Pirate’s LIVE on the Seashore! 9/1/24 thru 9/8/24

[jamon]

Was the bar open at the Lighthouse? We were on two weeks ago and it was not. Not sure why it wasn't....if not can you find out why?

[MonsterJoe]

11 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

... and I asked for a cheese plate of only blue cheese…and it was phenomenal. 

I don't eat blue cheese at home, but for some reason I love it on the ship.

Edited September 2 by MonsterJoe

[MonsterJoe]

16 minutes ago, jamon said:

Was the bar open at the Lighthouse? We were on two weeks ago and it was not. Not sure why it wasn't....if not can you find out why?

Construction - Last week it wasn't open either. I will be surprised if she says otherwise as there was evidence of early stage building going on.

Edited September 2 by MonsterJoe

[VitaminSea23]

Hey Steph! So happy to run into your post, the timing is great because I have not been on here in awhile. I met you last year aboard the Mardi Gras, you put me on to that delicious creamy coconut martini, which has become one of my favorite gotos now. I will be going on MSC for the first time this weekend, but it was an impromptu booking; due to my highly anticipated 8 night southern caribbean cruise on the Vista being canceled this weekend, I had a Havana cabin booked on that cruise as well. It was very unfortunate and heartbreaking to get the news.

 

Reading what you have to say about MSC is very encouraging, and makes me excited to try it out, I know you have good taste from all those drinks you recommended at the alchemy bar when I met you, so this series of unfortunate events may have been a blessing in disguise, either way I am grateful I was able to hop on a cruise and be on the ocean this weekend, I will be counting down the days, and following your trip report!

 

Cheers

[DaKahuna]

@pirate4me2 Really enjoying your review so far.  Making us more anxious for our Seascape cruise later this month. 

 

Keep those comments and pictures coming. 

 

[jamon]

Can't imagine what type of construction they are doing at the bar area...and I did not see any workmen there doing nay kind of work...

[MonsterJoe]

55 minutes ago, jamon said:

Can't imagine what type of construction they are doing at the bar area...and I did not see any workmen there doing nay kind of work...

That whole section of the island is closed - no one allowed on light house beach - I saw a couple curious travelers being shooed away by crew from my balcony.  The construction was on the beach, not the bar.

 

From my cruise...

Edited September 2 by MonsterJoe

[thepants]

3 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

That whole section of the island is closed - no one allowed on light house beach - I saw a couple curious travelers being shooed away by crew from my balcony.  The construction was on the beach, not the bar.

I saw another post that it was due to dredging so that the bigger ships can eventually dock at ocean cay. Not sure if that is true or not .

[MonsterJoe]

The section on the left side of the image is where the construction is.

[FLCruiser97]

Glad you are having a good time even if the Cesear Salad is just meh! LOL.

Did you happen to see if the MDR is open for lunch on embarkation day. Just wondering if there are any other food options other than the buffet if you are not in YC.

[pirate4me2]

6 hours ago, jamon said:

Was the bar open at the Lighthouse? We were on two weeks ago and it was not. Not sure why it wasn't....if not can you find out why?

That area of the island is closed due to dredging and construction. 
 

6 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

I don't eat blue cheese at home, but for some reason I love it on the ship.

The one last night was creamy and so good!! 
 

6 hours ago, VitaminSea23 said:

Hey Steph! So happy to run into your post, the timing is great because I have not been on here in awhile. I met you last year aboard the Mardi Gras, you put me on to that delicious creamy coconut martini, which has become one of my favorite gotos now. I will be going on MSC for the first time this weekend, but it was an impromptu booking; due to my highly anticipated 8 night southern caribbean cruise on the Vista being canceled this weekend, I had a Havana cabin booked on that cruise as well. It was very unfortunate and heartbreaking to get the news.

 

Reading what you have to say about MSC is very encouraging, and makes me excited to try it out, I know you have good taste from all those drinks you recommended at the alchemy bar when I met you, so this series of unfortunate events may have been a blessing in disguise, either way I am grateful I was able to hop on a cruise and be on the ocean this weekend, I will be counting down the days, and following your trip report!

