Seascape Yacht Club Review 1/6-1/13

[bundtkate]

I am predictably late putting this review together, but don't take that as a sign of disappointment. MSC Yacht Club is pretty fantastic. I have my gripes (don't we all) and I personally felt it fell pretty short of the Haven in the overall experience category, but with the Haven being 3 times the price I paid for this cruise, I'd hope they can bring it up a notch. For the cost, I don't think there's a better bargain at sea.

 

Background

 

I like to start off with a bit about me and my cruising preferences, just to put things in context. First off, my reviews are long. I like to think the content is mostly useful, but they're still long. Sorry. Feel free to skim, I won't be offended. My husband and I are both in our late 30s and generally not suite people. We were lucky enough to get a bargain Haven upgrade for our wedding cruise just about a year ago and we splurged on a Viking river cruise for our honeymoon, but other than that you'll usually find us in gen pop in an aft balcony if I get my way. We love good live music, usually skip theater shows, are probably too picky about food, and prefer to avoid crowds (but still inexplicably love mega ships). This was our 3rd cruise on MSC, but our first in Yacht Club.

 

A quick aside: you'll probably notice I don't mention our butler and that's mostly not his fault. We are the types that would forego a butler if given the choice as we don't really need much from them. Rakesh would appear periodically and give us useful info about what was coming up, but otherwise we didn't see much of him and that suited us just fine.

Embarkation

 

Overall, embarkation was great. I don't recall when we showed up, but from our Uber dropping us off to the Yacht Club embarkation lounge wasn't more than 10 minutes. We boarded from NCL's terminal despite the fact that NCL Joy was right next to Seascape seemingly at a different terminal. This was really nice since the terminal is pretty new and super spacious. One small gripe is that no one was serving drinks when we arrived in the waiting area. Butlers were wandering about picking up glasses so others had drinks, but all we could get were bottles of juice in a mini fridge that was self-serve. No snacks to be seen either. Ultimately, not a huge deal as we maybe sat for 5-10mins before boarding.

The boarding process is another small gripe. A butler escorted a fairly large group of us on board, but he didn't really tell the folks we were bypassing what was up which resulted in some dirty looks and accusations. He also lost several stragglers as passengers cut off the group (again, because they didn't realized why we were skipping the line). I'm getting ahead of myself, but we experienced a similar issue when getting off in port. One time the group was so big that other passengers started physically cutting us off and telling that the line was "back there". The butlers were no help and we had to awkwardly explain that skipping the line was a benefit we'd paid for. I'd like to see MSC handle this more like NCL where Haven guests are able to board early along with others with priority. I get some folks will want to board later and have to deal with cutting the line anyway, but having the option would be nice. For disembarking, the Haven butlers would take us to a separate gangway used for crew and those returning to the ship. Butler showed up, crew would block of those entering and move them to the side, we'd scan out and that's that. It just worked a ton better.

Food + Drink

 

I'll admit, I was a bit worried about food. As I said, we are a bit picky about food and MSC has wronged me in the past, but the food in the Yacht Club dining room was lovely. Seascape's pizza wasn't quite as good as Splendida's, but Splendida did have the advantage of being in Italy so I guess I can understand. The burgers and hot dogs at the grill were also quite nice. We aren't 3 meals a day kinda people as a rule so we like having a single course option for lunch. Offerings here were great. I particularly loved the fancy British mayo for dipping fries. Alas, I may have loved it too much as it was gone by day 3. Sadness.

 

That segues nicely into drink because while the drinks we fantastic (the Dulce Vita is what a BBC wants to be and I am going to miss them), they were out of quite a bit. My husband is a gin drinker and almost none of the gin drinks on the YC bar menu could be made with the right gin because most were out of stock. The whole ship also ran out of the Languanitas Daytripper beer before we even left Miami. I may well have got the last pour of it just before it shut down for muster. Bummer because I love a low alcohol beer as my go-to. I love a beer out on deck, but I am officially too old to drink my full strength IPAs all day and was looking forward to a low-ABV option. Alas, Heineken again for the rest of the cruise. None of this a big deal by any means and we always found something to drink, but a bit of a bummer to have to order 2 or 3 different things before we found something they had on hand.

