DreamFinder Travel agents Kim M and Lisa F headed out to Miami to sail on MSC and here is what they experienced. (blog post by DreamFinder agent Kim Merrill)
Hi, Kim here -- I wanted to share my thoughts with you on the MSC
Seaside ship and my experiences
onboard. I had been looking for an
opportunity to try something new and this fit the bill! I’ve never sailed on MSC and it’s a newcomer
to the American market (and it has garndered mixed reviews--so I felt that it was important to check it out first-hand!) I’m not going to cover the ports at all, so if
you’d like specific info please email me with your questions.
The MSC Seaside was launched December 2017 and was designed
with the American market in mind. MSC Shipping Company is the second largest
shipping line headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and it was established nearly 50 years
ago. MSC Cruise Line, on the other hand, was established in
1987 with a focus on the European market.
Since their first sailing in 1988, the line has been building and
improving their fleet, with ambitious plans to launch 11 ships between 2017 and
2026.
On various Internet sites that review ships and cruise lines
there have been mixed reviews….almost a love-hate line drawn in the proverbial
Caribbean sand, with very little middle ground.
This could also be said about most other cruise companies out there, but
with a newcomer, the only way to know what level of validity there is to the
reviews is to actually experience the product.
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| MSC Cruise Terminal - Miami |
Taking on the task, Lisa & I took a
taxi from our downtown Miami area hotel and arrived to MSC’s port building F around
1pm and we breezed thru our check in. (Travel Agent Tip--MSC offers a "status-match” program, which means you have a one-time opportunity to submit your
highest status level with a cruise line, so if you opt to do this, make it worth your while) I’m Platinum (the highest level) on Disney, so now I’m
“Black” on MSC (their highest-tier level). To retain this status,
you must sail once every three years.
I had booked a “Bella” balcony cabin. MSC has the standard interior, oceanview,
balcony and suite cabins, but they also have “experiences” that you can book. “Bella” is the basic entry-level experience (also available are the “Fantastica” (upgraded
from Bella), “Aurea” (spa-focused), “Wellness” (fitness/health focused), and
“Yacht Club” (concierge, and not on all ships) experiences that you can choose
from) Depending on your preferences,
pre-booking a different experience can save you money in the long run. We both pre-purchased the Deluxe Beverage
Package which gave us adult beverages $13 and under, gelato (which was
AMAZING), specialty coffees, soda, water, and probably more that I am
forgetting. I also pre-purchased a
Thermal Spa pass and two sports massages.
(Travel Agent Tip: these were SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper purchased prior to the cruise and worth
the money--pre-purchase when you can!)
Because of our status, we had a special security and check in line, and went from
curb to ship in less than 20 minutes. We
missed the initial boarding rush, and we were able to head directly to our room
and drop off our luggage before heading to get some lunch. There are two buffet restaurants, one is located on decks 8
and one on deck 16. We headed to deck 16 to check out the
pizza that we had read so much about. We
found that this was the smaller of the two buffets with fewer options, but the pizza
lived up to its wonderful reputation. We also
found that the tables had on-call bar service!!
Unfortunately we also quickly found out that the beverage selection was still being
replenished from the previous cruise.
For the rest of the cruise, we opted for the buffet on deck 8 for the
expanded food and beverage options.
We took time after lunch to explore the ship. Weighing in at 154,000 gross tons, it can
hold just over 5000 passengers. We found
out later on that the ship was pretty much full on our sailing. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there
were 3 banks of elevators on the ship, conveniently located forward, midship and aft. Recently I’ve been on a few ships that have
done away with midship lifts, so having all three made it quite convenient.
The exception to that being getting
to the specialty restaurants on deck 16--we found that particularly challenging and convoluted.
Dining:
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| Sushi |
There are two main dining rooms on the ship, with three seatings
for each, at either 5:15/30, 7:15/30, or 9:15/30. The Yacht Club (their concierge level) has
their own main dining room. You can
request early or late dinner, and you find out your specific time upon
boarding. We ended up with 7:15pm dinner
and a table for just the 2 of us.
Overall, the food was varied and good, with additional items that could
be ordered for an additional cost (for example, lobster or really good cut of steak). Of the 6 nights we dined there, there was
only 1 menu that really didn’t catch my interest, but what I did order was well
cooked and tasty. They also responded well
to my requests for alterations to what was served.
There are 6 specialty restaurants on the ship. As part of my “Black” loyalty status, we were
entitled to a free meal at a one of these, with Teppanyaki and the Chef’s Table
excluded. We opted for sushi, and were
pleased with our meal. You are entitled
to order from the “dining experience” menu but can substitute a different item
for half the listed cost. My sushi was
worth the $7 upcharge! You can pre-purchase some of the dining prior to boarding
should you choose to do so, and then make reservations once you board.
Entertainment:
Each night there was a different show in the theater (Travel Agent Tip: pre-reserve a seat via the interactive touch screens throughout
the ship). We found that our dining time
fit best with the later show (9:15). The
night we did sushi we went to the early show (6:45) and it was empty. That was almost too early for the 1st
seating to make the reservation and would cut it too close for the 7:15 dining
to make it. (My opinion is that they could really stand to tweak this a bit to help equilibrate the crowds.)
The performances were very good, but our thoughts were that
something was getting missed in translation.
In my mind, the artistry was amazing, but the story didn’t exactly make
sense. However, this didn’t decrease my
appreciation for what I experienced.
