Anxious about Seaside Reviews

[mrsbees]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I agree, reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially those who aren't familiar with the concept of a paragraph break, I'm surprised we haven't had an ALL SCREAMING CAPS one yet!

 

I read Seaweeyin's reviews, now I'm excited, the food looks amazing.

 

We really do make the best of whatever a cruise throws at us. We sailed Holland America once, and although it really didn't prove to be our cup of tea, and the food, even in the upscale restaurants was not good, we made friends and enjoyed getting to know the staff. That's a big thing for us, treating the staff with respect and getting to know them better each day, we see so many people treat the bar and wait service like dirt. But it pays dividends to pull back the veil and get to know each of them.

 

I was just aghast when my TA friend sent me an email last night telling me to cancel at all costs, she was adamant that neither she or her associates would ever recommend MSC. I was really taken aback that she'd come at me with that tone, knowing we're invested in this cruise. It's our 6th, we try to do one a year and it's our big, and often, only vacation together a year. So, yes, we like to know that our experience will be better than the early reviews. Whatever we find, we'll surely make the best of it, if not, I'll just have another martini, please.

[sandpiper35]

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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Goes to show you how even different cruise dates even in the same ship can have different results. We had excellent burgers and French fries in all our three cruises in Divina, one of them the MIA-Bermuda itinerary. I remember commenting to my wife how good were the fries. Pasta was hit and miss, and excellent pizza. All these items in the buffet area.

 

Cheers.

[sandpiper35]

Hummm, so new ships always have bugs? Funny, I don't recall reading any bad reviews when a Disney ship debut's.

[cruzeluver]

Don't follow Disney cruise line so could not speak to them (don't they only have three ships total?), but we did follow the debut of the last couple of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships, and they had all kinds of initial issues with reviews just as bad as the ones we are seeing for Seaside. Anthem of The Seas in particular was roundly panned with lots of hyperbole and dramatic reviews making the ship sound like a floating death trap. Within a couple of months reviews improved quite a bit.

[Tapi]

I don't recall reading any bad reviews when a Disney ship debut's.

 

 

Just my opinion after sailing on Disney for the first time last November, the clientele on Disney is rabidly fanatic about the Disney product. Disney can’t do anything wrong in their eyes. But on the same token, Disney does try to go out of their way to make the experience as perfect as possible and to rectify quickly anything that goes wrong (and they better when they are charging 5 times more than what MSC charges for a similar cruise).

 

With that said, when we sailed on the Disney Fantasy, there were some glitches, some which Disney had no control over like a reroute and excursion cancelations due to weather, but there were others like out of order photo kiosks, the Aquaduck that kept getting shut down because the rafts kept getting stuck, in-cabin movies that kept freezing and had to be restarted, kids in the adult areas, a broken toilet in the cabin that required maintenance, and one at Palo who left a lot to be desired. Still, we had a fantastic time but I can see how someone would’ve written a really bad review based on the few negative things that we encountered.

 

 

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Edited January 10, 2018 by Tapi

[euromaster]

Here's the problem: there are currently 25 reviews of the Seaside as of now on CC. And everyone pans it. There is not a mixture of good and bad....just bad. That's a real cause for concern. We're booked for May and am really looking forward to cruising on Seaside....but unless MSC turns it around quickly..,.the temptation will be to cancel. It's not only the bad reviews....but also the content of the bad reviews. It's a sign of poor management to allow the initial cruises to be panned so badly. That shouldn't happen.

[mafig]

euromaster,

I understand where you're coming from.

We have Seaside booked for July and are reading the dreadful reviews also.

 

Cruise Critic seems to be publishing them very quickly, usually it takes a while for a review to get published here.

 

One thing to remember. Even though there are a lot of reviews, it's only for two (I think) cruises. If it's still bad after a month or so of cruises, then I wouldn't blame you one bit for cancelling.

[relaxatsea]

We are on Seaside right now. We have a balcony cabin, 12139, Fantastica Experience, black card members due to Status Match with RCCL D +. I had low expectations after reading the reviews, but our experience has been very positive. We attended a very nice CC party given by Capt. Scala which we appreciated.

