Best Cat Mom

4 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

My DW on the other hand enjoys Moscato.  It's about the only wine I can get her to drink.

I love a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc with seafood. Moscato is too sweet for me. If she likes that, she should try a semi-sweet Gewürztraminer. It's has a similar sweetness and I like it to counteract a sour-type food, such as pork and sauerkraut.

PS: Maybe we need a thread for YC food and wine pairings? 😉

3 hours ago, luvseaside said:

I know I had better be specific when I order rose' to clarify NOT WHITE ZINFANDEL

Indeed! If you are with the same server team for each dinner, they'll probably be able to figure out your tastes after just one or two nights. We were extra careful when asking for a RED zinfandel too. Ask about different grapes -- I especially like a Malbec with red meat as a nice change from cabernet sauvignon.

4 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

What parts of the spa do YC have access to?

Basically, you can use all of the spa where there is no regular charge -- meaning saunas, thermal rooms, whirlpools, etc. Treatments have a charge so no massages, facials, body scrubs, etc. are available to YC for free. As @DaKahuna alluded, Divina is a Fantasia-class ship with a small spa so having free access there has minimal perks. However, the Sea class ships have quite a few different rooms (both cold and hot) and a pretty large whirlpool-type pool with heated loungers. We've enjoyed the spa on Seaside and are looking forward to seeing how Seascape compares. Tell us what you think when you check it out. 🙂

19 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

If you wouldn't mind, I too would be interested in the name of your TA.

Sent you an email just now with the info. Buon viaggio!

16 hours ago, RavenCruiser said:

both the head concierge and head butler on our sailing were different.

I knew that Simone (head concierge) went on holiday in May, though I was not sure when (head butler) Rudy's contract ended. I also saw that Glenn went home last week. While it's unfortunate that guests don't get to experience their excellent service right now, it's good for them to go home, see their families and recharge -- and hopefully come back fully refreshed and able to pamper us all another time. 🙂

5 hours ago, RavenCruiser said:

I believe there is also an option in which you can create your own up to a max of five toppings.

Yes -- we always create our own, usually with tomato sauce, arugula, sausage and cheese. If you do create your own, don't forget to ask for tomato sauce and cheese because they won't necessarily assume you want both with your other toppings.

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

When I look at cruises, I price out the cost per person per day.

Exactly the same for us for all holidays, land-based or a cruise. We generally try to stay below $350 per person per night and MSC YC fits right in that price point. I'm amazed at how many land resorts are more than that -- and they don't have the added benefit of waking up in a new port each day and enjoying the sailing time overnight.

7 hours ago, 80sGal said:

when I called to cancel and asked for the refund I was told nope, we would only get back 148 because the rest of the money paid the insurance.  I pointed out I had paid ONLY the amount of the advertised refundable deposit.  I had not paid the extra 250.  They wouldn't budge on the issue.

Though we don't require travel insurance (our American Express Platinum covers it), I recall seeing this mentioned several times on the Cruise Critic boards. Reading and researching are your friends! 🙂

Just now, Georgia_Peaches said:

Isn't it nice that our guys think of such things?

And even better when they stop by TSL on the way back with a drink for us!

On 6/13/2024 at 1:58 PM, kelleherdl said:

they are instructed to only take new photos if the one already there doesn’t meet spec

I upload the image of my spouse so they have to take a better one at the port. What you upload during check in can be anyone and they have no way of knowing. I always figured that was why they used to always take a new one at the port.

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

lack of half bath in the OS

This is one of the things we miss from NCL Haven -- but it's not enough for us to give up YC. The restroom by the concierge desk is what BCD uses as his half bath. 😉

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

When in September will you be sailing?  We have a B2B on Seascape 9/21-9/28 and 9/28-10/5. 

Our second week is the same as your first. We'll buy you a round in TSL. 🙂

Buon viaggio, caro Morph! We will be on Seascape in September. I'm hoping that you discover that Ercan and Anna are extending their contracts and will still be in charge of the TS restaurant then. They were a great team for us on Seaside last year. Ercan was especially kind to me and accommodating to my gluten allergy. For anyone who has a food allergy, knowing what and who to expect makes a world of difference.

