8-Day Cruise To The Bahamas And The Caribbean Aboard MSC SEASIDE

We went specifically to try the Yacht Club at as low a price as possible. So we got an Inside Cabin and the lowest price we could find, which was for a three-night cruise. The butler service was the best. Vicente, our butler and Lester, our junior butler, were both great. Most of the staff in the Yacht Club were excellent. We booked one tour for the cruise in Nassau. The group took off and disappeared, leaving us behind. We went to the concierge to get a refund, and it took a fair amount of time to get it, which was unacceptable. They made it sound like it was OUR fault, even though I had hurt my feet trying to get to the group with no help. The Yacht Club Director Marco finally helped, but that was after a few hours. Still unacceptable.

Cabin - Better than average. But, even though I chose a cabin in between two cabin decks, we still heard noises of things being moved around up until late night.

Food - Good overall. But, cruise lines cutting back on food quality continues to be quite obvious here. No lobster the whole time, and the filet was tough. But some good touches with what the cooking staff had to work with.

Entertainment - The piano player and vocalist were very good. Their appearances were quick, though. They played for around an hour each night and then were gone. They did have a DJ for White Night and that was very fun!

Tours - Absolutely avoid! MSC just is the intermediary for local tour groups. The second that the money changes hands, MSC washes their hands of it and then blames customers, even in the Yacht Club, for when the local tour groups screw up.

Spa - I have never had a massage onboard. I did this time, as a gift from my wife. The masseuse was excellent when it came to the massage. But, unpleasantly, she was absolutely determined to learn about any medical conditions I had so she could sell me on super expensive oils and stuff. That made the whole thing unpleasant.

The Yacht Club is very good, but needs to up the food ingredients it uses. And it needs to respect its customers better when they have legitimate issues. Cruises are very rarely good anymore. So, MSC, having a good product, needs to make it worth the money customers are paying. And they need senior staff to respect their customers.

MSC Seaside Review — 2.5 Out of 5 Stars

My husband and I recently sailed on the MSC Seaside, and overall, I would rate our experience 2.5 out of 5 stars. While the ship itself was beautiful and clean, the overall experience left a lot to be desired, especially when compared to our previous cruise on Carnival Conquest.

Unexpected Charges and Hidden Costs

My biggest complaint was the unexpected charges and the feeling that everything was an add-on.

When we boarded, I entered my credit card information simply so we could make purchases if we wanted to. I was surprised and confused when we ended up being charged $51 per person in gratuities. I understand that gratuities are customary on cruises, but I didn’t realize these charges would be added to our account. I thought I was providing my card for purchases we personally chose to make. I would have appreciated more transparency.

The drinks were another disappointment. We ordered strawberry daiquiris with a shot of tequila, and each cost $17.50. For that price, I expected a better drink, but they were surprisingly weak. MSC also seemed to constantly push its drink packages, which were close to $200 per person.

It felt like we were constantly being encouraged to spend more money.

Food and Cabin Amenities

The food was just okay. It wasn’t terrible, but there was very little variety. Even finding a decent salad was difficult. The food options became repetitive, and there wasn’t much that stood out.

Another surprising disappointment was that our cabin bathroom didn’t even have real washcloths! For a cruise line with such an attractive ship, I would expect basic bathroom amenities to be provided.

Ocean Cay Compared to Carnival’s Celebration Key

Ocean Cay was another letdown. If your idea of a perfect day is sitting on the beach, you might enjoy it. However, we found it boring. There wasn’t much to do beyond spending time on the beach.

Carnival’s Celebration Key was a much more enjoyable experience. When we got off the ship, there were stores, things to see, and activities to enjoy. What I especially appreciated was that we could explore without constantly being approached by people trying to sell us something.

Nassau vs. Freeport — A Completely Different Experience

One of the biggest differences between our MSC and Carnival cruises was the experience at the ports.

In Nassau, we felt bombarded by people trying to sell us transportation and excursions the moment we arrived. We were approached about renting buggies for $350 for just four hours! We were also told that there were no rental cars available in town.

Fortunately, we were able to rent a car from Avis for $145 for the day. So clearly, the information we were being given about rental car availability wasn’t accurate.

I understand that tourism is a major part of the local economy and that people are trying to make a living, but the constant pressure was overwhelming. We wanted to enjoy our vacation, not feel like we had to negotiate or defend ourselves against sales pitches every few minutes.

Our experience in Freeport while sailing with Carnival was completely different. We were able to rent a car right at the port for $100. Everything seemed straightforward, reasonably priced, and much less stressful.

I realize that MSC and Carnival don’t control every independent vendor at the ports, but these experiences absolutely affect how enjoyable a cruise vacation feels.

Between Celebration Key and Freeport, our Carnival port experiences were far more pleasant, affordable, and relaxing.

What MSC Did Well

I do want to give MSC credit where it’s deserved.

The MSC Seaside was noticeably cleaner than Carnival Conquest, which is an older ship. MSC seemed to take sanitation seriously.

At the buffet, staff frequently served guests instead of having everyone handle the serving utensils. Hand sanitizer was also provided as people entered. I appreciated the attention to cleanliness.

I personally took additional precautions by using a napkin to handle serving utensils and wiping down our cabin with Clorox wipes.

Another unexpected positive was that we purchased rum while visiting Nassau and were allowed to bring it back to our cabin.

Why Carnival Was the Better Value

We previously sailed on Carnival Conquest, and even though it’s an older ship, we enjoyed that cruise so much more.

We purchased $200 in cruise cash, and that was enough for my husband and me. The food had more variety, the port experiences were better, and there was simply more to enjoy without constantly spending additional money.

What I appreciated most about Carnival was knowing what we were paying for. There were no unpleasant surprises.

With MSC, everything seemed to come with another charge. Between gratuities, drinks, drink packages, and other extras, what initially appears to be an affordable cruise can quickly become much more expensive.

I would honestly say that our Carnival experience was three times more enjoyable than our MSC experience.

Final Verdict: 2.5/5 Stars

MSC Seaside deserves credit for being a clean, attractive ship with good sanitation practices. However, the limited food variety, lack of basic bathroom amenities, expensive drinks, unexpected charges, disappointing private island experience, and stressful port encounters took away from our vacation.

For me, cruising is about relaxing, exploring, enjoying good food, and knowing what you’ve paid for without feeling like someone is constantly trying to get more money out of you.

I would choose Carnival Conquest over MSC Seaside again, even though Carnival has the older ship.

A newer, cleaner ship doesn’t automatically mean a better vacation. Sometimes the older ship delivers a much better experience, and for us, Carnival did exactly that.

worst experience ever.. it rained the entire time, which i understand, but then I guess that they had an emergency on the third day, and had to make an earlier time. nonetheless, in the haste, the boat was choppy, rocky, and uncomfortable. Very nauseating. I dont get motion sickness, but this was the closest that I ever been. totally incompensated, inconsiderate, and inconvenient for. the travelers. 1st and final time, while outwardly discouraging people to ride. lastly, the food wasn't good, and the elevators suck. the elevators take forever because you pre-select the floors. smoking areas are limited. entertainment was limited throughout the rain. people were literally all over each other in the cafeteria. I would only say that the bartenders were the nicest.of all.of the other service workers and staff. MSC needs to compensate or.offer compensation when an anomaly happens like this. im sure that no one enjoyed this experience.