Seaside Review (Yacht Club) 3/24 - 3/31

[fish_guru]

Seaside Review 3/24/18 – 3/31/18

Let me start by saying we are a family of three (my wife,daughter (8) and myself). We typically cruise once a year during spring break.I have previously sailed on MSC, NCL, Princess and Carnival. We’re certainly not newbies but we definitely don’t have the ‘sea legs’ some of the other contributors on this site have. Our two most recent cruises were both on the MSC Divina. We enjoyed both of them and really wanted to check out the new ship(Seaside) despite the fact that our last cruise had the exact same itinerary. We have found that MSC is a great fit for us which is why we’re back.

We originally were booked in an Aurea balcony but upgraded to a Yacht Club balcony about 6 weeks prior to sailing for several reasons.

1. My mom and dad were on the transatlantic sailing of the Seaside in a balcony room and were not impressed. I felt that several of the issues they had would be alleviated or at least mitigated by a move to the YC.

2. My wife and I both earned promotions during the past year and this was a way to celebrate.

3. This is a spring break cruise. We are used to being on a full ship with lots of families/children. That said, having the semi-private areas provided by the YC would be a welcome change of pace.

4. Because I did a mock booking and noticed a YC balcony suddenly became available and we always wondered how the 1% lives. Well,the 1% are probably on their own actual yachts but you get the idea.

That said, my family and I do not consider ourselves YC people. I half joked to my wife, prior to cruising, that I was going to have the butler play the theme song to Sanford and Son every time we walked into the dining room. We do not live an extravagant lifestyle by any means and this would be our initial foray into the YC or any type of suite on a cruise ship. We are easy going people. We generally go with the flow and tend to make the best out of just about any situation.

Embarkation

Let’s just say that there is a very real and distinct difference between the shore side yacht club service and ship side with the ship side being vastly superior. We arrived at the port at about 10:30. I dropped off my wife and daughter with the luggage at the curb and went to park my truck. When I returned my family had migrated over to the YC tent with the help of a porter. There was already a line. The tent was up however nobody was there.The porter was the only one who seemed like he knew what he was doing. He said he would go find the YC personnel. He brought them back but they were very disorganized.The porter started checking in bags and basically doing the job of the YC personnel. MSC should seriously hire that porter and kick the shore side YC people to the curb. We finally got checked in and escorted up to the lounge which actually was set up. It seemed to take quite some time for them to check us in and give us our cards and bracelets given the amount (lack of) people in the lounge at this point. I’m quite confident that had we checked in like aregular guest we would have made it on the ship faster. Once we were met by aship side butler, everything went fast and efficiently. Also, I really needed to urinate while in the lounge and went to the other room to go however both bathrooms were closed for cleaning. Note to MSC, the bathrooms need to be cleaned prior to guests arriving. We were in the lounge for approximately 30 to 45 minutes and the bathrooms were closed the entire time.

The Ship

The ship, as has been reported, is gorgeous. I won’t go into too many details as it has been extensively covered in both words and pictures.I had fun finding all the chairs I had seen posted in e-rollers review and think I may a have found a few more. I had studied the deck layouts prior to sailing and found navigating the behemoth to be relatively easy. The only real trick was knowing that 16 is divided and you can’t walk from bow to stern on that one particular deck. It also helps if you remember that 7 is for games…the casino, bowling, arcade, billiards and the theater. The lounges and bars were scattered about the ship in such a way that it seemed to spread everyone out.Despite the ship being at capacity it never felt crowded. I found the service at the bars to be very good.

For myself and my daughter where the ship really stood out was the jungle pool and the kids water park area just aft of that which included the slides and zipline. I seriously must have gone up at least 100 flights of stairs with my daughter going on the slides. We had a blast. The Seaside has a pair of blue ‘racing slides’ that are side by side. It also has a brown slide that had so many sharp turns I was always dizzy when I got to the bottom (alcohol may have been a factor:D:D). There is also the slideboard. It’s just a slide that you sit on a small raft type contraption. It was actually pretty lame until the very end when you went down a steep decline and would shoot you across the water at the end. Several kids would get stuck in the slide board ride. It seemed like the lighter you were the more apt you were to get stuck. I never did.

