How is the food on Seaside specifically the YC ? Switching from X

[dgparent]

I booked a cruise on X the other day in a Sky Suite on the new Apex (really the only sailing that fit our schedule in March 2021). We have sailed X in suites a couple of times and love it, they recently changed the pricing to include a few things so the cruise was over 7K. Yesterday while doing more research I saw the YC on Seaside for the same dates was only 5K so I booked it. While reading reviews (I know they are subjective) about Seaside out of Miami there were a boat load of complaints mostly about the food. It can't be that bad is it? We will only eat in the YC or in specialty restaurants.

 

There were 2 reasons we switched, one was price and the other was X's new ships only seem to allow smoking on deck 16, not ideal when you are in the casino with your wife drinking on deck 5 and just want a quick puff. I noticed MSC has more smoking areas is this still true? Thanks for your replies in advance.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hi DG,
 

The food in the YC is very good.  You can take a look at the menus in the threads above.  The complaints come mostly from pax who are expecting food that is similar to Carnival, NCL etc.  MSC had teething problems when it entered the US market...there were justifiable complaints.  Those days are behind us as MSC has steadily improved.  The food appeals to the European pax who are the majority of the pax onboard with an accent towards Italian.  If you take the time to wade through recent reviews here on the MSC site you will find some nuggets of information.  

 

[dgparent]

Thanks I am not a "foodie" I just need a good burger for lunch and a good steak for dinner, my wife is the foodie she loves italian food so this may hit her sweet pot. Mostly we just enjoy sitting outside near a bar where we can have a few drinks and I don't have to travel 900 miles for a smoke. And the casino at night.

 

Do they have specialty dinner packages? The only ones listed for our cruise are chef tables, we just want a 3 night package of some sort. It might be because our sailing is a year out ?

 

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

58 minutes ago, dgparent said:

Thanks I am not a "foodie" I just need a good burger for lunch and a good steak for dinner, my wife is the foodie she loves italian food so this may hit her sweet pot. Mostly we just enjoy sitting outside near a bar where we can have a few drinks and I don't have to travel 900 miles for a smoke. And the casino at night.

 

Do they have specialty dinner packages? The only ones listed for our cruise are chef tables, we just want a 3 night package of some sort. It might be because our sailing is a year out ?

 

 

They do have a three dinner package but many have found that the YC dining is just as good.  Your wife will love the YC.  BTW...the hamburger that they serve in the YC is outstanding!  

[diesel1973]

1 hour ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Hi DG,
 

The food in the YC is very good.  You can take a look at the menus in the threads above.  The complaints come mostly from pax who are expecting food that is similar to Carnival, NCL etc.  MSC had teething problems when it entered the US market...there were justifiable complaints.  Those days are behind us as MSC has steadily improved.  The food appeals to the European pax who are the majority of the pax onboard with an accent towards Italian.  If you take the time to wade through recent reviews here on the MSC site you will find some nuggets of information.  

 

Don't know why you state that MSC has improved unless you are talking about your own experience. According to the reviews it sounds like things are getting worse. The Seaside rating has dropped 1/2 star and the Meraviglia isn't doing much better. But I guess after my experience on a early cruise on the Seaside, things must have been better, doubt if they could have been any worse!!! Just saying.

 

[bigblue1952]

Having been on the Seaside for two weeks in November, we found the food in the Yacht Club to be excellent.  I really do not know what people expect when they complain.  The Italian food was great as were the burgers and steak.

[dgparent]

19 minutes ago, diesel1973 said:

Don't know why you state that MSC has improved unless you are talking about your own experience. According to the reviews it sounds like things are getting worse. The Seaside rating has dropped 1/2 star and the Meraviglia isn't doing much better. But I guess after my experience on a early cruise on the Seaside, things must have been better, doubt if they could have been any worse!!! Just saying.

 

Were you in the YC ? Most of the reviews I read that were bad were from people not in the YC.

[mickey89]

We sailed MSC Preziosa last month in the YC and the food was disgraceful.  The food quality was very poor, the waiters even advised against Lamb and beef when it was on the menu.  We dined many times in their Butcher's Cut restaurant and the quality was superb.  Last time I would choose MSC  for sure.

