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I tried a ship-within-a-ship cruise experience and it was worth it for the endless perks—here’s why

The MSC Yacht Club affords travelers a totally different cruising experience, but you’ll have to splurge.

I heard tales of luxury from people about the ritzy MSC Yacht Club , the ship-within-a-ship concept where discerning passengers enjoy their own area of the cruise ship that includes a dedicated restaurant, private lounge, separate pool and sundeck as well as private butlers and concierges to take of any whim while cruising. The elevated Yacht Club boasts priority everything while sailing MSC.

I sailed on a four-night cruise on the new MSC Seashore, a glitzy ship with Italian flair intermingled with references to New York City at every turn. Although the ship was well-appointed and had amazing dining, drinking and entertainment venues, and a bountiful Top Sail main buffet, thousands of passengers made the ship feel crowded at times, elevators were slow, and as I strolled through the general pools, they were boisterous and crowded.

RECOMMENDED: 10 things about cruising on an adults-only ship that might surprise you

Switch gears to MSC Seashore’s Yacht Club, passkey-protected for lucky guests, and is a 180 from the ship’s general spaces. Once you scan your handy Yacht Club wrist badge, or your room key, you’re instantly given entrance to a breathtaking retreat of 131 staterooms and suites. All this luxury does come at a price. Cruise fares will vary based on destination, time of year, and cabin category, but generally speaking you can expect to pay double for the Yacht Club. And from my experience, it’s worth it. Read more about why you should splurge.

You’re fast-tracked through everything

The Yacht Club’s exclusivity and impeccable service standard started from the moment I got dropped off at the Port Canaveral cruise terminal. There were hundreds of people waiting to board at 1pm on embarkation day. I saw in the distance a canopy that said MSC Yacht Club. My husband and I wheeled our carry-on luggage to the representative under the canopy. I gave her my name and within two seconds, she gave me a sticker to wear and up we ascended on the escalator to check in. Just five minutes later, I was directed to the dedicated check-in area for Yacht Club guests. To my right, I saw about 1,000 people serpentine through ropes to do general check-in. I felt a sense of relief; who wants to wait in that line? Five minutes later, a butler from the Yacht Club insisted on wheeling my luggage to board the ship and I was in my room in a total on 12 minutes from the time I stepped foot out of the car to my stateroom in the Yacht Club.

Relaxing and streamlined

In addition, Yacht Club guests have the freedom to get off the ship first for excursions. Your butler will happily escort you off the ship with a smile. Guests also can disembark on the last morning first, which is a big convenience. Your butler walks you right to the place you disembark, bypassing crowds and hassles. Port Canaveral is about an hour away from Orlando International Airport, and we took a 10 am flight home. We didn’t have to linger around until the afternoon for our flight home.

Another perk is that there’s a special seating area in the theater for shows. All the shows were excellent during my voyage. All other ship passengers have to make reservations in advance for shows but that’s not the case for the privileged Yacht Club passengers. As long as you arrive about 10 minutes before any show you choose, a crew member from the Club will allow you entry into a special roped-off section. Again, no rushing through dinner—you have the flexibility to plan your evenings your way.

Your Yacht Club package is packed with remarkable value

The price tag may sound daunting, but there’s lots of value there. All Yacht Club cabins and suites include a premium drink package that covers beverages up to $15. You can use this perk both in the Yacht Club and throughout the ship. In addition, your package includes a two-device Wi-Fi package, which worked well during my sailing. Finally, you get access to the thermal spa suite, which is a place to indulge after a day in port or a sea day. Commonly, there’s a taboo regarding mini-bars, but not in the Yacht Club. It’s stocked each day with the beverages you want; just tell your butler and consider it done.

You get perks ashore too

If your sailing includes a call to Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island, Yacht Club guests get an elevated experience there too. Yacht Club guests enjoy a private area, and a dedicated restaurant called the Ocean House. While other ship guests were hosted to a buffet of predictable fare, I enjoyed a lobster roll, and my husband chose carne asada. In my opinion, one thing that could be improved was the tram service to the Yacht Club’s private area. We were told the last tram back was 3:30pm if we didn’t want to trek a 15-minute walk in the heat. Since we were docked in Ocean Cay for the evening and weren’t sailing, I was a bit dismayed by this logistical quirk. I felt like I was keeping an eye on my phone to make sure I didn’t miss the last tram.

You have private areas with curated food and drink and outdoor spaces

Within the Yacht Club complex, there’s the Yacht Club Restaurant, Top Sail Lounge and the One Pool Buffet, which are all exclusive to Yacht Club guests. Obviously, the food and service are steps above other dining venues of the ship, I can vouch for that. Although the food is delicious, if you don’t want to pay extra to dine at the specialty restaurants or fuss in the main buffet, eating three meals a day in the Yacht Club restaurant can get a bit monotonous. The breakfast is the same daily, and lunch and dinner offer a menu with daily specials plus a few standby selections like a hamburger or pasta each day. Although the Yacht Club Restaurant concept is desirable, I would strongly suggest dining in other venues on board, especially for dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed specialty dining in Ocean Cay Restaurant, Butcher’s Cut, and Kaito Teppanyaki. I also want to mention that late afternoon high tea is offered daily at the Yacht Club Restaurant. It was one of the nicest I have experienced at sea.

Also available exclusively to Yacht Club passengers is the Top Sail Lounge, which offers panoramic water views and has chef-curated selections from morning through late night. We enjoyed popping into the lounge at all hours to try finger foods and sweets. The One Pool Buffet offers a more casual option for breakfast and lunch by the pool. The buffet has grilled fish, sandwiches and lots of delicious options if you want to dine outside.

There’s also an exclusive area with a private pool and two whirlpools for Yacht Club guests only. The sun deck loungers are very comfortable and I never had to worry about finding a lounger, there are ample. One issue I had was that there was almost no shade on the sun deck; there were shaded day beds for Royal Suite and Owners Suite guests, but beyond those, I couldn’t find any shade, which was disappointing.

You can justify the price at the end of your cruise

Overall, the best way to explain my enthusiasm for my MSC Yacht Club experience is this: it’s better to book an interior stateroom in the Yacht Club than a luxe cabin outside the Yacht Club. It’s worth the splurge and you return home feeling truly pampered and it’s money well-spent. And I make this prediction: Once you try a ship-within-a-ship concept like the MSC Yacht Club, you won’t want cruise any other way. Bon Voyage!

• Erica Lamberg

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MSC YACHT CLUB

Step into the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive private sanctuary. Here, you can discover elegance with luxury suites offering a 24/7 butler service. Enjoy curated menus in a private restaurant, and unwind on the secluded pool deck. An elevated experience awaits you on a vacation that’s a step above.

Step into the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive private sanctuary available to you on MSC Cruises. Here, you can discover elegance with luxury suites offering a 24/7 butler service. Enjoy curated menus in a private restaurant, and unwind on the secluded pool deck. An elevated experience awaits you on a vacation that’s a step above.

WELCOME TO A WORLD OF LUXURY

Experience unparalleled service from the moment you check in. Gain access to priority embarkation and disembarkation, your own concierge team, a dedicated butler available 24/7, and premier room service delivered to you at any hour.

Enjoy access to areas that are exclusive for MSC Yacht Club guests during your cruise vacation. Delight in fine dining at our dedicated restaurant, unwind on a private sun deck, and admire captivating sunsets from the Top Sail Lounge.

When you choose MSC Yacht Club, you unlock unique exclusives, all-inclusive packages, and VIP access available only to you including entry to Ocean House Beach on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, our private island in the Bahamas.

Allow us to indulge you

Step into a world where your suite is just the beginning and where every detail is meticulously attended to.

AT YOUR SERVICE

Our butlers are prepared to meet your needs, whether that be bringing a late-night treat-or turning down your room. From the minute you step on board, your dedicated butler will be by your side for a memorable experience.

Ask your MSC Yacht Club concierge to secure the best reservations at all our incredible venues, including specialty restaurants, and consider it done. Revel in VIP seating for entertainment, partake in private shopping trips, and enjoy curated excursions.

Your journey with us is tailored to perfection, guaranteeing every moment is marked by exceptional comfort and convenience.

EXTRA TOUCHES

Allow our dedicated MSC Yacht Club team to bring your ultimate cruise vacation to life. We prioritize every detail, from the perfect pillow selection from our exclusive Dorelan® menu to a fully stocked personalized mini bar at your fingertips.

Any questions you may have can always be answered by our 24-hour concierge service, available to you from the moment you step on board.

EXCLUSIVITY AWAITS

Immerse yourself in elegant spaces and experience elevated design in a beautiful setting.

TOP SAIL LOUNGE  

The Top Sail Lounge is the ultimate place to rest and relax after shore excursions or days at sea. Throughout the day, take in crystal-clear panoramic views of the ocean while enjoying crafted drinks, gourmet finger foods, and desserts. At night, relish in exclusive access to live music and after-dinner drinks.   

When you visit the Top Sail Lounge, you'll have the time to unwind and watch the world sail by.

PRIVATE SOLARIUM

Recharge on a sundeck featuring dipping pools and whirlpool baths where you can cool off and lounge for total relaxation. Take in the sun and the ocean breeze with your preferred poolside beverage delivered right to your chair.

YACHT CLUB RESTAURANT 

With a dedicated restaurant on each ship, the MSC Yacht Club offers an elevated menu. Enjoy fine dining served with five-star service and a selection of beverages and wines from around the world.  

You can savor the finest flavors in a space meant for you—no reservations needed.

MSC YACHT CLUB’S OCEAN HOUSE

The MSC Yacht Club experience continues on land at the private Ocean House Beach on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. A serene space with ocean views, beachfront cabanas, and complimentary amenities.

COMFORT AWAITS

MSC Yacht Club offers guests luxurious onboard accommodations for the ultimate in comfort. Explore our wide range of staterooms to enhance your MSC Cruises luxury experience.

The Owner's Suites feature a spacious living area, a walk-in closet, a large balcony with a private whirlpool, and a panoramic glass wall. 

Every Royal Suite has a separate living area and all the comforts you would expect in first-class accommodations. 

These two-deck suites offer a separate living space with a double sofa bed, walk-in closet, and a balcony with a private whirlpool. 

These suites are ideal for families with children. They come with a separate sitting area and a bathroom with a bathtub.

These suites have also their own private balcony and all the comforts you expect in first-class accommodations. 

Guests on our newest ships can enjoy all the comforts of the MSC Yacht Club with an interior suite.

ALL-INCLUSIVE, ALL THE TIME

PREMIUM BEVERAGE PACKAGE

Our Premium Extra Package is included as an MSC Yacht Club benefit. Delight in a wide selection of beers, cocktails, wines, top-shelf liquor, and an array of non-alcoholic beverages.

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET

Stay connected with a premium internet package from anywhere on board, an exclusive benefit for guests. Unlimited Wi-Fi allows you to browse on up to two devices.

THERMAL SPA ACCESS

Experience ultimate pampering at the MSC Aurea Spa, where you can enjoy complimentary access to the serene Thermal Suite, enhanced further by an exclusive 10% discount on all treatments.

explore further

Discover the best of both worlds as a guest of MSC Yacht Club. Enjoy VIP access to amenities throughout

your journey, from dining to captivating entertainment, while experiencing the personalized touch that

extends from your suite to every corner of the ship.

SIGNATURE DINING

Savor the flavors of exquisite specialty restaurants such as Butcher's Cut, Kaito Sushi & Teppanyaki, HOLA Tacos, and Ocean Cay.

Elevate your dining experience with exclusive perks like priority reservation times, premium seating, and the luxury of a personal butler escort if you choose.

TOP-TIER ENTERTAINMENT

As an MSC Yacht Club guest, there’s always more to discover. Get priority access to our show-stopping Broadway and Vegas-style shows brought to you by Carousel Productions at Sea.

Plus, you can always explore the myriad of entertainment areas on board, from thrilling water parks to trying your luck at the state-of-the-art MSC Casino.

PREMIUM WELLNESS

Unleash your active side by checking out our sports facilities, including outdoor walking tracks, basketball courts, and a fully-equipped gym boasting Technogym® equipment.  

For those seeking an even more tailored experience, indulge in specialty classes and personal training sessions, reserved by your MSC Yacht Club concierge team.

discover more

Journey to the ultimate destinations on board the MSC Yacht Club, whether it’s crossing places off your bucket list or delighting in quick weekend getaways.

