Semi-Live Seaside Review 7/30-8/3 From A Circadian-Challenged Cruiser

[amygutman]

ABOUT US, THE "NOT GOING ON MSC AGAIN" CRUISERS

T-Minus 21 hours 30 minutes to our 4 night, 5 day Seaside out of Port Canaveral. Have never tried a Live Review, so will aim for a Semi-Live with a nod of appreciation to @mica178 who is currently on the ship. I'm punch-drunk from night shift and staying awake to switch to "normal human schedule" so will ramble a bit about cruise prep et al. But first...coffee ☕

 

A little about us: I'm a often night-shift working menopausal mom of a 14 yo boy Ronan (in the eye-rolling stage of adolescence) and wife to a Celtic Viking of a husband, Mike. If you've cruised with us we are easily recognizable due to his beard and collection of "Sipowitz" shirts. Kiddo is awesome, loves cruising, hoping for other teens on this sailing. He's autistic but we have found that cruisers more than any other segment of society accept his eccentricities - unfortunately not in cruise teen clubs as of late. Took a bit of prodding to get him excited for today as our last foray into a teen club found this newly-minted 14 yo in a club with 16 and 17 yo girls with pierced belly-rings in full "girl-clique mode". Ladies...you know what I mean. Hell, I'm in my 50's and these roaming girl-packs STILL terrify me.

 

Where was I? Oh...You'll find kiddo on his phone, in the pool, eating mac-and-cheese or any other carbohydrate. Don't judge. He also eats his weight in broccoli so I'll take what I can get. If he splashes in the pool he means no harm, just gets very happy when swimming. If you see him, ask him about animation - he will talk your ear off (and by "talk your ear off", I mean 2 sentences in a row. Small victories indeed). 

 

Any day on a ship is our happy place, preferring NCL's Haven > the Yacht Club. In fact we were of the avowed "nope...never going to cruise again on MSC". Too bougie, and I kept smashing my face into the darned mirrored hallways. Mirrors, and more mirrors interspersed with shiny crystals on mirrored staircases. I spent a lot of time on MSC ships walking in the center of the hallway and gripping staircase handrails for dear life. Butlers whom we have to dodge to avoid being escorted one flight up to the pool deck. Weird entertainment (the stage show with a man in a giant nose costume on the Meraviglia still gives me nightmares). The service is almost TOO much, if that makes sense. Did we love the Seashore and Meraviglia? Sure. Who doesn't love being spoiled? But we generally prefer the Haven. About 6 months ago my TA calls me to remind me I have MSC cruise refund money from Covid cancellations I need to use pronto or lose. Checked what was out of Canaveral and so - MSC we are back again. 4 Nights, 5 Days in a deluxe YC penthouse that with my cruise credit and perks from my TA's company cost only $50 over my credited funds for a total of a bit over 3K. Pricey, but it was last minute-ish. Haven't spent time with kiddo all summer a good excuse for family time before school starts in 2 weeks. 

 

CRUISE PREP

Night shift dragged last night. Friday night ER complaints fall into six main categories: 1) "Hold My Beer And Watch This", 2) People Caught In The Path of the "Hold My Beer" Folks (drunk drivers should be castrated in my personal opinion, but I digress), 3) Gravity Is A ***** (AKA "Fell Out of Bed and Go Boom On Floor", 4) "My Kid Has a Fever But I Didn't Give Him Acetaminophen Because I Wanted You To See Him Have a Fever So Now He's Having A Seizure", 5) "I'm Having The Big One" (oy....yes you are - let's save a life!), and 6) "My 'Insert Vague Complaint' That I've Had For 2 Years But I Haven't Seen A Doctor For, But I Need You To Get Me A STAT MRI Because Google Says So And I Need A Work Note". Stayed late, did my paperwork, walked 5 miles to wake up, and now ready to relax!

 

We have packing down to a science. Literally have packing lists for every occasion and will attach our "5 Night / 6 Day With Hotel And No Flight" checksheet to this post. Why "5 Nights"?. Because even though we live in Orlando, a 45 minute drive to Port Canaveral, we love to go a night before the cruise and hang out at Springhill Marriot for a pre-cruise stay-cation, go to Kennedy Space Center, see manatees, etc. The Marriot has a "Park-N-Cruise" special: hotel + breakfast buffet (which rocks, BTW - photos tomorrow) + cruise parking + shuttle. Different rates depending on the day of the week, but it's usually $300-$350ish. Considering that parking alone is $20-$40 / day depending on the lot, this is money well spent to us. 

