OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK JULY 16-23, 2023 SEASCAPE

[Andy1850]

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Never sailed the Mera in any cabin. Maybe Andy can help as he has. I like the $3000 less part, and that alone would push me over the edge.

The Duplex suites on the Mera are much larger and are superior to the RS….but they are not located inside the YC area.  Originally they were not even part of YC, after much complaining they added them.  If you do not mind being outside of the YC compound and you need the space, go with the Duplex. We prefer to be in the YC area.

[go.without.you]

On 7/16/2023 at 8:00 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

First thing I tried when we got on board was our Key card over ride on the elevator to go up to deck 16. It was not working. Pressed it regular and got an elevator in 10 seconds, but this was before 5500 passengers boarded.

  Some crew that finished their contracts the day of the port shutdown missed their flights like everyone else and had to remain on board for another week before they got flights arranged by MSC.

Remaining on board....do you know if they are working the extra week or have it off? Just curious.

[Classynfun1]

Thanks so much for this thread. Bummed you are disembarking on the 23rd, right as we will be getting on the ship! Would gave been nice to meet you since, without even knowing it, you are one of the reasons we decided to give MSC a go! We did our first MSC cruise in December, in yacht club of course. Getting cruise #2 in next week before I start a new job on the 31st. 

 

After 450+ days on ships, most on Celebrity (in The Retreat or suite class before it existed), we enjoyed our experience in the yacht club. So..thank you! :)

[jules815]

10 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Enjoy it while you can. We were like you just a short time ago. Prided ourselves with our agility. At the YC tent there was a manifest with all the YC guest names, cabin, and ages. Out of curiosity DW and I wondered if we were the oldest YC travelers. Thankfully we were not. BUT, there were only a dozen of us over 71. Over 70 is not the new 50, and elevator overrides are an ever important perk for the aged. To find out tonight that our seasoned butler feels the abuse the "circus" continually inflicts on the ship's elevators, it is a feature that will be lost along with Diamond chocolate ships, gelato, crepes, and multiple bottles of spirits.

This is a true story and one that has really stuck with me. On our last cruise with Celebrity on Reflection, I think this would have been December 2017, my then 61 year old husband was a few months away from having hip replacement surgery. He insisted he wanted to go on this cruise and didn't want to wait until after. Big mistake. We were in a very nice suite forward of the Solarium pool and had quite a walk down to Luminae. He was in a lot of pain and we had walked to get closer to where Luminae was located and then got on an elevator to go down one floor. There was already a younger couple in the elevator, obviously just finished with their morning workout and also on their way to Luminae. My husband never saw it, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye. The woman mouthed and held up one finger to her partner "one floor!." I never mentioned it to my husband but seeing that hurt me so much. I could have said something to them but probably would have gotten too emotional. Anyway, one should never judge anyone for taking an elevator because you never know their circumstances. I'm happy to report that since that cruise he's had double hip replacement, I had double knee replacement just last year (we're the bionic couple!) and newly retired, we now walk the equivalent of a brisk 5k every morning. That said, if we want to ride the elevators our entire vacation, it's nobody's business. (Sorry for the thread hijack!)

[jules815]

16 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This 22 second video took 4 minutes to upload at 4:30 pm all aboard. It shows the Yacht Club  surf and beach with all the pebbles still.

The bottoms of my feet hurt just looking a that video.

[morpheusofthesea]

50 minutes ago, go.without.you said:

Remaining on board....do you know if they are working the extra week or have it off? Just curious.

DW was curious as well. They probably worked them for room and board ?

[morpheusofthesea]

35 minutes ago, Classynfun1 said:

Thanks so much for this thread. Bummed you are disembarking on the 23rd, right as we will be getting on the ship! Would gave been nice to meet you since, without even knowing it, you are one of the reasons we decided to give MSC a go! We did our first MSC cruise in December, in yacht club of course. Getting cruise #2 in next week before I start a new job on the 31st. 

