Time for the final report from MSC Seaside as we wrap up this seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise. The last day of the adventure saw us staying on the ship, as did the majority of other passengers, instead of going ashore in Nassau.
As I mentioned earlier, Nassau will no longer be a port-of-call for MSC once their private island, Ocean Cay, opens in January. It was also recently announced, that the Bahamas government will no longer offer financial incentives for cruise lines to visit Nassau or Freeport, meaning it won’t be long before cruise lines pull out completely.
The government was spending up to $12 million a year to get cruise lines to bring their ships to the island so passengers would get off and spend money. But with the rampant crime in the Bahamas and the lack of anything exciting or worthwhile to do there, passengers are simply not leaving the ship.
I think you can agree with me that the lack of a port call in Nassau or Freeport won’t be a disappointment.
We arrived in Nassau early in the morning and we spent the day in the private cabana we rented at the Yacht Club pool deck. In between laying in the sun, drinking cold beverages, and putting on even more pounds, we hit up the ship’s waterslides – a first for me, and I spent a few minutes in the saltwater pool – a first for me.
Some final moments hitting areas of the ship we had yet to visit rounded out the day as we headed back to our suite around 4pm to watch MSC Seaside sail away from Nassau and head back to Miami where our trip would soon be coming to an end.
Freshly showered and ready for the evening, we headed out for some cocktails before seeing the early presentation of Peter Punk – the ship’s take on the Disney classic, Peter Pan. This, once again, was a Cirque-style performance complete with pirates, Peter, an un-Disney-esque Tinkerbell, the guy with the hula-hoops, an aerialist, a magician, and a cast of singers and dancers, but the roller-skating couple was nowhere to be found!
At the end of the show, the usual “We Are the World” 80’s song was sung, crew members representing their home countries were marched on stage and the final “goodbye” wave was given as the show came to an end.
In the little bit of time we had before dinner, we meandered around the ship’s shops looking for the perfect remembrance to take home. In our case, we each bought a $37 room diffuser. You see, they have these things all around the ship which emit a scent created especially for MSC. By the time your cruise is over, the scent is so embedded in your senses, you just can’t leave without taking the smell of your cruise home with you.
In all seriousness, they do smell wonderful and my apartment now has the scent of the MSC Seaside to it!
For dinner, we had reservations at the third Asian restaurant onboard, Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s teppanyaki grill. If you don’t know what teppanyaki is, it’s hibachi. If you don’t know what hibachi is, Google Benihana.
The restaurant features four teppanyaki grills each manned by a chef while us diners sat uncomfortably close to one another – enough so that we call became very close friends. Friends who were thankful that we all wore deodorant because if one of us didn’t, it would not be a fun night.
Seriously, MSC…. Take away two chairs from these tables! I get the fact that it’s a group experience, but me rubbing knees and elbows next to strangers for two hours isn’t my thing. A little personal space is all that’s needed here.
There are three options for the teppanyaki depending on your craving. Since we purchased Roy’s Experience package that got us dinner in all three restaurants for $90 per person, we partook of the middle experience that retails for $39 per person.
The first course was miso soup, followed by a salad with ginger dressing.
Next up was a shrimp and vegetable course, followed by salmon.
Finally, fried rice and steak rounded out the meal before dessert was presented.
In hindsight, I wish we booked this earlier on in the cruise, as we did meet some great people at our table who we could have spent additional time with as the cruise went on.
The food was really good, and the portions were just right, but getting drinks after the first round was a bit slow as there was only one cocktail server taking care of all four tables and she was a bit overwhelmed.
After dinner, we headed to the Top Sail Lounge for a nightcap before returning to our room to finish packing and setting the alarm for 6am the next morning.
When the alarm went off, it was a quick rush to get ready as we decided to do express disembarkation where we could carry our own luggage off the ship and go right through customs and out the door.
At 6:45am we vacated our suite, our butler was waiting for us to help us carry our luggage down to the gangway and we said our final goodbye to the MSC Seaside. A quick scan of our cruise card and we were off the ship.
When we reached the terminal, there were no customs forms to fill out – a first on a cruise for me! We simply showed our passports and that was it. I asked about customs forms and was told, “nope, you don’t need one.”
Everyone would lie on those things anyway.
All in all, it took us less than a half hour from the time we walked out of our suite to the time we reached the curb for our ride home.
If you can carry your own bags off the ship, this is the way to do it rather than leaving your bags out the night before to be collected and then having to wait for your color to be called to go search for your luggage in the terminal building.
So it’s time for the overall recap!
Let’s go….
First, the Yacht Club – is absolutely, positively worth the extra money. All beverages, alcoholic and non, are included as is 3gb of Internet access. You get a private butler who takes care of everything for you as well as a dedicated concierge. You also have access to the Top Sail Lounge which acts as a bar serving drinks and small plates all day and night in addition to the Yacht Club Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then there’s the private pool area and pool bar.
