Seaview Yacht Club "La dolce vita" review September 2018

MSC Seaview

8-days / 7-nights Western Mediterranean

from 09/02/2018 to 09/09/2018

Genoa - Naples - Messina -Valletta - Barcelona - Marseille - Genoa

We are a middle-aged couple and have never sailed with MSC Cruises before.

After reading a lot of reviews about MSC Cruises and MSC Yacht Club on Cruise Critic Forum we booked a 7-day Western Mediterranean cruise on MSC Seaview out of Genoa, Italy.

Embarking (5/5):

After being dropped off at the MSC cruise terminal by our hotel shuttle driver we were escorted to the YC luggage tent and from there to the Yacht Club waiting area. The processing of our documents and passports was very fast, we just had time to drink some water before being escorted by our butler Marco onto the ship directly to the Top Sail Lounge for a welcome drink. Marco explained some basic things and we were greeted by the Restaurant Manager Angelica and the Yacht Club Director. Marco showed us the stateroom (YC Deluxe Suite deck 16) and we registered our credit card with our account using the kiosk at the concierge desk. We went back to the cabin and the luggage has been already delivered.

Timeline: 11:40am arrival at cruise terminal, 12:10pm Top Sail Lounge after check-in, 1:10pm luggage delivered in state room. By the time we arrived in the Top Sail Lounge we have seen only 2 other YC passengers but at least 8 YC crew members.

State Room (5/5):

The YC Deluxe Suite is spacious and larger as shown on photos. There is plenty of closet space, drawers and open shelfs. We were able to fit 3 suitcases and 2 carry-ons easily under the bed. We travelled with 3 suitcases because of an extended vacation stay in Italy for another 10 days after the cruise. The state room is beautiful decorated with attention to details. The bath has a long countertop and shelfs for toiletries. The shower is large, the water pressure of the rain shower head is good and the water temperature can be adjusted precise. The small built-in safe turned out to be large enough to hold passports, travel documents, currency, 2 watch cases and 1 jewelry travel case. Unfortunately our tablet device did not fit into the safe, but this was not a problem since the whole YC feels secure like a safe. The bed was very comfortable. We asked at the concierge desk for firm pillows from the pillow menu. Items provided in the state room: Hair dryer, bath robes, slippers, coat brush, shoe horn, laundry bag, shoe bag. Toiletries: MSC signature body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, sewing kit. Shampoo & body wash in wall dispenser in shower.

Concierge (5/5):

Soon after embarking we went to the concierge desk to make a reservation for the Butcher’s Cut Restaurant and Aurea Spa (massage, body wax, hair color & style for DW). The concierge showed us how to activate the pre-paid internet package. We went 3-4 times to the concierge desk during the cruise and never had to wait. We passed the concierge desk every time we went in & out of the YC and were greeted each time by name.

MSC for Me App (5/5):

Worked perfect for us. No issues.

We used the App on our smart phones to make show reservations, check our daily agenda and check our expense account.

Dining (5/5) & Restaurant (5/5):

We selected 6:30pm as our preferred dining time. The food was superb and definitely 5-Star quality in taste and presentation. We never had such high class dining 7 days in a row on any vacation (6x YC and 1x Butcher’s Cut).

Our waiter Darwin engaged in conversation, explained the food options and pointed out interesting details how the chef composed certain entrees.

The tables were decorated with runners on special occasion nights (silver - 1st elegant night , gold - 2nd elegant night , green - Mediterranean dinner).

The head waiter, waiter and assistent waiters were very attentive. Used dishes were removed immediately, new silverware placed and salt & pepped shaker removed after main course.

We were seated according to the sun... for breakfast on the side with sunrise and for dinner on the side with sunset. The tables on the windows are for 2 person, in the middle a lot of tables for parties of 6 to 8 passengers.

Sommelier in YC restaurant was Salvatore and Davide in Specialty Restaurants.

We met Davide at dinner in Butcher’s Cut and Salvatore in the YC restaurant.

