WindinmySails

We took our first MSC as a transatlantic last fall. AS one poster said, this is all so subjective. For me, on my ship the Seaside , I thought the MSC food was very bland, they ran out of things like lettuce, a few days into the Atlantic. Chicken paramasan was served with potatoes and brown gravy...strange from an italian line. The buffet was not open at various times, but they did do a snack buffet after I think 9:30pm....sandwiches, pizza, cold salads, it was nice. Asking for ketchup was a crazy long wait for a tiny cup of it. This could be just my experience, as I was kind of shocked people said the food was better on MSC....I thought it was a major downgrade from NCL. The good news was that I didn't gain any weight on the transatlantic...which is strange for me as I gained 20 on our 14 day NCL Alaskan cruise. So turned out to be a win. The service was amazing, everywhere, everyone was so personable and kind. ...remembered what you like for a drink, liked as an app..... really made you feel special. Our balcony room was lovely and we thought we would get sick of it after 23 nights, but we did not. Plenty of storage for my husband and I. If you are traveling in Europe, be prepared for lots of kids. European familes take their kids everywhere. (No hate please my whole family lives in Europe) As everywhere in the world, some were well behaved, some were not. Lots of strollers on board, parked in the hallways. I don't think that would fly in the US. We did get the basic drink package and it sufficed. You could get bottles of water, multiples at a time, which was nice. Soda was served in cans. My husband likes Fireball, and that wasn't available without an upcharge. Heiniken is your only beer choice on the basic package. So look at the drink menu and see if you could live with what they offer. I could find something I liked. The value of the MSC cruise was awesome. 6K for a 23 day transatlantic with amazing ports. Disembarkation was a mess...a ton of passengers on the ship. Some ports of call, disembaration was also crazy awful. However, knowing what we know know, we'd do it a bit different, or change our expectations. Of course this ship was from Europe, leaving from an American port things could be different. So at the end of that cruise my husband said he'd never cruise MSC again. However, we just booked a transatlantic on MSC for October of this year.....it was his idea. The value won, and there was far more that we liked that made it worth the second go around.

I can only speak of a few of those ports. I think one thing to remember is that transportation for your whole family will be quite expensive. Sometimes just to get from the ship to the actual town is going to cost you. This was a surprise for me. So we opted for public transportation when ever we could. I loved Ibiza , the DaltVilla (Old Town), the little narrow, steep winding streets were very unique. Might I also suggest to download GPS my city. You can do many walking tours, various lengths with this app. We used it in many European cities. You could put your teens in charge of this to keep then motivated and "in charge" of something Check other GPS city tours. I actually was quite fond of Marseilles. We took the subway to Long Champs. There are parks and a zoo there as well. The old port is pretty interesting as well. https://tourisme-marseille.com/en/fiche/longchamp-palace-longchamp-park-marseille/ Your children will realize how fortunate they are that you are taking them on such and adventure! Have fun!

Hi I understand that these are sister ships, with some slight differences. So the main difference I'd like to inquire about is a quiet area in the evening other than my cabin. Last year we took a transatlantic on the Seashore, and in the evening we couldn't find a quiet place to play cards in the evening with my 86 year old mother. So she went to the casino........every night.......for 23 days...... Needless to say, it was a way more expensive cruise than she bargained for. Interestlingly enough, she doesn't gamble outside of a cruise ship. She said there was nothing else to do. We tried to drag her to the shows, outdoor movie, etc....if we would have found a quiet area to play cards, she would have been good. During the day, it wasn't an issue we went to the caberet club that wasn't used during the day. She'd like to do this cruise again, but on the Seaside. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

Could you please tell me what pier you docked at in Puerto Rico?

