Occasionally live review, MSC Seashore YC, 8/4 to 8/11

[mica178]

Last night...

 

We had a lazy afternoon. I attended the high tea, which was nice but left me too full to appreciate dinner. 

 

Dinner was Italian night. Caprese salad,  osso buco, tiramisu. All pretty good, but not quite right. While I understand whole basil leaf would be difficult on a cruise, pesto doesnt feel correct. The osso buco was room temperature. The tiramisu was a little runny. Thankfully, the Oberon was as good as ever, as was the port at the end of the meal. 

 

I'm wrapping up packing the suitcases now as my husband sees to using up the fun pass and buying a couple bottles of wine from the Butchers Cut wine cellar. They have a couple Italian reds that are priced below market price in the States that should age well in our cellar at home. Perfect vacation mementos.

[morpheusofthesea]

12 hours ago, mica178 said:

buying a couple bottles of wine from the Butchers Cut wine cellar. They have a couple Italian reds that are priced below market price in the States that should age well in our cellar at home. Perfect vacation mementos.

Hopefully your wine will not fall victim to this :

 

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/04/cunard-reveals-why-chocolate-tastes-better-at-sea/?feed_id=2358&_unique_id=64307c875311f

 

Professor Spence, a gastrophysicist from the University of Oxford, said that food and drink taste better when having a good time. This is known as the ‘Provencal rose paradox’ which, according to Spence, everyone has experienced at some point in time.

“It relates to the fact that food and drink seem to taste so much better when we are on holiday, whether this is with our family in the Mediterranean, or traveling solo with the sun on our backs,” said Spence. 

“So nice in fact, that we are even tempted to buy a few bottles of that same holiday wine, to bring back home and share on a cold winter’s evening. Only it never tastes the same; it is disappointing somehow.

“The reason is that when we are on holiday, we are likely to be relaxed and in a better mood, and food simply tastes better when we are in a better mood. Given that people don’t often cruise for work, they are likely to be happy and relaxed on their cruise hence making food and drink taste better.”

Salt is known as a flavor enhancer, helping to mask bitterness in certain foods or drinks such as tonic water or grapefruit, while enhancing the taste of many other foods including chocolate. However, according to Spence, salt is not the only factor that enhances the taste as even seeing, smelling, and hearing the sea may also conceptually prime notions of saltiness too, thus enhancing the sensation even more."

  Maybe best to let it age a few more years.

[bluefish17]

Thanks for doing the review. Lots of good info. Can you comment on what people were wearing on the formal night? I'm thinking a sportcoat/ slacks, maybe a tie.

[mica178]

11 minutes ago, bluefish17 said:

Thanks for doing the review. Lots of good info. Can you comment on what people were wearing on the formal night? I'm thinking a sportcoat/ slacks, maybe a tie.

On formal night, I saw men in aloha shirts with khaki or sports coats and button downs. I don't recall proper suits in the YC (other than on the servers!). YC is pretty casual. I did see the prom dresses in the rest of the ship.

[bucfan2]

1 hour ago, bluefish17 said:

Thanks for doing the review. Lots of good info. Can you comment on what people were wearing on the formal night? I'm thinking a sportcoat/ slacks, maybe a tie.

Just off the same sailing as well.  Formal night is no different than any night for me....dockers and a button down or golf shirt.  Docksiders. More than dressy enough. 

[chrisgp999]

2 hours ago, mica178 said:

On formal night, I saw men in aloha shirts with khaki or sports coats and button downs. I don't recall proper suits in the YC (other than on the servers!). YC is pretty casual. I did see the prom dresses in the rest of the ship.

I wonder if the calendar plays a part in attire.  On our Seascape cruise last February, we noticed that many (I'll even go so far as to say "a majority go" ) gentlemen in the YC restaurant were wearing suits or coat and tie.  Also counted at least 6 tuxedos.

[LorraineP]

1 hour ago, chrisgp999 said:

I wonder if the calendar plays a part in attire.  On our Seascape cruise last February, we noticed that many (I'll even go so far as to say "a majority go" ) gentlemen in the YC restaurant were wearing suits or coat and tie.  Also counted at least 6 tuxedos.

Glad to hear that. I will definitely dress for formal & my DH will wear a jacket & maybe a tie. If dressing up isn’t for you go to buffet. 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, chrisgp999 said:

I wonder if the calendar plays a part in attire.  On our Seascape cruise last February, we noticed that many (I'll even go so far as to say "a majority go" ) gentlemen in the YC restaurant were wearing suits or coat and tie.  Also counted at least 6 tuxedos.

MSC has their "higher end" all Yacht Club cruise line called Explora Journeys. Prices are comparable to other MSC Yacht Club and attracts an eclectic crowd.

 

Edited August 11 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

27 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

MSC has their "higher end" all Yacht Club cruise line called Explora Journeys. Prices are comparable to other MSC Yacht Club and attracts an eclectic crowd.

