Semi-Live MSC Meraviglia 11-night Caribbean round trip from NYC (Jan. 15, 2024)

[mets07]

36 minutes ago, nferr said:

 I just got off the Maraviglia this morning. I had twice a day twice a day turndown service for the entire cruise.  

No idea why the different experiences......

[PistolPete13]

Came across this while processing my iPhone photos.  Yuk!!

 

[Fogfog]

Maybe- yet--

think bout the sweaty folks that get into pools and hot tubs without showering first...

or the folks who sit in hot tubs drinking all day without leaving for a restroom

Or the sweaty folks on the loungers without towels...

lots of yuck to go around

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Maybe- yet--

think bout the sweaty folks that get into pools and hot tubs without showering first...

or the folks who sit in hot tubs drinking all day without leaving for a restroom

Or the sweaty folks on the loungers without towels...

lots of yuck to go around

I enjoy sitting in the sweat of all those before me in the saunas! Haha....the yuck is there. But, it's kind of part of the experience is how I look at it. I'm sure not going to stop my sauna'ing time! 

[Rob-Bob]

Advice on parking at the Brooklyn Port, are their many choices or only the port parking lot?

[JamieLogical]

14 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

Advice on parking at the Brooklyn Port, are their many choices or only the port parking lot?

 

For parking near the cruise terminal, it's the terminal parking or bust. There aren't many other lots nearby, I did a LOT of research on parking and public transportation and there are no good options.

[Rob-Bob]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

For parking near the cruise terminal, it's the terminal parking or bust. There aren't many other lots nearby, I did a LOT of research on parking and public transportation and there are no good options.

And it seems like parking is $45 per day even though I have seen other rates posted in places.  We are looking at an 11 day cruise in April which means 12 days parking or $540.  Ouch.  As much as the cruise price for 1 person😪

 

Airfare to Florida might be about the same.

[PistolPete13]

Here is a view of the parking lot from the ship.  My sailing was pretty full but the lot was only 2/3 full maybe?  I'm sure the cost for an 11 day trip had something to do with it.

[alserrod]

On 1/13/2024 at 8:52 PM, PistolPete13 said:

Hello all,

 

Starting my semi-live review of a 11-night Caribbean round trip from NYC on the Meraviglia starting this coming Monday, 1/15/24.

 

Some background info.  Still consider myself a rookie cruiser with 38 nights under my belt since my first cruise in 2019.  All of the sailings had been NCL out of NYC.

Here is a link to my last semi-live back in Feb of 2023.
 

NCL didn't have any interesting iteniaries from NYC this winter and they were sailing with the same ship as last year so I decided to give MSC a try.  MSC has been on my radar since they came into the NYC market a few years ago with some very aggressive pricing.  For this sailing the price and ports hit the right notes for me so it was a go during the "Black Friday Sale" this past Thanksgiving.  I had not been tracking prices so I'm not sure how much of a sale it really was but it fit my budget and time frame so here we are!

So far my experience post booking has not been great thanks to the very clunky website that MSC has.  Just for some background, I've been in the software and IT field for over 30 yrs so I've seen and problem solved a lot of issues on similar client facing systems.  That being said, here has my experience been so far:

 

1. Online booking and payment was straightforward.  I had created an online account and status matched my NCL rewards for the equivalent MSC early last spring.  I found that the benefits on MSC were not as extensive as what I got with NCL.  No matter.

2. 30 days before sailing and it was time for Web Check in and this is where the fun begins!  I'm not a big fan of mobile apps so I start the check in process via the website login.  I completed all the requirements EXCEPT for the photo (the website didn't recognize my webcam for some reason) and linking of a credit card to my account because that option was never present on the website.  No big deal right?  Once the web portion was completed, I received a confirmation email that was completely in Italian.  Again, no big deal, google translate.

 

3. I download and install the mobile app to my iPhone to complete the missing items in the check in.  Take a horrid photo, and link a credit card to my account.

 

4. Once that process was completed, I log in back to the website to try and get my e-Docs.  No go.  Each time I press the button to send the docs after entering my email address, I'd get an error pop up.  I ended up calling customer service and they were able to generate and send me the big PDF file to my email.

5. I'm a bit of a planner so I wanted to book a few excursions beforehand but was unable to on the website.  Error messages would pop up or no excursions would be listed for the port.  I continued to check every day and on the third or fourth day, the excursion screen worked and I was able to book two of them.  Payment make and email sent to confirm.

6. At this point I should be all set.  A few days later I tried to log back into the web account just to make sure nothing has changed because the entire process had left me feeling unsure about the website.  This time around I was unable to log back in with my user ID and password.  It would kick me out saying I need to connect from the right country.  There are two other threads happening here with others having the same issue so I won't rehash the details here.  I'm still not able to login but my mobile app works and I'm not about to "rock the boat" this close to my sailing!

