Anxious about Seaside Reviews

[mrsbees]

We had to cancel our original booking on Seaside due to illness (the inaugural sail from Miami), we rebooked for March 17, however, since reading reviews to date I’m very concerned. We haven’t sailed MSC before and are Celebrity loyalists, but fancied a change. A travel agent friend just heard of our plans and advised that we cancel if at all possible due to poor service and food on MSC. I’m heartbroken, we’ve been through a lot in the past year and were so looking forward to an enjoyable cruise on Seaside, almost 90% of what I read says is negative. I’m trying to see the positives, but now that a travel agent friend tells me to stay away from MSC I’m in panic mode. We are booked Aurea class.

 

Interested to hear what other cruisers are feeling, especially those who’ve experienced Celebrity and Seaside.

[riclop]

Form your own opinion !!!!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hi Mrsbees,

Please tell us what category cabin/experience you have booked on Seaside. This will give us a good idea of how to respond to your question.

 

Thanks

[tjlj]

you already have my choice dinning... so that takes care of most of the negative things on the board the past 2 weeks.. if you want the same celebrity, then stick with celebrity.. if you really want something different, then msc might be for you... are u uptight and really picky?... we went on the Divina.. loved it.. have been on 3 times... coming from 13 carnival cruises we wanted something different.. and msc is it... I love that I don't understand everybody talking around me... we were on the first out of Miami and booked another... but we kinda go with the flow... we are happy just to be on a ship...

[mrsbees]

Hi Mrsbees,

Please tell us what category cabin/experience you have booked on Seaside. This will give us a good idea of how to respond to your question.

 

Thanks

 

Aurea,

[mrsbees]

you already have my choice dinning... so that takes care of most of the negative things on the board the past 2 weeks.. if you want the same celebrity, then stick with celebrity.. if you really want something different, then msc might be for you... are u uptight and really picky?... we went on the Davina.. loved it.. have been on 3 times... coming from 13 carnival cruises we wanted something different.. and msc is it... I love that I don't understand everybody talking around me... we were on the first out of Miami and booked another... but we kinda go with the flow... we are happy just to be on a ship...

 

No we’re not uptight, we’ve sailed Princess, Holland, and Celebrity, open to a good time and find it most places we go, connect with the crew and are willing to pay extra to enjoy a god meal and tipple.

[H3one6B]

I totally agree with the last post......we are in it for the ship!! We tend to make the best of any situation because it's vacation...we don't stress over little things.....Divina had terrible reviews when we went but loved the ship.....I honestly feel that anything new needs kinks worked out and it might be rough now but should get better with time!!! I think TA hate MSC because they have so many communication issues and website problem......go enjoy, don't let the things that don't go perfect bother you

 

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[mrsbees]

you already have my choice dinning... so that takes care of most of the negative things on the board the past 2 weeks.. if you want the same celebrity, then stick with celebrity.. if you really want something different, then msc might be for you... are u uptight and really picky?... we went on the Davina.. loved it.. have been on 3 times... coming from 13 carnival cruises we wanted something different.. and msc is it... I love that I don't understand everybody talking around me... we were on the first out of Miami and booked another... but we kinda go with the flow... we are happy just to be on a ship...

 

No we’re not uptight, we’ve sailed Princess, Holland, and Celebrity, open to a good time and find it most places we go, connect with the crew and are willing to pay extra to enjoy a good meal and tipple.

[nil6000]

We have sailed 14 with carnival. We wanted to try something different and went on the davina. We had a great time good food beautiful ship. Have the seaside booked for December

 

 

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[mrsbees]

Thank you, I need this affirmation, we are absolutely open to new experiences and find it wherever we go, deep breath and bring on the sunshine, sequins, and Seaside.

[JayceeP]

There are other reviews that are also positive, and usually have more meat to them. Negative reviews are always hard to perceive because it's all subjective. How the context of the complaint/issue is conveyed to readers on the forum can vary substantially. I am not discrediting negative reviews, I am just saying be mindful of how you consider them.

