Beamafar

2 hours ago, marti2282 said:

Was wondering if any additional restrooms been added to Ocean House? Porta-potties still there?

Yes, plus the ONE loo in the building which is shared by males and females. 

Sincere apologies to non-YCers - didn’t mean to narrow the focus.  The only other area of the island we’ve hung out in is the Lighthouse bar as the staff from Cabaret Rouge are working here. 

View from our table

Not sure if the menu is new, but we enjoyed lunch at a perfect table under the new canopy. Mr B had the crab starter, followed by the lobster roll (has nothing to compare it to as he hadn’t had one before) and finished with crème caramel.  He highly recommends everything he had.  I had the carne asada;  while the meat was very rare for my taste, it was so tender and had a very nice flavour, so I would recommend it.  I had the mango cheesecake;  the biscuit base was soft. 
 

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Drat !

I believe they’ve added more sand to the beach (though it’s still very stony entering the water).  Also, they’ve extended Ocean House.  Hopefully these pics will give you some insight 

18 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Now, perhaps, maybe, perchance, conceivably, for all one knows, we might now get some idea of the changes that await us at Ocean Cay through your eyes ?

Not having been here before, I’m afraid I will be totally unaware of the changes, M.

Good morning Ocean Cay from MSC Seascape

18 hours ago, Notch8 said:

You’ll have a great time here.  Except for the buffet.  Unless you’re Yacht Club!  🙂

 

Jim

We are.   But the island menu offered doesn’t appeal to me so it’ll probably be the buffet. 🙈

18 hours ago, Notch8 said:

@Beamafar : I am sure that you’ll have a different take on the island than I did.  I am eager to hear your observations!

It’ll be our first time there.  We were on Meraviglia when she was the first scheduled ship to visit the ‘new’ island but it wasn’t ready til a couple of weeks later, so when I heard that works were to be completed only 2 days before this visit, I prepared myself for a call to Nassau (we haven’t been, so it wouldn’t have been too much of a hardship for us 😆)

Seascape captain announced that he intends to get us to the island earlier than planned and hopes to be docked by 4.45am to prevent currents/wind from affecting our arrival tomorrow. 

18 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Good to know. Thanks for sharing. Hope you had a great meal. 🙂

I had the chicken and rice dish again today.  It was quite salty so I didn’t finish it.  Mr B had the huavos rancheros (again!!!  He sometimes has seconds he likes it that much).  I had the brownie for dessert and it was quite tasty 

On 5/18/2024 at 10:46 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

Thanks @Beamafar. Do you know if YC would use the Aurea dining area? Or would we need to ask our butler or the YC concierge to arrange our visit when we've overslept and follow their directions?

We went to brunch earlier today (10.20).  There was a queue of about 5 couples waiting for a table for 2 so we joined it.  A butler arrived escorting 3 women and they were taken to the top of the queue, where they immediately taken to a table.  When the butler turned to leave we showed him our card and the hostess immediately said “You’re YC - come with me”.  So, we skipped the queue. 

20 hours ago, mcoler181 said:

Is the brunch a new thing? If not we missed that in February. 

 

 

They had it for the first time on Seascape last week.  I believe it had already been introduced on Meraviglia.  It seems to be a big hit, especially not having to be up early on a sea day to catch MDR breakfast. 

Currently on Seascape.  Last week it was a zoo - very crowded around the atrium areas and very loud.  There is a different demographic onboard this week (less Americans and almost 1000 Brazilians, who like to party).  Terrific atmosphere and easier to navigate the ship - especially in the evenings.  Had we not stayed on for a second week I would have said never again.

For us, the food is cheap and poor quality.  We found the buffet options extremely limited.  However, the sea day brunch is not to be missed.  Mr B has the huavos rancheros every time.  I opted for steak and eggs a couple of times, but tried the  chicken and rice dish a couple of days ago and it was really good.  (There is a thread on here about the brunch, with the menu available in the OP).  We usually go around 12pm when it’s not so busy. 

The crew have been amazing and we’ve received exceptional service from them.  We hang out at the bar in Cabaret Rouge and have great craic with the lads. 
 

