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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!

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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MSC CRUISES ELEVATES ITS EXCLUSIVE MSC YACHT CLUB OFFERING ON BOARD NEWEST SHIPS

Msc seashore to feature the largest and most luxurious yacht club in the msc cruises fleet, with more outdoor space as well as new luxurious owner’s suites msc virtuosa to offer an enhanced vip experience to msc yacht club guests.

Geneva, Switzerland (March 10, 2021) — With each new ship, MSC Cruises strives to enrich the guest experience, and with the Company’s two newest ships — MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore — MSC Cruises will elevate the exclusive MSC Yacht Club . As extended versions of their sister ships, both ships’ designs have allowed for the expansion of the MSC Yacht Club to include more public space and increased outdoor space. MSC Seashore in particular will feature the largest MSC Yacht Club to-date with approximately 32,000 sq. ft. of private space.

“The MSC Yacht Club has become a compelling and unique offering from MSC Cruises, and we continue to see a positive response from our guests who appreciate having an exclusive, luxurious escape while accessing all of the amenities and entertainment of a larger ship,” says Rubén Rodriguez, President of MSC Cruises USA. “For our guests in North America in particular, MSC Seashore’s arrival this November sets an exciting milestone as we not only introduce our newest ship to the region, but also our most spacious MSC Yacht Club yet.”

MSC YACHT CLUB OVERVIEW

First launched in 2008 and now available on more than half of the MSC Cruises fleet, the “ship-within-a-ship” MSC Yacht Club concept immediately set a new standard for the industry offering a premium cruise experience. Designed to make guests feel like a VIP, the all-inclusive experience is fully personalized with 24-hour butler service to get to know each guest’s personal preferences with warm, friendly and unobtrusive service. Meanwhile, the dedicated concierge is on hand to facilitate any request from organizing private shore excursions and making spa reservations to delivering a daily newspaper to the guest’s stateroom. No request is too big or too small.

Available only by key-card access, the MSC Yacht Club has been appointed with elegant touches to create its stylish backdrop. The sparkling Swarovski staircases greet guests in the atrium, instantly setting the tone for the sophistication and glamour that can be expected throughout, particularly in the spacious and beautifully designed suites.

The MSC Yacht Club is situated at the front of the ship, boasting panoramic sea views throughout, most notably from the chic Top Sail Lounge, where guests can listen to live music, sip complimentary beverages or enjoy gourmet canapés throughout the day and evening, all with a view. Meanwhile, the private fine-dining restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a different daily a la carte menu featuring chef’s specials and a wide choice of gourmet dishes complemented by an extensive wine list served in sublime surroundings with impeccable service.

The private sundeck and pool is spacious with different areas to relax in the sun on a comfortable lounge chair, unwind in a shady cabana or take a break in a hot tub. At the well-stocked bar and grill, guests can refresh with a cocktail or light bite throughout the day.

THE MSC YACHT CLUB ON NEW SHIPS & EXCLUSIVE DESTINATIONS   Introducing the largest and most luxurious MSC Yacht Club in the fleet on board MSC Seashore

Spread over four decks, the MSC Yacht Club on MSC Seashore has been enhanced to become the largest, most luxurious in MSC Cruises’ fleet, with approximately 32,000 sq. ft. of private space.

• The entrance to the Yacht Club will be even more remarkable and glamorous, featuring a three-deck, 495 sq. ft. back-lit Onyx wall and MSC Cruises’ iconic Swarovski staircases, beautifully connecting four decks at the entrance of the Yacht Club.
• The private pool area and sun deck is more spacious than ever, extended to over 21,000 sq. ft. and offering a larger private pool and a new panoramic hot tub with eight seats and individual jets, plus a standard hot tub.
• Guests will be able to choose from 131 glamorous suites with five different types, including the traditional interior, deluxe and royal suites as well as 41 newly introduced deluxe grand suites, with extra space and a walk-in closet, plus two brand new Owner’s Suites.
• The Owner’s Suites are the showpiece of the MSC Yacht Club — the largest suites on the ship with 1,054 sq. ft. of space — with an extended private balcony including a hot tub and outdoor living area, a panoramic glass wall for impressive sea views as well as a separate dining and living room area.

Enhancing the MSC Yacht Club VIP experience on board MSC Virtuosa

• Guests have a choice of 103 exclusive suites including two MSC Yacht Club Royal Suites with a private hot tub on a large balcony as well as eight new MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suites.
• The impressive Duplex Suites span two decks — the first has an open living and dining area with a sofa that converts to a double bed, as well as a bathroom with a shower, while the second level holds the master bedroom and a bathroom with a bathtub. For the ultimate in luxurious living, each Duplex Suite offers a large private balcony with its own hot tub. 
• The MSC Yacht Club on MSC Virtuosa offers over 13,000 sq. ft. of outdoor space including a private pool area with a spacious solarium, shady cabanas and hot tubs.

Extending the MSC Yacht Club experience to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve

MSC Yacht Club guests cruising in The Bahamas are able to not only relish their experience on board, but also on MSC Cruises’ private Bahamian destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve . On the island, Yacht Club guests have access to an exclusive area, complete with butler service, a private beach and clubhouse and all-inclusive food and beverages in addition to everything Ocean Cay has to offer.

Surrounded by 64 square miles of marine reserve, Ocean Cay offers guests a unique opportunity to enjoy the island’s natural beauty, discover local marine life and soak up the spirit of Bahamian culture. With ships frequently docked at the island from early morning into the evening — and in many instances overnight — MSC Cruises’ guests can spend a full day enjoying two miles of pristine, white sand beaches and a variety of ocean discovery activities including stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, thrilling wave runner rides and more.

All MSC Cruises ships sailing from the U.S. call at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, including MSC Meraviglia , MSC Armonia, MSC Divina and MSC Seashore , arriving to Miami for the first time in November 2021.

MSC YACHT CLUB BENEFITS

An all-inclusive experience with added privileges:

• Dedicated priority check-in and check-out as well as priority departure and return on excursion days.
• 24-hour butler service and dedicated concierge, providing for an experience tailored to each individual guest’s needs.
• Unlimited dining and drinks within the Yacht Club.
• Inclusion of the Browse Internet package with unlimited data for two devices.
• Complimentary access to the Thermal Suite in the MSC Aurea Spa.
• Tailormade experiences from shopping to excursions.
• Nespresso coffee machine in each suite and complimentary mini bar, personalized with each guests’ preferences.
• Room service so that guests can enjoy a lazy morning with breakfast in bed.
• Personal touches such as a luggage unpacking and packing service, newspaper delivered to the stateroom daily and special deliveries at turn down each evening, like a different selection of sweet or savory canapés.

Exquisite private facilities:

• A dedicated area of the ship accessible only to MSC Yacht Club guests.
• Between 70 and 103 suites at a premier location, featuring a pillow menu, Egyptian cotton sheets and memory-foam mattresses for the most comfortable night’s sleep.
• The panoramic Top Sail Lounge with bar, afternoon tea service, light bites available day and night and live entertainment in the evening.
• Gourmet dining at a private restaurant, with a la carte menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where guests can dine at the time of their choosing.
• A spacious pool deck with hot tubs, sunbathing areas and an outdoor bar with sea views across the bow of the ship.

The MSC Yacht Club is available on all Fantasia, Meraviglia, and Seaside class ships.

To find out more about the MSC Yacht Club offering visit here .

To find out more about MSC Seashore visit  here .

#MSCSeashore

To find out more about MSC Virtuosa visit  here .

#MSCVirtuosa #MasterpieceAtSea

About MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Gulf region and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises one of the two brands that sit within the Cruises Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises — the contemporary brand — has a modern fleet of 18 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025 with options for six vessel orders in place through 2030.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programs and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships please see here .

The Company’s number one priority has always been the health and safety of its guests and crew, as well as the communities at the destinations its ships serve.  In August 2020, MSC Cruises implemented a new comprehensive and robust health and safety protocol to become the first major line to return to sea. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ health & safety protocol please see here .

MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve zero emissions for its operations. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment please see here . 

Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments please see here .

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MSC Cruises

How MSC’s private island experience is different for cruisers in suites

Do you enjoy large cruise ships but still want to feel like you're in the lap of luxury? Passengers booked in MSC Cruises' Yacht Club cabins and suites have access to high-end amenities – both on the ship and off.

Butlers, exclusive dining and a private pool delight guests on board, but perks also await on MSC 's private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve , in the Bahamas. You can expect dedicated trams, towel service and a chance to book the nicest cabanas on the island, among other extras.

Read on to find out how the MSC Yacht Club Ocean Cay experience differs from that of the average cruiser.

MSC Ocean Cay Yacht Club beaches vs. regular beaches

MSC's Ocean Cay Marine Reserve private island is home to seven (soon to be eight) beaches, and all are public, except one — Ocean House Beach, which is the Yacht Club's exclusive swath of sand. Beyond its exclusivity, the beach has a few other differences from the island's regular beaches.

There, use of lounge chairs and umbrellas is free. Chairs at the other beaches are also free and available on a first-come, first-served basis; however, umbrellas come with an extra cost.

Passengers must sign out towels on board the ship before heading ashore to Ocean Cay's main beaches. Yacht Club passengers can skip that hassle and ask for towels at the towel tent found on Ocean House Beach.

Interestingly, I found that several of the public beaches were less crowded than Ocean House Beach. At the latter, chairs were positioned much more closely to one another. If you're willing to walk or hitch a ride on one of the island's trams, you'll find fewer crowds on the farther beaches than if you stick close to the ship.

MSC Ocean Cay Yacht Club food vs. regular dining

Free lunch is included for all cruisers who visit Ocean Cay. For Yacht Club travelers, the Ocean House Restaurant — an exclusive waiter-served dining venue where passengers enjoy their meals on a shaded porch — exudes upscale beach vibes.

During my visit, the menu included starters like crab ceviche, charred octopus and a salad with romaine, tomatoes, jicama, a poached egg and candied bacon in a citrus dressing. Mains featured locally sourced blackened mahi-mahi, lobster roll, carne asada, a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich and one of the best burgers I've ever tasted during a cruise — a blend of Angus chuck, short ribs and grilled brisket with red onion jam and Monterey Jack cheese. Desserts consisted of creme caramel, mango cheesecake and chocolate cake with coffee sauce.

