OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK AUG 6-13,2023 SEASCAPE

[morpheusofthesea]

43 seconds of Enrico's finale "Nessun Dorma". There were only about 100 in the Chora Theatre as we were staying late in Nassau and this was the early show.

[morpheusofthesea]

Here is another 29 seconds of Bella on a different night in LCR. At least she changes the songs. The others are 'one trick ponies' doing the same routine night after night.

[morpheusofthesea]

The end of the cruise and the end of "Dreamscape". One minute.

[morpheusofthesea]

[jules815]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This 20 second video is the power drapery I am closing because the the sun rays coming through these beautiful windows turns into so much heat the air conditioning fails to cool the living room.

Shame you have to cover that beautiful view, but I can't handle the heat indoors either, so I understand.

 

We're next door to this OS next month (19003). My husband keeps asking if I've gotten any upgrade offers for the OS's.  Both are still available for the weeks we cruise. Now I'm thinking we'll just stay put in the grand we have and save the money. 

 

 

[surfrider34]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

What is your overall summary if the cruise? Did you like it ? 1 to 10?

Compared to …uhm maybe celebrity, what do you think?

[no1talks]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Found this box in the cabin. Curious to see what it contained."

 

Mysterious boxes can end up much, much worse than bubbly in a bucket.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, surfrider34 said:

What is your overall summary if the cruise? Did you like it ? 1 to 10?

Compared to …uhm maybe celebrity, what do you think?

That is why cruising has so many types of ships. If exotic destinations are ones 'wish list' like Antarctica or the Society Islands, then smaller ships are the only way to go. If "dancing" is a priority a good travel agent could research which ships and theme cruises would satisfy ones desire. I recall dancing every evening on NCL Breakaway in their 'Manhattan Supper Club'. One just has to make up ones own list'. Here is our list for those that might have missed it, that Yacht Club has all of them.

Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. But we can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling if using credit card

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler not hard to find when needed

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at checkin

#15 Dedicated restaurant OPEN port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests with ample lounges

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

#20 No non-suite paying Pinnacle/Zenith/Diamond passengers taking up prime real estate in the Yacht Club

#21 Elevator over-ride key cards for suite guests

#22 Pristine out island with NO bugs crawling all over cabanas

#23 short distance between cabin and restaurant decks

#24 At least a 100 sq ft balcony accommodating a cushioned lounge chair

So all things considered if dollar to dollar we would choose Yacht Club over Retreat. Sailed in Sky Suite, then Celebrity Suite, followed by Royal Suite (too small balcony), then Penthouse, and a Villa (no shade and did not like stairs). Now no butler service. So we give YC a 10. Looking forward to another in 6 weeks same ship.

Edited August 13, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Perhaps one of my biggest disappointments of our cruise on Seaside

Our biggest disappointment was not having the elevator over ride option for YC suite guests, BUT (a big but) the elevators were accurate. If it said elevator C in 30 seconds it arrived in 30 seconds. The elevators did not over load or give a 'try again later' type prompt, like two weeks ago. So some problems are fixed in a reasonable time frame.

[Bgwest]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

4 minute video of the entire OnePool deck taken when in San Juan and most everyone was off the ship. 14 pergolas. I avoided the smoking section as there was a gentleman there smoking at the tables just before the blue rolled towels. I ended with a shot of the stairway that the interlopers use to come up from Aurea Top 19 and then climb over the railing. Already posted the photos from downstairs in Aurea Top 19.

IMG_3069.MOV

Nicely done. Thanks. The railing the interlopers climb over seems to be conveniently "out of sight, out of mind".  Maybe some Sticky Traps?

 

How are the Pergolas assigned? I understand that two are assigned to the Royal Suites but what about the rest? First Come? Reserved on request? or...... 

If First Come, are there issues with chair hogs?

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

Nicely done. Thanks. The railing the interlopers climb over seems to be conveniently "out of sight, out of mind".  Maybe some Sticky Traps?

 

How are the Pergolas assigned? I understand that two are assigned to the Royal Suites but what about the rest? First Come? Reserved on request? or...... 

If First Come, are there issues with chair hogs?

2 for Rs 2 for OS  out of 14, the rest are first come and are always chair hogged. Chair hogging is just part of the cruise culture. Ocean Cay day DW just sat at the pool talking to a couple that she saw all week on the OnePool deck. They let slip that they eat in the MDR and the guest services can not 'fix' their wrist bracelets to work the entrance locks into the YC. They had more questions than any YC guest would already know the answers to. DW just got up and walked away it was the last day anyway. Their cabin was on deck 9.

Edited August 13, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[LEOSO]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

2 for Rs 2 for OS  out of 14, the rest are first come and are always chair hogged. Chair hogging is just part of the cruise culture. Ocean Cay day DW just sat at the pool talking to a couple that she saw all week on the OnePool deck. They let slip that they eat in the MDR and the guest services can not 'fix' their wrist bracelets to work the entrance locks into the YC. They had more questions than any YC guest would already know the answers to. DW just got up and walked away it was the last day anyway. Their cabin was on deck 9.

