Anastas617

For me, "you get what you pay for" boils down to no complimentary dining outside the MDR/Buffet and maybe a little less in the way of options at the buffet. I've only been on MSC, Princess and HAL. HAL was far and away better for food in the MDR/Buffet based on my one cruise with them, but I don't really think I'd say there was much of a difference between Princess and MSC in the MDR. In fact, while some items are hit or miss, Princess is the only cruise where I actually hated something I ordered (2x). I thoroughly enjoy the paid Carousel shows ($12 pre-cruise) and am very happy with Hola! as a paid restaurant ($18 or less depending on how you eat) and when I consider the usual cruise price, I find these add-ons perfectly reasonable. I don't pay for specialty dining otherwise. I have never noticed a difference with cleanliness of my room or pleasantness of staff*. Then again, I always try to be pleasant myself and do not have demands or expectations that I would consider unreasonable. Based on the way some of these reviews or complaints come across, they lead me to assume that some of these folks are just difficult or unpleasant people. I could be wrong, but that is the impression I get based on the walls of complaints. *just adding that I did find that staff in general seemed a bit less personable on my MSC Mediterranean cruise, but I chalk that up to perhaps cultural and, from what my international friends say, probably preferred.

Current show times on Meraviglia are 19:00, 20:30 and 22:00. When I was seated at a full table in the MDR this past cruise, it was 50/50 if I would have made the 20:30 show when seated for 19:00 dinner. My previous cruise I was seated by myself and told the waiter I'd like to make the show and never had a problem being finished with plenty of time to get there. So, in my experience, 90 minutes can be a tight window, but asking the waiter to help "move things along" is beneficial depending on seating arrangements.

I just got off yesterday and Floyd was the host I was dealing with during my cruise. There was also Alessio who I spoke with to a lesser extent.

As you are new to MSC, I thought I would mention that they have several theme nights each cruise and have "parties" for them. Their signature party is for 'White Night" and A LOT of cruisers will come prepared to dress in all white that evening. It is the one party with a huge amount of people dressed to the theme. My last cruise they also had a tropical party, carnaval party, space party and a retro party (not sure if that was the actual name, but it was 70s-80s inspired). These are held (usually 10:45pm on sailings from NYC) either in the promenade or on Deck 15 near the pool (weather permitting) and are pretty fun with the music and dancing.

I just got off my second cruise on Meraviglia (and I think I will take my third in September, I really like this ship and the convenience of driving to the port from Massachusetts). I arrived between 10-1030 and embarkation had started already, though some debarkation groups aren't scheduled until close to that time (I know I saw 9:45am as one of the later group times on the disembarkation schedule and a note that stated you needed to be off by 10am) so start time will depend on how quickly the ship clears...I was Group 3 and we were about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Also, while the cruise time showed as 3pm on the app and paperwork, sailaway was listed as 4pm when I got on the ship and was after that when we actually sailed away. The muster video followed by visiting the muster station started at 3pm. (This can be quite hectic and I much prefer the "watch video and visit muster station by X time" to be much smoother).

I've found that MSC does not seem to have nearly the activity or interest in roll calls on this site as other major lines. I took two MSC cruises last year, one had a roll call with minimal interaction and the other never had a roll call created.

I got multiple starters several times on the Rotterdam last month, no problem at all to do that. I also got two mains once, which didn't work out great because the portions were not as small as I expected.

The ship itself is beautiful. A few minor things I didn't like was the bathtub/shower combo and the minimal clothing storage in my studio balcony room. It was much different than on Meraviglia (almost identical) since it was a port intensive cruise, so I didn't have as much lounging time, but I still never had a problem finding loungers on the Horizon deck (aft pool area) and they had plenty of entertainment during the day around the Lido Pool. One thing that stood out to me was the hot tubs...seems like every time I walked through the enclosed pool area there was a line of people at least a dozen long waiting to get into the hot tub. Not sure if this is a European thing, but I've never seen a queue of people hovering over people in hot tubs before this cruise. Went off-tangent, but based strictly on ship itself Meraviglia/Grandiosa are excellent if you are okay with larger ships (5,000+ guests). It's the other little things that seem to bring negative reactions rather than the ship. *as someone that dabbles in the casino, I found Grandiosa to be very poor in slot selection, but it was also noticeably less popular than on any U.S. based cruise I've been on.

NY Pizza had the full menu up until 11:30pm when I was on the cruise before yours. I went up for a late night pizza a couple of times. (Actually, I can't speak for the deli sandwiches as I didn't look for those as I was pizza focused). I got fries and cheese nachos one night from the movie snacks menu and both were huge disappontments.

If you do end up on NCL in May, I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts or non-live postings as I have my first NCL cruise scheduled next February. I enjoy your trip reports for being informative and mostly rational. It's obvious you enjoy MSC (as do I), but you come across as fair and not a cheerleader.

