I enjoyed this cruise. First time on MSC. Embarkation needs huge improvement. The ship is gorgeous & the staff is extremely friendly & helpful. The ships Pub is great, but not complimentary like on other cruise lines, but the food & service is great! Shout out to the theatre crew. The cruise Director & Assistant are visible & attentive. Huge shout out to all bartenders/wait staff/housekeeping & steward cabins. And of course, the cook. MSC Meraviglia has room for improvement, but it’s a great place to start from.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
MSC really needs to do something about this ports’ embarkation procedures. Extremely long lines, no key-card status recognition…went from NCL Platinum to MSC Gold w/ their “stays match” ~ that’s NOT a match. They only have 2 tiers @ MSC. I always show up 1 hour before my required time, and so glad I did. I don’t understand why it’s so poorly coordinated. I mean they do this every 7 days?! The NYC/Manhattan terminals are extremely well organized & efficiently serviced. This Brooklyn terminal seems a bit smaller, but they need to re-structure their lineup procedures. You move like a turtle on a never ending line to end up on another long winding line after an attendant looks at your passport & paperwork
I then even though you’ve checked in online another attendant reviews everything & then you get your boarding card. Too wasteful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was good. They need to add more complimentary food options. The Pub is great, good food & drinks & awesome service, but not complimentary like other cruise lines.
THE PANORAMA RESTAURANT needs to fix their A/C. The food was good & service was very nice, VERY accommodating staff! But bc of Western exposure, that room gets very warm.
Buffet was not bad, now I know what other cruisers meant by “same food on rotation”. When in doubt, go get a fresh pizza, burger or hot dog & love them fries!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lots to do all day long! Huge shout out to the Entertainment staff & Theatre Crew. Amazing!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Stage shows were great. Awesome singers & very talented performers. The music lineup is very good. DJ was good, but music a bit dated. But all & all very enjoyable & entertaining.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent.
Stewards, Bartenders, housekeeping & the bakers & chefs, all amazing!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very Clean!
Very well kept & efficiently serviced.
All safety precautions available & observed.
Felt very comfortable in all surroundings. Plenty of hand wash stations near restaurants, buffet & bars. People just need to use them! I know I did constantly…
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Great cabin!
Excellent Steward!
Excellent customer service !
Huge shout out to my Cabin Steward: JON ARIANA I WAYAN GEDES/Indonesia!!
Or what I nicknamed him “Sir Jon”
Thank you so much for your attentiveness & outstanding Customer Service.
Hope to see you again!
Ship tip
Enjoy your balcony if you book one; Get the ice cream it’s delicious! Enjoy the pizza bar. It’s so good, so fresh! And enjoy the food trucks at Ocean Caye ~ it was a private island experience. Also, if you rent an umbrella, they suggest you pick your spot first & then go pick it up…I didn’t even bother to do all that back & forth nonsense. Ended up sitting next to a nice bar & had my lunch. After that took a great ride on their free ride shuttle & stayed close to the ship near the lighthouse. All & all a very nice day. Last tip: when you ask for directions everyone there @ Ocean Caye will say “oh it’s right down this/that way” must be talk for “walk a mile in the sun” …take the free ride. Trust me.
Been to The Bahamas Port many times. Love the new improvements & friendly shop keepers. Love the cart shuttle service, just wish they ran it more efficiently. But all & all great place to visit.
Did the $20 round trip shuttle & rented umbrella & chairs @ Cocoa Beach $45.00. Last shuttle back to ship 5:30. After that you’re on your own & everything shuts down like around 6 pm in that little Surf Company mini mall.
Embarkation & Disembarkation both need huge improvement. Cruisers are all saying the same thing. MSC are you listening & taking notes? Great potential here. Improvement needed.
G’Day fellow cruisers~ yes @ Cape Canaveral the shuttle buses are right at terminal as soon as you leave the ship. I’ve only taken it to the Cocoa Beach surf mini mall. They run on a loop approx every 20 minutes or so until 5:30pm, which is kind of weird bc most ships are docked past 8:00 pm, at least on cruises I’ve been on. The staffers are super friendly & $20 buys you a round trip.
Thanks for the clarification on the tiers. Not that many perks on their reward system, I’m kinda spoiled on getting my laundry done for free. That has to be my favorite NCL/Platinum perk ~ no lie.
I think every review I’ve read begins & ends the same way: Horrible/terrible/embarkation/disembarkation ~ the pits!
Oh, and what’s up w/ that Muster Drill ?! You gave to run back to your room to confirm you watched the video & then head to a muster station to get clocked in or whatever that was … totally confused about that whole MSC process. This was my 12th cruise, 1st on MSC, last one was in Dec/Jan 2023 & the muster drills were a breeze!
Thank you all for your feedback!!
Thank you for reviewing! I love your directions comment. I live in Maine and when we say just down the road it could mean a minute or ten miles! Happy you enjoyed the cruise.
Thank you for your amazing review of the ship and its staff! I'm wanting to do a cruise on this ship for my birthday in a few months, so I hope I have as wonderful an experience as you did!
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