MSC Seashore 6/4/22 sailing review

[3StarfishKids]

We are back from a wonderful trip last week on the Seashore. This is our 2nd cruise with MSC (Seaside in summer 2019) and our 6th cruise overall. We’ve previously sailed Disney, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Carnival. We’ve always had our 3 kids with us, and we tend to look for the best deal vs always wanting a certain level or type of room. We’ve done all of us in one oceanview room (great when the kids were little), all of us in one balcony (not so bad but stressful with adventurous little ones), and split up into two oceanview rooms next door to each other (good amount of space and 2 bathrooms was nice!). We did a “super family” balcony room on the Seaside (essentially 2 smaller adjoining balcony rooms), but it seems like there aren’t many of those available. 
So this cruise, the five of us were in a spa suite (room 12068) with the Aurea experience. It was my husband, myself, and our 3 boys (twins age 11, and an almost 14 yr old)- the first time we had done a suite. We were a little concerned about it being enough space for the 5 of us, but it turned out to be plenty of room. The cabin had a walk-in closet with shelves and hanging space. It was large enough for 2-3 people to stand in. The bathroom was a decent size and had a shower/bathtub. The best part of the cabin was the balcony! We had our own hot tub on the balcony, plus room for two chairs. The five of us fit on the balcony with plenty of room to spare. The three boys could all fit in the hot tub laying down- my husband and I probably could have also fit, but ehh no need for that. The only thing that could have made our cabin better was a 2nd bathroom. 
 

Our boarding/check-in time was 10:30am, and we were on the ship by probably 11-11:15. We had driven down from the Orlando area that morning so we were hungry and went straight to the buffet. It said it wasn’t opening yet, but we went straight in and everything was ready. By 1230, we had eaten and were enjoying drinks at the Jungle Pool. It was raining so that was perfect for letting the kids get rid of some energy. We were in our room by 130 and our luggage arrived shortly afterwards. It was really nice to be on the ship that early- we felt like we got a full day out of it vs other cruises where we’ve boarded later on in the day. We talked to someone in the buffet who said many passengers had canceled for our week because of the tropical storm, so there were only around 1800 passengers aboard. 

The kids checked out the kids/teen clubs, and my husband and I checked out the spa- we were excited that the Aurea experience came with access to the thermal spa all week and a massage for each of us. 🙌🏻  We also had “my choice” dining so we weren’t confined to a set dining time. We’ve done that on other cruises and really like having the flexibility to eat dinner when we want to. 

 

I’ll can write more later, but I wanted  share some highlights. I’m also happy to answer any questions I can. 
 

Highlights: 

*the Aurea experience definitely added a lot of nice perks. I know I said we are usually looking for the best deals, but I’m not sure we can go back lol 

*upgrading to the Easy Plus package- definitely a good call on that one because the Easy Plus included all the frozen drinks and pretty much anything we wanted. My kids LOVED all the mocktails and tried every single one. 
*hot tub on the balcony of our room- super nice to have a quiet soak while watching the sea go 

*the twins loved the kids club and our teenager loved the “young” club even though he said there were not many kids there or kids who spoke English. 
*the food was excellent- lots of variety and things we don’t make at home like lamb shank, prime rib, scallop ceviche, braised spareribs 

*service was great- we never wanted for anything or had to wait a long time 

*shows were great! We especially enjoyed Gravity, the magician, and A Very Very Starry Night. 
*Ocean Cay was awesome and we would love to go back- I feel like a day wasn’t long enough to really explore and enjoy the island. 

[Fishfan0073]

Thanks for doing the review.  I am looking forward to what else you experienced 

[Two Wheels Only]

10 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

The only thing that could have made our cabin better was a 2nd bathroom. 

 

Yacht Club guests (including Royal Suite and Owner's Suite) feel the same way. 

 

10 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

We had driven down from the Orlando area that morning so we were hungry and went straight to the buffet.

 

We also drive down from Central Florida. We usually stop for food when we switch from I-95 to the Florida Turnpike. 

 

11 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

I’ll can write more later, but I wanted  share some highlights. I’m also happy to answer any questions I can. 

 

Thanks for the review.

Any photos?

[Nunagoras]

Wonderful review, thanks!...

