DMH15

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

Donna, not sure if I mentioned, but one thing that caught us up a couple times was going aft from YC.  16 aft of YC is specialties so no public way aft.  We were leaving lounge sometimes wanting to go aft and you have to go up or down to get aft.

Thank you.  Good to know.   A couple of times I have repeated ships, (NCL Jewel and Sun), and it was so easy knowing all the secrets.  This is a whole new experience.  I am thrilled gym and spa are so close.   Last cruise on Epic the walk from the Haven to the spa was a hike.  After a few days I figured out there were massage rooms in the Haven fitness area so I booked a couple of massages there.  

The Seaside aft looks really pretty.  

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

Here you go Donna.  First picture YC lounge - kids liked the chocolate pops on left.  They had them a couple times.  Gelato is located starboard by Jungle Pool bar, Southbeach bar, and one other place escaping me now.

 

Now let me clean the drool off my phone.  LOL.  

THANK YOU!   I cannot wait.  

10 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Yeah!  We had some great times and only 11 more weeks to go again.

 

Hope all goes well for you.  Some great staff there.  Vishnu was a master at everything, Roy, Olena, Kulna the waiter, and of course the YC Director Robert.

 

I was trying to find some gelato photos for you from the other thread but have to see if we actually took any photos.

Thanks, again.  I have made a note of the names you mentioned and will look forward to meeting them.

1 hour ago, Linda the Book Lover said:

Good one! We are 7 weeks away!

I remember that... and thinking it was a shame.  Would have been nice to cruised with you after reading you on CC all these years!

Is there small print "Butler not Included"???  LOL.

We have done both.  If you stay near the port of San Pedro not a whole lot to do.  We walked a few blocks from the hotel to a nice Mexican Restaurant.  

Long Beach is very hip and walkable.  Lots of shops and restaurants.

Another trip we went early, stayed at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel across the street from CBS and went to The Price Is Right.  Had to send away for tickets in advance.  It was fun.

If you ask FDR he would say all those $1 add up.  LOL.

18 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Thanks everyone for all your informative posts. We’re flying out tomorrow for our cruise on the Seaside. I’ll report back and give you my perspective on the topic. Thanks again!

Have a great cruise!  I have to wait 5 more weeks... sigh.

Gelato on Seaside in YC only 5 weeks away FINALLY.  

Thanks, @ dexddd for some great information.  My cruise is next month FINALLY!

5 hours ago, phissy said:

We are just home from our holiday, Meraviglia in Mediterranean.  Boarded in Barcelona after spending a week there. YC boarding was painless. We booked a Deluxe Suite 15004, forward YC suite. Would not do forward again. noise and motion were extreme. Mentioned elsewhere on this forum.

Cabin itself very comfortable for 2 people. YC   was very well organized with restaurant, lounge and upper sun deck and bar/buffet. 

We had issues with our Butler, which have beed mentioned on another thread.

Having cruised other lines, especially NCL Haven, this was a good comparison. Much better overall.

2 days into our cruise, I noticed Royal Suite at end of hall was open and Asst. Butler was finishing prepping it.

. I asked if I could go in quickly and take pictures before new guests arrived.

He said , "No Problem". while taking pics, Butler for that room came by and mentioned that it would be vacant for the next 7 days. I was very surprised as these are booked months in advance.

He said I should go to concierge and inquire if it was possible to upgrade to this room for the remaining 5 days of our cruise.  Concierge had Yacht Club Director come down and meet with me. He said he would contact head office to see if it was truly open for the week. Got a call later and they offered us upgrade for $200. Of course, I said yes. 

 

I did not tell my husband why we were moving. Just said, we have to change cabins and gave him the new key. We all stood and watched when he opened the door and lookin in, eyes wide.

REALLY??? How did this happen?  Butlers, concierge and I were all chuckling at his great reaction.

Yes, it is a much bigger room. But, certainly, not perfect IMHO.

No table and chairs for ensuite dining or room service. still eating off coffee table.

Bathroom had tub and separate shower.  Shower itself was half the size of Deluxe Suite shower. It was strange to open your eyes in shower and see glass 4 inches from face. One sink in bath but, two sets of shelves for toiletries.

Also, no hooks for bath robes in bathroom . Not on the wall or shower door. Not on back of door like the Deluxe Suite. The asst. butler kept hanging it in the closet with our clothes.

Closet same size as other room. more drawers and shelves. Bed same size, Queen. Balcony off bedroom had open balcony (Glass bottom and open upper) Used this as it had the best views.

Forward balcony had glass covering and we did not use it. As the weather was cool to cold, we were able to used reserved cabana on sun deck only one afternoon in port. We had blankets and it was nice to read outside and be out of the wind.

Hot tub was great. We used it every night. Probably the best perk of the whole suite.

Looked up price for this cabin when ship hits US , out of New York. Looks like $14,000 per person!!    Would not do that EVER.  

Deluxe Suite in YC is just fine and has all the perks we need.

