Nice ship. Very average food and entertainment.

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

2.5 out of 5
Verified Review
MSC Seaside

7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 16, 2019

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Itinerary changed to include Amber Cove Dominican republic. The 5 star all inclusive excursion was a rip off as it was a poor 2 star hotel with a fly filled buffet. MSC seemed to be more interested in selling trinkets on ship and pushing the excursions than asking for customer feedback. Other cruisers that had used MSC several times prior said they go because of price knowing that food will be very average and don't go to the shows that have been the same for many cruises.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Boarding went well. No crew met onboard for any direction. We were on our own to wander to find cabin.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5
Did not have a hot meal in 7 days. Every item on buffet or dinner was lukewarm. Could not even get ice tea in "specialty restaurant". Free drink glasses were so small they could have been shot glasses. Buffet menu never changed. Only pizza late evening.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Pool was nice . However, many passengers did not follow instructions and used towels to save lounges while they wandered or went to eat meals.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The entertainers were talented. However ,4 nights of the same acts rearranged with different costumes for the 30 minute shows was not up to par.

Children's Programs

No children in our group.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5
The steward was excellant. The waiters were average to below average. The serving was unorganized , the staff did not speak english very well. For example it took 4 requests and finally the maitre'd to get iced tea for lunch.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Rating as good because it was new and clean. However, layout was chopped up and hard for many to navigate.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Comfortable cabin, smaller than previous royal carribean cruise. Steward kept it spotless.

Ship tip

If you base decision on price you will be happy. If you are sailing for food and excursions, you will be disappointed.

Ports of call

Miami, Florida Did not visit port

came from airport to ship directly

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1 out of 5
San Juan arrival was at 5 pm. It was dark at 6 pm. MSC set 3 hour sightseeing that would last 2 hours after dark. MSC had our money so we could only get credit.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

2 out of 5
We did a sightseeing excursion to see the island. The bus tour was supposed to be 3 hours. The excursion stopped 2 times for photos and pushed to get back in 2 1/2 hours. No time in downtown showing off sites.

Nassau, Bahamas Did not visit port

Not sure .A letter in the cabin informed of the change. This should have been communicated prior to accepting booking . Communication from captain was poor throughout.

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas Did not visit port

The island was not finished. They should have disclosed prior to us booking !

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Easy walk off. Waited in line for 1 1/2. MSC told us that U.S. immigration was the cause.
Was this review helpful? 34

6 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

CruiselineSarah    4 years ago

I stand corrected, had no idea they were letting other lines dock there now.

tombstone150726    4 years ago

We went on her in October and the service and attention to detail I felt was very lacking

NuggetsCruising    4 years ago

@CruiselineSarah That Is Where You Wrong, Carnival Corp. Is Starting To Allow There Other Cruise Lines To There Port And MSC Is 1 Of Those Cruise Line.

CruiselineSarah    4 years ago

That is not possible, Amber Cove is a private port owned by Carnival Corporation. MSC ships can't stop there.

balconyfor3    4 years ago

Wow! Nothing seems to please you!! Your vacation is what you make of it! 🥺🥺😢😢

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