Your video has inspired us, so much so that we have booked a 12 night cruise to the Canaries all in the Yacht Club. Your delivery is infectious.. I come from the Yorkshire Dales although we now live in Mid Wales and have thoroughly enjoy both of you as you giggle and guide us through the delights of the Yacht Club. You mentioned booking for a special occasion in your video. On the day Virtuosa departs Southampton we will have been married for 50 years to the day, a very special anniversary. Hopefully the YC will help with our celebration and the venue we have chosen for this event, the Yacht Club restaurant, is all down to your immaculate delivery and persuasive charms So many thanks for all you both do to enlighten us and carry us along on your cruising journeys Kind regard Phil and Val
Wow. Thank you so much Phil and Val for such a lovely comment. Yacht club is so special and we are sure you are going to love it, please do let us know how you get on with it, and maybe share the experience in our Facebook group? 50 years. Congratulations, do let the concierge in Yacht Club know when you get on and we are sure you will get some extra special goodies too. Have a lovely evening and again thank you for your amazing comment. Linzi and Mark
Must admit, MSC have never been on my radar, They are now, during your review you said you are going on Appex, we sail on her early August, very much looking forward to it. Thanks for the in-depth overview👍
Love the yacht Club. When we went out the doors we couldn’t wait to get back in. We’ve cruised for about 25 years and discovered the Yacht Club about 5 years ago it’s the only way to cruise.
Thank you Andrea. As we said in the review, it was our first time in Yacht Club, but not on MSC, and we felt the same, we couldn't wait to get back through the days into the Yacht Club. We'd never say never, but it would be VERY hard to go back on a MSC ship on the other side now. But it has also set a standard for other cruise lines Suite areas for us too. Linzi & Mark
This video is an absolute delight. I just booked a Yacht Club cruise for our family and I wanted to see what I have to look forward to. Thank you so much! Subscribed. Love the natural way you both narrate it. Cheers!
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. You and your family are going to love Yacht Club. Let us know what you thought of it when you come back. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Great video, we did the yacht club on Virtuosa last year. Amazing, great food, service and drinks. Best disembarkation ever with the butler. Back on end of April for three days with the cruise monkeys and put in a bid for yacht club.
Thanks Mick, we were blown away by just how good the service and everything else was in the Yacht Club. Have an amazing cruise with the Cruise Monkeys in Yacht Club. We suspect you'll need the peace and quiet of the Yacht Club to recover occassionally on the group cruise 😂
Well, I must say what a fantastic video you've created and you are such a lovely couple. I've been in the YC over 25 times now and if i'm cruising MSC i always book it. I hardly ever leave it as I can't stand all the madness that confronts me when I leave it, people call me all sorts of names for saying that (posh. snooty etc lol) , but it's something I pay for ha ha i find it much better than Celebrity cruises 'the retreat' and NCL's 'The Haven'. I take it it's your first time in the YC and it's changed over the years, a lot of things have got better and some not so good, we used to be met at the airport with a nice car and lots of other things have gone over the years like a bottle of moet each and choc strawberries (some of the head butlers still treat us to this so thats lovely) but it's soooo affordable who can actually complain???? I'm certainly going to like and subscribe as i absolutely loved this and once again thanks for a great Vlog. Take care, hope to see you both on the seas one day and if we meet in the YC i'll buy you both a drink (ha ha)
Wow! What a comment (now pinned). Thank you so much Preston. It was our first time in YC as you said, but not our first time on MSC. We cannot imagine we would travel on MSC and not be in Yacht Club now. The best thing is, we know several subscribers or members of our Facebook group have been in YC off the back of this in the past few months and all loved it as much as we did. A couple of them even had our butler Afaka. We will definitely let you buy us that drink in YC when we see you on there 😂 Again thank you for such a lovely comment. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured you're so welcome! You absolutely deserve they plaque your going for! You made me smile and laugh so many times throughout it. I'm back on the seascape in sept where we are taking family for our 'wedding' (they aren't certified to do same sex weddings) but it's going to be great and to have our family there is an added bonus, all in YC.
@@preston30 that sounds absolutely amazing Preston. To all be in YC for the “wedding” will be such a fantastic way to celebrate it. We will raise a glass to you (it never takes much persuasion to get us to raise one) 😂🥂 Have a lovely evening, Linzi and Mark
I did two trips on Virtuosa YC last year and 100% agree with everything they said in this video. Only problem is the more people who find out how good it is the more who will book it and prices will go up!
ooops, we must keep this quiet then 😂 Seriously though, we kind of agree, we have been singing it's praises and know of a lot of people who have now booked to try it for the first time too. Then again, everyone should be able to enjoy Yacht Club, it is amazing. Linzi & Mark
Love this! We’re on Virtuosa in YC in September/October. We’ve been on Celebrity in the Retreat a number of times and so far that has been the best experience. Really looking forward to comparing. Thanks for this great video. 😊
Thank you ❤️ Let us know when you come back how you felt it compared. We are on Apex in Nov but not in retreat as it was sold out but if one comes available we will try and get in to compare it too. Linzi and Mark
@@NancyRodriguez-bj3rx Next up for us is Virgin Voyages new ship, Resilient Lady, in May out of Athens. Then Cunard Queen Mary 2 in August Linzi & Mark
Lovely walk through. Love the stereo mix down of the audio so I felt like you were sat either side of me having a conversation. Looks great for a couple.
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it. Sound is always the most subjective thing, some people love the stereo/panning mix, others don't so we are constantly trying to find the balance.
Ohhh! I was on there at the same time as you. I stared at you a couple of times and now I know why 😂. Thought I’d seen you somewhere before. I loved it too - ok we had a couple of dishes which were underwhelming like rock hard poached eggs, rubbery lobster and horrible soup, but it’s still fabulous and we’ve booked it again for 23 nights. Fantastic experience all round.
Oh no John. It would have been lovely to say hi and grab a drink. We had one hard poached egg 😂 rest of food was great but we didn't eat in Yacht Club for every meal as we were doing the other speciality ones too. Wow. 23 nights in Yacht Club will be amazing. We'd love that. Which ship are you gong on for that? Linzi and Mark
We were on the Virtuosa last December but didn't really like it. However we have just booked another December cruise on Fantasia but decided to try YC as so many people say its so much better than anything else. We are both Elite with Princess who as who can guess are our preferred option to sail with, but cruises are starting to become so expensive this might just persuade us to do even more with MSC but on the smaller ships. We booked before seeing any videos like yours but now having done so we are sure that we have made the right decision. 150 days to go as I write this, getting excited already.
Those 150 days will fly by. Virtuosa regular and Virtuosa Yacht Club are massively different experiences. We were like you and not that impressed with our first non-yc msc experience but YC was a different thing altogether and from speaking to lots of other cruisers it is a similar experience on all the MSC ships, except the world class ships where the YC appears to be a bit big in comparison. Let us know what you think of YC in about 158 days 😀
Great video, I was looking forward to your thoughts when you announced it months ago albeit with a change of cruise. The upper deck is also a huge plus in hot weather as it’s less crowded and the food and drinks service up there is excellent. We love the YC and I’m glad that you both do as well as there’s very few UK bloggers who have properly reviewed it.
Thank you so much Andrew, we are are glad you enjoyed it. It is a shame we didn't end up on World Europa this time, but Yacht Club on Virtuosa was so good. It is a shame we didn't get to benefit more from the sun deck and the Yacht Club Grill, but that just means we will have to go on another one :) Linzi & Mark
As you’ve seen it was our first YC experience too and there’s no going back 😂 You’ll love it and the Duplex is amazing too. Fingers crossed you get our amazing Butler, Afaka too. Linzi and Mark
Thank you for your lovely comment Nick, and well done on getting the Yacht Club bid, you are going to love it. Let us know whet you think when you get back, or if you want to join our Facebook Group, please do post your experience to share with our lovely community. Linzi & Mark
We have just had confirmation that our bid to yacht club has been accepted for a 2 night taster cruise in June for our belated honeymoon weekend....thank you for this video. Great review and content...I now have a very excited wife 😊😊
Oh that is amazing. We are so happy for you. You will have an fantastic time in Yacht Club and what a great belated Honeymoon (congratulations). Let us know what you think of it when you get back. Linzi and Mark
Well...what can I say?!! We absolutely loved it, and my wife booked another 5 night cruise on virtuosa in yacht club for next may. First I knew about it was when I received an email confirmation whilst at work from MSC thanking me for my booking 😂 my wife had never cruised before and is now hooked.
Thank you Tony ❤️ The Retreat on Beyond is supposed to be amazing. We are on Apex later this year but unfortunately not in the Retreat as it has sold out. Let us know how you got on when you come back from Beyond. Linzi and Mark
We were so impressed with Yacht Club, as you’ve probably gathered. It really did exceed our expectations in every way. We both think you two would love it. Linzi and Mark
We've looked at RC for the Fjords a few times it just hasn't worked out yet Joe. We've sailed with Royal so many times and they were the first cruise line we ever sailed on, and we have our first official group cruise on Independence of the Seas next year (Sept '25)
Love YC, going again in April for third time on Virtuosa, also been on Grandiosa YC. Inside YC can be a real bargain for Solo's like me. However once you go YC you can't go back to MSC without going YC!
