Meraviglia YC 12004 Duplex Suite… Initial Thoughts and Photos

[amygutman]

Was on another forum and a number of folks asked about the duplex suite experience on the Meraviglia. 
 

Embarkation  was a breeze. Terminal 10 Port Canaveral, went to the white tent, was escorted right in to a special security line, and we were in the lounge literally under eight minutes. It took another few minutes to register, and then escorted right on the ship. Outstanding. Yes, the weird caramelized onions and olives were there but today they were joined by prunes and aranacia risotto balls - admittedly, a very odd combination of foods. Drinks were strong and liberal, so we went with the flow.
 

Met a lovely couple who were on the four days before us, and warned us about a largish and loudish group of folks in the yacht club. Rather took away from their whole “zen” experience. 
 

To my wonderful surprise one of our maitre’ds  from the Seashore is here - ran up to us and gave us a big hug. I almost didn’t recognize her without the mask that she had to wear the last time and it was really lovely to see her again. 
 

Lunch was also lovely, but rather wish he had eaten on the pool deck which had a bigger selection of food for Kiddo. The service, however, was great. 
 

Now the room. It is definitely one of those you can’t get there from here situations. We are on Deck 12 at the very front of the ship. You can only use the yacht club forward elevator as the stairs will not take you all the way up or down. Makes it really inconvenient getting upstairs to the pool with a small child but hey…we’re on vacation.
 

The room is… interesting. Yes, the orange is as strikingly bold as you see online in the YouTube videos. Bit of an odd choice. Room is definitely not handicap accessible. At first glance, the balcony is really lovely and then you look closer and realize it’s not quite up to YC standard expectations. I put some pictures in really couldn’t see either rust or sediment in the empty pool as well as the front panel, which immediately fell off when I stepped on the step to get into the hot tub. 
 

We have been waiting over three hours for someone to come either clean it or fill it - crossing fingers. It will be ready after muster, because it would be great to watch the sunset and Sail away from the deck. I attached a lot of pictures and going to the plug my phone in before we lose Internet.
 

Oh… just a poke at one of the other posters, we may not have water in our hot tub, but all of our towels absolutely have the yacht club emblem on them. ♥️ 

 

Warmest, Amy 

[Two Wheels Only]

49 minutes ago, amygutman said:

Now the room. It is definitely one of those you can’t get there from here situations. We are on Deck 12 at the very front of the ship. You can only use the yacht club forward elevator as the stairs will not take you all the way up or down.

 

You'll have to excuse that since when the ship first launched, those staterooms were not Yacht Club staterooms. They were Aurea. 

 

50 minutes ago, amygutman said:

At first glance, the balcony is really lovely and then you look closer and realize it’s not quite up to YC standard expectations. I put some pictures in really couldn’t see either rust or sediment in the empty pool as well as the front panel, which immediately fell off when I stepped on the step to get into the hot tub.

 

For that, there is no excuse. I almost booked one of those Duplex Suites and probably would have also been on deck 12 (12008). I didn't have any issues with the RS hot tub on deck 15. It was also a bit more covered than the Duplex hot tubs so maybe that helps.  

[NorthernCouple]

Thank-you for your post. We are excited to hear about your experiences. Are you on for 7 days?

 

How's the butler? Did they show up? Did they offer to unpack? Did you get any drink preferences for your room (bottle of alcohol, change drinks in fridge)?

[Georgia_Peaches]

I would be leery of booking this category for one reason…my fear of it being too hot. How’s the a/c?  I stayed in an inside YC room on Meraviglia bc I was worried about lack of a/c after suffering in sweltering heat in a YC deluxe balcony on Seashore. The YIN was blissfully cool. I guess it’s not so hard to cool 170 sq Ft. I don’t think I can ever again trust any category above  a YIN on any MSC ship.  

Edited March 17, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[CTGirl74]

Thanks for posting! We're booked in this cabin type in October for NE & Canada--cabin 12003. Hopefully we don't have the hot tub issues! I'm happy to see they provide tissues. I've seen so many posts about MSC not providing them. It's the little things that make me happy. LOL

[amygutman]

Update and Happy St Patrick's Day!

 

Hot Tub Update: Many apologies from the concierge desk later, the truly lovely Butler Heather presented herself. She had apparently been run ragged today. We understand from the maitre'd that there are over 5000 persons on deck and the YC is 100% capacity due to ALL rooms filled with maximum passengers. Hot tub scrubbed filled and was HOT (40 degrees). The answer about the ugly spots? Rust - not dirt. As for the outside planks hanging off the hot tub - you can see where it has been screwed and glued many times unsuccessfully. Same thing on NCL Pearl, so I suspect it's a hot tub issue, not an MSC issue. 

