Seashore 10-day 12/7-17: attempting a live-from!!

[morpheusofthesea]

15 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

It is “refilled” but NOT like it showed up last night, which was about twice as much!

Isn't that just like the rest of life? It's never how we remembered.

[CruisingWalter]

7 hours ago, KennyFla said:

What is you general feeling of how things are going:   Positive or negative?

 

We came onboard on the 10th for 7 nights in a deluxe balcony. I have to say compared to our Seaside sailing in May, the crew is less responsive, totally avoids eye contact at all times unless absolutely necessary. 🙂 The buffet is better on Seashore though the chokepoints are terrible. Large ships from other cruise lines have much more wide open buffets to help mitigate those lines that cut off the flow of traffic. Seaside had similar chokepoints, but these seem worse, possibly because there are more people on this ship. 

 

Our Deluxe Balcony cabin with the extended cabin and extended balcony is amazing. Reminds me of a Junior Suite on Royal Caribbean but without even near the Royal price tag. 

 

Venchi was much better on Seaside, especially the Affogato. Cocktails were better on Seaside. Ship is lovely though and while it was blustery at Ocean Cay for a day and a half, it's still my favorite cruise private island. 

 

The MDR was a mixed bag tonight, but they usually are. Kaito Sushi was a blast.  Very interesting Italian Magician last night but he was doing a lot of close-up magic with no video support. The entire back wall of the theater is a video wall, but they never put a camera on him so we could clearly see what he was doing. 

 

For what we paid, the cruise is still an excellent value. If MSC put as much thought into customer service and crew training as they do in building ships, they could be a really strong North American contender. They build amazing ships and you can't argue with the price, but micromanaging from Italy and providing less than attentive customer service does stand out next to comparable cruise lines. Supposedly in the coming year the North American operation is going to have more control and management of the "American product" to be more responsive.  Here's hoping that happens, we'll be back to try the YC for the next sailing. 

[KennyFla]

9 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

We came onboard on the 10th for 7 nights in a deluxe balcony. I have to say compared to our Seaside sailing in May, the crew is less responsive, totally avoids eye contact at all times unless absolutely necessary. 🙂 The buffet is better on Seashore though the chokepoints are terrible. Large ships from other cruise lines have much more wide open buffets to help mitigate those lines that cut off the flow of traffic. Seaside had similar chokepoints, but these seem worse, possibly because there are more people on this ship. 

 

Our Deluxe Balcony cabin with the extended cabin and extended balcony is amazing. Reminds me of a Junior Suite on Royal Caribbean but without even near the Royal price tag. 

 

Venchi was much better on Seaside, especially the Affogato. Cocktails were better on Seaside. Ship is lovely though and while it was blustery at Ocean Cay for a day and a half, it's still my favorite cruise private island. 

 

The MDR was a mixed bag tonight, but they usually are. Kaito Sushi was a blast.  Very interesting Italian Magician last night but he was doing a lot of close-up magic with no video support. The entire back wall of the theater is a video wall, but they never put a camera on him so we could clearly see what he was doing. 

 

For what we paid, the cruise is still an excellent value. If MSC put as much thought into customer service and crew training as they do in building ships, they could be a really strong North American contender. They build amazing ships and you can't argue with the price, but micromanaging from Italy and providing less than attentive customer service does stand out next to comparable cruise lines. Supposedly in the coming year the North American operation is going to have more control and management of the "American product" to be more responsive.  Here's hoping that happens, we'll be back to try the YC for the next sailing. 

Thank you for the update. We will be on the Seashore in January I’ll give an update as well. I’m hoping this has to do with the transition.  
I remember when the ships went from sailing empty to over booked, practically overnight, there were issues as well. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by KennyFla

[gotta cruise again]

Snacks at the Diamond party, happening now. The green drink I’m having is just apple juice. 
 

[gotta cruise again]

Deck 7, just outside the 5th Avenue restaurant, starboard are windows with these very pretty items. In a ship that is so very modern, it is nice to see these lovely antiques. And even if they’re reproductions, they are still very beautiful. 
 

 

 

 

[gotta cruise again]

Update on DH’s work meeting connection from yesterday. He had been emailed the PowerPoint presentation so he followed along that way vs. trying to connect to the work system to watch the presentation live. Then for the voice part, he dialed in from his cell as a WiFi call and said that worked fine. 

[gotta cruise again]

The YC welcome party just ended. Only a general welcome, introduced the YC staff for applause (i.e. butlers, bar staff, etc.), introduced those in the photo below, and a toast. 
 

A photographer was going around taking individual/couple/group pics. Captain stayed for photos with guests. I’m hoping they’ll give the photos as a gift, as we experienced a few years ago when we last sailed MSC but it’s ok if they don’t. 
 

[gotta cruise again]

The MSC martini is very nice; you have to like amaretto. It was one of several being served during the YC Welcome. 
 

 

It was full to begin with!!