It was so good David, and it is great to see that it works for Solo travellers too. We don't think we could travel on MSC and not be in Yacht Club. Linzi & Mark
Now that looks good. I will keep this handy for when I temp the other half for the next vacation planning.... Subtly of course... Like Mrs Bucket and the QE2 brochures.
Hi Phil, we are sure you'll love the Yacht Club when you get on next time; how did you find the rest of the cruise though and the balcony cabin? Linzi & Mark
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Technically no, you do not need to tip anyone, as gratuities are pre-paid. However we did tip our butler ($15 a day) and the odd cash tip at the end of the cruise for a couple of the bar staff/servers who had been amazing.
Hi Mark and Linzi, I am happy you two had a great cruise and that you were pampered as much as you were. I hope it's not a hard act to follow going forward. Cheers, Steve
H Steve, thank you. It was such a lovely cruise and it will be a very tough act to follow. We will enjoy our upcoming cruises we are sure but they will feel very different compared to this one. Linzi and Mark
@@stevehattrick1946 Next one is Mid-May out of Athens on the new Virgin Resilient Lady to the Adriatic, then in August on QM2 to the Fjords, and the last one (at the moment) for this year is on Celebrity Apex, Transatlantic in Nov. We are already fully on countdown for Athens. Just got to try and shed a few pounds/kilos before then.
It looks like a very different experience. It will be interesting to compare to our first experience of Virtuosa at the end of April in steerage class.
We’re about to get on Virtuosa … ‘steerage class’ too 😂 Not sure, lovely though this sounds, YC would be our cup of tea, but it will be an interesting comparison!
@@KenGoesCruising not sure what you think but we - and everyone else we have spoken to - have been heartily disappointed by MSC in every way. The ship itself is OK, but not enough general seating at all for weather like we’re having, service has been slow and sullen from a number of staff and the ‘organisation’ - from the alleged water testing removing hot water from most cabins for the whole of yesterday to the tenders to Guernsey (we waited and queued for over 3 hours and gave up!) - has been shambolic. Embarkation was the highlight, I am only hoping getting off is as swift tomorrow. I won’t be giving them my money again.
@@lornas_corner Hi Lorna I think that apart from the hot water issue yesterday it's very much what we expected. It's very busy on board drinks service has been slow at times but all short cruises are the same. We were lucky to only wait 30 minutes for our tender yesterday. I have been pleasantly surprised by the food. We ate in the MDR on the first night and in Indochine last night. I have enjoyed the theatre shows and have found most of the staff to be very friendly. We have also been very privileged to be travelling with some good friends and that maybe why we are having a good time. I did the Spa and the aqua park this morning and I am looking forward to white night tonight.
Only four..... 1. The Embarkation - you can turn up anytime from 0930 (ignore any embarkation times you see) and you will escorted onto the ship by your butler so fast, you'll have a drink in your hand before you know it. Disembarkation is just as quick too, but let's not talk about getting off the ship before you've even got on. 2. You'll have a drink in your hand before you know it! The Top Sail bar team are amazingly attentive, and if you are not sure what you want, ask them to make you a mystery drink/something special. 3. In Room Butler Service / Butler. We never thought we'd like or have need for a butler onboard a ship, until we went on MSC. The butlers are amazing, and nothing is too much effort for them. Fancy a Pizza Takeout, you got it, Cocktail for while you are getting ready for your night out. Yep. And they turn your cabin around in a morning and evening so quickly you won't realise they've been. 4. The Food. The food in the Yacht Club restaurant, at Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is fantastic, and if there isn't something you fancy on the menu, or you fancy a slightly different version of it, just let them know and more often than not they will be able to sort you out. Hope they help get you even more excited. Linzi & Mark
I've been on MSC before but not the yacht club. I do have 3 Queen Mary cruises booked and 2 on MSC for next year. If they have any upgrades to the yacht club available I'll book that category. Thank you for your video 👍
It is absolutely worth trying to get the YC upgrade if you can, it is, in our opinion, absolutely worth it. By coincidence, our next cruise, in August, is on QM2 :) Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Trying MSC and YC for the first time this coming Easter week :-) got a real bargain on the inside cabin as a solo traveler. What were the dinner times in the YC restaurant, and were some times more busy than others for dinner in the YC restaurant?
Oh that’s fantastic. You are going to love Yacht Club. Dining times for dinner normally start around 6 - 6.30 with last seating around 9.30. You can go right up to last seating and the service and food is just as great. There's not a busy time as such as you'll have your own table so never an issue to get seated. But generally when dining opens is the busiest time. But not compared to areas such as the Buffet or MDR (outside of Yacht Club) Linzi and Mark
@@lilliansanders520 It was nice, but it can be a bit too “posh” for my taste in the YC restaurant with the poshness game going on. But that’s me, I’m a humble guy from Norway not used to that fancy stuff. One really great thing about the YC is the quiet atmosphere in the restaurant, lounge and sun deck. It was nice to be there to re-charge a bit after being in the loud public area. I’m not a food critic, but I would say the food in the YC restaurant was good, but not something “out of another world” good/special.
My wife and I did a cruise on the world europa last month, we loved it, but vowed next time we’d do the yacht club, as it was complete mayhem in the main part of the ship!
Hi both. Just wanted to ask did you purchase the yatch club cabin outright or did you bid for it and if you did bid, what cabin type were you to start with? Thank you.
Hi Amika, originally we were in a deluxe suite in Yacht Club and then bid for the upgrade to the Duplex Suite. We placed the lowest possible bid as if we didn't get it we were still happy with the original Deluxe Suite. Linzi and Mark
@Suite Natured thank you both for your reply and the information. We've never been on an MSC cruise but the yatch club is something I'm seriously considering but probably just in a balcony cabin. A really good video. Thank you again.
We’ve just got back after a week on virtuosa, it just proves that if your willing to spend a fortune then you do get what you pay for, not having a go at all but we had a totally different experience, the food was diabolical in the MDR, all 4 speciality restaurants we went to were not very good either, I think if we’d have not had the drinks package to cheer us up we would have disembarked in Hamburg.
Hi Steven We've had similar tales from a few people (including when we were on there), which is a real shame. We ate in each of the speciality restaurants and our reviews will be coming out soon, only Inndochine didn't live up to our expectations though. Thank goodness for a drinks package 🍹 Hope you next cruise is a lot better for you. Linzi and Mark
YC is to die for. Such a shame the pool/grill area wasn’t open as the food, service there is very good. Butler service is fantastic. Loved our time in YC on Meraviglia.
We were gutted we didn't get to try the grill Jason but it gives us a good excuse to get on YC again. Not that we needed one. It was such a fantastic experience we can't wait to get on again. Linzi and Mark
The whirlpools 😂. Wow so many wows, the food the service…..it’s really got us in mood for euriba yacht club in October. Quick question how was it evenings? Did it feel like one big cross nest? Did feel need to go to watch show etc? Thanks for the video
There really we so many Wows. The evenings in the Top Sail Lounge are like being in any good similar area such as Commodore On Cunard or Crows Nest on P&O. Live music. Starts more sedate before singing starts. We did still go see the shows that ran outside most evenings but then came back to Yacht Club rather than other bars outside of it.
We guess it really comes down to how much you really want the upgrade. We already had a lovely cabin, so when we put in the bid, we went with the very minimum that it would allow, and that was enough to win it. If you REALLY want it, it might be worth ringing MSC and find out what deal they could do for you, as that might end up cheaper than a higher bid?
I agree it looks amazing and the standard of food etc in the club looks very good. We went on Virtuosa a few weeks ago in Fantastica class. It was poor on many levels. A very odd business model of extremes.
Completely agree Vik. When we first went on MSC we went in that class too and it very nearly put us off going on MSC again. Yet Yacht Club is one of our favourite cruise experiences date and we would go on it again without a seconds hesitation. Linzi and Mark
Hi Linzi & Mark, based on your videos we have booked a YC Duplex suite (12008) on Virtuosa next summer. We have a couple of questions that we hope you can answer because we keep seeing different things across the web. First, can we get a cooked breakfast in room? Second, are miniatures (little vodkas, gins, etc) replaced as they are used in the minibar? Some reviews say it’s non-alcoholic drinks only as there is a bottle of spirits/wine per person at the start of the cruise & after any initial miniatures are used that’s it. Third, can speciality coffees & drinks from the bar be delivered to the suite? This would be useful as our suite is outside the main YC area. Thank you. Jason & Aly
Hi Jason & Aly, You can kind of get a cooked breakfast but not full English. At least it wasn't on the menu. Ut your butler maybe able to sort. We had smoked a salmon and scrambled eggs. The miniatures weren't replaced but all the mixers and soft drinks were. We also got two bottles of spirits for our cruise. The butler will bring you speciality coffees and drinks down from the bar no problem. You are going to love it 😀
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for such a quick reply. I forgot to mention that we have really enjoyed your videos & they have helped us a lot in making the decision to book the YC. Your narratives are refreshingly relaxed, informative & really show you enthusiasm. You seem like a lovely couple & if our paths ever cross onboard then we must sit down & have a drink. Happy travels.
