Seaside 1/27/18 - Enjoyable Cruise With My Viewpoint on Areas That Can Be Improved

[3Travelers]

I have never written a review, but seeing so many negative reviews for the Seaside that if I had not been in full pay mode I would have canceled. Now that we sailed on this beautiful ship I am glad we did and want to let others know our impressions of positives and the few negatives so they won't be afraid to sail on her. As always with all matters, each person has their own perception based on their personal likes and dislikes. To help you relate to my comments here is our background with cruising - we have been on approx 20 cruises. We have cruised on Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean (Oasis class ships only). We have had balcony cabins as well and mini suites, full suites and on NCL we have had 2 cruises in the Haven. Our favorite cruises have been the NCL Haven class and Royal Caribbean's Oasis, Allure and Harmony. On Seaside, we were in a regular balcony cabin with Fantastica experience.

 

What we liked about Seaside - 1. it's a beautiful ship with nice spaces to explore. If you like taking pictures on a ship, there are plenty of "photo ops". 2. We enjoyed all the theme nights and found them to be a lot of fun. The entertainment staff was very energetic and they work hard to get the passengers involved (especially if they perceive that you have an interest in their activities - which we did). 3. We enjoyed most of the main theater shows: Wizard, Fly, My Life in Music, Timeless, Frank Sinatra tribute. While classical music is not necessarily "my thing", I attended several late show performances and if you enjoy classical, then you will enjoy these shows. I read a few comments from people saying that if Seaside wants to appeal to the American market, they should not include these type of shows. Frankly Americans are diverse and many Americans enjoy classical as well as Opera, so don't find this to be an accurate statement. I attended half of Butterflies (modified version of the Opera Madame Butterfly). Again, this was not my thing, but the auditorium was filled to capacity. I interacted with some passengers during the cruise and a family from Idaho with young kids was happy to have the opportunity to expose their family to an Opera. The same with a mature couple from Kentucky who did a B2B cruise and enjoyed all the shows. Keep in mind, the main shows were more traditional cruise offerings and the classical/opera shows were usually shown during "off-times" that way passengers can choose what form of entertainment they prefer. Perhaps MSC is trying to tap to a market that is not being represented by other cruise lines (although Celebrity and Princess also have had classical performances in their cruises - but not as many as Seaside). 4. Service staff - we had an excellent room steward who was very responsive to our requests. The MDR staff was also excellent and attentive. We loved Venchi and their staff was also excellent. If you love chocolate, gelato and cappuccino then give them a try. The beverage coupons for Fantastica were good for some of the items on their menu like the cappuccino and gelato. I saw many negative comments about service staff in other threads. Seaside has a large mix of nationalities in service staff just like all other cruise lines. We had no communication issues and found almost everyone very friendly (the DJ in Garage Disco not so much as he refused to play a good dance song at our request even when the disco was virtually empty). I think a lot has to do with a passenger's attitude toward staff members. If you smile and are courteous to them, they will be very friendly and courteous in return. I always say hello to all staff members no matter what their position and whenever they would see me even in other parts of the ship, they all made a point of waving and saying hello to me. I found overall the staff on Seaside to be very hard working and willing to please the passengers.

 

Areas that MSC can improve upon: 1. On embarkation, register the payment options especially if it's going to be a credit card. Why make people stand in line at a kiosk on board to swipe their credit card??? It should be done by the agent at check in. 2. Drink coupons were cumbersome to use. Why not load the drink coupons on the room keys??? 3. Keeping everyone healthy should be a priority. To that end, passengers should be asked to use hand sanitizers upon boarding from any port incl embarkation. Someone should monitor the entrance to buffets to ask passengers to wash hands or use sanitizers. Unfortunately MSC may not change procedures until they have a huge case of norovirus on their hands. If you sail on Seaside, I highly recommend you wash or sanitize after using the serving utensils to keep yourself healthy. 4. Cabins are pretty much same size as other standard balcony cabins but storage space is tight. MSC should consider adding additional drawers to the desk and night tables in new ships they are building. Shower also seemed a bit small even to us and we are fairly slim in build! 5. Food on the buffet was not so great. The pizza was very tasty but we cannot eat that every day. MSC needs to add a few more choices and include more salad ingredients and healthier options. Fresh fruit was available but I suggest more options be added. 6. Food in MDR was overall good, but not great. (Better than MDR food on NCL, but certainly not as good as Celebrity or Royal or even Princess). Some dishes we found were very good like the Chicken Parmigiana and gnocchi. Tomato sauce on penne pasta was also very good. Breads were good, not great. PS they DO have butter on the table now in MDR for those that commented on that issue before.....lol. Elegant night selections were not impressive. Beef tournedos - meat quality ok but not great and sauce was "so-so". I had salmon 4 nights from classic menu as I found no other interesting options. The salmon while very good was prepared somewhat differently each time - so consistency is an area that needs improvement in the kitchen as well as improvement in presentation. 7. MSC for Me app needs tweaking to make it more user friendly and have additional functionalities added like dinner menus.

