My View: A Merry Meraviglia Christmas in a Fantastica Balcony

[APDMOM]

Sangria at Hola! Tapas bar:

I highly recommend the white/fruity sangria at Tapas bar.  It was $13 plus the 15% tip.  They fill it to the top, it is huge, and it is very delicious!  If we had discovered it the first day, there is no way I would have stuck to the budget.  Good thing that we were under budget on Ocean Cay day.  😉

 

[bigblue1952]

Terrific review.  Your tips will be helpful for our October Meraviglia cruise.  I hope to read many more of your wonderful reviews.  Happy New Year 

[APDMOM]

One Last Gift... The MSC for Me app demo.

You can also check your account status on the app, which I forgot to video.  There is a way to send messages through the app too, but it was very glitchy, so we just used our iPhones with messenger.  It worked flawlessly between me and DH.  Only DS's phone sometimes turned the messages 'green' which meant they did not send.

 

🙂

 

[slotmomma3]

This was a very entertaining and well written review!!  We will be on Merviglia in YC in March.  I have to say the main dining room menus you posted interest me much more than the YC menus that I have seen.

[mamaneedsavacay]

On 12/30/2019 at 12:29 PM, APDMOM said:

This is why we need a back to back cruise... On the last night, we discovered this great band.  They were doing an Elvis Tribute.   We always missed the live music since we attended the main show.  Tonight, we skipped the show as there were so many other things to do.  Wish we could have stayed another week.  

 

I appreciated your reviews of the shows. Since you've also sailed on the Seaside, would you say they are are stylistically similar? I wasn't a huge fan of the way they threw everything into a musical variety act pot-pourri, even though some of the acts were very good in each. We enjoyed Peter Punk the most of the ones we saw on the Seaside and skipped a couple, because we realized how much we were missing by being committed to a theater show every night. 

 

Now that you have hindsight, were some of the shows skippable, or would you still recommend seeing all of them? Or put another way, if we're going to pick 3 or 4, which ones did you like the best? 

[APDMOM]

11 minutes ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

 

I appreciated your reviews of the shows. Since you've also sailed on the Seaside, would you say they are are stylistically similar? I wasn't a huge fan of the way they threw everything into a musical variety act pot-pourri, even though some of the acts were very good in each. We enjoyed Peter Punk the most of the ones we saw on the Seaside and skipped a couple, because we realized how much we were missing by being committed to a theater show every night. 

 

Now that you have hindsight, were some of the shows skippable, or would you still recommend seeing all of them? Or put another way, if we're going to pick 3 or 4, which ones did you like the best? 

 

The shows on Meraviglia were not near as good and varied as Seaside.  There is nothing like Peter Punk or the Michael Jackson show.  I think it is because they had the Cirque du Soleil shows, so there are no acrobats in the regular Meraviglia shows. I would personally actually only repeat “Born to Rock” and maybe “Virtual”.  

 

The shows were good to see once, but not near as memorable as Peter Punk or Michael Jackson, which I would want to see over and over.  

 

Hope this helps!  

[mamaneedsavacay]

17 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

 

The shows on Meraviglia were not near as good and varied as Seaside.  There is nothing like Peter Punk or the Michael Jackson show.  I think it is because they had the Cirque du Soleil shows, so there are no acrobats in the regular Meraviglia shows. I would personally actually only repeat “Born to Rock” and maybe “Virtual”.  

 

The shows were good to see once, but not near as memorable as Peter Punk or Michael Jackson, which I would want to see over and over.  

 

Hope this helps!  

 It totally helps! Michael Jackson was the part of Timeless that we really enjoyed, I forgot to mention that. 

Perfect recommendation, we'll go the first two nights (if they are still Virtual and BtR) and then find some other fun things to do. Thank you!

[MrsFops&FopsC5]

Quick question, is the beer offered in the pub part of the premium drink package.(up to $12).  My DH loves beer especially unique brands he’s partial to an IPA.  We sail Sunday and can’t wait to try MSC..

