My View: A Merry Meraviglia Christmas in a Fantastica Balcony

[APDMOM]

Breakfast on the Balcony:

This turned out to be a great option - what a treat!  We received our breakfast right at 7 a.m. (we had indicated between 7 and 7:30 on the card).  The room service breakfast included boxed cereal and the BEST free coffee at sea. The jams are delicious and served in these quaint jars. The sesame rolls were so good, I could make a whole meal of them.

 

 

The BEST coffee at sea:

[APDMOM]

Spa Time!

On Seaside, I had a thermal area spa pass, as it was very cheap for the two weeks.  Here, I only had the 1 hour pass for my Voyager club.  I had to make the best of it. I will share a bit of a comparison between Seaside and Meraviglia.

 

TIP:  If you only have the one hour pass for the thermal area, I highly recommend using it on a port day, right around disembarkation time.  Ask at the spa whether the thermal area is busy.  If it is, come back another time so that you can make the most of that hour.  I went at 8:55 this morning, right after we docked.  There were only two other people in the thermal area.

 

I LOVE this area.  It was so relaxing, my Type A+ personality scaled down to A- for a little while.  I don’t think anything can get me closer to type B (Okay, maybe a world cruise).

 

When you first get to the spa, they will hand you a locker key and keep your seapass card.  The lockers are all the same size. On Seaside they have different sizes and you choose your own locker, as you can use your band or seapass card to lock it.  Meraviglia uses real keys with numbered lockers.  You can put all your personal belongings in the locker, and wear your swimsuit to the thermal area.

 

 

There are three areas to get your own clean towels - which is great.  On Seaside you had to pick up towels from the front desk.

 

The dressing room has two showers.

 

There are two whirlpool tubs in this thermal area. One is down a little hallway, which I almost missed, had I not noticed the other two passengers go into that area.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, they do not have the hot mist and rain like on Seaside, but the cold mist showers were very nice too.  The aroma therapy is invigorating.  Try all the cold mist showers - each has a different scent.

 

My favorite area in the thermal spa is the bright sensory steam room. 

 

The heated loungers on Meraviglia are nice and warm - much warmer and more comfortable than the ones on Seaside.  

 

Water Paradise (not my favorite):

 

 

The Salt Room (warmer and better than on Seaside):

 

The price for the thermal area pass was just too high this time for me to even consider it.  I hope Seaside has some good deals for our May/June cruise, because it really is a special treat - just not worth over $20 per day ($169 for the voyage, or you can pay $255 per couple).  From my experience with Seaside, the price can vary from one cruise to the next.  

 

In summary, I like the Seaside Thermal Area better, as they have more options for warm treatments, as well as the unique snow room.  They also have an outside private area with loungers and a hot tub, which Meraviglia does not have.

 

[APDMOM]

Himalayan Bridge and Slides

After my semi-personality-adjustment, I was not quite ready to brave the Himalayan bridge with our son.  It was so quiet in the area, we had no lines at either the bridge or the slides.  DS went around the Himalayan Bridge twice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of us did the tube slides.

 

TIP: Before you slide or do the Himalayan Bridge, you have to sign a waiver and get a wrist band (the kind you get at waterparks or theme parks).  If you do not keep the wrist band, you will need to sign the waiver again.

 

TIP: If you want to avoid lines at the slides and Himalayan Bridge, use them on a port day.

 

This is another BIG plus about MSC - opening these attractions early, even on port days.  Royal Caribbean ships do not open their onboard venues until later in the afternoon on port days, so it is harder to avoid lines and crowds.

[perfect match]

Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄 

[Norwich Cruiser]

With regards to the above quote

“Royal Caribbean ships do not open their onboard venues until later on port days.”

Perhaps we have been lucky or it must vary from ship to ship but certainly on the RCCL ships we’ve sailed on especially Oasis class the onboard venues the perfect storm water slides rock climbing ultimate abyss dry slide children’s splashaway bay water park zip line mini golf swimming pools hot tubs flow rider surf wave machine ice skating have always been open regular hours during the port days in the morning afternoon and evening with some open 24/7.

[APDMOM]

15 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

With regards to the above quote

“Royal Caribbean ships do not open their onboard venues until later on port days.”

