First and last cruise with MSC

Item: MSC Seaside
Rating: 1.8
Author: singlla

MSC Seaside Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

singlla

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

1.8 out of 5

4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 19, 2023

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12244

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

MSC May have ruined cruising for me. I’ve been on other cruise lines and had much better experiences but this was before the pandemic. They are understaffed but fully booked so service is atrocious. 3.5 hours to board mostly standing in the sun. Public bathrooms on the ship usually had no soap. No wonder so many people get sick on cruises. And the cabin bathroom is about the size of an airplane bathroom. The shower is so tiny I barely fit and I weigh 120 pounds. Bartenders won’t look up so they have no idea who was there first and they move like slugs. If you ask for something that you had before that they are currently out of they just shake their heads with a scowling look on their face and don’t say anything. They charge you for tips as soon as you board so there is no incentive for the bartenders/wait staff to do better because they already know they are getting tipped. The ship design is extremely complicated and the signage is pathetic. Food for the most part is not edible and everything is cold. Outdoor swimming pools are tiny so always crowded. Disembarkation was so messed up that it took over an hour. Waiting in line must be their company motto. MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) needs to stick with moving cargo and stay out of the cruise business because they have no idea what they are doing in the cruise field. I’m not sure if I will ever cruise again because of the cluster MSC is but if I do it won’t be with this piece of crap company. This is a European owned company so they have no idea of good customer service. Europe service is bad in comparison to the USA because they are not incentivized to work harder to get more tips. I paid for internet and getting it going was so difficult that I called guest relations for help and the woman (Agatha?) I spoke to laughed at me. I could go on and on but I’m not wasting anymore of my time on this crap company. Worst cruise ever.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was extremely slow. It took 3.5 hours mostly waiting in line in the sun.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Most food was not edible and all of it was cold.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Appeared to be some decent activities if you want to spend even more time waiting in line.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Waiters and bartenders don’t look up so getting their attention was extremely difficult. Two stars because our room steward was excellent. That’s it. No one else appeared to care about doing a good job.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Confusing with poor signage.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Tiny but clean.

Ship tip

Don’t do it.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

3 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Beautiful with great beaches but the poor service knocked this down from 5 to2.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Disorganized and confusing. Took about an hour.

16 Comments

RP82 30 days ago

I feel your pain. Some other commentators are critising you, I type let it flow. Tell us about it, so we can avoid it. And it's your experience after all, not theirs. Thank you for your review.

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marierdea 1 year ago

Sorry to hear that you had such an awful cruise. It doesn't warrant the dramatics of never cruising again. Just find a cruise line that caters to your wants and needs.

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nlb1050 1 year ago

We have been on 13 MSC cruises, the shortest of which was 7 days. So I guess you could say we like MSC. Unfortunately most of the reviews that are not good were short cruises. And I think a lot of the problems could be found on other lines on short cruises. Maybe you should just go in cruises of 7 nights or longer and don't do the short ones.

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envy1219 1 year ago

I agree with CiCiLove992, cruising Is way too much fun to let 1 keep you from the next. Hopefully you try again.

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Oops sorry 😞 thanks

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PaulzyJC 1 year ago

Maybe a 3 day cruise was just a waste of your time. 🤷🏿‍♂️🚢🛋😞

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PaulzyJC 1 year ago

Hmmm. I almost booked with MSC Seaside. I went with the Queen Elizabeth on Cunard.

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shipbarnicle 1 year ago

We didnt like MSC Meraviglia.....Carnival and Royal Caribbean Forever

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karen070 1 year ago

I’m going on my THIRD MSC cruise in May. November and December on the Meraviglia. (it’s now out of NY). Our experiences were awesome. We loved every second from Embarkment to disembarkation. The service was amazing we took extra for tips- and used it all but like couple 20’s. They all work so hard 7/24. For like 9 months. They don’t get a vacation, weekends off, no holiday off. They all did all they could for us. Someone always cleaning no matter where u go. The food was delicious. A little different than Ameris food - this IS. an Italian company I loved getting that little difference. If I wanted reg home cooking I would have stayed home and went to Cracker / ? It’s a cruise ship and all have small bathrooms maybe unless you do the upper class one. These cruises are cheaper and I get to go to islands and enjoy all the food I want. Can’t go on any other cruise line e at these rates. So worth it to me. I can get a Balcony and on other you cannot without double the price Going on my third in few weeks. Different ship since they moved the Meraviglia. I BET. And hope for a wonderful time. I will be posting on here. PS - I have been on RCC and NCL. This will be my 7th and I l ow it will be awesome. I’m sorry you did not get the same on yours. Mine was 7 days. The shorter cruises. May be different. Give it another try if you can

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Curt34 1 year ago

Sorry you had such a bad cruise experience. I will be cruising in a week so hopefully I will have a better time.

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Kingboxer 1 year ago

I will tell you what my travel agent said m s c is not for you

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amorad2112 1 year ago

So sorry to hear about your experience!!! I will be aboard the Seaside on 5/21 I hope that they tightened up a bit.. was going in with low expectations but now I’m wondering if I made a mistake. Thank you again and will be going aboard with eyes WIDE OPEN!!

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Sorry you were disappointed in your cruise.

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OGWonderWoman 1 year ago

Wow, that sounds bad. 🤣 If I complained half as much in a review then I would get crucified by the cruise trolls. 🤦🏾‍♀️ I hope you try again on a different line. Cruising is too much fun to let 1 ship or cruise line ruin it for you forever.

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate you details. Sorry you were so very disappointed.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Appreciate you sharing your experience

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Other reviews of this sailing

Could actually be the worst on the market

Disappointing Cruise!

Could have been better.