Meriviglia Review: 02/16/20 - 02/23/20

[DaisyGirl55]

My husband and I just spent a week on the MSC Meriviglia with 6 of our friends. This was in total cruise number 53 for me, but my first with MSC.   Still putting all of my thoughts together but wanted to write a short review while it is all fresh in my mind.  We stayed in balcony cabin 12161.  Near the elevator, and very quiet.  A few kids running once in a while, but not too bad.  In the middle of the ship so it was easy to go anywhere we wanted.

 

The ship was absolutely beautiful, and the Promenade was very nice with the restaurants, shops, chocolate store and various bars.  I was amazed at how clean the ship was, and you would be hard pressed to find a bit of rust anywhere.  Our balcony was a good size, and our cabin steward was efficient and kept our room spotless.  One of our friends in my group was not so lucky as there were a few days when their cabin was not serviced at all.  When they questioned this, they were told it was because he ran out of time.

 

We had the Easy Drink Package but upgraded to the Premium package once on the ship.  $215.00 for the upgrade.  It was on my husband's card, but he was able to get drinks for me as well on the Premium list.  The crew in the bar areas were all very pleasant and always had a smile when we saw them.

 

Crew in the dining room was not so friendly.  Our head waiter, Augus, was attentive although busy.  His assistant staff was not so good, with one of the girls going so far as to roll her eyes when we asked for some Tabasco sauce.  We only ate dinner in the dining room twice, the first two nights.  We tried breakfast on the second morning but went to the buffet every morning after that.  We actually loved the food up in the Lido area.  A lot of choices, food always hot, and very delicious.  

 

Speaking of food, we bought the Tryptic Dining Package:  Butcher's Cut, Ocean Cay Seafood, and Kaito.  While the food was delicious and well-prepared we were shocked that our menu choices were so limited.  For the most part we were all satisfied with our choices, but some dishes that were on the limited menu were just downright awful.  However, the staff was quick to allow for a change in the selection.  The biggest drawback was the very rude and very obnoxious sommelier in the Butcher's Cut restaurant.  When we asked his name, he actually covered up his name tag and refused to give us his name.  We found out that he had only been on the ship a week.  Hopefully he will either get with the program or realize that he is in the wrong profession.  

 

We went to the Cique du Soliel show, Sonor.   It was out of this world phenomenal!  Our package included dinner, which was so yucky that after the show we all went up to the buffet...LOL. 

 

The casino was fun, and only very smoky one night.  Most of the time it was tolerable.  There are a few non-smoking machines, but as they are near the smoking machines it is a moot point.

 

The MSC app and internet package worked quite well, and allowed us to stay in touch with each other through FB Messenger.  It was nice to be able to pull up activities, billing, and other information.  

 

We did not make it to any of the shows as we were not aware that we needed to make reservations.  Every time we thought about it there were no seats left.  

 

I can't really comment on the ports as we stayed on the ship all week.  We stopped at Costa Maya, Belize, and Roatán.  We were supposed to stop at the new port of Ocean Cay, but the water was too rough to do so and we had an extra sea day.  

 

One of the bad things that happened during our week was we had no hot water for two days.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  Made it difficult to shower!  Thankfully my hair is short so I was able to wash it in the sink.  Even still...Brrr!  The other issue was a language issue.  I don't mind the announcements in several languages.  I have no problem cruising with so many people from other countries.  Our main problems were with the crew and even the staff.  We had a hard time when we asked questions.  Being that this was our first MSC cruise, we did have a question here and there.  

 

All in all it was a good week.  Will I book another MSC cruise?  Yes, but maybe not right away.  We had fun, but nothing stood out to make it a new favorite cruise line.  I have read on this Board that there are other ships in the MSC line that we should try that are better than the Meriviglia.  Maybe we will try another ship and see how it compares.  After all, I was on a cruise, being catered to and getting some much needed R&R.  

 

Any questions let me know!

 

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by DaisyGirl55
add info

[Rob-Bob]

Thanks for the review.  I am on her 4 weeks from now.  For some reason I thought the casino was non-smoking.  I am disappointed to hear about the smoke.

 

I hope we make the stop at Ocean Cay.  We are really looking forward to the island.  Our current worry is the ship being denied docking in Jamaica today due to sickness.  

 

We have been on the Seaside and Divina and loved both of those cruises.  We are looking forward to the Meraviglia.

[bigblue1952]

Thank you for your review.  We will be on the Meraviglia in October and valued your opinion of the buffet.

[jkgourmet]

We were on the same cruise.  Its interesting how different our experiences were.  Ill be adding my review within a few days.

 

Too bad you missed the shows.  In our opinions, it was the BEST thing of the cruise.  In fact, probably the best showroom entertainment we've seen in 25+ cruises!

 

(For future readers:  we made reservations each night for the 7pm show.  After the first night, they didn't even check.  Sometimes a bit of a hassle to find seats, but just don't be overly picky.)

[blueslily]

Great review!

