MSC Seaside reviews for 3/17/18

We chose the MSC Seaside because it was a new ship and kids sail for free. My wife and I have sailed on many other cruise lines in the past and wanted to give MSC a try. I have been cruising since I was 5 years old and I am 41 years old now. With that being said, I’m married to an European and I have spent over two years of my life in Europe. I loved the European vibe that MSC provided and the international crowd on board. I had read a lot of reviews, on Cruise Critic, before the cruise and didn't find the problems that others were complaining about. When I got on board,I had to make a change with my dinner reservation. I had reserved early sitting but was assigned late sitting. The man I was speaking to about it called someone on the phone and had my time changed immediately to 6:00. A man in front of me started complaining about the smell on the ship, he turned around and asked me if I smelled anything. I said no,sorry no smell here. In fact, I didn't notice a smell on board that ship at any point on our cruise. Maybe occasional passing wind now and then,lol.

SHIP: The ship is beautiful and big! There were 5,100 guests on board and it never felt crowded. The MSC me app worked great on the ship and I was able to see the daily activities from my phone and set my on-board experience. I loved the two deck buffet areas. If one buffet was too crowded my wife and kids went to the other buffet and was able to find tables without an issue. You do have to reserve your spot for the shows at night and is easy to accomplish. This can be done by the app,the touch screens located throughout the ship, or your smart TV in your cabin. You can reserve all your shows on the first day on board. There was some complaining about this, but it's something new and different. What's the old saying old dogs can't learn new tricks..... Well, MSC does things a little different and once you adapt to it the problems goes away.

SERVICE: We found the service to be great. Our room steward was very nice and accommodating. The bar staff were kind and did their best to get your drink you in a timely manner. I would to say hi to Ivy for her kindness and thoughtfulness when she waited on us during the cruise. She was very kind to our children. The waiting staff was right on and served our meals in a timely manner. I had to use guest relations on a couple of occasions and was taken care of immediately. I will offer a bit of advice when dealing with staff on the ship. Great them first before you start with your concern. This goes a long way and always puts a smile on their face.

PORT: We made a reservation with Budget for rental cars in St. Thomas and Antigua. Well both stops had nothing for us and in St.Thomas we had to rethink our trip because of the inconvenience. In Antigua, the same thing happened with Budget, but thank god for the Hertz lady because she called a local, Oakland car rentals, and he gave us a rental and honored the price from Budget. I highly recommended Oakland car rentals. Antigua is a beautiful island filled with beautiful people. I would like to spend more time there in the future.

CABIN: We had a balcony on the 15th floor with the Fantastica experience. The room was a normal size and we had no issue with closet space or storage of our luggage. We are a family of 4 with two kids and had enough storage space.

DINING: My family are vegetarians and we felt there were plenty of choices for us on the cruise. The buffet was repetitive but was good. I wish that MSC would place a "V" next to vegetarian options on the buffet. I did eat one non vegetarian food item, but recognized the chicken broth right away. A lot of the deserts had gelatin. Personally, I like just going to the food you want and not waiting in line for items you don't want. I found it to work very smoothly. The only line for food I observed was for the nachos and guacamole. Dinner took about a hour and a half, including dessert. The main dining room options were some of the best vegetarian meals we have had at sea. The pasta and gnocchi are excellent,and sauces were amazing! I had read someone said that vegetarians would be disappointed on this cruise. I would disagree with that statement. I have been a vegetarian for almost 20 years.

ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment on board was simply amazing!!! We loved the shows ad they received a standing ovation almost every night. The crew puts on three shows a night and work very hard. Timeless and Peter Punk were some of my favorites.

PHOTOS AND ART AUCTION: My wife and kids enjoy going to the art auction on board and we were not disappointed with the crew on the Seaside.I would like to thank George, from Park West, for his professionalism and kindness. I did win two bottles of champagne and a free private photo shoot, including two free pictures after the auction. We had a private photo shot with Andrea Balzano and he is simple amazing!!! From his bubbling personality to his eye for detail. We were happy with pictures he took of our family.

DISEMBARKATION: This was extremely easy, and we are off the ship and through customs within 30 minutes.

CRUISE CRITIC PARTY: MSC does a great job with the Cruise Critic party. The drinks were perfect, and cake was delicious. We had the opportunity to meet the main staff on board as we walked into the Havana Lounge. The group photo was a 8' x 10' photo that was delivered to our room.

