OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK SEASCAPE

[morpheusofthesea]

On 4/21/2024 at 3:30 PM, Bgwest said:

Any interloper sightings to share on your present sailing?

My hearing is not as good as it use to be. I depend on my DW to do my eavesdropping nowadays. She just told me to stop talking as she is overhearing a conversation a couple of pergolas over. A group of six are discussing what to have for dinner tonight in the MDR, NOT the YC Restaurant. It appears interloping is alive and well in the YC. 

P.S. She would hear a lot more when she walks around the One Pool Deck without her ear buds, but she doesn't want to become more disillusioned.

Edited April 23 by morpheusofthesea
p.s.

[Best Cat Mom]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

a conversation a couple of pergolas over. A group of six are discussing what to have for dinner tonight in the MDR, NOT the YC Restaurant

Not just interlopers of the One Pool deck, but interlopers of a cabana? How could a butler not figure this one out?? I hope it is just a matter of time.

 

(If they have been granted "special access" to the YC, that would also include the restaurant, no?)

[Jeal]

Perhaps they aren’t interlopers at all. Maybe they are traveling with other people who aren’t in Yacht Club and they have chosen to eat with other people who aren’t in Yacht Club. 

Edited April 23 by Jeal

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Jeal said:

Perhaps they aren’t interlopers at all. Maybe they are traveling with other people who aren’t in Yacht Club and they have chosen to eat with them. Personally I wouldn’t like to spend my vacation spying and eavesdropping on other people. Why would anyone care? Believe, there are many people sailing in cabins less expensive than Yacht Club who have far more money and much better manners than some of the people sailing in Yacht Club. 

Because this was overheard IN the YC. Those who pay a premium for the amenities and services shouldn't have to deal with the people entering who don't pay and take away from the service. FWIW, I don't cruise in YC. But I would also never enter YC with friends as I didn't pay for it. I understand why it's frustrating for the people who do pay.

[Jeal]

Perhaps they weren’t interlopers. We don’t have any idea if they were or not. 

[morpheusofthesea]

13 minutes ago, Jeal said:

there are many people sailing in cabins less expensive than Yacht Club who have far more money and much better manners than some of the people sailing in Yacht Club. 

And then there are many more just the opposite.

[no1talks]

4 minutes ago, Jeal said:

"Why would anyone care?"

 

If gatecrashers are blending in and ordering drinks in the lounge or on the deck, they are slowing the service to a lesser or greater degree for those who paid an increased fare to legitimately receive the service.

 

(Not to mention to possible connection the lunch moochers had to the elimination of the once-a-cruise seafood buffet. I'll let @morpheusofthesea explain that one.)

[morpheusofthesea]

16 minutes ago, Jeal said:

Personally I wouldn’t like to spend my vacation spying and eavesdropping on other people.

Spoiled sport.

[Jeal]

Oh my, I’m going to edit my post.  No one knows if they are interlopers or not. 

[morpheusofthesea]

6 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

there are many people sailing in cabins less expensive than Yacht Club who have far more money and much better manners than some of the people sailing in Yacht Club

Come to think about it. That was us for 50 years, or so we thought.

[morpheusofthesea]

Now for some 'down to earth' gossip, tittle-tattle, idle rumors and hearsay.  I asked about why all the cancellations of itineraries April to October 2025 of the Seascape ? Was MSC repositioning earlier to Galveston or going back to Brazil? No, never back to Brazil, they 'trashed' the Seashore and MSC will not put another cruise ship there. More likely MSC is repositioning the Seascape for the Alaskan season, then on to Galveston.

P.S. I suppose it was all due to those with more money and better manners?

Edited April 23 by morpheusofthesea
p.s.

[morpheusofthesea]

"Why would anyone care?".  Well today is Grand Cayman and only a skeleton staff in the YC for the reduced numbers that stayed on board. The other pergolas are FCFS and just like the 'once upon a time' Seafood Extravaganza held on the OnePool Deck once or twice a cruise, many YCers complained of all the interlopers feasting and taking up all the available tables and not wishing to wait in a long line in the hot Caribbean sun went to the YC restaurant instead. Since it was apparently impossible (embarrassing) to 'card' every guest, the answer was to dispense with this much loved practice. Complaining only gets the removal of said amenity. So I am just pointing these occurrences out to fellow posters to just be aware of the situation.

[morpheusofthesea]

There are still many that could care less what happens to the amenities of the Yacht Clubbers because they are not paying for the privileges.They would rather crash our party. It is the only infraction on MSC with no consequences for theft of service. Not even a slap on the wrist. I witnessed a pool attendant ask an interloper leave from the Seafood Extravaganza, but allowing him to finish his horde of lobster tails. Not because the pool attendant was such a nice guy, but because that is standard operating procedure of YC staff.

P.S. If I can't afford it, they shouldn't have it either, philosophy. "Go ahead ,cut the baby in half, King Soloman."

