My View: 14 Days of Chasing the Sun on Seaside

[APDMOM]

A few more views of Miami:

 

 

 

Empress of the Seas:

 

Infinity Bridge

 

Oops!  I still walked over that shattered glass 😁  Adrenaline rush ✅

 

 

Bridge of sighs:

 

 

[APDMOM]

LOL moment!

  As I was walking on deck 8, I saw this ‘middle-aged looking lady’ walking toward me.  I noticed that she was wearing the same dress as I was wearing!  I had never run into that on a ship.  When I got closer, I was startled to see that it was a mirror.  Oh, my!  Since when did I start seeing myself as an ‘older lady’?  LOL! I will have to work on that image.  

 

Rooms were ready at 2 p.m.  I will post pictures of our balcony cabin later today.  However, here is one of the things I LOVE about a balcony:  You see all kinds of interesting things, like this seaplane landing:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The muster drill/safety briefing itself was very quick and easy, even with the instructions being presented in several (I think 5) languages.  This was an ideal opportunity to see how much of my German I remember, and to practice listening to Spanish.  One thing that did not go well is that they had to make the announcement 4 of 5 times to remind everyone that the drill was compulsory and everyone had to attend.  I don’t know if it is a European thing, but it took the longest of all our previous cruises to get everyone to the designated muster stations.  With all that said, the drill was still not too much longer in total, as the briefing itself was completed very efficiently.

 

We were assigned a 5:15 dinner time in Ipanema. Again, we are pleasantly surprised by the excellent food.  The cream of tomato soup was the best I ever had. The beef short ribs and Grouper were also excellent.  We had Snickers cake, which was just okay to me.  It was a bit dry.  DS had brownie stack.  Our waiter recommended a scoop of vanilla ice cream with the brownie, which was a great suggestion.  Otherwise, it would have been too dry also.  So, next week I will have my Snickers cake with vanilla ice cream.  We have free house wine with our booking special, and the red wine was (surprisingly) very good.

 

After dinner, we went to our balcony for sail away, where we enjoyed the drink of the day (Sunset Beach) and watched as we left Miami in our wake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by APDMOM
Photo error

[APDMOM]

Well, I am off to the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle.  I will be back later to close out Day 1.

[EngIceDave]

So your cabin is port side

 

Looks like Star Island in back of, I guess your DH

[APDMOM]

2 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

So your cabin is port side

 

Looks like Star Island in back of, I guess your DH

That is correct 🙂  We are in 10205.  I will post pictures of the cabin tonight... 

[APDMOM]

First Show - Timeless:

 

We ended the evening with the show, “Timeless”.  What a genius creation!  They had such a good variety of music and entertainment acts that it will certainly suit a majority of tastes.  We loved the show, and hope we will be allowed to attend again next week.  

 

Tip: 

Doors open 30 minutes before the show.  If you don’t have reservations, you can enter 5 minutes prior to the show without a reservation.  There were plenty of seats available at the 8:30 show.  I will update show seating this week, as we plan to attend almost all of them.  The first night may not be representative of show seating for the week.

 

We had a ‘unique’ show, as the mic failed for this performer.  He rolled with it so well, he got a standing ovation!  (And he has an excellent voice!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not members of the show, but members of the Cruise Director staff for activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 1

 

As we are at the end of our first of 14 days on MSC Seaside, I have to say that I am overall pleasantly surprised.  This is shaping up to be a great cruise, but it is just too early to tell if this cruise line will be a new favorite... stay tuned for the verdict at the end of our 14-day adventure.

 

Thank you for following along!  

 

[APDMOM]

Day One Daily Planner:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet Packages (Glad we got 3GB for free as part of our booking):

 

[shukapaw]

APDMOM,

 

Really enjoying your review. It's nice to read a review from someone with such a positive attitude.

 

I got a kick out of your comment about a "middle-aged looking lady" who turned out to be you!

 

We will be sailing with you next week. We have B2B trips on June 8 and June 15. Maybe we'll cross paths.

 

This will be our 3rd and 4th trips on the Seaside. It is surely a beautiful ship. 

 

Have a great trip!

 

~Brian

 

[sidari]

APDMOM ... I am guessing that your cruise is 2 x 7 nighters ? If so you do not normally have to attend the muster drill on the second cruise but check with Guest services, I know we didn't on Divina over Xmas and New Year.

I did warn you about the mirrors ... 😂

Edited June 2, 2019 by sidari

[APDMOM]

Just now, shukapaw said:

APDMOM,

 

Really enjoying your review. It's nice to read a review from someone with such a positive attitude.

 

I got a kick out of your comment about a "middle-aged looking lady" who turned out to be you!

 

We will be sailing with you next week. We have B2B trips on June 8 and June 15. Maybe we'll cross paths.

 

This will be our 3rd and 4th trips on the Seaside. It is surely a beautiful ship. 

 

Have a great trip!

 

~Brian

 

Please say hello if you see us on the ship!  We love meeting other Cruise Critic members.  We had a blast at the meet and mingle today!

