Seaside Entertainment

[JamieLogical]

We just booked our first MSC sailing on the Seaside in September. Just got off of the NCL Bliss and while on board we spoke to some ladies who had recently been on the Seaside and said the entertainment is great. Then when we got home, we read some (admittedly older) reviews that said the entertainment was terrible. That the main theater was primarily opera and that the other acts throughout the ship were often just solo singers or musicians with no real bands. Also that the comedy was bad. Can anyone who has been on the Seaside more recently offer us some reassurance that the entertainment has improved since those early reviews? What can we expect as far as main theater shows, as well as smaller performances/venues throughout the ship?

[sptrout]

We were on the Seaside in December and thought that the shows in the main theater were the best production shows that we have ever seen and we did not miss a single one (normally we avoid production shows like the plague). There are no opera shows in the evening. They do have one in the afternoon, but we did not attend. However, based on the singing quality of the main singers I image that it would have been very good for opera lovers. The last show of the week was a show that featured a Michael Jackson impersonator. Astounding show! The MJ impersonator had MJ's moves down pat. Anybody that has ever seen MJ perform could see that every move the impersonator made was spot on. My wife said while exiting the theater that this one show made the cost of the entire cruise worth it, and she has seen MJ perform in person. This show moves from ship to ship apparently so it may not be on during your cruise.

 

Cannot speak to other entertainment since we did not attend much (as usual) outside the YC. I have no reason to believe that other shows would have been substandard, allow I agree many have had negative comments. One reason may be that MSC even out of Miami still have a large number of foreign passenger who may not have English as their first language. Therefore, MSC has to tailor to a more international crowd than other lines, although we never met anyone from outside the US.

 

 

[JAGR]

The shows are different from traditional US-based cruise lines.

 

1.  The stage productions are more varied than operatic.  They showcase vocals and are not intended to "tell a story."  They are good singers, and they mix it up with acrobatics and dancing.  DW and I went to every show and enjoyed ourselves on almost every one of them.

 

2.  No steady diet of comedians.  The only true comedy is Beer Prov (Canadian improv.  Not my cup of tea, so I didn't go.

 

3.  They do have a few show bands that are reasonably good.

 

4.  They have some great individual and small group instrumentalists that appear nightly in the Yacht Club as well as other venues.  We enjoyed them, especially the violinist  and piano accompanist with mostly classical music, and the jazz saxophonist.  Good music before and with dinner.

[JamieLogical]

Thanks for the replies so far! On my very first cruise, I barely saw any of the entertainment and still had a great cruise, so I know I don't need to have great entertainment to enjoy myself. However, coming off the Bliss this past weekend, which is very heavy on the high-quality entertainment, it's been on my mind more.

[Preziosa]

Don t miss the shows every Night on Seaside. They run the shows 3 times every Night, so you must find time to see Them. We have friends They just came back from Seaside and they Said that the shows were fantastic. We Will Cruise on Seaside the 13. Th of april. Can t wait to se the Michael Jackson show again.

[thistimeplease]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

The shows are different from traditional US-based cruise lines.

 

1.  The stage productions are more varied than operatic.  They showcase vocals and are not intended to "tell a story."  They are good singers, and they mix it up with acrobatics and dancing.  DW and I went to every show and enjoyed ourselves on almost every one of them.

 

2.  No steady diet of comedians.  The only true comedy is Beer Prov (Canadian improv.  Not my cup of tea, so I didn't go.

 

3.  They do have a few show bands that are reasonably good.

 

4.  They have some great individual and small group instrumentalists that appear nightly in the Yacht Club as well as other venues.  We enjoyed them, especially the violinist  and piano accompanist with mostly classical music, and the jazz saxophonist.  Good music before and with dinner.

 

I am following this thread as we might be booking a cruise with MSC but I'm also slightly concerned with the entertainment.  My dh and I do not like Opera or classical music at all, is there other entertainment that would appeal to us.  We really enjoyed the entertainment on NCL and were hoping MSC would have some that was comparable.

[JAGR]

If the entertainment is that important, you can get a flavor for it by looking at the videos from Divina that have been posted on another thread.  Remember, the staff is European, and English is not a first (or perhaps even secondary) language!

 

[cruisetimeforme]

Jamie, Glad to hear you've decided to try the Seaside! I've been following some of your advice on the Upgrade bid offer for NCL as we're sailing next month on the Bliss and have an offer pending. Hope you enjoyed your recent sailing.

