Bahamas cruises 2026 - MSC Seashore

First cruise : May 10 to 13

We wanted to take a short cruise between our Nude Cruise and our planned trip to Europe. This cruise, out of Port Canaveral, fit the bill. It was only four nights and didn't really go anywhere, which sounded ideal.

When we arrived to check in, the line stretched seemingly forever outside and we thought we were in for a long wait. Fortunately, the line moved quickly and we actually boarded the ship within 40 minutes, which wasn't too bad. We went straight to our stateroom, which was already cleaned and ready and dropped our hand luggage. Then we went to check out the ship, the MSC Seashore.

The ship was built in 2021 and can hold up to 5877 passengers.  It did feel crowded! We had a wander around before taking a nap before dinner.

After a rest, it was time for dinner, which did not go well. The food was poor quality and almost cold. We complained and the staff were suitably apologetic. Fortunately, as the wait staff were aware of our first night disappointment they took good care of us going forward.

After dinner, we went to see a show in the main theatre.

The show was actually pretty good, with lots of energy and some excellent singing and dancing.

Next day, we arrived at Ocean Cay, the MSC private island. We were there overnight, so we actually had two days on the island

There was still a lot of construction going on which should be completed in 2027.

We walked to Bimini Beach facing the ocean where the lounge chairs were free. Everywhere else, there was a rental charge. The sea was calm and very pleasant.

Kris likes to be in the shade, which was not always easy to find

After dark, the lighthouse turns into a light show, which you can watch from the beach, or from the ship.

In the evening, there was a "white party" on the pool deck. We dressed in white but didn't stay long.

The next and last day, was spent in Nassau. Kristine didn't want to do an excursion as we had been to Nassau several times before, so she went for a walk around the town before heading back to the ship.

Paul took a Rose Island excursion which included a chance to snorkel. As it turned out, he was the only passenger on the boat, with a crew of four.

The snorkeling was excellent, with a huge variety of brightly colored fish. I just wish I had an underwater camera.

We arrived at Rose Island, or at least what amounted to a private beach on the island. I'm sure there were other beaches as well. When we arrived, it was deserted so I had the place to myself.

I took the opportunity to swim out to the three floating decks just offshore, but without ladders, they were extremely hard to climb onto, although with much effort I succeeded. As the place was deserted, I took the opportunity to skinny-dip around the floating decks which was very pleasant 

About the time I decided to go ashore, a large catamaran appeared and started to unload about 50 people onto the beach. I quickly pulled my trunks back on and swam ashore.  The beach suddenly became very crowded.

I had already decided it was time to leave but as I waited for my boat to return, an announcement was made that it was time to feed the pigs! The group were given a safety talk and told to get into the sea. Then the hungry pigs we released. They ate pieces of hot dog and fuit served up on skewers, so people didn't lose their fingers.

Those pigs knew exactly what was happening and took no time to rush into the water to grab their treats. Certainly a sight to behold.

I left soon after and didn't take part in the feeding frenzy. After a quick trip back to the port, I walked back to the ship where Kris was reading in the cabin.

That night, the officers and crew including the captain, took part in a dance party in the main atrium. They seemed to doing most of the dancing while the passengers looked on.

We also went to one last show, which included all the performers we had seen at the previous shows. Again, the best part was the young dancers and singers.

Next morning, we walked off the ship at 6:50am and we were back in our condo by 7:30am. A very easy departure!

Second cruise - September 27 to 30

We had a few days open before our long planned cruise to New Zealand and we found a really cheap deal on the same ship we had taken earlier in the year - the MSC Seashore. The itinerary was identical, so I won't repeat it here. 

As before, our first stop was the MSC Private Island, Ocean Cay, which hadn't changed much since our last visit, except this time, there weren't any free loungers!

There was a show every night and we attended all of them. The dancing numbers were the best.

As we arrived into Nassau on the last day, we had a spectacular sunrise over Atlantis.

Paul was supposed to take the same excursion to Rose Island he had taken on the last cruise but it was cancelled. We left the ship, but it was raining and windy, so we went back on board. Later, the weather improved and tried again. We wandered around downtown Nassau and finished up in a watch shop. Kris bought Paul a new Citizen watch.

After we returned to the ship, we relaxed for the rest of the day until it was dinner time. 

Next day, we arrived early in Port Canaveral, carried our own luggage off the ship and were home by 7:30am.