MSC Seaside Ocean Cay Experience, March 2026 FULL

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MSC Seaside Experience, March 2026

Last Updated: April 11, 2026

For the past few years, I’ve visited the island annually and I didn’t want to miss my chance to see it in 2026. Luck would have it that a quickly approaching cruise that went only to Ocean Cay was on serious discount. Whoop-whoop!

This would turn out to be a whirlwind trip filled with eating and reading!

The Itinerary

Imagine a cruise to nowhere that goes to the best port ever — and that’s this cruise! For years, I’ve been dreaming of a way to go straight to Ocean Cay and just stay there. Unfortunately, all passengers have to get back on the ship and return to Miami, so I still dream.

This particular sailing lasted four days, with one sea day and one stop at Ocean Cay, MSC’s marine reserve near Bimini in the Bahamas. It’s a short sailing, but at least it’s going somewhere great!

Pre-Trip THoughts

Before a cruise, I like to sit down with myself and plan out my intentions for the trip. Usually, my plans relate to the ports. Like, am I going to work my way through a box of tea or work on essays or focus on a new skincare routine. (Does anyone else do that?)

This cruise would be over a minute after it started, it’s so short. My main goal was to see Ocean Cay in 2026 and get some footage for an updated island tour video.

The only personal “intention” I could think of was to finish a book.

A few months ago I picked up a book in San Juan. The bright orange ombre cover, the fantasy cum history storyline, the thick spine… At the time, I had lots of time on my hands so I bought it.

The story was complex and I had been having trouble getting into it. So I told myself that on this sailing, I’d read as much of it as I could.

Oh yeah, it’s The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, and it’s just book one of a trilogy.

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…

New MSC Terminal at Port Miami

Parking. If you drive, you have to park, and each parking lot at Port Miami is priced differently. MSC used to use Terminal C, which had an open surface lot across from the entrance.

The surface lots have the cheapest per-day rate.

Now that MSC has its fancy new terminal with fancy new parking garage, passengers have to pay fancy parking rates. Parking at the new Miami terminal is now $35 per night and $20 per day.

For that extra cost, though, you get easy access to the baggage guys and the main hall of the terminal.

(Note: The new terminal is AA and is at the very far east end of the port. I’m planning on taking the free trolley to the terminal on my upcoming transatlantic sailing…but worried how far of a walk it’ll be from the trolley stop to the terminal.)

(Note 2: MSC still uses Terminal C when it’s two slots at AA are filled. Check the night before your sailing to know which terminal your ship will be docked at.)

But the new terminal is beautiful. All the tech installed in the building also made check-in so easy that you hardly even realized you were ready to board!

(Hey MSC, how about you work on your Genoa terminal next? Just sayin’…)

One thing I applaud MSC on is providing water in places people have to congregate. It’s those extra touches that show off MSC’s level of hospitality, even on these budget sailings. In the Miami heat, there’s nothing like a cup of orange infused water.

First Impressions of the Ship

I don’t really like to make full-ship tour videos. There are so many already on YouTube that are really well done, so what’s the point?

I might not have the photo evidence, but believe me when I say that the MSC Seaside is is a beautiful ship. Unlike certain cruise lines that make exact replicas of its existing ships, MSC makes each ship within a class different enough to make it unique.

The MSC Seaside is related to the MSC Seashore, which I was on back in 2024 (on a sailing also going to Ocean Cay). While the interior of the Seashore is inspired by New York City, the Seaside showcases Miami. (Did the designers know that this ship would be spending most of its time down in South Florida? Hmmm?)

Most of the venues on the Seaside are the same as on her sister ships, except that isn’t a La Cabaret Rouge! This smaller, more intimate theater space is my favorite, both for the nightly cabaret show but also to relax in on sea days. Crew confirmed that there was only one theater on the Seaside…and no cabaret lounge. For shame!

Another big disappointment came later on the first night, when I found out that the Ocean Cay specialty restaurant was hardly as impressive as it is on other MSC ships.

