X Ascent to MSC Seashore: Semi-Live Comparison

[mac_tlc]

Really appreciate your comparison ! Every time the scale leans one way, it gets pulled back the other!!!

 

mac_tlc

 

P.S. I can’t help myself so I found a very probable Silversea voyage, March 10, 2026 on their newest ship, Silver Ray. 10 day Eastern Caribbean out of PE.  It’s cheaper than a SS on Ascent which is doing a very similar itinerary. I’m not a fan of their cancellation penalties though.

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

4 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

I will add that to my packing list. However, I can’t find an electrical outlet in the bath, so it will be a battery nightlight, if there is such a thing!

Thanks for the comparison, always looking for alternatives and reviews like yours helps.  BTW you can get battery operated, motion sensing night lights.

[Mrs_Tiki]

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

Really appreciate your comparison ! Every time the scale leans one way, it gets pulled back the other!!!

 

mac_tlc

 

P.S. I can’t help myself so I found a very probable Silversea voyage, March 10, 2026 on their newest ship, Silver Ray. 10 day Eastern Caribbean out of PE.  It’s cheaper than a SS on Ascent which is doing a very similar itinerary. I’m not a fan of their cancellation penalties though.

 

DH and I are really glad that we gave MSC another try. I think that a lot of our impressions of the Seascape trip in March were affected by the fact that it was Spring Break and YC was filled with unruly kids. There are a few young men traveling with their parents this cruise who have been nothing but extremely bored!

[Mrs_Tiki]

@1Virgo, red wines in TopSail Lounge in Seashore are Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon and Missou Pinot Noir.

 

The bartender says there are additional wines available in the restaurant, but I have never seen a list. Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is available at either location, but KJ Sauvignon Blanc only upstairs at the restaurant. Go figure.

Edited January 31 by Mrs_Tiki

[1Virgo]

9 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

@1Virgo, red wines in TopSail Lounge in Seashore are Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon and Missou Pinot Noir.

 

The bartender says there are additional wines available in the restaurant, but I have never seen a list. Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is available at either location, but KJ Sauvignon Blanc only upstairs at the restaurant. Go figure.

Thank You for taking the time to check this out and let me know. Much appreciated 

[JDPCruisers]

23 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Butlergate: (plot twist - point to Ascent)

 

This subject has been discussed thoroughly on @mac_tlc's "Live From" thread for Ascent's January 21 sailing. It seems that X is bringing back some sort of butler service for Sky Suites beyond the one head butler. DH and I were lucky to be assigned Edwin, who was a rock star. We saw him frequently, and he provided our requested fruit and cheese plate each afternoon. Also, he was proactive in checking in to ensure that our Retreat Host (aka stateroom attendant) was providing good service.

 

Our butler on Seashore is kind to greet us each morning and provide information on the evening shows but has failed to follow through on requests, such as the bottle of wine included for our suite. It is cool that the butlers are always available to escort YC patrons to other areas of the ship, like the reserved seating in the theater or to the gangway. But I don't think that it is a plus for Seashore that this is even necessary. 

 

Retreat Host/Stateroom Attendant: (point to Seashore)

 

I had to separate this as its own category due to the contrast in performance between the butler and cabin attendant on the two ships. Our Retreat Host on Ascent was adequate but failed to keep water bottles replenished. (But no fear, Butler Edwin to the rescue!) She seemed to forget that we had sent a bag of laundry, and we had to make multiple requests to get it back days later. It was obvious that she was overwhelmed with the number of cabins she was assigned. our cabin was rarely serviced before lunchtime.

 

Our stateroom attendant on Seashore is like a ninja. After the first day, he learned our habits and serviced our cabin while we had our morning work catchup session in the YC lounge. He does have the advantage of technology working in his favor. Seashore has a set of lights that indicate whether we have requested service or do not disturb, as well as a set that indicates whether we have inserted the card by the door to activate lights/electricity.

