vllygrrl

1 hour ago, Glitchlo said:

You can take a 5 minute walk to the buffet and get it there

No need.  My mom is a super early riser and asked the concierge at 4:30am  where she could go to find coffee.  They had one of the night butlers brew her some, and the rest of the week they had it ready to bring to her as she sat in the lounge with her book.  

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I think I am going to cancel our upgrade offer for the YC Interior. We discussed it quite a bit last night and I am really worried about the lack of storage space, lack of a couch, and lack of natural light. I just don't think we can get enough value out of the YC amenities to justify the downgrade in cabin space PLUS an extra $500/person. If we could keep our same Balcony Cabin and pay $500 per person, I am sure the YC amenities would be worth it. Unfortunately, the minimum bid to upgrade to a YC Balcony is over $1500/person.

Some perspective on this... my husband and I are normally the type to spend a lot of time in our room.  23 cruises, mainly balconies but a few Haven suites on NCL and exactly 2 oceanview cabins that were so cheap we couldn't pass them up.  We upgraded to YC on Divina in 2021 and the overall experience was so spectacular that I joked to my husband that I would take the YC Inside if it meant being YC again.  We spent less than 45 minutes total on our balcony that trip, preferring to chill in the lounge or on the deck by the One Pool.  Yacht Club isn't really about the amenities that come with it... it's getting whisked through security on arrival, having a quiet space with people who want to simply make you happy... it's completely intangible.  We will be on Meraviglia in November in a YIN... our very first interior cabin on any line.  And I'm not mad about it at all.

Easy plus is $61 per person per day.

I realize this is a strange question, but we were thinking about bringing our Echo Show to use as one of our devices.  We booked an interior YC on Meraviglia and thought it could work as a night light among other things.  

2 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Our first YIN was on Meraviglia, sailing from NYC. We definitely wouldn't have used the balcony. We just utilised the TSL instead. 

We had our first YC experience on Divina and maybe used our balcony an hour total the entire week.  We're trying our first YC interior on Meraviglia in November and while the reduced space will be an adjustment I think we'll be perfectly happy.

14 hours ago, Qazzy said:

Coming from Connecticut there is no better option for us than to drive to the port.  I wonder what would happen if we arrived and the parking lot is full.  We'd just get turned away?  And go where?  We have a 1:30 boarding time with the ship departing at 3:00. This is giving me anxiety!

Anecdotal data seems like they are fairly lenient in letting people check in early.  You have a very good reason to!

First, if you are in YC you will have the premium extra drink package, so you should be good there.  We enjoyed the YC restaurant for dinner so much that I gave my "spot" for our free specialty meal to my son to go with my husband.  What we've decided to do on our upcoming trip is go to an early lunch at Butcher's Cut for our free specialty meal, and then a later dinner in the YC restaurant.  Just something to consider!

This is fantastic!  My husband and I are sailing in November, also in a YIC.  It's going to be our first interior cabin ever, after 20+ cruises, so I can't wait to read about your experience. Happy Honeymoon!

We had the same dilemma...8day from NY in early November.  We upgraded to YC shortly after cruising restarted and we are now ruined.  Even though we had a balcony that trip we ended up being in our room far less than we ever had on our previous 20 cruises.  So, for this trip we are trying our first ever inside cabin...YCI.  The entire experience we had far outweighs having a balcony.

On 12/27/2022 at 12:47 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

That is so true. The "comfort" food that many are used to is not what MSC does. Too many people are accustomed to the processed stuff that passes for food that they have no idea of how bad their normal diet actually is. 

And thank goodness for that!  In recent years  on NCL my husband and I have suffered from swollen ankles on cruises, something that had never been an issue before, because of all the excess salt they use.  We were thrilled that it didn't happen on MSC!

My son is also an extremely picky eater on the spectrum, and pepperoni pizza is his jam.  I can assure you that they have marvelous pepperoni pizza....he absolutely loved it!  He had no problems at all during the week finding food he liked to eat.  We have been on Disney, Royal and many trips on NCL but my son says that his favorite now is MSC!

15 hours ago, sheltielover256 said:

We just returned from our one week cruise on the Divina. We went in YC, which we got on a bid. We are not experienced cruisers, so feel free to ask if you want a "novice" opinion.  I'll check back here for the next few days.

