This 7-day adventure on the MSC Seascape is more than half over, and so far the trip has exceeded my expectations. From excellent service from all the crew members, to a stunning and exceptionally clean ship, a beautiful stateroom with a very diminutive shower, right down to the non-stop entertainment every evening, I’m finding it hard to find something to complain about. Well, there was the food in the Sports Bar last night that wasn’t good at all, but nobody is really going there to eat anyway.
Fingers crossed nothing comes up to derail any of what I just said!
Day four saw us remain offshore of George Town, Grand Cayman. There’s no dock here, so ships need to either drop anchor, or stay in position using GPS and thrusters. There was “supposed” to be a dock built a few years ago, and all the major cruise lines were pitching in to get it built, but so far nothing has been built.
We’re joined by the Disney Fantasy and the German ship, Amera, operated by Phoenix Reisen. The latter being quite an old girl, having been launched in 1988 and has sailed for Royal Viking, Seabourn, and most recently as the beloved Prinsendam for Holland America Line until she was sold in 2019. It’s interesting to see how us Americans like ships that are bigger and bigger, while overseas, the older, smaller ships that used to serve the US market are finding new life catering to an audience who isn’t into big and fancy.
We arrived at 8am and in order to control the chaos of those wanting to get off the ship, tender tickets were distributed. Tender service was provided for us and the Disney Fantasy by the port, rather than the ship’s own boats like the Amera was using. Tenders ran continuously throughout the day taking guests on a short five-minute trip from ship to shore. It was about an hour after tender operations began that the announcement was made that tickets were no longer required, so anyone could come and go as they please.
Unless you’re booking a shore excursion to someplace like the nearby Seven Mile Beach, there’s not much to see or do around the terminal area except walk around and check out some of the same shops you’ll see everywhere else in the Caribbean. Diamonds, anyone?
I worked from the Jungle Pool area until early afternoon, not exactly a great choice on a hot day as this pool is enclosed, and it gets rather steamy, but it was quiet and out of the blazing sun. The Jungle Pool, by the way, has two levels of seating. On Deck 16, there are tables you can sit and eat at as the buffet is right next door, so many use this area for some semi-alfresco dining. This level as well as the level on Deck 17 also feature communal conversational seating, perfect for grabbing a cocktail from the pool bar, or some gelato that’s available as well.
I wasn’t planning on going ashore, as like I mentioned, there’s nothing to do. But in the early afternoon, I decided to do it anyway to just get some steps in. When I got down to Deck 4 to board the tender, I was the only passenger going ashore and the tender boat had just me and one of the ship’s officers who was going ashore to relieve someone.
I probably spent a grand total of 15 minutes on land then headed back to the ship. There was conflicting signage telling us what time all aboard was, with some signs saying 2:30pm and others saying 3:30pm. According to the MSC for Me app, it was 3:30pm, but someone ended up putting out a mix of different signs.
The terminal and port area is absolutely nothing to write home about. It’s small, only has a few makeshift tents where local vendors sell food and souvenirs, but there is a small mall across the street that’s not worth visiting as most of it is vacant. There’s not even really much to see walking around the local area. So, if you’re going here, do yourself a favor, either use it as a day to stay on the ship, or book an excursion to the beach or for some snorkeling.
Upon arrival back at the terminal, MSC crew had tents set up for guests where there was cold water and chilled face towels waiting, as well as some seating for those needing to take a break.
Getting back to the ship was not as easy. There was a bit of a line for the tender, and I happened to get one of the last seats, in the last row, and just so happened to be the very last person to disembark. Once off the tender, the line for securing screening inside the ship was a bit long but moved quickly.
Evening Entertainment
For entertainment this evening, in the ship’s main theater, Young at Heart was being presented. Billed as a show filled with “romantic hits that may make you fall in love along the way,” I immediately scratched that one off my list. Over in the cabaret, which happens to be a stunning venue that hosts a live band and cabaret style entertainment each night, Guinness World Record tryouts were on the agenda as the band had the night off.
However, there were several musical acts scheduled in the ship’s atrium as well as in many of the bars and lounges scattered around the ship, including the dueling piano players. I hopped from venue to venue, checking out various acts and enjoying some wine while I waited for dinner. One of the places I stopped at was the Infinity Bar, located at the adults only area on Deck 8 aft. This area features the ship’s infinity pool and offers great views of the wake, and on this night, the full moon!
