Ports of call were nice, the ship is all glitz and little substance. Not impressed with MSC.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
The holding area was very busy with not enough seating. The announcement of who's turn it was to line up it was MSC staff yelling over the general noise and it should have been over some sort of loud speaker because if you were in the back or far from the announcer you would not have heard them
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
To start, the buffet food was not good. Breakfast was decent but any other meal afterwards was not good. Their meats, poultry and seafood was always over cooked. The soup was always the same base with "stuff" added in. For an Italian company the pasta was not appealing or tasty. Vegetable dishes were too saucy and over salted.
The pizza was decent so I wont comment about that.
The MDR meals were hit or miss. Some days it was okay and other days it wasn't.
My biggest complaint about the food is that the buffet closed at midnight. There was nowhere that had any midnight snacking option. There wasn't anywhere to get a drink after 12:30am so if you spend late nights at the casino, go to one of the disco parties, or just wake up in the middle of the night there was nothing was available.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The facilities on the ship are beautiful. The bamboo pool is a wonderful space, unfortunately on a few occasions it would be drained and used for another activity. Due to the weather, this was the only pool that was indoors.
This cruise line had very few activities throughout the day. Some activities ended up starting 30 mins later then posted.
The fitness centre had a great view and wasn't too busy throughout the day.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows in the Broadway theater were good. It was obvious that they had put a lot of work in the production. The performers were talented and versatile.
The musiscians throughout the ship were very talented but to be honest, it was too formal. It was mostly classical performances, violin and piano duos or trios.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The staff were great but you can tell that they are overworked and over utilized. I.e. the lifeguard was also doing late night disco parties, stewards would clean and freshen up rooms and then later would be mopping floors in the buffet or pool deck.
There are not enough staff on the ship.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was beautifully designed. The piazza and LED dome was impressive but that's where it stops.
There was not enough seats in lounging areas, the rooms were okay in size but I think more drawers would have been nice.
The stateroom and halls often smelled of sewage.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was sufficient. The washroom was small but efficient. The beds were comfortable enough but I was not a fan of the pillows.
It was nice to have two separate closets.
Ship tip
Bring stuff to do.
They dont show movies in public spaces, only in the cabins.
Wifi is spotty.
Great if you have kids, the kids areas were nice.
We were lucky in that we were able to get off the ship at 930. The line for customs wasn't too bad and we were out and about fairly quickly.
Getting back on the ship took a long time. We weren't allowed to return to the ship till everyone was off which was a 7 hour wait.
The port is about a 30 minute walk to central park. Negotiated a great price for a pedicab through central park.
Walked to time square and the had a good lunch at a chinese restaurant.
If it's your first time in NYC I suggest be a tourist and do hop on hop off. Theres a pick up close to the port terminal.
If you just want to walk on the Hudson walkway theres a lot of development going on in the area.
Port is far from downtown. Cruise offered a shuttle to city centre but it was €23/per person. It only cost €20 by taxi one way. Was cheaper since there were 4 of us.
Took a golden circle excursion off the ship. Only €65 versus th €189 MSC excursions was charging.
The whole process was not good.
It divided the disembarkation groups by floors and you were not given any option to disembark. We were told that we had to be in a specific area by 8:00am but our group was not released until 10:30. It was all confusing and not organized.
Shocked to read no drink after 12:30am and no food after 12am? On Seaside and all other MSC ships I’ve been on the buffet is open 20hrs. Usually sandwiches until 2am, pizza closes at 12am but there was sandwiches. The south beach bar was open until 2am and casino bar until around 3:30am on Seaside.
Sorry you had such a bad experience. I’ve been in two MSC cruises. The first was on the Divina and it was wonderful. The 2nd was the Seaside and I thought it was very boring. Just not enough to do at all. I’m really hoping the Meraviglia will be better in the Caribbean
We love MSC. Never had a bad experience. We like their food, cabins are nice. Ships were spotless. We are not keen on participate in any activities. Just relax by the pool, soak up the sun, reading a book and have a nice drink. Can’t wait to board the ship in a week to go to the Caribbean.
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