Overall, we enjoyed our cruise experience on the MSC Meraviglia. The ship was beautiful and we will have many wonderful memories of our cruise. The high points on our cruise were the entertainment at Broadway Theater and our visits to the three Specialty Dining Restaurants.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Our embarkation on the Meraviglia was smooth, without incident. We traveled in a group of eight and were able to board quickly as all of the required documentation was completed in advance. The only issue we encountered were changes to our boarding times. We were initially given a boarding time of 2:00PM which was changed to 11:00AM/11:30AM. When we boarded, our cabins were not ready and we were directed to the Marketplace Buffet on Deck 15 to have lunch while we waited for our cabins to be cleaned.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Our cruise was a four day experience. We dined in the Waves Main Dining Room on our first night and went to three of the Specialty Dining venues the other nights, Ocean Cay Seafood on night 2, Kaito Teppanyaki and Sushi on night 3 and the Butcher's Cut on our final night. Our dinner at Waves was very nice. We were served by Jacksy assisted by Alvin. The were very courteous and friendly. We frequently met with Christian in the dining room and in the Marketplace and enjoyed talking with him. The meal service at all dining venues was excellent, however the food quality at Waves and in the Marketplace Buffet was average, just not memorable. The menu choices and dinner service in the Specialty Restaurants were excellent. Our group ordered many different items and all were enjoyed. We enjoyed visiting several of the bars and lounges on the Meraviglia and frequented the EDGE and Sky Lounge and Bar, which were our central meeting place before going to the Broadway Theater. The Atmosphere outside gelato bar on Deck 15 was closed. The food in The Marketplace Buffet was always the same, with few changes. It was okay for a 3-4 day cruise but we would have been disappointed on a 7 day or longer cruise.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The Meraviglia has a central promenade filled with boutiques and restaurants. The promenade is similar to Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships. The domed ceiling is an LED light show changing throughout the day with different skies and patterns. We enjoyed watching the different views and array of colors and patterns. We visited the Casino Imperiale several times during the cruise. It wasn't crowded and all of the slot machines and gaming equipment were the latest electronic innovations. We went to the Horizon Pool on three days. There were plenty of lounges available, and the area was not crowded. Our only negative experience is that we found the composite flooring around the pool area very hot.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The entertainment on the Meraviglia was world-class and delightful. We enjoyed nightly shows each of the four nights we were on the cruise. The singers and dancers were wonderful and very entertaining. On one evening we saw a magic show that was excellent. The Broadway Theater had excellent acoustics and we had no problem enjoying the performances, however there were no railings on the way up and down the stairways making it difficult for some of the passengers to navigate the theater.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and bar service we received throughout our cruise. We visited the EDGE Bar several times and Ray served us. He was delightful, pleasant and attentive. We went back to the bar many times and looked for Ray.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There were only 800-900 passengers on our cruise, so we never encountered any difficulty walking on the promenade or in other walkways. Some of the bar and restaurant venues were almost empty and we experienced empty elevators, something unexpected on a cruise ship. The atrium had three decks crisscrossed by four chrome staircases, every stair had Swarovski crystals. The central atrium was very dramatic and beautiful.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the Fantastica Experience as we booked cabins with balconies. The cabin amenities were typical of other cruise ships, however there were a few amenities that we missed. The towels in the bathrooms were lower quality than expected and Kleenex or bath tissues were not offered. The cabin was clean and in good condition. Our cabin attendant introduced himself on our first day and we never saw him again throughout the cruise. We asked him for ice and he delivered it every day, although if we had seen him on other occasions we would have been able to interact with him and enjoy our cabin service.
Ship tip
We would highly recommend the Easy Plus Beverage Package and the Trilogy Specialty Dining Package. Both options were moderately priced, worthwhile and made our experience on the Meraviglia enjoyable.
The Ocean Cay Marine Reserve was a lovely island with multiple beaches. We had reserved umbrellas for both days at Ocean Cay, although we did pick up the umbrella on the second day. We were handed the umbrella in a bag at the rental station and had to carry it to the to the beach chairs. On other cruise ship islands the attendants installed umbrellas. We walked around the island and found the pathways clear and easily navigable however walking to the beach chairs was a little more difficult due to the loose sand.
We have been to Nassau a number of times on previous cruises, so we knew where to shop and have food and drinks. We enjoyed our lunch at Senor Frogs. We have been there often and it is one of our usual stops in Nassau.
We were assigned number 1 for disembarkation. We exited the cabin before 7:30AM and had breakfast in the Marketplace Buffet. After breakfast we proceeded directly to the exit and had no difficulty finding our luggage.
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