MSC Meraviglia YC Inner Suite & Overall Experience (August Cruise)

DTL · August 25, 2017

Dear friends,

we promised you that we’d write a review about our cruise on MSC Meraviglia, so here it is.

Our first intention was to incorporate our review in Rossco01 review http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2527551, but we decided to open a whole new thread to emphasise our impressions of the ship.

Even though we disembarked on Aug 13th, 2017, because of our holiday schedule, we couldn’t write this review any sooner. So, in the next few posts, we’ll try and describe as many impressions from this cruise as we possibly can.

Edited August 25, 2017 by DTL

DTL · August 25, 2017

Embarking

We arrived in Genoa on Aug 5th, 2017, and we arrived by car. We stayed at Mercure San Biagio Hotel, that is about 11 km from the port. This hotel has a few great things - it has free parking, excellent WiFi, a great breakfast and friendly staff. We arrived to the port around 10:40 AM and we came across a massive crowd of people that have just disembarked from the ship. A lot of Chinese people were roaming around and trying to get to their buses (later we found out that about 15-20 buses of Chinese passengers have disembarked). As soon as we got out of the car, MSC staff approached us. We presented our Yacht Club tickets and our MSC Voyagers Club Status confirmations (Black and Gold) to a woman, who was part of the staff. While I was unloading the car, she accompanied my DW to the MSC tent where they checked our status once again. Also, while we were there, our luggage tags were replaced even though we already printed out and attached our luggage tags (we have done that before we left to go to Genoa). I drove the car and handed it over to the MSC Parking Service staff (we have pre-booked this service). They checked our car status again and they took our car. In our hand luggage, I had another bag with some heavy photo equipment. That bag was taken care of and carried by one young man that was a member of MSC Yacht Club Harbour staff. He carried it for about 400-500 meters, from the parking lot to the check-in point in the main port building. We passed a large crowd of other passengers who were waiting to check-in as well. We didn’t even have to wait or go through the crowd at all. He led us to a room where MSC Yacht Club check-in was taking place, where he “turned us over” to the main MSC Yacht Club butler who took our documents and done the check-in for us. As a sign of appreciation for the service, we were trying to tip the young man who carried our stuff, but he wouldn’t take the money. After some persuasion, he took the tip. We were in a nicely decorated Yacht Club check-in room, where a couple of other families and Yacht Club guests were waiting as well. While the lady at the check-in desk was checking our documents, we were offered spumante, juice and finger food. In the meantime, official photographer for the Yacht Club was taking the typical embarkation photos. After a couple of minutes, another butler came into the room to inform us that we can embark, and he took us to the ship through special YC corridors through which we also passed the port security. After that, he escorted us to the ship. As we were entering the ship, we had to pass through on-board security where we presented our cruise tickets. Right after that, we gave our tickets to MSC staff, where a woman scanned our ticket in order to check the personal photo. We have previously taken our photo and assigned it to our names via MSC for Me app, so the nice lady only took our tickets. After that, escorted by the butler, all of us took a large elevator to deck 16, and the butler escorted us to the concierge desk for YC. Total time, from entering the port to the concierge desk, was only 20 minutes.

distantdreamer · August 25, 2017

Looking forward to it as our YC inside cruise on Meraviglia is coming up in October!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

DTL · August 25, 2017

Concierge Desk

From the first minute, up until the end of our cruise, the concierge staff was very pleasant and professional with all our questions and wishes. At the concierge desk, you can authorise the credit card you’ll use for charges on board. One of the interesting things is the possibility to have paperback edition of your favourite newspaper delivered to your cabin. One of the most important things to do is to have all of your pre-booked services printed out when you get on board, as it prevents the mistake of having it double-booked or double-charged. That is especially important for services such as Cirque du Soleil because, unlike excursions, it doesn’t have a name, but it only has a numerical code. We came prepared, so the entire duration of that visit was relatively short, somewhat 15 minutes long. The reason it might seem long is because there, they presented us with all aspects and services available in YC. One of special benefits of YC is also the fact that YC guests don’t come in contact with the reception desk on deck 5, where the line was always very long. Samantha and Roberto, the staff from the concierge desk during the day, are both very friendly and professional. After we were finished with the concierge desk, out butler Nata took us to our suite.

