skipsaur

5 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Oh you get reference alright, as others have.   
And you get “being cute points” too!!😃

Enjoy your cruise. 

Nope, really don't understand the reference but okay, same to you!👍

Looked it up on Urban Dictionary even but came up with nothing.

"Punked" I knew the definition but didn't know it came from an old MTV show, so I learned something there too.

30 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Feeling a little green, are we?

I have no idea what this means, could you please expand? Do you mean someone is green as in inexperienced? Or queasy? Neither of those definitions fits what the person was talking about. Or is it some obscure reference to an old black and white movie or something?

42 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

You’re just punking everyone. Right?

Sure, b 

If MSC wanted to prevent unauthorized entry, they would, simple as that. From the photos earlier in this thread, one access is an unlocked gate. Security isn't rocket science, it's not like the bridge has a similar interloper issue. 

Love the detailed review and all the photos, especially of the food! You're such a cute couple, wedding congrats!!

I don't see any motivation for MSC to prevent "interlopers". It's a free sample of the goods that might entice people who haven't booked YC to buy it next time. The more demand they can build for YC, the more money they get. It costs them very little money to have a few extra people in for a couple drinks or dinner or even a plate of seafood.

The risk is maybe causing some annoyance to a few people in YC. But as already been stated in this post, most YC people wouldn't go so far as to not sail again. And even if they did, MSC already has your money this cruise. Your money does your talking, and it's saying the status quo is acceptable.

For most people, this is how it goes: you're happy sailing lower categories until you get a taste of higher ones. Then you're hooked and you don't go back. They know they have the current YC guests already, so why not try to hook more? And if current YC guests get annoyed enough at interlopers, they have a new Explora product to sell you on.

My theory, they figure erring too loud is better than too quiet.

If it's loud, they can satisfy older demographics that might be hard of hearing. They also satisfy younger demographics that equate a loud atmosphere with more fun. People also tend to talk too loud after a few drinks.

If it's too quiet, older people might complain they can't hear anything, younger people will assume it's boring and loud music is less annoying than listening to loud drunks.

Following

2 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

But the benefits of being in the YC FAR out weight the supposedly claustrophobic YIN cabin you'd be in versus a Fantastica balcony cabin.  There are many people that will only cruise on MSC in the YC.  There is a reason for this. With the YC you get your own dedicated restauant, your own dedicated sundeck, pool and hot tubs and spa access.  Or, you can have your 44 sq ft balcony.

1. The value of the YC benefits is so personal. People who choose YC value the benefits, but not everyone values the same things.

2. I agree that on these boards there are many people who "will only cruise in YC." But they are a vocal minority. YC is only ever a couple hundred people and there are thousands of passengers. Most people do choose Fantastica balconies, that's why there's more of those rooms on any given newer ship, because MSC can sell them.

2 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

The OP was deciding between a YIN and a Fantastica balcony on the Meraviglia.  According to cruisedeckplans.com, the YIN cabins are 178 sq ft, while the balcony cabins are 161 sq ft, plus 44 extra for the balcony.  So, your Teeny Tiny claustrophobic YIN cabin is actually 17 sq ft larger than the balcony cabin space.  If you add the balcony portion, it's 27 sq ft larger, but I would prefer the YC deck, restaurant and other amenities if offered for a reasonable up charge.  Unless of course you leave your balcony door open all of the time to take advantage of that extra 27 sq ft and lose your air conditioning in the process.

There's your key, YOU would prefer. Someone else can prefer a balcony and they're equally right.  There's no objective right or wrong here, it's a vacation, it's whatever makes you happy. Someone else preferring a balcony is no threat to you. Relax.

36 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

If I do say so, I'm pretty good at being firm while remaining respectful, diplomatic and polite.  So my version of "raising hell" doesn't imply yelling, ranting, stomping feet or anything like that.  But it's usually effective.  Not always though.

Just judging from your tone previously, I would definitely assume you would state your case politely and diplomatically. (And also accept responsibility when due)

And I feel in that case, the service desk person probably would have been more inclined to cut you some slack on that one item of clothing too!