Perhaps we have been lucky or it must vary from ship to ship but certainly on the RCCL ships we’ve sailed on especially Oasis class the onboard venues the perfect storm water slides rock climbing ultimate abyss dry slide children’s splashaway bay water park zip line mini golf swimming pools hot tubs flow rider surf wave machine ice skating have always been open regular hours during the port days in the morning afternoon and evening with some open 24/7.

I should clarify that I am referring to the venues that require activities staff to be present, such as rock climbing, ziplining, etc.

[APDMOM]

Monkey Business

We don’t do turn down service in the evening, as we really don’t need it.  So we give our room steward every evening ‘off’.  This afternoon when we returned from swimming, we had this surprise awaiting us.  That was a nice touch as we usually miss out on the towel animals.  

 

[APDMOM]

Roatan

A few views from the port.  Since it was Christmas eve, there were notably fewer vendors at the port area.  We did not want to leave the port area today and it was difficult to get a good view of the ship.

 

 

This area was packed with vendors last month - it was much more crowded.

 

My attempt at a panoramic picture:

[APDMOM]

Dinner:

 

The Menu:

 

 

 

Our Verdict on the Dishes:

APDMOM:

Butternut Squash soup - good, but did not like the popcorn idea.

Panettone - Very good, but not enough vanilla Creme

DH:

Smoked Duck - Very good

All of us:

Turkey dinner - Very good turkey and excellent mashed potatoes and carrots.  Not crazy about the stuffing.

Yule log - Very good

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Evening Show:  Way

 

I just love Gene’s jokes!  He opened the show, as usual:

 

Tonight’s show included classic favorites, such as “I did it my way”, “You better shape up” (Grease), “I’ve had the time of my life” (Dirty Dancing), etc. It was very entertaining and well done.  The male voices don’t blend perfectly, but the show is still great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Can-Can

 

Grease:

 

Dirty Dancing:

 

The City that Never Sleeps:

 

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 3 - Roatan (Christmas Eve):

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 hour ago, APDMOM said:

I should clarify that I am referring to the venues that require activities staff to be present, such as rock climbing, ziplining, etc.

We’ve never found much difference from port days to sea days with regards to rock  climbing or zip lining.

 

Just checked a few old RCCL cruise compasses and they have confirmed our opinions that they the water slides the ultimate abyss flow rider and zip line are each normally open for about a couple of hours most mornings and afternoons sometimes longer plus three or four times during the evening on a typical seven night cruise with guest ice skating about five times a week.

 

We are enjoying reading your blog and your pictures are outstanding thank you for taking both the time and trouble to do so.

 

its amazing how much time it takes up.

[APDMOM]

38 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

We’ve never found much difference from port days to sea days with regards to rock  climbing or zip lining.

 

Just checked a few old RCCL cruise compasses and they have confirmed our opinions that they the water slides the ultimate abyss flow rider and zip line are each normally open for about a couple of hours most mornings and afternoons sometimes longer plus three or four times during the evening on a typical seven night cruise with guest ice skating about five times a week.

 

We are enjoying reading your blog and your pictures are outstanding thank you for taking both the time and trouble to do so.

 

its amazing how much time it takes up.

Thank you for checking!  I had doubts about my own memory after you made the comment, so I asked our son who has an amazing memory.  He confirmed that Harmony had open times during port days, but not Adventure.  It may be related to the activities manager or the itinerary...? 

 

Thank you for making this correction!  I definitely do not want to spread rumors 🤦‍♀️ 

[APDMOM]

My View:  Day 4 - Belize

 

🎄 Merry Christmas! 🎁 

 

[APDMOM]

Morning Walk:

I went for an early morning walk to see if I could catch the sunrise.  Unfortunately, there was a bank of clouds that obscured the view.

 

 

We took quite a serpentine, extended path for the ship to negotiate the waters by Belize.  Our destination was right by those two cruise ships in the distance, but it took some time to get there. 

 

That Island home is a little too isolated for my personal taste:

[APDMOM]

A few Ship Views from my Morning Walk:

 

 

 

Atmosphere Pool:

 

Horizon Pool:

 

[APDMOM]

Breakfast offerings in the Marketplace Buffet:

I did not get a picture of the omelette station, as that is usually crowded.  By the omelette station they often have Eggs Benedict also.  As mentioned before, there is not as much variation in food choices on Meraviglia as on Seaside, but there is certainly plenty to choose from and we have always found dishes we like or love.

