Nov 20th Seashore Live(ish) review - Retreater goes Yacht Clubbing for 1st time

[go.without.you]

90 minutes later we are still in the lounge. No new announcements just the same one over and over. 

[go.without.you]

So we made it to the pier and it's kind of a hawt mess (to say the least). The ship arrived late this morning so everything has been delayed. 

They took us to the yacht club lounge at 1130 and all the seats were already taken. Also, there was no white tent for yacht club check in but our porter walked us to the area, so that was very nice of him.

So we waited outside for about 10 minutes then thru security to the packed lounge. There are a lot of people in the regular line and this reason alone was worth paying the YC fare.

The staff have apologized numerous times to the point that I really for sorry for them. This is beyond their control and they are handing things as best they can. They are bringing out extra chairs for the people that just keep coming. 

They just made an announcement about a delay on disembarkation causing a boarding delay. We are waiting for customs to allow boarding. 

The lounge has champagne, water, peanuts and juices that they are keeping stocked.

And we got wrist bands which I read they haven't had on past cruises due to a supply issue.

So, usually this time we'd be eating lunch and drinking wine but I'm not complaining because it's still better than a good day at work. 

[peder]

Lots of discussion on Facebook that the Nov 16th Seashore sailing was a bit of a hot mess, with even a few new complaints that I don't think I've heard before about MSC (i.e. room service breakfast never showing up, reported by many guests).

 

Hope things are a bit smoother in YC and otherwise smoother overall on this sailing.

[go.without.you]

We FINALLY made it on board about 130.

Lunch in the Yacht Club dining room. 

I had the Caesar salad and the pasta with pistachio ice cream.

We ordered Sav Blanc wine and were told they were out!!!   Screeeecchhhh!!!! But they are getting more today. Ok......cruise can resume.

[Sundiego]

3 hours ago, go.without.you said:

 

We ordered Sav Blanc wine and were told they were out!!!   Screeeecchhhh!!!! But they are getting more today. Ok......cruise can resume.

 

LOL. I think this is going to be an awesome review 🙂

[go.without.you]

So we went to dinner at 6. The service was really slow. Our apps didn't arrive until 645. It's almost like they are missing an entire staff for our section. 

Table behind us is a couple with a 6ish year old. We hear gagging and then realize the kid vomited. One would think "that's my kid, let me clean it up. ". No..... parents of the year they are not. Mom takes out gagging kid and dad sits there telling several staff that his kid made a mess. It's all over the floor and the window. I'm getting whiffs of vomit before my main course.  I'm really trying to be positive here but so far it's really hard. 

Parents: if your kid makes a mess in public it is YOUR JOB to clean it up!!!!! I don't hate kids, I hate lazy parents.

It's almost 730 and I don't have my main entree and I smell vomit.

 

[jean87510]

1 minute ago, go.without.you said:

So we went to dinner at 6. The service was really slow. Our apps didn't arrive until 645. It's almost like they are missing an entire staff for our section. 

Table behind us is a couple with a 6ish year old. We hear gagging and then realize the kid vomited. One would think "that's my kid, let me clean it up. ". No..... parents of the year they are not. Mom takes out gagging kid and dad sits there telling several staff that his kid made a mess. It's all over the floor and the window. I'm getting whiffs of vomit before my main course.  I'm really trying to be positive here but so far it's really hard. 

Parents: if your kid makes a mess in public it is YOUR JOB to clean it up!!!!! I don't hate kids, I hate lazy parents.

It's almost 730 and I don't have my main entree and I smell vomit.

 

this is in the YC restaurant?

[go.without.you]

21 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

this is in the YC restaurant?

Yes

[go.without.you]

Finally got our entrees. Prime rib was ok. Pistachio dessert was disappointing. 

Hoping 2mro will be better. 

 

[dexddd]

Please keep up on yc dining room experience.  Based on our recent experience on different ship and others recently, something has derailed in the dining experience both food and service.  The burger was consistently good though but if that is the best they can do.....

