Next cruise: MSC Seaside vs. Horizon vs. HAL Nieuw Statendam?

[aimcat]

My husband and I are trying to plan a April to May (this year) cruise. It's just us, we are in our mid 30s, no kids. We are young minded, like to drink but nothing crazy, we love FOOD, like shows, comedy, music, and relaxation. As you can see from our cruise history we have done a lot of Carnival and RC Harmony. All of our cruises have been great so far. Right now I am looking at Carnival Horizon (heavily considering the Havana rooms), HAL NS, and just thought about MSC Seaside. Wondering the thoughts because I know its more of a heavily Europe influenced ship and I was not sure if we would like that or not? 

I would love some thoughts and if there are some other ships we should consider please let me know. 

[Peachie57]

Would book anything but an MSC cruise if you are familiar with cruising.  MSC is nothing like what you would expect on a typical cruise line. Very European and most things are ala carte. Meal service is slow and buffet is very unusual.  Not well organized for shore excursions and staff is not your typical staff for American tastes. Try the Carnival Horizon for your age group.  We were in port next to the Horizon last month and it appears beautiful with lots of people of your age, with lots of activities on the top deck.  HAL is more our speed, for cruises of 55+.  Some of your age group on last month's cruise on HAL did think it was not active enough for them, so Carnival Horizon probably would be a good bet for you.  We cruise with HAL almost all the time but my husband made one huge mistake with MSC and we won't ever do that again!

[kelleherdl]

We are HAL 4-Star.  We normally book only Neptune Suites. After having sailed on MSC in a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite the only reason I will ever book HAL again is for a given itinerary. The amenities and extras that come with the exclusive ship-within-a-ship with MSC Yacht Club beat HAL hands down. And the overall value (what you get for what you pay) is outstanding. Dare I say unmatched by any cruise line, including Haven on NCL. 

 

Problem for you is that Yacht Club Suites book up very quickly. I doubt you will find on for an April/May cruise.

 

Dennis

[aimcat]

Yes Yacht club was a little above our budget this time as well as sold out on all cruises we looked at unfortunately. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

For future cruises, remember that Yacht Club has inside cabins – but you are very close to the YC sun deck and YC lounge so you can treat your cabin as a place to shower and sleep but enjoy the luxe feel of the ship-within-a-ship.

[Beamafar]

2 hours ago, Peachie57 said:

Would book anything but an MSC cruise if you are familiar with cruising.  MSC is nothing like what you would expect on a typical cruise line.

 

Vive la difference!

 

I see this is your first post ... interesting that you chose this forum for it, considering you cruise regularly with HAL.

[Mattnvick]

I commend the OP on  asking the questions before she books, to see whether she might like it rather than booking it and then it not being what she thought and coming here just to complain.

 

I havent sailed HAL but i have sailed RCI and i love MSC probably because it is different and more European. Dinner isnt slow -  it's leisurely and thats because Europeans (particularly Italians) think meal time is family time to be enjoyed and savoured. Waiters aren't rude they are professional (big difference) there to do a job not fawn over you and be your best friend. 

 

There will likely be many more nationalities from other countries on the ship and they will outnumber crusiers from the US. If you think this is something that you will not enjoy or you don't like to see men in Speedos or don't want to take time to wander around the whole buffet not just the first couple of stations then it might not be for you.

 

However if you embrace other cultures and enjoy things in a European style then go for it. 

[scpirate]

Stick to carnival.msc might be a little too different.

[aimcat]

Yes from the sound of things it seems we may not like it. 

[citizenfrank]

Honest answer....

I want to say Seaside, of course I do & I would as my history is similar to yours & I'm doing it! But having read your brief (always important when seeking honest feedback), I think Horizon has your name all over it! Sorry MSC!

Plus you get Mike Pack I believe unless they're stealing him to their newest ship by then.

[aimcat]

Mike Pack was our CD on our Sensation cruise last year! He was excellent! 

[citizenfrank]

20 minutes ago, aimcat said:

Mike Pack was our CD on our Sensation cruise last year! He was excellent! 

Was he ….He is extremely energetic!

A brilliant host, though I think Carnival are unique within that element of cruising.

[floridian1]

Why aren't you considering NCL..we are also your age and we loved our NCL cruise on escape getaway and bliss...escape and bliss are great for foodies and also have a nice craft bear venue.  We are trying out msc this year though bevause ncl prices have gone up too much.

[aimcat]

^ NCL was much higher for just a balcony room than the others for some reason. 

[Fredric22]

On 1/9/2019 at 2:33 PM, aimcat said:

My husband and I are trying to plan a April to May (this year) cruise. It's just us, we are in our mid 30s, no kids. We are young minded, like to drink but nothing crazy, we love FOOD, like shows, comedy, music, and relaxation. As you can see from our cruise history we have done a lot of Carnival and RC Harmony. All of our cruises have been great so far. Right now I am looking at Carnival Horizon (heavily considering the Havana rooms), HAL NS, and just thought about MSC Seaside. Wondering the thoughts because I know its more of a heavily Europe influenced ship and I was not sure if we would like that or not? 

