Opinions Please - Meraviglia vs Seaside

[Robkat]

 

We have sailed on the Seaside YC for our most recent last two cruises, and we've just booked onto the Meraviglia YC for our first cruise on that ship.

 

i know there are so many of you who have sailed on both of these two ships, and would love to hear opinions on both ships.  Do you like one more than the other?  And if so, why?  

We loved the Seaside so much, but we're also excited to try out the Mera.  

 

PS. We've already been told (more warned) that the pool and lie-out area on the Mera isn't as open and sunny as it was on the Seaside.  After looking at some videos, we were a little surprised to see that!  But, as they say, better to know beforehand!

 

Thanks for all opinions!

[CruisingFox27]

We sailed on an almost B2B, Meraviglia and then Seaside. We loved both ships, if I could only chose one to sail again though, it would be Seaside. 

 

We loved the open plan restaurant and TSL, the outside section of the TSL was wonderful for evening drinks. The layout of the Seaside YC would be the deciding factor for me. 

 

I can't comment too much on the Meraviglia pool area as we were in a cold climate and only visited a few times to sit with coffee. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be delightful in the sunshine. 

 

Having said all of the above, we preferred the interior layout of Meraviglia in the non YC areas, it felt as though it had a more natural flow when walking around. The outside space on Seaside flows well but internally seemed more compartmentalised. 

 

[jules815]

1 hour ago, Robkat said:

 

We have sailed on the Seaside YC for our most recent last two cruises, and we've just booked onto the Meraviglia YC for our first cruise on that ship.

 

i know there are so many of you who have sailed on both of these two ships, and would love to hear opinions on both ships.  Do you like one more than the other?  And if so, why?  

We loved the Seaside so much, but we're also excited to try out the Mera.  

 

PS. We've already been told (more warned) that the pool and lie-out area on the Mera isn't as open and sunny as it was on the Seaside.  After looking at some videos, we were a little surprised to see that!  But, as they say, better to know beforehand!

 

Thanks for all opinions!

We're in the same boat as you! 

Have only sailed once with MSC on Seaside in their YC. Loved it, and booked again, but then had reservations canceled due to Covid, and our rebooking for that cruise on Seaside was switched to Mera. 

I was worried my husband wouldn't be keen on trying a different ship (he LOVED Seaside), but his reaction was actually the opposite. He's looking forward to exploring a new ship. And Mera really does look beautiful. We're very excited to finally be sailing again. (fingers crossed!)

[Robkat]

CF27:  Thanks for this useful and very helpful post!  It was exactly what we were looking for!  Loved the details!  

J815:  you didn't mention when your Mera cruise will be, but ours is coming  up quite soon 🤞🙏.  Hope yours is too!  Your "being in the same boat" reference was really funny ... too appropriate!

 

Would love to hear more!

[Beamafar]

I agree with a lot of what CruisingFox has said.  However, both DH and I dislike the TSL/restaurant set-up on the Seaside class and prefer the Mera one where the restaurant is separate and not overlooking the lounge, which can be very noisy in the evenings in a way that can impact the atmosphere in the restaurant on Seaside ships. 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Beamafar

[Robkat]

Beamafar:  So interesting that you brought up this point, and we're so glad you did!  Since our very first YC experience was on the Divina, when we did our first Seaside, we fell in love with the TSL/restaurant set-up.  However, we definitely understand your point.  

From looking at the deck plans, we thought it looked like a similar set-up on Mera - at least it appeared there was a staircase from the lounge up to the restaurant.  Hearing that the restaurant is a separate entity is interesting.  Now, we're very excited to see which set-up we like better!

Thanks for bringing this difference up! 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Robkat
Spelling error

[Beamafar]

Also, on Meraviglia you can get wonderful seating at the forward facing windows in the restaurant (as well as TSL as Mera doesn’t have an outdoor seating area outside TSL).  This was our table:

 

 

[Robkat]

Beamafar:  Thanks so much for sending this photo!  What a lovely spot you had!  

DH, who notices such things (!!), said it looked much more intimate and charming.  Although we loved the proximity/location of the restaurant on Seaside, there were times when we were up there, and could see some "sights" (😳😳) down in the TSL!  😂😂

isnt it true when they say a photo is worth a thousand words!  

 

For or those who may not have seen this shot (and I'm sure there aren't that many!), here's a photo of the Mera docked at the port of Miami, as of this past weekend!  Exciting!

 

 

[jules815]

4 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Also, on Meraviglia you can get wonderful seating at the forward facing windows in the restaurant (as well as TSL as Mera doesn’t have an outdoor seating area outside TSL).  This was our table:

 

 

Well that looks lovely. I think the seating on Mera looks very plush and comfy. 

[Beamafar]

Here a couple more images of the restaurant 

 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

Here a couple more images of the restaurant 

 

Thanks for the photos!  Great memories!

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Robkat said:

DH, who notices such things (!!), said it looked much more intimate and charming.  Although we loved the proximity/location of the restaurant on Seaside, there were times when we were up there, and could see some "sights" (😳😳) down in the TSL!  😂😂

isnt it true when they say a photo is worth a thousand words!  

 

 

The YC Restaurant on Meraviglia is intimate and charming even during breakfast and lunch.  It's elegant in my opinion.  Have not sailed on Seaside, but the concept of having the restaurant overlook the Top Sail Lounge, which is being used on other MSC newbuilds....Hmmm!  Not sure I like that idea.  

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

Here a couple more images of the restaurant 

 

I note that in the YC, social distancing is/was already in practice. That was certainly the case when we sailed with Mera in Dec 2019.

[Robkat]

After seeing these photos, we're certainly getting more excited.

