Meraviglia 12/23-12/30 - big let down

[hollyalyn]

Spent our honeymoon on meraviglia for a Christmas cruise 

I've cruised RC and Carnival thought we would try MSC - Big mistake 

ship was pretty - balcony cabin very nice -  that's about it....

buffet was bland 

Specialty dining - not worth the cost 

EIther a surcharge or limited choices on menu 

service was inadequate - seemed wherever we were on the ship, bars or restaurants "didn't have" many items on their menu 

 

Hola - no guacamole

gelato and crepes - no crepes 

Irish pub - several beers unavailable

buffet- ice machine not working 

always out of juice 

guest relations were rude - had a strange $300 charge on our account - they told me to come back tomorrow - and was annoyed w me for even asking 

on and on and on.... 

Heard on last day they were short 500 crew members - unacceptable!

won't cruise MSC again ! 

 

 

 

[wdowns9]

You got on as we were getting off our 5-day. The ship was packed and only had 6 cabins vacant. There were out some beers in the pub along with food items. When we were on the behind the scenes tour that question was asked. There has been a supply chain delay because they source the majority of their items from Italy. I asked why not have a US supplier and was told that is how they operate. Food is subjective but agree with bland. There were over 1800 kids and they kept cranking out pizza, fries and burgers. We have been on the Mer a couple of times but I'll bypass going on the holidays or when kids are on school break.

[JT1962]

Cruising during a holiday or when school is out is never a good idea. Many complaints from all cruise lines about overcrowded ships, staff shortages, supply issues, etc. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

No crepes at the crepe place?  How odd. I don’t know of any corporation who has yet figured out the secret to getting around supply chain issues and staff shortages on land or at sea. At any rate, congratulations on your marriage. Hope you found lots to enjoy on this momentous occasion despite the short comings of the cruise. 

[mawvkysc]

I’ve read a lot of reviews here and elsewhere and sailed on Mera once. It’s seems that Meraviglia is having the most problems compared to other MSC ships. I’d really like to try another MSC ship myself and compare. 
 

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience. 

[Cruise5life]

First line of this post says it all.      Never cruise for a big event on a big holiday and not expect to have issues.   Mix in this covid bs and you have disaster.      
im excited for my MSC cruise in 17 days.   
Just because of all these reviews.  

 

Congrats 🎉🍾 

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 minutes ago, mawvkysc said:

It’s seems that Meraviglia is having the most problems compared to other MSC ships.

I think as a general rule, MSC reviews overall (stateside anyway) tend to lean negative.  And much of those reviews come from first time MSC cruisers who have only known what the big three (Carnival, Royal, NCL) have to offer...and have gotten accustomed to those offerings.  This is in no way to imply that the OP's review of their experience on Meraviglia isn't valid.  MSC are just different. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 minutes ago, Cruise5life said:

im excited for my MSC cruise in 17 days.  

As you should be!!!  You are going to have a blast!  (my prediction 😊)

[perakcruiser]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

This is in no way to imply that the OP's review of their experience on Meraviglia isn't valid. 

Sure it could be valid, why not.

 

But it is useless, if you go on MSC or any other line the first time in the most busy week of the year, what you expect? Seasoned MSC cruises know how to handle the masses, still I would never go that time if I not have to follow school holidays. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

Sure it could be valid, why not.

I've read lots of cc members over the years try to invalidate a negative review by making excuses for the line for which they cheer.  So I wanted to make sure that the OP understood that I wasn't doing that here.

 

You are right, holidays create a much different cruising experience...for better or worse.

[Cruise5life]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

As you should be!!!  You are going to have a blast!  (my prediction 😊)

Traveling solo. I’m sure I’ll have a blast too.  

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I think as a general rule, MSC reviews overall (stateside anyway) tend to lean negative.  And much of those reviews come from first time MSC cruisers who have only known what the big three (Carnival, Royal, NCL) have to offer...and have gotten accustomed to those offerings.  This is in no way to imply that the OP's review of their experience on Meraviglia isn't valid.  MSC are just different. 

