CampNCruise74

14 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

LOL! I will bite as I am considering a 7-day Caribbean on the Seashore (comparing it with similar offerings on the NCL Breakaway and the Caribbean Princess). Never been on an MSC ship before and honestly, never thought I'd consider such a big ship like the Seashore or one of the other 2 that I mentioned. Am looking to go towards the end of May, hopefully before all the younger kids let out of school.

1) Is the Seashore sailing at full capacity of passengers now versus half or 3/4 to avoid crowding?  

 

Cruise filled with 2055 passengers, although 3100 are expected on the week-long that left today.  This is their largest cruise since pre-covid in terms of passenger numbers the employee told me.

2) How decent is the regular dining (free) options?

We like the free dining options and try to go to the main dining room regularly.  The food is good and I have no qualms with asking for two appetizers or multiple desserts, whichever.  I personally like fish and every night there was some kind of fish available like swordfish or grouper or salmon.

 

3) What does a WiFi package cost and is it worth it?

 

For the first time we got Wi-Fi on this cruise for my daughter, she seems like it. My wife had internet for two nights.  It does seem a little glitchy to get set up and you probably have to visit the desk.  The best and strongest connections seem to work in the room.  I bought my daughter the week-long patch kitchen advanced for one device and I think it was like 120 dollars

 

4) How is MSC or the Seashore with shore excursions (the cruise I'm looking at makes 4 stops). We have not used MSC for sure excursions but did use Marisol to hers for waterfall s in Puerto Plata.  They were very good

14 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

 

5) Was the cruise population varied in age? We have young adult kids who are introverts (19-22)

Yes there are very many ages on the cruise, our kids don't use the kids club and just hang out with us and do their own thing most of the time.  Our 7 year old would want to stay in the kids water park all day which is nice because it's shady.

 

6) What was your favourite/ memorable moments from this cruise?

I really like the jazz that they play late night in the Brooklyn Cafe it's really easy going in there

 

7) What did you wish they could have done better?

I wish they had the breakfast pizza with over easy eggs.  In fact they only had three types of pizza the whole entire time only served in the evening. Fresh tomatoes, straight cheese and pepperoni.

8. Any interesting activity onboard apart from dancing or gambling during at-sea days?  I like the side facing hot tubs on Deck 8.  I went there a few times and stayed in one time when we were in the rain which was pretty cool.
😎 ....and last, how was nightly entertainment?

 

Late night jazz in Brooklyn Cafe

Thank you!!!

LOL! I will bite as I am considering a 7-day Caribbean on the Seashore (comparing it with similar offerings on the NCL Breakaway and the Caribbean Princess). Never been on an MSC ship before and honestly, never thought I'd consider such a big ship like the Seashore or one of the other 2 that I mentioned. Am looking to go towards the end of May, hopefully before all the younger kids let out of school.

1) Is the Seashore sailing at full capacity of passengers now versus half or 3/4 to avoid crowding?  

Cruise filled with 2055 passengers, although 3100 are expected on the week-long that left today.  This is their largest cruise since pre-covid in terms of passenger numbers the employee told me.

2) How decent is the regular dining (free) options?

We like the free dining options and try to go to the main dining room regularly.  The food is good and I have no qualms with asking for two appetizers or multiple desserts, whichever.  I personally like fish and every night there was some kind of fish available like swordfish or grouper or salmon.

3) What does a WiFi package cost and is it worth it?

For the first time we got Wi-Fi on this cruise for my daughter, she seems like it. My wife had internet for two nights.  It does seem a little glitchy to get set up and you probably have to visit the desk.  The best and strongest connections seem to work in the room.  I bought my daughter the week-long patch kitchen advanced for one device and I think it was like 120 dollars

4) How is MSC or the Seashore with shore excursions (the cruise I'm looking at makes 4 stops). We have not used MSC for sure excursions but did use Marisol to hers for waterfall s in Puerto Plata.  They were very good

5) Was the cruise population varied in age? We have young adult kids who are introverts (19-22)

Yes there are very many ages on the cruise, our kids don't use the kids club and just hang out with us and do their own thing most of the time.  Our 7 year old would want to stay in the kids water park all day which is nice because it's shady.

6) What was your favourite/ memorable moments from this cruise?

I really like the jazz that they play late night in the Brooklyn Cafe it's really easy going in there

7) What did you wish they could have done better?

I wish they had the breakfast pizza with over easy eggs.  In fact they only had three types of pizza the whole entire time only served in the evening. Fresh tomatoes, straight cheese and pepperoni.

