The MSC Seascape is a big ship (cap. about 5800), quite modern and nice-looking inside and out. However, our experience on board was not a pleasant one. The ship was quite understaffed when we sailed out of Miami on March 19, 2023 for a 1wk Eastern Caribbean vacation. From the moment we met the MSC staff at the port, they were not too friendly. We brushed it off initially because of our excitement of getting on board. Upon getting on board, we noticed there were no welcoming cocktails or warm smiles. Rather, there was a bunch of staff members trying to sell upgraded dining packages, photo packages and other optional items. We were a party of 6 with 2 separate balcony rooms. We were disappointed to find our rooms to be quite small. The bathrooms were no bigger than 5x6 at their largest point. The shower hardly fits one avg. person, and using the toilet requires extra effort because the vanity cabinet blocks placement of one's left leg. The ship's only buffet restaurant (deck 16) was always packed and finding a table was always a bad experience. At times we even had to bus and help clean our own tables because the ship was quite understaffed. The food was bland, and low quality (in terms of the cuts of meat and fish...we found no seafood except at the other restaurants for a surcharge). The food choices was mostly burgers, hot dogs, pizza, a couple of pasta dishes, fruits and vegetables, and some sweets. The food at the ship's 2 complementary sit down restaurants (deck 5+6) was better, and service was better as well, though still slow due to staffing shortages). Of course, with these 2 restaurants you were only allowed to eat at the particular one assigned you, and only at the given time assigned (normally 7: 30 or 9:15 pm).

The bars were also short staffed, and getting a drink was a mission as well. You easily had to wait 15 or minutes to place a drink order, and this depended on the bar and how many were present. I wait on more than one occasion over 40 minutes for a drink.

The serious staffing shortages were evident throughout the entire ship. For instance, one of the bathrooms on deck 16 had a sink that was not working. A bathroom on deck 8 by the optional restaurants had a plumbing issue (backup toilet), and the one right next to the kids' section (deck 18) had pissed all over the floor. We were told around the ship that some staff members had "gone home". Read more