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LIVE from 9/13 Bellissima and 9/21 Seaview - 7nt Med cruises - Yacht Club


WonderMan3
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On 9/22/2019 at 12:43 PM, ipeeinthepool said:

 
Please don't take offense I'm not trying to denigrate MSC, I'm just trying to get an accurate impression of the overall experience.  I think Wonderman is an excellent person to use to evaluate another cruise line.  He has a high standard but rolls with the punches when things don't go as planned.   Most concerning to me is the level of service and it seems frequently they have found staff that doesn't seem to care.  Certainly not all staff but it appears to happen more than I would like.    I can deal with language issues or even different tastes for food but poor service is a killer for me.  I don't think a desire for caring service is a uniquely American requirement.  I'll wait for Wonderman's final reviews, but for me it doesn't seem to be a good fit.  Even Wonderman has said that he probably wouldn't sail with them without a casino discount.  

 

Many thanks to Wonderman for doing this review.

 

But If MSC is a good fit for you, that's great enjoy your cruise.

I agree... X goes out of its way to please its internatiinal guests. The MSC  attitude I am  getting is one of indifference  and  not a strong desire to  please. Sort of take or leave it.  So far we are not impressed with that attitude or the ships and dining venues being featured in this review,

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On 9/23/2019 at 6:18 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I just read that MSC has received approval to build a new double terminal in Miami capable of handling two 7,000 passenger ships at a time.  We can discuss if it is reasonable to expect MSC to tailor it's product to American expectations in the Mediterranean, but if MSC expects to be successful in Miami they will need to find a way to address most of Wonderman's observations.  I may decide not to try MSC but I'm glad they are coming to Florida market if they can help keep the cruise prices reasonable.

7000 passengers....wow.. that's ridiculous  x 2...

We do not cruise from Maimi very often but this would be a good reason not to!

Actually hoping  Constellation from Tampa works out for our winter cruises, Would be nice to avoid Port Ev as well as Miami, very busy  area and  traffic congestion,

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On 9/21/2019 at 2:25 PM, singinalot said:

we’ll be in barcelona 2020 for the Allure TA and alive planned a DIY to montserrat so thanks for sharing the pics!! that hotel looks great too. I’ll have to check it out. I’ve had my eye on Hotel Colon across the square from Barcelona Cathedral

We were in Barcelona in May

You can do Monserrat DIY by getting the Monserrat TOT ticket at a tourist office

That ticket will include the subway, then train and then your choice-- rackrail rain or aereo- cable ride up. It also includes the funic., the museum exhibit and a short film about Monserrat.

Also covers a lunch in the cafeteria that includes lots of choices of food and wine/beer. It is self serve

If you are there to hear the boys choice sing at the beginning of the mass--it is a great add on. 

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On 9/22/2019 at 11:36 AM, glittergal1 said:

 

MSC are a great cruise line with Amazing ships , and fantastic onboard experiences . Many Non European cruisers have a problem with MSC because they cruise expecting the same "Americanised" cruise experience they have been use to . If you cruise with MSC you need to remember that it is a Multi nationality cruise with passengers from far and wide and staff too from far and wide and English may not be the main language of many and why should it be ? MSC is an Italian owned cruise line and if you cruise In the Mediterranean you need to  especially remember this . All of my  Non suite experiences so far have been great. Food, service, entertainment, cabins etc 

If you want a cruise experience the same as all the others you have had so far then my advice would be to stay with those cruise lines and not book MSC.

However if you want something different then give them a go but be prepared for differences .

You will read far more Negative reviews from Americans on MSC than you will Europeans.  Ive read many reviews from cruisers who ive thought "god im glad I wasnt cruising with you because you sound like a right ****hole" (from all cruise lines I will add) 

 

MSC are not perfect, humans are not perfect all of the time either  I mean  who is? 

 

We booked a cruise for our Honeymoon with a Spanish cruise line Pullmantur  before booking I read many many reviews from English cruisers many were moaning negative reviews about how Spanish the cruise was and how it was different to other cruises they had taken , well they  just made me laugh . We booked the cruise simply because it was going on the date we wanted in an area we wanted at a price that suited us and  we had a wonderful time .

 

Like many things in life when we find a product we like its always a risk choosing one we dont know , so when you do take that risk you just have to be prepared for it not to the same as you are use to . 

