no1talks

An added mystery... What will be available to Explora cruisers when they are on OC? Stops at the island are mentioned in some Explora itineraries.

Which is why I'll drink pretty much any wine in a setting I find apropos. I won't drink Sutter Home White Zin with a $100 steak dinner, but I'll happily drink it if that is what my friend is serving at his burgers & brats cookout.

Opus from the 80s, perchance? The two problems with Opus: The hype, which raises the bar too much. The inconsistency across vintages. If one who is into Bordeaux blends (heavy on the Cabernet) had a glass of the stuff and didn't know it was Opus, one would probably say, "Hmm, pretty damn good." But, if it is known to be Opus? "What the hell is this?!? I can't believe they bothered to even bottle this!!" (Unless they want to be cool. Then they'll go on and on about "black currant" and "rose petals." 🤣)

As @travelberlin said, it happens. Regent changed an embarkation port on us, switching from Miami, out to Barbados. We canceled and put the money into our first YC booking.

I did, in fact. As I understand it, the attending physicians were heard to have said, "We cannoli do so much." (Next time, I'll leave the pun and take the cannoli.)

They are generally referred to as "hotel hangers" or plain, ol' anti-theft hangers. 😉

Wow! MSC is stepping up their celebrity endorsement game!

If you're going to make a duplicate post, please use another language for each duplicate. 🤣

Honestly, though, I think we'll be okay when we hit Diamond and book an Aurea spot on a pre-YC ship from the Musica or Lirica classes. Many, though not all, niceties from YC would be covered. I'm really curious about one thing in particular: Do the ships from those two classes serve afternoon low tea in one of the lounges? I posted a topic asking for hints on how YCers improve their experience on ships from "Before Yacht Club," but I received no replies.

I'm aware the two and three-day cruises can be problematic, with more "rowdies" among the passengers. However, I would have thought a five or six-day cruise would be pretty much business as usual. Although I'm not one to seek out an almost-one-week cruise, I'll keep your observation in mind. Can you elaborate on what you've found to be the flies in the ointment with those cruises? Thank you, in advance, for your thoughts.

You can say that again, G.P. How does one still manage to use "your" for "you're," with so many grammar police on the Internet all these years??? 🤣

Full price, plus service fee. 😉

American standard. I would expect Tia Maria to be used by a bartender on any European cruise line, especially MSC, because... The cocktail is of Belgian origin, from a time when Kahlúa (from Mexico) was not commonly stocked in Europe. Tia Maria has been made in Italy for over a decade now. Oddly enough, until a few years after the turn of the century, both Kahlúa and Tia Maria were owned by the same French liquor conglomerate. Go figure. 🙄

He was supposed to leave just after our cruise in February. He was big contributor to our enjoyment of that cruise! I told him I always let the sommelier choose my wine and he did not disappoint. He even picked my apéritifs and he batted 1.000 there, as well.

This brings to mind the producer of two excellent wines, a Napa Chardonnay and an Oakville Cabernet. I strongly recommend both. 😀

I'm prone to motion sickness, so I use Scopolamine transdermal patches. They are a godsend for seasickness.

This glitch is clear proof that we are living in the Matrix.

The Red Rooster, a cheap and lazy variant of the Madras. The R.R. should really be served as a party punch. That way, the fruity weakness of the drink is expected. (In fairness, the drink would not be cheap in parts of the world where orange juice and cranberry cocktail are more expensive than decent vodka.)

Yes. Onboard services prepaid before the cruise: you earn 100 points every 150 €/$ on expenses made before the cruise on MSC packages and services included in the cruise booked*. Onboard expenses: you earn 100 points for every 150 €/$ spent on board, excluding casino expenses. Points for onboard expenses (including pre-boarding purchased shipboard credit) will only be assigned to the MSC Voyagers Club cardholder making the final payment.*For currencies other than € euro, the currency conversion on purchase day will apply.

What talk of which cruise lines appealed, appeal, and will appeal to whom (in the past, present, and future) looks like to me... Kidding aside, though... I consider myself, as @Homosassa mentioned, "new to cruising but have discovered the joys of the 'classical' experience." Accordingly, we'll continue to enjoy low tea in the afternoon, dress for dinner, and avoid cruises where the passengers are the "entertainment." Hopefully, there will continue to be cruises available for all types of cruisers, whether staid or audacious. Also, hopefully, all cruise lines will have the good sense to develop and maintain an identity for their customer base and not try to half-assedly be all things to all cruisers.

We are beginning to plan our '24 cruise. After Seascape in '23, we will have done two Caribbean turns in YC. For '24, we want to take a spin in the Med. After three trips on big ships, we are open to booking accomodations on a smaller ship and just having Diamond and Aurea perquisites, if schedule or itinerary leads to it. The smaller ships on Med duty in '24 (whole or part) will be Opera and Sinfonia. Are there any differences between these two ships for a potential Aurea suite cruiser? I know both are Lirica class and that means many similarities, but I ask just in case cruisers with time on these ships know better. Regarding Aurea's current inclusions, do any of you know if it's a better deal to book a suite that includes drinks (Easy pkg.) and then upgrade to Premium Extra or book a suite as "Lowest Cruise Rate" and buy Premium Extra with the Aurea discount. I find MSC's Aurea perk, "Discounted drink package option available at the time of booking," to be a bit vague. No percentage is mentioned and I don't know if upgrading an included Easy drink pkg. is subject to the discount. In general terms of pre-YC ships, can one recreate some of the niceties of YC? For example, do those ships offer a good afternoon tea service? We are big fans of low tea in the afternoon, before dressing for dinner, and YC did not disappoint! What are some other things you YCers do to improve your experience on a Lirica or Musica class ship? As always, thank you in advance for your input. Cheers!

More seatings help in a dining room if a ship is low on staff.

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