MSC Meraviglia Live Cruise 6/18 Yacht Club

[snmathe]

Wednesday

 

So this day we were in Nassau! My husband and I were really excited about this day. He proposed to me in Nassau a couple years back in December. To be able to come back here during our honeymoon was a full circle moment! 
 

We started the morning off with breakfast. We had our usual but this time I wanted to try a mimosa with freshly squeezed orange juice. It was a GAME CHANGER! I will only drink mimosas this way now. Breakfast was  really good.

 

today also solidified for us that we loved to eat breakfast on the pool deck. The only thing I didn’t see on the menu was eggs Benedict. I really really wanted some and decided to ask. They made it for me without any hesitation! So everything you can order in the dining room for yacht club you can get on the pool deck. And with quicker service. 
 

after breakfast, we got changed for our day. We were so excited. We went up to the pool deck to grab lunch and watch us dock. 
 

 

The lunch food on the pool deck is pretty good. They rotate the meats and keep the sides the same for the most part.

 

After lunch, we decided to go to the top sail lounge to wait and get off the boat. We were excited because we were able to get priority today. I grabbed a small snack and we got some drinks before leaving

 

After, we decided to get off the boat. Now remember, as long as you are doing your own exploring and/or excursion you get priority when leaving. Otherwise, you will wait with everyone else to leave the boat if you book an excursion through the ship. 
 

When you’re ready to leave, you go up to concierge and tell them. They then call a butler to come escort you. When the butler comes, they take you to the elevators and you go down to leave the boat. If there is a line the butler will push through the crowd and you will follow them. They normally have a few groups with them. So from the outside looking in, it looks like a huge group trying to cut the lines. Be prepared to hear a bunch of people talking mess to you. We just ignored the comments and continued with our day. 
 

Nassau just did a HUGE renovation. So if you haven’t been there in a couple years, it will look extremely different when you get off the boat. 

 

In Nassau we decided to create our own wine to represent our love and what Nassau means to us as a couple. We went with the excursion Bahama Barrels. We booked it through Viator. Because it wasn’t through the cruise ship, we had to get our own transportation. This part was really confusing. Because of the renovations they’ve done, you are immediately bombarded with one car service. We thought this was the only one. So we went with it. The guy took us and 2 other families. He was going to take us to our excursion and pick us up at a certain time. We only paid him for half the ride and we were going to pay him the rest when he picked us up. DO NOT DO THIS. Later on you will see why. But pay after they pick you up. 
 

we got there a little early and we decided to explore. The Bahama Barrels also had a chocolate shop and a cigar shop. We decided to go to both. My husband loves cigars and there is a cigar lounge onboard so he wanted to get a cigar for the ship. The chocolate shop was cute and you can get free chocolate. The cigar shop was interesting but the smell had me so sick. But if you love cigars and want to see the process in how they make them you will appreciate this. We got to see them roll cigars and my husband found a nice cigar to take home. 

 

After, we went back to the wine making class and walked around for a little

 

No one came out to get us when our excursion started so we just walked in. The decor was so pretty inside. We absolutely loved it.

 

So how this is setup is every person gets to make a bottle of wine from scratch. Including creating your own label. The instructor we had was so awesome. She told us the history on how Nassau is able to have wine because they can’t grow their own grapes. And then asked us our flavor preference. We told her we preferred sweet wines. With that information she gave us 5 different wines to taste. You have a paper in front of you where you can write about each wine. Which you are going to want to do. Because by the 5th wine you are feeling very toasty!! 

 

The wine was extremely strong. Everything was 12% or higher. They also have a rule that you need to finish ALL the wine you use to help make your creation😅. This here was my mistake. I took this to heart and drank all the wine and slowly started getting drunker by the minute.

 

 

After you taste the wine, you get to do 3 trials and combine whatever wine you want in those trials to find the perfect combination. I already knew right away what wine I wanted to combine. I combined two different flavors together. When you’re done you will combine the two flavors in this long tube 

then you will taste the combination one last time to make sure you like everything. When it’s good, you’ll pour it into your wine bottle! While you’re doing this, they are also making your wine label.

