"Aurea Suite With Whirlpool Bath" - The Things That Surprised Me

Hi Jim Zim: I have been waiting impatiently for your review of the SJ3 suite which I have booked for Feb 19. The whirlpool is a surprise for my wife who has always wanted to holiday with a private hot tub(and me!). Your review is very informative and I am relieved the tub is big enough for two. However, I think there is a lot of wasted space in that suite but maybe if you have 5 folks in it, it makes sense.

We have cruised 5 times with MSC in Europe and I get what you mean. We have enjoyed all of our cruises but there are always some compromises with MSC. We have sailed with RCCL and NCL too (they're not perfect either) and it is only price/value that brings us back to MSC time after time as we get a 5% discount as members of the Voyagers Club(past cruisers).

Really looking forward to the review, warts and all! Cheers, Ken.

The whirlpool is a surprise for my wife who has always wanted to holiday with a private hot tub(and me!)

Ken - how lovely. I hope you manage to keep it a surprise. It'll be a terrific belated Valentine's Day "gift".

Hi Jim Zim: I have been waiting impatiently for your review of the SJ3 suite which I have booked for Feb 19. The whirlpool is a surprise for my wife who has always wanted to holiday with a private hot tub(and me!). Your review is very informative and I am relieved the tub is big enough for two. However, I think there is a lot of wasted space in that suite but maybe if you have 5 folks in it, it makes sense.

 

We have cruised 5 times with MSC in Europe and I get what you mean. We have enjoyed all of our cruises but there are always some compromises with MSC. We have sailed with RCCL and NCL too (they're not perfect either) and it is only price/value that brings us back to MSC time after time as we get a 5% discount as members of the Voyagers Club(past cruisers).

 

Really looking forward to the review, warts and all! Cheers, Ken.

I have to agree with this, and the comments earlier in the thread about cost vs experience given. It all depends on your priorities. I know when I book MSC for 30% less than the same NCL cruise, I won't enjoy the food as much, and the standard drinks package is more limiting. I also know that the shipboard experience isn't always why I book a particular cruise. For example, I am cruising Orchestra at the end of February - not my first choice of cruise line or ship, but I really like the itinerary and I'm looking forward to some winter sun. I've sailed MSC before, and I know its shortcomings.

I appreciate if something has been advertised to you and really built up as being fantastic and unbeatable, and the reality doesn't match up to that, you're going to be disappointed. BUT it's sometimes a struggle to find better value for the same time/itinerary etc. than an MSC cruise. I book all my MSC cruises know with expectations firmly set, and emphasis on why I'm going (like in this case it's for the destinations). I imagine a number of people who say they won't sail MSC after their first experience may reconsider if they see it at a far superior price to their 'usual' line - I have no problem in saying I've done that on a few occasions.

Sometimes it's worth paying the extra to get what you really want, and sometimes it's not - although that is easier to say as a regular cruiser than someone going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Thanks for the review! may have to book this for next cruise.

Umm how tall are you guys?

Thanks for posting those great pictures, JimZim! I look forward to the rest of your review. in particular, I am interested in hearing what about the ship/experience was 'European' rather than 'American' and how you felt that your 'American expectations' were not met. I've heard this comment before with very little in the way of specifics (other than the suggestions that Europeans prefer later dining times, slower dining and smaller portions as compared to Americans).

Regardless, your cabin and whirlpool and the gelato all look amazing! I am looking forward to those things on our upcoming Seaside cruise in June.

Europeans do not prefer smaller food portions! MSC reduced the sizes after complaints that they were to big. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Great review! This suite is so far, the only reason i even consider MSC, and maybe a little because of the ship design :)

I am also very interested in what "European cruising experience" means?

Europeans do not prefer smaller food portions! MSC reduced the sizes after complaints that they were to big. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Good to hear!

I diet like crazy when I am not vacationing/on holiday and when I get onboard I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy my food... and a LOT of food. I am not ashamed to ask for multiple entrees, so smaller portions doesn't bother me so much. ;)

Ken - how lovely. I hope you manage to keep it a surprise. It'll be a terrific belated Valentine's Day "gift".

Cheers Bea! It'll be a special retirement trip for us both too! She won't know about the whirlpool until we enter the suite!! Romantic or wha!!:cool:

Excellent posts Jim Zim, and I look forward to watching your Youtube videos as well.

I think the biggest mess up MSC has done has been to exclaim they are going for the American cruise market when they aren't. People keep seeming to be upset that Americans are expecting a specific type of experience when it was MSC that set the expectation. We have a cruise booked for December and I am almost to the point where we just might have to ditch it and try something else. This will be cruise number 21 for me and I was hoping my "worst" experiences were well behind me.

Thanks for the head's up.

DAjedu ... The problem is very many of you do not do your homework on MSC and cry foul when it turns out that their product is not the same as the US owned cruise lines, there is a reason that MSC are way cheaper than the rest and it is not MSC who gave people the expectation that they would get the same product for a lower price, that is reserved for the people expecting it to be.

If MSC sold at the same price point as the others then I could understand the genuine complaints but the truth is that there are many people who are incapable of change and cannot adapt, why do they find it so difficult to sit down and have a meal take 1.5 to 2 hours? what is the rush do you have somewhere to be, do you have a meeting scheduled? you are on holiday for goodness sake, do what the rest of us do and relax ... :cool:

Jim, were u ever on the divina?

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DAjedu ... The problem is very many of you do not do your homework on MSC and cry foul when it turns out that their product is not the same as the US owned cruise lines, there is a reason that MSC are way cheaper than the rest and it is not MSC who gave people the expectation that they would get the same product for a lower price, that is reserved for the people expecting it to be.

