01/07/2024
MSC Seashore Review - 01.07.2024
Disclaimer: I booked the Fantastica experience. This is 1-step up from MSCās basic experience. I purposely did not upgrade to the Aurea or exclusive Yacht Club experience, on this sailing, bc I wanted to experience the same level of service that the āmajorityā of my client base would also book.
Overall: To start, no ship is perfect! Everyone has different experiences & expectations, there will always be pros & cons & every line/ship is unique. This was only a 2-night sailing & was not at capacity so a longer sailing or a different service level could alter my review. With that said, this was not my favorite cruise line for various reasons BUT I wouldnāt completely right them off. For the price point & on a newer ship (2021), I think this was a solid cruise experience & under the right circumstances, I would consider cruising with them again but my husband & I both agree it would need be a short (4-5 nights max) itinerary.
Now letās get into the details ā¦
Embarkation:
Unorganized, slow, no adherence to boarding times. We had the 2nd boarding time window (12-12:30) but when we arrived at 12 they had not even started boarding the previous group yet nor did anyone even ask our boarding time so it was just one really long line to get through security scanning. Then, onto boarding checkin. Another log line but moved quickly. Enclosed ramp onto the ship had no air & it was uncomfortably HOT! Couldnāt imagine it in the summer but hopefully this was just a random incident. Overall, it only took us about an hour from the time we got in line until we were onboard thanks to a baggage handler giving us a shortcut trick. Otherwise, it would have easily been double that. š¤«
Muster Drill:
Between 3:45 - 4:15 pm, all guests had to report to their cabin & watch a safety video on the stateroom TV. Once finished it provided us with a number to call from our cabin phone to confirm completion. Then, we had to physically check in at our assigned muster station & scan our boarding pass. This part was chaos bc people were going every which way & could only use the stairs.
Balcony Stateroom Fantastica:
Room wasnāt ready when we boarded @ 1:00 but they still allowed us to drop off our carry on items & pickup room keys from the door. This also allowed me to see what a 4-person room setup would have looked like with bunks. Comfortable & large main bed. Couch made into a bunk bed. I like this better than the trundle option on other lines bc it frees up floor space & when not in use, itās an average sofa. Huge mirror in front of bed. Closet with shelves & drawers. Tiny shower! š³ Shampoo, body wash & hair dryer provided although body wash was less than stellar - no lather. No bathroom counter space but did have shelves. Average storage. Average size balcony. Short back chairs on balcony + foot stool. Tinted balcony glass made it a little more difficult to see through vs clear glass but you can always just stand up.
Room key must be in light switch to work air, electrical outlets, etc. Other random cards did not work.
Stocked mini bar with beer, juice, water, soda, etc. for a fee. Room service for a fee.
Never saw or met our stateroom steward but never needed him/her.
Ship:
Newer (2021), Beautiful ship. New York City themed. Loved the diamond stair cases in the central ship area. Popular spot for pictures.
Best Sports Bar! Well thought out. Also, has gaming machines & Individual booths with TVs for small groups/couples. Only thing that would make it better was if they offered bar food options.
Decent size casino with slots, poker, blackjack, & roulette. Separate closed off casino area for smokers.
Lots of bars & seating areas.
Elevators lack air conditioning. Stuffy every time! They use a āsmartā elevator system which means you put in your desired floor # & it tells you which elevator to take. However, sometimes the elevator is at capacity when it gets to you & you have to start over but it keeps everyone from rushing the same elevator & we never waited exceptionally long.
Most glass balcony areas around the ship (non stateroom areas) were about 5ā tall & had tinting so it was often difficult to see clearly through them. A few but not many areas around the ship had shorter ones.
Infinity bridges where you could see beneath you as you walked was a cool feature.
Overall the ship itself was a win!
Food:
Food is very subjective! I heard a lot of complaints about food on MSC prior to boarding but the buffet food was decent even good most times, it just lacked new variety each night. Not as much variety as other lines. Both days the options were basically the same for lunch & dinner which is the basis of a lot of the food complaints Iāve read. Still not as bad as I had expected based off reviews but this would be an issue for me on longer sailings. Better than the dining room food IMO. Only major complaint is that on the 2nd night there were a large # of people in the buffet for dinner & they only opened 1 side so lines were long & it was more crowded than it needed to be. Pizza was excellent every time! Kids had their own buffet line (super cool). Layout somewhat cut up & not as wide open as Royal but did have different food stations. Never had a hard time finding a seat. Also, had outdoor dining sitting area.
Main Dining Room (Manhattan) - There are several main dining rooms. This one was assigned to us. It was disappointing. It was small, one level, very closed in & no windows. Felt the ship moving quite a bit. Did not love this setup! Menu was minimal. Small portion sizes. They resembled kids menu sizes. My husband was less than impressed. Plus, $5 surcharge for extra entrees. Flavor was just ok. Temperature was less than desirable. Desserts were meh. š Service was decent. We finished dinner in the dining room & went straight to the buffet for pizza.
