Ridiculously long review of short cruise on Seashore 3/24-3/28/2024

[nattie]

We have decided to give MSC a try for a short cruise with a group of friends. For background: we are seasoned cruisers, have tried almost all mass market lines (Carnival, RCI, NCL, Princess, Celebrity) and are Elite on Princess, which is our preferred line. We chose to sail in Yacht Club to compare that experience to what we have had on our last NCL cruise in Haven and in Penthouse Suite on Enchanted Princess.

Since we were sailing during spring break, price point for our YC suite was quite high, and frankly I was underwhelmed by the experience. There were some issues that I am not happy about but can overlook (elevators, food choices, emergency drill, etc.), but the breaking point was SERVICE. When one is paying almost $1K/night to sail in YC one expects good service at least in designated YC area. I have never before been on a cruise where I have to go to the bar itself to get a drink, there was no lounge/deck service to speak of. I timed myself sitting in a lounge for 35 minutes waiting for someone to stop by and offer to get me a beverage – NOPE, and that was YC lounge.

 

But I digress, lets start from the beginning – pre cruise and embarkation:

Don’t bother with any forms or requests, they do not make it to the ship, including medical related requests (CPAP equipment and allergy info in my case). Embarkation was very painless (arrived around 11 am) with a separate YC check in area and even luggage drop off area. I liked the personal service of getting checked in while sipping champagne as well as small group escort directly to YC area. Felt very well taken care of at the time! Our room was ready almost immediately and we went directly there.

 

YC Deluxe Grand Suite 19011:

Our stateroom was nothing to write home about – slightly larger than Princess’s Mini-Suite for the living area with a lot of space wasted on a walk in closet. I think they would have been better off converting that closet into a separate bedroom with 2 bunks (ala 2 bedroom suite in NCL Haven), now that would have been a fab room! There was only one large TV in between the couch area and the bed, which made TV viewing weird from any sleeping surface. Not that there was much to see. Unlike Princess and NCL, all the movies were extra. One major win for MSC was the bathroom – great shower area and I personally loved all the storage cubbies. Another side note was that my friend booked exactly the same category, but ended up in completely different room – they had WAY more living room space, but no walk in closet. Almost forgot! Balcony is large, but there were no balcony furniture to enjoy it! No loungers or table, just two uncushioned chairs with footrests.

 

After dropping off our things we went to explore the ship and grab a lunch:

YC area – major props to MSC here. I loved everything about YC area set up – plenty of space for everyone, large pool, two hot tubs, large lounge area and nice restaurant with great views. During the day part of the bar area on YC sun deck was used as buffet with decent choices, not as extensive as regular buffet, but one would not go hungry! You really felt like you are on your own cruiseship while on YC sundeck, MUCH better than Haven’s tiny pool area. We were always able to find unoccupied cabana any time we ventured out there.

Ship itself – I found Seashore to be easy to navigate and clever in design, however my travelmates did not like the design at all finding it “cramped”. If you have a chance, watch one of the walkthrough youtube videos and you would have no issues with navigating the ship. I was specifically impressed with how well MSC handled the smoking issue – I have not smelled smoke once! Princess and NCL both should take note.

Side note ELEVATORS – here the verdict was quite unanimous, everyone HATED them. I am actually quite familiar with the system MSC is using, we have the same one in our office building, so I did not anticipate having any issues. Was I ever wrong! MAJOR miss by MSC was removing all of the indicators of where elevators are actually going from the elevator lobby, ie you follow the instructions on how to call the elevator and just stand there with no indication of what is happening. Moreover, there is no “ding” when elevator arrives, so it is super easy to miss it if you are not parked right in front of the door. I feel that just by putting a regular current floor indicator and “ding” back, a lot of issues could be resolved. At least one wouldn’t feel like nothing is happening after you call the elevator!

Next, safety drill. Another MAJOR miss. Nowhere was it explained that only ONE person per cabin needs to go and get checked in at the muster station after watching the video. That resulted in majorly clogged stairways for absolutely no reason. Plus, what about other people in the cabin, don’t they need to know where the muster station is?

