Semi-Live Meraviglia - Oct 9th

[cdel71]

Just some quick updates. 
 

YC embarkation - Holy Crap.  From tent to boarding - 20 mins.  On ship with drink 11:15am!

Walked up to tent and they just asked for forms. No questions about embarkation times

 

YC mini bar.   Original setup.  No bottle offered.  Stocked daily including nuts/water/alcohol nips 

 

Upgrade to premium plus is ~$275 for both guests total.   There IS JW Blue on board and they (meaning the bartenders) are happy to pour you whatever you want with premium spirits.   You can also upgrade on Day 2 vs day 1.  

Spoiled rotten so far and it’s only been an hour!

Going to be a great week!!

 

 

 

[cdel71]

Be prepared to be attacked for drink & dining packages.   I know they are just doing their jobs but wow.  They grab everyone as they board.  I’m doing some people watching and feel bad for both the people just boarding and the staff.  They must have lofty goals to meet.   
 

Ship is stunning.  Gorgeous.   
 

Ship is sailing under 1000 pax.   I heard 850 to 900 this week and 80 YC pax.   Ship within a ship is magical.   Staff has been amazing so far and everyone is happy to see cruisers!    

[rkacruiser]

Bon Voyage!  

[Fogfog]

4 hours ago, cdel71 said:

Just some quick updates. 
 

YC embarkation - Holy Crap.  From tent to boarding - 20 mins.  On ship with drink 11:15am!

Walked up to tent and they just asked for forms. No questions about embarkation times

 

YC mini bar.   Original setup.  No bottle offered.  Stocked daily including nuts/water/alcohol nips 

 

Upgrade to premium plus is ~$275 for both guests total.   There IS JW Blue on board and they (meaning the bartenders) are happy to pour you whatever you want with premium spirits.   You can also upgrade on Day 2 vs day 1.  

Spoiled rotten so far and it’s only been an hour!

Going to be a great week!!

 

 

 

Great to hear

We loved our YC experience on MSC and have B2Bs in early 2022

How many days are you sailing? 

Can you let us know who is in the dining room, at the bar and any butlers you've met... Hoping some of our favs are back. We have missed them all immensley

Edited October 9, 2021 by Fogfog

[cruisebug722]

Someone just off said they had their itinerary changed last week.  I'm sailing next trip - let us know if they change your itinerary.

thanks

[jules815]

We're boarding on the 16th, also in YC. Can't wait!

 

Have a great week.  Cheers!

 

 

 

[miataman19]

OK, I'm jealous. We just got off the Oct 2nd sailing and our embarkation took 25 minutes..lol. We also upgraded to the Premium Plus package and we took advantage with better Champagne, Bookers Bourbon that the Top Sail bartender snagged from the Irish Pub and numerous wines the were not on any list. The Sommelier would suggest them every night. At lunch he would whisper in my ear that he had a Surprise for me at diner. He kept coming up with Italian wines I've never heard of and, WOW, every one was awesome. Tell him Patrick from Disney told you about the Italian Merlot and Pinto Grigio wines and the after diner dessert wines.   

[jules815]

3 minutes ago, miataman19 said:

OK, I'm jealous. We just got off the Oct 2nd sailing and our embarkation took 25 minutes..lol. We also upgraded to the Premium Plus package and we took advantage with better Champagne, Bookers Bourbon that the Top Sail bartender snagged from the Irish Pub and numerous wines the were not on any list. The Sommelier would suggest them every night. At lunch he would whisper in my ear that he had a Surprise for me at diner. He kept coming up with Italian wines I've never heard of and, WOW, every one was awesome. Tell him Patrick from Disney told you about the Italian Merlot and Pinto Grigio wines and the after diner dessert wines.   

Great to hear! We also plan on upgrading to the Premium Plus package. This will be our second time sailing with MSC in YC. Our first was January 2019 on Seaside. This cruise was actually supposed to be on Seaside, but somewhere a long the way with cancellations and re-bookings, our itinerary and then ship changed. We were actually a little disappointed that we weren't going on Seaside again, but now really looking forward to Meraviglia. Excited to be sailing on a new ship. 

[kidless]

We cruise on Meraviglia in Yacht club end of November! So following this! 

