MSC Seaside - Best Cruise I've Ever Taken

[rh1677]

First, I admit the brash hyperbole of the title but it is how I feel.  I am just off the MSC Seaside yesterday.  The itinerary was Miami, Ocho Rios, Georgetown (but turned into sea day with rough waters making swells too large to tinder), Cozumel, Ocean Cay, Miami.  This 7 day cruise was amazing!  After booking, I was leery about the ship after reading the mixed reviews here, watching the harsh critiques on YouTube, and other online searches.  But upon embarkation, I began to shed my concerns.

 

Embarkation - easiest yet (I've only sailed 3 time before so not as much to go on but fastest, smoothest, and easiest of the bunch).  Security was quick and efficient.  Check in was a snap with super friendly staff.  I think time from car to onboard ship was about 20 minutes (including stopping for the picture),  On board, it was easy to navigate and Kids/Youth Staff pulled us aside to register our child.  A few minutes taking in the sights of the Seaside Atrium and we were at an outside table at the buffet  about 15 minutes after getting on the ship.  We had priority boarding but did not have to "use it".  Everyone seemed to be getting expedient service boarding the ship.

 

Kids Club - there are not enough words to say how great the staff and the club are!  Every day was a different theme and party for the kids.  The kids even performed a Christmas night singing and dancing show in the Atrium.  My son wanted to be in the club as much as possible and would watch the clock of it to open.  Parents have the option to purchase a locator bracelet for their children that doubles as door key.  We bought it and it came to great use!  When we were at the pool/waterslide areas (waterslides are A+ too...but too cold), we could log into the MSC for Me app and see that our child was still there.  One night as we left the Seashore Restaurant, he zoomed ahead of us and past a large family.  He thought we were going upstairs and ran up the stairs.  We did not know where he went.  The app showed us exactly which floor he was on and we could still he was confused because his image was "walking in circles".  Up 2 flights of stairs and we found him safe and sound!

 

Entertainment - loved the Starwalker show, laughed at BeerProv (and their kid friendly WaterProv), and always hummed/sang along with Bradley-by-day ("Barbie by Night") as he hosted Name That Tune.  He did a great job handling some people who were there just to collect prizes rather than have a good time.  He always made the show fun.  The ship seemed to have a lot of variety of dances, shows, parties.  Certainly too many for anyone to do them all.  Just pick and choose the ones you want to go to and have a great time.

 

Aurea Spa - we booked the Aurea experience.  Other than access to the Thermal Spa and My Choice dining, I did not see much of a difference between our experience and our friends who had the Bella.  But we were able to use the Top 19 Deck and its plush towels.  Also, the Aurea bar became our favorite; rarely any waiting and bartenders who know how to the mix.  

 

Bars - so many bars.  Here, I can nit-pick.  I was perturbed the speciality bars were not open on the last day of the cruise.  Why?  I would like to know.  Guest Services transferred our call but it was never answered.  We purchased the Premium Plus drinking package and wanted to enjoy the good champagne on the last night too.  Also, I became increasingly less patient each time I ordered a frozen drink for it to as liquid as fruit punch.  The frozen drinks needed more time in the machines.  I would ask the bartender to mix in blender with ice instead of out of the machine.  Also, many servers in the restaurants and other bartenders do not know wines very well.  Usually, they would recommend me to the Champagne Bar to have my questions answered.  

 

Speciality Restaurants - we ate at the steak, sushi, and hibachi restaurants.  Each were good.  The sushi was delicious. The Triple Play roll was so good we ended ordered a second one instead of desert!  The steak and sides are much better in the Butcher's Cut than in the main dining rooms.  The hibachi restaurant was OK but really every place like this is an experience rather than best food.

 

Pool/Deck Chairs - again a lot of variety.  We found the area we liked to sit because of kids and access to bars.  There is some servers providing bar service throughout the deck area but it was on the final sea day before we actually saw a server.  We discovered it is quicker to just walk to one of the many pool bars to get drinks than wait for the on deck service.  

