**Live** MSC Seascape 9/21-9/28 & 9/28-10/5 Caribbean Cruise

[Best Cat Mom]

4 hours ago, mnpurple said:

The white party looked like fun. After 3 YC cruises, I don't recall ever seeing any parties by the pool or lounge.

Since the restart after Covid, the various YC Directors have endeavored to add special events for YC guests. The night of the ship-wide White Party was announced to us as an "Island Party" via an invitation in our cabins:

 

There was also a sail away/sunset party on the YC Pool Deck on Day 10 (Grand Turk). This one must have been a bit last minute since we did not have an invitation in the room -- they had a sign on the bar in TSL instead. I wondered at the time if this one was added 'to help make up' for our itinerary change.

Edited Wednesday at 11:28 PM by Best Cat Mom

[Stem to Stern]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Though I am still catching up on your latest cruise, it's so nice to see you pop in on the MSC board!  And speaking of Miss Helene, she's currently dumping a deluge in my back yard making my abysmal satellite internet even more abysmal.  I have lots of catching up to do between outages!

I see all of GA is getting dumped on.  We have another rain band moving in from the south very shortly.  But no outages - so far.  
Now back to your regularly scheduled food porn.

 

 

 

[MonsterJoe]

2 hours ago, chrisgp999 said:

Curious minds want to know - did you apply the clotted cream first and then the jam, or, jam first and then the clotted cream.  Apparently there are two very entrenched factions in the UK regarding this procedure.

 

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

I have been informed by a trusted source that it is clotted cream before jam.  

Curiously enough, I am familiar with this debate...and I fall on the jam-first side.

I understand the argument that the clotted cream replaces the butter so therefore goes first.

In practice, however, due to things material things such as physics...I find it infinitely easier to spread the dense and sticky jam on first, then layer the much lighter and easier to spread cream on top.

I suppose in my perfect world, having grown up and continued to live in dairy country....I would say Butter then Jam then Cream. 🙂

Edited Thursday at 12:50 AM by MonsterJoe

[DaKahuna]

It is my understanding that clotted cream before jam is called the Devonshire way and is considered in many circles as being the proper way. 

 

Today if you had tried putting the ‘clotted cream’ they served on top of the jam, you would have had a very difficult time.  The clotted cream was more akin in texture to cream cheese than what I have had in other venue’s as clotted cream. 

 

However, all that being said, as long as both components are on the scone / biscuit in proper quantity you cannot go wrong.  Eat and enjoy no matter which way you do it. 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

After high tea we returned to our stateroom where I proceeded to take a ‘short’ nap.  My DW woken me at 1900 and we proceeded to make preparations for dinner.

 

Tonight was Italian night.  We had red and green napkins, and white tablecloths.  Interestingly enough, the waitstaff were not dressed with he colorful waistbands we had seen on Divina.

 

For her starter my DW ordered the Gardener’s Minestrone Soup.  
 

 

 

I ordered the Tricolor Salad and the soup.

 

 

For her main my wife went with the grilled chicken breast, which she had earlier in the cruise and I ordered the Veal Ossobuco.

 

Have you ever had a dish placed in front of of you that you could not wait to dig into— that was my ossobuco!  So I apologize for the picture! 
 

 

The sommelier paired my veal with a wine I had never heard of or seen before.  I plan to research tomorrow.

 

 

For dessert we both decided on sorbet.  Pineapple for her, lemon for me.

 

 

 

After dinner we retired to the room.

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

My wife decided that she was done for the night and I went to the TSL to meet up with @Best Cat Mom and @Best cat Dad for a nightcap. 
 

We were holding OJT with the bartenders on how to make my Zacapa Old Fashion with honey instead of simple syrup and to muddle the fruit, add honey and Zacapa, shake with ice.  Strain into a glass with the large ice cube and add three dashes of orange bitters.  Garnish with cherries and orange slice. 
 

I’ll try to remember to take pictures tomorrow.

 

Good night from the Bahamas.  We arrive in Nassau tomorrow morning. 