 

Cheers

Hey hey, so sorry about your Vista cruise! That’s such a bummer. 

I hope you enjoy MSC! It’s different, but still a cruise, and I believe any vacation is what you make it. 

 

If you like banana flavor, the Tropical Tease drink is good! I do miss Alchemy on these ships, but I’ve found some good drinks I enjoy. If you find a bartender that will make it (so far they all have for me), the frozen toblerone is also delicious! 
 

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

@pirate4me2 Really enjoying your review so far.  Making us more anxious for our Seascape cruise later this month. 

 

Keep those comments and pictures coming. 

 

Thanks for following along!! I hope your cruise is awesome!!!

 

4 hours ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Glad you are having a good time even if the Cesear Salad is just meh! LOL.

Did you happen to see if the MDR is open for lunch on embarkation day. Just wondering if there are any other food options other than the buffet if you are not in YC.

We were whisked up to the YC area pretty quick on embarkation day so I did not see to see, sorry! 😞 

[jamon]

I understand the construction on the beach area, but what does that have to do with the bar area at the lighthouse which is not part of the beach?????

[MonsterJoe]

8 minutes ago, jamon said:

I understand the construction on the beach area, but what does that have to do with the bar area at the lighthouse which is not part of the beach?????

I'm not sure what more to write or share. That part of the island is closed.

 

If it's any consolation, we were also very disappointed 😔 

Edited September 3 by MonsterJoe

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, jamon said:

I understand the construction on the beach area, but what does that have to do with the bar area at the lighthouse which is not part of the beach?????

As @MonsterJoehas said….that part of the island is closed down. No beach party, no lighthouse show, etc. 

[pirate4me2]

Alright, excuse any typos, it’s been a ship wide bar hopping evening for us to find “our” spot…so yeah…

 

I woke up at 7:30 when the ship vibrated as she began spinning around to dock at Ocean Cay. Hooray, we made it! According to some YC staff, it was unsure if we would make it in today since it apparently stormed last night. Hmmmmm…I didn’t notice any storm, I was OUT last night…the bed in 19008 is super soft and inviting, and I think once my head hit the pillows I was GONE. I sat on the balcony and watched us dock, and then about 8:05 we went to the YC restaurant for breakfast. 

 

As far as breakfast goes…all I can say is THANK YOU MSC for giving me faith that a cruise line CAN properly cook an egg for eggs Benedict! I have been so disappointed in my past few cruises where I have ordered this dish for breakfast…and gotten a hard boiled egg. Admittedly, I myself cannot cook an egg properly for this dish, so I guess I have no room to really judge, but if you’re gonna put it on your restaurant menu…make sure it can come out right. MSC absolutely blew my beloved Carnival out of the water here…I was a very happy girl this morning! 

[pirate4me2]

After breakfast (I swear I took pics, but they are not showing up anywhere…oh well) we headed off the ship about 9:30. We took the YC tram to the YC area and floated in the ocean until it was time for lunch. We brought our own floaties that we got off Amazon, and after arming ourselves with rum punches (yum!) we just chillaxed in the water. Yes, the beach is shelly, you need some kind of water shoes. Chris used his Keen sandals but complained that shells worked their way in. I honestly used an old pair of Old Navy cloth tennis slip-on shoes that I didn’t care about, and they got sand in them, but no shells. 

 

We went to lunch about 12:15, and dang, you can tell that lunch at Ocean House is THE event of the day on OC! We were sat in full sun (yuck) but whatevs….I wanted my burger with lobster roll innards on the side! I got that, with the Ocean Cay salad to start. The salad was GOOD…the dressing light and refreshing, and the burger….YUM. Chris goes “Now THAT was a burger!” From him, that’s a big compliment. We didn’t want dessert but the waiter insisted we try the caramel thing…I thought it was just OK, Chris devoured it. The Tropical Tease drink was delish. 

[pirate4me2]

After lunch I told Chris we should go check out Bimini Beach in case he was tired of getting beat up by waves at the YC beach. After 10 minutes in the water at Bimini, he said “let’s go back to the waves.” Ok! I won’t argue, I don’t care either way as long as I am in the water.