 

The lines for the slides never seemed excessive. The slideboard ride always had the longest lines plus you had to wait at the bottom to get your raft and then hump it up the stairs to the top. It was funny watching these little kids hiking up the stairs with the slideboards on their backs. If a line was ever deemed too long by my daughter or I, we just went to another one that was shorter. Obviously sea days have longer lines.

The zipline was okay. It’s not really fast but does offer a unique view. Our cruise was windy almost the entire time. Like a steady 30 knots some days. So the zipline was rarely open. Luckily we got back early from an excursion and they had it open so my daughter and I both got to ride. It was okay. Not worth waiting in line for again. If there is a line for the zipline it moves slowly due to the harnessing, helmets, etc.

Also, you need bracelets (sign a waiver) for the slides.There are two different ones. One says slides only and the other says slides and zipline. Waterslides are free, zipline is extra unless you’re in YC as it was included. Make sure you get the correct band.

Food

I can only comment on the food in the YC as we only ate there. The food in the YC restaurant was pretty good. I wouldn’t call it fantastic but did feel it was a step up from the main restaurant on our last Divina cruise. Most meals/dishes were good with a few being excellent and there were a few duds as well. The ingredients were good but the execution, while not bad, could be improved. We did get lobster on Thursday night. It was advertised as a 7 ounce “cold water” tail. They were serving Caribbean Spiny Lobster. They were not cold water tails. I know this because I grew up and live in South Florida and have probably caught over a 1000 of these lobster personally. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still good seafood but, in my opinion, not as good as cold water tails. In addition, don’t tell me cold water tails and give me something else.

We had the same waiter (Irwin) for all our meals. He was excellent. Fantastic service. We rarely had to ask for a refill of anything…your wine glass was usually refilled prior to it being empty. He was also very accommodating with our 8 year old daughter who was ordering off the regular menu. He would help us make the right choice for her and would happily substitute or remove something in the dish we know she wouldn’t eat. He would also do the same for us. For example last night I ordered the mahi mahi however there also was surf and turf (filet and prawns). I just ate surf and turf (filet and lobster) the night before. I didn’t want beef again but did want the prawns so Irwin brought out a plate of prawns for the table when our dinner was served.

With the exception of lunch on the first day and breakfast on the last, we ate all our on board breakfasts/lunches at the YC grill. They do an amazing job there. The food is very good. The food was usually cooked when it was needed as opposed to being pre-cooked and sitting around until it was needed. During peak times this means you might have had to wait a few minutes for the crew to cook up fresh scrambled eggs to replace the tray that had been consumed but I’d much rather have that than a tray of dried up overcooked eggs made two hours ago but were ready immediately. They would also cook up eggs to order/omelets in the mornings. Breakfast usually consisted of an area where there were cheeses, cold cuts, smoked herring and salmon. An area for bread and pastries. Hot food like scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon,hash browns and home fries. Also cold cereal and oatmeal were also available. There was usually a carving station for lunch. In addition, some typical hot offerings would be grilled fish, lamb chops, chicken thighs, fries, broccoli, mashed potatoes, etc. As well as a small salad bar. In the late afternoon they would change over to hotdogs and hamburgers. They would also have fresh cut fruit in the morning and afternoon.My only complaint would be that if you weren’t sitting at the three or four tables right in front of the grill/bar or at the bar itself, drink service could be a little slow as there was no self-service drink options. It may be beneficial for them to add self service orange juice as well as cold and hot water, at least in the mornings. They could also use a toaster in the morning as well.

Incidentally, I think I had a mild case of food poisoning one night. I woke up feeling nauseous with stomach cramps. You know that feeling you get when you feel like your food is not digesting? Went to the bathroom and vomited followed by mild diarrhea. I was sitting on the bathroom floor thinking to myself that I hope it's food poisoning because if this is norwalk my cruise is over, which struck me as funny because when else are you ever going to think 'I hope this is food poisoning'? Thankfully, that was it. No more symptoms. I felt fine in the morning. I don't know for a fact if it was food poisoning and I had also had food off the ship prior in the day.

