JAGR

If by signature, you mean the specialty package, you can make reservations online one by one (I've been told, I don't do that), but the better way (that we use) would be to go to Deck 8, just aft of mid ship, opposite of the Chef's Court on the starboard side. There is a host/hostess station that services all the specialty restaurants, and they can make all four reservations for you at one time. Avoid at all costs the 4,000 employees walking around with specialty dining menus. Their sole purpose is to sell the package, not make reservations. Another alternative is by the main atrium, you will see people from the restaurants set up with tables, and they can make reservations for you.

That would have been a shock To Francesco Di Palma to find he had been demoted from Master to Hotel Director!😄

Well said, again! Running out of new material? 😐 You don't have to repeat yourself to the people who get it. They take notes. This topic has no easy one size fits all answer, yet the question on tipping rears it head on an almost weekly basis. Repeating bon mots doesn't add much value. JMO

Oops! I have got to learn how to read to the end of a post! Thanks for the gentle reprimand!

OP didn't mention the drinks angle. I know what you are saying is correct, but as we all know, MSC is not uniform in enforcement. In the OP's case I would try ahead of boarding to get the seating I wanted. It may or may not be solved. Nothing ventured nothing gained. If it doesn't work, then it's off to see the Maitre 'd right after boarding.

Which I think the OP was referencing on the 12+ months out. The question is when the reservation was made. If it was before April 28th, the structure would have been the old one.

Guilty! Too many years teaching Communication as an Adjunct Professor!

We are reminded of him very often!

I've added a new unwritten note to my journal, "How To Enjoy YC." If you are in line to see the concierge with a question, and in front of you is an angry customer with a briefcase, excuse yourself and come back later. Much later.

You should be able to do this ahead of time by linking your reservation to the others in your group. You can do this on the Web Check-In page.

Which then brings us to Paphilly's question: Where was YC management during the evening in question? I won't attempt to answer that.

Aah, haven't had that word in some time! By itself, the work has created a kerfuffle on it's own, stemming from the original carfuffle. Can't even be settled by the fact that only kerfuffle passes the CC spellcheck process! Curious, though. Regardless of spelling, the work defines a conflict, and suggests a disturbance or commotion. That brings me to the question: If did not affect you or your DW, and no YC guest appears to have been disturbed, who was negatively impacted? I assume the dining and overworked kitchen staff would have been disturbed. I would openly admit that if the "intruders" were occupying my regular table, I would be miffed.

In the U.S., yes. Anytime the ship arrives back in the port it started from, that is considered a cruise from Customs an Immigration perspective, so you must be cleared again.

I would bet those were service employees (contract butlers), and not butlers from the ship since that would go against customs regulations if they were outside of security. Nice if they are bringing it back! The occupancy numbers would certainly justify it.

I honestly didn't ask, and I will in September, but I suspect it is one or a combination of reasons: 1. I saw no cups. They may feel safer with COVID by giving a passenger an entire can of soda or juice, but would not want to risk pouring into a glass from an open bottle of prosecco. Splits would be too expensive, and a bit clumsy to drink from the bottle. 2. The holding area is out in the open on an upper floor. Port of Miami may have a concern about alcohol being out in an open area as opposed to a secure room with a dedicated attendant. Right now, the holding area is staffed entirely by regular butlers from the ship. In the old Miami days, the "butlers" were all shore-side staff and the butlers came to the door to escort us on board. That brings me to reason three. 3. I don't live in Florida, but do know that each state has odd blue laws and liquor laws. They may require that anyone serving alcohol in the building must be a resident of Florida, thereby eliminating the butlers from serving. Just guessing. 4. What I think is the real reason: MSC uses contract employees to staff all of the shore-side functions prior to cruising. I assume they are union members. Since the flow of passengers in YC is sporadic (and limited in numbers due to COVID precautions), I suspect that an accountant said it is not worth the cost to serve alcohol and hire staff for what is essentially a brief hold in the boarding. In the end, I think it comes down to dollars, honestly.

Unless you are too busy preventing forest fires! Sorry, had to do it!

Thank you so much for your comments. I did take the liberty of adding some comments/clarification on your list. It is not intended to be critical. I did it because I saw the comments on entitlement and good guest/bad guest. I have found that some people either have unrealistic expectations, or they hear about perks that other have had and want the same or better. As an example, back in the days in Miami when there was a true YC room for preboarding, good snacks and prosecco or wine was on offer while being processed for cards and wristbands (as you pointed out. This last March, you went through testing and clearance en masse, then you were given credentials when called to the counter, and then you were sent to a small open area to awaiit boarding. There, they had juice, soft drinks, and cans of Pringles and nuts. Sitting near us was a man who went ballistic when he wasn't offered any sparkling wine. We were on a B2B and were praying that this 'gentleman' was only on for a week. It went downhill from there. After being escorted to the lounge he complained about being given prosecco, not champagne. They brought champagne (the N-F we all get), but he wanted Dom. When they said there would have to be a surcharge, he went ballistic again. We spent the week looking over our shoulder, worried he might sneak up on us, or worse yet have a heart attack and I would have to do CPR. Bottom line is that YC is great. It will not be perfect, but you will not want. Before I go to the Head Butler or YC Director with a service complaint, I always ask myself, "Will I lose sleep over it, or is it worth someone being fired over it?" I have never come upon a situation that I was able to answer 'Yes' to either question. Thanks again for all of your insights.

You mentioned that the pizza was $12. Was that just a generous tip? There should have been no charge fot YC.

Unfortunately, Customer Service is still poor. Most of us would confidently wager that despite your alert to them, they will do nothing. That you can be certain of! Thankfully, on board, service is truly outstanding. BTW, you are better off just registering your card on board. The last two cruises, we did the card on line and still had to do it again on board.

You can see quite a few posts here from Haven devotees who are at least satisfied or more than satisfied with MSC YC in comparison to Haven, especially when factoring in pricing. For your specific questions: 1) You can order whatever you want in whatever quantity or combination you desire. Are dietary pattern has changed as well. There are more than a few times when we have shared three or four appetizers and skipped entrees or just each had one entree and asked to split a small order of an entree. The staff will accommodate any request if they can. 2) You will get a specialty dining meal for two. It is essentially a starter, entree, and dessert, and does not include the whole menu that the specialty dining room has. Most Diamond members have leaned toward Butcher's Cut, but you will not be limited to that, depending on the ship. On a personal note as former Princess Cruisers, we switched four years ago to MSC, and have not looked back or regretted our move to MSC. Happy Sailing! Jonhn

MSC has been using Punta Langosta, which is the one right downtown.

Funniest post in weeks! You managed to combine MSC, software, and algorithm in one sentence! Amazing! I doubt anyone in MSC Customer Service knows either of the last two words. Good job, Hank! Well done! 😄

We had the same situation in a B2B on Seashore in Feb.-Mar. In order to get the same cabin we did two bookings. As Morpheus notes, you get two of everything if you are at a high enough VC level. You will get one bottle of liquor each week in your cabin in YC, regardless of VC level. Only problem we had was getting our butler to understand we were B2B. He thought we were only on for a week. The cabin availability situation is unique to MSC. Their room allocation function must be being handled by the their oxymoronic "Customer Service" department.

So I guess that eliminates Sunbury Grill as an option for Morpheus. At least he could survive at the Galena Diner. I saw someone cough there once, though!

Not to worry. Just wanted to clarify that during one period, starting pre-COVID, there was a drinks level in YC that required a payment above the allowance. Besides, not one can ever keep up with all of the changes MSC makes midstream! 😊