Improved service

Item: MSC Meraviglia
Rating: 4.5
Author: IGotATravelGuy

MSC Meraviglia Cruise Review

IGotATravelGuy

Contributor Level: Second Mate

86 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 86

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

6 Night Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 21, 2023

Ship: MSC Meraviglia

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11390

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Very lovely cruise. Looking forward to sailing again in 2025.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Embarkation is always stressful but if you get there earlier than your time and get checked into the waiting area then it is much more comfortable of a wait. Inside after getting your cruise cards there are seats and facilities. Be prepared to wait. They do not start loading people on until closer to 11am.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The main dining was hit or miss. Buffet was nice alternative with nice options. Specialty restaurants were ok.

Ocean Cay

3 out of 5

Terrible atmosphere. Ocean cay is one of the venues for people to go to if they need to make reservations for specialty dining. They had the doors open to the galleria and there was a dj spinning tunes. We had a lunchtime booking and it was so loud and not relaxing. Food was ok. The service was fantastic tho!

Waves Restaurant

3 out of 5

Service can be slow and you can get forgotten. This is the sit down breakfast with the same menu daily. The lunch menu changes and we had good lunches here.

Butcher's Cut

3 out of 5

Service was the pits. The food was ok. My lamb chops were over cooked but I ate it. My Mac and cheese was horrible. It was so sad I thought it was pasta with oil. I asked for creamed spinach which was a mistake. That looked like sautéed spinach with milk.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

The salt water pools are lovely but small and very crowded. The walking track is lovely on deck 16. The spa is a wonderful place to relax.

Horizon Pool

4 out of 5

Lots of sun. Not a lot of seating when the seat savers are obnoxiously leaving their crap all over. The rules are not enforced.

Duty Free Shop

4 out of 5

Check the prices. Some of the items were only slightly cheaper.

Photo Gallery / Photo Shop

4 out of 5

The photo area is tight when crowded. Get the photo packages early. They only get more expensive. The photographers are awesome!

Entertainment

3 out of 5

I didn’t catch many of the theater shows but people in our group did. They all enjoyed them. The DJs were all good, the live music acts were all lovely.

The Broadway Theater

4 out of 5

Lovely theater for shows and talks.

Carousel Lounge

4 out of 5

Nice venue. We saw the rock circus. The performers get an A for effort but it wasn’t very good. Lots of synchronized walking around the stage and not enough….circus.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

We had two kids as part of our group. They loved it. Always wanted to go back.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Here are the following shout outs: Sharma / cabin host- he was awesome! Wilmah from the spa - magical spa services...if you are sailing the Meraviglia please request her! Te'lisha Phulchere / Asst. Waiter / St. Lucia - always said good morning to me in the Marketplace! Eddy Dias / Bartender / India - Remembered I was decaf cappuccino by day two and always took great care of me! Augusto Moscoso / Buffet attendant / Peru - always greeted me and was always a friendly face in the Marketplace! Anthony Kakunde / MSC Shop seller / Kenya - Always had a smile and offered assistance in the shop! Naveen Fernandes / MSC Shop Seller / India - Greeted me like an old Pal!!! Very nice to shop where I feel like a VIP! Vicente Espejo / Bar Waiter / Peru - Always greeted me and got my Decaf Cappuccino order started asap! Washington Murape / Effy Jeweler / Zimbabwe - Amazing customer service, greeted me like we were old pals - certainly left feeling like a regular! Martin Nucovski / Effy Supervisor / Macedonia - Remembered me from sailing in May, helped me upgrade my jewelry, welcomed me back! Madhuri Sonawane / Effy Staff / India - She is such a sweetheart!!! Showed me a bracelet which my husband bought as a surprise.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Beautiful ship. Slobby guests. Can’t do anything about that. Food left in the stairways (oranges whole and half eaten, various pastries whole and half eaten, random cups placed all over). The cabin corridors have various dishes out from room service and buffet.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

My cabin was #11390 - the very back of the ship on deck 11 with gorgeous wake views off my balcony. The views were fantastic but the water moving was noisier than anticipated. There were three of us in the stateroom and we felt it was pretty spacious given that our sofa was the third bed. I was a little bothered by the movement at one time because I was rocking head to toe in bed....the seas were a little rough at times. Noise on this ship is a bit more noticeable - it's just carpeting on metal. Always sounds tinny. We heard a family who was quite far away yelling at the kids, and the family above stomping about.

Ports of call

King's Wharf, Bermuda

5 out of 5

Beautiful! We are planning to go back!

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Disembarkation

4 out of 5

As orderly as they want it to be, people suck and do not follow instructions. People in group 20 trying to leave with group 8. We were group 51 (based on cabin number) and were set to exit at 10:30m. So if you need to be off the ship sooner, I suggest doing the express walk off.

Traveler Photos

7 Comments

24MyLuckyDragon 1 year ago

Wow! This was a great review, thanks for sharing. I’m leaving to Bermuda next Monday 9/18 ~ 2nd time on MSC, on my 14th cruise & looking forward to giving MSC a 2nd chance. Your pointers & tips are so appreciated, especially since we’re reaching the height of hurricane season & anything goes, rough seas out there for sure! Your views on other passengers leaving food behind half eaten is so on point. When you’re sharing “living space” w/ close to 5,000 other cruisers, it’s respectful to mind your manners. You’re also showing respect for the crew as well. We’re all on vacation & everyone deserves a good time. All the best on your future cruises! Happy cruising y’all 🤩⚓️😎❣️‼️

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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outtoseapatty 1 year ago

Informative review! Ty for tip about embarkation day eating at Mex restaurant.

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GinamarieB 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Fantastic detailed review! Thank you for sharing more light on MSC.

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Skooby 1 year ago

Thank you for your detailed review.

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