Recent Seaside Cruise- day by day

I just disembarked yesterday, and I thought some future cruisers might find it valuable to see a brief day-by-day outline of our week on the Seaside. I appreciated everyone prior to my cruise who posted their dailies, but a summary of themes/shows/dinners by day would have been great. So, hope this helps answer some questions!

Our specifics: Mom, Dad, Son (13), Daughter (11), Son (8)

Booked Fantastica SuperFamily Guarantee (two connecting balconies)

Got 13239 & 13241. 13239 had one King bed and one loveseat, bathtub. 13241 had two twin beds and a pull-out sofa. (Not bunkbed sofa) Shower only. Connected by interior door and balcony.

Package came with mealtime drinks, plus 12 beverage vouchers each. Internet surfer package, one for each room for up to two devices and 3000 megabytes. We downloaded the MSC for Me app before we left home.

We pre-bought the coffee cuddle vouchers (don't recommend) and the $99 VIP photo package (do recommend.)

Day 1, Saturday- Embarkation, all aboard 6:30 p.m. (We boarded about noon.)

• Things that I recommend doing right away:
  
  • use key card of the person who has VIP package listed in their name to take the embarkation photo.
    
  • Go to photo center and pick up VIP photo card. Always use that card or the key of the main person with the photographers so you won't have to go back to the photo booth to transfer photos.
    
  • Go to the atrium to get the kids club bracelets, because those also work as room keys for them. If you want to add GPS tracking to them, it costs $18 each, and you have to do that upstairs at Doremi. (We didn't.) Note: the kids club is not open for drop-off at all the first day/night.
    
  • Go to the casino for a kiosk to link your credit card to your room card. Even if you are not going to give your kids charging privileges, make sure that you check the boxes by their names to link them to your CC.
    
  • Go to the Jungle Pool area to get your wristband for the waterslides if you are not doing zip line. If you are doing unlimited zip line, go to arcade to buy that package and just get the wristband there. It covers both. They may also be able to sell you the zipline wristband at the jungle pool table, we didn't try. You can use Fun Pass money to buy the zipline, so it makes sense to go get that from the Arcade and do it all there.
    
  • Open the MSC for Me app and click on "purchase" more Internet packages. It will list what packages you already have. You have to create an Internet account with the number on your cruise card, and then you have to open a browser and press "Start" before your Internet will work.
    
  • We did NOT go to Reception/Guest Service on Day 1. We did go on a later day when the line was short to purchase wristbands for the adults/teen.
    

  [*]Welcome aboard buffet lunches on Deck 8 from 12-3:30pm and Deck 16 from 12:30-4pm

  [*]Staterooms ready at 2:00 p.m.

  [*]4:00 p.m. compulsory safety drill. Just go to your muster station and watch crew members put on a life jacket. If you miss it, they will offer a make-up the next day and continue to page you until you go.

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual

  [*]Evening Show: Frank Forever (Frank Sinatra tribute)

  [*]Nightly Pool Movie: Beauty and the Beast (live action)

  [*]Theme Party: Welcome Night (we did not attend)

This post has gotten long due to my intro, so I will do day two through disembarkation in the next post.

Thanks for taking time out of your (much-deserved) vacation to keep us posted. Looking forward to reading more

~Brian

Thanks for taking time out of your (much-deserved) vacation to keep us posted. Looking forward to reading more

 

~Brian

My pleasure! I actually disembarked yesterday. Although I thought a lot about what I would share while I was on the ship (I also blog) I didn't stop to write anything down. I did bring home all my dailies, so will be using those to summarize the rest. If I find the time to do a more detailed trip report, I can use this as my outline.

Day 2, Sunday ~ At Sea

• 2:00 p.m. BeerProv Family Show. I recommend keeping an eye out for this. We also attended the R-Rated version one of the other evenings, but preferred the family show. They had to be more clever to make things funny without going for the easy dirty laugh. And they were a talented group.
  
• 5:00-6:00 p.m. Welcome cocktail served in all lounges around the atrium. We didn't see this until too late.
  
• Dinner Dress Code: Elegant
  
• 7:00-7:45 p.m. and 8:15-9 p.m. Photos with the Captain. This was open to everyone and included in our VIP digital package. They also delivered it in a cover to our stateroom to purchase for $35. We declined.
  
