The MSC Seaside 'difference'?

[ann9et]

You are right Sidari. I have no knowledge of Seaside. Just putting in an opinion of MSC as others have done.

 

 

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[BermudaBound2014]

 

Divina since we came over on the very first TA sailing has never had an issue with filling the berths available nor will Seaside at the prices offered by MSC. There are plenty who want to see them fail but that is not going to happen, certainly not with a very large commercial fleet of ships behind them.

 

I see this entirely differently. I believe MSC has ALWAYS had an issue filling berths in the US (whether Orchestra or Divina) hence they offer deepest last minute discounts in the industry. Appears Seaside is falling to the same fate.

 

The primary way MSC fills births out of Florida is to drastically cut pricing. Sailing for $399 for a 7 day balcony is the going rate in off season on Divina. I suspect Seaside will price similar this fall. When I sailed at Easter in 2016 the price for a Divina Aft balcony was approximately 40% less than the nearest (Carnival) and broaching 50-60% on some of the more established US lines.

 

Let us not forget that I was able to sail for $869 (including all taxes) in the Yacht Club in June of 2016 (I did post photos of that price as no one on here believed me at the time lol). Right now, 14 days on the Seaside is pricing less than 7 days on Harmony for Easter week in 2018.

 

I want MSC to succeed. As a budget line they offer a great value. However; if they wish to compeating head on with the likes of RCL, NCL, Princess, HAL, etc... they must change up their game.

 

Basic Supply and Demand at work.

[lcpagejr]

Its obvious I am being piled on by MSC enthusiasts.... That is fine. But I will make 1 prediction. MSC will be a 1 hit wonder with the "majority" of the N American market. Yes...Out of curiousity. people will try them. But the majority will say "been there done that" to a future cruise on this line. Too many better and more consistent product offerings with the other lines.

[tallnthensome]

Its obvious I am being piled on by MSC enthusiasts.... That is fine. But I will make 1 prediction. MSC will be a 1 hit wonder with the "majority" of the N American market. Yes...Out of curiousity. people will try them. But the majority will say "been there done that" to a future cruise on this line. Too many better and more consistent product offerings with the other lines.

Probably true ........ I'm probably that person. I'll know after April 7th. I already have my 2019 and 2020 cruises booked and their not on MSC.

[Tapi]

Can someone clarify for me what these differences are?

 

We sailed on the Divina in the Caribbean. The differences that we noticed:

 

- Less Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet and more international music. I always remember boarding the ship while listening to Eros Ramazotti . Music played on deck was more Euro-techno than Margaritaville, also expect acts like Italian opera singers in the atrium.

 

- Americans seemed to be the minority while European cruisers were the majority. Expect many different languages and cultures. Important announcements are also made in 6-7 different languages. People do tend to take dress codes more seriously, specially at night.

 

-People seem more at ease with nudity. We saw several kids in the pool deck naked, being changed from their wet swimwear in front of all other passengers. Also, at the thermal suite, there were more passengers who were less concerned about covering up, even in front of people from the opposite sex.

 

- Dinner does take longer, with longer breaks between courses. There were extended periods of time when the waitstaff was nowhere to be found. Sometimes getting a water refill was a bit challenging. We even started bringing our own bottles of water to the main dining room and refilling our glasses ourselves.

 

- Overall, Ship staff was courteous, but more aloof and detached. They were there to assist us if we approached them, but they would not initiate the interaction.

 

- Main theater entertainment is less verbal. Great shows but they don’t rely on dialogue as much as on American cruise lines. We didn’t see any comedians which would make sense on a ship that caters heavily to an international, multi-lingual clientele.

 

- The Kids club also caters to a broad clientele. My kids met many kids from other counties and they said that many times they played with other kids that didn’t speak English, yet that didn’t stop them from making new friends and having a great time. Activities like language and cooking lessons were a fresh and welcome change from the usual technology heavy activities more commonly found on other cruise line’s kids clubs.

 

- Food is heavy on Italian dishes, at least at the buffet. Different varieties of pasta and pizza, as well as traditional antipasto with various cured meats and cheeses like prosciutto, mozzarella and provolone.

