Living the Sunshine Life
Travel > Cruising > My MSC Seaside 2026 Experience
When a Campsite is Cheaper than a Hotel Room
In March 2026, the MSC Seashore left Miami to travel to Ocean Cay. I love taking photos and talking about cruise experiences, so I put together this blog loop with details about the trip — and the ship, the food, and all the fun.
This post is just one of a few posts from the trip. Go to the main page for my March 2026 MSC Seaside experience to see all the posts! You can also use the navigation below to go to the next post.
Getting to the Port
This trip was basically planned a few weeks ago. Zero forethought. I had been working with The Love Boat playing in the background (on Pluto) and on a break, I casually checked the prices of cruises on MSC (or CruisePlum?)…and there it was. Low-cost, going only to Ocean Cay…where’s my credit card?
For all the effort of driving down to Miami, I had to do something more than just the cruise. John Dickinson State Park is just a few hours north of Miami and would make a good ‘halfway’ point to rest, and at $30 a night, it would be a fraction of the cost of a hotel anywhere along the coast.
Eh…the park was nice but the noseeums made the night miserable. More details to come, on another page in the camping section, when I get around to it.
The sun couldn’t rise quick enough.
After a drive around the park, off I went to get to Miami in time for my 12:00 embarkation window.
I’ve never had such an early embarkation. That’s probably because I’ve been cruising a lot on Virgin, where you check out late and set sail even later. That should be the topic of another post…lol why do I keep giving myself extra work??
Not sure if I should tell you this, but if you’re driving to the port, you don’t have take the tunnel. Now that more ships — and bigger ships — are coming to Miami, the highway into the city has never been busier. The tunnel was meant to be a direct connection to the port, but on days when all the terminal slots have a ship, I-95 can turn into a parking lot. God forbid there be an accident…
I’ll talk about the water in the next post!
All the Posts for This Experience!
1. This has to be the Best Cruise Itinerary Ever!
2. When a Campsite is Cheaper than a Hotel Room
3. First Impressions of the New MSC Terminal at Port Miami
4. First Impressions of the MSC Seaside
5. My MSC Seaside Abode, Cabin 11197
6. A Full First Day on the MSC Seaside
7. Sea Days Are for Relaxing…and Eating
8. Shh! The Bestest Quiestest Spot at Ocean Cay
9. And the Seaside Returns to Miami
10. Fill out the Cruise Survey!
Overall...
What a fun cruise. Too short for my liking, especially since I’ve gotten used to being at sea for weeks at a time, but the stop at Ocean Cay was exactly what I needed.
MSC has been posting news about changes it has been making to Ocean Cay, its private island in the Bahamas. All these changes concern me, since the beauty of this island is it’s deserted island vibe. Other cruise lines have thrill rides, luxury treats, and landscaping…things that need infrastructure and create waste. It’s good to see that even with the extra construction being done, Ocean Cay is being maintained as a simple marine reserve.
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Jenny Claire is an award-winning educational materials writer, travel journalist, and food critic, formerly based in New York City and Taiwan. She calls a cute cabin in the woods of rural North Central Florida home, but lately she’s been spending most of her time cruising and traveling. She also was a secret travel critic and writer — but her lips are sealed on those details!
Living the Sunshine Life