Seaside - YC - January 12, 2019

[Beachin2]

Thanks for your observations.  You can run into "sour" people anywhere and some folks are just beyond pleasing no matter what you do. 

 

Appreciate any other first hand observations and experiences.

[js]

1 hour ago, mmpgoodtogo said:

I am not the OP obviously but I’m on this sailing in the YC.  I have had no problems with venchi being included on drinks or gelato.  I haven’t tried to get crepes b/c I don’t want them.  YC dining room has been great.  Randy is our server and is very nice and attentive. I’ve gotten all drinks included other than one at the champagne bar which was like 19.00.  We’ve not been told anything is outside of the packages we booked with before the changes unless it was an obviously expensive item.  You can buy up to premium plus and we discussed it but found it wasn’t going to really add much for us to do so. Waiters in YC are attentive as well. Heard a few people say they love the cruise.  Heard a few people say they hate MSC. We’ve successfully hijacked the elevator for priority use several times. (We are those jerks).  And the wait staff at the champagne bar have been great. We did tip but found them to be great even prior to our 5$ gratuity we ended up giving at the conclusion of each visit. YC food has been good. Husband loved the Osso buco.  The deserts have been tasty.  The fruit tarts=yum!  My biggest food complaint is as that my toast was a bit burnt for my tastes.  YMMV.  I’ve seen a few sour faced people look pretty sour each day and I think they are having a sour trip.  But I think it’s more about them then the staff. Oh our butler is Alessandra.  She’s been perfectly acceptable and attentive though we haven’t asked for much past an extra blanket, in room breakfast one day, and a bag of laundry.  She’s keeping the fridge stocked with diet cokes as requested.  

Thank you so much for your update. We sail next month and booked about two years ago. We loved the YC last year and cannot wait to sail again.  Have the cabanas been utilized? We rented last year year for a few days and hope to be doing that again next month.  Someone on these boards mentioned Randy when I was looking for a replacement for Arthur, and now you mention him too and I will most certainly be requesting him.

 

Last year, much now to my confusion LOL, I didn't get any chocolate martinis....don't have an answer to why LOL I plan on having one each evening and sitting in the YC lounge after dinner enjoying one. I guess I could ask a butler

to go down and get it but guess I will go and bring back up for myself.  When I sail on NCL and RCCL (sailed Allure in August and LOVED IT) with my family, we are out and about the ship all day and night, but when I sail with my mom (use to be on NCL) in YC, I noticed she barely left and then I didn't either LOL

 

There were people on my August RCCL Allure sailing that complained one day while my dh and I were at the bar and I honestly was thinking, I don't know how we can actually be on the same cruise since our experience the full week was so fun and wonderful.

 

Thank you again for your update and hope you are having a blast.

Edited January 16, 2019 by js

[Two Wheels Only]

58 minutes ago, mmpgoodtogo said:

My biggest food complaint is as that my toast was a bit burnt for my tastes

 

Just let them know and the next time, the toast will probably be fine. My kids have different "styles" when it comes to bacon. One likes hard/crispy and the other likes soft/squiggly. Once we let the server know, both kinds were brought to us each morning.

[Aloha 1]

mmpgoodtogo: Thanks very much for your comments. If you are doing any shore excursions, please give us your take on them. Also, what are good nights to do specialty dining instead of YC restaurant?

Edited January 16, 2019 by Aloha 1

[Teacher42]

Dear Togo, Your dh has good taste. I found the ossobuco my favorite dish, followed by the musaca, the leg of lamb,must have got a more chewy, gristly . ENJOY!

[jules815]

On 1/10/2019 at 4:10 PM, Aloha 1 said:

Jules;

Thanks for taking time to do this! Here's a couple things I think a lot of us would like to know about. First, I assume you booked before 11/18 so verify that they are honoring the included gelato, crepes, and chocolate drinks for free at Venchi. Second, verify exactly what you get with the YC drink package and if you can upgrade to the Premium Plus. Finally, FOOD! Please tell us what you think of the YC dining experience. Thanks in advance.

Sorry its taken me so long to log in and reply. We’re having a great time.

 

I haven’t tried getting crepes, but we’ve had gelato a few times now from the Venchi at the Miami Beach Pool with no problem.  Same goes for coffee drinks in Venchi.  No charge for those, and my husband had a milk shake there this morning as well, and no charge.  They swipe our cards and no signature.  