 

Our cabin is beautiful with a good sized balcony, friendly and efficient cabin steward, Ali. MDR waiter, Abdool, also friendly and helpful. We have a great table for two in the Ipanema MDR with seating at 5:30 PM, a little early, but very doable. With Fantastica, we get free beer, wine, soda, and mineral water at lunch and dinner in buffet and MDR , so that Is a bonus!

 

Seaside is gorgeous inside and out, absolutely stunning!

 

We are enjoying Trivia with Sasha, who we met on the Divina. This is our fourth MSC cruise this year, we were previously on Divina three times and loved it. Previously, we usually cruised with RCCL or Celebrity, but we have been won over with MSCs Status Match and good prices.

 

The only cons we can find is that the storage in our cabin is minimal, really not enough, and that yes, there are some public toilets that don't flush, but fortunately, the one in our cabin does.

 

Overall, we are very happy with Seaside, and are having a wonderful cruise!

Edited January 10, 2018 by relaxatsea
Spelling

[Oppyguy]

Here's the problem: there are currently 25 reviews of the Seaside as of now on CC. And everyone pans it. There is not a mixture of good and bad....just bad. That's a real cause for concern. We're booked for May and am really looking forward to cruising on Seaside....but unless MSC turns it around quickly..,.the temptation will be to cancel. It's not only the bad reviews....but also the content of the bad reviews. It's a sign of poor management to allow the initial cruises to be panned so badly. That shouldn't happen.

 

Really? Management should prohibit bad reviews? So of the 10,000 people who have cruised in the first two weeks, you would seriously worry about the 0.25% who complain. Perhaps you have not read seweein's review.

I think considering the extensive photos she provides as actual evidence along with pages and pages of balanced commentary should carry FAR more weight that a paragraph which basically says it sucked, yet tells me nothing. Admiral and sidari have also posted lengthy reviews which while containing some negatives, conclude with the fact that they had a good time and that the were many positives to their experience.

 

Having cruised extensively on many lines (including MSC) I know two things. 1) Something will go wrong or not be to my liking sometime on just about every cruise. BUT I won't care, nor mention it to anyone as it is completely normal and unremarkable. 2) somebody on the same cruise will say it is awful, while I am loving it. How many times have I overheard people complaining, or worse yet raising their voices to staff, while I am happy as a clam. I have never been treated poorly by staff on any of my 24 cruises, and part of that is because I never treat them poorly, or complain about policies with which I disagree or food which I don't find as appetizing as I had hoped.

 

If the ship looks good to you in photos, the itinerary works for you, and the price is right for you, by all means go! And lastly, think positively! Pessimists and complainers generally get the experience they expect.

[sandpiper35]

Just my opinion after sailing on Disney for the first time last November, the clientele on Disney is rabidly fanatic about the Disney product. Disney can’t do anything wrong in their eyes. But on the same token, Disney does try to go out of their way to make the experience as perfect as possible and to rectify quickly anything that goes wrong (and they better when they are charging 5 times more than what MSC charges for a similar cruise).

 

With that said, when we sailed on the Disney Fantasy, there were some glitches, some which Disney had no control over like a reroute and excursion cancelations due to weather, but there were others like out of order photo kiosks, the Aquaduck that kept getting shut down because the rafts kept getting stuck, in-cabin movies that kept freezing and had to be restarted, kids in the adult areas, a broken toilet in the cabin that required maintenance, and one at Palo who left a lot to be desired. Still, we had a fantastic time but I can see how someone would’ve written a really bad review based on the few negative things that we encountered.

 

 

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And all this happened on the fantasy's debut?

[BestNC Cruiser]

Here's the problem: there are currently 25 reviews of the Seaside as of now on CC. And everyone pans it. There is not a mixture of good and bad....just bad. That's a real cause for concern. We're booked for May and am really looking forward to cruising on Seaside....but unless MSC turns it around quickly..,.the temptation will be to cancel. It's not only the bad reviews....but also the content of the bad reviews. It's a sign of poor management to allow the initial cruises to be panned so badly. That shouldn't happen.

