Seaside second thoughts - and - what charges to expect?

I knew booking a cruise on an unbuilt/unsailed vessel was dicey, but I was intrigued by MSC and bit early.

Our family of 8 (mom, dad, six kids) got a fabulous rate on balcony cabins. (Alas, though the booking started as connecting, they now aren't even adjoining; it seems the plan to have cabins for 4 connecting never left the blue print outside the family suites). Our fare worked out to $103 pp/pd. which is in line with our NCL pricing in 2016. We booked originally for 1/2018 (last week) but then in August we moved it to June 2018 for only $50/stateroom more.

I gotta tell you - I'm not excited about this cruise. I'm a planner, which I normally enjoy; and with a large family, I am also a budgeter. I am struggling to find real answers, partly because the website is a hassle and partly because when a poster on here shares something they dealt with another poster comes along and reports a totally different experience.

Things I'm interested in:

Food allergies. I'm reading of language barriers with waiters and maître d' s. I'm also reading that information contributed to profiles via the (glitchtastic) website are not carrying over to the ship.

Soda: My kids (and we adults) love soda and we fully associate vacationing with soda drinking. The 12-vouchers per person isn't enough and the cost of adding the soda package is a little high compared to other lines (just off Princess on Friday). I'm thinking we might buy the soda package for one of our staterooms and then having that stateroom give their vouchers to the members of the other stateroom. This way one room will have unlimited and the other will have 24 drinks each (very generous for my littlest kids). Any thoughts on this?

Add ons: Now I'm reading costs for zip lines and I expect costs for digital waterslide, though pinpointing prices online is proving difficult for me. Again - different reviews/reports are sharing different numbers. And I've not read much at all about how the 5D films, etc, have been.

Maybe it is the time of year that the ship launched, but there has been little said about the children's programming.

Our PIF date is 3/11. I have about 7 weeks to decide what to do. The food allergy issue is make or break. The other issues are more about enhancing the trip. We only have three port days (with one being Nassau) so that will leave a lot of ship time.

Soda: My kids (and we adults) love soda and we fully associate vacationing with soda drinking.

You can't be from western New York...it's called pop there ;)

You can't be from western New York...it's called pop there ;)

I’m trying to expand my vocabulary. [emoji6]

:cool::cool::cool:

I've inquired about the food allergy issue as well....nut/peanut allergies for my 11 year old. The only answer I can get is that there is a form to fill out ahead of time and that someone from the staff will meet with you when you are onboard to go over menus.

Kids menu in the MDR seems non-existent. My kid wants everything super plain (noodles and butter, grilled cheese, cheese pizza with plain sauce, etc.)

I've inquired about the food allergy issue as well....nut/peanut allergies for my 11 year old. The only answer I can get is that there is a form to fill out ahead of time and that someone from the staff will meet with you when you are on board to go over menus.

I’ve filled out the form. But I also had filled it out for NCL and it didn’t matter til we were there in person anyway.

I’m interested to hear actual experiences when/if folks have them.

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Vacationdreamer:

Things I'm interested in:

Food allergies. I'm reading of language barriers with waiters and maître d' s. I'm also reading that information contributed to profiles via the (glitchtastic) website are not carrying over to the ship.

I would suggest Food Allergy cards in various common languages found here (free although I think they do email you occasionally) or here for fee. Kid's Menu found here.

Soda: My kids (and we adults) love soda and we fully associate vacationing with soda drinking. The 12-vouchers per person isn't enough and the cost of adding the soda package is a little high compared to other lines (just off Princess on Friday). I'm thinking we might buy the soda package for one of our staterooms and then having that stateroom give their vouchers to the members of the other stateroom. This way one room will have unlimited and the other will have 24 drinks each (very generous for my littlest kids). Any thoughts on this?

Sounds good. Not sure it is officially approved but have read reviews of others doing exactly this.

