Nov 20th Seashore Live(ish) review - Retreater goes Yacht Clubbing for 1st time

[go.without.you]

We spoke to several YC veterans on board and they all said it was the worst experience they'd ever had on MSC, it wasn't just us. And yes we did speak up and the issues were not corrected. 

 

Plus I never saw my final bill and they never sent me a survey, so that right there tells me that they knew the cruise sucked and didn't want to hear about it. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 11/24/2023 at 5:19 PM, go.without.you said:

I don't have any kids by choice but if I did I would clean up after them in public like I do my dog. 

Support you 100%.    Good parents teach their kids respect.   Like Dogs... Their aren't bad kid's their are bad parental training and respect of others.

 

We have 3 kids and I can tell you from the first time we took them to dinner they were taught to be respectful of others and if one of them became cranky I would take them out of the room immediately.    You don't need to be a parent to understand common courtesy and respect for others.    

[Jim_Iain]

Thank you for your well written review.   Whether a fluke or representative of the "normal" experience,  I'm convinced enough to know they are not on our short list nor long list of possible alternatives to Celebrity .

 

[DaKahuna]

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thank you for your well written review.   Whether a fluke or representative of the "normal" experience,  I'm convinced enough to know they are not on our short list nor long list of possible alternatives to Celebrity .

 

 

Sorry to hear that you do not have MSC on your list.  After GenX's review we signed up for a YC sailing on MSC Divina for this February and are looking forward to a new experience. 

 

[go.without.you]

I signed up for MSC after Genx and another review. They had great experiences. I did not. 

[momofmab]

9 hours ago, go.without.you said:

I signed up for MSC after Genx and another review.

 

Same.  Our week was relaxing and overall enjoyable but most definitely not a GenX level experience.

 

I'm glad I tried MSC's suite product and may be interested at some point in trying YC on one of their smaller ships, just to compare.  

[DaKahuna]

17 hours ago, go.without.you said:

I signed up for MSC after Genx and another review. They had great experiences. I did not. 

 

8 hours ago, momofmab said:

 

Same.  Our week was relaxing and overall enjoyable but most definitely not a GenX level experience.

 

I'm glad I tried MSC's suite product and may be interested at some point in trying YC on one of their smaller ships, just to compare.  

 

 We are going on a smaller ship, MSC Divina, so maybe that will make a difference.  

 

 I am going in with a positive expectation but will keep an open mind.  My DW and I are pretty laid back when it comes to activities on a cruise but will definitely not confine ourselves to the YC areas exclusively.  

 

[rjp50]

Color me confused.  If everyone on the cruise said that this particular cruise was an abnormally to what they normally experienced, I would be more willing to give the YC a second chance rather than cancel my future cruises.  I must say that what I read here does not at all resemble our previous three YC experiences.  Even the disembarkation experience was totally different.  In our case, our butler escorted us all the way to the taxi stand and made sure our luggage was properly loaded into the taxi and that the taxi driver knew where we were going.  Of course all of our previous experiences were in Europe or the Middle East, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

 

I’m not sure what is included in the Celibrity retreat experience from a lounge perspective, but if Michael’s club is the extent of it, I’ll take the YC all day long.  We are currently on a Celebrity ship and every time we walk past Michael’s Club, it is like a ghost town.  By contrast, spending time in the YC lounge, listening to the music there every night was one of the highlights of the YC experience - especially since our room was literally steps away.

Edited December 28, 2023 by rjp50

[awatt]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

 We are going on a smaller ship, MSC Divina, so maybe that will make a difference.  

 

 I am going in with a positive expectation but will keep an open mind.  My DW and I are pretty laid back when it comes to activities on a cruise but will definitely not confine ourselves to the YC areas exclusively.  

 

I was on Divina last year in YC and all was excellent, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. We never ask for much from the staff,but the few requests we had were handled well. YC director at that time went above and beyond without being asked.

 

In case anyone is wondering, i am not an advance tipper or known by staff as a regular. Have sailed YC on Meraviglia , Divina and Seaside and all were excellent experiences.  I do hope the issues currently on Seashore are resolved as I will be on her in March.

[go.without.you]

I also canceled the next 2 because I did not want to cruise on a ship that size again. It was too big for my liking and I thought it was laid out weird. The future cruises were on sister ships. Plus they both left from miami and it's a real hassle to get there the day before, a hotel stay plus meals etc adds an extra $500 to the trip. 

