no1talks

I stay away from that room, KC. I've been known to be rather salty on occasion and I wouldn't want to exacerbate things.

Because far more damaging (to their mind) would be an aggressive passenger's confrontational response being recorded with any number of phones and then uploaded to social media.

"Lavishly fitted" is doing some heavy lifting in that bullet point. The rooms are quite nice, but I would not use any form of the word "lavish" as a descriptor.

MSC has rather low fares compared to the other mass-market lines. Even Yacht Club is usually priced lower than similar accommodations in other suites-level settings. To gain that missed revenue, MSC is pretty blatant about pushing the onboard spending. Get the guests on the ship and clear them out for the next bunch with fresh wallets. Even better if they are new(ish) cruisers with kids in tow, because they will spend more money on the things experienced cruisers no longer purchase.

Setting aside the woman's inappropriate display of self-aggrandizement, she may have been getting the special menu access in the first place by being a known and established big tipper. Perhaps a pre-tipper. 😉

Probably meant to type, "love," and it came out as, "live."

That's just it. The like-mindedness isn't always what one might hope. For example, it is great when a ship is tranquil due to the shared disposition of the cruisers. However, tranquil ships often call it a night by 10 pm. On an MSC ship with Yacht Club, one can enjoy White Night with the revelers until midnight and then head back to the YC's Top Sail lounge for a quiet nightcap. It all comes down to what one wants from a cruise. No cruise delivers everything to everyone and that is why due diligence is so important when considering a new cruise line.

Quoth the sloven... "It's muh vacashun and I'll do wut I want 'cuz I paid gud money to be here (blah... blah... blah.)"

Extra material cost and staff training. MSC has very likely taken into account some arbitrary amount of YC loss/pilferage per cruise. As long as it doesn't affect their spreadsheet or become a physical disturbance, they will not expend staff time to deal with it. Whether any paying guests are shorted on reasonable service, due to crowded venues, is not really important. Some guests will accept the preventable diminishment and keep booking cruises. Other guests will go elsewhere, based on what matters in their cruising, and MSC will otherwise fill that capacity. It's strictly business.

Understandable. Why would a crew member, whose job description doesn't specifically include passenger confrontation, place themselves in such precarity? As legitimate YC numbers grow and resources fail to keep pace, "inside job" trespassers will have ever more ability to diminish the YC experience for paying guests. That's another reason to cruise elsewhere. Why pay for the advertised experience in an already full-to-capacity area if it is going to be pushed beyond the tipping point by thieves who slide in with the aid and abettment of related YCers?

Blue Mind is great, but speaking as a Gen X'er, this will always be up there as well. IYKYK.

Sometimes one is in haste and cannot double-check a post before the edit clock runs out. Thus is the lot of the not-yet-retired. MSC is all about keeping their costs down and that will mean a gradual decrease in the experience. For some passengers, the decrease will be noticeable, but not a deal-breaker. Others will look elsewhere for the things they miss, even if the price is higher.

One of the many ways MSC is keeping their costs down. As long as the ships are full, MSC will continue to trim expenses. The reported closure of the YC dining room for lunch during Ocean Cay stops is another example.

If this expands to a closure on port days in general, maybe your suite on Queen Elizabeth will still be available.

Bouillabaisse.