Where are all the "regular folks"?

[morpheusofthesea]

12 minutes ago, mcoler181 said:

I certainly wouldn't pay 2x, 3x the price for the experience.

This is exactly my point. We wouldn't pay anything extra for the experience for 50 years. But now in our 70's and reading daily obituaries of well known contemporaries, you too will come to a realization 'It is now or never'. You all will come to this conclusion one day.

 P.S. Also we learned "Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many."

Mark Twain

Edited May 14 by morpheusofthesea
ps

[mcoler181]

9 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is exactly my point. We wouldn't pay anything extra for the experience for 50 years. But now in our 70's and reading daily obituaries of well known contemporaries, you too will come to a realization 'It is now or never'. You all will come to this conclusion one day.

 P.S. Also we learned "Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many."

Mark Twain

Oh I totally agree and no doubt in the future when there is more disposable we will be YC regulars 😀 

[morpheusofthesea]

11 hours ago, Anastas617 said:

I did have great frustration gambling on my last MSC cruise which led to me "angry gambling" for much of the trip. THAT money would have been better spent on a couple of YC trips. I think I'll go sulk reliving that memory

We are sulking too. Having spent $30,000 on a Grand Suite on Regent Seven Seas to get nothing but a larger cabin with a sewage smell emanating from the bathroom. We have been spoiled by the service, food, entertainment of MSC Yacht Clubs. There is no way we will ever listen to the hype spewed out about Regent being a 5 or 6 star experience. "That money would have been better spent on (3) YC trips." to quote @Anastas617.

[Stockjock]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This is exactly my point. We wouldn't pay anything extra for the experience for 50 years. But now in our 70's and reading daily obituaries of well known contemporaries, you too will come to a realization 'It is now or never'. You all will come to this conclusion one day.

 P.S. Also we learned "Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many."

Mark Twain

At a certain age, one's mentality may change.  I'm still working and in my early 60s, but if I'l still here in my 70s or 80s, I might view the situation differently.

A story that somewhat relates...

I've been w/a big Wall Street firm for 34 years.  When I was probably about 5 years into my career, I got a call from a client, who was a widow in her late 70s.  She bred Maltese dogs and coincidentally, I bought one of her dogs for my (then) GF from her, and later, I inherited her account from someone who left the firm.

She said, "Hi stockjock, I just had a $10,000 CD come due and I was going to send you a check.  Where do you think I should invest it?" ($10k was a lot more then versus now,)

I thought about the question for a moment and replied, "I think you should invest it in yourself."

She said, "What do you mean?"

I replied, "I think your health and mobility are still pretty good, but you don't really go anywhere.  My suggestion is to visit someplace that you've always dreamt of going to, but never got around to it.  Go on a trip somewhere.  Go on a cruise.  If you have a friend, take them.  If they don't have the money, treat them.  I feel like, at this point, investing in yourself would be more beneficial than buying a stock or bond."

She thanked me, and while I don't recall exactly what she did with the money, she did invest it generally as I recommended.  She's gone now, so I hope that she had a nice time!

 

[Cruising Lynne]

On 5/12/2024 at 7:46 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

Just another outlook.

Love the last one above. My husband is still "Bank of Dad" to his thirty something year old children. We are turning 60 and 70 this year. I tell him that "someday" is now! We need to enjoy traveling now while we still can enjoy it.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

At a certain age, one's mentality may change.  I'm still working and in my early 60s, but if I'l still here in my 70s or 80s, I might view the situation differently.

Your profile picture must be 25 years ago as you look 'wet behind the ears' in it.  Love your posts. Seldom find a need to add, subtract, multiply or divide any of them.

[Stockjock]

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Your profile picture must be 25 years ago as you look 'wet behind the ears' in it.  Love your posts. Seldom find a need to add, subtract, multiply or divide any of them.

I appreciate it.  The photo is less than 6 months old, taken in the Masters of the Sea Pub on World Europa in early January.  Sometimes you get good lighting.

[morpheusofthesea]

37 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Sometimes you get good lighting.

Very good lighting !

[If_this_is_tuesday]

I'm in the buffet stuffing my face. For me drinking lots of water and a 100% fruit juice and cutting way back on meat makes me regular again.

[TheMichael]

On 5/8/2024 at 7:48 AM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

However, where are all the "regular folks"?   The people who travel on a budget.  The people who are glad to just be on a ship, even if they can "only afford" an inside stateroom?

 

I am feeling like I might be a social outcast on this ship in not dining in the "private dining room" or having access to the spa.

 

In all fairness, this may not be the best place to look for "regular folks" traveling in inside staterooms, by the mere fact that CC is kind of a bastion of longtime/hardcore cruisers - for many, cruising is not an occasional treat, it's their primary leisure activity.

 

Inside cabins aren't steerage. They're maintained to the same extent as the rest of the ship, they're just smaller and don't have windows. You can still get room service and have it cleaned every day. The bed is probably even similar to one you'd sleep on in a suite.

 

There is zero shame in eating in the MDR or even the buffet - to most people's tastes the food can be really tasty (and you can send back anything that isn't, and try something else). The entertainment offered is the same for all passengers, as are excursions. Anyone can pay for spa services, but shipboard services are always more expensive for what you get than the average range on land.

Luxury is what you make it - there are plenty of places to get away from the hordes on a ship, if that's what you wish, no special lounge required. And there are plenty of places on a ship to stand and watch the waves with the wind in your hair and a drink in your hand.

 

There will always be a market for the Yacht Club, just like there's a market for Rolls Royces and Four Seasons hotels and Gucci and Chanel. I get it, but I have no desire for any of that, and wouldn't even if I won the lottery. My one "luxury" is the cheapest cabin I can get that has natural light of any kind. The GF and I realized recently that we hardly ever used a balcony when we've had one, so it's usually an oceanview.