[go.without.you]

We left Port Canaveral about 8 last night and we were supposed to arrive in Ocean Cay at 7 but that's been delayed until 930.

I still cannot believe the horrible parents from last night. And I didn't even mention the baby at the other table that cried thru the entire dinner service.

A couple at the other table ordered the prime rib medium, said he couldn't even chew it and then got another option. Like I told them, I don't hate kids. I hate crappy parents. 

We have decided that yesterday was just a bad day for the crew and we are moving forward with positivity. 

 

[go.without.you]

We are very pleased with the cabin. The layout is nice and there is plenty of counter space. 

Outlets are limited so I'm glad I brought my converter. There is only 1 USB port on the left side of the bed. 

Towels: We were given 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 1 wash cloth. No extras to be found. We had 3x that many at the Best Western. I took a walk down the hall and a steward gave me 2 extra large towels and 4 wash cloths. I'm thinking our room steward Edi should have given us those last night when he turned down the room but for whatever reason did not. We saw him a few times last night and also met our butler Kevin.

Our balcony door whistled and moaned all night but has since quieted in the past hour. 

The shower is very nice and the bar soap has a nice lather. I bring my own shampoo and conditioner for my fine hair so I can't report on theirs. Not a big deal but they don't supply qtips and cotton balls like celebrity does. Just something I got used to not packing and now miss. 

We are finally getting out of the room to grab some breakfast at the club buffet.

[Cathy in Boston]

Regarding your slow service in the YC restaurant, I seem to recall another review where someone said the first night was incredibly long and slow, but each night got progressively faster, so hopefully you find the same thing.

[Happymemakes3]

Sorry you got off to a rocky start, hope it gets better! How is the internet? Did you get just the Browse that came with YC or the Browse and Stream package? Can you inquire if there is an option to upgrade to the browse and stream package while on the ship and for what fee, I would greatly appreciate it🤗

[pirate4me2]

15 hours ago, go.without.you said:

So we went to dinner at 6. The service was really slow. Our apps didn't arrive until 645. It's almost like they are missing an entire staff for our section. 

Table behind us is a couple with a 6ish year old. We hear gagging and then realize the kid vomited. One would think "that's my kid, let me clean it up. ". No..... parents of the year they are not. Mom takes out gagging kid and dad sits there telling several staff that his kid made a mess. It's all over the floor and the window. I'm getting whiffs of vomit before my main course.  I'm really trying to be positive here but so far it's really hard. 

Parents: if your kid makes a mess in public it is YOUR JOB to clean it up!!!!! I don't hate kids, I hate lazy parents.

It's almost 730 and I don't have my main entree and I smell vomit.

 

Oh my gosh, I feel so bad for the staff that had to clean that up. Shame on the parents! 

On my cruise in August we had a few kids in the YC area and they were so well behaved, and luckily our fellow pax were too. Hoping that your experience going foward will get better! 

[go.without.you]

28 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Oh my gosh, I feel so bad for the staff that had to clean that up. Shame on the parents! 

On my cruise in August we had a few kids in the YC area and they were so well behaved, and luckily our fellow pax were too. Hoping that your experience going foward will get better! 

I didn't even tell the worst part. So the 6 yr old gets sick and mom grabs her and the 2 (?) yr old and leaves, never to return. She apologized to us before she left and I did feel bad for her cause her kid getting sick was beyond her control.

So what did dad do, you may be asking....he sat there and pointed out the mess to every crew member that came near. Zero attempts to clean, nothing. He sat there for at least another half hour and we kept saying "why is he still sitting there?" It finally occurred to us this morning (when we were sober) that he sat there and waited for his entree to come. Sooooo that happened. 

I didn't see their faces because they were behind me but Janelle is on high alert to point them out in the future.

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, go.without.you said:

I didn't even tell the worst part. So the 6 yr old gets sick and mom grabs her and the 2 (?) yr old and leaves, never to return. She apologized to us before she left and I did feel bad for her cause her kid getting sick was beyond her control.