.We sailed last Sept on the Seaside and they had Country nite, Latin party, Silent disco, 70's party in Atrium, Gatsby party in addition to the theatre shows. We sat right up front by the stage as we enjoyed the performers, the sets, costumes, etc. Also went to the afternoon Opera show as it's just not something I'd normally do, but I enjoyed it. Every seat was definitely taken, so guess plenty of folks did enjoy it.

We're also sailing Seaside this Sept in Yacht club this time, so excited! 

[JamieLogical]

14 minutes ago, cruisetimeforme said:

Jamie, Glad to hear you've decided to try the Seaside! I've been following some of your advice on the Upgrade bid offer for NCL as we're sailing next month on the Bliss and have an offer pending. Hope you enjoyed your recent sailing.

.We sailed last Sept on the Seaside and they had Country nite, Latin party, Silent disco, 70's party in Atrium, Gatsby party in addition to the theatre shows. We sat right up front by the stage as we enjoyed the performers, the sets, costumes, etc. Also went to the afternoon Opera show as it's just not something I'd normally do, but I enjoyed it. Every seat was definitely taken, so guess plenty of folks did enjoy it.

We're also sailing Seaside this Sept in Yacht club this time, so excited! 

 

Which sailing will you be on in September? We're going Sept. 7-14.

[cruisetimeforme]

Sept 21-28 

Hope you enjoy your sailing! BTW, they also had a White nite on our sailing. Forgot to include that

[sptrout]

3 hours ago, thistimeplease said:

 

I am following this thread as we might be booking a cruise with MSC but I'm also slightly concerned with the entertainment.  My dh and I do not like Opera or classical music at all, is there other entertainment that would appeal to us.  We really enjoyed the entertainment on NCL and were hoping MSC would have some that was comparable.

Unless you consider Michael Jackson to be classical, then there will be no problems. None, I repeat, none of the shows were the least bit classical or opera. The shows were mainly a mix of mainstream music and acrobats (very good acrobats). Each show is about 30-40 minutes and are presented two or three times per evening (3 times nearly all evenings). You have to make reservations, which is easy to do via the MSC and Me App.

[thistimeplease]

1 hour ago, sptrout said:

Unless you consider Michael Jackson to be classical, then there will be no problems. None, I repeat, none of the shows were the least bit classical or opera. The shows were mainly a mix of mainstream music and acrobats (very good acrobats). Each show is about 30-40 minutes and are presented two or three times per evening (3 times nearly all evenings). You have to make reservations, which is easy to do via the MSC and Me App.

 

LOL, that sound awesome.  Thanks for the info.

 

[cocksparra]

Just off Seaside Sat 9th Feb. Went to all the theatre shows. The production cannot be faulted neither can the artists performing, there were a couple of opera songs ( but not high) sung in Italian. There was a different named show every night but it became clear that they all revolved around the same format which became a little boring to me as you knew you were going to get a song and then a circus act then a song then a couple of circus acts, in all the weeks shows only the M. J. show had the fewest Circus acts. As I said they were all first class performers and had standing ovations most nights. A word if you are doing B2B the shows are EXACTLY the same the second week. Had a very enjoyable cruise there were good points and bad ones too but as has been stated many times it is subjective. Go and enjoy. My drinks package the old Deluxe was no problem, got everything.

[chisoxfan]

We just returned from the Seaside and were disappointed with the entertainment overall. 

In fairness only two of the 'main stage' shows were of interest (Michael Jackson was one) and the production values were excellent. That said the shows were only 1/2 hour long. We did like the ability to reserve seating in advance for these on MSC.

 

Otherwise there were no 'traditional' comedians, singers, or magicians (ie. traditional shipboard fare) in the main theater.

 

Our largest let down was that we enjoy pop rock groups and folk/rock singers in a lounge setting.

 

The pop rock group was so disinterested in what they were doing that at one point the lead singer walked off stage in the middle of a song and disappeared for an extended period.  It was impossible to get into a band that showed absolutely no emotion in their performance.  

 

A single male singer performed in the multiple stage main atrium which was a terrible venue for him as the sound was very poor in this area. Perhaps in an intimate setting the entertainment would be enjoyable.