 

 

I have read many positive reviews so far. On this board and others.

[mrsbees]

relaxatsea - glad to hear you're enjoying Seaside!

 

The CC reviews are really getting to me now, and, yes, they are definitely posting them fast, it usually takes 3 weeks for them to be published. Oh and please, don't rate a cruise ship based on the fact that you got sick. People in a crowd get sick. Use the Purell. Wash your hands often. You've got just as much chance of picking up the same bug on a train, plane, or McDonalds. It's just bad timing.

 

Oh and 26 reviews out of the 20k or so that have traveled on her so far, makes it hard to gauge. I wonder too if like doesn't fuel like, people seem to be lining up to poop on their experience and the ship as if it's some honor roll.

Edited January 10, 2018 by mrsbees

[Tapi]

And all this happened on the fantasy's debut?

 

 

No. Our sailing was a month and a half ago. The points that I was trying to make are that:

 

- Disney fans tend to be blinded by the Disney pixie dust which in turn means that they are more willing to overlook negatives and less likely to write bad reviews wether it’s an inaugural cruise or not.

 

- Disney does deliver a fantastic product. Their customer service is unparalleled and that makes up for their high satisfaction rating. You can’t take that away from them. But they are not perfect and they do have their share of glitches as we experienced.

 

 

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[Mpls35]

We are on Seaside right now. We have a balcony cabin, 12139, Fantastica Experience, black card members due to Status Match with RCCL D +. I had low expectations after reading the reviews, but our experience has been very positive. We attended a very nice CC party given by Capt. Scala which we appreciated.

 

Our cabin is beautiful with a good sized balcony, friendly and efficient cabin steward, Ali. MDR waiter, Abdool, also friendly and helpful. We have a great table for two in the Ipanema MDR with seating at 5:30 PM, a little early, but very doable. With Fantastica, we get free beer, wine, soda, and mineral water at lunch and dinner in buffet and MDR , so that Is a bonus!

 

Seaside is gorgeous inside and out, absolutely stunning!

 

We are enjoying Trivia with Sasha, who we met on the Divina. This is our fourth MSC cruise this year, we were previously on Divina three times and loved it. Previously, we usually cruised with RCCL or Celebrity, but we have been won over with MSCs Status Match and good prices.

 

The only cons we can find is that the storage in our cabin is minimal, really not enough, and that yes, there are some public toilets that don't flush, but fortunately, the one in our cabin does.

 

Overall, we are very happy with Seaside, and are having a wonderful cruise!

 

Do you mean you get free drinks with the 12 drink coupons, or from your status match? Regular Fantastica rooms do not get this perk, or do they?

 

Along these lines, I've heard about self-serve beer in the buffet- how does this work? Do you swipe your card?

[lifeasme123]

Do you mean you get free drinks with the 12 drink coupons, or from your status match? Regular Fantastica rooms do not get this perk, or do they?

 

Fantastica experience comes with 12 vouchers per person in the cabin. Alcoholic vouchers for adults and non for the children.

[cruzeluver]

Do you mean you get free drinks with the 12 drink coupons, or from your status match? Regular Fantastica rooms do not get this perk, or do they?

 

Along these lines, I've heard about self-serve beer in the buffet- how does this work? Do you swipe your card?

They must have booked under the same promo we did that included the "mealtime beverage package" which includes beer, wine, soda and mineral water at lunch and dinner in the main dining room or buffet. The perk is not automatic for all who booked Fantastica, you would have had to have booked under the promo.

[lifeasme123]

They must have booked under the same promo we did that included the "mealtime beverage package" which includes beer, wine, soda and mineral water at lunch and dinner in the main dining room or buffet. The perk is not automatic for all who booked Fantastica, you would have had to have booked under the promo.

 

Correct.

 

The 12-vouchers perk is automatic for fantastica experience. At least that is in my limited experience.

