Views From The Hammock: A Seaside Story

[stp_mmh5]

 

I wasn't going to post anything until we got back from the trip, but seeing how the ever popular Morpheusoftheseas is doing a live from Seascape, I figured this would be a great opportunity to compare live the Seaside from the Seascape. Also, this was it's almost like sailing along with him, as our past two MSC cruises have been.

 

A little background on this trip. We are starting our move from Tennessee/Kentucky to Alaska, and figured that the most direct route would be via a cruise to the Caribbean. Macon got another Travel Agent offer that happened to coincide with our travel period. We were really tempted to go on the Meraviglia out of NY because that is our favorite ship in the fleet but Seaside offered the overnight at Ocean Cay and that was the hands down winner in our book. So we booked a Bella Balcony and got assigned 12030. Great spot up towards the front and we'll be able to watch the lighthouse show from the balcony should we so choose. We had all the intentions of finally peeling ourselves away from the YC, just to see if the standard MSC product was as good as we remembered. But then the house sold early off market and the upgrade offer email came in, so we put in a bid for both a YC1 and a YIN.  5 days before, we received the email that congratulated us for our YC1 bid being accepted and into the YC we go. This time we are on 18 on port side. Our YC streak continues, whatever will we do lol.

 

On our way to Florida, we decided that the most direct route to Port Canaveral would be Sunrise, Florida for a chance to watch game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We get up early (somehow as we didn't get back to the hotel until midnight) on Sunday and make the 3 hour trek back up to Canaveral. We made great time and pulled up to the parking garage before they even let folks start parking. Right around 10am, they open the gates and we paid upfront. ($17 a day for 8 days). We get a nice ground floor spot, drag our one large wheeled duffel bag and snorkel bag over to the YC tent. Almost missed it as I was looking for the white tent, but instead saw a blue one. We check in, quickly pass through security and right into the YC check-in area. I will say that I much prefer the way Port Canaveral 's setup is over Terminal C in Miami. Feels more like the one in Genoa, Italy minus the historical building. Then at approximately 10:50, the boarding begins and we start the shuffle onboard.

 

Since it's currently lunch at Ocean House and our crab ceviche is on the way, I'll pause here and continue the catch up game when I can. There will be pictures eventually, mostly of food.

 

Always welcome any/all questions and will do our best to answer them quickly.

 

-Shane & Macon

 

[Two Wheels Only]

42 minutes ago, stp_mmh5 said:

I will say that I much prefer the way Port Canaveral 's setup is over Terminal C in Miami.

 

I understand that many people dislike Miami for a multitude of reasons such as traffic, construction that never ends, chaos, etc. but with so many new terminals being built, different lines sharing space, and so many people coming in and out, I let it slide.

 

For me, getting to POM is worst than the actual port.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, stp_mmh5 said:

We get a nice ground floor spot,

I use to covet the ground floor until I read about sea creatures occupying parking garage ground floors.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3951658/This-spot-octopi-ed-Octopus-appears-flooded-parking-garage-Miami-unusual-King- 

Also there is 'something' about salt water not being too good for car engines.

Edited June 13, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, stp_mmh5 said:

Morpheusoftheseas is doing a live from Seascape, I figured this would be a great opportunity to compare live the Seaside from the Seascape.

As much as I love reading my own 'sensational' diary (a la Oscar Wilde) I quite enjoy reading the diaries of others as well. Though I seldom reply unless provoked. Yours are most enlightening.

[stp_mmh5]

3 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I understand that many people dislike Miami for a multitude of reasons such as traffic, construction that never ends, chaos, etc. but with so many new terminals being built, different lines sharing space, and so many people coming in and out, I let it slide.

 

For me, getting to POM is worst than the actual port.

Miami is.... certainly it's own adventure. There is no personal dislike to anything about sailing from Miami, but just a preference of how the YC check in experience is in Canaveral's Terminal 10 versus Miami's Terminal C. Neither terminal seems to have been designed with a suite lounge experience in mind. That said, it just seems to flow better up here without the little check-in room stop and doing the check-in with the waiting area. Once the new MSC terminals are completed in Miami, then the only issue remaining will be the Miami area traffic. Which is probably never going to improve.

[stp_mmh5]

Boarding day part 2. 

 

Stepping on board an MSC ship might as well as be like walking back into my own house. It's welcoming, there's great company, food I can't wait to eat and that ever present relaxing Med by MSC smell. 

 

After crossing the gangway we are immediately greeted by the next butler in the escort chain, this time a familiar face from the Seascape. Arnold takes the group of us up to the lounge where the concierge Raj had all of us sit close together and gives us the welcome aboard spiel. We notice that it is considerably warmer than what we remembered on Seashore/Seascape in the lounge, but I have a feeling the blazing Florida summer sun had much to do with it. Once we are finished with the brief, a couple of us grouped up in a shady area and have a round of drinks. Arnold breaks away from escort duty and says a warm hello and was happy to see familiar faces. Turns out he has only been onboard for three days himself, and recently earned a promotion from only working the lounge/pool deck to having a section of rooms. He then takes off again to help bring in the next group of guests and will chat with us more later. 

 

One of the other butlers comes by to let two of the three couples know their rooms were ready and escorted us to them. We get initial lay of the room, then head up to the pool deck for lunch. We finish our light lunch and drinks, then head back down to the room to find our larger bag waiting for us. Macon quickly begins to unpack and after we finish I decided to take a nap. At some point during the nap, the smaller bag arrives. Since this mainly only had snorkel gear and hammocks, it was very easy to unpack. Pull out one hammock for the balcony and place the bag by the door for easy grabbing.  

