kelly94942

7 hours ago, Cashsmoney said:

Have you noticed, are they allowing drinks around pools and hot tubs? I was on the YC a couple years ago and you couldn’t place a drink at the edge of the pool.

We were just talking about this in The One Pool yesterday.  Someone was annoyed that there was no place to put your drink on the edge of the pool when you’re in the pool proper (because of the water edge that goes around the pool) and I commented that I was surprised drinks were allowed in the pool.  I haven’t seen anyone be told they couldn’t have their drink in the pool this week.  Not sure if they are actually allowed or not.

13 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

Would you please ask in the Yacht Club how many staff are assigned there? I want to bring them some Halloween Candy. Asked them to include their kitchen staff.

I asked the concierge this morning and didn’t get a great answer.  He said between the 12 head butlers, 12 assistants, and the concierge staff, there are about 30.  But of course that didn’t include Top Sail, The One Pool, or dining/kitchen staff.  I wonder if a safe assumption would be to quadruple that number to cover those other 3 areas?  I can also try to ask again later in the cruise and see if I can get a better answer.  🙂  He also said there are about 300 people in YC this cruise.

17 hours ago, flaca0604 said:

One question, is the cabin door magnetic?  We love to decorate our door and want to make sure it is magnetic.

It is magnetic, but won’t hold much.  For instance, I can put a thumbtack magnet (I have magnets that look like thumbtacks, they just have magnets instead of… tacks) on it and it will hold up fine.  But if I put a clip magnet with the daily program on it, it will slide down/off.  The inside of the door (facing the room) seems to have a stronger hold than the hallway facing side.  But I think that if you’re doing one of those large flat magnets, that would be totally fine, or just be sure to bring several magnets to hold up your decorations.

1 hour ago, paddy1112 said:

This week even the VIP function for the elevators does work for us.

Last week it didn‘t.

Not working for us!  We have tried multiple times of day, different days, and both of our cards.  We’ll keep trying.

2 hours ago, mizzoufinal4 said:

Also on this cruise in thenYacht Club. Enjoying the cruise so far but a few observations that’s someone who has not sailed YC probably wouldn’t even notice. First there are no YC wrist bands this cruise, was told there was a “technical issue” and they weren’t being used this cruise, I really miss them as it is so much easier not having to always have your key card on you. Second there are not snacks rotating 20 hours a day in the YC lounge, they will bring you a small tray of snacks while you are sitting there but it is nothing compared to what they use to have, before dinner t they give you a small tray with about 4 finger sandwiches and after dinner they give you a tray with potato chips and nuts and sometimes a small tray with a few pieces of chocolate, really miss the multitude of snacks offered in the lounge. And lastly the elevators are as bad as everyone says! Lol oh well we are still throughly enjoying our cruise just wish they would quit cutting back on things. First time we sailed YC back in 2018 compared to now is like night and day. Still love it but it could be better because we know it use to be better!

Thank you so much for your comments!  Feel free to say hello if you see us around the YC.  😀

We also asked Ram about the wrist bands on embarkation day and he said the same thing about a technical issue.  I personally don’t mind it because I don’t like wearing wrist bands for some reason, but I can see why it would be convenient.  I feel bad for the poor bar staff, they have a printed list of pictures of everyone under 21 in YC so they know not to serve them alcohol!  That must be hard and a little nerve-racking to keep track of.  

Interesting about the snacks!  I’ve checked for the snacks 2 or 3 times because I knew they were supposed to be there, but I just assumed I must have been looking at the wrong times.  I had forgotten about the 20 hours a day thing.  We have received, as you mention, sandwiches around tea time (3:30ish?), nuts and chips at multiple times a day, and chocolates after dinner.  I LOVE chips, and they’ve had 2 of my favorite kinds - salt & pepper Kettle chips and cheddar & sour cream Ruffles.  Are these people reading my mind?  So I’m probably a happier campier with the chips than the other snack offerings they would have, but I imagine I’m in the minority there!  Oh, we also had some mid-afternoon cookies that I forgot about until I went to add pictures. 🙂 One of these photos is obviously a saved Snapchat but the real photo isn’t wanting to load.

12 hours ago, Falckon said:

Do you know if they were rented by the original occupants or were they free? Were there enough loungers available for everyone? Are there towels available at the YC area or do you need to bring them from the ship? Finally, would you feel safe leaving your belongings on your loungers while you went snorkeling or to lunch?

