So, the time has finally come: in just over 2 weeks I will be going on my holiday. On the 3rd October, I will be flying from Alicante to London Gatwick and I will then meet my friend Steph at the airport and we will be staying overnight at the airport ready for our 9am flight to Fort Lauderdale. We then pick up our hire car with Affordable Car Hire and drive up to Orlando. We then have 2 jam-packed days at Universal Orlando.
Then on the 5th October, we will head back to Miami and stay overnight in Miami Beach before embarking on MSC Seaside which I am very excited about. Throughout my week on board, I will be posting lot of videos and pictures on my Facebook page so feel free to check it out.
MSC Seaside, panoramic pool
I, of course, have been doing lots of research about the ship and planning everything that I want to experience on board. Here are some of the amazing activities/experiences that I am planning;
Restaurants
- Biscayne Bay Buffet & Pizzeria/ Market Place Buffet – We will definitely be visiting the buffets a few times during the week as MSC Cruises is known for having the best pizza at sea and I like to try all the different foods that the cruise line has to offer.
- Seashore and Ipanema Main Dining Rooms – I am looking forward to going for an evening meal in both of these restaurants.
- Butcher’s Cut – This is one of the specialty restaurants on board. There will be a small cover charge to eat here. As a Black member with MSC Voyagers Club, I am able to experience a tasting menu.
Activities
There are many exciting activities on board MSC Seaside. Before sailing you can purchase a fun pass which is a pass that covers the activities that require a charge, we have paid £75 but this gets us $180 worth of fun pass credit which is a great bonus for booking the fun pass before sailing.
- Adventure Trail – This trail is a rope bridge that is suspended over the waterpark.
- Forest Aquaventure Park – This park is one of the largest and most interactive waterparks at sea. There are 4 different waterslides and I plan on trying them all. One of which is named ‘slideboarding’, which is a unique waterslide and an interactive video game all in one.
- Zip Line – The zip line takes off on deck 23, and at 425 feet long it is the longest zip line at sea.
- Amusement Area – There are lots of amazing activities in the amusement area, there is something for everyone. From the interactive Cinema5D to a full-size bowling lane. I am going to try everything.
- Casino – There is a casino on pretty much every cruise ship, so of course we will check it out.
Excursions
Choosing your excursions is also quite difficult as you only get to book one per port. Here are the excursions that we have chosen;
- Dunn’s River Falls, Ocho Rios, Jamaica – This excursion is approximately 3.5-4 hours long and it takes you to the amazing Dunn’s river falls, here we will get the chance to climb the amazing waterfall, and enter the plunge pools. We have booked this excursion with Cruising Excursions.
- Xcaret Eco Park, Cozumel, Mexico – This tour is 8 hours long and it is booked directly through MSC. This park is the largest and most exciting eco-park in Latin America. It is a park that has a tropical jungle setting. There are many activities available within the park. You can choose from a museum, a bird sanctuary, stables, botanical gardens, aquarium, restored Mayan ruins, a replica Mayan village, beaches, and natural pools.
- Atlantis Aquaventure, Bahamas – This tour is 4-4.5 hours long and it is booked directly through MSC. This waterpark spans across 141 acres making it the largest waterpark in the Caribbean. There are lots of different slides to experience even a 7-story slide.
So, this is my plan. Watch this space and on Facebook as I will be sharing my experience during my cruise and will then blog about my holiday once I am back at work.
MSC Seaside in Trieste Image by Mike Louagie