WORST CRUISE I HAVE EVER BEEN ON!!! DON'T GO - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR YOUR TIME!
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was fine, we had to wait in an area that had no where to be able to plug in your electronic devices. They had a good flow to get the people on board, I did like the fact that they gave you numbers when you checked in so, you were allowed to board according the number you received when checking in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food was nothing to write home about. I will say that our waiter(s) in the main dining room were absolutely phenomenal. If they had been the face of MSC throughout the cruise, we would have been great. I did let their supervisor know of their superior service. The buffets were hard to navigate and the variety was not good. Very similar food every day. There was no ice cream machine available only at certain times and then the cones were prepared for you and handed to you like children. There was no waiters providing drinks or filling your cups like normal cruise lines...the tables were not cleared in a timely manner, many times you would see a table piled with dirty dishes that were placed so people could have a place to sit. Even formal night dinners were not great, which was upsetting. I also would like to have had the opportunity to sit with other guests to make new friends, but instead, we were seated just the two of us.
When we booked our cruise, there was an offer on the site AND THE MSC website offering a FREE easy drinks package and a FREE WiFi package, we were informed AFTER we booked, that we were not entitled to these. When we booked we booked at one level, but when we upgraded, we were at a different level.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Cassino and shows. I wasn't impressed with the shopping experiences either, compared to what I am used to on other cruises. I did not use the pools, but did try to find chairs in the shade on the deck. There was no monitoring (like other cruises) of those people placing towels on the chairs early and then not showing up and using them until much later. I also was not impressed with the cleanliness or lack thereof, of the decks. They did not collect empty glasses or dirty dishes on a regular basis.
There were also no areas of the ship where we could plug in electronic devices. I took work with me to do, and was not able to find a comfortable location outside my cabin to sit and work/study. I always enjoy sitting in a common area where there are windows to sit and watch the water as I desired.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The best show on board was the Michael Jackson tribute, other than that, the shows were just okay. They did bring in a group for one night and they were good. I was not impressed with with the music, and I understand that it was an international clientele, however, the music was mostly in Spanish. There were very few performers in the various bars, which could have changed that to accommodate many of the nationalities on board. The New Year's Eve event on deck, was just a noise with all the people...I guess that is how it would feel going to Times Square in New York for New Year's Eve.
Children's Programs
Not needed - no children
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
This is hard as our dining room staff was over the top. The rest of the personnel on board, leaves something to be desired. Our room steward was horrible. We had to ask for towels many days...our room was not made up a couple of days until late in the afternoon. One day, we slept late, so that was our fault. The day that we were on their private island, it was 2:30 and the room was not made up, then the steward walked into the room without even knocking or anything. The service at the desk, was non caring to say the least...TOTALLY UNIMPRESSED WITH THE LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM all throughout the ship. We had to call the service desk five or six different times...none of which resolved the issues, there was no real apology for the issues, no offer to be given any kind of refund or partial refund...HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The actual ship itself was gorgeous. I was not impressed that there was no outer deck that you could walk completely around the ship as a walking track. The common areas were not kept clean. You would often walk past a table full of drink glasses/coffee cups. There was not a constant reminder that they were cleaning.
I was very upset that sailing on an Italian ship, the cappuccino bar was ALWAYS closed, even when we were at sea. There were cappuccino machines available elsewhere, but I don't think it was the same. I ordered a decaf cappuccino, and I will swear it was not one, as I was kept up all night.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. We paid to upgrade to an ocean view...it was big, but it also stank and the toilet would not flush for 5 days. We reported the smell...nothing was done. We reported the toilet, they fixed it for the same thing to happen the next day. In Puerto Rico, we had to purchase room air freshners because the room was so bad. The cleanliness was okay, but several days had to ask for towels...found extra bedding left in the room that was just piled on the bed. No offer was made to move us, no apology was given, no follow ups were done to make sure that everything was taken care of...VERY FRUSTRATING
Ship tip
DON'T GO - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had already visited San Juan, but was not happy that we could not go out and see anything because it was night time and dark. Basically a wasted port of call.
Not impressed. Too long of a stay on the island. I did enjoy the parade and the lighthouse show. I think being charged an arm and a leg to do things on their island is ridiculous, as well as staying there for 14 or 15 hours with nothing to do on board.
Very unorganized with no clear marking for those that carried their luggage off. The people were coming into the line from all angles and locations, cutting in front of us that had been waiting in line. There were no lane markers or personnel directing the flow.
We were on the same cruise. Yes, food was not up to what I am accustomed too and service in main restaurant was very slow.
Shows we thought we very good but a little redundant.
Seating around the pool area was very crowded but found chairs each day, as long as you cane out by 11
If you had read the reviews and MSC’s own ads you know this was a “Miami” theme.
We have been on 20 cruises and we thought enjoyed our tine on the MSC Seaside as it was “different”. But we knew that going in......
Interesting that other reviews of the same sailing date rated it 4 - 5 Stars and one highly recommended it. It seems people either love or hate MSC and this ship. Many don’t realize there are several levels of experience with MSC. Those that seem to enjoy it book the Yacht Club while those that are disappointed seem to book the lowest level experience for the cheapest price, then are upset they didn’t get the top level experience.
Try another cruise line don't let it put you off we have just done our 27th cruise been to awesome places meet some great people and have great memories.. 60 more sleeps till our next cruise adventure.. book another and try again it's so worth it enjoy
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