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

[perakcruiser]

Are people "reserving" them early each morning? If so, are belongings being removed?

Yes, the Germans and the British will do this. Not all, but many :halo: Anyway, on the Seaside they will not be the majority, so should not be a problem.

 

No, this removing will not be done on a European cruise line, guess it would end up in excellent pool deck brawls. Same with the sanitizers at the entrance of the restaurants. A European passanger would react very unhappy if the staff recommends them to use and feel it is a totally unacceptable insultation as he is making this decision by himself and nobody has the right to give him recommendations what to do.

[korpo024]

Dinner, day one. 8:30 really is too late for us, but we made the best of it. This night, we all ate together, but on some other nights, the kids and/or teen would go to their respective aged clubs. We were never offered the "we'll pick them up after they eat first course with you" thing, so we simply dropped off and picked up ourselves as needed (only required with toddler, as the other two could check themselves in and out).

 

We also never asked for a kids menu, so I never got a copy to photograph. We don't really do kids menus.

 

 

 

Why is there a price on the menu after the rib eye?

[h0twired]

Why is there an asterisk after one of the entrees on each menu?

 

What does that indicate?

[seaweeyin]

Thank you for your review. I am closely following as we are cruising in March.

 

I had read that Aurea passengers receiver free food in the sports bar, any chance you could confirm this? Also, what is the deck chair situation? Are there plenty available? Are people "reserving" them early each morning? If so, are belongings being removed?

 

Thanks for your help!

Sorry, I don't know the situation with Aurea and sports bar food.

 

The deck chairs around the pool did indeed fill up on sea days. On port days, there were empty chairs until early afternoon. The loungers on deck 8 tended to fill up more slowly, especially earlier in the week before most people knew they were there. Same with the loungers on deck 19. The different pool and water play areas spaced people out pretty well, I thought.

 

No staff was reclaiming chairs or removing belongings that I could see.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Thank you for an awesome review! When is the muster drill? We've never set sail so late so it's always been before dinner. But with sail away at 7 pm how do they do that and dinner?

Muster drill was at 4:00, I believe. It was quick and efficient.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Dinner, day one. 8:30 really is too late for us, but we made the best of it. This night, we all ate together, but on some other nights, the kids and/or teen would go to their respective aged clubs. We were never offered the "we'll pick them up after they eat first course with you" thing, so we simply dropped off and picked up ourselves as needed (only required with toddler, as the other two could check themselves in and out).

 

We also never asked for a kids menu, so I never got a copy to photograph. We don't really do kids menus.

 

 

 

Why is there a price on the menu after the rib eye?

The "Seaside Features" are upcharge items. We never ordered them.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Why is there an asterisk after one of the entrees on each menu?

 

What does that indicate?

That's for the "undercooked or raw food" warning that all menus in the U.S. are required to have. The items with the asterisk are the ones that can be ordered rare, medium rare, raw, etc.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Sea day menu:

 

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[seaweeyin]

scallop ceviche, asparagus soup, Greek salad

 

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[seaweeyin]

Risotto, fettuccini, duck breast, red snapper.

 

All delicious. In particular, the pasta and risotto on the ship were always well done, which is to be expected from an Italian line.

 

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[seaweeyin]

chocolate cake, key lime pie, tapioca. The pudding was not blurry in real life. ;)

 

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[seaweeyin]

Early morning Nassau, plus the daily. We stayed on the ship this day to savor the last of the experience and family time. The weather had turned cool. Outdoor activities had been cancelled a couple nights previous due to high winds.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Since we hadn't tried the sit down lunch in the Seashore restaurant yet, we decided to give it a spin. We wouldn't do it again. It was chaotic and very slow service. Because it was only Mr. Seaweeyin, Toddler, and myself, the host tried to fill our table with other groups. The first two declined and the third was a lovely and friendly Brazilian couple. We did our best to chat through the language barrier. I've never been on a cruise where I was seated each night with strangers whom I could get to know over the course of the cruise, but unless said strangers were awful, I wouldn't mind it. This was tougher because we wanted to be social, but our time together was limited. One of the couple finally pulled out her Google translate and that helped.

 

The food was okay. Good tomato soup and Cuban sandwich, but the rest was forgettable. Limp, cold fries (the ones at dinner were always good and even the buffet fries were always hot and crispy), mozzarella sticks where the cheese wasn't melty, and one dessert that never got eaten because we left before it came. Servers seemed overwrought and the practiced smoothness that we'd come to expect from our dinner service was missing. Pretty much a mess all around.

 

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[seaweeyin]

Our final dinner menus onboard the Seaside:

 

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[seaweeyin]

The soup, delicious Mediterranean meze, and the legume patty as a starter. It was really good -- a hint of curry in it.

 

The fisherman's ciopinno was fantastic! Chock full of seafood and great broth. As good as any I've had in San Francisco. And here's the difference between the classics new York and the one off the daily menu. The one with tomato is the classic and other than the sides, they seemed pretty similar to me.

