***LIVE*** from the MSC Seashore: A Solo Experience in YC + Side-by-Side Comparison to Seascape - March 31 - April 6, 2024

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

"Staff Review - Maria, Senior YC Butler

 

I first met Maria during the approximately 30 seconds I sat in the YC lounge in the terminal during embarkation. She brought me a glass of champagne and along with my YC wristband."

 

Do you know the champagne name? Seems to vary per ship. If you know that would be great. 

I think I have it on video somewhere... I'll try to find a moment to go back and check.

[DisneyJen]

Sounds and looks like the perfect ending to your first visit to Ocean Cay!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

30 minutes ago, DisneyJen said:

Sounds and looks like the perfect ending to your first visit to Ocean Cay!

It's not over yet!

 

We leave today at 4pm... I'll probably go snorkeling one more time today and do a full walk around the island before we head out.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and then Costa Maya and Cozumel and a final sea day before I wake from this dream!

[DisneyJen]

@FamilyAtSea.travel What a great itinerary!

 

@DJ's DH and I haven't done the western Caribbean in a while. We may have to take a look at Seashore's sailings (in the YC of course👍)

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

1 hour ago, DisneyJen said:

@FamilyAtSea.travel What a great itinerary!

 

@DJ's DH and I haven't done the western Caribbean in a while. We may have to take a look at Seashore's sailings (in the YC of course👍)

 

We enjoyed last week's on the Seascape even more as it traded a second day at Ocean Cay for a day in Falmouth, Jamaica instead.

 

If you like more active adventures like we do, Jamaica is Heaven... But if you prefer a more relaxing experience, two days in Ocean Cay is definitely the way to go!

 

I hope your next cruise isn't in the too distant future... Counting down the days can be absolute torture at times!!

[DisneyJen]

54 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

...

 

If you like more active adventures like we do, Jamaica is Heaven... But if you prefer a more relaxing experience, two days in Ocean Cay is definitely the way to go!

 

I hope your next cruise isn't in the too distant future... Counting down the days can be absolute torture at times!!

We are 47 days away from our first MSC sailing on the Meraviglia in a Royal Suite 🥂 We'll be celebrating our birthdays and our 40th wedding anniversary. The ship is this destination for us.

 

We definitely would like a more relaxing cruise.

 

As a matter fact the only time we will get off the ship is at Ocean Cay.

 

If you get a chance may you please check with the spa on Ocean Cay and see if they offer a couples massage?

 

TIA

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

2 hours ago, DisneyJen said:

We are 47 days away from our first MSC sailing on the Meraviglia in a Royal Suite 🥂 We'll be celebrating our birthdays and our 40th wedding anniversary. The ship is this destination for us.

 

We definitely would like a more relaxing cruise.

 

As a matter fact the only time we will get off the ship is at Ocean Cay.

 

If you get a chance may you please check with the spa on Ocean Cay and see if they offer a couples massage?

 

TIA

 

I didn't get a chance to actually ask on Ocean Cay, but I have massages booked every morning on the ship this week, so I'll try to remember to ask the spa tomorrow to see what they say!

 

I went from having never had a massage in my entire life, to wanting to try every different type they offered on the ship this week!

 

I hope you guys have an amazing time - we did the Meraviglia in November...it's a beautiful ship and being in the YC, you will have a fantastic time. I'm sitting in the Top Sail Lounge catching up on some work as I write this post.

 

Happy 40th! We will celebrate 12 years this year, so we have a long way to go to get to 40, but we'll be there before we know it.

[DisneyJen]

1 hour ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I didn't get a chance to actually ask on Ocean Cay, but I have massages booked every morning on the ship this week, so I'll try to remember to ask the spa tomorrow to see what they say!

 

I went from having never had a massage in my entire life, to wanting to try every different type they offered on the ship this week!

 

I hope you guys have an amazing time - we did the Meraviglia in November...it's a beautiful ship and being in the YC, you will have a fantastic time. I'm sitting in the Top Sail Lounge catching up on some work as I write this post.

 

Happy 40th! We will celebrate 12 years this year, so we have a long way to go to get to 40, but we'll be there before we know it.

 

Appreciate your asking if you remember as I'd like to surprise my DH with an ocean side massage. There is nothing quite like listening to ocean and feeling those tropical breezes.

 

Trust me the years fly by!

 

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

10 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I think I have it on video somewhere... I'll try to find a moment to go back and check.

Sounds good. thanks.

[Morgsmom]

19 hours ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Sounds good. thanks.

