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Family of Disney Cruise Platinums sailed Seaside May 5 - 12


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My family of 5 finally experienced the MSC Seaside together, and we had a great time! This review isn't really going to be all that organized by day, it will be more of random thoughts and experiences that may or may not resonate with what other cruisers have experienced. I figure there have to at least be a few future cruisers that are very comfortable with DCL, and they may be wondering what an MSC cruise has to offer. With that in mind, what follows are my family's impressions of the MSC Seaside.

 

 

 

My husband and I first learned of MSC through an email I received at work (I am a travel agent) highlighting the Status Match program. Based on the Status Match program, we decided to give it a try (ok, I decided, and my husband got to come with me because I promised him some quality time at sea). We are Platinum on DCL, status matched to Black, found a 3 day cruise on Divina last July, and off we went.

 

 

 

We found it different, but liked it enough that we decided to have a cruise onSeaside be our family trip this year. I told my children to go into it with open eyes, realize it is more International than what they may expect, from crew to ship to other cruisers, and if nothing else, we were going to have fun as a family.

 

 

 

First, the family. We consist of me and my husband, my married daughter and her husband, and my younger daughter, in college. My son-in-law didn't experience the joy of vacation as my own daughters did, but he has been happy to join in and put a few destinations in his Photo Cloud! Thus, my son-in-law status matched to Silver, but my daughters traded in that Platinum Disney to Black on MSC (if it weren't for the Status Match program, we would not have tried MSC with my family, so I feel it is a great intro for MSC!).

 

 

 

My family has also been fortunate enough to experience 6 Carnival cruises, 2 regular cabins and 2 Haven on NCL cruises, and the aforementioned Disney, with11 regular balcony cabins and 2 concierge cabin experiences. As a travel agent, I have clients that have sailed many different cruise lines, so I have some idea of what other lines offer, but not actual personal experience.

 

 

 

Right off the bat, I will say that, after Haven and Yacht Club, I will never spendthe money to sail concierge on DCL. However, I will happily sail on DCL in a regular balcony, if I like the price, but will prefer sailing Haven or Yacht Club instead of regular rooms on the other lines.

 

 

cont...

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Part 2...

 

 

 

When one is paying for two rooms, one must make sacrifices. Thus, I sacrificed my DD #1 and her husband to the inside Yacht Club room, #16023.

My daughters grew up only cruising in balcony cabins because DH needed the escape from 3 girls getting ready for the day, so the inside room is new for DD#1, but she was so relieved to not share a room with her parents, and SIL was just happy to be on a cruise, so they were thrilled with their room, at least at first (more in a moment). DD #2 and us parents were in balcony cabin #18010.

 

 

 

Cabin #16023 is fine if you are young and agile. When I saw the cabin and thelayout, I was making mental notes to never, ever have a cabin like this since Iam old and not skinny anymore. There is no upon-the-toilet-ruminating-space in the bathroom, the shower is tiny beyond belief, and no storage space for clothing. Also, and this may only be this cabin, there is a very, very loud banging noise and talking at night that starts around1:00 am and last from 3-4 hours. Every night.

 

 

 

On the plus side, there is a public bathroom just outside the room in case one’s partner is preoccupied in the cabin’s bathroom.

 

 

 

The banging was present night #1, DD told me about it the 2nd night, SIL told the room attendant, and they were told it was probably the galley for the YachtClub dining room being cleaned. I gave them earplugs (this is why Mom always carries the huge suit case and is ready for anything!). Night #3 it was still there, and they called in the concierge to hear it in the middle of the night. She apologized but stated there was nothing that could be done, since the ship was full and they could not move them out of the room. Oh, and by the way, stated the concierge, no one else has ever complained about the noise.

 

 

 

Complained or not, the noise was enough to keep my DD and SIL up for 4 hours a night!

 

 

 

Night #4, they received some really great earplugs from someone at MSC guest services and they were finally able to ignore the noise enough to go back to sleep.

