A (Not So) Quick Review of Seaside Royal Suite 16037 aka “First World Problems”

[Two Wheels Only]

THIS is a 2018 MSC Seaside Yacht Club Royal Suite #16037 and I’m going to show you some of the quirks and features of this particular Royal Suite. (If you are unfamiliar with Doug DeMuro, that sentence made no sense.)

 

First, my relationship with this suite began long before the ship was built. The first rendering of the suite that I saw looked like this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

….and it shows the port side Royal Suite 16037, a separate living room and bedroom, seating for multiple people throughout the suite as well as seating in the bedroom, an oval table for 6 on the balcony and 4 loungers.

 

The next rendering that I saw was a bit more detailed and was also 16037…

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MSC still uses this rendering on their website….

 

…but the CGI video (which is still on YouTube) looked incredible….

jTNHRGT4vgI

 

…although there were a few differences and errors. For example, the CGI rendering is actually showing the balcony of deck 18 and there is no Royal Suite on deck 18. The furniture is also slightly different and there are fewer loungers on the balcony but otherwise, the suite looked great.

 

It wasn’t until I saw a video posted by (then) Seaside Captain Scala during the ship’s construction did I start to worry. I figured that the suite wasn’t complete but seeing the actual suite 16037 was still exciting. The “disappointment” was with the darker brown colors, the lack of some seating, the less-than-stylish furniture, and the lack of a balcony table compared to the CGI video.

 

As it turns out, the suite didn’t have a dining table on the balcony for the first few sailings but one was added later (a few weeks before I sailed). It was a different shape than what was originally rendered and the chairs were different. Actually, the chairs were better than what was originally rendered.

 

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

A few weeks before I sailed, fellow CC member “nacdcruiser” posted a video of the actual suite which you can see

and it shows many of the great features of the suite. However, when I sailed, there were a few “issues”….

 

The first thing that I noticed was this “vent” in the door between the living room and the walk-in closet. It had come loose and wouldn’t stay in position. I could push it back in place but it would move back out. The following pictures show some of the different positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



 



 

 

 

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2018 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

The next issue was with the whirlpool tub on the balcony.The knob that was used to drain the tub was useless. It turns out that the grey plastic piece has already worn out and the metal knob couldn’t turn the plastic piece to pop the drain to the “up” position. The knob was easy to remove. I didn’t break it, I promise. In order to drain the tub, I had to manually pull the plug up and out. As easily as it is to remove, I suspect that others have done the same. I didn’t break it, I promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



(If you zoom in, you can see the grey plastic piece…and the t-shirt that I was wearing while taking the picture)



 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned this to the butler (Vishnu….who is EXCELLENT, btw), and he said to just leave the tub and that he will make sure that it is emptied and cleaned at least once a day. Vishnu was aware of the problem before I mentioned it and it seems that both he and the room steward (Waylan…also excellent) have come up with a system to deal with the malfunctioning drain. In fact, it was always taken care of whether I popped the drain myself or left it there for them to drain and clean.

 

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2018 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

The next issue was with the master bed. It was wonderfully comfortable and there was a full selection of pillows to make anyone happy. If anyone requests more of a specific pillow type, it will magically appear before bedtime. There are 2 struts that allow the bed to “lift” like popping the hood of your car to look at the engine. This area under the bed can be used to store luggage. Lifting the bed can easily be done with one hand (palm down and grab a wooden slat) but the 2 struts are not entirely up to the task of supporting the weight. The bed will slowly drop. I suspect that over time, the speed of the drop will increase so be careful if you do this by yourself. The other problem with the bed is the shoddy construction. Someone decided to be cheap with the screws and the attached bottom of the frame can easily pop out on BOTH sides.The photos show what I mean…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

They easily pop back on and are held by the white plastic pieces but the short/thin screws have already worked themselves out of the frame. It would cost less than 10 cents to fix this. The bedside tables hold the top part together so there is never a total separation…

 

 

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2018 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

The next issue didn’t appear until day 2. There was a wetspot that appeared between the bedroom and the walk-in closet….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

It wasn’t coming from the bathroom. It never got bigger but it never got smaller. It never got wetter but it never became dry. It was a mystery that the butler couldn’t solve although he did state that he would have someone come and look at it. One mystery that he did solve was condensation on the ceiling…

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

…which would happen if the balcony door(s) was open during times of high humidity. This condensation wasn’t near the wet spot on the carpet. Maybe the spot on the floor has something to do with what the stateroom directly under this one is doing and condensation on their ceiling, IDK.

