MSC Meraviglia 10-16-2021 Yacht Club (random thoughts)

[SirWolf]

We are currently on MSC Meraviglia,

7-day Caribbean, 10-16-2021 , Miami.

Our first cruise since pre-pandemic Baltic Cruise in 09-2019 (MSC Meraviglia).

 

Arrival by car at Port of Miami at 12:45pm

..dropped DW and luggage off at YC tent Terminal C

..drove car to Parking Garage G (for MSC passengers)

..took shuttle bus back to Terminal C (was the only passenger on shuttle bus)

..DW had luggage tagged

..pre-check documents (Boarding Passes, Passports, Health Declaration Forms, PCR Test Result Sheets)

..escorted to YC check-in (only couple in waiting area)

..escorted through port security onto ship directly to stateroom

..Arrival at Port 12:45pm

..in Stateroom 1:10pm

..registered credit card at concierge desk on way to YC restaurant for lunch

..back to stateroom , luggage was delivered

..4:15pm Safety Video (TV channel 4) and confirming via phone

..4:25pm walking staircase down to Assembly Station A (Broadway Theater) to get cruise card scanned

..6:00pm Dinner in YC restaurant

..9:00pm Show “Born to Rock” in Broadway Theater (for vaccinated passengers)

 

MSC Meraviglia has capacity of 4,500+ passengers.. only 1,066 passengers on this cruise. YC occupancy is less than 50%.

 

Itinerary has changed

from: Ocean Cay -> Bahamas -> Jamaica -> Ocean Cay

to: Jamaica -> Bahamas -> 2 days Ocean Cay

 

Today is sea day, sailing from Miami to Jamaica.

..only handful of passengers in Galleria

..only few passengers in shops

..Yacht Club feels like private yacht at times..Lol

 

Covid safety measurements:

Temperature check daily at breakfast.

Mask required indoors (except in restaurant and lounge).

Crew is wearing mask.

Mandatory sanitizing of hands in Galleria shops.

Limited seating in Broadway Theater (social distancing).

 

Impression so far after being 24 hours on the ship.. 10 out of 10

Service in YC is over-the-top superb..

YC Crew is very attentive..

Food in YC restaurant is very good..

 

It feels good to be back at sea..

[joeyancho]

Bon voyage 

[Beamafar]

Sounds wonderful SirWolf.  Hope you have a fantastic time onboard.  😁

 

We sailed last month for the first time since the pandemic, in Nov 2019.   It felt so good to be back onboard ship.  

[Two Wheels Only]

11 hours ago, SirWolf said:

MSC Meraviglia has capacity of 4,500+ passengers.. only 1,066 passengers on this cruise. YC occupancy is less than 50%.

 

My first time on Meraviglia is coming up and based on the number of available staterooms, YC is currently at 30% occupancy. It will probably go up as MSC upsells a few lower experiences but YC will probably be less than 50% filled when I sail.....no complaints from me. 😁

 

12 hours ago, SirWolf said:

..Yacht Club feels like private yacht at times..Lol

 

That's the plan. 

 

MSC is terrible.

MSC food is terrible.

MSC customer service is terrible.

MSC entertainment is terrible.

MSC bookkeeping is terrible.

The MSC website is terrible. 

 

....keeps everyone else away....👍

[styles27]

Great start! Have a wonderful time!

[bigblue1952]

Following along.  Hope to sail Meraviglia in January.

[SirWolf]

Re: Formal/Elegant Night

.. No Elegant Night on this cruise.

We were told it’s now called “Enhanced Night” and it’s more casual. I didn’t took my tuxedo on the cruise.. just suit & white shirt.

2 Enhanced Nights during this cruise.

One on sea day (yesterday) and one on Ocean Cay (last night of cruise).

[SirWolf]

Re: YC Restaurant & Top Sail Lounge

.. some tables and seats are blocked off for social distancing.

.. no condiments on table (sugar, salt & pepper, ketchup, jam, butter) .. waiter brings condiments on request.

Edited October 18, 2021 by SirWolf

[miataman19]

Sailed on the October 2nd sailing of Meraviglia in The Yacht Club so probably the same staff. I will agree with SirWolf 100%. We had around 1200 people on our sailing and YC was at 80% capacity. Loved our Maitre D' and the Sommelier. Went out of their way to please. Had a few Italian wines not on the list presented to us to try. During breakfast ( I had steak and eggs every day, not on the menu)The Sommelier would come over to our table and tell us he had a surprise for us tonight. Offered some awesome dessert wines also.