 

After a few minutes of finagling and testing of the questionable knots the hammock is all set and I just lounge until the muster drill. We may or may not have heard the number to dial in advance and had watched the safety video a dozen times, so shortly after the official start, we dialed 881, got our confirmation, waited a minute or two, then walked down to the casino to check into our muster station. Quick scan as usual and back up the elevators we went. We used this as an opportunity to try out the priority system. What's nice on Seaside, the elevators in the center of the banks have a little placard for YC guests. Scan that and when it registers one of two things seem to happen, it will either

A. Let you pick any floor with a little green bar at the bottom saying Yacht Club

B. Defaults to the floor your cabin is on

 

We zip back up to 16 and head straight to the lounge before the cruise director begins the instructions of which decks should head down to their muster stations. We wait until the official end of the drill so that bar opens up and get our next round of drinks. We then do a little exploring of the ship to see the differences between Seaside and Seashore/Seascape. We notice quite a few design quirks as we go. There are some spaces that feel larger, others that are smaller, some that are very much the same but yet completely different. We almost decide at the same time that we prefer the way Seaside is set-up. I don't think we could explain it, but it just seems better to us. That said, Meraviglia is still the best layout in our opinions.

 

After our jaunt around, I post up on the starboard bridge wing of exterior lounge and watch our departure from Port Canaveral. By the time we clear the jetty, we head back to the room and change for an early dinner.  When we get to the restaurant, we ask if there is some seating near one of the window walls around the corner, versus our seemingly go to space along the railing looking into the lounge. We wanted to try sitting somewhere else, as while the people watching is great from there, we often found the music coming up from the lounge loud and distracting. We get a nice two top along the wall with views out of the windows, and meet our dining room team. Manuel is our waiter, and Ferninanz(spelling? I'll try to catch it tonight) is our assistant waiter. Also in the area rocking the bread on johnny on the spot with water refills is Jean. Dinner moves quickly and everything is amazing as always.

 

After dinner we go explore more of the ship, focusing on the pool decks and parts we bypassed earlier in the day. We pass on the variety show and end up in the lounge for a few after dinner drinks and enjoy the pianist. Finally the day catches up to us and off to bed we go.

 

That pretty much sums up the first day. Now the fun part for me, playing catch up when I can, while still enjoying this trip as it happens. Now the fun part for everyone else, pictures!

 

 

The second ship I ever sailed on. Marella Discovery, or as I remember it, Splendor of the Seas. Back when having a 9 hole mini golf course was an impressive feature (at least to a 7 year old)

 

 

Lunch! A great selection from the buffet. The winners were the scallops. Perfectly cooked and seasoned.

 

 

Much like this somewhat possibly live thread, Oasis of the Seas decided better late than never. Granted this was only a port of call for her.

 

 

I think Royal hired the Carnival cleaners, this is the roughest I have ever seen a Royal ship look. And it was like that all the way down.

 

 

But an Aperol Spritz makes everything better

Also in port was a Space X rocket

 

As well as Wonder of the Seas and a cargo ship.

 

For dinner we had the scallops

And the amazing vegetable spring rolls

 

Excellent pasta with asparagus

Perfectly cooked halibut

And the most mouth watering prime rib.

 

Finally we both finished the night with Crema Catalana, one of our favorite desserts onboard.

Now it's not one of my reviews without the obligatory sunset pictures

We'll finish this up with a recommendation from a friend. The Aviation. Not really a gin drinker, but this went down nice and smooth and I might just get it again. 

 

On the next break, Ocean Cay part 1

[stp_mmh5]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

As much as I love reading my own 'sensational' diary (a la Oscar Wilde) I quite enjoy reading the diaries of others as well. Though I seldom reply unless provoked. Yours are most enlightening.

I always find yours quite the source of great behind the curtain information. I joked with my wife that we will be missing those tidbits you post about the trip on this one. It should be interesting to see how our journeys will be similar because MSC and YC, yet different.

 

If I may ask, since you seem to be able to get quite the wealth of info from the crew, if anyone knows the story behind this pylon?

 

[amygutman]

49 minutes ago, stp_mmh5 said:

Boarding day part 2. 

 

Stepping on board an MSC ship might as well as be like walking back into my own house. It's welcoming, there's great company, food I can't wait to eat and that ever present relaxing Med by MSC smell. 

 

After crossing the gangway we are immediately greeted by the next butler in the escort chain, this time a familiar face from the Seascape. Arnold takes the group of us up to the lounge where the concierge Raj had all of us sit close together and gives us the welcome aboard spiel. We notice that it is considerably warmer than what we remembered on Seashore/Seascape in the lounge, but I have a feeling the blazing Florida summer sun had much to do with it. Once we are finished with the brief, a couple of us grouped up in a shady area and have a round of drinks. Arnold breaks away from escort duty and says a warm hello and was happy to see familiar faces. Turns out he has only been onboard for three days himself, and recently earned a promotion from only working the lounge/pool deck to having a section of rooms. He then takes off again to help bring in the next group of guests and will chat with us more later. 

 

One of the other butlers comes by to let two of the three couples know their rooms were ready and escorted us to them. We get initial lay of the room, then head up to the pool deck for lunch. We finish our light lunch and drinks, then head back down to the room to find our larger bag waiting for us. Macon quickly begins to unpack and after we finish I decided to take a nap. At some point during the nap, the smaller bag arrives. Since this mainly only had snorkel gear and hammocks, it was very easy to unpack. Pull out one hammock for the balcony and place the bag by the door for easy grabbing.  

 

After a few minutes of finagling and testing of the questionable knots the hammock is all set and I just lounge until the muster drill. We may or may not have heard the number to dial in advance and had watched the safety video a dozen times, so shortly after the official start, we dialed 881, got our confirmation, waited a minute or two, then walked down to the casino to check into our muster station. Quick scan as usual and back up the elevators we went. We used this as an opportunity to try out the priority system. What's nice on Seaside, the elevators in the center of the banks have a little placard for YC guests. Scan that and when it registers one of two things seem to happen, it will either

A. Let you pick any floor with a little green bar at the bottom saying Yacht Club

B. Defaults to the floor your cabin is on

 

We zip back up to 16 and head straight to the lounge before the cruise director begins the instructions of which decks should head down to their muster stations. We wait until the official end of the drill so that bar opens up and get our next round of drinks. We then do a little exploring of the ship to see the differences between Seaside and Seashore/Seascape. We notice quite a few design quirks as we go. There are some spaces that feel larger, others that are smaller, some that are very much the same but yet completely different. We almost decide at the same time that we prefer the way Seaside is set-up. I don't think we could explain it, but it just seems better to us. That said, Meraviglia is still the best layout in our opinions.

