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no1talks

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Everything posted by no1talks

  1. In ship design of prior ages, the rear-most and highest deck was thus called.
  2. Given the copious occurrences of not-quite-right food, beverage, port time, and service, which are mentioned by participants on this board, Oceania fans would do well to remove the plank from their cruise line's "eye" before remarking on the mote in the so-called wannabes'. Happy cruising.
  3. That's the month my wife and I will be trying Oceania for the first time. Are you, perchance, referring to the December 4th cruise on Sirena, out of Miami? We've been repeat MSC Yacht Club cruisers, but we felt we should try some other premium-and-higher cruises.
  4. Maybe the suave secret agent and criminal mastermind want to play chemin de fer without rubbing elbows with Bob from Poughkeepsie.
  5. If only there was a way to escort the interlopers out of YC to the tune of Chopin's funeral march.
  6. That's a passel of towels, make no mistake. With that many towels, you could open a small car wash... Whoa, whoa, whoa, talking 'bout a car wash, yeah.
  7. I can sympathize. My wife rolls her eyes in regards to my six pairs. I'm pretty sure that many shoes, even in YC, is exceptional among male cruisers. 👞
  8. I played quite a bit of roulette just a few months ago on Seascape. Unless two young cruisers by the name of Rose and Jack swiped the roulette table, pitched it overboard, and floated away on it, you'll be able to play, too. 😉
  9. Given the copious luggage your wife has, I would have expected the following: "No porters on duty until 9 am. Had to unload myself. Bad idea, as I'm now texting this from the ortho floor at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where I await treatment for a ruptured disc."
  10. Not that flying is always stroll in the park these days. We avoid it as much as possible by driving to embarkation ports.
  11. On the subject of butlers... For those who have the "anytime, any place" drink package, are butlers allowed to bring cocktails and such to one's cabin?
  12. You get the gold star today for that film reference. (Truth be told, I liked the film Valmont just a bit more, because of my crush on Annette Bening.)
  13. I'm partial to tenderloin cuts and I very much enjoyed the specially-ordered Beef Wellington on Seascape in March. If there is a special steak preparation you really enjoy, do not hesitate to see the YC maître d' and request your steak dinner, allowing a day or two lead time. Steak au poivre? Chateaubriand? London broil? Steak Diane? Steak Tartare? If they have the required steak cut and other ingredients, the YC kitchen is very accommodating.
  14. I very much appreciate that MSC casinos allow OBC to be placed in the slots and then cashed out.
  15. I think your entire loyalty status is wiped out, if too much time passes between cruises. Whether some ranking is matched and some earned is of no consequence. It all goes back to zero, as far as I know. Maybe it is different now, but I would not make the assumption.
  16. Washcloths are available and we've always had them in the room when we arrived. However, MSC is an Italian line and washcloths are not generally used in Italy. Loofahs and sponges are the norm. Accordingly, there are occasional reports on this board of Americans having to ask for their initial washcloths. After that, fresh ones arrive with the towels each time the room is done.
  17. If you have an interest in trying MSC's spin-off luxury brand, Explora, I would suggest keeping the Diamond rating. It may be useful for better status with Explora bookings, once Explora finalizes their loyalty program.
  18. Hard to believe, but a year ago, 1200 points was good enough for 30% off a room up to and including YC deluxe. Only one voucher was needed for the room, not per passenger. One could easily save a few grand on a YC cruise.
  19. While I've little doubt such bypasses can occur, there is still the matter of garnering the entry-level room voucher under the current rules. It's many more points to procure and it's only good for a 10% discount. Although the prior gambling math was very favorable for getting a 30% voucher without losing the cash equivalent of the savings, that's no longer the case.
  20. Thank you for the lively narrative of your cruise. Since MSC tightened the room offerings on their casino rewards program some months ago, I'm curious as to the level of play required these days for a Yacht Club invite from MSC casino management. You mentioned having your first MSC cruise in October of last year. The former, more generous rewards program was still in effect back then (I think). Was that the source of the invitation, perhaps? Also, was pirate night a casino event, or ship-wide? I cannot recall any social media mentions of pirate night, the way white and flower parties are often noted.
  21. For those who recall the attenuated seasons of The Sopranos, it was closer to summer-fall-winter-spring-summer-fall rerun season. Badda bing!
  22. I want to be on an MSC cruise in the alternate universe wherein Tony Soprano is the YC maître d', instead of a "waste management consultant."
  23. For better or worse, the fancy coffee drinks, as well as gelato drinks, are claimed by Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar. They have the most decadent goodies to be found on the ship, but the drinks are not covered by the YC package. The YC's nightly turndown service includes a few morsels of Venchi chocolate, though. On the topic of dinner wine, this is what we do when in YC. Perhaps this is a dining style you would enjoy. Once onboard, I meet with the YC maître d' and ask to have the same table and server duo for dinners. I also ask the sommelier to surprise us each dinner with matching aperitifs or dry cocktails when we are seated. Further, I request that the servers notify the somm of our full meal order, for his or her by-the-glass wine selections, as well as surprise digestif or sweet cocktails with the dessert course. A drink while we decide on our dinner choices, starter & entrée wines by the glass, and a drink with dessert seems like a lot of alcohol, I know. However, we generally don't finish the individual libations and we keep the dinner pace slow. The sommeliers have never disappointed and I'd wager they like being able to do break away from the same old routine dinner service. I print three copies of our requests and provide one for the maître d', somm, and greeter.
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