Thoroughly enjoyed the ship. Lots of passengers. 5000 to be exact. We were in a balcony cabin on deck 9 which was just above all of the restaurants, shops, bars, casinos, etc. It was a great location. As I said in my title, overall, this was a very nice experience with MSC and the Seaside however, since this is my 15th cruise, I did have a few complaints. As an avid walker for exercise, we couldn't find one deck on the ship that went 360° around the ship. That has always been one of my favorite things to do during cruises. We ended up spending four of seven days in the gym and that worked out well. The main buffet on the eighth level, overall, was very good. The food was average but what do you expect on a buffet. Everything was divided into categories so it made it very easy for you to find what you wanted. The dinners in the main dining room were good. Not great but, once again, what can you expect when they're serving 1000 people at once. We did have dinner one night at their steak specialty restaurant and that was very good. The overall service on the ship was also very good. The woman who took care of our cabin was great. The woman who took care of our wine and drink orders during dinner was fabulous. Our waiter was average at best. Purchasing the drink package was one of the smartest things we could of done. There's nothing nicer than enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverage and only being charged a 15% service fee. We drank the whole week and probably spent less than $60. The embarkation process was okay but took a long time. From the time we arrived at the port to the time we got on the ship was about 90 minutes. The disembarkation was amazing. From the time we left our room to the time we got in a cab was barely 20 minutes. Such a breeze. Shore excursions were pretty typical. We took a very nice walking tour through San Juan Puerto Rico. We did a sailing/snorkeling trip in St. Thomas. We did a city tour by bus in Nassau. If you are planning on snorkeling in any of the locations on this cruise, be forewarned that there is very little coral left. Everything was gray and ashen. Lots of damage was done due to the most recent hurricane and the change in water temperature is killing coral all over the world. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I've been on 17 Carnival cruises and I started feeling the cutbacks they've been making over the years. MSC matches your status with other cruiselines so I thought I'd have nothing to lose. I went on the Seaside which is a fairly new ship and I thought it was beautiful, no bright flashy colors just nice neutral colors. The ship just sparkled the staircases we're so pretty! It's definitely not a party ship which is ok with me but it has plenty to do. There is a Zipline, pool table, bowling, air hockey, slides at the pool. I thought the shows we're better than Carnivals, Ive heard people say there's a lot of opera but that's not true, maybe one but I didn't go to that one. They have interactive boards all over the ship mostly near the elevators where you can check out what shows you want to go to and make reservations for them. The Michael show ( Michael Jackson) was outstanding! The one thing I didn't like about it and it didn't have anything to do with the cruise itself was that you had to change the time on your watch once on I believe the second day then again back the day before we got back home. I've always stayed on ship time and I thought that was really confusing and needless really. All in all it was a great cruise and a good change. Read Less

The ship is beautiful, but that's about it. Don't be lured by the pretty pictures and attractive pricing. The only way I would ever sail on this ship again is if it's sold to either Norwegian or RCI. The staff are all either rude, incompetent, or just plain stupid. It's like they have had ZERO training. The buffet is a complete nightmare with no order or directions. The other guests (approximately 70% Italian) will just push their way in anywhere. They bump into you and don't even acknowledge it, let alone apologize. We bought the drink package, but it was only good for draft beers for us. My wife drinks Captain Morgan, but this is considered a 'premium' liquor so it cost $9/drink. No- they don't just charge the difference in price- they charge $9. The food in the main dining room was embarrassingly bad. It was pure slop and served by the most dismissive staff I have ever encountered. The food in the premium restaurant was good- but guess what? Everything costs extra there as well. The only steaks included in the dining package are an 8oz filet or a sirloin. Sirloin. When's the last time you saw that on a menu? The ribeye was great, but cost $48. Avoid MSC at all costs. If you have already booked, I would cancel. Otherwise you will be sorely disappointed. Read Less