 

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[seaweeyin]

fruit salad, peanut butter pie, apple strudel. I'd been curious about the Vecchia Romagna liqueur for a few days and no one seemed to be terribly knowledgeable about what it was. Not even our awesome server. So I went ahead and ordered it. Turns out it's a lovely, easy drinking brandy. Quite nice.

 

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[seaweeyin]

I'll leave the last of the food photos with this one of the gelato.

 

The gelato, and all the treats made with it, is sublime. We really made use of our drinks package when it came to espresso (very good) and gelato... and alcohol, too. The majority of the offerings were good to excellent, if at times on the sweet side.

 

We did have one weird experience at the Miramar bar. Early in the cruise, we ordered a mango lassi. It was good -- creamy and fruity. Later, another order of the mango lassi found us with a truly vile concoction of half chopped ice chunks and so many big pieces of whole cardamom pods it was impossible to drink through a straw. How this drink could have been made so very differently -- and so horribly the second time around (who actually thinks a handful of chopped cardamom pods is a good idea in a drink????)-- is ridiculous. I don't know if this had anything to do with the running out of ingredients thing, or what, but once again I know it would hugely benefit the bar staff on this ship to have recipe books at every bar.

 

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[kba1988]

Thanks so much for taking the time! This has been an excellent review!:)

[Oppyguy]

Seaweeyin-

 

Just another thanks for your wonderful travelogue! You are doing a great service to many considering the ridiculous "hated it" reviews being posted in the main CC review section. Your photos definitively disprove the food comments many have made. Moreover, your balanced commentary demonstrates that while nothing is perfect, the odd less than stellar occurrence has little to do with one's enjoyment of a trip. (or at least it shouldn't)!

I'm sure if pressed I could come up with plenty of things that happened on any cruise, yet when asked if I had a good time the answer has always been YES! The only cruises I would not repeat were because they were not for me (CCL and Allure of the Seas) not because the cruise line sucked. In fact I am sending my assistant and her husband on a CLL cruise this summer as a bonus, but they are younger and of a different demo. We will be following you on Seaside in a month, in YC, and I have no doubts it will be wonderful.

Thanks again!

[seaweeyin]

Photos: We ordered the 100 printed photos package, even though I couldn't imagine how we'd take that many. We didn't, but we did end up ordering multiples of certain shots and now I have a brick of photos sitting on my table that I have to figure out what to do with, lol. Getting those photos though...

 

After the kid's club fiasco and the comment from spa staff about duration of cruises being one week despite having booked 14 days, I had a good suspicion that I would run into some problems getting our photos. I was armed with a comment someone who had also booked a SuperFamily cabin on a different ship had made here a few months ago about getting all their photos, no problem, so my resolve to get what I'd paid for was like steel. We went down to the photo area when they opened on the last port day. At first, we were told that we needed to find our already printed out photos on the display shelves and bring them to the desk. "Are the photos from last week and this week there?" I asked. "Nooo..." the woman replied. This one, at least, was easy enough to solve. All the photos we'd taken over the course of the two weeks were logged on our ship cards, so we could pull them all up on the kiosks.

 

Which photos we could pick was the bigger problem. The package was listed as being purchased by MIL, who was assigned cabin 11053, but who moved to cabin 11057. Mr. Seaweeyin and I were now in 11053. The photo staff tried to tell me that we could choose any photos my husband and I were in, and that's it. I pointed out my MIL's name on the booking and they repeated that it was me and the Mr. in said cabin number. I thought I would eventually have to be the one to escalate this to a more senior staff member, but the woman I was talking to actually went ahead and grabbed the assistant manager right off the bat. I actually appreciated that because I didn't need to argue the same points over and over again with multiple people.

 

The assistant manager tried to reiterate what the original staff member said, but I argued that our party was technically booked into one cabin category, that when we bought the package we hadn't even been assigned room numbers so how could they know who should and shouldn't be in the photos, and that I knew from previous MSC reviews that SuperFamily cabins can share one photo package. It took just a touch of back and forth, and he even made a phone call to who-know-who while we waited, but I stood firm and he came back and marked down all three cabin numbers on the sheet that shows who had booked photo packages. He directed us to one of the kiosks and told us to pick out our photos, using each room key card in turn, and to grab him when we were finished with each distinct card so he could add in our promo code.

 

That should have worked fine, but apparently the Kodak kiosks they were using were already due for a software update. Every time we selected photos and added them to our cart, then had the assistant manager (or at times another very friendly staff member whose name I didn't get--he's from Albania) enter the promo code, the system would take AGES to process the order, then spit it back at us. We had to repeat the last action--just the final "Make order" button, not the whole choosing of photos--several times before the system would accept the order. This happened with each room card we used meaning, all in all, it took more than an hour to get these photos ordered. Luckily, the Seaside bar was within (almost) arms' length. A drink was needed!