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

It is very simple, the DSC is mandatory in almost all of MSC markets, you cannot remove it even if a staff member beats you or your kids😄 And it is listed in the final price already at the booking. 

 

There is one big exception, that is the US market. Here MSC follows the local practice of advertising a fake price that has nothing to do with reality, DSC is missing, taxes and fees are missing. That is plain stupid, but seems to be legal in the US. So the cruise lines have these "low" prices.

 

There is only one reason why MSC is doing this, because probably US pax mostly are not deleting the DSC even if they could. 

 

For the staff it makes no difference, if the US pax would start to delete the DSC, MSC has to compensate and would anyway immediately make it mandatory also for this market. 

I think this post says everything that needs to be said about the topic, in a much better way than my attempts!

19 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Have you ever gotten a bonus at work? Free lunch even…that’s a tip. 

Bonuses come from the employer. As for a free lunch, I feel like that's still a bit off the mark. If I gave a sandwich to my waiter, I think you'd be calling me out for stiffing them, no? 😂

10 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Is it purely a 'headline price' deception, or are there also tax benefits (as has long been rumoured) to doing the split the way they do?

 

@JamieLogical - I take your point - but if it truly is the same amount of money, why do the cruise lines split it out instead of rolling it into the headline price? Cultural norms given most cruisers are American? The ability to advertise a lower headline price? Tax advantages by topping up crew salaries from a 'tip' pool rather than from another source?

 

I'm genuinely curious and if cruise lines were more transparent about this, there might be less suspicion about the collection of a DSC, and where it goes.

I think you're right, the ability to advertise a lower headline price. And the cultural norm of accepting extra 20% gratuities on top. I'm not sure about tax advantages, because cruise ships usually aren't US flagged specifically to evade tax and labor laws.

At least in the US, tip sharing or pooling means tips become the property of the employer, not employee, and the employer gets to decide how they're shared. There's many benefits to this for the employer, for example employers get more control everyone's earnings and can level things out (kind of a communist approach: resources are collected from individuals and then redistributed by a central power.)

Generally tip pooling doesn't work great for workers. Most people don't tip double just because tips are pooled and shared to double the people, which means the same pool of money gets spread more thinly. Most tip workers choose the job because they accept the trade off of lower stable earnings versus higher earning potential.

On 6/8/2023 at 7:23 PM, snmathe said:

So I’m in full wedding mode until Sunday! And then I’ll be in vacation prep mode. I’m going to post things that I’ll be packing. Is there anything specific you’d like me to show you all? I’m not a light packer by any means 😅 so I will definitely be showing you how to maximize the tiny space you have when you want to bring a lot of things! We also invested in our own scuba gear and I’ll show everyone that and post links where we got everything. Let me know if there’s anything else ❤️

Ideas for shoes would be great haha 😄 I always spend so long agonizing over less or more and how many dressier options are worth the luggage space.

Hats off to you for planning both wedding and honeymoon at the same time! Due to work, our honeymoon was quite a bit after the wedding and I can only imagine how much more there is to do when they're (almost) back-to-back the normal way!

23 minutes ago, Ace5614 said:

Looking to book on either the Magnifica or the Divina.

 

Any thoughts?

Magnifica.

3 hours ago, GPPhilly said:

That guy is a **** and I would never travel with him again, if I was you.  My grandfather said to me one time, you can tell a lot about a person with how they deal with a mistake that they caused.  

I love this, going to remember it. Thank you to your grandfather for that gem and thanks for sharing it!

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

There is a reason that most lines have the DSC applied automatically.  Folks stiffed the waitstaff/room stewards back in the day.  Now they try and handle it for you.  

 

I'm guessing that anyone working for you on the ships you mention would gladly accept an extra tip, and not be offended in any way.  

Sure, I don't think the majority of people would turn down free money haha 😄 You might be right that most people wouldn't be offended. But personally I would feel very awkward if someone tried to tip ME. I might joke about accepting it but I don't think I would.

I also think most waitstaff/room stewards will say for tips, cash is king.

