Seashore Oct ‘21 - a review, perhaps?

[CruiseIreland]

On 10/26/2021 at 10:33 AM, Beamafar said:

Cheers, Ken.  Can finally respond to you. 😁

 

Cruise is going great.  Cannot say enough about how fantastic the crew are.  We’re enjoying the entertainment even if they’re butchering a lot of the songs - especially the performers in the atrium area, which we can enjoy from one of our favourite hangouts - Champagne Bar.  But what they’re doing to Beatles songs is nothing less than criminal!  😱

 

(See what I did, there, Ken - I edited your post. 😁😁😉)

I don't expect you to talk, Ms Bea, I expect you to edit!!!! Gin & Tonic, shaken not stirred? Safe home, Bea!

[Beamafar]

With the log-in issues, it’s been difficult to have any flow throughout this report.  Now that we’re home and rested a little, after a lot of late nights (great entertainment) and early rises (ridiculous MDR breakfast times), I hope to share some thoughts and snippets about the cruise.

 

As the ship has finished its Med season, I didn’t post dailies or menus as these will be irrelevant when she goes Stateside.  Same with bar menus.  Drinks packages are also changing, so not a lot left to discuss on those subjects. 

[SeaSwirl66]

On 10/31/2021 at 7:17 AM, Beamafar said:

With the log-in issues, it’s been difficult to have any flow throughout this report.  Now that we’re home and rested a little, after a lot of late nights (great entertainment) and early rises (ridiculous MDR breakfast times), I hope to share some thoughts and snippets about the cruise.

 

As the ship has finished its Med season, I didn’t post dailies or menus as these will be irrelevant when she goes Stateside.  Same with bar menus.  Drinks packages are also changing, so not a lot left to discuss on those subjects. 

Hi Bea, hope you had an enjoyable week. We were in YC from Naples to Genoa last week, the tone definitely changed after the stop in Barcelona!

 

The ship was flooded with new guests currently on the BCN-GOA-BCN loop with 2 stops in Marseille. Weather was awful which didn't help with the indoor crowds!

[Beamafar]

3 minutes ago, SeaSwirl66 said:

Hi Bea, hope you had an enjoyable week. We were in YC from Naples to Genoa last week, the tone definitely changed after the stop in Barcelona!

 

The ship was flooded with new guests currently on the BCN-GOA-BCN loop with 2 stops in Marseille. Weather was awful which didn't help with the indoor crowds!

Are you implying the tone changed when we came onboard?   🤣🤣🤣🤣
 

Seriously, though, we had a fantastic time, but there were certainly a lot more rude, noisy passengers onboard than we’ve ever come across, and a lot of unruly children.  Must have been a mid-term break.  I noticed a big change with the crowd that got on when we were in Genoa (perhaps the day you disembarked?).  So, if they were bad when you were on, can you imagine what came after?

 

I need to go back through the thread to pick up where I left off.   Just watching Andrea Bocelli’s Portofino concert in Portofino.   Had a lovely excursion there last week. 

[Number34]

Bea,

a question about the speciality dining packages on Seashore. I have been sent an email link for my April cruise and it has only three, a Discover Asian Cuisine For 3 nights, Butchers Cut Chefs Table or Duo (Butchers Cut and Asian Market). Seems rather limited and I wondered whether once on board there are more varied options available? We are in the YC but I would like try the speciality restaurants but am not keen on the Asian Market options apart from the Teppanyaki.

[Beamafar]

Just now, Number34 said:

Bea,

a question about the speciality dining packages on Seashore. I have been sent an email link for my April cruise and it has only three, a Discover Asian Cuisine For 3 nights, Butchers Cut Chefs Table or Duo (Butchers Cut and Asian Market). Seems rather limited and I wondered whether once on board there are more varied options available? We are in the YC but I would like try the speciality restaurants but am not keen on the Asian Market options apart from the Teppanyaki.

I didn’t take much notice of the packages  because (a) we only like Butcher’s Cut and (b) it was the last sailing in the Med so the offers wouldn’t be the same when Stateside.

 

They were pushing the packages a lot every day on our cruise.  Everywhere we went, there was a crew member holding the adverts for them.  The speciality restaurant manager even said he could offer us a discount on a visit.

 

If you wait til onboard to book a package, you’ll pay an extra 15% service charge.  

 

 

[Beamafar]

Condiments were not being placed on the tables at mealtimes.  They would bring them if requested.  I’ve already shared an incident on the subject, when the waiter was unwilling to allow me to use the mills, myself. They were always on the table at dinner in the MDR as our waiter knew I’d want them.

