Some thoughts re Divina Yacht Club

[Cruzlover7]

On 12/20/2019 at 6:46 AM, dexddd said:

It appears Divinia still has the orange prison towels yet the new ships have the nice new blue towels.

I too just returned from the Divina. The Yacht club has the nicer blue towels.  We did notice the prison orange in other areas of the ship.  

[Cruzlover7]

On 12/19/2019 at 4:00 PM, Hlitner said:

We just returned from an 11 day Divina cruise which was almost exactly a year after our first Divina YC cruise.  Here are a few thoughts about the cruise, some changes, etc.  Cruising in the YC is all about service and MSC continues to meet our service expectations on the Divina.  To choose a single word to describe the hard working YC Staff (Butlers, stewards, bar tenders, waiters, etc) it would be OUTSTANDING.  The YC facilities have maintained their excellence (with one exception) and we really enjoyed the cruise.  Le Muse (the YC restaurant) was somewhat improved (from the previous year's cruise) with a fantastic Maitre'd (Alin) who wowed us with his near nightly preparations of small pasta dishes (an extra at dinner) which he personally cooked in the restaurant.  MSC has really improved the quality of meats in the YC and the risottos continued to amaze as did some of the fish preparations.  In fact, a relatively simple grilled grouper (served over mashed beetroot) was absolutely perfect and would have been acceptable in even the best land restaurants.  Was Le Muse perfect?  No, but we thought it was vastly improved over a year ago.  In fact, we did not even avail ourselves of a free meal in one of the alternative restaurants since we could not justify missing a dinner in Le Muse.  One minor complaint about Le Muse would be the breakfast waffles which might double as hockey pucks.  For some reason the waffles continue to be rubbery.  Since they are freshly made and served hot our only conclusion is that the underlying batter is at fault.

 

DW and I have been blessed to have cruised on 16 different lines (of all classes) over more then 40 years.  We continue to think that the YC remains one of the bargains in cruising.  Yes, it is a lot more expensive then most of the non-YC options but the service, dedicated restaurant, private lounge and pool deck, and quiet spaciousness makes it well worth the investment.

 

Our major problem with the Divina's YC remains the One pool deck which is the YC's private sun deck, outdoor buffet and pool.  We do think that there should be cushions for the sun beds.  The outdoor buffet has really been degraded by the elimination of the previous cooking card which would prepare omelets to order and fresh pastas (to order) for lunch.  We were told that this large cart was removed for safety/health issues.  What remains is a small buffet with very limited offerings.  Senior staff assured us this would all be corrected when the Divina has its next major drydock...when there are plans to upgrade the buffet facility.    Another related issue (for me) is that the room service breakfast menu is relatively limited and one cannot order a full breakfast in their cabin.  At the high level that is called the YC....one should be able to order a full hot breakfast for service in their cabins.  And there is also the silly MSC policy where YC passengers can order room service pizza (only during the normal operating hours of the pizza facility located at the ship's wine bar).  But if a YC wants to go to the pizza place and order a pizza they would have to pay for the same pizza that would be delivered free to their cabin.  None of the staff can explain this ridiculous policy other then to say it is "cruise line policy."

 

The YC passengers are provided a reserved area for the nightly shows in the main theater.  That dedicated area is located on deck 7 and is a center section of the balcony.  Although we appreciated the idea of a reserved section we thought the seating location left much to be desired (often obstructed by bars and/or glass) so we simply sat in far better located seating on deck 6.  We always went to the 7pm shows which were never very crowded and then would go to Le Muse for dinner after the show.  We also enjoyed our first visit to Ocean Cay and its dedicated YC area (I mentioned this in another post).

 

Hank

Hank,

we must have have passed each other in the Yacht Club.  This was our first MSC sailing and we thought the Yacht Club experience was superb.  Definitely worth the extra money.  

 

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, Cruzlover7 said:

Hank,

we must have have passed each other in the Yacht Club.  This was our first MSC sailing and we thought the Yacht Club experience was superb.  Definitely worth the extra money.  

