Seaside Tips and Tricks.

Hello, I am brand new to this board. I have been cruising for about 12 years and my next cruise on the seaside will be 25 for my wife and I. This will be our first time on a MSC ship. Up to now, I have never had the free time get into message boards and forums. I have known about cruise critic for a while and I have only used it up to this point to read reviews but never to post.

I have always had the mindset of taking reviews as what they are, being just glorified structured opinions. I prefer to see and do for myself to make up my mind. I have read all the good and bad reviews for the seaside. I see that she has room for improvement and that she does not "fit the bill" for some reviewers.

That said, does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to work around the issues the seaside may be having or just anything you may have found that added to your cruise experience.

I simply...can't... resist... ;)

potential issue: food

1. Bring salt or seasoned salt

2. Avoid the buffet and eat in specialty restaurants or main dining room

3. Book Yacht Club

potential issue: sewer smell

1. clothespin for your nose, or put tea tree oil above your lip

2. avoid rooms midship

3. air freshener for your room

4. a cup full of water in your overflow drain in your bathroom

potential issue: crowds

1. Book Yacht Club

2. Try to go in fall/winter off season months

potential issue: lack of entertainment

1. Kindle or other reading material

2. Casino, learn to play on wizard of odds dot com

potential issue: customer service

1. Use a TA (there are discount web-based ones out there) if you typically would rather book your own, so they can handle any web issues for you

2. PRAY for wisdom and understanding...

3. ACCEPT this one is going to be the most challenging and probably never fixed to satisfaction!

potential issue: lines

1. When in Rome....

@Kat

*siiiiggghhhhh*

I simply...can't... resist... ;)

 

potential issue: food

1. Bring salt or seasoned salt

2. Avoid the buffet and eat in specialty restaurants or main dining room

3. Book Yacht Club

 

potential issue: sewer smell

1. clothespin for your nose, or put tea tree oil above your lip

2. avoid rooms midship

3. air freshener for your room

4. a cup full of water in your overflow drain in your bathroom

 

potential issue: crowds

1. Book Yacht Club

2. Try to go in fall/winter off season months

 

potential issue: lack of entertainment

1. Kindle or other reading material

2. Casino, learn to play on wizard of odds dot com

 

potential issue: customer service

1. Use a TA (there are discount web-based ones out there) if you typically would rather book your own, so they can handle any web issues for you

2. PRAY for wisdom and understanding...

3. ACCEPT this one is going to be the most challenging and probably never fixed to satisfaction!

 

potential issue: lines

1. When in Rome....

OK Thanks. I guess that I don't need to ask you to elaborate. I have read all of the reviews. I have seen all of the above mentioned at least once. Except for the smell, that seems to be a common theme. I have read good reviews, albiet those are the minority. I was just hoping that the issues were isolated to new boat problems. We shall see.

OK Thanks. I guess that I don't need to ask you to elaborate. I have read all of the reviews. I have seen all of the above mentioned at least once. Except for the smell, that seems to be a common theme. I have read good reviews, albiet those are the minority. I was just hoping that the issues were isolated to new boat problems. We shall see.

When the Carnival Vista was new, the majority of reviews on the initial sailings were negative. I cruised the Vista when it first came to NY after its TA and was actually pretty pleased with the ship, and judging from the reactions of the other 124 on board who attended the Captains Diamond luncheon party, most of them were too.

I take many of the initial opinions, positive and negative, and just file them away until I have my own experience. Some things get filed under the "I may experience this situation, problem, whatever", rather than "I will experience" it. Just like any other newly introduced product, a ship usually has some initial hiccups to work out. In the case of the Seaside, these situations might be compounded by MSC's penetration into a brand new market for them.

I'll be sailing the Seaside in October and hopefully the hiccups will have worked their way out by then. Certainly the smell issue needs to be mitigated. As far as less salt, well my cardiac doc will be pleased by that and somehow I'll manage to get through it, LOL..

