A Small Ship Girl’s Meraviglia Review - 11/17 Three Days to Ocean Cay

[mawvkysc]

 

 

 

We watched two dome shows tonight. The space one was incredible. The ceiling one was enjoyable too. 
 

I definitely like the indoor promenade of Mera compared to Indy. Somehow it feels more intimate and of course more stylish. As a bonus it has an atrium area which I prefer to promenades.  Remember I’m a small ship girl. Also, a few of the bars have nice views of the ocean. I like ocean focused ships. Indy does have complimentary food and beverage option in their promenade though. 
 

No show tonight as we were supposed to have the lighthouse show. I think they may have added some activities but we’re pretty chill on a cruise. They moved the Luna Libre Party the main pool.

[Match Game 72]

Thank you so much for your review and pictures. I know it takes time and effort for this sort of post.

 

It's very nice to read a review from the regular state room point of view. I appreciate the Daily Planners that you have included.

 

Do you happen to have the spa menu? I'm interested in the price of massage services.

 

Thanks!

[mawvkysc]

15 minutes ago, Match Game 72 said:

Thank you so much for your review and pictures. I know it takes time and effort for this sort of post.

 

It's very nice to read a review from the regular state room point of view. I appreciate the Daily Planners that you have included.

 

Do you happen to have the spa menu? I'm interested in the price of massage services.

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much for your kind words. One reason I decided to do the review is because most reviews seem to be YC. I’m sorry I think I deleted the spa menu. Below is the first day special. 
 

I do remember massages were around $139 for 50 minutes. By doing a couples massage we saved about $5 each. 

[mawvkysc]

Random Tip: If you’re freaking out because you think you lost your cruise card check the slot where you left your card to keep the lights on. 😂  I stressed myself out at least two times once right before muster. 

[mawvkysc]

 

[mawvkysc]

We never tried MDR lunch. 
Favorite from dinner:The lamb curry was so good. Great flavor. On par with RC lamb but smaller. Skipped the dry rice. 
 

Dessert was rum cake. It was moist and pretty good  The coconut ice cream was vanilla with coconut flakes in it. Not all coconut flavored. 
 

[mawvkysc]

Post dinner we walked around the walking track and caught a bit of the Luna Libre party from the upper deck. Everyone was having fun. The dances are a true aerobic workout. Amazing energy from the entertainment staff! On the beach this would be incredibly fun. 

 

[mawvkysc]

Day 3

 

[mawvkysc]

We made it to OC! Woke up as we were pulling in so we got the port side perspective of turning around from our balcony.

Breakfast at the buffet which I described earlier. 

[mawvkysc]

We decided to just walk all around and not use the tram. We had until 4:00 which was great. Even before we missed OC they had extended day 2 to 4:00. Thank you MSC! The island is very pretty. Still needs more time for areas to fill in. There did seem to be shade especially along Sunset Beach. There are a few chairs similar to Lighthouse Beach and tables with umbrellas close to the different bars. 

[Match Game 72]

57 minutes ago, mawvkysc said:

We made it to OC! Woke up as we were pulling in so we got the port side perspective of turning around from our balcony.

 

 

The island is beautiful. Glad you got to experience it.

[mawvkysc]

The small family cove was not listed on the map and was roped off. It looks to have quite a bit of erosion. 
 

Each area of the island seemed to have different music. Fun  music up close, zen music up near the spa area, more jazzy near the YC area. Great idea. 
 

We walked to the end and Paradise Sands Beach. It was almost deserted. It’s very pretty as is the area of the wedding pavilion. It was windy so we lounged for a bit but didn’t get in the water. It was choppy. This beach is definitely rocky. Even my water shoes were too thin. 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by mawvkysc

[mawvkysc]

[mawvkysc]

Walking back we stopped at a bar. No ice! A common problem for the day. Hubby got a beer. 
 

Next stop the large lagoon area. It was much calmer here so I snorkeled near the rocky side. I saw a lot of small fish and lots of animals that lives on the bottom. I think they were anemones. One moved to a different spot as I watched it. I’m a cold water wimp but I was so occupied that I stayed in a long time. This was my first snorkeling in about 25 years. I had bought my mask set but wished I had bought fins. 

[mawvkysc]

I forgot to mention the lagoon beach didn’t need water shoes. 
 