[Hlitner]

On 12/26/2023 at 3:20 PM, go.without.you said:

South Beach is overrated and overpriced. 

 

If I'm spending $6k for 6 nights I expect decent food, great service and better than grocery store wines. Period.

I get it but you need to deal with the reality in cruising.  At the price point of the YC, you are not going to get great wine (unless you pay extra for higher end bottles).  And the best food in the YC is far from outstanding.  So where can you find all you seek for $500 per person/day?  As a long time world traveler and cruiser I do not think it exists!  Anywhere!  Not at that price point.  And even if you are willing to pay $1000 per person/day it can be difficult to get what you seek.  When it comes to food on the cruise lines, we think the current best (overall) might be Explora 1 and others might say it is to be found on Oceania.  But the included wines, on both of those lines, is nothing worth a shout.  In fact, the best included wines we have had on any cruise happened recently on the Sky Princess where we had their "Premiere Package" which included wines by the glass up to $20.  They had a few decent offerings such as a Cab from Silverado.  For a few dollars more (you only had to pay the overage) one could get wines from vineyards such as Caymus!  

 

On our recent Explora 1 cruise (Explora Journeys cruise lines) we decided to have dinner in their small extra cost restaurant (Anthology).  The small place (there were only 8 diners when we went) had a Michelin 2* Guest Chef (we could see her cooking our dinner) from NYC.  The meal was Michelin quality, but the extra cost (over and above an expensive cruise) was about $400 (with wine pairings).  And the wine pairings left much to be desired!  

 

Lets be honest,  If you go to a high end restaurant and enjoy dinner with a good bottle of wine, the cost of that meal is likely to be well over $500 (per couple).  And that is just for dinner...not a cruise.

 

I would love to see the YC improve its food/wine, but it is not likely to happen at the current price point.  Would YC cruisers be willing to pay several hundred dollars per day more, for elevated food/wine?  My goodness, even a decent lobster roll (great for lunch) now costs about $30 in New England....where lobster prices are among the best anywhere!  A decent prime cut of steak can easily cost over $30 per pound!  DW and I like good scallops, and they now cost over $30 per pound.  And these are just the cost of the item and do not include sides (or the cost of cooking, staff, etc).

 

Hank

[umpisoccer]

We are sailing on Seashore June 23rd to 30th and the 30th to July 4th - in the Yacht club.   We were wondering if the cabanas on the Yacht club pool deck were 1st come or only for Grand suite guests?  We enjoy sitting in the shade and don't see any umbrellas on Seashore Yacht club pool videos.  Thank you.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, umpisoccer said:

We are sailing on Seashore June 23rd to 30th and the 30th to July 4th - in the Yacht club.   We were wondering if the cabanas on the Yacht club pool deck were 1st come or only for Grand suite guests?  We enjoy sitting in the shade and don't see any umbrellas on Seashore Yacht club pool videos.  Thank you.

There are 4 that are reserved (2x Royal Suite, 2x Owner's Suite) but the rest are first come, first served. In the summer, they are more popular so whomever gets one first might try to claim it for the entire cruise. Don't let that happen to you. If empty or not being used, you can use one.

 

Also, they are pergolas, not cabanas. There is no real shade unless a pool attendant makes a temporary roof with towels. You can make one yourself but the attendants probably do it better and faster.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[Imalismom]

On 11/26/2023 at 3:03 PM, JAGR said:

I mentioned this earlier. I'm wondering if this sailing was an outlier for MSC YC.  It was the first sailing after a TA cruise. and I've seen posts before from people who were not pleased with new cruises after TA crossings, Typically, the crew are smaller for service during the sailing, and if MSC had delays or problems in ramping up or onboarding staff, that could be the reason for many of the service issues that @go.without.you experienced.

yes, they had "many" staffed pulled off due to visa issues. They had others filling positions they had never filled before.  It has gotten so much better since all staff has returned.

[Imalismom]

On 12/30/2023 at 8:59 AM, umpisoccer said:

We are sailing on Seashore June 23rd to 30th and the 30th to July 4th - in the Yacht club.   We were wondering if the cabanas on the Yacht club pool deck were 1st come or only for Grand suite guests?  We enjoy sitting in the shade and don't see any umbrellas on Seashore Yacht club pool videos.  Thank you.

2 are reserved for the royal suites - the others your butler can book for you - book early - they are free and they fill up quickly - that being said IF it is hot on your cruise - DO NOT get one!!!!  They are like an oven with no heat escape.  We lasted 15 minutes and that was it they were so hot.