When I embarked (started my cruise) in Barcelona I went through the line, got my cruise card and was walking onto the ship with less than 10 minutes. This is what I wrote when I started a trip report (that I never finished because I lost steam and got busy with work stuff): "Embarkation in Barcelona: This could not have been any easier or quicker. From the time the taxi dropped me off ~11:45am to stepping on-board was less than 10 minutes. In fact, embarking was quicker than returning to the ship at most of the ports. I think Palma de Mallorca (replacement port for cancelled La Goulette) was the only port I'd say was a quick return to ship."

In addition to many of the other great tips provided, I would add that the events in the Mediterranean tend to happen on a later schedule than the U.S. sailings. I have no experience with Carnival, but a couple of examples are the "Silent Disco" started at midnight on Grandiosa, but 10pm on Meraviglia. Similarly, the White Night and other parties (I think one was neon or tropical themed?) start a bit later in the evening. Barcelona was super quick to embark from, but a couple of the ports (most notably Genoa for my cruise) you may want to ensure you are budgeting some breathing room time-wise for getting back onto the ship. Lastly, I'm a big fan of Hola! Cantina on both Meraviglia and Grandiosa. It's not included, but is relatively cheap for a different lunch/dinner option (I think you can get AYCE for 16.99 Euros on Grandiosa). Also, the British Pub has some bites you can grab for fairly cheap as a lunch or quick snack. They don't really do a good job of advertising that. Oh, I almost forgot. Highly recommend the gelato shop. I had never had gelato before, but it was excellent. I think it's like 3 euros for a small cup or 5 Euros for an extra scoop (apologies if I'm getting my dollars and euros mixed up because the ships are almost identical)

Yes. I did Mediterranean cruise on Grandiosa this past October. Reservations for the free theatre shows opens at 6pm (If I remember correctly) the evening prior to the show so that the newly boarded passengers have a shot at reservations. Almost every performance eventually "sold out" when I was on the ship.

I was on the cruise before you and I can't say enough about how much I loved being on Rotterdam. I'm hoping to be back on it in August if things line up right. I laughed at your comment on the hangers. I swear I had twice the amount showing in your photo. As a solo traveler the amount of storage was more than I would need on a World Cruise if I never sent out laundry! I am kicking myself that I didn't explore enough and find that Crow's Nest/Explorations Cafe. Would have been a great afternoon spot to get some reading done while having a few drinks. Now I know for next time. Looking forward to the rest of your report on my new favorite ship.

You can look at the customer service line and come to a conclusion on how many are there to remove tips? Do you take a survey? I've been in that line quite a few times for various reasons unrelated to tips and nobody has ever volunteered this info nor have I overheard anyone discussing tip removal while I was waiting.

I think there is a lot of mob mentality when it comes to MSC which leads to a lot of hyperbole in the reviews. I always discount any review where the reviewer obviously has an axe to grind or is being overly dramatic. I'm taking my third MSC cruise next month (Meraviglia). It's on a casino comp, so I have the Bella experience which I am not particularly enthused about as I have no control over my dining time (I don't know if Bella customers can get it changed, but I will certainly try if they stick me with 17:30). I thoroughly enjoyed my first Meraviglia cruise. My Grandiosa cruise in the Mediterannean was a bit less enjoyable for a number of reasons (mainly rudeness of other guests and everything on a later time schedule), but I will still quite satisfied based on the price I paid and would happily go again. My biggest gripes on MSC have been the buffet* (both food and the crowds), the $&%^! photographer set-ups**, the cocktails***, and the lack of any casual complimentary eatery**** *I am up eating breakfast as soon as buffet opens, so that keeps me away from the crowds. I rarely will go to buffet for lunch or dinner, but if I do I will try to avoid the prime times. **Minor thing, I'm sure, but the photo nights created a big logjam in foot traffic as they seem to set-up in the most common walking areas. ***I do not drink a lot of cocktails, but my daily bloody mary and pina coladas were decidedly inferior to anything I've had elsewhere. ****At the price point, I understand and don't mind paying a few bucks to eat at the Mexican joint or British pub (based on the ships I have been on). The MDR was perfectly fine for me. Was it great? No, but it wasn't bad or much different than what I experienced on Princess (HAL was another level food-wise, imo). I'm a solo traveler that is fairly easy to please, don't get riled up too much, don't need to make friends on a cruise and therefore do not care if they have solo events. The studio interior cabin was perfect for my needs on the Meraviglia, the studio aft balcony on Grandiosa did not have as good a bed and I hated the bathroom (or bathtub more specifically). I look forward to my first experience in a full size room next month. I got way too wordy, but bottom line is to not buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black and expect it to be equivalent to a Johnnie Walker Green and when it's not try to label it as some $5 rotgut. Temper your expectations because Black can be quite enjoyable for a large percentage of folks. (Or I think, I don't know, I don't drink whisky 🙂 )

I am not the one that posted, but I can tell you this isn't necessarily true. My first sailing on Meraviglia did not have my assigned dining time or MDR on my card when it was issued during the embarkation process. I asked about it and was told to see the Maitre D' when I got on the ship to get an assignment. When I arrived, I was given options for dining times and he hand-wrote my selection on my card. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the assignment isn't made automatically. It worked well for me; I was only the 2nd person waiting to talk to the Maitre D' and I got to pick a time I wanted.

