MSC Meraviglia review June 18-25

[mesci14]

 

MSC Meraviglia Review.docx

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by mesci14

[bigblue1952]

Terrific review.  I really enjoyed reading it.

[marti2282]

Thanks — good information!

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Loved your review. Having been born and raised in Manhattan with my first cruise in 1971, I have found the passenger makeup over the years to include more rude New Yorkers. Not to say they don’t exist leaving from other ports such as Florida, Europe, etc. Just seems the larger the ship the more shameful humans lol. Anyway still considering MSC but probably the yacht club but your review was excellent and glad you had a great time. By the way I love Maine. My friend just retired to your state. All the best!

[Slyfox16]

Aloha - the friendly state? You must not know real New Yorkers. Having been born and still living in the city, we always go out of our way to help out-of-towners. The reviewer seemed to have enjoyed their time in the City. Maybe you just know the wrong people. A little friendliness gets returned many times over.

[Illbcruzn4life]

Nice review. We just got off today and the kids were way out of control.

 

Also the elevators would get packed and you would be jammed in when the door opened on a floor youd have a group of like 4-6 trying to push their way in like it was the last elevator of the night.

[LouChamp]

12 hours ago, Slyfox16 said:

Aloha - the friendly state? You must not know real New Yorkers. Having been born and still living in the city, we always go out of our way to help out-of-towners. The reviewer seemed to have enjoyed their time in the City. Maybe you just know the wrong people. A little friendliness gets returned many times over.

Aloha. I agree with you. I too go out of my way but find the demographics of cruises from NY to be more comprised (not everyone of course) of people not necessarily in vacation mode.  And by the way most people in NY are not from NY having been born and raised elsewhere.  It is just the vibe that has changed over the years. I am not intending to have this be a discussion on my opinion but rather an observation. 

[mesci14]

MSC DAILY Planner.pdf

[Anastas617]

Thanks for the review. I'm taking this cruise 7/16 and this helps a lot.

 

Did you happen to notice if Hola! was extremely busy on embarkation day for lunch? It seems the craziness of the buffet is a recurring theme for Day 1 and I hope to be on board and able to get a seat there instead.

 

Are there plenty of kiosks to book your shows or are there long queues for those? Am I to understand that you have to book the free shows as well as the two paid shows?

 

Thanks so much.

[Illbcruzn4life]

25 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

Thanks for the review. I'm taking this cruise 7/16 and this helps a lot.

 

Did you happen to notice if Hola! was extremely busy on embarkation day for lunch? It seems the craziness of the buffet is a recurring theme for Day 1 and I hope to be on board and able to get a seat there instead.

 

Are there plenty of kiosks to book your shows or are there long queues for those? Am I to understand that you have to book the free shows as well as the two paid shows?

 

Thanks so much.

we were there making reservations as soon as we boarded and it wasn't too bad at that time. We went on Tuesday. It was pretty good.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

Edited July 6, 2023 by Illbcruzn4life

[MsTabbyKats]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:10 PM, Slyfox16 said:

Aloha - the friendly state? You must not know real New Yorkers. Having been born and still living in the city, we always go out of our way to help out-of-towners. The reviewer seemed to have enjoyed their time in the City. Maybe you just know the wrong people. A little friendliness gets returned many times over.

Born, raised...still living in the city....and hope to die here!

IMHO...it's not the NYers that are the problem....it's those from the surrounding areas

"The Manhattan People" are about as sophisticated as they come......

[RICHARD@SEA]

For almost 40 years I lived & worked in Manhattan & friends always said I lived in a bubble - loved every moment - its not for everyone but I met people I would not of met anywhere else from all over the world & did & saw things that only Manhattanites could appreciate (yes I am a Manhattan snob - sorry Brooklyn, Queens & NJ do not even come close).

 

I was there staring in 1981 - the SEX AND THE CITY years - 

 

And I stand by my comments that there is no other greater sailing than that of leaving from the westside piers & sailing down the Hudson River, under the Verrazano Bridge & then out to sea.....

