Stem to Stern

I was told that would be $2 when inquiring in Luminae about newly priced $19 per glass Conundrum that sells for $18.99 per BOTTLE at Costco. Maybe The Retreat Lounge is another story. Sorry I realize point has already been made. I guess I need to decide if I will pay up or shut up and move on and drink $10 per glass Columbia Crest Merlot or Cotes de Rhône covered under Classic and premium beverage packages. This piece is not luxurious to me. Although my wine pallet is not very refined, i do find both of these alternatives drinkable.🤪

No. My apologies to him, but my memory fails me. Our most gracious maitre d’ in Luminae is named Sardar or Sandar from Turkey. Yesterday at lunch I placed my order with him for onion rings with today’s lunch. Of course he doubled the order. Everything at this morning’s fabulous Luminae breakfast looked to be doubled up as well.😳 Pete’s smorgasbord. Crispy bacon, pistachio danish all around, and fresh squeezed OJ and GJ were also enjoyed, but not photographed. I have to draw the line at some point.😂 Well, okay. If you insist on continuing to follow this food circus. My dining companions and waiters Andy and Anna are extremely tolerant of my photography inhibitions..😋 Rosie’s Potato waffle. Just my inclination, but did the four of us already earn a reputation for our appetites?😂 My Peach cobbler French toast prior to Andy’s generous and unhealthy pour of hot syrup. DH opted for quicker, lighter fare at The Spa Cafe since he was seriously engrossed in the final chapter of his book.

My sentiments exactly. Feels like coming back home to visit an old friend.❤️🥰 Gorgeous, plush, and luxurious are adjectives that come to mind when strolling the interiors of the ship. Plenty of cozy nooks to discover before the masses awaken and begin to filter into the public spaces of the ship. However, DH is my counterbalance with his white-glove inspections and observations. The Solarium pool is cold and the jets in either Solarium hot tub is non-functional. Pool bar grout between countertop and edge needs attention. Valen and Brian are doing a fantastic job on the accommodation end of things. Of course, they have no control over Kelly Hoppen’s interior design fails choosing aesthectic over functionality.😂😂😂

Good morning from off the northern coast of Cuba. DH and I started at Cafe Al Bacio until the weird music annoyed us enough to move on. I met up with our friends in The Retreat Lounge to make a breakfast plan. TRL morning dose of food porn… Could have just stayed here for some nosh. More relaxing music, but some loud passenger interrupted the serenity with their complaining about something at the crack of dawn. There is one in every bunch. Tim is still stuffed, so he has set up camp in the Solarium as it is quite windy on The Retreat Sundeck. Next stop Luminae.

spaghetti bolognese (DH’s starter) Salad from Blu More Blu flavor wonderment poached lobster starter Ribeye Short rib 🤤🤤🤤

Snippets from Day 1 Luminae dinner menu as seen in app. We also looked at Blu and Cosmopolitan menus. Ordered off all three. The only dud was the carrot cake. Rosie aka my new cruise buddy loves carrot cake as much as I do, but the chocolate bar made up for it. Full photo dump next post. Amuse-bouche (Non-existent in MSC Yacht Club Restaurant)

Evidently I drank up the rest of my prefered Chopin vodka upon boarding. When we returned to The Retreat Lounge in the evening there was no more available, so I settled for Belvedere in my Lemon Drop Martini. I will continue with hard liquor since I refuse to pay $2 a glass extra to drink newly priced $19 glasses of wine such as Conundrum. Evening snacks in The Retreat Lounge….

From Cellar Masters menu….

I hold the phone steady on the rail.

Daily

Thank you Ruth. I have a longer, better video I will share after the holidays either here or directly to you via email if that is okay with you.

Luminae lunch XXX food porn alert (Giving plenty of notice this time.) This morning I made my way around Seascape for a last look before we retreated to TSL until disembarkation. The YC Concierge prepared a printed copy of our final invoice for my perusal prior to paying me the remnants of our unused OBC from the refunded port charges of $41.50 per person from our missed port day at Ocean Cay in cash. No complaints there. At 9:15 Renuka escorted us from our suite where we left all of our luggage. We said our goodbyes and were off the ship at 9:20 and through immigration by 9:45. We hailed a cab from Terminal C to Terminal G where we were checked in and provided a waiting area in the terminal similar to YC’s, but with a spread of food and beverages and a view of the ship. We reunited with my new cruise buddy and her DH. Because we are traveling with them posts may become more erratic thanks to my sensory overload such as all these soda cans.🤣 It is the small touches that tug at my heart strings.🤪 Stepped on board at 10:52 and proceeded to our staterooms. DH and I were greeted in our hallway by Head Butler Valen. Sky suite photo dump still to come. Next to The Retreat Lounge where we were reunited with Karla from our 2022 Constellation cruises. She is a lovely Brazilian who makes a mean Chopin Cosmo. The nosh spread in TRL far exceeds that in the YC’s Top Sail Lounge. Although I did like the individualized plating of the TSL nibbles. Nosh bar Second Celebrity Retreat win in the culinary hospitality race. Next to Luminae. Celebrity won for a third time. Butter My new cruise buddy ordered her lobster roll sans roll and fries, but on a bed of lettuce. We all followed suit. DH and I also added the incredible ceviche which we both remember from 2021’s Equinox Luminae experience. Luminae Signature Burgers all around with extra onion jam. MNCB and I used some of her remaining lobster to create surf-and-turf burgers. An incredible meal. First Luminae lunch photo dump to come.