Specialty Dining - Several options including a steak house, sushi, seafood, Mexican, & Japanese. Didnāt try any on this 2-night sailing but probably would on a longer sailing.
Only place to get food/snacks really is at the buffet, main dining & specialty dining rooms. No quick stop places throughout the ship like other lines. No free ice cream machine except once offered in the buffet, at lunch, on port day. Gelato available for a fee at several locations. There is an ice cream/dessert/coffee/bar on deck 5. All for a fee. Itās basically a fancy chocolate bar .. Yum!!!
Handwashing stations never enforced / encouraged. Hand sanitizer stations were plentiful but often out. Bathrooms were often out of soap or towels. Major fail as far as sanitation priorities.
Entertainment:
Karaoke was awesome! Some really great singers on our sailing but it was warm in there. Magician show, several musical venues, variety show with musicians, dancers, singers, contortionists, etc. Dance lessons. On a 2-night sailing we didnāt get to experience all of the entertainment options available.
Pools:
Long Island Pool was the main pool area. It was like a sunken bar pit with longe beds around the edge. Not my favorite style bc it always feels like peopleās feet are in your face or Iām in their personal space but it wasnāt as bad as the one similar to this on Virgin Voyages.
Infinity Pool is Adultās Only overlooking the wake. It has tiers & loungers on the top tier. Beautiful area. š¤©
Jungle Pool Lounge is a 2-story solarium - Nice, spacious area. Decent size pool with shallow entry sides. Roof retracts. The 2nd level area had pool table, foosball & ping pong tables. Popular area for kids.
Yacht Club pool - did not visit.
Plenty of hot tubs around the ship.
Kids:
Pirates Cove waterpark & slides might be the most unique kids waterpark at sea but was closed on embarkation day. Had I of been cruising with my kids, I would have been annoyed. Only complaint here is that there is really no where for parents to sit/lounge near the waterpark. Otherwise, great area! Larger slides for bigger kids & adults on both sides of the ship as well.
Pay to play arcade with virtual reality games. Kids clubs, etc.
Gym / Spa:
We toured both. Very nice / clean areas. Gym was a great size, very new with a variety of cardio & workout machines. Spa wasn't the largest but did offer hot sauna, steam room, & ice room which was a neat feature š„¶ Thermal spa passes available for a fee.
Ocean Cay (Private Island):
Simple beach day. Clean. Nothing flashy. Maybe even underwhelming compared to other private islands. Easily walkable though with sidewalks throughout but also offers tram service with multiple pickup spots. No pool. Several beaches & a lagoon area. On the Atlantic side of the island the water was ROUGH. Also, no lifeguards present. Lots of chairs but umbrellas are a fee. Kayaks, paddle boards, jet skis, & floating mats also available for a fee. Wedding chapel & Spa on far end. A few shops up front but no local vendors. Several bars throughout the island. Lighthouse area was cool & you can walk to the top for a fee ($21 per person). Seemed to be the most popular bar area. One main buffet dining area that opens at 11:30 am but the lines were crazy long! Also, a couple food trucks. *No food allergies or restrictions can be accommodated on the island.
Ocean Cay is getting an upgrade & will be closed April 7 - May 22, 2024. āMSC will add excursion centers to support watersport activities and island tours, a dive and snorkel center, and additional food and beverage outlets as well as a solar farm.ā
Lighthouse Light Show - Short show, maybe 10-15 min. If itās not dark when you leave port, itās difficult to see & Iām sure you wonāt get the full effect. But if it is, then itās a neat little show best viewed from forward balcony rooms on the right side of the ship.
Service:
The other area that gets the most complaints & I understand why bc it wasnāt the best. Bar service was consistently slow everywhere. You had to get their attention or youād be sitting there a while (15-20+ min). They were working hard but maybe just understaffed. We werenāt even drinking alcohol. Just needed sodas or water. Only once did we encounter a bar employee that was less than friendly (probably bc I just wanted a bottle water š¤£). I did notice that no one would go out of their way to make things happen even if it wasnāt a difficult task. For example, I needed/wanted a banana at dinner in the buffet. Saw them out at breakfast. Asked 4 people. No bananas. There were REAL bananas set up all over for displays but wouldnāt let me have one bc they were ādisplay onlyā even though they were real. š¤·š»āāļø If whatever we asked for wasnāt in the normal realm of their day-to-day, it was easy for them to just say no. Same with Gatorade. Sent me on a wild goose chase to several bars, never got one. Peopleās complaints about service are valid when comparing to other lines. Not to the point that I would never sail them again but definitely not up to the same level of service we are accustomed to on other lines so adjust your expectations.
Debarkation:
Well done MSC! Self assist is the way we always go! We were instructed to vacate our room by 7:00 am. & we did right on time. Line to disembark was long but well organized & moved quickly. We were through customs & in our vehicle by 7:30 am. šš¼
App:
Basic. Still have to print Boarding Pass & Health forms instead of everything being electronic. No deck maps until after you board ship.
Pictures coming soon ā¦
