Fantastic fun on shiny ship
MSC Seashore Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 44
7 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 18, 2024
Ship: MSC Seashore
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 13158
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 months ago
Review summary
MSC Seashore Review: MSC was a blast! While we had a few things to learn since there are some things that differ from the other cruise lines we’ve sailed on, after getting beyond the learning curve it was one of the most fun cruises we have taken. MSC is an Italian owned cruise line and as such you can see and feel the differences. Certain things took time to get used to, but other elements were surprisingly refreshing and unique. I will go ahead and break this experience down into categories: The Ship: The ship is gorgeous and shiny everywhere you turn. The Seashore is New York City themed. The main foyer consists of a time square background (showed in photo). There is a Swarovski staircase and lots of mirrors throughout the ship (I found this could sometimes get you turned around) but it looked pretty! The pool areas have a nice atmosphere (more to come on pools). The elevators were the thing we liked the least about the trip. They are awful. Take super long and aren’t big elevators. People pack in like sardines. We walked the stairs most of the time. Bonus: I lost a couple of pounds on this trip even with eating my brains out! The Stateroom: The room was nice. We had a balcony room. The bathrooms were tiny, but there was a tub! The bed was the least comfortable of the 4 cruiselines we’ve sailed, but it was manageable. I liked the giant mirror that is in the room. Note, you must put a keycard into a slot by the door to get electric… I liked the wrist bands that we bought for only $15 to get into the room and use to pay for things.. The Pools: There are 3 main pools. Supposedly there are other pools but I did not see them. The jungle pool is a fun environment enclosed which is nice if there is bad weather. There are 2 jacuzzis in that area as well. All the pools were saltwater pools as we were floating very easily and can see the salt molecules on us when we dried off. Did not dislike or like. Just different! The adults only infinity pool is at the back of the ship and is very nice. I wish all the pools were a bit colder. This one seemed to be the nicest temperature out of the three. The other pool is on one of the top decks. They also have the full moon party here and that was so much fun with deejay and dancers. This pool was warm! But I loved the environment. Also had 2 jacuzzis in this space.. although little kids were often going into them unsupervised. I didn’t’ care for that aspect as I do not believe there is a reason for little kids to be in jacuzzis at all, let alone unsupervised. A lot of them had goggles and some floaties and kicked around. That behavior is for pools not jacuzzis. The Food: The food was fantastic minus a couple of items. I really enjoyed the brunch on sea days in the main dining rooms. Loved the parfaits and the eggs benedict and everything else. The pizza in the buffet is the best pizza on any other cruise line so far by far! The dough is amazing! Lots of other foods at buffet were great. I liked the salads and desserts and breakfast sandwiches. The main dining had a couple of dishes that were good and a couple that lacked a bit in flavor. I also didn’t care for the bread at main dining as it was always hard and cold. But, I loved the breadsticks! Specialty Restaurants: The Tepanyaki was fantastic. Not much of a show compared to what I’m used to at some other places, but the food was delicious. The lobster was at the top of my list. The tacos and quesadillas at the Mexican place were so tasty. Had this on the last day and wished I would have tried it earlier on the trip, I would have gotten it again. Ocean Cay was good, but I didn’t like the venue. It’s a tiny room with little atmosphere. The crabcake appetizer was delicious and the entrée was good. They brought us chocolate lava cake from the steakhouse because I originally wanted to go there for that! Nice touch. It was delicious. The chocolate bar drinks were so yummy. Hot chocolate with hazelnut and chocolate martini were the drinks we tasted and were crave worthy. The Casino: I loved the layout and the spaciousness. Other casinos on cruises are a lot more cramped and less room. The chairs were comfy. The staff and casino hosts were fantastic. They made it a fun experience with different raffles, events and overall friendly crew. We also did the best at this casino so far. Could have been pure luck, but we played every day on both tables and slots and left a little up! This was one of the highlights of the trip. Only thing I did not like was little kids and teenagers alike walked through the casino and sometimes would hang out for a while with their families and one little girl nearly pushed my button on slot machine. On a couple of instances, I saw parents sit down with their little kids in the chair. The Ports: I really enjoyed Costa Maya and next time want to spend more time on the port. I like that there are some things to do there without booking an excursion. There is a resort style pool on the port to enjoy! Their private island: Ocean Cay is beautiful! While they are still doing construction on parts of it I can see where they are going to take this.. We watched the lighthouse show from our balcony and it was only a few minutes, but it was beautiful. They had a small bonfire on one of the beaches as well. There are walking trails on the island and lots of places that will be restaurants and bars (some already present). Saw no one in the water though. Maybe sharks? Cozumel. I wanted to do an excursion but did not want to ride the ferry to Playa Del Carmen in choppy water. I heard some people got sick from that ride. It is known to be a bit of a choppy ride to begin with.. We stayed on the ship and were happy to enjoy it with slightly less crowds. The internet was not good. Went in and out a lot and took forever to send or download videos or media content even with upgraded package. It is also expensive, and you cannot switch between devices (so you need to buy internet for more devices if you need it). Final note: Super fun and beautiful ship to be on. Learn about the differences in this cruise line first to see if it’s for you. But note all of the positive things to enjoy before ruling it out if you are nervous about going on a European line. Will be going back on the World America in May and cannot wait!Embarkation
They made me dump out my tumbler that I had just filled with their water at the port. Also, they told us we could not go up escalator stairs with luggage. Mildly claustrophobic and not being forced into an elevator..
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food was fantastic overall..Pizza,, breakfast sandwiches, Teppanyaki and Mexican all delicious. Just a couple of improvements to consider.. bread is cold and hard at main dining. Atmosphere of Ocean Cay Specialty Restaurant is non existent
Marketplace Buffet
Delicious and gigantic! SO much to choose from. Not organized 100 percent, but what buffet is? Pizza is a must try.
Onboard Activities
Full moon party, magic show and casino events.
Entertainment
Loved Full Moon party and Deejays. The magic show was entertaining and unique! Did not care for some of the singers as it made me tired. Need more upbeat music.
Service and Staff
Not bad but not the greatest. Compared to other cruise lines they weren't as good, but did not have a specifically bad experience just not as personable with some crew members.
Ship Quality
Hated the elevators. But, the ship is gorgeous and shiny and big! Pools and jacuzzis need a bit of maintenance (make pools colder and jacuzzis need some help).
Cabin / Stateroom
Size was fine. Bed was not as comfortable as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Small bathroom however there is a tub! Love the large mirror in room.
Ship tip
Some things aren't up to par, but between the activities, food and beauty of the ship it is a blast!
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas
Nothing against Cozumel, just that a lot of the excursions require a ferry ride to Playa Del Carmen then an hour drive to destination. Thats a lot of travel there and back for an excursion,
Disembarkation
Wish we didn't have to wait for so long after getting out of cabin to disembark. It took about 45 minutes to be let off and then we had to wait about 20 minutes for our luggage.
Traveler Photos