 

We haven’t been drinking alcohol outside of the Topsail, it’s such a lovely space, and haven’t been denied anything we ordered.  My husband’s been drinking his Hendrick’s and tonic and there’s been no charge.  In fact, he was served some Premium rum a few nights ago for no charge.  Nobody has asked us about upgrading and we haven’t asked because we seem to be getting whatever we want.  I’m about to head down there in a few minutes and will ask someone.

 

Food in the YC has been very good.  We had one off night a few nights ago where my husband and I just didn’t care for whatever it was we had.  A beef dish that came with different toppings on the side.  Meat was tough.  Other beef dishes, including the filet, have been good.  My husband had a veal dish last night that he loved.

 

We haven’t used our Black card dinner yet, and not sure if we’ll get around to it.

 

Ill update more later tonight.  Let’s just say, it’s very nice.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

[Debde]

I knew you would love it Jules.

 

I look forward to our next MSC with or without those great milkshakes!

 

Sometimes the menu was a bit too rich for or taste so being able to go over to the butchers cut was great. That was really good!!

[DLA57]

On 1/10/2019 at 5:10 PM, Aloha 1 said:

Jules;

Thanks for taking time to do this! Here's a couple things I think a lot of us would like to know about. First, I assume you booked before 11/18 so verify that they are honoring the included gelato, crepes, and chocolate drinks for free at Venchi. Second, verify exactly what you get with the YC drink package and if you can upgrade to the Premium Plus. Finally, FOOD! Please tell us what you think of the YC dining experience. Thanks in advance.

What she said please and thank you

[DMH15]

Thank you, Jules.  Glad you are having fun!  Counting down to May!

[jules815]

Trying to add more to my review over the weekend.  What a difference a week makes.  Last Saturday we disembarked Seaside and drove to Ft. Myers to spend a few days with friends.  We flew home on Monday.  This morning we woke up to negative 13 degrees (F).  😞

---------------------------

We ordered our Uber to get to the pier once we were downstairs and in the lobby of our hotel; probably around 10:45.  It didn't take long to get to there, and we started looking for the white YC tent.  On our morning, the tent was almost right at the beginning of curbside drop-off.  Our driver stopped just before the tent, so at the back.  This caused a little confusion because a porter took the bags and put them onto a cart, only to have to take them off so they could be re-tagged by butlers working the tent. After that little check-in happened, we had to wait maybe 5 minutes for another 2 people to join us before they'd take us inside.  It looked like they were doing groups of 6.  Once we were moving, we went thru security (no lines for us), then into a waiting area where they immediately offered us sparkling wine or a Mimosa.  (We really liked this.  Totally different than boarding other cruise lines, even if you're in a suite.) They had other light refreshment as well.

 

It didn't seem like we were waiting very long at all and they brought us up to the desk where they took our paperwork and then our pictures.  Once that happened, we were lead on board by a butler, through the ship and to a front elevator where he turned it into an express right up to deck 16.  (This feature worked sometimes for us, and we only used it if nobody else was in the elevator.)  We were lead right into the beautiful Top Sail Lounge and offered another glass of champagne or anything we wanted really.  

 

The Top Sail lounge is a beautiful 2-story lounge at the front of the ship (decks 16 and 18 (no 17, it's bad luck))  We really enjoyed this space during our week.  There's always a place to sit, even in the evenings before dinner when it was at its busiest.  We never had trouble finding a place to sit.  I don't want to get ahead of myself.  More on the Top Sail later.

 

While we were sitting and taking it all in, enjoying our glasses of bubbly, we were visited by people key to the YC.  Alessandro Messina, an officer in charge of the YC, stopped by to chat with us.  He welcomed us on board and he didn't seem rushed.  It felt very genuine.  During the week, my husband noticed that any time he passed us, he greeted us by name.  Impressive.  He chatted with us in the lounge quite a bit during our week.  We were welcomed by the head butler, and someone from the dining room who asked us what our preferred dining time might be.  (7:30)  Before long, one of the butlers, Maria (we loved her), told us our room was ready if we'd like to go to it.  We had 2 small carry-ons, a CPAP and laptop bag, and she insisted on carrying them for us.  Wow.

 

We were in 18009, a YC Deluxe Suite, which reminded me in size of the Sky Suites on Celebrity, and a Freedom Class Jr. Suite, minus the walk in closet and maybe a little bit smaller.  It was just the right size for the 2 of us.  I noticed the love seat could be turned into a bed, and it looked like there was a single drop down from the ceiling in that sitting area.  The bed was a very comfortable memory foam mattress, nice linens.  We slept well all week.