 

After our jaunt around, I post up on the starboard bridge wing of exterior lounge and watch our departure from Port Canaveral. By the time we clear the jetty, we head back to the room and change for an early dinner.  When we get to the restaurant, we ask if there is some seating near one of the window walls around the corner, versus our seemingly go to space along the railing looking into the lounge. We wanted to try sitting somewhere else, as while the people watching is great from there, we often found the music coming up from the lounge loud and distracting. We get a nice two top along the wall with views out of the windows, and meet our dining room team. Manuel is our waiter, and Ferninanz(spelling? I'll try to catch it tonight) is our assistant waiter. Also in the area rocking the bread on johnny on the spot with water refills is Jean. Dinner moves quickly and everything is amazing as always.

 

After dinner we go explore more of the ship, focusing on the pool decks and parts we bypassed earlier in the day. We pass on the variety show and end up in the lounge for a few after dinner drinks and enjoy the pianist. Finally the day catches up to us and off to bed we go.

 

That pretty much sums up the first day. Now the fun part for me, playing catch up when I can, while still enjoying this trip as it happens. Now the fun part for everyone else, pictures!

 

 

The second ship I ever sailed on. Marella Discovery, or as I remember it, Splendor of the Seas. Back when having a 9 hole mini golf course was an impressive feature (at least to a 7 year old)

 

 

Lunch! A great selection from the buffet. The winners were the scallops. Perfectly cooked and seasoned.

 

 

Much like this somewhat possibly live thread, Oasis of the Seas decided better late than never. Granted this was only a port of call for her.

 

 

I think Royal hired the Carnival cleaners, this is the roughest I have ever seen a Royal ship look. And it was like that all the way down.

 

 

But an Aperol Spritz makes everything better

Also in port was a Space X rocket

 

As well as Wonder of the Seas and a cargo ship.

 

For dinner we had the scallops

And the amazing vegetable spring rolls

 

Excellent pasta with asparagus

Perfectly cooked halibut

And the most mouth watering prime rib.

 

Finally we both finished the night with Crema Catalana, one of our favorite desserts onboard.

Now it's not one of my reviews without the obligatory sunset pictures

We'll finish this up with a recommendation from a friend. The Aviation. Not really a gin drinker, but this went down nice and smooth and I might just get it again. 

 

On the next break, Ocean Cay part 1

Loving this!

Thank you so much for the awesome review and photos. Can't wait to follow.

Warmest, Amy

[stp_mmh5]

Ocean Cay part (day) 1.

 

Woke up early as it seems I do. The excitement of Ocean Cay just gets me up way earlier than I ever want. But I did get to see some great views of the moon over the water. I eventually fell asleep again briefly, and then woke up in time to watch our approach to the island. Waiting for us was Ocean Cay One, the tug sitting right in the middle of the channel. I imagine that the tug was asking us for the password and would only move out of the way when we got it right. As we did our turn around, we enjoyed some morning lattes and Macon was delighted to see the return of her chocolate twists. So far she is 2/2 of her favorite snacks making a return to the Top Sail Lounge. After what felt like a strangely long time, we started backing up and docking. I noticed at some point we did have a line tied to the tug and it seems to have helped guide us into the channel. Seashore and Seascape didn't use the tug, so not sure if the current/weather conditions necessitated the use of the tug or if they were just being extra careful.  Eventually we made it alongside so we packed our bags and headed off to Ocean House.  

 

We got there early enough to have pick of the loungers, so we grabbed a pair right up front by the life guard. We both decided the ocean was super inviting but immediately regretted our decision to not pack/bring water shoes with us.  Once we got past the rocks, the sand was nice and the water was like a nice warm bath. After sometime in the water and in the sun, we got a ride over to the spa area and had wonderful 50 min massages. Macon opted for the lighter one and I had the deep pressure one. Afterwards we took a slow stroll back to Ocean House so that we could get a drink and get ready for lunch. 

 

With the Ocean House menu being the same as our past experiences, we already knew what we were going to get. We both started with the crab ceviche, I had a lobster roll and Macon had the Mahi. While the menu may not change, the way it comes definitely does. The biggest difference was that lobster meat was less heavily basted in mayonnaise, so it was much more enjoyable to me. The crab ceviche was soooo good that Macon had a second one with no salad instead of dessert.

 

After lunch I decided to hang up my other hammock near Ocean House, and we both just laid out and napped. A quick drizzle of rain rolled through, but not enough to pack up. If anything, the light drizzle cooled things off and was super refreshing.  Eventually Macon decided to go look through the shops and I did a little snorkeling along Ocean House Beach. Lots of fish along the large rocks, and the smaller rocks along the length of the beach were full of snails, hermit crabs and an octopus. After about an hour, I pack up the last our stuff and meet Macon at the bar by the shops. She was a little sad the ice cream parlor didn't have any flavors she wanted, so we went back to the ship for drinks and to get ready for dinner.

 

We went to dinner a little early so that we could catch the "Magic & Psychic" show. We were.... unimpressed. Some of the crowd seemed to really enjoy it, but it wasn't for us. Afterwards we went back down to the island to find good seats on the beach for the lighthouse show. Since the whole reason we went with this trip was for the overnight experience at the island, we wanted to make the most of it. Mother Nature has slightly different plans, as a short but strong rain storm blew through about 10 mins prior to the show. Most guests eventually returned to the ship, but we stuck it out for awhile. The light show eventually did kickoff and we got to experience it from the beach. Much better than our Seashore experience on the YC deck as the music was much clearer and the show more engaging to us. Afterwards we found our bean bag chairs we had abandoned during the rain and hung out enjoying the dark ocean sounds. We did a quick trip up to the lighthouse bar just to listen to waves crash on the rocks, but decided to head back because the rain seemed like it was ready for round two. As we boarded the ship, the second show kicked off promptly at 2200 (10pm) and watched a little of it on the gangway. 

