Loved the Seaside

[parallax]

Just got off the Seaside yesterday and had a great time. We sailed in the YC and it was the best yet. Loved how the YC was set up and the service was great. The food was fabulous. The chocolate bar was tremendous and the pizza continues to be the best at sea.

 

I have seen some of the reviews and it appears that I did not realize that I had been on the Carnival Splendor. Maybe I was just enjoying my vacation too much to let the small things bother me too much.

 

Are there bugs that need to be worked out? Yes. Arriving and departing, especially the latter, was not fun. Trying to get a taxi back to the airport was not a fun experience as there was no one directing traffic to allow taxis to pull into passenger pickup. My sense is that the maximum capacity of passengers should be decreased by a 300-400. While walking around the ship, I never felt that it was overcapacity, but a reduction in the number of passengers would ensure more efficient service. It will take a while for the staff to become comfortable and thereby more efficient. I was talking to one of the head bartenders and he indicated that he has been tasked with training/transitioning crew on multiple new builds and the first month is always the most difficult and then things begin to slowly progress. He said the worst experience he had was on RCCL new build.

 

On the sanitary issue, I saw the ship being constantly cleaned. The carpet is still shedding and it does create the appearance that it is dirty but I did not find this to be the case. I do not understand the need to have people shoving hand sanitizer in my face. I do something novel by washing my hands before I eat. I have never used the had sanitizer and will continue to use the more novel approach of washing my hands with soapy water.

 

My daughter did the Kids Club and she loved it. She brought home several Lego sets from tickets she redeemed (obtained doing activities in the Club).

 

The spa was very nice and quite beautiful. The prices seems to be much lower than some other lines we have been on. The massage I had was excellent.

 

The casino was fun. The dealers were the most pleasant that I have met on the cruise ship. I just wish the blackjack gods were a little kinder.

 

Finally, there were a ton of European passengers on the NY cruise. I think some of our fellow North American passengers did not like this reality. We heard some snide comments. We enjoy diversity while others prefer sameness. If you want everything to be standard like other cruise lines as to the approach in food, service and passenger profile, you should avoid MSC.

[Jaco5NC]

So happy to read that you enjoyed your experience overall. We sound much like you and do not let little things bother us especially while on vacation. We are very much looking forward to our sailing this summer!

[mreic082]

Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I’m especially happy to hear that the kids club was great, my kids (5 & 8) are really looking forward to it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tallnthensome]

On the sanitary issue, I saw the ship being constantly cleaned. The carpet is still shedding and it does create the appearance that it is dirty but I did not find this to be the case. I do not understand the need to have people shoving hand sanitizer in my face. I do something novel by washing my hands before I eat. I have never used the had sanitizer and will continue to use the more novel approach of washing my hands with soapy water.

Glad you enjoyed the Seaside and it's nice to read one of the more positive reviews so far before our cruise. On another note, I'm glad they shove hand sanitizer in peoples' faces. So many people don't wash or sanitize their hands at all even after using the bathroom or anything else. These people then make their way to the buffet to spread their germs ......

[NotATaylor]

Thanks so much for this review! We are sailing in the YC in June. If you’re willing to answer a couple of questions, I’m interested in learning more about a few things:

 

- How formal were people dressed in the YC dining room? My parents are sailing with us and they are not dressy people. They’re wondering if the need to purchase clothes for the cruise.

 

- Did you try the kids club pickup from the YC dining room? We will be sailing with our 4yo and he does well at restaurants but I’ve heard the dining is slower (more European style) so it would be nice if he could escape to the kids club after 45-60 minutes.

 

-I’ve heard the number of overseas passengers mentioned in a couple of other reviews, as well as language barriers with crew members. Do you have any idea where most overseas passengers were from and/or what languages(s) the crew members were more fluent in? My husband is excited about the prospect of possibly being able to speak his native language on board.

 

Thanks!

[plucasana]

Thank you for your review. I am glad you enjoyed your experience.

 

I would love to hear more about the chocolate :-)

[toxicfairy]

Happy to read a good review. On the sanitizer note. While it does kill some germs it DOES NOT kill the one that causes norovirus aka the stomach bug. Look it up on the CDC site. It gives people a fake sense of safety and they think it is the same as washing hands....nope it's not even close.

