plantlady104

Ultimately, everyone needs to make their own personal decision, and not worry about everyone else's opinion.  There is not a right or wrong, make an informed decision and be comfortable with it.  We are to sail on Harmony March 8, and yes we will probably go.  Any travel with flying and cruising will raise the risk of exposure to viruses - whether minor or major - versus staying at home and trying to limit outside interaction.  For better or for worse, cruise lines will not cancel until forced to due it by a higher government/health authority, 

Hate to say it, but will. OP complaints sound like its all about me, and how dare a poor island country would inflict their culture and life upon my selfish-got to be catered too American life. Its a shame that so many cruisers spend 2-6hrs (even if that long) in a port, often never even venturing out on an excursion/tour, and then complain about it. For those "its all about me" people, there should be cruises that just stay at sea for the week, so they won't have to suffer visiting another culture different from their own.

NCL is just another corporate entity that wants to maximize profits, and nothing more. Anyone who thinks they really care about the well-being of the cruiser, is sadly mistaken. Read the passenger cruise contracts! The only thing they are worried about is profit margin and bad publicity. Therefore they will try to do the least they can to mitigate the problem and make it go away. Thats why they started slowly hoping for the best, then increased the benefit to the cruisers because of the increased bad publicity. Even their crafted explanation of "minor inconvenience" is not assuming responsibility nor admitting they made a mistake. The corporate executive who allowed it to happen will get a verbal reprimand from the CEO, and then at the end of year collect his/her big money bonus. As long as people continue to book ships, NCL will just let this get lost in time and memory.

Always looking to be different than other cruise lines, NCL should begin offering "construction cruises" with discounted fares. Could even advertise that everyone is invited to participate in laying new carpet or sanding wood decks. All supplies will be furnished. Plenty of cruisers who would sign up for the cheap fares. ;p

We ate at the Searock Grill. It is located harborside on the Circular Quay about halfway between the Opera House and the wharf where all the ferries Park. We were almost directly across from where the cruise ships dock. There was another restaurant right next to it but we really liked the fish at the Searock and great service, too.

Thanks for the info, we will check it out! Love the CQ area and Sydney.

"Once back at the Circular Quay and we went back to the same restaurant we visited pre-cruise to have our final meal of fish and chips and Aussie beer. It was absolutely delicious again!"

Thanks for the review, do you remember restaurant name or location where you ate? We have been there (CQ) before and noticed many outside cafes. We will be back later this year and would like to have the same delicious meal.

Your attire choices are more than adequate, again wear what is acceptable/comfortable to you. Some did get a bit more casual for the shows, i.e. by removing ties/coats, but others wore them too. Those who are committed to the shorts/tshirt style wear that all night. Shows are a mixed bag, as 3 different showtimes per most nights, so people may be dressed to attend dinner afterward, or others have completed dinner. My recollection is that majority were wearing nice casual to better, especially since theatre is kept fairly cool.

The Seaside buffet for B and L were fine, but the L is still not the variety you will get on the other major cruise lines. As stated, the D buffet is the smaller of the two, but has a themed section of the night, i.e.: Indian, Greek, Italian etc. But again, not the large variety as other cruise lines. The smell is hit or miss, depending upon a variety of factors. So if the buffet is going to be the highlight of the cruise, and all 3 meals per day are eaten there, then yes, I think they will be disappointed. The Seaside is really setup for enjoying dinner in the MDR setting.

There really is no dress code, people wear what they want irregardless of some previous subjective viewpoints. Even on formal night we saw some men with shorts and colored tee shirts. Majority wore nice casual, with more suits/coats/ ties on formal night. Ladies wore parallel styles. I saw no dress code police at the MDR doors.

HI

On MSC Seaside Cruise Chat on Facebook someone posted that the Casino has mirrored floors and the main walk way the floor is open , of which they are stating "allows people to look up women's dresses." They also are warning people to the fact, that "the men's bathroom on the 6th floor near the theater has full mirror ceiling and wall ..so while washing your hands and glance up you can see off the ceiling to the front side of the guys urinal " which allows you to see the person relieving himself.