 

After getting back onboard, it was off to the lounge for some night caps and then off to bed. It was a really good day and we knew another day of adventure was ahead, so figured catching some zzzs was the way to go

 

Sometimes waking up in the middle of the night is worth the view

 

Our first sighting of Ocean Cay 

Not sure what the password is, but I'll guess it was something super complicated like, Password

We really like that Seaside has these extra loungers up front that Seashore and Seascape omitted

 

Tug pulling us in or something. Not really sure as it danced around behind us for awhile, and by time we started backing in to the channel, it just hung out in the open water.

 

Who was happier with our arrival, us or the birds?

The blue ness of the water here never ceases to amaze us.

 

Views from the hammock are the best

 

Skipping way ahead to dinner, we have the vitello tonnato

Oyster risotto. We keep ordering it and its always just so, meh. It's cooked right, but the flavor is just missing for us.

I had the amberjack fillet and it was divine

Macon went with one of her favorites, the Cioppino

 

Another favorite, the paccheri pesto pasta. The pesto part was lackluster compared to other pestos,  but still a solid dish.

 

And we'll close up with mostly caption-less photos of the island at night 

 

Here you can kind of see the rain part 2 trying to come in

And close off the night with the main entrance path at night void of people.

 

Sometime tomorrow I'll get around to day 2, and maybe, just maybe, get all the way up to wherever it is during the sea day.

 

Thanks for following along and we'll MSC you soon

[stp_mmh5]

Day 2 @ Ocean Cay

 

This morning we woke up at a much more normal time and immediately wandered down into the lounge. We enjoyed our little routine of some cafe lattes, chocolate twists and fruit tarts while just slowly bringing ourselves into the world of consciousness. After the second round of coffees were done, we went up to the pool deck to check out the breakfast buffet up there. Arnold was up there and we had a quick chat with him as he did his rounds. Asked him more about his move from lounge duty to having a permanent section. He said starting the first week of July he'll know exactly what section he'll have, and that he's using the in between time to essentially practice the different tasks he will have so that he will be ready. He asked us about our plans and we just said we were winging it today. Unbeknownst to Macon, I had tried to secretly secure the Sunrise Mimosas excursion for our anniversary, but they sadly weren't running it today. Not sure why they cancelled it.

 

After breakfast, we went back down to the room to gather our things for the island. As soon as we were done, the cruise director came over the PA and said the gangways were open and ready. I had thought they already were so great timing on our end. We bypassed the concierge desk and went straight off the ship without a butler escort because sometimes we like to live dangerously. We get up to the YC waiting tent and there are three carts ready to go, so we hop on and take off.  As soon as we pull in, I start getting the hammock set up. Various staff members come by to check it out, all commenting on how different it is and some thinking possibly about getting a travel hammock for the crew beaches. We also get our first round of drinky drinks for the day, Macon starting with a tequila sunrise and I with a mimosa. Macon enjoyed her drink and the island enjoyed mine. So much so that it also conveniently tipped the second one over as well when I wasn't looking, so I gave up on anything but the water.

 

About an hour after we arrived, I decided to head back to the ship to get more snorkeling gear. I said I was going to wait before the next cart of passengers came up, and it was a decent amount of time before one came. Guess everyone else was really taking their time this morning. I know I probably could have asked some one and they would've radioed for one, but I wasn't in any hurry to get back. I quickly shoot up to 18, grab the snorkel gear, and am back at the cart departure point in about 10 mins or less.  There is a cart ready to go, but no one else is there. I tell our butler and the cart driver that I am absolutely fine with waiting in case anyone else comes up. We wait for about 10 mins or so and the driver decides to go. He's singing along with Backstreet Boys on the way to the other end, as it was his way of coping with his teams loss in the NBA finals the night before.  It certainly made for a very entertaining ride and garnered a few looks from the others on the pathways as we went. Once back, I laid in the hammock just long enough to watch a little rain cloud sprinkle the beach and decided that was my cue to get into the water 

 

I first went to Bimini Beach as I hadn't yet been there. I think that this beach is nicer than the YC one, as the current doesn't seem to sweep away all the sand. There are still rocks and what not, but it is less punishing than the YC beach. I start snorkeling closest to the rocks and the YC cabanas, but the current there wanted to pull me around the rocks and along the cabanas. Not wanting the jet ski lifeguards to come flying up on me, I turned around and walked to the other end of the beach. Along the way I pick up pieces of glass that way no one accidentally steps on them and find two intact beer bottles down by the water. I pick those up and toss them into a trash can. Finally I get back into the water and follow the rocks around towards the entrance of the lagoon, but make sure I don't get too close to it. These rocks are much fuller than the ones under the cabana and it's a little clearer too. I see all different types and sizes of fish, a small barracuda and I watch each other closely, and one of the last things I saw was a huge snapper in the rocks. I walked over to the lagoon side with the intentions of checking out the swim platforms and the rocks closest to the bridge, but changed my mind and went back to the YC beach instead. The tide was low so there wasn't as much to see. 

 

After snorkeling it was about time for lunch. Our plan was to eat our way through the island, finishing up in the YC restaurant onboard.  We started with the crab ceviche, only meat and chips. I also had a burger which means between our three trips there, we finally ate everything on the menu. We packed up all of our belongings and started the trek to the ship. When we made it to Seakeers, the lines were about average length and I secured a table. Macon walked up and looked at the offerings, but wasn't impressed with anything. She thinks that they were in the middle of changing everything out to some fresh stuff. So we decided to continue the hike back to the ship. We went to the ice cream place again, but they didn't have any flavors she wanted so we did a little shopping instead. After that, back to the ship for YC lunch. Except they were closed. Dang.

 

We then hung out in the lounge and chatted up with some of fellow cruisers. Our hunger level was still high so Macon went to order a pizza. I can't remember if Seashore/Seascape had the same policy or not, but Seaside does not allow pizza to be delivered or eaten in the lounge. So once it arrived to the cabin, Macon came down to get me and we went up to the pool deck. The pizza was delicious as we knew it would be and we ate it entirely too fast. Now that we were quite content, we went back to the room for a little siesta.

 

Siesta complete, it was time to get ready for dinner. We planned on going in early, in case we wanted to catch the rock n roll show before the hockey game in the sports bar. We sat in our favorite section and the team was quick with drinks and bread. As Manuel took our orders, I had to finally lift the veil on some scheming I had done on the first day. Being as vague as I could, I asked if he could check with the Maitre D about the special request. I had tried to find him myself earlier in the day, but he was probably working hard behind the scenes.

