MSC Seashore Cruise: Ocean Cay, Costa Maya & Cozumel

Getting to Florida

We left home at 11 a.m. on August 31. Interstate lane closures added about an hour to the drive, so lunch did not happen until 4 p.m. at Chick-fil-A. Later, we stopped at Buc-ee’s and shared a three-meat sandwich with my brother-in-law before settling in at WoodSpring Suites in Port Orange.

September 1: Boarding MSC Seashore

We left the hotel at 8 a.m. and took the scenic beach highways toward the port. Along the way, we saw fishing gators and passed NASA. After a short wait to park, we boarded MSC Seashore and started the trip with pizza for lunch.

Once check-in was finished, we tried a few drinks, including Heineken, Tiger beer, and Dewar’s White Label. The ship sailed at 5 p.m. Dinner included a salmon poke bowl, Greek salad, calamari steak, and coconut-pistachio dessert while we watched USC play LSU.

September 2–3: Two days at Ocean Cay

We watched the ship dock at MSC Ocean Cay early on September 2, then had breakfast in the dining room. Most of the day was spent at the beach before we returned to the ship to rest, look around the buffet, and have dinner. That night, we went back out for pictures of the beach and lighthouse after dark.

The next morning started with hummus, parfait, and a smoothie. We enjoyed another relaxed day on the island, tried a few drinks, and had a lobster roll. Dinner back onboard was one of the better meals of the trip: salmon, lobster bisque, lobster and shrimp, and a mint-pineapple dessert.

September 4: Sea day

Our first full sea day was spent playing Phase 10, trying different beers, and visiting the casino, where I managed to win some money at roulette. Lunch in the restaurant included Japanese rice, fried chicken, and a Bloody Mary. For dinner, we had shrimp tails, French onion soup, red snapper, and key lime pie.

September 5: Costa Maya

After a small breakfast, we got off the ship and explored the port before taking a taxi to the Krazy Lobster area. It started raining almost as soon as we sat down, but the food made the trip worthwhile. Our surf-and-turf meal for four included lobster, steak, chicken, fried fish, beans, pico, guacamole, and plantains, along with cheladas and a bucket of beer.

We visited a few shops, tried a couple more beers, and took a taxi back to the port. Dinner onboard included snails, beet salad, and steak Diane, followed by football before bed.

September 6: Exploring Cozumel

In Cozumel, we checked in for an excursion and boarded a bus that took us across parts of the island I had never seen. The east-side beaches were wide open and much rougher than the tourist areas near the port.

Stops included a restaurant for tequila samples, local ruins with a history lesson, and a meal of chicken tacos, rice, beans, and corn tortillas. We also tried homemade chocolate and more tequila before returning to the ship. Dinner that night was octopus, mushrooms, and lamb.

September 7–8: One last sea day and home

Our final sea day began with breakfast and salmon eggs Benedict at brunch. We played cards, had a few drinks, and used some onboard credit to buy liquor to take home. Dinner was not my favorite menu of the trip, so I settled on caprese salad, antipasto, chicken parmesan, and wild berry cobbler. I finished the night with roulette and football.

We left the ship at 7:15 a.m. on September 8. A stop at Wayback Burgers broke up the drive, and we made good enough time to get home while there was still daylight.