I have never heard this mentioned.. It doesn't affect me wanting to book with the Seaside, but my best friend read it and it seems to have drawn some concerns with her desire to book.

I personally think this is a bit exaggerated.. ,but could someone shed some light on this so I can alleviate her concerns?

Thanks so much

Bit of exaggeration. I guess if one stood there forever, maybe that would be a remote possibility and would require the exact angle of sight (too much physics). Its really a short walkway in/out of casino, with everyone coming/going in different directions, so NOT an issue. If one was overly concerned, then can bypass passageway and walk around it thru the casino slot area.

 

 

 

Can you tell me more about the smoking issues you experienced? It's a big concern for my family as we all have smoke allergies. Is it possible to find a space around a pool where smoke isn't invading you? Any inside problem areas?

 

There were designated smoking areas outside and I believe all were suppose to be starboard sides that included the deck7 adult aft pool, a sitting area on deck 8 promenade, and up on deck 16/18 - maybe by one of the bars or pool area. But noticed some who "extended" that a bit. So depending on wind, may have smoker smoke drift over into non-smoking areas. It was not that bad, but definitely will be in smokers heaven if sit in that area by the aft pool, so avoid the starboard aft area deck 7. Only inside space is the casino, so depends upon how close or sensitive your nose is to a smoker. There were plenty of outside sitting options that were nonsmoking, including the solarium pool.

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What is do people normally wear in the MDR?

A mixture of whatever you want to wear, other than bathing suits. Most men wore pants, some with shorts, nice T shirts, golf shirts, etc. Women the same appropriate style. On elegant night it ranged from some tuxes/formal dresses to some men wearing shorts/tshirts, but most wore nice casual to more formal. Don't think MSC really cared what people wore or policed it.

I have a few questions, if I may. But first a big Thanks Jim for all your effort in putting together your review. Thank you for posting the downloads - I am one of those who wants to know before hand and have been looking for the dailies!! Yeah!! That was a lot of extra work and I hope others know and appreciate how thorough you are!

 

Seeing as some of these you many not have participated in I appreciate if anyone else reading this review can comment.

 

Shopping- noticed lots of specials and sales in the shops. Do they have a $10 T-shirt sale one day, didn't see that one.

 

Activities- Mini Golf and Mega Jenga? What is this? Do they have something they roll out to play on deck for mini golf, do they have a life size Jenga game or is it a Jenga tournament? What is Gone in 60 seconds? Is it a game?

 

Arts & Crafts - is there a charge for this?

 

Dining - On your daily programs it looks like there was only one Elegant night. Maybe someone can let me know if there are in fact 2 each sailing and which nights they are on. Was there an Italian night, what night was it?

 

Love your video's on Youtube. My family and I have enjoyed a lot of them, and learned a lot in the process! Thanks again.

Can maybe answer a few of the questions, as we just completed a 7day cruise - Western. There are many "sales" in different stores and scattered throughout cruise. Definitely saw watch sales and T-shirt sale, I think they were $10 per shirt, mostly labeled with the different isles visited. Two elegant nights, Sunday and Thursday. Italian was Tuesday night.

What was your cabin number on Deck 10?

Our cabins were 10151-10157.

You reserve a "space" to enter for the showtime you selected, which is recorded on your card. They electronically check your card when entering the show. We reserved them using the ship wifi My MSC app on the phone or can do it on the interactive TV in the room. Best to pick your most likely time to go, as can modify it later - if seats still available, and no penalty if your a no -show. We did ours during the afternoon on debarkation day. Even the first night preliminary show, they were checking cards. Theatre seats 950, so a way for them to fill the shows, without having thousands of people trying to get in at same time.

Card is your shipboard card. Shows were about the same times each night, with just some variations. Schedule times are listed on the app/TV, and in the room there was a printed sheet of all the shows and times for each day of cruise.

question for you about making show reservations. You state:

required a card reservation....

 

what does this mean? do you print out a card?

