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

[Mycykfamilytime]

Love, love your post Seaweeyin! Thank you!

 

 

 

I need to confirm if the coffee package vouchers can be used in the Venti.

 

 

 

And if they can be used for gelato...

 

 

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[seaweeyin]

As for general cabin location, I really like being on the 11th floor. It felt a good halfway point between the action on levels 5-8 and 16-19. We were mid-forward, with a bonus benefit that when we stepped out on our balcony, we could look down and see into the section of the gym that has the treadmills.

 

Mr. seaweeyin and I are newish, but enthusiastic, runners. I run every other day at home, and always outside. I've never run on a treadmill and had some trepidation about it. We peeked in at the gym the first day and officially used it the second. There's a row of treadmills and ellipticals along the windows (and the roof in that section is also glass, which is why we could peek down into the gym from our balcony), a few rowing machines, some weight machines, a good selection of free weights, and other standard gym equipment. Everything was keep in pristine condition. There are drinking water fountains in the gym, but bring your bottle of water if you need more than that. There are clean towels upon entry. You are asked to sign a waiver your first time. I didn't manage to get a schedule of gym classes, and I only once saw a spinning class in action. I don't know why gyms scare me a little, lol. I think because I just never use them at home, despite playing lots of sports and running, so they're unfamiliar territory. The gym was rather busy the first week, but not as much the second week. So much for New Year's resolutions! There are lots of different programs on the treadmills, but they are set to put you into cool down mode after 25 minutes, regardless the program. If the gym was busy, I'd hand over the treadmill, but if there were a few empty machines, I'd restart and keep running. Lots of folks used the treadmills for walking, too.

 

My only complaint about the gym was that oh my, did it get hot and humid in there from the combo of sun blasting through the windows + sweaty bodies. I would have like more air circulation. During the second week, we had a few overcast days and the air was so much nicer. This is, of course, coming from someone who runs in Seattle, so overcast is comfortable to me.

 

The theatre on decks 6 and 7 is small, but comfortable. The size means there are no bad sight lines. MSC continued to push the idea that everyone should reserve their shows, but when I checked my MSCforMe app, there were always at least a couple hundred spots showing available, even when the theatre was full. I think this is still an idea catching on. The shows were staged two to three times a night, depending on the show, and ran approximately 40 minutes long.

 

We saw three shows: the Welcome Show, Timeless, and My Life in Music. The Welcome Show was a mish mash of what was to come in the week--there was a Michael Jackson lip sync section that was very good. They also sang the Star Spangled Banner as a symbol of MSC building a bond with the U.S. or something like that. Timeless was well-done. My Life in Music was good, but as a blend of Italian classics and songs from Phantom of the Opera and also some songs I didn't recognize, I think people will have very mixed feelings about it. Mr. seaweeyin and I had opera season tickets for years and so like Italianate styles of music. Others won't be interested. The male voices were excellent across the board. I thought the soprano had good range, but a thin voice, while the mezzo was also excellent. The dancing and costuming was wonderful eye-candy, and the staging pretty good, I thought, espeically for a cruise ship. We never made it to Peter Punk or the show based on Madame Butterfly, despite wanting to. We just got too busy. We also never made it to Beer Improv, but I heard it was well done from those who did go.

[seaweeyin]

We decided to try table service breakfast on Christmas morning before going to the Santa event. Our matching Christmas pajamas were Nordic moose themed this year and I was delighted to see we weren't the only family doing breakfast in our pajamas. Now, I'm generally good about dress codes, but there's got to be a little leeway on Christmas. If you ever need an instant connection with another family, wear your matching Christmas jammies. We all pointed and cheered (respectfully) to one another as we walked to our table, and the staff seemed to get a kick out of it.

 

For the most part, you could get the same things at the buffet as at sit down. Eggs Benedict is an exception, and possibly the smoked salmon. I've mentioned in another thread that there is smoked salmon mousse in the buffet, but the salmon in the dining might be lox style. I'm not sure because we never ordered it. The kid's menu features a couple non buffet items, most notably the strawberry pancakes and the nutella French toast.

 

I thought breakfast was fine, if a bit chaotic. My FIL wasn't brought his meal until the rest of us were nearly finished. The manager actually went after his himself, only to find our server (finally) beat him to the punch. So my FIL ended up with two eggs Benedict, which he did proclaim to be very good.