 

As such, there are certainly times I've felt like a bit of an outcast here - never been in more than a regular old balcony, eat in a specialty restaurant maybe twice per cruise at most, and enjoy just sitting at one of the bars people-watching (oh, the people-watching on a ship!). But on the ship itself, I've made friends and fun acquaintances (the opposite of "social outcast"), had more than my fill of great food and drink, and have seen sights and places I'll always remember. That's what life is about, whether you're in the bowels of the ship or in the seagoing equivalent of a penthouse.

 

Edited May 15 by TheMichael

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, TheMichael said:

whether you're in the bowels of the ship or in the seagoing equivalent of a penthouse.

You are bursting my bubble, raining on my parade, dampening my spirits... but you are right !

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 5/8/2024 at 7:48 AM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

Don't get me wrong - I am happy for you.  If you can afford it, go for it.  However, where are all the "regular folks"?   The people who travel on a budget.  The people who are glad to just be on a ship, even if they can "only afford" an inside stateroom?

 

Regular folks are working their jobs and don't have much time for CruiseCritic. I am "lucky" that I am on an obscene number of conference calls that let me hang here or killing time in airport lounges on CC.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

6 hours ago, TheMichael said:

There will always be a market for the Yacht Club, just like there's a market for Rolls Royces and Four Seasons hotels and Gucci and Chanel. I get it, but I have no desire for any of that, and wouldn't even if I won the lottery. My one "luxury" is the cheapest cabin I can get that has natural light of any kind. The GF and I realized recently that we hardly ever used a balcony when we've had one, so it's usually an oceanview.

 

I like the Yacht Club, my only two cruises on MSC have been in the YC, but that is because the YC was actually cheaper, a good bit cheaper, than a suite on Princess, my #1 choice usually, and WAY cheaper than standard cabins on Oceania and Silversea. Also cheaper than suites I've had on NCL and Celebrity and cheaper overall than The Haven.

 

The YC is more like a Lexus and JW Marriott than a Rolls and Four Seasons. 

[morpheusofthesea]

24 minutes ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:

 

The YC is more like a Lexus and JW Marriott than a Rolls and Four Seasons.

I could even make a case that the RS and OS on MSC Seaships with the 'right' butler is just like a Rolls with chauffeur and a Villa at the Four Seasons in Bali with a plunge pool and water lilies floating on top.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

33 minutes ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:

I like the Yacht Club, my only two cruises on MSC have been in the YC, but that is because the YC was actually cheaper, a good bit cheaper, than a suite on Princess, my #1 choice usually, and WAY cheaper than standard cabins on Oceania and Silversea. Also cheaper than suites I've had on NCL and Celebrity and cheaper overall than The Haven

You are correct with the YC being cheaper. I am learning that the Yacht Clubs are even better than those others (trying out Oceania in March and Silversea doesn't do closed loop from South Florida) But I did do Regent GS and Explora CR and the "cheaper" YC has them all beat.

[no1talks]

11 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Silversea doesn't do closed loop from South Florida."

 

They do, but not many. One has to search diligently or put a TA on the task.

 

[SailorfromBrazil]

14 minutes ago, no1talks said:

 

They do, but not many. One has to search diligently or put a TA on the task.

 

 

That's the quote for a YCB on a similar 14 nights:

 

Or from Miami you could get on the new World America (beginning in jul/25)

[morpheusofthesea]

34 minutes ago, no1talks said:

 

They do, but not many. One has to search diligently or put a TA on the task.

 

Will have to wait until DW really retires for this date to work. Thank you. You have given me something to look forward to.

[morpheusofthesea]

18 minutes ago, SailorfromBrazil said:

 

Or from Miami you could get on the new World America (beginning in jul/25)

I hope this "beginning in jul/25" is a miss print because we are booked on "new World America" out of Miami on April 26,2025 and again in June/25.

[TheMichael]

1 hour ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:

The YC is more like a Lexus and JW Marriott than a Rolls and Four Seasons. 

 

Thanks for the clarification. I'm still a RAV4-with-sunroof and Courtyard guy, though. 😀

[SailorfromBrazil]

38 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I hope this "beginning in jul/25" is a miss print because we are booked on "new World America" out of Miami on April 26,2025 and again in June/25.

That's considering the available YCB with 14 nights duration so it could be a close match to the Silversea quote.

[Happy New Cruiser]

I almost posted something similar before this thread took off.  I wasn't going to comment on the class dynamic, which is clearly what has been giving this thread it's longevity, but I was going to comment on the fact that it does seem the MSC forum isn't as robust as some others. 

 

I went on Oasis of the Seas in 2022 and I felt there were so many new posts on the RC forum that I would have plenty to see even if I had checked CC only hours earlier.  On the MSC forum I look every few days and I see a lot of things that don't seem to apply to my upcoming cruise, namely posts that are YC specific.  I just skip over them and hope something more relevant shows up.

 

I'm not sure of the intent of the OP but I did identify with the feeling that the percentage of YC posts far exceeds the percentage of YC cabins.

 

 

[sverigecruiser]

9 hours ago, TheMichael said:

The entertainment offered is the same for all passengers

 

Not really.

 

My favorite entertainment on the ship is the music played every night in the Top Sail Lounge.

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Not really.

 

My favorite entertainment on the ship is the music played every night in the Top Sail Lounge.

We agree and you can't beat the comfort of the seating and the attention of the wait staff.

[TheMichael]

15 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Not really.

 

My favorite entertainment on the ship is the music played every night in the Top Sail Lounge.

 

From what I understand it's basically background music - are they slipping in some rock or dance bands?