OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK SEASCAPE

[jean87510]

On 4/22/2024 at 11:29 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

Many attribute our standoffishness as elitist (could be very true) or even boorish, loutish, uncouth, discourteous and ungracious....so call me these names (and more). We are just too tired of getting ill for the sake of be being sociable.

no, you are right.  Husband and I came back from our Sydney to Tahiti NCL cruise with sinus infections from the most vile boorish coughers that exist on the planet and took coughing to an all new art form.  And we are loners and anti social beings.  The place that got us every time was the elevators.  Full of coughers who apparently never grasped the simple concept of covering ones mouth when one coughs up a lung.

[jean87510]

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

 MSC is charging $398 deposit to move a booking back two weeks, leaving on a cruise two weeks earlier. MSC agent says one free move can only be forward, not backward.  Please be  aware of this perk is only for going forward not backward. One will forfeit the original $398 and put a new deposit of $398 onto the new cruise date two weeks earlier. Both cruises are in month of September 2024 not yet balance due.

We just ran into this for an upcoming November YC cruise.  Since it is over 90 days, MSC rep said we could cancel the one and get deposit back.  We wanted to move a Nov 7 sailing to a November 1 sailing.  We decided to keep both as they are 3 days.  Seashore YC 3 days, then Disney Shades of Green, then Magnifica Aurea.  

 

They wouldn't honor the YC move backwards, only forward up to 30 days.

[no1talks]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"We are so apprehensive before every cruise."

Isn't your TA providing you with solid intelligence on the topics of concern? They are supposed to minimize the apprehension of their clients, n’est-ce pas?
 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will there be any problems getting to the port on time?"

Have you weighed the pros and cons of driving to the port a day early, staying in a hotel with suitable cruise parking, and taking an UberXL to the port? Of course, I realize you don't need the extra day because you live in Florida. However, it might be just the ticket to address some concerns you mentioned. (I specifically suggested UberXL, rather than UberX, because of the extra suitcases of cleaning supplies you bring. 😉)

 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will DW not pass out while waiting in the hot South Florida sun for the air conditioned terminal to open?"

This is largely a port management issue and the cruise lines are stuck with the overheated passengers. Short of legally mandating a linkage between expected heat index and opening the doors to passengers, I can only suggest a proper sun umbrella and wearing a neck cooler.
 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Will we get sick on board from the other passengers?"

One of the best ways to reduce the chance of catching something is to cruise on ships with fewer people as well as more public space per person.

The ships of Explora Journeys will certainly offer good space per passenger if the current sales figures hold. But, if EJ gets the upscale families they claim to be targeting, those ships will go 1000+ counting the kids in the sofa beds.

The best ships to select for the specific purpose of not getting too close to other passengers are the luxury ships, topping out at 600 to 750 guests and nary a sofa bed in use.

Fortunately, YC experiences a better space-per-passenger ratio than outside YC and probably most mass-market ships generally. (This can probably be said of all the ship-within-a-ship settings.) When World America is open for business, I think YCers on that ship will feel a bit of a squeeze. 

[no1talks]

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"MSC wants to run every cruise with the YC full?"

This would be good rehearsal if they can manage it. A full Seaside-class YC allows for troubleshooting in preparation for the potentially packed World America YC.

Edited April 28 by no1talks

[morpheusofthesea]

10 hours ago, no1talks said:

Isn't your TA providing you with solid intelligence on the topics of concern? They are supposed to minimize the apprehension of their clients, n’est-ce pas?
 

Have you weighed the pros and cons of driving to the port a day early, staying in a hotel with suitable cruise parking, and taking an UberXL to the port? Of course, I realize you don't need the extra day because you live in Florida. However, it might be just the ticket to address some concerns you mentioned. (I specifically suggested UberXL, rather than UberX, because of the extra suitcases of cleaning supplies you bring. 😉)

 

This is largely a port management issue and the cruise lines are stuck with the overheated passengers. Short of legally mandating a linkage between expected heat index and opening the doors to passengers, I can only suggest a proper sun umbrella and wearing a neck cooler.
 