So true.     I’ll have a nice review of my trip for sure.  May do a live to.    
my MSCuise is squished between a 15 day panama on NCL and 7 day on RC Wonder.   So small med to large ships. In that order. Lol.     

[Stockjock]

As I mentioned in another thread, I am currently on Virtuosa on a New Year’s Eve holiday tour that left Le Havre 3 days ago.
 

I am not minimizing the OP‘s comments, but we are not experiencing any of these issues, to my knowledge. Things are not perfect, but they’re pretty good overall.  It’s only been three days, but we have not found a single item that they seem to be out of.

 

In terms of specialty restaurants, that’s pretty subjective. We did the trilogy in September and got three specialty restaurants for $71 per person, and I felt like that was somewhat reasonable. The price was much higher on this sailing, so the only specially restaurant we will do is the freebie in Indochine for my diamond tier level.

 

I guess my biggest gripe would be the annoying, repetitive and loud safety drill, announcements waking me out of bed, and maybe the fact that some of the waiters are not as polished as I think they probably could be.  

 

The customer service was better on our Grandiosa cruise in September. I also think the Wi-Fi seems to be a lot less consistent and reliable here than it was for me on Grandiosa.

 

But other than that, no major issues and we’re having a nice time.   I will do a more comprehensive review once I am back in the USA.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Stockjock

[Ashley020781]

We were on the same cruise. It was myself and husband, and our three kids, my mother and my inlaws. For all but my inlaws, this was our first cruise ever, and most likely the last.

I didnt really have a lot of expectations going in, other than having fun and lots to do for the kids. Boy, was I wrong.

I knew it would be busy and crowded, being the holidays, and I always expect some things to go awry, but not EVERYTHING. No matter what we tried or where we went, there were problems and no one wanting to help solve them. Problems registering cards, out of numerous things, stores closed at what you would think to be peak times-the middle of a day at sea when its raining. Thats when you open stores. Cutting off cards, hardly any drinks available at the buffet, so youre forced to buy them. Arcade games broken, rides broken, stand in line for an hour for a wristband for the waterslide and they close it. Keep the pool open in rough seas, close them in calm seas. Coffee but no cups, cups but no ice, never any juice.

The food at the buffet and Waves was equally bad. The bacon had no flavor, which Ive never encountered. My husband stuck to salad and bread because the food didnt agree with him. That was until he found a roach in his salad.

 

NEVER AGAIN.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Ashley020781 said:

That was until he found a roach in his salad.

Wow!  I would love to see a pic of that!  Not calling you a liar, but that is certainly something one has to see in order to believe.  Cruising  isn't for everyone but there's only one way to find out.  I guess now you know.  🙂

[Stockjock]

I also wanted to add that they put a €250 hold on my credit card, which I think is about $266 in US dollars. So that might be what the OP is talking about, but that is just an authorization not an actual charge.

So in other words if you have a $50 bill then the $266 would go away and they would actually only charge $50. I can’t say for sure but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s going on and if it is, it is not an error. It’s exactly what happened to us and it’s completely normal and expected. 

[Stockjock]

22 hours ago, hollyalyn said:

Heard on last day they were short 500 crew members - unacceptable!

won't cruise MSC again ! 

 

 

 

Let me also address the comment that they were down 500 crew members. As I mentioned, I am on Viruosa right now and I ran this post by one of the MSC supervisors.
 

He said he does not believe that, and if so, they could not function if they were down 500 crew members. I asked him what his staffing was right now on the ship and he said it is 100% and they have approximately 1600 crew members.
 

He told me that MSC brought on additional crew members for the holidays, and that most or all ships should be above normal staffing levels because they knew how busy they would be.
 

