So I just got back yesterday after 11 days on the Meraviligia and my 1st time in Yacht Club. I've been on her previously, but last year in Fantastica the experience. Some things I noticed / learned: •Ocean Cay is closed now to expand both the Main buffet & the YC Ocean Cay Restaurant so it can accommodate more guests . As from the World América = more. They are also improving the sand quality on some beaches. I also heard talk of in future- for children only-small slides n splash pools. But could be a rumour? •Depending on WHAT TYPE OF SUITE you're in on Yacht Club, will mean WHAT LEVEL TREATMENT YOU GET. I observed EVERYTHING. (I think most people didn't notice it, because they're pretty overwhelmed by everything.) But did after I mentioned it. So although you're staying in the TOP experience , there is a "class difference" in how your served depending on your suite. Observe it. You'll then notice! For example- NO way do YIN categories get the same attaintivness as Higher grade suites are SERVED CONSTANTLY by THEIR OWN BUTLER. Not just the lounge Butlers. When they're dining, they're not served by the usual waiters. Their Butler, the ,the restaurant manager, and the Somelier all are very attaintive to their table in the evening. Around the pool, their Butler is constantly present and on top of things. They also get treated to bottles of champagne or wine each evening. They get gifts like Yacht Club t.shirts and bags, etc... As someone who was staying in an inside cabin, I had to contact my Butler to get service. Whereas the better rooms seemed to have them by their side and awaiting their requests. The inside rooms are really not set up well. They need to add better storage and replan the lay out. I thought of many ways to improve the room. The t.v is tiny and far away. It'd be better on an arm type support like NCL use and nearer to the bed. Less wall pictures and more hooks or shelves! Or cupboards around the bed head areas. The lightening is abysmal, too. Which is bad for an inside where you need more just cos of that fact. I couldn't use the dressing table to get ready because of the poor lighting. I had to use the bathroom. I'm only 4ft 11in and weigh 126 lbs and it was a task for me. So anyone else heavier or taller, a nightmare! I also had to contact my butler 3 times about the pillows we wanted and didn't get them until I asked Raj for them (concierge.) Tipping onboard was very obvious and very heavy and noticeable in YC. I tip but usually at the end of my cruise to those who gave me the most services. But by day 4, after noticing my butler was not seen hardly, I decided to tip now, which seemed to change his attitude towards things. I FEEL they are used to the US guests Tipping and so pay more attention to them than Europeans. Which is not good .As we all ought to have the same experience in YC. I ended up having to do the same. Tip there and then, rather at the end. Although I guess its irrelevant to crew as they're looking after the majority which is their market on Meraviligia. We will be experiencing Yacht Club again in a YIN cabin on the Seaview from Barcelona in September. It'll be interesting to compare the experience in YC Europe compared to YC in the USA. Tips should NOT IMPARE THE YC GUESTS EXPERIENCE, BUT THEY DO. Cos my butler changed, only after I handed him the bulging envelope! I thought about contacting MSC to let them know my feelings, but decided to hold off until I've experienced YC in Europe first. Only then can I know what's what.
Wow… I’m sorry you had to deal with that. It is so different than what we experienced. We had great service and butlers and we weren’t in a suite or spending loads of money. In fact we didn’t see any of what you experienced. We chose to tip at the end and feel it did not change our level of service.
@@Taste-Try-Travel Yeah.. I follow you guys so was suprised to experience what I did🤔..I'm not saying we didn't get good service, just that we noticed those details with the better suite guests. 🤗🫣 Yacht Club was full capacity and so was the ship. So maybe if the top suites are empty, they're more attaintive to their normal suite guests?
TIP - When in Yacht club in the Caribbean- and returning to the ship after a day out to the beach. Put your Yacht club towel around your shoulders! This helps crew and butlers pick you out from the crowds and prioritise you getting on!🎉
@@Taste-Try-Travel I live in Spain and have Spanish nationality, but I'm of British origin. MSC are BIG here in Europe. I follow the official MSC Spain page and know the girls who do all their social media. They are a wealth of information and are kind to me when booking cruises- (surprises and perk gifts!) Like they say- "It's not watcha know, it's who yer know!"
Hi and thank you 😊😊😊 well we are happy to share with you some upcoming videos as we celebrate our silver next month in the Seascape YC. Maybe we can give you some ideas of how to make your trip extra special!
First, I'd like to thank you for all your MSC videos. I keep watching them and can't stop! I'm going on my first cruise in July on the Magnifica, and I am super excited. It's refreshing to get some positive feedback about MSC. I also wanted to ask, in one of your videos, you mentioned that MSC was getting rid of the paper planners. Do you know if they have brought them back? Thank you again for all your videos-even the basic 101s have been incredibly helpful. You guys rock!
Thank you!🥰 We don’t have confirmation on their paperless policy yet… and they haven’t officially announced anything. We keep hearing that MSC has eliminated the paper version of the Daily Planner from all their ships, but we will find out more in June when we sail again. And… have a wonderful cruise on Magnifica this July (an incredibly beautiful ship)!😊
😂 Beth whispering is hilarious. - You guys are great! Love the new studio look!!! Another great podcast. Sweet of you to mention my note upfront. That was MSC Seascape Spring ‘23.
