Overall a great cruise, great service in the Yacht Club, a few minor critiques, but the goods, far outweighed the bads.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Keeping in mind that I was under the Yacht Club experience it was quick and easy, however, when they were bringing in large groups through security having to navigate through the rest of the people trying to get through security, it was easy to get lost in the crowd. We were barked at by staff inside the terminal until we informed them we were Yacht Club because we were going to the Yacht Club priority security check. Once inside the Yacht Club Lounge it was relaxing and a very easy check in. Then as a large group we left the lounge, and entered the general waiting area, again confusion as we were intermingled with the general public, got up to the area where the sail cards were scanned and confusion again when we were merged with the general public as we waited to have the cards scanned. Butlers were waiting on the other side to take us right up to the top sail lounge.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was incredible in the Yacht Club dining room, with great options to choose from throughout the cruise. There were great options throughout the day in the Top Sail Lounge for snacks. There were some misses, but the hits far outweighed the misses.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I tried the waterside and was underwhelmed, however the pool and the hot tubs in the Yacht Club were not crowded and relaxing.
MSC Yacht Club
5 out of 5
The level of service in the Yacht Club is incredible. From the moment we embark to disembarkation there is someone in the Yacht Club to make sure that your cruise is as enjoyable and as relaxing as possible. No need to think about it, the Yacht Club staff are on top of things and learn your preferences and make sure that you have what you need. The butlers make sure that you get to dinner, escort you off the ship at the ports of call, and want to make sure that you are enjoying your cruise and have exactly what you need. The best part of the Yacht Club in my opinon is the Top Sail Lounge, a great place to relax at any time of the day. All beverages are included (High End Premium beverages are extra) snacks available all day long, and great evening entertainment. You never need to worry about getting a deck chair, there are many to choose from at any time. MSC Yacht Club is also luxury at an affordable rate. Compared to other "ship within a ship" experiences MSC is far more affordable and just a far better experience.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Went to see the first show of the evening and it was a horrible experience, the performers were poor, and then the people behind us were rude and obnoxious, obviously intoxicated. We had to leave due to this experience. The Top Sail lounge in the Yacht Club had great evening entertainment. Next time I will just stick with the entertainment provided in the Yacht Club.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
While not perfect, the level of service was incredible. There was a rocky start at the beginning of the cruise as in the dining room we were seated, but never was served for at least 10-15 minutes, I had to inform the hostess that we had not yet been served and was corrected right away. Then when we returned to our stateroom, it was not serviced for turndown service and had to request that it be done. In the days following I called the concierge desk to inform them that we were ready for the room to be serviced. One night the couch that comes out to be a bed had not been made up, after specifically requesting that it be done while we were in the lounge, getting back to the cabin late at night. I had called concierge to have someone make it up and send an extra blanket (another request that I had mentioned previously) and it took a while for them to come, the person that was sleeping on the couch made it up themselves as it was late and they were too tired to wait. However after those few bumps the service picked up by leaps and bounds, staff recognized our preferences and made sure that we had what we liked, when we arrived. The staff in the Top Sail Lounge had our drinks in hand without even asking what we wanted, Morning, Noon, and Night.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is beautiful and very clean. There are many places to get fantastic pictures throughout the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was a family suite and it was a bedroom with a walk-in closet, and a living area. Ample room for all of us. The bed was okay, I would like to see better bedding for a Yacht Club room, the middle would separate throughout the evening. The room was clean, however what was very noticeable is that the couch needs replacing as the fabric on the cushions were coming apart very noticeably. While the cabin was roomy the downsides are that there is no balcony and that it is separate from the Yacht Club. Another problem is that the priority elevator key card on our deck was out of order throughout the cruise and we were not able to take advantage of the priority elevator service to get back to the Yacht Club.
Ship tip
Do Yacht Club the level of service and feeling of relaxation is just top notch and suprisingly affordable compared to other "ship within a ship" experiences
Had a post cruise stay on Miami Beach and it was lovely, the weather could have been better (cloudy, cool, and some rain) but was a nice way to slowly get back to reality.
Having family in San Juan, we did not do any excursions, we just explored the area on our own with the family. Beautiful area by the port to explore and try the local cuisine. I thought it was lovely that we were able to stay late into the night to explore some of the night life of San Juan.
Tortola was a beautiful island with friendly people. We just hired a taxi for the morning to take us around the island, stop at a beach, and explore the beauty that Tortola has to offer. Our guide was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and suggested a great place near the port to eat.
St Maarten was lovely, however it was a short port of call, we were there for only the morning hours. Our plan was to go to Maho Beach, which is at the end of an airport. However the tax stand was confusing and unorganized with no clear signage or directions, staff at the taxi stand were rude, yelling at passengers, showing signs of frustration. This added stress to our group and worried that we would not have enough time to enjoy the beach as there was the short port of call. Fortunately we did make it to the beach, but because of traffic, I was stressed out that we would not make it back to the ship on time. Fortunately we made it back in time.
I have been to Nassau many of times, we explored the town and then took a taxi over to the casino at Atlantis for a little while and went back to the town to do one of my favorite things in Nassau, shopping, or at least window shopping. Seeing I have been to Nassau on almost every single cruise I have ever been on, there was not much to do but get off the ship to eat and shop.
While we were escorted off the ship to the terminal, there was some sort of issue trying to get to the ground floor of the terminal. There was no explination, no alternative ways to get to the ground level, we were just held at an elevator and to wait for a single elevator for thousands of people trying to get off the ship. Lots of confusion and a back up that was just growing and growing.
Other than having to intermingle with the general public a couple times it sounds like you had a good time. Yacht Club must be worth it. I feel sorry for the poor general public.
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