I would love some thoughts and if there are some other ships we should consider please let me know. 

I was recently on the Horizon and was NOT impressed.  I would take the Seaside over the Horizon any day.  If you want a private space like the Havana area, then I suggest booking an Aurea stateroom which gives you access to a very nice private sun deck, 2 hot tubs, and an outside bar and lounge area.  It will also give you access to anytime dining in the dining room in a separate, dedicated area.  Also, this will give you access to the spa which on the Seaside is VERY nice (much nicer than the one on the Horizon).  This will give you additional areas to relax in.  If you enjoy pastas, pizzas, fish dishes, gelato, etc. then I would say you will enjoy the food on the Seaside.  The Asian restaurant, the seafood restaurant, and the steakhouse are all excellent and highly recommended.  The Asian restaurant had one of the BEST meals we have ever had in a cruise ship specialty restaurant.  

 

I also think Holland America would be a great choice too.  The prices for the Nieuw Statendam are very good right now and we will actually be on the April 7th cruise.   If you really require American-centric entertainment (like comedy shows, hairy chest contests, etc.) then I would suggest Carnival.  But if you are willing to branch out and try something different I would try the Seaside or the Nieuw Amsterdam.  Just note that Holland America will most likely have an older crown than the Seaside (if that is something that is important to you). 

[aimcat]

Thanks your the first person to give a positive vibe on the Seaside for me. I had totally written it off. The seaside even with Aurea level room had a little better price than Horizon but not as good as a basic balcony room on NS. 

[Fredric22]

1 minute ago, aimcat said:

Thanks your the first person to give a positive vibe on the Seaside for me. I had totally written it off. The seaside even with Aurea level room had a little better price than Horizon but not as good as a basic balcony room on NS. 

No problem.  I honestly don't understand all of the negativity on this board.  I've been on the Seaside twice now.  Both experiences have been great.  If you have an open mind and enjoy meeting people from different areas of the world then I think the Seaside is a great option.  After being on the Seaside, the Horizon felt more like a ship designed for children.  There is no comparison between MSC's gorgeous interior designs and expensive Italian finishes to Carnival's very basic decor.  Also keep in mind the Aurea room will come with a drink package, spa access,  and two 1 hour massages.  Also the MSC spa prices cannot be beat.  You can pre-book a 50 minute massage for $70 (gratuity included).

 

If you are choosing the Nieuw Statendam, I recommend getting a retreat cabana.  This will give you a nice private cabana, sun deck, hot tub, and all-day drink service.  

[aimcat]

I was more carefully looking at prices and I can get a yacht club interior suite for the same price as a Havana cabana. Which would be the better experience? For about 1000 less I can do a balcony with the aurea. 

 

How would we do the cabana on NS if we go that route? 

[Nymich]

35 minutes ago, aimcat said:

I was more carefully looking at prices and I can get a yacht club interior suite for the same price as a Havana cabana. Which would be the better experience? For about 1000 less I can do a balcony with the aurea. 

 

How would we do the cabana on NS if we go that route? 

If you like great music NS is awesome.   Rolling Stone Rock Room is BY FAR the best Rock I have heard in 20 cruises.  The BB King All Stars are BY FAR the most talented musicians I have seen at sea as well.   So if music is important it's NS hands down by a mile.   Carnival is Carnival you know it you've done it.  MSC and Yacht Club are two different cruises.

[nyk24]

Hey aimcat we are the same age group as you and we have been on different lines and they all have their pluses and minuses.

 

We are going on the msc seaside soon (can't wait). We have done carnival horizon and msc armomia and both were good.

 

But big differences for us was the food. Buffet food for breakfast and lunch was actually alot nicer on msc than carnival but as we are Brits thats a very subjective point. However horizon Has alternative free lunch venues.

 

Dinner in the main dinning room we found better on the horizon and the service was alot better too. However things like a new york strip aren't free on the horizon but they are on the seaside. The breakfast menu in the main dinning room seems more extensive than on the horizon.

 

You will also find that people go out alot more late at night on an msc ship (it's a European thing) than compared to what we noticed on the horizon.

 

We loved the free room service and the certain free items that I could order on the horizon. I think they are stopping free room service now? MSC still does free room.service for fantastica experiences and above and I have seen online there is alot more free food included than we got on the horizon whether it's better room service food I have no idea.

 

Only one ice cream machine on seaside, there were loads on horizon and they had freshly made ice cream in the buffet - 2 different flavours every day.

 

The cakes in the buffet were large slices from a cake - loved the German chocolate cake. MSC like most lines has those fancy little cakes.

