Fresh off Seaside- overall impression

[mom2hershey]

I just finished my cruise on MSC Seaside, which was my first with this line.  Overall, I would say this was definitely the most FUN of all of the cruises I've done, but the food was pretty terrible.  Here's the Cliff's notes version of my cruise:

Positives

Entertainment - shows were fabulous, and was especially impressed with the Entertainment staff (especially the tall South African). The staff even did interactive and fun things before the actual show- as well as leading dance parties, poolside contests, etc. Was very very impressed with the quality of shows available- the best of any cruise I've been on (Disney and Royal Caribbean). 

Ship- beautiful ship, well maintained although a little difficult to navigate

Ocean Cay is beautiful- it's clearly still in progress, but the beach is beautiful and you can even find some amazing shells.  Beware the beach that has a red flag- learned that it is full of jellyfish, which is too bad.  We actually saw a nurse shark in the water on the other beach, which was pretty amazing. 

Excursions- I would have liked more choices, but was very satisfied with the excursions I booked with MSC- transportation was handled very efficiently, the companies they contracted with were very friendly.  We did the Bio Luminescent Kayak tour in Puerto Rico- which was VERY unique and I highly recommend it. We went on the Pirate ship in St. Thomas (to a beach in St. John)- that was really fun but not really very "piratey". In the Bahamas we "swam" with pigs, which was also a very unique experience.  Be warned though- they don't allow you to bring your camera (instead they want you to purchase their photos), and they even confiscated someone's Go Pro and took the card! 

Spa- I had probably the best massage I've ever had, and I was especially impressed they didn't try to sell a bunch of stuff to me (like RC). I also thought the price was pretty reasonable. 

Cultural experience- was pretty cool to be on a ship and hear different languages (although announcements took forever because they did them in 5-6 languages).  I was also really impressed that they offered intro to different languages- I attended the Intro to French and Intro to German. 

Things to do- it seemed like there was more "free" things to do than on other ships 

 

Negatives

Time- every cruise I've been on uses the time zone of the original port (e.g. central time out of Galveston) as an anchoring point. MSC follows "true" time zones, which basically meant nobody really ever knows what time it is. That can be problematic if you have a spa appointment- luckily I checked the board so I didn't miss mine, but another lady did miss hers and was hopping mad about it (and they didn't seem to be very accommodating to fit her in)

Food- by far the biggest negative- food was pretty terrible. Limited menu in the dining room, and tiny portions (which was okay because it was terrible anyway haha). The buffet wasn't bad, but the two buffets operated at strange times. I would highly suggest bringing your own snacks since theirs were practically non existent, although to be fair, maybe that is because Europeans don't snack as much as Americans. The food was so bad that I even broke down and booked a specialty restaurant (sushi)- which was fairly expensive ($161 for three people).  We chose "unlimited sushi" for $35, but discovered that it really isn't unlimited- they will only bring you more if you finish everything you order (even if you don't like it), which I thought was crazy. I guess one silver lining is that this is the only cruise where I didn't gain weight- I only ate enough to sustain me. 

Service- very hit or miss.  Some staff (e.g. the Entertainment staff) really seemed to enjoy their job and were determined that everybody have a good time. The staff at guest services were unhelpful and rude. Each visit to Guest Services would take at least a half hour of your time- once I asked what we needed to do to get access to the waterslide (not included in the cruise, really MSC?) and the person didn't know and admonished me that she shouldn't HAVE to know that information- that I need to go ask at the waterslide.  My second experience with Guest Services was to get a charge reversed- MSC had charged me $29.99 for a photo that I had not said I wanted to purchase. I wouldn't have ever purchased that photo because they got it mixed up and the picture they delivered to the cabin was not even of us, it was random strangers!  I waited for an hour to get that charge reversed- and he was very rude and not at all apologetic about the inconvenience. At the restaurant, we were given what had to be the WORST table in the entire restaurant (tucked away in a remote corner with a view of the wall), and our waiters seemed to develop a dislike to us even though we were probably their easiest customers and didn't ask for anything special- the only reason I can surmise they disliked us was because I am not a big drinker so we generally stuck to tap water, which seemed to disappoint our waiter- I gather they are compensated if their customer orders drinks?

Waterslide- I'm still amazed that apparently you had to purchase an entertainment package to have access to the waterslide, which seems very petty. 

Classes- I booked fairly late so didn't even have the option to book a higher class (like Aurora), and my Yacht club bid was not accepted (I found that whole bidding thing very bizarre). It did feel like some of the staff were judgmental that we were "only" Bella class. However, with the exception of the water slide, we didn't feel deprived. 

