no1talks

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"MSC wants to run every cruise with the YC full?"

This would be good rehearsal if they can manage it. A full Seaside-class YC allows for troubleshooting in preparation for the potentially packed World America YC.

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"We are so apprehensive before every cruise."

Isn't your TA providing you with solid intelligence on the topics of concern? They are supposed to minimize the apprehension of their clients, n’est-ce pas?
 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will there be any problems getting to the port on time?"

Have you weighed the pros and cons of driving to the port a day early, staying in a hotel with suitable cruise parking, and taking an UberXL to the port? Of course, I realize you don't need the extra day because you live in Florida. However, it might be just the ticket to address some concerns you mentioned. (I specifically suggested UberXL, rather than UberX, because of the extra suitcases of cleaning supplies you bring. 😉)

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will DW not pass out while waiting in the hot South Florida sun for the air conditioned terminal to open?"

This is largely a port management issue and the cruise lines are stuck with the overheated passengers. Short of legally mandating a linkage between expected heat index and opening the doors to passengers, I can only suggest a proper sun umbrella and wearing a neck cooler.
 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will we get sick on board from the other passengers?"

One of the best ways to reduce the chance of catching something is to cruise on ships with fewer people as well as more public space per person.

The ships of Explora Journeys will certainly offer good space per passenger if the current sales figures hold. But, if EJ gets the upscale families they claim to be targeting, those ships will go 1000+ counting the kids in the sofa beds.

The best ships to select for the specific purpose of not getting too close to other passengers are the luxury ships, topping out at 600 to 750 guests and nary a sofa bed in use.

Fortunately, YC experiences a better space-per-passenger ratio than outside YC and probably most mass-market ships generally. (This can probably be said of all the ship-within-a-ship settings.) When World America is open for business, I think YCers on that ship will feel a bit of a squeeze. 

3 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

"We subsequently just booked YC as part of a cruise trifecta next Jan. Sun, HAL Niuw Statendam, Seashore."

Seaside-class ships can provide great YC experiences.

The jury is still out, however, for YC in the new World-class group. There have been reports of too many YC passengers for the available space and staff on World Europa. 

We shall all have to wait a bit for World America's YC report card.

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Have heard of the RS going for $5000 total for 2."

That's very competitive with Favog's poultry quote. (Most people do not know how expensive swans are.)

6 hours ago, rather be in Hawaii said:

"Fortunately they hadn’t stopped Johnny walker blue yet so he made up for it on his end."

JWB is priced higher than MSC's best drink package. This means you would have to pay the difference in price.

Mathematically, however, the JWB is still a better deal on MSC unless you drink several JWBs per day.

The NCL per-day cost for the package upgrade to get JWB is more money than just buying a few per day, at the price difference, in YC.

7 hours ago, CruiseDawg5772 said:

The bottle of liquor choice…

If I recall them correctly, your options are listed below. Choose one and inform your butler. As a YC passenger, you will likely receive a message before your cruise, asking for your choice of alcohol, pillow, and newspaper. However, the responses are usually not forwarded to the butlers and you'll have to let them know in person anyway.

Absolut
Ketel One
Tanqueray
Bombay Sapphire
Glen Grant
Jack Daniel's (Old No.7)
Two unexciting white wines
Two unexciting red wines
Champagne/sparkling wine

Perhaps, if you are fortunate and your butler thinks it will fly, you may be able to request and receive a choice not on the list. However, if it is a pricier ask, probably not.

 

48 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"So someone in the YC goes to the concierge desk immediately upon boarding and asks how much to get into this RS, please post back what your good fortune cost you."

Just hope The Mighty Favog isn't working the concierge desk.
(Tip o' the cap, if you know this one without Google-fu.)

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"You are a wealth of information."

Thanks to inflation, a wealth of anything isn't what it used to be.

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"I always thought Wally Cox was an intellectual watching him answer questions on Hollywood Squares." 

Not burst any bubbles, but the quips & witticisms were written for the questions by the production team. The competitive game itself was on the level. The comedy was not.

6 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"I guess you are alluding to those beneath steerage ?"

No.

As the 19th century was transitioning to the 20th, milk toast became very popular as what we would call a "super food" for the convalescing and infirm. It was the deemed a wonder of nutrition for anemic & sickly children as well as the superannuated & dyspeptic folks feeling the heavy hand of Father Time. It's still around in some regions as a warm thing to eat on a cold day dish.

Thus, "milquetoast" was coined as a slam at the timid, nervous "ninety-eight pound weakling" in the mold of Caspar Milquetoast.

