My View: Trading the Landscape for the Seascape

[APDMOM]

8 hours ago, surfjock27 said:

 

We also did self-assist and were off the ship and in our car, within 15 minutes.
The parking garage though, UGH!!
From the time we got to our car, until the time we paid, was about 30-35 minutes. 

There has to be a better system for the next time the machines are down. 
 

I agree.  They charge enough to make the system work.  Of course, they also know there are not many safe options around.  We may park at the Hampton Inn again next time and just pay the $$$ for the hotel.  If you subtract the $154 from Miami garage parking, it makes the hotel stay much more reasonable... 🙂 

[APDMOM]

5 hours ago, kasi1979 said:

Excuse the question, but is self assist debarcation Open to all paasengers or just If you are a US Citizen?

 

Self-assist should be available to anyone who can carry off their own luggage.  I never heard of a differentiation between nationalities.  Everyone still goes through passport control/customs after leaving the ship, so I would venture to say it is available to non US Citizens.  

[APDMOM]

4 hours ago, Julia’s Journey’s said:

Thanks so much for the review from another South African 🇿🇦🇺🇸. Im in the process of booking my first MSC cruise and so different from our others where I can select cabin and have room service if I choose without making those choices at time of booking and no charges for them. Which options do you find make a difference and you would not cruise without. I also read that not all cabins are available unless air is booked thru cruise line - so why pay to choose cabin if most are blocked off?

Your review was so helpful for a first time MSC cruiser, thanks for daily info, menu’s and spa prices.

 

My Plesier 🙂 

 

I would personally always do Fantastica experience to be able to choose the location of our cabin.  We have always found good cabins locations even with most blocked off.  This time, our cabin location was not ideal, but we had based our decision off the prior experience on Seaside.  We had assumed the Seascape would be the same - not so.  From now on, I would choose a cabin forward over the spa area.  

 

TIP:  Forgot to mention this in my review, so highlighting in red:  Another benefit of choosing your cabin location on this ship is that the starboard side of the ship on deck 8 is an assigned smoking area.  So, that may influence your decision if you prefer the non-smoking Port side of the Seascape.  

[APDMOM]

19 hours ago, APDMOM said:

TIP:  Book a balcony 10-03 and forward if you want a more quiet space.  We were disappointed that there was public seating below our balcony.  There was a large family gathering that was very loud past midnight on day 2 below our balcony.  

That should state 10053... not sure what the clumsy fingers typed there in my haste!  To avoid the metal balconies, book between 10053 and 10033.  Of course, you would be giving up some of the aft view in these, so it depends on how much you can put up with noise from deck 8.  

Edited March 30, 2023 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Cabin 10129 - Sort of mirror image of 10125, but with bed by the closet.  These were connecting rooms, which we booked on purpose so that we can have the 2 cabins for the 3 of us.

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Connecting doors (please excuse the mess - the picture was taken while packing our suitcases - almost forgot to take this picture):

 

Looking from 10125 into 10129:

 

Balcony flap opened - They did caution that they may need to close it for navigation, but they never needed close it during our cruise:

[APDMOM]

Stateroom 14137 (Our friend was in this room and heard much less noise from deck 8):

 

 

 

 

 

The view straight down from the balcony:

 

Hooks behind the door (in all our cabins):

[APDMOM]

Aft Pool:

 

 

These chairs were not really comfortable - not used much:

 

The View from the Bridge of Sighs:

[APDMOM]

TIP: If you want to get a picture of the bridge of sighs from above, go up the set of stairs by the outside Marketplace Seating.  There is a little nook where you can take the picture - even better, bring a friend or tip a crew member to take a picture for you and your family.  If you take it on a Sea Day, you will also capture the beautiful wake view:

 

[APDMOM]

Jungle Pool:

 

 

 

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Pirates Cove:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

TIP:  These elevators are from the next century.  The touch screens outside light up with movement sensors.  You select your deck, and it tells you which elevator to take and approximately how long the wait is.  We had no complaints, since we knew how they work.  We also take the stairs most of the time.  The forward and far aft panaoramic elevators were not as busy as midship, except for forward after the shows. 

 

 

 

 

Inside, you only have the 'door open, door close' buttons. So, be sure to choose your destination outside the elevators.  

[APDMOM]

Marketplace Buffet:

I can't remember if I posted these pictures during the week, so here they are (maybe again).  The Marketplace is very large - If you enter at the elevators and head aft, you only see about half of the Marketplace buffet.  We always enjoyed sitting toward the aft.  It was usually less busy during our dining times.

 

TIP: If you like a bigger mug of coffee - go to the midship stations.  The aft coffee station only had smaller cups for coffee.  

 

TIP: The high-top tables were often available - a great option of you don't mind the bar stools.