Indeed. I am willing to give the seaside a chance. I've had a couple less that stellar cruises. I still manage to enjoy myself.

I'm with Evandbob.... We loved the Vista too. You already have the correct mindset. We all know the complainers/critics come out much more than the "praisers" (satisfied cruiser). Its good to get some information a head of time.... But I have learned to withhold judgement on something until I have had the opportunity to experience it myself

as far as the smell issue, I've experienced sewage smell one time or another on pretty much every ship that ive been on....and heard people complain about just about every ship on every line have a sewage smell somewhere. I wouldn't worry about that. Usually I just get a whiff and keep walking, no big deal

I simply...can't... resist... ;)

 

potential issue: food

1. Bring salt or seasoned salt

2. Avoid the buffet and eat in specialty restaurants or main dining room

3. Book Yacht Club

 

potential issue: sewer smell

1. clothespin for your nose, or put tea tree oil above your lip

2. avoid rooms midship

3. air freshener for your room

4. a cup full of water in your overflow drain in your bathroom

 

potential issue: crowds

1. Book Yacht Club

2. Try to go in fall/winter off season months

 

potential issue: lack of entertainment

1. Kindle or other reading material

2. Casino, learn to play on wizard of odds dot com

 

potential issue: customer service

1. Use a TA (there are discount web-based ones out there) if you typically would rather book your own, so they can handle any web issues for you

2. PRAY for wisdom and understanding...

3. ACCEPT this one is going to be the most challenging and probably never fixed to satisfaction!

 

potential issue: lines

1. When in Rome....

"PRAY for wisdom and understanding.."

Hahaha this made me spit out my drink hahaha.

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The forward elevators are usually faster and less crowded than the aft ones.

as far as the smell issue, I've experienced sewage smell one time or another on pretty much every ship that ive been on....and heard people complain about just about every ship on every line have a sewage smell somewhere. I wouldn't worry about that. Usually I just get a whiff and keep walking, no big deal

Ew sorry. I've so far only ever experienced it on Majesty. We had to walk past a closet which we found out had a pump of some sort for the black water in it when they had it open and swarming with maintenance guys the morning we disembarked. We were hours late boarding due to government inspection finding Legionnaires disease in the water so they had to empty, disinfect, and refill. A few cruises later I saw on the news someone came down with it.

SnowManBob - this will also be our first MSC and have some of the same reservations when reading the reviews. But I'm taking all of it with a grain of salt. Because I think people will have an expectation and will compare one cruiseline with another.

But for those who have cruised with MSC, Is there anything that might surprise us for first cruisers with MSC? Example I keep reading that they used to charge people of water in the MDR, Is that true?

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Stay Calm folks, read the cray cray reviews and Lol...the vast majority of complainers are 'out there with extremes'. So are the ones that say everything was perfect.

Nothing in life is perfect, some complain about the weather...many complain about elevators (everyone in the world has waited in a line or at lifts)...and about their own lack of language/communication skills.

They will find windmills to tilt at.

Water and ice are availbale for free 24/7, bottled water is available 24/7 for purchase...buy the 14 bottles 1liter for $37.00... still or sparkling....better price than any US land resort...have you priced bottled water at a stadium lately?

As most have said, there are 4,000+ people on Seaside every week....the 30-40 strong complainers on CC have 100's of posts...math tells you all you need to know.

Like all lines MSC has +\-'s... enjoy your cruise (on whatever line/ship), life is good!

Cheers!

This will be our 4th MSC cruise and for each of the past 3 we read the same types of reviews. But we loved all 3 of them and will love this one as well. As stated above nothing is perfect. There will be issues. It will be up to you to tell yourself that they won't ruin your vacation. I love all the absolutes people throw out: Worst ever, never again, blah blah blah. Long lines? Ever been to Disney? How about the post office or dmv? LOL. Now don't get me wrong, if your whole cruise is awful start to finish then please complain away. I would. If you have a couple issues and then the other 98 percent of your time was fun then ok state those things and then we all can learn from it. And even the most seasoned cruisers that have been on 40+ cruises and call this one the bottom? From looking at his review and video I think they still had a good time. Maybe this is all a good thing and the ship wont be as crowded. I for one will have a great vacation and enjoy the sun, food, entertainment and a week of relaxing without having to clean, cook or drive anywhere.