Add ons: Now I'm reading costs for zip lines and I expect costs for digital waterslide, though pinpointing prices online is proving difficult for me. Again - different reviews/reports are sharing different numbers. And I've not read much at all about how the 5D films, etc, have been.

Zipline is $10 for one ride or $50 for the entire cabin. I was told by someone on the ship last week they were now charging for the interactive slide as well but was not shown anything detailing this. Possibly the $50 per cabin includes this as well or perhaps that's just my wishful thinking.

Maybe it is the time of year that the ship launched, but there has been little said about the children's programming.

Schedules here and here and here. Reportedly they've also got their Happy Dining program running or you can let kids eat with the kid's club in the buffet. More information found in this thread about Seaside.

Our PIF date is 3/11. I have about 7 weeks to decide what to do. The food allergy issue is make or break. The other issues are more about enhancing the trip. We only have three port days (with one being Nassau) so that will leave a lot of ship time.

Vacationdreamer:

Things I'm interested in:

 

Food allergies. I'm reading of language barriers with waiters and maître d' s. I'm also reading that information contributed to profiles via the (glitchtastic) website are not carrying over to the ship.

 

I would suggest Food Allergy cards in various common languages found here (free although I think they do email you occasionally) or here for fee. Kid's Menu found here.

Soda: My kids (and we adults) love soda and we fully associate vacationing with soda drinking. The 12-vouchers per person isn't enough and the cost of adding the soda package is a little high compared to other lines (just off Princess on Friday). I'm thinking we might buy the soda package for one of our staterooms and then having that stateroom give their vouchers to the members of the other stateroom. This way one room will have unlimited and the other will have 24 drinks each (very generous for my littlest kids). Any thoughts on this?

 

Sounds good. Not sure it is officially approved but have read reviews of others doing exactly this.

 

Add ons: Now I'm reading costs for zip lines and I expect costs for digital waterslide, though pinpointing prices online is proving difficult for me. Again - different reviews/reports are sharing different numbers. And I've not read much at all about how the 5D films, etc, have been.

 

Zipline is $10 for one ride or $50 for the entire cabin. I was told by someone on the ship last week they were now charging for the interactive slide as well but was not shown anything detailing this. Possibly the $50 per cabin includes this as well or perhaps that's just my wishful thinking.

 

Maybe it is the time of year that the ship launched, but there has been little said about the children's programming.

 

Schedules here and here and here. Reportedly they've also got their Happy Dining program running or you can let kids eat with the kid's club in the buffet. More information found in this thread about Seaside.

 

 

Our PIF date is 3/11. I have about 7 weeks to decide what to do. The food allergy issue is make or break. The other issues are more about enhancing the trip. We only have three port days (with one being Nassau) so that will leave a lot of ship time.

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Vacationdreamer:

Things I'm interested in:

 

Food allergies. I'm reading of language barriers with waiters and maître d' s. I'm also reading that information contributed to profiles via the (glitchtastic) website are not carrying over to the ship.

 

I would suggest Food Allergy cards in various common languages found here (free although I think they do email you occasionally) or here for fee. Kid's Menu found here.

Soda: My kids (and we adults) love soda and we fully associate vacationing with soda drinking. The 12-vouchers per person isn't enough and the cost of adding the soda package is a little high compared to other lines (just off Princess on Friday). I'm thinking we might buy the soda package for one of our staterooms and then having that stateroom give their vouchers to the members of the other stateroom. This way one room will have unlimited and the other will have 24 drinks each (very generous for my littlest kids). Any thoughts on this?

 

Sounds good. Not sure it is officially approved but have read reviews of others doing exactly this.

 

Add ons: Now I'm reading costs for zip lines and I expect costs for digital waterslide, though pinpointing prices online is proving difficult for me. Again - different reviews/reports are sharing different numbers. And I've not read much at all about how the 5D films, etc, have been.

 

Zipline is $10 for one ride or $50 for the entire cabin. I was told by someone on the ship last week they were now charging for the interactive slide as well but was not shown anything detailing this. Possibly the $50 per cabin includes this as well or perhaps that's just my wishful thinking.