[JAGR]

13 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

 

Curiously enough, I am familiar with this debate...and I fall on the jam-first side.

I understand the argument that the clotted cream replaces the butter so therefore goes first.

In practice, however, due to things material things such as physics...I find it infinitely easier to spread the dense and sticky jam on first, then layer the much lighter and easier to spread cream on top.

I suppose in my perfect world, having grown up and continued to live in dairy country....I would say Butter then Jam then Cream. 🙂

Having lived in Wisconsin for a few years, I would say you are close. It should be butter, a bit more butter, then jam, and finish with cream! 😉

[DaKahuna]

Good morning from Nassau.

We decided to sleep in today so we opened our balcony curtains around 0900 to this

 

 

After getting ready to leave the cabin, ee proceeded up to the One Pool Deck for breakfast.

 

 

 

 

After breakfast I took a quick lap around the pool deck and added a few new pictures to my collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Imagin a city the size of Nassau that wakes up to 20-25 thousand new people on a random Thursday morning.

 

After breakfast we reaffirmed our decision to spend the day on board and are now relaxing in the TSL with our Holiday Coffee’s.

 

 

Sadly the realization is setting in that tomorrow will be our last opportunity to socialize with @Best Cat Mom and @Best cat Dad as well as a number of the staff we have met this cruise.  Saturday will be departure day for a number of the crew we have had the pleasure of meeting this week.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

Earlier I mentioned that when i did the upgrade to iOS 18.1 beta my iPhone turned off Airplane Mode when it rebooted after the update.  
 

I just did the update to 18.2 beta and my phone remained in airplane mode after the restart.  Go figure.

 

[Bgwest]

18 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

MSC’s version of High Tea was held in the TSL this afternoon starting at 1530.  
 

 

 

 

 

and to time your tea, they had one of these on each table

 

 

I thought the scones were good.

 

Gets my vote!😋

[DaKahuna]

After breakfast on the One Pool deck we ventured to the TSL for a pair of Holiday Coffee’s and the air conditioning comfort it provided.  While breezy in Nassau it is still HOT.  As I commented to some others, in another two or three months a lot of us will be wishing to this type of weather. 

 

 

White enjoying our coffee deliciousness, we once again ran into @Best Cat Mom & @Best cat Dad and invited them to join us.  

 

 

We sat and chatted over Holiday Coffee’s until it was time for lunch.   We headed to the restaurant while they packed up with belongings and arrived in the restaurant later. 

 

For lunch we started with a moscato for my wife and the usual glass of champagne for me.  (See earlier post for pictures).

 

We both had Caesar salad's for starters, hers with tofu and mine with shrimp tails. (Nothing new other than the cubes of tofu on hers from our other pictures of the Caesar salad.)

 

For our mains, my DW decided to have the Olive oil sented turbot filet

 

 

and I asked for the Linguine Pasta with Clams. 

 

 

I have to say they really nailed my dish.  It had just the right amount of peppery goodness from the crushed red pepper in the sauce.  It went really well with the champagne.  Note this is the first meal where I have not switched to red wine after the starter course.  

 

For our dessert we both went with the Fantasy Sunday — it was delicious.  

 

 

After lunch we decided to head back to the room for some more rest and relaxation - after all isn’t that what cruising is all about?

 

Now I think I’ll go walkabout on the ship and see if I can find some photo ops before all aboard in an hour in 10 minutes (1630). 

 

 

[jcpc]

@DaKahunaand @Best Cat Mom Thanks so much for all your posts.  Reading them is getting me excited to be boarding Meraviglia on October 6th.  @Best Cat Mom I’m going to have to ask my TSL bartender to make your “famous” holiday coffee!!  Thanks again!!

[DaKahuna]

I just made an interesting observation.  

 

I am sitting here in the TSL because the ships’ WiFi signal is better here than in our stateroom.  I can visually see the Aruba WAP from where I am sitting. 

 

I decided to do a speed test with and without my VPN turned on.  

