Live Review, MSC Seashore - March 14-17

[Stealthdog]

A couple things of note about the first day.  
 

First the positive - we love the concept of going to the room to get your room key once you enter the ship.  Most other lines give you your card when you check in and the room is unavailable until mid afternoon.  
 

We didn’t even check our luggage (only 1 piece) with the porters at the pier.  We carried our luggage on.  We entered the ship on deck 4, so I had to carry it up 8 flights of stairs, but it was worth it.  We had our luggage and backpacks in our room immediately which was a great feeling.  We have been on cruises where the luggage can get lost or it gets to your room really late on the first day.  For people flying who want to freshen up before dinner, that can be a pain.  So great concept for MSC compared to other lines about letting people access to their rooms right away.
 

The room was still being cleaned when dropped our stuff off but we just dropped our stuff off and didn’t go back until it was time to get ready for dinner. 

[squigglydownunder]

4 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

First the positive - we love the concept of going to the room to get your room key once you enter the ship.  Most other lines give you your card when you check in and the room is unavailable until mid afternoon.  

Yeah. That's new for me. I think every other cruise we've taken, they had the rooms gated off.

[Stealthdog]

The room itself is fairly standard (balcony delux).  There is plenty of space and closet space for 2 people, at least for a short cruise. The balcony is also decent size and we have definitely been using it.  The bathroom is small - it’s a smaller space than other comparable rooms to other cruise lines we have been on recently.  For larger people, there may be a challenge using the toilet and shower, so this category may not be the best choice for people who need more space in the bathrooms.   
 

Attached are photos of the room and bathroom. One usb charger by the bed.  A series of outlets by the TV across from the bed.  Also, one outlet plug in the barhroon.

[Beamafar]

2 hours ago, squigglydownunder said:

This is interesting as I think MSC tells you to show up no earlier than 30 minutes before your boarding time. 

We have never adhered to the assigned boarding time - it’s never checked.

[Lupush]

Nice beer selection!  Very excited to watch the NCAA Tournament in the sports bar on board Seascape next weekend.

[Stealthdog]

Now for a negative review…..

 

I don’t think I ever seen a more disorganized, hot mess of a muster of any of my ~ 15 cruises.  This was hands down the worst muster I have ever taken part of…..and this includes the old musters where you had to physically show to your station, stand in rows, and get your safety brief in person.

 

Everything about the muster was a sh*t show and MSC should really modernize how they do it.  What was supposed to happen was you watch the safety video in your cabin, call a number on your cabin phone to let them know you watched, and then go check in at your muster station.  
 

The safety video wasn’t working on our TV - it was a frozen screen.  We got the announcement for the phone code.  We used the 3 digit number and got an error message.  Then we dealt with 4000 thousand passengers all trying to go to their muster stations the same time only using the stairs.  But the biggest problem was everyone who got to their muster stop to check in then tried to push their way up the stairs against the flow, presumably to try to get back to their room.  Everything about the execution of the muster was just terrible and MSC should look at what the other lines are doing. 
 

MSC appears to have a better on board app than a couple of the other lines and should incorporate the app into their drill and let people check in to their muster station over a period of time to avoid massive congestion.

 

if they were trying to run an exercise to induce massive confusion, frustration, and anger to reflect an actual emergency, I guess they succeeded. 😂

 

Edited March 15 by Stealthdog

[LuvLyv2Travel85]

21 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

Now for a negative review…..

 

I don’t think I ever seen a more disorganized, hot mess of a muster of any of my ~ 15 cruises.  This was hands down the worst muster I have ever taken part of…..and this includes the old musters where you had to physically show to your station, stand in rows, and get your safety brief in person.

 

Everything about the muster was a sh*t show and MSC should really modernize how they do it.  What was supposed to happen was you watch the safety video in your cabin, call a number on your cabin phone to let them know you watched, and then go check in at your muster station.  
 

The safety video wasn’t working on our TV - it was a frozen screen.  We got the announcement for the phone code.  We used the 3 digit number and got an error message.  Then we dealt with 4000 thousand passengers all trying to go to their muster stations the same time only using the stairs.  But the biggest problem was everyone who got to their muster stop to check in then tried to push their way up the stairs against the flow, presumably to try to get back to their room.  Everything about the execution of the muster was just terrible and MSC should look at what the other lines are doing. 
 

MSC appears to have a better on board app than a couple of the other lines and should incorporate the app into their drill and let people check in to their muster station over a period of time to avoid massive congestion.

 

if they were trying to run an exercise to induce massive confusion, frustration, and anger to reflect an actual emergency, I guess they succeeded. 😂

 

Honestly, I’ve never had a great muster experience except on Disney in 2021 during Covid. 
 

