MSC Seaside Review
Beautiful ship, great shows, good food, terrible bar service
Rating by category
Additional details
No issues with embarkation or disembarkation. Although more people chose to walk off the ship with their luggage than any previous cruise. The line was long even very early but moved quickly. The ship is beautiful. The cabin was good. Shower is very small as others mentioned but was not an issue for us. We had plenty of storage, we did have to ask for more hangers but got them quickly. Our cabin was near the back of the ship on deck 13. Booked Bella but got cabin upgrade to Fantastica. I felt the movement of the ship more often than not and more than on other cruises, could just be the water condition in the Caribbean this time of year or stateroom location. I would recommend however if you don't like the motion or get sea sick from it, a cabin in the middle might be better for you. We were initially assigned the early dining which was 5:30 and way too early for us. We got it moved to 9:15 which was probably too late but better. The dining room doors open exactly at the time your reservation is so don't expect to get in early.
Entertainment was very good, highly recommend seeing the shows. Some of the better ship entertainment I've seen.
Food was good. Pizza is almost always available for snack. Buffet good, dining room good. Service in dining room was excellent.
Cabin Review
Fantastica Balcony Stateroom
Near back of ship. Even on ship this size there was considerable motion. More days/nights than not you can feel the ship moving.
Clean cabin, felt a little cramped compared to other ships. Shower very small.
Port Reviews
Miami
Always love Miami. Great beaches, great food, great people watching. We didn't spend much time here this time however after the cruise was over we did take an Uber to the Mondrian South Beach hotel. We found online that they allow the use of their pool for $50 minimum purchase per person so we thought we could do that for a couple hours before our afternoon flight. We called the hotel and they told us they were sold out and generally on those days they don't sell passes to their pool but could never get a straight answer on whether or not we could use the pool. We went there anyway. They allowed us access to the pool and because it was super early we were the only ones at the pool. She initially told us they wouldn't store our luggage because of liability issue but a bellman overheard and offered to store for $10 which was nice. The pool ended up being PACKED by noon. Typical South Beach scene. It was fun. Not sure how they monitor day guests but there were security once the pool started getting busy so I am guessing they turn people away but because we got there early we were in. Also not sure how they ensure day guests spend the minimum. We had lunch and several drinks so we certainly met the minimum. Just a suggestion looking for something to do after a cruise and before the airport. Keeping in mind you may have to keep your luggage with you if you can't fine a bellman to break the rules :)
Ocho Rios
We wanted to do a day pass here at a resort. Found Sandals wasn't too far away and decided to walk there. Probably not the best choice. You can walk there, it's a long walk however and it was HOT. We were dripping wet by the time we made it. Also you walk through several local areas. We were 2 white (gay) guys walking the streets of Ocho Rios. Probably not smart, luckily I'm typing this so we made it! :) We were approached by tons of people wanting to give us a taxi, marijuana, cocaine, etc. I would highly recommend a day pass at Sandals but would recommend taking a taxi there!
Cozumel
Been several times on cruise and week long trips. Really enjoy Cozumel. One of the few Caribbean stops that I feel continues to pump money into not only the port area but the entire town. We rented a jeep for $85 for the day and drove around the Island as we've done in the past.
Nassau
Have been to Nassau once for long weekend but never on cruise. We took a questionable at best boat over to Paradise Island to to go Atlantis. As a cruise guest you have very limited access to Atlantis. There are shops and a few restaurants and a casino but it's not terribly exciting and I can't say I would recommend it.