Meraviglia Jan. 22nd - Feb. 2nd, 2023 My Thoughts

[ready2cruzagain]

We were on the Meraviglia from Jan. 22 until Feb. 3, 2023.  Not doing a full blown review but will give you my thoughts about the cruise. I am sure I will leave something out by accident. If you have any questions, just ask.

 

Just a bit about us. We have been on 12 MSC cruises from Florida. Divina, Seaside, Seashore and now the Mera. We are in our 60’s and 70’s and have over 50 cruises under our belts on NCL, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and MSC. 

 

Read a lot of reviews and you tube videos about the Meraviglia before we sailed. We always take reviews with a grain of salt and glad we did with this one.  So many bad reviews out there about her. Was it a perfect cruise? No. But truthfully, I have never been on a perfect cruise. Fortunately, I do not harp on only the bad things that happen as some people do in their reviews.

 

Our cruise was booked as one but it was a 7 and 4 day cruise. The 7 day cruise had 4152 people and the 4 day had 4022 people. 

 

First off, boarding.  We arrived at Port Canaveral at 12:01pm. Took the escalator. Once inside we turned to the right where there is the Diamond Boarding line. From the time we got off of the shuttle until the time we entered the ship it was a total of a 36 minute wait. No lines worth talking about. 

 

As most know, only the buffet is open on embarkation day. We went to the buffet and had an enjoyable lunch. Lines, if any, were short. Had a great variety of food also.  

 

We ate at the buffet several times for lunch during the cruise and there was always a variety of food. I was worried since I had read that there was nothing to eat. Not sure what those people wanted but there were many different dishes, some of which were the following: cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken tenders, all kinds of chicken dishes (roasted, merengue chicken, teriyaki, etc), veal dishes, lamb curry, fajitas, fish (grouper, snapper, swai, and tilapia), salads (we loved the caesar salad and they had fresh anchovies which made it better). 

 

Always something good at the carving station, roast, pork, salmon which was cooked in foil and delicious, fresh fruits, desserts and of course pizza. I actually wish they had a different variety of pizza.  They had Pepperoni, a White Sauce Pizza and a Margherita Pizza which was a pizza with just red sauce.  The pizza was really lacking on this cruise.

 

I have seen several complaints about nothing to drink in the buffet on the Mera so I checked it out myself everyday.  Everyday, all day long, there were a variety of juices in the buffet. Each station had different drinks. For example, OJ, Pineapple, Kiwi Strawberry, Apple, Cranberry, for Breakfast.  For lunch there was juices and also tea, lemonade and fruit punch. I am not sure if the people would just go to one station and it would be out or what but there are plenty of things to drink and a wide variety.

 

Since I am talking about food I will discuss the Main Dining Room. The food in the MDR on this cruise was the best of any food on any cruise that we have ever been on.  It was absolutely delicious. We ate in the MDR for dinner every night. The lobster tails were large as in around 7 to 8 ounces and very sweet. Not the tiny ones that I have had on Princess or Carnival.  The only complaint we had about the MDR food was the last night they had Veal Chops.  It was not Veal chops. It was Veal Shank and it was really bad. I do not recommend that one. Not sure why they called it a chop when it was definitely a shank.

 

The first 7 days the assistant was great and did most of the work, very snappy and everything ran perfect.  Our waiter was mediocre. He wasn’t bad the first week but the last 4 day cruise he had a new assistant and was horrible. He was mad because she was new and training and he let it show. Very bad service those 4 days. Every night he got worse about forgetting things, acting annoyed, etc. Did it ruin our cruise? Not in the least.

 

We had the Easy Plus Drink Package and never had a problem getting a drink until the last day of the cruise when we left Ocean Cay at 12pm.  The bars were packed. Lines were long and it took forever to get a drink.  That was the only time we had to wait for a drink.  The pub had several beers on tap and only ran out the last couple of days on the 4 day cruise. Not sure why they ran out of Blue Moon on tap when we had just been in port but there were a lot more drinkers on the 4 day cruise.

 

We are Diamond with MSC, got it the easy way back when matching to NCL. We now have over 25,000 points so have done our time with them to have received Diamond status on our own.  I have to agree the loyalty rewards have gone way down.  Even though we booked as one cruise, we did receive 2 bottles of Prosecco and 2 plates of Macaroons.  The chocolate ship is no longer a gift. We received one chocolate bar per cabin. That’s right, not per person but per cabin. No loyalty gift at all. There was a Diamond Party and a Welcome Back party on the 7 day cruise but we did not receive an invitation to it so did not find out until after. We received no notice of Specialty Dining for Diamond in our cabin but knew just to make a reservation.

