Live from Seaside 4/27

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Well that stinks!

Dinner in the Yacht Club restaurant tonight was excellent!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

No particular order to the following - and I'll add more as I think of it.

 

Yacht Club experience was nice, albeit the potential was hobbled by the Expedia "partial ship takeover". At least we managed 1 specialty dinner - Butcher's Cut. Cheryl and I gave the Tomahawk Chop a try - and could not finish it, though it was tender (one of the only things on the menu advertised as dry aged - nothing was noted as being Prime grade).

 

 

I had the crab cakes as a starter. Quite good (I left nothing on the plate), but it paled in comparison to my favorite (Rudi's Seagrill on the Mardi Gras - Crab cakes entrée).

 

 

 Cheryl enjoyed the goat cheese souffle

 

For dessert, I opted for the chocolate chip peanut butter cookie. I was ok, a tad dry. I think it would have been better if they'd skip the peanut butter component ! My favorite dessert is still that which is found on Celebrity Reflection (Lawn Club Grill) -  fresh baked hot/chocolate chip cookie w/ice cream. Here is the Seaside version, followed by the one on Celebrity Reflection.

 

Dinner (YC) final (night 3) menu:

 

In retrospect, I'm happy that we didn't get a spot in Ocean Cay on the third night, as the dinner in the YC was excellent - I had two orders of escargot (the best I've had in years - reminiscent of my early memories on Carnival), and I've had many versions in between. First off, if you give me a crispy garlic toast point, you're off to a good start!

Cheryl really enjoyed the (Maine?) lobster and the Twice-Baked Blue Cheese Soufflé:

 

 

I finished up (skipping dessert) with a succulent/rare foie gras topped tenderloin:

 

As I had mentioned, we were locked out on our balcony for about 15 minutes (that's to my text to @DGP1111 , who then called guest services for us). I thought that might give us a leg up for Ocean Cay reservations that evening, but instead it resulted in the following:

 

 

 

Our cabin (16002) was ok - a little tight in spots, inadequate and not comfortable balcony furniture (two chairs and 1 footstool). Nice, ample sized rain shower - though the temperature fluctuated noticably each day it was used. The location, relative to the Top Sail Lounge was, bar none, ideal. Probably 10 steps from our door and you were at the bar - thanks to a door at the end of the hallway that we never saw anyone else utilize (as if it was our own private passage).

 

 

 

The first thing we did when we arrived in the cabin was to set the AC control to MORGUE levels 😄 The room stayed between 63-66 all three days, though the humidity was higher than I normally see (at sea).

 

 

About the only downside to our cabin location was the fact that you couldn't see the lighthouse (one of the reasons we booked starboard side). Not a biggie though - you could see out over the rest of the island nicely.

 

 

 

 

We had booked a "regular" cabana (early after our initial booking, prior to upgrading to the YC). We kept it as we were sharing it with a cruising friend who was not in the YC. It was quite a trek over there (even with the cart ride to the first point) and it was SUNNY and HOT.. no surprise there, other than over the 3 nights we had just under 5 inches of rain at home -- and saw none during the cruise other than during embark and debark. We had cabana #2 (seen in this image). Most of the breeze was to our backs - with a little coming through the slats - so it was a bit uncomfortable. I prefer my cabanas with AC !  😉

 

 

 

Internet on the ship was of good quality (did not upgrade to the higher package, it was not necessary - and I was able to stream Siruis successfully in our cabin, and enjoyed at levels so as not to disturb our neighbors. On the island - it was not quite as good, as could be expected. I was not even able to get over -90 dBm in our cabana, but it was strong enough at the YC restaurant there to get decent service (images below taken during our lunch there):

 

 

B

 

BTW, the lobster roll there was VERY good - generous large chunks of lobster. The burger was tasty too - they brought it at the requested RARE temp, even though they could not promise anything but medium or (more).

 

Night 1 in the YC restaurant:

 

Though I had high hopes, the Fire-Roasted Tomato Cream Soup was disappointing (grainy). I opted for the filet, it was good. Cheryl enjoyed the scallops starter.

 

This info card was in our cabin, but the requested vodka did not arrive until after dinner on night 2. That's ok - with the bar right outside our door, we brought it home!

 

Also the prices for those bottles, if purchased, are WAY less than other lines ... now by nearly $100 !