He said that after the holidays, once some of the staff members’ contracts run out, they will resume their “normal”, slightly lower staffing levels. But he said that there’s no way they could function if they were down 1/3 of their crew, and in short, that he did not believe that for a moment.

 

Let me also say that there are multiple ice machines in the Buffet, so in the event that one was down, there are probably at least 4 to 6 machines that would still be working, and I’m quite confident that they have the maintenance personnel on hand to repair the one ice machine that happened to be down.  Remember that this is the world’s first or second largest shipping company, so to think that they cannot repair one of their ice machines, or find a replacement for it, is pretty much ludicrous.  If I discovered that one of the race machines was down, I would simply find one that was working, lol.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Stockjock

[hollyalyn]

Hi all, I appreciate all the comments, inputs.. 

I want to clarify, and agree that I planned this during the busiest time of year, with that being said, we spent the three days prior at universal, it was packed, ride wait times in the hours , but I expected it, and handled the masses very well, set my expectations accordingly

So I expected the same from the cruise I knew it would be at capacity I am a very understanding person, but I also expect a level of service that I paid a lot of money to receive, which is simply kindness, professionalism, knowledge of your job, and proper guest services. 

I knew and read that MSC experience is not the same as RC, or NCL I didn't it expect it to be, this was way more than differences it was a floating disaster 

[hollyalyn]

30 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Let me also address the comment that they were down 500 crew members. As I mentioned, I am on Viruosa right now and I ran this post by one of the MSC supervisors.
 

He said he does not believe that, and if so, they could not function if they were down 500 crew members. I asked him what his staffing was right now on the ship and he said it is 100% and they have approximately 1600 crew members.
 

He told me that MSC brought on additional crew members for the holidays, and that most or all ships should be above normal staffing levels because they knew how busy they would be.
 

He said that after the holidays, once some of the staff members’ contracts run out, they will resume their “normal”, slightly lower staffing levels. But he said that there’s no way they could function if they were down 1/3 of their crew, and in short, that he did not believe that for a moment.

 

Let me also say that there are multiple ice machines in the Buffet, so in the event that one was down, there are probably at least 4 to 6 machines that would still be working, and I’m quite confident that they have the maintenance personnel on hand to repair the one ice machine that happened to be down.  Remember that this is the world’s first or second largest shipping company, so to think that they cannot repair one of their ice machines, or find a replacement for it, is pretty much ludicrous.  If I discovered that one of the race machines was down, I would simply find one that was working, lol.

If it was as simple as one ice machine not working.... It was one then another 

And when you found one that worked all the juices attached were empty 

 

[hollyalyn]

2 hours ago, Ashley020781 said:

We were on the same cruise. It was myself and husband, and our three kids, my mother and my inlaws. For all but my inlaws, this was our first cruise ever, and most likely the last.

I didnt really have a lot of expectations going in, other than having fun and lots to do for the kids. Boy, was I wrong.

I knew it would be busy and crowded, being the holidays, and I always expect some things to go awry, but not EVERYTHING. No matter what we tried or where we went, there were problems and no one wanting to help solve them. Problems registering cards, out of numerous things, stores closed at what you would think to be peak times-the middle of a day at sea when its raining. Thats when you open stores. Cutting off cards, hardly any drinks available at the buffet, so youre forced to buy them. Arcade games broken, rides broken, stand in line for an hour for a wristband for the waterslide and they close it. Keep the pool open in rough seas, close them in calm seas. Coffee but no cups, cups but no ice, never any juice.

The food at the buffet and Waves was equally bad. The bacon had no flavor, which Ive never encountered. My husband stuck to salad and bread because the food didnt agree with him. That was until he found a roach in his salad.

 

NEVER AGAIN.