TIPS, LETTERS, ETC

We attached our Butler letter, adapted from the template from the wise @Sthrngary on the NCL Boards. Differences between NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club - the concierge on the YC is stationed at a desk vs the Haven where they roam the ship and go to every room on embarkation (in our experience). Haven: we have a concierge letter as well as butler letter. Both in envelopes with a "pre-tip". MSC: only Butler letter as we only tip the concierge as we go - meaning, if we have to set up a tender, etc. There are many threads with the "pros-and-cons" of this practice, but we find that the letter + pre-tip (<5 day cruises = $50, >5 day cruises = $100) make for a nice sailing. We give the "tip handshake" to the stateroom attendant + assistant as they do most of the heavy lifting. We also pre-tip the restaurant hostess $20 - they really spoil kiddo.  For MSC meals, we leave $2-5 / waiter / meal (all restaurants, not just the YC). Because we don't always sit at the same table in the YC (or specialty restaurants if we are repeat customers), this is most efficient. Same for the bar and the pool deck. I was a horrible waitress at Howard Johnson on overnights and LIVED on crappy tips (if you were Wilkes-Barre PA in the late '90s and left me change in your milkshake slurry debris for my tip, I hated you then, and still hate you now, just sayin'). Life has blessed us with good fortune backed by hard work so we like to spread that good karma.

 

AND WITH THAT...

Shower, shave my night-shift legs (TMI?), kiddo finishing animation class, (plug here: https://eliteanimationacademy.com/ These are the most amazing live and zoom classes for any one interested in drawing, character design and animation. Based in Orlando and have special education programs for children and adults on the Spectrum interested in animation careers. Highly recommend), and then off to the Marriot!!! Suns Out, Funs Out!

Warmest, Amy

Cruise Packing List 6 Day 5 Night Pre-Night Hotel No Flight.docx Gutman-Enright Butler Letter_General.docx

[morpheusofthesea]

Dear Warmest Amy, 

   Do not think you will have to worry about any time changes to further mess up your circadian rhythm on this cruise.

 Uh Oh! I just checked. It is Mexico ! Watch out !

Edited July 29, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[amygutman]

53 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Dear Warmest Amy, 

   Do not think you will have to worry about any time changes to further mess up your circadian rhythm on this cruise.

 Uh Oh! I just checked. It is Mexico ! Watch out !

Bring on the time change!!!!! ☕️

[morpheusofthesea]

9 minutes ago, amygutman said:

Bring on the time change!!!!! ☕️

Oh, your due for a vacation !

[amygutman]

6 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Oh, your due for a vacation !

BTW, I’m now adopting “Warmest Amy”, no comma. ❤️

[mica178]

2 minutes ago, amygutman said:

BTW, I’m now adopting “Warmest Amy”, no comma. ❤️

 So smart to start the day before, despite the short erice. We came in from Tampa, and I wish DH had agreed to do a night in Orlando or Cocoa Beach beforehand. The day we leave for vacation is so chaotic and stressful (all due to DH's procrastination),  why ruin the first cruise day?

[Essiesmom]

Warmest applies to all of us living in the South now…although we are in a cold wave today, it’s only 86.  EM

[AmeliaIslandVoyager]

Hi there Amy!

 

Thank you for the introduction. I'm an almost 40 yr old single mom of two boys 5 and 8. My 8 yr old is also autistic and generally has enjoyed the kid's programming, but you just never know. We will also be in YC so I hope to meet you there. I'll be the one balancing a drink in one hand and two slightly rowdy, always eating and mostly fighting, but super cute kids in the other. 

 

Cheers to a great cruise!

 

[cruisingandcrazy]

We will be boarding the seaside a few days after you disembark with our own child on the spectrum. We will be in the YC as well. I will be definitely following along. 

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

[amygutman]

1 hour ago, AmeliaIslandVoyager said:

Hi there Amy!

 

Thank you for the introduction. I'm an almost 40 yr old single mom of two boys 5 and 8. My 8 yr old is also autistic and generally has enjoyed the kid's programming, but you just never know. We will also be in YC so I hope to meet you there. I'll be the one balancing a drink in one hand and two slightly rowdy, always eating and mostly fighting, but super cute kids in the other. 

 

Cheers to a great cruise!

 

@AmeliaIslandVoyager so nice to meet you!!!!
I’ll take rowdy kids > rowdy adults any day. And I’ll be happily with drink in hand as well! 
See you in those mirrored hallways tomorrow (hopefully less bruised than on my last trip). 🤣

Warmest Amy

[Best Cat Mom]

We are on Seaside in early September for the first time since 2018. Looking forward to hearing about your experience in YC. Enjoy!

