Explora not doing it for this Yacht Club cruiser.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

Now that we are older, we look for cruises with excellent service, no queues, no chair hogs by the pool, and no waiting for a table in the dining room.  We were alerted to MSC Yacht Club while on a Holland America cruise that had long lines, chair hogs, crowded shows, and 30-minute waits for dinner. 

Written right out of our 'playbook'. We have gone from the Retreat (still booked Beyond this year) to MSC YC. Both are hard to beat. We booked a sailing on Nieu Amsterdam, Pinnacle suite and payed the upcharge for a cabana for the week hoping to avoid the points you stated above. This is our first Holland cruise in 30 years (did Alaska) and was hoping to match the service received in Retreat and YC. Did we make a mistake ? By your post we would greatly appreciate your view.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

There is no way that MSC Europa  can give that unique experience to a ship full of passengers.

Agree totally. However we thought we would give Explora 1 a shot in a Grand Penthouse suite to compare to our 'over the top' experience in the Royal and Owners suites on Seashore.

Edited July 21, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[Nashna]

The Holland America twelve-day ABC Cruise occurred in January 2020.  It had been 20 years since we last sailed on HA.  We found in the MDR, the service was rushed, and the wine steward was non-existent.  We had nightly reservations and still waited in line for 30 minutes.  The lack of disorganization by the crew was appalling.  Night after night, we watched walk-ups escorted to their table while the reservation line snaked out of the room.  The buffet was disorganized.  After We left our solarium seats to grab a quick salad to bring back to eat, it took so long that in the 30-minutes we were gone, someone had dumped our kindles and bags on a chair.   A woman sitting at an adjacent chair was ignored when she told the two ladies that we said we were coming right back.  We were shocked at the rudeness of people on the ship as we recalled the pleasant experiences we had previously had with HA.  The ship was at total capacity, which might have contributed to the rudeness caused by overcrowding.  Theatergoers arrived 30 to 40 minutes before the show began to get a seat.  

 

We sailed on Celebrity and Princess this past January.  On Princess, we sailed in our favorite two-room suite.  It features a huge wrap-around balcony directly over the bridge.  In the past, we enjoyed sailing in Club Class and would reserve a cabana for the week.  On the new Princess ships the cabanas are no longer poolside.  The cabanas are in a windy location which made them uncomfortable to use.  Also, dining in Club Class no longer felt special.  Our sailing was at 47 percent occupancy, but the lower occupancy still didn't give us that pampered experience.  So that sailing knocked out Princess from our options.  In comparison, our 7-night sailing on Celebrity was fantastic.  We felt that Celebrity gave us that special pampering we had missed on HA & Princess.  Our future cruises will be on Celebrity, Oceania, Viking or in the Yacht Club.  

 

It will be interesting to hear how you enjoy Explora.  I'll be checking cruise critic after Explora 1 launches to hear guest's reactions. 

[JAGR]

28 minutes ago, Nashna said:

The lack of disorganization by the crew was appalling. 

Are you saying you wanted disorganization?  Sounds like you got plenty!  😉😊

[Nashna]

Thanks for noticing!  This is what happens when you don't recheck well after correcting. 

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

The Holland America twelve-day ABC Cruise occurred in January 2020.  It had been 20 years since we last sailed on HA.  We found in the MDR, the service was rushed, and the wine steward was non-existent.  We had nightly reservations and still waited in line for 30 minutes.  The lack of disorganization by the crew was appalling.  Night after night, we watched walk-ups escorted to their table while the reservation line snaked out of the room.  The buffet was disorganized.  After We left our solarium seats to grab a quick salad to bring back to eat, it took so long that in the 30-minutes we were gone, someone had dumped our kindles and bags on a chair.   A woman sitting at an adjacent chair was ignored when she told the two ladies that we said we were coming right back.  We were shocked at the rudeness of people on the ship as we recalled the pleasant experiences we had previously had with HA.  The ship was at total capacity, which might have contributed to the rudeness caused by overcrowding.  Theatergoers arrived 30 to 40 minutes before the show began to get a seat.  

 

We sailed on Celebrity and Princess this past January.  On Princess, we sailed in our favorite two-room suite.  It features a huge wrap-around balcony directly over the bridge.  In the past, we enjoyed sailing in Club Class and would reserve a cabana for the week.  On the new Princess ships the cabanas are no longer poolside.  The cabanas are in a windy location which made them uncomfortable to use.  Also, dining in Club Class no longer felt special.  Our sailing was at 47 percent occupancy, but the lower occupancy still didn't give us that pampered experience.  So that sailing knocked out Princess from our options.  In comparison, our 7-night sailing on Celebrity was fantastic.  We felt that Celebrity gave us that special pampering we had missed on HA & Princess.  Our future cruises will be on Celebrity, Oceania, Viking or in the Yacht Club.  