You reserve a "space" to enter for the showtime you selected, which is recorded on your card. They electronically check your card when entering the show. We reserved them using the ship wifi My MSC app on the phone or can do it on the interactive TV in the room. Best to pick your most likely time to go, as can modify it later - if seats still available, and no penalty if your a no -show. We did ours during the afternoon on debarkation day. Even the first night preliminary show, they were checking cards. Theatre seats 950, so a way for them to fill the shows, without having thousands of people trying to get in at same time.

Thank you for your quick response ! I have a few more questions if you don't mind . I was thrilled to see that you did the Playa Mia excursion . I have this booked for our cruise in June and it's hard to find alot of information about this place .

 

In some of the information I have heard that the buffet is not so good . What did you think ? We are not very picky , but we hope it's edible ! And some one else said if you book this excursion through MSC they get you to the resort so late in the morning that there are no loungers available . This will upset me ! Any additional information you may have about Playa Mia would be greatly appreciated ! Did you go there through MSC or on your own ? TIA

We have been there at least 3 times, and have always enjoyed it. We do the buffet/drinks included package. Buffet is edible and may vary, but offers chips, ceviche/pico de gallo, fish, chicken nuggets, pork ribs, lettuce, cheese, pasta dish, and a few other things. For us, its a change from the ship buffet, and helps to neutralize all the alcohol drinks we drink. We love the pina coladas, and other frozen drinks, plus if like beer that is available too. Best place to sit is toward the left when get on the beach facing the water. On left side, you will be in front of the bar shack, with bathrooms and buffet behind you. Complex has nice big freeform pool plus a smaller nice pool just off the beach, which we always use. If Samuel there, he provides exceptional service to bring drinks to you, as often and as many as you want. We really liked him and gave him tip at end of day. Ship excursion met around 10:15 and will put you on big, nice buses to take you there - got there around 11:30am and stayed till 3:30pm, when bus takes you back. Lots of people go there (with different packages including catamaran combos), but always plenty of chairs and can get umbrella if want more shade. There probably is a web site/You Tube that shows it. Never had a bad time there and never felt overcrowded, and facility well kept and clean, including nice, big bathrooms. Highly recommend it, if want beach/pool experience. Also some nice shops there also, if do not want to spend time in town after returning.

Thanks for sharing your experience ! Your review is very fair and balanced. Did you do any excursions ? And what did you think about the daytime activities offered , especially on sea days ? TIA

Yes, we did the Catamaran Snorkel in Ocho Rios and Playa Mia Beach Resort in Cozumel. Both were great and enjoyed very much. Did not get into Caymans because of wind. In Costa Maya just stayed in the new revamped port complex. Did some shopping, lunch, and sat by the big outside pool complex. Did not participate in any onboard day activities, and did not seem to be much for us in interest. Just did our own activities.

The MarketPlace Buffet has an area where you can self-serve either a white wine/red wine/ draft beer and sodas. We did not use it, but were told you swipe your card, to then get the specific drink. We just got our drinks via waiter or at the bar in the buffet. We were curious to try it, but had no problem going over to the bar or asking the waiter, so never got to use it. Give it a try; not sure the limitations regarding L/D package, if any.

Another review and take regarding Seaside - cruised 1/27 - 2/3. Our group consisted of 8, age bracket 50's and 60's with 4 having the black card and 2 the gold card due to the status match MSC offers. All of us had one or two previous cruises on the Divina. We were all Bella Class and had port midsection balcony rooms on the 10th deck. We all had the classic beverage package on our cards. Based on the previous negative reviews, we were prepared for the worst, but more often than not, we had better than expected experiences. The "but" was still the intermittent septic smell that attacked our floor and rooms for 2 days.

Ship Impressions: Glitzy, with mirrors and chrome throughout. Major carpet color/theme around elevators/passageways was the reddish-violet and grey, which was nice. Unfortunately even on this short sailing time, stains were evident in the reddish portions on our hallway. Carpets were not dirty and staff were seen vacuuming daily, as well as cleaning/polishing. Liked the "piped in" new age music that included very nice Asian soundtracks too. Staterooms were nice with large sofa and wall mounted TV. Bathroom small, with square cubicle shower with glass door - which prevented water leakage on the floor - even though small, we liked it better than a curtain closure.

