fraffin

Passed on her for the March trip due to the fecal small. Killed me because the seaside is MORE THAN 50% cheaper than the nearest option., Still thinking about Seaside for a girls trip in June. Thanks for being so interested, I'm flattered. :)

During the 2/17 cruise I did smell something foul, but to me it wasn't fecal. For me it was more like rotting garbage, almost like what you smell passing a landfill. The only place that I found it somewhat overwhelming was at the kids pools area on deck 18. I really didn't notice it anywhere else on the ship, at least not like it was in the kids pool area.

Hopefully no one will mind if I piggyback off this review. My wife and I were also on this sailing. Many of my comments will mirror the OP, so I will add were I feel there were differences. I also followed Nikkiw60's live review while on the ship.

Stateroom - We were in an inside Fantastica cabin, 13202. Plenty of room, but storage at a premium. We used a door organizer over the inside of the bathroom door. It was a big help. Our cabin steward was exceptional. We asked for ice to be stocked regularly and it was. Two issues. Lost power to the bathroom only one day. It was fixed within hours. Toilets also stopped flushing for short periods. Again this was fixed within a few hours.

Customer Service - First two days Guest Services were swamped. Average line wait time was 30 minutes. During this time impossible to even reach anyone by phone. You would leave a message and hope someone would return the call the same day. Reception staff informed us that there's only 3 operators on duty at a time manning switchboard and they're receive dozens of calls a minute. This problem pretty much resolved itself by day 3. You can also dial x115 for a medical emergency, but didn't recall seeing this posted anywhere.

Food - My wife and enjoyed the food in the MDR everynight. Maybe a few less options than other mainstream cruiselines we've sailed (NCL, Carnival & RC), but we thought the quality was as good if not slightly better. We had a terrific wait staff (Gerald and Ryan in deck 6 dining room). My mother wanted a tray of olives on the table, and they made sure we had one every night. Everyone probably knows about the 2 buffet situation by now. Market Place buffet (deck 8) only open for breakfast and lunch. Biscayne buffet open all day pretty much until 2 AM. Overall we found the buffet food to be better quality than other cruise lines we've sailed. I agree with OP, there seems to be less variety and the options change very little from day to day. Pizza is good, not the best I've ever had, but then again, I'm from Chicago. The burgers were also pretty good, especially their signature burger, but so far nothing at sea beats Guy's burgers on Carnival.

Entertainment - I have a slightly different opinion on the Production Shows than the OP. Truly the best I've seen at sea. Performers are exceptional, and they work their butts off. Theater at capacity every night including the opera nights. If you want to go the shows reserve your showtimes in advance on the interactive screens throughout the ship or using the MSC for Me app. I am not an opera fan, but the shows are definitely worth seeing...probably because they are short. I might not have felt the same if they were much longer. (Many Americans didn't agree an walked out in the middle of these shows). Lots of acrobatics every show. Timeless a must as well as Peter Punk'd.

Spa - We bought the spa Relaxation Package in advance of the cruise since it included the Thermal Area Pass for the lenght of the cruise. Basically you get a 30 minute Bali Massage for the extra $9 per person ($90 vs $99). Get the spa staff to explain the wristbands for the Thermal Area.

This was our first MSC cruise. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. The ship is absolutely beautiful. I agree with the OP on it's design. It's somewhat different from anything we've sailed on in the past, and somethings are quite odd. There are issues one being the 'smell'. We did smell the foul odor at times especially around the kids water park. Some folks had it in their cabins particularly on decks 5 and 11. We never did. There were also some issue with elevator wait times. We did not experience any of the customer service issues that seem to plague so many other Seaside cruisers, but I will qualify this concerning the bar/wait staff.

We talked to many of the bar staff because we were very concerned about tipping them. We had the Fantastica vouchers, and they worked fine. (And in many situations the bar staff let us get premium brands that we should not have been able to get). But having cruised other lines we normally would add something extra when signing our receipts. This was not an option on the Seaside regardless of whether we used the voucher or just charged something to the room. If you wanted to give the staff something extra you had to carry cash. We asked some of the bar/wait staff about this. I will not single anyone out, but they pretty much stated that they hated this ship compared to other MSC ships. Some even said that they couldn't wait for their contracts to end so they could leave. One bartender told us that many staff had already quit, and the ship was understaffed in the bars by about 50 people.