 

Moving on to the food. That and entertainment are very subjective areas, so I am just going to list my thoughts here. We have tried all of the options: buffets (regular and YC), restaurant (YC) and 2 specialty restaurants. My personal opinion about MSC food was that it is stuck in the middle between trying to appease American and European tastes while succeeding in neither. I ‘ll separate the experiences. First, buffet – I did not mind the layout and there was always place to sit, however there was no drink service despite laughable “call button” that was on your table. Why even bother putting it there? My son reported that pizza was great and apparently burgers and fries were decent too, even though they were not made to order. All other food choices were strange at best and inedible at worst. I actually look forward to trying South Asian dishes on cruises since chefs are normally from that part of the world – what was available on MSC was not good. Also, whats up with 2 types of chili available everyday? Just why? Lines for soft serve were so long that no one in our group bothered and I did not like even one dessert in the buffet (unheard of for me). Next, restaurant – YC restaurant menu changed daily (plus when compared to Haven), but choices were just meh and the food was under seasoned to our taste. Overall not awful, but service wise not great either. Lastly, specialty restaurants. We tried Butchers cut and Sushi. Service in both was atrocious. We have almost finished our unlimited sushi before one in our party was even served her a la carte order (40 minutes in). Butchers Cut almost ended in disaster. My son has walnut allergy, it only is severe enough if he eats walnuts and he is fine with everything else. That information was submitted to MSC on a health form prior to the cruise. After being seated in Butcher’s cut, bread sacks were passed around (bread is served in a sack, so you cant really see what is in there). We sat around for about 20 min before finally starting to order. My son asks the waiter to remove walnuts from his salad since he is allergic, at that point the waiter deadpans “you have been eating walnut bread”. Apparently the bread sacks had walnut bread in them. So my son rushes back to our stateroom to take his meds, barely makes it in time not to need an epipen and we continue with dinner. NO ONE, not the waiter, nor manager or ANYONE from the MSC staff comes over to check if he is OK or how did allergen exposure turn out. I did not need them to comp my meal (it was free as Diamond status anyways) or do anything, but someone should have checked on him out of simple courtesy. That meal could have easily ended in medical center visit.

 

Entertainment, again very subjective area. We loved the production show (rock opera?), walked out on the guest entertainer (not good) and enjoyed karaoke in one of the lounges nightly. I really liked the Cabaret Lounge concept and changing entertainment there. We also watched Love and Marriage show (both Princess and NCL do it way better) and participated in trivia games (I won one). In my personal opinion, while some of entertainment team was great, the cruise director was not the best and he was very hard to understand at times. I did enjoy the white party on the deck way more than same one on all other cruises – doing songs from “around the world” was a great touch!

 

This has been a ridiculously long review already! To wrap this up, disembarkation was a breeze. It did help that we were matched into Diamond and had an extra hour in the stateroom vs getting kicked out at 7 am.

 

As I have stated previously my biggest issue with this cruise was lack of service, especially bar service. I can probably deal with no lounge area service (don’t want to, but whatever), BUT when I schlep to the bar to order my Aperol Spritz and bartender looks like I am making him eat lemons, it’s a problem. Bartenders in most of the bars were downright rude, ignored customers (happened to both everyone in my party, granted we are not 20 something ladies) and generally treated cruisers like they were nuisance. Not a feeling you want your customer base to walk away with. One bright spot was Venchi bar – great specialty coffee and friendly service. By far the worst was sports bar.

 

Closing notes – we had everything that was supposed to be in the minibar, including tobleron and pringles. I drank my weight (probably more) in Aperol Spritzes, they were delicious! I was underwhelmed by the Aurea Spa, but others in my party liked it (I much prefer NCL’s set up).

 

To sum up – I liked the ship and MSC’s product in general (I believe food will change to adapt to cruising region eventually), BUT the service is what sunk this cruise for me. MSC needs to train their stuff better in terms of service levels American customers expect. Additionally, I am not a litigious person but the incident with my son could have easily ended up as a lawsuit.