The meals at Ocean House are definitely superior to the fare found at the Seakers buffet, which is where cruisers not staying in the Yacht Club can go for a beach barbecue that serves hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, macaroni and cheese, red beans, roasted potatoes and a slew of salads, drinks and desserts.

The food is tasty, but lines can be long. An alternative is to head to one of several food trucks throughout the island. Some are free and dole out the same items offered on the buffet but with shorter lines. Others sell entirely different menu items — lobster grilled cheese, fried calamari, shrimp with watermelon, Caribbean ceviche and octopus salad — with the cost charged to cruisers' onboard accounts.

Additionally — and also for an extra fee — a stand near the ship offers specialty coffee and ice cream. (If you're a coffee lover, trust me when I say you won't want to miss the Coco-Nilla Latte.)

MSC Ocean Cay Yacht Club cabanas vs. regular cabanas

There are three types of cabanas on Ocean Cay: Ocean Cay Beach Cabanas, Ocean View Yacht Club Cabanas and Beachfront Yacht Club Cabanas. All three types are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

They can hold up to six people each and include cold water, beach towels and chairs, as well as floating mats for use in the water. As the prices increase, so does the number of inclusions. The last two types are only available for booking by Yacht Club passengers.

Ocean Cay Beach Cabanas, found on South Beach, North Beach and Bimini Beach, are the most affordable on the island at $250 for the day. They've got walls on three sides, and they're outfitted with cushioned couches. They include the basic amenities mentioned above, and anyone can rent them.

Next up are the Ocean View Yacht Club Cabanas, which cost $400 for the day and also entitle you to free lunch and drinks, as well as fresh fruit skewers, four sets of snorkel gear and four floating mats. They're found on the Yacht Club's private Ocean House Beach, so they're off-limits to non-Yacht Club guests.

The most expensive, however, are the Beachfront Yacht Club Cabanas, located in a different section of the Ocean House area. They carry a $450 price tag but offer all the same extras as Ocean View Yacht Club Cabanas.

The draw? They're closer to the water and, therefore, have better views. Although they aren't on the main part of Ocean House Beach, they are still in the exclusive area, near the restaurant, so you don't have to go far to grab food.

Ultimately, the only thing being in the Yacht Club affords you in this case is the option to book more expensive cabanas.

MSC Ocean Cay Yacht Club trams vs. regular trams

At 95 acres, Ocean Cay is sizable. If you're fit, you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes, but if you don't have great mobility or if you're easily overheated, reaching some of the island's more remote beaches can be difficult on foot. That's why MSC offers tram shuttles.

Passengers in standard cabins will find tram stops with shaded waiting areas throughout the island. However, waits can be long, especially if many other people are also in need of a lift.

Yacht Club cruisers can take advantage of trams exclusively for the Yacht Club. They run between a special tent (with free cold water to sip while you wait) set up just inside the entrance to Ocean Cay and the Ocean House beach and restaurant area.

You can make special requests for stops, which the regular trams usually won't accommodate. For example, you might ask to go straight from the tent to South Beach for a volleyball game without stopping anywhere else first.

MSC Ocean Cay Yacht Club activities vs. regular activities

This is the one category where the island's public spaces beat the Ocean House area by a mile. If you're looking for something to do other than eating, drinking or lazing by the beach, you'll have to head back toward the ship because there's not much going on in the exclusive areas.

Everything from massages, lighthouse tours and water sports equipment rentals to beach parties, volleyball games and shore excursions takes place elsewhere. However, perhaps that's by design. The Yacht Club is generally quiet, even on board, and the line likely prefers to keep the raucousness to other locations.

Bottom line

The MSC Yacht Club experience is more exclusive than the standard one at Ocean Cay, with extras like butler service, dedicated trams, towel service, access to pricier cabanas and a private beach and restaurant with better food and shorter waits.

However, all of the action — shore excursions, pickup volleyball games, beach parties, the lighthouse show — happens in the areas that are accessible to everyone, which significantly levels the playing field.

Additionally, items like specialty coffee, ice cream and for-fee food truck orders cost extra for everyone — even Yacht Club passengers.

Overall, Ocean Cay offers a great day for anyone who enjoys the beach, regardless of cabin type.

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

The MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club Experience Review

Doug Parker

• February 3, 2024

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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This Cruise Life

Msc yacht club 2024 on board msc meraviglia.

To say we were pampered is the understatement of the year (although, considering it’s only January, fingers crossed there’s more pampering ahead)! We had the opportunity to sail MSC Meraviglia out of New York earlier this month; we were excited to check out the new-to-us cruise line. But what we didn’t expect: an upgrade to MSC’s exclusive Yacht Club!

What is the Yacht Club?

The Yacht Club is MSC’s “ship within a ship” concept that promises both privacy and exclusivity. The experience includes amenities most could only dream about: white-glove butler service, 24×7 concierge, an exclusive restaurant on the ship and on MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, unlimited drinks anywhere on the ship, a private pool, hot tub, lounge deck, and so much more.

Upgrade Offer

In early December, just over a month from our sailing date, we received an email inviting us to bid on an upgrade . We were already in a balcony cabin, so it seemed odd bidding on an interior cabin – but that’s just what we did! We maxed out our bid on an interior Yacht Club stateroom in hopes that the upgrade fairies would grant our wish.

On December 13, 2023, that’s exactly what happened!

Thank you Twitterverse!!! You made our MSC Yacht Club dreams come true. Our upgrade was accepted this morning. Full review of the MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite and experience coming January! 💙💙💙 #thankyou #msc #yachtclub pic.twitter.com/ZNDRZcfKKH — This Cruise Life (@thiscruiselife) December 13, 2023

Yacht Club Check-In

Fast-forward a month to January 9, 2024 when we checked in to board MSC Meraviglia. Again, to say this check-in process was different would be a huge understatement. Unlike your typical check-in with long queues, growling stomachs, and throngs of people, we waited in our own lounge with champagne and canapés away from the crowds. We made sure to document the entire experience so that we could share it with you:

First Impressions

So what is it like to sail on a ship within a ship? Is the Butler actually a real person, or is it just a glorified room steward? And what exactly is a canapé? The first 24 hours on board was a whirlwind. There were so many new experiences – and so much food! Considering this was our first-ever MSC cruise, it was a GREAT first impression! You can check out our detailed review of that first 24 hours, along with what we thought about MSC Meraviglia:

Full Review to Come!

Now that we’re back on solid ground, we’re working on our full review of our 9-day sailing on board MSC Meraviglia in the Yacht Club. We’re going to cover the things that we loved, didn’t love, and a couple things that we hated about the ship and experience.

As always, thanks for joining this cruise life of ours and following our adventures! -Mark and Rocky

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• MSC Cruises

MSC Seaside Yacht Club - my honest review

By 2cruiseluvrs , October 21, 2018 in MSC Cruises

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2cruiseluvrs

For our experience, my wife and I chose the Yacht Club level of stateroom, and our three children joined us. Other staterooms available include inside (no windows), ocean view (window), balcony, and balcony suite. Some rooms hold two guests, while other rooms can hold 5-6.

MSC Seaside was launched in December 2017 and quickly received a number of bad reviews. This is the case with nearly every new cruise ship. In fact, many passengers will intentionally book the first sailings, with hopes of finding problems, bad service from a brand new crew, and they are looking for opportunities to complain… thus trying to earn freebies, discounts and other favors.

We found very little to complain about. In fact, our experience was “five stars” or “diamond” in virtually every aspect of the s  hip. We’ve been on 7 cruises on 7 different ships from 5 different companies.

YACHT CLUB ENTRY & SECURITY

The Yacht Club "welcome / entry" consists of 3 white pop-up tents and a couple of folding tables.

At 10:30 a.m. three staff members arrived at the tents, checked us in, provided luggage tags, took our bags, and showed us into the indoor waiting area. Being priority guests, we did not have to stand in the long er waiting lines. Instead, we were taken into a priority queue, and had to wait until security staff were ready, around 11:00 a.m.

YACHT CLUB RECEPTION

Getting through security / metal detectors was easy. Our Yacht Club guide gathered us and took us through the main waiting area (zero waiting) and directly into the Yacht Club gathering space. We quickly met with a clerk who took our boarding tickets and passports. She took our photos. Then we sat down to enjoy a variety of pastries, donuts, chocolates, fruit, orange juice and champagne… as much as we wanted. When our ship cards were ready, the clerk gave them to us, along with our Yacht Club wristbands which also act as an on-board ship card.

BOARDING SEASIDE

At 11:45, guests who already had ship cards were invited to leave the waiting room and board the ship. We were guided by a butler into the ship and to an elevator which took us straight to floor 16. He was wearing a tuxedo, white gloves, and carried a paddle sign that said "Yacht Club." Exiting the elevator, we were welcomed through the Yacht Club doors, and guided to the Yacht Club lounge. We could not believe how quickly we boarded Seaside!

INTRODUCTION TO THE LOUNGE

Inside the Yacht Club lounge, we were greeted by a waiter who asked us what time we like to eat dinner, and if we would be celebrating any special birthdays, etc. We sat down on the comfortable velvet couches and were offered our choice of beverage. There was also a small “buffet” of fancy snacks, sandwiches, and mini pastries. All for the taking.

GOING TO OUR STATEROOM

We were invited to visit our room, which accommodated 5 people. The Yacht Club offers a few different sizes of suites, from inside staterooms to extra large luxury suites with huge balconies and jacuzzi tubs. Our room was something in the middle. It was the largest stateroom we’ve ever stayed in (going on 7 cruises now).

It had the largest bathroom we’ve experienced on any cruise ship. It had the biggest shower. Wand spray and ceiling spray. The hot water came quick and had great pressure. The toilet sitting area was large, and the sink was big. There was tons of shelf storage for hygiene items. And we found plenty of towel rods and hooks to hang our items. The bathroom was a delight.