 

Maybe it is the time of year that the ship launched, but there has been little said about the children's programming.

 

Schedules here and here and here. Reportedly they've also got their Happy Dining program running or you can let kids eat with the kid's club in the buffet. More information found in this thread about Seaside.

 

 

Our PIF date is 3/11. I have about 7 weeks to decide what to do. The food allergy issue is make or break. The other issues are more about enhancing the trip. We only have three port days (with one being Nassau) so that will leave a lot of ship time.

Thank you, so much, for your thought-filled response and for the time you took to include all the links.

What languages do you (or anyone else) think it would be best to have cards IN?

Thank you for the kids' programming schedules. I'll look into them more. I hope we hear a lot more from families whose kids have participated. The idea of LEGO theme sounds fantastic to my LEGO-loving little kids.

I'll be reading regularly to see if we can learn more about the "fun" passes, etc.

Meanwhile, I continue to prices out other lines daily. MSC is by far the least expensive, at least this close to the travel date, and I doubt we'll jump to another line. But I'd run to NCL at this point if I could. They bent over backwards for food allergies and their drinks package was less complicated.

Ok -- shamelessly bumping my own thread.

I got the info I wanted on drink upgrades via my TA who called. Whatever. I will just skip my normal vacation amount of soda.

And I guess if sewer smells is all the rage in Europe (JUST KIDDING) I can over look that, as well. ;)

But I am a hot minute away from cancelling this cruise based solely on reports of poor customer service in general and problems in the dining room. No butter and no water is one thing, but we desperately need to trust we can get safe food.

Does anyone have any Seaside experience with food allergies?

I can't imagine a week on any ship if we are constantly striving for information and meals for my son.

THANK YOU! ♥

Perhaps try posting another thread with the mention of food allergies in the title?

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One person in our group on the Jan 6th sailing had a gluten allergy. We were in the Seashore Dining room and the waiter did an amazing job taking care of her every night. In fact, her food looked and according to her, tasted amazing every night!

Obviously, different people will have different experiences but this family seemed to have a great cruise....

AVXyIgR3yWk

What languages do you (or anyone else) think it would be best to have cards IN?

I've read some of the waiters are Thai and it seems like the ship's waitstaff and kitchen staff is typically SE Asian so I'd go with those languages.

Thank you for the kids' programming schedules. I'll look into them more. I hope we hear a lot more from families whose kids have participated. The idea of LEGO theme sounds fantastic to my LEGO-loving little kids.

I've seen limited reports on the kid's program so far. Only so many kids on the ship when school is in session I imagine. Sounds like the thing is run decently as everyone seems to like the staff, cleanliness, etc. Might be more about whether your child makes friends easily and enjoys day camp type programs.

I'll be reading regularly to see if we can learn more about the "fun" passes, etc.

Fun passes are for the F1 simulator, so-called 4D cinema (it is interactive and they reportedly have 10 different movies lasting about 10 minutes each), bowling, billiard, and zipline. Price information as follows:

Formula 1 Simulator = $10 per person per ride

Interactive XD Cinema $10 adult and $8 kids

Bowling = $25 - 30 minutes, $45 - 1 hour, $2 per person shoe rental

Billiard = $10 per 15 minute session

Zip Line $10 for one or $50 unlimited whole cabin

Fun Pass is $25 for $30, $50 for $65, $70 for $100, and $100 for $160 loaded onto one sea pass. Reports are they've let families load it to one sea pass and use it for example for all to bowl or use the XD cinema at the same time but the person who has the funds on their card must be present at payment.

BTW anyone else notice if you load it with $25 for $30 you could try the F1 simulator, interactive cinema, and zip line all for $25? Gotta say it still seems a tad expensive but that would be a great gift for a kid.

Obviously, different people will have different experiences but this family seemed to have a great cruise....

