no1talks

2 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

Anyone asked the Butler to unpack or Pack luggage? 

How was ist? 

I plan on utilizing the embarkation unpacking, for two reasons.

1) Assuming my butler does it and not a different "arrival escort" butler, it will give me time to discuss the cruise with my butler.

2) I have read that butlers, as they unpack, offer to take wrinkled clothes for a cursory ironing of the packing wrinkles. I'm curious to see if this is gratis or just a way of selling laundry service.

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

A long time ago, Até.  I can’t see them increasing benefits for the foreseeable future;  too much financial damage done by Covid to be repaired. 

What about adding a new tier, as a bridge to the upcoming spin-off brand, Explora Journeys?

That might be a useful strategy for MSC.

53 minutes ago, Shippy said:

Hope your expectations are realistic....

 Not sure of the ratio but a few years ago, one of the butlers told me they had increased their load.

Meaning they have more cabins to take care of.

So, if things like being escorted to the showroom are important to you, remember you might have a wait as MSC butlers are not exclusive to you.

Not sure but I think it is about a dozen cabins they have to take care of.

Actually, the time consuming escort is the least appealing service.

I'm 6' 5" and reducing my stride to keep pace with someone around 5' 7" or less has been known to cause me to trip.

Butler escorts that also serve as a line pass are another matter, but if it is just showing me how to go somewhere, I'll pass.

I've been reading comments which indicate the quality of YC butlers has some "variation."

If you know you're going to be in want of the butler's services to a significant extent, how do you lay out your expectations? Assuming the butler who escorts you to YC is not your assigned butler, how long do you wait in your suite for your butler to arrive, before launching an inquiry?

If the butler has a less-than-enthusiastic demeanor, do you have a surefire way for turning things around? Thank you, in advance, for your stratagems.

Here's a difference...

MSC knew where this whole COVID thing was going in regards to cruising restart and they decided upon an included, dockside swab test and inside mask use. Easy-peasy.

Carnival, not seeing which way the wind was blowing, has now stuck their guests with the burden of getting a negative test result within a three-day window of embarkation. Boy, there sure is some wailing and gnashing of teeth on that board about the testing and 😷.

23 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I am also one who enjoys dressing formally for Formal Evenings.  On such  a short cruise as the OP is hoping to sail, I don't think I would pack my formal wear, however.  

 

Your comment about "something extra" intrigues me.  Will you share what you may be considering?  

I'm thinking a mandarin collar might be fun. Undecided about the vest/tie/shoe color, though. Since there is no place for a pocket square or boutonnière, to accessorize, I would probably put my
pocket watch in the vest and add a tie ring to the ascot.

4 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Probably so. We were on Meraviglia in December 2019 for 7 days and there was a heavy concentration of Europeans onboard. Same with Seaside in October 2018 and all of our European cruises. They just tend to dress up more than some Americans/Canadians do. I don't know @GA Dave personally so don't know what he's used to. Many people seem to view cruising as a way to be casual while others (like me) want to, as the British say, "get their glad rags on." 😃

Count me among the spiffed.

Every evening of a cruise, I'm in either a tux or a dinner jacket at 6 PM.

For January on Divina, I'm considering my options for something "extra" on the actual formal night. Not white tie, though. That would be too much.  

29 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

As someone who is only familiar with NCL, could you tell me if there is any type of drink packages offered on the ship?  I looked online when I booked this ship but did not see anything offered.  Or is everything just sold per drink?  If possible, could you maybe list the prices of some common drinks, such as pina colada, strawberry margarita, mojito, etc.?  Thanks.

If I recall correctly, MSC does not presell drink packages for cruises of less than four nights duration. This would explain the absence of such from your pre-cruise purchase menu.

However, I think they sell a drink package, once under way. Be sure to check with the bar staff.

On 7/30/2021 at 12:43 PM, jammer1000 said:

Hello, we embark on 7th august. Do many men wear dinner suits/tuxedos on formal/elegant night? We are not yacht club. Many thanks. 

My first time on MSC, before COVID exploded, I was in a tux or dinner jacket after 6 pm every evening. Non-negotiable.

To me, that is a big part of the fun. Others' mileage may vary. I don't begrudge others their chinos and polos. Back home, I'm in khakis and golf shirts like all those other guys. Why not live life differently for the duration of the cruise?

I'll be back, in nightly formal attire, my first time in YC (January, 2022) unless cruising ends up in the ditch again.

Should the day arrive when I'm the last one still dressing up, I suppose I'll head over to Cunard. (If they're still around and still attracting any formal attirees, that is.)

26 minutes ago, MarkusToe said:

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY5_EN_1627577536.pdf 188.5 kB · 0 downloads

Here you are, the dinner menu

Best menu thus far, for my tastes. Thank you so much!

3 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

Well, if you book more guests in than normally, you will have waiting times....

Due to reduction of total guest capacity, the number of waiters are reduced as well. 

This causes problems at YC as YC is full...

That's odd.

The staffing of the non-YC part of the ship would be expected to be thinned-out, due to the low PAX count.

However, you are saying the YC staffing is reduced as well?

That is a poor administrative choice.

2 hours ago, Straughn said:

Unfortunately, it is possible for a fully vaccinated individual to contract Covid and be asymptomatic. I have three friends, all in excellent health with no underlying conditions,  two of whom were asymptomatic and one who had symptoms that many vaccinated people would have ignored. A couple I know went to get their required Covid tests to sail out of St.Martin. Both were asymptomatic and tested positive. Another friend had mild symptoms- fatigue, a headache, and general feeling of, to use her word, “ick.” Just to be safe, she got tested and was positive. Her doctor said that “you will be fine after 10 days.” She got tested on day 12 and is still positive for Covid. She feels absolutely fine.
 

