What drinks package IS included in YC?

[Fogfog]

11 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

You could apply the same argument for prices in pubs/restaurants, FF.

 

Here's how MSC describes the Prem+ package:

 

Unlimited consumption of all drinks by the glass, with no price limit! Enjoy the finest beverages available, and the freedom to quench your thirst however, whenever and wherever you like! Drinks and food from the minibar and the room service menu and drinks from theme bar menus are all included as well. This offer also entitles you to a 30% discount on bottles of wine and champagne from our wine lists. You can order your drinks in all onboard bars, as well as the self-service buffet and restaurants, including the speciality restaurants

Correct--which was why I was going to upgrade us... but if MSC is going to exclude certain cognacs, champagnes etc... then it is no longer unlimited/all drinks/all brands etc

We are sailing YC and DH thinks the Prem is fine. He hasnt looked at the list

We recently sailed NCL this summer and the TA upgraded us to Prem + from Prem..Dh enjoyed trying some scotches/whiskeys etc that he'd normally not purchase on land and I drank the Veuve Cliquot

...we had exceptional bottles of wine at dinner! That was great---

So in my mind for a B2B--the Prem plus and the ability to enjoy the splurges is worth it...

As long as MSC doesn't start excluding certain things from the
connoisseur selection

 

kwim? 

[Beamafar]

They just won't make them available "by the glass".  Everything served that way will still be included.

 

All cruise companies are guilty of removing things from what had been included before and MSC is no exception.  We used to always have the Deluxe package from when it was first introduced.  I used to be able to get Remy Martin XO (@€12 a glass);  they removed it and the next cognac down was Janneau XO (@ €8.90 a glass).  That, too, was removed and the last time I had Deluxe was last January on Armonia (I'd booked and upgraded to it before the introduction of the new packages);  the best I could get was Remy Martin VSOP (Cellar Nº16 - which I don't care for) or Martell VSOP, both @$9 a glass.  That's just the way it is.

 

I didn't know that Dom Perignon and Crystal had been included (and, it seems, now aren't) so I don't feel I'm losing out, anyway. I hadn't seen Veuve Cliquot on the Seaside YC list (we had it on Seaview) so I was happy to settle for Moët instead.  If the other champagnes that are available in Seaside's Champagne Bar are included on Meraviglia, I'll be extremely happy at having more choices than I had at first envisaged.

[perakcruiser]

It is totally ridiculous that so many of this super expensive spirits and champagne is included in the premium and premium plus, but a simple 17 Euro bottle (!) of wine is not. 

[Beamafar]

14 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

It is totally ridiculous that so many of this super expensive spirits and champagne is included in the premium and premium plus, but a simple 17 Euro bottle (!) of wine is not. 

 

They have better quality wines by the glass on both packages, P, and they're all more than €17 a bottle.

[perakcruiser]

6 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

They have better quality wines by the glass on both packages, P, and they're all more than €17 a bottle.

 

Yes,  I know. But still cannot understand why these 17 to 25 Euro bottles are not included. It is a small thing, but we are prefering to have a bottle on the table for the dinner and help ourselves. Instead of asking the waiter from bringing another glass and waiting if he finds it or not and so on. We all know the "Sorry no have" 15 minutes after ordering, with bottles at least you have to manage this only one time at the biginning of the evening. 

 

We worked hard on testing all the bottles they have and find out our favourites, now all gone and only these for us useless AI packages, great ☔

[Beamafar]

They used to just leave the bottle - even when I was the only one drinking it and, yes, it was much more convenient to pour as you required rather than have to wait for a waiter to come and top you up.  Perhaps that's the reasoning behind it;  if they slow the top-up service, people end up not drinking as much as if the bottle were more easily accessible to them and MSC saves a heap over time.  There have been many complaints on the forum of people waiting for fill-ups and having empty glasses for long spells.

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

They used to just leave the bottle - even when I was the only one drinking it and, yes, it was much more convenient to pour as you required rather than have to wait for a waiter to come and top you up.

OK, I was not thinking about this option, this could be a gamechanger.

