OBSERVATIONS FROM THE POOP DECK SEASCAPE NOV 2023

[morpheusofthesea]

Every cruise is unique. Getting to the port of Miami was different as well. There was a fatality of a tow truck operator aiding a stranded motorist on I95 south bound at 62nd street that forced the closure of all lanes going south to the airport and sea port of Miami. The only traffic allowed unimpeded were the two toll express lanes going south. Our port of Miami porter at Terminal C told us that if an accident occurs in these express lanes the traffic will be halted on non express lanes so the express traffic can be rerouted. Those paying for express are catered to just like those in Yacht Club or suite class.

  There are 5300 passengers this Thanksgiving cruise, 1000 are children. 330 in the YC, 65 children. Terminal opened at 10:15 am, boarding began at 11:30 am. 

[DaKahuna]

I hope you sailing goes smoother than the trip down I-95.  

 

We normally avoid holiday cruises as well as cruises when the children are not in school.  It will be interesting to see if the 65 children in the YC have any impact whatsoever on your cruise. 

 

Smooth sailing and Bon Voyage.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

7 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

I hope you sailing goes smoother than the trip down I-95.  

 

We normally avoid holiday cruises as well as cruises when the children are not in school.  It will be interesting to see if the 65 children in the YC have any impact whatsoever on your cruise. 

 

Smooth sailing and Bon Voyage.

 

We were lucky, DW told me to make sure we did not miss the express lanes that come up rather quickly when the Florida Turnpike ends and merges into  I95. 

  That is the smart way to book any vacation, stay away from holidays. DW is still teaching school so we take advantage of most every holiday to cruise. Booking suite class helps a great deal and we find 'most' suite guests have better behaved children. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Nice day at Ocean Cay. Butler told us that the tropical wave that passed through the Caribbean last week washed all the sand from the YC beach and deposited a great number of dead fish on the beach that had to be scooped away before any ship could dock and use the facilities. Took a short video but cannot upload to computer with this streaming package. (Never could before on other trips as well). 

[pirate4me2]

Yay, another Poop Deck thread!!! 

[DaKahuna]

45 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

 Took a short video but cannot upload to computer with this streaming package. (Never could before on other trips as well). 

 

 That is interesting to hear.  I was expecting difficulty with the browse package but thought that video's would work with the streaming package.  

 

Ocean Cay is not on the itinerary for our sailing in February but we've seen a number of pictures and YouTube video's.  Maybe should we choose to sail MSC again we'll get the opportunity to experience Ocean Cay.

 

 

[bigblue1952]

Looking forward to your astute observations once again.  Have a great cruise.

[Erekosse]

Thanks for bringing us along! Our first cruise on MSC sill be on the Seascape in March.

[morpheusofthesea]

  Nice day at Ocean Cay. Noticed many came back to the ship to have lunch rather than stay on the island and went right back out after lunch.

    There is a smoking and slot lounge for gambling at the back of the Sports Bar. Used to be the pool table/billiard room. No cigar smoking. Also the addition of a craps table to the casino.

  NFL Sunday Night Football on Seascape. Vikings vs Broncos. MSC Signature Casino deck 7 (no sound); Sports Bar Deck 8; Marina Pool Deck 18 (weather permitting).

  Yacht Club Top Sail Lounge has brought back the self serve treats on the Seascape. 6am - 11 am Sweets & Viennoiserie "Viennoiserie is the 'bridge' between pâtisserie and French bread. These goods are typically made with white flour and active yeast cultures, which cause the dough to rise quickly and achieve the perfect flakiness. Some are instead made using an enriched puff pastry." 11 am -1pm Sweet Snack. 11am -5pm Assorted Nuts, Chips& Marinated Olives. 5pm - 10pm Savoury Selection. 9pm-1 am Sweet Temptation.

   Left Ocean Cay last evening at sundown to the music of Andrea Bocelli singing "Time to Say Goodbye' in Italian all over the ship.

