See/View-ing Seaview

[DCGuy64]

My wife and I are on the small side so I don't imagine we'll have a problem with the bathroom, but what I really want to know is how the Premium+ beverage package worked out. I hope you were able to avail yourself of that, despite DH's ordeal, @Beamafar

[CruisingFox27]

Very disappointed to read of your Butler experience Bea. There is a poster currently on Seaview who has also had a difficult experience and has asked to change their Butler.

 

One question regarding the YIN cabin, how was the lighting? Were the main room lights sufficiently bright?

 

The internal storage space is something I'm giving a lot of consideration to, especially as we also now share your cold/hot weather position.

I've always found magnetic hooks to be very useful and will have additional for Mera next month. I've just ordered a couple of WonderHangers too - thanks for the tip @BermudaBound2014

 

I hope Mr B is keeping up the good work with regard to the cigarettes and all health issues are under control.

[thecruisers6]

@BermudaBound2014

Was it a verb or a noun?

Nope it’s a packet of wonder hangers and the over door storage pouches 😂

Thanks very much BB. Can’t wait to see those fall foliage colours 😀

[BermudaBound2014]

10 hours ago, thecruisers6 said:

Can’t wait to see those fall foliage colours 😀

 

We are having a very late fall here in the Great Lakes and that is GREAT news for you guys sailing October 18th. Normally mid October is past peak color change that far north, but with this year I think you may have hit the  jackpot! It was in the 80's all week  and not one leaf has changed yet here in Michigan. I'm crossing my fingers that the trees hold out a few weeks so those sailing can get the full on fall display :).

[Beamafar]

On 9/23/2019 at 5:59 PM, DCGuy64 said:

My wife and I are on the small side so I don't imagine we'll have a problem with the bathroom, but what I really want to know is how the Premium+ beverage package worked out. I hope you were able to avail yourself of that, despite DH's ordeal, @Beamafar

 

The PremiumPlus package upgrade worked out to be great value for us DCG, despite DH being limited.  I enjoyed my Remy Martin XO (I tried the Martell XO, which was pricier, but didn't like it), I got to have a few glasses of Veuve Cliquot (a champagne I'd never tried before, but took a liking to, so never bothered with the Moët) as well as one or two champagne cocktails at the Champagne bar and had an even better range of wines to try out.  DH managed a few JWB over the course of the cruise, and more than enjoyed them before he fell ill.  He loved the stuff!  I tried it and didn't care for it at all.  Give me a Jemmie (an endearing term for Jameson) any day - can't beat the Irish, I say.  😜

 

When we first embarked, I got talking to a woman in the Top Sail Lounge who had upgraded onboard and she had a sticker on her cruisecard to indicate that she had the + package.  So I went to the Concierge to explain that we had the upgraded one, too. He took my card and issued a new one, still with nothing showing.  He said that it was OK as it was in the system.  I never had a problem when ordering + items when outside of YC, despite there being no code on my card (other than having to tell the crew when ordering a top-shelf product that it was OK, I had + package - which is the norm and understandable.  They're used to having to explain to people that things aren't included and, when I showed my card, they could just see YC and would assume I thought everything was included.  Once they swiped my card, there wasn't any issues).

 

One time, when we were in the casino, DH asked for a Johnnie Walker Blue;  they didn't have it, which surprised us as the bar there is very big (we understand that, at small venues, they can't stock the full range).  I spied an officer we'd met at the Black Card event (with a colleague who turned out to be the bar manager) and approached him about it, explaining that we thought the bar was big enough to have it stocked.  His colleague immediately said no problem, he'd see to it that they got a bottle from elsewhere, if we wouldn't mind waiting.  Soon after, a server arrived over to where we playing slots and handed DH a glass of JWB, no card swiped, no questions asked!  It was the only one he had at that venue lol, after the trouble they went to to have it there for him.  His intake over the course of the cruise was very restricted (he wasn't able for it, poor chap).

 

One other "issue" we had around it, was that they billed us for our TSL orders - none from the YC restaurant or anywhere else 🙄  Somehow, the barmen there mustn't have known we had + package.  The Concierge was all apologies when I pointed it out;  it wasn't a problem at all.

[Beamafar]

On 9/22/2019 at 2:38 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

You probably know all of these little tricks/hacks for storage, but just in case....