 

One small gripe - we are in a Grand Deluxe Suite (slightly wider than a standard suite), which provides an elongated area in the hall to park the attendant's supply cart. It remains there all day, everyday. This contributes to some noise from the hallway, but I guess it could help us locate our cabin if we are overserved. 🙂

 

In regard to "It seems that X is bringing back some sort of butler service for Sky Suites beyond the one head butler." any sense of how they determined what SS would have butler service in addition to the Head Butler? 

[Mrs_Tiki]

1 hour ago, JDPCruisers said:

In regard to "It seems that X is bringing back some sort of butler service for Sky Suites beyond the one head butler." any sense of how they determined what SS would have butler service in addition to the Head Butler? 

I really don't know. My comment was based on the observations of me and my fellow Ascent cruisers last week. Between 3 CC members in Sky Suites, we had 2 different butlers. Not a statistically significant sample size for sure, but we inferred from this that butler service for Sky Suites had expanded beyond one Head Butler as in the initial iteration of the Retreat Team concept.

 

Another CC member in an Edge Villa heard from his butler that X was adding back butlers as quickly as they could get them on the ships.

 

So, I guess I am guilty of sharing hearsay and speculation. That's why I said, "It seems....," since I do not have any official word from X, just what I experienced last week.

 

Hopefully, you have found the thread on this topic:

It includes info from people have been in touch with X on the subject.

Edited January 31 by Mrs_Tiki

[JDPCruisers]

10 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

I really don't know. My comment was based on the observations of me and my fellow Ascent cruisers last week. Between 3 CC members in Sky Suites, we had 2 different butlers. Not a statistically significant sample size for sure, but we inferred from this that butler service for Sky Suites had expanded beyond one Head Butler as in the initial iteration of the Retreat Team concept.

 

Another CC member in an Edge Villa heard from his butler that X was adding back butlers as quickly as they could get them on the ships.

 

So, I guess I am guilty of sharing hearsay and speculation. That's why I said, "It seems....," since I do not have any official word from X, just what I experienced last week.

 

Hopefully, you have found the thread on this topic:

It includes info from people have been in touch with X on the subject.

Thanks for the follow-up. Very helpful to know and to see what happens going forward.

[Irishredhead21]

@Mrs_Tiki Thank you for the great review but more importantly it was so great to see you both on the Ascent and I hope we cross paths again down the road!! Safe travels!! 

[Tierun]

On 1/30/2024 at 11:45 AM, Mrs_Tiki said:

Muster Drill: (extra credit point to Ascent)

 

I would not normally include this as a category in a review, but this was a major win for Ascent. Being able to watch the safety video in our cabin and do the mandatory check-in at our muster station on Ascent at our leisure was a huge plus.

 

On Seashore, you watch the safety video in your suite and verify that you have by dialing 881 on the phone. So far, so good. But then, all 5,500 passengers have to report to the muster stations at the same time to check in. It was a complete melee. Our suite is on 16 and our muster station on 7, and we were fortunate to have been allowed to use the elevator due to DH's bum knee. It was shocking to me that others ignored the instructions of the crew members monitoring the elevators and shoved their way in to join us. Another reminder of those extra 2,000 passengers on Seashore and not a pleasant way to start our trip!

MSC designed their muster program based on their European sailings. Especially in the Med, passengers embarked from various port stops and each did their muster on their embarkation day. This meant that there was no very large flow of all passengers going to their muster stations at the same time. Most passengers were in port while the newcomers did the muster and it was surprisingly pleasant.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Apologies for the delay in completing this comparative review. We had a full day in the car driving home on Thursday, then piles of laundry and work to tackle yesterday!

 

Beverage Addendum: (point to Ascent)

 

I realize that I addressed included wine but did not talk about cocktails. Although I said I only drink wine, I do sometimes enjoy a poolside cocktail, and pre- or post-dinner martini or "fancy" cocktail.