 

It will be interesting to hear how you enjoy Explora.  I'll be checking cruise critic after Explora 1 launches to hear guest's reactions. 

Don't you think unoccupied seats by your own admission after 30 minutes is a bit much considering you even left the area to go elsewhere?

Now I understand that you did not expect it to take that long but it did and after 30 minutes someone did take your seats which does not seam rude in my opinion. 

I would have had an attendant move it rather than myself.

 

What if you were 45 or 60 minutes getting back? 

 

What would you have done if the shoe was on the other foot? How long would it be before you thought it would be rude on their part for just leaving stuff on a chair , leaving the area and not coming back for a half hour?

 

No different at the main pool deck.

[Gatordad1967]

13 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Don't you think unoccupied seats by your own admission after 30 minutes is a bit much considering you even left the area to go elsewhere?

Now I understand that you did not expect it to take that long but it did and after 30 minutes someone did take your seats which does not seam rude in my opinion. 

I would have had an attendant move it rather than myself.

 

What if you were 45 or 60 minutes getting back? 

 

What would you have done if the shoe was on the other foot? How long would it be before you thought it would be rude on their part for just leaving stuff on a chair , leaving the area and not coming back for a half hour?

 

No different at the main pool deck.

damn steerage passengers moving stuff.

 

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

Thanks for noticing!  This is what happens when you don't recheck well after correcting. 

I catch them, because I make them! 😄

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Nashna said:

occurred in January 2020.

We appreciate very much your insight. It appears we must 'fine tune' our approach to dining in order to be one of 'those' walk ups that are seated immediately at 'their' table. We understand that the Pinnacle Suite comes with a butler. We had the good fortune in the Yacht Club to have a butler that got to save us a couple of prime theatre seats we picked out with him ahead of time (they were in the front row). We hope this butler is as good.

  Your post is much appreciated. We had the same great experience on Celebrity in the Retreat with their host/butlers. We will be sure, should we frequent the buffet, to have one of us 'hold down the fort' at a table while the other gets the food.

[no1talks]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

...have one of us 'hold down the fort'

"It was hard to know how to feel. I had never been in a battle like this one."

[Nashna]

17 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Don't you think unoccupied seats by your own admission after 30 minutes is a bit much considering you even left the area to go elsewhere?

Now I understand that you did not expect it to take that long but it did and after 30 minutes someone did take your seats which does not seam rude in my opinion. 

I would have had an attendant move it rather than myself.

 

What if you were 45 or 60 minutes getting back? 

 

What would you have done if the shoe was on the other foot? How long would it be before you thought it would be rude on their part for just leaving stuff on a chair , leaving the area and not coming back for a half hour?

 

No different at the main pool deck.

We were exactly 30 minutes. Typically, grabbing a salad at the buffet takes just a few minutes, due to crowding it took longer.  The couple was actually getting settled as we returned.   The nice passenger who informed them that we were coming right back said that they were standing there checking their watches.  She was quite upset and made it a point to address us later in the day.  At the time, we said nothing, retrieved our belongings, and retreated to a table to eat our lunch.  Another passenger, who had witnessed the exchange, approached us to let us know she thought the chair takers behaved rudely.  I have never removed anyone's personal possessions to take a chair.  If I were so inclined, I would wait at least a few minutes over the time period.   My point is not about rude chair takers it is about the fact the service was slow, the lines were long, and the ship was too crowded.  

[wcook]

20 hours ago, Nashna said:

and the wine steward was non-existent.

I hate it when that happens. Though it’s worse when you call over the captain and just want them to bring you your wine. And he comes up with some lame excuse about it not being around since 1969. 

[baelor]

I am still confused about the lack of appeal of Explora.  Isn't the whole point that the Yacht Club experience is available to all Explora passengers, hence the quite large suites (300+ square feet) and increased cost?  Like, isn't the standard for any suite on Explora at least equivalent to the standard for YC on other ships?

 

Is the problem that you cannot feel superior to the unwashed poor in "steerage"?

Edited July 25, 2022 by baelor

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, wcook said:

I hate it when that happens. Though it’s worse when you call over the captain and just want them to bring you your wine. And he comes up with some lame excuse about it not being around since 1969. 

And still those voices are calling from far away, Wake you up in the middle of the night just to hear them say, "I want the best butler. I have to be the first one off the ship.  Maybe we are just prisoners here, but I want the biggest cell, and the best snacks in the fridge."

[JAGR]

15 minutes ago, baelor said:

I am still confused about the lack of appeal of Explora.  Isn't the whole point that the Yacht Club experience is available to all Explora passengers, hence the quite large suites (300+ square feet) and increased cost?  Like, isn't the standard for any suite on Explora at least equivalent to the standard for YC on other ships?