SUMMARY: Overall, we were impressed with MSC and I believe the difference is MSC is a family owned and operated cruise line. It is not a corporation at the mercy of shareholders. Captain Marco was warm and inviting and made himself seen throughout the ship. I even saw him escorting a tour group off the ship, to the surprise of myself and the crew member I was speaking too. We love MSC style of cruising and we have two more cruises booked with them. One on the Seaside for Thanksgiving and one next March going to Havana, Cuba! If you are on the fence about MSC and the bad reviews you may have read, don't. I spoke to travel agent on board and he said that the other cruise lines are concerned with MSC breaking into the North American market. Remember, MSC is the number one cruise line in Europe and in a day and age of fake news I would take reviews with a grain of salt, including this one.

Excellent review.

Thank you for taking the time to write this and share the review.

Keith

Excellent review.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write this and share the review.

 

Keith

Thank you Keith

We chose the MSC Seaside because it was a new ship and kids sail for free. My wife and I have sailed on many other cruise lines in the past and wanted to give MSC a try. I have been cruising since I was 5 years old and I am 41 years old now. With that being said, I’m married to an European and I have spent over two years of my life in Europe. I loved the European vibe that MSC provided and the international crowd on board. I had read a lot of reviews, on Cruise Critic, before the cruise and didn't find the problems that others were complaining about. When I got on board,I had to make a change with my dinner reservation. I had reserved early sitting but was assigned late sitting. The man I was speaking to about it called someone on the phone and had my time changed immediately to 6:00. A man in front of me started complaining about the smell on the ship, he turned around and asked me if I smelled anything. I said no,sorry no smell here. In fact, I didn't notice a smell on board that ship at any point on our cruise. Maybe occasional passing wind now and then,lol.

 

SHIP: The ship is beautiful and big! There were 5,100 guests on board and it never felt crowded. The MSC me app worked great on the ship and I was able to see the daily activities from my phone and set my on-board experience. I loved the two deck buffet areas. If one buffet was too crowded my wife and kids went to the other buffet and was able to find tables without an issue. You do have to reserve your spot for the shows at night and is easy to accomplish. This can be done by the app,the touch screens located throughout the ship, or your smart TV in your cabin. You can reserve all your shows on the first day on board. There was some complaining about this, but it's something new and different. What's the old saying old dogs can't learn new tricks..... Well, MSC does things a little different and once you adapt to it the problems goes away.

 

SERVICE: We found the service to be great. Our room steward was very nice and accommodating. The bar staff were kind and did their best to get your drink you in a timely manner. I would to say hi to Ivy for her kindness and thoughtfulness when she waited on us during the cruise. She was very kind to our children. The waiting staff was right on and served our meals in a timely manner. I had to use guest relations on a couple of occasions and was taken care of immediately. I will offer a bit of advice when dealing with staff on the ship. Great them first before you start with your concern. This goes a long way and always puts a smile on their face.

 

PORT: We made a reservation with Budget for rental cars in St. Thomas and Antigua. Well both stops had nothing for us and in St.Thomas we had to rethink our trip because of the inconvenience. In Antigua, the same thing happened with Budget, but thank god for the Hertz lady because she called a local, Oakland car rentals, and he gave us a rental and honored the price from Budget. I highly recommended Oakland car rentals. Antigua is a beautiful island filled with beautiful people. I would like to spend more time there in the future.

 

CABIN: We had a balcony on the 15th floor with the Fantastica experience. The room was a normal size and we had no issue with closet space or storage of our luggage. We are a family of 4 with two kids and had enough storage space.

 

DINING: My family are vegetarians and we felt there were plenty of choices for us on the cruise. The buffet was repetitive but was good. I wish that MSC would place a "V" next to vegetarian options on the buffet. I did eat one non vegetarian food item, but recognized the chicken broth right away. A lot of the deserts had gelatin. Personally, I like just going to the food you want and not waiting in line for items you don't want. I found it to work very smoothly. The only line for food I observed was for the nachos and guacamole. Dinner took about a hour and a half, including dessert. The main dining room options were some of the best vegetarian meals we have had at sea. The pasta and gnocchi are excellent,and sauces were amazing! I had read someone said that vegetarians would be disappointed on this cruise. I would disagree with that statement. I have been a vegetarian for almost 20 years.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment on board was simply amazing!!! We loved the shows ad they received a standing ovation almost every night. The crew puts on three shows a night and work very hard. Timeless and Peter Punk were some of my favorites.

 

PHOTOS AND ART AUCTION: My wife and kids enjoy going to the art auction on board and we were not disappointed with the crew on the Seaside.I would like to thank George, from Park West, for his professionalism and kindness. I did win two bottles of champagne and a free private photo shoot, including two free pictures after the auction. We had a private photo shot with Andrea Balzano and he is simple amazing!!! From his bubbling personality to his eye for detail. We were happy with pictures he took of our family.

