My View: 14 Days of Chasing the Sun on Seaside

[sidari]

HI APDMOM ... Hope you do not mind me adding these two photos of the Deck 9 Forward Aurea Balcony, as you can see the viewable area from above is not that big.

 

Edited June 9, 2019 by sidari

[ttkbwiley]

Thank you so ,much for your review, we sail next week so this has been super insightful! I do have a question about the spa locker rooms, and maybe the gym locker rooms as I have heard there were 2 different sets.  Often on other ships my daughter and I would use the thermal spa locker rooms to shower and prep after spa and ease up bathroom space in the cabin.  Is that doable? Do they have hairdryers and vanity space or just shower and sink shown in your pic?  Also, can you confirm if there are additional locker rooms and showers in the gym?  Enjoy week 2, week 1 looked great! 

[APDMOM]

 

1 hour ago, sidari said:

HI APDMOM ... Hope you do not mind me adding these two photos of the Deck 9 Forward Aurea Balcony, as you can see the viewable area from above is not that big

 

Not at all!  Than you for your contribution!  🙂

[APDMOM]

1 minute ago, ttkbwiley said:

Thank you so ,much for your review, we sail next week so this has been super insightful! I do have a question about the spa locker rooms, and maybe the gym locker rooms as I have heard there were 2 different sets.  Often on other ships my daughter and I would use the thermal spa locker rooms to shower and prep after spa and ease up bathroom space in the cabin.  Is that doable? Do they have hairdryers and vanity space or just shower and sink shown in your pic?  Also, can you confirm if there are additional locker rooms and showers in the gym?  Enjoy week 2, week 1 looked great! 

In regards to using the showers in the spa:  Yes, that is doable if you have access to that area with a pass.  There is only a bit of space around the sinks - no vanity.  The showers in the spa don’t get very warm, but they can be handy if you have many family members who have to get cleaned up for formal night.  There are 2 hair dryers in the spa.  

 

I have not seen lockers in the gym, but will pay closer attention when I go tomorrow morning.  🙂

[ttkbwiley]

1 minute ago, APDMOM said:

In regards to using the showers in the spa:  Yes, that is doable if you have access to that area with a pass.  There is only a bit of space around the sinks - no vanity.  The showers in the spa don’t get very warm, but they can be handy if you have many family members who have to get cleaned up for formal night.  There are 2 hair dryers in the spa.  

 

I have not seen lockers in the gym, but will pay closer attention when I go tomorrow morning.  🙂

Sweet thanks!  Yes, we all have thermal suite passes for the week.  

[dorts]

As promised... The Thermal Area in the Spa:

 

There are 3 showers in the ladies’ area, as well as these beautifully designed sinks.  Unfortunately, they only have the regular soap and shampoo that is also available in the cabins.  I was hoping that they would have nice shampoo and conditioner in the spa.

 

 

Entrance to the Thermal area:

 

There are plenty of loungers:

 

These are the heated loungers, which are very popular. There are only 3, and they are by the indoor hot tub.

 

 

 

My Favorite Room - the Bright Steam Room:

 

 

There are several of these showers that I love.  You take a warm shower first, then push the button with the lighted up circle for a mist or spray infused with scents.  

 

 

The Snow room - way too cold for me:  ( I thought it was hilarious that they had to post a sign that asked you not to eat the snow)

 

 

 

The salt room:

 

 

The outdoor area:

 

 

 

There are also two saunas, which I did not use much.

 

 

The outside area looks so peaceful..is it completely closed off unless you go via the thermal area? Also does your pass extend the full 14 day?!? Your review is getting me very excited now...even though I do t go until next year with a few land based trips until then :)

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk

[APDMOM]

1 hour ago, dorts said:

The outside area looks so peaceful..is it completely closed off unless you go via the thermal area? Also does your pass extend the full 14 day?!? Your review is getting me very excited now...even though I do t go until next year with a few land based trips until then 🙂

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk
 

 

Yes, we stopped by the spa last night, and I was kind of surprised to find that my $109 pass is for both weeks!  🙂  He said there are two passes, and my code was for the voyage pass, which includes both weeks.  

 

The outside area is only accessible from the spa, so it is indeed quiet and peaceful.  I went there 3 times, but probably not during popular hours, and was the only one out there.

[ready2cruzagain]

41 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

 

Yes, we stopped by the spa last night, and I was kind of surprised to find that my $109 pass is for both weeks!  🙂  He said there are two passes, and my code was for the voyage pass, which includes both weeks.  

 

The outside area is only accessible from the spa, so it is indeed quiet and peaceful.  I went there 3 times, but probably not during popular hours, and was the only one out there.

Did you book your b2b as one cruise or as two? We are booked for 4 cruises but each are individual. It was cheaper that way.

[APDMOM]

2 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Did you book your b2b as one cruise or as two? We are booked for 4 cruises but each are individual. It was cheaper that way.

We booked as one individual cruise with one booking number.  For us, that was actually much cheaper than booking two separately.  