 

 

 

Cabin# 18010 was fine. I am a very light sleeper so I did occasionally hear chairs above our room early in the morning, but it was very, very faint, and not enough to rouse me out of sleep completely. A normal sleeper will hear nothing.

 

 

 

I absolutely loved the location of our cabin and really, just the layout of the Seaside Yacht Club location as compared to Divina's! Easy to get wherever we wanted to go, and the stairs to access other locations in Yacht Club were just outside the glass doors of the hallway from our room.

 

 

 

Negativesof our cabins - no hooks other than 2 on the bathroom door's interior. I use travel bags that hang on hooks (bag for meds, bag for sunscreens, hair products, etc - helps with organization). I had nowhere to hang them. Also, the room was a bit too austere for my liking. I prefer bright rooms, good lighting, good storage (need more of this), not browns with all smooth lines. Just my personal preference.

 

 

 

I did find odd that, upon arrival to our cabin, we had one tiny small bar of soap and the two attached shampoo and body wash dispensers in the shower. Also, only 2 large towels and one washcloth. I did request more towels (3 in the room after all!), and we did receive them, but I felt it very cheap to not have any shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, even one more soap, on the counter. I did ask about this from our room steward, and he said those products are only by request. How odd. He did bring us one set, but that was it for the week.

 

 

 

If I sail MSC again with my family, I will have to bring my own bar soap. Call us crazy, but we do not like to share bars of soap. I know there was shower gel in the wall dispenser, but we prefer soap. Next time, we know.

 

 

 

DD#1 also asked for the soaps and bathroom products, but her bathroom had a handsoap dispenser right by the sink so she did not receive another soap. Odd.

 

 

 

Myfamily really missed the H2O products that DCL supplies in plentiful quantities. But, this is a different cruise line!

 

 

The beds, however, were fantastic. Very comfortable, and I appreciated the pillow menu, though it took 3 nights for me to receive the correct pillows that I requested. To be honest though, with a good mattress and rocking of ship,I still manage to sleep very well; the pillow choices just added to the comfort!

 

cont...

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Part 3...

 

 

I believe this is where I shall enter the random thoughts territory!

 

 

 

Overall “feel” of an MSC cruise is definitely not what you “feel”on the more American catered cruise lines. I myself am from Eastern Europe, so I know all about that different attitude and service level and cultural differences. When I am in Europe, I expect it, but when in America, I switch to the American expectations. My family has traveled back home with me, so they too are familiar with different cultural expectations and experiences, though my son-in-law is still learning.

 

 

 

I did let them all know that this would be different from what we have experienced before, but that would be part of the adventure when trying a new cruise line. Therefore, when people would stand very close to you, invading the American ideal space parameter,they didn’t get “weirded out” like the other American family getting on the elevator with us after day 2 of foreign immersion (they were absolutely not pleased but in talking to them, I don’t believe they knew what to expect, either).

 

 

 

When people pushed past you to get on and off the elevator, with no one making room to let anyone off the elevator first, my family was prepared to push back, if needed, and put aside the politeness we normally expect. It was the only way to actually get on or off the elevator at times!

 

 

 

The pushiness at the buffets was an issue though for some members of my family. I must admit that I am Americanized to the point that I also disliked it. We only tried the buffets twice, and then we just ate at the Yacht Club. This isn’t to say there weren’t people at the Yacht Club that weren’t pushy or lacking in personal space (as a cultural aspect, not from outright rudeness!), but there were fewer people over all so it was much easier to just step aside.

 

 

 

Cultural differences do abound, but it was great for my SIL to experience this, because next summer I hope to take the family back to my home country, so now he has an idea of what to expect!

 

 

 

We did experience quite a bit of a language barrier with the crew. It was not as bad as what we have experienced on Carnival, similar to NCL, but if the Yacht Club has it’s best crew in that section, then they really need to up their English skills for a cruise that is trying to entice the American cruiser to come aboard (and really, just to interact better with other cruisers for whom English is not their first language, but they use it universally in travel).

