Mark_T

I'm just guessing here, so please don't be offended, but I wonder if you are inadvertently giving the impression that you are happy being left to your own devices? Sometimes you do need to make the first move and if things are not happening automatically you may need to be more assertive and engage directly with your butler and his assistant if things are not happening as you want. Fir us, the lack of a pillow menu would not have gone beyond the first evening and the failure to stock the fridge would not have gone beyond the following afternoon without polite escalation. I'd say that if your butler was proving difficult to find, now would be a great time to have a chat with Pepe (YC Director) and let him know that your expectations were not being met... This isn't something to just wait and hope it sorts itself out.

That is correct, MSC outsource the process to Plusgrade and they are in good company doing that... https://www.plusgrade.com/partners/

I used to work for a large international hotel chain, and it was written into our travel rules that we must speak to a manger if we received anything less than great service in any of our properties as far too few guests actually say anything, they just complain to all their friends instead...

Don't forget you can order a pizza to be delivered to your suite (no charge). You'll find the list in the room service menu.

It is not that simple, the aim is to maximise the value of the chain below you as well, so it matters how much people are willing to pay for the cabin you are in and what people below them will pay for the cabin they are in...

I would suggest giving it another try, but on arrival mention that you were unhappy with the lack of attention and ask to be seated in a different section. The management do want to fix things but sometimes they may not notice everything that slips below an acceptable level, so a quick word now can set the level for the rest of the cruise before it becomes a real problem.

If I was inclined to break the rules regarding bringing alcohol onboard, which I am not, I'm not sure I'd choose to do it in a country where discovery at the port could have consequences with local law enforcement as well...

Fear not, Divina is on a charter right before our cruise and is going nowhere near Columbia. Cruise Itinerary: Miami, Florida (05 Feb d1800); George Town, Grand Cayman (07 Feb 0800-1800); Ocho Rios, Jamaica (08 Feb 0900-1700); Ocean Cay, Bahamas (10 Feb 0900-2200); Miami, Florida (11 Feb a0700) Looks like a fairly benign charter compared to some others 🙂 https://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/

More likely that their Butler is one of those involved in the transfer of new arrivals during boarding, so hopefully they will turn up shortly.

Just take the elevator down to deck 7 for an easy indoor walk if the weather or the deck conditions make deck 15 unappealing...

It is the paradox of true luxury lines that when every guest is 'special' then no guest is 'special' in relation to the others... We've had similar experiences on the smaller Regent ships I think we are starting to see the answer to the 'was it worth upgrading to the suite with butler...' question. Hope it turns out to be an enjoyable experience overall though.

How does the size compare to the largest Explora suite that doesn't come with a butler?

That is probably going to be one of the more challenging assessments at the end of your cruise, does the butler + suite deliver sufficient extra enjoyment to upgrade on a future cruise, or not... ?

There are a few venues on each ship where none of the drink packages will work, that has nothing to do with being in the YC or not though, and in general the list will be shorter for those on the Premium Extra package, which is what you will have with the YC experience.

Highly unlikely. Often the flights may be either refundable or at least able to cancel and apply the credit to other flights, but if not then that is something that should have been covered by travel insurance, and the same goes for hotel reservations, private tours etc...

I was wondering about the 'Bonus' item, but why are the 'drinks' and 'WiFi' icons missing on one of them as you can't book the YC experience and not get them? It seems rather misleading...

The YC experience always includes the Premium Extra drinks package and a 2 device surf WiFi package each, so not sure what those somewhat cryptically described packages are charging extra for... When you go through the MSC website you often start by selecting between a deal with or without a drinks package and those have a different price, but by the time you've picked the YC experience it doesn't matter as the price is the same no matter which you picked as your starting point...

You will get the Premium Extra package which is valid for use around the ship, not just in the YC. Like all the drink packages there are some venues that do not let you use them, they vary from ship to ship, but not many will not allow the Premium Extra package to be used.

Latest update...

Totally understandable in that case, can always hope though 🙂

Nothing wrong with bringing your own preferred brand for safety, but I suspect you are going to be happy with the range of both tea-bags and loose tea on Divina.

That would usually be something covered by your travel insurance. On that same point, be careful about this bit... Check with your insurer that the letter MSC have sent is sufficient to be able to claim for the airfare and any other costs, as if you cancel the cruise as they suggest it may be hard to get any additional proof that the cancellation was caused by MSC.

A little hyperbolic... Two of the low-cost airlines do this, Ryanair & Wizz Air, the others do not.

Oddly though I can see the same wording as the OP on a short cruise (3 day) we have booked next Summer, hence asking if theirs is also a short cruise... I'd still go with error rather than policy change though...

Ordinarily I'd suggest (somewhat ironically) that you should dispute the 2nd credit card payment, but I suspect you are now past the deadline to do that...?