MSC First Timer on Seascape (Yacht Club) - A Review

[momofmab]

Hello fellow CC'ers!

 

I'm just back from Seascape (Miami/Cozumel/Grand Cayman/Jamaica/Ocean Cay).  I've learned so much from the reviews on here and want to pay it forward with one of my own - from a MSC first-timer perspective.  Plus, it seems that the other "Sea" ships get reviewed more often than Seascape.  No pics, sorry.  I'm a "live in the moment with my own two eyes" person.  There was a lot of "great" to this cruise and some "hit-or-miss/needs improvement", which I will highlight below.  Overall though, a nice, relaxing cruise.

 

My husband and I are in our mid 50's, recent empty nesters. We cruised heavily when our kids were young and were relegated to the typical crowded U.S. school break weeks.  With the kids launched, it's been nice to be able to be flexible about when we travel.  We've mostly traveled suite class (Royal, Owner's, Penthouse) on NCL & Royal (although we took a few years break from cruising to accommodate my younger daughter's travel sport schedule, so our suite experience is pre-Haven/Genie).  Our most recent cruise, prior to MSC, was in an IV balcony on X's Beyond (also our first time cruising them) and a generational family Christmas cruise in a junior suite on Royal's Brilliance.

 

A note about MSC's "Sea" ships - the "shore", "side" and "scape" names are so similar that after booking, I kept forgetting which one we were actually on.  Prior to our cruise, I'm pretty sure I joined the wrong roll calls and FB groups several times.  I had to keep reminding myself which "Sea" we were booked on.  Even while ON the Seascape (I think that's the one we were on...) and meeting cruisers from other ships in port, who would ask me what ship I was on, I still stumbled - "We're on the Sea....shore/side SCAPE, that's it, SeaSCAPE!"  The name struggle was real for me!

 

Having heard so much about the YC experience, we were excited to try it, particularly since it was not much more than the cost of our recent Beyond cruise in a balcony cabin and much less than the Retreat & Haven cruises that I was also looking at (we still want to try those and will continue to search, possibly in vain, for palatable pricing).  Also, Seascape is a new ship and we've decided to focus on newer ships only across all the lines we want to travel on).  We drove to Miami the day before (about a 9.5 hour drive for us, depending on 95 traffic) and parked in the port garage across from where the ship docked - super easy.  Since my husband drives a large truck, they let him park on a big spot on the ground floor (bonus!)

 

Embarkation was easy - there's a YC tent, my husband dropped me and the luggage off and porters were right there to tag the luggage and direct me where to go for YC.  You could also bypass the porters and drop your luggage off at the YC luggage tent, where staff will tag it for you.  I never mind having to tip the porters who whisk my luggage away for me the minute I step out of my car.  Once we entered the YC area, the waiting butlers welcomed us, quickly processed our paperwork, gave us our YC bands, and whisked a group of us onboard.  A word about getting onboard that first day as YC'ers:  the butlers do push through the llooonnngg line of non-YC embarking cruisers waiting to board to get you to the head of the line.  There was some grumbling from the non-YC cruisers along the way.  My advice is to keep your sunglasses on, your head down and don't make eye contact 🙃  Once onboard, we were taken up to the Yacht Club and escorted to our cabins.  Very easy!

 

Cabin:  we were in a grand deluxe balcony on deck 19.  Beautiful cabin, large walk-in closet, TONS of storage throughout (almost too much storage for two people - we barely used the two armoires as all of our stuff fit in the closet.  A "needs improvement" note on the cabin - I wish that they had more of the cabin lighting on individual switches.  Other than the bedside task lighting and the mirror lighting, it was an "all or nothing" with the lights.  It would have been nice to have an entrance light by the door that could be turned on separately and if the lights over the small couch could be operated separately.  In the mornings, I used the light from the bathroom to see in the cabin and not disturb my still-sleeping husband.  Also, only two US plugs that were grouped so close together, it was hard to plug more than one thing in (we did have a non-surge protector multi-use plug with us, which solved the problem). Balcony was large, with 2 chairs and a small table/footstool.  While it could accommodate a lounger, I can see why they may cringe when asked to move one from another location and maneuver it down through the Yacht Club common areas and down the halls into a cabin.

