Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (02/01/25)

 

This would be the last day for us on the ship.   This would be the last day that we could leave our towels on the floor and have them replaced with clean ones by the room steward.  This would be the day where we would have to pack our suitcases and leave them by the door, so that we could pick them up at the pier. And this would be the day that I'd start itemizing what the cruise line did right and did wrong, preparing to write an email to the cruise line's customer service department.

But what would I write about?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the questionable service in the main dining room for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.  Unlike dinner service (where you sit at the same table, at the same time, and are served by the same staff), breakfast, brunch and lunch service has people sitting at random tables, at random times during the meal's dining schedule, and has multiple servers providing uncoordinated service.  One could place a meal order with one person, have a bar order taken by a second person, and food delivered by a third.  It seems like no one is talking to each other during morning and afternoon meals, leaving many cruisers unhappy.  To make things worse, our lunch server reached over the table next to us to hand us our dessert plates.  If I were running a restaurant, this would be unacceptable service.

Like the closet in my studio cabin on my first cruise with this line, the closet in our cabin has hinged doors.  This is not a problem when a cabin has enough space for doors to open, like our current interior cabin.  But this is a big problem for the line's studio cabins, as the opened sofa-bed blocks the doors, and limits access to the closet. Unlike other cruise lines, the space in this cabin is not designed to store much.  In my interior cabin on last year's California Trip, I had at least twice as much space to store things than I have on this cruise - in a similarly sized cabin.  I will likely suggest that they retrofit the closets in their studio cabins to use sliding doors, as this would be a great benefit to future cruisers.

Yet, there are good things I can say as well.  The comedians on both of my most recent cruises were good, and made us want to see them more than once. We were both Food served in the main dining room was plentiful, albeit under-spiced to many Americans' tastes.  (It's easier to add salt to a dish than to take it away.)  Dinner service in the main dining room was very good, and everyone there was very attentive to our needs. We didn't need to dine at any of the specialty restaurants, and we were glad we made the choice not to do so.

Readers may notice the scooter in the hallway at the top of this entry.  Our steward said that MSC doesn't have a policy against scooters being left in the hall.  This can be a big problem in case of an emergency.   There is not enough room for a wheelchair to roll through the hall when a scooter takes up more than half the hall's width.  I'll be sure to note this as a major risk factor in my email, even though I didn't want to complain while onboard the ship - why make things harder for people who need these scooters and ruin their cruises?

- - - - - -

Back to our day....

After breakfast, we had to pack.  So we both loaded up our suitcases and readied them for the transport from the ship to the pier.  Then came our last lunch and dinner in the main dining rooms.  We said farewell to our waiter, then it was back to the cabin to finish packing.  We were mildly disturbed by the steward when he came for the beach towels.  Yet, this was the perfect opportunity for us to hand him a tip in person.

Both of us felt as if our belongings had grown while we were on the ship.  As I write this, I'm hoping that I packed my large suitcase to its capacity and left enough room in my backpack and carry-on to handle the rest of my stuff.

 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (01/31/25)

 

We finally got moving time to go to the main dining room for breakfast.  This is often a miracle, given how RQS likes to sleep late (and I have little reason to interrupt this).  However, we will need to get up very early for us when Sunday comes, as we will need to be out of the cabin before 7:30 am.

But first....

Sea days on a cruise can be very relaxing.  However, on this ship, there are absolutely no places where one can relax in a place designed to be quiet at all times outside of one's cabin.  The design of this ship almost forces one to spend money, as there is no library or card room in which to escape the racket in the common areas.  For example, we got out of a show around 10:15 pm, and the ship was holding a loud dance party in the atrium/galleria - a place in which we'd need to walk through on our way back to our cabin.   

Today, we got up early enough to get breakfast in the main dining room.  Unfortunately, so did so many other people.  To make it worse, the 8 am crowd didn't make it on line until 9 am, as many forgot to set their clocks backward the night before.  So, we ended up being part of an overflow crowd which was treated to far from spectacular service for breakfast.  RQS complained (not at me, but venting with me) that they didn't pay much attention to her multiple requests for water until I raised the issue.  In short, it was another one of those "Ignore the woman, Pay attention to the man" moments that most women find bothersome.  At least, we were able to avoid the buffet for another day.