I was on Seashore for 20+ days on a Med and trans Atlantic this past October and November. I didn't think the ship was crowded during the trans Atlantic part, usually always found someplace to sit outdoors. When the ship was at almost capacity, it was more difficult. However, I think the design of the ship, although very pretty, is faulty. There were few places, if any, to just sit and play cards in the evening for example. During the day, it wasn't hard to find a quiet place, but the evening and night was a different story. The buffet was usually very difficult to find seating at breakfast, especially on port days. Personally, the food, just wasn't appealing to me. Some meals were fine, but nothing to rave about. I could always count on good grilled chicken and pizza though in the buffet. For example, the chicken parm was served with brown gravy and potatoes. The head chef was supposedly Italian. Mid Atlantic, they ran out of lettuce...my other go to. Buffet hours were limited. Portion sizes were good, not huge...although this was the longest cruise I've been on, it is the only cruise where I didn't gain weight. So there's a plus! The entertainment was interesting and we always found seats to view the shows. Be open minded about the entertainment. Our room was lovely, comforable and for 20+ days, I never felt like I needed more or different space. We had a standard balcony. Most of the staff we interacted with was lovely, friendly, but I didn't think some were well trained for the job. We were giving conflicting information a number of times. At times, leaving the port to the city was difficult and time consuming. This was more in Europe. We also had to pay for buses to most of the port cities...this was unexpected. However, I LOVED the ports. Due to the value and the itinerary, I would cruise with MSC again. However, my husband said he would really have to think about it.

So..an NCL agent told me that all NCL ships were going to a fixed menu, instead of a rotating daily menu in the main dining room. So each day the choices woud be the same, but the menu would be more diverse. I know that this is done on Prima, but does anyone know for sure if this is done fleet wide? We'll be sailing on Getaway in April 2024. Thanks!

If she had insurance, perhaps that would cover the expense of the rest of the missed cruise?

Having been a teacher. I was more worried about being in school than on a cruise ship. I taught close to Columbine. I keep telling myself, there is more good in the world than bad. Believe me, there were times that it was difficult to go to work, after every school shooting, after every mass shooting drill we had in school (once a month....yes, if you have kids, they go through this too) I try to keep perspective. Things are dangerous, travel is dangerous, life is dangerous. I can choose to live in a glass bubble, or I can enjoy life and what it has to offer.

I understand that NCL doesn't link reservations, however, we are traveling with some friends. Can we book specialty restaurants for more than are in our cabin? How can we make sure that when we go to a specialty restaurant that we are all sitting together? Thanks in advance!

I was going to comment, but no need, because I think you will love your choice. The room you are refering to is wonderful! You will also have some Haven benfits without the Haven price tag. We went on the Jewel, did a back to back, with a club balcony, a smaller ship a couple years ago and were so happy with our choice! It was the cruise of a lifetime!

Seashore doesn't have a library...."because of COVID we got rid of it"....(I call BS) or a card room. During the day, many places are good, but watch the schedule for activities. We have played in the Caberet in the back of the ship, the atrium, deck 5 and 6, nice table height, and the Brooklyn bar, the Jungle pool area...all of these mentioned. However, at night, the best choice is the Market Buffet in the area that isn't serving food, as the other venues are being used, or dimmly lit. To be honest, we really had a hard time finding places to play.

We were just in Paris and I do know they'd like to move to that via my Parisienne friend. I did see people putting their phones on the readers but not sure if it was a Navago digital card or a phone app.

I just read that vapes, e-cigs are not even allowed on board. Would love to know more about this. We vape as well, and just booked a 20 day cruise. Darn... https://www.cruisebooking.com/articles/msc-cruise-tips/what-is-not-allowed-on-msc-cruises

Just finished all 10 pages! Very enjoyable read, as always! Sounds like a great experience ....although frustrating at times. I keep talking to Scott about another Alaskan cruise....maybe May 2024? Hugs to you my friend!

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers. The ship looks beautiful, and I do prefer cleaner eating. I don't need a waiter to fawn all over me, either. I realize the cultural differences, and look forward to this opportunity. I actually would enjoy a more subdued environment. I'm in my early 60's and, although I like a good party, I don't want one for 25 days straight. I think the itinerary is amazing, so many places I've yet to experience! Any time on the water is a good time for me!