 

 

[RICHARD@SEA]

also - sorry as far as NY'ers I disagree - I've seen & experienced some of the nicest smartest & most worldly people here & onboard sailings out of NYC.

 

I think the cruise line may allow or set the behavior standards - Carnival, Virgin, NCL are more party types - how far it goes .......

 

 

[RICHARD@SEA]

As far as the worst behavior I have seen / witnessed is Florida residents - both at sea & onland....

[jean87510]

2 hours ago, RICHARD@SEA said:

As far as the worst behavior I have seen / witnessed is Florida residents - both at sea & onland....

Yes that's why everyone is moving out of NYC to Florida.  I've experienced both land and sea out of both and hands down Florida wins as having friendly nicer residents and travelers.  

Edited July 6, 2023 by jean87510

[JamieLogical]

Sounds like your Meraviglia experience was very similar to ours in April, with the exception of smooth embarkation and debarkation. Glad they seem to have worked the kinks out with those. I was on the repositioning sailing to Brooklyn and then the first 7-day out of Brooklyn, so they definitely were not running like a well-oiled machine at that point, but my onboard experiences were similar to yours. Great crew! Great food! And just a generally positive experience overall. In fact, I am now booked on three more MSC sailings through February.

[Brighton Line]

6 hours ago, RICHARD@SEA said:

And I stand by my comments that there is no other greater sailing than that of leaving from the westside piers & sailing down the Hudson River, under the Verrazano Bridge & then out to sea.....

A resident of the City of Brooklyn, for over 30 years and I moved from the forgotten Boro.

Can't beat Manhattan sail away, do it in the Winter after sunset with all the city lights glowing. Oh wait NCL now sails at 11p so you don't have to wait. 

[ttrmom]

thank you for all the information!  I printed out the review and the daily planner.

a few questions:

1) what deck do we get on

2) where are those kiosks- is it only right at the entrance or on other decks as well?

3)what time does boarding begin- we have 12:30

4) for the dinner time it says early dining but no time.  How do i find out the time?   

5) does the drink package kick in on boarding day (and if yes, where is the closest bar? 😜)

6) any reviews on what pool area is better? looking for the least amount of children(been there done that!)

7) when it is time to get off for the ports- do yacht club rooms have priority or are they with us, the unwashed masses (LOL)

[Illbcruzn4life]

don't remember what deck you get on but there a quite a few of the kiosk.

 

Did my credit card info on the MSC website before we left so didn't need that.

 

Your didng room and the time is on your card when you check in. Drink package starts as soon as you board. State sales tax is extra while in port. There signs at ever bar letting you know this.

 

There are bars everywhere. Don't remember which one was closer.

 

Deck 16 is the adults only pool. It's the Horizon pool.

 

Somebody will come along and fill in the blanks I'm sure. ENJOY!

[Nunagoras]

9 hours ago, ttrmom said:

thank you for all the information!  I printed out the review and the daily planner.

a few questions:

1) what deck do we get on - It depends on the port's abilities. If you have an air bridge you'll enter generally from decks 5-7 right at the center of the ship's life. If your port doesn't have air bridge capabilities, chances are you enter from deck 4 near the medical center and then go up by the lift.

2) where are those kiosks- is it only right at the entrance or on other decks as well? - All over the main atrium and at YC concierge lounge if you're YC. Pro tip: Don't go there immediately by embarkation. You have till 2nd day's mid day to do so. Go there for example by the end of the shows at first night when everybody has already done so!

3)what time does boarding begin- we have 12:30 - Depends on your sailing's schedule. Here in Europe usually between 11 and mid day.

4) for the dinner time it says early dining but no time.  How do i find out the time?  - It will be printed on your cruise card. 

5) does the drink package kick in on boarding day (and if yes, where is the closest bar? 😜) - Use it from embarkation to debarkation time. Plenty of bars to choose from, even at the atrium's area from where you'll likely to embark ship!...

6) any reviews on what pool area is better? looking for the least amount of children(been there done that!) - Never gone on Mera class, so can't answer that. Anyone will help you with it.