STORAGE AND BEDS

The stateroom had two closets and numerous drawers for storage of both large and small items. The room is “divided” into two areas: master bedroom and sitting room. The “divider” is really just a bookshelf that is less than half the width of the room. The memory foam master bed was at least queen size and had 4 great pillows. The sofa bed was large, enough for two adults. And a third bed dropped down from the ceiling, with access via ladder; perfect for a child or young teen.

FRUIT & MINI BAR FRIDGE

There was a bowl of fruit that was advertised as “fresh fruit.” But the bananas, apples and pears unfortunately looked like they had been on a number of cruises before we arrived! So really they were more of a prop.

The mini bar was stocked with a variety of sodas, juice, beers, vodka, gin and whisky. It also had pringles, chocolate covered nuts, and other snacks. All of that was free for the taking. As much as you want. They will just fill it back up!

The flat panel television was at least 50” and looked great on the wall. It offered video on demand, access to your stateroom account details, and a huge variety of television channels mostly from the United States, but also featured stations from Germany, France, Italy and so on.

BALCONY & DRAPERIES

The balcony door unlocked and opened easily. It felt very secure. The huge balcony offered three chairs and an ottoman, all commercial quality with a “wicker” netting. The railing was high enough that our three-year-old could not possibly fall overboard, even if she was to stand up on a chair or the foot stool.

The shade that covers the door was great. It had an internal blackout layer and an external decor layer. When closed, the room was pitch black. However, they were not so easy to open and close.

LIGHTING, ELECTRIC, TEMPERATURE

To keep the lights on in the room, one guest’s ship card must be in the door slot. If there’s no card, the lights will auto-off in a few minutes, to conserve power. By the way, there were at least 7 light switches for the room: main entry, bathroom, reading light and ambiance light on both sides of the bed, sofa area, desk area, and balcony lighting.

On the desk area, below the TV, there were two United States electric outlets, two European outlets, and two USB-A power outlets. We brought our own extension cord that offered three extra outlets.

The stateroom had two thermostats: one for the master, and one for the sofa area. The room temperature was preset and was very comfortable. Even when we opened the door to have hot air rush in, the room cooled down quickly.

The Yacht Club room decor is great, and seems to be a step above the decor of the other room categories on board, if you just look at other cruisers' photos.

OTHER YACHT CLUB AREAS

But the gorgeous, comfortable and large stateroom is really just the beginning of the Yacht Club experience. There’s the Yacht Club Lounge, Restaurant, Bathrooms, Elevators, Concierge, Butlers, Viewing Deck, The One Pool, Hot Tubs, Sunning Deck, Bar, Buffet and full access to the Aurea Top 19 and Thermal Areas.

As much as you could easily blow off the existence of a “living room,” we found ourselves investing an incredible amount of time enjoying the experience of the Yacht Club Lounge. Getting to it is easy; it’s just a short skip down the hall. When you enter, you are seen by at least one waiter and immediately greeted with a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon,” etc. They may also know your surname and use it. As a guest you could easily just sit down in one of many seats or sofas, or you could walk straight to the bar and request a drink, then take a seat to enjoy the view, read a book, talk with a guest, or anything else you want to do. The waiter brings your drink quickly. There is no receipt. No asking your room number. No nothing. Just your drink and “is there anything else that I can get for you?” and a smile.

In the Lounge, you get up and sit down and get this and ask for that, truly just whatever you want. Imagine living in a gorgeous home that’s fully stocked with your favorite snacks and drinks, and they’re all yours for the asking. Imagine being able to wear whatever you want and just do whatever you want in your own living room. Use your laptop, play a board game, read a book, sleep, talk, look at the ocean, talk to the staff. WHATEVER. It’s your room and it’s your safe space. Your happy place. Finish your drink? Ask for another, or switch it up. They take your empty and bring your new. Hungry? Grab something from the mini buffet, or ask for a special item. They will go and get it for you. Used dishes don’t sit for long. The Lounge is kept clean by staff. It is open from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. So party on, my friend. In my opinion, this room alone is worth the price of admission.

In the evening at the lounge, there were a variety of musicians and they were all very good. A female duo played piano and violin. A male performer played harmonica, guitar and sang. Another male played piano and sang. All performances were mellow and subtle and never in your face. Twice I made song requests and both times they were provided, in their own special way. I loved it. For the record, the songs were “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin and “Need You Tonight” by INXS.

During the week, I visited the Lounge probably a hundred times. Sometimes I was intentionally alone. Sometimes I walked up to a complete stranger and was looking for a nice conversation. Other times our family sat next to another family to share our experience of the ship. While the Yacht Club is the most luxurious and “executive” area of the ship, it was never stuffy in any way. In fact, I dare say it was much more laid back than other public parts of the ship. I didn’t hear CEOs talking about return on investment. I didn’t hear about the best golf courses in the world or the best wine in France. Instead, I met Brent, a guy my age who is a university 4H instructor in the Carolinas. I never met his wife and daughter who apparently were both shy and spent much of their time in their stateroom. I met Steven, a father of two kids, Austin and Katia, from Georgia. I met Bob and Tish, a senior couple who shared their heroic story of simply getting to the ship on time. And one night I drank with Bob as he talked about his Acura Repair business. The Lounge staff gently reminded us it was time to go when they turned the lights to 100% at 1:30 a.m.

VIEWING DECK

There are two automatic doors that lead from the Lounge to the viewing deck. The deck is just as wide as the Captain’s bridge, extending further past both sides of the ship, further than any other spot of the ship, providing the single best full-ship side-view that is possible on board Seaside.

On the deck there are padded lounge chairs, padded benches and tables. Very few people visited the deck, so being there was like owning the ship, kind of having it all to yourself.

There is a Swarovski Crystal staircase that leads up to the Yacht Club Restaurant. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, you are greeted by the very fun and friendly Giuseppe, the Maitre’d. “Bon Giorno” he announces happily, in a used-car-salesman-meets-italian-actor-but-nice kind of way. He walks fast, cracks cute jokes, is very personal, and is active in managing his restaurant. By no means does he sit back and watch. Instead, he goes out of his way to make sure the staff is on point. Once we watched him vacuuming crumbs from the floor. He was not afraid of elbow grease.

Like any good cruise ship restaurant, the staff gets to know your wants and needs. For example, one time I entered the restaurant and was craving blue cheese. They promptly provided it. And every day afterward they brought a plate of cheese as we sat at the table!

At dinner, the waiter offered a choice of bread from the basket. They brought two and three kinds of butter. They took orders for wines and soft drinks, coffees, and liqueurs, and brought all quickly.

Our chosen appetizers, entrees and desserts were provided quickly. Custom orders were created perfectly. For example, I mostly stayed away from starches and breads. One night when the menu included steak, lobster, and fish, I asked for all three to be delivered on the same plate, with no sides included. They delivered exactly what I asked. And when I wanted more to eat, they delivered.

The two negatives of the dining room were that 1) they didn’t seem to listen well to what we wanted for wine. At least twice we asked for one wine, but were later offered another. We corrected them and they fixed it quickly, but for being in Yacht Club, that was kind of annoying. And 2) a pet peeve of mine is that I like dirty dishes to be removed very quickly. Often times, the dishes sat long enough that I had the chance to photograph them and even stack them all up … to make it look obvious that it was time for the dishes to GO.

Typically on cruises we prefer to sit with other couples or families. In the Yacht Club there are two larger tables and the rest are for parties of 2-6. We never sat with another couple or family, but we had enough fun, just the five of us. While many people did sit quietly in their party, there were some tables who were comfortable with their conversations, and even sharing between tables. It never felt stuffy or too proper in the dining room. We’re not fancy people, and we enjoyed it very much. Oh, and on formal night, we didn’t see a single tuxedo. In fact, I think the Yacht Club members take “formal night” a lot less seriously than they do in the public dining rooms. I wore slacks and a button shirt with a jacket the first night. No tie. The second formal night I ditched the jacket, too. Many guys wore khakis or even a really nice pair of jeans on formal night.

For what it’s worth, I think that many first and second time cruises look forward to the glitz and glamour of formal nights. It’s their chance to shine, wine and dine. And that’s fine. Maybe these folks don’t get out often enough. Or who knows? But frequent cruises and especially those with children, I believe, would rather just skip formal nights altogether because it’s sort of a hassle, and it even makes packing for the trip more difficult. On a one-week cruise there are usually two formal nights, and they usually happen on days when the ship is “at sea” all day and did not visit a port / city.

I would not say the Yacht Club restaurant was my favorite part of the Yacht Club experience. But what WAS special about it was 1) we could dine anytime we wish (not on a schedule), 2) it felt intimate but not too small, 3) the maitre’d was always around and the staff was very active. It would be better if 1) children were served (something / anything) VERY fast to calm them down, 2) dirty dishes were whisked away fast, and 3) the live music (coming from the lounge below) was happening all evening and not just in short sets. But these are picky items, I admit.

OUTDOOR BUFFET

You don’t have to eat in the Yacht Club Restaurant or in the Yacht Club Lounge. Of course, you are free to visit any of the buffets on Seaside, pay extra to eat in a specialty restaurant, or you can go to the Poolside Buffet on the Yacht Club Pool Deck. This very exclusive outdoor buffet is on the 19th floor, easily accessible using the Yacht Club Elevator (that only goes from 16-18-19).

The Yacht Club buffet offers a carving station, numerous side dishes, at least two poultry dishes, fish dishes, vegetables, salads and deserts. As much as you want. The food is the proper temperature and the area is never crowded. In fact, you’ll be lucky to bump into one other person at the buffet. There were more staff and bartenders behind the counter than guests in front of the counter! It was here that I discovered my new favorite fish: Grouper. OMG. I ate a lot of it.

OUTDOOR BAR

The bar adjacent to the buffet has every wine, beer and liquor you could want. You just ask and it’s yours. Quickly. Very quickly. Ask for another. And another. Or rattle off a list of drinks that you want for you and your friends. Voila, here it comes. Compare this to a bar in the public area of the ship: the queue takes a long time, you can order only one drink per ship card, and it will take a few minutes to receive. Ugh, no thanks. Back to the Yacht Club!

