PHOTO: MSC Cruises' MSC Seaside sailing the Caribbean Sea. (all photos by Jason Leppert)
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At a Glance | By the Numbers |
• Lifestyle: Standard
• Tonnage: 153,516
• Launched: 2017 | • Passengers: 4,132
• Crew: 1,413
• Passenger Space Ratio: 37.15 |
Take a Bow (What to Like) | Pain in the Aft (What to Dislike) |
• Vast amount of al fresco deck space
• Impressive array of activities and entertainment
• Brilliant dual buffets and overall balanced layout | • Tiny entry-level cabin bathrooms and showers
• Small size of specialty restaurants
• No publicly-accessible observation lounge |
| Who Should Book | • Sun-worshippers seeking the most outdoor deck space and loads of onboard attractions. | Who Should Skip | • Small-ship lovers looking to escape crowds, unless they book the MSC Yacht Club. |
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The MSC Seaside is MSC Cruises' first purpose-built ship for the North American market, and it arrives with both European and domestic flair. Its exterior is a mixed bag of sleek styling and blocky structuring punctuated by the graceful glass-floored Bridge of Sighs above the stern. Thankfully, a newly established balance of public decks radiates harmoniously from the central engine room and smokestack, offsetting any of the condominium clunkiness.
Most appreciated is the ship's abundant outdoor deck space. The mid-height Waterfront Boardwalk promenade stretches from the atrium-its own design showcase-as well as a freshly located main buffet, shops, lounges, bars and spa. By lowering the self-service restaurant to this level, the pool deck is wonderfully freed of most dining crowds save for its own secondary buffet which is far quieter.
The splitting of the buffet is a brilliant design choice worthy of future copycats.
Most importantly, Seaside certainly succeeds in highlighting its surroundings with more al fresco surface area for sun-worshippers than on any other cruise ship.
Besides such creativity of layout, the ship displays a decor that carries over MSC's usual Italian elegance while adding some American touches. The aforementioned atrium is still decked out in signature Swarovski crystal stairs and mirrored surfaces for a bright prismatic effect. Meanwhile, the Garage Club is clad in full retro Americana.
All venues are beautiful, from the themed Jungle Pool Lounge to the chic upper specialty restaurants-which fall short some for being inaccessible from the midship and aft elevator lobbies.
The same dedication to design extends in large part to the staterooms and suites-particularly the MSC Yacht Club ship-within-a-ship section, available exclusively to guests in top-tier accommodations. Entry-level cabins are understandably less palatial but still comfortable and spacious overall.
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Handsome gray and purple tones predominate, cool angular light fixtures hang from the walls and flat-panel TVs even have metallic bezels to match. Beds may skew a bit stiffer, but they also sport some sponginess as well. Trashcans, on the other hand, would benefit from the removal of the unnecessary lid and several divisions.
Bathrooms are just as stylish with premium hardware and the neat geometric aesthetic applied to the sink basin. However, the standard ones are very small with little elbow room standing in or outside the shower and sitting on the toilet. The bathing area's glass enclosure is a nice touch, but it's difficult to wash and dry off without making contact with its surfaces. Soap bars are not provided, but liquid hand and shower gel varieties are.
Ample public deck space lends itself well to a wide array of activities available onboard MSC Seaside, both inside and out.
Taking in the fresh air are four waterslides, four pools, two zip-lines and an aqua park. Slideboarding adds fun video game interactivity to the first set, and the zip-lines are definitely the most thrilling of the onboard adventures. Waits can be very long and the 30-second ride is over quickly, but the stunning view makes it all worthwhile.
Two additional glass-floored Infinity Bridges provide great vistas of their own along the promenade, and the quartet of pools are perfectly distributed here at the stern, below a retractable magrodome and exposed at the private Yacht Club or public Miami Beach Sun Deck.
Inside, activities continue with a full-sized pair of bowling lanes, F1 simulator, interactive XD cinema and classic arcade games. Requiring less octane is the tranquil MSC Aurea Spa complete with its own whirlpool, sauna, steam bath, salt room, snow room and other treatment areas. Retail therapy also awaits with shops galore onboard; Further mitigating excessive queues are several desks to purchase shore excursions.
Kids and teens will especially love Doremiland with its Chicco- and Lego-branded zones. They can even have their own playful designs three-dimensionally printed on the spot. As for adults, nonsmokers can rejoice in the knowledge that the Miami Casino is a smoke-free venue that smells of sweet chocolate instead of putrid cigarettes due to the Venchi Chocolate Bar wafting below.
The Venchi Chocolate Bar is smelled before it is seen because of an entire wall flowing with the tempting liquid confection. Since life is uncertain and dessert should be eaten first, beyond it are another two eateries serving the brand's equally excellent gelato. Serving more substantial fare are the Ipanema and Seashore main dining rooms. Colorful presentations are always artistic, and flavor profiles often match quality but sometimes fall a smidge short.
For faster pacing, the Marketplace Buffet is ideal, particularly for its proper pizza. Complimentary pies are authentically Italian, making them the best at sea.
Specialty restaurants extend to Bistrot La Boheme for French, Butcher's Cut for Steaks, Ocean Cay for seafood and Asian Market Kitchen for Roy Yamaguchi's creations. The latter is a highlight not to be missed, and the remaining are also up to the culinary task. One shortcoming is Ocean Cay's very small capacity compared to the others, which themselves are seemingly not enough to accommodate the ship's large passenger complement.
[READMORE]READ MORE: 6 Reasons to Cruise on the New MSC Seaside[/READMORE]
At least for MSC Yacht Club guests, a dedicated restaurant is additionally available, and the Sports Bar also serves fast food alternatives to the rest.
Entertainment on the Seaside is a standout as much for its production quality as for its frequency. Seven Broadway-style shows are available for up to four sittings nightly, and improvisational sketch comedy and musical concerts are additionally presented.
Production shows like "The Dream" and "Timeless" are exceptional in scope, with a massive cast of 15 dancers and five singers, plus grand stagecraft. The operatic vocals are beautiful but do not always translate seamlessly to mainstream numbers.
Costuming and dancing are all superb in shows that are best described as eclectic mixes of classical and fantastical elements. A lot remains derived from Disney or other pop culture with originality inserted mostly by way of interpretive acrobatics and modern orchestrations. Fans of the source material will certainly appreciate the talented retellings of everything from "Phantom of the Opera" to Michael Jackson's songbook.
Service is one crucial area where the Seaside is improving on MSC's prior reputation. From the captain down, crew members are friendly, and attentiveness is on par with what should be expected of competitors. Former language barriers have been overcome, and only slow dining room pacing might still need some attention.
This is the ship for Americans to finally take notice of MSC Cruises.
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