Advice yacht club virtuosa and kids club/how busy are activities

[wirral36]

Hi all,

we are booked into yacht club 7 aug and I’m getting a bit worried after all the bad reviews I’ve just read of staff not being able to cope with the full capacity at the moment and how the kids clubs are over subscribed, every venue being full to the brim with a lot of lager louts and not being able to get a sun bed or go in the pools. 
 

Is there anyone on virtuosa in the yacht club to confirm how busy it is in that area ? Is the yacht club pool full with too many people?

 

also are the reports of the kids club being too full and turning people away true ? 
 

were used to RCI where everything is prebooked ahead of time or they make space if you ask nicely. I’ve read Msc aren’t like this ? 
 

any insight would be helpful, good or bad.

 

I’ve had a bad experience before from Southampton. It always seems the cruises from Southampton seem to be full of lager louts and delinquent kids. I’m hoping I’m wrong this time. 

 

[Stuffthis123]

We're on Virtuosa now, in YC.

 

Apparently there were 99 people in YC when we left Southampton and now 130.  YC feels fairly full but still very calm and relaxed. Service is very good. Pool area is not over crowded.

 

Rest of ship feels very, very busy, when we leave YC, there are very few seats in any areas and slow service. They seem to be struggling to clear up after people leave areas too.

 

We don't have children in the kids' club but have seen people queuing outside, sitting on the floor so obviously expecting to be there for a while. 

[wirral36]

57 minutes ago, Stuffthis123 said:

We're on Virtuosa now, in YC.

 

Apparently there were 99 people in YC when we left Southampton and now 130.  YC feels fairly full but still very calm and relaxed. Service is very good. Pool area is not over crowded.

 

Rest of ship feels very, very busy, when we leave YC, there are very few seats in any areas and slow service. They seem to be struggling to clear up after people leave areas too.

 

We don't have children in the kids' club but have seen people queuing outside, sitting on the floor so obviously expecting to be there for a while. 

Hi, what cabin type do u have ?  I was really hoping to be on one of those capped capacity cruises but oh well. 
 

do you know if yc rooms have special allocation on the specialist restaurants ? I read somewhere they hold back some tables for yc but other passengers say this isn’t true. Please may I ask a big favour (if you don’t mind asking for me) is there an email address for the yc concierge thst I can email prior to boarding or a way of contacting them on the actual ship? 

[wirral36]

Just now, wirral36 said:

Hi, what cabin type do u have ?  I was really hoping to be on one of those capped capacity cruises but oh well. 
 

do you know if yc rooms have special allocation on the specialist restaurants ? I read somewhere they hold back some tables for yc but other passengers say this isn’t true. Please may I ask a big favour (if you don’t mind asking for me) is there an email address for the yc concierge thst I can email prior to boarding or a way of contacting them on the actual ship? 

I’d really appreciate it. 

[Stuffthis123]

We're in the Royal Suite 😊. It is easily the best room we have every stayed in. A few minor issues but all resolved promptly.

 

I am pretty sure there is no allocated space for YC in the speciality restaurants as concierge couldn't get us in! I'd recommend booking in advance. We did manage to get a lunch reservation at Hola! & would recommend eating there for a change of scenery. Not that keen on the look of the sushi place as the seating is open to a fairly busy corridor. Indochine is also open to quite a noisy bar but round to the right hand side are tables that look pretty nice so would have liked to have tried that. The capacity of the speciality restaurants seems v low.

 

The only way we have of contacting concierge is by swinging by their desk I think. I'd contact MSC direct to try to make special requests in advance.

[wirral36]

11 minutes ago, Stuffthis123 said:

We're in the Royal Suite 😊. It is easily the best room we have every stayed in. A few minor issues but all resolved promptly.

 

I am pretty sure there is no allocated space for YC in the speciality restaurants as concierge couldn't get us in! I'd recommend booking in advance. We did manage to get a lunch reservation at Hola! & would recommend eating there for a change of scenery. Not that keen on the look of the sushi place as the seating is open to a fairly busy corridor. Indochine is also open to quite a noisy bar but round to the right hand side are tables that look pretty nice so would have liked to have tried that. The capacity of the speciality restaurants seems v low.

 

The only way we have of contacting concierge is by swinging by their desk I think. I'd contact MSC direct to try to make special requests in advance.

