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YC all the way! For us, a group of 4 on most cruises, it works out to around $3K off the cruise. You can also stack your Voyager's Club 5% discount with it! Instead, of $9,600'ish for a YC1 cabin, we paid right at $6,500 for a group of 4. Then, with the big box travel agency we use, they give a 10% back of the cruise fare as obc, so that more than covers our gratuities and DW's casino $$! Boarding in a couple of hours!!

I'll definitely post about it. For us, DW wanted her own bathroom, so that settled that! 🙂

We board the day you guys get off on the 20th for a 7-day!

Really looking forward to this stop. Have gotten in contact with the co-located kite surfing school and have set up lessons for our bunch...can't wait!!

We have reservations here in Nov! Originally, we booked it in Spring 2020...ummm, yeah, thanks Covid! Then we re-booked for Spring 2021...that cruise got cancelled as well. So, here we are 2 1/2 years later and the owners e-mailed back saying they will still honor our $125 deposit from 2020...what great customer service! We opted for 1 of the 2 VIP upper decks since we have a larger party going. Which appetizers do you recommend?

Dusting off this thread, if that's OK. Back in April 2022, we booked an OV Cabana and stopped by the YC Concierge desk to request #7 which is the closest Cabana to the Ocean House. You still have to walk around Ocean House to get to the beach area...which DW did not like! So, for our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise, I've booked a "non-oceanfront" Oceanfront Cabana...I call them that due to all the regular loungers and umbrellas that are between the cabana and the beach. So, does anyone know which # Cabana is right by the access way in the middle of the chairs to the beach? I know I don't want to ask for #6 as that is right by the path up to the Ocean House with people/waiters consistently passing by. But, I don't know if I should ask the Concierge for #3, 4, or 5 to be right by the beach access-way. Can anyone please advise? Many thanks!

On our April Seashore cruise out of Miami, I did not put any tags on beforehand. When we got to the YC ten t, they slapped on those glorious gold luggage tags that started our great week ahead!

We, too, status matched to MSC Diamond off our NCL Platinum back in the day. We were NCL Haven fanatics until it got way too expensive! Now, it's no problem for us to maintain our Diamond status as we have only been sailing MSC YC, and the 5% definitely adds up which we also stack with the Casino 30% discount.

For our cruises, I always bring extra cash for tips even though the daily tips are charged to our account. I was talking to the incomparable Vishnu in the Seaside YC about working on different ships, and he stated that he only wanted to work on the Seaside (sailing out of the US at the time) because the staff make much more. He continued that "American" passengers are a lot more work than in Europe, but Americans tip extra that he sends home to his family. Last I heard (I believe it was on these boards), after Covid he opened up his own restaurant in Mauritius. Good for him!!

When we sailed on Seashore back in April, we rented that exact Cabana behind the distinguished gentleman; it is called an "Oceanview YC Cabana" vs "Oceanfront" which is to the right, on the described rocky beach. Oh, and they're not exactly oceanfront as they are behind all the rows of open chairs and umbrellas for YC guests. Once you board, you can request a specific Cabana # with the YC Concierge. They don't guarantee it, but we got the one we requested. I plan on requesting Cabana #4 or 5 in Nov. The one above is #7, btw. From this area, the Bimini Beach is a very short walk and is, indeed, sandy and smooth and very open. We all went swimming there after trying to navigate the rocky YC beach! Snorkel gear is included in the YC area, just go to the Ocean House and sign for them. The port-a-potties are the nicest I've ever seen, seriously! Wood laminate flooring, sink area, small counter area, etc. It's more of a half bathroom in a regular house. Lobster rolls...I ordered 2 and then double stuffed one roll with the meat. Yum! Also put the overflow lobster meat on my salad which I also ordered. Returning on the Meraviglia and have reserved one of the oceanfront cabanas this time as wifey did not like having to walk around the Ocean House to get to the rocky YC beach. Happy wife, happy life!

Try calling 1-844-MSC-PLAY, that's their casino reservations line. I find the agents to be much more knowledgeable.

We just booked the Mera for Nov 20th sailing! Have only sailed Seaside & Seaside EVO Class ships on MSC thus far, so excited to explore the Meraviglia Class ships! Planning on Divina out of Rome next July, another first for us on MSC, finally sailing Europe (becoming empty nesters).

That is awesome! Ours were extended due to Covid (is that still a thing...seems to evaporated from the headline news), but have not yet pressed to test on trying for a year out.

