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Travel > Cruising > My MSC Seaside 2026 Experience
Shh! The Bestest QUiestest Spot at Ocean Cay
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.
Day 3 - Ocean Cay, Bahamas
There is literally nothing as exciting as waking up in the morning and finding yourself at a new location, especially if that new place is as beautiful as MSC’s Ocean Cay. Even the arrival is dramatic, with the ship slowly approaching along the thin penensula and eventually passing the lighthouse to finally dock with a panoramic view of the beach dotted with colorful umbrellas and chairs.
It’s as if they planned it that way. (Haha, of course MSC planned it. This island was nothing before MSC developed it, bringing in sand and making sure it would help improve the surrounding ocean environment. There’s a movie about Ocean Cay online, and I’ve been told that there’s another one in the works.)
I like to tour the island first. The weather can change in a moment in the Bahamas, and I’ve had experiences where lifeguards were forced to clear the beaches because of an approaching storm.
The ship was pretty busy, so the line to board the carts was long. Better to walk out to the bridge to North Beach and then take a ride back.
It was interesting to see that people are now bringing sun tents. I thought about bringing one, but wasn’t sure if it would be allowed. Ends up – yes, they are!
I’ve been reading how MSC is now charging to use loungers set up along the beach. Hey, MSC — people are going to start bringing their own chairs. Fair warning…
If you’re on land at lunch time, there are two places to eat.
Over the years I’ve been watching the new Boho Buffet being built, and now that construction is complete, that’s where I went.
It’s a little farther away from the ship, but closer to the quieter spa side of the island that I prefer.
Lunch is served on the island from 11:30 AM until 1:30 PM.
I don’t pay much attention to time on a cruise, and either we were going through a daylight savings time change or maybe just a change of time between the Bahamas and Florida, but ship time today was an hour off from yesterday. Last night was also a busy sea day, and the passenger mix on this sailing seemed to like staying out late. (It did have a short booze-cruise kind of vibe.)
For whatever reason, Boho and much of the island was very quiet even at lunch time. No one but me and a pigeon.
Eh. The decor is only half of what’s at the other location and the menu is the same as it’s always been. Well, I think the Jamaican beef patties are new…but still, same stuff as from when Ocean Cay first opened…
If you’re new to Ocean Cay, though: YEA! The food is delicious. Try the snapper — it’s caught locally. The sides are full of flavor, and the desserts! The banana bread with coconut rum is my favorite, along with the pineapple upside-down cake.
Note for newbies: There are towels in your cabin that you can bring with you onto the island. Make sure you keep an eye on your towels! If you take one off the ship and don’t bring it back, MSC will charge you a $20 towel fee. While on the island, you’re able to turn in your wet towel and exchange it for a dry one. There’s usually a towel drop off near the entrance. You also aren’t supposed to bring food from the ship onto the island, and from the island back onto the ship.
Ocean Cay has a good handful of beaches, each with their own vibe. Visit a few and stay at the one that matches your style.
For me, I go all the way to the undeveloped wedding pavilion. It’s a bit of a walk from the ship with nothing much other than rocks, but the view is perfect. Soothing meditative music is piped in from the spa, and the palm trees provide a little bit of needed shade.
I spread out my towel and hunkered down like I wasn’t planning on leaving. I had a pitcher of cold green tea (made in the fridge last night) and an orange from the buffet. Nope, not leaving for hours.
A few other people joined me, most getting in a yogi pose and finding their inner peace.
The sun moved across the sky and I had to adjust my towel every half hour or so to stay in the shade. Even with sunscreen and the shade, the Bahama sun turned my skin a light pink. But having hours of quiet private time to do nothing but read was worth the bit of sun damage to my skin.
Our stay at Ocean Cay was only for the day and not overnight, and I had an early dinner seating in the MDR that I didn’t want to miss… Eventually I had to put the book down and leave.
Of course, stopping first for a few minutes on a hammock… Hello, trees…how much you’ve grown! 🙂
A quick shower and costume change, and I made it to dinner just in time. I don’t think the new generation of cruisers like the main dining room, or is there just too much else to do on board? I’m curious to see how cruise lines adjust…another topic for another day…
So, last night on MSC usually means Italian night. Traditions alive, I order the same meal every time: French onion soup, veal ossobuco, and lemoncello cake. Sometimes also the capresse salad, but always the ossobuco.
The dining room is gussied up with the colors of Italy, and waitstaff wear a special vest. They also pause dinner service to sing and dance — and participation is encouraged if you feel so moved!
Check out my gold key card. I started out with the basic Classic card and have moved up to Gold. Soon it’ll become Diamond, but I’m really proud of my Gold standing. While other people took advantage of the point matching MSC has been doing, I’ve cruised MSC a number of times enough to earn my gold.
Speaking of cards — before going to dinner I wondered why I hadn’t gotten an invite to the Welcome Back event usually held for frequent MSC’ers. (There’s usually free champagne and a special performance.) My stew wasn’t sure about the event for this specific sailing and sent me over to Guest Services, where I learned there had been an event but I hadn’t been invited.
Apparently on short sailings, the Welcome Back party is only for Diamond guests.
Grrr….a lot of Diamond-level guests are people who have been loyal to Royal, Disney, and Carnival. They’re new to MSC yet being applauded like they’ve been on MSC for years. Yeah, I’m jealous.
But whatever. The Welcome Back party is best in Le Cabaret Rouge, and this ship doesn’t have that venue anyway. Maybe I don’t want to go to your party anyway. (Yeah, still jealous.)
Belly full, I retreated back to my cabin to catch up on Bob’s Burgers. New Bob’s Burger episodes come out on Sunday and another “favorite” on MSC is that it’s aired live Adult Swim programming for years.
WAIT. WTF? No more Adult Swim and just Nickelodeon. Just Loud Family on reruns (which isn’t all that bad)…but what happened to Adult Swim?? Sigh.
Lots of passengers have already put their luggage out in the hallway, and crew is quietly moving it to storage. Tomorrow’s disembarkation day. 🙁
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.
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out my latest video on YouTube!
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