Unfortunately not the best experience

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 7
Helpful Votes: 150

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5
MSC Meraviglia

5 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 18, 2022

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Honestly, we thought we would have the same or better experience as SeaSide, but unfortunately the management in this cruise is lacking in the food quality and service quality not because the servers but rather the amount of customers needed more servers in order to be an efficient service. We had a great time because our goal is always to have family time and to build our memories. We laughed a lot and enjoyed each other. We slept good and of course we missed our beds… though… that’s normal. In conclusion, never again MERAGVILIA and MSC for now is not a possibility for us. However, it was cheap in comparison to other companies but not free 😑 I have tried different Cruises and Celebrity, Princess , Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian in order of importance are still our best options. I hope my review will help you.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
The company insisted that we need to be there between 1:30 and 2 pm , when we got there, a lot of people , long line, on Sea side was a breeze, not this time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5
The first night my sons ordered waffles and chicken, the waiter served chicken and mash potatoes with syrup…. when I asked him what happened with the waffles he said they didn’t have more waffles. The restaurant Panorama, was packed, there was no way to walk, it was very tight. Poor waiter was really upset, we gave him a good tip in order to put a smile in his face. However, we asked for a change to another restaurant and different time. The L olive doree was much better, more space, more organization, Navishle our waiter was great, again very busy, the waiters were moving around all the time, no conversation at all, because they could not stop. We gave him as well a great tip because we saw how the company viciously exploits its workers. Very sad. In general all the food was not good unfortunately. The buffet was ok and again they were lacking flavor, and other thinks that normally a cruise will have. We tried HOLA a Mexican restaurant, great service and delicious food. We also tried the sushi restaurant and it was awesome as well and great service. So, you can see the difference. There was a gelato and crepes place, the gelato was yummy and they did not have the ingredients for CREPES! Unbelievable, then we went to the chocolate place, the didn’t have chocolate for the machine where you can make your own chocolate, NOT IN THIS CRUISE - said the waitress… she was upset abut it. Something went really wrong with organization in management food. We know a woman jumped from the cruise before ours, long story short…. The manager was not able to make a complete order? In HOLA restaurant they didn’t have GUACAMOLE 🥑… why? We asked…. Answer was: The distributor in Mexico didn’t have the avocados ready! 😟🫢 seriously 😳… no comments! As a conclusion; we did SeaSide before COVID in 2019 and it was better than Royal Caribbean, because the price, service, food in buffet, SHOWS , SHOWS they were awesome, not this time. 😔

Jean-Philippe Crepes & Ice Cream

2 out of 5

The gelato was delicious but I was there because I love crepes. We did the line and when we got there I was pretty excited to order my Crepe 😃 and then the waiter said … sorry but we don’t have the Indrates and we were What? And she repeated like five times because she was not able to pronounce it efficiently…..“Ingredients” so, they did not have them, therefore; no crepes 😫 she was very nice and still learning English and trying her best! BUT hello! Put a 🪧 sign! We don’t have Crepes and sorry for the inconvenience. She could not do that… why? Ask to the food Manager 🤨

Marketplace Buffet

3 out of 5

It was fine, could be better! I already talked about the food, the best was the bar inside the buffet…ummm great cappuccino!

Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Coffee

3 out of 5

The service was ok, they didn’t have chocolate in order to create your own chocolate bar, weird thing because is one of the promised entertainment they have 🫢🤔.The waiter was very nice, we got some drinks from menu and they were fine.

L'Olive Doree & L'Olivo D'Oro

4 out of 5

It was full but more organized than panorama! Food was ok, could be better. Our waiter was awesome! But they are very busy. Last day he was sick with 😷 mask, and still working.

Hola! Tacos & Cantina

4 out of 5

Excellent food and service, too bad they did not have GUACAMOLE 🥑 🫢

Edge Cocktail Bar

5 out of 5

Good mocktails! Very attentive!

Panorama Restaurant

1 out of 5

Terrible, bad food, really packed and disorganized. Very disappointed!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
We didn’t use the sliders and other things the cruise had, and I think it was good! Great pools, food outside reachable, it looked good. Fitness center was fine.

Fashion Boutique

5 out of 5

Great attention, some things very expensive and others were very affordable , we took advantage of it… very happy.

Duty Free Shop

5 out of 5

It is beautiful. We loved it!

Photo Gallery / Photo Shop

5 out of 5

Same prices as other cruises. We always get at least one picture in order to have the memories. 🥰

Polar Aqua Park

5 out of 5

it was beautiful. You need to be early if you want to get a bed on water.🙃

Entertainment

2 out of 5
Terrible, just dancing and singing. Themes were 60,70’s… 80’.. nothing special. Sea Side was much, much better, it was awesome. I thought MSC would be better than Royal Caribbean, but nope…. Not yet! It needs to be a good service not perfect in all the cruise ships.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
I am giving them five stars because even that they don’t speak English very well, it was enough in order to be able to communicate. Waiters, stewards, restaurant service, cleaning, bar, all of them with a great attitude, very kind, friendly, attentive staff. Bravo!!! Keep it up and I hope the company will improve its service because its employees are doing their best!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
It is a beautiful Ship very clean! Well maintained! It was a delightful time moving around, walking around.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
We did a excursion to Bacalar- La laguna de los siete colores- there were not seven colors lol 😆 there were four colors. It’s a beautiful Lagoon! They said they will take you to various places, ummmm nope! However, it was a beautiful experience but a little bit expensive, personal opinion. Again, we adapted and had fun!

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

1 out of 5
The captain was not able to anchor, they don’t have a dock. It is not the first time this happens. They didn’t discount anything or add anything because of it. So, we were at sea. Dissatisfied… however, we always manage to have a good time as a family even when things are not as we were hoping. Not expectations at all!

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We always keep our suitcases because we want to disembark early. It was really good. We needed to wait on line like 35 minutes… it was fine.
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5 Comments

Saisa    1 year ago

JT1962, Definitely much better than Carnival!

javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for your input

CruzeFan    1 year ago

I had a great experience on the Meraviglia in January, and on the Divina in October. I thought the food, service & entertainment, or equal to or better than Carnival. Cruising around a holiday and when Schools are out usually means a poor experience.

Saisa    1 year ago

AuntPinkie, we didn’t have expectations, and even that is was not the best one we enjoyed it! :)

AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. Hope your next one is better.

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