 

I assume you purchased your Aurea experience way back in the day and they honored the old perks as is customary for them. Currently they've removed the massage for 2 altogether and even for the termal suite, I believe, you just have a discount, not a full entrance for the week (that is how they're selling it here in Portugal, may vary for the US market). What surprised me is that you had the Easy package instead of at least the Easy Plus, to not talk about the Premium Extra that, presumably was for what you paid beforehand, unless something is escaping me... Kids would have had the same non alcoholic kids package from where, yeah, their mocktails used to be wonderful!

 

5 people in a cabin? Huh!... I know the suites are larger, but let us to put things in perspective: Sooner rather than later the boys will be bigger and bigger!... For the next time, perhaps the usual triplet/duplex might to come as more handy!... Finally: The Aurea experience might to be nice with the best general cabins available, but IMHO, it is becoming sort of a tad overpriced, considering the current perk scheme...

 

Have a nice day!...

[MANDMTRAVEL]

Glad to read your review, I will be doing the Western Caribbean soon with 2 teens.  My kids love gelato included on they easy package a couple of years ago on the Seaside, are they inclusive on the Seashore or only the soft serve?

[Rossco01]

Nice review and good to hear you had a great time. Very similar to our first experience (in Europe) on the Meraviglia in a Duplex cabin (that was back in 2017). We couldn't believe the size of the cabin and that DID have two bathrooms plus the hottub on the balcony. Looking back it was  crazy price (we must have got in early) @ just £4K but we benefited from at least one of (the two) kids being free and the other heavily discounted.

 

Loved the anytime dining as well...always felt great just turning up and them seating us without issues.

 

Our NEXT trip should be end of July (following multiple cancellations due to Covid) and this time it'll be Yacht Club around the med (again) on the Seaview.

 

One day (probably just the wife and I) we'll make it across the pond.

[3StarfishKids]

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Yacht Club guests (including Royal Suite and Owner's Suite) feel the same way. 

 

 

We also drive down from Central Florida. We usually stop for food when we switch from I-95 to the Florida Turnpike. 

 

 

Thanks for the review.

Any photos?

Lol I bet! With the price for YC, I feel like an extra bathroom is in order. We received quite a few upgrade offers for YC but elected to pass because none of them had a hot tub on the balcony and that we were all looking forward to that! 
 

I think we stopped for food twice on the way down- 3 boys are always hungry!! 
 

I tried to upload photos from my phone and kept getting error messages, but I’ll try again another way. Not sure why I couldn’t get it to work. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[3StarfishKids]

3 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Wonderful review, thanks!...

 

I assume you purchased your Aurea experience way back in the day and they honored the old perks as is customary for them. Currently they've removed the massage for 2 altogether and even for the termal suite, I believe, you just have a discount, not a full entrance for the week (that is how they're selling it here in Portugal, may vary for the US market). What surprised me is that you had the Easy package instead of at least the Easy Plus, to not talk about the Premium Extra that, presumably was for what you paid beforehand, unless something is escaping me... Kids would have had the same non alcoholic kids package from where, yeah, their mocktails used to be wonderful!

 

5 people in a cabin? Huh!... I know the suites are larger, but let us to put things in perspective: Sooner rather than later the boys will be bigger and bigger!... For the next time, perhaps the usual triplet/duplex might to come as more handy!... Finally: The Aurea experience might to be nice with the best general cabins available, but IMHO, it is becoming sort of a tad overpriced, considering the current perk scheme...

 

Have a nice day!...

We initially booked this cruise in January of 2020 for March of 2021 on the Merevaligla (sp?) in one of their family rooms- I think it was an oceanview and a connected interior room with a fantastic price- I think $3500 for 5 of us. Of course that one was canceled and I rebooked this one in March or April of 2021 for June 2022. So when we rebooked, we got $400 in stateroom credit and the Easy package included as well as the non-alcoholic package for the kids.  The thermal spa, a massage for each adult, and a free photo were also included. We paid to upgrade to the Easy Plus package and I think it was around $140 total for my husband and I for the week. Totally worth it. I think with the upgrade on the drinks package, it was around $5k. I’m not sure if we will see those kind of incentives again, but I always look for the added perks! 
 

and I think you are right- the days of 5 in one cabin are coming to an end. The twins are still on the smaller side so they fit in bunk beds just fine, but I’m sure they’re going to hit a growth spurt soon. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by 3StarfishKids

[3StarfishKids]

3 hours ago, MANDMTRAVEL said:

Glad to read your review, I will be doing the Western Caribbean soon with 2 teens.  My kids love gelato included on they easy package a couple of years ago on the Seaside, are they inclusive on the Seashore or only the soft serve?

