Msc Seaside: the ship that follows the sun (part 1)

August 20, 2022

Here we are in the first part of the story of an experience on Msc Seaside, with lots of fun on board and fantastic cities to discover. Happy reading!

This is the ‘ship that follows the sun’ and when it was commissioned, it deviated from the tried-and-tested MSC Cruises philosophy, which was based on trips, long shopping trips and a general variety of ‘inner values’. In contrast, Msc Seaside and its sisters are designed to focus on the experience of the sea. A bold and daring venture.

Commissioned at the end of 2017, Msc Seaside sailed from Miami in the Caribbean for two years before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 forced MSC Cruises to halt as well. When cruising resumed in spring 2021 after a hiatus of over a year, Msc Seaside moved from America to the Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean was its cruising area, where it undertook seven-day cruises to/from Genoa with stopovers in e.g. Syracuse and Taranto. It is almost six months now that we are travelling along this route.

Msc Seaside

The Cabin

Once you have boarded, the first thing you do is make your way to your cabin. The 12185 balcony cabin is spacious, although the double bed is flanked by a steel bunk bed (which converts to a sofa in the case of double occupancy), but it isn’t a beauty prize winner. As is typical for MSC, the lockers have little space for storage, so you either have to improvise or you have to decide how to store the suitcase under the bed. The same applies to the bathroom, where the shower is small and the towels have to be left above the toilet because there is no room to hang them. In addition, the toilet is positioned rather awkwardly and directly on the floor behind the bed, which causes discomfort when you stand and sleep.

MSC Seaside Balcony Cabin

Exploration of the ship then begins with a stroll along Msc Seaside’s wide open-air promenade. Yes, it is beautiful, expansive, and effectively circles around the entire perimeter of the ship. Well, in theory anyway. In practice, unfortunately, it ends at the forward part of deck 8 at a keyhole door in the part of the deck reserved for the Aurea Spa.

MSC Seaside Waterfront Promenade

Buffet restaurant with outdoor area

The buffet restaurant on this ship is not located high up on the pool deck, as is usually the case, but on deck 8 near the promenade, but during this voyage it was closed most of the time, as was the second main restaurant ‘Ipanema‘. Provided there is enough free space, you have the option of eating your meal inside near the buffet stations or in the open air. The pizza station ( which is open until 1.30am) is busy regardless of the weather, which is probably due to the fact that the changing pizza offers (four different types at all times of the day) are a must.

MSC Seaside Marketplace Buffet Restaurant

MSC Seaside Marketplace Buffet Restaurant Promenade

However, in the evening, we were allocated table 430 at the Seashore Restaurant on deck 5. MSC switched from two to three days of dining during the pandemic: the first at 17:45, the second at 19:30 and the last at 21:30. In this way it was possible to maintain the necessary minimum distances at all times. The restaurant itself is pleasant: the carpeting and decoration is in wine red, the chairs and walls in grey.