 

 

 

Whoever does the language training for the crew on DCL needs to be hired by MSC if they wish to set themselves apart from the other American lines.

 

 

 

Food needs to be addressed. When the breakfast menu says “waffles”, two Eggo waffles on a plate all alone is not what is expected, especially not on a cruise. When the room service menu says, “Belgian Waffle” and you order that, expecting to finally get the tasty waffle you don’t eat at home, there is great disappointment when two Eggo waffles arrive, again all alone with nothing on them.

 

 

 

We asked the Maitre’d about this, and we were told the waffle maker was broken. Apparently, there is only one waffle maker on the whole ship. Ok.

 

 

 

When one orders “chips and salsa” from room service, one does not expect to receive ketchup with some seasoning. That was a big surprise! Not tasty.

 

 

 

When one calls room service and asks about having some chocolate gelato,there is a surprise when the room service person says you can’t have any gelato because there is a fee for that and the butler won’t pay for it even in theYacht Club, but then the butler shows up to your room with lemon and strawberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream. We appreciated the attempt to please, but didn’t order that, or anything, at all.

 

 

 

Our server in Yacht Club did not always understand what we were asking for in regard to our meals. My husband ordered an omelet with mozzarella cheese and bacon. He received an omelet with yellow cheese and bacon. He was told this was the cheese omelet. The server had no idea what mozzarella was, called over another server,and was informed there is no mozzarella on the ship. Hmm, an Italian cruise line, and no mozzarella? Odd.

 

 

 

No one knew what root beer was. I thought we had root beer on the Divina, but maybe I was mistaken.

 

 

 

The sausage may have been Jimmy Dean, but it was cooked perfectly and tasty and I didn't make it nor have to clean up the kitchen afterwards! And the bacon was nice and crisp!

 

 

 

Ocean Cay was eh. The crab leg appetizer was AMAZING! The Sea Bass was awful; very fishy and very thin. There was hardly any meat on it at all. My SIL did enjoy his bouillabaisse, but the rest of us did not care for our meals outside of the crab legs.

 

 

 

The crème brulee dessert arrived with a liquid sugar top. Apparently the flame thrower thingy was broken and they could not caramelize the sugar top of the dessert.

 

 

 

We were also told by our server at Ocean Cay that they are no longer allowed to have open flames on the ship so this is why the crème brulee at Ocean Cay is not carmelized on top. Ok. So what's the real reason?

 

 

 

Venchi – oh my gosh so good! Sometimes I did not find anything to my liking on the menu, but I knew I could go to Venchi later to have a gelato so I didn’t care. Ahh, Venchi gelato. I miss it.

 

 

 

About the menus – we would order something from the menu and it would arrive not being what we expected. It was as if MSC is trying to appeal to American palates by describing food that Americans know, but then not actually presenting the food in the way that Americans eat it.

 

 

 

And here is where I should mention that I very much enjoy seafood,but not meat. The rest of my family will fight for a good steak, while I will be happily eating some grilled halibut. With that in mind food differences…

 

 

 

For example, the bread pudding is not bread pudding the way MSC makes it. Not even close. It is, however, very tasty, so they should be proud of it and just call it what it was - custard! I had other examples but am drawing a blanknow!

 

 

 

I was talking to the Maitre’d one evening, and he asked what we thought of the food. I mentioned the disparity between what was written and what was received, and he said they are trying to change the food around so that the American market will enjoy it. I mentioned to him that for me and my family, we sailed MSC because we wanted an experience that was different from the American market, and we especially looked forward to food that did appeal to a broader palate. We did not want to see the food changed. Even if I don’t care for calamari and cuttlefish, don’t take it off the menu for cod! Keep the difference in the menu, because there are other choices on the ship if I want something other than what is on the menu. The differences are why we desired to cruise on MSC.

