Deckside Digest - YC Edition: Volume 24 Episode 1 (MSC Seascape 8/17-8/24)

[MonsterJoe]

Hey there, welcome to my Deckside Digest! From August 17-24, 2024, DW, DS, DD2, and I will be on the MSC Seascape in the Yacht Club. We’re hitting Nassau, Puerto Plata, San Juan, and Ocean Cay.
 

I am going to try to make daily updates with a mix of dining highlights, onboard shenanigans, and shore excursions. I’ll share my thoughts, observations, try to answer questions, and add plenty of photos.
 

Why did we book this one?

 

We chose the Seascape because we wanted to visit San Juan, and the dates worked perfectly for us. This will be DS's first 7-night cruise, having only experienced shorter trips before. It will also be his first time in the Yacht Club (YC), so we’re excited to give him that experience.

 

How's it going so far?

 

Preparation has been fun if not torturous. We’ve been ironing linens, finding our magnetic hooks, charging USB fans, and I even bought a bunch of new ties and pocket squares since I haven't refreshed those in a while.

 

 

How are we going to get there?

 

We use Delta exclusively, and we will fly out on Friday at 3:30 PM from Boston to Fort Lauderdale. While DD2 could technically lap fly, we got her a seat to avoid any fidgety mishaps. We will then drive to Miami in a car we rented from Turo for the week. We’re staying at YotelPad for the night, a stay that’s free thanks to our Amex Reserve Card.

 

What are we looking forward to?

 

DW and I are looking forward to getting back to the YC enclave—enjoying the snacks in Top Sail and YC dinners. The ship’s swankitude, live music (especially the piano music in Top Sail), and the overall atmosphere are big draws for us. DS is excited about the water park, water slides, and the buffets.

 

We don’t plan on attending any of the Broadway shows this time as they’re not really our thing. We're not booking any specialty restaurants other than maybe Hola! for lunch, since we don’t want to miss any YC dinners. DW is particularly looking forward to daily crepes and gelato, and we’re all excited about the copious amounts of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

 

We don’t have any excursions planned. We’ll probably putter around the ports in Nassau and the Dominican Republic for a bit before getting back on the ship. I'm a "The Ship is the Destination" type of person, but I am looking forward to exploring Old San Juan with my family and, of course, Ocean Cay.

 

On sea days, we like to hang out in the lounges or at the pool, snacking and drinking. We will lose DS to the water park for the day. I keep threatening DW that this is the cruise where I’ll start my gambling career, but she knows I’m full of it.

 

The three of us old enough to do so also enjoy playing games at night, so we’re bringing Skip-Bo, Pass the Pigs, 4 Square, and maybe a few other small table games. Whether we play in Top Sail or another lounge will probably depend on the vibe in Top Sail.

 

We’re curious to see how DD2 will react because she is currently obsessed with Moana. I’m also considering bringing a Firestick for some extra late-night entertainment for the kids. Either that, or I’ll load up my laptop with shows and movies—I’m still undecided and open to suggestions.

 

DW and I love to sit on the balcony at night with a drink and a snack and just watch the dark water. We're about 5 doors down from Top Sail, so it will make my drink runs very quick indeed!

 

Typically, I’m a single liquor drink person, but this time I’m interested in ordering cocktails off the menu—especially after reading here how much people have enjoyed them. The espresso martini, the MSC martini(?), etc.. I’m looking forward to trying out a few new drinks.

I have also committed to inquiring about the wines and pairings this time, as I have seen a few of you do.  We do it on land - but never thought to do it on a ship!
 

Both DW and I will have some work to do on the cruise. She’s finishing her last class for her master’s that week, and while I managed to schedule time off from both of my jobs in software, I am also taking college credits. My research paper on "The Sociopsychological Impact of Coaching Youth Sports" is due that Wednesday at 9 AM!

 

That’s all for now. Stay tuned as I (hopefully) make progress on my cruise prep!

Edited August 8 by MonsterJoe

[DaKahuna]

14 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

I will be on the MSC Seascape in the Yacht Club. We’re hitting Nassau, Puerto Plata, San Juan, and Ocean Cay.

 

 Really looking forward to this.  We have the same itinerary scheduled for our 9/28 - 10/5 cruise on Seasacape. 

 

19 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

Typically, I’m a single liquor drink person, but this time I’m interested in ordering cocktails off the menu—especially after reading here how much people have enjoyed them. The espresso martini, the MSC martini(?), etc.. I’m looking forward to trying out a few new drinks.

 

 I can highly recommend the Sidecar, New Fashioned (an old fashioned made with rum instead of bourbon), and a spicy margarita.   Have not had them on the Seascape but they were well made by the bartender on the Divina. 

 

21 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

I have also committed to inquiring about the wines and pairings this time, as I have seen a few of you do.  We do it on land - but never thought to do it on a ship!

 

 Looking forward to reading how that turns out for you as we plan to rely heavily on the sommelier/waiter on our cruise for wine pairings.  