 

Fridge Requests: We had asked for diet coke and fanta (son's latest obsession). Both were stocked as well as Toblerone. Heather clarified which vodka we preferred and it was brought promptly. We ordered room service pizza for kiddo for movie night (highly recommend Ghostbusters Afterlife, btw) which as as awesome as described on these boards. Quirky - if you order "cheese pizza" you get...cheese pizza without sauce. Kiddo and hubby destroyed it. Heather delivered it with a smile. She also immediately dealt with a situation next door with our neighbors smoking on their balcony as when the outer doors were open our cabin immediately filled with cigarette smoke. 

 

Cabin Temperature: cabin is definitely cool / air conditioned. Now, if you choose to leave the two glass door to the balcony opened (which we did to enjoy the sea air), it gets humid very quickly. But my husband was very happy with the cold temps otherwise. There are separate controls for upper and lower floors, but I suspect there is little difference. 

 

Crowd: HOLY CRAP. This 4 day, 3 night cruise is definitely a crazy booze cruise. There is a sea of humanity everywhere. I truly think that being anywhere but the YC would put a huge damper on any hope of relaxation. Lines, pushy drunks (yes...even by the assembly drill) and loud aggressive shoving. There where folks in wheelchairs and scooters who literally could not get in elevators due to hordes of 20 and 30-somethings. I felt bad for the assembly station staff personnel who were really given a lot of verbal abuse. I'll take quirks and minor inconveniences but not letting the differently-abled access into elevators is not acceptable. 

 

View: Literally staring at the lighthouse - Could not be prettier. Will try and figure out how to get photos from my non-internet plan phone to my computer. Yes...another quirk is that you cannot move your internet back and forth from different devices as you can on RCCL and NCL. Hey - it keeps my 13 yo off the net for 3 nights. Score!!!

 

 

Warmest, Amy

[defbref]

1 hour ago, amygutman said:

 

 

View: Literally staring at the lighthouse - Could not be prettier. Will try and figure out how to get photos from my non-internet plan phone to my computer. Yes...another quirk is that you cannot move your internet back and forth from different devices as you can on RCCL and NCL. Hey - it keeps my 13 yo off the net for 3 nights. Score!!!

 

 

 

You realise with yacht club each guest gets two devices for internet access ? So if there's three of you that's 6 devices you could connect at once.

[NorthernCouple]

Thank-you for your continued reporting. I'm particularly happy to hear some positive news.

 

Glad to hear that you 'butler' seems to working out and that your hot tub seems to be up and running. As for the hot tub's state - based on your 'booze cruise' report - you have to feel sorry for what that poor hot tub has likely seen and been through. On second thought, best not to think about it.

 

Good to hear that the fridge is getting stocked. Curious if they will change the beer for me. I doubt that they will fulfill my liquor request for Aviation Gin. We are looking forward to beer, pizza, and hot tub night. Sounds like the pizza is meeting expectations.

 

I am happy to hear that the A/C works well. My DW would definitely complain about that.

 

Hopefully, you are just experiencing the spring breakers. I'm sorry for the crew. Agree that it isn't appropriate for people to be mistreating them or disabled passengers. You might be able to help the wheelchair/scooter passengers with your YC elevator access. If you call the elevator with your card, supposedly, it will bypass other call requests.

 

[amygutman]

1 hour ago, defbref said:

 

You realise with yacht club each guest gets two devices for internet access ? So if there's three of you that's 6 devices you could connect at once.

Really?

We asked the concierge and he said because we upgraded (husband and I) to the "stream" plan, that that was the only plan we could use. 

Hmmm....back to the concierge we go. Thank you so much. 

[amygutman]

29 minutes ago, NorthernCouple said:

Thank-you for your continued reporting. I'm particularly happy to hear some positive news.

 

Glad to hear that you 'butler' seems to working out and that your hot tub seems to be up and running. As for the hot tub's state - based on your 'booze cruise' report - you have to feel sorry for what that poor hot tub has likely seen and been through. On second thought, best not to think about it.

 

Good to hear that the fridge is getting stocked. Curious if they will change the beer for me. I doubt that they will fulfill my liquor request for Aviation Gin. We are looking forward to beer, pizza, and hot tub night. Sounds like the pizza is meeting expectations.

 

I am happy to hear that the A/C works well. My DW would definitely complain about that.

 

Hopefully, you are just experiencing the spring breakers. I'm sorry for the crew. Agree that it isn't appropriate for people to be mistreating them or disabled passengers. You might be able to help the wheelchair/scooter passengers with your YC elevator access. If you call the elevator with your card, supposedly, it will bypass other call requests.

