RandomUser123

My advice is if you know you are going to want the drink package is to get it when you book the cruise as part of the cruise rate with easy plus and WiFi for 1 device included. It will be much cheaper then. 

Will be doing 7 day cruise to Bermuda on Meraviglia in October, looking forward to it.

8 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Meraviglia had made to order omelets (I don't think every day....I could be wrong).  Nothing else that I noticed was made to order.  It in no way compares to the NCL buffet.

I was on Meraviglia last November and they did not have made to order omelets (or eggs benedict) at buffet breakfast. You could only get made to order omelettes or eggs beneditct in MDR for breakfast. They had basic premade omelets at buffet breakfast with nothing on them. Meraviglia for lunch buffet is very good (better than Royal Caribbean from my experience) but weak for breakfast buffet.

Cruises come with people of all shapes and sizes. Your kid will not be the only overweight kid.

Probably not. I imagine there are liability issues involved. 

It is usually another site that shall not be named that has groups for cruises and I am sure if you check it there is a group set up for the sailing...

Did you buy it separately or was it part of your booking. If it was part of your booking package (typically Easy Plus and Wifi for 1 device) then the minors package is also included as well for the kid. 

If cruise starts and ends in same US port then you need either

1) Passport

2) State issued photo ID AND birth certificate.

My policy on tipping is simple. Whatever the cruise line charges for tips is what i pay. I do not pay more and i will not go down to guest services and ask they remove it or make it less. 

I did meraviglia in November 2023 and will be back on the ship in October 2024. I enjoyed the cruise. So much cheaper compared to the others. Heck the fare with easy plus and wifi included is basically similar or cheaper than the base fares of the other comparable cruise lines without the packages. I like the food, the shows are good, i did not have issues waiting for drinks. But then again i am not picky, i go with the flow and have a good time. Also i am non YC. So yes all you YC “snobs” us non YC people have good times too. 

The best deal is typically when you book when MSC has a fare that includes Easy Plus and WIFI for 1 device and sometimes OBC. If you know you want the drink package then you should purchase it when you book as that is almost always much cheaper than buying it separately afterwards.

When we say 22 drinks, are we just talking alcohol drinks or does 22 drinks include non alcohol drinks?

I was on Meraviglia last month and it kicked in right when you boarded. They also had a sign that said we would be charged NYC taxes while ship was still in port but i was never charged any, might be for those who did not have a drink plan.

To go off the poster above me when I was on the Meraviglia sailing last month we had the Easy Plus plan but when I saw the drink options in the buffet for those who did not have a plan it was terrible. I tried the iced tea and it was disgusting. It seemed like there was only pineapple juice available for lunch juice options. I don't recall ever seeing Lemonade available as an option for those in the buffet. MSC does need to improve its beverage offerings for those who do not have a drink plan. Carnival and Royal Caribbean do a fairly decent job of juice options available for breakfast and lunch in the buffet if you do not have a drink plan. 

I was on Meraviglia a couple weeks ago. They do have chicken nuggets which is in the kids section. I do not recall seeing grilled cheese. Burgers and fries are plentiful. I would recommend trying in touch with msc, they should hopefully be same to accommodate your kid and make grilled cheese.

I’ll have the deviled eggs and bacon wrapped shrimp for my starters. I will have the slow roasted turkey for my entree and give me both the pecan pie and pumpkin bar for dessert.

I was on MSC Meraviglia 2 weeks ago and i thought the food was good. Breakfast in the buffet could have been better, there was no customized omlette station, eggs benedict or smoked salmon. Those were only available in MDR for breakfast. Lunch was good, plenty of options and most were good. Dinner in MDR was usually good (Lobster bisque on formal night however was terrible). MDR dinner on any cruise ship is basically banquet style for the food, it’s not going to be gourmet but it is still good. We never did dinner in buffet so can’t comment on that. Overall i did not mind the buffet and its station setup. Other than embarkation day lunch it never felt full and while there may have been some lines in certain stations it was never that long. We also enjoyed the late night buffet setup, got my pizza fill then!!! 

12 hours ago, mets07 said:

We were on the same cruise (Meraviglia) and it was our first MSC one and we also enjoyed it. Even though we get 5 free drinks a day on Royal (how can you not miss that), we found a lot of positive. In our case, found the ship beautiful, loved the "anytime" dining experience, and the diversity and quality of musical entertainment.

 

Our biggest negative was the buffet, particularly for breakfast. Terribly organized and linear in nature. As a result, we went to the MDR the last 3 days of the cruise.

 

Happy cruising!

I liked the lunch buffet and late night buffet was good too. I do agree breakfast buffet could be better. They do not have customized omelet station or eggs benedict or smoked salmon available like other cruise lines. You can only get those in MDR for breakfast on MSC. I certainly can see why some do not like the linear approach to the buffet but i am fine with it.

I was on MSC Meraviglia 2 weeks ago and even though our cruise to Bermuda had to be changed to Port Canaveral and Nassau, i still enjoyed it. Food was good, drinks were good, entertainment was good, service was great. Wifi was fine for me. Everyone has different experiences i guess. We have already booked again for Oct 2024 cruise to Bermuda on Meraviglia. 

I was on MSC Meraviglia last week and the only time it ever felt crowded was embarkation day at the lunch buffet which is like that for every cruise line. Other than that it never felt crowded.

It seems like a lot of Bella interiors get free upgrades to balconies around 10 days before the cruise. My advice is do nothing and see if the upgrade fairy strikes. 

On our recent cruise on MSC Meraviglia e requested early dining as our preference and got 6PM so we were happy with that. My guess is MSC tries their best to meet everyone’s preference but probably impossible to be 100%. You will find out dining time when you check in at the port and get your cruise card. 

My advice is if you see a price you like for the dates you want go ahead and book it just putting the deposit down. If it ends up being cheaper later on then book at the new price and cancel the other one since you will get deposit back.

I will be in Bermuda on MSC Meraviglia cruise next week. We arrive in Bermuda Wed Nov 15 9AM and depart Fri Nov 17 at 3PM. I was looking to do Horseshoe Bay on Thurs Nov 16. Will the chair/umbrella rental facilities be open and bathrooms open as well. I am seeing mixed results where some say yes and some say no. 

Also on this sailing. Looking forward to this cruise. I might post a review after the cruise. We are just commoners though, no YC.