[dexddd]

Have a great time.

[dexddd]

3 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

My first time on Meraviglia is coming up and based on the number of available staterooms, YC is currently at 30% occupancy. It will probably go up as MSC upsells a few lower experiences but YC will probably be less than 50% filled when I sail.....no complaints from me. 😁

 

 

That's the plan. 

 

MSC is terrible.

MSC food is terrible.

MSC customer service is terrible.

MSC entertainment is terrible.

MSC bookkeeping is terrible.

The MSC website is terrible. 

 

....keeps everyone else away....👍

Was watching our two sailings in September and up until about three days out, YC only had about 1/3 of rooms filled.  Then it was about a bit over 50%.  Even the other empty RS got filled in both cases.

[shoprat48092]

What time did the ship leave Miami?

[SirWolf]

13 minutes ago, shoprat48092 said:

What time did the ship leave Miami?

.. MSC Meraviglia left Port of Miami at 5:00pm Saturday afternoon ..

.. time stamp of photo 5:08pm ..

[rkacruiser]

SirWolf, thanks for your reporting.  Keep it coming as you are able and willing to do.  

[GA Dave]

I was so thrilled with my August 27 sailing on Meraviglia that I have booked a seven-day cruise on her in January (9-16) for my son's first-ever cruise.  I also absolutely loved the YC experience.  Found it much better than NCL Haven IMHO.

[shoprat48092]

What reason did they give for moving both ocean cay days to the end?  I'm on next week and liked tge idea of 2 separate days at beginning and end of cruise. 

[dexddd]

10 hours ago, shoprat48092 said:

What reason did they give for moving both ocean cay days to the end?  I'm on next week and liked tge idea of 2 separate days at beginning and end of cruise. 

We sailed mid September and they changed all the ports quietly before we hit OC the first day. Never heard why and crew had no idea things even changed.

[macusr]

I'll be on the 10/30 cruise and so far the itinerary order hasn't been changed on the website.

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, dexddd said:

We sailed mid September and they changed all the ports quietly before we hit OC the first day. Never heard why and crew had no idea things even changed.

Same thing happened for us on the 10/2 sailing. There was some speculation it was weather related, but that didn't make sense to me so not sure...

[SirWolf]

13 hours ago, shoprat48092 said:

What reason did they give for moving both ocean cay days to the end?  I'm on next week and liked tge idea of 2 separate days at beginning and end of cruise. 

“operational reasons” ..as per letter in stateroom..

new itinerary listed with switched ports Jamaica and Bahamas and 2 consecutive days at Ocean Cay.

[SirWolf]

1 hour ago, macusr said:

I'll be on the 10/30 cruise and so far the itinerary order hasn't been changed on the website.

We noticed the letter with the itinerary change when we first went to the stateroom. Travel documents still show the old itinerary. I guess it was a last minute change not announced to passengers ahead of embarkation.

[SirWolf]

RE: Yacht Club Wristbands.

No more blue YC wristbands..

All passengers get black “fitness tracker style” wristband with silicone band.

Wristband must be worn all the time when outside the stateroom.

Wristband of YC passengers are programmed to access Yacht Club and to operate Priority Elevators.

No information if wristbands are waterproof.. I took my wristband off before going into the pool.

[SirWolf]

RE: Ocho Rios - Excursion Konoko Falls & Park , Beach Break.

The tour was for All Guests.. that means “bubble”.

Tour went smooth.. being escorted by YC butler from the ship..

small group of 10 passengers..

hand sanitizing protocol in place (before entering bus),

temperature check and hand sanitizing on arrival at Konoko Falls.

Lunch at the beach: Waiting in line.. choosing meal.. served in styrofoam container (like take-out food). 
All staff at Kokono Falls and at the beach are wearing mask.

Local tour guide and bus driver.. MSC excursion staff member ensuring safety protocol.

We had to take cruise card, passport and vaccination card onto excursion.

Edited October 19, 2021 by SirWolf

[alyssamma]

1 hour ago, SirWolf said:

Wristband of YC passengers are programmed to access Yacht Club and to operate Priority Elevators.

No information if wristbands are waterproof.. I took my wristband off before going into the pool.

They are waterproof.

 

Also, on the 10/2 sailing, they had a *hard* time opening the YC door (cabin door was fine...just the door to get into the YC). 

[Gatordad1967]

say Hi to Luis the MD in YC