As soon as we tell our friends & family that we are going on another cruise in September, their first question is always “Which ship?”. When we reply with “The MSC Seaside”, we typically see confused faces in response. “I’ve never heard of them”, they say. It’s true – North Americans tend to associate cruising with the more well-known lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian. However, while MSC is new to the North American market, they are not new to cruising. MSC is actually the 4th largest cruise line in the world, coming in after the aforementioned three lines.
MSC Seaside
MSC is a European cruise line that recently expanded its market to North America. While the MSC Divina has been sailing the Caribbean since 2013, the MSC Seaside is their first ship that was built specifically for the North American market. The MSC Seaside entered into service in December 2017 and currently sails from Miami, Florida to the caribbean.
One of my good friends was actually on the third sailing of the MSC Seaside in January. Initially (as with many new ships), there were a number of issues and many bad reviews. My friend didn’t recommend the ship to me but she wasn’t surprised when I told her about my plans to sail on the Seaside in September. I believe it is vital to give any cruise line a few months to work out the kinks and so I did my research & now I’m presenting to you the five reasons why we booked the MSC Seaside, despite the initial negative reviews.
Five Reasons To Book The MSC Seaside
1. The Architecture & Design
The look of a cruise ship is a major factor in whether or not I will book. In fact, the reason why I haven’t sailed Carnival yet is because I am generally not a fan of how their ships actually look. However, no one can deny the beauty of the MSC Seaside. The aft design was inspired by Miami condos and features an outside elevator with breathtaking views, as well as the stunning “Bridge of Sighs”, a glass-bottomed bridge on the 16th floor!
The inside features a stunning multi-story atrium with large interactive video screens, numerous bars, and the Insta-worthy Swarovski staircases. Known as the “Ship that follows the sun”, the MSC Seaside offers ample opportunities for guests to view the sun and sea, including a boardwalk promenade featuring restaurants and shops on deck 8.
2. The Price
Initially, we hadn’t planned to go on another cruise until our honeymoon. Cruising is quite expensive, especially when you consider airline tickets and hotels on top of the actual cruise fare. We planned to take a cheaper trip to an all-inclusive resort given our budget, however, we couldn’t turn down the price of this cruise! For what we would have paid for an all-inclusive resort, we are getting a 7-night cruise with unlimited drinks! Of all the cruises we have done and those we have booked for the future, this is by far the most affordable. I highly recommend checking out MSC if you want to cruise on a budget!
3. The Food
Food on cruise lines is a very subjective topic. And because I have yet to sail on the MSC Seaside, I cannot comment on the quality of the food itself yet, but I can tell you that I am very excited about it. I’ve heard that the pasta, bread, and pizza is to die for! Furthermore, the unlimited drink package also includes unlimited gelato. Oh, and don’t get me started on the coffee-based drinks! And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a chocolate bar. Consider me sold!
4. The Multicultural Experience
MSC is a European cruise line and therefore, many of the guests are located outside of North America. In fact, MSC doesn’t sailaway from Miami until late in the evening to allow European guests time to fly into Miami earlier in the day (which I don’t recommend doing). On the MSC Seaside, you will hear announcements in a variety of languages. You will also witness a magnitude of people from different countries and with different mannerisms. It’s a great opportunity to meet people outside of your culture & perhaps make new friends from a different part of the world.
5. The Music & Ambiance
This may sound like an odd reason to book a cruise but it’s an aspect that we are very excited about. From videos and Instastories that we’ve seen of the MSC Seaside, it seems that there is a lot of focus on EDM, or electronic dance music. Given that this is a European ship, I am not surprised, as EDM is quite prominent there. While there will be a number of bars with a variety of music onboard with something to suit everyone’s taste, I am looking forward to hearing more club music and less Jimmy Buffet on this ship.
I will definitely be writing a review after we actually sail on this ship but I am hoping it will exceed my expectations!
Have you been on the MSC Seaside? If not, what has been your favourite cruise ship?
All photos copywrighted to MSC Cruise Line and used from their Media Resources Image Bank.