Review - MSC Meraviglia Feb 16-23, 2020 NOT YACHT CLUB

[jkgourmet]

The Very Good and the Very Bad of MSC

 

We are seniors who have sailed 25+ times on 7 different mass market cruise lines.  We always sail in inside or OV cabins as we don't see value in spending our money on where we sleep.  We had sailed on the MSC Divina 4-5 years ago and enjoyed the cruise enough to book another.  This time, we selected the Meraviglia.  It was our first experience on a super-sized ship.

 

Embarkation was very slow.  Not enough personnel to handle the number of people.  The inside cabin is roomy, but the lack of storage is simply ridiculous.  We travel lightly - two carry ons and that's it.  The drawers barely held my clothing, so my husband lived out of a suitcase all week.   Storage in the bathroom was adequate.   The bed was comfortable.

 

The cruise was a week of contradictions:

 

Getting a drink at some bars could be frustrating, at others easy and pleasant.  Some of the staff smiled, others walked around looking bored or angry.   The food in the MDR for dinner was quite good, and we enjoyed it.  The food in the MDR at lunch was poor (except for the bacon cheeseburger, which was terrific).  Service in the MDR for dinner was some of the best we've ever had on all our cruises!  Service in the MDR at lunch was so lousy that we actually gave up after waiting more than 30 minutes to be served (and no, they weren't busy).

 

The breakfast and lunch buffet was abysmal.  The roasts were overcooked to the level of shoe leather.  No sandwich bar, chicken or tuna salad.  The charcuterie was excellent on our last MSC cruise - high quality imported meats and cheeses.   It's been replaced with basic supermarket quality items - not a slice of prosciutto in site.   The "ethnic" area was mexican every day, and visually looked like it had been there for days.  An Italian ship and no Caesar salad on the buffet?  Yep - only Caesar salad dressing.   Want an omelet at breakfast?  Be prepared to wait and don't expect much customization - for example, if you want onions, they are pre-mixed with bell peppers.  Want cheese?  It's cheddar or nothing.  But the staff did an excellent job of busing the tables.

 

The Easy Alcohol Package is incredibly annoying.  Wine = one cab, one merlot, one chardonnay, one sauvignon blanc (which magicalliy turned in the pinot grigio in some venues).   Given the price, the wines weren't bad - but boy, we got sick of drinking the same wine all week!  Easy package includes a few basic mixed drinks with brand quality alcohol.  BUT - Want a bloody mary?  You're going to ask for a virgin mary and a shot of vodka, then play bartender yourself.  Same thing with the frozen drinks.   You'll have to settle for straight gin in your martini because they won't mix in any vermouth.  It's really a ridiculous program.   To add insult to injury, you can't use the Easy package AT ALL in the specialty restaurants (hence, we didn't eat in the specialty restaurants.)   And if you want a higher priced drink than allowed on your package, you're paying the full price, not just the difference.  

 

The ship IS gorgeous, but the interior design and furniture decisions were selected for their looks and aesthetics.  Comfort and function has been lost in translation.  The basic design of the ship doesn't always work with 5000+ passengers.  With the exception of certain areas, we regularly felt like we were in an ant farm.   (I recognize that our feeling may not be related to just this ship; rather, it is probably that we are simply unsuited to sailing on mega ships.) 

 

Of course, chair hogs exist on all cruises, but on this one they wake up before dawn, plant their flag and go into port for the day.  Asking the staff to do something is futile.

After 9am on a sea day, forget about getting a lounger.

 

BUT the entertainment!  OMG was it great!  The MSC productions and the entertainers are professional quality.   They make other cruiseline entertainers look like a high school music production.  Cirque de Soleil was a treat and well worth the $19 (though the included drink was undrinkable.) 

 

One big disappointment:  The night that we reserved the Cirque show it was cancelled due to "technical issues."  It was rescheduled for 3pm on the last sea day.  Unfortunately, that was the exact same time as the only showroom entertainment offered on the sea day.  We had to chose.  That's a scheduling mistake that shouldn't happen. 

 

We did need to contact guest services several times over minor issues or questions.  Rather than going to the desk and waiting on line, I used the phone and always received efficient, quick and personable service.  

 

Many consider MSC to be bargain/value based quality, and our expectations were exactly in that place.  And if one is used to paying the high prices for high end cabins on other cruise lines, MSC is a good bargain/value proposition.  But for those of us who travel in the cheap seats of inside and OV cabins, the pricing on MSC is not dramatically cheaper.  

 

Would we sail MSC again?  Unlikely.  Would we recommend it to others?  Yes, but with reservations and explanations.   

 

[BermudaBound2014]

6 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

Would we sail MSC again?  Unlikely.  Would we recommend it to others?  Yes, but with reservations and explanations.   

 

 

BINGO! 

 

Nice review, thank you for sharing. 

[NMsunset]

Another opinion...sailed on Meraviglia November 2019 and January2020...

 

Many experiences/situations the OP had just are not aligned with our experience.

 

Like boarding, when did they arrive to the terminal? How long was the entire process from curb to stepping on the ship? My first was 1.5 hours (duh, T Giving and tons of families, many trying to carry on a household of stuff while wrangling kids).