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"When it comes to checking for interlopers the entire staff are Milquetoasts"

"Milquetoast" is, of course, a perjorative riff on the breakfast dish milk toast.

Those of you who know for whom milk toast was usually prepared may wonder why it is not a modern feature on the breakfast menus of some ships.

16 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Some will hold out for only a position in the Americas."

Cash tips.

17 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is the "stuff that dreams are made of."

In my case, I wouldn't put it that way regarding Explora Journeys.

It really would require an alternate reality for me to be on one of those ships, assuming the overly subdued color palette becomes a fleet-wide phenomenon.

When the time comes for us to "cruise bigger" it will likely be in a Queens Grill suite on a Cunard ship, assuming Cunard continues to HQ one ship in North America.

35 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

(maybe because they do so little on Explora for the Residences compared to what our butlers do for us in Yacht Clubs).

Ah, but that is just your "butler mileage" my dear Morpheus. Others may need their Explora butler more.

In an alternate reality, wherein the missus and I are already retired, living in Florida, and not dissuaded by the ship's blasé color palette, we would be in a Residence suite and our butler would be more busy than in YC.

Unlike the priciest YC suites, the Apontes had the good sense to put guest bathrooms in some of the Residence categories. That means we would be entertaining fellow passengers in our suite for at least pre-dinner drinks and hors d'oeuvres if not in-room dinner service.

11 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

"Cruise lines have security officers which if utilized would be taken much more seriously."

You might be surprised to find out how small the security teams are on many cruise ships. There are too few to have them ready to respond to every belligerent passenger called out for rule breaking. So, ships just let violations slide to avoid escalation.

Carnival is a notable exception. When videos of passengers brawling with each other became regular viewing, security was increased.

1 hour ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

"Any idea why this is operating procedure of YC staff?"

Cruise staff not confronting passengers who are doing what they shouldn't is not just an MSC Yacht Club issue.

I read all the active cruise line boards on CC and there are many reports of staff/management turning a blind eye and not enforcing their own policies.

If this is because cruise lines want to minimize social media video posts of verbal confrontations during enforcement, things won't improve.

4 minutes ago, Jeal said:

"Why would anyone care?"

If gatecrashers are blending in and ordering drinks in the lounge or on the deck, they are slowing the service to a lesser or greater degree for those who paid an increased fare to legitimately receive the service.

(Not to mention to possible connection the lunch moochers had to the elimination of the once-a-cruise seafood buffet. I'll let @morpheusofthesea explain that one.)

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"...offering 'make your own Bloody Mary' and this afternoon  'make your own Sangria cocktail'."

I assume those without a drink package could seamlessly make a purchase. MSC needs those impulse buys to offset the low-cost fares.

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

"However, I've heard some people say that in the afternoons the butlers sometimes bring cups of it to the One Pool deck."

Have seen this and can verify. (It was sooo tasty.)

34 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

"MSC is very frugal with ice cream."

All the better to drive gelato sales.

It is my considered opinion that MSC relies heavily on passenger spending on the ship and close-to-the-bone staffing levels to make their business model work.

Whatever they give that most other cruise lines don't (honoring drink packages on their private island and letting you convert OBC to cash in the casino, as examples) has to be made up elsewhere.

4 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I Thought they were expanding the pier, maybe room for two ships?  Anyone know?  I agree with the overnights here, very enjoyable. 

Preparing for the larger World group of ships, I think. It would be nutty to have two ships call on the same day.

Imagine 11k passengers swarming Ocean Cay from two full ships. 🤯

44 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"It's always a 'touchy' situation if the people you ask about turn out to be ne'er-do-wells and the drink on his tray doesn't 'accidentally' fall off his tray into my lap."

This is an excellent point.

No one wants to unwittingly say to a crew member, "By the way, that mustache-twirling villain who made your life difficult three cruises ago says, 'Hello.'"

14 minutes ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:

 

To me, Tiptoe Through The Tulips means one thing and one thing only. Tiny Tim.

 

 

Oddly enough, T. Tim's peculiar rendition was not the most successful release of this song.

The original was released in the late 20s by Nick Lucas, a performer not unlike Rudy Vallée and the song was #1 for more than ten weeks.
 

Going out on a limb here...
 

• They are not very good. Clearly not MSC house musicians.
• Probably brought on board as a trial gig.
• Based on the looks of the passengers, I'd say this is a Med cruise.
• MSC's Med cruises embark and disembark throughout the cruise, so even better for a quick on-and-off for some trial entertainment.
  
  How did I do, Stockjock?
  

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"...and a gambling den."

To this day, I'm still shocked, shocked about that. 😉