MSC Seaside Any tips?

[bellaa]

We are boarding this week for a three night cruise. Anything we should know? Anything we should do on certain days in order to get the most bang for our buck? First time on MSC.
thanks!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Was watching this thread and hoping for some responses. We will be on her in June and again in August. Would you mind reporting back?  Have a great cruise!

[Essiesmom]

You will barely find your way around in three days.  Seaside has two buffets, one on 8, other on 16.  16 is only open for breakfast and lunch.  It is smaller, but not as busy.  EM

[shipgeeks]

Go with an open mind, and if you have sailed with other (American) lines, enjoy the differences!

Most think the pizza is excellent. You can watch the pizza maker take one out of the oven, then go and grab some while it's totally fresh.  At breakfast, look for the sticky buns, all the way at the back of the buffet.  Heavenly.

[JAGR]

When we sailed Seaside when she debuted in the US, if you just wanted a continental breakfast, they offered that in the morning in the Seaview Lounge on deck 8.  Nice views, not crowded, and the bar is open for mimosas or something else.  Breakfast is nothing fancy, but it was fresh.

[laudergayle]

Folllwng.  We sail in August, 4 night.  @JAGR, I should know this but can you be more specific about continental breakfast.  Is it just danish and coffee…or was there more to offer?

[Two Wheels Only]

Don't walk into the mirror on deck 8. 🤪

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Folllwng.  We sail in August, 4 night.  @JAGR, I should know this but can you be more specific about continental breakfast.  Is it just danish and coffee…or was there more to offer?

In our time on board, that bar had a good espresso machine. They had breads, danishes, croissants, butter, jams and some fruit.  Not a lot, but good for a start.  Not sure if they had yogurt, and I don't think they had things like cereals.

[bruce85]

21 hours ago, bellaa said:

We are boarding this week for a three night cruise. Anything we should know? Anything we should do on certain days in order to get the most bang for our buck? First time on MSC.
thanks!

When do you sail? We sail Sunday for a 7 night. This is our second time in her. The pizza is great, shows are OK, but when we sailed on the Mergivila earlier this year the shows where great,.hoping seaside has changed up. Bar service may be slow in the busy areas, many times it's quicker to walk 5 minutes to a quieter area. 

Beautiful ship, have a great time.

[amygutman]

10 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Don't walk into the mirror on deck 8. 🤪

The bruises our whole family had from walking into the mirrored walls on the Seashore were a source of giggling throughout the cruise. No - we weren't really hurt much, but we definitely laughed at our inability to walk SOBER through many of the hallways without hitting a shiny outcropping. 

That being said - it attests to the level of cleanliness to keep those miles of mirrors clean enough to continually smack into. 

Warmest, Amy

[CaroleV]

Be sure to make reservations for the evening shows, they check your card before you enter.  Spring for the gelato, its wonderful and a big glop in a small is $3.50.    The calamari on italian night was horrible.  Hopefully it might be better than our was but don't be suprised if it is awful.  Actually the whole italian night menu was not great.  The South Beach pool was nice and no kids allowed.  The elevators are....different.  We just got off yesterday so all this stuff is pretty fresh.

[ChattTenn]

Seaside has SMART elevators just tell the screen the floor you would need to go and it would tell which elevator and time it should be arriving there is no floor button INSIDE the elevator.

[1kaper]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:50 AM, Two Wheels Only said:

Don't walk into the mirror on deck 8. 🤪

 

Next to the Seaview bar?  I’m pretty sure almost every single one in our group almost did that. 

[1kaper]

6 hours ago, CaroleV said:

Be sure to make reservations for the evening shows, they check your card before you enter.  Spring for the gelato, its wonderful and a big glop in a small is $3.50.    The calamari on italian night was horrible.  Hopefully it might be better than our was but don't be suprised if it is awful.  Actually the whole italian night menu was not great.  The South Beach pool was nice and no kids allowed.  The elevators are....different.  We just got off yesterday so all this stuff is pretty fresh.

 

We were maybe two sailings before yours and you are 100% right about Italian night. I was going to skip dinner that night but my friend reminded me it was Italian night. I couldn’t skip. So I went. I love it last year on Divina. This year was a disappointment. 
the calamari was also terrible for us (we tried to order one to split and ended up with a dish each. Both terrible). 
 

the elevators also made me very angry. I know they are supposed to be more efficient but it felt like any but efficient. Full elevator after full elevator and the only thing you could do was call another one. 

[Morecruisesplz]

On 5/26/2023 at 10:10 AM, CaroleV said:

Be sure to make reservations for the evening shows, they check your card before you enter.  Spring for the gelato, its wonderful and a big glop in a small is $3.50.    The calamari on italian night was horrible.  Hopefully it might be better than our was but don't be suprised if it is awful.  Actually the whole italian night menu was not great.  The South Beach pool was nice and no kids allowed.  The elevators are....different.  We just got off yesterday so all this stuff is pretty fresh.

We loved Italian night.

[Morecruisesplz]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:55 AM, ChattTenn said:

Seaside has SMART elevators just tell the screen the floor you would need to go and it would tell which elevator and time it should be arriving there is no floor button INSIDE the elevator.

They were a great time saver.

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

They were a great time saver.

 

How so? 
we were on the same cruise. 
 