 

Would I book another MSC cruise?  Probably (although I would pack a suitcase full of snacks, and I would try to book earlier so that I could be Aurora or Yacht Club.  

[pirate4me2]

You have to pay to use the waterslide? Really? That's crazy!

[Becks28]

I’m pretty sure they gave you the wrong information about the water slides. The water slides are free but you have to fill out a waiver and get a wristband. 

[GOLDENBONNY]

8 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

You have to pay to use the waterslide? Really? That's crazy!

Waterslides are free and buffet open almost 20 hours a day and you don't need to go to customer Service for photo just mark  "I don't want photo" on envelope and leave it for stewart .

[sptrout]

Very good review "mom2hershey". Agree that the shows are great, the best of our 25 cruises. Odd, but we sailed the Megavelia this December and the shows were a big letdown. Walkout level bad (we did not though although it was difficult to stay put).

 

However I do have a comment about "Time- every cruise I've been on uses the time zone of the original port (e.g. central time out of Galveston) as an anchoring point. MSC follows "true" time zones, which basically meant nobody really ever knows what time it is."

 

We have not been on a cruise in years where the ship did not change their ship's clocks to the same time as the next port-of-call. A western cruise out of Miami a couple years ago had us repeatedly changing clocks/times between Eastern & Central times as we cruised back and forth between time zones (three time switches if I remember right not to mention our Texas time to Miami time switch).

 

Out of Galveston is a little different where most of the cruises stay in the Central Time Zone with the exception of Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman Island stops. We have been on three Galveston cruises and I thought that they (RCCL & Celebrity) changed their clocks to match the next-port-of-call (but, it has been awhile so it may be different now).

[Acadie]

Thanks for the interesting review!  We sail the seaside in just over a week.  This will be our 2nd Seaside sailing and 3rd MSC.  We sailed NCL this past Oct and the ship followed the time zones, not the time in the original port of departure. Also, you were provided with wrong info concerning the waterslides; you sign a waiver and are given a bracelet for unlimited, free access to waterslides.  Too bad you missed out, they are super fast and fun on the Seaside.  

[jkgourmet]

Would you mind giving us more details on why you found the food so terrible?  It's so subjective that details really matter.

 

(I'd be peeved at that 'all you can eat' policy in the sushi place.  Did you discuss it with a manager?)

[poeticlicensed]

Concur about the spa. We were on Seaside 2 weeks ago and I had the best massage I've ever had on a cruise ship. We booked a port day discount massage and facial package and they also gave us us an hour in the thermal area. I did appreciate that they didn't try to sell me products after the massage, unlike RC who try to hold you hostage and sell you products after your massage. I thought it was weird that the entrance to the thermal area didn't seem to be monitored by anyone. We finished up our massages and told the person at the desk (who had no idea who we were) that we wanted to do our hour in the thermal area and she just smiled and shrugged. When we came out an hour later there was no one around. Frankly, I think we could have come in and out all day (or all week!) and no one would have noticed or cared it seemed. They weren't questioning anyone who came in and out of the thermal area, so I'm not sure how they know who is supposed to have access and who isn't.  

Edited January 7, 2020 by poeticlicensed

[BermudaBound2014]

Just a FYI.... this isn't the first time that MSC charged for use of the waterslide. The precedent has been set as there were periods of time where MSC charged for use of the waterslide on the Divina. It is quite possible that the OP is correct and there was a charge for the wateslide on the week they cruised (since it appears they cruised over NYE).

 

OP: Thank you for the review. I love it when both positives and negatives are stated as all cruise lines have room for improvement. Can you please elaborate on the water slide charge? 

[George C]

Nice review, but my wife really didn’t like message and she des that every cruise, but it is a beautiful ship , even better when in YC.

[reedprincess]

7 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Just a FYI.... this isn't the first time that MSC charged for use of the waterslide. The precedent has been set as there were periods of time where MSC charged for use of the waterslide on the Divina. It is quite possible that the OP is correct and there was a charge for the wateslide on the week they cruised (since it appears they cruised over NYE).

 

OP: Thank you for the review. I love it when both positives and negatives are stated as all cruise lines have room for improvement. Can you please elaborate on the water slide charge? 

We were aboard Seaside for NY cruise (and Christmas cruise). There was NO charge for waterslides on either week. Free if use, as they've been for a good long while. You do need to sign the waiver and get the wristband.  

 

[reedprincess]

PS: as for the Time Zone thing, when we've sailed RCI, we've always changed time zones to match local time. And we've done a fair few RCI cruises, both Caribbean and Med (Diamond +, so more than a few RCI cruises). Can't speak to Disney, but I know for sure RCI matches local time. It may be the OP always sailed when local time matched port time (such as the Christmas Seaside cruise, Miami time is same as Cozumel, Jamaica, Caymans - but come Daylight Savings, those ports will be an hour back as they don't "soring forward" , while San Juan, St Thomas, etc will be same time as Miami).   

