Seashore - another (semi) live trip report (Sept 2021)

[ocdb8r]

Hey all - see below the beginning of a semi-live trip report for the Seashore.  Initially quite long which will likely taper off with random musings as we experience the cruise.  Will try to post as many menus/materials as possible and will check in every now and then for any specific questions that I can try to answer.

 

Pre-Cruise

A bit of background on my perspective and our pre-cruise experience.  I grew up in a family that enjoyed cruising.  We didn’t take a cruise every year, but by the time I was 18 I had been on 6-7 cruises on various lines and various (mostly North America/Caribbean) itineraries.  In adulthood, I continued to cruise and explored itineraries further afield (all parts of Europe, Middle East and Asia).  This would be my first cruise on MSC, having generally stayed fairly loyal to NCL over the past 10 years, most often on Princess prior to that.  However, I’ve cruised on most of the mass market lines to try out different ships and locations, but generally find NCL’s offering the sweet spot for how I like to cruise.  This will be my second cruise since COVID, having done the inaugural Celebrity Apex cruise out of Athens in June.

 

I initially began exploring trying out MSC about 6-12 months prior to COVID.  I got my status matched to Black (now Diamond) and was imminently planning a Caribbean cruise on the Seaside when COVID struck.  The primary motivation was a desire to try the Yacht Club product which price point wise sits well between regular and Haven cabins on NCL.  While I love NCL and have been spoiled by a couple of Haven cruises, pricing after launching the product has shot to a place where we couldn’t afford to cruise regularly in the Haven.  While we enjoy the exclusivity and quality bump of the Haven, we also find we are quite happy in a regular balcony and spending some extra cash on upgraded dining and thermal suite access to thoroughly enjoy our cruises with NCL.  I wanted to see if the Yacht Club and MSC offered an experience similar to the Haven at a more reasonable price point.

 

Ahead of this specific cruise, I monitored the cruise critic boards religiously for the initial reports of Seashore sailings and MSC operations in Europe in general to be sure we were well informed of what to expect in the era of COVID sailing.  Some of the initial Seashore reports made me a bit nervous – questionable experiences in the Yacht Club, a packed ship at 150% of listed capacity (due to high 3^rd and 4^th guest occupancy), a power outage and other issues.  There was also considerable confusion and constant changes to COVID testing, insurance and embarkation requirements.  Despite all this, I didn’t let this dissuade us from proceeding and I was just careful to note every published requirement up to the days before our cruise.

 

Day 1 (Naples – Boarding)

 

Leading up to boarding we concluded based on all published materials we would need to buy the MSC COVID Insurance (which was not required when we booked) – while I researched going with a private/independent plan, I could never be confident what was on offer would meet MSC’s requirements and the savings were not sufficient to go that route.  We also arranged a rapid antigen test the day before boarding.  With all our documents in hand (Ticket, Health Declaration, Vaccination Certificate and pre-cruise COVID test) we walked to the Naples terminal from the Renaissance Mediterraneo where we stayed the night before).  It was a 15 minute walk, past several construction zones, but easy enough.  First issue was a lack of MSC signage making clear where check-in and boarding was.  Fortunately the Naples cruise terminal is not giant and there are only a few areas where passenger boarding could take place.  After a bit of wandering (mostly following where people seemed to be coming OFF the ship) we found the check-in line.  It had about 40 people just outside the terminal doors. 

 

We proceeded to the front to ask if there was any special line for Yacht Club and were immediately assigned an agent to walked us to the front of the counters to the next available agent.  Check-in was smooth and painless given we had all our documentation – I could overhear issues at other desks with people missing either a COVID test or proper insurance.  We were then escorted to the front of the MSC pre-embarkation COVID test, swabbed and then escorted to a small MSC Yacht Club waiting area with juices and snacks while we waited the 15-20 minutes for our results.  Once our results came back negative, one of the Yacht Club Butlers came and escorted us to the front of the security line to have our carry-on bags scanned and then directly to boarding.  Boarding continued with being escorted to the Yacht Club lounge for drinks and canapes while we waited for our rooms to be ready.  Overall embarkation was the smoothest I have ever encountered on any ship and even better than the Haven on NCL.  The main difference being NCL has dedicated Haven check in areas and process (which means some lines are inevitable as waves of Haven guests arrive, but (here in Naples) MSC basically opts for personal escorts to the front of every regular line (which admittedly at times felt uncomfortable as we were forced in front of people who had clearly waited some time in line). 

