MSC Meraviglia Review - April 29 - May 7, 2023

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

I always really appreciate reviews of ships, so I decided to review my sailing on MSC Meraviglia. It was my first time on MSC, having previously cruised NCL many times, Carnival once and Princess three times. Admittedly I was very concerned reading some of the reviews, until I came across @JamieLogical review on her semi B2B. Her review really assured me that we would likely be just fine.

 

Embarkation

We were on the second sailing out of Brooklyn. The weather in NYC on April 29th was awful. Hurricane style winds and a lot of rain. This certainly didn't help with traffic or embarkation. We had a 10am check in time, so we called an Uber from the L Hotel at 9:30am. This hotel is just under 3 miles from the cruise terminal. What should have been a 15 minute drive was about 40 minutes. I understand we are some of the lucky ones, having heard others spend 90++ minutes going 3 miles. We arrived at the terminal at 10:20am and there was confusion as to where our bags should be dropped. Bag drop was away from the doors and over to the left if looking at the cruise terminal. In pouring rain, it wasn't fun making the trek there with our luggage. Once we got that sorted out, we were through security within minutes. We were given boarding card 4 after check in, which also went very smooth. From arrival at the terminal until our first step on the ship was one hour - so we were onboard at 11:20am.

 

As soon as we were onboard, we checked to ensure our Visa was registered (it was) and we activated our cruise cards. We then made all our reservations for our shows, including Rock Circus and House of Houdini. We made the reservations for the theatre shows on the screens located by all the elevators. This was very easy. We made the reservations for the paid shows at Ocean Cay restaurant, also very easy.

 

We then decided to get our first few drinks at Edge. After the drinks, we headed to the buffet for lunch. Lunch was quite good, I loved the pizza. After lunch, we wandered around exploring the bars and ship. We were supposed to sail at 3:00pm, but at 3:30pm we were still having luggage loaded onto the ship. We eventually sailed just over an hour late. I had heard that someone passed away in the terminal (though I am unsure if there is truth to this). 

 

Our embarkation was excellent as we had an early check in time. If you didn't, it was a disaster. I hope that this process has been refined for future sailings.

 

Ship

The Meraviglia is a stunning ship. By far the most beautiful ship I've sailed on, green and orange carpet aside. LOL. The layout of this ship is fantastic and we got our bearings on the first day! When we sailed the NCL Joy in late October 2022, I think I only got my bearings on Day #5. There were plenty of elevators, not just AFT and FWD, like many NCL ships.

 

We never had an issue finding loungers by the pool in Horizon (Adults only). However, there were plenty of loungers always available away from the pools, if you prefer a quieter space.

 

Food

My hubby and I never do specialty dining. We have always found the food in the MDR on other ships more than good, so we would rather spend our money on other things. This was a trip without kids, so we never made it to the MDR for breakfast, or lunch for that matter. To be honest, I found the times for these meals at the MDR quite limited compared to other cruise lines. The food in the MDR was good (not the best I've had at sea, but far better than most all inclusives I've been to). I only had one meal that was terrible (chicken and waffles). The filet mignon and lobster on gala night was great, as is some of their pasta and salads. The buffet was good too. Breakfast remained the same daily, but lunch changed, as did dinner. The meat and cheese selections are wonderful and you must try the fresh mozzarella! Dinner in the MDR was often wrapped up within an hour for three courses and the staff were also fantastic.

 

Bars

One of our biggest worries about booking this cruise were the complaints about long waits at bars (20-40 minutes). I will tell you we NEVER experienced this. In fact, most times we had drinks within a few minutes. We do tip $1 for every round we order. At the pool bar, adults only, if the waiter saw my drink was getting low he'd often yell "mama - want another one?". The service from the bar staff was top notch. Our favourite bars were Edge and Brass Anchor.

