Cruise Critic heading out on Seashore on 2/19! What do you want to know?

[Cruise Critic Chris]

My first article from the trip: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=6783

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Menu and photos from Butcher's Cut last night. Excellent meal here. Apps were the bone marrow and foie deviled eggs; filet and sirloin (in the photo) and cheesecake. Just delicious. Both steaks were perfect medium rare. Filet was seasoned a bit better than the sirloin. 

 

The specialty dining package is worth it, for sure. 

 

 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

9 hours ago, amygutman said:

Thank you for the lovely review. 

 

The Seashore in April will be our first cruise in over 2 years and our first with MSC. Looking forward to the YC after years of being spoiled in NCL's Haven. Although I know cruise companies are eagerly awaiting greater number of passengers, selfishly I was hoping for a "low capacity" cruise as I fear that crew staffing will not be adequate for increasing number of passengers. 

 

I am curious as to your thoughts on how well prepared MSC will be for the spring "onslaught"? Reviews online cite major embarkation and service issues related to overwhelmed (but very lovely) staff. Even 50% capacity may be too much if the crew aren't adequately supported with additional members. 

Living vicariously through you ... have a wonderful time on the rest of the cruise!

 

Warmest, Amy

 

Hi Amy. I think things will be fine, although you should definitely leave your own review after the sailing. Seashore started up in November and early reviews are always dodgy, as the crew gets used to the ship and each other (it's one reason why we at Cruise Critic often recommend avoiding new ships in those first few weeks - it can be more of a shakedown experience). 

 

One thing that I have noticed is that the crew seem empowered to solve small problems on their own. no one has said "I need to talk to the manager." I asked the hotel director about this and he said that he sets that tone. He also said they have a "24 hour" rule - any complaint needs to be solved in that time. So if something does go wrong. definitely point it out. 

 

Also if you're in the Yacht Club, there are more than enough crew to handle things. 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Some photos from Puerto Plata. I was definitely underwhelmed by our excursion: the traditions and flavors of Puerto Plata. It was more like a shopping trip to different locations and it also ran long. That being said, my husband bought cigars and I bought chocolate. Hotel director said that 61% of the guests took some kind of excursion.

 

The Puerto Plata port area has a very nice pool and shopping area, if you just want to get off the ship and walk around. 

 

 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

The dailies for the second Sea Day. 

 

 

[mreic082]

Thanks for the great review so far! We are traveling on the March 5 sailing. Do you know the projected numbers for that week?

[clemsonlori98]

On 2/19/2022 at 12:28 PM, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Yacht Club embarkation was a breeze. A "land butler" escorted us as soon as we checked in at the Yacht Club tent. We had our own area to get the rapid antigen test (although you wait with others upstairs). 

 

All in all, roughly  45 minutes from dropping bags off to getting on the ship, testing included. 

Can't wait to see the white tent!!  My family sailed YC on the Seaside back in summer '19.  

[clemsonlori98]

15 hours ago, amygutman said:

Thank you for the lovely review. 

 

The Seashore in April will be our first cruise in over 2 years and our first with MSC. Looking forward to the YC after years of being spoiled in NCL's Haven. Although I know cruise companies are eagerly awaiting greater number of passengers, selfishly I was hoping for a "low capacity" cruise as I fear that crew staffing will not be adequate for increasing number of passengers. 

 

I am curious as to your thoughts on how well prepared MSC will be for the spring "onslaught"? Reviews online cite major embarkation and service issues related to overwhelmed (but very lovely) staff. Even 50% capacity may be too much if the crew aren't adequately supported with additional members. 

Living vicariously through you ... have a wonderful time on the rest of the cruise!

 

Warmest, Amy

I am wondering the same thing!  How do you easily go from on average 1000 guests to more than double that number in the least!  I was hoping for the low numbers on our 4/9 cruise.  

[Cruise Critic Chris]

5 minutes ago, clemsonlori98 said:

I am wondering the same thing!  How do you easily go from on average 1000 guests to more than double that number in the least!  I was hoping for the low numbers on our 4/9 cruise.  

 

I would imagine that the numbers will be higher over Spring Break/Easter weeks when families have time off and then maybe go back down again until summer. MSC is family friendly, with a lot of amenities for young 'uns. 

[amygutman]

9 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

 

Hi Amy. I think things will be fine, although you should definitely leave your own review after the sailing. Seashore started up in November and early reviews are always dodgy, as the crew gets used to the ship and each other (it's one reason why we at Cruise Critic often recommend avoiding new ships in those first few weeks - it can be more of a shakedown experience). 

 

One thing that I have noticed is that the crew seem empowered to solve small problems on their own. no one has said "I need to talk to the manager." I asked the hotel director about this and he said that he sets that tone. He also said they have a "24 hour" rule - any complaint needs to be solved in that time. So if something does go wrong. definitely point it out. 

 

Also if you're in the Yacht Club, there are more than enough crew to handle things. 

Thank you for the personal reply! 