 

After, you pour the wine in, you will cork it. 

You use this machine and it’s actually really fun.

We got to put the wine label on ourselves. They let us do one extra bottle because it was our honeymoon. So my husband and I both got to make our own and then we created one together. 
 

This excursion was so much fun and you get to drink A LOT. So much so that I was drunk after the excursion. We walked outside at the time our driver was supposed to return and he wasn’t there 🙃 I’m really happy we only paid him half but we were still upset. 

Thankfully this is a spot a lot of tours stop on and a driver saw that we were confused and lost. He asked us if we wanted to tag along with his tour group and he would take us back to the ship. We only had to go on a few stops with them. And it was pretty cool because we got to go on a tour around Nassau for free. 
 

One of the stops was a shop where a lady who was a cancer survivor makes drinks and teas for people who have cancer and help them heal. I shared with them how I was a cancer survivor and they took me to meet the owner and we bonded. It was a really sweet moment. She gave me one of their drinks for free.

 

After this we headed back to the ship. They had to hold onto our wine until the end of the cruise. I was feeling extremely sick from drinking so much and I went to sleep for the rest of the day 😂. We even had to miss our special honeymoon reservations we had at Butchers Cut. I was so incredibly sad, but really needed to not leave my room. 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Thank you for your posts and pictures. You truly look like a great couple and your happiness is contagious. All the best!

[snmathe]

Thursday

 

This day started off with us sleeping in. We really got used to docking late. And we really liked that we got to sleep in. We did want to try out the main dining room for breakfast and figured this was a great day to do it. Because we were at the private island of Ocean Cay all day, we didn’t really think it was necessary to get off the boat super early. 
 

I will say right off the bat, we knew right away that we appreciated the breakfast on the pool deck. Typically for breakfast, you need to be quick and be able to control your own pace. Every single thing was the same except for tea. I am not a coffee person unless I have to be. I love a good tea. I was so happy we were able to experience the tea. But the service was slow. And it was slow to get our food. So even though I did appreciate drinking tea, I still would choose the breakfast on the pool deck.

 

The menu stays the same for breakfast. I will say the croissants are to DIE for. I felt like I was in a French bakery every time I ate one. I do love the views you have in the main dining room.

 

After breakfast, we decided to try out the Thermal Spa! I was so happy we did this. It was not crowded at all and we really got to try out all the amenities. When you’re in the Yacht Club, you get this for free. I would personally not pay for the thermal spa. I unfortunately didn’t take pictures. But there are a lot of saunas. All ranging various temperatures depending on your comfortability. Two thermal pools. One has lounge chairs that are metal and roll. They are really comfy. And hot and cold showers. That have scents. So if you are sensitive to smell, you wouldn’t like it.

 

I spent most of my time in the thermal pools. It was nice and relaxing before we went to the island.

 

when we were finally ready to go to the island, it was around 11. There’s a free Yacht Club lunch and we wanted to have a little bit of time to swim beforehand. When we were ready to go we got escorted off the boat. There wasn’t a lot of people leaving the ship during this time so it wasn’t too hectic. Once off the ship you get escorted to this private yacht club area while you wait for a golf cart to take you to the yacht club part of the island.

 

There was water there while you waited and pretty views

 

we then boarded a golf cart to the furthest end of the island. The private yacht club area comes with free drinks and towels

It took a long time to get a drink and for us wasn’t worth it. Especially because we wanted to swim. The water in the yacht club area was rough and not calm. I also couldn’t see the bottom of the ocean and that freaked me out 🤣

 

We decided to only swim in the water for about 30 mins and then we got out to relax and before lunch started. They did open a little earlier and I think it was because of the weather. It was set to rain during the beginning of lunch service so we wanted to go then. Unfortunately everyone got that idea so we got a table that was partially outside. It was only lightly drizzling during this time and it felt refreshing so we didn’t mind. We ate with some of our friends we met during the cruise and had ourselves a time.

we started off with our appetizers. We had crab ceviche and grilled octopus! Both were delicious. After we finished our appetizers, it started raining harder so we quickly snagged a table inside. We then ordered our entrees and desserts.