Hello, I am brand new to this board. I have been cruising for about 12 years and my next cruise on the seaside will be 25 for my wife and I. This will be our first time on a MSC ship. Up to now, I have never had the free time get into message boards and forums. I have known about cruise critic for a while and I have only used it up to this point to read reviews but never to post.

 

I have always had the mindset of taking reviews as what they are, being just glorified structured opinions. I prefer to see and do for myself to make up my mind. I have read all the good and bad reviews for the seaside. I see that she has room for improvement and that she does not "fit the bill" for some reviewers.

 

That said, does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to work around the issues the seaside may be having or just anything you may have found that added to your cruise experience.

YES! I wish this site had a "like" button.

This will be our 4th MSC cruise and for each of the past 3 we read the same types of reviews. But we loved all 3 of them and will love this one as well. As stated above nothing is perfect. There will be issues. It will be up to you to tell yourself that they won't ruin your vacation. I love all the absolutes people throw out: Worst ever, never again, blah blah blah. Long lines? Ever been to Disney? How about the post office or dmv? LOL. Now don't get me wrong, if your whole cruise is awful start to finish then please complain away. I would. If you have a couple issues and then the other 98 percent of your time was fun then ok state those things and then we all can learn from it. And even the most seasoned cruisers that have been on 40+ cruises and call this one the bottom? From looking at his review and video I think they still had a good time. Maybe this is all a good thing and the ship wont be as crowded. I for one will have a great vacation and enjoy the sun, food, entertainment and a week of relaxing without having to clean, cook or drive anywhere.

^^^^

Absolutely! I will say it helps me enormously to understand what a poster's expectations were before he/she went on the cruise. Don't like Italian coffee/pizza/gelato/pasta? Well then, don't cruise on an Italian ship. Don't want to wait in line at Guest Services? Go when there's no line. I can't tell you the number of times I've been on a ship and passed the GS desk only to see 5-6 in line, but take that one grumpy passenger who waits until the VERY LAST DAY and then complains about how the line was "always soooooo long." :rolleyes:

We've cruised on Carnival twice and loved it, especially the food. Yet if we'd listened to all of the critics, we'd never have sailed with them. We sailed RCL's Adventure OTS a year ago and saw tons of negative reviews about how the ship was old, out of date, ugly, etc. We had a blast! Great food, fantastic crew, wonderful other passengers, etc. My wife's and my secret to happiness on a cruise is twofold: first, a good attitude and second, getting to know the crew. We always want to know where the crewmember is from. If I know a few words in that person's language, I'll try them out. If I don't, I'll ask and then will say "thank you" and "see you later" in that person's language. I can't tell you what an enormous difference it makes when you see the crew as people and not as servants to be yelled at and ordered around. Just be nice and pack some patience, it makes all the difference in the world. :D

Hello, I am brand new to this board. I have been cruising for about 12 years and my next cruise on the seaside will be 25 for my wife and I. This will be our first time on a MSC ship. Up to now, I have never had the free time get into message boards and forums. I have known about cruise critic for a while and I have only used it up to this point to read reviews but never to post.

 

I have always had the mindset of taking reviews as what they are, being just glorified structured opinions. I prefer to see and do for myself to make up my mind. I have read all the good and bad reviews for the seaside. I see that she has room for improvement and that she does not "fit the bill" for some reviewers.

 

That said, does anyone have any tips or tricks for me to work around the issues the seaside may be having or just anything you may have found that added to your cruise experience.