Some nights they had a late night adult comedy show. We caught this once and enjoyed it. There was a game show night that seemed
popular but I almost felt a bit old to get what the general population was
doing (and I’m not that old, people!).
Many of the bars had musicians. There were very few times that I felt it was
too loud, which was a refreshing change of pace. Often times in bar areas with music I find that it’s too loud and you can’t hold
a conversation.
During our sailing the final games of the World Cup were going on. It was broadcast in the sports bar, in the
atrium, and on the pool deck, as well as being rebroadcast later in the
day. People had chairs pulled up to the
atrium railing on all 3 levels and no one complained. It was a fantastic and fun atmosphere.
There were two theme nights held on our sailing, a White Night
and a 70’s night. The White Night had
high participation. A "white night" is when everyone is supposed to wear all-white clothing. The deck was full to
the brim with white clothing! The 70’s
night had some very enthusiastic devotees, however, the music strayed a bit
from the 70’s era.
Pool and Recreation areas:
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| Zip Line onboard MSC Seaside |
There were 4 pool areas on the ship. Yacht Club members had their own, the Main
pool, the kids play area/waterslides, and the adult pool (ages 16 and over and
ENFORCED!). As we really didn’t spend
much time in port, we had no issue hanging out by the pool. However, as with ANY cruise line, if you sleep
in on a sea day, you’re going to lose out on those pool-area chairs. That being said, the ship design has ample
seating areas all around the ship. We
never had an issue finding a chair to relax in.
There were two waterslides: One you went down sitting on the
slide itself, and the other you could use either a single or a double inner
tube. Prior to using this, you had to
sign a waiver and get a wristband to prove that you had done so. There was not a charge for the waterslides.
The zip line was $5 per ride and there was a waiver process
for this as well. You have to wear
shorts or pants and a shirt with sleeves.
Closed toed shoes are required as well and you are not allowed to bring
items that can be dropped. Go Pros were
ok if they had a securing strap.
There were four kid’s clubs on board the ship.
The age ranges were narrower than other cruise lines
and there IS drop off infant care.
This
is not a feature of all ships/cruise lines, and is important to note if families
are traveling with children 3 and under.
There were fee-based activities for kids like an arcade,
bowling, etc for which a pre-paid activity card could be purchased. (Travel Agent Tip: there was a deal onboard where you could add to the card and get "bonus" money added to it too--be sure to look for this if you are planning to get one of these cards) What I can tell you is that
considering that we were traveling in the middle of summer on a ship with large
groups of families, the kids never seemed to be out of control, making me
consider that the onboard activities were diverse enough to keep them busy.
Spa and Fitness
Center:
I’m “one of those people” who works out while I'm on
vacation. The fitness center was large
with plenty of cardio equipment, free weights, and machine-based strength
machines. There were a few spin classes
offered for a fee ($13 per) and there was yoga on deck every morning
(free). I was also pleased to see that
there was a shower in the gym locker room, however I really didn’t get the
impression that anyone knew it was there or used it.
As I mentioned above, I had pre-paid for 2 massages. I found that the spa experience was not as
robust as on other lines. There were no
fluffy robes or quiet central waiting areas.
You sat in the spa lobby, got called back directly to the room, and got
your massage. The service was friendly
and the massages were well-done, but the total experience was a bit slim. What I found odd, and almost refreshing, was
that I was NOT given anything to sign either time. So there was no ability to tip. I found that…well, different. They did, of course, try to get you to book
another service. There seemed to be no
lack of openings, so I wonder if maybe they would fill the schedule up more if
you could pre-book the times of your service as opposed to waiting until you
were onboard?
The Good and the Room for Improvement:
·
Let me preface the rest of this review with the
fact that this is MY opinion of the experience I had on the Seaside and not that of DreamFinder Travel or necessarily others.
- I really appreciate the fact that the buffet is
really the only place to get a bite to eat outside of the gelato places on
deck. This really cut down on the number
of tables outside of the eating establishments covered in dishes and food. Since there are 2 buffets open a variety of
hours, you really aren’t lacking food options.
- I wish the bars had small snacks/nuts/wings/chips
that were complimentary. This is
lacking, but again, is a different way to do business.
- There is a seeming lack of trashcans on the
ship. There are multiple recycle bins,
but I’m not sure if the theory is that the staff’s job is to bus the trash or
if the focus is on recycling, but what comes across is trash left in odd
places. If the staff is meant to cycle
and pick up trash and clean tables, there needs to be more of them.
- I LOVED the variety of bars onboard. I was particularly enamored with the
chocolate bar and have decided that chocolate martinis are my new favorite
drink.
- In the main dining rooms, the assistant waiters
were clearly the ones who served our beverages.
Ours was very personable but seemed spread very thin. We started going into the dining room WITH an
adult beverage and ordered what we wanted with our meal when we sat down.
- I find that I like having set dining. For cruisers that like to get to know their
servers, a flexible dining time should be avoided as you never know who you
might get.
- I already mentioned my confusion with
entertainment. I did, however, love
having a new show every night.
- We found that there were times when it was hard
to identify staff members. There were
instances when some of them appeared to be dressed in their personal clothing
and then they turn around and you see their name badge. I found that bar and pool staff seemed to be
easily identifiable though. We had the opportunity to pass this on to the
captain, and hopefully this can be addressed.
To sum up my experience, I had a great time! I would absolutely
sail again on MSC.
I think their product
has value for the money, and they are addressing both the family and the adult
sides of cruising.
Want to book a sailing onboard MSC, or another great cruise line?
Click HERE for our cruise quote and be sure to ask for me!