 

We got the infamous lobster roll and burger! Both really good.

 

after lunch the weather cleared up a lot and we went to the beach on the opposite side of the yacht club. It was so much prettier and calmer over there. We went snorkeling and swam for awhile here.

 

The views were straight out of a magazine. We decided it was time for us to go when we saw two barracudas 🤣

 

After we got back on the boat, we still wanted to swim, but in safe waters 😅 the Yacht Club was redoing the pool during this time which was a little frustrating and upsetting. We wanted to go to an adult only pool because we thought it would be calm and not as crowded. We asked conceirge if there was an adult only pool and they had no idea. Which was shocking. We left the yacht club and ventured out and found the Horizon pool. There is an adult only sign there. There was no one there and we had a fun time swimming there for about an hour.

 

We cleaned up and didn’t really like what we saw for dinner on the menu. I felt really bad about ruining our dinner reservations so we wanted to try and get last minute ones for any restaurant. We went to concierge and they really did try to get us reservations but everywhere said they were booked. We decided to go to the sushi restaurant and just ask if they had any cancellations. We just missed the 530 dinner by a hare and he couldn’t squeeze us in. He told us to come back at 730 and we can see if there’s anything for that dinner. We decided to go to the champagne bar and get drinks while we wait.

It was gorgeous and the drinks were really good! At 730 there still wasn’t any room. The manager told us if we could push off until 9, we could have the late reservation. I was down to wait and we decided we would go to the top sail lounge and eat some snacks and wait.

 

We were really excited to try the Hibachi restaurant because we heard great things and it was worth the wait! The best hibachi I’ve ever been to. And you get more food than you can eat! You get your moneys worth for sure.

 

You get all of this food for one price. You can also take food back to your room. 
 

We did see the light show for a little bit, but I’ll be honest…I didn’t think it was that great 🙈 We didn’t watch it from the island so maybe it was better there. But you get front row views on the Yacht Club Pool deck and it was just very underwhelming.

[snmathe]

Friday

 

We started off our day again with some breakfast on the pool deck. There were some storm clouds so we wanted to hurry before they arrived.

 

After, we wanted to go watch MasterChef. It was actually pretty fun. They choose the contestants with a trivia game. There are cooking questions they ask you and you fill out a questionnaire. Then they collect every paper and tally up the votes. While they’re doing that, they go over the answer with everyone. The top scores are chosen to compete. You decorate a dessert and it’s based on presentation.

 

I do think the idea is really cool. I wish the guests got to cook, but I understand the safety concerns. But I still think there are dishes you can create that don’t involve high end appliances!

 

After, we tried going to the thermal spa and it was crowded! And not fun at all. Even with our reservation, it was overly crowded. We had to leave because it took out the relaxation. We were glad we went on a non sea day and I really r recommend that.

 

Because of the rain, Bingo was switched indoors which I liked so we decided to go to it.

 

I don’t like that the majority of their activities are outside. I feel like it’s more rowdy and bingo is something that should be indoors. So it was a blessing that it rained! We had a lot of fun during BINGO. And after, we decided to have lunch.

 

I had the pea soup and it was so amazing. I asked for a second bowl. For my entree, I had the Tagliolini. Which that was just okay.

 

After lunch we had to get ready for high tea. I was waiting for this day the whole cruise. On the Meraviglia, they only have High Tea one night. Which I was sad about, but decided we were going to do it up for this!

 

it was amazing. The experience was very elegant and I highly recommend if you love tea.