• Theatre Show: The Dream. Musical Revue, includes Pole Dancing.
  
• Theme Night Party: Gatsby 10:30 p.m. Haven Lounge
  
• The Cruise Critic Meet & Greet was also this night. The invitation wasn't delivered to our stateroom until that morning, so I wondered if it had been canceled, because there had already been a general welcome letter from Cruise Critic waiting for us when we embarked with no mention of the M&G. The M&G featured free cocktails and appetizers as well as cake, a group photo, and opportunities to mingle with the Captain and officers.
  
• I see that there was a Doremix Dance Party in the Garage Disco at 8 p.m. We never made it to any of the Family events hosted by Doremi. This was partly because we always seemed to see only the smallest children participating, but we might have shown up to this one if it didn't conflict with dinner and the show. This was the true entertainment theme of our cruise: Feast or Famine. Several things we would have liked to do were scheduled at the same time, and then nothing to do later in the evening or during the At Sea daytimes. We are totally the type to catch a second wind and do a family game show or family karaoke after the dinner/show. Our kids only stay up that late on vacation.
  

Day 3 ~ Monday, Ocho Rios

• In port 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
  
  • We took our time getting off the ship and just went to Margaritaville right outside the port area. The walk was easy and safe. Admission to the beach is free, as they expect you to purchase food and drinks while you are there. We paid $49 to reserve two loungers, an umbrella, a lockbox, and our first two drinks. There is also a pool and waterslide. We stayed about three hours in the ocean and pool and then went back to the ship for a late buffet lunch.
    

  [*]Theater Show: The Wizard (very similar to The Dream from the night before)

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual

  [*]Theme Party: Western/Cowboy- Country Dance Class, etc.

  [*]10:30 p.m. Karaoke on Deck 16 pool big screen. (Children need an adult to sing with them.)

Just to keep the posts shorter, I stop this one here and do the next few days in a new post.

Keep them coming! We were on the same week. Hope you enjoyed as much as we did.

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Day 4, Tuesday ~ George Town, Grand Cayman

• 8:00 a.m. arrival time, tenders until 3:15 p.m. (Lines to get into the port/tenders to return to the ship were long by about 2 p.m.)
  
  • We booked an outside excursion with Captain Marvin to go to Stingray City and a snorkel spot. That morning was windy and rainy, and to get to Captain Marvin, you tender to George Town, then walk several blocks to their office, check in and pay, and then wait for their bus to take you to their private dock. It was plenty of time to consider canceling due to crappy weather. But we had put down our deposit and the guides said it would be nicer out at Stingray City. So we went. One other family bowed out at the last minute, and they missed out. The boat ride out to Stingray City started out cold and wet, but eventually the sun came out, we enjoyed Stingray City and we enjoyed the second stop for private snorkeling even more. We did not stop to eat or see a beach on the island. If we had, I doubt we would have made it back to the tender on time.
    

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual/White

  [*]Dinner Theme: Italian Night Menu, Parade of the Tiramisu, Volare sing-along.

  [*]Theater Show: My Life in Music. We expected more of the same as past two nights, and skipped.

  [*]Theme Party: White Night in the atrium and then on the Pool Deck (we skipped)

  [*]9:00 p.m. Name that Party Tune in the Haven Lounge. We enjoyed.

Keep them coming! We were on the same week. Hope you enjoyed as much as we did.

 

 

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Thanks! We did enjoy. I'm a critic by nature, but I don't let it stand in the way of having a good time. Overall, I thought it was a very nice cruise.

Day 5, Wednesday ~ Cozumel

• In Port 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
  
  • We took a cab to Paradise Beach. Once you get all the way out of the port shopping area, find where the taxi guys are standing around at the curb near Senor Frogs. They quoted us $25 to get the five of us to Paradise Beach, which I think included the tip, because it was only $22 + tip to get back. So figure $25 each way.
    
  • Paradise Beach is $3/person to get in and another $18 to use their watersports (inflatables.) It has a large heated pool included in the admission fee. We paid the extra $18 for each of us, even though we had been planning to do it just for the kids. I was glad that we did, because the younger kids needed our help getting out to the inflatables. We could have used the life jackets on site, but they needed a photo ID to hold onto as a deposit and I had only brought our cruise cards and copies of our passports.
    