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 9 - At Sea

[APDMOM]

Meet and Mingle:

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was in the Seaview Lounge at 10 a.m.  It was very well attended.  The officers spent quality time with us again, sincerely seeking input on how to improve the cruise line.  I believe they are well on their way to breaking into the American market, and I see the prices creeping up as a result.  They have already taken specific steps to improve bar service, to improve service in the dining areas, and to cater to the different clientele of a Caribbean cruise vs European cruises.

 

Tip:  Be sure to sign up for the meet and mingle well in advance.  Some people from our roll call tried to sign up last Sunday, and they were unable to do so.  Our friends went to guest services to get added to the party, but their name ended up not being on the list, even though the guest services staff member talked to a supervisor to get them added.  They were allowed to attend, but the staff is pretty strict about checking their list of attendees, including names and room numbers.

 

Tip:  Click here to register for Seaside Meet and Mingle

 

[APDMOM]

A Visit to Venchi:

After the meet and mingle, we tried the white chocolate latte at Venchi.  It was a bit too sweet for our taste.  We like the white chocolate latte from the Seaview lounge much better.

 

[APDMOM]

Lunch in MDR:

Lunch was in the Seashore Restaurant.  We loved all our selections today, including the Seafood Ceviche, Caesar Salad with anchovies and chicken, meatball sub, pasta with shrimp, cheesecake, and flan.  All of these items are repeaters (that means they were so good that we will definitely order them again).

 

 

 

[nycfa]

I have friend that boarded yesterday to join you....I will be looking for them in your photos  LOL

 

Glad you are having a great time! 

[APDMOM]

We just booked a cruise!  Too bad we could not swing the dates for Divina or the price for Meraviglia... but we will enjoy Seaside again. 😁

[APDMOM]

Status Match Question:

While we were booking our cruise, we asked about the status match.  They can not help us on the ship, as that is something they only do shore-side.  We do think we may have figured out why DH is gold and I am black card.  When the status match originally came out, we tried to match DH but never got a response.  So, we gave up and I never matched my status as we had no success with his.

 

It turns out it may have been successful back then, and he was platinum on Royal Caribbean at that time.  It is not a great loss, because most of the black card benefits are per stateroom, not per person.  The only thing he will miss out on is the black party.  

 

[APDMOM]

Sea Day = Ship pictures 😎

 

Forest Aquaventure Park:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Restrictions and Guidelines - Including height requirements:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Playground for the Little Ones:

I think they access it from inside the kids’ program.  The door from the outside just happened to be open when I took the pictures, but it has been closed since.

 

 

 

 

 

Lego Girls outside the Jungle Pool:

[sidari]

10 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Status Match Question:

While we were booking our cruise, we asked about the status match.  They can not help us on the ship, as that is something they only do shore-side.  We do think we may have figured out why DH is gold and I am black card.  When the status match originally came out, we tried to match DH but never got a response.  So, we gave up and I never matched my status as we had no success with his.

 

It turns out it may have been successful back then, and he was platinum on Royal Caribbean at that time.  It is not a great loss, because most of the black card benefits are per stateroom, not per person.  The only thing he will miss out on is the black party.  

 

You can both go to the Black card party, the benefits are supposed to be per card holder.

[APDMOM]

Soccer/Basketball Area:

 

 

 

[Bluewake]

Thank you for such a great review and pictures!  We will be on the Seaside in August.  Not only is your review  getting us excited about our own cruise but your advice is incredibly helpful. One question I do have is about the cabin. We also will be in a Bella balcony on deck 9, one that is directly over the infinity bridge.  It looks like your cabin may be a bit forward of that but have you had any problems with noise or other issues because your balcony is so close to the walkway on deck 8?   Thanks for your thoughts on this.  Please keep the review going!

[LuCruise]

Really enjoying your review...and seem like you're enjoying too!

I happened to be looking at your post when my 9 year old came by , and the pictures of the water fun caught her eye.  She asked if we could go on Seaside as it looks like tons of fun!  We then also watched a video...seems quite impressive for a ship.  Looks like a really nice ship overall.

[Cruisergal1208]

Yes, you both can go to the black party and the welcome back party.   

[APDMOM]

21 hours ago, Bluewake said:

Thank you for such a great review and pictures!  We will be on the Seaside in August.  Not only is your review  getting us excited about our own cruise but your advice is incredibly helpful. One question I do have is about the cabin. We also will be in a Bella balcony on deck 9, one that is directly over the infinity bridge.  It looks like your cabin may be a bit forward of that but have you had any problems with noise or other issues because your balcony is so close to the walkway on deck 8?   Thanks for your thoughts on this.  Please keep the review going!

 

 

Hi, Bluewake,

 

Unfortunately, with the Bella Balcony comes the lack of options for location, especially on the 14-day cruise.  We are over the end of the outdoor seating of the Marketplace buffet and have found it to be loud over the past two days.  It seems like a large group of family or friends has claimed a part of this outdoor seating as their location to socialize.  We can not hear it inside the room, but do hear loud talking and laughter while we sit on the balcony.  It is not that bothersome, but not the same as just hearing the ocean.  If you are over the infinity bridge, I think you will be fine.  You may hear some noise from the Marketplace, but the area by infinity bridge is more quiet.  Last week, we had no noise problems.  

🙂