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FIVE REASONS WHY THE MSC YACHT CLUB IS THE ULTIMATE WAY TO CRUISE

The msc yacht club offers a variety of luxurious accommodations, such as suites with ocean views, private balconies with whirlpool baths, and lavish amenities. exclusive access to the top sail lounge, private sundeck with pool and bar, and panoramic views is included in the msc yacht club experience of cruising. additional privileges offered by the msc yacht club encompass a dedicated 24-hour butler service, priority check-in and check-out, vip services, exclusive shopping sessions, private excursions, and complimentary utilization of the thermal suite and msc aurea spa. furthermore, guests also have private-access opportunities to destinations such as msc ocean cay marine reserve and sir bani yas island..

Geneva, Switzerland – October 19 2023 – The MSC Yacht Club ‘ship within a ship’ concept offers an exclusive holiday sanctuary on board many of MSC Cruises’ ships, providing guests an unparalleled cruise experience with complete serenity, added exclusivity and privacy within a world of choice. This privatised, key-card access area of the ship is only accessible to MSC Yacht Club guests, offering stylish facilities, lavish accommodations with a host of dedicated amenities, such as a panoramic lounge, high-end restaurant, elegant pool and secluded sun deck. Guests staying in the MSC Yacht Club benefit from a range of privileges and personalised service, that is sure to make them feel pampered. These perks are available around-the-clock and are designed to cater to their specific needs and preferences, ensuring a seamless luxury experience at sea. The MSC Yacht Club also offers a myriad of dedicated leisure and entertainment possibilities, allowing guests to enjoy the exclusivity of a private club while also having access to the countless recreation and entertainment options available throughout the larger ship. Whether guests are looking for a relaxing escape or a lavish holiday, the MSC Yacht Club provides an exclusive haven for guests to savour the sophistication and elegance of a luxury cruise experience, ensuring the utmost privacy and comfort where every detail is designed to surpass guests’ expectations and create memories of a lifetime. MSC Yacht Club is available on more than half of MSC Cruises’ modern fleet, allowing travellers to experience the same level of exceptional, personalised services across many destinations. Highlights of the MSC Yacht Club benefits include:

1. 24-HOUR PERSONALISED SERVICE

MSC Yacht Club’s all-inclusive experience is fully personalised with a dedicated 24-hour butler service and concierge, making the cruising experience truly personal and tailored to each individual guest’s needs. The butler service will quickly get to know each guest’s personal preferences, providing the highest level of customised service to ensure all guests feel pampered and relaxed. From shoeshining to 3 a.m. room service, no request is too small. Meanwhile, the dedicated concierge is on hand to facilitate any request, from organising shore excursions and making reservations for the spa to arranging for the newspaper to be brought to the cabin each morning.

2. PRIVILEGED ACCESS

MSC Yacht Club is sure to exceed expectations with a host of privileges that create an effortless experience, from the moment guests step on board to the moment they depart. This luxurious cruise experience offers a dedicated priority check-in and check-out, ensuring a seamless embarkation and disembarkation, so guests can start enjoying their holidays as soon as possible. They will also receive the full VIP service with a variety of offerings including the possibility to organise a tailored shopping session in the onboard boutiques outside regular opening hours, embark on exceptional private excursions or take advantage of the complimentary use of the Thermal Suite and MSC Aurea Spa to decompress and rejuvenate while at sea. These private-access areas extend ashore in a number of destinations:

• MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, The Bahamas – MSC Cruises’ private island, founded on a strong commitment to the preservation of marine resources and the conservation of coral reefs and marine life. Northwest of Ocean Cay lies a private beach area exclusively reserved for guests of the MSC Yacht Club, with privileged access to enjoy sunbeds and cabanas with butler service as well as a dedicated restaurant to relax, sip a cocktail and enjoy a 3-course dedicated lunch surrounded by sea breezes.
• Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates – A beach lover’s paradise just off the southwest coast of Abu Dhabi, offering guests a stunning tropical oasis to unwind. The island features a MSC Yacht Club zone with premium sunbeds and dedicated transportations, barbecue lunch and bar service to ensure the utmost comfort and privacy for guests during a day ashore.

3. PRIVATE AND LUXURIOUS LEISURE AMENITIES

Designed to provide the utmost in service and comfort, MSC Yacht Club guests have exclusive access to a range of private and elegant spaces to enhance their cruise experience. From the dedicated Top Sail Lounge, offering panoramic views for guests to sit back and relax in a sophisticated setting while indulging in an array of gourmet finger foods, delicious drinks and high tea service, as well as enjoy live music every evening. The club’s private sundeck, complete with a private pool, whirlpool, sundeck and bar, will offer guests the chance to soak up the sun and enjoy complimentary refreshments in complete comfort while taking in the best views on board across the bow of the ship and out to sea.

4. LAVISH ACCOMMODATION

Experience the finest luxury accommodation with the MSC Yacht Club’s wide variety of suites to meet all guests’ preferences. The stylish and spacious accommodations set themselves apart and include options with stunning ocean views from the cabin’s private balcony, as well as suites like the Duplex Suites, Royal Suites and Owner’s Suites, offering a private whirlpool bath on the balcony. From sumptuous Myform Memory mattresses and crisp Egyptian cotton bedding to an indulgent Dorelan pillow menu, luxurious marble bathrooms and complimentary minibars, the MSC Yacht Club offering will surely provide unparalleled comfort for an unforgettable holiday.

5. CULINARY DELIGHTS FROM DAY TO NIGHT

With a dedicated restaurant, the MSC Yacht Club offers guests the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of an exquisite fine-dining experience with five-star service. Offering sophisticated cuisines with an à la carte menu, guests can savour an array of the finest dishes served exclusively for them from a dedicated kitchen staff, accompanied by a spectacular selection of drinks, including fine wines from around the world with a dedicated sommelier available to further enhance the food and wine pairing experience. The private restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner where guests can dine at any time that suits their needs. This is on top of MSC Yacht Club guests having a premium drinks package included as standard. From the finest whiskey or vodka brands to glasses of champagne – toast to total relaxation.

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Cruise Maven

Cruising the World One Port at a Time

Why You Should Try a Cruise in MSC Cruises Yacht Club

By: Sherry Laskin · Published on December 20, 2023

If you want to take your cruise vacation to the next level, add MSC Cruises Yacht Club to your list.

For a unique cruise experience that combines luxury, personalized service, and exclusive amenities, MSC Cruises Yacht Club is the answer. Cruise on a mega-ship with all the water parks, main theatre shows, and activities. Then retreat to your private hideaway, a Yacht Club Suite.

Here are five compelling reasons to give MSC Yacht Club a try:

1. MSC Cruises Yacht Club is The Ultimate Luxury Sanctuary

In This Post...

MSC Yacht Club is like a hidden gem on the ship. It’s your private oasis, ensuring a serene and exclusive getaway. You get access to stylish facilities, lavish accommodations, a panoramic lounge, high-end restaurant, elegant pool, and a secluded sun deck. Imagine the comfort, privacy, and the sense of being truly pampered.

2. Tailored Personal Service 24/7

What sets MSC Yacht Club apart is its impeccable service. With a dedicated 24-hour butler service and a concierge, your cruise experience becomes truly personalized. Your butler quickly learns your preferences, making your stay exceptional. They can arrange everything from shore excursions to spa reservations and ensure a newspaper is delivered to your cabin each morning.

3. Privileged Access from Start to Finish

From the moment you step on board to the time you disembark, you’re treated as a VIP. Enjoy priority check-in and check-out, making embarkation and disembarkation a breeze. Your cruise experience includes extraordinary benefits such as tailored shopping sessions, private excursions, and complimentary access to the Thermal Suite and MSC Aurea Spa for relaxation at sea.

4. Exclusive Destinations

Your luxury adventure isn’t limited to the ship. In the Bahamas at MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve , (their private island) there’s  a private beach and restaurant designed exclusively for MSC Yacht Club guests. Plus, premium sunbeds, and attentive butler service. Relax, sip a cocktail, and savor a 3-course lunch surrounded by sea breezes. 

5. Exceptional Accommodations and Private Dining

MSC Yacht Club offers a range of suites to cater to your preferences. From inside suites and ocean-view cabins with private balconies to Duplex Suites and Owner’s Suites with private hot tubs. The comfort is unparalleled with Myform Memory mattresses, smooth and cool Egyptian cotton bedding, and indulgent Dorelan pillow options. Plus, enjoy gleaming marble bathrooms and complimentary minibars restocked daily.

When it comes to dining, there’s a dedicated restaurant within MSC Yacht Club for an exquisite fine-dining experience. From breakfast to lunch and dinner, the à la carte menu features dishes prepared to order. Expertly paired with fine wines from around the world, this is a culinary journey you won’t want to miss. The premium drink package is included with your booking.

What Does MSC Yacht Club Offer That Other Cruise Ships Do Not

A cruise while staying in the MSC Yacht Club is not just a cruise; it’s an all-inclusive experience with numerous privileges. You’ll have priority check-in and check-out, 24-hour butler service, unlimited drinks, unlimited dining, and unlimited data for your devices.

Plus, enjoy access to the Thermal Suite at MSC Aurea Spa, and private excursions with priority departures and returns. Your stateroom will be stocked with a complimentary welcome bottle of wine, personalized unlimited minibar, and 24-hour room service .

To top it off, you’ll enjoy exclusive facilities on the ship. Stop by the Top Sail Lounge with its panoramic views, relax at the private pool deck with whirlpool baths and sunbathing areas are uncrowded and relaxing. 

You’ll also have your own section in the main theater with seats reserved just for Yacht Club guests.

If you want a cruise that combines the best in luxury, service, and exclusive experiences without the usual crowds, book an MSC Cruises Yacht Club suite. 

Visit MSC Cruises website to see more about the MSC Yacht Club .

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About Sherry Laskin

I'm the editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com, a solo traveler cruising the world on waves and wheels, collecting recipes along the way. I hope my articles and photos entertain, advise and inspire you to travel the world without flying. Take a breath...stop for a local meal and a glass of wine along the way.

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• Cruise Podcast

The MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club Experience Review

Doug Parker

• February 3, 2024

Contents Show

Doug talks with Mark and Rocky of TheCruiseLife this week about their nine-night cruise aboard MSC Meraviglia.

They dive into their bougie MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club experience, from exclusive embarkation to dedicated amenities like a butler, private lounge, dining room, and sun deck. They discuss the superior dining options, including specialty dishes and a unique cheese trolley, and the benefits of their status-matching loyalty program status.

One of MSC Cruises’ larger vessels , Mark and Rocky also touch on the onboard entertainment, the ship’s atmosphere, and ports of call, including a visit to MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay.

Find Rock and Mark’s coverage of MSC Meraviglia :

• ThisCruiseLife YouTube channel features their cruises across all lines.
• The MSC Meraviglia playlist has several videos from their sailing.
• Read the MSC Yacht Club experiences on ThisCruiseLife website .

MSC Meraviglia Review Transcript

Doug (00:01:01) – Mark and Rocky had just returned from a nine-night cruise aboard MSC Maravilla. It was out of New York City, in the Bahamas, Florida area, and staying in the yacht club. They join us on the line right now. Hey, guys, how are you?

Guest (00:01:16) – Good, Doug.

Doug (00:01:17) – I’m excited to talk about this because we haven’t had an MSC Yacht Club experience in a long time. We’ve had the ones that were like three-nighters and were fast, but I’m excited to hear what it’s like spending extended time beyond seven nights in that yacht club. So what we’ll do here before we get started, we’ll get some pre-cruise thoughts. You’re in the Phoenix area. What made you want to take this nine-niner out of New York City.

Guest (00:01:40) – Honestly, it was just the idea of getting to check out a new cruise line. We’ve been looking at MSC for a long time, and the idea that sailing out of New York in the heart of January, when it is very cold outside, uh, the pricing was very lucrative to get ourselves onto that ship, as well as to fly across the country to New York.

Guest (00:02:01) – So all the stars aligned and just made it worthwhile for us.

Doug (00:02:04) – Now, there were some, uh, a little bit of weather going through the country about the time when you all boarded. It might have missed you by a day or two. Did that impact your flights going into Manhattan?

Guest (00:02:14) – It did not impact the flights at all. It did impact sail away a bit. Um, as you can imagine, uh, the storms, uh, it was pretty rocky on the seas. Uh, it was really cool because it was the first time ever.