 

 ...Hope that helps your packing for your big trip coming up 🙂

 

 

 

Thanks, a mil, BB.  Some great ideas there.  I've bought some magnets, alright and will try to pick up a couple of those gadgets when in New York, if I don't get a chance to here before we head off.  I do have a couple of space-saving hangers (not what you've posted, though) which, could work for us, but they're bulkier than the ones in your pics.

 

Someone else recommended Command strips - I had a look at them yesterday, but they're a bit pricey for one-off uses!

 

Good to know that the fall colours look to be a little late this year!

[Beamafar]

17 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Very disappointed to read of your Butler experience Bea. There is a poster currently on Seaview who has also had a difficult experience and has asked to change their Butler.

 

One question regarding the YIN cabin, how was the lighting? Were the main room lights sufficiently bright?

 

The internal storage space is something I'm giving a lot of consideration to, especially as we also now share your cold/hot weather position.

I've always found magnetic hooks to be very useful and will have additional for Mera next month. I've just ordered a couple of WonderHangers too - thanks for the tip @BermudaBound2014

 

I hope Mr B is keeping up the good work with regard to the cigarettes and all health issues are under control.

 

There was another butler onboard that we'd had before - it wouldn't surprise me if he was the one you're referring to (if it wasn't actually the one we had lol).  Even when our fella brought our luggage down to the car, he barely said goodbye to us.  I only tipped him what we would have tipped a porter for doing the same thing - it was the only tip he got!  He always looked as though he hated his job - even our Norwegian friends thought that when I pointed him out, after he served us in the One Pool area one day.  The guy didn't even acknowledge me (the way your butler usually does on seeing you).  I said to our friends when he walked off  "Can you believe that's our butler?!"

 

ETA ... Oh, Mr B is still off the fags  - 3 weeks today YAY!  We were up in Dublin in the hospital, yesterday, getting some tests/x-rays done, and look forward to getting the results soon.  Things are looking better than they seemed, we think!  Fingers crossed, eh?

 

ETAA ... Oops, forgot to answer the question on the lighting - it was sufficient enough, it was the dark ceiling that was very off-putting, though.  We brought a night-light, too (which Mark - thecruisers6 - had recommended).  It was a must-have!  I highly recommend you bring one.  The one I got has USB ports, too, for charging, (though they weren't needed as the newer ships have USB ports, anyway).

Edited September 25, 2019 by Beamafar

[marcoigna]

4 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The PremiumPlus package upgrade worked out to be great value for us DCG, despite DH being limited.  I enjoyed my Remy Martin XO (I tried the Martell XO, which was pricier, but didn't like it), I got to have a few glasses of Veuve Cliquot (a champagne I'd never tried before, but took a liking to, so never bothered with the Moët) as well as one or two champagne cocktails at the Champagne bar and had an even better range of wines to try out.  DH managed a few JWB over the course of the cruise, and more than enjoyed them before he fell ill.  He loved the stuff!  I tried it and didn't care for it at all.  Give me a Jemmie (an endearing term for Jameson) any day - can't beat the Irish, I say.

 

Good day.  Sorry, don’t understand  olus package when u were in YC. On upcoming Meraviglia cruise, we booked in Decenber of 2017 - does that make a difference?  

[Beamafar]

7 minutes ago, marcoigna said:

 

Good day.  Sorry, don’t understand  olus package when u were in YC. On upcoming Meraviglia cruise, we booked in Decenber of 2017 - does that make a difference?  

 

No.  The YC included package is the equivalent of the Premium package.  There are items for charge on the YC menus that the new Premium+ package includes, such as higher-end champagnes, wines and spirits.  It's $17 pppd to upgrade.  We've done it for our upcoming 23 nights on Meraviglia, too.

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by Beamafar

[marcoigna]

2 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

No.  The YC included package is the equivalent of the Premium package.  There are items for charge on the YC menus that the new Premium+ package includes, such as higher-end champagnes, wines and spirits.  It's $17 pppd to upgrade.  We've done it for our upcoming 23 nights on Meraviglia, too.

 Just so i get it - you are in the YC, but still decided to pay an additional $17/person/day to upgrade to premium plus.   Correct?    