 

Aviation Gin (Ryan Reynolds' brand, right?) - I will check today to see if they stock. It was not on the "can we stock your fridge list" emailed the week prior to the cruise. Headed to Hola for lunch (which, btw, you MUST make reservations for both lunch and dinner) then the YC pool and will ask at both places to try and get you an answer. 

 

Re: priority elevators. That was actually our plan for the wheelchairs / scooters to at least get those kids in wheelchairs (and parents with trams) moving. Tried priority access on floor 6 (Broadway Theater "A" Assembly area), and waited 15 minutes but the 2 priority lifts - never stopped on our floor, bypassing us completely. Super frustrating. The crew-member stationed next to the elevator that the priority access is "hit or miss". It's been rather a "miss".

 

Despite the rowdy crowd, the crew on the entire ship is super professional - always smiling. Went for a sunrise walk today - stopped for coffee and heard the buffet staff say more than once "please use the tongs sir / ma'am". People were actually picking up pastries / bread from the baskets with their hands. Ick. The buffet staff then removed the entire basket of bread. Such a waste. The bars today on the island were surprisingly not packed on our morning walk today at 1000 but the partying had definitely started. 

 

YC lounge snacks today were excellent - tons of pastries and not an olive or onion in sight.  My middle-aged bod sadly misses the prunes though. 😁

[defbref]

The list for the 'free' bottle of spirts/wine/champagne is not the full list of stock available. Its a limited selection.

 

So just because they may stock Aviation Gin, doesn't mean you will get it as the 'free' bottle for YC.

 

Controlling costs I assume. I also like Gin and ask for Tanqueray 10, which they stock but only get Bombay Sapphire as the bottle in the room. 

[NorthernCouple]

6 minutes ago, amygutman said:

Aviation Gin (Ryan Reynolds' brand, right?) - I will check today to see if they stock. It was not on the "can we stock your fridge list" emailed the week prior to the cruise. Headed to Hola for lunch (which, btw, you MUST make reservations for both lunch and dinner) then the YC pool and will ask at both places to try and get you an answer. 

 

Re: priority elevators. That was actually our plan for the wheelchairs / scooters to at least get those kids in wheelchairs (and parents with trams) moving. Tried priority access on floor 6 (Broadway Theater "A" Assembly area), and waited 15 minutes but the 2 priority lifts - never stopped on our floor, bypassing us completely. Super frustrating. The crew-member stationed next to the elevator that the priority access is "hit or miss". It's been rather a "miss".

 

Despite the rowdy crowd, the crew on the entire ship is super professional - always smiling. Went for a sunrise walk today - stopped for coffee and heard the buffet staff say more than once "please use the tongs sir / ma'am". People were actually picking up pastries / bread from the baskets with their hands. Ick. The buffet staff then removed the entire basket of bread. Such a waste. The bars today on the island were surprisingly not packed on our morning walk today at 1000 but the partying had definitely started. 

 

YC lounge snacks today were excellent - tons of pastries and not an olive or onion in sight.  My middle-aged bod sadly misses the prunes though. 😁

Aviation Gin is partly owned by Ryan Reynolds. Although Reynolds does a lot of good work outside of acting and this might be a good reason to buy the product, I actually was drinking it before he started advertising for them. If you think that you don't like gin, I would encourage you to try this one. It is more neutral then most and juniper is a background flavor.

 

I expect you will get the hard 'no' for stocking Aviation in the room.

 

Sorry to hear about the buffet. I kind of expected this. Really tough for the staff to maintain standards. This is partly why we wanted the YC access.

 

On the sunrise walk, was the "power walking" track usable for jogging? Since the gym doesn't open until 7am, I am hoping to jog instead.

[phissy]

These were our choices for Gin , in YC.

With shortages reported, you may not get first choice.

 

[NorthernCouple]

8 minutes ago, phissy said:

These were our choices for Gin , in YC.

With shortages reported, you may not get first choice.

 

Yes, that is what I expect. To be fair, a lot of places like all-inclusive resorts would consider these to be top shelf brands.

 

Canada and England seem to be experiencing an explosion of boutique gin distillers which raises the 'bar' a bit. Aviation is an American brand (Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian), of course.

 

I expect that I will just have to order my Aviation martini, G&T, and gimlet (limes allowing) at the YC bar. Oh..the suffering. /s 😄

[PTC DAWG]

The YC bars have Hendricks, give that a try, almost too smooth..I also enjoy the Aviation…Botanist is worth a taste too.  

