(An American) Just Off Seaview in Europe .... Ask Away!

Hello all,

The title says it all, I just disembarked the Seaview today in Barcelona after a 7 night western Med cruise to Marseille, Genova, Naples, Messina and Malta. I know many have had some questions about Seaview and theseports, and some Americans in particular about the differences between American MSC cruises and European MSC cruises, so I'm happy to answer any question to the best of my ability! I hope to do a review with some photos I took later but I will say, I had an AMAZING cruise, and this cruise fortified to me that MSC offers a great product, one that I know I will keep returning to in the future. So, leave all of your questions below and I'll answer them! Happy cruising! :D

Did your cruise have multiple embarkations and disembarkations? If so, what is your opinion of that?

Did your cruise have multiple embarkations and disembarkations? If so, what is your opinion of that?

Yes, you could embark the Seaview anywhere it docked. Most passengers embark in Barcelona or Genova, with Marseille being the next biggest, then Messina, then Malta, but the embarkation is rolling. I don't think I really have too much of an opinion, as I really didn't notice it. It was weird seeing suitcases in the hall almost every night of the cruise, because that usually means that mine should be outside as well, but I got over that. There is a sailaway party after every port, so you miss your typical massive party mid week. There isn't a "welcome aboard" or "goodbye" show like most cruise ships have, so if you like these things, you will miss them. But, overall, I didn't mind this and don't think it inhibits the experience in any way. It always brought new people to the disco and lounges to talk to! :)

OceansofTravels we are doing this itinerary in October so we would be grateful about any info about the ports of call. We generally like to make our own way but would welcome your input. Thanks in advance. look forward to any photos you have also.

Kaz

Glad you enjoyed it.

OceansofTravels we are doing this itinerary in October so we would be grateful about any info about the ports of call. We generally like to make our own way but would welcome your input. Thanks in advance. look forward to any photos you have also.

 

Kaz

We are also doing this itinerary next May on Bellissima, so am also interested on any port info. :)

It is really easy to make your own way in each of those ports.

Barcelona is really simple to do on your own, you will be docked very close to the city and there is a low cost shuttle. But you embark here, so spend a couple of days before or after the cruise in this fantastic city.

Marseille, you are docked a distance out of town but the ship operates a (costly, about 15 euro pp) shuttle service. We did not really enjoy Marseille, although the marina area and surrounds is pretty. There is an iconic cathedral on the hill overlooking the city, and we did that using the hop on/off road train. If you want to go further, Cassis is a beautiful and scenic fishing village.

Genova (Genoa) you are docked right in town, very pleasant waterside walks and old town area. If you want to go a little further, then Portofino is beautiful with its iconic harbour area although it really is no more than a 1 or 2 hour max stop. You could go to Portofino first, and still have time to explore Genoa on return.

Naples itself is not pretty! Good options here are Pompeii, easy by train; Island of Capri, the hovercraft and ferries are right next to the cruise terminal; Sorrento or/and Amalfi coast, but you really need a tour for those as they are a distance away.

Messina centre is a short walk from the port area, but not much to do there. It is fine to stroll for a couple of hours, and the church in the square has a mechanical clock thing where fixed characters move around once a day for a few minutes at noon...it is fine, but I wouldn't hang around specifically to view it unless in the area at that time. Most take a tour to Taormina, a very pretty hilltop town.

Malta, I would describe as the 'jewel in the crown' of this cruise. An easy, but hilly walk up to the city of Valletta. You can spend hours walking around here, it is a fantastic city. Don't miss the daily gun salute firing, I think it is noon. Alternatively, there is a HOHO tour bus at the port and you can tour around the island which is also a great trip. For a first time visitor, I would say walk up to the city and explore!

Did you have any issues getting water in the mdr?

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Thanks for the info Hamrag.

Glad to hear you have a great experience on the Seaview. We also disembarked from the ship in Barcelona on Aug 03. Just one small piece of additional info about the transportation in Marseille: there was a free shuttle bus stop located about 1km away from the MSC terminal. It would take people to the Joliette stop close to the shopping mall at Les Terrasses du Port. The timetable of the free shuttle can be found here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2493065

It is really easy to make your own way in each of those ports.