@morpheusofthesea Thanks so much for tip about Indian butter chicken being listed in the healthy options section of the menu - I discovered that it’s on tonight. 
 

This forum was never like that til MSC grew its market in the US.  Now it’s dominated by YC and US sailings;  things being stated as fact when the information may only apply regionally, etc.   I’ve seen people make erroneous statements about Med cruises despite never having been on one. 

For comparison, here are some shots of Retreat bar area

Now, from YC, Seascape

17 hours ago, Notch8 said:

I’m currently on the MSC Meraviglia that is scheduled to stop in Ocean Cay on Thursday.

 

I had a chance to speak to the cruise director about any changes.

 

1.  He confirmed that it is ready so if we miss it will be for another reason.

2.  He stated that the biggest improvement is the change to the berth to allow MSC World America to dock.

3.  Seakers buffet was apparently enlarged as well.

 

I’ll report out what I observe on Thursday.

Very interested in hearing from you as we’re due to visit the day after. 

18 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

I was on the Beyond in a Sky Suite just to try it and compare the Retreat to the YC and Haven. What a major disappointment. Never again.

Totally agree.  We were on Edge.  Apart from Luminae (which is a lovely restaurant, but the food offerings weren’t for us so we went to the MDRs) the Retreat does not offer anything like YC.  The Retreat pool bar is a joke - hard wooden junior infant school style chairs and tables, limited drinks and food menu.  Compare with YC full bar on pool deck with buffet breakfast and lunch.  Then, the suite lounge.  Again, full bar and comfortable TSL with evening entertainment vs no bar and small Retreat lounge that was empty most nights. 

18 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Have you tried the oysterrisotto? It looks grouse but tastes delicious, I think.

Hi SC.  Currently on Seascape.  Never did get to meet up after almost doing so on Divina. 
 

Devilled rooster is on the lunch menu today.  Had it on Mera’s first sailing and it was delish.  Hopefully it’ll be as good here today.  Also, filet mignon, beautifully charred, was good the other night.  Had it in the Aurea MDR last night and missed the charring. 

21 hours ago, jean87510 said:

For those of us who cruise for the ports, missing a 36 hr stay at a port for a 4 day cruise may not be as relaxing as one who just likes to stay on ship.  One can play bingo and stare at the horizon for so long.  

With Ocean Cay, even when open, there’s no guarantee you’ll make the island if the weather isn’t playing nice. (I guess you can say that about any port).  Unfortunately that’s the risk you take when cruising. 

17 hours ago, no1talks said:

 

Wow, I expected the opposite for YCers: Foods like the Venchi cake and lobster Benedict would retain the menu upcharge and beverages would not be charged due to YC's drink package. 

Sorry. - I was speaking generally.  Not everyone on here sails YC. Easy Plus (& Premium drinks package) would cover the menu drinks. 

All items on the menu are complimentary apart from the drinks.  
 

I gave the shortcake a second go - it was a little better than last time.  The previous photo didn’t show the strawberries and cream sandwiched between the shortcake, so here’s one that does

The brunch is indicated in the YC daily planner

2 minutes ago, Fishwife2016 said:

This was my 3rd with MSC so I get keeping the expectations low!  Guess that's why I was so blown away with how good this was.  On another note, I was disappointed in not having donuts at any point.  Past cruises they had donuts that were pretty decent.  Had them all talked up with my mom and, nope, nowhere.

Saw a plate piled high with iced donuts on a table in an MDR at breakfast not touched!!!!  (Also lots of other items left on plates, too 😌)

3 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I did not know this as we've never used the MDR on MSC. We had stopped into the NCL MDR whilst booked in Haven when a course caught our eye. We'd only have that one course and they were always very gracious and super attentive. I know that sleeping in would be a nice treat for us so we might give this a try on MSC. Do you think we would need to bring our own mimosas? I've seen that beverage service can be problematic at dinner, but have never seen mention of mimosas at breakfast. We always have at least one round of them. 😉

We found that it was quiet enough going to the brunch around 12 pm.  Can’t speak for the sort of service you might experience as ours was very personal.