Hi guys. Been following you for 6months, and a couple of questions. 1. do you have any tips for the yacht club when I live in the UK? 2. why do you never reveal how much you pay for your cabin, and how do you get the perfect cabin upgrade? Steve.
@@selseybill hi there. Thanks for commenting. I think the booking process is the same in UK and US. We have a recent podcast called “How we book Yacht Club”. If you go to our channel and click playlists then podcasts… it came out a couple weeks ago. In it we detail how we book and the prices. Enjoy!!
Everyone should try the Yacht Club at least once! I’ve done the YC a few times. Last year my 2 sisters joined me on the Merivelgia. It was their first time. They now only want to do the YC! We have one booked for September. The staff goes out of their way to pamper you. BTW we used the drink package at Hola Taco.
Yacht Club rocks!😌… but how did get the drink package working in Hola??!?🤪 We understand that it covers a couple things, but it seemed like 99% of the drink menu there wasn’t covered! We’re gonna have to try again on our next cruise!😀
Yacht club is at the very front of the ship and top decks. If anyway is planning on taking a first time cruiser ? There will be more motion. So warn them!😜
I am bothered by motion so have to wear the patch behind my ear. I was surprised that I didn’t feel much motion on Meraviglia but it definitely can happen 😬😬😬
I have been watching your videos for the past few days because I just booked my first MSC cruise and booked the duplex suite in the yacht club. You look very familiar and I think I’ve met you before on NCL Joy in 22 1st week of May??
I hate all the drama that’s been caused because they were asked to stop filming. The truth is probably simple, an officer saw their video with thumbnail calling MSC a disaster and clickbait title of worst cruise ever and decided it wasn’t worth it to have them filming onboard. That’s the price paid for bombastic titling nothing more. The lack of introspection and self awareness from Ben and David as business owners is unfortunate. They make amazing content but they know they try to feed the algorithm with their titles. That being said the amount of people saying they are boycotting MSC because someone else was asked to stop filming is really ridiculous, it’s as if they didn’t watch the video at all considering Ben and David to their credit were fair in their assessment and rightly gave extremely high marks to YC.
Isn’t yacht club way less expensive if you book Bella inside room & wait for the upgrade offer (I know this isn’t guaranteed), as compared to buying yacht club outright? On the last cruise both myself & my sister both had balcony rooms, but she paid extra for the drink package, yet we both had the same upgrade offer of $390 for inside yacht club room!
You’ve stumbled upon a little “hack” way to book MSC… if you can get Yacht Club, and you didn’t add the package as part of your fare, you will pay less than someone who did. If you’re planning to bid for a YC upgrade, it may be better to wait to add a drink package later.
@@selseybill hey there. We always say book the experience that you want to have on the ship. If YC is what you want and you don’t want to chance the bidding process, book YC from the start. Not everyone gets a bid upgrade email. We choose what works best for us.
There are paths all around the island. There are also accessible beach wheelchairs that you can rent (maybe free not sure). We always recommend you to contact MSC special needs department for specifics 😊
Hello Guys, do you know if the Yacht club outdoor pool area is heated? Just to understand if you leave in March from NYC are you still able to enjoy the time outside without waiting to arrive in Florida
I am very excited to book. I am still waiting on status match. I am at least 5 days in from submitting my forms. Is that normal in everyone’s experience?
I understand you get access to the spa, but how much does it cost to get a massage, nails done, haircut, etc. It's kinda nice to know some prices of things to prepare in advance. Can you give me any prices for these things and maybe the room rate for 2 people for at least 7 days. If you know it. Thank you in advance for your insight.
All of those prices vary from ship to ship and day to day. There’s just no way to quote any price because they fluctuate all the time. On our last cruise, 50 minutes of a Swedish massage was $149. But they offer all kinds of massages at different rates per hour… and sometimes they discount those “regular” prices depending on how busy they are, what day of the cruise it is, and different specials they might offer. As far as a room rate, we suggest contacting our travel agent CJ at Preferred Travel Partners. She’ll need to know what cruise you’d like to go on, the dates you want to go, and the room category. Her contact info: 863-221-4056 travel.with.cj@gmail.com
I have travelled a number of times in there Yacht club (mostly in Europe) and I know for a fact that a lot of the people I have meet cruising do not like anyone filming them. They say thank god bloggers don't film in here. People taking photo's seem to get a different response. They go to the Yacht club for the privacy and pay for the privilege. I have never been filmed in this area so I could not say what I would feel, but there is a possibility I might complain about it. Anywhere else in the ship I wouldn't care.
We try to be very considerate when filming and very aware when people give us “the look” to stay away. We have never received pushback from MSC or any guest when filming.