One of the best ways to reduce the chance of catching something is to cruise on ships with fewer people as well as more public space per person.

The ships of Explora Journeys will certainly offer good space per passenger if the current sales figures hold. But, if EJ gets the upscale families they claim to be targeting, those ships will go 1000+ counting the kids in the sofa beds.

The best ships to select for the specific purpose of not getting too close to other passengers are the luxury ships, topping out at 600 to 750 guests and nary a sofa bed in use.

Fortunately, YC experiences a better space-per-passenger ratio than outside YC and probably most mass-market ships generally. (This can probably be said of all the ship-within-a-ship settings.) When World America is open for business, I think YCers on that ship will feel a bit of a squeeze. 

Je suis la, mon ami. Of course everything you said is true.  We only use our travel agent to deal directly with MSC, to make sure we are getting our proper discounts and get up to 10% back in the form of refundable OBC (depending on cruise line commissions). Besides it was she that recommended Regent Seven Seas to us; a total bust, let down, disappointment, disenchanted, disillusioned and falling short of expectations for suite paying guests (besides a waste of money) when compared to MSC Yacht Club. So her "intelligence" is 'dated'.

   We are only 50 minutes from the port of Miami if traffic is light like it was on our way home from the port yesterday morning. But your suggestion is taken under consideration. The porters do take ones luggage right to the parking garage and load the suitcases.

   She fainted while standing under the white YC tent in the shade while I was retrieving a bottle of water. Now I carry one with me while in line. Our favorite porter was present and now provides a chair/stool at the white tent for YCers like DW. We were disheartened that he was switched to Carnival due to his cigar butt sucking. (Different clientele ?) We asked the present porter where he was and found all this out. Happens this porter is a cousin and he got on his phone and sent him our picture. He told his cousin to get out the chair and take good care of us. ($50 tip ).

  The best way to catch something is to be in close proximity (6 feet) of others. This is where the elevators are so important to have the over ride amenity. When it works we were able to call our own private elevator, empty with direct non stop to our desired deck. This is only a MSC Yacht Club feature worth booking the Yacht Club for this detail alone. You are correct about the elevators on Explora with only 650 guests on our sailing we would generally call an empty elevator and if not we would wait and call another which came in seconds not minutes.

  When it comes to the World America style Yacht Club TSL and One Pool deck having more cramped, constricted space, it will be even more advantageous to book a RS and OS suite to be guaranteed a reserved pergola like on the Seaships. One does not get this on either Regent or Explora. Don't know yet about Oceania or Queen Elizabeth. These are all important details for suite guests.

  P.S. We received our emailed survey card for our cruise at 4:13 am this morning, not 24 hours after the cruise.

[lgdesign]

On 4/20/2024 at 7:29 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

Earlier today I had him escort me to the One Pool Deck to show him what pergola we would like. It was presently occupied. As long as it is not being occupied by another RS or OS, he will reserve it for us for the rest of week and have it stocked with whatever we desire.

 

Thank you for your thorough and funny report about your experience... we haven't sailed MSC in a couple of years and will be on the Seascape in the YC doing a B2B in Nov and are trying to catch up on any changes.  This will be our third time in the YC with the first being on the Seaside and the second being the Seashore. 

 

Is "reserving" a non-RS/OS pergola for the week as easy as asking your butler?  Is there a fee to do so?  We're currently booked in a Deluxe YC suite so any info would be very helpful.

 

We got an upgrade to an OS on the Seashore the last time and having the reserved pergola was really nice... even though one day we arrived on the pool deck to find some other guests ensconced in it much to my perturbation!  I quietly pointed it out to some staff and the sodden squatters were swiftly and effectively removed never to squat there again for the duration of our cruise.

