My View: Trading the Landscape for the Seascape

[KittyCruz]

On 3/26/2023 at 4:43 PM, APDMOM said:

The Hair Salon:

I always get my hair cut and/or colored on MSC ships because I really believe they have the best in the industry for haircare.  I got highlights on Meraviglia in November, so this time I just got the haircut.  As always, I was very impressed with the results.  I wish I could find an excellent hair stylist in our area, but I have yet to find one as good as the hair stylists in South Africa or on the MSC ships.  This time, I got double blessed -  My MSC Seascape Hair Stylist is from South Africa. 🙂

 

 

I'm so happy to hear someone else gets their hair done on the ship..

Enjoyed your review and all the tips!

 

[APDMOM]

16 minutes ago, KittyCruz said:

 

@KittyCruz MSC prices for hair services are also cheaper than in America.  🙂

[skittl1321]

I have never considered getting a salon service on a cruise ship, but the hair and waxing services are way cheaper than I pay, and I'm not even in a major US city.  

 

I wish there was more "to do" on the ship, rock wall, zipline, mini golf, ropes course- something?  So I am a little nervous about what we will do on sea days; I've found previous cruises to be hit or miss on boring sea days, we usually do trivia, but some cruises don't offer many options, so it is just read a book or play a card game (not a drinker or a gambler)...I am really hoping the kids like the kids club, because if they do not, I am not sure how to fill their days! Were the pools very crowded? Your photos show them empty.

 

The food looks really good. I am very excited about that. 

[Morecruisesplz]

32 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

The food looks really good. I am very excited about that. 

Just eat your way through sea days! And maybe relax some.

[Kim_KS]

Thanks for all the great info! Looking forward to our February 2024 cruise on her!

[APDMOM]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:46 PM, skittl1321 said:

I have never considered getting a salon service on a cruise ship, but the hair and waxing services are way cheaper than I pay, and I'm not even in a major US city.  

 

I wish there was more "to do" on the ship, rock wall, zipline, mini golf, ropes course- something?  So I am a little nervous about what we will do on sea days; I've found previous cruises to be hit or miss on boring sea days, we usually do trivia, but some cruises don't offer many options, so it is just read a book or play a card game (not a drinker or a gambler)...I am really hoping the kids like the kids club, because if they do not, I am not sure how to fill their days! Were the pools very crowded? Your photos show them empty.

 

The food looks really good. I am very excited about that. 

 

The water slides should be lots of fun for the kids.  The pools were busy on sea days but better in the morning.  I have heard that the kids club was great.  We did see some activities with the kids club and everyone seemed to be having fun.  The families got very involved with the competitive games by the pool.  

 

There were many trivia options too - we were so busy, we never got to attend trivia.  🙂 

[blueslily]

On 3/29/2023 at 9:49 PM, APDMOM said:

Cabin/stateroom pictures: 

 

TIP:  Book a balcony 10-03 and forward if you want a more quiet space.  We were disappointed that there was public seating below our balcony.  There was a large family gathering that was very loud past midnight on day 2 below our balcony.  

 

If it had repeated, I would have called guest services, because it really interfered with our sleep.  Even so, during the week, you could hear music from deck 8 on our balcony.  In the cooler air, you could sometimes hear every word a person said while they sat on deck 8.  It was not the ideal space to enjoy the sound of the ocean.  

 

Stateroom 10125:

 

 

 

TIP: There is a soft chair and table under the vanity.  The table is handy to use for room service or to place on the balcony for "desk space".

 

 

 

TIP:  The over-the-door shoe hanger is a lifesaver for me.  It is a great way to save counter space and to organize those necessities we use daily.  I don't travel without it anymore.  On MSC, storage is limited compared with other ships we have been on, so it is even more helpful on these ships. 

 

 

TIP: Place a rag on the rack to keep your razor from slipping off the soap rack.

 

 

 

 I was happy to see an extra mirror in the bathroom, but it is only a magnifying mirror, so it does not help to do your hair in the back. 

