Seashore 3/12 Sailing - A Different Perspective

[AngryBirdah]

Hi All!  My family just returned home from our first MSC cruise - the 3/12 Spring Break sailing of the Seashore.  I logged in and read the other two active threads with reviews of this sailing and was honestly a bit shocked at them.  We were all on the same cruise, but had quite different experiences.  In my opinion, travelers have a wide range of expectations and desires out of their vacations, and it's the main reason why I take all reviews - good and bad - with a bit of skepticism.  Before making the decision to book this cruise, I agonized for weeks, reading review after review and thread after thread on this forum.  The more I read, the more balanced and realistic my expectations became.  I would like to thank members of this community for helping to shape those expectations!

 

Here are my overall thoughts on everything... I'm happy to answer any questions to help future cruisers!

 

Background:

• Dad and Mom (early 40s), 3 children (11, 9, 4), and Grandparents (70)
• Booked connected Balcony Staterooms (Fantastica) on Deck 12 Forward about a month before sailing
• 6 previous cruises (all on Carnival)
• Status Matched to Diamond and Silver

 

Pre-Cruise:

• Attracted to MSC by status match and really low fares for Spring Break week (especially with 5%+15% Voyagers Select deal)
• Appreciated the policy around non-vaccinated children (4 year old is too young, but guaranteed to be able to sail)
• Couldn't book the cabins we wanted due to some IT issue, but our Travel Agent made it work
• Multiple website issues, e.g., Status Match, Online Check-In, etc., but all was sorted out without too much trouble

 

Embarkation:

• We were given a 2:30pm arrival time on our e-Tickets, though on the drive from Central Florida to Miami we saw in the MSCforMe App that our time was 10:00am.  It was too late to adjust, and we arrived at the port at 2:20pm.
• Dropping off baggage and parking was a breeze, as just about everyone else was already there
• We knew that Priority Check-In for Diamond is currently suspended
• We had to have our little one tested since she is not vaccinated yet, but that actually helped us skip a bit of the check-in line
• The actual check-in area was a zoo... agents running around grabbing keys and paperwork... using phones or tablets to take pictures of COVID Vaccination Cards and Passports... it was a very makeshift operation.  The Terminal is under construction, but it was a very austere setup.  They could have done better.  You could tell that they hadn't seen this volume of people before, and what worked for prior sailings was falling apart for this one.  IT-wise, why not have us upload copies of passports and COVID cards ahead of time?  Definitely an area for improvement.
• It felt like we were just about the last people to board... we were so late that we missed getting an Embarkation picture!

 

Elevators:

• I've read the other reviews with the nightmares of "10-20 minutes" wait and "often wait 5+ min" for an elevator, only to find it to be too full to board.  This was not our experience.
• It must clearly be a combination of factors - location of our stateroom, the places we chose to go, the times we went there, etc. - but most times we waited less than 2 minutes for an elevator.  I can recall only one time the entire week that I waited 5 minutes for an elevator (the Atrium bank).  There was also only one time that an elevator arrived that was too full to step into.
• Overall, the elevator system is vastly superior to people mindlessly shoving their way into an elevator car and yelling out floor numbers to be punched in.  
• COVID protocol signs asked for no more than 4 people in an elevator at once.  In practice, this proved ineffective and unrealistic.  There were a few times where I found myself crammed into a very crowded elevator.  Not everyone wore masks, which was annoying, but I felt better for having mine on.  In any case, you know every person on the boat was negative at boarding and most of them are vaccinated, so realistically, the entire shipboard environment was probably "safer" than regular daily life at home.

 

Ship Policies:

• COVID protocols were in place, and I did see them enforced on several occasions, but overall it seemed that responsibility was left to the passengers, and a good number of passengers failed at it
• We had no plans to disembark at ports since our youngest is non-vaccinated.  However, we got a letter from Guest Services demanding that we visit them to prove the vaccination status of our older two children such that they could get white wristbands.  I assumed this was to streamline getting off in ports (if we were going to), but I'm still scratching my head as to why it was necessary... they took pictures of the COVID cards at check-in... why don't the systems talk to each other???  Still, not a big deal for us since we weren't going anywhere.