So what did dad do, you may be asking....he sat there and pointed out the mess to every crew member that came near. Zero attempts to clean, nothing. He sat there for at least another half hour and we kept saying "why is he still sitting there?" It finally occurred to us this morning (when we were sober) that he sat there and waited for his entree to come. Sooooo that happened. 

I didn't see their faces because they were behind me but Janelle is on high alert to point them out in the future.

what a jerk.  

[DaKahuna]

On 11/20/2023 at 2:36 PM, go.without.you said:

 

I had the Caesar salad and the pasta with pistachio ice cream.

 

 

 So glad you posted pictures.  There for a minute I was trying to image a pasta and pistachio ice cream as a single disk.   

[go.without.you]

Yesterday we were promised a bottle of our choice in our room. We said Sav Blanc, still haven't seen it or our USA today.

We had our robes delivered today after breakfast.  I would've thought they would've came last night with extra towels but ok.

I'm not going to review breakfast on YC buffet because it was just messy. That's all I have to say about it.

Today we went to Ocean Cay. We were supposed to arrive at 7 and arrived about 11. I say about because we heard no announcements about being able to leave the ship and then we saw people on the island so off we went. We had to ask at the YC concierge how to leave because we were given zero information about leaving the ship. I would've thought it would be printed in the daily but it wasn't. We were escorted off and then waited about 20 minutes for the shuttle to the YC beach. A lady made a fuss because there were 3 shuttles that picked up other passengers before picking up YC guests. She had a point as there were as many people in the YC line as the regular line, this was when we 1st got there so I have no idea how long she was waiting. 

The YC beach was as expected per other reviews, very rocky and you need water shoes. There was constant wind and waves on this beach. The waiter came once to take our drink orders and that was it (between 12 and 2). It was a beautiful day and we never felt hot or uncomfortable. 

We had lunch at the YC restaurant. We shared the ceviche, the lobster roll and Mahi Mahi. All were okay, nothing to brag about. 

We were a little disappointed in the service. We sat down and a few minutes later they took our drink order. About 5 minutes later we ordered our food. At that point I went to use the restroom. The restaurant has 1 unisex restroom. 1 restroom!!!! Very poor planning. There was also a trailer that had 3 stalls (1 men, 1 unisex 1 women) across the lawn. I decided to wait for the unisex at the restaurant. I was 3rd in line behind a lady with a child and another lady. I returned to our table and the drinks still had not arrived (at least 10 minutes later). A few minutes after that our food arrived. We start eating and a new staff member asked if we wanted drinks. We told her that we ordered drinks but they never arrived so she took our order again. A few minutes later our original drinks arrived and then 5 minutes later the 2nd order arrived. 

So the restaurant closed at 2pm and so did the bar. Why does the YC bar close at 2pm on the beach? We decided to walk back and hit a bar on the way. We noticed the staff were very slow moving and said so. The guy in front of us (not YC) said, "Always!!!". In 30 cruises I've never seen staff move so slow or care so little about the guests. 

I'm not saying service has been bad but I don't feel like I'm getting special treatment in the YC. I've honestly received better service in regular class on RCCL, Celebrity and Carnival.

At dinner tonight our appetizers were served before we were able to order wine (at least 20 minutes after we were seated).

Seriously MSC, I really wanted better. I have 2 cruises booked on MSC for next year and now I'm questioning if I should keep them. 

Dinner tonight was OK. The best thing we've had so far is the chocolate souffle. 

[voyager89]

Uh oh. I sail on 12/10 and I hope it’s notas bad since it’s my husbands first time with MSC and just second cruise. I did the Seaside in 2018 and it was fine. Not YC then or now, just a regular balcony. Do you need to wait for a shuttle for the beach? I’ve never been to ocean cay, but I thought we could just walk. 

[Essiesmom]

33 minutes ago, voyager89 said:

Uh oh. I sail on 12/10 and I hope it’s notas bad since it’s my husbands first time with MSC and just second cruise. I did the Seaside in 2018 and it was fine. Not YC then or now, just a regular balcony. Do you need to wait for a shuttle for the beach? I’ve never been to ocean cay, but I thought we could just walk. 

