3-23-2019 - Just off the MSC Seaside. My perspective.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for the review. 

[Nashna]

16 hours ago, modes said:

There are no chair assignment in YC, there is plenty of lounge chairs available all day long unlike the rest of the non YC pool  areas.

 

It would be nice to sit in the pool area and not worry about someone taking your seat when you were gone for 30 minutes or having to rush out at 7:00 am to snag a chair.  

[Yoitsbbg]

44 minutes ago, Nashna said:

It would be nice to sit in the pool area and not worry about someone taking your seat when you were gone for 30 minutes or having to rush out at 7:00 am to snag a chair.  

There was no need for any of that in the Yacht club.  Mind you, there are only about 85 cabins in the entire Yacht club, so it is only those people who have access to the area.

 

YO

 

[Nashna]

That is one of the factors that caused us to look into the MSC YC.  Folks on our HAL cruise were remarking how much more they enjoyed themselves without the crowds or lines. 

[ashank1m]

I have read so many reviews for the past year, so it seems hit or miss.  With changes to drink menu there was another thread discussing what actually is included with YC as new drink menu doesn't show milk shake, smoothies, gelato, crepe was missing.  Either I missed it or not seen, if YC included drinks are Premium+ (one would think so since it includes mini bar.)  I got three teenage girls with sweet tooth, hate the idea of paying for shakes and gelato after plunking down $14,000 for three staterooms, but since you weren't charged that is a relief.

Counting down to 4/12...for my sailing.  Thanks for the insight and nice review.

[Beamafar]

The PremiumPlus package is not included in YC as you have to pay for anything in the Connoisseurs' Selection.  The mini-bar has always been included, even when the drinks were only included in the enclave, and has nothing to do with drinks packages, so you cannot conflate the two.

 

You won't find it stated anywhere from MSC what package is included as it's not a formal inclusion.  It's a discretionary perk of YC to have drinks included around the rest of the ship, but they will not specify exactly what they are.

[Yoitsbbg]

On 3/26/2019 at 10:36 PM, ashank1m said:

I have read so many reviews for the past year, so it seems hit or miss.  With changes to drink menu there was another thread discussing what actually is included with YC as new drink menu doesn't show milk shake, smoothies, gelato, crepe was missing.  Either I missed it or not seen, if YC included drinks are Premium+ (one would think so since it includes mini bar.)  I got three teenage girls with sweet tooth, hate the idea of paying for shakes and gelato after plunking down $14,000 for three staterooms, but since you weren't charged that is a relief.

Counting down to 4/12...for my sailing.  Thanks for the insight and nice review.

No problem.  Just trying to be honest and give a fair assessment.

 

YO

[Lyn1Lyn]

Hi there, Loved your review. We will be travelling on MSC Seaside in May.  Very excited as this will be our first MSC experience. I am soooo needing the caribbean sun right now. 

Just a quick question. You mentioned in your post that you had parked your car at a hotel and Uberxl'd to and from. What hotel did you use and was there a fee to leave your car there? Also can you give me an idea of how much the uber costed? There are 4 of us travelling all adults.  

[Yoitsbbg]

5 hours ago, Lyn1Lyn said:

Hi there, Loved your review. We will be travelling on MSC Seaside in May.  Very excited as this will be our first MSC experience. I am soooo needing the caribbean sun right now. 

Just a quick question. You mentioned in your post that you had parked your car at a hotel and Uberxl'd to and from. What hotel did you use and was there a fee to leave your car there? Also can you give me an idea of how much the uber costed? There are 4 of us travelling all adults.  

Yup...

 

We stayed at the Intercontinental at Doral (about a 20-25 min drive to the port).  We booked via Hotels.com and prepaid.  They wrote us out a parking pass and there was no fee.  Uber was about $20 and UberXL (bc there were 4 of us + luggage) was about $41 + tip.  

 

There are other hotels around that will charge a small fee, but in the end, it's kind of a wash.  There is a small cuban cafe about 5 min from the Hotel called Xpress Cafe.  Great for a cheap/good ole Miami Cuban Bfast.  (Cafe Con Leche & Cuban toast).  