 

Ocean Cay - beautiful! There are many chairs and beaches are designed for fun even if the weather is not perfect (as was the case for us).  I did not know we were supposed to look for a green flag to indicate which beaches we could swim at.  But after talking to others they knew so I assume it was my error in learning rather than it not being communicated to me.  Only one bay was closed due to jellyfish.  The rest of the bays were open and we had fun!

 

Final thoughts - I loved the cruise.  Yes, there are small things that bothered me.  But as in life, you get out what you put in.  If you are looking for negatives on this ship, you will find them.  Yes, there is not as much "service" as other cruises.  However, once you realize the service you are getting is actually great, you don't know walking a few feet to the bar.  The buffet lines can be frustrating but I found it to be more cultural rather than a problem.  MSC caters to international clientele.  Each group has their own norms and mores.  Adapt to the surroundings and enjoy.  I chose to see the ship, staff, and experience for the vacation I had booked and was on.  Before we sailed out of Miami, I was having a fun and loving my cruise.  Each day got better and better.  We enjoyed it so much that on Thursday, we booked another cruise on this beautiful ship for next year.  

[camofwilliamsburg]

So glad to read such a nice review!

[Oceansaway17]

 

Tell me how are the beds, comfy or hard?

also how was the air conditioning on this ship? Okay or chilly?

 

I have done all the major cruise lines but never MSC.  I am hearing more and more folks liking MSC and the beauty of the ships.

[CONCH65]

Glad to hear the embarkation process was efficient. What time did you board the ship? 

[perakcruiser]

7 hours ago, rh1677 said:

Kids Club - there are not enough words to say how great the staff and the club are!  Every day was a different theme and party for the kids.  The kids even performed a Christmas night singing and dancing show in the Atrium.  My son wanted to be in the club as much as possible and would watch the clock of it to open. 

Yes, this is what I said, as soon as you have kids you anyway have no choice and need to book MSC. The thing is, if I would have known this BEFORE our kids came, we would have sailed more often with other lines, now it is too late :D

[rh1677]

15 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

Tell me how are the beds, comfy or hard?

also how was the air conditioning on this ship? Okay or chilly?

Honestly, the beds are not the most comfortable.  But I have standards for bedding.  I am a stomach sleeper who loves lots of pillows around me.  I found the pillows to be too flat and the bed too hard.  But after a great day of having fun, I usually feel asleep quickly.  The beds just made me want to get up earlier and start my next day of fun quickly. 

[rh1677]

13 hours ago, CONCH65 said:

Glad to hear the embarkation process was efficient. What time did you board the ship? 

We arrived at the terminal just after 1:00 PM.  Great way to have a full day on the ship.  

[Sthrncrusr]

We too enjoyed our cruise on the Seaside. My kids were obsessed with the kids club and we loved their staff so much. We are seasoned cruisers having been on Royal, Carnival and Disney and while we've enjoyed them all we continue to talk about our MSC trip. We just booked for May and I'm curious to know if you or anyone you know has tried out the family excursion on the private island. Saving Doremi? Looked cute for the kids. Trying to find more info however, I'm wondering if it is still too new for any posts!

[poeticlicensed]

We were on the same cruise and yes we were also disappointed that they closed many bars the last night. 

 

We had a balcony cabin and I thought the cabins were a bit tight and not a lot of storage. It was fine for 2, but i couldn't imagine putting 4 into a cabin. Our balcony was also small and what is up with the short backs on the chairs? Not conducive to sitting outside. I was also disappointed that there was no place shady to sit on deck. Many other ships have a covered area where you can sit outside by a pool. The only area was by the south beach pool and it was a smoking area. 

 

Otherwise I thought the cruise was great. I wish they had communicated with us before the cruise about the theme nights. Almost no one wore costumes. And we were surprised at 3 elegant nights, but it was Christmas so not the norm. 

[karmamule]

We were on the Seaside earlier this year and had a great time too! Immediately booked our next cruise on the last day, although this time we'll be trying out the Meraviglia. (And in just a week, cannot WAIT!)

 

We wouldn't hesitate recommending the Seaside. Such a gorgeous ship, and all the staff helping us were efficient and friendly. Walking in to the atrium for the first time is still such a vivid memory for me. 🙂