 

Our room was ready within 20-30 minutes from boarding, and we were escorted there by a butler where our bags were waiting.  Overall happy with the quality of the accommodations.  I won’t go into too much detail as plenty has been posted on the cabins (and we’re just in a balcony, not anything unique to Seashore).  Closet space a but tighter than we are used to; we love having the Nespresso machine.  The mini-bar was stocked with non-alcoholic drinks and a Toblerone.  We were told it is complimentary and will be refreshed as we use it.  No alcohol and I initially forgot to ask how this now worked – found the junior butler who offered a list of full sized (70cl) bottles we could have one of for the duration of the cruise (or take with us).  I don’t recall the whole list (of 6 or 7) but I recall Jack Daniels, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and Absolute Vodka were on there.

 

Random musings and observations based on our first 24 hours on the ship:

 

• Very small number of English speakers on this sailing.  I would guess 50% Italian, followed by a decent amount of French, Spanish and a few Germans.  Have heard a few Brits and maybe a couple of Americans.  We did the walking tour in Messina and were in the only “English” group with 29 (out of what appeared to be a total of 300-400 split into groups for this tour) – but I know at least 6 in our group were not native English speakers (Dutch and Belgian). That said, we have not found the announcements (often in multiple languages) to be annoying or overburdensome.
• We immediately upgraded to the plus (drink) package and I’m glad we did.  Our initial motivation was to camp a few nights at the Champagne Bar and get our money back on the more expensive glasses of Champagne.  However, there now seem to be a LOT of drinks over €10 that would not be covered by the Yacht Club package.  Yes, you can seem to get a “version” of most drinks with that package but when you look at a menu that is half interesting “Specialty” drinks which you cannot order, it’s a bit annoying.  We’re happy we can order anything – ALMOST.  Randomly we asked for the drink of the day in the Cabaret Rouge and the server was unable to get it for us (as the system marked it as a required upcharge not included in ANY package).  She then mentioned we could get the same drink at another bar (where it appeared on the regular “specialty” menu) but she couldn’t get it for us here.  We simply ordered another drink…but found this an odd hiccup.  Also notice that we’re even getting value out of the package while in the Yacht Club as the bartenders and sommelier both noted we had upgraded our package and have made an effort to get us champagne, wine and digestives from the upgraded list (that would not normally be included in the Yacht Club).  This will be missed in the future given MSC is apparently nixing the “no price limit” for the plus package as of this fall. 
• The ship doesn’t feel terribly busy (certainly not as busy as the prior couple of cruises reported on this board).  The only common spaces “busy” have been the sunning area and rear pool on deck 8 and the main pool on deck 18.  Even then, loungers are available.  Being in the Yacht Club, we have no issues as plenty of spaces at our pool and deck area. 
•  We quite enjoyed the mini “shows” in the Cabaret Rouge.  I like this formula whereby they do short 10-15 minute “sets” throughout the night there so you can pop in, see one or two and pop out to dinner, a main show or one of the other bar venues.  First night was themed to Van Gogh and the next night appears to be themed to Picasso (but no show, just musical sets).  The next night shows as famous female artists, again with live performances.
• On the above – annoying that the app does not display any activities for more than the current day (just one of many annoying things with the half-working app).  Makes it difficult to plan for the week (as we have no idea what will be repeated and what will not).  I also find the overall programming on offer to be much more sparse than other cruises.  Hard to tell if this is a COVID thing or MSC thing, but during the day (on a port day at least) I think there are maybe 4 (non-shopping/spa sales) activities.  More on offer in the evening, but still less than I am used to.  Basically, it appears you have the choice of: Main Show, Cabaret Rouge or one venue with a vocalist or pianos for evening entertainment. 
• Main show seating is as ridiculous as posted by Markus; literally ever other seat is blocked so NO ONE is seated next to one another (even couples or those in the same party).  Masking is strictly enforced for the whole show (with people walking the aisles every 5-10 minutes); no drink service was offered, and the theater was “dismissed” by row at the end of the shows.