[APDMOM]

1 hour ago, MrsFops&FopsC5 said:

Quick question, is the beer offered in the pub part of the premium drink package.(up to $12).  My DH loves beer especially unique brands he’s partial to an IPA.  We sail Sunday and can’t wait to try MSC..

Since we did not have a drinks package, I can only make an educated guess that it will be included if the drink base price is $12 or lower.  Please report back here if you learn anything about the drinks package.

 

🙂 Enjoy your cruise!  I would love to go again!!! 

[klmxt4]

On 12/31/2019 at 2:33 PM, APDMOM said:

TV Studio and Bar:

 

TIP: This is where you pick up your tender tickets if you visit a tender port like Belize. People seemed to have trouble finding it, but it is the lounge across the way from the pub.

 

Tender tickets? Going on my first MSC cruise next month on the Meraviglia. I’ve tendered on Carnival and RCI before, and we just head down to the deck and board the tenders first come first serve, but it sounds like you have to book a ticket on a tender on MSC? I’m assuming that’s just for your outbound tender (you don’t have to book your return tender)?

 

Also, thanks for this amazing review! I love to plan for a vacation, and I feel so prepared now! Our cabin is just down the hall from yours—a Fantastica balcony, but on the starboard side, towards the aft. I was really glad to hear that you didn’t have much vibration—that was our only concern with that location.

[APDMOM]

12 hours ago, klmxt4 said:

Tender tickets? Going on my first MSC cruise next month on the Meraviglia. I’ve tendered on Carnival and RCI before, and we just head down to the deck and board the tenders first come first serve, but it sounds like you have to book a ticket on a tender on MSC? I’m assuming that’s just for your outbound tender (you don’t have to book your return tender)?

 

Also, thanks for this amazing review! I love to plan for a vacation, and I feel so prepared now! Our cabin is just down the hall from yours—a Fantastica balcony, but on the starboard side, towards the aft. I was really glad to hear that you didn’t have much vibration—that was our only concern with that location.

@klmxt4 Yes, the tendering with ticket process works out much better than lining up in the stairwell.  That way you get to enjoy the ship until they call your number.  You only need an outbound tender ticket.  Coming back is not as crowded, as everyone does not want to return to the ship at the same time.

 

 If you have diamond status, you get a priority tender pass, which means you don’t need a tender ticket - you just leave the ship at your convenience.  

 

Enjoy your cruise! 😊

[elbodans]

9 hours ago, APDMOM said:

@klmxt4 Yes, the tendering with ticket process works out much better than lining up in the stairwell.  That way you get to enjoy the ship until they call your number.  You only need an outbound tender ticket.  Coming back is not as crowded, as everyone does not want to return to the ship at the same time.

 

 If you have diamond status, you get a priority tender pass, which means you don’t need a tender ticket - you just leave the ship at your convenience.  

 

Enjoy your cruise! 😊

Do tickets take into account shore excursions? We are tendered in Belize--as you know--and we are doing a very long ship-sponsored shore excursion. Can I assume that booking through the ship for said excursion will help us get off the ship in order to begin said excursion? 

[Amion68]

Hi OP - I am a first time cruiser considering the exact same package/itinerary on Meraviglia in March 2020.  We are a family of 4 (kids aged 8 and 14).  The package proce for the cruise we are being quoted seems v reasonable.  

 

Would you recommend this package, or should we be looking elsewhere (i.e. Royal Carribean, Carnival etc)?

[justme665]

On 12/30/2019 at 9:22 PM, APDMOM said:

A few views of the room layout and balcony:

 

I thought the couch turned into bed was pretty strange with that opening - it almost looks more like something you would find on a campground than a cruise ship.