[Beamafar]

Just now, marcoigna said:

 Just so i get it - you are in the YC, but still decided to pay an additional $17/person/day to upgrade to premium plus.   Correct?    

 

Correct!

[CruisingFox27]

Well done Mr B 🙂 Fingers crossed all is well with the test results.

 

We've purchased a night light too. Watching a video of our cabin on Mera, the ceiling is light so hopefully that will be an improvement from your Seaview experience. Our Seaside ceiling does also look to be darker 😏

 

At the rate I'm purchasing storage solutions I'll have more than Ikea but no luggage capacity to pack anything which requires said storage 😂

[DCGuy64]

5 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

The PremiumPlus package upgrade worked out to be great value for us DCG, despite DH being limited.  I enjoyed my Remy Martin XO (I tried the Martell XO, which was pricier, but didn't like it), I got to have a few glasses of Veuve Cliquot (a champagne I'd never tried before, but took a liking to, so never bothered with the Moët) as well as one or two champagne cocktails at the Champagne bar and had an even better range of wines to try out.  DH managed a few JWB over the course of the cruise, and more than enjoyed them before he fell ill.  He loved the stuff!  I tried it and didn't care for it at all.  Give me a Jemmie (an endearing term for Jameson) any day - can't beat the Irish, I say.  😜

 

When we first embarked, I got talking to a woman in the Top Sail Lounge who had upgraded onboard and she had a sticker on her cruisecard to indicate that she had the + package.  So I went to the Concierge to explain that we had the upgraded one, too. He took my card and issued a new one, still with nothing showing.  He said that it was OK as it was in the system.  I never had a problem when ordering + items when outside of YC, despite there being no code on my card (other than having to tell the crew when ordering a top-shelf product that it was OK, I had + package - which is the norm and understandable.  They're used to having to explain to people that things aren't included and, when I showed my card, they could just see YC and would assume I thought everything was included.  Once they swiped my card, there wasn't any issues).

 

One time, when we were in the casino, DH asked for a Johnnie Walker Blue;  they didn't have it, which surprised us as the bar there is very big (we understand that, at small venues, they can't stock the full range).  I spied an officer we'd met at the Black Card event (with a colleague who turned out to be the bar manager) and approached him about it, explaining that we thought the bar was big enough to have it stocked.  His colleague immediately said no problem, he'd see to it that they got a bottle from elsewhere, if we wouldn't mind waiting.  Soon after, a server arrived over to where we playing slots and handed DH a glass of JWB, no card swiped, no questions asked!  It was the only one he had at that venue lol, after the trouble they went to to have it there for him.  His intake over the course of the cruise was very restricted (he wasn't able for it, poor chap).

 

One other "issue" we had around it, was that they billed us for our TSL orders - none from the YC restaurant or anywhere else 🙄  Somehow, the barmen there mustn't have known we had + package.  The Concierge was all apologies when I pointed it out;  it wasn't a problem at all.

Thank you so much for the rundown on using Premium+, @Beamafar. That’s all good to know. Wonder if I should take a picture with my phone that says “Upgrade to Premium+,” LOL. Perhaps we’ll stop by the YC Concierge when we board, but it sounds like it’ll be fine once they swipe our card. Really excited about the Veuve Clicquot being on the menu. 😀

[Beamafar]

5 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Thank you so much for the rundown on using Premium+, @Beamafar. That’s all good to know. Wonder if I should take a picture with my phone that says “Upgrade to Premium+,” LOL. Perhaps we’ll stop by the YC Concierge when we board, but it sounds like it’ll be fine once they swipe our card. Really excited about the Veuve Clicquot being on the menu. 😀

 

Don't get too excited (if it's a US-based cruise, that is - racking my brain, here, trying to remember what you've booked apart from Mera, which, I know you're on soon after us, so that's a US one anyway lol) - I don't see Veuve Cliquot on the above-posted menu that someone posted from Seaside - only Moët.  Veuve is on the Med cruises list.  It may be available in the Champagne Bar, though.  I'll definitely report back and let you know what is available - I've 23 nights to find out lol.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Beamafar

[DCGuy64]

4 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

Don't get too excited (if it's a US-based cruise, that is - racking my brain, here, trying to remember what you've booked apart from Mera, which, I know you're on soon after us, so that's a US one anyway lol) - I don't see Veuve Cliquot on the above-posted menu that someone posted from Seaside - only Moët.  Veuve is on the Med cruises list.  It may be available in the Champagne Bar, though.  I'll definitely report back and let you know what is available - I've 23 nights to find out lol.