 

Have posted the following Menus below - I will probably not post YC meal menus as those seem well covered thus far:

 

Butcher's Cut

Champagne Bar

Hola Tacos

Venchi Gelato

Wine Cellar

Generic Shipwide Bar Menu

YC Bar Menu

YC Wine List

 

Butchers Cut (Sep 2021).pdf Champagne Bar (2021).pdf Generic Bar Menu (Sep 2021).pdf Hola Tacos (Sep 2021).pdf Venchi Gelato (Sep 2021).pdf Wine Cellar (Sep 2021).pdf YC Bar (Sep 2021).pdf YC Wine List (Sep 2021).pdf

[ocdb8r]

...a few more observations from another day in board.

 

- I don't quite understand the usefulness of the MSC bands. Servers can't seem to scan them with their tablets, so we've needed to be sure to have our cards with us at all times.  I guess it's slightly helpful to get in and out of the YC area, but also pointless for door access as you must insert your card to activate the electricity in the room.

 

- Jacuzzis throughout the ship are barely warm, much less hot.  Is this normal?  The larger one in the YC is down right cold but we've been told they're working on maintenance issue for it.

 

- Service in the YC has been stellar.  I think MSC does the "ship within a ship" concept better than NCLs Haven (will be interesting to one day compare to the Retreat).  Bottom line, I feel like we really do have our own "ship" here between a plethora of per passenger space within the YC and a concierge team/butler that guarantees you access to other venues on the ship.

[MemeCruise]

Thank you for posting your experience at the Seashore so far. The menus are very helpful too. Hopefully next year we'll finally be able to cruise MSC for the 1st time. Guess we would need to upgrade the YC drink package as well, if we look at the menus. What rates do they offer on board for the drink upgrades? 

 

In the Haven all drinks we liked were included, but that was in 2016. Same for the Retreat in 2019, which was excellent, different price category though. Same year we cruised the Celebrity Edge in a 'normal' infinity veranda cabin, we than had to try the other restaurants as well (when you stay at the Retreat, you mainly go to Luminae for BF, lunch and dinner, it was really that good!).

 

Now we're also a bit nervous about our 1st MSC cruise for the same reasons as you have mentioned. Your post has given us a bit more hope that it will be all right. Would be much appreciated if you could post some pics, especially interested to see how big the balcony really is (without a wide angle lens). 

 

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise and hopefully you will have time to post more here!

[Nunagoras]

Many thanks to the wonderful review!... :) Have a great cruise!...

 

The entertainment part seems a mix of the usual "low key" entertainment schedules and the new COVID era protection arrangements...

 

Seems that the Venchi Gelato place menu has been modified from one I've seen a few months ago when they started the new European sailings! At least I don't remember that curious Ice ream pralines page on the offer!... Those seem a bit expensive for what they are... But who knows for a special moment...

 

Meanwhile can you post the menu for the Venchi coffee and chocolate place, please?

 

And out of curiosity: I know you're in the YC, but if you have a chance, or anybody else could shine in, is the Brooklyn Cafe (Deck 8 according to the deck plan) part of Venchi or is it separate? If separate, does it have a separate menu or is it just the regular MSC bar menu? Can you post if it is a separate menu?

 

Have a nice day!...

 

Many thanks in advance!...

[Irishcanuck]

In regards to Hola tacos venue. I'm a huge lover of mezcal and tequila drinks. Are you able to drink at the attached bar without having to eat there?

Thank for your trip report

[ocdb8r]

12 hours ago, MemeCruise said:

What rates do they offer on board for the drink upgrades? 

 

In the Haven all drinks we liked were included, but that was in 2016. Same for the Retreat in 2019, which was excellent, different price category though.

 

 

There's a Dinks Packages (2021) thread on here (currently on page 2 of the threads) going into detail...in short, they are just about to change the packages such that the new top tier "plus" package has an upper limit on the per drink pricing included (as opposed to the current top tier offering ANYthing offered by the glass on any menu).  This was actually the main reason we upgraded...to try anything at the top of any menu pricing wise to see if there was anything we might not be able to live without in future cruises (mainly the upgraded champagne offerings). 

 

Within Yacht Club (physically) it appears to work much like Haven or Retreat - anything on the menus is available to you, including some "premium" cocktails found on menus outside the Yacht Club.  When (physically) outside the Yacht Club it appears the included package is just below the top tier "plus" package (which on the current cruise, means any drink priced up to €10 is included...which ends up excluding some of the same drinks available if in the Yacht Club area).  We upgraded to the plus package for €104.50/each for the week giving us access to anything throughout the ship.

 

10 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Meanwhile can you post the menu for the Venchi coffee and chocolate place, please?

