Today, MSC Seascape is docked in Costa Maya, Mexico. Even though the ship does offer a lot of shore excursions here, we have done most shore excursions so many times. So now we enjoy our time onboard the less crowded ship while most guests are ashore.

MSC Yacht Club guests benefit from complimentary access to the ship’s Thermal Spa area. On port days, reservations are not required. This morning, I decide to head down to the Aurea Spa on Deck 8 to check out the Thermal Spa. The Aurea Spa area is very spacious and as nice as I have seen on any mainstream cruise ship.

The Aurea Spa has separate ladies and gents locker/changing rooms. The lockers can be accessed using your stateroom key, or in my case, my MSC Yacht Club wristband. Complimentary towels are provided; however, I was surprised to see that no spa slippers/sandals were provided. There are showers in the changing rooms.

Even though the brochure says there is a dry sauna, I could not find it. I looked everywhere and never found it. I did find two steam rooms, one with bright light and one dark (below). There is also a large whirlpool, a Salt Relaxation Room, a Snow Room and several showers. I opted for the dark steam room followed by a dip in the whirlpool. A port day is the best way to enjoy the Thermal Spa because there were only a handful of other guests here on my visit.

After my spa visit, it was time for lunch. Rickee and I decided to try out the One Pool Buffet on Deck 20 forward. This is the private pool/bar/buffet area exclusively for Yacht Club guests. The buffet is small, but nicely presented.

There is seating on the port and starboard sides and the tables are covered to protect from the sun.

There is a nice selection of salads, breads, meat and vegetables and desserts on offer at the buffet. You can also ask for a burger made to order if you desire.

After lunch, we decide to disembark, primarily to get in some steps. This is easy to do because the dock at Costa Maya is very long and our ship is docked at the very end of the pier. Unfortunately, there are three other large ships docked here today. Norwegian Encore, Holland America Koningsdam and Carnival Jubilee are all pouring out thousands of tourists onto the pier as we begin our stroll into the tourist shopping area.

*Entrance to the madness that is Costa Maya*

While we were able to get in a few thousands steps, once we arrived at the Costa Maya tourist shopping area, the crowd was oppressive. These massive cruise ships are just cramming too many people into these areas that were not designed to handle these crowds. We could not wait to turn around and walk back to the ship.

Tonight is White Night on MSC Seascape. This has become a tradition now on many cruise lines. There is a White Night Party held on the Marina Pool Deck at 10:15pm and a Mini White Party at the MSC Yacht Club pool at 9:15 pm. While we dressed in white for White Night, we did not attend either of the parties. I may be wrong about this, but I think this whole White Night tradition started with Azamara Cruises years back. That is the first time I remember hearing about White Night. If you know how White Night started, put it in the comments below.

Our White Night starts at the Top Sail Lounge where a daily specialty cocktail is being mixed and presented table side for us.

This evening, we have reservations at Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant. Our butler, Rajesh, once again insisted that he escort us from the Yacht Club to the restaurant on Deck 8. Once seated at a table for ten, Rickee ordered the Branzino and Chicken option, while I ordered the Salmon and Filet. However, I asked if chicken could be substituted for the salmon, which they did.

Regardless of which meal you select, everyone starts off with a platter of sushi and sashimi. The platter consists of two pieces of Spicy Tuna Roll, one Tuna Nigiri and one Yellow Tail Nigiri in addition to tuna and salmon sashimi. I am far from a sushi expert, but I found this starter to just be okay. The spicy tuna roll was not spicy. The wasabi was not spicy and there was too little of it. That said, the fish itself was fresh and tasted good.

After the sushi/sashimi starter, each guest received a bowl of Miso soup. The salad course arrived after we had already been served our first main course, which was a little odd. Neither of us cared for the dressing on the salad.

This was a very different Teppanyaki experience from what we have experienced on other cruise lines. The vegetables prepared with the meal were different than we had ever had and the meats were prepared and served separately. My first dish was my chicken with a couple of vegetables, which was served without rice. Rickee’s Branzino was her first course. The chicken and the fish were both good, but nothing special.

Next, the chef prepared the garlic fried rice, which was served as its own course. Then came the meat course which, in my case, was the beef filet.

Below is my final meat dish, the beef filet which was served after the fried rice. The filet was tender and the sauce added flavor. The fried rice was also good.

How would we rate the Kaito Teppanyaki experience? I am going to give it a 6 or 7 out of 10. It was not the best Teppanyaki experience we have had on a cruise ship. Honestly, it might be our least favorite. It’s not that the food was not good, it was (except for the salad). Rickee ordered the Katana meal which was $49.00. I had the Sencho meal which cost $55.00. Our total bill for the dinner was $122 which included a $18.72 service charge. We did not feel the meal was worth that price. We would not return to Kaito Teppanyaki.

Tomorrow, MSC Seascape will be docked in Isla de Roatan, Honduras.

Day 4 Costa Maya, Mexico

Day 3 Day at sea