My husband, children and I cruised on the MSC Seaside the first week of July 2018. We had previously cruised on the MSC Divina the summer of 2017 and are frequent cruisers on several other cruise lines. We thoroughly enjoyed our 7 night cruise on the Seaside. The ship was beautiful and clean with many open areas and spectacular views. There were many areas to sit and relax all over the ship. We never felt over crowded except during the evening shows which all fill to capacity. My husband and I enjoyed the Yacht Club Experience and our children had an interior Fantastica cabin. Both cabins were adequate size. My husband and I spent much of our cruise in the Yacht Club, but also spent quite a bit of time in the other areas of the ship. We are currently booked again on the Seaside for an Aurea Balcony in the near future. We look forward to comparing the experiences.

The staff on the ship were very helpful and friendly. We actually reunited with some of the same staff we had met on the Divina the summer before. Several of the staff members were particularly helpful and went out of their way to make our trip special. Manuel, our children's waiter in the Golden Sand Restaurant, was also our waiter last year in the Yacht Club on the Divina. He was so patient and nice to our children and went out of his was to make sure they received what they wanted. They enjoyed spending their dining hours with him. Our butler in the Yacht Club, Victor, made sure our needs and expectations were met. He actually anticipated our wants and took care of us in so many ways. He made sure our refrigerator was filled with the items we wanted, he worked around our always changing schedule and always followed up with us to make sure we were satisfied. He even recognized our children when he was in other areas of the ship and would help them out if possible. We also received great service from Anton, the bartender at the Wine and Cocktails Bar. He was so friendly and eager to make the drink we wanted even if it was not on the menu. He was full of knowledge about many different cocktails and even the history of the spirits he served. He was truly passionate about his craft. Spending time with Anton was a highlight of our cruise.

Unfortunately, many of the other bartenders at bars outside the Yacht Club did not give the same service. We were actually ignored at the Sports Bar multiple times, both as a couple and individually. One of the shortcomings was the limited selection of beers available. The tap beers were limited to Heineken or Heineken Light (Huh ?). There were no craft beers across the ship, except in the Sports Bar where service was lacking. Even there, most taps served Heineken but did not offer taps for other beers on the menu. Read more