Bead Pirate

We were on a "run" of 3-night trips out of PC on the Mariner. We were just going every other weekend, but many folks were on board every weekend. It is a little different as everyone knows each other from the previous cruises, they know the bartenders and performers on a first name basis, and same for the casino folks. It really is a party cruise as you pick up on the "urgency" to get the party started right away (usually at Boleros). I have seen people falling down drunk before 10 PM on Friday 🙂. The party goes on upstairs until around 1:30 and then moves into the casino to continue into the wee hours. There tends to be large groups of people on a mission (think bachelor and bachelorette parties) that want to mix in with all of the "regulars" and that does not always work out in a civil fashion when alcohol is mixed in. We called a halt to the trips after 4 weekends and went back to our usual longer 7–10-day cruises.

Buy the drink package!!! Booze Cruise to be sure (if you can't beat them, join them) 🙂

With regard to your independent host request. We are not allowed to promote services on the board for PLAYERS CHOICE...

Stick with a host for the best results. As with Royal, once you enroll in a "program" you are exclusive property of the program and cannot use a host... MSC is very open about what you need to earn for a comp and will gladly honor your play (also no 1099's on MSC)

Yes, you do still get charged with the DBP...

A word of advice... If casting be sure that you connect to only your TV. On Wonder last week we had what I suspect was a "less techie" type of traveler. They connected their device to not only their TV but the TV in each room adject to their stateroom. Fortunately, the streaming was Disney movies however this could have gone wrong if more adult content was involved...

The dining room is open to all of the casino "Masters" members on embarkation day as well. They serve Chops menu items...

Doing three weeks in Oct out of Barcelona (and bringing Symphony back to US), arranged for private transfer from Aeroporto hotel as I could not find a Royal transfer.

Actually, just got a no chip pamper pedicure on Seascape last week (Cost was $71).

Nothing to worry about but could also be trying to minimize wave impact on trip out... From the National Hurricane Center For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico: 1. Southwestern Tropical Atlantic: A surface trough interacting with an upper-level low is producing a large area of disturbed weather extending a couple hundred miles northeast of the Bahamas. Upper-level winds are expected to increase later today and development of this system is not expected. * Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent. * Formation chance through 7 days...low...10 percent.

MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 5 Up early (beat the alarm), opened the door and stuck my head outside and here is Maronette with a tray of doughnuts, our two newspapers and a letter from the casino (both DW and DH qualified for the weekly cruise slot tournament (everyone who is over 10K points by midnight on day 4). So, one more slot tournament on day 6 to attend 😊. It’s a light workday so we went to the Top Sail for some quiet time to read the papers and up to the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast we went back to the room and changed into swimsuits for more pool time. During our walk we asked Gusti to make reservations for the evening at the sushi restaurant for a party of 8. We know so many of the folks who were invited on this cruise for the casino event from other cruise lines and wanted to take some of them to dinner and catch up. Gusti took care of the reservations right away and said he would escort the entire group (4 others were in the Yacht Club as well). Pool was great (even though it was a little cloudy) and we even grabbed some lunch at the outdoor buffet before we headed back to shower and change. Met Gustie and went down to deck 8 for sushi, if you have not been here the place is fun. The plates zoom by on a conveyor belt and are color coded, so you know the cost of each dish. At the end of the meal your server just adds up the number of plates at each seat and put it all on one bill. We had a bottle of sake for each person and most folks ate about 5 plates (they are small). DH favorite is the Seared Eel and DW loved the seared Octopus. To our surprise, the casino host appeared at that moment and took care of the bill for everyone. We all chipped in nice cash tips for our server, and I thought he was going to cry 😊. Gusti was there waiting to escort us back. Well, no surprise here as we went to the Top Sail Lounge to hear Bernard and the Duo (and spend time with Caroline). We are working on the Beluga vodka tonight! Closed down the lounge about 12:45 and went by to say hello to William (the night butler). A meat lovers pizza will be ready at 2:30 with a cabernet. No luck at the casino tonight (not for lack of trying), however when we came back to the Yacht Club William reminded us to skip breakfast as the Seafood Extravaganza was going to be served from 12:30 to 3:00 up on deck 20 tomorrow (opps today). There was also a note in the room that High Tea would be served from 3:30 to 4:30. MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 6 A very busy last day is on tap to be sure. We got up late (around 11) went to the Top Sail and read our newspapers with a mimosa. Before we knew what was going on it was time to head up to deck 20 for the Seafood Extravaganza. This is really an event that must not be missed. Virtually every manner of seafood has been prepared in several different ways. Of course, there is lobster 3 ways, seafood pastas (delicious), oysters 5 ways, clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, sea bass, amberjack, black drum and the list goes on. The seafood tower is a work of art (well until we all started attacking it). Sorry, we were busy eating oysters so no pics ! Went back to the room with Gustie in tow and DW changed clothes for the High Tea. DH decided to stay in the room and enjoy a bottle of wine on the balcony. DW was very impressed with the High Tea Service and Gustie insisted that a plate be brought back to DH. We both headed down to the casino under the watchful eye of Gustie. We both qualified for the final and DW got 5th and DH got 4th for a total of $1,300 in free play. We played our free play and thanked our casino hosts, managers, bar tenders, servers, and John for the great time and all of the kindness. I am sure we will meet again but parting is always a melancholy event. DW brought out her last night “goodies” to pass out to the dealers, severs and slot techs. We always travel with about 5 boxes of full-size candy bars and allow the crew to take what they want as deep cleaning is in all of their futures on the last night. Next, we went to Top Sail and repeated the candy bar extravaganza with Bernard, the Duo, Caroline and the bartenders. Finally, repeat the process with the three kind ladies at the concierge desk and Willam. Bags had to be out by 11 PM (Gustie told us later was OK). We needed to be out of the room by 7:30 AM. MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 7 Alarm rang at 6:30 AM and we got ready to head down to the Top Sail Lounge. Maronette was waiting for us and walked us down to a table where she brought over pastries and some drinks. Around 8 AM Gustie shows up and sadly shares that our luggage is ready, and we can leave when we want. DW and DH discussed what they would do if we decided not to go 😊. Departure was quick and painless, and we were on the road in 20 minutes after leaving Top Sail. I will admit there have been cruises where I was ready to get off the ship, this was not one of those cruises. I thought about it on the drive north and the best I can equate it to is when you are a kid and get sent to camp for a couple of weeks in the summer. You don’t want to go and are sure it will not be fun. At the end of the time there you do not want to go home and leave all of your new friends😊. Not sure if I mentioned this in the review so I will now. MSC does not have ATM’s on board. If you need cash you should plan ahead and bring what you need. Next up for us is cruise #143 on Wonder of the Sea's on June 4, in one of our very favorite Gran Suites (1780). I hope it eases the post-partum feelings that we have both been having since leaving the wonderful team on the Seascape. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have as great a cruise as we did on this one!

Gusti gets to go home to his two children (a boy and a girl) on Sunday 5/21. He is very excited to be spending time with them again!

I have been Masters for a couple of years and have bever had the experience(s) described above. It may be that as you have newly reached the status (no excuses here) that you have fallen between the cracks.

MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 4 A lot is going on today, DH has a few conference calls and DW is off to the spa for 80 minutes of massage. Maronette came to check on DH early as she noted he was not with DW when Gustie walked her to the Spa. She brought the usual 4 doughnuts and a pitcher of orange juice. We are having a deck party on 20 this evening from 5:30 till 8:30 and have been cautioned to “save room for some great food”. We need to be in the casino at 5 in our pirate costumes for the parade and then DH plays in the finals of the slot tournament. We plan to skip formal dinner and eat at the deck party this evening. When DW returned from the spa we went down to Top Sail Lounge to catch up on the newspapers from the morning and have a bloody Mary. We actually prefer bloody Caesars, but MSC does not stock Clamato Juice (I will bring a 6 pack with me as we sail in the future). Luch was Forest Mushroom Cappuccino for us both. DW is a fan (dare I say an expert) when it comes to Mushroom Soup. She swears by the soup in Chops on Royal and has amazed me when she shares that this soup beats Chops! We both had Battered Fish & Chips (and they were very nicely prepared and delicious). We decided on dessert today! DW had a cheese selection and DH got a Tuti Frutti Ice Cream with fruit marinated in rum. Time is flying and we are off to the casino for the costume parade. Gusti walked us all through the Yacht Club so that the team could all get a gander (and a laugh) at our attire. They had a great turnout of around 125 people in costume. We got lucky again and won top 10 as a couple (although I would have given the nod to some other very creative couples). Won $250 in Free Play! Next up is the slot tournament finals and DH came in 4th place and won $2,500! We turned around to hurry back upstairs and of course Gusti was right there and got us back to the cabin for a change of clothes and off to deck 20 for the festivities. This is the first time I have noticed any presence of the full customers of the Yacht Club. Would not call it a crowd but it was well attended. We had a DJ and plenty of food options. Some lively dancing was noted. We closed the Top Sail on 16 down around 12:30 with Caroline and Bernard (the duo had the night off), Went by to see William and explained that we were headed to bed early tonight. No need for pizza! Alarm set for 9 AM,

