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Aboard the Seaside LIVE! Not Good!

Sailfish

By Sailfish,
in MSC Cruises

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Sailfish

Sailfish

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Posted

We are on the the maiden voyage of the Seaside from Barcelona to Miami.* After ten days on the ship we have decided to share some of our experiences and impressions.*

 

 

The ship is large, capacity about 5200 passengers, but because it is compartmentalized and generally has standard height ceilings, it does not have the grand interior appearance of other large ships.* There are some nice features, like the multi-story video screen in the atrium, and the chocolate bar with surrounding shops, but nothing like the interior shopping promenades on RC or Celebrity.

 

 

The vertical layout of the ship makes it somewhat difficult to move about.* For example, the buffet on deck sixteen blocks access to the specialty restaurants from the midship (primary) elevators.* Also views from the the bow of the ship are entirely blocked to all passenger except those with Yacht Club Status. This will disappoint those who want to view island approaches, dolphin watch*

 

or enjoy the wind in your face "Titanic experience".**

 

 

Movement is also encumbered by the predominant use of mirrors, glass and chromed metal surfaces throughout the public areas.* I have already witnessed several passenger walk into mirrors and glass panes, and at the risk of sounding lame, I have had had several near misses myself.* The decor is visually confusing, and reminiscent of an airport terminal.* Those who are fans of the classic decor of the MSC Devina, marble floors and sculpted plaster walls, and intimate spaces are likely to be disappointed by the Seaside.

 

 

Some good things; the outdoor pools, the spa and fitness areas, and the childrens' areas are*

quite nice, although MSC is still working out some kinks.* The entire walkthrough deck around the waterslides and children's pool is flooded when in use, which reslults in wet and slippery floors in the elevators and interior of the ship. The kids' arcade is also top notch, with a bowling alley and Formula 1 simulator.

 

 

The food in the Asian and Seafood specialty restaurants is quite good.* The formal night dinners in the complimentary restaurants have also been good.* The nightly dinner menus and service are spotty.* I believe that MSC has "Americanized" the menu, meaning larger portions and lower quality.* Sigh.**

 

 

Speaking of service, I'm certain that our sailing is understaffed.* Breakfast, lunch and dinner service is sometimes good, but often very slow.* Over easy and soft poached eggs are often hard boiled. Veggies are generally overcooked.* Plating is sometimes sloppy.* Waiters and head waiters often respond, "that's perfectly ok!" Ask for a non-standard plate or tell them you are allergic to* something, in my case mushy succotash, and you are likely to get a fresher plate.*

 

 

When we boarded* the ship our room was mostly made, but the carpet in the room and the hallway was dirty with debris, as if it had not been vacuumed since the ships construction, including the previous weeks sailing.* On day 2 our room still was not made or cleaned, 27 hours after embarkation.* We sat through a very long line of disgruntled guests to request assistance.* Day 4, we reported again that our hallway and room had never been vacuumed.* Day 5, I borrowed an abandoned vacuum from the hallway and cleaned our cabin carpet, as well a the hall carpet in front of our room.* I reported for a third time to Guest Services. Day 9, I reported to Guest Services that our room was not vacuumed since I had cleaned on day 5, and that our hallway was full of debris and dust bunnies. I suggested that the Hotel Director was not doing his job and that many passengers were equally unhappy.* I also confirmed a rumour that we had heard that the primary dinner buffet would be closed for the remainder of the cruise.* I requested that my automatic gratuities be halted, so that I could tip as warranted.* The Guest Services representative took some offense that I would question the Hotel Director and his staff, and promptly pushed all of the blame back to our room steward...even though the entire ship is* unkempt, including dirty carpets and handrails, and leaking public toilets and plumbing* on almost every floor, often left unattended.*

 

 

When we returned to the room the primary steward paid a call.* "What's the problem?" Our reply, "just look."* Evidently passing the buck is a common practice on MSC. Soon after, we received a second visit from an Assistant Housekeeping Manager and our very humble Room Steward.* They were apologetic and had had no explanation for the dirty conditions or lack of response to previous complaints. By evening our room and our immediate hallway was nicely vacuumed.* Rumor has it that each Room Steward has been assigned 20 rooms to keep clean.* The most I have heard on other ships is 14.* I hope MSC will staff appropriately in Miami, or I anticipate passenger riots.

 

 

Otherwise, a lot of the technology on the ship is still not working.* The room is smallish, and the closet is an afterthought.* Our closet door has come off the rails and we've heard several guest say that parts are falling off of their closet doors.**

 

 

The entertainment on the ship is still quite good, as we remember from the Davina.* Nice lounge acts, and operatic performances.* Nothing "new" so far, but done very well.

 

 

It's clear that the Seaside was forced to sail before it was ready, perhaps by a month.* It is understaffed for this voyage.* We hope, for the sake of all those sailing on the maiden Miami cruise over the holidays, that there will be significant improvement in the next seven days. Cross your fingers.

 

 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Z981 using Forums mobile app

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sidari

sidari

Posted
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Sailfish ... Thanks for your post, as with the other Fantasia class ships the YC takes up the front of the ship so this is nothing new.

There have been many reports regarding the carpets in cabins and hallways, maybe the said hoover`s are not up to the job!

You did not clarify if the main Buffet was closed and the reason for it.

I have also seen a photo of an Inside cabin with a wardrobe door leaning against a cabin wall.