Oh, and before I forget, yes there were many kids on board in the YC. I am happy to report that for the most part all the kids were extremely well behaved. Thank you parents! I did ask Irwin about the screamers reported to be on board a prior sailing and he started laughing and confirmed that it was as terrible as has been reported here. I only remember seeing one baby(less than 2 y/o) and she never made a peep. In fact, it was really funny one evening because it was the birthday of someone sitting at the table with the baby. The wait staff came out with cake singing happy birthday but they were all whispering. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized the baby was fast asleep and they didn’t want to wake her.

As far as YC dress(code) is concerned, we saw it all. Our favorite however, was on elegant night one young man was wearing slacks,collared shirt, a blazer and wait for it…flip flops. Our other favorite was one guy that had on a t shirt with several rips/tears in it. What really made it funny was when he was wearing it again the next night. I did see several people wearing shorts in the dining room. I know it bothers some people but frankly I could care less what other people are wearing. As long as you’re not imposing on myself or the other guests, have at it. In the end, if you’re wearing something we feel is inappropriate, my wife and I are laughing at you and we’re having a better time because of it.

As far as Venchi…awesome. We knew going in, because of our experience on the Divina, that MSC has awesome gelato, chocolate, etc. and we took full advantage. I think we tried every flavor they had. We never had one that we said we would never get again. I think we stopped there almost every time we went by. In the words of my daughter, “any ship that has a chocolate store is a good one.”

I really wish MSC would up their game when it comes to craft beer selection. They actually have more now than they did a few years ago but it still leaves much to be desired. I don't always drink beer (man I sound like the Dos Equis guy) but when I do it's usually craft beer.

We never tried any of the specialty restaurants. I originally had booked the trio restaurant package but cancelled it after upgrading to the YC.

YC Common Areas

The YC common areas are great and really made the trip for us. As I stated previously, we’re used to sailing on full ships with lots of kids but it was really nice to have the extra space and tranquility that the YC provides. The Top Sail lounge was a great. The staff were just as good. Bar service could not have been faster. It was nice to be able to get snacks there in the afternoon or before a show. They also had afternoon tea everyday and my daughter loves a good tea party. The pool area was equally great. It would be nice if the pool was not so deep though. It would also be nice if they at least heated one of the hot tubs slightly hotter. There was shade available but it was dependent on ship position and time of day. I know that’s a big deal for some. I’m not the type to just sit around on a lounge chair all day so it was not a big deal for me.

Room

This was the first time we’ve had any type of suite so I can only compare it to the regular balcony cabins we’ve had in the past. To us, the room seemed big. It had plenty of storage however I did bring one of those folding drawer type things someone here had mentioned and it came in very handy. I also brought a pack (5) of those strongman magnets and they were great as well for hanging up wet suits on the balcony. I had planned to use some of the magnets to hang the folding storage I brought but we had enough room in one of the closets to hang it. The stateroom was well appointed. The TV seemed massive for the size of the room. The fold out bed my daughter slept on was the most comfortable fold out I’ve ever laid on. You know that bar that’s always poking you in the back? Couldn’t feel it. The bathroom was huge. This was the first time I’ve emptied the contents of my toiletry bag onto the sink/counter area and stored the bag instead of leaving everything in it and hanging it on the hook of the bathroom door.

A note on the shower…I like hot showers and this ship did not disappoint. The water gets HOT! Not only that but several times during the course of my showers a surge of scalding hot water came out of the shower head.Now because I was in a YC shower I simply stepped to the side and re-adjusted the temp however if you’re in the standard size shower you may not have that luxury. Also, be aware of the temp surges if you have kids with you.

Our room steward, Delfin, was great. The room was always made up, the towels were always replaced and the minibar, restocked. My family tends to be a bit messy so I always give the room steward a good tip when the service warrants it and Delfin did not disappoint.