 

Drink Package / Bar Service:

• When booking, I looked at the cost with and without the All-In Drinks + WiFi package, and decided that it just wasn't worth the money.  Some people define their vacations by how much alcohol they can consume, but my wife and I don't really drink.  The math told me that as long as we ordered less than non-alcoholic drinks per person per day, it would be cheaper to pay a la carte. In reality, we made it the entire week without visiting a single bar or ordering a single drink beyond the complimentary offerings.  Yes, it would have been nice to have a Coke or a fancy coffee, or some fruity frozen drink on a hot day, but that wasn't the point of our vacation, so water and lemonade worked just fine... and probably helped me not gain too much weight.

 

Staterooms:

• In spite of the experiences of others, the staterooms we selected stayed with us all the way to embarkation!
• The rooms were exactly as we expected based on all of the research we had done
• Our room was tight, especially with the bunk sofa up the entire week, making access to some areas challenging.  However, the room had ample storage for everyone's stuff with space to spare.
• The bathroom is designed quite well if you're not an oversized person.  I had to do some acrobatics with the toilet.  Sometimes going out to a public restroom was preferable.  The shower was very tiny, but worked very well, with endless hot water and a delightful removable showerhead.

 

Main Dining Room Food:

• I'm a rather picky eater and typically prefer simpler food choices.  I knew that food, in general, is perceived as an MSC weak spot.
• The Main Dining Room on night one was overwhelmed with the volume of diners.  The menu didn't have much on it of interest.  The food was just ok.
• Looking ahead at the menus for the week, my entire family decided that we wouldn't return to the MDR, as there was very little of interest to us.  Also, we opted for Early Dining at Central Park, which for this sailing was 5pm.  That turns out to be just a bit too early, conflicting with other things we wanted to do.  The late dining wasn't until 9:30pm, which is quite late.  The middle dining wasn't even offered to us by the time we booked, but that time may have been better.  If the menu was more appetizing, we may have asked to switch times, but didn't bother.
• MDR Breakfast was a delight... perfectly cooked food served up in a calm and comfortable environment compared to the Buffet!

 

The Buffet:

• On the first morning of our cruise, the buffet was an absolute zoo.  It felt like every passenger was eating at the same time and that only half the staff required was actually present.
• Some lines were long and some were short, but without clear lanes outlined, it was difficult to tell where the lines truly were.  The buffets are arranged around L-shapes, but it wasn't obvious whether you had enter at the very beginning or if you could skip ahead to the second section if the stuff you wanted was there
• The staff was working hard, covering multiple stations across the food service area.  This would cause backups and delays, especially when they went to refresh something.
• The combination of noise, mask-wearing, and low English language proficiency led to some communication problems with the servers.  However, I love that the buffet staff serve the plates out, as people are generally nasty.  My wife saw some late-teen/early-20s guy reach his bare hand into the tub of olives by the salad bar as he was walking by.  Come on!
• Only 1/3rd of the buffet was open most of the time, which was a little too little for the size of the passenger load.
• On Day 1, table after table was littered with dirty dishes, making you wonder if no one was cleaning.
• As the cruise went on, especially by Day 3, it seemed that things settled into a rhythm:  the lines were shorter, the tables cleaned quickly, and overall less chaotic.  People say that this passenger load was 3x compared to the last few months of sailings, and given that it takes time to ramp staff up, I can see the logistical problems.  Still, I didn't find this buffet experience to be vastly different to what I remember from past sailings on Carnival.
• Food-wise, there were some nice items, but nothing that would capture the heart and mind forever.  The key for me was that we were always able to find something to eat and that we weren't hungry.  We're not foodies... we don't expect meals to "take us on a journey" or anything.  I mostly see food as something that gets rid of hunger.  I know for many the food experience is the centerpiece of their vacation, but for me it's more about sustenance than indulgence.  
• If MSC were to add Fried Chicken Tenders to their ever-present Hamburger/Hot Dog/Fries station, that would be great for kids and grownups alike 
• Seriously, MSC, please be like other lines and make the soft-serve machine a permanent fixture!

