Review of MSC Seaside 12/23/17-1/6/18, SuperfamilyPlus, Menu, Dailies, Food Pr0n,Etc.

Just an update...I have not tried to "fix" the dining time goof because I am at this date STILL trying to get the mealtime drink package fixed. MSC does admit that I did have it, should have it, and that someone with the name of Sam in customer service cancelled it. They can provide NO reason why and several of the customer service agents have even remarked they do not know how he could have even done it. I have lost count of the number of calls I have made, the number of people I have talked to and the endless amount of time on hold. I have managed to get 2 different ladies who are trying to get it fixed "added back on" however so far it has been unsuccessful. They say they have "sent a ticket" to the main department (which has a 6 hour time difference according to them) and that it should only take a day or two. I am still on the "day or two" even though this was first said Monday of last week.

 

My patience is wearing very thin. I so wanted to like MSC and did like the YC cruise we took last year on the Davina. However with the arrival of the Seaside I certainly question their management skills and decision making. I do think there is a definite class system starting to occur with MSC ( if you haven't booked the YC watch out). With 30 cruises behind me this is the first time I can definitely say I have never been as concerned as I am now that I have totally wasted several thousand dollars on 3 rooms. In the past I have always looked forward to leaving (instead of somewhat dreading) but this one is beginning to look like I made a big mistake.

 

For those who might say I should cancel, not possible with this cruise being within the next few weeks. I'll still go and hope things straighten out for the best, and that all the negatives that are being reported are addressed and fixed, however I am seriously doubting they will be. We will still as a family make the most of it and make it a positive week, but its definitely appearing that this trip isn't going to be what it had been advertised to be. MSC did look for me and my family as a very promising line but that thought is changing quickly. With all the new builds they have scheduled in the next 5 years it will be interesting to see if they are able to maintain their lofty aspirations with the problems and lack of services they seem to be experiencing with this ship.

I looked at the MSC "general" section telling what is offered on their cruises. It doesn not show that the "mealtime drink package" as being available on Seaside. It shows it, but not on Seaside. Maybe when you/they added it, that was a mistake. I would have enjoyed that too, but not seeing how to add it. We, instead, got the "Dinner Wine Package"....7 bottles for $160.

I looked at the MSC "general" section telling what is offered on their cruises. It doesn not show that the "mealtime drink package" as being available on Seaside. It shows it, but not on Seaside. Maybe when you/they added it, that was a mistake. I would have enjoyed that too, but not seeing how to add it. We, instead, got the "Dinner Wine Package"....7 bottles for $160.

It’s on my cruise documents.

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The mealtime drink package was a part of the promo we booked under. The original documents all show the meal time drink package listed individually under/beside each name (4 adult names each separately listing "Adult mealtime drinks package A" and one "Child mealtime drink package C"

The web checkin now shows 3 adult mealtime drink packages (with names) but 1 adult package and 1 child package has "disappeared"

Thanks so much for taking the time with all the details and photos!

OK 3rd note....

 

Regarding our "Super Family" one room is assigned early seating and the second is assigned late seating. Grrrrr.....guess I will stand in line to get this changed as well.

I was able to get my rooms organized successfully and everyone requested for early dinner but can't book excursions for my sons in the other room! And my son in my room has an alcoholic beverage package now and my aunt has the juice package. Sigh. Once I speak with someone, they are very helpful but timing is important so you don't stay on hold. It makes me feel slightly better that I'm not the only one having these problems!!

I’m procrastinating a phone call for the exact same reason. My bachelor brother is stuck with all my kids. Haha (tempted to keep it stays quo). I also noticed they had put us all over the place for dinner. I think I fixed that online though. Here’s hoping.

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I’m procrastinating a phone call for the exact same reason. My bachelor brother is stuck with all my kids. Haha (tempted to keep it stays quo). I also noticed they had put us all over the place for dinner.

Lol- that’s funny. What are uncles for? I’d leave it :)

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Lol- that’s funny. What are uncles for? I’d leave it :)

 

 

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Haha. Well he may be stuck with them after all because customer service says it can’t be changed without penalty. I’m beginning to regret booking the Super Family Plus especially as it looks like most of the balconies are connected anyway. They had our dining all over the place again. I’ve fixed it online now twice. She did it again over the phone, but we’ll see. Wish me luck!! 32 days to go. :-/

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We are 46 days out and when I opened my app today, I noticed we had cabin numbers assigned for our Super Family!