Context: this is our 23rd cruise, and we've been on almost all the medium priced carriers. Given that MSC is fairly new to the American market, we were all kind of excited in anticipation of sailing with them. We had read a number of reviews here and were struck with just about everyone exclaiming how much they appreciated the modern look of the ship and how clean and elegant it seemed to be. That turned out to be true. Where we were really disappointed in how they took care of their over 5000 guests on board ,the entertainment, and the food. They clearly didn't have enough elevators, as we were constantly waiting for a car and when one finally arrived, it would rbe completely packed with people. As to the entertainment, it was hard to understand why on Earth they would have all the acts that they did every night, doing the same things. The costuming was wonderful but these acts just made no sense relative to a night's theme: acrobats, strong men, silk twirler, hoop twirlers jugglers. ballroom dancers every night they would be onstage during the same act and we could never figure out why or what they had to do with the theme of the show. The food was a whole different issue. The buffets serve the same food day in and day out and that got very boring. But normally you can go to the diningroom and count on at least something that would be a decent meal. Almost every night the entrees were bland and uninteresting, and had very little taste and were cooked incorrectly, either way overdone or under cooked and always cold. They also would close down the buffets at odd hours in the middle of the day, when you would think would be prime time for people to eat. So we would go to one of the buffets mid afternoon and ffind half of the venue shut down or the entire thing closed. With more than 5000 people on board that was just incredibly annoying. Bottom line: MSE has a lot to learn about servicing the American market and we will never go back and sail with them again. A very disappointing experience. Read Less

I don't normally complain. We love cruising and being on the ocean. There was nothing absolutely horrible. Nothing great either. Service is slow and poor. Had to wait forever to be served at the bar, or flag down bar service who always seemed irritated to be asked. The main dining service was awesome. We had wonderful servers and was the highlight of each day. Julius in the seaside lounge bar was the only great, kind, friendly bartender. None of the shows were good, except the Michael Jackson show. Comedy was all vulgar improv. The food was fine, but the salad bar was literally lettuce and shredded carrots. We saw our cabin steward once. He never cleaned our shower or bathroom floor. It was nasty by day 7. This was our second msc cruise. Both have had a theme of poor service. Hoping they can use these reviews to improve in the future, as their ships are beautiful. Read Less

We chose a seven-day cruise on MSC Seaside for several reasons—new ship with groundbreaking design, relaxing itinerary, and excellent price. My husband and I have done 52 cruises on various lines, so we’re experienced cruisers. We found the ship to be gorgeous—very “glitzy” finish. MSC Seaside was also very well kept; public areas were very clean, and our cabin steward did an excellent job. We booked the Fantastica package, which included 12 drinks each. We could choose from standard cocktails such as rum and Coke, the daily drink special, fruit smoothies on Deck 19, or yummy gelato shakes at the Venchi chocolate bar. Sodas, juices, coffees, and hot chocolate were also included in the package. Very nice benefit! The food in the main dining room was very good—perhaps not “wow,” but certainly tasty. Our waiter and assistant waiter were super fast and attentive. Portions were a bit smaller than on some cruises, but I appreciate that so I don’t go home impersonating a whale! Butcher’s Cut specialty steakhouse was marvelous. The buffet might not have been quite as extensive as some ships’ spreads, but the pizza was fantastic, and the Mac and cheese was superb. Outdoor seating for the buffet on Deck 8 was abundant and very pleasant. My only complaint was that soft serve ice cream was only available on Deck 16 at the smaller buffet during open hours. I missed my “on demand” chocolate cone! Entertainment on MSC is more Cirque du Soleil than storyline, but it was still good. The Michael Jackson show was outstanding! MSC put on a fantastic Cruise Critic party—the best we’ve ever experienced. Embarkation was kind of a hassle with long lines, but disembarkation was a breeze. I believe a lot of the criticism aimed at MSC Seaside lately has been really unfair. We had a great experience and found all staff members to be friendly. We will definitely sail MSC again, and we heartily appreciate the company’s loyalty match program. Read Less