So we’ve been to Alaska several times, but it was the first time ever we’ve actually seen snow on a cruise ship. And so to see the crew, it was the first time many had seen snow on a cruise ship. And they were out running out, uh, TikTok ING and taking selfies. It was a really special experience, uh, being able to see that snowstorm.

Doug (00:02:48) – That is so cool.

Doug (00:02:49) – So did you any pre cruise time in the city before boarding in Brooklyn?

Guest (00:02:57) – You know, we always suggest that the best way to do it is to fly a day ahead of time. Uh, this time we flew in two days in advance to take some time and explore Brooklyn, because that’s where the cruise terminal is for MSC. And then we also took the subway into Manhattan and just kind of hung around Times Square, went to a couple of bars, a couple of restaurants, and, uh, just kind of got ourselves situated in New York before we set sail. We met up with we met up with one of, uh, the solo’s that I met on board, uh, Norwegian Cruise Line. So I did a Norwegian cruise line earlier in 2023. Uh, we met a bunch of solos in our solo cabins, and we actually met up with them to hang out, and they showed us New York, which was a ton of fun.

Guest (00:03:36) – You see.

Doug (00:03:36) – You never know what connections you’ll make on a ship, right? Right.

Guest (00:03:39) – Exactly.

Doug (00:03:40) – Yeah. It’s it’s so awesome. So you make your way to Brooklyn the following day and you go to embark MSC Maravilla. How was that embarkation process? And, did you get any kind of special treatment embarking since you were in the Yacht Club?

Guest (00:03:54) – Goodness gracious. It was an embark like none that I’ve ever experienced. We’ve all been through embark. We know the lines, we know the queues. We know all of the seating areas. Um, the moment that we got there, immediately there was signage for yacht club. And so the, the, the porter, the luggage porter whisked us over and tagged our bags with yacht club tags and pointed us to his colleague standing at the door with a yacht club sign. They literally escorted us through the terminal to our own dedicated security line for yacht club. Um, they didn’t have a they didn’t have us waiting in the general queue.

Guest (00:04:28) – And so we went through that security queue, uh, very quickly. And another, yet another Yacht Club representative whisked us to our private lounge, where they did one on one check ins with us, um, and then handed us glasses of champagne and canapés and sparkling water. Um, and it was a private area, very quiet, very secluded from the rest of the terminal. And we enjoyed mimosas and, uh, sparkling water, uh, that as we waited to board the ship.

Doug (00:04:57) – How long did it take you from curb to ship, then?

Guest (00:05:00) – It took us about an hour and a half. So unfortunately the the sailing before ours was the New Year’s cruise. And so they had a lot of passengers to disembark from that ship. So they were slightly delayed on clearing the ship down to zero counts for us to start the embark process. So yeah, about an hour and a half from when we arrived. Fortunately, the lounge was great. We had butlers in there waiting on us, so it was a really pleasant experience getting to stand around and wait until the ship was ready.

Guest (00:05:28) – Literally. Butlers, butlers, refilling our champagne glasses, walking around with bottles of champagne, saying, oh, would you like a refill on your champagne? Well, okay. Yes, we would love that.

Doug (00:05:38) – It’s like being stuck in an airport and being able to be in an airline lounge instead of in the regular common area, right? Just kind of, uh. Yeah, yeah, living it up in there. So you make your way on board the ship. You’re mentioning this was your first time on the ship. So what were your first impressions of MSC Meraviglia?

Guest (00:05:54) – So it’s kind of funny you ask that we didn’t actually get to see the whole ship for the first four hours that we were on board when they when the yacht club boards, we get priority boarding service. So they bring us into the main atrium, and that’s about the most of the ship we get to see. From there, we walk down a corridor of rooms to the very forward of the ship, where they have elevators that they can badge in, giving you priority access to the elevator.

Guest (00:06:21) – They loaded us into these elevators and took us up to the 16th deck where the topsail lounges, which is the exclusive lounge space for the top or the yacht club. Uh, and they put us in there with, again, more champagne and more canapés and live music that was being performed for us. So we spent most of the first four hours on board in that topsail lounge. Well, they took us from the Topsail Lounge. Then they opened up the Topsail Restaurant, the exclusive restaurant for yacht clubbers. And so we literally went from canapés and champagne up to the lunch in the Topsail restaurant.

Normally we run around taking pictures and exploring the ship. We literally were just kind of in the lap of luxury those first several hours onboard. Oh, we met our butler as well during that time. And so we didn’t actually leave the yacht club as Rocky mentioned, until about four hours after boarding.

Doug (00:07:12) – So a lot to unpack here. So I want to actually take a step back.

Doug (00:07:15) – And I want to ask, um, we were chatting before we started recording here, and you mentioned you had an upgrade offer. So how much of a premium, um, once you accept that upgrade, is it for the yacht club against just staying in a regular balcony cabin?

Guest (00:07:29) – So that’s exactly what we had booked. We booked a balcony cabin and received an offer to bid on an upgrade. Now, because we had already booked that balcony and paid for a balcony, the upgrade amount was not wildly expensive. I think it was. We we could have started the upgrade process offer at $300 per person. Wow. And Rocky was like, okay, should we just start there? And I was like, how often will we get to stay in the yacht club? We are maxing that bit out. And so I think we each maxed our bid out at about $600. So for another $1,200 or so plus tax and all of that stuff, um, we could move from the balcony we had into.

Guest (00:08:09) – We actually dug and bid for an interior yacht club cabin because we were like, okay, we’re just gonna make sure we get into this thing. Well, they were they must have been sold out because our dreams were answered. We got the upgrade and they put us into a deluxe suite.

Doug (00:08:24) – I love it. Let’s discuss that deluxe suite in the yacht club and give us all the details.

Guest (00:08:30) – As you walk in, the first thing that meets your eye is the size of this cabin. I would say that this cabin is the same depth as your standard balcony cabin that you find on any cruise ship. However, the width is probably equivalent to one and a half to anywhere up to two times the width of a standard balcony cabin. Huge space, um, between the foot of the bed and the credenza and wall units that they had where all of the minibar was located. There was probably a good 4 to 5ft of space between those two areas. Um, inside the bathroom, it was upgraded amenities.

Guest (00:09:05) – You had marble tile throughout, a very large, spacious walk in shower with a rainfall head, uh, or the rain shower head. Um, the balcony was the same width as the room, so it was a pretty sizable balcony. They only put two chairs and one side table out there, but you could have easily had another two. Uh, very large and spacious room.

Doug (00:09:29) – So the question is, how do you use the butler on your cruise? Well.

Guest (00:09:33) – You know, because we often have butlers on our cruises. Uh, I kid, um, it was the first experience. And so literally the butler introduced himself. We were in the room. He he knocked and came in and he said, what questions do you have for me? And we said, well, we don’t even know what questions to ask. And so he’s like, well, let’s start with your pillow selections. Are your pillows up to your liking? And Rocky joked, he’s like, well, we’ll sleep on him tonight and let you know.

Guest (00:09:59) – Um, but but the. Butler took care of our minibar, so he asked us specifically for our preferences in terms of sodas, juices and beers.

He asked for our liquor selection because the yacht club comes with a bottle, comes with bottle service, a single bottle. And so we, uh, we shared our, uh, bottle selection with him, and then he just let us know that he would be the person that would escort us to dinners if we wanted. He would escort us to the theater for shows.

He would arrange our bookings if we wanted to go to any specialty restaurant. And so it was, you know, Rocky and I asked as we were getting ready, we’re like, is this just going to be an upgraded room steward, like a room steward that wears a suit? Um, and no, it was it was significantly more than just a room steward. In fact, we had a junior butler as well and, and a third person who helped service the room.

Guest (00:10:50) – So there were three people servicing the room. But that Butler experience was really unique and new to us. Yes, I love it.

Doug (00:10:58) – So you were on there for nine nights. Was there enough space in your room to put everything?

Guest (00:11:01) – Yeah, there was um, I think one of the challenges that we discovered when we were unpacking our room was the closet space was a little bit smaller than what we’re used to on some of the other balcony rooms that we’ve had in the past. Um, the way it’s set up, you walk in and the, the closet space is your entrance to the bathroom.

And so it’s kind of a strange layout. We discovered that there were some challenges with that. However, there was a three-drawer storage space in the main room area that was part of the main. I don’t know what you call it. Credenza. Yeah. And so that actually made up for some of that lost space. And fortunately, these beds were designed to hold luggage under or suitcases under them.

Guest (00:11:41) – It was easy to unpack our room and get moved in for those nine days. Oh, and don’t forget both of the nightstands next to the bed. So there were additional storage tables next to the bed as well. And so there was plenty of storage. But to Rocky’s point that the closet seemed to be a little bit smaller than than other rooms.

Doug (00:11:59) – ThYacht Club is like Norwegian’s Haven, a ship within a ship concept. So outside of your room, what amenities did you have within your ship?

Guest (00:12:07) – I’m telling you, they design it so you don’t have to leave the yacht club. They tell you when you’re going through the booking process. They say it’s exclusive and it’s private. And that is very true. And so the entrance to the yacht club on each of the floors are glass doors. Truly. They look out into the elevator bank. I think MSC has designed it so that people can see in and you can see out, but you have to badge in and out to get in.

Guest (00:12:33) – And so the spaces are beautiful. They’ve got those crystal staircases. What are those crystals? The Swarovski, Swarovski, uh, staircases, the spiral staircases. So we would leave our room and take the staircase up to the next deck. Uh, the 16th deck, which is where the concierge was at the Topsail lounge. Topsail lounge was windows all at the front of the ship.

The view of of New York, we commented that was probably the best view of New York we’ve ever had in that topsail lounge. Oh yeah, the canopy. Like, there’s just so much to unpack in that, um, the full bar.

And then again, you take up another spiral staircase and you are there at the exclusive restaurant, and then one more spiral staircase up, and you are at deck 19, which is your dedicated, uh, lounging space, pool, and hot tub. There’s a daily buffet that they put up there for, for just yacht club guests, along with a bar.

Doug (00:13:23) – Let’s talk about some of the food on MSC Maravilla.

Doug (00:13:26) – Once you get out of your haven complex and go to the buffet with the common folk, how was the buffet and the food throughout the nine days?

Guest (00:13:34) – So we didn’t discover the buffet area until that first night. It was the second day that we discovered it. Yeah. Uh, now that I think back on the experience, um, we like to refer to those areas as Jen and Pop. And, uh, as we walked in to the buffet, we were we kind of felt like we were in someone else’s place. We didn’t feel like we knew that our way around, because we had spent so much time on the ship before we found the buffet. But once we did find it, I’ll tell you, Doug, we spent a good amount of time there, especially for late-night buffets. Uh, this was the first time that we’d really seen a cruise line dedicate a late-night buffet to its passengers consistently. Every night from midnight until 2 a.m..

Guest (00:14:14) – They served food. And we’re not just talking about just, you know, a quick little grab here and there. They have their pizzas available. They have little small sandwiches that you could grab. They had burgers and hot dogs. They sometimes had nachos. Sometimes, they would do a breakfast with some scrambled eggs and bacon every night. I think I got scrambled eggs and bacon every single night of the cruise.

They had the healthy corner like they had salads. And so it wasn’t even just that fried stuff that you sometimes find on the late night buffet. They had salads in a healthy corner. I mean, it was the largest. So we’ve seen late night buffets right on Carnival. We’ve seen it on, uh, we’ve seen it on the other lines. This was the I mean, it was the size of a regular buffet at from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.. It brought me back to old days of cruising.

Doug (00:14:57) – Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sounds like it. So for your main. You were mentioning.

Doug (00:15:01) – You had your dining room in the topsail area. So how was the dining in the yacht club, and was there much of a selection like, do they rotate the menus? How does that play out?

Guest (00:15:12) – Very much a dedicated menu for the, uh, those that were in the yacht club. Um, the options that they, they had on the menu, there was some mirroring that happened to the main dining rooms on the ship, but they were elevated to a different level with the offerings and the types of food. Uh, there was a selection of classics that were served every night.

For example, you could get your classic filet mignon, or a salmon would be available. And I think they also had a lobster on that classics menu. On the classics menu, you had lobster and filet mignon. I mean, this is this is next level here. Right. And then uh, for the regular offerings every day they had a rotation of several different items. Usually there was a daily result of that was available.