 

But, for all of you with Mera experience, would love to hear how you liked the Sun deck/sitting out area up on 18th.  Since Mera will be used for Caribbean cruises, how do you think people wanting to sit out in the sun will like that area, as it seems like it would be very blocked with all those overhead structures causing shade? 

 

Appreciating the comments (and definitely the photos!).  Thanks to all.

[korpo024]

We've been on Seaview (sistership) and Meraviglia. We loved the Meraviglia. Seaview was good, but the layout was confusing and the specialty restaurants were all over the place. They didn't have a real main area where everything happened like the galleria in the Meraviglia. We loved that galleria and all restaurants and shops in it. The best bar must be the pub, with lost of special beers. Also the Cirque du Soleil is a plus on the Meraviglia (although normally I don't like these shows these were great!).

The waterpark on Seaview is in the middle of the ship, which is also very shady (so it was a little bit cold there) and there was nowhere to sit for the parents while their children were playing. On Meraviglia the waterpark is at the back, with a lounge area where the parents can sit or lay. 

But the best thing on Meraviglia were the specialty restaurants. Very accesible and very good. 

What we dislike on Seaview was the very big area at the front where the YC is. At Meraviglia YC is also big, but did not take such a huge part of the ship for some reason. At Seaview we always had the feeling we were not allowed on one third of the ship....I wish we would have YC money but with our rate of cruising 2 or 3 times a year YC is out of our league...lol

The pool is very open on Seaview and although we were in mid-July in the Med we found it always a little cold because of the winds that were there all the time. We prefered the beautiful partly roofed pool. There you had no winds and it was always a little more quiet. On Meraviglia all pools are great!

Here our top 7 of cruise ships we've been on in the last 4 years:

 

1-MSC Meraviglia

2-Celebrity Reflection

3-HAL Koningsdam

4-MSC Divina

5-MSC Seaview

6-MSC Fantasia

7-MSC Magnifica

[Robkat]

K024:  Thank you for your very interesting comments on the Mera.   When someone chooses a specific ship as their #1 favorite, I think that really says something!   

[rkacruiser]

On 5/4/2021 at 6:00 PM, Robkat said:

Since Mera will be used for Caribbean cruises, how do you think people wanting to sit out in the sun will like that area, as it seems like it would be very blocked with all those overhead structures causing shade? 

 

My cruise experience on this ship was in January, 2020.  I found the deck to be too sunny at times and had to keep moving my position in order to find the desired shade that I wanted.  

 

A surprising observation on my part was the few "sun worshipers" that used the deck.  (I am one who has to be cautious when I am in a "sunny" environment.)  

[CruisingFox27]

On 5/4/2021 at 3:58 PM, Robkat said:

Beamafar:  Thanks so much for sending this photo!  What a lovely spot you had!  

DH, who notices such things (!!), said it looked much more intimate and charming.  Although we loved the proximity/location of the restaurant on Seaside, there were times when we were up there, and could see some "sights" (😳😳) down in the TSL!  😂😂

isnt it true when they say a photo is worth a thousand words!  

 

For or those who may not have seen this shot (and I'm sure there aren't that many!), here's a photo of the Mera docked at the port of Miami, as of this past weekend!  Exciting!

 

 

The restaurant on Meraviglia certainly has a more intimate feel. Although we loved the open plan of Seaside, as I stated in my previous comment. I think we were fortunate that as we dine later the TSL was generally quiet whilst we dined. Other passengers had visited the TSL, dined and departed for shows or other venues. 

[hamrag]

On 5/4/2021 at 11:00 PM, Robkat said:

After seeing these photos, we're certainly getting more excited.

 

But, for all of you with Mera experience, would love to hear how you liked the Sun deck/sitting out area up on 18th.  Since Mera will be used for Caribbean cruises, how do you think people wanting to sit out in the sun will like that area, as it seems like it would be very blocked with all those overhead structures causing shade? 

 

Appreciating the comments (and definitely the photos!).  Thanks to all.

 

There are 2 areas for unrestricted sunshine, each with 8-10 sun loungers, next to the two huge golf ball shaped radar/electronic equipment. Port side for smokers, starboard non-smoking next to the grill and bar area. The non-smoking area was very quiet on the Med cruise we had on Mera, which suited us just fine.

[korpo024]

23 hours ago, Robkat said:

K024:  Thank you for your very interesting comments on the Mera.   When someone chooses a specific ship as their #1 favorite, I think that really says something!   

MIND YOU I was talking about the ship, not the service. The service on MSC is totally different from HAL and Celebrity...but the ship is better I think

[Robkat]

Very much appreciating all the comments and opinions regarding the deck 18 set up.  Have to say, in the videos we've watched, it looks quite different from the One Pool sundeck set up on the Seaside (which we loved), and it's been very informative to hear from Mera past cruisers.  

 

Hamrag:  DH is a Glasgow boy, born and raised and a grad of Univ. of Glasgow.  He's been in the US for 40 years though, and his dear departed Mum always fretted that he was losing his Scottish brogue (the accent not the shoe!) and sounding too American!   And everyone here thinks he still sounds very Scottish

 

Please keep any comments, thoughts and opinions coming.

thanks one and all.

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Robkat said:

Hamrag:  DH is a Glasgow boy, born and raised and a grad of Univ. of Glasgow.  He's been in the US for 40 years though, and his dear departed Mum always fretted that he was losing his Scottish brogue (the accent not the shoe!) and sounding too American!   And everyone here thinks he still sounds very Scottish

 

Us Scots pop up everywhere you know! Had many wonderful holidays in Florida, and cruises from both Miami and Everglades.

 

I love the brogue humour, sounds like he's passed a pawky sense of humour to you....he'll certainly know what that means!