The same snacks were served in YC as at the Diamond party earlier but I think there were a couple of differences…though I didn’t take a picture. 

[JAGR]

3 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

The MSC martini is very nice; you have to like amaretto. It was one of several being served during the YC Welcome. 
 

 

It was full to begin with!!

The same snacks were served in YC as at the Diamond party earlier but I think there were a couple of differences…though I didn’t take a picture. 

The canapes/snacks seem more varied than in the recent past.

Edited December 13, 2023 by JAGR

[gotta cruise again]

3 minutes ago, JAGR said:

The canapes/snacks seem more varied than in the recent past.

I looked at the Diamond invite again and it called them “refreshments” lol

 

One that was in YC had some sort of roe on it: I ate it before I even thought of taking a picture!!

[gotta cruise again]

Ahhhh SUN!!!

 

[gotta cruise again]

It appears the carpet in the YC lounge is systematically and surreptitiously being removed and replaced. 
 

Not much of the amoeba print left; going to a solid beige. 
 

 

[jinpasco]

Could we get more insight on the Kaito Sushi experience. You said it was a blast. 

[gotta cruise again]

7 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

Could we get more insight on the Kaito Sushi experience. You said it was a blast. 

Nope, that wasn’t me…

 

Hopefully @CruisingWalter who did say it was a blast, will reply with more information!!

[DCGuy64]

Thank you for the review! We're doing a short cruise next month on the Seashore and it's so nice seeing pictures of the ship.

[gotta cruise again]

@DCGuy64 I am including a very few pics of the ship but mostly focused on the “oddities” that I come across. These may be helpful to you and others when cruising MSC. 

 

@Essiesmom has an extensive review of this 10 day with lots of ship photos so be sure to look there too!!

[DCGuy64]

23 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

@DCGuy64 I am including a very few pics of the ship but mostly focused on the “oddities” that I come across. These may be helpful to you and others when cruising MSC. 

 

@Essiesmom has an extensive review of this 10 day with lots of ship photos so be sure to look there too!!

Thank you very much, I'll check out the review from @Essiesmom, as well. We are no strangers to MSC: we started sailing with them in 2018 and this will be our 4 cruise (but first time on the Seashore). We love MSC because it feels very European to us. We especially like the Yacht Club because they offer a nice experience at a reasonable cost. EDIT: it should be our 5th MSC cruise, but the 2020 Preziosa cruise was cancelled for obvious reasons.

Edited December 13, 2023 by DCGuy64

[gotta cruise again]

Rain head showers: I’ve always been wary of them for fear that once the water is off, it will drip cold water in me while I’m trying to dry off!!

 

But for the sake of this thread, I’ve used it each time I’ve washed my hair…and no cold dripping afterwards!! Yay!

 

 I have learned a couple of things about the one on the ship. 
1. the water pressure has to be on fully for the rain head to work though the handheld will work fine even if the water isn’t on fully

2. the rain head itself can tilt just a bit so keeping it flat seems to keep it from the post shower dripping 

 

I do wish there was a place to put the bath towel so the shower door doesn’t have to be opened to grab the towel I leave on the counter…that lets the cold air in! There isn’t enough room between the top of the glass door and the ceiling to place the towel. Definitely a first world problem and I certainly have been able to manage just fine!!

[KennyFla]

16 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Thank you for the review! We're doing a short cruise next month on the Seashore and it's so nice seeing pictures of the ship.

Which sailing are you on?

[bob brown]

Enjoying reading both "Live From" threads.  I was wondering if you partake in any of the shipboard activities, more specifically the trivia games?   I am a trivia fan, and wonder how popular it is on this ship, and what, if any, sort of prizes they give the winners or participants?

[gotta cruise again]

@bob brown I too enjoy trivia but haven’t ventured out to see any of their games; would be more likely to do so if DH felt like doing more activities. 
 

That said, I did pop into a MSC trivia game on about the 2nd question and joined a team of only 2 people. There were only 3-4 total teams (port day) and those each had several members. Our team won but the host would only give a prize to the 2 original members since I dystart the game!! I thought that kinda cheap; I didn’t need whatever the prize was and would have probably given it back to the host. 
 

So my lesson learned was to play to have fun and even learn some useless fun facts from the questions!!

 

If I’m out and about and come upon a game, I’ll write back and let you know what I see there. 

[Kevinb1176]

On 12/6/2023 at 10:20 AM, gotta cruise again said:

This is an attempt to do a ‘live from’…we’ll see if I can keep up with it!! DH and I are on MSC Seashore for a 10 day cruise. We booked as a 10 day but it’s a 3 + 7 schedule so we’ll be returning to Port Canaveral 12/10. Our cruise starts 12/7.

We arrived from central Texas at MCO yesterday about 5pm. Caught the Cocoa Beach Shuttle to Towneplace Suites near Port Canaveral.