 

DISEMBARKATION: This was extremely easy, and we are off the ship and through customs within 30 minutes.

 

CRUISE CRITIC PARTY: MSC does a great job with the Cruise Critic party. The drinks were perfect, and cake was delicious. We had the opportunity to meet the main staff on board as we walked into the Havana Lounge. The group photo was a 8' x 10' photo that was delivered to our room.

 

SUMMARY: Overall, we were impressed with MSC and I believe the difference is MSC is a family owned and operated cruise line. It is not a corporation at the mercy of shareholders. Captain Marco was warm and inviting and made himself seen throughout the ship. I even saw him escorting a tour group off the ship, to the surprise of myself and the crew member I was speaking too. We love MSC style of cruising and we have two more cruises booked with them. One on the Seaside for Thanksgiving and one next March going to Havana, Cuba! If you are on the fence about MSC and the bad reviews you may have read, don't. I spoke to travel agent on board and he said that the other cruise lines are concerned with MSC breaking into the North American market. Remember, MSC is the number one cruise line in Europe and in a day and age of fake news I would take reviews with a grain of salt, including this one.

Confused by your last statement?

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Yes, I wish I could change that last statement. I cannot go back and edit it, however. I meant to say that some reviews may be trying discredit MSC and their presence in the North American market.

You didn’t mention the ages of your kids but did they enjoy it? Did they do the kids program? Traveling on Seaside in December with kids and wondering if it will be a good fit. Mine are 4 and 7.

You didn’t mention the ages of your kids but did they enjoy it? Did they do the kids program? Traveling on Seaside in December with kids and wondering if it will be a good fit. Mine are 4 and 7.

My children are 5 and 7 and we didn't participate in the kids program. This was our choice, not the kids. There were 1000 kids on board for this cruise. This was our kids first cruise and we wanted to spend it with them. My kids really enjoyed the cruise. The staff made their week wonderful and were always engaging our children with conversations. I did hear parents say that their kids really enjoyed the kids program and some parents didn't. The kids really enjoyed the slides on board and the aqua park.

Thank you for sharing your experiences! Sounds like a wonderful week - can't wait until our turn:).

Sent from my iPad using Forums

im in Canada meaning Trump is nothing to me, but I think thats probably what the reference is to...

No, not referencing any particular person. Just a term that is used wildly in today's media.

 

CABIN: We had a balcony on the 15th floor with the Fantastica experience. The room was a normal size and we had no issue with closet space or storage of our luggage.

I also have a balcony on the 15th level (15194) on an upcoming sailing. Can you tell me how much noise you experienced from the pool deck up above? Times it was worse? None at all? Other noises or distractions? Thanks, Ann

Thanks for the review.

im in Canada meaning Trump is nothing to me, but I think thats probably what the reference is to...

I think he referred to a drama teacher that runs your country at this time.

I was on the week before and had a great time. I agree with you..a lot of fake news out there. We were a group of 6 adults & 5 kids, everyone of us said it was our favorite. Previous spring break cruises were RCL-oasis, NCL-escape.

I also have a balcony on the 15th level (15194) on an upcoming sailing. Can you tell me how much noise you experienced from the pool deck up above? Times it was worse? None at all? Other noises or distractions? Thanks, Ann

I was in 15166 and it was just at the right side of the buffet seating area towards the back. We only heard chairs a couple of times throughout the cruise. You could her the music from the pool deck, when the balcony door was open, which was fine with us. Other than that, it was a great room with fantastic views!

I was on the week before and had a great time. I agree with you..a lot of fake news out there. We were a group of 6 adults & 5 kids, everyone of us said it was our favorite. Previous spring break cruises were RCL-oasis, NCL-escape.

Thanks Joe, People seemed to be complaining about the smallest details. For example, the chrome wasn't polished 24/7 and there was some dust bunnies in the corner. I couldn't believe it. We love MSC and their style of cruising. My kids and I cannot wait to go back in November! All the best!

I think he referred to a drama teacher that runs your country at this time.

He is just an assistant :rolleyes::rolleyes: Please don't rub it in,we suffer enough here:loudcry:

geez lets not get into comparing countries and references to teachers.. schools... relax.. we hear Trumps reference to fake news always this thats what i took from it

 

as for teachers and schools... Canada has had 5 fatal school shootings in this 21st century.. 15 approximately since 1975... Some countries had 18 since January this year... lets leave schools and teachers out of this good grief

You should've never started. I never compare schools or countries in my message. Religion of peace will strike , it's just a matter of time. Keep taking them in.