 

 

EXPLNITE.MOV 24.23 MB · 0 downloads

To immerse oneself in the fantasy created by the Yacht Club. We are treated like Royalty so why not act and dress like Royalty ? We 'play the game' and embrace the illusion created by our hosts of MSC Yacht Clubs.

[lahlah57]

4 hours ago, mica178 said:

On formal night, I saw men in aloha shirts with khaki or sports coats and button downs. I don't recall proper suits in the YC (other than on the servers!). YC is pretty casual. I did see the prom dresses in the rest of the ship.

Thank gawd! I will dress office nice but formal days with shoes that are uncomfortable are over for us! I'll throw on some lipstick 💄 to boot!

[lahlah57]

On 8/10/2024 at 12:25 PM, mica178 said:

Today has been a lazy sort of day. Arrived breakfast at the YC restaurant.  Dropped the kids at Doremi kids club. Went to trivia. Picked up the kids and had the last lunch at YC restaurant.  Now waiting for afternoon tea at TSL.

 

For lunch, I has the Capri salad (not caprese!) And the linguini alla vongole. It wasn't bad, but the version I make at home is better. 

It looks dry 😕 

[mica178]

4 minutes ago, lahlah57 said:

It looks dry 😕 

It wasn't. If anything, it was too saucy.

[lahlah57]

2 minutes ago, mica178 said:

It wasn't. If anything, it was too saucy.

Well then...yummy and only if garlicky and not fishy!

[mica178]

Back home. 

 

I managed to finish up the suitcases by 10pm. We woke up at 7am and finished packing up the room by 7:45. Then we headed to the YC restaurant for a last breakfast. It was a slower breakfast than usual, and my poached eggs were slightly overcooked. 

 

Afterwards, we went to wait in the TSL for Jesee to escort us off the ship. It was a quick wait. Jesee only accompanied us to the gangway. I recall that last year, Alexis accompanied us to the passport checkpoint, but the whole process seems more efficient, so lacking a butler escort was perfectly fine. Our bags were in the YC area, and we paid a porter to bypass the customs line and were on our way to Port Parking within 5 minutes of stepping off the Seashore. The confiscated fly rod was waiting just outside the terminal (the head butler called down to make sure it was ready to go).

 

For whatever reason, the car stopped charging at only 60%, and so we had to stop at a supercharger on the way home, but that was a minor inconvenience. 

[bucfan2]

12 hours ago, LorraineP said:

Glad to hear that. I will definitely dress for formal & my DH will wear a jacket & maybe a tie. If dressing up isn’t for you go to buffet. 

We prefer the YC restaurant, but understand some prefer the buffet.  Regarding dressing up, that has nothing to do with where we choose to dine.  Dockers, button down shirt.  Jacket (windbreaker), but only if it's cold.  No idea what a 'tie' is.

Edited August 12 by bucfan2

[morpheusofthesea]

13 hours ago, LorraineP said:

Glad to hear that. I will definitely dress for formal & my DH will wear a jacket & maybe a tie. If dressing up isn’t for you go to buffet. 

I concur. 

No one is "hated" in the YC. (Well maybe a few, like me for instance). I just like to point out that there are just a few venues where the guests are asked to dress up and play the part. I really do not care how one is dressed, actually for us it is dinner and a show at the same time. I actually seat myself in a corner with my back to the crowd. It's DW who enjoys the show. I still like to work in my retirement and still dress up with my black long pants, maroon long sleeve Thai silk shirts and black bow ties every work day. Going on cruises allows me to wear all the custom made jackets I had made cruising to Hong Kong and Thailand. I stand out in a crowd like a peacock. Now if everyone abided by the dress codes I would be lost in the crowd no longer a 'spectacle' and just another well dressed snob. I like it the way things are. Here is this point of view.

  

Another variable in how one may be treated 'differently' by staff in hotels or cruises is in the way one presents oneself.  Four and five star venues go to a lot of trouble and expense to create an 'atmosphere of top notch elegance' and one fails to rise to the occasion and shows great disrespect by dressing in shorts, etc.

  We would extend this to every meal when we cruise nowadays. "When you pay for a stay in a hotel, you also pay for the comfort, amenities, and services of a hotel, but it does not necessarily mean that you can do and act whatever you like and however you feel. There are hotel manners that you must take note of. Courtesy and respect beget the same, and knowing what to wear for breakfast in a hotel is a basic manner that makes a big difference. Most hotels establish a formality culture in dining for breakfast as a sign of respect and consideration for other guests and the staff. Unless your breakfast wear is as comparable to your smart-casual wear, that wouldn’t be a problem." https://thealcazar.com/what-to-wear-for-breakfast-in-a.../

   https://tableagent.com/article/dressing-to-dine-dress-codes-defined/  you can understand why dress codes are sometimes suggested by eateries of a certain merit: they wish for their guests to experience the world they have created. You can savor the luxury of top-notch service best when you too look and feel first-rate. The essence of fine dining is to take patrons out of their ordinary lives, and for two hours, allow them to bask in the extraordinary experience of their choice. To truly be a part of such a supreme culinary happening—one must look the part and one must dress to dine.