The booking # login still works but you're limited in functionality with that login.

So at this point I have hard copies of all my paperwork and plan to book one more Costa Maya excursion AFTER I get onboard.  Packing has commenced and I look foward to seeing how MSC will compare to my NCL experience.

If you haven't fallen asleep by this point reading, let me just say that I look forward to having you along from the cruise!  If there are others that are on this sailing and would like to add their experience to this thread, please feel free to do so!

 

-Pete

 

 

I still don't have time but...
- Yes, I have been able to download the MSCforme app, and it works for me with my name and reservation number, but very limited use. For the cruise... Also with name and reservation number or will I need to provide more information?
- I have read about the app failing in I don't know how many places. Any advice besides patience?
- and I have not been able to register as frequent travelers. Does it have to be after traveling?

[alserrod]

On 1/17/2024 at 6:32 PM, PistolPete13 said:

Just arrived in Cape Canaveral, it's 53 degees and COLD.

Here are my random thoughts from the first 2 days so far:

 

Boarding took about two hours from arrival at the terminal unless you have priority.  The one good thing about MSC compared to NCL is that you’re allowed to go directly to your room to leave your bags outside the room even if the room isn’t ready.  Rooms were announced ready around 1PM and they needed to be because the 2PM muster drill (3PM sailing) involved watching a video from the room and calling in using the phone in the room before you go out to get your card scanned at the muster station.

 

The only place that was open with food on embarkation day was the buffet so you can imagine what a zoo it was.  I didn’t see any line cutting or rudeness as reported by others but it’s only the first day!  The was a lot of standing around and indecisiveness at the various stations however.  The good thing is that the stations repeat the same food further in the buffet as you walk.  No need to congregate up front!

 

The food itself didn’t have a lot of variety compared to NCL.  Given the steady rise of food prices I would expect this to be the norm moving forward unfortunately.

 

As for the quality?  I had no issues with everything I grabbed except for the seafood paella.  It was basically rice with some microscopic krill, err, shrimp bits.  That was still fine until I tasted it.  The best way to describe it was that it tasted like what a fish market would smell like.  Humm.  I even checked with a friend who owns a seafood restaurant and he said it seems like it could’ve been left out too long.

 

We finally sailed away about an hour late as they kept making announcements to track down the muster drill no shows.  I’m sorry but the Brooklyn pier sail away is very lackluster compared to the Pier 88 sail away.  I’m a little biased because I’ve been taking the Staten Island ferry back and forth for work going on 27 years now so I may be a bit jaded.  The ship basically takes the same path soon after leaving the Brooklyn pier.  For the out of town folks, you’re not going to get very close to the Statue of Liberty at all.  Come in a day early and take a ride on the Staten Island ferry of you want a good look without actually going onto Liberty Island.  

 

Was for the city skyline, yeah, you’re too far away with a phone camera unless you’re carrying a brick of a camera like I was to zoom things in.  You’ll see once I upload all my photos.

 

Housekeeping procedures.  MSC wants you to link a credit card to your cruise card account as soon as possible after you board.  I somehow was able to avoid this by using the mobile app ahead of time to do this.  Using the mobile app completely broke my web login account but that’s a story for another day.

 

OK, my peace has been disturbed now.  I’m in the cruise next area and three loud people are rearranging the furniture and tables to setup for a card game.  They’re yelling at the cruise next people after basically upending their work area.  Ugh.  I’m going to relocate, I’m not going to listen to this.

 

 

Alright, relocation successful.  It started to rain outdoors and indoor space is a bit of a premium but I don’t think a lot of people are aware of this Sky Lounge bar yet.  It’s the equivalent of the observation lounge on the Away class NCL ships.

 

Where was I.  Oh yeah, dinnertime.  MSC will assign you a specific dining time in the main dining room.  They specifically tell you that the doors will be closed 15 mins after your assigned time so if you miss it, you’re on your own.  It appears that there is only one dining room that is complimentary compared to the three normally on NCL ships.  I found the dining time to be a bit restrictive after my experience with NCL.  It would require some planning if evening entertainment shows are on your agenda.

 

I’ll attach the dinner menus later but it was typical MDR food.  I had a second miss with seafood ordering a calamari salad.  It just didn’t agree with me and I’m known as the human garbage can in the office when it comes to food.  Lesson learned, no more seafood anything the rest of my time on board.  

 

After dinner I spent some time watching a huge dance party in the central atrium of the ship.  The setup was amazing with the LED tiled ceilings displaying animations and a very enthusiastic entertainment crew.  It was close to 11PM when the party was over and guess what, the buffet was still open!  Take that NCL.  They even had a midnight snacks selection of deserts that was roped off until the stroke of midnight.  It was so nice to get a cup of coffee and 5 slices of tiramisu as a light snack before bed.

