My experience on the MSC Seashore Dec 3 - 7th: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

[JCMAN]

So I've only ever cruised once before, many years ago (2005) on Royal Caribbean. Some friends of mine decided to book on MSC. As a solo traveler I booked my own cabin about a month out, spending $390 + $110 port expenses and fees = $500. I was upgraded from an interior room to a deluxe balcony. 

I was also offered the opportunity to bid on an upgrade. I bid, and was countered a deluxe Yacht Club suite for $440pp at double occupancy despite being solo = $880 additional. I accepted, then cancelled the bid, then regretted it and tried to get it back. No dice, so I sailed in a balcony with the standard Bella experience.

 

 The cruise was fun, but overall I wouldn't plan to travel on MSC again based on my experience.

 

The good

 

• The ship itself is big and beautiful. Nice varied design throughout. The ship is well maintained and clean. Occasionally there was something like a soap dispenser running out of soap or an elevator call screen being out, but the ship is well maintained. There was no obvious sign of wear in my cabin either with the exception of a slight Crack at the base of my balcony light switch.
•   Wifi on the stream package was overall reliable and usable for video calls. YouTube is gonna buffer a bit particularly on the at-sea day but it's still impressive to be connected at sea.
•  All of the staff are extremely polite and friendly.
• Many places to get alcohol on board to keep the party going. You're basically tripping over bars, so if you get a drink package you can get your money's worth.
• Ocean Cay is a great stop, not too big, internet and drink packages work ashore. Water and beach/land were very clean.
• Breakfast buffet was great. Pizza at buffet was far better than I expected and was actually good.
• I found both butchers cut and hola tacos to be worth the price of admission. If you're a solo traveler and go to butchers cut, they will still serve you the meal for two if you purchase the package. Appetizer, 20oz ribeye, dessert and wine.   

 

The bad

• The buffet is not varied. There is a wide variety but by day three I felt like i was running out of options. Only one small section of three trays really changed day to day for international food.
• Having only one buffet even though it's large it gets extremely crowded at peak meal times.Bar at the buffet is limited.
• The MSC for Me wristband isn't worth an optional purchase. It worked for my room but not at most bars. I asked for re-encoding and then it didnt work anywhere. I asked for a refund and was declined as it was "merchandise". They replaced it on the last night and then it worked. They were apologetic, but said company policy prohibited them from giving me a refund. 
• MSC for me app is semi functional but not intuitive. Expect app crashes and to need to force close the app when chat freezes.
• There is nowhere to purchase pain reliever on board. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both reduce fever, so I suspect this is a ploy to make sick people go to medical however, if you go to medical, they state they will charge you $180 for evaluation. So if you just have a headache from a hangover and forgot to pack pain reliever, you’re basically out of luck without spending an exorbitant amount of money.
• Some bars go to 1am, but all pools and hot tubs close at 8pm, which is ridiculously early on such a beautiful ship.

 

The ugly

• People who say the food on MSC is bad aren’t joking. They sat the twelve of us at the same dining room table at the 5th Ave dining room. The only time all of us ate there was dinner the first evening. We were so underwhelmed. None of the food was good enough to take pictures of. Steak cooked medium rare was proper done inside but very small very thin and fat was not rendered and chewy. Plates are small. Three of us went back for a second dinner in MDR were similarly underwhelmed.
• To underscore how bad the food is, I ordered carne asada in MDR and received this. it was completely unseasoned, cold, and… Tasted identical to the pot roast that was served at the buffet for lunch. So cold that I’m convinced that it was the same pot roast served from lunch and brought to the dining room.
• A friend got sick after eating at the buffet on departure day and after six hours was violently ill. Medical seemed adversarial and threatened to charge $180 before they realized how ill she truly was. She was quarantined for 24hrs as a precaution if it was contagious illness. The quarantine isn't the issue, it's how MSC handled it.
• She was quarantined for 24hrs. Her roommate in an interior room wasn't... So what was the point of quarantine again? Friend asked if can get another cabin sorry fully booked. When quarantine ended she had to call medical to verify, they said she's fine. Nobody proactively checked on her, which is not great when you're sick on a cruise ship. The quarantine was not properly removed from her cruise ID, but this didn't reflect anywhere on the ship except at embarkation/disembarkation. They didn't clear her from quarantine on the computer. So she got stopped while the security people checked with medical at Nassau, and was delayed exiting the ship upon return to Port Canaveral.
• In essence this means if you're sick you're basically on your own. If someone is potentially contagiously ill and selfishly values their own fun over not spreading disease to other people there's nothing preventing them using all shipboard facilities. If you are quarantined and get over it, it will continue to inconvenience you for the entire vacation.

