New cruiser trip report just off MSC Meraviglia from Brooklyn 16JUL23 - 23JUL23

[Anastas617]

9 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Congrats on the casino win!!

Thanks!

[JamieLogical]

On 7/28/2023 at 8:01 PM, Anastas617 said:

Headache really starting to kick in, but I had a 1230 reservation at Hola! Went with the AYCE option because I couldn’t decide and didn’t want to think too much. I got the Queso Fundido, 2x chili co carne tacos, 1x ancho tinga taco, 1x chipotle carnitas and the chicken enchiladas. Everything was very good with the standouts being the chili co carne tacos and the enchiladas. Only thing I disliked is that the queso fundido came out in the middle of my meal where I expected that to be the starter. Actually, the queso fundido was probably my least favorite thing; it was good, but cheese to chorizo ratio was heavily slanted towards cheese and it was very thick and hard to scoop with the chips. Taste-wise it was good, but I would probably not order again.

 

I made the mistake of ordering the queso fundido my first time at Hola! as well, but then I learned that the El Chapo is where it's at! I also learned that it's hard to get your money's worth out of the all-you-can-eat, even though it's only $17. I learned I could eat my fill for about $7.

[Anastas617]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I made the mistake of ordering the queso fundido my first time at Hola! as well, but then I learned that the El Chapo is where it's at! I also learned that it's hard to get your money's worth out of the all-you-can-eat, even though it's only $17. I learned I could eat my fill for about $7.

Yes! I got the El Chapo during my second lunch at Hola! and I definitely preferred it.

[Anastas617]

Day 6/Part 2: Tonight was a rather tight schedule as I had booked the Broadway Theatre show “Born to Rock” at 8:30pm, as well as the Carousel Lounge show “Rock Circus” at 10pm. I was seated for dinner right at 7:30pm and I knew I was skipping a starter to cut down on dining room time. I ordered the broiled swordfish and apple strudel. The swordfish was good and cooked nicely, but the spice rub was a tad bit too salty. The apple strudel was also good (again, with raisins added for some reason). I didn’t stress enough to my waiter that I wanted to be out quickly, so it was 8:20pm when I left the dining room headed to the theatre…only to arrive and find tonight’s performances had been cancelled. I was kinda bummed since that was the show I most wanted to see.

 

Occupied my time at Brass Anchor until Rock Circus. I genuinely love this bar, but in my final thoughts I’ll comment on the other bars and why I did not spend much time at them.

 

I can’t remember if I already mentioned, but I was refunded for both of the carousel lounge shows and didn’t know why. I went to reception and they told me the shows would be going on as planned, but the aerial components and moving parts of the stage would not be used so they refunded the ticket cost.

 

The free drinks for the show did not appeal to me, so I skipped them. I enjoyed the Rock Circus show, but it was obvious there were portions that were lacking elements. Based on what I saw, I think it would have been an excellent show if seen as it’s meant to be. Honestly, I see a lot of surprise and complaints that they have paid shows, but they have free shows in the theatre every night of the cruise and the pre-boarding cost of $12 for these extra shows seemed like good value to me.

 

I had a couple of post-show drinks and ended the night.

[Anastas617]

In my haste at dinner, I forgot to take dinner photos. Here is lunch and snack (and pub menu):

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Anastas617

[Fla Mike]

9 hours ago, Anastas617 said:

I had heard that people can “swell up” on cruises, particularly in the ankles and that is exactly what has happened to me this cruise

 

First off, Congrats on your win. I only had a big win once, at the roulette table on the old Chandris Britannis back in the late 80's. I felt like James Bond, I was decked out in a White Dinner Jacket and Lovey was dressed to the nines, but that was then...

 

Anyway, when we came back from our last cruise in May, my legs and ankles became so swollen I could not get my shoes on, ( late 60's, diabetic, and cardiac). I had an appointment with my cardiologist in a few days anyway.

When she saw my legs, she asked me what I had been eating lately.

I told her about our cruise, and she started to laugh, and remined me of all the SALT the ships use in their food.

I suspect the salt was a major contributor to your ankles also.

You did the right thing drinking water as alcohol will dehydrate you also.

 

Great review .

[JamieLogical]

I have the same issue with swollen feet/ankles on all my cruises. Never been unable to put in my shoes, but definitely feel them getting tighter throughout the cruise. It's definitely due to the sale, alcohol, and dehydration. They are usually back to normal a couple of days after returning home. I remember reading somewhere (now I can't remember where) that you don't really need to worry about it unless your skin starts becoming discolored (dark red/purple).

[Essiesmom]

For years I have been reading about people with swollen ankles on cruises, but it never happened to me.  Not until this year.  In March, my left ankle swelled on a four day cruise.  In June, both ankles swelled on a 7 day.  And I am not eating or drinking anything different.  I seldom drink alcohol.  I have 7 days coming up in August, and I see my doctor the day after I get home.  Don’t know if the ankles will be down by then…. EM

[Anastas617]

Day 7 (at sea): For the first time I had breakfast at Waves instead of the buffet. I got the eggs benedict with sauteed potatoes and pork sausage. Also grabbed a chocolate muffin when they came around with the basket. Muffin was just okay. The eggs benedict was perfectly cooked and tasted very good with a slight issue; I was going to be charitable and say they were barely lukewarm, but in reality they were cold. Didn’t really care for the sauteed potatoes.

