no1talks

All kidding aside... Throw a fella a bone and spill the tea on these can't-miss TAs! With retirement not too far off, we'll be looking to cruise more often. Tapping into extra OBC would be a real boon. So, all you sail-away sages and gangway gurus, if you can help, my electronic inbox is no1talks @ Any Old Laptop . com

Honestly, Homosassa, I was hoping you'd take the setup, adding, "...and don't call me Shirley," to your reply. 🙂

Surely, there is nobody around here who does this. 🤣

When it comes to MSC's IT, I refer to Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Let's have a look at MSC's website for the USA, shall we? At the bottom of the homepage, there are three columns of links. The center column is "TRAVEL INFO" and the top link in that column is "Before You Go." That link takes you to the page below. Clicking on "What to wear on a cruise" will take you to the page below. Each of those sections opens, giving various "suggestions" and "recommendations." As is completely expected with MSC, there are policy points that can seem contradictory. (Surprising; I know.) None of that is the most relevant detail, though. What is important is that MSC includes a "Dress Restrictions" policy, saying they may enforce it. So, maybe Joe Schmuckatelli and his party of five slipped by with T-shirts, or shorts, or flip-flops, or whatever, flouting restrictions for a particular time and/or place. That doesn't mean a crew member won't call out another passenger on another occasion. Don't be a Joe Schmuckatelli. Play it safe like A.J. Squared-Away and stay on the right side of the if-they-feel-like-it restrictions. Just in case. 😉

At about ten bucks a bottle, if someone sees XYZ on RSS's wine list, they'll be disappointed alright. 😉

While I'm a big fan of goose down, my immune system is not. 🤧 Enjoy your NYE cruise! In the next few years, I hope to catch an MSC Northern Europe itinerary that includes the "top" of Norway, if not Svalbard. However, MSC doesn't seem to have any routes for 2024 at this time.

I'd wager I take the cake in this arena. For one week, I take a typically-sized suitcase and four garment bags, holding... 6 pr. shoes. (This includes water shoes and room slippers in lieu of too-small MSC slippers.) 4 pr. dress trousers. 4 dress shirts. 3 tuxedos. (I dress for dinner each night, whether it is "Gala Night" or not.) 2 daywear waistcoats. 2 beach/pool outfits. 1 gym outfit. 1 navy blazer. 1 slouchy set of clothes for the two-day drive from Florida. As well as toiletries, undergarments, ties, pocket squares, etc. My wife, who is very understated in her choice of attire, refers to us as, "The prince and the pauper." 😆 Having a balcony really enhances the Yacht Club experience, especially for couples that do not hang out in the public areas into the wee hours. I recommend contacting the butler and having your nightcap(s) delivered to the room (with or without some nibbles from the Top Sail Lounge's tasty treats) as a way for you both to close the day. The butler assistance is also a great way to enjoy a sunset from your balcony.

Was it a short cruise? I've not been on an MSC ship for less than a one week cruise, but I think the drink packages are handled differently on short cruises.

This is the Internet! There is no such thing as, "Nuff said." 😆

*Shrugs* At this point in time, it seems the cruise ships' supplying, staffing, et cetera, needed for optimal passenger experience is a roll of the dice. I peruse the CC boards across all tiers of cruising and rest assured, the pax who are dropping twice the price of YC (and more) for their cruises are kvetching about inedible food and shoddy service, just like the mass market cruisers' gripes. Remember the "bacon debacle" that had the Carnivalers (Carnals? Carnies?) up in arms? Heck, one of the priciest cruise lines currently has complaints on their CC board about a passenger's dog that was defecating in public and sitting on the furniture. Some folks took offense at such an occurrence on a five-figures-per-passenger luxury cruise. (The "official" word was that the pooch was a service animal, but circumstantial evidence would seem to indicate otherwise. 😉) So what does it all mean? Well, as long as supply costs are up and labor is hard to acquire/keep, no cruises are going to be like they used to be. I'd wager a year from now, lots of cruises, at all price points, will be even less like they used to be. We pays our money and we takes our chances.

@psmarkle, if it isn't an imposition, may I post my e-mail for you to clue me in on that big box? Extra OBC would be great. Thank you, in advance.

Not tonight. The service dog (and friends) will be in the casino.

Yikes! If that were my reply, my wife would respond, " It's my vacation, too, so guess what you'll have to be happy with?" All kidding aside, I dress up on cruises. Way up. I don't go out on the deep blue sea, just to dress like I'm at Olive Garden. 🤣

I have been waiting to pull the trigger on a Divina YC booking for '24. In September, I received a quote from the TA, with the Voyagers Selections discount and it is the same price as the "new" Black Friday Voyagers price. The $200 OBC is a new development, however, so I'm glad to have waited.

Butler: This is the great Swarovski YachtClubvator. YC Guest: It's an elevator. Butler: It's a YachtClubvator. An elevator can only go up and down, but the YachtClubvator can go sideways and slantways and longways and backways... YC Guest's spouse: And frontways? Butler: ...and squareways and frontways and any other ways that you can think of.

I've not seen a palsticy tux in a great many years. I'll look into booking an 80s New Wave nostalgia cruise. Plasticy tuxes are certain to turn up there! 😉

I'm not on any ship's staff. I am a tradionalist and dress for dinner by 6 pm. If in port, I plan my day to allow for a timely return to the ship for such.

Unfortunately, the unspoken response will be akin to: "Look, all the top-tier cruise lines are letting things slide to varying degrees. Where are you going to go?" I make this observation as someone who is in a tux every evening of a cruise.

Zounds! Just to be clear, @JAGR, does YC now have just one dinner menu for an entire week? How many starters, mains, and desserts? We should very much miss nightly changes in the bill o' fare on our next YC cruise in March. Is afternoon tea still a thing?!?

"By gad, sir, you are a character. There's never any telling what you'll say or do next, except that it's bound to be something astonishing."

Also from U.S. site... We had Premium Extra earlier this year and it was $15. I suspect the page you posted was transitional language from the period of drink package changes and IT never cleaned up the text. Or, they are going back to $13 and haven't cleaned up the page I posted. Typical.

Is not Cunard known for their personal enrichment opportunities on TA crossings? Perhaps guests were supposed to crochet their own washcloths during the crafts classes.

On U.S. cruises, the price cap is $15.00. 😉

"It's muh vacation! I paid muh money and I'm gonna do what I want!"* *For additional instances, please see responses in dress code posts.