spencerdrivecruiser

The YC Service bested the X suite experience.

Food is subjective but we enjoyed the YC restaurant.

Being able to be in our own space with a limited number of YC passengers was a huge plus.

Salt Cay is too die for.  It was the best part of our cruise(s).  There is a posh YC Bar and restaurant on the beach.  MSC really show deference to their YC Passengers.  Absolutely no waiting in queues and your Butler will escort you anywhere you want go on the ship.  My last RS on X, I hardly saw the Butler after his morning refill of our fridge.

With MSC YC you have a Butler and an Assistant Butler that are aware of your comings and goings and are on the ball.

Plus when comparing prices, YC Deluxe is 25-30% less than an X suite.

I asked the F&B Dir On the last EQ cruise what happens to the Gelato when they cart it to the kitchen nightly.  He said they offer the open container Gelato to the crew and whats not eaten is tossed.  They make new Gelato daily.  It make no sense to me why they didnt have a fire sale nightly (50% off) but it was not an option.  Maybe in the future with this huge debt things will change.

PFN pays 10.56%

  No bunk here. Just my opinion.

Unfortunately, the Zeniths are being eliminated one by one.  This is a sad state of affairs suspending the Company's two top cruisers.

I assume after a year, this suspension can be appealed.  A few years ago a top Zenith Cruiser was suspended for life because of a physical/verbal confrontation.

This scenario is far less invasive and surely can be appealed with Global Security in time.

Zenith's, beware, they have you in their sights.  This is really all about the bottomline.  When business was booming they couldn't have cared less.

Good Luck

100% no way want to risk our life going on vacation.

In a discussion group this weekend we tried to estimate the number of affected people JUST from the retirement of 10-18 ships.  An average of 1000 crew on and off per 6-8 month contracts.  Thats a huge amount of competition for upcoming jobs.  Plus as stated above, the 1000s of laid off/terminated land based corporate workers.  Not sure if things will ever normalize.

if the CDC/Govt postpones cruising until 1/1/2021,  add 3 to 4 months for contracting  with Crew, logistics, passing annual medical physicals in their respective countries, obtaining work VISAS, plane flights, hotels.  Then 30 days of mock cruise training.

My best guest is May 1, 2021 when USA major cruise lines resume business assuming the vaccine comes out in December as promised by some officials.

Wondering how many more applicants will be applying for ship employment from Captains, HD, Chief Engineers displaced from the 10-15 ships recently sold?   The market will be flooded with the thousands of this particular group of former workers.  The more supply, the less benefits and $$$s will be negotiated.  Such a sad situation.

1.5 years ago we applied to MSC and got the Black Status Level before they changed the rules.

As a black card member, now called Diamond, we received the best specialty Steak House dinner ever.  The steaks were huge with XL Idaho baked potato.  Every Black card holder gets this comped meal.  On X, I doubt anyone got a free specialty meal as of a year ago.

There are a bunch of free perks being a Black Card/Diamond member.

Book the Yacht Club level with the Black Card status and have Zenith Status.  Great deal.

i had the long swab stick stuck up my nose and it was not pleasant.   I won't subject myself to that on every cruise plus the daily temperature routine.  The lines and waiting will require extreme patience and that is not our definition of a vacation.  And wearing a thick mask for 2 hours when shopping is pushing it to the limit.  When I take the mask off once out the door it is nirvana.  This has to get better before we cruise again.

From what I read the best possible scenario is permission is granted on Nov 1 BUT the cruiselines will need a full month to transport crew and train them.  There may be quarantine requirements from some international crew.

So, deductive reasoning tells me there is little chance that passengers will step on a ship this calendar year.  The logistics and training alone will be a huge endeavor.

What if a couple that is Zenith, both have the 3000 plus points, get divorced and each remarries.  Is the Zenith benefit now for the four of them?   What a deal!  

On the SL a few years back heading out of Sydney.  The Elevator opened and a co worker and his wife were standing in the back.  When you see someone unexpectedly, your mind gets a bit confused but seconds later it was a grand reunion.  Guess, we kept our personal business at work to ourselves and neither one of us had a clue.

Corrected on the S Class adjoining  rooms with double doors but on M Class the single door between adjoining rooms leaves nothing to the imagination.  We have heard it all at night and my wife still blushes.  Somethings should be private.  The S Class ships have solved this anomaly

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Last Sunday i was in the sun for a few hours and got a bit burned around the forehead and temples.

At the hospital entrance the next dat, I registered 99.8 degs and was not let in for an appointment.

