Disappointed

Item: MSC Meraviglia
Rating: 3.6
Author: sdllaw

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

sdllaw

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 24

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 26, 2023

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Cabin number: 8114

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

On first day at the worst point of the total chaos in the buffet area I literally said "Never Again!" to the people around me in the longest food line I've ever seen on a cruise ship and with no floor managers around to complain to. But I mellowed out by the end and give this cruise a solid "C," meaning I might give them another try someday. It was really the system that failed, not the people (who were generally great), and that's fixable.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Utter chaos on the ship. Too many people. Too few staff. Huge lines.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Buffet often very over-crowded but sometimes not so bad. 70% of the food was mediocre and on the bland side but there was enough good stuff to make every meal enjoyable. Fewer options and lower quality than another of the 20 or so ships we've been on.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

The island was very nice.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Didn't go to any shows, but heard others saying positive things.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff were hard working and hospitable.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Room steward was very good. Liked the room pretty well. Didn't like having a balcony overhanging a deck area, not the water, with badly obstructed view behind tender boats.

Ship tip

Don't choose this company for your first cruise or it might put you off cruising. If you're an experienced cruiser, be ready to cope with a lower standard of efficiency and competence and you'll probably have a pretty good time overall, like we did. Not fantastic but not horrible either.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

4 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Got stopped at the gate for having an "open balance" due -- even though I had booked everything on my credit card which they had on file. Seems they require you take the special step of linking your on-board key card to your credit card. It was infuriating and humiliating to be sent out of line to stand in another line to talk with the Finance Officer to fix the problem. At least five other people in the cluster of 20 or so we were in had the same experience. A terrible system!

5 Comments

karen070 1 year ago

I just don’t understand all the bad reviews on the Meraviglia. We cruised 2 times. Love everything ! We usually cruise RCL. THIS LINE. Is almost half be price of RC. matched up the same cruise with RC for July. We are cruising with Fantastical Deluxe Balcony. Free drinks and internet Which would Ours was Less than Start watching for sales I would rather MSC. This will be our 3 rd. Do the 7 day one Get a concierge. They can help

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CruzeFan 1 year ago

Try a 7 day or longer itinerary for a better experience. The 3/4 day cruises have become crowded party / booze cruises due to the cheap fares that include the drink package. Those itineraries have a much higher passenger count than the longer itineraries currently.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Appreciate the review

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Oops sorry 😞 thanks

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Sorry you were disappointed.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Birthday 2023 Cruise

Very nice ship and we had great weather.

MSC Meraviglia 2/26/2023