 

Shows (Theatre and Carousel Productions)

We made an effort to see all the shows at the theatre and they were all very good. However, the true stars of the show are Rock Circus and House of Houdini. These are Carousel Production shows and are $12 per person if booked in advance or $18 if booked on board and they include a drink (alcoholic or virgin). Both of these shows were just incredible. If you choose to see just one, I recommend Rock Circus. This is by FAR the best show I have seen at sea.

 

Cons

The only thing that put a little damper on this cruise was the large group of Asian travellers booked through Jupiter Legend Travel. I believe there were between 1800-2000 on board. This group was the most unhygienic and they didn't believe they needed to line up for anything (buffet, theatre shows, embarkation/debarkation, elevators, etc). I never got a whole piece of fruit or watermelon on this sailing as they would empty the bowls, even if only a few of them were in line. I saw one lady TOUCHING all the kiwis to find the perfect ones. Sometimes what should have been a 2-5 minute wait in lines resulted in 20+ minutes because they would just jump the lines. In North America, you best learn the customs of lining up and waiting your turn. 

 

Overall Rating

MSC is a solid 8/10. For the cost, you really can't go wrong. My husband and I paid just over $1,000 CAD each for 8 nights and this included the easy plus beverage package and wifi. 

 

I'm happy to try and answer any questions.

[noshoobie]

12 minutes ago, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

Cons

The only thing that put a little damper on this cruise was the large group of Asian travellers booked through Jupiter Legend Travel. I believe there were between 1800-2000 on board. This group was the most unhygienic and they didn't believe they needed to line up for anything (buffet, theatre shows, embarkation/debarkation, elevators, etc). I never got a whole piece of fruit or watermelon on this sailing as they would empty the bowls, even if only a few of them were in line. I saw one lady TOUCHING all the kiwis to find the perfect ones. Sometimes what should have been a 2-5 minute wait in lines resulted in 20+ minutes because they would just jump the lines. In North America, you best learn the customs of lining up and waiting your turn. 

 

 

Well put. This was our only complaint about our May 7th sailing. But I will say that it was not only Asian travellers. People treat a buffet like they it's the last meal of their lives! We were so happy to see people getting yelled at heading off of the ship. One woman cut the line and tried to skirt past customs!! Right before you leave the terminal there is a huge overhead sign that says once you leave you cannot go back. Another woman was trying to get back in and was getting yelled out that there was no way she was going back in. We LOVED it. 

[EllieinNJ]

When did you find out your dining time for dinner and did you request any changes?

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thanks for the review.  We enjoyed Meraviglia when she sailed out of Port Canaveral.  Your account has reminded me of why I will stick to Florida embarkations.  Glad you all had a good time!

[MsTabbyKats]

@JamieLogicalSpecial for you!  There is a specific casino game I like to play.  Unfortunately an Asian man like the same machine.  He'd be sitting there, all comfortable, curled up on the seat....with his bare feet on the seat!

I agree...if you are sailing out of North America....observe how others behave, and do likewise.

[JamieLogical]

7 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

When did you find out your dining time for dinner and did you request any changes?

 

You find out your dining time when you get your key card at check-in. It is printed on the card along with your dining room and dining table.

[mamajean1113]

We booked this ship for Jan of 2024, it will be our first time on MSC.  We have been on 8 NCL cruises but wanted to see what other ships were like.  We are going on an 11 night sailing, my question is how many formal nights are there and do people dress up?  We are so use to NCL where you can dress up or not and most people do not.  You sort of feel out of place if you do dress up. Also we will be a party of 4 with our friends.  Can we have a table just for us or do we have to share a table with others.  I did link our rooms so they know we are together. Looking forward to a different cruise line to compare.  Thank you in advance for any assistance.

[skipsaur]

8 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@JamieLogicalSpecial for you!  There is a specific casino game I like to play.  Unfortunately an Asian man like the same machine.  He'd be sitting there, all comfortable, curled up on the seat....with his bare feet on the seat!