 

You get one tray for food. I saw someone asking for a second one but this one was enough for us. You start off by selecting which tea you want. All the tea is loose and it soaks in your tea pot.

 

This event was more popular than the captain meet and great. So I do recommend coming early. Otherwise, you may have a wait with getting your tea.

 

After tea, we decided to relax for a little and  then get ready for dinner. We a wanted to try a meal at the Pub because it smelled so good and it was cheap. We were not disappointed. 

 

Everything was delicious! We also learned from our friends that we could order anything from the main dining room to our rooms. We wanted some of the things that were on the menu so we decided to do this. It was nice and seamless.

 

We decided to turn in early so we could wake up and pack tomorrow since it’s our last day 😭

[snmathe]

Saturday

 

Welllll getting up early to pack didn’t go as planned 🤣 We knew we needed some fuel so we decided to start with breakfast. 

 

It was so sad knowing this was our last breakfast up on the pool deck. 
 

We really had a lazy Saturday. We wanted to try and go to the pool, but because they drained ours, they had to refill it and it was ice cold! It sucked. So we decided we wanted to try the horizon pool. And it was crowded AND crazy! We were disappointed and just decided to go back to our room for lunch. This lunch was AMAZING on the pool deck. The weather was also beautiful and I think everyone chose to eat outside.

 

We heard the buffet outside of the yacht club had nachos and I really wanted some. We decided to venture out and it was a madhouse in the buffet. We had to leave and it solidified for me that I couldn’t do MSC without the yacht club. Every time we went outside the yacht club, it was incredibly crowded and not enjoyable. 
 

we went back to our room and order pizza and nachos from room service and avoided packing once again 🤣

 

After the pizza and nachos, we decided to just embrace the cold and go to the pool. We alternated between the pool and hot tub and it was actually really fun. 

 

after the pool, we relaxed some more and then got ready for dinner. We decided to dress up for our last night.

 

Dinner was really good the very last night. My photos from dinner aren’t posting. So I’m going to try and upload them in another post.

 All in all. It was a great last night. We went to our room to finally pack and then meet friends to listen to calypso music and the top sail lounge.

[miched]

Try a mimosa with some Grand Marnier in it.   
 

A passenger ordered a Mimosa at the bar I was sitting at.   She told me that the BT made  the best mimosa.     He told me that he adds Grand Marnier to it. 
 

I am not a fan but it gave me an idea and I asked him to make me an old fashion with some Grand Marnier.  It added a different twist to it as it  adds a little more orange flavor than just using a muddled orange slice.  My wife now wants all of them that way when we have them during our HH at home. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Edhoff]

On 6/19/2023 at 4:13 PM, LImom said:

Parking for the Meraviglia at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn is $45 per day.

Welcome to New York

[benjaminnicholas]

4 hours ago, Edhoff said:

Welcome to New York

 

By NYC standard, that's actually cheap.

[sverigecruiser]

On 7/4/2023 at 12:32 AM, snmathe said:

After, we decided to get off the boat. Now remember, as long as you are doing your own exploring and/or excursion you get priority when leaving. Otherwise, you will wait with everyone else to leave the boat if you book an excursion through the ship. 

 

That's not how it's normally done. When going on a shipexcursion you will be escorted from the lounge to the bus. We did that last week and every time we were the first to board the bus.

[Brighton Line]

14 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

By NYC standard, that's actually cheap.

Also includes NYC parking and sales taxes of 10.375% non-manhattan and 18.375% in Manhattan

 

[LImom]

18 hours ago, Edhoff said:

Welcome to New York

 

14 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

By NYC standard, that's actually cheap.

 

2 minutes ago, Brighton Line said:

Also includes NYC parking and sales taxes of 10.375% non-manhattan and 18.375% in Manhattan

 

I was actually answering a question, not commenting on the amount. I personally do not think that it is that expensive and have paid to park there twice. Now if You want expensive, look at parking at JFK for a week without prebooking. Drive up rate is $70-80 per day! Thats expensive.