 

The sommelier comes by and brings us a great Italian chardonnay to go with our starters. Macon is so anxious about this surprise dish that she ended up eating very little of anything else. Finally the moment comes and two plates of Beef Wellington are delivered. Macon is amazed by this as this her first time ever having it and the fact that I had even thought of trying to get it. It was absolutely amazing and totally worth it. Macon had apparently done some scheming as well, as afterwards a plate of chocolate covered strawberries arrived for dessert. Just like us, always trying to surprise each other with food on our anniversary.

 

Rolling ourselves out of the restaurant because of how unbelievably stuffed we were, I went to our cabin to gather our team swag for the game while Macon went down the lounge to get us post meal macchiatos. We then head into the sports bar and get invited up to the front row with some other folks who were supporting the same team. After a disaster of game for our team, we head back up to the lounge for some night caps. The firat round was the strongest chocolate martinis ever, so much so that Macon opted to join in for a second one. We then had a great chat with butler on lounge duty then finally decided to call it a night.

 

Just a little sprinkle to help keep things cool. I loved the reflection of the blue from the water into the cloud.

 

If anyone else brings a hammock in the future, this is probably the best spot to put it.

 

Perfectly clear water. 

What more could one ask for.

Seakeers a little after 1230. 

 

I want to know the story behind this pylon. It's the only one damaged along the way and it looks as if it was hit from outside the channel first.

The only problem I have with hammocks is that I am not in them often enough

Spring rolls with a peanut sauce. Tasty, but the ones from the first night are our preferred ones

The vegetable soup. One of Macon's favorite dishes

 

Lobster Bauletti. Always love the fresh pasta onboard

 

The surprise of the night. This one plate could easily have fed both of us.

 

Nothing like a plate of strawberries to finish the meal. 

And of course, the sunset photos to close out the day.

 

Sea day today has been mostly relaxed. The YC cocktail party with the staff was at 1030 and soon we're off to the Diamond party. I'll try to closeout today before long so that tomorrow is almost like a live thread.

 

With that, we shall MSC you soon

[stp_mmh5]

Sea Day

 

Today we just spent the day lounging, eating and drinking our way through the day.

 

Highlights from the day were the YC cocktail party with the senior officers of the ship. Slightly different this time as the Captain, HD,  YC Director and Cruise Director walked around introduced themselves to each and every group seated in the lounge while the pianist played. After their meet and greets, then they officially introduced the officers as well as other key staff of the YC.

 

Afterwards we had our Diamond meal in the Pan Asian restaurant. An awesome meal with great views. What is great is that they have a sushi menu and a standard fare menu that are included in the Diamond meal. Highly recommend it as solid option.

 

After a solid food coma, we get up and explore some of the activities on the ship. At 5, we go to the Diamond party. It didn't go as smoothly as the one on Seascape did.  It started late, even for Italians and the officers were quickly brought up, cheers with drinks, then they all disappeared. 

 

We then went up to the room to get ready for dinner. Since we packed the house for our move to Alaska, we forgot a few things for the cruise and didn't realize until we were getting ready. So instead of dressing to the 7s as we usually do, I settled for the 4s. Gala dinner is always one of our favorites, but we decided to go lite on the meal because we were still full from lunch.

 

After dinner, Macon went back down to the spa for an hour and when she came back, we went into the casino for a little bit. Nothing too crazy, just enough kill a little bit of time. Front there, we went to the Haven lounge for the jazz set. A waiter came by while we were still deciding on drinks and said he would be back shortly. He never did, and no one else came by in a roughly 10 min period we were there. We didn't stay long as the large groups in the lounge were talking loudly over the music, so it was harder to enjoy the music.  So we went back up to the lounge for nightcaps and the saxist was playing a good set. We stayed until he was done and then called it a night.

 

Our morning routine of cafe latte, a macchiato, chocolate twists and a fruit tart

Always love the breakfast buffet options

Our exploration of the ship brought us to this view

Pan Asian starters. I had the crab cakes

Macon had her choice of 3 pieces of sashimi or nigiri

We also ordered the surf and turf roll. Worth the $19 for it.

Our view from the table. The sea was like glass.

I went with the Vietnamese Lamb 

Macon had the Spring Fever roll

 

I had the Pineapple upside down cake with Coconut ice cream.

 

Macon had the Malasalas with caramel sauce

 

YC elevator override steps. Find this sign at the forward interior elevator. 

Scan your wristband or key card underneath. Once this screen pop ups, pick your floor, wait for you assigned elevator and zoom away.

 

Champagne risotto. Probably the best risotto MSC offers hands down. We both got it as our appetizer.

 

We also both had the lobster tail. These things were huge. And perfectly cooked.

The fettuccine with porcini mushroom sauce. Honestly, I didn't like it this time. Could've been a miss on their end or maybe just my palette.

 

Macon had an affogato for dessert

 

And I had the coffee ice cream.

 

 

And close out with the sunset

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

Good stuff, thanks for doing this. 

[Rob-Bob]

Great review.  I am enjoying following along.  Thank you.

[stp_mmh5]

 

Thanks for following along all.  If anyone else reading has anything they'd like to know, especially outside of the YC enclave, let us know as it gives a solid reason to explore the ship more  with that, here are some other thoughts we've had in no particular order.

 

There were a few reported issues of luggage delivery. At least one group onboard outside of the YC never received their bag the first day. It finally found its way to their cabin on the second evening. Others reported bags being delivered super late, including some folks in the YC.

 

Speaking of luggage, one fellow passenger had to choose whether to have luggage or go on the cruise. She and her daughter chose the cruise and there were a bunch of folks getting together on one of the social media groups bringing them enough clothes to make it through the week.

 

The YC lounge and restaurant have been abnormally warm so far. I mean, it is summer time in the Caribbean and there's a ton of windows everywhere so I'm sure that plays a part in it, but it is still almost uncomfortable with how warm it is. There are other spots throughout the ship that feel like the A/C could use an adjustment as well. That said, our room and other venues across the ship are perfectly comfortable. Also I find frozen drinks often help. 