 

Kids Club:

• The hours were limited and a bit confusing, and what was in the daily program didn't always match what the club offered
• It was more like a drop-and-go babysitting service than a structured service with themes and thought-out activities
• For the younger ones, the person that signs them in also has to sign them out... which is annoying, as it shouldn't be hard to designate multiple people to accomplish these tasks
• I'm sure things will improve with this as COVID abates
• It would be nice if they could communicate with us through the MSCforMe App

 

Pools/Hot Tubs/Water Park:

• I think the variety of pools and hot tubs on Seashore is great!
• In general, I hate crowds, so our plan was to only do on-board water-related activities on the port days (Cozumel and Jamaica).  This worked out perfectly.  The ship was very empty on these days, and my family enjoyed entire hot tubs and pools to ourselves.  The water park wasn't crowded, and my big kids were able to ride the water slides again and again.
• The water park could really use family seating/staging areas around it
• The "must be at least 7" to ride the larger slides doesn't make much sense

 

Diamond Benefits:

• The app was useful as it communicated all of the benefits in one place
• On about Day 2 of the cruise, I found a fold-up MSC Backpack on our bed, which I assume was the Diamond gift
• The visit to the Specialty Restaurant worked without a hitch.  I was able to book Butcher's Cut for the same day, no problem.  It was delicious!
• By about Day 5, I realized that some other amenities hadn't come.  I went to ask Guest Services about it, which was a bit of a disaster.  The music in the Atrium is so loud that you can't communicate with the staff well.  The lady told me that the free birthday cake only applied if I was sailing on my birthday, and that I had to call room service for the Spumanti and Macarons, and that they weren't doing the Chocolate ships anymore.  That didn't sound right to me.  The next morning (Ocean Cay), I called guest services while the family was dressing.  The lady said she'd have the Spumanti and Macarons sent up to the room for us and that they'd bring the chocolate ship too.  Different information from different staff members is always frustrating, but it's likely a staffing/experience/pandemic type issue that should improve with time
• Why don't they have a chat feature in the App to let you ask guest services things?  That would be a nice improvement.

 

Photo Package:

• Before the trip, I wanted to buy the "All-In Digital Photo Package," but was left confused over the rules regarding using it for my extended family across two staterooms.  The fine print clearly says that one package doesn't cover everyone, but some people said that it wasn't a problem.  A cruiser from a few weeks ago specifically asked the photo staff about it and they indicated that buying two packages would be necessary to ensure that all photos were captured.  To be safe, I bought each stateroom a package.
• The photographers did as good a job as others we've had.  We did a couple of nice portrait sessions in the photo area and a sunset shoot at the Bridge of Sighs.  We also got an Ocean Cay welcome photo set.  However, we missed embarkation, which was disappointing.  As well, since we didn't eat in the MDR, we missed out on many photo ops, both at dinner and at stations set up on Decks 5-7 during the dinner hours.
• In the end, all of the photos were collected onto my wife's card... even those featuring only the grandparents from the adjoining cabin. In theory this shouldn't have been allowed, but no one gave us any trouble.  That means that we wasted $149 by buying a package for my mom.  Of course, if we hadn't done that, then surely someone on the photo staff would have caught on to the number of people and made us buy a package for the other cabin at $199+15% in order to get all the photos.  Oh well.
• We may have overpaid for the digital package, and inadvertently not maximized the number of pictures we should have gotten, but in the end we were happy with the memories that were captured

 

Other Passengers:

