MSC SEASIDE Reviews

We just returned from a cruise with MSC, and from the very first day, our bodies started showing bites from some kind of bug. Every day, the situation got worse, and eventually the itching became so severe that we could barely sleep.

We reported the problem to the person in charge of our room, and they inspected it but did not find anything.

The ship was the MSC Seaside. I will never get on that ship again.

Another problem we experienced was that they did not provide small towels, and there were no irons available for our clothes.

The internet service was also terrible and extremely inconsistent throughout the cruise. The food also left a lot to be desired. At the buffet, they rarely offered any meat other than chicken. There was very little variety when it came to desserts.

At breakfast, there was only one person preparing omelets, and sometimes we had to wait up to 15 minutes just to get one. I miss Royal Caribbean.

The ship was absolutely delightful - clean, bright, modern, well laid out, with really lovely staff. However the food was unbelievably bad! Most of it was completely tasteless. We ordered snapper one night in the regular restaurant and it honestly looked rancid. Chicken lettuce wrap was quite tasty but the lettuce was limp like a wet rag. Pizza in the marketplace was burnt black, yet they were serving it like it was New Yorks best. I feel like MSC were happily slopping out pig swill without a thought of the population eating it. We didn't eat much for 4 days because it was so bad. Also the drinks were weak and had a sweetener aftertaste! I have cruised Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but i have never experienced such dreadful food in my life! I have been in the travel business for many years and I can honestly say that I would be very reluctant to recommend MSC to anyone now!!!

This rating is based on price. was looking for a quick trip to the beach and found that MSC had a ship that stayed overnight at their private island.

I took a 4 day cruise with a stop at Nassau, and 2 days at ocean Cay, with no sea days. I used to be a big casino player so I get free cruises from most cruise lines, I am Diamond on Carnival and almost Diamond on NCL. The cruise cost for this trip was less than the "free cruises" that I get from the casinos on those lines. I booked an inside room with no perks, "Bella" level. 2 weeks before the cruise I was upgraded to a balcony and later I added the premium drink plan on sale for $200. My sister had considered going with me and when she was the rate I had gotten as a solo traveler she decided to book her own room, and she was also upgraded to a balcony.

Boarding was Easy, we pretty much walked straight into the ship after a facial recognition scan. The pizza t the buffet was good as was most of the buffet food at boarding. We ate all 4 nights at the main dining room. Food was good most nights, I tried the fish dishes 3 of the 4 nights, they were all good probably 4 of 5. The last night was Italian night, I figured that as an Italian line the Italian would be good, so I tried the chicken Parmesan and discovered I was mistaken, it was the only not good meal I had on the ship.

The breakfast menu in the MDR was somewhat limited, breakfast buffet was OK, they had an omelet station but they did not do eggs to order there. Breakfast overall probably 2.5 of 5.

The main reason for my cruise was to go to Ocean Cay and it exceeded all of my expectations. It was gorgeous, water was clear and warm. Bars were near the beach and drink service was fast. Every time I went to get a drink the bartenders gave me 2 drinks because my sister was with me, I had a drink plan, but she was in a different room and did not. (still even with getting 2 drinks most times I think 8 alcohol drinks was the most I had in one day) But I had lots of waters while on the beach. The first day my sister rented 2 chairs with an umbrella on the ocean side of the island, the second day I rented a clamshell by the lagoon. We spent the better part of both days in the water or on our beach chairs at the beach. The evening of the first day on OC we checked out the shops in the evening after dinner then found some seats on Lighthouse beach to watch the Lighthouse show. They were two great days on the beach.

Because we waited until we got their to book our seats and umbrellas the costs were higher I think it was $42 for the chairs, and $62 for the clamshell. I think a large portion of that was a Bahamian tax. For the low price of the cruise I think the cost for the chairs was reasonable, when you cruise super cheap you can't complain about spending money on a chair at a great beach,

The stage shows on the Ship were not very good, not the performers part, but the choreography and costuming was not high quality.

The end result is that My sister and I have both booked the same itenerary again in the next few months. I think for the price this was an incredible value and we both had a great time.

My moral victory on this cruise was that I did not set foot in the casino and either saved hundreds of dollars, or missed out on winning a lot of money. Since this was not a casino paid cruise I had no pressure to go blow my money in the casino.

MSC Seaside, August 31–September 4.

The buffet was the one bright spot — decent variety, food that actually tasted like food. The main dining room was the opposite: bland, overcooked, and the lasagna everyone raves about was a sad, soggy mess. Staff was polite but nowhere near Royal Caribbean's level — slower, less attentive, more "we'll get to you eventually."

The beach party at the lighthouse was a disaster. Two guests showed up with a massive personal speaker and cranked it over the beach party's own music. Fifteen to twenty-five guests sitting around us had to get up and move — their whole evening ruined. I complained to at least seven different employees. Their answer? "We asked them to turn it down." That's it. The app explicitly states no personal speakers are allowed on the ship or at Ocean Cay. Yet MSC sells personal speakers in the onboard gift shop. So the company profits from the product while banning its use. When I asked the customer service rep what would happen if I bought one from their own gift shop, set it on the bar, and cranked it — he stared at me like a deer in headlights. He couldn't answer, because there is no answer. The rule exists on paper, the product is sold on board, and enforcement is a shrug.

I logged a formal complaint through the MSC Concierge app, naming the exact location — First Beach Shack Bar — twice. The bot confirmed speakers aren't part of the event setup, said it flagged Cruise Entertainment, and told me to point a crew member at the spot or dial 99. The crowd was already leaving. The music kept playing. I have video of the speaker drowning out the official music. After disembarking, I spoke with several other guests in the customs line who were at the same beach party. All of them were complaining about the same speaker. This wasn't one passenger's complaint — it was a widespread problem MSC failed to address.

When I went to follow up, the customer service rep offered me a free meal at a Japanese restaurant. I don't eat Japanese food. I told him my favorite spot on the whole cruise was Ola Tacos and asked for a complimentary meal there. He said it was completely booked. I walked past that restaurant a handful of times that evening — there were maybe three people in it and a wall of empty tables. It was not booked. That was a lie to avoid giving me the one thing I actually wanted. They also tried to deliver a romantic gift package — chocolates and wine — to my cabin, which I was sharing with my daughter. I declined. When I returned to customer service, the rep offered me a photo package I'd already paid for. Those photos were already printed. Offering me inventory they were going to throw in the trash isn't compensation — it's a dump.

The photo desk itself was a joke. A staff member pointed at a kiosk, shook his finger, and walked off. Another couple had to show us how it worked. When I went to pick up my prints, I stood there twenty minutes while they couldn't find them. I asked about express disembarkment at the photo kiosk — the app told me to ask there. She said she couldn't help, sent me to the excursion desk. That lady said no, go back to customer service. I bounced between desks until I gave up and walked off the boat when I felt like it.

Ola Tacos was genuinely good — best meal of the cruise. The Fun Pass is a ripoff — only a handful of attractions and the credit burns fast — but I still had fun with it. The room had a loud hum like a humpback whale on night one, but they fixed it the same day, fast and professional. That part I respect.

Our cabin attendant Jordan was the actual star of this cruise — friendly, always in the hallway, handled every request, kept the room spotless. He earned his tip personally. The photographer who took our photos was a hero too. One named hero, a pile of named failures.

Decent ship, decent itinerary, but the food, the noise, and the runaround dragged it down. Won't be back.