Finally, a brief word on food service. The wait staff were fantastic, but my word were they understaffed at peak times. We generally eat on the later side (for Americans) at around 7:30, but this proved to be one of the most popular times in the YC restaurant, likely due to the number of Europeans on board. Service was so slow at those times that we ended up adjusting and coming for dinner right at opening (6pm). Service was quick, personal, and efficient at this time and we even got advice on wine pairings (not offered at 7:30). Plus, if we got hungry later, there was pizza so it's not like it was a huge sacrifice.

Entertainment

 

This was a bit of a mixed bag. The theater shows on Seascape were not my thing. The music was largely from eras I wasn't a fan of and the shows were odd in a way that didn't appeal to me the way the alleged dancing t-rex on Seashore(side? view? one of those ...) likely would have. The comedian made a lot of uncomfortable jokes about women wanting to be independent like this is somehow a negative thing and was a one and done for me. Le Caberet Rouge had a bright spot in Bella who was an immensely talented singer, but there was a bit too little Bella and too much magic and other stuff that I didn't need to see more than once.

The highlights, though, were the jazz quartet and Breno in the Yacht Club made up for it all. I was a jazz musician myself in another life so I love a jazz quartet and this one was fantastic. We spent many an evening hanging out in the Loft Cafe for the quartet's set and later retiring to the Top Sail Lounge to listen to Breno's super chill covers of songs across all eras. We called him Dave Matthews since he sounded just like Dave. Alas, he didn't know any Dave Matthews songs to my disappointment, but everything he did know was wonderful.

Ship

 

The ship was lovely, but I must say I prefer the Meraviglia class. Something about Seascape was just difficult to navigate and there were things I knew existed that took forever to find. I'll echo some other reviews which found the buffet layout awkward as well. We didn't go there much, but we'd usually grab a slice later in the evening and depending on timing that could be easy or a nightmare line wrapping around endlessly. They also shut down all the drink stations really early which I found odd. Like, if I didn't bring something with me, I was SOL. Couldn't even get a glass of tap water.I know we could just order pizza in, but I really just wanted a slice and my husband and I usually wanted different things so just going to get it made the most sense.

The Yacht Club area is one place where Yacht Club resoundingly kicks the Haven's butt. Admittedly, my basis for comparison is limited (NCL Joy vs this one YC cruise), but the outdoor pool, the much larger deck area, the poolside buffet and bar, the pergolas that were sometimes even unoccupied, and the sheer amount of space in the Top Sail Lounge were just huge improvements over the Haven which felt small and cramped by comparison. The one edge I'll give the Haven is on the restaurant. Outside dining was really nice and something I missed on MSC.
 

The thermal spa was also a pleasant surprise. We're not generally spa people, but it was free so we had to try it and we actually really liked it. We skipped out on Nassau (been there done that many times) and hanging out in the thermal spa on an empty ship was super relaxing. No reservations or time limits for Yacht Club on our sailing. Just show up, check in, and chill as long as you'd like.

 

That brings us to the elevators. I will do my best not to go on a tirade, but y'all, they are bad. I work in tech. In fact, I manage a quality assurance department. You can imagine how these things made me feel. I had really assumed passengers were holding them wrong when I read complaints and y'all, they are not. I don't know what the heck an unknown SOM is, but it was causing all kinds of problems any time I tried to use the YC override. Even without the override they sometimes had a mind of their own. Like the console would show the floor I picked but the announcement would talk about a different floor and I could potentially end up at either one. I'm still not sure how the YC override was meant to work (nor was anyone in YC so far as I could tell), but it was probably 50/50 at best. It seemed to only work when going to the YC floors (but not always) and seemingly never worked when coming back onboard from port (except once when it did and it was glorious). This also meant that the bulters couldn't override when escorting us off so we'd often end up in a pack to the gills elevator. Admittedly, the Haven had its own issues here (service elevators don't exude luxury), but given the choice I like the Haven's method better here. These elevators are absolutely brilliant in theory and as a tech lover I want them to work sooooo bad. But they don't and I kind of understand why they get smashed.

