Five things we loved about MSC Seashore (and one we hated)

MSC might not yet be a household name among most North American cruise fans, but the European company has rapidly gained market share in Florida’s travel market since the pandemic. With aggressive pricing that sometimes seems too good to be true, you may wonder if MSC can effectively appeal to experienced cruisers who are used to competitors such as Disney and Royal Caribbean.

#1 Yacht Club

The first rule of Yacht Club—which MSC calls its upscale “ship within a ship” section—is that you DO talk about Yacht Club because after experiencing it, you’ll never want to return to being an ordinary passenger again.

MSC offers entry-level fares for less than half the nightly rate of their direct competitors and often throws in free drinks and WiFi. But it’s well worth upgrading to Yacht Club; try your luck with their post-reservation bidding process to save some money. For about the cost of a standard stateroom on Disney’s Wish, you can enjoy a spacious veranda in the MSC Seashore’s Yacht Club, including attentive white-glove butler service, private pool and dining areas, and unlimited premium alcohol, among other luxurious perks.

We especially appreciated the MSC Seashore Yacht Club’s expanded outdoor areas and the connectivity between the upstairs restaurant and the welcoming downstairs lounge, where ever-rotating snacks are available 24/7. And we’d be willing to pay Yacht Club’s premium solely for the expedited entry and exits, where you are effortlessly escorted around the serpentine security queues (a fellow guest once shouted at us, angrily asking why we had a “FastPass”).

In fact, the MSC Seashore’s Yacht Club is such an oasis of civil serenity that it would be tempting to recommend never leaving its cozy confines. That is if it were not for…

#2 The Aurea Spa Thermal Area

We’ve had the opportunity to test drive numerous first-class spas on both dry land and the high seas, so trust us when we say the Aurea Spa Thermal Area aboard the MSC Seashore holds its own against both the Meraviglia and Disney’s Rainforest Rooms, which means it ranks among the best of its kind. Daily entry to this humid heaven is included for all Yacht Club and Aurea class guests and can be purchased a la carte by others.

Along with the usual whirlpool tubs and steam rooms, the Seashore’s thermal spa boasts scented showers with themes like “warm breeze” and “cool wind,” sensory saunas with bright or dark mood lighting, and even a frigid chamber with actual snow and a park bench to shiver on.

Don’t miss the door leading outdoors to the hot tub overlooking the ocean or the dimly lit salt room, which is ideal for taking a refreshing nap after receiving a restorative Balinese massage in the neighboring treatment room.

Tip: Advance reservations are required to prevent overcrowding of the thermal area, so book your time slots as early as possible, especially on sea days.

#3 Kaito Teppanyaki Specialty Restaurant

If you’re staying in Yacht Club, there’s really no need to look beyond the private restaurant and the exclusive buffet at The One Pool’s expansive sundeck. Heck, you could easily survive on the bar snacks and high tea canapes offered virtually around the clock in the Top Sail Lounge.

Even if you aren’t in Yacht Club, you can do just fine with the main dining room and buffet, especially if you like handmade pizza and pasta, fresh salads, and other Continental or Mediterranean-style dishes. But if you do want to splurge on something more exotic, MSC Seashore offers several specialty restaurants for an additional fee, with discounted dining packages sold before and after departure.

Of the three specialty restaurants I sampled on the MSC Seashore, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Kaito Teppanyaki as an exemplary example of the Japanese-inspired “eat-utainment” popularized by the Benihana restaurant chain.

Pricing for the multi-course meal – which includes a sushi and sashimi sampler, soup and salad, hibachi-grilled seafood and meat, fried rice, and dessert – compares favorably to shoreside establishments like Kobe. But the comedic chefs at Kaito go above and beyond, putting on an interactive show while they cook, leading group sing-alongs, and launching morsels of food across the table into waiting mouths.

The fishy entrees at the Ocean Cay seafood restaurant were acceptable but not extraordinary, and the meats offered in the regular restaurants are almost as good as those served in Butchers Cut Steakhouse. Kaito, however, is one specialty dining option that’s actually worth the extra charge.