 

 

 

Day two (Friday) YC dining times onboard:

 

 

 

 

I make a point to try Eggs Benedict on every ship - and, frankly, this was one of the best I've enjoyed in years. Rarely is the English muffin so soft and easily cut. The hollandaise was fresh, the eggs not overcooked - and lemon slices provided (at request) gave it that necessary zest ! The hashbrowns, on the other hand, one bite and DONE... lukewarm and pasty (best way to describe it).

 

I played BJ in the casino on two evenings (night 1 and 3). Ended up getting a little back on the second night. All in all, not a high price paid for the entertainment. I asked at the cage when I cashed out and was told I had earned a little over 3,000 points. I'm not sure if that was a "real time" figure or not. I probably put in less than 6 hours of play total. I was playing at the $25 table, and I can't recall seeing quite this number of people (with several hundred or more "in hand") that didn't know how to play the game. Examples: Standing on your A-A-5 against an 8, and losing. Doubling (yes, you heard that right) your 7's against a 9.. and winning. Splitting 5's against a 5 (and losing). It just never stopped. Internally, my eyes rolled over and over. I was shocked to see that they offered surrender - I play two hands, averaging $50/hand. Upon getting a 16 and 17 against the dealer's A, I asked, and they said YES. I surrendered. I don't think anyone ever takes them up on it, but the pit boss explained it to them. I saved half my bet that hand. I would go on to surrender twice more (mostly with "better than it would have been" results). BTW, it would seem they don't have, or at least don't often use, purple chips. If they did - the fellow with a FULL TRAY of blacks could have used them last night at first base. Even he hesitated on many obvious basic strategy plays. I'm the only one who hits my 12 on the dealer 2 or 3. I'm the only one who hits my A-7 vs dealer 9-10-A (take a shot!), etc...

 

Awaiting the word (for self assist debarkation this morning) in the Top Sail Lounge - at perhaps 6:45. A severe line of storms was bearing down, and we got off/to our car just before the skies really opened up.

 

 

Daily programs to come later...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Oh - we enjoyed, each evening, sitting in the Top Sail Lounge and listening to the piano player. Very talented. Unfortunately, I never caught his name. Good selection/mix of songs - ample to entertain most everyone. Surprisingly, it was never crowded in there. 

 

As far as the bars on the ship - here it was like NIGHT AND DAY. In the Top Sail Lounge one never had to wait for a drink. At most, there was one person ahead of you. Elsewhere on the ship, many times it could be a 10-15 minute wait - or until you gave up. There were isolated exceptions, of course.

 

We had decided to enjoy some good pub food on the last day, with plans for a 1 pm meeting in the sports bar to start with wings. Well, we arrived to find one bartender serving dozens of people, with no help. We didn't even try to order a drink, and discovered (given the lack of manpower) that any food order would be a no-go. So, no wings for us.... Off to try the pizza. I enjoyed it, but the selection was sparse. It was my only trip into the buffet. It seemed fairly well laid out and clean, but a bit crowded (sea day).

 

This cruise would not have been the same (and we might still be on that darned balcony) without being able to share it with @DGP1111. He had run "MSC reconnaissance" for us a few weeks prior on the Meraviglia. Don, how many sailings have we been on together now? I think you keep a better count than I !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Welcome Aboard Info:

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Day 1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Day 2 (onboard):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Day 2 (Ocean Cay):

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Day 3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Debarkation Info:

 

 

 

 

[TravelandLeisure85]

Thanks so much for posting all this. We are doing the Seaside 3 day in July, and it’s great to get a peek at the dailies.

I know that you ate in the Yacht Club dining room, but do you by any chance have a copy of the MDR menus?

[Mycykfamilytime]

Can you take a picture of the yacht club wine list?   Thank you.  

[M2ice]

We were on board at the same time.  Third time on MSC,  well over a hundred cruises total.  In a balcony/aurora.

 

Just some quick notes.

 

Will never sail MSC again.

Ship was badly understaffed and poorly managed in every department we dealt with. 

Drink service was awful the entire cruise with the exception of the private bar on deck 19 which was always empty.

One decent meal the last night in the MDR.  All other's were a hot mess. 