 

Many Love MSC and many try them once and say "never again" which is fine it means more room for the rest of us 

We are really looking fwd to our B2B.

We have lived in Europe (Italy) and hope the food is as good as it looks (YC). 

We've sailed Celebrity often and have club benefits etc..

We don't expect MSC to be Celebrity just like we don't expect Celebrity to be Regent...

All Different products

 

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On 9/23/2019 at 5:38 PM, WonderMan3 said:

So today we had an early rise for our stop in Genoa, waking at 5:45am as we had to meet our guide at 8am and we wanted time to eat breakfast. We wanted to eat at the YC Grill but they did not open until 8am. So we ate at YC dining room instead. We got there around 7 (it opened at 6:30) and it was very quiet, only about two other couples dining. This was a surprise as a number of people were disembarking today in Genoa so we assumed the restaurant would be busy. I ordered eggs Benedict with bacon and hash browns. Mike ordered a ham omelette with bacon. As on Bellissima my eggs Benedict had a flavorless hollandaise which basically ruins the dish. The bacon looked nice and crispy but was actually chewy. The hash browns were okay. Mike thought his omelette was fine but also did not like the bacon. Again, another disappointing breakfast at YC dining room. I had hoped that Seaview’s breakfast might be better but it’s more of the same. This is why we prefer the grill as the food there seems a bit fresher. Service was fine though; no issues there. The staff in Seaview seems friendlier and more on top of things than Bellissima. Unfortunately we will be stuck with the dining room again tomorrow morning as we have another early rise at 5:45. 

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I dont know why hollandaise seems to be a problem for ships' kitchens

Had several bad hollandaise on Celebrity Equinox on B2B in Sept. Flavorless, lacking the lemon/buttery flavors and proper texture

 

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On 9/30/2019 at 2:55 AM, WonderMan3 said:

 

Crowds weren’t bad everywhere except the Cinque Terre and Montserrat outside of Barcelona. For the Cinque Terre, Cristian told us you need to go between October and early May to avoid crowds. 

True

Cinque Terre is an area that has suffered from over tourism...and they work to control the # of cars/people during high season

 

How did you find traveling by car, as we understand the train/ferry to be a way to avoid the congestion/traffic of the tourists?

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2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

True

Cinque Terre is an area that has suffered from over tourism...and they work to control the # of cars/people during high season

 

How did you find traveling by car, as we understand the train/ferry to be a way to avoid the congestion/traffic of the tourists?

 

There was no traffic whatsoever and the guide had no problems parking. He was actually surprised to find spaces at certain towns. But the towns were still crowded with people. We saw the ferries coming and going through the day and they always looked packed and the trains were very busy. 

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2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

We are really looking fwd to our B2B.

We have lived in Europe (Italy) and hope the food is as good as it looks (YC). 

We've sailed Celebrity often and have club benefits etc..

We don't expect MSC to be Celebrity just like we don't expect Celebrity to be Regent...

All Different products

 

 

If you are looking for food as good as on the mainland in Italy you will be sorely disappointed.   Food in Yacht Club dining room I would rate about as good as Celebrity’s standard dining room (at least on Seaview - Bellissima I would rate lower). Of course Celebrity’s pricing is much higher for suites so I guess you get what you pay for.

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8 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

If you are looking for food as good as on the mainland in Italy you will be sorely disappointed.   Food in Yacht Club dining room I would rate about as good as Celebrity’s standard dining room (at least on Seaview - Bellissima I would rate lower). Of course Celebrity’s pricing is much higher for suites so I guess you get what you pay for.

This worries me

We don't like MDR on Celebrity

On our recent B2B we sailed Aqua for Blu for one leg and then did specialty dining for 8 of 10 other nights on second leg. Of the 2 "chic" nights in MDR- the first one I had outstanding rack of lamb, the second night the lobster evening was a disaster.

If YC is like Celebrity MDR we will be disappointed

Of the menus you showed, I was surprised that you ordered many "always available" choices and not the daily specials like veal stuffed cannelloni.  From the pics of the breakfast there looked to be nice hams, salmon etc. 

 

Edited by Fogfog
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On 9/25/2019 at 9:34 AM, perakcruiser said:

So sad for the people affected. But MSC is still selling tomorrows Cannes departure with Ajaccio! That is very nasty. 

