MSC Seaside Review 6/2-6/9 (Yacht Club)

It never felt crowded, sea or port days. We did have a cabana on the 2 days at sea ($99 each day at sea)..$59 for days in ports. It was the same group of people up there each day and we got to know a bunch of them, but it was NEVER crowded on our cruise and our cruise was sold out. The lounge was never crowded either, only the restaurant was crowded and only on formal nights. The pool is 6'3" deep (salt water) but it does have a zero depth all around it (see the picture). There are a lot of nicely padded lounge chairs (if you walk around the ship YC lounge chairs are the only padded ones. There are about a dozen cabanas for rent, there are a lot of shaded tables for eating and then there are little chair section in the sun. Also in front there are 2 hot tubs (not really hot water and its not salt water in those) and more lounge chairs. Also in front of the lounge on the outside is another seating section to enjoy a drink outside watching where you are sailing.

They provide all your towels, you get 2 in your room, but save them for your first excursion. After that I would just run up there and get more for the next excursion.. There are lifeguards and service guys in red shirts for all those needs, they will move chairs/loungers to how you want. Butlers are up there servings drinks and the buffet is up there also, serving all meals most of the day (morning to early evening).

Thank you. I swear everything I read about YC sounds too good to be true. I'm so excited...January is going to take forever to get here.

We’ve done YC on Divina. Everything you say is true. It is a great value. The issue we had is that there is no shade anywhere on the ship and from what I’m reading that hasn’t changed. Unfortunately that is a deal breaker for us. $99 a day is excessive and it appears that the only shade is in a cabana.

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I booked today. After several NCL Haven cruises, last Epic DOS, I have decided to try MSC Seaside with my status match to black status.

This will also be my first solo.

Thank you to all who have been so forthcoming and sharing about MSC YC.

Let the planning begin.

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We’ve done YC on Divina. Everything you say is true. It is a great value. The issue we had is that there is no shade anywhere on the ship and from what I’m reading that hasn’t changed. Unfortunately that is a deal breaker for us. $99 a day is excessive and it appears that the only shade is in a cabana. Sent from my iPad using Forums

There is a deck chair umbrella sold online that will attach to your deck chair. I laugh when I think of paying $99 for shade.:D I cannot understand why MSC refuses to do anything about this one nagging shortfall.

I thought I read somewhere that in the private Aurea area that there is some shade. That space is available to YCers.

I booked today. After several NCL Haven cruises, last Epic DOS, I have decided to try MSC Seaside with my status match to black status.

 

This will also be my first solo.

 

Thank you to all who have been so forthcoming and sharing about MSC YC.

 

Let the planning begin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We'll also be sailing in YC for the first time coming from mostly RC and most recently Celebrity. For me, planning is part of the fun.

Here are some pictures of Seaside, with lots of good pictures of YC areas and rooms.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/msc-seaside-994/msc-yacht-club-deluxe-suite-405546/

There is plenty of shade on the Yacht Club sundeck. The tables/chairs along the side by the grill have shade so you can eat your sacks and knock down a few drinks in the shade.

I believe people are referring to the lack of lounge chairs in the shade not tables and chairs in the shade while eating. People in the yacht club who do not want to lay out in the sun are not happy about the lack of shade, myself included.

Yes there are only a few spots on deck 19 with lounge chairs in the shade, hence the name private Sun Deck. I would expect there to be sun. If you want shade there are spots on the Sun Deck (deck 19) that provide that. To the left or right of the bar there are tables and if you really want a lounge chair in shade, the jungle pool has a lot of them. I guess I should also warn you the deck itself gets VERY hot so be sure to have sliders/flip flops or prepare to dance your way around lol

I thought I read somewhere that in the private Aurea area that there is some shade. That space is available to YCers.

Can someone explain the Aurea experience/area? I'm completely new to MSC. Would this be similar to Aqua Class on X? Is it somehow tied in with the spa?

Thank you very much for a excellent review from the YC onboard the MSC Seaside. Very nice to read. The YC is a fantastic value for money and we have sailed on the YC seven times and have two more booked. Love it :):cool:

Next cruise in YC is on the MSC Seaview, can't wait to experience the new Seaside Class.

Here is a photo update. We decided to buy the digital prints on the ship instead of dealing with the hoards of people in the photo shop. They were $9.99 each and downloadable once you've returned back home. A warning: it does take 7-8 days for them to show up, but they do show up. Then we bought even more yesterday and they were $2 cheaper ($7.99) for a digital download. Can be shared on social media and/or taken to Walgreens and purchased for a nominal fee in comparison, the only thing is the digital prints have a MSC Seaside border and a white Banner that goes diagonally on some prints. The prints you buy on ship are "clean", but if you are good with photo shop, you can remove those things if you dont want them

Thank you very much for a excellent review from the YC onboard the MSC Seaside. Very nice to read. The YC is a fantastic value for money and we have sailed on the YC seven times and have two more booked. Love it :):cool:

 

Next cruise in YC is on the MSC Seaview, can't wait to experience the new Seaside Class.