Hi Beth & Chris!!! As always, thanks for the great pod cast and making me smile. I can't wait to sail in the YC in 2026 in the Mediterranean and this pod cast just got me even more excited!! I know you're probably sick of the whole B & D thing but here's my thoughts: I've seen this kind of thing happen at every job I've ever worked at and had it happen to myself but usually to my husband more times than I can count. For example, we just had a new steakhouse restaurant open here about 6 months ago. I've eaten at this restaurant in a different town and LOVED it!! But we gave them time to work out the "newly opened" kinks. Every single one of our friends & our kids who'd already eaten there said it was fantastic!!! Steaks that practically melted in your mouth that you could cut with a fork, great service, etc. We were excited to try it and went for lunch one day. Guess what... it was awful! The service was sub par at best, the steak was over cooked and tough, the avacado on our hamburger was so unripe that it actually looked and felt like it was a piece of plastic! Nobody could believe it when we told them how awful it was. Is the restaurant bad? No. Will we give them another chance? Yes. I truly believe it was just an off day and the fact that my husband was with me. Keep reading to understand why. Listen, all it takes is for 1 person who's a total jagoff to complain about something trivial and 1 employee who handles a situation completely wrong to make the perfect storm that is now (and forever will be) known as the "B & D / MSC Debacle"!!! Now, I know this is the 2nd time this has happened to them on MSC but I honestly beleive that, sometimes, the same sh** happens to the same people at the same places no matter how much time has passed or if you're in the same brand of establishment but in a completely different place with completely different employees. I know this to be a fact because it happens to my husband over, and over and over again. He could go to a dinner with 2 people or 200 people.... HIS dinner will be THE ONLY ONE that gets lost, never made, made wrong, you name it!!! If he goes through a drive thru it's always HIS order that's either wrong or completely missing. He could stand in line to buy something and they will sell the last one to the person in front of him. I could go to an establishment 100 times over, have no problems and get great service. My husband can go to the same place ONCE and have every problem in the book and has to deal with the ONE employee who's having the worst day of their life. It's just his lot in life. He has come to accept it and, after almost 37 years of marriage, I have come to expect it!! So, to make a long story short (Too Late Right? 😂) I believe that there was 1 entitled jagoff in the YC who complained and 1 ignorant employee who handled the situation in the absolute WORST way possible. I also believe this same thing happened on their 1st MSC cruise 3 years ago. Some cranky, entitled jagoff at the buffet complained about them and the one employee who SHOULD NOT have handled the situation did. In both incidents I believe that the situation was handled in a way that the corporate body at MSC would never stand for. It's very possible that the employee that handled this most recent event on the World Europa has been reprimanded, demoted, fired, etc. However, that is something none of us will ever know. What happened which has caused all of the backlash directed at BOTH B & D and MSC is truly unfortunate and I honestly hope it all gets settled amicably between them. I totally understand if they never sail on MSC again. However. I will still book a cruise on MSC because I choose to experience their cruise line for myself. However, my husband IS joining me on the MSC YC cruise I'm planning. Uh oh..... 😂 Rant over! Have a great night!! 👍
Can anyone tell me exactly what were the little triangle chocolates that we got on our pillows each night. I want to buy some online. They were so yummy.
We received Venchi chocolates each night… they were some of the same ones available in the Venchi chocolate shop. Here’s a link to their online store: us.venchi.com/?gad_source=1
Absolutely... the butler will escort you pretty much anywhere you need to go. However, probably the only time you'll need them to do that is at disembarkation (to circumvent the lines)... at other ports, there is a separate entrance/exit for YC and zero lines.
About the whole Ben & David issue. I seen the title of the Video and the disclaimer at the beginning. And then --right-- before they cut off the camera you can see Been in a mirror doing a rotating shot around a piece of artwork. And I said to Melana, "That is quite the rig, and I bet the crew thought they were a professional camera crew filming." And then it cuts to them getting shut down. Things that make ya go Hmmmmmmmm. I wish this would get some backlash so we could hear some kind of statement from MSC. I am kind of surprised you were directed to the main entry back onto the ship. Typically, they have a canopy tent over the yacht club entrance. At least on the Seaside and Seashore on our sailings. Oh and awesome new studio... you might even say it is Succulent! 🤣
Ben & David put out a folllow up video about that experience. They actually broke down and gave it another try and had a great experience. I guess management must've watched the video that they made them stop filming and felt stupid because they were doing nothing but raving about how great things were. I'm not sure what changed B & D's minds because they were pretty shaken up over the whole thing, understandably.
Sounds like you had a busy week with the new studio and the water heater. Hope things are much smoother now. MSC may have admitted it was handled badly I believe there is more to this issue then B&D showed. For being vloggers not to much is shown about what led up to the confrontation. Did passengers request them not to film them and they did it anyways, were they obtrusive? Some of those cameras are huge and very disruptive. Either case I will still book MSC and B&D crew can leave more space for me, they will still sell out without them.