On the Seashore they serve Nicholas Feuillante

[Essiesmom]

23 hours ago, DisneyJen said:

 

Appreciate your asking if you remember as I'd like to surprise my DH with an ocean side massage. There is nothing quite like listening to ocean and feeling those tropical breezes.

 

Trust me the years fly by!

 

 

These blurbs are on the excursion brochure for Ocean Cay

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Venue Reviews - Kaito Sushi, Le Cabaret Rouge, + Main Theater

 

An area where I didn't do a great job in my last review was offering my thoughts on the areas outside the YC.

 

The YC restaurant and Top Sail Lounge are so good that it's very easy to not experience much beyond the exclusive walls of the YC.

 

However, this week I'm going to force myself to spend more time in these spaces so I can share them with all of you.

 

---

 

Kaito Sushi:

 

I really enjoy sushi and so the idea of a good sushi buffet where these tasty treats scroll by you on a conveyor belt is super tempting... So last night I decided to give it a go.

 

Unlike my review of the amazing Butcher's Cut though, this was not a great experience.

 

The sushi was average at best, the best rolls are rare to scroll by, and the service was the worst I've experienced so far on either of the two Sea ships I've sailed over the past couple weeks.

 

The conveyor menu was disappointing so I decided to order things a la carte, but this wasn't any better.

 

I started with the Yaki Soba (this was good, no complaints) and Gyu Niku Teriyaki (the most expensive item on the menu at $21, but the steak was supposed to be medium rare and ended up being well done).

 

From there I ordered the Dragon Roll and Kaito Rainbow rolls (the two most expensive rolls on the menu... both of these were both okay but not worth $14/each for 4 pieces).

 

I also got the sake (which was decent and the carafe came with enough for 4 shots, surprising).

 

- Food: 2/5

- Service: 2/5

- Experience: 3/5

- Overall: 2/5

 

 

 

 

 

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Le Cabaret Rouge

 

After grabbing sushi on deck 8, I made my way down to deck 7 to grab a drink and enjoy some music at Le Cabaret Rouge.

 

While the bar was busy, it was still easy to get a drink, so kudos to them for that. 

 

The bartenders were friendly and the service was prompt at the bar. The performers down on the main stage were low key but a bit melancholy for my taste. They also performed very short sets (less than 15 minutes) before breaking for 10 minutes before the next performer. I'm guessing this was unique to whatever it was the were doing at this time, but it wasn't ideal in my opinion.

 

With that said, I ended up making some new friends that I hung out with for the evening. They were two couples and they drive monster trucks for a living (really... even the wives) and run events across the east coast. They had some great stories and made for a memorable evening. 

 

The venue has a nice ambiance and the music isn't over powering so you can still have conversations without having to shout, so I appreciated that. There were seats everywhere and while seats with a view of the stage were limited, there are plenty of seats through the venue if you were okay with hearing the music (without seeing it).

 

- Seating: 4/5

- Performers: 3/5

- Bar Service: 4/5

- Overall: 4/5

 

 

 

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Main Theater - Divas Show:

 

They had the Divas show last night and they did a really good job with it.

 

The onboard performers are much better than they were on the Seascape, both their dancing and their singing.

 

The seating was about 95% full and the audience really seemed to be into things.

 

- Seating: 4/5

- Performers: 4/5

- Choreography: 3/5

- Crowd: 4/5

- Overall: 4/5

 

 

 

 

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[DisneyJen]

Thanks @Essiesmom!

 

Can the YC Concierge make that appointment for me?

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, DisneyJen said:

Thanks @Essiesmom!

 

Can the YC Concierge make that appointment for me?

Don’t know, never been in YC.  EM

[cruisebeachgirl703]

18 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

On the Seashore they serve Nicholas Feuillante

Were you on recently since it can change very quickly. (magnifica in feb was pommerey) thanks

[Morgsmom]

1 hour ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Were you on recently since it can change very quickly. (magnifica in feb was pommerey) thanks

Yes. I was on last month. 

[Bead Pirate]

We are getting on the Seashore for a two-week B2B on the 14th. Can you let us know who the entertainers are in the Top Sail Lounge? Hoping one of them is Bernard 🙂 

 

Thank You!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

3 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

We are getting on the Seashore for a two-week B2B on the 14th. Can you let us know who the entertainers are in the Top Sail Lounge? Hoping one of them is Bernard 🙂 

 

Thank You!

