Live Review, MSC Seashore - March 14-17

[Stealthdog]

On 3/15/2024 at 1:03 PM, 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)

I found the hair dryer.  It’s inside the center drawer of the desk across from the sofa facing the mirror.  It looks like it is connected to the an outlet that is part of the desk.  Picture attached and picture of the outlets in the bathroom.

Edited March 16 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Waiting for Karaoke to start.  Day 3 activities and private island information.  I’ll post about the island tomorrow, but first thoughts are loved it.

[squigglydownunder]

I'm virtually sad that the cruise is almost over. Thanks for posting all of this stuff.

[Stealthdog]

6 hours ago, squigglydownunder said:

I'm virtually sad that the cruise is almost over. Thanks for posting all of this stuff.

I have so much catching up to do.  This is my first short cruise like this and I usually use sea days to catch up on reviews and relax.  We are back in port and have to be out of the room by 7.  I’ll get everything posted by the end of today and then do the overall thoughts on MSC and Seashore tomorrow.  Thanks for following!

[alserrod]

Thank you for Airdryer picture. I looked for specifications on internet and it fits

 

[alserrod]

On 3/16/2024 at 5:48 PM, 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. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much.

 

AFAIK, you book A seat, not THE seat. First to arrive, first to seat

Five minutes before, non-arrival are released

Seats are "sold" in just 30 minutes

????

 

 

And...

Since when can you book tonight show?. Just 24h before?, just 24h before last show?. Just since the same day early morning?

 

How many people make a no-show (so you can use those seats)?

 

 

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Day 2 we ate breakfast in the MDR.  I thought I took a picture of the menu, but must have missed it.  The breakfast in Seashore is very standard compared to other cruise lines.  I didn’t notice much difference in variety or quality.  The food came out quickly.  One perk people may not notice is with the drink package you can order freshly squeezed juice in the MDR.

 

Typically, I prefer a sit down breakfast in a MDR, but we found the variety in the buffet on the Seashore to be better than other ships we have been on recently.   In fact, we found the overall buffet to be really good on MSC and we used it more on the sailing than typical.  I’ll include more specifics on the food venues in the post cruise review part.  

[Stealthdog]

Day 2 dinner menu in MDR.  I got the Chicken Quesadilla, the Pennette Pasta with Alfredo, and Grandmas Chocolate Cake.  The quesadilla was ok - it comes with some salsa and bean sides to add to the quesadilla.  Be aware that if you order pasta in the MDR it comes out in a small bowl in a really small portion.  The pasta overall was a little disappointing - I was expecting more on an Italian cruise line, but it was kind of bland.  The star of the meal was Grandmas Chocolate Cake.  That was the best desert I had on the ship.  If you go to the MDR, check that out the first night. 

[Stealthdog]

Day 3 was the private Island, Ocean Cay.  I love the private island!  I like Coco cay better, but Ocean Cay was wonderful.  I’d be perfectly fine with a cruise that only goes to, and spends a couple overnights at Ocean Cay.  One nice aspect of Ocean Cay is there was only one ship docked (at Coco there is often two) so the island did not get overcrowded.
 

From the ship you can see the whole island, so it is fairly easy to know where you want to go.  There are shuttles that will take you around the island, so people with difficulty walking can have the assistance of the shuttles.  
 

We spent the day at Bimini Beach and Pineapple Beach on the far left of the map.  It’s then furthest away, and in our experience the beaches closed to the ship fill up quickly. 
 

At Bimini and Pineapple there were rows of loungers on the beach that were complimentary.  Even by noon time, there were plenty of loungers that weren’t occupied.  If you want an umbrella, it does come with a cost that you can charge your on board account (we declined). 
 

In Ocean Cay Lagoon, some people saw a shark swim past them!  Unfortunately I missed it, but I heard there are three ~5 foot long sharks that are typically find in the areas of Ocean Cay.  I don’t know the species, but am guessing it is one of the harmless types like Nurse Sharks.  But, you might get lucky and have a free swim with the sharks excursion!

 

There are bars and food trucks scattered throughout the island, as well as larger food buffets, with options of fruit and vegetable salads, hot dogs, hamburgers, jerk chicken, and some fish options.  It was typical food at other private islands and unremarkable.  But the convenience of being in the island is good because you don’t have to go back to the ship.

 

Near the ship are a handful of your typical tourist shops where you can get tshirts, mugs, etc. 

