OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK SEASCAPE JULY

[perakcruiser]

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I don't think one of any age likes flying 24+ hours to get from the east coast of the US to Sydney, Australia in coach.

I was 39 when I did this 24+ hours flight to Australia and I almost died. By no means I will do this a second time in my life. 

[DaKahuna]

On 7/16/2024 at 11:27 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

I tasted soap in every scotch, which I do not find in whiskey and single malt the smoothest which I wouldn't adulterate by using it in a cocktail.

 

I tasted dirt in most of the ones i have tried and I am pretty sure that is from the peat.  I have collected the names of one or two that are suppose to have little to no peat taste and will be trying them as I come across them.  

 

On 7/16/2024 at 2:30 PM, billc23 said:

I never had a Godfather drink before.

 

 Me either and I'll be on Seascape in September and will try to remember and order one. 

 

On 7/16/2024 at 4:50 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

I don't think one of any age likes flying 24+ hours to get from the east coast of the US to Sydney, Australia in coach. I would take a 'slow boat to China' in steerage before I would ever do that again.

 

I am with you 100%  We're doing Sydney to Honolulu next April and we have a total transit time right at 32 hours (7.5 hour layover at HND). We are definitely not going economy!   Anything more than 4 or 5 hours and I look at anything other than economy. 

 

[DaKahuna]

On 7/16/2024 at 5:36 PM, chrisgp999 said:

 She was not injured and after drying off with help of the staff, resumed her enjoyment of the festivities.

 

 Inquiring minds just have to know -- did she do a one woman wet t-shirt contest as a result of her encounter with the pool? 

 

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Since they already take a photo of guests, why not print photo badges for Yacht Club guests to wear?

 

 Oh surely you jest?  There is no way I am walking around a ship with a badge with my name on it, even on a lanyard like a company badge.  I had to do that for too many years when I was working.

 

 Now if they wanted to print our picture on our room key cards, I would be okay with that.  Just stick it in my pocket and pull it out upon request.  Would be an easy way for staff to quickly determine if the new face belonged or not. 

 

5 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Why don’t they scan the bracelets entering the YC?  I presume the owners picture shows up and those wearing the parents bracelets would be detected.  And those who belong would not mind, as long as they understand why.

 

 And there should be some sort of "penalty" to discourage those that are caught doing this.  As long as there is no penalty for disobeying the rules, people will do it. 

 

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

I was 39 when I did this 24+ hours flight to Australia and I almost died. By no means I will do this a second time in my life. 

 

 We are in our mid 70's and trust me.  Those lay flat seats in first class will come in plenty handy.   Best idea the airlines ever came up with, aside from the Concord.  Wish I had gotten the opportunity to fly in one.  Imagine how much time that would take off of a flight from the US to Australia. 

 

[Essiesmom]

10 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Inquiring minds just have to know -- did she do a one woman wet t-shirt contest as a result of her encounter with the pool? 

 

 

 Oh surely you jest?  There is no way I am walking around a ship with a badge with my name on it, even on a lanyard like a company badge.  I had to do that for too many years when I was working.

 

 Now if they wanted to print our picture on our room key cards, I would be okay with that.  Just stick it in my pocket and pull it out upon request.  Would be an easy way for staff to quickly determine if the new face belonged or not. 

 

 

 And there should be some sort of "penalty" to discourage those that are caught doing this.  As long as there is no penalty for disobeying the rules, people will do it. 

 

 

 

 

Confiscate the bracelet and tell the proper owner of the bracelet that because they broke the rules they will not get the bracelet back.

[Best Cat Mom]

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

With the Haven on NCL, that's exactly what happens. The person taps their card to enter the enclave and the person's name and picture shows up on the concierge's computer at the desk. That way, the concierge can greet the Haven guest by name as the guest walks by the concierge.

MSC seems to always know everyone's name even without that. I know that they can call up our boarding images by room number. Sometimes I wonder if they study the images just to dazzle us with their ability to know all our names. LOL

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 Oh surely you jest?  There is no way I am walking around a ship with a badge with my name on it, even on a lanyard like a company badge.

 

No, not your name. I wouldn't want that, either.

 

Just YACHT CLUB, the date of the cruise, the ship, a photo, and YACHT CLUB.

 

Did I mention Yacht Club? 😁

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

No, not your name. I wouldn't want that, either.

Just YACHT CLUB, the date of the cruise, the ship, a photo, and YACHT CLUB.

Did I mention Yacht Club? 😁

 

 Okay, even without the name, I would prefer not to wear a badge of any kind.  I'd be okay if I could just put it in my pocket and produce upon request.  
 

5 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Confiscate the bracelet and tell the proper owner of the bracelet that because they broke the rules they will not get the bracelet back.

 

 We did not have bracelets on Divina.  She's one of the older ship and does not have all the modern updates like NFC for the door locks.  

 

@morpheusofthesea or @Best Cat Mom  On Seascape does it have to be your room card or can you use any card, e.g. hotel key card, to leave the in the slot to turn on the lights?  I used my hotel key from the pre-cruise Marriott on Divina and hoping I can do same/similar on Seascape.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

21 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

On Seascape does it have to be your room card or can you use any card, e.g. hotel key

I use an old key card to keep in the receptacle to keep the air and lights on when out or in.