 

Day 2

 

No hockey puck has browns at breakfast!  All they had were they croquet things.  They were crunchy but it was not the same!    The rest of the offerings were standard breakfast fare.

 

The gym was an absolute zoo at 9:30AM.  It’s not very large at all and I want to say it was even smaller than what was on the Prima.  You had people camping out to use the treadmills (limited to 25 mins) and other machines.  The free weight area only had two benches.  Towels and sanitizer was in chronic short supply.  I’m not sure why the gym was so popular with passengers on this sailing.  I did noticed that the gym was also packed during sail away as well when I peeked in the windows.  Based on my unbiased observations, I think many of the passengers found the gym equipment to be a novelty for their instagram photos.  I’m trying to be kind OK!

 

Quick observation of the MSC observation lounge.  They were smart to make most of the chairs single seats only.  No loungers or daybeds for homeless sleep away use.  NCL needs to install those hard benches with blocky armrests like they have in the NYC subway system to discourage the sleepers.

 

 

 

 

Hello

Can you explain this better?
I understand that when you check-in you have to hand over all the suitcases except the "carry-on luggage". The suitcases are delivered to you throughout the day (and they ask you to notify them if they have not arrived by 8:00 p.m.). Is it like that?
What can you leave at the bedroom door?
When you first enter the ship, is the room already prepared or may you have to wait?

 

 

[PistolPete13]

1 minute ago, alserrod said:

 

 

 

Hello

Can you explain this better?
I understand that when you check-in you have to hand over all the suitcases except the "carry-on luggage". The suitcases are delivered to you throughout the day (and they ask you to notify them if they have not arrived by 8:00 p.m.). Is it like that?
What can you leave at the bedroom door?
When you first enter the ship, is the room already prepared or may you have to wait?

 

 

Sure but keep in mind that I only carried all my luggage and didn't check in anything to be delivered.

Once you get onboard, you can make your way to your stateroom.  From what I saw, many rooms already had their luggage placed in front of their doors.  If the room is not fully ready yet (it's obvious depending on where the steward for your section is currently working) you can ask to put your carry on luggage in a closet this way you be free to go eat or explore the ship without dragging too much excess.

Keep in mind this might change at any time as I can see how having passenger stuff all over a room not fully ready yet could interfere with the clean up process.

[alserrod]

Thank you

 

I will read later the rest of your diary. I am learning more about with these experiences than with a lot of pages.

 

Just one question. Can you make some pictures about what is available on the buffet after meals? (I know there's pizza what... what else?, for some hours or the whole day?)

 

Thank you

[PistolPete13]

26 minutes ago, alserrod said:

I still don't have time but...
- Yes, I have been able to download the MSCforme app, and it works for me with my name and reservation number, but very limited use. For the cruise... Also with name and reservation number or will I need to provide more information?
- I have read about the app failing in I don't know how many places. Any advice besides patience?
- and I have not been able to register as frequent travelers. Does it have to be after traveling?

The mobile app is limited until you connect to the onboard ship Wifi (this is free even without an Internet package) when it then transforms into an electronic version of the daily planner sheets for all activities on the ship.  It also becomes a window into your onboard account and your spend/credits.

I found the WiFi access on the Meraviglia at least to be rock solid and the app dependable during my cruise.

[PistolPete13]

2 minutes ago, alserrod said:

Thank you

 

I will read later the rest of your diary. I am learning more about with these experiences than with a lot of pages.

 

Just one question. Can you make some pictures about what is available on the buffet after meals? (I know there's pizza what... what else?, for some hours or the whole day?)

 

Thank you

I'm still processing photos that include all the food items I ate.  Didn't think I would post those here and bore everyone to tears.

Here is a link to the photo album where you can see all the good, bad, and ugly!

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjB5C8d

 

 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, alserrod said:

 

 

 

Hello

Can you explain this better?
I understand that when you check-in you have to hand over all the suitcases except the "carry-on luggage". The suitcases are delivered to you throughout the day (and they ask you to notify them if they have not arrived by 8:00 p.m.). Is it like that?
What can you leave at the bedroom door?
When you first enter the ship, is the room already prepared or may you have to wait?

 

 

 

I am one to carry on as little as possible. I never saw the point of lugging all my bags through the rat maze lines and having to put them through the x-ray machines, then having to carry them up stairs or elevators when they can just deliver them to your room to you for free. I only ever carry on my backpack, which has my medications, jewelry, and electronics. Luggage is delivered to rooms throughout the day, but should definitely all be delivered by dinner time. I think the latest mine has come was during the Muster Drill. They have a tendency to line bags up in the hall before delivering them to each door, so if you are in a rush, you can scope out the bags lined up in the hall and try to spot yours and bring it to your room yourself.