 

- There are some things to consider when setting up your onboard account. You set it up by using self serve kiosks onboard. Keep in mind that (at least when we cruised), charges to our onboard account were processed in France, so we incurred an international transaction surcharge on our credit card. Next time we will use a credit card which doesn’t incur this type of fee.

 

Some of the differences between MSC and American cruise lines are subtle while other are more pronounced. Whether any of these are cause for dissatisfaction is truly a personal thing. For us, none were enough to complain, but we did hear several fellow cruisers who were not happy. We shared a van in St Maarten with another family, and all they talked about was how much MSC sucked and how they’d be going back to Carnival for their next cruise.

 

We are now booked on our next MSC cruise, this time aboard the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean. Looking forward to what their product is like in their home turf.

 

 

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Edited January 28, 2018 by Tapi

[Tapi]

But I will make 1 prediction. MSC will be a 1 hit wonder with the "majority" of the N American market. Yes...Out of curiousity. people will try them. But the majority will say "been there done that" to a future cruise on this line.

 

 

I’m not an MSC enthusiast, but our 1st MSC experience on the Divina was good enough for us to choose them again for our next cruise. Yes, there will be some people who will only sail on them once, but based on what I’ve read so far, there are also a lot of people who will and have become repeat cruisers and who will embrace what differentiates MSC from American cruise lines.

 

Keep in mind that MSC caters heavily to cruisers from other countries, so they don’t really need that many American converts to fill one ship out of Miami.

 

 

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[suzyed]

And to me' date=' ALDI is a delightful break from large grocery stores. I've

 

"I just think people are using the excuse "you must not be ready for European experience" to downplay any concerns people have.[/quote']

I agree and further, is comes off sounding condescending and bit snooty to me. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean your are unsophisticated or unexperienced.

[suzyed]

I have not been on the Seaside yet, but have sailed the Divina twice. Other than intros and announcements being given in numerous languages, and entertainment being mostly singing and dancing, we did not notice any real big differences. Yes, more people dressed for dinner, but we did not feel out of place with our normal cruisewear. We enjoyed the food, portions were fine for us, and you can order multiple of items if you wish.

 

I don't think it being called European should scare you. I believe the problems being reported are more a new cruise ship issue for the most part. We will be on the Seaside in April.

Agree! We will be on Seaside in 2 weeks.

[suzyed]

I was on the MSC Divina a couple of years ago. The first difference I noticed was that most people did not speak American. I enjoyed the multiculturalism. It seemed mostly Italian. The shows are like different chapters of the same book. They have a set group of singers and dancers and stage artists and musicians. They perform every night with a different theme. I particularly liked French night with the witch costumes and noses. The ship was very beautiful and decorated stunningly; but I would have preferred working hand sanitizer machines and for that poor worker with the flu or something worse to have been tucked away in bed instead of working the buffet. I got really sick the day after returning home. On the upside, they send staffers on every ship excursion. They serve crunchies in the piano bar with your drink. The casino is non-smoking. And the pizza and gelato are so incredible that the quality rivals high end restaurants. The Infinity pool would have been great if the weather had been warmer.

 

 

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I'm with you!

The Casino is non-smoking? I have heard many different stories on that.

[suzyed]

If you don't want to attend their formal nights, go to another restaurant.

 

 

Your comment is based on no knowledge of Seaside it would appear, there are no other restaurants other than the pay ones, the only other place you can go is to the Deck 18 small buffet.

Well those would be "another restaurant", no?

[suzyed]

i don’t want to be their friends either' date=' but the last thing i want with food allergies is a laid back server with whom i have a language barrier. Food allergies is exactly why we cruise the caribbean instead of visiting islands for land based trips. I want to see these lovely places, but know we can get back on the ship and eat safely.

 

I just want people to stop suggesting that those who cancel have cultural issues or are uncouth americans who need to slurp down their chicken nuggets in 15 minutes or less. This is more related to new-ship issues for some of us.

 

 

<><[/quote']

yes!!

[suzyed]

Its obvious I am being piled on by MSC enthusiasts.... That is fine. But I will make 1 prediction. MSC will be a 1 hit wonder with the "majority" of the N American market. Yes...Out of curiousity. people will try them. But the majority will say "been there done that" to a future cruise on this line. Too many better and more consistent product offerings with the other lines.