[diesel1973]

Doesn't make sense to me to have to pay extra to get a satisfying cruise. Had a Fantastica balcony which was comparable in price to a RC cruise or X. If you check on my past posts my cruise on Seaside was the worst cruise ever. Was excited to cruise on new ship but boy was I mistaken. My neighbors just returned from a cruise on the Meraviglia and compared to their cruise on Seaside last year was horrible. Not traveling in YC is no excuse for having a terrible cruise in other rooms on their ships.

[alyssamma]

40 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

Having been on the Seaside for two weeks in November, we found the food in the Yacht Club to be excellent.  I really do not know what people expect when they complain.  The Italian food was great as were the burgers and steak.

Agree 100%. Was on the Seaside earlier this month. Found the food to be better than it was when I was on it last April. This was YC, but I also ate a couple of times in the buffet for lunch.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

53 minutes ago, diesel1973 said:

Don't know why you state that MSC has improved unless you are talking about your own experience. According to the reviews it sounds like things are getting worse. The Seaside rating has dropped 1/2 star and the Meraviglia isn't doing much better. But I guess after my experience on a early cruise on the Seaside, things must have been better, doubt if they could have been any worse!!! Just saying.

 

Yes there are those times where things just don’t pan out in the galley-kitchen.  Sorry your experience in the MDR wasn’t up to your expectations.  You probably won’t be returning to MSC.  There are, however, thousands of other pax who were and are very satisfied with the MSC product.  Since the OP is inquiring about the Yacht Club dining and quality of the food I think you might want to post your own complaints on another thread more suitable to your own experience.

[kimhinterman]

Just off the Seaside in the Yacht Club 1 week ago.  The food in the Yacht Club was very good IMO.  The buffets they put out on the pool deck for breakfast and lunch were where we ate almost every day. My husband loved the burgers and they had a good variety of options (fish, salad, and a different cut of meat every day) with pasta specials every day too.  The lobster in the Yacht Club dining room was surprisingly great!  We ate one dinner at the Butchers Cut and it was fabulous! We also enjoyed a great pizza in our room almost every evening! Our only complaint in the Yacht Club was the bar service on the pool deck was very slow. Order two drinks at a time and you will be fine! Enjoy! I think you will love it!

[alyssamma]

22 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

You will be in your elements, you can smoke almost anywhere on open decks and many places inside.  

Not sure about the non-YC areas, but this is definitely not true for YC area. No smoking by the grill, pool, and where tables are set out. Otherwise, half of the rest of the deck is for smoking.

 

As for smoking on balconies, at least in the YC, I didn't notice any. It may, of course, vary from cruise to cruise.

[scamper]

I have found Yacht Club dining to be quite good. I've not dined in other venues on the ships so I can't comment about other locations.

 

I agree that in the beginning MSC North America's cruises stayed geared towards European tastes and pacing, but changes have been made. Sorry for anyone who had bad experiences with Yacht Club dining (the subject of this thread).

Edited February 28, 2020 by scamper

[jules815]

We've sailed on Seaside in YC once, and are going again in April.  We've done suite class on X several times and loved it.  I'd say the food in YC isn't quite as good as Luminae, but there were some things we liked very much and we certainly never went hungry.  The YC pool and bar/grill area is wonderful, and you'll enjoy the YC lounge too.  As far as smoking goes, not a smoker, but there were definitely smoking areas on one side of the pool deck, the shaded area with tables.  There's also a smoking area outside at the front of the YC lounge.  Half of that seating area is for smokers.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[dgparent]

37 minutes ago, jules815 said:

We've sailed on Seaside in YC once, and are going again in April.  We've done suite class on X several times and loved it.  I'd say the food in YC isn't quite as good as Luminae, but there were some things we liked very much and we certainly never went hungry.  The YC pool and bar/grill area is wonderful, and you'll enjoy the YC lounge too.  As far as smoking goes, not a smoker, but there were definitely smoking areas on one side of the pool deck, the shaded area with tables.  There's also a smoking area outside at the front of the YC lounge.  Half of that seating area is for smokers.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank  you we are looking forward to it !