 

We chose Butchers Cut as our Diamond Dinner. It was delicious but I ate wayyyyyyy too much! I decided to order the Seafood Trio (can’t remember the exact name right now) for my appetizer and let me tell you, it was awesome! I was able to get it for ½ price which was $23 . I do believe a gratuity was added to that $23. That app was more than enough for my entire meal. It contained 1 Maine Lobster, 1 King Crab leg, 2 large Sea Scallops, 3 Giant Prawns, 2 Raw Oysters, about 30 to 40 small Little Neck Clams and a dozen mussels. Worth every penny!  We both ordered Lamb Chops and they were cooked to perfection. No complaints with Butchers Cut at all!!!

 

Our cabin steward had to be one of the worlds worst! Not sure if he was new or what but it took him 6 days before he got it right. When we got on the ship we had no wash clothes, left steward a note and received them that evening when he turned down the bed. Every day he would forget the wash clothes, or something. For 5 days I had to track him down. That got old real fast.  No top sheet on the bed but he did put one on the second evening. Everytime I asked why no wash clothes he would state the washing machine broke down, hmmm really?? Haha not.  I finally threatened to remove my tips (which I would never do but he didn’t know that) and he never messed up again.  I just wish he would have dusted, the cabin was the dustiest I have ever seen!  I guess I was spoiled by our last cabin steward on the Seashore last March. He was great.

 

Entertainment was very good.  We loved the shows in the Broadway Theater. We booked both Carousel shows which are $12pp in advance. We did not like either of those shows and wish we had saved our money.  The Houdini show was cancelled the first week and they refused to give us our money back because we had prepaid. Told us to contact customer service when we get home. Would not even provide proof it was cancelled.  We all know how well CS on land is so that was not working for me.  We were able to book it on the 4 day cruise.  Like I said, we did not like those shows and would never book them again.

 

Always something going on! We never had a problem finding a band or something to do. Whether it be Chris in the pub, Candice in the TV Studio and Bar, the bands in the Meraviglia Bar or entertainer in the lobby. There was also a Jazz trio in the Sky Lounge in the evenings. Went once but not into Jazz. 

 

The Entertainment staff was great. Loved the entertainment in the Promenade. Lots of entertainment by the pool.  Never had a problem finding something to do.  Chris is the Cruise Director on the Mera right now. I believe from UK and he is an illusionist.

 

Ocean Cay, what can I say. Best island ever! We were on the second cruise ship to go there and boy has it changed. All the foliage is beautiful now. Love this island. Loved the overnight stay there especially. Happy we made it both times. We have been scheduled to go 7 times but only made it 5 times. The lines for the buffet was long but it only took us 21 minutes from the end to get all the way through it. I timed it just to make sure.  I guess people are looking at the line and saying it will take forever. No, not really at all. The food was good picnic food. Lots of salads. Jerk chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, fish (grouper, I asked), baked beans, Mexican corn, etc.

 

Overall, loved the Meraviglia and would sail her again in a heartbeat but I will not do another cruise where there is a 7 and a 4 day. That is just too short. The people on the 4 day cruise was mostly in their 20’s and 30’s and on our cruise they were quite rude. It was as if they were in a hurry and it was “All about me”. Never seen such rudeness.  

 

Never done a review but had to put my thoughts out there due to only reading negative stuff about the Meraviglia.  If you don’t let the little stuff annoy you then you will have a great time. You can either harp on the bad things or move on and enjoy the good things.

Edited February 4, 2023 by ready2cruzagain

[ready2cruzagain]

I knew I would forget something! Dress code in the MDR.  It is come as you are! There was everything from super short shorts to swim trunks. First cruise I have ever been on that it was wear whatever.  

 

Didn't bother me but does it hurt to put something on other than swim trunks for a sit down dinner?

[bigblue1952]

Enjoyed your cruise.  Great to hear a positive review.  Thanks.

[JT1962]

Glad you enjoyed it and only had minor issues. Your experience was similar to mine on the Divina last week. Not perfect, but nothing worth dwelling on.

 

I still am at a loss for why so many people do not care for the food on MSC (and other lines) and say there was nothing to eat, and/or they had the same thing every day. Unless they only went to the one same section each day, there was always plenty of variety. I suspect it is more that they are fairly picky and are unwilling to try something new or different, more than the fact that there was literally the same foods every day.