My Home at Sea, Cabin 11197

I also don’t usually do cabin tours. Just like ship tours, there are already sooooo many tours of these cabins. I’ll save you the trouble: Cabin 11197 looks pretty much like cabin 11199.

For this sailing, I’m thankful to the MSC hospitality group for bumping me up from an interior to a balcony. I tried to upgrade to Yacht Club for the lowest amount possible, but yeah, my very low-ball offer was rejected. No worries…this balcony was more than perfect. 🙂

Seriously, the location was awesome! Deck 11 is mid-height, not too high and definitely not too low. I like to make sure my cabin is near the venues that I think I’ll spend the most time at, but if you book Bella you don’t get to choose your cabin. You’re at the whim of MSC. Thankfully, cabin 11197 was roughly midship and very (very) close to a midship elevator…which also opened up at the entrance to the Marketplace Buffet on Deck 8.

One thing though. It seems that MSC takes annoying cruise content crap seriously. When I came into the cabin, the couch had a sheet on the seat, much like crazy influencers are saying is a “must do” on cruises. No. It’s cheap and tacky. If I want a sheet on my couch, I’ll put it there. And yeah, I do like a sheet on my couch, but I don’t want my stew thinking I’m some gross person who needs the sheet!

It was also interesting that my room steward was nowhere to be found early in the afternoon. But I realized that this was a different kind of sailing than I’m used to, and this early afternoon time was likely their rest time.

I don’t think I’ve been on a short cruise — under seven days — for a long while! On this sailing, I’d only see my stew for a few days; we weren’t going to form a strong bond where we learned each other’s habits over the course of three days.

Passengers on short cruises usually don’t spend much time in their cabins, either. They’re soaking up every moment, doing every possible activity on board. For these passengers, the room steward stocks the towels and makes the bed.

Even still, I like to know my stew. Mr. XD showed up later that evening and helped me with my usual requests. All good. 🙂

If you’re reading this in anticipation of your own cruise, heed my warning! Make sure you check your door on Day 1. Does the scanner read your card quickly? Does the door click shut when it closes? Does the lock completely lock? Does the little peep window on the show the hallway clearly? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, find your room steward immediately and ask to get the door fixed. I’m not trying to scare you, dear reader, just make sure you’re safe!

Day 1 - Leaving Miami

The new MSC terminal at Port Miami is so high tech that you barely realize you’ve been through the check-in process. It’s a real difference from the last time I boarded an MSC ship, in Genoa, Italy. That was crazy, while this was easy!

First things first — gotta fill your belly! Everyone finds their way to the buffet after getting on board, and catching an elevator to any floor with food can mean a long wait.

I have a few theories, one being that you can set the tone of your cruise by what you choose to eat first. Eat a burger with a beer (like you might on Margaritaville at Sea) and you’re setting yourself up for a party. I cruise MSC for the Italian vibe, so I make my plate like a charcuterie platter…with a slice of pizza.

Veggie pizza, gherkin pickles, yellow pickled peppers, olives, artichoke wedges, salami, ham, mesclan salad, gorgonzola (a famous Italian blue cheese), and some other meats and cheeses on the buffet. Light and flavorful!

I got a real deal on this cruise…and I had some money left in the budget to splurge. I could have gotten a drink package, but what I really wanted was a pass to the thermal spa!

If there’s anything you should do on Day 1 of a cruise, it’s to tour the spa. Therapists are standing by to offer special deals and offers, and to walk you around the thermal area. We were about ten feet into the thermal area and I stopped him and said “sign me up.” It’s exactly the same as the Seaside and Seascape (a good thing!), and I knew it was where I’d be spending a few hours every day.

The earlier you get your pass, the earlier you can start relaxing! The price, when you add in the 18% gratuity, worked out to be $160, or around $50 per day. (Note that the gym and spa area is closed on disembarkation mornings.)

