Where are all the "regular folks"?

[vaindioux]

2 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

Of course not. 

Why don’t you?

 

Just criticizing!

 

Some people are just so negative!

 

HAGD! 😃

[bucfan2]

5 minutes ago, vaindioux said:

Why don’t you?

 

Just criticizing!

 

 😃

Yep...I'll criticize your selfishness. 

Edited May 12 by bucfan2

[vaindioux]

1 hour ago, bucfan2 said:

Yep...I'll criticize your And me 

 

And me your negativity!

 

Still HAGD! 😁

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 5/8/2024 at 3:15 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

This reminds me of a quote by "The Total Traveler" author Ethyl Blum "Those that can afford to travel first class and don't, your heirs will."

Exactly why we always sit at the front of the plane!  

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

Yep...I'll criticize your selfishness. 

I don't read "selfishness" as much as I read timidity. One must have a 'thick skin' to post on CC.

[Sharon_and_TC]

I have pretty thick skin and usually don't take offense at things posted in a forum on an internet site; however, I take offense at the "regular folk" reference - as if those who can, will, and choose to travel in a certain way are somehow different. 

 

My wife and I (both in our late 60s) are as "regular" as anyone else.  We both worked for close to 50 years, and scrimped, saved, and made smart (for the most part) life choices.  We did those things with the hopes that when we retired we could, and would, enjoy our later years.  One of the hardest things to do, once we retired, was to teach ourselves that it was OKAY to spend money on ourselves. 

 

Ten years ago, even though we could afford it if we "rearranged things", we would not have travelled in YC or in Haven, or fly First Class; because we did not let ourselves do so - we had goals to reach.  But I didn't - or even wouldn't have considered - putting down someone, or being offended by someone, who did do those things. I am not sure why some people are offended or disturbed by the fact that some "regular folk" prefer to travel in a more comfortable environment, with more amenities, and are willing to pay extra to do so.  

 

It seems from many of the comments in this thread, that people who do not travel in YC have more issues with those that do travel in YC, than the other way around.  It was mentioned that many of the top topics are "YC" topics.  Surprisingly, many YC travelers are just as cost-conscious, as non-YC travelers.  YC travelers want to make sure they get their money's worth, just the same as non-YC travelers.  

 

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Sharon_and_TC said:

 I am not sure why some people are offended or disturbed by the fact that some "regular folk" prefer to travel in a more comfortable environment, with more amenities, and are willing to pay extra to do so.  

"Crab mentality, also known as crab theory, crabs in a bucket mentality, or the crab-bucket effect, is a way of thinking usually described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you".

The metaphor is derived from anecdotal claims about the behavior of crabs when they are trapped in a bucket: while any one crab can easily start to climb out, it will nonetheless be pulled back in by the others, ensuring the group's collective demise.

The analogous theory in human behavior is that members of a group will attempt to reduce the self-confidence of any member who achieves success beyond others, out of envy, jealousy, resentment, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feelings, in order to halt their progress even though there are no benefits associated."

Edited May 12 by morpheusofthesea

[vaindioux]

2 hours ago, Sharon_and_TC said:

I have pretty thick skin and usually don't take offense at things posted in a forum on an internet site; however, I take offense at the "regular folk" reference - as if those who can, will, and choose to travel in a certain way are somehow different. 

 

My wife and I (both in our late 60s) are as "regular" as anyone else.  We both worked for close to 50 years, and scrimped, saved, and made smart (for the most part) life choices.  We did those things with the hopes that when we retired we could, and would, enjoy our later years.  One of the hardest things to do, once we retired, was to teach ourselves that it was OKAY to spend money on ourselves. 

 

Ten years ago, even though we could afford it if we "rearranged things", we would not have travelled in YC or in Haven, or fly First Class; because we did not let ourselves do so - we had goals to reach.  But I didn't - or even wouldn't have considered - putting down someone, or being offended by someone, who did do those things. I am not sure why some people are offended or disturbed by the fact that some "regular folk" prefer to travel in a more comfortable environment, with more amenities, and are willing to pay extra to do so.  

