Just got of Seaside - Review

Some background to help you judge my review.

I am 39, a Russian-Jewish, New York transplant to South Florida. When we eat out, we avoid chains like Olive Garden, Outback and Applebee, in favor of local places that serve Italian, Greek, Thai, Indian or Chinese. I love to travel and been all over Europe when i was back in college. We went on a dozen cruises over the years, last two with our 2 kids (7 and 5 ). Our previous cruise was a year ago on Allure of the Seas. (boardwalk balcony) We primarily cruise because kids have fun at the kids club, while we have a chance to have some time to ourselves. Since we been in the Caribbean many times before and live in South Florida, we don't have the need/urge to get off the ship much on shore days. We just lounge by the pool and read.

We had the Cabin 12170 a fantastica balcony in the middle of the ship. It had bunk beds and bed by the closet. Very good location near the elevators. My only complaint about it - closet door that would not open all the way to the right.

Overall a very positive trip. Our son wanted to stay and already misses the boat.

Highlights and positives. Watersides were awesome and from now on i am only booking ships/ that have them. Pizza was great! Tangy sauce, crispy crust and tasty cheese. Food at the specialty restaurants was excellent. Book the trio and don't miss the lamb chops at Asian kitchen. Desserts and drinks were yummy! The ship is gorgeous even though decor is not to my taste (too modern) I also loved the placement of the kids club next to water slides. We wasted no time after getting the kids and spending time there. Staff was friendly and hardworking. Shows were good. Saw Fly, Timeless is must see if you are a M Jackson fan and Peter punk. Getting on and off the ship took 30 minutes.

Negatives. 1) The sewer smell. It was noticeable on port days in some areas of the ship. 2) Elevators. at least two were out of service and it seems that the ones they have is not enough for amount of people. 3) Few problems I had were results of inflexible corporate policies rather then staff. I do think that if they want to succeed in NA market they need to become more flexible. 4) Food was a bit repetitive. The ship would also could have benefited from an additional food venue - like a 24/7 pizza shop. You could get pizza at the buffet but it would have helped with crowds and added value to the ship.

Take some time to expore the ship - lots of blind spots with corners that hide pasages. Dont drink coffe and dining room of buffet - its vile. go to coffee bar instead

Thanks for the info!

Thanks . I enjoyed this review . I have been hearing about the sewage problem and the broken elevators . Not good ! I hope you will share these concerns with MSC directly .

Do you think you would ever sail on the Seaside again ?

So what types of things did you feel were inflexible corporate policies?

Thanks for the review. We will be on Seaside in March with our 2 kids for spring break, 8 and 10 year olds.

Can I ask a few questions?

Did the kids club take the kids to the shows and dinner buffer each night?

Where did you get your fantastica drink vouchers or were they in the room?

Did you have/utilize the mealtime drink package and if so what were the hours this was available?

Was kids club cutoff still 11pm?

Thanks again.

Re Kids Cutt off was 11pm they take them for dinner to buffet one floor down at 7pm and you can pick them up there if you want. They did not take them to shows but both kids liked KC

vouchers appeared in our room first day

they screwed up our drinks with meal promo and could not do anything without corporate approval.

Thx for the info.

Re Kids Cutt off was 11pm they take them for dinner to buffet one floor down at 7pm and you can pick them up there if you want. They did not take them to shows but both kids liked KC

 

vouchers appeared in our room first day

 

 

 

they screwed up our drinks with meal promo and could not do anything without corporate approval.

Thank you for your review! Can you use your vouchers anywhere or just certain bars?

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Thanks for the review.

Did you do the zip lining, or the 5D or F1? If so, what was the cost.

Which dining room and dining time did you have? What did you drink with dinner and was it a hassle? How long did dinner take and did you go to shows before or after dinner? Any trouble getting to shows on time? Did you reserve shows?

Sorry for all the questions. I've been pricing out alternative vacations today and am hungry for as many Seaside reviews as I can get before I decide. Thank you!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to review.

One question because this is a potential deal breaker for me as I'm smell sensitive. Did you notice any pattern to the sewer smell? Several reports have indicated aft on deck 11. Can you confirm the smell is limited to this area or was it wide spread?

Thank you in advance.

Thank you for taking the time to review.

 

One question because this is a potential deal breaker for me as I'm smell sensitive. Did you notice any pattern to the sewer smell? Several reports have indicated aft on deck 11. Can you confirm the smell is limited to this area or was it wide spread?

 

Thank you in advance.

Did you read his review?

Did you read his review?

I read it.

It says port days, some areas, right?

I think PP wonders which areas and if there was a pattern to them.