Edited March 17, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[defbref]

Yeah Hendricks with a slice of cucumber is sublime.

[NorthernCouple]

10 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

The YC bars have Hendricks, give that a try, almost too smooth..I also enjoy the Aviation…Botanist is worth a taste too.  

I have had Hendricks and still prefer Aviation but that is why we have choices. There is actually a Botanist from Canada (Quebec) and a Botanist from England that are not related. MSC stocks the English but prices it at 16$. These raises the question about the premium plus changes. The MSC webpage lists a 16$ drink limit but L1211 seemed to say that they weren't honoring it.

 

amygutman,

Since the gin connoisseurs have hijacked your posting and it is a 'booze cruise', can you try and order a Botanist drink (martini, G&T, gimlet, neat - your choice) without getting charged?

[phissy]

1 hour ago, NorthernCouple said:

Yes, that is what I expect. To be fair, a lot of places like all-inclusive resorts would consider these to be top shelf brands.

 

Canada and England seem to be experiencing an explosion of boutique gin distillers which raises the 'bar' a bit. Aviation is an American brand (Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian), of course.

 

I expect that I will just have to order my Aviation martini, G&T, and gimlet (limes allowing) at the YC bar. Oh..the suffering. /s 😄

We live in PNW and spend time in Victoria, BC.  home of the Empress Hotel.
Currently, Empress is my gin of choice, perhaps it is the color that has me intrigued.

 

[NorthernCouple]

2 minutes ago, phissy said:

We live in PNW and spend time in Victoria, BC.  home of the Empress Hotel.
Currently, Empress is my gin of choice, perhaps it is the color that has me intrigued.

 

Y

Yes, this is one that I keep meaning to try.

[phissy]

MSC Drink Packages Chart.

Third column over is Premium Extra ( YC) for Caribbean ( from left)

Far right column is European sailings

 

                       

 

                                                           
                                                               YC         

GIN
Aviation			⚫			⚫
Beefeater		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Bombay Saphire		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Bulldog						⚫
Gin (well)	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫
Gordon's Dry		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Gordon's Premium Pink					⚫	⚫
Hendrick's			⚫			⚫
Plymouth			⚫
Tanqueray N° Ten			⚫			⚫
The Botanist			⚫

Edited March 17, 2023 by phissy

[NorthernCouple]

18 minutes ago, phissy said:

MSC Drink Packages Chart.

Third column over is Premium Extra ( YC) for Caribbean ( from left)

Far right column is European sailings

 

                       

 

                                                           
                                                               YC         

GIN
Aviation			⚫			⚫
Beefeater		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Bombay Saphire		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Bulldog						⚫
Gin (well)	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫	⚫
Gordon's Dry		⚫	⚫		⚫	⚫
Gordon's Premium Pink					⚫	⚫
Hendrick's			⚫			⚫
Plymouth			⚫
Tanqueray N° Ten			⚫			⚫
The Botanist			⚫

Last week, L1211 took a picture of what staff were saying was included:

and what was NOT included:

You will notice Botanist is 5th from the left.

[phissy]

I guess next time I cruise MSC, I will bring printed copy of their 
Drink Package Chart.

They indicate that the inclusions for each package will make it easier to decide which package to purchase.🙄

[NorthernCouple]

46 minutes ago, phissy said:

I guess next time I cruise MSC, I will bring printed copy of their 
Drink Package Chart.

They indicate that the inclusions for each package will make it easier to decide which package to purchase.🙄

Yes, I was thinking of a laminated copy.

[def0715]

Is it typical to get an email about what you’d like in the minifridge, or about any other preferences, when sailing in YC? I was on the Meraviglia a few weeks ago and never received an email. Might have been nice. I just drank some of what was in the fridge. If I had received an email I might have spelled out some preferences in advance. Thanks.

[phissy]

25 minutes ago, def0715 said:

Is it typical to get an email about what you’d like in the minifridge, or about any other preferences, when sailing in YC? I was on the Meraviglia a few weeks ago and never received an email. Might have been nice. I just drank some of what was in the fridge. If I had received an email I might have spelled out some preferences in advance. Thanks.

We have received the pre- cruise email

Basically, not worth the time to fill it out.

When we arrived at embarkation, YC butlers said  they don’t get any of those forwarded.

They asked at YC lounge for choices mentioned in form.

Request for newspaper ( choices on form),

Which bottle of liquor for cabin.

First three I asked for were not available.

Possibly when we would like to eat dinner.

 

As far as mini fridge, just talk to Jr. Butler and tell them what you would like to continue receiving.

 

All in all, small gesture that does little to assure passengers they will have a good experience in YC.

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by phissy