 

In short we ventured out of the YC to seek some entertainment on evenings and were let down by the selection on such a large ship (the YC lounge did have very enjoyable piano/ violin instrumental duo). 

 

I know this is subject represents a complete matter of opinion but we usually find a mix of entertainment that we can enjoy.  While we would certainly look to cruise MSC again in YC, entertainment would not be a reason. Our favorite  cruise line venue is the BB King Club on HAL which we tend to frequent all cruise and is a reason we consider HAL seriously. 

 

 

 

 

[modes]

On 2/11/2019 at 7:52 AM, JamieLogical said:

We just booked our first MSC sailing on the Seaside in September. Just got off of the NCL Bliss and while on board we spoke to some ladies who had recently been on the Seaside and said the entertainment is great. Then when we got home, we read some (admittedly older) reviews that said the entertainment was terrible. That the main theater was primarily opera and that the other acts throughout the ship were often just solo singers or musicians with no real bands. Also that the comedy was bad. Can anyone who has been on the Seaside more recently offer us some reassurance that the entertainment has improved since those early reviews? What can we expect as far as main theater shows, as well as smaller performances/venues throughout the ship?

MSC has the best entertainment  of all the lines.

[kiminey65]

Mostly a NCL cruiser here, but I liked Seaside (and its entertainment) enough to book her a 2nd time. I really enjoyed the shows in the theater and am excited that enough time has lapsed (Last June 9 to this March 9) that some of it will be different. The ship is beautiful. I felt most everyone I met was friendly. From staff to cruisers. Although I was aware there was a vast cultural diversity, I didn't feel slighted in any way. I also refuse to be super loyal to any one product when several factors are considered (by me) when I plan and book my vacation. Because I enjoy an affordable Caribbean vacation currently, I wish MSC would offer more ports from Miami. It's not a deal breaker for me but itinerary is important as well as the ship itself. And obviously price...

[theEvilQueen2]

We'll be on the Seaside in May and I was actually looking forward to seeing 'the fat lady' sing. We're new to MSC and I'm hoping that they haven't completely Americanized the whole experience. Yet (although I've read about some of the adjustments they've had to make). We've been to Italy a number of times and always enjoy the food, history and people.  If I want a totally 'American' cruise, there's always RCCL or Carnival for that.  JMHO.    

[tomhs183]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 8:00 PM, cruisetimeforme said:

Sept 21-28 

Hope you enjoy your sailing! BTW, they also had a White nite on our sailing. Forgot to include that

Cruising on the Seaside the same dates 21-28 Sept :-)

[jadmiral]

Just got off Saturday. The shows were fantastic! They outsource the theater troupe so that's all they do. There is a small theme each night and they mix song and dance with magic and well, for lack of a better word, "circus performers". The cool thing about it  it's like watching Americas Got Talent, every night the performers step their game with the magic and acrobats. The first night ended in the cast singing "This is the Greatest Show"! It was awesome! (can't remember the name of show, there was no daily planner the first day). 2nd night is ""The Wizard". 3rd night is "My Life in Music", (did not get to see). 4th night is "The Dream". 5th night is "Fly". 6th night is "Peter Punk", a take on Perter Pan but mostly just Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. (there was an afternoon show this day, it was a condensed opera version of  "Madam Butterfly". The last night was "Starwalker" all about Michael Jackson. Sound, choreography and costumes were outstanding. Don't sit too close because Michael doesn't really look like Michael and the lip syncing was not that good, but he had all the moves down exactly! An awesome production with a farewell ending by the crew. Show times for us were 7:15, 8:30, 9:45. You must make reservations, 8:30 usually sells out and by Friday afternoon, "Starwalker" was sold out on all 3 shows. However we were able to get in to an early show than we had reserved during the week. The beauty of their app reservation system is they know, right at the entrance, how many seats are left. We arrived 15 min before each show and never had a problem getting seats on the main aisle. It's only a 900 seat theater with no balcony and they start right on time. Only 1 show went 40 min the rest lasted about 27-28 minutes. I know the showtimes were different last Christmas. 6:45, 8:00, 9:15. BE CAREFUL: the 7:30 dinner seating will not make the 8:30 show, the 7:15 dinner seating has a chance, but not the first few nights, dinner ran late until they get a chance to adjust to the new group. Don't ask me why, probably has something to do with  them learininig your drink orders and you learning the menu.