BobaLouFTL

From the MSC website:

Seashore has a capacity of 5632 guests. It's a shame that was all you could find to comment on.

We were aboard the Seashore for the May 28th sailing. The seahore is a large ship, roughly the same size as the RCL Oasis class ships. With a stated capacity of 5,800+, there were less than 2,000 passengers on our sailing. Obviously, we never felt crowded or had difficulty getting into venues or events. It is a beautiful ship, and the designers have succeeded in providing something for everyone.

The forward-facing crew was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. But it did seem that many of them were new to the vessel and had difficulty answering basic questions or understanding basic requests. We witnessed a lot of dining room staff “shadowing” other employees. Unfortunately, the food in the main dining room was a huge disappointment. Selections were very limited and, on two occasions I ordered fish that was uneatable. The first entrée (grouper) was overcooked to the point of being bone dry and the second entrée (swordfish on another night) was undercooked to the point I questioned the safety of eating it.

Having been on more than two dozen sailings on four different lines, this is the first time I can say that the buffet food exceeded both the selection and quality of the food offered in the main dining room. In sharing my thoughts with one of the dining room managers, he admitted to me that “the biggest complaint that they (the ship staff) receive is about the food. So, they are obviously aware that an issue exists; hopefully they will find a way to address it.

We did eat at three of the specialty restaurants (Ocean Cay, Butchers Cut, and Hola!) Unfortunately, the package that we purchased (the Trio) provided significantly limited options in Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay. But each of them provided great food and excellent service for the options available to us without paying an “add on” charge

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Bottom line, despite the beautiful ship and the friendly staff, I won’t be rushing back to an MSC ship anytime soon. While the ship and staff are an important part of the overall cruise experience, the food is a major component as well and this part of the experience was unacceptable.

I love the ship and the staff was wonderful, but unless you really love your sea days, this itinerary on this ship is not for you. With the arrival at the first port at 5 PM on day three, you really have 4 sea days, two in the beginning and two in the end. As you would expect on a ship carrying 4,000 passengers, all of the public areas were crowded, and many of the activities & attractions operated on a limited basis. Think it might be time to think smaller ships for us.

On the Encore Christmas Cruise as well. The Ship itself is great and the staff was excellent, but unless you really love your sea days, this itinerary on this ship is not for you. With the arrival at the first port at 5 PM on day three, you really have 4 sea days, two in the beginning and two in the end. As you would expect on a ship carrying 4,000 passengers, all of the public areas were crowded, and many of the activities & attractions operated on a limited basis.

Just off the Encore and enjoyed the rack of lamb in Le Bistro. No attempt was made to collect the extra dollar from us.

Just off the 12/22 Encore sailing and I too was somewhat disappointed with the late arrival in San Juan. This was compounded by the fact that our arrival was on Christmas Eve. But many shops and restaurants in old San Juan were open, so we had a good time walking through the streets. A walking / food tour of the area would seem to be the most appropriate way to go. It's a shame that they can't find a way to alter the schedule to allow more time on the island.

Boarding two week s from today. There have been several different reviews so far that I have followed from beginning to end. So I'm anxious to hear your thoughts as well. Have a great time.

Arriving in St Thomas on the NCL Encore on Christmas Day. Does anyone know if the tramway to Paradise Point will be open?.

Doing the same itinerary over Christmas week, can't wait to hear your comments.

Doing the eastern trip (Puerto Rico, St Thomas and Tortola) on the Encore over Christmas week. We are going because it is a new ship. You almost need to discount Puerto Rico, as the ship doesn't arrive in San Juan until 5:30 pm and leaves at midnight, so options are limited. So you are really doing two other port calls and 3 1/2 days at sea. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with St Thomas or Tortola and  extra sea days appeal to many.  But I would much prefer the western Caribbean itinerary. It doesn't matter which you choose, you will have a great time.

