Azamara regular tries MSC Yacht club

[uktog]

So DH wanted a cruise and a UK staycation cruise was all we could have.  As Azamara was not offering them and Celebrity itineraries were heading to where we know too well we looked around at other lines.  We have often heard people who try Azamara or Celebrity (in suites for that line) say to us we should try MSC.  We discovered MSC were offering 7 nights round trip cruises starting out of Scotland so that gave us an ideal opportunity to test their Yacht Club.

 

Rather than a blow by blow account of the cruise, I will pick up on what we liked more or less on MSC than Azamara.  Of course, this is like comparing a melon with a grape….. but as we stayed most of the time in the Yacht Club that looks after around 260 guests will concentrate on that and not the range of shops, bars etc – prices per day were slightly less on MSC by the way

 

What we liked on MSC Yacht Club

 

*a little thing, but we found their sun loungers were far more comfortable and well spaced out with a little table for every lounger – so a very pleasant experience on Deck 19 front

*the pool servers were really quiet when they come round, they do not wake you up shouting bar service

*the range of included drinks were on a par with the extra cost Ultimate Beverage package on Azamara and the included wines were superior

*the seats in the Yacht Club lounge and restaurant are much more comfortable (and easier to move into place) than Azamaras

*the food is always piping hot on service, they don't haul out towers of meals from the galley that sit around whilst the waiter works out the orders from several tables so service was really slick and calm - even slicker than the Azamara specialities and none of the OTT services you can sometimes be given

*the towels in the suite were a decent (larger) size and much thicker and nicer

*the pillow chocolates were really divine every night and much nicer than the Azamara “cake squares”

 

What we liked less on MSC

 

*the toiletries are not a patch on Azamara, and a little thing, no tissues or shower caps provided in suites which really surprised us

*Our butler was a dud and not of the calibre of Azamara butlers, though talking to others it sounded like we had drawn the short straw

*Maitre d’s and restaurant supervisors do not interact with the guests -its like they have a belief everything is perfect so they don’t need to ask (generally it was very good by the way but it would have been nice if they had shown more interest in feedback)

*they do not handle food allergies well, could not offer any adaptations or show you the menus in advance to help with decisions, no meeting with the chef or maitre d to discuss your needs

*On a 7 night cruise, there was only 6 menus, one was repeated, on Azamara there would have been 7 unique menus

*You never hear from the captain – no noon updates or information when they are changing sail away times (ok no one was ashore but departing over an hour early so you miss the pier side music in Liverpool was a disappointment)

*You have no idea who the senior officers onboard are – no names or little bios etc, none of that information is shared

* You cannot get away from the fact as soon as you leave the Yacht club it is a very busy ship (and it was sailing at 65% occupancy so I am certainly not sure about what it is like full) geared to family fun – so kids running around, staff pass you and do not greet you like they do on Azamara and certainly no “welcome home” security – its more like airport security with the shouted instructions etc.

*The ships app and on screen TV are a constant source of misinformation very much worse than Azamara. Everyone was talking about errors on their bills, staff response always was “it happens it will come right in the end”.  Yes ours did but not reassuring when your DH has not been out of your sight virtually all of day 2 but he has run up a £300 bar bill that only corrected itself at disembarkation!!  Bizarrely we had prebooked our excursions using my credit card before boarding but two got cancelled, however they advised that the Finance Director had told them we could not have the refund to our card and we had to have cash and pay that into the card ourselves.  We asked for an escalation but never saw or heard from the mythical finance director.  

 

Where there is no real difference

 

*precruise communication was hit and miss and at times confusing, it drove our agent mad.  It sounds like the back office was similar to what many report as their experience with Azamara

*the level of service by the waiters and bar staff – both lines offer great attentive friendly service

*although the ship is newer, the deluxe balcony suite is no better appointed than a Club Continent suite

*the entertainment – ok MSC have a larger theatre with better sight lines and a full production company but the quality of the singing/dancing was about the same as Azamara and the sound reproduction quality was worse.  Due to covid restrictions there were no guest entertainers so cannot compare what difference that might have made

*we expected a new ship to have a better wifi connection speed, it was actually about the same as Azamara, it was free of charge though for Yacht Club guests.  However you have to designate what two devices you are using you cant switch between your devices as you can on Azamara which would be an issue on a longer cruise when I usually have my laptop, ipad and phone.