 

OK - in an effort not to make this a very long single post, I will go ahead and post and then continue down below in this thread.

 

[momofmab]

Review continued....

 

On to the "Great": 

 

The ship is shiny and new, very modern design with lots of black & white marble, crystals, polished chrome, glass & mirrors (the floors do get slippery when wet, so beware).  The Yacht Club area is stunning!  I loved the lounge and how it was open to the YC restaurant above.  Comfortable seating and tastefully decorated, neither the lounge nor the restaurant ever seemed crowded despite a pretty full YC sailing (or so we were told by our butler).  The nightly entertainment in the lounge was a perfect addition to drinks and dinner - not overwhelming so that we could still have a conversation.  We were even treated to one of the YC guests who took a turn on the piano a couple of times - great fun!

 

The YC pool area was wonderful!  Very large with many loungers.  A big enough pool and a couple of large hot tubs.  Not much shade, as others have attested but depending on the time of day, you can find smatterings of shade.  In the morning, the loungers on the risen area by the pool are shaded and some of the loungers on the side of ship where the sun has not yet hit, are shaded.  There are also the unreserved cabanas, which have a woven roof and fabric sides that you can put down to block some of the sun.  If there was a breeze, the sun was tolerable.  I appreciated not having to get up before dawn to reserve a lounger!  By maybe 11am on the first sea day it was pretty full, but it is a pretty big area with not only loungers and cabanas, but also tables & chairs and these double-bed-looking loungers that didn't look like they were adjustable, but rather more of a sleeping/sunbathing option.  The padded loungers were in good condition and very comfortable.  During the week I saw the staff changing out the lounge covers, so they must get washed or replaced.  It was clean up there and the staff never let dishes or glasses pile up anywhere.

 

Service at the pool was ok (better on sea days when they had extra staff on hand).  I will say that if you chose to go up to the bar and get a drink, they immediately asked where you were sitting, and would bring the drink to you.  Once they knew where you were, they were good at coming around to ask if you wanted anything else.

 

Another "great" was the YC pool buffet for breakfast & lunch.  My husband, bless his heart, LOVES a buffet - anything where he can have his food on a plate in 5 minutes or less, so he was in Heaven!  I am less of a buffet person (it's an ongoing struggle in our 33-year marriage, every time we choose a place to eat out, but I digress), BUT I was very impressed with the lunch offerings in particular.  Many fish, chicken and pork selections, a great variety of salads and side items, and they would also make burgers and hot dogs to order.  The only thing that could have improved it was a pizza oven!

 

(continued...)

[momofmab]

More "Greats"

 

This cannot be overstated enough - how wonderful all of the YC staff are!  Friendly, talkative and always asking if everything is good and offering to provide service.  The lounge and restaurant staff were amazing, the pool staff - everyone went above and beyond during our week.  Our butler was very nice and met with us on the first day to square all of the mini bar and room requests on the email questionnaire that everyone fills out and sends, but MSC never receives or circulates.  We are not high maintenance and didn't need to be escorted anywhere, so while appreciated having a butler there if we needed him, we didn't end up seeing him very often except in passing, when he would stop and ask us how we were doing and if we needed anything.  Our assistant butler kept our cabin clean and well stocked.  The YC staff clearly work very hard to enhance our experience but I never saw it reflected on their faces or in their attitudes (except for once, at the concierge desk, which I will mention later).

 

The other YC guests who we met were a very friendly and amiable group.  Obviously we didn't meet everyone but those that we did were super nice!  Several who were also on their first MSC/YC cruise and had the same overall impressions that we did.  I would say that YC had a fairly even mixture of Americans and guests from other countries.  It's pretty cool to be surrounded by so many languages other than English - it really gave more of a feeling of being in a foreign country rather than a US-based cruise ship.  Not many young kids, as this was a week that most would be in school.