YACHT CLUB POOL

People go on tropical cruises to be at peace, enjoy the pool, and lay in the sun. But one common problem with cruise ships is the people-to-pool-chairs ratio. It’s often hard to find an open chair, especially if you are with others and need multiple chairs together. Additionally, the common pool areas are loaded with people. Some ships are worse than others. It’s not all bad, I mean, after all, you’re in the caribbean or in mexico, etc!

But the Yacht Club Pool is an entirely different experience. There are far more chairs than there are people. And in my experience there were fewer than 10 people in the water. There was plenty of space to soak, to push back and forth, and chat with other guests. I met two moms, their kids and the grandma. They were all enjoying the shallow water, and were all as pleasant as can be.

Laying on the deck chairs were men and women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. They were tanning, reading, eating, drinking. It wasn’t quiet, thanks to the kids having fun. But it wasn’t loud and obnoxious either. Nobody seemed boring, or annoyed. It was just a nice balance.

Oh, the towels! When you stay in the Yacht Club, your stateroom attendant or butler can provide you with exclusive blue full-size towels, or you can get as many as you need at the Yacht Club Pool, and you can use them anywhere on the ship, or take them onto shore. Yacht Club towels are put onto the poolside chairs. A clean and folded towel on the chair means that you are welcome to take it, and / or sit there. If you take it, it will surely be replaced quickly.

YACHT CLUB HOT TUBS

Walking from the pool and buffet area toward the front of the ship, you’ll pass shaded teak dining tables, more lounge chairs, and enter the forward deck. There are two hot tubs that seem to be intended for adults, though any Yacht Club member can use them. This forward area always seemed to be a little quieter than the pool area. So if you’re looking for quiet, you know where to go.

THERMAL AREA

Cruise ships are famous for selling upgrades, extra food, extra experiences, and merchandise. One common sales pitch is the spa area for massages. But Yacht Club members have complete access to the Thermal Area that is within the Aurea Spa.

To start, grab the Yacht Club robe from inside your Yacht Club stateroom closet. Wear it over your bathing suit. You can bring a Yacht Club towel with you, or you can grab towels from the spa. Put on your Yacht Club slippers and get going.

The Thermal Area is easy to get to. It’s a quick elevator ride down from the Yacht Club to floor 8. Turn the corner and you are there. Don’t worry that you’re wearing a robe and others you see in the hallways are fully dressed. After all, you are on vacation, and the other people are envious of you -- you’re in the Yacht Club -- and clearly you are headed to the spa to relax!

In the spa area, grab an extra towel from reception, or just walk right past it. Since they recognize your Yacht Club robe, and your Yacht Club bracelet, they do not question you for being there.

First, head into the mens and womens dressing rooms. Your bracelet will open a storage locker. Throw your robe, slippers and towel inside, then lock it back up. Take a quick shower, and walk back into the hallway. Open the opposite door to the actual Thermal Area (fully coed) and welcome yourself into heaven on board.

The Thermal Area features EIGHT specialty showers (four enclosed sets of two showers) that have hot and cold water, as well as rain or mist that contains various aroma therapy. You can use them as long as you want, either alone, or with your partner.

There are two dry sauna rooms. They seemed identical in function, though at one point, one of them seemed slightly warmer than the other.

There’s a salt room with 8 lounge chairs. I expected it to be warmer in this room, and I expected to smell salt. But it was neither warm or had aroma. I spent little time in here.

There’s an ice room. It’s small, has two small wooden benches, and it’s cold. There’s literally snow on the decorations and the floor. It is created with a mist coming from a nozzle near the ceiling. Wear some sandals. It’s very cold to the feet.

There’s a water station with two chilled coolers / spouts. They use 8-ounce plastic cups that are always stocked. However, the water was never flavored like they do in fancy hotels. I expected (and wanted) cucumber or lemon or orange or something. But it was plain. It’s very important to stay hydrated between treatments, so drink water and drink often.

Also in the Thermal Area, there is a steam room that is “light” with solid white benches that are illuminated by blue light above. Each of two benches holds about 3-4 guests. When the steam is heavy, you truly cannot see the other guests inside. It’s nice like that! There are four water hoses to cool down and rinse off. One hose is on each end of both benches.

There’s a second steam room that is “dark” with solid black benches. The walls are dark, and it’s equally difficult to see others when the steam is thick. Nice!

There’s a “geyser” room that I never used. It has four stations that shoot water from the floor. The first is cold, the second warm, the third cold, the fourth warm. You are supposed to go through all of them, then exit. The cold was too cold and I could not use it. My preference. Others did use it.

In addition to the lounge chairs in the salt room, there are at least 12 other lounge chairs in the Thermal Area.

There’s also a VERY large jacuzzi. It’s not hot water. It’s warm. It’s bubbly. And the jacuzzi often had 3-6 guests.

Signage with fine print requests guests to wear bathing suits in the Thermal Area, and that’s as specific as it gets. We witnessed guests wearing a wide variety from very little fabric to quite a bit of cloth. Guests were mostly in their 30s and 40s and early 50s. Not too many Thermal Area guests in their 60s or higher, though they are more than welcome.

Take your time. When you are finished, head back into the Dressing Room, shower, dry off, put on your robe, throw the used towel into the basket and enjoy the rest of your day. The Thermal Area is available to guests age 18+. IT’s open from 9A to 9P. They warn you at 8:30 and 8:45 that it will soon close.

How can elevators be fancy? Well, when you are wearing a Yacht Club wristband, you tap a sensor, then push up/down, and wait for the “Priority” lift. Theoretically, when you get into your Priority lift, you again tap your wristband to a sensor while simultaneously pressing your preferred floor. And again, theoretically, you go straight to your floor, without it stopping for others in the same direction. It’s a faster way to get your robe-wearing self from the spa and back to the Yacht Club. In actuality, I could rarely get this "priority" function to work, and usually it stopped for others to get on board. Maybe it was user error. That said, there is an elevator inside of the Yacht Club itself, that takes you between floors 16-19, i.e. from your stateroom on 16 to the YC pool on 19.

When you enter the Yacht Club, you must pass by the Concierge Desk. At this desk, you can ask for any kind of help: info about the rest of the ship, making dinner reservations, fixing your ship card, registering your credit card, scheduling shore excursions, etc.

I asked one concierge, “What’s the most bizarre request you’ve had?” She replied that a Yacht Club guest asked for entry for 15 other guests in other areas of the ship. Apparently there was a confusion with the travel agency. Due to limited capacity and the exclusiveness of the Yacht Club, they had to be denied. Thankfully. Too many people would spoil the atmosphere.

Due to this conversation, I did learn that if space is available, guests can buy a one-day pass to the Yacht Club for $110 per guest per day. That’s well worth it! The space must be based on total Yacht Club capacity versus total Yacht Club guests on board. For example, if the YC can physically hold 200 guests, but only 180 are on board, then 20 passes could be sold per day.

A blog I read said the MSC Divina holds 188 YC members, while Seaside holds 292. That’s very exclusive considering the Seaside full ship capacity is 5429. So on Seaside, the Yacht Club is 5.4% of the guests on board assuming a full sell out. That’s exclusive!

GELATO, CREPES, COFFEE and MORE

Yacht Club members also have free access to unlimited treats around the ship. The authentic and handmade gelato is amazing and there are plenty of flavors to choose from. You can order it in a cup or in a waffle cone. The waffle cones are likely made on board, as is the gelato.

The creps are available at one of the gelato bars. Free. Made just for you. Eat up.

Specialty coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, frappes and other crazy coffee / chocolate drinks are free for YC members. Order and enjoy.

Please note that you CAN board the ship and stay in “Aurea” staterooms that also come with free gelato, crepes, coffees, beer, wine, soft drinks, and well drinks. Aurea packages however do not have Yacht Club access which includes the amazing lounge, restaurant, private pool, buffet, viewing deck, lightning fast boarding and disembarkation, and the only access to the front facing point of the ship.

THE REST OF SEASIDE

Yacht Club members enjoy the exclusivity of many private areas. But they are of course free to enjoy all the other great parts of the ship. During the week, every day, we enjoyed the kids Jungle Pool play area, the awesome theater for evening shows, and ventured throughout the many awesome spaces and places of the ship.

THE 5000 GUESTS

People who have never cruised always hate the idea of being around so many people. Some ships are small with only 2000 guests. Newer mega ships get close to 6000 guests PLUS crew. But here’s the reality. Big ships have lots of space to spread out the people. Except for boarding, disembarking, getting in line for an evening show, and going to the pool on a hot day, it’s never more crowded than being at the mall. People love cruising. The industry has skyrocketed since year 2000 and the newest big ships now cost more than a billion bucks, featuring countless activities on board.

CALORIES & GAINING WEIGHT

When you eat more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. One pound on your body comes from adding a net 3500 calories. A typical American may burn 2000 calories per day just from his heart beating, from walking around, and breathing.

Eating an extra 500 calories per day for 7 days is really easy to do. In fact, eating an extra 1000 or 2000 PER DAY is easy to do. What’s worse is that other than some simple walking around the ship, you’re not getting much exercise. And no, you likely won’t use the awesome gym on board despite your best intentions! And why should you?!

It’s impossible to count calories, so you just gotta be smart with your food selections. Increase protein and decrease carbs. Try not to taste all of the available sweets. Don’t finish your entire dessert. And if at all possible, pay attention to the calories you are drinking.

In my own experiences, I have gained 10 pounds on a cruise. On Seaside, I gained “only” 6.5 by not having all the carbs (other than drinks).

But look folks, we’re enjoying the meetings and conferences. Sample lots of foods and have a good time. Just don’t go wild. And when you get home, plan to lose a few pounds to get back to your fighting weight.

One of the great things about cruising is that it can be relatively cheap. For example, I’ve seen 7-day cruises for $350 (just $50 per day!) That covers your room, daily room cleaning, eight meals a day, nightly entertainment and great stops in cool cities. Depending on the time of year, the ship, the room you choose, and other factors, the daily cost can easily hit $200+ per person. So there’s something for everyone.

