tiptop33

Great point. But this is one American looking forward every day to his MSC sailing in June!

But, is it fine with MSC & their 80% American goal for the Seaside?

Thanks!

Tiptoo- thanks for taking the time to respond. For what it’s worth, I thought MSc pizza was absolutely amazing! Best at sea :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will be happy to put my two cents in about it. Thanks!

it does sound like YC has a better buffet scene than non-YC. More and better quality meats available, although maybe not the Asian/Indian foods.

 

Perhaps you'll be able to shed some light on this after your cruise.

We have never sailed on MSC before but have done a lot of reading about (preparation is fun!) it and looking at reviews and can only hope that it offers a more European culinary experience than the American lines, not because there is anything wrong with the latter (there isn't) but because we just want a new experience this go-round.

You are correct that I did not intend to come across as mean spirited, nor do I think I was. I felt no "need" to mention Jim Zim's review but chose to do so because these boards are for discussing the perspectives of cruise goers and he put his perspective out there. We are all passionate about cruising, as Jim is, and if we are just to agree with everything someone says, the board would seem to lack value in my opinion. When he criticized the MSC pizza he put pictures out there. I happen to have visited Italy numerous times and the pictures looked like the Italian pizza I ate (and loved) there. Jim dissed the Pizza, which I thought was unfair in only one sense: I think people should hear how delicious Italian pizza is to someone who likes it in all its minimal pasta and cheese glory. I totally agree that MSC Pizza is not American-style and I salute Jim for informing people of the that. But he did not say that it may be delicious to many people (Americans included) and not everyone will want Pizza hut on the cruise. We should feel at ease to agree to disagree with each other, and should not be lumped with people who question his ethics (I certainly do not!) just because the only thing critics have in common is disagreement.

It’s nice to see you are excited for your upcoming cruise. I’m curious, have you sailed MSc before? I ask because the differences in the MSc product might not be as much about being “European” as they are about being a budget driven cruise line. Being prepared is also fun.

 

I’m also curious why you feel the need to mention Jim zims review. It seems needlessly mean spirited. I trust you didn’t mean it to come across mean, but all the reviews of Jim’s review (in other words, all the opinions of Jim’s opinion) seem unnecessarily and in bad taste. We even have members now questioning Jim’s ethics which seems entirely uncalled for.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hate to type it, but it sounds like MSC offers the least departure from American cuisine of any of the major cruise lines. One week in the Windjammer I had Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern Kofta, really good Irish beef stew.

 

Numerous reports state that there's minimal variety on MSC's (limited) buffet.

 

That's ok--but I'm not sure how it can be described as going beyond what other large cruise lines are doing.

We'll be in Yacht club, so we are hoping for good culinary diversity there if no where else.

You say it so well, and you are so right. We can't wait for our MSC sail this coming June. If I wanted an American experience I would just stay right where I am now...boring! I look forward to interacting with other cultures to the extent that that is possible on a cruise. Jim Zims reviews are great but it gets wearisome hearing how MSC should deliver ersatz pizza, American-style, instead or real Italian pizza, just because he likes it with ten times the sauce and cheese. The nerve of MSC to act like an Italian cruise line. Why not just stay at home and eat at Pizza Hut? If all cruise restaurants were American-style, it would not please everyone. Those looking for a departure from American cuisine and culture for at least a few days and for a change deserve a cruise experience to their liking, too. It's fun learning new things!

I agree with you 100%. I will say, in fairness, that I also want people to agree with me when I've had a bad time. Thing is, out of maybe 10 people who've sailed a particular ship and hated it, in my experience only 1 or 2 will admit that they hadn't done their homework and had unrealistic expectations. A good example is the fantastic and in-depth review by Jim Zim, aka Spaniel Lover. His detail and photos are amazing, and I also like his writing style a lot. But I found myself really feeling sorry for him, because he clearly went on the Seaside with an expectation of 100% American-style, meat-n-potatoes, English everywhere, American bathrooms, etc. 43 cruises and he hadn't figured out that MSC is still Italian. He hated the buffet but found the breakfast in the MDR much better, well then eat there instead of complaining about the buffet! SO MUCH of what goes into a successful vacation is having realistic expectations. I'm a huge fan of TV travel host Rick Steves because he embraces the "live like a local" mantra when traveling to Europe. That's my philosophy, too. I look forward to speaking French, Italian, German, Spanish, etc. with European travelers on a cruise ship. That's why MSC seems like a great fit to me.

The vouchers are for Diamond level and above C&A members. They are good for 3 drinks each evening.

Thanks for letting me know.

She is just entering the jetty park area. We got off today. A med emergency Monday night after I think someone had a problem on coco cay (which was very very hot),so went to Nassau to meet ambulance and missed St. Thomas Then we were in Puerto Rico the next day from 4:30- 8:30. To make up for missed port.

Great cruise and wonderful crew.love the vouchers for C&A members.

Could you elaborate on the vouchers? We were on this cruise and did not hear about them.

We were on that cruise and are C and A members. We heard nothing about vouchers. Thanks.

That sounds good. Thanks.

Hi MadamX and Gene:

How often do the trains run from Messina to Taromina and is the train station in Messina far from the port? Thanks!

Rick and Cathie