[morpheusofthesea]

12 minutes ago, lgdesign said:

Is "reserving" a non-RS/OS pergola for the week as easy as asking your butler?  Is there a fee to do so?  We're currently booked in a Deluxe YC suite so any info

Unfortunately the other pergolas are FCFS. The three pergolas next to mine were chair hogged very early in the mornings by the same group of slackers that just had access to the OnePoolDeck. They were not residing in the YC as they were never in the YC restaurant. This is terrible for those paying for YC and never being able to enjoy all it has to offer. Like non suite Pinnacles on RCCL taking up valuable space in suite venues and we in suites could not reserve even a table for dinner and had to wait because a Pinnacle slip in and took our table.

[lgdesign]

19 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Unfortunately the other pergolas are FCFS. The three pergolas next to mine were chair hogged very early in the mornings by the same group of slackers that just had access to the OnePoolDeck. They were not residing in the YC as they were never in the YC restaurant. This is terrible for those paying for YC and never being able to enjoy all it has to offer. Like non suite Pinnacles on RCCL taking up valuable space in suite venues and we in suites could not reserve even a table for dinner and had to wait because a Pinnacle slip in and took our table.

 

Aaaah... then you must have been in a RS or an OS and just selected the pergola that you most preferred... sorry I missed that (feeling a little obtuse today). 

 

Hopefully, we'll score a nice upgrade like we did last time.  I loved having that pergola available and we used it every day.

 

I completely agree with you about the slackers with access... and the interlopers. So discouraging to see the dilution of an otherwise usually excellent experience for the full fare paying guests.

 

PS  Love that your DW is an interloper spotting pro.  😉

 

[Best Cat Mom]

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I think he told us he will be there until August.

Bummer! We're on Seascape in September and were hoping that Mustafa would still be there, especially after reading your opinions of him. 😞

 

Any idea when Ercan leaves?

[Best Cat Mom]

38 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Unfortunately the other pergolas are FCFS.

The pergolas are not able to be reserved at the concierge desk? We did that on Seaside and did not have to awaken early to get our choice of spots.

[Two Wheels Only]

22 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

The pergolas are not able to be reserved at the concierge desk? We did that on Seaside and did not have to awaken early to get our choice of spots.

 

It differs by ship.

 

Seashore/Seascape are done differently than Seaside and, I would guess, Seaview (I've never sailed Seaview).

Edited April 28 by Two Wheels Only

[chrisgp999]

On 4/27/2024 at 3:12 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

Witnessed Yacht Club Director Mustafa 'front and center' this entire cruise. Some YC directors are not so 'visible'.  Always shaking hands, asking guests if they need anything. As guests were congregating and forming a line attempting to be waited on at the concierge desk by the 3 available concierges on duty final day, he was out in front of the desk doing concierge duties by helping guest number 4 in line. Finishing with 4 he jumped to #5. He finished #5 capping his pen or marker and looks at me witnessing his 'rapid fire' solving of problems and guests walking away with smiles. He asks if I had a problem that needs solving with his big grin." No, no problem at all" was my reply, I was just standing observing in awe how quickly the area went from crowded to no one in line.

 

DW and I were on the February 17 ,2024  Seascape cruise.  It Mustafa's first week on board as YC director.  He literally boarded the ship the same day as we did.  When we entered the TSL on embarkation day, we noticed something was "off".  The service level was not what up to MSC YC standards.  Two days into our cruise, we found it necessary to discuss our concerns with Mustafa.  We identified two specific problems; service/staffing problems in one of the YC venues, and, an equipment/amenities issue in another venue.  The service/staffing issue was fixed Immediately, as in within the hour.  From thereon, service was exceptional, even by Yacht Club standards.  

 

We assumed the equipment/amenities issue was something that could not be fixed while at sea.  We were wrong.  This issue was fixed by the following day.  Later that following day I bumped into Mustafa.  When he saw me coming, he had a huge grin on his face.  I thanked him and asked him how he could fix the equipment in the middle of the ocean.  He answered with a smile "I have my sources". He is a true gentleman and outstanding manager and YC director.  I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect Mustafa replaced a previous YC director who let staff and service deteriorate.  

 

BTW, Mustafa comp'd DW and I with a free dinner at Butchers Cut for the issues we reported.  

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Any idea when Ercan leaves?

