msc seaside cruise critic reviews

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MSC Seaside Deck Plans & Reviews

MSC Seaside

Activities & entertainment

• Arts Classes
• Barber Shop *
• Dance Classes
• Deck Parties
• F1 Simulator *
• Forest Aquaventure Park
• Hair Salon *
• Hot Tubs (13)
• Hydrotherapy Pool *
• Interactive XD Cinema *
• Medi-Spa Center *
• MSC Aurea Spa *
• MSC Gym by Technogym
• Pedicure /Manicure *
• Spa Wellness Area *
• Sports Tournaments
• The Library
• Virtual Games Arcade *
• Waterslides
• Baby Club Chicco
• Doremi Studio
• Junior Club LEGO
• Mini Club LEGO
• Comedy Performances
• Haven Lounge
• Metropolitan Theater
• Miami Casino *
• Piazza Grande
• Asian Market Kitchen by Roy Yamaguchi - Asian *
• Seaside Bar - Atrium Bar *
• Shine Bar - Atrium Bar *
• Biscayne Bay Buffet & Pizzeria - Casual
• Marketplace Buffet - Casual
• Champagne Bar - Champagne *
• Wine & Cocktails - Clubby Bar *
• Venchi Cioccogelateria & Coffee Bar - Coffee & Pastries *
• Bistro - La Bohéme - French *
• Ipanema Restaurant - International
• Seashore Restaurant - International
• Jungle Bar - Pool Bar *
• Jungle Pool Lounge - Pool Bar *
• Miami Beach Bar - Pool Bar
• Miramar Bar - Pool Bar *
• South Beach Bar - Pool Bar *
• Ocean Cay Restaurant - Seafood *
• Sports Bar - Sports Bar *
• Butcher's Cut - Steakhouse *
• Aurea Bar - Suite Guests
• MSC Yacht Club Grill - Suite Guests
• MSC Yacht Club Restaurant - Suite Guests
• MSC Yacht Club Sundeck & Bar - Suite Guests
• Top Sail Lounge - Suite Guests
• Venchi Gelateria & Creperie - Sweets *
• Excellent 110
• Very Good 79
• Terrible 138
• All languages ( 464 )
• English ( 318 )
• Italian ( 71 )
• French ( 30 )

Upcoming itineraries

MSC Seaside Cruise Review

I f you are looking for a good value for your money (and who isn’t these day?), then I’d recommend taking a look at MSC. On our recent fall cruise on the MSC Seaside, we found the Seaside to be clean, with nice open public spaces, and a gracious crew. The value of the cruise to the money we spent was fantastic, and this was the weighty factor in our choosing this ship and line.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Table of Contents

How to get to port canaveral cruise port, hilton orlando buena vista palace – disney springs area, wyndham grand orlando resort bonnet creek, cabana bay resort, booking your cruise on msc seaside.

Bella, Fantastica and Aurea Experiences: What are the Differences & Perks

Stateroom Perks and Features

All suites on msc seaside come with aurea experience perks, pre/post cruise option orlando theme parks.

The ship is home-ported in Port Canaveral, Florida. Port Canaveral is easily reached by flights into Orlando International airport, Orlando Sanford International, and even Jacksonville International airport. However, out of the three, Orlando is the easiest, both in terms of the number of daily flights, and ease of airport navigation.

My suggestion, especially if arriving through either Orlando International or Orlando Sanford International is to add a day to the front end and a day to the back end of your MSC Seaside cruise and explore the area. There is so much to do in Orlando, and certainly don’t discount Port Canaveral – it has a lot as well, including Kennnedy Space Center. Once you’ve arrived, you can either rent a car , or hire a car service to take you to the port on the day of embarkation.

Where to Stay If I Arrive Early

There are so many options here! You can stay in Orlando, and there are several hotels we like in this area. If you want to arrive a few days prior to your cruise and visit the theme parks – Disney or Universal, you can stay at one of the park-affiliated hotels. If visiting Disney, and staying in one of the affiliated hotels, you will get complimentary transportation to and from the resort and the park.

Hotel Options for Pre/Post MSC Seaside Cruise Stay for Disney World

I don’t know about you, but I hate having to pay for parking….especially at theme parks! So whenever we visit Disney or Universal, we try to stay at one of the theme park recommended hotels that offer shuttle service.

The Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is located within the Disney World Resort and provides FREE theme park transfer service, making it one of our top choices for a theme park resort stay. Another plus is that it is connected to the Disney Springs dining and entertainment complex, which is one of my favorite places to visit.

The guest rooms have flat-screen TVs, small refrigerators (a nice perk!) and good bed linens. It is part of the Hilton brand, so if you are a frequent traveler and part of their reward program, you may get better pricing and/or perks. Amenities include on-site parking, breakfast, two pools, 4 restaurants, wifi throughout, fitness center, bar, and a golf course nearby.

The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek is another hotel within the Disney resort group, and offers a FREE shuttle to the Disney parks. This hotel offers five swimming pools, they are pet friendly (Zach loves staying at the Wyndham!), two restaurants, and a spa. Perched on Lake Buena Vista with gorgeous tropical foliage, this hotel is amazing!

The rooms have flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations, refrigerators, robes and spa amenities in each room. The spa is perfect for getting relaxed from all the park activities before you leave for your cruise. It offers both inside and outside treatment rooms, and a nail salon. There is also a fitness room and lagoon style resort pool. We’ve stayed at the Wyndham, though it has been several years, and one of our top reasons for choosing this hotel is that they are pet friendly, IF you are not visiting prior to a cruise departure, you’ll be really pleased with the dog-friendly option .

Hotel Options for Pre/Post MSC Seaside Cruise Stay for Universal Orlando

At Cabana Bay Resort not only do you get COMPLIMENTARY shuttle service to the parks, you also get EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter & Volcano Bay water park an hour before the park officially opens, making this resort one of the best choices for a pre-cruise stay. All the rooms at the resort feature flat-screen TVs, and other amenities include on-site parking, six restaurants, two pools, coffee shop (I love hotels and resorts that offer this – I don’t function without my early morning cup of coffee!) and wifi throughout the resort.

10 Quick Facts About the MSC Seaside

• The Seaside debuted in 2017, and was considered the 14th largest ship in the world
• The Yacht Club provides more than other ship’s VIP sections. On the Seaside, the exclusive Yacht Club area is extremely large, covering 5 decks! In addition to the perks listed above, the private Yacht Club offers a themed restaurant, private theater, private pool and a private bowling alley!
• The ship does not offer a quantity of dining experiences; however they are laser focused on the quality of the food that they serve.
• The entertainment is high quality; one of the things we love about this ship is that the shows were all broadway quality.
• There are nine bars and lounges onboard the Seaside, so there are plenty of options for sipping.
• There are four pool, four water slides, three hot tubs.
• The spa is phenomenal, and I loved the hydro therapy pool and heated ceramic beds
• MSC puts a high priority on kids , so there are kids clubs for all ages, including teens, and a fun waterpark that will keep them entertained.
• Dress onboard is casual during the day and business casual in the evenings.
• They designed the ship for maximum passenger flow, meaning that there are shorter wait times for the elevators, even during the high traffic times.

What To Not to Take on a Cruise

First time cruisers, and even some seasoned travelers struggle with what to take on a cruise. Here is a list of things you don’t need to take on your MSC cruise:

• Coffee maker/electric kettle
• Beach towels
• Candles / Incense
• Expensive jewelry
• Too many clothes/shoes
• Power strip / Extension cord

What should you bring with you on your cruise:

• A lanyard to keep your cruise card
• Backpack / Beach bag
• Cash for tips (PRO TIP: Prepay for your gratuities)
• Cross body purse (women)
• Waterproof phone case
• Rain poncho

Cruising on MSC Seaside – What to Know & How to Plan

We were pleasantly surprised by our MSC cruise , especially the cost to value. MSC is a relative newcomer to the North American cruising market, having entered into the US market in 2017. It has undergone many changes during this time, and now, in my humble opinion, with the options it brings it is quickly becoming a major competitor for Carnival, Royal Caribbean and even Celebrity.

Prior to my booking our MSC cruise on the Seaside , I did extensive research, reading countless reviews across a myriad number of publications. The reviews were mixed, but there was one strand running through them all – MSC has a few quirks and snags that are still being worked through in the North American market. That said, in our experience, having taken two MSC cruises in 2023 they are working out their quirks.

The booking process is a multi-step and multi-stage process. First you choose where you want to cruise to; then your departure port option(s); in the US these departure ports are New York, Miami, Port Canaveral (Orlando), and debuting in 2025 will be Galveston. Once you choose your departure port, then you will choose your departure date, a selection of all the ports that encompass the destination will show, click on the port you want, and then a selection of dates will show, along with the length of the cruise, and the beginning price, along with the ship.

The next stage is to select the cruise you want, with the itinerary you want. Once you do that, a screen pops up that reads “Choose Your Cruise Offer.” We choose the Best Value because it includes a drink package, and it is still quite affordable. Once you’ve chosen your cruise offer, the window brings you the total cost of the cruise, without any upgrades. When you click “Next” you’ll be taken to a screen that reads “Select Your Stateroom Category.”