What’s the price point for an old fashioned? 
 

How’s the food?

[Stealthdog]

56 minutes ago, LuvLyv2Travel85 said:

Honestly, I’ve never had a great muster experience except on Disney in 2021 during Covid. 
 

What’s the price point for an old fashioned? 
 

How’s the food?

I’ll hold off on overall assessment of food until the end. So far I’m happy, but Eric less than happy.  I’ll look for a menu with old fashioned.  They have whiskeys priced at $10, so you can probably get a version of it with the lower packages. 

[alserrod]

Hi, 

 

two questions about wellness in the room

 

I can see shower gel and shampoo. Is there sunscreen available too?. Where?

 

What's the power of the dryer? (in watts.... it will be written somewhere. My wife ask about it)

[alserrod]

and about sports bar, can you choose what to see in the nearest screen where you are seated?

[Stealthdog]

Day 1 dinner in MDR.  
 

Had the French Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, NY Strip, and Chocolate Cheesecake. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the MDR compared to other lines.  It’s only a one meal comparison, but we normally do specialty dining restaurants because we typically are not happy with MDR food.  
 

The ceasar was ok - standard for a regular regular restaurant. No complaints.  It wasn’t overly dressed.

 

The French Onion soup wasn’t bad, but it was probably a little below what I am used to in land based and cruise restaurants.  I loved that it wasn’t overly salty, which can happen, so that was great.  The overall taste to me was just bland.

 

The NY strip was a home run.  Last year we are on a Princess ship and I had to return the NY strip 4 times back to the kitchen before I moved on to a different meal.  The strip last night was of good meat quality and was cooked as asked (Princess had terrible meat quality and cooked it well done every time).  It’s only a one time comparison, but the NY strip put my overall dinner last night in a very positive light.

 

The cheesecake I could have done without (and only ate half of it).  It was too light and not rich enough for me.  Some people may prefer it that way though.

 

Eric was having vegetarian/vegan options and I will roll all his food comments in one post about special diet options on board.

Edited March 15 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Day 2 activities.  Almost caught up with Day 1 - just entertainment left.

 

Day 2 I’ll go over coffee, buffet, gym, and a few other topics, as well as post some of the bar/lounge menus.

[Stealthdog]

Night 1 we did both the theater show and the Cabaret Rouge.  Theater shows require reservations, which are very easy to do on the MSC App.  We originally booked the 8pm show, but switched it to 630 because we finished dinner early.  It was very simple to switch the reservations on the app.

 

MSC has 3 seatings for the theater shows, so everyone has an opportunity to see it.  When you arrive at the theater, they will scan you cabin key to make sure you have the reservation.  The shows haven’t been filling up, so you should be able to see any show you want at any of the showing.

 

The theater show on night one was called “Live From MSC” - it was a variety show with set pieces from the production team (singers and dancers), a juggler, acrobats, and a magician.  Our favorites were the juggler and acrobats.  
 

In Cabaret Rogue they also had a Variety show, and you can come and go as you want.  There were some singers, comedy, and a pair of dancers while we were there.  One of the dancers was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance (I think she said season 6).  We actually found the entertainment in Cabaret Rogue to be better than the theater.  And we really like the layout of the cabaret - it’s multistory and you can sit above and watch the show.  If you sit on the stage floor, you may be called on to participate in an act…..so be careful there if you don’t want to participate. 
 

The night one theme party was also in Cabaret Rouge - Silent Party.  For those unfamiliar, you will be given a headset that has 3 channels of music.  You don’t need reservations - just need to show your cabin card for the headsets and then return them outside for the cabaret when you are done. You can adjust your headset to whichever channel you prefer (it’s 70s-80s, pop, and the third was Latin I think).  It was well attended, but I think many were expecting a glow/florescent party because they wore neon colors and glow sticks.  

[Stealthdog]

Day 2 we went to Nassau.  It was a beautiful day in port.  I was able to watch our arrival from the balcony.  2 ships were already in port when we arrived - Disney Dream and NCL Sun (we have been on both ships, and it was fun seeing them).  A Holland ship pulled in after us, making 4 ships in that port area.

 

The MSC Seashore towered over the other ships, especially the Holland and NCL ships.  We ended up not leaving the ship and enjoyed quiet time on board.  I’ll provide thoughts on these later - MDR for breakfast, gym, and the Veteran celebration event.  

