The Yacht Club made the cruise experience exceptional..
The ship was beautiful, clean and the staff was very pleasant, friendly an helpful to all we met and observed. We are frequent cruisers of many cruiselines so when I say MSC was a great experience especially from Yacht Club we do so from some experience. The Mergavilla may not be for those who don't like megadships. The entertainment was top notch. If you like to dance. However, it was difficult getting a seat in the Meraviglia Lounge and timing the music dancing venue you like around the shows. You were also unable to know which group would be playing unless it was specifically listed. There is a lot to do.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Yacht Club Experience:
The Yacht Club affords you escort from the curb at MSC Terminal F through security and to the Yacht Club VIP lounge. Escort takes your name in the lounge while you take a seat. Champagne. Mimosas, and other drinks are offered along with appetizers. You are then called to register whereby you are given a medallion watch and your keycard/ sail & sign card.
Embarkation:
Guest are subsequently called by their room numbers and escorted through the main terminal, up escalator and directly on to the ship. All Yacht Club passengers are taken to the Yacht Club lounge on deck 16 and offered additional cocktails. Afterwards your stateroom or suite butler greets you and takes you to your room. He or she then gives you a tour of the room and then explains their services throughout the cruise. Lunch is then followed in the private dining room on deck 18 or if you wish a buffet lunch around the private Yacht Club pool.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We mainly ate in the Yacht Club. Breakfast, lunch & dinner is provided in the private restaurant on deck 18. There is also a Yacht Club pool buffet and bar by the pool on deck 19 which serves breakfast, lunch and snacks and is open until 3pm.
The Yacht Club Top Sail Lounge serves drinks, snacks and desserts and is open throughout the day from 7am until 130am at night.
Hola! Tacos & Cantina
4 out of 5
Tapas Bar Restaurant
Jean-Philippe Crepes & Ice Cream
5 out of 5
Purchased gelato
Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Coffee
5 out of 5
Chocolate Ships
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Duty Free Shop
5 out of 5
Beautiful arcade with boutiques, shops, restaurants, and dancing venues. The have arcade ceiling that alternates video shows throughout the length of about 100 yards. See some of the show themes below:
Horizon Pool
5 out of 5
Using this space since no place for Aurea Spa
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Carousel Lounge
5 out of 5
Cirque du SoleilSonorViaggio
The Broadway Theater
5 out of 5
Shows were excellent throughout the week. We loved all of them.. the singing. dancing and costumes were fantastic. Here is what we went to:Day 1Broadway TheaterVirtual- guy who is attached to his cellphoneMoving ceilingDay 2Cruise critic partyWelcome Back partyMoving ceiling showBroadway Theater Come in Mare - OperaBorn to RockDay 3Costa MayaProduction ShowsCirque du Soleil SonarPazDay 4BelizeTapas Restaurant Production showCirque du Soleil ViaggioLife is MagicDay 5Roatan Production showWay
Sports Plex
5 out of 5
Very nice. Did not expect an indoor basketball/ soccer
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
I did not have children but I did observe the location saw how MSC staff checked in and monitored the various age levels, the games they played and the shows they performed in various locations in the ship.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We experience the MSC service personnel both in the Yacht Club and main ship personnel.
Yacht Club Experience with the butlers, dining room, and Yacht Club lounge, Concierge and escorts was superb. They attended to your every needs. I was especially grateful for the butler escorts to events and excursions that you or the Concierge desk booked. A special treat was the service and accommodations at Ocean Cay Marina.
We also enjoyed the MSC staff in the main ship as we took advantage of the what they had to offer at the Broadway Theater, and the lounges and pizza at the Market Place buffet. Staff we encountered gave genuine smiles and offered assist with any questions.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship is magnificent in design and cleanliness. It is HUGE and they offer amenities that you wont find elsewhere such as indoor basketball/ soccer court. Indoor and outdoor pools etc. I will add some photos for your enjoyment.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Clean and modern look. 3 drawers under main console. Additional slide out shelves for misc items. Shelves in hallway including safe. Additional closet for hanging clothes. I expected a walk-in closet for a deluxe suites. Could have added additional drawers under bed
Ship tip
Come to be inspired by the modern conveniences. MSC does not go out for a lot of space so dont pack too heavy especially if more than 2 in a room.
