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September 3, 2022

Here we are again, the last instalment of the Msc Seaside story, we are almost at the end of this experience, but if you have missed part of the story you can read part 1 and part 2 here.

Elegant Night

Below deck, passengers go shopping or listen to live music from the lobby gallery, with performers alternating every hour. As for onboard announcements, listening is not so easy. If you speak Italian, you might not have a problem with this on Msc Seaside, but unfortunately the English and German translations are more than a little awkward.

We were looking forward to today’s gala dinner. The latter is called ‘Elegant Night‘ in the daily programme because, thanks to Covid-19, there is no longer an officers’ parade. A highlight of the cruise is the evening of celebrations, of course. Nonetheless, it was still a highlight of the cruise. We had expected that MSC would invest part of the 700 million euros that Msc Seaside cost in the quality of the food rather than in the luxury boutiques and jewellery on board.

Syracuse

As far as the Msc Seaside itinerary is concerned, for many a stopover in Syracuse in Sicily is the highlight of the entire trip. Syracuse and its wonders through the centuries excursion on the ShoreExcursion includes a visit to the city’s archaeological park, consisting of the ancient quarries and the Greek amphitheatre of Syracuse, most of which have long since been overgrown by vegetation. Both are worth seeing, and the first in particular is more of a green oasis with a local recreational character than an open-air museum.

Back on board, for the fourth executive day, the children in particular cast nostalgic glances at the zipline. However, as the daily programme states, it is still closed. Their ‘weather-dependent’ activity, the weather is not so bad, on the contrary. Moreover, Msc Seaside is securely moored in a harbour that already offers protection from wind and weather. Come on, there is still hope for tomorrow.

When the time came to leave Syracuse, the little Azamara Quest joined us. The sun deck of Msc Seaside, on the other hand, towered over the rooftops of the city like a terrace on the roof of a skyscraper. The animation on the pool deck continued unabated; even the ship’s horn could not drown out the thrum of the bass. Fortunately, the noise of the loudspeakers was only interrupted by a metallic ‘Over the Rainbow’, after which the Msc Seaside sailed to Italy at full speed.

Fortunately, there is no sign of all this noise in the Seashore restaurant on deck 5. Here it is: on the fourth day of the voyage a delicious dinner finally arrives! Both the grilled chicken thigh with roasted potatoes and the falafel with saffron sauce were delicious and attractively presented. It took a while, but now we had finally reconciled, a condition that should continue as the evening progresses. The evening reception is also fantastic. In the theatre, ‘Peter Pan’ becomes ‘Peter Punk’ for 45 minutes, with fantastic acrobats and jugglers. Here, MSC has put together a show of the highest calibre.

Matera

After having successfully circumnavigated the cape of Italy, the next morning Msc Seaside entered the Gulf of Taranto. Our excursion took us to Matera, a small town located in a valley, which has only recently gained popularity thanks to the filming of the new James Bond movie ‘No Time to Die’. The excursion ‘The Sassi in Matera’ proves to be a fascinating journey into a time when people lived not only literally but actually in the caves (‘Sassi’). Today, the historical centre of Matera has been beautifully restored and the caves themselves are an open-air museum, so much so that the town has become a tourist attraction in southern Italy.

At 5pm, two hours before the scheduled departure time, Msc Seaside leaves Taranto. The scenery had not changed for the better, there was not much to see on deck. It was also raining, so it is not surprising that the swimming fun for young and old is centred on the deck pool. There is also an ice cream parlour here, and the table tennis tournament is in full swing. The ship that follows the sun manages to convince in this respect even when the sun is not shining.

The problem is that there is nothing to look forward to after dinner. The shows in the theatre are repetitive ( for two consecutive days each), there is no cinema or live entertainment, and when it comes to music on board, it is hard to say what could be worse: the annoying saxophone in the lobby, the English-language versions (‘Volare’) of the pianist in the Piazza Grande Bar or the tired, meaningless words in the Haven Lounge.

Also, there is no library or game room on Msc Seaside where you can hang out to read or play games. There is no bar or lounge where you can relax without music and call it a day. In addition, several bars and lounges are closed due to a ‘private event’, which further reduces the options. Msc Seaside thus manages the rare feat of offering an abundance of public spaces and recreational facilities on its 18 decks, which in theory are aimed for adults and children alike, but still lacks something.

We are almost at the end, so see you next week for the last event!

Also, don’t miss updates, news and reviews of Msc Seaside on Cruising Journal with photos, videos and cruises on offer!

Kai Ortel

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