6/10 - would not cruise this line again even though it was inexpensive. Too crowded and not for a solo adult traveler.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
The embarkation was OK. Orlando to Port Canaveral was kind of a pain. No transfer was offered from cruise line, travel agent, or hotel. So I found one on my own. It was not a great start but I only fault MSC for not offering a connection.
Port was a crowded hot open parking lot. Crowded, chaotic, and I was never quite sure I was in the right line, dropped bag correctly, until I had my embarkation pass/number in my hand. Like an old SWA flight. Get your group # and get in line to board when called.
Lots of room for improvement after that. Very little direction, signage, to room, to check in, to dinner reservation, to show reservations, etc. lots of missed communication there. Basically had to stop and ask staff constantly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Book specialty restaurants the minute you get on board. Place was not clear but I found it by chance wandering around.
All the special restaurants were good. However even with an unlimited dining package the selections without extra charges was limited.
Water! Water was hard to come by - everything was geared to paying for sparkling water, wine, beer, etc.
Service was generally OK but a little slow - understaffed. There’s a lot of that still going on so i understand but service suffered a bit from it. Also most of the staff I encountered spoke English but didn’t always seem to understand it very well and had heavy accents. Lots of repeating things just to order.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Very few activities for adults. Most everything was geared towards kids or age neutral. It was a holiday weekend but as a single adult - definitely not feeling the love.
The App is great but very inconsistent. First the paid wifi is terrible and you need it to use the app. Then activities are listed in 24 hour time but daily agenda for yourself is 12 hour. And the two don’t coordinate so you can double book yourself.
On top of that some activities are booked directly through the app; others, even prepaid, do not show ip on the app but will show on personal agenda. And others you still have to book at a desk even though they were booked online ahead of time. Very chaotic.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows in the evenings were great. Performers were very good. Rock Show, 70’s show, etc. Different show even night. Little shows during the day. LED Dome shows were overhyped though. Only 3-5 minutes of video.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Restaurant staff was working hard but clearly short handed; Chocolate/Coffee shop and gelato /crepe shop were particularly bad about even being open let alone have more than one person working. I guess the positive was there was absolutely no upsell going on - you were doing gods to catch them long enough to buy something.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Ship was generally OK but showed signs of age. Design was definitely dated. Public Restrooms were OK, but all of the ones i visited were in need of repair. Soap/water/blower combo was terrible. Most did not work. So you had to get soap from one, wash at another, and generally ski the blowers because they didn’t work and just use 10 too thin paper towels to dry your hands.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Ship tip
Unless you’re a seasoned cruiser be prepared to have your patience tested.
I didn’t see anything of the actual port here as my excursion took us straight from the dock. So my rating is really about Tulum. The Tulum ruins were great but the marketplace out front made was very humble and very warm. Tour was about 2 hours too long.
As equally chaotic as the embarkation. Video mentioned express checkout if you had linked CC and such, but didn’t tell you anything more. Then said you had to go sign and physically close out your bill. So I did the bag drop the night before. Then flyer came that night - and express didn’t talk about needing to sign before leaving as long as you had a card on file.
Then there was not enough space to sit and wait from 7:45 AM until 10:45 when I could finally disembark. No bars, water, anything during that time either.
The buffet was open from 6:00 to 8:00 though.
Bags were sort of arranged in the warehouse on tables. No queues of any kind were setup there. it was a bit of a free for all up to the customs/porter checkpoint. Much smoother after that with a line and customs moving you along. Dumped the outside on the sidewalk after that. Literally outside the customs doors on a sidewalk looking for where to go again. Along with 5000 others leaving and 5000 other arriving.
Sounds like you need a new travel agent. He/she should have arranged your transportation to the port and given you more information on what to expect. Sorry that this cruise was so disappointing.
Oddly, I took a bus transfer from MCO to port the day of sailing, I got it through MSC and is offered during online check-in available shortly after booking your cruise.
This experience does not match mine at all. I have cruised with MSC twice this year solo and had a great time. Lots of activities for solo adults, including solo / singles meetups each evening, a solo cruisers cocktail party, solo cruisers assigned the same table at dinner, multiple venues with music each night, etc. The Meraviglia is the nicest ship I have been on and is far from being rundown or worn. There are numerous options for getting from Orlando to Port Canaveral and it is one of the more modern Ports. Boarding at Port Canaveral was quick and easy on both MSC cruises there this year.
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