 

 

 

What I did wish for is the ability to change around the offerings on the menu and have some flexibility. We fully admit to being spoiled by DCL’s willingness to do whatever makes you happy, including changing out the sides on a meal because you like what the lamb has with it but not what comes with the steak, but you really want the steak. This does not seem to be welcomed by MSC. Our server said that the meals come as plated, and he was willing to bring out two meals, but that was such a waste.

 

 

 

The Maitre’d did notice that I had a couple nights when I did not order a meal (what was on the menu just didn’t appeal to me). I mentioned that I really liked spicy food, and the seafood options were not always the type of seafood I care for, but I was fine because, Venchi later! He was insistent though, had the chef come out to talk to me, and he told me he would make me a blackened fish with alfredo risotto or noodles the next night. I was excited!

 

 

 

The next night I received a blackened salmon. It was fine, very good spicy flavor, but it was just a piece of salmon, nothing else with it on the plate. That’s ok, more room for gelato later, but I was looking forward to a good Italian pasta or risotto.

 

 

 

Don’t get me wrong, the meals at the Yacht Club were very good,and some members of my family did go to bed with very full tummies that were ready to burst! The servers in Yacht Club did want to please, but language and descriptions, and perhaps company policy, did get in the way of leaving an “Excellent” rating on our family’s personal scorecard (if you have sailed on DCL, you know all about the "excellent" rating desires).

cont...

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Part 4...

Finally, the shows. Hmm. My husband and I saw shows on the Divina, so we were aware of the different presentation of the shows on MSC. I was curious about what my daughters and son-in-law thought, so we did go to a few shows (not the Frank Sinatra one on the first night – none of us care for him or his music so it would not have been a good first MSC show for us).

 

 

 

My family very much enjoys the Broadway style shows on DCL, and we appreciate comedians that are very funny without swearing every couple sentences. As parents, we never felt uncomfortable at a family show with our daughters at any age on DCL. This is not the case on other cruise lines we have experienced.

MSC was not risqué, per se, with costuming and dance as on other lines, but there is a European appreciation for the human body's form that is present on MSC. Not sexualized though, which is something Europeans are very good at separating in entertainment. I don't really know how else to explain it, but I would not feel embarrassed watching the shows with younger kids in that aspect.

 

 

 

The good about the shows on MSC is the talent. Wow, the vocal range of the singers, the talent of the dancers, the skills from the performers! We would leave the show wishing for more performances and less attempt at trying to figure out what the heck the story was that they were just attempting to show us?

 

 

 

This is what I wish would change – stop pretending there is story to your shows! What does a pirate show have to do with a dinosaur running across the stage to the Benny Hill theme? I mean, we laughed, it was so odd, but the shows often had us laughing at the absurdity of expecting a story but yet, not!

 

 

 

Instead, just call them “variety shows”. They really are great variety shows! But here is the thing with Americans – we see a description written, and we expect to see (or eat!) what is described. Give us what is advertised. We laugh in bewilderment when that is not what is received.

 

 

 

As a European, I understand the difference in what is expected from a show there over here in America, but even overseas, I don’t ever remember shows being quite as disjointed as on MSC.

 

 

 

Really, the talent is fantastic. We could have watched more of the talented performers, and listened to more of the lead singers embracing songs with their beautiful voices. I didn’t even understand what they were singing about but found myself almost in tears over some of the emotional songs in Italian! Do more of that!

 

 

 

The spa was nice! More heated loungers would be great, but having access to the spa all cruise long from Yacht Club is a great perk. DD#1 and SIL said they had the most relaxing vacation ever thanks to many hours spent in the spa.

 

 

 

As to activities, we found them lacking. One of the things we loved about DCL through the years was that there were always many activities, all day long, split up between adults only, family activities, and activities for kids. Our kids did not have to be in the kids clubs to have a fun time. This, for my family,was one of the things that DCL does better than any other cruise line. MSC was very much lacking in this if we had young children with us. As adults, we were fine, and we enjoyed our ship time perfectly well, but if we bring any future grandchildren, I hope there will be some family activities added by then.

