MSC Seashore - January 5, 2025

 

MSC Seashore - January 5, 2025

Just the Facts:

Ship: MSC Seashore

Captain:  Pietro Maresca (Italy)  Cruise Director: Eversen Beville (USA)

Ports: Port Canaveral, USA - Ocean Cay, Bahamas (overnight) - Costa Maya, Mexico - Cozumel, Mexico

I’m cruising as a solo on this 7-day cruise.  This is my 5th cruise on the MSC Seashore, my 24th cruise on MSC, and my 220th cruise overall.  I have the NEW Blue-Diamond status, the now highest of the MSC Loyalty Club levels.

Sunday, November 5 / Port Canaveral / Embarkation / Day 1 

I was assigned a noonish boarding time, so I planned accordingly and left the Florida Villa at about 8:45 a.m. for the drive to Port Canaveral.  I arrived at Park-N-Cruise at about 11:15 a.m.  Another change in operations is that we park, lock the car & take our keys with us.  I soon boarded a shuttle bus to the port terminal.  We arrived at Pier number 10 at about 11:30. As the bus arrived, I noticed the longest line for boarding that I had seen there.  I was hoping the new Blue Diamond status benefit would make it smooth, and thankfully, it did.  I rolled my single-rolling duffle bag to the nearby Yacht Club kiosk, was confirmed as Blue Diamond, and went straight up the escalator.  Then, a special line through security and to the Yacht Club area, where you are seated for final check-in.  Sweet.  I was in my cabin to drop my bag at about noon.  Very nice embarkation.  I decided to dine in the Manhattan MDR for lunch, so I stopped at Muster Station G on the way to Deck 5.  The luncheon menu was nice; I ordered a Cobb Salad, the Sea Bass entree, and a Fruit Sundae for dessert.  I then made my way to the Sports Bar to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL game.  I eventually went to the Brooklyn Lounge to follow the game on my iPhone.  When the passenger cabins opened at about 3:00 p.m., I went back to my cabin on Deck 10.  My balcony cabin has a Queen Bed, Wardrobe, Large Screen Television, Counter/Dressing table with Mirror, a small stocked Refrigerator, Shelving, Drawers inside the Wardrobe, a large Couch, and a small but adequate bathroom with a solid glass door shower.  I unpacked as I followed the ending of the game, and the Buccaneer's win put them in the playoffs.  I like my cabin location as I’m by the aft elevators, so it’s easy to get to the passenger decks and MDRs.  Another Blue-Diamond benefit is complementary Wifi, so I was able to upgrade that to a full WiFi Streaming package for $35.  Good for me.  We’re docked next to the Disney pier, and I enjoy watching them sail away as they play Disney-themed tunes on the ship's horns.  I will enjoy the balcony.  I’m assigned a 5:30 dining time in the Tribeca Dining Room.  I have an 8-top table with all gentlemen in the 70-80 age range.  That was interesting and unique.  Dinner was slow this evening, IMHO.  I ordered the Stuffed Meatball, a Shrimp Cocktail, the Lasagna Entree, and a nice Pistachio dessert.  Most of the others ordered the Prime Rib.  It was 7:30, and I decided to retire early to get started on this blog and watch some cabin Television.  It was a good embarkation day on the MSC Seashore.

Monday, January 6th / Ocean Cay Marine Reserve / Day 2

Smooth seas overnight and a very enjoyable night's sleep.  The bed is very comfortable, with both soft and firm pillows.  We were docked at about 7:00 a.m.  It was a cloudy and cool day, perfect for walking the beach or island, but too cool in the water for me.  Construction continues on the second pier, more buildings, and another beach area, all easily visible from the ship.  My balcony is on the opposite side of the island this time, but I have a view of the new island where they are placing the drugged sand.  I had a relaxing morning, then went to the Buffet on Deck 16 for some Danish at about 10:30 a.m. I watched the TCM movie Seven Sweethearts (1942) this afternoon and decided to take a full day of rest and did nothing but sleep the rest of the day and evening.