Yep. So hard to know anything because we just didn't see it. Imagine there's a little bit of over reaction with everybody involved... we're all human and have a tendency to do that.🤪 Really hope they can work it out and add a little forgiveness to the situation... we enjoy Ben & David's content and would love to see their further adventures on MSC. ☺️
I'm of the same opinion as you guys with the Ben & Dave incident. Here's my thoughts: It's a shame this happened but I think I know what's happened; They've NOT NOTICED them at first cos they were filming the 1st part around the populated areas of the ship. Not Yacht Club. Another mistake, I believe, was them uploading that 1st video whilst still onboard . Rather waiting to do it once ended or at home.This meant when MSC looked them up as vloggers and saw the title of the videos on MSC , it has probably made alarm bells ring! E.g the Words in Title, "Bad & Disaster"😮 and the other "Worst cruise."... Yacht club is such an intimate area that its easier for guests and crew to hear and observe there are are vloggers / cruise critics onboard . Maybe some guests have complained about the filming. They too,may have also looked them up and saw they have a wide audience, so this means these guests are seen by many people and they are so less privacy than appearing in a holiday makers video!. ..They've seen the cameras on a stabiliser stick,so they're thinking it's not a simple vacation vlogg. And it's ruffled feathers,so understandably MSC has had to react to guests and crew complaining, although yes, they have handled it in the wrong way. If permission to film in YC had been asked prior to visiting onboard, or 1st day onboard.I bet all of this would have been avoided. We have to remember MSC is independently owned so it's easy to fire head staff if they let things happen that may jeopardise the Company. So they acted quickly from fear, I bet. The Yacht Club is the jewel in their crown, and so they protect it fiercely and have then seen further contents of Ben & Daves TH-cam. They've panicked. If they had taken them into their office and been nice and asked to see how this vloggs going and how their visit is going , then said to please to film in Yacht club with a phone from now on. It would have been a better outcome for all. As a customer of MSC, and with 3 reservations in Yacht club, I won't let this put me off, because as they said- Its not a vacation. This is work. I will be on vacation and experiencing everything from that perspective . Its a shame that it ended the way it did and I think for both them and MSC it's been one big misunderstanding and it should not end here.They should both talk it out more and receive apologies all round.❤.
@@Taste-Try-Travel Very true. Life's to short to hold grudges. MSC are a big cruise line and they're missing out on all they have to offer. Yacht club is wonderful. MSC are Swiss. The Swiss are known for being very proper and correct with rules. I'm quite sure we're not hearing the full details.
Its not just that they were asked not to film, the people on MSC were rude and hostile about it. The first time they were yelled at in public. The second problem is that noone else was asked to stop filming. And thirdly, they asked if it would be ok if they used their i-phones, and were still told no. In a letter to them from someone higher up, MSC agreed they handled things poorly, although there was in fact a customer complaint, worried as he couldn't be on social media. What MDC leadership wants in the future is to guide their filming experience. B&D want to film without being guided to show just the parts any cruiseline wants to guide them to JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Thats where the word censor comes in. Noone else was asked to stop filming. This is a complex issue. What is a person's reasonable expectation of privacy on a public cruise ship? Is expectation changed in a more exclusive part of a ship. Cruiselines benefit on the whole from Cruise TH-cam, but how much do filmers impact the cruise experience of other guests? How do you enforce fair rules to everyone? The worrisome part to me is less the specific issue, but how the staff on MSC turned on a dime and became universally so hostile, which the upper management agrees was poor handling of the situation.
Dianalee, your passion is sooooooooo awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!😊🥰😊 We love what you bring to our channel! It appears the crew handled the situation in a ridiculous way... no excuse for being rude and intimidating to anyone... no-one should suffer a bully! We would not go so far as to say because a crew member(s) acted badly, MSC as a whole is to blame. But it seems that MSC needs to re-emphasize to some crew members the correct way to handle a conflict. It just became a mess where a mess definitely wasn't needed (and could've been avoided).😌
I'm glad they were told to stop filming. And I hope I never see them on a MSC ship up in my face with a camera. It's a major violation of privacy. And they aren't going to tell the general public the entire story. I only watched one video they made and when they complained about the floor length mirror not being floor length in their state room on Queen Mary 2, I was through with them. They sound so entitled. I only begin to watch that particular video because I have a cruise on that ship later this year. Since they were told twice hopefully they have been banned.
Just as we hope they forgive MSC, we hope others will forgive them. We’re all just humans moving through life making mistakes and trying to learn from them. 😊
So I just got back yesterday after 11 days on the Meraviligia and my 1st time in Yacht Club. I've been on her previously, but last year in Fantastica the experience.
Some things I noticed / learned:
•Ocean Cay is closed now to expand both the Main buffet & the YC Ocean Cay Restaurant so it can accommodate more guests . As from the World América = more. They are also improving the sand quality on some beaches. I also heard talk of in future- for children only-small slides n splash pools. But could be a rumour?
•Depending on WHAT TYPE OF SUITE you're in on Yacht Club, will mean WHAT LEVEL TREATMENT YOU GET. I observed EVERYTHING. (I think most people didn't notice it, because they're pretty overwhelmed by everything.) But did after I mentioned it. So although you're staying in the TOP experience , there is a "class difference" in how your served depending on your suite. Observe it. You'll then notice!
For example- NO way do YIN categories get the same attaintivness as
Higher grade suites are SERVED CONSTANTLY by THEIR OWN BUTLER. Not just the lounge Butlers. When they're dining, they're not served by the usual waiters. Their Butler, the ,the restaurant manager, and the Somelier all are very attaintive to their table in the evening. Around the pool, their Butler is constantly present and on top of things. They also get treated to bottles of champagne or wine each evening. They get gifts like Yacht Club t.shirts and bags, etc...