 

Last day to lay out and enjoy my book(s). I’ve long been a staunch supporter of having a paper book in my hands, but I’ve finally relented and started using my kindle more and I have to admit that it has been much nicer traveling and not using up space for 2-3 books when packing or bringing 2 books to the pool because you are almost finished one.

 

There was decent cloud coverage today, but I also brought an extra rash guard with me to wrap around my burned shin. I need to keep that in mind for the future. It may look dumb, but I’m already wearing a dopey hat for head protection.

 

My second lunch at Hola! and I went AYCE again because I knew I was getting enchiladas which are $11.99; if I wasn’t getting enchiladas or a burrito ($10.79) I would probably have just ordered a la carte. I switched up the enchiladas to beef today and got my favorite chili con carne tacos. I also grabbed two other tacos (al pastor, barbacoa), the El Chapo and a last second decision of a beef tostada. I tried to stress that I wanted to start with the El Chapo, but like the Queso Fundido it arrived halfway through the meal. Everything was very good. In future visits I probably would not order the tostada or the al pastor; not because they were bad, just that I liked the other items so much better. I skipped dessert the other day, but I got the Dulce de Leche today and it was, hands down, the best dessert of the trip. Yum 😊.

 

After lunch, I saw they now had a display of watches for 60% off in the shops area. This was a fairly small selection compared to the 35% discount on most of the other watches, but I still saw a decently priced “dressy” one I liked and bought. Mentally noted that even though this was a relatively small selection, I should probably wait until near the end of the cruise to shop.

 

I returned to my room to find a note from the casino letting me know they had a gift for me. I went down there, and they handed me a bag with a bottle of cologne in it (Paco?). It was a nice of them, but colognes/perfumes give me a headache and I’ll have to give it to somebody else.

 

I pack up most of my stuff and head to the 4pm cast variety show. Had no idea what to expect, but it was actually a pretty good show with some dancing, singing and comedy. This was the most crowded I had seen the theatre all week.

 

Back to my room and finish packing and put my suitcase out in the hall at 6:30pm, as I probably wouldn’t get another chance before 10pm deadline.

 

Italian night in the MDR. I do a better job stressing that I would like to be done in time to get to the 8:30 show and my waiter, Alit, is all over it. I have the Arancini, Osso Buco and Tiramisu. Overall, this was the best meal of the cruise; every dish was excellent and I couldn’t even nitpick anything. Alit had me out of the dining room at 8:05pm.

 

Theatre show was “Journey” and the theme was music and dancing from different regions. This was probably my favorite show from a dancing perspective, but I was not enamored with the songs. It wasn’t that they mostly weren’t in English, I just found myself bored with them.

 

Carousel theatre show was “Houdini”. As with last night, the show was limited in what they would be performing. Again, hard to really judge due to missing elements, but I think I preferred this to Rock Circus by a slim margin. The cast is the same and there is a bit of overlap in parts of the act, but I still am glad I bought tickets to these. I’ve already booked the two (different) carousel shows on my next cruise.

 

Sadly, I head back to my room for the last time of the cruise.

[Anastas617]

Day 7 eats:

 

[Anastas617]

Final morning and general thoughts: I have breakfast in Panorama because I wanted eggs benedict again, but sadly they weren’t on the menu. I went with the express breakfast and asked for wheat toast and some marmalade.

 

I will say they have been spot-on with the eggs in the MDR. I order over-medium and they usually arrive under or over, but these were perfect. The toast arrived VERY lightly toasted and decidedly not wheat, but some sort of multi-grain. They also brought me enough marmalade to spread on everybody within eyesight’s toast. Very good final breakfast.

 

I headed up to the buffet for a couple more cups of coffee while I waited. I had the 9:15am theatre time for disembarkation. I get to theatre at 9 and they immediately say all groups can disembark. I’m off the ship, grab luggage, do the face recognition and am out in the Uber waiting area by 9:20am.

 

It took about 10 minutes before I had an Uber driver accept the fare. The app said 11 minutes away, but because of all the traffic it was just after 10 that I got picked up. I was at LaGuardia by 10:45am and officially on my way home. They’ve done a great job with renovations at LGA; it was a really nice terminal.

 

General thoughts: I may have had a couple of nitpicky comments regarding the food, but overall I was very satisfied with the food and the panna cotta is the buffet is the only thing I actually disliked. My favorite entrees where probably the Bucatini Carbonara and the Osso Buco. I would put them pretty even with my Princess Cruise; Princess had the slight edge with the lunches in MDR but they also had two things I hated (fried calamari and scallop/shrimp entrée was the worst scallops/shrimp I’ve had anywhere). I thought the breakfast buffet was good, but my limited experience with lunch and dinner has me hesitant to comment on those meals. It was nice being able to grab quick eats out on the Lido deck if you just wanting basic grub like burgers, fries, hot dogs and pizza.