With many cruises on multiple lines, we've encountered exactly one sailing where the ship didn't match local time, that was Carnival Victory, back in 2007.  Haven't been on a Carnival sailing since, so I don't know if they've changed their policy. 

MSC did put a notice in the Daily planner, a notice card in the bed, and announced it at the shows and theme parties about the time change, the ship clocks and phones all adjusted, etc , it definitely took some effort to miss it.... 

 

[WonderMan3]

I have sailed with Royal, NCL, Celebrity, Princess, and Holland and with all of them the ship adjusted its clock based on time zones. (Sometimes it could be delayed a bit, meaning you officially enter the new time zone while at sea but the ship doesn't adjust the clock until the night before you arrive at the next port that will feature that new time zone). I've never heard of a cruise line that does not do that. MSC is following the norm.

Edited January 8, 2020 by WonderMan3

[ready2cruzagain]

Was on the Seaside for 21 days in December.  The water slides are FREE.  Just have to sign a waiver, there is no charge. 

 

We actually loved the food in the MDR.  Lunch is the buffet was great also. Buffet for dinner not much variety.

 

I agree with you Guest Services is the rudest and unwilling to get to the bottom of anything.  We had a couple of problems and ended up having to go to the hotel manager to get them straightened out, once we did that, no more problems and was compensated way beyond what we should have been.

 

 

[jkgourmet]

3 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Was on the Seaside for 21 days in December.  The water slides are FREE.  Just have to sign a waiver, there is no charge. 

 

We actually loved the food in the MDR.  Lunch is the buffet was great also. Buffet for dinner not much variety.

 

I agree with you Guest Services is the rudest and unwilling to get to the bottom of anything.  We had a couple of problems and ended up having to go to the hotel manager to get them straightened out, once we did that, no more problems and was compensated way beyond what we should have been.

 

 

 

VERY good to hear something positive about the food.  Thank you.

 

Care to share what those problems were?  (Good to hear they were resolved. )

[ready2cruzagain]

7 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

 

VERY good to hear something positive about the food.  Thank you.

 

Care to share what those problems were?  (Good to hear they were resolved. )

 

We  prepaid for the 40 pieces of laundry, was told we did not purchase it before hand.  I had my receipt and my e-docs showing that I had paid for it.  GS said they would have to get a hold of corporate, corporate answers and said, they had no record of the purchase. Would not honor the 40 pieces even though I had proof. Told me to get a hold of my Credit Card when I got home and have it removed.  I refused to do that and told them so. 

 

We had also had problems with our cabin steward, 4 times he did not clean the room.  The last time I had a supervisor come to the cabin and steward said he didn't know why he didn't clean it, he just didn't.  Nothing was said from the supervisor. 

 

At that point between the laundry and the cabin not getting clean, we went down to the Diamond Party and talked to the Hotel Director and showed him our receipt for the laundry and the problem with the cabin steward.  He told us he would take care of it. From then on, everything was great.  We got our laundry, (even though they did lose two pieces and took several days to find them LOL), they gave us a free dinner at restaurant of our choice and drinks (we had the classic pkg so that was not an issue), sent wine and strawberries to the cabin, gave us a ship diffuser, passes to Aurea Solarium for the rest of the cruise (did not use it) and several other things.  The cabin was cleaned everyday after that too.

 

Just want to say if you prepurchase anything, make sure and take your receipts and if problems, go up the ladder until it is resolved.

[jules815]

On 1/8/2020 at 5:47 AM, ready2cruzagain said:

Was on the Seaside for 21 days in December.  The water slides are FREE.  Just have to sign a waiver, there is no charge. 

 

We actually loved the food in the MDR.  Lunch is the buffet was great also. Buffet for dinner not much variety.

 

I agree with you Guest Services is the rudest and unwilling to get to the bottom of anything.  We had a couple of problems and ended up having to go to the hotel manager to get them straightened out, once we did that, no more problems and was compensated way beyond what we should have been.

 

 

 

I can't comment on the food in the MDR because were were in YC last January, but almost every evening my husband and I would end up walking thru the larger of the buffets.  Nice that it was open later than other ships that we've been on, and we grazed the food every night and found it to be pretty good for a buffet.  Now that I think about it, we always go for a morning walk around the ship after breakfast, and would cut thru the smaller of the buffets, and they had a Cinnabon knock off that became our second breakfast, or dessert for our first.  🙂