It was fun to try and glad they offered it to us for the last days of our cruise.   Someone got upgraded to our "old" cabin and I am sure they were very happy also.

Also, good to see direct response to us within the YC. 

After changing cabins, service became much more pronounced to the point of being annoying.  This should not be. Everyone should be treated the same.  

But, I got my champagne every evening , so I was happy. 

Any questions, happy to help.

I will be solo inside YC on Seaside un May.  My first MSC.  I have cruised many NCL suites in and out of Haven.  Agree that the service was escalated in the DOS in Haven over non Haven PH.  But I have no problem with that.  

Another vote for Greece. 

You really should cancel.  It is obvious you have already decided your cruise is destined to fail. 

7 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

The Maitre d’ is constantly overseeing and assigning waiters.  He is responsible for the management of the restaurant and is the arbiter of all mistakes and conflicts.  If you develop a repore with him and have any special requests then you might consider a small tip as away of saying thanks.  You never know when you will run into him again on another cruise and I can tell you from experience they have great memories.  

Yes!   I remembered a certain Maitre d' from the suite breakfast and lunch venue on the NCL Sun (25 nights).  A year later I saw him in one of the specialty restaurants on NCL Epic. He recognized me and we chatted a few minutes.   He sent over a lovely bottle of wine.  

My niece is a vegan so we would always stop by our dinner venue a night before just to speak with the Maitre d'.   They always appreciated the advance heads up.  

2 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

When I am solo in a cabin, I tip extra besides the standard per-person daily service charge, knowing that the steward will get half the usual amount with only one person in the cabin.   I figure it takes him or her about the same amount of time and effort to clean the bathroom or vacuum, for example, whether there are one or two passengers in the cabin.   So I add maybe about half the per-person amount to my own daily service charge.  Not necessary, I realize, and others may feel differently.  But it's what I do.  

Thank you for posting this.  I am on my first solo in May. 

 I'm on my first MSC seaside in May… I'm used to traveling on NCL in the haven and they always supplied a beautiful flower arrangement which made me smile. I'm sure that will be missed. 

 I have an idea… What about sending her some beautiful flowers when you get home and saying "this is to keep the vacation spirit alive and going".

Have a great cruise.  I am on my first MSC in May and I agree.  Many helpful posters here. 

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

3. The food. Especially the pasta but also the pizza from Eataly.

 

2. Yacht Club.

 

1. Value for money. The Yacht Club is still much cheaper than the Haven and better.

 

I understand from your questions that you aren't planning to book YC but that's some of the reasons why we have left NCL for MSC.

 

And some of the reasons I will cruise MSC Seaside in May in the YC.  My previous cruises were mostly NCL Haven and last was NCL Epic Owners suite. 

My TA was Spring.  Miami to Athens.  Liked builing excitement. Spent 3 nights in Athens. Did not think time changes were an issue.    

I would be happy eaither way.  East to west or west to east.  I love sea days.  

9 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Can't say "Been there, done that," but does anyone really need a "personal butler" on call 24/7?

It was wonderful that when my mom and I upgraded our experience to strictly suites I got to give up the position of "mom's personal butler and concierge".   We BOTH got to experience R & R after that transition.  

Lost mom in Oct of 2017.  She sure did love her cruises!!!

And just about every cruise I have been on will have an omelet action station in the buffet.  

2 hours ago, blueeyes_two1 said:

We will be traveling wIth another couple and arriving the night before.  I would like for boarding to go as smooth as possible. MY HUSBAND HATES LINES.   So are we better off arriving at 10:15am - 10:30am to terminal or waiting a little while, maybe have lunch in miami,  and get to the terminal about 1p or 2 pm after all the hussel and bussel and hopefully most of the lines have reduced?

If hubby truly hates lines check out Yacht Club for a future cruise.  

And they do have trivia usually 2x a day on MSC Seaside. 

On 3/7/2019 at 8:31 PM, ceilidh1 said:

Yes, this sucks and makes you feel crappy. BUT, ask yourself this, if NCL had RAISED the price by $2000, would you be willing to hand over the additional money after you had paid what you had paid? If the answer to this is no (and I suspect it is) then you just have to accept what has happened and move on. The risks of booking early are that prices may drop closer to sailing. BUT you have locked in your price (and cabin) in the event that they increase - you have to make the choice as to what is more beneficial to you. NCL is generous to offer anything after final payment in my opinion - I am elite on Princess and have never once got anything after final payment if the price has dropped!

One time my mother had planned a trip to visit her school friends in Calif.  her hostess had a death in the family so she was no longer able to host my mom.  I immediatly suggested we keep our air tix and book a cruise.  In the week and a half it took us to decide our cruise cost went up a few hundred each.  So, I agree.  I can go either way. 

Hey.  Here is my history:

1.  Times I have cancelled with NCL:  0

2.  Times NCL cancelled my cruise:  2

Hopefully OP was 100% refundable.   Life is complicated.  I would have just laughed.  Sweetly, of course.