It’s fine, the Moët would do nicely, as well. We’re on the Meraviglia Dec 8, cruising the Caribbean. Honestly any brand of champagne is good with us, and we’ll be happy with whatever wines they offer, too. Given that it’s our first time in the Yacht Club, it may feel a bit like gilding the lily. Oh and I’m curious what you thought of the Brass Anchor Pub, in case you ventured in. I like cider a lot and saw they offer Strongbow. 😋 

[Beamafar]

They also have Guinness on tap;  last time we were on, DH (who worked in James's Gate, the home of Guinness) tried to teach the barman how to pull a pint of the black stuff, but he wasn't interested and continued to pull it in the same way as beer (sacrilege!) which led to it being served wrong.  So anyone new to Guinness would not have liked it, had they ordered it from him.  In fact, we did see a few glasses being left unfinished.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Beamafar

[DCGuy64]

Ah yes, my one and only time to Eire I visited the James’s Gate Guinness location & loved the beer there. Tasted very different (and better) than what we get Stateside.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Beamafar]

Anyway ... I'll pay a visit (or two - in the interest of research, doncha know 😉) to the Brass Anchor to see what's on offer and let you know if Strongbow is still on the menu for her US sailings.

[thecruisers6]

3 hours ago, marcoigna said:

 Just so i get it - you are in the YC, but still decided to pay an additional $17/person/day to upgrade to premium plus.   Correct?    

Although Bea has given plenty of good advice and help over the years, this is by far her best ever suggestion 😀

You can’t beat the better options unlimited, not included in the YC offerings. 

Its going to be some cruise 😂🤪

[bigblue1952]

We followed Bea's advice.  We will be on the Seaside in November and upgraded to the premium+ package.  We are looking forward to the champagne and better wines.

[citizenfrank]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

It’s fine, the Moët would do nicely, as well. We’re on the Meraviglia Dec 8, cruising the Caribbean. Honestly any brand of champagne is good with us, and we’ll be happy with whatever wines they offer, too. Given that it’s our first time in the Yacht Club, it may feel a bit like gilding the lily. Oh and I’m curious what you thought of the Brass Anchor Pub, in case you ventured in. I like cider a lot and saw they offer Strongbow. 😋 

Not the best cider! That is one thing the cruise industry needs to get to grips with....cider at Sea! 

[citizenfrank]

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

They also have Guinness on tap;  last time we were on, DH (who worked in James's Gate, the home of Guinness) tried to teach the barman how to pull a pint of the black stuff, but he wasn't interested and continued to pull it in the same way as beer (sacrilege!) which led to it being served wrong.  So anyone new to Guinness would not have liked it, had they ordered it from him.  In fact, we did see a few glasses being left unfinished.

Not a drink to allow the lunatics out of the asylum over! On Seaview it was bottled...like cans should be made illegal..

When they poured a bottle the glorious white creamy head was instantly dirty brown....ughhhhhhhhhhh

[citizenfrank]

32 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

We followed Bea's advice.  We will be on the Seaside in November and upgraded to the premium+ package.  We are looking forward to the champagne and better wines.

Premium Plus it's a crime to board without It!  

Like forgetting your undies 😂

[Beamafar]

4 minutes ago, citizenfrank said:

Not a drink to allow the lunatics out of the asylum over! On Seaview it was bottled...like cans should be made illegal..

When they poured a bottle the glorious white creamy head was instantly dirty brown....ughhhhhhhhhhh

DH wouldn't touch the stuff on a ship (and he loves a good pint!)  He doesn't even recommend drinking the bottles.

[Beamafar]

58 minutes ago, thecruisers6 said:

Although Bea has given plenty of good advice and help over the years, this is by far her best ever suggestion 😀

You can’t beat the better options unlimited, not included in the YC offerings. 

Its going to be some cruise 😂🤪

 

It sure is!  I hope they have this ship well-stocked!  😜

 

bigblue52 ... hope you enjoy it as much as we did on Seaview!  🍸🍾🍷 🍹😎