Miserable
MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 16
4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 29, 2023
Ship: MSC Meraviglia
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
Worst cruise I have ever taken and there have been several. Miserable experience from start to finish. Okay - I was suckered in by the low ball price but I knew that ... upgraded to a balcony. Cabin was okay - balcony almost big enough for two chairs, but, again, that is to be expected. Would have been nice if the panels under the railing were clean enough to actually see through. Solved the missing towels problem by just stealing them of the cart. Can not believe that with all the purported attention to hygiene per covid, etc., that the facial tissues have been removed - nice little cover plate over the dispenser - and none available for purchase on the ship. Most serious concern is for the mandatory evacuation drill requirement which was repeatedly hammered into us as always ... watch the video, follow the map an the back of your door to check in at your assigned rally point. The only problem was that the directions said to go one way and the crew said to go the other and just couldn't understand why we and many others were confused. In a real event confusion leads to panic and panic leads to casualties. Strong work. So now the food and drink. Totally concur with other negative reviews. Marketplace was typical cafeteria food - sometimes. Eggs and omelets - stand in line - told no omelets - have eggs. Did find a little sausage gravy left, but no biscuits. Etc. etc. Beverage bar ... home of the mystery drink - no labels - not that it really mattered because most were usually empty anyway. Have the drink package, but first you have to find a waiter to get something. Dining room prime rib kinda resembles a minute steak. Second night I ordered a pasta dish that lead to twenty four hours of vomiting ... and I haven't vomited in twenty years. Tried to contact medical but no luck. Second day of illness I was able to go down to the information desk where I was told I could not talk to medical by phone but had to personally go down to the medical station. When I did so I was assured there were no other reports of GI problems and indicated I must be allergic to seafood (in the pasta.) I live on Cape Cod. I eat seafood. Later I personally learned in conversation with other departing passengers of numerous other such incidents. That evening, my wife again went to dining without me and ordered a different dish including pasta ... mistake. She became ill with GI problems of her own. Both of our illnesses continued for the rest of the cruise - never left the ship at the wonderful Ocean Cay. My wife was so ill on arrival back at Port Canaveral that I went back to the desk to request some kind of accommodation. I was advised that we needed to vacate the cabin and either wait in the assigned area or go ashore and wait for our baggage there - the only options - no exceptions despite Me stating it was highly likely my wife would end up vomiting on the furniture. No consideration. So we vacated the cabin as ordered and stopped in the Market Place where my wife experienced a grand mal seizure and promptly vomited on the table. I requested/demanded medical assistance from three different crew members but it never happened. I rendered supportive aid as best I could and my wife recovered sufficiently to get off the ship to our relief. Enough - you get the picture.Embarkation
Confusion - misinformation - ridiculous lines - poor organization
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Fair to poor - buffet only typical cafeteria grade - poor availablity - dining worse
Onboard Activities
puking, crapping, sleeping
Entertainment
Piano good but only in grand lobby - would be nice in piano bar setting. All other music WAY too loud. Carousel looked real nice but again jazz group too loud and did not get suckered into surprise additional fee for show.
Orientation show nothing but a pitch for vendors and shopping.
Children's Programs
No young kids that they can prove.
Service and Staff
Would love to tell you about the service I received if there was any
Ship Quality
Design and layout okay once you could figure it out - terrible signage/guidance - would a pocket guide/map be too much?
Many indications of shoddy maintenance/upkeep
Cabin / Stateroom
"Upgraded" cabin okay. Cleanliness okay except panels on balcony. Would be nice to get towels. No facial tissues??????
Ship tip
Don't
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas
Disembarkation
My wife was so ill on arrival back at Port Canaveral that I went back to the desk to request some kind of accommodation. I was advised that we needed to vacate the cabin and either wait in the assigned area or go ashore and wait for our baggage there - the only options - no exceptions despite Me stating it was highly likely my wife would end up vomiting on the furniture. No consideration. So we vacated the cabin as ordered and stopped in the Market Place where my wife experienced a grand mal seizure and promptly vomited on the table. I requested/demanded medical assistance from three different crew members but it never happened. I rendered supportive aid as best I could and my wife recovered sufficiently to get off the ship to our relief. The ONLY redeeming factor was the attendant just before the customs stations who saw m wife's obvious distress and allowed us to bypass the line and get directly to customs on his initiative without request ... thank you.