Guest (00:15:53) – There was also a different daily lamb that was on the menu. Uh, so definitely a higher caliber of food offerings on the menu. And the way that they were prepared and plated were very beautiful. Uh, you had, of course, your main waiter and then you had your, your waiters’ assistants and they would all work in harmony together to deliver your breads, appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Speaking of desserts, don’t forget that the maitre d would flambé the dessert. So we had cherries jubilee one night where he flambé and served that, um, they, they did the cheese trolley where they would literally, they literally had a cheese trolley where you could choose the cheeses and, and jams and jellies that you wanted as part of your dessert option. It was it was definitely. Where do you find a risotto on a cruise on the difficulty to actually prepare that correctly for the masses. Um, you can’t do that. But you can in a private small restaurant that’s dedicated to a subset of your passengers.

Doug (00:16:53) – And how were the lines up there?

Guest (00:16:57) – We don’t know what you mean by lines.

Doug (00:17:00) – Fair enough.

Guest (00:17:02) – Yeah, because there was such a small capacity within the yacht club itself on the ship. Right. And because you only have those people that have access to it, our dining times for dinner was available from 6 p.m. until 830.

That was when you could get seated, and it was open to your time. Whenever you wanted to go in, you would show up. There was one knife that I can think of, and I believe it was the second gala night. We had to wait maybe three minutes, maybe get seated. Yeah. Um, overall, the amount of seating that they have both in the lounge and the restaurant are ample for the number of people that are in there, and they know that they’re going to turn over tables throughout the evening from guests that are doing early versus later dining.

Doug (00:17:42) – Did you enjoy any specialty dining on board this one?

Guest (00:17:45) – So this sailing specifically, we chose to stick to the yacht club so that we could capture each of the menus and actually record some reviews each dinner. We actually are right now looking at booking, uh, another MSC cruise, we committed to ourselves that we would do a yacht club and we would do non-Yacht Club. And so that is where that’s sailing, where we plan to actually explore some of those additional, um, upstairs upcharge specialty restaurants. But for this sailing we literally stuck to the Yacht Club restaurant. That exclusive restaurant.

Doug (00:18:16) – I meant to ask you, before you sailed, did you do the status match with them?

Guest (00:18:20) – Yeah, both of us actually ended up doing status match. Um, with Mark having diamond status with Carnival and I have platinum status, we were both able to match into their gold status or gold level with the Voyagers club.

Doug (00:18:33) – So you stepped right into gold. So do you know, like what that gets you compared to just being a first-time MSC cruiser?

Guest (00:18:39) – Great question.

Guest (00:18:40) – Because, uh, MSC is not known for their loyalty program having the strongest perks, but what it did get us is it it got us a welcome back reception where they had cocktails, which when you’re in the yacht club, it doesn’t really have a huge impact. Uh, because we had champagne up and up in our private lounge.

We also got a little gift. It was a little backpack or drawstring backpack that we got. There’s also when you’re part of the when you’re part of the loyalty program, you get a discount on sailings with MSC, and on future sailings with MSC. And so I think it’s a 5% discount that you get as, as a member of that level. And so there are some perks.

They don’t actually do priority. Like many lines have priority boarding and don’t do that until you hit their very top level, which is diamond. And that’s the only group with priority boarding and demarcation. So that’s our goal. My goal is to hit Diamond on Carnival and MSC.

Guest (00:19:36) – We’ll see how long it takes.

Doug (00:19:37) – Double diamond. There you go.

Guest (00:19:39) – I like it I like.

Doug (00:19:40) – That. How about around the ship like you mentioned Carnival. So we’ll stick with that. Uh, they have the guys burger joint, which is complimentary dining. Does MSC have anything like that around the ship? Kind of a grab and go type place. Yeah.

Guest (00:19:52) – So, uh, it was kind of surprised. And that was one of the conversations that we had at Post Cruise is the fact that there really aren’t those. Types of grab and go quick serve restaurants on board. You do have the buffet, which is very well divided. They have their ethnic corner and they have their pastas, and they have a pizza spot and some burgers, but it’s really only confined to that area as well as the main dining restaurant restaurants. Aside from that, everything is upcharge. They have a Mexican place that’s an upcharge. They have, uh, I can’t remember all of them. There’s a there’s a couple other ones.

Guest (00:20:27) – One thing that I would call out that was unique, that I’ve never seen before on any of our sailings, is they had a kid’s buffet, a dedicated buffet for the kids so that they didn’t have to be in the main area of the buffet. And then the only other kind of separate areas that they had were out on the lido deck.

They had that kind of they had like side buffets. It was the same buffet food on the inside of the buffet, but it was just right outside on Lido, so you didn’t have to go in. But there was no you know, I think about even Celebrity Apex had the burger and fries station and Carnival and all of their side restaurants that they have that are included. None of that. It is focused on the buffet and their and their main dining room for the included options.

Doug (00:21:10) – Let’s discuss the entertainment on board Maravilla. I know that MSC gave up the Cirque partnership located at the back of the ship. What’s going on back there now?

Guest (00:21:22) – So I will say that we were pleasantly surprised with the show performances that were put on in the main Broadway theater, which is their main theater in the forward of the ship. We actually attended one of the Meet the cast type of, uh, presentations, if you will, and we had a really great interaction with them.

We found out that all of the shows in that forward lounge were designed specifically for that cast and this ship. So in all, we were very impressed and enjoyed all of the shows we saw in that forward lounge. Now, going to your question about Cirque du Soleil partnership, you can see that there still is some residual, um, design with the shows that they have in that back lounge that does still exist, they still do aerial acts, and we very much enjoyed those performances. But one thing to be aware of is MSC still continues to consider that an upcharge and add-on type of experience.

Guest (00:22:20) – So if you buy it on the ship, it’s $18 a person to get into one of those shows. The nice thing is they sweeten the deal because they throw a drink at you that you can enjoy during the show, but it’s definitely a bit different of an experience than what we’ve seen on most of the other cruise lines.

Doug (00:22:37) – Gotcha. And did you guys, uh, like, what kind of show was you mentioned? It was like an acrobatics thing, but it was just an MSC-branded show.

Guest (00:22:47) – Yeah. So they put on a magic show. Houdini is the name of the show. And so there’s a lot of singing, dancing, acrobats flying through the air, and a little juggling and jumping out into the audience. And so definitely had, I would say Cirque vibes, but just not with the branding. But to Rocky’s point, they’re still charging that upcharge for the Cirque like show.

Doug (00:23:10) – Gotcha. Okay. Historically, MSC Cruise Entertainment is more visual and less like comedians because of the international audience. Is it like this on MSC Meraviglia?

Guest (00:23:22) – Actually, no. I feel like there was a lot, a lot of the presentations that we saw were done primarily in English, surprisingly. Okay. Uh, the one thing that caught us off guard was the overhead announcements.

Anytime the captain would make his announcements, it would always be done by the captain. Again in Italian. Uh, during the safety briefings when we were on the embark day, they were doing announcements in both English and Mandarin. For safety reasons, there were so many Mandarin-speaking passengers on board. But overall, most of the shows were done and performed in English leading up to the show’s start.

They would do a couple of announcements in Mandarin and Italian and English and German. So they did do several pre-calls for those shows. But overall the actual shows themselves were primarily in English, if there was any speaking at all. Yeah, it turns out it turns out those songs are universal. You know, the journey is universal across all languages.

Doug (00:24:19) – Let’s talk about the sea days. As far as crowds and congestion, I know that you were up there in the yacht club for probably most of it, but as you made your way further south, you mentioned the snow on the sail out, but that it eventually warm up once you got around the Carolinas or Florida.

Guest (00:24:36) – Warmed up is relative. Uh, it was warmer than than the snow, but we there weren’t a lot of folks spending time out on deck or making use of of the water slides. Um, it was still pretty chilly until, honestly, the nicest day we had was in Nassau. And so it took us, uh, five days into the cruise before the weather was, was to a point where you would want to actually be out on deck or layout, you know, you could be out. I mean, we were like, jackets and jeans, uh, throughout the sailing. Uh, but but it wasn’t it didn’t get really warm until we got down into the Bahamas.

Doug (00:25:07) – As far as the crowds and congestion around the ship, was there any of that since everyone was inside?

Guest (00:25:16) – Really? Honestly, the only crowds we experienced were in the Meraviglia Galleria Meraviglia, which is a domed area. If you deck six and deck seven, it’s a two-story area. They’ve got a beautiful dome, similar to the Fremont Experience in Las Vegas, where they’ve got that led that runs almost the entirety of the ship. That’s where they would do many of their dance parties and events, because it was too cold up on deck to do it.

We didn’t feel that space was designed to host those parties. And so it’s a throughput for traffic on the ship. And so you’ve got people trying to make their way throughout the ship and people dancing and singing. And that was really the only time we felt like we were crowded, or that we were kind of annoyed a little bit by the traffic flow of the ship. Otherwise I would I would tell you, we didn’t feel crowds, even the buffet, the buffets, were sometimes a little bit busy, but but not to the point where we’ve seen it wear on other lines.

Guest (00:26:12) – What did you think of that promenade area with the ceiling that lights up?

Guest (00:26:15) – Beautiful. Uh, we were stunned by the design and how gorgeous that space was, and they really maximize the usage of those LED screens throughout the sailing, including on Embark day, when they’re showing you where all of the different muster stations are located. But overall, that space was beautiful.

It was definitely wide enough to walk through it when there wasn’t an event happening, you could easily take yourself up onto the next deck up and look down from the mezzanine and really enjoy the sights and the and sounds and even the smells coming from the chocolate factory. As you were sailing along, so it was very enjoyable.

Speaking of speaking of those multi-use screens, remember, even on the welcome back party, they played the Welcome Back video that that that MSC sizzle reel. They played the video thing. Welcome back. I appreciate your loyalty. They played that up on those screens. And so literally everyone at the Welcome Back party headed to the sky watching them talk about what a great experience MSC is.

Doug (00:27:11) – The casino. How was that as far as the smoking situation in and around it?

Guest (00:27:17) – They had a smoke-free casino. It appears that it was an afterthought based on our conversations with the other passengers on board. The smoke-free casino was nice. However, they didn’t have any gaming tables for the smoke-free gamblers.

Now, the exciting thing was the placement of the Cirque theater. You have to walk through the smoking casino to get to the theater, which was kind of a strange setup, but the way the casino was set up. They put the main bar in the center of it. So you’re not diving into the main casino itself. Overall, the casino seemed like a pretty ample size, comparable to what we’re familiar with on some of Carnival’s Vista ships .

Doug (00:27:59) – Okay. Very cool. So, let’s talk about the ports of call you hit on this nine-night cruise. And what we’ll do here is hit the first one, give us a highlight, then we’ll go to the next one and so on.

Guest (00:28:10) – The first cruise port we visited was the exotic location, Port Canaveral in Florida. We had something else arranged. We have some really good friends that we’ve also met through going on cruises who live in the Orlando area, they ended up picking us up, and we had a fun day at SeaWorld for the day. So, it’s definitely a little bit different. We didn’t book anything through MSC because we’ve been to Port Canaveral before, so we wanted to check it out through the locals.

Doug (00:29:01) – So what was after Port Canaveral?

Guest (00:29:04) – Next was Miami and the day was unexpected. Icon of the Seas was scheduled to arrive in Miami the day before.

However, due to the weather, they kept her out for an extra day. And so we literally got to see icon of the seas sail. And we did a live, uh, we did a YouTube live where we streamed her sailing into Port Miami for the first time. We watched her turn around in the basin, return, and dock at the Royal Caribbean Terminal. There.

We got off the ship, and we hiked our excursion that day. We hiked about a mile up to the Royal Caribbean Terminal, climbed up to the very top of the parking garage, Royal Caribbean parking garage, and we just took pictures and filmed a bunch of stuff up there because it was like such a wow moment for for a couple of cruise nerds.

Doug (00:29:53) – Yeah. No, definitely. So after Nassau, you headed over to the Bahamas. Uh, what was the first Bahamas port?

Guest (00:29:59) – We first stopped at MSC’s Private Island, MSC’s Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. It’s a beautiful private island destination.

You can tell that MSC put a lot of thought and consideration when they were designing this port. It’s huge. It is massive, huge. And it’s nice because the ship can dock directly onto the port there, instead of you having to do a water shuttle taxi service to get in.

It is a very large and sprawling island, with tons of places for people to go out and lounge and layout, grab food, and have a nice relaxing day. Now. Now they don’t have, you know, big water parks and they don’t have hot air balloons that go up in the air like some, you know, private islands do. But but I mean, it had everything that you could want.