[Redlondon]

On 10/3/2019 at 1:28 PM, Fogfog said:

Correct--which was why I was going to upgrade us... but if MSC is going to exclude certain cognacs, champagnes etc... then it is no longer unlimited/all drinks/all brands etc

We are sailing YC and DH thinks the Prem is fine. He hasnt looked at the list

We recently sailed NCL this summer and the TA upgraded us to Prem + from Prem..Dh enjoyed trying some scotches/whiskeys etc that he'd normally not purchase on land and I drank the Veuve Cliquot

...we had exceptional bottles of wine at dinner! That was great---

So in my mind for a B2B--the Prem plus and the ability to enjoy the splurges is worth it...

As long as MSC doesn't start excluding certain things from the
connoisseur selection

 

kwim? 

With Premium Plus, can you get better wines in YC restaurant? I read that one passenger was able to but only after creating a fuss. 

[Beamafar]

26 minutes ago, Redlondon said:

With Premium Plus, can you get better wines in YC restaurant? I read that one passenger was able to but only after creating a fuss. 

 

We had Prem+ last month in YC on Seaview and had no problems getting the wines that are charged by the glass and not otherwise included in YC (Med cruise):

 

 

The following is from YC Seaside and I'm hoping it'll be the same on Meraviglia in 2 weeks' time:

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Beamafar

[mtlchris]

Hello,

We just booked on the Seaside in november in YC and I found this forum looking for info. I find it a bit irritating that MSC is so obscure on this subject There's just nothing on this anywhere on their website. I have read trough pretty much this whole thread and I'm still faily confused. Here are a few questions :

 

- Is Champagne still included in the TSL ? Some have reported yes (Nicolas Feuillante), some have said they had to argue for it because they were grandfathered (from some older package which I guess that doesn't apply to me).

 

- I gather from this thread that drinks under 14$ are included elsewhere in the ship. From the menu posted, what happens with drinks from the "connaisseur" menu that are under this price ?

 

- When getting drinks outside the YC, how does it work ? Is it up to the waiter to inform you which drinks are included ? Do you have to ask each time if a drink is included ? Do you just give your card and hope for the best for when the bill arrives ?

 

- MSC says YC gets "free room-service", but the language is ambiguous as wether that includes just food that is already free on the room service menu (say, the continetal breakfast) or all food from the room service menu ?

 

Sorry for the newbee questions, thanks for your help !

 

 

[Beamafar]

Welcome to CruiseCritic!  😊

 

Yes ... NF champagne is included for YC guests - though it's not listed on the menu so some of the crew may not be aware of it.

 

Drinks up to $12 are included outside of YC - everything on the menu inside YC is included, except items with prices next to them.  Someone reported on here that they were able to order lower-value Items on the Connoisseur menu;  as most of them are below the $12 price, that may be the case for others (YMMV).

 

If you order a drink outside of YC, you will be asked for your card which will then be swiped.  If it's not included, the waiter will let you know.

 

Room service is included in YC as are the items on the menu that don't have a charge next to them; the dinner and American breakfast menu are both listed as incurring a $7.95 charge on regular room service menus.  As I haven't been in YC on Seaside, I'm not sure if that charge applies in YC.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nednrom]

We will be sailing in December on the Meraviglia YC and booked with the deluxe package in 2018.  When I asked, the representative on the phone, she said that we would be getting the delux package benefits.  My understanding is that with the deluxe package, we get the same wine/spirits inside or outside the YC except for the connoisseur menu.  How can we make sure we get that applied on our cards so that it's valid outside the YC?

[Beamafar]

The Deluxe package may have been in place when you booked, but there isn't a dedicated drinks package for YC guests, so, though you would have got what was included in Deluxe when it was in place onboard, you will get the equivalent of Premium now.

[CruisingFox27]

44 minutes ago, nednrom said:

 My understanding is that with the deluxe package, we get the same wine/spirits inside or outside the YC except for the connoisseur menu.  How can we make sure we get that applied on our cards so that it's valid outside the YC?

 

You have the YC package your cards will have YC on them, this will be sufficient outside of YC nothing needs to be added. 

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

The Deluxe package may have been in place when you booked, but there isn't a dedicated drinks package for YC guests, so, though you would have got what was included in Deluxe when it was in place onboard, you will get the equivalent of Premium now.