Overall we would definitely cruise MSC and this ship again. I pretty much agree on the OPs recommendations, but I do feel the ship is worth giving a try even if the price point goes up. I should also state that my wife and I have a second cruise booked on the Seaside for next December in a Whirlpool Balcony Suite. Honestly, we will probably cancel this cruise, but not because we didn't like the ship. We both feel that we've already experienced the Seaside. We just don't feel the Whirlpool Suite will add to the experience enough to warrant another sailing. That, and we've already seen all the entertainment.

As to the earlier pool pic, we heard the pool sprung a leak. Apparently some upper cabins had to be evacuated, and others said there was a waterfall down some elevator shafts. We only heard this on the final night of the cruises. We also heard that some of the evacuated passengers were given Engineers' cabins. Again, this is all heresay without any proof to back it up.

I

 

 

What are your thoughts on designing the swimming pools to be so deep, with no shallow end at all?

What??? No swim up bar! I'm cancelling my cruise.

That's being kind...LOL But sorta makes sense. You would think they would build in a formula where they could enter the appropriate port fee and it systematically just credits each passengers account. I guess this is too logical...LOL

It may also be a problem with MSC and American credit card companies. We were originally booked as a group of 12 in 5 cabins - a family cruise. Turns out the kids and grandkids couldn't make it, so we cancelled 3 of the cabins. I expected my cruise deposits to be refunded to my Visa card. Instead I received a check 4-6 weeks later.

I really can't verify this because I recently booked the 2 Cruise Thermal Passes in advance only to cancel it and replace it with a better package (thanks to a CC member that pointed out for $9 more you can get the Relaxation package which includes the Cruise Pass and a 30 minute massage and few other add-ons) . I receive a credit back on my Visa for 1 of the Thermal Passes. I'm waiting to see what happens with the second credit. For some reason I'm expecting a check in the mail. I guess I should call to find out why only one credit back to the card.

Regardless, I still attribute this to bad systems. Either the systems can't handle certain transactions, or it's so poorly designed that the endusers have no idea how to use it.

An FYI for cruisers on Seaside 1/27 sailing and any other future MSC cruises where a port has been missed.

 

On the 1/27 voyage of MSC seaside our call to Grand Cayman was canceled because of dangerous tendering conditions.

 

This can happen to any port on any cruise line, I have missed 5 ports in my cruising history with several cruise lines. They were Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess.

 

What is the exception of all my missed cruises is that on every other cruise where I had missed a port the cruise line automatically refunded the port charges for that port to my onboard bill. On MSC they never refunded any port charges and I was told at guest services that they handle these things post cruise by their icare dept. I was not given any information or a phone number besides this.

 

Now these port charges can be just a small amount, $5-10 depending on the price paid by the cruise line, I am NOT concerned about the €$$ as much as the way it is handled on Seaside. I just find it wrong that at no time were passengers informed that they will be refunded these fees and what the process would be to have it happen. I don't understand why the other cruise lines who have had missed ports can refund onboard and MSC cannot. In my mind it's deliberate and of 5,000 passengers how many know and will go thru the process to request a refund.

 

That adds up to a nice tidy sum for MSC!!

 

Just the MSC way

My guess, the same reason MSC websites stink...crappy IT. They seem to have a problem developing good software. I don't know any of this for a fact, but as an IT professional it has the markings.

We loved it for the reasons mentioned by fraffin. No problem to bring one in with you. It was so nice not to have a bar waiter standing in front of me after a show had started.

Wait for it...

This is is great stuff. People debating the quality of pizza based on pictures. You can't make that up. People guessing the types of cheese, guessing how hot the oven was, guessing how long its been sitting under the heat lamp. Makes me laugh.

We can go jump on a Carnival thread and debate the merits of Vinegar BBQ sauce vs Mustard BBQ sauce while discussing Guys BBQ if you like.

I have seen empty glasses on the floor next to seats when leaving the theater but they say don't bring them in. There is no place to hold/sit the drink so they didn't intend for folks to do so. I wish people would at least take their empty glass/bottle with them.

Wow, a cruise line that's not trying to milk every nickel and dime out of it's cruise passengers by trying to sell them drinks 24 hours a day in every single corner of the ship. And no waiters walking in front of you while you're trying to enjoy the show. Must be the European experience. :cool:

Now this is real pizza, Chicago style.

While Chicago is well renown for its Deep Dish pizza, Chicago thin crust is every bit as unique.

I've been enjoying reading all the comments that people have been posting. However, there's one thing bothering me about the comments so far...

 

 

 

 

Isn't there anybody out there, anybody at all, that thinks this pizza...

looks hugely more tasty than this pizza?

Born and bred in Chicago. Neither one of these comes close to looking like a real pizza to me. But if I'm willing to try the Seaside, then I'm willing to try that California 'pizza???'.