Did you do the zip lining , or the 5D or F1? I did not - zip line was $10 for one time or $50 per cabin for unlimited

Which dining room and dining time did you have? 5.30 Ipanema What did you drink with dinner and was it a hassle? Diet soda of MoJito How long did dinner take - 1 and 45 min and did you go to shows before or after dinner - After dinner Any trouble getting to shows on time? had to skip dessert twice - service was very slow Did you reserve shows - yes easy to do with on board app

Did you read his review?

I’m looking for patterns in the smell. Op was on deck 12-most reports have mentioned deck 11 aft.

Divina has a sewage smell in the aft at the infinity pool (which I smelled both sailings), but no where else on the ship.

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A pattern? Like it started on deck 4 traveled hallway and then traveled up through the foyer and then lingered around cabin 12035? He said he smelt it and it was more noticeable on port days. Sounds like it is more prevalent on port days.

Did you do the zip lining , or the 5D or F1? I did not - zip line was $10 for one time or $50 per cabin for unlimited

 

Which dining room and dining time did you have? 5.30 Ipanema What did you drink with dinner and was it a hassle? Diet soda of MoJito How long did dinner take - 1 and 45 min and did you go to shows before or after dinner - After dinner Any trouble getting to shows on time? had to skip dessert twice - service was very slow Did you reserve shows - yes easy to do with on board app

Thank you so much for your responses!!

I wonder if speed will improve as times goes by...

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A pattern? Like it started on deck 4 traveled hallway and then traveled up through the foyer and then lingered around cabin 12035? He said he smelt it and it was more noticeable on port days. Sounds like it is more prevalent on port days.

Not exactly that detailed of a pattern, but along those lines ;-).

Certain ships are prone to sewage smells in certain areas based on flawed ship design. For me, Davina has it on the aft of the infinity pool only. My hypothesis is a design flaw in the sewage vent which released near there. RCL Radiance class ships are also prone to sewage smell as is celebrity summits design. And don’t even get me started on celebrity’s

Zenith in the 90s. That ship is still suffering from sewage smell 30’years later.

It’s too early to determine if seaside has a design flaw- but I am curious about the topic and interested in gathering as many details as possible on a limited forum.

I understand your concern. You have stated it would be a deal breaker for you. Some people have said they didn't smell it while others have said they had. I think if you have any concern of this happening on your sailing, why booked this ship? You know your senses better then anyone so to ask other people what they smelt obviously won't be the same for you.

I don't have any sensitivity to any type of smell, for I babysit grandchildren in diapers. :O However, we smelled this rotten egg / sulfur sorta smell, as soon as we walked into the ship. It still had the smell even in the buffet on Deck 8. It actually made me gag a few times. I figured it would be nice to get to our room and out of the way of the smell, but it was also in our room. We had a balcony room on Deck 10, close to the section of elevators near the further back of the ship (but not the very aft). The smell lingered for the first 3 days, and then it seemed to have disappeared, to the point where you could only smell it here and there.

I only noticed the odor problem right outside my cabin, 15115, but not In it and didn't notice it in any public areas. This appears to be a great ship for young adults and people with young children

They were having a great time and overlooked the problems with the elevators and odors as they were having too much fun. MSC had better fix these issues if they want to attract an American passenger base. We also had a problem with the lunch and dinner drink package but it was resolved quickly. It all depends on who you talk to. Guest Services was very busy all week. I either went first thing in the morning or late at night and was always helped. Bob

Thanks for the review.

I only noticed the odor problem right outside my cabin, 15115, but not In it and didn't notice it in any public areas. This appears to be a great ship for young adults and people with young children

They were having a great time and overlooked the problems with the elevators and odors as they were having too much fun. MSC had better fix these issues if they want to attract an American passenger base. We also had a problem with the lunch and dinner drink package but it was resolved quickly. It all depends on who you talk to. Guest Services was very busy all week. I either went first thing in the morning or late at night and was always helped. Bob

Truth, Bob. I was on with extended family and we were there to be together and didn’t worry ultimately about the service issues, even if we noticed them! I hope you enjoyed your two weeks and thanks for all your work getting together all that precruise info!

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Thank you for your review. How does the Fantastica voucher system work? Can you use it anywhere and on any drinks? Like MDR and other bars. We also have kids in the cabin and heard they will also get it but for non alcoholic beverages. What can you get for the kids vouchers?

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OP - Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and answer questions:).

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Vouchers can be used anytime prem booze is excluded kids can be used for soda and no alcohol drinks Virginie strawberry daquiry very good

pretty much any drink under 8 bucks