8-Day Caribbean Cruise aboard MSC SEASCAPE

My experience with MSC Cruises was absolutely horrible, and I want other travelers to know what I went through before spending their hard-earned money and precious vacation time on a cruise that, in my opinion, was simply not worth it.

The ship smelled of cigarette smoke and harsh chemicals throughout much of the ship. An alarm even went off. I repeatedly encountered smoke while walking around, and it seemed impossible to escape it. The only places where I could get away from it were the spa and the buffet dining area. MSC may have smoking policies, but from what I experienced, they were not being enforced. It honestly felt like they just didn’t care.

The smoke seriously affected my breathing. I was coughing constantly, sometimes to the point of vomiting, and my throat and chest felt raw and irritated. I complained repeatedly while onboard, but I did not feel that my concerns about the air quality or my health were taken seriously. (Other guest were coughing by day 3) I spent most of my time stuck in my room instead of enjoying the vacation I had paid thousands of dollars for. Imagine spending that kind of money and barely being able to enjoy your cruise.

I will have a video up within 2 months ( I am still sick from the cruise)

What makes this even more frustrating is how MSC handled my complaint afterward. They told me they would not do anything because I had not gone to the ship’s medical team. The medical charges are extremely expensive, and I did not want to pay for a medical consultation. My symptoms started after the smoke incident that was serious enough for the captain to pull an alarm. I did the best I could to take care of myself because I always travel prepared. I had already complained repeatedly about the smoke, and I expected those complaints to count for something.

Separately, there was another incident that I found absolutely ridiculous. One night, close to midnight, three officers came to my cabin door and WOKE ME UP. They acted as though they were afraid for my life. I was polite and cooperated, even though I had been asleep. The whole situation was bizarre and upsetting, and it is another part of this cruise experience that I will not forget.

MSC also claims it offered me another room. What they leave out is that this offer came less than two days before I was due to leave. After everything I had already been through, why would I want to pack all my belongings and go through the hassle of moving rooms with so little time left? A last-minute offer does not undo the days of discomfort I had already experienced, and I do not think it should be presented as though it solved the problem.

Then there is MSC’s claim that I received a complimentary wash and blowout. That is simply not true. I did not receive this service. I am extremely upset that MSC has included something I never received in its account of my experience.

On top of everything else, the constant pressure to spend more money was ridiculous. While we were dining, staff approached passengers to encourage them to upgrade their meals. While walking around the ship, we were repeatedly approached by people trying to sell products, services, and extras. There always seemed to be another sales pitch. I paid for a vacation, not to be constantly pressured to spend even more money.

The whole experience left me feeling that making more money was more important than the comfort and well-being of the passengers. I cannot speak to what MSC cares about internally, but that is certainly how it felt as a customer.

And the problems did not end when I left the ship. Dealing with MSC customer service has been another horrible experience. The staff at the customer service desk were rude, and I have called multiple times trying to get my concerns addressed. Sometimes representatives would hang up on me, other times the phone would ring without anyone answering, or I would be left on hold for what felt like forever. After everything I experienced on the cruise, having to fight just to get someone to listen to me has made the entire situation even worse.

MSC has made me feel as though my complaints are an inconvenience rather than something the company should take seriously. I expected better treatment from a company I paid thousands of dollars to for a vacation.

I wish I had known but most people don’t spend the time that it takes to actually share helpful information. That’s why I am doing it.

I understand that problems can happen on any vacation, but when passengers are struggling with smoke, coughing, and repeatedly raising concerns, I believe the company should take those complaints seriously instead of finding reasons to dismiss them.

I am still trying to recover from this experience. I lost precious vacation time, spent thousands of dollars, and came away feeling that my health and concerns were not taken seriously. That is not what I paid for, and it is not what I expected from a cruise company.

And these are just the basics of what happened. There is so much more I could say about the way I was treated, both onboard and afterward, but I cannot include every single incident in one review. What I have shared should give people an idea of how disappointing this experience was from beginning to end.

This cruise was not worth the money, the time, or what I went through. I paid for a vacation where I could relax and enjoy myself. Instead, I spent much of it in my room, dealing with smoke and breathing problems, and then had to fight to get MSC to take my complaints seriously.

I am sharing my experience because I do not want other travelers to spend their hard-earned money without understanding what they might encounter. If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke or strong chemical odors, please research MSC’s and read passenger reviews carefully before booking.

I wish I had known more before I went. My vacation should have been a chance to relax and enjoy myself. Instead, it became an experience I am still trying to recover from… and will never forget the horror vacation.

and I got a … they are doing nothing…. And this ….

We sincerely regret that your birthday vacation did not meet your expectations and appreciate the opportunity to review your feedback.