All YC crew members spoke at least 3 languages (English, Italian and their native language), some were fluent in French and not so fluent in German, but they tried.

Lounge (5/5):

Stylish and sophisticated. Just imagine sitting in the lounge at night cruising the Mediterranean Sea and listening to a talented piano player singing the Elvis song "Falling in love with you".

One day we asked the butler in the lounge for a cup of tea and he surprised us with a white-glove served Afternoon Tea Ceremony. What a treat !

Elegant Night (5/5):

The two elegant nights were formal and very elegant in the YC. Over 60% of YC passengers were dressed up in tuxedos, gowns, suits and dresses. My elegant night nomination for best formal attire goes to two Scottish gentlemen wearing proud traditional kilts in full gear.

Aurea Thermal Spa (5/5):

Nice , quiet and relaxing place. We went two times to the spa. Lockers & Towels are provided, we brought the YC bathrobe. Dress code is "bathing suit".

Only a handfull of people relaxed in the spa during the afternoon hours on seaday. We loved the sauna, steamroom and thalassotherapy spa.

Shows (4/5):

We went every night at 9:15pm to a show. The rating is subjective to our taste...

Ilusion (3/5)

Eclipse (4/5) very good variety

Animalia (5/5) best acrobats

Emozioni (3/5)

Bizzarre (3/5)

Simply the Best (4/5) very good music

Fantasia (5/5) best music

The theater is gorgeous with a modern look. The seats are comfortable for a 30-minute show.

Excursions (4/5):

We booked and pre-paid short 4-hour excursions for each day of the cruise except sea day of course. Again, the rating is subjective.

Naples (4/5) Pompeii

Messina (3/5) Messina City Tour

Valletta (5/5) Valletta & Mdina Tour

Barcelona(4/5) PanoramicTour &Shopping

Marseille (4/5) Aix-En-Provence

Tipping:

We never thought about removing the Daily Service Charge as suggested in threads on CC , we tipped extra at the end of the cruise our butler Marco, assistant butler and our waiter Darwin.

Disembarking (5/5):

Leaving this beautiful ship and the Yacht Club was hard... if you have a good time you want it to last.

Marco asked which time we like to disembark and we told him shortly after breakfast. He escorted us off the ship, through immigration to the taxi stand

and loaded our luggage into the taxi. It was time to say "Good bye" and we drove off for an extended vacation in Florence and Como (Lake Como).

Needless to say... we love Italy !

Nationalities from different countries in Yacht Club: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, America, Austria, China, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark.

A vibrant mix of interesting passengers.

Things we didn’t like:

... are mostly related to fellow passengers.

Passenger wearing golf hat in YC restaurant during breakfast.

Passenger smoking cigars all over YC deck 19 solarium.

Parents letting their baby cry “for hours” in the YC restaurant during breakfast.

Passengers entering elevator before other passengers can exit.

All minor things, we just ignored them or “smiled” them off.

Things we didn't do:

Zip-Line , Bowling , Formula-1 simulator , conga line at the Panorama Pool.

Things we like:

The MSC Yacht Club Experience exceeded our expectation and left lasting memories.

We will certainly “re-live” the cruise by watching the photos and video clips.

Will we cruise with MSC again ?

That’s 100% positive !

Although we will always book Yacht Club if available. The combination of a wonderful ship and the tranquil atmosphere of the Yacht Club is just what we are looking for in a cruise.

Suggestion for MSC Cruises:

New "ALL Yacht-Club Adult only" cruise ship with max 2,000 passengers plus 700 crew members.

Four cabin categories (YC royal suites , YC deluxe suites , YC ocean view , YC inside)

Final words...

Describing the cruise experience of ship and Yacht Club using only the English vocabulary is challenging, “beautiful” and “wonderful” are used too often. The Italian vocabulary has more glamorous words like “bellissima” , “magnifica” , “grandiosa” , “fantastica” and "bella". Sounds somehow familiar...

Happy cruising to all CC members and Thank You for reading my brief review.

Yours,

SirWolf