Three of us were on the same cruise as well. We were between the people that were allowed to board and the people that were stuck outside. Celebrity cannot be blamed for the weather conditions and I do believe in safety first, but don't believe they were doing that good a job in moving folks through the check-in process even before the movement of the ship became an issue. I also witnessed  a Sheriff's Deputy come inside and tell the guy that was in charge of the shore side operations that the people outside had no idea what was going on and he needed to let them know what was happening. The guy was totally overwhelmed with what was going on.

We were on the Regal last year the Sunday after thanksgiving. They started installing the decorations on Tuesday, so each day the ship was more decorated. By Friday they were finished and the ship looked great.

I tried to buy passes for the 12/21 Reflection cruise last week and was told there is no way to buy them until you board. Not a suite passenger, is it different for them?

Not as long a "long time NCL Customer" as some. but have been traveling with them for the last 5 years or. It seems like each time we board, something has been changed or removed and it is never a added value to the customer. I try to be a "glass is half full" kind of guy, but I understand the point that folks are trying to make, as it is annoying to see some of the nicer things slowly chiseled away. Just my two cents worth...

In the past and traveling from Miami with a group of friends housed on different decks, it is possible to do what the OP seeks to do. The key to it is getting past the security guard; they will attempt to re-direct you, but persistence has worked. If you make to the check in desk, they will gladly accommodate you. They don't even walk next door to retrieve the other cards, they just produce new ones. Good luck.

Check on Havana Food Tours on Trip Advisor as well. They do both an Old Car Tour and a Walking Food Tour. Found a car on our own but did the walking food tour through them. Our guide was Ana and she was great.

Re-positioning from Europe is a whole different matter. First arrival will likely have a Coast Guard Inspection, Health Inspection and Immigration snafus. With that said, I was on a first cruise after re=positioning out of Fort Lauderdale several years ago, all thee of the above occurred and it didn't disrupt embarkation or sailing time at all.

Beg to differ-

I clicked thru to that other link and saw the picture of the weirdly paired roast beef dinner I had on the Epic the first week of August (Europe). They had comment cards out for many of the dinner services. The food was good but there were some odd pairings, like corn on the cob with prime rib and a sirloin steak with baked potato was beef sliced similar to roast beef and then a Yukon Gold potato with a smige of butter and sour cream on it- nothing like what I had in my mind when I ordered it. Perhaps Europeans have a different picture than Americans when those dinner descriptions are used. They did have a fantastic cheese plate listed as an app that I kept thru dinner and ate as a cheese course at the end. I suggested they list it as a dessert instead f an app. Why would you pick up a corn cobbette with your fingers in a nice dining room?

The Prime Rib and Corn on the Cob combo has been served on all of the NCL Caribbean sailings that I've been on.

Check out Havana Food Tours. That is a walking tour, but they have a car tour as well. Great reviews on TripAdvisor and, as FredZ pointed out, way cheaper than through NCL.

Sailed on the GA 4 times; last time 2 years ago. Friends that sailed with us 2 years ago were on in June and said that it was starting to show its age. At 5 years old, most likely ready for refurbish pretty soon.

We were on the Silhouette 2 years ago on the first Caribbean cruise after arriving from Europe. The ship underwent both the Coast Guard and Health inspections; it did not delay boarding or departure times.

I agree completely with TFLG. I stated big box agencies in my post, but what I meant was the big online TA.

When I book, I have done all of my research. I know what ship, what dates and what cabin category I want. I have been booking exclusively through the big box agencies for a while now and have always gotten a better deal (perks, prepaid gratuities or OBC) over and above what NCL was offering. But, it isn't for everyone. I live in South Florida, so I usually book after the full payment date, so immediate response on price drops are not a concern. Also, as a previous poster pointed out, the agency owns your reservation, and NCL won't help you with any changes; you need to go back to the agency.

Please let us know if it works, it sounds like a great idea. Beer is pretty expensive on HC.

We did the Beach Buggy tour a couple of years ago. Our's including a stop at a beach club where we snorkeled and then a second stop for lunch. It was a nice day. Since taking the organized tour showed us how easy it was to navigate the island, we now rent a dune buggy or jeep and do it on our own.

We have also stopped at Paradise Beach Club. It was inexpensive to get it and was very nice and clean inside, but the food and drinks were on the pricey side.