 

[Essiesmom]

@JamieLogical could suggest some games to bring…she always travels with a selection…. EM

[JamieLogical]

22 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

@JamieLogical could suggest some games to bring…she always travels with a selection…. EM

 

Most of the games we bring are made for two players, not three. The ones we bring that do play three players are Travel Catan, Skip-bo, Uno, Dungeon Mayhem, and a regular deck of cards for Rummy.

[MonsterJoe]

35 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Most of the games we bring are made for two players, not three. The ones we bring that do play three players are Travel Catan, Skip-bo, Uno, Dungeon Mayhem, and a regular deck of cards for Rummy.

Skip-bo is our by far favorite...we feel like uno can just go too long!  But we have uno, uno attack and dos! 

 

Have you ever played pass the pigs? Fun riff on a dice game.

 

I have Mille Bornes too but seems a bit much, like uno

[Best Cat Mom]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

I can highly recommend the Sidecar, New Fashioned (an old fashioned made with rum instead of bourbon), and a spicy margarita.   Have not had them on the Seascape but they were well made by the bartender on the Divina.

We also enjoyed Hubert's Sidecars and Old Fashioneds on Divina. Ashish was the day bartender and never disappointed either. Looking forward to knowing how Seascape's bartenders please as we cruise with @DaKahuna and the week before as well. Enjoy the anticipation -- it'll be sailing time before you know it! 🙂

[cellfree]

@MonsterJoe thank you for doing this, looking forward to daily reads, after 12+ MSC cruises sailed Seashore YC  in April for first time, got off ship and following week booked Seascape YC for husbands bday in November. Also always bring our Skip-Bo cards with us. Your looking forward to the “fresh squeezed” orange juice made me smile, discovered it for first time on Magnifica a couple weeks ago, delightful, why did I not know about it before?!

[Fissues]

 Monsta Joe’s Wicked Pissa Adventure! It’s a baby whale!

[MonsterJoe]

4 hours ago, Fissues said:

 Monsta Joe’s Wicked Pissa Adventure! It’s a baby whale!

I have spent my whole life as a New Englander putting space between me and that accent...but I appreciate the humor!  It would make a great Matt Damon or Ben Affleck movie!

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

and the week before as well.

 

 I am hoping that you do another live review so I can follow along on your first week adventures as that will be the itinerary for our 2nd week.  Also it will give me a 'lay of the land' and set some expectations for us. 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

11 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I am hoping that you do another live review so I can follow along on your first week adventures as that will be the itinerary for our 2nd week.  Also it will give me a 'lay of the land' and set some expectations for us.

I was contemplating whether it would be repetitive, given this thread and the recent one by @morpheusofthesea. But since you asked, we'll do our best to provide some "preparatory intelligence." 😉

[morpheusofthesea]

3 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I was contemplating whether it would be repetitive, given this thread and the recent one by @morpheusofthesea. But since you asked, we'll do our best to provide some "preparatory intelligence." 😉

"Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another."

Voltaire

Sally forth Oh seeker of truth !   (And please report back to us)

P.S. "Sally forth" is an old-fashioned or literary phrasal verb that means to leave a place in a determined or enthusiastic way, or to embark or get going. It can also mean to rapidly set off on an adventure or outing.

Edited August 9 by morpheusofthesea

[Best Cat Mom]

1 minute ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Sally forth

A common expression in our family. Great minds... 😁

[morpheusofthesea]

9 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

A common expression in our family. Great minds... 😁

I had more this in mind : "It comes from the primarily military noun sally, which has been used since the 16th century to mean "a sudden springing forth of besieged troops (YCers) to defend against attackers (Interlopers)."

[Essiesmom]

16 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I had more this in mind : "It comes from the primarily military noun sally, which has been used since the 16th century to mean "a sudden springing forth of besieged troops (YCers) to defend against attackers (Interlopers)."

Through the sally port.  EM

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I was contemplating whether it would be repetitive, given this thread and the recent one by @morpheusofthesea. But since you asked, we'll do our best to provide some "preparatory intelligence." 😉

 

 I do not think it would be.  There are some many threads about Seashore but very few really about Seascape.  Don't know why that is. 

 

 I have myself been thinking about what I am going to do, if anything, about a review for our sailing.  I'll probably concentrate on pictures of the ship and food.   We do not have a single excursion booked for either leg and looking like we will not being doing any.  We;ve been to all of the ports at least twice, with the exception of Puerto Plata, and I do not see anything that would be interesting to both of us in the way of a ships or private excursion. 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

I have myself been thinking about what I am going to do, if anything, about a review for our sailing.  I'll probably concentrate on pictures of the ship and food.   We do not have a single excursion booked for either leg and looking like we will not being doing any.

