tjlj

Are u booking another?

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looking forward to the video... hey Jim if you get a chance can u take a pic of 14256 all the way aft.. I'm wondering which side the bath is on? a hall shot would be great... thanks tony

Tonight around 9 PM, we were walking outside and looked in at the people eating dinner at the " Marketplace Restaurant" as Seaside calls it for the 6:30 PM and 9 PM dinner settings. It looked very classy with tablecloths, flowers, table numbers and waiters serving tables. We thought it was very well done, and there were a lot of people in there. It seemed more peaceful than the MDR. I don't think it would be a bad option.

After being on the ship and seeing the marketplace dining. I would have no problem getting a Bella cabin... So your on the current cruise and it's still being used?

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No matter what, I would go to see the maiterde when u first get on the ship to see... prob deck 5 seashore.

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you already have my choice dinning... so that takes care of most of the negative things on the board the past 2 weeks.. if you want the same celebrity, then stick with celebrity.. if you really want something different, then msc might be for you... are u uptight and really picky?... we went on the Divina.. loved it.. have been on 3 times... coming from 13 carnival cruises we wanted something different.. and msc is it... I love that I don't understand everybody talking around me... we were on the first out of Miami and booked another... but we kinda go with the flow... we are happy just to be on a ship...

Same here... running out of patience. Sailing in almost 2 weeks and still no e-docs. The Request your tickets button never worked, it would just take me nowhere. Now it´s just gone altogether.

 

I really hope I get a fantastic experience on board, or it will be my first and last cruise with them.

did u book with TA? edocs came from my ta... call msc and they will email them...

5. I never saw shuffleboard and I think I walked the whole ship

 

6. The chocolates are $10 for 100 grams, which is 6-7 pieces. The boxes ranged depending on size from about $15-40+. The chocolate hazelnut paste they use in a lot of their hot chocolates and specialty coffee drinks is $17 per jar.

 

did u buy a jar? we asked and thought they said 17, but she said 70...?

Wow, so what's left to eat past 3 that isn't specialty and MDR?

 

Just when you thought we third class Bella passengers got good news, LOL.

deck 16 buffet

Yup my point exactly- same as when I went on Poesia a few years ago which is why I never returned till the pitch that the Seaside is different and built for Miami home port cruising convinced me to give them another chance.

 

They are very rigid. It’s whatever I want to give you at dining room or a limited small buffet at Biscayne or nothing! Even some yacht club reviews say their menu isn’t much better. I spoke with a yacht club passenger one day and she expressed the experience was not equivalent to a private suite experience in other lines.

 

And no I’m not going to pay for a specialty restaurant every night...just add the alternative menu every night in MDR and expand dinner bufffet selections based on a little more varied palettes and the dinning issue can be fast resolved.

 

For those on board this sailing are the children still menu-less in the MDR? I was only offered chicken nuggets most of the week, by the last day I got very insistent that there could be something else for kids (as I was even told the Mac n cheese they always put in the Biscayne Bay buffet for kids wasn’t available) it was like a business negotiation, I was finally able to get a plain pasta no sauce or anything just plain pasta for a child - who knew it was that difficult to get plain pasta in an Italian ship! Lol

 

But in fairness to MSC maybe it’s that staff needs more training on passenger dinner requests which all lines I’ve been on accommodate (within bounds of reasonableness )

my daughter was able to order pasta with alfredo sauce every night she wanted it, in the mdr on the seaside...but the experience of just ordering off the menu was the exact same on the divina... I wish they would have the alternative menu as well.. but that's the way they do it...

Same thing with me... after being on the seaside over Christmas. We just booked another last night. Looks like 3 person rooms are hard to find over the summer...

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A guy called Barrie who is onboard Seaside right now has posted on FB that the daily paper says that you now have to pay $10 pp single use to use the Zip line or $50 for the unlimited cruise pass valid for all guests staying in the same state room! He posted the daily to prove it.

wow.. not good...

I am new to MSC and booked an Aurea suite. Is all dining assigned? And when will we be informed of where we will eat? Is it all MDR food anyway?

I believe all aurea and wellness get my choice dining.. located deck 5, left side of seashore dining....

I wanted as many people to know about this as possible.

We have a nice high floor Balcony room (10th).

 

Our assigned MDR is the BUFFET.

Every room with a Bella distinction, your assigned to the buffet.

Obviously would never have made this reservation if we knew this.

 

You have got to be kidding me, we weren't that excited about the itinerary, but we thought we would have a fancy new ship to enjoy. I guess just not at dinner.