[amygutman]

Evening descends on Springhill Suites Marriott. Nicest staff here - Kim at the desk remembers us from our last two cruises (not sure if that’s a good or bad thing) and checked us right in. When you do the cruise parking package you get assigned a shuttle time with your car and trip pass. 
Hotel location rocks. Are you close to the cruise port? Well… here’s the map (we are st the pink bed marker) and the view from our hotel window. 

There’s also a great park about a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel. Manatee Park. Great playground for kids, and gorgeous views for the adults. Not quite sure why it’s upside down (my 14 yo IT support kiddo is currently watching SpongeBob and cannot be disturbed).  

Car is parked safely in the security-monitored lot, and headed to supper. We love FishLips for the water views but we opted for amazing Italian at a family-owned non-chain restaurant Zarella’s 5 mins walk from the hotel. 

Dinner and a show, and kiddo ventured away from mac and cheese to … angel hair pasta with cheese. And of course Oreo cake. Because, ya know, carbs. 
Off to bed. But first … a little something from the bar. 🥃 I mean … it’s vacation, right? 
 

Warmest Amy

[amygutman]

Morning started with a quick treadmill and coffee (ok… maybe 2 coffees) and this view from our hotel: Wonder of the Seas (apparently sailing upside down). 

One of the huge hurts is quick and easy embarkation. Literally 10 minutes from getting off the shuttle, quick escort through security to sitting in the lounge. 

Please forgive the upside down family. We just had our orientation today YC and headed upstairs to the pool for some snacks.

Super efficient, and Raj no that Concierge is absolutely lovely.

Let the fun begin!

Warmest Amy

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Amy, we are just off Merivaglia YC following a week on NCL Joy Haven. I believe you will be impressed. For us, Win MSC. Butlers, Concierge, Food, Champagne, Private Island, Check-in, Service.

[Motegi]

Following.  
 

Looking forward to hearing about you day to day experiences onboard Seaside now.  
 

It’s been a few years since we were last onboard Seaside and we are anxiously anticipating our cruise.

 

We’d love to hear what you think of the cruise director and what the theme nights are onboard right now as we start packing for our cruise!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

So looking forward to this live review. Your writing style is so engaging that I find myself laughing out loud. We embark Seaside next Sunday. Your thoughts and experiences only add to our excitement. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[amygutman]

DAY ONE PART ONE

So much music everywhere today!!!!  It’s such a treat having the different performers in the YC specifically. Pianist, singers, saxophonist. Such a nice relaxing touch.

 

We have Arnold as our butler - A human smiling dynamo. Such a warm and happy guy. Brought us literally two tumblers of straight vodka plus our suite bottle “so you can take the bottle home and not have to run to the bar every five minutes”. Primus is also on board who we had on the Seashore and gave us a big hug. How they remember specific guests after literally thousands of encounters is beyond me but I saw more crew hugging guests and greeting them warmly by name that I have ever seen on any other cruise ship. 

 

The cruise director told some very salty jokes pre-show. Very funny and personable. The show was Peter Punk - it was fantastically weird. Like … pirates, acrobats, bendy people, magicians and a dinosaur. Yes. A dinosaur. Unclear why, but somehow it made perfect sense. It’s rather reminiscent of the dancing giant nose from a Meraviglia show. 
 

Here are the dailies from today and for tomorrow. Apologies in advance if upside down. 

[amygutman]

DAY ONE PART TWO 

Managed to briefly win some money at the casino then back to 0$. Oh, well… There’s always tomorrow. There were lots of shouts and cheering from other machines so at least somebody was winning. 
 

The staircases are as terrifying as I remember. I made it through the day without falling down, but that’s only because I was semi-sober.

 

Service at the pool bar and the Top Sail bar was outstanding. Once again, as on prior cruises, super strange snacks at the Top Sail lounge including the infamous pickled onions. One forum member says this is a very European thing, but I’m not sure what one does with them. Do you pair them with the raisins and the hazelnuts? There is European and then there’s just plain gnarly.

They also had what I can best described as fish mousse ice cream cones. It says hummus, but it is most definitely not. Very pretty though. Perhaps would be tastier with pickled onions. 🤣 

 

Oh darn - upside down food. Lunch at the pool and Dinner at the YC restaurant were wonderful. I don’t have any photos right now, but the dinner menu is below.
 

Off to bed. Nassau is tomorrow, but having been there many times before I think we’re going to stay in the ship and enjoy some trivia and dancing. 

