DMH15

1 hour ago, Greenpea2 said:

If the butler says "Not my job, go ask the steward" he/she probably is not at one of the top tiers of butlerhood! A really good butler will just go to the steward and request they take care of it for you. Not all butlers are great. I've only had one that was pretty much useless, and we have never needed much. We are pretty self-sufficient.

My first butler was pretty bad.   And then he got off in one of our ports and didn't get back on.  

2 hours ago, david_sobe said:

The concierge assists in your daily plans while on board.  She/he can make show or restaurant reservations and be your point person for excursions or other activities.  A butler is assigned to provide room service for meals or drinks.

 

On a mega ship a concierge will be stuck behind a desk the entire cruise.  If you cruise a smaller ship, they will meet and greet you daily.

David, when I was on Epic in the DOS the Concierge desk was manned by one of the two Asst. Concierges.  Leah, the Concierge might be there in addition sometimes, but we found her mostly out and about.  

I agree about the smaller ships.  On the Sun, both times the Concierges came to our aft ph suite a few times a day to check in with us.   They also showed up while we dined at a specialty restaurant.  Pretty much same on Jewel when we were in an aft ph, but not as often as the Sun which only has 20 suites total. Love that ship 

I have done both.  Also, great suites on ships with no Haven.   Personally, I loved them all.  

Perhaps my favorite suite remains the aft PH on the NCL Sun.  Loved the suite and adored the huge aft verandah.  Two cruises in that suite totalling 25 nights.  

Epic's Owners suite is a very close second.  That master bed(room) and tub in the window.  

Proximity not that important to me as I like the walks. 

It seems to me this thread and its information would be importants to both camps, where either group might care to go for different reasons. 

2.  We did a scavenger hunt on Epic.  There is trivia.

3.  You should be able to see drink menus on beyondships.com

4.  Agree.  Only uses your minutes while logged on... and it will tell you when you log off what you have used or have left to keep track.

I will just bring US bills.  

13 hours ago, shanley said:

 

Thanks. That portabella stack sounds good. My daughter would likely go for that.

 

She ate Indian food at the buffet every day on our last cruise. She manages very well to find food at the buffet and in the MDR. Sometimes she order the night before when her dad ordered his special meals.  It's just figuring out if it is worth the extra cost to eat at the specialty restaurants or just stick with the MDR.  I think we have to decide if the menu works for us that day and not plan in advance.

The staff wants to make her happy.  They will work with her.  

My niece had avocado toast, potatoes, oatmeal, etc.for breakfast.  And she loved  the grapefruit halves with a cherry in the middle.  

Safe77, so glad it was special and memorable!   Thanks for sharing. 

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

Your mother sounds like she was a wonderful person and I'm sure she's a great loss to you.  Good to know she passed on such a wonderful attribute that you seem to have - and you've put it so well in your last sentence!  🙂

Thank you so much for the kind words.  I have great memories.  

3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

This is one of the reasons we've never been tempted to try the luxury lines;  we even experienced this in a suite on Celebrity!  It's very rare that you would experience that in YC - and only with a small cohort of passengers.  The service, however, is really wonderful.

I felt that way on NCL too.   I am outgoing and friendly.   

I lost my mother in late 2017.  One of the things I admired greatly about her was her ability to relate to people of all races, orientations, cultures and economic statuses.   She was comfortably herself with CEOs, entertainment moguls and the guy on the corner selling the paper to break his cycle of homelessness. I aspire to be like her.  I feel sorry for those who refuse to consider someone worthy of their attention.  

So, although I like to be pampered on vacation, I do not want to be surrounded with snobs.  

51 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

We would never tip during a cruise - only at the end (though I did do so, once.  It was on our Sinfonia cruise from Venice to Durban;  we were extremely well looked after by a head waiter in the Aurea dining room (who was married to the hostess).  When we reached Mauritius we knew that they were going ashore and I gave him €50 to treat the wife to a nice cocktail ashore.  We had meant to give him and extra tip at the end, but he was assigned to the terminal for embarking passengers and we never saw him on the last morning).