I agree...if you are sailing out of North America....observe how others behave, and do likewise.

 

I think the woman with their bare feet up on JamieLogical's review WAS North American. Maybe the man you saw was observing her. 😂 I'm sure there's plenty of gross behavior no matter the race.

 

 

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

On 5/18/2023 at 7:49 AM, EllieinNJ said:

When did you find out your dining time for dinner and did you request any changes?

Our dining time and MDR was printed on our card. We requested early and were assigned 8:30pm. We changed it after our first meal, as we were asked to do (I tried to change it before, but they need to see who shows up for their seatings). The only other time they could assign us was 5:30pm. We took it, as 5:30 is better for us than 8:30. 

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

18 hours ago, mamajean1113 said:

We booked this ship for Jan of 2024, it will be our first time on MSC.  We have been on 8 NCL cruises but wanted to see what other ships were like.  We are going on an 11 night sailing, my question is how many formal nights are there and do people dress up?  We are so use to NCL where you can dress up or not and most people do not.  You sort of feel out of place if you do dress up. Also we will be a party of 4 with our friends.  Can we have a table just for us or do we have to share a table with others.  I did link our rooms so they know we are together. Looking forward to a different cruise line to compare.  Thank you in advance for any assistance.

I believe on an 11 night, you will have two formal night (we had one on our 8 night sailing). Many people did dress up, but I also saw a man go into the MDR on Gala Night wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt. MSC indicates that dressing up is however you feel dressing up is. Hubby and I did dress up because we don't do it often. As for the table at dinner, you and your friends can have a table just for you.

[OmegaSeamaster]

On 5/16/2023 at 5:55 PM, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

 

Overall Rating

MSC is a solid 8/10. For the cost, you really can't go wrong. My husband and I paid just over $1,000 CAD each for 8 nights and this included the easy plus beverage package and wifi. 

 

Great to see another positive review, thanks for taking the time to do that! We will be on our first MSC cruise in July and so I'm always considering the positive views more than the negative ones. Of course it's good to know where the MSC service falls a bit short, but nothing in this world is perfect, but good to manage expectations in that sense. 

 

I was surprised by the cost you got this cruise for $1000 CAD (approx 700 Euros)  each for 7 nights and for Easy Plus package!! That's brilliant. Can I ask if that was for an interior cabin or OV or balcony even? In Europe, we don't get such good deals. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by OmegaSeamaster

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

16 minutes ago, OmegaSeamaster said:

Great to see another positive review, thanks for taking the time to do that! We will be on our first MSC cruise in July and so I'm always considering the positive views more than the negative ones. Of course it's good to know where the MSC service falls a bit short, but nothing in this world is perfect, but good to manage expectations in that sense. 

 

I was surprised by the cost you got this cruise for $1000 CAD (approx 700 Euros)  each for 7 nights and for Easy Plus package!! That's brilliant. Can I ask if that was for an interior cabin or OV or balcony even? In Europe, we don't get such good deals. 

You're right, nothing is perfect. But for the price, MSC is great value. Our cruise was actually 8 nights! We generally always sail in an inside cabin, and that's what this one was. We don't spend much time in our room to justify the cost of a balcony, unless we get a great deal on an upgrade bid.

 

You're going to have a great time! I read all the reviews ahead of time too and was a little concerned, but went in with an open mind and didn't really experience what most others were complaining about.

[JamieLogical]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:43 PM, mamajean1113 said:

We booked this ship for Jan of 2024, it will be our first time on MSC.  We have been on 8 NCL cruises but wanted to see what other ships were like.  We are going on an 11 night sailing, my question is how many formal nights are there and do people dress up?  We are so use to NCL where you can dress up or not and most people do not.  You sort of feel out of place if you do dress up. Also we will be a party of 4 with our friends.  Can we have a table just for us or do we have to share a table with others.  I did link our rooms so they know we are together. Looking forward to a different cruise line to compare.  Thank you in advance for any assistance.