As someone who was staying in an inside cabin, I had to contact my Butler to get service. Whereas the better rooms seemed to have them by their side and awaiting their requests.
The inside rooms are really not set up well. They need to add better storage and replan the lay out. I thought of many ways to improve the room. The t.v is tiny and far away. It'd be better on an arm type support like NCL use and nearer to the bed. Less wall pictures and more hooks or shelves! Or cupboards around the bed head areas. The lightening is abysmal, too. Which is bad for an inside where you need more just cos of that fact. I couldn't use the dressing table to get ready because of the poor lighting. I had to use the bathroom. I'm only 4ft 11in and weigh 126 lbs and it was a task for me. So anyone else heavier or taller, a nightmare!
I also had to contact my butler 3 times about the pillows we wanted and didn't get them until I asked Raj for them (concierge.)
Tipping onboard was very obvious and very heavy and noticeable in YC. I tip but usually at the end of my cruise to those who gave me the most services.
But by day 4, after noticing my butler was not seen hardly, I decided to tip now, which seemed to change his attitude towards things. I FEEL they are used to the US guests Tipping and so pay more attention to them than Europeans.
Which is not good .As we all ought to have the same experience in YC. I ended up having to do the same. Tip there and then, rather at the end. Although I guess its irrelevant to crew as they're looking after the majority which is their market on Meraviligia.
We will be experiencing Yacht Club again in a YIN cabin on the Seaview from Barcelona in September. It'll be interesting to compare the experience in YC Europe compared to YC in the USA.
Tips should NOT IMPARE THE YC GUESTS EXPERIENCE, BUT THEY DO. Cos my butler changed, only after I handed him the bulging envelope!
I thought about contacting MSC to let them know my feelings, but decided to hold off until I've experienced YC in Europe first. Only then can I know what's what.
Wow… I’m sorry you had to deal with that. It is so different than what we experienced. We had great service and butlers and we weren’t in a suite or spending loads of money. In fact we didn’t see any of what you experienced.
We chose to tip at the end and feel it did not change our level of service.
@@Taste-Try-Travel Yeah.. I follow you guys so was suprised to experience what I did🤔..I'm not saying we didn't get good service, just that we noticed those details with the better suite guests. 🤗🫣 Yacht Club was full capacity and so was the ship. So maybe if the top suites are empty, they're more attaintive to their normal suite guests?
TIP - When in Yacht club in the Caribbean- and returning to the ship after a day out to the beach. Put your Yacht club towel around your shoulders!
This helps crew and butlers pick you out from the crowds and prioritise you getting on!🎉
GREAT tip!… we are going to bring you with us on our next YC adventure!!!! 🤪😊🤪
@@Taste-Try-Travel I live in Spain and have Spanish nationality, but I'm of British origin. MSC are BIG here in Europe. I follow the official MSC Spain page and know the girls who do all their social media. They are a wealth of information and are kind to me when booking cruises- (surprises and perk gifts!)
Like they say- "It's not watcha know, it's who yer know!"
Thank you for the info, I will definitely do this in November
Love your cast. been on MSC twice. nown. looking at yacht club for our silver in two year time.
Hi and thank you 😊😊😊 well we are happy to share with you some upcoming videos as we celebrate our silver next month in the Seascape YC. Maybe we can give you some ideas of how to make your trip extra special!
First, I'd like to thank you for all your MSC videos. I keep watching them and can't stop! I'm going on my first cruise in July on the Magnifica, and I am super excited. It's refreshing to get some positive feedback about MSC. I also wanted to ask, in one of your videos, you mentioned that MSC was getting rid of the paper planners. Do you know if they have brought them back? Thank you again for all your videos-even the basic 101s have been incredibly helpful. You guys rock!
Thank you!🥰
We don’t have confirmation on their paperless policy yet… and they haven’t officially announced anything. We keep hearing that MSC has eliminated the paper version of the Daily Planner from all their ships, but we will find out more in June when we sail again.
And… have a wonderful cruise on Magnifica this July (an incredibly beautiful ship)!😊
Thank you for the video, this was very informative.
I don’t know who Ben and David are and I don’t care. I love MSC forever!
Ha!😊
😂 Beth whispering is hilarious. - You guys are great! Love the new studio look!!! Another great podcast.
Sweet of you to mention my note upfront. That was MSC Seascape Spring ‘23.
Love you Gretchen! 😊🥰😊
Hi guys. Been following you for 6months, and a couple of questions. 1. do you have any tips for the yacht club when I live in the UK? 2. why do you never reveal how much you pay for your cabin, and how do you get the perfect cabin upgrade?
Steve.
@@selseybill hi there. Thanks for commenting.
I think the booking process is the same in UK and US. We have a recent podcast called “How we book Yacht Club”. If you go to our channel and click playlists then podcasts… it came out a couple weeks ago. In it we detail how we book and the prices. Enjoy!!
