Recent Seaside Cruise- day by day

Mama ... An interesting report of your cruise, because we had a late afternoon flight after the Xmas cruise and had been chasing around for our final photos and waiting for certain ones to be printed by Bogdan the assistant manager of the photo shop, we decided to go to the Venchi area sit down with a few drinks and relax until around 10pm.

When we finally decided to leave there were no queues apart from the lines in the customs hall which moved reasonably quick.

My advice if you sail MSC again is to do what we did.

Best review EVER !! Love the details ! So helpful ! !

I do the same budgeting strategy of daily envelopes . My family thinks I am crazy , so now that I know I am not alone I feel much better !

I do have a few questions . . . Can you tell me which evening show included the songs from the Phantom of the Opera ? My granddaughter is really looking forward to seeing this . Also , can you tell me what " rash guards " are?

I appreciate your suggestions about the suction hooks and large sturdy beach bag. We always pack a shoe organizer for our toiletries .

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience ! Glad you had such a great time ( well , except for disembarking ) !

Thanks for the detailed review! One question (and I apologize if I missed it) - what was the charge for the wristbands for your 13yo and the adults? Were you then able to use both the wristband or your cruise card to get into your cabins?

Thanks all for reading and for the positive comments!

To answer the questions-

I do have a few questions . . . Can you tell me which evening show included the songs from the Phantom of the Opera ? My granddaughter is really looking forward to seeing this . Also , can you tell me what " rash guards " are?

The evening shows were just confounding to me, and Phantom is a great example. I'm a musical theatre person and a Phantom fan, having just seen it on Broadway. None of the shows we saw had any Phantom content at all. Maybe it was in one of the ones we missed, however, we did see The Dream, which had a Phantom mask in the promo graphic and is described in the daily program as, "Some of the all-time great musicals are the inspiration for this must-see show. Hum along with your favorite and enjoy spotting the unforgettable characters in this 'Vintage Collection' of musicals."

If there was any show that had Phantom songs, I would expect it to be this one. However, the only Broadway song in the entire show was the opening number, Willkommen, from Caberet. Then there was a bunch of pop music, like Bruno Mars, and then a collection of songs from the movie, The Greatest Showman, which was, inexplicably, performed in costumes from the Disney version of Aladdin. Not generic, interesting Middle Eastern costumes, but full-on instantly recognizable Disney's Jafar singing Hugh Jackman's songs. It made no sense at all. The only think I could think was that they had planned Aladdin numbers and then changed at the last minute when The Greatest Showman became so popular. Maybe they also planned to do Phantom songs and found the songs too difficult for their singers and so swapped in some easier pop songs.

I'm not discounting anyone who enjoyed the shows. They were upbeat and had spectacle, were just very inaccurately described and promoted. My daughter loves the Greatest Showman and enjoyed that part of it, despite the confusing costumes.

Rash Guards are the shirts (short or long-sleeved) that you can wear as a top in the water that blocks the UV. We also call them swim shirts. My boys wear them with their swim trunks and my daughter is still young enough that they sell two-piece swimsuits where the bottoms are typical and the top is a short-sleeved shirt made of swimsuit material.

Thanks for the detailed review! One question (and I apologize if I missed it) - what was the charge for the wristbands for your 13yo and the adults? Were you then able to use both the wristband or your cruise card to get into your cabins?

The wristbands were a steal at $5 each. They worked on the cabin doors and to charge to the room. The only thing they couldn't do was work the lights in the room (you need your actual cruise card for that slot) and the slot machines in the casino. We also still needed our cruise cards to get back on the ship at each port and to disembark. They were very convenient, and we only wished that our beverage vouchers were loaded on them so that we wouldn't also have to carry those.

• As it is, we are not ruling out MSC for future cruises. It was a comfortable way to travel to Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman, and the experiences we had at those ports were unforgettable...
  

Curious to know if this was the original itinerary when you booked? We are also sailing SAT - SAT and our itinerary includes Nassau, and not Costa Maya. Are they switching OUT the Nassau, Bahamas stop???

Curious to know if this was the original itinerary when you booked? We are also sailing SAT - SAT and our itinerary includes Nassau, and not Costa Maya. Are they switching OUT the Nassau, Bahamas stop???

We booked last December and ours was always this itinerary. I have seen posts of others that have gone to Nassau and I suspected that they alternate some stops by weeks so that back-to-back cruisers get a little variety. Just a total guess on my part.

We did Nassau on a previous cruise and enjoyed our day at the Blue Lagoon island there, fyi.

Wow, David! They let you stay to 10:00 p.m.? Amazing! ;) Tongue in cheek!

Mama ... An interesting report of your cruise, because we had a late afternoon flight after the Xmas cruise and had been chasing around for our final photos and waiting for certain ones to be printed by Bogdan the assistant manager of the photo shop, we decided to go to the Venchi area sit down with a few drinks and relax until around 10pm.

When we finally decided to leave there were no queues apart from the lines in the customs hall which moved reasonably quick.

My advice if you sail MSC again is to do what we did.

