Sea Days and Everyday

03/15/2026

🚢 Our honest thoughts on an MSC World America Infinite Ocean View Cabin
We stayed in cabin 10065 and wanted to share a full rundown for anyone considering this room type.
First impression: the “balcony” area being inside the room does give you a little extra space compared to a regular oceanview, which was nice.
🛁 Bathroom
Pretty standard cruise bathroom size with a seat in the shower. One thing we found really odd though, there were zero plugs in the bathroom. Not one.
Over at the vanity area there was a magnified lighted mirror, and inside the drawer you’ll find the blow dryer already plugged in underneath.
The outlets at the vanity are European plugs, so you’ll need a converter if you want to use them.
🛏 Bed
Honestly… not our favorite. There was already a mattress pad on it but it didn’t seem to help much. We didn’t get the best sleep unfortunately.
👕 Closet & Storage
The closet was a great size though. Plenty of room for hanging clothes plus:
* multiple shelves
* two drawers
Storage was definitely not an issue.
🛋 Seating & Room Setup
There’s a little couch seating area right by the window, which was nice for relaxing.
The TV sits across from it and swivels toward the bed if you want to watch from there.
The desk area under the TV had several normal outlets plus USB ports, which was super convenient.
There were lamps on both sides of the bed, but oddly no outlets near the bed.
🧊 Mini Fridge
The mini fridge comes fully stocked, and there’s a price list showing what everything costs if you decide to indulge. They lock the fridge before the final night and charge for anything consumed. We had a couple extra waters in there and they took them out, set them on the desk, and locked the fridge.
💡 Room Controls
Near the bathroom there’s a touch control panel that runs:
* AC
* lights
* different lighting modes (movie, bedtime, etc.)
Very modern and actually pretty cool.

🌊 The Big Feature: The “Infinite Ocean View” Window
So this is basically a giant window that opens to feel like a balcony… but inside the room. When it worked, it was really nice. BUT…
If there was even the slightest wind, mist, or rain, the bridge would lock the window remotely and you couldn’t open it from your room.
During our 7-day cruise, there were several days where we couldn’t use it at all, probably about 3 days total.
So while the concept is cool, it definitely came with some frustration.

⭐ Our Final Thoughts
The room itself was nice and spacious, but we would personally choose a normal balcony over this type of cabin every time. Would we book it again? Probably not. We’re team real balcony all the way.

03/07/2026

MSC Cruises

02/26/2026

🥂 Drink Package… Worth It or Waste of Money? Is the drink package a must for you on a cruise?

Here’s how we look at it 👇

No matter the cruise line or the daily price, we always break it down to cost per drink. If cocktails are running $12–$15 each, how many would we realistically drink per day? Multiply that out… and there’s your answer.

Now let’s be honest, if you buy the package, you do tend to drink more just because you can. 😂

On average, we’re not huge drinkers. We’re usually in the 2–4 drinks per day range, so most sailings we actually skip the package. Plus, we often enjoy complimentary drinks in the casino on certain cruise lines, which definitely helps keep our bar tab down.

💡 When it’s smart to get it?
• You’re cruising with family or friends
• There’s a celebration 🎉
• You’re planning a bar crawl
• It’s a “let’s live it up” type of trip

Groups tend to drink more, and sometimes it’s better to lock in the package price ahead of time rather than rack up a surprise bill at the end.

Also, it’s not just alcohol. Many premium packages include:
☕ Specialty coffees
🥤 Soda & bottled water
🍦 Milkshakes or specialty ice cream
🍹 Mocktails

If you already plan on buying those extras, the package can start to make a lot more sense.

Length of cruise matters too. On a 5–7 night sailing, we’re more likely to upgrade. On a quick 3–4 night trip, we’re usually more budget-friendly.

👉 Are you Team Drink Package every time?
👉 Or Team Pay-As-You-Go?
👉 What’s your break-even number of drinks per day?

02/16/2026

Thoughts on Royal’s new Beach Club during our Utopia of the Seas sailing… 👀🌴

Boarding:
Super easy. We got off the ship, took a short walk to the ferries, and waited maybe 10 minutes to board. On the way back? Zero wait. Smooth and painless.

Price:
We snagged it on sale for $105 per person (non-alcoholic). Just a heads up, your Deluxe Drink Package onboard does not carry over to the Beach Club.

Areas:
Chill Beach looked like it would’ve been my favorite spot… but the weather had other plans. It was super windy and chilly so I didn’t get to enjoy it long.

Party Cove is definitely fun… but WOW it is LOUD. At one point I caught myself thinking, “Wait… am I just getting old and annoyed by loud music now?” 😂 It was hard to actually hold a conversation.

Family Beach was really nice and also had a swim-up bar.

There are also tons of cabanas and reserved seating areas you can book for an extra fee. All the pools in all areas were heated (major win 👍🏻).

Food:
Food stands in every section, all with the same menu. No lines at all, you walk up, order, and within seconds you’ve got food in your hands. Everything we tried was good, and the staff across the board were AMAZING. So friendly and helpful.

Crowds:
We were docked in Nassau with Liberty and Independence. Both smaller than Utopia, and even then, finding a place to lay out got harder as the day went on. I can only imagine what it’s like when multiple big ships are in port together.

We knew the weather wouldn’t be perfect when we booked, but we really wanted to finally check it out.

So… would we pay for Royal Beach Club again?
Maybe… but definitely only if it’s on sale.

Honestly, this was the only reason I got off the ship in Nassau. And with how much I LOVE CocoCay, I feel like I get a very similar experience there without paying the extra fee.