Hi Ray and Maggi. We did. We could get access to one to record a tour though as all were occupied. The couple we spoke for a long time one breakfast were in their 80's and one was in a wheelchair. They said the room and bathroom were really well laid out and had not been a problem for them to navigate at all. Sorry we couldn't get a tour though. Linzi and Mark
Ha Ha Ha Kirsty, and that is not too far from us. Maybe we should do a mini review of there some time and check out that outdoor Jacuzzi :) Linzi & Mark
I’m going to Norway in may on Virtuosa in the Yacht Club and it says all gratuities are included in the price. Just wondering if you felt the need to tip your butler? Great video btw. Can’t wait for my cruise now!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it and you are going to love Yacht Club on her, especially to Norway. Yes all gratuities are included and the only person we tipped was the Butler. We didn’t feel obliged to in any way nor was it expected but the service, as far as we were concerned was amazing and so we did. Linzi and Mark
I have never considered MSC before, but you have made me reconsider. Could you just explain what you paid, for how long, and how the bidding system works? I mainly cruise with Cunard, which I obviously enjoy. I’m not keen on crowds, queues or lots of rowdy kids, so your experience here looked very intriguing to me! Did you try the Spa too?
Hi Andrea, It was.our first Yacht Club, it will not be our last 😀 Yacht Club is so much cheaper than comparison ones such as The Retreat or Queens Grill. The Deluxe Suite we original had cost us £1700 each for our 7 night cruise. This included everything. Gratuities, Drinks, WiFi and such. The bidding system is straight forward (and similar how some airlines work). You get an email several weeks out, if there are rooms available, and you decide how much you bid. There will be a minimum (which alters massively depending on how busy the ship is) and you can see a visual odometer which goes from Fair to Excellent (the more you bid). We put in the minimum bid on ours as we were happy with our current cabin of we didn't get it. We found out about a week before we had won it and they automatically debited the card we gave. We did go to the Spa and there will be a video on that soon. It was very good. Probably the biggest we've been to so far. Hope this helps. Linzi and Mark
@@edikke From what I’ve looked at so far in the UK, if you book Yacht Club directly rather than bid up for it, it is not significantly cheaper than Cunard Grills (but it does include more in the fare). For me, the jeopardy of booking a lower cabin and risking not getting an upgrade would be too risky, as I know I would not enjoy being on MSC outside of Yacht Club.
@@Andrea-sl3ey departing Le Havre ( Zeebrugge was full...??) in januari , cruise to Teneriffe ; balcony 2789 € --Yacht club 7669€ ....how come that the people in the video claim that they paid less than a balcony??????
Thank you Mark. Yacht Club can be incredibly reasonable. For us on our 7 night cruise in the Deluxe Balcony (our original room) was £1700 each. So £3400 for the two of us all in. However we've seen the same room for 7 nights as low as £2700 per couple and the inside Yacht Club cabin for less than £2,000. Hope this helps. Linzi and Mark
Hi Linda, We've not done one as yet, as it's not really been the sort of video we do and there are other vloggers who do it really well. We've done a couple of members only Night Cap videos which are kind of like this. We are talking about doing a more traditional type vlog of what a day on a ship is like on or Virgin Cruise in May. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I'm on several FB pages for Yacht Club and I cannot get a daily itinerary off anyone. There are dancing classes maybe 2x a day?? One had a Vodka tasting for a bit extra. No help with this on FB.
@@gingernightmare9152 if you join our Facebook group we've got all the daily itineraries from our cruise and if you ask for them in there we can share them with you. We can't share via CZcams comments. Linzi and Mark
For the YC cabins, which are on decks 14-18 (depending whether you have a Interior or Deluxe) and the Duplex are on 9 & 12. 14-18 in the Yacht Club Proper (no one else can even get on the corridor to your cabins without a YC key), we'd say either 16 is probably the best, although they are all great. 16 gives you walk in access on the same floor to the Top Sail Lounge and concierge without taking any stairs or lifts. Deck 18 (there's no 17) gives you access straight into the restaurant. If we were going on again tomorrow we'd pick the YC Deluxe Suite without question.
AK.1988 ... we totally agree with Linzi & Mark... go for Deck 16 YC on Virtuosa! Deck 16 has Concierge, Top Sail, and then walk up Swarovski Stairs from lounge to YC dining room! We're actually booked on June 26th 2026 from Southampton in YC Deck 16... still several 5-6 YC Deluxe Suite cabins available on Deck 16. As cruisers based in USA (please don't hold it against us, lol) we decided several years ago that we'd ONLY book MSC cruises in Yacht Club... the prices are about 40-50% less than NCL Haven and other "ship-within-ship" cruises we've done on other lines and have paid for dearly compared to MSC. All our past and future MSC cruises are YC bookings... we get to ignore all the "too crowded" and "horrible cruise" naysayers because our experiences on MSC have always been similar to this video (Yacht Club experience.) //
It really is Steve. And we forgot to mention you get guaranteed theatre seats for every show and don’t have to book as another perk. It was a fantastic experience. And yes it was our car at the end. Linzi and Mark
We tried Cunard QG - not impressed with all the extras that you had to pay for. Honestly that put me off paying for YC - we’re about to board Virtuosa for a short cruise, to try MSC and decided on a basic, no frills cabin etc. The comparison will be interesting
Oh that will be a very interesting comparison Lorna. We spoke to quite a lot of former QG passengers in Yacht Club who said they wouldn't go back to QG having gone to YC. We've not done QG yet so we can't say for sure ourselves. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured so far so awful - home tomorrow, thank goodness. Even YC clients had no hot water at all yesterday and the tenders to Guernsey were a debacle… we’re in a basic no frills cabin and MSC won’t be getting any more bookings from me (or from a number of other passengers we have spoken to, including a couple in YC!).
@@lornas_corner oh no Lorna. What a massive shame. We are assuming they had technical issues for the lack of warm water. Did they offer any sort of compensation? Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured no! They said it was ‘testing the system’ - all day with 4,500 passengers on board!?! I don’t think so! Honestly, the attitude towards the inconvenience was the equivalent of a derisory shoulder shrug, they just didn’t care. We won’t be sailing with MSC again. My husband even said he would go back to Cunard sooner 😂
You will get an email through from MSC David inviting you to bid for an uograde. Then you just put in your bid and wait. It can be up to 48hrs before the cruise that you find out. Think we found out about two weeks out. You can also try this link and put your booking details in. It sometimes works :) www.msccruises.co.uk/cabin-upgrade-programme
Hi Ian. We totally forgot to mention this perk in the video. You don't need to book for any theatre show (excluding the paid Carousel show) and you have reserved Yacht Club seating too.
Slight exaggeration, the YC dinning is good but really no comparison to Murano on celebrity and we have sailed in the Yacht Club on Seaside, Prezoisa, Meravigila and have two more YC cruises booked.
Thanks Mike, we can only talk about our experience on this particular ship, and the dining was great, and on par with our last Murano experience onboard Celebrity Eclipse. Eden on Celebrity Apex however (we did that after recording this), was a different level again.
At least the wine choice on MSC YC was hands down better than Celebrity. We have given up on Celebrity...value for money is just not there, MSC YC exceeds in every way.
@@SuiteNatured thanks! I just upgraded to Yacht Club. I was going to inquire about bidding, but there was only one Yacht Club cabin left on the ship so I paid to upgrade. I'm retired law enforcement so I got the cabin for only $2700.00 U.S. We originally had a oceanview for $1550. The extra 1200 dollars gets us unlimited access to the spa, luxury accommodations, upgraded food, private pool, bar, lounge and exeptional service! Well worth it. Best part is that we sail out of NYC in July. No airfare or hotel needed since we are NYC residents.
@@jackdawson3276 That is fantastic Jack, and a really good price too. You will love it. Let us know when you come back what you thought of it. It's always a bonus too when you can just drive to the port rather than having to fly or stay over. Have an amazing time. Linzi & Mark
Absolutely right Rex. MSC for instance, on seven nights cruise you can find inside cabins as low as £300 a person, whereas the Yacht Club for an inside cabin, on the same cruise you might find as low as £900 a person. So three times the cost. MSC Yacht Club however compared to Celebrity Retreat of NCL Haven for their Ship Within A Ship offering (most directly comparable, rather than Queens Grill) are significantly more than Yacht Club. But you are right, you get what you pay for, but for a premium ship within a ship options, this, from our experience to date, is the best value £ for £ but you could take at least three times as many cruises in a non-Yacht Club interior room. Of course you get other bits such as the drinks package too, which would bring this down to potentially far less than three times, and could bring it closer to costing very similar, depending on how much you use that facility. Linzi & Mark
Booked YC after watching this. I can’t say I was overly impressed with the YC. I had a good time on the ship but I honestly couldn’ t see the value in YC. I’m pleased you had a good time but I felt that the personal and effortless elements that I associate with premium were certainly not there Another CZcamsr has described the service as “irratic”which matched more my experience. For the cost premium over the generally excellent experience that is the rest of the ship, I do not feel that I would pay for YC in the future.