I had to stop by one of the card machines near guest services to link my credit card to my account, and then I could get my spa stuff from the cabin and put my butt on a heated lounger. Or go into the snow room. Tough decisions, right?

Eventually I’ll make a post and video about the thermal area.

I’ve spent a lot of time on MSC ships, and I’ve eaten just about everything on the regular menu in the main dining room. No complaints here…but I wanted something exciting to make this trip different.

When I booked this sailing, I noticed that specialty restaurants were discounted on embarkation day. I’ve wanted to try Ocean Cay, the fleet’s seafood restaurant, for a long while but never could find someone who wanted to eat there too. People tend to want to go to the steakhouse or the taco shack…not the fancy seafood place.

Well, tonight for dinner, I would be eating at Ocean Cay. Alone.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have to say that I was disappointed by the venue space. On the Seascape, the Ocean Cay restaurant is gorgeous. It’s modern and sleek, dark and mysterious, more like an art gallery than a restaurant. On the Seaside, it was more light and fresh and lots of light blue. It’s not that it isn’t nice (it is), it’s just that it wasn’t what I remembered.

While I might have been disappointed by the interior, I came for the food. And the food did not disappoint.

My waiter was quite firm that I would only be able to order one appetizer, one main dish, one side dish, and one dessert. As much as I would have loved to have been able to try more than one of each, the portions were generous enough that I didn’t even finish everything on my plate.

I’ll put up more photos and notes from the meal in another post…and I’ll link it here when it’s online. Until then…here’s a glimpse!

Um, I know I said that the portions were huge, but I’m a glutton and fond of traditions. So, while other passengers were on their way to the evening’s show and other activities on the entertainment lineup, I went to the main dining room and asked to get dessert.

In the MDR, guests have a seating window that they should arrive within. It allows for servers to take orders and bring up dishes in a timely manner so that they can feed everyone and reset before the next dinner seating.

My arrival was very much outside that window. I came ready to beg. “All I want is a dessert and espresso! I won’t be a bother, I swear!” The manager was super nice and seated me in the section with a super nice and excited waiter.

He was so nice that he brought me two desserts, because one wasn’t enough. (If you watch any of my videos on my cruise food channel on IG or YT, you know that I also believe that two desserts are better than one.) But I had already eaten a whole meal and dessert…so one would have been just fine!

Ah, to have a balcony…and to have a private place to experience a moon-lit night surrounded by sea. Argh, only to have way too much illumination from the ship. Haha, I can come up with a complaint about even the best things of life. Sorry.

Day 2 - Sea Day

Holy moley, Day 1 was busy. And I didn’t even tell you about how I won a free dinner for two at Hola Taco!

One of the early afternoon events yesterday was a cooking demo meant to introduce passengers to the specialty restaurants. I was only expecting a display set up, like what they did on the Grandiosa a few months ago.

Nope, this was a full cooking show. Chefs from each restaurant prepared a dish, and we all got to try some rice from the tapenyaki show. (Yum!)

At the end of the event, the host asked a trivia question and I answered it correctly! I never win! Whoo-hoo! Free dinner!

Speaking of food, one of the best reasons to make sure your MSC sailing in the US has a sea day is the sea day brunch. It only happens on sea days.

Burger buds… For crying out loud, skip the burger on the buffet. It’s trash. Just don’t. But definitely get the hefty bacon burger served at the sea day brunch.

For my more adventurous friends, I have other suggestions and notes. Which will have to come in a different post when I get around to it.

If you’re into spirits, sea days are the best time to head over to the sports bar and find out what spirits are on offer. Sometimes you have to attend a specific tasting event, but usually you can go anytime and the bar tender will prepare the tasting flight for you.

Tastings usually cost around $30, which is around what you’ll pay for a tasting on land.

Sea days are also perfect for lounging and doing absolutely nothing. At least, for me. I’m not into all the trivia and dancing and games and stuff planned around the ship, and the pool deck is a crowded mess when everyone is on board. Me? I’d rather make some tea and hang out on my balcony or relax in the hot tub on the private deck attached to the thermal spa.

