Meraviglia or Seashore?

[bob brown]

Greetings...

I am planning my first ever MSC cruise out of Miami this Autumn, probably a seven day,

and am looking for opinions on which of these two ships offer a better on board experience, and why.   I will probably just select the lowest cost inside for my first time on MSC, and use that as a basis of comparison with all of the other cruise lines I have sailed, in consideration of future cruise selections.

 

Appreciate any input...

[Two Wheels Only]

Seashore is still under construction so nobody can give you a review of it. However, Seashore is an EVOlved version of Seaside/Seaview. Most people seem to prefer Seaside over Meraviglia.

 

I've sailed Seaside but I'm also booked on Meraviglia (Port Canaveral) and Seashore (Miami) so I'm not opposed to any of them. If I had to choose, I would choose Seashore. It's newer and improves on the earlier Seaside/Seaview as far as restaurant locations, pools, and a few other things.

[shipgeeks]

We have only sailed on Seaside (which we loved), but from what I understand, Seaside/Seashore are more outdoors-oriented, and Meraviglia focuses more on the inside of the ship.

Are you aware of MSC's Status Match?  If you have a loyalty level with another cruise line, this could be worth applying for.

Are you aware of the different "experiences" on MSC?  Each has a somewhat different price level, and different levels of "extras".  For example, set dining time with some, anytime dining with others.  It can be beneficial to use this in personalizing your experience.

[CruiseIreland]

We've sailed both, Seaside in the Caribbean and Meraviglia in Norway. Seaside is definitely great for the hotter climes, more outside dining area etc. More importantly,  in my opinion, is that on Meraviglia the main dining rooms are very close to the Meraviglia Lounge, which makes it very difficult to get a seat there after dinner, especially if you dine late. On Seaside, the Haven Lounge is at the aft and is a great venue for Latin music and it doesn't get as crowded and we eat late. Ken

[sidari]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Seashore is still under construction so nobody can give you a review of it. However, Seashore is an EVOlved version of Seaside/Seaview. Most people seem to prefer Seaside over Meraviglia.

 

I've sailed Seaside but I'm also booked on Meraviglia (Port Canaveral) and Seashore (Miami) so I'm not opposed to any of them. If I had to choose, I would choose Seashore. It's newer and improves on the earlier Seaside/Seaview as far as restaurant locations, pools, and a few other things.

Seashore is currently moored at Barcelona port preparing for the first cruise.

We have sailed Seaside twice and Meraviglia once much prefer Seaside and the open space, also booked on Seashore.

[bob brown]

4 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We have only sailed on Seaside (which we loved), but from what I understand, Seaside/Seashore are more outdoors-oriented, and Meraviglia focuses more on the inside of the ship.

Are you aware of MSC's Status Match?  If you have a loyalty level with another cruise line, this could be worth applying for.

Are you aware of the different "experiences" on MSC?  Each has a somewhat different price level, and different levels of "extras".  For example, set dining time with some, anytime dining with others.  It can be beneficial to use this in personalizing your experience.

Thanks for everyone's input.  Would still welcome more...

 

Since I have been to almost all the ports, I am more interested in the life on board the ship, so perhaps I might lean towards the Meraviglia for my first time.

And thanks for the status match tip...I did take advantage of that offer, when it was first offered, and locked in Black (now Diamond) from my NCL Platinum Plus status.  So looking forward to see what perks it offers nowl

As for the "experiences", I am not sure of what to book in that regard.  Will probably just go with the lowest cost option for my first time.

[shipgeeks]

We choose the Bella level (lowest cost option) every time.  We prefer set dining time and table.  We do not use room service.  Our cabins have always been in a quite acceptable location.  So Bella suits us just fine, although that might not be the case for others.

[sealynx]

14 hours ago, CruiseIreland said:

Seaside is definitely great for the hotter climes, more outside dining area etc.

On Seaside/-view the buffet is on deck 8, with wrap around outdoor seating. The speciality restaurants are on deck 16, with indoor seating only. A second smaller buffet is on deck 16, also with indoor seating only.

On Seashore they moved the speciality restaurants to deck 8, where on Seaside/-view the buffet was, and they now have plenty of outdoor seating. The deck 16 buffet was enlarged by taking over the area that was speciality restaurants on Seaside/-view, but now there is only a small outdoor area on the back of the ship.

Having said this, the changes of you getting a outdoor seat at the buffet on Seashore might be a lot smaller than on Seaside/-view. Still, this class of ships seems to be the only class with any outdoor seats in the fleet.

[miataman19]

I've got 2 sailings coming up on Meraviglia ( Oct & Jan ) and 1 on Seashore ( June ). All are in the Yacht Club. The 2 sailings on Meraviglia are similar in pricing. The Seashore is about $1000 more. Understandable it being a new ship.

[bob brown]

Now I am leaning towards the new Seashore...I discussed the differences noted with my wife, and she likes the emphasis on being outdoors...

[cellfree]

We have sailed Mera (interior famtastica just because of location on ship) and have another booked in February. Although the interior venues on the ship are really lovely, the outdoor space is as well. We never felt that the outdoor space was lacking. She is a truly gorgeous ship. We too are from Florida. Hope you enjoy whatever MSC ship you choose. We have also sailed the Armonia, Divina, and Seaside - couple times each - enjoyed every cruise. 

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Now I am leaning towards the new Seashore...I discussed the differences noted with my wife, and she likes the emphasis on being outdoors...