Thanks for the video. We sail for the first time on MSC on the Meraviglia in Yacht Club at the end of April
Have an amazing experience in YC (you definitely will🤪)!! Thanks!😊
I’m really loving all these cruise casts I’m learning so much
Thanks! 🥰 We’re like “fun school”!!!🤪🧑🏫🤪
Everyone should try the Yacht Club at least once! I’ve done the YC a few times. Last year my 2 sisters joined me on the Merivelgia. It was their first time. They now only want to do the YC! We have one booked for September. The staff goes out of their way to pamper you. BTW we used the drink package at Hola Taco.
Yacht Club rocks!😌… but how did get the drink package working in Hola??!?🤪 We understand that it covers a couple things, but it seemed like 99% of the drink menu there wasn’t covered! We’re gonna have to try again on our next cruise!😀
@@Taste-Try-Travel I really don’t know. We just ordered!
Yacht club is at the very front of the ship and top decks. If anyway is planning on taking a first time cruiser ? There will be more motion. So warn them!😜
I am bothered by motion so have to wear the patch behind my ear. I was surprised that I didn’t feel much motion on Meraviglia but it definitely can happen 😬😬😬
I got so excited when I saw you had a video out!
🤩🥳🤩
I have been watching your videos for the past few days because I just booked my first MSC cruise and booked the duplex suite in the yacht club. You look very familiar and I think I’ve met you before on NCL Joy in 22 1st week of May??
Thanks for watching! We haven’t sailed on Joy yet, so it wasn’t us… unless someone’s walking around in those Taste Try Travel Halloween costumes! 🤪😳🤪
I hate all the drama that’s been caused because they were asked to stop filming. The truth is probably simple, an officer saw their video with thumbnail calling MSC a disaster and clickbait title of worst cruise ever and decided it wasn’t worth it to have them filming onboard. That’s the price paid for bombastic titling nothing more. The lack of introspection and self awareness from Ben and David as business owners is unfortunate. They make amazing content but they know they try to feed the algorithm with their titles. That being said the amount of people saying they are boycotting MSC because someone else was asked to stop filming is really ridiculous, it’s as if they didn’t watch the video at all considering Ben and David to their credit were fair in their assessment and rightly gave extremely high marks to YC.
Yep… quite unfortunately, drama surrounds our lives these days. Getting past it to get to forgiveness is always the best route to take. 😊
Isn’t yacht club way less expensive if you book Bella inside room & wait for the upgrade offer (I know this isn’t guaranteed), as compared to buying yacht club outright? On the last cruise both myself & my sister both had balcony rooms, but she paid extra for the drink package, yet we both had the same upgrade offer of $390 for inside yacht club room!
You’ve stumbled upon a little “hack” way to book MSC… if you can get Yacht Club, and you didn’t add the package as part of your fare, you will pay less than someone who did. If you’re planning to bid for a YC upgrade, it may be better to wait to add a drink package later.
Do I have to buy a cheap inside cabin and then get invited to bid, am I bidding to upgrade to yacht club, or do we just book the yacht club?
@@selseybill hey there. We always say book the experience that you want to have on the ship. If YC is what you want and you don’t want to chance the bidding process, book YC from the start. Not everyone gets a bid upgrade email.
We choose what works best for us.
Question- I use a scooter, so wondering how that works on Ocean Cay ?
There are paths all around the island. There are also accessible beach wheelchairs that you can rent (maybe free not sure). We always recommend you to contact MSC special needs department for specifics 😊
Hello Guys, do you know if the Yacht club outdoor pool area is heated? Just to understand if you leave in March from NYC are you still able to enjoy the time outside without waiting to arrive in Florida
Hey! The Yacht Club pools are not heated. But there is a Yacht Club hot tub… which isn’t nearly as crowded as other hot tubs on the ship. 😊
I am very excited to book. I am still waiting on status match. I am at least 5 days in from submitting my forms. Is that normal in everyone’s experience?
Let us know when you’ve got your status match… would love to hear your experience!😊
I understand you get access to the spa, but how much does it cost to get a massage, nails done, haircut, etc. It's kinda nice to know some prices of things to prepare in advance. Can you give me any prices for these things and maybe the room rate for 2 people for at least 7 days. If you know it. Thank you in advance for your insight.
All of those prices vary from ship to ship and day to day. There’s just no way to quote any price because they fluctuate all the time. On our last cruise, 50 minutes of a Swedish massage was $149. But they offer all kinds of massages at different rates per hour… and sometimes they discount those “regular” prices depending on how busy they are, what day of the cruise it is, and different specials they might offer.
As far as a room rate, we suggest contacting our travel agent CJ at Preferred Travel Partners. She’ll need to know what cruise you’d like to go on, the dates you want to go, and the room category.
Her contact info:
863-221-4056
travel.with.cj@gmail.com
Privacy is very important to people especially in yacht club I would guess
Have to respect others at all costs.😊
The wrist band doesn't work with the elevator for yacht club. Only the card works, it took us a while to figure it out.
Our wristbands worked at almost all of the elevators I used thank goodness.
Even with them showing us how to use it, we were unable to replicate their results. 🤪😕🤪
I have travelled a number of times in there Yacht club (mostly in Europe) and I know for a fact that a lot of the people I have meet cruising do not like anyone filming them. They say thank god bloggers don't film in here. People taking photo's seem to get a different response. They go to the Yacht club for the privacy and pay for the privilege. I have never been filmed in this area so I could not say what I would feel, but there is a possibility I might complain about it. Anywhere else in the ship I wouldn't care.