Choose your category, you’ll see the new total for the cruise, click “Next.” Now you choose your cruise experience – Bella, Fantastic, or Aurea. We prefer the Aurea experience, because of some of the perks like Anytime Dining that are included. Then you get to choose your stateroom (in both the Bella and Fantasia experiences, you will be assigned a stateroom). Finally the last few steps involve inputting your personal information, and voilá you’ve booked your cruise! The booking process is not hard nor complicated, but there are a lot of steps to the final “I’ve booked my cruise stage.”

Bella, Fantastica and Aurea Experiences : What are the Differences & Perks

MSC’s cabins are attached to bookable “experiences,” which are Bella, Fantastica, Aurea and MSC Yacht Club. Each of these experiences offers a list of amenities and multiple cabin types.

The Bella Experience is the most basic of all and includes all the standard amenities, including line-branded toiletries, free buffet and main dining room meals, and most entertainment. Fantastica adds a few perks, such as free breakfast delivery to the cabin and the chance to request preferred dinner sitting in the main dining room.

Passengers who book the MSC Seaside Aurea Experience will get the most spacious cabins, along with privileges such as priority embarkation and disembarkation; prosecco and chocolate on arrival; free 24-hour room service, and free access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, anytime dining, and other perks.

The MSC Yacht Club is the highest cabin category, and it really is an all-inclusive luxury experience! This experience offers access to the accommodations via key card. The experience also includes dining in a private restaurant just for the Yacht Club, a private sundeck and pool, and an exclusive lounge with food and drinks, 24-hour butler service, free access to the spa’s thermal suite, and luggage packing/unpacking services.

Now that your cruise day is finally here, and you are set to depart, so what can you expect onboard your MSC Seaside cruise?

MSC Seaside Cabins

The standard cabin sizes on the MSC Seaside are, by industry standards, average. They all have two twin beds that can be pushed together for a king. Every cabin includes a couch, small nightstands, hair dryer, desk with chair, and a minibar (you will pay for these items), a spacious closet with sliding doors, flat-screen TV that is interactive with the MSC for Me app, on-demand movies (again for a fee), news channels, and cruise information channel.

The lights are turned on with your cruise card, and near the door are two switches to let your cabin steward know the room needed to be made up – this was confusing, because the lights are outside your door in the hall, so we had to double check we had hit the correct button.

A major plus for us was the number of outlets, including USB outlets. We each had six individual electronics – our phones, smart watches, and kindles, and we were able to plug all of them in.

The bathrooms are small compared to other cruise lines that we cruised on. The counter area is small, but there is a lot of shelf space. The toiletries are shampoo and shower gel. We were disappointed there was no body lotion; especially on a Bahamas cruise where you want the lotion after a day in the ocean.

Interior:  MSC Seaside interior cabins come in two different categories – Deluxe and Premium. All sleep up to five guests and range from 151 to 301 square feet. Instead of a sofa, these rooms have a chair.

Ocean View:  The ship’s outside cabins are all located on Deck 5 and come in at 183 square feet each.

Balcony:  Non-suite balcony staterooms on MSC Seaside range in size between 172 and 183 square feet (not including balconies). Deluxe balcony cabins have a 54-square-foot balcony with two upright chairs and a small drinks table; Deluxe Balcony Aurea rooms are all on Deck 9 and feature 97-square-foot balconies, two loungers, and a chair and table. Some cabins in this category also have showers with bathtubs.

Junior Suite:  These units offer 183 square feet of indoor space plus a 172-square-foot balcony that has two loungers and a drinks table. Junior Suites can only be booked with the Aurea experience.

Deluxe Suite Aurea:  Located on decks 9 to 15, these entry-level suites offer 215 square feet of indoor space, plus 86 square feet of outdoor space.

Premium Suite Aurea:  The most basic Premium Suite on MSC Seaside comes in between 280 and 344 square feet and features large balconies ranging in size from 97 to 151 square feet. Units with terraces are slightly larger at 301 square feet; the highlight is the massive 409-square-foot outdoor space.

Premium Suites with private on-balcony whirlpools are 301 square feet apiece. In addition to large balconies (75 square feet) with upright seating and a small drinks table, they also include a sitting area with sofa, a small glass table and a walk-in closet.

Grand Suites:  They range from 377 to 527 square feet with up to 183-square-foot balconies that hold several upright chairs and a couple of drinks tables. Each also offers an indoor dining table with chairs, a sofa and small glass table, and a walk-in closet.

These suites feature either one or two bedrooms, plus two bathrooms, including one with a tub.

Dining Onboard the Seaside

There are two main dining rooms on MSC’s Seaside, Seashore and Ipanema, and they are identical. You will be assigned to one of these two dining rooms. If you book in the Aurea experience, then you will be assigned a dining room, but you can dine anytime at the assigned restaurant during the open hours. Our first night onboard we were seated in a very private and intimate table by a window, and that is where we dined each evening. It was pleasant, and we felt as if we were on a date every night! You were not rushed to finish dinner, so we lingered and savored our meals and wine.

The food was tasty and well prepared, however the menu is not large. If red meat is not on the menu and you would like a steak, they will offer it, but it will be with an uncharge for the Linz heritage beef. The portions were not large, which appealed to Jim and I as we don’t like large portions, we prefer to order an appetizer, a salad or soup, our entree, and finish with dessert. The waitstaff was always smiling, pleasant and knowledgeable about the dishes.

The other dining venues on the Seaside included two buffet options, The Marketplace Buffet on Deck 8 (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and the Biscayne Bay Buffet on Deck 16 (open for Breakfast & lunch), and both offer almost the same cuisine. We found that Biscayne Bay was noisy, because of so many families. We preferred the Marketplace. One standout item that MSC does well is their pizza. It is, in my opinion, the very best pizza I have eaten on any ship. Do not miss trying this stellar dish!

MSC does offer four speciality restaurants, the Asian Market, Ocean Cay, Butcher’s Cut, and Venichi 1878; however we opted out of these. We find speciality restaurants can be a niche change up on a longer cruise, but for a short 3 night Bahamas cruise, we did not try them.

Overall I believe that MSC is a great value for the money, and a cruise line that is a good choice for families. We’ve taken two cruises on MSC, one for my husband and I and one with our family. Both cruises were fun, relaxing, and best of all, a good value for the money.

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MSC Seaside Review: The Good, Bad and Unbelievable

MSC Seaside Review

MSC Seaside is MSC Cruises year-round cruise ship departing from Miami and their first brand new ship to start cruising exclusively from the United States. I recently sailed on the MSC Seaside on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean itinerary to Nassau, Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and St. John’s, Antigua. The following is my account of the experience I had with my family and my observations and comparisons to other cruises I’ve experienced over the past 20 years.

UPDATE: June 22, 2018 – I just came back from my second cruise on MSC Seaside. This time I sailed to the Western Caribbean stopping at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Mexico and Nassau, Bahamas. I’m happy to report that my cruise was equally as good as the first one, but I have a few updates. On this cruise we were a party of five, so we chose a two-bedroom Grand Suite #12001. The suite was incredible, with a master bedroom, separate bedroom, two full bathrooms and plenty of space and storage. The main drawback was since these rooms are located all the way forward and have a glass wind barrier atop the slanted solid hull of the ship, there is virtually no view from the balcony. Even while standing, the view down to the water was minimal. They are no longer operating the slide board water slide, instead they are using single and double rider inner tubes and repurposing the same side. Apparently, guests were getting stuck using the boards and thankfully, I can personally attest that the speed using the tubes is much faster and wilder. MSC has improved the efficiency in the dining room. Service was definitely quicker than we previously experienced and we received our dishes without large waits in between. You no longer need to bring your towel back to spa reception after using the Thermal Suite, instead, they have a basket outside the changing rooms. For some reason bowling, the 5D Theater and the F1 Simulator were closed almost all day while we were in port. In addition, bowling is closed during dinner hours because of the noise. With 4 port calls during our cruise, this made getting the Fun Pass (see activities section) not worth it as they were open so few hours during the entire cruise.

Entertainment

Shows were a perfect length (approx. 30 minutes) and featured a diverse array of singing, dancing, theater, acrobatics from a very talented cast. The small size of theater can make getting seats difficult, but the Metropolitan Theater allows guests to be more immersed in the performances. Every evening the show will be repeating 3 times to allow as many guests as possible to experience it and you must make a show time reservation in advance using the MSC for ME app or one of the many display screens onboard. Reservations are held until 5 minutes before the start of each show, then they open up space for all guests. There were some common elements throughout all of the shows, but the high energy performances, stunning visuals and great acoustics made watching each show delightful. The highlight of the week’s entertainment was the show “Timeless”, featuring a series of unbelievable performances by one of the best Michael Jackson impersonators. Elsewhere around the ship, you can find live music of all varying types, comedy shows and occasional movies on the outside screen.