The mealtime drink package was a part of the promo we booked under. The original documents all show the meal time drink package listed individually under/beside each name (4 adult names each separately listing "Adult mealtime drinks package A" and one "Child mealtime drink package C"

 

The web checkin now shows 3 adult mealtime drink packages (with names) but 1 adult package and 1 child package has "disappeared"

We have the same (from the promo). In our booking summary it looked like we were missing one child package as well, but when I clicked on billing details, it pulled up by passenger and each person had one listed.

Haha. Well he may be stuck with them after all because customer service says it can’t be changed without penalty. I’m beginning to regret booking the Super Family Plus especially as it looks like most of the balconies are connected anyway. They had our dining all over the place again. I’ve fixed it online now twice. She did it again over the phone, but we’ll see. Wish me luck!! 32 days to go. :-/

I'm assigned to one cabin with my teen and my husband is assigned to the other with my two juniors. I suppose there is no other way to arrange it because they probably need one adult in each cabin. But as others have found, we have late dining in one cabin and early dining in the other.

I have a call in to my travel agent about getting our 5% Voyagers club discount refunded (we got status matched after we already paid in full.) And so I emailed her to see if she could also take care of my mealtimes when she talks to them. It says "Ocean Cay" at the top of my booking summary:

Balcony Fantastica Experience

Deck 13, OCEAN CAY

Isn't Ocean Cay a specialty restaurant? Is there any reason why it would say that? We haven't bought any extra dining packages.

As an update to an earlier topic in this thread- I read in another review that if you have the VIP digital package, you can go straight to the photo area when you board and pick up your "photo pass" and use that card with the photographers to make sure all your photos go in one place. I think that will make sure we get all our pictures, unless they manually screen out ones of me and teen that don't contain any of the others in the cabin with the VIP pkg.

We are 46 days out and when I opened my app today, I noticed we had cabin numbers assigned for our Super Family!

 

 

 

We have the same (from the promo). In our booking summary it looked like we were missing one child package as well, but when I clicked on billing details, it pulled up by passenger and each person had one listed.

 

 

 

I'm assigned to one cabin with my teen and my husband is assigned to the other with my two juniors. I suppose there is no other way to arrange it because they probably need one adult in each cabin. But as others have found, we have late dining in one cabin and early dining in the other.

 

 

 

I have a call in to my travel agent about getting our 5% Voyagers club discount refunded (we got status matched after we already paid in full.) And so I emailed her to see if she could also take care of my mealtimes when she talks to them. It says "Ocean Cay" at the top of my booking summary:

Balcony Fantastica Experience

Deck 13, OCEAN CAY

 

Isn't Ocean Cay a specialty restaurant? Is there any reason why it would say that? We haven't bought any extra dining packages.

As an update to an earlier topic in this thread- I read in another review that if you have the VIP digital package, you can go straight to the photo area when you board and pick up your "photo pass" and use that card with the photographers to make sure all your photos go in one place. I think that will make sure we get all our pictures, unless they manually screen out ones of me and teen that don't contain any of the others in the cabin with the VIP pkg.

I have my 3 kids total, 2 kids in 1 cabin by themselves, and 1 in with me and my husband. Customer service wasn't concerned! I'll let you know Saturday if this is chaos!! We all have early dining requests.

Ocean Cay is the name of deck 13 not the name of the Specialty Restaurant.

Thank you seaweeyin for your in depth and balanced review of the Seaside. I am looking forward to sailing on her in the spring.

Ocean Cay is the name of deck 13 not the name of the Specialty Restaurant.

It’s both I think!

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You have got to be kidding!!! Leaving in a week and MSC says I owe them another 3000.00!!