Ocean Cay

 

I'm giving this its own section because it was the one truly disappointing aspect of this cruise. I absolute love Ocean Cay and I was really looking forward to coming back. The Yacht Club experience was so poor here that I actually enjoyed it less than when we were in gen pop. First off, I owe everyone who said the beach was rocky an apology. It may just not translate well in photos, but it didn't look that bad. It was horrendous. Y'all, there was this special dance that everyone did walking into the water because you try to avoid the rocks but actually you just can't. It's hilarious until it's you and then it's still kind of funny later, but in the moment it's just awful. MSC gave YC the worst beach on the island and please please take the advice I didn't. Bring water shoes. Seriously. Everything you've heard is true and I have suffered appropriately for not believing it.

Beach aside, though, the fact that the whole YC area closes down early was the real kicker. I totally understand lunch at Ocean House shutting down, but the bar shuts down, drink service shuts down ... everything. The whole thing is closed. Sure, you can go to another bar for drinks, but there really isn't one close (you have to go over the bridge) and even then it's packed so good luck getting your drink. We tried just finding another beach to sit on, particularly given once was enough with the rocks, but by 3pm when things are closing down at YC beach everything else is booked up. No loungers to be found. We ended up just going back to the ship at 3:30ish even though we were at Ocean Cay until 8pm. I don't know if this was abnormal and just something our sailing did for reasons, but if this is the norm that's a big miss for MSC. I don't need the servers, but at least keep the bar open so we can enjoy our time on the YC beach with a book and a cocktail. Shutting things down leave YC with worse service than everyone else and that's a real bummer.

Conclusion

 

Despite my gripes, I'll repeat that we loved this cruise and Yacht Club was still a bargain. We were in a Yacht Club inside and booked over a year out so I paid about $2700 all in for the two of us to take this 7-night cruise and I would book it again in a heartbeat. I would struggle to find a balcony at that price on other lines and I promise you there were folks outside Yacht Club on that sailing who paid more than me. I am not going to get a YC quality product anywhere else for that price. That said, I still personally preferred the Haven experience so if I ever reach a point in my life where I want to spend Royal Suite money, I'm probably going Haven, but until then I think we'll probably have a few more YINs in our future.

Edited January 23 by bundtkate

[xcell]

Thanks for you review...

 

I was just on the Seascape and when I asked the butler about the override button on the elevators -- he said it wasn't working on this ship.  

 

I found the burgers to be not as great as the ones I had on the Seaside and Seashore.  These reminded me of the ones I had on my med cruise, which I factored as being not in america.  The ones on Seaside and Seashore looked plumper and homemade, Seascape's looked store bought.

 

The one thing I noticed about MSC (because I ventured out of the YC), not many food choices if you were not in the YC, as there is on RCCL (the most) and NCL (chicken pot pie and wings at Ncl O'sheehan's).

 

That's a great rate for your room -- were you on deck 18 or 19?   

 

 

[momofmab]

We were on Seascape YC in December for the first time and totally agree with your assessments, particularly the line-cutting expedition at embarkation. Budging you way through an angry line is not the proper way to begin a cruise for a suite-level experience.

 

The YC space was amazing but agree that the rest of the ship was a bit of a head-scratcher.  Every time we ventured outside YC, we ended up retreating quickly.

 

The YC beach on Ocean Cay remains one of the biggest MSC misfires.  O.C. is a beautiful island and overall my favorite ship-owned island.  I don't know how someone in authority looked at that stretch of rocky sand and rough surf and said, "This is where we will put the suite passengers!"  The surf was so rough, we saw an elderly gentleman fall and not be able to get himself back up, requiring intervention from the lifeguard.  Another YC couple whom we met had the best idea when they rented a cabana on the calm, beautiful beach across the way from the YC beach and just walked over for lunch.  Also, one single toilet bathroom at the YC restaurant?!

 

You're right though, the prices when compared to the private suite options on other lines make MSC hard not to give a try.  The pool deck was awesome (minus the odd "spa" music) and was where we spent most of our week.