 

So, TIP: I do pack a small mirror to fix the back of my unruly hair.  🤣

 

TIP: Your seapass card drives the power in the room.  We were hoping to charge my camera batteries while we were out, but that plug did not work without the card.  So, there is another reason the wrist bands are handy.  You can negotiate the ship with just the wrist band while your card assists to charge camera batteries 🙂 

 

TIP: If you don't need turn down service at night, put on the 'Do not disturb" button.  If you need your room made, push the 'Make Up Room' button.  It just makes it easier for your room steward to get to know your schedule, or to know when you are ready for the room to be made (aka dressed appropriately or out). 

 

Additional shelves for books - never used these, but if you have good ideas of how to use them, please share...
:

 

The temperature control was quite good.

 

 

TIP: There is a USB charger by the bed... yay!!! One thing that MSC got right on this ship.

 

The Mini-Fridge - other than on RCL ships, this is actually a fridge.  Things stayed cold, not just cool like in the wine-coolers on RCL ships.  We were able to keep chocolate milk quite chilled in here.

 

The content:

 

 

Pricing for items in the mini-fridge:

 

Plugs: Euro, US, and USB:

 

 

Extremely helpful post. Quick question: When you say for a quieter location, book balcony 10-03 and forward, what room number does that mean? Sorry, the - is tripping me up a little. Thanks so much. Awesome thread!

[APDMOM]

12 hours ago, blueslily said:

Extremely helpful post. Quick question: When you say for a quieter location, book balcony 10-03 and forward, what room number does that mean? Sorry, the - is tripping me up a little. Thanks so much. Awesome thread!

That should state 10053... not sure what the clumsy fingers typed there in my haste!  To avoid the metal balconies, book between 10053 and 10033.  Of course, you would be giving up some of the aft view in these, so it depends on how much you can put up with noise from deck 8. 🙂  

 

[blueslily]

1 hour ago, APDMOM said:

That should state 10053... not sure what the clumsy fingers typed there in my haste!  To avoid the metal balconies, book between 10053 and 10033.  Of course, you would be giving up some of the aft view in these, so it depends on how much you can put up with noise from deck 8. 🙂  

 

 

Thanks so much. And one more question that might seem silly. What do you mean by metal balconies? 

[Morecruisesplz]

3 hours ago, blueslily said:

 

Thanks so much. And one more question that might seem silly. What do you mean by metal balconies? 

Metal railing vs the usual glass railing. You can't see through metal.

[APDMOM]

Thanks @fredmdcruisers!

 

@blueslily

In this picture, you can see the forward balconies (marked in red) have only metal, no glass for the balcony railing.  So, you cannot look through the glass to see the ocean if you are sitting on the balcony chair or inside the balcony.  Definitely not ideal.

 

 

[Morecruisesplz]

38 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Thanks @fredmdcruisers!

 

@blueslily

In this picture, you can see the forward balconies (marked in red) have only metal, no glass for the balcony railing.  So, you cannot look through the glass to see the ocean if you are sitting on the balcony chair or inside the balcony.  Definitely not ideal.

 

 

Probably reserved for us Bella cruisers! 

[blueslily]

3 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Thanks @fredmdcruisers!

 

@blueslily

In this picture, you can see the forward balconies (marked in red) have only metal, no glass for the balcony railing.  So, you cannot look through the glass to see the ocean if you are sitting on the balcony chair or inside the balcony.  Definitely not ideal.

 

 

 

Oh yes, thank you. My mom had one of those befor won a NCL ship. Shoot, I forget what they arecalled, but it was called a specific type of balcony when the cabin was assigned. Maybe it was called an enclosed balcony? Shoot, cant remember the name. 

 

Thanks so much. We opted to go to a higher deck, 14, to get away from the noise of Deck 8. I am hopeful that they are cabins with beds by the balconies. I tried counting every other room using numbers and that its accurate. They are cabins 14095 and 14114. Two different sides of the ship which we wanted so we can bounce from different sides to see the different views, lol. Prices are rising so we had to act quick. I will continue to research this topic and if necessary, will change the rooms again. 

 

Silky question. Why are Areau cabins so close to the front or back? Those front cabins are not in the best locations. For higher cost experience level, I would think the cabins would be better locations. Ugh. Decisions decisions. 

 

Thanks so much for your help! 

[APDMOM]

23 hours ago, blueslily said:

Why are Areau cabins so close to the front or back? Those front cabins are not in the best locations. For higher cost experience level, I would think the cabins would be better locations.