 

Regarding the shows, you can attend if you dont have reservations if they are not full. On the Feb 2 sailing the CD explained this process. During our sailing, usualy there were seats available in the front and on the sides after the shows started. Sometimes people could not see them I guess when they arrived late. But, there were indeed seats and you could enter. Just my experience and the CD was sure to explain the seating of those with reservations and those without. Happy sailing everyone. 

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review!

[DaisyGirl55]

15 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

We were on the same cruise.  Its interesting how different our experiences were.  Ill be adding my review within a few days.

 

Too bad you missed the shows.  In our opinions, it was the BEST thing of the cruise.  In fact, probably the best showroom entertainment we've seen in 25+ cruises!

 

(For future readers:  we made reservations each night for the 7pm show.  After the first night, they didn't even check.  Sometimes a bit of a hassle to find seats, but just don't be overly picky.)

 

I think it is always interesting how people can be on the same cruise and have such different experiences!  I look forward to your review.  Thanks for your feedback

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience. We sail in March 2020, and like you we will not be getting off in the ports but enjoying the ship experience. 

[rkacruiser]

Thanks for your review.  I sailed on Meraviglia on January 5th and agree with your comments about the friendliness and service of the bar/lounge staffs.  Really enjoyed Meraviglia Lounge.  The ship's Promenade is lovely and I liked the Dome Shows that I saw.

 

Which MDR were you assigned?  Which experience did you book:  Aurelia, Fantastica, or Bella?

 

An interesting excuse because your friend's cabin did not get serviced by the Cabin Steward:  "He ran out of time."  That's a new one for me.  

Edited February 26, 2020 by rkacruiser
I added an additional thought.

[justme665]

We were on the same cruise as you, and our cabin almost right above yours (13179) - so hopefully our toddler running around wasn't bothersome for you!

 

And our experience aligns with yours, except that I doubt we will book MSC again. The lack of/mis communication was nearly constant, and the food quality was so poor, that we feel we would get much better value on other lines we have tried.

[DaisyGirl55]

17 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Thanks for your review.  I sailed on Meraviglia on January 5th and agree with your comments about the friendliness and service of the bar/lounge staffs.  Really enjoyed Meraviglia Lounge.  The ship's Promenade is lovely and I liked the Dome Shows that I saw.

 

Which MDR were you assigned?  Which experience did you book:  Aurelia, Fantastica, or Bella?

 

An interesting excuse because your friend's cabin did not get serviced by the Cabin Steward:  "He ran out of time."  That's a new one for me.  

 

We were in Waves Restaurant - early seating.  We had the Fantastica experience.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

was there free soft serve anywhere, please?

[dubsteph]

Hello!

Can you get by on the easy package for beer and wine? Or is it well worth it to upgrade to the premium package? I’m unable to find the average price of a drink on this ship in USD. Most articles show euros. Would you be able to give me a general idea. It’s my husband and I’s first cruise! 
 

Thank you!

[jkgourmet]

7 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

was there free soft serve anywhere, please?

Yes.  Up by one of the pools.  Vanilla,  chocolate and swirl.  It was actually pretty good!

[jkgourmet]

6 hours ago, dubsteph said:

Hello!

Can you get by on the easy package for beer and wine? Or is it well worth it to upgrade to the premium package? I’m unable to find the average price of a drink on this ship in USD. Most articles show euros. Would you be able to give me a general idea. It’s my husband and I’s first cruise! 
 

Thank you!

 

Depends on what you want/expect/will put up with.  The $6 list is very short.

 

Two reds - cabernet and merlot.  Both La Terre. 

Two whites - a chardonnay and pinot grigio (or sauvignon blanc - there was no consistency between venues).  And prosecco.

We are NOT wine snobs.  The cab, pinot grigio and sav blanc were okay, but after a week of same, same, same, we were really bored.  

 

One brand of draft beer - I think it was Heineken.   Bottled Miller Lite.

AFAIK, that's it.

 

Basic cocktails - rum and coke, scotch and water, vodka and sprite, gin and tonic, etc.  Liquors were fine, the basic  name brands - bacardi, Smirnoff, etc.  Strangely, long island iced tea was included.

 

Want a bloody mary?  You have to order a virgin mary and a shot of vodka.  Same procedure for frozen drinks.  Seriously dumb.  Easy package not useable in speciality restaurants.   Also seriously dumb.  Want a drink that costs more than $6?  You're paying for the whole thing plus gratuities, not just the difference in cost.  

 

We did not upgrade because we didn't like the idea of paying extra just to get a basic, DECENT drink package.   Others obviously disagree.  But if you're going to upgrade, do it before boarding.  You'll save paying the gratuities. 

 

Edited February 28, 2020 by jkgourmet

[Itchy&Scratchy]

9 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

Yes.  Up by one of the pools.  Vanilla,  chocolate and swirl.  It was actually pretty good!

how wonderful! Thank you. There were conflicting reports: some said - free soft serve, some said - you have to use the non-alcoholic drink package for soft serve.

[cvg42]

17 hours ago, dubsteph said:

I’m unable to find the average price of a drink on this ship in USD. Most articles show euros. 
 

Thank you!

A little more reading on the forum would have brought you to 

a very complete review with pictures of drink list on page 9. Enjoy.