Another amazing cruise with MSC!
MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 46
7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 16, 2019
Ship: MSC Seaside
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 18024
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Just back from another amazing cruise with MSC on the Seaside!! Yacht club embarkment was super easy! We arrived around noon and waited about 20 min to get checked in. Our family requested to get an embarkment photo, which wasn’t an issue. We just had to wait for the next group to be escorted onboard. The service was top notch! We had a few hiccups in the beginning but the service was still 100% Ava, Emanuel, and Tricia took very good care of us! The YC food was great like always! We also enjoyed dinner in Butcher’s Cut and Ocean Cay. Was a little disappointed the king and snow crabs are no longer included in the dining package but we purchased them for $20 which was 50% off. Teppanyaki was our favorite! We ate there twice because it was sooo flavorful and delicious! They do have chairs that are for shorter people so your feet don’t dangle! You just need to ask! The thermal spa was very relaxing and a great place for me to hide away from my kids! Lol Chen is the best Masseuse I’ve ever had! So glad she was still here from our last cruise. She remembered me right away! She’s tiny but mighty and wish I could take her home! The entertainment was excellent and the shows were fantastic! We booked two excursions through the ship and two on our own. In San Juan we customized a nice taxi tour for $25 a person. In St Thomas we took a taxi to Coral World where we pre-booked swimming with turtles and a Sea lion encounter! I highly recommend both! In St. Maarten we booked the Discover St. Maarten by jeep tour through MSC and was very disappointed! Not once did we go off road/trails. We didn’t drive by half of the places listed in the description or stop in Marigot or at any shops or markets! You also need to be a very aggressive driver to keep up with the jeeps in front of you! At one point we couldn’t see them in front of us because of all the traffic! Glad they had Walkie-talkies! It was an anxiety filled day! MSC did issue all of us a refund. In Nassau we did the blue lagoon island beach day through MSC which included lunch. We rented a clam shell shade that came with 2 Bahamas towels, 2 souvenir cups, and 3 drinks ticket for $50 and an extra umbrella for $10. We had a great beach day! Disembarkment was a breeze! We left at 9, and it only took us 15 mins from the time we walked off to the time we got into a taxi! Only major issue was with the photo desk!! We pre paid the unlimited photo package for $150. Once onboard we saw it was $149, but they also offered another unlimited package with 10 prints and a free camera similar to the GoPro for $199. We were able to upgrade and pay the $50 difference. It was a nightmare actually trying to find the photos they took of our family! For some reason they weren’t on my key card like they should’ve been. It took 3 hours to go over every single photo they took onboard to find ours, and then didn’t even find them all! I was so frustrated I gave up! Apparently this was an issue for a lot of people! They said my photos would be online after midnight on Friday 22nd, which they were when connected to MSC WiFi but now that I’m home it says to check back March 26th! Because of the photo issue I missed the one show I haven’t seen yet which was Skywalker! Overall it was another fantastic family vacation and can’t wait to sail MSC again! I’m sorry to the people on our sailing that didn’t have the same experience! I recommend you give MSC another chance! Especially if you were in the YC!Embarkation
Yacht club embarkment was super easy! We arrived around noon and waited about 20 min to get checked in. Our family requested to get an embarkment photo, which wasn’t an issue. We just had to wait for the next group to be escorted onboard.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The yacht club restaurant and buffet food was great like always! We also enjoyed dinner in Butcher’s Cut and Ocean Cay. Was a little disappointed the king and snow crabs are no longer included in the trio dining package but we purchased them for $20 which was 50% off. Teppanyaki was our favorite! We ate there twice because it was sooo flavorful and delicious! They do have chairs that are for shorter people so your feet don’t dangle! You just need to ask!
Onboard Activities
Massage from Chen was the best I’ve ever had! I loved hiding from my kids in the Thermal Spa. It was so relaxing and quiet! We loved all the theme nights! The Gatsby’s party, and the White party were a lot of fun! MSC definitely knows how to throw a party!
Entertainment
The entertainment was excellent and the shows were fantastic!
Service and Staff
The yacht club service was top notch! We had a few hiccups in the beginning but the service was still 100% Concierges Ava, Emanuel, and Tricia took very good care of us! Our Butler and jr. Butler were great!
Only major issue was with the photo desk!! We pre paid the unlimited photo package for $150. Once onboard we saw it was $149, but they also offered another unlimited package with 10 prints and a free camera similar to the GoPro for $199. We were able to upgrade and pay the $50 difference. It was a nightmare actually trying to find the photos they took of our family! For some reason they weren’t on my key card like they should’ve been. It took 3 hours to go over every single photo they took onboard to find ours, and then didn’t even find them all! I was so frustrated I gave up! Apparently this was an issue for a lot of people! They said my photos would be online after midnight on Friday 22nd, which they were when connected to MSC WiFi but now that I’m home it says to check back March 26th! Because of the photo issue I missed the one show I haven’t seen yet which was Skywalker!
Ship Quality
The ship is beautiful!
Cabin / Stateroom
We had a handicap deluxe balcony suite with plenty of room to move around and a huge balcony!
Ship tip
Book the shows with the MSC for me app when you get onboard because they do fill up.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
We took a taxi and went to Coral World where we pre-booked the swim with turtles and sea lion encounters. I recommend both! We had so much fun!
I give St. Maarten 5 stars but the excursion only gets 2 stars!!
We booked the Discover St. Maarten by jeep tour through MSC and was very disappointed! Not once did we go off road/trails. We didn’t drive by half of the places listed in the description or stop in Marigot or at any shops or markets! You also need to be a very aggressive driver to keep up with the jeeps in front of you! At one point we couldn’t see them in front of us because of all the traffic! Glad they had Walkie-talkies! It was an anxiety filled day! MSC did issue all of us a refund.
We did the blue lagoon island beach day through MSC which included lunch. We rented a clam shell shade that came with 2 Bahamas towels, 2 souvenir cups, and 3 drinks ticket for $50 and an extra umbrella for $10. We had a great beach day!
Disembarkation
Disembarkment was a breeze! We left at 9, and it only took us 15 mins from the time we walked off to the time we got into a taxi!
Traveler Photos