I agree! We normally sail 4 people in a YC1 or YC9. Before 30% discount, it prices at around $9K (our cruises are tied to the school calendar which means peak seasons), give or take, depending on which cruise/time of year, but that's pretty much our average. Our last 2 MSC cruises after the 30% discount and the 5% Voyagers discount, then add taxes/port fees, were right around $6,700 for the first one and $6,500'ish for this last one in April. So, from my point view, I could lose up to $3K and "break even!" However, from my wife's point of view, the Captain would be blaring the "Man overboard" alarm as she shoved me over! 🤣

Here ya' go! MSC Cruises Casino <msccasino@msccruisesusa.com>

Wow! No sooner did I type this response yesterday, then I just got a Free Cruise offer in my e-mail today from the Casino Dept! It's for summer sailings of the Divina, 7-, 4-, or 3-day options. So I guess I do get after-cruise offers now 🙂

I am searching for a travel agent that can beat the 10% onboard credit of a certain "big box" travel agency we've successfully used before. That 10% obc pays our gratuities + some casino $$ 🙂 Met an agent on Royal last year who led me to believe their "big agency" could match or beat any offer we found, but, alas, she ended coming back with only $100 obc and she said she was thrilled her agency "gave that much to us!" I had been clear from the beginning I was looking for better than 10% obc, so we ended up cancelling her hold on the cabin we want and will be calling the "online big box" agency tomorrow to book thru the Casino Dept + get our 10% obc. If y'all know of an agent that can top 10% obc, pls dm me as we are in the market for an agent.

Is that the 18% gratuity fee they add on when you select that "free" offer, by chance?

OMG, that's funny, not funny!! 🤣 Yes, Dear-Sister-In-Law, NOT son-in-law (oh Lord, help me!).

Only speaking of my personal experience, have not received any after-cruise offers from MSC. With NCL, based on my play at the craps table, I regularly received free cruise offers in the mail throughout the year. We would then pay to upgrade to the Haven. Our savings with that process was an average of $1,500-$1,700 per cruise. So, IMO, booking the Yacht Club with MSC Casino's 30% provide us with about 2X the savings as our past NCL offers, hence why we changed. We still luv NCL, but luv our $$ more! LOL 🥰

JAGR, DSIL is actually 1 year older than me, and I'm fortunate to consider her 1 of my 4-5 best friends! We really get along and laugh a lot! 2 more years to full retirement and full-time cruising for me!

I can provide some answers, but not all as I have not tried it on a b2b. The voucher is good for the cabin occupied by the awardee. So, it's 30% the total cruise fare (taxes & port charges are separate) for the cabin. We sail in a group of 4 most times and it's applied to the cabin. Have not run into a max value, personally booking a YC1 or a YC9 Cabin. Have not tried this on an Owner's/Royal Suite in the YC...we ain't at that level yet! 🤑 For our past April cruise, the fare was around $9,500, but came out $6,700 with taxes/port charges in that total. Have only done 7-day cruises on MSC, so can't speak authoritatively on a short cruise, but I'm going to assume you can earn it with enough playing time? Again, you only need 1 voucher per cabin, not per person. This is a very generous discount AND it can be stacked with your Voyager's Club 5% discount (but not the 10% Military discount, sadly 😕). We have saved quite a tidy sum on our past 2 cruises and our upcoming cruise with this discount. As I told my wife, even if I lose $1K (I've come out positive on each cruise so far, but the odds are ever in the house's favor), we save $2.5-3K on every cruise, so it takes money to save money, am I right! 🤣 The biggest thing I noticed with my stated play this past cruise on 3-card poker was I never deviated more than +/- $500 the whole cruise playing just the Ante and Play bets which the Pit Boss said was close to 50/50. On the other 2 cruises where I played "more recreational," I did have some nights with bigger downs (but still under $1K), and then stayed lucky and hit bigger ups (the second cruise almost paid for itself!). So, I now view this as a statistical exercise in getting closest to the best odds in order to save a larger sum next cruise with the plan of not losing more than $1K (again, I've been lucky to finish positive each cruise), but also realistically probably not winning a huge sum either...I'm very OK with that! Thank you MSC Casino Department!!!