Most of the people I know who I have talked to about MSC, never even heard of it. How long has Divina been in the US and Floridians never heard of it?!

[perakcruiser]

You have to 'rent' a shopping cart, bring your own bags, and there is zero customer service besides the cashier. Very different than my local grocery stores where they have baggers, people that actually take your groceries to your car, as well as people walking around cleaning the stores during the day. Delis, fresh baked goods, and family meals are common in all but the discount stores around here, Aldi has none of those things.

This is a good example about the difference Europe - US. You might know that Walmart tried to break in the German market a couple of years before. They did it by leaving everything the way they do at home. It ended in a disaster, a heavy loss and they ran away from Germany very fast again.

 

One example, there was a person at the cashier to put the shopping things in a shopping bag after paying. The German customers usually shout "Don´t touch my things, after paying they belong to me only". The idea of somebody carrying the groceries to your car if you are not disabled sounds more than embarrassing. Well, in many European countries still a car with automatic gearing is considered something for very old or disabled people, always when friends from Europe visit me in Malaysia they make jokes about me driving with automatic gearing :cool:

 

If you think that a room steward on MSC has much more cabins to take care compared to US lines, well this is because many cabins will have the DND sign always out. I am used to let him clean the cabin one time a day in the morning, but not again in the evening. But when I cruise with my parents the first thing my mum lets me do is telling the steward that he is not allowed to enter her cabin before she checks out :D

[sidari]

Suzyed ... The other restaurants are not free is what I was getting at and so not an open choice of just going to another dining room.

 

MSC have sailed out of FLL since at least 2008.

 

The simple answer for people is if you don't like MSC then sail elsewhere.

[DCGuy64]

This is a good example about the difference Europe - US. You might know that Walmart tried to break in the German market a couple of years before. They did it by leaving everything the way they do at home. It ended in a disaster, a heavy loss and they ran away from Germany very fast again.

 

 

 

One example, there was a person at the cashier to put the shopping things in a shopping bag after paying. The German customers usually shout "Don´t touch my things, after paying they belong to me only". The idea of somebody carrying the groceries to your car if you are not disabled sounds more than embarrassing. Well, in many European countries still a car with automatic gearing is considered something for very old or disabled people, always when friends from Europe visit me in Malaysia they make jokes about me driving with automatic gearing :cool:

 

 

 

If you think that a room steward on MSC has much more cabins to take care compared to US lines, well this is because many cabins will have the DND sign always out. I am used to let him clean the cabin one time a day in the morning, but not again in the evening. But when I cruise with my parents the first thing my mum lets me do is telling the steward that he is not allowed to enter her cabin before she checks out :D

 

 

 

Speaking of Germany, that reminds me of an expression they have there: andere Länder, andere Sitten. That translates roughly as “other countries, other customs.” We usually say in English “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[DAJedu]

We sailed on the Divina in the Caribbean. The differences that we noticed:

 

- Less Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet and more international music. I always remember boarding the ship while listening to Eros Ramazotti . Music played on deck was more Euro-techno than Margaritaville, also expect acts like Italian opera singers in the atrium.

 

- Americans seemed to be the minority while European cruisers were the majority. Expect many different languages and cultures. Important announcements are also made in 6-7 different languages. People do tend to take dress codes more seriously, specially at night.

 

-People seem more at ease with nudity. We saw several kids in the pool deck naked, being changed from their wet swimwear in front of all other passengers. Also, at the thermal suite, there were more passengers who were less concerned about covering up, even in front of people from the opposite sex.

 

- Dinner does take longer, with longer breaks between courses. There were extended periods of time when the waitstaff was nowhere to be found. Sometimes getting a water refill was a bit challenging. We even started bringing our own bottles of water to the main dining room and refilling our glasses ourselves.

 

- Overall, Ship staff was courteous, but more aloof and detached. They were there to assist us if we approached them, but they would not initiate the interaction.

 

- Main theater entertainment is less verbal. Great shows but they don’t rely on dialogue as much as on American cruise lines. We didn’t see any comedians which would make sense on a ship that caters heavily to an international, multi-lingual clientele.