• This is a variable with any cruise, depending on the departure port, the itinerary, the time for year, the fares, COVID restrictions, and countless other factors
• There was a hearty mix of nationalities on board
• Some people tend toward respectful conduct while others tend toward self-centered dominance
• Some parents are better at parenting their children than others
• Overall, most of our fellow passengers seemed alright... though there were a few we'll be glad to not see again

 

Shows:

• We don't live for the entertainment, but went to a few of the shows
• Overall we enjoyed them... talented performers from a variety of nations
• It was great that there were 3 showtimes each night, making it easy to integrate into our plans

 

Casino:

• The Casino is absolutely gorgeous
• There was no smoking in the casino (a COVID measure?)... making it the cleanest and most comfortable gambling experience we've ever had
• I racked up enough points to earn a future cruise discount and casino credit, which was great.  If I had hit it harder (and larger) from the outset, I might have been in striking distance of the "free cruise" level
• The casino host gave me a gift box of chocolates one night and I cashed out way ahead, so I'd call it a win!

 

The Ship and Crew:

• The Seashore is a gorgeous vessel
• The crew kept it shining, shimmering, and spotless, save for some hiccups here and there with people not even attempting to clean up after themselves (picture a hot tub with about 37 beer bottles scattered around the side)
• It was never hard to find a quiet spot to sit, inside or outside, whether on a port day or underway.
• The crew was absolutely delightful... genuinely friendly and very hard-working... the deserve all of our respect and gratitude!

 

That about sums it up.  As I said, different cruisers expect different things out of their experience.  For some, it's all about the food and alcohol.  For others it's about the amenities and service.  For me, it was about taking my kids somewhere for Spring Break that would give us a nice vacation and not destroy our finances.  All three kids had a great time.  They didn't complain about food lines or elevator wait times.  They were so happy just to be on the ship, on vacation, having fun.  In the end, the 7 of us spent $5k for our weeklong cruise (fare, fees, gratuities, photos, parking, insurance).  For what we paid, and for the level-set expectations I had, I'd say I'm very satisfied with our experience.  The logistical/service issues can only improve with time, and surely MSC will hire some clever IT people someday.  I appreciate the dissenting views and perspectives of others, as our collective experience averages out to the truth. 

 

I wouldn't have any hesitation about sailing with MSC again.  

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited March 20, 2022 by AngryBirdah
Typos

[trooper123]

Thanks for the great review.  Well done! We will be aboard April 2.

[Markanddonna]

Good job on your honest review.

[NCTribeFan]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

 

I sail her on 4/16, which is Easter week, and I imagine there will be lots of passengers.  It's way too big of a ship for my taste, but the date is what I needed.  I'll be solo so I booked a Fantastic balcony (so far, deck 10 midship) so I can retreat to my cabin if I feel overwhelmed by the crowd.  I'm nearly 70 and although I'm boosted, I don't really want to mix too much with families with unvaxxed youngsters.  Nothing personal!

 

I like the buffet for breakfast and lunch, so, hopefully they'll have their act together by then.  I never eat dinner in the buffet.  I'm no foodie but enjoy the meals and service.  I have >30 Carnival cruisers and >40 cruises total including 3 consecutive on MSC shortly before the shutdown.  IMO, the MDR food on MSC is comparable with other lines.  HAL, so far, has been the best.

 

I take the stairs as much as possible so the elevator issue doesn't worry me too much.  If only the able-bodied pax (and I believe the vast majority to be able-bodied) would just take the stairs, the elevators would be available to those who actually need to use them.  I've heard rumors that taking stairs is actually good for you.  I do it for the exercise and to help offset the calories I consume when I cruise from all the good food and drinks.

 

Here's hoping the casino is kind to me, too! 

[bigblue1952]

Terrific review.  Great to read a review from another perspective.  We will be onboard April 9th and looking forward to a great cruise.