Safe travels on the road tomorrow. 🙂

9 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Why, why, why is it that most of us have such royal treatment and others of us post such disappointments while in the Yacht Club ?

We strive to always be friendly with all the staff in YC. We smile and say hi every time we pass the concierge desk. We greet the host at the restaurant with a big smile and good morning/afternoon/evening (and in their own language if we know it). We show everyone that we are having a great time and thank them for making it so.

We have seen others who seem rather surly at times. For instance, I've seen people approach the concierge desk with a question or a concern and not even start with a "hi, how are you today?" but jump into some issue. It is always good to take the time to establish a relationship with the concierges when all is good so they know who you are if something goes awry later. We use the same approach in land-based hotels as well. It's always worked well for us. 

Espresso/coffee is available at the bars, just like in Italy. I don't know about how it may work with different beverage packages since we sail YC and it is all included there. You can ask for anything to be added to make your own preferred type of specialty coffee. We usually add some alcohol to our coffee orders, depending on our mood -- Baileys, Kahlua, coconut rum, etc.

4 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

No Mexican on Seaside.  Only Ocean Cay seafood, Butchers Cut and the Asian Marketplace restaurant.  Deck 16 mid, only accessed by forward elevators.

The bar outside of these specialty restaurants is great for after dinner. We would go there from YC after dinner to visit Frederick -- an excellent "mixologist" -- before we headed back to TSL for closing time. He called all the other bartenders "plumbers" and he proved it by making us great drinks every time. 😉

12 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Only the big groups and b2b were replenished with water and drinks.

We were on a B2B last year that was a 7-night plus a 4-night. The day the 4-nighters boarded, the concierge walked past us at the TSL bar and said something to the effect of "I have to give these new guests the initial talk and I hope we don't disturb you." And then the day of disembarkation, there was a table at breakfast that hadn't learned the names of the various people in the TS restaurant and were incensed (yes, incensed seems the best word to describe their surprising behavior) that we were -- as they stated it -- fawned over and they were ignored. I think both crew and guests simply don't have enough time to bond on the shorter cruises, unfortunately.

2 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

there are just under 34 ounces in a liter

At our local Mexican restaurant, the margaritas we order are 27 ounces each. We usually have 3 each with a dinner. I fear that if we're on a ship with an Hola! restaurant, we'll feel it's lacking. 😁

15 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

It amazes me the number of couples who never break breathe to each other through an entire meal.

We are also amazed at the lack of interaction at the tables of some other travelers. Our dinners usually take 2 to 2.5 hours because we're so busy talking and enjoying each other's company and we forget to keep eating. Why go on holiday if you don't like being together? I can only imagine dinners at home in their houses. 😞

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I cannot remember if the bar in the Top Sail Lounge actually closed for the drill or not.

Each time we did the drill, we did it at the very beginning and usually were the only ones walking back up the staircases, while the masses were heading down. We always returned directly to TSL and they always served us as soon as we arrived. I suspect they use that old-fashioned "honor system" expecting that everyone who goes into the bar after the drill has completed the drill. It's not like they scan our cards to find out. LOL

We prefer lunch at the specialty restaurant. There are less people and you don't miss a potentially great dinner menu in YC. Enjoy your cruise!!

You can ask at the YC restaurant. We find that the host/assistant manager can be our best asset there. 🙂

6 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

we skipped the queue.

Good to know. Thanks for sharing. Hope you had a great meal. 🙂

2 hours ago, rikitikitavii said:

Ocean Cay opened before the pandemic

Oops! Guess I misremembered why, just that it was tardy. Thanks for the correction.

2 hours ago, CityGrrl said:

MSC was super-committed to an on-time opening.

They missed it, though the pandemic was a contributing factor.

If you've been to Italy, you know that dates are very approximate there. I love MSC's products, so I'll deal with it! 🙂