If MSC sold at the same price point as the others then I could understand the genuine complaints but the truth is that there are many people who are incapable of change and cannot adapt, why do they find it so difficult to sit down and have a meal take 1.5 to 2 hours? what is the rush do you have somewhere to be, do you have a meeting scheduled? you are on holiday for goodness sake, do what the rest of us do and relax ... :cool:

Actually, isn't that the point of this board - doing homework? A big problem is that there isn't a lot of information coming from MSC and what comes forth is inconsistent. Zipline is free, then there is a charge. Still don't know if there is a charge for the board slide. Inconsistent information on whether or not there is an all inclusive charge for entertainment as is done on other ships. Still can't figure out exactly how much various things actually cost. I have been researching like crazy - and the answer is different depending on who you talk to, even when talking with MSC customer service.

So, it is kind of frustrating when not even the company's own customer service can answer what to me appears to be simple questions.

Actually, isn't that the point of this board - doing homework? A big problem is that there isn't a lot of information coming from MSC and what comes forth is inconsistent. Zipline is free, then there is a charge. Still don't know if there is a charge for the board slide. Inconsistent information on whether or not there is an all inclusive charge for entertainment as is done on other ships. Still can't figure out exactly how much various things actually cost. I have been researching like crazy - and the answer is different depending on who you talk to, even when talking with MSC customer service.

 

 

 

So, it is kind of frustrating when not even the company's own customer service can answer what to me appears to be simple questions.

Amen.

I’ve learned my lesson well.

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Jim, were u ever on the divina?

No. I read a lot of CruiseCritic reviews of the Divina, and they scared me off.

Seaside was my first experience with MSC, and after our week onboard my wife made me promise that it would be our last. We've been happy with Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and even Viking Ocean Cruises. We'll stick with them until Virgin Voyages comes out, and then we'll probably want to see what Richard Branson's version of cruising is like.

Ok makes sense... the shower door would have annoyed me.... and I know u have seen the playlist productions on carnival... the entertainment on divina and seaside is way better than playlist... now like the dream, dancing in the streets is the best show at sea we have been on... right now it's the best value... Thanks.

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I think the biggest mess up MSC has done has been to exclaim they are going for the American cruise market when they aren't. People keep seeming to be upset that Americans are expecting a specific type of experience when it was MSC that set the expectation.

I think this statement just about sums it up. For months, many of us here in North America have been reading and researching and getting the same message, that this ship was targeted for the North American industry and was set to rival all the big names already here. So that message leads people to expect a certain type of product.

And Jim, thanks for the honest write up so far. I've watched many of your YouTube videos and have read many of your reviews on your website. Looking forward to the pics/video and review of the Seaside.

Thank you Jim for taking the time to review your cruising experience. The wife and I have been on the fence for about two or three weeks now, every since we first starting seeing the reviews. We both decided that we would wait to see how this and other new reviews would be before making up our minds.

We, kind of sadly, decided to cancel our spring break cruise on the seaside. We did get on another ship our of Miami for that week. We ended up having to pay out another 300$, but we feel that there a much better guarantee that our vacation will now meet our expectations. We are easy going people and it takes a bit to upset us, but that said, per what I have read it is a real possibility on the seaside. The plan is to follow the seaside and the reviews to see if there is an improvement over the next year and maybe try for next spring break.

Just booked SJ3 room for November based on OP review. we were on the ship a week ago in B2 balcony :)

DAJedu ... The answers you seek can be found elsewhere due to the members there some of whom are not CC members, you can find the initials at six and two in the alphabet. There is a charge for the zipline of $10 pp for a single ride, you can buy a one week pass for $50 for all those in the same cabin, so far all the slides are free. There is a charge for Bowling, Cinema and F1 simulator and once again a pass can be bought at various values.

Saw what to me was a bit of an update to this on Facebook. The zip line charge is being rolled in with the fun pass. So for example if you buy the pay $25 for $30 worth fun pass you can try the $10 Cinema, $10 F1, and $10 zip line for just $25 spend. This may not suit everyone but for me it makes it seem a bit more reasonable.

Edit to add in the picture I saw:

The difference in cost between the Yacht Club and the other "American" cruise lines is extraordinary and worth every penny - even with some snafus that are bound to happen. I've been on countless cruises and the Divina is the only ship I've been on twice, once from Miami and once from Barcelona. The YC is the way to go on MSC. If you can't go YC, then I do not recommend that you sail on MSC. From what I saw on the last two MSC cruises ANY other cruise line beats the other categories.

I gave up a suite on Seaside so I could be inside Yacht Club, just based on my experience on Divina!

With MSC, it is YC or nothing!

I gave up a suite on Seaside so I could be inside Yacht Club, just based on my experience on Divina!

With MSC, it is YC or nothing!

YES, I agree 100%

DAjedu ... The problem is very many of you do not do your homework on MSC and cry foul when it turns out that their product is not the same as the US owned cruise lines, there is a reason that MSC are way cheaper than the rest and it is not MSC who gave people the expectation that they would get the same product for a lower price, that is reserved for the people expecting it to be.

If MSC sold at the same price point as the others then I could understand the genuine complaints but the truth is that there are many people who are incapable of change and cannot adapt, why do they find it so difficult to sit down and have a meal take 1.5 to 2 hours? what is the rush do you have somewhere to be, do you have a meeting scheduled? you are on holiday for goodness sake, do what the rest of us do and relax ... :cool:

There are many Carnival cruises that are at the same price point or cheaper, where the food , the design of the ship and the service is far superior than our experience on the Seaside. This surprised me greatly. Still had a good time on the Seaside but I will now steer clear of Msc based on this experience.

YES, I agree 100%

I totally see that now