Mother/Daughter Trip

MSC Seaside Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 8
Helpful Votes: 190

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5
MSC Seaside

4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 13, 2023

Ship: MSC Seaside

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 11069

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

This was my 1st time cruising MSC and overall I enjoyed my experience. Embarkation took about 25 minutes and we arrived at our assigned time. Our room was ready upon arrival and we stayed in an interior room on deck 11. The only complaint I had was lack of storage space. We never met our room steward this trip but I had left him a note and he followed up on all my request. The ship was absolutely beautiful and I love the many sitting areas and lounges. Deck 8 outside is fantastic for an escape from crowds. The ship did have a weird musty/mildew smell in many places but we did receive a good bit of rain on this sailing so that might have something to do with it. As far as food, we had no complaints on the quality but buffet selection got very monotonous. It did not really change from day to day. I did enjoy buffet option on 8 and 16 and the selection on deck 8 was extensive. The pizza and coffee were the best. I only went to the main dining room once and while food was good the service was SLOW from start to finish. Service overall all on this ship was comparable to service you get in many European countries. It is not over the top and a bit slower than Americans are used to. It is not a bad thing just different from service on the big 4 cruise lines. There are very few announcements throughout the cruise and you need to pay attention to time to return to ship as you are exiting ship. It did not match the app or paper schedule on several instances. MSC does deck parties well and they usually start pretty late at night. We had a blast dancing and the DJ plays a wide variety of music. We also enjoyed all the shows and the comedian was great. Make sure and make reservations on the app the night before. The private island was beautiful and my suggestion is if you got to sunrise beach make sure you have water shoes. Ouch!!!! My only complaint on the island is the buffet line was crazy long. We gave up and did the grab and go burgers and hot dogs. Express disembarkation was fairly easy. The line snaked all over the deck but it moved fast and we were off in about 15 minutes. Many people complain about MSC and I can understand how cruisers loyal to other lines and going in with those expectations could be disappointed. It is a very European experience as reflected in the service, food, and onboard activities. I appreciated a different cruise experience and was able to find the positives. I will cruise MSC again and have one in November on a different ship.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation took about 25 minutes. We were held outside in a queue for a bit which was quite hot and sweaty. The security line was also a bit chaotic. For reference we arrived at our assigned 1:30 check in time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
We only went to the main dining room once. It was very slow and quite disorganized. We ate at the buffet for majority of meals and food was good but the selections always remained the same. The sushi specialty restaurant was very good.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
The parties in the evening were amazing. Pools and water slides were fun.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
We absolutely loves the Peter punk show and the comedian was fantastic. The other musicians on the ship were also very good.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
We only saw our room steward once in passing; however, he kept room tidy and kept ice bucket filled. The bar staff were hot and miss and sometimes it took a while to get service.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The design was actually pretty good once you learned where everything was located. Love that deck 8 you can walk around the outside.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
The interior room was fine for a place to sleep. Room stayed cool. My only complaint is limited storage. The 2 of us barely had enough room for our things so I can’t imagine a family on a longer cruise.

Ship tip

Book shows as soon as they become available when you board. Also, you have to really pay attention to what is going on. There are very few announcements especially when it comes to ship being cleared and being able to get off. Pay attention to signs as you disembark for back on ship time. They don’t match app or the paper schedule.

Ports of call

Nassau, Bahamas

5 out of 5
Nassau has come a long way in regards to making itself a cruise port you want to to get off the ship. The new port is beautiful and the walk to JunkanooBeach is completely safe and easy

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We were off in about 15 minutes with express. The line looked horrendous and something out of an amusement park queue but it moved quickly

Traveler Photos

Sunset Beach Junkanoo beach
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7 Comments

RP82     24 days ago

Another positive review: hopefully, it has improved since my sailing on MSC Seaside in 2018. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thank you for your review.

Mary0334    1 year ago

Thank for your review.

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

javawoody    1 year ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise

cruising2004    1 year ago

Wonderful detailed review! Love making memories with family while cruising. Thank you for sharing your experience.

windy2day    1 year ago

Thanks for your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

TwisterSister86    1 year ago

What a wonderful review! May your next cruise with MSC be just as lovely!

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