go.without.you

I wasn't able to get online at all yesterday. Every 30 minutes I would get a notification to connect to MSC wifi and then it still wouldn't work. If I had a dollar for every time I signed in yesterday it would have paid for my wifi. Not kidding, over 20 times.

Totally agree! Sommelier is such a hard course, probably why there are so few that are certified.

Today was a chill day. Breakfast and lunch at the YC buffet. Nothing to report here except that Celebrity makes a much better burger, hands down. We had facials today (nice) which caused us to be late for dinner so we weren't seated in Jesca's section. Boo. Dinner tonight I had the spring rolls which were tasty and we shared the "Baltimore" crab cake. Ok, unless you've actually HAD a Baltimore crab cake then you cannot make any old crabcake and call it that. I lived there for over 10 years, when you know you know. A true Baltimore crab cake is made with lump crab meat, which was not what this was. I liked the panko breading which was nice and crispy, the crab part was very finely shredded and the crab flavor just wasn't there. We order the crab cake knowing it's not going to be what we expect so we aren't disappointed. For example imagine ordering a hamburger and you get a slice of baloney on white bread. We both had the short ribs which was probably one of the best entrees so far. We shared the lobster ravioli and I would have been disappointed had that been my main entree. It was sitting on a red sauce, which is not normally not served with a red sauce. The filling was a bit mushy and had a fishy after taste, not a fan. I had the crispy tulip for dessert which was phillo dough filled with banana ice cream and strawberries. It was light and hit the spot. I'm not a fan of coffee and 3 of the desserts tonight included a coffee flavor. Gross. Can they please just have a chocolate cake without coffee? Or a chocolate anything without coffee? Please? Speaking of chocolate, last night Edi left us 4 chocolates that were amazing. I did save 2 for Janelle so I'm not a total monster. We went to the show "Gravity" which was "supposed to transport us to another planet". Here's what I got out of it. Glenda the good witch was trying to get the attention of Kazoo from the Flintstones. They sang a song then there was a guy that did a cool balancing act. More Kazoo and Glenda then 2 ladies being very flexible did their thing, which was amazing followed by a couple that did cool poses while being suspended from ropes. They were quite impressive. Kazoo kept touching a giant hula hoop but never actually did anything with it. They sung Titanium and it was over. You can see why I'm not a Broadway review writer. Tomorrow is our last full day and at sea. This cruise didn't start out that great but I'm not hating it.

I don't have any kids by choice but if I did I would clean up after them in public like I do my dog.

We arrived at YC dining room about 630 and Jesca saved us a table. She said people were lined up at 530 (opens at 6). They had a special Thanksgiving menu tonight. I would've liked to order a steak but the "always available" options ironically weren't available. I had the mushroom ragout (prob best appetizer so far), Janelle had the deviled eggs. I'm a deviled egg snob and thought they were pretty good, better than I thought they'd be. We both had the turkey and it was really good. Tender and the stuffing had a lot of herbs. The cranberry sauce was the unsung hero and Jesca asked if I wanted more, which I declined. We both had the Pecan pie which was hands down the best dessert so far. I said before I've been disappointed in the wines and I asked for a wine menu tonight, which I didn't receive and after about 20 minutes have up and ordered the Mondavi chardonnay, which is a pretty basic wine (IMO). Tomorrow is Cozumel and we are staying on the ship.

Yeah, she'd had to look pretty far. I'm wearing my @genx globe dress today.

There is currently a "pool security" guy walking around YC deck. Mostly picking up towels.

Oh for.... I saw an older couple hogging deck chairs for their grandkids that were no where to be seen but "just in case they show up". 8 chairs. She reserved 8 chairs.

I decided to do lunch in the YC dining room to get some AC. I had the spinach salad and the pasta with scallops. Both were very good. The scallops were perfectly cooked. Janelle had the burger which she said was good. She went back to the room to nap and I'm going to look for a shady spot outside to read some beach trash. There isn't a sommelier on this ship so when I ask for a non oak chardonnay they have no idea what I'm talking about. Usually the sommelier comes around and I say I ordered x,y and z, I'll take whatever you recommend. I've yet to see a wine list but I also haven't asked. I'm being given basic wines so far. Mondavi mostly. Not bad but I really wanted something a little better. I'll ask at dinner for a list instead of just saying what kind of wine I want.

I hate this. What are they going to miss in the 1-2 hour meal that they HAVE to sit together. They realize they are on a boat and won't be left behind, right?