Edited January 23 by momofmab

[morpheusofthesea]

6 hours ago, bundtkate said:

We boarded from NCL's terminal despite the fact that NCL Joy was right next to Seascape seemingly at a different terminal.

This, I believe, was the problem of your embarkation. In Terminal C, NCL is Terminal B, the gen pop is roped off and guarded by terminal MSC staff that know that Yacht Clubbers have priority boarding and keep the 'hordes' away that did not pay for the 'experience'. You report only a butler  group escort and no mention of these other MSC terminal helpers present keeping the other guests at bay.

[morpheusofthesea]

7 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Butler escorted a fairly large group of us on board, but he didn't really tell the folks we were bypassing what was up which resulted in some dirty looks and accusations.

Butlers, we have found, are not trained to confront steerage. We experienced this when we were being escorted to a show when a drunk came out from the Jungle Pool and slammed his fist on the elevator key pad trying to break it right in front of the three of us. We waited for the butler to do something. All he could do was roll his eyes at us.

[morpheusofthesea]

9 hours ago, bundtkate said:

the fact that the whole YC area closes down early was the real kicker. I totally understand lunch at Ocean House shutting down, but the bar shuts down, drink service shuts down ... everything. The whole thing is closed. Sure, you can go to another bar for drinks, but there really isn't one close (you have to go over the bridge) and even then it's packed so good luck getting your drink. We tried just finding another beach to sit on, particularly given once was enough with the rocks, but by 3pm when things are closing down at YC beach everything else is booked up. No loungers to be found. We ended up just going back to the ship at 3:30ish even though we were at Ocean Cay until 8pm. I don't know if this was abnormal and just something our sailing did for reasons, but if this is the norm that's a big miss for MSC. I don't need the servers, but at least keep the bar open so we can enjoy our time on the YC beach with a book and a cocktail. Shutting things down leave YC with worse service than everyone else and that's a real bummer.

This paragraph should be part of your survey response sent to your email after your cruise. It will have more impact than here.

[morpheusofthesea]

9 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I owe everyone who said the beach was rocky an apology. It may just not translate well in photos, but it didn't look that bad. It was horrendous.

Here is hoping that the changes to OC this April - May will address the constant dropping new beach sand and it washing away within days.

[xcell]

10 hours ago, momofmab said:

 Also, one single toilet bathroom at the YC restaurant?!

 

There are fancy outhouses just outside the beach house...

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Butlers, we have found, are not trained to confront steerage. We experienced this when we were being escorted to a show when a drunk came out from the Jungle Pool and slammed his fist on the elevator key pad trying to break it right in front of the three of us. We waited for the butler to do something. All he could do was roll his eyes at us.

What did you expect him to do???  But I agree, would be nice some signage or a butler in front of the pack and another behind to help us through the crowds.  I am planning to take my parents on their first YC in August, and they have some mobility issues, so I hope the butler doesn't dash and leave us in the wind...

[bundtkate]

1 hour ago, xcell said:

I am planning to take my parents on their first YC in August, and they have some mobility issues, so I hope the butler doesn't dash and leave us in the wind...

It sounds like my embarkation experience may have been atypical so if you're not in Terminal B this is hopefully a non-issue, but if you are I might advise asking for wheelchair assist for your folks upon embarkation. Even if they don't expressly need it, getting through the crowd was hard and everyone knows to move for wheelchairs. I had to turn sideways and squeeze between people and the wall a few times and I was in the middle of the pack. There were a few slower elderly folks behind us that did fall behind, too.

 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Here is hoping that the changes to OC this April - May will address the constant dropping new beach sand and it washing away within days.

Definitely! It's a lovely island and having a guaranteed lounger is the best, but goodness that beach ...
 

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This paragraph should be part of your survey response sent to your email after your cruise. It will have more impact than here.

I unfortunately did not get a survey yet and it's been long enough I'm wondering if I will. There's always a chance it got spammed, though that usually doesn't happen. I'll have to go email spelunking and see if I can find it.