[alyssamma]

11 hours ago, cdel71 said:

Be prepared to be attacked for drink & dining packages.   I know they are just doing their jobs but wow.  They grab everyone as they board.  I’m doing some people watching and feel bad for both the people just boarding and the staff.  They must have lofty goals to meet.   
 

Ship is stunning.  Gorgeous.   
 

Ship is sailing under 1000 pax.   I heard 850 to 900 this week and 80 YC pax.   Ship within a ship is magical.   Staff has been amazing so far and everyone is happy to see cruisers!    

I just got off the 10/2 sailing and didn't see anyone being hounded to buy dining packages or upgrade drink packages.

 

Not saying it wasn't happening, just no one in our group of 7 saw it...

[cdel71]

Day 2

 

Forgot to mention yesterday, while you CAN upgrade your WiFi package to stream and browse, you can FaceTime without any issues with just the browse included in YC package.   Just sit close to a white puck that you’ll find on ceilings or walls (WiFi extender) and you should be fine.   Granted if you want to actually stream Disney+ or Netflix you’ll need to upgrade.  VPN trick does work, I was able to stream YouTube but didn’t test for very long.    
 

Last night we went to the Rock Show (8 out of 10) and visited many bars.  The Sky Lounge was great with 4 guests total and my wife and I were 2 of them.   Ryan (bartender) talked with us for hours while keeping our drinks and snacks tended to.  Eery experience, it felt like a private party at the same time. Hard to explain.   
 

Dinner was amazing.  YC staff were talkative, yet quick, but at no time were we rushed.   Food was well prepared.  Seasoned and tasty.  Holy gelato (delish)!!!

The “upgrade hounds” as I call them were all on deck 6 (grand entrance area).  If you didn’t walk past that area you wouldn’t see them, however some did make their way to the bars close by too

Ocean Cay today - will post more later. 

 

Oh one last thing - My butler is Rakesh.   I also had Mark Anthony for a bit too as they help YC guests board and get acclimated.   They made my wife’s birthday special yesterday !!
 

[kelleherdl]

17 hours ago, cdel71 said:

Be prepared to be attacked for drink & dining packages.   I know they are just doing their jobs but wow.  They grab everyone as they board.  I’m doing some people watching and feel bad for both the people just boarding and the staff.  They must have lofty goals to meet.   
 

Ship is stunning.  Gorgeous.   
 

 

You definitely will not be hassled if you are in the Yacht Club, as the OP stated he is. I personally have not seen this at the terminal either in Miami or Port Canaveral.

 

Dennis

Edited October 10, 2021 by kelleherdl

[cdel71]

34 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

You definitely will not be hassled if you are in the Yacht Club, as the OP stated he is. I personally have not seen this at the terminal either in Miami or Port Canaveral.

 

Dennis

Agreed.   In YC.  Nobody bothers you.  Not even to upgrade to Premium Plus ( which we did anyway ).   Outside the YC.  Even on day 2 we’ve been approached to upgrade our dining experience.   All good tho, they are just doing their job.   
 

Just to reiterate, staff has been amazing both in and out of YC. 
 

For you bacon fans - there is bacon everywhere ( not like every other day on Carn****)

[christa920]

6 hours ago, alyssamma said:

I just got off the 10/2 sailing and didn't see anyone being hounded to buy dining packages or upgrade drink packages.

 

Not saying it wasn't happening, just no one in our group of 7 saw it...

We were on Sept 25 sailing...never saw that either.  Even with specialty dining and spa. They would stand with info signs but never hounded us.

[cdel71]

33 minutes ago, christa920 said:

We were on Sept 25 sailing...never saw that either.  Even with specialty dining and spa. They would stand with info signs but never hounded us.

MSC nor any cruise line can sustain 800-1000 guests a week.   They are losing $$$.  Even more than without any guests.  They have to make it up somehow with the guests that are onboard.  Your experience may vary or may have varied on earlier cruises.  The experience this week was to not only hold the signs but ASK if you want to purchase a drink and/or specialty dining.    YMMV

[phissy]

15 hours ago, miataman19 said:

OK, I'm jealous. We just got off the Oct 2nd sailing and our embarkation took 25 minutes..lol. We also upgraded to the Premium Plus package and we took advantage with better Champagne, Bookers Bourbon that the Top Sail bartender snagged from the Irish Pub and numerous wines the were not on any list. The Sommelier would suggest them every night. At lunch he would whisper in my ear that he had a Surprise for me at diner. He kept coming up with Italian wines I've never heard of and, WOW, every one was awesome. Tell him Patrick from Disney told you about the Italian Merlot and Pinto Grigio wines and the after diner dessert wines.   