 

Pool (point to Ascent) - The pool bar service on Ascent was much better, as well as the readily available signature cocktails. The Retreat cocktail is my favorite - just don't look at all that is in it! On MSC, after one margarita on the rocks made with yucky mix from a bottle and well tequila, I learned to order Silver Patron and soda. On Ascent, bar servers circulated and ensured that they were there when you needed a refresh. On Seashore, we always had to get in line at the bar to get a drink.

 

Topsail Lounge/Retreat Lounge (point to Seashore) - As I mentioned previously, it was sometimes hard to find a server in the Retreat Lounge, but Topsail's servers circulated about to ensure that everyone had what they needed. DH very much enjoyed a craft cocktail recommended by the bartender.

 

Bars Outside Retreat/YC (point to Ascent) - Again, the win goes to Ascent, because we enjoyed visiting other areas of the ship and had no desire to leave YC on Seashore. We had fun times chatting with other pax and delicious cocktails in the Martini Bar and World Class Bar on Ascent. The bartenders in World Class Bar are truly artists and made a wonderful off-menu drink for me - "Something Special." I think they say that to all the girls! 🤭

 

Entertainment: (too little data to judge) 

 

I'm not going to try to name a winner here, as entertainment is not a big deal for us, and we did not do much on either ship. I will just share my impressions based on the entertainment in which we did partake.

 

Ascent:

• We enjoyed one show in the main theater, Residency: Las Vegas, but as others have said, arrive early to get seats! I believe that reserved seats for Suite guests are limited to Evening Chic nights.
• The live music in the main atrium is always enjoyable to us.

Seashore:

• It was a real plus that there was live music in the Topsail Lounge in the evenings vs. none in the Retreat Lounge.
• We ventured out to Cabaret Rouge (kind of like The Club on Ascent) one evening and were fortunate to arrive at exactly the right time to get a front-row seat. It was a variety show with singing, dancing, and a juggler and was entertaining. However, we decided to duck out just as the main theater show was getting out, and it was muster drill all over again!
• The light show on the lighthouse at Ocean Cay was very fun! That was night 9 of the combined cruises, and we were pretty tired of getting dressed for dinner. Our balcony had a perfect view, so we ordered a salad and pizza from room service and had a lovely night in.

Disembarkation: (point to Seashore)

 

The only reason that Seashore gets this point is that the proximity to the parking garage at Terminal 10 allowed us to drag our own bags there rather than for me to wait in the crazy private car pickup line at Port Everglades while DH retrieved the car. We were able to simply cross the street, enter the parking garage surface lot, and there I stayed on the sidewalk with the bags until DH could bring the car down. Easy-peasy!

 

On both ships, escorts were provided to the card scanners just ahead of the gangway, luggage retrieval was well-organized, and facial recognition made the immigration lines move quickly. 

 

And the winner is..... 

 

If pricing were no issue, we would probably default to X Edge-Class Retreat Class. But we were glad that we tried Yacht Club again and will likely return in the future due to the much better price point. As well as the fact that they have one of their newer ships at Port Canaveral, which is a much easier drive from our home near Atlanta than Port Everglades.

 

As with any review, this was all just my opinion based on the sailings that we were on and our personal preferences. YMMV!

 

PS - Thanks for the inspiration to try my first "semi-live" review, @mac_tlc and @GenerationX. I am so excited to get my first CC badge. Was that you, @Host Anne? 

 

Edited February 3 by Mrs_Tiki

[Mrs_Tiki]

1 hour ago, Tierun said:

MSC designed their muster program based on their European sailings. Especially in the Med, passengers embarked from various port stops and each did their muster on their embarkation day. This meant that there was no very large flow of all passengers going to their muster stations at the same time. Most passengers were in port while the newcomers did the muster and it was surprisingly pleasant.

Thank you for that context. It makes sense, but I wish that they would re-think this for departures where the entire ship embarks at once!

[chisoxfan]

Thanks for your posting and comparison. It is pretty much inline with our experiences- Ascent 1/21, Apex 10/6/22 (SS's) and Seaside YC JAN 2020.

For us X wins.....