For Yacht Club Experience it is like being in a private club (dining room, private pool area and lounges, lounge and host of butlers and concierge desk.
Port:
Weather was perfect although it started out cool. We took a tender since there is no cruise port. It was fun, fast and safe. Belize has improved in their tourist experience. There are many shops and food places and restaurants and of course live local music. Many of the places sell the same things although you can find some unique bags, dresses, mahogany and leather bags and shoes. Bathroom facilities are not in short supply.
Past Experience:
Again we have been to Belize many time and have taken advantage of the horseback excursions and the cave tubing as well. This time we explored walking through town. We visited Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church which has history back to the 1890's. We also visited their public library which had a small museum attached. It is nice to talk to the locals who were very friendly and helpful with information. An interesting fact about Belize is the actual port has a fresh water river (kind of brownish in color) which then forms a separate line when it comes to the salt water where the ships anchor.
Being in the Yacht Club we were escorted off the ship and then had a ride in the golf cart buggies to our beach area. We had lounge chairs, umbrellas, our own restaurant and food truck. The beach was beautiful, a bit rocky so wear beach shoes. Not many fish. The life guard told me about a baby shark but it swam away. I also saw a small stingray and barracuda. Other than that, not much to see other than crystal clear blue water while snorkeling. Yacht Club service was excellent, drinks on the beach and the lunch menu in the restaurant was Yacht Club standard and complimentary.
At a moment notice we were provided transportation back to the ship and to our special Yacht Club lane.
The night activities are spectacular with the Junkanoo parade and the Lighthouse light show. See attached photos.
Port:
Beautiful day (perfect) in Coxen Hole) Roatan! We arrived early and found we were alongside the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas. Must have been over 10,000 passengers in the port. Had some interesting shops and water sports activities in the port but it was wall to wall people. The locals were friendly and attentive.
Excursion:
We were booked on Big French Key/ Little French Key excursion ( see attached photos). The embarkation was organized and in addition MSC had a tour escort which accompanied us. He was basically used for any translations that needed to be done with our multi-language group. Since we were in the Yacht Club a YC Butler escorted us off the ship to our awaiting excursion bus.
Our tour excursion guide was Luis. He was very informative and spoke in English and Spanish. My only (dislike) was the Hyundai stretch minivan which had NO legroom. Persons over 220 pounds and 6 ft would have been very uncomfortable. It is good that the ride was only 25 minutes.
5 Minute Ferry Ride:
Once we disembarked from the minivans our tour guide gave us further information about our ride to Big & Little French Key. We boarded the boat which accommodates about 16 people. The water taxi ride was about 5 minutes and we arrived at their mini zoo which contained tigers they were rehabilitating from private owners or from circuses. The island is a good size with a bay for safe swimming. If you snorkel they have statues which they placed under water but not well maintained as most were on their backs and covered with sea moss. There were a few fish and a huge lobster was hiding inside one of the statues.
They do have a guided snorkeling trip which may cost $25 extra if not included in your package. Use of kayaks and paddle boards are free.
Food & Drinks:
Lunch was included on our excursion. The food was local and delicious. A local beer or soft drink was included. Lots of beach chairs and shady areas were available. They also had some local drummers and dancers and replicas of historical living areas. Our excursion included a 20 minute boat ride of the area and our tour guide explained the natural area. All in all, a nice place for an excursion.
Port:
Very quaint port. Lots of tours going and coming. Having been there several times we decided to take a $4 per person taxi to town of Mahahaul.
Trip via Taxi:
It is a short ride, about 2 to 3 miles. We were dropped off at a boardwalk where the beach was for a very long stretch on one side with shops and restaurants on the other. Many vendors with local arts and persons offering to give massages either for 30 minutes or an hour. My wife had a 60 minute massage for $20 which she loved. Look for the massages further down the beach near Krazy Lobster as they are less expensive. Look out for the Krazy Lobster Restaurant which offers $1 beers, free wifi, massages, beach chairs, kayaks and more. We had a lovely time and then picked up a return taxi for $4 per person back to the port.
The Yacht Club offered escorted assistance for those self-assist passengers. We were escorted at 7:15 am and were waiting for our transportation at 7:30 am.
I just put in a bid to upgrade to the yacht club so I’m hoping that we get it for our upcoming cruise. If you don’t mind me asking did you purchase the yacht club or did you upgrade to it?
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