BTW, pepperoni is pretty much an American thing, so I don't think you can call either a true Italian pizza.

They have sailed one ship with no US advertising. Now they plan on having 3 ships in the US market trying to complete with very well known entities. They will be a small niche market here. People might try them because they are so inexpensive but the "experiences" will not go over well with the millions of US cruisers.

 

If I heard all my friends talking about their wonderful cruises for years and then scraped together enough money for the "bella" cruise and did not eat a nice dinner with smiling, attentive servers in the dining room I would be disappointed. If I could not get issues resolved because of lackadaisical European attitudes or lack of understanding English then I would not be happy. I also would not understand any of this because as someone who can only afford "bella" I have probably never traveled anywhere especially out of the country. This is where saying that people who will now be able to afford to cruise can do so is going to be an issue for them. I think that the bad reviews will just get worse and it's going to hurt them.

I'm truly curious about you. If you're so concerned about MSC's success in the US market why are you preaching to us? Why don't you and all the others like you that have a bone to pick with MSC write to the corporate offices. They're the ones that can make the changes you desire. Why torture us with your rants? If you really don't care about MSC and never plan to sail with them, again why torture us with your rants?

I guess I'll never understand what motivates people like you. I respect Jim Zim and his fair and balanced review of the Seaside. He and his wife decided that MSC was not the type of cruise experience they were looking for. But he presented both the positives and negatives as they pertain to his own likes and dislikes. At least he was willing to give MSC and the Seaside a chance. You on the other hand...well enough said.

I am not a troll. I am well-traveled and have above average reading comprehension. I understand the "experiences" very well. I think that MSC will have a very difficult time selling Americans on this caste system. Even the ones who can only afford "bella". They will not like it and I think bad word of mouth will sink them.

Then why do you continue to spread false information? I also suggest you look up the definition of internet troll and explain to the rest of us why this definition doesn't apply to you in regards to this forum.

Stick to your special Yacht Club world so you don't have to rub elbows with the hoi polloi.

More ignorance from someone who didn't bother to fully research the different experiences on MSC ships. All experiences have inside staterooms and balconies. This means Bella cruisers can have a balcony or a Yacht Club cruiser can have an inside cabin.

If your going to troll, at least do it where you truly understand what your talking about.

That's not true, is it.?

If you have to eat in the buffet, doesn't the entire space become a restaurant ..... no buffet lines.

Perfect example of Fake News because someone spreads false information based on incomplete knowledge (the term for it is actually called ignorance). The large buffet is converted to table service only dining at dinner (with table cloths and waiters). The smaller buffet with a limited selection is available for dinner.

Does any recall seeing American Mah Jongg sets on Seaside? Would love to play on sea days!

I'm pretty sure you're on the 2/17 cruise with us. We're traveling with my parents, and my mother would be intestested in playing. You can email at terlo@yahoo.com to set set something up, or wait until the M&M.

You are way over reading it man. And being strangely defensive. I'm not trying to substantiate anything. All I'm doing is speculating, assuming, predicting and speculating which I am more than welcome to do despite your objection. I'm just making forum conversation and people like you get all bent out of shape. You could just read my post, disagree with my assumptions, and move on. Of course people read reviews. That's what I actually said. That's the point. The seaside is currently the lowest rated ship on CC sailing from NA and people go to Youtube and see a TA post a video and being disappointed and a video about bad smells. Moving forward, I choose to not respond to you.

I'm also trying to understand your point. You've thoroughly read all the CC reviews concerning Seaside and then some. I fully appreciate your due diligence. You then decided that the Seaside is not for you. Nothing at all wrong with that. People work long and hard for their well deserved vacations. What I don't understand is why you and others that have cancelled continue to lurk around these forums. I appreciate reviews from people that have actually experienced something. You have not. You all talk as if you have expertise on the Seaside and every single American cruiser. It's you and the criticizers that haven't sailed on the ship that can't move on. How can you possibly contribute to any of these discussions just repeating other peoples actual experiences. Basically all you are doing is trolling.

Perfect attitude to have when cruising..... except my ratings on the lines I've cruised...Carnival (constantly met or exceeded my expectations), Princess (too laid back/bit boring), Disney (way over priced), RCL (lots to do but at a price)...MSC (trying to talk myself into giving it a chance)

My wife and I average 2-3 cruises per year. We have two Seaside cruises booked, one in two weeks in a Fantastica Inside the other in December in an Aurea Whirlpool Balcony. We figured we'd choose the least expensive experience we were willing to accept for an initial cruise with a new cruiseline. Bella was not in the equation for us. We have no problem with Inside cabins as we spend very little time in any cabin. What's the point of a cruise otherwise. If we don't like the overall ship experience we'll have no problem finding something else to do in December.

