It was a beautiful ship, good entertainment, great housekeeping but…

MSC Seaside Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 33

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5
MSC Seaside

3 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 08, 2023

Ship: MSC Seaside

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

MSC needs to train there bar staff. They need training on customer service and a mixology course. Also, add more complimentary food options. Other than that they have potential.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Embarkation was actually fast and smooth no hiccups at all. Got their at 11am and was walking in the ship by 11:40am.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food was okay. Pizza was great!! They could add more to their menu though and maybe add like a cantina or something in that sense without a fee like carnival. Drinks were ok. I guess it was a hit or miss.. but be prepared to tip the bar staff if you want superior service from them otherwise prepare to wait or get wacky service. Especially if you have a drink package. I noticed once they realized you had a drink package, their service went downhill. Also, a lot of them don’t acknowledge the guest they like to look down, so if your not paying attention they will take people that got there after you. I would say if you’re not a drinker like that you won’t have any issue.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
The pools were nice, the water slides were awesome, my 10 year old kept going down them slides. I did the zip line and that was pretty cool.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
All three shows were great! We enjoyed them and the entertainment I have to say is better than some of these other cruise lines that really cater more to the guest that love the 60’s and 70’s. They tend to cater to all ages which is a plus.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
The room steward was great. Always attentive and we never had issue with cleanliness. She did great and we made sure to leave her a tip. Guest service was just ok. The buffet staff was good and our MDR waiter was also nice and attentive. Now the bar staff gets and F with the exception of three bar staff personnel.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The ship design can be a little confusing but after a day and a half we got the hang of it. The smart elevator were chaotic the first day but by the second day it got a lot better.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The cabin was great. With enough room for two adults, a 10 year old and a 18 month old. We also had a pack n’ play.

Ship tip

Our main complaint was the bar staff service. No attentiveness, no customer service.

Ports of call

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

5 out of 5
Beautiful island!!! We love it. The food trucks were a plus. We didn’t even do the buffet. We did the food trucks. The bar service in the island was also poor.

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Disembarkation was also a breeze. We did the express check out and got off the ship by 8am with our luggage’s. Customs was also a smoothed process. No complaints.
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8 Comments

RP82     1 month ago

MSC needs a lot of improvement if it wants to be a competitive cruiseline in the U.S., in my opinion. Thank you for your review.

Cruisers4Lyfe     4 months ago

Thanks for sharing

amorad2112    1 year ago

Thanks for the review! I was in the Seaside recently and though I didn’t encounter as many issues I do understand the bar situation. What I noticed though was that the bar staff was woefully understaffed while the ship was at capacity. They need more staff and I think that may help an overburdened staff.

Itspeace4me    1 year ago

Thank you for your review.

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

cdavid46    1 year ago

Sailed on a sister ship, Seascape, in January. She had been out into service only a few weeks before our cruise and, yes, there were some areas where we saw room for improvement. Bar service was pretty hectic at the lobby bar and another larger venue bar. But, we found another that was pretty sane and had no problem getting served. So…🤷🏼‍♂️

cruising2004    1 year ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience.

javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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