If you’re in the Yacht Club, you never need to leave that area except to go to a show or visit one of the specialty restaurants – it truly is a luxury experience in the middle of a 5,100-passenger mega-ship.
Again, totally worth the money and there are even more perks to it that I didn’t mention such as reserved seating at the shows and other little things that make the experience so much nicer.
The Suite – is well appointed, with a good amount of closet and drawer space, a comfortable bed that can be converted to two twins, a sitting area with a small couch, a free mini-bar (another Yacht Club perk), a spacious balcony with two chairs and an ottoman, and a bathroom that was the best I ever had on a ship. The bathroom featured marble counters, floors, and a shower – and the shower was huge. We could have thrown a party for four in there if we wanted to!
My only complaint about the suite was the lack of outlets. There were only two outlets located on the counter one would use as a desk. None by the bed, none by the couch, none anywhere else. While the room did have USB ports, also on the counter, there was only one single USB port on one side of the bed – not both sides.
In today’s wired world, more outlets and more USB ports would be nice.
There was only one other little thing… in order for the lights and the air conditioning to work, you needed to have your cruise card in the little holder at the entrance. On other ships, you can simply put a credit card or driver’s license in there and it would work, on MSC Seaside, not so. It uses the electronic chip inside the cruise card to activate so a plain-Jane card will not work. Just a way for them to make sure they are saving as much energy as possible.
Fellow Passengers – most were not Americans, which on MSC is expected considering they’re an Italian line. Most were from South America, Brazil the UK, and Canada. I was expecting a good amount to be from Florida, but they were not. Ages were across the board and it was hard to nail down an average passenger age. We were not the youngest onboard and certainly not the oldest.
Food – here’s where it gets tricky. As I mentioned several times, I was expecting the Yacht Club Restaurant to offer the BEST food on the ship since it was part of the “exclusiveness” of the overall Yacht Club experience. We found it to be the WORST food on the ship. Two bad meals were enough and we didn’t go back to even give it a third shot.
Roy Yamaguchi’s three Asian restaurants were very good and worth the $90 per person to experience.
The best meal onboard was at the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse – which we visited twice. At $39 a head for a three-course meal, it’s worth it and will more than likely be your favorite meal onboard as well. Of course, there’s an a la carte menu that offers more than the fixed-price menu.
Butcher’s Cut is heads and tails above Eataly Steakhouse on MSC Divina. If you were on Divina and disappointed by the steakhouse experience like I was a few times, don’t worry – Butcher’s Cut is way different and much, much better.
The buffet was busy but not so busy you wanted to stay away. I had a few things from there which were very good and cooked fresh. I’m not a buffet guy, so not much more to say about that.
The pizza, as expected, is excellent and can be found on the buffet or you can order delivery to your room. I was just a little disappointed there was no pizza restaurant like they had on MSC Divina.
I did mention this ship does not have an Italian restaurant. A huge disappointment considering it’s an Italian ship and should have awesome Italian food. But there are three Asian restaurants on board….
Still stumped over that.
Public Spaces – beautiful. No other way to describe them! They are glitzy, like the Swarovski crystal staircases which are a signature item on MSC, but not over the top. There’s glass and brightly polished metal, but everything is tasteful – not flashy. Public areas were always being cleaned and there were no signs of excessive wear or tear. MSC Seaside is elegant in every way. With 5,100 people on board, there were a few times when you could feel it in certain areas, like the Atrium, but most areas were not overly congested which is a good thing.
The Ship – she’s big, she 20 decks high, there’s plenty of things to do and plenty of bars to visit. In fact, there is a bar everywhere you go, so there’s never a time when you won’t have a drink in your hand. We didn’t encounter any weather that would put the ship to the test so we hardly felt any motion, heard any random creeks or noises and she’s laid out well.
The Value – absolutely worth every penny. Even if you don’t to the Yacht Club, MSC’s pricing is very affordable and for what you get, right now it’s one of the best values in cruising out of South Florida.
Would I do MSC Seaside again? Yes! Without second guessing it.
I hope you enjoyed traveling along with me on this latest adventure, be sure to read all seven days’ worth of posts so you can get caught up on every little detail, and feel free to reach out and ask me any questions you may have about cruising on MSC Seaside!
Personal Day-By-Day MSC Seaside Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of MSC Seaside
My Photo Tour of MSC Seaside will showcase the ship’s stunning design, innovative features, and world-class amenities. We’ll take you through the ship’s impressive atrium, with its sparkling Swarovski crystal staircase, to the lush greenery of the outdoor promenade. You’ll get an up-close look at the MSC Seaside’s thrilling water park, chic lounge areas, and luxurious spa facilities. And of course, the ship’s many dining options, from casual beachside bites to elegant specialty restaurants.