[APDMOM]

Just now, sidari said:

APDMOM ... I am guessing that your cruise is 2 x 7 nighters ? If so you do not normally have to attend the muster drill on the second cruise but check with Guest services, I know we didn't on Divina over Xmas and New Year.

I did warn you about the mirrors ... 😂

Yes, I was thinking about you when that happened!  I also walked over the mirrored floor outside the casino with a dress on 😂  At least only DH was around to notice. 

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 2 - At Sea

 

[APDMOM]

Tip: 

On this itinerary, we changed time on the first night.  However, the elevators and cabin phone times did not change overnight.  I was therefore very confused about the time in the morning and showed up at the gym an hour early.  So, change your own phone manually.  On an iPhone or iPad, you can do this by turning off ‘Set Automatically” for “Date and time” under “Settings”.  Then, slide the time back one hour so that you know the real time when you wake up.  

 

Since the time change caught me and I got up an hour too early, I spent some time watching the sunrise and doing my fake yoga on the balcony.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Gym:

I decided to try to hit the gym every day on this cruise.  After figuring out the time change confusion, I headed to the gym a second time at 5:55 a.m.  By this time, the elevator times were adjusted, so my world felt synchronized again.  

 

Tip: 

On the first day, get to the gym at opening time.  It filled up quickly.  After 20 minutes, there was not a single treadmill or bike available.

 

The gym is quite small for such a large ship.  I will post pictures later this week.

 

[APDMOM]

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet:

 

Wow!  MSC cruises do a fantastic job of welcoming Cruise Critic members.  They had free drinks and elaborate snacks.  You do need to sign up prior to the cruise, so make sure you visit that sign up page.  We got to meet some wonderful fellow Cruise Critics, and the staff did a great job of making sure everyone was enjoying their cruise.  I felt their request for feedback was sincere, as they truly want to improve to meet the needs of the American market.

 

We love the Cruise Director (Gene from Utah).  He is hilarious!  He is third from the right in this picture:  

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Sea day = Nap day!  See you later 😴

[Two Wheels Only]

4 hours ago, APDMOM said:

As I was walking on deck 8, I saw this ‘middle-aged looking lady’ walking toward me.  I noticed that she was wearing the same dress as I was wearing!  I had never run into that on a ship.  When I got closer, I was startled to see that it was a mirror. 

 

Were you walking towards the excursion desk and towards the gift shop? 

[jacmo24]

Fake yoga!  That's the best kind!

[APDMOM]

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Were you walking towards the excursion desk and towards the gift shop? 

 

Yes!  When you go past the Seaview lounge (on your left) toward the gift shop... exactly. Today, I walked beside an ‘old man’ 😂 (DH).  It has become a standing joke for us.

[APDMOM]

As promised, some pictures of our Bella Balcony Room.

 

The room itself feels shorter than other balcony cabins we had on most other cruise lines.  However, the balcony is deeper than many other balconies (especially Carnival).  I prefer this, as we spend a lot of time on our balcony.

 

The room at first glance:

 

 

 

 

The sofa turns into a bed for the third person:

 

 

[APDMOM]

The only minor complaint I have about this balcony room is that there is very little storage compared to other ships we have been on.  (Apparently, we travel with too much stuff 😁)

 

 

 

 

Tip: 

I highly recommend using hacks to increase space in this cabin.  We use magnetic hooks for hats and jackets.  I also bring my over the door shoe hanger for lotion, hair products, and cosmetics to fight the ‘older lady’ look.  

 

 

 

I keep a flashlight by the bed, also on a magnetic hook.  I like to get up early, so this helps me find my way before my family gets up.

 

 

We read this tip on Cruise Critic and love the idea... Buy a cheap shower curtain and magnetic hooks to create a divider.  It helps to give a little bit of privacy between the bed and the couch.

Edited June 3, 2019 by APDMOM
Typo

[APDMOM]

There are 2 American standard plugs, 2 USB chargers, and 2 European plugs by the desk.  There is also an additional USB plug by the bed.  

 

 

As on other newer ships, your key card drives the electricity.  I read on Cruise Critic that the gift card hack does not work on MSC Seaside.  I have not tried to see if it would work, but we just use our key card.  I love that you can just push a button to activate ‘Do not disturb’ or “make up room”.  The other lights are to show if anyone is ‘home’.  Outside the cabin, there are lights that show the room steward and other crew members the status.

 

 

 

Contents of the minibar:

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Bathroom:

 

 

I love the shaving bar in the shower - very convenient for those of us who do only fake yoga and thus can not balance on one leg with a sharp, deadly weapon. 😂

 

 

I also like that there is a liquid soap dispenser for washing hands by the sink - no grimy bar soap.  

 

Speaking of ‘grimy’... the shower has a door, not a curtain.  Nice!

 

Just like the room, the bathroom has very little storage - only two shelves.  Below the sink is a cabinet with the trash can.