Wine and Spirits Travel

My immediate family is small and spread out throughout the country. The Thanksgiving holiday has become less about big family dinners and more about getting together with whomever we can. In 2013, Mom and I went on a Seabourn cruise Thanksgiving week. For 2014, we decided to repeat the idea and head on the MSC Divina. It turned out to be an excellent choice. After a couple of days of ports, it was nice to have a sea day. We had hit our first rough patch of sea the previous night and sleeping in was just what I needed. I went to the Top Sail Lounge, which is only available to those staying in the Yacht Club section on MSC Cruises , for breakfast. They had a great selection and I enjoyed a full plate of berries, Greek yogurt, cheese, and an apricot tart. I sat back with a cappuccino and enjoyed the view while I caught up on social media and email. Mom had slept even later than me and was relaxing in the cabin, but I had a galley tour to do with the Executive Chef.

The port of Costa Maya , Mexico, had been damaged heavily during Hurricane Dean in 2007. It had since been rebuilt to include everything you could want in a cruise port stop – shopping, beaches, restaurants, bars, and even a little history. I had never been to Costa Maya so I wasn’t sure what to expect before I got there on my MSC Cruise . Mom decided to stay in for the morning while I explored Costa Maya, but we had breakfast together in Le Muse, the restaurant exclusive to Yacht Club members on the MSC Divina. We had a selection of Danish, croissants, scrambled eggs, and waffles with fruit. It was just the meal I needed to get me ready for the long day of walking ahead. The pier was filled with shops and restaurants, and even a Senor Frogs with a swim-up pool. There was also a museum that I didn’t get a chance to go to, Museo Maya. The three cruises had really filled up the area. There were two other ships in the terminal, one from Royal Caribbean and one from

I was up early for another fun-filled day with MSC Cruises . It was my first time to Grand Cayman, an island I had heard nothing but good things about. I let Mom sleep in and I had breakfast in the Yacht Club’s Top Sail Lounge. It was an excellent cold buffet filed with fruits, Danish, cake, bread, muffins, cheese, cereal, and yogurt. I had a little of everything along with a cappuccino, also complimentary to MSC Cruise’s Yacht Club guests. I had made arrangements with Viator to take a tour so I had a quick breakfast and took one of the first tenders from the MSC Divina to the island. It was warm and sunny as I walked around looking for my guide.                                                                          Rex found me at the pier and took me to the bus to cool off and wait for the others on the tour. Once we were all onboard, he told us about this wealthy island with beautiful beaches and lots to do. As we drove, Rex pointed out some of the inte

I woke up at 6:30 in time to see the sunrise coming through the Atlantic Ocean. It was a good night’s sleep. The gentle rocking of the MSCDivina definitely agreed with me and I was ready for the day at sea. After a short workout, I ate some of the fruit left in our suite and waiting for Mom to get up for a full breakfast while I explored the Yacht Club section we were staying in, accurately called a “ship within a ship.” There was a lounge area in front of the spa entrance which served very interesting teas, all of which had a specific purpose for your body. The yoga studio had wall to ceiling views of the ocean. I could definitely get into the relaxing mode there. The Aqua Park is an area with a retractable roof so the pool and whirlpools are available in all weather. This area is also especially popular with families as it’s fairly condensed. The main pool deck was also surrounded by whirlpools and had both shaded and sun-filled areas on two decks. There w