I know that awatt has already answered at least some of these questions, but I’ll add my two cents as well.  As far as I know, the loungers & umbrellas for YC guests on Ocean Cay are free (on the Ocean House / YC beach).  I believe there is a fee for umbrellas on other parts of the island.  There are towels available at the YC area (there is a tent staffed by butlers with towels and cold water).  We did in fact leave all of our belongings on our loungers (really just cruise cards and phones) while we snorkeled and ate lunch, and had no issues whatsoever.  You have to show your YC card to get into that area - not that all YC-ers are necessarily upstanding citizens, but it does significantly reduce the number of people in that area.

18 hours ago, CarolnLarry said:

Does Ram also have suites 19039 and 19041 as his responsibility?  We have those cabins on the Dec 2 cruise.

We asked Ram about this this morning - he indeed has those cabins (he has through 43) and will be here until June!  He said he has some guests returning that will be on deck 16, and he’s going to be their butler as well.  I told him that’s a lot of work, and he said it’s only 2 floors!

3 minutes ago, StonePayload said:

Kelly will have to share the pic of her goat cheese tart.

The second I bit into this thing I knew it had been a mistake to order two steaks.  Thankfully, we were able to take steak and sides to go and are assured the YC concierge can reheat them for us.  This tart was the star of the evening for me.  I paired it with a merlot the sommelier recommended - I never would have picked a merlot to go with this but it worked well.

The first onion ring was piping hot, crispy, and delicious.  By the time I got to the second one, it tasted like something from the state fair.  I only ended up eating about 1.5.  My recommendation here is that if you order these, eat them first.

The sauces were good, I tried each of them but a didn’t go back for more on any.  I’m not a big sauce-with-steak kind of person, myself.  Geoff really enjoyed the mushroom one (second from left) and peppercorn (third from left).

The lava cake was EXCELLENT.  Piping hot and fudgy, paired with that vanilla ice cream (gelato?) Geoff has been raving about.  I paired it with a glass of port.

3 minutes ago, StonePayload said:

Hopefully Kelly will be willing to share the pictures of the food with you.  I have none.

Let me save the day here…. After Geoff reminds me how to post pictures on CC 🙂. For dessert on Ocean Cay, he had the mango cheesecake, I had the chocolate cake.  Both were good, neither were amazing.

3 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

So, not worth the stomach space?

If you are opting for only one appetizer, my vote would definitely go to the dumplings on night 1!

18 hours ago, StonePayload said:

I also had the fire roasted tomato cream soup.  Unfortunately, soup just doesn’t photograph well.

This may be a hot take, but I have to put it out there - this soup tasted to me exactly like Spaghetti-Os without the Os.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t at all what I expected.  I’d been looking forward to it from all of the reviews, and I was so surprised when I first tasted it!

Wow!  We are having better weather in the Caribbean, indeed!  Looking forward to seeing your cabin pictures.

5 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Sorry, but I have another question or two.  I just want to make sure I have this straight.  Is it pretty easy to switch between devices?  When I charge my phone, I will want to switch over to my iPad.  I am used to this process on Celebrity.  Same hold true for the other person in my suite?  So, basic is included for two devices per person.  If one of us has a third device which we want to connect to the basic, what charge are we facing for that third device?

Happy to answer questions 🙂. Geoff and I are both switching between iPhone and iPad as well, no issues at all.  If we were only downloading content (pictures, etc.) we probably wouldn’t have upgraded internet, but to be able to upload photos or send Snapchats, we needed to upgrade.  Our work has VPN installed on our phones and we had to disconnect that to get the internet to work (the VPN is new for us so I’m not sure if that’s common on other lines as well).  We also had to reconnect to the (free for everyone, I think) internet on Ocean Cay, which took a minute for my phone to find but then worked well.  It was seamless to reconnect once back on the ship (if anything, you have to go to a certain website and then press go or start to reconnect).

We looked and to add Browse and Stream (the upgraded internet) for a third device is $125.94 for the week (well, I guess the remaining 6 days at this point, so it’s probably a little more for the week)).  It may be less to just add Browse (basic internet) but we don’t see that option available on our phone since we’ve upgraded, though the concierge desk may be able to do it for you.