 

After 450+ days on ships, most on Celebrity (in The Retreat or suite class before it existed), we enjoyed our experience in the yacht club. So..thank you! 🙂

It was veteran poster Hank @Hlitner that convinced us  to try MSC YC. He's the one that started this fan club for us.

P.S. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

Edited July 18, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[Hlitner]

28 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

It was veteran poster Hank @Hlitner that convinced us  to try MSC YC. He's the one that started this fan club for us.

P.S. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

Just hope that our "fan club" status also finds a home with Explora Journeys.

[morpheusofthesea]

Presently very windy. Announcement from bridge in English and Italian only. Must be a warning cause I couldn't understand the English. Sure enough we are to take cover indoors as we are heading into a gale. No heat wave at the present moment. Had just set up the pergola when the roof to jungle pool was closed. Relocated to veranda. Lunch will be packed indoors today as the buffet maybe cancelled on One Pool Deck. Can't even imagine the scene at the Market Place buffet might be like. It is horrible when the sun is shining.

Edited July 18, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

20 % off all specialty restaurants for lunch today.

[morpheusofthesea]

UpTowne Lounge is closed today for a wedding ceremony. At least the interlopers have another venue to crash more exciting than YC. Usually these type functions are performed in the Loft Cafe. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[travelwide]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

20 % off all specialty restaurants for lunch today.

Brilliant idea. It may thin out the herds in the buffet and dining room if they serve lunch there. 

Rain and thunder in Ft. Lauderdale now. Nap time!

[morpheusofthesea]

During lunch in the YC restaurant the Captain came on from the bridge advising passengers not to venture out on deck in the next 5 minutes as gail force winds of 60 knots are expected. multiply by 1.15=69 mph winds, which on our S. Florida weather stations would call off local programing for weather forecasting hurricane force winds. This announcement 'triggered' the officers to battle stations to tie down outdoor furniture. Photo is of YC One Pool Deck sun beds flipped over on each other. 3:30 pm and people are back out on deck in hot tubs. Also roof is reopening over Jungle Pool. The Pizzo alarm, signaling the roof over the jungle pool opening and closing out on deck, frightens first timers. Elevators still over worked. Have to really feel if trip outside YC is worth the walk back up.

Edited July 18, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

Better 'spread' for a regular teatime at the One Pool deck. 22 second video. Downstairs in TSL just one tray. Not very well attended at either location today. A gentleman was very kind to let me finish filming before he swooped into grab a cookie with his bare hand.

Edited July 18, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

I guess they only got to tie down those in the very front of the One Pool deck and the danger must of passed so quickly that they had not time to tie down those further midship.

[phred119s]

10 hours ago, Classynfun1 said:

Thanks so much for this thread. Bummed you are disembarking on the 23rd, right as we will be getting on the ship! Would gave been nice to meet you since, without even knowing it, you are one of the reasons we decided to give MSC a go! We did our first MSC cruise in December, in yacht club of course. Getting cruise #2 in next week before I start a new job on the 31st. 

 

After 450+ days on ships, most on Celebrity (in The Retreat or suite class before it existed), we enjoyed our experience in the yacht club. So..thank you! 🙂

I’ve thought the same (getting off/getting on). We are sailing with you!

[Classynfun1]

1 minute ago, phred119s said:

I’ve thought the same (getting off/getting on). We are sailing with you!

Wonderful! Are you also sailing YC? 

[phred119s]

Just now, Classynfun1 said:

Wonderful! Are you also sailing YC? 