They told me sit in the shade and cool down for 20 mins.  I did and still was over the limit.

i asked them to get an oral digital thermometer and after 15 mins a nurse came back and took my temp via the mouth and it was 98.5 degs and I was let in.  A huge waste of my time knowing I was feeling perfect.

So, the way temps are measured may not be that accurate and hopefully if someone exceeds the parameters at the airport or cruise ship terminal there is a secondary oral temp check.

One thing that is annoying.

if we stay in the cabin on the day of the ship weekly Crew Safety Drill it blares in the room.  Wish they would not pipe the commands into the Passengers State rooms.  We put ear plugs into our ears and its still annoying.

A bit of irony.  The   C and M class had cafeteria style lines with trays.  A crew member gave you basically the portion you asked for.

Then came the S Class with total self service and mostly everyone loved this new concept.  Now, hopefully they take a step back and serve everything as it was.

If you got up to the Oceanview Cafe by noon it was a breeze getting your food.

Personally, I prefer the way the buffet was handled on the C and M class way back when.

Still wondering if their generous CC amenities will be reduced somewhat.  X's CC program is the most generous in the business, especially at E+ and Z levels.  Waiting on the sidelines for many things to fall into place before booking any future cruises with any Cruiseline.

If we book a RS that comes with unlimited specialty dining we hardly eat  in Luminae.  Lunches in Sushi on 5 and dinners spread between Tuscan, Murano and Lawn Club Grill (on SI and RF).  We do not eat breakfast outside the suite.

if we book a Sky Suite then its Luminae for the meals they are open for.

Of course we prefer the Specialty Restaurants if all is equal.

Been reading a lot about inferior cruise ship ventilation systems.  First thing is to change the air filtration systems to state of the art that will eliminate all airborne particles.   Currently the air is not up to par and many get some type of illness on each cruise.  I am looking to see what will be done in this area.

5 hours ago, hcat said:

 

Take money in from more people by selling new cruises  in order to pay out the refunds and debts owed  to others.  

LOL, A legal Ponzi Scheme.

We were X Loyalists but with all the monkey business going on lately we are history.  We pay our Federal Income taxes annually and have zero compassion for Corporations incorporating oversees to avoid US INCOME Taxes.   Maybe there will will be changes to enact laws that will 

require corporations doing business in the USA to pay Income Taxes.

MSC is privately owned and in great financial shape and haven't read of any Covid 19 aboard any of their ships.  I have read nothing about MSC begging for handouts or loans.

Good Luck to Celebrity and their near sidedness and over leveraging.  Our best cruising days were on the C Class Ships and the new M Class ships.  Those days will never be bested for us. After Dan Hanerhan left X things have never been the same.  The current CEO is all about her and her phoniness. 

Of course I have empathy for them.  Imagine losing $110,000,000 of worth in two weeks time?

i dont care what they paid per share with options and or incentives (bonuses).  Bottom line was their RCL holdings dropped by an unthinkable amount.  I am sure LLP is hurting too.

My guess is the Captain Club Perks will be diminished.  Before this crisis it was obvious that the loyal cruises were not catered to as much as the suite guests and the newbie cruisers. I doubt the marketing model will change.  As I write this, the Dow futures are down 850.  When will this bleeding stop?

3 minutes ago, RICCruisers said:

I trust you said that with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek. First, the Perks are not free, they are built into the price. Second, I don’t know exactly how the shares were obtained. Some were likely issued as part of a compensation plan and may have cost them nothing. Others may have been options where they purchased them at favorable prices. Unless they sell them at a loss they have lost nothing. If you must feel sorry for someone, feel for the small time investor that bought them at their high point. 

Referring to CC Elite Plus and Zenith Perks.  Zero costs to those at that level.  Surmising if they will be cut entirely or be reduced.  Nothing stated about the Go Better, Best or built in perks in my posting. 

In light of this horrible economic downturn I wonder if the CC level perks will be severely cut or go away entirely.  X certainly won't be giving away revenue producing perks, eg, internet or Premium Bev packages until they are profitable again.

i just looked at the 10K Filing.  Mr Fein owns 1,000,000 shs and Mr Wilheim 25 mil shares of RCL.

Imagine losing (unrealized) $120 a share in a few weeks on such huge holdings.

One has to feel badly for them.

Lets pray for a quick recovery.

Left MIA ON the ML  in mid October 2012.  Debarked the ML in the second week of February 2013 in Singapore.   Some repetition but still an exciting time.  Eight b2bs in verandas,  CC, Sky Suites and a CS.  After 2 months onboard it felt like home.and time flew by.