Mama ... An interesting report of your cruise, because we had a late afternoon flight after the Xmas cruise and had been chasing around for our final photos and waiting for certain ones to be printed by Bogdan the assistant manager of the photo shop, we decided to go to the Venchi area sit down with a few drinks and relax until around 10pm.

When we finally decided to leave there were no queues apart from the lines in the customs hall which moved reasonably quick.

My advice if you sail MSC again is to do what we did.

LOL....I'm guessing you mean 10 AM !!! ;p;p;p We're definitely going to do this. Our flight is not until 2PM, late afternoon! Thanks for the tip !

Question, in regards to the crew talent show was it the cruise staff that performed or staff from various departments on the ship? My sailing couple of weeks ago did not have crew talent show.

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Question, in regards to the crew talent show was it the cruise staff that performed or staff from various departments on the ship? My sailing couple of weeks ago did not have crew talent show.

 

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It was staff from around the ship- the International Spanish host was one I recall. I can't remember the departments of the others specifically, maybe dinner server and childcare? It was three singers, a comedic lip sync, and the finale was a group of Samoans doing their traditional dance. They were a great finale, although it was quite long- several chants strung together, and each time we were ready to give them a standing ovation, they would start up again. Candice and the entertainment staff kind of emcee'd and provided side-hype for the main acts. There were also supposed to be intro clips of each of the performers, but the A/V screen only worked for two of them and the behind-the-scenes intro video, which spoiled the finale surprise of the Samoans.

Thank you for the review! We are headed on MSC next year after 3 Disney cruises. Excited to try another line, but I know I will miss the mouse!

Any idea where Andre is going? Is he just on a break?

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Thanks for the detailed review. I hope they will start monitoring the lounge chairs.

Any idea where Andre is going? Is he just on a break?

 

 

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I didn't hear that either. I started to follow him on Twitter, so we'll see. We enjoyed their morning show. My kids wrote in every day.

Thanks for the detailed review. I hope they will start monitoring the lounge chairs.

I agree, that was one of the most frustrating things. Surely other cruise lines have a way of dealing with this. I don't remember it being a problem on our Disney cruise, but we also were so busy with other activities and our kids were a different age, so we may not have been looking. I remember the pools being so crowded on Disney that we didn't want to swim in them.

The Seaside has a great water park, but there are NO chairs at all at the Jungle Pool water park. I don't mean they were all taken, I mean there was no where to sit in the area at all where you can view your kids. Thankfully mine are old enough that I was willing to let them play and I sat around the corner by the ping pong tables. Had they been younger, I would have had to stand and watch and that wouldn't have lasted very long!

The Jungle Pool was actually our favorite pool and we could sit at the bar and see the kids (just to have somewhere to sit) or on the bench/edge of the water. One day after the excursions we did find beach chairs there. And we noticed it was open later at night when most pools close for dinner.

People also talk about how deep the pools are and how they are not good for kids, but the Jungle Pool actually has two shallow areas- one that is like a wide shelf on inside the main pool on either side and one that is on the opposite side of the pool from the bar, totally separated. There were lots of little ones in there, and if I were their parents, I know I would wish that the chairs directly in front of that area were available for them to use.

Thank you for the review! We are headed on MSC next year after 3 Disney cruises. Excited to try another line, but I know I will miss the mouse!

We wanted to try something new as well. We missed the Oceaneer's Club/Lab and the D Lounge tremendously. I think there's just nothing like them anywhere on the land or sea. We even felt Disney World was a letdown compared to our Disney Cruises.

Other than that, we had a good time, and its good to know what else is out there. Check out what goes on in the Seaview Lounge and the Haven Lounge, they have a few good family activities. Watch the morning show that runs continuously on the cabin TVs from 6 a.m. to noon and submit a few jokes. That was one of my kids' fav things to do was watch the morning show and see if their jokes got read and if they won any prizes, then run to the submission box and do it all again for the next day.

Day 4, Tuesday ~ George Town, Grand Cayman

 

• 8:00 a.m. arrival time, tenders until 3:15 p.m. (Lines to get into the port/tenders to return to the ship were long by about 2 p.m.)
  
  • We booked an outside excursion with Captain Marvin to go to Stingray City and a snorkel spot. That morning was windy and rainy, and to get to Captain Marvin, you tender to George Town, then walk several blocks to their office, check in and pay, and then wait for their bus to take you to their private dock. It was plenty of time to consider canceling due to crappy weather. But we had put down our deposit and the guides said it would be nicer out at Stingray City. So we went. One other family bowed out at the last minute, and they missed out. The boat ride out to Stingray City started out cold and wet, but eventually the sun came out, we enjoyed Stingray City and we enjoyed the second stop for private snorkeling even more. We did not stop to eat or see a beach on the island. If we had, I doubt we would have made it back to the tender on time.
    

   

  [*]Dinner Dress: Smart Casual/White

  [*]Dinner Theme: Italian Night Menu, Parade of the Tiramisu, Volare sing-along.

  [*]Theater Show: My Life in Music. We expected more of the same as past two nights, and skipped.