  

  

Edited November 20, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Erekosse said:

Thanks for bringing us along! Our first cruise on MSC sill be on the Seascape in March.

Do not recommend any cruise during Spring Break, unless one is still tied to schedules, then any cruise is still better than the alternative (staying at home).

[morpheusofthesea]

Had lunch today at the Hola Taco specialty Restaurant. All one can eat for $18.(Ocean Cay Day). . The quesadillas were not as salty even with cheese as last month. Food is so subjective and we find it differing every time we cruise always having our same favorites.

  It was such a beautiful day on Ocean Cay that we knew it would be over crowded at Ocean House. With 330 YC guests and seating for 168, there would be inconveniences. There are a couple of big groups in the Yacht Club and they are very demanding. For example, they demanded sitting together in the YC restaurant, no tables for 18, so had to push together 4 tops. That is fine. But what isn't fine is they wanted these tables reserved whether their party was all together present or not. This is akin to 'chair hogging' on the pool deck, depriving other YC guests of a table in an overcrowded sailing. 

[morpheusofthesea]

First evenings entertainment in Le Cabaret Rouge began at 8:10pm. Host TK does a set of songs followed by a continuous array of acts the rest of the evening til 10:45 pm. We skipped the Chora Theatre production "Imagineocean". Two of this new production groups singers, Sara and Stirling were not in the Chora Theatre and so did sets in LCR this one night only. Mixed between the 4 piece live band, these singers there is a amateur magician and a really lame sideshow act called "Sweet and Sour Circus". TK mentioned that every night the performers would be doing something different. This is different from a month ago when the same performers repeated their acts every evening.

[FLCruiser97]

Greetings again Mr. Morpheus. Long time, no see. Glad you and Mrs. M got to the port safe. I used to work at Eastern Airlines on 36th Street back in the day and had to travel I-95 every day. Wrecks almost every day on that crazy highway. Anyway, enjoy your cruise and hopefully the 65 YC kids won't bother you.  Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[Best Cat Mom]

@morpheusofthesea Wishing you a wonderful week on the ocean. We've found so many variables in the behavior of kids in YC and hope that you discover only the best behaved ones have joined you. 🙂

[morpheusofthesea]

Speaking to our favorite jazz group during their 15 minute break in the Loft Cafe last night  making ‘small talk’ we mentioned how much better the weather had become this cruise compared to last month’s. Bruno agreed that he was much happier signing another new contract with MSC to stay aboard the Seascape for this Caribbean season looking forward to the cooler temperatures. So the passengers are not the only happy ‘campers’ cruising these ships.

[BeeeJay]

9 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Every cruise is unique. Getting to the port of Miami was different as well. There was a fatality of a tow truck operator aiding a stranded motorist on I95 south bound at 62nd street that forced the closure of all lanes going south to the airport and sea port of Miami. The only traffic allowed unimpeded were the two toll express lanes going south. Our port of Miami porter at Terminal C told us that if an accident occurs in these express lanes the traffic will be halted on non express lanes so the express traffic can be rerouted. Those paying for express are catered to just like those in Yacht Club or suite class.

  There are 5300 passengers this Thanksgiving cruise, 1000 are children. 330 in the YC, 65 children. Terminal opened at 10:15 am, boarding began at 11:30 am. 

 

65 children in yacht club YIKES, looking forward to the report! 

[morpheusofthesea]

There’s another band in the Uptowne Lounge that plays a good mix of classic favorites in English even though they are Brazilian ( as is Bruno’s jazz group). Perhaps they ‘read’ their audience before they start? A few use this band to dance on the provided dance floor.

[BeeeJay]

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Had lunch today at the Hola Taco specialty Restaurant. All one can eat for $18.(Ocean Cay Day). . The quesadillas were not as salty even with cheese as last month. Food is so subjective and we find it differing every time we cruise always having our same favorites.