Guest (00:30:48) – It had many different beaches. Uh, to Rocky Point food trucks, uh, included food trucks throughout the island, as well as some upcharge food trucks where you could get, you know, seafood, you could get your lobster rolls and some of that fresh seafood.

Doug (00:31:00) – You were in the yacht club, right? So I know they have that yacht club area on the other side of the island, like on the other side from where the ship docks. How was that space, or I guess, did you utilize that space? And would you think of it if you did?

Guest (00:31:12) – Yeah, we actually, uh, as soon as we got off of the ship via escort from our butler. It’s just fun to say that. I’m sorry. Uh, we were escorted over to the yacht club’s meeting point, where they picked us up by golf cart and drove us to that exclusive area. It just made it a little bit easier to get there so we can maximize our time. Uh, the area is referred to as the Ocean House.

And so that’s actually where they serve lunch. And it’s a lovely, large colonial-style building. Uh, the lunch there included amazing bites from a lobster roll to crab ceviche. The ceviche was so good. The beach was delicious. Uh, they also had your standard fare of burgers on the menu, and then a couple of salads and other options.

Overall, it was a great area. As you approached it, there was signage, so you knew it was reserved for the yacht club guests. Uh, there was a private beach. And that’s the one downside that I would say about the exclusive area is the Yacht Club’s Ocean House. The beach is probably the least nice of the beaches that are found on the island.

It’s a little bit rough. Uh, there’s some larger sand bits, if you want to call them that. Uh, so getting in the water makes it a bit tough. And due to the weather that we encountered, we really didn’t even touch the water because we touched the water.

We just didn’t get into the water. It’s it’s rocky, says sand. But I would say sharp rock. So the folks that had been there before had water shoes and were in the water. That was a that’s a great tip. If you’re going to Ocean Cay and in the yacht club, make sure to bring water shoes because. It will make your day better.

Doug: .That’s a good tip. There are a lot of beaches around the island so you get to explore most of them?

We did. We met people on the cruise, as we always do on cruises. And so we went out and we got to explore a little bit with them. In hindsight, I wish we had done the exploration first because it started to pour. Uh, it started to downpour and it was a cold downpour in the Bahamas. And so we we didn’t get to explore as much as we’d like, but we got to see several of the lagoons.

Guest (00:33:15) – We got to see the lighthouse. We got to enjoy one of the food trucks. We did eat at one of the food trucks just so we could say we, you know, ate with our friends. Um, Rocky. Rocky always says we ate with the common people. Um, and so we enjoyed the food on the mainland. And then there’s shops, there’s shops, there’s you can buy ice cream cones and various things on land as well. Before we headed back to the ship. And, and unfortunately, that was the only we were this point spoiled us, Doug. Um, we were looking for our butler escort back onto the ship, but but there was not one on to the ship. And so we had to wait in the rain with the rest of the ship that had all run back to get onto the ship as well.

Doug (00:33:55) – Oh, no. Horrible. Did you get to stay at night to see the lighthouse lit up? Yeah.

Guest (00:34:01) – Back on board wasn’t scheduled until 8:00 that evening. Uh, most of the passengers had embarked on the ship by about 330 or 4 due to the weather, but we stayed docked there, and we were wondering about that lighthouse show because we’d heard about it. And so we went to the concierge, who gave us a great recommendation on where to go to view it, so we could also hear the music playing through the show.

Uh, and so we had the opportunity to watch it and it was impressive. We enjoyed it. And hopefully, we’ll be able to return to Ocean Cay again in the future, where we won’t encounter poor weather. We can be on the beach and see the light show from the ground.

And because of the concierge tip, we know the crew smoking area on MSC Meraviglia. And so it was a great tip and we got to hang out with crew as they watched the light show.

Doug (00:34:54) – He probably know this, but if you’re ever feeling energetic or you want to work out, you can climb that lighthouse. It’s like $15 or 20 maybe, but you got some great views up there and there’s quite a few steps, so, uh, yeah, pack your energy. Yeah.

Guest (00:35:06) – No. And that’s another reason why we want to go back. You know, I don’t think, uh, the weather was really in our favor to be able to do that type of an excursion, but definitely in the books for us to do it again.

Doug (00:35:16) – So your final port of call was Nassau. How was your day there?

Guest (00:35:19) – Nassau was great. Uh, as Mark had mentioned, it was the best weather that we saw on the entire cruise, and we were a little bummed that it was our final port day, but we made the most of it. We were docked in Nassau with four other ships. So a standard busy Nassau day. Uh, nothing unusual there.

Guest (00:35:36) – Uh, we have a tradition whenever we’re in Nassau, where we go visit a rum distillery in a little bit deeper into town. And so we decided to do that at this time. We took the trek and walked around and checked out the updates that they made to the port of Nassau, because that was our first time there since they did all the construction since they finished the construction.

Yeah, we’ve been several times during. Yeah. And then from there we walked up to the distillery and enjoyed a little tasting up there before returning to the port and getting on the ship. It was a pretty quiet day, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity to get to lay out on deck on the cruise ship before sail away took place.

Doug (00:36:12) – Yeah, perfect day for it. So you leave Nassau for a couple of days and you head back to Brooklyn. How were your sea days going up?

Guest (00:36:19) – The weather, I will say, was more cooperative on the way back, but. So it wasn’t as bumpy and rocky, but there were times when you would sleep at night and roll on or you would.

Guest (00:36:31) – You knew you were on a ship. You know, when Rocky and I first boarded, one of the things we commented as we were sitting in, I think it was the topsail restaurant. After spending time in the lounge, we said, we don’t feel like we’re on a cruise ship, but you just felt like you were almost at an all-inclusive resort.

We knew we were on a cruise ship on the sea days out and on the sea days back. The weather was left, the ocean a bit rocky. We had some. You saw some gale-force winds. There were some swells, but they had the magnetic, uh, bags out, the thick bags out in the elevator banks. They had those out for, for all of the passengers. We did talk to several folks who said they might not sail again in January, but but we liked it. But I know the sign us up.

Doug (00:37:18) – So it’s time to get off the ship in Brooklyn.

Doug (00:37:20) – Was the process as smooth and bougie as that embark?

Guest (00:37:25) – I love that you say the bougie because it continued through. Uh, we always go for a very relaxed, dark morning. We try to stay on the ship as long as possible.

We book later flights knowing that there’s always the possibility that a ship could be delayed returning to port. Uh, and fortunately for us, the ship did arrive on time, however. We didn’t end up disembarking from the ship until much later.

We we decided to go down and have breakfast down in the main restaurant, the topsail restaurant, in the yacht club area. And once we were done eating there, we went down to the lounge and enjoyed a quick beverage and a couple of little canapés. You know, just trying to get our last bits in and chatted with the bartenders.

The bartenders were tremendously friendly the entire sailing, and we just hung out with them and enjoyed some coffee and drinks. Yep. And then once we were ready to get off of the ship, we went to the concierge and actually, we ended up seeing our butler at the concierge desk, and he offered to help us get off the ship.

Guest (00:38:26) – And so he took Marc’s two suitcases that he was carrying from his hands and wheeled them to the elevator, took us down to the lower deck, and wheeled us over to where they take you off the ship. Or they scan your card to say you are officially disembarked from the ship. So we continued that experience as long as we could.

And the cool thing about the luggage program, if you decide to put your luggage out the night before the cruise ends, all of the yacht club luggage gets delivered to one specific spot, so you’re not rushing to get off.

You’re not rushing to go find where your luggage was placed. When it’s in that terminal building, it’s very easy to locate and get to pick up your suitcases and you’re on your way. Once again, those yacht club signs. Right this way. Um, a dedicated area, even for your luggage.

Doug (00:39:16) – Awesome. Very cool. Does Brooklyn have facial recognition for the dark?

Guest (00:39:21) – Yes they did. We were very excited when we saw that we’re getting off the ship.

Doug (00:39:25) – Yeah. It sure makes a difference. Looking back here as first-time MSC cruisers and in the yacht Club, do you have any first-time tips to offer anyone sailing MSC or sailing out of Manhattan?

Guest (00:39:39) – Uh, goodness gracious. If you get that upgrade offer and it’s within your means, you bid that upgrade offer up. Suppose you can get into the yacht club from a balcony. That would be my biggest tip because not only does it include all of those amenities that we’ve talked about. They grant you into the premium drinks package as well.

So the premium drinks package on this sailing would have been 790 a person, a person. We paid less for the entire yacht club experience, including those premium drinks. It included Wi-Fi on each of our devices, and it included all of those exclusive amenities that we’ve talked about.

And so that would be my number one tip is if you get that offer to upgrade to the yacht club, really look at what it would cost you to have that experience and just individually and take that for serious take.

Guest (00:40:29) – Be serious about that. And if you can get that upgrade and it’s in your means, do it. Yeah, absolutely. And then I would also say the other thing is that this cruise ship departs out of the Brooklyn terminal.

So instead of paying the 60 plus dollars that it would cost to get an Uber or a lift, you could take the subway, and the train system, all of which will be super easy to get over there. And there’s a water taxi or ferry. Ferry, I guess it is, uh, that takes you from Wall Street.

If you were to go into Manhattan and stay the night out there, you can quickly get onto the ferry from Wall Street over to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Easy. And it’s quite cost-effective.

Doug (00:41:09) – Yeah, that’s one thing I’ve heard over the years is that a lot of people who are doing cruises out of either Brooklyn or Manhattan, they kind of get taken by surprise how much it actually cost to get from the airport to the cruise port.

Doug (00:41:20) – But a little extra research can save you quite a few bucks, and it’s not that bad. I think it’s.

Guest (00:41:25) – Scarier being in New York traffic. Quite honestly. When we the Uber, we took an Uber from the hotel to the cruise terminal. I think that was scarier than the subway was, you know, the night before when we had flown in. And so, yes, I think it’s great.

Doug (00:41:41) – Well, looking back, what was your biggest highlight of this cruise?

Guest (00:41:56) – I would say the biggest highlight was probably being in the yacht club. What a treat it was for us to be able to experience that. Um, it was so exciting walking into the Topsail Lounge in that exclusive yacht Club area, no matter how many times a day we walked in there, we always discovered new canopies that were waiting for us to try.

Guest (00:42:17) – The bartenders and servers in the topsail lounge were all very friendly. They started to get to know us, what drinks we enjoyed the most, and they would start making recommendations based on the spirits we were drinking to make our journey that much more enjoyable. I think for me, um, one of the best bites of food I’ve had on a cruise ship was, uh, in the Eden restaurant onboard Celebrity Apex.

And I would say fast forward. That was a couple of years back now for Thanksgiving. But fast forward to this. To have that daily rotating risotto to me was a surprise and delight that menu in Topsail restaurant. You just don’t see food like that on a cruise ship. And it was fantastic.

And it was included in that experience. It wasn’t we weren’t, you know, dropping 150 for the meal. It was included in that yacht club experience. That, to me was a surprise and delight.

Guest (00:43:10) – I did not expect how good and high-quality that food would be.

Doug (00:43:22) – Well, uh, in closing here, your final thoughts of MSC Maravilla.

Guest (00:43:27) – the MSC Meraviglia is a gorgeous ship. MSC did a great job in designing and developing this class of ship. The size of it was great. We did have a lower capacity on the ship during our sailing, but we still managed to have a great time. We met a lot of great friends.

We found places to call our own that maybe we’re not in the yacht club specifically. Still, we discovered the Sky lounge as a great place to meet people and to be able to enjoy the company of others that were not a part of the yacht club, and really just kind of put ourselves with the rest of the population that was sailing. Very good. The Champagne Bar was another one of my favorites. That the Edge bar.

Guest (00:44:09) – The champagne bar, you know, that looked out over the water as the ship was sailing. That was great. Those champagne cocktails were excellent. And that’s the beauty, right? When you have. We would flash our yacht club bracelets and I will tell you, I joke. I’ve made this joke now lines would disappear and people would just randomly appear.

Servers would appear, you flash that yacht club bracelet and it didn’t matter what bar we were at, if we were at the horizon bar, after the champagne bar, or at the Sky lounge, they just showed up and took such great care of us. You can tell that even the rest of the ship is trained to pay attention to yacht club guests, because it was just such a fantastic experience.

I’m excited to go back on MSC Meraviglia in in the in the standard amenities in the non-yacht club amenities to be able to experience it truly and compare and contrast to be able to talk about what does that value look like and how it feels to sit down in the main dining room each night for dinner versus in your dedicated restaurant? And so I am excited to get back on the ship.