 

Stay tuned for "Needs Improvement" stuff...

[Still Dreaming]

Thank you. Considering this ship, first time MSC also. 

[morpheusofthesea]

30 minutes ago, momofmab said:

 

Stay tuned for "Needs Improvement" stuff...

Can't wait for the other shoe to drop.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

A note about MSC's "Sea" ships - the "shore", "side" and "scape" names are so similar that after booking, I kept forgetting which one we were actually on

 

Don't forget SeaVIEW. 😛

 

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

A word about getting onboard that first day as YC'ers:  the butlers do push through the llooonnngg line of non-YC embarking cruisers waiting to board to get you to the head of the line.  There was some grumbling from the non-YC cruisers along the way.  My advice is to keep your sunglasses on, your head down and don't make eye contact 

 

Nah, there's no need to feel embarrassed. Enjoy one of the amenities of being in the Yacht Club. 

 

For as little as $5, you can get your escort to walk you through the terminal and chant....

 

 

 

[momofmab]

So the nitpicky "miss" or "needs improvement" stuff:

 

The YC seating in the theatre:  this is merely the last 2-3 rows in the back of the theatre (some seats are blocked by giant posts).  It is not marked for YC other than a velvet rope at one end or the row and the poor butler who draws the small straw and has the duty of checking for YC wrist bands and shoeing out the non-YC interlopers.  On the night that we utilized this seating, non-YC'ers were bypassing the rope and jumping over the backs of the seats to get in the rows.  The poor butler had to run from one row to another to get them out (this was also our first experience with seeing some interesting behavior outside of the YC).

 

On other mainstream lines, the reserved suite seating is in a much more desirable location and is clearly and properly designated as reserved suite seating.  When we gave this feedback to the concierge, he did not receive it well and quickly shut us down by telling us to "put it on the survey".  Not that he could have done anything about it in that moment, but he could have been more pleasant in his reply.  I will, as he suggested, "put it on my survey".  On subsequent trips to the theatre, we opted to find our own seats, closer to the stage.  The theatre seems a bit small for the size of the ship.  It's only one story as opposed to the multi-story theatres on other big ships.  On the subject of the entertainment, it was also hit or miss.  They seem to shy away from big production numbers and instead do shorter mixes of comedy, music and some theatrical stuff.  The descriptions in the daily planner were rather vague, so each night was somewhat of a surprise.  I would rate MSC at the end of the list behind X, NCL & RCL for quality entertainment.  That said, we don't book a ship based on entertainment so if we happen to be pleasantly surprised by great entertainment, then YAY!

 

YC restaurant food choices, specifically the "Classic Favorites":  Ok, food is subjective, this we know.  I also know that my husband is a "meat & potatoes" guy - not a fancy ingredient food lover.  I knew this going in but felt confident in the always available "classics" that I saw on the dinner menus (plus, he had his beloved YC buffet for breakfast & lunch, so we'd be ok, right?)  Well, the classics need some tweaking, IMO.  The grilled chicken breast was a naked breast, no seasoning or sauce, with a side of fries and the "filet" I would give a "C" to, in terms of quality - it was a very thin filet and was served with an odd mixture of grilled eggplant and peppers, and was always overcooked.

 

Some cc reviewers have said "No need to go to Butcher's Cut because filet is always available in the YC restaurant!"  to them I would say, "nay-nay".  The filets served in Butcher's Cut are incredible and not at all comparable to the filets in YC.  My husband had the YC filet several times and it was the same experience.  Thankfully, we did go to Butcher's cut.  I just think they need to do better on some of the classics and the side items they offer with it.  It would also be nice to see a classic Cesear salad be on the "always available" menu.

 

For my experience, I almost always went with the pasta selection on the YC menu (because they make their own pasta, duh!) and it was incredible every time.

[Mark_T]

35 minutes ago, momofmab said:

The filets served in Butcher's Cut are incredible and not at all comparable to the filets in YC.

This is another one of those variable factors from ship to ship it seems, and probably from cruise to cruise...