[PTC DAWG]

Disagree on the bunk beds in the room, just more kids..IMHO

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, nattie said:

Another side note was that my friend booked exactly the same category, but ended up in completely different room – they had WAY more living room space, but no walk in closet

 

I'm compiling a list with photos/videos of all of the Deluxe Grand Suites for Seashore/Seascape for the walk-in closet info. I know which ones have and which ones don't but I want photo/video of all of them before I post it. There are some differences with them such as some sleep five while others sleep four. Some have the walk-in closet, some don't, etc..

 

1 hour ago, nattie said:

Side note ELEVATORS – here the verdict was quite unanimous, everyone HATED them. I am actually quite familiar with the system MSC is using, we have the same one in our office building, so I did not anticipate having any issues. Was I ever wrong! MAJOR miss by MSC was removing all of the indicators of where elevators are actually going from the elevator lobby, ie you follow the instructions on how to call the elevator and just stand there with no indication of what is happening

 

Were you using the elevator "hijack" that Yacht Club guests can use? It can put an elevator into Priority Service mode to pick you up and express you to your destination. Sometimes, it's faster but sometimes, it isn't. 

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, nattie said:

As I have stated previously my biggest issue with this cruise was lack of service, especially bar service. I can probably deal with no lounge area service (don’t want to, but whatever), BUT when I schlep to the bar to order my Aperol Spritz and bartender looks like I am making him eat lemons, it’s a problem. Bartenders in most of the bars were downright rude, ignored customers (happened to both everyone in my party, granted we are not 20 something ladies) and generally treated cruisers like they were nuisance.

 

I've been on Seashore a couple of times (even as recently as a few months ago) and I've never had a problem with the service (on any MSC cruise ship). While on the sundeck, butlers will carry food and/or drinks for us back to our cabana/pergola without us having to ask. Servers will even approach me while I'm in the pool or hot tub and ask if I'd like another of whatever I'm drinking. Butler escort to a show? No problem. Butler escort to the front of the line at a port of call? No problem. Special requests? No problem. 

 

One thing that I have noticed on some reviews (particularly Seashore's recent ones) is that the short 3-4 night cruises aren't as impressive as the regular 7 night cruises. Maybe some other forum members who have done both can give their view. 

 

I've also done some Haven cruises on NCL and I've done the compare/contrast with those 2. Some areas favor Haven, some favor Yacht Club. I enjoy both so there is no "loser" between them.

 

Thanks for the review. If you ever decide to give Yacht Club another chance, feel free to ask any questions that would help to make for a better experience. 

[aero777]

47 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I'm compiling a list with photos/videos of all of the Deluxe Grand Suites for Seashore/Seascape for the walk-in closet info. I know which ones have and which ones don't but I want photo/video of all of them before I post it. There are some differences with them such as some sleep five while others sleep four. Some have the walk-in closet, some don't, etc..

 

I have 19024 on an upcoming Seashore cruise, can you tell me if there’s a walk in closet ?  Be glad to provide photos if you need them. Thanks!

Edited April 6 by aero777

[morpheusofthesea]

11 hours ago, nattie said:

When one is paying almost $1K/night to sail in YC one expects good service at least in designated YC area. 

Ah, there’s the rub.

[Two Wheels Only]

14 hours ago, aero777 said:

I have 19024 on an upcoming Seashore cruise, can you tell me if there’s a walk in closet ?  Be glad to provide photos if you need them. Thanks!

 

 

I don't have a good photo/video of 19024 but this video shows where the walk-in would be (next to the mirror). If you could give actual proof with a photo or video, I'd appreciate it. 

[peder]

From my understanding, there are basically (though a couple exceptions do exist) two Seashore / Seascape YC Grand Deluxe cabin configurations: skinny with a walk-in closet and wide with extra living space (they're more akin to the Fantasia-class Grand Deluxe cabins). Mostly these are differentiated by deck.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, peder said:

...skinny with a walk-in closet and wide with extra living space

 

There's also wide with walk-in closet. 😉

 

Some DGS sleep 4 and some sleep 5. 19002 is also one of a kind. 

I'll get it done, eventually. 

[peder]

25 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

There's also wide with walk-in closet. 😉

 

Some DGS sleep 4 and some sleep 5. 19002 is also one of a kind. 