Oh what a shame Mark. We hate to hear that it let you down. You are one of a very few people we know that didn't get the service. We are not sure if it's a staff change or busier seasons where it's dropping a bit. A vlogger friend of our, Gary Bembridge, did YC on Virtuosa recently and did have a bit of an "iratic time" too. Hope your next cruise is better Mark. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
We've seen it even more than that Ed. But we've also seen it not much more at all than a balcony to stay in the Yacht Club inside cabin. It's all about the sailing. Also always worth checking for a bid upgrade near the time as you can often find you can pay far less for the upgrade than the standard room + drinks package. Have a lovely day Linzi and Mark
It was interesting for us, being our first time in Yacht Club, having only sailed in the regular part of MSC on other cruises. It is more a case, for us personally, of having the benefits of all the things to do on the big ship, without having to crowds and queues that come, especially on cruises with full or nearly full capacity. The service is of course much more personalised too. We love big ships, Oasis Class (the current largest in the world) is our favourite, as there is so much to do, but at the same time, they can be very busy because of this, and YC gives the advantage of best of both worlds. As opposed to not wanting to mingle with everyone else. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Hi, I was only joking with my comment 😊just had a cruise with MSc & enjoyed it but there was a lot of queuing, we have another one booked & we’re thinking of upgrading. Great video by the way & have a nice day
Hi Peter, sure it was £715 to win the bid for the room upgrade, we do know this varies, massively from cruise to cruise, and from what room you are upgrading from too. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for your reply. I was thinking about booking an interior YC and bidding for an upgrade. Any thoughts on this game plan? Cheers
@@petersmith5163 You should get the upgrade email about three to four weeks out from departure. We, personally, just set the amount as either the minimum, or the lowest option to change from fair to good (on the chance of success odometer), which is normally only £10 or £20 more. Depending on when the cruise is (such as the one cruising right now, after we got off on Friday) is over 50% empty in YC (according to our Butler) and so the upgrade costs are probably far lower than normal on that type of cruise, compared to a school holiday period one. It also appears (from our limited experience) to get lower as the minimum bid, the closer you get to departure, so it is weighing up the additional cost (which will still be way under the cruise list price) against more or less guaranteeing an upgrade.
We do try and not interrupt each other, and we are much better at it now than when we started the channel 18 months ago; however it is our conversational style, unscripted, and recorded in a single take, so there will always be elements of this, sorry if it is not for you. The great thing about CZcams is the massive variety of styles, and whilst we might not be your thing, there will definitely be other cruise channels that you'll enjoy more, that have a very different style to us. Thanks for watching it and giving our channel a try. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured it might be because your voice comes from the left speaker and his from the right. Somehow it messes up my brain almost as if someone was interrupting on the other side of the room. But it might be only me….
@@arkadiuszg2864 We will check the settings on the next video if there is an option to put a mono track on there as well, as we do record in stereo (seperate Mics) so that will be why it is doing that. Linzi & Mark
Back in the day, in all the UK comedies the working class characters when put in elegant situations would talk about 'putting-it-on' aka: acting very posh to blend in with high society. Do you see that very often anymore or is speaking/acting in a posh way in the past? You are now ruined! Life will never be the same
Hi Chris. You are right. You used to get the Hyacinth Bucket type people. Not any more. There was every accent and no fake airs and graces. Just lovely people from all backgrounds. We think you are right about being ruined 😂
Looks fantastic. Are MSC going to launch a Yacht Club ship, similar to the Viking cruise ships? We love Viking but find their entertainment more suitable for the elderly and people who like to be tucked up in bed by 9.45pm 🫢
Hi, thank you for watching our review. Yes MSC are launching the Explora brand, which was initially talked about as a full ship like Yacht Club, rather than a ship within a ship. MSC have clarified that it is a different brand to YC, but that it takes those principals, and is there luxury brand, like Viking or Seaborn. It will be really interesting to see how it does, and what it is like. Linzi & Mark
Your video has inspired us, so much so that we have booked a 12 night cruise to the Canaries all in the Yacht Club.
Your delivery is infectious.. I come from the Yorkshire Dales although we now live in Mid Wales and have thoroughly enjoy both of you as you giggle and guide us through the delights of the Yacht Club.
You mentioned booking for a special occasion in your video.
On the day Virtuosa departs Southampton we will have been married for 50 years to the day, a very special anniversary. Hopefully the YC will help with our celebration and the venue we have chosen for this event, the Yacht Club restaurant, is all down to your immaculate delivery and persuasive charms
So many thanks for all you both do to enlighten us and carry us along on your cruising journeys
Kind regard Phil and Val
Wow. Thank you so much Phil and Val for such a lovely comment.
Yacht club is so special and we are sure you are going to love it, please do let us know how you get on with it, and maybe share the experience in our Facebook group?
50 years. Congratulations, do let the concierge in Yacht Club know when you get on and we are sure you will get some extra special goodies too.
Have a lovely evening and again thank you for your amazing comment.
Linzi and Mark
Must admit, MSC have never been on my radar, They are now, during your review you said you are going on Appex, we sail on her early August, very much looking forward to it. Thanks for the in-depth overview👍
Love the yacht Club. When we went out the doors we couldn’t wait to get back in. We’ve cruised for about 25 years and discovered the Yacht Club about 5 years ago it’s the only way to cruise.
That’s interesting. When next do you plan to go on a cruise ?
Thank you Andrea. As we said in the review, it was our first time in Yacht Club, but not on MSC, and we felt the same, we couldn't wait to get back through the days into the Yacht Club. We'd never say never, but it would be VERY hard to go back on a MSC ship on the other side now.
But it has also set a standard for other cruise lines Suite areas for us too.
Linzi & Mark
This video is an absolute delight. I just booked a Yacht Club cruise for our family and I wanted to see what I have to look forward to. Thank you so much! Subscribed. Love the natural way you both narrate it. Cheers!
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. You and your family are going to love Yacht Club. Let us know what you thought of it when you come back.
Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Great video, we did the yacht club on Virtuosa last year. Amazing, great food, service and drinks. Best disembarkation ever with the butler. Back on end of April for three days with the cruise monkeys and put in a bid for yacht club.
Thanks Mick, we were blown away by just how good the service and everything else was in the Yacht Club.
Have an amazing cruise with the Cruise Monkeys in Yacht Club. We suspect you'll need the peace and quiet of the Yacht Club to recover occassionally on the group cruise 😂
Well, I must say what a fantastic video you've created and you are such a lovely couple. I've been in the YC over 25 times now and if i'm cruising MSC i always book it. I hardly ever leave it as I can't stand all the madness that confronts me when I leave it, people call me all sorts of names for saying that (posh. snooty etc lol) , but it's something I pay for ha ha i find it much better than Celebrity cruises 'the retreat' and NCL's 'The Haven'. I take it it's your first time in the YC and it's changed over the years, a lot of things have got better and some not so good, we used to be met at the airport with a nice car and lots of other things have gone over the years like a bottle of moet each and choc strawberries (some of the head butlers still treat us to this so thats lovely) but it's soooo affordable who can actually complain???? I'm certainly going to like and subscribe as i absolutely loved this and once again thanks for a great Vlog. Take care, hope to see you both on the seas one day and if we meet in the YC i'll buy you both a drink (ha ha)
Wow! What a comment (now pinned). Thank you so much Preston. It was our first time in YC as you said, but not our first time on MSC. We cannot imagine we would travel on MSC and not be in Yacht Club now.
The best thing is, we know several subscribers or members of our Facebook group have been in YC off the back of this in the past few months and all loved it as much as we did. A couple of them even had our butler Afaka.
We will definitely let you buy us that drink in YC when we see you on there 😂
Again thank you for such a lovely comment. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured you're so welcome! You absolutely deserve they plaque your going for! You made me smile and laugh so many times throughout it. I'm back on the seascape in sept where we are taking family for our 'wedding' (they aren't certified to do same sex weddings) but it's going to be great and to have our family there is an added bonus, all in YC.