Thank you so much! I'm so excited for April 14th!

Hi, I was on MSC Seaside from Mar 17 -24. My family like it very much. I think I can add few extra comments:

1. Smell – the only place I noticed there was smell problem is in lady washroom near Seashore restaurant (deck 5). Smell was very consistent in this lady washroom. I started taking my girl to other washroom on deck 6 and washroom on deck 6 was totally fine.

2. Cabin – We had suite with whirlpool tub. The room was beautiful and I could enjoy whirlpool bath when my kids wanted to stay in cabin. I read Jim’s review and worried about shower water gets flung everywhere within the bathroom. In fact, our family did not make a mess in the bathroom. I and my husband did not hold showerhead in hand and keep showerhead on wall. No water has splashed to bathroom floor.

3. Dining – We had anytime dining option so very flexible. Please be patient if you go there during peak hour (like 7:30pm-8:15pm) and you may need to wait to be seated.

4. Theater – I missed theater in Divina which was more gorgeous and elegant. I can’t compare to other cruise line as I haven’t tried other cruise line yet.

5. Cruise critic party: I did attend the party but I did not receive any photo! :<

6. Crowded – I never felt crowded although the ship was fully booked. Our family arrived at around noon. Check in was easy and fast. When we got onboard, we went to buffet at deck 8 and no problem to find a table. We stayed there from 12:30pm-2pm and table always available nearby. I could not believe that as I remembered when I was on Divina, we needed to wait for table in buffet during rush hour. I always found a table in buffet area on Seaside.

I don’t know how difficult to find beach chairs near pool. But if you just need a beach chair to relax, you should find one. I noted that one side of deck 19 was not exclusive area and I always saw beach chair available there. Also deck 8 has many beach chairs and I never saw them full when I enjoyed my whirlpool on my balcony.

7. Coffee – coffee at Venchi Cioccogelateria and coffee bar (desk 6) was amazing. This was our family favorite place. I had my espresso and my kids had gelato.

The comped photo, is for the Black Card, Elite VIP Captain's Party.

Thank you so much! I'm so excited for April 14th!

You guys are going to enjoy your vacation. MSC Seaside is a beautiful ship.

Hi, I was on MSC Seaside from Mar 17 -24. My family like it very much. I think I can add few extra comments:

 

1. Smell – the only place I noticed there was smell problem is in lady washroom near Seashore restaurant (deck 5). Smell was very consistent in this lady washroom. I started taking my girl to other washroom on deck 6 and washroom on deck 6 was totally fine.

2. Cabin – We had suite with whirlpool tub. The room was beautiful and I could enjoy whirlpool bath when my kids wanted to stay in cabin. I read Jim’s review and worried about shower water gets flung everywhere within the bathroom. In fact, our family did not make a mess in the bathroom. I and my husband did not hold showerhead in hand and keep showerhead on wall. No water has splashed to bathroom floor.

3. Dining – We had anytime dining option so very flexible. Please be patient if you go there during peak hour (like 7:30pm-8:15pm) and you may need to wait to be seated.

4. Theater – I missed theater in Divina which was more gorgeous and elegant. I can’t compare to other cruise line as I haven’t tried other cruise line yet.

5. Cruise critic party: I did attend the party but I did not receive any photo! :<

6. Crowded – I never felt crowded although the ship was fully booked. Our family arrived at around noon. Check in was easy and fast. When we got onboard, we went to buffet at deck 8 and no problem to find a table. We stayed there from 12:30pm-2pm and table always available nearby. I could not believe that as I remembered when I was on Divina, we needed to wait for table in buffet during rush hour. I always found a table in buffet area on Seaside.

 

I don’t know how difficult to find beach chairs near pool. But if you just need a beach chair to relax, you should find one. I noted that one side of deck 19 was not exclusive area and I always saw beach chair available there. Also deck 8 has many beach chairs and I never saw them full when I enjoyed my whirlpool on my balcony.

 

7. Coffee – coffee at Venchi Cioccogelateria and coffee bar (desk 6) was amazing. This was our family favorite place. I had my espresso and my kids had gelato.

Yes, my wife did comment that the woman's restroom could have been cleaned better. I agree with the coffee at the Venchi Cioccogelateria. I had their espresso and it was needed on some occasions. There was an odor every now and then but nothing i haven't experienced on other cruise lines. I was guilty of putting towels and beach gear on chairs in the morning. The early bird gets the best spot and I personally don't have an issue with people doing this. There was plenty of chairs to go around. I did this primarily because I wanted on spot next to the pool so I could keep an eye on my kids in the pool while I enjoyed the sun. Thank you for your additional comments!