Best Cat Mom

The best part is that you're in YC so if it's not crispy enough or not floppy enough or not 'whatever' enough, they'll make it to order for you!

So excited that you're on board now -- so much so, that you'd think we were on board as well. Thanks for helping us get through the next 4 weeks until we board! 🙂

You skipped the grilled tournedos in the YC restaurant? We love those on day 1 for lunch. And I love the octopus soup. (I think the hamachi and avocado carpaccio has a cult-type following on CC as well.)

If they run out of Champagne, they move up the brand. It's a wonderful thing!

I forgot that you were traveling with minors. Never mind... 😈

Champagne, Oberon cabernet sauvignon, Hennessy, Cointreau or a "real" bourbon are the ones where we might clean them out, otherwise you're fine. 😁

This one especially made me laugh. It's a holiday, no? 😁

Friday is almost here! Looking forward to traveling along...

As long as almond milk is somewhere on the ship, I'd say yes. Or, if not, use amaretto. 😁

And so are we!

BCD says he is interested in trying it. He's heard of it but not tried one yet. And YC is the place to try new stuff! 🙂

Bummer! Always nice to meet other CC members. I'm sure you'll have a great time. We'll try not to drink them out of everything good!

Are with us the week before or only the same 2 weeks as @DaKahuna?

Totally agree! We were on a short tour in Mallorca and the bus pulled up to our last stop near a church. The guide said we could walk over to the church or take the shuttle back to the ship, which happened to be waiting just next to us at the time. No brainer -- back to the ship post haste! 🙂

Europeans use Marie Rose sauce, which is very similar to Thousand Island Dressing (there are a few variations, which is why I say similar and not "the same"). If you ask specifically for ground horseradish and ketchup and mix it yourself, you should be all set. We make our own at home and friends always ask me for the recipe. "Heinz and horse" -- lots and lots of horse -- is our secret. 😉

I am gluten free, so I can't have the "regular" pasta form. They have very limited shapes for GF and it doesn't always work with the sauce. The pasta forms are very important in the experience of the dish as a whole. And remember that it's always appropriate to ask for more sauce, if you don't like the Italian style of less.

Totally agree and it MUST be that way for me. The ketchup I can live with either way. LOL

Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday! I think you deserve to go on a YC cruise as your gift. Oh wait...

This is exactly why we engage with the concierges from Day 1. When they know you, they're much more apt to make time to help no matter what other crazy things are going on with their day. We never walk by the desk without a big smile hello and often will stop to chat if they are alone. Sometimes the YC Director or Head Butler will pop out from the office behind the desk to chat as well. They like to ask about how our cruise has been -- they really want feedback while you're on the cruise so they can adjust anything if needed.

The two ketchup varieties are quite different. I've seen and heard some interesting conversations about preferences, with intensity close to the toilet paper over or under debate. 😉

That's a great idea! Make sure to get there early before the masses descend and make a mess though. I'm always amazed at how quickly a self-serve buffet can look like a hurricane hit it.

Pictures of the ship would be something that we hardly ever do, since we mostly stay in the sanctuary of YC. If we leave, it's not early enough in the day to get images without tons of people in them. @Essiesmom wins there and I know we could never compete! 🙂 We only have two excursions for our 14-days on board -- Puerto Plata and Grand Cayman. I think it's our first time to both ports. We tend to seek out MSC history-type tours that are only for a few hours and those are few and far between. We really dislike having to get up early and the few tours we do pick always seem to have an early start time. Besides, why leave the ship when all the "good stuff" is there?

A common expression in our family. Great minds... 😁

I was contemplating whether it would be repetitive, given this thread and the recent one by @morpheusofthesea. But since you asked, we'll do our best to provide some "preparatory intelligence." 😉

But they let it on board when you first embarked? Subjective vs. objective as usual. Sometimes it works to one's advantage and sometime not. 😉