 

AVXyIgR3yWk

Thanks Two Wheels Only ...I really think attitude has a lot to do with how we perceive life and experiences..what you focus on will be what colour your perception ...I choose to focus the "blessings" and enjoy them while letting the small stuff just go by :)

What languages do you (or anyone else) think it would be best to have cards IN?

I've read some of the waiters are Thai and it seems like the ship's waitstaff and kitchen staff is typically SE Asian so I'd go with those languages.

I maybe should not talk about a ship I never saw and that is sailing thousands of km away from me. But on all other ships from MSC there is a very, very small number of waiters (or cabin stewards) from Thailand. Actually I never saw one. From my experience the highest number are Indos, the second highest Pinoys. And the rest is all around the world, but really very small numbers. With Bahasa Indonesia you should be on the safe side. If the waiter not understand, then probably his supervisor.

Hi Vacationdreamer,

Sorry I can’t answer any of your questions, but just wanted to wish you luck with your decision.

Having been in the same position struggling to decide whether to cancel or not, I understand that it’s tricky.

After weeks of indecision, I did cancel. I think my mistake was booking a ship before it was built, as it meant I went into the booking with false expectations - some produced by produced by MSC, others self-induced. (I must admit, I am surprised to hear of added costs for the zip line and slide - another aspect I wasn’t expecting).

Anyway, I don’t see the cancellation as a negative thing, or indicative of a less positive view of the world. It just ended up being a chance to change my vacation booking to something that suited my family better. I still pop into these boards every now and then as I still see lots of benefits to the MSC product and may still try it one day.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for your family. :-)

What a great video. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Vacationdreamer,

Sorry I can’t answer any of your questions, but just wanted to wish you luck with your decision.

Having been in the same position struggling to decide whether to cancel or not, I understand that it’s tricky.

 

After weeks of indecision, I did cancel. I think my mistake was booking a ship before it was built, as it meant I went into the booking with false expectations - some produced by produced by MSC, others self-induced. (I must admit, I am surprised to hear of added costs for the zip line and slide - another aspect I wasn’t expecting).

 

 

Anyway, I don’t see the cancellation as a negative thing, or indicative of a less positive view of the world. It just ended up being a chance to change my vacation booking to something that suited my family better. I still pop into these boards every now and then as I still see lots of benefits to the MSC product and may still try it one day.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for your family. :-)

Yes. You said it well.

I posted elsewhere that the only reason I have not canceled yet is no have not decided how to address it with my travel agent, who is also a friend, and who has put a lot of effort into this booking.

I have learned that I should not book with a new line, and possibly with a new ship. My family depends to heavily on customer service and attention to detail when it comes to food allergies for me not to stick with a product that has been trialed and tested.

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I maybe should not talk about a ship I never saw and that is sailing thousands of km away from me. But on all other ships from MSC there is a very, very small number of waiters (or cabin stewards) from Thailand. Actually I never saw one. From my experience the highest number are Indos, the second highest Pinoys. And the rest is all around the world, but really very small numbers. With Bahasa Indonesia you should be on the safe side. If the waiter not understand, then probably his supervisor.

Thanks! I was just going off the rather slim information I'd gleaned from a person on the ship over New Years. They said their waiter and assistant in the dining room said they were Thai. My own experience said SE Asia mainly Indonesia and the Philippines which was why I said SE Asian languages.

I know a lot of folks here and elsewhere get down on people for being negative or for canceling due to the negatives reported. My view is a bit different. By knowing more information about the product beforehand a person is obviously going to be better able to prepare or cancel according to their own beliefs. People need to be able to decide for themselves whether a given product is going to fit their needs and style. It is bound to make everyone happier if more is known and people who won't be happy can do something else instead which makes them happy. That's why I visit CC for info on cruises.

Our cruise on Seaside is now just over 2 weeks away. We did a new ship on our first ever cruise and it was a great vacation. I'm really glad Cruise Critic decided to go ahead and let people leave all their thoughts on this ship, even if they were negative. I've been able to prepare and I think I'm good to go. We'll be joining friends on this cruise and overall it still looks like we'll have a good time.