On Royal (at least on Oasis class) there are two person teams (with white full body cover-ups) who wheel behind them a device with a wand that sprays a vapor in the room. Takes them about 20 seconds to cover a suite. We do B2B frequently and they will not let us back in the stateroom until they have been there (despite all of our stuff being right where we left it). I have noticed that each team works from aft to stern and has responsibility for either the Starboard or Port hallways. These folks "appear" as soon as the B2B get back on the ship. Looks like an small army of space men headed to the elevators on Deck 5 🙂

The posted sign in the casino indicates 35K for a YC 3-5 nights, 55K for 10 nights. The Pirate night was just by invitation to the casino invitees. For comparison purposes DH ended up with ~57K and DW ended up with ~38K.

Never seemed crowded in the YC areas. In fact, we wondered where the folks went to! Booked the excursion through MSC (always like the security of the ship waiting if need be).

MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 3 Up at 8 AM today as we are in Jamaica, DW is off early to grab a croissant in Top Sail Lounge as she is scheduled for a 4-hour cooking excursion at Prospect Plantation. It is a small group excursion, and the plantation is no longer a working plantation. What is cool about the place is it is used as a community center and it houses a program where outreach is conducted to the poorer areas of Jamacia and young men (age 14 -18) are identified and tested as potential candidates for the program. If they test out OK and are accepted, they stay in the program for 3 years. They live on the grounds and do all of their own cooking, laundry, cleaning and are expected to excel at an advanced learning program. They are also expected to either learn a musical instrument or participate in choir. Every other Sunday afternoon there is a community dinner and church service where the music is featured. Upon graduation they move into the military or police force. High performers are given the option of continuing their education at Rollins College in Florida. Gusti walked DW all the way to the excursion bus (quite a way) and provided cold water and a cold towel (it is warm early today and the forecast is right at 100). DW has a lot of work to do today so no time for the daily newspapers (we get Wall Street and USA Today every morning). Maronette came to check on DH early as she noted he was not with DW. She brought the usual 4 doughnuts, a pitcher of orange juice and promised to have something special for him at lunch. Around 1 PM Maronette came knocking and presented DW with a charcuterie tray and a bottle of Cabernet (most welcome after the morning work). 4:30 PM is round 2 of the slot tournaments and DW arrived back at ship around 2:30 PM. She hoped in the shower and shared a recap of the excursion and off we go (with Gustie of course) to the casino on deck 7. DH made the final 10 and will play in the final on day 4. Off to dinner on deck 18 next, Gustie was full of questions this afternoon (wondering what he is up to). DH had the Assorted Chinese Dumplings and DW had the Herbed Gravlax Salmon. Next, Dh had the Seared Diver Scallops with Ginger Lime Butter Sauce and DW had the Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb. Once again, we opted for the cheese selection from the cheese trolly. Off to The Top Sail Lounge (accompanied by Maronette, what is Gustie up to?) Explored the drink menu a bit further with Caroline and we tried the Italian and Tunisian. Both interesting but it is back to the Queens for us both. Bernard did three sets tonight. Since we are in Jamacia today (where he has spent his whole life) he took us from early folk music from the 50’s through modern day with many entertaining stories along the way. If you can be sure to attend all three sets on Jamacia night. This was a very informative and entertaining history of the island and culture. The Duo came in and performed two sets in between Bernards performances. They are beginning to calm down and feel more at home and displaying quite the sense of humor. 12:30 we closed the Top Sail and said goodnight to Caroline. We stopped on the way to the casino to talk with William and he asked when we expected to return. I said around 3 and he said that Gustie had something special “cooked up”. Went down to Casino and DW had some luck! Headed back to the room on deck 16 and William asked us to let him know if we needed anything else. In the room was a very interesting selection of chocolates, a bottle of Oberon and a selection of pizza slices. All of our ice was refreshed and a selection of mixed Brodies Iced Tea bottles. Set alarm for 9 AM, let’s see what tomorrow will bring!