   Not required BUT "Why you should always dress when you go out to eat. Yes, it still matters. By Sam Dangremond, Town & Country. John Winterman, who used to work for Daniel Boulud as maître d' at Daniel, and for Charlie Trotter before that, and asked if he thinks dressing up for dinner still matters."

"Absolutely," said Winterman, who's now managing partner at Batârd in New York City. "I break it down into self-respect and respect for others." Would someone's appearance affect the table they were assigned at, say, Daniel?

"On the record, yes," he said. "If someone comes in making an effort and looking fabulous and glamorous and they know they're in for a premium experience at a premium price, you give them a fabulous table in the middle of the room. And people react to that, when they see a crowd that's well-dressed and beautiful and sparkling."

[mica178]

I agree with dressing appropriately for the situation. My husband was upset to see baseball caps worn in the YC restaurant, not to mention loud sports attire (including tank tops for men) during dinners. He was concerned that as MSC gains more of the US market share, even the YC is degraded.

[chrisgp999]

22 hours ago, LorraineP said:

Glad to hear that. I will definitely dress for formal & my DH will wear a jacket & maybe a tie. If dressing up isn’t for you go to buffet. 

Just to be clear, not everyone in the restaurant dressed appropriately.  There were a few t-shirt/ballcap types but they were definitely in the minority.

[riredsox]

18 hours ago, mica178 said:

I agree with dressing appropriately for the situation. My husband was upset to see baseball caps worn in the YC restaurant, not to mention loud sports attire (including tank tops for men) during dinners. He was concerned that as MSC gains more of the US market share, even the YC is degraded.

Men in tank tops are like men in speedos. It doesn’t matter what kind of shape they are in it just never looks good!

[lahlah57]

On 8/12/2024 at 4:27 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

I concur. 

No one is "hated" in the YC. (Well maybe a few, like me for instance). I just like to point out that there are just a few venues where the guests are asked to dress up and play the part. I really do not care how one is dressed, actually for us it is dinner and a show at the same time. I actually seat myself in a corner with my back to the crowd. It's DW who enjoys the show. I still like to work in my retirement and still dress up with my black long pants, maroon long sleeve Thai silk shirts and black bow ties every work day. Going on cruises allows me to wear all the custom made jackets I had made cruising to Hong Kong and Thailand. I stand out in a crowd like a peacock. Now if everyone abided by the dress codes I would be lost in the crowd no longer a 'spectacle' and just another well dressed snob. I like it the way things are. Here is this point of view.

  

Another variable in how one may be treated 'differently' by staff in hotels or cruises is in the way one presents oneself.  Four and five star venues go to a lot of trouble and expense to create an 'atmosphere of top notch elegance' and one fails to rise to the occasion and shows great disrespect by dressing in shorts, etc.

  We would extend this to every meal when we cruise nowadays. "When you pay for a stay in a hotel, you also pay for the comfort, amenities, and services of a hotel, but it does not necessarily mean that you can do and act whatever you like and however you feel. There are hotel manners that you must take note of. Courtesy and respect beget the same, and knowing what to wear for breakfast in a hotel is a basic manner that makes a big difference. Most hotels establish a formality culture in dining for breakfast as a sign of respect and consideration for other guests and the staff. Unless your breakfast wear is as comparable to your smart-casual wear, that wouldn’t be a problem." https://thealcazar.com/what-to-wear-for-breakfast-in-a.../

   https://tableagent.com/article/dressing-to-dine-dress-codes-defined/  you can understand why dress codes are sometimes suggested by eateries of a certain merit: they wish for their guests to experience the world they have created. You can savor the luxury of top-notch service best when you too look and feel first-rate. The essence of fine dining is to take patrons out of their ordinary lives, and for two hours, allow them to bask in the extraordinary experience of their choice. To truly be a part of such a supreme culinary happening—one must look the part and one must dress to dine.

   Not required BUT "Why you should always dress when you go out to eat. Yes, it still matters. By Sam Dangremond, Town & Country. John Winterman, who used to work for Daniel Boulud as maître d' at Daniel, and for Charlie Trotter before that, and asked if he thinks dressing up for dinner still matters."

"Absolutely," said Winterman, who's now managing partner at Batârd in New York City. "I break it down into self-respect and respect for others." Would someone's appearance affect the table they were assigned at, say, Daniel?

"On the record, yes," he said. "If someone comes in making an effort and looking fabulous and glamorous and they know they're in for a premium experience at a premium price, you give them a fabulous table in the middle of the room. And people react to that, when they see a crowd that's well-dressed and beautiful and sparkling."

I will be sure to wear my pearls........possibly just for clutching purposes. 🫢

[morpheusofthesea]

I was warned.  

Edited August 14 by morpheusofthesea

[lahlah57]

12 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I was warned.  

Noooo.....say it not so! 😳

[morpheusofthesea]

18 minutes ago, lahlah57 said:

Noooo.....say it not so! 😳

It's not so. Just my higher self on my left shoulder whispering in my ear.