no1talks

Without going too far into the weeds, gout can be aggravated by too much animal protein in general terms. Mollusks and crustaceans can be particularly inflammatory. Organ meat, too, should be eaten only sparingly if at all.

Well, that was just a princess. Now, Cunard only has queens. 😉 I'm very glad Cunard will begin homeporting Queen Elizabeth in North America year-round, starting in '26. Itineraries will be divided between Alaska and the Caribbean. Of course, the transatlantic route will continue with Queen Mary. This is our likely 2026 cruise, a roundtrip transatlantic. We're still debating which season.

Hmm... The advantages of relative youth and speed may prove reason enough to reconsider. Frankly, I've been somewhat disinclined to give Regent a try. Too casual for me. (Full disclosure: We were booked with them once, but called it off when they moved the embarkation port offshore to Barbados.)

Cunard would like a word...

Not nitpicking at all. For the prices charged by Regent, a thermally-stable shower should be assured. I have never had an MSC shower go cold or hot, in or out of YC.

I get tip envelopes from the concierge station and fill the envelopes on the morning of the last full day of the cruise. During that day and evening, I quietly thank the staff members and hand them their envelopes. No need to scramble and give someone their tip while leaving the ship.

Don't forget the gruel. Cruise gruel is the best!

I'm more of a forewarned-is-forearmed sort of person. If I know the official method of computing non-standard drink prices, I can order a drink without having a 2nd choice order at the ready.

The juniper berries in gin might, perhaps, provide an outdoorsy, pine-scented note to one's breath. Maybe you have a red flannel shirt?

It's a good thing YC gives you two bottles of vodka. If you run out of Lysol, you can use one of the bottles as a sanitizer.

Can an unforced error like this still be partially recouped with the cancel-for-any-reason provision of travel insurance?

For purposes of staying within the $13.50 price limit of the drink package, how does Cunard price cocktails not appearing on their menu? One-liquor drinks would seem to be simple enough, but what about libations calling for two, three, or even four alcoholic ingredients? Thank you in advance for your expertise.

Ceiling?

I'm no expert on typical Celebrity cruisers, but I'd wager the rowdies on MSC these days are more likely to indulge in mischief than the most rambunctious of Celebrity cruisers.

Do they let you on the ship for free? Let's see if you get this example: If I pay $500 to attend a charity gala and a member of the catering staff hands me a glass of underwhelming bubbly, was the bubbly free? No. It was included. I only had access to it because I paid the 500 bucks in the first place. Cruises are the same. Everything "free" is predicated on money being paid to get on the ship in the first place. Even people who are on a cruise with a casino comp have paid for that cruise with past losses at the tables/slot machines. Veteran cruisers who have collected a cruise through a loyalty program have still paid for that cruise over years of sticking with the brand. Exempting a small percentage of passengers who are invited guests of the cruise line and pay nothing to be on the ship, shuffleboard is not free. This isn't a difficult concept to grasp, really.

I think you mean, "It's included in the price of every other cruise line." MSC charges extra for plenty of things and that is part of what keeps their cruise prices low.

This comment made my day and I thank you. Lawn boys at the Ritz. That's delightful. 😆

Nope. Referring to Crystal passengers as fossils occurred in a Friday morning post. "With all it's pools and bars the ship was designed for a younger cliental rather than the fossils that permeate Crystal."

Indeed, who would be? Unfortunately, the alternatives are to pay more for YC-or-better cruise amenities elsewhere or just save your money and cruise with fewer refinements. 🤔

"All the years I've waited for this. The ship is mine! I have the ship. The ship is mine. I got it!"

Just call up the captain and say, "Please bring me my wine." (I just couldn't resist.)

There are only two acceptable answers: "Not enough of them" and "All of them." 😉 I'm a "not enough of them" and will work on that once I've retired and can be on a trip for more than a fortnight. (This is predicated on MSC not losing too much of what makes them appealing.)

You should reread my answer to Guindalf AND Guindalf's original question. I'm not incorrect at all. The question asked was whether JW Blue was in the drinks package. Since Guindalf mentions prior experience with Retreat and Haven, but not YC, it would be logical to understand my answer, "Lord no," applies only to YC. Why would I be answering for Retreat or Haven if Guindalf has been there to see first-hand? In fact, Guindalf confirmed having Haven knowledge (and consumption) of JW Blue in a later post on Wednesday.

Is that confirmed fleet-wide? Changes in MSC policy often trickle out, ship-by-ship.