 

 

 

As adults, we found the pool slides slow, the ropes “course” too small for fun, but the zipline was nice to try for free. My future grandkids will certainly love all of it though. Yacht Club pool was our retreat from noise and crowds, though we would prefer warmer hot tubs.

 

 

 

When all is said and done, we did enjoy our MSC cruise, and everyone of us would be happy to sail again in the Yacht Club. We may not have debarked with the family’s mark of “Excellent” on our scorecard, but I also paid less for two cabins inYacht Club than I would for 2 balcony cabins on DCL, AND we had many nice perks included. Some family members were way out of their comfort zone, some of us loved the experience of so many different cultures all in one place, and all of us gained a pound or two (or 8!), so we call it a successful family vacation.

 

 

 

Well that all ended up being a lot longer than I expected! I am sure there will be many that disagree with my family’s impressions, but that’s ok, because we all have different experiences that shape our ideals. My goal was just to give a snapshot of what a family that uses DCL as the standard for a great cruise thought of a cruise that is somewhat different from anything they experienced together before. Thanks for reading along!

~fini~ :D

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Thank you for your review.

 

I was surprised at the lack of towels and soap and lotions. I haven't read this before, so I guess I'll just bring my own....although it seems very odd to me.

 

Also, the Leggo waffles. Was this in the YC restaurant?

 

I love Frank Sinatra. Hope we make the first show.

 

Did you go to the casino?

How was the Pool?

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I am hoping that you can explain more of the 'what was written on the menu wasn't what we received' examples. I have been looking at the YC menus and they dishes sound great! But if we get something completely different, it may not work for us. Was this problem only with desserts, or also with entrees and appetizers?

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Thank you for the review! You’ve confirmed that we should avoid ordering waffles, be ready for a tiny bathroom in our YC Inside cabin, and be patient with others storming the elevators. I also gathered from CC that we should reserve our show times and massage times early. We are ready to deal with those things and enjoy all the positives! We have a leisurely week of sleeping in, sun, spa time, shows and casino planned (no kids this trip). Did you yourself get a massage? Did you rent a cabana?

 

 

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Mafig - I would chalk up the lack of amenities and towels in the bathroom to just a mistake by my room steward, but my daughter's room was the same, so I don't know what was up with all that. It wasn't like that on the Divina last summer.

 

Eggo waffles were in Yacht Club, room service, and just to check, we went and looked at the buffet and they were also Eggos at the main buffets.

 

We went to the casino once. My parents loved paying penny slot machines, so since they passed, I play $5 in remembrance of their favorite pastime. The time I went there were many smokers at the slot machines, so it was a bit overwhelming for someone that can not breathe the smoke. Also, I lost all $5. Thanks for nothing, Mom and Dad! ;p

 

The main pools were busy. The Yacht Club pool hardly had anyone in it. The deck chairs had people, but not the pool. Also, on Nassau day it was rainy and overcast, so DD#2 and I went to the Jungle Pool. It was cold and actually quite dirty, but it was empty.

 

Helenb, I am trying to remember the many dishes that actually came out differently than how they were described, but I am stuck on the Bread Pudding one because my husband really likes his bread pudding and he was so disappointed that he received custard instead. I guess that one just sticks out because of this. But yes, there were discrepancies within all the courses. If you see something you like on the menus, feel free to ask me and I will let you know if we tried it. Or, once on ship, just go for it and if the food isn't to your liking, I am sure they will bring you something else. Meals were an adventure in tastes and presentation!

 

Oh, as mentioned, even with room service, ketchup with seasonings instead of salsa.

 

 

Also, oddly enough, the first night, my daughters and I all ordered the French Onion Soup (we happen to really like this type of soup!). The first night, the broth was clear and very tasty, though the bread was really just a crouton and bit of crusty cheese on the crouton. Still, great broth. All subsequent nights, the broth was thicker and varied in colour and saltiness. Still had the crouton with crusty cheese sprinkle. Never tasted as good again as the first night, but we kept trying!