 

Would not hesitate to get a studio cabin again. My cabin is where I sleep and that’s about it, so I did not mind it being small. The closet space was pretty good for one person and I was very happy with the bathroom. I didn’t mention my steward, Ni Suh, but she was very pleasant and did a great job.

 

Bars/Lounges: So, I already made it clear that I loved Brass Anchor and I spent a lot of time there. The Studio/TV Lounge (or whatever the actual name of it is) was basically empty whenever I went in unless there was something organized going on (like karaoke) and then it was crowded. I didn’t really like the aesthetics or seating and had no real need to go there. The Edge bar is too in the middle of things near the center staircase to be somewhere I would go to sit and have a few; and those bar chairs are heavy and awkward to move. The Horizon bar was ok to sit at as far as outdoor bars go and it has nice shade, but the Atmosphere Bar is like Edge in that it’s just too in the middle of things to be somewhere I would sit for a drink. Meraviglia Lounge would have been my spot if there was no Brass Anchor. Biggest negatives (for me) are that it’s too open to the promenade and there are too many kids, particularly in the evening. Casino Bar was a pretty decent spot for me to sit; nothing special, but it’s spacious with good seating. Sky Lounge I never went to in the evening, it just didn't seem like it would fit me.

 

Theatre/Shows: I liked the theater and thought it was a good size with comfortable seats. The shows were good enough entertainment for 45 minutes, but I wouldn’t rave about them. The show times were 7pm, 8:30pm and 10pm.

 

Overall, I was extremely happy and satisfied with my first MSC cruise. I have a Mediterranean cruise with them in October and see no reason why I wouldn’t book another cruise with them. All the nitpicky things I mentioned were just that; nothing to be fussed about at all.

 

Thanks for following and let me know if you have questions. I’m sure I have a couple other thoughts I’ll update.

[Anastas617]

Something that popped into my head that I didn't touch on was the layout of the ship.

 

The ship is beautiful, and I don't have a lot of negatives. The steak house and sushi restaurants on deck 7 led out into the walkways and had tables on the railing. This meant if you were walking towards aft on Deck 7, you ended up walking right through people eating dinner. I tried to remember to go down the stairs before heading that way, but if my destination is on Deck 7 (casino/carousel lounge) I wouldn't go downstairs only to walk back upstairs because of how they designed the restaurants. I suppose Brass Anchor fell into the same situation, but with a pub it didn't seems as intrusive.

 

One thing on Caribbean Princess I enjoyed was hanging out on a chair or bench in the covered walkway (Deck 6?) that went around the ship. You could enjoy the breeze, relax and be out in the ocean air without being directly in the sun or on the busy upper deck. Small thing, but I'd have liked some sort of respite like this that was outdoors on Meraviglia. Perhaps there was and I just didn't discover it.

[jenngirl]

On 7/25/2023 at 1:18 PM, jcpc said:

Thanks for posting.  I sail Meraviglia in September (first time MSC cruiser) so I'm anxiously awaiting the remainder of your review!  I'm curious to know if you thought the casino was smokey as I believe smoking is allowed in there.  Thanks.

Hi! Just off the MSC Meraviglia yesterday and wrote this review last night so it was all fresh in my head if you want to read another review! Hope you have fun on your sailing! 
 

https://thehappiesttravels.com/2023/07/30/msc-meraviglia-cruise-review/

[JamieLogical]

@Anastas617 Thank you for your thorough review! Glad you enjoyed your first MSC sailing and are planning to sail with them again. Your experience seems a little more in line with what I experienced on my April sailings than what @jenngirl experienced and gives me hope that maybe things haven't gone rapidly down hill since then. I guess I will find out for myself in September. I do think one major advantage I will have over both of you is that there should be far fewer children onboard.

[jenngirl]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

@Anastas617 Thank you for your thorough review! Glad you enjoyed your first MSC sailing and are planning to sail with them again. Your experience seems a little more in line with what I experienced on my April sailings than what @jenngirl experienced and gives me hope that maybe things haven't gone rapidly down hill since then. I guess I will find out for myself in September. I do think one major advantage I will have over both of you is that there should be far fewer children onboard.

Hi @JamieLogical. It's interesting to see everyone has different experiences, which I totally value and appreciate. I did enjoy Hola as many of you did too! I actually went for lunch on our final sea day and it was very good! We did the tacos and the quesadillas. I agree with all of you about the Queso Fundido (I was waiting for chips with it and we ended up just ordering separately). I also though the spa was a great experience. 

 

I will be honest, I've watched many things about MSC cruises and was surprised to see those few items of uncleanliness like the dirty napkins and plugs. It's possible as you said there were just too many people since it's summer so some things fell through the cracks and you'll be going at a time where more people are in school.