I posted last week regarding the mess that had occurred with our Super Family reservations. In short we booked under the promo that included meal time drinks package for all 7 of us. Original confirmation shows this and up until last Monday 15th it was listed correctly under the booking details. On the 15th I called regarding just changing the people in the cabins (wanted to put my son with his wife and son instead of in our cabin as MSC had it.) No problem I thought, WRONG. After a long conversation with them it was determined that I could not do that unless I wanted to pay about 3000.00 more. No, just leave it as it is and we will be fine I said. Late that afternoon I realized that somehow they had managed that day to drop the mealtime drink package for 2 our our party. It took 20 phone calls...YES 20 ... I counted the number of calls I have had to make since Monday the 15th to get it straightened out. Finally last night the drink package was added back on....problem solved.....or so I thought! Went in today to reprint e tickets showing the solved problem only to find an even bigger one. When trying to print e ticket it wouldn't let me, and said I still owed almost 3000.00. Suddenly they were charging me an additional $ 3000.00 on top of what I have already paid. Spent 30 minutes this morning on phone with a Lady that is trying hard to get it straightened out (I think she really is trying), but so far it still is showing I owe that money. We leave in just over a week. I am furious and at my wits end.

In short all the problems that you have heard about their customer service is true. Its terrible and inexcusable. My faith in this company is at rock bottom. I can only hope that the Lady I spoke with earlier can get this fixed without having to make another 20 phone calls.....and more important than that before we are supposed to fly out.

You have got to be kidding!!! Leaving in a week and MSC says I owe them another 3000.00!!

 

 

 

I posted last week regarding the mess that had occurred with our Super Family reservations. In short we booked under the promo that included meal time drinks package for all 7 of us. Original confirmation shows this and up until last Monday 15th it was listed correctly under the booking details. On the 15th I called regarding just changing the people in the cabins (wanted to put my son with his wife and son instead of in our cabin as MSC had it.) No problem I thought, WRONG. After a long conversation with them it was determined that I could not do that unless I wanted to pay about 3000.00 more. No, just leave it as it is and we will be fine I said. Late that afternoon I realized that somehow they had managed that day to drop the mealtime drink package for 2 our our party. It took 20 phone calls...YES 20 ... I counted the number of calls I have had to make since Monday the 15th to get it straightened out. Finally last night the drink package was added back on....problem solved.....or so I thought! Went in today to reprint e tickets showing the solved problem only to find an even bigger one. When trying to print e ticket it wouldn't let me, and said I still owed almost 3000.00. Suddenly they were charging me an additional $ 3000.00 on top of what I have already paid. Spent 30 minutes this morning on phone with a Lady that is trying hard to get it straightened out (I think she really is trying), but so far it still is showing I owe that money. We leave in just over a week. I am furious and at my wits end.

 

 

 

In short all the problems that you have heard about their customer service is true. Its terrible and inexcusable. My faith in this company is at rock bottom. I can only hope that the Lady I spoke with earlier can get this fixed without having to make another 20 phone calls.....and more important than that before we are supposed to fly out.

That is so frustrating. I’m sure you’ll get it worked out but why have to deal with all this anxiety before your cruise? I would keep asking to talk to managers. You may even want to try to find the USA Corporate numbers. Good luck!

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That is so frustrating. I’m sure you’ll get it worked out but why have to deal with all this anxiety before your cruise? I would keep asking to talk to managers. You may even want to try to find the USA Corporate numbers. Good luck!

 

 

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Yes it is frustrating. Of the 20 calls I placed last week, I think probably 9 were transferred to a manager. NEVER did they ever answer the phone. Actually after about 10 minutes on hold the connection would mysteriously go dead.

After about the 15th call I should have just followed my gut and dropped it. And to make up for it just taken all the gratuities off. I know many will post to say thats unfair, they don't deserve to have that taken away it wasn't their fault, but neither do I deserve to have to make 20 phone calls + not counting how many this latest mess will take to clean up...that wasn't my fault either. Ultimately MSC is responsible to this mess, so its up to them to get their act together.

Right now I am having this vision of standing at the checkin counters with all family members in tow and being told "you can't board, you haven't paid the entire amount. And knowing how unhelpful they have been this last week, I don't see them being anymore helpful trying to get me and the family onboard.

(yn)

Yes it is frustrating. Of the 20 calls I placed last week, I think probably 9 were transferred to a manager. NEVER did they ever answer the phone. Actually after about 10 minutes on hold the connection would mysteriously go dead.

 

After about the 15th call I should have just followed my gut and dropped it. And to make up for it just taken all the gratuities off. I know many will post to say thats unfair, they don't deserve to have that taken away it wasn't their fault, but neither do I deserve to have to make 20 phone calls + not counting how many this latest mess will take to clean up...that wasn't my fault either. Ultimately MSC is responsible to this mess, so its up to them to get their act together.

