CounselorCruiser Posted February 20, 2021 #1 Share Posted February 20, 2021 We're investigating the possibility of an MSC cruise and would like to try the Yacht Club experience and are wondering about the Inside Cabins as a way of trying MSC a little less expensive ... will the YC lounge, dining room and pool, would we miss having a balcony? We sail mostly on Celebrity (Elite status) and Royal (Diamond) and appreciate your thoughts. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinklady65 Posted February 20, 2021 #2 Share Posted February 20, 2021 I sailed on the Grandiosa last year in a YC inside and loved it. Admittedly it was a November cruise in the Med but I didn't miss the balcony as the YC area is so big and I just used the cabin to sleep in. I've sailed NCL Haven before but think YC is a better product, the service is second to none 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamrag Posted February 20, 2021 #3 Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, CounselorCruiser said: We're investigating the possibility of an MSC cruise and would like to try the Yacht Club experience and are wondering about the Inside Cabins as a way of trying MSC a little less expensive ... will the YC lounge, dining room and pool, would we miss having a balcony? We sail mostly on Celebrity (Elite status) and Royal (Diamond) and appreciate your thoughts. Thanks! We have sailed 3 YC cruises, 2 Deluxe Suite (balcony) and 1 inside. We enjoyed both, and would not hesitate to go inside again and it definitely keeps the price down. Everything in the YC enclave areas are available to all in YC, no matter your cabin type. Ultimately, only you can decide how important a balcony is....in our experience it is nice to have, it's small and not essential, also how much time is really spent on it? I second all that pinklady65 has written above, it's spot on! Edited February 20, 2021 by hamrag 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted February 21, 2021 #4 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I'd definitely agree with the above. We've sailed twice in YIN and didn't really miss the balcony. We've never not sailed without one previously. Admittedly, our 10 nights on Meraviglia was in North America/Canada where the weather wasn't great for utilising anyway. On Seaside we did have the weather but just went straight to TSL or One Pool. Having the tv tuned to the outside camera did really help feel we'd a window instead. Obviously it depends how much you'd use one, if it's a sacrifice you're happy with. We'd most certainly not hesitate to sail YIN again 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Até Posted February 21, 2021 #5 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) The difference is not only a balcony. Non handicap YC interiors have the same small bathroom and shower that regular cabins have. The bed design prevents large suitcases from being stored and easily accessed, in general they have to be less than 26" to be slid under from the foot end of the bed. Storage space is limited and packing more than one week's worth of clothes for two people can be challenging. I've stayed in very large suites, YC Deluxe and YC interiors. YC interiors can be a great value considering the public areas and amenities they come with. But I also factor in the length of the cruise, how scenic the itinerary is, outdoor temperatures, and how important is having a private space to spend time alone when considering a YC interior. ETA: MSC loves to show pictures of the handicap YC interiors, make sure you understand the true size of typical YC interiors. Meraviglia class feel slightly smaller than Seaside class. https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/msc-seaside-994/msc-yacht-club-interior-suite-405421/msc-yacht-club-interior-suite--v18129677 Edited February 21, 2021 by Até Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexddd Posted February 21, 2021 #6 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Not having a balcony not a big deal. Our kids had one on Seaside. Nice room other than the area smelled like sewage quite often and shower is coffin sized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philsuarez Posted February 21, 2021 #7 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I've had both an inside and a balcony. Of course the balcony is lovely but going inside means we can afford the YC experience. Was due to travel in April 2021 but have moved cruise to Caribbean in 2022. A balcony was near £9000 and inside was £4500. Huge difference and we still get all the YC amenities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookn4Sun Posted February 21, 2021 #8 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I traveled on the Meraviglia inside yacht club - by myself; it was small, with very little closet space. For one person I'd say it's fine. For two people, follow any tips, tricks, hacks you know of to maximize storage space if you are going on a longer trip, and pack light and/or pay for the laundry service. Very much worth it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwich Cruiser Posted February 21, 2021 #9 Share Posted February 21, 2021 We obviously would prefer the balcony but for such vast differences in prices we are now seeing and having cruised in a yacht club interior cabin once we would certainly do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted February 21, 2021 #10 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I prefer a balcony unless I am sailing in an area where being outside on the balcony could be very limited due to probable/potential environmental conditions. An inside stateroom, however: no. Been there, done that. OK for the once that I did so on a 4 day Bahamian cruise from Miami. Don't need to do that ever again. And, I won't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted February 22, 2021 #11 Share Posted February 22, 2021 On 2/21/2021 at 12:42 AM, Até said: The difference is not only a balcony. Non handicap YC interiors have the same small bathroom and shower that regular cabins have. The bed design prevents large suitcases from being stored and easily accessed, in general they have to be less than 26" to be slid under from the foot end of the bed. Storage space is limited and packing more than one week's worth of clothes for two people can be challenging. I've stayed in very large suites, YC Deluxe and YC interiors. YC interiors can be a great value considering the public areas and amenities they come with. But I also factor in the length of the cruise, how scenic the itinerary is, outdoor temperatures, and how important is having a private space to spend time alone when considering a YC interior. ETA: MSC loves to show pictures of the handicap YC interiors, make sure you understand the true size of typical YC interiors. Meraviglia class feel slightly smaller than Seaside class. https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/msc-seaside-994/msc-yacht-club-interior-suite-405421/msc-yacht-club-interior-suite--v18129677 The bathrooms are certainly compact, however, we agreed that the YC experience and facilities outweigh the 15/20 minutes spent in the bathroom each day. The storage can be challenging unless you think smart. We had 3 full size suitcases and 2 large rucksacks stored under the bed, which contained clothes and accessories for 2 people for a 4 week trip, all well accommodated in a YIN 😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony s Posted February 22, 2021 #12 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Take the YC inside. If you want to go outside,TSL never has anyone lounging. It is the best hidden bargain in cruising Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamrag Posted February 22, 2021 #13 Share Posted February 22, 2021 1 hour ago, tony s said: Take the YC inside. If you want to go outside,TSL never has anyone lounging. It is the best hidden bargain in cruising Absolutely true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoundForSea Posted February 23, 2021 #14 Share Posted February 23, 2021 4 hours ago, hamrag said: Absolutely true! Shhhhh! I swear after everyone on here was posting abiut how years ago to call in for the Haven Upgrades to the upsell dept at NCL, it blew up and they did away with it and jacked the prices and they never came down... so Ssshhhhhh! Those interiors are rubbish and horrible. You don’t want to stay in one of those!