 

We hung out at the YC area until 3, when my eyes began to burn. Too much salt air I guess. We came back onboard, and there was no line/wait at all. Chris took a shower while I put our wet floats/swim gear on the balcony, secured by Boca Clips.We took much needed naps until 5:30. That sun will really take it out of you!

 

We hit dinner in the YC restaurant about 6, and tonight was a total win!! The crab cake was a solid choice, followed by Chris with the pork dish. He said it was tender and delicious. I debated between the stuffed mushroom or the pumpkin risotto, and I let our waiter choose. The risotto was phenomenal! My tiramisu dessert was off the charts good, and Chris got the warm apple crumble that our waiter said to get with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Chris said the apple crumble was good, but he was glad for the ice cream recommendation as it would have been lacking without. Yay, YC dinner was a very solid 9/10 tonight!

 

Wer finished dinner at 7:05 and went to the 7:30 comedy in the theater. Uhhhh….Nery Saenz was not funny at all. Others agreed with us later as we were talking in the Topsail Lounge. Honestly, we ended up cutting out early to go bar hop/listen to live music.

 

First, we hit up the Brooklyn Cafe for live jazz at 8. The singer there has a great voice! Very soothing, but honestly…when I think jazz, I think New Orleans jazz, energizing. This was too soothing and I began to fall asleep. Still, I appreciate the voice the singer has….he’s got talent! From there we we went to their sports bar for a few drinks, and the environment there was fun. Very lively, and I woke up! In Times Square area there was some steel drum type music we took a listen to, and then Chris opted to go back to Topsail. He said that honestly this was more his spot. We enjoyed a taste of Johnny Walker Blue (over the drink package price, we paid the difference) and decided that it isn’t quite for us. We finished out with a tequila shot, and now it is time for PIZZA from room service! 

[pirate4me2]

Random notes for today:

 

The YC elevator override works on Seashore! Who hoo!

 

Chris says regarding food on MSC versus Carnival: The food portions on MSC are better…more what you should eat! Especially the pasta! As far as taste….its just different, you cannot really compare. All his meats have been cooked perfect. Tonight’s side of mashed potatoes, they were good, you could taste the salt/pepper flavor, but they were not as heavy as Carnival’s….the butter was less. 

Edited September 3 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Pizza…Chris agreed, MSC pizza is GOOD! He got pepperoni pineapple & ham, I got veggie. Perfect late night snack! 
 

The lighthouse is all lit up tonight! 

[momofmab]

On 9/2/2024 at 6:41 AM, Mommapadraig said:

As a previous NCL haven fan I was stunned by the amount of “free” water in the room! Other than a couple boxes of water for our NCL a status we paid for more water. Plus the free Wi-Fi!I loved the nightly chocolate and fresh water by the bed. You are bringing back such wonderful memories. Thank you for taking us along!

 

This is one of the little things that led me to cancel my Haven cruise.  I'm paying considerably more than I paid for my YC cruise and NCL can't give me free water and minibar?

[FLCruiser97]

11 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

As @MonsterJoehas said….that part of the island is closed down. No beach party, no lighthouse show, etc. 

Sooo, that's a bummer. No beach party and no lighthouse show. 

[MonsterJoe]

They did do the lighthouse show the night we were there. We just watched it from our balcony instead of on the beach.

Edited September 3 by MonsterJoe

[pirate4me2]

54 minutes ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Sooo, that's a bummer. No beach party and no lighthouse show. 

 

22 minutes ago, MonsterJoe said:

They did do the lighthouse show the night we were there. We just watched it from our balcony instead of on the beach.

 

 

No lighthouse show at all for us last night, it was just lit up like my pic posted. But I told Chris its just something he will have to look forward to next year!

[cellfree]

@pirate4me2, the hamburger with lobster roll innards on the side, I must remember that in November, ty. 

[Cjkfree]

Thanks so much for this live review.  We are trying MSC YC on Seashore in February so this is extremely helpful. Taking it all in - thanks for taking us along!