no1talks

A somewhat different group from the OtROtR of Mera, eight months ago.

Punky, we hardly knew ye!

Yes, but Disney tenders are much better.

We are booked for the 12th of March as well.

Perhaps I'm misremembering, Phissy, but didn't you have some issues on that cruise, resulting in a comped specialty dinner from R. Sherrif, only to be charged for the dinner anyway? 😲

That is rather disappointing. I thought they had come to MSC as a pre-existing group. Instead, they were manufactured like the Monkees, Spice Girls, and others.

And, if properly insured, it should not be a huge deal. 🙂

Don't expect much, Morpheus. Based on the FAQs portion of their website, Explora out-Regents Regent. My prediction? Savoir faire will be, "Au voir frère."

In the broader scope of things and depending on who is tipping whom, more than one of those five topics may apply. 😜

This new system will certainly save MSC time, allowing staff to add the specifics for the next YC guests to the list of between-cruise room prep. A potential unintended consequence is "disengaged" butlers becoming even more invisible at the start of a cruise, since the guest checklist is already covered.

I wouldn't sit still for that. We don't need the butler 24/7 and fully understand our butler is shared, but we do have some requests and expectations. A dodgy butler will necessitate a discrete conversation with YC leadership.

Thank you for that, Phissy! Made my day.

Well, Kwokpot did not mention in the post you quoted that he is staying in YC. He did, however, specifically mention shorts being worn in Butcher's Cut. It is possible for YC to hold the line on shorts, as you experienced, but things to be going differently elsewhere on the ship. Perhaps less has changed than first glance may suggest.

It is my understanding the tank top & flip-flops cohort will vie for inclusion on MSC's Classmates.com page.

What?!? What "doesn't exist" because I can't see a damn thing here!! 😉

Fair enough. The screencap below about Dress Restrictions is from the website. I added the underlining. While MSC softly suggests what one should wear, they also warn of enforcement should one flout the restrictions. The only thing demonstrated by a string of clean getaways on fautes de vêtements is (if I may coin a phrase) Sartorial Survivor Bias. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/before-you-go/what-to-wear#:~:text=Dress Restrictions&text=Shorts%2C flip flops%2C and tank,Restaurants%2C or MSC Yacht Club.

Shippy, when you get one of those vouchers for 30% off a cruise, what are the book-by and sail-by limits? Also, does the reduced price cruise have to be from a particular set of ports? Thank you so very much!

Yes, very acceptable. Regifting has managed to keep all 1063 North American mail-order fruitcakes circulating for 109 years.

Another consideration... When Yacht Club will prepare dishes on request, one's favorite dish can often be ready on any YC cruise. (If a dish is requested with two days notice and the ingredients are at hand, that is.)

I buy chocolates, cookies, etc. from the airport shops, after going through security, and give it to the flight attendants. To avoid suspicion, I keep it all in the original packaging, leave it in the store's bag, and show the receipt. Sometimes, I catch crew members having a nosh in the galley. 😁 They have an irksome job, dealing with too many loutish passengers. I'm happy to be able to brighten their day when I'm on a flight.

Let us all hope the esteemed WheresWalter's similarities to St. Thomas More are limited in scope.

I think the closest smoking area to the Mera casino is out on the Carousel Terrace. Does anyone have a closer location? 🤔

The open question that has me intrigued is whether or not Explora will link its yet-to-be-explained loyalty program to MSC's existing program. Deep in the FAQs on the Explora website, a mention is made regarding possible linkage of some sort, but we will have to wait a bit longer. If Explora does decide to build on or link to the current system, it may be useful (at last) to those who have points way past the diamond mark.