We've been on Carnival, NCL and RCI multiple times. We've never had a bad cruise (though my wife hated the NCL Dawn, just the ship, not the cruise). Some of our best cruises were on the older, much maligned Carnival ships. We think they're fun. NCL MDR food disappoints us the most. We also did the Harmony and Vista within 6 months of each ship's launch. Vista, the ship itself, is somewhat of a blur to us. We did the Mediterranean cruise. It was our first time to Europe, and we just exhausted ourselves with the full-day excursions. We actually skipped the last stop in Palma de Mallorca because we were just too beat. Live and learn for the next European cruise. We will both attest to the Chef's table on the Vista. It's awesome. The Harmony was a little bit of a let down. This was our first Oasis Class ship. The ship and cruise were great. The amount of hype over these ships is incredible. To us it was a little bit of a letdown because it didn't live up to all the hype. It turned into more of a been there done that, but we would do it again. We sailed the Independence of the Seas after the Harmony and actually enjoyed it more.

We're hoping the Seaside lives up to expectations. We've learned not to expect to much out of an individual ship based on all the advance hype. We also know that other peoples experiences and expectations are their own. We'll make our own decisions about the Seaside once we've tried her out.

We are on this sailing.

Hope to see you at the M&M.

thanks for the interesting feedback. We like Carnival's mdr (service is pretty quick, and since many of their ships lack specialty restaurants, the portions and quality seem at least as good or even a tad better than some other cruises we've been on). We really like the pizza, Mexican, burgers, Mongolian, etc.

 

But we're not crazy about the breakfast and dinner lido, which to us has fewer choices, geared more toward US 'meat and potato' type preference compared to other large cruise lines. Removing lox from breakfast buffet would confirm this, although since I like the juevos rancheros and arepas for breakfast, I'm able to tough it out ;)

I should have also mentioned that smoked salmon was available in the MDR for breakfast on Carnival.

Sorry everyone else for the off-topic posts.

100% agree with you on Epic bathroom setup....LOL

There's always common ground to found no matter the differences of opinion.

I was actually curious about this. I also like having a bagel, creamcheese and lox at breakfast. Not a showstopper, but it is sort of a staple on most of the big cruiselines (not sure about Carnival, where I gravitate to the juevos rancheros breakfast...).

This is my biggest and probably only complaint with Carnival. Lox/smoked salmon used be on the free breakfast room service menu. They eliminated it. Fine, I had to start going to the breakfast buffet to get it. Now they've removed it from the breakfast buffet. Now you have to wait until 11:00 AM when the Deli window opens to get the salmon. Of course I have my own workaround. The Deli window stays open fairly late in the Carnival buffet. I just go get a plate of salmon before they close and stash it in the mini-fridge in the cabin. Now all I have to do is order my free room service bagel with the door tag.

""3)Xenophobia to some degree. Less that Americans hate foreigners, but more that they only appreciate what they consider to be "American" customs and norms. Notice that CC'ers who are more extensively traveled have fewer complaints about MSC. This has as much to do with the character of those who travel as it does with MSC. I would agree that MSC has a different vibe, but you, me and the others that have/do enjoy MSC like that, while most of the complainers don't.""

 

Oppyguy... Well stated .... It seems most of the MSC liker's have a more worldwide cruising experience. Just looking at past cruising experience...It shows that in their signature lines. That makes a huge difference. To be perfectly honest....If I wanted to cruise in Europe or other places abroad....MSC would be my #1 choice. I expect a different experience when I cruise/vacation abroad

 

But when they start promoting in "my back yard" which may have been a wrong use of wording (as stated above) and don't appear to be offering what I was expecting...now we have a disconnect. Thanks

Glad to see your finally moving on from your 'troll' persona. I think I understand your bitterness toward MSC. Maybe you just needed to vent. I've been looking forward to Seaside for well over a year as have most of us. I see where MSC has disappointed quite a few seasoned American cruisers. Only time will tell if they missed the mark with Seaside.

They won't be the first cruise line to make a mistake. I seem to recall there was quite a debate over the design of the bathrooms on the NCL Epic. I for one thought they were innovative, but I only sail with my wife. For non-couples it was not the best design in the world.

Sid-

 

I concur. But I think there are several factors involved.