 

The restaurant drink perk is a promo at time of booking.

[Pinkycruiser1]

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.

 

I am glad to see someone else with the same idea. We are sailing on the same date Jan 27, 2018, and have never sailed before. Seeing all the negative comments has made me nervous for sure.

[euromaster]

Really? Management should prohibit bad reviews? So of the 10,000 people who have cruised in the first two weeks, you would seriously worry about the 0.25% who complain. Perhaps you have not read seweein's review.

I think considering the extensive photos she provides as actual evidence along with pages and pages of balanced commentary should carry FAR more weight that a paragraph which basically says it sucked, yet tells me nothing. Admiral and sidari have also posted lengthy reviews which while containing some negatives, conclude with the fact that they had a good time and that the were many positives to their experience.

 

Having cruised extensively on many lines (including MSC) I know two things. 1) Something will go wrong or not be to my liking sometime on just about every cruise. BUT I won't care, nor mention it to anyone as it is completely normal and unremarkable. 2) somebody on the same cruise will say it is awful, while I am loving it. How many times have I overheard people complaining, or worse yet raising their voices to staff, while I am happy as a clam. I have never been treated poorly by staff on any of my 24 cruises, and part of that is because I never treat them poorly, or complain about policies with which I disagree or food which I don't find as appetizing as I had hoped.

 

If the ship looks good to you in photos, the itinerary works for you, and the price is right for you, by all means go! And lastly, think positively! Pessimists and complainers generally get the experience they expect.

 

My statement was poorly worded. Sorry. Obviously MSC can't stop people from writing bad reviews....that's not what I meant. What I meant is when you roll out a ship, you better make sure that for the most part it's gonna' be a good cruise experience. Sure there are glitches in all maiden voyages...but what I'm reading doesn't sound like a glitch...but major mismanagement.

 

I'm rooting for MSC. I need a change from Celebrity where I'm elite and NCL where we've travelled Haven. I want to experience a grand experience in the Yacht Club. I've watched practically every youtube video since November on "sailing into the sun" and the Yacht Club looks fantastic....and I'm still very hopeful that MSC can straighten out the major glitches. But it doesn't speak well judging by the reviews I've read. And time is of the essence. There's a lot of competition in the cruise industry...and a lot of choices. MSC can't afford to roll out a deficient product.

 

It's tempered my excitement...to a certain degree. Sophia Loren. Fireworks....that great melodic tune on the MSC youtubes....the beautiful ship...,.I went to sleep dreaming of MSC. I just hope they straighten out the problems quickly. We can speculate all we want about glitches on maiden cruises....but we're not on the ship. The people that sailed on the maiden 2 cruises were....so I put a lot of credence in what they say.

 

The cruiser who just wrote in today and is on the current cruise with a very positive review is encouraging. Hopefully MSC has turned the corner. I'm not cancelling my cruise. I'm still excited about sailing in the Yacht Club with a Celebrity match....but my great excitement for Seaside.....has been tempered. And that disappoints me.

[TravelinGert]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I agree, reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially those who aren't familiar with the concept of a paragraph break, I'm surprised we haven't had an ALL SCREAMING CAPS one yet!

 

I read Seaweeyin's reviews, now I'm excited, the food looks amazing.

 

We really do make the best of whatever a cruise throws at us. We sailed Holland America once, and although it really didn't prove to be our cup of tea, and the food, even in the upscale restaurants was not good, we made friends and enjoyed getting to know the staff. That's a big thing for us, treating the staff with respect and getting to know them better each day, we see so many people treat the bar and wait service like dirt. But it pays dividends to pull back the veil and get to know each of them.

 

I was just aghast when my TA friend sent me an email last night telling me to cancel at all costs, she was adamant that neither she or her associates would ever recommend MSC. I was really taken aback that she'd come at me with that tone, knowing we're invested in this cruise. It's our 6th, we try to do one a year and it's our big, and often, only vacation together a year. So, yes, we like to know that our experience will be better than the early reviews. Whatever we find, we'll surely make the best of it, if not, I'll just have another martini, please.