 

Missthesea - if you like Eggo waffles, order away. We just were looking forward to those nice fluffy waffles that we have received on every other cruise, across all lines. Not expecting plain Eggo waffles instead of fluffy Belgians and all their goodness on top!

 

I did not have any massages, nor rent a cabana. For me, a massage on a cruise does not feel like a good spend of my money (I would be happy with a nice piece of jewelry instead!:D), but I am sure it must be very nice and relaxing if it is something you enjoy. The spa ladies we met walking around the area were very nice and friendly.

 

And a cabana would not have much use by us. Perhaps if it was just my husband and I, as he does enjoy taking many naps on vacation, but with our daughters and son-in-law always wanting to go do different things, we would not have had much use of it. If I recall correctly, I only saw 2 cabanas rented the whole week. Since it is just the two of you though, you may find it very much worth your while to rent one though!

 

Show times - once we figured out when we wanted to eat after the first night, we reserved all of our show times from night #2 on. Get to the theater 15 minutes early and you should have no problem getting a seat.

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What time did you eat? What time did you reserve the shows?

 

We usually have dinner at 6, so what time should we reserve the shows? Oh, by any chance were you allowed to take a drink into the theater?

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Thank you for your review. We are considering booking Seaside for spring break next year for a change. This gives me some insight. We usually cruise in insides, but have moved to balconies lately. Concerning is the food issue - especially the salsa. I will have to warn my 17yo DS. He would absolutely have an MI. The descriptions vs reality in food concern me as well. And the size of bathroom/shower, especially since we will not be in the yacht club.

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What time did you eat? What time did you reserve the shows?

 

We usually have dinner at 6, so what time should we reserve the shows? Oh, by any chance were you allowed to take a drink into the theater?

 

We tried to get to dinner between 6:30 and 7:00, and reserved shows for the 9:15 slot. Only had problem making it to 9:15 on one night, and that was because my son-in-law, after eating all his meal courses, decided he really wanted another filet because it was just that good, so we had to wait on him to finish it. It is unbelievable that he only gained 8 pounds, and yet still looked slim at the end of the cruise!

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Thank you for your review. We are considering booking Seaside for spring break next year for a change. This gives me some insight. We usually cruise in insides, but have moved to balconies lately. Concerning is the food issue - especially the salsa. I will have to warn my 17yo DS. He would absolutely have an MI. The descriptions vs reality in food concern me as well. And the size of bathroom/shower, especially since we will not be in the yacht club.

 

If you find dates that work for you, I would not hesitate to book. Sure, things will be different, but then again, it is almost a year away and perhaps MSC will have more experience by then in regards to the expectations of the cruisers they are trying to lure to sail with them from America. I would not want MSC to change it's Italian ambiance, but I do believe it needs to stop trying so hard to pretend it is also an American cruise ship! That doesn't work well for them.

 

What's funny in regards to the salsa is that we did see salsa in the main buffet one day. And guacamole! But the person answering the phone in room service did not get the memo on what salsa and chips actually entails? I have no idea. There are aspects of MSC that are not run seamlessly, and I wish quality control was a bit more focused, but we had a great time nonetheless and I would definitely go again. It is not our favorite cruise line, but we do prefer it over some others we have experienced!

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Strangely, my kids like Eggo waffles. :p

The freezer at home is filled with those yellow boxes.

 

As for "spicy", I've come to expect that spicy on a cruise is probably a "mild" for me. Anything "fra diavolo" won't even have the slightest kick if it's on a cruise-ship.

 

As for "mix-and-match" of menu items, I just order both if the food is complimentary.

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Using the term salsa may be a problem. In most authentic Mexican restaurants I've eaten at, salsa is a 'sauce.' maybe pico de Gallo would get 'salsa.' you mentioned that pico de Gallo was available in other dining venues. Just a thought.

 

Dennis

 

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Using the term salsa may be a problem. In most authentic Mexican restaurants I've eaten at, salsa is a 'sauce.' maybe pico de Gallo would get 'salsa.' you mentioned that pico de Gallo was available in other dining venues. Just a thought.