  • We ordered 2 Chicken Tender meals and a plate of Nachos and drinks to start with. It turned out to be all we needed all day. The prices were reasonable, that amount of food fed all five of us and it was one of our favorite meals on the entire trip. The chicken fingers and the nachos were SO GOOD. And I wouldn't normally have a comment on chicken fingers.
    
  • Overall, Paradise Beach was a great day. It was very crowded in the morning and we couldn't find chairs on the beach, even though it was supposedly included in our wristband price. However, we found a couple of chairs by the pool and it turned out to be a perfect home base for us. The pool was our favorite.
    

  [*]Theater Show: Timeless (Includes Michael Jackson Impersonator) MJ was definitely a show highlight.

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual (We wore our 70's clothes and didn't pay attention to whether we were the only ones, so I couldn't tell you if that's normal. But the theme activities don't start until later in the evening. We just did dinner, the show, and then took some pictures in our outfits.)

  [*]Theme Night: 70's party

  [*]Outdoor Cinema: Pirates of the Caribbean

Thank you for the detailed review and information. We are cruising next week with our Grandson....on the same itinerary. So all the information was very timely and helpful as well as the embarkation day reminders....especially for the kids!!

Thanks for doing a day by day review.

Day 6, Thursday ~ Costa Maya

• In Port 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  
  • We had privately booked a day at the all-inclusive Maya Chan. It did not disappoint. We exited the port area and walked toward the big pyramid until we found the Maya Chan sign. We checked in for our 25 minute bumpy bus ride. They warned us about the bumps, and they also warned us about the Sea Grass. They offered a refund if we wanted to back out because of the sea grass, but we had to decide before we got on the bus. Thankfully, our research told us to stick it out.
    
  • It was our favorite day of the whole cruise. No crowds, full service, truly all-inclusive with no up-sells, except an optional massage, which we took advantage of at 30 minutes for $25. So good. Our admission price included a private cabana with five chairs and a bed! Unlimited drinks and a taco bar buffet. I commented earlier on how good the food was at Paradise beach- forget it. The Sea Bass tacos were perhaps the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. Just this garlic butter fish in a flour tortilla that was made right in front of me. I put toppings on chicken, beef, pork tacos, but that fish didn't need anything... I would book another cruise just to go to Maya Chan.
    

  [*]7:45 p.m. Welcome Back Cocktail in the Haven Lounge for Voyagers Club. We were invited to this because of our status match from Disney Cruises. It was a private cocktail party and Captain Massa addressed the group. The invitation was left for us in our stateroom the night before.

  [*]Dinner Dress: Elegant

  [*]Theater Show: Fly. We went to this one because we like acrobatics, and we wrongly assumed from the name there would be some in the show. More of the same acts, including the pole dancer again. In other shows, there were rings that came down from above the stage, but remarkably, none of those acts were in this show. Inexplicable.

  [*]10:30 p.m. MSC Crew's Got Talent. This was a bit of a mess. It followed the Fly show in the theater, but they couldn't get the technology to work properly. We stayed because it was supposed to only last 15 minutes and we would be able to make Karaoke at 10:45 p.m. with the live band in the Haven Lounge. However, it started late and ran long. We did end up making it to the Haven Lounge later than expected, and had fun there, but I had to choose to improve my attitude after Fly and the talent show.

Day 7, Friday ~ At Sea

• Thoughts on Sea Day: This was our least favorite day besides Disembarkation.
  
  • We had already explored the ship, which is what had kept us busy on the first sea day. Every single chair on every sun deck was "reserved" with someone's towel or belongings. We just wanted ONE to put down our stuff and have a "home base" for the kids to come back to between water slides.
    
  • With no sunny spot to warm up in between slides, they decided they didn't want to get wet when it was so cold and windy. Because it was windy, the zip line was closed. The interactive slide board was broken and closed for the duration of the trip. Thankfully we had tried each earlier in the week, so we didn't feel deprived, just bored. We spent all morning looking for a place to hang out with three kids. In short, there was nothing to do except have some gelato and kill time. Had the weather been a little warmer, we would have been content to sit longer at the Jungle Pool bar (our favorite) and let the kids swim there, but they were too cold and wanted to go back to the room. Aha! the room! They can warm up inside and watch a little cartoon network while Hubby and I enjoy our drinks on the balcony. We did this for awhile, even though we were sad when we found that our balcony had no sun at all. (We were port side aft, deck 13, fyi.)
    