We did not find much of interest in Ajaccio.  There were some stunning natural areas and of course history,..mostly Napoleon.  On our X excursion tour guide droned on and on about Napoleon, and spoke mostly in French to some French  speakers on the tour, although it  was not billed as a bilingual tour.  First time ever..we walked away and set out on our own...along with many others. 

 

Maybe the substitute port will be better!

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On 9/26/2019 at 9:36 PM, purduemom1 said:

WonderMan3,

Your pictures are amazing! You have en expert eye for capturing the perfect angle! Thanks for taking the time to share with all of us.

I second that..

Did you take a photo of your  new painting?

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4 minutes ago, hcat said:

I second that..

Did you take a photo of your  new painting?

 

Oh, I thought I had posted that along with the other photos of Camogli. Here it is. Still haven’t unwrapped it here at home. Have to figure out where to hang it.

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29 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

Oh, I thought I had posted that along with the other photos of Camogli. Here it is. Still haven’t unwrapped it here at home. Have to figure out where to hang it.

764942DF-4C35-404D-BB9B-CD3F2997DF7D.jpeg

 

I may have missed it...but thanks for posting it here...very lovely...and I like the frame too!  We try to get  a piece of local art on each cruise ..usually small due to packing limitations,,  this is a very nice size..,Enjoy it!

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3 hours ago, hcat said:

How were the breads,  rolls and pastries?

 

Much of it was nothing special but there were some good things; the focaccia at the YC dining room and the bacon and cheese bread at Butcher's Cut were great. I didn't partake of pastries too much. Only one I can remember offhand was a cherry tart at the YC grill which was nice. Most of the sweets looked good though. The desserts at the YC dining room were consistently tasty so I would venture to guess that all the little pastries and small sweets they had at the lounge and grill were good too.

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7 hours ago, Fogfog said:

This worries me

We don't like MDR on Celebrity

On our recent B2B we sailed Aqua for Blu for one leg and then did specialty dining for 8 of 10 other nights on second leg. Of the 2 "chic" nights in MDR- the first one I had outstanding rack of lamb, the second night the lobster evening was a disaster.

If YC is like Celebrity MDR we will be disappointed

Of the menus you showed, I was surprised that you ordered many "always available" choices and not the daily specials like veal stuffed cannelloni.  From the pics of the breakfast there looked to be nice hams, salmon etc. 

 

While my overall opinion of the Yacht Club is more positive than WonderMan3, I do agree with his assessment of the food.  If you don't like the MDR on Celebrity, you won't like the food in Yacht Club either.  My advice - avoid the beef. As I've said elsewhere, my best vacation meal is always at a land based restaurant before we board the ship.

 

ps  The veal stuffed cannelloni was actually pretty good.

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3 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

We've done one Celebrity cruise (one and done!) - I would totally disagree with the assessment that X's MDR offerings compares with YC food, but it's an opinion and has no more worth than any others profferred.

We’ve done several Celebrity cruises and MSC and we totally agree with the assessment that X’s MDR offerings compare with YC food.

Yacht club food has always been fine but really nothing to write home about.

As you correctly say it’s an opinion that we all have each to there own.

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27 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

We've done one Celebrity cruise (one and done!) - I would totally disagree with the assessment that X's MDR offerings compares with YC food, but it's an opinion and has no more worth than any others profferred.

 

Hi Beamafar.

Would you mind highlighting why you are "one and done?" I will be cruising first time on Celebrity in April.

 

Over the years I have read many of your posts and have agreed with most so would love your input.

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I've just asked DH - What didn't we like about Celebrity? ... then followed with - What did we like about Celebrity?

 

We booked a Sky Suite and expected to be blown away after having experienced sailing in YC on MSC.  Everything I'd read gave me to believe that X was a big step-up from MSC overall.  Well, it wasn't in our experience.

 

They had just introduced a new restaurant, Luminae, for suite guests.  The food was certainly a step-up, but the ambiance and service left an awful lot to be desired and we ended up dining in the MDR (even the highly-rated Blu, where we could also dine, didn't appeal).  Never, when in YC, did I ever feel the need to go elsewhere to dine.  In fact, while we love to go to a Speciality Restaurant for our Black Card perk, we do regret missing a night in the YC restaurant as a result - and that's even when the menu is not so appealing.  We absolutely love the ambiance and service there.

 

We found the level of snobbery on X among suite guests unbelievable and never enjoyed having a drink in Michael's Club - again, I've never felt anything like it in the Top Sail Lounge on MSC.

