MSC Seaview Review

4.0 / 5.0
176 reviews

MSC Seaview Mediterranean- Barcelona, Marseilles, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on MSC Seaview
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angiel.brac
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

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Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2018
Cabin: Fantastica Balcony Stateroom

We chose this 7 day cruise for the itinerary. We had not been to Europe, so we wanted to experience several places and this cruise was ideal for all the places we got to see in a short period of time. It is great to not to have to worry about food, hotels and services and to be able to sleep while transitioning from one port to another. Its an excellent way to see a lot on your first trip. This cruise ship had it down for organized embarkation and disembarkment! They do an excellent job. I felt like the food was mediocre in comparison with other ships I have been on...but definitely not bad. I had no problem eating and finding American cuisine on this international boat. The boat is HUGE! It can house up to 5,000 guests. I never seemed overwhelmed by this, but several times the elevators were backlogged, especially after shows or dinner. The shows were kind of random...I did not understand the themes and it just seemed like singing with crazy costumes and acrobatics thrown in. I ended up only going to a few and enjoyed spending time in the atrium with the musicians and fun activities. The Sports bar was fun, as was the casino bar. I would have rated the service excellent when we were 80% through our trip, but the last two days we did encounter a few rude staff members (Shine bar and room service) which turned into a disappointing ending.

The ports were amazing, I thought. My least favorite were Marseille and Genoa. The highlights of our trip were: Taxi Mister Cab Driver (Naples and Amalfi Coast)- Ciro was a delight, and he set up a guide for us in Pompeii who was beyond excellent! We then went to downtown Naples for the best pizza and went shopping on the Christmas street and bought homemade Nativity scenes and ornaments. FUN day! Our day at port in Messina was also a highlight, as we hired a driver to take us to Taormina for a cooking class at Porta Messina Ristorante...They were amazing and this was such a fun experience. I would definitely recommend this activity. We chose cannoli making but they have other wonderful classes. Giovanni was our chef and he was knowledgeable and kind. We then followed up by shopping around Taormina, taking in the beautiful views and shops, then headed to the Gambino Winery for a wine tasting (well worth it). It was about a 45 minute drive, with beautiful country views and delicious wine paired with a lunch for 29 Euros.

Then we headed back to the ship. We started in Barcelona, getting there pre-cruise one day before and stayed at a Hostal- Som Nit Born because they had a room with four twin beds (a hard find in Barcelona), The room was plain and clean and just fine. We walked around and found a great outdoor cafe and they kept our bags before boarding the ship the next day- We caught a bus (stop very close to the hotel) to La Rambla Street and enjoyed shopping and lunch. The ladies at Som Nit Born spoke great English and called us a cab to take us to the ship when we returned.

Cabin Review

Fantastica Balcony Stateroom

Cabin B2

Cabin was great, as was service. Roomy balcony that we spent many hours on. Couch with pullout-(Did not use). Beds were comfortable. Not so much storage for clothes, but we made it work.

Port Reviews

Marseille

Beautiful church and authentic food. Liked walking the streets and seeing the sites.

Genoa

Hopped in a small trolley that had a speaker in English sharing the sites. Fun little trip. Saw Christopher Columbus' birth place. Then walked around. Had lunch which was delicious (authentic pesto and pizza) and then souveneir shopping. did not always feel safe on the streets here.

Barcelona

Enjoyed waking La Rambla and eating at outdoor cafes.

Malta (Valletta)

Very beautiful place. Spent time in the gardens, walking around Republic street and visiting St. John Co-cathedral. GORGEOUS!

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