My View: Trading Seascape for Seaside Semi-Live

[APDMOM]

A Quick Swim before a Stormy Start to the day:

We left the ship just before 9 AM and the island was still very quiet.  I took a dip at three of the beaches before the lightning forced us out of the water and back to the ship.  

 

TIP: I will post the map and mark the area in the pictures, with a quick review of the beach/area.  The Pink Arrow indicates where the pictures were taken.

 

Beach Stop #1:

Lighthouse Bay

This is a favorite spot.  The water is calm, there are not too many rocks, and we saw stingrays swimming around.  It gets a bit crowded later in the day.  It has the best views of the ship.  

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Beach Stop #2:

Lighthouse Rocks

This is beautiful space for sunset pictures.  It is rocky and a 'no swim' area.  It is a good spot to look at waves crashing against the rocks, although the waves were a bit tame on this day.

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

 

Beach Stop #3:

Sunset Beach

This is another beautiful space for sunset pictures.  It has too many rocks and pebbles to swing without swimming shoes.  It was the most quiet beach of the bunch we visited.  I ventured out with no swim shoes and it was a bit painful to step on the rocks.  Especially trying to exit against the tide 😳

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Beach Stop #4:

South Beach

This is the busiest beach of the island.  I know it does not look busy in these pictures, but that is only due to the early hour and the inclement weather moving in. There are plenty of loungers and it is the closest to the buffet area.  

 

We were able to take a quick swim here too, but soon were called out by the whistle of the lifeguard for a thunderstorm coming through.  This one lasted about 2 hours, so not your typical quickly passing storm.  The afternoon was beautiful though.  I swam out to one of th platforms, just to find that the steps to get onto the platform were broken.

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Beach Stop #5:

North Beach

We took the shuttle for my mom's sake to North Beach.  This area is usually very quiet.  Today was no exception.  We were able to drag a few empty loungers into the shade under the palm trees and enjoy the cool water for a few hours.  You can also see some small fish, even if you don't snorkel. There is a food truck with hotdogs and hamburgers in this area, which is shared with Bimini Beach.

 

 

Crossing the bridge to reach North Beach:

 

 

[APDMOM]

Beach Stop #6:

Bimini Beach

This is my usual favorite spot.  It was much busier than usual.  I guess the word got out about what a nice beach it is.  It is the ocean side of the island, so the waves can be a bit more rough.  I went for a quick swim, just for the sake of comparison, but did not bring my camera.  These pictures are therefore borrowed from my March Cruise on Seascape.  The tide was stronger this time, so not a good swimming place for kids who are not confident swimmers.  The food truck is closeby.

 

 

 

[laudergayle]

@APDMOM  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR DETAILED BEACH REVIEW!! I am certain it will help so many people like me.  

[APDMOM]

Marketplace Best Kept Secret - 4 PM snack 

TIP: We have seen day after day how people miss this secret spot.  The 4 PM snacks are hidden in the back of the buffet, portside.  It was never busy, with very short lines, which shows it was not well known.  There are hotdogs, hamburgers, and pizza at the entrance, but most people missed this spot.

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

After dinner family pictures:

I skipped dinner in the MDR and forgot to take a picture of the menu. I do know they had shrimp and grits.

 

We went back to the island for a sunset stroll and to get our family pictures with our 'glow shirts'.   

 

[APDMOM]

Balcony Location for the Lighthouse Show:

TIP: If you spefically choose a starboard balcony, look at these pictures to see if your balcony will have a view of the lighthouse.  Count the balconies from aft to make sure you are not in one of the aft balconies that do not have a view of the lighthouse.

 

 

 

For Example:  If I am counting correctly on deck 10, cabin number 10033 will be the last one with a view of the lighthouse.  The rest before the hump will only have a partial or no view of the lighthouse.  This means cabins between 10035 and 10071 will not be able to get a view of the lighthouse show. 

 

Closer up View for deck 9, which is a little more difficult to count:

Edited June 8, 2023 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Ocean Cay Excursions:

TIP: If you don't want to risk renting and umbrella or booking a kayak, etc. on Ocean Cay, you can do it the day of the visit on the island.  This is the one place where you don't need to book in advance.  There is a 10% island fee upcharge, but with the unpredictable weather on this island, it may be beneficial to wait and pay the extra 10% to ensure there is good weather.

 

Case in point: When the rain storm was approaching, we saw two kayakers hightailing it back to the north beach area to avoid getting caught in the storm.  It did not look like a fun way to end your kayaking trip.  I don't know if they were able to get a refund.

 

A few more views of the island closer to sunset:

 

The Spa Area:

 

Helipad:

 

The Wedding Pavilion:

 

Favorite View of the Lighthouse:

 

[APDMOM]

I don't know why the photos are starting to look fuzzy. They look very clear on the computer... Too bad I can't use this as an excuse to buy a new camera. 😉

 

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 10 (3 of 4) - Ocean Cay:

[APDMOM]

Daily Program: Day 10 (3 of 4): Ocean Cay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

On 6/1/2023 at 5:57 PM, publicpersona said:

We'll be on Seaside next Thursday, so enjoying your review. Where is the best place to enjoy a specialty coffee (e.g., Latte with a shot of Bailey's) that is covered by drink package. I see that Venchi has them but that's a 3rd party not covered by drink package.