I was on the previous cruise and the current cruise is her last one (for now).

I can't seem to sleep in when I'm on vacation, so I was always one of the few at the breakfast buffet when it opened and also one of the first to grab a lounger on the Horizon deck during my sailing this past July. That being said there always seemed to be available space, though admittedly I was done with my lounging time by 11:30am.

This was fixed for me when I was on Caribbean Princess. One of the staff that sits right outside the Internet Lounge/Library area worked diligently to get it resolved. She even went out of her way to find me on the ship a couple of times to continue helping. It took a full 24 hours to finally get fixed, but she got it done. I wish I could remember her name, but I gave her a glowing review in my feedback to Princes. But, no, I had absolutely zero progress before I boarded. On-board I felt like a valued customer, on the phone I felt like a nobody.

Thanks! Hmmm, that Painkiller sounds interesting. May have to check the couch cushions so I can get one of those, too. 🙂

My first HAL cruise is next month. So I'm understanding from this thread that we only pay the overage costs? I mostly drink beer, but probably indulge in one pina colada and one bloody mary per day. Not worth upgrading but would just switch to a daiquiri if I was expected to pay the full $11.50.

I'm planning to see both again when I return to Meraviglia in March. Hopefully will get full experience. Those drinks are not really what I would normally drink, but maybe I'll give them a try.

Theater shows: I was unable to take in as much of the entertainment on this cruise. Being port intensive, I didn't get in any afternoon naps and I was flat-out exhausted in the evenings. Main theater: On Meraviglia I booked all my shows as soon as I got on-board. On this cruise you could only book after 6:30pm the night before. I assume this is because there are different embarkation ports and they don't want shows sold-out before people even get on-board. I booked almost every night,but ended up canceling all but one reservation. Unlike my other cruise where there were empty seats usually available right up until show time (I went to the 3rd show every night on that cruise and at least 20% of the theater was empty seats each show), these shows were all sold out for all three performances. I went to "Rock It" which was a tribute to Rock N' Roll. Interestingly, of the 7 or 8 songs they did I would be hard-pressed to classify three of them as "rock n' roll". The theater was packed and the show was probably the best of all the theater shows I've seen on MSC. Though I am still trying to figure out why the dancers had a big Lion's face planted on the front of their costume when they performed "Eye of the Tiger". Carousel Theater: Conversely, the Carousel shows were quite popular on Meraviglia, but on this ship the inner bowl wasn't filled and nobody sat in the outer section. The second show I saw was "Sweet" and that one was glaringly not well attended during the performance I attended. I missed the live music performer before the show as it filled up the time. Here was just 30 minutes or so of waiting for the show. I can understand them not opening the bar in the theater for the show, but I am not able to understand why you can't bring a drink in with you. It's not like they don't want drinks inside since they include a pr-made drink with your ticket. The drink options are never something I would want. I can't do a direct comparison of the shows to the Meraviglia because the Meraviglia shows did not have aerial or stage movement due to safety concerns with rough seas. That being said, both "Strings" and "Sweet" were enjoyable, but Strings was probably a bit better because it had a more cohesive story to follow. I would guess that I might have preferred the Meraviglia shows had I seen the full experience as intended. Either way, I think it was money well spent and I enjoy these shows more than the free offerings.

Buffet: I only went to the buffet for lunch once because of the port-intensive itinerary and my desire to stay out of the crowd madness. On that day I went to the back and grabbed a couple of slices of pizza (the white pizza and a plain cheese slice, both of which I knew I liked from Meraviglia) and round 2 was some rice and with a piece of fish in curry sauce. I really liked that. Breakfast buffet was an entirely different experience on this cruise. On the Bahamas cruise I was up and entering the buffet right at 6:30am and there were very few people there during my 30-45 minutes of breakfast and several coffees. On this cruise it was not quite the madhouse as at lunch, but it quickly became what I would call fairly busy soon after 6:30am. As for the food, it had most of the basic staples one would expect as far as breads/muffins/pastries, fruits, eggs (scrambled, fried or omelettes), waffles/pancakes, potatoes and breakfast meats. As an American I can admit that we tend to overcook eggs, particularly scrambled. The scrambled eggs on Grandiosa are the opposite end of the spectrum where I think many Americans would be turned off with how much less cooked they are comparatively. They were okay for me, but I'd prefer a happy medium between the two. I tended to just get a ham and cheese omelette unless the wait was long. I think the waffles and pancakes are as good as I've had on a buffet, but I did not see any maple syrup anywhere. They did have multiple types of fruit syrups, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce with and without bananas and whipped cream so you could turn your breakfast into a sundae. I opted for the caramel sauce with bananas which was quite good even though it would not be my preferred topping for breakfast. Sauteed potatoes were good, sausage links were meh and bacon was...well, I'm just not sure they know how to cook American bacon. It was somehow overcooked and undercooked at the same time. In my mind I thought it was like eating rashers that had the appearance of American bacon. I also love the chocolate croissant things, though that probably isn't the proper name for them.