 

We were certainly in the 'No need for Butcher's Cut' camp in June on Divina, we'll get to see if that is still true when we return to Divina in Feb...

 

 

[momofmab]

Another slight disappointment was that the concierge had no pull in getting us a same-day seat at Hola.  This sounds snooty, I know, but in our experience in suites on other lines, specialty restaurants would hold a couple of tables for suite guests that the concierge could obtain.  Obviously they can't handle a party of 12, but two people for lunch?  We've had concierges in land hotels get difficult restaurant reservations, tickets, etc., so this made me wonder what the YC concierge can do.

 

Another minor, completely superficial "miss" were the shops on board.  I rarely buy anything (to clarify, on a cruise ship) but nothing even warranted a walk-about except that I did peruse the perfume and cosmetic shop but quickly left because I felt like the staff person was tracking me.  I don't know if they have a problem with shoplifting, but I felt like she was eyeballing me too much.

 

Finally, the YC beach at Ocean Cay.  How they looked at that beautiful island and stuck a pin in the area that they did and claim it for their suite passengers is a mystery.  To be clear, the island is gorgeous and the other beaches, most of which surround calm, easy-entry lagoons, are amazing as well.  The YC beach is on the ocean, which was very rough when we were there and the beach walking up to it is full of large pieces of coral, so it's a bit hard to navigate.  We watched a gentleman fall trying to get out of the surf and had to be helped by the lifeguard.  The lunch at the YC restaurant was very good (lobster roll - YUMMY!) but there's only one, single bathroom, resulting in long lines.  They do have a restroom trailer somewhat nearby but the lack of restrooms for suite guests in the suite beach/restaurant area is a head-scratcher.

 

Ocean Cay was beautiful and I loved how they had food trucks and bars positioned throughout.  One of the nicest cruise-owned islands that we've been to.

 

Disembarking from YC was super easy.  Off the ship in minutes.  Being escorted past the seemingly endless line of non-YC'ers waiting to get off, made the cost of the YC instantly worth it!

 

A couple of other things I just remembered:

 

-Can confirm that all-day nibbles are back in the YC lounge

-Nuts and Toblerone bar in the suite but no Pringles (I did see cans of Pringles for sale in the Duty Free shop on board)

-Don't miss the high tea in YC!  I missed it and will forever regret it!

-They have a very limited "sundries" on board (meds, deodorant, shaving, shampoo, that kind of stuff).  I had to ask where it was because I was curious to see what they had, and it's just a couple of small shelves in the back of the Duty Free, so don't forget anything.

-We didn't book any MSC-sponsored excursions so I can't speak on those.

 

All in all, a fun, relaxing cruise.  While I would consider MSC YC again, we will likely gravitate toward some other lines that we are curious to try.  Overall, I believe YC is a good value for the price point.

 

LMK if anyone has any questions (spoiler alert - I don't know who the YC sommelier is 😉)

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

The YC seating in the theatre:  this is merely the last 2-3 rows in the back of the theatre (some seats are blocked by giant posts).  It is not marked for YC other than a velvet rope at one end or the row and the poor butler who draws the small straw and has the duty of checking for YC wrist bands and shoeing out the non-YC interlopers.

 

A little known perk is that seats (such as front row) can be held for Yacht Club guests. The reserved section is more of a backup plan so that YC guests will have a seat in case the rest of the theater is filled. 

 

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

On other mainstream lines, the reserved suite seating is in a much more desirable location and is clearly and properly designated as reserved suite seating. 

 

On NCL, the Haven section is generally off to the side. It's not great but it is better than the Yacht Club reserved section. On some MSC ships, the reserved section is near the front and in the center. Just one of the MSC inconsistencies...

 

22 minutes ago, momofmab said:

Another slight disappointment was that the concierge had no pull in getting us a same-day seat at Hola.

 

I've noted this in my reviews, too. It helps to be persistent with requests and sometimes, the concierge will come through for you. It's hit or miss.

