complimentary or at a very low price (PS in Bali $300 as was the villa) through a cruise line rep. Now my DW will not travel unless it is in top suites. Luckily  DW is not a 'beach' person and the high priced Hut we booked on a RCCL out island had so many insects crawling all over it that we opted to return to the ship. So any future island hut/pergola/cabana is out of our picture. Just make it a point in ones life to try something once before making a judgement. We were always one of those looking in to get a 'peek' at what we were missing. All the above were one and done.

   Now in our 'twilight' years we want to experience what a $1500 pp/pd cabin on the Oceania Vista and Regent Grandeur and Explora 1 are all about and will compare them to MSC YC. They also may be one and done.

Oh those complimentary upgrades...that's how they get you!  We're recently retired and starting to travel more. Recently booked our flights for our September YC cruise on Seascape, fully expected we'd start flying coach again (that stopped back when we became empty nesters and of course, got good to us), but when I was informing my husband about the coach v. first fares, his response was his usual, "well by the time you add in baggage fees", "and the extra leg room is always nice." 

Does anyone know how long he'll be on Seascape? Hopefully he'll still be on in September. 😃

On 5/14/2023 at 5:58 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be taking our first cruise with MSC and will be in the yacht club. Do they have some sort of formal night on a 7 night cruise?  Will my husband be required to wear a jacket or will a dress shirt and tie suffice?  He doesn’t currently own a jacket that fits and refuses to buy one to wear once.  What do most men wear in the YC dining room other evenings?  I’m not worried about myself, but dh just likes to be comfortable. 
 

Are there any special events we need to plan for, such as a white party?

 

Any tips for a first timer?

On our first YC cruise my husband brought his suit/tie. On our last YC cruise he brought khaki Dockers and a button down shirt, no tie, and he was perfectly fine. Most nights in the dining room he'd wear a polo and jeans. 

The butlers are very attentive and they're all over the YC. You do have your assigned butler, but the others are there to assist you as well. You can order cocktails thru room service (all room service goes thru the concierge desk) and they'll bring them to your room, included.  Nice if you want a glass of bubbly or wine while getting ready for dinner.

Concierge desk located within the YC. You never have to stand in line at guest services for anything.

10 hours ago, KennyFla said:

Never walk into the back of a restaurant.

Or behind the deli counter of a well known grocery store chain. 

5 hours ago, wayne_trisha said:

We are a month out from our Seaside cruise. Diamond on RCCl and their prices are ridiculous. Looks like the June 11th sailing has no insides so i cannot get the prices but the June 4th is currently listed at $3060 PP plus taxes/fess for an inside on Wonder OTS. We're on Seaside for less than $2700 total in a balcony with drinks, wi-fi, and $225 OBC. RIDICULOUS! Don't care that it is the newest Oasis class. Been on 10 or so Oasis class cruises and the upgrades/changes have little value to us.

Wait...over 3kpp for an inside on Wonder OTS??  Am I reading that right? We're only paying a little over $2600pp for a Deluxe Grand suite in the Yacht Club on Seascape and that includes our Premium drink package and wifi. (September 2023)

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

One thing to add:

It's true...no sunlight in the interior cabin.  But, I called this "the Yacht Club Shuttle"...a small elevator within the YC that only serviced the YC.  The wait was never more than 15 seconds, and the ride was never more than 5 seconds.  So, literally, I could leave my cabin and be in the fresh air within a minute.

 

My only complaint is the YC beach at Ocean Cay.  There's another "rockless beach" right across the road.  They might think about relocating the lifeguard and chairs to that beach, because the YC Beach was almost useless.

I'm so happy you had a good time and loved the Yacht Club experience. I agree with you 100% about that YC beach. Surprised they haven't done something with it by now.

4 hours ago, karmamule said:

Even without taking the low price into account the service, facilities and amenities of Yacht Club are top notch. When you DO take into account how much lower the fares are compared to Celebrity Retreat, RCL Sky class or above, or NCL Haven it's quite amazing.

 

We had a great time in the Retreat on Celebrity Apex but when it came time to book again we got 14 days in a YC Deluxe Grand Suite on the Seascape for less than 7 days in a similar cabin in the Retreat on the Beyond.