Food close but would nod to X

Boarding..FLL is just easier and very civilized boarding process. FLL a simpler port to fly to.

On board theatre, bars, music and specialty restaurants -on MSC we pretty much stayed within YC (not a bad thing)... really liked expanded Sunset Bar on Ascent 

MSC wins....

YC Lounge was expansive with great bow views and ability to step outside for a relaxing drink, live music every night was a big plus.. just an are you want to hang out at where Retreat lounge while nice was like a library with booze

 Access to a very cool and expansive spa area- never was a huge fan of X thermal spa and regardless not free for suite passengers

Mini bar stocked with water beer and some wine

 

Both had wonderful 'basic' suites (all we need) but did like the X bed facing forward and bathroom design

Was a bit put off by Luminae on Ascent which seemed even 'tighter' than Apex. Not much opportunity for those of us who might appreciate a touch of room from our neighbors plus tables for 2 are really small and often require a food balancing act

'expanded' Retreat on Ascent was great but not much lounging area in shade and crowded on sea days....nice bar and dining options but MSC had an expanded cook to order area on YC pool deck which was perhaps better...

 

Overall, 'what's not to like' paraphrasing the Mercedes driver in a favorite movie 'Lost in America'.

 

So for us-maybe a tiny nod to X because of port, overall ship experience but being so close in 'value', would be a toss up determined by price with MSC winning every time by a large margin especially after cessation of included X tips and OBC.

 

We are going to try the Princess Suite experience next Jan. on Sun Princess.... seems like every line is driving to the 'dedicated suite area' starting with NCL, then MSC, then X, and now Princess. 

 

Regardless the cruise lines have seemingly been successful in driving us from (all we need is  a drink package and balcony on newer ship) to covet a suite and dedicated area. Our comments are based on the Caribbean cruises and for a port intensive or colder weather itinerary we would still gravitate towards a 'normal' balcony. Thanks for indulging our thoughts/opinions.

[mac_tlc]

Thanks @Mrs_Tiki, great review and summary. There is plenty of context on each item so people can decide if that issue is important to them. Haven't sailed YC yet but very probable in the next two years (before my matching status expires!). I sense that our reactions would be similar to yours. 

 

Godspeed to Mr_Tiki and his upcoming procedure. 

 

Hope to sail with you again soon -- we will have to do dinner together next time!

 

mac_tlc

[momofmab]

On 1/30/2024 at 11:45 AM, Mrs_Tiki said:

On Seashore, you watch the safety video in your suite and verify that you have by dialing 881 on the phone. So far, so good. But then, all 5,500 passengers have to report to the muster stations at the same time to check in. It was a complete melee. Our suite is on 16 and our muster station on 7, and we were fortunate to have been allowed to use the elevator due to DH's bum knee. It was shocking to me that others ignored the instructions of the crew members monitoring the elevators and shoved their way in to join us. Another reminder of those extra 2,000 passengers on Seashore and not a pleasant way to start our trip!

 

Totally agree with how ridiculous this was.  We had to go from 19-7, file through the theatre for no reason, and then wait until the elevators cleared out enough to get on one (YC override wasn't functioning during the drill).  We ended up using the stairs to go up a few decks, waited some more, and then finally grabbed a packed elevator back to the YC entrance on 16.  I don't recall the drills on Beyond or Oasis being that crowded and chaotic.  I worried for some of the mobility-challenged passengers who were navigating the stairs.  Surely they could sprinkle the muster stations out better on more decks and not have everyone doing it at the same time!

[di T]

Thankyou for this very interesting review! In the Autumn we will have a cruise in the Med on Ascent not in a suite, followed by a cruise in Yachtclub on Seashore turn around day is in Barcelona.This will be our first MSC Cruises and our 40+ Celebrity cruise! So looking forward to experience these two ships.

[LisaLeone]

Thank you for the wonderful comparison!

[1Virgo]

10 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Apologies for the delay in completing this comparative review. We had a full day in the car driving home on Thursday, then piles of laundry and work to tackle yesterday!