No gelato was included with the packages- just soft serve. Anyone could get soft serve in the buffet at certain times in the afternoon, but it wasn’t a long time- maybe only from 4-5pm? The kids could get soft serve from the Jungle Pool Bar for a longer duration, but it was only kids!  I didn’t realize they were charging adults for soft serve there! The bartender said it was $4 for my cone and I was like are you kidding me?!?! The lack of soft serve was probably one of my few complaints. With so many other options, it does feel a bit ridiculous to complain about soft serve ice cream, but having cruised other lines where it’s available practically 24/7, I just don’t understand why MSC doesn’t do that!! 

[Nunagoras]

5 minutes ago, 3StarfishKids said:

We initially booked this cruise in January of 2020 for March of 2021 on the Merevaligla (sp?) in one of their family rooms- I think it was an oceanview and a connected interior room with a fantastic price- I think $3500 for 5 of us. Of course that one was canceled and I rebooked this one in March or April of 2021 for June 2022. So when we rebooked, we got $400 in stateroom credit and the Easy package included as well as the non-alcoholic package for the kids.  The thermal spa, a massage for each adult, and a free photo were also included. We paid to upgrade to the Easy Plus package and I think it was around $140 total for my husband and I for the week. Totally worth it. I think with the upgrade on the drinks package, it was around $5k. I’m not sure if we will see those kind of incentives again, but I always look for the added perks! 
 

and I think you are right- the days of 5 in one cabin are coming to an end. The twins are still on the smaller side so they fit in bunk beds just fine, but I’m sure they’re going to hit a growth spurt soon. 

Oh, thanks to the explanation!... Yeah, things are changing, some for the better, some not so much!... On MSC's credit, once again, they honored what the fine print at time of booking.

 

Have a nice day and nice sailings!...

[Nunagoras]

3 minutes ago, 3StarfishKids said:

No gelato was included with the packages- just soft serve. Anyone could get soft serve in the buffet at certain times in the afternoon, but it wasn’t a long time- maybe only from 4-5pm? The kids could get soft serve from the Jungle Pool Bar for a longer duration, but it was only kids!  I didn’t realize they were charging adults for soft serve there! The bartender said it was $4 for my cone and I was like are you kidding me?!?! The lack of soft serve was probably one of my few complaints. With so many other options, it does feel a bit ridiculous to complain about soft serve ice cream, but having cruised other lines where it’s available practically 24/7, I just don’t understand why MSC doesn’t do that!! 

Basically speaking; because they have contracted the ice cream management to a 3rd party vendor which rents their space from the ship. And why on earth would they to offer some soft serve elsewhere, once they have available for a reasonable fee the nice stuff? $4 for a soft serve scoop or cone? That's nuts, really!...

 

Pro tip: Usually they have a free small ice cream cup as part of the MDR lunch menu. It is a small cup of the good stuff! back in the day they used to have it also at the buffet. Not anymore on the most recent times, I believe. If that interests you...

[MANDMTRAVEL]

2 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

No gelato was included with the packages- just soft serve. Anyone could get soft serve in the buffet at certain times in the afternoon, but it wasn’t a long time- maybe only from 4-5pm? The kids could get soft serve from the Jungle Pool Bar for a longer duration, but it was only kids!  I didn’t realize they were charging adults for soft serve there! The bartender said it was $4 for my cone and I was like are you kidding me?!?! The lack of soft serve was probably one of my few complaints. With so many other options, it does feel a bit ridiculous to complain about soft serve ice cream, but having cruised other lines where it’s available practically 24/7, I just don’t understand why MSC doesn’t do that!! 

sad to hear that, my kids are not soda drinkers but loved the MSC gelato on the Seaside. Well, I  will have to pay for the gelato then. thanks!!!

[MANDMTRAVEL]

2 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Basically speaking; because they have contracted the ice cream management to a 3rd party vendor which rents their space from the ship. And why on earth would they to offer some soft serve elsewhere, once they have available for a reasonable fee the nice stuff? $4 for a soft serve scoop or cone? That's nuts, really!...

 

Pro tip: Usually they have a free small ice cream cup as part of the MDR lunch menu. It is a small cup of the good stuff! back in the day they used to have it also at the buffet. Not anymore on the most recent times, I believe. If that interests you...

thanks for the heads up.