Why would we take our kids on a business trip? MSC allows younger kids to sail for “free.” They do charge port fees and tips for staff, but that’s all pretty cheap. So when you take the total cost and divide by 5 people, then divided by 7 days, it becomes reasonable to stay in the Yacht Club or at least in an Aurea room. (Yes, that’s some fuzzy math.) Of course it would be super cheap in an inside cabin with four guests. If you want a large room for 5-6 guests, you need to book early. They go fast.

Your round-trip flight to the initial port is extra. Excursions into ports are extra (about $50 per person per adventure). And there may be occasional misc charges. So add it all together, divide by your party size, and determine which room makes sense for you. Then go have some fun.

I admit it… the day before we left, I shed tears of joy and sadness as I realized it would all soon come to an end. I didn’t cry for long, but I did realize that this had never happened before. Never before had I experienced an emotional connection with a conference, a seminar, a ship, an area, or even a vacation. I think that says something about the Yacht Club and how the overwhelming generosity of it all affects you.

Whether it’s Giuseppe welcoming you to dinner, the bartender whipping up your morning cappuccino, staff knowing that you like to order two bottles of carbonated water at the same time, your butler helping you get onto the port quickly, or the non-stop flow of premium beverages, snacks, and more… It’s nice. Ultra nice. It’s something to experience at least once in your life.

So what are YOUR thoughts?

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gotta cruise again

Lovely review; well written and very helpful. We board YC in December and appreciate your thought and especially the helpful spa tips. My DH doesn’t get on CC at all but I think he’ll enjoy your review. Thank you so much!

great review  we  were  on YC  late  Sept--interesting that you said the  food temperature was ok in outdoor buffet, we  had  an issue  with that.  I  also would have liked  more  TV  choices, CNBC  of  Fox  business.  But  I agree  with your assessment

Great review.  We will be on the Seaside next month in the Yacht Club.  Last year we really enjoyed the Yacht Club Experience on the Divina so much that while on there we booked the Seaside.  It sure does spoil you!!

16 minutes ago, markf said:  I  also would have liked  more  TV  choices, CNBC  of  Fox  business.  But  I agree  with your assessment

I'm on the fence about TV. On one hand, I feel like it's nice to have to fill in a few slow moments, or maybe to help me fall asleep. On the other hand, I feel like TV keeps me from really disconnecting. So, yeah, I guess more channel choices would be good for someone who is not looking to disconnect.

mmpgoodtogo

I appreciate your thorough review!  Especially the info on the spa.  We are also in the yacht club, but weren't sure what that spa perk actually entailed.  Thanks for the review!

Thank you for a very engaging, sincere review. 

I have found that more likely than not, folks in the NCL Haven are just regular folks like me who like to elevate their cruising experience a bit. I expect the yacht club to be a lot of the same.  

Great review!!!!

Great review!! Makes me even more eager for our YC stay in March!

CGTNORMANDIE

Great review...honest and well presented.

Wow! Thank you for your detailed review. You provided some information I don't remember reading elsewhere. Just 62 days to go for us, and now I'm even more excited!

GREAT review!! Can not wait for next month now.

Wow.  What a review.  Thank you for taking the time to write such a structured and expressive text.  I hope to meet you in a future cruise, to discuss how to express our thoughts to our CC friend as well as you did.

Thanks for the great review and i totally agree the YC experience is something that should be experienced, it's fabulous.

On 10/21/2018 at 6:44 PM, 2cruiseluvrs said:   I'm on the fence about TV. On one hand, I feel like it's nice to have to fill in a few slow moments, or maybe to help me fall asleep. On the other hand, I feel like TV keeps me from really disconnecting. So, yeah, I guess more channel choices would be good for someone who is not looking to disconnect.

I totally need it to fall asleep. My husband does like it to chill during the day as he can not sun worship as long as I can!! LOL Did you find it easy to watch from bed.?  Many say it does not swivel and is really placed for watching in that sitting area. What are your thoughts??

3 hours ago, Debde said: Did you find it easy to watch from bed.?  Many say it does not swivel and is really placed for watching in that sitting area. What are your thoughts??

The TV is in fact FIXED and does not swivel. I do recall thinking at first, "Hmmm, it does not angle this direction [as I was in bed]." However, it was very clearly visible and I did not feel it was at a weird angle or hard to watch. The was also no reflection from the door / sunlight. So it was absolutely fine for everybody in the room to watch.

Thanks for your great review!

I love your review! Thank you.

The Top Sail Lounge is one of my favorite places on Earth and I couldn't agree with you more about the value of that space, along with the YC Pool Deck, and all the other YC perks your described.

Thanks for taking the time to do this review.  Well written!  We'll be on her the end of November, thanks to your review, I can't stand the wait.

We are home  from the  YC  about 3 weeks--  the  cruise  is  even better  3 weeks  after--if  you know what I mean!!

I am ready for the next one , 

A very nice review and in our book spot on.

A couple of tidbits for first timers in the YC. We did not choose to wear our wrist bands and carried our cards instead. To keep power to the room for charging etc you can use any RFID card in the slot to keep power on.  There is an indicator light out side the door of the cabin that stays lit when power is on in the room.

Your cabin card does have your cabin number on it in code.  Add the first two numbers together and then reverse the last three to come up with your cabin number.

Thank you for your review.

25 minutes ago, Todd320 said: A very nice review and in our book spot on.   A couple of tidbits for first timers in the YC. We did not choose to wear our wrist bands and carried our cards instead. To keep power to the room for charging etc you can use any RFID card in the slot to keep power on.  There is an indicator light out side the door of the cabin that stays lit when power is on in the room.   Your cabin card does have your cabin number on it in code.  Add the first two numbers together and then reverse the last three to come up with your cabin number.   Thank you for your review.    

Todd, I am pretty sure you work for the FBI or CIA 😉  Thanks for the tips!

PompeySailor

Great Review!

Thank you 👍🏻

Having cruised mainly on Royal I can honestly say our upcoming cruise on Seaside in YC, has us just as excited as that very first cruise we took together as a family 17 years ago.

thanks to reviews like yours 

Appreciated.

Excellent review.  We booked her too in the YC.    Question for someone.   Are the “upcharge” restaurants included in the YC fare?   Or are they charged separate?  We are totally new to MSC and use to the Haven on NCL (11 cruises on ncl) Sounds like YC is just a touch above Haven, but the Haven rooms include all the upcharge restaurants as well.   Is this the case on MSC?

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Is The Yacht Club worth it ?

By horseymike , February 28, 2023 in MSC Cruises

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Hello veteran MSC cruisers.

 I’m considering booking our first MSC cruise.

Is booking The Yacht Club worth it ?

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Depends on what you value. I recently concluded my first MSC cruise at the Aurea level, and I loved the Top 19 solarium with its lounge. Very quiet up there, lots of space to spread out. We didn't really feel like we were missing anything. But we also had a rare 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom suite, which was perfect for our family and unmatched in the Yacht Club experience level.

We have 2 future cruises booked at Yacht Club level (Grand Deluxe Suite on the Seashore and Royal Suite on the Virtuosa), but that's more about seeing the YC lounge and sundeck (and in the case of the Royal Suite, it's about waking up to the Norwegian fjords at the top-front of the ship).

I expect we'll still do some specialty dining even when in YC, and we also sailed without a drink package. So neither the YC restaurant nor the YC drinks package are reasons for us to try YC. We probably place highest value on having lots of our own space aboard.

Toofarfromthesea

4 hours ago, horseymike said: Hello veteran MSC cruisers.  I’m considering booking our first MSC cruise. Is booking The Yacht Club worth it ?  

IMO, absolutely yes.

Offering a different perspective, fhe core ship experience is good and it really does depend on what you value and your budget. Personally I'd prefer say three cruises a year rather than 2 YC cruises. Depends as well on your itinerary and how much you enjoy spending time in Port.

We are at the point in our lives where we don't wish to stand in lines, get up at 7:00 am to hog a chair by the pool, deal with the wait at guest relations, or arrive an hour before a show to get a seat.  We enjoy being served and pampered.   The Yacht Club experience starts when you pull up to the pier and step into the YC white tent; you are whisked through the embarkation process and brought to a lovely lounge waiting area where you can sip champagne while waiting for the ship to clear.  YC passengers are the first to board.  A butler will escort you on the ship, show you around, and introduce you to the concierge.  The concierge was available to help you with any reservations or issues you might have...you no longer need to go to guest relations.  Our butler and his assistant were there to make sure everything was perfect.  If our butler was unavailable, one was always ready to assist.  We were pampered when entering the YC to the end of our cruise when our butler escorted us off the ship.

Absolutely, I probably wouldn't book it if I had little ones though....It is not close to any of the slides, etc...

On second thought, nah, don't book it.  Keep the demand down.   🙂

@Nashna  maybe when comparing YC to Bella and Fantastica (or when comparing experience levels across ships), the differences seem more stark, but we were pleasantly surprised with how empty the Top 19 solarium was in the Aurea experience on the Seascape, and we had very short lines anywhere (during embarkation, we actually saw folks in the Yacht Club room waiting for butlers, while we zipped up to the ship quickly).

We travel with our 3 kids, so our situation is probably a bit different. We would probably book the 2-bedroom Aurea suite anytime it's available. If Yacht Club had a Family Suite--like every other cruiseline seems to offer these days--we would probably always book YC. But the cabin configurations in YC are really not conducive for larger families. It seems weird to me that NCL will have maybe 1/2 of their cabins in the Prima/Viva Haven suitable for larger/multigenerational families traveling together, but MSC has effectively zero.

Gatordad1967

only you can determine worth.

Two Wheels Only

34 minutes ago, peder said: It seems weird to me that NCL will have maybe 1/2 of their cabins in the Prima/Viva Haven suitable for larger/multigenerational families traveling together, but MSC has effectively zero.