 

11 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

In Terminal C, NCL is Terminal B, the gen pop is roped off and guarded by terminal MSC staff that know that Yacht Clubbers have priority boarding

This could be a thing for sure. The terminal was really nice overall and the pre-boarding lounge was totally separate from gen pop. You went through a set of doors to the YC check-in area, then there was a set of stairs (or an elevator) to go up to the literally elevated lounge area. But once we started getting escorted on board, it was just a  butler bringing us up the same gangway as everyone else. No port staff, no ropes, nada. Just shove by and hope for the best! 😅

 

12 hours ago, xcell said:

That's a great rate for your room -- were you on deck 18 or 19?

We were on 19 in 19016 and I actually would not recommend that cabin location. It was the only YIN that was left when we booked so I just accepted my fate, but I think it's under the YC grill kitchen. You could hear what I think were dishwashers pretty much always and bangs were frequent during prep and service. The former was no big for me as it just sounded like white noise, but the bangs woke me up a few times and woke my husband more than a few. I'd aim for 18 if you have the option (or at least the other YINs on 19).

As for the rate, yea, it was pretty awesome. We want to do a Northern Europe in the future and already most of those are around $4.2k for a 7-day in a YIN so I must have had particularly excellent timing. Or prices are just going up. Either way, I guess I'll have to try a little harder to book that one!

[xcell]

8 minutes ago, bundtkate said:

 

 

We were on 19 in 19016 and I actually would not recommend that cabin location. It was the only YIN that was left when we booked so I just accepted my fate, but I think it's under the YC grill kitchen. You could hear what I think were dishwashers pretty much always and bangs were frequent during prep and service. The former was no big for me as it just sounded like white noise, but the bangs woke me up a few times and woke my husband more than a few. I'd aim for 18 if you have the option (or at least the other YINs on 19).

 

On Dec 2024 we are in the 19022 and 19019 -- oh well -- I'll just drink more and drown out the noise for my wife with my snoring...

[bundtkate]

1 minute ago, xcell said:

On Dec 2024 we are in the 19022 and 19019

FWIW, I think those should be better than 19016. It's not super scientific, but if I put my finger on the screen where those cabins are, then change to deck 20, they look to be under the grill itself and the associated pool deck areas. You might hear chair scrapes, but you should be free of any kitchen noise.

[momofmab]

12 hours ago, xcell said:

There are fancy outhouses just outside the beach house...

 

yes, a lovely portable restroom trailer across the road - but still a miss not to have planned for more at the actual restaurant. 

 

10 hours ago, bundtkate said:

It sounds like my embarkation experience may have been atypical so if you're not in Terminal B this is hopefully a non-issue,

 

I can't remember which terminal we were at in December (I think C?) but our embarkation experience was similar.

[Erekosse]

12 hours ago, bundtkate said:

We were on 19 in 19016 and I actually would not recommend that cabin location. It was the only YIN that was left when we booked so I just accepted my fate, but I think it's under the YC grill kitchen. You could hear what I think were dishwashers pretty much always and bangs were frequent during prep and service. The former was no big for me as it just sounded like white noise, but the bangs woke me up a few times and woke my husband more than a few. I'd aim for 18 if you have the option (or at least the other YINs on 19).

Thanks for the expectation setting! We are in 19016 in March. First MSC cruise for us. Do you have any pictures of the cabin itself that you can share?

[wolft927]

We are in 19019 on the seascape in September. 1st YC so we chose an interior to see how we like it. Usually Haven on NCL but dear lord the price difference was to good to pass up. I am not to concerned with noise above as my wife and I are very heavy sleepers lol. 1st time in an inside cabin and looking forward to the pitch  black to sleep in lol

[bundtkate]

13 hours ago, Erekosse said:

Do you have any pictures of the cabin itself that you can share?

I don't, but it looks just like the other YINs. I had thought it might be a bit bigger because it looks it on the deck plans, but I don't think that's the case in reality. It looked just like the videos of other YINs I saw on YouTube. That said, it's still fresh in my memory so if you have questions about any specifics that don't show up in the YouTube tours, lemme know! I'll do my best to answer.

 

11 hours ago, wolft927 said:

Usually Haven on NCL but dear lord the price difference was to good to pass up.

