Cruising on the MSC Seascape

June 22-29, 2024

After enjoying our first MSC cruise on the Magnifica, we looked for a cruise to Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.  We found a seven day cruise on the huge MSC Seascape, and decided to try it.  The cruise confirmed our preference for smaller ships, despite the fact that the Seascape is beautiful and fairly new (launched in 2022).  It is the longest ship in the fleet, with 13 pools spread out on multiple decks.  The ship carries up to 5,877 passengers, based on double occupancy.

Our balcony room was lovely, very clean, and centrally located, with quick access to stairs and elevators. The amount of storage was generous.  Our room steward was a delightful young woman with a great sense of humor.  She kept the room immaculate and cleaned it twice a day.  What was a bit unusual is that when we asked for the mini-fridge to be cleaned out, instead of removing it like the steward did on the Magnifica, she told us to remove what we wanted and use the shelves around the mirror to store it.

The Seascape is perfect for sun-seeking young couples and families, because the culture is centered around the swimming pools and hot tubs.  Unfortunately, because the 13 pools are located on different decks, this did mean that folks in wet swimsuits walked through the buffet, atrium and other areas.

All of the pools and hot tubs  were crowded during the day.

The busiest was the main pool on deck 16, just outside the buffet.  The decking around the pool was saturated and very crowded, so we tried to remember to use the farthest aft elevator to get to the buffet.  Even then, the buffet floors were wet and very slippery.

If you were at the buffet, you either had to make your way past the pool to the very crowded bar there, or order your drink from a buffet server, meaning that your drink arrived about the time you were finishing your meal. Outside the buffet at the far aft end, was a pool bar that wasn’t crowded, but had no mixed drinks.

The children’s pool area and water slides were amazing, with a wide variety of fun

activities.

Throughout the ship were glass walkways. The most dramatic was at the aft of the ship, overlooking the wake.

A chocolate bar offered hand made candies and chocolate drinks, both hot and cold.  Throughout the large area were many dramatic chocolate sculptures.

The sports bar was the first bar we visited on the ship.  We liked that we could enjoy panoramic views while sitting at the bar, or play at one of about a dozen slot machines.  However, during televised sporting events, there is standing room only.

We enjoyed the beautiful casino on deck 8.  However, the casino is actually the passageway from the theater at the bow toward the atrium.  The casino passthroughs were very narrow, resulting in log jams.  Additionally, inside the narrowest section exiting the casino toward the aft, slot machine contests and drawings were held.  People crowded throughout  that corridor, making it very difficult to pass through.  The oval casino bar was in the center of the passageway, and was always understaffed.  Waits for service were very long.

The MSC Seascape is a fabulously beautiful ship — a feast for the eyes. We loved the MSC main dining room and service, which was outstanding.  We purchased the Easy Plus package, which includes drinks and wifi.  It was a bargain.  At dinner, my wine glass was never empty.

We have nothing but praise for main dining, where the waiters treated us as if they had known for years, and gave first class service.

On the other hand, we didn’t enjoy the buffet very much on the MSC Seascape, just as in the MSC Magnifica as well.  The choices were not very broad nor tasty, and the buffet was often closed during the times we visited, with only pizza, pre-cooked burgers and hot dogs, and fries offered.

In contrast, on the Island Princess World Cruise, the buffet food was just as good, and sometimes better, than the main dining room.  Island Princess, Royal Princess, and Enchanted Princess all have fantastic food.  We love the Princess casual dining options, especially at the pool deck, where fresh burgers and fries, tacos, and hot dogs are cooked fresh to order.  On the opposite side of the pool is fresh pizza, which was excellent. On the Enchanted Princess, we love Gigi’s, with its eggplant rollatini and brick oven pizza, and the fabulous gelato in the atrium.  If you are a “foodie,” the buffet on the probably MSC isn’t for you.

As an “elderly” couple, we preferred the MSC Magnifica to the Seascape. On the Magnifica, we enjoyed the many bars (decorated beautifully) with entertainment starting around dinner time.  However, on the Seascape, most of the good entertainment was later at night.  That was great for young couples who love to party, but not for us.  We usually want to listen to music after an early dinner, then retire to our rooms before 10:00.

Meeting Friends

Our first night on the ship, at the Sports Bar, we met a couple from Wimauma, Florida, not far from Palmetto, Bob and Deb Carroll.  We had great fun with them, eating most of our main dining meals with them throughout the cruise.

While we were talking with them about mutual friends who live in their neighborhood, up walked James and Sarah Dougherty.  James was the last assistant principal I ever hired, during my last school year at Palm View Elementary.  He is now Principal at Bashaw Elementary.  Throughout the cruise, we ran into them.  They are such a wonderful couple, who love cruising and Disney every more than we do!