Pictures of the ship would be something that we hardly ever do, since we mostly stay in the sanctuary of YC. If we leave, it's not early enough in the day to get images without tons of people in them. @Essiesmom wins there and I know we could never compete! 🙂

 

We only have two excursions for our 14-days on board -- Puerto Plata and Grand Cayman. I think it's our first time to both ports. We tend to seek out MSC history-type tours that are only for a few hours and those are few and far between. We really dislike having to get up early and the few tours we do pick always seem to have an early start time. Besides, why leave the ship when all the "good stuff" is there?

[mac_tlc]

My research paper on "The Sociopsychological Impact of Coaching Youth Sports" is due that Wednesday at 9 AM!

 

 

I coached Little League and travel baseball for almost ten years ...... biggest impact to me was the parents !!!!!🤣🤣🤣

[MonsterJoe]

7 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Pictures of the ship would be something that we hardly ever do, since we mostly stay in the sanctuary of YC. If we leave, it's not early enough in the day to get images without tons of people in them. @Essiesmom wins there and I know we could never compete! 🙂

 

We only have two excursions for our 14-days on board -- Puerto Plata and Grand Cayman. I think it's our first time to both ports. We tend to seek out MSC history-type tours that are only for a few hours and those are few and far between. We really dislike having to get up early and the few tours we do pick always seem to have an early start time. Besides, why leave the ship when all the "good stuff" is there?

 

We love to leave YC and explore the ship...partly because DS is 11 and he likes a lot of the stuff out there...but also we love the live music at night, and we all really like the buffet.

 

I really do enjoy EM's reviews and I've been taking notes from her and a few others for my first semi live.

 

I was thinking of doing a buffet glamor shots to give it justice...you eat with you eyes first!

 

5 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

My research paper on "The Sociopsychological Impact of Coaching Youth Sports" is due that Wednesday at 9 AM!

 

 

I coached Little League and travel baseball for almost ten years ...... biggest impact to me was the parents !!!!!🤣🤣🤣

 

I hear that!  I've been lucky that I've had mostly great parents...but I've had some doozies too!

 

I coach travel soccer and hockey and I'm on the board for the hockey league.

 

I'm also getting my USA Hockey referee certification next week before the cruise...not that I want to ref...I just think it will help me be a better coach.

 

We love sports in this house.

Edited August 10 by MonsterJoe

[Best Cat Mom]

10 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

I was thinking of doing a buffet glamor shots to give it justice...you eat with you eyes first!

That's a great idea! Make sure to get there early before the masses descend and make a mess though. I'm always amazed at how quickly a self-serve buffet can look like a hurricane hit it.

[MonsterJoe]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

That's a great idea! Make sure to get there early before the masses descend and make a mess though. I'm always amazed at how quickly a self-serve buffet can look like a hurricane hit it.

 

I get stabby around those types of crowds (you should see me in a traffic jam!), but I try to channel vacation vibes in combination with cocktails to put me in a good place!

 

 

 

[MonsterJoe]

We didn't do much planning or preparing the past two days...other than talking about how much we are looking forward to it!!

 

Today is my birthday...so yesterday we went to dave & busters ( for the kids mostly) in Providence RI and today I am teaching DS how to smoke ribs and having a few of our favorite people over to enjoy them with us.

 

 

Edited August 10 by MonsterJoe

[Best Cat Mom]

Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday!

 

I think you deserve to go on a YC cruise as your gift. Oh wait...

Edited August 10 by Best Cat Mom

[MonsterJoe]

[DaKahuna]

On 8/9/2024 at 4:33 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

Pictures of the ship would be something that we hardly ever do,

 

Me either and I agree @Essiesmom does an amazing job.  I asked her for her secret and it's to get up before everyone else and or wait until everyone else has gone ashore.  The latter will most likely be my approach.  Now how many of the ones I take is always a questions. 

 

On 8/9/2024 at 4:33 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

We only have two excursions for our 14-days on board -- Puerto Plata and Grand Cayman. I think it's our first time to both ports. We tend to seek out MSC history-type tours that are only for a few hours and those are few and far between. We really dislike having to get up early and the few tours we do pick always seem to have an early start time. Besides, why leave the ship when all the "good stuff" is there?

 

I could not agree more.  

 We like short - 2 - 2.5 hour excursions and prefer not having to leave before the dining room closes.  

 

 We will be very interested to read about your excursion in Puerto Plata.  We've only been there once, according to my records and I do not remember a whole lot of about it.  It's on our second leg so may have time to book pre-sale.  

 

 On Grand Cayman, we did a tour with a third generation local lady that was amazing.  We saw just about everything, including the preserve with the blue iguanas, and a very nice nature trail.  

 

18 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

I was thinking of doing a buffet glamor shots to give it justice...you eat with you eyes first

 

 When you say buffet are you talking the YC Buffet or the Market Place Buffet on Deck 8?

 

3 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

Today is my birthday.

 

Happy birthday.  May you enjoy many, many, many, happy returns. 

 

                                                    🎂

 

You have two very lovely children.