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First MSC Cruise - MSC Seaside 12-30-2017 Sailing_Review with Pictures

Tall-Cruiser

By Tall-Cruiser,
in MSC Cruises

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Tall-Cruiser

Tall-Cruiser

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OchoRios, Jamaica

 

 

 

The last fewtimes we cruised into Jamaica was via Falmouth. All tours booked were throughthe Cruise line. They were all good and lasted about 4 hours. We had been toOcho Rios before years ago and stayed there for a week. On our last cruiseonboard Harmony OTS we took a tour from Falmouth to Ocho Rios. This time aroundwe wanted to do something different. Doing some research of available tours,yet again cruise critic came to the rescue. One of the suggestions was CourtneyTaylor Tours. I sent them an email to find out what they offered and what I wastrying to do. They promptly responded with some info and I also called to getclarity on some things. We decided on a tour that included the Blue Hole,around town tour, Jerk Chicken restaurant and beach break.

 

Quoted priceand estimate:

 

Transportationfrom pier and back, $25

 

Blue Holeentry fee, $15

 

Food estimate,$10

 

Total $50

 

I agreed tothe terms and made a $40 deposit via PayPal towards transportation. They followedup and sent me an email confirmation. This all happened several weeks prior toour cruise.

 

With thetour all secured we were ready for Ocho Rios. We arrived to some very nice weatherand disembarked around 9:30AM. At the pierwe were directed to the area to check-in for Tour Operators. A young lady withclip board in hand was at the gate managing the process. She took ourinformation and told us to wait while she alerted our driver and tour guide.Minutes later a tall gentleman came up to the gate. I had seen his picture beforeon the Courtney Taylor Tours website. Indeed, it was Courtney Taylor himself.They called us over, we did the customary greetings and he took us to his van.We drove through town while he told us about the area and taught us some necessaryJamaican phrases. He also knows the place very well because he grew up rightthere.

 

We went upand down some windy roads and ended up in a nice lush area. It was the BlueHole. As we pulled up and a young man came over who was our tour guide. He tookus into the gate and office where we paid the entrance fee of $15. Off we wentdown the steep path to the actual Blue Hole. Beautiful waterfalls, rapids and lushtropical foliage.

 

From theBlue Hole we drove around some more and went to a look out point high abovetown near the botanical garden. What a great view and sight. After walkingaround for a little and enjoying the views we went downtown to a Jerkrestaurant. I am sorry I don’t remember the name but can find out if anyone isinterested. Half a pound of Jerk chicken was $10 and with sides a few moredollars depending on what you got. A few of us had the half pound chicken andsome Jamaican ginger beer. It was very good and not too spicy at all. If youwanted it spicy they had some hot sauce on the side.

All filled up with chicken, it was time for thebeach. We had two choices of beaches to go to. One was a 10 minutes’ drive fromthe pier and the second was Margaritaville just a few steps away from the pier.We settled on Margaritaville and Courtney dropped of us there. The place as youwould expect was packed and people were having a great time. We explored,checked some shops, relaxed a little and then walked back to the pier. Overallit was a great day in Ocho Rios.

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Tall-Cruiser

Tall-Cruiser

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Thank you for your review.

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to your comparison between RCCL and MSC although I'm guessing these are two different animals. I'm Diamond on RCCL, Platinum on NCL and three DCL/CCL cruises but next month will be my first MSC cruise, which will be on Seaside and have Allure booked in August with my family (first time on that class, cannot wait!).

 

 

 

My kids are 24 and 19 so I'm going to check out the nightlife next month when I'm sailing with my mom. My dh and kids, who are still both in school, will be home working/school.

 

 

 

Although I wouldn't let it bother my cruise, I wouldn't like it if the lights started flickering to tell me I needed to hurry up and finish my dinner. Where did you spend your evenings after dinner? Did you have a favorite spot to go to each evening for drinks?

 

 

 

Was there anything special done at sailaway (party?).

 

 

 

Thanks so much and looking forward to reading more and LOVING all your pictures!

 

 

 

 

Hi js - Thanks for your note. I️ will try to do a detailed comparison at the end of my review. For now I️ will agree with you that Seaside and Allure are two different animals. As Diamond on RCI you should be a Black Card with MSC using the status match. Both ships offer a lot for families and from my perspective MSC is trying to take some stuff from RCI especially, NCL and a few others while keeping their identity to better their product.

