Loyal to Royal Cruiser Tries MSC Meraviglia

[tx121]

Background

I just returned from my 4 night cruise on the MSC Meraviglia. Most of my cruises have been on Royal Caribbean and I am currently a diamond member. I have also cruised on NCL and Celebrity numerous times. When the cruising restart happened, I jumped on the opportunity for lower cost cruises and lower capacities on ships. My first 3 cruises were on RCL ships which I enjoyed as usual, but then I figured I would venture off and expand my cruise line curiosities of lines I haven't traveled on. The first cruise line I tried was Carnival. Let's just say.....I enjoyed the people watching. That is all. 🤣 Way too many people on the ship and I didn't feel comfortable during these times as protocols seemed like they were just a suggestion.

 

Choosing MSC

I have always been interested in checking out MSC but the company being a Italian line, I was hesitant since I thought their demographics targeted Europeans. For example, if there was a ship in Europe, I would choose a American Line like RCL. If I were a European guest I would choose MSC for cruises in the Caribbean. 

The opportunity came along where I was able to take a quick getaway before the holidays so my cruise search was on. The cruise cost for MSC always seem to be very competitive and on some cruises, they don't charge the single supplement which is a big plus! I upgraded to a balcony because of this. I chose the MSC Meraviglia 4 night cruise to Nassau and Ocean Cay Bahamas. I was deciding between the Meraviglia vs the new Seashore but after watching videos, the Meraviglia layout looked nicer to me. I pre-purchased the 3 speciality restaurant package and a Balinese massage.

 

Embarkation and First Impressions 

Flew in to Orlando Airport on the same day of the cruise and used Go Port Shuttle service to get to Port Canaveral. The transfers to and from the ship using this service is very convenient and organized. The time to the ship was around 40 minutes.

Embarkation and checking was pretty fast. It took about 30 min from security, vaccination and test check, and checking in process with agent. 

Once you get on the ship, they give you a wristband tracker to wear for the entire cruise. This way if you come down with symptoms or test positive, they know where you have been on the ship. After that you are lead out to the Promenade area where there is line of crew trying to sell you a drink package or the specialty restaurants instead of a "Hello! welcome aboard". This is kind of a turn off as it reminds me of when you go in to a port and people are hounding you to buy something from their shop. I have seen this type of sales tactic on other ships too. I'm just wondering when will these cruise lines learn that people are more willing to buy these things when you aren't being bombarded right when you walk on a ship? Smh😒

Anyways when you get through the sea of crew salesmen, it is beautiful to see the Promenade area. Of course it is similar to the Royal Promenades on RCL ships but has a more European/Vegas type feel. The LED ceiling is a nice touch! The MSC Meraviglia is definitely a beautiful ship!

 

To be continued.......

(I'm trying to figure out a way to add photos)

 

 

 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

I am looking forward to your next installment.  I sailed on Meraviglia in January, 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed my cruise.  

[JT1962]

Thanks. Looking forward to your review. I am booked on this ship next month for my first MSC cruise and have mainly cruised with Royal Caribbean as well.

[tx121]

[tx121]

Balcony Stateroom

I booked a guarantee balcony stateroom and I was assigned cabin 14085. It was a good sized cabin and balcony with a very comfortable yet firm bed. The bathroom came with a bathtub which was a nice surprise. However if you are a tall person above 6 ft tall, when you step up in to the tub, your head is close to the shower head and ceiling.

The room location is midship on the 14th floor. One deck above is the pool deck so when they are moving the furniture up there, you will hear it. Also it is a connecting room, so you will hear your neighbors conversations. 

The room is considered partial view as it is a inward and covered balcony. Overall I was satisfied with the room provided for the price. 

 

[tx121]

Food

Since I had the 3 specialty restaurant dining package, my dinners were spent 3 of the 4 nights at the for fee restaurants. On the last day I went to the complimentary main dining room. Now when I prebooked the specialty dining package online, it was $77 which is a great pricde compared to $120 they charge onboard. For around $25 a restaurant, this was a great bargain and worth it. Compared to the $40 a restaurant when booking onboard, I'm not sure if it would be....but I will explain this further in to detail. 

Here is a buyer beware about the specialty restaurant package on MSC compared to other cruise lines. Usually in the specialty restaurants, you are given full access to the menus and can choose 1 item for each category. On MSC, there is a section called Dining Experiences which is a limited section of the menu you choose from. There are about 4-5 items from the full menu for each category (usually the cheapest priced items). Now they do say if you want to substitute a item that is on the full menu, you can have that for 50% discount of the listed price. For example, so say I want the Ribeye Steak which is not included in the dining experience section. The listing price is $68 for the ribeye on the full menu, so you would have to pay $34 more for it on top of the price you paid for the package. 

Also, they do not serve regular iced water, it is either 1 liter of sparkling or still bottled water which is $5.50 plus 15% service charge. Your drink package does not work in the specialty restaurants, so whatever you order there, you will be charged accordingly.

For my meals, I stayed within the dining experience section. Here are some pictures of the food. 

dddd

 

Review 

Ocean Cay Restaurant- The Service and food was very good but I thought it compared to the food you can get in the main dining room on Royal Caribbean. I got the crab cake, crispy skin Cod entree and Creme Brulee. 

 

Butcher's Cut Steakhouse - This was my favorite restaurant out of the 3. I ordered the deviled eggs, NY Strip Steak, mashed potatoes and Lava Cake. The deviled eggs I did not care for. I should of went with the waiter's recommendation of the Goat Cheese appetizer. The NY Strip and mashed potatoes was excellent! Full of flavor and perfectly cooked. It also comes with 4 different sauces which was a nice enhancement. The chocolate lava cake was very good.

 

Kaito Sushi- At first I thought I was getting the Teppanyaki experience for dinner but learned when I got there that it was the sushi dining experience where it is a set menu. You get miso soup, sashimi, hand rolls and a tempura type roll. Dessert is a matcha green tea ice cream. For $25, it is a good deal. I went to the buffet afterwards as sushi doesn't fill me. lol! 

 

Marketplace Buffet- I thought the food was good here. Although it was repetitive at times and didn't have as many options as other lines, there was always something to eat. The pizza was very good as expected. Also the desserts here are also very good. You MUST try the chocolate covered donuts. They are light, fluffy, sweet and addicting!

 

Main Dining Room 

I only went here on the last night and I'm glad I had the specialty dining the other nights. The food here lacks flavor / seasoning. I tried the fried calamari, french onion soup, Chicken Parmagiana, Lasagna, and Lemonciello Cake. 

 

Food on Ocean Cay Private Island

The food here was ok. Again, some things needed more flavor. The menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, ribs, corn, beans, rice, grilled fish. Since we were in Ocean Cay for 2 days, I chose to eat in the buffet the 2nd day and it was much better than the food on the island.

 

 

 

Overall Thoughts - Food

I thought the food in the specialty restaurants and the buffet were good to very good. I would spend the extra money on the specialty restaurants especially if it is for $77 for the 3. I feel like since you are getting a lower rate on the rooms on MSC compared to other cruise lines, spend the extra money saved to get good food in the specialty restaurants. The service is much more personal and the food is much better. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[missalexandra]

$60 for a steak? LMAO. You can go to the best steakhouse in New York at those prices.

 

[tx121]

Entertainment and Activities

The entertainment and activities were great! There was always something going on and at times you had to choose as they started at the same time. The singers in the lounges were fantastic! I especially enjoyed the group who performed the Uptown Funk and Disco concerts in the Carousel Lounge. They are not to be missed! Other activities were the Silent Disco Party, the Quest, the Beach Party on Ocean Cay, MSC's version of name that tune which was more exciting that the trivia version, Love and Marriage, etc. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the cruise. 

The production shows were good. Don't expect any of the special effects and wow factor that is on Royal Caribbean production shows. However, I really enjoyed the Opera/ Italian variety show (Sorry I forgot the name of the show). The singers had fantastic voices and it felt like I was transported to Italy and enjoying a show there. There was also a magic show the first night which was good. The second production show called Way was a variety of popular American music. I think I would enjoy it if the singers sang the songs in Italian. Don't get me wrong, they have great voices but the accent is distracting when they are singing the songs in English. Lyrics get jumbled up and the choreography was cheesy but overall it was a good effort.

 

Service

I have to say, the service on MSC was fantastic! The crew was always smiling and engaging. It is so refreshing to hear "you're welcome" after saying thank you....something Royal Caribbean crew seemed to forget how to say. I cannot praise the crew enough on the Meraviglia! There was not one crew member who was not friendly, well besides the security team who always seemed like they were in a bad mood. lol! Service was right up there with Celebrity. 