 

So in some ways the two lines are comparable.  Will we be cruising MSC again? – well certainly not before we experience Azamara a few times again over the next year or so.  Yacht Club is a very different experience, a ship within a ship, there are things to like and things not to like.  So future booking with MSC is not a definite yes, but its also not a certain no.

Edited August 5, 2021 by uktog

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review and comparisons.

[nordski]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

So DH wanted a cruise and a UK staycation cruise was all we could have.  As Azamara was not offering them and Celebrity itineraries were heading to where we know too well we looked around at other lines.  We have often heard people who try Azamara or Celebrity (in suites for that line) say to us we should try MSC.  We discovered MSC were offering 7 nights round trip cruises starting out of Scotland so that gave us an ideal opportunity to test their Yacht Club.

 

Rather than a blow by blow account of the cruise, I will pick up on what we liked more or less on MSC than Azamara.  Of course, this is like comparing a melon with a grape….. but as we stayed most of the time in the Yacht Club that looks after around 260 guests will concentrate on that and not the range of shops, bars etc – prices per day were slightly less on MSC by the way

 

What we liked on MSC Yacht Club

 

*a little thing, but we found their sun loungers were far more comfortable and well spaced out with a little table for every lounger – so a very pleasant experience on Deck 19 front

*the pool servers were really quiet when they come round, they do not wake you up shouting bar service

*the range of included drinks were on a par with the extra cost Ultimate Beverage package on Azamara and the included wines were superior

*the seats in the Yacht Club lounge and restaurant are much more comfortable (and easier to move into place) than Azamaras

*the food is always piping hot on service, they don't haul out towers of meals from the galley that sit around whilst the waiter works out the orders from several tables so service was really slick and calm - even slicker than the Azamara specialities and none of the OTT services you can sometimes be given

*the towels in the suite were a decent (larger) size and much thicker and nicer

*the pillow chocolates were really divine every night and much nicer than the Azamara “cake squares”

 

What we liked less on MSC

 

*the toiletries are not a patch on Azamara, and a little thing, no tissues or shower caps provided in suites which really surprised us

*Our butler was a dud and not of the calibre of Azamara butlers, though talking to others it sounded like we had drawn the short straw

*Maitre d’s and restaurant supervisors do not interact with the guests -its like they have a belief everything is perfect so they don’t need to ask (generally it was very good by the way but it would have been nice if they had shown more interest in feedback)

*they do not handle food allergies well, could not offer any adaptations or show you the menus in advance to help with decisions, no meeting with the chef or maitre d to discuss your needs

*On a 7 night cruise, there was only 6 menus, one was repeated, on Azamara there would have been 7 unique menus

*You never hear from the captain – no noon updates or information when they are changing sail away times (ok no one was ashore but departing over an hour early so you miss the pier side music in Liverpool was a disappointment)

*You have no idea who the senior officers onboard are – no names or little bios etc, none of that information is shared

* You cannot get away from the fact as soon as you leave the Yacht club it is a very busy ship (and it was sailing at 65% occupancy so I am certainly not sure about what it is like full) geared to family fun – so kids running around, staff pass you and do not greet you like they do on Azamara and certainly no “welcome home” security – its more like airport security with the shouted instructions etc.

*The ships app and on screen TV are a constant source of misinformation very much worse than Azamara. Everyone was talking about errors on their bills, staff response always was “it happens it will come right in the end”.  Yes ours did but not reassuring when your DH has not been out of your sight virtually all of day 2 but he has run up a £300 bar bill that only corrected itself at disembarkation!!  Bizarrely we had prebooked our excursions using my credit card before boarding but two got cancelled, however they advised that the Finance Director had told them we could not have the refund to our card and we had to have cash and pay that into the card ourselves.  We asked for an escalation but never saw or heard from the mythical finance director.  

 

Where there is no real difference

 

*precruise communication was hit and miss and at times confusing, it drove our agent mad.  It sounds like the back office was similar to what many report as their experience with Azamara

*the level of service by the waiters and bar staff – both lines offer great attentive friendly service

*although the ship is newer, the deluxe balcony suite is no better appointed than a Club Continent suite

*the entertainment – ok MSC have a larger theatre with better sight lines and a full production company but the quality of the singing/dancing was about the same as Azamara and the sound reproduction quality was worse.  Due to covid restrictions there were no guest entertainers so cannot compare what difference that might have made

*we expected a new ship to have a better wifi connection speed, it was actually about the same as Azamara, it was free of charge though for Yacht Club guests.  However you have to designate what two devices you are using you cant switch between your devices as you can on Azamara which would be an issue on a longer cruise when I usually have my laptop, ipad and phone.

