Relaxing and beautiful ship
MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 7
Helpful Votes: 207
7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 05, 2018
Ship: MSC Seaside
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 13215
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
This was our first MSC cruise. We will happily return to cruise on MSC again. The few issues we had with this cruise were not within MSC control. We had the Aurea package and a whirlpool balcony room. The room was clean. The bed was comfortable. There was plenty of closet space in the walk in closet and the bathroom was adequate. The whirlpool on the balcony was a treat and we enjoyed it often. Yes, people can still see you but I didn't have to share it with anyone. The Aurea package was great with drinks, gelato and spa pkg included. We used the spa daily in the beginning of the cruise as it seemed not many were using it. By the end of the week many more people were using the spa and it was often too crowded to enjoy it. The two free massages were wonderful but be prepared for them to try to sell you something. A polite, "No Thank You" is all that you need and they will not bother you anymore. The Aurea package also has a private area for those who wish to have a quiet area to relax on deck. It is a very beautiful area. However, Aurea is dubbed the health and wellness package but the ironic thing is they allow guests to smoke anywhere on the Aurea deck. We tried to enjoy the Aurea private area but there was always someone smoking. Smoke gives me headaches and my husband is an x smoker who prefers not to smell it. This was VERY disappointing to us not to be able to enjoy a health and wellness area without smoke. My husband and I are show people. The shows were fantastic. I read a comment somewhere that sums it up perfectly, I was confused most of the time but thoroughly entertained!! Yes some of the shows they lip sync but it really isn't a big deal to us. The singers are amazing and super talented when they do sing. Loved the show My Life in Music and would go to see it over and over again. They received a standing ovation the night we were there and they deserved it!! The food was very good in the MDR. The menu is not like RCC or Carnival but I didn't expect it to be. It is a Mediterranean run company. I enjoyed the option to try new and different things. The calamari on Italian night was fabulous and the Osso bucco was out of this world good! Part of the allure for us was that we would try new things and MSC didn't disappoint. I enjoyed trying new food choices in the MDR and there was always something classic to pick from if you weren't adventurous. The buffets - I must agree were the one area they could use some changes. There isn't much in variety when compared to RCC or Carnival. The food was okay and I could always find something to eat. I just didn't enjoy the selection compared to other lines. Also the buffet on deck 8 was an absolute nightmare at busy times. People are rude and even though MSC has tried to make an entrance and exit areas, no one listens and many guests were rude and forceful and I found myself having to push back at times which is NOT my personality at all and made me uncomfortable. Because we had so much to do on the ship having the spa pkg we didn't venture off at every port. The first excursion went off with out problems. The 2nd excursion was experience was not the best. MSC needs to have a better handle on getting the people off the ship to their excursions. Have so many different excursions leaving from the same area of the ship and only two people in charge to group people and assist off is just NOT enough manpower. Leaving from the venchi bar for out sharks and rays tour was chaos! We would highly recommend the behind the scenes tour of the ship! It was interesting and very good tour. For security reasons you did not go to the bridge or the engine room but that was not a problem for us and we enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend it. The Seaside is a beautiful modern ship! The only design flaw for us was no deck to walk around the ship for and after dinner or a running track for runners. Also the elevators were so slow! We found if the elevator stopped even if it was going in the wrong direction must get in and push the button for the floor you want and ride it out. We did more stairs than usual on this cruise because of the elevator issue. Overall we had an enjoyable time and MSC Seaside and it's crew are working hard to please the many different countries that use this cruise line. We would not hesitate to return to the Seaside or try another MSC ship if it had an itinerary that we would like.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
MDR meals were very good. The menu was limited but you could always find something that you could enjoy. The specialty restaurants we tried were the Bistro and the Teppenyaki. Both were excellent. The buffets need work on selection.
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Our room steward was firendly but the language barrier was difficult. Although he spoke English I'm not always sure he understood when we chatted in the mornings. Our waiters, Mahayasia and Bernardo were fantatstic. All the MSC staff were friendly and always helpful and kind. Everyone was making sure we were enjoying our time on the ship.
Ship Quality
Always saw someone cleaning somewhere on the ship. The one design flaw of the ship is there is no deck to walk completely around the ship for an evening stroll after dinner. No running track either.
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
AVOID Buffets at the busy times! It is absolutely insane and more rude people than I have ever encountered on a ship. This is not MSC fault. It was totally a passenger problem.
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Ports of call
The port looks like it is under a bit of construction. We did the Mystic Mountain/Bobsled and Dunns River Falls excursion. It was a very fun excursion. We chose not to climb the falls. But we enjoyed climbing the steps to watch the others and the gardens were quiet and a lovely place to relax.
I like Cozumel as a port. This was the one excursion from the start that MSC could have done better. They were very unorganized getting people off the ship for the excursion. There were 2 people at a table to check in hundreds of guests for more than 6-10 different excursions. it was chaos. Then when off the ship we were guided to an area to sign wavers that should have been signed long before this time. The Stingray/Sharks excursions was not what we expected. Although we had a nice time it wasn't as explained on the MSC site. It was rushed and confusing and would not do this excursion again.