Msc Seaside: the ship that follows the sun (part 4)
We have come to the end of the story of this experience on board Msc Seaside, if you missed the first parts of the story you can read them hereà (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).
Speciality restaurants
We are on our way back; MSC SEASIDE circumnavigates the boot in the opposite direction and then enters the Strait of Messina. We head north towards Civitavecchia. While MSC SEASIDE passes the Stromboli, we spend the morning in the indoor pool, which seems the only sensible solution given the bad weather.
MSC Seaside Jungle Pool
At lunchtime, the ethnic corner (now featuring Chinese cuisine) is a popular place, after which time flows with scheduled activities like “Discover Your Tips” (at 2 p.m. in the spa), sales events, dance lessons and bingo. In addition, there are signs on the doors of the outer decks that say “Strong Winds.” The Promenade deck is cordoned off as a precaution and the slips are also closed. A walk around the inside of the ship is a good idea, because even on your fifth day on board you can still discover nooks and crannies you had previously overlooked. The specialty restaurants Butcher’s Cut, Ocean Cay, Teppanyaki and Sushi Bar, located on Deck 16, are so far away from the busy places that you wonder if anyone will ever go there.
Msc Seaside Ocean Cay Restaurant
Msc Seaside Butcher’s Cut
Civitavecchia and return
We spend the last day of the cruise completely on board, partly because the weather is nice again. The autumn sun is shining in the sky, so you can look through your luggage one last time and take the donuts (inflatable boats) for the water slides.
MSC Seaside Siesta Beach Sun Deck
Msc Seaside Forest Aquaventure Park
MSC SEASIDE departs Civitavecchia at 17:30 instead of 19:00. This happens in the most beautiful sunshine as a crew member manages to stop the music mid-song for the third time in a row. The safety announcement in the evening is suddenly made in reasonable German. Civitavecchia is the port of embarkation and disembarkation, which means more announcements on board than on other days. However, there is no introductory event for newly arrived passengers, nor is there a disembarkation event for anyone leaving MSC SEASIDE in Genoa tomorrow. A notable change from pre-Covid-19 times. The ship and daily life on board are becoming more anonymous and digital, and passengers are inevitably more independent and emancipated.
The Show must go on
After the “Indian butter chicken” the road takes us one last time to the board theatre in the evening. “The show must go on” is scheduled right there. However, this tribute to Freddie Mercury and Queen is not one of the “highlights of the day”, and the show actually turns out to be a “great misfortune”, to quote one of their song lyrics. Because while a similar show on COSTA FLORENCE in August was simply fantastic, on MSC SEASIDE, it seems all wrong on this Queen night. After packing up, the only compensation offered is the “MSC Crew’s Got Talent” show, in which charmingly selected and noteworthy crew members show off their semi-professional singing and dancing skills.
MSC Seaside Metropolitan Theatre
MSC Seaside Miami Casino
MSC Seaside Venchi Chocolate Factory
The next morning we left MSC SEASIDE with mixed feelings. In terms of hardware and layout, the ship was an interesting change from the well-known and proven features of the MSC MUSIC, MSC FANTASIA and MSC MERAVIGLIA classes. Everything on board sparkled, shone and shimmered in proven MSC fashion, and the range of shops, restaurants and things to do on board certainly rivalled that of America’s leading cruise lines in years to come. On the other hand, we were not convinced by the “software,” which is at least as much a part of the cruise experience. Overall, the food was mediocre at best, the organization was chaotic in many ways, and we lacked that something that would set MSC SEASIDE apart from other ships until the end.
So not only was there no library or game room to retreat to in peace, but there was also a general lack of public rooms where you could escape the loud animation and music on board. Meanwhile, MSC SEASIDE has three sister ships, which will surely bring good earnings for MSC Cruises in the coming years. However, we have not taken this class of ships to heart. Maybe all we need is a second experience on this class, because the next 30-40 years will still offer many opportunities.
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