Talked to three different members of the Expedia group.  None would sell MSC unless the customer insisted due to the service/staffing issues.   This despite  the fact that MSC pays them a commission of almost twice the rate of any other line.

Found the security getting back on the ship at the private island very invasive. 

Ship would get a C for cleanliness at best,  many dirty glasses on tables for hours at a time,  through out the ship.  Dirty floors very common.

The electronic elevators are the finest example of technology gone bad I have ever seen.  

Yep they are cheap,  but a glowing example of you get what you pay for.  

[M2ice]

I played BJ in the casino on two evenings (night 1 and 3). Ended up getting a little back on the second night. All in all, not a high price paid for the entertainment. I asked at the cage when I cashed out and was told I had earned a little over 3,000 points. I'm not sure if that was a "real time" figure or not. I probably put in less than 6 hours of play total. I was playing at the $25 table, and I can't recall seeing quite this number of people (with several hundred or more "in hand") that didn't know how to play the game. Examples: Standing on your A-A-5 against an 8, and losing. Doubling (yes, you heard that right) your 7's against a 9.. and winning. Splitting 5's against a 5 (and losing). It just never stopped. Internally, my eyes rolled over and over. I was shocked to see that they offered surrender - I play two hands, averaging $50/hand. Upon getting a 16 and 17 against the dealer's A, I asked, and they said YES. I surrendered. I don't think anyone ever takes them up on it, but the pit boss explained it to them. I saved half my bet that hand. I would go on to surrender twice more (mostly with "better than it would have been" results). BTW, it would seem they don't have, or at least don't often use, purple chips. If they did - the fellow with a FULL TRAY of blacks could have used them last night at first base. Even he hesitated on many obvious basic strategy plays. I'm the only one who hits my 12 on the dealer 2 or 3. I'm the only one who hits my A-7 vs dealer 9-10-A (take a shot!), etc...

 

 

Noticed this also,  was going to hop into the table with the big winner ( had 7-8 K in blacks in front of him).  After watching for a few minutes a kept going as no at the table had even a basic clue as to what they were doing. 

[amygutman]

On 4/27/2023 at 4:10 PM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Followed up with the concierge, it's a total lockdown in the favor of Expedia. No one else on the ship will be enjoying specialty dining.

 

Screwed....

That is honestly one of the craziest things I have heard. How can you forgo ALL specialty dining for a cruise for all but a few passengers? How big is that Expedia group? And good lord - to only find out when you got on-board?

You are really lucky to have the YC dining, but consider those who really look forward to having a special night at a special restaurant. who are not in the YC - or perhaps are in the YC, but still wanted to have a special night out.  

Curious - if you had known this pre-final payment, would you have cancelled and re-booked? I suppose it's a matter of how important this is in the overall vacation planning. 

Warmest, Amy

[mscdivina2016]

Tom,

So......your final opinion?

 

I am currently in Italy after getting off the Splendida for 18 nights in YC.

I would not do that ship nor would I sail a Suez sailing again.

 

Steve 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

10 hours ago, TravelandLeisure85 said:

Thanks so much for posting all this. We are doing the Seaside 3 day in July, and it’s great to get a peek at the dailies.

I know that you ate in the Yacht Club dining room, but do you by any chance have a copy of the MDR menus?

 

Sorry, no. We never dined in there, and only happed across the MDR once as we were exploring the decks - it was closed for a "private function" (Expedia)

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 hours ago, Mycykfamilytime said:

Can you take a picture of the yacht club wine list?   Thank you.  

 

It was a three night sailing, we were off the ship yesterday morning.

 

Sorry.

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 hours ago, amygutman said:

That is honestly one of the craziest things I have heard. How can you forgo ALL specialty dining for a cruise for all but a few passengers? How big is that Expedia group? And good lord - to only find out when you got on-board?

You are really lucky to have the YC dining, but consider those who really look forward to having a special night at a special restaurant. who are not in the YC - or perhaps are in the YC, but still wanted to have a special night out.  

Curious - if you had known this pre-final payment, would you have cancelled and re-booked? I suppose it's a matter of how important this is in the overall vacation planning. 

Warmest, Amy

 

I probably would have kept the reservation (date was "right", etc), and I wanted to give it a try.

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Tom,

So......your final opinion?

 

I am currently in Italy after getting off the Splendida for 18 nights in YC.

