Meraviglia docked at Ocean Cay
Buffet lines
Ocean Cay is MSC’s private Bahamian island. It is brand spanking new, just opening for use in December 2019, about 2 months ago. It is still a work in progress as there are at least three major construction areas on the island. But what is there is quite nice. Pristine beaches, crystal clear water, brightly painted shops and eating/drinking venues. There may not be enough of the latter as the lines at the buffet got very long by 1:30pm, but I think a second buffet location is one of the areas that is under construction.
And, because it is an extension of the ship experience, all of the food in the buffet (except for beer and wine) is free. And anything in the shops or at the bar can be purchased using the ship card. Very convenient.
Outer space dome show
Unfortunately, our day on the island was marred by two things: the weather (cloudy and cool; see the gray in the photos?) and the failure of Sybil’s walker. She got tired walking back to the ship, so I offered to let her sit, with me pushing. We were moving along pretty good when I hit a rut with the front left wheel, which almost tipped her over backward (I saved her from that scary almost spill) and some cracked spokes on the plastic wheel. At first I thought that the walker was completely disabled (and may have needed a walker itself), but I was able to muscle the broken spokes back into near-alignment so that it could continue to function as a walker. But no more riding.
The day at Ocean Cay could have been a long beach day, culminating in a bonfire and a light show on the lighthouse. But because it was so cool we opted to return to the ship and play Hand, Knee and Foot. And drink our other free bottle of champagne. Sybil and I got schooled by Jett and Christine, but the champagne was enjoyed by all.
Christine and I did the 4pm trivia thing again and again came in second. Or last – there were 3 teams that scored 8 and we scored 7. We always find a way to not-quite-win. On our way out we caught the Dome Show which was an outer space experience.
Dinner was bittersweet, of course. Our last night together on the ship. We all selected the swordfish steak and the Asian salad, both very good, though the salad was light on the sesame dressing (the waiter got us more). We caught the last 15 minutes of the “One Night More” show of Broadway tunes. What we saw was exceptionally good – particularly the 3 Les Miserables songs, which always bring goosebumps.
Then we said goodbye because Christine and Sybil were planning on leaving very early, in the “express checkout”. They needed to get to the Enterprise office to get a car and drive the 2.5 hours back to Ft Myers. Because Christine had booked a round-trip BOS-RSW ticket, forgetting that we would not be able to drive her back. Oops.
Jett and I played slots a bit and lost a bit. But not much. We ended the week still up over $300. I don’t think we have ever finished a week at sea with casino winnings.
Just one of the many ways in which we had a fine time.