 

And out of curiosity: I know you're in the YC, but if you have a chance, or anybody else could shine in, is the Brooklyn Cafe (Deck 8 according to the deck plan) part of Venchi or is it separate? If separate, does it have a separate menu or is it just the regular MSC bar menu? Can you post if it is a separate menu?

 

 

Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar menu posted below.  Venchi is not in any way connected with Brooklyn Cafe (they are on different Decks).  Brooklyn Cafe menu also posted below (main unique things to note on here are the large beer selection and hot wings offering).  

 

On Venchi, there are three places with Venchi branding that I've seen: The Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar, with it's own small seating area on Deck 6, the small Venchi Bar at the back of deck 8 by the infinity pool, offering Gelato, Ice Cream Bars and small frozen chocolates and the small kiosk next to the Jungle Pool (deck 18) offering Venchi Gelato.

 

1 hour ago, Irishcanuck said:

In regards to Hola tacos venue. I'm a huge lover of mezcal and tequila drinks. Are you able to drink at the attached bar without having to eat there?

Thank for your trip report

 

Absolutely (and we have enjoyed this as mezcal fans ourselves)!  There's a bar you can order from and some seating nearby.  The actual bar seating (at all bars on board) is closed off due to COVID....but I get the sense many of the current on-board COVID regulations have been dictated by currently being homeported in Italy.  I suspect there will be some modifications once Seashore moves to the US.

 

Posting the following Menus"

• Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar
• Brooklyn Cafe
• Cocktail Bar (just outside the teppanyaki and steakhouse entrances)

Venchi Chocolate Bar Menu (Sep 2021).pdf Brooklyn Cafe Sports Bar Menu (large beer selection) (Sep 2021).pdf Cocktail Bar Menu (Sep 2021).pdf

[MemeCruise]

54 minutes ago, ocdb8r said:

We upgraded to the plus package for €104.50/each for the week giving us access to anything throughout the ship.

 

Good to know MSC is about to change the drink packages, we'll keep an eye on that. Are the Venchi drinks included in the plus package? Read somewhere it was excluded, hopefully they have changed this or will have it included in the plus package. 

[Irishcanuck]

5 hours ago, ocdb8r said:

 

There's a Dinks Packages (2021) thread on here (currently on page 2 of the threads) going into detail...in short, they are just about to change the packages such that the new top tier "plus" package has an upper limit on the per drink pricing included (as opposed to the current top tier offering ANYthing offered by the glass on any menu).  This was actually the main reason we upgraded...to try anything at the top of any menu pricing wise to see if there was anything we might not be able to live without in future cruises (mainly the upgraded champagne offerings). 

 

Within Yacht Club (physically) it appears to work much like Haven or Retreat - anything on the menus is available to you, including some "premium" cocktails found on menus outside the Yacht Club.  When (physically) outside the Yacht Club it appears the included package is just below the top tier "plus" package (which on the current cruise, means any drink priced up to €10 is included...which ends up excluding some of the same drinks available if in the Yacht Club area).  We upgraded to the plus package for €104.50/each for the week giving us access to anything throughout the ship.

 

 

Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar menu posted below.  Venchi is not in any way connected with Brooklyn Cafe (they are on different Decks).  Brooklyn Cafe menu also posted below (main unique things to note on here are the large beer selection and hot wings offering).  

 

On Venchi, there are three places with Venchi branding that I've seen: The Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar, with it's own small seating area on Deck 6, the small Venchi Bar at the back of deck 8 by the infinity pool, offering Gelato, Ice Cream Bars and small frozen chocolates and the small kiosk next to the Jungle Pool (deck 18) offering Venchi Gelato.

 

 

Absolutely (and we have enjoyed this as mezcal fans ourselves)!  There's a bar you can order from and some seating nearby.  The actual bar seating (at all bars on board) is closed off due to COVID....but I get the sense many of the current on-board COVID regulations have been dictated by currently being homeported in Italy.  I suspect there will be some modifications once Seashore moves to the US.

