Bottom line, despite the beautiful ship and the friendly staff, I won’t be rushing back to an MSC ship anytime soon. While the ship and staff are important parts of the overall cruise experience, the food is a major component as well and this part of the experience was unacceptable.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Typical, no issues
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Unfortunately, the food in the main dining room was a huge disappointment. Selections were extremely limited and, on two occasions I ordered fish that was uneatable. The first entrée (grouper) was overcooked to the point of being bone dry and the second entrée (swordfish on another night) was undercooked to the point I questioned the safety of eating it.
Having been on more than two dozen sailings on four different lines, this is the first time I can say that the buffet food exceeded both the selection and quality of the food offered in the main dining room. In sharing my thoughts with one of the dining room managers, he admitted to me that “the biggest complaint that they (the ship staff) receive is about the food. So, they are obviously aware that an issue exists; hopefully they will find a way to address it.
We did eat at three of the specialty restaurants (Ocean Cay, Butchers Cut, and Hola!) Unfortunately, the package that we purchased (the Trio) provided significantly limited options in Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay. But each of them provided great food and excellent service for the options available to us without paying an “add on” charge.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
It is a beautiful ship, and the designers have succeeded in providing something for everyone
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Enjoyed all of the entertainment ship wide
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The forward-facing crew was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. But it did seem that many of them were new to the vessel and had difficulty answering basic questions or understand basic requests. We witnessed a lot of dining room staff “shadowing” other employees.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Seashore is a large ship; roughly the same size as the RCL Oasis class ships. With a stated capacity of 5,800+, there were less than 2,000 passengers on our sailing. Obviously, we never felt crowded or had difficulty getting into venues or events. It is a beautiful ship, and the designers have succeeded in providing something for everyone
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Clan and comfortable. The balcony was larger than some, but that seemed to come at the expense of the bathroom, which seems atypically small.
Disembarkation
4 out of 5
Not great, but out of ships control. Inclement weather delayed walk-off for more than an hour
I enjoyed your feedback on the food selection. It’s bad to hear from a second review that the buffet was better than the main dining room. I’m cruising MSC Meriviglia I’m 2023 and hoping they get their act together. I also have the trio and hope for the best. I will remember not to eat any of the fish selections
Thanks for your review, my experience on MSC Seaview was almost identical except I was also disappointed in the entertainment. Beautiful ship though, never felt cramped and that was pre-Covid, and we’re all different I suppose so if you like the food and entertainment on offer it’s a great cruise option!
Sorry to hear your food was so disappointing. We too have had similar experiences with the food on MSC. I don't know why this is such a challenge for them! It's, sad that they can't seem to get it together in this area.
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