 

- The Kids club also caters to a broad clientele. My kids met many kids from other counties and they said that many times they played with other kids that didn’t speak English, yet that didn’t stop them from making new friends and having a great time. Activities like language and cooking lessons were a fresh and welcome change from the usual technology heavy activities more commonly found on other cruise line’s kids clubs.

 

- Food is heavy on Italian dishes, at least at the buffet. Different varieties of pasta and pizza, as well as traditional antipasto with various cured meats and cheeses like prosciutto, mozzarella and provolone.

 

- There are some things to consider when setting up your onboard account. You set it up by using self serve kiosks onboard. Keep in mind that (at least when we cruised), charges to our onboard account were processed in France, so we incurred an international transaction surcharge on our credit card. Next time we will use a credit card which doesn’t incur this type of fee.

 

Some of the differences between MSC and American cruise lines are subtle while other are more pronounced. Whether any of these are cause for dissatisfaction is truly a personal thing. For us, none were enough to complain, but we did hear several fellow cruisers who were not happy. We shared a van in St Maarten with another family, and all they talked about was how much MSC sucked and how they’d be going back to Carnival for their next cruise.

 

We are now booked on our next MSC cruise, this time aboard the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean. Looking forward to what their product is like in their home turf.

 

 

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Thank you so much for this! This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

With the kids' club, I wonder if Seaside is sticking with the traditional formula or moving. I haven't heard anyone talk about language classes yet and Seaside showed things like gaming stations and 3D printers during tours. Will keep on the look out.

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you so much for this! This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

With the kids' club, I wonder if Seaside is sticking with the traditional formula or moving. I haven't heard anyone talk about language classes yet and Seaside showed things like gaming stations and 3D printers during tours. Will keep on the look out.

 

I was super excited for the language classes, as we typically spend a month somewhere overseas each summer. The language class consisted of being handed a sheet of paper with English words on one side and Italian words on the other. The host spoke the word, and the people (maybe 30 of us) repeated it. She went down the list three times and it was a wrap. I'm thinking 10 minutes tops. To call it a class is a bit of a stretch imo.

[suzyed]

Suzyed ... The other restaurants are not free is what I was getting at and so not an open choice of just going to another dining room.

 

MSC have sailed out of FLL since at least 2008.

 

The simple answer for people is if you don't like MSC then sail elsewhere.

Exactly!

[suzyed]

I was super excited for the language classes, as we typically spend a month somewhere overseas each summer. The language class consisted of being handed a sheet of paper with English words on one side and Italian words on the other. The host spoke the word, and the people (maybe 30 of us) repeated it. She went down the list three times and it was a wrap. I'm thinking 10 minutes tops. To call it a class is a bit of a stretch imo.

And isn't it only for the kids?

[DAJedu]

How can people know if they will like Seaside if they have no idea what to expect? I am simply asking a question to try to figure out if Seaside might be for me because they have advertised themselves in one way, but people are experiencing something different. I am trying to make the best decision for my family.

 

If it is a 'sail elsewhere' attitude, why are people being bashed and being told they have 'no critical thinking skills' when they say they are canceling?

 

I have honestly never seen such cognitive dissonance in my life. WOW!

[leos037]

Thoughts on MSC Seaside. (We sailed in B2 Fantastica 1/13/138 and booked SJ3 Aurea cabin for November )

Most Americans have certain expectations when booking a cruise. Food plays a big part in it. We are a gluttonous bunch and expect quality, lots of variety and quantity. Freedom loving, classless society, we hate an idea of being told when to eat and the idea that someone is using one restaurant while you have to eat at this one outrages many. One of the reason NCL and RCCL is a success is huge buffets and freedom in dining.

MCS claims that its trying adapt for an American market. IMHO it's failing to do so. In practice you have 1st class passengers in the yacht club. Business class passengers in Aurea cabins. Premium Economy class- Fantastica and Basic Economy in Bella. (credit to Billy Miller for apt analogy) Most people who book have no idea of these distinctions. Person in Bella will most likely assigned to eat dinner at buffet that is turned into restaurant for the night. You will not have to eat at high bar stools but atmosphere will be lacking for some. Bella passengers will also not get drink vouchers.

