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

[morpheusofthesea]

 

 Here is a 23 second video upon our arrival to Ocean House.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

The question is what is really happening this next April and May while Ocean Cay is closed for "renovations".  No one on board brought up the widening of channel for World America. Instead the thoughts were from department heads that their stations were up for needed improvements. The maitre 'd felt it was improving Ocean House to provide more screening/shade for the guests while dining. The spa feels they are getting expanded infrastructure for spa treatments., etc....It just depends on who one questions. This is the 'modus operandi' of MSC, whether it be MSC cruises or Explora Journeys, no reason for 'transparency'. Their success has been to "keep everyone guessing".

[morpheusofthesea]

Repost of #151 Trouble uploading video.

Edited July 21, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[CarolnLarry]

Wonder on here how many know what a ball peen hammer is?

Could you recommend a waiter and assistant that would really spoil my granddaugter on her first cruise in December, She is 26 and I really want her first cruise to be special.

[blueskadoo]

Question regarding the pergolas. I know some are reserved for the higher suites, but are there any for rent by the day for other YC guests? Hubs is celebrating his 50th on Seascape and would like to do something nice on that day since it’s not a preferred port. How does one go about that if it is an option, and at what cost? Thanks 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, CarolnLarry said:

Wonder on here how many know what a ball peen hammer is?

Could you recommend a waiter and assistant that would really spoil my granddaugter on her first cruise in December, She is 26 and I really want her first cruise to be special.

First I ‘assume’ you are talking about Yacht Club? Next if so , I can tell you that the last of those that opened the Seascape have finished their 9 + months contract and are heading home this cruise. They have 2 to 6 month vacations depending on visas and do not know where they will be sent for their next ship. The best sign of a good waiter on MSC YC is the color of their tie. Gold is a seasoned waiter and his assistant wears a black tie.

   Also for a first timer with no track record the best way to get ‘recognized’ is to tip after every meal. I use to tip $5 after breakfast, $10 after lunch, $20 after dinner. Now that we have been allocated the same ‘team’ for every meal we tip both our waiters $200 each for a 7 day cruise. YMMV.

  In addition, whether they pool their tips or not is none of our concern. 

  

Edited July 22, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, blueskadoo said:

Question regarding the pergolas. I know some are reserved for the higher suites, but are there any for rent by the day for other YC guests? Hubs is celebrating his 50th on Seascape and would like to do something nice on that day since it’s not a preferred port. How does one go about that if it is an option, and at what cost? Thanks 

I understand that each ship has its own rules regarding the pergolas. Generally from questioning the concierge only the RS/OS are reserved complimentary. The others are first come first served. Now if one is a ‘media darling’ or hosts a social media platform exceptions have been noticed.

   Also of note is we have tipped this week in excess of $50 to have our pergola toweled to above and beyond normal and because of stifling heat, lack of ocean breezes, followed by showers we have yet to enjoy a full day in it.

[CarolnLarry]

40 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

First I ‘assume’ you are talking about Yacht Club? Next if so , I can tell you that the last of those that opened the Seascape have finished their 9 + months contract and are heading home this cruise. They have 2 to 6 month vacations depending on visas and do not know where they will be sent for their next ship. The best sign of a good waiter on MSC YC is the color of their tie. Gold is a seasoned waiter and his assistant wears a black tie.

   Also for a first timer with no track record the best way to get ‘recognized’ is to tip after every meal. I use to tip $5 after breakfast, $10 after lunch, $20 after dinner. Now that we have been allocated the same ‘team’ for every meal we tip both our waiters $200 each for a 7 day cruise. YMMV.

  In addition, whether they pool their tips or not is none of our concern. 

  

Have done 10 YC cruises and just wondered if you had anyone that stood out who would still be there in Dec.  Maybe after one of youf next cruises on the Seascape.  We had great people in lateJ an but can only hope they would come back/

[morpheusofthesea]

45 minutes ago, CarolnLarry said:

Have done 10 YC cruises and just wondered if you had anyone that stood out who would still be there in Dec.  Maybe after one of youf next cruises on the Seascape.  We had great people in lateJ an but can only hope they would come back/

We have found that ‘most’ people ‘will rise to the occasional’ good tipper. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Nineteen second panning of Le Cabaret Rouge last night of the violinist playing one of the only 3 songs we have had the misfortune to sit through again. I guess word spread throughout the ship of the LCR acts. One need not rush to find a good viewing seat.

[morpheusofthesea]

Questions have always been asked if shorts are being allowed into the YC restaurant. Aside from Gala night the answer is yes. Have seen many, if not most that wear shorts for all meals in the YC restaurant. 'Blessed are the "Onslows", for they shall inherit the YC'.

[lcpagejr]

12 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

First I ‘assume’ you are talking about Yacht Club? Next if so , I can tell you that the last of those that opened the Seascape have finished their 9 + months contract and are heading home this cruise. They have 2 to 6 month vacations depending on visas and do not know where they will be sent for their next ship. The best sign of a good waiter on MSC YC is the color of their tie. Gold is a seasoned waiter and his assistant wears a black tie.

   Also for a first timer with no track record the best way to get ‘recognized’ is to tip after every meal. I use to tip $5 after breakfast, $10 after lunch, $20 after dinner. Now that we have been allocated the same ‘team’ for every meal we tip both our waiters $200 each for a 7 day cruise. YMMV.

  In addition, whether they pool their tips or not is none of our concern. 