8. Any interesting activity onboard apart from dancing or gambling during at-sea days?  I like the side facing hot tubs on Deck 8.  I went there a few times and stayed in one time when we were in the rain which was pretty cool.
😎 ....and last, how was nightly entertainment?

Late night jazz in Brooklyn Cafe

Embarkation.  Woaa.  Just remembered.  We had a full terminal evacuation from 12 to 1:30 ish.  It went smooth in the lower part.  When we got upstairs it was very crowded and that's when the evacuation happened.  We never did find out the problem, but high tailed it to the restaurant across the street and got our drink on early.  When we returned, we were able to request being put in an expedited line.  No check of boarding times. Captain is Fransesco Di Palma.  We've used eMed tests which worked great.  Did my mother's test the morning of without a hitch.  The last two days of the cruise they did a sushi buffet for all you can eat 35 bucks.  We chowed down!

Had a great time on the Seashore with 2055 guests this past week.  Glad to see the happy staff and enjoyed the new sushi restaurant.  No breakfast pizza offering all week, which was a first for me.  Also no lox all week either.  Yes to the soot issue someone here mentioned and regarding the mid elevators...  Be afraid, be very afraid   Ask away!  

Nassau is changing.   The port is being revamped and my kids loved the new Margaritaville water park.  Round and round on the lazy river!  True to form we did leave at 2 pm though. 

7 hours ago, Frode said:

Those are the 5 ships that will visit Nassau April 3rd, and MSC Seashore will be there between 07:00 - 14:00 hrs (ie 7 AM - 2 PM) 🤓

Yes, that's pretty crazy I was wondering how they put five ships in there within a matter of 1 hour...  Heck,  is the harbor Master even awake at 7:00 a.m to receive ships?  I figure it takes a solid 30-40 minutes for any ship to get parked, once it crosses the mouth of the Bay. Addng to the complexity of getting four of them parked at 7:00 a.m..  I'll report back into this forum on Sunday for all to know.

My kids loved the lazy river at Margaritaville in February, just hope they have enough time to enjoy it.  I usually make a long walk to Bahamian Rum Cake factory and stock up for family and friends, but not this time. 

Speaking of this, does Butcher's still offer a pay brunch meal on sea days?

15 hours ago, seapad said:

We are going on the Seashore in April. Planning to purchase the Covid test kits doing the proctored EMED test. Wondering what everyone else has been doing? 

Just to see if there are better or more price efficient options.

By the way, where I live, the local pharmacies do not offer rapid antigen test, so that is not an option for me.

 

Thanks, 

eMed, eMed, eMed all the way.   September, February, and again in 3 days!  So easy.   You can also use it  for more than four different people.  You just add a new person in the app.  My 6 kits I got the other day expire  next January I believe. 

Hello, I am there on April 3 with 4 other boats.  I have never seen a boat leave that early at 2PM.  Is this true?  4 of the 5 boats say we all get in at 7:00 AM which I know isn't true.   We are just hoping to enjoy Margaritaville for a a while before having to leave at almost midday.  Thanks, 

5 hours ago, flashot said:

Hello, the wife and I are cruising Divina at the end of April and I have an Ocean Cay question. Do know anything about snorkeling excursions on the Cay? I’m interested in the excursion that goes to the sunken barge/ship about a mile from the ship, but appreciate anything about the island. Thanks 

On 3/25/2022 at 9:30 PM, layteacher said:

I have booked day passes for myself and my friend on our day in Nassau to Margaritaville. Anyone know if we have to get there at 8 am to get a chair? It says in our description that chairs on included. There are 5 ships  in port that day. YIKES!!  Three ships get there at 7 and ours doesnt arrive until 8. 

There were quite a bit of loungers when we went last month.  I did try to book through Resort Pass recently for two weeks from now and it said there was no passes available for the day I wanted.  Maybe they capacity control? 

The snorkeling isn't bad right off the Lighthouse beach.  Both the left and right side have rocks that attract fish.  I also saw large schools taking shelter along the floating fence barrier.  I do not know anything about the excursion though.  I saw some people last time I was there with some pelletized fish food to draw the fish out of the rocks on the side nearest the boat too.  

21 hours ago, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

I believe one word in particular is important when it comes to MSC Cruises compared to other cruise lines. It is expectation. 

 

What you should and can expect from MSC Cruises.

 

Lets start with the obvious: MSC Cruises is not and will not be a luxury cruise line. It is not in the top level of the mainstream cruise lines either. Yacht Club is good, but it is not 5 star that either. It is good, but not top level.