Tell me about it! We got spoiled on our Haven sailing, but I definitely can't make a habit of paying that much for cruises or I'll have to downgrade myself from 2-3 per year to 1 every 2-3 years. 😅 As I mentioned in the review, I still preferred the Haven in general, but there are a few things I thought Yacht Club did better. And regardless, I'd put up with something a lot worse than what I got in YC when a Haven room for a similar sailing is at least 3 times the price. I think you'll enjoy it for what you paid for sure.

[wolft927]

10 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I don't, but it looks just like the other YINs. I had thought it might be a bit bigger because it looks it on the deck plans, but I don't think that's the case in reality. It looked just like the videos of other YINs I saw on YouTube. That said, it's still fresh in my memory so if you have questions about any specifics that don't show up in the YouTube tours, lemme know! I'll do my best to answer.

 

Tell me about it! We got spoiled on our Haven sailing, but I definitely can't make a habit of paying that much for cruises or I'll have to downgrade myself from 2-3 per year to 1 every 2-3 years. 😅 As I mentioned in the review, I still preferred the Haven in general, but there are a few things I thought Yacht Club did better. And regardless, I'd put up with something a lot worse than what I got in YC when a Haven room for a similar sailing is at least 3 times the price. I think you'll enjoy it for what you paid for sure.

I am sure we will. My wife and I said if the YC is remotely the same as the Haven we will become MSC cruisers permanently. The week we are sailing next in September cheapest Haven was $7200, we got the YC inside for $3200. no brainer

[rikitikitavii]

On 1/23/2024 at 9:14 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

Here is hoping that the changes to OC this April - May will address the constant dropping new beach sand and it washing away within days.

We live in South Florida, beach replenishment is a continuous (and expensive) ongoing project. Due to its location, wave action will eventually remove any sand unless some type of barrier is created.

[morpheusofthesea]

18 minutes ago, rikitikitavii said:

We live in South Florida, beach replenishment is a continuous (and expensive) ongoing project. Due to its location, wave action will eventually remove any sand unless some type of barrier is created.

Exactly. Hoping for that barrier.

[Fogfog]

@bundtkate

Great points

TY for the review. 

We've sailed YC on Merav6 times and booked Divinia and Seashore for the coming months. So reading about Seascape is helpful. 

OC beach -- so difficult the first sailings as we didnt  know to bring beach shoes.

In 2022 the ship was so empty and at the YC beach we put down a couple of floats to walk across. Funny - or not- so funny, I slipped with wet feet coming up out of the water onto that float. I was ok, just embarrassed and the lifeguard didn't seem to know what to do. I just wave, took and bow and said "stuck the landing " to the few YC ers looking on

 

Agree that the YC OC experience shouldn't be shut down so quickly. I've heard that the OC YC portion --that all food/bev and cutlery/dishes have to be brought onto OC, unpacked/served and then repacked/transported back to each ship that calls on OC as a port stop. If you are sitting on the beach, to not be able to enjoy a drink after 3 ish seems shortsighted. 

 

We have really enjoyed MSC  YC and all that it includes. We have wondered about the YC inside cabins - for a last minute deal sort of thing. Did you find storage manageable? 

 

We are sailing in Haven on a TA soon and from all that is NOT included in Haven (premium pls bev, thermal spa, premium wifi ...to name a few) we hope the overall experience turns out fine for the $$$

 

Thanks again for your review. 

[mnocket]

About the elevator override....  I'm willing to pay for extra perks that other customers don't have - where I value them.  That said, I'm not comfortable with perks like the elevator override that so clearly disadvantage others for my benefit. I've never used it.  On those occasions when being escorted by the butler, I felt the disapproving looks from the other passengers were justified. However that's just me.  You paid for the perk and if you want to take advantage of it, that's certainly your choice.   I'll pass.

[REOVA]

"MSC will add .... native and adaptive trees, grasses and shrubs as part of a landscaping plan to further diversify the landscaping and provide erosion control."

 

Doesn't say where but hopefully they will work on YC beach. We were there a year ago and I found rebar in the water, probably from what used to be there (industrial) before MSC but was told the Hurricanes bring things in (?). 