 

Hope that helps.

 

YO

 

[mexico8]

Great post - thank you.   We sailed with MSC a year ago but not in YC.   We are booked to go on the Armonia for the Alaskan cruise in April.   Next time I book I would like to try the YC - we had friends who did it and they cruise a lot and they loved it.

 

We enjoy meeting other people on a cruise and usually want to share a table with 4 others but on the MSC cruise we took,  most of the passengers were not English speaking.   It is a long quiet awkward dinner when you can only nod and smile at the other people at the table.   We preferred just having a table for 2 after that.   We did enjoy MSC and found the prices to be good value. 

 

We were pleasantly surprised to be classed as "black status" because of all our previous cruises and enjoyed the perks that came with that.  

[Hlitner]

Thank you for taking the time to post a very detailed review, especially about the restaurant.  We did our first MSC cruise on the Divina (21 days in the YC) back in Nov-Dec...so we were eager to read your comments and compare with our own experience.  Some of what you posted is similar to issues on the Divina.   We have cruised on 15 cruise lines and normally try to cruise 70-100 days a year so have a lot of recent experience.   So hear our some thoughts and comparisons.

 

We have previously posted that MSC seems to have an issue with training their crew which we think is made worse by the rapid expansion of the line.   Our service in Le Muse (Divina) was better then what you describe, but outside  the YC we noticed a lot of service related issues and many crew who were working their first contract with little training (we learned this by chatting with various crew members).   We also noted the issue with putting "gravy" on most meats and I assume this is about company policy/recipes.   Since we spent 21 days dining in Le Muse we did learn by experience and would sometimes give specific instructions (when ordering) to not put any gravy on things...or put it on the side.  On the Divina we never experienced the very slow service that you encountered on the Seaview.  But we finally got fed-up with vegetables so overcooked as to be ineatable and this actually got elevated all the way to the Executive Chef on the Divina.  One evening that Executive Ship actually came out of Le Muse's galley walked over to our table and served us a large plate of "grilled" asparagus....which (as usual) were nearly impossible to eat.  The truth is that the veggie thing became a source of amusement when it became apparent that they were unable to prepare asparagus in a form that could be cut by a knife!   Overall we found the cuisine on the Divina to be "cruise ship acceptable" with a few items (the risottos, pastas and veal) being excellent.  We have experienced food on other lines that is superior to MSC's,,,,but we have also experienced food on other lines that was not as good as MSC's.

 

Not sure why you could not find a dinner buffet on the Seaview.  On the Divina they always had the usual "Lido" buffet although our preference was to dine in Le Muse.  We did sample the buffet a few times (before or after going to Le Muse) and found it OK (nothing special) with the exception of the always available pizza which was quite good.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 11:13 PM, modes said:

There are no chair assignment in YC, there is plenty of lounge chairs available all day long unlike the rest of the non YC pool  areas.

 

This comment caught our attention.  We have cruised on 15 different cruise lines and over 70 different vessels and NEVER been on a ship that had " assigned deck chairs" with the exception of Princess's Sanctuary (for which you must pay about $40 a day and make a reservation).  I would have to go back to the 1960s (before modern cruise ships) when assigned deck chairs (and deck stewards) were the norm on passenger ships with lines like American Export Lines, Cunard, etc.  The truth is that DW and I would not be happy with assigned deck chairs since we prefer to move around depending on the sun location and wind conditions.

 

We noticed that Nashna mentioned HAL (we have about 500 days on that line) which I would point out does not have any assigned deck chairs with the exception of cabana's on some ships (available for a price plus reservations).  This is a trend on several lines (Celebrity does it too) where there have been various experiments with cabanas (always for a healthy price).