 

 

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, momofmab said:

 

 

Cabin:  we were in a grand deluxe balcony on deck 19.  A "needs improvement" note on the cabin - I wish that they had more of the cabin lighting on individual switches.  Other than the bedside task lighting and the mirror lighting, it was an "all or nothing" with the lights.  It would have been nice to have an entrance light by the door that could be turned on separately and if the lights over the small couch could be operated separately.  In the mornings, I used the light from the bathroom to see in the cabin and not disturb my still-sleeping husband.  Also, only two US plugs that were grouped so close together, it was hard to plug more than one thing in (we did have a non-surge protector multi-use plug with us, which solved the problem).

 

 

 

We just boarded the Seascape on our second YC cruise (first was Meraviglia in Jan 2020) yesterday and are on deck 16 and agree with your comments on lighting and electrical outlets.  I’m glad I brought a nightlight for the bedroom area and 2 tea candles to light the bathroom at night.

 

 

2 hours ago, momofmab said:

 

The ship is shiny and new, very modern design with lots of black & white marble, crystals, polished chrome, glass & mirrors (the floors do get slippery when wet, so beware).  The Yacht Club area is stunning!  I loved the lounge and how it was open to the YC restaurant above.  Comfortable seating and tastefully decorated, neither the lounge nor the restaurant ever seemed crowded despite a pretty full YC sailing (or so we were told by our butler).  The nightly entertainment in the lounge was a perfect addition to drinks and dinner - not overwhelming so that we could still have a conversation. 

 

The YC pool area was wonderful!  Very large with many loungers.  A big enough pool and a couple of large hot tubs.  Not much shade, as others have attested but depending on the time of day, you can find smatterings of shade.  In the morning, the loungers on the risen area by the pool are shaded and some of the loungers on the side of ship where the sun has not yet hit, are shaded.  There are also the unreserved cabanas, which have a woven roof and fabric sides that you can put down to block some of the sun.  If there was a breeze, the sun was tolerable.  I appreciated not having to get up before dawn to reserve a lounger!  

 

 

Today was a port day (Nassau which we have been to before).   We walked deck 8 outdoors and then enjoyed the breakfast buffet.  After a short walk ashore to see the finished port area we returned to the pool deck but got rained out just at lunch time.  There is no protection from the rain since the sun shades are not solid - there are gaps between the shades.

 

 

2 hours ago, momofmab said:

 

This cannot be overstated enough - how wonderful all of the YC staff are!  Friendly, talkative and always asking if everything is good and offering to provide service.  The lounge and restaurant staff were amazing, the pool staff - everyone went above and beyond during our week.  Our butler was very nice and met with us on the first day to square all of the mini bar and room requests on the email questionnaire that everyone fills out and sends, but MSC never receives or circulates. 

 

On our first YC cruise our butler was mostly missing in action.  Our current butler and his assistant are totally different.  They seem to be everywhere.  Our requested bottle of champagne was on ice in our cabin and 3 pillows each were on the bed.  

 

 

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

 

The YC seating in the theatre:  this is merely the last 2-3 rows in the back of the theatre (some seats are blocked by giant posts).  It is not marked for YC other than a velvet rope at one end or the row and the poor butler who draws the small straw and has the duty of checking for YC wrist bands and shoeing out the non-YC interlopers.  On the night that we utilized this seating, non-YC'ers were bypassing the rope and jumping over the backs of the seats to get in the rows.  The poor butler had to run from one row to another to get them out (this was also our first experience with seeing some interesting behavior outside of the YC).

 

YC restaurant food choices, specifically the "Classic Favorites": Well, the classics need some tweaking, IMO.  

 

Some cc reviewers have said "No need to go to Butcher's Cut because filet is always available in the YC restaurant!"  to them I would say, "nay-nay".  The filets served in Butcher's Cut are incredible and not at all comparable to the filets in YC.  My husband had the YC filet several times and it was the same experience.  Thankfully, we did go to Butcher's cut.  I just think they need to do better on some of the classics and the side items they offer with it.  It would also be nice to see a classic Cesear salad be on the “always available” menu.