Back from Ocean Cay!  It was a beautiful private island - green flag conditions today and it was about 80 and partly cloudy.  Can’t get much better weather-wise.  We slept in this morning and went to breakfast at The One Pool breakfast buffet.  Afterwards we made our way out to Ocean Cay.  There were quite a few people waiting for a golf cart to take them to Ocean House, so we opted to walk.  It’s about a 15-20 minute stroll.  Ram (our butler) was on the island today and greeted us with waters and towels.  The water was absolutely perfect - a little chilly for a minute or two, then very refreshing.  It was rocky as expected, Geoff and I were both happy to have water shoes.  I could have probably spent all day out there snorkeling.  Not a ton to see, but there were some fish and I just love the water.  We went to lunch at the Ocean House restaurant around 12:30.  They were telling couples it would be about a 5-10 minute wait, but they asked us if we wanted to sit with another couple, which was fine by us.  We made some new friends from upstate New York.  The food was alright, I don’t think either of us were blown away by anything.  We tried the lobster roll, carne asada, and burger, and I think Geoff and I both liked the burger the best.  After lunch, we went back to our chairs on the beach for a few minutes and then decided to head in about ten to 2.  There was a serious backup for golf carts to head back to the ship, but we had a shady seat so we let folks go in front of us.  2 golf carts went (with 6 guests each in them) and we finally got on a third golf cart about 2:35, so about a 40 minute wait.  Even for that, we had to be fairly assertive in letting other passengers know that we had been waiting that long (there’s no clear queue).  In hindsight, I would recommend that if your mobility allows, to walk back to the ship.

A few more observations:

• I mentioned the magnetic walls yesterday, but today I realized that the wall inside the closet is magnetic.  I hung my beach tote bag there.
• This ship is incredibly stable.  I don’t know if it’s the size or just the water we’re sailing in, but I found the Apex in January far more rocky.
• I do really enjoy all of the different languages and cultures on the ship.
• All of the YC linens are great - the bedding is nice, the towels are very thick and soft (both in our bathroom and out on Ocean Cay).
• I saw on YouTube that the pump shampoo and body wash in the shower was pretty watered down, and I did find that to be the case.  Easily solved by using more than typical.

14 minutes ago, bhughey said:

in YC, is the internet package 2 devices per person? Thanks in advance for the info!

Yup!  Two per person are included with the basic, and then it’s $35/device/week to upgrade to the streaming package

3 hours ago, CarolnLarry said:

The ship model is really heavy

The ship model has been acquired, as has a Lego model of the ship (so cool!  Never seen that before) and an MSC “stuffy” (stuffed bear) for our daughter.

3 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Where did you get the coupon?

It’s for silver status on MSC - Geoff is Platinum Plus on Bonvoy (Marriott) and did a status match.  That $10 coupon benefit starts at whatever level is below silver on MSC.  The status match was super easy/fast, he had it within a day of requesting it using the online form.

4 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

GenX is on Beyond now, doing a Live from, and wore that dress boarding day.  Her husband did not have a matching shirt.

I’m following along with her live review!  (She and I are sorority sisters - she’s obviously the far more fun one of the two of us!)

On 10/20/2023 at 7:19 PM, gmbhardy said:

Please let me know if you see any men wearing shorts in the YC dining room for dinner

Indeed!  About a third of the men on night 1 (casual night) were wearing shorts.  We also asked Ram (our butler) and he said that it’s no problem for men to wear shorts in the YC dining room.  He said the only night it’s not allowed is formal night / gala night / chic night (whatever it’s called on MSC! 😃) and that they will definitely turn you away then.  He said it wouldn’t be his fault if we were turned away that night!  LOL.

On 10/20/2023 at 12:00 PM, Stem to Stern said:

I forget what I read, but I reckon this internet upgrade can be done right in the Yacht Club at the Concierge Desk? 

It actually can be done right on your phone in the MSC For Me app.  Of course, they are happy to help you at the concierge desk as well.