 

Hank

[Nashna]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

This comment caught our attention.  We have cruised on 15 different cruise lines and over 70 different vessels and NEVER been on a ship that had " assigned deck chairs" with the exception of Princess's Sanctuary (for which you must pay about $40 a day and make a reservation).  I would have to go back to the 1960s (before modern cruise ships) when assigned deck chairs (and deck stewards) were the norm on passenger ships with lines like American Export Lines, Cunard, etc.  The truth is that DW and I would not be happy with assigned deck chairs since we prefer to move around depending on the sun location and wind conditions.

 

We noticed that Nashna mentioned HAL (we have about 500 days on that line) which I would point out does not have any assigned deck chairs with the exception of cabana's on some ships (available for a price plus reservations).  This is a trend on several lines (Celebrity does it too) where there have been various experiments with cabanas (always for a healthy price).

 

Hank

 We were on the Koningsdam in January on a 12-night sailing.  Chairs in the pool areas were hard to come by.  We are early risers and could typically find somewhere to sit.  After, 8:30 am, it was in the Aft pool area by the smoking section.  We did rent a pool cabana on a Regal Princess sailing in 2018 and it was delightful.  Unfortunately, the cabanas on the K are not anywhere near the pool area and appeared rather small.  Our first cruise was in 1986 on Home Lines.  That was the cruise with the pool attendants and assigned deck chairs.  It was great fun as we became very friendly with our seatmates.  Fellow cruisers on the K were the ones who alerted us to YC on MSC.  They were unhappy with the long lines on K in the Lido, the need to get to the theater 30 minutes early to get a seat, and the lack of outdoor seating.  We are at the point in our cruising life where we really wish to be pampered.     

[Hlitner]

53 minutes ago, Nashna said:

 We were on the Koningsdam in January on a 12-night sailing.  Chairs in the pool areas were hard to come by.  We are early risers and could typically find somewhere to sit.  After, 8:30 am, it was in the Aft pool area by the smoking section.  We did rent a pool cabana on a Regal Princess sailing in 2018 and it was delightful.  Unfortunately, the cabanas on the K are not anywhere near the pool area and appeared rather small.  Our first cruise was in 1986 on Home Lines.  That was the cruise with the pool attendants and assigned deck chairs.  It was great fun as we became very friendly with our seatmates.  Fellow cruisers on the K were the ones who alerted us to YC on MSC.  They were unhappy with the long lines on K in the Lido, the need to get to the theater 30 minutes early to get a seat, and the lack of outdoor seating.  We are at the point in our cruising life where we really wish to be pampered.     

On HAL we never have a problem getting seats in the theater because we are late diners and stay on that late dining schedule.  Since many HAL cruisers prefer to eat their dinner around 3pm (a deliberate exaggeration) everything intended for late diners is relatively empty...including (by 10pm) all public spaces!   

 

On MSC, our favorite Rock band (duo) would often not start playing until around 10:30!  Can you imagine that on HAL :).  They would likely be playing to an audience of late night cleaning staff.

 

Hank

[Nashna]

I must say that we were impressed by the music options on The Koningsdam.  We absolutely loved BB Kings and the Rolling Stone venues.  The Rolling Stones venue was packed every night.  Fortunately, we loved to dance and would go in and dance a set, then move back over to BB Kings and back again.  We were always done by 11:30, but the groups were still going strong.    They also featured dueling pianos that were also SRO.    HAL is trying to attract a younger group with these music offerings.  That was why we tried HAL after 18 years of cruising on everything but.  We enjoyed our cruise but would not go back just for the music venues.  The main shows were also packed.  We only went to one show and spent the rest of the nights in the music walk. 

[Yoitsbbg]

10 hours ago, mexico8 said:

Great post - thank you.   We sailed with MSC a year ago but not in YC.   We are booked to go on the Armonia for the Alaskan cruise in April.   Next time I book I would like to try the YC - we had friends who did it and they cruise a lot and they loved it.

 

We enjoy meeting other people on a cruise and usually want to share a table with 4 others but on the MSC cruise we took,  most of the passengers were not English speaking.   It is a long quiet awkward dinner when you can only nod and smile at the other people at the table.   We preferred just having a table for 2 after that.   We did enjoy MSC and found the prices to be good value. 

