Meraviglia May 28 Live attempt

[AtSeaWithChris]

We are in our hotel, Laguadia Plaza, and it was nice and clean. We got in about 8:30 last night. Caught to shuttle to the hotel pretty easily and we ordered Chinese food through Uber eats and it was pretty good.
The Meraviligia was running late last night about three hours however they made up about 2 hours and docked at 7:15 this morning. We are getting dressed and heading to breakfast and plan to catch a ride with a new Tesla rideshare called Revel. When you download the app you get 50% off your first ride within 72 hours of account setup. We had some friends use that yesterday and it worked well. 
 

I will post more through the morning and day. 

Edited May 28, 2023 by AtSeaWithChris

[mackfam]

Interested to hear how embarkation was. Was it very busy getting to the port?

[AtSeaWithChris]

9 minutes ago, mackfam said:

Interested to hear how embarkation was. Was it very busy getting to the port?

We got to the port from LaGuardia hotel in 35 minutes arrival at 11:10 and 2 hours 10 minutes to get through the line and board the ship. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

Ok, first day was a long one. We slept in a little and went to breakfast at the hotel buffet at 9:30. We had seen reports that due to weather the ship was delayed by 3 hours. But during night she caught up by 2 hours and docked at 7:12. So we thought we’d get there about 12 or 11:30. We had 10 am check in time. 

 

We used for the first time an app by Revel. They have a Tesla only rideshare and offers 50% off on your first ride. It was $43 before discount. Had plenty of trunk space for two large suitcases and we put our backpacks in our laps. 

 

It was a cool car and plenty of space for feet and knees. They picked us in in less than 5 minutes at 10:35. We got to the port at 11:18. From there it took until 1:30 to cross the gangway on the ship.

 

Once onboard we knew we needed to make reservations for our specialty dining package, $71 per person  for 3 meals. They were taking reservations at Ocean Cay and Butcher’s Cut. It was  a slow line. After standing in line for 15-20 minutes a friend let us know that Hola! had someone taking reservations and no line. There were actually 2 people there making bookings. We also made reservations for the shows in the theater. There are 4 shows. The show tonight will be “Cool”. 

 

Thankfully, in about 15 minutes, we  got our reservations for dining  and  both Carousel shows, Houdini and Rock Circus ($5 per person per show because we bought a specialty dining package). Without the dining package the shows were $12 in advance and $18 once onboard. 

 

By this time they had made announcements that rooms were ready. We went to the room and dropped off backpacks and rested a few minutes. We bought an internet plan for 1 person 2 devices before boarding at a discount. It was cheaper to buy the plan for 1 person  with 2 devices than 2 people with one device. It’s a little complex to have another person have a device but we got it all working where we both had the app login with each profile and had internet on each device.

 

We left our cabin to go get a drink and they called for muster and go to our cabin and watch a video and call a number. After that we went to our muster station and scanned our card. When muster drill was over we were already leaving the dock. We were in the casino on deck 7 and was able go outside on the starboard side and grab some cool pictures of the Statue of Liberty. 

 

We then went to The Brass Anchor and got a bottle of water and’s an Irish car bomb by combining a can of Guinness Pub Draft, a shot of Jameson, and a shotof Bailey’s Irish Cream. We have the Easy Plus drink package (it covers up to $10 and you just pay the difference if it costs more). We missed seeing the ship pass under the Veranzzano bridge. But we got some pictures of the skyline. 

 

We then went to the buffet (at the back) and got a couple of pieces of pizza and a piece of Espresso cake and rum cake. Both cakes were good and the espresso cake was phenomenal! The pepperoni pizza was pretty good. I prefer thin crust slightly crusted and these were hand tossed so the crust was slightly doughy. But it really has a nice flavor. The cheese pizza to me didn’t have a lot of flavor, not bad,  it just didn’t have much flavor. We will try the others as we go.