Entertainment

First off, not that I’m a perfect gentleman by any means, but please let me post some theater etiquette. Try to get there on time. I get that you’re on vacation and you might be running late so if that’s the case have a plan. Crouch low, find seats and sit. Once you make everyone stand up and you get down the aisle it’s not the time to figure out you came in the wrong order and now have to play musical chairs so this person can sit next to that person,etc. Oh, and please acknowledge your friends on the other side of the theater so they stop relentlessly waving at you…I realize it’s been forever since you’ve seen each other…you only had dinner together 30 minutes ago. When the show starts…STFU! That’s it. Just stop talking. If you really want to sit and talk that bad, leave. Go to the lounge. Whew! Sorry, had to. Like I said earlier, as long as you’re not imposing on me or the other guests….

A quick note on the show reservations. I would guess that the theater has about 800 or so seats. There are about 5000 passengers. Half the ship is not seeing a show on any given night even if all of them want to.You guys know the deal. Three shows, 6:30, 8:00 and 9:15. We had planned on playing it day by day and reserving shows as the cruise went along. That worked for the first two days. After that the 8:00 was always booked. The next day the 8 and 9:15 were always booked. At that point, I just booked the 6:30 for the rest of the cruise which ended up being perfect for us as we normally like to eat at 7pm and the show usually let out at 7:10. My advice, pick a time and book all your shows on day 1.

My family went to every show. I personally have always enjoyed the entertainment on MSC ships. I enjoyed the shows on this trip. Some were better than others though.

On Saturday it was the Frank Forever show. They had three main singers for the cruise with two others having limited singing time. They all had wonderful voices however there was one who simply sang the Sinatra songs better and had a better feel for the music. Instead of switching singers every song they really should have let that one guy showcase that night and sing the entire show. Although they all had good voices my wife and I both thought the singers on the Divina were better.

Some of the shows were really bizarre and eccentric. In a good way. It’s kind of like there are many kinds of art, some of which is abstract.Some of the shows were like this as well. Lots of acrobatics and visual themes. Lots of dancing. I really like the fact that my daughter gets exposed to live entertainment and this cruise she seemed to really be into the shows much more so than any other cruise we’ve been on. I also liked the shorter shows on this cruise. My wife also had an interesting observation which is that MSC seems to rely heavily on acrobatics, dancing, costumes and visuals because of the international audience that may not know English.

Gym

Okay, I know it’s a sacrilege for some to work out on vacation but I actually enjoy it. Plus I’m an early riser and my wife is not which leaves me with an hour or two to kill every morning. Plus it makes me feel less guilty regarding the gluttony that takes place during the rest of the day.

The facility itself is nice however it seems like there is a lot of open space in there. I really wish they would just cram it full of equipment. I’m not thereto enjoy the ambiance. I’m there to work out. I got there at approximately 6:30am the first morning (it had only been open 30 minutes) and every cardio machine in the entire place was in use. I have back issues. I don’t pound away on my joints on the treadmill anymore and prefer to use an elliptical machine. They only had 6 in the gym, two of which were out of service which left 4. Perhaps have a few extra of each cardio machine in storage at the port and if one breaks, swap it out with the extra one and the broken one can get fixed as opposed to coming back to port and diagnosing said machine…order parts/ship leaves…fix when ship gets back to port…repeat.

The free weight selection was fairly limited (for Americans, remember 1 kg equals 2.2 lbs since we’re the only idiots that don’t use the metric system). The amount and selection of machines was also very limited. The crowds definitely thin out the longer the cruise goes on.

Ports

A quick review of what we did in port just to give people some ideas. We’ve done all these ports before so we were not looking to go back to the regular tourist traps. BTW, if you’ve never been to cruise critic's port section, it is a wealth of information.

Ocho Rios – Booked a private tour with Marvyn’s Tours. It was really well done. A temporary driver was waiting for us at the port and took us to Marvyn’s dispatch location where we met Marvyn and our driver. He took us to the Blue Hole and then to Scotchies for lunch (found Scotchies last cruise after our excursion got cancelled). If you like authentic jerk food Scotchies is a must. They cook/smoke the meat on top of fresh pimento logs. Phenomenal!

Grand Cayman – Public transportation in GC is cheap and safe. Found a hole-in-the-wall type restaurant in West Bay and took the bus($2.50 pp) there, ate lunch at Heritage Kitchen and took the bus back.

