Meraviglia

[Journey2016]

We got off the ship this morning from the November 17 sailing. I wanted to give a comprehensive review of the ship, especially considering that it was our first MSC cruise. Here goes:

Beforehand:

The sailing was supposed to go to Nassau and to MSC's private island, but we were told the day before the sailing that the private island was not open yet, and we would instead be going to Cozumel. No bug deal, we love Cozumel, but it would have been nice to know more than 24 hours before departure. At any rate, they gave us a $100 OBC for our troubles, to that was nice.

Check-in:

The check in process seemed choppy and disjointed. We waited in line for security, Then we waited in line to check in, and received our room keys along with a number for boarding. Then we went past the pre-boarding picture area to find ourselves in another waiting area, where we had to wait about 20 minutes for our boarding number to be called. Once that was called, we were taken to the gangway which promptly broke down, leaving us stranded for about ten minutes before the crew came, got us, and took us to the other gangway. I don't blame MSC for that one, because the port owns the gangways. 

The next day, we found out that your credit card is not tied to your on board expense account, and that you must go to this ATM looking machine to do so. Some people didn't find that out until they tried to leave the ship this morning and were not allowed to leave. It seems to me that MSC could really do better here. 

 

The ship:

It was a very clean, contemporary look. The ship looks good, reminding me of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Lots of chrome, glass, and flash. We really liked the video ceilings on the promenade. You cannot access any forward facing window in any public area of the ship, as those areas are reserved for the exclusive use of the Yacht Club. There were plenty of elevators, and we rarely had to wait more than a minute or two for an elevator. 

 

The cabin: 

We had a balcony (Fantastica) cabin. The cabin was 200 square feet, so about the same as comparable cabins on other cruise lines. The only real problem with the cabin was a severe lack of storage. There was only a small wardrobe with 2 small drawers, one shelf, and 30 inches of hanging storage. There was no storage in the bathroom. We wound up having to leave our luggage on the sofa. 

 

The food:

The buffet was one of the best we have seen at sea. It was well organized, there were always seats to be found, and the food was tasty, especially the pizza and baked goods. 

 

The main dining room was a bit disappointing. Here are the items we tried:

French onion soup: This soup looked more like a thick gravy than it did soup. There was almost no cheese ( a dollop about the size of a quarter).

Beef: Each of the three beef dishes we tried (including a bone in ribeye that we paid $21 extra for) was fatty and tough. 

The pasta dishes were good, with the highlight being the Lobster ravioli. The chicken cutlet that came with the chicken parmigiana was not good. It was a fried chicken cutlet with a slice of cheese melted on top, served with plain spaghetti and a side with a tablespoon of flavorless sauce. I honestly expected more of an Italian cruise line. 

We did not go to any of the pay extra restaurants. 

 

Entertainment: 

The entertainment was OK, but we didn't get to see the main attraction: Cirque du Soleil because there was an extra charge of $18 per person for it. 

 

The Casino:

The casino was a bit on the small side, with half of it being dedicated to slots. On the table side, there were 7 Blackjack tables with 3/2 payouts, 1 Baccarat table, 2 roulette tables (0 and 00), and one electronic roulette table. No craps. 

 

The spa:

my wife loved the spa. We spent a couple of hours in the thermal spa, and she got an hour long massage. The thermal spa had a lot of stuff: a cold room, a pair of saunas, some relaxation rooms, steam room, showers, and more. 

 

In all, MSC is a cheaper alternative to other cruise lines, and it really shows at times. Even so, I would not be against sailing with her again, but I don't think that I will actively seek out this ship. 

 

[cellfree]

For future MSC cruisers, each of their ships has several "ATM type looking machines" where you need to register your Credit Card. I feel there are numerous ways MSC makes people aware of the necessity to do this. And you can view your Statement at any time on the tv in your Cabin. If you have registered a CC, the morning of Debarkation there will be a printed Statement in your mail box and there is no need to stop at the Front Desk.  If however by the last day you have not registered a CC you will need to stop by Desk to settle your Account prior to getting off Ship.
 

[Journey2016]

7 minutes ago, cellfree said:

 I feel there are numerous ways MSC makes people aware of the necessity to do this.

 

Five cruise lines, and this is the first time that I have had to do this outside of the check in process. 

[cellfree]

Journey2016, I agree, for us to, but MSC has chosen not to do it during the check in process but rather afterwards.

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, cellfree said:

Journey2016, I agree, for us to, but MSC has chosen not to do it during the check in process but rather afterwards.

