voyager89

Good to hear! BF and I are doing our first MSC cruise in January 28, the Seaside actually. Have only done 5 cruises, all with RC or NCL. I wanted a change and MSC seem to be more elegant ships and hopefully not too many kids on board. I love kids - but somehow kids on vacation mode seem a bit more obnoxious. Next up to try is Celebrity, but I am very excited to see what MSC has to offer.

Hello

I came to this boards to get info on Jamaica after reading this note yesterday: http://www.newnownext.com/jamaica-insists-gay-tourists-welcome-despite-horrific-anti-lgbt-violence/12/2017/

I cant believe Time said Jamaica could possibly be the most homophobic place on earth. That was in 2006, but still, doesn´t seem a lot of it has changed. BF and I are going to Ocho Rios next month. After reading that note, all the comments on the Facebook thread and the posts on this forum I will not be leaving the ship. There are many other islands that welcome us with beautiful beaches and nice people. I wouldn´t even do a ship excursion. Why would they want gay money?

I guess on Royal they have the Promenade Cafe that is free, and the hot dog place on Oasis/Quantum class ships. But Seaside's main buffet is on deck 8 (much more centrally located than on Royal ships) and I believe it's open late, so if they have a good selection available at reasonable hours (at least until midnight), it could be a good alternative to something like the Promenade Cafe. I am not aware of other options than the buffet and MDR for a free sit-down meal on Royal. Not sure about NCL, since the only time we sailed them the Italian place was still free, but that changed shortly after we sailed.

 

One thing that really bothered me about Anthem was that the buffet closed at around 9pm and there was no place to get free iced tea/lemonade after that since they didn't have it at the Promenade or pizza place. Nor was there anyplace to get a free hot meal other than pizza.

The Oasis class has a snack place on the top deck (Surf cafe I believe), the Boardwalk cafe which is the hot dog venue, and the wonderful Park cafe on deck 8 which has custom made salads and bagels, sandwiches, soups, etc. I went here everyday for lunch or breakfast on a 12 day TA, its really good. The Cafe promenade has good items too and Sorrento´s with custom made pizza which to me was delicious. Also, not free but for only 5 dollars which is a steal IMO you get all you can eat Johnny Rockets. On the Radiance class there was a very good place called Seaview cafe with al fresco, a la carte complimentary meals. The slowly started replacing it with for fee restaurants, the last one there was was on Jewel of the seas. NCL had Osheehans and another place I cant remember, besides of course the buffet and MDRs.

I really hope the MDRs and buffets on Seaside have a wide selection to cover up for the lack of other complimentary options. There´s no way I´m paying specialty dining, specially at the outrageous prices I´ve seen for the steakhouse and the japanese place.

My kids will be disappointed in they can't get some free milkshakes. I guess they can still have some frozen cocktails but a milkshake would be a great treat.

 

I felt like we got really nickle and dimed on our last cruise on the NCL Escape and I was hoping that Seaside would be better but it sounds like it might be a similar experience.

Have them get a mudslide. Even better than a milkshake :halo: no alcohol of course :)

I couldn't imagine why anyone with only one cruise would want to do a status match (most here have done it to get Black status). But I checked their site and even members who are at the lowest non-welcome tier get 5% off and a free welcome beverage, so I guess it pays for everyone who has sailed before to do it. In fact, given that I think they take airlines and hotels as well, I wonder if anyone with a one of those accounts at any level would qualify?

Even without their status match, if you sign up for the voyager´s club before taking your first MSC cruise, they give you 100 points which puts you on their Classic level.

This seems to depend on your experience. The Fantastica (and higher, I'm assuming) experiences say the room service delivery fee is free, as is room service continental breakfast. With the Deluxe Beverage package, the food itself is supposed to be free/included, as well:

 

ALL-INCLUSIVE DELUXE DRINK PACKAGE A.

ALL-INCLUSIVE DELUXE DRINK PACKAGE ADULT Drink all you want, where you want, in total freedom and with a light heart! Unlimited spirits (Premium brands are included), liqueur, aperitifs, classic and Premium cocktails, wide selection of wines by the glass, draught and bottled beer, non-alcoholic cocktails, soft drinks, juices, mineral water, energy drinks, espresso and cappuccino, drinks from the theme bar menus, minibar, and drinks and food from room service menu.

I hope it is just initial mishaps.