Edited July 18 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

Ran back to the cabin this evening to write down the names of another group I just discovered. Monica and Jesus of the duo "Little Big". Now they have been on for several months already but their main venue is the Atrium and that is a terrible venue for 'class acts'. The Atrium is good for the circus types doing Village People stuff. Got to the Loft Cafe this evening and the BB jazz Quartet had the night off replaced by "Little Big". Unbelievably good. Loved his guitar rendition of "Hotel California". Must say that friends had recommended "Little Big" months ago, but never appreciated until we saw them tonight in the more intimate Loft Cafe setting.

P.S. Will try to get a video if we get the the chance again.

Edited July 18 by morpheusofthesea

[Av8tor]

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We are in our mid 70's and trust me.  Those lay flat seats in first class will come in plenty handy.   Best idea the airlines ever came up with, aside from the Concord.  Wish I had gotten the opportunity to fly in one.  Imagine how much time that would take off of a flight from the US to Australia. 

 

Yeah, that would've been nice, but the Concorde did not have enough range to fly from the US to Australia, not even Hawaii to Sydney...

[morpheusofthesea]

No plastic straws

[morpheusofthesea]

Must be a stock picture. Otherwise the tap water is yellow and has a head of foam on it. Makes me feel confident in drinking straight from the tap....NOT.

[Essiesmom]

5 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Okay, even without the name, I would prefer not to wear a badge of any kind.  I'd be okay if I could just put it in my pocket and produce upon request.  
 

 

 We did not have bracelets on Divina.  She's one of the older ship and does not have all the modern updates like NFC for the door locks.  

 

@morpheusofthesea or @Best Cat Mom  On Seascape does it have to be your room card or can you use any card, e.g. hotel key card, to leave the in the slot to turn on the lights?  I used my hotel key from the pre-cruise Marriott on Divina and hoping I can do same/similar on Seascape.

 

It has to be a card from that ship.  On Seashore in Dec. I needed to put a card in the slot all the time or the a/c would default to arctic setting when I took the card out.  The electrician said to go to guest services and get a blank card.  On Seaside in 2019 I tried to use other cards and no dice, so first time for bracelet.  

[morpheusofthesea]

Another full cruise ship sailing.

[morpheusofthesea]

Many ask the same question. Where does MSC dock when visiting Cozumel. Punta Langosta

[morpheusofthesea]

Reports of complimentary pastries missing from Loft Cafe in morning are false.

[sveima]

But where is the raisin rolls? still missing in action? They were gone on my previous Meraviglia cruise but they thought it was just a provisioning issue. The YC chef even tried to make me some from scratch ❤️ But I can't see them in your picture  😞

 

Real first world problem, but i do love having a couple of them with a cup of tea at TS before breakfast. 

 

Will be onboard Divina next week and crossing my fingers. 

[Essiesmom]

MSC usually docks at Punta Langosta but in December on Seashore we docked at the international pier.  EM

[momofmab]

On 7/15/2024 at 10:37 PM, DaKahuna said:

Based on your extensive experience is it better to try and dine early or dine later?  We normally try and arrive for dinner around 1830 as that is generally the time we eat dinner at home.

 

When we were on Seascape, this is what time we ate each night and there were plenty of tables available.  The lounge below will be bustling but most of those folks don't wander upstairs until well after 1900.  That's what's so nice about YC - one can cocktail to their heart's content and then effortlessly glide upstairs for dinner when the mood hits.

[momofmab]

20 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Why don’t they scan the bracelets entering the YC?

 

 

You do have to scan your bracelets to get into the main entrance of Seascape YC area on Deck 16.  Unfortunately, there are other access areas on the pool deck that do not require a bracelet scan and that are not monitored by YC staff (I believe morph has provided pics of these access points on several of his other reviews). 

 

Although I observed most YC'ers wearing the bracelet, it's not mandatory so it makes it more difficult for staff to identify who paid to be in the YC by bracelet alone. Interlopers are usually easy to spot because of the look of awe on their faces combined with a look of confusion because they don't know where to go.  I suspect that staff identifies them right away but is reluctant to confront.

[morpheusofthesea]

Seascape Yacht Club rated #1 for months amongst entire fleet. Exit popular YC Director and Seascape plummets to #4 in three weeks. Drop is attributed to low grades from unsatisfactory ship excursion/tour experiences with genpop (steerage). Will new YC exclusive tours be well received and even used by YC guests at higher cost ? Will YCers still take the ordinary  tours and excursions and opt to complain and give YC low grades in this category.  Why was the recently departed YC Director able to get high (10 scores) from guests in the shore excursion category  instead of the now reported 3 and 6 ratings ? The answer really skews, alters, biases, misrepresents and  slants this and perhaps many if not all the the ratings.

[Best Cat Mom]

10 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

On Seascape does it have to be your room card or can you use any card

We've also used a past MSC cabin card on both Divina and Seaside. Good to know from @morpheusofthesea that will work on Seascape as well.

 

Sometimes the junior butler would ask us to not do that so he could know when we were out of the cabin and he could enter to freshen it up. We would often return to the cabin to find the towels folded and used glasses removed multiple times a day, not just twice a day. I would imagine that depends on your particular team and their other responsibilities though.

[oceans.calling]

We’ve been using an old Divina card on the Meraviglia since 2021. It works perfectly. 

[DaKahuna]

10 hours ago, Av8tor said:

Yeah, that would've been nice, but the Concorde did not have enough range to fly from the US to Australia, not even Hawaii to Sydney...

 

 Interesting.  I did not know that.  I assumed the New York to Paris would  be about the same as Los Angeles to Honolulu but guess I was wrong to assume that.