Morecruisesplz

Wish I had known him. We can talk more about him on the Harmony in January.

Hence the signs... "This ship is fully booked."

Bull! Check the scores at restaurants you love at home! This was a one-off that has obviously been corrected. Did anyone get sick?

He had something to hide.

A famous restaurant owner made appointments with his managers to have dinner in the restroom. His theory was if the rr was clean so was the kitchen.

Just off Seaside today. Cleaner than most Royal ships. We have been on 45+ cruises, unlike Royal you could dine in the public restrooms on Seaside. Everything in view was spotless.

Yes to bars. Don't know about casino.

Yes. We booked an inside guarantee and were quickly assigned a balcony on deck 13, mid to aft.

But as an overall, general opionon MCS has the better product. Examples: 1. Food overall was much better 2. Beautiful ship and design. (You can go in/out of bathroom at night without waking everyone else in the cabin; restrooms around the ship are SO clean; cabins are very clean and cabin steward seems always present in hallways.) 3. Prices are less with status match to Royal, you get a leg up to higher status. 4. Staff are all smiling and happy to assist. Any request we had was met with "of course." What did we miss? 5 free drinks daily. We don't drink much but use our leftover free drinks at night for water. Paying for water adds up. There are some tricks to get free water on MSC but Royal is easy. These are just our experiences and opinions. Your mileage might vary.

Yes, "good enough" is not what most of cruise for.

Quality of food HAS changed. Thats what all the complaints are about.

Back to old menus.

See photo plz.

Final night buffet was a miss. Only 1/2 of it open and staff not interested in refilling anything but pizza. Their pizza is great but we were looking for lighter options. We skip the MDR the last night as a rule and opt for lighter options the night before traveling. Shows the last 2 nights were excellent. Peter Punk and another which I cant remember the name of. MSC works the acrobats, magicians, jugglers, etc into each show. They were all superior to Royals shows or entertainment.

Today's lunch at buffet was very good. Tried the burgers inspite of a very long line. (Sea Day) They toast the bun, which makes all the difference. Hot and juicy. Last night's dinner was very good again. Wife had steak off of Classic Menu. I had the blakened fish. Very tasty.

3 dinner seatings + my time

Did I mention the mini-bar? A real one w/booze, beer and snacks. And a sheet to request refills or missing brands. We didn't buy a drink pkg so its perfect.

Of course. MSC still does paper planners! Today's is gone but will post tonight.

In our case, food quality and reduced services to cut cost. If we have to eat in a specialty restaurant most nights for decent food, the cruise cost goes way up. Food had been on a steady slide down but the new menus and doing away with the classics did it for us. (We have 6 cruises booked with Royal. If the next few days are like yesterday and today on MSC we will have to rethink those.)

Miami Beach on deck 16 aft has lots of lounges. It is outside a 2nd buffet. I even found a lounge in the shade. For lunch we had delicious white fish, rice with a bean and greens garnish, and we had to try the popular pizza. It was far superior to Sorrentinos, with an excellent crust and flavorful sauce and cheese. Desserts were refilled constantly instead of hundreds being put out at once. Supervisors in the area keep food replenished and tables cleaned by actually instructing staff rather than just watching.

Dinner was excellent. Prime rib (twice a Royal portion, hot and tasty). Asked for pasta as a side... "no problem, I will just bring you pasta also." Shrimp cocktail with 5 nice size shrimp, minestrone soup and apple crumble. Everything we have asked for was accepted with a smile! We asked that our 2 top table be moved to a wall for the rest of the cruise because tables on each side were close. Headwaiter said he would switch us for rest of cruise. The Welcone Aboard show was also very good. Singers with great voices, dancers with amazing skill and tricks. (How do they spin girls that fast w_o getting dizzy?) Cabin was quiet and breakfast on the balcony was delicious. Ship is full but doesn't feel crowded at all. A+ so far!

@pcur see my semi-live review of MSC Seaside as a Royal D+ trying MSC for 1st time.

Dinner was excellent. Prime rib (twice a Royal portion, hot and tasty). Asked for pasta as a side... "no problem, I will just bring you pasta also." Shrimp cocktail with 5 nice size shrimp, minestrone soup and apple crumble. Everything we have asked for was accepted with a smile! We asked that our 2 top table be moved to a wall for the rest of the cruise because tables on each side were close. Headwaiter said he would switch us for rest of cruise. The Welcone Aboard show was also very good. Singers with great voices, dancers with amazing skill and tricks. (How do they spin girls that fast w_o getting dizzy?) Cabin was quiet and breakfast on the balcony was delicious. Ship is full but doesn't feel crowded at all. A+ so far!

Muster drill is wonkie. Report to your cabin, watch video, dial a number to verify, then go to your station to scan card. Started at 4pm. 35 minutes later people are trying to find their cabins taking the stairs. I should have got a drink at 3:55!