Overall it was nice and relaxing but I'm not sold on MSC or Yacht Club. I would try them again on a different ship that has more outside space (like Seaside) if the price was right.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
We were YC and embarkation took quite a long time. We were surprised because there was basically no one there lol.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
So... the food was very good. Most of the time. We were Yacht Club and it was "different". I suppose more European style. We are usually Haven cruisers and found it to be just different enough. The portions are crazy small so we ordered multiples of everything. That also covered us in case we didn't like one entree or another, etc. Lobster night was down right disgusting, honestly. I was very surprised as the food was generally unique and very good but the Lobster... and especially the shrimp... we smushy. It was pretty gross. I couldn't eat it. One big benefit YC has over Haven is that the menu changed daily. We also tried the Teppanyaki restaurant and weren't impressed with that either. Very small portions and the steak had a very strange taste. It was inedible. Definitely not worth the cost even though the show was neat. I personally liked the buffet and thought it was very good even though we didn't eat their for meals.. just grab and go snacks or a coffee, etc.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The pools were very nice and plentiful. I think this ship really was ideal for that. We didn't use the water slides, fitness center, etc but all looked cool and in very good shape.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
I wasn't impressed. We like comedy, magicians, theater shows, and bingo. They had shows nightly and we saw one. I felt like it was something I put on in high-school. I'm sorry but it didn't compare to other cruise lines at all. They did have Bingo a couple times but they were at bad times of the day. I dont recall any comedy shows being offered. NCL wins in this area by far.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
It was pretty good. There were a few standouts but there were lots of times the service was lacking big time. Even in Yacht Club. We weren't blown away by the service ever really. Which is very surprising to us being our first time on MSC and in YC.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is beautiful. It's huge and offers many pools. I loved decks 6 & 7. I just wished there was more outside walking space but thats not the type of ship it is.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had the balcony cabin in Yacht Club. The cabin was well appointed. Very spacious, quiet, and super comfortable. We actually spent a lot of time in it because we liked it so much. I think this was my favorite part of the cruise lol. The bed and pillows were phenomenal and I'm a light sleeper.
Thanks for the review. I was on the Meraviglia in January and loved it. It definitely is not Carnival or royal Caribbean, but very good in its own way. I thought the food choices were interesting and very good for the most part. I see complaints on many ships about small portion sizes. I think part of that is that those of us in the US eat portion sizes that are substantially larger than the rest of the world and more than what we probably should eat. When we are actually served the recommended portion size, we feel like we got cheated.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