Guest (00:45:10) – We’ve looked we’ve booked on the inaugural on MSC World America, World America. And so it was it was a great experience and great sailing. And so MSC gets a lot of bad rap out there. There’s a lot of negativity about people who love or hate it. And I will tell you from our experience where we’re looking at booking two more already. So it was it was in it was in a really good category for us.

Doug (00:46:34) – Awesome. We’ll link to it also in the show notes at Cruise Radio dot net. Mark Rocky, thank you all so much.

Guest (00:46:40) – Thank you so much, Doug.

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MSC Cruises’ MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program: Everything you need to know

Compared to some of its closest rivals, MSC Cruises has a relatively modest loyalty program.

Unlike the frequent cruiser programs at Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line , the MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program doesn't offer its members a free cruise after reaching the top tier. It does not offer a massive discount on the single supplement charge for solo travelers, as Royal Caribbean offers its top-tier members, nor does it grant priority access to onboard shows.

For more cruise guides, reviews and news, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Still, the MSC Cruises loyalty program offers several valuable perks at higher levels, including a complimentary meal in an extra-charge specialty restaurant once per cruise and priority access to tenders in ports.

The MSC Voyagers Club program also allows you to status match your way into one of its top tiers — something that no other major cruise line loyalty program offers.

Ways to earn points

The points-earning system for MSC Voyagers Club is a bit convoluted, as the number of points you earn on any given cruise depends on various factors.

For starters, you earn points based on the length of the cruise you take and which MSC Cruises "experience" you book. As regular MSC Cruises customers know, the line offers four onboard experiences, each with different inclusions and price points. Bella is the most basic — and least expensive — experience available. MSC Yacht Club is the top experience available. Experiences called Fantastica and Aurea are in between.

For sailings of four nights or fewer, each passenger in the cabin will earn the following number of points depending on experience type:

• Fantastica: 400
• MSC Yacht Club: 800

For sailings of five to nine nights, every guest will earn the following number of points depending on experience type:

• Fantastica: 700
• Aurea: 1,000
• MSC Yacht Club: 1,500

For sailings of nine or more nights, they'll earn the following number of points depending on experience type:

• Fantastica: 1,000
• Aurea: 1,500
• MSC Yacht Club: 2,000

In addition to the above, you can also earn points for extras when spending money on MSC Cruises ships or when booking in advance of sailing. You'll earn 100 points for every $150 you spend on prepaid and onboard expenses.

One caveat: Only the MSC Voyagers Club member who makes the final payment for onboard expenses will receive those points. For expenses for prepaid services that apply to all cabin occupants (and not single occupants), points will be equally distributed among the cabin occupants.

For example, say the total amount of prepaid onboard services that apply to all cabin occupants before the cruise is $600. If there are four cabin occupants, the spending for the points calculation of each member will be $150, which is equal to 100 points.

Related: The ultimate guide to MSC Cruises ships and itineraries

The final way to earn points is by updating your contact details up to 72 hours before departure on your next cruise. This will earn you 100 points.

All points, including for the cruise, onboard spending and updating your profile, will pop up in your account about 10 days after the cruise is completed.

MSC Voyagers Club tiers and benefits

There are four tiers to the MSC Voyagers Club program:

• Classic : 1 to 2,199 points
• Silver : 2,200 to 4,299 points
• Gold : 4,300 to 9,999 points
• Diamond : 10,000 or more points

As is typical for cruise line loyalty programs, the entry-level tier (Classic) doesn't provide many truly valuable rewards. By far, the most alluring benefit at this level is the 5% discount members receive when booking future sailings. (This discount is not valid for MSC Grand Tours and when booking Tandem cabins, which are specially discounted cabins that parents can book for kids.) That's real savings every time you book a cruise.

Additionally, Classic members receive:

• An extra 5% discount on Voyagers Exclusives sailings made six to nine months before departure
• An MSC Voyagers Club e-newsletter
• MSC Voyagers Club personalized luggage tags for embarkation in the e-ticket
• An MSC Voyagers Club card
• An invitation to a "welcome back" cocktail party
• A dedicated number to call on board
• Discounts on many packages and amenities, including onboard pictures, digital accessories, Wi-Fi and spa and fitness offerings
• An MSC Shops discount (for each $50 spent in any onboard shops, you will receive a $10 discount)

Note that the MSC Shops discount has a lot of fine print. The discount is not combinable with promotions available on board and is not available for spending on tobacco products and electronics. It's also only valid on the first day of a cruise. That final point prompts us to downgrade the value of this perk considerably.

Upon reaching the second tier of the program, Silver, you get a couple of additional perks. The most notable to us is a $50 onboard credit per person, plus double MSC Voyagers Club points, for all bookings made more than 12 months before departure. (If you book nine to 12 months in advance, you get the $50 credit but not the double points.)

The Silver level also brings an unspecified milestone reward and all the perks of the lower-tier Classic level.

Related: Everything you need to know about MSC Cruises cabins and suites

You will be a member of the Classic level as soon as you take a single cruise, as it takes only 1 point to reach the Classic level. You also might be able to reach the Silver level in just one cruise if you take a long voyage of nine nights or more, pay for the top MSC Yacht Club experience and do a modest amount of onboard spending.

Still, a more typical cruiser sailing seven-night trips at a mid-tier Fantastica or Aurea experience level would need two or three cruises to reach the Silver level.

The elite level that makes a difference

Being loyal to MSC Cruises starts paying off in a more meaningful way once you reach the Gold level of the MSC Voyagers Club program. Even here, though, the rewards are still relatively modest.

The Gold level comes with one solid perk: priority disembarkation in ports where a tender boat is required. This can make a real difference in your cruising experience, as it means you can get off the ship much faster in some cases than the majority of other passengers. That will allow you to maximize your time in tender ports.

Additionally, Gold status brings all the perks of the tiers below it plus:

• A complimentary one-hour thermal area session once per cruise
• A complimentary gift
• A complimentary photo taken during the "welcome back" cocktail party
• A complimentary birthday cake when it's your birthday

It could take you as few as two cruises to reach the Gold level if you sign up for longer sailings and pay for the top MSC Yacht Club experience. Someone sailing seven-night trips at a mid-tier Fantastica or Aurea experience level would need four or five cruises to reach the Gold level.

The best elite perk with MSC Voyagers Club

Alas, there isn't a "wow" perk in the entire MSC Voyagers Club menu. As noted above, unlike some lines, MSC Cruises doesn't award top-tier members with truly high-value perks such as a free cruise. Still, MSC Voyagers Club's top Diamond status tier does come with a few enticing benefits.

Our favorite perk in the entire MSC Voyagers Club program is the complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant that comes with Diamond-level status. That said, be warned that the complimentary dinner comes with a lot of fine print (so much fine print, in fact, that to use it verges on the ridiculous).

The complimentary dinner, in theory, is for you and a cabinmate. However, among the fine-print caveats is that two Diamond members staying in the same cabin don't get two free dinners.

If you and your spouse are both Diamond members, and you dine together using the perk, MSC Cruises counts that as you both using your perk for that one meal. That said, if you had two other people staying with you in the same cabin, you and your spouse could each use your perk to take one of them out for the free dinner, resulting in two free dinners for your cabin.

Additionally, the complimentary dinner privilege at specialty restaurants might not be available on all ship classes. Members under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at dinner. Also, drinks are not included with the complimentary dinner, nor are you allowed to bring outside drinks into the restaurant.

Related: The 6 types of MSC Cruises ships, explained

Should all that prove too confusing, MSC Voyagers Club Diamond status thankfully also offers two other solid perks:

• A priority line for boarding on embarkation day
• Priority disembarkation at the end of the cruise

Diamond level also provides all the perks of the tiers below it plus:

• Courtesy bathrobe and slippers available during the cruise
• A complimentary dance class
• An invitation to an exclusive Diamond Party
• Late cabin checkout on disembarkation day
• A chocolate gift

Someone sailing seven-night cruises at a mid-tier Fantastica or Aurea experience level would need to take about eight to 10 trips to reach the Diamond level, depending on onboard spending.

In contrast to every other major cruise line loyalty program, MSC Cruises customers do not get "forever status" once they reach a certain tier of the MSC Voyagers Club. Once achieved, your status is only good as long as you take a cruise at least once every 36 months.

If you don't take a cruise once every 36 months, you will see your points in the MSC Voyagers Club disappear and your entire account erased. You'll have to reenroll and start all over again.

This is a notable difference from other cruise line loyalty programs, as "forever status" is one of the great allures of such programs. Many airline frequent flyer programs, by contrast, require loyalty members to requalify for status each year.

MSC Voyagers Club status match

As noted above, the MSC Voyagers Club program allows you to status match your way to its top tiers — something other major cruise line loyalty programs don't offer.

If you show proof of a high loyalty program status level with a competing cruise line, a hotel company or even a booking site such as Expedia, you can catapult your way from no status to a top-tier status with MSC Cruises in a jiffy. A high status level at an airline, alas, won't get you a status match at MSC Cruises, with a handful of exceptions such as a high status level at Air China.

This MSC Cruises status match, to us, is a big deal. It's one thing that sets MSC Voyagers Club apart from other cruise line loyalty programs.

The status match process at MSC Cruises is simple. Go to the dedicated enrollment page for MSC Voyagers Club status matching at the MSC Cruises website. You'll find a short online form where you enter some personal details (including name, birth date and address) and details about your status level with another loyalty program. You'll then have to upload a picture of your membership card for that program (or, if you don't have a membership card, a screenshot of your online account page showing your name and status).

That's it. Within a few days, you'll get an email or text welcoming you into the MSC Voyagers Club program at a status tier that matches your status with the other brand.

The dedicated enrollment page lists more than 60 loyalty programs from which you can status match into the MSC Cruises loyalty program. They include such cruise line loyalty programs as Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society and Carnival Cruise Line's VIFP Club program . Your status in the loyalty programs run by such major hotel chains as Hilton , Hyatt and Marriott also can be submitted for a match.

MSC Cruises doesn't offer a chart showing which tier of its loyalty program you will receive based on your tier at each of the other brands. Our staff members at TPG have had luck matching into the top Gold or Diamond tiers of the MSC Voyagers Club program from high levels of competing programs. One TPG editor received top Diamond tier status in the MSC Cruises program as a match to World of Hyatt Globalist status, for instance. Another staffer received Gold status in the MSC Cruises program as a match to the Diamond level in Royal Caribbean's program.

You can enter your status in only one program when seeking a match, so pick the program in which you have the highest status level.

Bottom line

MSC Cruises offers some decent perks in its four-tier loyalty program, including discounts and onboard credits when you book additional cruises. It also allows cruisers to status match their way to the top tiers of the program.

Still, the MSC Voyagers Club program is not nearly as robust a frequent cruiser program as those offered by such rivals as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• Top ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

• MSC Cruises

Yacht Club and Specialty Dining

By LewiLewi , April 8, 2023 in MSC Cruises

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If you are in the YC, do you have to pay full price for specialty dining in other restaurants on board?  If you get military discount, does it pay to also get Match Status for dining discounts or Diamond dinner?

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3 hours ago, LewiLewi said: If you are in the YC, do you have to pay full price for specialty dining in other restaurants on board?  If you get military discount, does it pay to also get Match Status for dining discounts or Diamond dinner?

While both YC and Aurea experiences advertise discounts with dining and spa packages pre-cruise, turns out the discount on the website available to everyone pre-cruise is the discount and it is cheaper than once onboard.  You will receive one speciality dinner for your Diamond status.  We loved Butchers Cut.  

Make your reservations on day one!  Unfortunately we were only on a Four day YC sailing and did not purchase a dining package. A couple meals in the YC dining room (along with breakfast and lunch) left us looking elsewhere. By then we could not get reservations at pay restaurants for lunch or dinner.  We ended up at the main buffet for variety but I wouldn’t recommend that either…

Georgia_Peaches

4 hours ago, LewiLewi said: If you get military discount, does it pay to also get Match Status for dining discounts or Diamond dinner?