 

One lunchtime, in the MDR, I noticed that the condiments were just put back in a drawer at a waiter station without being sanitised first.  So much for Covid precautions.

 

Also, on the subject, the salt in the mill is too salty (and that’s from someone who uses way more salt than is good for her!).  I used the little sachets from the buffet (when I remembered to fetch some 🙄). 

 

Speaking of the buffet:  Seems like there are several buffet entrances/exits.  Found it very difficult to navigate.  In some instances they would enforce entrance only, exit only,  but in others they didn’t.   So many inconsistencies throughout the ship and throughout the week. 
 

Temperature checks were taken at breakfast and lunch outside the MDR and buffet.  Sometimes they checked your cruisecard, other times they didn’t, so there really wasn’t a record of who was checked and when.  One time we went to lunch I asked the guy if he was going to take mine, cos he looked like he wasn’t going to.  He responded: “I will if you want”!

[Beamafar]

I wouldn’t be writing home about the Venchi chocolate martini (with rum), though it’s very popular with a lot of posters on here. Get a better kick out of a regular hot chocolate (included in drinks packages) with an added shot of Baileys (also included in higher packages).  I had my usual in Brooklyn Cafe, though not for elevenses,  which would have put me off lunch due to the stupid MDR lunchtime slot, which meant dining early.  So had it at 9.30am. 😱   Not keen on alcohol that hour of the morning.  However, it was a once-off.  😁

[Beamafar]

I cannot speak highly enough of our cabin steward, Rolando.  One evening late into the cruise,  I hadn’t signed a form for the minibar;  he was all apologies for not being able to replenish it as a result and told me to just sign some blank forms and he’d fill them in, which I did.  So he started getting me 2 tins of choc nuts each time cos he knew how fond of them I was - 4 tins per day for the last couple of days.  🤩🤩🤩  (I used to only look for one tin per order).   I’m beginning to look like a choc nut at this stage. 🤣🤣

Edited November 1, 2021 by Beamafar

[Beamafar]

If you like the Teppanyaki restaurant, I would highly suggest you book a slot as soon as you embark.  It was completely booked out every night on our cruise, despite it being a bigger venue than on any other ship. 

[Beamafar]

@Number34  There are bound to be plenty of reviews before you sail (I may do a report, myself on our March sailing) so you’re sure to have a definitive answer to your question before then. 

[Beamafar]

I’m just gonna finish off this report with some snippets and observations. 
 

I noticed that our cabin numbers were printed on our cards.  They had stopped doing that for some time but it looks like the practice has been reintroduced.  While it’s handy if you’re one who tends to forget your cabin number (such as myself 🙄), I preferred it when it wasn’t shown, for safety reasons.

 

Our cabin number became very easy to remember after I heard a crew member read it out and it sounded like the time: 10-2-10. 😂

[Beamafar]

Speaking of the cabin - a Bella balcony - it was great and not what I had expected, as we only ever book Fantastica or Aurea, if not in YC.  As we never order breakfast to the cabin, we decided Bella would be enough for us - and it was.  As I said before, the bathroom is small, but perfectly adequate.  I had no problem with the bathtub as it’s shallow enough, so didn’t cause any problems for my knees.  There was enough storage;  there was a USB port next to the bed on the balcony side, a couple of others over at the dressing table and a wireless charging disk set into the counter (which I constantly forgot to place my phone on, though I would often put it down next to it 🙄)

 

Usually, when we are on a ship with YC, we feel we’re missing it if we’re in steerage.  Not on this one.  Whether it’s because we’re booked in YC for next March, I don’t know, but it’s the first time I’ve never felt bothered about it.  We thoroughly enjoyed being down below;  we could not have been treated any better, anywhere.

 

I don’t usually like to comment on food because (a) it’s subjective and (b) I’m a picky eater and am often limited in menu choices.  However, the food, for the most part, was really bad.  Mr B is not fussy, but even he was less than enthusiastic about it.  I’ll give a couple of examples of our experiences. 
 

The night we had tried 5th Avenue, I ordered the always on steamed fish as a starter and the short ribs for the main course.

 

The fish was gross.  Originally, it used to be salmon, then they changed it to a ‘white fish’, which had been fine any time I’d had it in the past.  I have no idea what this was.  It was pink in the middle (which, at first made me think it was uncooked) and seemed like it was coated in a mushy off-white substance (though that was just the fish, itself):

 

 I couldn’t eat it and explained why to the waiter.  The manager was over to me right away to thank me for letting them know how bad it was as they were striving to improve, so feedback was very important to them.