 

Might be just me here but I can see how a TA would throw their hands up in frustration about now. MSC is making a lot of changes with the Seaside and as expected there have been a lot of growing pains because of it. Besides that MSC is still trying to master balancing European and American customer standards. I'm sure that's another thing that will resolve with experience.

 

When we booked the Quantum maiden voyage a lot of people kind of winced and very nicely told us we'd lost our minds. I think in the end it was probably better we'd never been on a cruise. We didn't have a lot of expectations. Probably we'll do another maiden at some point. Maybe even on one of the next MSC ships. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

Happy cruisin! :)

[dznymom]

............

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

 

mrsbees, I am on the same sailing and I have to admit that I also have concerns. Out of 40+ cruises on various lines I have only had one that was pretty crappy (and I still had a blast), so I am not hard to please. I am sailing with my sister rather than my husband or BFF, and I really want her to have a great time as she hasn't cruised in a number of years. To keep it affordable we booked Bella. I am annoyed that there is even the possibility of eating dinner in a section of the buffet, no matter how nice they try to make it. I really don't want to have to go to battle onboard to get acceptable dinner arrangements.

 

I take all reviews with a grain of salt, and certainly expected issues with the Seaside on these early cruises, but I can't discount everything that I am reading, especially things that are factual rather than emotional.

 

Luckily I got Status Matched to Black card, so that should help with some things & I booked through the casino so we get free drinks in there, so there are some bright spots for sure. It's going to be adventure, and lucky for me even if it sucks, I will have a great time because life is too short to be miserable.

[lifeasme123]

I booked through the casino so we get free drinks in there.

 

What does this mean?

[DCLSailing]

I have read many positive reviews so far. On this board and others.

 

 

 

I would echo that sentiment. Personally I avoided the CC discussion before my cruise on the Seaside but others in my party did not and were nervous about MSC in general as a result.

 

I’m a long time, Platinum Disney Cruiser and I had an absolutely delightful time aboard the Seaside! It really was a special trip and such a wonderful experience.

 

I also believe the trip can be what you make of it. Go in with an open mind and soak it up! I cannot wait to get back onboard. [emoji3]

[nushnakka]

We've been carnival cruisers and last year sailed on Divina and our family loved it so much we booked Seaside for this April. Understand its a new ship and kinks have to be worked out but I think its going to be great!

[voyager89]

Do you mean you get free drinks with the 12 drink coupons, or from your status match? Regular Fantastica rooms do not get this perk, or do they?

 

Along these lines, I've heard about self-serve beer in the buffet- how does this work? Do you swipe your card?

 

Regular fantastica cabins do get the 12 coupons, but depending on which site you use to book. I know myself the one in Mexico doesnt list them as a perk, same for the Australia site. The US does, and I´m thinking its probably the only one. Just like UK sailings that did not include water at all, only if you booked that UK cruise but through the US site, they would give you a water package for free.

 

I´ve yet to sail the Seaside but yes, there are sef serve beer stations, also for wine. I´ve seen them on videos, and there is a card swipe machine right next to each one. Will look for the link.

 

My statement was poorly worded. Sorry. Obviously MSC can't stop people from writing bad reviews....that's not what I meant. What I meant is when you roll out a ship, you better make sure that for the most part it's gonna' be a good cruise experience. Sure there are glitches in all maiden voyages...but what I'm reading doesn't sound like a glitch...but major mismanagement.

 

 

 

I did understand what you meant in your original post ;) and I feel exactly the same way.

 

 

I know everything can´t be perfect, but it looks like it is becoming a standard for passengers to ¨accept¨ that maiden / inaugural sailings will have problems. One thing is to have glitches and tweaks to fix that one can understand and deal with, and another one is to send a ship to its homeport half staffed, half trained, or getting work done still. I find it disrespectful for people who have paid money to travel on your ship to give them a less than good experience. Specially because, by reading some reviews, there was nothing to be done about those issues when brought to the staff´s attention, or even any hope to get them fixed for those passengers.