Lost Shaker of Salt- MSC Seascape April 5- 12, 2026 Galveston, TX (Western Caribbean)
MSC Seascape was an absolutely GORGEOUS ship!
After 28 cruises, we are in love with CRUISING and are pretty much addicted to cruising. We find it to be the overall BEST VALUE for vacationing; although, we do travel on land vacations annually. We wanted to try MSC as we have never sailed on this Italian Cruise Line. We found a last minute deal just 22 days prior to embarkation day for only $342/ person. Even when we added the Premium Drink Package and the Wi-Fi, the grand total with taxes and fees was still only $1542 for both of us! This is completely unheard of as we usually pay just short of that for the DRINK PACKAGE only on Royal Caribbean!
We have cruised 13 previous times with Carnival, 12 times with Royal Caribbean, 2 times with Norwegian and 1 time with Princess.
This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the MSC Seascapeas well as a shore excursion details, port tips and tricks and so much more. We will also VLOG our daily life aboard the MSC Seascape!
Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Galveston, information about cruising to the Western Caribbean as well as great information about MSC Seascape!
Check out our 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean:
We enjoyed the MSC Seascape and trying out a new cruise line! And to be honest, we would sail on Seascape or with MSC again (if the price was right). We will pay MSC prices for the "MSC experience" like we had on the Seascape; but NOT Royal Caribbean prices for the same experience! We cruise for the relaxation and peace of being at sea and away from it all! In the end, we will cruise on whichever line has the best deal and overall value!
Up Next... The Mariner of the Seas (our SUITE LIFE to achieving Diamond on Royal Caribbean)!
Coming Soon:
Symphony of the Seas- July 2026 Liberty of the Seas- December 2026 Freedom of the Seas (Graduation Cruise)- June 2027
Making Friends with the Staff Sea Day #3 April 11, 2026
Living it up and doing it all... You have to, it's the last day!
Morning We woke up a little later than normal but the seas were so peaceful it made for a very relaxing evening and night of sleep. We opted to eat at Hola Tacos once again as it really was our favorite onboard the MSC Seascape.TIP- Hola Tacos is FREE for breakfast EVERYDAY, except Debarkation day! The service and food were FANTASTIC!
Hello Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas... Been there, done that! And we LOVED her!
The seas were PERFECT and it made for a wonderful day!
The pastry and churros basket... Chris REALLY enjoyed these!
The queso fondido... I ate this every time we went to Hola Tacos becasue who doesn't want QUESO for breakfast!
We spent the majority of the morning in the Cabaret Rouge Lounge for trivia. We tried our hand at many trivia games but unfortunately, for the 1st time in 29 cruises, we did not win a single trivia this cruise! We grabbed our traditional souvenirs in the MSC Logo Store before going to the Marketplace Buffet for lunch!
I could literally sit and stare at this ALL DAY!
Afternoon The Marketplace Buffet is the only complimentary restaurant that is open for lunch and it was SUPER crowded on this day! TIP- You can order room service or eat lunch at Hola Tacos but those cost an additional fee. We arrived at the buffet shortly before noon and it seemed all 5,500 passengers were also in this venue. It reminded me of a Carnival Embarkation Day buffet and it was not fun! Since this was the last day of the cruise, the head chef and the Cruise Director were in attendance and there was a special ceremony and parade of nations type of event which explained the crowds. It took us about 25 minutes just to find each other and a place to eat our lunch. It was a neat experience but I would wait until a little later for lunch next time.
I liked this vibe but I was not expecting a FULL ON PARTY!
After explore the ship to see what the crowds were like on a sea day (more specifically the LAST sea day), we spent the rest of the afternoon in the Sports Bar to watch the 3rd round of The Masters. Since this was a sea day, the bar service started earlier in the day and it made a PERFECT afternoon onboard. On our way back to our room Chris made a pit-stop at the Venchi Chocolate shop and "accidentally" got in with a Chocolate Tasting group. This chocolate tasting was $40 total and included 8 pieces of chocolate (of your choice) and a large chocolate bar to-go. Unfortunately, I do not like chocolate so I did not participate but we purchased many bars to take home to our kids and my parents as well. Chris really enjoyed the experience and said the chocolate was worth the $40.
The Waterpark around 1PM... It was not crowed AT ALL!
When we went back to the room, we got dressed for dinner and enjoy the peacefulness of our balcony before going to the Cocktail Bar as it opened at 5PM. We stayed here until our dinner time of 7:30PM just talking to the bartender, Ashish Rao from Mumbai. The past few cruises we have really enjoyed getting to know the staff and hear their stories. I loved getting to talk to Ashish and learn about his work and travel life and I now want to go to Mumbai before I die!
Let's Talk Ship- Day #7
We love a day at sea!