If you want a free diner and don't want to spend close to two hours in the main dining room, your only choice is small buffet on 16 or room service. If you are willing to pay your option open up a bit. For lots of cruisers used to myriad of choices of RCCL and the like the result is bewilderment and disappointment.

The Seaside is new ship. The staff is under-trained and over worked. We were lucky and out steward Sonny was great others report a different experience.

I will give them another chance in 8 monhts. Even last month we had a good time. Pizza and desserts were top nouch and my kids enjoyed kids club and refuse to cruise on a ship without water slides. I enjoyed the shows. The ship decor at times feels like glorified ikea - but lots of people like the modern look. I was not a fan of grey and purple marron color sceme. But that is highly subjective.

[BermudaBound2014]

And isn't it only for the kids?

 

Not in April of 2016. May have changed since then. When I booked, language classes was a perk of booking fantastica. I was really looking forward to getting a least a few words of Italian in my vocabulary since we were leaving for Venice a few months after the trip. I was slightly disappointed, as the advertisement lead me to believe it would actually be a class. Probably my error in expecting too much.

[Tapi]

With the kids' club, I wonder if Seaside is sticking with the traditional formula or moving. I haven't heard anyone talk about language classes yet and Seaside showed things like gaming stations and 3D printers during tours. Will keep on the look out.

 

 

I don’t know what the Seaside will be like, but the Divina’s kids club was small, and the most “high tech” thing that I saw there was a Nintendo gaming console hooked to a TV. Yet somehow, my kids absolutely loved what MSC had to offer. They even said that they liked MSC more than Disney or Royal Caribbean. The reasons were varied, but they liked the fact that on MSC, they get to participate in activities at different venues throughout the ship. They even had the kids talent show at the Main theater. They also got to eat in a special section of the buffet reserved for children. My kids enjoyed getting out of the club for dinner and having a wider selection of things to eat.

 

On out most recent cruise (aboard Disney Fantasy) the themed facilites were amazing and high tech, yet my kids hated the claustrophobic feel (no windows or natural sunlight) and being stuck in one place. They also hated eating there because they would serve them one thing (stale cheese sandwiches seemed to be common).

 

So long story short, you just never know what will actually make some kids tick. And you can read 1,000 reviews pointing at how great a certain cruise line’s kids club is, but what your kids will like may be something completely different.

 

 

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[lcpagejr]

How can people know if they will like Seaside if they have no idea what to expect? I am simply asking a question to try to figure out if Seaside might be for me because they have advertised themselves in one way, but people are experiencing something different. I am trying to make the best decision for my family.

 

If it is a 'sail elsewhere' attitude, why are people being bashed and being told they have 'no critical thinking skills' when they say they are canceling?

 

I have honestly never seen such cognitive dissonance in my life. WOW!

 

You hit the nail on the head..... The supporters sure get defensive....I agree with your line of thinking. I've been saying the same thing. Inconsistency and mis leading advertising. However the MSC cheerleaders don't seem to think this is an issue and I'm narrow minded and a MSC hater. All I want for my cruise experience is what they supposedly have been promoting. Thats OK...There are many more more professional and better cruise lines in the American market. Notice I am saying the "American" market...Not overseas where its a completely different cruise atmosphere

[asctony]

You hit the nail on the head..... The supporters sure get defensive....I agree with your line of thinking. I've been saying the same thing. Inconsistency and mis leading advertising. However the MSC cheerleaders don't seem to think this is an issue and I'm narrow minded and a MSC hater. All I want for my cruise experience is what they supposedly have been promoting. Thats OK...There are many more more professional and better cruise lines in the American market. Notice I am saying the "American" market...Not overseas where its a completely different cruise atmosphere

I believe you are talking about MSC since you are on this forum. If you were to go on to the other Cruise Line forums I know you would get the same responses such as Cheerleaders, overselling of how great or bad this and that was. Just look at every day life. Listen and watch TV. It is the same ole poooooooooo. I have learned over the years to try and overlook shortcomings. Enough said. Happy cruising on any cruise line you choose as it is your choice.