[nil6000]

Msc is different than us cruises. We had people complaining on the davina that they didn't have burgers and fries. In my world fresh mozzarella and pasta beat burgers any day. It definitely has a European vibe.

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

Virtually all new ships have growing pains. Getting things right on the ship (leaking faucets, high tech features, etc.) takes time. The crew may be experienced from other ships but it also takes time for them to become a team. Asking a crew member for directions is a simple question to answer on most cruises but may be difficult on Seaside (for now).

 

Those sailing now are either early adapters or guinea pigs depending on your point of view. Anything that isn't perfect will be mentioned by them. In spite of all of the minor problems, most people conclude that Seaside will be a great ship if it isn't already.

 

If people are cancelling because of a few (easily fixed) issues, MSC is more likely to address those issues. I sail in 5 months. If the problems aren't corrected/improved by then, THAT would be a time to panic.

 

I've sailed on relatively new/renovated ships before but other than Carnival Destiny/Sunshine, I've never sailed when things were "brand new". I let things settle down before forming my own opinion. I suggest doing the same with Seaside.

 

BTW, I'm not a cheerleader for any line. I've never even sailed MSC. I would post the same for any line/new ship.

[Tapi]

If you read reviews of many brand new ships on various cruise lines, you’ll notice that reviews initially tend to skew towards the negative. After the ship has been in service for a few months, reviews become more positive. There are two reasons for that:

 

1) Usually, passengers sailing on the first few sailings tend to be loyalists for the specific cruise line as well as many experienced cruisers and travel professionals, all of who can be much more critical of a new ship than the average passenger. They may take offense at things that are “not quite” like on other ships in the fleet. Things that may be small issues or go completely unnoticed by some passengers may be big issues or be blown out of proportion by the type of passenger who are traditionally drawn to inaugural season sailings. I still remember when the Celebrity Solstice was inaugurated and the “outrage” over the placement of the toilet paper holder in cabin bathrooms [emoji23].

 

2) When a ship is brand new, undoubtedly there will be a period when things need to be tweaked and when things will just not run as smooth as usual. All crew members are getting used to a brand new ship so it may be a few months before they get the hang of things.

 

I HIGHLY recommend that you take all reviews, including your TA’s comments, with a grain of salt. Only you will know if the MSC Seaside will be for you, and the only way to find out is by sailing on her. Sometimes TA give opinions based on what they prefer or what they think a client may like, but ultimately the final opinion will be yours.

 

We tried MSC in 2016 for the first time, and while the cruise didn’t rank as one of our best, the experience was still a great one! We really enjoyed sailing aboard the Divina, partly because it was NOT like other cruise lines.

 

The experience was good enough to make us book another MSC cruise, this time aboard the brand new MSC Meraviglia in the Mediterranean. We have also booked an Aurea Duplex Suite and we are beyond thrilled about it. Can’t wait!

 

 

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[mrsbees]

Msc is different than us cruises. We had people complaining on the davina that they didn't have burgers and fries. In my world fresh mozzarella and pasta beat burgers any day. It definitely has a European vibe.

 

 

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Amen, we are Brits in the US and miss that Euro vibe!

[BestNC Cruiser]

My big red flag for negative cruise reviews is when posters use absolutes for everything. "This was always bad" and "they never were helpful" or "every dish was cold". When I see those types of reviews, I really pay them no mind.

[voyager89]

I’m also kinda nervous about the negative reviews. We are sailing with them for the first time in 2.5 weeks. However not to the point of considering cancelling, even if we still could lol. We are not picky, needy or uptight. I just don’t really love the fact that there are a lot of for fee things, some which have been free on other cruises. But we are also in for the experience and thats what madre us give them a try. We will take the European ambience/ vibe over the American one any day. No offense.

[BestNC Cruiser]

Hearing you say that you are not picky, needy, or uptight tells me that you will be just fine. New cruise ships have issues. You will be on a vacation cruise in the Caribbean. It is what you make it. If you are the type of person that lets little things take you over and have them bubble up into every thing else, then you should avoid new and different. Those types of people should know by now what they like and should stick to it.