1) Misery loves company. Many people like to complain about almost anything. These are the people who say the whole cruise sucked, as if everything could be bad. It's absurd on its face as a factual argument, but that is how they feel. Unfortunately, many readers fail to distinguish between fact and feeling.

2) Bargain hunters. MSC does offer incredibly cheap pricing. This attracts cruisers who are straining to afford their vacations. They can't afford to spend any more onboard, yet they expect to receive the services of a much more expensive cruise. Many seem to miss the difference between price and value. They are receiving value for their dollar as they wouldn't be able to afford a trip at all otherwise. Yet they fail to see that at least to some extent price is an indicator of expectations. If only pay the price to stay at a Motel 6, you should expect to receive similar amenities, regardless of the marketing. Even Motel 6 marketing would make it sound like a lovely destination. You notice that the proportion of complainers goes down as their sailing class rises from Bella to Aurea. Almost no YC complaints.

3)Xenophobia to some degree. Less that Americans hate foreigners, but more that they only appreciate what they consider to be "American" customs and norms. Notice that CC'ers who are more extensively traveled have fewer complaints about MSC. This has as much to do with the character of those who travel as it does with MSC. I would agree that MSC has a different vibe, but you, me and the others that have/do enjoy MSC like that, while most of the complainers don't.

The only responsibility MSC bears in this from my perspective is perhaps the use of the word "cater", as in the first ship to cater to the American market. I don't think they meant built to "please" the American market, but rather simply that it was built specifically to sail American itineraries, and to be marketed to Americans. People see the word cater and think it means they are trying to please them.

I am only upset by all this because of the power of a few to dissuade others from embarking on what would be an enjoyable trip, and worse to cause those who go despite their concerns to be on the lookout for reasons to be dissatisfied. I have no problem with those who say they had a great time, yet still point out a few things that either went wrong for them or could be improved, as these are true of almost EVERY trip/cruise. it is the blanket generalizations, exaggerations, and nit-picking that are the problem.

I'll be onboard next month (In the YC) and I know I will have a great time.

Very well stated. Pretty much sums up my point of view. Thank you.

We're also sailing next month on 2/17. Which sailing are you on?

I'm surprised at the criticism about my remarks about the walk-in closet!

 

Jim, I just want to say I have really enjoyed your videos concerning the Seaside. I wasn't aware of your site until recently. I've found you reviews interesting, entertaining and informative.

I was also surprised by the ending of your whirlpool suite video. Up until the very end I would of thought you were filming an MSC Seaside promotional video. Everything sounded so positive. My wife and I are booked in an aft whirlpool suite next December on deck 15. Increased privacy was the major factor for the choice of deck. We also booked the aft suite based on your 'Why I'm So Excited' video and your concerns about the wind. Obviously your decision on the location was well chosen.

As to the walk-in closet...I wouldn't dare think to get in my wife's way while she's getting dressed no matter the place or time of day. It's SOP for me to always grab my clothes from whatever closet a full 30 minutes before she starts getting dressed. That includes the walk-in closet at home.

I canceled by cruise on the seaside. I guess I need to go back and work on my critical thinking skills. My decision to cancel was based on several culminating factors. Why would anyone care anyway? But, I will say one thing. I have been following the reviewer (JimZim/Spaniel Lover) you mentioned in your post for a long while now. For other cruises that I have done in the past, I have found that his experiences and mine have matched up very well. He has yet to steer me wrong, so I personally take the information that I get from his videos and reviews to be very reliable as a part of my information gathering process.

 

I have read every review that I could find. I have read positive reviews, indifferent reviews, negative reviews. I formulated an opinion. I decided that the seaside does not feel right for us. I changed to another cruise and am very content with the decision. I apologize if my decisions and opinions do not covey the level of "critical thinking" that is expected on CC.

You cancelled you cruise for all the right reasons. 'Most' people aren't criticizing your decision. You have no obligation to spend hundreds of dollars on something that your own research has indicated you probably won't enjoy.

That being said, my problem is with those that have cancelled their cruises with absolutely no previous experience with MSC and then have gone one to bash MSC based on other peoples reviews. They profess to know what all Americans expect in a cruise leaving from US port. You have not done this. But you shouldn't be so defensive either. You don't need to defend your decision to the likes of us.

I want to add that I do feel sorry for some early cruisers on the Seaside who didn't have the luxury of the knowledge we now have concerning this ship. There is no question that MSC has provided misleading and erronious information leading up the launching of this ship. They do seem to have issues with their website and customers service reps both here and abroad. I wholeheartedly understand the anger and frustation these folks have with MSC.