* We did hear the tell-tale chair scraping from the pool deck on most mornings, right about at 6:30, but it only went on for a few minutes at the very most.  It really didn't bother us at all, but if you're a light sleeper that likes to sleep in, it might.  Speaking of sleeping in, the curtains can be pulled all the way over, and they're black out curtains.  There were a couple of mornings that we woke up around 7:30, not knowing how late it was until we pulled back the curtain and got a blast of sunlight.  (we're typically early risers!)

 

Plenty of storage for 2 people, and I'm a classic over-packer. 

 

There are 2 thermostats in the room, and the a/c worked very well.

 

The bathroom has plenty of storage, one sink, no tub, but a very nice shower.  It was larger than some of the showers in nicer suites we've been in on RC, it had a seat and no high tub to step over like in some suites.  There's a rain shower head and a hand sprayer.  Water pressure was good.  There's a dispenser with shampoo and body wash.

 

The balcony was fine.  It had 2 chairs and a foot rest.  We usually spend more time on the balcony, but for some reason on this cruise we didn't.  Maybe because the lounge area and pool deck are so nice.  We spent a lot of time up at the pool most afternoons, and a few times for breakfast.  Lunchtime poolside is a real treat.  (I have some pictures on my phone that I'll try to insert later.)

 

There's a Nespresso type of machine, no tea kettle, and a tray that they kept stocked with large glass bottles of Pellegrino and still water.  There was a bottle of sparkling wine on ice and a bowl of fruit.  Throughout the week we received different treats in our stateroom in the evening at turn-down.  Macaroons, etc.  We think some of these were because of the Black status we matched to.

Edited January 26, 2019 by jules815

[jules815]

17 minutes ago, jules815 said:

 

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by jules815

[Cruisergal1208]

Thank you for this review and great pictures. I think I spotted Joel in the One Pool picture. Really looking forward to being back there in April. 

[jules815]

A few more pictures. YC Lounge. 

[jules815]

I was just going through my phone looking at my pictures.  Unfortunately I don't have many from around the ship or even of our room.  I did a lot of photo sharing with friends and family thru Snap Chat and Face Timed with my daughters.  

 

We had pre-paid for the 4-device internet package that came with 6GB's of storage.  I didn't hold back with my internet usage at all and we only used a little more than half of that.

 

We also pre-paid for the 20 piece laundry package.  The last day we could give them laundry was on Wednesday, so I was sort of rushed putting together a bag with 15 more pieces, but not a big deal.  Oh, and their laundry bags are nice.  Like a large brown grocery bag with a handle.  Definitely larger and much more sturdy than the flat, white paper bags on other lines.

 

[jules815]

Trying to get back in order.  I wish I'd taken notes on anything out of the ordinary.  There really weren't too many negatives.  We enjoyed our first experience in MSC YC trying the ship-within-a-ship concept.  

 

Our muster station was in the casino.  It's obvious they allow smoking here, but at muster, and the times we cut thru the casino, even while it was open, it didn't seem horribly smokey.  Muster drill was a bit of a mess though.  Not the organized "we take safety very seriously you'd better pay attention" type of musters we're used to on RC, X, or even Carnival.  One of the butlers in the lounge told us that we should plan on getting down there about 15 minutes before they announce it.  It's like she knew what we were about to encounter.  We made our way down to the casino and there were a handful of people already waiting there as well.  There's a rather large circular bar in the center of the casino, so we took a seat there, facing outward on our stools.  Others were gathering and taking seats at the slots.  

 

Once they announced muster was beginning, it seemed like there was a rush of people going thru the casino, like a wall-to-wall crowd passing thru.  Then we noticed that it had already begun.  We could see a few of the crew in the middle of this moving herd of people, trying to do the demo of the life jacket.  There were screens above us at this circular bar with a life jacket demo video playing, but it didn't seem like anyone was paying attention, and you couldn't hear it.  It was loud and a bit chaotic.  The group of standing/moving people weren't paying attention at all.  It was like they were loudly passing through, carrying on conversations like there wasn't a muster drill happening at all.  Maybe they were on for a B2B and didn't have to attend.  Oh well.  If we were new cruisers , we may have been more concerned.  It was just a little odd compared to other lines.

 

After muster we walked around the ship for a bit, then back to the YC lounge for a specialty coffee and a cup of tea.  We were already unpacked and ready to begin our vacation.  

 

 

 

 

[gimletgal]

Unfortunately, the muster drill on MSC is an abomination. At least it is short!  I always sit up against the wall nearest the elevator. That way I can escape immediately to the elevator and back to peace and quiet in the YC!

