MSC Seaside Review
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We chose this cruise for several reasons. Friends put together a group of seven couples; prices on MSC are very reasonable; the Seaside is a beautiful ship; and they provide the best entertainment at sea with different Broadway quality shows each night.
Embarkation was very smooth and cabins were available when we boarded around noon. This was appreciated because it allowed us to drop off our carry-on luggage and relax after our four hour drive down from Orlando. Lunch was available in the buffet.
This was our second cruise on the Seaside and our fourth overall on MSC (Divina twice). The ship is beautiful and never seemed too crowded even though we had a full ship for this cruise. The common areas are very nice with shops located mid-ship on decks 6, 7, and 8. My wife felt they could have had a few more shops on board; Royal Caribbean and Norwegian shops are more to her liking. The Casino is kind of small. The buffet never appeared over-crowded and seating wasn't difficult to find at most times; this can be a problem on other cruise lines at times.
Cabin Review
Fantastica Balcony Stateroom
Having cruised in the Yacht Club on Divina, that was our first choice for this cruise, but no YC cabins were available. We requested the next best cabin and were assigned 15214 directly below the pool deck near the rear of the ship; this was a nightmare. Each morning at daybreak (6:30 am), the deck chairs were unstacked directly above us, banging loudly and ending our night's sleep. Compounding that problem was "White Night" on the pool deck that went on with loud music and dancing directly above us till 1:00 am that night. It was at that point I requested relief and Ms Saliyenko and Iuliano did their best to offer us different sleeping arrangements and other considerations. As for the cabin, it was clean; the bathroom was ok with the shower being a little tight. We had a couch with fold out bed; would have preferred storage under a standard couch. Storage space is poor in the cabin; poorly designed, especially the closet; they should lower the bars for hanging clothes and put a shelf above the bar. This would alleviate the storage problem. The balcony was great with an extended overhang from above that provided shade most of the day. Next time, we'll try again for a YC cabin.