  • The schedule listed Pictionary at noon. So we went to the Seaview Lounge. The game had already started with two large teams by the time we arrived, less than five minutes late, and they were playing the regular board game, not game-show style with easels, so it wasn't the type of thing we could watch and cheer on. We tried again for afternoon trivia at 3:30 p.m. and had more success. The day turned around from there.
    
  • I'm a big believer in finding your own fun, and so my advice would be to bring something to do during this downtime rather than canceling your trip over my comments. We saw other people playing cards around the ship at various times, which is a great idea. It would be unfair to compare it to a Disney Cruise with nonstop family entertainment, because it's half the price. We paid about the same for 7 nights in two rooms on MSC than we paid 4 years ago for one room and four nights on DCL. We had to keep reminding ourselves that this was a different sort of cruise and it had it's own highlights.
    

  [*]The Casino: watch your app for the special where they give you $3 free to play on the slots. The app that morning said "one hour only" and 10am. We got there at 9:57 to find out that the hour was from 9am-10am, not 10am-11am... and we only had our wristbands, not our cabin cards, so we couldn't work the machines. But if you show up at the right time with the right card, it will automatically load $3 for you to try and win some free money.

  [*]4:30 p.m. Snow Party on the pool deck. This is just another dance party, where they eventually shoot "snow" (bubble foam) after a bunch of build up. My naivete thought that since there was a snow room in the spa that there might be a little bit more to this. But we had fun while we were there. It wasn't enough foam to be a "foam party" if you are familiar with those, just floating suds. We didn't stay long after the "snow" started.

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual

  [*]Theater Show: Peter Punk. I think Peter Punk was the best of the variety shows. Although not perfect, it introduced a few new acts. Had they promoted it as more of a Cirque Du Soleil show and saved more of those type of acts for it alone, it would have been even more powerful. The finale was very moving. We never saw Butterfly on the schedule and I had been looking forward to that as something different. I don't know if it just wasn't in the rotation this week, or if I just completely missed it.

  [*]Theme Night: Pirates vs. Sailors/Pirate Party

Disembarkation deserves its own post...

Thanks for including details on your shore excursions, it's all very useful information.

Thank you for the detailed review and information. We are cruising next week with our Grandson....on the same itinerary. So all the information was very timely and helpful as well as the embarkation day reminders....especially for the kids!!

I'm so glad! And I hope that your Grandson has a great time. We didn't make use of the Doremi or Teen clubs at all like we thought we would, but it could just be a matter of catching the right activity that works with your schedule. I think our timing was poor. My kids loved the gelato and the Jungle Pool, but their favorite days were the beach and excursion days.

Happy to answer kid questions!

Thanks for doing a day by day review.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for including details on your shore excursions, it's all very useful information.

You're welcome. I did all my shore day research on Cruise Critic and I know they have their own forums, but I did find it relevant to post them here. We couldn't be happier with our port day choices, so I hope you get to do some of them too!

When you say “pole dancer” is it still family friendly? I hear that and think not for my young teen. Insight??

So, the saddest day of any cruise is usually the day you have to get off. This was no exception.

Day 8, Saturday ~ Disembarkation

• They deliver colored baggage tags to your room the night before. This is based on where your stateroom is located. Ours were orange. There is plenty of communication via show announcements, tv channel and instructions delivered to your room.
  
• Each color is told where to meet and what time they can depart from that area. Had we followed our tags, it would have been 10:45 a.m. from the Casino. We had a noon flight home, and so decided we needed to do Express Walk-Off.
  
• Here's all I will say about Express Walk Off. I had read that it was a breeze. Last week, it was not. In the future, I will find out the absolute latest I can get off the ship. I will book my flight between 2-3 hours after that, and I will hang out somewhere until they make me get off and get my bags.
  
