Seascape YC 3/9 - 3/16 review

[killsport]

TLDR: Very enjoyable. Great service. Food mediocre. Wine list poor. NO SHADE!

 

The details...

My wife and I just did our first MSC cruise after about 20 cruises on other lines (Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, Princess, Carnival). We cruise to relax and have fun. We are pretty easy going and think that when you have issues on a cruise it is a 1%er problem and really not that big of a deal. We book when we find "value" in a rate/cabin/experience... and it fits in with the school (teacher) calendar. We got a good rate on a YIN on Seaside (18029). Boarding was beyond amazing. Smooth, fast... before we knew it we were in Top Sail about to order a drink when we were told our cabin was ready and we were escorted there. A+++ for the boarding. 

 

The room was amply sized for us and we had no issue with the amount of storage space (we did bring 2 backpacks and two carry-on roller bags). However, the bathroom was tiny. I'm 5'10" and I couldn't put my legs straight out when on the toilet -- I had to angle them. And the shower is crazy small. I couldn't actually pretzel myself to wash below my knees. The water pressure was great and virtually instant hot water. If I were (re) designing the cabin I would definitely take about 2 linear feet from the sitting area and expand the bathroom.

 

We didn't ask for much from our butler, and that's about what we got. The room was cleaned but aside from escorting us off the ship, we saw her a few times throughout the week but no real interaction. She was difficult to understand, but a smile goes a long way.

 

The ship itself (throughout - not just Yacht Club) is very attractive and I didn't have an issue navigating. We enjoyed a few non-YC areas such as the Sports Bar and the Loft cafe. Both had some fun music. The Sports Bar had a nice, active vibe and the Loft cafe had some nice, jazzy entertainment.

 

Inside the YC, we partook in the breakfast buffet, as well as seated lunches and dinners. Breakfast was normal. Angel made great espressos and was ready with Baileys if the mood was right. The menu never changed for breakfast, but had the usual (bacon not great, but eggs any way you wanted, sausage, grits, oatmeal, meats, fish, and bread). I have a bone to pick with the baker of the bread --- STOP MAKING IT SO DAMN GOOD!!! We had bread with EVERY (not kidding) meal. So there goes 5 lbs of weight that will need to be lost.

 

Lunches were actually pretty good. They had flavor (for the most part) and were well conceived dishes and presented attractively. 

 

However, dinners were very hit and miss. More miss than hit. The good: filets were properly cooked, fish dishes nicely done, and the gala menu was good from start to finish. But the risottos were inedible. I tried one each of the first four nights before giving up. It was as if they cooked rice, then put it in a thick sauce and cooked it down. No texture, almost no flavor. F--- on the risotto. The pasta dishes were ok, but presentation was awful. An example dish was ravioli (beige), lobster (ivory) in a white bowl. No decoration, no color, nothing. The taste was ok, but it was very unappealing. The shrimp ranged from tasty to fishy and mushy. Also, I don't remember king crab in a Maryland crabcake... But we clearly didn't starve. However, for those who enjoy an elegant meal, you might be disappointed. We have had better overall dining experiences in HAL's general dining room and Celebrity's Blu (AquaClass) restaurant. Quick note on the attire: most gents were in khakis and a polo or button shirt; some were in shorts and t shirts. In many cases, the 60 children in the YC (yes, it is Spring Break time) were dressed better than the adults.

 

We accompany our meals with wine. The wine list was poor. Or worse. And they didn't have some listed wines and no reasonable substitutes were offered. For example, the Louis Jadot Pinot Noir which is French ($12 at Walmart) was unavailable. They said they had the Mirassou Pinot Noir ($9.50) which is from California and I should drink that. Although they both use the same grape, they are nothing alike. We ended up drinking a lot of the Whispering Angel rose ($19 at Total Wine), Peter Lehman Shiraz ($19 at Total Wine) and the Frescobaldi Remole ($8.50 at Total Wine). As a comparison, the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone ($52 at Total Wine) was included in our beverage package on Princess.

 

While on the subject of alcohol, the gin selection was great and the rum selection was decent. The bourbon selection was depressing - Woodford Reserve and Elijah Craig. And they ran out of the Woodford Reserve in the YC but still had it in other parts of the ship. Hmmm???

 

The other gripe was the utter lack of shade in the YC. OK, if you were sitting in an eating position, you could find shade (but the material-covered area didn't actually fully block rays). If you wanted to lie down you were SOL. The cabanas did provide some relief, but were not actually full shade; with a few windy days the cabana sides couldn't stay properly together. Both of us have had skin cancer issues, so we couldn't enjoy the 20th floor aside from breakfast.

 

We took advantage of the Aurea Spa / Thermal area for sauna, steam room, and snow room. And some crazy cold water shower that I was told would energize my pores. Whatever that means! I think it was just a cruel joke to see how many fools would do it. Fool #1 reporting for duty! The thermal area (despite me being a fool) was quite enjoyable.

 

However, despite the noted deficiencies, we did manage to relax, read books, play games, and be entertained. And we were pampered by the staff.

 

At the end of the cruise, we asked ourselves if we would do MSC again. The verdict... at the right price, yes. But if we had the option for similarly priced YIN vs Celebrity AquaClass with a beverage package, we'd do the AquaClass.

[killsport]

I forgot to comment on the captain (Michele Tuvo). He was very visible in the YC. Friendly, involved, and would greet people multiple times a day. One small situation that was indicative of his care - he was surveying the deck 20 while I was having breakfast and saw an empty bottle on the edge of the pool. As he walked by, he picked it up, walked to the coffee area, placed it on the counter and pleasantly said good morning to one of the butlers. Just keeping his ship in shipshape 👍

[Beamafar]

The unavailability of listed wines seems to be a common complaint on US sailings.  My preference is Oberon when in the region (on MSC ships.  Cicogna elsewhere).  The more I cruise, the more I’m inclined to express my displeasure if listed items aren’t available.  We’re fairly low maintenance, but expect to at least get what we should.