 

Ocean Cay was a great stop for us, and if we do another sailing on MSC, we will want Ocean Cay on the itinerary.

[Stealthdog]

Dinner for day 3 was Italian Night.  The staff does a great job of decorating the MDR!

 

For appetizers I got the Caprese Salad and Antipasto, chicken parmigiana for the entree, and limoncello cake for desert.

 

The Caprese salad and antipasto were both good.  The Caprese was a little weird because it came with a pesto, rather than the traditional olive oil and balsamic.  The mozzarella and tomatoes were fresh. The antipasti was a couple of different slices of meat (salami, ham, etc), a couple chunks of Parmesan cheese, and pickles.  It’s not a charcuterie board, but it was a better spread and presentation than I have seen on other ships.

 

The chicken was pretty good - it was a good sized breast and the marinara sauce was nice.  The pasta again was disappointing.  For desert I got the lemoncello cake, which was essentially a dry lemon meringue pie.  After a bite, I asked for the chocolate cake again.  
 

My expectation for a MDR is pretty low, so I was pleasantly surprised (although disappointed with the pasta).

Edited March 17 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

On Night 3 we went to see the Theater Show - Rock Royalty.  We didn’t go to the show on night 2, so weren’t sure what to expect.  The shows are not long - about 35 minutes so it is not a huge time obligation.

 

It’s your typical production style show with 5 singers and a half dozen dancers. I prefer the new style shows cruise lines are starting to bring onto their new ships.  But, if you like traditional cruise style productions, you will probably enjoy the shows in the theater. The singer and dancers are all pretty good (some harmonizing challenges with the singers).  They went through the traditional major rock hits - Queen, Journey, Bon Jovi, etc.

 

NOTE - there is an entrance to the Theater on Deck 6, so you can enter at the stage level to either avoid traffic on the stairs or avoid stairs if they are difficult for you to use. 

[Stealthdog]

Here is a picture of the cast in the Cabaret Rouge nightly shows.  We only went night 1 - so not sure if the acts change or they modify their variety. 

[Stealthdog]

Disembarking from the Seashore was a really seamless and simple process.  Port Canaveral is one of the easiest embarking and disembarking ports we have used.

 

Luggage needs to be outside your door by 10pm the night before disembarking.  You can carry your luggage off on your own if you want.  
 

Everyone should be out of their rooms by 7am on disembark day.  There are two breakfast options on disembarkation day - buffet or MDR.  We went to the MDR because our wait location to get off the ship was the Cabaret Rouge.  The MDR breakfast was much more, understandably, limited in options compared to other mornings so they could process people quickly.  The buffet probably had a wider variety. 
 

Our departure group was 38, so we waited in Cabaret until our number was called (which was about 10 minutes earlier than the posted time).  The staff repeatedly told people not to leave early because the luggage is prepared based on deboarding groups.  When we got down to the luggage, they were probably correct - we only saw 5 groups of luggage numbers, so if we tried to leave earlier, our luggage may not have been there yet.

 

No passports were needed for US citizens - we went through a facial recognition station and exited the terminal.  Our deboarding time was 845 and we were out of the terminal and in the parking garage by 915, and got home a little after 10am after a pit stop at Dunkin. 
 

For those traveling to the airport, it’s about a 1 Hr drive (there shouldn’t be much traffic traveling from Canaveral to Orlando).  But, it takes a while to get through security at Orlando’s airport because it is a very busy airport.  Even tsa-pre and global entry has long lines every time I have been there.  So, make sure you give yourself enough time if you are flying home out of Orlando. 
 

On Sunday morning they had decorations for St Patrick’s Day that looked nice…and I did wear green getting off the ship!  
 

This concludes the “live” portion of the review. I’m going to go through the thread to respond to some posts and provide updates from questions, and then I’ll go into a more cohesive post cruise review.  I plan to post about food, service, entertainment, itinerary, gym/spa, internet/app, ship cleanliness/appearance, casino, and passengers.  If you have any other topic of interest, let me know!

[Stealthdog]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:04 PM, itstime said:

We are doing the same 3 day cruise on March 28th.  Would love to know if there are any special nights (white night etc.)  Enjoy!!

 

 

Every night had a "theme" party.  All three nights were very popular and well attended.  The first two nights went really late.  We went to bed earlier on Night 3, so not sure how long that lasted.