 

The sports bar on horizon was great and so was our bar tender. I watched a couple of football matches including the champions League on there. The sports bar on seaside looks even better and has free chips there. The horizon didn't have any free bar food and if you didn't get there early for the match it could be hard to see one of the numerous TVs......the seaside seems to have more space and more TVs plus it has more private booths with little TVs in them so technically it should be better if they have the football there.

 

The horizon has like one slide I think the seaside has alot more.

 

Muster drill is alot quicker on MSC. Horizons drill was in a smoke filled casino and as a non smoker with kids that was very annoying as we had no choice to avoid it.

 

Lifts on Horizon were not only slow (most ships are like that) but there were annoying to operate as you couldn't just press a button, you had to go to a touch screen and tell it what floor you wanted and then it was meant to tell you which lift to take. You would think this would make things easier but the system never worked properly.

 

If you like live music the music was good in the horizon and so too were the comedians. MSC live music I don't think is as good but the night life is more livier on MSC late at night as Europeans like to go out late. MSC don't have comedians as such but they do have live improv and from the YouTube videos I have seen it looks pretty funny.

 

Design wise the seaside looks alot nicer than the horizon. This point doesn't bother me much, however a running point I found before cruising was how much horizon hyped up their ship compared to seaside which meant we didn't enjoy it as much as we should of done if that makes sense?

 

Last but least - the beds. MSC beds are very comfortable compared to what we experienced on horizon, that's not to say they were uncomfortable just not as much to our liking. I prefer a firmer mattress but if you don't then you won't like the beds on seaside.

 

If I had to decide which ship to choose I would base it on what is important to me. The price? The food? The entertainment? The ports? Or the amenities and if you still can't decide go with the cheapest!

[citizenfrank]

5 hours ago, aimcat said:

Thanks your the first person to give a positive vibe on the Seaside for me. I had totally written it off. The seaside even with Aurea level room had a little better price than Horizon but not as good as a basic balcony room on NS. 

No, no ….I had praised the Seaside. Her & her sister are my favourite ships at sea. We have sailings on both ships Sea class ships. I suggested Horizon based on your profiling of yourself. Carnival for me has died due to the drink package limits which I find well basically 'wrong'. The Mardi Gras offering next year appeals though based on what I've seen (stunning) ….But I'm hoping they change policy in the mean time!  They wont!

[nyk24]

6 hours ago, citizenfrank said:

Carnival for me has died due to the drink package limits which I find well basically 'wrong'. The Mardi Gras offering next year appeals though based on what I've seen (stunning) ….But I'm hoping they change policy in the mean time!  They wont!

15 drinks max a day and having to wait a few minutes before your next was a bit crazy on carnival.

 

I'm hoping I can refresh myself with a couple of sodas in quick succession with the self service machines on seaside, although I think a time limit on ordering your next alcoholic drink is probably a sensible thing. 

[Fredric22]

11 hours ago, aimcat said:

I was more carefully looking at prices and I can get a yacht club interior suite for the same price as a Havana cabana. Which would be the better experience? For about 1000 less I can do a balcony with the aurea. 

 

How would we do the cabana on NS if we go that route? 

There is no comparison.  Take the YC Inside suite!  The Yacht Club is an amazing experience and honestly cannot be beat by anything that Carnival or even Holland America has to offer.  The YC inside suite will just be a regular inside room (but it is very nicely decorated).  But, you will most likely be spending your time out of your room and in all of the beautiful yacht club areas (like the pool deck and the lounge).  

 

As for the cabana on the Nieuw Statendam, all you need to do is call up "Holland America Ship Services" (you can google it for the number) and reserve a cabana.  I believe it is $399 to rent a cabana for the week.  

[citizenfrank]

2 minutes ago, nyk24 said:

15 drinks max a day and having to wait a few minutes before your next was a bit crazy on carnival.

 

I'm hoping I can refresh myself with a couple of sodas in quick succession with the self service machines on seaside, although I think a time limit on ordering your next alcoholic drink is probably a sensible thing. 

I'm no raging alcoholic but I hate paying a premium for something other do not & then being restricted. 15 drinks sounds a lot but it isn't if you drink through the day & who wants to be getting towards the end of the day in full fettle & then be thinking "I've only got two drinks left"!!!

MSC is more relaxed & I think that creates a vibe where people do not binge.

On recent sailing you could order two baileys, a cider & a spiced rum with a coke on the side on one card. That is how it should be, you have paid your premium to relax, not stress over drink numbers, price per drink limits or how fast/slow you should drink it! 

[aimcat]

Guys I think I am going to swing for the inside YC - I dont know which itinerary to do as we have been to ports on both 7 day sailings that the Seaside offers. The YC inside suite is the 300 less than what we can do the Horizon Havana for but I feel the 8 day southern Caribbean itinerary on Horizon is a better nonliterary.