I'll be sure to post up a detailed review. We've got the streamer package so hopefully as we go along.

Happy cruisin! :)

Yes. You said it well.

I posted elsewhere that the only reason I have not canceled yet is no have not decided how to address it with my travel agent' date=' who is also a friend, and who has put a lot of effort into this booking.

 

I have learned that I should not book with a new line, and possibly with a new ship. My family depends to heavily on customer service and attention to detail when it comes to food allergies for me not to stick with a product that has been trialed and tested.

 

 

 

 

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Hi V. Do not worry about your friend. After 30 years in sales I can assure you that salespeople /advisors want happy clients. My mantra was "some you win, some you lose".

 

If you feel the need to give some token of recognition, take some chocolates or send flowers. The gesture will mean more than a financial gesture ever could. Then make sure that you book your next holiday with them.

 

That will show them you appreciate their efforts on your behalf.

 

Jim

Hi V. Do not worry about your friend. After 30 years in sales I can assure you that salespeople /advisors want happy clients. My mantra was "some you win, some you lose".

 

If you feel the need to give some token of recognition, take some chocolates or send flowers. The gesture will mean more than a financial gesture ever could. Then make sure that you book your next holiday with them.

 

That will show them you appreciate their efforts on your behalf.

 

Jim

Oh Wow. Sending flowers is an excellent idea. I may still do something monetary (or gift card) along those lines, but you are absolutely correct about it being more-than-money.

Thanks! I was just going off the rather slim information I'd gleaned from a person on the ship over New Years. They said their waiter and assistant in the dining room said they were Thai. My own experience said SE Asia mainly Indonesia and the Philippines which was why I said SE Asian languages.

 

I know a lot of folks here and elsewhere get down on people for being negative or for canceling due to the negatives reported. My view is a bit different. By knowing more information about the product beforehand a person is obviously going to be better able to prepare or cancel according to their own beliefs. People need to be able to decide for themselves whether a given product is going to fit their needs and style. It is bound to make everyone happier if more is known and people who won't be happy can do something else instead which makes them happy. That's why I visit CC for info on cruises.

 

Our cruise on Seaside is now just over 2 weeks away. We did a new ship on our first ever cruise and it was a great vacation. I'm really glad Cruise Critic decided to go ahead and let people leave all their thoughts on this ship, even if they were negative. I've been able to prepare and I think I'm good to go. We'll be joining friends on this cruise and overall it still looks like we'll have a good time.

 

I'll be sure to post up a detailed review. We've got the streamer package so hopefully as we go along.

 

Happy cruisin! :)

You said that so well. Thank you.

Honestly, if it were not for our dependence on customer service for our food allergy issues I wouldn't be withdrawing. Everything else seems tolerable given we got such a great rate. But having spent a day in Canada's Wonderland this summer, armed to the teeth having done all my homework and STILL hitting wall after wall after wall with no food options and over an hour in customer service (had prepaid meals) and just feeling frustrated being "trapped" for one day at the park, there is no way DH and I can step foot on the ship without a much higher degree of confidence that we will have a successful and enjoyable week.

I hope you have a blast and I can't wait to see your reports when you come back. Don't spend so much time updating us during the fun, however!

I'm going to be spending my time planning a road trip to California from Western NY for our summer vacation. We will take twice the time we'd have gone for the cruise + vacation and even get to check "Take Kids to Disneyland," "Go to Graceland," and "Visit the Grand Canyon" off the wish list. ;)

We are a group of 10 sailing on MSC Seaside on April 28. I have been reading comments here on cruise critic and other sites about experiences on early cruises of this ship. Overall they tend to be negative. We will be on approximately the 15th or 16th sailing of this ship. I hope by then they have worked out all the kinks. Our group is not too critical. We do expect a clean ship, good service and good food (not gourmet, just tasty). So I will be following all future reviews closely. Thanks for all your comments.