Evening Dinner in the Main Dining Room was Italian Night and one of MSC's biggest events. We had read so much about it and we were very anxious to try it. The tables were decorated and the entire atmosphere of the MDR had a much better vibe, in our opinion. The service was once again exceptional and the food was better than most previous nights in the MDR.
I LOVED the decor and atmosphere on Italian Night!
The Italian Night MDR Menu!
Calamari Chris- 2.5 & Kellie- 2.0 It was a little chewy but the Italian flavor was SPOT ON!
Caprese Salad Kellie- 2.0
I was a little let down on this dish as I expected so much more!
Chicken Parm Chris 3.5 & Kellie 3.0
I loved the napkin folding from the waiters.
Tiramisu
Chris 3.0 & Kellie- 2.5
After dinner we made the dreadful walk back to our stateroom to pack up for the week. This is the absolute WORST part of any cruise as it means the fun is over. We quickly packed our suitcases and left them outside our door for the "Assisted Debarkation" as we always do. TIP- We enjoy a slower end to our cruise and exit off the ship on Debarkation Morning so we choose to not carry our own luggage off. This usually allows a slower breakfast and a 8:30-9AM debarkation time (on any cruise line). However, you can carry ALL your luggage off and get off the ship as early as 7AM on most cruise lines.
We went back to the Cocktail Bar just minutes before they were closing down but of course Ashish made us a few rounds of drinks before they officially closed the bar down. We ended the night at the Sports Bar for Christo del Rey last performance. We found several people enjoying the last night onboard and the bartenders gave us some wonderful drinks (for free).
Thank you TED for these delicious drinks! Here's to MSC Seascape and this awesome cruise!
We love this vibe!
Let's Talk Ship- Night #7 and Cruise Recap
It was a wonderful week spent onboard the MSC Seascape and we enjoyed trying out a new cruise line and all the new things that come along with it. I am not sure MSC will be a new favorite cruise line by any means, we thoroughly enjoyed our week and our cruise. Reminder- A cruise is what you make of it and we had a great time despite all of the differences we noticed. I will say MSC offered OUTSTANDING service each and every day! Plus the Seascape herself was GORGEOUS and I believe the most beautiful ship we have ever sailed in 29 cruises!
MSC Seascape... It's been fun!
We've got 3 more cruises booked in 2026 plus Natalie's European Graduation Cruise in 2027!
Up Next... The Mariner of the Seas (our SUITE LIFE to achieving Diamond) and the kids first trip to the Bahamas on the Symphony of the Seas this summer!
We love a good sea day... and even with the rain, this one did not disappoint! (Remember- a cruise is what you make of it)
Morning We were rocking and rolling all night and that made for not great sleep for either of us. The stateroom itself was kept decently cool but without a fan, I did not sleep well at all. But again, props to MSC for the cool stateroom as it proved to be the coldest room we've ever had, which is deserves a praise.
Even in terrible weather- I love CRUISING and this was so peaceful!
We made our way to the Butcher's Cut Steakhouse as they offer complimentary breakfast on Seas Days, or so we thought.TIP- It turns out Butcher's Cut (and Hola Tacos) offers free breakfast on ALL days, even port days. The service was incredible and fast. The food was average at best but we did enjoy the experience of less crowded buffet.
Check out Butcher's Cut on MSC Seascape
Butcher's Cut offers a MASSIVE restaurant and FREE breakfast EVERYDAY!
Butcher's Cut Breakfast Menu
The pastries were brought as we were sitting down... These were very tasty and delicate!
Omelet Chris- 3.0 & Kellie- 2.0 This was... interesting! The texture was very "mealy" and it was bland!
Biscuits and Bacon Gravy Chris- 3.0 & Kellie- 2.0 The biscuits were as hard as the baseballs Luke throws around at practice... BUT the gravy was "Paula Dean" good!
After breakfast we stopped by the Specialty Dining Area to fix our Specialty Dinner at Kaito Sushi Bar.TIP- We pre-purchased our Specialty meal prior to embarkation and requested a time... Or so we thought. We received a note in our stateroom early this morning stating we have to come to actually reserve a time. This seemed SO weird to me as I really thought I already did that; however, that is not how MSC does things. All passengers can "request" in the app or online prior to embarkation but must come and "Verify" once on board. We had no idea and only knew this tanks to the note left at our stateroom. Luckily, they had the same night available for us to eat at the Kaito Sushi Bar, but we were not able to get the same 7PM reservation time we had hoped for. We opted for a 6:15PM reservation time and that worked out in the end! But if you pre-purchase meals in specialty restaurants, be sure to confirm and verify your day and time once onboard the ship!
The Wine Cellar (Specialty Lounge) on MSC Seascape
We spent the rest of the morning in the Cabaret Lounge on Deck 7 Aft. This venue offered live music, trivia plus a gorgeous view of the aft! We chilled here for a while as it was rainy and stormy outside. The ship was still rocking and rolling through this storm it made for a more crowded ship than we would prefer but we made the best of it.