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

Cruising in the full knowledge of the system and still removing the tips is like going to pretty much any restaurant in the USA and walking out without tipping your server...

So I definitely understand this perspective. In a tipping culture, stiffing your waitstaff isn't nice and the custom should be respected.

But what about sailing on a non-North American line out of a non-North American port that doesn't have a tipping culture? In some cultures tipping is considered rude. Would tipping still be the right thing, or should the local custom be respected?

4 hours ago, djny1077 said:

Thank you all! I'm hesitant to bring a corkscrew because I don't know if it would be a problem, even if with checked luggage. There is no knife on it but it gets flagged at the airport security, so I pack it easily accessible and let them know it is there. haha

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/corkscrews-no-blade

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/corkscrews-blade

42 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

While I love, love the YC the insides are TEENY TINY and very very Claustrophobic.  You'd almost have to make a schedule of when you and your friend could be in the cabin while someone else was out of it.  It's hard enough to share with my DH, let alone a friend.

 

In this case, I'd stick with the balcony.  Worse case is you bring a sweat suit and hang out there with your coffee while your friend is inside or using the bathroom.  You can snuggle up and still enjoy the fresh air and she gets a wee bit of privacy.  (Which you WON"T have in a YIN)

This is great to know!

I definitely get claustrophobic so the idea of not having even a window is not my idea of a vacation.

I like seeing and feeling the sea on a cruise, so balcony for sure.

YC might have nice service but I feel like that's easily obtainable on land too, not a unique aspect of cruising. I think balcony gives you something you can't get on land and back home. I prefer the privacy of a balcony versus a public sundeck too, especially first thing in the morning with a coffee.

28 minutes ago, 4sallypat said:

You should have no issue getting bottled water from your steward.

 

We booked a Fantastica room and got as many bottled waters we wanted from our room steward and waiter at the MDR. 

 

Of course we tipped the room steward for going the extra mile!

 

Our dining waitstaff was excellent and made sure we had bottled mineral water every time!

Thank you for the info! So glad to hear that, that definitely exceeds expectations.

What a nice photo and beautiful family! 

8 minutes ago, Maralv33 said:

I actually felt good paying this fee thinking that it was going as a tip to the staff

 

I think the whole point of tipping is to make tippers feel good about doing it and the recipient to feel extra rewarded and motivated. But there are plenty of places in the world that don't need it provide good or even excellent service, both sides are satisfied, and the exchange of tips isn't necessary.

Don't get me wrong, in a place where tipping is the norm, I'll still do as the Romans do. But workers earning a good wage and taking pride in providing excellent service without tips is my preference. Then no need for all the confusion and misunderstandings and bruised feelings around tips!

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Not missing much. Perhaps "forced" is not the proper word. Here is another poster's post on another social media site. 

"ElGofre

•2 mo. ago

Ex-crew here, although i wasn't part of the crew who received gratuities.

The simple explanation is that most of the service crew are guaranteed a certain wage per month, partially paid for by the cruise line and partially via gratuities, and if the amount of gratuities received during the cruise aren't enough to reach that guaranteed amount, the cruise will make up the shortfall. My understanding is that the maths is done so that if everyone on board the ship sailing at it's usual sailing capacity leaves their gratuities turned on, the amount in the pool will be enough to cover that wage for everyone. In the event people do overpay, it does indeed mean the crew get paid more-(If) the cruise line don't take a cut or reduce their contribution, then crew's pay does increase."

This gentleman used the word "guaranteed".  "Guaranteed" gives one the impression of "backed by the full faith and credit" of some sort of agency?

So basically the DSC doesn't really go to the employees, it's just reducing the amount of salary the cruise line has to pay their employees. ADDITIONAL tips above the DSC MAY go to the employees, but only if they aren't cancelled out by DSC that gets removed.

For example,

Say the cruise line guarantees $1000/month as wage. They put up $500 up front. They say the other $500 will be covered if everyone pays the standard DSC. BUT if no one pays the DSC, the cruise line will pay a second $500 since they guaranteed employees $1000 to begin with.

USB-A

5 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Buffet Breakfast Selection

Love this, thank you so much for doing this!