Tip : Pick your preferred show times on the first day of the cruise. Select show times that give you enough time for dinner before or after the show.

Food & Beverage

For casual dining the MSC Seaside is limited to buffet options only. Something not seen on other ships, is two separate buffets. The larger main (Marketplace Buffet) on Deck 8 features a large variety of foods commonly found on cruise ships, plus freshly made pizzas, pastas and rotisserie chicken. The pizza is by far the best I’ve had on any cruise ship. This location offers an incredible amount of outdoor seating along the expansive promenade. Another great feature are the self-service beverage machines. With a simple touch of your cruise card or wristband, you can select and purchase a limited variety beers, wines and soft drinks. If you have one of the unlimited beverage packages, you can also use these machines without any extra cost. On Deck 16, the smaller (Biscayne Bay Buffet), offers a much more limited variety of food options for breakfast, lunch and late-night snacks, A great advantage to this location, was that it was rarely ever that busy and still served made to order omelets in the morning, along with the same great pizza and they also had a kids buffet featuring staples like mac and cheese, chicken fingers and french-fries every day. In addition to the self-service drink machines in the Marketplace buffet, on each table in both buffets, there was a button to notify staff that you would like to order a drink. I found the service to be excellent at most times with minimal waits and a large variety of beverage options. Again, this option is available for free with those on unlimited drink packages.

Main Dining Room

The Main Dining Rooms onboard are on the small side. We had dinner in the Seashore Restaurant. Aurea Experience guests have a special entrance the left side of the restaurant. Guests with myChoice Dining may visit the restaurant anytime between 6 -10pm. The service, menu selection and overall food quality and presentation was outstanding. Beverage service was prompt and they refilled our drinks and water glasses regularly. The only issue we encountered was the speed of dinner service. We regularly arrived for dinner at 6pm as they opened the dining room. No matter what we ordered for dinner each evening, we typically were not finished before 7:45. On a couple of nights, we forwent dessert, since we had an 8:15 reservation for the shows each evening. I don’t mind a leisurely dinner but being up against a time crunch to make the show, made it less enjoyable.

Specialty Dining

As a perk for having Black level loyalty status on MSC Cruises, we were provided with one complimentary meal at a specialty restaurant for two guests. We decided to use our meal at the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse. For the complimentary meal, we were only allowed to select from the Dining Experience menu. This Dining Experience regularly costs $39 per person and has more limited options. You can select 3 dishes from the menu as an appetizer, entrée and dessert. I inquired about selecting two appetizers instead of dessert and was told it had to be one from each section. I ordered the Beet and Burrata salad, 8oz Filet Mignon and Chocolate Lava Cake. Everything was very nicely presented and delicious, however, I had to send back my filet as it was cooked over my preference. The second one arrived quickly and cooked to my liking. One thing I noticed right away is that the specialty restaurants on MSC Seaside are quite expensive as compared to other cruise lines and you do not get full selection from the menu unless you order a la carte.

Tip : Plan your dining and show schedule on the first day of your cruise. Traditional dinner times in the Ipanema Restaurant are 5:30, 7:45 and 9:45 and in the Seashore Restaurant and Marketplace Restaurant (section of deck 16 buffet) are 6:00 and 8:30. Nightly show times are 7:00, 8:15 and 9:30

MSC Seaside has a large spa with both interior and exterior relaxation areas. On both the port and starboard sides of the ship, you’ll find a private deck area for spa guests with loungers and hot tubs. You’ll always be greeted by friendly staff and there is a very spacious reception and waiting area. The treatment rooms are nice and provide a tranquil spot to enjoy a massage or other services. The crown jewel of the Aurea Spa has to be the Thermal Area. This oasis has several ways to destress with highlights including a therapy pool, light and dark sensory steam rooms, two saunas, snow room, salt room and a series of showers enclosures featuring cold and warm rain and misting showers complete with aromatic scents. Access to the Thermal Area can be purchased for the duration of the cruise for $190 for one person and $280 for a couple. Guests booked into Aurea Experience accommodations, have unlimited access to the Thermal Area as well as a complimentary massage up to 55 minutes for two guests per stateroom.

Tip : Make your spa appointments on the first or second day of your cruise (preferred times, plus sea days fill up very quickly). There are a limited number of Thermal Area passes sold each week.

Aurea Experience

MSC Cruises prices and packages their cruises differently than most cruise lines. They classify their staterooms not merely be a category, but as an experience. Experiences are a grouping of included benefits that are tied to a specific allocation of staterooms and suites. I thoroughly enjoyed the Aurea Experience which is the top experience, other than the Yacht Club. Firstly, you can book the Aurea Experience in a selection of Balconies and Suites with prime ship locations or special attributes. Regardless of choosing a balcony or suite, the Aurea Experience inclusions are the same. While, this is different from most cruise lines, where suites typically get enhanced benefits, the inclusions for all Aurea Experience guests are some of the best I have ever seen. The already mentioned Thermal Suite Spa access and two free massages were amazing, but just the beginning of what would be the most pampering and inclusive cruise I’ve experienced on a mainstream cruise line. We also received an unlimited (Classic) beverage package. This included all non-premium beer wind by the glass, cocktails and specialty coffees. Another nice inclusion was the freshly made gelato available from 4 different venues onboard. Aurea Experience is also the only way you can enjoy My Choice Dining onboard, instead of the traditional early or late assigned dinner seatings. This a great benefit that allows you to enjoy all there is to offer on MSC Seaside without feeling rushed to get to dinner at a certain time. The last major benefit and one that comes in really handy of busy seas days is the private access to the Top 19 Sundeck and Aurea Bar. You will need to show your keycard in order to enjoy the use of this area on Deck 19 forward, complete with sun loungers, two whirlpools and a large bar with comfy outdoor lounge seating.

Tip : Use the mains pools and loungers earlier in the day and then head up to the Top 19 Aurea Sun Deck in the afternoon, when the main pools are their busiest.

Ship Design & Layout

The MSC Seaside is one of the most visually stunning cruise ships afloat. Around every corner you’ll find an artistic flare and beautifully finished spaces. The aft scenic elevators that run from deck 7 to deck 16 were are constant source of entertainment for my children and provided an awesome vantage point when at sea on in port. The location of the kids splash area and waterpark within the extended funnel section provided great cover from the hot Caribbean sun. I also loved the wide open outdoor promenades with infinity glass bridges and strategically placed bars with ample shaded areas near the South Beach pool on Deck 7 and the Miami Beach Pool on Deck 16. There were some areas around the ship were you would walk into a dead end due to crew only access (such as the lifeboat stations on deck 7) or areas restricted to Spa or Yacht Club guests (Deck 8 forward is the outdoor Spa area and the entire forward sections of Deck 16, 18 and 19 are Top 19 Aurea Sun Deck and the Yacht Club).

Tip : When walking on the outer decks, stay on the port side of the ship if you want to avoid walking through designated smoking areas. The heaviest smoke we found was at the South Beach Bar starboard side on Deck 7 .

There is no shortage of things to do on MSC Seaside. On the Miami Beach Pool Deck 16, there are always daily activities happening with the cruise staff. Everything from morning yoga and dance classes to movie trivia, karaoke, and even a “Snow Party”. Elsewhere on the ship they offer arts and crafts, Basketball Tournaments and cruising staples, like The Love Game Show, Bingo and belly-flop competition. There are two zip line that take you from the top of the funnel area to aft of the Miami Beach Pool. The view from the zip line is spectacular especially if you spin around during your flight and take in the 360° views. The water park offers 4 water slides including two racing slides, an open spiral slide and the board slide, where you go down the slide on a small board with buttons that you press in sequence with colors to earn points. Not the fastest slide, but the final drop was cool. There is also a kids splash area complete with dump bucket, small water slides, spray nozzles, fountains and shallow pool. A little less thrilling and definitely a dryer, there is a two-lane bowling alley, Formula One simulator and 5D Theater in the arcade on Deck 7. Each of these activates and the Zip Line are an extra cost. If you have a balance left on your pass, you will not be able to use it as partial payment towards an activity. I had $12 left on my pass and wanted to use the money towards a 30-minute bowling game for $25. Instead of allowing me to pay the difference of $13, I had to pay the full $25 and was told to use the balance towards arcade games or the simulator.

Tip : Purchase the Fun Pass that gives you extra credit towards more activates. We purchased the $70 Fun Pass and received $30 free. We also purchased the unlimited zip line pass for $20 that covered everyone in the room, instead of paying $5 per ride.

Also Watch:

Video Tour of Forest Aquaventure Water Park

Video of Zip Line

Embarkation/Disembarkation

Boarding in Miami was quick and efficient. The new terminal F has plenty of check-in agents to assist you. A potential major issue with Terminal F is that it is located between parking garages D and G, so be prepared to walk a good distance if parking your car at one of these garages. As an alternative, there is a surface lot located in front of Terminal E where Carnival docks their ships. We were fortunate to find a great sport there, but the lot was very busy. MSC uses colored tags to indicate disembarkation times as most other cruise lines. We opted for express walk-off and that process started around 7:30am. Even though there was a very long line of other guests also doing express walk-off, the two gangways expedited the process of getting of the ship. Once back in the terminal, there was some congestion at the elevator and escalator. The elevator line was long, so we decided to use the escalator. Keep in mind, the port personnel will ask you use the elevator if you do not have one hand free to hold the rail down the escalator. Once on the main floor we whisked through customs in less than five minutes.