[TravelinGert]

We had to cancel our original booking on Seaside due to illness (the inaugural sail from Miami), we rebooked for March 17, however, since reading reviews to date I’m very concerned. We haven’t sailed MSC before and are Celebrity loyalists, but fancied a change. A travel agent friend just heard of our plans and advised that we cancel if at all possible due to poor service and food on MSC. I’m heartbroken, we’ve been through a lot in the past year and were so looking forward to an enjoyable cruise on Seaside, almost 90% of what I read says is negative. I’m trying to see the positives, but now that a travel agent friend tells me to stay away from MSC I’m in panic mode. We are booked Aurea class.

 

Interested to hear what other cruisers are feeling, especially those who’ve experienced Celebrity and Seaside.

 

I did the infamous first sailing of Royal's Quantum of the Seas. None of the technology worked and the ship hit a storm in the middle of the night in the middle of the Atlantic. I am not exaggerating when I say we were walking on the walls in the long hallways during the storm. Luckily we really didn't experience much sea sickness, but many including many seasoned cruisers who'd never had seasickness did.

 

Some of it wasn't actually that bad. We all got a lot of free drinks simply because crew had no way to charge for them. Some of our nightly entertainment was getting a drink at one of the human-run bars and going over to see what new flaky mess up the robot bartender would display that night. It never managed to make even one drink correctly our entire cruise.

 

If it was something crew did like cleaning, cooking, and serving, it was fine. We were exceedingly happy with all the crew. Check in was a nightmare for many. Some toilets backed up. People were thrown from their beds in the upper decks when the storm hit and many were injured though thankfully mostly minor bruises and sprained wrists. Pictures and reservations made prior to the cruise disappeared, as did the card we registered online prior to the cruise for payment of shipboard charges. And then reappeared / disappeared periodically throughout the cruise. We even had to make a detour past the Azores to let off a critically ill passenger. I feel like that family had the worst of it.

 

It was our first cruise. Seaside will be our fifth cruise.

 

I do think with the right attitude and a bit of advance awareness whatever doesn't get fixed just by dint of the crew getting settled in will be workable. It doesn't mean I'm not concerned by all the negative reviews. It just means I am doing what I can to be better prepared. I have also read some encouraging reviews and it does seem like things are getting better as the crew settles in.

 

This may not be how other people view it, and I don't blame them at all. If you feel your vacation would be ruined if a couple of dishes in the MDR don't arrive at their best and they run out of the only wine you like from the bar list, it is probably best if you cancel and go with ships you have experienced where these things have already been resolved. I believe everyone should spend their money and even more valuable vacation time on what seems best to them. Hope this helps.

[Iluvthenclpearl]

I’ve been on 31 cruises and was skeptical about trying MSC. Loved the Divina so much we went a second time and we are booked on the Seaside in June. I’ve never sailed on a maiden voyage, but did sail on the Celebrity Equinox inaugural from Fort Lauderdale. Lots of issues had to be worked out. But we didn’t let that ruin our experience and it was our first time on Celebrity.

Another Cruise Critic member posted a very detailed review. It’s an excellent read and should hopefully put you at ease.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2582190

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I’ve been on 31 cruises and was skeptical about trying MSC. Loved the Divina so much we went a second time and we are booked on the Seaside in June. I’ve never sailed on a maiden voyage, but did sail on the Celebrity Equinox inaugural from Fort Lauderdale. Lots of issues had to be worked out. But we didn’t let that ruin our experience and it was our first time on Celebrity.

Another Cruise Critic member posted a very detailed review. It’s an excellent read and should hopefully put you at ease.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2582190

 

DEFINITELY read the Seaside review by Seaweeyin in the url above. The review is one of the best I have ever read...honest and detailed. Seaside is a work in progress and will improve as the weeks pass.

 

Mrsbees, your Aurea experience will be very nice. You will be able to, as you say, tipple in style. Be prepared for an activity level that is far more intensive than X. Relax and enjoy.

Please let us know how you made out on Seaside.

