Had a great time, beautiful ship, but beware of hidden fee's!

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Sid0378

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Florida & Bahamas (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 18, 2023

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Cabin number: 8131

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

For the most part I did enjoy myself. Again, I would beware of hidden costs, nickel and diming and things you think are included are not. I was very disappointed that the under 21 women in my party did not have their drink package that we were told we paid for. It caused a lot of additional cost that we were not anticipating. Be prepared to repeat yourself a lot as most of the staff does not have a clear understanding of the English language. The ship is large and very clean the staff is extremely friendly and attentive for the most part. There were some that just could not be bothered to do the simplest of things.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

For the most part getting through the embarkation process was easy. However, once on the ship it was pure chaos.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The ships main dining room was great. The staff was amazing and attentive. The food was delicious. The specialty dining was good, and the buffet was alright, just a lot of chaos. They did a good job keeping the food sections full and fresh.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Sadly this is where a lot of the hidden costs came in to place. I could not enjoy the Slide because although I was told it was included once onboard I found out you had to pay to use. Same with a lot of the games and shows. What I thought was "included" you had to pay to see or use.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The shows (Houdini) was great, and I did see a Rock show, and that was eh. They all had great voices but the show felt a little thrown together.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

The waiters we had John in the Wave restaurant and Joseph the Restaurant Manager were amazing and efficient. Every night John remembered our drink order and Joseph always came by to see how our day was. Our Steward Vishan was amazing. He was attentive and always appeared when I was just thinking of something. My room was always clean. However, a lot of the bar service or staff around the ship had a large language barrier that caused a lot of confusion and incorrect information. For example we were told that the under 21 women in our group had a non acholic drink package. Rather than try to assist us in rectifying it we were just told no or they looked at us like they did not understand what we were saying. It was very frustrating and ended up just dropping it.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was very clean and for the most part organized. You have to have a good sense of direction to remember how to get from point A to point B. Otherwise you will be walking in circles a lot.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Size was small although it is an interior it would have been nice to have a little more room n the shower. I felt like I was in a tube and if I was any larger of a woman I would not have fit.

Ship tip

The tip is included and you will be charged $14 a day whether it is deserved or not. Beware of hidden cost and nickel and diming at every turn.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Brooklyn, New York

4 out of 5

the disembarkation process was very easy. It is a very organized chaos.

Thumbs Up 1

Port Canaveral, Florida Did not visit port

we docked by I did not leave the ship

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

We chose to do the express disembarkation process. It was very easy and I was able to be curbside within in 35 min

Traveler Photos

9 Comments

GinamarieB 1 year ago

Just curious, what additional things were you nickel and dimed for? Thanks for sharing 👍

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nmb926 1 year ago

Is it $14 per cabin or per cruise?

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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24MyLuckyDragon 1 year ago

Gratuities are rarely included unless you get a promo email from travel agency or special promo while on board your cruise, and those will be included if you book s balcony or higher. I get 2-3 of those promos a day. You can sign up for CruiseCritic, ShipMate or your preferred travel partner. Read the fine print & shop around. I agree w/ the fellow cruiser, the crew works very hard, very long hours, gratuity is well deserved. Not sure how you booked your cruise, I would encourage you to call your booking concierge of customer service @ MSC. If the non-alcohol package was supposed to be included they will tell you & might even reimburse for the double expense. Also, I would suggest that while on your next cruise, go directly to the ships customer service desk & get clarification right then & there. I was charged twice for an excursion & received my reimbursement w/in 24 after speaking to the service desk rep. Happy Cruising ⚓️🤩🛳️❣️‼️

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you mostly enjoyed your cruise.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Tips and gratuities are not the same

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Every crew member works very hard, they definitely deserve the gratuities and tips. Thanks for sharing your cruising experience.

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cbyron3 1 year ago

$14 a day is among the very lowest in cruising, and its more than deserved.

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Carnivalfoodie 1 year ago

Thank you for the review

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