I have lots of questions 🤣😂 is it 15008 ? There are next to no pics or info ref the royal suite anywhere.  I wondered if the butler made the restaurant reservations ? Being in the royal suite I would have thought they would bend over bsckwards to accommodate you whatever it was you wanted. How’s the storage in your room ? There’s 4 of us and we don’t pack light 😂

[wirral36]

Just now, wirral36 said:

I have lots of questions 🤣😂 is it 15008 ? There are next to no pics or info ref the royal suite anywhere.  I wondered if the butler made the restaurant reservations ? Being in the royal suite I would have thought they would bend over bsckwards to accommodate you whatever it was you wanted. How’s the storage in your room ? There’s 4 of us and we don’t pack light 😂

Also what issues did u have (just thinking ahead 🤣)

[Stuffthis123]

Yes, 15008. Are you in same? It looks exactly as we expected by looking at the same cabin in the same class, I can't recall which ship. It's a fantastic room, very, very happy with it.

 

No problem with storage, we have probably only used 1/2 of it! (3 of us).

 

Shower leaking, door handle stiff, just teething problems but you mention it and it is promptly sorted.

[wirral36]

9 minutes ago, Stuffthis123 said:

Yes, 15008. Are you in same? It looks exactly as we expected by looking at the same cabin in the same class, I can't recall which ship. It's a fantastic room, very, very happy with it.

 

No problem with storage, we have probably only used 1/2 of it! (3 of us).

 

Shower leaking, door handle stiff, just teething problems but you mention it and it is promptly sorted.

Yes ! Please can you confirm if both sofas turn into beds or just 1 ? Thank you for sorting out the issues before we get on board 😂. I wonder if you are the first to stay in it. How’s the noise from the bar below ? 
 

There’s literally no way of booking kids club, restaurants, theatre show seating etc until on board. But now I’m worried we miss out on all the things we want to do because of high capacity. I was hoping to get some sort of contact details for someone on board. Whose your butler and what do they do ? 

[Stuffthis123]

Oh, lovely, it is a fab room. The balcony is superb and the screens round it mean the wind isn't a problem. Hot tub is a nice bonus too. 

 

However, only one sofa turns into a double sofa bed. The other is a regular sofa. Either they expect your children to share a bed or perhaps bring a pull out in. There are two armchairs too. 

 

Butler is Victor. We haven't asked for much tbh but he's dealt with small problems, swapped out minibar for what we wanted etc. 

 

The bar is above, no noise, except perhaps an occasional move of a chair in the morning. The bridge is below. The ship is amazingly smooth and quiet. We've slept really well 😁.

 

I think you probably need to speak to butler and /or concierge as soon as you board to try to arrange stuff then. Make sure you skip the boarding queues btw, they were huge. We had to find someone to direct us to the YC entrance, it wasn't marked.

 

I realised, we *have* used all the hanging space in the room, it's drawers and cupboards which are untouched.  We haven't dressed up much tbh, it doesn't feel necessary and I prefer comfort!

 

I do love this room and the YC area but the rest of the ship and the entertainment isn't my cuppa and I don't think we will sail MSC again. I might make an exception for this room and a fab itinerary, mind you!

 

[wirral36]

1 minute ago, Stuffthis123 said:

Oh, lovely, it is a fab room. The balcony is superb and the screens round it mean the wind isn't a problem. Hot tub is a nice bonus too. 

 

However, only one sofa turns into a double sofa bed. The other is a regular sofa. Either they expect your children to share a bed or perhaps bring a pull out in. There are two armchairs too. 

 

Butler is Victor. We haven't asked for much tbh but he's dealt with small problems, swapped out minibar for what we wanted etc. 

 

The bar is above, no noise, except perhaps an occasional move of a chair in the morning. The bridge is below. The ship is amazingly smooth and quiet. We've slept really well 😁.

 

I think you probably need to speak to butler and /or concierge as soon as you board to try to arrange stuff then. Make sure you skip the boarding queues btw, they were huge. We had to find someone to direct us to the YC entrance, it wasn't marked.

 

I realised, we *have* used all the hanging space in the room, it's drawers and cupboards which are untouched.  We haven't dressed up much tbh, it doesn't feel necessary and I prefer comfort!

 

I do love this room and the YC area but the rest of the ship and the entertainment isn't my cuppa and I don't think we will sail MSC again. I might make an exception for this room and a fab itinerary, mind you!

