Horrible Cruise of a Lifetime

Item: MSC Seaside
Rating: 1.9
Author: jhiltenbrand

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

jhiltenbrand

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

1.9 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 15, 2019

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9036

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Worst cruise i've ever taken and I've been on about 6 (Royal Carribean, Carnival, Celebrity and now MSC). Celebrity is the way to go if you want luxury and great service. I felt like my money was wasted and I grossly overpaid for the product/services we got in exchange. I also encountered problems with cheap cruises support staff about promised room credits and they were very rude and unhelpful. Wifi unless unlimited plan was a huge DATA suck and the 6GB plan would last 2 days.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Sent to wrong line, not given right paperwork

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Food was Meh at best, minimal menu choices and not very flavorful. Worse than the food on Carnival cruises. Food in dining room better but service took forever and the Aurea "anytime" dining was horrible and worthless. Give me a set dining time every time.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Aurea private deck was only bright spot as it was quite, secluded and not busy

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Not super engaging except for the BeerProv shows - those were good and only reason for 3 stars

Children's Programs

no children

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Most were only average. Took three days meet great bartender or finally get a waiter who didn't suck.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Newer ship, clean. Lack of trash cans all over ship. Bathrooms often with only 2 or 3 toilets so often wait to use.

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5

Clean, newer etc. Mattress very hard. Almost NO storage. Room smaller than most ships I've been on.

Ship tip

Don't do it. Save your money unless you love uncharges for normal things and a subpar and not at all luxurious vacation.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

2 out of 5

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

1 out of 5

George Town, Grand Cayman

3 out of 5

hate tinder boats and process for getting off takes forever. Nice port otherwise.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

1 out of 5

Tour was grossly overbooked and "buffet" food and open bar were laughable. Staff at the resort were rude.

Thumbs Up 1

Nassau, Bahamas

1 out of 5

Worse than Jamaica for being attacked by peddlers and everything at port overpriced.

Thumbs Up 3

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Only good thing about it. New customs photo recognition was awesome.

9 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Thumbs Up 0

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dansw81 5 years ago

Wow maybe you just need a yacht with your own staff and no one else around... For their sake!

Thumbs Up 0

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ChristophPissedoff 5 years ago

This is a spot on review, but it didn’t stop us from having fun. We went the week before and pretty much felt the same, except I didn’t mind the food.

Thumbs Up 2

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sflcoupons 5 years ago

It's still better then being on mainland or at work. Sorry - but u dont know if a cruiseline is for you till u try it.. and sounds like this alone is not for u. We are going on our 4th yacht club cruise and just love the difference we get on msc... but def not for you by the sounds of it. Just be happy you were away! Some cant even do that.

Thumbs Up 2

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anoceanlife 5 years ago

Wow bet your fun to hang with

Thumbs Up 4

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missnotanlines 5 years ago

A lot of whining going on here

Thumbs Up 2

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teresaCruisesIn 5 years ago

Sorry you had such a horrible time. MSC is very different and can’t really be compared to those other cruise lines.

Thumbs Up 1

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TeamBowens 5 years ago

Well captain kill joy, what did you like about this cruise besides the secluded deck and beer shows? Did you do any research for this trip?

Thumbs Up 1

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CruzeFan 5 years ago

Seems like cruising may not be for you. You didn’t seem to enjoy much of anything. Everyone’s experience is different, but I can’t imagine not enjoying a cruise.

Thumbs Up 2

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Other reviews of this sailing

A wonderful ship with a few disappointments.

Love this ship!

Not a Family Cruise