 My understanding is the package also includes a weekly liver function test FOC in the medical centre, and twice weekly for those upgrading to P+. 🤣

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, hamrag said:

 My understanding is the package also includes a weekly liver function test FOC in the medical centre, and twice weekly for those upgrading to P+. 🤣

 

😂😂😂

 

Let's hope DH gets more value out of the upgrade next week than he did on Seaview, poor chap!  Meraviglia's stocks of Johnnie Walker Blue are seriously under threat.

[Redlondon]

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The Deluxe package may have been in place when you booked, but there isn't a dedicated drinks package for YC guests, so, though you would have got what was included in Deluxe when it was in place onboard, you will get the equivalent of Premium now.

You will get the old deluxe which is similar to Premium but you will get  drinks up to $13 whereas the Premium is drinks up to $12, the old deluxe includes Nicholas Feuillatte champagne too. 

[Beamafar]

NF is still included for YC guests.

[Zephyr173]

Bea!  Just 4 days to your next sailing. Meraviglia called in Québec city today, which made the news (sorry, it’s in French)

 

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/10/14/un-titan-des-mers-accoste-a-quebec

 

 

 

[Beamafar]

6 minutes ago, Zephyr173 said:

Bea!  Just 4 days to your next sailing. Meraviglia called in Québec city today, which made the news (sorry, it’s in French)

 

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/10/14/un-titan-des-mers-accoste-a-quebec

 

 

 

 

That's OK ... my friend and neighbour is French.  She'll be able to translate it 😁

 

Just had a look and I can make out the jist of it (did French in school)

 

Yeah ... We're flying out on Wednesday 😊

Edited October 14, 2019 by Beamafar

[DCGuy64]

16 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

That's OK ... my friend and neighbour is French.  She'll be able to translate it 😁

 

Just had a look and I can make out the jist of it (did French in school)

 

Yeah ... We're flying out on Wednesday 😊

Thanks for that, I'm fluent in French and enjoyed hearing all of the superlatives attributed to Meraviglia.

[L2float]

I just revisited this thread after our YC Meraviglia Thanksgiving trip. We are once again trying to decide if the upgrade to premium plus is worth it for our upcoming Divina YC cruise. On Meraviglia, we were told by the sommelier that MSC's new policy is that only the reccomended 2 reds and 2 whites are served in the YC dining room for both lunch and dinner. After questioning why the main dining room was providing premium plus passengers with any wine by the glass, the response was that it''s what they've been told to do. After that night, we were brought wines that we had mentioned on night 1, but it felt like we were causing a problem and it made us uncomfortable. I may ask to dine in the main dining room next cruise! 

 

The other issue that we experienced was that YC "ran out of" my favorite red, white, champagne, and Johnnie Walker Blue! I don't drink that much, so it wasn't me! It was probably Bea and DH who cleaned them out, but they had plenty of time to restock in between! 😂Seriously, I felt like they just didn't want to service the premium plus packakge. They did manage to "find" a little JW and 2 of the wines I requested. I felt like a beggar, though! We did pay for the upgrade. 🙄Outside of YC we were able to get everything we asked for, except JW. We may still upgrade as the service in the champagne bar was excellent. I could drink enough champagne to make it worth the cost! We were disappointed that bar service was better outside of YC. The Top Sail lounge bartender was amazing, but he didn't have access to as many offerings as bars on the rest of the ship.

 

We're hoping that this was just a case of Meraviglia and a new crew working together working out the kinks on a new itenerary. Has anyone been in YC on Divina and upgraded to premium plus recently? If so, what was your experience?

 

 

[jules815]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:47 AM, Beamafar said:

Thanks, G!

 

Hendrick's was on the Connoisseurs' Selection list on Armonia in January.  I prefer it to Tanqueray No 10 (which is on the Premium list), so that's just one more of my favourites that I can look forward to enjoying in August.

 

I'm not sure that we'll have a better wine selection in the YC restaurant as a result of having the Prem+ package, but I'll be making friends with the Sommelier asap after embarking (hopefully there'll be one in YC - I've read reports on here that there isn't one on Seaside).

My husband also drinks Hendrick's, and had no trouble getting it on Seaside in January without doing the upgrade.  We didn't drink outside of the YC, so not sure if that would apply to other bars on board.