 

So in some ways the two lines are comparable.  Will we be cruising MSC again? – well certainly not before we experience Azamara a few times again over the next year or so.  Yacht Club is a very different experience, a ship within a ship, there are things to like and things not to like.  So future booking with MSC is not a definite yes, but its also not a certain no.

Thanks for this thoughtful and fair assessment.

 

One of the comparisons you made is a dealbreaker for us, and it was appreciated that you drew attention to it.

[Bloodaxe]

Thank you for the review,  you confirmed my suspicions that if we sailed MSC it would  have to be in Yacht Club

[royallondon]

Thank you very much uktog, really informative.

 

With our appetite to resume cruising sooner then we had envisaged, we too have been looking at some staycation cruises (and in fact had booked to be on the Silhouette last Saturday only to have to cancel 3 days prior due family illness) but never considered MSC yacht club!

 

With a week at the very end of August available to us we were looking at Viking but will now add the YC for consideration.  It’s a shame Azamara is not an option but at least have a Greece Intensive to look forward to next June 🤞

 

Regards

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

a little thing, but we found their sun loungers were far more comfortable and well spaced out with a little table for every lounger – so a very pleasant experience on Deck 19 front

*the pool servers were really quiet when they come round, they do not wake you up shouting bar service

I would imagine when Azamara returns to sailing, we will also find more distance between loungers (at least for the foreseeable future). I haven’t experienced and shouting from pool servers, but maybe I’ve been lucky!

[Huntingdon1701]

Having sailed in Yacht Club in June, I'm looking forward to 28th August when I get to experience Azamara as a comparison. Not having the best pre-cruise experience with Azamara, so hoping it's much more amazing on board!

 

I think on a couple of items you drew the short straw, because my butler was absolutely amazing and a made a big contribution to the positive experience. I also had a different menue for every day of the 7 day cruise, so strange that you had a repetition.

 

I would agree that the maitre'd, supervisors and senior officers were invisible - but might that be to limit exposure to passengers and part of the Covid measures? I've not sailed with them pre-pandemic, so can't say if it's typical. 

[beachmudhut]

We also sailed MSC in June to celebrate an Anniversary.   Agree with all you say UKtog.  We were surprised at how much we enjoyed aspects of the cruise.

 

 Regarding food allergies etc., I am intolerant of wheat and dairy and it was quite an issue on MSC -  not a chance of a slice of GF toast in the morning or a capuccino made with soya etc. One evening I chose  safe items from the main menu and was presented with a waiver to sign at the end of the meal!

 

We really long to cruise with Azamara again but flights are a step too far for us at this time.

[Grandma Cruising]

Thanks uktog. We’ve looked at MSC Yacht Club from time to time, so it’s really helpful to have your comparison. Certainly made me think we might try MSC at some time in the future, but only in the Yacht Club.

[Babaduck]

I'm unsurprised to see that the most negative comments come from people who haven't sailed with MSC in quite some years.  We sailed on the Preziosa in YC in 2014 and the rest of the ship was chaotic and the buffet was like a zoo.

 

Fast forward 5 years to our next cruise on the Seaside from Miami in 2019 - we had a Fantastica cabin so were only in the main part of the ship.  There was a phenomenal improvement in the food and the buffet was a pleasure to use.  The quality is great although some American passengers were surprised that not everything was deep fried...  The MDR food was also really good - I had 2 courses out of 18 which weren't to my taste. That doesn't mean that the food was of poor quality, it just wasn't appealing to me (there are a lot of OMG THE FOOD WAS CRAP posts on some of the FB groups, but it's not the food, it's the person eating it)

 

I'm looking forward to a bit of luxury in the YC at the end of September and will be hugely appreciative of having 10 days of meals handed to me.  

[Solon]

Thank you for your reply, Babaduck.

 

I see from your signature that you have only cruised with MSC.  Have you tried Azamara or another cruise line?

 

Certainly, it is hard for a company with a past bad reputation to entice customers even though they are much better now.  Hard to lose a bad rep.....

 

Still, based on your comments about food, we will stick to other cruise lines.

 

Enjoy your cruise in September.....