Cozumel – Booked a food tour with Cozumel Chef. One of the best excursions we’ve ever done. They take you to see the real Cozumel. You go and try different foods at some local restaurants…not like the ones near the port. Hole-in-the-wall type places where tourists don’t eat. Tried some great food and beverages. In addition, the tour went to a local outdoor Mexican market and finished with a tequila tasting.

Nassau – About a mile from the port (maybe less), near Arawak Cay,there is a place called Fish Fry. It’s a group of about 30 stalls, trailers,trucks and actual restaurants that sell Bahamian seafood dishes. About a 30 minute walk from the port. You walk past Junkanoo Beach on the way. Very good food.

Yes, all our excursions revolved around food. Sometimes I think it’s one of the best ways to learn about other cultures. Plus secretly I’d really love to be Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods).

Miscellaneous

The cruise critic meet and greet was nice. It just sucked that it was at 10am in the morning.

Captain Massa, as others have stated, is a constant presence around the ship and seems to genuinely care about people enjoying themselves. He even took the time to personally respond, in writing, to my daughter who submitted a question in the drop box for the captain.

My daughter only went to the kids club thing on the first sea day for a few hours. She said she liked it but we were always so busy doing other things that she never went back.

Never hit the casino. The older I get the more I realize it’s a tax for people who are bad at math. I’m kidding, just not my thing.

Overall

Had a great time. Would I sail MSC again? Without a doubt. I get that some don’t care for it and that’s okay. For us, it’s a great fit and the best bang for our buck right now.

The only reason I wouldn’t book the Seaside for next spring break is that it will be doing the exact same itinerary again the week my wife (teacher) and daughter have off. I’m tired of going to the same four ports. I wish they would vary the itinerary from year to year.

Yes, we loved the YC experience. It was truly awesome. We would definitely love to do to the YC again but would not have a problem going back to an Aurea balcony room either.

That’s all I got. As I sit here I’m staring at a towel my daughter left on the floor. Sadly, it will remain there until I cajole her into picking it up as the room steward did not come home with us. Just as sad, I have to figure out what to cook for dinner for the first time in a week.That is honestly the worst part of cruising, the slap of reality that hits you when you get home.

Edited March 31, 2018 by fish_guru
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[shukapaw]

Thanks for your report. Looking forward to a couple weeks in YC in about 2 months.

 

 

~Brian

[CTBob]

Great review, thanks. It mirrors my experience to a T with the exception of that we never had a problem booking the 8PM show and the people in the theater were better behaved. We also did the Cozumel food tour and it was a highlight of our cruise. Gerry was our guide and did an awesome job. The fish we had at Pescaderio was the best I have ever had. Nice to revisit our cruise through your eyes. Happy cruising in the future!

[Fredric22]

I believe the lobster tails on our sailing were South African tails. These are advertised as cold water and I think they technically are due to South Africa's location. I was expecting Maine Lobster but I do think there are cold water varieties other than Maine. I know for a fact on our sailing that they were not Caribbean.

[Clarea]

Fantastic, very detailed review, thanks!

[rose102798]

Really enjoyed your review. My husband and I will be sailing in the yacht club in October for our 20th Anniversary. You’ve made me really look forward to it now. Thanks.

 

 

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[kba1988]

Awesome review!

 

Here’s a question....does the Yacht Club lounge and bars ever close, or is it open all the time for YC guests??

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[fish_guru]

Great question. I really don't know. I just looked at one of the daily programs and it just says Top Sail Lounge from 6:30am. No closing time listed.

[riclop]

Thanks for the great detailed review.

[IMANITA]

Thanks for the great review. We sailed on the Divina 2X as well & are booked on the Seaside YC in Dec. So excited! I’ve been trying to find out if the gelato & chocolates are included for YC passengers on the Seaside, as is was on the Divina. Sounds like you tried it, so you’re probably the best person to ask.

[Keith1010]

Great review and report.

Keith

[fish_guru]

Gelato and drinks are included. Not sure about individual chocolates but they do have a drink, espresso and three pralines, so order that and tell them to hold the espresso if you don't want it.