Without the VPN I am getting ~100Mbps Download and 5.3 Mpbs upload speeds on my iPhone.  However, the WiFi is reporting SES vs StarLink

 

Yesterday with StarLink at sea I was getting 141Mbps Down and 35.1 Mbps upload. 

 

On my iPad I am showing 131 Mbps down and 3.65 Mpbs upload speeds. 

The bad news is I have 45 items, a few of which are video’s on my iPhone that I am trying to sync to the cloud so I can post some of them here on this thread. 

 

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

After breakfast on the One Pool deck we ventured to the TSL for a pair of Holiday Coffee’s and the air conditioning comfort it provided.  While breezy in Nassau it is still HOT.  As I commented to some others, in another two or three months a lot of us will be wishing to this type of weather. 

 

 

White enjoying our coffee deliciousness, we once again ran into @Best Cat Mom & @Best cat Dad and invited them to join us.  

 

 

We sat and chatted over Holiday Coffee’s until it was time for lunch.   We headed to the restaurant while they packed up with belongings and arrived in the restaurant later. 

 

For lunch we started with a moscato for my wife and the usual glass of champagne for me.  (See earlier post for pictures).

 

We both had Caesar salad's for starters, hers with tofu and mine with shrimp tails. (Nothing new other than the cubes of tofu on hers from our other pictures of the Caesar salad.)

 

For our mains, my DW decided to have the Olive oil sented turbot filet

 

 

and I asked for the Linguine Pasta with Clams. 

 

 

I have to say they really nailed my dish.  It had just the right amount of peppery goodness from the crushed red pepper in the sauce.  It went really well with the champagne.  Note this is the first meal where I have not switched to red wine after the starter course.  

 

For our dessert we both went with the Fantasy Sunday — it was delicious.  

 

 

After lunch we decided to head back to the room for some more rest and relaxation - after all isn’t that what cruising is all about?

 

Now I think I’ll go walkabout on the ship and see if I can find some photo ops before all aboard in an hour in 10 minutes (1630). 

 

 

We have been on MSC YC 3 times and have not seen that Sundae. Looks great. Yum

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Earlier I mentioned that when i did the upgrade to iOS 18.1 beta my iPhone turned off Airplane Mode when it rebooted after the update.  
 

I just did the update to 18.2 beta and my phone remained in airplane mode after the restart.  Go figure.

You are a very daring person to upgrade while on a cruise!  And to beta versions!  I'm keeping our iPhones at 17.6.1 until we get home, and I never upgrade until there's a .1 update to anything major [in this case it will be 18.1.1]

[mahdnc]

3 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You are a very daring person to upgrade while on a cruise!  And to beta versions!  I'm keeping our iPhones at 17.6.1 until we get home, and I never upgrade until there's a .1 update to anything major [in this case it will be 18.1.1]

Daring is John’s middle name. Wait, maybe it’s Darren. Never mind. 

[no1talks]

23 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

It is my understanding that clotted cream before jam is called the Devonshire way and is considered in many circles as being the proper way. 

I fear the issue is more byzantine than one might suppose, DaKahuna. 🤔
 

• Indeed, the Devon mode is cream first.
• Jam first is the Cornish method.
• The difference originates in the respective textures of the regions' traditional scones.
• Cornish scones are fluffier and Devon scones more firm.

Accordingly, the sturdy Devon scone can withstand a direct schmear. The delicate Cornish scone benefits from a buffer of jam betwixt it and the clotted cream. Also, when scones are warm, a layer of jam under the cream delays the drippy melting of same.

So, let the interior condition of the scone be your guide.
 

[Host Jazzbeau]

33 minutes ago, no1talks said:

Accordingly, the sturdy Devon scone can withstand a direct schmear.

The 'Midwest' is a long way from the areas one would expect Yiddish fluency!

[DaKahuna]

We had five missing people at sail away time today (all aboard 1630, departure time 1700.  

