Essiesmom

If you like to try new lines, come on over to MSC. But book a cruise 8 days or more. I’m on 4/3 B2B from Port Canaveral. Very family friendly, international. EM

Is it an Aurea suite? Not sure if a non-YC ship has other suites. Aurea would get you spa perks, my choice dining, and priority boarding. If you could give us an idea what class ship you are considering we can be more helpful.

Yesterday was a tipsy terry ( don’t you just love auto corrupt? That was supposed to be topsy tervy day). I don’t remember what I did after breakfast, but in the afternoon I braved my bathing suit and went ashore. I intended just to wade in the surf to ‘test the waters’ but the sand was unstable and the tiny wallets (wavelets) strong and I went tumbling. No harm done, but just got wetter than intended. I sat about waist deep for a few minutes, they got up…but the waves got me again and back down I went. So I finally crawled a few yards where the waves wouldn’t get me and got out. This was at lighthouse beach, closest one to the ship. From there I walked the side I didn’t walk on the previous cruise, but not quite to the spa area. My complaints about the island are that there should be some benches along the walkways, maybe every 100 yards, just for folks to rest. Also, there is a foot washing station just before you exit back to the ship, but I wish there were more, and some showers to rinse sand off the rest of you, maybe at the rest rooms. My sister never wanted to go into the ocean because of the resulting sticky factor of salt water. Showers would take care of some of that, but also reduce the amount of sand tracked back onto the ship. Back on the ship, I spend considerable time in the bathroom getting rid of sand. And some of that was sitting on the toilet trying to get out of the top of my bathing suit. It is two pieces, purchased a couple of years ago from Lands End. Apparently I had never worn it, because the top still had the tag…and it will never be worn again. Because I spent so much time struggling to get out of the top…I was contemplating whether I would have to be buried in it…. Once finally out of it, I threw the shoes into the shower and got it. I didn’t think I should have much sand on me, but it was there. I tried rinsing the suit pieces in the sink, with mixed results. Sand just kept sticking to them. I finally just set them out on the balcony. Unfortunately I was no longer on the sunny side. I then sat undressed on the couch on a towel, drying off. And idly wondering if I should do a Bare Necessities cruise. Probably not. Not too long u til time to think about dinner. No wait to be seated. I had a young couple next to me on their first cruise. 1.5 days in and they loved it. He had traveled overseas a lot for business but now works for NASA, so they lived close by. He said someone suggested they do a cruise, and 20 minutes later it was booked. No food porn tonight because I had the wedge salad and steak Diane again, cheese plate for dessert.. however, I followed that up with my first cone from the Venchi place, stracchiatella. My favorite. Worth the $7. There you can buy the chocolate ships they used to give Black card voyagers. Not just in the dark, but milk and white chocolate too. I did not purchase. I went up to Top 19 to view the light show. Interesting that is was only half the length of Tuesday, and that one had the lighthouse lit up prior to the show, with what looked like rain/water streaming down the side. And after the show they had the MSC logo going round and round the lighthouse. Not this time. I did think I saw a couple flashes of lightning toward the end… Went down to the sports bar and had my second Diet Coke on the rocks with a twist of lime, and watched the end of the Braves game. But during this time…we had a tremendous thunderstorm. Well, maybe the rain rinsed some more sand off my bathing suit on the balcony. And the shoes. I left them out all night, and the suit was surprisingly mostly dry this morning. I thought the humidity would keep in more moisture. I brought them in, but left the shoes out. It’s a bit cloudy, might be more rain today…we are here until 4pm. Needless to say, I think the beach party was rained out again, and I doubt they did the second showing of the light show at 10pm. Ow it’s time to go find some breakfast. Will post more pics of the island when I switch from this iPad to my phone. EM

If you choose to give it a shot, here is what you will see:

When I first applied I got rapid conditional approval, but my closest interview center was ATL, 250 miles away and no appts. But there were plenty of appts in Miami. So I drove to JAX, took an early commuter flight to MIA, got the interview done with immediate approval, flew back the same afternoon. When I renewed last year, it was quickly approved with no interview. EM

Did you read the post right above yours? looks like she is about to Long Beach

They certainly could go north. In 2009 when the swine flu scare cancelled Mexico, Splendor went north with stops in Astoria, Victoria and Vancouver. Fares were so cheap I did a B2B. EM

