MSC Seaside First Impressions

[h0twired]

They had a house red, white and rose wine (Only one choice of each) and the beer was Heineken Draft. My wife did manage to get a Riesling a couple of times.

 

We had 4 choices for house wine.

 

- Cabernet

- Merlot

- White Zinfandel

- Chardonnay

[Jimbo59]

We had 4 choices for house wine.

 

- Cabernet

- Merlot

- White Zinfandel

- Chardonnay

Also Pinot Grigio

[h0twired]

Also Pinot Grigio

 

Good to know. We aren't white wine drinkers, but the free lunch/dinner drinks was a nice unexpected upgrade for us.

[bostonfred]

When we were on board the draught beer was Heineken and Heineken Light. Was fine with me. Beer snobs might turn their noses up at it, but for me the best beer is free beer.

 

The house wine was La Terre. We had the merlot and the cabernet the first night and stuck with the cabernet the rest of the week. It was a decent drinking house wine. Between the five adults drinking wine at the table we would usually have about 3 bottles per meal.

Thanks, love draft beer, but hate Heineken, table wine is fine with me..😎

[h0twired]

Thanks, love draft beer, but hate Heineken, table wine is fine with me..😎

 

Oddly enough. I don't like Heineken either (in bottles or cans). However perhaps because it was on tap or maybe they get it from somewhere other than the US/Canada, it actually was pretty drinkable. Its free. Give it a go.

[Jimbo59]

More Impressions - Six Days In

 

As I said in my first post, the ship is beautiful. There are lots of open outside decks (unlike Royal and the new Princess ships which are inward oriented).

 

There are many bars, lounges, and entertainment venues. The production shows are excellent. Food is generally very good to excellent. There are always vegetarian and vegan options on the main dining room menus.

 

Service id good to excellent.

 

Our standard balcony cabin is roomy, although storage space is somewhat lacking.

 

The perks are great - free drinks at lunch and dinner (with the mealtime drinks promotion).

 

Pools are great (6.5 foot depth, so people don’t just stand in the pool, but use them for swimming).

 

So from my point of view, what is the main drawback of this ship?

 

Too many people. The ship,is best on port days when many people have gone ashore.

[h0twired]

Pools are great (6.5 foot depth, so people don’t just stand in the pool, but use them for swimming).

 

I think this should be emphasized.

 

When you have standing depth pools (3-4 feet deep) where people stand around in them chatting while holding a drink... it is not uncommon for some to use them as toilets as well.

[mafig]

Also agree about liking deep (swimming) pools.:D

[toxicfairy]

Good to here your enjoying your cruise .

 

jcollin In the UK they are offering Classic drinks package with Fantastica experience . So unless you got a deal with drinks included you wont have free wine ):

Thank you so much . I love the cooked tomatoes and cream of wheat. This is perfect

 

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[Jimbo59]

How to Improve MSC Seaside

Don’t allow self-serve in the buffet. At present, with everyone touching the serving utensils, there is much potential for spread of disease.

Provide more choices in the buffet. The only “ethnic” choice was Mexican on this cruise. Add Asian, etc.

Add TV channels for English speakers. Provide free movies on the TV. Movies cost $8.00 on this cruise.

Improve the tender process for disembarking the ship. It took well over three hours to disembark passengers at Grand Cayman.

Add some storage space in standard cabins. Our balcony cabin had limited storage space; there is room in the cabin to add an additional storage unit.

[kba1988]

How to Improve MSC Seaside

 

Don’t allow self-serve in the buffet. At present, with everyone touching the serving utensils, there is much potential for spread of disease.

Provide more choices in the buffet. The only “ethnic” choice was Mexican on this cruise. Add Asian, etc.

Add TV channels for English speakers. Provide free movies on the TV. Movies cost $8.00 on this cruise.

Improve the tender process for disembarking the ship. It took well over three hours to disembark passengers at Grand Cayman.

Add some storage space in standard cabins. Our balcony cabin had limited storage space; there is room in the cabin to add an additional storage unit.

 

Over 3 hours !?!? :o:o Did something go seriously wrong? That can't possibly be the norm?? By the time you get off, you'll have to turn around and get back on the ship... Wow. that is not good news.:confused:

[viperlou]

:)g

Good news we on the APRIL 7 SAILING

We’re currently on Seaside (February 10-17cruise).