So today started out good, like a real cruise!!! Last night our steward Edi came to check on us about 830. We were in our pjs chilling but he wanted to make sure we got the wine, he brought the daily for today and chocolates. He also had another crew member with him so I'm thinking it was a supervisor. The elevator bypass is working and the internet is slow. I did not upgrade, kept whatever came with YC. We did get wristbands and I love the convenience Breakfast in dining room was nice, we arrived about 8 and were seated right away. Jesca came over to check on us. She's my favorite crew member so far. So @JamieLogical I've made 3 attempts at a mimosa blossom. 1st time in YC deck bar, got a regular mimosa. 2nd try in YC dining, got a regular mimosa. We went to the Top 19 bar and got the actual blossom but it was too syrupy to drink. Strike out. So we walked down to the bar in the aft and I ordered a mimosa. Bartender Emily said taste it, I made you a special mimosa. It was the blossom and it was good! Success!! Ok, Jesca got some competition! We aren't leaving the ship today in Costa Maya and we are finally exploring areas outside the YC, aka Gen Pop. (I say that jokingly because I once worked at a men's maximum security prison and I have actually walked thru the yard and into gen pop, so it is not the same. Think Shawshank, that's what that prison was like.) But I digress. There was a man at breakfast this morning that was very rude to the staff. There were 3 staff standing there because he complained about something. 2 men and 1 woman and he picked the woman to yell at. Not cool. Next time I'm calling him out. Hilarity will not ensue. Janelle looked for an ATM and was told the ship doesn't have one. Thats weird, right?

Hi! I was sitting next to your wife at the YC deck bar yesterday!

Ok, thanks for validating my experience. I don't want to come off as a Negative Nancy.

I tried sitting in the sun today and lasted about 10 minutes before I got too hot and went back to the bar seats where we had breakfast. The lunch buffet was open at that time and even though I wasn't hungry I grabbed a plate. I had a massage booked at 1:45 and figured the buffet would be closed when I got back. The selection was pretty good and I enjoyed the lamb with broiled veggies. The massage was good and we left the spa very relaxed. We wanted afternoon tea and went to the lounge at 3 and were told it doesn't start until 3:30. So at 3:40 we requested it again and were told they only do that on the last sea day so just had the snacks available. The dinner menu tonight (on the app) looks good with a lot of great options.

We have spoken to the butler at least twice now and I left notes. He did bring us more towels and ice today.

We stopped back at the room after massages and found this. Delivered after 1130 this morning. For an event that had already passed. Okaaaaayyyy.

Deck 16 on the right. As of 1130 our room still hadn't been serviced (and yes I pushed the clean it button).

We went to the lounge for a drink after dinner and it was pretty empty, about 730 or so. Staff was very friendly. Tonight we will go there first and take our wine to dinner since last night we didn't get wine until after our starters (spoiled much?). Good thing I wanted the same wine for both courses because some wine/food snobs would be offended. For dinner last night I had the asparagus starter and the fish, (name I can't remember). I don't eat a lot of fish and I wanted to not order "the usual" so I tried it. It was good, I wasn't disappointed. We went to the magic show. First we asked the concierge desk where it was (yes we read the flier...we both forgot) all they said was "deck 7". No one offered to escort us there. No problem, I can read the ship map (reading is an ability I have but don't always use). We got there and saw another couple and the butler recognized us so we followed them to be seated. We only stayed for a few minutes because we weren't impressed. To be honest I usually skip the shows, it's just not my thing. Our cabin steward still doesn't want us to have more than 2 towels, ice, the daily paper or the bottle of wine he told us he would bring. I left a note about all that when we left for breakfast. (Edited to add: I tipped the steward and butler $5 each yesterday. Perhaps I need to give more? Open to suggestions. ) I don't know what they are putting in the food that is turning me into a zombie. We slept until 945. 945!!! I usually wake up every hour starting about 5am and so does Janelle. Our room was not on the sun side so even tho we had the curtain open it was still pretty dark. And um.....wine. (Don't judge me.) Since we were so late leaving the room we did YC buffet. Success today! It was very deserted so no line, plenty of seats and they weren't overwhelmed at the egg station like yesterday. We did see "Father of the Year" with his daughter "Old faithful" and we swore that if they sat within 10 feet we were moving. Hey, we got burned once. We had 2 young boys (7 or 8??? I'm bad with ages) behind us at dinner last night that had I not seen them being seated I wouldn't have known they were there. There was a toddler in a high chair that was doing happy yells every once in a while (not annoying) so we were glad we didn't have the "crying baby soundtrack" and we were able to appreciate the pianist downstairs. We watched some of the light show during dinner. There were lights. On a lighthouse. That's really all I got. Ok, what I really miss from Celebrity is having the same staff in the dining room for each meal. The hostess would ask, "do you want the same waiters?" I miss that personal touch they give us. I also tip every person that comes to our table the 1st night. Bribery? Call it what you want they always made me feel special. Not getting the warm and fuzziess here. The staff behind the grill & bar are very personable and I'm patting my pockets to see if I have any cash. Spoiler alert: I do not but I will grab some from the room. I lost $80 in the casino last night in less than 20 minutes so I won't be going back there again. The plan for today is sun, lounging and a massage. I did not take pics of my food last night but here is the menu.