I would say yes.  My recommendation is get everything you can.  If you status match to Diamond you get a free specialty dinner.  That alone is worth it.  I can't answer your question about discounts.  When we were on Seashore we dined in Butcher's Cut but we didn't get a discount...we had a lot of OBC to burn so it was fine.  Unlike @L1211  we didn't really tire of the YC options and felt the other specialty dining venues lacked originality.  The Mexican place was interesting and if we go back, we may give it a try for lunch.

mscdivina2016

18 hours ago, L1211 said: While both YC and Aurea experiences advertise discounts with dining and spa packages pre-cruise, turns out the discount on the website available to everyone pre-cruise is the discount and it is cheaper than once onboard.  You will receive one speciality dinner for your Diamond status.  We loved Butchers Cut.   Make your reservations on day one!  Unfortunately we were only on a Four day YC sailing and did not purchase a dining package. A couple meals in the YC dining room (along with breakfast and lunch) left us looking elsewhere. By then we could not get reservations at pay restaurants for lunch or dinner.  We ended up at the main buffet for variety but I wouldn’t recommend that either…   enjoy! 

We have asked the concierge at 2pm on the same day for specialty restaurants and it was always set up for us.

For clarification ,we always eat when it first opens. That may help.

Best Cat Mom

Remember that since you're in YC, you can always make special requests for your meals. They will go out of their way to accommodate you, though sometimes they will need more than just a few hours notice. We had lamb five times on our last cruise, even though it was only on the menu once during that time. YC perks are quite nice. 🙂

When you dine at a specialty restaurant, are the drinks included if you are a YC passenger?

4 hours ago, helenb said: When you dine at a specialty restaurant, are the drinks included if you are a YC passenger?

Varies from ship to ship is my experience.  It used to be no, but that seems to be changing.

 I ask which seems to be the best approach.

10 hours ago, helenb said: When you dine at a specialty restaurant, are the drinks included if you are a YC passenger?

Yes, subject to the Premium Extra price per glass ceiling. 

2 hours ago, hamrag said: Yes, subject to the Premium Extra price per glass ceiling. 

Might have to make that a 'maybe'...

Currently our Yacht Club drink package says it is valid in  speciality restaurants, but others with more recent bookings have reported that is no longer the case...

1 hour ago, Mark_T said: Might have to make that a 'maybe'...   Currently our Yacht Club drink package says it is valid in  speciality restaurants, but others with more recent bookings have reported that is no longer the case...

On 7 YC cruises, the 3 most recent in the past year and the most recent November, provided it is a drink by the glass it has always been honoured. What they will not do is bring a bottle of wine to the table, under the package, even if the per glass price of said bottle is within the plan.

My wife prefers Jaquart champagne, particularly with a specialty meal. During our November cruise we asked the barman in the YC lounge, before leaving for Butchers Cut, if we could take the bottle rather than a flute each (the specialties don't always have the allowed champagne). He said no, and asked if we would like it served in a (large) red wine glass...we said yes, then he almost drained the full bottle, and headed there with a glass each.  😉

I think MSC are taking lessons on inept/contradictory web design/content from RCI.

I have my original booking confirmation details AND boarding confirmation details both saying my PE drinks package can be used in specialty restaurants, but not signature ones (sailing later this month). However the webpages 'Packages > Drinks > PE' says it cannot be used in a specialty restaurant. This used to be the case for the lesser packages so, being charitable, someone just cut and pasted the T&Cs across all the packages - maybe?

What I also have, back in the days of the €13 limit on PE drinks, is a bullet point that says:

ENTIRE SELECTION [my emphasis] of wines and champagne by the glass.

I'm a bit miffed that I have been sent an upgrade email for the first of my B2B but not the second.

1 hour ago, hamrag said: On 7 YC cruises, the 3 most recent in the past year and the most recent November, provided it is a drink by the glass it has always been honoured. What they will not do is bring a bottle of wine to the table, under the package, even if the per glass price of said bottle is within the plan.  

Never doubted it was possible in the past, but currently, as cublet has confirmed, the wording has changed and PE is no longer shown as valid in speciality restaurants...

1 hour ago, Mark_T said: Never doubted it was possible in the past, but currently, as cublet has confirmed, the wording has changed and PE is no longer shown as valid in speciality restaurants...

Cublet has pointed that out, as you say, and is correct. What you fail to realise is that in the YC you do NOT have a PE drinks package as such, rather the YC experience which happens to include all drinks which are broadly in line with those available in the PE package.

Trust me you will not be denied any drinks, available within the YC package, in the specialty restaurant subject to availability. If all else fails, call the concierge and ask to be put through to the YC lounge, place your order and ask them to bring it to the restaurant. Believe me, that would only happen once as the restaurant will very quickly play ball.

2 minutes ago, hamrag said: What you fail to realise is that in the YC you do NOT have a PE drinks package, rather a YC experience which happens to include all drinks which are broadly in line with those available in the PE package.

I certainly hope that there will be no problems, but for clarity, my Yacht Club booking very definitely does specifically state that it includes the "Premium Extra Drink Package".

Whether it was my email to MSC or my TA but this morning the wording on the PE package now says:

"*The Premium Extra Package can be enjoyed in our bars, buffet, main restaurant and specialty restaurants as well as on private islands, but does not cover our signature venues."

Now only the Easy, Alcohol Free and Minors' packages that may not be used in specialty restaurants.

insidecabin

1 hour ago, cublet said: Hello,   Whether it was my email to MSC or my TA but this morning the wording on the PE package now says: "*The Premium Extra Package can be enjoyed in our bars, buffet, main restaurant and specialty restaurants as well as on private islands, but does not cover our signature venues."   Now only the Easy, Alcohol Free and Minors' packages that may not be used in specialty restaurants.   Yippee!   Regards,   Cublet

That will be interesting   

UK booking, kids go free,  with the added drinks promo  premium for the adults and minors for the kids., 

Family sit down in Butchers cut,  the adults get their wine but the kids have to pay for the coke.

23 hours ago, Mark_T said: I certainly hope that there will be no problems, but for clarity, my Yacht Club booking very definitely does specifically state that it includes the "Premium Extra Drink Package".  

IT used to be that YC experience did not include the rest of the ship,  now you get the PE for use outside YC.

Inside the YC, menu has no prices one side side flip  it over and there is the upcharge list.

2 hours ago, cublet said: Now only the Easy, Alcohol Free and Minors' packages that may not be used in specialty restaurants.

It the other group/family members booked Easy Plus or Premium Extra, then the Minor´s package can be used in specialty restaurants.

1 hour ago, insidecabin said: IT used to be that YC experience did not include the rest of the ship,  now you get the PE for use outside YC.   Inside the YC, menu has no prices one side side flip  it over and there is the upcharge list.  

Thanks, that part wasn't in doubt fortunately 🙂

The problem was only outside the Yacht Club in the speciality restaurants, but it looks like that wording has now been changed and is no longer a concern, so a good outcome for sure. 

Now just have to wait and see if the ships got the memo as well as the website 🙂

I fear I may have rejoiced too soon.

From the 'home' page, if I go down from 'On Board' > 'Dining and Drinks' > 'Drink Packages' then the PE package does say it can be used in specialty restaurants. However if I go to my booking then go to add a PE package as if I did not already have one, then that page says it may NOT be used in specialty restaurants.

I think it's sloppy to say the least that there are two versions of the same page live at the same time.

I have sent this to MSC but don't expect a direct response.

My TA has sent me this (along with another 35 pages!):

We recently returned from a Caribbean cruise in the YC aboard MSC Seaside.  We took our Diamond status free meal in Butcher's Cut and the meal was terrible. We also tried the Teppanyaki, again food was just ok although the show was good. I was extremely surprised that the food in the YC restaurant was far superior to our past experiences and definitely much better than the speciality restaurants.

With regard to wine, we were allowed to take a bottle of our choice from the YC to the specialty restaurant both times if that's of any help.

Oceansaway17

9 hours ago, mickey89 said: We recently returned from a Caribbean cruise in the YC aboard MSC Seaside.  We took our Diamond status free meal in Butcher's Cut and the meal was terrible. We also tried the Teppanyaki, again food was just ok although the show was good. I was extremely surprised that the food in the YC restaurant w

how do you let them know you are diamond or diamond plus on RCI?  at time of booking or when?

55 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said: how do you let them know you are diamond or diamond plus on RCI?  at time of booking or when?

You need to google MSC status match.  It was a crazy easy process.  Only a couple of days after submitting the online form with your status info.  Good luck! 

1 minute ago, L1211 said: You need to google MSC status match.  It was a crazy easy process.  Only a couple of days after submitting the online form with your status info.  Good luck! 

okay.  I know Celebrity automatically recognizes because of being part of same corp.

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MSC YACHT CLUB: THE ULTIMATE LUXURY CRUISE EXPERIENCE

Feel the finesse and elegance of luxury cruises with MSC Yacht Club , an exclusive haven of refined indulgence .

Surround yourself in unparalleled comfort and personalized service as you embark on an astounding voyage aboard our finest ships.

Discover a world where  privacy  meets  luxury , where every detail is meticulously crafted to exceed your highest expectations.

Savour the sophistication  and  elegance of luxury cruises from the very first step onboard.

Our  dedicated staff  will cater to your every need, ensuring that your  journey  is nothing but sensational.

Welcome to  MSC Yacht Club , where every moment is designed to surpass all your desires and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Attentive butler service around the clock

The Essence of Luxury, Delivered

A Culinary Journey of Exquisite Delights

Endless Privacy and Pleasures Await 

Unrivaled comfort and exquisite luxury.

Experience the finest luxury accommodation during your  MSC Yacht Club luxury cruise . Discover lavishly appointed suites designed with meticulous attention to detail .

Immerse yourself in the epitome of comfort with  luxurious amenities and elegant touches .

From Myform Memory mattresses to Egyptian cotton bedding and mattresses and a Dorelan pillow menu ,  marble bathrooms to complimentary minibars, your every need is catered to for a truly exceptional luxury cruise .

Live an high end accommodation on our newest ships , featuring innovative options like  Interior Suites, Executive and Family Suites , Deluxe Suites, Duplex Suites , and our remarkable  Royal Suites and Owner's Suite .

Enjoy exclusivity savoring panoramic views from your private balcony , immersing yourself in a five-stars cruise cabins that brings you closer to the sea while enveloping you in an unparalleled sense of premiumness .

• Surface 26 sqm, balcony 5 sqm, deck 14-18
• Sitting area with sofa
• Spacious wardrobe
• Bathroom with shower or bathtub , vanity area with hairdryer
• Comfortable double or single beds (on request)
• Wifi connection included
• Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar
• ZOE - in-cabin Bluetooth speaker

The image is representative only: displayed cabins from MSC Bellissima, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Euribia Size, layout and furniture may vary (within the same cabin category)

• Surface 58 sqm, balcony 39 sqm, deck 15
• Balcony with private whirlpool bath and dining table
• Separate living area and dining room
• Walk-in wardrobes
• Bathroom with tub and shower, vanity area with hairdryer
• Wifi connection included; ZOE - in-cabin Bluetooth speaker

• Surface 59 sqm with a balcony 23 sqm, deck 9-12
• Two-deck-high cabin
• Easy access to the Yacht Club areas
• Open living/dining room with sofa that converts to double bed
• Bathroom with shower

Second level

• Master bedroom with double bed which can be converted into two single beds (on request)
• Two walk in wardrobes.
• Bathroom with tub

Terms & Conditions

• **The free cruise change is applicable either on the cruise dates or on the destination. Such change needs to be performed up to 30 calendar days before departure, for a new cruise to sail within 90 calendar days from the original departure. Any cruise change shall be requested through MSC Book or our contact centers.
•  You can discover the ultimate in MSC exclusivity with the MSC Yacht Club, available on board of all our ships except: MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Magnifica, MSC Musica, MSC Opera. MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia and MSC Sinfonia.
• Possibility to organise tailor made excursions depending from itineraries.
• For more information about the premium extra drink package please click here .

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MSC Cruises

MSC Seaside Cruise Review

I f you are looking for a good value for your money (and who isn’t these day?), then I’d recommend taking a look at MSC. On our recent fall cruise on the MSC Seaside, we found the Seaside to be clean, with nice open public spaces, and a gracious crew. The value of the cruise to the money we spent was fantastic, and this was the weighty factor in our choosing this ship and line.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Table of Contents

How to get to port canaveral cruise port, hilton orlando buena vista palace – disney springs area, wyndham grand orlando resort bonnet creek, cabana bay resort, booking your cruise on msc seaside.

Bella, Fantastica and Aurea Experiences: What are the Differences & Perks

Stateroom Perks and Features

All suites on msc seaside come with aurea experience perks, pre/post cruise option orlando theme parks.