 

Is the problem that you cannot feel superior to the unwashed poor in "steerage"?

Not all YC guests, but I honestly feel that more than a few I have met on sailings are a bit vain.  The like being in their secure area, and do play the status game.  I hear one person on Seashore last March complaining to Robbie (who was relieving Balla as YC Director), and said to him, "We pay good money for our cabin and balcony.  Why do these interior people have the same access as we do to the Lounge and The One Deck?"  I was so mortified, I had to run to my cabin and take a shower to try and clean myself!  Alas, since I was an "Unwashed", it was to no avail.

[Two Wheels Only]

46 minutes ago, JAGR said:

"Why do these interior people have the same access as we do to the Lounge and The One Deck?"

 

I don't understand that mentality at all. We met a nice couple that was staying in the interior stateroom down the hall from us (RS) and our butler treated them with the same level of respect as she treated us. Whether Owner's Suite or Interior, all YC guests deserve lounge access, restaurant access, pool access, etc. 

 

1 hour ago, baelor said:

I am still confused about the lack of appeal of Explora.  Isn't the whole point that the Yacht Club experience is available to all Explora passengers, hence the quite large suites (300+ square feet) and increased cost?  Like, isn't the standard for any suite on Explora at least equivalent to the standard for YC on other ships?

 

Is the problem that you cannot feel superior to the unwashed poor in "steerage"?

 

I'm one of the people who is interested in Explora and I agree with your theory (see posts #4 & #8).  

Edited July 25, 2022 by Two Wheels Only

[Gatordad1967]

2 hours ago, wcook said:

I hate it when that happens. Though it’s worse when you call over the captain and just want them to bring you your wine. And he comes up with some lame excuse about it not being around since 1969. 

you won the internet today!

 

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

...and the best snacks in the fridge.

The greatest indignity?

 

It's just a bottle of pink Prosecco on ice.

[morpheusofthesea]

4 hours ago, Nashna said:

My point is not about rude chair takers it is about the fact the service was slow, the lines were long, and the ship was too crowded.

"It is about the fact the service was slow, the lines were long, and the ship was too crowded" that aggravated every other situation. Quite understandable. Please do not allow the 'bully boys' to upset you. They are generally much better behaved when they have a drink package included. Your experience on HAL will limit our booking future cruises until we sail on the one we described above. I can not fathom the relationship of sailing on a luxury cruise ship in suite class "to the horrors of a (California) Hotel (where) people live the life of the party before their tragic death at the hands of serial killers, resulting from hedonism and alcoholism."

Edited July 25, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[Gatordad1967]

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Gatordad1967

[Two Wheels Only]

He looks like Dick Cavett.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Gatordad1967 said:

 

"I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me." Cary Grant

[christa920]

On 7/18/2022 at 6:40 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

"Snobbism", I prefer the less pejorative 'elitism'. We prefer traveling in suite venues away from classless bumpkins, that wear shorts to the dining room. Stopped 20 years ago eating at tables with others, as others have bad table manners, stopped eating at self service buffets for the same reason. Prefer a luxury cabin to 'hole up in' away from the 'maddening crowd'. More than once we have had to leave venues where others sit down and start coughing not covering their mouths. Do like the shows of the mega lines. Miss the Home Lines Atlantic, Royal Viking, Stella Solaris, Marco Polo, Orient Lines, but those were the port intensive cruises, so no need for entertainment. Would take intensive tours, get back to ship, shower, have dinner and collapse in bed. Looking now for service, time together, alone.

[christa920]

Just now, christa920 said:

On 7/18/2022 at 6:40 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

"Snobbism", I prefer the less pejorative 'elitism'. We prefer traveling in suite venues away from classless bumpkins, that wear shorts to the dining room. Stopped 20 years ago eating at tables with others, as others have bad table manners, stopped eating at self service buffets for the same reason. Prefer a luxury cabin to 'hole up in' away from the 'maddening crowd'. More than once we have had to leave venues where others sit down and start coughing not covering their mouths. Do like the shows of the mega lines. Miss the Home Lines Atlantic, Royal Viking, Stella Solaris, Marco Polo, Orient Lines, but those were the port intensive cruises, so no need for entertainment. Would take intensive tours, get back to ship, shower, have dinner and collapse in bed. Looking now for service, time together, alone.

Expand  

I was on the Atlantic/Home Lines NY to Bermuda in 1987 or so.  Fabulous cruise line!!

[christa920]

On 7/20/2022 at 3:48 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/yes-its-summer-but-you-still-cant-wear-those-shorts-in-these-restaurants/2016/07/21/57f5ceb2-37f3-11e6-a254-2b336e293a3c_story.html

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