We try to be very considerate when filming and very aware when people give us “the look” to stay away. We have never received pushback from MSC or any guest when filming.
Hi Beth & Chris!!!
As always, thanks for the great pod cast and making me smile. I can't wait to sail in the YC in 2026 in the Mediterranean and this pod cast just got me even more excited!!
I know you're probably sick of the whole B & D thing but here's my thoughts:
I've seen this kind of thing happen at every job I've ever worked at and had it happen to myself but usually to my husband more times than I can count.
For example, we just had a new steakhouse restaurant open here about 6 months ago. I've eaten at this restaurant in a different town and LOVED it!! But we gave them time to work out the "newly opened" kinks. Every single one of our friends & our kids who'd already eaten there said it was fantastic!!! Steaks that practically melted in your mouth that you could cut with a fork, great service, etc. We were excited to try it and went for lunch one day. Guess what... it was awful! The service was sub par at best, the steak was over cooked and tough, the avacado on our hamburger was so unripe that it actually looked and felt like it was a piece of plastic! Nobody could believe it when we told them how awful it was. Is the restaurant bad? No. Will we give them another chance? Yes. I truly believe it was just an off day and the fact that my husband was with me. Keep reading to understand why.
Listen, all it takes is for 1 person who's a total jagoff to complain about something trivial and 1 employee who handles a situation completely wrong to make the perfect storm that is now (and forever will be) known as the
"B & D / MSC Debacle"!!!
Now, I know this is the 2nd time this has happened to them on MSC but I honestly beleive that, sometimes, the same sh** happens to the same people at the same places no matter how much time has passed or if you're in the same brand of establishment but in a completely different place with completely different employees. I know this to be a fact because it happens to my husband over, and over and over again. He could go to a dinner with 2 people or 200 people.... HIS dinner will be THE ONLY ONE that gets lost, never made, made wrong, you name it!!! If he goes through a drive thru it's always HIS order that's either wrong or completely missing. He could stand in line to buy something and they will sell the last one to the person in front of him. I could go to an establishment 100 times over, have no problems and get great service. My husband can go to the same place ONCE and have every problem in the book and has to deal with the ONE employee who's having the worst day of their life. It's just his lot in life. He has come to accept it and, after almost 37 years of marriage, I have come to expect it!!
So, to make a long story short (Too Late Right? 😂) I believe that there was 1 entitled jagoff in the YC who complained and 1 ignorant employee who handled the situation in the absolute WORST way possible. I also believe this same thing happened on their 1st MSC cruise 3 years ago. Some cranky, entitled jagoff at the buffet complained about them and the one employee who SHOULD NOT have handled the situation did. In both incidents I believe that the situation was handled in a way that the corporate body at MSC would never stand for. It's very possible that the employee that handled this most recent event on the World Europa has been reprimanded, demoted, fired, etc. However, that is something none of us will ever know. What happened which has caused all of the backlash directed at BOTH B & D and MSC is truly unfortunate and I honestly hope it all gets settled amicably between them.
I totally understand if they never sail on MSC again. However. I will still book a cruise on MSC because I choose to experience their cruise line for myself. However, my husband IS joining me on the MSC YC cruise I'm planning. Uh oh..... 😂
Rant over! Have a great night!! 👍
Chris and your husband are related in some strange way!🤪 Just a moment that could’ve been handled in such a better way.
Thanks!!!!!😊
Can anyone tell me exactly what were the little triangle chocolates that we got on our pillows each night. I want to buy some online. They were so yummy.
We received Venchi chocolates each night… they were some of the same ones available in the Venchi chocolate shop. Here’s a link to their online store:
us.venchi.com/?gad_source=1
Will a butler escort you off the ship at port? We will be on the seaside YC in May :)
Absolutely... the butler will escort you pretty much anywhere you need to go. However, probably the only time you'll need them to do that is at disembarkation (to circumvent the lines)... at other ports, there is a separate entrance/exit for YC and zero lines.
They will also escort you back on the ship at port. Right to the front of the line :)
About the whole Ben & David issue. I seen the title of the Video and the disclaimer at the beginning. And then --right-- before they cut off the camera you can see Been in a mirror doing a rotating shot around a piece of artwork. And I said to Melana, "That is quite the rig, and I bet the crew thought they were a professional camera crew filming." And then it cuts to them getting shut down. Things that make ya go Hmmmmmmmm. I wish this would get some backlash so we could hear some kind of statement from MSC.
I am kind of surprised you were directed to the main entry back onto the ship. Typically, they have a canopy tent over the yacht club entrance. At least on the Seaside and Seashore on our sailings.
Oh and awesome new studio... you might even say it is Succulent! 🤣
Ha!... "Direct from Succulent Studios, we welcome you to the MSC Cruise Cast!"
Think we've found our new intro!!!!!!🤪☺️🤪
Ben & David put out a folllow up video about that experience. They actually broke down and gave it another try and had a great experience. I guess management must've watched the video that they made them stop filming and felt stupid because they were doing nothing but raving about how great things were. I'm not sure what changed B & D's minds because they were pretty shaken up over the whole thing, understandably.
