Tales of the High Seas: Voyage of the MSC Seashore
November 16, 2022
I woke up around 5:20 am, did some exercising in my own room and then did my morning grooming. I got dressed and went on a photo shoot without anyone around at the Swarovski staircase without hordes of people and photographers. Next stop was a curved glass bridge jutting over the adult only infinity pool, the Bridge of Sighs. With the photoshoot complete I went back to my room to change into pool gear. But before I used the last of sunblock from Galveston. Don’t worry, I still had reef safe sunblock that I had packed to use.
I packed for the day and once done I left for breakfast at Central Park main dining room which was open from 7:30 am – 9:30 am. During my photoshoot I discovered the Marketplace buffet is fantastic in the early, early morning with hardly a guest. Plenty of food choices were on display. I spotted a variety of donuts!
My host at Central Park asked did I have any requests as to a table. I said, I would be happy with wherever they served food. He sat me at a small table for two right by a porthole window on deck five. Perfecto!
In no time I inhaled a croissant, English Breakfast tea, a plate of pancakes, a glass of orange juice. Once the pancakes arrived I realized I would also like cranberry juice. To my surprise it was a larger glass than the orange juice and was brownish, not bright red like I was accustomed to. I thought she brought me ice tea. Before I called my server, I tasted it. It definitely was cranberry juice. I was disappointed by the smaller portion of pancakes so I ordered my second choice – thick slices of French toast. According to the menu it was supposed to be cinnamon raisin bread. I prefer plain and that was exactly what I received. By the time I was done my server wished me well and said I will see you at lunch. How did he know? “Indeed”, I replied. Now I picked up my day bag from my room and went to check on the Jungle Pool, which was the ship’s solarium. The chair hots had already claimed their spots. Not surprisingly since the Jungle Pool is adjacent to the Marketplace buffet, even though it was now about 8:30 am. I luckily found a lounger right by the pool on the end of a row. A hot tub was completely empty. That wasn’t going to last long. Learning from yesterday I took a few shots from the hot tub with my GoPro. After I got out and dried off, two Italian couples flanked me aon either side chatting away while I journaled. And rocked out on a Spotify playlist I had downloaded onto my new phone.
The Jungle pool was 5’9” to 6’3” deep. What if I want to stand? Underwater? Italian twenty-somethings had hot tub time while I swam in the main pool with occasional waves which surprised me. Two decks above there appeared to be a more exclusive deck area with cabanas, maybe a part of the exclusive Yacht Club ship within a ship? After talking to Guga and Rob (YouTubers, check them out), now I want to try Yacht Club. One of these days.
Random thought: It is 10:30 am. Am I hungry already? Cruise culture differs from cruise line to cruise line. On MSC I really didn’t spy lanyards being used as much. Onboard Norwegian Cruise Line almost everyone wore a lanyard. My belief stems from the way the power is controlled in your stateroom.
Prior to lunch I tried to move on and find a home base prior to engaging on a water slide. The wind was something fierce. I could not attach clips to my lounger and my beach towel. Two clips got blown further down the deck. It was quite comical. It took so long trying to find a home base that had sunshine, no nearby smoking, and an available lounger. By the time I got settled it was time to go to lunch.
It is now time for lunch! I enjoyed lunch at the Central Park main dining room from noon to 1:00 pm. My starter was a roll with cream butter and mozzarella sticks. For my entrée I had the signature cheeseburger. The signature burger was a 1/3 lb. beef burger, melted sharp cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, carmelized onions, golden honey BBQ sauce, and fries. My dessert was a bowl of vanilla ice cream. At home, I do not indulge in alcohol with meals. But I am on vacation! Today’s lunch was accompanied by a glass of pinot noir. I had no dining companion. No journaling. Just a nice leisurely meal. Since I have not been drinking much since 2020 my low tolerance made me tipsy after just one glass.
After lunch I tried to figure out where to gain entry to the slides. It was an utter mystery to me. I really should have asked someone that was part of the crew. Entry, I thought, might have been blocked off due to painting. Finally, I found a lounger on the pool deck but the sun kept on moving and I ended up in some shade. I just gotta shake my head.
Project Mille ships have similar main pools. Virgin Voyages has 3 ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, and now MSC Seashore and soon to sail MSC Seascape all have these small main pools. Consequently, this main pool had a good amount of people in it. It did the trick of cooling me off. I swam a little bit but it is not a “swimming pool”. It is a cool your toes and conduct a conversation pool. If there were an Olympic size pool to do laps would it be used in that manner? Most are just lounging in the sun. I listen to music, journal, and bop my head. Why listen to piped in music when I can jam out to music of my choice on noise cancelling headphones?
NEXT: MSC Seashore journey continues and my first port day!