no1talks

Downsides: 1) There is no room for your wife, let alone her twelve suitcases. 2) You will have to buttle for yourself. 3) The seafood extravaganza is whatever sticks to your paddle. Upside: 1) No one left to interlope.

To hear the next generation talk of hoped-for travel, I expect the cruise industry will shrink considerably. SS will have to find a way to reinvent itself as a less costly proposition, to compete for the discretionary income of the next generation.

Not at all, good sir. 😃 One definition of peccadilloes is "little sins," which are definitely worth hiding in some of the Red Sea ports. You see, mine was a two-tiered bon mot, having both innuendo and commentary on certain theo-monarchies. And, if you are thinking of responding with any cheeky comments about "peccadilloes innuendo," I must pre-emptively say...

What happens on sea days is nobody else's business. However, while in port, especially on Red Sea itineraries, I strongly recommend keeping one's peccadilloes fully covered.

As for myself, I'd not wear a kilt as formal attire without a Prince Charlie jacket, or at least an Argyle.

This sort of thing is a much bigger deal, nowadays. 🫤

No "nekkid" shins allowed in the business world of Bermuda.

Bermuda shorts are often worn as business attire in Bermuda, even though most people think of the shorts only in a casual context. The complete outfit, in my opinion, would be fine for dining in a formal setting on a warm-weather cruise.

Are the opera "shorts" being taken away from the European itineraries, too?!? I had hoped the abbreviated operas would continue on the Med, Baltic, and North Sea routes, so I could enjoy those cruises even more than the US departures. Oh, well.

I think most of us posting on this topic agree. But, the truth is management will be reluctant to divert labor from other tasks or risk an escalated confrontation. I offer as examples, the posts describing the interlopers who were allowed to eat before being asked to leave and the other group who were bribed with a bottle of bubbly to vacate.

That will make for a sparse group at Ocean House and the beach. There are only 22 Residence suites on Explora I, plus the Owner's Residence. (a.k.a. Versailles) Very few passengers, really. Whatever is being served at Ocean House isn't the challenge. The trick will be to give the other two suite classes a better lunch than hot dogs and jerked chicken. I would not be pleased to pay more than YC for entry-level Explora and eat less-than-YC quality lunch.

That's because there are no lobster tails and frozen toblerones served on the bridge.

Well if torches and pitchforks are a possibility, I'll bring my smoking jacket the next time we're in YC.

Shared hosts. Note the use of the plural in the description of the service for the regular suites. "Private butler services from our Residence Hosts." Now, notice the use of the singular "Manager" in the service description for the Owner's Residence. "Dedicated private butler services by the Residence Manager." The Residence Manager is possibly the same job we YC rubes call "Head Butler."

"Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" I think it's more likely the poachers will just plan on another cheap Bella cruise, refining their infiltration technique on the next go. If they're caught, they'll just return to their Easy Plus drinking elsewhere on the ship. No consequences. As far as disgruntled YCers heading to Explora in a huff, I'm not confident that will be an option for all. For example, any YC cruiser who finds the butler service to be an major component of the experience will find Explora an expensive alternative. Explora only provides butlers for their top-tier suite category: Residences. Actually, Explora feels the job title of "butler" is too quotidian, preferring to say, "Private butler services from our Residence Hosts." On this year's mid-December, 9-night, Miami roundtrip cruise, a Residence Host for your cruising needs will cost more than $19,000 for the entry-level Residence. Explora Journeys isn't a cruise line that is "just like YC, but throughout the whole ship."

Given the sentiments expressed regarding the upcoming "inclusions" and the presumed-but-unknown price increase, this board may be full of Oceania escapees, too. 🤪

I'm a big fan of YC, but I'm not sold on the idea of it losing value relative to the ship's offerings as a whole. If there are loads of new things, but YC remains the same, except for more guests, I might as well stick with the earlier ships' YCs. There are ways for the equation to favor YC on the ships of tomorrow, rather than the ships of today. However, I don't see those factors yet.

Newest ships with newest stuff... Dining venues that are not on the Diamond meal list. Wine machines and "speakeasy" bars that are not covered by the YC drink package. It seems the only new things YCers will get exclusively and included at no extra cost is an increased passenger count in YC and their area on OC. I don't see the appeal.

I do not mean how they are, mood-wise. I'm referring to professional skills. I would hope the bartenders are at least knowledgeable enough to make the menu cocktails in a timely and uniform manner. Do you find this to be so, or is there noticeable variation in the taste of the same drink, made by different bartenders? How about drinks not on the menu? Do you encounter many responses of, "I don't know that drink," when ordering a non-menu cocktail? Why do I ask? Well, unlike many on this message board my wife and I do not cruise for the ports. We still work and cannot be away from our jobs long enough to sink our teeth into a multiweek, ports-first cruise. Instead, we are all about the onboard experience, with an emphasis on quality and a "culture of yes" rather than being on a ship with a zillion things to do and friendly, but forgettable, service. So, how about those bartenders? Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with this topic.

That will be, I believe, Sun Princess. The two YC style suites are called Signature and Reserve "collections" and I think the ship goes in service next year.

And those who are waiting for Explora to finish "finalizing" their loyalty plan. If Explora accepts MSC points to one degree or another, points built up beyond the black card ceiling may have value. Or, Explora may deny any familial connection to the poor unfortunates still cruising on MSC. 😜

No confusion from my perspective. For years my employer had two entirely different formulas for computing annual bonus eligibility and the percentage, should a bonus be awarded. One was for mid-level management and above. The other for those in the trenches. The leadership folks did pretty well under those rubrics. It was only during the height of the labor crunch that a single system was put in place for all bonuses. Furthermore, it favors the hourly folks because overtime is now included in the bonus formula. All of which is to say a company can compensate their tiers of employees to wildly different levels of those employees' satisfaction.

Let us not forget, It has been reported in past threads that MSC service staff have mentioned a preference for US-based routes, because a higher ratio of American passengers means more guests open to cash tipping. It not so farfetched to suppose a cruise line with an even greater percentage of American cruisers than MSC (and the likelihood of more added tips) would be tempting to an MSC service staffer.

Internal promotions are well-and-fine, but MSC is still near the bottom when it comes to daily service charge, at $14.50 for US departures. Furthermore, YC charges the same "daily" as the rest of the ship. NCL, on the other hand . . . How much are the service charges? For bookings made on or after January 1, 2023: $25.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites; $20.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below; I wonder how many YC service staff are heading for NCL?

In ship design of prior ages, the rear-most and highest deck was thus called.