I'll get it done, eventually. 

 

Yep, I caveated my post by saying that exceptions do exist like 19025 and 19028 🙂

 

To avoid heartbreak by getting the wrong cabin, best to just get a Royal Suite or Owner's Suite 😉

Edited April 6 by peder

[Two Wheels Only]

24 minutes ago, peder said:

 

Yep, I caveated my post by saying that exceptions do exist like 19025 and 19028 🙂

 

 

It wouldn't be MSC if there wasn't some consistent inconsistency. I only do it to help others get what's best for them as far as DGS options.

 

27 minutes ago, peder said:

 

To avoid heartbreak by getting the wrong cabin, best to just get a Royal Suite or Owner's Suite 😉

 

With the World Class, MSC found a way to make that confusing with 2 configurations for RS and 2 configurations for OS. Just for fun, the balcony size is also different for the configurations. 🤪

[aero777]

6 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

I don't have a good photo/video of 19024 but this video shows where the walk-in would be (next to the mirror). If you could give actual proof with a photo or video, I'd appreciate it. 

Will do!

[miched]

We were on the Seashore in Feb in the YC for a 3 night cruise.  We wanted to test the waters.   Another couple joined us as they never cruised before and wanted to try one.  They were also in the YC.   
 

The elevator system sucked.   The choice of bourbons was Buffalo Trace.  Excuse:   The supplies haven’t been distributed.   Nothing else was available for the whole cruise.  Wine choice were minimal.    Basically red or white.  Exaggerating a little but not by much.   Not many choices 

 

During the evening we were sitting in the lounge  having a drink and just relaxing.  We were served drinks and asked for a napkin.   The response, they are at the bar.    
 

Asked for a Americano at breakfast.   The server started to pour coffee out of a pitcher.    I said I want a Americano.   She said yes it is coffee.   I said no it is espresso with hot water.  She said that she never heard of that.  

 

Reading all of the great experiences and threads of reviews I read on CC  I was expecting the same.  I guess my expectations were too high.   Didn't experience anything near theirs.   The other couple felt the same.  They weren’t impressed enough to take another cruise.   
 

Me and my wife aren’t high maintenance.   We are mainly do it ourself type.  Don’t like others doing something that we can do ourselves.  We don’t demand or ask for much but we found that normal service  was very poor and lacking.   
 

Before the cruise I was excited and planning on booking another cruise on board but I didn’t.    It didn’t impress me.  Sorry. 

One and done. 

 

Edited April 7 by miched

[BigTeee]

"Asked for a Americano at breakfast.   The server started to pour coffee out of a pitcher.    I said I want a Americano.   She said yes it is coffee.   I said no it is espresso with hot water.  She said that she never heard of that.  "

 

The only people who hear of that are Americans frequenting Starbucks.   It is done no where else in the world.  And I am an admitted coffee snob and have actuality worked at Starbucks. 

 

That said, for an Italian/(Swiss) cruise line, MSC's coffee is decidedly average.  That was my experience on an MSC Dubai cruise.

[momofmab]

On 4/6/2024 at 11:10 PM, miched said:

Reading all of the great experiences and threads of reviews I read on CC  I was expecting the same.  I guess my expectations were too high.   Didn't experience anything near theirs.   The other couple felt the same.  They weren’t impressed enough to take another cruise.  

 

I think one of MSC's biggest obstacles is consistency in the service and product across the ships (at least within the size categories, such as the "Sea" ships).

 

In the past couple of days alone, I've read several different versions of the safety drill process for YC quests that were different from my experience in YC on Seascape (and one of the negatives on my list).

 

I was also lured to MSC (YC) by the great experiences of the very talented "Live" thread writers.  While I don't question their experiences whatsoever, mine was nowhere near those levels, and it has caused me to be convinced that MSC follows this board and makes a big effort to "wine & dine" those that sing their praises.  My cruise in YC was fine, but not at level that others on CC have experienced.  I suppose it was a good value for the price, but with those prices creeping upward, I would likely choose to sail in "gen-pop" on other lines where I felt the overall experience was better.