  [*]Theme Party: White Night in the atrium and then on the Pool Deck (we skipped)

  [*]9:00 p.m. Name that Party Tune in the Haven Lounge. We enjoyed.

Great review and we are on the exact same itinerary in a couple of weeks, can i just check that you arrived at 8am local Cayman time, i am trying to book a trip similar to the one you did but getting confused as they are quoting Eastern Daylight Time ?

question reagarding the kids playroom wristband with tracker, do you need an internet plan for it to work?

Great review and we are on the exact same itinerary in a couple of weeks, can i just check that you arrived at 8am local Cayman time, i am trying to book a trip similar to the one you did but getting confused as they are quoting Eastern Daylight Time ?

That's difficult to answer because daylight saving time started the weekend we embarked and the ship did not spring forward until our last day at sea, so we were in local time during our port days. I don't know what the typical procedure is, I'm sorry.

question reagarding the kids playroom wristband with tracker, do you need an internet plan for it to work?

I don't 100% know the answer to this because we didn't buy the tracking. The rest of the MSC app works without an Internet plan and I am pretty sure I saw the child tracking within the app, so my pretty good guess is that you don't need the Internet plan.

Great review and we are on the exact same itinerary in a couple of weeks, can i just check that you arrived at 8am local Cayman time, i am trying to book a trip similar to the one you did but getting confused as they are quoting Eastern Daylight Time ?

But I will add that I suspect it's local time and that the local tour operators know the ships' schedules and plan around them. We requested an 11:15 tour and got to their office about an hour early without rushing.

They ask for your ship when you make your reservation. Our confirmation said 10:30 tour, but that turned out to be 10:30 check in time for 11:15 tour.

Day 6, Thursday ~ Costa Maya

• In Port 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  
  • We had privately booked a day at the all-inclusive Maya Chan. It did not disappoint. We exited the port area and walked toward the big pyramid until we found the Maya Chan sign. We checked in for our 25 minute bumpy bus ride. They warned us about the bumps, and they also warned us about the Sea Grass. They offered a refund if we wanted to back out because of the sea grass, but we had to decide before we got on the bus. Thankfully, our research told us to stick it out.
    
  • It was our favorite day of the whole cruise. No crowds, full service, truly all-inclusive with no up-sells, except an optional massage, which we took advantage of at 30 minutes for $25. So good. Our admission price included a private cabana with five chairs and a bed! Unlimited drinks and a taco bar buffet. I commented earlier on how good the food was at Paradise beach- forget it. The Sea Bass tacos were perhaps the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. Just this garlic butter fish in a flour tortilla that was made right in front of me. I put toppings on chicken, beef, pork tacos, but that fish didn't need anything... I would book another cruise just to go to Maya Chan.
    

This is our favorite port and place to go while cruising. We always look for stops in Costa Maya just so we can visit Maya Chan!

question reagarding the kids playroom wristband with tracker, do you need an internet plan for it to work?

You do not need to purchase an internet plan to use tracking. We paid the tracking fee and did not have a package but the kid's location showed on the map in the app.:*

• Things that I recommend doing right away:
  
  • use key card of the person who has VIP package listed in their name to take the embarkation photo.
    
  • Go to photo center and pick up VIP photo card. Always use that card or the key of the main person with the photographers so you won't have to go back to the photo booth to transfer photos.
    
  • Go to the atrium to get the kids club bracelets, because those also work as room keys for them. If you want to add GPS tracking to them, it costs $18 each, and you have to do that upstairs at Doremi. (We didn't.) Note: the kids club is not open for drop-off at all the first day/night.
    
  • Go to the casino for a kiosk to link your credit card to your room card. Even if you are not going to give your kids charging privileges, make sure that you check the boxes by their names to link them to your CC.
    

Thanks for the detailed review! Sorry for reviving this old thread. I've done several searches but can't find answers to the few questions I have, so perhaps you can help.

We have a similar situation - not the official Super Family cabins, but simply two connecting cabins, and the grandparents will be in an unconnected third cabin next door. We plan to put the kids in one room, and my wife and I in the other (although we had to book one adult and one child in each room officially).

- I had been wondering how the VIP photo package works. It is now listed at $149 on the MSC site, so perhaps I waited too long (we sail in three weeks). I'm not sure it is still as good of a deal. In any case, are you saying it doesn't matter who is in the photos, so long as the VIP photo card is used? For instance, if I bought it for the cabin under my name, could the grandparents use the VIP card for a photo of them with the grandkids and it would be included?

- Are you able to set spending limits on the child wristbands, or is it all or nothing? Also, can the wristbands be programmed to unlock a different cabin door? (As I mentioned, we had to book one adult and one child in each room, but ideally their wristbands will unlock the room they'll both actually be in.)

- Are you able to link cabin accounts? We have OBC for each cabin - do we need to spend it separately or can we link the cabins and have the credits apply to the entire combined balance?

Thanks to you (or anyone else) who might have answers!

Thank you for that review!

Could you tell me where you have booked all-inclusive Maya Chan pass and how expensive it was (per adult and per child)?

Thanks a lot and greets from Austria!