Tip : If you get to the port early and are either Aurea or Yacht Club, there are special designated areas inside the terminal with refreshments.

We booked an Aurea Suite, one of the “condo” rooms on the aft of the ship. Our room was #15239 on Deck 15 port side. This room surpassed my expectations in almost every way. The general layout of the room was very spacious and having both an aft and side view was great when going in and out of ports. There was an ample amount of storage, however, walking past the closest when opened presented some issues passing back and forth to the bathroom. For those like myself that travel with many gadgets, I appreciated the three USB ports. There was one near the left side of the bed and two near the vanity/desk area, one of which was rated for high power devices. The bed was extremely comfortable, which may be due to its newness, but had a great sleep every night. There is sitting near the balcony door area with a table and sofa. I liked that the table could be easily stowed under the desk (have had too many nighttime falls on these small glass stateroom tables). The sofa converted into a double bed and was also quite comfortable. One major issue was when the bed was folded out, it was impossible to get out on the balcony without climbing over the bed. It literally touched the side of the desk area. On one morning I wanted to go out early and take some pictures and I ended up with a tear in my pants and major gash in my leg from the sharp metal edge of the desk. The bathroom was very large (by cruise ship standards) with the biggest shower I have ever had on a cruise ship. You could fit 8 people in there. One thing I was disappointed with in the bathroom was that the shower only had a basic hand-held showerhead. Considering this was a suite and Aurea Spa accommodation I would have liked a more elaborate shower system, with multiple sprays like I’ve enjoyed on Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises spa staterooms. In general, the level of the finishes in the suites on MSC Seaside is not up the same caliber as the MSC Divina or other cruise line suites. The true star of these rooms is the wrap-around balcony. The balcony area on the side of the ship is wider and a good spot to use the reclining chairs and foot stools. You can still place chairs in the aft-facing section, but I used this spot to stand and watch the wake of the ship and the panoramic views when entering and departing port. From this area you have an almost 180° view. One other benefit of these rooms is the easy access around the corner to the panoramic glass elevators. These two elevators run from Deck 7 to Deck 16 and for the majority of the time we had minimal waits.

Tip : Try to book aft Aurea Suites on Deck 15. All of the other decks have window-washing equipment that will block some of your view.

Video Tour of Aft ‘Condo” Suite

Video Tour of Two Bedroom Grand Suite

Video Tour of Whirlpool Suite

MSC Cruises has invested in technology they’ve branded MSC for Me, to make the onboard cruise experience easier with a combination interactive screens throughout the ship, smartphone app and wearable tech. There are dozens of the touchscreens strategically placed in all gathering spots onboard such as elevator lobbies, stairs and the entrance of all lounges and restaurants. They provide a snapshot of all daily activities, help you navigate the ship or simply find your stateroom. With the embedded RFID chip in your cruise card or for those guests with the wristband, a simple touch on the screen will bring up your cruise profile and allow you to make dinner and show reservations, book shore excursions and see all of your scheduled activities. The smartphone app is really like a pocket-sized version of the touchscreens, providing most of the same information, in a more discreet manner. The app is also your gateway to logging into the ships Wi-Fi and Internet. The app uses the ship’s wifi to keep you connected in real-time to all of the onboard services. The MSC for Me wristbands, provided free with Aurea and Yacht Club accommodations and $5.00 for all other guests, replaces the common cruise card in almost all situations. These soft plastic wristbands are designed to be worn at all times and are fully waterproof. Once we put them on, they were comfortable to the point I forgot I was wearing it. The MSC for Me wristbands allow you to open your stateroom door, make purchases in the shops, order drinks, activate lockers in the spa, and it worked as my electronic ticket for the nightly shows. The are some exceptions to when you’ll still need your cruise card. You will be required to show your cruise card when getting off and returning to the ship in port and to gain access to the Top 19 Aurea Sun Deck. My children also received wristbands color coded to their kids club level. Parents can use the MSC for Me app to track their kid’s location onboard if the children have the chip-enabled wristbands. I never experienced any issues using the app or wristband regardless of my current location onboard MSC Seaside.

Tip : Connect your smartphone to the ships Wi-Fi to enable all of the features of the MSC for Me app. Use the MSC for Me app to make your show time reservations as soon as you board. It literally takes just a few minutes.

Internet-Wifi

We received the Standard Internet package as a free perk when we booked our cruise. The Standard Package allows you to connect up to 2 devices and use up to 3GB of data for the entire cruise. I was impressed with the strength of the WIFI with no noticeable drops in speed or signal no matter where I was or time of the day. Using the SpeedTest app on my phone, I measured download speeds of 7.63 Mbps downloads and 4.27 Mbps uploads. Certainly not lightning fast as compared with land-based Internet, but it was superior to most other cruise lines. I was able to access most my iPhone apps including iMessage, websites and social media including Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Twitter. The speed allocation of the Standard Package will not give you enough bandwidth to use streaming apps like Netflix or use FaceTime or other video chat services.

Tip : Don’t forget to logout of the Internet when you are not using it. You can logout and check your data usage through the MSC for Me app.

It has been reported several times that all of the pools onboard MSC Seaside with the exception of the kid’s pool in the Forest Adventure Aqua Park, have no shallow end. I can see this as a problem for many people who like to wade around, maybe while enjoying a cocktail or two or five. Unless you are well over 6 feet you can’t stand around in the pools. My thoughts are that most cruise ship pools are way overcrowded. People cram into these pools and stand around for hours to the point that the water becomes cloudy and probably not very sanitary. Cruise ship pools should be used to take a refreshing dip and maybe swim some laps (when there are not many people). Unlike resort pools, shipboard pools are just way too small for lounging around or playing in all day. There are plenty of hot tubs all over MSC Seaside, including the two in the Top 19 Aurea Sun Deck and outside areas of the Spa. One notable omission is that there are no hot tubs near the South Beach Pool on Deck 7. This is the adult only pool and while there two showers flanking the pool and plenty of deck space available, MSC Cruises did not put even one hot tub. The closest and most accessible one is all the way up on Deck 16.

Tip : There are two less busy hot tubs located on Deck 19, just forward of the Forest Adventure Aqua Park

Kids Programs

The Doremi Kids club onboard MSC Seaside occupies the entire aft area of deck 18. It’s not the largest kids club I’ve seen, but it is well laid out and the bright colors make the spaces inviting. Lego is the main theme for the Mini-Club (ages 3-6) and Junior Club (ages 7-11). Both clubs feature large Lego building areas and an assortment of games, arts and crafts and a television. The space in between the clubs is the Doremi Studio. This area is used for common activities between the clubs like entertaining shows, movies, dancing and parties. From our experience with two children, one in each of Lego Clubs, we were somewhat disappointed in the amount of engagement the club staff seems to have with the children. Most of the time we found that the kids did not have structured activities like on other cruise lines, but mostly played with the Legos. We also found the music to be way too loud for a space catering to children. There are also two other clubs for teens, the Young Club (ages 12-14) and the Teen Club (ages 13-17).

Tip : As soon as you board the ship, there will be desk to get your kids outfitted with their wristbands. This is not the registration for the kid’s program, you will also need to visit the kids club separately to get them registered. I suggest going to the club early the first day to get it out of the way. Depending on the time of year, the lines will get long.

Unique Features

MSC Seaside is visually one of the most stunning cruise ships at sea today. There are many features that set this ship apart from the rest. From the design of the pool areas to incorporate enough space for sun worshipers as well as plenty of shaded spots, expansive boardwalks with features like outdoor dining and glass bridges to several types of accommodations to appeal to couples, families and extended families. MSC Cruises did a great job in taking some elements that have been done by other cruise lines and making them better.

Crew Interactions

My overall experience when interacting with members of the crew was very positive. I found most to be friendly eager to offer assistance. There were some minor issues with be misunderstood due to language differences, but these were rectified quickly. There were some crew standouts for me during this cruise. Our server Barbara in the Seashore Restaurant always had a smile and did her best to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. The entire bar service team in the Top 19 Aurea Bar were always fantastic. Lastly, Captain Massa, who we had the fortune to meet twice during our cruise, is a captain of the people. He was regularly seen in the public spaces talking with guests and even though he certainly had a schedule to keep, he took the time to listen and greet those who approached him.

Opportunities for Improvement

No cruise is ever going to be perfect and there are some areas where I felt MSC Cruises could make the experience better for guests onboard the MSC Seaside.

Kids Club: There is a curtain separating the kids club registration desk from the kids area. This inhibits parent’s ability to discreetly check on their kids.