 

It seems from many of the comments in this thread, that people who do not travel in YC have more issues with those that do travel in YC, than the other way around.  It was mentioned that many of the top topics are "YC" topics.  Surprisingly, many YC travelers are just as cost-conscious, as non-YC travelers.  YC travelers want to make sure they get their money's worth, just the same as non-YC travelers.  

 

What she says, and more!

 

LOL, the story of our lives me and my wife.

 

I m going to make it as short as possible.

 

Late 50’s, married 32 years and love each others very much.

 

We have worked 50-60 hours weeks all our lives as blue collars.

We have lived within our means pinching the pennies but making smart choices and especially SACRIFICED a lot, no silver spoon fed folks here.

Some family members, co-workers hate us because they know we are confortable and about to retire (Wife is retired for health reasons, me 57, within next week to 2 years max).

 

I know folks at work for 25 years that have worked 35-38 hours a week, change cars every 2 years, get NFL season tickets, own a boat and yadayadayada!!!

 

Do we hate on them? No!

 

I drive a 2013 Corolla at 57, we bought a decent but small house new and knocked the 30 Y mortgage in 9 years.

 

Few restaurants during that time, 3 day driving vacations at the beach sleeping at days inn and eating MD!

 

Now we can retire early, are not rich but comfy and some folks including family members hate on us?

 

Then they wear their sport team shirt with their favorite player’s name in the back who is a billionaire !!!

 

Are you kidding me? How about hating on him?

 

So YC it is now, and it’s sad to read posters hating on cruisers that save for the YC.

 

Some have the suites in YC, do we hate on them? No!

You got millionnaires in YC, do we know who they are or care, no!

We enjoy a nice talk with everyone at the bar, in the pool or the elevator.

 

Good for them if they have tons of money, no hate from us.

 

And i m typing this while my beautiful wife drives the Corolla back home.

 

There should be a MSC YC forum with booking number to provide to participate 🤣

 

If you want to talk it further, look for us in the YC!

 

Edited May 12 by vaindioux

[MsTabbyKats]

@morpheusoftheseaIt's also called "raining on your parade."

 

 

 

 

[Cooper30]

Meh 

 

Don’t tell me how to spend my money and I won’t tell you how to spend yours. 

[At Sea At Peace]

21 hours ago, vaindioux said:

What she says!

 

We are not rich, live within our means.

 

My wife insisted on bidding on YC.

 

I was like “Seriously? A butler?”

 

Well hold and behold, i will always do it now.

 

Yacht club is amazing!!!

 

Pat and Kris

 

Nice.

 

Some here think that all YC'ers require the pampering (unpacking, room stock of desired, escorts to dinners and shows and cabanas) of a butler.  Not true.  First, for those that do, great and we're glad for you.  However, in almost 10 B2Bs we've never used our butler.  Seriously.  My wife actually finds them an annoyance.  🙃 It even took me a couple of years to get her to stop making the bed in the morning! 😘 Our room is immaculate and organized, we really only need towel service.

 

We do enjoy ~

 

~ the really comfortable room size and layout of the deluxe balcony and large shower.

 

~ dining in the YC, once per day, only at night, is "out time" and we take our time, interact with our waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter (sometimes MD, although not as much a back in the day with Mario), as well as others we've met who sit near us.  It is 'the event' of the day for us and the evening, followed by descending into the lounge for an hour or so of light music, light drinks (for us) and socializing with others, especially B2B'ers.

 

~ day on the One Deck, preference for port days, cabana (we wish they would go to a fee based reservation in 4-5 hour intervals), the cold pool, the back body temp jetted tub and, of course, the awesome bar and grille.

 

~ morning early coffee in the lounge reading the eNews for an hour with caution on port days for assembly of those in walk-off groups (we'll head up to pool deck).

 

~ "on topic," the many, many just regular nice people that we meet and enjoy - from all walks of life, all 'preferences and partners' etc.