Curious what you all think…
Would you pay extra for the Royal Beach Club? 🌊🍹

02/12/2026

We stayed in cabin 9730 with an ocean view balcony on Utopia and honestly… this room surprised us in a good way.

First impression: it felt more spacious than expected. There was plenty of walking room and a nice sitting area by the balcony to relax and take in the view.

👗 Storage:
Tons of space for clothes. Closets, drawers, and shelving made it easy to unpack.

🚿 Bathroom:
Really good size compared to other ships we’ve sailed.

🌊 Balcony:
One of our favorite parts, perfect for morning coffee, sailaway views, and winding down at night.

Overall, this cabin felt comfortable, functional, and easy to settle into for the weekend.

Now I’m curious 👇
What’s MOST important to you when choosing a cruise cabin?
• Balcony vs interior
• Quiet location
• Price

01/19/2026

Drop your dates!⬇️ We’ll be on Utopia of the Seas in 18 days! 🙌🏻

01/18/2026

🚢 First Princess Cruise — Our Honest Take 🚢

We just wrapped up our first Princess cruise, sailing on Star Princess, their newest ship. Overall? A great cruise but with a few important things to know depending on what kind of cruiser you are.

With quite a few cruises under our belts, we’ve learned that every cruise line has its own personality, and Princess definitely has one.

✨ The vibe:
Princess felt very much geared towards older cruises. They’re clearly trying to attract younger cruisers and families, but in our opinion, they’re not quite there yet. Maybe Jesse and I will appreciate it more in a few years, but right now it just wasn’t fully our speed.

🛳️ The ship:
Star Princess is beautiful, but the layout is… interesting. Everything is split to the sides of the ship, which does make it feel less crowded but it’s also easy to get lost and hard to find venues. We really missed having a central promenade.
The multi-level Piazza is a cool concept, but once you’re on the 3rd floor or higher, you basically have to stand to see what’s happening so most people end up standing instead of using the seating.

🍽️ Food & packages:
Food overall was very good. We splurged on the Premier Package (specialty + casual dining, Wi-Fi, unlimited drinks). Surprisingly, we had better food and service in the main dining room and buffet than in some of the specialty dining. Not bad just higher expectations. Honestly, we would’ve been perfectly happy skipping specialty dining altogether.

🍸 Drinks:
The cocktails were a BIG win. Not overly sweet (which usually turns us off), and we didn’t have a bad drink the entire cruise. We actually drank more than we usually do because they were just that good.

🎭 Entertainment:
This was our biggest letdown. Venues like the Arena are way too small for a ship this size. Even arriving 30 minutes early, shows were completely full. Same issue with comedy and game shows, not enough seating. We only managed to see two show the entire cruise.

🌙 Nightlife:
Everything pretty much wrapped up by 9:30–10 PM. Very limited nightlife, maybe one or two spots with late music but overall, it’s a much quieter ship in the evenings.

🤝 The consensus:
After talking to other passengers, we realized many people felt the same way so it wasn’t just us being picky.

✅ Would we sail Princess again?
Yes but with a totally different mindset. Princess is best for a relaxed, laid-back, low-key cruise, not a high-energy, late-night experience.

👇 Your turn!
• Have you sailed Princess before?
• Do you prefer a chill cruise or a lively one?
• Which cruise line fits your vibe best?

01/16/2026

What’s that one travel item you swear you packed… but didn’t? 😬
Found this display in one of the shops on Star Princess stocked with meds, snacks, and all the things cruisers tend to forget.
I desperately needed Q-tips but they didn’t have any.

01/15/2026

Let’s talk our final two specialty dining spots on Star Princess… and they were VERY different experiences.

First up: Trattoria. From the start, service just wasn’t it. Super slow overall, our server assistant was amazing and tried their best, but we barely saw our waiter all night and something was always missed. The appetizers and entrées were actually good, however the spaghetti we ordered to share came with meatballs that were very undercooked 😬. I loved the tiramisu, but my husband was not impressed. Unfortunately, this ended up being our least favorite specialty dining spot on the ship.

Now… The Butcher’s Block by Dario was a whole different vibe. This is more of an experience than a traditional dinner. Everything is served in waves, sides are family-style, meats come out as they’re cooked, and the chef comes out multiple times to explain the cuts and slice the meat right in front of you. I didn’t take many photos because half-eaten meat + new plates arriving isn’t picture worthy 😂 but trust me… you will NOT leave hungry. The staff here was fun, upbeat, and easily one of the best waiters we had all cruise.

01/14/2026

Alright, let’s talk casual dining on Star Princess 🍽️🚢

Both of these spots were included with the Premier Package we had, so of course we had to do some very important taste testing 😏

Alfredo’s
We went here on day 2 for lunch. Overall? It was good—but not a must-repeat for us.
✔️ Cocktails: 10/10, honestly fantastic
✔️ Service: Excellent
🍕 Pizza: Good… but we weren’t blown away.
🍰 Dessert: The cannoli though? Delicious. No notes.

Now let’s talk about the real star…

O’Malley’s ☘️🔥
We didn’t eat here until day 4 or 5 and I’m still mad at ourselves for waiting that long. If we had discovered it earlier, we would’ve been here for lunch every single day.

Everything we tried was amazing, but let’s discuss the wings because WOW.
🔥 Super crispy
🔥 Super saucy
🔥 Absolutely worth the hype

The wing menu (a dozen wings) is an extra $7, but I would pay that again without hesitation. Worth. Every. Penny.

And the Baileys Irish Cream cheesecake on the dinner menu?? I’m still thinking about it. Like… rent-free in my head 🤤

Heads up: there was always a line for O’Malley’s even before it opened, so get there early or be ready to wait a bit. But honestly? There’s a reason it’s that popular.

01/14/2026