Ok, I got what I paid for

Item: MSC Meraviglia
Rating: 3.1
Author: JourneyWithJosh

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review

JourneyWithJosh

Contributor Level: First Mate

20 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 17

Helpful Votes: 191

Overall rating:

3.1 out of 5

4 Night Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 16, 2021

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 3 years ago

Review summary

This cruise was taken because the prices were so amazing. But you kinda get what you pay for.. and once on board, you pay and pay. Too many hard sales pitches.. the entire cruise.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Although it went rather smooth, I never once got any direction or explanation of where I was going, what was happening. No information at all.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

The buffet is limited but the food tasted fine. I couldn't imagine having the same thing every day for more than these 4 days. Food in the dining room was for the most part really good. The mixed drinks were awful. Never got a well made drink so resorted to wine. Drinks just tasted awful and I wasn't the only one that thought so. These people need to go back to bar tending school. Waste of money.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Very few onboard scheduled activities. Nearly none while in port at Ocean Cay. Weren't allowed to dance at the white party dance

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Service was fine. No one really acted like they wanted to be there. Walking by staff, you would generally have to say hello to them first and would receive a mumbled "hi" back.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship is GORGEOUS

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cabin 11233 is very spacious. Huge balcony. Balcony is shaded but great if you want to sit out and relax without getting burned, roasted.

Ship tip

Drinks are awful Starboard side for best view of Ocean Cay and light show. Bring an n95 mask for your own protection, their covid protocols are WEAK.

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Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

3 out of 5

No where to relax in shade away from the sun. It's a descent start but like the company, needs more work.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Off in 14 minutes

9 Comments

izrgreen 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience.

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CruizinBeth 3 years ago

Thanks for the update in MSC Cruise experiences, good to know

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Dumfy75 3 years ago

I think you’ve summed it up perfectly by saying it’s more like a hotel, that’s what I felt like on an MSC cruise. Beautiful ship, loads of space, but something lacking (and we didn’t think the MDR food or evening entertainment was up to much which didn’t help). Some people on our cruise were similar to us and said they probably wouldn’t choose MSC again whereas others said they would definitely cruise MSC in future because they liked feeling less packed into a ship, so I think it all depends what’s most important to you for your holiday

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javawoody 3 years ago

Thanks for the review

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Curt34 3 years ago

Thanks for the review.

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JourneyWithJosh 3 years ago

AuntPinkie-i actually had no expectations other than expecting the food to be awful due to do many bad reviews of it I was pleasantly surprised by it. The line just needs too much work for me to sail them again. There was a lot to like but the so so outweighed any good. MSC treats the ship as a hotel and not an experience. The experience you get is basic at best. Unfortunate because I really wanted to love them.

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daisydoozy 3 years ago

This ship and line has been getting not so great reviews lately. At least you're not alone in your feelings about the experience.

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hollysmomtravel 3 years ago

You hit the nail on the head- you get what you pay for.

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AuntPinkie 3 years ago

Appreciate your review of a recent sailing. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

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