Actually, there were a few people already in the hot tub. I wasn’t feeling very social, and this solo lounger in the back called out “hello!” to me. It’s crazy how easy it is to find solace on a ship at nearly full capacity.

Have I mentioned the tea on the MSC Seaside? Totally impressed with the selection! I think I made a short video about the tea…

Of course I also hit up the buffet, but to look and not really to eat.

With every sailing I find new dishes on the buffet. It was really nice to see so many fresh new items to try (or take photos of), like:

slice of eggplant rolled around boursin cheese with sundried tomato and pistachio
shaved roast beef with garnish
falafel/chickpea/fava bean patties

There’s been a big movement in recent years against buffets, but I think they’re the best. There’s so much to choose from, whether you want unique items or the usuals…

At lunch and dinner, you’re sure to find something you want to eat. Between the taco station, the pasta station, the burger station, the pizza station, the RAMEN STATION…something has to catch your fancy. A common problem is finding too many things you want to eat.

Don’t listen to people who say the food on MSC isn’t good.

Overall, the dishes put out on the buffet and in the main dining rooms are great. Chefs do a great job of mixing European, American, and other international flavors. The breads are fresh and abundant, and most of the pasta is made in house.

Your local restaurant probably doesn’t put as much time and skill into the food it serves as the chefs on a cruise do.

Eh…okay, I wasn’t too impressed with the buffet pastries on this sailing.

This white angel food cake with sprinkles looked pretty but wasn’t good at all, from cake to frosting. The cake lady told me that there wouldn’t be any carrot cake on this sailing, a total bummer.

The carrot cake is better than what you get at Publix. It’s that good.

I didn’t eat anything from the buffet because…I had dinner plans!

After a quick wardrobe change I found my way to Hola! Taco. There weren’t too many other passengers eating, but Hola! has an all-you-can-eat model and that keeps the waitstaff busy.

I’m solo on a cruise with zero plans other than a thick AF book to finish, so I plopped myself into a chair and waited to be seated. If they had thought to bring me a mezcal (I’d pay, of course!), I’d have been happy to sit there all night!

The wait wasn’t too long, and soon enough I was seated with a view of the sea at dusk with a menu in hand. The waitress suggested I order one of each taco, and I added on an order of chicken enchiladas with salsa verde.

Each bite-sized taco had its own distinct flavor. My favorite was the al pastor with marinated charred pork, pineapple, onions, and cilantro. The chili pescado (fish taco) was also a top choice, though I don’t think the fish was quite the “catch of the day” but more likely a basic fish like tilapia.

The mezcal section of the menu kept calling out to me and I broke down and imbibed. Not being able to make a choice, the bartender chose for me and brough out a shot glass of Creyente, Artesanal Joven ($14). Smooth and cool against the heat of the tacos. Sip by sip, it lasted the whole main course.

I’ve been eating so much on this cruise that I opted to not eat the tortillas. The one I ate though was soft and chewy, a total yum. The waitress confirmed that they were made in house — she sees them cutting out the shapes with cookie cutters in the back. 🙂

While I ate, the ship was abuzz with activity. A dance competition in the main atrium had drawn a decent crowd and other passengers were in the theater watching the evening’s show. I cruise for the food, and I was happy with my choice of “entertainment.”

MSC ends dinner service on the buffet at 9pm, but shortly after, the options shift to midnight snacks. The front section of the buffet (where pizzas are made) gets stocked with trays of sandwiches and small bites, pizza, and cookies. A happy addition to the Seaside mix of sweets are their world-famous meragues.

They aren’t really world famous, but merengues are MSC’s “thing.” Is there another cruise line that has merengues? Not that I can think of. Merengues are served every day at afternoon tea (skip down to tomorrow), and YEA!, it appears that they’re now served at night and in multiple flavors!

