Carnival/MSC live S2S

[IntrepidFromDC]

10 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Tried MSC last year on the new Seashore and other than a few very minor issues I loved it. Food, entertainment, drink package all great. Twice daily room service also!

The vibe and passengers were quite different, more refined lol. We sailed close to capacity and I'm sure there were kids but I never really saw or heard them.

Misses were no dedicated comedy, the fun factor was missing and the  limited US itineraries.

It was a nice visit but I didn't feel at home like on Carnival. Enjoy your visit.🙂

 

 

Everything you just said matches my experience and feelings so far.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Tonight I'll be trying their Steakhouse. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

Today is Ocean Cay marine reserve,  and tomorrow is too. So we can stay on the island late into the night since the ship remains docked overnight. They have several beaches on the well but very-lightly developed island. They have food trucks which are additional cost and I hope they're worth it.  You'll be second to know. I have a 145pm kayak excursion and I really am hoping to see sea turtles. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by IntrepidFromDC

[LatinaInTexas]

45 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Today is Ocean Cay marine reserve,  and tomorrow is too. So we can stay on the island late into the night since the ship remains docked overnight. They have several beaches on the well but very-lightly developed island. They have food trucks which are additional cost and I hope they're worth it.  You'll be second to know. I have a 145pm kayak excursion and I really am hoping to see sea turtles. 

Sadly Ocean Cay was a bit of a letdown. We looked at the map and had picked out our perfect quiet spot away from the masses. Went to the booth to pick up our rental umbrella and were told there was another spot to pick up at closer to where we were going and a close by bar.

Waited for the tram that never showed up and started the long walk. Got there and no rental booth or bar anywhere to be seen.

Trekked back to original booth and trekked back to another spot still away from the masses and near a bar.

If it hasn't changed at the bar you just don't go up and wait to order a drink you have to get in a line with the one or two servers who have the pads to order your drink. Found the drinks warm, and many going back saying they had no alcohol only to be told you didn't say you wanted alcohol 🧐

The burger food truck was no charge  didn't try any other ones. Our spot we picked was nice and secluded but to get to the water there were big rocks the whole way. Also after lunch the bar near us ran out of glasses so could only get beer. At one point more glasses arrived but they were martini glasses lol.

Overall all it was no HMC😁

 

 

[aztekpm]

13 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Either that guy is a giant or those are the smallest bowling balls I’ve ever seen….or both.

Looks like 5 pin bowling. When we moved to Canada and saw it, we were baffled too. LOL ended up in a league for a few years, not sure if it was the bowling or the Friday night drinking, but, it was fun!

[IntrepidFromDC]

No MDR breakfast or brunch, which just makes the Lido breakfast buffet madness that much crazier.  No bacation days, but the bacon was undercooked a lot worse than Carnival does and the overall food quality was eh. Since cappuccinos are included in the included drink package,  I tried one,  and sampled the free coffee.  Both were yummy.  Instant buzz on second sip of strong,  bitter,  sweet cappuccino like in Italy.

[IntrepidFromDC]

MSCs version of Fun Times. Less fun for sure.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Ocean Cay from Lido deck (I don't know what they are calling their Lido deck). I'm going to walk to the far beach in the shallow bay, at the top of this pic. My kayak excursion leaves from the area with the waverunners. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

Plenty of space in the pools and yet the island appears to disperse the herd nicely. 

[LatinaInTexas]

22 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

No MDR breakfast or brunch, which just makes the Lido breakfast buffet madness that much crazier.  No bacation days, but the bacon was undercooked a lot worse than Carnival does and the overall food quality was eh. Since cappuccinos are included in the included drink package,  I tried one,  and sampled the free coffee.  Both were yummy.  Instant buzz on second sip of strong,  bitter,  sweet cappuccino like in Italy.

Even though our ship never had a dedicated coffee spot we found a place that was close. Never a line no matter what time we went and they had a few spiked coffee choices. All were delicious and I don't drink coffee lol. We saw a lot of people ordering espresso at the bars. Didn't try the cappuccino, it looks yummy.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Better,  zoomed pics of the calm beach at the far side of the island...

[IntrepidFromDC]

It's 5 o'clock somewhere (Azores?)

[LatinaInTexas]

1 hour ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

It's 5 o'clock somewhere (Azores?)

Now I see my mistake was getting drinks from the crazy and crowded outside bars. Never made it to an inside bar boooo.

[gkbiiii]

Look I have sailed on MSC several times, including Yacht Club, here are a few observations:

Most Newer MSC ships are Two Class format: either Yacht Club or your not!

Smaller ships have better food, much better Italian.  Suite Dining Room great.

Buying the Dining Package is good deal: Much better food, including the upcharge Pizza place.

Paid Gelato & Desert place are fantastic (with great pricing).

Tips work wonders on MSC!!

Italian Bureaucracy, everything does through Roma.

Should be Celebrity of Europe, but MSC never put the money, to make this happen.

Italian owner/family has 300 years of shipping experience.

MSC has over 850+ shipping vessels and plans to become #1 cruise line within 5 years.

 

[IntrepidFromDC]

Off the ship at last,  the water is mesmerizing. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

Divina docked at Ocean Cay 

[IntrepidFromDC]

Some random pics just walking around.  Ocean Cay feels much bigger than HMC. There are four or five  distinct beaches and it's a bit of a walk from one to the other.  The beaches are all very nice in their own ways, but HMC is still my favorite.  There is limited shopping on the island and bars well spaced. Half the food trucks were closed,  other half had long lines.  One guy climbed a tree and handed out unripe coconuts at one of the bars. His buddy blew chunks about 10 minutes after boasting about coconut and tequila consumption.  I thought he had an eye problem because both eyes were looking a bit to the side of his head, picture the angry birds pigs, but they straightened out after throwing up at the bar, which brought out cellphones flashing like papparazi.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Ocean Cay map. I really like this island and want to come back.  Great Caribbean feel, less contrived than HMC.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Beach pics. The water at the small bay  was much warmer than the Caribbean water.

[IntrepidFromDC]

That's one small step for a man...

[IntrepidFromDC]

More beach pics. Lots of space for everyone,  not crowded as much as HMC. Better vibe for more people due to variety of music at the different beaches. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

The line for food at the main trough was long and didn't move quickly.  Fuhgettaboutit.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Divina and lighthouse,  hopefully my Steakhouse dinner doesn't happen at same time as laser show.

[IntrepidFromDC]

I did the kayak excursion but left my phone back on the beach because we would hit rough patches of wind and waves according to the tourguide.  So, no pics. But we did see one huge stingray and one beautiful loggerhead turtle. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

17 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

I did the kayak excursion but left my phone back on the beach because we would hit rough patches of wind and waves according to the tourguide.  So, no pics. But we did see one huge stingray and one beautiful loggerhead turtle. 

I was surprised by a Venezuelan woman who took pics of people and she did email mine, she did a nice job positioning me between the lighthouse and ship..