 

Posting the following Menus"

• Venchi Coffee and Chocolate Bar
• Brooklyn Cafe
• Cocktail Bar (just outside the teppanyaki and steakhouse entrances)

Venchi Chocolate Bar Menu (Sep 2021).pdf 806.48 kB · 6 downloads Brooklyn Cafe Sports Bar Menu (large beer selection) (Sep 2021).pdf 758.69 kB · 5 downloads Cocktail Bar Menu (Sep 2021).pdf 2.06 MB · 6 downloads

Thanks so much for your reply. We are sailing in January from miami 🤞 and I'm sure there will be more changes by then. Enjoy your time on board and keep her pristine for our embarkation 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Irishcanuck
Spelling

[Beamafar]

5 hours ago, MemeCruise said:

Good to know MSC is about to change the drink packages, we'll keep an eye on that. Are the Venchi drinks included in the plus package? Read somewhere it was excluded, hopefully they have changed this or will have it included in the plus package. 

The new packages being introduced soon are a lot poorer than current ones with PremiumPlus (everything by the glass) being replaced with PremiumExtra (drinks up to €13/$15)

 

Venchi is not included in any packages, nor will it be in any of the new ones.   Here’s the wording for the new highest package:

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Beamafar

[MemeCruise]

 

Do you happen to know under which category the YC drink package (now up to $12) will fall in the new drink category: Easy Plus (up to $9) or Premium Extra (up to $15) 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/dining-drinks/drink-comparison-chart

 

Bummer, when I booked this 1st MSC cruise back in 2019 to sail in 2020, I read about these upcoming changed, but thought we wouldn't be affected, because it would be implemented only in winter 2021...here we are, still waiting for our 1st MSC cruise, hopefully to happen in 2022 (with upper limits, our livers will be thankful!)

[Beamafar]

MSC won’t/don’t ever indicate a specific drinks package for YC.  Aurea will include the new ‘Easy’;  it wouldn’t surprise me if YC will only have the equivalent of the new ‘EasyPlus’ package.  

[Chrisfromco]

Thanks for all your information thus far! We are considering Seashore in Feb. 2022. Did you happen to see if the Manhattan restaurant is truly it's own restaurant for Aurea guests? Or if it's just a smaller venue serving the same menu as the main dining room? I'm really curious as to what the menu is. I'm hoping it's similar to Blu on Celebrity for it's Aqua guests. Any feedback would be much appreciated!!

Regards,

Chris

[deliver42]

I booked Aurea on the Seashore for May because of the private deck, pool and restaurant, but knowing MSC, my guess is the restaurant will have the MDR menu, and not be like Blu on Celebrity.

[ocdb8r]

21 hours ago, Chrisfromco said:

Thanks for all your information thus far! We are considering Seashore in Feb. 2022. Did you happen to see if the Manhattan restaurant is truly it's own restaurant for Aurea guests? Or if it's just a smaller venue serving the same menu as the main dining room? I'm really curious as to what the menu is. I'm hoping it's similar to Blu on Celebrity for it's Aqua guests. Any feedback would be much appreciated!!

Regards,

Chris

 

13 hours ago, deliver42 said:

I booked Aurea on the Seashore for May because of the private deck, pool and restaurant, but knowing MSC, my guess is the restaurant will have the MDR menu, and not be like Blu on Celebrity.

 

Manhattan restaurant is in fact just a dedicated venue - the menu on offer is the same as the other MDR's.

 

The private deck area is quite nice and clearly much quieter than the other deck areas.  I note there is no pool, but a couple of jacuzzis which are also quieter than those on the main decks.  

 

[ocdb8r]

On 9/24/2021 at 10:23 AM, Irishcanuck said:

In regards to Hola tacos venue. I'm a huge lover of mezcal and tequila drinks. Are you able to drink at the attached bar without having to eat there?

Thank for your trip report

@Irishcanuck - see below my (disappointing) note on Hola Tacos.  Unfortunately, it is excluded completely from all drink packages (and is the only place on board with Mezcal).

[ocdb8r]

Some final thoughts…

We had a complete rain-out in Genoa, so I thought I’d take the time to jot down some of our final thoughts on the penultimate day of our first MSC experience.  A bit long, but hopefully helpful to any others looking at MSC or specifically the Seashore.

 

Food and Drink (Yacht Club and elsewhere)

We were not “blow away” by any of our food experiences on the ship (and I would also say we were not really disappointed either).  The dining in the Yacht Club was certainly elevated above most other MDR experiences we have experienced in the couple of years before COVID struck, but I can’t say there was anything we had that really made us say “wow, I can’t wait to have that again sometime.”  Italian dishes and fish dishes certainly stood out as the best quality and taste options.  Meat and poultry dishes were much more variable, with some being very good and others just passing the grade.