I appreciate the insight and never forget for a moment how lucky we are to he in the YC - even at a higher capacity in the coming months, from your experience, it sounds like a lot of of the obstacles to a relaxing cruise are not found. 

We've relied on CC for years for advice, and thank you and the community for all of the great recommendations and wonderful community. 

Warmest, Amy

[Ree5676]

8 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

The dailies for the second Sea Day. 

 

 

Thank you so much for your review and awesome photos! 
 

I was wondering if you could post a copy of the non-yacht club daily program. With the hours of non-yacht club restaurants and buffet. Thanks!

[CruisinWthefam]

Are the outside of the cabin doors magnetic so that we could hang door decorations? 

[Svealise]

Another question about decorations! My husband’s birthday is when we’re on the ship (we were supposed to go last year when he turned 50, but …….. yeah you know, so I celebrate him now exactly one year later ). I’ve seen photos of decorated rooms, should I bring myself or ask someone to manage that? In that case, what is the cost? 💸 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Menu and photos from dinner at the Yacht Club. It was lobster night and so we took advantage. Also ordered some truffled risotto. 

 

Meal was excellent and if you want validation that the food is better in the YC than in the MDR, I'll tell you -- it's night and day. We are going back to the MDR on Friday to give it a last go. 

 

I did witness a Yacht Club flaw yesterday. The buffet in Top Sail was seafood extravaganza. The cooks were unable to keep up with the demand and there were lines, even at this reduced capacity. 

 

Once we sat down, our waiter offered several times to get us more shrimp, and so we took him up on that. And it's the only time I've seen the buffet in Top Sail take more than a few minutes. Still, I noticed some frustration among passengers. 

 

Edit: I talked to Robert Balla, the Yacht Club director, about the lines at the Seafood Extravangza. He said that the issue came only at noon because people were so excited about the seafood that they lined up right away. "The buffet is open until 3. We're not going to run out," he said. 
 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Cruise Critic Chris

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Dailies from Yacht Club. We are in Nassau. I am not getting off, however, as I come here frequently. 

 

Today's agenda: spa treatment. Then lunch at Hola and dinner at the sushi conveyor belt. 

 

 

[JAGR]

22 minutes ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Dailies from Yacht Club. We are in Nassau. I am not getting off, however, as I come here frequently. 

 

Today's agenda: spa treatment. Then lunch at Hola and dinner at the sushi conveyor belt. 

 

 

Thanks for your updates!  I noticed that in the first daily, The WIne Cellar was listed under bars, and then moved to the Specialty Dining section.  Odd, because the only menu I have seen from there is (naturally!) a list of wines.  Do they serve a meal as well?

[dwade1901]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:12 PM, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Pool Deck drink menus. You can see where they list which ones are included. 

 

 

Thank you for this! Quick question - could you possibly find out if on the 'easy' package it's just 1 type of each spirit? Or for example, do they have an 'easy' version of scotch and bourbon whiskey and dark and white rum? Thank you in advance :-)

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Re: the Wine Cellar. There has really been no one in there this sailing. My guess is that the space is used for wine tastings but they haven't been running anything like that on this cruise. Perhaps as restrictions open up. 

[TrinaLC]

Chris, if you haven’t already met him make sure you do: Arnold (“Arnie”) Castro is an amazing server in the YC …. He always made us smile!

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Re: the Wine Cellar. There has really been no one in there this sailing. My guess is that the space is used for wine tastings but they haven't been running anything like that on this cruise. Perhaps as restrictions open up. 

Thanks!  I was curious, since DW is a Malbec drinker, and they have one on the Wine Cellar list that is not on the YC list.

[JAGR]

53 minutes ago, TrinaLC said:

Chris, if you haven’t already met him make sure you do: Arnold (“Arnie”) Castro is an amazing server in the YC …. He always made us smile!

K:  Let's not advertise him too much.  At least for a few more weeks!

[Cruise Critic Chris]

On 2/23/2022 at 3:34 AM, AngryBirdah said:

Hi @Cruise Critic Chris!  I hope you're having a great time!  If you could go talk to the photo people and get the story about how the All-Inclusive Digital Photo Package works when your traveling party is split between 2 cabins, that would be amazing.  Basically, do I need to buy the package for each cabin to ensure we get all of our photos, or will it work with just one package?

 

I sure appreciate any help you can give!  More details/background located here:  

 

Thanks!!!

 

Here is a picture of what they offer. I don't think they allow you to split it by cabin. Maybe you just have the same person swipe their wristband for all the photos? 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

I can't get the dailies for the rest of the ship for the entire week but I have one from a sea day and one from a port day. That should give you a good idea of hours.

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Photos and menus from a boozy port lunch at Hola. Another win here. We loved everything. Margaritas were two-for-one -- not included in the drink package but still awesome. 

 

 

[TrinaLC]

2 hours ago, JAGR said:

K:  Let's not advertise him too much.  At least for a few more weeks!

😀