 

Ports of Call

Nassau- I have been to Nassau numerous times before pandemic and now. It is nice to see how more shops are starting to reopen and the city is getting back on its feet. This time I went to see Baha Mar in the Cable Beach resort area. The hotel is gorgeous! I mainly went there for the casino and thank God Lady Luck was on my side as I was able to recover my losses from the Meraveglia casino. The machines on the cruise ship didn't seem to pay out often and the blackjack tables had automatic continuous shufflers. 

 

Ocean Cay- It is beautiful even under construction. There are many beaches to choose from and the water quality was excellent! There are loungers and umbrellas on the north part of the island and bean bags and chairs on the light house beach. Since we were there overnight, they had a small little Bahamian parade followed by a lighthouse show on the beach and then a dance party. It was nice night out on the island and to see the ship all lit up in the background. 

 

 

 

 

 

[tx121]

39 minutes ago, missalexandra said:

$60 for a steak? LMAO. You can go to the best steakhouse in New York at those prices.

 

I totally agree with you. The al a carte pricing is ridiculous in the specialty restaurants. The Tomahawk steak was $120, where on NCL it is part of the dining package, 

[tx121]

Overall Cruise Experience

 

I have to say my first cruise on MSC was very enjoyable and a success! I couldn't of asked for a more relaxing yet entertaining vacation! There were only about 1100 people on this cruise which is 20% capacity. The ship felt like a large yacht! There was always seats available in the buffet, in the theater, on the pool deck, etc. Most of the passengers were from the US / Canada, so English was the only language used for announcements. I think they said there are usually 5 languages spoken when there are more international guests. The service from the crew was top notch. Ocean Cay is a great beach day. We were lucky enough to have wonderful weather both days. The entertainment and activities were great. I always had something to do and was never bored. 

The only down side is the food which isnt all that bad. My advice to the one's who are thinking about going on MSC, I say DO IT NOW! With the low capacity, it is surely going to be a great cruise experience!

                                              

Covid Protocols

 

MSC does a good job with following their protocols they promised to their guests. Crew made sure everyone is wearing a mask, social distancing and sanitizing areas. 

 

 

Happy Holidays Everyone! Hope you enjoy your future cruises! If you have any questions about MSC Meraveglia, please ask! I will try to answer as best as I can! 

 

 

 

[deliver42]

Thank you for the great review and pictures, We're booked on the Seashore in May. Our  3rd cruise with MSC.

[Fla Mike]

Thanks for your  fair and honest review.

We will be on her for Valentines day💗

[zekekelso]

As a mostly Riyal Cruiser who just got off big-sister ship the Grandiosa, I can confirm most of what you said. Great cruise, great staff, great attention to detail on the Covid requirements. I only ate in the buffet, which was a bit hit and miss. But once I learned what was good, I never failed to have a tasty meal. Being in Europe, there was a ton of Italian spoken, but the crew itself all spoke English, usually better than Italian. 

[tx121]

SPA

I totally forgot to mention about my Spa Experience. I prebooked a 50 minute Balinese massage online, but I wish I waited until I got onboard. They have specials each day that I think had better value then the pre cruise listing price on the website. On Day 1 for example, they had a special where you get a 80 min massage for the cost of a 50 minute massage. 30 MORE minutes of relaxation for the same price I could of had if I waited and booked on the ship. Another special was on Day 4 where you can get a 60 minute full body massage for $99 if you book it in the morning. The Balinese massage was very therapeutic and relaxing. The masseuse did a great job.

Because MSC matches your loyalty status from other cruise lines, hotels, and memberships, I was a Gold card member on MSC since I am a diamond on RCL. As a gold card member, you can use the thermal spa once per cruise for 1 hour. The thermal spa has saunas, steam rooms, salt room, heated chairs and jacuzzis. This area was VERY relaxing and enjoyable. 

 

[skyking]

What drink package did you have?  We upgraded to the Premium and it does say you can use it in the Specialty Restaurants.  

Edited December 11, 2021 by skyking

[bigblue1952]

Thanks for the great review and pictures.  We will be on the Meraviglia next month.  We are very much looking forward to our cruise.

[Markanddonna]

The ceiling in the promenade is spectacular. In our area, we have a Vincent Van Gogh light exhibit that costs $40-60.  I think the ceilings of MSC ships in the Meraviglia and Grandiosa class are even more spectacular.

 

Have to say, I'm not looking forward to the five to six languages in the announcements when the Europeans return to the USA.  That becomes tedious.

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, Markanddonna said:

 

 

Have to say, I'm not looking forward to the five to six languages in the announcements when the Europeans return to the USA.  That becomes tedious.

