NorthernCouple

Thank-you for posting these.

Oh, dear. Now, I am sad. I will just have to branch out and try other ones.

Yes, I was thinking of a laminated copy.

Last week, L1211 took a picture of what staff were saying was included: and what was NOT included: You will notice Botanist is 5th from the left.

Y Yes, this is one that I keep meaning to try.

I have had Hendricks and still prefer Aviation but that is why we have choices. There is actually a Botanist from Canada (Quebec) and a Botanist from England that are not related. MSC stocks the English but prices it at 16$. These raises the question about the premium plus changes. The MSC webpage lists a 16$ drink limit but L1211 seemed to say that they weren't honoring it. amygutman, Since the gin connoisseurs have hijacked your posting and it is a 'booze cruise', can you try and order a Botanist drink (martini, G&T, gimlet, neat - your choice) without getting charged?

Yes, that is what I expect. To be fair, a lot of places like all-inclusive resorts would consider these to be top shelf brands. Canada and England seem to be experiencing an explosion of boutique gin distillers which raises the 'bar' a bit. Aviation is an American brand (Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian), of course. I expect that I will just have to order my Aviation martini, G&T, and gimlet (limes allowing) at the YC bar. Oh..the suffering. /s 😄

Aviation Gin is partly owned by Ryan Reynolds. Although Reynolds does a lot of good work outside of acting and this might be a good reason to buy the product, I actually was drinking it before he started advertising for them. If you think that you don't like gin, I would encourage you to try this one. It is more neutral then most and juniper is a background flavor. I expect you will get the hard 'no' for stocking Aviation in the room. Sorry to hear about the buffet. I kind of expected this. Really tough for the staff to maintain standards. This is partly why we wanted the YC access. On the sunrise walk, was the "power walking" track usable for jogging? Since the gym doesn't open until 7am, I am hoping to jog instead.

Thank-you for your continued reporting. I'm particularly happy to hear some positive news. Glad to hear that you 'butler' seems to working out and that your hot tub seems to be up and running. As for the hot tub's state - based on your 'booze cruise' report - you have to feel sorry for what that poor hot tub has likely seen and been through. On second thought, best not to think about it. Good to hear that the fridge is getting stocked. Curious if they will change the beer for me. I doubt that they will fulfill my liquor request for Aviation Gin. We are looking forward to beer, pizza, and hot tub night. Sounds like the pizza is meeting expectations. I am happy to hear that the A/C works well. My DW would definitely complain about that. Hopefully, you are just experiencing the spring breakers. I'm sorry for the crew. Agree that it isn't appropriate for people to be mistreating them or disabled passengers. You might be able to help the wheelchair/scooter passengers with your YC elevator access. If you call the elevator with your card, supposedly, it will bypass other call requests.

I feel like I have failed to communicate or the sense of humour just isn't coming through. There is a potentially profitable market for MSC where parents would pay for Seabourn (or equivalent) but they have kids and need the kids activities, water slides, etc. This is an ideal demographic for YC. Are they going to provide the Seabourn experience? No, of course not. Should MSC YC aspire to a premium product? - yes and this is what they advertise. L1211's experience will turn off a lot of people in this demographic. From Captain-John "Pre-shutdown (May '19), there were still issues with long wait times in the YC bar, issues getting a wine aside from the pre-selected options in the dining room, a reluctant butler and some other issues I've just been reminded of. " If MSC can solve these issues, they could have a very good product. The HR issues are impacting lots of industries. Hopefully, this will improve with time. Seabourn and Silversea have an advantage that they can promote from their parent cruise lines (Carnival and Royal Caribbean). If you have an excellent staff member, they get moved up (I hope with improved pay and benefits). Hopefully, MSC does this with the YC, but it will still take time. YC seems like it could benefit from some improved logistics. This takes good leadership, education and IT. However, there seem to be some simple policy improvements that the leadership should make like wines in the dining room.

Seabourn budget with MSC kids.

Thank-you for your post. We are excited to hear about your experiences. Are you on for 7 days? How's the butler? Did they show up? Did they offer to unpack? Did you get any drink preferences for your room (bottle of alcohol, change drinks in fridge)?

I completely agree with you. I think that I will have to find happiness where it presents itself. That being said - I think MSC has a real opportunity to capture a specific and profitable market. Based on the OP's experience, I feel like they are failing. So...close

Excellent example...anyone at MSC reading this?

Remains to be seen...hoping to hear more positive reviews between now and July.

I had to include a comment on that since it is Seabourn's claim to fame. My DW hates the very idea of caviar anyway.

Darn it - not sure where I thought that I read that. When I check the site - you are correct.

Should clarify - The butler should offer (you don't have to accept) but you shouldn't have to chase them down (L1211's seemed to disappear) and ask.

No argument there, but it still should be MSC's aspiration for YC. Do I expect 'anytime you want it caviar'? No. Should it be offered once in 7 days - yes. Do I expect a small boat (<1000 passenger) experience? No, but you should feel like the staff in the YC know you and remember what you like. Once a day, a drink you have previously said was 'great' should show up without asking. Should every staff member know your name? No, but your 'butler' absolutely should. Do I expect the 'butler' to serve a 5 course meal to you in your cabin? No, but your 'butler' should fulfill all the jobs that MSC has designated such as unpacking, pressing, bringing drinks...without your asking. I really think that there is an opportunity for MSC here. Our MSC trip with 2 adults and 2 kids in a YC Duplex Suite costs the same as a Seabourn entry level room for 2 adults. It sounds like they are having an HR issue. Hopefully, this will improve with time. MSC is definitely behind on technology and experience though. I also worry about some logistical failures that L1211 mentions. These really shouldn't be happening at this point. They know exactly how many people will be on each sailing. They should be able to statistically predict how much Chardonnay and limes they need to have in the YC.

Your reports definitely put me on guard regarding our 7 day NYC-NYC in July. I feel like I will enter the boat defensive and pushing for us to get the value that we paid for. Not a good way to start. Hopefully, MSC keeps tabs on these forums (they would be foolish if they didn't). Our family is a demographic that they should be targeting. My wife and I would book Seabourn if we didn't have kids. We typically only get 1-2 weeks off together per year. So, we are willing to spend more money on those weeks. We are looking for that Seabourn experience for us but with a kid friendly boat. If we have a good first cruise, we could be customers for the next 10 years. Based on your reports, I'm just not hopeful. They seemed to fail the customer service experience frequently.

Great job on your postings - definitely helpful for us. Look forward to someone reporting more on the butler experience. Looking to hear if the 7 day cruises do better or worse. I worry that we have a number of sea days and resupplying would not be possible - will the shortages get worse?

Maybe this is an 'island time' issue? If I tell you 0630, maybe you will be out at 0830? Impressed that you guys partied all night and got out at 0715. Not going to happen with us.

Seems ridiculous that you guys are having to stand up for yourselves. Why are the wines available downstairs but not in the YC (or is downstairs in the YC but not upstairs)? Does someone need to make a supply run downstairs?

I fully intend(ed) to go through that entire drink list. I am worried that I will get: "I would like X" "We are out of X" "I would like Y" "We are out of Y" "This is fun but can you just tell me what you have?" Can you at least let them know that if they run out of Aviation Gin...we are going to have an issue.

Quick! Stash some extra limes. 😆 Are the limes going to become MSC's pandemic toilet paper equivalent? Is that Chardonnay?