 

Hmm.  We sure heard a few NY accents in the Top Sail Lounge.  There are some folks here on CC that think we should keep quiet about the YC since we do not want to help make it too popular :).

 

Hank

[deliver42]

You're too late about making it popular, and the prices have gone up accordingly. Between status match, and the YC prices, which are still a bargain comparing other cruise lines.

[EllaDuChien]

14 hours ago, cruiser82 said:

Thank you for your post. I won't be on the Divina in the YC until March 2021 but like most Cruise Critic members I'm starting my research early. The YC seems great as it is so I'm excited for the changes after dry dock.

 

I am also sailing YC in March 2021.  Very excited to try this out.  It is my annual solo escape cruise so I am really looking forward to enjoying the YC level.

[Islandatty]

Hamrag...do you mind if I ask what a YIN is?  I am comparing 3 options for a late August cruise with family and the MSC YC is one of my three possibilities so now doing my research.  Thanks for your advice. 

[NYHartChapp]

2 hours ago, Islandatty said:

Hamrag...do you mind if I ask what a YIN is?  I am comparing 3 options for a late August cruise with family and the MSC YC is one of my three possibilities so now doing my research.  Thanks for your advice. 

YIN is a Yacht Club Inside stateroom.

[Islandatty]

Thanks.  Always great to have a translator.

[JP82]

On 12/24/2019 at 11:42 AM, EllaDuChien said:

 

I am also sailing YC in March 2021.  Very excited to try this out.  It is my annual solo escape cruise so I am really looking forward to enjoying the YC level.

I would deffo consider a solo Yacht Club cruise. What have you booked? Ship/Cabin/Itinerary?

[EllaDuChien]

3 hours ago, JP82 said:

I would deffo consider a solo Yacht Club cruise. What have you booked? Ship/Cabin/Itinerary?

 

I am booked on the Divina for March 23 out of Miami, going to Nassau and Ocean Cay.  I am in a Yacht Club Balcony on 15.  Really looking forward to it!

[cruiser82]

On 12/24/2019 at 6:42 AM, EllaDuChien said:

 

I am also sailing YC in March 2021.  Very excited to try this out.  It is my annual solo escape cruise so I am really looking forward to enjoying the YC level.

Oh cool! My first cruise on MSC was this past September on the Preziosa and I did that solo (first time).

 

Edited to remove my question about your sailing because I see you already answered that in another post :). We're on the 3/2 sailing.

Edited December 30, 2019 by cruiser82

[xcell]

On the Seaside, there was a night time buffet by the pool.

 

Is there something similar to that for the Divina YC?

 

 

[Cruisergal1208]

4 hours ago, xcell said:

On the Seaside, there was a night time buffet by the pool.

 

Is there something similar to that for the Divina YC?

 

 

Not in the US.  they have had it when sailing in the MED or Europe.

[dexddd]

22 hours ago, xcell said:

On the Seaside, there was a night time buffet by the pool.

 

Is there something similar to that for the Divina YC?

 

 

Unless changed, it was only one night.

[xcell]

19 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Unless changed, it was only one night.

Yes one night on the seaside...it was fantastic. Does Divina have the same thing?

 

I'm hoping if the Divina is going into dry dock this year, they will upgrade the pool bar area to accommodate a food area similar to the seaside.

Edited April 16, 2020 by xcell

[dexddd]

12 minutes ago, xcell said:

Yes one night on the seaside...it was fantastic. Does Divina have the same thing?

 

I'm hoping if Divina is dry docking this year, they will upgrade the pool bar area to accommodate a food area similar to the seaside.

Not sure, our last two have been on Seaside.  Robert introduced it think around June.  Don't think we had it in March but for sure in June.  It was fantastic.

 

I don't recall anyone reporting it on Divinia but I do seem to recall report of updates to Divinia YC will happen but no real details.

 

ETA smell cinnamon rolls upstairs but doubting no beef tenderloin or lobsters.

Edited April 16, 2020 by dexddd