Ercan told us he will be on the Seascape until October.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, chrisgp999 said:

BTW, Mustafa comp'd DW and I with a free dinner at Butchers Cut for the issues we reported.  

He was the Specialty Restaurant manager when we met him on the Seashore a couple years ago. He was innovative in that he instituted a Free Specialty Restaurant Tasting with complimentary bubbly as everyone was offered the opportunity to go from restaurant to restaurant sampling cuisine. Since it was all buffet style we just stood and watched the line serpentine with everyone smiling and enjoying the fare.  Most people just like to stop and complain to those in charge. We stopped him to say how progressive an idea to entice passengers to sign up to the packages available. They sent him to open Europa and now here he is promoted to YC Director. 

[burne318]

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Unfortunately the other pergolas are FCFS. The three pergolas next to mine were chair hogged very early in the mornings by the same group of slackers that just had access to the OnePoolDeck. They were not residing in the YC as they were never in the YC restaurant. This is terrible for those paying for YC and never being able to enjoy all it has to offer. Like non suite Pinnacles on RCCL taking up valuable space in suite venues and we in suites could not reserve even a table for dinner and had to wait because a Pinnacle slip in and took our table.

Long time lurker on this forum and follower of many of your live threads (which are good reads for people to use to prepare for their cruise), but I must set the record straight here.

 

My group of 7 was in the pergola immediately next to you on the cruise last week.  We didn't have a conversation because I am not one to necessarily reach out to strangers to strike up a conversation.  I knew you were to my left, because of your previous post about the way you had your pergola made up, weaving towels in the back slats.  That was a good idea by the way and you probably saw that we copied it.  My wife and 2 kids were on our 3rd YC cruise (Seaside 2020 and Meraviglia 2023).  We were most certainly in the YC.  Cabin 18025 with butler Wayan to be exact.  My sister was solo in 18027 and my two parents were in 18029, both YIN cabins on their first YC experience.  On the first sea day both my dad and I woke up pretty early (6:15am) since our bodies were not on vacation time yet.  We sat in the unoccupied pergola next to yours and had our coffee.  During our coffee, one of the pool attendants (Caran sp?) approached us and asked us "Would you like to sit here everyday?".  We said "Sure, but it's absolutely not a requirement".  Well low and behold, every morning we woke up before breakfast, and Caran showed us to the pergola he made up for us.  He repeated this each day and on the last day we did give him a tip.  So the 7 of us used that pergola and the daybed next to it I would say upwards of 75% of the time from breakfast until dinner.  Did we venture to the waterpark and leave our stuff there?  Sure.  But most of the time someone from our group was hanging out in the pergola.  And we only utilized a single pergola with 3 loungers for 7 people.  I am super conscious about overusing space, so many times there were 4 or 5 of us on the 3 loungers because frankly we didn't need a single lounger for each person, especially small kids.  As a non-OS/RS guest, I certain did not expect to get a pergola each day since they are FCFS, but Caran approached us early in the cruise and definitely earned a tip from our group.

 

As for dinner, we ate exclusively in the YC Restaurant every day at 5:45, with the wonderful Kevin as our waiter.  I was pleased to see that they opened before 6:00.  We are early eaters and were worried that the move from 5:30 to 6:00 was fleetwide.  Like you, I missed the "Deliciously Healthy" section of the menu until day 6, which was a real bummer to realize that was there the whole time.

 

The group of 6 that were in the other two pergolas appeared to be 3 couples.  They sat kitty corner to us at dinner in the YC Restaurant I would say 50% of the time and we saw them plenty of times on the YC Pool Buffet for breakfast.  We didn't really talk to them either until the last sea day when they approached us.  They mentioned they were on their 35+ cruise and their 3rd YC cruise as well.  Now I can't speak for their whole group (since I only chatted with two of the couples), but it did appear they were all staying in YC Cabins.  That said, I didn't talk to all of them so I can't be 100%.

Edited April 29 by burne318

[morpheusofthesea]

38 minutes ago, burne318 said:

Long time lurker on this forum and follower of many of your live threads (which are good reads for people to use to prepare for their cruise), but I must set the record straight here.