Edited February 4, 2023 by JT1962

[PompeySailor]

Thank you for your review 

We board next week 

 

Happy Days!

[ready2cruzagain]

Just now, JT1962 said:

Glad you enjoyed it and only had minor issues. Your experience was similar to mine on the Divina last week. Not perfect, but nothing worth dwelling on.

 

I still am at a loss for why so many people do not care for the food on MSC (and other lines) and say there was nothing to eat, and/or they had the same thing every day. Unless they only went to the one same section each day, there was always plenty of variety. I suspect it is more that they are fairly picky and are unwilling to try something new or different, more than the fact that there was literally the same foods every day.

I agree. There was a ton of variety.  Like I said, what are those people expecting? Do they eat 50 different things for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday???

[ready2cruzagain]

1 minute ago, PompeySailor said:

Thank you for your review 

We board next week 

 

Happy Days!

Have fun! We actually love the layout of the ship. Divina was always our favorite but we think we like the Mera better now.

[georgelapenta76]

47 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

I knew I would forget something! Dress code in the MDR.  It is come as you are! There was everything from super short shorts to swim trunks. First cruise I have ever been on that it was wear whatever.  

 

Didn't bother me but does it hurt to put something on other than swim trunks for a sit down dinner?

Did you notice of this ship had a tattoo shop?

[georgelapenta76]

Oops...think I was supposed to reply here.😁

Did you notice if there was a tattoo shop on this ship?

[ready2cruzagain]

Just now, georgelapenta76 said:

Did you notice of this ship had a tattoo shop?

funny!

[georgelapenta76]

Lol....sorry. We board in May. My first cruise

[ready2cruzagain]

Just now, georgelapenta76 said:

Lol....sorry. We board in May. My first cruise

Honestly had a great time! Hope you like it.

[georgelapenta76]

1 minute ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Honestly had a great time! Hope you like it.

Thanks 

[styles27]

Nice review. Looking at booking Mera out of NY to Bermuda end of Summer. 
 

Was the (hot) food in the buffet on your cruise hot?
That was one reason why we stopped eating at the buffet on Divina last month. The food was barely warm. I couldn’t understand why when there were so many people eating there. 
We limited our choices to the salad and fruit. 

[ready2cruzagain]

5 minutes ago, styles27 said:

Nice review. Looking at booking Mera out of NY to Bermuda end of Summer. 
 

Was the (hot) food in the buffet on your cruise hot?
That was one reason why we stopped eating at the buffet on Divina last month. The food was barely warm. I couldn’t understand why when there were so many people eating there. 
We limited our choices to the salad and fruit. 

 Yes, it was hot. I hate cold buffet food. Won't eat it. Never a problem with that.

[styles27]

1 minute ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 Yes, it was hot. I hate cold buffet food. Won't eat it. Never a problem with that.

That’s so good to hear! I’m the same I like my food hot. 

 

I always worried that the food wasn’t being held at the correct temperature on our cruise. Especially the aft buffet because it’s not as busy. 

[ready2cruzagain]

4 minutes ago, styles27 said:

That’s so good to hear! I’m the same I like my food hot. 

 

I always worried that the food wasn’t being held at the correct temperature on our cruise. Especially the aft buffet because it’s not as busy. 

I was a food safety instructor, I won't eat cold buffet food, sorta freaks me out 🤪

[Fla Mike]

Thanks for the honest and very fair review...

 

I think we must have had the same room steward on our Mera cruise last year.

Took two days for him to put on a top sheet Lovey asked for,  and when I asked him for a sharps container (am diabetic), he honestly had no idea what I was asking for, had to get the steward from down the hall to explain it to him, but it all worked out.

[legalangel]

Thanks for your review - here are my follow up questions:

 

1. How was the Cruise Director?   
2. Was there a different show each evening?
3. How as debarkation?
4. Were there any "theme" nights and/or game shows similar to other cruise lines?
5. What were some of the activities in the evening on the private island?
6. Is it a tender or dock for the private island?

 

[ready2cruzagain]

24 minutes ago, legalangel said:

Thanks for your review - here are my follow up questions:

 

1. How was the Cruise Director?   
2. Was there a different show each evening?
3. How as debarkation?
4. Were there any "theme" nights and/or game shows similar to other cruise lines?
5. What were some of the activities in the evening on the private island?
6. Is it a tender or dock for the private island?