 

TIP: The Marketplace layout can be a bit confusing.  There are several stations that repeat (like the Ethnic station and wellness station, bread, etc.).  However, there are some unique offerings that do not always repeat.  So, I recommend walking around to look at all the food stations to see what they offer.  The back of the Marketplace is also usually much less crowded.

 

Wellness Area: Lots of healthy options

 

 

 

 

Guilty Pleasures:

 

Plenty of pastries, but baked a bit too long for my taste.  These Donuts are Delicious (as I am sure my hips will testify by the end of the week):

 

Breakfast pizza (yum):

 

There is a hot food station - they were just replacing scrambled eggs when I took this picture:

 

Ethnic Station:

 

 

 

I found it strange that there is not apple juice in the Marketplace.  However...

TIP:  You can order apple juice for breakfast from room service.

 

 

I love the Salmon Cream (not sure if that is the name, but it is delicious):

 

 

 

[elbodans]

First time follower of one of your trip reports and I have to say: thank you! I just booked this sailing for the first week in February and this trip report is very helpful in all of the best ways--I'm able to both plan and get excited for my trip. Thank you! I will be continuing to follow along. 

[JP82]

Loved the early morning shots. I mean I know a lot MSC’s fleet is new, but it does seem like they are keen to keep them (at least the public spaces) in tip top condition!!

[Norwich Cruiser]

7 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Thank you for checking!  I had doubts about my own memory after you made the comment, so I asked our son who has an amazing memory.  He confirmed that Harmony had open times during port days, but not Adventure.  It may be related to the activities manager or the itinerary...? 

 

Thank you for making this correction!  I definitely do not want to spread rumors 🤦‍♀️ 

I am sure you are 100% correct it really does seem like most activities down to the activities managers and cruise directors.

[APDMOM]

Breakfast on the Balcony with Views of Belize:

 

 

 

Carnival Breeze:

 

Princess Sky:

 

Free Eggnog!

 

I am an Eggnog junkie.  I have to restrain myself to limit my eggnog purchases and intake to 2 cartons per season from Publix.  This morning, I saw these interesting drinks in champagne flutes and asked what it was.  They informed me it was eggnog.  When I asked how much they cost, I was astonished to find out they are FREE!  What a great gesture by MSC Meraviglia!  It made my Christmas day extra special.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by APDMOM
Clarify

[APDMOM]

Ship Fun:

We decided to enjoy the quiet ship again.  This time, maybe bolstered by the eggnog, I did the Himalayan Bridge with our son.  He has decided he likes Meraviglia better than Seaside because it has the Himalayan Bridge.  He is in the minority, as both DH and I like Seaside better (so far).

 

 

[APDMOM]

Lunch at the Aft Dining Area:

For some reason, this little aft area remains secret to a majority of people on the ship.  Thanks to Cruise Critic, I knew to look for it and found it on our second morning.  Today, we enjoyed lunch out here:

 

 

The Couscous salad was one of the best dishes I have ever enjoyed on a ship:

 

They also had this delicious mousse (Markedly better than what we had on Harmony last month):

[APDMOM]

Belize:

I was the only one in our family who ventured it onto the tender to visit Belize.  My main purpose was to get some pictures of the ship from the tender.  I did walk around a little bit - just to get my feet on land for a few minutes.  The area has not grown a whole lot since our previous visit on Carnival Dream (2010 or 2011?).  They did beautify the area a bit with some fun additions, like swings by the bars and a Belize sign for pictures.

 

TIP: The tender takes about 15 minutes each way.  It can take very long to disembark back at the ship, as everyone has to go through a single security line once you enter the ship.  So, try to take a smaller tender (fewer passengers) back to the ship.

 

The crew is amazing - so friendly 🙂 Most of them wore Santa hats for the past few days.

 

A few Views of the ship:

 

 

 

 

Approaching the Port:

 

 

Walking around the Port:

 

 

Heading back:

 

 

 

One of the large tenders - avoid this to return to the ship:

 

 

 

[mamaneedsavacay]

I love your review. Since you all don't spend much time ashore on port days, are you finding there is enough to do on the ship? Where do you spend most of your time, especially DS? I'm taking three kids (10-15 yrs) in the spring, and I'm nervous about staying entertained, on Sea Days especially. Most of the ports are new to us, so we'll do full day excursions.