[AngryBirdah]

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

 

I sail her on 4/16, which is Easter week, and I imagine there will be lots of passengers.  It's way too big of a ship for my taste, but the date is what I needed.  I'll be solo so I booked a Fantastic balcony (so far, deck 10 midship) so I can retreat to my cabin if I feel overwhelmed by the crowd.  I'm nearly 70 and although I'm boosted, I don't really want to mix too much with families with unvaxxed youngsters.  Nothing personal!

 

I found the sound isolation in the cabins to be quite good and the balcony wonderfully relaxing.  Check the deck plans to see where your room will be in relation to the Deck 8 Forward Infinity Whirlpools.  There were times that 20+ people were crammed in there yelling with each other like they were trying to be heard back in Miami.  That was the exception, though... most times it wasn't loud... and the people watching was interesting.  

 

I totally agree with avoiding the non-vaccinated.  My dad is about your age, and he has immune system issues, so he kept distance and wore his mask almost all the time.

 

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 

I like the buffet for breakfast and lunch, so, hopefully they'll have their act together by then.  I never eat dinner in the buffet.  I'm no foodie but enjoy the meals and service.  I have >30 Carnival cruisers and >40 cruises total including 3 consecutive on MSC shortly before the shutdown.  IMO, the MDR food on MSC is comparable with other lines.  HAL, so far, has been the best.

 

I think they'll sort out the buffet issues before long.  The second half of last week's cruise was a night-and-day improvement over the first half.  One nice thing is that while many of the buffet serving stations were closed, just about all of the seating was open.  So even at the busiest times, we could walk a little bit away from the food and enjoy a dining section all to ourselves, which felt safe and comfortable!

 

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 

I take the stairs as much as possible so the elevator issue doesn't worry me too much.  If only the able-bodied pax (and I believe the vast majority to be able-bodied) would just take the stairs, the elevators would be available to those who actually need to use them.  I've heard rumors that taking stairs is actually good for you.  I do it for the exercise and to help offset the calories I consume when I cruise from all the good food and drinks.

 

I probably should have taken more stairs myself.  Being on Deck 10 is convenient, because going down to Decks 5-8 is easy... and up from 7 or 8 to 10 won't be that bad.  If you're trying to use the elevators at the exact same time as everyone else, then they'll be slammed just like on every other ship.  In general, the forward elevators had little waiting (except for right after a show).  The glass elevators at the back were also prompt.  The midship/atrium elevators did take longer, because they were servicing dining rooms, passenger decks, activities on upper decks, and stuff in the atrium.  But again, the worst I had was a 5 minute wait and skipping 1 elevator for it being too full.  I averaged 10,000 steps walking around the ship daily.

 

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 

Here's hoping the casino is kind to me, too! 

 

Best of luck in the casino!  Video Poker is my thing, and while they only had 6 machines, I never had to wait for one.  All but once my wife and I were able to immediately sit together.  They ran a double-points promo on the first full day at sea... watch out for that one, as going big on spending can help boost your point total.  You have to reach 1,200 points to get the future cruise discount and casino credit.  Every $3 wagered = 1 point, so the doubling helps.  If you get to 9,999 points then you earn a free cruise.  

[Av8tor]

Thanks.  Great review!

[JT1962]

Thanks for the review. It’s always interesting how people can sail the same exact cruise and have completely opposite reactions. As you said, I think expectations have a lot to do with the different opinions. I sailed on the Meraviglia in January and had low expectations based on bad reviews and I was pleasantly surprised at how good things were.
 

 It’s funny how people went from “I don’t care what I have to do or where they go, I just want to be on a ship” a year ago to now being upset about waiting for an elevator or that they did not get priority boarding. I guess those are First World problems, as they say.

[relaxatsea]

Thanks for your excellent review!

[amygutman]

What a great review! Thank you.

It was wonderfully unbiased and we could tell the time you put into making it helpful. 

Warmest, Amy

[seapad]

A great read, great review! Thanks!