We didn't really mind the multiple languages for the announcements, because they were all brief, and regarding things that mattered.  No announcements of Bingo In Five Minutes/Sale In Jewelry Shop/blah blah blah.

[dexddd]

10 hours ago, tx121 said:

I totally agree with you. The al a carte pricing is ridiculous in the specialty restaurants. The Tomahawk steak was $120, where on NCL it is part of the dining package, 

I'd have to check on the NCL Tomahawk.  Used to be included but think that changed a few years back.

[tx121]

3 hours ago, skyking said:

What drink package did you have?  We upgraded to the Premium and it does say you can use it in the Specialty Restaurants.  

I had the easy drink package which does not include the drinks at the specialty restaurants.  I should of did what others said and brought my own drinks before going in to the restaurants but wasn't sure if this was allowed.

[JT1962]

31 minutes ago, tx121 said:

I had the easy drink package which does not include the drinks at the specialty restaurants.  I should of did what others said and brought my own drinks before going in to the restaurants but wasn't sure if this was allowed.

Did they provide any free drinks in the dining room or at the Buffet? I normally have water & iced tea on Royal Caribbean, which is free.  What about milk / juice for breakfast?  Thanks.

[Nunagoras]

Very wonderful and well balanced review. From someone whom has done both MSC and RCI cruises I can very well understand your stances. Congrats!...

 

Sadly one of the things I think MSC is now doing worse than what they used to is the hard selling on embarkation day, matching their American mainstream competitors, exactly as you described. They started that by 2017 or so. Both them and the others must understand that the younger affluent class want to have the most information about the experience before boarding and just to pick the items they want from their cell phones. No more, no less either.

 

I also understand your stance on food, even though that is sort of subjective. My unique RCI cruise was on an Oasis class ship out of Barcelona, most exactly the Allure. Curious that my stance on their food is quite the opposite of yours in some ways!... Curiously: Because of the extra space and neighborhood crowd management the RCI's buffet offerings were far away from whatever else MSC can to have on offer by the day. If I ever do another Oasis cruise I promised to myself to eat all my meals out of their great buffets!... So now the MDR food... I thought that was sort a little notch below MSC... Because, either way too big portions on RCI compared to MSC or such a seasoning excess. RCI MDR resemble to me somewhat a big mainstream wedding ceremony venue to have for a week, while MSC generally feels like such a familiar, nice even though nothing to write home about restaurant.

 

Going more into detail: Deserts on RCI are generally far more sweet than on MSC, except for the simpler ones on the buffet. Usually on MSC I can feel what ingredient is the "star" on any dish. On RCI sugar seemed for me as being the absolute "star" on any given dish. No matter if you had a lemon, a chocolate or a strawberry cake. They all had a single flavor: Sugar!... Salt on RCI was also more prevalent, especially on the MDR... Then my preference for RCI's buffets. For your reference dinner MSC buffets had been a joke on the past. From recent photos and videos they've vastly improved that, especially but not exclusively for the American market. Maybe something for you to experience on the future!...

 

In conclusion MSC food seems somewhat healthier than RCI... Even though the RCI buffets are not to be missed for the flexibility they permit you to have, at least out of an Oasis class ship!...

 

Have a nice day!...

[shipgeeks]

59 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

Did they provide any free drinks in the dining room or at the Buffet? I normally have water & iced tea on Royal Caribbean, which is free.  What about milk / juice for breakfast?  Thanks.

Yes, free drinks such as those, in MDR and buffet.  At breakfast in the buffet, I thought they had a wider choice of juices and such than RC.

[Markanddonna]

The free stuff isn't juice. Real squeezed OJ is available for a charge. Boxes of milk are free. In Europe, people booking from America get a free bottle of sparkling or flat water. The waiters ask what you prefer. 

[lakelorain]

We are also loyal to Royal(37 cruises, D+).  We were on Meraviglia early November.  It was our 3rd cruise with MSC.  I agree with your evaluation. 

We also loved Butcher's Cut but were able to get water when we requested it.   Must depend on who your waiter is.  

I noticed the buffet was a little sparce.  It wasn't like that pre-Covid.  Probably, the selections will improve when the ships sail full.

When MSC first came to the US, people complained that the food was too spicy.  Now they use very little spice as a response to those complaints.  

I also notice the shows were different since covid.  No aerialists, gymnists etc.  Shows were much more conservative.  I hope they go back to their regular productions.

All in all, MSC is a great cruiseline.  I hope they expand in the US outside of Florida.  

Thanks for your review.