[Missbollinger]

Great review, we were on the same sailing; booked in August 2021, after we got off the Meraviglia (Second sailing out of Miami) We are a family of 6, so we had booked the Aurea 2 bedroom grand suite at the forward of the ship.  Unfortunately, they cancelled our suite after final payment and put us in a ‘guaranteed suite’ category.  We found out the month before we sailed they had upgraded us into two Yacht Club suites.  It was a great sailing IMO, the reduced capacity and level of service was a perfect balance.  

[Two Wheels Only]

3 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

We received quite a few upgrade offers for YC but elected to pass because none of them had a hot tub on the balcony and that we were all looking forward to that! 

 

On Seashore, both the Royal Suites and the Owner's Suites have a hot tub on the balcony. The one in the RS is actually larger than the one on the OS balcony....larger balcony, too. The OS stateroom is larger with much better views, though. 

[3StarfishKids]

First sea day- 

We slept in a little and then ate at the buffet. They probably had half the buffet closed and still it never felt crowded- there were always plenty of tables available and servers hovering about to take drink orders. We ate breakfast at the buffet every day except our last day. We like to go to one of the restaurants on the disembarkation day because it’s usually closer to the deck you leave from and, in my mind, less carrying your hand luggage. 
The breakfast buffet had all the typical American breakfast items you might expect, plus a variety of items that seem more typical in other countries. Every day there were: eggs (boiled, scrambled, over easy, poached), omelettes, bacon, sausage, some kind of breakfast casserole, fresh fruit (bananas, kiwi, apples, melon, plums, pineapple), grits, hot oatmeal, all kinds of toast and pastries, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles (plus all kinds of toppings), home fries, hash browns, biscuits and sausage gravy. There was always some kind of carved meat-like ham, as well as smoked salmon. There were also things I’m not accustomed to eating like hot tomato halves, beans (like baked beans), and pickled herring. There was also yogurt and toppings, as well as cereal daily. My kids were excited about Froot Loops one day- so maybe they didn’t have them daily. That’s about all I can think of- as far as what they had for the breakfast buffet, but if there is something specific you want to know if they had, let me know and maybe it’ll spark a memory. 
 

We spent most of the first sea day in chairs relaxing close to the water slides as our kids were all about those. At that point, we hadn’t figured out that the Aurea package gave you access to the Top 19 Solarium (where it was much quieter and had its own bar, but also still close to the water slides). The kids checked out the kids and teen clubs and my husband & I enjoyed the thermal spa. 
 

I think dinner the first night was prime rib and I can’t recall what the second nights dinner was, but I took pictures of the fantastic salmon appetizers we had. The kids are adventurous eaters so they enjoyed as well. 
 

I finally was able to get photos to upload so here’s some of the room/balcony and the salmon appetizer. 

[3StarfishKids]

2 hours ago, Missbollinger said:

Great review, we were on the same sailing; booked in August 2021, after we got off the Meraviglia (Second sailing out of Miami) We are a family of 6, so we had booked the Aurea 2 bedroom grand suite at the forward of the ship.  Unfortunately, they cancelled our suite after final payment and put us in a ‘guaranteed suite’ category.  We found out the month before we sailed they had upgraded us into two Yacht Club suites.  It was a great sailing IMO, the reduced capacity and level of service was a perfect balance.  

Ooh that sounds like it worked out in your favor!! 🙌🏻 Lovely family photo! 

[3StarfishKids]

2 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

On Seashore, both the Royal Suites and the Owner's Suites have a hot tub on the balcony. The one in the RS is actually larger than the one on the OS balcony....larger balcony, too. The OS stateroom is larger with much better views, though. 

That’s good to know! The ones we received offers for didn’t look like they had them. I think it was the deluxe suite and the deluxe grand suite that they offered us. 

[chicail16]

Hi @3starfishkids!  Thanks for the great review!  What about lunch and dinner buffet?  Was is typically the same hamburgers, pizzas, hotdogs throughout the whole cruise?  No change in food selection.

 

Also, during breakfast buffet, was there eggs benedict?

 

Thanks again.

[MANDMTRAVEL]

That is an awesome cabin!!!