 

Marseille, you are docked a distance out of town but the ship operates a (costly, about 15 euro pp) shuttle service. We did not really enjoy Marseille, although the marina area and surrounds is pretty. There is an iconic cathedral on the hill overlooking the city, and we did that using the hop on/off road train. If you want to go further, Cassis is a beautiful and scenic fishing village.

Thanks for the port info Hamrag. :D

OceansofTravels we are doing this itinerary in October so we would be grateful about any info about the ports of call. We generally like to make our own way but would welcome your input. Thanks in advance. look forward to any photos you have also.

 

Kaz

Of Course! I'll let you know what I did in each port and if you want more information about them, just ask!

Barcelona: I had three days pre-cruise and one day post-cruise, so I did the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Barceloneta, La Rambla, Casa Batlo, the Olympic Park and the Montjuic Fountain show by myself. I really liked Barcelona, but not as much as Madrid, where I was for a month before the cruise. But, Barcelona is a great city. I'm not too sure how you could do it as a day passenger but if you can walk to a nearby Metro stations, rides are about 1 euro each way so you could easily get around!

Marseille: I loved Marseille. You could take the free bus from the ship and just walk around like we did, it's a very beautiful port. I loved the Old Port and the little shops.

Genova: I met up with an old friend of mine and we took the train from Genova Principe to Camogli. 3.70Euro each way or something and it was by far worth it! Camogli is absolutely gorgeous, and I really enjoyed spending time with my friend. But, needless to say, I would certainly recommend Camogli.

Napoli: We took the MSC excursion to Sorrento, and it really wasn't worth it. I didn't see much of Sorrento at all and didn't understand its hype by the end of the trip. Next time, I think I'll just stay in the actual city of Naples, because my first time I went to Pompeii, and never actually visited the city.

Messina: Took the MSC excursion to Taormina and Giardini Naxos. I really loved Taormina when I went the first time so I had to do it again, and it was well worth it. And Giardini Naxos was a beautiful beach. I would certainly recommend this excursion to you if you do decide you want to do an excursion.

Malta: We just walked around through the old city of Valletta. I really regretted not going to Gozo or the Blue Lagoon, so again, if you want to do an excursion, I would say do it there because everyone's photos looked beautiful.

Let me know if you want anymore information about any port, I really enjoyed them all and I think it's a great itinerary!

Did you have any issues getting water in the mdr?

 

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Yes! You must pay for water and any other drink in the MDR. This was very annoying and one of my big complaints with this cruise. I had to pay 3,30Euro for each bottle, and I didn't understand why I couldn't just get tap water.

Thanks so much OceansofTravels that's so helpful! I think we want to do Pompeii and Vesuvius, not sure if you can do them both but if we can we will do our own trip. Sounds like you had a fab time!

Sounds good about Camogli, I put this on our list. We have been in Genova so often, really need to go out of the city on our next stop.

And I would recommend all to embark in Napoli, a great place to spend some days before and after the cruise.

Thanks so much OceansofTravels that's so helpful! I think we want to do Pompeii and Vesuvius, not sure if you can do them both but if we can we will do our own trip. Sounds like you had a fab time!

I think you may be able to, but since that will be a lot to see, I would suggest looking into some MSC excursions or tour companies just so you can see as much as possible. That, or improve your Italian if you don't already know any so you can navigate trains, buses and taxis. But, I think you should be able to manage.

Happy cruising!

Sounds good about Camogli, I put this on our list. We have been in Genova so often, really need to go out of the city on our next stop.

And I would recommend all to embark in Napoli, a great place to spend some days before and after the cruise.