• I won't tell you what we actually did, because it didn't work out well for us. Okay, I will. Because it made perfect sense, and you might try to do the same thing if you don't know better.
  
  • Wake up at 6:30, go eat breakfast at the buffet, retrieve bags from the stateroom, do final checks, and vacate the cabin by 7 a.m. as requested. Also as requested, report to Gangway Deck 6 between 7-7:30 a.m. This is a silent disembarkation process, so it is up to everyone to follow the schedule- no announcements about customs now open, etc.
    
  • This resulted in being trapped in an elevator alcove on Deck 6. There was absolutely no movement in the line that was wrapped around, blocking the elevator exit, and people continued to come down in elevators. Meanwhile, others were exiting the staircase from upstairs and downstairs and trying to get into the same walkway. There was no line that we could see, only a mass of people. There was literally nowhere for anyone to go at all and more kept coming. I've seen people bring this up on Facebook and be criticized for having a bad attitude about it or making much ado about nothing, but I was there, and it was scary. Particularly for those with children smaller than mine who could have been trampled or crushed if it got any worse. My kids are older, but we were still concerned about getting separated in all the pushing once things started to move. My eight-year-old was too short to see past anybody to know which way was out. Everybody was doing their best to behave properly except for one guy who nearly incited my husband to an altercation once things started to move. We got past the guy eventually and lost track of him until later when our Lyft was pulling away from the port and he was involved in some sort of situation in the street with a taxi driver and the police. We felt a little vindicated after seeing that!
    
  • I wish I knew how to advise future express walk-offers to beat this situation. Skip breakfast and park yourself next to the Gangway as early as you can wake up? Or just don't do it. Book a later flight. Maybe ours was an off week because it was spring break in US and Canada and more people were trying to walk off than usual.
    
  • Again, I don't say these things to complain, but to advise. If I had heard of this situation prior to my cruise, I would have seen about changing my flight to later, or getting to the Gangway much much earlier. I wouldn't cancel my cruise over it, nor would it keep me from sailing MSC again.
    

  [*]As it is, we are not ruling out MSC for future cruises. It was a comfortable way to travel to Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman, and the experiences we had at those ports were unforgettable. For the price, I don't know that we could have gotten there in any better way. For us, it was a beautiful ship, the staff was pleasant, and it was a nice family getaway. Some things could have been communicated better and we would have preferred different entertainment from theater shows to family activities and kids clubs, but as I said in an earlier post, it's unfair to compare to our previous experiences because they were Disney and twice the price, and I think if this had been our first cruise, we wouldn't have felt anything lacking.

When you say “pole dancer” is it still family friendly? I hear that and think not for my young teen. Insight??

I'm sure it's subjective. I'm sensitive to these things, and it made me uncomfortable in both shows that I saw it in with my kids. I'm sure many people just thought of it as another type of acrobatics. She was my 8-year-old's favorite act in the show, and he's totally innocent to other contexts of pole dancing. My middle schooler smirked. There was another act where a lady did similar things in a hoop rather than on a pole and it didn't have the same connotation for me. The lady on the pole wore a full top, thankfully, and had bikini-type bottoms. One night she was bare-legged, the other night she had panty-hose with her bottoms. There was no stripping. She did every kind of splits on the pole and wasn't concerned which way she was aiming her parts. I would say that IF you believe that pole dancing can be tastefully done, than this was tastefully done. If I thought the show was great other than the pole dancer, I would still recommend the show. Personally, I only enjoyed Michael Jackson (Timeless) and Peter Punk, and I skipped two of the shows so I can't say if they were any good or if there was a pole in either of them.

So, the saddest day of any cruise is usually the day you have to get off. This was no exception.

 

Day 8, Saturday ~ Disembarkation

• They deliver colored baggage tags to your room the night before. This is based on where your stateroom is located. Ours were orange. There is plenty of communication via show announcements, tv channel and instructions delivered to your room.
  
• Each color is told where to meet and what time they can depart from that area. Had we followed our tags, it would have been 10:45 a.m. from the Casino. We had a noon flight home, and so decided we needed to do Express Walk-Off.
  
• Here's all I will say about Express Walk Off. I had read that it was a breeze. Last week, it was not. In the future, I will find out the absolute latest I can get off the ship. I will book my flight between 2-3 hours after that, and I will hang out somewhere until they make me get off and get my bags.
  