The short ribs were shockingly bad.  There was practically no meat - just fat - with a tiny sliver of meat in between the fat layers, which would have been delicious if there had been more.

 

This is how it came out:

 

 

…and this is what was left when I’d “finished”:

 

 

Oh - and the mush on the plate is puréed potato.  That was served at least 3 times during the cruise, including at lunch one day.  It was like baby food.  That was one item I complained about to our head waiter in our MDR each time it was served. 
 

 Now, my difficulty is, if I have a problem with a dish, the waiter will offer to replace it with something else.  Most times there is nothing else I’d eat and that seems to upset the crew, as they want to make it up to you.

The restaurant manager had already made a fuss of us from the time he’d offered to allow us to dine here, til this evening when we had arrived and he personally seated us, so we received a lot of attention from him.  This made it harder for me to say anything as I hate the fuss that comes with these issues, so when Hadi  (the manager) came over to ask if everything was ok, I just said “Yes”.      I couldn’t face being offered something else, when there weren’t any alternatives on the menu for me.

 

Another issue I had was the waiters not getting my order right.  Fortunately I don’t have any allergies or food intolerances, but I’m relaying this as a cautionary tale for those who do.

 

Both instances were at lunch in the MDR.  The first time, I ordered the Bismarck burger, which comes with fried egg, lettuce and mayonnaise.  I asked for mine with just the meat, bread and some onion.  I specifically stated no egg and no mayo.  A little way through eating, I discovered the bun had been smeared with mayo.  The waiter was extremely apologetic and got me another.  It was delicious.  I’ve always liked the burgers on MSC, but this patty was even nicer (and thinner - which suits me) than I’d had before. 
 

The second instance was with the Cuban sandwich I ordered.  
 

 

I asked for just pork, nothing else on the bread.  When the waiter brought it to me, he said he had the cheese added.  I told him I don’t eat cheese.  He was going to bring it back but Mr B decided he’d eat it, along with his own. 
 

So, I got a second one. After biting into it, I discovered they’d spread mustard on it. 🙄  That one went back!   Third time I did get what I’d ordered; well, it did have the ham on it, too, but that wasn’t a problem and I did enjoy it, but it really would have been more enjoyable had I just received what I’d asked for in the first place.

 

I just hope they deal with allergies/intolerances more attentively.  On NCL, every single time before a waiter took our order, we were asked if we had any allergies.  We were never once asked this on MSC. 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Beamafar

[Beamafar]

I’ll just finish off by saying we had such a fantastic time onboard that I actually felt very sad when disembarking.  I don’t usually feel like that on 7 nighters.  The ship is beautiful (but huge, and I would not like to be onboard when it’s at capacity;  there were up to 4200 passengers, which fluctuated at each embarkation port), with lots of venues to enjoy, and the crew, as a whole, were the best we’ve ever experienced.  

[hamrag]

20 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Usually, when we are on a ship with YC, we feel we’re missing it if we’re in steerage.  Not on this one.  Whether it’s because we’re booked in YC for next March, I don’t know, but it’s the first time I’ve never felt bothered about it.  We thoroughly enjoyed being down below;  we could not have been treated any better, anywhere.....

 

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.  🤣 🤣

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, hamrag said:

 

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.  🤣 🤣

It remains to be seen if I still feel the same way after I’ve done YC.  🤔😂

[hamrag]

Just now, Beamafar said:

It remains to be seen if I still feel the same way after I’ve done YC.  🤔😂

We were in the next level down i.e. Aurea on our September Virtuosa cruise....I just was not willing to pay the exorbitant YC rates showing for that cruise!

 

The Aurea sundeck was awful, a wrap around afterthought almost totally overhung by the structure above i.e. Sky Lounge! There was no bar service whatsoever on said sundeck.

 

I spent the first 2 days of our cruise looking longingly forward, having attempted to upgrade to YC on board....not a chance, it was sold out! After that I settled down, realising DW was not at all enamoured with me going on about it! 🤣 

[sidari]

25 minutes ago, hamrag said:

We were in the next level down i.e. Aurea on our September Virtuosa cruise....I just was not willing to pay the exorbitant YC rates showing for that cruise!