Sounds like you had a busy week with the new studio and the water heater. Hope things are much smoother now. MSC may have admitted it was handled badly I believe there is more to this issue then B&D showed. For being vloggers not to much is shown about what led up to the confrontation. Did passengers request them not to film them and they did it anyways, were they obtrusive? Some of those cameras are huge and very disruptive. Either case I will still book MSC and B&D crew can leave more space for me, they will still sell out without them.
Yep. So hard to know anything because we just didn't see it. Imagine there's a little bit of over reaction with everybody involved... we're all human and have a tendency to do that.🤪
Really hope they can work it out and add a little forgiveness to the situation... we enjoy Ben & David's content and would love to see their further adventures on MSC. ☺️
I'm of the same opinion as you guys with the Ben & Dave incident. Here's my thoughts:
It's a shame this happened but I think I know what's happened;
They've NOT NOTICED them at first cos they were filming the 1st part around the populated areas of the ship. Not Yacht Club.
Another mistake, I believe, was them uploading that 1st video whilst still onboard . Rather waiting to do it once ended or at home.This meant when MSC looked them up as vloggers and saw the title of the videos on MSC , it has probably made alarm bells ring!
E.g the Words in Title, "Bad & Disaster"😮 and the other "Worst cruise."...
Yacht club is such an intimate area that its easier for guests and crew to hear and observe there are are vloggers / cruise critics onboard . Maybe some guests have complained about the filming. They too,may have also looked them up and saw they have a wide audience, so this means these guests are seen by many people and they are so less privacy than appearing in a holiday makers video!. ..They've seen the cameras on a stabiliser stick,so they're thinking it's not a simple vacation vlogg. And it's ruffled feathers,so understandably MSC has had to react to guests and crew complaining, although yes, they have handled it in the wrong way.
If permission to film in YC had been asked prior to visiting onboard, or 1st day onboard.I bet all of this would have been avoided.
We have to remember MSC is independently owned so it's easy to fire head staff if they let things happen that may jeopardise the Company. So they acted quickly from fear, I bet.
The Yacht Club is the jewel in their crown, and so they protect it fiercely and have then seen further contents of Ben & Daves TH-cam. They've panicked.
If they had taken them into their office and been nice and asked to see how this vloggs going and how their visit is going , then said to please to film in Yacht club with a phone from now on. It would have been a better outcome for all.
As a customer of MSC, and with 3 reservations in Yacht club, I won't let this put me off, because as they said- Its not a vacation. This is work.
I will be on vacation and experiencing everything from that perspective .
Its a shame that it ended the way it did and I think for both them and MSC it's been one big misunderstanding and it should not end here.They should both talk it out more and receive apologies all round.❤.
Wonderful! Couldn’t have said it better. Mistakes were probably made by both sides… forgiveness is such a wonderful thing in life!😊🥳😊
@@Taste-Try-Travel Very true.
Life's to short to hold grudges. MSC are a big cruise line and they're missing out on all they have to offer. Yacht club is wonderful. MSC are Swiss. The Swiss are known for being very proper and correct with rules. I'm quite sure we're not hearing the full details.
Its not just that they were asked not to film, the people on MSC were rude and hostile about it. The first time they were yelled at in public. The second problem is that noone else was asked to stop filming. And thirdly, they asked if it would be ok if they used their i-phones, and were still told no. In a letter to them from someone higher up, MSC agreed they handled things poorly, although there was in fact a customer complaint, worried as he couldn't be on social media. What MDC leadership wants in the future is to guide their filming experience. B&D want to film without being guided to show just the parts any cruiseline wants to guide them to JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Thats where the word censor comes in. Noone else was asked to stop filming.
This is a complex issue. What is a person's reasonable expectation of privacy on a public cruise ship? Is expectation changed in a more exclusive part of a ship. Cruiselines benefit on the whole from Cruise TH-cam, but how much do filmers impact the cruise experience of other guests? How do you enforce fair rules to everyone?
The worrisome part to me is less the specific issue, but how the staff on MSC turned on a dime and became universally so hostile, which the upper management agrees was poor handling of the situation.
Dianalee, your passion is sooooooooo awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!😊🥰😊 We love what you bring to our channel!
It appears the crew handled the situation in a ridiculous way... no excuse for being rude and intimidating to anyone... no-one should suffer a bully! We would not go so far as to say because a crew member(s) acted badly, MSC as a whole is to blame. But it seems that MSC needs to re-emphasize to some crew members the correct way to handle a conflict.
It just became a mess where a mess definitely wasn't needed (and could've been avoided).😌
I'm glad they were told to stop filming. And I hope I never see them on a MSC ship up in my face with a camera. It's a major violation of privacy. And they aren't going to tell the general public the entire story. I only watched one video they made and when they complained about the floor length mirror not being floor length in their state room on Queen Mary 2, I was through with them. They sound so entitled. I only begin to watch that particular video because I have a cruise on that ship later this year. Since they were told twice hopefully they have been banned.
Just as we hope they forgive MSC, we hope others will forgive them. We’re all just humans moving through life making mistakes and trying to learn from them. 😊