 

My group of 7 was in the pergola immediately next to you on the cruise last week.  We didn't have a conversation because I am not one to necessarily reach out to strangers to strike up a conversation.  I knew you were to my left, because of your previous post about the way you had your pergola made up, weaving towels in the back slats.  That was a good idea by the way and you probably saw that we copied it.  My wife and 2 kids were on our 3rd YC cruise (Seaside 2020 and Meraviglia 2023).  We were most certainly in the YC.  Cabin 18025 with butler Wayan to be exact.  My sister was solo in 18027 and my two parents were in 18029, both YIN cabins on their first YC experience.  On the first sea day both my dad and I woke up pretty early (6:15am) since our bodies were not on vacation time yet.  We sat in the unoccupied pergola next to yours and had our coffee.  During our coffee, one of the pool attendants (Caran sp?) approached us and asked us "Would you like to sit here everyday?".  We said "Sure, but it's absolutely not a requirement".  Well low and behold, every morning we woke up before breakfast, and Caran showed us to the pergola he made up for us.  He repeated this each day and on the last day we did give him a tip.  So the 7 of us used that pergola and the daybed next to it I would say upwards of 75% of the time from breakfast until dinner.  Did we venture to the waterpark and leave our stuff there?  Sure.  But most of the time someone from our group was hanging out in the pergola.  And we only utilized a single pergola with 3 loungers for 7 people.  I am super conscious about overusing space, so many times there were 4 or 5 of us on the 3 loungers because frankly we didn't need a single lounger for each person, especially small kids.  As a non-OS/RS guest, I certain did not expect to get a pergola each day since they are FCFS, but Caran approached us early in the cruise and definitely earned a tip from our group.

 

As for dinner, we ate exclusively in the YC Restaurant every day at 5:45, with the wonderful Kevin as our waiter.  I was pleased to see that they opened before 6:00.  We are early eaters and were worried that the move from 5:30 to 6:00 was fleetwide.  Like you, I missed the "Deliciously Healthy" section of the menu until day 6, which was a real bummer to realize that was there the whole time.

 

The group of 6 that were in the other two pergolas appeared to be 3 couples.  They sat kitty corner to us at dinner in the YC Restaurant I would say 50% of the time and we saw them plenty of times on the YC Pool Buffet for breakfast.  We didn't really talk to them either until the last sea day when they approached us.  They mentioned they were on their 35+ cruise and their 3rd YC cruise as well.  Now I can't speak for their whole group (since I only chatted with two of the couples), but it did appear they were all staying in YC Cabins.  That said, I didn't talk to all of them so I can't be 100%.

Next time say hello. 

[Bgwest]

When should we expect the next PD report?

[lgdesign]

16 hours ago, burne318 said:

Long time lurker on this forum and follower of many of your live threads (which are good reads for people to use to prepare for their cruise), but I must set the record straight here.

 

My group of 7 was in the pergola immediately next to you on the cruise last week.  We didn't have a conversation because I am not one to necessarily reach out to strangers to strike up a conversation.  I knew you were to my left, because of your previous post about the way you had your pergola made up, weaving towels in the back slats.  That was a good idea by the way and you probably saw that we copied it.  My wife and 2 kids were on our 3rd YC cruise (Seaside 2020 and Meraviglia 2023).  We were most certainly in the YC.  Cabin 18025 with butler Wayan to be exact.  My sister was solo in 18027 and my two parents were in 18029, both YIN cabins on their first YC experience.  On the first sea day both my dad and I woke up pretty early (6:15am) since our bodies were not on vacation time yet.  We sat in the unoccupied pergola next to yours and had our coffee.  During our coffee, one of the pool attendants (Caran sp?) approached us and asked us "Would you like to sit here everyday?".  We said "Sure, but it's absolutely not a requirement".  Well low and behold, every morning we woke up before breakfast, and Caran showed us to the pergola he made up for us.  He repeated this each day and on the last day we did give him a tip.  So the 7 of us used that pergola and the daybed next to it I would say upwards of 75% of the time from breakfast until dinner.  Did we venture to the waterpark and leave our stuff there?  Sure.  But most of the time someone from our group was hanging out in the pergola.  And we only utilized a single pergola with 3 loungers for 7 people.  I am super conscious about overusing space, so many times there were 4 or 5 of us on the 3 loungers because frankly we didn't need a single lounger for each person, especially small kids.  As a non-OS/RS guest, I certain did not expect to get a pergola each day since they are FCFS, but Caran approached us early in the cruise and definitely earned a tip from our group.