Sorry you had the same experience we had 

 

[Cruise5life]

For every bad review.    There’s a good review for this trip from what I see.  
 

the trips what you make it.    
 

can’t wait for my first experience on this ship in 2 weeks 

[Stockjock]

1 hour ago, hollyalyn said:

If it was as simple as one ice machine not working.... It was one then another 

And when you found one that worked all the juices attached were empty 

 

We did a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Los Angeles not too long ago. The food was mediocre, at best.
 

I ordered a glass of a specific white wine for my girlfriend, and they brought her moscato, which, as you may know, is a sweet wine. I tried to get their attention for a good 15 minutes, and when I finally got it, they admitted that the wine that I ordered was out of stock.  Eventually, they brought an inferior replacement, but it probably took at least 30 minutes to get her a proper drink, all told.

 

I ordered chicken parmigiana for dinner, and they brought it to me, completely dry with no tomato sauce or cheese whatsoever. It was just a dried out chicken patty with too much breading and tough as could be. So I asked the waiter for some marinara sauce to at least try to moisten it up a little bit. It took them about 20 minutes to bring me some sauce, and after 3 requests, a supervisor had to bring it, and it was still lousy and dry as could be.
 

So I guess the moral of the story is that none of these cruise lines are perfect. But clearly if you have a preference for one cruise line over the other then you should stick with that choice. But I can’t think of one cruise line where something or other hasn’t gone wrong.  
 

I do agree that the MSC customer service could be better, particularly the pre-cruise and post-cruise stateside customer service.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Stockjock

[ChattTenn]

We were on 12/4 sailing with 2200+ guests and were our second cruise with MSC (not YC)  while it was not a perfect cruise such as some juice machine did not work or ran out but there were others in the Market Place had it just had to walk around to find it, ice cream machine broke down outside the buffet but they replaced it with a scoop ice cream etc. the food was very European but not all that bad we did not go home hungry.  With few inconvenience to put up but their service and price is good with a status matched/free dinner we believe it is a bargain we already booked another 7 days on Seaside later on this year.  

[CruiseScrooge]

If MSC doesn't use USA suppliers for the ships here i find that amazing. It just seems it would easier and cheaper once set up. Dairy products must be bought locally i would think.I took several years off from cruising and this may sound silly but things like MSC french fries, hot dogs, and hamburgers just didn't taste and look size wise like our USA stuff. And don't get me started on condiments. Nothing burns my toast more than off brand cheap condiments . Good review. If my next MSC isn't good bye bye MSC.

[agentJoey]

On 12/31/2022 at 5:57 PM, hollyalyn said:

Spent our honeymoon on meraviglia for a Christmas cruise 

I've cruised RC and Carnival thought we would try MSC - Big mistake 

ship was pretty - balcony cabin very nice -  that's about it....

buffet was bland 

Specialty dining - not worth the cost 

EIther a surcharge or limited choices on menu 

service was inadequate - seemed wherever we were on the ship, bars or restaurants "didn't have" many items on their menu 

 

Hola - no guacamole

gelato and crepes - no crepes 

Irish pub - several beers unavailable

buffet- ice machine not working 

always out of juice 

guest relations were rude - had a strange $300 charge on our account - they told me to come back tomorrow - and was annoyed w me for even asking 

on and on and on.... 

Heard on last day they were short 500 crew members - unacceptable!

won't cruise MSC again ! 

 

 

 

Cruising on this ship in January first time on MSC. Hope it is better. Seems MSC gets alot of negative reviews

[nednrom]

14 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Sure it could be valid, why not.

 

But it is useless, if you go on MSC or any other line the first time in the most busy week of the year, what you expect? Seasoned MSC cruises know how to handle the masses, still I would never go that time if I not have to follow school holidays. 

I would just say seasoned cruisers - doesn't matter what cruise line you take, if you are taking a holiday or a mid-summer cruise, you will have masses and have to either know how to handle them or not sweat the small stuff.  As many inspections as the cruise lines have, I am not sure about the roach. I have been on the Meraviglia and aside from the crowds at the buffet, we really enjoyed it. 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by nednrom