 

 

 

 

 

TIP:  There are plenty of high chairs throughout the Marketplace, but especially at the Kids' area, which is forward of the midship entrance:

[APDMOM]

A few Views of Specialty Dining:

 

Ocean Cay:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Butcher's Cut:

  

 

 

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Kaito Sushi and the Hibachi:  

 

TIP: For Kaito Sushi, you pay a specific amount per plate - color coded for pricing:

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The bar outside the Specialty dining, as well as The Wine Cellar:

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

A Few Views of the Casino:

We did not use this space.  It was very smokey.  Unfortunately, the design of the ship was very flawed in this area.  You could smell Casino smoke on 3 decks in the area of Times' Square.  This included part of Venci and the area of the Dual Pianos.

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Deck Themes (Something we love about MSC):

 

 

 

 

We learned about two new international destinations, thanks to these deck themes.

 

[APDMOM]

Almost forgot!

 

We got to see some whales:  "There She Blows!"  I did not get to capture the whale itself, but got several pictures of them blowing.

 

TIP: If you travel this time of year in the vicinity of the Dominican Republic, be on the look out.  This was spotted on our first sea day while sailing past DR:

[APDMOM]

That Ship Horn!

 

Funny story:  The first night, I kept hearing the 'ship horn'.  It was so nice to hear - because it was reminiscent of our Canada/New England cruise through the fog.  Looking outside, it was a curious sight, as there was no fog.  Next night, "ship horn" again.  We started paying closer attention.  It was the same sound, the same duration, every night, several times through the night.  Come sea day, take a nape, "Ship horn!"  

 

We finally figured out it was not the ship horn, but people flushing toilets in the vicinity.  When I say "vicinity", I don't mean only next door or upper neighbors.  It was way too frequent to be just closeby neighbors.  That is why I say the ship was cheaply built.  First time in 39 cruises that we experienced this amount of noise.  

 

Reset mind:  "It's the ship horn" 🤣 😴😴😴💤

 

Summary:

 

It is always the hardest to summarize the cruise - it means it is truly over and I try not to forget anything.  If I could only be as meticulous about taking notes on vacation as I am at work...LOL!

 

The Verdict:  Seaside (2019) vs. Seascape (2023)

 

No competition - Seaside wins hands down:

Better shows - Broadway quality singers, dancers, sets, music!

Better sound insolation in stateroom

Not as much public noise from deck 8

Better layout with 2 buffets - one on deck 8

A zip-line!!!

Better, healty food with smaller portions in the MDR (personal preference)

 

Caveat:

We were on Seaside when MSC was relatively new to the US market, so it was not as busy or loud. It was also pre-covid.  

 

So, I should probably hold my final judgement until after our Seaside cruise coming up May 28 through June 8th... Hoping it is still as good.  We shall see.

 

Seascape again?

I would not easily say 'never' to a ship.  However, I will be more careful about recommending MSC to friends after this cruise.  If you get a very affordable rate (like we did), it is a great experience.  It was not the experience we had expected, since it is supposed to be a 'sister ship' to Seaside.  

 

In a nutshell:

Positives:

Some good public entertainment (not shows)

Affordable Drinks

Great Haircut

Lovely Thermal Area

Good Internet most of the week

Excellent deal for 2 balconies

 

Negatives:

Noisy ship

Smoke on 3 decks because of poor casino ventilation

Spring break cruise with rowdy family party on deck 8

Debarkation at ports - very poorly planned with long lines on the staircases, especially in Ocean Cay and Nassau

 

Glass almost full - cup running over:

Although there were negative aspects to the cruise that had a very minor impact on our vacation, we are very thankful for the affordable family vacation, ocean sounds, hard-working crew, and a truly relaxing time.  If we had the same price and option again, we would do it again!  

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

My Final View:

DH was next to a tractor trailer yesterday that made both of us long for the ship 🤣

[APDMOM]

Countdown to Seaside: 57 days, 9 hours

 

[momofmab]

Thank you for taking the time to review and post pictures!  I will be on Seashore in December (I think!  These similarly-named MSC ships are SO confusing - it's the newest one, whatever its name is.  I may need to write the name on my hand for embarkation day!)  It will be our first time on MSC and we are trying the YC.  I love that your reviews mention negatives but in a non-complaining, non-ranting way.  You clearly love to cruise, and I appreciate your positive spin on things!

 

Looking forward to your next review!

Edited April 1, 2023 by momofmab

[APDMOM]

3 hours ago, momofmab said:

Thank you for taking the time to review and post pictures!  I will be on Seashore in December (I think!  These similarly-named MSC ships are SO confusing - it's the newest one, whatever its name is.  I may need to write the name on my hand for embarkation day!)  It will be our first time on MSC and we are trying the YC.  I love that your reviews mention negatives but in a non-complaining, non-ranting way.  You clearly love to cruise, and I appreciate your positive spin on things!

 

Looking forward to your next review!

 

Thank you!  We do love cruising and, though I am sure there can be extenuating circumstances (like when the power fails), I cannot easily imagine a bad cruise 😁 
 

Seascape is the newest of this class.. First came Seaside, then Seashore, now Seascape.  EDIT: I think Seaview is also in there right after Seaside?) 

 

I would love to try Yacht Club some day.  For now, we like to cruise more frequently, so we still go for the cheapest balcony. Enjoy planning! 

Edited April 1, 2023 by APDMOM
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