7 times!! Wow. So, you really are the person to ask this question to - we just went on the Norwegian Sun - nice, small ship, in fact I think the Celebrity Equinox is probably the largest ship we have been on. And even that is less than 3000 passengers. So, after being on the Sun, I kept thinking how crowded it seemed, and then I thought, how are we going to deal with 5000 passengers on the Seaside, even though we are in the YC? We do want to be able to explore the ship everyday, but now I just don't know. Does the rest of the ship seem crowded?? Thank you for any thoughts!

7 times!! Wow. So, you really are the person to ask this question to - we just went on the Norwegian Sun - nice, small ship, in fact I think the Celebrity Equinox is probably the largest ship we have been on. And even that is less than 3000 passengers. So, after being on the Sun, I kept thinking how crowded it seemed, and then I thought, how are we going to deal with 5000 passengers on the Seaside, even though we are in the YC? We do want to be able to explore the ship everyday, but now I just don't know. Does the rest of the ship seem crowded?? Thank you for any thoughts!

Having just sailed the Seaside and it being a sold out cruise, it never felt overwhelming in other parts of the ship. The first formal night (which will be your first day at Sea) is the only time if felt crowded and I feel it was all in the picture are on decks 6 and 7 in the main atrium. The shows were not out of control. We did the water slides multiple times and the zip line, but we did do those while we were at a port. While the evenings we were at the casino and always were able to get a seat and we did the F1 racer and only waited 3 people (and theres only one of these racers). Now every cruise can be unique as far as crowds and interests, but our sold out cruise never felt crowded. We did the NCL Escape and that felt more crowded in many places.

7 times!! Wow. So, you really are the person to ask this question to - we just went on the Norwegian Sun - nice, small ship, in fact I think the Celebrity Equinox is probably the largest ship we have been on. And even that is less than 3000 passengers. So, after being on the Sun, I kept thinking how crowded it seemed, and then I thought, how are we going to deal with 5000 passengers on the Seaside, even though we are in the YC? We do want to be able to explore the ship everyday, but now I just don't know. Does the rest of the ship seem crowded?? Thank you for any thoughts!

Hey, I took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Sun a couple of years ago! I love that little ship.

I haven't cruised on the Seaside yet but I think that the crowding won't bead, especially since you don't need to fight for a pool chair or take at the buffet in YC lol.

By all accounts, crowding is a bit of a problem in embarkation day but otherwise not an issue.

Can you elaborate on the evening entertainment? Thanks!

Can you elaborate on the evening entertainment? Thanks!

We only did a few shows, one that I remember was called Fly. It was a singing, dancing show covering different countries and time frames..even some pole dancing. Another show was more the juggling type of show, dont recall the name. What I did like is the shows only last about 30 minutes so you're not too "tied up", and then there was a Michael Jackson tribute show.....I read a lot about operas and stuff, but never noticed them on the lists...

How was the kids club? Was the yc dining servers good with the kids?

Was the yc dining servers good with the kids?

Ours were excellent with kids. We got to know our servers well enough to know about their children back home and the servers really enjoy interacting with children.

7 times!! Wow. So, you really are the person to ask this question to - we just went on the Norwegian Sun - nice, small ship, in fact I think the Celebrity Equinox is probably the largest ship we have been on. And even that is less than 3000 passengers. So, after being on the Sun, I kept thinking how crowded it seemed, and then I thought, how are we going to deal with 5000 passengers on the Seaside, even though we are in the YC? We do want to be able to explore the ship everyday, but now I just don't know. Does the rest of the ship seem crowded?? Thank you for any thoughts!

I have not sailed on the Seaside yet but will sail on the sistership Seaview in few weeks time. Then I can tell you about crowds outside the YC but that's not an issue according to GMS4771 :)

The MSC Meraviglia was not crowded outside the YC either. Anyway, the YC with is quiet atmosphere is a great place to retreat after exploring the rest of the ship.

Thank you all for the info! :)

How was the kids club? Was the yc dining servers good with the kids?

We didn't use the kids club, but the YC dining servers were excellent with them. As you know kids can be finicky eaters and they would always be sure to bring something they liked, even off menu items. Same goes for specialty restaurants, they did the exact same. I will give you a forewarning if you are coffee drinkers, make sure you ask for American Coffee, otherwise you will get Espressos (to be expected given this is an Italian cruise line).

Been reading lots of reviews of the Seaside, YC in particular. Some reports of a strong sewage smell around the ship, including YC decks. I'm familiar with this on other ships...it can happen. Just wondering if you noticed it and was it bad?

(One of the reviews that reported it said they would still definitely sail Seaside in YC again.)

Been reading lots of reviews of the Seaside, YC in particular. Some reports of a strong sewage smell around the ship, including YC decks. I'm familiar with this on other ships...it can happen. Just wondering if you noticed it and was it bad?

 

(One of the reviews that reported it said they would still definitely sail Seaside in YC again.)

That issue has been corrected. My experience was that I didn't smell anything foul in any part of the ship.

Been reading lots of reviews of the Seaside, YC in particular. Some reports of a strong sewage smell around the ship, including YC decks. I'm familiar with this on other ships...it can happen. Just wondering if you noticed it and was it bad?

 

(One of the reviews that reported it said they would still definitely sail Seaside in YC again.)

***

What are the dates of those reviews?

They're probably several months old. I haven't read any recent reviews complaining about bad odors.