 

The Aurea sundeck was awful, a wrap around afterthought almost totally overhung by the structure above i.e. Sky Lounge! There was no bar service whatsoever on said sundeck.

 

I spent the first 2 days of our cruise looking longingly forward, having attempted to upgrade to YC on board....not a chance, it was sold out! After that I settled down, realising DW was not at all enamoured with me going on about it! 🤣 

G ... Same on Meraviglia total useless place to have the Aurea sun deck, plus the racket from the speakers all day long, they had a pop up bar but only had drinks for the Easy package, anything above you had to get yourself! Much prefer Seaside and enjoyed two sailings using the Aurea sundeck and bar.

[Beamafar]

I don’t think I’m as bowled over by YC as some.  I can take it or leave it.  I don’t believe it’s good value now with the prices they’re charging.  I’ve rarely found the food offerings to be at the level they should be, and we’re not into hanging around the pool all day, so the private sun deck isn’t the draw that I understand it is for others.

 

I can’t believe the Aurea deck is that bad on Virtuosa - especially when you consider the price you’re paying for the benefit of using it!   Shocking to hear there was no bar service!

 

I’m looking forward to trying out The Retreat on the Edge next September.  We did a Sky suite on Millennium a few years ago and hated the whole experience.  Hoping the new, bigger ship, in a different region, with, hopefully, a different passenger demographic, will be an entirely different, enjoyable, experience.

 

It’s more expensive than a YC1 on Seaside for the same time of year, but we’ve had enough of MSC for the moment.   Taking our YC H inside cabin and changing the booking to a ‘Guarantee’ is the last straw for us.  Only found out about it through a friend and then on CC.

 

If MSC wants the convenience of being free to allocate cabins, then discount the price like other companies do.  At the moment, MSC is having everything all their own way - and, it appears, are getting away with it!  

[Beamafar]

Bytheway, G, you were so right about the Royal Club tonic.  I noticed I wasn’t finishing my G&Ts;  it dawned on me why after a while.

 

I’m like that with wine.  I had a glass of red in the Cocktail lounge (which is in the Speciality Restaurants area)  - the most expensive available by the glass on the ship - while waiting to go to BC for our Diamond meal.  It was included in the PremPlus package and was the only place where a wine outside of Premium was available. 
 

Anyway, I sat over that wine for quite some time, until it was time for a top-up.  I realised, then, that I didn’t care for it and switched to another.  Apart from getting Veuve Cliquot, the Premium package would have been ample for us as they had my favourite Cigogna Cabernet included.  You may be sure, there was no sitting over that one!

[Beamafar]

Speaking of the Speciality Restaurants area - it’s fantastic.  Totally different to Seaside/Seaview and far superior. 
 

 

 

 

 

[ready2cruzagain]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

Speaking of the cabin - a Bella balcony - it was great and not what I had expected, as we only ever book Fantastica or Aurea, if not in YC.  As we never order breakfast to the cabin, we decided Bella would be enough for us - and it was.  As I said before, the bathroom is small, but perfectly adequate.  I had no problem with the bathtub as it’s shallow enough, so didn’t cause any problems for my knees.  There was enough storage;  there was a USB port next to the bed on the balcony side, a couple of others over at the dressing table and a wireless charging disk set into the counter (which I constantly forgot to place my phone on, though I would often put it down next to it 🙄)

 

Usually, when we are on a ship with YC, we feel we’re missing it if we’re in steerage.  Not on this one.  Whether it’s because we’re booked in YC for next March, I don’t know, but it’s the first time I’ve never felt bothered about it.  We thoroughly enjoyed being down below;  we could not have been treated any better, anywhere.

 

I don’t usually like to comment on food because (a) it’s subjective and (b) I’m a picky eater and am often limited in menu choices.  However, the food, for the most part, was really bad.  Mr B is not fussy, but even he was less than enthusiastic about it.  I’ll give a couple of examples of our experiences. 
 

The night we had tried 5th Avenue, I ordered the always on steamed fish as a starter and the short ribs for the main course.

 

The fish was gross.  Originally, it used to be salmon, then they changed it to a ‘white fish’, which had been fine any time I’d had it in the past.  I have no idea what this was.  It was pink in the middle (which, at first made me think it was uncooked) and seemed like it was coated in a mushy off-white substance (though that was just the fish, itself):

 

 I couldn’t eat it and explained why to the waiter.  The manager was over to me right away to thank me for letting them know how bad it was as they were striving to improve, so feedback was very important to them.

