Seaside September 2018 .... Back in the YC!

I was fortunate enough to be able to return to the Seaside Yacht Club again after our first time this past February.

I am also extremely pleased to report that not only is all well on this magnificent ship but that many of my concerns from 6 months ago have been addressed.

Most notably:

1) no poo smell. Zero. Maybe some areas smell a bit too MSC-y (!) but that's a completely different thing!

2) the ship is now sparkling clean in all public areas - no more noticeable greasy shmears, fingerprints or stains.

​There are also many different and positive additions.​

The new ​American​ Cruise Director​ (a first for MSC) ​ with experience on many different cruise lines has truly improved the onboard vibe - one could now wander after dinner and find stuff happening everywhere.​ He has a terrific personality and is trying extremely hard to make everyone happy.​

The nightly entertainment in the Top Sail Lounge was varied and there were few times when there weren’t live performers.

​For you connectivity addicts, your phone now works at sea!!! MSC was/is the last cruise line not to offer cellular connectivity when not at port and this is a huge plus. Strangely enough, I NEVER use my phone while at sea but with one remaining ageing and ill in law, it's good to know that I can be notified with a 75 cent text!

For Main Stage shows, we only saw Butterflies but unlike many who have posted here, we are lifelong opera addicts. The show was .... entertaining. Imagine Madame Butterfly done as a Simpson's episode and you get the general drift. A prerecorded bombastic ​orchestra with some vocals also prerecorded, cheesy costumes, an aerialist (!) (like, really?!) and an altered ending (!!!!) (the propellers had NOTHING on Puccini spinning in his grave...) but ... it was still entertaining in an alcohol induced Italian Bunga Bunga kinda' way.

With respect to the specialties, we only managed to eat in Ocean Cay and the food was as superb as before but the service, while spectacularly friendly was slow and unfocused. The servers literally outnumbered the patrons with the difference being that the patrons were not intensely staring at their electronic ordering devices.

The Yacht Club Restaurant food was ... adequate. Unfortunately, it was probably the weakest of our three cruises this past year. While food is subjective, serving temperatures are not and the quality of many of the ingredients is definitely subprime. This is an area that MSC seriously has to revisit.

And most importantly .... Champagne (not sparkling/fizzy type weird beverage) is available by the glass (and occasionally by the bottle!) at no extra charge and it remains my good friend, Nick. (Nicholas Feuillatte).

Unfortunately, there is no longer a sommelier to serve you said champagne.

Overall, a spectacular cruise with probably the nicest fellow passengers that we have EVER encountered on a ship. You all know who you are!

Looking forward to my next visit!

1) no poo smell. Zero.

That's been gone for months. It was an improperly installed part. I don't expect it to ever return on Seaside.

With respect to the specialties, we only managed to eat in Ocean Cay and the food was as superb as before but the service, while spectacularly friendly was slow and unfocused. The servers literally outnumbered the patrons with the difference being that the patrons were not intensely staring at their electronic ordering devices.

We had the entire place to ourselves. :D

We were on seaside in the Yacht Club at the end of August. Agree with your assessments. Food in YC was mostly mediocre with a few highlights. The lobster was excellent, a huge improvement from Divina. Asked the Pepe the matre’d what had happened to the fabulous Italian food we’d experienced on Divina and he said he didn’t have the ability to change the menu which comes from corporate. One night he made us a terrific pasta dish that came to the table piping hot, which means everything else was sitting on a steam table before being served. The meats were all served drowned in sauces and we’re too salty with not much other taste. Learned quickly to order the sauce on the side. The steak in butchers cut was perfectly prepared. The sushi at Roy’s we had for lunch on sea days when it was open for lunch was perfect. The white wines available in the top sail lounge were not very good. I tried all of them. You can by them locally for $8 a bottle. I don’t recall that being an issue on Divina. The physical set up of the yacht club is beautiful. The cabins are very roomy, with a deep balcony lots of storage and a beautiful bathroom. All service staff were very accommodating and delightful. We had a good time and met some nice people. There is still no real shade on the pool deck but staff tried really hard to place chairs in odd places and would move them when needed. Didn’t care for the layout of the rest of the ship,too many dead ends, very confusing. We preferred the layout of Divina. I think this is still a work in progress.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

All service staff were very accommodating and delightful. We had a good time and met some nice people. There is still no real shade on the pool deck but staff tried really hard to place chairs in odd places and would move them when needed. ......... I think this is still a work in progress.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We had more of an issue with shade this time and would vary and change our positions as the day went by.

As for the ship itself, I agree it is a work in progress but again in a good way! The staff are aware of concerns and are trying to find solutions for the problems. Unfortunately, it appears that Head Office in Geneva/Genoa may have different ideas from the now North American oriented crew!

Dr. Cocktail, may I get your opinion on this...

We are booked on Seaside in a few months...we have never been on a ship with so many passengers, so I am a little nervous about such crowds! We are in the YC however would like to of course go throughout the entire ship. Did it seem like mayhem with so many people? Our last cruise on the Sun, I felt like we couldn't even get out of our own way so maybe it's all relative and the Seaside is plenty big for so many passengers...your thoughts? Thank you!

Elizabeth

Dr. Cocktail, may I get your opinion on this...

We are booked on Seaside in a few months...we have never been on a ship with so many passengers, so I am a little nervous about such crowds! We are in the YC however would like to of course go throughout the entire ship. Did it seem like mayhem with so many people? Our last cruise on the Sun, I felt like we couldn't even get out of our own way so maybe it's all relative and the Seaside is plenty big for so many passengers...your thoughts? Thank you!

Elizabeth

I think that the best analogy is the Yacht Club is like a quiet, luxury resort in the country side. You can stay there all the time if you desire and have your meals, quiet entertainment, drinks and sunshine.

Going to the rest of the ship is like driving downtown to the big city! Busy -yes, mayhem - no! (Admittedly, I have yet to step into the buffet on Seaside).

The pool decks are busy and noisy but certainly not "out of control". Similarly, the lounges and atrium can be packed at times but again, I really didn't notice any egregiously bad behaviour. I didn't feel that I had to push my way through crowds.

Every cruise is different but we actually enjoyed the energy and vibe in the evenings when we walked about.

Sounds perfect, thank you! :)