 

Beverage Addendum: (point to Ascent)

 

I realize that I addressed included wine but did not talk about cocktails. Although I said I only drink wine, I do sometimes enjoy a poolside cocktail, and pre- or post-dinner martini or "fancy" cocktail.

 

Pool (point to Ascent) - The pool bar service on Ascent was much better, as well as the readily available signature cocktails. The Retreat cocktail is my favorite - just don't look at all that is in it! On MSC, after one margarita on the rocks made with yucky mix from a bottle and well tequila, I learned to order Silver Patron and soda. On Ascent, bar servers circulated and ensured that they were there when you needed a refresh. On Seashore, we always had to get in line at the bar to get a drink.

 

Topsail Lounge/Retreat Lounge (point to Seashore) - As I mentioned previously, it was sometimes hard to find a server in the Retreat Lounge, but Topsail's servers circulated about to ensure that everyone had what they needed. DH very much enjoyed a craft cocktail recommended by the bartender.

 

Bars Outside Retreat/YC (point to Ascent) - Again, the win goes to Ascent, because we enjoyed visiting other areas of the ship and had no desire to leave YC on Seashore. We had fun times chatting with other pax and delicious cocktails in the Martini Bar and World Class Bar on Ascent. The bartenders in World Class Bar are truly artists and made a wonderful off-menu drink for me - "Something Special." I think they say that to all the girls! 🤭

 

Entertainment: (too little data to judge) 

 

I'm not going to try to name a winner here, as entertainment is not a big deal for us, and we did not do much on either ship. I will just share my impressions based on the entertainment in which we did partake.

 

Ascent:

• We enjoyed one show in the main theater, Residency: Las Vegas, but as others have said, arrive early to get seats! I believe that reserved seats for Suite guests are limited to Evening Chic nights.
• The live music in the main atrium is always enjoyable to us.

Seashore:

• It was a real plus that there was live music in the Topsail Lounge in the evenings vs. none in the Retreat Lounge.
• We ventured out to Cabaret Rouge (kind of like The Club on Ascent) one evening and were fortunate to arrive at exactly the right time to get a front-row seat. It was a variety show with singing, dancing, and a juggler and was entertaining. However, we decided to duck out just as the main theater show was getting out, and it was muster drill all over again!
• The light show on the lighthouse at Ocean Cay was very fun! That was night 9 of the combined cruises, and we were pretty tired of getting dressed for dinner. Our balcony had a perfect view, so we ordered a salad and pizza from room service and had a lovely night in.

Disembarkation: (point to Seashore)

 

The only reason that Seashore gets this point is that the proximity to the parking garage at Terminal 10 allowed us to drag our own bags there rather than for me to wait in the crazy private car pickup line at Port Everglades while DH retrieved the car. We were able to simply cross the street, enter the parking garage surface lot, and there I stayed on the sidewalk with the bags until DH could bring the car down. Easy-peasy!

 

On both ships, escorts were provided to the card scanners just ahead of the gangway, luggage retrieval was well-organized, and facial recognition made the immigration lines move quickly. 

 

And the winner is..... 

 

If pricing were no issue, we would probably default to X Edge-Class Retreat Class. But we were glad that we tried Yacht Club again and will likely return in the future due to the much better price point. As well as the fact that they have one of their newer ships at Port Canaveral, which is a much easier drive from our home near Atlanta than Port Everglades.

 

As with any review, this was all just my opinion based on the sailings that we were on and our personal preferences. YMMV!

 

PS - Thanks for the inspiration to try my first "semi-live" review, @mac_tlc and @GenerationX. I am so excited to get my first CC badge. Was that you, @Host Anne? 

 

Thank You for taking the time to post your thoughts      We truly appreciate your input

[dock]

@Mrs_Tiki, thank you for the comparative review. Many of us are at the cusp of changing from X to other lines. MSC has been on our shortlist but I just have not made the move yet.

 

Still ambivalent but appreciate your review. Thank you.