 

~ finally, enjoy the YC staff, top to bottom (the pool boy on Seascape will follow Onil's footsteps to butler someday).  So friendly, so accommodating, so 'just darn nice and very good at what they do.'  Seriously, how many cruises (or trips) have you been on when the staff serving you the most comes up to hug you with big smiles and pats the night before you current voyage ends?

 

We're trying, again, to try Explora Journeys.  Check out the CC forum.  My thread on the impossibility to even book a gosh darn cruise is entertaining. 😇  Makes the 'famous MSC cruise line website' seem like an Elon Musk operation!

[sidari]

On 5/9/2024 at 8:29 AM, notley-cruise said:

 

Yes, my wife and I discussed the American purchasing power thing after our last cruise. I'm British, she's European, and we both have colleagues in USA.  We both take something like eight weeks holiday per year, whilst US takes way less. 

For myself Europe now feels quite expensive, but the Americans don't seem to flinch at the prices.  Is the USA equally expensive ?  Do Europeans visiting the US find it expensive ?

 

As regards experiences, after selecting the cruise and drinks package, your cabin selection determines your experience, it should be the same Bella, Fantastica, Aurea experience maybe just described differently.

 

There are some interesting naunces with booking in UK, Europe, RoW vs. USA. i.e. UK bookers always have gratuities included and are offered Premium Plus drinks package at 60% discount, where France sees the gratuity listed separately, and US gets offered the Easy Plus drinks package by default. 

 

 

 

UK bookings have only had the daily Hotel charge/ Gratuity included for about three years now.

[Two Wheels Only]

4 hours ago, vaindioux said:

I drive a 2013 Corolla at 57, we bought a decent but small house new and knocked the 30 Y mortgage in 9 years.

 

We bought a 2009 Corolla new and put 250k miles on it before we gave it to my niece....who totaled it a few months later. 🤬

[vaindioux]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

We bought a 2009 Corolla new and put 250k miles on it before we gave it to my niece....who totaled it a few months later. 🤬

I drove a Ford Escort to over 200000 miles.

The day i traded it for the Corolla, the car just died in the Toyota dealership lot.

They still gave me good money for it, I was surprised.

Now the Corolla is my last 4 cylinders, too small to travel left and right.

Next i want a nice Honda Accord.

Edited May 12 by vaindioux

[phred119s]

10 minutes ago, vaindioux said:

I drove a Ford Escort to over 200000 miles.

The day i traded it for the Corolla, the car just died in the Toyota dealership lot.

They still gave me good money for it, I was surprised.

Now the Corolla is my last 4 cylinders, too small to travel left and right.

Next i want a nice Honda Accord.

That’s it??? I drove a Mitsubishi Endeavor for around 350,000. 😂😂

 

We are similar to you guys. Only a little younger. Mid-40s. Busted our tails to get where we are. Paid off our 30 year mortgage in less than 10. Often have heard how nice it must be to be rich. Nah, I made different life choices. 
 

it’s true we all prefer YC, but don’t always choose to sail there. I’m happy to be on a ship sometimes. I can sleep GOOD in an interior. 

[Cooper30]

59 minutes ago, phred119s said:

Often have heard how nice it must be to be rich. Nah, I made different life choices. 

 

Say it louder for those in the back. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Just another outlook.

[vaindioux]

1 hour ago, Cooper30 said:

Say it louder for those in the back. 

I m 57, still work 48-53 H/Week

I had a 27 YO kid that can hardly work 40Hrs tell me “You are rich” (I wish), like if i had a disease 🤣

Dude i m 30 years older than you and work more hours, i certainly hope i got more in the bank than you!

And then he got fired for stealing from the company.

Edited May 13 by vaindioux

[phred119s]

42 minutes ago, vaindioux said:

I m 57, still work 48-53 H/Week

I had a 27 YO kid that can hardly work 40Hrs tell me “You are rich” (I wish), like if i had a disease 🤣

Dude i m 30 years older than you and work more hours, i certainly hope i got more in the bank than you!

