Family Activities on the Meraviglia?

[mamaneedsavacay]

My husband and I are considering taking our three kids (15, 13, 10 years old) on the Meraviglia out of Miami for Spring Break (March 15, 2020.)

 

We did the Seaside out of Miami in March of 2018, and generally enjoyed ourselves, however, there was one main reason we thought we wouldn't cruise MSC again- boredom on the Sea Days. The sun deck loungers were full, the pools were crowded, the slides were closed due to wind. Bowling/F1 racers were an extra cost, and there were no organized activities that we could find beyond some board games in one of the lounges. My younger two (then 8 & 11) felt too old to enjoy the kids club, and my oldest (then 13) felt too young to hang out with the teens (they combined 13-17 year olds in one group.) I feel like we just wandered the ship all day looking for something to do, even somewhere to just sit outside. The evening parties were geared for adults. The evening shows were repetitive.

 

Because that was our only complaint (that I still remember two years later,) and the prices are so good on MSC compared to anything else similar over spring break, I'm tempted to try again and hope for better on a different ship. Do they have organized activities in that TV Studio on the Meraviglia? Like family game shows? Our previous experience was on Disney Cruises where the "D Lounge" had something going on all the time for family interactive entertainment.  Deck activities for families? I imagine there will be lots of kids on board that week. When the ship is at capacity, are there any great spots to find a place to hang out, or is every inch of deck space full? 

[dexddd]

5 hours ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

My husband and I are considering taking our three kids (15, 13, 10 years old) on the Meraviglia out of Miami for Spring Break (March 15, 2020.)

 

We did the Seaside out of Miami in March of 2018, and generally enjoyed ourselves, however, there was one main reason we thought we wouldn't cruise MSC again- boredom on the Sea Days. The sun deck loungers were full, the pools were crowded, the slides were closed due to wind. Bowling/F1 racers were an extra cost, and there were no organized activities that we could find beyond some board games in one of the lounges. My younger two (then 8 & 11) felt too old to enjoy the kids club, and my oldest (then 13) felt too young to hang out with the teens (they combined 13-17 year olds in one group.) I feel like we just wandered the ship all day looking for something to do, even somewhere to just sit outside. The evening parties were geared for adults. The evening shows were repetitive.

 

Because that was our only complaint (that I still remember two years later,) and the prices are so good on MSC compared to anything else similar over spring break, I'm tempted to try again and hope for better on a different ship. Do they have organized activities in that TV Studio on the Meraviglia? Like family game shows? Our previous experience was on Disney Cruises where the "D Lounge" had something going on all the time for family interactive entertainment.  Deck activities for families? I imagine there will be lots of kids on board that week. When the ship is at capacity, are there any great spots to find a place to hang out, or is every inch of deck space full? 

I don't see much difference once Meraviglia sails out of Miami.  Sometimes it helps to encourage kids to go first night and second day to kids clubs to see if they meet others.  Our kids are always hit or miss whether they want to go.

 

While we won't change our plans, most reports of those that have done both report Mera feeling more crowded on the inside than Seaside, especially in the atrium area.

 

In any case, it looks like a great  ship.

[mamaneedsavacay]

Thanks dexddd,

We're going to go ahead and give it a shot. We're not going to spend much time in the atrium/interiors, so I think we'll be okay. Spring break seems to be selling out fast!

[dexddd]

15 hours ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

Thanks dexddd,

We're going to go ahead and give it a shot. We're not going to spend much time in the atrium/interiors, so I think we'll be okay. Spring break seems to be selling out fast!

We are going the week after having done two recent Seaside.  Great times and looking forward to next March but not the airfare.