DTL · August 25, 2017

MSC for Me app

Despite all the bugs and issues this app has (it was already written about in this forum), the app its full abilities gets upon embarkation. Connecting to the Internet via the app is very simple and it requires only a few clicks (without having to type in your email address and the Internet ID number that can be found on your cruise card - that is, along with turning on the cabin light, the only other use for the cruise card if you have the cruise bracelet). The app itself enables you access to all needed information about the every day events on the ship, it simplifies navigation and the walk through the ship. The app enables you to make a personal agenda for the events and activities you want to be a part of, makes it easier to book excursions and make reservations in speciality restaurants, so we suggest to everyone to activate the app before embarking the ship. They should put in all the personal information, photo ID, and everything that is needed for security purposes. It sped up the whole embarkation process for us, and later simplified the use of all available services on board.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Butler service

Butler service in YC is really great. Our butler Nata was always available for everything we needed and always with a big smile on his face. One of the things that was really important for us, is the fact that he followed us to the entrance to Cirque du Soleil, so we didn’t have to wait in line with hundreds of people. Other than that, he and our steward Ricardo, have kept our cabin in an exquisite state, they always kept it clean and tidy, and even made a small show with swan-shaped towels. At the end of our cruise, Nata escorted us all the way to our car and helped us to locate and then to transfer and load our luggage to our car.

DTL · August 25, 2017

MSC Suites remarks

We were accommodated in the YC Inside Suite.

During our cruise, we had the opportunity to compare YC Inside Suite to YC Deluxe Suite and YC Royal Suite.

Advantages of YC Deluxe Suite are somewhat more room in the cabin, an added sofa, somewhat of a bigger bathroom, and a few more drawers for personal belongings, even though the closet in the Inside suite and the Deluxe suite are exactly the same in size. In addition, there’s a bigger TV and a bigger phone, as well as a balcony that isn’t all that big. It has 2 chairs and a small table, where only one person can have enough room to sunbathe if necessary, but it would require to bring the chairs and the table inside.

YC Royal Suite is extremely big and spacious with 2 separate rooms, a very big bathroom with a hydromassage bathtub and a separate shower. The balcony is also very big (it surrounds both rooms) and it has a jacuzzi. Having such a large space in mind, the furniture seems very cold and sterile, compared to the furniture in the smaller Deluxe and Inside Suites. Considering all of the benefits and services provided by the YC, it seems as though the use of Royal Suite is useless, except for larger families.

DTL · August 25, 2017

YC Services #1

In this forum all YC services have previously been described.

When we got to our suite, we were welcomed with a couple of complementary gifts. There was a bottle of spumante on ice, a fruit basket and a box of amazing macaroons from the Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolaterie. Amongst all of these, there were also our ship cards which we didn’t use for anything else except to turn on the cabin light and the electricity and for the activation of the Internet (we purchased the streamer package - 59 EUR for 1,5 GB which was more than enough for this cruise). For all other services, we used the MSC bracelets, which work great except for the YC priority elevator use, which didn’t work at all, or only just occasionally. We also tried to use the cruise card for the elevator, but the result was the same.

We could use mini bar, Nespresso machine and water as much as we liked and they restocked it accordingly.

There is also the room service menu, along with the pizza menu which are free of charge, but we didn’t use those.

In the bathroom, there is an assortment of MSC shampoo, body wash, body lotion and conditioner, which are pleasant and high quality and are also restocked on request. ;p

Edited August 25, 2017 by DTL

DTL · August 25, 2017

YC Services #2

One thing that’s new is that all YC guests have been granted the access to the Sun Deck (adults only), which was previously reserved exclusively for Aurea Spa guests.