Don't expect to have a nice walk around an outside deck. I wish I had prepared myself for this ahead of time. If you are Aurea or Yacht Club you will have more access to unobstructed outer deck areas- I was Fantastica and could not access Top 19 . All that was left was parts of Deck 8 which mainly had dining tables and chairs and loungers, Deck 16 pool area and parts of deck 17 and 18. Choppy and obstructed . Never seen anything like it on my cruises with Royal and Carnival. Still was an enjoyable enough cruise but we will stay away from MSC from now on.

Don't expect to have a nice walk around an outside deck. I wish I had prepared myself for this ahead of time. If you are Aurea or Yacht Club you will have more access to unobstructed outer deck areas- I was Fantastica and could not access Top 19 . All that was left was parts of Deck 8 which mainly had dining tables and chairs and loungers, Deck 16 pool area and parts of deck 17 and 18. Choppy and obstructed . Never seen anything like it on my cruises with Royal and Carnival. Still was an enjoyable enough cruise but we will stay away from MSC from now on.

FYI there's no Deck 17, something about it being an unlucky #. We are in Aurea and looking forward to Top 19, actually. But I agree that the layout isn't that great if you're used to most cruise ships that allow you to walk all the way from stem to stern. Ironically, I'm actually relieved that we can't enter the Yacht Club area. My big regret every time I sail is that I wished I'd seen more of the boat-this way, I know my chances are better. :)

FYI there's no Deck 17, something about it being an unlucky #. We are in Aurea and looking forward to Top 19, actually. But I agree that the layout isn't that great if you're used to most cruise ships that allow you to walk all the way from stem to stern. Ironically, I'm actually relieved that we can't enter the Yacht Club area. My big regret every time I sail is that I wished I'd seen more of the boat-this way, I know my chances are better. :)

I think if we had Aurea experience we would have enjoyed the cruise much more-I am sure you will have a great time.Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the food. I don't consider my palate "Americanized" and was looking so forward to some great Italian food. Sadly this was not our experience, but hopefully you will find this not an issue . We did love the pizza and thought the option to order a full pizza via room service was nice (9 $)

I think if we had Aurea experience we would have enjoyed the cruise much more-I am sure you will have a great time.Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the food. I don't consider my palate "Americanized" and was looking so forward to some great Italian food. Sadly this was not our experience, but hopefully you will find this not an issue .

Thank you, I appreciate the encouraging words. I do have my fingers crossed that the food will be up to scratch. This will be my wife's and my first cruise with MSC, and we're traveling with my dad and his friend, and we're all pretty agreeable folk (as long as I get my morning cappuccino, that is!). ;)

Get premium drink package and enjoy the drinks at the "Welcome Bar" on deck 16 by the specialty restaurants.

I was hoping to find a thread like this, since I've posted a lot of negative stuff about my cruise (all of which was justified, IMHO) but there was some good. Here's some good stuff I found last week.

Tip: Look in the daily deals section of the program. They offered $3 of free slot money from 9-10am on each sea day. You don't have to do anything special to get it, just put your card in the slot machine. You can't get cash for the $3 but anything you win can be cashed out. I made the mistake of cashing out with $1 of the original money left and while the slot machine printed a $1.05 voucher for my winnings, the $1 was left on the machine and I lost it when someone else walked up and put their card in it before I had a chance to use it.

Tip: The pizza is excellent when it's hot. Sadly, the print on the sign is so small at the buffet (5 languages, none of them readable unless you get up close) that if you care what's on it, you'll need to get real close to read the sign). Sadly, the pizza was not always hot. I noticed something really strange one day. The pizza guy had taken a fresh pie out of the oven, then sliced it and put it in a holding oven. Why wouldn't they keep it whole and then slice it right before serving it? Or better yet, serve it as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Tip: If you like fresh mozzarella, look for a big bowl of cut up pieces in olive oil and herbs in the Marketplace Buffet. It was excellent. The first day I saw it in the Mediterranean section but after that I only found it at the corner of the pizza section when you walked in. It was missing from there one day so I asked the pizza guy and he said it was being refilled. It was back when I checked again a little later. I don't know why it wasn't in the Mediterranean section every day. Also, it was not in the Biscayne Bay buffet (at least I did not see it there).