My favorite place on ANY SHIP... the wake view! This view indoors was even better! This venue reminded me of 270 on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas.
These trivia games felt so international as many were "video" style and offered options in many different languages with corresponding flags.
Afternoon We spent 3 hours in the Sports Bar and then made our way to the Main Dining Room for lunch. Once again, the service in the MDR was phenomenal and we were in and out in only 45 minutes but once again, the food fell a little short to us. I will say that is was MUCH BETTER than the Embarkation Day dinner from the previous night but overall the flavor was still lacking for our preferences.
The MDR Lunch Menu offered something for everyone!
The Penne al la vodka Kellie 2.5 The pasta was not cooked all the way and when I asked the waiter he mentioned this is the "Italian" way of cooking pasta. I will go ahead and say all of my pasta the rest of the week was not cooked enough for me and was a little "hard"- so at least they were consistent!
Banoffe Sundae Kellie- 3.5 This was very good and not traditional- I loved the change of pace!
We opted to go back to the stateroom and nap as the weather really wasn't in our favor. After our naps we went tried to tour more of the ship but it was still SUPER rainy and the weather was not nice to us.
The MSC Seascape Hall of Games Arcade (Deck 18 Midship)
This was an AWESOME arcade!
We ended up going to the Infinity Bar on Deck 8 Aft in the Adults Only area of the Ship. Some of our friends just got off the MSC Seascape and sure enough, the bartenders at the Infinity Bar knew Julie and Nate- in fact, he made a round of drinks of some of their favorites for us and others at the bar! During our time at the Infinity Bar it started to really rain hard and the wind was blowing so hard, our cups would not stay on the bar so we were forced to go inside.
Check out the Main Pool on Deck 18 Aft
These bartenders were so nice and just made everyone drinks without asking! It was a party and we were loving it!
It was raining so much the rain started to "pool" on the deck!
Chris sent me this- Umm... This is interesting. The Women's RR did NOT have such a view! This made me laugh so much!
We grabbed some afternoon pizza at the Marketplace Buffet before going back to the Sports Bar for afternoon Live Music and it was incredible. We spent another 2 hours here before heading to dinner in the Green Wave Restaurant.
Evening Our 7PM dinner time was a very popular time and I swear this was the only time we felt all 5,500 passengers each day. The line to get into the restaurant was wrapped all the way back to the atrium and the elevator lobbies were crammed with people. We learned after this night to wait until about 7:10PM to make our way to the restaurant as it was just too many people! TIP- MSC Seascape never once opened the doors early to let in guests for the 2nd Dinner Seating. The minute the second hand turned to 7PM, the doors were open and everyone was herded in like cattle! I did NOT like that! I am all for being "on time" but with this many people waiting, just open the doors. I LOVE that Royal Caribbean will open the doors early and even Carnival has a system of maintain the chaos leading up to opening the MDR.
Dinner in the MDR on this night was better overall as the food was a little more to our likely and once again, the service was top notch! And most importantly, the temperature of all of our food was HOT!
Seafood Cake
Chris- 3.0 & Kellie 2.5
Shrimp Cocktail
Chris 2.0- "It was BIG but not much else too it! The sauce was lackluster and it needed something... not sure what!"
Swordfish
Chris 1.5 & Kellie-1.0
It was barely edible and we each only ate about 2 bites!
Caribbean Cake
Kellie- 2.5
It was flavored well but texture was dry.
Grandma's Chocolate Cake (not pictured) Chris- 3.0 This was flavored VERY well and was moist!
We went back to the room after dinner to take Chris's meds before going to the Main Theater for the Movie Show. This show was a little more entertaining overall than the previous night's show. I enjoyed the Screens showing a lot of movie clips but the performance overall was a little too "karaoke" for my liking!
Night #2 Selfie!
TIP- I love this Hot Air Balloon Photo Op near Cabaret Lounge. It changes background about every 3 minutes!
After the show we made our way to the Champagne Bar on Deck 7 to watch some of the dancing in the atrium from the Live DJ. I loved this atrium and the many bars that allowed for people watching. I think after 29 cruises we both agree that MSC Seascape easily has the best and most beautiful atrium of any ship we have sailed- it truly is breathtaking!
A view of the Atrium from the Champagne Bar!
Line dancing on the Atrium (Seascape) Bar!
We ended the night, once again, in the Sports Bar for Live Music and a re-watch of the Men's Final Four. We LOVED this Sports Bar and I would love to sail during College Football Season or the Super Bowl as this would be an incredible venue to experience either!
"Let's Talk Ship"- Day 2
Despite the dreary weather and being indoors all day, it was a GREAT day aboard the MSC Seascape and the service was impeccable!