 

A couple major issues on the ship that were commented in past threads:

Elevators - yes, a few were not working during our cruise and yes that was frustrating at times. We saw people working on them, but still some did not get fixed! This issue really needs attention.

Septic smell - we did note a foul smell but not as intense as some described. We noted the smell in the Adventure Park area a few times and very briefly a couple times when we entered our cabin on deck 14. It went away in seconds, so not sure what the issue was but it was not an issue for us.

Toilets not Working - yes one night half of the ship did not have working toilets for approx. 4 hours. We have had toilets not working on other cruises but usually got fixed sooner. Not sure what caused this issue but fortunately got resolved. Staff claimed passengers flush items they should not be flushing and causes clogs in drain lines.

 

In summary, based on past experiences with cruises on other lines, we have not experienced yet a PERFECT cruise and so we don't expect perfection. We wanted to have a new experience so we decided to try this brand new ship. Overall, we had a very good time. Cabin was comfortable and clean. Food was generally good in MDR. Staff was attentive and very nice. Entertainment had a lot of variety and enjoyable. And the ship was beautiful to experience.

[Jaco5NC]

Great review! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. So happy you had a great cruise!

[DCGuy64]

Thank you for your review, nice to hear some of my fellow Kentuckians liked the shows. Glad you had a good time.

[Cruise'nMaMa]

We were on the same cruise as you and would echo the sentiments. The staff was fabulous to us and very attentive. Again, if you are friendly, patient and smile, they will be too. Our family including our 14 year old son enjoyed all the shows. It was great to expose him to the many other cultures onboard. We would sail Seaside again easily! The one thing I found difficult and confusing at times was dealing with the Photo staff and packages. This could be done better and be more organized. Agree on he buffet especially the Biscayne Bay on deck 16. Late afternoon and late night choices need improvement.

 

 

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[DCGuy64]

We were on the same cruise as you and would echo the sentiments. The staff was fabulous to us and very attentive. Again' date=' if you are friendly, patient and smile, they will be too. Our family including our 14 year old son enjoyed all the shows. It was great to expose him to the many other cultures onboard. We would sail Seaside again easily! The one thing I found difficult and confusing at times was dealing with the Photo staff and packages. This could be done better and be more organized. Agree on he buffet especially the Biscayne Bay on deck 16. Late afternoon and late night choices need improvement.

 

 

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Cruise'nMaMa, what would be your suggestion in terms of mealtimes? I'm not crazy about the idea of a madhouse in the Biscayne Bay buffet. Is there a way to eat a late-ish lunch in the MDR so we can avoid that? Thank you!

[Cruise'nMaMa]

The Marketplace buffet on Deck 8 was ok for us. We found enough choices and they are open until 3 I think. After 1:30-2pm was not as busy as around 12. MDR for lunch - we only tried it once and it was not a great experience so we never went back at lunch. In the Marketplace, I recommend looking for a table at the back right corner (opposite end from main entrance) Usually not as crowded.

 

 

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[Clarea]

I appreciate the very detailed report.

[DCGuy64]

The Marketplace buffet on Deck 8 was ok for us. We found enough choices and they are open until 3 I think. After 1:30-2pm was not as busy as around 12. MDR for lunch - we only tried it once and it was not a great experience so we never went back at lunch. In the Marketplace' date=' I recommend looking for a table at the back right corner (opposite end from main entrance) Usually not as crowded.

 

 

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Thanks so much. I’m going to have to get my hands on a daily and see what the dining times are. I like to have breakfast and dinner in the MDR and lunch in the buffet. I’ll just make sure I’m full so I won’t have to deal with the crush of people at 3:30. [emoji6]

 

 

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[eroller]

Great review and well balanced. Thanks for sharing. I'm in agreement with pretty much everything you wrote.

 

I'm not sure if anyone realizes this, but two of the elevators in the more aft bank are actually panorama elevators that look down into the atrium lobby. It's the two on the most forward end in each bank. You could see the black elevator shafts on either side of the bar in the atrium all the way up, but these elevators never worked. I wonder if it has something to due with the fact they are panorama elevators? Maybe something is misaligned with them?

 

It's funny about the drink coupons. I didn't have those but I would find that backward as well. Especially considering that Seaside was one of the most technologically advanced ships I've ever sailed. Overall I was impressed with the technology, right down to the cordless camera phone in my cabin that I've never seen on another ship before. Having paper coupons seems crazy.

[nikkiw60]

Very nice review

 

 

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[shukapaw]

@3Travelers,

 

Thanks for the even-handed review

 

~Brian

[cruisecrazyk]

Going on the Seaside this Saturday! I have been on the Divina as well. I am glad to see your positive comments. I agree MSC is a little different from some of the American lines but I believe that can be a good thing. To avoid the coupons you have to book the Aurea experience that has unlimited drinks. It is a good value considering what you get. I hope more people will post about their experience. I will when I return.