My "M.O." Was to always tip at the end.  But on my NCL Sun cruise, we had breakfast and lunch in the suite venue.  I wanted to tip the wonderful servers.  I had to hunt for themon the last night all over the ship in various dinner restaurants.  

After that, we started tucking cash under our plates at each meal.  

Other than that it has always been at the end. On the last night.  

Le Bistro has a delicious portabella stack. I have taken my niece on NCL twice.  She is vegan and was very happy.  

Some good vegetarian indian food and veggie burgers in the buffet.  

4 hours ago, jules815 said:

You absolutely should give it a try.

 

We sailed in YC on Seaside last month and loved it.  Worth every penny.  

 

Also worth noting, in all of your cruises, if you've ever done an interior, that's also an option in the YC.   I haven't, but having sailed in the YC, I would definitely consider it now.  There are so many nice outdoor spaces available to you that are never crowded.  I would choose an interior in YC over a balcony in any other area of the ship.

 

 

 

 

  

I am not the OP but so happy to hear you say that.  I am in a YC inside as a solo and I plan to get out of the room and enjoy the YC common areas.  Your post is very encouraging. Thank you. 

21 hours ago, SeaTheW0rld said:

That's not bad for 60 bucks.  Thanks! Our 2nd stop is NYC - I might get a daisy for 60. 

Post of the day!!!

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are similar to the OP in terms of age and cruise experience and recently completed our first cruise on the MSC Divina (21 days) in the Yacht Club.  We were so pleased with the experience that we immediately (while onboard) booked another Divina cruise (same cabin).  The Yacht Club area (and its dedicated Le Muse restaurant) is a real haven from the rest of the ship.  But for most entertainment you will need to leave the confines of the YC to take advantage of the many entertainment venues around the ship.  On our cruise we had an excellent rock duo (from Italy) which quickly made us fans.  There was room in the lounge for those who wanted to dance, but a majority of folks were just happy to hear a duo that could handle the Beatles, Eagles, and even Pink Floyd without missing a beat.  There were other bands (in different lounges) which also seemed competent and one could choose between Rock, Jazz, some Country and even classical.

 

Service in the YC venues was absolutely amazing...while service outside the YC was fair to awful.  Our thought was that with the YC you do get what you pay for, and for those who want to cruise on a  budget outside the YC...they also get what they pay for :).  In a sense, MSC is trying to offer different Experiences for different folks (based on their personal preferences and budget) and to a great degree they succeed.

 

Hank

I am sure I will love YC in May.   NCL Haven is in my rear view window.  🙂

44 minutes ago, roger001 said:

Yea, yea..I know.  But I did search!  We are NCL folks who have just booked an MSC YC experience, mainly because at the moment it is such a better deal than NCL's suites.   But anyhow, since the YC is totally inclusive, do you still (if you actually do) tip the individual servers as they deliver drinks and again with each meal in the YC restaurant?   Yes, I do do that on NCL.   Anyone doing that in the YC?   

I could have written your post. I was a good tipper in Haven.  I have budgeted for MSC YC tips and will see how it goes when I get there.  

10 hours ago, takeadip said:

We only sailed in the Haven through the discounted upgrade option...i dont see how someone would pay full price for Haven on ANY NCL ship...there are specialized "boutique" cruise brands that cater to the more affluent population and are accustomed to providing truly 5 star service with other "Well Heeled" families to surround themselves with...until i hit the lottery i will continue to try to sneak into the upper class Haven even though my wife and i are prob the poorest on the ship..

Yes.  You are Frank del Rio's target for Haven. 

On 2/7/2019 at 3:12 PM, gmbhardy said:

Thanks everyone for all your posts. I guess it depends on the mood of the maître’d on any given day. Drink package inclusions are also ambiguous. Not sue I’m going to like MSC.

Dress code enforcement is suspect on many of the mainstream lines.  

FWIW, It matters not to me what anyone else chooses to wear as long as it is not offensive.  

Here in Dallas I have seen men in dress shorts in nice restaurants during dinner.  Especially when over 100 F.

I paid for 2 massages and a facial online with a great discount/price.  Once on board will make appt.  

