My Accessibility Report On MSC Seascape

Written by Chillie Falls, December 29, 2022

I so wanted to absolutely fall in love with the MSC Seascape. It was the crown jewel of my return to cruising year, returning not only from the pandemic, but also from surviving cancer twice and a total respiratory collapse. Since I am now an oxygen users, none of the cruise lines would let me sail until the last week in January. Royal Caribbean and MSC were first to allow oxygen guests. The other lines, not until the end of April.

So, my return to cruising was Freedom of the Seas, followed by five MSC cruises on 3 ships; MSC Seashore, MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia. While on the Meraviglia, I booked the inaugural cruise for MSC Seascape. I loved all three MSC ships but keep in mind, I was not looking at them through the accessibility eyes I now use. After my 21 cruise year, I have seen the best and the worst the cruise lines can offer. I have found cruise people that listen to my suggestions, ideas and complaints and immediately start working on the issues. I have also beaten my head against the preverbal wall.

MSC Seascape, for a brand new ship, needs a lot of work.

Don’t get me wrong. The Seascape is a lovely ship, the food was excellent, the entertainment top drawer, and the staff wonderful. They even did some accessibility things so right, only to be totally in the dark on other issues. Within this report, I will point out my issues with MSC’s design and these issues are in no way a total indictment of the MSC Seascape. If you are fully ambulatory, the Seascape could be perfect for you. However, if you are in any way mobility challenged, you need to go into this cruise ship with your eyes open.

Imparkation/Debarkation

MSC still requires Scootaround and any other scooter vendor to deliver the scooter onboard the ship. It is so much easier on the disabled community to have access to the scooters in the terminal. We then can go through security and check in without getting stuffed in a too small, ill-repaired wheelchair requiring someone to push us all the way to our staterooms.

Unfortunately, on this cruise, Scootaround had truck issues and was late delivering the scooters. Still, mine was on the ship at 1:04 PM. Only not delivered to my stateroom by ship personnel until 4 PM. Instead of being able to hop on my scooter and head for some food and an adult beverage, I was now caught in the MSC required Muster Drill.

Unlike many of the other cruise lines, MSC still required you to watch a video on your room TV, and at the end, are given a code to call in from your room phone. That alone, would have been OK but after the phone code, you had to leave your cabin and proceed to the muster stations on Deck 7. All of the stations were in the entrance to the casino, so you had some 4,600 people all crowding into a small area. It was a total disaster. I came out of the encounter with several bruises from people literally running over my scooter, some still with carry on luggage.

By the time that was done, it was almost dinner time so I headed for the Aegean Dining Room and never made it top deck for the sailaway.

Debarkation was worse. All of the handicap guests had to report to the Shine Bar on Deck 6 to meet our wheelchair pushers. Unfortunately, all of the express walkoff people were crammed into double lines that went the entire length of the ship. All of the chairs in the Shine Bar were occupied by express walkoff people waiting for their letter to be called. Very few of the chairs were occupied by handicap folks that were supposed to be there.

I had no choice but to stay on the scooter and wait until my name was called. And people were walking all over me. At one point I yelled at a lady just before she crashed into me, and she cursed and ripped here suitcase across my calf leaving about a 2 inch gash. I didn’t realize I was bleeding until I got to the Uber station.

The lines to get off the ship went on forever and finally I made it off the ship only to find another long que waiting to use the elevator, designed for wheelchair guests, but because many were afraid to use the escalator with their luggage, the line was horrendous. I see maybe two wheelchairs in front of me and it took over an hour.

Another complete disaster.

Dining Room and Bars

I was in two of the main dining rooms and the Marketplace buffet during this cruise. I did not go to any specialty dining venues. And, in all cases, the staff was cordial and welcoming, allowing me to pull up to the table, and swivel the seat of my scooter around so I was sitting like normal folks. The main dining room food was excellent, and the service exemplary. The breakfast buffet was slightly to the sub-standard side. Fruit, bread and pastries were always good, the main courses just so-so.

I did not find any issues with any of the bars.

Accessible Balcony Stateroom 10068

One of the things MSC did right was in my stateroom. The balcony was fully accessible. Push button door opener, which also activated and little ramp to extend from the balcony across the strip into the cabin. So I could roll out to the balcony on my scooter. Back inside, another push of the button and the ramp flipped up and the door closed. A very thoughtful feature.

Then you go over to the room door, and it is so heavy that on my scooter, I have to pry the door open, hold it with my foot, maneuver the scooter to go through the opening and hope to door doesn’t crash in to my arm after I let go with my foot. I would rather have the push button on the main door than the balcony door. It is used a lot more.

The rest of the accessible cabin was fine for my purposes, but remember, I don’t have to worry about transferring to and from the scooter. I can walk a few steps. Nor do I have any in room equipment that needs storing.

Public Restrooms

This was the most egregious of the MSC sins on the Seascape. None of the handicap accessible restroom doors in any public area on the entire ship was, in fact, accessible. All were way to heavy, most where you had to eclipse two doors usually in opposite directions. None had push button door openers.

Then, when I complained to guest services, they did not understand. “What do you mean they are inaccessible? Of course they are accessible.” Here, let me show you.

And I would take one of the clerks to a bathroom and show how I can’t lean over my scooter, and pull a door toward me when I have no leverage. And then the scooter blocks the door. Conversely, if you push open the door, you have to be able to hold it until you get the scooter through without it crashing into your arm or knocking you off the scooter.

“Oh, now I understand.”

“Yes, then let’s do something about it.

The Seascape design did some things so right, to be so totally in the dark about restroom doors.

Doors and Passageways From Inside to Outside

This is one of the things that MSC Seascape got right. Most doorways from inside the ship to the outside walkways were accessible with either push-button openers or fully automatic. This carried also from major sections of the ship, like from the Jungle Pool into Marketplace Buffet.

There were a few instances like on Deck 14 where there was a lip blocking passage, but all of these areas could be accessed from another entrance so the area was still accessible.

Pools

The main swimming pool is actually close to being accessible. No, there is not a ramp into the water but at least a ramp to put one on the right level for the lift chair, or for someone like me that can walk a few steps to get in the pool.

All hot tubs require 5 or 6 steps so are inaccessible as usual. The other pools on Seascape are likewise inaccessible.

Robotron

Carnival has their roller coasters, Norwegian GoCarts and Royal Caribbean’s Great Abyss. MSC was the Robotron. Only, it is totally inaccessible. No elevator access, no lift access. Nothing. Unless you can walk up and down a flight of eighteen stairs. I couldn’t even get close enough for a decent picture.

Conclusion

If MSC hopes to keep attracting the disabled community, they need to do a lot more to keep that income stream. Yes, they did some things right on this brand new ship. But, the things that are wrong show that MSC does not have any idea what the handicap community needs to comfortably cruise.

If you are totally ambulatory, this ship could be fine for you. But if you have any type of disability, or mobility challenges, I would rate the Seascape at 3.5 out of 10, a very poor score.

MSC, you need to do better.