Towel Exchange: One pool towel per person is located in your stateroom. Towel exchange is only possible at one location on Deck 16 (starboard side), otherwise, you must return your towels to your stateroom to avoid incurring a charge for a lost towel.

Recreation: Bowling can only be reserved on day of play, and the desk doesn’t usually open until 11 AM.  There is no accessible phone extension to call the staff for a bowling reservation or question (you must go in person). At times, the staff arrives 30 minutes early than opening time, and there is already a line for bowling reservations to be made.  Popular 30 or 60 minute slots may be taken very quickly, especially on sea days.

Soft Serve Ice Cream: The Biscayne Bay Buffet on Deck 16 is the only place for soft serve ice cream and it is only available for a few hours between lunch and dinner. If you have gelato included in your drink package or you purchase one a la carte, note that the whipped cream machines, dispense a less sweet product than you may expect.

Spa Thermal Area: There are water dispensers located in the Thermal Area, however, they were regularly empty without being replenished.

Registering a Credit Card: Unlike most other cruise lines, MSC Cruises does not have a process to capture credit card information for charging onboard purchases during online check-in or at the check-in counter in the port terminal. Instead they use automated kiosks onboard the ship. If you forget to do this as you are boarding, remember to go back and register your card within 48 hours.

Value and Quality

MSC Cruises is a relatively new player in the U.S. cruise market. They are relying on guests having positive experiences on their U.S. based ships in order to grow their share of the market. To persuade cruisers to choose MSC Cruises over another cruise line in an extremely crowded market, sailings on the MSC Seaside are priced well below their competitors. Not only will you be getting a great price on your cruise, you will also benefit from a very generous bundling of inclusions. For example, choosing an Aurea Experience room in a balcony or suite, already priced below similar offerings from other major cruise lines, will also include a free beverage package for all guests in the room, two massages, free thermal area access and private sun deck. If you’ve purchased any of these extras on a cruise before, you know it amounts to a substantial cost. Of course, getting a great price or receiving all of these include perks means nothing if the cruise you experience isn’t up to your expectations. My experience onboard MSC Seaside was in some respects on par with any cruise line I’ve sailed, but in most instances far exceeded my past experiences of over 70 cruises. In a time when the current cruise line focus seems to be about reducing included benefits, increasing fares and maintaining the status quo, MSC Cruises has a real opportunity to make an impact in the U.S. by providing cruisers with a quality alternative.

Also Read: Everything You Need to Know about MSC Cruises

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Traveler Reviews

A ship’s traveler rating is provided under license by Cruiseline.com , which manages one of the largest databases of cruise reviews and ratings by travelers. A total of 1020 guests have reviewed MSC Seaside , giving it a rating of 4 on a scale of 1-5.

Cruiseline Travel Rating:

Reviews by traveler type, most recent reviews.

My new addiction

Mar 28th, 2024

Get off early at ocean cay to get the free umbrella and chairs. If you take the golf cart, hold on.

Traveler Type

Family (older children)

Not so good!

Feb 26th, 2024

This cruise was the worst we have ever been on. The food, the overworked staff, and cleanliness were the problems that we saw on this ship. We have never seen any of these problems on any other ship. We all got colds and gastrointestinal problems which we attributed to overall lack of cleanliness in food preparation and general cleaning on the boat. On other boats you would always see crew wiping down railings and always busy cleaning open areas. Bartenders were overworked and it was hard to even order a drink. Behind bar was a mess because they were so busy trying to help customers. In the buffet they covered juice dispenser after breakfast so no juice was allowed for remainder of the day so only choices were water, coffee, or hot tea. It seemed as if cost-cutting had impacted the cruiser's experience. The rating which includes port calls should not be interpreted as a better rating for the ship and its services.

Feb 9th, 2024

The MSC Seaside was my seventh cruise overall and my first one on MSC...it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! Exceeded ALL my expectations of an unfamiliar cruise line and more! MSC has definitely spoiled me and knocked Carnival out of my #1 spot!! ???? the ship was so BEAUTIFUL and by far the largest and newest I'd ever been on!!! ???????? and most of all, I LOVED THE MICHAEL JACKSON SHOW!!!!!!!!! ???????? This ship definitely has a lot of fun stuff to do (i.e. bowling alley and zip line) I would 10/10 recommend ???????? P.S. I don't have kids so I can't speak on anything surrounding child-friendliness...but the splash pad did look fun

Large Group

MSC Weekend Cruise to Private Island

Jan 23rd, 2024

Beautiful ship. This was just a quick weekend cruise. Didn't have a lot of time to do things on the ship. The two days at Ocean Cay were awesome and restful.

4-6 cruises

Ship to Shore

Jan 6th, 2024

Liked that buffet host requested everyone wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before entering buffet area

Great Family Cruise

Jan 2nd, 2024

This cruise and the ship was great. Overall, we loved the food and the experience. MSC was a great alternative to Carnival Cruises for us.

Beautiful private island.

Dec 11th, 2023

Had fun with friends. Private island was awesome! They cut too many corners on service. Not flexible at all. Tried to charge us for a movie we did not watch. We will not be cruising MSC again.

First MSC cruise

Nov 28th, 2023

Nice ship, friendly staff, great private island, less expensive than other lines. Food was good but not great, entertainment was just OK and not a lot of it.

First cruise on msc

Nov 27th, 2023

If you buy on msc...really study the pricing of all the offered levels. When you start tacking on the different add on packages, it can get pricey. If you are a foody and enjoy variety, this is not the cruiseline for you.

Not what I was used too

Nov 26th, 2023

Private island was nice. I’m a foodie so I will never go on this cruise line again. I’m going on celebrity in February the only cruise line I’ve not been on. If it’s not good then Royal Carnival. Ncl. It will continue to get my business.

Singles/Friends

Disclaimers about ship ratings: A ship’s Health Rating is based on vessel inspection scores published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a ship did not receive a CDC score within 22 months prior to the calculation of its Overall Rating, its Health Rating appears as N/A; in such a case, the ship’s Overall Rating is calculated using the average Health Rating of all CDC-rated ships within the cruise line. All ship Traveler Ratings are based on ratings provided under license by Cruiseline.com.

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• MSC Cruises

MSC Seaside Yacht Club - my honest review

By 2cruiseluvrs , October 21, 2018 in MSC Cruises

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2cruiseluvrs

For our experience, my wife and I chose the Yacht Club level of stateroom, and our three children joined us. Other staterooms available include inside (no windows), ocean view (window), balcony, and balcony suite. Some rooms hold two guests, while other rooms can hold 5-6.

MSC Seaside was launched in December 2017 and quickly received a number of bad reviews. This is the case with nearly every new cruise ship. In fact, many passengers will intentionally book the first sailings, with hopes of finding problems, bad service from a brand new crew, and they are looking for opportunities to complain… thus trying to earn freebies, discounts and other favors.

We found very little to complain about. In fact, our experience was “five stars” or “diamond” in virtually every aspect of the s  hip. We’ve been on 7 cruises on 7 different ships from 5 different companies.

YACHT CLUB ENTRY & SECURITY

The Yacht Club "welcome / entry" consists of 3 white pop-up tents and a couple of folding tables.

At 10:30 a.m. three staff members arrived at the tents, checked us in, provided luggage tags, took our bags, and showed us into the indoor waiting area. Being priority guests, we did not have to stand in the long er waiting lines. Instead, we were taken into a priority queue, and had to wait until security staff were ready, around 11:00 a.m.

YACHT CLUB RECEPTION

Getting through security / metal detectors was easy. Our Yacht Club guide gathered us and took us through the main waiting area (zero waiting) and directly into the Yacht Club gathering space. We quickly met with a clerk who took our boarding tickets and passports. She took our photos. Then we sat down to enjoy a variety of pastries, donuts, chocolates, fruit, orange juice and champagne… as much as we wanted. When our ship cards were ready, the clerk gave them to us, along with our Yacht Club wristbands which also act as an on-board ship card.

BOARDING SEASIDE

At 11:45, guests who already had ship cards were invited to leave the waiting room and board the ship. We were guided by a butler into the ship and to an elevator which took us straight to floor 16. He was wearing a tuxedo, white gloves, and carried a paddle sign that said "Yacht Club." Exiting the elevator, we were welcomed through the Yacht Club doors, and guided to the Yacht Club lounge. We could not believe how quickly we boarded Seaside!

INTRODUCTION TO THE LOUNGE

Inside the Yacht Club lounge, we were greeted by a waiter who asked us what time we like to eat dinner, and if we would be celebrating any special birthdays, etc. We sat down on the comfortable velvet couches and were offered our choice of beverage. There was also a small “buffet” of fancy snacks, sandwiches, and mini pastries. All for the taking.

GOING TO OUR STATEROOM

We were invited to visit our room, which accommodated 5 people. The Yacht Club offers a few different sizes of suites, from inside staterooms to extra large luxury suites with huge balconies and jacuzzi tubs. Our room was something in the middle. It was the largest stateroom we’ve ever stayed in (going on 7 cruises now).

