There’s something inherently romantic about cruising: The sounds of the waves. The stunning sunsets every night. The dinner and dancing. The charming destinations. The shows and concerts and performances.
Even the silly and simple stuff feels more romantic on a cruise: The bingo and trivia. The dueling pianos and poolside contests. The theme parties and rubber duck hunting.
In some ways, it feels like the never-ending date — in a good way! Every day is full of new possibilities. There is always something fun to do, including absolutely nothing! There are no dishes to wash, no laundry to do, no chores to finish.
In a way, it takes away all the dumb stuff couples tend to bicker about.
My wife and I cruise a lot, and we often have to fly to catch our ship in order to cruise with our favorite lines. So I was thrilled to find out last year that MSC was making Galveston home to one of its ships: the MSC Seascape.
The Seascape moved to Texas early in November 2025. I had sailed on her a year prior, but out of Florida. So I was extra-excited to hear about her move.
MSC Seascape is docked at a snazzy new terminal at the Galveston Port that has a parking deck just steps from the ship. No matter the weather, the ship is an easy hop, skip and a jump away. We decided to the spend the night before we boarded in Galveston just for fun. But we could have easily driven in that day.
It was so nice to not have to fly and still be able to head out on a such a fabulous ship with one of my absolute favorite cruise lines. There’s no arguing that flying these days is not nearly as fun or convenient as it used to be. And it can add a day or even two to a cruise adventure.
But no need for any of that nonsense now.
MSC had made some changes to the Seascape since I had last been on, leaning into their new Texas home. They added a resident country music band called The Lone Star, bespoke-style dueling pianos, country line dance classes, Texas sports on the big screens, the “Big Texas Sailaway Party” and Texas-inspired pop-up performances.
Even the food and beverage program is now doing a little Texas two-step, with a new focus on Southern, Texan and Gulf Coast flavors and a selection of Texan- and Southern-inspired drinks, like a Spicy Mexican Margarita, a Backyard Punch and some local beers. You can even get your cocktail in a boot-shaped cup.
MSC Seascape still offers its five specialty dining venues, of course: Kaito Sushi Bar, Kaito Teppanyaki, HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, Ocean Cay seafood restaurant and Butcher’s Cut steakhouse. But they’ve added a complimentary breakfast at HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, with Latin-inspired menu items and fun offerings like western-style omelets at Butcher’s Cut.
We stayed in a suite in the Yacht Club, which is my absolute favorite way to cruise. They call it a “ship within a ship,” which is the perfect description. Yacht Club guests are given priority embarkation and disembarkation, suites in an area accessible only via keycard, a private restaurant and lounge, outdoor bar and grill, a sun deck, and pool.
But the best part is the fabulous, personalized service. I was so sad to say goodbye to our butler, Mary, and all of the Yacht Club team.
MSC Seascape offers seven-night Western Caribbean sailings departing every Sunday, and her ports of call include Costa Maya, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico, and Isla de Roatan, Honduras. We’d been to each of those stops a number of times before. But we didn’t care one bit. We went to our favorite shopping and dining and sunbathing haunts in each one and had a blast.
Every night we had a fantastic dinner, often with our newfound friends, Jon and Jen, and then caught a show. We ate at all of the specialty restaurants. We even played in the arcade and on the ropes course kids’ area. We were even one of three couples on the Love and Marriage Game Show, which was an absolute hoot! I think we may have been the cruise director’s first gay couple on the show, and he did not miss a single beat.
It’s really hard not to fall in love all over again when the most you have to worry about is whether you want the filet or the ribeye and you spend most of your day giggling over the activities you’d never do on dry land but you can’t help but do at sea.
And if you and your partner are anything like my wife and I, there are as many things you like to do together as there are personal interests that you both have. Cruising is extra ideal for that. My wife can go to the casino while I turn in early. And she can order breakfast on the balcony when I am up bright and early to hit the sundeck.
I’m all about a vacation that doesn’t force you to choose just one thing when it comes to any and everything.
I’ve sailed on MSC a number of times now. And every time I am reminded of how much fun it is to really get away, to spoil yourself rotten, to make new friends and, most importantly, to spend some true quality time with your partner. Cruising through the waves is about as romantic as it gets, if you ask me. And now that MSC Seascape has made her home in Galveston, romance on the high seas is closer than ever.