January was ~ 40 minutes, yes we skipped the line at the cheesy pre board photo.

 

Breakfast buffet is awesome, if you like European vs golden corral...

Omelet stations, hey there are several...are stocked even with smoked salmon🤓. I asked for feta cheese and bam in two minutes they had it...ever morning after it was there...fyi there are times when the buffet is at peak crowds...maybe go earlier or later.

 

The cheese and meat offerings were top shelf and all meat was from EU, ask and they will show you the label. 

MDR is not fast food, if you want fast....go to buffet.

 

The Easy package is clear as to what is included, do not expect freebies...the sky lounge on deck 18 ran out of Sav Blanc...they ask if PG was OK, we said no we like Sav Blanc...the crew went to another bar and came back with 3 bottles...10 minute delay...no issue.

Fake Disney/usa smiles are not the norm in the rest of the world...get over yourself...

 

As to inside cabin storage, yes we like to spend our $ on other things...we each had a stuffed 30" full size bag and a super stuff carry on roller...no issues with storage. two night stands, hanger bar, drawers and shelves...easy pezy.

 

As to chair hogs, everywhere and all the time...this is not grade school...if chairs we want are not occupied by a human in 30minutes, bam pick up the junk and walk it over to the life guard...the hog system only works because other passengers have allowed it.

 

Love to cruise and find most who complain, well they just like to complain and take little responsibility for their lack of action / interaction.

 

Cheers and enjoy the vacation of your choice...if you choose the wrong vacation, that is on you...

 

 

 

 

 

[8420PR]

Nice review.  Thanks.

On 3/4/2020 at 11:56 PM, jkgourmet said:

An Italian ship and no Caesar salad on the buffet?  Yep - only Caesar salad dressing. 

 

It is of zero importance, but Caesar salad was in fact invented in Mexico (or maybe US), and is not Italian.

[Greenhopster]

I sailed on the Feb 2 MSC Meraviglia. 4 hours to board the ship. 4 TSA Scanners to handle 4000+ cruisers. 13 clerks upstairs to check in 4000+ cruisers. They tried to blame temperature testing for corona virus. That was very fast. One bright note. We made some great friends in the TSA line and enjoyed their company many times on the cruise. Would not sail out of Miami again if it can be avoided.

[Silva60]

Me and my wife we have scheduled with MSC Meraviglia trip March 22-29 from Miami.

Anyone has news about this ship/trip? I am afraid it will end up being cancelled or postponed, or worse: go out and not been allowed to harbour anywhere.

I'll be flying from EU arriving Miami Int'l 2 days earlier.

[jkgourmet]

On 3/9/2020 at 8:32 AM, Greenhopster said:

I sailed on the Feb 2 MSC Meraviglia. 4 hours to board the ship. 4 TSA Scanners to handle 4000+ cruisers. 13 clerks upstairs to check in 4000+ cruisers. They tried to blame temperature testing for corona virus. That was very fast. One bright note. We made some great friends in the TSA line and enjoyed their company many times on the cruise. Would not sail out of Miami again if it can be avoided.

 

We've sailed out of miami several times and NEVER experienced lines like we did on feb 16.  It's not the POM - it's MSC doing the checkin and it MAYBE the port TSA not being set up to deal with  4000+ passenger ship.  I would not hesitate to sail out of POM again, but we'll NEVER sail on a mega ship again regardless of port or cruiseline.

[BermudaBound2014]

4 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

We've sailed out of miami several times and NEVER experienced lines like we did on feb 16.  It's not the POM - it's MSC doing the checkin and it MAYBE the port TSA not being set up to deal with  4000+ passenger ship.  I would not hesitate to sail out of POM again, but we'll NEVER sail on a mega ship again regardless of port or cruiseline.

 

If the reason you aren't sailing a mega ship again has to do with embarkation, RCL has it down pat with the oasis class. The embarkation lines was shorter on Allure and on any cruise I ever been. It's seamless. Getting on and off in ports was managed exceptionally as was debarkation. Seriously super organized and super quick. Plus, the space ratio of other mega ships is more forgiving than Meraviglia (you simply won't feel as crowded). It's possible mega ships just aren't for you (which is obviously the fine), but I didn't want you writing off all mega ships based on your experience on Mera. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[rkacruiser]

As a YC guest on Meraviglia, embarkation was not as pleasant as a 5 Star Mariner guest on HAL or an Elite Member Guest on Princess.  

 

Knowing little about the Port of Miami, I put the "blame" on the Port's organization and traffic flow near the cruise terminals.  I am not going to say that I won't ever say from the Port of Miami.  But, I will say:  I will never drive into and park at the Port of Miami again.  Maybe some of the buildings that have been erected should have been replaced by more roadways to reduce the horrible traffic congestion.

[bearette]

On 3/9/2020 at 12:30 AM, 8420PR said:

Nice review.  Thanks.

 

It is of zero importance, but Caesar salad was in fact invented in Mexico (or maybe US), and is not Italian.

 

 

FYI it was invented in Tijuana, by a man named Caesar, in a restaurant named for him.  I've been to the original restaurant and it is excellent!