All food in speciality restaurants (including the Anchor’s Pub) and all the drinks marked with two stars (**), as well as all bottled wines, are not included in YC services and require additional payment.

I’d like to point out the Bamboo Bar (deck 15) near the Bamboo Pool, where you can get special vitamin shakes and healthy drinks made with fresh fruit and vegetables. These are all included in the YC service (regular price: 4,50 EUR).

Cabanas on One Pool (there are 3 of them) are basically not available to all YC guests because they have other purpose. One of them is used for massages (Aurea Spa staff), while the other two have been reserved for Royal Suite guests, which may be an additional perk for Royal Suite for which we are not really sure.

One Pool Buffet for YC guests is a great place for a quick meal before or after an excursion, and is great for a late breakfast. One day, during lunch time, they even served fresh Atlantic oysters that they open in front of you.

Edited August 25, 2017 by DTL

DTL · August 25, 2017

YC Services #3

Unlike other Fantasia class ships, all the common spaces intended for YC guest are located in the same vertical line and in the same part of the ship (from decks 14 to 19), including the Aurea Spa, which is located on deck 7. It is much easier to use all the amenities intended for YC from decks 16 to 19, whether via the YC elevator or the stairwell. In order to use the Aurea Spa, the YC guests have to use the regular ship elevator that is only a few steps away from the entrance to the YC. During our cruise, there were some changes being made to some of the staircases. They were being “upgraded” from a regular carpet-covered staircase to a Swarovski staircase.

Another good news is that the MSC YC has reintroduced another great service, which we enjoyed a few times and that is the afternoon tea from 4 PM to 5 PM, which is served by the butler in white gloves in the Top Sail Lounge. With the tea (assortment of 5 different types of teas), there’s an assortment of tea biscuits and canapés with cream and an assortment of jams.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Excursions

All excursions are booked through the concierge desk or the MSC for Me app. We were only on one excursion (we went to Capri) because we have already been to all the destinations several times on several different cruises, so most of our time was spent on board. We used that time to enjoy Aurea Spa.

YC guests have priority disembarkation for excursions, but they do not have the priority embarkation on board, which is also our only complaint about the YC services.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Aurea Spa

Amazing amenity which consists of thermal sauna area (maybe the best on the seas), hairdresser’s and pedicure area and a huge space intended for massages. YC guests have free of charge and an unlimited access to the thermal area during the entire cruise. There are about 20 different types of massages available. We booked a few and we truly enjoyed them. The best time to visit the spa is during the excursions when the saunas are practically empty.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Food and drinks #1

First of all, thanks to Bea for all great informations and pictures of the food and the menus in the YC restaurant. It was very helpful.:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:

Service in YC restaurant is exquisite. Luigi the Maitre’d, and Davide the sommelier, are great guys that pay a lot of attention to each guest and are always trying to please every single request the guests may have. Along with the restaurant staff, the chef Pasquale gives the YC restaurant a special touch. We met him first on MSC Splendida a few months ago, and the second time now, where we got a chance to talk to him upon our request. He informed us that he is responsible not only for the YC restaurant, but also all the speciality restaurants as well. Our complementary Black status lunch we enjoyed in Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant, where Kris had a great show on hibachi grill.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Food and drinks #2 (important for non YC cruisers)

We don’t want to discuss the food in YC in this post, but rather some of the aspects of food in MDRs.

Because we read a lot of negative MDR's food reviews here, we decided to investigate.

So, we spoke with a lot of crew members, some of whom we remember from past cruises, who explained to us that, in essence, there are 2 problems.

First is the errors with the equipment that is meant to take the orders in the MDRs and the bars. The equipment is provided by Panasonic and Samsung, and there are a lot of software glitches that are basically the cause of all problems, especially with Flexi dining that is temporarily stopped. This is dominantly the reason why the food in MDRs is sometimes served lukewarm.