And if the raw appetizer included with the teppanyaki whets your appetite, look for all-you-can-eat specials at the adjoining sushi bar, where endless plates parade past patrons on a magical magnetic conveyor belt.

#4 Live Musicians and Entertainers

You won’t find ice skating or high-diving demonstrations about the MSC Seashore, nor will you see Broadway-style shows featuring familiar intellectual properties. Some of the creative choices in the main theater’s nightly productions – such as an unintelligible Italian illusionist performing multiple stale knockoffs of Houdini’s metamorphosis, and tributes to Tina Turner and Beyonce sung by white women – may make you question the entertainment directors’ artistic judgment.

However, you definitely won’t question the obvious talent exhibited by the many skilled live musicians, classically trained vocalists and dancers, and the unique variety acts on board. Even when their material is problematic, the mainstage cast always gives 110%, and their energetic efforts are equaled by their colleagues across the show.

Of particular note on our MSC Seashore sailing were the pair of dueling pianists perched beneath the main promenade’s Times Square-inspired video installation, whose impressively deep repertoire of classic rock tunes included a marvelous mashup of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues and The Who’s Pinball Wizard.

We were also delighted by the deliriously off-kilter juggler Zak McAllister and the tight backing band in Le Cabaret Rouge, the sumptuous red-draped performance space at the ship’s rear that plays host to a rotating roster of eclectic entertainment. The live music even extends late into the night, with a special round of applause going out to Saul for tickling the ivories in the Yacht Club lounge until last call.

#5 Overnight Itinerary to Ocean Cay

Perhaps the most compelling reason to take any MSC ship out of Florida is the opportunity to visit Ocean Cay, their private island in the Bahamas that doubles as a pristine marine reserve. Dedicated to old-fashioned relaxation and natural beauty, Ocean Cay boasts picture-postcard beaches and is barren of towering waterslides, making it the polar opposite of Royal’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay (in the best possible way).

Instead, Yacht Club guests can be golf-carted to Ocean House, their exclusive Ocean Cay section on the island’s far side. This high-class haven enhances the atoll’s awe-inspiring ocean vistas by offering seaside lobster roll lunches and bottomless mojitos delivered to your beach chair. Even on a blustery, overcast day, it remains my favorite spot on any private island I’ve visited.

Any level of guest on Ocean Cay can avail themselves of free food trucks by day, as well as a brief but dazzling sound-and-light display on the signature lighthouse after dark. Select MSC Seashore itineraries also feature an overnight stay at Ocean Cay, allowing passengers to remain on shore at the bonfire beach party until almost midnight and still have additional time to sunbathe on Ocean Cay the following morning. If you have your pick of schedules, we strongly suggest selecting an itinerary with two days at Ocean Cay if possible!

Whether you visit Ocean Cay for one day or two, most MSC Seashore itineraries also stop at Nassau in the Bahamas, where the port has recently been renovated with well-organized vendor stalls and a lovely landscaped amphitheater. While many cruise ship tourists never make it past the straw market and jewelry shops immediately outside the port’s gates, more enriching attractions await in the surrounding neighborhood; our friends at the Ministry of Tourism introduced us to the historic Graycliff hotel, a former pirate’s lair that’s now home to a cigar and chocolate factory; and the Educulture Junkanoo Museum, devoted to preserving the African-derived tradition of handmade paper parade costumes. (Learn more about Nassau in an upcoming article.)

Last and Definitely Least

The one thing we’d like to throw overboard is the MSC Seashore’s computerized elevators, which require guests to select their destination on a centralized touchpad before boarding.

I’ve successfully used similar systems elsewhere, but MSC’s repeatedly left us waiting for ten minutes or more. The “VIP” feature for Yacht Club guests was often unavailable or counter-productive and summoned cars sometimes wouldn’t go to the desired floor or never arrived at all. If you have limited mobility and/or patience, use a deck map to carefully select your cabin for easy access to dining locations or the other amenities you plan on using the most.

Click here for more information about MSC Cruises.