- - - - - -

Dinner tonight would be another chance to get dressed up for dinner.  I will make sure that RQS and I get to a couple of photo stations before entering the dining room.  This way, we would be able to get at least one nice picture of the two of us to frame. And this we did, getting several sets of pictures from different photographers.  To make things better, we met our friends from the first 2 nights; dinners, and exchanged phone numbers.  So we'll be able to meet up with them the next time we're near DC.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (01/30/25)

Another sea day, and we woke up late enough to barely miss breakfast in the main dining room.  As usual, the buffet was crowded, and had little to interest us.  

But first...

As this cruise winds down, I find myself looking forward to being home again.  No, it's not that this is a bad cruise.  Instead, it's because I'm looking forward to my old routine, and to seeing friends in Marian mode. With this being said, I'll miss lunches and dinners where the utensils are changed with every service.  I'll miss someone making up my bed and replacing my towels after I leave the cabin for a while.  I'll miss being able to visit new places, and not having to do much of anything to get there.

Today's lunch was Italian themed.  It was not a big difference from the usual lunches on sea days, save that the menu was presented differently than would be on a normal sea day.  After 8 days of being on the ship, I'm starting to get tired of all this rich food coming my way.  One thing I can say about this cruise is that if you are going hungry. it's all your fault.

After lunch, it was back to the cabin where I caught up a little on my reading. All too soon, it was time for dinner.  Once we were seated, we chatted with the Maitre D', and found out that our friends from the first 2 nights on the ship have been eating in the buffet, as they have more vegan offerings that the gentleman could eat.  However, he'd likely be coming to dinner tomorrow, as it's another Gala Night.

Finally, after a chance to rest, it was time to see the comedian for a late night show.  It's the one time I want to be out of the cabin after 10 pm.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Port Day (01/29/25 - St. Maarten)

 

Today's post will be a short one.  Not much of note happened.  But I have resolved to find ways of taking more cruises as Marian, based on little things of note - such as only needing to show a cruise card in San Juan and St. Maarten.  Over time, I will likely find more ports that I can visit as Marian without headaches from the local governments.

But first....

We finally made it to breakfast in the main dining room.  And this time, we had better service than we had at brunch several days ago.  This was an auspicious start to our day in St. Maarten.  

Around 2 pm, we decided to take a walk off the ship.  Although the temperature was in the 80's, if felt over 10 degrees warmer due to the humidity and the lack of shade.  We found nothing of interest in the few gift shops we visited, and decided to go back to the ship in less than an hour.

Once back on the ship, we got some gelato to cool off, then sat down to rest and eat our gelato.  I got into a chat with another cruiser, a lady who was very happy with MSC as a cruise line.  We then got into "apartment life", talking about NYC rent stabilization and co-op apartments.  It was a pleasant chat, but not one worth hanging out for more than 30 minutes. 

About an hour later, we were again seated in the main dining room.  The meal was enjoyable, but the Shrimp fra Diavolo lacked a certain punch.  It was pleasant, but had no heat to talk about.  At least, the cheesecake was pleasant and predictable.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Port Day (01/28/25 - Charlotte Amalie, USVI)

 

Unlike the other days so far on this ship, we finally made it to the buffet for breakfast.  It wasn't what either of us would have wanted, but it was something to ease any hunger pains we had.

- - - - - -

Breakfast at the buffet is always a hunt for something interesting to eat, something which doesn't seem to industrial for one's taste.  Today, I found some scrambled eggs (yecch), bacon, and some chocolate cheese blintzes which weren't that objectionable.  So, around 1 pm, we finally made it to land to walk around a bit, and get some lunch.

RQS bought some costume jewelry, while I sat outside in the shade. And then, we decided to get a bite to eat off the ship, at a restaurant called the Smoking Rooster.  We ordered a sampler plate, a dish which had more than enough meat for the two of us.  Once done, it was back to the ship - it was way too warm to walk around, then be fresh enough for dinner at 5:30 pm.

