mudcatkevin

We have been on numerous cruises with Royal and with Carnival. I give you this background information to give you as a reader the proper perspective of my opinion. We have never given a bad review of any cruise. We feel the value of a cruising vacation is the best way to spend one's holiday funds. I so love the Wow we receive from RoyalCaribbean. I always have Fun when we choose Carnival Cruises. I first chose MSC from the idea of trying a different cruise line. We originally booked a balcony room. After reading reviews about the MSC Yacht Club, I chose to spend a few extra dollars to experience the "cruise within a cruise" concept. I was aware that many of the cruisers that choose MSC were not primarily using English as their primary language. I was not really aware of how MSC would handle all the diversity gathered on one boat. I am going to try to divide my thoughts into 5 parts. MSC YACHT CLUB embarkation I have to start my cruise experience evaluation from the perspective of choosing the MSC Yacht club. We found the white Yacht club tent outside by the curb. We were greeted by the outside Bulter/Representative and our passports checked with our paperwork. We then waited until a Butler escorted 10 of us past and through the waiting people in the general boarding lines. We went to the security, then to obtain our cruise cards and then to the Yacht Club reception room. We were given some Prosecco and cookies. Next, we were escorted onto the ship. The total process took about 20 minutes. Totally Awesome!!! MSC Yacht Club Experience We first gathered in the Top Sail lounge upon arrival and we greeted with an awesome forward view from the ship, a special small buffet area, open bar, butlers, and large and quiet gathering area. This was always a great place to go anytime for a quiet time. In the mornings you can get great coffe and great drinks in the evening with entertainment to boot. There is a dedicated concierge desk for all your concerns and a place to get educated ship information. The balcony suite was more than enough for us. It has a granite bathroom, a small walk-in closet, small balcony, and loaded with many amenities. I was able to choose my own type of pillow and what I wanted to be in my mini fridge. There was always fresh fruit in my room with nightly treats on our bed. We mostly ate breakfast at the top deck pool area. This area also has a dedicated pool, two hot tubs, another bar and buffet and more than enough places to sit and lounge around. Because of the exclusiveness of this area, it is never crowded and it is quiet. The butler service is always there and their goals and motives center around making your experience one to be remembered. There were successful with me. MSC Divina This ship was designed to be very ornate and decorated. I have not seen a ship that chose to place decorations and statues and paintings in each and every niche of space in all the public areas. I believe there is about 15 bar / coffee / lounge areas on the ship. The stairs in the lobby are famous in pictures because there are made from Swarovski crystals. The lighting throughout the ship is also impressive. I do not believe other cruise lines have gone this far to make a ship so beautiful. MSC Entertainment The shows were fine. I believe I went to four of them. As others have posted, there is usually some singing, some dancing, some acrobatic display at each of the shows I saw. Some were in English and some were not. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think the dancing was not specific to any language. For me, it lacked the Wow of RCI, but I wasn't sailing with RCI. Everyone was great at their particular talent. The Yacht club had mostly musical players in the Top Sail lounge. MSC Tidbits When we ventured outside of the Yacht Club area we found the ship to be very much like any other cruise line except that English was not the primary language spoken. Calumet buffet was more diverse than I have seen with other cruise lines. The crowds were mostly similar to what I have seen on the other 14 cruises we have taken. I traveled on Oasis of the Seas last year and this cruise felt less crowded in my opinion. The Casino was nice and SMOKEFREE!!! Certainly not sitting next to someone blowing cigarette smoke in your face was very welcomed. I have rebooked another cruise with MSC for next year in the Yacht Club. I would say that the Yacht Club is a great way to get the best of cruising in style at a very affordable price. I simply loved the times when we were escorted to exit the ship bypassing the lines. The extra paid in cruise fare was a great investment.