 

There will be two Gala nights on an 11 day. You definitely do NOT need to dress up. Every day, in the daily, there will be "suggested" attire, but it is never required. The only special advice I have is to definitely bring something white to wear on White Night. While you aren't required, you will feel awkward not wearing white when such a high percentage of the other passengers are, even if you don't plan to attend the White Night party.

[mamajean1113]

On 5/20/2023 at 6:41 PM, JamieLogical said:

 

There will be two Gala nights on an 11 day. You definitely do NOT need to dress up. Every day, in the daily, there will be "suggested" attire, but it is never required. The only special advice I have is to definitely bring something white to wear on White Night. While you aren't required, you will feel awkward not wearing white when such a high percentage of the other passengers are, even if you don't plan to attend the White Night party.

Thank you so much for your guidance.  I may not wear a fancy gown but I have a few that are casual and can be dressed up with accessories.  That is one thing that we missed on NCL the dressing up part.  So few do and when you do dress up you feel uncomfortable and out of place.  I will surely pack white attire!

[mamajean1113]

On 5/19/2023 at 1:38 PM, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

I believe on an 11 night, you will have two formal night (we had one on our 8 night sailing). Many people did dress up, but I also saw a man go into the MDR on Gala Night wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt. MSC indicates that dressing up is however you feel dressing up is. Hubby and I did dress up because we don't do it often. As for the table at dinner, you and your friends can have a table just for you.

Thank you for responding to my questions.  We will definitely dress up, not too formal like my 3 mother of the groom and 1 mother of the bride gowns LOL!  But I do have casual gowns that can be dressed up with accessories.  Glad we can sit with our friends on a table of 4.  That is one thing we liked about NCL there are no set time for dinner and we were always escorted to a table of 4 each night.

[HLR]

On 5/16/2023 at 11:55 AM, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

As soon as we were onboard, we checked to ensure our Visa was registered (it was) and we activated our cruise cards. We then made all our reservations for our shows, including Rock Circus and House of Houdini. We made the reservations for the theatre shows on the screens located by all the elevators. This was very easy. We made the reservations for the paid shows at Ocean Cay restaurant, also very easy.

 Hello! So you need to make reservations for the main theatre shows? I know you need to make reservations for the paid shows.....

[Brighton Line]

10 hours ago, HLR said:

 Hello! So you need to make reservations for the main theatre shows? I know you need to make reservations for the paid shows.....

Yes, though there is a standby line they let in 5 minutes before. Think NCL. 

Plenty of kiosks to make reservations around the ship.

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

13 hours ago, HLR said:

 Hello! So you need to make reservations for the main theatre shows? I know you need to make reservations for the paid shows.....

Yes, that's definitely the best way to be guaranteed to see the shows you want. As someone mentioned above, there are kiosks close to all elevators that allow you to do this. We booked them all as soon as we were onboard and changed them if needed.

[HLR]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:58 AM, Ottawa_Cruiser said:

Yes, that's definitely the best way to be guaranteed to see the shows you want. As someone mentioned above, there are kiosks close to all elevators that allow you to do this. We booked them all as soon as we were onboard and changed them if needed.

Very good. When I sailed on the Meraviglia on it's very first New York Sailing the October before Covid you didn't need to make reservations for the main theatre shows and they had Cirque Du Soleil....

[mailbroad]

On 5/16/2023 at 12:15 PM, noshoobie said:

Well put. This was our only complaint about our May 7th sailing. But I will say that it was not only Asian travellers. People treat a buffet like they it's the last meal of their lives! We were so happy to see people getting yelled at heading off of the ship. One woman cut the line and tried to skirt past customs!! Right before you leave the terminal there is a huge overhead sign that says once you leave you cannot go back. Another woman was trying to get back in and was getting yelled out that there was no way she was going back in. We LOVED it. 

I was on that sailing as well. Same complaint!