Sadly, our friends are no longer going to dinner, so we took their seats in the restaurant.  (We believe they might be going to the buffet, where one of them can more easily find vegan grub.)  It seems like the service is getting much more attentive in the dining room the longer we are there.  I guess they really want us to give them a good review after we leave the ship.

After dinner, it was time to go to the buffet to pick up some fresh fruit for the morning.  I asked a uniformed staff member where we could get some uncut apples, and an assistant brought us 3.  What more could you ask of these people?  I'll be sure to give them a good write up as well.  And, finally, it was back to our cabin for the night.  We'll sleep well....

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Port Day (01/27/25 - San Juan, PR)

 

This was another day that we chose to wake up late.  Unlike yesterday, the main dining room was not open for lunch.  So, we went to the Mexican restaurant onboard to get our first meal of the day.  And, as expected, it was yummy.  RQS noted that the tacos were as good as the local taco joint in her neighborhood - they were that good.  As for me, I knew the tacos were good, but was underwhelmed by the burritos - too much cilantro for my taste.  At least, the flan was as good as expected.

By now, the crowds were off the ship, so we left the ship a little after 2 pm.  On our way off the ship, one lady had a problem getting her scooter over the lip separating the carpeted from the non-carpeted area of the 4th floor.  So I did the helpful thing, and got her front wheel over the lip, and the driving wheels would do the rest.  Next, there was another person in a scooter in front of us.  People weren't making way for him, so I bellowed out "Make Way!  A scooter is coming down the ramp."  (It didn't help that they closed down one of the gangways to re-provision the ship.  We'd have been off the ship in half the time.)  Once the scooter was lifted onto the downward ramp, getting off the ship was easy.

Now on dry land, the heat and humidity started to get to us.  We walked a little through the older part of San Juan, and then headed back to the ship for dinner.  Sadly, our new friends may have chosen a later dining time, so that dinner wouldn't feel rushed.  For us, today was our quickest dinner, as we were out of the dining room in less than 90 minutes.

 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Port Day (01/26/25 - Puerto Plata, DR)

 

The ship made port at 12:00 noon, and we made it to lunch at the same time.  We were in no hurry to do much of anything, and there would be no need to hurry until the end of the cruise.  So, there was only one drawback for me in waking up early - there was no uncut fresh fruit in the room for me to nosh on to sate my hunger.

- - - - - -

We went to the main dining room for lunch, and this time, service wasn't bad.  Yes, there was a minor mistake.  But it was nothing to complain about.  (Later on, we'd find that 90 people started their contracts with this sailing.  No wonder why service in the dining rooms was iffy at times.)  After lunch, it was again time to relax.  So we went upstairs to the buffet, where we could read in someplace other than our cabin.

Around 5:30, it was time to go to dinner, and our new friends weren't there.  I guess either of 3 things happened:

1. They were still dealing with the aftermath of the water pipe bursting at home, and were still making calls from the ship to see that their home gets fixed.
   
   
2. They flew home from the DR, so that they could deal with their issues in person.
   
   
3. They were tired of dining with us (RQS deems this doubtful), and found another table (and time) to dine at.
   

It felt strange to have a table for 6 to ourselves.  But we enjoyed the meal anyway.

- - - - - -

After another trip back to our room, we went to the theater to see a performer (LsShonda Reese) sing a set of songs by James Brown, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and others.  She was a good singer, but I wouldn't have spent money to see her perform - at least, not in a cruise ship environment.

As usual, we now are finding that our next door cabin resident regularly leaves her scooter in the hallway.  Do I like this?  No.  But there's nothing I want to do about this.  It's a pain to house the scooter in the room.  Yet, I feel that she should have booked an "Accessible Cabin" to deal with this issue beforehand. This is something I will bring up when I write a letter to the cruise line's customer service department.  I don't want to get anyone in trouble (especially not our room steward), but I think the cruise line needs a policy for this, as not all cabin entryways have room to park 1 scooter, much less 2 scooters.

Tomorrow, we will be in Puerto Rico, and we may finally get off the ship.