Tip: The croissants (both regular and chocolate) were excellent, as good as I've had on a cruise ship. Two interesting variations I really liked: a sunflower seed coated plain croissant and a croissant twist filled with small chocolate chips and custard. The latter is apparently called a plié au chocolat (or was when I had it at a French bakery in NYC recently). I only found it in the buffet a few days and often only at a couple of stations (the front and back corners near the pizza ovens). If you find these be sure to try them because they were excellent (although they could have used a little more custard).

Tip: The bread/rolls at dinner were excellent (probably other times as well but I only had them then).

Tip: The Sports Bar has a great selection of beers on draft and you can get a huge 22 ounce glass for a reasonable price that will probably be covered by your drink package or Fantasia drink tickets. I know I was able to get a huge glass of hard cider that way.

Trick: If you have excess OBC, you can get it from the casino by loading it to your card at a slot machine and then cashing out. You may not want to try to get the cash right away as I was told that they are not an ATM and refused the first time I tried it. I went back a few hours later and had no problem cashing out after using a few dollars and winning it back. Also, in the thread where I discussed this, someone else said that using a female casino cashier may not result in the problems I had (there was only a male cashier when I was refused). You need to get your cash this way because MSC does not refund excess OBC to your credit card at the end of a cruise as other lines do.

Tip: Use a credit card with a 0% foreign transaction fee if at all possible. My charge came in from Paris, France and would have been subject ot that fee. Many cards have 3% FTF's.

Tip: Don't use a debit card for your account because they will charge it immediately rather than just putting a hold on it as they do with credit cards. And then with the "no refunds" thing, you'll have to get it from the casino or potentially lose the remainder.

Our Divina ship smelled fine. Guest Services was very helpful when they gave away our room and had to reassign us, even if there was some communication errors on where to deliver our luggage. I found some of the food too salty. The folks who ordered seafood got the best food, by far. If you are from the South and are looking for grits, there are none. No fried chicken, either. I want some of their pizza now. It was authentic and free and fresh in the buffet. I liked the shows. Our biggest issue was a young male staffer who had eyes for my older widowed friend and cruise companion. He was truly after her affection and we had to hide and dodge; but it made for great conversation.

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We been for New Year on the Meraviglia and will be for Easter break on the Seaside. Both trips are in the Yacht Club. We are cruising 6 times a year and usually always in the suite class. We booked both cruises to check out MSC. While we loved the ship we have to admit that it was the worst thinkable food experience we ever had. No herbs, no salt. low cost ingredients. Low class meat, etc. Even if you pre-book premium-dining they ask you again in the specialty restaurants to pay more for better ingredients (i.e. if you want to have filet instead of a lower class meat it costs you extra.

And by the way - that room service in the Yacht Club is a joke. They give you can-soup and they might serve an old sandwhich. But you can't order anything fresh nor breakfast eggs (no eggs are served in the suite). Come on - why would you need a butler if there is not any sandwhich to be served? And if you order waffles, they send you a waffle, without any decor, nor sauce, cream, etc. You will receive kind of a spongy piece of waffle, not enjoyable at all.

So - whatever is said negative in regards of food - at least form our experience, we can underline it. It was the first cruise we all lost weight (we are between 35 and 45 and very sporty/fit - usually our weight never changes). So - go on the cruise for the weather, the ship, maybe the cocktails (they been delicious) - but in regards of food, hope for the port days and go off to eat!

Thanks, Lars, sounds like the food just wasn't to your liking. As always, it's subjective, as you will find reviews on here that are highly complimentary of the food, especially in the YC. But it wasn't your cup of tea. Hopefully since you cruise a lot you will get better food on your next trip.