Oh good lord… Arnold just brought us more vodka, sodas and a Shirley Temple for Kiddo. note to self never mention alcohol request to a butler, or else you will drown in vodka. Granted, there are worse ways to go, but still… I know… Definitely a first world problem.

After all that alcohol, I am most definitely warm, 💕

Warmest Amy 

[amygutman]

6 hours ago, Motegi said:

Following.  
 

Looking forward to hearing about you day to day experiences onboard Seaside now.  
 

It’s been a few years since we were last onboard Seaside and we are anxiously anticipating our cruise.

 

We’d love to hear what you think of the cruise director and what the theme nights are onboard right now as we start packing for our cruise!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I will look and see if I can figure out what theme nights there are. I know there is a white night party which I understand is tomorrow night. There is also a more formal night which I think is night three. 
Will confirm and get back to you.

Warmest Amy

[amygutman]

26 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So looking forward to this live review. Your writing style is so engaging that I find myself laughing out loud. We embark Seaside next Sunday. Your thoughts and experiences only add to our excitement. 

I feel my punctuation gets worse as Arnold continues to bring us more vodka. My sentences certainly get more run-on. Considering it would be rude to not drink what he brings to the cabin, it could be a very interesting review the next few days. 🤣

 

Trying to make this a bit light as I’m having a blast. If I can humor in pickled onions, crystal stair cases, and dinosaurs in a pirate show that involves jugglers and Eastern European bodybuilders then hopefully someone else can as well! 
 

Warmest Amy
 

 

[mica178]

Arnold is the best! I had Alexis, and he was fine, not great. But I interacted with Arnold daily, and he was the adopted favorite of pretty much everyone I knew in YC. During the YC cocktail party, he got the most cheers compared to anyone else, including the captain and YC director.

[JAGR]

12 hours ago, amygutman said:

DAY ONE PART ONE

So much music everywhere today!!!!  It’s such a treat having the different performers in the YC specifically. Pianist, singers, saxophonist. Such a nice relaxing touch.

 

We have Arnold as our butler - A human smiling dynamo. Such a warm and happy guy. Brought us literally two tumblers of straight vodka plus our suite bottle “so you can take the bottle home and not have to run to the bar every five minutes”.

Arnold Casto Jr. is the greatest!  He was a Lounge Butler when we were on a B2B, and he was fantastic!  He definitely knows drinks, so you will be well taken care of.  We are so glad he got promoted!  BTW, if you have any phone or internet issues, Arnold is your go-to guy.  Even the concierges reach out to him if a guest is having technical problems!

Edited July 31, 2023 by JAGR

[pirate4me2]

Thank you for doing this review! We board Seaside in 19 days for our first MSC cruise, in the YC. I hope we get Arnold for our butler!

Can you do a little recon for me, if you dont mind? What is the attire in the YC restaurant like at dinnertime? I have an outfit for gala night, but I am interested in non-gala night what people wear. Also, in the Topsail lounge, will they allow you in with shorts and a Tshirt to get drinks and listen to music, or do you need to be more dressy? Thanks for any info you can provide!

[mica178]

16 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Thank you for doing this review! We board Seaside in 19 days for our first MSC cruise, in the YC. I hope we get Arnold for our butler!

Can you do a little recon for me, if you dont mind? What is the attire in the YC restaurant like at dinnertime? I have an outfit for gala night, but I am interested in non-gala night what people wear. Also, in the Topsail lounge, will they allow you in with shorts and a Tshirt to get drinks and listen to music, or do you need to be more dressy? Thanks for any info you can provide!

You can definitely be in shorts and a tee shirt at the TSL.

[amygutman]

1 hour ago, pirate4me2 said:

Thank you for doing this review! We board Seaside in 19 days for our first MSC cruise, in the YC. I hope we get Arnold for our butler!

Can you do a little recon for me, if you dont mind? What is the attire in the YC restaurant like at dinnertime? I have an outfit for gala night, but I am interested in non-gala night what people wear. Also, in the Topsail lounge, will they allow you in with shorts and a Tshirt to get drinks and listen to music, or do you need to be more dressy? Thanks for any info you can provide!

@pirate4me2 I echo @mica178 that “casual” is fine. The wait staff is definitely dressed classier than we are!  However, Arnold says no flip-flops (tevas are fine) and although baseball caps are ok at lunch, they are not allowed at supper. Other than “no swimsuits” it’s pretty much casual. 
 

The “theme” seems to be lots of very tight outfits with, ahem, lots of “bits” hanging out. The 14 yo is  getting quite the anatomy lesson! 
🤣🤣🤣

 

Here are the boy’s lunch outfits if that helps … plus lunch! 

 

Warmest Amy