We then walked over the bridge and looked at Bimini Beach. It’s very pretty too. I tried to get a drink at that bar but gave up because the line was so long. I never saw servers walking around. You pretty much had to go to the bar. We walked back over to the island buffet. I was tempted to just get a burger from one of the shacks. Wish I did. The buffet line is dreadfully slow, and we were there a half hour before closing. It’s a bad design. Everyone has to go through every part of the line. Perhaps you could jump to the very end and grab a burger or hot dog. The food wasn’t worth the wait. The cookies were good. I can’t imagine what chaos it will be when the ship is full. So I suggest either eating a huge breakfast and skipping lunch or going to the burger shack. 
 

I tried another bar. They were out of ice. He gave me the leftovers of a Pina colada (from the blender) and floated extra rum on top. Finally a drink with taste. He didn’t swipe my card. If you’re a beer drinker you will be fine on this island. 
 

We made our way over to the Lighthouse Bar and I got a truly weak margarita. What I mean is the sour mix was very weak. No salt and little tequila. The bartenders looked stressed. The area is super pretty though. I didn’t see anyone ordering the food available there. 
 

I didn’t get to try snorkeling at Lighthouse Beach. We decided to use our last hour of the thermal pass and I went on the water slides again while hubby watched sail away.
 

I bought gelato by the slides. It was icy. I recommend buying it inside near Jean Philippe.  I tasted the same flavor later there and it was much better.  

Edited November 22, 2022 by mawvkysc

[mawvkysc]

We bought chocolate for our parents and listened to a band by the Meraviglia Lounge . I missed the dome show but Steve said it was about dinosaurs. We never made it to the liquor store.  There weren’t any sales that caught our eye  

Edited November 22, 2022 by mawvkysc

[mawvkysc]

The show tonight was Cool. It was disco themed. Again the music and singing were very good. The choreography was better with some outstanding parts. The show included a roller skating duo. MSC has some crazy costumes, especially headgear. Sorry no pics. You’ll have to go see for yourself what I’m talking about. 
 

I think I prefer RC entertainment.  I like the different headliner shows alternated with production shows. Indy has the ice skating show included. The cirque type show was an extra fee on Mera. I’m sure it would’ve been good and the venue looks pretty. This was a short cruise though so I’m sure MSC deserves more of a chance. 

[mawvkysc]

🙊 oops I forgot to take a screenshot of the menu. It was the Italian Night Menu. 

 

Tip: (I noticed another table did this) If you want coffee with dessert order at the start when you order all of your items. They don’t automatically offer coffee like other lines. When this man asked not only did he get it but the server  suggested cappuccino.

[mawvkysc]

Arancini. Yummy!

 

Not the caprese salad I expected. The calamari was good. 

[mawvkysc]

Ossobuco deserves its own page!!!! So good including the rice. Maybe it was trisotto. The pancetta on the Pasta Amatrciana was too strong for me, but maybe that’s what it is supposed to be like. My first try of that dish anywhere. 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by mawvkysc

[mawvkysc]

Fish skewer was good as well. Nice big scallops 

[mawvkysc]

Dessert: Tiramisu, Limoncello Cake both good but could use more flavor. Hubby loved Grandmas Chocolate Cake. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by mawvkysc

[mawvkysc]

[mawvkysc]

We did self assist for the luggage. First time we’ve ever done that and it was nice to have access to our luggage in the morning. Less stressful.  Said goodbye to our steward and went to breakfast in the MDR. Service was great this morning. Then we got in the constantly moving line out the door. I didn’t time it but it was as fast as it could be. Love how immigration just scans your face on the way out in PC. So much easier. 

Would I cruise MSC again? Yes, the price is right. It had pros and cons like any ship. 
 

Am I still a small ship girl? Definitely! This felt really big. I think if I had picked a cabin between the panoramic and the more aft elevators it would have been less overwhelming.  I told my parents this ship was too big for them.

Seaside is coming to PC in the spring.  It’s big too but very ocean focused. I might give it a try. Or I may just stick to smaller ships out of Tampa. Even if the cost is more I would save the cost of parking and possibly staying over the night before. 

I hope you enjoyed the review!

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by mawvkysc

[Match Game 72]

21 hours ago, mawvkysc said:

We made it to OC! Woke up as we were pulling in so we got the port side perspective of turning around from our balcony.

 

 

The island is beautiful. Glad you got to experience it.