 

NCL lets you to bring food to your cabin from buffet, we've done it this year. Just not from O'Sheehans at night (and this I believe IS due to possibility to charge you for room service)

Thank you for the info :)

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

My friends are on Seaside now. They like the ship, but said that buffets are crazy overcrowded.

That´s too bad. But maybe that´s because the weather might not be too good to be eating outside.

Anyone knows if you can bring food from the buffet to your cabin? If it is too crowded I would rather just eat there. I think it was NCL who wouldnt let you since they started to charge for room service at any time.

Also, I know MSC charges for room service, but des the food have a cost too?

As excited as I am for my January Seaside cruise, it's a bit disappointing that only 2 MDRs and 2 buffets are included on the cruise fare. I'm used to having more complimentary options on RC and NCL.

Yes there are 2. The marketplace buffet on deck 8 and the Biscayne buffet and pizzeria on deck 16 which is more geared to families as stated above, I believe this is due to the closeness to the pools and kids areas.

Sorry didn’t mean to say NO free food, just no free food in the sports bar. I kinda thought the sports bar would be the MSC’s O’Sheehans. It actually doesn’t seem like there will be food at all served. Or no one can confirm it. PS Sidari, I’ve been following you on other threads... thanks for your great info so far!

 

 

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There is a Sports food menu going around. I believe it's from the Divina. All finger food and snacks.

They are bringing a ship to NY in the near future, can´t recall which one though.

Maybe try Cuba or Cozumel?

I would also like to know why would non YC passengers would not be happy. I am a first timer on MSC on a balcony cabin.

Truth be told is that I am a little upset that other than the buffets and MDRs, you have to pay for your meals. RC and NCL have a bigger variety of complimentary places to eat, specially in newer ships.

I´m on the same boat. Failry new to cruising. I have 32 points with NCL (Silver) and did the status match which made me Classic.

Didn´t really see the point as they were offering me 100 points just to register to the MSC Voyager club which would also put me on the Classic level anyway. But well.

Thank you for sharing.

The brunch options look good and very fair priced. Other than that, I won´t be going for any specialty dining either. If I want a steakhouse or seafood place, I could just go in Miami the days before the cruise. Personally, I have never really seen the point. It´s like going out for dinner while staying at an all inclusive resort. I could go without a tomahawk for a week.

While I would like to know all that as well I don't think you will get a lot of answers yet. The first cruise with paying passengers just set sail on Friday and ends in Miami I believe December 22. So any CC member that could provide a review will most likely share around Christmas time.

The passengers onboard will be very different than what you're used to on Carnival or Royal. A large percentage of the passengers onboard will be from a European country. This could mean many things, depending on how you view opposing cultural customs, but if you go in with a positive attitude, I imagine you will make many international friends. At dinner, you could be seated with someone from Lisbon or Munich, instead of Cinncinati or Nashville. This allows for a completely different mindset to be had onboard, one that I have not been able to match ever. I enjoy MSC for this reason exactly, the diversity of its people. The passenger diversity is also reflected in the food choices, entertainment options, and the daily announcements. Again, I personally LOVE this, and I think one of the biggest things that had me falling in love with MSC was the fact that you could ride an elevator with someone from France, be line line to be seated in the MDR with someone from Poland, and be seated for dinner with someone from England. It really made the cruise for me. I think you may enjoy it just as much as I did!

This sounds awesome :)

This may sound bad but after paying for Yacht Club, I certainly don’t want my oasis to be invaded by anyone else from down below. I don’t have an issue with a discreet visit to the cabin but certainly not use of facilities. We are on Seaside in March 2018 and have also booked YC for Bellissima in 2019. We have some extra people coming and accepting we were in YC they will also book the same otherwise no point in joining us on the cruise. Our Seaside trip is a special occasion hence YC but very often we travel in a standard inside cabin. I wouldn’t dream of invading a space that I was not entitled to be in.

It did sound bad lol. Down below? You reminded me of Rose´s mom in Titanic :halo:

I do agree with you on the part of invading a space you shouldn´t be in. But in all honesty I think that people hanging at the YC without having a room there will be one in 100. Now about a party at a suite with non YC passengers, I donpt see an issue. Its your private space so no one else would be affected by that.