You don’t have to wait for a shuttle.  I walked most of it.  There are several beaches.  You don’t have to take towels off, you can pick them up just inside the gate, and turn them in there.  EM

[Sundiego]

Eeek. Sounds like the YC on the Seashore is not all it's supposed to be. We've been in YC 3 times, each time was excellent. But the more I read about the Seashore here and elsewhere, I'm losing faith. @go.without.you have you spent any time in the Top Sail Lounge?

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review.

 

Denise

[go.without.you]

12 hours ago, voyager89 said:

Uh oh. I sail on 12/10 and I hope it’s notas bad since it’s my husbands first time with MSC and just second cruise. I did the Seaside in 2018 and it was fine. Not YC then or now, just a regular balcony. Do you need to wait for a shuttle for the beach? I’ve never been to ocean cay, but I thought we could just walk. 

It was walkable and there are places to stop and sit along the way. We didn't know so that's why we waited for the shuttle to take us to the beach.

[pirate4me2]

Oh boy....I sailed MSC Seaside last year in YC and had the best service and experience ever. I sail Seashore next Sept with my hubby after talking MSC and YC up to him, I sure hope it gets better and more organized! 

[go.without.you]

We went to the lounge for a drink after dinner and it was pretty empty, about 730 or so. Staff was very friendly. Tonight we will go there first and take our wine to dinner since last night we didn't get wine until after our starters (spoiled much?). Good thing I wanted the same wine for both courses because some wine/food snobs would be offended. 

For dinner last night I had the asparagus starter and the fish, (name I can't remember). I don't eat a lot of fish and I wanted to not order "the usual" so I tried it. It was good, I wasn't disappointed.

We went to the magic show. First we asked the concierge desk where it was (yes we read the flier...we both forgot) all they said was "deck 7". No one offered to escort us there. No problem, I can read the ship map (reading is an ability I have but don't always use). We got there and saw another couple and the butler recognized us so we followed them to be seated. We only stayed for a few minutes because we weren't impressed. To be honest I usually skip the shows, it's just not my thing. 

Our cabin steward still doesn't want us to have more than 2 towels, ice, the daily paper or the bottle of wine he told us he would bring. I left a note about all that when we left for breakfast. (Edited to add: I tipped the steward and butler $5 each yesterday. Perhaps I need to give more? Open to suggestions. )

I don't know what they are putting in the food that is turning me into a zombie. We slept until 945. 945!!! I usually wake up every hour starting about 5am and so does Janelle. Our room was not on the sun side so even tho we had the curtain open it was still pretty dark. And um.....wine. (Don't judge me.)

Since we were so late leaving the room we did YC buffet. Success today! It was very deserted so no line, plenty of seats and they weren't overwhelmed at the egg station like yesterday. 

We did see "Father of the Year" with his daughter "Old faithful" and we swore that if they sat within 10 feet we were moving. Hey, we got burned once.

We had 2 young boys (7 or 8??? I'm bad with ages) behind us at dinner last night that had I not seen them being seated I wouldn't have known they were there. There was a toddler in a high chair that was doing happy yells every once in a while (not annoying) so we were glad we didn't have the "crying baby soundtrack" and we were able to appreciate the pianist downstairs. 

We watched some of the light show during dinner. There were lights. On a lighthouse. That's really all I got.

Ok, what I really miss from Celebrity is having the same staff in the dining room for each meal. The hostess would ask, "do you want the same waiters?" I miss that personal touch they give us. I also tip every person that comes to our table the 1st night. Bribery? Call it what you want they always made me feel special. Not getting the warm and fuzziess here. The staff behind the grill & bar are very personable and I'm patting my pockets to see if I have any cash. Spoiler alert: I do not but I will grab some from the room.

I lost $80 in the casino last night in less than 20 minutes so I won't be going back there again.

The plan for today is sun, lounging and a massage.

I did not take pics of my food last night but here is the menu.

Edited November 22, 2023 by go.without.you