Camogli was absolutely gorgeous, I would certainly recommend it to any and everybody going through the region. The beach was rocky but beautiful, and of course the village itself was very adorable and full of small restaurants and shops. Most certainly worth the visit. And the cheap and easily accessible train station made it even better, I think I left Camogli at 3PM and arrived back at the ship at 3:45PM, just enough time to get off the train, stop in a coffee shop for some last minute wifi and pastries, and make it back onboard by the 4:30PM time before our 5PM departure.

And I think I may want to embark there next time as well, either in Napoli or Genova if I'm visiting my friends. I really love the Italian Riviera though so I want to spend more time up there next time. But I think my next Med cruise will either be Eastern Med or Southern Med/Holy Land :D

Nice "review" of some sort. Many thanks!

Regarding the water in the MDR situation: Bookings from the USA or more recently from the UK receive a free package of some 14 bottles of water. For the rest of us, MSC usually provides a quite inexpensive 14 bottles of 1 litre of mineral water for some less than 30 Euros you may be able to purchase at any bar at embarkation day.

Have a nice day!

Nice "review" of some sort. Many thanks!

 

 

Regarding the water in the MDR situation: Bookings from the USA or more recently from the UK receive a free package of some 14 bottles of water. For the rest of us, MSC usually provides a quite inexpensive 14 bottles of 1 litre of mineral water for some less than 30 Euros you may be able to purchase at any bar at embarkation day.

 

 

Have a nice day!

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thanks for the review! We are booked on Seaview next May but the itinerary is totally different.... which is too bad since there are lots of good tips about this year's ports!

Naples is interesting, not postcard perfect but very "real", a city with a soul, graffiti and laundry flowing in the wind, and a bit dusty and dirty yet charming and alive, with excellent espressos and pizza to be enjoyed on multiple piazzas, good shopping if you are into that sort of thing, we happily wondered around for hours. And just before getting back to the docked Divina we crossed a huge square with a memorial to all the people who have been killed over the years by Italian mafia and their pictures with brief biographies posted along the wall - it made me weep...

A beautiful city...would like to return.

Naples is interesting, not postcard perfect but very "real", a city with a soul, graffiti and laundry flowing in the wind, and a bit dusty and dirty yet charming and alive, with excellent espressos and pizza to be enjoyed on multiple piazzas, good shopping if you are into that sort of thing, we happily wondered around for hours. And just before getting back to the docked Divina we crossed a huge square with a memorial to all the people who have been killed over the years by Italian mafia and their pictures with brief biographies posted along the wall - it made me weep...

A beautiful city...would like to return.

Very much agree with your opinion of Naples. Many people avoid the city, but we found it very alive and fascinating. The museum alone is amazing. Never felt unsafe. As a matter of fact it was the only city on our last cruise where no one "accidentally" bumped into either of us, and we walked from the museum back through the main area of town. The Sansevero Chapel has one of the most beautiful statues of Christ anywhere. Would definitely go back.

Very much agree with your opinion of Naples. Many people avoid the city, but we found it very alive and fascinating. The museum alone is amazing. Never felt unsafe. As a matter of fact it was the only city on our last cruise where no one "accidentally" bumped into either of us, and we walked from the museum back through the main area of town. The Sansevero Chapel has one of the most beautiful statues of Christ anywhere. Would definitely go back.

with all the embak ports how does the cabin switch work with MSC...do they leave them empty??

with all the embak ports how does the cabin switch work with MSC...do they leave them empty??

Each specific cabin has only one embarkation/debarkation port. So, the cabin I was staying in only embarked guests from Barcelona. However, my neighbors embarked in Marseille, and the ones on the other side embarked in Naples. They have the rooms scattered all over the ship so guests embarking at each port can have the best selection possible with rooms, they are not clumped together whatsoever. So, each night if you stay out late, you will see some cabins with their luggage out in no particular order. So no, if a room is left open, it is left open for an entire week, like it would be on a regular cruise with one embarkation port.

Yes! You must pay for water and any other drink in the MDR. This was very annoying and one of my big complaints with this cruise. I had to pay 3,30Euro for each bottle, and I didn't understand why I couldn't just get tap water.

Water is free for Americans and Canadians.