 

For those who book the SuperFamily cabins and the photo package, be sure to put your foot down on this matter. MSC is unique in offering these types of cabins and I think even the staff have a hard time wrapping their head around them. They also had a hard time wrapping their head around what the phrase "duration of cruise" means when it comes to those who book 14 days--and distinctly not back-to-back. I think the cabins are a WONDERFUL option for families and hope MSC continues to offer them, but I also hope they work the kinks out.

 

The photos we got, btw, are really beautiful. Most were well shot and arranged, and the ship itself is a gorgeous backdrop. I wish we'd have gotten more photos taken throughout the cruise, but for the most part we simply couldn't be bothered, ha.

Edited January 10, 2018 by seaweeyin

[lifeasme123]

Seaweeyin - your post should be pinned.

[seaweeyin]

Final thoughts:

 

Hopefully this post will wrap up my review. If I missed your question, I apologize and please ask again so I can answer it to the best of my abilities. I asked my immediate family what their favorite and least favorite parts of the cruise--the ship and it's offerings specifically--were and here's what they said:

 

Mr. Seaweeyin-- Best: the gelato Worst: running out of booze in the second week

Teen-- Best: making friends in the teen club and doing the F1 simulator and 5D experience with them Worst: It took too long to get drinks

Tween-- Best: the pools and waterslides Worst: walking up and down all those flights of stairs (that's on me--I rarely let my family use the elevators, lol)

Toddler-- Best: the brown waterslide and kid's club Worst: Toddler didn't say, but probably late dining

Me, Seaweeyin-- Best: the beautiful ship, certain staff, the chocolate bar/gelato Worst: inflexible staff, being unable to communicate my wants with cabin steward.

 

Would we sail MSC again?

 

I think we are within the target audience for MSC. We like cruising, in general. We are city dwellers who live among and seek out daily multicultural experiences. We travel widely, love the arts, like good food, enjoy lingering over a meal, and let small annoyances go like water rolling off a duck's back. At one point, we came across a couple describing their experience on the Seaside as 2*. These folks were from middle North Americas and Carnival is their favorite line. They complained about not having places like Guy's Burgers on board and the many languages on board. At one point, the woman said, "I feel like a (and here she put her hand over the side of her mouth and whipered) minority here."

 

I'm never bothered when I'm in places where I am or might feel like a minority. We are French and Spanish multilingual and relish all the beautiful cultures and differences in the world. I felt embarrassed and sad for the woman who said that, but I also know many people feel the same way. I'm glad there are places they feel more comfortable, but I'm more interested in broadening experiences, myself. I don't need another burger joint nor do I need to be overwhelmed with heaving tables of food at a buffet while I'm on vacation. When folks here and there make comments about how MSC doesn't know what "Americans want or need," I often bristle because who is to say what Americans want or need? We are not a monolith and many of us love some multicultural flair in our vacation. I toss aside all myopic comments that assume what THIS American wants or needs.

 

Having said all that, I really think MSC needs to streamline their sales and administration. They need to let their staff members be more flexible. Bar service needs to be more consistent. I'm less personally concerned with the speed of bar service, and it doesn't bother me to get off my rear and go to the bar to order if someone isn't coming around quickly enough for my desires, but I don't want to ever have to suck a handful of cardamom through a straw again, lol. I personally enjoyed the entertainment, but I can see how others would want something more current or even, yes, more American centered. Other things, like the cabin steward, seem to be luck of the draw.

 

Our next couple of holidays will be land-based, and we want to do Alaska next when it comes to cruises. Even if MSC moves a ship there, we'll pick a smaller ship that does Glacier Bay with a company that has been doing Alaska for many years. But...I'm also eyeing those New England Meraviglia sailings and sure, if the right itinerary and the right ship came around, I would definitely cruise MSC again.

 

Once again, thanks for reading and if you're sailing the Seaside anytime soon, many wishes for a beautiful holiday.

 

~Seaweeyin

[seaweeyin]

Seaweeyin - your post should be pinned.

 

You are very kind. :)

 

Honestly, I knew I had an opportunity to review a brand new ship that people had lots of questions about and I'm glad I got to share my experience here, where I've learned so much from others.

[jimbob22]

great review. We've been waffling a bit on the seaside, but may go through with it for late 2018.

 

1) did you or anyone else decipher how to know when your room will have the sofa that turns into bunk beds vs. room where sofa just pulls out into a double? We'll be looking at a room for 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) would be better if kids have separate bunks.

 

2) Do you or anyone else know if the drink vouchers given as part of 'fantastica' are a subset of your 'deluxe drink package'? I did notice that if I click through a booking, it only charges the 2 adults in our room for the fantastica, which would be 24 tickets. I assume these can be used for all kinds of drinks (although the best bang for the buck is to use them on alcoholic drinks, of course).

 

thnx for any feedback. MSC seems to have so many options (and options specific to each ship) that I find it a lot to absorb. I saw something about the trio dining package, but didn't see the price. This too is something we'd consider (but this gets more complex b/c we'll have a 9 and 12 yo who would likely need to be in kids club).

[TravelinGert]

Wondering if you by chance happened to know how much the wine tasting party as seen on

 

might be? This is the first I'd heard of these.