 

We were pleasantly surprised to be classed as "black status" because of all our previous cruises and enjoyed the perks that came with that.  

Wait...What?  Armonia is going to Alaska??  When?  I couldn't find it.  The MSC rep onboard told me MSC wouldn't cruise to Alaska until at least 2022.  Tell me something I don't know.  Do you have dates?

 

YO

[Yoitsbbg]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Thank you for taking the time to post a very detailed review, especially about the restaurant.  We did our first MSC cruise on the Divina (21 days in the YC) back in Nov-Dec...so we were eager to read your comments and compare with our own experience.  Some of what you posted is similar to issues on the Divina.   We have cruised on 15 cruise lines and normally try to cruise 70-100 days a year so have a lot of recent experience.   So hear our some thoughts and comparisons.

 

We have previously posted that MSC seems to have an issue with training their crew which we think is made worse by the rapid expansion of the line.   Our service in Le Muse (Divina) was better then what you describe, but outside  the YC we noticed a lot of service related issues and many crew who were working their first contract with little training (we learned this by chatting with various crew members).   We also noted the issue with putting "gravy" on most meats and I assume this is about company policy/recipes.   Since we spent 21 days dining in Le Muse we did learn by experience and would sometimes give specific instructions (when ordering) to not put any gravy on things...or put it on the side.  On the Divina we never experienced the very slow service that you encountered on the Seaview.  But we finally got fed-up with vegetables so overcooked as to be ineatable and this actually got elevated all the way to the Executive Chef on the Divina.  One evening that Executive Ship actually came out of Le Muse's galley walked over to our table and served us a large plate of "grilled" asparagus....which (as usual) were nearly impossible to eat.  The truth is that the veggie thing became a source of amusement when it became apparent that they were unable to prepare asparagus in a form that could be cut by a knife!   Overall we found the cuisine on the Divina to be "cruise ship acceptable" with a few items (the risottos, pastas and veal) being excellent.  We have experienced food on other lines that is superior to MSC's,,,,but we have also experienced food on other lines that was not as good as MSC's.

 

Not sure why you could not find a dinner buffet on the Seaview.  On the Divina they always had the usual "Lido" buffet although our preference was to dine in Le Muse.  We did sample the buffet a few times (before or after going to Le Muse) and found it OK (nothing special) with the exception of the always available pizza which was quite good.

 

Hank

Just to correct, we were on MSC Seaside, not Seaview.  

 

As for the food, there were many other instances of poor service in the dining room (food prep, presentation, waiter service),  I just didn't want to beat a dead horse nor seem like I was being nit picky.  Our veg was cooked well most of the time.  I had ordered a truffle Risotto one night that was very tasty, but al dente (undercooked).  I could give other instances, but I think everyone gets the point.  

 

I guess I was surprised bc my father had just recently been off the Divina and hyped up how good the Matre'd /Food/Service was  in the Yacht club and it was really a big let down (especially being a foodie).  I've definitely had better service/food on lines such as Carnival than what I had in the Yacht Club.  I was expecting a little more out of MSC (think Celebrity, my favorite cruise line) and it wasn't even on par.

 

As for the buffet, it was really only on 1 or 2 occasions I looked for a dinner buffet with entrees.  There's 2 buffets on Seaside, Deck 16 and Deck 8.  I don't recall Deck 16 being open for dinner, so when I went to Deck 8, always say Pizza, Sandwiches, fruit, dessert, salad.  Never saw entrees or anything different.  If someone had a different experience, please correct me.  Again, didn't venture out of the Yacht club much.  There was no dinner buffet in the Yacht club, only lunch (poolside, Deck 19).

 

YO

[mexico8]

11 hours ago, Yoitsbbg said:

Wait...What?  Armonia is going to Alaska??  When?  I couldn't find it.  The MSC rep onboard told me MSC wouldn't cruise to Alaska until at least 2022.  Tell me something I don't know.  Do you have dates?

