Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Lost Shaker of Salt- Day 3

 Gala Night Sea Day #2 April 7, 2026 


We really enjoyed getting dressed up like the "good ol' cruising days". 
(At least I did)

Morning
Once we reached smooth sailing at approximately 9PM on Night #2, it was a very smooth cruise and this allowed for much better sleep but as a perimenopausal woman in her 40 forties, I was desperately needing a fan. The stateroom still stayed very cool compared to many other cruise lines we have sailed but the hot-flashes are not forgiving. We were up around 7AM and made our way to Loft Cafe for coffee and light pastries. TIP- The Loft Cafe on Deck 8 Forward is an incredible coffee shop that truly offers coffee shop vibes and has tons of seating. The coffee is a little more customizable here than anywhere else on the ship as well as they have several different syrup options. I also appreciate the fact it is a full service bar with bartenders. HOWEVER- The Full service was not great during the morning hours it seemed.
SMOOTH SAILING on Day #3
This is a GREAT option for breakfast and the pastries' were actually good.

Check out the Loft Cafe!


We went back to the room to enjoy the balcony in the shade before going to breakfast at Hola Tacos. TIP- This was easily the best food on the ship period. They offered traditional breakfast options like omelets but also Huevos Rancheros and even Queso. The service was just as good if not better than the MDR and Butcher’s Cut as we were in and out in less than 40 minutes. This is NOT to be missed while sailing on the MSC Seascape. 

Do not sleep on Hola Tacos-It as AWESOME!

The Hola Tacos Breakfast Menu

The Churros were not bad at all.

This queso was AMAZING... I cannot believe I ate this for breakfast but it was mighty tasty!

The Hola Tacos Breakfast Burrito was really good and I loved the fresh guacamole!

After breakfast we went back to the balcony as it was a gorgeous day and the seas were smooth as glass. We stayed on the balcony in the shade for over an hour before going to the Jungle Pool Beach Bar for freshly squeezed orange juice. TIP- The Jungle Beach Bar is the only place on the ship with a fresh OJ machine and it is delicious. This is free if you have the Premium Beverage Package and does not count towards your 15 drinks. We sipped our fresh OJ and laid out in the corner of the Jungle Pool area for over an hour. 

This is a perfect day aboard a cruise ship... AND even INSIDE with AC.


We then went to the Casino Bar and met a couple from Magnolia, just miles away from our hometown of Conroe, TX. We talked to them for a while before going to “Tour de Brunch” in the MDR. This brunch offered food from “around the world” with about 8 different main dish options. We arrived after 12PM and it was very busy, but we did not have to wait for a table which was nice. The service was not as good for this meal as I feel we were forgotten a bit. The food was mid-level at best but I enjoyed seeing all the offerings from other passengers' tables. 

The Main Dining Room Tour de Brunch menu (Sea Day #2)

The French Toast Kellie- 2.5

Carbonara Pasta Kellie-2.0 This sauce was awful... Flavor was not terrible!

Bread and Butter Pudding Kellie 3.0 & Chris- 3.0


Afternoon
After brunch we went back to the balcony and were able to stay in the shade for only about 30 minutes before it was fully in the sun and were HOT so we went to the Cabaret Lounge for afternoon trivia- we didn't win! But the wake view was absolutely perfect on this gorgeous day!
Balcony Selfie time...

This is why I cruise... and cruise SO OFTEN! This is absolutely PERFECT!

Hello Mariner of the Seas! We will see you in less than 2 months for "The Suite Life of Chris & Kellie"! Stay tuned for that!

We then went to the Cocktail Bar in the Specialty Restaurant Lounge. This very quickly became our favorite spot on the whole ship and gave Carnival Alchemy Bar vibes. The bartender Ashish Rao from Mumbai was incredible and the sole bartender at this bar. He made some of the best drinks I have had in a very long time. We sat at talked to him for a long time before leaving to go to Friend’s Trivia in the Cabaret Lounge. Unfortunately, I did not win but we still had fun! In fact, this is our first cruise EVER we have not won a single trivia!


We went to the Love and Marriage Show as the matinee in the Main Theater and it was funny and very well attended. TIP- Be sure to arrive at all shows in the Main Theater about 5-10 minutes early as there is not enough seating for 5,500 passengers and it gets really crowded in the last 10 minutes before a show. 

MSC Spa Entrance- Check it out!

We loved the layout of this Spa!


We opted to enjoy the gorgeous afternoon in the Infinity Pool area on Deck 8 aft. This was less of a pool and more of a shallow bathtub but we enjoyed the sun and the calmness of no kids. TIP- Even when sailing on “off-peak” weeks in the school year, we still had 1,269 passengers less than 18 years old on our cruise and I was a little shocked. I will say that most of the kids were much better behaved than Carnival or Norwegian clientele it seemed. 

Another view of the Infinity Pool from the Aft Elevators. Check out the AFT ELEVATORS:

Hello Cancun, Mexico!

Let's Get some GELATO!
Day 3- Let's Talk Ship
A gorgeous day on a cruise ship... everything else doesn't even matter!

Evening
We spent about 2 hours in the Infinity Pool and then showered and got ready for Gala Night onboard. TIP- Gala Night is MSC’s Formal Night and I will say that overall the guest were much more dressed up than our experience the past few years on Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. It very much reminded us of Princess Cruise Lines Formal Night and we liked that. 

We are all "prettied up" for Gala Night!

I (personally) LOVED getting to dress up for Gala Night!

Dinner in the MDR was not as nice as we would have thought for the “Gala Night” dinner and the service was not as fast as the previous two evenings; but it is a formal night and the service is just always slower. We also for the first time ordered "Two Entrees" as we wanted to share the Filet Mignon. Supposedly MSC charges $5 per additional entree beyond 1. We expected a charge and we did have a "charge" on our account BUT it was for $0. That could have been standard or it could have been since we mentioned the steak not being very good at all- It's hard to tell! It was also VERY HOT in our corner on this meal and by the time our dessert arrived, we were so hot we were uncomfortable! 


The MDR Gala Night Dinner Menu 


Lobster Bisque Chris- 3.0 & Kellie- 2.5 This was good flavored but it was not as rich or thick & creamy as I would personally prefer.

Caesar Salad Chris-1.5 & Kellie- 1.0 This seemed not even mixed together and the dressing had "clumps" in it!

Lobster Chris-4.0 (the whole dish but the Lobster itself was 2.0) Kellie- 2.5 overall

Filet Mignon Chris 2.0 & Kellie-1.0 This didn't even taste like the right cut of meat as it was very chewy and overcooked. Even the neighboring table had a tough cut of meat. The potatoes, asparagus and sauce were DELICIOUS and easily the most flavorful thing we had up to this point but we couldn't even finish this TINY steak!

Another look at this cut of "filet".

Baked Alaska Both- 3.5 We enjoyed this ending to our meal!

Gala Night Review
Overall, we really enjoyed this evening! 

After dinner we went back to the room to get into more comfortable clothes and then went to the Sports Bar for live music with guitarist Christo de Rey- this guy was INCREDIBLE and easily the most entertaining musicians we have experienced on any cruise! If you like Classic Rock, be sure to check him out!

He last set was over at 11PM so we went back to enjoy the balcony! I was not feeling 100% so I showered and went to bed early. Overall it was a great sea day aboard the MSC Seascape!

Up Next- Costa Maya, Mexico

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Harmony of the Seas- February 2026








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006
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