Seaside June 2019

[Happy Hols 2018]

Hi, Sailing on Seaside in June first time with MSC.  We have booked into a balcony with the Fantasia experience with the Deluxe (champagne) package and gratuities already paid.  Can anyone advise if there are going to be a lot of extras still to be paid - e.g. do you have to pay for ice-cream or the chocolate bar (Venchi). Do you have to pay for items you use in the mini fridge? Is it advisable to pre-book excursions (would rather go with MSC organized ones as very new to cruising) or wait until we are on-board? Do they give you towels/water to take with you on excursions - is there a charge for that? Ideally I would rather have everything paid before we go.  If you don't get the Wi-Fi package can you still access the App?  Can you use the App to stay in touch with other guests on the ship. Last question there will be 8 of us (booked separately but all with the same experience) will there be a difficulty trying to get a table together, we all booked the late sitting.  Thanks for any advice you can give us.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Happy Hols 2018

[max996]

Will there be extras to be paid? Short answer is yes. That assumes you'll be booking spa appointments, purchasing trinkets at the gift shop, buying gelato, etc. There's an ice cream dispenser near the South Beach pool (deck 7 aft), but the gelato costs extra. I like to pay for as much as possible up front as well, so there's not a $1,000 charge applied to my credit card at the end of the cruise. You already prepaid your gratuities and that's great - I always do that too. I'd also recommend adding another $200 a person in on board credits (ODCs) to cover anything else (kids games in the arcade, souvenirs, etc.), that'll give you some additional purchasing power on board before going to your credit card.

Definitely pre-book your excursions now too. You're cruising in June, so the ship will have a full passenger manifest and many of the good excursions will be full.

Using the app to communicate without wi-fi? If everyone in your family has an iPhone, yes you'll be able to communicate with them without wi-fi. I don't know about any other phone. MSC might even realize one day that iPhone users are able to stay in touch this way and shut that down soon too.

My family of five is embarking aboard June 29th; when is your cruise?

[JAGR]

Can't answer all your questions with absolute certainty (we've done YC but times we've been on), but here goes:

1.  For Fantasia experience, you would have to pay for gelato and chocolates at Venchi.  Soft-serve ice cream is free in the buffet areas.

2.  If you are doing MSC excursions, you would be advised to pay up front, for a few reasons:

• You avoid the 15% surcharge on purchases made on board;
• You are assured of getting the excursion before it possibly sells out (usually, that is not a problem, to be honest!); and.
• The basic excursion prices are usually lower if pre-purchased as a general rule.

3.  The App (MSC for Me) works without paying for the Wi-Fi.

4.  For the group of eight, since you are on the same experience and seating time, you should go into each of your bookings and link the reservations.  That should put you together, but check your table assignments on your cards.  If they don't show the same table, head for the dining room soon after you board and ask them to seat you together.

5.  You will be able to take towels and water with you.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by JAGR

[JAGR]

7 minutes ago, max996 said:

Using the app to communicate without wi-fi? If everyone in your family has an iPhone, yes you'll be able to communicate with them without wi-fi. I don't know about any other phone. MSC might even realize one day that iPhone users are able to stay in touch this way and shut that down soon too.

 

Hi, Max:

Good information posted, except it has been reported that they have shut down I-messaging capability already.  OP will still be able to access the MSC For Me app, though.

Edited April 8, 2019 by JAGR

[Happy Hols 2018]

Thanks to both of you for your replies, appreciate the help.

[rosie2018]

32 minutes ago, JAGR said:

Hi, Max:

Good information posted, except it has been reported that they have shut down I-messaging capability already.  OP will still be able to access the MSC For Me app, though.

Can someone please confirm that I-messaging has been shut down? We are looking into purchasing walkie-talkies for Seaside cruise in June. We don't purchase Wi-Fi because most of the times, it's slower than molasses.

[Happy Hols 2018]

Does anyone know how much the fun pass is? Is it worth getting one or can you do things separately e.g. bowling but not zip line etc without getting the fun pass?

[JAGR]

39 minutes ago, Happy Hols 2018 said:

Does anyone know how much the fun pass is? Is it worth getting one or can you do things separately e.g. bowling but not zip line etc without getting the fun pass?

Here is what MSC says:

The Fun Pass is your all access pass to the Amusement Area and it has a value of $180.
It can be associated to 1 passenger only, but it can be used by all family.   It's valid for the Formula 1 Simulator, Bowling, Interactive XD Cinema, Select Video Games, and the Zip Line or Flight Simulator or Vr Maze*. F1, Zip Line, and Cinema admittance starting from 110 cm height. 

Cost is $100 if you book online, so you do get the extra $80 in credit.  You also avoid the 15 Service Fee if you wait till you get o board to purchase the pass.  Is you would use the attractions, it is probably worth it, but you can do any of them ala carte.
 

[mickey89]

On 4/8/2019 at 2:31 PM, rosie2018 said:

...... We don't purchase Wi-Fi because most of the times, it's slower than molasses.

MSC wifi is very fast, better than Celebrity and they were class leaders.  We choose the cheapest package $80 for 3.5 Gig with 2 devices.  Other cruise lines the wifi is based on time not data useage, so much better if you forget to log off you don't lose out.

[Happy Hols 2018]

12 minutes ago, JAGR said:

Here is what MSC says:

The Fun Pass is your all access pass to the Amusement Area and it has a value of $180.
It can be associated to 1 passenger only, but it can be used by all family.   It's valid for the Formula 1 Simulator, Bowling, Interactive XD Cinema, Select Video Games, and the Zip Line or Flight Simulator or Vr Maze*. F1, Zip Line, and Cinema admittance starting from 110 cm height. 

Cost is $100 if you book online, so you do get the extra $80 in credit.  You also avoid the 15 Service Fee if you wait till you get o board to purchase the pass.  Is you would use the attractions, it is probably worth it, but you can do any of them ala carte.
 

Thanks Jagr

[rosie2018]

3 hours ago, mickey89 said:

MSC wifi is very fast, better than Celebrity and they were class leaders.  We choose the cheapest package $80 for 3.5 Gig with 2 devices.  Other cruise lines the wifi is based on time not data useage, so much better if you forget to log off you don't lose out.

Thank you.

[max996]

4 hours ago, mickey89 said:

MSC wifi is very fast, better than Celebrity and they were class leaders.  We choose the cheapest package $80 for 3.5 Gig with 2 devices.  Other cruise lines the wifi is based on time not data useage, so much better if you forget to log off you don't lose out.

But don't forget to turn off all the background data hogs. You can consume a lot of data just from apps updating in the background.