missthesea

I'm not sure, but I bet you could have maybe a short visit downtown. There was a good amount of traffic, and the walk through the extravagant port tourist trap/pool took awhile. So even when you felt like you had some time, you really didn't!

Sorry, I am behind on posting. It is because we are having so much fun that I am tired out each night! Yesterday was a sea day. We woke early again and watched the sunrise from a cabana by the pool and camped out there till lunch. We did have someone check on us twice to see if we needed drinks and a server also came around to pass out little dishes of ice cream. The pool area was busy midday as expected but there is still plenty of seating. Shade is limited, hence us getting up early for one of the cabanas, but there is some. There are tables in the shade for eating meals. There is a diverse group of ages and backgrounds of vacationers here in the YC. Most people speak English, but a variety of languages can be heard and it is neat to meet people from around the world. Plenty of families - YC is not a kid-free zone, but all of the kids have been well-behaved. At noon, the "seafood extravaganza" began at the outdoor grill. It included scallops, mussels, prawns, and lobster tails were included. People lined up around the pool! After some seafood lunch, we cleaned up to go try out the arcade games. My husband tried the Formula 1 Racer. He had a hard time with it - he says the controls were "off" lol, but I think we just need to play video games more often. We also really enjoyed the interactive VR cinema games, Werewolves. It was in a separate theater room and you are strapped in chairs to experience movement, blasts of air, and surround sound, all wearing 3D glasses to shoot werewolves coming out of a giant screen toward you. Next, my daughter and I braved the Robotron, which is the robotic "ride" out over the main pool area on deck 20. We chose the medium speed, which included a few upside-down motions. It was novel to be swirling around the air looking over the pool crowd and the ocean, but we both agreed we only needed to do it once. The main pool area of the ship is much different vibe than the YC pool deck - it was nice to see the energy, but it made me very grateful for our area without the crowds and aerobics classes. The YC restaurant menu seemed so-so, so we stayed outside of the YC at the main buffet for a very casual dinner. The verdict was mixed. I recommend visiting the buffet for pizza or walking through a few times for a snack if you are in the area, but not eating a whole meal there. We tried our luck in the casino. It was a lot of fun, but we did not win. We played Blackjack and Dreams - which is a version of Blackjack without tens in the deck. It is a little smokey, which is annoying, but for us it was tolerable. Table limits started at $10. We saw poker tables, roulette, slots, and video poker. Someone mentioned MSC bringing a craps table in soon, but that seems unlikely. Finally, we took our teens to the silent disco party in the Cabaret Rouge lounge. The line for the headphones was long, and the party was crowded. If you haven't attended one, the idea is that you are all wearing headphones and can choose between a few different tracks of songs, so you may end up dancing to a different song than your partner. The DJ kept us all dancing and hilariously singing along out loud and off-key. We headed back to our cabin at midnight. Well, first we visited the Top Sail lounge to look for meringues and cookies, of course! Even at midnight, staff is there to do all they can for you. When we found the meringues my daughters like out on display, all we had to do was ask and a whole plate of them magically appeared for us to bring back to the cabin. While I wish we would have skipped our buffet dinner yesterday, we did enjoy being out in the rest of the ship. That is one of the reasons we like the YC so much. We spend some time in our magical little part of ship, and then have fun exploring the busier parts of the ship as well. Best of both worlds!

Ok, I will ask and post it here.

Actually, they just decided they would try the teen club right now, so I can report back on that tomorrow! Our kids are 15, 15, and 17 and they usually wouldn't be interested in the teen club, but it is right outside of the YC on 18 and they walked by and kids were playing a video game they liked, so they are checking it out. Our kids have quirky personalities and don't make friends easily (at least compared to how I remember it when we would just all run off from our parents on vacation and start our own temporary tribe!). There are plenty of families here in the YC with kids from 2 on up. I know people say if you have teens they will be happiest on something like a Royal Caribbean ship with all of the things to do. Ours seem to like MSC, but to be fair we haven't taken them on RC. We get them each a Fun Pass to the really nice arcade with all of the virtual reality games ($140 of play for $80 pre-cruise) and they hit the waterslides and drink their weight in Virgin Strawberry Dacquiris. The girls love dressing up and getting their pictures taken every night at the photo stands everywhere. We always get the $140 "download everything for one price" pre-cruise package.