The short ribs were shockingly bad.  There was practically no meat - just fat - with a tiny sliver of meat in between the fat layers, which would have been delicious if there had been more.

 

This is how it came out:

 

 

…and this is what was left when I’d “finished”:

 

 

Oh - and the mush on the plate is puréed potato.  That was served at least 3 times during the cruise, including at lunch one day.  It was like baby food.  That was one item I complained about to our head waiter in our MDR each time it was served. 
 

 Now, my difficulty is, if I have a problem with a dish, the waiter will offer to replace it with something else.  Most times there is nothing else I’d eat and that seems to upset the crew, as they want to make it up to you.

The restaurant manager had already made a fuss of us from the time he’d offered to allow us to dine here, til this evening when we had arrived and he personally seated us, so we received a lot of attention from him.  This made it harder for me to say anything as I hate the fuss that comes with these issues, so when Hadi  (the manager) came over to ask if everything was ok, I just said “Yes”.      I couldn’t face being offered something else, when there weren’t any alternatives on the menu for me.

 

Another issue I had was the waiters not getting my order right.  Fortunately I don’t have any allergies or food intolerances, but I’m relaying this as a cautionary tale for those who do.

 

Both instances were at lunch in the MDR.  The first time, I ordered the Bismarck burger, which comes with fried egg, lettuce and mayonnaise.  I asked for mine with just the meat, bread and some onion.  I specifically stated no egg and no mayo.  A little way through eating, I discovered the bun had been smeared with mayo.  The waiter was extremely apologetic and got me another.  It was delicious.  I’ve always liked the burgers on MSC, but this patty was even nicer (and thinner - which suits me) than I’d had before. 
 

The second instance was with the Cuban sandwich I ordered.  
 

 

I asked for just pork, nothing else on the bread.  When the waiter brought it to me, he said he had the cheese added.  I told him I don’t eat cheese.  He was going to bring it back but Mr B decided he’d eat it, along with his own. 
 

So, I got a second one. After biting into it, I discovered they’d spread mustard on it. 🙄  That one went back!   Third time I did get what I’d ordered; well, it did have the ham on it, too, but that wasn’t a problem and I did enjoy it, but it really would have been more enjoyable had I just received what I’d asked for in the first place.

 

I just hope they deal with allergies/intolerances more attentively.  On NCL, every single time before a waiter took our order, we were asked if we had any allergies.  We were never once asked this on MSC. 

OH NOOOO! He!! No to that fish!!!! I am not a picky person but even I would not eat that. It looks disgusting!  We will be in steerage on the Seashore and definitely will pass that one up! 

 

Never been in YC.  I can't miss what I have never had. We usually sail a couple of months out of a year (not since Covid) and would not be able to do that in YC.  We have always had the best of service in steerage on MSC.  Have seen crew members from other ships and different years and they would recognize us and remember our names. How in the world they do that is beyond me!

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, ready2cruzagain said:

OH NOOOO! He!! No to that fish!!!! I am not a picky person but even I would not eat that. It looks disgusting!  We will be in steerage on the Seashore and definitely will pass that one up! 

 

Never been in YC.  I can't miss what I have never had. We usually sail a couple of months out of a year (not since Covid) and would not be able to do that in YC.  We have always had the best of service in steerage on MSC.  Have seen crew members from other ships and different years and they would recognize us and remember our names. How in the world they do that is beyond me!

I remember one time being asked by a server we knew from before what we wanted to drink.  When I couldn’t think what I’d like she said “Do you not want your brandy and port?”   Couldn’t believe she remembered better than I did why O usually drank. 😂😂

 

As to the fish:   If MSC is still offering what they used to on US sailings, then the always available menu will include salmon (as well as NY strip steak - which is not offered on Med sailings). 

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

I don’t think I’m as bowled over by YC as some.  I can take it or leave it.  I don’t believe it’s good value now with the prices they’re charging.  I’ve rarely found the food offerings to be at the level they should be, and we’re not into hanging around the pool all day, so the private sun deck isn’t the draw that I understand it is for others....

I understand what you are saying, I would describe the YC restaurant as generally mid-point quality between MDR and Butchers Cut....but occasionally better than that.

 

I certainly agree on pricing. The only reason we continue to sail YC is because I get the NHS discount through April 2022....but even with that the Virtuosa pricing was exorbitant....we have a particularly good deal for our Seaview repo, no complaints there! 

[Beamafar]

Same for our upcoming.  The insides offer great value, but the YC1s are not worth twice the price (or more!) of one.