  

Is that in addition to to the daily gratuities/serv  charged   to your account for each passenger??

[morpheusofthesea]

To whom this may concern. Tomorrow's cruise there will be 358 Yacht Club guests 83 of which are children. Must say though the children on this cruise were very well behaved.

[morpheusofthesea]

7 minutes ago, lcpagejr said:

Is that in addition to to the daily gratuities/serv  charged   to your account for each passenger??

yes.

   

It all depends on your service. What would you feel you would appreciate for the service you provided if the shoe was on the other foot?

I was unsure about a lot of things, so I went in search of information and found this university study on tipping. "The common feature of all forms of tipping is the voluntary and discretionary nature of the tip: the consumer is free to choose how much to tip, if at all. This definition excludes service charges, imposed gratuities, and imposed tips which have nothing in common with voluntary tipping."

  Being one's first time with no past experience of what to expect from a butler it can be a challenge. Let us take the example mentioned here. Some of us have experienced the assemblage of YC guests meeting in the TopSail Lounge for a 'group' escort off the ship to "fend for themselves" on the pier, while others are approached the night before by their personal butler (a good one) asking one's plans and setting up an appointment to be picked up at one's cabin and escorted (without a group) personally to one's seat (coach or private car). The group butler hardly deserves much of a tip unless it is from the spouse of a late straggler holding up the entire group waiting in the lounge. The "good" butler goes above and beyond and deserves at least $20 per day. We only travel 7 day cruises and tip $200-$400 depending on the level of service provided. One cruise we only tipped our butler $20 for the week, we did not get the service we had grown accustomed to (spoiled by) from other butlers on MSC.

Edited July 22, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

Here is another posting from a former staff member on another social media site. "ElGofre
3 mo. ago
Ex-crew here, although I wasn't part of the crew who received gratuities.
The simple explanation is that most of the service crew are guaranteed a certain wage per month, partially paid for by the cruise line and partially via gratuities, and if the amount of gratuities received during the cruise aren't enough to reach that guaranteed amount, the cruise will make up the shortfall. My understanding is that the maths is done so that if everyone on board the ship sailing at its usual sailing capacity leaves their gratuities turned on, the amount in the pool will be enough to cover that wage for everyone. In the event people do overpay, it does indeed mean the crew get paid more- IF the cruise line don't take a cut or reduce their contribution, the crew's pay does increase." ( A big "IF").

[morpheusofthesea]

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many."

 

 

 

 

 

[lcpagejr]

25 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many."

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the insight Morph! I appreciate the different perspectives. I always tip extra ... Glad I have!  

Edited July 22, 2023 by lcpagejr

[morpheusofthesea]

Received two invoices/statements this 7 day voyage. One on Wednesday that reflected our internet upgrade of $70 and $63 for each of us for our 2 devices each to streaming. The final statement we got last night asking us to verify the charges.

[morpheusofthesea]

For those outside the Yacht Club we noticed the set up of two 'satellite' bars on either side of the Marina Pool deck 18 to accommodate more passengers flocking to the main bar also on that deck. Noticed they set up 3 tents over a sofa/chair combo to give more shade for diners at the Seafood Extravaganza today, in about 1 1/2 hours. There are 14 pergolas on the OnePool Deck. All Specialty Restaurants are open today with 20% off kids eat free.

[morpheusofthesea]

13 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Now if one is a ‘media darling’ or hosts a social media platform exceptions have been noticed.

I found this photo of an exception to the rule on Seascape. Was this a "media darling"?

[Bgwest]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

For those outside the Yacht Club we noticed the set up of two 'satellite' bars on either side of the Marina Pool deck 18 to accommodate more passengers flocking to the main bar also on that deck. Noticed they set up 3 tents over a sofa/chair combo to give more shade for diners at the Seafood Extravaganza today, in about 1 1/2 hours. There are 14 pergolas on the OnePool Deck. All Specialty Restaurants are open today with 20% off kids eat free.

Let us know if any interlopers show up. 

[blueskadoo]

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

To whom this may concern. Tomorrow's cruise there will be 358 Yacht Club guests 83 of which are children. Must say though the children on this cruise were very well behaved.

Wow…that seems like a lot of little ones. You mentioned a lot of the seasoned staff are departing or recently departed. Is it going to be a green crew for this herd of passengers? 

[morpheusofthesea]

37 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Let us know if any interlopers show up. 

Can't say 'we' witnessed any today at the Seafood Extravaganza, but no one was checking. There were plenty of accommodations. Guests were eating at there lounge chairs as all the tables were taken. No butlers were present providing table to chair service. Noticed a couple more bar service attendants running drinks. No management in attendance. Everyone seemed happy and content. We ate in the air conditioned YC restaurant as did a dozen others.

[morpheusofthesea]

5 minutes ago, blueskadoo said:

Wow…that seems like a lot of little ones. You mentioned a lot of the seasoned staff are departing or recently departed. Is it going to be a green crew for this herd of passengers? 

yes.

[travelwide]

8 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Nineteen second panning of Le Cabaret Rouge last night of the violinist playing one of the only 3 songs we have had the misfortune to sit through again. I guess word spread throughout the ship of the LCR acts. One need not rush to find a good viewing seat.

IMG_2985.MOV

I have never seen the LCR this empty. Even when they first open. What time was this? 

Are you set to return in 3 weeks? Looking forward to another review. 🙂🥂🍾