We will be on Divina 10/31 and also got YC on a bid.  Do you mind telling me if you followed the embarkation time on your documents or showed up earlier (ours say 3pm and we don't want to miss lunch)?  No issues getting drinks outside of the YC?

Search your email for something from msc-tickets.no-reply@msccrociere.it

It's a different sender email than other items I have received from MSC and might be the easiest way to retrieve them.

19 minutes ago, PRH said:

First thing:  did you bid the minimum or more?

 

1.  Can’t answer your question as MSC information is so screwy on internet but probably easiest to purchase a one device and show it with your son’s name.

2.  Embarkation: usually YC can show up anytime at the white tent.  You will be escorted by a shore butler to the YC check-in.

3. You will be able to get drinks anywhere.  The limit is $12 beginning Oct 31 for Divina for drinks outside of Topsail.  You may or may not be charged for drinks over that amount depending on the wind direction, the bar tender, and any number of variables of the moment.

 

Enjoy!

Thanks - I will be transparent about our bid...we bumped it to the bottom of the "fair" range for a number or reasons.  My parents are coming, and family trips with them are few and far between, so we wanted to have a good shot at all getting upgraded.  That said, we booked this cruise for a very, very low price, so even after our upgrade, the total cost for 7 nights in YC is approximately $3k which I feel is an outstanding price point.  We have had the opportunity to sail in a suite on NCL a couple times and it is far more expensive than this.

We were notified yesterday that our bid was accepted and we have been upgraded to YC for our 10/31 cruise (is it me or is that super early for them to tell us?).  We are Platinum+ with NCL and status matched to Diamond on MSC but this is our first voyage with them.  We're super excited and have a million questions, but here are the ones I haven't seen definitive answers to:

1.) Internet - I see that YC comes with the 2 device browse package.  We have our 17 year old son travelling with us and it looks like not many teens have been on recent sailings - can I upgrade the package onboard to the 3 device package or is it better to purchase a 1 device package for him now?

2.) Embarkation time - our documents say 2pm - can we arrive earlier since we are in YC?

3.) Drink package - I believe there was a change that allows YC guests to get drinks from bars on the ship outside of YC.  Can anyone confirm this?

Thank you for any help you can give.  Any other tips you think we should know?  It feels like so long since our last cruise, and we are also travelling with my parents (they were upgraded to YC too!)...it's going to be wonderful to be back on the sea.

1 hour ago, MarkusToe said:

Easy answer, give your home test you a certificate?

If you do not have it, no cruise

Yes... the test issues a lab results certificate, which is the reason I asked the question in the first place.  Although it is self administered, it is live proctored during a telehealth video appointment.

I can't find a definitive answer on the MSC website but does anyone know if MSC will accept the Binaxnow Home Test?  It's proctored through a telehealth appointment and FDA approved for travel.  Both Royal and Celebrity have said that it meets their testing requirement.  I have a feeling that tests for travel are no longer covered by insurance, and at $150 for 6 tests through eMed it's reasonable.  I'm also concerned with finding testing in the window before our cruise.  Thanks for any and all information!

So happy to read this - we upgraded our package and will be boarding the Dawn tomorrow.  I will absolutely order champagne for our first lunch on board!  

The Hilton Garden Inn in Ridgefield Park has a park/cruise option that we loved.  It's about $250 (keep checking) and you leave your car their.  They provide you with a private town car to and from the cruise.  We have also parked at the Port Imperial Ferry terminal...it's about $16/day.  You would take the ferry across ($18/pp RT) and walk the 3 easy blocks to the cruise.

Just won our bid on the Pearl 10 day 4/18. $300/pp went from Oceanview to a mini-suite.  Very thankful for the extra space, since we are traveling with our teen. 

Look for a person with a sign before security and get in that line.  Once you are through security look for the Platinum/Platinum +/Ambassador line for check in.  After you are checked in you will be directed to a roped off waiting area.  You will board after suite passengers and those with disabilities.  Arrive early because the waiting area fills up quickly.

I miss the days of boarding the ship and having servers walking around with trays of drinks.  We would always have the first one we saw, no matter what it was, and that marked the start of vacation.

In March on the Gem my hubby handed me $20 to play Buffalo Gold.  I was playing minimum, $.60 a spin and 5 spins in hit the bonus....for $1496!

/l. Qac

 

 

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/l. Qac

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