[NYHartChapp]

Nice review. Thanks. We board in just over a month. Can't wait!

[voyager89]

I was on the same cruise and i totally agree with your statement. It was a very enjoyable cruise with areas of opportunity.

 

Funny I liked food better on NCL which of course it’s all a matter of taste and personal preferences.

[thegraminator]

Thanks for sharing your review ! Love your positivity ! I hope someone at MSC reads your suggestions . You have some very valid points .

 

Were you given a survey to complete ?

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[gkbiiii]

I think the reason the OP did not have as great a septic smell, was that their cabin was on deck 14 while, many who had the worst smells were (insides) on decks 4 & 5.

[Mellylucy]

Very balanced and sincere review.

Thank you!

[3Travelers]

Great review and well balanced. Thanks for sharing. I'm in agreement with pretty much everything you wrote.

 

I'm not sure if anyone realizes this, but two of the elevators in the more aft bank are actually panorama elevators that look down into the atrium lobby. It's the two on the most forward end in each bank. You could see the black elevator shafts on either side of the bar in the atrium all the way up, but these elevators never worked. I wonder if it has something to due with the fact they are panorama elevators? Maybe something is misaligned with them?

 

It's funny about the drink coupons. I didn't have those but I would find that backward as well. Especially considering that Seaside was one of the most technologically advanced ships I've ever sailed. Overall I was impressed with the technology, right down to the cordless camera phone in my cabin that I've never seen on another ship before. Having paper coupons seems crazy.

 

We did go on one of those panorama elevators a couple times so one worked during our cruise.

[lcpagejr]

Thanks for a very informative and balanced review. Much appreciated!!

[3Travelers]

Thanks for sharing your review ! Love your positivity ! I hope someone at MSC reads your suggestions . You have some very valid points .

 

Were you given a survey to complete ?

 

Yes, we did get a survey to complete and I offered some of my suggestions

[nikkiw60]

Going on the Seaside this Saturday! I have been on the Divina as well. I am glad to see your positive comments. I agree MSC is a little different from some of the American lines but I believe that can be a good thing. To avoid the coupons you have to book the Aurea experience that has unlimited drinks. It is a good value considering what you get. I hope more people will post about their experience. I will when I return.

 

 

 

Not quite true re the Aurea package, just book any of the other drinks packages and they are on your cruise card. At least on the Divina they were.

 

 

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[TravelinGert]

Thank you for your balanced and detailed review.

 

I'm good with everything except:

 

 

"3. Keeping everyone healthy should be a priority. To that end, passengers should be asked to use hand sanitizers upon boarding from any port incl embarkation. Someone should monitor the entrance to buffets to ask passengers to wash hands or use sanitizers."

 

 

I think it would be perfectly acceptable to encourage hand washing or hand sanitizer but one of the things I am very much looking forward to on Seaside is not being accosted physically by hand sanitizer every time I get near the buffet. I wash my hands every time I use the bathroom and right before every meal. On a Royal ship I had a crew member armed with a large bottle of hand sanitizer pursue me into the sink area. When I politely fobbed off her request I use hand sanitzer after she just watched me wash my hands the woman chased me down and assaulted me. She dumped it into my hand as I was reaching to the hand dryer to dry my hands.

Some people cannot use hand sanitizer due to health reasons and I am one of them. If I used it twice in a day my hands start to crack wherever my fingers and palms bend. They burn and itch and it takes several days to heal them. Although I washed my hands to remove the sanitizer it still made my hands chapped and sore.

 

After that experience I perfected sticking my hand under the spout on the sanitizer station and pulling it away as I press the button so that the sanitizer missed my hand.

And just FYI Hand Sanitizer as used by everyone I've ever seen use it won't keep you healthy anyway. No one uses enough or rubs it around enough anyways. When missused it does not kill noro. And even when used as directed it would still be better to wash your hands thoroughly.

And it is bad for the environment and long term health. Chemicals from it are being found everywhere in freshwater. It has been shown to be contributing to resistent strains of bacteria and causing problems with teen hormones. The CDC has issued warnings as has Poison Control due to many poisonings in children and teens, either from licking it off their hands or drinking it. Little kids drink it because it is bright colored and tempting. Teens try to use it to get drunk. It does not contain alcohol that is ok for people to drink. It doesn't take much at all to lead to blindness, organ failure, or even death in small people. Personally I'd be happy if it fell off the face of the earth and we never spoke of it again.

And that's my soapbox for tonight. ;p:cool:

Edited February 8, 2018 by TravelinGert

[jewliana]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do your review and share your thoughts!

[Rob-Bob]

"right down to the cordless camera phone in my cabin that I've never seen on another ship before."

 

What is this? Can someone explain? Thanks.