kelleherdl

Email from my TA was similar to what Tapi said he received. Dennis

Scratch that. Just got the TA email.

My Explora II cruise in October 2024 is still there.

MSC must have done a promotional deal with M&C. On Explora they have private labeled Imperial Brut as the ‘house’ champagne. Also Moët was prominently used to christen Explora I. Maybe we will see more house pours of Moët in YC in the future.

What was included in you original Fantastica booking? I.e. premium beverage package, thermal spa access, two-device WiFi per person? Things you might have had to add to your Fantastica experience. They really should be included in any cost comparison. It’s tough to put a price to the multitude of non-monetized benefits to the Yacht Club, so just consider them a lagniappe. Good luck on your bid!

Did folks note the digital kiosks in the checkin area? Can we say that MSC plans on upping their IT support for online booking management? That clearly remains to be seen if it can happen in just one year. I do like the YC Lounge. Unfortunately, the renderings don’t include the god awful dockside equipment and transportation mess on the pier necessary for a cruise terminal. The final terminal and pier area will not be as striking as the renderings.

You will very likely get further updates on you checkin time to be earlier. Based on my experience I would not plan on showing up later than 1:30. By then you will likely be walking right through terminal security and checkin. Do not arrive later, there is second wave of passengers arriving later. There is a ‘Goldilocks’ time for checkin, and it’s generally 12:30 to 1:30. Your checkin time will not be checked beyond the initial surge of guests.

In general, you are ‘bidding’ to upgrade at the current, close to sailing, price of that YC suite. I have found that doing an early booking on the suite you realistically think you will enjoy the most is the best way to go. If you ‘add up’ the cost all the YC inclusives you are not paying much more than an Aurea suite and paying extra for all the inclusives. Yes, you are paying a non-refundable deposit on an early booking, but that will easily be covered by the inevitable YC price increases over time. On popular itineraries the YC is sailing at ~100% occupied. There will not be much inventory for upgrades. I know there have been anecdotal postings where some have gotten great deals for YC upgrades. I’m afraid that is the exception. I view bidding for a YC upgrade to be a ‘second chance’ at what you really should have booked originally; and I have done that when we had unexpected changes in our traveling family.

Sept 9

I got a look at a schedule 30 days out, but I have no idea how early schedules are developed.

We are doing the glacial river rafting run in Akureyri. They promised dry suits, but I still imagine it will be frosty.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the post I quoted addressed regional WINES.

Our clothing selection, just our style with no prejudice towards other’s choices For 18 days of Iceland to NY I’m taking everything from my Carhartt jacket to my fine Norwegian sweater to a blazer and sport coat. Given the itinerary you will see me in more long-sleeve sport shirts in contrast to polos. We are Americans who still dress a little above the US standard for resort casual, particularly for a more relaxed dinner at one of the table service restaurants. You won’t find me in a jacket at the Emporium on those nights we eat there.😀. My wife will take several smart dresses, sweaters and shawls, but daytime around the ship will be resort casual or ‘less’ around the pools.

I trust that won’t be the case in the Caribbean. 😀😀😀😀

Which itinerary? My travel advisor sent me a day by day schedule for my cruise. I would assume you can work through your travel adviser to work with an EJ Ambassador. I was able to choose my preferred class and day. The classes were itinerary specific. I think I need to confirm everything once we board.

Doesn’t the Wellness Center have lockers, showers and changing areas? I have never understood the behavior of going around the ship in a bathrobe. Even reasonable coverup/shorts can be worn for going to pool areas.

Unlike our house, the ship can get out of the way of hurricanes. Plus you may get lucky, need to divert, delay return to port and get a few extra days.

Agree wholeheartedly with you on Seaside’s Ocean Cay specialty restaurant. The only time I had decent dinner there was dinner with the Captain and guests. The offerings were completely different from the regular menu. On Seaside I will always use my Diamond meal for lunch at Teppanyaki (the sushi menu).

How is access to the YC ‘buffet’ controlled if it’s just a section on Deck 19 that used to be available to everybody?

Our assigned time for Sep 9th is 1:00.

I called the EJ Ambassador number myself. I got confirmation of my two reservations right over the phone. We like to eat early (6:30) so finding openings was a piece of cake. We have Sakura and Marble&Co. We are not interested in the supplement paid Anthology. I may also do one of the Chef’s Kitchen classes. I’m personally not worried about getting dining times. Even the Marketplace looks fabulous to us. But if the Master wants to invite us to dine with her I doubt we will decline. 😀

Ah Graham, for a Scotsman you are being overly generous. But thank you for the cross the pond handshake. Windstar and Emerald on the same holiday. Somebody’s lottery ticket hit. We will probably never go the super-luxury route. I understand Emerald is under the senior management of a former MSC Cruises USA executive. I’m sure he had been at other lines before that. I did have a second go round of the Lesser Antilles back to back booked but changed to World America when those bookings opened. If anyone on here ever wants a nice two weeks in Yacht Club in the Southern Caribbean Hamrag and I both heartily endorse that cruise on MSC. You can join in Barbados, Point a Pitre, or Fort d’ France.

I’m neither a TA nor an ‘influencer’, whatever that really means; nor a Residence passenger. So I will be commenting on my ‘steerage’ experience. 😀

There is a possible alternative view. We booked three EJ cruises early on. We avoided the absolute first cruises because of possible last-minute ship delays (did happen) and possibly teething pains (may be happening). Our first cruise is Sept 9, second Nov. We will be paying truly fabulous fares for those two, less than equivalent Yacht Club YC2’s with far less interesting itineraries. We are absolutely looking forward to these cruises, even if we will need to ‘endure’ some hiccups.

If you are in Yacht Club do not show up at 3:30. Show up as early as you comfortably can. Firstly, you are throwing away 1/2 of your embarkation day. Secondly, most of the shoreside Yacht Club butlers are starting to re-board; and the YC checkin area may be standing down. We arrived a little late one cruise (not by choice) and the shore side YC experience was definitely winding down.