It had the largest bathroom we’ve experienced on any cruise ship. It had the biggest shower. Wand spray and ceiling spray. The hot water came quick and had great pressure. The toilet sitting area was large, and the sink was big. There was tons of shelf storage for hygiene items. And we found plenty of towel rods and hooks to hang our items. The bathroom was a delight.

STORAGE AND BEDS

The stateroom had two closets and numerous drawers for storage of both large and small items. The room is “divided” into two areas: master bedroom and sitting room. The “divider” is really just a bookshelf that is less than half the width of the room. The memory foam master bed was at least queen size and had 4 great pillows. The sofa bed was large, enough for two adults. And a third bed dropped down from the ceiling, with access via ladder; perfect for a child or young teen.

FRUIT & MINI BAR FRIDGE

There was a bowl of fruit that was advertised as “fresh fruit.” But the bananas, apples and pears unfortunately looked like they had been on a number of cruises before we arrived! So really they were more of a prop.

The mini bar was stocked with a variety of sodas, juice, beers, vodka, gin and whisky. It also had pringles, chocolate covered nuts, and other snacks. All of that was free for the taking. As much as you want. They will just fill it back up!

The flat panel television was at least 50” and looked great on the wall. It offered video on demand, access to your stateroom account details, and a huge variety of television channels mostly from the United States, but also featured stations from Germany, France, Italy and so on.

BALCONY & DRAPERIES

The balcony door unlocked and opened easily. It felt very secure. The huge balcony offered three chairs and an ottoman, all commercial quality with a “wicker” netting. The railing was high enough that our three-year-old could not possibly fall overboard, even if she was to stand up on a chair or the foot stool.

The shade that covers the door was great. It had an internal blackout layer and an external decor layer. When closed, the room was pitch black. However, they were not so easy to open and close.

LIGHTING, ELECTRIC, TEMPERATURE

To keep the lights on in the room, one guest’s ship card must be in the door slot. If there’s no card, the lights will auto-off in a few minutes, to conserve power. By the way, there were at least 7 light switches for the room: main entry, bathroom, reading light and ambiance light on both sides of the bed, sofa area, desk area, and balcony lighting.

On the desk area, below the TV, there were two United States electric outlets, two European outlets, and two USB-A power outlets. We brought our own extension cord that offered three extra outlets.

The stateroom had two thermostats: one for the master, and one for the sofa area. The room temperature was preset and was very comfortable. Even when we opened the door to have hot air rush in, the room cooled down quickly.

The Yacht Club room decor is great, and seems to be a step above the decor of the other room categories on board, if you just look at other cruisers' photos.

OTHER YACHT CLUB AREAS

But the gorgeous, comfortable and large stateroom is really just the beginning of the Yacht Club experience. There’s the Yacht Club Lounge, Restaurant, Bathrooms, Elevators, Concierge, Butlers, Viewing Deck, The One Pool, Hot Tubs, Sunning Deck, Bar, Buffet and full access to the Aurea Top 19 and Thermal Areas.

As much as you could easily blow off the existence of a “living room,” we found ourselves investing an incredible amount of time enjoying the experience of the Yacht Club Lounge. Getting to it is easy; it’s just a short skip down the hall. When you enter, you are seen by at least one waiter and immediately greeted with a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon,” etc. They may also know your surname and use it. As a guest you could easily just sit down in one of many seats or sofas, or you could walk straight to the bar and request a drink, then take a seat to enjoy the view, read a book, talk with a guest, or anything else you want to do. The waiter brings your drink quickly. There is no receipt. No asking your room number. No nothing. Just your drink and “is there anything else that I can get for you?” and a smile.

In the Lounge, you get up and sit down and get this and ask for that, truly just whatever you want. Imagine living in a gorgeous home that’s fully stocked with your favorite snacks and drinks, and they’re all yours for the asking. Imagine being able to wear whatever you want and just do whatever you want in your own living room. Use your laptop, play a board game, read a book, sleep, talk, look at the ocean, talk to the staff. WHATEVER. It’s your room and it’s your safe space. Your happy place. Finish your drink? Ask for another, or switch it up. They take your empty and bring your new. Hungry? Grab something from the mini buffet, or ask for a special item. They will go and get it for you. Used dishes don’t sit for long. The Lounge is kept clean by staff. It is open from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. So party on, my friend. In my opinion, this room alone is worth the price of admission.

In the evening at the lounge, there were a variety of musicians and they were all very good. A female duo played piano and violin. A male performer played harmonica, guitar and sang. Another male played piano and sang. All performances were mellow and subtle and never in your face. Twice I made song requests and both times they were provided, in their own special way. I loved it. For the record, the songs were “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin and “Need You Tonight” by INXS.

During the week, I visited the Lounge probably a hundred times. Sometimes I was intentionally alone. Sometimes I walked up to a complete stranger and was looking for a nice conversation. Other times our family sat next to another family to share our experience of the ship. While the Yacht Club is the most luxurious and “executive” area of the ship, it was never stuffy in any way. In fact, I dare say it was much more laid back than other public parts of the ship. I didn’t hear CEOs talking about return on investment. I didn’t hear about the best golf courses in the world or the best wine in France. Instead, I met Brent, a guy my age who is a university 4H instructor in the Carolinas. I never met his wife and daughter who apparently were both shy and spent much of their time in their stateroom. I met Steven, a father of two kids, Austin and Katia, from Georgia. I met Bob and Tish, a senior couple who shared their heroic story of simply getting to the ship on time. And one night I drank with Bob as he talked about his Acura Repair business. The Lounge staff gently reminded us it was time to go when they turned the lights to 100% at 1:30 a.m.

VIEWING DECK

There are two automatic doors that lead from the Lounge to the viewing deck. The deck is just as wide as the Captain’s bridge, extending further past both sides of the ship, further than any other spot of the ship, providing the single best full-ship side-view that is possible on board Seaside.

On the deck there are padded lounge chairs, padded benches and tables. Very few people visited the deck, so being there was like owning the ship, kind of having it all to yourself.

There is a Swarovski Crystal staircase that leads up to the Yacht Club Restaurant. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, you are greeted by the very fun and friendly Giuseppe, the Maitre’d. “Bon Giorno” he announces happily, in a used-car-salesman-meets-italian-actor-but-nice kind of way. He walks fast, cracks cute jokes, is very personal, and is active in managing his restaurant. By no means does he sit back and watch. Instead, he goes out of his way to make sure the staff is on point. Once we watched him vacuuming crumbs from the floor. He was not afraid of elbow grease.

Like any good cruise ship restaurant, the staff gets to know your wants and needs. For example, one time I entered the restaurant and was craving blue cheese. They promptly provided it. And every day afterward they brought a plate of cheese as we sat at the table!

At dinner, the waiter offered a choice of bread from the basket. They brought two and three kinds of butter. They took orders for wines and soft drinks, coffees, and liqueurs, and brought all quickly.

Our chosen appetizers, entrees and desserts were provided quickly. Custom orders were created perfectly. For example, I mostly stayed away from starches and breads. One night when the menu included steak, lobster, and fish, I asked for all three to be delivered on the same plate, with no sides included. They delivered exactly what I asked. And when I wanted more to eat, they delivered.

The two negatives of the dining room were that 1) they didn’t seem to listen well to what we wanted for wine. At least twice we asked for one wine, but were later offered another. We corrected them and they fixed it quickly, but for being in Yacht Club, that was kind of annoying. And 2) a pet peeve of mine is that I like dirty dishes to be removed very quickly. Often times, the dishes sat long enough that I had the chance to photograph them and even stack them all up … to make it look obvious that it was time for the dishes to GO.

Typically on cruises we prefer to sit with other couples or families. In the Yacht Club there are two larger tables and the rest are for parties of 2-6. We never sat with another couple or family, but we had enough fun, just the five of us. While many people did sit quietly in their party, there were some tables who were comfortable with their conversations, and even sharing between tables. It never felt stuffy or too proper in the dining room. We’re not fancy people, and we enjoyed it very much. Oh, and on formal night, we didn’t see a single tuxedo. In fact, I think the Yacht Club members take “formal night” a lot less seriously than they do in the public dining rooms. I wore slacks and a button shirt with a jacket the first night. No tie. The second formal night I ditched the jacket, too. Many guys wore khakis or even a really nice pair of jeans on formal night.

For what it’s worth, I think that many first and second time cruises look forward to the glitz and glamour of formal nights. It’s their chance to shine, wine and dine. And that’s fine. Maybe these folks don’t get out often enough. Or who knows? But frequent cruises and especially those with children, I believe, would rather just skip formal nights altogether because it’s sort of a hassle, and it even makes packing for the trip more difficult. On a one-week cruise there are usually two formal nights, and they usually happen on days when the ship is “at sea” all day and did not visit a port / city.