We are sailing mid November on Meraviglia.

On the  November 13 sailing when Winter Drink pkg goes in effect. Unfortunately, no longer able to get Premium Plus then. 
We are hoping we can still get some of the wonderful wines you mentioned when we are in YC then.

 

[MonsterJoe]

4 hours ago, cdel71 said:

Day 2

 

Forgot to mention yesterday, while you CAN upgrade your WiFi package to stream and browse, you can FaceTime without any issues with just the browse included in YC package.   Just sit close to a white puck that you’ll find on ceilings or walls (WiFi extender) and you should be fine.   Granted if you want to actually stream Disney+ or Netflix you’ll need to upgrade.  VPN trick does work, I was able to stream YouTube but didn’t test for very long.    
 

Last night we went to the Rock Show (8 out of 10) and visited many bars.  The Sky Lounge was great with 4 guests total and my wife and I were 2 of them.   Ryan (bartender) talked with us for hours while keeping our drinks and snacks tended to.  Eery experience, it felt like a private party at the same time. Hard to explain.   
 

Dinner was amazing.  YC staff were talkative, yet quick, but at no time were we rushed.   Food was well prepared.  Seasoned and tasty.  Holy gelato (delish)!!!

The “upgrade hounds” as I call them were all on deck 6 (grand entrance area).  If you didn’t walk past that area you wouldn’t see them, however some did make their way to the bars close by too

Ocean Cay today - will post more later. 

 

Oh one last thing - My butler is Rakesh.   I also had Mark Anthony for a bit too as they help YC guests board and get acclimated.   They made my wife’s birthday special yesterday !!
 

 Ryan was great - the whole crew there were some of our favorites.  Sam is such a sweetheart!

[dexddd]

Have a great time. If you have Rakeesh you must also have the wonderful Privin.

 

The upgrade hounds are mostly deck 6 plus the picture hounds.  Feel bad for them trying to do their jobs but it can be annoying but at least it prepares you for Nassau.

[Fogfog]

3 hours ago, phissy said:

We are sailing mid November on Meraviglia.

On the  November 13 sailing when Winter Drink pkg goes in effect. Unfortunately, no longer able to get Premium Plus then. 
We are hoping we can still get some of the wonderful wines you mentioned when we are in YC then.

 

I was wondering about this as before the "apocalypse" the ability to upgrade in YC had stopped... they wanted the full charge for the premium package on top of the expense of sailing YC which is obviously absurd

Would not be surprised if they stopped it again and say YC must stay on YC bev package 

There had been posters bragging about what they consumed and others who bragged about clearing out the snacks and mini bottles from the fridge in the suite.

Honestly--if one has to clear out the minis in the suite-- there is a bigger issue 

We never drank from the mini bar as we preferred to go to the lounge or pool deck. Mostly we used the fridge for the juices and bottles water in the am. 

 

Looking fwd to being back on the ship. With the YC and our Diamond/Black status we really enjoy our time on board. 

 

Has Cirque come back? 

 

 

[cdel71]

4 hours ago, Fogfog said:

I was wondering about this as before the "apocalypse" the ability to upgrade in YC had stopped... they wanted the full charge for the premium package on top of the expense of sailing YC which is obviously absurd

Would not be surprised if they stopped it again and say YC must stay on YC bev package 

There had been posters bragging about what they consumed and others who bragged about clearing out the snacks and mini bottles from the fridge in the suite.

Honestly--if one has to clear out the minis in the suite-- there is a bigger issue 

We never drank from the mini bar as we preferred to go to the lounge or pool deck. Mostly we used the fridge for the juices and bottles water in the am. 

 

Looking fwd to being back on the ship. With the YC and our Diamond/Black status we really enjoy our time on board. 

 

Has Cirque come back? 

 

 

Cirque has not come back.  At least that I can see for shows

 

Yes I have Privine and Rakesh.  They are awesome

 

I’ve been able to get JW Blue at the YC bar so far a few times with the upgraded package.  No issues and generous pours.    Well worth the upgrade if you cruise before the Winter Package takes over

 

Another great day today and wonderful light show as I type this.    