@@preston30 that sounds absolutely amazing Preston. To all be in YC for the “wedding” will be such a fantastic way to celebrate it. We will raise a glass to you (it never takes much persuasion to get us to raise one) 😂🥂
Have a lovely evening, Linzi and Mark
I did two trips on Virtuosa YC last year and 100% agree with everything they said in this video. Only problem is the more people who find out how good it is the more who will book it and prices will go up!
ooops, we must keep this quiet then 😂
Seriously though, we kind of agree, we have been singing it's praises and know of a lot of people who have now booked to try it for the first time too. Then again, everyone should be able to enjoy Yacht Club, it is amazing.
Linzi & Mark
Love this! We’re on Virtuosa in YC in September/October. We’ve been on Celebrity in the Retreat a number of times and so far that has been the best experience. Really looking forward to comparing. Thanks for this great video. 😊
Thank you ❤️
Let us know when you come back how you felt it compared. We are on Apex in Nov but not in retreat as it was sold out but if one comes available we will try and get in to compare it too.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured we absolutely will. Good luck with getting in to the Retreat. It’d be very interesting to know what your thoughts are too. 😊
@@suitedreams1437 We'd be really interested in letting you know our thoughts 🤣 Fingers Crossed we can get in.
Great review guys, love your honesty and authenticity! Bloody fab. 👏 Hope to bump into you both on a future voyage 🚢
Happy cruising 🥂
Now that looked like an absolutely wonderful cruise experience....very jealous indeed! 🤟
It really was very special Arthur. And something we really would recommend.
Linzi and Mark
When next are you planning to go on a cruise?
@@NancyRodriguez-bj3rx Next up for us is Virgin Voyages new ship, Resilient Lady, in May out of Athens. Then Cunard Queen Mary 2 in August
Linzi & Mark
Lovely walk through. Love the stereo mix down of the audio so I felt like you were sat either side of me having a conversation. Looks great for a couple.
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it. Sound is always the most subjective thing, some people love the stereo/panning mix, others don't so we are constantly trying to find the balance.
this video made me booked a 14 nights in yacht club. Lovely video
Thank you so much Nel, and we hope you have an amazing 14 nights in Yacht Club, let us know how you get on.
Ohhh! I was on there at the same time as you. I stared at you a couple of times and now I know why 😂. Thought I’d seen you somewhere before. I loved it too - ok we had a couple of dishes which were underwhelming like rock hard poached eggs, rubbery lobster and horrible soup, but it’s still fabulous and we’ve booked it again for 23 nights. Fantastic experience all round.
Oh no John. It would have been lovely to say hi and grab a drink. We had one hard poached egg 😂 rest of food was great but we didn't eat in Yacht Club for every meal as we were doing the other speciality ones too.
Wow. 23 nights in Yacht Club will be amazing. We'd love that. Which ship are you gong on for that?
Linzi and Mark
We were on the Virtuosa last December but didn't really like it. However we have just booked another December cruise on Fantasia but decided to try YC as so many people say its so much better than anything else. We are both Elite with Princess who as who can guess are our preferred option to sail with, but cruises are starting to become so expensive this might just persuade us to do even more with MSC but on the smaller ships. We booked before seeing any videos like yours but now having done so we are sure that we have made the right decision. 150 days to go as I write this, getting excited already.
Those 150 days will fly by. Virtuosa regular and Virtuosa Yacht Club are massively different experiences. We were like you and not that impressed with our first non-yc msc experience but YC was a different thing altogether and from speaking to lots of other cruisers it is a similar experience on all the MSC ships, except the world class ships where the YC appears to be a bit big in comparison. Let us know what you think of YC in about 158 days 😀
Great video, I was looking forward to your thoughts when you announced it months ago albeit with a change of cruise. The upper deck is also a huge plus in hot weather as it’s less crowded and the food and drinks service up there is excellent. We love the YC and I’m glad that you both do as well as there’s very few UK bloggers who have properly reviewed it.
Thank you so much Andrew, we are are glad you enjoyed it. It is a shame we didn't end up on World Europa this time, but Yacht Club on Virtuosa was so good. It is a shame we didn't get to benefit more from the sun deck and the Yacht Club Grill, but that just means we will have to go on another one :)
Linzi & Mark
We can't wait, we are in a Duplex on the May 29th sailing. Looking forward to our first YC experience on the Virtuosa.
As you’ve seen it was our first YC experience too and there’s no going back 😂
You’ll love it and the Duplex is amazing too. Fingers crossed you get our amazing Butler, Afaka too.
Linzi and Mark
A brilliant review! thank you for doing this. really enjoyed watching it, and listening to you chat about it. cheers!!!
Thank you Graham so happy that you enjoyed it. Have a lovey day. Linzi and Mark
What a lovely channel and narration! Got Yacht club on a bid- so excited! x
Thank you for your lovely comment Nick, and well done on getting the Yacht Club bid, you are going to love it. Let us know whet you think when you get back, or if you want to join our Facebook Group, please do post your experience to share with our lovely community.
Linzi & Mark
We have just had confirmation that our bid to yacht club has been accepted for a 2 night taster cruise in June for our belated honeymoon weekend....thank you for this video. Great review and content...I now have a very excited wife 😊😊
Oh that is amazing. We are so happy for you. You will have an fantastic time in Yacht Club and what a great belated Honeymoon (congratulations). Let us know what you think of it when you get back.
Linzi and Mark
Well...what can I say?!! We absolutely loved it, and my wife booked another 5 night cruise on virtuosa in yacht club for next may. First I knew about it was when I received an email confirmation whilst at work from MSC thanking me for my booking 😂 my wife had never cruised before and is now hooked.
Love you two always enjoy your vlogs. We are in the Retreat on the Beyond in September we are hoping it will be as good as the yacht club . 🤞
Thank you Tony ❤️
The Retreat on Beyond is supposed to be amazing. We are on Apex later this year but unfortunately not in the Retreat as it has sold out. Let us know how you got on when you come back from Beyond.
Linzi and Mark
I've done Cunard and I've got an MSC Yacht Club booked for Oct. in the Med. Looking forward to it. 🐟🐟🏴☠
You are going to love it. We spoke to so.many Cunard veterans who had fallen in love with Yacht Club.
Linzi and Mark
We only got about two minutes in before we both said we need to book this 😂
Looks amazing and can’t wait for the rest of the videos
We were so impressed with Yacht Club, as you’ve probably gathered. It really did exceed our expectations in every way. We both think you two would love it.
Linzi and Mark
Very informative! Great explanations from both of you, can't wait to see more!
Thank you so much Joe, glad you enjoyed it, and there's plenty more for you to see.
Linzi & Mark
Have you ever thought of doing like a Norweigan Fyords Cruise with Royal Caribbean? You might like their Diamond Class Suites.
We've looked at RC for the Fjords a few times it just hasn't worked out yet Joe. We've sailed with Royal so many times and they were the first cruise line we ever sailed on, and we have our first official group cruise on Independence of the Seas next year (Sept '25)
@@SuiteNatured AHH ok. They're doing some this year on Anthem of the seas but it's leaving Southampton for a year in December ♥️
Getting ready to sail yacht club again on the inaugural MSC Euribia! Nothing better than the yacht club!
Oh that will be fantastic Michele. Euriba is looking great and YC will be the best way to experience it
Linzi and Mark
Really enjoyed your review guys, thanks 🙏
You are welcome. Thanks for taking time to leave us a comment. ❤️
Linzi and Mark
Love YC, going again in April for third time on Virtuosa, also been on Grandiosa YC. Inside YC can be a real bargain for Solo's like me. However once you go YC you can't go back to MSC without going YC!
It was so good David, and it is great to see that it works for Solo travellers too. We don't think we could travel on MSC and not be in Yacht Club.
Linzi & Mark
Wow! Do you ever wish to go on another cruise with a lady ?
Now that looks good. I will keep this handy for when I temp the other half for the next vacation planning.... Subtly of course... Like Mrs Bucket and the QE2 brochures.
It was so good Stu, and some subtle placement (Bucket Style) of Yacht Club brochures would be a very good idea :)
Linzi & Mark
Going in 3 wks cant wait to try YC 👍🏻
We have a sneaky feeling you are going to love it.
Linzi & Mark
I was on last week. had a very nice balcony but sadly didnt get the upgrade to yacht club. thanks to your video i will be going yacht club next time.
Hi Phil, we are sure you'll love the Yacht Club when you get on next time; how did you find the rest of the cruise though and the balcony cabin?
Linzi & Mark
Thank you for the excellent video! Did your waiters, concierge, or butler expect a cash tip/gratuity from you?
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Technically no, you do not need to tip anyone, as gratuities are pre-paid. However we did tip our butler ($15 a day) and the odd cash tip at the end of the cruise for a couple of the bar staff/servers who had been amazing.
Stunning! What kind of food is served in the outdoor grill?
It varies massively depending where it is in the world. But generally steak, burgers, hot dogs, fresh fish, that sort of thing. All cooked to order.
The yacht club all looks very glitzy, not just the stairs.
It was all so glitzy Emma.
Linzi and Mark
Hi Mark and Linzi,
I am happy you two had a great cruise and that you were pampered as much as you were. I hope it's not a hard act to follow going forward.
