NorthernCouple

Thank-you for posting these.

Oh, dear. Now, I am sad. I will just have to branch out and try other ones.

Yes, I was thinking of a laminated copy.

Last week, L1211 took a picture of what staff were saying was included: and what was NOT included: You will notice Botanist is 5th from the left.

Y Yes, this is one that I keep meaning to try.

I have had Hendricks and still prefer Aviation but that is why we have choices. There is actually a Botanist from Canada (Quebec) and a Botanist from England that are not related. MSC stocks the English but prices it at 16$. These raises the question about the premium plus changes. The MSC webpage lists a 16$ drink limit but L1211 seemed to say that they weren't honoring it. amygutman, Since the gin connoisseurs have hijacked your posting and it is a 'booze cruise', can you try and order a Botanist drink (martini, G&T, gimlet, neat - your choice) without getting charged?

Yes, that is what I expect. To be fair, a lot of places like all-inclusive resorts would consider these to be top shelf brands. Canada and England seem to be experiencing an explosion of boutique gin distillers which raises the 'bar' a bit. Aviation is an American brand (Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian), of course. I expect that I will just have to order my Aviation martini, G&T, and gimlet (limes allowing) at the YC bar. Oh..the suffering. /s 😄

Aviation Gin is partly owned by Ryan Reynolds. Although Reynolds does a lot of good work outside of acting and this might be a good reason to buy the product, I actually was drinking it before he started advertising for them. If you think that you don't like gin, I would encourage you to try this one. It is more neutral then most and juniper is a background flavor. I expect you will get the hard 'no' for stocking Aviation in the room. Sorry to hear about the buffet. I kind of expected this. Really tough for the staff to maintain standards. This is partly why we wanted the YC access. On the sunrise walk, was the "power walking" track usable for jogging? Since the gym doesn't open until 7am, I am hoping to jog instead.

Thank-you for your continued reporting. I'm particularly happy to hear some positive news. Glad to hear that you 'butler' seems to working out and that your hot tub seems to be up and running. As for the hot tub's state - based on your 'booze cruise' report - you have to feel sorry for what that poor hot tub has likely seen and been through. On second thought, best not to think about it. Good to hear that the fridge is getting stocked. Curious if they will change the beer for me. I doubt that they will fulfill my liquor request for Aviation Gin. We are looking forward to beer, pizza, and hot tub night. Sounds like the pizza is meeting expectations. I am happy to hear that the A/C works well. My DW would definitely complain about that. Hopefully, you are just experiencing the spring breakers. I'm sorry for the crew. Agree that it isn't appropriate for people to be mistreating them or disabled passengers. You might be able to help the wheelchair/scooter passengers with your YC elevator access. If you call the elevator with your card, supposedly, it will bypass other call requests.

I feel like I have failed to communicate or the sense of humour just isn't coming through. There is a potentially profitable market for MSC where parents would pay for Seabourn (or equivalent) but they have kids and need the kids activities, water slides, etc. This is an ideal demographic for YC. Are they going to provide the Seabourn experience? No, of course not. Should MSC YC aspire to a premium product? - yes and this is what they advertise. L1211's experience will turn off a lot of people in this demographic. From Captain-John "Pre-shutdown (May '19), there were still issues with long wait times in the YC bar, issues getting a wine aside from the pre-selected options in the dining room, a reluctant butler and some other issues I've just been reminded of. " If MSC can solve these issues, they could have a very good product. The HR issues are impacting lots of industries. Hopefully, this will improve with time. Seabourn and Silversea have an advantage that they can promote from their parent cruise lines (Carnival and Royal Caribbean). If you have an excellent staff member, they get moved up (I hope with improved pay and benefits). Hopefully, MSC does this with the YC, but it will still take time. YC seems like it could benefit from some improved logistics. This takes good leadership, education and IT. However, there seem to be some simple policy improvements that the leadership should make like wines in the dining room.

Seabourn budget with MSC kids.

Thank-you for your post. We are excited to hear about your experiences. Are you on for 7 days? How's the butler? Did they show up? Did they offer to unpack? Did you get any drink preferences for your room (bottle of alcohol, change drinks in fridge)?

I completely agree with you. I think that I will have to find happiness where it presents itself. That being said - I think MSC has a real opportunity to capture a specific and profitable market. Based on the OP's experience, I feel like they are failing. So...close

Excellent example...anyone at MSC reading this?

Remains to be seen...hoping to hear more positive reviews between now and July.