 

Dennis

 

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Exactly right.

 

 

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Excellent review. It's helping me to get ready for my sailing in 4 weeks and what to expect..

 

I too am giving MSC a try after 60 cruises on the American type cruise's and looking forward to trying something new and totally different. I'm sure I'm going to have A Most Excellent Adventure after all any cruise is better then No cruise. .

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Using the term salsa may be a problem. In most authentic Mexican restaurants I've eaten at, salsa is a 'sauce.' maybe pico de Gallo would get 'salsa.' you mentioned that pico de Gallo was available in other dining venues. Just a thought.

 

Dennis

 

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Per the room service menu, the listing was for "tortilla chips and salsa Tex Mex". Ketchup with black pepper and salt in it has never, ever, in all my years of loving Mexican food, including Tex-Mex style, and eating it in many places, ever been considered any sort of "salsa".

 

There was no mention of "pico de gallo", either. We just ordered what was listed on the room service menu.

 

Salsa, written as "salsa", was indeed at the large buffet during lunch one day. It was actually salsa, and I put it on my plate along with the beans that were next to it. It tasted similar to Old El Paso salsa from my grocery store, which I happen to like too. It certainly wasn't ketchup as received from room service.

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Thank you for your review. We are considering booking Seaside for spring break next year for a change. This gives me some insight. We usually cruise in insides, but have moved to balconies lately. Concerning is the food issue - especially the salsa. I will have to warn my 17yo DS. He would absolutely have an MI. The descriptions vs reality in food concern me as well. And the size of bathroom/shower, especially since we will not be in the yacht club.

=============

From salad bar get Tomato, onion, corn, if cilantro is avail, mix with hot sauce (prefer Tabasco).... quick home made salsa.

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It seems not just MSC but every cruise company is cutting back on amenities. But cut back on wash towel, lotion, bar soap is really low. Obviously, food quality and portion has been shrinking so they can lure you into the specialty restaurant and this is same for RCL/NCL/Carnival/Costa.... But while they are shrinking, RCL/NCL/Carnival have been adding casual eateries, while MSC ditched Food from Sport Bar from free to fee just over last year. So, if you have craving for gooey Domino type wings you will dish out $10....

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It seems not just MSC but every cruise company is cutting back on amenities. But cut back on wash towel, lotion, bar soap is really low. Obviously, food quality and portion has been shrinking so they can lure you into the specialty restaurant and this is same for RCL/NCL/Carnival/Costa.... But while they are shrinking, RCL/NCL/Carnival have been adding casual eateries, while MSC ditched Food from Sport Bar from free to fee just over last year. So, if you have craving for gooey Domino type wings you will dish out $10....

 

But this should not be in the Yacht Club, as these are advertised as enhanced benefits! YC is to get: special YC Towels, Lotions, Soaps, and special YC branded (high thread count) sheets, comforter, and upgraded pillow menu.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Discover-MSC/MSC-Yacht-Club.aspx

 

Comfort beyond compare

Relax on Egyptian cotton sheets and relish the unparalleled comfort of a memory foam mattress and your choice of pillows from our extensive pillow menu selection. Indulge yourself with the 24-hour butler serviceand refresh yourself at will from the complimentary mini bar.

Enjoy the entertainment on your widescreen TV and admire the outstanding view of the sights ahead from your panoramic window or private balcony.

Created by renowned architects De Jorio Design International, each MSC Yacht Club suite offers uncompromising luxury with a wealth of all-inclusive features.

Edited by gkbiiii
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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for sharing your experience. We’ve booked MSC after previously sailing HAL and Celebrity. A little concerned about the “pushiness” you’ve described and the general lack of politeness we take for granted on American-cruise lines. I’m also curious to see how the food compares. Sounds like it’s a different experience - a little less flexible, but not terrible. That said, there’s only one way to find out so we will roll the dice and hope for the best.

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