MSC Seascape 5/7 – 5/14 – Yacht Club Room 16022 – Day 2 Up at 9 AM and thankful for the new supply of doughnuts (my goodness they are fantastic with the very yellow “eggy” look to the inside). DW has a couple of Teams meetings today and DW has three zooms scheduled. Looks like we will miss breakfast, but we will make up for it at lunch. By the way, the pizza is as good as everyone says. The best pizza at sea and maybe in my top 3 pizzas I have ever had. Maronette heard us moving around and brought in the doughnuts, refreshed the ice, and restocked the bottled tea in the mini bar (I found a new brand of bottled tea that is really good, Brodies). She offered to bring us a bloody Mary or a Mimosa 😊 explained that work would not appreciate that! Got work out of the way for the day and decided to have lunch in Hola Tacos. Gusti escorted us down to deck 8. DW loved the roasted molcajete salsa, we had it on the Seaside and it was fantastic. We have been struggling to reproduce it at home, so we were looking forward to it again. It turns out that it was slightly different this time and I asked if the chef had a moment. She came out and shared that the salsa’s are made on each ship (not a brand or bottle) and helped us out by sharing what goes into her version. We had all our favorite’s DH gets habanero everything and I wonder why he does not catch on fire 😊 After lunch it is time to report to the casino for the first slot tournament. There are about 150 invited guests and there will be two rounds of qualification rounds with the top 10 playing for the prize money in a couple of days. We get up from the table and guess who is standing right there (Gusti) who promptly takes us down a deck to the casino on 7. . After an exciting 2 minutes we both make the top 20 leaderboard for round 1. We somehow managed to get back to the Yacht Club without Gusti’s company (We would later be reminded that he is supposed to drive the elevator). We went to the room and changed into swimsuits and went up to deck 20 to enjoy the pool. Kind of an overcast day with lightning far in the distance. Had a couple of Moscato’s and enjoyed the stiff breeze. Surprisingly still got a little red after only an hour (the rain started closing in on us). Dried off and were promptly met by a pool attendant with cool hand towels for your face. Made it to the elevator and there is Gusti to take us to the room. Changed clothes for dinner and went up to deck 18 at 6:00. We had a different server tonight and he was quite fun (Lucky) he became a favorite. DW had the Twice Baked Blue Cheese Souffle and DH had the Burgundy Snails. All I can say is just WOW the food here is fantastic. We both had the Grilled Lobster Tail and the Shellfish Bisque. After dinner we went down to deck 16 (with Gusti’s help) and there was the ever-smiling Caroline with two of the Queen drinks. Bernard was just getting ready for a set, and he came over to sit with us for a moment and shared that a new duo was going to be coming in after his set and asked us to give them some confidence and support as they were a little nervous. We enjoyed the evening’s entertainment very much and the new duo came over to chat after their first set. DH has an ear for music and talent and suggested some songs that would fit their style. Turns out the couple is from Brazil, and it is her first time ever out of the country. They are both very talented as he is a classically trained pianist, and she can belt out torch songs with the best. Closed down the Top Sail Lounge and headed down to the casino. Stopped by to speak to the Night Butler William again. Thanked him for last evenings pizza and he inquired when we would be in tonight. I said around 2 AM. Went to casino and had no luck tonight but had a great time nonetheless. Walked into Yacht Club and William said we had a vegetable pizza tonight and he sent us a bottle of Muscato as well. Sure enough it was awaiting us when we walked into the room. Up at 8 AM tomorrow (they are setting the clocks back right now an hour so that is sure to create confusion 😊

