We were aboard the Seashore for the May 28th sailing. The seahore is a large ship, roughly the same size as the RCL Oasis class ships. With a stated capacity of 5,800+, there were less than 2,000 passengers on our sailing. Obviously, we never felt crowded or had difficulty getting into venues or events. It is a beautiful ship, and the designers have succeeded in providing something for everyone.
The forward-facing crew was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. But it did seem that many of them were new to the vessel and had difficulty answering basic questions or understanding basic requests. We witnessed a lot of dining room staff “shadowing” other employees. Unfortunately, the food in the main dining room was a huge disappointment. Selections were very limited and, on two occasions I ordered fish that was uneatable. The first entrée (grouper) was overcooked to the point of being bone dry and the second entrée (swordfish on another night) was undercooked to the point I questioned the safety of eating it.
Having been on more than two dozen sailings on four different lines, this is the first time I can say that the buffet food exceeded both the selection and quality of the food offered in the main dining room. In sharing my thoughts with one of the dining room managers, he admitted to me that “the biggest complaint that they (the ship staff) receive is about the food. So, they are obviously aware that an issue exists; hopefully they will find a way to address it.
We did eat at three of the specialty restaurants (Ocean Cay, Butchers Cut, and Hola!) Unfortunately, the package that we purchased (the Trio) provided significantly limited options in Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay. But each of them provided great food and excellent service for the options available to us without paying an “add on” charge
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Bottom line, despite the beautiful ship and the friendly staff, I won’t be rushing back to an MSC ship anytime soon. While the ship and staff are an important part of the overall cruise experience, the food is a major component as well and this part of the experience was unacceptable.