 

We were able to get a table with an aft view outside. After we ate the snack. We then went to deck 6 to the gelato place and got some ice cream. I got a scoop of banana and chocolate ice cream. Delicious! We head back to the room still worn out from the lines. I went to the Sky Lounge and got a water and a strawberry daiquiri. It was great. Checked out the smoking lounge and it was nice with a nice view. 

 

It was then time for dinner so we found our table. We have a table for 8 with sone friends in the cruising community. Some we’ve met before and some we’ve only seen in chats. We had great servers. It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We both really enjoyed the food. After dinner we went back to the room to do a few things. And I went back to the Sky Lounge for a double Jameson and ginger (I call it an Irish Redhead) and hung out a few minutes in the smoking lounge. They sell cigars there. So I may be getting one. I really likethe Sky Lounge. 

 

We went back to the room and unpacked. Man there is a shortage of space to keep stuff. But we got all situated and chilled out in the room until the 9:30 show Cool. Once the show was over we came back to the room and went to bed.

 

Let me tell you that I was in to the show the moment it started. They are very talented people and the songs were fun and nostalgic and full of energy. 

 

We are both really liking the ship and just starting to figure out getting around. I’ve gotten drinks with a minimum amount of effort at several bars. We have tissues, we have face towels, hand towels, floor towels, and bath towels. We asked for ice and it was the at turndeorwn service. We’ve encountered many    nice crew. The entertainers in the show “Cool” are very good. 

 

[sbcs5390]

Glad to hear you are having a good time, despite the hold up with boarding by a bit and the busy Memorial Day weekend sailing. Enjoy!

[rikitikitavii]

On 5/28/2023 at 8:04 AM, AtSeaWithChris said:

We are in our hotel, Laguadia Plaza, and it was nice and clean. We got in about 8:30 last night. Caught to shuttle to the hotel pretty easily and we ordered Chinese food through Uber eats and it was pretty good.
The Meraviligia was running late last night about three hours however they made up about 2 hours and docked at 7:15 this morning. We are getting dressed and heading to breakfast and plan to catch a ride with a new Tesla rideshare called Revel. When you download the app you get 50% off your first ride within 72 hours of account setup. We had some friends use that yesterday and it worked well. 
 

I will post more through the morning and day. 

 

1 hour ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

Ok, first day was a long one. We slept in a little and went to breakfast at the hotel buffet at 9:30. We had seen reports that due to weather the ship was delayed by 3 hours. But during night she caught up by 2 hours and docked at 7:12. So we thought we’d get there about 12 or 11:30. We had 10 am check in time. 

 

We used for the first time an app by Revel. They have a Tesla only rideshare and offers 50% off on your first ride. It was $43 before discount. Had plenty of trunk space for two large suitcases and we put our backpacks in our laps. 

 

It was a cool car and plenty of space for feet and knees. They picked us in in less than 5 minutes at 10:35. We got to the port at 11:18. From there it took until 1:30 to cross the gangway on the ship.

 

Once onboard we knew we needed to make reservations for our specialty dining package, $71 per person  for 3 meals. They were taking reservations at Ocean Cay and Butcher’s Cut. It was  a slow line. After standing in line for 15-20 minutes a friend let us know that Hola! had someone taking reservations and no line. There were actually 2 people there making bookings. We also made reservations for the shows in the theater. There are 4 shows. The show tonight will be “Cool”. 

 

Thankfully, in about 15 minutes, we  got our reservations for dining  and  both Carousel shows, Houdini and Rock Circus ($5 per person per show because we bought a specialty dining package). Without the dining package the shows were $12 in advance and $18 once onboard. 

 

By this time they had made announcements that rooms were ready. We went to the room and dropped off backpacks and rested a few minutes. We bought an internet plan for 1 person 2 devices before boarding at a discount. It was cheaper to buy the plan for 1 person  with 2 devices than 2 people with one device. It’s a little complex to have another person have a device but we got it all working where we both had the app login with each profile and had internet on each device.