 

As for dinner, we ate exclusively in the YC Restaurant every day at 5:45, with the wonderful Kevin as our waiter.  I was pleased to see that they opened before 6:00.  We are early eaters and were worried that the move from 5:30 to 6:00 was fleetwide.  Like you, I missed the "Deliciously Healthy" section of the menu until day 6, which was a real bummer to realize that was there the whole time.

 

The group of 6 that were in the other two pergolas appeared to be 3 couples.  They sat kitty corner to us at dinner in the YC Restaurant I would say 50% of the time and we saw them plenty of times on the YC Pool Buffet for breakfast.  We didn't really talk to them either until the last sea day when they approached us.  They mentioned they were on their 35+ cruise and their 3rd YC cruise as well.  Now I can't speak for their whole group (since I only chatted with two of the couples), but it did appear they were all staying in YC Cabins.  That said, I didn't talk to all of them so I can't be 100%.

 

Thank you very much for all the clarifications.

[KittyCruz]

On 4/18/2024 at 10:11 PM, no1talks said:

30 years ago, I was a newlywed dad and not close to being able to get on a cruise ship. Nowadays, I study the history of cruising to be a better-educated passenger.

Please correct me if my interpretation of cruising history is off the mark because, afterall, I wasn't on the ships.

I don't think shoddy treatment should have been a shock on a Princess cruise 30 years ago. The brand had a huge expansion in the 80s. Owners P&O rebadged some of their own ships over to Princess to accommodate the growth. P&O acquired another cruise line and rebadged more ships to Princess. Then the 90s started.

Recession. Oil spikes. American cruise market maybe not so hot. Now, Princess ships are getting transferred to P&O. No sooner does the century turn than P&O spins-off Princess into a standalone and Carnival grabs it just a few years into the millenium.

Again, those who were cruising and following the industry closely back then can point out my errors, but I think your Australian experience was simply a case of a cruise line that was losing its way after a decade of Laissez les bons temps rouler.

This makes me recall growing up with the Love Boat and conversations with my husband after our first cruise regarding cruise attire and how no one, and I mean no one was walking around the lido deck in their swimwear and high heels.  

[jean87510]

17 hours ago, burne318 said:

Long time lurker on this forum and follower of many of your live threads (which are good reads for people to use to prepare for their cruise), but I must set the record straight here.

 

My group of 7 was in the pergola immediately next to you on the cruise last week.  We didn't have a conversation because I am not one to necessarily reach out to strangers to strike up a conversation.  I knew you were to my left, because of your previous post about the way you had your pergola made up, weaving towels in the back slats.  That was a good idea by the way and you probably saw that we copied it.  My wife and 2 kids were on our 3rd YC cruise (Seaside 2020 and Meraviglia 2023).  We were most certainly in the YC.  Cabin 18025 with butler Wayan to be exact.  My sister was solo in 18027 and my two parents were in 18029, both YIN cabins on their first YC experience.  On the first sea day both my dad and I woke up pretty early (6:15am) since our bodies were not on vacation time yet.  We sat in the unoccupied pergola next to yours and had our coffee.  During our coffee, one of the pool attendants (Caran sp?) approached us and asked us "Would you like to sit here everyday?".  We said "Sure, but it's absolutely not a requirement".  Well low and behold, every morning we woke up before breakfast, and Caran showed us to the pergola he made up for us.  He repeated this each day and on the last day we did give him a tip.  So the 7 of us used that pergola and the daybed next to it I would say upwards of 75% of the time from breakfast until dinner.  Did we venture to the waterpark and leave our stuff there?  Sure.  But most of the time someone from our group was hanging out in the pergola.  And we only utilized a single pergola with 3 loungers for 7 people.  I am super conscious about overusing space, so many times there were 4 or 5 of us on the 3 loungers because frankly we didn't need a single lounger for each person, especially small kids.  As a non-OS/RS guest, I certain did not expect to get a pergola each day since they are FCFS, but Caran approached us early in the cruise and definitely earned a tip from our group.

