NCL GETAWAY or MSC SEASIDE

[sarasotacruising]

A loyal Celebrity Cruiser but Christmas/New Year we look to other cruise lines. Have a dilemma as have booked both NSC Seaside New Year Sailing and NCL Getaway New Year Sailing. Taking my daughter for her sweet 16 so treating 3 of her friends as well. We have booked for us spa stateroom so get access to spa area and we will get there early to hopefully book Vibe cabana for the week (mini suite preferable but spa mini suite under pool deck so noise issues) and a regular balcony for the kids. First cruise on NCL was christmas on Epic - hated layout but booked last minute (48 hours before) and we enjoyed. Knew food was going to be issue in MDR so booked 5 night speciality dinner and food was great. This time booked drinks package and dinner and paid to increase to 7 night speciality dinner. My daughters enjoyed NCL so we booked. Then saw video of new MSC ship Seaside which looks amazing. So booked two aurea suites with larger balconies and we get drinks package plus massage and access to adult only sunbathing deck and spa area. On both cruises got $1000 OBC via our agent plus free gratuities on NCL cruise. Pricewise the NCL a bit more expensive but we have to pay for gratuities on MSC but don't have to pay for adult area on MSC. Then we don't know prices yet for speciality dining but the prices will be very similar except we will be on brand new ship with MSC in suites with large balconies. Issue is that MSC from reviews of Divina traditionally has lot of non english speaking guests and crew - not an issue for us but for my kids (one who will be 18 when we cruise so first time no teen club) and food seemed to be issue but speciality dining will solve that. What makes it harder is no reviews of course for Seaside as inaugural cruise not until Dec 1. Anyone know about % of english speaking on MSC out of Miami over the holiday period in past? Assuming that as this new ship that they will base in Miami they will address complaints of previous ship re service and food otherwise they may have problems competing with such a large ship.

[SuiteTraveler]

I've been on Divina and I'd say non-English speaking was about 25% to 30%. All guest area employees speak English at least as a second language - we had no problem with language at all. The shows, btw, were out of this world great with Broadway caliber performers - a different show every night and all of the shows great! There was also an afternoon opera show that was outstanding - they really had an amazing soprano featured in that show. Do you get access to the dining room for Yacht Club guests? If so, you won't need a specialty restaurant ever. But if not, yes, try the specialty restaurants.

 

Honestly, the food - well, we ate in the Yacht Club's restaurant and it was outstanding Neopolitan food - the BEST - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than any other ship we've been on including Celebrity! We also had the pizza which was made by a Neapolitan pizza maker - the REAL DEAL! Not the garbage pizza most cruise lines serve. The Yacht Club had 4 different courses of snacks they set out all day every day and they were GREAT! I never made it to the buffet and we didn't bother with specialty restaurants because MSC offers food from the specialties in the Yacht Club restaurant, too. All of it was great!