 

And the price reflects that. You get what you pay for, and in my honest opinion: A little bit more.

 

MSC Cruises is good, but it is a mid level mainstream cruise line.

 

I got 2 MSC cruises under my belt, and got one more coming up now for easter. As a European family with a young child, MSC is a good product for us.

 

Expectations. 

 

This is my review. Pre Covid19 though.. 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637706

As an American cruising family, you are part of the reason why we like to cruise MSC.  We like for our kids to experience other nationalities and people and customs, both staff and customers.  I believe the emphasis on the arts is higher than some other lines with MSC as well.  Respect and interest of these things are usually higher in European cultures than our sometimes self centered mindset here.  Complaints over the years about the multitudes of national languages in announcement, not enough salt in food, opera in the theater, etc are testament to things being different on MSC..  We like those differences.  Granted there are shortcomings, but those things make it a unique experience in its own right.  

We like the dining packages and get some kind of version of them on each of our cruises.  Limitations aren't too bad.  Pricing can't go much higher otherwise the deal will be off, but it's still a good value.  No service charges when bought in advance.   Royal might be cheaper but wouldnt you pay at least $1500 more for a 7-night cruise w balcony on one of their boats like the Oasis?  

9 hours ago, TrinaLC said:

 

I agree!  I posted the same thing in my review of a few months ago. The pizza crust is just way too thin. I too have been on the Divina and Seaside and loved the pizza there (MDR).   As I said in that post, Carnival now has my favorite pizza @ sea (at least compared to Seashore).   
 

(I don’t recall the limited variety on Seashore but I only went twice so would probably to have noticed.)

 

I second that, as to them being too thin.   They just seemed quite not up to par on the Divina and maybe even the Miraviglia from what I remembered on the seaside two times before covid happened.  I wonder if they're making them thin to cook them fast or they are non-native bakers.  I wished I would have tried the pizza in the pizza restaurant on the Divina to compare.   Somebody said they ate there their a number of times on a cruise and it was very good.

On 3/17/2022 at 1:23 PM, thespartyof3 said:

We’ve sailed on the Seaside, Seaview and the Grandiosa, which I know are all newer ships (or they were at the time when we sailed). We’ve also sailed on newer ships on NCL, Celebrity, Carnival and Royal Caribbean (x5). 

 

We are 2 adults and our 2 year old for our next sailing in late 2022. We have currently booked on the *new* Seascape (booked in a Aurea Aft Suite with wraparound balcony). The itinerary is somewhat dull compared if we change to the Divina. 

I know Divina is about 10-ish years old. I’ve looked at photos and it still seems nice. Our child’s LOVED the splash pad on the Seaview, I don’t believe Divina has anything similar (couldn’t find photos?). Will we be disappointed with Divina given we’ve only been on MSC’s newer/larger ships? 
 

If we booked Divina (10 day sailing) we would book forward Aurea grand suite. I know the balcony is somewhat odd and it somewhat hugs the front of the ship? Will it be windy and usable when the ship is at sea? Has anyone sailed in the Grand Suite on the Divina? Thoughts?
 

 

No, you won't be disappointed at all. You'll settle right in.  We've done the Seaside twice and the Meraviglia.  I go to the gym everyday, and liked how the gym is positioned so you can see out the whole front of the ship.  It's different on the Mera.  Oddly, on the Davina it seemed like there was more elevators closer together that were very prompt. We also used those rear elevators to drop in to the buffet and sit where it was more spread out before going into the lines to get food.

4 hours ago, cherylnj said:

I just ordered a new 6 pack of these. I received them in 3 days. I've been using them for my past cruises. They're easy and results are quick. 

Amen to that.  It is so worth it to reduce the anxiety.

20 hours ago, Paphillyguy said:

If you read other cruiseline threads seems like the spring break crush is causing bad reviews all around. 

Yes it certainly seems that way.  Most of them are here just because of the good pricing that they found.  I wish they would take their money to another line.  Like some other people said here do the research know what you're in for know what you're paying for and figure out if that's acceptable for you.  A lot of commenters on here have been cruising all along during covid with MSC.

3 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

A single pass for the week is $280, couples is $360, it just went up a couple of weeks ago of $205 single and $260 couples.

Thank you for the pricing information!

46 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We had ice cream on the menu for dessert every lunch and dinner in the Yacht Club. Our waiter told us it was always made on board for YC. Where outside YC it could either be made on board or outsourced.