 

No verdict/informational

• MSC has (as their peers have apparently done) enhanced their network detection to thwart travel routers repeating wifi, at least on the Seashore. Expect to purchase wifi on a per device basis. Since this is what MSC intends in selling Wi-Fi I ain't upset, just game recognize game.
• I wish I had purchased the yacht club upgrade counter as they offered a deluxe suite upgrade at $440pp double occupancy. I hesitated as a solo traveler, but given how grim the food was in MDR and that premium drinks plus two device stream wifi was $550+ it would have been worthwhile I feel.
• MSC matches hotel status which is bizarre but a status match is only available once ever and hilton ranks map way higher in msc voyager club so time it right. You have to do this at least two weeks before sailing.

 

Bottom line

Good but not great cruise with MSC. Will be looking elsewhere next time.

[Mark_T]

41 minutes ago, JCMAN said:

...and that premium drinks plus two device stream wifi was $550+ it would have been worthwhile I feel.

The included YC WiFi is the browse package not 'browse & stream' so not quite as clear an advantage perhaps...?

[voyager89]

Wow that “carne asada” does look awful. 
 

I’m getting on the Seashore on Sunday, and I’m super excited but also a bit weary about all the bad reviews lately. I’ve only sailed with MSC in 2018, Seaside and no complaints whatsoever. Hopefully I’ll have better luck. 

[JCMAN]

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

The included YC WiFi is the browse package not 'browse & stream' so not quite as clear an advantage perhaps...?

I've heard mixed things on this on these boards and elsewhere. For their part, current MSC USA website material seems to point to the included Wi-Fi being browse and stream:

 

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
Stay connected with a premium internet package from anywhere on board, an exclusive benefit for guests. Unlimited Wi-Fi allows you to browse and stream on up to two devices.

A lot of other material points to just the browse package.

Either way, even if the exact dollar amount varied slightly, I still regret not going for the Yacht Club upgrade counter. They were offering me the room for Basically $1280 ($500 cruise fare + $880 upgrade counter) at a time they were trying to sell it for $2,978 (double occupancy).

Edited December 7, 2023 by JCMAN

[Mark_T]

3 hours ago, JCMAN said:

I've heard mixed things on this on these boards and elsewhere. For their part, current MSC USA website material seems to point to the included Wi-Fi being browse and stream:

 

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
Stay connected with a premium internet package from anywhere on board, an exclusive benefit for guests. Unlimited Wi-Fi allows you to browse and stream on up to two devices.

It really isn't, nothing there says 'browse & stream', and anyone who has booked YC can see in their booking details that it lists the following: 'Premium Internet package (Browse - 2 devices Unlimited Internet Package).

 

Compared to some other lines 'browse' equivalent it is actually pretty good, but it is not their top package for sure.

[morpheusofthesea]

4 hours ago, JCMAN said:

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
Stay connected with a premium internet package from anywhere on board, an exclusive benefit for guests. Unlimited Wi-Fi allows you to browse and stream on up to two devices.

Yes. They have both, for a price. In the YC they include a complimentary 'browse only' for 2 devices per guest. I upgraded to streaming for a total of $70 for the 7 day cruise ($10 per day). Could watch Youtube videos, but this past month (Thanksgiving) could not upload any photos to CC until I got home. MSC really needs a better WIFI connection.

[RD64]

Confused - people are upset because they tried to scam the Internet package and are not allowed to scam it?

[JCMAN]

Just now, RD64 said:

Confused - people are upset because they tried to scam the Internet package and are not allowed to scam it?

 

I'm not sure where you got that, as I didn't list it as a negative and listed it as "no verdict/informational" towards the very end.

MSC, at least on the Seashore, seemingly has employed more aggressive device fingerprinting that checks to make sure each device is actually device, and not a shared Wi-Fi router connection, that isn't necessarily in place on other ships. (Somebody who recently was on the Virtuosa reported zero issues with use of a travel router).

I haven't seen anybody report on the Seashore blocking travel routers, so I was just reporting an experience that I qualified with "Since this is what MSC intends in selling Wi-Fi I ain't upset, just game recognize game."

The lack of ability to use a travel router encouraged me to buy a second device connection, which I benefited from. However, it made the price difference between a Yacht Club upgrade offer and the premium drink package + single wifi connection I pre-bought for a standard room even less, and I expressed remorse for not taking the upgrade offer given the quality of the food in MDR/Buffet and other YC perks, given that the YC upgrade included two devices of WiFi connection and prem drink package.

[dshroyer]

On 12/7/2023 at 11:50 AM, JCMAN said:

So I've only ever cruised once before, many years ago (2005) on Royal Caribbean. Some friends of mine decided to book on MSC. As a solo traveler I booked my own cabin about a month out, spending $390 + $110 port expenses and fees = $500. I was upgraded from an interior room to a deluxe balcony. 

I was also offered the opportunity to bid on an upgrade. I bid, and was countered a deluxe Yacht Club suite for $440pp at double occupancy despite being solo = $880 additional. I accepted, then cancelled the bid, then regretted it and tried to get it back. No dice, so I sailed in a balcony with the standard Bella experience.

