First MSC Cruise on Seaside. Top 3 Things I Should Know.

[CruisingWalter]

Hi all!

 

We've been cruising nearly 20 years, have sailed on 8 different cruise lines because we love exploring new ships and new cruise lines. Very first MSC cruise will be May 28 on the Seaside from Port Canaveral.  Please give me your top 3 things we should know before sailing on MSC and/or the ship.

 

For reference, we are Bella Balcony guarantee on this sailing.  Previous cruise lines are Virgin Voyages, Princess, Disney, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, about 20 cruises in all so far. I'm a foodie and also love a good Old Fashioned cocktail. Thank you kindly for your input!

[Two Wheels Only]

If you think of the MSC experiences as you would think of class on an airline (economy, business, first class, etc.), you'll have a better understanding as far as what you are getting. Bella being the most basic while Yacht Club is the most inclusive. 

 

My first thing to know is that MSC is in many ways different from the other lines that you mentioned. Don't go in expecting things to be like they were on your previous cruises. 

 

Second would be to realize that MSC staff aren't the bubbly/outgoing staff that you may be used to. It is more of a serious operation. If you want something, you probably have to ask. 

 

Third would be to prepare for more of a Eurocentric dining experience instead of the typical American "comfort" foods. There are MDR menus/food posted that will give you an idea of what you can expect. 

Click HERE or HERE for examples of very informative threads with pictures.   

[shipgeeks]

I guess you know that you will have set dining (Bella, which is what we book on MSC).  You cannot opt for anytime dining for evening meals, although you could, of course, eat in the buffet at any time. There are also several specialty restaurants on the ship, for a fee.

A great number of the passengers will probably not be Americans, so perhaps a different vibe. We like that because it is more like being "away"; others might find it a negative.

Many little things are less American and more European.  Service is more formal, less gushy. Things like butter and toast could be missing (but try the croissants, sticky buns, etc.); washcloths in cabin bathrooms are not expected (but can be requested).  

We loved MSC, and Seaside.  Go with an open mind and enjoy.

[Essiesmom]

There are two buffets on Seaside.  The smaller one on deck 16 was my favorite for breakfast, not so busy.  
On Seaside you will have to insert your card into the slot by the door to turn on the lights.  Has to be your ship card, other cards won’t work.  But on Seaside class ships you can get a bracelet from Guest Services (in 2019 it cost $5) that will do everything but check you off the ship and back on in ports.  
  It’s an interesting design, be sure to wander and check out all the nooks and crannies.  

[CruisingWalter]

2 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

If you think of the MSC experiences as you would think of class on an airline (economy, business, first class, etc.), you'll have a better understanding as far as what you are getting. Bella being the most basic while Yacht Club is the most inclusive. 

Yep, just like Haven on NCL or Retreat on Celebrity.  "You get what you pay for" on any ship. 🙂  Thanks for all the great input!

[CruisingWalter]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

We loved MSC, and Seaside.  Go with an open mind and enjoy.

 

Thanks so much for all the great advice!

[CruisingWalter]

17 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

 It’s an interesting design, be sure to wander and check out all the nooks and crannies

 

Thanks so much for all the input!

[wayne_trisha]

Unless it has changed if you have a wifi package the first device you connect is the only device you can use. You cannot log off with your current device and then log in with a different device. Found this out the hard way.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, CruisingWalter said:

Yep, just like Haven on NCL or Retreat on Celebrity. 

 

Those are the exact examples that I give when describing the Yacht Club. RCCL has the Suite Neighborhood which is very similar in concept. 

 

One of the reasons for many negative reviews from first time MSC cruisers is that people choose the wrong experience then complain about what wasn't included. My first MSC cruise was on Seaside in 2018 and I was reading many reviews from other first time MSC cruisers. One review on YouTube was from a guy who was complaining that there were certain parts of the ship that he couldn't go whereas on other lines, he could go everywhere other guests could go. He chose the wrong experience. He didn't like seeing other guests "skip the lines" in port. He didn't like seeing other guests take control of the elevators to express themselves to the desired deck. 

 

The food is another area where people get upset when they don't get "the usual" food that is on other cruise lines. Some people who expect ice cream might be disappointed with gelato. Some people who expect mozzarella sticks might be disappointed with mozzarella di bufala. Some people who expect Domino's pizza might be disappointed with fresh (mozzarella made on board), hand-made pizza. 

 

SOME areas where MSC can improve are IT (website can be/is a nightmare), finance as far as refunds, and land-based customer service. You'll read horror stories including some from me but in my case, everything worked out and I currently have 3 more cruises booked with MSC.