Well good morning!! Seascape was in the turning basin shortly after 4:00am. Either not too bumpy of a ride or I slept well until 3:30am.😳 Let’s see if this video uploads… See you on Summit.😎 IMG_0715.mov IMG_0715.mov

Good to know. A bit of a rock and roll revival on Seascape tonight. Jiggle jiggle. See you in Miami.

We were on Summit last in December 2021 and had a ball. A bit of a booze crooze, but not too outta control. Friends did a 3-night on Summit in October 2023 and had a blasty blast. We all embark and meet up tomorrow. Appreciate your report and photos.

O. M. G. We both brought our stocking caps. I packed mine away on Day 2 after wearing it the first night and waking up too warm.🤪 DH has worn his every single night. This morning he even mentioned to me how grateful he was for remembering to pack it.😉

Contrary to conflicting reports on Cruise Critic we experienced zero issues with the temperature control in the suite. However, the Yacht Club Restaurant and Top Sail Lounge had particular locations within the spaces that had cold air blowing directly on one or both of us.

As the Seascape creeps toward Miami with stabilizers extended I am enjoying the piped-in jazz and a pot of Twinings Earl Grey tea. This is as close as we came to Ocean Cay, so add that to the list of reasons to seriously consider a future second booking in MSC Yacht Club. I was really looking forward to checking out MSC’s private island, but Mother Nature is not cooperating. I am reflecting further on the comparison between this first-time MSC Yacht Club enclave experience, what we have become accustomed to in the S-class Retreat on two previous occasions, and what we might be in for starting tomorrow during our first M-class Retreat experience. No has not been a very common answer to our requests including last night’s two glasses of Meiomi ordered in the Yacht Club Restaurant. Apparently it is available for purchase here by the bottle, but not offered by the glass. Although at Cocktail Bar on Deck 8 in Gen Pop, it is available by the glass and covered under our drink package. Well that does not make a whole lot of sense, does it? Needless to say we have not encountered any additional upcharges associated with wines that exceed the per glass package limit. If ordering above the limit, only the difference is charged as on Celebrity. This morning Renuka greeted me in the hallway and proceeded to provide me with an elevator escort from 18 to TSL on 20. The YC has a single elevator within the enclave that only travels between 16, 18, 19, and 20. Anyway I told her I was actually heading for Marketplace Buffet for coffee. The look on her face seemed to ask why are you going where the commoners reside? I chuckled to myself and told her it was convenient. DH soon joined me in the adjacent Jungle Pool Lounge where he discovered cappuccinos and an orange juicer. Food porn alert.🤣 We noshed for a bit while the suite was refreshed. I finally tried the pizza. Although it was Nutella, strawberry, and hazelnut. It was okay. I passed on the fried egg pizza. I think MSC has the whole logo and self-promotion piece of cruise down pat. See mug and melamine buffet plate. The plates are huge and people pile them high. We headed up to the YC pool deck to check the weather and found gale force winds and the breakfast crew clamoring for cover behind the bar. I do not expect they were going to get too many diners. The pool net is stowed in a lidded garbage can after it is removed each morning. After the wet net is deposited in the can, it is dragged off to storage. I found this process fascinating. We returned to the suite and packed up most of our things before lunch. Food porn alert. I visited with new Florida friends in TSL. They enjoyed hot chocolate while I opted for ginger-ale. My favorite smiling face on the bar team, Kim delivered it in this heavy, comical crystal highball. She said they just got them on board. Small touches like the drink ware on board exude understated elegance to me. I was reminded of our sole Crystal Cruises experience.🤩 Next it was time to spend the remainder of our OBC in the MSC logo shop and Venchi. Venchi and the other shops were hopping. I watched one of the chocolatiers at work through the fancy glass partition. i stopped by The Hub to inquire about our complimentary Voyagers Club photo, but it was such a zoo there that the crew member that was assisting me suggested I come back later.😳 Then lunch. I opted for YCR which opened at noon. DH ordered pepperoni pizza and ginger-ale through room service. Seafood spaghetti had lots of seafood and was pretty good. Last night was formal night. Dress ran the whole gamut around the ship from sequins to sweatpants. By the way no shorts are permitted in YCR on board Seascape. Sadly, male passengers in YCR are not asked to remove their corny captain’s caps several of which have been spotted on a nightly basis. They will let just about anyone in here. Formal night dining rundown to come. My panoramic lunch view from the rail. I could get used to this no matter how inclement the weather.

I will add that the late arrival in San Juan may have added to the disembarkation hysteria on that day.