[Teacher42]

4 minutes ago, gimletgal said:

Unfortunately, the muster drill on MSC is an abomination. At least it is short!  I always sit up against the wall nearest the elevator. That way I can escape immediately to the elevator and back to peace and quiet in the YC!

On the Divina this summer there were 2 muster drills. The fiasco of the first days and another more subtle muster drill the following day for those that 'missed' day one's. Never saw that before.

[Cruisergal1208]

We noticed no one is paying attention to the instructions on Seaside but on Divina they at least were trying to follow instructions. The biggest difference is no life jackets used on Seaside but they are used on Divina. 

[jules815]

Another thing I noticed was there wasn't always someone enforcing using the sanitizer stations.  Only once when we boarded in port, and once when we were passing thru the buffet on deck 16, did someone ask us to use the dispenser.  There were hand washing stations at the entrance to buffets, but nobody directing people to use them.  And I know people have different views on using hand sanitizers, I'm just pointing out what we noticed.  

 

As far as other areas around the ship, I don't think we ever passed thru an area where someone wasn't cleaning.  The ship itself is kept very clean, considering all the chrome and glass.  It really is a pretty ship.

 

 

[jules815]

One observation we made is that a 7-day is no longer long enough for my husband and I.  We were doing B2B's on RC, then a transatlantic, and our last cruise together was a 10-day in December 2017 on a Celebrity ship.  Until we retire, we still only cruise once a year, but 7 days flew by quickly.  We were just starting to get to know our way around the other parts of the ship and it was over.  We enjoy going for walks around the ship after breakfast and dinner, and I know we still didn't see the entire ship.  One night we were out walking around and wanted to see the Bridge of Sighs.  While we were out, we came around from the back of the ship onto their main pool deck.  There was a large stage with a big screen showing underwater scenes that were pretty cool.  There was a huge dance area and a salsa band on stage.  They were really good.  We got some gelato and found a table and hung out there for a little while.  Until that evening, we'd never even been up there.  We would enjoy walking around the ship, but then always so happy to return to the YC.  We didn't use any of the other pools on board, but they looked nice.  Spoiled with that YC pool though.  

[jules815]

Again, really wish I'd taken some more pictures.  One of the things we really liked about the ship is there are beautiful ocean views from many areas of the ship, even on both sides of the decks where the atrium is located.  You could see the ocean from all levels of the atrium, which isn't the norm on most ships.

 

The lay out of the ship was a little choppy on some decks though, but not horrible.  Their app has a really nice feature that shows you exactly where you are and can direct you to anywhere.  They also have the touch screen monitors located all over the ship to make it easier to locate things.  

 

 

[helenb]

Thanks for your review and pictures! We were on Seaside in YC in June and it looks like the good things are still there!

 

I have heard that there is now shade available on the YC pool deck. Can you comment on this? 

[kelleherdl]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

One observation we made is that a 7-day is no longer long enough for my husband and I.  We were doing B2B's on RC, then a transatlantic, and our last cruise together was a 10-day in December 2017 on a Celebrity ship.  Until we retire, we still only cruise once a year, but 7 days flew by quickly.  

 

We begged for any YC open on the last day of our first Seaside cruise.  No luck. Seven days is NOT enough.  We have 14 days on Preziosa next month.

 

Dennis

[lcpagejr]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Again, really wish I'd taken some more pictures.  One of the things we really liked about the ship is there are beautiful ocean views from many areas of the ship, even on both sides of the decks where the atrium is located.  You could see the ocean from all levels of the atrium, which isn't the norm on most ships.

 

The lay out of the ship was a little choppy on some decks though, but not horrible.  Their app has a really nice feature that shows you exactly where you are and can direct you to anywhere.  They also have the touch screen monitors located all over the ship to make it easier to locate things.  

 

 

Thanks for your review.... Enjoyed reliving a similar experience we had last March when we stayed in YC. Hands down the most relaxing and unstressful cruise we've had and we've cruised over 20x. 

 

Looking forward to a future YC cruise....however now that the secret is out....prices are beginning to skyrocket....still worth the extra splurge!!

[jules815]

25 minutes ago, helenb said:

Thanks for your review and pictures! We were on Seaside in YC in June and it looks like the good things are still there!

 

I have heard that there is now shade available on the YC pool deck. Can you comment on this? 

Yes. I think what you’re talking about are the shaded areas on both sides forward of the pool buffet. There were some tables first and then lounge chairs.