• I won't tell you what we actually did, because it didn't work out well for us. Okay, I will. Because it made perfect sense, and you might try to do the same thing if you don't know better.
  
  • Wake up at 6:30, go eat breakfast at the buffet, retrieve bags from the stateroom, do final checks, and vacate the cabin by 7 a.m. as requested. Also as requested, report to Gangway Deck 6 between 7-7:30 a.m. This is a silent disembarkation process, so it is up to everyone to follow the schedule- no announcements about customs now open, etc.
    
  • This resulted in being trapped in an elevator alcove on Deck 6. There was absolutely no movement in the line that was wrapped around, blocking the elevator exit, and people continued to come down in elevators. Meanwhile, others were exiting the staircase from upstairs and downstairs and trying to get into the same walkway. There was no line that we could see, only a mass of people. There was literally nowhere for anyone to go at all and more kept coming. I've seen people bring this up on Facebook and be criticized for having a bad attitude about it or making much ado about nothing, but I was there, and it was scary. Particularly for those with children smaller than mine who could have been trampled or crushed if it got any worse. My kids are older, but we were still concerned about getting separated in all the pushing once things started to move. My eight-year-old was too short to see past anybody to know which way was out. Everybody was doing their best to behave properly except for one guy who nearly incited my husband to an altercation once things started to move. We got past the guy eventually and lost track of him until later when our Lyft was pulling away from the port and he was involved in some sort of situation in the street with a taxi driver and the police. We felt a little vindicated after seeing that!
    
  • I wish I knew how to advise future express walk-offers to beat this situation. Skip breakfast and park yourself next to the Gangway as early as you can wake up? Or just don't do it. Book a later flight. Maybe ours was an off week because it was spring break in US and Canada and more people were trying to walk off than usual.
    
  • Again, I don't say these things to complain, but to advise. If I had heard of this situation prior to my cruise, I would have seen about changing my flight to later, or getting to the Gangway much much earlier. I wouldn't cancel my cruise over it, nor would it keep me from sailing MSC again.
    

  [*]As it is, we are not ruling out MSC for future cruises. It was a comfortable way to travel to Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman, and the experiences we had at those ports were unforgettable. For the price, I don't know that we could have gotten there in any better way. For us, it was a beautiful ship, the staff was pleasant, and it was a nice family getaway. Some things could have been communicated better and we would have preferred different entertainment from theater shows to family activities and kids clubs, but as I said in an earlier post, it's unfair to compare to our previous experiences because they were Disney and twice the price, and I think if this had been our first cruise, we wouldn't have felt anything lacking.

Yikes!! That is crazy! We have a early flight out of W Palm Beach....but fortunately we are staying in Yacht Club. I will have to rely on the Butler to ensure we detour past this mass confusion!! Thanks again for the review

Yikes!! That is crazy! We have a early flight out of W Palm Beach....but fortunately we are staying in Yacht Club. I will have to rely on the Butler to ensure we detour past this mass confusion!! Thanks again for the review

We frequently saw YC butlers escorting members to the front of the lines, so you will have no problem, I'm sure. I bet you will also be able to find chairs on the private sundeck- I'm jealous!

Enjoy your trip!

Yikes!! That is crazy! We have a early flight out of W Palm Beach....but fortunately we are staying in Yacht Club. I will have to rely on the Butler to ensure we detour past this mass confusion!! Thanks again for the review

The butler will only take part way, to where you ding off the ship after that you are with the masses.

I also searched for packing lists and they abound, so I won't give you one here, but a few items that I recommend that don't always appear:

• Collapsible pop-up hamper to collect dirty clothes during the cruise. You will have to dump everything dirty back into a suitcase eventually, but it at least keeps it gathered during the week.
  
• Some recommend a closet shoe organizer to store cosmetics, etc on the back of the bathroom door. I have a vintage pantyhose organizer that has a top like a hanger to hang in a closet. This worked well to hang on the hook on the inside of the bathroom door. Same idea.
  