 

Right now I am having this vision of standing at the checkin counters with all family members in tow and being told "you can't board, you haven't paid the entire amount. And knowing how unhelpful they have been this last week, I don't see them being anymore helpful trying to get me and the family onboard.

You're braver than I, 20 phone calls and I'd be at my wit's end. I don't know the particulars of your situation, but did you by chance book through a travel agent? I always use one for cruises, a good friend of mine, so that way if there are any hiccups, he can deal with the phone calls and not I. If not, I'd recommend using a TA in the future. And fingers crossed they straighen out your billing situation. (yn) Sending good thoughts!

I also always use a travel agent.

Before I booked my first MSC cruise (on Divina) I was also hesitant. I spend 6 weeks recovering from surgery and my entertainment was reading the reviews of Divina ..... this was a few years ago.

When I decided to book with MSC I found there were even some travel agents who would not deal with them.:eek:

The one I finally chose said that MSC had improved "not as bad to deal with as before" and that travel agents have a different number to call. So that's what I would recommend everyone do with MSC ~ use a TA.

Sorry, doesn't help LadySpoilt though.

I had the fantastica experience last summer on the Divina. The adults and the kids received drink vouchers. So, if you're 4 passengers in the cabin, you ought to get a total of 48 drink vouchers. However, the kids' vouchers cannot be used for alcohol.

 

I am not sure which drink package the vouchers compare to but I personally never had a problem getting any alcoholic beverage I ordered with the vouchers. I never ordered top shelf liquor - I assume it wouldn't be included. The adult vouchers could be used for alcoholic beverages, nonalcoholic beverages, ice cream, coffee specialties. The kid vouchers could not be used for alcoholic beverages.

Hi, can the kids voucher be used for icecream? Also, I read that the dinners are all inclusive, meaning that wine, beer and soft drinks are included. Is this aside from the vouchers or do I have to use the voucher for ordering wine on the dining room? thanks in advance!

Hey LadySpoilt... any updates? Was thinking of you as I tried my Online check in... and on that. Does everyone in a cabin have to check in online in order for you to get your tickets? There’s a chance I’ll have a no show. Will I not be able to check in online?

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What a great review. I really enjoyed all the pictures and advice.

I have friends going on this ship in July, so I can tell them it's great.

I do have a question about the dinner menu........... I noticed that most of your pictures didn't show many vegetables with the main course??? I love my veggies, so do you have to order them separately?

Hey LadySpoilt... any updates? Was thinking of you as I tried my Online check in... and on that. Does everyone in a cabin have to check in online in order for you to get your tickets? There’s a chance I’ll have a no show. Will I not be able to check in online?

 

 

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Hi, and thanks for asking. Yes, finally everything has been resolved. After all the phone calls I was able to get 1 person that was very helpful. And since she gave me her email, I was able to keep corresponding with the same person instead of a random one each time I called. Tickets are now printed out and we are ready to go.

About the online checkin, I am not certain but I do think all have to be checked in before they let you print your tickets. There is a list that pops up when you hit the ticket button that shows if everything is done (payment made, persons checked it and a few other things) and unless all are completed it stops you there and you can't print anything.

I’m glad things worked out for you!!! Wow I feel like you have the golden ticket with the email of someone helpful!!’ Enjoy your cruise!!!

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Ocean Cay is the name of deck 13 not the name of the Specialty Restaurant.

Thank you!

Yes it is frustrating. Of the 20 calls I placed last week, I think probably 9 were transferred to a manager. NEVER did they ever answer the phone. Actually after about 10 minutes on hold the connection would mysteriously go dead.

 

After about the 15th call I should have just followed my gut and dropped it. And to make up for it just taken all the gratuities off. I know many will post to say thats unfair, they don't deserve to have that taken away it wasn't their fault, but neither do I deserve to have to make 20 phone calls + not counting how many this latest mess will take to clean up...that wasn't my fault either. Ultimately MSC is responsible to this mess, so its up to them to get their act together.

 

Right now I am having this vision of standing at the checkin counters with all family members in tow and being told "you can't board, you haven't paid the entire amount. And knowing how unhelpful they have been this last week, I don't see them being anymore helpful trying to get me and the family onboard.

Hope MSC can resolve the issue for you. It is a painful process to deal with MSC customer service. I will be sailing on the Seaside in 2 weeks. Hope no issue with my reservations.