[Missbollinger]

18 hours ago, 3StarfishKids said:

First sea day- 

We slept in a little and then ate at the buffet. They probably had half the buffet closed and still it never felt crowded- there were always plenty of tables available and servers hovering about to take drink orders. We ate breakfast at the buffet every day except our last day. We like to go to one of the restaurants on the disembarkation day because it’s usually closer to the deck you leave from and, in my mind, less carrying your hand luggage. 
The breakfast buffet had all the typical American breakfast items you might expect, plus a variety of items that seem more typical in other countries. Every day there were: eggs (boiled, scrambled, over easy, poached), omelettes, bacon, sausage, some kind of breakfast casserole, fresh fruit (bananas, kiwi, apples, melon, plums, pineapple), grits, hot oatmeal, all kinds of toast and pastries, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles (plus all kinds of toppings), home fries, hash browns, biscuits and sausage gravy. There was always some kind of carved meat-like ham, as well as smoked salmon. There were also things I’m not accustomed to eating like hot tomato halves, beans (like baked beans), and pickled herring. There was also yogurt and toppings, as well as cereal daily. My kids were excited about Froot Loops one day- so maybe they didn’t have them daily. That’s about all I can think of- as far as what they had for the breakfast buffet, but if there is something specific you want to know if they had, let me know and maybe it’ll spark a memory. 
 

We spent most of the first sea day in chairs relaxing close to the water slides as our kids were all about those. At that point, we hadn’t figured out that the Aurea package gave you access to the Top 19 Solarium (where it was much quieter and had its own bar, but also still close to the water slides). The kids checked out the kids and teen clubs and my husband & I enjoyed the thermal spa. 
 

I think dinner the first night was prime rib and I can’t recall what the second nights dinner was, but I took pictures of the fantastic salmon appetizers we had. The kids are adventurous eaters so they enjoyed as well. 
 

I finally was able to get photos to upload so here’s some of the room/balcony and the salmon appetizer. 

The room looks nice and big!  I didn’t realize how deep it was, the 2 bedroom grand suite is also deep and has two bathrooms; I would try to book it again you decide to sail again with MSC.

[deliver42]

Thanks for your review. We were on that ship last month and loved it. I have a bad knee and the thermal spa was fantastic. While on board, we booked the YC on the Divina for next year. It will be our 3rd time on her.

[3StarfishKids]

On 6/15/2022 at 8:06 AM, chicail16 said:

Hi @3starfishkids!  Thanks for the great review!  What about lunch and dinner buffet?  Was is typically the same hamburgers, pizzas, hotdogs throughout the whole cruise?  No change in food selection.

 

Also, during breakfast buffet, was there eggs benedict?

 

Thanks again.

There were usually 3 kinds of eggs Benedict- one with spinach, one with ham, and one with another type of meat (maybe corned beef hash?). I tried it the first day and didn’t care for the hollandaise sauce- it was different than I expected somehow. I had the hollandaise sauce on asparagus in the dining room for dinner one night and liked it, so maybe it was just me not feeling it that morning. 
 

We never ate at the dinner buffet, but had lunch there daily plus sometimes afternoon snacks and/or late night snacks. They always had 3 kinds of pizza- usually margarita, some kind of white pizza, and pepperoni. The pizza is so good!! Definitely have at least one slice of pizza even if you aren’t a big fan- my husband had pizza every single day, usually more than once… They always had hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries. They also always had several different types of sandwiches already made up, plus cold cuts, cheese and bread. Whatever they had on the focaccia bread was my favorite!  Every day there was a carving station, and pasta with different sauces as well. They also had some kind of grilled fish daily, which was surprisingly good for being on a buffet. 

 

There was always a salad bar with different types of veggies. One thing I thought was different was the blanched cold vegetables on the salad bar- things like cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts,  and green beans. They also had different types of pasta and grain salads- sometimes with meat or seafood in them. Usually there was also fixings for nachos or rice bowls. So many options and honestly nothing we tried was bad! 
 

lots of dessert options too! I love the tiny desserts because then I don’t feel badly getting so many 😂😂 One day they had all chocolate desserts at lunch- the photo is my selection. The ones in the cups, they would have different flavors daily. 

[gooding12]

@Missbollinger We were also on the 6/4 sailing. We also got bumped from the 2 bedroom suite to 2 connecting YC suites. I wonder who was actually in that room!

[Missbollinger]

9 minutes ago, gooding12 said:

@Missbollinger We were also on the 6/4 sailing. We also got bumped from the 2 bedroom suite to 2 connecting YC suites. I wonder who was actually in that room!

That’s so bizarre, unless they were blocking off those rooms?  There are only 3 on the whole ship.