We experienced both the bad and good of two entirely opposite disembarkation experiences: San Juan: Without a ship-sponsored excursion booked, we planned to disembark as early as possible from TSL down to the disembarkation deck. We received a group escort from TSL via a butler (not ours) amid THRONGS of masses packed into the elevator and snaking through the innerds of the ship nearly beyond the butler’s control. It was utter CHAOS. Puerto Plata: With our later MSC excursion time of 10:45 our butler Renuka summoned us at 10:30 for a private, uncrowded escort off the ship. We walked the pier among the masses, but did not encounter the chaos of the previous day’s mob scene. We have not experienced any other cues or long lines during our cruise.👍

The Venchi store is in the shops area of the Gen Pop and none of this is complimentary. The only free Venchi I know of is the nightly turndown chocolates in yacht club.

To be honest with you I am so loaded up on desserts in the yacht club and Venchi turndown chocolates and other treats discovered daily in the suite, I have not tried anything there. It is a gorgeous space. We watched chocolate being poured into the molds one evening. Hoping to at least try the gelato soon. Venchi holiday gift set display

I do not. But I will make a point to ask the butler tonight what all the noises are because @doghog and you are absolutely right. I should not write this issue off without proper acknowledgement. These are not new noises as they have been previously reported. It was my bad assumption on the front end of booking that a whole deck between us and the pool would be a buffer, but my assumption now is that Deck 19 under the pool is full of pool equipment. By the way the pool was chilly by Florida standards, but once I was in for a few minutes I found it refreshingly comfortable. A few families with several toddlers were hanging out there, so I retreated back to our cabana in our quiet corner. @Ex-Airbalancer Thank you for the reminder about the earplugs that were packed and have gone unused so far. I will set them out on my bedside table when I return to my YIN.😴 Yes, YIN is MSC’s stateroom category acronym for Yacht Club Interior.🤓

Quick reply. (Ready to jump in the One Pool to cool off from all the sun today.)😎 GO FOR IT. I would definitely book YIN again, but would look at particular stateroom location. DH says he probably would go for it again as well. An excellent value for what you get. Sorry, but there I go pimping again.😂🤣😂 There are weird noise issues in more than one YIN. DH sleeps thru it all. I do not. Bring a noise machine with you. My travel one is not loud enough. Will bring my primary one next time. Sound of items crashing to floor, but can’t identify if above, below, or on 18. Faint toilet flush noises. Closet doors and drawers closing loudly.😬 The unidentifiable sound that makes me imagine overflowing pool water that goes into a reservoir and periodically empties sounding somewhat like a toilet flush but without the vacuum. I think more carpet and wood instead of tile and glass are needed as well as other sound proofing measures. We are on 18 with a neighbor on either side. Friends also experiencing noise are in a YIN on 16 presumably under the kitchen. For the price I won’t let it get to me. I have plenty of Benadryl.😂😂😂

Good morning again from Seascape. Well actually it is almost afternoon now. So, I felt I was due for my first cocktail of the day. The One Pool bartender created something coconutty as I requested. I did not give him much to go on, but he flew by the seat of his pants without batting an eyelash and started muddling limes and tossing in Captain Morgan, Cointreau, pina colada mix, and ice and gave it a shake. After giving it a test he added some vanilla syrup to sweeten it up a bit and viola.😋😎😉 We are hugging the coast of Cuba along with two other ships. We started our day with coffee and conversation with fellow yacht clubbers in TSL. Then DH headed for the Jungle Pool to take advantage of the tropical warmth and humidity there while the retractable roof is closed and before the little tykes take it over. Meanwhile I ordered my sausage, onion, and spinach omelette from Jeffrey at the One Pool who knew me by name on day 2. I took a set of wrapped flatware to my table on the non-smoking port side of the dining areas on the pool deck, took a seat, and waited for him to bring my order. Meanwhile a bar service crew member took my drink order of a bottle of water, no glass. The bottle immediately arrived ice cold with ice crystals floating inside. Perfect. When Jeffrey brought my omelette he asked what he could get to accompany it. I told him and he finished off my order and delivered it. Feeling pampered.🥰 Next I set up our “day room”on the port side of the One Pool Deck and relaxed and reflected on the cruise so far. At 8:30 I had my pick of nearly any loungers I wanted. I have so many pictures to sort through and share.😅 Yesterday’s excursion up the mountain from Puerto Plata was a win. We enjoyed the view from TSL as the sky brightened until it was time for Renuka to escort us down the pier and to the entrance to the port area where she directed us to our guide holding our excursion group number sign. Renuka makes everything easy peasy. If you are a YC first-timer she will tell you everything you should become accustomed to including priority return embarkation after the tour.🤩 Our guide was great and just wanted to keep on going and going and sharing everything about the DR and showing us the country-side and the city.😅 Mooove over! 🤪. So much more to share, but I just want to enjoy the moment for now. More later.😴 …when you get a chance. Ginger Spicy Ginger Tibouchina Cacao Umbrella Street Random art seen on street Art in the park Artisan and his work This Is Gratitude!🙏