 

As for when rooms are ready, it depends on the ship and the sailing, but usually it's around 1:00 or 1:30.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

And it seems like parking is $45 per day even though I have seen other rates posted in places.

The place to look for that information is the official port website, not what some rando posts on their Facebook or TikTok page:

https://nycruise.com/brooklyn-terminal/parking/

 

[Rob-Bob]

Actually it looks like if you stay for longer than 7 days you get the 7 day rate.  $315 max.

 

You can make reservations and pay $315. That is better but still not cheap.

[sammee]

28 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

Actually it looks like if you stay for longer than 7 days you get the 7 day rate.  $315 max.

 

You can make reservations and pay $315. That is better but still not cheap.

They got rid of that last year. If you look on the webpage and go to the May 4 sailing, it's 8 days and $360. I priced my 9 day cruise at 405 last week, so got a family member to drive us. And if you book in advance there's a $12 processing fee.

[PistolPete13]

Ocean Cay and Miami photos with some Icon of the Seas thrown in.

 

[JamieLogical]

I see you got a shot of the new MSC terminal in there. I was really hoping it would be ready for my sailing this weekend way back when we booked it and they said it would open in January. I think now they are more on track for May?

[PistolPete13]

34 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I see you got a shot of the new MSC terminal in there. I was really hoping it would be ready for my sailing this weekend way back when we booked it and they said it would open in January. I think now they are more on track for May?

I think May is more realistic.  There was work going on when we pulled in at 6:30AM and when we left at 9PM as well.  They're definitely running 2 shifts and maybe even 3 with the construction.

[Rob-Bob]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:48 PM, sammee said:

They got rid of that last year. If you look on the webpage and go to the May 4 sailing, it's 8 days and $360. I priced my 9 day cruise at 405 last week, so got a family member to drive us. And if you book in advance there's a $12 processing fee.

I switched up and booked the CCL Venezia out of Manhattan on 4/5/24.  We booked parking there for 10 days at the lot at the port.  They say $45 per day but they only charged us $315 (plus $9.95 fee) for the entire 10 day stay.  

 

I thought maybe they were doing the same thing in Brooklyn.

 

We got a ridiculously cheap price on this sailing so we switched it up from the Mereviglia on MSC.  If they were stopping at the private island we would have went MSC way.  The Venezia looks like a very nice ship.  Inside room all in for $1,300 for 2 people.  First time back on Carnival in 10+ years.

[JamieLogical]

10 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

I switched up and booked the CCL Venezia out of Manhattan on 4/5/24.  We booked parking there for 10 days at the lot at the port.  They say $45 per day but they only charged us $315 (plus $9.95 fee) for the entire 10 day stay.  

 

I thought maybe they were doing the same thing in Brooklyn.

 

We got a ridiculously cheap price on this sailing so we switched it up from the Mereviglia on MSC.  If they were stopping at the private island we would have went MSC way.  The Venezia looks like a very nice ship.  Inside room all in for $1,300 for 2 people.  First time back on Carnival in 10+ years.

 

You will have to let us know how it goes. A sailing on the Venezia in October has caught our eye and we are seriously considering it.

[Rob-Bob]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

You will have to let us know how it goes. A sailing on the Venezia in October has caught our eye and we are seriously considering it.

I will report back.  I can't promise a review like you do but who knows.  Maybe I will write something up.   NCL seems like our go to lately but have been on many different lines including 2 MSC sailings. We have a RCI cruise scheduled in Nov 24.

[sammee]

1 hour ago, Rob-Bob said:

I switched up and booked the CCL Venezia out of Manhattan on 4/5/24.  We booked parking there for 10 days at the lot at the port.  They say $45 per day but they only charged us $315 (plus $9.95 fee) for the entire 10 day stay.  

 

I thought maybe they were doing the same thing in Brooklyn.

 

We got a ridiculously cheap price on this sailing so we switched it up from the Mereviglia on MSC.  If they were stopping at the private island we would have went MSC way.  The Venezia looks like a very nice ship.  Inside room all in for $1,300 for 2 people.  First time back on Carnival in 10+ years.

I'm not sure what they are doing, but take it while you can. They were both were the same as of this past November. I had a cruise booked on Venezia and was pricing out my options, but I ended up having to cancel Venezia. I'll definitelyl keep that in mind if I book her again. I had a casino comped for Meraviglia for my 1/26 cruise. I was considering driving even with the higher price, but I wasn't sure if I could get us back home due to an eye issue that I get treatments for.