Hello and thanks for taking the time to read the review. I felt compelled to share the experience! First let me save the haters some time, this was the most positive experience we have ever had on a cruise ship. This was cruise #142 and our second on MSC (we have high tier status on Disney, NCL, Celebrity and Royal). Our first MSC cruise was in an Aurea suite on the Seashore in October 2022 so we were the “steerage” passengers on that one (and yes, I get the frustration with the elevators). A little about us will help with perspective. DW is early 50’s and DH is mid 60’s . He has some mobility issues (mainly steps and inclines) and uses a cane when required. We both enjoy the casino and are “foodies” as well as amateur chefs. We live in Florida, so we drive to all the ports in Florida. We sail about twice a month (currently have 13 booked on Royal, 4 on Celebrity and just today booked 6 more on MSC). Boarding Day 10:30 AM Sigh, Miami is not my favorite port on a normal day due to the traffic, congestion and crazy cab drivers, added to the mix today was the Grand Prix traffic which made I-95 even more “fun”. We got to the port and found our ship right up the road from parking garage “C” and very close to the Norwegian parking garage. We were directed to the drop off zone and popped the back of the Explorer open. The porter was right there in an instant and started pulling our 4 bags out. Then he noticed our tags were yacht club. He stopped in his tracks and said you have to drop these bags over there (indicating a white tent back toward the terminal) and started to walk away. I stopped him and asked if he would be so kind as to drop the bags for me and he agreed (after I tipped him $20). So moral of the story is take a cab or uber and they can drop both you and your bags at the white tent. We drove down to terminal “C” and found a great place to park and walked back to the white tent where we were promptly met by a butler offering cold towels and urging us to come in the terminal to get the registration completed. The young man held the doors and stood by our side as we were ushered into the registration room. We filled out a couple of forms (health despite having filled out on line) and were issued a handful of papers in the language of our choice (English) and presented with both a room key card and a band that the butler promptly attached to our wrists. The butler then introduced us to “our” butler (Gusti) to take us up to the Yacht Club where we are to sit in the Top Sail Lounge (TSL) deck 16 while we wait for the lunch service to open on deck 18. By the way, there are no deck 17’s on MSC ships. As mentioned above he has difficulty with inclines and steps and he had no issues with boarding. All inclines were very gentle. When we got onto the ship Gusti presented us with a glass of Prosecco so we would not get thirsty on our elevator ride. This is when I learned the first secret of many that will follow. Your butler has the power (a magic button) that will bring you the elevator at once and drop you on your floor with no stops in between. When we exited the elevator and walked through the glass doors to the Yacht Club, we were met by the officer in charge of the yacht club (I believe he is called the YC manager) and he assured us we would want for nothing. We sat down in the TSL and Gusti pulled out a pad and started writing. He called over the two bartenders and introduced us and then he called our assistant butler who came running down the hall into the TSL. This delightful young woman is named Maronette. As the cruise went on DH would have her giggling on a daily basis as he mispronounced her name repeatedly (finally settling on something like marinara). They both sat down with us and proceeded to ask many questions about where we were from, why this cruise (we were invited to participate in a special casino event, more on that later), what we liked to eat and drink, etc. This was all done in the tone of normal conversation not an interrogation. Little did I know that these folks are “pros”, not a detail escaped them as we were to learn as the cruise went on. Next we were introduced to the cocktail server (Caroline) who we would come to appreciate for her smile, sparkling eyes and sense of humor each and every evening. It was then lunch time (12:30) and the chance to try the much-ballyhooed food in the Yacht Club! We got in the YC elevator and off to deck 18 we go. The dining room is beautiful, and the menu is creative offering seafood and meat protein as well as vegan options. DW had Hamachi and avocado carpaccio DH had asparagus panna cotta. Followed up by Garbanzo Octopus Soup for DW and Pakora for DH. He never stopped raving about this dish the entire trip! We decided to skip dessert as the meal was very filling. Right on cue Gusti shows up at our table and offers to take us on a tour of deck 20 where the pool, hot tubs, outdoor bar and buffet are located. Once again, a “walking drink” is thrust into our hands (champagne this time). Deck 20 is wonderful (albeit the scene of much sunburn in future days). We were introduced to the bartenders and chefs at the grill and Gusti informed us that our luggage was in the room and Maronette was waiting to help us unpack. Gusti took us down to deck 16 in the YC elevator and showed us to the room. Indeed, Maronette had lifted the two large suitcases onto the bed and offered to help us unpack. We declined the offer, however she still had much to show us in the room. We had a very nice fruit bowl on the desk, 1 bottle of cabernet and 1 bottle of Champagne, a chocolate assortment, and a tray with four doughnuts. An odd assortment to be sure and then I remembered that all these things were discussed during our earlier initial meeting. We were then offered a sampling of pillows, and we each selected the pillows we wanted. By the way a point of contention on this board is often “will I be charged for