My family of 4 (ages 12 and 13) took a Spring Break cruise with a few other families and would definitely recommend the Seaside from MSC. The embarkation was a breeze and despite being told the check in time was 1:30pm, they allowed us in the terminal right when the doors opened at 10:30am. We checked in immediately, but when we sat down, I didn’t know we needed a Boarding Card. Luckily I made friends with someone who had a “4” card and he got an upgrade to a “1” card and gave me his “4” card. It only took about 10 minutes to be called to board the ship. As all the reviews have stated, the ship is absolutely beautiful. The Atrium was gorgeous and turned out to be a popular hangout for many of us. I am very glad we checked the best cruise hacks to be prepared with thebitems to bring aboard like the magnets, towel clips, over the door shoe rack, magnet night light, and shower curtain. The room was great for a family of 4 as the couch turned into a bunk bed. ***A word of caution. The top bunk has a metal piece that covers the light and could easily cause a nasty cut if you say up in the middle of the night and hit your head*** The food: we had the early seating (5:15pm) and it was a bit early, especially with some excursions, but the staff was great, the food was good (not a WOW, but good.). We did the 3 specialty restaurants (Ocean Cay for lunch and Asian Fusion and Butcher’s Cut for 2 dinners). They were very good, but thought it was weird we couldn’t get a glass of wine, but could only get a bottle and had to pay regardless of having the premium package. I would get this again as the main dining room’s food, as I said, was just “good” and have a little differentiation. The lunch was very repetitive and is my only negative comment for the entire cruise. Breakfast was good as they always had fresh fruits, veggies and pastries. We ate at the sit down (Seaside restaurant) restaurant a few times as they had “fresher” foods and different items than at the buffets. Onboard Activities: we hung out on deck 16 as much as we could, our son hung out at the sports bar and the arcade and our daughter explored all aspects of the ship without reservations. The slides were awesome, the zip line was fun (not worth doing more than 2x though) and the shows were fun. Definitely do the comedy shows (Beer Improv and the kids version) as they were awesome. The casino was fun, but very smoky, so if you are allergic to smoke or it bothers you in the slightest, it will definitely be a problem for you. There was always enough to do on the ship, but I wish there was better communication prior to boarding regarding when the formal night was going to be, when the white Party was, and what other specialty events (20’s party etc.) Ports of call: St Maarten and St Thomas were awesome. The excursions we took (Magen’s Bay swim and tour of the island) and (Golden eagle Catamaran) were tremendous. The catamaran trip was our second best excursion of all time, second only to a wall dive in Hawaii for our honeymoon. We docked into Puerto Rico at 5pm so only had an opportunity to have dinner and explore the night life a bit. You couldn’t see the Fort if you wanted to so don’t be too disappointed, but luckily we’ve already seen it so it wasn’t a big deal for us. For Nassau, we took a Jitney (line 10) to Cable Beach for $1.25 per person each way and spent the day at the beach for $200 less than we would have paid on an excursion. The beers and hot dogs were also half the price. Read Less

I've just got back from cruising with MSC Seaside. It was a terrible time to cruise with MSC. I had nothing to do on the ship. There was not much of entertainment. Maketplace Food buffet had not many varieties of food to offer. They had pizza, hamburgers, and hotdogs for the main food for you every single meal of the day: breakfast, lunch, after lunch snack, dinner, and midnight snack for 7 days straight that we were on the cruise. They would close the buffet on the dot, put all the food away, and only one or two counters left the serve the food. In my opinion, they were trying to upselling their dinner and drink package by forcing people not to have much choice for food on the buffet. Moreover; one time, I saw they were putting back fruits they put away from previous meal for you to eat. You know how the fruits that are not fresh cut and been refrigerated. Also, it's very annoying when they tried to sell you all those dinner and drink packages. This is definitely overrated. I didn't bother to go see the show of them. I'd walked around and saw people playing cards; even young kids, they played UNO. They must be very bored and had nothing better to do. There are not many shopping shops on the Seaside, so nothing much to check out. There is a screen TV at the aft of the ship. Unfortunately the choice of their movie on the night that I went to give a try was very boring "Spiderman Home coming." The cabin was so so, nothing fancy. The sheet, comforter, towels, and stuff were old, had a lot of lints It's very irritated to my skin. Towels were smells and ripped. One of the destinations was Puerto Rico, arrived at 5pm. What they want us to do at 5pm and we had to be on board by 1am. or 1.30pm, and there were nothing much to walk around and see either. It's not very impressive for the first time with MSC. I wanted to go home on the second day that I was on the cruise!!! Oh..there a good thing about MSC. Their desserts are pretty good. They are not extremely sweet like desserts on the main land in the US. They are good at creativity and recycling as well.They would use leftover fruits and nuts to make cakes and other desserts, very delicious indeed. I've heard pizza are very good too, but I'm not a huge fan of pizza. Read Less