Cheers,
Steve
H Steve, thank you. It was such a lovely cruise and it will be a very tough act to follow. We will enjoy our upcoming cruises we are sure but they will feel very different compared to this one.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Were you able to smuggle your butler off the ship when you left?
When is your next cruise and what ship are you traveling on?
Cheers
@@stevehattrick1946 Next one is Mid-May out of Athens on the new Virgin Resilient Lady to the Adriatic, then in August on QM2 to the Fjords, and the last one (at the moment) for this year is on Celebrity Apex, Transatlantic in Nov. We are already fully on countdown for Athens. Just got to try and shed a few pounds/kilos before then.
Great video! Very informative.
Thanks Jack. Glad you enjoyed it. Linzi and Mark
Hi guys. Boarded today. Afaka is our butler too. He remembers you both!
Oh how fantastic. He is amazing. Please send him our best. Have an absolutely amazing time. Linzi and Mark
It looks like a very different experience. It will be interesting to compare to our first experience of Virtuosa at the end of April in steerage class.
Hi Ken and Lindsey
Will be really interesting to hear what you think of her when you go on.
Linzi and Mark
We’re about to get on Virtuosa … ‘steerage class’ too 😂 Not sure, lovely though this sounds, YC would be our cup of tea, but it will be an interesting comparison!
@@lornas_corner we are on this week so maybe we will bump into each other.
@@KenGoesCruising not sure what you think but we - and everyone else we have spoken to - have been heartily disappointed by MSC in every way. The ship itself is OK, but not enough general seating at all for weather like we’re having, service has been slow and sullen from a number of staff and the ‘organisation’ - from the alleged water testing removing hot water from most cabins for the whole of yesterday to the tenders to Guernsey (we waited and queued for over 3 hours and gave up!) - has been shambolic. Embarkation was the highlight, I am only hoping getting off is as swift tomorrow. I won’t be giving them my money again.
@@lornas_corner Hi Lorna I think that apart from the hot water issue yesterday it's very much what we expected. It's very busy on board drinks service has been slow at times but all short cruises are the same. We were lucky to only wait 30 minutes for our tender yesterday. I have been pleasantly surprised by the food. We ate in the MDR on the first night and in Indochine last night. I have enjoyed the theatre shows and have found most of the staff to be very friendly. We have also been very privileged to be travelling with some good friends and that maybe why we are having a good time. I did the Spa and the aqua park this morning and I am looking forward to white night tonight.
Msc virtuosa is my number one fab ship as it has the robot i cant wait to experience yatch club
So glad you love MSC Virtuosa Jennifer, and let us know when you've tried YC and what you think.
Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured well this year im trying YC for the first time im so so excited
You are going to LOVE it Jennifer
@@SuiteNatured tell me 4 reasons why i would love yatch club
Only four.....
1. The Embarkation - you can turn up anytime from 0930 (ignore any embarkation times you see) and you will escorted onto the ship by your butler so fast, you'll have a drink in your hand before you know it. Disembarkation is just as quick too, but let's not talk about getting off the ship before you've even got on.
2. You'll have a drink in your hand before you know it! The Top Sail bar team are amazingly attentive, and if you are not sure what you want, ask them to make you a mystery drink/something special.
3. In Room Butler Service / Butler. We never thought we'd like or have need for a butler onboard a ship, until we went on MSC. The butlers are amazing, and nothing is too much effort for them. Fancy a Pizza Takeout, you got it, Cocktail for while you are getting ready for your night out. Yep. And they turn your cabin around in a morning and evening so quickly you won't realise they've been.
4. The Food. The food in the Yacht Club restaurant, at Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is fantastic, and if there isn't something you fancy on the menu, or you fancy a slightly different version of it, just let them know and more often than not they will be able to sort you out.
Hope they help get you even more excited.
Linzi & Mark
I've been on MSC before but not the yacht club. I do have 3 Queen Mary cruises booked and 2 on MSC for next year. If they have any upgrades to the yacht club available I'll book that category. Thank you for your video 👍
It is absolutely worth trying to get the YC upgrade if you can, it is, in our opinion, absolutely worth it. By coincidence, our next cruise, in August, is on QM2 :)
Have a lovely day,
Linzi & Mark
Trying MSC and YC for the first time this coming Easter week :-) got a real bargain on the inside cabin as a solo traveler.
What were the dinner times in the YC restaurant, and were some times more busy than others for dinner in the YC restaurant?
Oh that’s fantastic. You are going to love Yacht Club.
Dining times for dinner normally start around 6 - 6.30 with last seating around 9.30.
You can go right up to last seating and the service and food is just as great.
There's not a busy time as such as you'll have your own table so never an issue to get seated. But generally when dining opens is the busiest time. But not compared to areas such as the Buffet or MDR (outside of Yacht Club)
Linzi and Mark
Hi iam going solo ! How was the YC
@@lilliansanders520 It was nice, but it can be a bit too “posh” for my taste in the YC restaurant with the poshness game going on. But that’s me, I’m a humble guy from Norway not used to that fancy stuff. One really great thing about the YC is the quiet atmosphere in the restaurant, lounge and sun deck. It was nice to be there to re-charge a bit after being in the loud public area. I’m not a food critic, but I would say the food in the YC restaurant was good, but not something “out of another world” good/special.
@@froskus how did you book? You called Msc to book? Did you feel out of place? Did you have a balcony?
I went on the Msc meravalia in April
14 nights it was crowded & noise ! I would enjoy the quietness
My wife and I did a cruise on the world europa last month, we loved it, but vowed next time we’d do the yacht club, as it was complete mayhem in the main part of the ship!
Having done both sides, It is definitely a very different experience in Yacht Club. We are not positive we could go back to the other side now 😂
Hi both. Just wanted to ask did you purchase the yatch club cabin outright or did you bid for it and if you did bid, what cabin type were you to start with? Thank you.
Hi Amika, originally we were in a deluxe suite in Yacht Club and then bid for the upgrade to the Duplex Suite. We placed the lowest possible bid as if we didn't get it we were still happy with the original Deluxe Suite.
Linzi and Mark
@Suite Natured thank you both for your reply and the information. We've never been on an MSC cruise but the yatch club is something I'm seriously considering but probably just in a balcony cabin. A really good video. Thank you again.
We’ve just got back after a week on virtuosa, it just proves that if your willing to spend a fortune then you do get what you pay for, not having a go at all but we had a totally different experience, the food was diabolical in the MDR, all 4 speciality restaurants we went to were not very good either, I think if we’d have not had the drinks package to cheer us up we would have disembarked in Hamburg.
Hi Steven
We've had similar tales from a few people (including when we were on there), which is a real shame. We ate in each of the speciality restaurants and our reviews will be coming out soon, only Inndochine didn't live up to our expectations though.
Thank goodness for a drinks package 🍹
Hope you next cruise is a lot better for you. Linzi and Mark
Totally agree re the food in MDR, nothing served hot and for the first time in my life I sent dishes back and re ordered. It was poor.
Looks amazing
It was absolutely amazing Marecia, we'd go back to Yacht Club tomorrow if we could.
YC is to die for. Such a shame the pool/grill area wasn’t open as the food, service there is very good. Butler service is fantastic. Loved our time in YC on Meraviglia.
We were gutted we didn't get to try the grill Jason but it gives us a good excuse to get on YC again. Not that we needed one. It was such a fantastic experience we can't wait to get on again.
Linzi and Mark
The whirlpools 😂. Wow so many wows, the food the service…..it’s really got us in mood for euriba yacht club in October.
Quick question how was it evenings? Did it feel like one big cross nest? Did feel need to go to watch show etc? Thanks for the video
There really we so many Wows. The evenings in the Top Sail Lounge are like being in any good similar area such as Commodore On Cunard or Crows Nest on P&O. Live music. Starts more sedate before singing starts.
We did still go see the shows that ran outside most evenings but then came back to Yacht Club rather than other bars outside of it.
You said you bid to get the yacht club, we're looking to bid ourselves how much do money do you recommend bidding with, ty
We guess it really comes down to how much you really want the upgrade. We already had a lovely cabin, so when we put in the bid, we went with the very minimum that it would allow, and that was enough to win it. If you REALLY want it, it might be worth ringing MSC and find out what deal they could do for you, as that might end up cheaper than a higher bid?
I agree it looks amazing and the standard of food etc in the club looks very good. We went on Virtuosa a few weeks ago in Fantastica class. It was poor on many levels. A very odd business model of extremes.
Completely agree Vik. When we first went on MSC we went in that class too and it very nearly put us off going on MSC again. Yet Yacht Club is one of our favourite cruise experiences date and we would go on it again without a seconds hesitation.