Disclaimer: this post is only based on my personal observations from earning the 30% Casino discount on my past 2 MSC cruises; it's not official MSC guidance or whatever! OK, we've sailed the MSC Seaside twice and had a third cruise booked until...well, covid-agedden which disrupted everyone's lives, sadly. And we just sailed the Seashore in April, and booking the Meraviglia in Nov using the 30% discount from the Casino. We're not big fish players to earn a free cruise, although I have sat at the tables with those who have earned them (or maybe "pre-paid" for the "free" cruise with their playing! 😬). The big question up front: I bring $1,500 cash onboard with me as our casino budget...and have yet to even come close to using it all. DW and DSIL play the penny slots on roughly $200 for the week each. They play together all night after the shows until the casino kicks them out at 4:30/5:00am! As they come back to the room, I'm usually getting up to have coffee in the YC Topsail Lounge and then wait outside the fitness center doors eagerly waiting for them to open at 6am...yes, I am one of THOSE people! I have issues, I know.... So, back to the lucrative Casino 30% discount. Prior to discovering the cost and service advantages of MSC's Yacht Club, we were big NCL Haven sailors, using casino free inside room offers to pay the difference to upgrade to the Haven. I say this, because I stumbled across MSC YC while comparing cruise prices, and our first Seaside YC cruise was around $3,000 cheaper than the comparable NCL sailing...say what?! 😲 And this was before we had earned a 30% discount. So, we have our usual cruise routine of dinner, catch the show(s), then DW and DSIL "go to work" on the penny slots in the Casino while Dad (Me) and DD hang out, head to comedy shows/white dance parties/etc, then I drop her off at the cabin around 11/11:30 (she's 16, btw, so no child services calls, please!). She then orders YC room service pizza which is different than regular room service pizza...yum-o! and watches a movie before dozing off. I'll get to the Casino around midnight and check in on DW and DSIL to see if I need to take out a home equity loan yet, then head over to the 3-card poker table to buy in. I play 3-card poker as MSC ships do not have my preferred game of choice, Craps. Craps is a predominately American market game and MSC is an Italian-based cruise line catering more to Europeans. So I learned 3-card poker, instead. My first buy-in is $500. Just slide the cash and your room card over to the dealer and they then log you in and start tracking your play. With slots, you put your room card in the machine and it automatically starts tracking DW and DSIL's play. My average bet is $10 on the Ante and $15 on the Play spot. There is also the "pairs plus" bet that would be an additional $10, but I learned a good lesson from the Pit Boss this last cruise about not playing that bet. On our first MSC Seaside cruise, a Casino hostess found my DW and DSIL on the second night of playing and had them fill out a casino rewards registration. MY DW later told me that she filled out mine as well since the Hostess had it readily available. Then, on the last night of the cruise, our Butler placed the 30% "Willie Wonka Golden Tickets" on all 3 of our beds! They are actually letters in envelopes, but you get the idea of the excitement we felt when we saw them! This is consistent with our last 2 cruises on MSC, on about the second night, the Hostess comes finds you based on where you're logged in, has you fill out the registration, and assuming you play every night like we do, then the magical envelopes show up on the last night on your pillow so you fall asleep dreaming of 30% future cruises! One key caveat, the discount is only valid from 9 months from the month you sailed, so it forces you into 2 cruises'ish a year if you're chasing this offer...oh darn, throw me in that brier patch! Oh yeah, the Casino Dept also sends you a box of Venchi chocolates to your room for free, sweet! So, MSC awards X# of points based on your time and level of play. The key number is to hit 1,200 points in their system to trigger the 30% threshold. I cannot tell you how many bets DW and DSIL make per hour, but they are playing penny slots. For this past April's cruise, I played from 11pm-1/1:30am betting $25 on the Ante and $25 Play bets, no Pairs Plus this cruise as I l studied my statistics. The Pit Boss and I chatted about that. In his broken English he said betting Pairs Plus made it about 70 to 30% in the house's favor, but just betting the Ante and Play bets made it almost 50/50. Smart playing he said! Based on my stated play, I hit my 1,200 points on my fourth night. Finished the cruise $100 ahead AND got the coveted 30% discount letter that is worth $2-3K when booking 4 people in the YC! Also, I have found MSC's Casino Reps to be SOOOOOO much better and knowledgeable that their regular customer service reps. No long hold times, but they're only avail M-F, 9-6pm EST at 1-844-MSC-PLAY. Again, this is just my experience, but glad to answer any questions y'all may have. Out of 43 cruises so far, I have found MSC's Casino Dept to be the best. I'm glad to answer any questions...fire away!

BTW, just posted a new thread about the 30% Casino discount. However, I don't see it on the Forum...does CC have to pre-screen it or something??

I luv your attitude! Yes! Yes! Yes! Wasn't there a Country song that had a line, "no one's ever put on their tombstone that I wish I would have spent more time at work!" Yours will say, "they cruised until the ships wore out!"