Yacht club vs. a non Celebrity Retreat cabin

[20165]

We have a particular date we are looking at a cruise that meets everyones work and school schedules and have narrowed it down to 2 lines.  MSC Seascape in the yacht club or celebrity Apex non retreat cabin.  Both itineraries and prices are similar as well as the cruise length.  We have been on MSC Seascape and although it was a nice ship, we did not have a good time. Overcrowded, bad experience with other rude passengers, service wasnt great.  

My question is would Yacht club remove those issues and do i roll the dice on MSC again?  When i read reviews from others that were on the same cruise we were on in the yacht club, it was night and day different than what we experienced.  

thoughts?

 

 

[Two Wheels Only]

Yacht Club...easy choice.

 

The experience will be very different as far as crowds and service.

[Georgia_Peaches]

YC is a No brainer and if you can do it for the same price as a non retreat on Celebrity, then go for it. There will be more on offer for school aged people on MSC that Celebrity, regardless of category. 

[PTC DAWG]

The only thing I missed on my YC cruises vs Celebrity was the Sunset Bar...

 

Non retreat vs YC..I would do YC most every time, assuming the prices are similar.  The rest of the ship on Celebrity is much nicer to me...but the YC is very nice and a nice enclave.  

[20165]

Thanks everyone.  YC is where im leaning as well, but my wife is still not on board with another MSC cruise.  I guess PTSD from the last one...

Thanks again

[morpheusofthesea]

We would choose Yacht Club over Celebrity Retreat even if both the same price. Only thing we miss not having on MSC ships is #1 Cafe al Bacio ( 12-14 fantastic complimentary desserts day and night) and #2 Celebrity Wifi is much better than MSC. Everything else is better in the Yacht Club.

P.S. Now ask this same question over on the CC Celebrity forum.

P.S.S. Compare this list to Celebrity. Make up your own list.

Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. But we can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling if using credit card

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water (not ship distilled with unsanitary reusable bottles)

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck (avoiding chair hogs)

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler not hard to find when needed

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at checkin

#15 Dedicated restaurant OPEN port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests with ample lounges

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

#20 No non-suite paying Pinnacle/Zenith/Diamond passengers taking up prime real estate in the Yacht Club

#21 Elevator over-ride key cards for suite guests

#22 Pristine out island with NO bugs crawling all over cabanas

#23 short distance between cabin and restaurant decks

#24 At least a 100 sq ft balcony accommodating a cushioned lounge chair

#25 A reserved table for 2 for all meals in a dedicated restaurant with the same waiters for 'most' every meal

Edited November 30, 2023 by morpheusofthesea
ps

[Cathy in Boston]

Am I right in thinking Divina does not have cabanas/pergola?

[morpheusofthesea]

28 minutes ago, Cathy in Boston said:

Am I right in thinking Divina does not have cabanas/pergola?

It did not in 2019.

[BeeeJay]

Only thing I would say is I would do Yacht club but also do the Specialty dining.  I thought it was worth the money to break up the Yacht Club restaurant meals, and I saw a lot of people from the Yacht club at those meals.

[DaKahuna]

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#1 E muster drill is better

 

  I disagree.  On Celebrity are not forced to go to your muster station at the same times as hundreds/thousands of others.  You watch the safety video, even before you embark and go to your muster station at your leisure, with the elevator''s working. 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks

 

 Celebrity allows you to bring your own cans of soda onboard so you do not have to pay for them on the ship. 

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck (avoiding chair hogs)

 

 On Celebrity ships that have them, there are cabanas you can reserve (S-class and E-class)

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

 

 We have had meals in under two hours on Celebrity in the MDR, Blu, and Luminae.

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

 

 The pictures I have seen of the YC1's on Divina show a low profile tub/shower combo

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#20 No non-suite paying Pinnacle/Zenith/Diamond passengers taking up prime real estate in the Yacht Club

 

 But you do frequently encounter numerous non-YC guest who are friends of the ship's officers and other "special" non-YC guest in the YC. 

 

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#23 short distance between cabin and restaurant decks

 

 Depending on your cabin, this could also be said of Celebrity.  

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#24 At least a 100 sq ft balcony accommodating a cushioned lounge chair

 

 My MSC Divina YC1 is showing 64sq feet of balcony. 

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

#25 A reserved table for 2 for all meals in a dedicated restaurant with the same waiters for 'most' every meal

 

 This also happens in the MDR on Celebrity.  Not all Celebrity ships have multiple MDR's.  

 

[morpheusofthesea]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

  I disagree.

Sure. Our list is a compilation of all the cruise ships that we have been on. For example Edge the restaurant was closer in the Retreat while Equinox Luminae is deck 3 and our suite deck 12 and NO elevator over rides to compensate for the wait. Found that tipping improves the service in Luminae but not in Haven restaurant. Had to upgrade to RS or OS to get walkin shower and larger veranda on some ships. Meant e muster is better than congregating en masse. MSC has been known to allow showing up the next day for e muster drill. MDR with any time dining can be harder to get same table unless flexible in dining times. Very good point on YCers with access versus Zeniths, but 44 with ACCESS is still better than one sailing on RCCL that had 700 Pinnacles on board one cruise. Also learned that even the Royal Red Sophia Loren Suite on Divina had a much less desirable veranda with bulkhead view and very little storage space for my 'Diva'. When we were on Celebrity, 6 times in 2021 and never were able to reserve cabana, which prompted our changeover to MSC.

[CruisingWalter]

On 11/28/2023 at 10:28 AM, 20165 said:

When i read reviews from others that were on the same cruise we were on in the yacht club, it was night and day different than what we experienced.  

thoughts?

 

Having sailed MSC once (will be twice in a few weeks) and Celebrity 4 times so far, I would honestly take the Apex.