I found there was zero difference. If you were going up, you got assigned one elevator. 
if you were going down you got another. 
I never saw one person get a different elevator going in the same direction. I spent a lot of time watching because we needed to use the elevators most times and I spent a lot of time waiting.  It was no different than the old way of hitting the up button and we all get on and pick our floor. I often got on where we stopped on almost every floor (or on really busy days did stop in every floor). 
it was actually worse because you put in the floor you were going to and when the elevator came by and it was full you’d have to select again. More often than not the elevator was at a different spot and the people in front of it got on first meaning you get to hit the button again and wait for another full elevator. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by 1kaper

[laudergayle]

29 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

 

How so? 
we were on the same cruise. 
 

I found there was zero difference. If you were going up, you got assigned one elevator. 
if you were going down you got another. 
I never saw one person get a different elevator going in the same direction. I spent a lot of time watching because we needed to use the elevators most times and I spent a lot of time waiting.  It was no different than the old way of hitting the up button and we all get on and pick our floor. I often got on where we stopped on almost every floor (or on really busy days did stop in every floor). 
it was actually worse because you put in the floor you were going to and when the elevator came by and it was full you’d have to select again. More often than not the elevator was at a different spot and the people in front of it got on first meaning you get to hit the button again and wait for another full elevator. 

This new elevator process sort of ruins our previous strategy.  We found if the elevators were always full going up/down…we’d push the opposite direction, ride up/down one floor. Typically that elevator was empty.  We’d go up/down one then press the deck we wanted.  Now, we’ll have to exit the lift and select again…which will likely yield another crowded lift.  We sail in August for the first time…so we’ll see how this works first hand.

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, 1kaper said:

 

How so? 
we were on the same cruise. 
 

I found there was zero difference. If you were going up, you got assigned one elevator. 
if you were going down you got another. 
I never saw one person get a different elevator going in the same direction. I spent a lot of time watching because we needed to use the elevators most times and I spent a lot of time waiting.  It was no different than the old way of hitting the up button and we all get on and pick our floor. I often got on where we stopped on almost every floor (or on really busy days did stop in every floor). 
it was actually worse because you put in the floor you were going to and when the elevator came by and it was full you’d have to select again. More often than not the elevator was at a different spot and the people in front of it got on first meaning you get to hit the button again and wait for another full elevator. 

You need to be in front. The elevator # at which you should stand lights up and dings... what could be easier?

[1kaper]

22 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

You need to be in front. The elevator # at which you should stand lights up and dings... what could be easier?

 

and then it opens up and it’s full. So you wait for it to leave and hit the button again. It’s crowded waiting for the elevator and you are assigned a new elevator. But you are not standing in front of it because it’s one of the other 3. That one arrives and if you are lucky and it isn’t totally full, people who are closer to it (who arrived to get an elevator after you) get on it. 
 

But that doesn’t explain how it’s faster. even at the best of times when it isn’t crowded, and you are going up, you pick floor 10. You get elevator A1 (or whatever). Next person comes behind you and is going to 12. They get elevator A1. Any person going up gets elevator A1. We all get on when it stops and we stop at each of the floors. 
It is the exact same thing as pressing the up button and all of us going up get on the elevator and choose our floor. Zero time saving and more frustration when it’s packed. 

[Morecruisesplz]

7 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

 

and then it opens up and it’s full. So you wait for it to leave and hit the button again. It’s crowded waiting for the elevator and you are assigned a new elevator. But you are not standing in front of it because it’s one of the other 3. That one arrives and if you are lucky and it isn’t totally full, people who are closer to it (who arrived to get an elevator after you) get on it. 
 

But that doesn’t explain how it’s faster. even at the best of times when it isn’t crowded, and you are going up, you pick floor 10. You get elevator A1 (or whatever). Next person comes behind you and is going to 12. They get elevator A1. Any person going up gets elevator A1. We all get on when it stops and we stop at each of the floors. 
It is the exact same thing as pressing the up button and all of us going up get on the elevator and choose our floor. Zero time saving and more frustration when it’s packed. 

That was not our experience. Rarely were others waiting for the same elevator. It sounds like you were part of a herd.  Makes no sense that everyone was going to same floor unless you were traveling with a group. 

[Morecruisesplz]

2 hours ago, 1kaper said:

 If you were going up, you got assigned one elevator. 

if you were going down you got another.

 

[Morecruisesplz]

Not true. You missed the point and were trying to think of them as normal elevators. These pick an elevator for you depending on the floor that you were going to. Deck 9 going to 12 would be a different elevator than those going to 16. (Just an example. )

[1kaper]

15 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Not true. You missed the point and were trying to think of them as normal elevators. These pick an elevator for you depending on the floor that you were going to. Deck 9 going to 12 would be a different elevator than those going to 16. (Just an example. )

 

but that’s my point it wasn’t. I know that’s how it’s supposed to work. And other times I’ve seen this system used you put in the  number of people getting on so it knows when it’s full. This doesn’t. 
I never once saw someone going the same way but different floor get a different number. I watched. Like I said. If someone was going up they all got elevator A1. If someone was going down they got A2. Didn’t matter what floor. 
that was exactly my point in saying how do they save time. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:10 AM, CaroleV said:

The calamari on italian night was horrible.  Hopefully it might be better than our was but don't be suprised if it is awful.  Actually the whole italian night menu was not great. 

How can an Italian owned company mess up an Italian menu?  I was looking forward to some amazing Italian dishes and was so disappointed they didn't have an Italian specialty restaurant.