I would not do that ship nor would I sail a Suez sailing again.

 

Steve 

 

Honestly, I'm on the fence. In weighing out the pros/cons, I can't say I've had this many things on the "cons list" after first sailings on other lines (well, I didn't care for Princess, but that's another story). 

 

The elevators were mentioned.. We've never used this type before, but I must say that having that YC bracelet was like magic. There's something about (basically) calling your own, often private, elevator that takes you straight to your desired floor!

 

Private restaurant - well, other lines have that too. 

 

I did like the fact that the drink package and Wi-Fi extends onto their private island. Would I even get off the ship next time there? I'm not sure!  In three stops there, I have yet to get off at Coco Cay. Never tendered to Half Moon Cay... there's a pattern here!

 

Office cruise on the Seashore next year, we're doing a 4+3 (staff on the 4-nt). Or, there are other options - I guess it doesn't even have to be a cruise, though we've done 10+ with them over the years... decisions, decisions...

 

Tom

 

 

[IsanTom]

10 hours ago, TravelandLeisure85 said:

Thanks so much for posting all this. We are doing the Seaside 3 day in July, and it’s great to get a peek at the dailies.

I know that you ate in the Yacht Club dining room, but do you by any chance have a copy of the MDR menus?

It's late now, but you should have changed the Title to: "Live from Seaside Yacht Club 4/27". Most

cruisers won't be in the Yacht Club, but are more interested in Non-Yacht Club experiences, such as,

Menus in the MDR. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

13 minutes ago, IsanTom said:

It's late now, but you should have changed the Title to: "Live from Seaside Yacht Club 4/27". Most

cruisers won't be in the Yacht Club, but are more interested in Non-Yacht Club experiences, such as,

Menus in the MDR. 

 

Yep - I started to realize that after I began posting.

 

Tom

[Buckeyefrank100]

We were on the MSC Meraviglia a couple months ago and had a lot of issues.  It was only a 4 day sailing, but there were a LOT of issues...  lines for drinks, lines at the buffet, out of ingredients for drinks etc.  Due to personal issues we will be unable to go on a previously planned cruise in August so we booked the Seaside for a 7 day in May.  I have heard several times that a 7 day is better on MSC so I guess we'll see.  It sounds like for the general population that the Mera issues we encountered won't be fixed on the Seaside, correct?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

13 minutes ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

We were on the MSC Meraviglia a couple months ago and had a lot of issues.  It was only a 4 day sailing, but there were a LOT of issues...  lines for drinks, lines at the buffet, out of ingredients for drinks etc.  Due to personal issues we will be unable to go on a previously planned cruise in August so we booked the Seaside for a 7 day in May.  I have heard several times that a 7 day is better on MSC so I guess we'll see.  It sounds like for the general population that the Mera issues we encountered won't be fixed on the Seaside, correct?

 

I'd say that's a safe bet, though I have spoken to people who have sailed with MSC without issues. From what I've seen, though, I'd say that issues with this line are more common than with others. Not sure why MSC can't seen to get staffing, or inventory levels, up. Other lines seem to manage (better).

 

Tom

[Fissues]

Thanks for the great review! We will be on seaside in three weeks in the unit next to you in 16004. Appreciate your efforts!

[M2ice]

We have been on Azamara, Carnival, Royal and MSC since the first of the year.   

 

All are having issues with staffing.

Azamara handled it well along with everything else,  truly a great experience.  We were in a suite but the whole ship was managed well

 

Royal had a terrible meal in Chops, rest was as we expected.

 

Carnival was an old ship and very warn,  big problem with them wanting you to do everything on their app but other wise as expected.

 

MSC we didn't expect much and got even less.  Way understaffed and no management of the employees.   

 

Quick example,  one morning at breakfast asked three waiters for water,  no luck,  tracked down the Manager  in the white jacket,  he asks how many,  8 one for each person.   He brings 2,  slaps them down and leaves.  Some 35 minutes after we sat down finally got water for everyone.   When the Manager acts like that how do you think the staff is going to act?

 

When the  food came all 8 orders were either cold or incomplete.  

 

We go on cruises to relax and constantly standing in line,  not being able to get even  basic food orders in a timely complete manner and having to bus your own table at the pool are not what we consider relaxing.