And then he got fired for stealing from the company.

I shouldn’t have laughed at this. 

[sidari]

Since our first MSC cruise way back in 2012 we have sailed in Inside, outside, balcony and Suite cabins long before MSC brought in their so called experiences (Bella,Fantastica,Aurea and YC) when cabins were Inside (I) 1and 2, Outside (O) 1 and 2 and Balcony (B) 1,2 and 3 and YC.

Like others we chose not to sail in the YC because we were sailing sometimes 2, 3 or 4 times a year with land holidays in-between when we only sailed twice, had we done so then we would likely have sailed somewhat less than we have done and not been to as many countries as we have done. Instead in the later years we have sailed in Aurea cabins and Suites for the private sun deck (Especially the Seaside class twice, which has the best Top 19 of all the Newer ships) Anytime dining, free massage and drink package of which those last two are alas no more. We were given the chance of a YC sailing on Seascape later this year and have decided to try it out although we won't need a Butler to unpack our cases or to take us to the Theatre. Many years ago we sailed on a R.C ship in the Med and were seated with a couple from the USA who owned a lock making business and were as we would say "well heeled" and very well dressed, in fact the guy looked like Burt Reynolds.

This couple were two of the best people we have ever met on a cruise with no airs and graces and were very easy going, I think they were in the Royal suite or whatever RC call them these days, not everyone who sails in the YC or the high end cabins on other lines are snobs.

[MsTabbyKats]

@sidariI just had to laugh...."locks" was DH's road to success.  Came here with no language, 2 suitcases...and a dream.  However, he doesn't look like Burt Reynolds!

[Nunagoras]

3 hours ago, sidari said:

Since our first MSC cruise way back in 2012 we have sailed in Inside, outside, balcony and Suite cabins long before MSC brought in their so called experiences (Bella,Fantastica,Aurea and YC) when cabins were Inside (I) 1and 2, Outside (O) 1 and 2 and Balcony (B) 1,2 and 3 and YC.

Like others we chose not to sail in the YC because we were sailing sometimes 2, 3 or 4 times a year with land holidays in-between when we only sailed twice, had we done so then we would likely have sailed somewhat less than we have done and not been to as many countries as we have done. Instead in the later years we have sailed in Aurea cabins and Suites for the private sun deck (Especially the Seaside class twice, which has the best Top 19 of all the Newer ships) Anytime dining, free massage and drink package of which those last two are alas no more. We were given the chance of a YC sailing on Seascape later this year and have decided to try it out although we won't need a Butler to unpack our cases or to take us to the Theatre. Many years ago we sailed on a R.C ship in the Med and were seated with a couple from the USA who owned a lock making business and were as we would say "well heeled" and very well dressed, in fact the guy looked like Burt Reynolds.

This couple were two of the best people we have ever met on a cruise with no airs and graces and were very easy going, I think they were in the Royal suite or whatever RC call them these days, not everyone who sails in the YC or the high end cabins on other lines are snobs.

Very well stated, Sid, congrats!...

 

No; not all the ones on the higher cabins are snobs, they're actually on the minority side. Sometimes you have the opposite: Snobs on the baseline insides... Oh, well... Just another subject not for today...

 

Meanwhile as for MSC and why they're the less frequented of the CC boards and mostly by YC folks, it is worth to remember that MSC is an Italian line with a very international clientele and a very multilingual environment, out of which only the YC segment seems very prone to attract a very high native English speaking clientele percentage. That doesn't mean only YC is great. All the ship can be great. Otherwise I wouldn't have 7 happy cruises with them, and I'm in hope I can to do a few more before I retire from the high seas!...

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

No; not all the ones on the higher cabins are snobs, they're actually on the minority side.

According to others there is nothing wrong with being a snob.