Couldn't agree more with your post. We've sailed in suites on several RC ships as well as Celebrity (pre Retreat). None of those cruises compare to the YC experience. We currently have a B2B on Seascape in a YC Grand coming up in September. Was looking at Celebrity Retreat, but as far as I'm concerned they've outpaced themselves to us anyway. I know people are paying those prices, but why would we when we can do 2 weeks in YC? (We have a transatlantic next year on Celebrity Ascent and got a good deal in a Sunset Veranda room. I keep looking at prices to possibly upgrade to a Sky Suite (not interested in Aqua or Concierge), and currently it's over 7k to upgrade. To us that's just ridiculous.)

This must be something new. We've sailed in YC twice and they've always provided distilled water. My husband usually brings his own extension cord, but I do think he used one of theirs on our last cruise.

9 minutes ago, mmbcater said:

Meanwhile the Seascape got 100% in February!

 

How often are they inspected? Is it twice per year?

I haven't said anything to my husband about this story. We're on Seascape in September, B2B in the YC. Really glad to see that 100%. Gotta admit, some of these posts/reviews of late are making me a wee bit nervous.

We'll be on for 2 weeks in September, after 3 days pre-cruise in Miami, so I know we'll have some laundry. If I pre-purchase a 20 piece package, can you split it up, or do all 20 pieces have to be done at the same time?

On 4/27/2023 at 3:10 PM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Followed up with the concierge, it's a total lockdown in the favor of Expedia. No one else on the ship will be enjoying specialty dining.

 

Screwed....

Well that stinks!

In addition to the YC dining room, breakfast and lunch available daily on the YC pool deck. Our last cruise was in 2021 on Meraviglia in the Yacht Club. In all our years of cruising, I don't think we ever spent as much time outdoors as we did that week on Meraviglia. We loved that area.

22 hours ago, travelwide said:

Can you find out how long he will be on?

I'd like to know this as well. We'll be on Seascape in September.

Just now, AliceS said:

What’s a SV?

Sunset Veranda.

7 hours ago, Mark_T said:

This...

... and this...

...is why we will not be sailing on the 'E' class ships.

 

With the way the Retreat prices have been heading it just doesn't make sense any more, we'd rather cruise 2-3x as often in a real balcony cabin on 'S' class ships  and treat the speciality dining as our MDR. (... or possibly MSC, trying Yacht Club in June).

We've sailed in the YC twice now (Seaside and Meraviglia) and have a B2B on Seascape in September. It's a very nice experience. What ship will you be on?

We were originally booked in a IV room for the April 2024 transatlantic on Ascent. Since we'll be on the ship for almost 2 weeks with lots of sea days, I didn't want to take the risk of not liking this style of stateroom. There were a few SV's available for our sailing so I grabbed one on deck 11. Suites at this time are outrageous. We're actually really looking forward to the SV. Have read nothing but positive things about this location.

46 minutes ago, JoePDX said:

My advice - check airfare for several weeks (or more) to get a sense for pricing.   Google Flights is a great way to look at flight options.  

 

In the past I have used Flights by Celebrity, usually when I need a one way.   In 2019 for a TA I snagged Business Class one way seats for a $1000 a person.   My more recent research has shown that Celebrity pricing is the same as I can get directly with the air carrier.   I much prefer to direct book with the carrier so I am fully in charge.

 

Joe

I honestly can't remember if I booked just the one way to Barcelona thru the cruise line, or if they also did our flight home from Ft. Lauderdale as well. It definitely was better than what we could have done on our own, but I also much prefer to book directly with the airline. 

My husband and I did a transatlantic cruise back in 2016 on a RC ship. At that time the best possible pricing was to book flights thru Royal Caribbean.

Does the same thing apply with Celebrity? Will Celebrity offer the best prices on flights for a transatlantic cruise? (I know we flew business class from Chicago to Barcelona, and the fares thru the cruise line for something like that were much better than what we could do on our own.) We'll be on the ASCENT ta in April, 2024. (Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona) 

25 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Not anymore....😔

Yacht Club used to get Venchi included.

Thanks! I thought for sure we had gotten something included on our first cruise with MSC on Seaside back in 2019. When we were on Meraviglia in October 2021, I honestly don't remember if we paid for the specialty coffees we got that week or not. (We had a lot of obc that cruise)

Thanks for the replies. Aren't you glad I didn't ask about crepes?  😆