Seaside Review . . . June 2 - 9

[thegraminator]

I just finished all the laundry and restocked the fridge so I wanted to share our cruise experience . It started out rough , really rough ! We flew into Fort Lauderdale a day early and stayed at the Residence Inn at Dania Beach. Arriving at 6 pm we were feeling excited until the front desk clerk tells us our reservation was canceled ! WHAT !?! We had booked through Southwest Vacations (flight , hotel and transfer ). So after over an hour on the phone we were given our rooms. They were actually very nice accommodations and as an added bonus there was a Santa Claus convention stay there . Try explaining that to the grandchildren !

 

Saturday we were so excited to get to the port, thinking all the bad stuff was behind us. WRONG !?! As we got close to the port the traffic was horrible , eventually coming to a dead stop ! We inched along to until we almost reached Terminal C were we found out that a "suspicious package" had completely closed down that terminal and the roadway in front of it. Police cars were everywhere ! A police officer told our driver we would have to exit the area and return via the bridge entrance . Our driver stated he did not know how to go that way and he told us to get out and walk! It was about 88 degrees and we had to walk from Terminal C to Terminal F with 8 suitcases , 4 backpacks and 2 tired and cranky kids ! What a nightmare ! !

 

Once we caught our breath and regrouped we got through embarkation rather quickly . We refused to take the embarkation photos because we were hot and sweaty and a shower sounded alot better than a buffet stop !

 

Our cabins were 13123 and 13127 . The rooms were fine. A little short on storage space and the shower was tiny as previously reported . Our room steward John was wonderful and very attentive . Once we were out of the port he opened the balcony dividers and it remained open the entire trip .

 

Let me share the things that were not so good first . . .

We never waited long for an elevator and only one was out of service for a short time BUT it was very HOT inside those elevators !

 

The casino was very smokey both near the table games and on the opposite side near the slots and bar.

 

We tried the deck 8 buffets for dinner one evening just to see how it was. We went in at 6 pm and the only food available was hot dogs, burgers and pizza. I asked a worker and he said other food would be out at 6:45. The kids did not want to wait so we didn't .

 

And lastly , we had pre purchased a photo package and when we went to pick up our photos the last night in an extremely crowded small space, the gentleman told us our photos had been shredded ! WHAT !?! The manager asked us to come back at 10:30 that night and she would try to help us. We did end up with our pictures , but what an ordeal !

 

Now , what we really loved . . .

The highlight of our trip was our experience at the Teppanyaki Restaurant. Shout out to Orlando our chef. We laughed so hard our sides hurt ! The food was fabulous !

 

Our MDR experience was also great. The food was very good and our servers Somana and Darlington were extremely attentive . Our drinks were delivered to the table every night without ordering after the first night . They took time with the kids and remembered all of our names.

 

The theater shows were good even if the story line was a little weak . The other evening events were lots of fun . In fact I was chosen to participate in the "Queen of the Seas" contest as well as the "Master Chef" show.

 

Captain Massa was just amazing and very approachable . The morning show hosts Gene and Kevin were funny. My husband and daughter each won the trivia contest.

 

Our excursion to Playa Mia was really nice ! Great beach area and pools. Kids loved the water slides . The lunch was okay, but the open bar was great. Our server Goody Goody was very attentive .

 

Overall we had a great time and we will more than likely sail MSC again. We hoping to book the Meraviglia out of New York this fall .

 

If you have any questions , I would be happy to help. Ask away .

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review!

[Er4titans]

Can you just book the Teppanyaki only? I've seen confusing posts about a 3 meal package but we just want to do Teppanyaki one night.

TIA

[CTBob]

Thanks for sharing. Glad your pre-cruise experience didn't ruin it for you. Bob

[thegraminator]

Can you just book the Teppanyaki only? I've seen confusing posts about a 3 meal package but we just want to do Teppanyaki one night.

TIA

Yes, you have to book the Teppanyaki experience independently . In fact it is not included in the trio package that they offer pre cruise . It was very easy to make a reservation . Simply go to the area where the Specialty Restaurants are all located and there are a bunch of staff there that can take your reservation or you can even make reservations on the interactive screens found all around on the ship. We had a marvelous time and they were extremely accommodating with our likes and dislikes concerning our meal choices.

[floridian1]

Did the kids use the kids club? how did they like it?

[Gr8Trini]

Thanks for your great review.

[thegraminator]

Did the kids use the kids club? how did they like it?

Yes , our grandchildren ( 9 yr old girl and 6 yr old boy ) did enjoy the kids club. They did not go all day or every day because they loved the water park area and the slides , but they loved doing the talent show, the face painting and especially the haunted house night ! The staff there was amazing and a few of them even remembered the kids from our sailing on the Divina last July .

[GORDONCHICK]

Yes, you have to book the Teppanyaki experience independently . In fact it is not included in the trio package that they offer pre cruise . It was very easy to make a reservation . Simply go to the area where the Specialty Restaurants are all located and there are a bunch of staff there that can take your reservation or you can even make reservations on the interactive screens found all around on the ship. We had a marvelous time and they were extremely accommodating with our likes and dislikes concerning our meal choices.

 

I thought there was a trio menu for Teppanyaki? That may make us reconsider purchasing.

[gimletgal]

I thought there was a trio menu for Teppanyaki? That may make us reconsider purchasing.

This shows exactly what is covered in the trio package:

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Discover-MSC/Speciality-Restaurants-Packages.aspx

[CTBob]

I thought there was a trio menu for Teppanyaki? That may make us reconsider purchasing.

It includes the Asian restaurant but not the Teppanyaki part of it. We liked the Asian restaurant and would do it again. For us the Seafood place had the weakest menu, but then again I'm not a big seafood fan. We loved Butchers Cut. Bob