 

As for dinner, we ate exclusively in the YC Restaurant every day at 5:45, with the wonderful Kevin as our waiter.  I was pleased to see that they opened before 6:00.  We are early eaters and were worried that the move from 5:30 to 6:00 was fleetwide.  Like you, I missed the "Deliciously Healthy" section of the menu until day 6, which was a real bummer to realize that was there the whole time.

 

The group of 6 that were in the other two pergolas appeared to be 3 couples.  They sat kitty corner to us at dinner in the YC Restaurant I would say 50% of the time and we saw them plenty of times on the YC Pool Buffet for breakfast.  We didn't really talk to them either until the last sea day when they approached us.  They mentioned they were on their 35+ cruise and their 3rd YC cruise as well.  Now I can't speak for their whole group (since I only chatted with two of the couples), but it did appear they were all staying in YC Cabins.  That said, I didn't talk to all of them so I can't be 100%.

I suppose some of us are not quite the interloper or slacker spotters that we thought we were...🤔

[burne318]

It's all good, no apology needed.  I just posted to set the record straight for other readers on this thread.  People make mistakes, we are all human.

 

The pergola situation last week on Seascape was interesting.  It seems the pool attendants were doing a great job in providing great service in hopes of getting a good tip.  It was quite the surprise each morning coming up to the pool deck and seeing that Caran had put towels on a pergola for us.  We were definitely not one of those people who wake up at 6am to throw a towel down and then don't return until noon.  As a midwesterner, we spend our entire lives apologizing to everyone at the slightest inconvenience we may have caused.  If we didn't think we would use the pergola, we definitely would have told Caran that so as to not have him waste his time and affect other passengers.  

 

This was our 3rd YC cruise and by far the best.  I feel once you get into that 3rd time (and hopefully beyond), you really understand how to best utilize the YC for a perfect vacation.  It really is the best value for the money in the industry hands down.

[morpheusofthesea]

6 hours ago, Bgwest said:

When should we expect the next PD report?

God willing June 15, 2024 in 7 weeks. I cannot anticipate a better cruise than we had on this one. I wish the Port Authority took into consideration old people standing outside the terminals in hot South Florida sun and not open the airconditioned terminals earlier. Standing in airconditioning is 10x better than standing in the hot sun even under a white YC tent. Thanks for inquiring and following. I look forward to seeing your posts.

[morpheusofthesea]

Found this notice interesting wlking through the Market Place buffet.

IMG_3898.HEIC

[Bgwest]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

God willing June 15, 2024 in 7 weeks. I cannot anticipate a better cruise than we had on this one. I wish the Port Authority took into consideration old people standing outside the terminals in hot South Florida sun and not open the airconditioned terminals earlier. Standing in airconditioning is 10x better than standing in the hot sun even under a white YC tent. Thanks for inquiring and following. I look forward to seeing your posts.

We're not back on the Seascape until October 12. Some Princess cruises and a land Europe adventure between then and now. One day the stars will line up right and we will end up on the same cruise as y'all are on. 

[morpheusofthesea]

10 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

One day the stars will line up right and we will end up on the same cruise as y'all are on. 

Then what will I do ?  Because "we love old travelers: we love to hear them prate, drivel and lie; we love them for their asinine vanity, their ability to bore, their luxuriant fertility of imagination, their startling, brilliant, overwhelming mendacity.""I like a good story well-told. That is the reason I am  forced to tell them myself."  "Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eyewitness." Mark Twain. But I'll do my best to entertain.