I would not say the Yacht Club restaurant was my favorite part of the Yacht Club experience. But what WAS special about it was 1) we could dine anytime we wish (not on a schedule), 2) it felt intimate but not too small, 3) the maitre’d was always around and the staff was very active. It would be better if 1) children were served (something / anything) VERY fast to calm them down, 2) dirty dishes were whisked away fast, and 3) the live music (coming from the lounge below) was happening all evening and not just in short sets. But these are picky items, I admit.

OUTDOOR BUFFET

You don’t have to eat in the Yacht Club Restaurant or in the Yacht Club Lounge. Of course, you are free to visit any of the buffets on Seaside, pay extra to eat in a specialty restaurant, or you can go to the Poolside Buffet on the Yacht Club Pool Deck. This very exclusive outdoor buffet is on the 19th floor, easily accessible using the Yacht Club Elevator (that only goes from 16-18-19).

The Yacht Club buffet offers a carving station, numerous side dishes, at least two poultry dishes, fish dishes, vegetables, salads and deserts. As much as you want. The food is the proper temperature and the area is never crowded. In fact, you’ll be lucky to bump into one other person at the buffet. There were more staff and bartenders behind the counter than guests in front of the counter! It was here that I discovered my new favorite fish: Grouper. OMG. I ate a lot of it.

OUTDOOR BAR

The bar adjacent to the buffet has every wine, beer and liquor you could want. You just ask and it’s yours. Quickly. Very quickly. Ask for another. And another. Or rattle off a list of drinks that you want for you and your friends. Voila, here it comes. Compare this to a bar in the public area of the ship: the queue takes a long time, you can order only one drink per ship card, and it will take a few minutes to receive. Ugh, no thanks. Back to the Yacht Club!

YACHT CLUB POOL

People go on tropical cruises to be at peace, enjoy the pool, and lay in the sun. But one common problem with cruise ships is the people-to-pool-chairs ratio. It’s often hard to find an open chair, especially if you are with others and need multiple chairs together. Additionally, the common pool areas are loaded with people. Some ships are worse than others. It’s not all bad, I mean, after all, you’re in the caribbean or in mexico, etc!

But the Yacht Club Pool is an entirely different experience. There are far more chairs than there are people. And in my experience there were fewer than 10 people in the water. There was plenty of space to soak, to push back and forth, and chat with other guests. I met two moms, their kids and the grandma. They were all enjoying the shallow water, and were all as pleasant as can be.

Laying on the deck chairs were men and women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. They were tanning, reading, eating, drinking. It wasn’t quiet, thanks to the kids having fun. But it wasn’t loud and obnoxious either. Nobody seemed boring, or annoyed. It was just a nice balance.

Oh, the towels! When you stay in the Yacht Club, your stateroom attendant or butler can provide you with exclusive blue full-size towels, or you can get as many as you need at the Yacht Club Pool, and you can use them anywhere on the ship, or take them onto shore. Yacht Club towels are put onto the poolside chairs. A clean and folded towel on the chair means that you are welcome to take it, and / or sit there. If you take it, it will surely be replaced quickly.

YACHT CLUB HOT TUBS

Walking from the pool and buffet area toward the front of the ship, you’ll pass shaded teak dining tables, more lounge chairs, and enter the forward deck. There are two hot tubs that seem to be intended for adults, though any Yacht Club member can use them. This forward area always seemed to be a little quieter than the pool area. So if you’re looking for quiet, you know where to go.

THERMAL AREA

Cruise ships are famous for selling upgrades, extra food, extra experiences, and merchandise. One common sales pitch is the spa area for massages. But Yacht Club members have complete access to the Thermal Area that is within the Aurea Spa.

To start, grab the Yacht Club robe from inside your Yacht Club stateroom closet. Wear it over your bathing suit. You can bring a Yacht Club towel with you, or you can grab towels from the spa. Put on your Yacht Club slippers and get going.

The Thermal Area is easy to get to. It’s a quick elevator ride down from the Yacht Club to floor 8. Turn the corner and you are there. Don’t worry that you’re wearing a robe and others you see in the hallways are fully dressed. After all, you are on vacation, and the other people are envious of you -- you’re in the Yacht Club -- and clearly you are headed to the spa to relax!

In the spa area, grab an extra towel from reception, or just walk right past it. Since they recognize your Yacht Club robe, and your Yacht Club bracelet, they do not question you for being there.

First, head into the mens and womens dressing rooms. Your bracelet will open a storage locker. Throw your robe, slippers and towel inside, then lock it back up. Take a quick shower, and walk back into the hallway. Open the opposite door to the actual Thermal Area (fully coed) and welcome yourself into heaven on board.

The Thermal Area features EIGHT specialty showers (four enclosed sets of two showers) that have hot and cold water, as well as rain or mist that contains various aroma therapy. You can use them as long as you want, either alone, or with your partner.

There are two dry sauna rooms. They seemed identical in function, though at one point, one of them seemed slightly warmer than the other.

There’s a salt room with 8 lounge chairs. I expected it to be warmer in this room, and I expected to smell salt. But it was neither warm or had aroma. I spent little time in here.

There’s an ice room. It’s small, has two small wooden benches, and it’s cold. There’s literally snow on the decorations and the floor. It is created with a mist coming from a nozzle near the ceiling. Wear some sandals. It’s very cold to the feet.

There’s a water station with two chilled coolers / spouts. They use 8-ounce plastic cups that are always stocked. However, the water was never flavored like they do in fancy hotels. I expected (and wanted) cucumber or lemon or orange or something. But it was plain. It’s very important to stay hydrated between treatments, so drink water and drink often.

Also in the Thermal Area, there is a steam room that is “light” with solid white benches that are illuminated by blue light above. Each of two benches holds about 3-4 guests. When the steam is heavy, you truly cannot see the other guests inside. It’s nice like that! There are four water hoses to cool down and rinse off. One hose is on each end of both benches.

There’s a second steam room that is “dark” with solid black benches. The walls are dark, and it’s equally difficult to see others when the steam is thick. Nice!

There’s a “geyser” room that I never used. It has four stations that shoot water from the floor. The first is cold, the second warm, the third cold, the fourth warm. You are supposed to go through all of them, then exit. The cold was too cold and I could not use it. My preference. Others did use it.

In addition to the lounge chairs in the salt room, there are at least 12 other lounge chairs in the Thermal Area.

There’s also a VERY large jacuzzi. It’s not hot water. It’s warm. It’s bubbly. And the jacuzzi often had 3-6 guests.

Signage with fine print requests guests to wear bathing suits in the Thermal Area, and that’s as specific as it gets. We witnessed guests wearing a wide variety from very little fabric to quite a bit of cloth. Guests were mostly in their 30s and 40s and early 50s. Not too many Thermal Area guests in their 60s or higher, though they are more than welcome.

Take your time. When you are finished, head back into the Dressing Room, shower, dry off, put on your robe, throw the used towel into the basket and enjoy the rest of your day. The Thermal Area is available to guests age 18+. IT’s open from 9A to 9P. They warn you at 8:30 and 8:45 that it will soon close.

How can elevators be fancy? Well, when you are wearing a Yacht Club wristband, you tap a sensor, then push up/down, and wait for the “Priority” lift. Theoretically, when you get into your Priority lift, you again tap your wristband to a sensor while simultaneously pressing your preferred floor. And again, theoretically, you go straight to your floor, without it stopping for others in the same direction. It’s a faster way to get your robe-wearing self from the spa and back to the Yacht Club. In actuality, I could rarely get this "priority" function to work, and usually it stopped for others to get on board. Maybe it was user error. That said, there is an elevator inside of the Yacht Club itself, that takes you between floors 16-19, i.e. from your stateroom on 16 to the YC pool on 19.

When you enter the Yacht Club, you must pass by the Concierge Desk. At this desk, you can ask for any kind of help: info about the rest of the ship, making dinner reservations, fixing your ship card, registering your credit card, scheduling shore excursions, etc.

I asked one concierge, “What’s the most bizarre request you’ve had?” She replied that a Yacht Club guest asked for entry for 15 other guests in other areas of the ship. Apparently there was a confusion with the travel agency. Due to limited capacity and the exclusiveness of the Yacht Club, they had to be denied. Thankfully. Too many people would spoil the atmosphere.

Due to this conversation, I did learn that if space is available, guests can buy a one-day pass to the Yacht Club for $110 per guest per day. That’s well worth it! The space must be based on total Yacht Club capacity versus total Yacht Club guests on board. For example, if the YC can physically hold 200 guests, but only 180 are on board, then 20 passes could be sold per day.

A blog I read said the MSC Divina holds 188 YC members, while Seaside holds 292. That’s very exclusive considering the Seaside full ship capacity is 5429. So on Seaside, the Yacht Club is 5.4% of the guests on board assuming a full sell out. That’s exclusive!

GELATO, CREPES, COFFEE and MORE

Yacht Club members also have free access to unlimited treats around the ship. The authentic and handmade gelato is amazing and there are plenty of flavors to choose from. You can order it in a cup or in a waffle cone. The waffle cones are likely made on board, as is the gelato.

The creps are available at one of the gelato bars. Free. Made just for you. Eat up.

