MSC Meraviglia Adventure 1st September 2017

[kerryincork]

The drinks are if you have the drinks package 😀

 

 

 

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[kerryincork]

Actual food. As I said, it was plenty for us. I was full every day 😀

 

 

Last two were lunch.

 

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[kerryincork]

Drinks now 😀

 

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[1cats1]

Are there omelet stations on breakfast buffet?

[kerryincork]

We did go to Viggio last night, we preferred Sonor show.

 

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[kerryincork]

Yes omelet stations in buffet, or in main dining you can have it made to order.

 

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[kerryincork]

Some pictures of the ship.

The Sky Lounge

 

Pool deck on a Sea day.

 

Dancing I bar on deck 6

 

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[basketballdad]

We have assigned 1st seating dinning. Which implies a set dinning room and a predetermined table each night. However, there are references to "check your tv" for nightly dinning info. I really just want the Panorama dinning room, in the back... any ideas on how to get a set table back there each night? Anyone?

[Beamafar]

We have assigned 1st seating dinning. Which implies a set dinning room and a predetermined table each night. However, there are references to "check your tv" for nightly dinning info. I really just want the Panorama dinning room, in the back... any ideas on how to get a set table back there each night? Anyone?

 

You'll be assigned to a dining room which will be printed on your cruisecard. You don't get to choose, sorry!

[Jody424]

Thank you SO much for your posts!! I have also been worried about all the bad reviews. It seems that maybe they are finally working out some of the kinks.

We sail in 1/5/18 also out of Barcelona so I also appreciate your comment about the speed of embarkation.

[kerryincork]

The cruise has been over for a day. So here are some final observations:

 

A previous poster said she thought the constant exchange of passengers at every port affected the atmosphere. Now I have been on the cruise I have to say I agree.

 

On my previous MSC cruise there were only 2 ports where passengers embarked, so didn't have a noticeable impact on cruise.

 

With this cruise (apart from sea days) everyday people are walking around with their luggage. Everyday people are in the buffet and cafe's with their luggage both breakfast and lunch. It was a real scrum in the buffet every lunch and breakfast time.

 

They have a left luggage storage on deck 5 where you can leave your luggage, but hardly anyone went to the disembarkation talk so didn't know it was there.

 

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[kerryincork]

Another issue was with the theatre and to lesser extent the circus shows.

 

You had to reserve a place for both types of shows (this was stated in daily planners). But each night there was a massive crowd of guests trying to get in to the shows who didn't have reservations. They would block the entrance, so even if you turn up 15 min early to the show you had to fight and push through the crowd.

 

The crowd control at theater was absolutely terrible. There was no separate queue for those who didn't have reservations. There was also no one in the theatre to stop guests from blocking whole rows of seats.

 

 

 

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[kerryincork]

The crowd control at the circus shows was better. A mam was only letting 10 people pass at a time but wasn't checking cards.

 

So when we got through the doors people who didn't have reservations were arguing with the card checkers.

 

This then slowed everything down.

 

I think was because people booked on line before the cruise, but when you board you are meant to select the show you want to go to.

 

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[Jody424]

I had wondered how people getting on and off in every port would affect the cruise. I have never seen that before in the US. Thanks for the tip about the left luggage service!

 

I really hope these problems with crowd control etc. will be a little bit better by the time I embark. From what I've read lately it seems to me a lot of the problems lie with the guests and not the staff except for their crowd control capability.

 

Did you get a chance to go to any of the specialty restaurants? I'm considering getting a three restaurant package and looking for some feedback

 

Thanks again!!

[kerryincork]

We didn't go to any speciality restaurants, we really enjoyed the food in the MDR. We ate lunch and dinner there.

 

I will put a comment about crowd control when I fill out the survey, all they really need to do is have a cordend off area for the people with out reservations to wait and leave theater doors clear.

 

I really think passengers board the ship and don't bother to read the daily program or the information for new passengers.

 

We really enjoyed the cruise, it was just a different experience with all the changing of passengers.

 

If there were two cruises to choose from, in the future we would pick the one without the constant boarding of passengers. 😀

 

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[Hey Tina]

Thanks again for your review and coming back to report on your second Cirque show. What made you like the first one better?

[Beamafar]

 

Did you get a chance to go to any of the specialty restaurants? I'm considering getting a three restaurant package and looking for some feedback

 

We went to Butchers' Cut twice and loved it! Here's a link to a thread with photos of both the menu and the food we ordered. Posts #100 (page 5) and #101 (page 6):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511337&page=5

 

......... and one from our second visit:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53361917&postcount=140

Edited September 9, 2017 by Beamafar

[kerryincork]

Sonor I think was how the interaction with sound and movement wove in to the show. I think It was more cohesive.

 

But it also could be that it was the first show we saw, so knew what to expect at the 2nd show , so wasn't as impressive.

 

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[basketballdad]

LEft luggage on deck 5... is that for post cruise? Or after you get on board and your room isn't ready.. or something else?

[kerryincork]

It was post cruise, people were allowed to leave bags in room as soon as we got on board, but rooms weren't ready for use until 14.00😀

 

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[kerryincork]

Just to give an update on Barcelona Airport T2. They have a very strange set up here & I can see why people were caught out.

 

You check your bags as normal and get your boarding card. You then go to departures where you scan your boarding card (or mobile phone). This lets you through to airport security.

 

This is as per every airport I've ever been through.

 

Once you are through there are the usual shops, cafés and burger king 😀

 

Everything you have seen before. The difference and delay are occurring because before you go through to your boarding gate there is a separate passport control which is very thorough.

 

So if you leave it till they call your gate number you could be in a queue of several hundred people. There was two security guards checking EU passengers and more checking non-EU passengers.

 

The screens show you the zone your gate is in 'W, Y, etc.? So you know where to go if not the number of the gate. There is another small café and duty free shop on the other side, plus toilets.

 

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