The ship is home-ported in Port Canaveral, Florida. Port Canaveral is easily reached by flights into Orlando International airport, Orlando Sanford International, and even Jacksonville International airport. However, out of the three, Orlando is the easiest, both in terms of the number of daily flights, and ease of airport navigation.

My suggestion, especially if arriving through either Orlando International or Orlando Sanford International is to add a day to the front end and a day to the back end of your MSC Seaside cruise and explore the area. There is so much to do in Orlando, and certainly don’t discount Port Canaveral – it has a lot as well, including Kennnedy Space Center. Once you’ve arrived, you can either rent a car , or hire a car service to take you to the port on the day of embarkation.

Where to Stay If I Arrive Early

There are so many options here! You can stay in Orlando, and there are several hotels we like in this area. If you want to arrive a few days prior to your cruise and visit the theme parks – Disney or Universal, you can stay at one of the park-affiliated hotels. If visiting Disney, and staying in one of the affiliated hotels, you will get complimentary transportation to and from the resort and the park.

Hotel Options for Pre/Post MSC Seaside Cruise Stay for Disney World

I don’t know about you, but I hate having to pay for parking….especially at theme parks! So whenever we visit Disney or Universal, we try to stay at one of the theme park recommended hotels that offer shuttle service.

The Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is located within the Disney World Resort and provides FREE theme park transfer service, making it one of our top choices for a theme park resort stay. Another plus is that it is connected to the Disney Springs dining and entertainment complex, which is one of my favorite places to visit.

The guest rooms have flat-screen TVs, small refrigerators (a nice perk!) and good bed linens. It is part of the Hilton brand, so if you are a frequent traveler and part of their reward program, you may get better pricing and/or perks. Amenities include on-site parking, breakfast, two pools, 4 restaurants, wifi throughout, fitness center, bar, and a golf course nearby.

The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek is another hotel within the Disney resort group, and offers a FREE shuttle to the Disney parks. This hotel offers five swimming pools, they are pet friendly (Zach loves staying at the Wyndham!), two restaurants, and a spa. Perched on Lake Buena Vista with gorgeous tropical foliage, this hotel is amazing!

The rooms have flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations, refrigerators, robes and spa amenities in each room. The spa is perfect for getting relaxed from all the park activities before you leave for your cruise. It offers both inside and outside treatment rooms, and a nail salon. There is also a fitness room and lagoon style resort pool. We’ve stayed at the Wyndham, though it has been several years, and one of our top reasons for choosing this hotel is that they are pet friendly, IF you are not visiting prior to a cruise departure, you’ll be really pleased with the dog-friendly option .

Hotel Options for Pre/Post MSC Seaside Cruise Stay for Universal Orlando

At Cabana Bay Resort not only do you get COMPLIMENTARY shuttle service to the parks, you also get EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter & Volcano Bay water park an hour before the park officially opens, making this resort one of the best choices for a pre-cruise stay. All the rooms at the resort feature flat-screen TVs, and other amenities include on-site parking, six restaurants, two pools, coffee shop (I love hotels and resorts that offer this – I don’t function without my early morning cup of coffee!) and wifi throughout the resort.

10 Quick Facts About the MSC Seaside

• The Seaside debuted in 2017, and was considered the 14th largest ship in the world
• The Yacht Club provides more than other ship’s VIP sections. On the Seaside, the exclusive Yacht Club area is extremely large, covering 5 decks! In addition to the perks listed above, the private Yacht Club offers a themed restaurant, private theater, private pool and a private bowling alley!
• The ship does not offer a quantity of dining experiences; however they are laser focused on the quality of the food that they serve.
• The entertainment is high quality; one of the things we love about this ship is that the shows were all broadway quality.
• There are nine bars and lounges onboard the Seaside, so there are plenty of options for sipping.
• There are four pool, four water slides, three hot tubs.
• The spa is phenomenal, and I loved the hydro therapy pool and heated ceramic beds
• MSC puts a high priority on kids , so there are kids clubs for all ages, including teens, and a fun waterpark that will keep them entertained.
• Dress onboard is casual during the day and business casual in the evenings.
• They designed the ship for maximum passenger flow, meaning that there are shorter wait times for the elevators, even during the high traffic times.

What To Not to Take on a Cruise

First time cruisers, and even some seasoned travelers struggle with what to take on a cruise. Here is a list of things you don’t need to take on your MSC cruise:

• Coffee maker/electric kettle
• Beach towels
• Candles / Incense
• Expensive jewelry
• Too many clothes/shoes
• Power strip / Extension cord

What should you bring with you on your cruise:

• A lanyard to keep your cruise card
• Backpack / Beach bag
• Cash for tips (PRO TIP: Prepay for your gratuities)
• Cross body purse (women)
• Waterproof phone case
• Rain poncho

Cruising on MSC Seaside – What to Know & How to Plan

We were pleasantly surprised by our MSC cruise , especially the cost to value. MSC is a relative newcomer to the North American cruising market, having entered into the US market in 2017. It has undergone many changes during this time, and now, in my humble opinion, with the options it brings it is quickly becoming a major competitor for Carnival, Royal Caribbean and even Celebrity.

Prior to my booking our MSC cruise on the Seaside , I did extensive research, reading countless reviews across a myriad number of publications. The reviews were mixed, but there was one strand running through them all – MSC has a few quirks and snags that are still being worked through in the North American market. That said, in our experience, having taken two MSC cruises in 2023 they are working out their quirks.

The booking process is a multi-step and multi-stage process. First you choose where you want to cruise to; then your departure port option(s); in the US these departure ports are New York, Miami, Port Canaveral (Orlando), and debuting in 2025 will be Galveston. Once you choose your departure port, then you will choose your departure date, a selection of all the ports that encompass the destination will show, click on the port you want, and then a selection of dates will show, along with the length of the cruise, and the beginning price, along with the ship.

The next stage is to select the cruise you want, with the itinerary you want. Once you do that, a screen pops up that reads “Choose Your Cruise Offer.” We choose the Best Value because it includes a drink package, and it is still quite affordable. Once you’ve chosen your cruise offer, the window brings you the total cost of the cruise, without any upgrades. When you click “Next” you’ll be taken to a screen that reads “Select Your Stateroom Category.”

Choose your category, you’ll see the new total for the cruise, click “Next.” Now you choose your cruise experience – Bella, Fantastic, or Aurea. We prefer the Aurea experience, because of some of the perks like Anytime Dining that are included. Then you get to choose your stateroom (in both the Bella and Fantasia experiences, you will be assigned a stateroom). Finally the last few steps involve inputting your personal information, and voilá you’ve booked your cruise! The booking process is not hard nor complicated, but there are a lot of steps to the final “I’ve booked my cruise stage.”

Bella, Fantastica and Aurea Experiences : What are the Differences & Perks

MSC’s cabins are attached to bookable “experiences,” which are Bella, Fantastica, Aurea and MSC Yacht Club. Each of these experiences offers a list of amenities and multiple cabin types.

The Bella Experience is the most basic of all and includes all the standard amenities, including line-branded toiletries, free buffet and main dining room meals, and most entertainment. Fantastica adds a few perks, such as free breakfast delivery to the cabin and the chance to request preferred dinner sitting in the main dining room.

Passengers who book the MSC Seaside Aurea Experience will get the most spacious cabins, along with privileges such as priority embarkation and disembarkation; prosecco and chocolate on arrival; free 24-hour room service, and free access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, anytime dining, and other perks.

The MSC Yacht Club is the highest cabin category, and it really is an all-inclusive luxury experience! This experience offers access to the accommodations via key card. The experience also includes dining in a private restaurant just for the Yacht Club, a private sundeck and pool, and an exclusive lounge with food and drinks, 24-hour butler service, free access to the spa’s thermal suite, and luggage packing/unpacking services.

Now that your cruise day is finally here, and you are set to depart, so what can you expect onboard your MSC Seaside cruise?

MSC Seaside Cabins

The standard cabin sizes on the MSC Seaside are, by industry standards, average. They all have two twin beds that can be pushed together for a king. Every cabin includes a couch, small nightstands, hair dryer, desk with chair, and a minibar (you will pay for these items), a spacious closet with sliding doors, flat-screen TV that is interactive with the MSC for Me app, on-demand movies (again for a fee), news channels, and cruise information channel.

The lights are turned on with your cruise card, and near the door are two switches to let your cabin steward know the room needed to be made up – this was confusing, because the lights are outside your door in the hall, so we had to double check we had hit the correct button.

A major plus for us was the number of outlets, including USB outlets. We each had six individual electronics – our phones, smart watches, and kindles, and we were able to plug all of them in.

The bathrooms are small compared to other cruise lines that we cruised on. The counter area is small, but there is a lot of shelf space. The toiletries are shampoo and shower gel. We were disappointed there was no body lotion; especially on a Bahamas cruise where you want the lotion after a day in the ocean.

Interior:  MSC Seaside interior cabins come in two different categories – Deluxe and Premium. All sleep up to five guests and range from 151 to 301 square feet. Instead of a sofa, these rooms have a chair.

Ocean View:  The ship’s outside cabins are all located on Deck 5 and come in at 183 square feet each.

Balcony:  Non-suite balcony staterooms on MSC Seaside range in size between 172 and 183 square feet (not including balconies). Deluxe balcony cabins have a 54-square-foot balcony with two upright chairs and a small drinks table; Deluxe Balcony Aurea rooms are all on Deck 9 and feature 97-square-foot balconies, two loungers, and a chair and table. Some cabins in this category also have showers with bathtubs.

Junior Suite:  These units offer 183 square feet of indoor space plus a 172-square-foot balcony that has two loungers and a drinks table. Junior Suites can only be booked with the Aurea experience.

Deluxe Suite Aurea:  Located on decks 9 to 15, these entry-level suites offer 215 square feet of indoor space, plus 86 square feet of outdoor space.

Premium Suite Aurea:  The most basic Premium Suite on MSC Seaside comes in between 280 and 344 square feet and features large balconies ranging in size from 97 to 151 square feet. Units with terraces are slightly larger at 301 square feet; the highlight is the massive 409-square-foot outdoor space.

Premium Suites with private on-balcony whirlpools are 301 square feet apiece. In addition to large balconies (75 square feet) with upright seating and a small drinks table, they also include a sitting area with sofa, a small glass table and a walk-in closet.

Grand Suites:  They range from 377 to 527 square feet with up to 183-square-foot balconies that hold several upright chairs and a couple of drinks tables. Each also offers an indoor dining table with chairs, a sofa and small glass table, and a walk-in closet.

These suites feature either one or two bedrooms, plus two bathrooms, including one with a tub.

Dining Onboard the Seaside

There are two main dining rooms on MSC’s Seaside, Seashore and Ipanema, and they are identical. You will be assigned to one of these two dining rooms. If you book in the Aurea experience, then you will be assigned a dining room, but you can dine anytime at the assigned restaurant during the open hours. Our first night onboard we were seated in a very private and intimate table by a window, and that is where we dined each evening. It was pleasant, and we felt as if we were on a date every night! You were not rushed to finish dinner, so we lingered and savored our meals and wine.

The food was tasty and well prepared, however the menu is not large. If red meat is not on the menu and you would like a steak, they will offer it, but it will be with an uncharge for the Linz heritage beef. The portions were not large, which appealed to Jim and I as we don’t like large portions, we prefer to order an appetizer, a salad or soup, our entree, and finish with dessert. The waitstaff was always smiling, pleasant and knowledgeable about the dishes.

The other dining venues on the Seaside included two buffet options, The Marketplace Buffet on Deck 8 (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and the Biscayne Bay Buffet on Deck 16 (open for Breakfast & lunch), and both offer almost the same cuisine. We found that Biscayne Bay was noisy, because of so many families. We preferred the Marketplace. One standout item that MSC does well is their pizza. It is, in my opinion, the very best pizza I have eaten on any ship. Do not miss trying this stellar dish!

MSC does offer four speciality restaurants, the Asian Market, Ocean Cay, Butcher’s Cut, and Venichi 1878; however we opted out of these. We find speciality restaurants can be a niche change up on a longer cruise, but for a short 3 night Bahamas cruise, we did not try them.

Overall I believe that MSC is a great value for the money, and a cruise line that is a good choice for families. We’ve taken two cruises on MSC, one for my husband and I and one with our family. Both cruises were fun, relaxing, and best of all, a good value for the money.

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