I think the travel agent is probably used to

general boarding.  I think YC on MSC, Haven on NCL, etc. are different animals.  Go early if you wish.  Let the experience begin. 

9 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

Gosh, I apologize and you read it as an insult. So be it.

I presented my viewpoint and left it at that.

Ok, hope we can move on... agreeing there are varying viewpoints on the subject. ..

and continue this thread for the purpose it was intended.  

Happy cruising. 

5 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

Sorry I hurt your feelings or sense of yourself.

Please do not flatter yourself.   You did not hurt my feelings.   I was just trying to show you why I have a different viewpoint than yours, as several others have done as well.     

11 hours ago, pete_coach said:

Judy, There was nothing negative nor was it intended to be negative, just being realistic. I do enjoy cruising and have been on many different lines. The onboard crew is one thing that really seems unimportant.

Is the crew on the aircraft that took you to your departure port important enough to know or enquirer about? If not, why not? The front desk staff at the hotel you are staying at recognizes you (by name) and is nice to you but, do they remember you personally? Probably not but they too are in an industry that demands they atr nice to you.

The entire crew is in the service industry, they all are nice to you and do whatever it takes to make you feel welcome, even assuming recognition. They work on 6 to 8 month contracts and often the next contract is to another ship.

My point is, if it is important to you to know who the crew are, well so be it. If you think they recognize you,  I think you are being a bit naive.

Apples to oranges.  Maybe if I was on a 25 night flight the comarison would fit. 

And I do have friends who are or have been flight attendants who have frequest flying customers that they remember fondly and enjoy.  

On 1/30/2019 at 11:35 AM, pete_coach said:

I have seen this "request" before. I am always amused that it is being asked.

Why do folks need to know this? Especially for the crew? What difference does who is Captain make? Especially on ships that have over 4000 passengers?

Are you assuming that the people onboard really know you? Of course they will act like they do but honestly, 4000 people every week, you are not special enough to be remembered LOL

Maybe if you will re-read your post you will realize  that it did come off judgey.  Such as saying you are "amused".   Maybe you need to realize that just because you feel one way, and you are perfectly fine with your own perspective that others can and do feel differently.  

First, I am a true "people person" and I travelled and cruised with my wonderful mom for many years, until we lost her in 2017.  All of our lives people have remembered us.  We were both on Wheel of Fortune in the '80's and it was amazing how many people on the street recognized my mom and conversed with her.  One time my mom had an estate sale and put prices from "free to $1 on a large wheel instead of using price stickers.  For a few years after people recognized her all over town.  

My point?  Some people are charasmatic and memorable.  Maybe you just aren't one of them.  

I have met some wonderful Officers and crew on ships.  Had dinner with a few.   Some sceptics can't believe they enjoy dinners with passengers but that is not always the case.   One of our Concierges used to come to our suite and hang out.  My mom said "we don't want to keep you"... to which she replied, "I love talking to you and hearing your stories"...  did this surprise me? No, because I heard it my whole life from many, about my mother!

 I Will conclude by saying that I cruised with a particular cruise director 3 times, a total of 25 nights.   on the first two cruises I had met his wife who was a part of his staff.   She had retired to stay home with the kids. On our last cruise with him he made a point of asking us if we could come back later in the year when his wife and kids cruised because he thought they would enjoy hanging out with us, as he would be working.  I was touched.  I do not think he was ungenuine. But maybe that's because of the way I look at life and I look at people. No, not everyone cares about who's working on the ship but some of us care about the people we interact with on the ship, be it Officers, crew or other passengers.  

On 1/30/2019 at 10:43 AM, Travel Junkie Judy said:

I think John used to start the new list in January, but I haven't seen him here for a while.

This will be the same as last year, just a new thread.

Let's try to keep remarks positive. 

 

I can start by saying that I wish we were on the SUN if Biran Walters is there right now.

Micky (also SUN) is also one of our favorite of all Restaurant Managers and of all people NCL!

 

We have never met an NCL person that we didn't like.  Of course some are more favorite than other.

They all have their strengths though.

 

Happy sailing to my fellow NCL fanatics.  

 

Judy

 

 

Agree!!!!

I am a certified charter member of the "Brian Walters" fan club!