[erber]

Stealthdog,

We will be on the Seashore on a 7 night cruise in a couple of weeks. We were just upgraded from a bella experience inside room on deck 5 to a deluxe balcony on deck 15. I only discovered the room change when I looked at the digital boarding pass and saw a different room number. It appears to be under the Jungle Pool bar area. Do you happen to know if there are parties/music etc at night in that area? We are just a bit worried about noise. If you don't have a chance to venture in that area, we will just be surprised... I'll bring ear plugs just in case.  Hope you are having a great cruise. 🙂

[Stealthdog]

18 hours ago, alserrod said:

Hi, 

 

two questions about wellness in the room

 

I can see shower gel and shampoo. Is there sunscreen available too?. Where?

 

What's the power of the dryer? (in watts.... it will be written somewhere. My wife ask about it)

no sunscreen.  You have to bring your own.  I think the gel and shampoo is fine for my use, but if you have a specific kind of shampoo you use and you are particular with your hair, bring your shampoo.

 

We also don’t have any bar soap in the room.  Not even at the sink.  We haven’t asked for any, so it’s possible they will provide it if asked, but if you like having nice bar soap, you may want to bring that as well.

 

I haven’t noticed the hair drier. I’ll look today and post an update on that. 

[Stealthdog]

8 minutes ago, erber said:

Stealthdog,

We will be on the Seashore on a 7 night cruise in a couple of weeks. We were just upgraded from a bella experience inside room on deck 5 to a deluxe balcony on deck 15. I only discovered the room change when I looked at the digital boarding pass and saw a different room number. It appears to be under the Jungle Pool bar area. Do you happen to know if there are parties/music etc at night in that area? We are just a bit worried about noise. If you don't have a chance to venture in that area, we will just be surprised... I'll bring ear plugs just in case.  Hope you are having a great cruise. 🙂

So far, no.  You should be good with noise.  Night 1 theme was silent party which was in the Cabaret Rouge. Night 2 theme was white party at Long Island Pool (Deck 18 rear).  You should be ok on Deck 15 below the Jungle Pool bar area - it looks like that bar closes early evening.

 

Side note - these theme parties go late.  We left both around midnight, and they were going strong when we left. 

[Stealthdog]

Bar and lounge drink menu.  Had to try the espresso martini.  It was tasty and within the drink package price.  This menu shows a lot of the cocktails you can get with the Easy package. 

 

They do seem to have challenges with Mojitos.  I think some of the bartenders are making them with vodka. 😂

[Stealthdog]

On Day 2 MSC held a Veterans Celebration event in the Cabaret, hosted by the cruise director.  It’s nice to see cruise lines do these. Endrigo recognized the vets from Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, foreign military, first responders, and family members.  They provided Champaign and guava mimosas.  It did start a little late, and the Cabaret is not an ideal venue for a Meet&Greet, but it was a nice token of appreciation by MSC.
 

On a side note, MSC appears to be one of the better cruise lines that provide benefits to vets.  NCL and MSC provide cruise fare discounts and Princes gives OBC. 

Edited March 16 by Stealthdog

[alserrod]

35 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

no sunscreen.  You have to bring your own.  I think the gel and shampoo is fine for my use, but if you have a specific kind of shampoo you use and you are particular with your hair, bring your shampoo.

 

We also don’t have any bar soap in the room.  Not even at the sink.  We haven’t asked for any, so it’s possible they will provide it if asked, but if you like having nice bar soap, you may want to bring that as well.

 

I haven’t noticed the hair drier. I’ll look today and post an update on that. 

 

 

 

Thank you very much

 

I thought I needn't sunscreen too. I'll bring it

[alserrod]

About the theatre, since when it is possible to book a seat?. Exactly 24h before?

[Markanddonna]

I was on the MSC Seashore right before this one. Mine was a seven day to the Western Carib. There were only TWO theatre shows and they were packed and "sold out" within hours. Perhaps they went to three shows from now on or maybe only for the shorter cruises?  You could register for them in the evening before.

[Stealthdog]

3 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

I was on the MSC Seashore right before this one. Mine was a seven day to the Western Carib. There were only TWO theatre shows and they were packed and "sold out" within hours. Perhaps they went to three shows from now on or maybe only for the shorter cruises?  You could register for them in the evening before.

that’s awesome - I like cruise lines that apply learning.  This is what the reservations looks like for 3 shows - tons of availability. 

[Markanddonna]

1 minute ago, Stealthdog said:

that’s awesome - I like cruise lines that apply learning.  This is what the reservations looks like for 3 shows - tons of availability. 

Have to say I feel a bit sorry for the singers and dancers. They performed five out of seven nights. Esp the dancer with the short hair who was fabulous and featured much more than the others.

[itstime]

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide such an extensive review!  You are literally covering everything.  Enjoy your time on the ship 🙂