 

[Fogfog]

1 hour ago, REOVA said:

"MSC will add .... native and adaptive trees, grasses and shrubs as part of a landscaping plan to further diversify the landscaping and provide erosion control."

 

Doesn't say where but hopefully they will work on YC beach. We were there a year ago and I found rebar in the water, probably from what used to be there (industrial) before MSC but was told the Hurricanes bring things in (?). 

 

Not certain they can plant on the waters edge at the YC portion there. Its all ground and rocky coral etc. Sand etc.. plus it would impact view, water access for swimming etc. 

Every time we are there (6 so far) the plantings have grown and the continued work on the island has improved. If you recall a few years back the Bahamas got rolled by a big hurricane that churn for days--houses under  12 ft and more of water.. right after OC had opened.

 

 

[Fogfog]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

About the elevator override....  I'm willing to pay for extra perks that other customers don't have - where I value them.  That said, I'm not comfortable with perks like the elevator override that so clearly disadvantage others for my benefit. I've never used it.  On those occasions when being escorted by the butler, I felt the disapproving looks from the other passengers were justified. However that's just me.  You paid for the perk and if you want to take advantage of it, that's certainly your choice.   I'll pass.

We like it--especially after shows get out and the place is mobbed (Merav--and YC is straight upstairs from theater)  or when coming back from excursions. 

When moving about with butler we didn't have issues and never did we get eye rolls..at least to our face.

The nice thing about MSC is everyone can choose cabins/experience levels a la carte from bev, access etc. So people choose how to spend their $. 

I get it though-- and we don't use it often.

As someone has said--with get power comes great responsibility 😉

[deliver42]

I've been in the YC 3 times on 3 ships and never used it. I'm on vacation, and am never in that much of a hurry that a few minutes will be the end of the world.

[bundtkate]

10 hours ago, Fogfog said:

We have really enjoyed MSC  YC and all that it includes. We have wondered about the YC inside cabins - for a last minute deal sort of thing. Did you find storage manageable?

We were fine, but my husband and I do travel pretty light. I could see storage being a problem if you bring more and/or are going on a longer cruise. There's a really good room tour of a YIN on Seascape done by Cruise Show UK on YouTube which gives you a really good  idea of available storage. Not sure if YouTube links are kosher on CC, but I'll let someone yell at me later if not -- you can find it here. One thing I'll add that wasn't obvious to me in the video is that the bottom drawer in the closet is fake, or at least it was in our cabin so don't count on having that one.

 

10 hours ago, Fogfog said:

We are sailing in Haven on a TA soon and from all that is NOT included in Haven (premium pls bev, thermal spa, premium wifi ...to name a few) we hope the overall experience turns out fine for the $$$

If you took the Free At Sea package, you do get some of those benefits, but yea the lack of inclusions is a gripe I have about the Haven. At that price, it very much seems they could include more.

Personally, I don't mind missing the premium beverage package on NCL. It's both annoying and weird that it doesn't include bottled water, but otherwise NCL's drink selection is so much better than MSC's that it's easy to find something included in the lower package, imo.

The specialty dining included with FAS is also a nice plus you don't get in YC. I absolutely loved Le Bistro on NCL (I considered going back once just for a floating island dessert) and Food Republic is really unique as well. Plus, if you're like my husband and I and you don't need a huge meal, you can spend one FAS credit to feed two people just by ordering and sharing sushi. Each credit gets you 3 rolls which is more food than you'd think.

The WiFi, though? That's pretty unacceptable for a suite. FAS only included ... 120 minutes, I think? And this was on a 14-day so probably less for a standard 7. The WiFi by the minute is something we need to be done with in general, but with smart phones becoming so necessary while cruising, not just including unlimited WiFi in a suite feels really out of touch.

If I'm honest, though, I don't know if the Haven is worth full price. I maintain that I prefer it a bit over YC, but it's not 3 times as good by a long shot. It's a great product I'd highly recommend, but value is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure you'll love the Haven regardless, but I'd fully understand coming back to YC after just one try.