 

 

 

Thanks for the review and the photos! How large of a curtain did you use? Thinking this might be the way to go for our upcoming cruise with our high-energy light-sensitive non-sleeping toddler 🙂 

 

Also, did I read your previous post about Ocean Cay correctly - there was scuba diving but it was cancelled? The excursions don't seem to be loading properly when I log into MSC, so I'm flying a bit blind to figure out what we want to do in each port!

 

Thanks again for all the great info!

[APDMOM]

2 hours ago, justme665 said:

 

 

Thanks for the review and the photos! How large of a curtain did you use? Thinking this might be the way to go for our upcoming cruise with our high-energy light-sensitive non-sleeping toddler 🙂 

 

Also, did I read your previous post about Ocean Cay correctly - there was scuba diving but it was cancelled? The excursions don't seem to be loading properly when I log into MSC, so I'm flying a bit blind to figure out what we want to do in each port!

 

Thanks again for all the great info!

@justme665

It is just a regular, cheap shower curtain that we bought, so it is standard sized for a shower curtain.  At night, we move the magnets to divide the area between the sleeper couch and the bed.

 

Yes, they had scuba diving at Ocean Cay.  I would venture to guess that it will frequently get cancelled in December, January, February, when the waves tend to be more choppy in that area.

 

Here are some screen shots of what Ocean Cay is offering in June on our upcoming Seaside cruise.  Note that prices often differ by sailing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

6 hours ago, Amion68 said:

Hi OP - I am a first time cruiser considering the exact same package/itinerary on Meraviglia in March 2020.  We are a family of 4 (kids aged 8 and 14).  The package proce for the cruise we are being quoted seems v reasonable.  

 

Would you recommend this package, or should we be looking elsewhere (i.e. Royal Carribean, Carnival etc)?

@Amion68  We are always in for a great deal (price wise).  I think this ship offers very good value for money, but it depends on how independent your kids are and whether they will enjoy the activities offered.  Our son loved the ship, the slides, and the Himalayan Bridge, so he will gladly go on this cruise again.  However, I have heard that the children’s programs are not as great on MSC as on Royal or Carnival.  I would personally avoid Carnival over spring break (mainly March/April in USA).  

 

So, it boils down to Royal VS MSC kids’ programs.  I saw plenty of kids having fun in the Doremi club on Meraviglia, so I am not sure what the specific complaints are.  Sorry I can not help more.  

 

I would personally choose MSC for such a late booking, as Royal prices are typically best when you book about 2 years in advance (when itineraries are released).  For Royal, it would also depend upon the ship you choose.  I would not book less than 7 days in March.  (Spring breakers tend to book shorter cruises).

 

 

[APDMOM]

17 hours ago, elbodans said:

Do tickets take into account shore excursions? We are tendered in Belize--as you know--and we are doing a very long ship-sponsored shore excursion. Can I assume that booking through the ship for said excursion will help us get off the ship in order to begin said excursion? 

Yes, if you have a shore excursion, you do not need a ticket.  You will have a specific meeting place and time on the ship. 🙂

[justme665]

16 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

@justme665

It is just a regular, cheap shower curtain that we bought, so it is standard sized for a shower curtain.  At night, we move the magnets to divide the area between the sleeper couch and the bed.

 

Yes, they had scuba diving at Ocean Cay.  I would venture to guess that it will frequently get cancelled in December, January, February, when the waves tend to be more choppy in that area.

 

Here are some screen shots of what Ocean Cay is offering in June on our upcoming Seaside cruise.  Note that prices often differ by sailing:

Thank you so much, that's super helpful! If only I could get the login to work so that I could explore the options in detail... 🤦‍♀️

[kealalani]

On 12/26/2019 at 9:55 AM, APDMOM said:

Lunch at the Aft Dining Area:

For some reason, this little aft area remains secret to a majority of people on the ship.  Thanks to Cruise Critic, I knew to look for it and found it on our second morning.  Today, we enjoyed lunch out here:

 

 

@APDMOM Can you please tell me where this is on the ship? Guessing back of 15?