 

The entertainment in the evenings was lacking in comparison to the range of music venues offered by MSC.  Now, we were on Millennium, which is a small ship, so limited space, but we've spent 49 nights in total on 2 of MSC's smallest ships and never had a problem.  There was music blasting out of speakers that was so loud in the much-lauded Martini bar, that it was impossible to have a conversation.  In fact, even during the day, the music around the ship was uncomfortably loud.

 

The starkest contrast I can offer is that, one time on returning to the ship after an excursion, we both looked at it and said "Do we really have to get back onboard this thing"?  We have never, in 22 MSC cruises, experienced a feeling like it.

 

In the heel of the hunt, it just wasn't for us.  YMMV.

 

 

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Different strokes for different folks...

 

This review underscored how much better a fit X is for us than MSC would be.

The service issues alone stand out,  How  hard would it be to look up a recipe for a mudslide?  Not rocket science.

 

When we cruised on Cunard over a July 4th holiday, they went all out to serve hot dogs and burgers like a USA  BBQ.  They wanted to make some of their guests feel at home and we appreciated that effort. Although service style was more reserved on Cunard vs Celebrity,  it was overall  excellent.  

 

Wonderman, How were tips handled on MSC ?  Sounds like some were not well deserved!

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33 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

I've just asked DH - What didn't we like about Celebrity? ... then followed with - What did we like about Celebrity?

 

We booked a Sky Suite and expected to be blown away after having experienced sailing in YC on MSC.  Everything I'd read gave me to believe that X was a big step-up from MSC overall.  Well, it wasn't in our experience.

 

They had just introduced a new restaurant, Luminae, for suite guests.  The food was certainly a step-up, but the ambiance and service left an awful lot to be desired and we ended up dining in the MDR (even the highly-rated Blu, where we could also dine, didn't appeal).  Never, when in YC, did I ever feel the need to go elsewhere to dine.  In fact, while we love to go to a Speciality Restaurant for our Black Card perk, we do regret missing a night in the YC restaurant as a result - and that's even when the menu is not so appealing.  We absolutely love the ambiance and service there.

 

We found the level of snobbery on X among suite guests unbelievable and never enjoyed having a drink in Michael's Club - again, I've never felt anything like it in the Top Sail Lounge on MSC.

 

The entertainment in the evenings was lacking in comparison to the range of music venues offered by MSC.  Now, we were on Millennium, which is a small ship, so limited space, but we've spent 49 nights in total on 2 of MSC's smallest ships and never had a problem.  There was music blasting out of speakers that was so loud in the much-lauded Martini bar, that it was impossible to have a conversation.  In fact, even during the day, the music around the ship was uncomfortably loud.

 

The starkest contrast I can offer is that, one time on returning to the ship after an excursion, we both looked at it and said "Do we really have to get back onboard this thing"?  We have never, in 22 MSC cruises, experienced a feeling like it.

 

In the heel of the hunt, it just wasn't for us.  YMMV.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer me back. The one cruise I had with MSC was so much fun and the food we just loved esp. the italian dishes. All the plates pictured here look so good to me but I understand everyone has different tastes.

 

The part of the snobbery has me the most concerned, being this is the second time I heard this. Nothing worse then starting a conversation with someone and they give you the eye and look away. (Had this happen once)

 

If it happens, I will just have to put my big girl panties on and not let it ruin my day. lol

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1 minute ago, wmwmarmstrong said:

 

The part of the snobbery has me the most concerned, being this is the second time I heard this. Nothing worse then starting a conversation with someone and they give you the eye and look away. (Had this happen once)

 

If it happens, I will just have to put my big girl panties on and not let it ruin my day. lol

 

We did meet some lovely people from England and DH got in with a group of Brits in the smoking area on the pool deck where he had a lot of fun with them.  It was the suite guests and the dedicated suite areas such as the restaurant and Michael's Club lounge that we had a problem with.

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3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

We did meet some lovely people from England and DH got in with a group of Brits in the smoking area on the pool deck where he had a lot of fun with them.  It was the suite guests and the dedicated suite areas such as the restaurant and Michael's Club lounge that we had a problem with.

It really is a shame for you both that you had problems with snobbery in the suite lounge restaurant and Michael’s club.

We've luckily never encountered any issues in the suite lounge or restaurant although agree Michael’s club can be a bit stuffy at times.

Wrong guests wrong cruise.

 

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