 

If one has sailed many cruise lines before, you need to approach MSC knowing it’s going to be different, yet very enjoyable. For you, sailing on Seaside first and then Allure will be good and that’s because for me (keyword “me”) the Oasis Class ships are awesome and have much to offer. You and your kids will really have some great fun either way.

 

 

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cruzeluver

cruzeluver

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Absolutely loving your review. Thank you so much! Blue Hole in Jamaica is one of our favorite places (so much so we have done it twice). Simply gorgeous! We used Courtney Taylor as well. He's a gem of a guy. Was it by chance Scotchie's where you went fro lunch? That is typically where Courtney takes folks. Their food is to die for.

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Tall-Cruiser

Tall-Cruiser

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Absolutely loving your review. Thank you so much! Blue Hole in Jamaica is one of our favorite places (so much so we have done it twice). Simply gorgeous! We used Courtney Taylor as well. He's a gem of a guy. Was it by chance Scotchie's where you went fro lunch? That is typically where Courtney takes folks. Their food is to die for.

 

 

 

Cruzeluver- Thank you. I always talk about how exposure is a good thing. Trying sometimes new things exposes you to many things and can only broaden your horizon. Blue Hole was indeed a beautiful place and experience. Going up there Courtney showed us the longest wooden pipe that moved water from the top down. Very impressive engineering.

 

We were scheduled to go to Scotchie’s but it was closed for the holiday. I️ will find out the name of the one we went to. I’m Sorry I️ did not remember to take a picture.

 

 

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lifeasme123

lifeasme123

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The Hotel Director' date=' Cruise Director, Guest ServicesDirector and few other staff members were all there. They had prepared thishuge and tasty cake for all the CC members who were coming except no one but meand my family showed up. We had a nice chat with all the officers and staff there, who werevery appreciative and welcoming. [/font']

 

 

Awesome!!

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voyager89

voyager89

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Thank you for sharing your experience. I was in Playa del Carmen for New Years and I got to see the ship from Cozumel that Wednesday. I took a picture but of course it looks pretty far. I´m sailing on the 27 so getting to see the ship (specially in my own country) at least from afar was very very exciting.

 

How was Margaritaville in Ocho Rios? For personal reasons I have decided not to venture in that specific island, but I might get off the ship for a couple of hours. Do they take USD? How expensive is it?

 

Thanks again.

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Tall-Cruiser

Tall-Cruiser

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Thank you again OP for sharing your thoughts with all of us.There are comments by another poster in anther thread complaining of unusually bad sewage smells throughout the common areas. Have you experienced this?

 

 

 

Yes there was some bad smell in some areas. We were on deck 11 and it seemed like the middle going and going towards the aft was worse. Not sure what the real cause was, but something one officer told us at the meet and mingle may explain it.

 

Essentially he noted that this ship was built in Italy and due to major design changes from how their other ships were built the piping, location and flow caused some challenges. Specifically, he noted that they had to try different toilet paper because of the design. Right there we attributed the smell to that being part of it. I️ could be wrong. The average cruiser is not thinking about the thickness and weight of toilet paper and how it flows through the pipes of a ship. But for the officers of Seaside it was a concern.

 

Maybe some engineers on CC will also chime in.

 

 

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Tall-Cruiser

Tall-Cruiser

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I️ still owe a bunch you a response which I️ will do later this evening before finishing the Ocho Rios day and then on to Grand Cayman. In the mean time I️ appreciate all your comments.

 

 

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Mellylucy

windlicht

cruzeluver

lifeasme123

BermudaBound2014

voyager89

scopewest

Cruiser21

Spastica

 

 

Thank you all very much for your comments and following along with this review. I have a whole lot more appreciation for all those CC members that have done a review and the effort it took them.

 

 

 

BermudaBound2014– Up to the time I entered that cabin I didn’t find anywhere that had a goodrepresentation of what the cabin layout was like. So, I decided that, that daypeople should know what they are getting and just drew it out to give everyonean idea.

 

 

Voyager89 - Great to hear you were able to see Seaside in your own Country. I think that was the first time it stopped in Cozumel.

 

Margaritaville was very nice in Ocho Rios. They had tables inside and many outside with a nice sea view. Music was great as well. They did a good job improving that port and setup. Several years ago there was not much there. If your concerns to venture out are safety related, I can tell you that Margaritaville entrance is probably less than a 100 yards from the pier security gate. No one hassled us walking back into the pier gate. Within the main gate an check-in point and secured was section for local vendors selling things. So when you go take a nice walk it will be ok.

 

Happy Sailing

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