 

By the way, the very official looking man that I assume to be the restaurant manager was always roaming the floor, his Bluetooth in ear, ready to make something right. I saw him at every meal, morning to night.

 

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[seaweeyin]

After a stop for more coffee specialities at Venchi (The Bicerin is pictured here), we went to find Santa. This event was very well attended and standing room only at the back. The children were split into age group seating and were supposed to go up, collect their gift, and get a photo with Santa in order from youngest to oldest but do you think it went that smoothly? Of course not. I'm the type to sit back since we're all going to get there in the end, but perhaps other parents had pressing phone calls with important world leaders on their Christmas agendas because the aisle crowding, complaining, pushing obviously not infant kids forward before their turn was a touch silly. Ah well. As the wonderful counselors repeated over and over again, there are enough presents for all the kids. The youngest received a boat bath toy, toddlers got a teddy bear, and older kids up to age 11 received Lego sets.

 

That afternoon was the cruise critic meet and greet. They passed around finger foods and drinks (red and white wine, champagne, amaretto sours, and one other cocktail that I can't recall), and had two lovely sheet cakes. Captain Scala spoke for a minute or two, then there were two group photos taken, later to be delivered to our cabin. When we did our Norwegian meet and greet, we were explicitly asked for feedback and they really seemed to mean it. That didn't happen at this event.

 

We spent the rest of the day exploring the glass walkway bridges, hanging out with family, and working our way through every flavor of gelato. Btw, despite having fruit smoothies on several menus, my kids greatly preferred getting fruit milkshakes because they weren't as sweet as the smoothies and had brighter fruit flavor. Honestly, all the gelato and sorbets were fantastic.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Here's the dinner menu for the second sea day, which happened to be Christmas night. I would say this was the weakest menu of the trip. The Classic Favorites were also available this night. Pictured is the portabella that was unfortunately plated...poorly-- let's just stick with that... The turkey waldorf that contained one sad little chunk of turkey at the bottom, and the rum cake, the ice cream forgotten. When we pointed out the missing ice cream, replacements were rushed out. I also ordered the mahi mahi for my main and found the fondue sauce rather goopy. My FIL had the chicken parm, which he enjoyed, and Mr. seaweeyin had the gnocchi, which he didn't love. On another occasion, he ordered the cocoa dusted pork and said it was excellent. I also had gnocchi in various incarnations on other evenings and in the buffet and thought the dishes were great. I really like those little tater dumplings.

 

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Edited January 8, 2018 by seaweeyin

[seaweeyin]

Here's the menu for the seaview lounge, my favorite place to get an espresso or cappuccino (tied with Venchi, really). The lounge has a wide selection of newspapers from across the globe, plus shelves filled with books for all ages. We spent many a moment curled up with Toddler as I or daddy or grandma read one of those books.

 

In the evenings, this is where to find jazz music.

 

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[Mpls35]

Question about the Fantastica drink coupons- do the kids get "kids" tickets? Or can I use my child's ticket to purchase an alcoholic beverage for myself. (That sounds terrible- but I'm just thinking cost-wise, it's much cheaper to buy him a pop than me a martini!!)

 

ETA: thank you, btw! Outstanding review!!!

[lifeasme123]

Question about the Fantastica drink coupons- do the kids get "kids" tickets? Or can I use my child's ticket to purchase an alcoholic beverage for myself. (That sounds terrible- but I'm just thinking cost-wise, it's much cheaper to buy him a pop than me a martini!!)

 

ETA: thank you, btw! Outstanding review!!!

 

On Meravigilia - the kids tickets are for kid's drink only - soda, water, juice, etc

[seaweeyin]

Here's the menu for my absolute favorite bar on the ship, the Wine and Cocktails bar, aka The Welcome Bar. This is my favorite for two reasons.