 

 

 

I agree.  The theater seems awfully small but it is hard to believe that the YC section is actually better located than that on the Meraviglia.  On that ship the theater has 2 aisles IIRC so you didn’t even have seats near the center of the theater rather they were on the far side of the left aisle.

 

We have a reservation for lunch at BC on our last sea day.  While we aren’t big meat eaters we do like a good steak.  I had a Caesar salad from the “always available” menu with shrimp (other choices were chicken or tofu) at lunch today.  I will check tonight to see if it is on the dinner menu.

 

We have greatly enjoyed the food thus far.  Having lived in Italy for five years we love pastas and risottos. The entrees (fish, veal, vegetarian couscous) and the desserts have been wonderful.

 

 

35 minutes ago, momofmab said:

 

-Nuts and Toblerone bar in the suite but no Pringles

 

LMK if anyone has any questions (spoiler alert - I don't know who the YC sommelier is 😉)

We had Pringles in our suite upon arrival and when we returned from lunch today there was a lovely box of 4 macaroons on our desk.

 

We met the sommelier at lunch yesterday.  His name is Christopher and is from the United States.  Last night our dinner the waiter asked “red or white wine?”  I don’t particularly like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc that he offered and asked for a wine list.  He said “we don’t have everything on the list.”  I found a Caymus Conundrum and a Danzante Pinot Grigio and said either would do.  I was going to ask to talk with Christopher if they weren’t available but he returned with the Conundrum.

 

 

[momofmab]

31 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

 

We just boarded the Seascape on our second YC cruise (first was Meraviglia in Jan 2020) yesterday and are on deck 16 and agree with your comments on lighting and electrical outlets.  I’m glad I brought a nightlight for the bedroom area and 2 tea candles to light the bathroom at night.

 

 

 

 

Today was a port day (Nassau which we have been to before).   We walked deck 8 outdoors and then enjoyed the breakfast buffet.  After a short walk ashore to see the finished port area we returned to the pool deck but got rained out just at lunch time.  There is no protection from the rain since the sun shades are not solid - there are gaps between the shades.

 

 

 

On our first YC cruise our butler was mostly missing in action.  Our current butler and his assistant are totally different.  They seem to be everywhere.  Our requested bottle of champagne was on ice in our cabin and 3 pillows each were on the bed.  

 

 

 

I agree.  The theater seems awfully small but it is hard to believe that the YC section is actually better located than that on the Meraviglia.  On that ship the theater has 2 aisles IIRC so you didn’t even have seats near the center of the theater rather they were on the far side of the left aisle.

 

We have a reservation for lunch at BC on our last sea day.  While we aren’t big meat eaters we do like a good steak.  I had a Caesar salad from the “always available” menu with shrimp (other choices were chicken or tofu) at lunch today.  I will check tonight to see if it is on the dinner menu.

 

We have greatly enjoyed the food thus far.  Having lived in Italy for five years we love pastas and risottos. The entrees (fish, veal, vegetarian couscous) and the desserts have been wonderful.

 

 

We had Pringles in our suite upon arrival and when we returned from lunch today there was a lovely box of 4 macaroons on our desk.

 

We met the sommelier at lunch yesterday.  His name is Christopher and is from the United States.  Last night our dinner the waiter asked “red or white wine?”  I don’t particularly like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc that he offered and asked for a wine list.  He said “we don’t have everything on the list.”  I found a Caymus Conundrum and a Danzante Pinot Grigio and said either would do.  I was going to ask to talk with Christopher if they weren’t available but he returned with the Conundrum.

 

 

I drank the Danzante at dinner all week!  Loved the daily boxes of treats and the nightly chocolates!  Enjoy your cruise!