I snagged four. Two for now, two for later.

I should do a whole post about MSC pizza, but I have a love-hate relationship with the square pizzas. A few years back, MSC only had round pizzas, and boy, were they popular. So popular that huge lines formed around the buffet for them, and fights broke out over slices.

Yup, I saw a fight over pizza. It wasn’t dramatic Carnival style, but there was yelling.

Fast forward to my next MSC sailing, and I found out how the company had decided to solve the problem: Square pizzas.

They’re quick to make: The foccacia is parbaked and pizza chefs can slather some sauce, cheese, and toppings for a quick finish. No more long waits, no more fights.

But the square pizza is not nearly as good as the regular round ones with thin crusts. My blog, my opinion…

The square slices get picked up and eaten, so lots of people must like it! If it’s your type of pizza, the square style is usually also served during the day at the grill buffet usually situated near the pool.

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. 🙁

Day 4 - Returning to Miami

Boo. Cruise lines like to consider disembarkation day a “day.” Today shouldn’t be considered “day 4” when it’s just a moment.

You can’t go to the gym or spa, there are announcements every few minutes reminding you to vacate your cabin, and cabin stewards are hustling to flip rooms all around you.

Still, I’m a clean and kid-free cruiser who tips, so my cabin stewards usually aren’t too forceful about me lingering maybe a little too long. You still need to be out of the cabin at a respectful time to allow them to work, but I definitely am not leaving early…

Packing takes maybe 15 minutes, and an extra few minutes to double-check nothing is under the bed or still in the safe. Or stuffed in the crevice of the couch. Or left on the balcony chair.

And a few minutes to cry along with Peppa the Pig.

Basically all you can do after you leave your cabin is go to the buffet.

Finding everything for my bagel breakfast sandwich means a walk around the whole buffet — wimpy bacon, emmental cheese, chives from the Asian station, and mesclan salad leaves.

Along the way I noticed a few new items that seemed pretty interesting, especially the Indian-inspired tiffin breakfast of sweet potato puree with a poached egg and chickpea/kale salad. (The pinwheels are covered in a beef mix, and the eggs are deviled with tomato, bacon, and cheese sandwiched between.)

I also noticed that I hadn’t seen that gawd-awful biscuit and gravy nastiness any time during the sailing. MSC, I really do hope you’ve taken it off the menu. But what happened to the lovely southern biscuits you had finally begun baking for the biscuit sandwiches? They were delicious!

And over my third cup of coffee I finished my book and passed it along to the crew member who had also been captivated by the orange and yellow cover. 🙂 On to the next reader. I hope she doesn’t mind al the dog-earred corners and the scuffed up cover. That book has gone places… I’m glad to be finished!

Bye, bye, book.

A little stop at one of the lounges outside the exit to check email and make a phone call, and then that was it. A lovely crew member walked over to politely tell me and the others that it was time to go. 🙂

Yup, time to walk past the comfy-looking seating in the terminal, through customs (nope, nothing to declare), pay my parking fee, and join the morning traffic flow on I-95.

It was fun. Can’t wait for the next one. 🙂

Fill out the Cruise survey!

As much as MSC doesn’t want to acknowledge little ole me on social media, I’ve noticed things I mention on the survey actually get adjusted. Fill out your survey and help make your next MSC sailing even better than the one you just disembarked!

You can tell them what you really liked, and mention (politely) what didn’t go as planned. The comments are read, and I have noticed actual changes from comments I’ve left. Of course, there are other people saying the same things as me, but your comments do matter.

What matters even more are acknowledgements of individual crew members. If someone did something special to make your sailing great, note down their name or take a photo of their name badge. You don’t have to write an essay or give a lot of details — you can just say “Thank you to Steve, my waiter in the MDR.” These comments are added to their HR file and they are used when determining promotions and whether someone will get another contract.

Crew work hard to make our holidays happy, leaving a quick comment is the very least you can do to make their lives happy. 🙂

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!