Specialty coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, frappes and other crazy coffee / chocolate drinks are free for YC members. Order and enjoy.

Please note that you CAN board the ship and stay in “Aurea” staterooms that also come with free gelato, crepes, coffees, beer, wine, soft drinks, and well drinks. Aurea packages however do not have Yacht Club access which includes the amazing lounge, restaurant, private pool, buffet, viewing deck, lightning fast boarding and disembarkation, and the only access to the front facing point of the ship.

THE REST OF SEASIDE

Yacht Club members enjoy the exclusivity of many private areas. But they are of course free to enjoy all the other great parts of the ship. During the week, every day, we enjoyed the kids Jungle Pool play area, the awesome theater for evening shows, and ventured throughout the many awesome spaces and places of the ship.

THE 5000 GUESTS

People who have never cruised always hate the idea of being around so many people. Some ships are small with only 2000 guests. Newer mega ships get close to 6000 guests PLUS crew. But here’s the reality. Big ships have lots of space to spread out the people. Except for boarding, disembarking, getting in line for an evening show, and going to the pool on a hot day, it’s never more crowded than being at the mall. People love cruising. The industry has skyrocketed since year 2000 and the newest big ships now cost more than a billion bucks, featuring countless activities on board.

CALORIES & GAINING WEIGHT

When you eat more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. One pound on your body comes from adding a net 3500 calories. A typical American may burn 2000 calories per day just from his heart beating, from walking around, and breathing.

Eating an extra 500 calories per day for 7 days is really easy to do. In fact, eating an extra 1000 or 2000 PER DAY is easy to do. What’s worse is that other than some simple walking around the ship, you’re not getting much exercise. And no, you likely won’t use the awesome gym on board despite your best intentions! And why should you?!

It’s impossible to count calories, so you just gotta be smart with your food selections. Increase protein and decrease carbs. Try not to taste all of the available sweets. Don’t finish your entire dessert. And if at all possible, pay attention to the calories you are drinking.

In my own experiences, I have gained 10 pounds on a cruise. On Seaside, I gained “only” 6.5 by not having all the carbs (other than drinks).

But look folks, we’re enjoying the meetings and conferences. Sample lots of foods and have a good time. Just don’t go wild. And when you get home, plan to lose a few pounds to get back to your fighting weight.

One of the great things about cruising is that it can be relatively cheap. For example, I’ve seen 7-day cruises for $350 (just $50 per day!) That covers your room, daily room cleaning, eight meals a day, nightly entertainment and great stops in cool cities. Depending on the time of year, the ship, the room you choose, and other factors, the daily cost can easily hit $200+ per person. So there’s something for everyone.

Why would we take our kids on a business trip? MSC allows younger kids to sail for “free.” They do charge port fees and tips for staff, but that’s all pretty cheap. So when you take the total cost and divide by 5 people, then divided by 7 days, it becomes reasonable to stay in the Yacht Club or at least in an Aurea room. (Yes, that’s some fuzzy math.) Of course it would be super cheap in an inside cabin with four guests. If you want a large room for 5-6 guests, you need to book early. They go fast.

Your round-trip flight to the initial port is extra. Excursions into ports are extra (about $50 per person per adventure). And there may be occasional misc charges. So add it all together, divide by your party size, and determine which room makes sense for you. Then go have some fun.

I admit it… the day before we left, I shed tears of joy and sadness as I realized it would all soon come to an end. I didn’t cry for long, but I did realize that this had never happened before. Never before had I experienced an emotional connection with a conference, a seminar, a ship, an area, or even a vacation. I think that says something about the Yacht Club and how the overwhelming generosity of it all affects you.

Whether it’s Giuseppe welcoming you to dinner, the bartender whipping up your morning cappuccino, staff knowing that you like to order two bottles of carbonated water at the same time, your butler helping you get onto the port quickly, or the non-stop flow of premium beverages, snacks, and more… It’s nice. Ultra nice. It’s something to experience at least once in your life.

So what are YOUR thoughts?

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gotta cruise again

Lovely review; well written and very helpful. We board YC in December and appreciate your thought and especially the helpful spa tips. My DH doesn’t get on CC at all but I think he’ll enjoy your review. Thank you so much!

great review  we  were  on YC  late  Sept--interesting that you said the  food temperature was ok in outdoor buffet, we  had  an issue  with that.  I  also would have liked  more  TV  choices, CNBC  of  Fox  business.  But  I agree  with your assessment

Great review.  We will be on the Seaside next month in the Yacht Club.  Last year we really enjoyed the Yacht Club Experience on the Divina so much that while on there we booked the Seaside.  It sure does spoil you!!

16 minutes ago, markf said:  I  also would have liked  more  TV  choices, CNBC  of  Fox  business.  But  I agree  with your assessment

I'm on the fence about TV. On one hand, I feel like it's nice to have to fill in a few slow moments, or maybe to help me fall asleep. On the other hand, I feel like TV keeps me from really disconnecting. So, yeah, I guess more channel choices would be good for someone who is not looking to disconnect.

mmpgoodtogo

I appreciate your thorough review!  Especially the info on the spa.  We are also in the yacht club, but weren't sure what that spa perk actually entailed.  Thanks for the review!

Thank you for a very engaging, sincere review. 

I have found that more likely than not, folks in the NCL Haven are just regular folks like me who like to elevate their cruising experience a bit. I expect the yacht club to be a lot of the same.  

Great review!!!!

Great review!! Makes me even more eager for our YC stay in March!

CGTNORMANDIE

Great review...honest and well presented.

Wow! Thank you for your detailed review. You provided some information I don't remember reading elsewhere. Just 62 days to go for us, and now I'm even more excited!

GREAT review!! Can not wait for next month now.

Wow.  What a review.  Thank you for taking the time to write such a structured and expressive text.  I hope to meet you in a future cruise, to discuss how to express our thoughts to our CC friend as well as you did.

Thanks for the great review and i totally agree the YC experience is something that should be experienced, it's fabulous.

On 10/21/2018 at 6:44 PM, 2cruiseluvrs said:   I'm on the fence about TV. On one hand, I feel like it's nice to have to fill in a few slow moments, or maybe to help me fall asleep. On the other hand, I feel like TV keeps me from really disconnecting. So, yeah, I guess more channel choices would be good for someone who is not looking to disconnect.

I totally need it to fall asleep. My husband does like it to chill during the day as he can not sun worship as long as I can!! LOL Did you find it easy to watch from bed.?  Many say it does not swivel and is really placed for watching in that sitting area. What are your thoughts??

3 hours ago, Debde said: Did you find it easy to watch from bed.?  Many say it does not swivel and is really placed for watching in that sitting area. What are your thoughts??

The TV is in fact FIXED and does not swivel. I do recall thinking at first, "Hmmm, it does not angle this direction [as I was in bed]." However, it was very clearly visible and I did not feel it was at a weird angle or hard to watch. The was also no reflection from the door / sunlight. So it was absolutely fine for everybody in the room to watch.

Thanks for your great review!

I love your review! Thank you.

The Top Sail Lounge is one of my favorite places on Earth and I couldn't agree with you more about the value of that space, along with the YC Pool Deck, and all the other YC perks your described.

Thanks for taking the time to do this review.  Well written!  We'll be on her the end of November, thanks to your review, I can't stand the wait.

We are home  from the  YC  about 3 weeks--  the  cruise  is  even better  3 weeks  after--if  you know what I mean!!

I am ready for the next one , 

A very nice review and in our book spot on.

A couple of tidbits for first timers in the YC. We did not choose to wear our wrist bands and carried our cards instead. To keep power to the room for charging etc you can use any RFID card in the slot to keep power on.  There is an indicator light out side the door of the cabin that stays lit when power is on in the room.

Your cabin card does have your cabin number on it in code.  Add the first two numbers together and then reverse the last three to come up with your cabin number.

Thank you for your review.

25 minutes ago, Todd320 said: A very nice review and in our book spot on.   A couple of tidbits for first timers in the YC. We did not choose to wear our wrist bands and carried our cards instead. To keep power to the room for charging etc you can use any RFID card in the slot to keep power on.  There is an indicator light out side the door of the cabin that stays lit when power is on in the room.   Your cabin card does have your cabin number on it in code.  Add the first two numbers together and then reverse the last three to come up with your cabin number.   Thank you for your review.    

Todd, I am pretty sure you work for the FBI or CIA 😉  Thanks for the tips!

PompeySailor

Great Review!

Thank you 👍🏻

Having cruised mainly on Royal I can honestly say our upcoming cruise on Seaside in YC, has us just as excited as that very first cruise we took together as a family 17 years ago.

thanks to reviews like yours 

Appreciated.

Excellent review.  We booked her too in the YC.    Question for someone.   Are the “upcharge” restaurants included in the YC fare?   Or are they charged separate?  We are totally new to MSC and use to the Haven on NCL (11 cruises on ncl) Sounds like YC is just a touch above Haven, but the Haven rooms include all the upcharge restaurants as well.   Is this the case on MSC?

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