meraviglia yacht club vs seaside?

[chisoxfan]

Hello. We had sailed Seaside last year (first MSC and first YC) and were generally impressed. We have curtailed some of our cruising for All Inclusives but still look forward to shipboard life.

Anyway, we booked YC in Meraviglia for next winter as the new private island and the cruise itinerary (Western Carib) was interesting. We were able to secure a members discount on this cruise which was also nice. That said, I just stumbled over one of the internet 'news' pop ups (I know I should not pay attention)  listing the worst rated cruise ships and Meraviglia was listed.

I know Meraviglia is new(er) and in a similar class as Seaside but would really welcome any support/ feedback regarding this vessel and specifically any significant differences than Seaside (which was highly rated in this same post). While we think YC is a wonderful value the pricing even discounted has crept up where other non cruise options remain.

 

Many thanks in advance!

[dexddd]

Done two  Seaside and heavily researched Meraviglia for March trip.  Don't really see much difference between the two other than more rooms.  Mera has more glass shading panels in pool area. Snack area by doors VS by bar.

[SirWolf]

I have not sailed on Seaside but on sister ship Seaview and on Meraviglia. One of the differences is the layout of the Top Sail Lounge and YC Restaurant. On Seaside and Seaview these two areas (on deck 16 and 18) are open in the front and connected by a Swarovski crystal decorated staircase. On Meraviglia the Top Sail Lounge and YC Restaurant are not connected. That gives different atmosphere in both layouts. The YC layout on Seaside/Seaview is in favor with many passengers and MSC has changed the layout on Bellissima (sister ship of Meraviglia) to open concept with staircase. 

[EMc&DrS]

We started with Divina YC, then tried Seaside (Royal Suite) and finally Meraviglia.  We liked all three, and all three were slightly different.  Mera felt more like Divina--mostly because Top Sail is enclosed like on Divina--not open to the restaurant above.  Lots of people say they prefer the Seaside set-up, but we preferred Meraviglia. We liked that the sound from one space doesn't interfere with the other.  Also like being able to sit right by the window looking out the front of the ship in the dining room on Mera.  Same in Top Sail, although the Divina TS has the best views of all.  As far as the pool, no shade at all on Seaside and too much shade on Meraviglia.   (I think most of the people we encountered on Mera had only been on Seaside, so that was their first concept of YC).

 

Any negative comments you read about MSC are most likely not written by YC passengers.  The service was outstanding on all 3 ships, and we look forward to going back on Divina next month.

[chisoxfan]

Thanks everyone for the comments. We are excited to try the Mera-  and know that the YC experience doesn't relate directly to all passengers' experiences. While we enjoyed Seaside YC we were a little underwhelmed with the rest of the ship (entertainment, specialty dining) and we are hoping that the Mera will check some of these other boxes for us.