Nah. We booked pretty last minute (not even 2 months ago) so we are hanging with the masses. Haha

[Classynfun1]

Just now, phred119s said:

Nah. We booked pretty last minute (not even 2 months ago) so we are hanging with the masses. Haha

Will still be nice to know there are other good people onboard! We actually booked 2 weeks ago so I get it. I've never needed a vacation so bad and yet also been so unprepared at the same time. Lol

[phred119s]

Just now, Classynfun1 said:

Will still be nice to know there are other good people onboard! We actually booked 2 weeks ago so I get it. I've never needed a vacation so bad and yet also been so unprepared at the same time. Lol

Ha! We were supposed to be on another ship, another date. Then we had some scheduling conflicts and it was get what you can with a lot more costs involved than the first one. We are getting off the Seaside Sunday morning and on Seascape Sunday afternoon. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Tonight is Gala night. Have not seen one pair of shorts. Women are dressed ‘to the nines’. Best late night entertainment is in the Top Sail Lounge. Chora Theatre production is called  “Premier. Great singing and dancing production. Will definitely look forward to seeing the same production again.

   Just have to tell everyone reading these observations that if one has any mobility’ issues do NOT book the Seascape until the elevator situation is resolved. One must be able to climb stairs. Passengers are breaking the elevators faster than they can be repaired. It has become the number one complaint of all of us. It will be our only comment we will write in when we get the comment email.

[morpheusofthesea]

Slowly made our way back up the 10 flights of stairs stopping along the way to try the elevators on each deck getting the "unable to allocate" message on each deck. On occasion we would get elevator "B" 3 minutes to arrival. Waiting 3 minutes and witnessing the elevator pass us by without stopping (keep on eye on the center slit). The 3 minute wait gave us the rest we needed to climb another flight of stairs, as we were bypassed by many others doing the same thing in both directions. When we got back to the YC, we were greeted by our ever smiling personal butler (Andy told me "our" personal butler we had, he had as well, as well as 15 other cabins... he was amazed that we both had superior service despite having 17 cabins to service). Had a delightful chat with Andy and his wife in the TSL and they are a wealth of world travel information from such a young couple.

   I had taken these photos earlier today having taken the aft (2) elevators up to deck 18 Marina Pool deck, then up one flight to 19 over to Top 19 Aurea section. Scanned our key cards to gain entry to the Aurea sun deck and then intoYacht Club area. (Andy said these aft (2) elevators only can be summoned by passengers going up). Andy went on to tell us that he heard from the pool attendant, that even a miserable weather day like today out on the YC One Pool Deck, the attendant caught 4 interlopers that gained access to the YC by way of the Aurea section up this stairway. Andy felt that there was a 'crack down' underway on interlopers in the Yacht Club. Welcome news indeed.

Edited July 19, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

This 14 second video shows how easy it is to gain access to the Top 19 Aurea sun deck. once a person enters with key card the doors do NOT lock shut. One must give the door an extra push to close and lock door. Many will not make the effort.

[morpheusofthesea]

After breakfast and a short walk outside on deck 8 we took the aft elevators up to deck 18 Marina Pool. This morning we were able to call these elevators up or down immediately with very little wait. Crossed over to the front of the ship and entered the Aurea section taking the above video. Went up inside (Could not get DW to use the outside access stairway pictured above that the interlopers use to access the YC) to deck 20 One Pool Deck to check out our pergola. The 2 RS and 2 OS reserved pergolas were the only ones prepared. Ours had the rear wall towel weaved. Pool attendant must have noticed my crude attempt yesterday to towel the rear wall to block the sun and took the initiative early this morning to do it for me (with extra towels). ($5 tip).

[morpheusofthesea]

The best entertainment last night after the Chora Theatre show "Premiere" was to be found in the Top Sail Lounge. It began last night at 5:30  during Gala dinner and it was non stop. No 15 minute breaks between different artists. Not crowded at all as this 21 second video attests. Went to the Loft Cafe to try to catch the Jazz quartet, but the Sinatra Tribute show we had to wait til 10:30 with the saxophonist taking his 30 minute on 15 minute off sets until then. So we took the long trek last night up to YC which took us 30 minutes anyway. Decided to stay in the TSL the rest of the evening and had the lovely conversation with Andy and his charming wife.