My View: 14 Days of Chasing the Sun on Seaside

APDMOM · June 4, 2019

Daily Planner for Day 3 - Ocho Rios, Jamaica

APDMOM · June 4, 2019

So far, so good on our internet package... I am mostly posting to Cruise Critic, checking e-mail, and keeping up with family on WhatsApp. We received 3GB free with our booking. It looks like I can keep this up for the 14 days without buying additional Gigs.

Edited June 4, 2019 by APDMOM

sidari · June 4, 2019

I would check that it will carry on for your second week, over Xmas and New year B2B we had to have seperate packages.

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

6 hours ago, sidari said:

I would check that it will carry on for your second week, over Xmas and New year B2B we had to have seperate packages.

Thanks for the heads up. I will look into that.

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

My View: Day 4 - Georgetown, Grand Cayman

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

In lieu of exercise, I did not go the the gym today. Instead, I walked around taking ship pictures. (At least, that is the excuse I am using). Here are a few views from the aft of the ship, including the sunrise:

Some people walking on the Bridge of Sighs:

The Bridge of Sighs walk: (Not for the faint of heart)

Edited June 5, 2019 by APDMOM
Add sunrise

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

We enjoyed breakfast in Biscayne Bay on Deck 16. It was not crowded at all, even though Marketplace was an ant hill again. So, for the second day in a row we found that Biscayne Bay is the better option for us. They to have a little less variety for breakfast, but plenty of our favorites.

For Grand Cayman, I had the priority tender ticket as a black card benefit. They deliver this letter the night before, along with priority tickets:

If you don’t have priority tendering, you have to pick up a tender ticket at 7:30 and go to the Haven lounge on deck 7 when your number is called. From there, you follow a long line down the stairs to deck 4. With the priority ticket, you are allowed to take the elevator. On deck 4, when you get off the elevator, you are met by a crew member who checks your priority status and allows you to board the tender first.

I love that MSC also gives priority to people with small children in strollers and those with physical disabilities.

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

I took the tender to Georgetown, only to take pictures of the ships. Unfortunately, there where only 2 ships in port today. When we got to Georgetown, I just stayed on the tender to return to the ship.

Tip:

If you like taking pictures of the ship, sit on the left side (port side) of the tender on the way back, if possible. Or, sit on the right side (starboard) on the way to the dock.

Here are some views of our beautiful ship:

See if you can spot your balcony:

Carnival Miracle:

Look at that clear, blue water!

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

A few views of Georgetown and the Tender:

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

For lunch in the buffet, we had the BEST chicken I ever had. It was flavored with so many lovely herbs and spices, and made me think of a South African dish called “Bobotie”. I am definitely looking for this recipe when I get home. (Chicken Tajine: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and coriander)

After lunch, I enjoyed my first ever chocolate Martini. Wow! This is definitely a repeater. At $11 it is definitely not cheap, but it was very good. Our table mates shared that they had chocolate martinis many other times, but nothing compares to the Chocolate Martini at Venchi.

Chocolate art and Venchi:

That is a Chocolate Waterfall behind the display:

The lounge around Venchi: (Don’t miss the musician here... he has an amazing voice - “Music Favourites with Chris”):

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

A few more views of Grand Cayman from our balcony:

The final Tender:

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

The dinner theme tonight was Italian. It was entertaining with the staff dancing and singing, and passengers getting in on the fun. The dining room was decorated with the colors of the Italian Flag. We did not quite blend in 😁

The Tiramisu was very good - creamy and not too strong on the coffee:

I found the dinner menus on the interactive touch screens. Unfortunately, they had already removed the first three days, but here is tonight’s menu:

Edited June 5, 2019 by APDMOM
Add photo

goober1102 · June 5, 2019

Thanks for the Menus!!!!! and again, great review!!

cleifheit2019 · June 5, 2019

Can you tell me if the pools are open the day we board in Miami? My husband and sons are thinking of wearing their swim trunks on so they can go swimming (in case we receive our luggage later that evening). Thank you!

And again, I am absolutely loving your posts.....so much great information and so much to look forward to!

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

Just now, cleifheit2019 said:

Can you tell me if the pools are open the day we board in Miami? My husband and sons are thinking of wearing their swim trunks on so they can go swimming (in case we receive our luggage later that evening). Thank you!

And again, I am absolutely loving your posts.....so much great information and so much to look forward to!

Yes, they are open. I definitely recommend showing up early at the port (around 10:30) if you don’t mind waiting to board. They have juice and water for you in the waiting area, and it is just so much fun to have one of the first boarding numbers. 🙂

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

1 hour ago, goober1102 said:

Thanks for the Menus!!!!! and again, great review!!

You are welcome! I will keep my eye on the menus for next week to see how similar they are, and report back about those I missed. Thank you for reading along!

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

White Party:

Tonight was the white party and I am thoroughly impressed with how the passengers get into the themed events on the ship. It made me sorry that I had not packed a white dress... I will have to see what I can find in Cozumel before next week. I am starting to figure out that they have a preview in the atrium of the theme for the night.

Tip:

Pack your white outfit. I would say a majority of people in the atrium had white on... and it looked awesome in the dining room!

Here is the preview of the White Party:

NJBeachBoy58 · June 5, 2019

This is great! Thank You for all of these posts. We are sailing aboard Seaside for 7 days in July and like you it will be a first for us on MSC. Enjoy!

APDMOM · June 5, 2019

Tonight’s Show - The Dream:

I TAKE IT BACK!!! Forget what I said about the ladies not being quite as good as the male singers. Tonight was the night for the blonde contra-alto to shine. The songs they chose matched her voice perfectly and I got chills as she executed most of the songs with excellence! It seems like the shows just get better and better.

Here are some views of the show. As you can see, there was a good variety of entertainment again, with Gene starting off the show with his great sense of humor!