It’s just astonishing that staff just won’t take this seriously enough to throw the bums out. 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 minute ago, LEOSO said:

It’s just astonishing that staff just won’t take this seriously enough to throw the bums out. 

They must be better tippers than YC guests.

[morpheusofthesea]

11 hours ago, blueslily said:

Oh my. That is concerning. These sound like relatively visible since they are located in public areas people will indeed see them since they will want to use them for sure.  Sounds a bit trashy to not have them fixed ASAP. It's a new ship. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled by previous crises, but it sounds trashy to not have fixed these issues.

It would be very interesting to find out if all these repairs were taken care of this week with the Head of MSC shipping on board in the Yacht Club.

[morpheusofthesea]

6 hours ago, no1talks said:

Mysterious boxes can end up much, much worse than bubbly in a bucket.

I know the suspense is tormenting. But alas it was just Champagne.

[no1talks]

31 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I know the suspense is tormenting. But alas it was just Champagne.

I'm just a fan of the film and use it for box references.

By the by, that's not a bad Champagne, but the presentation is a bit much. Even if you received Mosaïque Signature, instead of what I suspect was Mosaïque Brut, MSC should get a Champagne with deeper pedigree than House Jacquart for use in a boxed presentation.

Of course, if that is a boxed set for you to keep, and not just for showiness, then I retract the criticism, mostly. So frequent a pair of cruisers like your wife and yourself would certainly merit a bottle of Jacquart Cuvée Alpha. 

[morpheusofthesea]

11 hours ago, no1talks said:

a Champagne with deeper pedigree than House Jacquart for use in a boxed presentation.

Hey, times are tough... and as most of you know I'm fond of 'Champaign', it doesn't have the 'kick'.  In a blind taste testing after my 5th glass (after I swirl, bubble, nose, etc) I always swallow never spit, thus for my last Champaign it tastes as good as my first Champagne. just before I pass out.

Edited August 14, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[rikitikitavii]

19 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Nicely done. Thanks. The railing the interlopers climb over seems to be conveniently "out of sight, out of mind".  Maybe some Sticky Traps?

 

How are the Pergolas assigned? I understand that two are assigned to the Royal Suites but what about the rest? First Come? Reserved on request? or...... 

If First Come, are there issues with chair hogs?

We were on Seascape on the July 30 western Caribbean sailing. The pergola hogs had staked out all of the pergolas before 5:30am. One family of 4 took two!

Most remained unoccupied for long periods of time.

[Moparfiend]

15 hours ago, LEOSO said:

It’s just astonishing that staff just won’t take this seriously enough to throw the bums out. 

If they are not keeping the area exclusive (as those in YC paid for), maybe they need to start charging a fee

Scan every card, if not in YC, $149 charge for each 30 minutes in YC until they "check out" at guest services. Additional non-removal charge of $99 for bar services and $109 specialty dining fee +tax/tips/service charges. Totaling around $499 (per 30 minutes) with a max of $1499 a day 
No card, ask for room number, pull up details on ipad, if not who they say there are, add additional $149 processing fee to the above fees

I'd prefer they just enforce the exclusivity of the area, and not hit guests with massive (and more then likely higher then the cruise fare fees), but the other option is to ditch YC concept all together, make it free for all
 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Moparfiend said:

I'd prefer they just enforce the exclusivity of the area,

That is what we all prefer. But unfortunately the problems are being solved by removing the problems altogether. Like too many interlopers and friends and family of YC guests invited in for the Seafood Extravaganza, resulting in long waits in line, no available tables, so solution...NO more Seafood Extravaganza.  Keep complaining about chair hogged pergolas...solution remove pergolas. Any more complaints? easy to fix... remove the "exclusivity". The abusers do not care, they did not pay for it.. And they actually do not want those that do pay for it on 'their' ship anyway.

[LEOSO]

19 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

That is what we all prefer. But unfortunately the problems are being solved by removing the problems altogether. Like too many interlopers and friends and family of YC guests invited in for the Seafood Extravaganza, resulting in long waits in line, no available tables, so solution...NO more Seafood Extravaganza.  Keep complaining about chair hogged pergolas...solution remove pergolas. Any more complaints? easy to fix... remove the "exclusivity". The abusers do not care, they did not pay for it.. And they actually do not want those that do pay for it on 'their' ship anyway.

Crappy way to run a cruise line!🤬

[morpheusofthesea]

5 hours ago, LEOSO said:

Crappy way to run a cruise line!🤬

I am guessing it is by design. Give Yacht Club guests a taste of what MSC can provide, then give them a reason to try out their 'new and improved' product, Explora Journeys. Even providing colorful picture brochures in YC cabins to peruse. Subtle. Photo below of cover for Explora Journeys brochure with new logo.

[jules815]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I am guessing it is by design. Give Yacht Club guests a taste of what MSC can provide, then give them a reason to try out their 'new and improved' product, Explora Journeys. Even providing colorful picture brochures in YC cabins to peruse. Subtle. Photo below of cover for Explora Journeys brochure with new logo.

Did it work?  😆

[jules815]

Curious. Have any YC staff ever commented to you about your live Observations from The Poopdeck posts?

[morpheusofthesea]

24 minutes ago, jules815 said:

Did it work?  😆

Yes.