With the YC being located in front and with the Aurea lounge area, the front end of ship has no access for the "common" cruiser. Negative for us, as most other CLs have front access for sitting and lounging.

Dining: Expecting the MarketPlace dinner location because of being Bella, we instead were assigned to the Ipanema DR. We asked for early dining, and were given the 5:30 dining time, so maybe more available space in Ipanema at 5:30. Our tables were located on the second to last row - starboard side. Location was quiet, and had 4 excellent servers (assigned to two adjacent tables) to take care of us. All 4 servers spoke good English, were very friendly, and really made for an excellent dining experience. We had no problems asking/receiving wine or cokes before the meal, and coffee afterwards. After the first night, they already had the cokes on the table and were quick in getting the wines for us too. We could not have had any better service - much better than Divina. DR was more spacious than Divina, so waiters did not have to squeeze between tables and knock your chairs, which happened on Divina. Food was very good and the desserts were excellent. We were always finished by 7pm or earlier. Looked to me, that most tables in Ipanema were done or approaching to be done the 7pm timeframe. Formal nights are lobster free, unless want to spend additional money for lobster or surf/turf - a negative compared to other CL's that still serve lobster.

Buffets: Bfast and lunch were adequate, but as other posts have noted, lunch buffet was always burgers/dogs/pizza/salad/pasta/mexican tortillas and maybe one special entree item. If like a more broad-based selection as on other CL's, MSC falls short. While the pre-made/take away burgers is a good idea, they did not keep them hot, so often they were room temp at best. For some reason, we all thought the pizza on Divina was better and had more selections. We prefer ships that have separate burger and pizza grills, which then allows the buffet to provide more selections. Never really saw much ethnic food selection other than Asian soup and rice. For us, the lunch buffet was somewhat bland to food choices, although did like the pre-made tortillas filled with spicy beef or chicken. Availability to get drinks/beer, either using the self serve area or the bar was good, vs having to go to another outside bar to get alcohol at the buffet. The MarketPlace buffet did become the third DR, starting at 6pm, so buffet lovers would have to use the smaller 16th deck buffet at dinner or late night snacks. Negative to us, as like to peruse large buffets.

Lounges and Bars: Many available places to sit and grab a drink. Most of the time, was not that hard to order and get a drink. If one place was busy, just go to another, or find the locale/ambience of your choice and make friends with the bar staff. Really liked the Venita Coffee Bar to get specialty coffee drinks, most of the time it was quiet and few customers, so felt like personal service as we got to know the staff there.

Gelato: Multi places to get gelato, besides the main gelato bar. Excellent every time. So definitely a positive vs the other CL's standard ice cream/gelato offerings.

Staff: Many friendly staff and did not experience a bad attitude scenario. Had to deal with the excursion staff multi times to adjust excursions; they were always accurate and provided good info. Since all I speak is English, the multi-language speaking staff at excursions/photos/CD staff were impressive in dealing with the multi-national passengers.

Specialty Restaurant: Six of us dined at the Butchers Cut, and did the set menu of apptz/entree/dessert. We all liked the ambience, food, and service. Steaks and portions were very good. Again was much better than the specialty steak experience we had on Divina.

Entertainment: Make sure to reserve a show time using your app or TV. Each show was filled to capacity, and required a card reservation to get into the theatre. We liked the Cirque du Soleil type of shows, and some of the performers were previously on the Divina. Watched some of the opera music presentations as well. Again, its personal preference, so don't complain if not what you like.

Passengers: MSC is trying to get more American passengers, but will always be different, in trying to balance European/NAmerican likes and dislikes. On our cruise, we also had a large group from Japan. While nice to be in a mix of international passengers and staff, it can also be a negative or turn off to many, so MSC will struggle in the American market. MSC also caters to European families, so their cruises will have lots of children, another negative for us.