That's true, forgot about dining in the restaurants.    My son gets vanilla in regular dining in the evenings as his dessert.   I have experienced most all employees being helpful around the buffets though and remember that one even got a guest some of the Matcha ice cream from Teppanyaki upon request from a guest. Pretty cool

We've been to Ocean Kay twice.   On the Meraviglia, 7 night last fall and the Divina 3 weeks ago for a 3 night.  

The first time there was a very bad sewage smell water side when walking off the ship to the island.

Recently there was a faint smell in the morning too as we docked that I could smell from my mid ship balcony.  My wife said overnight as we approached the island around 4 or 5 am the was a bad smell too that she could smell in the cabin.

He anybody else smelt this before at Ocean Kay?

3 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

10:25 mark in the video I posted above. You can see it. 

Nice bonus handle! And to the OP. The water gets HOT!

4 hours ago, cruisekitty22 said:

We are considering going on MSC Meraviglia for a 7 night cruise  from NY in 2023.  This would be our first MSC cruise.  How big is the shower in a balcony room and  does it have grab bars in there?  Is there room for a shower stool?   Thanks for any replies.

I honestly think if you did have a stool in there your knees would hit the side of it.  There's a vertical chrome rail that the shower head sits on which serves as a handle too

5 hours ago, maggiepfe said:

I’d like to add to this as, up until now, I’d happily sailed with MSC multiple times. I chose to sail in a fantastica balcony rather than yacht club that I’ve enjoyed previously so I could spend more time with my brother and his fiancé. I had thought, wished, hoped that MSC would offer the same high quality service I’d enjoyed from them in the past, both in and out of YC. Unfortunately, from the word go this cruise has been a disaster. As some mentioned the disorganized check-in is just the tip of the iceberg. 
 

Long-lines at the buffet without enough stations offered to be effective starts the day on the wrong foot. There is hardly enough staff to even clear tables making the experience more of a nightmare. It took upwards of 20 minutes for my partner to procure water and orange juice after already waiting an inordinate amount of time to get food. 
 

We chose to buy a cruise pass for the thermal suite and spend some time there this morning as this has been one of our favorite perks in YC. This thermal suite is nearly completely devoid of staff. Dirty towel bins are overflowing. Half the jets on the lukewarm hot tub inside do not function. The first step to the tub is not secured. We witnessed several people stumble, including my partner. Unacceptable, especially for the price. 
 

And the elevators? The elevators are what really grind my gears. I’m extremely grateful that I have no mobility impairments and my partner and myself do not drink, but if that is not your situation strap in for a nightmarish journey. As previously mentioned waiting for an elevator can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes. It is not unusual to see many parties come and go and give up on the hope of convenient transportation between floors, choosing to hoof it up 6, 10, 12 flights of stairs rather than wait for the elevator. If you do persevere, perhaps because you’re tired, or tipsy, or in a wheelchair, or just would like to use the elevator on vacation, you’re packed like sardines in elevators of double digit patrons, many of whom are not wearing masks. This issue really has me heated so I spoke with the guest relations manager and officer in charge of health and safety on board last night. When I asked if this was safe and appropriate practice the guest relations manager enthusiastically demanded it was while the health and safety officer shook his head staring at the ground. When pressed he finally admitted, no, it’s not safe, nor is it acceptable practice, and he went so far as to say they had reported the issue to the shipyard as this was a major issue. Yet, when excitedly booking MSC’s new “flagship” online, nowhere does it state that people may experience unsafe conditions on the elevators. No one is monitoring the elevators for mask compliance or even the number of people in a car. It’s a circus. Yes, I can walk up and down stairs, but some can’t and others simply want their expensive vacation to at least meet minimal standards of safety and accommodation. 
 

This is all to say that on day 2 of MSC’s newest and most promoted ship all I really want is a refund. 

Hello how much was your week-long pass at the thermal area if I may ask?

6 minutes ago, Go4Golf said:

the queue for pancakes 😳😬🙄

Hmmm.   No bueno.

16 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

I was lucky enough to sail MSC when the premium drink package included everything included everything including gelato. Do none of the packages include gelato now? They say soft serve Included  but is gelato an upcharge now ? I can't remember if there were soft serve machines behind the bars. I have two kids that enjoyed the gelato last time. 

On the Seaside they have soft serve, and on the Meravaglia they have soft serve out near the pool area.    

The Divina 3 weeks ago had soft serve but the machines were broken the entire time of our 4-day Cruise.   We did pay for gelato a few times there.  

Keep in mind soft serve is not 24/7 and is probably available for about 4 hours of the day.