@MonsterJoeI would like to know how old your stepson is, how he enjoyed the cruise, and if he took part in any of the kids programs? I also want to add that I am still onboard, and though there are a lot of folks here, the only ones annoying to me are the very loud half drunks in the sports bar. People are no more rude than on other cruise lines I have sailed. My Aurea experience hasn’t been any more luxurious than Bella or Fantastica, so I likely won’t do it again. EM

One of those sarong type things that you can wrap around waist or chest will get you anywhere on ship. Or off. EM

I booked Fantastica inside gty and when it was assigned it was a congrats you have been upgraded e-mail, cabin was a balcony. I also bid on upgrades and got an Aurea balcony. EM

We are here at Ocean Cay overnight so apparently no great rush to get off. It was after nine when I went to the main buffet and it was very busy. I had my cottage cheese with fruit, with sticky bun, but decided I wanted a slice of bacon. Ended up with a fried egg and grilled tomato to go along. Do you suppose that’s a healthy breakfast? Too bad if it’s not.

There are several babies in strollers on this ship )Seaside) and we’re on the previous cruise. They don’t seem to be a problem. I see them at the shows, too. But the music can be quite loud, if that bothers your child. I went up to the kids area and spoke with one person in the under 3 area. The hours for baby time are 8-11p and baby care is 6-8p. I’m not sure what the difference is. The shows run 30-40 minutes and there are three shows a night, earliest 7:30. You have to make reservations because the theater is not large enough to hold everyone. Your butler could do it for you. there is also the jungle pool area for kids and the young at heart. The rules clearly state no non-potty trained but when I was observing today I clearly saw one child with a diaper under swimsuit, and a couple younger with no diaper under suit and they were barely toddler age yet.

Last chance to go shopping for that last long coverup that can also serve as evening weather. Many, many worn onboard. Also, if you plan to attend shows in the theater, I find it quite cold, so bring a shawl type thing. Nothing in the shops onboard like the $10 fake pashminas…. EM

Sports bar, first drink of this cruise. Tennis and baseball. What more could one ask for, but maybe football… Saw Peter Punk. Entertaining, but I missed the singing. There is a group of about 6-7 guys here, at least four with matching sport shirts. One is very loud with piercing voice. I think he has already had too much to drink.

I suspect you could get suggestions on the ports of call boards here, and perhaps on the Canadian cruisers board.

On Seaside there are juices at breakfast and after it changes to ice tea and lemonade You can also order it in mdr

For the entrees you get one, extras are $5 each . That includes the chef’s selection, the entrees, and on the comfort side from the Mac and cheese down. You can have all the apps and desserts you can hold. Tonight I had double chicken croquette and peach sorbet. Not hungry. I went late, for me, after 7pm. But service was quite fast after I ordered.

Better copies than previous

And we’re off again. Just checked menu and it is the same first day menu. I had late lunch so might just have apps.

I packed up everything and got it moved to my new room. Then had to go exchange my card for a new one. Wait in the Haven Lounge until everyone else is off. There were 19 of us, but perhaps 10 guests and the rest I think were contract personnel. Some were wearing tshirts for an engineering firm. We walked down all the ramps to the luggage area to immigration . Then we had to stand there until some laggard guests came through. Then it was fast, facial recognition. Just one person with birth certificate I went around trying to find a place to fill my bottle with iced tea, but all were closed. So it was back to my cabin for a nap. Then I went down to marketplace buffet for late lunch… veggies, salad, and a kids hotdog. I forgot to bring my bottle, so back to the cabin for the bottle, and on my bed was the daily planner and a white envelope… which contained the papers I should have had last night. Sigh.

I don’t have a problem with them, but I was trying to indicate how difficult it might be to push a person on a wheelchair who is not fashionably thin. I’ve had some experience doing that.

Think of it this way: if the balcony cabin is odd numbered and the inside is also odd numbered, they will face each other. If the inside is even numbered, it will face an even numbered balcony. EM

Select dining is a Celebrity term. If so, they can change dining category onboard without charge. EM

He is wrong. SOLAS regulations stipulate scooters, strollers, etc. cannot be left in hallways. EM

Cruisedeckplans has pics of 3644 and 3168