[CruisingWalter]

18 hours ago, wayne_trisha said:

Unless it has changed if you have a wifi package the first device you connect is the only device you can use. You cannot log off with your current device and then log in with a different device. Found this out the hard way.

No it has not changed, we've already been warned on that. I have to get two WiFi packages for my phone and computer. Horrible system, but it is what it is and I know about it going in.

[CruisingWalter]

17 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

One of the reasons for many negative reviews from first time MSC cruisers is that people choose the wrong experience then complain about what wasn't included

 

The examples you give are definitely people coming in with the wrong expectations. (Being upset because you didn't have access to all the areas of a ship.... 🤣) If every ship experience was exactly the same, that would be so boring, especially when it comes to food. 

 

The only negative reviews I pay attention to are those that discuss customer service. It's striking to me how many bad experiences guests have had with crew on MSC ships from stewards to senior management. I'm Italian by heritage so I know we can be abrasive at times and can sometimes tell you exactly how we feel. But when your entire product is based on excellent customer service to provide a welcoming vacation for your guests, there's no excuse to berate your passengers or provide bad customer service. Those are the reviews that have caught my attention and I'm very interested to see what the customer service is like and how they react to upset guests and negative situations. 

 

That is one area that should be just like the rest of the cruise lines if you want to have a product that thrives long term in the hospitality business. I'll give you a great example of what I consider excellent customer service that happened last month.

 

On Sky Princess our dinner at Sabatini's took over 3 1/2 hours for no particular reason. The restaurant was not full, but it was taking up to 45 minutes between courses with no explanation from our server. Our food was 'dying' in the pass. What is usually my favorite meal on a Princess cruise was the worst. I let the manager know we were unhappy on the way out and left it at that. 

 

The next day the Dining Supervisor (or whatever his title is), found me on the ship to discuss the situation. He apologized and invited us to dine at Sabatini's again or Crown Grille on him. We chose Crown Grille.  He came to our table at Crown Grille to check on our dinner, even brought the Executive Chef out to talk to us. He invited us to dine at Bistro Sur Le Mer the next evening, which we declined because we needed a break from all the big meals. The next day he found us in the buffet to chat and check in. 

 

That's way beyond what I would have expected, I would have been happy with the dinner being comped at Sabatini's. But the customer service after a negative experience is what is the deciding factor for me whether I will return to a product. As I've mentioned before we've sailed 8 different cruise lines so far and it's the customer service that keeps us coming back to cruising. We don't expect a perfect cruise, we know things will happen on pretty much every cruise. But how the customer service responds determines if we'll be back on that cruise line anytime in the near future. 

[Boozy O Croozy]

22 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

On Seaside you will have to insert your card into the slot by the door to turn on the lights.  Has to be your ship card, other cards won’t work.

 

Nope. Old hotel cards work just fine.

[Two Wheels Only]

13 minutes ago, Boozy O Croozy said:

 

Nope. Old hotel cards work just fine.

 

Lots of different types of cards will work. 😉

[KKB]

I sailed MSC for the 1st time in Feb. on the Divina.

I'm not sold yet...sailing Preziosa next week, so we shall see.

 

After sailing 25+ times in 20 years on Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, RCCL, NCL & DCL,

MSC IS different. 

 

The biggest difference for me--I have never encountered more rude/clueless passengers in my life.

Clueless is probably the better descriptor--I don't think they were TRYING to be rude. 

But just many who were oblivious to common courtesy--pulling loungers into the "track" area around the ship (admittedly damn cozy if you don't); walking 2 by 2 down the stairs...when others are trying to walk up (and one not stepping behind the other so that others may go up); oblivious to lines/who was there first; ignoring safety instructions by workers on tenders (do not stand up until we are AT ship...told REPEATEDLY.)

These were not isolated incidents. They occurred many times over 5+7 cruises.

Why? I cannot say. 

Perhaps after Preziosa I will have a clearer answer.

 

THINGS I LIKED

Overall crew was wonderful as other cruises--some quieter, some more sociable, as on other cruises.

Buffet--BEST pizza I've ever had, better fish than in MDR (2 kinds at dinner), FRESH sauteed veggies, real scrambled eggs (not powdered)

Many wonderful musicians (tho theatre shows were ODD)

Casino was incredibly good to me, even tho there were only 6 video poker machines.

 

I didn't HATE it...but I didn't LOVE it.

Time will tell...