 

Sent from my SM-J700T1 using Forums mobile app

[mafig]

Thank you for your review.

I enjoyed reading it.

 

I have a question about having children in the YC.

I know your daughter was with you.

Did you find a need to leave the YC to keep her entertained?

Were there many other children in the YC?

 

We were in the YC on Divina and there were very few children on board with us. The atmosphere was very quiet.

I think kids would have been bored.

[parallax]

Thanks so much for this review! We are sailing in the YC in June. If you’re willing to answer a couple of questions, I’m interested in learning more about a few things:

 

- How formal were people dressed in the YC dining room? My parents are sailing with us and they are not dressy people. They’re wondering if the need to purchase clothes for the cruise.

 

- Did you try the kids club pickup from the YC dining room? We will be sailing with our 4yo and he does well at restaurants but I’ve heard the dining is slower (more European style) so it would be nice if he could escape to the kids club after 45-60 minutes.

 

-I’ve heard the number of overseas passengers mentioned in a couple of other reviews, as well as language barriers with crew members. Do you have any idea where most overseas passengers were from and/or what languages(s) the crew members were more fluent in? My husband is excited about the prospect of possibly being able to speak his native language on board.

 

Thanks!

 

1. It was a little more formal due to NY than other YC sailings and I wore a suit for the gala night. For the other dressy night, I just wore a dress shirt and dress pants. On the Divina, I have been more casual.

 

2. Our child was 10 and we allowed her to walk herself over to the Kids Club. It is a very short walk from deck 18 of the YC.

 

3. Most of the passengers were from Italy and Germany. I did not have a hard time understand the staff. It is amazing how they can each speak several different languages. The predominant languages spoken were Spanish, Italian, English and German.

[parallax]

Thank you for your review.

I enjoyed reading it.

 

I have a question about having children in the YC.

I know your daughter was with you.

Did you find a need to leave the YC to keep her entertained?

Were there many other children in the YC?

 

We were in the YC on Divina and there were very few children on board with us. The atmosphere was very quiet.

I think kids would have been bored.

 

Our daughter made friends very quickly in the YC. I'm sure there were more children there due to the time of season. She did spend a decent amount of time in the Kids Club but enjoyed the YC pool. The staff treated the kids wonderfully.

[thegraminator]

Great review ! Love your positivity !

[cruzkitty]

Finally-A POSITIVE Review!! Thank you for posting. We are sailing on Seaside in September.

[mafig]

Did you still get a newspaper of your choice delivered each day?

[js]

Thank you for your review. I sail next month in YC.

 

Can you elaborate a little more in what I have been reading that your credit card has to be added at a kiosik once onboard. Can they take care of this for you in the YC?

 

Did the YC press you to make firm dining times once onboard for each evening or did you just arrive when you felt you wanted to eat your dinners?

 

Was there a place onboard (card rom perhaps) that had board games such as Scrabble?

 

Was there Quest?

 

What was tour favorite thing about the YC? We are new to MSC and seasoned cruisers and sail Haven on NCL, concierge on DCL and balconies on RCCL and CCL and hoping YC compares to Haven.

 

Im okay if we dont see our butler daily but would still expect the same service. I will leave a note the first day since my biggest request will be pressed coffee each evening so I can put in fridge and have iced coffee in the mornings after the gym.

 

Speaking of the gym, did you use? If so can you please elaborate.

 

Thanks so much and welcome back to reality lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[helen haywood]

Thank you so much for the positive review! I agree, previous postings did sound like Carnival at its worst... We sail in September and I'm hoping the ship and crew will have worked out the bugs by then.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BellaAnna]

Ditto on the positive review!!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

The chocolate bar that you mentioned above, is that the Venchi Chocolate Bar? And is that included with YC?

 

Also, were all drinks (except those marked with a *) from all bars on the ship included with YC?

 

Other reviews mentioned butler service to be lacking due to a 1:26 ratio. Some reported not meeting their butler until Day 3. What was your experience with this?

 

Thanks again!