After our day in the Dominican Republic yesterday, we explored the ship more. It really is a beautiful ship. The atrium is blindingly shiny and is really hopping after 9 pm or so. There are couples young and old dancing in front of the atrium bar to onlookers smiling and clapping. Last night at the "Flower" party (60s/70s theme) there were hundreds of happy people dancing to YMCA and "It's Raining Men" with golden confetti falling down from the top of the atrium. Some of the parties seem to start at 8:45 and some at 10:45 - but families with kids are welcome whenever the party starts. The casino is lively with dueling pianos close by. MSC's "dueling" is more of two cooperating pianos - hard to explain - just a little different than other cruise lines like everything else MSC does. Venchi Chocolate and coffee/bar is a nice place to people-watch over mocha lattes or chocolate martinis. We went to the Cabaret Rouge at the aft of the ship to see a mini-variety show with a singer and magician. It is fun to see those things in a smaller venue. The Cabaret Rouge is one of my favorite places on board at night, and I bet it is a nice quiet place to relax in the daytime. We had a great time, but we had reasonable expectations of MSC's entertainment - not expecting to be blown away like being at a show in NY or Las Vegas. The Seaside a few years ago had an amazing lineup of entertainers when MSC first entered the US market. Every act was amazing and they had a tribute to Michael Jackson that was not-to-miss. The theater shows seem not as spectacular this year, but we still enjoy them. Instead of many "wow" moments in the theater shows, there are a handful. The live music in other areas of the ship, to me, has improved. It seems more varied and a little better quality, They have a hard balancing act to do with such an international mix of people onboard.

Hi. For embarkation? We arrived at the Miami port about 12:30 pm.

Here you go! It is a mesh storage thing designed to velcro at the top around a closet rod. We have it hooked onto two extra-strength magnet hooks instead. The magnetic hooks hold more weight when they are hung from the ceiling. We also have them on the walls adjacent to the entry door and the door to the balcony. The dinosaur blanket we hung in the corner definitely clashes with the room, but it gives us a private space to change if needed with only one bathroom. It is basically a hack to allow us to have one YC room instead of two non-YC rooms.

We did it! We woke up at 6:30 yesterday and watched the sunrise from a cabana on our first sea day. It was beautiful. By about 8:30 am all of the cabanas were taken, but we saw them open up again midday. We spent a lazy morning swimming and reading and just spending time together. We decided we may like the food at the outdoor grill better than the restaurant. The pool area is gorgeous. One big disappointment this trip, though, is the lack of servers coming around to ask for drink orders or clear plates aside from right in front of the grill. We were out there for six hours, and no one came around even once to check on us. Unless you are eating at a table by the grill, no one comes around. The drinks themselves are good. The staff is very friendly and hard-working. It just seems there are not as many staffing the area as the other ships we have been on. Our restaurant experience has been very good. Surf and turf for our first formal night was cooked perfectly and we are sticking with the same waiters so they can get to know us. We have not had to wait for a table so far, and we are eating at about 7 each night. The lounge feels more upbeat with better music than we remembered on our other trips. Today we stopped at Puerta Plata in the Dominican Republic. We usually go exploring on our own or do an off-the-beaten-path trip with ToursByLocals or similar, but this time we had arranged for a day pass at Iberostar Costa Dorada all-inclusive resort. It was very nice, but honestly the kids would have been just as happy staying at the Taino Port! I don't like the "artificial village" feel of these kinds of ports with their miles of shops you have to walk through to get to a taxi, but this one has a gorgeous free pool with daybeds and a big lazy river. If you are only getting off for a few hours or have little ones you don't want to cart to the beach, you really could stay right in the port area and swim and shop (at higher prices than just outside the port!)

Ok, I admit I have a poor track record for sticking to posting daily for live reviews, but I will really try this time! We are a couple with three teenagers staying in 18019 in the Yacht Club on the MSC Seascape. This is our 5th MSC cruise and 4th in the YC. We know what to expect with MSC - the good and the bad - and we love the overall experience. We had to fly out the morning of embarkation, which was stressful and pretty tiring. It just couldn't be helped this time. We walked up to the white YC tents at Terminal C and were quickly brought up with a few other families to the YC waiting area. This is not a fancy waiting room, but there was plenty of space to sit and we only waited about 10 minutes total. It was busy, but it seemed like they had a process going to quickly get people checked in with their wristbands and turn in paperwork. A butler came down and took a small group of us up to the YC. We were taken up to the Top Sail Lounge for drinks and snacks. They had mimosas and prosecco waiting. After about 15 minutes, our server told us our room was ready. The whole embarkation was really smooth and organized. Our cabin is a Grand Deluxe Suite, meaning it has just a little more room than a deluxe suite. 18019 is one that does not have a large walk-in closet like most, but it has a nice wide feel to it. We have three full-sized teens with us, so extra room is needed. Space for clothes has been tight with five people. We knew this would be the case. We brought about 20 super strong magnetic hooks for the walls and a hanging mesh organizer thing for hats and socks that we hung from the ceiling with a magnetic hook. It is a little goofy looking, but it works! There are several smaller spots and drawers around the room and we are filling all of them. The room is beautiful, very modern, and of course, nearly brand new as of this writing. The bed is a little hard for me, but that's just my preference. Our teens are sleeping on a pull-out sofa and bunk pulled down from the ceiling. It seems like it will work, but we will see how they feel tomorrow morning. The bathroom is really nice - very big and has a beautiful shower area. We met our butler, Benson, and assistant butler, Bruno. They have been great so far. The mini-fridge came stoked with pop, beer, juice, water and a Tobelrone bar. No more Pringles or nuts or mini bottles of liquor, and no word on whether we will receive a full bottle of complementary spirits. That's ok with us. It was amazing to see all of that when we first sailed with YC a few years ago, but we get plenty to drink and eat. As long as the Top Sail has little snacks all day and whatever your heart's desire is to drink, and there is room service, we are good. They asked about our preferences for the drinks stocked and also assured us that the Tobelrone bar will be replaced at no charge each day. 🙂 And it will need to be replaced... We had lunch at the YC Grill out by the pool. DH loved the lamb. Kids swam and had burgers and fries and their first virgin cocktails of the week. We started to explore the ship a little tonight, but the muster drill crowds tired us out and sent us back to the YC! We will get out more tomorrow. Dinner was good. Our server, Gerard, was wonderful and the food was above average. We always find the food is ok to very good. The homemade pasta was delicious. The veal was good, but DH wished it was grilled rather than breaded and fried. We found that our drinks from the bar were quickly brought to the restaurant so far this trip. That has been an issue on other trips for us, so it is a good start! This is the largest YC we have stayed in. I think it may mean that service may end up being a touch slower in the lounge and outdoors than during our previous stays. Plans for this trip are centered on relaxing and swimming as much as possible. As we go through the week, I will try to comment on things and answer questions, but I probably won't be able or willing to go take pictures of every menu on board, etc. The kids are heading to the Neon Party (they are older teens and going as a group) and we are going to try our luck at the casino. Stay tuned tomorrow to find out if I can wake up early enough to nab a cabana (and, yes, I will hang out there and have coffee - not just leave towels on it all morning!).

We received an email inviting us to bid on an upgraded room, but after we submit our bid (and our credit card number!) we get this message: It's not the credit card. We tried several cards. We also made our initial reservation weeks ago. MSC customer service is no help. I even called PlusGrade, the third-party vendor that runs the bidding program, but they just referred me back to MSC. I've tried to submit about 10 times, so perhaps I have 10 bids in now, lol! Anyone else get the above message? Or, could you share whether you got an immediate confirmation that your bid was received? Thanks!

Many of the balcony cabins will sleep 4. Check the little key on the map of the cabins - there should be a mark which indicates extra beds. We are on the Virtuosa, which is similar to the Meraviglia, in the aft balcony 10414 which is not advertised as a family cabin, but just as an Aurea suite. It sleeps 6! So look at the Aurea cabins in the aft, too.