 

Night 1 was a Silent Party.  Outside of Cabaret Rouge you will sign for headphones and the party happens inside the Cabaret.  Most people were on the lower level of the dance floor portion.  But there are multiple levels inside the Cabaret where you can either sit, watch over the railings, or dance, while you listen to your headsets.  No special types of clothes are needed - the staff will give you everything you need.

 

Night 2 was a White Party.  Everyone was wearing white.  It was held outside at the Long Island Pool at Deck 18.  There was a DJ and some dancing.  They set up a couple of portable bars around the pool area so you didn't have to leave to get some drinks.  Just wear something white and you will fit in!

 

Night 3 was the Sunshine Party.  It had music from the 60s-90s.  Most people were wearing some kind of Hawaiian shirt, or shirts with flowers, sunsets, etc.  Go ahead and pack a Hawaiian shirt for this event.  It was held in the atrium, so multiple levels of watching on the upper levels, or you can be down on Deck 5 for the dance floor.

[Stealthdog]

On 3/14/2024 at 5:27 AM, dsnutz said:

This exactly. Hopefully on our cruise in 17 days for my kid’s sake a lot of soccer and Final-4 NCAA hoops our last sea day. Thanks!!!

 

Multiple people asked about the Sports Bar and the TVs, so I'll roll it all into this post.

 

On Friday, it looked like they were showing some of the NCAA conference tournament games and soccer games.  On Saturday afternoon after we returned from Ocean Cay, we went to the Sports Bar hoping to see the University of Florida - Texas A&M game, but it wasn't showing.  They had golf and a soccer game (I think it was Manchester vs someone in the Premier League, but I also remember seeing a Spanish League game, so don't remember which was Saturday).

 

The Sports Bar was still closed, but one of the staff gave me a remote, so I was able to play around with the TV a bit.  It looks like the service MSC Seashore uses is some kind of ESPN streaming service.  They had 5 ESPN channels available on the TV, but all 5 had the same 2 events on (golf and soccer).  Its possible they have some other kind of streaming service that will show the NCAA games live, or ESPN streaming may have contracted to air the games, but I can't confirm that.  Given that they were showing some of the conference tournament games, I assume you will be able to see some of the March Madness games, but......? 

 

They do have a handful of private booths in the sports bar.  So if you have a small group and you don't want to sit in the bar area, you might be able to get a private booth with your own TV.

Edited March 18 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

On 3/15/2024 at 11:53 AM, 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 didn't see any Old Fashioned on any of the bar menus.  You can get a Manhattan with the Easy Package, so there is no reason why you couldn't get an Old Fashioned for $10 or less.  Attached is the spirits menu to give you an idea of the costs for the different types of whiskey.  We upgraded a couple drinks to Grey Goose and just paid the difference.  

 

Given our challenges with Mojitos, what I would say is find a bartender(s) that makes your Old Fashioned the way you like it and then just keep going back to them.  

Edited March 18 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

On 3/15/2024 at 1:04 PM, alserrod said:

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

 

Yes - there are TVs at the bar, at booths, and on a big screen.  I'd estimate there are probably about 15-20 TVs in total in the Sports Bar.  You can ask the bartender to change the channel at the TV near you.

[Stealthdog]

On 3/16/2024 at 12:52 PM, Markanddonna said:

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.

 

She was the star of the production show.  Really talented dancer.  Our shows were only 35 minutes long.  On other ships, the theater shows have been 50-70 minutes.  They may have modified the shows to accommodate three showings vs two, and made them shorter durations.  Or, it could also be the difference between the shorter vs 7 day cruises.

[Stealthdog]

21 hours ago, alserrod said:

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much.

 

AFAIK, you book A seat, not THE seat. First to arrive, first to seat

Five minutes before, non-arrival are released

Seats are "sold" in just 30 minutes

????

 

 

And...

Since when can you book tonight show?. Just 24h before?, just 24h before last show?. Just since the same day early morning?

 

How many people make a no-show (so you can use those seats)?

 

 

 

 

 

Your reservation books you A seat.  There is no assigned seating (except maybe Yacht Club and status holders, but I don't know).  You are correct, seating is first come first serve.  We had no issues making reservations, but someone else mentioned the shows sold out.  These things can change from cruise to cruise, depending on what the passengers like.  We even changed reservations to an earlier show while we were standing in line at the theater to enter.   