[NoleFam20]

We sail in a couple weeks...thanks for a great review! My anxiety just ramped up another level...can't wait!

[mafig]

Wonderfully detailed review. Thank you!

 

Did you go to the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle?

Were you status matched, perhaps to Black? Did you go to that meeting?

 

And when we were on Divina they had a meet the officers party for the YC guests, did they have that on Seaside too?

 

 

One question. We usually have dinner about 6 pm. What time should we make our show reservations for? DH likes to go to the casino after dinner, but I suppose we could do the show then the casino. What do you think?

[fish_guru]

In case anyone was interested about the folding storage thing or the magnets I mentioned, here are the links to what I ordered.

 

The magnets are extremely strong. When hanging heavy things on the side of the wall they will slide (they will hold wet swimsuits easily without sliding) but when attached to the ceiling they will hold a substantial amount of weight. Cruise ship walls and ceilings are metal and these hooks were great.

 

The folding storage thing has hooks so it can be hung in the closet or hung on the magnetic hooks attached to the ceiling. It really adds a lot of storage and I know the standard rooms have been knocked for a lack of storage.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074H1JW3B/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L2TL60A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[fish_guru]

Wonderfully detailed review. Thank you!

 

Did you go to the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle?

Yes, but was at 10am. I think about 130 had signed up but maybe 50 to 60 showed. The captain and most of the officers were there. They also took a group photo and delivered it to the cabin for free.

 

Were you status matched, perhaps to Black? Did you go to that meeting?

We were not status matched as we don't have enough cruises on any particular line to make a difference.

 

 

And when we were on Divina they had a meet the officers party for the YC guests, did they have that on Seaside too?

I did not notice a meet the officers party for YC guests but it's possible I could have missed the announcement for it.

 

One question. We usually have dinner about 6 pm. What time should we make our show reservations for? DH likes to go to the casino after dinner, but I suppose we could do the show then the casino. What do you think?

I would book the 9:15 show. Have dinner at 6pm. You'll be done by 8 at the latest. Hit the casino for an hour after dinner. The theater is just forward of the casino on the same deck and you'll be at the theater for the 9:15 show.

Edited April 1, 2018 by fish_guru
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[mafig]

Thank you!:D

[BermudaBound2014]

Really nice review! Glad you enjoyed :)

[Cruisergal1208]

Thank you for a nice review. Glad you enjoyed Chef Emily’s foodie tour. We have done it three times and continue to recommend it. I agree the shoreside check in tent and personnel need lots of improvement. They are the first impression for the YC passengers.

[lcpagejr]

And when we were on Divina they had a meet the officers party for the YC guests, did they have that on Seaside too?

 

Yes they did...1st Sea Day in Top Sail Lounge the Captain and several officers greeted Yacht Club passengers at 11 am with cocktails and light snacks. Only Captain Massa spoke....But he and his staff walked around and greeted every passenger in attendance....We left and I came back in about an hour later and he and staff were still mingling with passengers in Top Sail.

[abe3]

Great review! Thanks for all the information. Were you in the YC deluxe suite? Also is everything in the little fridge included at no extra charge?

 

 

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[IMANITA]

Gelato and drinks are included. Not sure about individual chocolates but they do have a drink, espresso and three pralines, so order that and tell them to hold the espresso if you don't want it.

 

Great idea! Thanks for answering my question. I was pleasantly surprised that the chocolates & the macaroons were included on the Divina.

[fish_guru]

Yes, we were in balcony YC suite.

 

And yes, the mini-bar is included with the deluxe beverage package which comes with a YC room.

[abe3]

Yes, we were in balcony YC suite.

 

And yes, the mini-bar is included with the deluxe beverage package which comes with a YC room.

 

 

 

Thank you! We have the deluxe YC booked too booked and was happy to see there was plenty of room for the three of you. We have an 8 yr son going with us so glad the pull out bed was comfortable and plenty of room for storage!

 

 

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[Bosjoe]

Great review, thank you.

 

I will use the theme from the Jefferson’s (moving on up to the top) to enter the Yacht club area. 😃