 

There are certain things about the layout of the Seaside that we prefer over the Seashore/Seascape. The split buffets, separation of the specialty dining from the main pathways, the mini atrium between 6/7/8, and the aft haven lounge as examples.

 

Things we don't like as much are some spaces or hallways feel more narrow, the weird dead ends passing through some areas, and the inability to pass through all of deck 16 easily.

 

The ship doesn't feel nearly as busy as Seashore/Seascape. Granted our trip on Seascape was over New Year's Eve, but the staff we have talked to commented that it's relatively empty and that the 7 day trips tend to be less busy than the three and four day trips.

 

Haven't heard total numbers for the cruise overall, but there are only about 190 people in YC this week, and a decent number were upgraded. The concierge's spreadsheet on boarding day listed everyone's OBC/prebooked items and in red was the word Plusgrade for those upgraded.

 

Since we were upgraded and didn't initially have the wifi or drinks purchased, on the first day we had to essentially buy our wifi and drinks outside of the YC enclave. The concierge made a note of the Wi-Fi while he assisted us connecting to the internet and had it refunded that night, whereas our drink package took about 24 hours to kick in.  Two bars on the ship and one on the island found a way to override it because they saw our YC key cards and wristbands. One drink we ordered in the sports bar they couldn't/wouldn't override and said that our package only works in the YC. We brought that up to concierge desk and they fixed it right away.

 

The scheduling of the thermal area is the most minor of inconveniences and so far hasn't impacted us from going when we want. We usually ask the concierge about 10-15 mins before we want to go, he calls down and doesn't ask if there is availability, just that he's sending two down. Once the Spa desk tried to say let me check, but he wasn't about that. He said something along the lines of " Why do you have to check, you know you're going to tell me yes anyways" and then laughed after.  

 

There was some hubbub on the socials about the main dining rooms turning away men with shorts last night for the Gala night dinner. It's stated pretty clearly the dress code of the night, and if you can't follow the guidelines that's your issue.

Most other nights it's not an issue, even in the YC. On tropical night they had no issues with the below the knee khaki shorts with sandals I was wearing. Didn't mean to do that, just realized it about halfway through the meal.

 

In the sports bar, the large screen at the front is delayed a couple of seconds from all the other TVs. It was interesting to hear some of the bar react to the game that was on, then the others watching the main screen react a few seconds later. So if you come to watch a big game here and want to see the action first, watch the smaller TV's.

 

That sums up our random thoughts and observations so far. We'll see how the last few days go and if there will be anything to add to this list.

[Georgia_Peaches]

44 minutes ago, stp_mmh5 said:

The YC lounge and restaurant have been abnormally warm so far. I mean, it is summer time in the Caribbean and there's a ton of windows everywhere so I'm sure that plays a part in it, but it is still almost uncomfortable with how warm it is.

Same was true when I was on Seaside with my mother last week.  One night at dinner I had a trickle of perspiration roll down my back!  We also found it to be exceptionally hot in the casino.  You're right, there's a ton of glass in the YC lounge but I think there may be a serious AC issue.  Have you mentioned it to the concierge?  I didn't when I was on board because I thought it was just me and my stage of life.

 

Enjoying your review and love the food pics.  We will be on her again in August and I can't wait to try some of the dishes you've highlighted.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:39 PM, stp_mmh5 said:

 

The second ship I ever sailed on. Marella Discovery, or as I remember it, Splendor of the Seas. Back when having a 9 hole mini golf course was an impressive feature (at least to a 7 year old).

 

Yeah, Marella is homeporting Marella Discovery at Port Canaveral this year. TUI moved their UK & Irish charter flights from Orlando Sanford (SFB) to Melbourne Orlando (MLB) to be closer to the port.

[kelleherdl]

8 minutes ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Yeah, Marella is homeporting Marella Discovery at Port Canaveral this year. TUI moved their UK & Irish charter flights from Orlando Sanford (SFB) to Melbourne Orlando (MLB) to be closer to the port.

MLB undertook a large expansion of the airport. TUI occupies the gates in the new ‘international’ boarding area. MLB also remodeled the old restaurant area into a VIP lounge for TUI. The Customs and Border Protection areas were at least doubled.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Thanks you for sharing!  We will be on in 10 days. So excited!!

[stp_mmh5]

Yesterday we went from slow and sluggish to tequila so kept us quite occupied. With that, let's jump back to Costa Maya and seeing how today goes, Cozumel may come later.

 

Costa Maya is a port we haven't been to since our first cruise together almost 10 years ago, so we were very excited to finally get back. We came real close last summer when we did a B2B on Carnival Mardi Gras, but some tropical remnants crossed over from the Pacific and kept us out at sea (NCL Breakaway made it in 10 mins later...yeah. Still mildly upset about that). Unfortunately our original plan decided to close for the summer hurricane season and none of the ship excursions appealed to us, so we figured we would do what we do best and just wing it.

 

I don't know who was in charge of scheduling, but they for some unknown reason decided that bringing in 3 massive ships and the Grandeur of the Seas all at the exact same time was the best thing they could've done. So some 10,000+ people all spill out of their respective ships and clog the shopping area.  It's so congested that the last minute tour sales folks can't get more than 2 feet from their booths.  We shuffle our way around the port area, give a minimal effort look for something for friends back home and decided that it was entirely too people-y out there. We then salmoned our back to the ship.

 

Along the way, an ambulance was trying to get off the pier but people just wouldn't move out of the way. Also, the Carnival Photo folks were everywhere trying to get pictures of everyone who walked by, whether they were Carnival guests or not. I almost broke character and went to pose for one of their photo opportunities, but decided against it.  Upon reaching the Seaside, we were trying to figure out which gangway was allowing folks back on versus only letting folks off. We passed by one and the security guy made it seem like the forward most one was letting people back on, so we went to it. Which is fine, as that is the one we normally use for quickest access back to the YC. We walk across the gangway and up to the checkpoint where the security guy there said we were at the wrong one, and the we should've used the other one. Whoops. We let them know that guy indicated to use this one, and we walked back over. This time we walk up with no issues and find our way back to the lounge.