 

I don't know how early in advance you can reserve, but I recommend checking once you board to see if you can make reservations on the App.  The MSC App is very simple and one of the better cruise line apps we have seen.  If you can't make reservations that early, check every day.

[Markanddonna]

14 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Your reservation books you A seat.  There is no assigned seating (except maybe Yacht Club and status holders, but I don't know).  You are correct, seating is first come first serve.  We had no issues making reservations, but someone else mentioned the shows sold out.  These things can change from cruise to cruise, depending on what the passengers like.  We even changed reservations to an earlier show while we were standing in line at the theater to enter.   

 

I don't know how early in advance you can reserve, but I recommend checking once you board to see if you can make reservations on the App.  The MSC App is very simple and one of the better cruise line apps we have seen.  If you can't make reservations that early, check every day.

The Seashore may vary, offering two or three shows depending on the total number of passengers. We had two shows each evening at 35 mins. Our sailing was what I consider the very beginning of spring break with increasing numbers of passengers.

 

You can reserve the show in the late evening for the next day. I believe they wait until after the final show to put reservations on line.

 

The Yacht club has designated, but not reserved seating. At the beginning of the show, the YC ushers take down the ropes and allow anyone to sit amongst the YC folks.

[Markanddonna]

BTW, MSC, as an Italian cruiseline really needs to work on their pasta. I observed a diner at a different table complain to the server about their spaghetti. She could lift the entire clump easily just using her fork. It was hard and all stuck together. They also need to use more sauce on their pastas.  We asked for a small bowl to add to ours and our server seemed confused and ignored the request.

[alserrod]

3 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Multiple people asked about the Sports Bar and the TVs, so I'll roll it all into this post.

 

On Friday, it looked like they were showing some of the NCAA conference tournament games and soccer games.  On Saturday afternoon after we returned from Ocean Cay, we went to the Sports Bar hoping to see the University of Florida - Texas A&M game, but it wasn't showing.  They had golf and a soccer game (I think it was Manchester vs someone in the Premier League, but I also remember seeing a Spanish League game, so don't remember which was Saturday).

 

The Sports Bar was still closed, but one of the staff gave me a remote, so I was able to play around with the TV a bit.  It looks like the service MSC Seashore uses is some kind of ESPN streaming service.  They had 5 ESPN channels available on the TV, but all 5 had the same 2 events on (golf and soccer).  Its possible they have some other kind of streaming service that will show the NCAA games live, or ESPN streaming may have contracted to air the games, but I can't confirm that.  Given that they were showing some of the conference tournament games, I assume you will be able to see some of the March Madness games, but......? 

 

They do have a handful of private booths in the sports bar.  So if you have a small group and you don't want to sit in the bar area, you might be able to get a private booth with your own TV.

 

Thanks.

 

I will sail on MSC by the end of June. I have checked and (apart of Formula 1 race on Sunday) in all the week there's only football Eurocup (Germany'2024). This is, no national sport (end of june) of any sports (football, basketball or whatever), no other international championships, not tennis (next week Wimbledon will start but in that week there's no tennis even minor championships).

 

So I guess which sport will be on TV.

There are some days with two matches at the same time

 

Thank you for clarifying information

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Yes - there are TVs at the bar, at booths, and on a big screen.  I'd estimate there are probably about 15-20 TVs in total in the Sports Bar.  You can ask the bartender to change the channel at the TV near you.

 

[squigglydownunder]

3 minutes ago, alserrod said:

I will sail on MSC by the end of June. I have checked and (apart of Formula 1 race on Sunday) in all the week there's only football Eurocup (Germany'2024). This is, no national sport (end of june) of any sports (football, basketball or whatever), no other international championships, not tennis (next week Wimbledon will start but in that week there's no tennis even minor championships).

 

College World Series runs up to the end of June, depending on your specific sailing dates.

[alserrod]

2 minutes ago, squigglydownunder said:

 

College World Series runs up to the end of June, depending on your specific sailing dates.

 

 

It is a Mediterranean cruise

 

Third day, departing Genova, at 21:00 local time

- Albania Vs Spain

- Italy Vs Croatia

at the same time (so two TV)

 

 

 

 

[squigglydownunder]

4 minutes ago, alserrod said:

It is a Mediterranean cruise

 

Third day, departing Genova, at 21:00 local time

- Albania Vs Spain

- Italy Vs Croatia

at the same time (so two TV)

Ah yeah, I don't imagine you'll get much American CWS coverage on a European sailing.