Meraviglia 11/24 - Review in progress

[mlbdude]

Will update more in a few days, but wanted to mention a key item.

 

We are sailing with a Drinka on Us package upgraded to Classic.  Either something has changed or their people and systems are not trained or setup properly, but we are having to pay a 15% service fee on each drink.  Will have to visit guest services at end of week to see if that is correct or not. 

 

Other than that so far so good.  Room has a shockingly limited amount of storage being my only other nitpick. 

[Preziosa]

Go to guest service now for clearing the problem with The 15 %

[Reenie75]

If you changed it prior on getting on the ship you shouldn't be charged but if you changed it even on the first day the 15% will be added on each drink. 

[sidari]

If you upgraded to Classic there should be no charges, don't wait until the end of the week to do it. You may need to have your card changed, hopefully you have your paperwork with you to show them.

[mlbdude]

I purchased the upgrade 18 months ago.  My account onboard shows the upgrade and I have package 534 on my card currently.   Will be going to guest services this morning. 

 

Lots of odd things going on with this cruise.  Not all bad thing either.   Several MSC firsts for me that I will share.

 

One quick one, there are no tissues in the stateroom.  Poor stuard says there are none on the ship.  I am guessing a supply problem as that would be a silly change.

[mlbdude]

Guest services may have fixed the drink package issue.  I will update if it's not.  Apparently we are the first guests with a DoU upgrade to Classic as they had to update the codes in their system.

 

First impressions of the ship.  Beautiful.   Feels more crowded inside than other MSC ships but nothing too bad.

 

Food has been fine so far.  Service has been friendly.

 

Last night was Elegant night and we actually saw people being turned away when way underdressed - shorts and flip flops. 

 

Internet is pretty slow.  Surprised since it was faster on both SeaSide and Divina.

 

Having a great cruise so far 😀.

[bluefish17]

I was expecting internet speed similar to Seaside which was great. I was able to stream a March madness basketball game on my phone with almost no freezes.

Wonder why Meraviglia is so slow?

[bluefish17]

Do you remember if they were advertising any internet packages when you boarded?

Can't decide whether to book in advance or wait for a better deal on the ship.

[mlbdude]

46 minutes ago, bluefish17 said:

Do you remember if they were advertising any internet packages when you boarded?

Can't decide whether to book in advance or wait for a better deal on the ship.

I prepurchased and have not seen any sales posted.  Honestly it has been so bad I doubt they want any more people on the system this week.  

 

I will probably ask for a refund myself.

[jdvmd]

Does Mera have those self-serve dispensers with beer, wine, soft drinks in the buffet? You swipe your card and then it dispenses.

[Motegi]

Thanks for this post!

 

Besides the elegant night can you tell me what other theme nights there have been for your cruise?

 

We are trying to pack for our Dec 8th sailing and this information would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

Koji & Pam

[mlbdude]

19 hours ago, jdvmd said:

Does Mera have those self-serve dispensers with beer, wine, soft drinks in the buffet? You swipe your card and then it dispenses.

I have not noticed them.

[mlbdude]

9 hours ago, Motegi said:

Thanks for this post!

 

Besides the elegant night can you tell me what other theme nights there have been for your cruise?

 

We are trying to pack for our Dec 8th sailing and this information would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

Koji & Pam

White night, Italian night, and 60's 70's and 80's night.

[lcookie]

On 11/27/2019 at 7:54 AM, bluefish17 said:

Do you remember if they were advertising any internet packages when you boarded?

Can't decide whether to book in advance or wait for a better deal on the ship.

My experience with MSC is to book in advance.  Their onboard prices have always been higher.  Even on embarkation day.

[perakcruiser]

38 minutes ago, lcookie said:

My experience with MSC is to book in advance.  Their onboard prices have always been higher.  Even on embarkation day.

I did not see any offer on board for internet that was cheaper than in advance. Same with all kinds of drinks packages. The only thing with sometimes better offer on board that I realized was Spa activities like massages and facial treatment and this stuff. 

[mizur]

quick question:

 

Is there a normal cruiseline upcharge for Butcher's Cut ($45 or so) or is everything priced a la carte like a "regular restaurant"? 

 

thank you

[mlbdude]

Here is the final review, sorry for the delay.  Whole family came down with the flu at the end (most right after the cruise).

 

For reference I have sailed on many of the MSC ships that service the Caribbean including the Seaside, Divina, and Armonia.

 

Embarkation:

Same as other MSC cruises.  We were all Bella so had to do the long line but it moved quick.  Only negative I will comment on is the aggressive photo sales at the port.  For people like us that sail a couple time a year, I no longer want that photo.  It was a bit of an argument to get through and onto the ship.

 

Ship:

The ship is beautiful.  This was the largest MSC ship I have been on.  It is the first ship I have been on with a "galleria".  MSC keeps their ships clean and looking good.  I love the elegance and style.  I did NOT like the galleria.  It seems to take away too much space from the venues and the music was more limited since the sound carried easier.  The venues were great, but got crowded and seemed smaller than other MSC ships.

 

The pools were excellent.  Lots of space on the Pool Deck with lots of shade.  The slides and kids splash park was also great and enjoyed by the family.

 

Cabin:

We had a Bella balcony.  It was very similar to balconies on other MSC ships except for storage.  It has an almost comically small amount.  This was the first cruise where we had to leave some items in the suitcases and use them during the week.  Balcony was great and spacious.

 

Food, Buffet, and MDR:

It was the typical MSC selection.  As usual, the whole family loved the food in both the Buffet and MDR.  The Thanksgiving menu in particular was fantastic in the MDR.  The buffet is large, with a few items that change daily.  The food is "simple" but quality is high.  Really no complaints about the food.

 

Service:

We had no issues with service or any of the employees we interacted with.  They were all great with some being fantastic.  We had to visit the service desk a couple of times.  Once for my "Classic" drink package not being recognized on the ship.  They corrected the issue quickly and refunded any erroneous charges.  Internet was not working for the first half of the cruise, so another visit and they OBC'd half the cost.

 

Debarkation:

We like to wait till the end, relaxing on the ship.  Was fast and easy by the time we got out.

 

We had a great cruise traveling with 12 family members including me.  First time and seasoned cruisers had a great time alike.  That being said, I would not directly choose to book the Meraviglia again and would rather opt for one of the other MSC ships.  I do not care for the "galleria" design.  

 

[APDMOM]

Thank you for reporting back!  Hope everyone  is feeling better now. 

 

 Just 11 more sleeps until we board.   🙂