[mafig]

We thought the food in the YC was pretty good.  Especially liked that the YC restaurant was open for lunch every day, whether a port day or not.

 

The food in YC Pool and Bar Grill was wonderful....completely agree with the previous posts!  My dh still talks about the pork he had one lunch, and he was not the only one enjoying it, everyone around us was saying "isn't this goooood!"

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I think you'll be pleased with your decision to switch to YC on Seaside.  The food is not as good as it is in Luminae, but it is fine.  If your wife loves Italian, have her order the risotto.  It's excellent.  And the food up at the pool grill is very good.  I generally had breakfast and lunch up there.  And you have a smoking area up there.  Sounds like a good fit for you.  I find the cabins better than the sky suites on Celebrity.  If you love a good steak, splurge once in a while and go to Butchers Cut with some of the $2,000 you saved.  The private island, Ocean Cay, is gorgeous.  Come back and let us know what you thought.  Bon Voyage!

[alyssamma]

48 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

If your wife loves Italian, have her order the risotto.  It's excellent. 

This.

 

I ate the risotto every day...it was amazing.

[jules815]

8 hours ago, alyssamma said:

Agree 100%. Was on the Seaside earlier this month. Found the food to be better than it was when I was on it last April. This was YC, but I also ate a couple of times in the buffet for lunch.

 

Good to hear.  We were in Seaside YC January, 2019.  

 

[jules815]

3 hours ago, alyssamma said:

This.

 

I ate the risotto every day...it was amazing.

 

Oh yes...the risotto!  I seem to remember a truffle risotto that was very good.  I'm getting so excited.  🙂

 

[grandgeezer]

We too, have abandoned Celebrity, specifically for the Yacht Club on the Seaside. The “boss” and I have a slight difference of opinion  on the food in the designated  restaurant. I feel the beef, in Luminae, on Celebrity is slightly better while the “boss” feels the chicken and seafood in Seaside is much better. We feel the total experience of the Yacht Club is much superior to the suite life on Celebrity, at least the Solstice class ships.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Oh yes...the risotto!  I seem to remember a truffle risotto that was very good

 

My experience has been on Meraviglia as a YC guest.

 

The risotto:  saw several versions on the menu and never ordered it.  I think I made a boo-boo in not doing so reading the reviews since I have returned home.

7 hours ago, mafig said:

Especially liked that the YC restaurant was open for lunch every day, whether a port day or not.

 

So agree; lunch in the YC Restaurant was delightful.  

 

Maybe even better?  Breakfast in the YC Restaurant.

 

12 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

MSC had teething problems when it entered the US market...there were justifiable complaints.  Those days are behind us as MSC has steadily improved.  

 

Many reports when MSC began sailing from Port Everglades were discouraging to read.  One morning, after disembarking from a HAL cruise, I was waiting for an elevator at the Mid-Port Parking Garage with a couple who had disembarked that morning from MSC Orchestra.  I asked about their cruise and they loved it.  (They were experienced cruisers as well.)  That helped to put MSC on my "radar" as a cruise experience I ought to try.  Which, I finally did.

 

MSC wants a share of the North American market,  and I agree with the previous poster, they are investing the money and talent to become a major competitor in the North American cruise industry.

[riredsox]

Hi, first time MSC cruiser after 37 Celebrity cruises.  How is the smoking at the pool and the outdoor YC grill?   Are you able to get away from it?  We are doing B2B in Sept on the Seaside. Did a suite on the Celebrity Edge and loved it but have always wanted to try the MSC YC!

[rkacruiser]

19 minutes ago, riredsox said:

Hi, first time MSC cruiser after 37 Celebrity cruises.  How is the smoking at the pool and the outdoor YC grill?   Are you able to get away from it?  We are doing B2B in Sept on the Seaside. Did a suite on the Celebrity Edge and loved it but have always wanted to try the MSC YC!

 

Can't answer your question.  I am not a smoker.  Really don't pay much attention to this.  I remember nothing when I was on the Pool Deck/Grill area that was of any significance notice as to smokers.