They changed the system in 2016, before the CC was registered at Check In. In 2016 the communicated the new process with the machines quite active, but now indeed they seem to think everybody knows meanwhile 

[cellfree]

I see. Just checked our MSC history and first MSC cruise was April 2017 so we have always registered our cc on the ship. 

[runner15km]

Thank you for the review, I am sailing for the 1st time with MSC this December. 

[DCGuy64]

Thanks for your review. The issue about registering your credit card, while different from other lines, was something we'd read about here a lot before cruising on MSC last year for the first time. I took the suggestion given to use the machine in the Casino (since most people were doing it at embarkation and there was a line), and it took about 10 seconds. I agree about the lack of storage space, that one's a real head-scratcher for me. I'm pretty good at space-saving so we were okay. One tip I always hear about is using your luggage as a sort of chest of drawers, so I'll keep certain things there (under the bed) and just open it as needed. Heartily agree on the food, especially the pasta. Thanks again for your review.

[sidari]

Despite what MSC say about registering your credit card we usually do so on the third or fourth day with no issues.

Edited November 22, 2019 by sidari

[jdvmd]

Very surprised to hear there was no bathroom storage. On the Seaside last month, there was lots of space and storage and didn't use hardly anything.

 

[CruisinMaterial]

Re: The On-Ship Kiosks for Registering your CC to your Cruise Card or paying money...

 

This makes perfect sense and I wish more cruise lines would adopt it. While I have not personally fallen victim to skimmers by the shore-side port staff, they don't pay those folks a lot of money and I've known people who have had their cards skimmed. Now imagine being on the ship and having your card frozen and spending even more to satellite call your credit card company. By the time it's frozen, there's usually expenses that were incurred. For a credit card, you're not liable for it but good luck getting another card while you're on the move. It's even worse for folks who fall victim to this and use their ATM cards instead!

 

This stops the port folks from being tempted to skim the cards for their own personal usage. Bravo to MSC for keeping it all within the ship you're sailing on.

[perakcruiser]

It definitely speeded up the check in process. 

[Invero]

One note about the kiosks... If you have a credit leftover, it is not automatically applied to your credit card on file.

 

I put my CC on file using the machine the first day. But I had a $50 OBC. I only spent $35, thus leaving me with $15 coming back to me. All of the announcements and literature said that if you had a CC on file, you would be fine, everything would be automatic. However, I was stopped when trying to debark because of the credit. I had to go back to the machine (the cash one, not the CC-only one), and the machine gave me my balance in cash. Then, I had to get back in the long line, and wait to debark.

 

Not a huge deal, I just wish it had been made clear to me that despite having a CC on file, I'd need to manually settle up.

[betsey]

I was on this sailing and agree with the poster on all of the points.  A couple of notes:

I am recovering from a hip fracture, so standing for a long period of time is not feasible.

 

My travel partner added my name to her onboard account by mistake when registering her credit card at one of the kiosks. So...my card wouldn't work, and I was sent to guest relations to fix this. The wait time was an hour and 5 minutes. I never saw the line any shorter....standing in line for an hour to fix glitches like this is unacceptable (especially if it's painfful to do so!)

 

I took the "Martha Stewart" branded shore excursion simply because it didn't involve much walking or strenuous activity. Although the food tour was interesting, well thought out and enjoyable, I got food poisoning as soon as I returned to the ship and spend almost three hours in the medical center hooked up to an IV.  Thank goodness I have travel insurance to cover the $430+ doctor's bill.  

 

I got a survey this morning asking if I liked Miami or Nassau better. Hah!

[APDMOM]

Thank you for the review 🙂 We board in one month.  I look forward to seeing how Meraviglia compares with Seaside!

[JP82]

Your review on the French Onion Soup has terrified me!  On Oasis of The Seas two months ago I had their French Onion Soup as my starter every evening I ate in the MDR!!! I was hoping to make this a new tradition for cruising. 

[Invero]

I can concur... the French Onion Soup in the MDR was not good at all. The person next to us ordered it the first night, and warned me. I did not listen, and ordered it for myself on the last night.

 

It's available every night on the 'Classics' menu section... Try it if you wish. But just be prepared to be disappointed. Sorry...

[cellfree]

Inverno, good to know info about having “credit” on your account. Thank you. 

[gadaboutgal]

I second the reviews of the onion soup-just terrible gravy and no cheese.  I am very fond of the onion soup on Royal Caribbean and Princess.  MSC needs to go take lessons from them.