With the way that NCL is pricing Prima/Viva Haven, it's sometimes possible to get 2 Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony staterooms for the price of 1 Haven stateroom.  😉

1 hour ago, Nashna said: We are at the point in our lives where we don't wish to stand in lines, get up at 7:00 am to hog a chair by the pool, deal with the wait at guest relations, or arrive an hour before a show to get a seat.  We enjoy being served and pampered.   The Yacht Club experience starts when you pull up to the pier and step into the YC white tent; you are whisked through the embarkation process and brought to a lovely lounge waiting area where you can sip champagne while waiting for the ship to clear.  YC passengers are the first to board.  A butler will escort you on the ship, show you around, and introduce you to the concierge.  The concierge was available to help you with any reservations or issues you might have...you no longer need to go to guest relations.  Our butler and his assistant were there to make sure everything was perfect.  If our butler was unavailable, one was always ready to assist.  We were pampered when entering the YC to the end of our cruise when our butler escorted us off the ship.

Fully understand your position!

Now for the other side of the coin. 

We are Seniors.

We liked to join in with the rest of the crowd to meet people from around the world on each cruise.

We don't mind waiting our turn.

We don't put towels on chairs to become a chair hog at any time.

We don't arrive an hour early for a show and never have.

We don't need a butler to unpack or escort us as we capable of doing so on our own.

We try to be self sufficient.

We would rather cruise more times than just the cost of 1 YC cruise.

We find the staff very friendly to all and even know us by name and our drink after the first couple of days.

I guess each person has:

'Different strokes for different folks.'

Enjoy your cruise regardless of category! Happy Cruising!

30 minutes ago, Oxo said: Fully understand your position! Now for the other side of the coin.    We are Seniors. We liked to join in with the rest of the crowd to meet people from around the world on each cruise. We don't mind waiting our turn. We don't put towels on chairs to become a chair hog at any time. We don't arrive an hour early for a show and never have. We don't need a butler to unpack or escort us as we capable of doing so on our own. We try to be self sufficient.   We would rather cruise more times than just the cost of 1 YC cruise. We find the staff very friendly to all and even know us by name and our drink after the first couple of days.   I guess each person has: 'Different strokes for different folks.'   Enjoy your cruise regardless of category! Happy Cruising!  

^^^ THAT ^^^

48 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:   With the way that NCL is pricing Prima/Viva Haven, it's sometimes possible to get 2 Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony staterooms for the price of 1 Haven stateroom.  😉

Oh I know it! The Haven pricing is absurd.

The advantage of their family and villa staterooms is that there's a common living space that serves as a private enclave. Great for family get-togethers. If not so prohibitively expensive, we would have strongly considered even their 3-bedroom option for a multi-generational / family-reunion type of cruise.

MsTabbyKats

40 minutes ago, Oxo said: Fully understand your position! Now for the other side of the coin.    We are Seniors. We liked to join in with the rest of the crowd to meet people from around the world on each cruise. We don't mind waiting our turn. We don't put towels on chairs to become a chair hog at any time. We don't arrive an hour early for a show and never have. We don't need a butler to unpack or escort us as we capable of doing so on our own. We try to be self sufficient.   We would rather cruise more times than just the cost of 1 YC cruise. We find the staff very friendly to all and even know us by name and our drink after the first couple of days.   I guess each person has: 'Different strokes for different folks.'   Enjoy your cruise regardless of category! Happy Cruising!  

This is what my 88 year old husband used to say....until colon cancer hit.  Now we're booked in YC and I'm thinking of canceling the NCL Sept (great price for a balcony) cruise just because we deserve/want/can afford to be pampered.  Unfortunately.....I think he also needs it.

1 hour ago, peder said: But the cabin configurations in YC are really not conducive for larger families. It seems weird to me that NCL will have maybe 1/2 of their cabins in the Prima/Viva Haven suitable for larger/multigenerational families traveling together, but MSC has effectively zero.

That's a plus in my book.  

7 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said: This is what my 88 year old husband used to say....until colon cancer hit.  Now we're booked in YC and I'm thinking of canceling the NCL Sept (great price for a balcony) cruise just because we deserve/want/can afford to be pampered.  Unfortunately.....I think he also needs it.  

Sorry to hear about your DH! We wish you both the Best!! We are in our 80s. I have lost 5 members of my family to various forms of cancer, so do understand your position. 

We have over 135 cruises and just would not use the services provided by a butler and other things. Been to the YC for Captains Parties, toured the YC cabins and areas. We do price out YC and cannot justify the cost. JMHO!

As Diamond on MSC we get what we need, crew recognizes us, priority boarding, etc., without the extra costs. We normally do about 10 cruises per year.

Again, we understand your reasoning and were not questioning why. Just do what you think is right and enjoy each cruise as we do!

Best of all!!

5 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said: That's a plus in my book.  

It probably just results in families zooming up and down the hallways more rather than staying in their private enclave. I'm still booking multigenerational travel with MSC, but now we'll be spread out all over the YC, even across floors. We'll probably use the Royal and Duplex Suites as hangout spots, but it'll be extra traffic just between cabins that would be avoided if they had proper YC family suites/villas.

2 minutes ago, Oxo said: Sorry to hear about your DH! We wish you both the Best!! We are in our 80s. I have lost 5 members of my family to various forms of cancer, so do understand your position.    We have over 135 cruises and just would not use the services provided by a butler and other things. Been to the YC for Captains Parties, toured the YC cabins and areas. We do price out YC and cannot justify the cost. JMHO!   As Diamond on MSC we get what we need, crew recognizes us, priority boarding, etc., without the extra costs. We normally do about 10 cruises per year.   Again, we understand your reasoning and were not questioning why. Just do what you think is right and enjoy each cruise as we do!   Best of all!!    

YC interior (it's small but we travel light) for an 8 night cruise was less than an NCL balcony guarantee for 7 nights....same week!

Up until this year my husband used to say "the day he needs a butler would be the day he can't walk".  Although he can still walk (with a cane at this point), what sold me wasn't "the butler" but we could avoid lines and waiting.  The spa, separate pool, meal on demand, lounge area, pizza delivery (and other food too), drinks (although we are very very light drinkers) are just added bonuses.

If "the April cruise" happens...and I'm impressed....I may go for a larger cabin in YC next time!  

13 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said: YC interior (it's small but we travel light) for an 8 night cruise was less than an NCL balcony guarantee for 7 nights....same week! Up until this year my husband used to say "the day he needs a butler would be the day he can't walk".  Although he can still walk (with a cane at this point), what sold me wasn't "the butler" but we could avoid lines and waiting.  The spa, separate pool, meal on demand, lounge area, pizza delivery (and other food too), drinks (although we are very very light drinkers) are just added bonuses.   If "the April cruise" happens...and I'm impressed....I may go for a larger cabin in YC next time!    

What ship date in April? We are on the Seascape Apr 16 - 30.

19 minutes ago, Oxo said: What ship date in April? We are on the Seascape Apr 16 - 30.

Meraviglia 4/29.

2 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said: Meraviglia 4/29.  

Enjoy! Wish you both well!!

5 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said: Meraviglia 4/29.  

love that ship and folks in YC!!

sverigecruiser

3 hours ago, peder said: But the cabin configurations in YC are really not conducive for larger families. It seems weird to me that NCL will have maybe 1/2 of their cabins in the Prima/Viva Haven suitable for larger/multigenerational families traveling together, but MSC has effectively zero.

One more reason to book the Yacht Club instead of the Haven.

bigblue1952

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said: YC interior (it's small but we travel light) for an 8 night cruise was less than an NCL balcony guarantee for 7 nights....same week! Up until this year my husband used to say "the day he needs a butler would be the day he can't walk".  Although he can still walk (with a cane at this point), what sold me wasn't "the butler" but we could avoid lines and waiting.  The spa, separate pool, meal on demand, lounge area, pizza delivery (and other food too), drinks (although we are very very light drinkers) are just added bonuses.   If "the April cruise" happens...and I'm impressed....I may go for a larger cabin in YC next time!    

I do hope it happens for you in April and I guarantee you will be impressed.

Bottom line, no matter where you cabin is, your still just on a cruise. To me they are all just cheap getaways to crappy islands that you've seen a million times. There is nothing in the Caribbean worth visiting. I'm bald and I still get asked to have my hair braided. It is just a easy cheap way to get some warmth in the winter. Save your money and take a real vacation to Hawaii or Europe.  I've done both Haven and Yacht club and they were marginal at best better than a basic balcony room. Too many wannabees that think they are a higher class than the rest of the ship.  Never again. 

16 hours ago, peder said: But we also had a rare 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom suite, which was perfect for our family and unmatched in the Yacht Club experience level.

@peder Do all MSC ships have the 2-bed/2-bath suites? How can I find these?

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This Brand-new Ship Has One of the Largest Yacht Clubs in Its Fleet, Endless Adventure, and a Glass-bottomed Bridge

MSC Seascape just set sail — here's what it's like on board.

Christine Burroni

The MSC Seascape may share many similar — or even identical — features with its predecessors, but when it comes to luxury, the fleet’s newest vessel certainly leveled up. The new ship sailed on its inaugural journey with guests from Rome to New York City this past weekend and will go on to sail out of Miami to the Caribbean for future trips.

While the European cruise line has become known for its luxury ship-within-a-ship concept, called Yacht Club , the Seascape boasts one of its largest clubs with 131 suites — with five categories to choose from — taking up 32,000 square feet. Located at the front of the ship, most exclusive Yacht Club spaces, like the private dining area or pool deck, are afforded sweeping ocean views.

Courtesy of MSC Cruises

In addition to a private restaurant with a regularly changing menu, and both indoor and outdoor lounge space, passengers who make a Yacht Club reservation are treated to expedited embarkation, 24-hour butler and concierge service, and access to the spa’s Thermal Suite where a sauna, steam room, and whirlpool awaits. Members will also have access to the ship's Top Sail Lounge for coffee, tea, and light bites at any time of day.

Yacht Club guests also enjoy the ship's premium drink package, an unpacking or packing service, a morning newspaper delivery of their choice, and the ability to select a specific pillow for customized comfort.

Sailing the blue water of the Caribbean while tucked in a super-exclusive setting may seem exceptionally relaxing, but the MSC Seascape also offers just the opposite for those looking for a bit of an adrenaline rush — with an extreme thrill ride and virtual reality experiences.