Tuesday, January 7th / Day 3 / Ocean Cay Marine Reserve now Sea Day 

Smooth seas overnight, and I slept very well.  It was a cloudy day, and I went to the buffet for a few Danish and a Hot Milk.  I did a walkabout of the ship on the outer decks, then went to the Excursion Desk to get my Behind the Scenes tour ticket for Saturday, the last sea day.  I had Pizza and a Salad for lunch, one of my favorites on an MSC ship.  The Pizza is very good.  I attended the first Blue Diamond event at 5:00 p.m. in the Uptown Lounge.  They had an excellent solo entertainer and served Cocktails and light Hors d’oeuvres.  There were approximately 20-24 guests.  Each senior officer came by each table for a toast…very nice.  Then the Captain came by every table and visited and took a photograph…also very nice.  I enjoyed a few Appletini’s; thank you, MSC and my server Kiwa from Zimbabwe.  I only had a short time to take two Diet Coca-Cola back to my cabin before my 6:30 reservations at the Butchers Cut Steakhouse.  I ordered my favorites: Burrata & Beet Salad, Hearts of Palm (photo), Filet Mignon, and NY Cheesecake for dessert.  It was excellent, as usual.  The bread, steak sauces, and service were also excellent.  I retired after dinner.   It was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening on the MSC Seashore.

Wednesday, January 8th / Day 4 / at Sea 

Smooth seas overnight, and I slept very well until 9:00 a.m.  I had a relaxing morning with my daily vitamins and a bite of leftover Cheesecake.  As I was browsing the MSC app, I discovered a new (to me) dining feature: the new Sea Day Brunch served in the MDR.  I made my way to the MDR at about 11:45 a.m. and was seated at a shared table.  It was very busy, so the guests also seemed to like this new choice.  They have a new menu with the usual breakfast menu items and feature breakfast combinations from around the world.  I decided on the Great Britain one with Filet Steak (very good), Fried Eggs, and large Chips.  I added Bacon and Breakfast Ham.  I also had my Hot Milk, Danish, and a Fruit Bowl.  It was a very nice breakfast.  It was a cloudy day, but I had balcony time in the afternoon, monitored the markets, and then watched some television until dinner time.  I met the Boys at 5:30 p.m. for the Caribbean-Night-themed dinner.  I ordered the Guadeloupe Coconut Shrimp, the regular Shrimp Cocktail, Blackened Red Snapper with Creole Spices, and Key Lime Pie for dessert.  I then went to the Madison Theater for the feature show Divas.  The crew member who checked me in at Muster Station G was the featured singer, and she was brilliant.  Six featured Singers and six featured dancers, three each male & female.  The dancing was also very good, the best MSC show I have seen since the Covid break.  I retired after the show as I was behind on some work I needed to do on this cruise.  It was a very good sea day on the MSC Seashore.

Thursday, January 9, 2025 / Day 5 / Costa Maya, Mexico 

Smooth seas overnight, and I slept well.  My ordered room service breakfast was NOT delivered for the second time this cruise.  We were docked at about 8:00 a.m., and debark began at about 8:30.  I went to Lido for breakfast at the buffet, and it wasn’t too busy as most guests ate early to get in a full day in port.  I discovered four ships docked today: Harmony of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Mein Schiff-1, and the MSC Seashore, totaling 16,000 guests.  I learned long ago to avoid that crowd.  It is a beautiful day with a breeze, so the usual heat here will be avoided.  I hope all enjoy their port day. I will enjoy my cool balcony with a view.  Many Pelicans and Albatrosses were flying about and beautiful blue water.  I updated this blog, read the news about the fires in LA, and tended to some business the rest of the morning and afternoon.  I also checked in with home and did some secure transactions since I have telephone coverage in Mexico.  I also enjoyed my first Coca-Cola since Saturday.  Sweet day.  Tonight, I had reservations for a special Teppanyaki Dinner.  It was the typical Teppanyaki experience but also included a course of Sushi.   The menu courses were Sushi & Sashimi, Miso Soup, Teppan Salad, Misoyaki Butterfish with Lobster & Scallop (photo), Garlic Fried Rice, Wagyu Beef & Vegetables, Caramelized Pineapple with Ginger Ice Creme & Mint.  I was good, but not as good as the Steakhouse.  After dinner, I retired to watch the NCAA football semifinal game on the cabin TV.  A very exciting game, with Notre Dame going to the Championship.  It was a very nice day on the MSC Seashore.