MSc had many ships and about 85 percent, give or take 60 percent, seem to be about the seaside. I am tired of hearing about the seaside. Seaside, seaside, seaside. Sort of like that old line from the TV show the Brady Bunch where they say "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!"

I wish there was a button that would hide the posts with the word seaside. It would make cruise critic much faster to read.

 

I am sure it is a cool ship. Just tired of seeing almost everything here being about just one ship when there are others that deserve a little love and attention. Thats all.

That´s cause it´s the new kid on the block. I dont think there are a lot of excitement things to say to this day about the Opera or Poesia for example. Not only its a new ship but a new class plus it is unlike anything else at sea not just from MSC but from any cruise line so I understand why everybody is extra hyped. I dont think it will be the same with the Seaview as everybody will be familiar with pics and reviews from the Seaside by then.

Here's what was posted on Cruise Critic lately when they compared the dress code for all cruise lines:

MSC Cruises

 

The Code: "Casual resort wear" is appropriate, except for formal evenings when men are required to put on suits or jackets and ties, and women cocktail dresses. In addition, passengers who would like to participate in theme nights are encouraged to dress according to a specific theme. Examples include White Night, Tropical Night or 60s/70s/80s Night.

Number of Formal Nights: There's one formal night on four- to six-night cruises, two on seven- to nine-night cruises, three on 10- to 14-night cruises and four on cruises of 15 nights or longer.

Nightly Casual Option: The standard Lido buffet (and room service) will serve passengers seeking a more low-key dining experience.

Written Restrictions and Jeans: After 6 p.m., jeans, T-shirts and shorts are not permitted in the ships' public areas. No swimwear is allowed in main dining rooms. Jeans are allowed on casual resort wear nights, as long as they aren't torn or ripped.

No, maybe these aren't rules and many people will ignore these suggestions and wear whatever they want and probably won't be stopped. But in my experience people do dress up more on MSC than on most other cruise lines probably because they have more European clients. While I won't take a tuxedo on my Seaside cruise in January I'll probably take a dark suit and a sport coat. And my wife won't be taking a long dress but many others will. Enjoy your cruise!

Wow, is this for real? I hope I´m wrong by understanding you cannot wear jeans, tees and shorts past 6 in public areas?

We dine at the MDR each night but formal nights, every cruise has a post or pre land vacation sometimes for over a month so we absolutely do not pack formal wear. On formal nights we just go to the buffet. Butthat´s pretty much what we wear all the time, mostly designer t shirts, shorts, shoes, sandals. Never had an issue being turned away or feeling out of place but then again we´ve just cruised NCL and RCCL.

We'll be onboard in less than 3 weeks and I can understand your view. No one's critique will change my excitement. Everyone has different taste - that's why we have so much choice! The ship looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to see it for myself!

I couldn´t agree more. Even the worst of reviews wouldn´t make my excitment any smaller! BF and I are sailing January 26. I´ve seen a couple of pics and videos and it looks stunning. Don´t really wanna see it all to be surprised when I walk in. I´m sure I will love it.

Anyone know how much the wristbands are?

I am also wondering this. |

With such a lot of space dedicated to outdoor areas, I wonder how congested the ship will feel when bad weather confines people to indoors - especially on sea days.

I did an Allure of the Seas TA (which to me the Oasis class are the ships with the most outdoor spaces besides now the Seaside class) and we passed by a very stron storm in the Atlantic. We had probably 3 days with bad weather. It was windy, rainy, the ship was rocking a lot. At night I couldn´t sleep sideways could I would just tip over. There was no one on the outside decks for days other than Central Park. For those not familiar with this ships this is an open air space inside the ship on deck 8. At some point the pool on deck 18 literally emptied out and all the water fell on the park and soaked a lot of people having lunch at one of the al fresco restaurants.

But even with all that, people were pretty much scattered all over and on their staterooms so it didn´t feel crowded at all. I think this will be similar on Seaside if we get bad weather day - which other than hurricane season, I don´t think there will be a lot.

Check-in ends two hours before sailing time...that would be 5:00 PM.

No I mean what time does check in start

Other good things about deck 15 vs 12:

 

-closer to public areas and restaurants

 

 

:)

 

 

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This!

I would much prefer a lower or higher deck over a middle one. I initially chose an inside on deck 5 to be close to everything down there. Then got upgraded to deck 12. But hey, the upgrade was from inside to balcony! So in this case I will take any deck LOL.