Adrenaline junkies can take a ride on the ship's Robotron , an attraction unique to the ship that will bring riders nearly 175 feet above water and flip upside down, moving in all directions to offer unobstructed 360-degree views. 

Those looking to keep their feet on the ground can still get their adventure fix with a walk across the Bridge of Sighs, a 72-foot-high glass-bottomed bridge.

The MSC Seascape is also home to a variety of virtual reality experiences. Riders can choose from Formula 1 racing, a flight simulator, and motorcycle riding.

“ MSC Seascape is an exciting addition to our fleet of Seaside Class ships with its elevated onboard experiences that will surprise and delight all ages," Ruben Rodriguez, President, MSC Cruises USA exclusively told Travel + Leisure. " From one of the largest and most luxurious Yacht Clubs in our fleet to interactive, high-tech experiences like the first Robotron at sea and immersive VR experiences, MSC Seascape brings unparalleled entertainment and thrills to our guests.”

Elsewhere on board, the ship’s interior is very similar to that of MSC’s other vessels, like the line's one-year-old MSC Seashore, including its Times Square–inspired décor, Swarovski crystal–adorned staircases, and Atrium space where live entertainment takes place.

Fans of the ship's fleet will also recognize its signature restaurants including Butcher's Cut steakhouse, Ocean Cay seafood restaurant, and more. Its lively sports bar is the perfect spot to catch any game around the world — and there are 18 other bars and lounges on board, some of which offer live music.

MSC Seascape journeys set sail from Miami to the Caribbean where passengers can visit the company's private Bahamas island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

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MSC VOYAGERS CLUB

Being an MSC Voyagers Club member means entering a world of privileges that will continue to grow the more you cruise with us. This is our way of saying thank you to loyal guests who share our passion for discovery and keep joining us, year after year. Register and you will receive exclusive privileges, including a 5% discount on your cruise fare.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

How to collect points

Each time you cruise with us, you will earn points to upgrade your membership level. You can collect points based on the type of MSC Experience purchased, onboard services prepaid before the cruise and onboard expenses. Points are credited at the end of the cruise, approximately ten days after the disembarkation date. Take a look at more details below. 

MSC Experience purchased

As of May 27 2019, members who book a Voyages Selection departure will be credited double membership points for the type of Experience chosen. Points will be assigned at the end of the cruise.

Onboard services prepaid before the cruise : you earn 100 points every 150 €/$ on expenses made before the cruise on MSC packages and services included in the cruise booked*.  Onboard expenses: you earn 100 points for every 150 €/$ spent on board, excluding casino expenses. Points for onboard expenses (including pre-boarding purchased shipboard credit) will only be assigned to the MSC Voyagers Club cardholder making the final payment.

*For currencies other than € euro, the currency conversion on purchase day will apply.

BONUS POINTS:

Starting from 28 July 2017, members also have the opportunity to collect bonus points. Members with an upcoming confirmed booking with MSC will receive 100 bonus points if they update or confirm their contact details (email, phone, address) up to 72 hours before sailing. Members can update or confirm the contact details in the MSC Voyagers Club online personal area or through the Web Check-in . 100 bonus points also apply to non-members with an upcoming confirmed booking with MSC who join the MSC Voyagers up to 72 hours before sailing.

Bonus points are not retroactive and are always assigned approximately 10 days after the end of the cruise. A bonus point by calendar year is provided to each client.

Book an MSC World Cruise and earn triple points!

For such a unique voyage, we will credit triple membership points for the type of Experience chosen at the time of booking, allowing MSC Voyagers Club members to enjoy all the added privileges right away! In addition, your Voyagers Club membership expiry date will be automatically extended by three years when booking your MSC World Cruise. 

This exclusive privilege is valid only for Classic , Silver , Gold and Diamond  members who purchase an entire MSC World Cruise. Discover MSC World Cruise !

Voyagers Exclusives

Book in advance and get the best from your MSC Voyagers Club membership: on all cruise departures*, at MSC Cruises we offer exclusive discounts for members only. Book more than 12 months before departure to get an extra +5% discount + double points** Book more than 6 months before departure for an extra +5% discount Only for Silver, Gold or Diamond member, receive additional €50 onboard credit***  per person when you book more than 9 months in advance. For more info visit our dedicated page . *World Cruises excluded **Points will be assigned at the end of the cruise

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MSC EURIBIA Cabins & Suites

• Surface approx. 17-58 sqm, balcony (if any) approx. 5-70 sqm, deck 9-18 .
• Luxury suites with premium interiors
• Some Suites have balcony with private whirlpool.
• Spacious wardrobe
• Bathroom with bathtub and/or shower
• Sitting area with sofa or separate living area
• Comfortable double or single beds (on request)
• Wifi connection included
• Interactive TV, telephone, safe and minibar

Choose the Suite that best suits you:

• MSC Yacht Club Royal Suite (surface approx 58 sqm ,  balcony approx. 70 sqm , deck 15 )
• MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suite with whirlpool (surface approx. 59 sqm ,  balcony approx. 23 sqm , deck 9-12 )
• MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite (surface approx 29 sqm , balcony approx. 5 sqm , deck 14-18 )
• MSC Yacht Club Interior Suite (surface approx 17 sqm , deck 14-16 )

Discover a world of privileges with MSC Yacht Club including:

• 24-Hour Butler service and dedicated concierge
• Premium Extra Drink and Internet packages included
• Complimentary Access to the Thermal Suite in the MSC Aurea SPA
• Balinese massage package and Specialty restaurants package, available up to 2 days prior to embarkation; 10% discount on all spa treatments purchased on board
• 1 Free cruise change

Size, layout and furniture may vary (within the same cabin category)

• Surface approx. 25-39 sqm , large balcony approx. 3-36 sqm , deck 9-14
• Spacious Wardrobe.
• Setting Area with double sofa bed.
• Bathroom with shower or bathtub, vanity area with hairdryers.
• Double bed can be converted into two single beds (on request).
• Interactive TV, telephone and safe.
• Wifi connection available (for a fee).
• Mini bar. Air conditioning.
• Grand Suite Aurea with terrace and whirlpool (surface approx. 39 sqm , large balcony approx.  36 sqm, deck 12 )
• Premium Suite Aurea with terrace and whirlpool (surface approx. 27 sqm , balcony approx.   26-30 sqm, deck 9-13 )
• Premium Suite Aurea (Surface approx. 25 sqm , balcony approx.   3-14 sqm , deck 9-14 )

The image is representative only.

Size, layout and furniture may vary that shown (within the same cabin category)

• Surface approx. 12-17 sqm, balcony approx 4-8 sqm
• Sitting area with sofa
• Bathroom with shower or bathtub , vanity area with hairdryer
• ZOE - in-cabin Bluetooth speaker
• Interactive TV, telephone, Wifi connection available (for a fee), safe and minibar

Choose the cabin type that best suits you:

• Balcony Aurea (best ship position, surface approx. 17 sqm, deck 11-1 3)
• Deluxe Balcony (surface approx. 17 sqm, deck 8-14 )
• Deluxe Balcony with Partial View (surface approx. 17 sqm, deck 8-14 )
• Studio Balcony (single use, surface approx. 12 sqm, deck 13-14 )

The image is representative only

• Surface approx. 12-25 sqm, deck 5-11
• Window with sea view
• Relaxing armchair
• Bathroom with shower, vanity area with hairdryer
• Can accomodate up to 6 people
• Premium Ocean View, can accommodate up to 6 people (surface approx. 25 sqm, deck 9-11 )
• Deluxe Ocean View (surface approx. 16 sqm, deck 5 )
• Junior Ocean View (surface approx. 12 sqm, deck 8 )
• Junior Ocean View with obstructed view (surface approx 12 sqm, deck 8 )

• Surface approx. 12-17 sqm, deck 5-14
• Bathroom with shower, vanity area and hairdryer
• Deluxe Interior (surface approx. 17 sqm, deck 5-14 )
• Studio Interior (single use, surface approx. 12 sqm, deck 5-14 )

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MSC Cruises

Explora II Officially Named in Civitavecchia

• September 16, 2024

The Explora II, the second ship in Explora Journeys’ fleet, was officially named in a ceremony at the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome. The event celebrated the brand’s vision of redefining luxury ocean travel with European hospitality and maritime heritage, the company stated.

The ship’s godmother, Rosalba Giugni, founder of the Marevivo Foundation, led the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, honoring her decades-long commitment to ocean conservation.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani and film director Giuseppe Tornatore attended the event, which featured a gala dinner, a musical performance by Tony Hadley and a drone show showcasing Explora Journeys’ story.

Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago said: “Naming a new ship is a proud maritime tradition, and tonight’s celebration marks our continued growth as we redefine luxury ocean travel. Our vision began with the contemporary brand MSC Cruises where we developed a premium offer with MSC Yacht Club and from there we identified a further demand for luxury experiences at sea. With Explora Journeys we offer an unparalleled value proposition and a unique offering compared to other types of luxury holiday.  By 2028 the Explora Journeys fleet will comprise six ships offering a spirit of luxurious ocean adventure visiting sought-after destinations, where our guests can expect the same high standards and quality service across our fleet, all over the globe.” 

The Explora II’s seven-night maiden voyage, which departs on Monday, Sept. 16, will visit Sorrento, Lipari, Trapani, Siracusa and Valletta, ending in Tarragona, Spain. The Explora II, as well as her sister ship the Explora I, will reposition to the Caribbean for the winter season, offering itineraries to destinations like St. Barts, Aruba and Antigua. 

In the summer of 2025, the Explora II will sail the Western Mediterranean, visiting ports such as Barcelona, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo and Porto Cervo.

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The head of a conservation organisation committed preserving marine environments has officially named the second ship in the Explora Journeys fleet.

Rosalba Giugni, founder and president of the Marevivo Foundation, carried out the ribbon cutting for Explora II at the Italian port of Civitavecchia, near Rome.

The second in a planned fleet of six ships in the MSC Group stable then set off on a seven-night maiden voyage to Tarragona in Spain via Sorrento, Lipari, Trapani, Siracusa and Valletta.

Explora II and its sister ship will reposition to the Caribbean for the winter, before returning to run cruises in the western Med next summer.