 

We left our cabin to go get a drink and they called for muster and go to our cabin and watch a video and call a number. After that we went to our muster station and scanned our card. When muster drill was over we were already leaving the dock. We were in the casino on deck 7 and was able go outside on the starboard side and grab some cool pictures of the Statue of Liberty. 

 

We then went to The Brass Anchor and got a bottle of water and’s an Irish car bomb by combining a can of Guinness Pub Draft, a shot of Jameson, and a shotof Bailey’s Irish Cream. We have the Easy Plus drink package (it covers up to $10 and you just pay the difference if it costs more). We missed seeing the ship pass under the Veranzzano bridge. But we got some pictures of the skyline. 

 

We then went to the buffet (at the back) and got a couple of pieces of pizza and a piece of Espresso cake and rum cake. Both cakes were good and the espresso cake was phenomenal! The pepperoni pizza was pretty good. I prefer thin crust slightly crusted and these were hand tossed so the crust was slightly doughy. But it really has a nice flavor. The cheese pizza to me didn’t have a lot of flavor, not bad,  it just didn’t have much flavor. We will try the others as we go.

 

We were able to get a table with an aft view outside. After we ate the snack. We then went to deck 6 to the gelato place and got some ice cream. I got a scoop of banana and chocolate ice cream. Delicious! We head back to the room still worn out from the lines. I went to the Sky Lounge and got a water and a strawberry daiquiri. It was great. Checked out the smoking lounge and it was nice with a nice view. 

 

It was then time for dinner so we found our table. We have a table for 8 with sone friends in the cruising community. Some we’ve met before and some we’ve only seen in chats. We had great servers. It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We both really enjoyed the food. After dinner we went back to the room to do a few things. And I went back to the Sky Lounge for a double Jameson and ginger (I call it an Irish Redhead) and hung out a few minutes in the smoking lounge. They sell cigars there. So I may be getting one. I really likethe Sky Lounge. 

 

We went back to the room and unpacked. Man there is a shortage of space to keep stuff. But we got all situated and chilled out in the room until the 9:30 show Cool. Once the show was over we came back to the room and went to bed.

 

Let me tell you that I was in to the show the moment it started. They are very talented people and the songs were fun and nostalgic and full of energy. 

 

We are both really liking the ship and just starting to figure out getting around. I’ve gotten drinks with a minimum amount of effort at several bars. We have tissues, we have face towels, hand towels, floor towels, and bath towels. We asked for ice and it was the at turndeorwn service. We’ve encountered many    nice crew. The entertainers in the show “Cool” are very good. 

 

On the Mera in October, looking forward to your reviews!!

[lilalila]

@AtSeaWithChris

 

RE: 3-night specialty dining package.

After you booked the cruise you are currently on how far in advance were you able to make this (presumably pre-cruise) purchase?   I'll be on the Seascape in September 2023.  I don't see a purchasing option on MCS's app or website.  Did you buy the package by calling customer service or via the app or website?

 

Thanks!   

[AtSeaWithChris]

43 minutes ago, lilalila said:

@AtSeaWithChris

 

RE: 3-night specialty dining package.

After you booked the cruise you are currently on how far in advance were you able to make this (presumably pre-cruise) purchase?   I'll be on the Seascape in September 2023.  I don't see a purchasing option on MCS's app or website.  Did you buy the package by calling customer service or via the app or website?

 

Thanks!   

We were under 90 days when we booked the cruise. I purchased it on MSC customer facing site under manage my booking. You can also purchase it in the app.

[umpisoccer]

I'm looking forward to your review.  We sail on the Meraviglia June 18th.

[AtSeaWithChris]

We slept in until about 11 (we were exhausted). Having missed the first sea day breakfast in the MDR we opted to shower and get dressed and eat lunch in the MDR. Let me start out by saying that it was delicious. It took about an hour. Service was great and the food was really good. I and DW had the spinach, artichoke, and cheese dip. It only comes with a few tortillas but I used my roll to sop up the rest. I then had fish and chips. It was really tasty. Then for dessert I had the Crema Catalina (cold unglazed cream brûlée) and the Boston Cream pie. Both were delicious!  