Adult Areas: Aft pool was about it. Very nice location, but simply too small for the number of adults who want to spend time there. By 8am, the pool hogs had already reserved all the lounges on sea days. Plus smoking allowed on starboard side of pool area, but smokers were also around the back of pool too. Solarium pool nice, but open to all, so noisy with children. Again a negative to us, as many CLs solarium areas are adult only, with no smoking, or aft pool space's are bigger.

Septic Smell: Still existed intermittently, especially for two days/nights that we noticed in our rooms and hallway, especially middle of night and early morning. Smell comes thru the ventialtion system, but funny enough, our bathrooms never had a bad smell. Never noticed it in the main venues as theatre, DRs, casino, etc, except for 18th jungle pool/slides area. Also noticed it when walking on pier in Costa Maya. Other passengers besides us also remarked about the smell also, so probably occurred more than on our 10th deck. Really don't think they can totally fix the problem (whatever it is), until a dry dock, if then. So if taking a Seaside cruise, just be prepared, and move on.

Casino: Nice, but smoking allowed, which was not overwhelming, unless sitting right next to a smoker. For size of ship, felt like it could have had more slots placed, but enjoyed our time there every day. Again a negative, since other Cls are converting to non-smoking casinos.

Captain Scala: Was still onboard, but was leaving Feb 3. Will be going to the Seaview for 6 months and then he said would be returning to Seaside afterwards.

Final Comments: Probably left out some info that I wanted to report, so feel free to ask relevant questions, which will try to read/answer. For our group, no regrets in sailing with MSC or the Seaside, but also no regrets in saying that it will be our last. This was a nice cruise, especially due to our dining staff and having the classic beverage package. But we simply enjoy the other CLs better, as they meet our "likes", and have fewer "dislikes" that are inherent in the MSC cruise experience.

Nice review and pics, thanks. Don't want to get into cruise line bashing, but really surprised about your comment recommending Carnival, but glad you like it, I guess many do, but not us. Carnival has been the least liked of all our cruises - compared to Holland, Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, and RCL.

Just returned from 1/27-2/3 Seaside cruise. Yes, the odor still exists. We were group of 8 with 4 rooms on deck 10 port midsection. We had 2 days and 2 nights of intermittent septic smell, and also noted it in certain sections of hallway. Worst was during the night and early morning. Our bathrooms actually smelled nice, but the ventilation to the main room was not. Ship twice shut down some of the 10 floor flush system to "clean out clog or correct system". The first was early morning during the cruise, and quickly returned the system to functioning. More aggravating was shutting down the system at 06:30am on debarkation day, when bathrooms are at a premium throughout the ship, since must leave room by 7am. It did not return to functioning when left room at 7am. If not an emergency shutdown, they should post signs/warnings to the rooms before it happens. Room stewards were left with some not so nice toilet issues to deal with when turning over the rooms for next cruise.

During cruise all the main inside deck venues were fine, with no noticeable smell. Seems to be more located in passenger hallways and the 18 deck jungle pool/slide area. Also smelled it returning to ship along the pier at Costa Maya, as aft of ship was toward the walking area of the pier. Wonder if other the cruise line ship (RCL) passengers noticed it and were glad to be going to their ship and not the Seaside?

Will be sailing soon on the Seaside. We have the inclusive drink package which is worded to include ice cream by cup or cone. So is that interpreted as the Gelato, as only ice cream that I know of is the free soft serve at buffet?

Did he mean that the smaller buffet is the open buffet for dinner, or that it is turned into the 3rd dining room? Everyone else has indicated that the MarketPlace buffet on deck8 becomes the 3rd DR, not the smaller buffet on deck 16. Another possible misinfo or miscommunication?

Consider the Mayflower Park Hotel. We stayed there for 2 nights post Celebrity cruise. Wonderful, old style hotel with great location, 5 minute walk to monorail station to go to space needle, and 10 minute walk to Pikes Place Market. Rooms were large, nicely appointed. Lots of cruisers were using the hotel. Easy cab from pier to hotel.