 

[APDMOM]

@kealalani,  It is far aft on deck 15.  You get there by walking clear through the Marketplace buffet.  You can also get there down a set of stairs from deck 16 by the Horizon Pool.

 

The area is marked with yellow in this image.  There are sliding glass doors in the far back of the buffet that lead out to this area:

 

[Amion68]

21 hours ago, APDMOM said:

@Amion68  We are always in for a great deal (price wise).  I think this ship offers very good value for money, but it depends on how independent your kids are and whether they will enjoy the activities offered.  Our son loved the ship, the slides, and the Himalayan Bridge, so he will gladly go on this cruise again.  However, I have heard that the children’s programs are not as great on MSC as on Royal or Carnival.  I would personally avoid Carnival over spring break (mainly March/April in USA).  

 

So, it boils down to Royal VS MSC kids’ programs.  I saw plenty of kids having fun in the Doremi club on Meraviglia, so I am not sure what the specific complaints are.  Sorry I can not help more.  

 

I would personally choose MSC for such a late booking, as Royal prices are typically best when you book about 2 years in advance (when itineraries are released).  For Royal, it would also depend upon the ship you choose.  I would not book less than 7 days in March.  (Spring breakers tend to book shorter cruises).

 

 

Thankyou for taking the time to respond. When we are on holiday my 2 tend to be happiest anywhere near the water, so I am expecting them to spend most of their time in the pools and water park areas.  They have never been that keen on kids clubs and tend to make friends themselves in the pools etc, so the kids clubs don't really concern us.  

I managed to secure a Fantastica starboard balcony in midships (deck 10) and am very happy with the price for the whole package.

[APDMOM]

1 hour ago, Amion68 said:

Thankyou for taking the time to respond. When we are on holiday my 2 tend to be happiest anywhere near the water, so I am expecting them to spend most of their time in the pools and water park areas.  They have never been that keen on kids clubs and tend to make friends themselves in the pools etc, so the kids clubs don't really concern us.  

I managed to secure a Fantastica starboard balcony in midships (deck 10) and am very happy with the price for the whole package.

Glad to hear!  Yes, they will then enjoy Meraviglia.  The slides are quite fun and the waterpark is great for younger kids.  The bamboo pool is also a plus on this ship, as it has the retractable roof and is therefore an “all season” pool.  So, if you run into a rainy day, they can still swim.  Enjoy your cruise!  

 

BTW... If you have high status on hotel chains or travel chains, MSC will status match.  Even if you have never taken a cruise, you could use hotel or other travel chain status to match for some perks on MSC.   (I thought it included airlines, but those are excluded)

Edited January 7, 2020 by APDMOM
update airlines

[kealalani]

23 hours ago, APDMOM said:

@kealalani,  It is far aft on deck 15.  You get there by walking clear through the Marketplace buffet.  You can also get there down a set of stairs from deck 16 by the Horizon Pool.

 

The area is marked with yellow in this image.  There are sliding glass doors in the far back of the buffet that lead out to this area:

 

@APDMom thanks! We situated our room to be two floors below and at this stair case just for the buffet! 🙂 HA! So looking forward to it. 

[APDMOM]

35 minutes ago, kealalani said:

@APDMom thanks! We situated our room to be two floors below and at this stair case just for the buffet! 🙂 HA! So looking forward to it. 

@kealalani, You are welcome!  Unfortunately, the stairwell right by the aft of the Marketplace is only for Deck 15 and 16.  The staircase that you see “inside” the Marketplace is a crew only staircase.  At least you will walk the calories off as you make your way to the midship elevators/stairs and enter the buffet from there.

 

MSC is the only cruiseline I know that posts crew staircases on their deck plans.  It is very confusing... 😬

[cruceriantes]

Thank you so much for this awesome review.   It was super informative and real.   We will be on the Meraviglia on February 23rd celebrating our 39th Anniversary and so looking forward to it......Thanks again.