Edited August 10, 2021 by Solon

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks @uktog for your review of the MSC Yacht Club, and to those who added comments on their own MSC Yacht Club experiences.  Posts about non-Yacht Club MSC experiences have been removed.

[Mackdogmolly]

On 8/5/2021 at 7:58 AM, nordski said:

Thanks for this thoughtful and fair assessment.

 

One of the comparisons you made is a dealbreaker for us, and it was appreciated that you drew attention to it.

Ok, I am curious, what was the deal breaker?

[nordski]

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Ok, I am curious, what was the deal breaker?

I’m certain that it’s of little concern for most, but the handling of dietary concerns is a rather big deal for us. 

 

For example, seeing the menus for the next day’s meals is a simple process that allows my wife to avoid dishes with ingredients which will trigger her allergies.

 

Uktog’s experience was that in the Yacht Club that service was not available.

 

At the beginning of the cruise we are also invited to meet one of the Head Waiters to clarify the exact nature of the allergies and to ensure they are properly recorded in the computers at all dining venues. This means that we don’t have to repeatedly explain the concerns.
 

Apparently that did not happen on her cruise.

 

Azamara, of course, is not the only cruise line to offer those services. It is a little surprising they were not available on MSC.

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by nordski

[Mackdogmolly]

7 minutes ago, nordski said:

I’m certain that it’s of little concern for most, but the handling of dietary concerns is a rather big deal for us. 

 

For example, seeing the menus for the next day’s meals is a simple process that allows my wife to avoid dishes with ingredients which will trigger her allergies.

 

Uktog’s experience was that in the Yacht Club that service was not available.

 

At the beginning of the cruise we are also invited to meet one of the Head Waiters to clarify the exact nature of the allergies and to ensure they are properly recorded in the computers at all dining venues. This means that we don’t have to repeatedly explain the concerns.
 

Apparently that did not happen on her cruise.

 

Azamara, of course, is not the only cruise line to offer those services. It is a little surprising they were not available on MSC.

 

That makes perfect sense.

[Huntingdon1701]

9 hours ago, nordski said:

For example, seeing the menus for the next day’s meals is a simple process that allows my wife to avoid dishes with ingredients which will trigger her allergies.

 

Uktog’s experience was that in the Yacht Club that service was not available.

 

 

 

The menus are available through the TV in your cabin, at least on Virtuosa. I think it was the full set for the week but certainly at least one day ahead. I have a nut allergy so always read ahead, and it helps plan any speciality dining too.

 

They didn't make paper copies available anywhere, as far as I saw. I know some lines display them at the concierge or outside the restaurant. On the day, they do show a copy of the evening menu in the lounge from about lunch time onwards. 

[uktog]

19 minutes ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

The menus are available through the TV in your cabin, at least on Virtuosa. I think it was the full set for the week but certainly at least one day ahead. I have a nut allergy so always read ahead, and it helps plan any speciality dining too.

 

They didn't make paper copies available anywhere, as far as I saw. I know some lines display them at the concierge or outside the restaurant. On the day, they do show a copy of the evening menu in the lounge from about lunch time onwards. 

Things must have changed as that didn’t happen on our trip on Virtuosa if it had, it would have made a big difference. There were no menus on the tv, that would really have helped but the page was just blank except one day - and when we got to dinner the paper menu handed out was different so I think something was going really wrong there. 
I think we were also so taken aback the maitre d saw we were having problems in having to send something back and also that same night asking the waitress if an adaption could be made (it couldn’t) but never came over and offered help. 
Maybe in retrospect we should have been more demanding of him but that’s not our style. 
If we go back to MSC we will discuss with the YC director right at the start. 
 

[nordski]

27 minutes ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

The menus are available through the TV in your cabin, at least on Virtuosa. I think it was the full set for the week but certainly at least one day ahead. I have a nut allergy so always read ahead, and it helps plan any speciality dining too.

 

They didn't make paper copies available anywhere, as far as I saw. I know some lines display them at the concierge or outside the restaurant. On the day, they do show a copy of the evening menu in the lounge from about lunch time onwards. 

Thanks for that information.

 

The issue for us is  a somewhat hidden ingredient that may cause a problem. For example is there lactose in that batter?

 

Discussing this the night before let’s us discover the problem beforehand and adjust our order accordingly. Also, on Azamara, they will sometimes amend the recipe so that, for my wife,  the problem ingredient is removed.

