MSC Seaside a big disappointment to these frequent cruisers

Item: MSC Seaside
Rating: 2.9
Author: KathyNTim

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

KathyNTim

Contributor Level: Second Mate

12 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 101

Overall rating:

2.9 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 27, 2019

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

We were tremendously disappointed to find out that our “gratuities/service charge“ was not truly a gratuity. The workers explained that that money was used for their base salary. If cruisers did not provide cash tips, they were living at poverty level, even considering room and board are included in their salary. MSC needs to do a better job of educating their customers so that we don’t look cheap by not tipping additionally. Other cruise lines in the United States divide the gratuities amongst the workers IN ADDITION to the base salary Provided by the cruise line.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

From curb to ship was about twenty minutes!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Food was sub par, small portions, no free soft serve, sodas were only part of a $33/per day package. Otherwise $3.75 per can.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

NO planned activities on port days. Minimal activities on sea says. Zip line, bowling, arcade, all cost extra. Positive note: nicer prizes than we are used to for winning trivia.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Average at best. Shows were repetitive. Many acts appeared several times throughout the week in the evening theater variety shows.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Waiters were lacking in personality. Room steward did a great job.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very nice ship. Clean, elegant.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Clean cabin, but not enough storage or closet space.

Ship tip

The Buffett is not on the top deck near the pool. It’s on deck 8. Counterintuitive to every other ship we have been on!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

2 out of 5

Visited Blue Hole and Kaz Kreole Beach through Sham and Orion Tours. Inexpensive, but you get what you pay for. Tons of marijuana smokers everywhere in Jamaica. You’ll get a contact high even if you’re careful to try to steer clear. Beware of you drug test for work!

Thumbs Up 2

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Love GC- can’t go wrong at this port!

Thumbs Up 10

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Visited Junkanoo Beach and the Straw Market on our own. Both are a short walk from the pier and very doable if you’re on a budget.

Thumbs Up 12

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Ten min from ship to curb.

6 Comments

cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Sorry for the disappointment

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KathyNTim 5 years ago

I politely disagree with each of you. MSC is much different than “American” cruise lines in many aspects, which is what I was trying to convey in my review. I DID do research ahead of time, and I expected many of the differences.... but the biggest was the gratuities. They are billed as a “daily service fee”, NOT as “gratuities.” Online chats and posts agree- these fees are non-refundable and are NOT used as gratuities.

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Paully52 5 years ago

I agree! The ice cream was free and as I recalled it was around back at one of the buffets! The amount of food was just like any other cruise! You can order as much as you want! I had a second serving on their lasagna, it was that good! So if you didn't get a lot to eat then your not much of a cruiser! Everyone knows you can order anything on the menu and as much as you want! On Carnival I always get the chocolate melting cake with two scoops of ice cream!

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MrCodieJoe 5 years ago

As a frequent cruiser you seem to make mistakes prior to boarding. Upon research of this ship you’ll notice that it’s a Mediterranean cruise line so it’s not completely Americanized. You complain about portion of plates but ultimately you can order as much as you’d like. I’ve ordered double plates of items if I know I really like it. Soft service ice cream is free daily. Normally near the pool deck. Sorry you missed it. As for the sodas and drink packages - this shouldn’t of been a surprise as even American cruise lines charge for sodas. Lastly, you seem shocked that the zip line, bowling, arcade cost extra. A simple search will tell you they’re not free and there is an additional charge. Sorry your experience as a frequent cruiser was less than perfect.

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MrCodieJoe 5 years ago

This is a bunch of hoopla. MSC divides the gratuities up for their crew just like any other cruise line.

Thumbs Up 2

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crusin4gramma 5 years ago

You don't suppose that possibly the person who "explained" to you about the gratuities was merely trying to get an extra tip!!!

Thumbs Up 2

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