Friday, January 10th, 2025 / Day 5 / Cozumel, Mexico 

Smooth seas overnight, and I had a good night's sleep.  I woke at about 7:20 a.m., and we were already docked at Puerto Langosta.  I had my room service delivered at about 8:15 a.m.  On my previous orders, I had written my cabin number as 299 when I was in 229.  Mea Culpa.  The hot milk and Danish were perfect, and they sent two fruit plates; thanks.  By 9:00 a.m.  I was off the ship.  I like docking at Puerto Langosta because you can easily walk into San Miguel.  My first stop, as usual, is the Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel Church.  I then went to Sensi Spa for a pedicure, and they have nice new Pedi-Chairs, which are very relaxing.  I’ve been going there for about six years now.  The barbershop was busy, so I went on to Woody’s Bar & Grill, my Cozumel HQ.  I got my favorite table and set up my computer.  I ordered a Mexican Coca-Cola first, then some Guacamole, Chips, and Pico de Gallo.  All very good.  They have the fastest internet in Cozumel, Live Music, and good food…what more would one want?  I went to Antonio’s Barbershop for a trim; he made me look 5 years younger.  Upon return to Woody's, I wanted to try the new feature Hamburger, but thinking that was too much for me with an early dinner sitting.  The Bohemia Beers were perfect, though.  It was a nice cooler and breezy day in San Miguel, but I had to begin walking back to the port.  I gave myself an hour to casually shop and rest along the way.  I was back on board at about 4:10, so 20 minutes ahead of the 4:30 BoB (back on board).  Just enough time to prepare for nearly dinner.  I ordered the Beef & Barley Soup, a Shrimp Cocktail, the Penne all’Amatriciana entree, and the Cherry Clafoutis Creme for dessert tonight.  All good.  I retired to the cabin to watch the 2nd NCAA football Semi-final @ 7:30.  Ohio State will be in the Championship.  It was a great port day in Cozumel.  

Saturday, January 11th / Day 7 / at Sea 

Smooth seas overnight, and I slept well.  Room Service was delivered early, so I was up at 7:00 a.m., half an hour before my alarm.  I have a busy morning, beginning with an 8:45 a.m. meeting time for my Behind the Scenes ship tour.  On this morning's tour, we had two groups of 12+ guests, each escorted by two from the Excursion Team and a Security person.  We began backstage at the theater and saw the Dressing/Costume rooms, Prop area, and Make-up stations of the primary Singers and dancers.  Very interesting.  Then we went to the top of the theater to inspect the chief Sound Engineer and the Lighting Specialist.  We then went down to Deck 4 to see crew life areas before going down to Deck 3 to see the Laundry Operations.  Twenty-seven crew working shifts in the 24-hour laundry.  The laundry comes down shutes from each deck, gets washed in huge machines, dried, and then folded.  The sheet & towel folding machines are very impressive.  We then visited the Storage area for various supplies; on this day, they had all the Christmas items prepared to be taken off tomorrow for on-shore storage.  We then saw the dry storage areas for food and Cold storage lockers for Food, Wine, Beer, and separate Champagne.  Nice to visit the cold areas after the warm laundry area.  We then went through the main Galley and saw the prep areas for various foods and the Bakery.  It was a great tour and a lot of walking that I needed for exercise.  The tour ended at 11:00 a.m., just in time for my next Diamond/Past Guest Event in the Theater.  We were served Prosecco as we entered, and I sat low as I entered from Deck 6.  It was a full house, and we had nice music from a talented Duo before the CD (cruise director) did a welcome.  We watched a good video about the history of MSC and two entertainers:  A short Hulu hoop show by a performer from Mongolia (who I met earlier on the Tour) and a young gentleman who did an amazing acrobatic performance with a large hoop.  Then, the Senior Staff and Captain were introduced.  They did serve Prosecco during the event that ended with the Singing duo again.  A very nice event.  I then went up to Deck 18 and did the Formula 1 Race Car experience.  I  did it as it was included with my Blue Diamond status, but that one time was experience enough for me.  A bit tough getting into the race car and even harder getting out.  Afterward, I returned to the cabin and decided to make it a Prosecco day by opening the bottle I was given earlier on the cruise.  I also had some steak left over.  I enjoyed the sea air from the balcony until we sailed into a rain storm at about 2:00 p.m.  I guess this is the cold front causing the cold weather in Florida and the South.  At about 5:40 p.m.  I went to Hola for dinner.  It was a great time as the Sun was setting, and I had a great view of the sunset across the Infinity Bridge.  I ordered a Passion Fruit Margarita and a lot of appetizers for dinner.  I had Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Chips & Salsa, Cheese Fundito, two Carne Asado Tacos, two Al Pastor Tacos, two Chili Con Carne Tacos, a Beef Quesadilla, and a wonderful Mexican Flan for dessert.   All was very good and a nice way to end this cruise.  I retired afterward to begin packing.  It was a very busy last sea day on the MSC Seashore.

Sunday, November 12 / Port Canaveral / Debarkation / Day 8

I woke at about 6:00 a.m. and finished my packing.   I left the cabin at 7:00 a.m. and was lucky with the elevator.  Once on Deck 6, they were already allowing walk-off guests to debark.  Once I joined the line, it kept moving all the way through Ship Security to Customs at the pier.  Much easier than last month.  I was on the 2nd shuttle bus to the parking lot and on the road by 7:30 a.m.  Amazing.