The second problem is the change of the structure of the menus, which confuses both the waiters and the guests. The menu structure is the same in all restaurants on board, except speciality restaurants. Unlike other menus, this new menu is very simple and it consists of 3 sections - starters, main courses and desserts. We had the opportunity to see one of the MDR’s menus and this structure is the same in YC restaurant and MDRs. The structure of the menu causes confusion in many guests because most of them think that you can only order one of the dishes from each section. Actually, in the starters section you have soup, salad and 3 appertizers. In mains section there is always one pasta, one risotto and 3 classical mains.

So, in every meal you can order soup, salad, one or more appertizers, one pasta or risotto (or both) and classical main of your choice. In our case, we used to order 3 or even 4 starters, risotto or pasta and one of the mains. When we had lamb rack for dinner, DW changed her mind and decided to order fish which they switched without problems.

We even walked through the buffet on deck 15, which had a few different sections. We noticed Mediterranean and Ethnic sections in particular. In buffet, there are special sections for family and kids to sit at.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Smoking policy

In YC, in One Pool area, besides cabanas, there is a special dedicated space for smoking and at night, after dinner, the whole One Pool area is a smoking area, but without drinks. However, if you ask Top Sail Lounge personnel, they will provide you with the drinks upon your request.

Smoking is permitted on one side of the Atmosphere Pool, as well as one small space besides Sky Lounge which should actually be Cigaret Lounge. That is a very small space, with poor air-conditioning, without a dedicated bar or service. It is poorly kept, rarely cleaned (the ashtrays are rarely emptied), which is also one of our main complaints, which we expressed to MSC in our feedback form.

There is also a small part of the casino, around slot machines, where smoking is allowed.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Entertainment

Entertainment on-board is amazing.

Theatre shows are really great, much better than the shows on our previous cruises. It is more international-oriented and much less Italian-oriented, which was one of or biggest complaints on our previous cruises. During one of the days, they even had a Disney-like parade in Galeria Meraviglia. For us, that parade was way more interesting and much more fun than the 90-metre-long LED sky of the Galeria Meraviglia.

Bands, especially Emmanuelle’s band (Meraviglia Bar), are a real gem.

Entertainment team, lead by Francesco, was really able to entertain different generations with every night parties, sometime with, and sometimes without several DJ's on-board.

Cirque Du Soleil shows, for our taste, were really mediocre, especially Sonnor, Viaggio with lot of effects was better.

Edited August 25, 2017 by DTL

DTL · August 25, 2017

Aqua Park

Right after the embarkation, we registered with the Aqua Park staff and we got a special bracelet for the use of the Aqua Park.

The park itself is very fun, but it is very crowded. We used it only occasionally, usually during the excursions, when everyone was ashore. The Himalayan Bridge is one of the essential parts of the Aqua Park. It seems very interesting, but because of the working hours and the crowd, we didn’t have a chance to use it.

DTL · August 25, 2017

Overall ship experience

MSC Meraviglia is a great ship with a really well-improved YC experience.

In the summer, YC is a must, because of the extremely large number of passengers. On the other hand, YC experience itself excludes some other things, such as excursions, so that you can fully experience all the perks and benefits of YC. That means that you have to choose carefully in the sense “value for the money”. If you prefer excursions, then the YC doesn’t make sense.

On MSC Meraviglia, there is not as much common space compared to Fantasia class ships. Everything is very confined and tight in 90 meters MSC Galeria in decks 6 and 7, and some small space around the reception desk on deck 5.

Some bars in the central ship area, such as Champagne Bar, Infinity Bar and Edge Bar, are empty most of the time, compared to Meraviglia Bar, where the central entertainment is blooming.

Sportflex area is very well organised and very crowded during the day because there are also separate spaces for kids (Lego and Chico area), Teenage Club and a bowling area, but during the night, these spaces are almost empty, except the Attic Bar, where they organise the DJ and dancing around the Aft Pool.

riclop · August 25, 2017

Thanks for the very informative review.

DTL · August 25, 2017