 

Similar question for a good selection of wines by the glass.

@publicpersona Hope you are all packed and ready to board tomorrow! 🙂 I was told  the best place for wine tasting is by the specialty restaurants. It sounds like they don’t have an elaborate wine selection or cellar like on Seascape, but your best bet is the bar by the specialty restaurants.

[Lbsahm]

23 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Balcony Location for the Lighthouse Show:

TIP: If you spefically choose a starboard balcony, look at these pictures to see if your balcony will have a view of the lighthouse.  Count the balconies from aft to make sure you are not in one of the aft balconies that do not have a view of the lighthouse.

 

 

 

For Example:  If I am counting correctly on deck 10, cabin number 10033 will be the last one with a view of the lighthouse.  The rest before the hump will only have a partial or no view of the lighthouse.  This means cabins between 10035 and 10071 will not be able to get a view of the lighthouse show. 

 

Closer up View for deck 9, which is a little more difficult to count:

 

[Lbsahm]

We’re you able to get any photos from the lighthouse that got close ups on the bow cabin balconies?

[APDMOM]

On 6/8/2023 at 9:39 PM, Lbsahm said:

We’re you able to get any photos from the lighthouse that got close ups on the bow cabin balconies?

I think so - I will look and post some tomorrow. We are en route to our next adventure for 2 days. Will close out this trip report in tge next 3 days. 🙂

[LMaxwell]

Very helpful features and tips for Ocean Cay.  I will be on Seascape soon, having been on Seaside previously, and was directed here for changes ship to ship but the Ocean Cay info is excellent! I'll search for your Seascape review 

[publicpersona]

On 6/8/2023 at 9:38 PM, Lbsahm said:

 If I am counting correctly on deck 10, cabin number 10033 will be the last one with a view of the lighthouse.  The rest before the hump will only have a partial or no view of the lighthouse.  This means cabins between 10035 and 10071 will not be able to get a view of the lighthouse show. 

 

I'm a little confused. Odd numbered cabins are on the port side. Even are on the starboard side. With the bow of the ship nearest the lighthouse, that would not be 10033 as labelled.

[publicpersona]

On 6/7/2023 at 10:27 PM, APDMOM said:

I was told  the best place for wine tasting is by the specialty restaurants.

 

Just like Seashore, there is a "wine cellar" near the specialty restaurants but it is mostly just decoration. It wasn't staffed and you couldn't buy wine or anything there. I imagine they might have the occasional wine tasting event there, but I've not seen that venue used on two Sea* sailings.

 

MSC isn't wine-lover friendly. Any time I ordered a chard on Easy Plus, even though specifically asking for the "Robert Mondavi Special Reserve" that was on the menu, what they actually poured was whatever random white wine was open. This was sometimes Mirassou, sometimes La Terre(ible), and on several occasions a sauvignon blanc. White wine is white wine. Even Saturday night when the Robert Mondavi was the recommended white wine on MDR menu, what they poured was some generic table wine.

 

To be fair, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity aren't much better, except that in the MDR there generally was better selection than at other bars.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, publicpersona said:

 

Just like Seashore, there is a "wine cellar" near the specialty restaurants but it is mostly just decoration. It wasn't staffed and you couldn't buy wine or anything there. I imagine they might have the occasional wine tasting event there, but I've not seen that venue used on two Sea* sailings.

 

MSC isn't wine-lover friendly. Any time I ordered a chard on Easy Plus, even though specifically asking for the "Robert Mondavi Special Reserve" that was on the menu, what they actually poured was whatever random white wine was open. This was sometimes Mirassou, sometimes La Terre(ible), and on several occasions a sauvignon blanc. White wine is white wine. Even Saturday night when the Robert Mondavi was the recommended white wine on MDR menu, what they poured was some generic table wine.

 

To be fair, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity aren't much better, except that in the MDR there generally was better selection than at other bars.

My husband and I enjoy nice wines, which are never included in any packages.  However, you would think with this being an Italian company, they would offer some nice Italian wines.

[Fissues]

[APDMOM]

12 hours ago, publicpersona said:

 

I'm a little confused. Odd numbered cabins are on the port side. Even are on the starboard side. With the bow of the ship nearest the lighthouse, that would not be 10033 as labelled.

Yikes!  Thank you for catching that.  Wish I could go back and edit.  I totally counted thr wrong side of the ship, forward.  Read the deckplan wrong on my favorite site.

 

CORRECTION of balconies in Ocean Cay:

Balcony marked 10033 is actually 10238.  I will update in new post.

[APDMOM]

On 6/7/2023 at 9:40 PM, APDMOM said:

Balcony Location for the Lighthouse Show:

TIP: If you spefically choose a starboard balcony, look at these pictures to see if your balcony will have a view of the lighthouse.  Count the balconies from aft to make sure you are not in one of the aft balconies that do not have a view of the lighthouse.

 

 

 

For Example:  If I am counting correctly on deck 10, cabin number 10238 will be the last one with a view of the lighthouse.  The rest before the hump will only have a partial or no view of the lighthouse.  This means cabins between 10236 and 10214 will not be able to get a view of the lighthouse show. 

 

SEE Corrected Image in Reply

 

Closer up View for deck 9, which is a little more difficult to count:

 

TIP:  This is a correction to my previous post, where I counted forward rather than aft, starboard balconies.  Apologies for the error.