2nd Cruise on MSC Seaside

Item: MSC Seaside
Rating: 4.9
Author: jmtfrisco

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

jmtfrisco

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 110

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 12, 2019

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14102

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This was a very relaxing cruise for me, my wife my 2 brothers and their wives and my cousin. We are from Texas, Alabama (ROLL TIDE) and Nashville, TN. We had a GREAT trip with lots of fun and great memories that will never fade. We are ready to do it again. My wife and I will be back in Miami in 4 weeks for a short trip on MSC Miraviglia. We are anxious to be the first ship to visit their new Ocean Cay Island. We can hardly wait even though we just got off the ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

This was my 13th cruise on multiple cruise lines and it was by far the eaqsiest I have ever had. The Port of Miami definitely has their act together

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

I see the ratings on Seaside consistently get lower ratings. I am not sure what kind of expectation those with low rating have but the food was always excellent. The buffet's are superb with LOTS of choices. We did not do the Specialty restaurants because we actually enjoy interaction with the same serve staff every evening. Besides, you can get the SAME HUGE Ribeye that you get in the Specialty Restaurant for only $20.00. It was delicious! Where else can you buy a 16-18 ounce Ribeye for $20. Our dining experiences have always been good. We even requested multiple substitutes based upon dietary restrictions and they accommodated every one of them. No complaints at all on the food side.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Zip line, pools, bowling, water slides/tubes, trivia, dance lessons, karaoke, massages, facials, hair fixed for special nights for the ladies, bingo, ping pong, formula one simulator, multiple pools and hot tubs...we had a BLAST on all of them.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

MSC Seaside shows are some of the best you will ever see on a cruise ship. Being a professional musician I especially appreciate the superb sound system, lighting, costumes and quality of talent with singers and phenomenal dancers. I appreciation most all forms of music. Some may not be enjoyed by all and those are the people of rudely get up and walk out during the show. At least have the courtesy to sit in the back and leave if you do not appreciate the style of music. The shows were excellent. The DJ was GREAT, MSC Seaside and MSC in general needs to spend a little more on bar entertainment and get some good hired bands to offer variety. They are still relatively new in the US market and have made a lot of strides. Their budget is in their shows. The costuming is every bit as good as you would see at the best Broadway show in NY.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our service and staff were friendly, always attentive to our group of 7. They worked very hard to make sure the level of service they provided either at meals, bars, rooms, etc. was up to their own high standards. I have seen many reviews blasting people of this ship about poor service. I think I understand why...if you are a JERK and want a constant servant then you will be disappointed. If you are a kind person and choose to be friendly and say please and thank you and not DEMAND what you are requesting I believe you will find most any staff will do their best to make your trip very nice. Ask questions about where they are from, their family etc...don't go in making it all about YOU. Our servers appreciated with tears in their eyes the card each of us wrote on and gave them to say Thank You our last night for their GREAT service. Even before opening the card and seeing extra tip money equal to the great service they had provided. It's not that hard people.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Seaside is a beautiful ship. The latest ships coming out have listened to consumers and are now including walking tracks around the top decks. You can still walk on Seaside it's just not a dedicated track. The ships was as clean as any ship can be that holds 5700 passengers and crew. It was not perfect but neither were any of the other previous cruise ships I have been on.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The room size is fine (it's a cruise ship room) The shower is fine...a little smaller that a guy my size would prefer but it did its job. Bed slept very well and sitting out on the balcony just watching the ocean go by and seeing marine life and birds catching our "draft" and soaring was extremely relaxing.

Ship tip

You WILL meet a diverse eclectic crowd of people from all over the world (We love that about MSC) Some people do not care to interact with other cultures and they get tired of hearing annoucements in several different languages other than English. We LOVE this about this ship and those we have met from other parts of the world have been wonderful to talk to and get to know. We are better for having met them and getting to know their life and culture a little better. If you want to be catered to as an American on a multi-cultural ship do NOT go on this ship. Go be catered to by another cruise line. MSC is working with a large diverse audience of consumers and they are doing quite well with it being this new going out of American Ports

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

We personally love the Miami Port and thus we fly from Texas to take our cruises out of Miami because of the beauty of the port, the sail away, the ease of getting in and out of the port. I have never experienced any better in all of my trips I have made out of various ports around the US.

Thumbs Up 14

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

San Juan has a great history. They are doing better but some of the people are still recovering from the devastating hurricanes the last 2 years. The people we heard from are not bitter about it...it is just taking much longer than expectd to recover from such large category hurricanes. We did a tour around the city and Felix our tour guide was Excellent. We learned a lot about their history and culture. Be sure to get some Don Q Rum while you are there!

Thumbs Up 10

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

I had not been to St, Thomas in 20+ years and it is just a beautiful as I recall from many years ago. This is favorite, most beautiful port (my opinion) I have ever had the privilege of visiting. Magan Bay, the Port, The new structures, the hills, the water are all spectacular. They too have had major destruction of property and many people will be rebuilding for several years to come. Crews are there on an ongoing basis from all over the US helping them work toward a new normal.

Thumbs Up 10

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

St. Maarten, is also very beautiful. They have not made as much progress in rebuilding from hurricanes as St. Thomas. You do not see it at the port but you do see it in the countryside away from the port.

Thumbs Up 8

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5

I have been to Nassau many times. It's Nassau. The people are friendly. We were not sure what to expect after the devastation experienced in Freeport and having to move so many people to Nassau. We really did not see much of a change at all. It was raining in port the day we were there which cut our normal activities down a bit.

Thumbs Up 6

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

I have never gotten off of a ship as fast as we did this trip. MSC has an alliance with US Customs and if you are using a Passport as your identification you leave the ship walk through a line that does biometrics on your face, your luggae has already been scanned and screened by US Customs and you walk straight out of the terminal without having to stop by US Customs IF you have been good and everything is okay with what you have in your luggae. EASY!

Traveler Photos

Michael Jackson Music and Dance Review (SPECTACULAR)

6 Comments

cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Sounds great

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jojo625 4 years ago

Thank you for such a great review. I appreciate a detailed assessment of your experiences as it will definitely help in my decisions. We are looking to book with MSC for a Sept/Oct cruise to the Caribbean. I still have several questions, but am getting excited already. Thanks again.

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judithimmers 5 years ago

Thank you for taking time to give this review...I really appreciate it. We get on the 26th...i was having 2nd thoughts since this is our first with MSC...18th total. Lots of negative people...my mind is open and I'm ready to sail away...

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richno1 5 years ago

What a fantastic review I'll be there in june can't wait enjoy life is too short

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palmtreegirl02 5 years ago

Great review! Leaving in 25 days. Can’t wait!

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Rasheida 5 years ago

Glad you all enjoyed yourselves! 😊

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

A Wonderful Cruise for our family

Awesome

wont do it again