 

1. We only had the current Cruise Director the last 4 days of the cruise.  He seemed very outgoing and friendly. Unlike other MSC cruise director's you could see him around the ship often. He is also an Illusionist and put on a show in the Main Theater at 2:45pm one day.

 

2. Yes, there was a different "event" in the main theater each evening. Not always a broadway production. One night there was an Entertainment Staff Talent Show (hated it, not good at all) and another night there was a fly on Comedian which I had never seen on MSC.  I do believe the rest of the nights were shows. They also have a lot of fun activities in the Promenade.  

 

3. Debarkation was very easy. First there is walk off, carry own luggage. Next was Airport Transfers through MSC and then Diamond. We are Diamond and was walking off the ship by 9am. Seemed like half the people used walkoff. Then come to find out, a lot of the walk offs did not have to luggage so had to wait for it in baggage claims. 

 

4. There was White Night, Italian Night, Caribbean Night, Gala Night, Flower Power (Disco) that I can remember

 

5. There is a lighthouse show which only lasts about 10 minutes. They have several fire rings set up on lighthouse beach and have  a beach party with music. They also have excursions at night.

 

6. No tender. The island has a dock. You can walk on and off the ship all day long.

[disneykins]

Thanks for the review, we are doing the same 11 day in 2 weeks. Love your attitude, some of the negatives you listed, I have seen others say never again, it ruined my cruise, lol.

Like you we matched to Diamond from NCL. For embarkation, do you just show up at your scheduled time and find the Diamond line or can you show up anytime and go to the diamond line?

For debarkation, did you carry your own luggage off or can diamonds put it out the night before and still get priority debarkation?

Did you have any trouble getting show reservations? Or Butcher Cut reservation?

Thanks,

Debbie and Tony

[MainStreetMouse]

22 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

 

We booked both Carousel shows which are $12pp in advance. We did not like either of those shows and wish we had saved our money.  The Houdini show was cancelled the first week and they refused to give us our money back because we had prepaid. Told us to contact customer service when we get home. Would not even provide proof it was cancelled.  We all know how well CS on land is so that was not working for me. 

 

 

Sounds familair.

 

We were on the Meraviglia last October. Both carousel shows were cancelled and because we had prepaid they would not give us a refund or onboard credit. Like you we were told to contact customer service when we got home.

 

I did and after many emails and calls stating that they were waiting for authourization from head office (not sure why they need authorization, they cancelled the shows). A couple months later I had to file a credit card dispute to get the funds back. I just received notice from the credit card that my dispute was valid and the funds were returned.

 

The cruise was otherwise excellent but this poor customer service was very discouraging.

 

 

[perakcruiser]

22 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

and a Margherita Pizza which was a pizza with just red sauce. 

Very nice and helpful review, but this is a Marinara pizza, a Margherita has mozzarella cheese added. And by the way these two are the classical Italian selection to choose from, everything more is already considered a big variety 😉

[ready2cruzagain]

3 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Very nice and helpful review, but this is a Marinara pizza, a Margherita has mozzarella cheese added. And by the way these two are the classical Italian selection to choose from, everything more is already considered a big variety 😉

Yes, I agree but they had the name plate for a Margherita pizza.  Everyone kept asking them where is the basil??? the tomatoes??? 🤣

[ready2cruzagain]

5 hours ago, disneykins said:

Thanks for the review, we are doing the same 11 day in 2 weeks. Love your attitude, some of the negatives you listed, I have seen others say never again, it ruined my cruise, lol.

Like you we matched to Diamond from NCL. For embarkation, do you just show up at your scheduled time and find the Diamond line or can you show up anytime and go to the diamond line?

For debarkation, did you carry your own luggage off or can diamonds put it out the night before and still get priority debarkation?

Did you have any trouble getting show reservations? Or Butcher Cut reservation?

Thanks,

Debbie and Tony

 

You can actually show up at any time. Once you get to the top of the escalator and go inside the doors, go to the right. There will be a sign for Diamond. 

 

No, we put our luggage out the night before. We received a note stating to meet up at 8am in the Broadway Theater.  We were #44. Transfers were #43. At 7:30 they came in the theater and told us all the luggage was out and we could go out and get in line. Now the line was long but the signs said enter here so we did not have to go to the back of the line.

 

No problem getting reservations. Go to the kiosk or even do the shows on your app as soon as you get on.  For Diamond meal go to Ocean Cay restaurant. You will make your reservations there.  I suggest going as soon as you get on the ship.