 

Internet is a great bargin compared to other cruise lines ($45 for the week) for basic web and email. Usage is measured in MB used, not minutes used.

 

Food is comparable to other mainstream cruise lines (Princess, Royal, Celebrity, etc.) Service at dinner last night was excellent. Service at breakfast today was slow.

 

Fantastica Experience includes wine, etc. Quality is very good.

 

Ship is beautiful, lots of chrome, mirrors, etc.

 

I would describe the ship as high energy. Lots of activities, music, DJ’s for dancing. Also classical music, opera, musical shows. Most shows are 30-40 minutes.

 

I’ll post more at end of cruise.

[viperlou]

Good News ....we're sailing on April 7th ...Let's hope things keep improving

[sidari]

Don’t allow self-serve in the buffet. At present, with everyone touching the serving utensils, there is much potential for spread of disease.

Jimbo ... Can you point me to any article where there has been an outbreak of Noro on MSC ?

[lcpagejr]

Don’t allow self-serve in the buffet. At present, with everyone touching the serving utensils, there is much potential for spread of disease.

Well....This practice is on all the lines I have cruised on. Exceptions are when Meat is being carved and when hot dishes are double (behind each other) and you need assistance to get to the platter. This will never happen....More staff needed and the lines would really grow!! Buffet is a buffet...Same issues/exposure sea or on land LOL

[Beamafar]

Jimbo ... Can you point me to any article where there has been an outbreak of Noro on MSC ?

 

A regular complaint on here is that MSC crew don't insist on you using the hand sanitisers, yet I've never heard of a Norovirus outbreak on an MSC ship. Funny how it's prevalent on cruise lines that do make a fuss about the use of the sanitisers, with crew standing at the entrance to the buffet, physically dispensing it to passengers. :confused:

[mom2tcdx2]

Personally I hate the hand sanitizers, I always clean my hands before leaving my cabin, going to dinner/meals, etc. People are so utterly paranoid. Really wish they realized it is the use of the sanitizers that are killing their immune systems. It is funny as those I know who are the most paranoid are the sickest, while those who aren't are rarely sick.

[sidari]

Bea ... Maybe they should issue white gloves to everyone. ...:')

 

Mom2 ... Well said.

[h0twired]

Bea ... Maybe they should issue white gloves to everyone..

 

Why not one of these for everyone.

 

[rorotynette]

Personally I hate the hand sanitizers, I always clean my hands before leaving my cabin, going to dinner/meals, etc. People are so utterly paranoid. Really wish they realized it is the use of the sanitizers that are killing their immune systems. It is funny as those I know who are the most paranoid are the sickest, while those who aren't are rarely sick.

 

Hi mom 2, when you leave your cabin with clean hands, go to the elevator and touch a button, it can be infected... People sneezes in their hand, scratch something...

I like the sanitizers a lot, carry it with me. And I never been sick.

On the ship we are a little village, so ban the Noro virus!;)

[sidari]

Hot ... You have clearly never been inside one of those wearing Breathing apparatus weighing 50lbs ... :o

[Jimbo59]

Don’t allow self-serve in the buffet. At present, with everyone touching the serving utensils, there is much potential for spread of disease.

Well....This practice is on all the lines I have cruised on. Exceptions are when Meat is being carved and when hot dishes are double (behind each other) and you need assistance to get to the platter. This will never happen....More staff needed and the lines would really grow!! Buffet is a buffet...Same issues/exposure sea or on land LOL

 

There was no self-serve on Holland America Konigsdam two weeks ago.

[rojoand8]

Hand sanitizers don’t kill viruses unless they have bleach in them.

 

 

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[lcpagejr]

There was no self-serve on Holland America Konigsdam two weeks ago.

 

I'm pretty certain thats more of the exception than norm..... Check out RCL, NCL, Princess and Carnival and of course MSC. Can't speak for Celebrity....Haven't been on that line. Don't get me wrong, there have been times where I have been served in the buffet lines but its very irregular and it wasn't for every offering.

Edited February 17, 2018 by lcpagejr

[SNJCruisers]

We have the Fantastica “mealtime drinks package” that includes wine, soda, cocktails, etc. at lunch and dinner. We also received 12 drink coupons each.

For those that have the mealtime drinks package, cocktails are NOT included. There are house wines consisting of white, red and rose, draft beer and fountain soda.