I know the spa is forward, so it is close to the forward cabins.  I would prefer to be able to choose my own cabin anywhere on the ship if I paid more… The Aurea balconies are larger though, so I guess it is more about the design of the ship.

[blueslily]

1 minute ago, APDMOM said:

I know the spa is forward, so it is close to the forward cabins.  I would prefer to be able to choose my own cabin anywhere on the ship if I paid more… The Aurea balconies are larger though, so I guess it is more about the design of the ship.

 

Thanks. I'm with you. I prefer to  choose my cabin location. I dont mind walking a little bit to get to the spa. Plus, the balconies on the cabins shown as available are the same size. Its just a deluxe balcony with a Aurea experience. Its not the Aurea suites.  Just a regular room with Aurea experience. 

 

[Calker]

Thank you for your wonderful review.

 

hope to meet you on our upcoming Seaside cruise.

[Lanierain]

Thanks for your review! Doing MSC for first time in December on Seascape with Aurea.  Definitely learned some things to help the experience! 

[blueslily]

On 3/25/2023 at 11:02 AM, APDMOM said:

Thermal Area:

 

On that note, I will post some pictures about the Thermal Area, as well as how some of the showers work.  

 

It is really handy to buy the wrist band at $10 from the Hub so that you can use the Thermal Area without holding onto your sea pass card. The wrist band is 100% water proof, so you can wear it all the time.  

 

You can unlock and lock the lockers by using either your sea pass or your wrist band. 

 

TIP: Try to use the same locker number every time… Easier to remember for the vacation brain 😄 

 

 

Pick up a towel before you go to the Thermal Area:

 

 

There is plenty of seating throughout the area - never saw these in use - just to hold towels.

 

NOTE to MSC:  It would be great if you could add hooks for towels within the Thermal Area.  Some ships have them, but not Seascape.

 

 

The Outdoor Area: 

 

TIP:  The gym looks out on the Hot Tub, so just remember you are “Never Alone”. 🙈 🤣

 

I had the hot tub to myself both times I decided to go out there this week:

 

 

 

The wrist band that you mentioned and showed, can that be purchased by any guests in any cabin or experience level? Thanks 

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, blueslily said:

 

The wrist band that you mentioned and showed, can that be purchased by any guests in any cabin or experience level? Thanks 

It can be purchased by any and everyone

[blueslily]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

It can be purchased by any and everyone

 

Thanks so much!

[Erekosse]

Thanks for posting the review! We are booked on Seascape next March on the same itinerary, so you given us a bit of a preview.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 3/30/2023 at 5:25 PM, APDMOM said:

To avoid the metal balconies, book between 10053 and 10033.

we were in 10056 and 10036, and 10036 didn't have a metal balcony.

 

 

FYI for those choosing their deck 10 cabins: these two were far enough forward of the Loft Cafe (there is a smoking section in front of it) and the public jacuzzi to avoid all the noise and smoke.

 

the view is from 10056 and the hot tub is all the way to the right beyond the curb:

 

There will be some people on the loungers in front of you, but we experienced zero disturbance from them:

 

in front of 10056

 

But there is a crew area all the way forward on deck 8, and they do smoke there. The closer you are to that, the higher the chance of smoke smell.

 

We smelled somebody's weed the first night, and I was very concerned, but it was fine for the rest of the cruise. I sat on the balcony for several hours (not in a row) every day.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 3/30/2023 at 6:51 PM, APDMOM said:

A Few Views of the Casino:

We did not use this space.  It was very smokey.  Unfortunately, the design of the ship was very flawed in this area.  You could smell Casino smoke on 3 decks in the area of Times' Square.

incredible! by the time we sailed during Thanksgiving week, they made the casino smoke-free. It was glorious! We didn't use the casino for its actual casino stuff, but we used their bar quite often and also quite often crossed from forward to aft through the casino. We would have definitely avoided it if it was a smoking establishment.

[APDMOM]

29 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

incredible! by the time we sailed during Thanksgiving week, they made the casino smoke-free. It was glorious! We didn't use the casino for its actual casino stuff, but we used their bar quite often and also quite often crossed from forward to aft through the casino. We would have definitely avoided it if it was a smoking establishment.

Thank you for reporting back!  🙂