 

We spend some time chatting up with fellow cruisers and the bar staff then decide to head up to the pool deck for lunch. After lunch, we head down to the thermal spa for some time. This time we just walked down like we normally do without asking for a time slot. The Spa reception desk asked us for our cabin number upon approach and then waved us through. I feel like they're definitely wanting to keep track of all who go in, both for capacity reasons and to make sure that only those with spa access make it through. 

 

With today being a pretty lazy ship day, we don't end up doing much before sailaway. We watch as the other ships slowly leave before us, and then we have a prompt departure at 6. Shortly afterwards, we head up to dinner, get some after dinner drinks then off to explore some more. We go to the 9:15 show, Peter Punk. This show reminded me more of the ones from Divina, where voiceovers cover what little dialogue there is, the story made little sense, but some of the acrobatics and other speciality performers were outstanding. After the show, we went back up to the lounge for chocolate martinis and to listen to the saxist. At the conclusion of his set, we called it a night.

 

Our approach to Costa Maya. We're the last to arrive in the area, but not the last to dock.

It's about to get stupid busy on these piers.

 

Breakfast in the dining room was really good this morning, and this was the best eggs Benedict I have had on an MSC ship.

 

So we almost sailed this week on the Escape. We've been wanting to try this ship ever since she launched, but just haven't been able to break ourselves away from MSC.

 

Came back to the room to find our charging cables near the bed neatly bundled up with a Yacht Club branded cable tie. This is a first for us.

So one thing not mentioned, but the waters around the pier were pretty rough. The ship was bobbing and swaying more docked here than any time at sea.

 

We watched some pier runners trying to catch up with the Escape. I guess there was a group of about 8 or so that almost missed it. Wouldn't of been too bad of a catch up game, as Escape went to Cozumel next with us.

 

Right before departure is the best time to go shopping if you don't mind missing the boat.

 

Gilligan's AirBnB for those who choose to overnight here.

 

And we are off. You can see how wet the pier is from the way the waves crash onto it.

 

Fun fact, any salad can be a Cesar salad if you stab it enough times.

 

The beef consomme was on point tonight with delicious tortellini in it.

Shrimp cocktail was definitely more shrimp than cocktail.

 

Sunset looked awesome as we sailed away.

 

Truffle risotto was rich but tasty.

 

Surf and Turf was also good, the second time. The first one the steak was cooked right, but there was no flavor at all and the texture wasn't of steak. I don't know how else to explain. Take two, and it was as awesome as every other steak we had onboard so far.

 

More dinner sunsets to help set the mood.

 

Vanilla Creme dessert. It was like the Crema Catalana dessert underneath a wild berry topping that one would get on the Panna Cottas we so love. So it was the best of both worlds.

 

The ice cream pyramid. We are used to the ice cream inside usually being strawberry/chocolate/vanilla. This time it was chocolate and pistachio. Which was unfortunate for Macon as she can't stand pistachio anything.

 

Also noticed this activity in the restaurant as we sat listening to the night sax. The head waiter was inspecting every table and every glass thoroughly before releasing the waiters from their sections. Any discrepancies were immediately polished out with a clean rag or replaced entirely. It is that level of attention to detail that really makes difference.

 

At some point today I will hopefully find time to catch up with Cozumel, so that I only need to go over the sea day and debarking before life gets in the way and I have yet another unfinished thread.

 

Thanks all for following along and we shall MSC you soon.

 

[stp_mmh5]

In an effort to end my procrastinating, I've decided that I will pump out the last days quickly. So we shall start this off with our day in Cozumel.

 

Once again, none of the ship sponsored tours sounded particularly appealing so we went with a recommendation from some friends to try the Cozumel Bar Hop tour.  Because this was a do it ourselves tour and it didn't start until 11, we had plenty of time to kill in the morning. Because Norwegian Escape was also in port with us, we ended up docking at the International pier that Royal Caribbean tends to occupy. We had a very sluggish start and slowly went about our morning routine of coffee, snacks and finally breakfast. Around 10, we got off the ship and did a quick turn through the shops, half-heartedly looking for a request from a friend.  We then hopped into a cab up to downtown for $8. We did the quick walk around the main shopping center there as well until we found our tour guide. 

 

We checked with Sergio who would be a hop guide and once all 5 of us were there, we went to a very comfortable 12 pax van. Sergio gave us all the quick once over what to expect with our four planned stops and then a little about the island and it's history. He was very comical about it, but also seemed to know a lot too.  Our first stop had a decent beach to walk around, good food and tasty drinks and most importantly, the ability to take credit card.

 

After our roughly 45 mins here were up, we all piled back into the can for the very short jaunt to stop 2, Coconuts.  This was by far the most fun of the 4 stops and also the busiest. The Blue Margarita is probably the reason why we've gotten so far behind on this review and the conch ceviche was outstanding. The views are also great as it sits up high (40ish feet.  High for Cozumel) above the water.  

 

From there we went to stop number 3 and enjoyed the next round of included shots as well as a mango margarita. Having ate at the last two stops, we missed out on the coconut shrimps, but we're going to use that as an excuse to go again.

 

By the time we leave here, everything is quickly catching up to us.  So much for practicing all week in the YC with our drinking.  We make a impromptu stop because of our small group to get mojitos. Very tasty and so much mint in there the drink was legitimately green. At our final stop, I bee line for some hammocks (surprise surprise) and take a short nap. Few minutes later, I rejoin the group. Some shenanigans happen and I do a great job of scrapping up my knees.  Tequila can do that to you folks.

 

We then all pile back into the can shortly before 4 and get dropped off in front of the terminal area by 4:10. All aboard is 4:30, so a little tighter than we would've liked to arrive, but my shenanigans did delay us. Ultimately we make onboard before the all aboard time, and the ship leaves shortly after the scheduled departure at 5.

 

We head up to the room to freshen up and take another nap. From there, we go straight to dinner. The sommelier swings by to see what kind of wine wanted, to which we said that all the tequila today unfortunately ruined our appetite for wine, but we would make up for it tomorrow.  Dinner tonight had some of our absolute favorites, the assorted dumplings and the butter chicken.