  It was such a beautiful day on Ocean Cay that we knew it would be over crowded at Ocean House. With 330 YC guests and seating for 168, there would be inconveniences. There are a couple of big groups in the Yacht Club and they are very demanding. For example, they demanded sitting together in the YC restaurant, no tables for 18, so had to push together 4 tops. That is fine. But what isn't fine is they wanted these tables reserved whether their party was all together present or not. This is akin to 'chair hogging' on the pool deck, depriving other YC guests of a table in an overcrowded sailing. 

 

Did your Hola Tacos waiter look a little bit like Lloyd, the assistant from TV Show Entourage?  330 YC guests vs under 250 we had one week seems like it would be a noticeable difference and potentially have a material impact on crowding and service.

[morpheusofthesea]

2 minutes ago, BeeeJay said:

 

Did your Hola Tacos waiter look a little bit like Lloyd, the assistant from TV Show Entourage?  330 YC guests vs under 250 we had one week seems like it would be a noticeable difference and potentially have a material impact on crowding and service.

Sorry, not a big tv watcher. Have noticed that many faces are gone. The Captain is new, new YC maitre d . new pastry chef but most importantly the service is still outstanding. Today was a seaday and experienced no overcrowding on OnePool deck. Must have gotten ‘interloper’ situation under better control?

[BeeeJay]

56 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Sorry, not a big tv watcher. Have noticed that many faces are gone. The Captain is new, new YC maitre d . new pastry chef but most importantly the service is still outstanding. Today was a seaday and experienced no overcrowding on OnePool deck. Must have gotten ‘interloper’ situation under better control?

 

I didn't notice any interlopers so I guess so.  Mr. "Buh Bye" went home a few weeks ago.  Casino host Floyd went home the 18th.  I found the service exceptional throughout the ship.  

[morpheusofthesea]

Crowded this evening in Le Cabaret Rouge. It caught on fast. 450 seats, but only 150 seats are good viewing.Stayed in LCR and saw a song set by resident LCR songstress Bella Bevins. All the good seats were taken so guests took up sitting on the stairs (3 levels).

[morpheusofthesea]

Dinner last night was the prime rib and tonight was osso bucco, both stand outs of the YC Restaurant. There is a slightly new table arrangement in the YC Restaurant. There are only tables for two along the glass railing over looking the Top Sail Lounge. We do not dine, We like to eat and get to the show early to get good seats. Got to LCR for the 8pm start. Left Le Cabaret Rouge at 9pm to catch the 9:30 show "Premier" in the Chora Theatre. This was one of the same shows we saw last month in the Chora. We both felt it was a better production. This was only the second show of the very new cast and although we enjoyed the 'old' cast this group had their own 'spin'. Leaving the Chora theatre we made our way to the Loft Cafe for another 45 minutes of the Jazz Quartet with vocalist Bruno Vincenza. All in all it was a great day and night.

   We are sorry we booked and are going next month on Explora 1 instead of staying with the Seascape. YC friends just got off the Explora 1 and were 'disappointed'. On the Seascape we have a full evening of entertainment. Explora 1 appears to be lacking in several areas which I will highlight next month with concrete examples comparing these two MSC products. We chose 'like' cabins to what we have become accustomed to on Seaships. Our present cabin has no noise from above or below and no creaking sounds. We only hear the air conditioning blowing from the vents, akin to cabin noise flying in an airplane. Another reason never to book a new cruise ship/line before a few months of reviews. But we just felt time was not on our side of the equation and we should grab the opportunity. How bad could it really be? It's MSC.....

[blueslily]

Hi, was the pool table and billiards room moved to a different location for passengers to use? Or is it gone all together? I have someone sailing in a few weeks that would play. Thanks 

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, blueslily said:

Hi, was the pool table and billiards room moved to a different location for passengers to use? Or is it gone all together? I have someone sailing in a few weeks that would play. Thanks 

 Saw it covered up on second floor of the Jungle pool.

[morpheusofthesea]

We have a new cruise director, Endrigo (Martin?)from Brazil. He is only going to be CD for this cruise and is being transferred to Seashore as its new Cruise Director.