 

Here is the first two of them 

 

 

The captain was not a very happy person as the Symphony of the Seas was scheduled to depart right after us and could not depart until we did. 

 

 

Another person wandered leisurely down the pier and was picked up by a cart before I could get a picture of her. 

 

 

I do not know if the final two made it on time or not but another cart went by and I saw the captain do a little clap.  We back away from the pier at 1715, 15 minutes behind schedule. 

 

 

 

We quickly did a 180 degreee turn in the turning basic and proceeded to sea. 

 

 

[mahdnc]

What’s with the hand in your second photo?

[DaKahuna]

I wandered about the ship this afternoon taking some pictures and what not (before sail away)  Here are just a few that I found interesting. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rumor has it that RCCL has purchased this strip of land out to the point.  No idea what they plan to build here or if the rumor is true or not but there use to be some weather beaten homes along here the last time we were here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

Tonight’s supper was very nice.   I am sure @Best Cat Mom will post the full menu in her review so I am not going to steal her thunder.  I am still debating with myself about whether or not I will post the menu’s next week as I am pretty sure they will be a repeat of the ones she posted this week.   Let me know if you really want to see them and if enough people say they want them, then I’ll include each day’s menu. 

 

We both had an order of the dumplings to start and I also had the beef and barley soup.  I am pretty sure I took pictures but they are not showing up so maybe I just thought I did. 

 

Anyway, my DW started with the usual Moscato 

 

S

 

That she’s had multiple times so far this cruise.  I asked for the Cava that @Best Cat Mom and @Best cat Dad recommended.  It’s the first Spanish sparkling wine I believe I have ever had. 

 

 

For her main course my wife had the scallops 

 

 

and i order the pistachio crusted lamb chops.  

 

 

Unfortunately I am going to have to give the nod to the double lamb chops in Butcher’s cut as being the better of the two.   The sommelier paired my lamb with a very nice California Cabernet Sauvignon. 

 

 

For our dessert we both went with the coconut cake and I also had coffee ice cream to go with mine. 

 

 

 

Joking around with our waiter, who is outstanding by the way but leaving on Saturday to go home, weather permitting,  If the stars align correctly and the powers that be can pull it off, we may be treating everyone to a visual treat at tomorrow’s dinner, which I believe is scheduled to be a surf and turf.  

 

After dinner, I escorted my lovely bride back to our cabin before going to contribute some more of our children’s inheritance to the casino Gods,  Once that sacrifice had been make, I returned to the cabin to check in on my wife before heading to the TSL to have a night cap.  Imagine my total non-surprise to find @Best Cat Mom and @Best cat Dad holding up the bar.  I joined them for a quick two rounds while we listened to Bernard entertain us on the piano and with his vocals, before we decided it was time to release the bartenders from their duties. 

 

Anyway, we are doing a little rocking and rolling this evening and it’s making me sleepy, as is most often the case, so I am going to end tonight here and wish all those in the path of Helene the very best and hope everyone comes through safely.   Property can be replaced, lives cannot.  To quote Sgt. Phil Esterhaus of NYPD Blue “Let’s Be Careful Out There” 

 

 

[Best Cat Mom]

An excellent telling of the evening, but I have one correction.

 

Phil was on Hill Street Blues.

[DaKahuna]

3 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

An excellent telling of the evening, but I have one correction.

 

Phil was on Hill Street Blues.

 

Ah - that’s so true .. I blame it on that last Sidecar.  

I think that will also be my last Sidecar.  Just too sour for me.  Now the Zacapa New Fashioned with honey .. those are just right 🙂

 

[DaKahuna]

Good morning.  As one might expect the weather has prevented us from being able to dock at Ocean Cay this morning.  I believe the captain said that we might try later today but stepping out on the balcony there is a lot of wind out there.  

 

We are getting ready to go to breakfast in the restaurant.  Too windy for my liking to even consider having breakfast at the One Pool. 

 

In the mean time we are just listening to the CNN reports on what is and has been transpiring in Helene’s path.  Flooding is really a concern all the way up into Tennessee.