I'll ask today... I've enjoyed their music but have no idea who they've been as I'm usually engaged in a conversation vs actively paying attention to the music.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

3 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

We are getting on the Seashore for a two-week B2B on the 14th. Can you let us know who the entertainers are in the Top Sail Lounge? Hoping one of them is Bernard 🙂 

 

Thank You!

I asked the YC Concierge desk and they didn't know... If I'm in the TSL tonight I'll try to grab their name for you (I'm going the Chef's Table dinner at Butcher's Cut tonight).

[cruisebeachgirl703]

3 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I asked the YC Concierge desk and they didn't know... If I'm in the TSL tonight I'll try to grab their name for you (I'm going the Chef's Table dinner at Butcher's Cut tonight).

That sounds nice. Yum. Let us know.

[cruisebeachgirl703]

7 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

Yes. I was on last month. 

thanks.

[stefmaia]

10 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

We are getting on the Seashore for a two-week B2B on the 14th. Can you let us know who the entertainers are in the Top Sail Lounge? Hoping one of them is Bernard 🙂 

 

Thank You!

We are doing the same B2B, are you planning on doing anything on Cape Canaveral on our turnaround day?

[Bead Pirate]

Going to let the wonderful butler staff pamper me while I lay on the pool deck and bet on some sports events.

[Knicks1130]

2 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

Going to let the wonderful butler staff pamper me while I lay on the pool deck and bet on some sports events.

Does MSC have sport betting????

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Port Day - Costa Maya, Mexico

 

I don't know if you guys are interested in the ports or not, but I'll share my experience anyways.

 

My plan today was to check out Maya: Lost Mayan Ruins Waterpark. I was a bit concerned as you couldn't purchase tickets on their website (the functionality is broken) and when I messaged them to confirm they were open, it took them three weeks to message me back to say they were open and I'd have to purchase tickets the day of.

 

Well I'm happy to report that I was able to purchase tickets in line (even though I was the only one).

 

The disappointing news (for me, not you guys) is that they wouldn't let me film the slides or zip lines... This is a text-based forum, so you guys won't care, but as somebody who is also trying to get some video on this journey, this was disappointing on a personal level since they told me on Facebook this would be fine (don't worry, I'm not an obnoxious person interrupting people's private time).

 

With that said, I was able to capture some things worth sharing:

 

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Maya - Lost Kingdom Ruin Waterpark

 

If you guys love an adrenaline rush like me, this is a great spot.

 

With that said, I'm pretty sure most of y'all are not adrenaline junkies like me, so you're probably not even reading this.

 

But on the off chance anybody is still reading, I did enjoy the waterpark. 

 

Some things worth noting:

 

- When you exit the ship and are trying to find your way out of the maze of a port, find a tunnel that takes you outside the walls of the port! (this is helpful advice for anyone leaving the port, not just people visiting the waterpark)... Their signage is terrible and I had to ask somebody how to find the taxis since I couldn't find them on my own.

 

- The terminal has a lot going on, multiple pools with swim up bars, photo ops, stores, etc.

 

- $120 is a lot for a waterpark ticket, but it's cheaper than Atlantis or Baja Bay in Atlantis ($160/ticket), and it was a good overall value in my opinion. 

 

- On a day with 4 big ships at the port I was expecting the waterpark to be busy, but the longest line I waited in (getting gear for the zip lines) was only 20 minutes, and the vast majority of slides had no line at all.

 

- All of the slides and zip lines are accessed from the pyramid structure, so although I still logged over 20,000 steps for the day, it was nice having everything in a single location. 

 

- The slides are decent but nothing special. The two on the top level (Demon + Witch) and the green body slide are definitely the best of the group. The Hurricane was decently fun, but when you reach the funnel at the bottom, the seams are the most painful I've ever experienced. 

 

- It was fun having zip lines in addition to the slides. There's a zip line course with 6 sections and a ropes course + a second zip line "rollercoaster" that is a quick experience (less than a minute) but was fun.

 

- In addition to the water slides and zip lines, there are also multiple pools with lounge chairs and cabanas. 

 

- I love lazy rivers, but this was the one drawback of the park... It was too lazy (i.e. there was very little water flow so I ended up having to paddle myself through a lot of sections).

 

- With a couple small exceptions, the staff was friendly and helpful. 

 

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Scoring:

 

- Port Terminal: 3/5 

- Getting to the Waterpark: 4/5 (an easy walk once you find your way out of the terminal)

- Slides: 3/5

- Zip Lines: 4/5

- Ambiance/Design: 3/5

- Value: 4/5

- Staff: 4/5

 

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Edited April 5 by FamilyAtSea.travel