[perakcruiser]

We had to cancel our original booking on Seaside due to illness (the inaugural sail from Miami), we rebooked for March 17, however, since reading reviews to date I’m very concerned. We haven’t sailed MSC before and are Celebrity loyalists, but fancied a change. A travel agent friend just heard of our plans and advised that we cancel if at all possible due to poor service and food on MSC. I’m heartbroken, we’ve been through a lot in the past year and were so looking forward to an enjoyable cruise on Seaside, almost 90% of what I read says is negative. I’m trying to see the positives, but now that a travel agent friend tells me to stay away from MSC I’m in panic mode. We are booked Aurea class.

 

Interested to hear what other cruisers are feeling, especially those who’ve experienced Celebrity and Seaside.

 

This is a topic I can give some good input I hope. Because Celebrity is the only non-european Company we are cruising.

 

OK, when we first booked the Celebrity Silhouette we actually had exactly the same feeling. We wanted to try something different, but we did not know if a non-european cruise company can do the things in the way we expected. I did not know this forum in 2011 (maybe it not existed at this time) and the very few reviews in the cruise forums "at home" were not very positive. Actually most said they should not be allowed to do business in Europe.

 

Let´s make it short, it was different, but it was a great cruise and we came again. The market also was very different at this time, now as we know MSC also adopted the different classes of passenger scheme. But let´s skip this. It was the inaugural cruise of the Silhouette by the way, meanwhile I know the privilege of being one of the first passengers on a brand new ship sounds great, but there will be issues. This is a thing I am not so keen anymore with any boat.

 

You definitely will have a great cruise like you did before with Celebrity, but food is different. Not so much in quality, but in style. I wish Celebrity could also do such great pasta dishes like MSC, not mentioning the best pizza on the seas. They cannot. I wish MSC would do a perfect Egg Benedict in the morning like Celebrity and even with variety. They cannot.

 

Simple conclusion, if you insist on a perfect Egg Benedict in the morning and a lot of steaks and US style food in the Main Dining Room as a vital part of a cruise, then don´t go MSC. Or go with the attitude that for this cruise food is not the most important thing. Or just go to the steak house every day, the price difference between MSC and Celebrity is so big, you still don´t make a loss ;)

 

I you love Italy and Italian food it is impossible to not have a great cruise. But we still switch between MSC, Celebrity and TUI Cruises, to enjoy the best of three totally different worlds, US, Italy and Germany.

 

If you want to read a review that gives a balanced opinion about the seaside, don´t read the ones from people who travel first time to Mexico and say "Oh my god, this was a totally different country, did not expect this and hated it", but this one:

 

Review of MSC Seaside 12/23/17-1/6/18, SuperfamilyPlus, Menu, Dailies, Food Pr0n,Etc.

[chefchick]

I get it, no one wants to hear bad reviews before embarking on something new...but ask yourself, is this the only vacation i’ll take this year? (I’m not suggesting anyone should throw away money, but I, for example know that if my January 20 Seaside cruise isn’t what I expected, I have another scheduled on a different line in a few months so it will be an easier pill to swallow). When people suggest to just “go with it”, they may not take into consideration that for some, this is a once in a lifetime cruise, or something they have saved many months for and won’t have the time or money to justify the experiment. IF, that is your situation AND you can make other arrangements, then maybe you should, BUT, remember if you never venture into new territories, you’ll never find what might have been.

 

Whatever you decide, go into it with an open mind..if you are looking for faults you will find them. Until then, Bon Voyage!

[cruzeluver]

I give very little credence to reviews, positive or negative. People are far more apt to speak up regarding a bad experience vs. a great one. And some of the complaints or what people feel they must know in advance just kills me. When Anthem of The Seas launched the initial reviews were terrible in the main. If I listened to reviews I would never have set foot on a cruise ship. Specific to Seaside, I do not want it turned into just another American-style cruise experience a la Royal Caribbean or Carnival.

[deliver42]

I haven't seen too many good reviews on ANY new ship for the first couple of months. It takes that long for the crews to totally get their acts together. There are always glitches on a new ship.