7) when it is time to get off for the ports- do yacht club rooms have priority or are they with us, the unwashed masses (LOL). They get priority and depending on the port's abilities they may have a dedicated exit only for themselves.

 

[JamieLogical]

11 hours ago, ttrmom said:

thank you for all the information!  I printed out the review and the daily planner.

a few questions:

1) what deck do we get on

2) where are those kiosks- is it only right at the entrance or on other decks as well?

3)what time does boarding begin- we have 12:30

4) for the dinner time it says early dining but no time.  How do i find out the time?   

5) does the drink package kick in on boarding day (and if yes, where is the closest bar? 😜)

6) any reviews on what pool area is better? looking for the least amount of children(been there done that!)

7) when it is time to get off for the ports- do yacht club rooms have priority or are they with us, the unwashed masses (LOL)

 

1) I believe in Brooklyn, you board on Deck 5. At least I remember needing to go down one dech from the main promenade deck to disembark....

 

2) The kiosks are all over for linking your key card to your credit card. There are a few in the promenade, by the photo studio, in the Edge lounge, all over...

 

3) Not sure what time boarding begins. It really depends on how quickly the clear the ship from the previous sailing.

 

4) Your dining room, table, and time will all be printed on your keycard when you check in.

 

5) Drink package kicks in immediately. I believe they only charge you NYC tax on drinks if you are paying per drink vs. using a package.

 

6) Horizon is the adults-only pool. I also really liked the Bamboo pool.

 

7) YC definitely does get priority for disembarking at ports.

[mesci14]

On 7/5/2023 at 8:34 PM, Anastas617 said:

Thanks for the review. I'm taking this cruise 7/16 and this helps a lot.

 

Did you happen to notice if Hola! was extremely busy on embarkation day for lunch? It seems the craziness of the buffet is a recurring theme for Day 1 and I hope to be on board and able to get a seat there instead.

 

Are there plenty of kiosks to book your shows or are there long queues for those? Am I to understand that you have to book the free shows as well as the two paid shows?

 

Thanks so much.

I am sorry I didn't notice.  I am not sure they were open as they were doing specialty restaurants and paid shows.

[mesci14]

22 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Sounds like your Meraviglia experience was very similar to ours in April, with the exception of smooth embarkation and debarkation. Glad they seem to have worked the kinks out with those. I was on the repositioning sailing to Brooklyn and then the first 7-day out of Brooklyn, so they definitely were not running like a well-oiled machine at that point, but my onboard experiences were similar to yours. Great crew! Great food! And just a generally positive experience overall. In fact, I am now booked on three more MSC sailings through February.

We are going again on 7/9!

[mesci14]

15 hours ago, ttrmom said:

thank you for all the information!  I printed out the review and the daily planner.

a few questions:

1) what deck do we get on

2) where are those kiosks- is it only right at the entrance or on other decks as well?

3)what time does boarding begin- we have 12:30

4) for the dinner time it says early dining but no time.  How do i find out the time?   

5) does the drink package kick in on boarding day (and if yes, where is the closest bar? 😜)

6) any reviews on what pool area is better? looking for the least amount of children(been there done that!)

7) when it is time to get off for the ports- do yacht club rooms have priority or are they with us, the unwashed masses (LOL)

1) deck 6 you enter in on.

2) Just about everywhere but you can use your onboard as well.  When finished making specialty dining reservations as you walk out there was a kiosk right there...no wait.

3) We arrived at 9 and was on board just before 11 30

4)  When you checking and you get your key card it is on there.  Just because you sign up for early dining does not mean you will get it.  Ours said early on paperwork and we got late but was able to change it 

5) yes it does and right where you walk in. 😀

6) Horizon pool ...it is adult only and they enforce it.

7) YC has priority disembarkation...cut to the front of the line.

 

[Brighton Line]

For my Brooklyn cruise, we definitely boarded and alighted in Brooklyn from Deck 5. There was a significant downslope to the gangway from the terminal both times.   

This could all be related to the current tide when you board as to what deck they use. Buttermilk Channel isn't the Bay of Fundy but there are storm surges too that can get higher than normal tides.