 

It does sound like the ship is running on the bare minimum needed to get the job done.

 

Like all cruise lines the ships are often rushed out to get them earning money and that means there will always be issues like you have described with the plumbing.

Sailing on a Maiden voyage will always be a challenge and when booking one people should be aware that they are not sailing on a ship that is bedded in.

 

We are not expecting miracles on the Xmas sailing but as long as things work as they should, the food is decent and the weather warm hopefully things will be good.

Hopefully the rest of your cruise goes smoothly.

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Shippy Great Review Rare

Shippy

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Posted

What category cabin do you have ?

We sail next month & hope they are picking up more crew in Miami.

We have high hopes for this ship & have booked an additional cruise for next September.

If this cruise is sub par....we will be changing our September cruise back to a Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship.

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parallax

parallax

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Posted

I think expecting perfection from day 1 is unrealistic. There are going to be kinks to work out. I will be on the ship in a couple of weeks and I expect issues to pop up that might not occur on a more seasoned cruise ship.

 

If these things were occurring six months from now, I would be worried.

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Sailfish

Sailfish

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No reason given why they closed the buffet on Deck 8. Lots of rumors and speculation. One is too few passengers to warrent opening it up. Another is maintenance problems. But it is open for breakfast and lunch. This is the main buffet. The one on Deck 16 is open. But menu is limited to pizza and a couple of items.

 

Sent from my Z981 using Forums mobile app

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eroller Great Review Rare

eroller

Posted
Posted (edited)

It does sound all very typical of maiden inaugural voyages, and cruises where the ship has just left a major dry dock. Things are not completed, crew still learning and bit overwhelmed, and sometimes a construction zone exists. It shouldn't be this way but the reality is that it is, as cruise lines rush to get the ship in revenue service and shipyards make unrealistic construction timelines to garner the business. SEASIDE even a bit more so, because she is a prototype ship so there is no benchmark. The design is all new to the crew as no sister ships exist. Also it was MSC's first build at Fincantieri in Italy, so I'm sure that also posed some unique challenges. Add lots of new technology and that complicates things as well. Funny I don't think our carpet was ever vacuumed on QUANTUM either. It did bother me a bit, but the cabin stewards seemed pretty overwhelmed so I didn't push the issue.

 

I've done inaugural maidens on Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Princess. All had their share of problems, with NCL and the inaugural QUANTUM OF THE SEAS crossing probably being the worst. The NORWEGIAN EPIC was a complete disaster in the beginning. In fact she acquired the nickname EPTANIC. It actually took a couple months for her to start running smoothly. On QUANTUM there were tons of technology challenges, from a/c in the cabins to a new order system for the waiters, and an entirely new dining concept (which has since been abandoned). Still I managed to enjoy them all, and sometimes the glitches were part of the fun. It was also interesting to watch it all come together a bit more with each passing day.

 

Anyway hope you're making the most of it. Being the first is exciting on a ship, but it does come with some sacrifices. If you want things to be perfect, avoid inaugurals and any first cruises out of a dry dock. There are bound to be issues, on any cruise line.

Edited by eroller
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Bra_BE2014

Bra_BE2014

Posted
Posted

+++quote+++

Movement is also encumbered by the predominant use of mirrors, glass and chromed metal surfaces throughout the public areas.* I have already witnessed several passenger walk into mirrors and glass panes, and at the risk of sounding lame, I have had had several near misses myself.*

***quote***

 

 

How is that possible!?

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asctony

asctony

Posted
Posted
+++quote+++

Movement is also encumbered by the predominant use of mirrors, glass and chromed metal surfaces throughout the public areas.* I have already witnessed several passenger walk into mirrors and glass panes, and at the risk of sounding lame, I have had had several near misses myself.*

***quote***

How is that possible!?

Happens everyday not only on ships, but in Malls, glass doors, etc. We encountered this on the Divina on Deck 7 by the MDR. Just be very careful!!!

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jcruiser8888

jcruiser8888

Posted
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What category cabin do you have ?

We sail next month & hope they are picking up more crew in Miami.

We have high hopes for this ship & have booked an additional cruise for next September.

If this cruise is sub par....we will be changing our September cruise back to a Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship.

After our last Oct anniversary 2017 cruise on Oasis we decided to try something different and are very excited to see your review after Seaside has been in action for a few cycles. We booked her for Oct 2018 and are looking forward to a different experience. If things continue to trend toward the negative back to RCL. I'll keep following for more information and hopefully great cruise experiences.

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Sailfish

Sailfish

Posted
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+++quote+++

Movement is also encumbered by the predominant use of mirrors, glass and chromed metal surfaces throughout the public areas.* I have already witnessed several passenger walk into mirrors and glass panes, and at the risk of sounding lame, I have had had several near misses myself.*

***quote***

 

 

How is that possible!?

Wait till you get on the ship! People running into mirrors and glass doors all the time. Quite comical, but not good design.

 

Sent from my Z981 using Forums mobile app

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GOLDENBONNY

GOLDENBONNY

Posted
Posted
+++quote+++

Movement is also encumbered by the predominant use of mirrors, glass and chromed metal surfaces throughout the public areas.* I have already witnessed several passenger walk into mirrors and glass panes, and at the risk of sounding lame, I have had had several near misses myself.*

***quote***

 

 

How is that possible!?

Maybe all incl. package is a reason? ;p

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