 

Food experience throughout the ship will be better. MDR and Buffet are both superior on Celebrity. Service will be more responsive on Celebrity because they don't have to reach out to Italy for all customer service issues. While the staff on MSC are good and pleasant, the Celebrity staff has been outstanding and over the top with their service and friendliness on all our cruises.

 

We have not done YC and are not doing it on our upcoming Seashore cruise because we find the rest of the ship to be just fine. Especially the pools. Those huge, deep pools on MSC are lovely. We go into MSC knowing what we're getting. It's a good value for the dollar, but not the best service or food. The ships are lovely but the overall management of them leaves much to be desired.

 

However when putting any MSC ship against the Celebrity Apex (or really any Celebrity ship) you'll find that the overall experience, service and food will be better on Celebrity most times. And if Virgin Voyages has a similar itinerary at the same timeframe, and everyone in your party is 18+, I would add that cruise line to the mix. That's basically like having the Suite experience throughout the ship. We just came off a sold-out, 8-night sailing on Valiant Lady and it never once felt like the ship was sold out. Being nearly all-inclusive, it's one of the most relaxing and stress-free cruise lines out there. 

[morpheusofthesea]

10 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I disagree.

Please see "Important to Know" Safety Demo

[morpheusofthesea]

On 11/28/2023 at 10:28 AM, 20165 said:

When i read reviews from others that were on the same cruise we were on in the yacht club, it was night and day different than what we experienced.  

thoughts?

Correct. If we were to choose a cruise outside the Retreat versus outside the Yacht Club it would be Celebrity every time. Inside the Retreat versus inside the Yacht Club it would be Yacht Club every time.

[DaKahuna]

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Sure. Our list is a compilation of all the cruise ships that we have been on. For example Edge the restaurant was closer in the Retreat while Equinox Luminae is deck 3 and our suite deck 12 and NO elevator over rides to compensate for the wait. Found that tipping improves the service in Luminae but not in Haven restaurant. Had to upgrade to RS or OS to get walkin shower and larger veranda on some ships. Meant e muster is better than congregating en masse. MSC has been known to allow showing up the next day for e muster drill. MDR with any time dining can be harder to get same table unless flexible in dining times. Very good point on YCers with access versus Zeniths, but 44 with ACCESS is still better than one sailing on RCCL that had 700 Pinnacles on board one cruise. Also learned that even the Royal Red Sophia Loren Suite on Divina had a much less desirable veranda with bulkhead view and very little storage space for my 'Diva'. When we were on Celebrity, 6 times in 2021 and never were able to reserve cabana, which prompted our changeover to MSC.

 

 Understated your points and it all goes back to one certainty - from cruise line to cruise line, ship to ship, crew to crew, there is no consistency that is absolute. 

 

[momofmab]

Hello.  Onboard Seascape now in YC.  Did a concierge IV balcony on Beyond last January.  While I do love the YC, we haven’t been impressed with our experiences once we leave YC (mostly related to rude passengers).  We just had to leave the theatre because so many people were talking so loudly, as if they were out in a bar rather than a performance.  The “reserved YC seats” are the last few rows in the back of the theatre, so not great seats compared to reserved suite seats on other lines we’ve done.

Didn’t love the muster drill, having to walk down 10 decks and then wait forever for an elevator back up (even when we tried the override).  On Beyond, it was much less of a cluster.

YC staff has been great and the YC facilities are amazing, we’ve been happy with the room, food, love the pool area, etc. but both my husband and I miss the use of the whole ship and we just don’t care to venture outside YC.

 

Conversely, we loved Beyond, even though we weren’t suite level.  The passenger vibe was completely different .  So as of our day 2 on MSC, I would vote for non-suite on the Apex, unless you and your family are good with not leaving YC - just my opinion so far.

 

 

[Maria63]

8 hours ago, momofmab said:

 

 

Conversely, we loved Beyond, even though we weren’t suite level.  The passenger vibe was completely different .  So as of our day 2 on MSC, I would vote for non-suite on the Apex, unless you and your family are good with not leaving YC - just my opinion so far.

 

 

I would have to agree with momofmab. We also did IV Balcony (non-concierge) on Beyond, on a shoulder-season Med cruise, and found it to be a better experience overall than our YC cruises on Seaview and Bellissima. In our opinion, YC is something of a hit or miss. Seaview was generally enjoyable but Bellissima at that time had too many "misses" to be worth the price we had paid. MSC has a very different approach to doing things than Celebrity, and even if YC is a separate enclave on the ship, it is still part of the general culture onboard. We still like MSC a lot but do not expect an "upmarket" experience on their cruises.

[momofmab]

1 hour ago, Maria63 said:

I would have to agree with momofmab. We also did IV Balcony (non-concierge) on Beyond, on a shoulder-season Med cruise, and found it to be a better experience overall than our YC cruises on Seaview and Bellissima. In our opinion, YC is something of a hit or miss. Seaview was generally enjoyable but Bellissima at that time had too many "misses" to be worth the price we had paid. MSC has a very different approach to doing things than Celebrity, and even if YC is a separate enclave on the ship, it is still part of the general culture onboard. We still like MSC a lot but do not expect an "upmarket" experience on their cruises.

I would agree with the “hit or miss” assessment.  Again, the staff and facilities are lovely but so far it hasn’t been a “Generation X” experience for us.  And we are not high maintenance - no need to be escorted around, we eat what is served to us as long as it’s not raw, etc.  I would say that our experiences suite level on NCL (pre Haven) had more of an upmarket feel.  Maybe we need to be repeat cruisers?  No harm, no foul though - one of our goals as empty nesters is to try cruise lines we’ve never been on. First was Celebrity and now MSC.

Edited December 4, 2023 by momofmab