 

First, the bar is set up to feel like a reception area for the specialty restaurants, rather than a full bar. The seating is limited and the entrances to the specialties are to the left and right of the bar itself. On one side are Roy's restaurants, on the other is butcher's cut and ocean cay. There is no entertainment here, so not a whole lot of reason to linger. Also, unless you're specifically looking for this bar or doing specialty dining, you won't stumble across this space. It's only accessible from forward stairs or elevators, and there's no way to move through to aft, where the Biscayne bay buffet is. That does mean that we always had to walk aft on floor 15 or 18 to get to the upper buffet or pool areas, since our cabins were forward. For all these reasons, this bar never got busy. It was virtually empty the first week, though it picked up the second week, especially on the night outdoor activities were cancelled due to high winds.

 

The other reason this bar is my favorite is because of the interesting and extensive cocktail list. Most bars on the ship are dominated by rum cocktails. Given we were in the Caribbean, that makes sense. And I certainly enjoyed my fair share of those offerings! However, rum is actually my least favorite spirit, so I loved finding a menu with lots of alternatives. I enjoy having a drink plan less for the quantity that can be consumed, but for the variety. I can order anything that sounds remotely interesting and if I don't like it, I don't feel like I have to finish it. I tried a number of drinks off this menu and found some keepers. However, as with much of the ship, drinks tended to the overly sweet. A bees knees should have a kiss of honey, not taste of pure honey syrup, for example. For other drinks, the bar staff simply didn't know how to make them. I don't say that as a craft cocktail snob, but as simple fact; I watched a bar tender grab a menu and look up the ingredients to a drink I'd ordered more than a few times. That works if the measure of each ingredient is the same, but it's not, always. I respect a bar that keeps a book of recipes close at hand so at least I know I'm getting what I ordered and there's some consistency.

 

Pictured here is the Old Smokey, which started out with an intriguing, aromatic smoke, but the cocktail was too sweet. The Silk Road, the Rickshaw, the Cucumber Ginger Gimlet, the Shanghai Margarita, My Darling, Far East Collins, and the Raspberry Mojito were my favorites. The Chili Passion Caipirinha was fun if you like a spicy kick.

 

 

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[seaweeyin]

Question about the Fantastica drink coupons- do the kids get "kids" tickets? Or can I use my child's ticket to purchase an alcoholic beverage for myself. (That sounds terrible- but I'm just thinking cost-wise, it's much cheaper to buy him a pop than me a martini!!)

 

ETA: thank you, btw! Outstanding review!!!

 

Thank you so much for reading!

 

Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to the questions about the drink coupons. Since we had the deluxe drink packages, we didn't use/have the coupons. I'm sorry I don't know more!

[iambumbo]

Thanks for showing the Seaview and breakfast menus, which answered another question I had. I know on RCL and Celebrity they had "freshly squeezed" orange juice as a premium offering with a drink package that was much better than the watered-down machines. We loved to get that with our breakfasts and looks like MSC has it as well. Another reason we have to upgrade our drink package to premium!

[seaweeyin]

We spent the next day at beautiful Dickenson Bay in Antigua. Back on the ship, we had pre dinner hot chocolates, thick and creamy Venchi style, and drinks. Here's the Gold Rush, an easy drinking bourbon cocktail, served in the Haven Lounge. During the day, the Haven Lounge was empty. It opens early evening for drinks, dance lessons, music, games, and sometimes bingo. The band Caribbean Fusion plays here and generally was great to listen to. Once they played a song they obviously didn't really know, but they gave it good energy. The theme night parties are also held either here, or at the pool on deck 16. The dance floor usually filled up after the first song or two and it was great fun. I love dancing.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Thanks for showing the Seaview and breakfast menus, which answered another question I had. I know on RCL and Celebrity they had "freshly squeezed" orange juice as a premium offering with a drink package that was much better than the watered-down machines. We loved to get that with our breakfasts and looks like MSC has it as well. Another reason we have to upgrade our drink package to premium!

 

You can also get fresh squeezed orange juice at the Miramar bar on deck 19 and the South Beach Pool Bar on deck 7. I'm pretty sure there were a couple other spots that have it, but I can't recall off the top of my head. The fresh squeezed juice is very good!!

[seaweeyin]

Tonight was Italian night in the main dining room. Everyone who ordered calimari at our table could have eaten it all night! It was tender and perfectly lightly breaded and didn't taste greasy at all. Yum! For mains, I had the ossobucco which was rich and savory with a beautiful risotto. Others at our table had the fish skewers. This was an all around excellent meal for our whole party. Also pictured here is the lovely tiramisu and the rich brownie stack. I was not offered a Classics menu this night and didn't ask for one.