It was walkable and there are places to stop and sit along the way. We didn't know so that's why we waited for the shuttle to take us to the beach.

Yesterday we were promised a bottle of our choice in our room. We said Sav Blanc, still haven't seen it or our USA today. We had our robes delivered today after breakfast. I would've thought they would've came last night with extra towels but ok. I'm not going to review breakfast on YC buffet because it was just messy. That's all I have to say about it. Today we went to Ocean Cay. We were supposed to arrive at 7 and arrived about 11. I say about because we heard no announcements about being able to leave the ship and then we saw people on the island so off we went. We had to ask at the YC concierge how to leave because we were given zero information about leaving the ship. I would've thought it would be printed in the daily but it wasn't. We were escorted off and then waited about 20 minutes for the shuttle to the YC beach. A lady made a fuss because there were 3 shuttles that picked up other passengers before picking up YC guests. She had a point as there were as many people in the YC line as the regular line, this was when we 1st got there so I have no idea how long she was waiting. The YC beach was as expected per other reviews, very rocky and you need water shoes. There was constant wind and waves on this beach. The waiter came once to take our drink orders and that was it (between 12 and 2). It was a beautiful day and we never felt hot or uncomfortable. We had lunch at the YC restaurant. We shared the ceviche, the lobster roll and Mahi Mahi. All were okay, nothing to brag about. We were a little disappointed in the service. We sat down and a few minutes later they took our drink order. About 5 minutes later we ordered our food. At that point I went to use the restroom. The restaurant has 1 unisex restroom. 1 restroom!!!! Very poor planning. There was also a trailer that had 3 stalls (1 men, 1 unisex 1 women) across the lawn. I decided to wait for the unisex at the restaurant. I was 3rd in line behind a lady with a child and another lady. I returned to our table and the drinks still had not arrived (at least 10 minutes later). A few minutes after that our food arrived. We start eating and a new staff member asked if we wanted drinks. We told her that we ordered drinks but they never arrived so she took our order again. A few minutes later our original drinks arrived and then 5 minutes later the 2nd order arrived. So the restaurant closed at 2pm and so did the bar. Why does the YC bar close at 2pm on the beach? We decided to walk back and hit a bar on the way. We noticed the staff were very slow moving and said so. The guy in front of us (not YC) said, "Always!!!". In 30 cruises I've never seen staff move so slow or care so little about the guests. I'm not saying service has been bad but I don't feel like I'm getting special treatment in the YC. I've honestly received better service in regular class on RCCL, Celebrity and Carnival. At dinner tonight our appetizers were served before we were able to order wine (at least 20 minutes after we were seated). Seriously MSC, I really wanted better. I have 2 cruises booked on MSC for next year and now I'm questioning if I should keep them. Dinner tonight was OK. The best thing we've had so far is the chocolate souffle.

I didn't even tell the worst part. So the 6 yr old gets sick and mom grabs her and the 2 (?) yr old and leaves, never to return. She apologized to us before she left and I did feel bad for her cause her kid getting sick was beyond her control. So what did dad do, you may be asking....he sat there and pointed out the mess to every crew member that came near. Zero attempts to clean, nothing. He sat there for at least another half hour and we kept saying "why is he still sitting there?" It finally occurred to us this morning (when we were sober) that he sat there and waited for his entree to come. Sooooo that happened. I didn't see their faces because they were behind me but Janelle is on high alert to point them out in the future.

We are very pleased with the cabin. The layout is nice and there is plenty of counter space. Outlets are limited so I'm glad I brought my converter. There is only 1 USB port on the left side of the bed. Towels: We were given 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 1 wash cloth. No extras to be found. We had 3x that many at the Best Western. I took a walk down the hall and a steward gave me 2 extra large towels and 4 wash cloths. I'm thinking our room steward Edi should have given us those last night when he turned down the room but for whatever reason did not. We saw him a few times last night and also met our butler Kevin. Our balcony door whistled and moaned all night but has since quieted in the past hour. The shower is very nice and the bar soap has a nice lather. I bring my own shampoo and conditioner for my fine hair so I can't report on theirs. Not a big deal but they don't supply qtips and cotton balls like celebrity does. Just something I got used to not packing and now miss. We are finally getting out of the room to grab some breakfast at the club buffet.

We left Port Canaveral about 8 last night and we were supposed to arrive in Ocean Cay at 7 but that's been delayed until 930. I still cannot believe the horrible parents from last night. And I didn't even mention the baby at the other table that cried thru the entire dinner service. A couple at the other table ordered the prime rib medium, said he couldn't even chew it and then got another option. Like I told them, I don't hate kids. I hate crappy parents. We have decided that yesterday was just a bad day for the crew and we are moving forward with positivity.

Finally got our entrees. Prime rib was ok. Pistachio dessert was disappointing. Hoping 2mro will be better.

Yes