[cdel71]

Day 3 Update

 

A little rocky today.  It’s a sway side to side in our cabin.  I think MonsterJoe mentioned this previously.   You can definitely feels the “motion” as we head to Costa Maya.   Hopefully the Dramamine will do its “work”

 

Ocean Cay was great yesterday.   As others have mentioned if your expecting a Coco Cay type island this is NOT the same.   We enjoyed Ocean House, the drinks, and the lunch was fab (you can get the lobster roll sans the roll if you are watching your figure!   Weather turned out great and it was time to grab some ocean time.  Water was warm and the waiters will bring you whatever you wanted.  Heading back, explored some shops (don’t forget your masks).  PITA but I understand - it’s the rules.  
 

Mini-bar was restocked twice yesterday.  I think we grabbed a Aqua Panna and there was a new bottle when we got back from Ocean Cay.  2nd refresh (after returning from dinner) we got more water, coke and more peanuts.  YMMV - depends on ship apparently.  
 

Sea day today will grab some pool time and more relaxing.

[Fogfog]

@cdel71

Hey there-- I forgot to ask about masks because we dont wear them generally - have no need

When/where how are they masking for YC, shows etc. I would have forgotten any need to pack them had you not said something

Is it for just going through terminal? Shows? 

Interesting they require it at the shops on OC which are outdoor market types of things (mostly)

 

Also- how was the YC checkin lounge in the port.

It was a wonderful experience for us (beyond a rude couple where a woman took our seats where we had our day bag and gone to get a bev---she ignored us when my husband said something to her more than once-- and yes she was an american and spoke english.) At that time there was far more food than one would eat yet I would guess it depends on where you traveled from etc. Back in Feb 2020 there were sandwiches, pasteries, fruit, beer, wine, prosecco, coffee, juices, water etc

[cdel71]

4 hours ago, Fogfog said:

@cdel71

Hey there-- I forgot to ask about masks because we dont wear them generally - have no need

When/where how are they masking for YC, shows etc. I would have forgotten any need to pack them had you not said something

Is it for just going through terminal? Shows? 

Interesting they require it at the shops on OC which are outdoor market types of things (mostly)

 

Also- how was the YC checkin lounge in the port.

It was a wonderful experience for us (beyond a rude couple where a woman took our seats where we had our day bag and gone to get a bev---she ignored us when my husband said something to her more than once-- and yes she was an american and spoke english.) At that time there was far more food than one would eat yet I would guess it depends on where you traveled from etc. Back in Feb 2020 there were sandwiches, pasteries, fruit, beer, wine, prosecco, coffee, juices, water etc

Masks were required at embarkation, thru the terminals, security and getting on the ship.   It is recommended indoors where social distancing is not possible.   Most everyone has them on.  People wear them to dinner and all take them off when they sit.   ALL staff is wearing them even outdoors and it’s hot as heck out, including Ocean Cay.   There are vaccinated only shows and separate section on the left for YC guests.  Because of the small number of folks in YC and social distancing was possible some did take them off.  Was not enforced during the show.  On Ocean Cay if you didn’t wear it in the shops they did ask you to put it on because of limited space with multiple folks entering.  And if you had to dig to find it in your beach bag they had disposables handy including the YC areas when say entering TSL or the dining venue.

 

[Fogfog]

49 minutes ago, cdel71 said:

Masks were required at embarkation, thru the terminals, security and getting on the ship.   It is recommended indoors where social distancing is not possible.   Most everyone has them on.  People wear them to dinner and all take them off when they sit.   ALL staff is wearing them even outdoors and it’s hot as heck out, including Ocean Cay.   There are vaccinated only shows and separate section on the left for YC guests.  Because of the small number of folks in YC and social distancing was possible some did take them off.  Was not enforced during the show.  On Ocean Cay if you didn’t wear it in the shops they did ask you to put it on because of limited space with multiple folks entering.  And if you had to dig to find it in your beach bag they had disposables handy including the YC areas when say entering TSL or the dining venue.

 

They required a mask to enter TSL- despite it being a place where we eat/drink?

🤣

[MonsterJoe]

It's common practice to wear your mask as you enter and while you  navigate through an establishment.