 

After dinner we go explore some of the ongoings in the ship. There was a jazz set playing in the Haven lounge so we went down to go see them play. When we first sat down, a waiter swung by to see if we wanted anything. We were still looking so we asked him to come back in minute. He never did and no one else walked by where we were, so we never did get a drink.  We also didn't stay the whole time because the large groups near us kept talking louder over the music, which dampened the experience for us. So we went to finally go make our donations to the MSC Casino Foundation. The slot machines fed quite nicely on Macon's donation, but I made up for it on the electronic roulette machine. I found a combination of the black and red splits plus one of the hot numbers that ended up doubling what I put into it. Calling that a success, we went back to the lounge for our night caps and to close out the set of the evening saxist. The lounge was much busier tonight than the night prior, but the sea day the next day probably had much to do with it. On our way out, the evening butler reminded us to adjust our clocks back to eastern time.

Our arrival into Cozumel.

Our first time seeing the beaches in this side. Definitely less appealing for swimming, but love the sound of the crashing waves. The seaweed wasn't horrible and didn't smell.

 

Coconuts is definitely a fun place full of innuendo. Also, careful which menu book you look through.

 

The beach at the final stop. Rocks, shenanigans and tequila add up to scuffed knees and delayed departures.

 

Dinner starts with the herbed salmon.

Vegetable soup. Very soupy. Much vegetable.

My second appetizer and Macon's main, the diver scallops. Great choice.

 

Assorted dumplings. Easy top 3 of Macon's all time favorites.

 

The butter chicken. So flavorful. I could probably eat this everyday on the ship it's that good.

 

Finally our first tiramisu. Not as rich as the ones on Seashore and Seascape.

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

54 minutes ago, stp_mmh5 said:

The butter chicken. So flavorful. I could probably eat this everyday on the ship it's that good.

We had the butter chicken when we were on board the first week of June.  It was by far the absolute best thing we ate the entire cruise.  The name of the dish is a misnomer IMO because the actual dish really looks as though it has nothing to do with butter (although I'm sure there's lots in the recipe).  

 

Can you share more about the bar hop tour in Cozumel?  Ie..how to book and such?  Cozumel is one of our favorite ports for various reasons so we rarely do tours but this sounds like fun...minus the skinned knees.

 

Also, did it ever cool off in the TSL?

[stp_mmh5]

5 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We had the butter chicken when we were on board the first week of June.  It was by far the absolute best thing we ate the entire cruise.  The name of the dish is a misnomer IMO because the actual dish really looks as though it has nothing to do with butter (although I'm sure there's lots in the recipe).  

 

Can you share more about the bar hop tour in Cozumel?  Ie..how to book and such?  Cozumel is one of our favorite ports for various reasons so we rarely do tours but this sounds like fun...minus the skinned knees.

 

Also, did it ever cool off in the TSL?

I think they call it butter chicken because it slides down like butter lol. Another table ordered more of it last night and I almost changed my entire dinner plans to have more.

 

So the temperature in the TSL and the dining room was hit or miss. I asked Raj about it, and he said the there's some sensor or something that the engineers use to determine how much too cool any specific area of ship based on how busy it is. He did admit it was warmer than normal and immediately called to get it cooled down. I noticed usually about 6:30/7 ish when the mood lighting kicked on in the restaurant it would start cooling down considerably. The whole ship has random hot zones like that, especially near any doors that led outside. Stepping off into a shady corner or hallway helps until the A/C kicks on.

 

For the tour, go to 

https://cozumelbarhop.com/

 

Transportation, one shot at each main stop and a t-shirt are all included. 11/10 recommend and we will absolutely do it again next time we are there.

[luv2sailAgain]

Oh my goodness, thank you for your review! The suite bug bit me last summer. This summer, I booked another suite and will be leaving soon. I have been thinking on and off about the MSC Yacht Club for a long time. In order to beat the post cruise blues, I have been researching a way to bring my kids along my next suite adventure but not have to sell the house to pay for my addiction.😉 I have been watching videos and pricing out some spring break cruises the past few days. Well, your review sealed the deal for me! After my son lets me know if he wants to come and I do a little more research about the cancelation policy/changing passenger names/changing dates, MSC Yacht Club it is!

 

Your review was awesome! Thanks again!

[stp_mmh5]

9 minutes ago, luv2sailAgain said:

Oh my goodness, thank you for your review! The suite bug bit me last summer. This summer, I booked another suite and will be leaving soon. I have been thinking on and off about the MSC Yacht Club for a long time. In order to beat the post cruise blues, I have been researching a way to bring my kids along my next suite adventure but not have to sell the house to pay for my addiction.😉 I have been watching videos and pricing out some spring break cruises the past few days. Well, your review sealed the deal for me! After my son lets me know if he wants to come and I do a little more research about the cancelation policy/changing passenger names/changing dates, MSC Yacht Club it is!

 

Your review was awesome! Thanks again!

Glad you have enjoyed reading along. I will warn you that once you go suites, especially Yacht Club, it is incredibly hard to ever go back. 

 

The biggest thing I can think of with cancelling and what not is that recently YC can no longer be cancelled without penalty no matter how far out you cancel. Not sure about name changes though.

[luv2sailAgain]

39 minutes ago, stp_mmh5 said:

 I will warn you that once you go suites, especially Yacht Club, it is incredibly hard to ever go back. 

 

So true! I already tried it. We sailed to Alaska on Ovation of the Seas in a Grand Suite in June 2022. I found a July BARGAIN on Allure in a balcony for 8 days to the ABC Islands. Seriously, I couldn't have stayed at the Days Inn for 8 nights any cheaper. I am a teacher and have to sail when prices are high. So, I was over the moon. But after that suite experience,. . . It was fun and I really enjoyed Curacao. But it was not the same at all without the "suite" life.

 

If we do go during spring break, it will be on the Seashore. So I am off to read your review of that ship!

 

BTW You guys are moving to Alaska?? How exciting! It is sooo beautiful! Before the kids came along, my husband and I lived in St. Croix for a bit. It was an experience I'll never forget. I was glad to come home though, but it is a great story to tell! I hope you guys love it!!

Edited June 19, 2023 by luv2sailAgain