 

We then went to the pool deck and got some soft serve ice cream. The ice cream is really good. Today we had vanilla and chocolate. Then i went through the buffet and got a sampler of even more desserts (they were all good). After all that gluttony I went to the Sky Lounge and got a drink and hung out in the smoking lounge with some new friends. After awhile some friends were in the Brass Anchor and we met them to hang out a bit. 

 

We went back to the room and got dressed for dinner (tonight was gala night). We met our friends at dinner and had a wonderful dinner. I got shrimp cocktail, Lobster Bisque, and the French Onion soup for appetizers. All were very good. The French Onion soup just needed a little salt. For the entree I got surf and turf. The filet was cooked perfectly and covered in some gravy. The lobster tail was small but cooked just right. They came around with liquid butter and drizzled it on the lobster. For dessert I got caramel cheesecake and royal chocolate cake. Both delicious. 

 

After dinner we all had reservations for the Houdini show in the Carousel Lounge.  They were fantastic. Very talented cast and such a fun show. After that show I went to the Sky Lounge for drinks and a smoke before the theater showing of One Day More. They had some sweet and savory bites at the bar and I ate a chocolate covered strawberry and an empanada (like I needed to eat another bite of anything). 

 

We went to the theater at 10 for the show and afterwards I bought sone chocolate truffles. Have I told you how good the cappuccino truffles are?

 

After day 2 we are still very happy with the product and the service we are getting. If this week ends like it has started this is not our last MSC cruise. The food and quality is very good. There are many choices to choose from. I can not say how pleased I am with our experience. 

 

I’ve not had any trouble getting a drink from any bar and I’ve gotten excellent service from everyone I’ve dealt with. 

 

Tomorrow we dock in Port Canaveral and we have plans to have drinks and fun at Fishlips with friends from the cruise vlog community. 

[jean87510]

Nice review so far.  Easy to read and informative.  Thank you.

[jimbri]

Enjoying your review. Looking forward to the rest.

[JamieLogical]

Glad to hear you are having a great time!

[AtSeaWithChris]

Today we got up and went to the buffet for breakfast. I got a premade ham and cheese omelette, a chocolate croissant, some fresh fruit, and some bacon and sausages. Everything I got was pretty good. No complaints. After breakfast we walked around for a little bit and then dw walked around  some more while I made my way to the main pool area to check out the smoking area. I got a banana daiquiri and sat and watched us approaching Port Canaveral. Dw joined me and I got a Lava Flow and she got a Blue Hawaiian Punch. While we were there we docked and  they announced that we were free to disembark. 

 

We grabbed a hot dog and a burger and fries from the pool area and took it to our cabin to eat and get ready to meet our friends at Fishlips. The burger was good, still a little juicy and had pretty good flavor. The fries were great and the hotdog was well… a hotdog.  We got ready and grabbed our things and let our friends know that we were heading down to get off. They picked us up and we went with them to get lunch at a place called Fishcamp. I got an appetizer of gumbo and even though it’s Florida and not New Orleans the gumbo was good.

 

After lunch we went to Jetty Park and walked around a little and met up with some more friends and visited a little. It was hot and we were ready to get situated for dinner and meeting the rest of our friends. So we headed to Fishlips and got situated with some drinks. We had a total of 16 of us. A little friend reunion. We ordered a spinach dip to have something ( it wasn’t as good as the spinach dip from dinner last night). We didn’t want to eat much because we had reservations for dinner (the first of our 3 dining package) at Ocean Cay at 8:30. After a couple hours visiting we made our way back to the ship. 

 

We got ready and I headed up to the Sky Lounge to get us a drink to take to dinner and stopped by the smoking lounge while waiting on DW to meet me there. We then headed to Ocean Cay. We each ordered the crab cake (delicious!), we each ordered the tuna and it was very good!! Dw ordered the tiramisu (fantastic) and I ordered the Crème Brûlée and a cappuccino. And they both were really really good.