  

"If it were not for the intellectual snobs who pay - in solid cash - the arts would perish with their starving practitioners. Let us thank heaven for hypocrisy." Aldous Huxley

"The true snob never rests; there is always a higher goal to attain, and there are, by the same token, always more and more people to look down upon." Russell Lynes

"In order to acquire a growing and lasting respect in society, it is a good thing, if you possess great talent, to give, early in your youth, a very hard kick to the right shin of the society that you love. After that, be a snob." Salvador Dali

"The whole strength of England lies in the fact that the enormous majority of the English people are snobs" .George Bernard Shaw

"The word snob belongs to the sour-grape vocabulary" .Logan Pearsall Smith

[Anastas617]

I'll admit that when I first joined CC I found it a little odd that there was so much YC talk considering it was a comparatively small percentage of cruisers. I honestly wished they would have two separate forums since they are seemingly two different products based on the numerous comments I'd seen.

 

In some cases it wasn't even that the post was about YC, it was the comments along the lines of "I would NEVER (gasp! Where is my fainting couch?) sail MSC unless it was YC!" I've learned to disregard those posts; it goes back to the days I was on Vegas boards a lot and I would get frustrated that whenever people would ask "Would you stay at Flamingo or Harrah's?" and you would get quite a few "Don't stay there, stay at Wynn or Bellagio" completely ignoring that the asker was looking at budget hotels.

 

Now, I'd just be happy if posters included YC in the subject so I can happily skip on by in most instances. That being said, I read all of @morpheusofthesearecent trip report and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

I went on a big tangent there. Anyways, for me, currently, there is no value in Yacht Club as so few of the benefits are enticing to me. I have a favorable work schedule that allows me to travel 7-8 times a year and traveling at a lesser cost is more valuable to me now. When I am ready to retire, perhaps I'll splurge as I have no kids/grandkids to leave my $ to.

 

I did have great frustration gambling on my last MSC cruise which led to me "angry gambling" for much of the trip. THAT money would have been better spent on a couple of YC trips. I think I'll go sulk reliving that memory. 🙂 

 

[mcoler181]

On 5/11/2024 at 6:20 AM, Stockjock said:

I've not done YC.  I can afford it, but choose not to.  Maybe some day I'll give it a try.  While it seems to be a better value versus other cruise lines' suites, here's my attitude.

1. It's considerably more expensive.  For example, on an upcoming Norwegian Fjords cruise, the price of YC deluxe is roughly 3.5 times the price of my Fantastica veranda.  Do you get more?  Of course.  3.5 x more?  Doesn't seem that way.

2. Not only do I not want a butler, but I think I'd find them to be annoying.

3. Obviously, an upgraded dining experience is nice, but 3.5 times nice?  To some, sure.  To me, probably not.  That said, on a recent cruise, we got 4 speciality restaurants for $100 USD per person.  3 of the 4 were part of a $200 package.  The 4th (2nd in Butcher's Cut) was a loyalty reward for being a Diamond member.  So 4 of 7 nights in a specialty restaurant for $100 each?  I consider that to be a great value.

4. I do like some of the privacy of YC, but again at 3.5 times the price?  Nah.

5. I don't like the fact that YC deposits are typically non-refundable.  While I don't book with the intent of cancelling, non-YC cabins can typically be cancelled without penalty up to 90 days before the sailing.  Not the case w/YC.

I also don't fly first or business class.  I'd love to do it.  I can afford to do it.  I simply don't want to spend the money.

Nothing wrong w/YC.  I'll try it one day.  But for now, you'll find me in a Fantastica veranda, or perhaps an Aurea suite, but only if the price is right.

 

I'm a bit like yourself, we are a family of 4 (two daughters) who like to travel as mush as possible if we chose to do things like YC it would restrict the amount of things we would be able to do.

 

That being said we have actually booked YC for the this June out of the UK for just me and the wife for our Anniversary, for comparison an inside Fantastica was £1350, YC inside was £2164 which we didn't think was too bad, but when we took into account the included Wifi and also the fact we wont do any specialty restaurants being in YC it seemed like a pretty good deal.

 

I certainly wouldn't pay 2x, 3x the price for the experience.