 

YO

 

11 hours ago, Yoitsbbg said:

Wait...What?  Armonia is going to Alaska??  When?  I couldn't find it.  The MSC rep onboard told me MSC wouldn't cruise to Alaska until at least 2022.  Tell me something I don't know.  Do you have dates?

 

YO

 

[mexico8]

So sorry.   I got mixed up with our cruises.   I am busy packing up to go home after spending the winter in Mexico and I'm a bit frazzled.

 

We are looking at an Alaskan cruise for this summer (not on MSC).   We do have a Caribbean cruise booked at the end of April 2019 that is going to Havana and Grand Cayman etc.  and I got it mixed up with the Alaskan cruise we plan to book with some other cruise line.  

[Yoitsbbg]

7 minutes ago, mexico8 said:

So sorry.   I got mixed up with our cruises.   I am busy packing up to go home after spending the winter in Mexico and I'm a bit frazzled.

 

We are looking at an Alaskan cruise for this summer (not on MSC).   We do have a Caribbean cruise booked at the end of April 2019 that is going to Havana and Grand Cayman etc.  and I got it mixed up with the Alaskan cruise we plan to book with some other cruise line.  

Gotcha.  Just bc we figured MSC Yacht Club would be the perfect Venue for Alaska.  We did Celebrity Solstice in 2016 for the inside passage and loved it.  I think the Yacht Club would be the perfect venue for a repeat of Alaska when we plan to do it again.

 

YO

 

[Selion]

I remember Yulia.  She was on our cruise last November.  She and our server, Roshan, made every meal in Top Sail a delight.

[Fredric22]

There is most definitely a dinner buffet nightly on the Seaside.  The restaurants prepare pasta and risotto correctly,  which is al dente. Of course that may not be to everyone's liking (in America we are often served overcooked pasta) but that in no way means they are preparing it wrong.  Our most recent cruise in the Seaside YC was probably some of the best food we've ever had on a cruise.  The lunches in the restaurant were often times even better than the dinners.  And don't even get me started on the desserts..... 

[Yoitsbbg]

14 hours ago, Selion said:

I remember Yulia.  She was on our cruise last November.  She and our server, Roshan, made every meal in Top Sail a delight.

She was the dining room Hostess in the Yacht Club.  She was absolutely awesome!!

 

YO

[Yoitsbbg]

3 hours ago, Fredric22 said:

There is most definitely a dinner buffet nightly on the Seaside.  The restaurants prepare pasta and risotto correctly,  which is al dente. Of course that may not be to everyone's liking (in America we are often served overcooked pasta) but that in no way means they are preparing it wrong.  Our most recent cruise in the Seaside YC was probably some of the best food we've ever had on a cruise.  The lunches in the restaurant were often times even better than the dinners.  And don't even get me started on the desserts..... 

Yes....risotto was very tasty.  (Almost ordered a 2nd).  It needed about 3 more minutes to cook.  It was TOO Al dente (to my liking).  I am familiar with how risotto should be served and it was undercooked.  Pasta's (my kids had and I tasted), cooked just fine.  As for the food overall, as I said in my original review...it was really hit or miss.  I went in with an open mind knowing that things might be different seeing it was a European line and reading all the reviews I had prior, but there was little consistency to the service.  There were very few "WOW" dishes thru the week.  And the presentation, well...a picture speaks a thousand words.  

 

Now dessert....my absolute #1, recommend, had almost every night...TIRAMISU.  It was one of the best I ever had.  🙂. (Mouth watering just thinking of it).  lol

 

YO

 

 

[Yoitsbbg]

On 3/29/2019 at 4:12 PM, mexico8 said:

So sorry.   I got mixed up with our cruises.   I am busy packing up to go home after spending the winter in Mexico and I'm a bit frazzled.

 

We are looking at an Alaskan cruise for this summer (not on MSC).   We do have a Caribbean cruise booked at the end of April 2019 that is going to Havana and Grand Cayman etc.  and I got it mixed up with the Alaskan cruise we plan to book with some other cruise line.  

No worries!

 

YO