Ice Cream on MSC Seascape
Let’s talk ice cream for a moment. Unlike Carnival and Royal Caribbean, soft serve ice cream machines are not scattered around for guests to serve themselves. Soft serve is available at the buffet and the Jungle Pool Bar and is provided to you, portion controlled, by a crew member. While soft serve is free, there is homemade gelato available at the Jungle Pool Bar and at the Venchi Chocolate Bar for an additional charge.
What Happened to Deck 17 on MSC Seascape?
Hotels, some office buildings, condos, and ships, purposely don’t have a 13th floor or a 13th deck as many people and cultures find the number 13 to be unlucky. However, MSC cruise ships have a deck 13!
As an Italian cruise line, the number 13 is considered lucky in Italy, where as the number 17 is not. So while you will find a deck 13, you won’t find a deck 17.
Additional Tips and Receipts
Unlike on Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line, when you order a drink or have dinner in a specialty restaurant, you’re presented with a receipt to sign which also allows you to add on an additional tip for the server. On MSC, this isn’t the case. You either tap your room key or your wristband to the server’s tablet or a separate reader and that’s it.
Unfortunately, you don’t have the option to add on any additional gratuity, that all must be done with cash. So if you want to reward a crew member with a little extra, be advised you will need to carry some cash – something very few of us carry around with us. You can get cash at Guest Services, the casino, or an ATM onboard.
Gender Neutral Restrooms
I mentioned in yesterday’s report, that I ventured into a restroom that made me take a double take. Signage at the entrance indicate men, women, and handicapped, however, once inside it’s one large restroom with individual stalls with full length doors. Thinking I ventured into the ladies’ room by mistake, I went back out just to double-check!
It just so happens, that the Seaside-class ships and newer have multiple gender-neutral restrooms all around the ship, something I’ve never seen on a cruise ship before.
Internet on MSC Seascape
Earlier this year, MSC announced that they have begun to roll out Starlink Internet Service across all their ships with a goal of all ships having it by May 2024. MSC Seascape currently has Starlink and I purchased the Browse & Stream package that allows for browsing in addition to video streaming and video calls.
So far, I’m not impressed. On a few Google Meet meetings I’ve had this week, the connection has been slow to the point there video would drop. Uploads, such as uploading photos for these reports, takes forever, even at lower file sizes. Having used Starlink on Carnival and Holland America, I never had issues with uploads or video calls, so I was expecting the same here, but no such luck.
Dinner at Butcher’s Cut
For dinner, I had my second and final specialty dining credit for Butcher’s Cut, the ship’s signature steakhouse. The Duo Dining Package I purchased allows for dinner once at Butcher’s Cut and once at Kaito Teppenyaki. I purchased two of these packages at $99 each which let’s me order one starter, one main course, one side, and one dessert from the dining package section in the menu. For those who want to order an additional starter, side, or dessert, you can at the ala carte pricing. Additional entrées can be purchased for 50% off the ala carte price.
I started off with the shrimp cocktail, included with the package. The shrimp, compared to the ones on my first night here, were huge! You can see in the picture, when placed next to a fork, these are pretty jumbo shrimp! They are served on ice with jalapeno slices.
I ordered an additional starter, the crab cakes ($18) and there are two per order. I wasn’t quite sure if they were supposed to be served cold, warm, or hot, but they arrived a little on the cold side. However, they had a good amount of crab meat in them, but they still had a lot of filling. Overall, they weren’t bad, but not $18 good.
For my entrée, I went a little on the wild side and decided to get the American Bison ($59) cooked to how the chef recommended it, medium rare. When it arrived, it was a sizeable piece of meat! Deliciously seasoned, tender, no fat whatsoever, and full of flavor. An excellent choice, however I couldn’t finish it all.
For sides, I went with onion rings and a loaded baked potato.
When it came time for dessert, that was a hard no, as I couldn’t even finish my main course and sides.
My server for the evening was Dexter from the Philippines, who provided excellent service throughout my meal, always making sure my water and wine glass were full and the food was delicious. The restaurant manager also made frequent check-ins to make sure all was going well.
In a twist of fate, one of the other servers recognized me and actually served me in the steakhouse on both MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia multiple times! Not sure how these folks can remember people considering each week 5,000+ people rotate through the ship, but it’s incredible.
After dinner and a few glasses of wine, I was ready for bed. I did some walking around the ship for a bit, but ended up calling it an early evening. I didn’t even stop by the Venchi Chocolate Bar for some sweets before retiring.
Our next stop is Cozumel, Mexico where we have a bit of a late arrival, 10am, so more on the day there in tomorrow’s report.
As always, thanks for following along!