 

After a long day I f eating we were ready to crash for the night. While browsing a social media group I saw several posters saying about all the issues people were having. And I’m not seeing that. Our food has been great (I’m picky). Our table service has been wonderful. I’ve not had any problems getting a drink. I’ve been able to find tasty items on the buffet. And our dinner at Ocean Cay blows away Rudi’s on Carnival.

 

More tomorrow. 

[Cruisenewbie2023]

I am enjoying your live 🙂

 

we sail in a couple of weeks (11 June -18 June) and first time cruisers on honeymoon!

 

can I please ask- do they offer vegan ice cream? Our 3 yo is allergic to dairy and we can’t get a call back from MSC to confirm 😔

 

Thanks

Natalie 

[AtSeaWithChris]

3 hours ago, Cruisenewbie2023 said:

I am enjoying your live 🙂

 

we sail in a couple of weeks (11 June -18 June) and first time cruisers on honeymoon!

 

can I please ask- do they offer vegan ice cream? Our 3 yo is allergic to dairy and we can’t get a call back from MSC to confirm 😔

 

Thanks

Natalie 

Congratulations on your honeymoon and your first cruise. 
 

I’m not sure about there being vegan ice cream. If they do it would probably be at Crepes and Gelato. 

[JamieLogical]

I agree with you about the complaints online not matching with my experience onboard at all. Lots of people complaining about the food and the bar services and I never had issues with either. Also, I really enjoyed my food from Ocean Cay. The crab cake may have been the best I'd ever had.

[AtSeaWithChris]

2 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

The crab cake may have been the best I'd ever had.

It was phenomenal!

[Fissues]

6 hours ago, Cruisenewbie2023 said:

I am enjoying your live 🙂

 

we sail in a couple of weeks (11 June -18 June) and first time cruisers on honeymoon!

 

can I please ask- do they offer vegan ice cream? Our 3 yo is allergic to dairy and we can’t get a call back from MSC to confirm 😔

 

Thanks

Natalie 

Lactose Free ice cream is available at Venchi. $$

[Mark_T]

6 hours ago, Fissues said:

Lactose Free ice cream is available at Venchi. $$

Not the same as vegan / dairy-free though as it would still contain milk products, but with the lactose neutralized.

[Cruisenewbie2023]

11 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

Congratulations on your honeymoon and your first cruise. 
 

I’m not sure about there being vegan ice cream. If they do it would probably be at Crepes and Gelato. 

Thank you for your kind words, I was hoping it would be included in her minors package. When I booked via Cruise 118 she assured me there would be some and now I think the soft serve is free and the Crepes/Gelato is a shop maybe?

 

I don’t see why she needs the minors package at 3, she drinks water and oat milk but they insisted and said it was obligatory for all in a cabin, but for $12 a day, that seems a waste doesn’t it!

[Cruisenewbie2023]

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

Not the same as vegan / dairy-free though as it would still contain milk products, but with the lactose neutralized.

Yep sadly no good.

I am Lacto/free so good to know but our daughter is allergic to dairy and most recently only just overcame her Soya (which was fantastic news as she can now eat most vegan ice cream!) but leaves her in a pickle if there is dairy 😔

[mackfam]

We board on Sunday and we’re looking for some options for Nassau. The ship’s excursions that were of interest are sold out and a couple in our group would like to go snorkeling. I’m wondering if there are any tour operators offering independent excursions when you get off the ship?

[Greygooser]

@AtSeaWithChris a question if you don't mind.. is there a comedian on the ship? also to everyone, has anyone posted the dailies from this Meraviglia itinerary? I'll be cruising 6/11 

[HLR]

Hello! What time is your MDR when you are not at a specialty restaurant? If I have 8:30 dinner what time show would I see in the Main theatre?