My recent Seascape review (Fantastica cruiser)

[tofubeast]

I just posted this review on cruise critic, but I thought I would share it here.  I’ve seen people post on here that there’s a lack of reviews about the Seascape, and I just got off the ship a week and a half ago, I thought I’d give you my review here as well.  
 

In mid June ‘24, we sailed on the MSC Seascape with stops in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nassau, and MSC private island, Ocean Cay.  

 

We arrived at the terminal in Miami around 11:30, and we were probably on the ship within about 25 minutes or so.  It was the smoothest embarkation we’ve ever had in Miami.  Our room was nearly ready by the time we arrived, and we were able to drop our bags off and go have lunch.  Before doing so, we made dining reservations with ease for our trip as well as booked an excursion in the Bahamas.  

 

I have now sailed with MSC a few times, but this was my first time on the Seascape.  We sailed on the sister-ship, Seashore, back in January and had a great experience so we were excited to check out Seascape. 

 

We had a Fantastica balcony state room, and it was an excellent shape. Our room attendant was very thorough, and I felt that our room was kept clean and tidy throughout the week. 
 

I know the ship is only about a year and a half old, and it looks great.  It is very similar to the seashore with just some subtle differences.   The ship is very classy and has lovely public spaces.  Also, the captain on the ship was absolutely hilarious and delightful. He had so much personality and joy and his daily updates were always humorous and lively.  It was clear that the passengers really took a liking to him. The Cruise Director was also very personable as well. 

 

I have to say that our cruise was even better than our experience on Seashore (which was good too!).  I felt like the entertainment was a notch up. There were some fun adult and family evening games.  I would like to see MSC expand on these offerings.  Also,  the service was even better on this sailing.  We encountered many friendly crew members. 

 

My greatest praise would have to be in the main dining room.   I know food has been an area where this cruise line has received lots of constructive feedback.  I honestly thought the food was very good on this most recent cruise. Our table servers were excellent, friendly, and fun.  The menu was much more exciting than I have experienced on previous sailings and the entrées and appetizers have been improved both in taste and in plating.

 

In the last few months, MSC has introduced a brunch that is offered on the at sea days. The brunch goes till 1:30 so it was really nice being able to sleep in and still be able to enjoy a sitdown meal rather than go to the buffet.  The brunch was very popular, but we would were seated quickly both times.  I really hope that MSC continues with the brunch and expand it to more of its ships.  

 

The buffet was fine and serviceable.  I certainly found more dishes than I like than others. The pizza is great, but I found it to be better on the Divina where they offered more interesting and diversified toppings. I’d like to see MSC focus a bit more on their buffet.  It does get crowded at certain times, but I have encountered that on other cruise lines as well.

 

We ate at Ocean Cay, the seafood restaurant onboard. The service was fantastic and very attentive.  I was celebrating my birthday, and they made the evening extra special. We enjoyed lobster, tuna, and some appetizers.  I would definitely eat here again in the future. 

 

Ocean Cay was beautiful as ever. There are so many places that you can visit on the island and feel like you have it all to yourself. There were some construction walls up for new offerings in the future. I hope that always maintain the low-key and relaxing vibe of this spot. 

 

Disembarkation did take some time because we had one of the higher numbers.   But once our number was called, we were off the ship within minutes, retrieved our suitcases, and breezed through customs.  

 

Overall, the ship was beautiful and had many activities and fun spaces to hang out.  I feel like food is definitely improving on the cruise line as well as the service.  we will definitely consider MSC again for a future cruise though  I would like to see them offer more unique destinations in the Caribbean.

 

Edited June 26 by tofubeast
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[DaKahuna]

 Thank you for your review.  We are looking forward to sailing on Seascape for the first time in September. 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Great review!  I love that more and more positive reviews are finding their way to these boards!

[Ryan82]

Sailed on Seascape in January and it was superb from start to finish. Food was even better than what's served in Europe.

[Stockjock]

I've been cruising on MSC for roughly 10 years now, and it's the only cruise line I've been on where, worst case, the food quality has held steady and more likely, shown a bit of improvement.  Other lines I've been on have cut back pretty sharply, in terms of food quality.

[Essiesmom]

I was musing last night about the food.  Remembering our first cruise on Divina in 2013 I think the buffet food has improved greatly.  Burgers are not wrapped but grilled fresh.  But the biggest improvement is ingredients on the salad bar, and prepared salads.  EM

[Scottdalfonso]

Thank you for this. We have our first MSC cruise booked for this December (was September,but used our Fantastica perk of a free cruise date change) on this ship. When we booked over a year ago, the reviews were really sketchy and we wondered if it was a bad idea, but I'm glad we stuck it out. The reviews for MSC, and this ship specifically, have REALLY improved over the past 6 months or so. Not sure if they made changes, or people are just more realistic with expectations. Either way, we are really excited to check it out and already starting to think about booking the Meraviglia from NY if we enjoy this one!!