Kind Regards,

Kayla J

MSC Cruises North America

After a previously awful cruise with MSC, I was looking for better from them, and they delivered. The Seascape was a much nicer ship; the food was very good, and the staff, for the most part, delivered. I had someone with me needing a special diet, as she was gluten-free, and the main dining room and specialty restaurants delivered. The buffet for someone gluten-free left a lot to be desired, with only a small selection of gluten-free food, and only at the back of the buffet, to boot. I felt like she didn't have many choices there, and it was very disappointing.

Our cabin was nice and larger than I remember from a previous MSC cruise. I was surprised by the size of our bathroom and by the fact that we had a bathtub/shower combination. I have honestly not seen a bathtub since having a suite many years ago. Our balcony was a standard size, but it was very nice hanging out there many times during our cruise. However, our cabin had a leak, a leak that they couldn't resolve during our 7-day cruise. When we first arrived, the carpet outside the bathroom was soaked; it almost smelled moldy, and it took several members of housekeeping and hotel managers to get it vacuumed and dried. The leak seemed to be coming from behind the toilet, as every time it was flushed, water ended up on the floor. Several people we spoke with said we should have asked to be moved, but we were close friends we were traveling with.

Our cabin steward was just okay, not terribly friendly, which is rare on the many cruises I've been on.

The entertainment on this ship was fantastic. Four separate shows in the theater were fantastic, and the comedian, Russ Nagel, had 3 or 4 shows with all-new material. That was impressive! He had two adult-only shows, and he was hilarious. The other entertainment around the ship was also great; the center atrium with the various bands and game shows was truly impressive. The country band was outstanding, and the silent disco was fun to watch.

The pools and hot tubs were nice, especially the infinity adults-only pools on deck 8 and the hot tubs flanking the sides on that deck. The atrium pool on deck 18 was nice, but there were a lot of kids in it, and there wasn't much shade around it. Did not visit the kids' pool; walked around the water slides to see the area, but did not go there except to walk through once. I wish I had gotten some photos from that area. I never made it above deck 18, as I had someone with me who had mobility issues, and the stairs were a problem. The robotron ride looked like fun from down below.

I briefly mentioned the food at the beginning of this review. It was good overall, but if you have sodium concerns, you may want to request a low-sodium diet. I will do that in the future. Everything is filled with salt. Desserts were good; service was good at our various tables. We ate in two specialty restaurants, the steakhouse and the Mexican restaurant. The lamb chops were outstanding at the steakhouse, and the al pastor and fish tacos and guac and chips were great at the Mexican restaurant

Embarkation was super easy; we had an 11 am check-in time, arrived at the port about 11:30, and were on the ship about 15 minutes later. Disembarkation was screwed up. Several days before we got off, we checked with guest services, as we needed to get off early in a wheelchair. When we were told we had to wait until 8:50, I went back to guest services. Three separate times, they told us we could just get off when we needed to, but that wasn't the case when we got to the holding room to get a wheelchair off the ship. It was like one hand wasn't talking to the other. I ended up carrying all of our hand-carry bags, and she walked carefully, but it was such a mess, even though guest services said we were good.

Overall, a good cruise. I enjoyed my second cruise with MSC, which was miles better than my first. This is a great ship with lots to do, great entertainment, good meals, great views, and plenty of places to relax and enjoy the voyage.

We sailed from Galveston on the MSC Seascape in the West Caribbean. We sailed after (most) kids were back to school. Ship was not at full capacity. There were enough places to sit in MDR or around pools. We only went off in Roatan.

Embarkation was fast and smooth. Our Deluxe balcony cabin had a lot of storage space. Long cable for CPAT machine was supplied including distilled water. No plugs next to the bed. Only 2 US plugs, 2 USB-A and 2 European plugs. Nice bathroom, lot of storage space but shower very tight. Shower head at about 6"4', just high enough for me. The water pressure was very good. The temperature can easily be adjusted.

Dining at 5 PM, 7 PM or 9 PM. Theater shows at 7 and 9 PM. You get one session assigned. Need to wait outside if you want to attend other session than assigned. Luckily we had 7 PM. They give you 90 minutes for dinner and then the lights go on, indicating it's time to leave. No free dining option. Food in MDR very good, service okay and got better by the day.

The 6 (!) different shows were best we've seen. It's singing, dancing, ballet and acrobatic performance. Clean comedian. Theater reservations "required" but enough space when ship not full.

Disembarkation only through main elevators and therefore slow. A lot of people check their luggage when embarking but carry their own luggage when disembarking. Once downstairs it went very fast.

We were happily surprised and will sail with MSC again.