MSC Seaside Review March 30 – Eastern Caribbean Miami – San Juan – St. Thomas – St. Marteen – Nassau – Miami Cabin: Inside Deck 12 - #12121 (I always try to get rooms with easy to remember numbers) The following is my review of the MSC Seaside. This was my 132 cruise and although I’m high level on Celebrity, NCL, RCCL, HAL and Carnival, I’ve been intrigued by the Seaside’s design and was curious about the MSC line. MSC matched my loyalty level on NCL and gave me GOLD status (see their website for the loyalty match program) as an enticement for me to try the product. The reviews for this ship and the line have been iffy so I thought I’d take a chance as I’m a strong believer in the saying “there is no such thing as a bad cruise”. So off I went… EMARKATION I arrived at Terminal F Saturday morning at about 1:15 pm via UBER only to find the line to get into the terminal from the door of the terminal to the Celebrity terminal. I’ve never seen a line that long. At one point I considered taking a quick three-day cruise and I’d still have time to get on the Seaside, however, the line did move quickly, and we were inside the terminal in less than 30 minutes. Once inside there was a line for security where I was “psst’d” by a man in the jacket asking, “hey buddy, want to get in the quick line” and then asking me for money for allowing me that honor. UGH. Looking back, the regular line was just as quick. A quick trip upstairs to the check in area where, although a bit confusing, the lines went quick with many open reception desks. I got my room card, picture taken and boarding group number (14). From there a walk to the boarding area where we were met with another long line. I thought MSC meant “Me Standing Constantly” but again the line moved quickly. The speaker system shorts out in the boarding area near the photographers, so you need to move away from that area to hear everything. Within thirty minutes group 14 was called and I went on board. Overall a little more than an hour to get on board which is a decent time especially given the long lines experienced. The first thing I learned about this ship is that they know what they are doing even though it might not appear so .. just trust them. FIRST STEPS ON SEASIDE WOW. What a beautiful ship. The Atrium area is several stories and features a multi-level video screen. Each level has distinct bars. The ship has several elevators and except for embarkation, there was never really a long wait. I went to my room right away and dropped off my travel bag and then went off to explore some more. NCL’s oceanside concept is something I really enjoy (being so close to the water while having dinner or drinks). MSC has taken that experience to the next level. There is more deck space on this ship than I’ve seen on any ship next to an aircraft carrier. Each lounge chair had a built-in pillow as well. Of course, people hog the chairs close to the pools, but if you just wander a few steps around deck 6 you’ll find an open chair. The technology on this ship was tremendous. (I just got off Bliss in December, another new ship, and found Seaside to be like a Star Trek vessel). STAFF The crew takes great care of “their” ship. From the room steward to the performers to the bar staff .. everyone was polite and seemed to like their jobs. I did not speak to one crew member on the staff who said they would not return after their contract was up. That’s unheard of. They ALL keep asking what they can go to make things better. What made me sad was learning the servers make, in some cases, about $800 a month. That’s another topic but I do my best to help with tipping above and beyond as they really work hard for many hours each day. My room steward was Maria. She did a fine job, but she was invisible most of the trip. I guess that’s good. There are no towel animals on Seaside (at least not in my cabin) but I did not miss them. FOOD The first stop, as always, is the buffet. The Seaside buffet is in the back of the ship and is the same design as most new ships with a flow on both sides, front and back. I found the buffet on this ship to be very limited and quality issues were apparent. Somethings were cold that were supposed to be hot and other things vice versa. Nothing will make you want to skip the MDR for buffet on this ship. It served its purpose but barely. Since I was traveling solo on this trip, and thanks to NCL, I like only to dine at my own leisure, I only ate at the specialty restaurants. There are five on board on level 16. The Pan Asian restaurant also features a sushi bar and a Japanese Hibachi. On the other side of the ship there is Butcher’s Cut and Ocean Cay. The Seaside also offers a Chef’s Table, but I did not try it. I