Poor at best. Not a cruise for any American. Poor food, not enough, lousy bar service.

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

bobstripes

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 15

Overall rating:

2.1 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 08, 2020

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 15123

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 months ago

Review summary

This is an Italian ship, geared to Europeans. It is not for the avg. American looking for a great cruise. Italian crew, not to social to us English speakers, European diet meals, not too much of anything, and you Pay for good food. I found it ridiculous on Friday night that they felt the need to shut the water off. I was up at 6AM, no shower, no teeth brushing, No coffee, no Juices, no cappachino, or espresso at the bar or restaurant. They said 6 hours, it turned out to be 7 and a half hours. This was the most expensive cruise I've ever taken. NEVER AGAIN on MSC Seaside, or any Italian cruise line. And is on my sh.. list too. Sorry, but honest. Robert P. Northern Potter Pa.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Too Crowded, 5000 getting on. Scanned for corona virus.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Unable to cook tasteless steaks, lots of green beans, buffet was the same every day...Pizza, Pizza, Pasta, Bread. Underflavored soft drinks, even paid meals were tastless.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

every show, activity on ship including lifeboat drill was inaudible, and instructions were given in six languages. Bingo was a real treat.(sarcasticly)

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Lots of foreign language music.

Children's Programs

eh, no kids

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

although they tried hard to please, There is just not enough crew to attend to the customers. Getting a drink was easy. Go to the bar and wait up to 15 minutes to get a Rum and Coke. Or order your drink at a slow time. Drink package was lacking and very expensive. My wife cannot drink, yet we were charged mandatory packages. Lousy all around. Room Steward was very good if not excellent.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Too big, Smokers got lots of exercise going to a designated smoking area. All walking, and after a week, we were still lost half the time. Also, this is a class ship. I thought they were all gone. There are areas off limits to the little people.

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5

Size was ok, we had a balcony. I had to sit sideways on the head to go to the bathroom. not cool.

Ship tip

Don't unless you are European (Italian) They do maintenance during the cruise which included shutting all the water off for seven hours for Maintenance. No coffee, O.J., esspresso, or cappachino till the water came back on. Very Amateurish. No apologies either.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

it is where we started our Cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Very friendly people, very beautiful Island. To Bad MSC scheduled our arrival just before dark. Made it impossible to visit Old San Juan. On a walking tour.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

3 out of 5

Typical American Island. bottom of hills, poor, Top of hills Rich. Poor roads. Tourist Trap.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Good walking tour. This is an independent Island and is not where people live free. Minimum wage around 5 bucks and hour.

Thumbs Up 0

OCEAN CAY MSC MARINE RESERVE, BAHAMAS

2 out of 5

Looks like a big man-made sand bar with stores that closed at 3PM, Why they stayed till 10PM is beyond me.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Very slow, but steady. U.S Customs held us up for over half an hour. Didn't matter whether you were U.S. citizen or not. Wait the same, Unlike EU countries where there citizens get priority at passport control.