Linzi and Mark
Hi Linzi & Mark, based on your videos we have booked a YC Duplex suite (12008) on Virtuosa next summer. We have a couple of questions that we hope you can answer because we keep seeing different things across the web. First, can we get a cooked breakfast in room? Second, are miniatures (little vodkas, gins, etc) replaced as they are used in the minibar? Some reviews say it’s non-alcoholic drinks only as there is a bottle of spirits/wine per person at the start of the cruise & after any initial miniatures are used that’s it. Third, can speciality coffees & drinks from the bar be delivered to the suite? This would be useful as our suite is outside the main YC area. Thank you.
Jason & Aly
Hi Jason & Aly,
You can kind of get a cooked breakfast but not full English. At least it wasn't on the menu. Ut your butler maybe able to sort.
We had smoked a salmon and scrambled eggs.
The miniatures weren't replaced but all the mixers and soft drinks were. We also got two bottles of spirits for our cruise.
The butler will bring you speciality coffees and drinks down from the bar no problem.
You are going to love it 😀
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for such a quick reply. I forgot to mention that we have really enjoyed your videos & they have helped us a lot in making the decision to book the YC. Your narratives are refreshingly relaxed, informative & really show you enthusiasm. You seem like a lovely couple & if our paths ever cross onboard then we must sit down & have a drink. Happy travels.
Another great video you are going to find it hard to better .PS did you manage to meet anyone in a accessable room?
Hi Ray and Maggi.
We did. We could get access to one to record a tour though as all were occupied.
The couple we spoke for a long time one breakfast were in their 80's and one was in a wheelchair. They said the room and bathroom were really well laid out and had not been a problem for them to navigate at all.
Sorry we couldn't get a tour though.
Linzi and Mark
Thank you so much thats put our minds at rest we really appreciate it.Thanks again Ray @Maggi@@SuiteNatured
@@rayhirst7529 You are both very welcome.
Try the outdoor jacuzzi at titanic Spa in Huddersfield....at least as violent as the one in YC!
Ha Ha Ha Kirsty, and that is not too far from us. Maybe we should do a mini review of there some time and check out that outdoor Jacuzzi :)
Linzi & Mark
I’m going to Norway in may on Virtuosa in the Yacht Club and it says all gratuities are included in the price. Just wondering if you felt the need to tip your butler? Great video btw. Can’t wait for my cruise now!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it and you are going to love Yacht Club on her, especially to Norway.
Yes all gratuities are included and the only person we tipped was the Butler. We didn’t feel obliged to in any way nor was it expected but the service, as far as we were concerned was amazing and so we did.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
I have never considered MSC before, but you have made me reconsider. Could you just explain what you paid, for how long, and how the bidding system works? I mainly cruise with Cunard, which I obviously enjoy. I’m not keen on crowds, queues or lots of rowdy kids, so your experience here looked very intriguing to me! Did you try the Spa too?
Hi Andrea,
It was.our first Yacht Club, it will not be our last 😀
Yacht Club is so much cheaper than comparison ones such as The Retreat or Queens Grill. The Deluxe Suite we original had cost us £1700 each for our 7 night cruise. This included everything. Gratuities, Drinks, WiFi and such.
The bidding system is straight forward (and similar how some airlines work). You get an email several weeks out, if there are rooms available, and you decide how much you bid. There will be a minimum (which alters massively depending on how busy the ship is) and you can see a visual odometer which goes from Fair to Excellent (the more you bid). We put in the minimum bid on ours as we were happy with our current cabin of we didn't get it. We found out about a week before we had won it and they automatically debited the card we gave.
We did go to the Spa and there will be a video on that soon. It was very good. Probably the biggest we've been to so far.
Hope this helps.
Linzi and Mark
What does it cost without the bidding system-paying full price?? In Belgium it is 3 times the amount of a balcony……
@@edikke From what I’ve looked at so far in the UK, if you book Yacht Club directly rather than bid up for it, it is not significantly cheaper than Cunard Grills (but it does include more in the fare). For me, the jeopardy of booking a lower cabin and risking not getting an upgrade would be too risky, as I know I would not enjoy being on MSC outside of Yacht Club.
@@Andrea-sl3ey departing Le Havre ( Zeebrugge was full...??) in januari , cruise to Teneriffe ; balcony 2789 € --Yacht club 7669€ ....how come that the people in the video claim that they paid less than a balcony??????
Great video, will look to book YC.
What is a good target price for YC / 7 nights per person for two ?
Thank you Mark. Yacht Club can be incredibly reasonable. For us on our 7 night cruise in the Deluxe Balcony (our original room) was £1700 each. So £3400 for the two of us all in.
However we've seen the same room for 7 nights as low as £2700 per couple and the inside Yacht Club cabin for less than £2,000.
Hope this helps.
Linzi and Mark
It’s roughly 5k a week for a normal balcony YC room for a couple - of course that’s just a rough guide and it depends on the cruise.
Hi can I ask if you have a video of your daily routine onboard a cruise ship please ❤
Hi Linda,
We've not done one as yet, as it's not really been the sort of video we do and there are other vloggers who do it really well. We've done a couple of members only Night Cap videos which are kind of like this.
We are talking about doing a more traditional type vlog of what a day on a ship is like on or Virgin Cruise in May.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I'm on several FB pages for Yacht Club and I cannot get a daily itinerary off anyone. There are dancing classes maybe 2x a day?? One had a Vodka tasting for a bit extra. No help with this on FB.
@@gingernightmare9152 if you join our Facebook group we've got all the daily itineraries from our cruise and if you ask for them in there we can share them with you. We can't share via CZcams comments.
Linzi and Mark
Which deck and cabin on virtuosa is best for yacht club?
For the YC cabins, which are on decks 14-18 (depending whether you have a Interior or Deluxe) and the Duplex are on 9 & 12. 14-18 in the Yacht Club Proper (no one else can even get on the corridor to your cabins without a YC key), we'd say either 16 is probably the best, although they are all great. 16 gives you walk in access on the same floor to the Top Sail Lounge and concierge without taking any stairs or lifts. Deck 18 (there's no 17) gives you access straight into the restaurant.
If we were going on again tomorrow we'd pick the YC Deluxe Suite without question.
@@SuiteNatured thank you so much. I really want to book it for my mum's 60th in June 2026 🤩
AK.1988 ... we totally agree with Linzi & Mark... go for Deck 16 YC on Virtuosa! Deck 16 has Concierge, Top Sail, and then walk up Swarovski Stairs from lounge to YC dining room! We're actually booked on June 26th 2026 from Southampton in YC Deck 16... still several 5-6 YC Deluxe Suite cabins available on Deck 16. As cruisers based in USA (please don't hold it against us, lol) we decided several years ago that we'd ONLY book MSC cruises in Yacht Club... the prices are about 40-50% less than NCL Haven and other "ship-within-ship" cruises we've done on other lines and have paid for dearly compared to MSC. All our past and future MSC cruises are YC bookings... we get to ignore all the "too crowded" and "horrible cruise" naysayers because our experiences on MSC have always been similar to this video (Yacht Club experience.) //
@chucklawus thank you for helping me decide 😊
It is definately the full package what with the suite as well. By the way is that your Tesla at the end?
It really is Steve. And we forgot to mention you get guaranteed theatre seats for every show and don’t have to book as another perk.
It was a fantastic experience.
And yes it was our car at the end.
Linzi and Mark
We tried Cunard QG - not impressed with all the extras that you had to pay for. Honestly that put me off paying for YC - we’re about to board Virtuosa for a short cruise, to try MSC and decided on a basic, no frills cabin etc. The comparison will be interesting
Oh that will be a very interesting comparison Lorna. We spoke to quite a lot of former QG passengers in Yacht Club who said they wouldn't go back to QG having gone to YC. We've not done QG yet so we can't say for sure ourselves. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured so far so awful - home tomorrow, thank goodness. Even YC clients had no hot water at all yesterday and the tenders to Guernsey were a debacle… we’re in a basic no frills cabin and MSC won’t be getting any more bookings from me (or from a number of other passengers we have spoken to, including a couple in YC!).
@@lornas_corner oh no Lorna. What a massive shame. We are assuming they had technical issues for the lack of warm water. Did they offer any sort of compensation?
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured no! They said it was ‘testing the system’ - all day with 4,500 passengers on board!?! I don’t think so! Honestly, the attitude towards the inconvenience was the equivalent of a derisory shoulder shrug, they just didn’t care. We won’t be sailing with MSC again. My husband even said he would go back to Cunard sooner 😂
How do you bid I'm going to book yacht club for a single balcony cabin is £4500 advice be very grateful
You will get an email through from MSC David inviting you to bid for an uograde. Then you just put in your bid and wait. It can be up to 48hrs before the cruise that you find out. Think we found out about two weeks out.
You can also try this link and put your booking details in. It sometimes works :)
www.msccruises.co.uk/cabin-upgrade-programme
If you wanted to see a show do you still have to book when you are in yacht club great video we are now looking to book yacht club
Hi Ian. We totally forgot to mention this perk in the video. You don't need to book for any theatre show (excluding the paid Carousel show) and you have reserved Yacht Club seating too.