 

It was an uneventful journey, which is always a blessing. I say “uneventful” but there was one snafoo: our bags arrived at A14 but our shuttle pick-up point was all-the-way-down at the other end of the lower level of MCO. We got to the end and were looking for shuttle parking #3 & 4 but there was new construction in that area. A quick call to the Shuttle company and we were redirected to #9 & 10, which is where we were—YAY. I was tired and DH needed to sit down so was at a nearby bench. A van pulled up with various Mariott logos on the side…and you have probably figured out the rest. That’s right: I got us on the wrong shuttle van!! Oops! Fortunately, I asked the driver a question, which then clued him (and me) to the fact we weren’t where we were supposed to be. He could have let us out at the far end (yep, down by A14) but graciously looped back around to #9 & 10, where our shuttle kindly waited for us (I had texted about my error).

 

The Towneplace Suites are really nice. It’s a new property so everything is nice & fresh. Our room has a nice balcony and the bed faces it, rather like a Sky Suite in the Celebrity Retreat. There is a kitchen with full refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and even a cooktop; dishware too. They do serve food down in the bar area, which was handy for a late-ish arrival last night. Breakfast this AM was just fine too (I always think that when bacon is crisp and DH gets a waffle!!)

 

On the flight, we were treated to a lovely sunset.

 

 

We just booked a 10 night (3+7) for next December. 
 

I’m curious how the return day from the first leg is?

 

Any insight into what is open on the ship? Can you get off the ship and go out on your own for the day? Do you feel like it’s chaos the day back at the port?

 

thanks

[gotta cruise again]

1 hour ago, Kevinb1176 said:

We just booked a 10 night (3+7) for next December. 
 

I’m curious how the return day from the first leg is?

 

Any insight into what is open on the ship? Can you get off the ship and go out on your own for the day? Do you feel like it’s chaos the day back at the port?

 

thanks

Initially we were told we would not have to disembark and parade around the cruise terminal since we were booked in a 10 day and not 3+7. 
 

Wrong—they said we did. So, passports in hand along with cruise cards, we met in the YC lounge; I think rest of pax met in a restaurant or lounge. Then we all met up on deck 6(??) to “ding” off the ship. Walk the “jet bridge”, long hallway, zigzag down a ramp, pass where luggage will be when we actually disembark, pass the facial recognition rolling stands, and into a snake roped off area to wait for wheelchair folks to pass facial recognition first. Now, if we had known (another lesson learned!!) there would be that much walking for DH, we would have gotten him a wheelchair or at the very, very least have brought his walking-seat (see Ta-Da chair, which I learned about here on CC!!). He was wiped out for the rest of the day. After facial recognition, then back through luggage, up zigzag ramp, long hallway, jet bridge, then to cabin (without benefit of butler-expedited passage).

 

Yes: they give you passes so you can leave the port and have an easier time getting back on the ship. 
 

I wouldn’t say it was chaotic but we didn’t know what to expect so weren’t prepared for DHs mobility needs to be adequately met. However, I cannot speak to any possible chaos at the port should you leave for a while and return later. 
 

Would we do it again? Yes, as we know more!

[gotta cruise again]

@bob brown Here is today’s schedule which shows a number of trivia-type activities even though we’re in port. 
 

[gotta cruise again]

The slides!!!

 

 I was mostly brave but wasn’t going to go by myself so I enlisted another passenger to go. My DH took photos. 
 

1st: you go to the main level of the jungle pool to sign away your life & get a wrist band. 
2nd: you climb up 68 steps to where the 2 main slides depart. 
 

There is a brown, mostly open slide but we decided if the little, little children are doing both of the 2 big blue slides, then we’d skip what we thought was the kiddie slide (or the orientation slide, if you prefer that terminology!!)

 

Starboard slide: it is an enclosed tube but does have several clear sections that let in light. I don’t think you can take in the view when whipping through the clear sections due to your focus being on the downhill curves in front of you! You can “race” the person next to you to the bottom. I stayed dry (hair & face) until hitting the water-brake at the end of the tube. Be looking ahead for this so eyes are closed (contact lenses!!) and/or breath held. 
 

This was very fun and we did it twice (68 steps x 2).

 

Port side slide: for this one, 1 or 2 person donut inner tubes are used. You wait in a line at the end of the slide for the next available inner tube of your choice. Then, it’s back up 68 steps-ugh!!

 

I should mention that the little ones may come flying around you and occasionally there is someone coming back down the stairs! Between that additional traffic, stairs, wet floor, carrying an inner tube…well, just take your time and be careful!!

 

Back to the port side slide: it is a fully enclosed tube with no clear parts, only some green lighting along the path. For both slides, they have attendants at the top who will tell you what to do and help aged people like me. Attendants at the bottom do the same. 

 

This slide was great: so much fun we also did this one twice!! Up to 68 steps x 4…who needs a gym?!?

 

Wrist band (as if you couldn’t tell)

 

And I lived to tell the story!!