 

Perhaps even more important, even though we fill out the “special request” form before boarding, that form sometimes leads to a misunderstanding once we board.

 

The personal contact with the staff prevents many of those issues.

 

I will also commend Azamara for listing food items at the buffet that, commonly, may cause an allergic reaction.

 

MSC may well do the same.

[uktog]

There was no listing at the YC pool buffet or on their menus. The buffets on the mass catering side may be different. 

I did highlight poorer communications as a general issue and a lack of engagement with guests and got a bit shot down on this over on the MSC board who took it we wanted officers fluffing around as all the time which of course was never true. 

But as I’ve thought about it over the last day,  I think the handling of allergies was a reflection of the communication processes and culture. It’s remote and not got that same attention to detail or personal ownership of situations. As those of you with allergies who sail on a Azamara  will know your allergy is entered on the computer system and everywhere you go they know about it. How this is handled is when you check-in to the main dining room the waiter is handed the ticket that includes your table number and on that ticket is the allergy information every night even though the waiter may well know you already. There appears to be no such communication on MSC. And maybe due to pressure of work or whatever the wait staff don’t remember from one night to the next about your situation. So on your cruise it’s constant having to be alert which is not our experience on  Azamara where yes we have to be alert but not the same high-level that we needed on MSC.
 

We also found when we went to butchers cut a special restaurant the waiters English was not great and we actually struggled to get him to understand about the allergy which again though booked by YC concierge the allergy information wasn’t handed on. Generally around the vessel the standard of English was lower everywhere it was just something we noticed so makes explaining and communication in general much harder. 

If I had allergy and was going to sail MSC for the first time I would say just be a lot more alert than on Azamara. It all depends on how serious your allergy is and the consequences of a reaction but I would hope with a heightened level of alertness and recognising that the standards are not as high or careful as Azamara in that area. you could still have an enjoyable time. 

[Haworth]

Like others we have sailed both and agree with the majority of comments, I would say we have had excellent butlers, but being from the UK we are low maintenance and I think they appreciate the chance to help when they can.  One point I have not seen made is that YC members are escorted on and off the ship and by pass any lines, including tenders, its a handy perk on busy ships. Entertainment wise we have seen some brilliant abridged opera and operatic performances on board. The YC is a relaxed and peaceful haven in a busy ship.

[marinaro44]

Really dislike having anyone "bypass any line," even if I'm among those entitled to do so.  Want no part of multi-class cruising.

[beachmudhut]

I think Azamara (and in our experience Oceania) have thoroughly spoiled us with regards to food allergies/intolerance.     We have always been able to relax into the cruise knowing we didn't have to check every item on the menu and that someone was looking out for us.  

 

We struggled to make ourselves understood on MSC and the waiters would smile and nod as though they knew what we were saying and then bring something entirely unsuitable!   
 

Other than this, we very much enjoyed the cruise on Virtuosa with only 1000 passengers onboard and it was such a joy to actually be on a cruise ship again even if we only sailed off the coast of France.   

 

 

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, beachmudhut said:

 

 

We struggled to make ourselves understood on MSC and the waiters would smile and nod as though they knew what we were saying and then bring something entirely unsuitable!   
 

Other than this, we very much enjoyed the cruise on Virtuosa 

 

 

Oh thank you for confirming it wasn't just us!

[beachmudhut]

For some reason my request for Camomile tea would send the waiters in a huddle of puzzlement and we started to enjoy waiting to see what they would bring!  

[Huntingdon1701]

7 hours ago, uktog said:

Things must have changed as that didn’t happen on our trip on Virtuosa if it had, it would have made a big difference. There were no menus on the tv, that would really have helped but the page was just blank except one day - and when we got to dinner the paper menu handed out was different so I think something was going really wrong there. 
I think we were also so taken aback the maitre d saw we were having problems in having to send something back and also that same night asking the waitress if an adaption could be made (it couldn’t) but never came over and offered help. 
Maybe in retrospect we should have been more demanding of him but that’s not our style. 
If we go back to MSC we will discuss with the YC director right at the start. 
 

 

I sailed a few weeks before you. Unfortunately it sounds like quite a lot went wrong for you on your cruise, with this and the bad butler. You should have been able to view all that in advance, including the speciality restaurants and non-YC dining rooms. I did also see someone asking them to make a special dish - they couldn't make the full thing, but they definitely customised the end result to meet a dietary preference (not an allergy).