 

We are RCI usually. The Genie cannot be beat.  If I don’t get the kids in kids club I think I’ll cry. We haven’t had a date night in 2 1/2 yrs. I’m expecting the worst so I’m pleasantly suprised and now have the if u can’t beat them join them mentality. This will be 1 cruise that I won’t feel the need to shush the kids on if the reviews are to be believed 😂. Are there many gangs of teenagers about ? That’s the issue we’ve had on every Southampton cruise we’ve been on. Are there alot of kids in yc ?  
 

have u made use of the yc cabana ? 
is there one of those long hot tubs anywhere ? Is there any yc seating at the main pool or indoor pool ? Wonder if the butler will find seats 😂🤣 I’m joking. I wouldn’t ask and I doubt he could anyway.  I’m really not too sure what I’d ask the butler for. 

[Stuffthis123]

There's about 10-15 kids in YC. 

 

We only go for a promenade in the main ship a couple of times a day, then return to YC so haven't seen much! The YC pool is so much quieter and nicer than the others, I wouldn't want to sit there. We have mostly used the sunbeds on our balcony though which is the nicest spot of all IMO.

 

I've seen the long hot tubs but, like everything, it seems so loud and busy, we come back to the YC. Our own hot tub is much more appealing to me.

[wirral36]

6 minutes ago, Stuffthis123 said:

There's about 10-15 kids in YC. 

 

We only go for a promenade in the main ship a couple of times a day, then return to YC so haven't seen much! The YC pool is so much quieter and nicer than the others, I wouldn't want to sit there. We have mostly used the sunbeds on our balcony though which is the nicest spot of all IMO.

 

I've seen the long hot tubs but, like everything, it seems so loud and busy, we come back to the YC. Our own hot tub is much more appealing to me.

How many does your hot tub seat ? On the balcony are there sun loungers aswell as a table and chairs fir 4 ? 
 

How was embarkation? We had a 140 time but it’s just changed to 11am. I’m much happier about thst. Just wondering if that’s a time to actually get on the ship or if it’s a start queuing time.

[Stuffthis123]

Hot tub is a decent size. I have only sat in it with 2 but you could probably fit more in. It is quite deep!

 

Balcony has a large table with 6 chairs (great for breakfast) and two very comfortable loungers each with a side table. There is room for double so we have moved the loungers round to catch the sun or shade.

 

Embarkation queue was huge, but when we said we were YC, we were whisked through and it was a breeze from there. 

 

 

[dexddd]

Check out Meraviglia for pics of what Virtuoso RS will look like.

[wirral36]

9 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Check out Meraviglia for pics of what Virtuoso RS will look like.

Hi, I’ve looked at Meraviglia but someone said it’s more like grandiosa ?

[wirral36]

On 7/29/2021 at 5:47 PM, Stuffthis123 said:

We're in the Royal Suite 😊. It is easily the best room we have every stayed in. A few minor issues but all resolved promptly.

 

I am pretty sure there is no allocated space for YC in the speciality restaurants as concierge couldn't get us in! I'd recommend booking in advance. We did manage to get a lunch reservation at Hola! & would recommend eating there for a change of scenery. Not that keen on the look of the sushi place as the seating is open to a fairly busy corridor. Indochine is also open to quite a noisy bar but round to the right hand side are tables that look pretty nice so would have liked to have tried that. The capacity of the speciality restaurants seems v low.

 

The only way we have of contacting concierge is by swinging by their desk I think. I'd contact MSC direct to try to make special requests in advance.

Hi,  I’m in the royal suite right now and you have been very helpful prior to sailing. Is there a way I can contact you privately ? I’d just like to ask a couple of questions but I don’t want to add them on here. Many thanks. 

[defbref]

2 hours ago, wirral36 said:

Hi,  I’m in the royal suite right now and you have been very helpful prior to sailing. Is there a way I can contact you privately ? I’d just like to ask a couple of questions but I don’t want to add them on here. Many thanks. 

 

After all your questions and worries hope everything is ok now your on board, let us know how it goes.

[Stuffthis123]

Hey Wirral, I'm so sorry, I haven't been on CC for weeks and missed your post.

How did it go?

I don't think there is a PM function on CC?

 

[annelouise74]

On 8/11/2021 at 2:56 PM, wirral36 said:

Hi,  I’m in the royal suite right now and you have been very helpful prior to sailing. Is there a way I can contact you privately ? I’d just like to ask a couple of questions but I don’t want to add them on here. Many thanks. 

Hi,

 

Wondering how the cruise went as we have booked the RS for a cruise in December. Did you manage o book any specialty restaurants? How was the kids club? 

 

Many thanks,

 

Annelouise