Back at the Top Sail lounge for a sail-away cocktail.  A couple of interesting things we learned: 

• The shops (at least the MSC Shop) doesn’t open until 6:30 PM.  We have a coupon we are hoping to use to buy the cruise ship model Geoff gets on each new ship we sail, and it’s only good the first day.  We’ll pop by there after dinner.
• As everyone seems to agree, the muster process on MSC is ridiculous.  Having everyone going up and down the stairs at the same time is hot and crowded.  Thankfully we had our super cool neck fans (lol) that I bought us.  Those did help with the air flow, but the overall process still isn’t great.
• The walls, at least in our suite, aren’t magnetic for the most part.  It’s not a huge issue for us by any means, but I do bring magnetic hooks and clips, so I’m having to work within the limited amounts of magnetic space that exist.

We met our butler, Ram, and he is great!  He asked about how we wanted our minibar stocked and if we want a daily newspaper.  We also told him that we had a reservation for Butcher’s Cut tomorrow night, and he said he would escort us there.  He mentioned the name of the junior butler as well, but I can’t recall it and haven’t yet met him.

I snagged the map dress that @GenerationX always wears for a steal on Amazon, and I must say that I’ve had so many comments on it!  People love it.  I got a chuckle when one man said to me “I won’t point out on your dress where I’m from….” 😀

Greetings from the Top Sail lounge!  It’s just before noon in Miami and we’re comfortably boarded with welcome drinks.  Our flight from Dallas to Miami last night was uneventful (the best type of flight!).  We slept well, went to CVS for water for Geoff’s CPAP, and then Ubered over to the cruise terminal.  I’ve read that it can be a little awkward cutting in big lines during embarkation and debarkation, and that was indeed the case.  The 6 of us who embarked together all commented about it, hopefully that can be improved somewhat when the new terminal opens.  Not a big deal at all though.  The other thing that I read is that it tends to run warm on MSC ships because they’re European, and I’ve indeed found that to be the case so far.  We packed handheld fans, but they’re in our checked luggage.  For future cruises I will make sure that’s in my carry on!

18 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Curious how internet cooperates for you on board.

Or if you need to upgrade to their better plan.

 

 

We are also wondering about the internet!  We're going to try what's included with YC and upgrade if needed!  @morpheusofthesea was super helpful and told us it was $140 total (for 4 devices) to upgrade for the week on a recent sailing.  So we'll see what happens and will report back on internet for sure.

39 minutes ago, Dgshooter said:

Looking forward to your review. We will be boarding the Seascape the day you get back. Will you be in the YC?

 

 

Yes we will!

Hi everyone!  I wanted to introduce myself and share that I’m planning to do a live review of my upcoming cruise on Seascape.

A bit about me and my travel companion:

I’m Kelly – a 40-something mom from the North Texas area.  That’s Dallas, not Amarillo.  Yes, I know Amarillo is further north!  By day I work in the healthcare industry.  I’ve been on a handful of cruises before, this will be my first on MSC, my first suite, my first cruise with only my husband (that sounds weird), and my first attempt at a live review.

Each of my previous cruises has been with my husband AND my parents.  My parents are avid cruisers who cruise about 1/3 of the year and have for each of the past 5 or 6 non-COVID years.  For one cruise, we had my sister along for the ride and on our most recent cruise we had our then-4 year old (she’s 5 now).  For this one, we’re taking our first kid free trip while our daughter is safely at home in kindergarten under the watchful eyes of my sister, parents, and in-laws!

I love Cruise Critic and I’m hopeful that I can be as helpful with this live review as others have been for me in my trip planning.

Currently I have no real allegiance to any cruise line, looking forward to seeing if MSC changes that at all.

My husband, @StonePayload (aka Geoff), is a 30-something dad (yes, he’s younger than me) who also works in the healthcare industry.  Coincidentally, he also lives in North Texas.  Ha.  He plans to participate in this live review along with me.  Hopefully the added element of competition will help YOU the follower as we try to out-post each other with helpful content!

So far on the pre-cruise checklist we’ve booked all the necessary travel, secured care for the kiddo, and ordered a few new travel goodies.  Turns out, it’s pretty easy to travel kid-free.  I don’t think Geoff’s going to require plane snacks and activities that I need to be well prepared for!  Or will he…..!!

We also saw about “Cruising Ducks” on YouTube, so we bought some ducks and tags.  We’re going to try to hide and seek some ducks while aboard as well.  We love Geocaching (although admittedly we haven’t done much since our daughter was born) and this seems somewhat similar.  Beyond that we’re looking forward to eating, drinking, reading, and playing games.