purchased two of the three meal specialty restaurant experiences. I highly recommend the Pan Asian restaurant and Teppanyaki. I ate at both twice. The meal at Butcher’s Cut was very basic – not bad, but not great. The worst meal was at Ocean Cay. If I’m going to pay money for a specialty restaurant, I’d better get something I can’t get at the buffet. At Ocean Cay the entrée was a filet of sea bass and mashed potatoes. The menu is going to change to include shrimp, crab and other seafood dishes. Also, at Ocean Cay only about half the menu was available without a surcharge. Again, a work in progress. The ship has a incredible coffee/ice cream bar. Worth stopping for a treat once a day (or more). If you like your coffee, try getting a cappuccino or latte each morning at one of the bars. The coffee at the buffet was horrible. I asked several passengers about the MDR and didn’t hear many complaints other than some nights the dinner took over two hours. Same complaints from other ships. CASINO I played slots mostly this cruise and found the machines to be the same as most lines. As is with most casinos, you earn points with each pull of the slot machine. The prizes however are horrible. I ended up with over 2000 points and I was offered four Styrofoam key chains for 400 points each. Think $400 worth of slot pulls. HORRIBLE. The casino is much smaller than any other ship I’ve been on so far. Many of the slot machines feature multiple games. There are no Texas Hold’em table games. EXTRAS Easy Drink Package (NAY) The EASY drink package was advertised as non-alcoholic beverages (soda, blended drinks, bottled water), coffee delights, hot chocolate delights, ice cream drinks and select spirits and wine. This package confused everyone. Some nights things were included and others the same drinks were an extra charge (which I refused). The coffee, chocolate and ice cream options were also mixed in availability. When I did get a drink from the Easy Package Drink menu it was very basic and weak. Check how many drinks you get with your package (my cruise came with 12 drinks) to see if you really need the drink package. Remember, you don’t get drinks at the restaurants other than tap water. The self-serve soda, wine and beer machines at the buffet were accessible with this package but only worked half time. Another work in progress. Thermal SPA Pass (NAY) The SPA is WOW at first. From the sensory steam (light and dark) to the wind effect showers and snow room, when you first enter you don’t think you’re on a cruise ship. Another reason you don’t feel you are on a cruise ship is that there are NO WINDOWS. It’s so dark, you can’t read a book or enjoy a magazine. Half the reason I go to the spa area is to find a quiet place to read. This SPA is good for one visit, but not the whole cruise. Internet Pass (YAY) I opted for the unlimited internet and I think I used it to the max. Part of me really hates having access to the internet while I’m on vacation but I found that I relax more having the access as I can take care of things that come up with work immediately. The package disclaimers say it’s not fast enough to stream video, but I was able to watch any shows that I tried. I would get the internet package again. CONS The bathroom in my cabin was almost unusable. How the toilet is placed makes it impossible to move your legs if you have long legs. Let’s just say if I had to so more than pee, I had to go elsewhere. After three days of just not making it a big deal, I finally visited the guest services desk to say something. I had thirty-minute conversation with three different people and got the generic, we are sorry about your experience, however all the staterooms in the Fantastica category are like that. Many have complained about it. I could see this being a HUGE problem with anyone with mobility issues. I made the most of it but it’s a major design flaw that needs to be addressed on new builds. The solution is simple carpentry to fix the problem on Seaside (cutting out space underneath the sink). I had a pass to the spa so I really just timed my bathroom breaks to avoid being in my cabin when the time arouse. The major issue I had with the entire situation was the lack of follow up. Those damn tablets the bar/restaurant servers used. Either the staff needs more training or whatever app they are using doesn’t work. I realize the need for efficiency, but order placing shouldn’t take so much time and show so much frustration on the part of the staff. The tablets need to be tossed into the dumpsters at the next port. The cause nothing but problems. PROS The Wine and Cocktail bar on deck 16 (in the specialty restaurant area) was the best bar on the ship. The two main bartenders, KiKi and Alex (both from South Africa) were AMAZING! (Yes, capital letters, as they made my evening and we’d set up camp at the bar there for several hours). Gene the cruise director, former HAL czar of Cruise Directors, was very personable and professional. He was fun to talk to and always seemed to have time to speak