• A big beach bag. This obvious item wasn't on any of the packing lists I found, but it should be. You will be taking your towels off the ship and back to every excursion or DIY beach day. We needed a bag big enough to carry all the family towels along with sunscreen, goggles, etc. It would be great if everybody just carried their own towels and gear, but not realistic for us. Our first bag ripped from the weight of the wet towels and so we bought another one at the port in Coz for $18. (I negotiated down from $25.)
  
• Suction cup hooks. The showers have the cords that stretch across to dry out swimsuits, but we each use rash guards and bottoms, and so that's 10 pieces a day that have to dry out. (My teen decided this was the year he was too old to wear his rash guard, got a sunburn in Jamaica, and choose to wear them the rest of the week.) The hooks suction to the inside of the glass shower walls and are great for making more hanging space over the tub/shower.
  

Cash:

I like cruises and all-inclusives because theoretically the spending is done before the vacation starts and you don't have to worry about it. But you don't want to be stuck without cash. From my research, I knew that you can use the casino slot machines to draw money from your shipboard account, but that was just my emergency plan B. I laid out our plans by day and gave each day an envelope so that we didn't run out too soon. Our cash plan worked out pretty well, we had just what we needed with us.

• airport shuttle driver tips at home airport (each way)
  
• (we used Lyft and tipped electronically, so no Miami cab tips, but you might)
  
• baggage handler at port upon arrival
  
• We figured that based on our number of drink vouchers, we'd each have two drinks a day and that we'd like to tip $1 for each drink. So each day had $10 cash singles for bar/gelato tips. I will say that the bartenders were happy to get this, but they didn't expect it and we didn't see anyone else doing it. I still don't regret it.
  
• Ocho Rios- Margaritaville takes credit cards, so no cash needed.
  
• Cayman- (Captain Marvin tours) tips for van driver each way and for three guides at the end of the excursion. I had also brought some extra cash we hadn't used on previous days and was able to pay cash for the USB of all of our photos with the stingrays. They do this right on the laptop on the boat and he wanted cash only.
  
• Cozumel- Paradise Beach takes credit cards, but the cab there is $25 cash each way.
  
• Costa Maya- Maya Chan has a "love box" at the exit. I gave them every dollar I had left except the tip I had reserved for the airport parking driver back at home. They deserved it and so much more!
  

It all worked out with buying the photos with cash and tipping more than I had planned at Maya Chan because we didn't end up using all our drink vouchers. We had free wine with lunch and dinner, several free cocktail opportunities, drinks out at the ports, and I LOST one of our alcoholic voucher booklets that still had 8 tickets in it! That mystery was never solved. Future cruisers feel free to treasure hunt around the ship for it. But I'm pretty sure I never took it out of the room because we "budgeted" those too and only took a few out of the room at a time. I was really bummed to have lost it, but we just decided that when we ran out, we could pay for drinks we really wanted. And we still didn't run out. As for the kids drinks, if we had known they worked on gelato before the last day (reports were mixed) we probably would have used more of them. But they had unlimited soda at meals and can only drink so many virgin daiquiris and smoothies.

The "coffee cuddle" vouchers were almost a total waste for us. Unless you drink cappuccino/espresso, you don't need them. The only flavored coffees they have on board are Mochaccinos in the Seaside Lounge, and fancy chocolate coffees in Venchi. You can't get a Vanilla Latte to save your life! No syrups other than chocolate. I made my own lattes in the buffet with their coffee and milk (they have hot and cold milk.) We had a few Mochaccinos and that was it. Every bar has a cappuccino machine, but no syrups. I'm normally a simple coffee w/ milk girl anyway and had I known I could DIY as early as 6:30 in the buffet, I wouldn't have bought the coffee cuddle at all.

The butler will only take part way, to where you ding off the ship after that you are with the masses.

Yes. Thankfully, our customs experience was a breeze, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Once we got off the ship everything moved very quickly (keep in mind we already had our own bags.) And once we were out of the terminal, we just walked to the curb and used the Lyft app. I guess every week is potentially a different problem area based on the makeup of the cruisers and their choices.

Wow. I really appreciate the day by day breakdown! It’s really going to help Pam and I plan for our sailing on the Seaside!

The butler will only take part way, to where you ding off the ship after that you are with the masses.

I'm fine with that....Just get me to the front of the line leaving the ship!! LOL

Great report.

Keith