Page 226 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

SAILING LESSONS

Story & Photography by Maribeth Mellin

teaming water bubbled around us in swanky We've sailed on short cruises from our homeport in
MSC Seaside's Aurea Spa. Gary and I were San Diego to Mexico and Hawaii, and decided to give
Scruising with nearly 5,000 passengers on a the Caribbean a shot this time. To be honest, we tend
mega ship complete with zip line and bowling alley, to give the ports short shrift and spend much of our
yet we had the spa's powerful whirlpool jets all to time lazing about. I wondered if that would be possible
ourselves. Thousands of our fellow passengers were on such a large ship.
wandering around St. Maarten, the first port in our We avoided the parties by the main pool and
weeklong Caribbean cruise. Rather than join them, we cocktail lounges and shied away from crowds. Hours
spent the day exploring the Seaside, which debuted in flew by as we wandered about the various decks and
Miami in 2017. The 20-story-tall ship was the largest passed through the children's jungle pool and ad-
we'd ever experienced, and it took many forays to see venture area to check out the scene. I can safely say
it all. I've never seen so many consistently happy families.
At times, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer size and Everyone I met along the way was having a good time,
dazzle. Then I'd find a secret corner and watch the even in the busy buffet lines. My fear of being cooped
goings on. Gary and I tend to get quite laid back when up with so many other humans proved unfounded.
cruising and can pack a lot of relaxation into a week. Part of the pleasure came from the multi-cultural

226 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018