 

We also ventured to the Marketplace Buffet a couple of times just to see what was on offer.  The pizza was definitely a cut above most cruise ship pizza, but not quite the amazing quality we had in Naples (where we boarded).  Otherwise, the buffet seemed quite disappointing with a much more limited selection than we are used to on other lines. We also found the design of the buffet very poor on Seashore, with long tight corridors which made it both difficult to navigate and difficult to actually see what was on offer.  After taking the time to walk the full length of the buffet area a couple of times, we discovered quite a bit of repetition throughout and only one small section of hot dishes at the very back of the ship.

 

As a (matched) Diamond member, we spent one evening at Butcher’s cut.  Again, the food was clearly above MDR standard but certainly below the steakhouse on Princess (although it’s been nearly 5 year’s since we last dined there) NCL (just pre-COVID) and Celebrity (this June on the Apex).  Our steaks were perfectly cooked, but the NY Strip was a bit tough with more gristle than I would expect.  Sides were forgettable and the four steak sauces presented for every table were not particularly flavorful.  Dessert was also subpar, with the chocolate “lava” cake served cold/room temp. 

 

Finally, we ate once at Hola Tacos (and drank there a couple of other times) and were very pleased with the food offering (coming from a native from SoCal – it wasn’t as good as what you can get from a good SoCal Mexican restaurant but exceeded any Mexican offerings we’ve had on other lines).  HOWEVER, we were quite frustrated to have been charged for all our drinks in this venue, despite having upgraded to the Plus package.  This was remedied by the YC Concierge after the fact, but apparently Hola Tacos is also completely excluded from any drink package.  I pointed out that all the online descriptions of the plus package (both in the MSC app and on their website) make no mention of this and explicitly indicate drinks are covered at specialty restaurants – that said, printed documentation provided to ship staff (and also in the flyer used to promote the packages on the ship) now exclude Hola Tacos….I suspect an online update will forthcoming.  Quite disappointing and bizarre as effectively this means you cannot have a single free drink (no matter how small the cost) at this venue when dining here, regardless of any drink package you may have.

As for drinks – as I mentioned, we immediately upgraded to the Plus package to take advantage of the no per glass limit which will be going away this Fall.  Overall, we were very happy with the selections available to us and certainly got our money’s worth.  The Sommelier (Alessandro Di Fiore) in the Yacht Club dining room provided outstanding service and really latched on to us once he realized we had upgraded our package.  He seemed to delight in being able to open some of the more expensive bottles of wine to be able to explain and serve them.  He did an excellent job offering up both good pairings for the food we ordered and ensuring we got a good “tour” of the upgraded wines by the glass available to us with the plus package. 

 

Entertainment

I posted a bit about some of our initial experiences which were pleasurable.  We continued to really enjoy the Cabaret Rouge venue and the design of programming there.  Those nights that paired the band with live performances were very nice (Van Gogh, Woman Artists, Paris revue – with Van Gogh being the clear standout from a production perspective).  However, I think ideal for people to go in with a proper expectation of how this works; we saw several people come, order drinks, sit and leave in apparent frustration at the lack of seeing a “show.”  On nights offering one of these productions, the general formula is for the venue to start at 7:30 with the band playing live music.  This would occasionally be peppered with a live singer for the first 30-45 minutes.  Usually between 8 and 8:15pm a more fulsome “production” would commence with 15-20 minutes of live singing and dancing.  This sequence would then “repeat” with the production being done a couple more times throughout the evening.  For us, it made for a more casual type of entertainment we could weave into our evening plans and we enjoyed the more intimate space with live entertainment.

For the main theater productions, we found all FOUR of them very enjoyable.  We were surprised to see so many FULL productions given our more recent experiences on the main US based lines is to have a couple of big productions with the other nights filled by other simpler entertainment (a single singer, musician, comedian, magician…etc).  However, while these are scheduled for 45 minutes, nearly every one was exactly 30 minutes in length.  As to quality, they may not have had quite the talent or storytelling we have seen on other lines, but I don’t think I have ever seen more elaborate costumes.

 

Finally, we also enjoyed several of the lounge/bar acts throughout the ship and found them of similar (high) quality to Princess/NCL/Celebrity and particularly enjoyed the regular live music presented in YC Top Sail Lounge (which also drifted up to the dining area). 