Giugni was chosen to conduct the naming as a partner of the MSC Foundation, but also as a mark of respect for her 35-year commitment to the protection of the world’s oceans.

The event included a drone show (pictured) and a performance by singer Tony Hadley.

MSC Group cruise division executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said: “Naming a new ship is a proud maritime tradition, and tonight’s celebration marks our continued growth as we redefine luxury ocean travel.  

“Our vision began with the contemporary brand MSC Cruises where we developed a premium offer with MSC Yacht Club and from there we identified a further demand for luxury experiences at sea.  

“With Explora Journeys we offer an unparalleled value proposition and a unique offering compared to other types of luxury holiday.

“By 2028 the Explora Journeys fleet will comprise six ships offering a spirit of luxurious ocean adventure visiting sought-after destinations, where our guests can expect the same high standards and quality service across our fleet, all over the globe.”

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Kemerovo city, Russia

The capital city of Kemerovo oblast .

Kemerovo - Overview

Kemerovo is a city located in the southeast of Western Siberia in Russia, in the northern part of the Kuznetsk coal basin (Kuzbass), about 3,600 km east of Moscow. The administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast, it is an important industrial, transport, economic, scientific, and cultural center of Siberia.

The population of Kemerovo is about 548,000 (2022), the area - 295 sq. km.

The phone code - +7 3842, the postal codes - 650000-650970.

Kemerovo city flag

Kemerovo city coat of arms.

Kemerovo city map, Russia

Kemerovo city latest news and posts from our blog:.

11 February, 2019 / Kemerovo - the view from above .

21 April, 2016 / The carnival-parade at the festival GrelkaFest in Sheregesh .

2 June, 2013 / Summer snowfall in Kemerovo .

9 February, 2012 / "BelAZ 75600" - the biggest truck in the former USSR .

31 October, 2010 / The ship-house in Kemerovo oblast .

News, notes and thoughts:

26 March, 2018   / On Sunday, March 25, in the shopping and entertainment center "Winter Cherry" in Kemerovo there was a severe fire, more than 60 people were killed. This tragedy became the second largest fire in present Russia in terms of the number of victims. Our condolences to the families and friends of the dead and injured.

History of Kemerovo

The history of the development of Kemerovo is closely connected with the development of Western Siberia. The oldest settlement on the territory of today’s Kemerovo was the village of Scheglova located on the right bank of the Tom River and first mentioned in 1701.

In 1721, the ore prospector M. Volkov found “combustible stone” (coal) near this village for the first time in Kuzbass. However, at that time this discovery didn’t lead to any practical steps for the development of these coal deposits.

By 1734, not far from Scheglova, along with a number of other villages, the village of Kemerova emerged (later Kemerovo; named after the first settler A. Kemirov). In 1825-1827, the Shcheglovskoye coal deposit was studied by geologists. In the 19th century, there were several villages in the territory of the future city.

In 1907, the Kemerovo mine was founded on the basis of the Shcheglovskoye coal deposit. In 1915, the main shaft of the Kemerovo mine was built. In 1918, the village of Scheglovo was transformed into the county town of Scheglovsk. In 1921, coal production in Kuzbass began to rise. In 1926, the population of the town was about 22,000 people.

More historical facts…

With the development of industrial construction, the town began to grow. In June 1930, a session of the Town Council considered a draft design for the planning of Scheglovsk. The city was designed for 130 thousand residents. When considering the project, the question arose of the name of the city. The residents actively participated in the discussion of this issue.

It was decided that the name of the former village of Shcheglova didn’t have a direct historical connection with the city specialized on the extraction and processing of coal. On March 27, 1932, Shcheglovsk was renamed Kemerovo. Its further development was associated with the rapid development of industrial production. In 1938, the city had more than 100 industrial facilities. In 1939, Shcheglovsk had about 133,000 residents.

In 1941, during the Second World War, a number of plants were evacuated from the western regions of the USSR to Kemerovo. Gunpowder and explosives were produced at local defense enterprises. On January 26, 1943, the Kuzbass Industrial Region received the status of a separate region (oblast). Kemerovo became the administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast.

In 1945, Kemerovo was a miserable sight with numerous dilapidated buildings and undeveloped streets. The city urgently needed a development and improvement plan, which was made over four years from 1947 to 1951. Kemerovo developed according to this plan until 1970. The city continued to grow, absorbing nearby villages. In 1989, the population of Kemerovo was about 520,000 people.

On October 16, 2006, the Kuznetsk Bridge was commissioned in Kemerovo - one of the widest bridges (40.5 meters) in Siberia, which replaced the obsolete Communal Bridge.

In today’s Russia, Kemerovo, as before, is a large industrial center. Income from coal mining occupies a major place in the total income of the city.

Architecture of Kemerovo

Kemerovo cityscape

Author: Evgeny Shevchenko

Graffiti on apartment buildings in Kemerovo

Author: Igor Khmaro

The City Hall of Kemerovo

Kemerovo - Features

The city of Kemerovo is located in the forest-steppe strip of the southern part of Western Siberia, in the northern part of the Kuznetsk coal basin, on both banks of the Tom River at the confluence of the Iskitim River. The right-bank part of the city is connected to the left bank by two automobile and one railway bridges.

The climate of Kemerovo is sharply continental. It is characterized by a long cold winter lasting about 5 months and a short, quite warm summer. The average temperature in January is minus 17 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 19 degrees Celsius.

The City Day is celebrated on June 12 and coincides with the Day of Russia. On the last Sunday of August, Kemerovo celebrates Miner’s Day. The airport of Kemerovo located about 2.5 kilometers south-east of the outskirts of the city offers regular flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Sochi.

On the coat of arms of Kemerovo you can see the image of a stylized chemical retort and gear parts that symbolize the chemical and engineering industries - the main directions of industrial development of this city. Ears of wheat symbolize the fertility of soil associated with the use of mineral fertilizers produced at the chemical enterprises of Kemerovo.

Kemerovo is one of the largest industrial centers of the region (chemical and coal industries, mechanical engineering, electric power generation). JSC “SDS Azot” is one of the largest manufacturers of nitrogen fertilizers in Russia. The presence of raw materials (coal, refractory clay, limestone, quarry stone, gravel, wood), a convenient industrial site, and railway communication led to the creation of a powerful energy-chemical complex here.

The recreational potential of the city is represented by a pine forest on the right bank of the Tom River, as well as an island and beaches on the Tom River.

In total, there are more than 100 objects of cultural heritage in Kemerovo. These are monuments of architecture and urban planning, monumental art, history and archeology. Kemerovo is in the full sense a city of miners and most of its attractions are somehow connected with the mining industry.

Main Attractions of Kemerovo

“Krasnaya Gorka” - a museum-reserve created on the territory of the former coal mine. The district of Krasnaya Gorka (“red hill”) is an open-air museum. Here, on the steep bank of the Tom River, you can see a unique complex of monuments of mining, historical and cultural heritage. The monuments constitute a single thematic complex associated with the development of the coal industry of Kuzbass. The exposition “Coal Mine” is open in the basement of the museum. Krasnaya Gorka Street, 17.

The Red Hill and the monument “In Memory of the Kuzbass Miners” . One of the most important places in Kemerovo, part of the Krasnaya Gorka Museum-Reserve. The history of Kemerovo began here. This name originates from flashes of fire at the site of the first coal discovered in Kuzbass. It is one of the highest places in the city with the best observation deck of Kemerovo. Also there is an impressive monument dedicated to miners here.

Vesennyaya Street - one of the oldest streets in Kemerovo about 1.5 km long. In the middle of the street there is a boulevard - a popular resting place for locals and visitors of Kemerovo. Here you can see a number of interesting sculptural compositions.

Kemerovo Regional Museum of Fine Arts . The collection of this museum includes more than 5 thousand works of art, most of which are on display in the permanent exhibition. In the halls of the museum visitors can see the paintings of Russian artists created from the late 18th to the beginning of the 21st centuries, works of masters of decorative and applied art, an excellent collection of old icons. Sovetskiy Avenue, 48.

Kemerovo Regional Museum of Local Lore - the oldest museum in the region with a large collection of natural and historical monuments of Kuzbass. This museum has one of the largest paleontological collections in Russia. Sovetskiy Avenue, 55.

The museum “Archeology, Ethnography, and Ecology of Siberia” . Here you can learn about the history and nature of this unique region. There are exhibitions about the flora and fauna of Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Far East, and Central Asia. The archaeological section has collections of artifacts related to the Stone and Bronze Ages, the Scythian and Hunnic periods. Separate halls are devoted to ethnography. Sovetskiy Avenue, 77.

The Coal Museum - the only museum of coal in Russia. The Kemerovo region is one of the largest suppliers of coal in Russia, the variety of coal mined here is recognized globally. Here you can see unique collections of coal, exhibits devoted to mining technologies and the history of the development of the Kuznetsk coal basin. Leningradskiy Street, 10.

Chudes (Miracles) Park - the oldest park in Kemerovo opened more than 80 years ago, a great place for families. Playgrounds with safe swings and carousels for kids, rides of varying degrees of extremeness, sports grounds, the Children’s Railway, a ferris wheel attract a lot of visitors. There are several cafes in the park; in the evenings, artists perform on stages. The pedestrian promenade along the bank of the Tom River begins here. Kirova Street, 4.

“Kuzbass Railway Museum” - a small museum of rare railway equipment. The exposition consists of ten exhibits and is located in the city center near the Pionerskaya station of the Children’s Railway. Pritomskiy Avenue, 2.

Kemerovo also has such cultural institutions as a philharmonic, a drama theater, a puppet theater, a musical theater, and a circus.

Kemerovo city of Russia photos

Sights of kemerovo.

The movie theater Moskva (Moscow) in Kemerovo

Kemerovo Regional Drama Theater

The Chapel of the Icon of the Mother of God of All Who Sorrow in Kemerovo

Pictures of Kemerovo

Chudes Park in Kemerovo

Monument to Lenin in front of the administration of Kemerovo Oblast

Znamensky Cathedral in Kemerovo

Author: Nagorniy Stepan

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