 

Btw, the bread gets offered around in a basket by a server and you tell them which type (s) you'd like. The bread was always excellent. Yuuummm bread.

 

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Edited January 8, 2018 by seaweeyin

[tallnthensome]

seaweeyin, just confirm .... At Venchi, all coffees, shakes, hot chocolate, gelatos are included in the deluxe beverage package except sundaes and crepes? All the items in the menus that you posted?

[toxicfairy]

My phone is now wet with drool.

 

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[seaweeyin]

seaweeyin, just confirm .... At Venchi, all coffees, shakes, hot chocolate, gelatos are included in the deluxe beverage package except sundaes and crepes? All the items in the menus that you posted?

 

YES. Everything on the menu except the sundaes, crepes, and waffle things (I keep forgetting their official name!).

[lifeasme123]

my phone is now wet with drool.

 

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lol!

[seaweeyin]

The next couple of days were spent on the beach or at the pool with a drink in hand. After coming back from St. Thomas, Toddler was a bit sun drunk, so we decided to order room service and stay in the cabin for the evening. Teen and Tween would be out with friends -- as they were most nights, since they found it easy to make friends on the ship.

 

Unfortunately, the room service meal was not great. The club sandwich was all right, as was the cheese plate, but the vegetarian wrap was completely soggy and tasted of mush (as written in the description, it's something I should have liked), the tortilla chips were stale and arrived with a thimble full of red sauce without any flavor, and the ham and cheese sandwich was... okay. It's hard to mess up ham and cheese.

 

We never ordered pizza delivery, so I don't have an opinion on that. Also, the number for Room Service is NOT 99. That's Guest Services and they must have been thoroughly annoyed at all the Room Service calls they were getting. Room Service was 3-somethingsomething--just use the Room Service button on your phone. ;)

 

 

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[iambumbo]

Thank you for the great answers to my questions. Which night/port was Italian Night for dinner?

 

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[tallnthensome]

YES. Everything on the menu except the sundaes, crepes, and waffle things (I keep forgetting their official name!).

Thank you! I just ordered the all inclusive deluxe drink packages for my wife and I. I have two more questions for you. I have my two daughters 8 and 10 coming with us. Did MSC make/require you to purchase non-alcoholic drink packages for your kids as a rule when purchasing your adult packages? The website says these are the terms and conditions but the phone rep who sold me the drink packages said we didn't have to buy our kids a version of it. Also, was your room service food free with the all-inclusive deluxe beverage package as it states in the terms? Thanks so much in advance!

[AZ Stan (FKA Stan in Chicago)]

Seaweeyin,

 

Thanks loads for your review. DW Pat and I set sail 2/10/2018, and are looking forward to the trip, and we will also be doing 14 days.

 

If you don't mind, one question is still unanswered. I like to get up early and have a cappucino and pastry while DW is getting ready. Is there anyplace open that early to relax over a nice cuppa?

 

Stan

[cruzkitty]

Enjoying your Great review and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to post. We are booked on the Seaside for September.

[razzzbere]

Thank you so much for your review! We will be in the YC in May, got such a great deal we couldn't pass it up! Last year we did the Divina in an Aurea corner suite...another great deal! I swear they make the best drinks on this line!!

[TravelinGert]

Thanks for showing the Seaview and breakfast menus, which answered another question I had. I know on RCL and Celebrity they had "freshly squeezed" orange juice as a premium offering with a drink package that was much better than the watered-down machines. We loved to get that with our breakfasts and looks like MSC has it as well. Another reason we have to upgrade our drink package to premium!

 

On a video of the Breakfast Buffet offerings when they showed the bar in the buffet where they make drinks and it looked like espressos given there was a large espresso machine which could make several at one time. They had a sign on the counter which said they had fresh squeezed orange juice there. I didn't spot a juicer I recognized but the video only showed a glimpse of that area.

 

Sorry to jump in, Seaweeyin. Really appreciate your review with all the juicy details and photos. Thankfully my phone is somewhat water tolerant as I have been drooling over all those lovely photos of the food.

Edited January 9, 2018 by TravelinGert