 

Spa Thermal Suite

I mention this because we are completely in love with the thermal suite on the newer NCL ships and always get the weeklong pass.  This has served as our little hideaway of tranquility on NCL ships since we no longer find sufficient value in the Haven at current pricing. I have been surprised having had access to the thermal suites on our Celebrity Apex cruise in June and this MSC cruise to learn that NCL’s offering is a bit unique/superior (at least for us).  All three have very nice sensory showers, wet and dry saunas and Himalayan salt rooms, hitting the main points for a thermal suite.  However, the Celebrity Apex has no Thalasso/water therapy pool/jacuzzi and while there is one on the Seashore (closed due to COVID) it is extremely small; I can’t imagine being able to really enjoy it as we do on NCL. In addition, the Seashore Thermal Suite location on deck 8 makes for little to no outdoor views.  Location was better on the Celebrity Apex, but very few heated tiled loungers, poorly placed, meant no long relaxing afternoons gazing out at the sea from a warm tiled lounger after 20 minutes in the therapy pool.

 

Overall Service

As mentioned, service within the Yacht Club was always top notch.  Everyone consistently went above and beyond to ensure we were having a pleasant time and to get us anything we needed.  Of particular note was Arnold from the Philippines up on the Pool Deck who really excelled at getting to know everyone, including our morning and afternoon drink preferences.  Based on my reading of other posts, our Butler (Manoj) was average for YC, but certainly above and beyond any room steward we have ever had.  He was also well backed up by our junior butler (Joao) who was always so upbeat and helpful. 

 

Random notes and observations

• The bars and bartenders are effectively “no-go” areas during COVID which we found a bit annoying.  You are not allowed to sit at any bar, nor are you able to order directly from any bartender.  This made it difficult to ever “quickly” grab a drink as you always had to find somewhere to “sit” and get the attention of a server.
• The Seashore really seems to shudder quite a bit when maneuvering on and off the dock.  Much more so than any other ship we’ve been on in the last 5 years.  At sea, smooth as silk.
• Crew fatigue is a real issue right now.  I think we had forgotten that MSC has actually been operating (continuously) since last year.  Many of the crew are in the 8^th or 9^th month of their contracts…some pushing themselves to work longer as a result of the (forced) time they had off during COVID, others desperately ready for a break but worried the cruise line will call them back early as more ships continue to come back online.  In addition, we met several crew members who had launched Virtuosa, got it up and running and then were moved to launch the Seashore.  A couple even commented that they felt honored to be sought out for to help launch new ships due to their repeated positive guest comments, but that launching two ships in such a short period was very taxing.

Summary

Overall, we had a very nice first cruise with MSC and would not hesitate to sail with them in the Yacht Club again. I think we would hesitate to sail MSC outside the Yacht Club as we missed some of the things we love about NCL (good a la carte restaurants, abbreviated Broadway productions, best thermal suite at sea and much better shoreside customer service and communication).  At current YC pricing, there is clearly value for money that hits a sweet spot for us that would continue to tempt us to pay the premium over a regular (non-Haven) cabin on NCL, however, if prices continue to creep up, we may be priced out of the YC.  I think we would also tend to gravitate toward the newer MSC ships which significant dedicated YC space as this was something that stood out to us as really enjoyable compared to the (earlier) Haven set-ups on NCL.

 

[bigblue1952]

Thank you for your review.  We will be on the Seashore in April and found this very helpful.

[MemeCruise]

On 9/24/2021 at 6:32 PM, Beamafar said:

The new packages being introduced soon are a lot poorer than current ones with PremiumPlus (everything by the glass) being replaced with PremiumExtra (drinks up to €13/$15)

 

 @ocdb8r Your feedback alerted me on the upcoming changes, being introduced winter 2021 as published on MSC's website: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/dining-drinks/drinks-packages

 

I thought, let's book a cruise and enjoy the unlimited Premium Plus package while it's still being offered:

So I booked for 7 November on the Fantasia (great deals with Voyages Selections: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/cruise-discount-5-plus-15 ) - 

 

Only to find out now the small prints under FAQs:  Winter season 2021 to start on 7 Nov in the Fantasia. Silly me, assuming Winter starts in December!

 

 

Anyway, we will enjoy the new package, got a very good deal for this 1st MSC cruise, Fantasia will resume cruising on 7 Nov, let's see how things go.

 

Thanks again for your info!