items from the mini bar”, we were never charged for anything from the mini bar during our stay. In fact, the items we consumed the most became more frequent in the bar and on the desktop. Maronette stood by and dutifully inspected each clothing item we removed from the bag (we travel with our clothes on hangers) and she was sorting out those that should be pressed from those that were “OK”. We quickly explained that we are not that high maintenance and do not need to worry about a few wrinkles. When Maronette took the first two empty suitcases and stowed them under the bed she tossed the other two suitcases on the bed, and we began to unpack. As I mentioned we were invited on this trip by the Casino (thank you John, Floyd and Jamelle). Part of the schedule was a pirate costume night and we both brought our pirate costumes (which took up a lot of room). Maronette was taken aback as the costumes emerged from the bag 😊, “are you pirates” she asked? We finished unpacking and Maronette went zooming off to get us a couple of Ice Buckets and Gusti came in and asked if we would accompany him to the concierge desk. We were introduced to the three-person concierge team and the night butler (William, more on this special guy later). We went back to the room and ice buckets (Champagne was already chilling) had arrived as well as more chocolates. Also, 6 pillows had arrived on the bed. We had a welcome aboard event in the casino at 5 so we snuck out of the back hallway (an exit where you do not go by the concierge team). We renewed acquaintances with the casino team (whom we had met and loved on our previous cruise) and had some cocktails. I noticed that they had Beluga vodka on the casino bar and was quite happy to enjoy a chilled beverage. I blame Celebrity for my addiction to this vodka as they serve all three variations with the caviar tastings. I turned around and there was Gusti much to my surprise. He had heard my comment that I appreciated Beluga vodka and he assured me that there would be two bottles of the “good stuff” in the Top Sail Lounge. Gusti then explained that he would be happy to escort us anywhere at any time and we should please allow him to drive our elevator. He then walked us back to the elevator and took us up to deck 18 for dinner (served from 5:30 to 9:15). As we are walking down the hallway to the Yacht Club DW spotted a duck up high on a light. She retrieved it and was proud of her first duck acquisition on the cruise, this was not unnoticed by Gusti as ducks sporadically appeared in our stateroom over the balance of the cruise. DW usually brings a bag of crocheted ducks on every cruise and enjoys hiding them (a pic of both is provided below). Dinner was Duck and Chicken Terrine for DW and Fried Vegetable Dim Sum Dumplings for DH. Next course was Risotto with cream of leaks and clams for DH and Veal Chop with Sage and Rosemary coating (both were delicious). For dessert we had a selection of cheeses from the cheese trolly. We then headed down to our cabin on 16 to change clothes for the evening. As we left the dining room Gusti met us and rode with us down to the room. While we were having dinner a selection of petits fours had arrived. As we changed clothes, we were discussing the frequent appearance of our butler staff (Are we chipped? Is it the bands?) We went down to Top Sail Lounge around 8 and spent the evening there with the ever-smiling Caroline who already had two chilled beluga vodkas ready for us. There was only one entertainer tonight as the previous duo had departed the ship today and a new duo would be onboard for tomorrow. So, we sat and listed to a wonderful man (Bernard) do three sets this evening. He is an excellent storyteller and musician. The bar menu in the Top Sail Lounge is quite adventurous, tried a drink called the Queens and it became a favorite. It is two parts Whitley Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, one part prosecco and one part ginger ale on ice. Closed TSL down at 12:30 and headed to Casino (open all night). On way out the night butler (William) asked where we were off to, and we chatted for a while. I mentioned that we usually get back to the room around 2:30 or 3:00 and he asked if we would be hungry when we returned. I mentioned that I would love to try the pizza (everyone raves about the pies on MSC). We went down to the casino and had a little luck on the slots. Got back to the cabin around 2:45 and William greets us and mentioned that he had just delivered a supreme pizza to our room 10 minutes ago. He also refreshed our ice and minibar. Time to go to sleep as the alarm goes off at 9 AM. I will just get this out of the way right now. There are a lot of discussions on tipping on these boards. I will share with you what we tipped on this cruise. This is what we are comfortable doing and I will not judge you for your tipping habits so please return the favor. There are a lot of folks who may be traveling for the first time in the Yacht Club, and this will at least provide guidance as to our experience. Butler, Asst Butler and Night Butler, $50 on Day 1 and last day, $20 all other days. Entertainers $20 per day. $5 for every pair of drinks served. $10 for breakfast and lunch, $20 at dinner. These are long (sorry) but I want them to be complete and answer any questions readers might have. I will work on future days and post them here as I get time.

Just a reminder that the race is Sunday and to expect some additional challenges (road closures, heavy traffic volume, etc.) You might want to allow some extra time if sailing on Sunday. I happened to be watching ESPN last night and saw the story being run (I had no idea the race was Sunday)... Happy Sailing!

Yes, I sent $10K over to MSC for a cruise a few months ago, worked just fine. Balance refunded to me by wire...

Only when they are serving food 🙂

Limit is $5K every 24 hours

30,000 will get you into the Yacht Club....