 

Hey guys, lets get all dressed up and have a glamorous meal in the buffet, no thanks.

Just canceled, ridiculous.

How did u find out ur assigned dinning?

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I think rather than saying "buffet only area" you should be clearer and say the "normal buffet area", since people are not eating from the buffet.

 

What they really should do is either a) move the overflow dinner seating to the deck 16 buffet and keep the deck 8 buffet as a full buffet for dinner, or b) only convert half of the deck 8 buffet to leave the other half as a full buffet for those who prefer that experience (plus those who may want to eat something at the buffet before or after their sit-down dinner).

 

MSC has really angered two sets of people with this policy. Not to mention that their literature says that they have an extensive buffet 20 hours a day and the deck 16 buffet only being available for dinner and later doesn't match what they've advertised.

The deck 16 buffet is open for breakfast and lunch... We liked breakfast there better than 8

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Ok a few things positive first.

 

Dinner on now day 5 is good, warm and timely and for tonight they returned the classics steak etc..alternative choices to the menu as an alternative I’d you didn't like the main menu...kids still the same no change frozen chicken nuggets.

 

They have set up two giant disco balls in atrium and it’s really hopping and music DJ is very good.

 

As to the carpets: yes new carpet smell and fuzz I’m not talking about that I get and appreciate new carpet smell and know you get fuzz till it’s broken in. What I’m saying is debris like white pieces of paper, glitter confetti from I guess prior parties and other dirt -that has nothing to do with new carpet.

 

Maybe it’s the dark burgundy color they chose that doesn’t hide dirt as well as others but it is noticeable.

 

Again they need consistency in quality

On I think the Last night dinner they have tournedos... this is a big chunk of steak... I have never heard of it.

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I'm curious as to whether there is any choice not to eat in the buffet if you're assigned there. If you aren't happy with it can you request another dining room? I feel like there has to be something more to it. Also, perhaps because these are holiday sailings is the reason why they need the buffet to accommodate the increased guest count?

Post 41 and 45 have the answers. Its long thread.

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At the life boat station. I'm sure the coast guard signed off on it.

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Cabin. Limited storage... no life jackets in room... The food is good... but it's a similar menu to the divina... U have to get use to the lack of alternative sides on formal nights. It's just the way msc does it... weak buffet in 16 for dinner. But I'm sure it will get better... ship awesome. We had reason able expectations about the first cruise out of usa... some small problems. But nothing major... 13 cruises on carnival, 3 divina, 1 seaside. Loved all of them. Right now msc is the best value out there that we have found. Coupled with the 10 percent civil service discount and status match... cannot be beat. Little shade on pool deck... no chairs for movie. But divina also. Shows awesome. Didn't go to opera shows. Loved the ship. It a way too early to judge the ship for product based off the recent reviews. Including mine.

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The carpets are not dirty as you claim, yes for some reason they appear to attract what appears to be fluff and from what we saw it seem to be a carpet issue rather than a cleaning issue.

As for the food the only Luke warm to cold thing we had all cruise were beans at the morning buffet, food in the dining room was hot and things that were meant to be cold were cold.

 

I will agree that there does appear to be a lack of staff in many areas and that 5,000 on this ship makes it over populated.

we noticed the carpet fuzzing.. in room also.... ahhh new carpet....

Yea and it is all in app faq.. unless you want to change next day. As people on front of me in line had seashore, moved to marketplace, then back to seashore the next night.

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Just a quick note. Under the faq on the app it tells you how to change dinning times... says that Bella and fantastica can be changed only once perday.. now the place you request may not be availiable... The maiterde is at deck 5 seashore dining room at 12:30... be there early to change and get in line... I saw people change out of marketplace back to dinning room while I was in line. Depends on space available.. lots of people were changing. We passed by the windows if the marketplace and for us it really didn't look that bad... The place is really nice to start with... I would rather be in seashore. But... We ended up in impeama..which was also nice but at the time we needed it..

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What stabilized video camera (or gimbal) were you using to shoot the video?

It's so nice to see actual stable video rather than the shaky videos that most everyone else has been posting.

And the time lapse in St Thomas where the camera turned from right to left as the time lapse was being shot... that was worth the extra effort! I appreciated seeing some pro-quality video of the Seaside!

Jim, I have watched a ton of yours cruise videos... love them. Keep them coming.

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Thanks for all the positive comments... We had a good cruise.

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Thanks. Go pro 6 with feiyu tech g5 v2 gimble. Very cool gimble. Must have the remote, that really enables nice moving shots.

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just a few clips put together to show the ship... click the VIMEO in the right corner for higher resolution..