@Suite Natured thanks for that we are going to try it we have always do cunard just looking now to book
@@ianellison4345 fantastic Ian. Keep us posted. Can't wait to here what you've booked and what you think when you've been on there.
@@ianellison4345 Fantastic Ian, let us know how you get on.
Just got off queen Elizabeth they have now started silent disco in the disco or in the grand lobby hated it what do you think good or bad
Slight exaggeration, the YC dinning is good but really no comparison to Murano on celebrity and we have sailed in the Yacht Club on Seaside, Prezoisa, Meravigila and have two more YC cruises booked.
Thanks Mike, we can only talk about our experience on this particular ship, and the dining was great, and on par with our last Murano experience onboard Celebrity Eclipse. Eden on Celebrity Apex however (we did that after recording this), was a different level again.
At least the wine choice on MSC YC was hands down better than Celebrity. We have given up on Celebrity...value for money is just not there, MSC YC exceeds in every way.
Yacht Club is the only way to go...yes well worth it..
We completely agree Steve, it would be very difficult to cruise on MSC and not be in Yacht Club now.
Linzi & Mark
If you win the Yacht Club bid, do you have full privileges?
You get exactly the same privileges Jack. You just pay less for them 😀
@@SuiteNatured thanks! I just upgraded to Yacht Club. I was going to inquire about bidding, but there was only one Yacht Club cabin left on the ship so I paid to upgrade. I'm retired law enforcement so I got the cabin for only $2700.00 U.S. We originally had a oceanview for $1550. The extra 1200 dollars gets us unlimited access to the spa, luxury accommodations, upgraded food, private pool, bar, lounge and exeptional service! Well worth it. Best part is that we sail out of NYC in July. No airfare or hotel needed since we are NYC residents.
@@jackdawson3276 That is fantastic Jack, and a really good price too. You will love it. Let us know when you come back what you thought of it.
It's always a bonus too when you can just drive to the port rather than having to fly or stay over. Have an amazing time.
Linzi & Mark
My Friends the CD on her. He's back in May..Chris Caress. He's from Yorkshire, Sheffield. I'm from Glossop , Derbyshire
How super Stephanie. And a Yorkshire Lad too, even better. We bet he has some amazing stories to tell. 😀
Linzi and Mark
Wow will you cope with a normal cabin again!!!?
We've no idea Heather and our next few cruises are all in "normal" cabins. 😂
Linzi and Mark
Hi! How much was your bid?
We bid £800 altogether so £400 per person for the Duplex Suite.
@SuiteNatured your video has inspired us to book yacht club, thank you.
We hope you have an amazing time, let us know how you get on in Yacht Club.
@@SuiteNatured will do
What do you recommend for tip amount for the Butler on a 7 day cruise ?
Hi Stephanie, we personally gave £100 tip which works out around £15 a day. Afaka, our butler was worth every penny.
Linzi and Mark
@Suite Natured Super. That's fair. Its what we give a room Steward on a balcony room.
One must remember you obviously pay a lot for the yacht club scenario. You pay for what you get. Obviously with Cunard differences you do as well?
Absolutely right Rex. MSC for instance, on seven nights cruise you can find inside cabins as low as £300 a person, whereas the Yacht Club for an inside cabin, on the same cruise you might find as low as £900 a person. So three times the cost.
MSC Yacht Club however compared to Celebrity Retreat of NCL Haven for their Ship Within A Ship offering (most directly comparable, rather than Queens Grill) are significantly more than Yacht Club.
But you are right, you get what you pay for, but for a premium ship within a ship options, this, from our experience to date, is the best value £ for £ but you could take at least three times as many cruises in a non-Yacht Club interior room. Of course you get other bits such as the drinks package too, which would bring this down to potentially far less than three times, and could bring it closer to costing very similar, depending on how much you use that facility.
Linzi & Mark
Booked YC after watching this. I can’t say I was overly impressed with the YC. I had a good time on the ship but I honestly couldn’ t see the value in YC. I’m pleased you had a good time but I felt that the personal and effortless elements that I associate with premium were certainly not there
Another CZcamsr has described the service as “irratic”which matched more my experience. For the cost premium over the generally excellent experience that is the rest of the ship, I do not feel that I would pay for YC in the future.
Oh what a shame Mark. We hate to hear that it let you down. You are one of a very few people we know that didn't get the service. We are not sure if it's a staff change or busier seasons where it's dropping a bit. A vlogger friend of our, Gary Bembridge, did YC on Virtuosa recently and did have a bit of an "iratic time" too.
Hope your next cruise is better Mark.
Have a lovely day,
Linzi and Mark
It is twice the price of a balcony….in Europe
We've seen it even more than that Ed. But we've also seen it not much more at all than a balcony to stay in the Yacht Club inside cabin. It's all about the sailing. Also always worth checking for a bid upgrade near the time as you can often find you can pay far less for the upgrade than the standard room + drinks package.
Have a lovely day
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Inside cabin....that is not sailing
@Ed ikke 😂
In other words they didn’t want to mingle with the riff raff
It was interesting for us, being our first time in Yacht Club, having only sailed in the regular part of MSC on other cruises. It is more a case, for us personally, of having the benefits of all the things to do on the big ship, without having to crowds and queues that come, especially on cruises with full or nearly full capacity. The service is of course much more personalised too.
We love big ships, Oasis Class (the current largest in the world) is our favourite, as there is so much to do, but at the same time, they can be very busy because of this, and YC gives the advantage of best of both worlds. As opposed to not wanting to mingle with everyone else.
Have a lovely day,
Linzi & Mark
Hi, I was only joking with my comment 😊just had a cruise with MSc & enjoyed it but there was a lot of queuing, we have another one booked & we’re thinking of upgrading. Great video by the way & have a nice day
@@themaninthecape1887 🤣🤣🤣
🤞 for the upgrade. Let us know if you get it and what you thought.
Linzi and Mark
Can I ask, how much did you have to bid to secure the upgrade?
Hi Peter, sure it was £715 to win the bid for the room upgrade, we do know this varies, massively from cruise to cruise, and from what room you are upgrading from too.
Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for your reply. I was thinking about booking an interior YC and bidding for an upgrade. Any thoughts on this game plan? Cheers
@@petersmith5163 You should get the upgrade email about three to four weeks out from departure. We, personally, just set the amount as either the minimum, or the lowest option to change from fair to good (on the chance of success odometer), which is normally only £10 or £20 more. Depending on when the cruise is (such as the one cruising right now, after we got off on Friday) is over 50% empty in YC (according to our Butler) and so the upgrade costs are probably far lower than normal on that type of cruise, compared to a school holiday period one.
It also appears (from our limited experience) to get lower as the minimum bid, the closer you get to departure, so it is weighing up the additional cost (which will still be way under the cruise list price) against more or less guaranteeing an upgrade.
@@SuiteNatured Great insight thanks. My wife and I love your videos and the way you approach the voice overs.
@@petersmith5163 that’s a good thought and when next do you wish to go on another cruise?
Wish you stopped interrupting with a constant “yes” 😮😮😮
We do try and not interrupt each other, and we are much better at it now than when we started the channel 18 months ago; however it is our conversational style, unscripted, and recorded in a single take, so there will always be elements of this, sorry if it is not for you.
The great thing about CZcams is the massive variety of styles, and whilst we might not be your thing, there will definitely be other cruise channels that you'll enjoy more, that have a very different style to us.
Thanks for watching it and giving our channel a try.
Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured it might be because your voice comes from the left speaker and his from the right. Somehow it messes up my brain almost as if someone was interrupting on the other side of the room. But it might be only me….
@@arkadiuszg2864 We will check the settings on the next video if there is an option to put a mono track on there as well, as we do record in stereo (seperate Mics) so that will be why it is doing that.
Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured thanks
Explorar I for me not this! worst wifi ever on this ship
That's interesting Nigel, what was it you liked about Explorer 1? It's not a ship we've been on yet.
Back in the day, in all the UK comedies the working class characters when put in elegant situations would talk about 'putting-it-on' aka: acting very posh to blend in with high society. Do you see that very often anymore or is speaking/acting in a posh way in the past? You are now ruined! Life will never be the same
Hi Chris. You are right. You used to get the Hyacinth Bucket type people. Not any more. There was every accent and no fake airs and graces. Just lovely people from all backgrounds.
We think you are right about being ruined 😂
Looks fantastic. Are MSC going to launch a Yacht Club ship, similar to the Viking cruise ships? We love Viking but find their entertainment more suitable for the elderly and people who like to be tucked up in bed by 9.45pm 🫢
Hi, thank you for watching our review.
Yes MSC are launching the Explora brand, which was initially talked about as a full ship like Yacht Club, rather than a ship within a ship. MSC have clarified that it is a different brand to YC, but that it takes those principals, and is there luxury brand, like Viking or Seaborn.
It will be really interesting to see how it does, and what it is like.
Linzi & Mark