 

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2018 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

More weirdness was the door between the bedroom and the living room. It wouldn’t stay fully opened nor would it close by itself. It just “hovered” in this position…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would rock back and forth with the ship and didn’t make a sound. It was actually nice but something as simple as a set of magnets could keep the door fully opened and allow it close just by breaking the magnetic attraction.

 

Another minor issue which wasn’t just for the Royal Suite was the balcony railing. The amount of wear on these railings for a new ship is unacceptable.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

I could see parts of the railings that were “touched up” and parts that were not. I don’t know if Fincantieri, the suppliers, or MSC management is responsible for these issues but if the top suite on the ship isn’t worth the effort to be in 100% top shape, how are the other staterooms treated?

 

A full review of the suite, Yacht Club, and Seaside is coming complete with a comparison to NCL’s Haven. In parting, I will state that the Royal Suite is difficult to get. It is always sold out especially since there are only 2 of them on the ship but I will also state that….

 

Would I sail MSC again? Yes, without a doubt.

Would I book this same Royal Suite if I can get it? Yes,without a doubt.

Would I be upset if my next cruise in the Royal Suite is exactly as it was for this cruise? No, because it is still a great suite. The minor problems, the less than stylish design choices, etc. don’t take away from a great cruise in 16037.

 

There are many great features with this suite (those will be in the full review) so stay tuned…

Edited June 10, 2018 by Two Wheels Only

[mafig]

consider me tuned.....:D

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hi Two wheels,

 

Did you report any of these problems to the Concierge??

[Two Wheels Only]

Did you report any of these problems to the Concierge??

I didn't mention the door vent nor the finish of the railings but the others (especially the hot tub) were mentioned (as well as a few other things). The issues are known from what I can tell. What is unknown is when/how they will be corrected. I spoke to the Captain about a few things (and even mentioned a few things about NCL's Haven) and everyone was very understanding.

 

There will be more details in the full review and even a few suggestions for Seaside EVO class ships. These things can so easily be solved.....the things are just so minor.....maybe MSC can hire me as a consultant. :D

 

Every issue in the stateroom (other than decor) can be fixed on disembarkation/embarkation morning. The other issues can easily be fixed with the Seaside EVO class.

[riclop]

Thanks for all the details.

[justkimmiann]

That is some great info. For being a brand new ship and a luxury suite, I would have thought there would be attention to detail.

[SmoothFlying]

I didn't mention the door vent nor the finish of the railings but the others (especially the hot tub) were mentioned (as well as a few other things). The issues are known from what I can tell. What is unknown is when/how they will be corrected. I spoke to the Captain about a few things (and even mentioned a few things about NCL's Haven) and everyone was very understanding.

 

There will be more details in the full review and even a few suggestions for Seaside EVO class ships. These things can so easily be solved.....the things are just so minor.....maybe MSC can hire me as a consultant. :D

 

Every issue in the stateroom (other than decor) can be fixed on disembarkation/embarkation morning. The other issues can easily be fixed with the Seaside EVO class.

 

Hmmmm..<-------Wondering IF all the outside balcony railings are in such poor shape ? And as you said, it IS a shame for such a new ship. Pity, I sincerely hope MSC is taking better care of their ships. I read here (on this website) that today's megaships are built (supposed) the be around for fifty years. At this rate of poor up keep, this ship won't see that birthday.:eek:

 

Mac