It is entirely possible to be fully  vaccinated and still contract Covid. Therefore, there could easily be vaccinated individuals on a cruise ship who have asymptomatic Covid. 
 

Yes, I have read the studies that say asymptomatic individuals do not have the viral load that a person with symptoms does, and may therefore, not spread the virus. I hope that is true. I think, in my humble opinion, it might be prudent for cruise lines to test all passengers as part of the embarkation process.. As I said, my opinion, feel free to disagree and flame me.

 

I have a Caribbean cruise on MSC in January. (Presumably?) They are testing vaccinated and non-vaccinated during embarkation.

From the "Vaccinated passengers" section...

"You will be required to take a rapid antigen test at the pier prior to embarkation (covered by MSC Cruises) and test negative."

Well, if an early rush of YC diners is the cause of the blockage, I won't sweat it. (Assuming my Divina cruise takes place a planned.) I prefer an early show and late dinner.

7 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

I have been known to throw some laundry in a back pack and find a local laundry at one of the ports.

Cheap.

"How was the cruise? What's the first thing you did when you got off the ship at Sydney?"

"My whites."

From the website...

"Bonus points are not retroactive and are always assigned approximately 10 days after the end of the cruise."

All this talk of frugality somehow calls to mind the old comedy bit, Four Yorkshiremen.

"Oh, we used to dream of livin' in a corridor!"

28 minutes ago, phissy said:

Thanks for clarification on what determines the amounts. Always wondered what the cut off was for the $50 amounts.🙏

Hiya Phissy!

In case you missed it, the post you quoted, stating Gold as the cut-off for the 50 OBC, has been edited to read Voyagers Club Silver and up. 😕

Cheers!

I think a persistent TA, with screen grabs of their own website's wording, could squeeze another 50 out of them.

For my part, it is moot. I'm Classic and not yet Silver, with only one cruise on the record. However, the cruise we'll be on in January is on the Voyagers Club list. Since points are doubled, the YC booking (plus a bit of spending) will leapfrog us past Silver, to just squeak into Gold.

At that point, I would have a dog in this fight. However, the website paragraph, that can be very reasonably read as Selection list cruises and Silver-or-better OBCs stack, is followed by...

"limited-time offer."

11 minutes ago, phissy said:

Too bad the discount cruises do not populate when you are logged in with member number.

since we have four cruises booked, have checked 5+discounts every week. 
Started in May for November 2021 cruises. We have 11/13 and 11/20 cruises. 

since having to manually enter member number each time, I now have mine memorized.

 I found discount (5+5 and 5+10) and emailed travel agent.

I also notified those on my RollCalls  of available discount .

it took a few tries on his part but, he was able to get our YC bookings the additional discount, which includes $50pp OBC.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the website, Silver members and up get $50 OBC and it stacks with the $50 for Voyagers Club listed cruises. 

100 bucks pp is not so bad.

Have any of you sussed this out?

I would suppose it has to do with the rate at which a cruise is selling. What are the timeframes, though? How many months out might a slow seller make it on the +5% offerings?  How much longer, still, before moving up in discount?

I've noticed discrepancies between a cruise entry under discount and the same cruise as listed in a regular search. A discounted version excluded YC, but YC was available on the normal listing.

Come on, don't keep the secret formula to yourself. (Please.)

1 hour ago, MarkusToe said:

Today's dinner was excellent....

Quality and service.... started early.

At 730 pm all tables occupied and guest waiting....

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY2_EN_1627238232.pdf 211.01 kB · 9 downloads

Paella is a much-loved dish for my wife, who happens to be from Mülheim an der Ruhr. I showed the picture to her and she became envious.

I'm confident she'll be able to have paella when we are in YC on Divina, in January.

4 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

Ups, no glasses and auto corrected....

 

Breakfast was hit and miss today.

20 min and 3 re orders for 1. cappuccino...

Ordered Mimosa was sparkling orange. Sec one vergotten totally.

Themperature check was vergotten...means we have to go to concierge to do it. Breakfast menu...every day same...

QR_W_YC_BREAKFAST_DAYX_EN_1627194831.pdf 120.43 kB · 13 downloads

Your posts continue to be very much appreciated. Thank you so much.

Please elaborate on the daily temperature checks. Are the rooms visited between the hours of x and y? If sleeping late, must one then report to the concierge desk no later than a particular time in the morning?

Thanks again.

2 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

Today they are ultra flexible.

There was a big accident on the highway ,7

A lot of passangers are coming late.

Departure delayed by 30 min. Extra safety drill for them at the theater.

Dinner was excellent.

The only drawback of the day.

We booked  and paid excursions at Visby and msc kicked us out...

Sales rep on the phone told us, no problem plenty of space on the ship, you may book there.....nope, fully booked. Even private excursion by YC is not available.

They offered 20%of on a excursion the next port. This is from my point of view not acceptable....will talk to yc director tomorrow....

 

 

 

QR_W_YC_DINNER_DAY1_EN_1627151710.pdf 157.73 kB · 5 downloads

That dessert looks especially intriguing.

Missing out on Visby would be very irksome to me as well. That is a great place for Late Medieval Period history, since it was part of the Hanseatic League. (But you probably know that.) I hope the YC director steps up and makes things right. Cheers!

3 minutes ago, MarkusToe said:

Minibar stocked as usual...

 

 

Excellent. I see the only-a-single-one-liter-bottle situation, mentioned from another cruise, did not appear again.

Thank you very much, indeed. I look forward to additional updates. Enjoy the cruise.