😂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamrag Posted February 23, 2021 #15 Share Posted February 23, 2021 10 hours ago, BoundForSea said: Those interiors are rubbish and horrible. You don’t want to stay in one of those!😂 Absolutely true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted February 23, 2021 #16 Share Posted February 23, 2021 14 hours ago, BoundForSea said: Shhhhh! I swear after everyone on here was posting abiut how years ago to call in for the Haven Upgrades to the upsell dept at NCL, it blew up and they did away with it and jacked the prices and they never came down... so Ssshhhhhh! Those interiors are rubbish and horrible. You don’t want to stay in one of those!😂 Yes, absolutely awful, avoid...🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Wheels Only Posted February 24, 2021 #17 Share Posted February 24, 2021 3 hours ago, Couple-Somerset said: As we idiots have been telling people how great YC is, we've shot ourselves in the foot and you'd do well to get a 7N YC Inside for $1,400 now. MSC was always going to raise prices whether we raved over the Yacht Club or not. With NCL raising Haven prices (which were higher than Yacht Club, anyway), MSC can easily raise prices and still (for the most part) cost less than the Haven. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaver1975 Posted February 27, 2021 #18 Share Posted February 27, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 4:37 PM, tony s said: Take the YC inside. If you want to go outside,TSL never has anyone lounging. It is the best hidden bargain in cruising What is TSL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted February 27, 2021 #19 Share Posted February 27, 2021 Top Sail Lounge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyinpa Posted February 28, 2021 #20 Share Posted February 28, 2021 isnt anyone worried about being locked in for days while returning to port if someone gets the virus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamrag Posted February 28, 2021 #21 Share Posted February 28, 2021 5 hours ago, luckyinpa said: isnt anyone worried about being locked in for days while returning to port if someone gets the virus? The 'worry' spectrum varies greatly from person to person! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Até Posted February 28, 2021 #22 Share Posted February 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Couple-Somerset said: ... and they have perfectly handled false reports of Covid aboard .... The cases of COVID-19 on MSC Grandiosa were not false reports. There were documented cases before they temporarily suspended sailings for the holidays and the most recent case was just over a week ago. What MSC has been able to do is prevent these occurrences from terminating the entire sailing. Those who test positive are first isolated on the ship then as soon as possible debarked to a quarantine facility. The required insurance covers being debarked, the quarantine facility and return to your point of origin. Some cruise lines seem to debark any close contacts but MSC policy seems to be any people deemed as close contacts are isolated on the ship and tested. If they test positive they will also be debarked. There is not much information on what happens to the close contacts other than they get confined in isolation, nothing so far about for how long. So luckyinpa has a point, if you are the unlucky one who spends too much time near someone else who tests positive you may spend a few days confined to your cabin or possibly a special designated area on the ship. https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2021/02/articles/disease/cruise-passenger-tests-positive-for-covid-19-on-msc-grandiosa/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DCGuy64 Posted March 1, 2021 #23 Share Posted March 1, 2021 On 2/27/2021 at 10:56 PM, luckyinpa said: isnt anyone worried about being locked in for days while returning to port if someone gets the virus? No 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DCGuy64 Posted March 1, 2021 #24 Share Posted March 1, 2021 22 hours ago, Até said: The cases of COVID-19 on MSC Grandiosa were not false reports. There were documented cases before they temporarily suspended sailings for the holidays and the most recent case was just over a week ago. What MSC has been able to do is prevent these occurrences from terminating the entire sailing. Those who test positive are first isolated on the ship then as soon as possible debarked to a quarantine facility. The required insurance covers being debarked, the quarantine facility and return to your point of origin. Some cruise lines seem to debark any close contacts but MSC policy seems to be any people deemed as close contacts are isolated on the ship and tested. If they test positive they will also be debarked. There is not much information on what happens to the close contacts other than they get confined in isolation, nothing so far about for how long. So luckyinpa has a point, if you are the unlucky one who spends too much time near someone else who tests positive you may spend a few days confined to your cabin or possibly a special designated area on the ship. https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2021/02/articles/disease/cruise-passenger-tests-positive-for-covid-19-on-msc-grandiosa/ Good article. I'd book my next cruise with the money I'd make if I had a dime for every time I read a post on Cruise Critic saying that 1 positive case would "automatically" guarantee that the cruise would be over. Clearly, MSC is equipped to deal with isolated incidents like this one without having to cancel the entire trip. That's the point, people! Covid DOESN'T automatically spell the end of your vacation. I also snickered at the Twitter photo of people not wearing masks on their excursion. Well, no duh, THEY'RE OUTSIDE. Everyone knows you don't have to be masked in the fresh air. Good grief... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted March 1, 2021 #25 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Will All Cruise Ships go this way ? Viking Cruises Announces First On-Board Lab (outtraveler.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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