[TrinaLC]

1 hour ago, momofmab said:

 

I think one of MSC's biggest obstacles is consistency in the service and product across the ships (at least within the size categories, such as the "Sea" ships).

 

In the past couple of days alone, I've read several different versions of the safety drill process for YC quests that were different from my experience in YC on Seascape (and one of the negatives on my list).

 

I was also lured to MSC (YC) by the great experiences of the very talented "Live" thread writers.  While I don't question their experiences whatsoever, mine was nowhere near those levels, and it has caused me to be convinced that MSC follows this board and makes a big effort to "wine & dine" those that sing their praises.  My cruise in YC was fine, but not at level that others on CC have experienced.  I suppose it was a good value for the price, but with those prices creeping upward, I would likely choose to sail in "gen-pop" on other lines where I felt the overall experience was better.

 

We have had great service in the YC - 3 Divina cruises, two Seaclass. I’ve never written a “live from” review and didn’t even have a picture on CC until I changed that recently. 
 

A terrific butler makes a difference and those are harder to come by these days as the number of YC cabins expands with new ships coming on board.  In the one instance where we didn’t have great butler service the roaming butlers and waitstaff more than made up for it. (We are happy finding he theater and Divina aft restaurant on our own, and just request an escort from the concierge desk to get off the ship if we need that service.  And on that cruise we had a fabulous junior butler and the awesome Pepe YC Director …)

 

Edited April 8 by TrinaLC

[Boodylis]

Usually, fried pickles are made with dill pickles, either slices or spears, and they have a thicker batter for that crunchy texture. It's great that you were able to send them back and get a refund.

[jcollin]

Hello Nattie,

 

Did you say only 1 person needs to check in for the muster?  Is that a YC thing or does that apply to everyone?  We are on Seashore 4/21 and that's a great tip if it applies to everyobe.

Thanks

[nattie]

1 hour ago, jcollin said:

Hello Nattie,

 

Did you say only 1 person needs to check in for the muster?  Is that a YC thing or does that apply to everyone?  We are on Seashore 4/21 and that's a great tip if it applies to everyobe.

Thanks

They said it applied to everyone. Not advertised ANYWHERE as far as I know. My friend told me (while we were walking to the muster station) and she was informed by her butler. I have questioned the muster station personnel and they have also confimed "one guest per stateroom".

[jcollin]

Awesome, thanks.  We will give it a try soon.

[Anastas617]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:47 AM, BigTeee said:

"Asked for a Americano at breakfast.   The server started to pour coffee out of a pitcher.    I said I want a Americano.   She said yes it is coffee.   I said no it is espresso with hot water.  She said that she never heard of that.  "

 

The only people who hear of that are Americans frequenting Starbucks.   It is done no where else in the world.  And I am an admitted coffee snob and have actuality worked at Starbucks. 

 

That said, for an Italian/(Swiss) cruise line, MSC's coffee is decidedly average.  That was my experience on an MSC Dubai cruise.

This is just not true. I have seen "Americano" in almost every coffee shop I have gone to in Europe and Southeast Asia. Starbucks didn't invent it, nor is the only shop selling it.

Edited April 11 by Anastas617

[BigTeee]

I agree that it will be in every tourist shop in Europe that caters to Americans.  A corporate trained waitress should know and serve an Amercano to its mainly American clientele, and should be fired for not knowing.

 

I annuaully have visited Europe since the 9980's I still believe that Starbucks cemented its popularity with Americans at home and abroad.  I never have drunk it myself and none of my family nor friends drink it.  I know the Starbucks version, and was trained  by Starbucks on custmers orders for it, but I imagine a true standard version is debatable.

 

Interesting read:https://drinksupercoffee.com/blog/nutrition/what-is-an-americano/

[rbelshaw]

On 4/11/2024 at 4:14 PM, Anastas617 said:

This is just not true. I have seen "Americano" in almost every coffee shop I have gone to in Europe and Southeast Asia. Starbucks didn't invent it, nor is the only shop selling it.

My recollection is that the abomination known as the Americano was first crafted in Italy to accommodate occupying U.S. troops who could not handle espresso. It was available in the '70s here at the cafes in North Beach.

Always served with a sneer.