[lcpagejr]

We had Pringles in our cabin on our Seascape Thanksgiving Cruise as well as afternoon/nightly treats. I agree with your comments on the shops. I couldn't find a hat!! In speaking to a sales associate I was informed they had not received any recent shipments to restock!!  I surmised...the retail element is not important to MSC. Not much was offered even for the so called "sales" at the tables in the walkways outside the stores

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:23 PM, momofmab said:

On the night that we utilized this seating, non-YC'ers were bypassing the rope and jumping over the backs of the seats to get in the rows.  The poor butler had to run from one row to another to get them out (this was also our first experience with seeing some interesting behavior outside of the YC).

wow, poor butler. We were on Seascape 2 weeks ago and didn't witness this behavior. These would have been our preferred row if we had been in YC. We weren't, but we sat as close as possible to these premium rows. They were released to general public right at the start of the show.

 

On 12/10/2023 at 1:23 PM, momofmab said:

the reserved suite seating on other lines is in a much more desirable location and is clearly and properly designated as reserved suite seating. 

see, this would have been our most desirable location. 🙂

[jean87510]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:23 PM, momofmab said:

So the nitpicky "miss" or "needs improvement" stuff:

 

The YC seating in the theatre:  this is merely the last 2-3 rows in the back of the theatre (some seats are blocked by giant posts).  It is not marked for YC other than a velvet rope at one end or the row and the poor butler who draws the small straw and has the duty of checking for YC wrist bands and shoeing out the non-YC interlopers.  On the night that we utilized this seating, non-YC'ers were bypassing the rope and jumping over the backs of the seats to get in the rows.  The poor butler had to run from one row to another to get them out (this was also our first experience with seeing some interesting behavior outside of the YC).

 

On other mainstream lines, the reserved suite seating is in a much more desirable location and is clearly and properly designated as reserved suite seating.  When we gave this feedback to the concierge, he did not receive it well and quickly shut us down by telling us to "put it on the survey".  Not that he could have done anything about it in that moment, but he could have been more pleasant in his reply.  I will, as he suggested, "put it on my survey".  On subsequent trips to the theatre, we opted to find our own seats, closer to the stage.  The theatre seems a bit small for the size of the ship.  It's only one story as opposed to the multi-story theatres on other big ships.  On the subject of the entertainment, it was also hit or miss.  They seem to shy away from big production numbers and instead do shorter mixes of comedy, music and some theatrical stuff.  The descriptions in the daily planner were rather vague, so each night was somewhat of a surprise.  I would rate MSC at the end of the list behind X, NCL & RCL for quality entertainment.  That said, we don't book a ship based on entertainment so if we happen to be pleasantly surprised by great entertainment, then YAY!

 

YC restaurant food choices, specifically the "Classic Favorites":  Ok, food is subjective, this we know.  I also know that my husband is a "meat & potatoes" guy - not a fancy ingredient food lover.  I knew this going in but felt confident in the always available "classics" that I saw on the dinner menus (plus, he had his beloved YC buffet for breakfast & lunch, so we'd be ok, right?)  Well, the classics need some tweaking, IMO.  The grilled chicken breast was a naked breast, no seasoning or sauce, with a side of fries and the "filet" I would give a "C" to, in terms of quality - it was a very thin filet and was served with an odd mixture of grilled eggplant and peppers, and was always overcooked.

 

Some cc reviewers have said "No need to go to Butcher's Cut because filet is always available in the YC restaurant!"  to them I would say, "nay-nay".  The filets served in Butcher's Cut are incredible and not at all comparable to the filets in YC.  My husband had the YC filet several times and it was the same experience.  Thankfully, we did go to Butcher's cut.  I just think they need to do better on some of the classics and the side items they offer with it.  It would also be nice to see a classic Cesear salad be on the "always available" menu.

 

For my experience, I almost always went with the pasta selection on the YC menu (because they make their own pasta, duh!) and it was incredible every time.

This sounds like us!  I do not like food with ingredients I am not familiar with plus I don't eat seafood, shellfish, nuts, or mushrooms.  So I usually stick to plain dull fare which is starting to look like it could be interesting on my upcoming Divina YC cruise.  (We also don't book for entertainment so we like to be pleasantly surprised if its good).

[dexddd]

Definitely a decline in YC food.  We sailed Mera twice in Feb then eleven nights in October.  Go to filet awful.  Only three of seven good.  BC held normal high quality.