Edited April 23 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

  1 hour ago, Jeal said:

"Perhaps they aren’t interlopers at all. Maybe they are traveling with other people who aren’t in Yacht Club and they have chosen to eat with them. Personally I wouldn’t like to spend my vacation spying and eavesdropping on other people. Why would anyone care? Believe, there are many people sailing in cabins less expensive than Yacht Club who have far more money and much better manners than some of the people sailing in Yacht Club."

 

I have this tendency to bring out the best posters.

[At Sea At Peace]

1 hour ago, Jeal said:

Perhaps they aren’t interlopers at all. Maybe they are traveling with other people who aren’t in Yacht Club and they have chosen to eat with them.

 

 

Although such is actually a possibility, the level of likelihood of such would seem to be assessed quite low.  Again, not a zero though.

 

1 hour ago, Jeal said:

 

Personally I wouldn’t like to spend my vacation spying and eavesdropping on other people. Why would anyone care? 

 

We just completed a B2B on Seascape 3/30 forward.  We don't consider ourselves spending our vacation spying or eves-dropping on other people.  However, when you "don't want to even hear the outrageous, loud and inconsiderate conversations of others;" including from several cabanas away to a toddler back home who was warned he'd be 'spanked over and over, or in the Dining room on a 'speaker FaceTime business call,' and others beyond chemically 'enhanced,' then we believe those are "fair to note."

 

At the time, we did.

 

1 hour ago, Jeal said:

Believe, there are many people sailing in cabins less expensive than Yacht Club who have far more money and much better manners than some of the people sailing in Yacht Club. 

 

I simply don't believe this is relevant regarding the 'money' or the 'manners.'

 

 

[At Sea At Peace]

1 hour ago, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

Because this was overheard IN the YC. Those who pay a premium for the amenities and services shouldn't have to deal with the people entering who don't pay and take away from the service. FWIW, I don't cruise in YC. But I would also never enter YC with friends as I didn't pay for it. I understand why it's frustrating for the people who do pay.

 

We agree.  We also note, from our recent B2B, that the proportion of those that are making their unauthorized and unpaid for entry into the Yacht Club usually enjoy the One Pool and the Lounge with someone who is actually in the Yacht Club.  We would hold both parties equally responsible and off load them all at the next port.

 

We won't list the methods that are employed, but it is intentional and, with some parties, voluminous and frequent.

Edited April 23 by At Sea At Peace

[morpheusofthesea]

Today at lunch in the YC restaurant I did not find anything that interested me until the large group of 10 came in with their 3 children (they had 3 free balcony deluxe cabins in the casino program) and I remembered that many times the kids' menu is better than the adult. Sure enough, I asked our waiter if the YC Restaurant had the chicken tenders. The best hand rolled battered white meat chicken on board the ship. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Tonight we took advantage of a book on board future cruise. The dates have not yet opened for what we really want at the end of 2025. So we booked a date in the last month October 2025 in a cabin we want later in the year. By doing this we get one year to move the date as many times as we want and get $200 OBC.

[cruisebeachgirl703]

15 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

There are still many that could care less what happens to the amenities of the Yacht Clubbers because they are not paying for the privileges.They would rather crash our party. It is the only infraction on MSC with no consequences for theft of service. Not even a slap on the wrist. I witnessed a pool attendant ask an interloper leave from the Seafood Extravaganza, but allowing him to finish his horde of lobster tails. Not because the pool attendant was such a nice guy, but because that is standard operating procedure of YC staff.

P.S. If I can't afford it, they shouldn't have it either, philosophy. "Go ahead ,cut the baby in half, King Soloman."

Any idea why this is operating procedure of YC staff?

[morpheusofthesea]

44 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Any idea why this is operating procedure of YC staff?

Catch more flies with honey ?

[capriccio]

44 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Any idea why this is operating procedure of YC staff?

I don't understand why the YC wristband isn't required when visiting YC specific venues.  That is an easy and unobtrusive form of identification.

[morpheusofthesea]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I don't understand why the YC wristband isn't required when visiting YC specific venues.  That is an easy and unobtrusive form of identification.

With two forms of entry, the wristband and the key card, it is just so much easier to give one or the other to friends and relatives residing outside the Yacht Club to gain entry at there leisure. Staff on the One Pool deck and TSL cannot tell YCers from Friends and family outside gaining entry.

[At Sea At Peace]

3 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I don't understand why the YC wristband isn't required when visiting YC specific venues.  That is an easy and unobtrusive form of identification.

 

There are those in the Yacht Club that constantly go to the Concierge desk and ask for a replacement card or wristband under the representations that they lost such - on the waterslide, in the pool or hot tub or on an excursion, etc.  Seriously.  🎲

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

There are those in the Yacht Club that constantly go to the Concierge desk and ask for a replacement card or wristband under the representations that they lost such - on the waterslide, in the pool or hot tub or on an excursion, etc.  Seriously.  🎲

Wow.  I guess I'm totally naive.  That would never have occurred to me!

[cruisebeachgirl703]

14 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Catch more flies with honey ?

YC guests (who are not part of the scheme) lose in this situation. MSC loses (food, beverage) in this situation. Seems unfortunate.