 

 The cruise was fun, but overall I wouldn't plan to travel on MSC again based on my experience.

 

The good

 

• The ship itself is big and beautiful. Nice varied design throughout. The ship is well maintained and clean. Occasionally there was something like a soap dispenser running out of soap or an elevator call screen being out, but the ship is well maintained. There was no obvious sign of wear in my cabin either with the exception of a slight Crack at the base of my balcony light switch.
•   Wifi on the stream package was overall reliable and usable for video calls. YouTube is gonna buffer a bit particularly on the at-sea day but it's still impressive to be connected at sea.
•  All of the staff are extremely polite and friendly.
• Many places to get alcohol on board to keep the party going. You're basically tripping over bars, so if you get a drink package you can get your money's worth.
• Ocean Cay is a great stop, not too big, internet and drink packages work ashore. Water and beach/land were very clean.
• Breakfast buffet was great. Pizza at buffet was far better than I expected and was actually good.
• I found both butchers cut and hola tacos to be worth the price of admission. If you're a solo traveler and go to butchers cut, they will still serve you the meal for two if you purchase the package. Appetizer, 20oz ribeye, dessert and wine.   

 

The bad

• The buffet is not varied. There is a wide variety but by day three I felt like i was running out of options. Only one small section of three trays really changed day to day for international food.
• Having only one buffet even though it's large it gets extremely crowded at peak meal times.Bar at the buffet is limited.
• The MSC for Me wristband isn't worth an optional purchase. It worked for my room but not at most bars. I asked for re-encoding and then it didnt work anywhere. I asked for a refund and was declined as it was "merchandise". They replaced it on the last night and then it worked. They were apologetic, but said company policy prohibited them from giving me a refund. 
• MSC for me app is semi functional but not intuitive. Expect app crashes and to need to force close the app when chat freezes.
• There is nowhere to purchase pain reliever on board. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both reduce fever, so I suspect this is a ploy to make sick people go to medical however, if you go to medical, they state they will charge you $180 for evaluation. So if you just have a headache from a hangover and forgot to pack pain reliever, you’re basically out of luck without spending an exorbitant amount of money.
• Some bars go to 1am, but all pools and hot tubs close at 8pm, which is ridiculously early on such a beautiful ship.

 

The ugly

• People who say the food on MSC is bad aren’t joking. They sat the twelve of us at the same dining room table at the 5th Ave dining room. The only time all of us ate there was dinner the first evening. We were so underwhelmed. None of the food was good enough to take pictures of. Steak cooked medium rare was proper done inside but very small very thin and fat was not rendered and chewy. Plates are small. Three of us went back for a second dinner in MDR were similarly underwhelmed.
• To underscore how bad the food is, I ordered carne asada in MDR and received this. it was completely unseasoned, cold, and… Tasted identical to the pot roast that was served at the buffet for lunch. So cold that I’m convinced that it was the same pot roast served from lunch and brought to the dining room.
• A friend got sick after eating at the buffet on departure day and after six hours was violently ill. Medical seemed adversarial and threatened to charge $180 before they realized how ill she truly was. She was quarantined for 24hrs as a precaution if it was contagious illness. The quarantine isn't the issue, it's how MSC handled it.
• She was quarantined for 24hrs. Her roommate in an interior room wasn't... So what was the point of quarantine again? Friend asked if can get another cabin sorry fully booked. When quarantine ended she had to call medical to verify, they said she's fine. Nobody proactively checked on her, which is not great when you're sick on a cruise ship. The quarantine was not properly removed from her cruise ID, but this didn't reflect anywhere on the ship except at embarkation/disembarkation. They didn't clear her from quarantine on the computer. So she got stopped while the security people checked with medical at Nassau, and was delayed exiting the ship upon return to Port Canaveral.
• In essence this means if you're sick you're basically on your own. If someone is potentially contagiously ill and selfishly values their own fun over not spreading disease to other people there's nothing preventing them using all shipboard facilities. If you are quarantined and get over it, it will continue to inconvenience you for the entire vacation.

 

No verdict/informational

• MSC has (as their peers have apparently done) enhanced their network detection to thwart travel routers repeating wifi, at least on the Seashore. Expect to purchase wifi on a per device basis. Since this is what MSC intends in selling Wi-Fi I ain't upset, just game recognize game.
• I wish I had purchased the yacht club upgrade counter as they offered a deluxe suite upgrade at $440pp double occupancy. I hesitated as a solo traveler, but given how grim the food was in MDR and that premium drinks plus two device stream wifi was $550+ it would have been worthwhile I feel.
• MSC matches hotel status which is bizarre but a status match is only available once ever and hilton ranks map way higher in msc voyager club so time it right. You have to do this at least two weeks before sailing.

 

Bottom line

Good but not great cruise with MSC. Will be looking elsewhere next time.

We were in the yacht club and it was underwhelming. You saved money by not upgrading