with you without it feeling rushed. Captain LaPalma was also the consummate gentleman. Besides speaking every language on earth, at least it seemed so, he was also very interested in how the cruise was going what MSC needed to do to improve the experience. The entertainment was better than expected, but not awesome. Five of the nights the onboard ensemble would perform a 45 minutes show twice. Each show features vocals, dancing, aerobatics, comedy, juggling and other circus type acts. The costumes, performers and sets were all very good. I made it a point to see all the shows and each time the shows ended with standing ovations. Again, they made the most of the limited time they were given, but not equal to the Broadway style shows on other lines. Water Slides were free and fun! DISEMBARKATION I chose the Express option and carried by own bags. On most other cruises I as in the minority choosing this option given it’s 7AM time. Not on Seaside. Seems most of the passengers wanted to get off as soon as possible. Those lines that were present at embarkation resurfaced again but, as was the pattern, the lines moved quickly. I was off the ship by 7:45 and in the UBER heading to a great hotel “The Gabriel” just across the bridge in downtown Miami. OVERALL On my scale of champagne glasses (1 to 5), I’ll give this cruise three glasses of bubbly. I loved the ship. The deck space, design, cleanliness and operations are a 5. Everything else is a work in progress. With more new ships on order than any other cruise line, MSC is investing heavy in the US market and they know they need to change their product in order to draw and keep US customers. Let’s check back in a year and see what’s been changed. If the service and food could match the ship, the product would be one of the best in the industry. That’s a big IF though! Read Less

We selected this cruise line mainly because of the cost, value and rooms (balcony and interior) that we could get for the price. This was a Spring Break 2019 trip and the first time my family had cruised with all three children (two 15's and one 9 year old). We found the boat to be amazing (only second to the Oasis of the Seas from Royal Caribbean and that is only because of certain things we liked about that boat). The cabins were very nice, modern for a cruise line and worked for all parties. The weight room had everything you would need and the crowd faded as the week progressed, but I am typically a morning exercise person. The buffet on Deck 8 was the best cruise buffet that we have had on any cruise (this was our 6th). You do really need to walk the entire buffet before choosing though. We read this before and it holds true. The dining hall (formal dinners) were not overly impressive. My wife was not pleased at all and would rate it worse than I would, but I can always find something to eat. I got the sense that they were pushing people towards the extra dining packages, which I really think is a major focus on many of the cruise lines now. The pools were different than Carnival and Royal with the depth being something that we enjoyed. You are not allowed to bring drinks to the pool, which meant that you didn't have the standing adults in the pool with drinks, which is something I appreciated but may not be something for everyone. The boats layout was a major plus. We stayed mainly in the rain forest area, which was as nice as any area on any cruise boat we have ever found. It had a less crowded feel with sunshine, shade, comfort and access to the waterpark to keep track of the children. The slides were legitimate and crowded at times and not crowded at others. We didn't do many excursions, so we really focused on the boat, which was a highlight of the trip. We loved the Michael Jackson show and family improv comedy show (wish we would have stayed up for the adult version but we go to bed too late). The jazz in the Seaside lounge was wonderful and this was a regular night time area. This was the first time I have bought the upgraded drink package and I would certainly recommend it. The basic drinking package charges you a "tip" each time, which is not bad, but the premium does not plus you get almost every liquor you could want (lots of rum & bourbon on this trip for me). All in all, we had a great time and would suggest it if you don't mind foreign speaking guests (didn't bother us at all). The bars seemed understaffed at crowded times, but I have never really needed them before so I can not say if that is similar to other cruises. I did find the bartenders to be friendly and helpful, especially if you return to a couple throughout the trip (Ashton in the Rain Forest and Raul in Seasview Lounge were particularly awesome). One of the major differences is the service with your cabin. I am not a huge fan of people taking care of me, so it didn't bother me that my steward was not as visible as the other cruise lines. They cleaned your room when asked and needed, but don't expect the towels in shapes of animals, etc. Just a difference in lines. Read Less