cublet

Hello, MSC Club, now Voyagers Club, had/has a 'Silver' level and that rank expires after three years with no cruises having been taken in that period. Regards, Cublet

Hello, OK so this is a bit like the tail wagging the dog, but the Carnival Shareholder benefit with P&O, Cunard and Princess sailing out of the UK year-round makes getting your money's worth easier to achieve. Regards, Cublet

Hello, And, of course, Indy has an ice rink that Quantum class does not. So, for me, Indy beats Quantum class. Regards, Cublet

Hello, How many yeas ago I cannot remember but Royal announced that they were going 'plastic free'. On these pages I wondered out loud whether that would put an end to the 'cheese' and 'ham' [?] offerings served in the complimentary restaurants. Even now it appears the answer to that is "No". Regards, Cublet

Hello, I'm bemused by this fixation with 'wash cloths' such that we have two threads running concurrently.🤨 Regards, Cublet

Hello, But are you 100% sure he knew what you were talking about? FWIW, my Fantastica cabin didn't have them but I didn't ask for them either. Regards, Cublet

Hello, At least the Indy's Diamond Lounge, with external seating, is far superior to that on Anthem. Regards, Cublet

Hello, This has been discussed here before. We Europeans do not recognise the term 'wash cloths'. I think we are talking about 'face cloths' or 'flannels' - a piece of towelling no more than about 9 inches square. Whilst you may be discussing a cruise out of the US, I daresay the terminology used in training the cabin stewards was general and not location specific. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Sorry to report a typo in my post #41 above: I was bemoaning the LACK of 'bars' not the 'back' of bars - there are too many pub style drinking establishments not 'cocktail bar' types. Bolero's is a music venue and the poor Schooner bar is downright depressing having a corridor cutting through it. Regards, Cublet

Hello, My one and only claim to fame is that I announced to the world, or to anyone reading CC, that the last two Indy 18night 'Ultimate Mediterranean' cruises had been cancelled to be replaced by 3 x 12 night canaries. One of the things I don't like about Anthem is the back of 'bars' as opposed to 'pubs' - in particular something like the Champagne Bar on Indy. This should not be confused with the Champagne Bar on MSC Virtuosa where we got through 700 bottles in one night last month! Regards, Cublet

Hello, Brilliance of the Seas did sail out of Harwich. Regards, Cublet

Hello, My old Queen Victoria card worked on Virtuosa from 27th April. Something I think is a nonsense is that the TV stays on when the lighting cuts off - I guess it is on the same circuit as the fridge. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Can I ask what was the origin of your OBC and, if you know, the reasoning for its removal? I have a bid outstanding for an upgrade but also have lots of OBC too that originated from 'Cruise with confidence' and converting refund/FCC to OBC. I don't want to pay for an upgrade and lose the OBC. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Once on board, you do not make your booking at the Butcher's Cut but at a counter/station at L' Atelier Bar just outside the entrance to the Indochine Restaurant on deck 6 that is otherwise not identified but deals with all specialty restaurant bookings. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I have not got problem with a dress code but I do with its frequency. In a few minutes I will be off to join QV for four nights to Hamburg and return. Of those four nights two are formal - including the last night when, on other lines, my formal wear will have been packed-away (and maybe even taken away) and I am in smart casual. I will of course respect the first formal night, but doubt the second. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I'm not casting doubt on anything previously written here but would like to know when & where these 'weigh-ins' take place. Despite two MSC departures from Southampton last year, I have no recollection of the check-in process apart from the nasal swab nor the building's architecture - like are there scales similar to an airline check-in counter? Did I leave my luggage at some point outside of the departure entrance as I do with RCI & X? I cannot remember and I hope it's not my age! Is there enough time between luggage deposit and ship's departure for every item to be weighed and yanked-off the conveyor belt if outside the weight parameters? I think this new requirement may have been put in more as a 'marker' or warning and there may not be the ability to enforce it. Yet. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Both 'off topic' and 'off cruise-line' but nevertheless similar and entertaining: Independence is saying 'get off my berth', Eclipse replies with 'in my own time'. It was much louder onboard the Independence too. I felt sorry for any townies trying to get some shut-eye! Regards, Cublet

Hello, The single special supplement 'sale' went from the UK website weeks ago. My April departure (booked with only a 20% supplement) is available in the UK to book now with a full 100% supplement. However it is available on the US website with a 62% single supplement AND kids sail free. Even if the offer was available on all ships and all itineraries it could not be available to all bookings as, in the extreme, the ships could theoretically be (half) 'full' of solo passengers. Regards, Cublet

Hello, At least it was meaningful. My response to a thread title "What would you do?" is quite simple - I move on to read further threads where the titles give me a clue what they are about. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I did a World Wine Tour on Eclipse some years ago. Whoever set it up did not know the difference between the Australian and New Zealand flags. I don't attend these or the wine tasting/pairing sessions as they are usually held in the mornings and that's starting on a slope I don't want to go down. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I'm sure we all know that what 'shoreside' thinks does not always tally with what 'on-board' thinks or does. But the Voyagers Club general T&Cs says "Some benefits are not delivered to 0-17 years guests and are not applicable on 4 days & 3 nights cruise or less". Moreover the long T&Cs says "Complimentary Speciality Restaurant “Tasting Menu” Dinner [Diamond]. Members are entitled to enjoy a tasting menu dinner at a speciality restaurant once during the cruise (beverages excluded). Members may extend their invitation to one occupant of the same cabin only once and only if the cabin mate is not a Diamond card member. Privilege and speciality restaurants may not be available on all ship classes. Members under 18 must be accompanied in order to enjoy the privilege" with no mention of cruise duration. However, there is always a however, reading the detailed list of on-board benefits T&Cs, it appears it's only the Welcome Back Cocktail Party, Complimentary Dancing Class, MSC Voyagers Club Diamond Members party and Sweet Chocolate (Diamond) Gift are not offered on cruises of less than 4 nights. Note we seem to have moved from 4 days on the general T&Cs to 4 nights on the detailed T&Cs - is this sloppiness or intended (my bold)? Regards, Cublet

Hello, I don't think the chilled desserts in the WJ taste bad, it's that they don't taste of anything and are there for appearance only. What I do like are the hot dishes, called 'gunge puddings' from my university halls of residence refectory days, that come with hot sauce that you will probably burn yourself trying to ladle out of the pot. Here appearance counts for nothing and it's all in the eating. Regards, Cublet

Hello, It's too early on a Sunday morning to delve through all my Cunard paperwork to establish all of what they do on singles' pricing, but here are some facts from RCI, X and the real world where I used to be a shipping agent. RCI & X charge a solo passenger one person's Port Fees & Taxes and one persons 'Service Charge'/'Hotel Charge'/'Gratuities' - for the avoidance of doubt, these will be half a couple's. The port authority will charge a shipping company £X pp on a ship's manifest regardless of whether they are in a single/double/treble cabin. So a shipping company charging a solo the couple's price for a cabin is pocketing half the PF&T for itself. Regards, Cublet PS: This is why, if there is any justice, the PF&T for a missed port of call should be refunded as the ship will not be paying them.

Hello, None of my current bookings have any OBC so I have 'no skin in the game'. But all my bookings with RCI have had double OBC as a singleton until I reached a 'break-point' where I paid only a 50% single supplement whereupon my OBC was 75% of a couple's. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Not mentioned thus far is pricing for singletons. With inclusive pricing, solos, paying a 100% single supplement, were paying for two drinks packages and resented the fact. I think X needs to take a long hard look at pricing as it seems to have been more reactive than strategic. Regards, Cublet