[js]

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

 

 

The chocolate bar that you mentioned above, is that the Venchi Chocolate Bar? And is that included with YC?

 

 

 

Also, were all drinks (except those marked with a *) from all bars on the ship included with YC?

 

 

 

Other reviews mentioned butler service to be lacking due to a 1:26 ratio. Some reported not meeting their butler until Day 3. What was your experience with this?

 

 

 

Thanks again!

 

 

 

Hi. Im interested in the YC drinks too since I thouht it was all drinks througout the ship with the exception of two asteriks, not one.

 

How many people at full capacity does the YC hold? Just trying to figure out how many butlers are onbord since this seems to be a common thread complaint as well as staffing throughout the ship. I can say that with the comments and sailing in just about 5 weeks that I am happy we will be in the YC until some kinks get worked out. I dont have Dinina to compare it to but I do have the Haven.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[lcpagejr]

Thank you so much for the positive review! I agree, previous postings did sound like Carnival at its worst... We sail in September and I'm hoping the ship and crew will have worked out the bugs by then.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I think you should include more cruiselines in your Carnival comment. It amazes me how Carnival is bashed. Have you cruised on Carnival other than a 3 or 4 day cruise?? You might be surprised

[cruzeluver]

Thank you for your thoughtful review. Loved it!

 

We board Seaside in just under two weeks and expect to have a wonderful time. The more European vibe and greater mix of nationalities is one of the things we are most looking forward to experiencing.

[Cruising...our happy place]

Thanks for the great review. Can’t wait to sail on it late Spring. MSC has had lots of computer glitches. And some of our friends have had poor customer service with their black card status match. Hopefully it will all improve!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Lovetocruise2002]

Hi. Im interested in the YC drinks too since I thouht it was all drinks througout the ship with the exception of two asteriks, not one.

 

How many people at full capacity does the YC hold? Just trying to figure out how many butlers are onbord since this seems to be a common thread complaint as well as staffing throughout the ship. I can say that with the comments and sailing in just about 5 weeks that I am happy we will be in the YC until some kinks get worked out. I dont have Dinina to compare it to but I do have the Haven.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Oops. Maybe it was two asterisks. I really just wanted to verify that we have drinks across the ship included because when we booked in March 2017 it was complimentary drinks in YC areas only.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[parallax]

Did you still get a newspaper of your choice delivered each day?

Yes, there is a form you fill out. The form lists the numerous newspapers available. The form will be on the desk.

[parallax]

Thank you for your review. I sail next month in YC.

 

Can you elaborate a little more in what I have been reading that your credit card has to be added at a kiosik once onboard. Can they take care of this for you in the YC?

 

Did the YC press you to make firm dining times once onboard for each evening or did you just arrive when you felt you wanted to eat your dinners?

 

Was there a place onboard (card rom perhaps) that had board games such as Scrabble?

 

Was there Quest?

 

What was tour favorite thing about the YC? We are new to MSC and seasoned cruisers and sail Haven on NCL, concierge on DCL and balconies on RCCL and CCL and hoping YC compares to Haven.

 

Im okay if we dont see our butler daily but would still expect the same service. I will leave a note the first day since my biggest request will be pressed coffee each evening so I can put in fridge and have iced coffee in the mornings after the gym.

 

Speaking of the gym, did you use? If so can you please elaborate.

 

Thanks so much and welcome back to reality lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

1. There is a kiosk right next to the concierge desk in the YC. It was very simple to do.

 

2. We did not make dining times nor were we asked to.

 

3. TheYC lounge has several nice tables that would allow you to play games.

 

4. We love spending time at the lounge and the pool. The service is amazing, the ambiance is nice and the crew and people who sail are very interesting. The food is amazing but we love Italian food. It is also important to note that they had nightly music. A violinist performed and trio with a singer performed on a daily basis. It added to the ambiance.

 

5. Don't know what A quest is.

 

6. I'm sure your butler would assist you with your request.

 

7. Did not use the gym. Took the week off from working out

[Lovetocruise2002]

1.

 

 

 

5. Don't know what A quest is.

 

 

 

It's a late night game show. Pretty sure it's exclusive to RCL. [emoji4]

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums